old man emu

Trump had a TV ratings win with the televising of the inauguration. Actually the prize was for the lowest ratings for an inauguration since 1969 when Nixon was sworn in. The figures were compiled by the ratings agency Nielsen's. An estimated 24.6 million viewers tuned in on Monday, January 20, 2025 to watch the inauguration. That's 7.3% of the total population of the USA, and 10% of the eligible voters. Very interesting is the break-up by age Viewership Across TV Networks Live plus same day, U.S. audience estimates Viewing Audience Rating Persons 2+ 24,589,000 8.0 Households 17,531,000 14.1 Persons 18-34 1,430,000 1.9 Persons 35-54 4,665,000 5.8 Persons 55+ 17,397,000 17.4 Source: Nielsen Fast Data, Live+Same-Day.

I agree. Have you ever tried to do 10 kph in a carpark? It's been said here before that trying to monitor frequent changes in speed limits is more dangerous than travelling with the flow of traffic.

This discussion about constitutions seems to have a stumbling block in that no one has defined what the word 'constitution' describes. Basically, any constitution is a written instrument embodying the rules of a organization. Recreational Flying Australia has a constitution, as does the Mens Shed organisation. Although not having Jerry's grasp on the two Constitutions being discussed in this thread, I think that the Australian one is the better. Don't forget that it is the product of over ten years' discussion and debate here in pre-Federation Australia, as well as having been scrutinised by legal experts in the United Kingdom. The Constitution is a document which was conceived by Australians, drafted by Australians and approved by Australians. A distinct difference between the USA's and Australia's is the distinction between the Parliament and the Executive Government due to the fact that, in Australia, the Prime Minister and the other Government Ministers (who form part of the Executive) must be members of Parliament. This reflects the principle of responsible government under which Government Ministers (the Executive) must be members of, and accountable to, the Parliament. The difference with the USA is currently being displayed through Trump's appointments. Looking at the process by which either Constitution can be amended, Australia has the more democratic. Firstly, most of the National electorate must approve the amendment, then the wishes of the electorate in each State and Territory are taken into account. This is done by a simple counting of the votes. First past the post wins. The decision does not have to be ratified by State parliaments. The original Constitution has been amended eight times, in 1907 (S.13), 1910 (S.105), 1929 (S.105), 1946 (S.51), 1967 (S.51, S.127), and three amendments in 1977 (S.15, S.72, S.128), so the original version must have been pretty watertight.

Wow! With her determination she'll be a glowing success in the legal field.

I invoke the Spacey defence.

Back in the early 2000s, there was a spike in the number of knife attacks, mainly, I think, ethnic gang related. So the NSW government beefed up the anti-cutting weapon laws that had been introduced to combat the razor gang wars of 1927-31. Police were issued with metal detector wands. This allowed police to conduct an non-invasive search of a person suspected to be carrying a cutting weapon. I t was just a case of , "you look like a likely suspect. Just stand still for a moment while I wave my magic wand around you.' Of course, back in those Dark Ages, likely suspects knew that it was better to accept than argue. Twenty-five years later, every "who-me?" reckons their Rights far exceed their Responsibilities, so police now have to ask politely for permission to play the Fairy Godmother with the wand. If a person is going to carry a knife, without reasonable cause, then some Rights go out the window.

I have learned how the gold deposits of NSW and Victoria formed as a result of mountain building (orogeny). The stumps of those mountains still exist. But the WA goldfields don't appear to have mountains. I have also learned that Uluru is the eroded remnant of an very ancient mountain range. I wonder if the gold deposits of WA are simply sediments eroded from ancient mountain ranges. But I have no knowledge of the geology of those goldfields. I base it on some shows I seen on the Discovery Channel which depict the countryside.

Having seen the NSW and Victorian goldfields, I'm astounded when I see the WA goldfields countryside. The two types of countryside are so different.

If he'd done that move in Victoria he would have been brought before a Criminal Court.

Maybe not on that section of the Hume Highway, but one hope that it gave him pause for thought since his wife and kids were travelling with him. Sometimes a drop of honey catches more flies than a gallon of vinegar.

Jaws hangs its head in shame.

I once stopped that speed demon on the Hume Highway near Goulburn, bowling along at 124 kph in a 100 kph zone. He made amends for his indiscretion by stopping in a small town to speak to a Boy Scout meeting later that evening. I've got his autograph on the back of an RBT test record card.

Don't we look awful without hair and make up?

If you go to Western Sydney in the vicinity of the new airport, you'll see what we are really great in making in Australia - warehouses for imported goods.

The African Plate is moving towards the Eurasian Plate at a rate of 2.15 cm per year, causing subduction where oceanic crust is converging with continental crust. The Arabian Plate is moving in a similar direction, but the Somali Plate is moving away from both. That is causing the split which can be seen as the Great Rift Valley of East Africa which lies along the boundary of the African and Somali Plates.

I was going to answer by saying that we could find out who Elon Musk is by referring to official records. Could we confirm by checking official records that Elon Reeve Musk was born on June 28, 1971, in Pretoria, South Africa's administrative capital? However, we have been trained to believe that even official records can be changed or created to suit the goals of a plan. The alteration of records is one of the plot devices of Orwell's 1984. So Musk's birth records could be a fiction. We can't rely on the veracity of his parent's birth and citizenship records. We know that Jonathan Kent and Martha Kent found a baby in a space vehicle and raised him as their own child. No one ever seems to have researched Clark's birth records. Post scriptum: I used the analogy of Superman simply as an example of how PMC's idea could be implemented, using a well known, albeit fictional, character.

I did use the word very loosely. Before Trump's Order, the USA was a patriarchy, a society in which men hold the power and women are largely excluded from it, whereas a matriarchy is a social system is which women have more power in the community than men. I was trying to say that Trump had made all men females through a definition that did not correspond with the scientific definition that identifies the sexes, and since those men would not be likely to give up power, you would have a matriarchy.

Donald Trump this week turned the United States into a matriarchy. Matriarchy is a social system in which positions of dominance without violence and privilege are held by women. How did he do that? Quite simply by signing an Executive Order written by his minions who only had the most elementary knowledge of how male/female sex is determined by chromosomal type. I take it that you know that the sex of a human is determined by a specific type of chromosomes designated as X and Y, with females having two X chromosomes (XX) and males having one X and one Y chromosome (XY), meaning the presence of a Y chromosome determines male sex. You also know that a chromosome is the way in which genes are collected together, a bit like putting a whole heap of assembly instructions in one folder. OK so how did Trump turn everyone in the United States female? Simply by defining, that a "female" as "a person belonging, at conception, to the sex that produces the large reproductive cell." The order defines "male" as "a person belonging, at conception, to the sex that produces the small reproductive cell." At conception either a sperm carrying an X chromosome, or one with a Y chromosome may enter the ovum produced by the female, to match the X chromosome of the female. The genes located on the Y chromosome which cause the developing embryo to eventually be male do not come into action for about six weeks after conception. Therefore at conception and for up to six weeks thereafter, an embryo's sex is female. The noun "sex" for centuries has had the meaning meaning "quality or character of being either male or female", based upon the anatomical distinction between male and female as evidenced by physical characteristics of their genital organs and the part taken by each in reproduction." It's usually assigned at birth as male or female, since until only since recent times could those physical characteristics be observed before birth. Ironically, as a result of this Order, all previously heterosexual marriages have become same-sex marriages. Here's a picture of the Trump Administration's Chief Scientific Advisor

I think you might mean 'trademarked' the word. I wonder if a person could trademark 'f#ck' and its verb and gerundive forms

Where dja gettit? I was Googling for a definition of 'fascism'. I got his quote from Lenin Then I searched for that quote and came up with this: https://orinocotribune.com/fascism-is-capitalism-in-decay/

Glancing over the previous posts made since Trump was inaugurated and started his autographing blitz, I have come to the conclusion that he is the greatest destroyer of the good order and discipline of the worldwide economy. If his orders regarding the functioning of the US economy are followed, I envisage a collapse of the world's trading and financial system. His policies are spreading terror, not only in his own country, but elsewhere. He has made a mockery of the democratic principles that the USA has said it was defending since 1945. By the way, who voted for the USA to be the World's Policeman? He has made a mockery of the once respected Office of the President of the United States. The rest of the world is either laughing at him openly, or, or they want to curry favour (Russia, China and North Korea) they are doing so with a covered mouth. We have be taught that Hitler, Stalin, Pol Pot, Kim Yong Jun and Mao represent the worst of political leaders, but I think Trump eclipses them. Do you think that the following description of Fascism applies to the USA at present? Fascism arises as a desperate attempt by the ruling capitalist class to maintain its power. It is a form of authoritarianism that emerges when capitalism is in a state of decay, During periods of economic crisis or decline, the ruling capitalist class may face challenges to maintain their dominance. In response, they might turn to authoritarian and nationalist movements as a means to protect their interests and maintain control. Fascism is the extreme manifestation of these efforts. Economic collapse can generate fear and insecurity in society. Fascist leaders often thrive on this fear, offering a sense of order and protection in exchange for loyalty and obedience.

The story that the above links to is an example of the glorification of Trump by the giga-rich. It especially irks me that present day giga-rich very often got that way by starting with the backing of mega-rich parents. One wonders if the giga-rich have ever done the slightest bit of actual work themselves.

Bugger! Hyundai didn't use them.

Hurrah!!!!! I have something to celebrate. My car's air bag warning light suddenly came on a couple of months ago, but being well versed in modern automotive technology, I chose to bear with the presence of the illuminated warning rather than find the fault and fix it. Actually I was afraid that mice had dined on the wiring in some hard-to-reach place. More fear came from the thought that the problem was in the computer system of the car. The car is coming up for its annual roadworthiness inspection, and I had a bigger problem in that the handbrake wasn't working. So I figured I would get my mechanic to deal with the handbrake and while he had the car to run a diagnostic check. Fixing the handbrake involved removing the front passenger seat. When that was done, it was discovered that wires had broken off one side of a connector. I've been putting off rejoining the wires because I don't have a covered work space, and it has either been too sunny (hot) or too windy to work outside. Well, today the weather conditions were suitable for working outside and I got stuck into fixing it. I honestly thought that rejoining the wires would not be the fix, but I was glad to see that it actually was. Now I can present the car for inspection and see what other minor fault can be found to require fixing before it passes.

It's just Santa off duty.