spenaroo

Drakes and Foodland here in SA seem to be doing a good job against them here is South Australia. I normally shop at them as they have a better variety and brands then colesworth (stock local brands over the big labels). it is more expensive - but I certainly think its worth the extra in taste and quality. note these stores are still independently operated/owned. I think the solution is to use the laws they created for pharmacy's. Make it so no individual/trust/corporation can own more then 6 stores. colesworth can then use the same model as the others and franchise it out - which gives an added layer of franchisees to fight against corporate give them a 5 year amnesty period to change to a new model. and funnel the existing supermarkets to investors - hopefully pulling some out of the housing market - a double win

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_axe_murder_incident North Korea is willing to back down... Operation Paul Bunyan[edit] Operation Paul Bunyan Part of Post-armistice Korean conflicts Date August 21, 1976 Location Joint Security Area, Korean Demilitarized Zone, Korea Belligerents United States South Korea North Korea Commanders and leaders General Richard G. Stilwell Lieutenant Pak Chol Units involved United States Army Support Group JSF 1st and 2nd Platoon South Korea 1st Special Forces Brigade Unknown Strength 813 infantry 27 helicopters 1 tank 150 to 200 infantry In response to the incident, the UNC determined that instead of trimming the branches that obscured visibility, they would cut down the tree with the aid of overwhelming force. The parameters of the operation were decided in the White House, where US President Gerald Ford had held crisis talks. Ford and his advisors were concerned about making a show of strength to chasten North Korea without causing further escalation.[12] The operation, named after the mythical lumberjack of the same name, was conceived as a show of force by the US and South Korea and was carefully managed to prevent further escalation. It was planned over two days by General Richard G. Stilwell and his staff at the UNC headquarters in Seoul.[6] Forces[edit] Operation Paul Bunyan was carried out on August 21 at 07:00, three days after the killings. A convoy of 23 American and South Korean vehicles ("Task Force Vierra," named after Lieutenant Colonel Victor S. Vierra, commander of the United States Army Support Group) drove into the JSA without any warning to the North Koreans, who had one observation post staffed at that hour. In the vehicles were two eight-man teams of military engineers (from the 2nd Engineer Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division) equipped with chain saws to cut down the tree.[citation needed] The teams were accompanied by two 30-man security platoons from the Joint Security Force, who were armed with pistols and axe handles. The 1st Platoon secured the northern entrance to the JSA via the Bridge of No Return, while the 2nd Platoon secured the southern edge of the area.[citation needed] Concurrently, a team from B Company, commanded by Captain Walter Seifried, had activated the detonation systems for the charges on Freedom Bridge and had the 165mm main gun of the M728 combat engineer vehicle aimed mid-span to ensure that the bridge would fall if the order was given for its destruction. Also, B Company, supporting E Company (bridge), were building M4T6 rafts on the Imjin River if the situation required emergency evacuation by that route.[citation needed] In addition, a 64-man task force of the ROK Army 1st Special Forces Brigade accompanied them, armed with clubs and trained in taekwondo, supposedly without firearms. However, once they parked their trucks near the Bridge of No Return, they started throwing out the sandbags that lined the truck bottoms and handing out M16 rifles and M79 grenade launchers that had been concealed below them.[4] Several of the commandos also had M18 Claymore mines strapped to their chests with the firing mechanism in their hands, and were shouting at the North Koreans to cross the bridge.[13][14] A US infantry company in 20 utility helicopters and seven Cobra attack helicopters circled behind them. Behind these helicopters, B-52 Stratofortresses came from Guam escorted by US F-4 Phantom IIs from Kunsan Air Base and South Korean F-5 and F-86 fighters were visible flying across the sky at high altitude. F-4Es from Osan AB and Taegu Air Base, South Korea, F-111 bombers of the 366th Tactical Fighter Wing out of Mountain Home Air Force Base, were stationed, and F-4C and F-4D Phantoms from the 18th TFW Kadena Air Base and Clark Air Base were also deployed. The aircraft carrier USS Midway task force had also been moved to a station just offshore.[6] Near the edges of the DMZ, many more heavily-armed US and South Korean infantry, artillery including the Second Battalion, 71st Air Defense Regiment armed with Improved Hawk missiles, and armor were waiting to back up the special operations team. Bases near the DMZ were prepared for demolition in the case of a military response. The defense condition (DEFCON) was elevated on order of General Stilwell, as was later recounted in Colonel De LaTeur's research paper. In addition, 12,000 additional troops were ordered to Korea, including 1,800 Marines from Okinawa.[6] During the operation, nuclear-capable strategic bombers circled over the JSA.[citation needed] Altogether, Task Force Vierra consisted of 813 men: almost all of the men of the United States Army Support Group of which the Joint Security Force was a part, a South Korean reconnaissance company, a South Korean Special Forces company that had infiltrated the river area by the bridge the night before, and members of a reinforced composite rifle company from the 9th Infantry Regiment. In addition to this force, every UNC force in the rest of South Korea was on battle alert.[citation needed] Operation[edit] The engineers in the convoy (two teams from B Company and C Company, 2nd Engineer Battalion, led by First Lieutenant Patrick Ono, who had conducted a reconnaissance of the tree disguised as a Korean corporal two days earlier) left their vehicles once the convoy arrived and immediately started cutting down the tree while standing on the roof of their truck. The 2nd Platoon truck was positioned to block the Bridge of No Return. The remainder of the task force dispersed to their assigned areas around the tree and assumed their roles of guarding the engineers.[citation needed] North Korea quickly responded with about 150 to 200 troops, who were armed with machine guns and assault rifles.[4] The North Korean troops arrived mostly in buses but did not leave them at first and watched the events unfold. Upon seeing their arrival, Lieutenant Colonel Vierra relayed a radio communication, and the helicopters and Air Force jets became visible over the horizon. Yokota Air Base in Japan was on alert. The flight-line runway was "nose to tail" with a dozen C-130s ready to provide backup. The North Koreans quickly got out of their buses and began setting up two-man machine gun positions, where they watched in silence as the tree was felled in 42 minutes (three minutes less than Stilwell's estimate),[4] which avoided a violent confrontation. Two road barriers, installed by the North Koreans, were removed,[6] and the South Korean troops vandalized two North Korean guard posts. The tree stump, around 6 m (20 ft) tall, was deliberately left standing.[citation needed] Five minutes into the operation, the UNC notified its North Korean counterparts at the JSA that a UN work party had entered the JSA "in order to peacefully finish the work left unfinished" on August 18.[4] The attempt at intimidation was apparently successful, and according to an intelligence analyst monitoring the North Korea tactical radio net, the accumulation of force "blew their fucking minds."[4]: 81 

Missouri has just banned celebratory gunfire.... let that sink in, its legal to shoot a gun in the air, in the middle of a city

problem is how it effects Russian's in foreign nations, its one thing to kill inside Russia, or have a cup of radioactive tea. thats all targeted and "controlled" 12 shots isn't. that's not a hit-job, that's not calculated. that's just violence could be a spark a movement for anti-Russian settlements in country's. I know Bali and a few others already have issues and want them out.

defenestration is one of my favorite words just the fact that the word exists

Why, Why do Russians think this is a better angle for propaganda. surely you would want all your troops to think the traitor was hunted down and killed mercilessly. its a massive win for sending a message. instead saying its a conspiracy and staged. basically admits that a defector was successful and paid a fortune.... and then well looked after and hidden so well that there is no consequences. surely this is the worst message to put to demoralized and jaded troops. its like the "Ukrainians didn't kill us, it was friendly fire" that makes it so much worse

In January 2023, the United States announced it would transfer Sea Sparrow missiles to Ukraine as part of a military aid package during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. The Sea Sparrows are fired from Soviet-era 9K37 Buk missile launchers modified by Ukraine to accept them, to counter attacks from cruise missiles and drones. The system, dubbed "FrankenSAM", utilizes three different air defense missiles—RIM-7 Sea Sparrow missiles, AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles, plus Patriot missiles and Patriot sensor elements—in combination air defense systems based on older Ukrainian tracked vehicles and the Buk missile system.[14] FrankenSAM was confirmed to be in use in December 2023, and was first used successfully in combat to bring down a Russian drone in mid-January 2024

yeah, I think its at a point now where I can drive it for a while, enjoy it and then when she starts smoking or the oil turns to milkshake ill get the head rebuilt. still not sure whether or not to use lead additive. I throw it in anyway just to be safe. but have been told that it should be fine without if running on 98. still need to figure out what to do about the front end. originally was going to de-bumper it. but now I've found the "custom" valance I'm thinking fiberglass Sebring style front end

your right it does have a chain. just remember him telling me it had a broken tooth. its also had the mechanical fuel pump taken off and a block-off plate fitted - so could have a different cam in it (one reason to do that) idling hot oil pressure is 40psi, which seems normal on the midget 1500 Facebook page. cold start the oil level is 60-80psi. it does burn oil. normally top it up 250-500ml every half tank or so. using the Penrite classic light oil (20w60)- as it has the zinc additives, little thicker then the 20w50 originally spec'd

had a leaakdown test done last week as part of the carby drama, the rear cylinder is lower then the rest, I suspect its valves. story is the pitons and rings were done with the bottom end. but he just slapped the head on to sell it. (I found the owner previous to the guy who I got it from, and he sold it with the engine not running with a broken timing gear) hopefully the crud is from the radiator... which opens up more questions. there is one place this car has rust. the front valance and bumper mounts. but here is where it gets interesting. normally they look like this: mine has been changer to this:

so a bit of work has been done. for some reason the coolant temperature gauge stopped working. its a combination gauge with the oil pressure and about $500 to replace. its also a gas filled sensor that is attached to the gauge in one piece so my solution was to by another mechanical gauge and put it where the clock was. leaving the original to keep reading the oil pressure. the mechanic had advised a coolant flush was needed... and the coolant that flowed out when I swapped the sensors was a concerning dirty water look. so that was the next job. figured I would do thermostat too as it was taking a bit of time to warm up and was sitting around 70 degrees - thought it may have had the thermostat removed off to supercheap and grabbed the cheapest $20 coolant - 1st time the clerk had actually had a customer, where that was the correct coolant for the car. well ill let the picture do the talking. much worse then expected, glad I did it now instead of waiting till winter. hopefully prevents further corrosion all running nice now, warms up a little quicker and is now sitting in the 75-80 degree mark. (turned out it had the same 77 degree thermostat in it, but replaced it with the new one anyway)

WW2 started with bi-planes and ended with jets, war certainly speeds up innovation and progress

I agree, accept the current mortgage rate is about 7%

interest rates, were a huge factor in my loan application difficulty, as was the increased cost of living expenses, had to re-do all my workings out and budgets rates doubled compared to when I got a loan 18 months ago, which has to be stress tested at a few percent over, plus the banks are getting out of owner occupier loans... CBA chief financial officer Alan Docherty said during a market briefing webcast (14 February) that the major bank has made a choice to “not participate in unprofitable mortgage lending” which shows up in the “divergence between balance share and revenue share over the past year”. After the release of the financial results, the Commonwealth Bank chief executive, Matt Comyn, said the lender was not leading pricing activity in the sector. “We have made very deliberate choices about where to compete and how best to,” Comyn told analysts. The bank revealed its home loan book balance shrunk by $2bn in the most recent six-month reporting period because it was taking a “disciplined approach to managing margins to deliver sustainable returns”. This occurred in the months after CBA wound back programs designed to entice customers, a posture that many of its peers then copied, leading to tepid competition in the mortgage market and a willingness by lenders to let customers go they deem higher risk or less profitable. “We’ve sought to particularly compete in some areas, obviously retention of our customer base and probably investor over owner-occupier – there are higher margins there,”

the street I lived on: our water supply for the week, delivered on the back of a ute: view from the hill: the market:

I agree, but bit different sending money from a wealthy country, compared to one that really needs outside support.

poverty and war will do that. they still don't have running water and power to most of Freetown (the capital) (I don't think much would have changed since i lived there in 2012?) there just isn't any money for infrastructure - to replace what was lost in the civil wars its changed my views on Immigration. Everyone seeks to move to a 1st world nation and then bring the family over. I cant blame them... but at the same time they have this recurring generational poverty because of it. as unfortunately anyone who is educated and in a position to make a difference - moves out the country. and then there is the Indians - coming over with the ability to create businesses, which sounds like it would be beneficial. but they send the money earnt back to India ripping it our of the country for further investment. and don't employ locals

Im buying because I need a place to live and its easier to get a loan then a rental (still not easy, I have a 40% deposit - and was almost knocked back) do I think the market is way over inflated - yes, definitely. do I see it as correcting any time soon - not a hope. which is why I bought knowing its likely 100k more then it should be reality is people are paying the prices because its what's needed to get a roof over head. and while there is vacancy rates of less them 1% and people lined up around the block at every open inspection - nothing will change. supply and demand Negative gearing isn't entirely my concern. the bigger thing is pension and means testing. so many retirees I know would like to downsize. but doing so puts them in a worse financial position. kids moved out, would rather an apartment or unit in walking distance to everything then a 4 bedroom house in the outer suburbs - but while the primary residence isn't means tested - the profit from sale would be. Surely the government should do what it can to assist the redistribution of existing homes, to help line up with the changing generations

Now, if only there was a way to use the "dead" pistons as an air pump to supercharge the other still running cylinders...

Yeah, at this time the priority is moving house next month. then building the shed. for about $500 I can get new drums rear and discs front. which is likely the option ill take. with it being bolt on and off. probably should do braided lines at the same time. the original lines need replacing too

Yeah, I believe the issue is with the adjustment screws. the whole brake system should be replaced, its on the list of future repairs.

My handbrake in the midget doesnt work. and the Amarok's I dont trust. have to yank it all the way up. but both are manual so I just part them in gear and heel toe on hill starts.

Going to make for an interesting MASH reboot "attention all, drones incoming" - cue theme music

I call BS on the engines, and being a dumping ground. the engines are the same regardless of the market. Australia is such a tiny market, its not worth a production line dedicated to our market. we just have different tuning in the ECU and maybe a different exhaust. believe it or not the power figures for the vehicles in Australia are higher then then those of Europe - because we don't have to lean out the mixtures to meet emissions. Ducati for the last 10 years has been constantly improving the engines in there bikes.... to keep the same power figures as the previous generation, as they have to continually choke them with emissions. so much improvement, but on the specs sheets its not shown. oh yeah, the improvement in engines is amazing. especially with the electronics and direct injection. however the turn-off cylinders, and start and stop devices kill engines. horrible for oil lubrication systems.

Walmart is similar, as is Masters most of the big retail chains are "family owned" in the USA as they go for greater qty sold at bottom dollar pricing