octave

Red it would be good if you could post a link or give a clue as to where these figures were published. I am not questioning these figures, but it would be useful to know whether these are Australian sales figures or world sales figures

Surely this video is in the funny videos section because how idiotic this fu***it is. If this weren't presented as humour I would happily fact check it

Here is a video of my son's business partner and his EV mini track vehicle. He designed and built this EV. Most of these parts were 3D printed on a printer that they built themselves. My son owns a huge house (2 houses in one) with his business partner and best mate. When we visit (NZ) we roam the whole house, and we're quite likely to sit on a sofa and find we are sitting on a circuit board or other device. etank.mp4 etank.mp4

There is something pathetic about Trump in that he always needs to be the hero. There is no self-deprecation. I did not much care for President Bush, but at least he could make jokes at his own expense. Has anyone ever heard Trump admit to performance less than perfect? No reasonable person would expect an amateur golfer to be as good as a pro. He believes he is demonstrating strength, but most of us (other than his sycophant fans) see weakness. A real man would say, "I fucked that up" and not feel diminished.

International socialism, like our Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme? "US President Donald Trump this week threatened to impose a 200 per cent tariff on pharmaceuticals, a move which sent a chill through Australian manufacturers. American drug companies have long railed against what they call our ‘socialised medicine’, arguing our Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme discriminates against them and unfairly forces down prices. " Life Australia Institute The PBS is, literally, a life saver for Australian families. The Australia Institute has compared the staggering difference between the prices Australians and Americans pay for some of the most common medicines in the world. For example, Atorvastatin - a cholesterol pill which is among the top ten most prescribed drugs in Australia - is 125 times more expensive in the US. Australians pay $21.07 for a prescription of Atorvastatin. Americans are slugged $2,628.39 for the same medication. A commonly used tablet for high blood pressure, Lisinopril, is almost 25 times more expensive in the US than in Australia. More than 10 million Salbutamol asthma puffers are prescribed or sold over the counter in Australia each year. For every $30 Australians spend on these puffers, Americans are charged $50. "Americans who can't afford health insurance are going without life saving medicines and, in extreme cases, dying as a result," said Matt Grudnoff, Senior Economist at The Australia Institute. "It is a shameful situation which cannot be repeated here

Conscription was reintroduced by Menzies in 1964 and retained by Holt, Ewen, Gorton, McMahan (all Libs) and abolished by Whitlam shortly after taking office in 1972. In terms of conscription, one side of politics maintained it and one side abolished it as soon as they took power.

Red these crimes, of course are dreadful. Where I take issue is that you seem to believe that Victoria has more violent crime than other states. There is crime in all Australian states. I am not suggesting that the current government bears no responsibility for crime, but it did not start when this government was first elected. In terms of overall crime rates, New South Wales has the highest number of reported crimes. However, when considering crime rates relative to population, the Northern Territory has the highest per capita crime rate. Victoria has also been cited as having a high rate of violent crime, particularly in relation to homicides.

Here is another innovation. I guess in the early days of passenger aviation, fire was a problem; however, this spurred on innovation and specialised firefighting techniques. Firefighting generally has to keep up with new technology. Many years ago, fires were simpler; now we have oil refineries, chemical plants, and more. I do believe that we need to take Lithium fires seriously, although rarer than other fires, the consequences can be more dire. Certainly, as battery chemistry changes, EV fires will be almost non-existent .

Perhaps there is a selection process here. My experience with young people (other than my own and his peers) is teaching private music lessons for most of my working life. I taught kids of various ages for over 35 years, and whilst not every student excelled, I can't think of many that I would describe as "brainless" Just like any group in society, there is a range of personality types, intelligences, etc. Whilst some 16 year olds may not take the voting process seriously or not seek out the required information to make voting choices, this also applies to members of other groups. Although my mother is not so cognitively with it or well informed, I still support her right to vote. There is real-world data on this. Austria allowed voting from 16 in 2007. I doesn't seem to me that this has had a disastrous effect on the country. "In 2007, Austria became the first country to allow 16- and 17-year-olds to vote in national elections, with the expanded franchise first being consummated in the 2009 European Parliament election. A study of young voters' behavior on that occasion showed them to be as capable as older voters to articulate their beliefs and to make voting decisions appropriate for their preferences. Their knowledge of the political process was only insignificantly lower than in older cohorts, while trust in democracy and willingness to participate in the process were markedly higher.[14] Additionally, there was evidence found for the first time of a voting boost among young people age 16–25 in Austria.[15]" The earliest moves in Europe came during the 1990s, when the voting age for municipal elections in some States of Germany was lowered to 16. Lower Saxony was the first state to make such a reduction, in 1995, and four other states did likewise.[13]

I suspect people who believe 16-year-olds are "brainless" have had some disappointment in raising their own children.

My understanding is that in the UK, voting is not compulsory. I imagine that the 16-year-olds who did take up the option to vote would be those who take an interest in politics. On the other end of the scale, my 92-year-old mother, who is in aged care, still votes, although she is totally unaware of what the issues are. In any case, I believe that the best thing for society is where as many people as possible take part, whether they are 92 or 16. The priorities of the aged person and the young person probably overlap, but I am not sure my mother has firm opinions on the job market or the cost of education. Younger folks may not be thinking much about aged care or the health system. Both of these areas are important. I would favour lowering the voting age in this country to 16. It could even start by being optional for under-18s.

Can you propose an alternate system?

We register our car quarterly, and I find that they send the reminder email absurdly early.

Go to https://www.vicroads.vic.gov.au/registration/buy-sell-or-transfer-a-vehicle/check-vehicle-registration/vehicle-registration-enquiry Type in your rego (or any other) and it will give you all the details such as colour vin number, and expiry date. You can do this for any registered car, even if you don't own it. Apart from that I do get emails but I do have an online account and it is free. Try the link it does work.

Are you sure about that? I can check my rego online.

The important information is that each child can high-five each child ONCE. Child 1 high-fives 4 children, the second can't high-five the first child because they have already done it, the Second child high-fives child 3, 4 and 5, the third high-fives child 4 and 5, etc. We get 4+3+2+1

The points you make are reasonable points that could be debated; however, they do not constitute communism unless you have a non-standard definition. My understanding is that union membership has massively declined since the 80s. I was interested to learn that enterprise bargaining was originally driven by employers. "Late 20th Century: The Rise of Enterprise Bargaining The late 1980s saw a growing interest in enterprise bargaining, driven by employers seeking greater flexibility and productivity improvements. The Business Council of Australia advocated for enterprise-based bargaining, suggesting it could significantly boost productivity. The Keating Labor Government's Prices and Incomes Accord in 1991 further promoted enterprise bargaining agreements. " I am sure you have many interesting points to make, but the old "reds under the beds" is not persuasive to me, at least.

Is the accepted meaning of communism not having manufacturing, or manufacturing being state-run and controlled? As I remember it, the Soviet Union was quite industrialised. I am not sure if wage bargaining is a new phenomenon or not but it seems to me that collective bargaining has been around for quite some time and through many different governments. Is collective bargaining the hallmark of a communist system? You may consider me to be pedantic, but the best figures I can find are that 23.4% of the population (over 15) rely on government benefits as their primary source of income. Of this figure, a significant portion is those on the age pension (33%). Whether that figure is too high is probably open for debate. Other than pensioners, what other communist policies are causing you anxiety? Is Medicare communism?.

Really, how so? You must have a weird definition of communism. AI Overview Communism is a political and economic ideology that aims to establish a classless society where the means of production are owned and controlled by the community as a whole, rather than by private individuals or corporations. It envisions a society without private property, social classes, and ultimately, the state itself.

Free for over 65s and the immunocompromised. For me, it would be $250 per shot. So far, both of us $1000 or free in just under 2 years. Probably will do it, but it is a disincentive. What if I do not qualify for the free vaccine? If you do not qualify for the free vaccine, you can choose to have the vaccine privately. This is especially beneficial for patients from 50 years and over. HHMP carries private stock of the vaccine, the cost is about $300 per injection and 2 injections are needed between 2-6 months apart.

Definitely none taken. Here is my thought process (specifically for me) I have read that someone my age has around a 10% chance of contracting shingles. One in three of that 10% may get complications. I have to weigh this against the fact that the vax would cost $250 each, 2 vax required, for my wife and I that is $1000. If we wait 19 months (and 21 months for my wife), it will be free. I guess the bet is will get shingles in the next 19 months vs $1000.

I am not sure I get your meaning

I would tend to get the vaccine, although I would like to know if you can really get shingles without having had chickenpox. The thing wth shinlges is it is not so much like covid, where you can not have the vaccine (I am fully vaxxed) and modify your behaviour to reduce your risks. Shingles is more a case of the enemy from within. My sister in law got shinlges and it wasn't pleasant, but not too bad. However, a friend of a friend got it and it permanently damaged their eye. I entirely missed this on reading your post OT. This does make sense. I am guessing there would be many people who have been exposed to chickenpox without significant symptoms. I will get the vax, however, being under 65 it is a costly affair for the 2 of us.

My understanding is that you can't get shingles if you have not had chickenpox. On the upside, there have been a few studies lately that suggest the vaccine may have an added benefit of reducing the incidence of dementia. Shingles vaccine linked to dementia risk reduction

https://lavablue.com.au/articles/the-role-of-critical-minerals-in-the-energy-transition/ Historically, the alarm over mineral scarcity is not new. In 1924, copper expert Ira Joralemon predicted a shortage of copper, essential for electrical power, which would threaten the basis of civilization. Contrary to this prediction, copper production has increased twenty-fold in the hundred years since that prediction was made. One might wonder if future generations will regard the current focus on today's critical minerals as misplaced concern, given the dynamic nature of technological and industrial development. Let’s dig a bit deeper.