Jerry_Atrick

I think Australia fits that bill somewhat

They all have a loo in 'em I am a bit buggered today. Problem with long office hours and age is the old body ain't (sooory @old man emu about the Amahericaaamism) what it used to be. and I have used muscles a) I haven't used for years; and b) didn't realise I still had. The skip is alomst full.. One pile is gone to the chagrin of worms and spiders, though the robins loved the pile going. The big pile of trash (sorry again, OME) is about 1/2 way done. I will fill the skip tomorrow - and yes, if there was more than one person, we may have got a little more in than I have.. though there isn't too much air in the skip). Tomorrow morning, walk the dog for his weekly 6 miler; finish filling the skip, then off to Cheltenham to look at a Honda CBF1000 which is on for next to nix to replace the car for the commute to London (which will mean no more missing the trains and waiting 1/2 hour). Yeah, I know the stator is an issue with them, but I have a cunning plan to make it last a little longer. Proper servicing! Photos on Monday (your time) to show the difference. Oh forgot.. need to do the gutters, too.. F! that is a pain of a job.. 11 or so metres of carbon fibre tubing to suck the leaves from the gutters and blast the downpipes.. I think my next house will be in Cooper Pedy... no gutters to clean!

Thanks, @red750 Let me assure you, it was a momentarily lapse 😉 Not too much aluminum in that pile, thankfully.

The sad fact is, investors will pay for people who make them money. And the more money they make the investors, the more the will pay the people that make them the money. The only exception are those that will preserve their life a bit more. And, capitalism's major flaw is that there is no such thing as a perfect - or fully competitive market. Left to its down devices, the market will become skewed to those who own more assets than others. So, if you control some of the larger amoutns skewed amount of resources, you will pay big for those who preserve and increase it more than would otherwise happen. Why do you think lawyers and accountants are some of the best paid professionals in the western world? The other sad fact about life is most of will work for money, regardless of what that industry does. Why do I work in banking? Not that I have a love for finance and financial services; it pays a hell of a lot more for much the same cerebral work as I was doing in power station. Banking is full of really clever people (sometimes I am genuinely embarressed interviewing some people given what they have achieved outside banking). And we get them doing very mundane things. And they do it because we pay them 100% plus miore than they get doing what they love. Banking can do this because they have traditionally been money making machines. When I joined banking from nuclear, I was excited because it was so hard to get into as an experienced candidate, but not experienced in banking. I thought the technoloigy and methodology must be out of this world. The reality was they were so very far behind at the time, because if there were porblems, they could just chuck more money and people at it, and preserve the chaos rather than take the cerebral time to think about the most optimal way of doing things. The reason - imagine you're a fast moving consumer goods company where volumes are high and margins are low; or a power generator where it is much the same thing (except for their trading arms, of course). Every penny you can add to the bottom line is massive as they work on net margins often less than 10%. When I entered banking, their net risk adjusted margins (i.e. taking a charge to cover risks that may or may not materialise) was over 60%! No incentive to be really innovative. Since the crash, things have changed. Actually, as banking now realises how climate change is affecting the world, and more importantly, the risk posed to its business model, I am now beginning to feel some pride in working in banking - or at aleast who I am working for - as we are starting to aggressively move away from some of our exposures to high polluting and high-emitting industries and fund climate and earth improving industries.

Actually, it is atypical of major politicians from the major parties; it is typical of the ones who make the news, and sadly for a a few that reach the top. There is no popular interest in those that work tirelessly with high ethics and morals - people don't get excited by that; so there's not much news on it - if any. We all like to complain about something and the press to their darndest to feed our wants. I don't see too many ALP high flyers (at least in federal politics) embroiled in contraversy... Much to my surprise, Albo seems to be doing a good job of balancing the needs of the coutnry against powerful corporate and foreign political interests... with ethics and morality. And he is the top pollie in the coutnry.

Well, I didn't get as much done last weekend as I hoped as my back was out before I even started, but here are some photos: 12 yard skip - biggest you can get. Got a bit of junk in. Heap of junk to go.. Hidden under it is a bunch of rubble Another junk pile to go. Will probably need a second skip :-( Gotta fill the skip this weekend!

I'm a tiny teapot short and stout

ohm my! this is degenerating

That joke is polarising.... 😉

You'd be surprised at how many "normal" people support Chump. There s a fella in our office who largely is left leaning, but is an ardent supported of Chump and believes the conspiracy theories that the world is just against him for no good reason. Of course, he is just one person, and it shocked me he would wholeheartedly support Chump... But if he would.. you can bet your bottom dollar there are a lot out there who would. Hanson is pandering to those who support her or maybe on the fence...

You're soaking in it

OK.. I will bite.. given that almost 2m Palestinians live relatively peacefully in Israel, with the same rights, etc... which makes up almost 20% of the population? Do you think the tribal hatred is deep seated both ways systematically across the populations? Or that Gazans and Ramallans were free to enter Israel for work, etc.. or that Israel provided medical services in Israel for these populations before the October 7 war when the gates to Egypt from Gaza at least were permanently closed? Or am I cherry picking facts again?

I don't know most of the sayings from these pictorials, but a green light to take the money and run?

Wow I never knew roundabouts were so contentious Hope you don't come across this in Swindon: Like the Greeks, France's rule is those in the roundabout have to gove wsy to those entering it. I have driven the Arch de Triumph roundabout. One of the scariest road experiences yet

You mean like this one in London?

I haven't been to France or Italy for a while, but you can tell that for both countries, food is more than a passion - it is a religion. A simple ham and cheese baguette is something to savour - the quality of the ham and cheese and the freshness of the baguette were quite amazing. I had a gig with Ralph Lauren after they bought back the franchise to Europe, It meant three days a week in Reggio Emelia one week, and thre days in Paris the alternatiing week. Because we were in an industrial estate in Regio Emelia, we only god food trucks or catered food, but blimey, the food truck for the peasants was much nicer than the catering company - as nice as it was. Of course, is you like real Parmesan cheese, that is the home of it and it isn't that smelly Kraft crap my mum used to by from SSW when I was a kid. The produce was out of this world. In a big head office of the company Ralphie purchased back the franchise from, they had a canteed in the basement - which had heaps of natural light. They had cuisine from all over France, and the drinks fridge had your usual soft drinks, and a selection of reds and whites from half bottles to Nebuchadnezzar. I actually got bored of it all (didn't drinkt the wine...) and went walking at lunch time. Found two lovely boulangeries where the staff didn't speak English. Explained I was Aussie and was looked after very well. It was before Euros and a salman pastre daubed in a wonderful lentil sauce - about 5 franks at the time from memory - about £1.50 when I would have payed around £5 for sometehing nowhere near as good in London.

Agree. .that was my point.. And I hate to say, it does include those you mentioned.. To then be locked up and slowly have pain inflicted on them... Revenge is best served cold.

Well, it sort of depends on your viewpoint, doesn't it. As a species, generally, one procreates to ensure survivial of that species.. therefore to that species, that species life is most valuable. At a macro level, though, the whole ecology has evolved such that most life forms are required to maintain the balance. Systemically, to tne environment, how valuable is each life form - even viruses? Very important would be the answer. For example. get rid of dingoes, and the land is destroyed - grasses gone, etc.. Why? Because dingoes do a better job of controlling the roo population from overgrazing the land than people. Infividually, a dingoe's life is unimportant.. but on scale, they become very important. On that basis, you would have to question whether human life at scale is really that important - in the numbers it is in and continues to grow relative to other life forms? That is not to say we shouldn't continue the western notion of the sanctity of human life - in fact in western societies, there seems to be a natural balancing act of reducing population through less reproduction (more practice, but less babies popping out). Other cultures thought, are developing at rabbit speed.

A woman I met at work a few years ago was of Italian descent from Melbourne. Apparently her grandfather, with a couple of other Italians, started importing the espresso machines into Australia and started the trend in Aus. While I agree that US adfvertising and culture has helped, apparently the coffee in Aus is far better than the USA, anyway. Otherwise, Starbucks and the like would have made it big time in Aus, but instead, went broke (I think starbucks is having another crack). I don't drink tea of coffee.. don't like the taste and and dissuaded by hot drinks (I used to buy hot chocolates in the morning when commuting on a motorbike - to warm my hands up in winter - rarely actually drank the stuff). Daugher, though. at 19, is a precocious coffee nut (or bean.. not sure - maybe both)

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-09-24/meadow-creek-solar-farm-charles-sturt-king-valley-farmer-fight/104366698?utm_campaign=abc_news_web&utm_content=link&utm_medium=content_shared&utm_source=abc_news_web

While Chump's populariy is in decline, the fact is that the Democrats are still behind him, according to most polls. Of course, the only day that matters is the elections, but we have him for at least three years.. and if he gets his way, it will be until he pops off his perch.

First world problems..

I was at a fly in many years ago at Sywell airfield, Northamptonshire. A prominent Wiltshire farmer was leasing his land to a sloar company to create a huge farm. His motivation, and I quote, "the more money, the better!"

Holy thread resurrection, Batman! OK.. I have been remiss of posting. The reality (in case people haven't guessed), is we hit a pause. There have been a few personal things arise that needed dealing with, attending to forum posts, work things that have cropped up. Plus, we ran out of money. But we have some more now, so things are going to start. There has been a heap of windows, wood, and debris outside our back door for months.. But nothing like the fear of cost rises to put one into action. The cost per ton of disposing of rubbish is set to rise from $4.20 to over £120/ton! So, the skip arrives today, and all of the crap will be gone, ASAP. The budget is late this year because the government is broke and is looking behind the sofa cusions.. so best get the rubbish out before the budget announcement later in November. We don't actually have that much to do in terms of complexity - mainly decoration now and the final electrics. There was a booboo with some kitchen panels though, so that has to be fixed. And some electrics to be completed. Lots of garden work though. And there is a lot of decoration, but we have been at it for quite some time now. She does the fiddly bits; I get new toys. But partner and I have resolved that Christmas will be our last one here and we will move on ASAP. She has thrown me an incentive - as soon as the house goes on the market, I can go flying again! Yippee! Booking in a medical for both CAA and CASA enbd of November. I'll post some pohotos this weekend!

hear, hear! Also, as a pilot, they make great landmarks, too (though perferably away from airfields).