old man emu

Gad (n.) c. 1300, "a goad, sharp pointed stick to drive oxen, etc.;" c. 1400, "sharp-pointed metal spike," from Old Norse gaddr "spike, nail". That is the source of the expression, 'gadding about'. There also was a Middle English gadeling (Old English gædeling) "kinsman, companion in arms; fellow, man," which could have given rise to the attention seeking call of "Oh Gad!", but that is more likely to be a corruption of "Oh, God!". The first known use of gadzooks, the other exclamation, was circa 1652, perhaps from God's hooks, the nails of the Crucifixion. That do you, Nev?

You can see Trump and Musk falling out over tariffs on Chinese goods, especially on EVs. Musk is pretty tight with the Chinese buying vehicle components and selling completed vehicles. He won't like politics getting in the way of business, but isn't getting government hands off business a central tenet of Trump's political philosophy?

Who bought Red a book of Dad Jokes?

One should be careful of what one wishes for. I copped a big storm last night which dumped buckets of rain. The rain on the roof was so loud I had to crank up the volume to hear what I was watching on YouTube. It rained through the night and there was even a heavy fall about 4:00 am which woke me. The yard looked like a paddy field. The only damage seems to be to the pressure pump from the bore. I had no water from it this morning. Luckily I do have rainwater storage. With the dust washed off the grass, things look good and I expect it to be jumping out of the ground in a day or two.

It's been blowing hard here today with the wind blowing at 20 kts gusting to 30-odd from the NNE. I'm east of the front so it's pretty obvious why it's so blowy. The forecast was for thunderstorms this afternoon and evening, and if not, just rain. That strong wind from the NNE looks like it's going to push any rain from the front down to the southeast, and I'll miss out again.

Little successes give you pleasure. When I put down the vinyl floor covering in the boot room, the back door began to catch in one spot as it swung. The other day I took the door off and sanded about 2 mm off the bottom of the door. I also took the hinges off and removed the paint that was on them, and fixed them so that the pins moved in and out freely, making the hinges move freely. Then I put it back using larger gauge screws. To my surprise the door swung freely and the lock engaged perfectly where before it needed a bit if a shove. Win!

I didn't say it. It was in Nev's letter to Santa.

Seems that the users of these vehicles are more aware of the safety aspects of operating a vehicle than the people who design the operating systems. Using touch screens to scroll through menus is OK when you are travelling at 0 KpH, but as soon as you start moving ... I even find looking down at my speedo when setting cruise control can let me allow the car to move within its lane if I'm not on a straight.

Dear Santa, I have been a good boy this year. I have tried to help my fellow forumites by posting sensible, useful material based on my training and experience. I am hoping that you could drop into my stocking some sort of device that will help me to identify subtle and/or ironic jokes in the post some of the drongos here like to post. Always a believer in you, Nev.

Jobs for the boys. No security checks, just campaign contribution cheques.

No. To qualify the misuse would have to be for humerus effect.

There's an accountant for that.

And OME has been caught by the Grammar Police red handed in a spelling violation. "Insolvable" is the correct word. Def'n: If a problem, difficulty, or mystery is insolvable, it is not possible to find a solution to it or the cause of it. :

I didn't realise that the Jesus bolt was an actual thing. I thought it was simply a general term for something that if it failed, Jesus Christ!

My sister just got scammed in the purchase of hay for her horses. Went onto a website that claimed the feed was good for curing founder (a condition of the hooves resulting from too rich a diet). She paid the money and even spoke to someone about delivery. When it didn't come she phoned back and got all sort of runarounds. Luckily she was only buying a few bales, but the loss was pretty hard on a pensioner. She contacted her bank to report it, but didn't get any satisfaction. I think that she also contacted the police, but it would go into the insoluble cases file.

That's where the Asians have it over us. Their cultures see the benefit of working for the benefit of their descendants. This week the ALP did show a bit of the backbone that we would like to see. In the UN, Australia turned awau from the USA and its rulers, the Isrealis, and voted for Palistinian soveriegnty. That's something the lap dog LNP would not do. The Yanks will probably make something of the way Australia voted, but probably not much, as they probably think they have us under their thumb. It's about time the Auusie larriknism shone through and we told the Yanks what drongos they are. We should tell them that we are sick of their pushing their debased culture onto us. They have never done anything to really benefit Australia. They simply see Australia as a base for their military operations.

The "Cost of Living Crisis" thing, while I don't deny it's being a fact, has become a football in the political games within many countries' borders. Those who we call The Opposition in governments are blaming the mob in Government for fumbling in the goal mouth. The truth is that it is not within the ability of any government to effectively control the marketplace where the crisi is playing out. The lawmakers don't even have the ability to control interest rates. This applies not only to Australia, but everywhere. Look at the factors causing the crisis. The world is still recovering from the effects of COVID. International maritime transport is being stalled by environmental effect as in the drying of the Panama Canal, or by militant action around the Suez Canal and Persian Gulf. Then we have the various wars that prevent trade. Dutton and Co can try to blame Albo and his mob for what is happening in order to sway the voting public into replacing the government, but from Day 1 Dutton will be faced with the exact same conditions and the same hopelessness to fix it. Keep your eye on what happens in the USA over the next three months. Trump's first term was cursed by COVID. His second will be marked by a collapse of the world economy, and he can't be wholly blamed for that. I'm not being pessimistic. I hope for my kids' sake I am wrong, but if you see storm clouds on the horizon, and the wind is blowing from their direction, one should make sure one has a raincoat handy.

That is a hard fact for those born before 1970 to come to terms with. But a fact it is. Sure, we seem to have lost the Bronzed ANZAC image, but the Nation hasn't disintegrated.

The rats are deserting the sinking ship.

Was that conclusion obtained from the results of a Gallup poll?

I need martial music to get myself moving.

Which variety? Unfortunately I can only get ABC on my radio. It's either ABC Classical of ABC RN or ABC Local. The latter two are all talk, usually about uninteresting topics.

How about truth in journalism to hobble Murdoch? I am reading a story about the Australian Light Horse in WWI. There was a reference to Keith Murdoch, comparing him the Charles Bean, the appointed war historian. The refrence simply said that Murdoch was not interested in reporting the actions, but was seeking power by sidling up to the Prime Minister and Ministers.

I wonder how long it will be before the MAGA mob realises that it has been conned big time and turns its anger on Trump and his mates.

I have my radio tuned to ABC Classical mainly for background noise, but the presenters don't talk crap when they speak. Unfortunately, their playlist seems to concentrate on the Baroque period when stringed instruments ruled and wind instruments were not as developed or varied as they are now. I really dislike the screechiness of stringed instruments, including the harpsichord and piano. I also dislike choral music and opera. What's the point of people singing if you can't understand the language or the pitch is too high for your aged ears? As for sopranos, I always think that they have just been given a prod in the bum with the tip of the Third Spear Carrier from the Left's spear.