Methusala

Will check it in the dark. Everything is clean and like new. Thanks for the comments (and laughs**).

G'day All, I inherited a chainsaw, all working well until the other day. Started but gave up after about 5mins. Not overheated or lack of oil mix. I tested it for spark but none. Stripped the covers off, all wiring appeared sound. Ok, must be the module. Acquired a Chinese knock-off...$20. Installed it but still no spark. They included all wiring and even a spark plug. Installed with 0.3mm gap to the flywheel, checked resistance to primary at about 1.5 ohms-correct to specs. Resistance to spark side 22.5ohms, also correct. The ignition On/Off breaker is also operating correctly. Such a simple system so why doesn't it work? Any gurus out there? Nev perhaps... I dunno. Don

I have heard a rumor that there was political influence around the decision to dock Ruby Princess. Don't know but feel some suspicion about the lack of clear answers after all this time. Don't shoot me...just a rumor. Don

Great thinking Bruce. The idea of a UBI (universal basic income) would free a large number from the role of "wage slave" and those who have modest wants and tastes could enjoy persuits such as volunteering to re-vegitate and restore degraded environments or whatever in an altruistic ambition.

The focus of this question,"Is This The Way That We Can Save The World?" is that, undeniably, ways must be found to change the current vector. We simply cannot continue to live as in the past without dooming the planet to a catastrophic and agonising dead end. No doubt it will be an almost unbearable change to our current aspirations. What is the alternative if our kids and grandkids are to enjoy some kind of ambition and optimism. Dark days could be just around the corner. I simply ask whether this is an opportunity to grasp from the ashes of the current decline in economic fortunes a new way of seeing the future. I would resist sounding like a preacher or prophet. More like a lateral thinking optimist. PS The huge recession is already here. Can we make something life changing out of it rather than seeking to restore a parasitic and pathogenic system proven to have no bright future?

Dear Onetrack (I can't use your real name so), Thanks for reading my post. I am guilty of indulging in world tourism (incl. the Maldives) so I have some experience. On our visit we lived on an inhabited, small island (.4 x 4km). Asking the natives about agriculture they replied that they didn't want or need to work. Grab a coconut, dig up some taro (looked after by the women) or jump into the sea for lobster, fish or prawns. Incidentally, the island was spoiled by a high watermark of plastic, mainly fresh water, bottles, metres wide completely encircling the shoreline. There was brackish water available from wells which was for non-potable use. With unlimited sunlight and wind, electricity could be used to power reverse-osmosis giving unlimited, pure water. I don't underestimate that what I propose is an Herculean task. But what price the planet?

Every thinking person (and their dog) knows by now that the World is in the grips of a terrible malady. This is the greenhouse catastrophe and, regardless as to the major cause, we know that it is happening and threatens us and every other species of life. We also are unavoidably aware that we must drastically reduce the emission of heat and CO2 in order to save our planet from a terminal degradation which will involve huge painful death to billions of people. Up till now, the answer from the people in charge has been,"No way, this would be impossible to accomplish." However, in the space of a short few months, the world has demonstrated that this is not impossible, but quite to the contrary. Undeniably, we would suffer much in the permanent conversion to a new economy. Our expectations will be trimmed, in some cases hugely. But life as we know it would continue and may become less stressful and more rewarding, knowing that the future had more to offer. It is worthwhile to think on this I think.

Well, I have no wish to experience a dictatorship. It may seem to you that this is what our experience since federation has been. Naivety may be a comfortable state from the armchair - I have spoken to Chileans who fled Pinochet's regime. My point is simply that, in a democracy, our representatives (all of them) are to use the parliament to test vital policies.

"You maybe wrong Or you maybe right" (I maybe crazy,apologies to Billy Joel) At least we could imagine we had some hand in who was making these absolutely crucial decisions. Dictatorship is such a hard rock to swallow.

I've discovered that the power available to Scott Morrison allowing him to shut down parliamant for 5 months (or more) came as a result of the Governor General's declaration of a state of emergency on March 18, 2020. This means, in effect, that the GG has allowed the suspension of Parliament. This has never happened in the entire history of Federation-not during the Depression, not during the Spanish flu pandemic and not even during WW2. If this doesn't alarm the population then I despair for our nation. Time for a Republic with a popularly elected Head of State.

In the '50's, Snowy Mountains scheme was utilising contracted engineering firms from around the world. Efficiency was everything and world standards were being smashed in many fields. Many innovations were pioneered including supports using rock bolts and Australian steel of extremely high standard was developed for structural supports and high pressure pipelines. The principles of design were largely developed indigenously though mechanical and electrical machinery came from Europe. It was financed mainly through Government sources (c$700m) although a $100m World Bank loan was taken out in 1962 (well into the project's construction). It provided power and irrigation water and had many spin-off benefits through immigration and skill development. A signal tribute to 1950's methods of economic development.

Ooh, those Wiley Russians! Have they learned nothing since the mad monk Rasputin? Next they will be attemptin' the same silly pranks on Albo and the Greens here.

Currency, currency & currency. The 3 most important things in flying.

Visited the famous Nurburgring last September. Had to go to the desk with a question. It was manned(?) by a young woman who was really breathtakingly beautiful. Racing attracts them all right! Sad to hear that Graeme Hill was taken by a flying accident.

Anyone who reads at all will know. As soon as you mention AFP they will fall about larfing. They're basically useless unless you happen to be a unionist, an underage female at a rock concert or anyone from the Labor party. Oh yes, they book people in the ACT for exceeding the speed limit on the countries best roads.

Dad used to brew (non-alcoholic) ginger beer when we were kids. Being an old Depression-era tragic he hated to waste anything. The recipe called for halving the sediment remaining from the ginger beer plant and discarding the half not used to start the next plant. He used to add this sediment, divided equally between the bottles, to the stored g. beer. This made a hyper-CO2 charged result. Never blew up any bottles but it took a cautious 5 minutes to ease the tops off. Dropped the occasional example which gave a spectacular explosion marked with 1m diameter of white froth on the ground. Hilarity all round. Never tasted better ginger beer.

Aldi had Lowenbrau (Sorry, can't do umlauts) before Xmas for $56 x 24 x 440ml cans. Hard to beat for genuine beer, not local cat's p**s.

Perhaps Damon Hill was the worst ever to become world champion!

I would like to add that the training we deliver today is incomparably better than that which we received in the 1970's.

I recently had a problem with a Jabiru engine. Ringing Jabiru, I was put immediately through to Rod Stiff who spent a very solid 20 minutes talking it through. He (obviously) did not complain about me being a "dumb' member of the public. I was impressed by his approachability. I taught for 10 years in VET during which time my institute paid for a Cert IV, a Diploma and many other trade related courses. I found it much more difficult to communicate meaningfully with employers than students. I even had one who wanted me to "settle this out in the carpark", when I sent his apprentice back to work for being abusive in class. I think that many stories we have heard being megaphoned through the media regarding the failure of education have an idealogical bias and mainly concern standards in government schools. Well off private schools escape. TAFE also receives a caning but not so much private, for profit RTO's. We went through a rigorous ASQA audit in my last year of teaching and I can assure anybody that the standards for VET are high. Training is a partnership between RTO and employers.

Fighting words if not actually insulting to many of us who gained the qualifications and put in the really hard yards to pass something on the the young tradies of tomorrow. How do you think young people are going to become tradesmen if we don't commit to the task? Really ignorant thing to say.... I suppose we can all excuse ourselves from blame by p***ing on "the greenies" or bloody unions or VET teachers. Many employers understand so little of WHS that their kids are injured or killed on the job. Pay as little as possible and complain that apprentices are a cost when they put them in vans and charge them out as tradesmen. Don't make me laugh.

I'm moved a little to see the reaction to this post. I admit that I am not the sum total of opinion on urban landuse. Councils are elected from a population that, largely, have no time nor the motivation to spend. Therefore the positions are filled by those who have reason to make decisions. These people are real estate vendors and developers. However, as we know from "privatised" airports, constraints are needed. This is where a more democratic solution is required. We don't want Trump clones to rule our cities. Perhaps we need a benevolent dictator? (Laughter is heard off-stage.)

Exactly my point OME. In our pluralist society people and their needs should be above the pecuniary interests of a small, rich group of capitalists who are unlikely to live in the area and who "could care less" about the community. Time for a new deal.

I recently visited the wonderful southern city of Melbourne. Agree that it is a most livable place (except for the traffic). While there we attended the Preston Markets, a spread of around 1 acre of food stalls and other mixed businesses. Packed with people of all ages and origins buying fresh produce and enjoying al-fresco meals in the partially open air. My cousin who was my host told me that there are moves afoot, likely to be successful, to close the market down and construct 10 story high density flats in their place. How is it that such a vibrant, popular and useful community asset can fall victim to the rampant profit seeking motives of the rich?

I believe that it is established fact that rainfall is greater to the east of the line that demarcates wheat cropping from undisturbed bushland in West Australia. A good read is "The Bush" by Don Watson. He has produced a well researched essay describing the changes to Australia's landscape since the arrival of Europeans over 200 years ago.