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He's doing it for a reason. He WANTS an incident in LA so he has an excuse to stomp down harder. He would be thrilled if a protestor killed a cop or soldier. I know I sound like a broken record, but this is 1930's Germany all over again.

I have actually been involved with a legal situation for the last 18 months regarding drug dealers next door in a housing department property. Instead of getting hysterical, we organised our neighbours, made allies in the police and housing department educated ourselves and appeared to give evidence. We won, and these people are going to be evicted by the police and the property is going on the private market. The moral of this is that whinging and whining gets you nowhere. We educated ourselves and kept positive. I am sorry that you seem to be so unhappy with life.

Here's an interesting perspective on the current unrest in Los Angeles that doesn't suit Trump's MAGA agenda given the inconvenient fact that Los Angeles was once part of Mexico. I was there as protesters flooded the streets of downtown Los Angeles, their chants rising over sirens and the buzz of low-flying helicopters. The air was thick with smoke, and the sharp, acrid sting of chemicals burned the throat and made eyes water. Loud bangs echoed off concrete buildings, followed by the thud of rubber bullets hitting pavement and bodies. A wall of L.A. police officers stood unmoving at the edge of the crowd. And above it all, in the chaos and confrontation, was a sea of raised fists and Mexican flags. Not tucked in a pocket or painted on a cheek, but unfurled and waving high, as if daring the city, the country, to see them. We know what came next. The outrage. The backlash. Not discomfort, but anger. Real, visceral anger. For many, seeing the Mexican flag waved during a protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement doesn’t just raise eyebrows; it feels like an affront. They ask: If you’re demanding rights in this country, why wave the flag of another? But that flag, at that moment, is not about rejecting the United States. It’s about refusing to be erased. It’s layered with history, memory and defiance. It calls into question who we are as a country and, more important, who we’re willing to include. It forces a reckoning with a national identity far more complicated than many are ready to admit. At a time when immigration is no longer merely debated but wielded as a tool to stoke fear, consolidate power and dehumanize an essential part of our society, and when the political cost of empathy has grown prohibitively high, moments like this don’t just spark controversy; they become crucibles. They force us to confront questions without easy answers: Who truly belongs in this country? And at what cost? Can American identity contain this kind of complexity, or is belonging still tethered to silence, assimilation and the quiet erasure of everything that doesn’t conform? Los Angeles is the perfect place to ask these questions because Mexican identity isn’t foreign there. It’s foundational. This was Mexico once and remains part of the memory, culture, street names, food and families who never crossed a border because the border crossed them. In that context, the Mexican flag isn’t necessarily a symbol of separation or rejection. Sometimes, it’s a claim: We are both. We are Mexican and American, not divided but layered. This is what our identity looks like. But American pluralism has never been as open-armed as we pretend. It often tolerates presence but punishes visibility. Mexican Americans are deemed essential when the country needs labor — in the fields, in hospitals during the covid pandemic, in our homes, in our schools and in the armed forces — but suspicious when they demand dignity, political voice or the freedom to show pride in where they come from. The message has always been: Contribute, but don’t complicate.

That's a laugh. The most corrupt criminal in the whole country is Trump himself.

There is a movement in California to succeed. This would be good for California but bad for the US Here's why the state wants to become an independent country Of the $4.67 trillion in revenue from the states in 2023, over 35% came from the nation's four most populous states: California (12.2% of the total), Texas (8.9%), New York (8.0%), and Florida (6.7%) g I think it would be good for California to cut loose the anti-intellectual red states, who educationally and financially are not pulling their weight. The situation 8in California is not a state of emergency. This is political theatre from the man (and a dress rehearsal for the rest of the country) who pardoned the Jan 6 mob, where people actually died. The reason people are kicking up against the ICE raids is that "we are only going after criminals" has proved to be bulshit. Using the military against their population is crossing a dangerous line usually reserved for dictatorships.

Imagine what we could do if the $380B was kept here, and invested into Australian defence manufacturing. I reckon conventional subs will become obsolete, as tanks have become in this age of drone warfare, and remotely-controlled unmanned mini-subs such as the Huntingdon version will become the norm for underwater stealth activities. They can't get sub crews at the best of times, it's the next best thing to a kamikaze mission during wartime. We have the Australian-designed Ghost Shark mini-sub under development here, the Govt need to wake up and understand that buying war equipment now, for delivery in 20 or 30 years time, is about on a par with ordering a hundred Sopwith Camels in 1919 for use in WW2. We had enough of a problem with obsolete equipment in 1939. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost_Shark_(submarine) https://www.defensemirror.com/news/33048/Huntington_Ingalls_Unveils_Remus_620_UUV

Let me think... The US has a deal whereby some insignificant country promises to give them billions of US greenbacks for subs that they don't even have to provide. Good for US? You bet it is.

But now that he has trashed the system of checks and balances (regardless of its shortcomings), there is no control over subsequent dictator types. Then the only rule left will apply:- 'Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely' (or something like that)

Even though He's a SOD I don't go with the "shoot them" concept. I don't even go with the death penalty. Nev

Albo to the rescue?? I'd really like to see Albo rescue Australia from the grip of AUKUS. And from reliance on a rogue state (USA), for our defence purchases.

That was taken from my kitchen window.. we look down on the pheasants... er... peas....ants 😉 We shoot one of them.. just can't remember which 😜

If I was as Pi$$ed off as you are GON, I'd migrate to the Land of the Orange Con Man where Service People are Suckers & Losers and Money is God, and GUNS are everywhere. Nev

I bet they don't teach much border growth history in USA schools. Their old imperialism took a lot of Mexico by force - to make the states of Arizona, Utah, Texas, etc. After all that, taking Greenland would not be so surprising. They don't look like nice neighbours, to me.

Try living in the US and see if you still think it’s so bad over here. You could start with the criminal in the White House and his corrupt Justice Department.

The illegals are harmless, needed to support the economy, and should be granted citizenship and the only law and order that has to be restored is the chaos that Trump is responsible for.

Yes, it's pretty ugly.

I am not sure I understand the correlation between corruption/organised crime and conscription, to be quite honest. One redeeming feature of Albos is he supports the Hawks...

Many people did resist. During the Vietnam War, over 1,000 men in Australia applied for conscientious objector status under the National Service Act. Of these, 733 were granted total exemption from military service, 142 were exempted from combat duties, and 137 had their applications rejected. Many more Australians resisted conscription through other means, such as burning draft cards or leaving the country, although these actions are not classified as conscientious objection under the Act. Here's a more detailed breakdown: Conscientious Objection: The National Service Act defined conscientious objectors as those who sincerely believed that any form of military service was wrong. Applications: Over 1,000 men applied for conscientious objector status between 1965 and 1971. Outcomes: Total Exemption: 733 applicants were granted complete exemption from any military service. Partial Exemption: 142 applicants were exempted from combat duties only. Rejections: 137 applications were rejected. Other Forms of Resistance: Many Australians who opposed the war also resisted conscription by burning their draft cards, refusing to register for the draft, serving jail time, or leaving the country.

No, sadly I don't.

I’ve been watching some videos on Australian political history. When dealing with topics related to State politics, it seems that NSW, QLD and VIC have a culture of political corruption. Don’t know about SA or WA. The list of names of the shonky polies is very long. Probably the worst thing is that the creation of corruption finding organisations does not seem to have been successful in rooting out the crooks.

As former Prime Ministers go, Malcolm Turnbull seems to be the least controversial, or at least his comments appear to be level-headed. In this video he is calling attention to the fact that we have paid the Yanks $3 billion to support their submarine construction industry based on the promise that they will supply us with a couple of subs sometime after 2030. However, in this video he tells us that the supply is contingent on the Yanks having some spare subs after they have met their requirements. However, while they need to build two subs per year to meet their requirements, they are only building one and a bit. Also the deal says that the supply is dependent on Presidential approval of supply at the time of supply, as long as the requirements of the Yanks have been met. He says that while AUKUS is Australia's Plan A, we don't have a Plan B, which means that if we decommission our Collins Class subs and the subs don't arrive from the Yanks, we will be without subs for over a decade. Also, there is no going back the the French, cap in hand, to ask them to make some for us.

The Unpleasant FACT IS, Trump cannot be trusted by his allies and a Lot of Yanks don't care as long as they get richer in the Process. What is a DEAL worth IF it can be cancelled Unilaterally on a whim? NOTHING! It's just a LIABILITY and LOSS OF SOVREIGNITY. The LAST thing we need. Nev

Thank you, oh eloquent one. I try to consult wolfie for inspiration. Unfortunately wolfie just makes me verbose and silly.

It's not like it is an unknown profession and they go into it blind, is it? Therefore, the potential rewards to them or those they represent must be greater than the cost of that exposure and for some that will be the betterment of society as a whole (which may not align to your or I view of betterment), and for some, it is to achieve more vested interests. The senior politicians - the ones alledgedly making the decisions are increasingly making decisions that seem to favour vested interests rather than the interests of the community as a whole. Of course, what one person thinks is beneficial may not be what another does. The fact that they volunteer to enter what is a public role means they are going to be critically assessed.. And that is the way it should be. Otherwise, how will public figures of whome the public has entrusted them with, for which they are very well rewarded, especially at the senior level. Their salary is only a small portion of the benefts, which are not FBT-able, which they accrue. After adding the FBT that would have been paid, and suddenly, they are on a good wicket - not to mention the cushy lobbying and other corporate jobs they land afterwards. No one said they are all bad.. But, the leadership of both of the major parties do not act in the interests of the population. Albo has hosted lunches and dinners at many thousands, if not tens of thousands of dollars per head for fund raising for the ALP. Every PM and senior minister does for every party. These are not really available to you or me, even if we wanted to splash the cash to get a seat. These are for different commercial and industrial leaders to discuss things relevant to their economy. They are not spending this money for no return, are they? I am not going to post it, but Monique Ryan's now famous question to the PM about the attendees of one such lunch, to which the speaker took exception, was not answered, but landed a personal attack on her by Albo himself. And don't give me this BS that we need these titans of industry... to keep jobs going blah blah blah... We should have been transitioning our industries years ago, which would have been a more gradual, less disruptive transition, to allow us to become world leaders and have genuine Aussie corporations leading the way.. Employment would be higher, GDP would be higher and the US slapping tarrifs on us would be jusitifed (in a relative sense). Instead, we give our resources to foreign corporations and companies for free so that other countries reap all the benefits, let alone a couple of true Aussie companies. I agree with Juice Media.. There is the shit party (LNP) and shit lite party (ALP)...

We once had a Prime Minister who figured out how to make money. He would get his mate, a publisher, to print something nasty about him. He would then sue the publisher but settle out of court, untraceable. What he was doing for the publisher in return we don't know.

Newsome has just called Trump a `stone cold liar' and said `you can't work with him, you can only work for him'. He's warned other States that what's happening in California will happen to them too.

What's missing from between his ears is what unfortunately just clipped one of his ears.

I thought it was what isn't between his ears is the problem 😉

Most mining and fossil fuel energy companies have a crap record.. Actually, come to think of most industrial, energy, mining, and chemicals companies (and I am sure a few other categories) have a crap record. It was more irony... I subscribe to that fella and he presents facts and sources for most of his claims.. Australia (and the world) need more like him. Michael West has also appeared in at least one vid with him. I think we accept MW is of goo integrity.

It's not too safe for the Cops, either.(OR Presidents and now anyone Trump doesn't LIKE). Nev

A lot must suffer from Hypothermia with the Cops saying "Freeze" all the time. Nev

Onto another positive. A Buzzard has taken up residence at our place. He seems to like a big old tree of some wort we have (under a tree protection order, so we can't even prune it without permission and I think a tree surgeon has to do it). Here are a coupl of photos of it perched on outr cottage on site. Sorry about the grainy results. It is an el cheapo phone:

All Americans suffer from some level of paranoia - unreasonable fear of strangers, conspiracy theories, distrust of Govt and Govt-mandated authorities, and distrust in civilian social order without keeping themselves armed to the teeth. I put it down to the amount of lead they've ingested. Lead from IC-engine exhausts, and lead from the copious amounts of armaments they own, and fire off at random. It's well known that lead levels in Americans in general went through the roof in the 1960's and 1970's. Over half of Americans still have unhealthy lead levels in their bodies. So, yes, they are basically insane, and following in the path of the Romans to a decaying and decadent society. https://www.acamh.org/blog/20th-century-lead-exposure-damaged-american-mental-health/

Well, it looks like my grandmother was wrong. When life brought unexpected disasters, she always said "There is nothing so bad, that no good can come of it". The middle part of america (USA) is proving her wrong. I haven't seen a glimmer of anything good coming of it. Democracy it is not. Ideology it is not. Idiocracy, it is.

I found a converter online to convert TS files to mp4 so I could upload one. Here is the video of approaching and arriving at the Men's Shed. 20250602_100012F.mp4 By the way, as you are not allowed to have anything to distract you while driving, the front camera fits completely behind the rear view mirror out of view.

Sounds like you need an EV Spacey. No sump, rings, pistons, cylinders, oil or petrol to worry about.

She's bolting. That's nuts.

Now you're just trolling

Giants of Industry can cover up all sorts of things and get much more money than Politicians are Paid. They are not ALL bad but as I said, EASY Targets. and a few crooked ones give the rest a bad name. Nev

Here's a radical thought for the Random Thought thread. Instead of those Buy One, Get One More ads, why not Buy One, Pay Half the Price?

Glencore Have a crap record with the Macarther River in the NT. Nev

Monash Uni have stuffed up another embryo implant. Kind of ironic that they are conducting an internal investigation.

He's all about lawlessness and protesters. What about Jan 6? Where were the National Guard and Marines then? Oh, that's right. They were supporting him.

And in the meantime, the U.S. is talking about building a new breed of diesel-powered submarines that are superior to the nuclear ones. Li-ion batteries are providing the impetus to better (and much cheaper) diesel-electric subs.

Pulling out of the French deal cost us something like $9bn Committing $380bn for options on subs is plain nuts. Albo, too, could have pulled the deal as a new government but elected not to. Led by donkeys comes to mind.

I did tell you to let me know.. would have been good to catch up! Another reason.. can share some interesting places.. The vid below starts in my village (the New Inn, which is the community pub is the white building on the right just before I make a sharpish right hand turn). Th vid gets a bit boring after the two joggers (well the one at the rear), but goes to Penn Elm, after which I cut to Waitrose in Wellington, after which we leave Wellington, through Milverton (sadly, their local pub, the Globe, has closed down), and back to Halse.

We stayed in Street (Glastonbury) in April and got down around Taunton on sightseeing drives. It was dry and sunny wh had travelled all that way to experience rain.

I have already used one to prove an accident on a country lane into my village, where there were no witnesses other than the other driver, was not my fault. With a £750 excess if fault could not be determined, it paid itself back

I would suggest that water in the sump indicates a serious problem, such as a blown head gasket or cracked engine block.

Use a doll . A barbie doll will confuse them . And they're cheap as chips at " op-shops " . spacesailor