onetrack

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.

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.

And the system is a complete failure, as evidenced by the childcare victims and the number of schoolteachers, police, and people of "high standing", who are now being caught on a regular and seemingly increasing basis, for deviant activities.

As always, it's a research prototype, and putting the product into commercial production, economically, is where a lot of these "breakthroughs" fail to gain traction. But I have no doubt if anyone is dedicated enough to produce a world-beating battery, and manufacture it on a colossal scale, then it's going to be the Chinese. The Americans are too fat, rich, dumb, and lack drive, to produce any technological major advance in battery design. They're all too used to the Chinese doing all the groundwork for them.

They must have been excellent value, they're all gone!

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.

I've got a couple of bottles of Late Harvest Riesling, left over from about a dozen that I bought around 1990, that I never opened. We both went off drinking wine many years ago. I was quite amazed when I opened one of the bottles recently to find it had essentially turned into something resembling a nice light Port. It's quite thick in consistency, and still quite sweet. I know it can't actually be Port, because Port is fortified with Brandy, but I'm still wondering how the Riesling developed into this Port-style of alcohol.

Yeah, but you're looking at a different type of butt, Marty! 😄

I believe the medical experts have refined calcium tests to gain better information about heart and circulation health. Specifically, they measure the coronary artery calcium (CAC) score, because this measures the amount of calcified plaque in the hearts arteries, and therefore is a better indicator of looming heart problems than a cardiovascular ECG test.

I reckon they're a bloody sight smarter than a 7 yr old. I can fool a 7 yr old, I can't fool a raven or a crow. They can very quickly figure out the range of your choice of weaponry, and the instant you poke a rifle barrel out of an opening such as a window, they're gone! The old man told us a story from the early 1930's, when he was with a group, fencing on a station in the Murchison (W.A.) region - about how the ravens would wait until all the blokes left the camp, then they'd fly down, and lift the lid off the camp oven (grabbing the lid handle with their beak), and scoff the contents. So they decided to leave one bloke in the camp, lying quiet and doggo with a rifle, to knock off at least one of the cheeky buggers. But the ravens never came near the place, all day! - he reckoned they counted the number of blokes leaving, and knew there was one still there!! They always amuse me, they way they scheme things out. You can watch them planning their moves to investigate a food source. I was watching one recently, he landed on the roof of the shed behind my block, looking a little bit obvious, because they never land there. But he was scouting the territory. I watched him checking everything out, the lay of the land, the whereabouts of the humans - and more importantly, the dog. When he reckoned all the cards were lined up, he flew off the roof and glided down to a patch of vegetation between our properties. More checking out the surroundings, checking out the sky (repeatedly - birds are always scanning the sky) - then he walked a few metres across the yard to the dog bowl and the dog biscuits, where he grabbed a quick snack - very quietly, not making a sound (they're excellent at that) - and once he was satisfied, and assured that nothing threatening was coming, he was off, to find another snack.

Tingling with excitement. He's obviously never experienced any real excitement in his life.

I'd like to know how long it took to train the crow, to do that bucket trick. I'll wager there was quite a bit of training involved. If you have food, you immediately have crows for friends. I'm intrigued by how the local ravens have figured out where the cars and trucks drive on the roads. They know the vehicles follow the lanes pretty precisely. They will walk off the lane when they're picking at something on the road, and a vehicle is coming, and then stand by the edge of the bitumen seal waiting for the vehicle to pass, then return to their spot. I spotted a raven on a dual carriageway the other day, I was travelling at 110kmh in the left hand lane, approaching him, and he had landed on the RHS of the RH lane - and had started jaywalking across that lane towards me. He quite confidently walked across the width of that lane, aiming at something he'd spotted in my lane. I whizzed past him with probably less than couple of metres to spare, as he confidently strode towards his selected spot, towards my oncoming vehicle, fully assured that I was going to stay in the lane I was in, and not hit him. It takes confidence to do that, as an adult human! - let alone when you're a bird!

And he STILL hasn't ended the Russia-Ukraine war IN ONE DAY, as he promised repeatedly! This President simply runs on pure, unadulterated BS. And he has the hide to constantly hassle the Europeans to give him a Nobel Peace Prize. They should give the clown a prize for the worlds greatest con artist. Trump chases Nobel Peace Prize - https://www.smh.com.au/world/europe/he-wanted-the-nobel-trump-cold-calls-norwegian-minister-about-peace-prize-20250815-p5mn5c.html

I always heard the lyrics as, "North to Alaska, you know it's Russia's own". By the way, how does Trump know he's meeting the REAL Putin? Maybe Putin is so sh**-scared of getting shot out of the sky in an aeroplane, he's sending a double?

10.

David Stratton, the well known Australian film critic, has passed away at the age of 85. He and his on-screen partner, Margaret Pomeranz, starred in film review shows for 28 years. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-08-14/david-stratton-english-australian-film-critic-obituary/105654394

We all copped beatings as school children, all in the name of "discipline". My primary school headmaster was a properly vicious little bastard, he'd be charged with child abuse today - yet he's lauded, and a suburb is named after him.

I read an authoritative article recently, about aged drivers, whereby a medical professional stated that any driver over 80, will be suffering from, on average, 5 long-term physical ailments, any one of which affects driving ability to some extent. Take your choice .... 1. High blood pressure 2. Deteriorated eyesight 3. Hearing loss 4. Chronic joint pain 5. Diabetes 6. Obesity 7. Arthritis 8. Heart disease 9. Joint stiffness 10. Depression 11. Mental acuity 12. Recent medical/surgical operations 13. Excessive Hair loss..... no, sorry, that one's made up... 😄 Overall, it's a gloomy picture, especially when you know you're being counted in that group..... 😞

A major factor that affects driving skills, that comes with advanced age, is muscle and joint flexibility. Many older people have trouble turning their heads to 90°, and more than than a 90° head swivel is required for looking back at angled intersections. Where slip roads join at T-junctions is a classic place where you need adequate head-turning ability to be able to see approaching traffic. Another interesting feature of aging is becoming single-focused on the problem of the moment - which often leads to excessive time spent on the problem, while ignoring peripheral problems, and not keeping up situational awareness of other traffic. The classic case of, "where the hell did you come from?" common statement of older drivers, right after a collision.

Meantimes, while Trump fiddles with his tariffs "deals", the Chinese are reaming America senseless with their total dominance of rare earth metals - that are needed for nearly every single major defence item, hi-tech aircraft engines, electronics, and even explosives. The Chinese know this, and fully enjoy squeezing the testicles of every U.S. manufacturer. https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/the-stealth-war-how-china-is-quietly-squeezing-the-lifeline-of-us-military-technology-through-magnets/articleshow/123084346.cms?from=mdr

Here's a very revealing article that points to many peoples concerns about how the US$ could be worth little more than dunny paper after Trump has finished his economic destruction. We exported AU$2.95B worth of our gold to the U.S. in the whole of 2024. But such is the rush to gold in the U.S., we have exported AU$11B worth of our gold production to the U.S. - just in the first four months of 2025! The level of gold sales to the U.S. ensured we actually ran a trade surplus with the country - for the first time since Harry Truman was President! If this trend continued, we wouldn't be able to provide enough gold to meet the U.S. demand! However, it appears the rush to gold by Americans has eased for the moment and gold exports to the country have subsided a little. Regardless, the rest of the world appears to have the jitters about the US$ - and possibly paper currencies in general - because we exported nearly AU$47B worth of gold, to the rest of the world, in FY 2024/2025. This is also a record, up 42% from 2023/2024, and nearly double the gold exports to the rest of the world in 2022/2023. Fortunately, Trump has stated he won't put a tariff on gold (probably hoping he'll get a big gold kickback from gold producers and dealers) - so in effect, none of his tariffs on Australian products are having a great deal of effect overall, because as he taxes one of our exports, another of our exports gains, with increased sales. https://www.watoday.com.au/politics/federal/one-of-australia-s-largest-exports-to-the-us-escapes-tariff-hit-20250812-p5mm8c.html

I deal with Audika, they're part of the Oticon group, who make hearing aids, so Audika specialise in selling Oticon hearing aids. Oticon are Danish and make every component of their hearing aids. I've used Oticon hearing aids since 2004, and I've gone through about 4 sets in 21 years. I use the "in-the-ear" hearing aids, because I find working around machines, the "behind the ear" style are a PIA and fall off, or get knocked off all the time. I had trouble with the earlier models, they had a fragile "shell" (the plastic body) that would break easily when dropped - so I was often without a hearing aid while they manufactured a new shell (the shells have to be made from an internal ear impression, so they fit snugly). Even worse - every time repairs are needed, they can only be done on the East Coast, so the hearing aid had to be sent East and then wait for repair, then sent back again. Nothing has changed in 21 years, the process is still the same, and I find that very annoying. The last lot I acquired in 2019 and I paid $1600 over and above the "standard" hearing aid cost, to get a superior version. They're not too bad, but my hearing loss is severe, so nothing can make it up to good hearing ever again. These hearing aids fell apart (the shells fractured) last December, and I was annoyed at having to send them off just before Christmas to get them repaired. What with the holiday period and repair time, I knew it would be mid-January before I saw them again. They gave me a set of loan "behind-the-ear" hearing aids - and they were bloody useless! Mid-January came and went, and I inquired where my hearing aids were? A bit of panic ensued, and the girl rang the Eastern States repairer to find out what was going on - and they replied they had no knowledge of them!! But the girl insisted that they had a record of them being sent, so the mob in the East must have lost them somewhere? It was a couple of days before I got more news - yes, they'd found my hearing aids, they'd been misplaced as soon as they arrived, and nothing had been done to them! That made me even unhappier. Then, the following day, I got a call from the local business, saying the repairers had examined my aids, and they were unrepairable, and they would have to make completely new ones!! That then entailed another trip to Audika to take new ear impressions. To say I was pissed off, was the understatement of the year. I was getting thoroughly sick of Audika. So I waited another 10 days, and got a call that my new hearing aids were ready to be picked up. I went there and had them fitted and tuned, and was then amazed to be told that the new replacement hearing aids were free under warranty, as the old hearing aids had a 5 year full warranty, and the warranty was still in force when they buggered up! So that was particularly good news. These new hearing aids now have a new design computer chip in them, that is specifically designed for hearing aids. Previously, they used off-the-shelf chips that didn't have all the design features that the new chips have. They're reasonably good, but I still have times when I have to ask people to repeat themselves. I was under the impression, the top-of-the-wozza hearing aids were more about increased miniaturisation, rather than having major increased abilities. I was told if you keep shrinking the hearing aids, you can't get the same abilities in the smaller aids, as you can get in the larger versions, as they simply run out of room to install components.

Here on the Left Coast we've had a nice turnaround in the season, with regular heavy rains since mid-July. Perth got 50mm over 2 days in the last week of July, and we've had nearly 90mm in the first 11 days of August. We exceeded out July average rainfall (170mm) with a total of 175mm. The good rains have gone through most of the Wheatbelt and the crops are looking fantastic. Water is lying everywhere in low spots in big pools, it's like the wet Winters of the 1960's again. The GIWA crop report will be out on the 15th, it will make interesting reading, I fully expect a bumper grain crop for W.A. in 2025/26, making 5 of the last 6 years, above average to record-breaking seasons, for total tonnages produced. Wheat is the biggest tonnage produced, but canola is not far behind, and has been increasing in recent years. The bitter cold burst of mid-July has gone, the days are getting longer and sunnier. The forecast is 23° for today and tomorrow, with more rain coming late Wednesday.

There's just three reasons why vehicles crash. 1. They go out of control of the driver 2. They run off the road (see the previous reason) 3. They collide with each other. 3. Can be largely prevented by barriers and divided carriageways. It doesn't prevent rear-enders, which are usually less likely (but not always) to be fatal. 2. and 1. are usually the result of poor driver control skills, pure carelessness and negligence in driving, and generally as a result of a casual attitude towards driving a vehicle. Use of drugs and alcohol are prevalent features of many crashes. Lack of seatbelt use is a surprising factor in many road deaths. That's directly related to carelessness and a poor attitude. Medical events and mechanical failures make up about 2-3% of crashes, it is suspected that possibly around 1-2% of fatal crashes are actually suicides - and occasionally, trying to hide a murder. Overall, speed is only a major factor in accidents when it is coupled with poor driving skills, drugs and alcohol, lack of attention and carelessness. Improved levels of driver training, leading to improved driving skills, really need to be introduced. Authorities are down on speed, for one single reason - the lower the crash speed, the less likelihood of major injuries or fatalities. There are plenty of places in rural and remote Australia where 130kmh would be a satisfactory speed limit. There are sections of the Stuart Hwy in the NT that actually have a 130kmh speed limit, and the crash incidence is no higher on that section of highway, than any other lower speed-limited section of highway.

Draw. The first letters of the words are consecutive from the start of the alphabet, the last letters are in reverse from the end of the alphabet.