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Well, the daughter's time at EDF is coming to an end in a couple of weeks. She didn't realise it, but she has racked up about 2.5 weeks holiday leave (we get sometehng like 6 weeks standard, here, but there is no long service leave, but they allow sabbaticals after 5 years (November for me), and pay you up to three months of your basica salary - no pension, medical/health, bonus, additional holiday accruals). Anyway, we are on a long weekend this weekend, but daughter and one of her good mates are driving to Cornwall for the week from Monday arvo. Two 19 year old girls - nay - women (using girls here is common parlance), are going to have a week of fun and frolics. My daughter asked me if I was going to be sad or have any reservations about her going. I looked her in the eye and said I am really happy, a father will never stop worrying ever slo slightly about their adult children, but that she is miles more mature at her age than I was at that time (and probably now). Since she could crawl, she was always fiercly independent. I recall her dropping something when she was still crawling, and when I picked it up for her, she slapped my wrist and got a right strop with me. I put it down, and she picked it up, looked at whatever it was in her hand, and lifted her head to look at me, ans then smiled a very wide grin. Admittedly, the grit has waned slightly, but she is a determined daughter of a bastard. In two weeks she starts univesity. Her employer wants her back for the breaks; I am going to miss her at home, but the university is quite close (unlike Aus, kids often go to unoversities the other side of the country form where they live). But, I am so proud of her. I know we are all proud of our kids.. and rightly so. I just wanted to share it.

I was going to tell a time travel joke, but you guys didn't liike it.

GON, you have certainly made me think. In the past, I considered it an injustice to force people to go to war; however, I never really thought of those who were forced to train, even if they never ended up in Vietnam. I fully support recognition for these people. Having said that, you cannot change the past. I am definitely not saying that "it was a long time ago, so just get over it." Those 2 years can not be retrieved, but this makes it all the more important to make the remaining years as joyful as you can. As I posted elsewhere, we spent 20 months almost as prisoners in our own home due to knife and gun-wielding drug dealers next door. Against all odds, we won. We did consider that we would not win, and so we worked on a plan on how we could cope and still have a happy life. We found that when it was getting us down, taking action (even if not an immediate game changer) improved our mental health. Despair is bad enough, but adding helplessness makes it so much worse. I did see a petition online that was asking for "Nashos" who did not end up going to Vietnam to be granted the same benefits, such as a gold card. Although perhaps the odds of success are low, the act of taking positive steps is mentally healthier than just dwelling on the original problem. As a non-believer, I accept that this life is all there is, so I don't want to waste it getting hung up on past injustices or past mistakes. The past is unchangeable, but the future is something we can have some control over

I was never fearful of being conscripted, it was just another challenging life adventure to be faced, as far as I was concerned. I've faced nearly every major life challenge that one can face - poverty as a child, bullying at school, mistreatment by teachers, conscription, car crashes that weren't my fault (I was 5 and an innocent passenger when that first happened), plenty of close brushes with death via machinery, and also being in a combat zone, lost my house and virtually all I owned in a fire that was no fault of mine, had a bank destroy my business and all my assets after 30 years of asset building, endured deaths of close family members, some at a young age, and suffered from severe stuttering from childhood until around age 40. I was never involved in any traumatic treatment in the Australian Army, but I was on the receiving end of extreme dislike, that bordered on abusive treatment, by some of the Army regulars, who often viewed conscripts as unworthy trash who diluted Army morale. I was called "reo shit" a few times in Vietnam by a couple of hardened Army regulars who were essentially drunken deadbeats, anyway. "Reo" was the slang for "reinforcement", as troops rotated into Vietnam were deemed "reinforcements" in official-speak. I shrugged off their abusive comments and ensured I associated with them as little as possible. The situation wasn't helped by the fact I wasn't a drinker (and about 20% of the troops didn't drink alcohol, or drank very little, which may come as a surprise to some), so I wasn't part of their "boozing" group, which made up a large part of the regular Army culture. There are stories of supposedly legendary regular Army NCO's, who made their platoon members drink beer from their (NCO) boots, supposedly to bring about cohesion and mateship in platoons. IMO, this is the height of Army dickhead thinking and outlook, and I certainly wouldn't take part in any BS moves such as that, which moves I would consider divisive, rather than uniting. But there were a lot of Regular Army dickheads one had to work with - it was no secret that a lot of Army Regulars were in the Army because they couldn't hold down a job outside the Army, or fit in with civilian life. Despite all that, I was still promoted and given NCO rank, which was extremely rare as a "nasho", because the Army normally saw giving rank to nashos as a useless move, thanks to the fact they were only there for 2 years. Regulars had to sign up for 6 years and nearly always got priority in promotions.

A postman goes out on his daily delivery round. He comes across a house with a pile of beer bottles and wine bottles near the door. Just then, the household comes out. The postie says, "Hi Bob, looks like you had a good night last night." Bob says, "It was a few nights ago, and I'm recovering." The postie says, "It must have been quite a turn." Bob says, "There were about a dozen couples here. We got so drunk, we ended up playing Who Am I." The postie says, "I'm not familiar with that game." Bob says, "The men all go into another room and get undressed. Then they come out covered by a sheet, with only their manhood showing through a hole in the sheet. The women have to guess who it is." The postie says, "It sounds pretty wild. Sorry I missed it." Bob says, " You'd better keep a low profile for a week or so. Your name was mentioned seven times."

Before I was married I would sit at the traffic lights for hours because I had no-one to tell me the lights had changed.

He probably dimly realises by now that he’s been done over by Putin, so now he’ll try and save face by picking a fight with Zelensky and blaming him for his own pathetic failure.

Judging by his performance so far he'd give away the lot. What a twat. Achieved nothing but making things worse for Ukraine. "Master of the deal" my arse.

When the Russians invade Alaska, how much of it do you think Trump would give them to get a ceasefire?

I have refreained from the conversation as I have to admit, I am struggling to see the correlation between survivasl of the fittest and conscription. And then reeferencing pre tale-off checks to, I presume survival of the fittest is odd, in my mind. You can be disabled and still perform the necessary checks. Have a Cirrus? It will do most for you. Hardly survival of the fittest. Maybe survival if the smartest? Or, have I missed something? There are many people in our society who survive and thrive and they aren't the fittesy - physically nor mentally. There are many people who have some form of autism and aren't exactly going to give Anrie a run for his money on the physical side, yet they are extremely successfully financially because they are extremely intelligment and can identify market signals a mile away and put in strategies that make them a lot of money, for example. Of course, money isn't eveything, but playing in that game, they are hard to beat. However, put them up at Puckapunyal, and they will probably suffer all sorts of problems.. they aren't terribly good at that game - except their extreme analytical brain may well have them next to officers on conbat strategies, or code breaking or some such thing. I get your grievance though, @Grumpy Old Nasho. You had two years of your life robbed, by the luck of the draw. It wasn't universal. Therefore, by the luck of the draw, others led an uninterrupted life. And It would appear your time as a Nasho was traumatic in some way. And, yeah, I agree, based on that, both Nasho and warzone vets should get some extra compenation/benefits over those that were able to continue living their life unchanged. And, by the way - thanks. Until you joined,I had not heard of the term, Nasho. My uncle was conscripted and is a Vietnam vet. I though everyone conscripted was sent there.

Octave, Thank you for sharing your experience. It highlights a major ongoing dilemma that, even though it only directly involves 5% of housose, also indirectly causes harm to larger communities.

Wine exercise.

Majority rule is the opposite of survival of the fittest. The `battle' between the sexes is a battle for equality, also not survival of the fittest.

The one with the strong right wing?

Was she a bassenger on the pus?

Jake Bro is usually pretty sensible. He says it was NOT Putin in Alaska!

I have permanent AF and the doc says not to worry about it, just take the blood thinners to prevent stroke.

I was fearful of being conscripted. I sprained my ankle badly and was supposed to strap it but instead I let it collapse repeatedly and went back to the doctor several times to establish history of a weak ankle, which I thought might get me out of it. I fell badly several times. The bad ankle stayed with me all my life. My number was not drawn! Friends fled to NZ. There were lots of consequences.

It's got nothing to do with survival of the fittest - the treatment of Australian veterans, and their entitlements (in your case), are in place under our countrys laws, in the form of the "Veterans Entitlements Act, 1986". The VEA 1986 comprises two large volumes, and every decision in those two volumes has been tested in an Australian Court of Law by complainants alleging they were owed compensation or entitlements, and the ensuing decisions as to whether they were owed compensation or entitlements, or not, is set in stone in the judgments from those cases. It's not reasonable to expect some form of compensation or entitlement simply because you were conscripted. The compensations and entitlements are for service in a defined War Zone, or for "Service related injuries" (regardless of where they were incurred). As a Vietnam Veteran who did qualifying service in a recognised War Zone, and who incurred disabilities as a result of that service, I get the exact entitlements as laid down in the VEA 1986, and nothing else. I get a Service Pension, which is essentially the same as an Age Pension, except it is awarded at an earlier age than the allotted retirement age. I also get a disability payment based on my disabilities assessment. The basic Service Pension is the same amount of money as the Age Pension, and eligibility is tested using the same Means Test as the Age Pension. In some cases a small extra allowance is paid to War Veterans, depending on their circumstances. The only other difference is that the Dept of Veterans Affairs pays my pension, not Centrelink. I might add I'm extremely grateful to the Australian Govt and the DVA for the support they give to Australian War Veterans, we certainly get far better treatment than U.K. Veterans.

You don't wanna be anywhere Near druggies. It's the people they associate with that are the Problem. Nev

Warm muffins Don't ask why that thought came straight to me 🤣

Gripes.... My relevant gripe is that the "Working With Vulnerables" blue card has become as cumbersome and ineffective as a ASIC card. I am required to hold a Blue Card to be a volunteer fire fighter. Next thing, they will want every human to have one, just in case they encounter a person who is under the age of consent..

Screw tops these days, Corks cost too much and ruin wines sometimes. Nev

It cuts both ways to be honest. I joined a major Aussie party whe I was 16 with a glint in my eye and determined to change the world for the better. I rose fairlyy quicly locally to president of the branch (no real big deal), but on the selection committe for the local MP candidate (bigger deal) and state confereence delegate for both young movement and normal movement. Like any organisation, there are going to be differences of opinion, and I quickly learned what I thought was the right thing was not necessarily what others throught was the right thing, even amongst people with very similar ideologies. What i then learned was that many times, those differences of opinions were often helped by serving vested interests arising from the most unlikely places, some not even to do with monetary gain. Still, "untained and pure in thought", I contnued a bit more, arguing (alledgedly on fact) why this should change or that should remain, etc. until one evening meal, which I will never forget, but broke the camel's back and I quit politics forever. It is now coming to 50 years ago (ouch) and I even remember some of the names. But I will never forget the laminated fake wood round tablles atop black metal frames on that red patterend carpet preferred by local Chinese restaurants at the time. I was chomping on a beef and black bean sauce dish, talkng to someone I looked up to and whom I thought we were almost ideologically joined at the hip. He was regaling his victoriy in achieving some outcome by virtually bringing a local organisation to its knees, and in achieving that outcome, straddled that organisation with immense debt and put its future in doubt. When I challenged him on the prucence of such a tactic, given that iof that organistion fails, the very people he fought to ensure a short term outcome for will long term lose, he conceded he was driven by, let's say, a personal relationship with someone, and a personal vedetta of another. I will never forget the perniciously serious but triumphant expression on his face as he told me this. I have written on these forums abut this before, but it was a stark lesson on life.. I should have moved to Burke or somewhere similar.

You've summed it up pretty well, Marty. EXCEPT about the Democrats. Their Policy was (If I recollect correctly Don Chips " Keep the Bastards Honest") Democrats attracted the Trendy Suburban Upper Middle class types I feel. A bit like the People who later voted green. IF you follow the MONEY trail It's pretty clear who looks after the TOP end of Town almost exclusively.. The same people who run the Media. . AS a Business Model "Serving the Rich" must pay better . THEY can show Gratitude and reward you better than the People who are short of Money AND struggling. Nev

I've been reading the Joe Pickett series of books by C J Box. They're a great read, following the adventures of a Wyoming game warden. Well written, good pace, articulate. It's obvious though from the protagonist's attitudes towards "coastal elites", renewable energy and politics in general that the author - no matter what their own politics - is painting a picture of middle America where god'n'guns reign supreme, oil and coal means jobs, and scientists and progressives are unwelcome. In that environment, how do you change minds? I'd suggest that the first place to start is political donation reform. One of the reasons the Democrats lost is because they are seen (with some truth) as not caring about the average Joe, because they're beholden to their wealthy donors. Any political party that takes donations does favour the donors - it's self evident. So if you don't want to be seen as out of touch with the common man, you shouldn't take money from billionaires or big companies.

There's more to Darwin's theory than that. Your MATE Trump won't permit teaching of Genetics. Have an EPA or accept that " Anthropogenic Climate Change" is Happening or that CO2 and things like Plastic are a problem. Trump is Pretty Primal. Him DA Boss .That's it. Nev

A man wakes up in the hospital, wrapped head to toe in bandages. The doctor walks in and says, “Mr. Jenkins, you’re lucky to be alive. You’ve been through a horrific accident… but you’re going to make a full recovery.” The doctor hesitates. “That said… there’s no easy way to tell you this. We couldn’t save your penis.” Mr. Jenkins’s eyes widen in horror. The doctor quickly adds, “But! I’m a specialist in penile reconstruction. I can build you a brand-new one—fully functional, maybe even better than the original. Custom size, top shelf. The only catch? It’s $1,000 per inch.” Jenkins, still rattled, says, “Well, I’ve got $9,000 saved up. So… I could go all in for nine inches?” The doctor nods. “You could—but I suggest discussing it with your wife first. I mean, nine inches is… ambitious. She might have opinions. No point investing in something she’s afraid to ride.” Jenkins agrees and says he’ll talk to her. The next day, the doctor returns. “So, what did the wife say?” Mr. Jenkins sighs. “She said she wants a new kitchen.”

A guy goes to the doctor. He says, "Those sleeping tablets you gave me are marvellous. I haven't felt so fresh and alive in years." The doctor said, "That's great. But don't take more than one a day." "Oh, I don't take them. I give them to my wife."

You need that Israeli guy, Netting Yahoo.

But it didn't have a Leak? Nev

The blood test for a heart attack is to measure Troponin. Troponin is a protein released by damaged muscle tissue. Unfortunately, it is a measure of the damage already done; however, it does mean that treatment can begin, and further damage can hopefully be avoided.

I had a BIL who had his first heart attack at 40. He had about another 4 or 5 heart attacks, until he finally keeled over at 70. He actually died several times, and was revived each time. He told me once how he felt unwell, and asked his wife to take him to hospital. As he walked into the lobby, he keeled over with a heart attack. He told me he remembered exactly what it was like. He said he was going fine, just walking in, when his vision suddenly narrowed in from the edges, like someone closing shutters on him. He said his eyesight simply went to a pinpoint, straight ahead, and at that point was where he obviously keeled over. He said he remembered nothing after his eyesight closed in on him, until he woke up, recovering from the heart attack, in the hospital bed. He had numerous operations and was on constant blood thinners, but he was obviously a walking heart attack looking for a place to happen. I was quite surprised that he actually made 70.

Good on you, space. Speed is very Important in these matters. Nev

Heart muscles don't have Pain sensors and when/if they lack oxygen the Pain shows in various other Places. Usually the Upper body back and left arm. Oxygen deprivation by low or no blood flow in the Arteries of the heart kills heart Muscle tissue often resulting in abnormal turbulent blood flow which can cause a clot forming situation to exist, subsequently. Ultra sound will pick this up. The most likely time to bring this on will be when you are exerting yourself a bit more than what you normally do or stressed Mentally or suffering some other illness. Pilots flying in very stressful situations have recorded Heart rates in excess of 200 BPM. Nev

I know right, there is no one more surprised than me. I think 12 years ago, I decided to try and exercise most days of the week, and because gaining fitness is a slow process, it crept up on me. Nah, I am way too lazy for that. I agree, but I would caution that we are primed to notice the typical heart attack, but many heart attacks are not typical. The crushing pain can be oesophageal spasms (I get this off and on), and also, you can have a heart attack without the crushing chest pain. If in doubt..... What I would say is that calling an ambulance or going to ER with something that does not turn out to be a heart attack will not be treated with derision by the medical folks.

When I got old ( 70 (13 years ago )) , the doctor put me on ' blood thinners ' & ' cholesterol tablets " . ( as a preventative ). My heart rate has always been slow , " arrhythmia " is what our blood pressure keeps saying but the dr say it's a slow beating heart . I can get it over 100 bpm, after my half K jog . LoL . spacesaior

Learn to read your body "signals". Learn what the "Elephant on the Chest" is. It's your heart calling for more oxygen. Angina Pain.Sit or Lie and breath deeply and RELAX. loosen your collar etc Then get to Hospital in an Ambulance. DONT Ignore it. Double vision can be a TIA. That's a stroke warning as is any facial numbness.IF you Can't speak properly, Limb not moving normally. Don't fob it off. The quicker you treat a stroke the Better the recovery. Read about all this from a reliable source and you will be forewarned and respond better. Nev

In my case, my heart f*****g up was a bit of a lifesaver. Whilst my problem was equal parts lifestyle and genetics (thanks, Dad), it did encourage me to change my lifestyle (12 years ago). Last year, I did a stress test. I did this because I had some chest discomfort and went to ER. All tests proved negative. I had 3 choices: ignore it and hope for the best, have an angiogram (invasive and with a small risk), or have a stress test. I do exercise most days so I wasnt too bothered about this test.. When I am bushwalking and climbing a steep hill, I have often thought that maybe I could drop dead. I am philosophical about this, preferring to drop dead bush walking rather than wasting away in aged care. During the stress test they gradually increase the speed and incline, and you can tell them when you want to stop. After 12.5 minutes, I called it. Then they give you a quick echocardiogram to see how your heart behaves under stress. Although I have some abnormalities, I scored a METS (Metabolic Equivalence of Task) of 15.4, which is excellent (even for a 20-year-old). I keep the full report on my desk as it encourages me to keep up the exercise. This describes my situation: "A 63-year-old individual achieving a 15.4 METs score on a stress test with an ejection fraction of 48% indicates a very good to excellent exercise capacity, especially considering their age and heart function. The ejection fraction of 48% is slightly below the normal range, but the high METs score suggests good cardiovascular fitness and a favourable prognosis." These days, I am less concerned with longevity and more with remaining physically and mentally agile.

Don't think she had a pus.

Made it Back. Jeez those Birds are Noisy and my keypad needs the tappets adjusted.' Sorry to hear of all the ordeals you have been through. Nev

Terence Stamp, who made his name as an actor in 1960s London and went on to play the arch-villain General Zod in the Hollywood hits Superman and Superman II, has died aged 87, his family said. The Oscar-nominated actor starred in films ranging from Pier Paolo Pasolini’s Theorem in 1968 and A Season in Hell in 1971 to The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert in 1994, in which he played trans woman Bernadette Bassenger.

I have a pacemaker. In 2011, I collapsed in the front hallway. I recovered quickly and my daughter drove me up to the doctors office, where I had an ECG which showed my heartrate at 30 bpm. The doctor called an ambulance to take me to hospital and I had a pacemaker installed the next morning. I have a monitor beside the bed which reports any abnormalities to my cardiologists office. I've only had one instance where I have been contacted and asked to come in for a checkup. I take a blood thinner tablet daily (Apixaban). I also take a Metoprolol tablet twice a day.

Because I have a Pacemaker/ICD, my heart is monitored 24/7, and twice a year the data is downloaded and analysed. Last time they detected a short episode of AFib lasting 32 seconds, which is not particularly noteworthy. This did lead to a conversation with my cardiologist about how long it takes for blood clots to form. In my case, 32 seconds is not enough to warrant treatment. In fact many healthy people have episodes of AFib and never know it.

Did you ever grab it?

Atrial Fibrillation is quite common, especially in older people. Around 5% of people over 55 have it, and its incidence increases with age. Many people have it without knowing it, and most people will have short episodes. AFib itself is not usually fatal but can lead to complications such as stroke, and over time, heart failure or cardiomyopathy. Because this condition is reasonably common and often not diagnosed, it pays to be aware of early symptoms. What Is AFib?