Steve’s Blog 2014

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Steve's Hiking

The Upper Yarra Walking Track

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2013 blog

2012  and earlier blog

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Kintail Burn, Dusky Track,Fiordland, NZ 2012 Six Moon Designs ‘Swift’ pack @ 450 grams

 

LINKS: 2012  and earlier blog 2013 blog 2014 Blog

 

31/12/2014: At sub 60 per barrel those Iranian mullahs may have more difficulty now building nukes to destroy Israel &/or precipitate WW3.

 

31/12/2014: Ancient Greece 101: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5atnExq60g#t=36

 

31/12/2014: We will have to find people to be ridiculously generous more often (as our son Bryn was with his Xmas gift of two return tickets to London Town), as the related posts have garnered 200 likes and comments! This has now wholly eclipsed our recent ‘crayfish’ post (c 8/11/2014). Oh, so many friends. Thank you Bryn, and ALL!

 

30/12/2014: ROADKILL: It always saddens me to see birds (and other critters killed (or horridly injured) on the road. Today on the way to the shop, there was a Songbird (thrush) near the Junction. Near Billy's Creek, a mynah had been hit and his friends were holding a wake. ..One thing that CAN be done about this carnage is if people would drive (as we were taught many years ago in NSW) so that we would be able to STOP for anything within our field of vision. If you cannot then you are ipso facto driving DANGEROUSLY. The person following you has also to be able to stop if you brake suddenly, so hang back a car length for every 10km plus one (was sound rule). We were also taught NOT to swerve to avoid things (as this often results in out-of-control cars and accidents). Many birds, possums and other creatures (people?) COULD be saved...It is tragic that automobiles are today THE major predator. Making cars once again noisier and more visible (fewer road coloured cars) may also help prevent all these deaths.

 

30/12/2014: My new (Xmas) phone comes with the opening message ‘Life Companion’ and a lovely picture of Della! How did Samsung (Galaxy S4 Mini) KNOW?

 

 

30/12/2014: It ain't half hot, mum: One of China's largest waterfalls has partially frozen due to the recent cold snap:

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/waterfall-freezes-over-on-the-yellow-river-9942588.html

 

 

29/12/2014: ALAS! Australia is a SITTING DUCK waiting to be PLUCKED. We REALLY do need to get busy on building some new subs, at least (and divert much of the ‘welfare’ budget to Defence, else betimes we will have nothing TO defend): http://quadrant.org.au/opinion/qed/2014/12/case-collins-class-subs/

 

29/12/2014: I was talking to a chap yesterday about undertaking a thousand mile canoe trip down the Kazan River in the Canadian Arctic, an area inhabited only by moose, wolves, caribou, bears, musk oxen salmon etc - and he opined I was too old! Oh dear! But surely, if Ray Jardine can do it (and much more) I can, so long as my back comes good: http://www.rayjardine.com/adventures/2001-Kazan-River/index.htm

 

29/12/2014: ‘Media Notices America's Grievous Shortage of Laws’: I have often remarked on the superfluity of laws we have here (too), but I confess I had not arrived at Warren’s startling conclusion about WHY we need them - else what WOULD we have to feel GUILTY about? – Must recall that next time we are trespassing in the Yarra Catchment, etc. Now that I have a Senior’s Card (and am exempt from requiring a licence) I am deprived of the delicious susurration you get from illegal fishing…fortunately there are PLENTY of other laws I can be breaking: http://www.coyoteblog.com/coyote_blog/2014/12/media-notices-americas-grievous-shortage-of-laws.html

 

28/12/2014: OHBOYOBOY: We had a wonderful family Xmas yesterday: (mayhap even too much of) Della Jones’s delicious food, loving company, lots of generous and thoughtful gifts, etc, etc…but as you may no doubt already have read, our son Bryn Jones quite bowled us over with the gift of free return tickets to LONDON! As one of my friends remarked, this pretty much reduced me to speechlessness (NOW, you know how to shut me up!) I had thought today to be playing with my new mobile phone, my new chainsaw attachment, my new hiking solar charger, my new hiking poles…but instead I find myself fraught with (planning) thoughts about what needs to be done before we can go, where we will go, what we will see. Will we be doing much hiking/camping out in ‘Blighty’ & etc. (No CITIES for me – but Della’s ancestors/mother were Londoners, so I guess that’s de rigueur). I’d guess we will end up doing one of our usual self-drive, take-it-as-it-comes, ignore-the-tourist-brochures types of holidays. I imagine I will check out some old ancestral addresses, so I can bore others speechless with slideshows of where great great great grandmother lived & etc. And of course, must visit Laugharne (see yesterday’s post)…I confess, I had always believed that when my great great grandfather was sent out here in 1828 (for some minor property transgressions) we could never return…

 

 

28/12/2014: WAR ON CAMPERS: As we returned from our foray to the Upper Yarra Track on Xmas Day we cut down through a long sub-continental-shaped ‘tongue’ of forest which hangs down East of Noojee pointing towards Trafalgar along the Upper Latrobe River (Note to self to investigate canoeing that particular stretch of river). We passed through/by the ‘Hawthorn Bridge Camping Area’ which  had recently been laid waste by our (DSE/ParksVic) lords and mistresses using excavators to turn the previously beautiful camp grounds on the river flats into something resembling the surface of the moon (so there is now no level spot to erect a tent or drive a car) and now designated with signs as a ‘Revegetation’ area, (presumably largely by blackberries) etc. It still shocks and saddens me to see further evidence of this green totalitarianism. I know it began immediately emerald folks gained control (c 1983) of what were (then) Depts of Lands, Forestry, Mining etc and morphed them into Depts of Conservation, Environment, Sustainability etc. I recall (eg) areas along the Mitta (between the ‘Blue Duck & Glen Valley) where thousands could placidly camp in almost solitary bliss) which were closed off with bulldozers by these eager ‘saviours’ of nature back then. Since then they have laboured mightily to EXCLUDE the public from their OWN lands, declaring them to be the provenance (only) of ‘future generation,’ (there being clearly something inherently unworthy in the current one) as regards the enjoyment of such natural wonders.  We have since seen thousands of kilometres of closed tracks (and the consequent hapless destruction by wildfire of MILLIONS of hectares), a plethora of rules banning hunting, fishing, camping, fossicking, gem & wildflower collection, etc…There is as yet no end to this TYRANNY, though it must as a duty to freedom be decried, resisted, disobeyed, overturned…Once there were only ten 'laws', then we had The Eleventh Commandment, 'Thou Shalt Not Get Caught'!

 

28/12/2014: Maybe you thought yesterday’s post TOO CRUEL? I recall Jesus saying that (though HE would not be), the ‘poor WOULD always be with us’ or words to that effect…I was not actually present at the Last Supper (see pic: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/ca/Leonardo_da_Vinci_-_Ultima_cena_-_ca_1975.jpg though many other bearded gentlemen clearly were – and the chap second from left MIGHT have been me!) Howsoever, our society has long thought that there ought to be handouts (or at least ‘help ups’) for folks who are ‘down on their luck’ until (at least) they FIND their luck – or learn to MAKE their own, as the rest of us must…A loan scheme (eg as the US ‘Social Security’ was ever intended to be – funded by a compulsory levy on wages) has ever seemed to be a good idea, rather than having outright charity. The distinction is based on the now somewhat quaint idea that self-reliance, independence, business, creativity (may I say effort or ?) WORK, (marriage, family…) were all ‘good ideas’, if not the life-blood of civilisation! In the past it was assumed that such ‘welfare’ as was ‘needed’ would be self-funding, rather than (as it has become today), the largest (and an ever-escalating) DRAIN on the public purse which will soon become so utterly unaffordable as to bring our society to its knees – if it has not already done so!  Let us at least CONSIDER the idea that such ‘welfare’ as is needed can be pre-paid, (worked for), or paid back, (by the recipients) and so be at (almost) NO net social cost! THINK about it, at least!

 

27/12/2014: The FIRST (and my personal favourite) Dylan’s Christmas: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HoxycLmMOk A Child’s Christmas in Wales. If you are a Dylan fan, you WILL also like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BirV7uvZCTo Quite Early One Morning.

 

27/12/2014: You KNOW I’m not religious, but Wow (!) the Christians have some GREAT hymns (this one thanks to Blake), and CAN this guy SING: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10t7EbkHDzg#t=90

 

27/12/2014: ADDENDUM: ‘Good Luck Scott Morrison’: The big PAY OFF if Scott succeeds in ‘stopping the bludgers’ is that ordinary Australians will (once more) be able to retire at age 65 (or earlier) instead of having to work until 70 (or die?) to support a horde of MILLIONS: eg 95% of Moslem ‘refugees’ who are still on welfare 5 years after arrival; hundreds of thousands of surplus ‘disability’ pensioners; hundreds of thousands of ‘supporting’ mothers (paid for by working mothers) eagerly raising a horde from a collection of (absent) ‘fathers,’ born into welfare dependency and targeted to ‘graduate’ into juvenile delinquency/crime, etc; hundreds of thousands of ‘aboriginal’ Australians who should long since have understood there are only ‘Australians’ and that eg we all have to WORK for a living, and we have always had to MOVE to where the work IS; hundreds of thousands of long-term bludgers on the dole who are above such modest work as cleaning, taxi driving, picking fruit, etc…You get my point: if we don’t have to support the bludgers, we WILL be able to support mums and dads who have worked all their lives to EARN our support – instead of their having to work themselves to death to support the sycophants amongst us. YOU may also have received a post from someone COMPLAINING that the $300 worth of FREE GROCERIES they have received for Xmas are actually worth LESS. Such people, who bite the hand that feeds them are WORTHLESS!

 

26/12/2014: The things you see when you haven’t got a shovel! We ventured off yesterday on an exploratory trip to see the ‘lost’ Yarra Falls. On the way we saw these wonderful bulbs (alstroemerias). NOW I am on a promise to return for a collecting trip. We figured there would be no (quasi) cops to apprehend us for trespassing on the Yarra Catchment, which was more than so – not a soul about, yet lots of lovely legal campsites along the Forty Mile Break Road. We walked around quite a bit (it was warmer than we expected) and have worked out the best point of approach and a possible loop walk taking in both the upper falls, the main falls the ruins/site of the Upper Yarra Hut, and returning via Track 12.  It would have been better if I had had ALL the relevant maps with me. There will be quite a bit of machete work to get Della there, so an overnight trip in the New Year  (when we have finished working in Merrin & Matt’s shop), I think. The Mt Whitelaw overnight will have to wait for a couple of cool days then too. I WILL have a shovel then. Must put one in EVERY car. Such collecting is a MUST. For example, we brought back a wealth of beautiful daffodils from the Tyers ‘Glass House’ last year which are now ‘doing’ wonderfully in Della’s garden.

 

 

26/12/2014: Will have to try this: http://buynongmoseeds.com/quick-and-simple-fresh-peasant-bread/

Peasant Bread Is The Best and Easiest Bread You Will Ever Make

 

26/12/2014: Another vast ‘global warming scam: ocean acidification has NOT been occurring: http://www.breitbart.com/london/2014/12/23/noaagate-how-ocean-acidification-could-turn-out-to-be-the-biggest-con-since-michael-manns-hockey-stick/

 

25/12/2014: So THIS was a Powder Monkey! They sure were CUTE! You can see maybe why (Churchill?) opined that the (Royal) Navy was run on rum and ‘buggery’!: http://news.usni.org/2014/12/03/brief-list-old-obscure-obsolete-u-s-navy-jobs?utm_source=USNI+News&utm_campaign=e00243330b-USNI_NEWS_DAILY&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_0dd4a1450b-e00243330b-230367973&mc_cid=e00243330b&mc_eid=731d8359f5

 

Powder Monkey on board USS New Hampshire off Charleston, S.C., circa 1864.

 

25/12/2014: WHAT a vehicle for a gentleman, the ’Jungle Yatch’: https://twitter.com/Silodrome/status/546966268037697536/photo/1

25/12/2014: Life on Mars? Curiosity finds active organic chemistry on Mars: http://www.gizmag.com/curiosity-mars-complex-organic-chemistry/35241/

24/12/2014: I think Scott Morrison has a MUCH bigger job now with his ‘Stop the Bludgers’ portfolio. There are hundreds of thousands of people who will need to be dealt with, quite possibly over a million. Just as an EXAMPLE, after the huge numbers of people returning injured from WW2 we had perhaps 1% of adults disabled. We are now over 10% without massive war injuries! The difference is over 800,000 people! I would guess also that there are ‘ethnic minorities’ who are dreadfully over-represented. I would also guess that many of these ‘refugee Australians’ have nonetheless visited their previous homelands since they arrived here. This means (to me) that they no longer need to be refugees. I have never minded helping someone out, but I deplore anyone ‘having a lend’ of me. I would also guess there are many other Australians who share my view. Since Scott STOPPED the boats it may seem Peter Dutton hasn’t much to do: however, he clearly has to preside over a massive REVERSE migration programme. It would be really surprising if there were not over 100,000 ‘refugees’ here (living on our welfare) who have since visited their homelands, who will need to be stripped of their citizenship and deported. There are also tens of thousands of others who have defrauded us and/or committed other ‘un-Australian crimes who need to be similarly treated. Sweden and Denmark have already shown the way. Japan has never allowed Moslem immigrants. Angola has BANNED Islam and bulldozed all the mosques. We delay at our peril. I predict that the next 2-3 terror attacks here (now imminent) will convince a sufficient majority of Australians that we must act decisively: http://pickeringpost.com/story/turning-back-welfare-fraud-will-not-be-as-easy-as-turning-back-boats/4307

 

24/12/2014: ROMAN concrete was better than ours: time we learned why: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2877547/Why-Colosseum-hasn-t-collapsed-Roman-concrete-used-secret-ingredient-stand-test-time-engineers-want-copy-it.htmlv

 

24/12/2014: Thanks to my son, Bryn…Extreme Shepherding: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OE6HgK9NjQ

 

23/12/2014: What a cute pushie: http://www.gizmag.com/motoped-pro-cruzer-survival-black-ops-moped/34730/

 

23/12/2014: PROBLEM: ‘Deadly Islamists are now the coolest gang on the planet,’ (Mark Steyn) as Boston Bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev faces court, with the backing of fans and supporters: http://www.bostonherald.com/news_opinion/local_coverage/2014/12/victim_confronts_tsarnaev_supporter

 

23/12/2014: RAILGUNS may have their shortcomings, but they also have their positives (eg they could deliver cargo to space cheaply). We were working on these at Maribyrnong, but when Hawke (?) was elected the project was cancelled. Defence has never been a Labor strong point : (Has it been anyone’s in Oz?): http://www.nationalreview.com/article/394715/railguns-next-big-pentagon-boondoggle-mike-fredenburg

 

22/12/2014: I WAS feeling a little down (due to some internet bullying), then a young friend rang to wish us 'Seasons Gretings' from Washington, which really brightened up my day! FYO: He is a young American (29) I met on the Dusky Track, Fiordland NZ in 2012. At the time I had such a bad back I really did not think I could walk a step of the track, but wanted to re-visit Supper Cove one (last?) time. We spent a several days there fishing, talking, exploring; learning from each other. Then I walked out the 50 km with him. Lots of Panadeine Forte; also lots of good company. He later visited us here (twice) and we have been in contact many times since. I hope to do more hiking with him in the future: perhaps the Pacific Crest Trail? Who knows? I have since had a back operation which has returned some of my functionality. And I have been back to Dusky again (in April), and also walked the South Coast Track there. It is GREAT to be able to make new friendships and renew old ones. I write these comments to recall my (small) adventures, offer (I hope) useful practical advice, and stimulate thought and discussion. I thank you ALL for your support. I never have expected others to think as I think, just as I do not think as others do. That is all part of the great adventure of life - as is long distance hiking in the wild places of the world...I have a few adventures in mind yet, if I am able, such as the Upper Yarra Track which I have been discussing lately. Any who want to join me are welcome. I also met a young Israeli on the 2012 Dusky walk. He also visited us twice, and I keep in touch with him. Neither of these people is on Facebook for one reason or another. It may surprise you that much of my discussion with the Israeli chap during the several days of our walk was an attempt to convince him of the essential goodness of human beings, and that this applied just as much to Moslems. It may surprise you more that I have had, and still have Moslem friends - who read my posts.  Replies to comments: I intend many of my posts to be absurd - life often IS.  \Jesus WAS a much nicer man than Mohammed but not half such a good man as Socrates in my opinion, (or Buddha for that matter). Still, I do not respect religion and would rather see it gone from the earth. If there was something that could be put in the water supply to achieve this I think I would be in favour of it! Thank you also X, Y Z, etc for your comments and others for your support. I know that there are others who have been reading this without comment too who are with me in my endeavours. I will try to continue to post interesting, thoughtful things. Hope you continue to enjoy them.

 

22/12/2014: A great Australian:

 

22/12/2014: Extraordinary; the things people do/CAN do: Pictorial: The 2014 World Flyboard Championships:

http://www.gizmag.com/world-flyboard-championships-2014-photos/35219/

 

The 'firehose' marketplace evolved at warp speed and our photo essay leaves little doubt a...

 

22/12/2014: A friend of mine’s daughter is concerned that she is not ‘pretty’. ‘A frog’s pretty in a cat’s eye’ my mother used to opine…Most of us are NOT beautiful. Quite the reverse. 'Beauty' is quite fleeting (and unimportant) anyway. I have been 'ugly' all my life but I can't say I have given a moment's thought to it. Doesn't matter. Can't do anything about it anyway. More important things to think about. 'If it don't rain the roof don't leak; if it do, can't fix it anyway', or words to that effect.

 

22/12/2014: UNBROKEN: a fantastic story; what Zamperini and his comrades went through was astounding. DO read the book. For one thing you will understand why the Allies had to drop the atomic bombs: the Japs were going to execute all POWs in a matter of DAYS (anyway in August 1945). Unfortunately Jolie’s film omits an important (to him at least, and many others) 60 YEARS of Louie’s life: after he became a Christian in 1949. Interesting…

 

21/12/2014: Something for those of us who always wear pull-on boots (because we can’t): http://www.gizmag.com/powerlace-auto-lacing-shoe/34781/

 

It isn't quite a match for the Nike MAGs from Back to the Future II, but the Powerlace aut...

 

21/12/2014: TWO fascinating adjoined points: http://blogs.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/timblair/index.php/dailytelegraph/comments/eat_them_squirrels_tennessee_boy/

 

21/12/2014: BEATING THE BLUDJAHIDEEN: Alan R.M. Jones: ‘If we can stop the boats and the drownings, we can stop the undeserved free lunches, as well as the lawfare waged on civil society and our safety…More than that, we can stop heeding the excuses and rationalisations on behalf of those who would harm innocents and coarsen our civil soul. If we have the will, if the collective outrage of right now declines to flag, we can say loudly that we refuse to live any longer in the rotten edifice of a social-experiment freak-out ginned up at a bong party in the sociology department common room. We must first overcome the absurd protests that Monis’ villainy was a one-off, an isolated case, which had nothing to do with his sinister religious beliefs. Likewise, we must recognise the dysfunctional welfare-industrial complex for what it is — a support scheme available to help manifest and advance social pathologies. Have we not recognised that Monis was a walking Venn diagram of victim handouts, subsidised weirdness and extremist hatred? To be the quintessential welfare queen and a psychopathic, parasitic criminal are not mutually exclusive. Indeed, in this case they were symbiotic.’

 

20/12/2014: GILLARD: Royal Commissioner Heydon did not exonerate her (as the ABC reported). Quite the contrary: he found that she LIED and took STOLEN money. Shorten doesn’t come off as the Knight in Shining Armour either. It is worth noting that he recommends charges against her co-accused, Wilson & Blewitt. The Victorian Police investigation may still take action against her (despite the change of Government): http://blogs.news.com.au/heraldsun/andrewbolt/index.php/heraldsun/comments/royal_commission_gillard_told_untruths_boyfriend_paid_for_renovations_with_/  & http://www.michaelsmithnews.com/

 

20/12/2014: One line leaps out from former High Court judge Dyson Heydon’s Royal Commission into Union Corruption:… there is virtually no evidence of Julia Gillard’s good reputation and character beyond that which is to be inferred from her status as a former Prime Minister …This was in response to a request from Gillard’s lawyers that the commission “give significant weight to Ms Gillard’s good character and reputation.” Heydon continued: This is a mystifying submission. It is a dangerous submission…If some such presumption were adopted, it would always be the case that the powerful, the celebrated and the successful will have undue advantages over the weak, the obscure and those of moderate achievement. Then would be the time to ask the question: ‘Little man, what now?’ It is a strange submission to be advanced on behalf of a former politician belonging to the Australian Labor Party tradition – a tradition of social democracy.’

 

20/12/2014: What a wonderful ‘new’ discovery: 500,000 year old ‘writing’ on a shell by homo erectus. Clearly too the letter ‘m’ (or ‘w’!) begins the spelling out  (I’m sure) of ‘man’ (or possibly ‘woman’ or ‘Adam’ – more shells needed). The Neanderthals (also) seem to have ‘invented’ the ‘hash-tag.’ How wondrous it must have been to have shared the earth with OTHER truly human ‘races’: http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg22429983.200-shell-art-made-300000-years-before-humans-evolved.html

 

20/12/2014: Spotted Pardalote: This morning walking down to the creek to check on the pump I spied a young pair of these which have obviously taken up residence in our roadside plantation. It is so encouraging to see such birds taking advantage of all our work:

 

 

19/12/2014: Whilst you may have jocularly described some acquaintance as a ‘vegie’, TRUTH is stranger than fiction, and genes have a few tricks up their sleeves to teach Darwin. A huge chunk of our DNA arrived by THIS strange mechanism: http://aeon.co/magazine/science/how-horizontal-gene-transfer-changes-evolutionary-theory/

 

19/12/2014: Cable ties are just GREAT…so MANY uses: http://topclosure.com/ Incidentally, have you TRIED handcuffing yourself with one to see whether you really CAN get the wretched thing off? They are not SO chewable, let me tell you! Always lots of fun (& games) happening around here, you see! I think everyone should be wearing the Leatherdos hair clip just in case they DO get handcuffed with cable ties: http://www.animicausa.com/shop/Best-sellers/Leatherdos-Mini-tools-clip/tpflypage.tpl.html

 

19/12/2014: SELF-DEFENCE #2: How long do you think that evil bastard would have lasted if even half the people who were in the Lindt Café had handguns?

 

18/12/2014:

 

18/12/2014: Quote of the week: ‘Don’t mention the war’: Julian Disney: ‘the Sydney hostage incident’ (!) PS: Disney is head of the Press Council!

 

18/12/2014: HOBBITS: Looking forward to Jackson’s last film, or hoping that it will all soon be over and you can go back to reading your favourite Tolkien without Peter’s interpretation? Some thoughts on Middle Earth: http://acculturated.com/the-first-man-to-read-the-hobbit/ & http://acculturated.com/the-blessed-end-of-middle-earth-on…/

 

18/12/2014: SELF-DEFENCE: I understand the fate of most ‘Cassandras’ (that though they see the future correctly, their prognostications will not be believed), but I think the market must nearly be at bottom (there are some GREAT buys out there). Even if this is not the case, including some security firms and product suppliers in your portfolio would have to be a good bet: we can surely ALL understand from the Sydney ‘siege’ that the need to protect ourselves is paramount. It is palpably absurd that Australians should be mere victims; that the only ‘defence’ available to us is to wait passively whilst evildoers ‘have their way’ with us until the police arrive to ‘save’ us (good luck with THAT – as you SAW!) or indeed to SHOOT us (!) This is an entirely unsatisfactory situation. You may NOT own a firearm for self-defence, (but you may own one for hunting or for stock protection (for example) and it has to be stored securely ‘when not in use’, but it CAN be standing in the kitchen corner LOADED when it IS in use, eg when you are about to go hunting, or to shoot a fox – which is just about ALL the time, surely? I once again recommend the Rossi ‘Circuit Judge’ (Avail Walmart : http://www.walmart.com/…/Rossi-Curcuit-Judge-Shotg…/17200849 as you can see) loaded with five .410 SSG cartridges 3x .30 cal slugs ea). Just squeezing the trigger five times in rapid succession will send five .30 calibre projectiles into the vitals of your chosen target (which, at close range) will surely cause them to give up interest quite promptly! A great gun for smaller folk too such as ladies, perhaps as a Xmas present?

 

Rossi Curcuit Judge Shotgun .410 Bore/.45 Colt

18/12/2014: Ride on a bus or train with them? What a solution: sooner or later the bus or train will blow up –just like London, Madrid, etc! Not by accident. Islam IS the problem! Who’s behind this vile (‘I’ll ride with you’) campaign (and what racists THEY are): http://www.breitbart.com/…/Delingpole-Sydney-cafe-murders-t… & http://blogs.news.com.au/…/comm…/the_noxious_and_naive_left/

 

17/12/2014: Meanwhile, Baby ‘Rufus’ is fledging:

 

 

17/12/2014: We wake to the news that the Taliban has murdered 140+ children in Pakistan. There are about five such Islamic attacks world-wide PER DAY, nearly 25,000 since 9/11! Can anyone SERIOUSLY believe that Islam is NOT the problem? http://www.thereligionofpeace.com/pages/thelist.htm

 

17/12/2014: Two very different interpretations of yesterday’s events: Touche to Larry Pickering: ‘The cries of “lone wolf attack” echo through the media as a politically correct alternative to “Islamic terrorism”: AND ALLAH SAID TO THE LONE WOLF, “GO FORTH AND MULTIPLY”... and he did! Alternatively, this represents the Left’s ‘take’ on yesterday’s events: Wendy Bacon (now a Professor of Journalism) ‘Clearing of cars in (the) CBD gives you an idea of how pleasant (a) carless city might be.’ I remember this ‘creature’ from the ‘Vietnam Moratorium’ days when she was oblivious to the 8 MILLION S-E Asians MURDERED by her FELLOW communists: she is no better today, IF NOT WORSE!

 

17/12/2014: Upholding our policy of non-discrimination: Surely it is CLEAR NOW that something needs to be done about the ‘Moslem Problem’? We need to begin reducing all the associated risks YESTERDAY, but certainly not tomorrow. We could simultaneously act against ALL religions, so it is clear we are against ALL such insanity. Since 1901 our Federal Constitution has prohibited Australia from ‘establishing a religion’, yet our taxation laws (and many others) gives religion a special status: they are exempt from income tax, for example. Since the time of the first settlement land was set aside in NSW for churches: this ‘Glebe’ land was/is quite extensive. In defiance of our constitution we have long had state aid to religious schools. Our states allow access to children for ‘religious education’ (surely an oxymoron – some kind of ‘moron’ anyway!); now we have ‘pastors’ in schools as well - courtesy of our taxpayer dollars. Yet religion is surely the source of so much conflict, so much evil in the world. At a time when the economic situation demands that our Governments seek SAVINGS, surely it could withdraw ALL this support; indeed actively discourage religion in ALL ITS FORMS!

 

16/12/2014: Ah, religious progress is such a fine thing: http://www.eyeofthetiber.com/2014/12/12/pope-francis-confirms-cats-still-going-to-hell/  Mind you the average Moslem cleric teaches that women don’t have souls; I have met a few like that myself – but quite a lot of fellas also lacking in that department!

 

16/12/2014: Who needs a tent? Don’t use one myself. Everything you ever wanted to know about tarps: http://www.equipped.org/tarp-shelters.htm

 

16/12/2014: HE was NOT just a ‘lone nutter’; ‘Monis… had more than 14,000 "likes" on…Facebook’ http://www.smh.com.au/national/martin-place-siege-man-haron-monis-has-long-history-of-hatred-of-politicians-20141215-127t01.html It is hard to understand why police/security services did not act MUCH sooner. It must have been clear to them within five minutes of the ‘siege’ beginning WHO he was and that he was a murderer, rapist and terrorist advocate. His face was clearly identifiable (and TARGETABLE) through the café window. After the events at the Broad Arrow Café we all know that a ‘lone gunman’ is capable of shooting 20 Australians through the head in less than 30seconds (whether it was Martin Bryant or not). A level of carnage was to be expected right from the beginning in this situation. Armour piercing bullets would have killed him (through the plate glass window) before 10:30 am YESTERDAY. The ONLY reason police might have been hesitant was that his backpack may have contained a bomb fitted with a ‘tilt switch,’ such that it would explode if he lay down. The risk of that had to be weighed against the lives of all in the café once he began shooting them – obviously given his history, a near certainty. The decision to shoot him pre-emptively should have been taken by Scipione LONG before lunch yesterday, certainly long before dark when clearly the situation would become much more dangerous…Sydney and Melbourne really will be turned into other Baghdads, Kabuls, Damascuses unless we get a handle on the problem of Islamic fundamentalism and immigration. We need to be reversing this trend – as a number of countries (eg Denmark) have already begun…

 

15/12/2014: Song ‘White Christmas’ Denounced as Racist!

15/12/2014: There is some good news (so far as the bludjahideen are concerned) at least: ‘Australians going to fight with extremist groups in the Middle East are dying as fast as they are arriving, meaning that the total number of fighters has remained stable at about 70, security agency ASIO has revealed.’ http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/australian-jihadists-arriving-and-dying-at-same-rate-in-middle-east-asio-20141211-12584u.html

15/12/2014: Della’s new Xmas sleeping bag has arrived. I used to be such an advocate of Montbell’s Ultralight  Superstretch Down Hugger #3, a minus 1C bag - mine (recently) washed weighs 738 grams in its compression bag on my scales; still a GREAT bag. Della’s new Zpacks Medium, Regular, -7C weighs 499 grams in its compression sack – and it is 6C warmer - as well as being 240 grams lighter! Astonishing: http://www.zpacks.com/quilts/sleepingbag.shtml

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14/12/2014: EXACTLY, Paul Kelly: ‘With more than $25 billion in savings yet to be passed, Reserve Bank governor Glenn Stevens said the issue was whether Australia had a sustainable fiscal position over the medium term. He said for the past five years people had voted for “good things” from government but without voting for the revenue to pay for it…In his final speech, outgoing Treasury chief Martin Parkinson said the nation “has a structural problem at the heart of the budget” and that without action we face “a decade of deficits, rising debt” and limited policy ability to manage ­future shocks.’

14/12/2014: Velikovsky it ain’t (which is probably just as well), but we need a reminder every now and then that civilisation CAN simply collapse: http://www.amazon.com/1177-B-C-Civilization-Collapsed-Turning/dp/0691140898

 

14/12/2014: These tiny luminous line locks (.7 gram ea) are just great http://www.clamcleat.com/cleats/cleat_details.asp?theid2=95 as  is ultra light 1.25 high viz spectra cord (eg avail http://www.zpacks.com/accessories/spectra_cord.shtml ) which (together) makes for a perfect guy line for a hiking tent/tarp.

 

 

13/12/2014: Moonlight casts shadows; sometimes you forget…most places there is so much ambient light, you see nothing, know nothing. Last night during one of my elderly nightly sojourns to the bathroom I glanced out the back window and was surprised to see several small black creatures sitting on the new steps in the moonlight. I had to go fetch my glasses to see what they were as I was curious as to what critters had so early claimed this structure as their own. Alas, they were but moon shadows. I did notice yesterday however whilst working on the steps that a colony of ants had already claimed the vertical rails as a highway, so no doubt it won’t be long before others follow! Nature has a way of seizing every opportunity as its own.

 

13/12/2014: Several electorates have not even finished counting before the CFMEU decided it would flex its (new) muscle and close down construction on an Aldi supermarket. Four more year’s of just such union bastardry (and Labor incompetence) to look forward to! GO Dan!

 

13/12/2014: Australian Alps Walking Track: 4 Days:  Walhalla to Stronach’s Camp (Description):

http://osp.com.au/?p=5614

 

12/12/2014: (As usual) our local paper had over a dozen job ads for ‘needed’ Council staff the other day: There was only ONE position which I even recognised as a job (Road Maintenance). All the others were just some sort of gobbledegook, button sorting or hedgehog patting…which (should I live to be a thousand!) I doubt I will ever see the need for. Our utterly Marxist Councils have been advancing their imposts on us at a geometric rate - ours now wants $30 a week from us, twice what the Internet costs us – but as far as I can see there is no work they do which we need or want (we have a septic tank, our own water supply; there are beautiful rivers to swim in; I can’t imagine the last time I used a library; clubs and Associations I belong to are self-funding, & etc, etc). I think I may start a ‘Council Reform’ ticket which promises to halve Council rates and Council employees (WHY stop there?). I am sure it would garner lots of support from distressed ratepayers sick to death of being drained dry by these blood-sucking parasites and mini-Hitlers!

 

12/12/2014: How does your garden grow? Ours is pushing out to about 2 ACRES, and we don’t plan to stop there: When we have planted out our remaining 25 (plus out roadside plantations), we MAY ease off a little. Did you see the post the other day by some IPCC hippie lunatic who calculated the ‘value’ of a tree to be somewheres about $193K? Holy Cow! By his reckoning the 2-300 trees we planted this year ALONE makes us worth over $50 MILLION! And then there’s the hundreds (nay thousands) of trees we have planted/caused to grow during our lifetimes. Della and I may be (tree) billionaires! Where DO we COLLECT? This is just my guess…but I reckon (just maybe) more gardens, more trees have been planted by Conservatives than will ever be planted by our left-wing or emerald brethren – I suspect the latter have never, WILL never plant a single thing: inner Melbourne’s concrete resists seeds so vigorously, (you would need to create a Government Department, THEN hire public servants, and then…the latte calls!

 

12/12/2014: Upper Yarra Track: Some History: http://parkweb.vic.gov.au/…/pdf_file/0017/313181/22_2158.pdf

 

11/12/2014: I have been building a set of steps for Della at the back of the house (you may have noticed her post). Still not finished. They would have been such a boon for me all those @ 25 years of winter’s nights as I led hounds down that wet, slippery slope (and back) to take them hunting the majestic sambar in our wonderful Gippsland mountains. Now (I am old), the hounds are gone and a garden is taking their place with over 100 trees already planted in their yards, and Della will need safe access to them! When we have finished the steps (and tidied up the yards a bit more) you may be taken on a tour! Meanwhile the grevilleas with which we planted out the back slope (and which Della has been busily mulching today) are attracting lots of honey-eaters & etc. Yesterday while working on the steps in the heat, I counted four species of honey-eaters and a fantail enjoying them, as well as our usual resident wrens, wagtails, etc!

 

 

11/12/2014: Upper Yarra Track: A Rare Treat: in digital form a facsimile of Annie Hoffa’s 1929 book, ‘The Real Thing, Adventures in the Australian Bush’ detailing her 1928 solo walk from Walhalla to Warburton. Sadly, Dr Yoffa was murdered by a madman (whose name weirdly enough was also Jones – NO relation!) in 1959:  http://www.yarrarangesbushcamp.com/dr-annie-yoffas-1928-walk-from-warburton-to-walhalla.html

 

11/12/2014: ‘Ultimately, “the State” is a synonym for “organized violence.” “If you refuse to pay your taxes,” Representative David Brat recently noted, “you will lose. You will go to jail, and if you fight, you will lose. The government holds a monopoly on violence. Any law that we vote for is ultimately backed by the full force of our government and military.” In consequence, Brat proposed, we should be careful about when and how that violence is utilized. Certainly, civilized nations need laws. But it is one thing to recruit armed men to prevent murder and rape and grievous bodily harm, and it is quite another to do so in order to regulate the manner in which cigarettes may be sold. Eric Garner was not killed while robbing a bank or starting a fight in a bar, but while selling tobacco on the street without a license. Is this really what the state is for?’ Probably this guy died as a result of resisting arrest rather than selling rollies, and he died from a heart attack not from being choked, and it had nothing to do with racism (the supervising officer was herself an African American)…however, we have FAR too many quite trivial laws backed up by the threat of extreme violence by the state. At least the Abbott Government has been spending two days a year of Parliamentary sittings REMOVING laws and regulations (thousands so far!) For myself, they could spend 365 days doing this for quite some time yet! http://pjmedia.com/instapundit/199222/

 

10/12/2014: Upper Yarra Track: The ‘Lost’ Yarra Falls allegedly Victoria’s largest (6-700 ft , ie 200 metres!). They are just 800 metres off the Forty Mile Break Rd about 1km East of its junction with Toorongo No 3 Rd – but I think it would be best to try and find the old track (see yesterday’s map) which skirts South around the top of the Falls Creek and then follows it down a ridge on the East side. Visiting them is a ‘must see’, I think even if there is a $200 fine – you pay that much for many tourist attractions though: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUZwDjiO-sk

 

10/12/2014: The hydroponic tomato/pepper, strawberry/etc jungle in the $69 Mitre 10 greenhouse now; also featuring our first ripe tomatoes and peppers:

 

 

10/12/2014: The world is CHANGING (in awesome ways!): Brett Arends: ‘There’s no easy way to say this, so I’ll just say it: We’re no longer No. 1. Today, we’re No. 2. Yes, it’s official. The Chinese economy just overtook the United States economy to become the largest in the world. For the first time since Ulysses S. Grant was president (1869-77), America is not the leading economic power on the planet.’

 

09/12/2014: We can ill afford to do without a car industry, manufacturing generally, refineries, farmers…all that is being destroyed recently while both sides of politics ‘fiddle while Rome burns’ (though evidently this was a canard against Nero), whilst the Greens CHEER & fan the flames. WAKE UP AUSTRALIA! Read this article by Viv Forbes: http://wattsupwiththat.com/2014/12/06/wake-up-australia-we-are-becoming-green-and-defenceless/

 

09/12/2014: Australia 2014 (This is simply ASTONISHING): ‘But here’s the thing: when these people are forced off their farms, they have nowhere to go. There are no refugee services waiting, such is the case for those who attempt to enter the sovereign borders of this nation. The farmers simply drive to the nearest town – that’s if the banks haven’t stripped their cars off them as well - and they try and find somewhere to sleep. Some are sleeping on the backs of trucks in swags. There is basically no home or accommodation made available to take them. They camp out, shocked and broken and penniless – and they are living on weet bix and noodles. If there is someone that can lend a family enough money to buy food, they will: otherwise they are left completely alone.’ WAKE UP TONY: http://pickeringpost.com/story/bastard-banks/4237

 

09/12/2014: Well said, Rowan: http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/opinion/opinion-australia-wins-my-darwin-award-for-dumbest-nation-on-earth/story-fnihsr9v-1227147788128?nk=8674b20ac365d6102d3a4d1412d01633

 

09/12/2014: Upper Yarra Track: Zoomable map of 1907 Route: http://www.nla.gov.au/apps/cdview/?pi=nla.map-rm2301-sd&rgn=0.1647354460,0.0000000000,0.8348457350,0.9991673605&width=1200&cmd=zoomout You could, I suspect trespass your way much of the ‘route’ if you didn’t mind a tad of ‘bush-bashing.’ One thing you could certainly do would be to walk the 800 metres down off the ‘Forty Mile Break Road’ to have a look at the quite spectacular ‘Yarra Falls’ (as this guy did: http://archive.bigben.id.au/victoria/melb/yarra_falls.html) :

 [ melb070 ]

 

09/12/2014: These folk have reinvented the keyring: http://getkeysmart.com/

 

KeySmart 2.0

 

08/12/2014: Eureka: World's oldest computer may be older than previously thought (and Aristotle may be responsible for it): http://www.gizmag.com/antikythera-mechanism-date/35016/

 

The Antikythera Mechanism is the world's oldest computer (Photo: Giovanni Dall Orto)

 

08/12/2014: WE CAN BUILD YOU: For just $49 you can by a plastic and electronic simulacrum of a REAL ANIMAL, in this case a flatworm. Scientists are working on making an artificial mouse in the same way. It IS only a matter of time before it is an artificial human: http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg22429972.300-first-digital-animal-will-be-perfect-copy-of-real-worm.html#.VIPMLXu8pzM

 

08/12/2014: FIRELIGHTING TIP: You know how when you are trying to light a fire (or Brasslite Stove – as pictured) with a cigarette lighter how you burn your fingers? A strip of bicycle inner tube will hold a Mini Bic (such as I carry – in a snap lock bag to keep it dry) in the On position and prevent this, and can be used as an excellent firelighter itself when kindling is very wet:

 

 

07/12/2014: A follow up to yesterday’s post ‘I’m Obese Because I Don’t Get Enough Taxpayer Money,’ Today’s  Quote of the Week: "How come looters never steal work boots?"

 

07/12/2014: Why DO we still imprison people? This VILE idea (unknown and repugnant to the ancient Greeks and Romans = Read: Sallust, ‘The Catiline Conspiracy’) has been a relatively recent phenomenon, a case of misplaced ‘kindness;’ (the Quakers it was who invented the ‘Penitentiary’). It is not such a place as would be likely to ‘reform’ any. Fill someone’s many years with the company of such ‘friends’ as one is likely to find there, and you will at best CREATE a felon, if not a monster. How utterly evil is it to lock a person in a cage? It is far more civilised to punish the body in the belief that pain will at least create avoidance, if not virtue: a fine for a lesser ‘offence’, followed by gradations of ‘corporal’ punishment; when all else fails: off with the head: ‘capital’ punishment is ‘just deserts’ and merciful release for both sinner and sinned against. (NB: Deserts here is the plural of desert, meaning "that which one deserves") It is all about PUNISHMENT and REWARD. Too often we forget to reward: I would REWARD criminals who CHOOSE to donate their bodies (RIGHT NOW!) for transplant surgery. Let them choose to have their (cash) reward (say $250,000 each – the cost of two years incarceration) go to someone they love, or a charity of their choice.

 

07/12/2014: 130 grams is not very much to carry to save your life: http://www.equipped.org/blog/?p=284

 

 

06/12/2014: You’ve probably watched this fabulous documentary, or at least seen stills from it (http://www.ifcfilms.com/films/cave-of-forgotten-dreams) – if you haven’t you should! The cave lions still haunt me, as do the horses, the three dimensionality and the sense of movement. Ancestral man was wondrously clever - as evidenced by this astonishing 32,000 year old statuette of a (cave) lion-man: http://theinquisition.eu/wordpress/2011/history/the-lion-man/

 

The Hohlenstein-Stadel Lion Man

 

06/12/2014: It can only be a matter of time before someone ‘captures’ a ghost, or an alien: http://gearjunkie.com/spooky-trail-cam-photos

 

scary trail cam 1.jpg

 

06/12/2014: THAT would be right: BLAME the Government: http://www.nationalreview.com/article/388887/350-pound-woman-im-obese-because-i-dont-get-enough-taxpayer-money-katherine-timpf

 

05/12/2014: Upper Yarra Walking Track: update 2: I suggest you spend a weekend first checking it out, as follows: Drive to Walhalla; after you have looked around there, go back to Rawson, then North to the Mt Erica/Mushroom Rocks Rd (off the Thompson Valley Rd North of Rawson). Take a walk all the way to Talbot Peak (about .5 km past Mt Erica - return @ 3 hours). Drive to the lovely little village of Tanjil Bren via the South Face Rd (you will have already passed it (sign says ‘Baw Baw thataway). On the way you can check out Mt Baw Baw & hike across to St Gwinear or at least to the top (intersection with the Australian Alps Walking Track) if you like. Go through Tanjil Bren, take the Link Rd (right) to Toorongo @ 5km along. Turn left into Toorongo Rd then right onto the Forty Mile Break Rd. Turn left down Boundary Rd, right onto McCarthy Rd, left onto Big Creek Rd, left (follow the signs) to the Ada Tree. Take a 3.5km walk there. Go home down the New Turkey Spur Rd until it joins the Powelltown-Noojee Rd or follow Big Creek Rd, Brahams Rd and Mississippi Rd back to Big Pat’s Creek & Warburton. These are ALL 2WD roads. Rooftop’s ‘Yarra Valley – West Gippsland Adventure Map is excellent ($12). I have some advice and gear recommendations @ ‘Hiking doc’ on my blog (http://www.finnsheep.com/Ultralight%20Hiking.htm) but I see the link is broken (I will try to fix it tomorrow).

 

05/12/2014: Upper Yarra Walking Track: update 1: I reckon the best approach to this track for most people would be to catch a train to Moe, then a taxi to Erica. If there are four hikers this should not cost more than @ $30 ea. Walk along the old railway line to Walhalla. Maybe catch the train from the station at the Thompson River bridge if it is running that day. Spend the rest of the day (or two) exploring Walhalla and surrounds. Camp at Walhalla that night. Then head off past the Long Tunnel Mine towards Poverty Point, heading for Warburton where there is public transport back to Melbourne. There is secure water (and good camps) at O’Shea’s Mill, along the Baw Baw Plateau, from the Thompson River in Newlands Rd and at the Link Rd Recreation grounds on the corner of Toorongo Rd. You should have the maps and App I recommended in my post on 29/11. It will probably take you 3-4 days to get to the camp at the secure water on the Forty Mile Break Rd about 5km short of Mt Horsefall. The next day you would aim to get to the the Ada Tree. There is running water 1 km down the Lock North Track, at a dam 1 km before the 15M track & running water at the corner of Lashos Track; afterwards PLENTY. DO IT! This will be just about the best week of your life!

 

Australian Alps Walking Track near Talbot Peak camp.

Australian Alps Walking Track near Mushroom Rocks car park.

 

Australian Alps Walking Track near Mushroom Rocks.

04/12/2014: The Upper Yarra Walking Track (82 km) which extends from Warburton to Walhalla is Australia’s oldest walking track (1907). It has been neglected for a long time. There are no Government brochures or websites dedicated to it. There is a track description in the Siseman Book ‘The Australian Alps Walking Track’ (1988) which is quite out of date, eg some of the tracks, water points, campsites mentioned no longer exist. Curiously it appears (here and there) on the current 25K Vicmaps (ie Neerim North 25k_T8022-2-N, Noojee North 25k_T8122-3-N, Walhalla North 25k_T8122-2-N & Walhalla South 25k_T8122-2-S). Information about camping spots/water is missing/outdated. We have spent three days rectifying this (for our own purposes). I will make all this information available on my hiking website (http://www.finnsheep.com/Ultralight%20Hiking.htm) when I have it tidied up. You can email me for a copy of the maps. From what I have seen it far excels those iconic ‘Great Walks’ in Tasmania and the Prom, and CERTAINLY rivals those in NZ! We need to walk the section from Block 10 Rd to Mushroom Rocks (three days) to see if we can locate the section which goes up a ridge from Frangipani Saddle on Newlands Rd to Mt Whitelaw - which is almost certainly overgrown. It will take a bit of machete work there, I imagine. Later we will walk the section from Warburton to the Ada Tree to establish times and campsites, after which we will be able to walk the whole track in one go so as to make final recommendations. The walk follows a tramline from Big Pat’s Creek to Starlings Gap (labelled ‘Walk into History’), thence to Federal Crossing on the Ada River, thence along the Little Ada River to Federal Mill and the Ada Tree. Thence: New Turkey Spur Rd, Lashos Track, McCarthy Spur, Boundary Rd, (Whitelaws) Forty Mile Break Rd, Toorongo Rd, Block 10 Rd, Newlands Rd, thence across the Baw Baw Plateau to Mushroom Rocks, O’Shea’s Mill Site on the Eastern Tyers, Poverty Point Bridge across the Thompson, then to Walhalla. If you simply followed Siseman’s instructions after @ 10km (from New Turkey Spur Rd) without water you would come to a DRY water point at the 21km post on Boundary Track and would not know that there is a (muddy) water hole a further 6km ahead, so would almost certainly, sensibly give up! Personally I prefer clear running water with grassy campsites nearby. I envisage we will produce track instructions for a leisurely @ 6 day hike. Stay posted:

 

The Ada Tree off New Turkey Spur Rd North of Noojee

The new South Face Rd across the Baw Baw Plateau rivals NZ in my opinion

Still some great timber around: 1939 regrowth! — at M15 Track off Boundary Rd.

03/12/2014: Della: Day 3 of our reconnaissance of the Upper Yarra walking track: We cannot believe that such an outstandingly beautiful area lies so close to home and, even more amazingly, so close to Melbourne. In the 3 days we saw only 3 other vehicles, none of which was recreational. We sorted out the available streams for when we walk the track seriously and had a superbly relaxing 3 days. The ents, incidentally, were out in force, as my pictures will show. Peter Weir, eat your heart out!

Ada Tree Rainforest Walk near Noojee

 

Ada Tree Rainforest Walk near Noojee

 

Ada Tree Rainforest Walk near Noojee

 

Ada Tree Rainforest Walk near Noojee

 

Ada Tree Rainforest Walk near Noojee

 

Ent Boundary Rd near Noojee

 

Ent Boundary Rd near Noojee

Prostanthera looking fabulous at the summit of Mt Horsefall

02/12/2014: Della: Checking out the Upper Yarra walking track with a view to doing the 82km walk from Warburton to Walhalla. We are trying to locate water sources as the information on the track is a couple of decades old. Scenery is just beautiful, and tonight we are camped on top of Mt Horsefall (1130 metres). The view from my outdoor shower tonight was hard to beat!

 

View from Mt Horsefall across the Yarra Ranges

 

Newlands Track near Toorongo

 

Forty Mile Break Road near Toorongo

 

Myrtle Beech

 

Tree Ferns

 

Spot eager to be gone

 

Camp in the Mist Block 10 Rd near Toorongo

01/12/2014: At LAST, a broken zipper FIXER: http://www.equipped.org/blog/?p=86

 

01/12/2014: Well SAID: ‘What is necessary to “fix” the economy is not the printing of more money, not even if it is distributed to citizens directly instead of being given to banks in exchange for both their dodgy and not-so-dodgy securities. The best thing government can do is nothing at all. However, we will amend this advice by adding that if governments really feel a need to be proactive, they should reduce regulations, lower taxes or simply generally shrink the State with all that implies.’ http://davidstockmanscontracorner.com/here-comes-the-ultimate-keynesian-scam-helicopter-money-for-the-people-not-just-banks/

 

01/12/2014: A VERY interesting blog; bookmark it: http://www.thehistoryblog.com/  I particularly liked the story of Alonzo Cushing awarded the Congressional Medal of Honour 151 years after his death (http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/33522) & of the excavation of Alexander’s boyhood friend and soul-mate Hephaestion’s tomb (http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/33333)...

 

01/12/2014: What a great duck: https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10152863991271661&set=vb.118526656660&type=2&theater

 

30/11/2014: And they say we have s--t public trans[port: http://www.gizmag.com/geneco-bio-bus/34978/ And just in case you want to do where no man has gone before: http://www.gizmag.com/human-waste-rocket-fuel/34961/

 

30/11/2014: Great Xmas idea ($39.95!) : http://www.gizmag.com/skeye-nano-drone/34893/

 

30/11/2014: Why do they have to design $800 electronic devices that break when dropped to be so slippery? http://www.coyoteblog.com/coyote_blog/2014/11/droid-turbo-review.html

 

29/11/2014: I may believe it tomorrow, but I can’t believe today that the Victorian public would be STUPID enough to plunge us into another FOUR YEARS of socialist Government (and no East-West Link for a decade at least)!

 

29/11/2014: These 25K Vicmaps are GREAT and value @ $8 ea: http://services.land.vic.gov.au/maps/content/topo30wizard They can be viewed with full georeferenceing functionality (ie GPS, etc) with this great App on your phone, tablet etc: http://www.avenza.com/pdf-maps You need never get lost and can safely plan your next adventure, eg to walk the ‘Upper Yarra Trail’ from Warburton to Walhalla 82 km (in which case you would need Neerim North 25k_T8022-2-N, Noojee North 25k_T8122-3-N, Walhalla North 25k_T8122-2-N & Walhalla South 25k_T8122-2-S). This trail should be a great treat in the warmer weather if you have 4-6 days, but you can do it in @ two day sections: eg the Baw Baw Plateau is magnificent (and @ 10C cooler than Melbourne).

 

29/11/2014: What a very interesting article; we must weather the storm of this 2nd or 3rd ‘industrial revolution’; overall it will bring enormous benefits, but there are winners and losers: As I said in my post on 25th, Marriage, Education, & Work are GOOD IDEAS!): http://qz.com/298405/an-economist-explains-what-the-heck-is-happening-to-the-global-economy/

 

28/11/2014: Cleaning Down Bags: Thanks to my friend Brett for his advice about washing/treating (down) sleeping bags. I have now used Nikwax’s Down Wash & Down Proof products (sent from England in 1 litre containers via eBay - cheaper than 300ml avail locally: 150ml of each needed per sleeping bag) on my ‘worst’ Montbell Ultralight Super Stretch Down Hugger #3 bag. During the drying cycle I stopped every few minutes after some drying had occurred to separate out the clumps of down. Gradually I teased them out until I had achieved pretty much the loft of a new bag (if not better). I think next time I will try six tennis balls in the drier (they come in packs of three). They really do the job! I am really pleased with the result. I had substantially ruined this bag by having it saturated during a flood (twice) and having to sleep in it in any case. Then leaving it neglected for a couple of years. I will now try the products out on a bag which is mainly just dirty, and has not been allowed to re-loft enough.

 

28/11/2014: There HAS to be a LIMIT to ‘sharing’. Robin Hood was surely not as stringent as our modern nanny state: http://www.aei.org/publication/new-cbo-study-shows-rich-dont-just-pay-fair-share-pay-almost-everybodys-share/

CBOtable

 

28/11/2014: Do those folks who have Chinese tattoos read something like these to the Chinese? http://twistedsifter.com/2014/11/japanese-discount-store-shirts-with-random-english-words/

 

27/11/2014: Robert Heinlein: ‘Throughout history, poverty is the normal condition of man. Advances which permit this norm to be exceeded — here and there, now and then — are the work of an extremely small minority, frequently despised, often condemned, and almost always opposed by all right-thinking people. Whenever this tiny minority is kept from creating, or (as sometimes happens) is driven out of a society, the people then slip back into abject poverty. This is known as “bad luck.”’

 

27/11/2014: While you’re looking at ‘ruta locura’s’ web-site (Sp = crazy journey; I like!) you might notice their Tenkara trout fly rod conversion for a hiking pole. Now that’s a good idea if you’re a keen fly fisher (as you ought be!): http://www.rutalocura.com/Tenkara.html

 

27/11/2014: A 5% efficiency saving over 5 years equates to a 10% cut to staff right NOW? And, I notice particularly that cuts will be to those very service areas where the ABC has responsibility (there being NO competitors – eg regional news) whilst there will be an expansion of those areas already well supplied by the private media. I notice the percentage of the ABC’s budget spent on wages is 46% whilst the private media industry standard is 11%!: http://blogs.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/timblair/index.php/dailytelegraph/comments/yoga_chickens/

 

26/11/2014: Thinking about Xmas presents? I notice these folks have nice (light 113 grams) three-piece carbon fibre poles which telescope to 50cm thus fitting in your pack when not in use. I managed to lose one of my two-piece poles pushing through thick bush on the Mt Darling Track last week. I was carrying it on the outside of my pack in case my crook knee gave out on me (in which case I could take down my rifle and swap it for a pair of poles). Being longer than the pack, a fork in some regrowth must have fished it out without my noticing, so that now I need to replace it. (Note to self: TIE them in!) I looked carefully on the way back, but did not sight it (probably whipped away off the line of track, I guess): http://www.rutalocura.com/trekking_poles3.html

 

26/11/2014: Greens are a STRANGE lot: you would think if they really CARED for the bush, you would occasionally run into them hiking, hunting, fishing etc – or that country electorates might well be represented by Greens members. As it is you never find them elsewhere than the inner city creating crazy hazards on bicycles! The clearly care NOTHING for the REAL bush: it is some imaginary world they wish to SAVE. It is strange also that areas they have (successfully?) ‘saved’ (for ‘future generations’) such as the Mt Darling-Snowy Bluff wilderness where I was last week (legally – though Spot wasn’t!) are closed to everyone EXCEPT deer hunters. No-one else may legally venture there (off track) - and they have closed all the tracks! (making any ‘management’ impossible. Just when it will become legal for ‘future generations’ to enjoy the ‘wilderness’ so protected is a mystery to me.

26/11/2014: Thank You, ‘Bird Dog’, and hurrah: ‘In the US, government has grown in importance as it has grown in power, in firepower, and in money. There was a time when nobody really cared about the federal government because it had no impact on daily life. The Civil War, the Progressive Era of Wilson and Teddy Roosevelt, etc. changed all that. Government changed the culture. Over 100 years, government trained the masses to think "government should do something" whenever life presents them with obstacles, challenges, heartaches, bad luck, and expenses. To win votes and to enjoy power, government decided to turn citizens into neo-serfs and to cement the impulse to turn to government instead of to God, to their own ingenuity, to family, to neighbour, etc.  This infantilises people, weakens them, takes away their dignity. Nowadays, everybody has his laundry list (of) what government should do for them in their own interest. It is like a list for Santa. I want governments to do less and less.  Santa, keep your toys.’

25/11/2014: Work Time: It is astonishing to me how many grumble about how much of a drag on their time work IS. Methinks: overmuch. I guess the ‘average’ Oz works @ 38 hours/week @ 48 weeks/year ie 1824 hours out of total hours per year of 8764 ie 20.8%. They do this for @ 50 of 80 years of their life (.625 of their time) resulting in a total of only 13% of their ‘allotted span’, giving them 87% of their time to be doing something else (worthwhile?) - And I am not counting: sick leave, maternity leave, long service leave… Maybe 90%?

 

25/11/2014: The ABC/SBS (which deserve much more drastic reform/abolition) will face EFFICIENCY cuts of 1% per year for five years. THAT is ALL! Organisations whose (hundreds of) executives/journos are earning hundreds of thousands of dollars simply to churn out commie/greenie/racist propaganda! And who (deservedly) have an audience of 0-10%! (Actually NO-ONE watches the NDIS at all!) This is hardly a massacre! ADF (and ALL other Federal public servants) are copping the SAME cuts - mostly without demur! The (incredibly leftist) ABC/SBS (with an audience of @ 10%!) costs the public $1.3 BILLION. The other 90% of the media costs the public NOTHING (well, actually makes a PROFIT!) Cuts of 1% to the ABC/SBS are BIG NEWS? Get REAL! Lets get rid of the whole unnecessary propaganda machine altogether!

 

 

25/11/2014: Take a look at the graphic. See if YOU see what I see. Things are certainly not very different HERE either, (ie Marriage, Education, & Work are GOOD IDEAS!):

Click to Enlargehttp://www.coyoteblog.com/coyote_blog/2014/11/poverty-and-the-minimum-wage.html

Poverty and the Minimum Wage | Coyote Blog

www.coyoteblog.com

 

24/11/2014: It’s been a bad year: I have not spent (much) more than a month sleeping outdoors, away from home this year – still, there are nearly six weeks to go! But I have been HERE (and many other beautiful places) - and you have a solid day’s WALK to get there:

Blowholes Beach Camp, South Coast Track, Fiordland NZ, 01/04/2014.

 

24/11/2014: Posts about my oldest daughter’s birthday proved nearly as popular as those about crayfish. Clearly we need to take Irralee fishing with us next time we go!

 

24/11/2014: Just LOOK at these crazy old commies! Just yesterday Bracks ripped out beautiful elms and oaks and replaced them with this awful native rubbish! (Gums grow more than 50cm/year in diameter – so how can these be ‘heritage’?) Labor has opposed EVERY freeway development in Melbourne. Traffic is bad now. Can you IMAGINE what it would be like without (eg) the Monash or Citilink? Vote for them NOW and be damned! http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/park-activists-plan-fresh-east-west-link-challenge-20141122-11rxl4.html

 

23/11/2014: Happy 33rd Birthday to our firstborn, Irralee! — with Irralee Jones and 5 others.

 

 

23/11/2014: Understand THIS, these Google scientists wanted to PROVE the VIABILITY of renewables. After four years' study, they conclude that renewables will always be a DISASTER: 'At the start...we had shared the attitude of many stalwart environmentalists: We felt that with steady improvements to today’s renewable energy technologies, our society could stave off catastrophic climate change. We now know that to be a false hope …Renewable energy technologies simply won’t work; we need a fundamentally different approach...Even if one were to electrify all of transport, industry, heating and so on, so much renewable generation and balancing/storage equipment would be needed to power it that astronomical new requirements for steel, concrete, copper, glass, carbon fibre, neodymium, shipping and haulage etc etc would appear. All these things are made using mammoth amounts of energy: far from achieving massive energy savings, which most plans for a renewables future rely on implicitly, we would wind up needing far more energy, which would mean even more vast renewables farms – and even more materials and energy to make and maintain them and so on. The scale of the building would be like nothing ever attempted by the human race.' http://wattsupwiththat.com/…/shocker-top-google-engineers-…/

 

23/11/2014: Hard to BELIEVE a third of a century has wafted by since we last watched the excellent movie, ‘The Man Who Would Be King’ waiting for our first-born to arrive. Della would rather have hurried to the hospital and miss the end of the movie (Unthinkable!), AND she could not believe I also had to wash my feet before I drove her there. She can still be as impatient and I as eccentric, but all three of us are still here together today. Wonderful!

 

23/11/2014: I cannot believe folks may once again vote for the treasonous Labor party next weekend. They have NOT changed since WW2: ‘In January 1944, with twenty-one mines shut and Sydney transport workers on strike, Curtin accused the unionists of “lawlessness, open and unashamed.” It was impossible, he said, “to ignore the effect that this loss of production must have on munitions, transport and supply, and, therefore, on the effectiveness of the country to wage war.” By refusing to return to work, the unionists “were as much the enemies of Australia as those who have organized force majeure against it.”’ You COULD vote for Dan Andrews and the corrupt union thugs who are behind him. Or you could decide your patriotic duty is to bury the bastards: http://www.luckyculture.com.au/media-library/the-war-on-the-home-front/

 

23/11/2014: There WAS some sexism back then too which I would also have disliked, ‘Each church had a guy assigned to wake up drowsers with a long stick with a feather on one end (for the ladies) and a knob on the other end (to conk the drowsy men on the head).’ New England in earlier centuries WAS interesting, eg ‘Other than local rules made in town meetings, there was no "government" in evidence at all. There were no police but there were informal militias. Every adult male citizen was required to own a firearm…’ (PS & FYO: I am unilaterally opposed to tickling ladies with feathers!): http://maggiesfarm.anotherdotcom.com/archives/25278-For-Thanksgiving-season,-some-things-Im-learning-about-early-colonial-era-Cape-Cod.html

 

23/11/2014: Mark Reckless’ acceptance speech: ‘    If you believe in freedom, if you believe in low taxes, if you believe in clean government, if you believe in localism, if you believe in people power. If you believe that the world is bigger than Europe, if you believe in an independent Britain, then come with us and we will give you back your country.’ WE need our own UKIP, or AIP! SOON! PLEASE! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brW0u_DvRIc

 

22/11/2014: SUPPORT Peter Spencer! We were among the thousands of Australian farmers who were ROBBED of hundreds of thousands of dollars by this tyranny. Read the full article and maybe DONATE, as we have done: http://joannenova.com.au/2014/11/peter-spencer-versus-the-commonwealth-starts-monday-in-the-federal-court-help-needed/

 

22/11/2014: LET THERE BE LIGHT: Philips 14 watt LED 1400 lumens avail Bunnings. THIS is as good as incandescents ever were! http://www.philips.com.au/c-p/8718291753254/led-bulb

 

22/11/2014: MORE about feminists and SHIRTS: Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is a total, sexist tool! He explained why he wears plain grey T-shirts every day. ‘I’d feel I’m not doing my job if I spent any of my energy on things that are silly or frivolous about my life.’ Now, THAT'S really demeaning all those folks (women?) who spend SO much time trying to look ‘nice’. For SHAME!

 

22/11/2014: Tony has some great team members, eg: Scott stopped the boats dead in a MONTH! Andrew Robb has negotiated THREE massive free trade deals in a year! (More to come). Josh has deleted vast swathes of red tape and regulation costing billions (now, TWICE a year!) Julie is just WONDERFUL. Joe and Matthias are still hard-slogging along (AND making progress) against a handful of nutter Greens and other Lefties intent on burning our children’s money forever. This week Tony has been fêting BOTH the Chinese and Indian heads of state, not to mention French, German…GREAT work, guys! Meanwhile Ju-Liar tells the RC that it should ignore the evidence against her because of her ‘good character’? YES, you heard that right?

 

21/11/2014: WILDERNESS: Just spent a couple of days with Spot in the heart of the Snowy Bluff-Mt Darling Wilderness. The ‘easy’ way in is to follow the old ‘Carey Rd’ (closed 20 years ago) 200 metres on the right before Dimmicks lookout. It  deteriorates to (virtually) impenetrable thickets occasioned by wildfire regrowth (especially after the Mt Darling Gap – which would make a reasonable day walk), but it represents a reasonable ‘line’ to take. There is an old hunter’s camp at the first crossing of that Mount Darling Creek (which is a tributary of the Carey), but it has been unvisited for a long time (just too thick to hunt) and still very short on wildlife after that devastating fire event. Just before the second crossing of the creek you break out onto a pleasant snowgrass plain/valley which is the last water on the ‘track’ to Mt Darling. We camped here but did not have a fire due to the flammability of the poa tussock. Spent hours trying to fight our way up the ridge towards Mt Darling. I guess we turned back just before the Billabong (mountain - weird name). Just so many dead-falls of fire-killed snow gums and heath regrowth which wear you out stepping over them. I was not carrying enough water to camp at Mt Darling. It was a hot day (despite BOM predictions – yet they know what it will be like in a century!) and I turned back when we had consumed half the three litres I was carrying. WARNING: water could be a problem. There was one small trickle on the side of the track @ half way to the first crossing of Mt Darling Creek (3 hours). I’d guess water is pretty reliable there but might dry up at the head (another hour) in the summer. After that: nothing!

 

Head of Mt Darling Creek (Carey River Tributary)

The road to: the Devil's Elbow

 

The road to: Bennison Lookout

 

Carey 'Road' (falsely) promised easy going.

 

 

Lots of pretty purple wildflowers on the snow grass plains, but not a patch on Della's roses!

Mt Darling 'Track'

 

Mt Darling Track: the sign reads, 'Track Closed' !

Spot enjoying himself at the Mt Darling Gap.

19/11/2014: China promises to increase emissions until at least 2030 annually by more than Australia’s annual emissions; Obama promises something his new ‘sceptical’ Congress will certainly NOT deliver and THIS is hailed by the Left as a great triumph? Leftists are seriously NUTS!

 

19/11/2014: FEMINISTS! Kim can wear NOTHING (and nothing said)! This guy lands a spaceship on a comet and they go into hyperdrive about his SHIRT. The woman who made the shirt and gave it to Taylor said: ‘Dr. Matt Taylor is an amazing, kind, loving and sensitive person. I never expected him to wear my gift to him for such a big event and was surprised and deeply moved that he did… I am so proud of Matt and his achievements and the fact he is an interesting and very brave person to do what he did with the very sweet gesture he made towards my gift and to wear his individuality with pride.’  http://reason.com/blog/2014/11/15/philae-landing-one-small-step-for-scienc

 

image

 

 

19/11/2014: Our $69 Mitre 10 greenhouse tomatoes have really rocketed since we planted them back in August:

 

 

18/11/2014: If I ever think to feel sorry for folks in wheelchairs it is because they can no longer CHOOSE to pursue a path other than one already laid down by others. Some WHERE a wheel can go. Where a wheel can go is necessarily more constrained (less free) than where a foot can go. Most less (physically) constrained folk do NOT CHOOSE to travel farther than their ‘handicapped’ brethren. Though they may be quite peripatetic (and clock up many thousands of kilometres annually on their personal odometers), such migrations are almost exclusively on ways already prepared by others: defined routes: roads, rail, airplanes…So little of most people’s life journeys are where muscle and sinew alone will take them, through wilderness: on foot or by canoe, for example. My feeling is that NOTHING ELSE (except mayhap IMAGINATION) comprises a JOURNEY at all!  Journey’s end is maybe a peak somewhere (Mt Darling?) or a shady spot by a river. Beyond EVERY such ‘end’ is another journey: other peaks extend over the horizon; around the river’s bend fresh vistas beckon, there remains yet another remote beach…all such travel is very simple: place ONE foot firmly in front of another. Repeat.

 

18/11/2014: Oh, WOW: the Greens and Palmer have struck a preference deal! So nice to have the choice of PRINCIPLED parties to vote for…the Liberals have put the Greens where they (quite properly) deserve to be (if not in gaol): ie LAST!

 

18/11/2014: You could have THIS: “Norwegian women must take responsibility for the fact that Muslim men find their manner of dress provocative. And since these men believe women are responsible for rape, the women must adapt to the multicultural society around them.” OR this: ‘The National Police Immigration Service of Norway, Politiets Utlendingsenhet (PU), deported a record 824 people in October. The previous record was set in the previous month when 763 people were deported.’ YOU choose: http://pickeringpost.com/story/erna-grabs-a-problem-by-the-balls/4133 . Come ON Scott; let’s get started on this! NB: “Oslo Local News” reports violent crime has decreased by 31 per cent after a record number of immigrants were deported by Norwegian authorities. 

 

17/11/2014: Our internet woes continue… this morning we are getting 1.3 megs out of the NBN (!) and our DSL line (which we thought ‘fixed’) has been intermittent too (possibly the same cause: a major fibre outage in Traralgon)…

 

17/11/2014: BEES around here aren’t threatened. Tree holes ars SO jam-packed they have taken to living underneath fence rails:

 

 

17/11/2014: U.S. and China Are Blowing Smoke on Climate Change: Megan McArdle, ‘…it’s not clear to me that the delta between this and “nothing” is that big.’ http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2014-11-14/us-and-china-are-blowing-smoke-on-climate-change

 

16/11/2014: Baggage: Most folks (seem to) like nothing better than lugging vast chunks of stuff around. They require huge boxes (buildings) to cram it into, and huge wheeled thingummies to cart it all around in, all of which usually means they WASTE vast chunks of time acquiring, paying for and maintaining it all (worrying about whether someone will steal it & etc) and very little time actually going places, doing things or even just ‘smelling the roses,’ all of which is just kind of SAD. All of this largesse is supposed to be better than a gunyah! Maybe not. The two LIGHTEST shelters I have encountered are Six Moon Designs ‘Gatewood Cape [named after Emma Gatewood the first (67 year old) woman to through-hike the entire Appalacian trail] (313 grams) which DOUBLES as a raincoat & Zpacks ‘Solo Plus Tarp’ 210 grams = http://www.zpacks.com/shelter/hexamid_plus.shtml) . Both require a floor (which adds @ 100 grams) which in Zpack’s case could be http://www.zpacks.com/accessories/groundsheet_poncho.shtml (@ 144-177 grams) which also doubles as a raincoat. Either of these does away with that EXCESS BAGGAGE and makes a most satisfactory ‘gunyah’, all you really need to sit out a wet day/night in and watch the passing parade (of wildlife/wild flowers etc) from…

 

Gatewood Cape

 

16/11/2014: Life Expectancy: For many years we have had the (companion) books ‘Man’s (and Woman’s) Body/ies’ (1976). Though they have dated somewhat (as have WE!) over the four decades we have owned them, they still contain many fascinating titbits: This, for example, the ‘Life Expectancy’ charts (at B01-04). Here you can see (that in 1976) the ‘average 25 year old’s (me then)‘life expectancy was 70 (men) or 77 (women). For comparison the average 65 year old’s (me now) was 78 (men) and 82 (woman). We are told now that (in the ensuing 40 years) average life expectancy has increased by @ one year per decade. QUALITY of life might NOT have! Surprisingly now (at 65) I am likely to live 8 more years than I was likely to (live) when I was 25! Eight more years than my 25 year old daughter even – which seems counter-intuitive! How is this so? Well, I have (so far) avoided) all the things which killed my peers who did not survive (as I have) to 65. The gloomy aspects of such forecasts (as ‘life expectancy’) is that they are AVERAGES. The average 65 year old man (in 1976) was like to live to 78. Obviously half would not (else it would not be an average). What you hope (mayhap foolishly!) is that you will be in the former 50%! (and not spend the few years gained slumped on a chair in some corner dribbling and soiling yourself.) It is worth remembering that Cecil Rhodes died in his forties, having achieved massive wealth and renown, eg having had TWO whole COUNTRIES (NOW Zambia = Northern and Zimbabwe = Southern – how FLEETING fame IS) named after himself, the only person in all history to my knowledge who achieved THAT! It is worth remembering, that it is not how LONG you live but how WELL you live which COUNTS!

 

16/11/2014: Gerber Knives: For lightness (and cheapness) I recommend: http://au.gerbergear.com/Essentials/Knives/LST-Knife_46009 @ 34 grams, blade =  6.7cm (2¼”) & http://au.gerbergear.com/Essentials/Knives/Ultralight-LST-Knife_460502  @ 17 grams, blade = 5cm (1.9”) and their Pocket Sharpener http://www.knifecenter.com/item/GB4307/Gerber-Ceramic-Pocket-Sharpener @ 14 grams. Both knives PLUS the sharpener shouldn’t set you back more than @ $25!

 

Product image

LST Ultralight

15/11/2014: ABSOLUTELY: ‘A rule not ultimately backed by the threat of violence is merely a suggestion. States rely on laws enforced by men ready to do violence against lawbreakers. Every tax, every code and every licensing requirement demands an escalating progression of penalties that, in the end, must result in the forcible seizure of property or imprisonment by armed men prepared to do violence in the event of resistance or non–compliance. Every time a soccer mom stands up and demands harsher penalties for drunk driving, or selling cigarettes to minors, or owning a pit bull, or not recycling, she is petitioning the state to use force to impose her will. She is no longer asking nicely. The viability of every family law, gun law, zoning law, traffic law, immigration law, import law, export law and financial regulation depends on both the willingness and wherewithal of the group to exact order by force.’ http://www.jack-donovan.com/axis/2011/03/violence-is-golden/

 

14/11/2014: The Leatherman Micra is the greatest mini-tool I have encountered so far (@51 grams). I always have one in my pocket AND in my hiking pack. NOTHING I have discovered is as good for cutting one’s toe-nails – a vital safety precaution on multi-day hikes when toe-nail problems can lead to disaster! http://www.leatherman.com/20.html If you want to skip a few features you might go for their skeletonised version: http://www.leatherman.com/24.html#start=21

 

 

14/11/2014: INTERNET: We have been struggling for three weeks plus with a dying connection/service and have finally bitten the bullet and signed up for the (Fixed Wireless) NBN with Aussie Broadband (a local Australian company with local Australian employees and support – what a great PLUS THAT is!) who installed it yesterday. Such a change. For example I have finally been able to update my various web pages which had become corrupted/stalled (eg http://www.finnsheep.com/Ultralight%20Hiking.htm which SEEMS to be working again this morning). We are receiving a little under 20 megs, which is a long way up on the 6 megs which was the best we achieved with ADSL2+ and a lot up on the ZERO our DSL is delivering right now. We will still fight (the Philippines!) to have our DSL service repaired (as an emergency backup) as the NBN have mysteriously sited their tower in the bush behind us (which NEARLY burned in the 2009 fires). As we have a persistent arsonist in the area who must be really chuffed with his success with the Hazelwood Mine Fire last summer, we can EXPECT him to strike again, so our internet service IS vulnerable.

 

14/11/2014: Well DONE Richard Overton: http://pjmedia.com/tatler/2014/11/11/americas-oldest-living-veteran-108-still-enjoys-a-whiskey-and-a-cigar/

 

13/11/2014: ‘Who Is Harry Nilsson?’ Watch this ‘doco’. It’s great (You’ll love the songs, if nothing else!): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2AzEY6ZqkuE

 

13/11/2014: I bought these watch bands on eBay for $1.99. I think they are great because you don’t lose the watch if you snag it on some brush or a vine and tear out one of the pins (which happens). I also added a wrist compass ($3.99) which makes this Seiko auto-winder ($49.99) set-up just about perfect:

 

 

 

13/11/2014: FIGHTING back against he HALAL evil: http://pickeringpost.com/story/halal-feels-the-pinch/4094 & http://pickeringpost.com/story/how-to-kill-off-the-halal-hoax/4095

 

12/11/2014: Cornucopia in the making (at least for the local birds):

 

Macadamia Flowers

 

Loquats, Figs, Mulberries, Feijoas

12/11/2014: First photos of Rufus and the proud dad, Rusty the Dusky:

 

 

12/11/2014: A balanced paper on ‘fracking’ from Stanford Uni’s environmental scientists: NB: The benefits (or otherwise) of fracking have to be compared with those of conventional energy (ie coal/oil) extraction/use: http://wattsupwiththat.com/2014/09/13/stanford-publishes-a-report-on-the-balanced-use-of-fracking/

 

11/11/2014: REMEMBRANCE DAY: Time to remember this is the day (11 November1975) we rid ourselves of Whitlam: the WORST Government in Australia’s history. Other significant dates: 10 December 1949 – chucked out Chiffley; 2 March 1996 – Keating kicked out; 7 September 2013 – Rudd/Gillard: Goodbye! Could we PLEASE LEARN from the past?

 

11/11/2014: CRAYFISH: Note to self: Do more posts about crays! Our last series of posts about them received  140+ responses!

 

Safely home in the fridge!

11/11/2014: IMMORTALITY and HAPPINESS: I read the other day that (at Age 65 = ME) having plans reduces your chance of dying by X + 10%, on which reckoning I should live forever: because I will NEVER get all the things done I PLAN to do! Here’s some other good advice: 22 Habits of Unhappy People: Chronic Complaining, Retail Therapy, Binge Drinking, Worrying About the Future, Waiting for the Future, Lack of Hobbies, Eating Poorly, Talking Poorly of Others, Holding Grudges, Stopping Learning, Not Following Through, Hating Your Job, Loneliness (How you Choose to Socialize), Letting Negative Thoughts Enter Your Mind, Jumping to Conclusions, Magnification, Minimization, Self Labelling, Not Having a Goal, Worrying What Others Think, Letting Strangers Affect Your Mood, Wanting More Money, Stuff You Should Read: http://www.infobarrel.com/22_Habits_of_Unhappy_People

 

11/11/2014: To satisfy the IPCC we would need to eliminate 90% of humanity: http://pjmedia.com/blog/how-to-implement-the-ipcc-program/?singlepage=true

 

10/11/2014: Two reasons some people don’t like camping: it is wet AND cold, and uncomfortable. This does not have to BE. A properly positioned tarp and a fire will take care of the former: the usual 1m tall hiking tent which you are forced to retreat to in the event of rain will make your trip unpleasant (wet & cold). For many years I have employed a square tarp (2.4 x 2.4 metres is sufficient) pitched diagonally against (eg) a tree with a fire out in front. I have added ‘wings’ to such a tarp to improve the shelter. You will have seen this in some of my previous posts. Scroll back through (http://www.finnsheep.com/Ultralight%20Hiking.htm) to see what I mean. As to the second: you need an inflatable INSULATED pad (a good ultralight pillow will also help) at least 2 ½” thick.  I have found the Thermarest womens-neoair-xlite (http://www.cascadedesigns.com/therm-a-rest/mattresses/fast-and-light/womens-neoair-xlite/product)  to be superb (R=3.9, 340 grams) but it IS expensive. If you are a bit shorter of cash (AND Stronger) Big Agnes’ pads @ R= 4.1 (eg the petite @ 499 grams)  http://www.moontrail.com/bigagnes-insulatedaircorepads-78-mummy.php are quite wonderful! I would couple either with an Exped UL pillow (@ 45 grams ie http://www.moontrail.com/exped-airpillow-ul-m.php ) and a good quality down bag for a delightful night’s sleep in the outdoors.

 

10/11/2014: Once AGAIN, in praise of capitalism: poverty world-wide has had a DRAMATIC decline over the last 40 years: http://www.aei.org/publication/greatest-achievement-human-history-one-probably-never-heard/#.VFeCIDpyBTI.twitter

 

10/11/2014: I really think (young) women HAVE thrown away more than they gained; they have thrown away a ‘seat on the bus’ and just the pleasant expectation that they will be treated with a little deference (as if they really WERE special); the reasonable belief that someone will love and care for them (and their children)…in exchange they have ‘equality of opportunity’ where they have to work hard (away and at home) AND raise their own children, for many the prospect of a secure and loving marriage - or any prospect of being viewed other than with a lack of respect as the behaviour of so many (men and) woman invites, IS a forgotten ‘dream’. (The keeping of oaths has been supplanted by ephemeral ‘pleasure’ accompanied by serious long-term detriments). Quite likely poverty and no-one to love and care for them in old age except the State (if we can afford that – unlikely)…feminism is not ALL about ‘betterment’ It is quite likely that these ‘shortfalls’ are part of a more general malaise: ie that people have increasingly lost the ability to defer immediate pleasure in exchange for long-term gains.: http://thefederalist.com/2014/11/03/what-a-1951-photo-tells-us-about-modern-womens-loss-of-power/

 

09/11/2014: Western Tyers is beautiful. Victoria (yet) has many other lovely rivers/streams where you can camp undisturbed (especially weekdays!) Some other examples: Latrobe (above Moe), Mitta (above Blue Duck), Avon (above Wombat Crossing), Haunted Stream, Nicholson (above Deptford), Snowy (above Orbost), Tambo (above Bruthen), Wellington (above Licola), Macalister (above Licola), Moroka (above Licola), Caledonia, Ben Cruachan Creek, Valencia Creek, Wonnangatta (above Waterford), Dargo (above Dargo), Freestone Creek (above Briagalaong), Goulburn (above Woods Point)…

 

09/11/2014: Yesterday Islamists plotted to kill OUR Queen, yet ABC did not report it! Two lots of treasonous bastards! Two things urgently need to be done: 1. Abolish/radically reform the ABC; 2. Reverse Moslem immigration!

 

09/11/2014: Keynes: “Lenin (the founder of the former communist Soviet Union) was certainly right. There is no subtler, no surer means of overturning the existing basis of society than to debauch the currency. The process engages all the hidden forces of economic law on the side of destruction, and does it in a manner which not one man in a million is able to diagnose”. BOTH sides of politics have been doing this for as long as I can remember; but Labor MUCH moreso!

 

08/11/2014: Escaping the heat: The Western Tyers is the BEST place I know to spend a couple of hot days: nestled under the South face of Mt Baw Baw, enclosed by Antarctic Beech and majestic Mountain Ash, it is always a lovely spot on such a day. You can brave the icy water (if you dare) or just lounge around in the shade on a folding chair, betimes catching the odd spinyback crayfish or mountain trout - or a platypus  if your fancy so takes you: the dogs bark at them but have so far failed to bag one. I have wondered how platypus tails would GO with lobster tails! To get there you head up the main road to Erica from Moe, take the Tanjil Bren turn-off just after Wild Cow Track, travel 13 km and turn rightt at the first track after the 13 km post (Palmers Track, not signposted) shortly after Beynons Creek Rd. Palmers Track is fine (but not after rain) for light SULs such as Subarus down to the river at the old Palmers Mill site where there are two campsites. The Western Tyers Rd along the river is now only suitable for real 4WDs, though 30 years ago when we discovered it lots of folks made it in Kingswoods! The Western Tyers Rd parallels the river for many kms usually less than 10 metres away. There are a number of pleasant unofficial campsites. It IS possible to canoe the river from Growlers down to the old bridge at Western Tyers and I have done so many times years ago, though I doubt anyone else ever has. There is a spectacular (@ Grade 4) chute and drop just below Growlers where the old rail line diverged from the road. It is possible to walk around it. You can walk the old rail line down to Palmers (rough going nowadays) but you will catch many trout etc in that remote stretch of river. I did some work on a couple of the worst bog holes (to make them navigable) and will do some more next time I am there (soon I hope). The kids will want to come NEXT time after they see the crays we brought home this time!

 

Rapid just below camp

Spot enjoyed himself

 

Our old camp on the Western Tyers

 

View upstream from camp

07/11/2014: Feminism today: ‘In Nigeria and Iraq, Muslim armies are selling women as slaves. Iran hanged a woman for fighting off a rapist. ISIS was more direct about it and beheaded a woman who resisted one of its fighters. But we don’t have to travel to the Middle East to see real horrors. The sex grooming scandal in the UK involved the rape of thousands of girls. The rapists were Muslim men so instead of talking about it, the UK’s feminists bought $75 shirts reading, “This is what a feminist looks like” which were actually being made by Third World women living sixteen to a room. This was what a feminist looked like and it wasn’t a pretty picture’: http://sultanknish.blogspot.com.au/2014/11/the-unbearable-lightness-of-feminism.html

 

07/11/2014: Geographically, this map is much the same (colours reversed: Conservative U.S. = Red) as a similar map of Australia would be: ie geographically almost no-one votes Labor/Greens, yet they dominate us! It is long since time regional Australia repudiated this socialist centralism. Let’s declare our independence! Let the handful of Leftie suburbs go it alone. Let’s reclaim Australia!

 

07/11/2014: The religion of PEACE: they have killed 11 million of their own since WW2, 1.7 million since 2001…how many of US will they kill if we keep inviting them in? http://pickeringpost.com/story/just-look-at-that-jihad-body-count-/4070

 

06/11/2014: AT LAST, Obama is a dead duck! Now, if only we can only avoid Hilary who is (if anything) even more of a lame duck and economic illiterate!

 

06/11/2014: So many apocalyptic warnings end like this: remember five years ago when we had only five years to mend our ways: http://blogs.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/timblair/index.php/dailytelegraph/comments/one_month_remains/

 

06/11/2014: Chrissie is SUCH an IDIOT: YOU choose between coal and DEATH: http://blogs.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/timblair/index.php/dailytelegraph/comments/coal_equals_life_milne/

 

05/11/2014: Today we bid Farewell to Gough from those who will never forget. Of course the same folks will never remember, eg THIS: That A$1,000 invested in the ASX in 1970 dollars turned into @ $350 under Gough and did not return to being worth (face value) $1,000 until 1984! As savers and retirees obviously could not possibly live on the dividends from their investments during the FOURTEEN+ YEARS of economic disaster and 10%+ inflation (which Gough created!) all such folks lost their LIFE SAVINGS. Of course many such folks have since died of old age, so who IS there to remember just what economic WRECKERS the Left and the Labor Party ALWAYS are? At one stage we were paying 21% INTEREST on our mortgage: I can remember being overjoyed at being able to FIX it at 14%! I agree that on this ‘Memorial’ day we should NEVER FORGET Gough – AND NEVER REPEAT THE MISTAKE OF VOTING FOR EVIL CLOWNS LIKE HIM AGAIN!

 

05/11/2014: It would be GREAT if people would consult this website before they ‘shared’: http://www.thatsnonsense.com/blog/the-6-most-common-internet-scams-2014/

 

05/11/2014: The FUTURE: what WILL it be like? First of all we will (soon) have virtually free, virtually unlimited energy from nuclear fusion with generators sized according to need: ones maybe as big as a railway engine or two to power a fair sized city to ones the size of a shoebox to power a homestead. With such abundant energy we will be able to do and have anything we wish. We will not have to chase rich lodes of ore in inaccessible places to harness the resources we need. Any piece of rock, earth or water will be able to be broken down easily into its component elements to provide whatever resource we need, whenever we need it. Such unlimited energy will make growing food completely independent of seasons, indeed independent of available light, water and nutrients as we will easily be able to provide all these. There will be no shortage of food, and most of the land now used to produce it will be returned to nature. Indeed, we will rework photosynthesis. It is dependent on rubisco, the best that nature has evolved, but we will re-engineer photosynthesis with more efficient processes so that plants will yield many times what they are capable of now. Both these things will happen in YOUR lifetime, possibly within a decade. Poverty and want will completely vanish. And this is only the beginning: we WILL have habitats at the L5 points and on the moon and Mars in the next twenty years. Life expectations will soon soar by 20-50 years! The future will be MUCH better than the past…

 

05/11/2014: There is a drug you can take (one of the mescalin derivatives I think) which will give ANYONE a ‘religious experience’ – I won’t be taking it though! Conversely, there ought to be a drug (surely soon?) which will reverse (such) delusions, so that folks of a religious bent will be completely cured of their insanity. There will be much contention about whether THAT should be added to the water supply!

 

04/11/2014: Of COURSE, to be a tad over-weight (or even gloriously so) is a delicious and sensible life-choice: As one watches one’s avoirdupois friends slipping quietly and painlessly away (in a heartbeat, so to speak) at the breakfast table over a large plate of pancakes piled high with butter, cream and jam, and compares that to the suffering of one’s thin, ‘fit’ friends’ suffering horribly (usually in denial) from some nasty, incurable cancer, one naturally reaches for another can of condensed milk, another croissant, another delightful can of beer, another incomparable Lindt chocolate & etc. Who WOULD want to suffer needlessly, when there is SO MUCH life to be enjoyed?

 

04/11/2014: Some chicks are NUTS: Oh? Yeah: Andrea Dworkin, ‘Woman Hating’: ‘The incest taboo does the worst work of the culture: it teaches us the mechanisms of repressing and internalizing erotic feeling…The destruction of the incest taboo is essential to the development of cooperative human community based on the free-flow of natural androgynous eroticism…The incest taboo can be destroyed only by destroying the nuclear family as the primary institution of the culture. The nuclear family is the school of values in a sexist, sexually repressed society.’ Thinking like this will bring progress?

 

04/11/2014: It is bizarre that folks can view a glacier ‘calving’ and see this as evidence of global warming when it is the weight of ice above which causes the calving; ie if the glacier was warming, there would be LESS ice ( ie less snow) above, so it would NOT calve…and so on…

 

03/11/2014: Interesting: http://www.realclearscience.com/articles/2014/11/01/5_science_facts_that_are_plain_wrong_108925.html

 

03/11/2014: Incredible questions #1: Which Animal Are You In The Bedroom? http://vyped.com/2014/09/which-animal-are-you-in-the-bedroom/?s1=400&utm_source=taboola&utm_medium=referral

 

03/11/2014: When ISIS starts USING Saddam’s ‘weapons of mass destruction’. Will George Bush be vindicated? http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/10/14/world/middleeast/us-casualties-of-iraq-chemical-weapons.html?_r=0

 

02/11/2014: I guess one of the great pleasures of canoeing is that you so rarely see anyone else canoeing. In 25 years canoeing (various sections) of the Macalister (for example) we ran into other canoeists just once. On that occasion one of them STOLE my spare paddle, which would have left me quite literally ‘up the creek…’ except I had another. I could NOT persuade police to CHARGE this piece of slime (eg with ‘conduct endangering life’), but I did succeed in having him sacked from his job as he was driving a company car with a prominent (Japanese Co) logo (whom when I rang them) they did not want to have associated with such conduct. The further you get away from people, the more civilised it gets (in my experience). I am all FOR bad roads (or NO roads at all!) Mind you this morning I AM feeling for the (fellow) hiker who offered me a lift on Friday when we were canoeing the Macalister. He was heading for a multi-day hike in the Bryce’s Gorge area (I suggested a few interesting side trips he might take and pointed out to him the location of an abandoned hut he might seek shelter in in the event of bad weather. Mind you, whilst I knew the weekend might bring some RAIN, I did not realise then that there would be (lots of) snow down to 1200 metres, so he will be VERY cold this morning, and hopefully he found shelter. You DO have to remember that BLIZZARD conditions can occur at any time of the year (quite unexpectedly) in the Victorian Alps! It PAYS to be prepared which is why I ALWAYS carry a spare paddle – and various other aids to survival…a .308 comes in handy betimes too!

 

02/11/2014: I had his (broken) paddle he had left me (with his fingerprints on) placed carefully (by me) in a waterproof canoe bag. I had also SEEN him from high up on a ridge, and could have easily shot him with my .308 - if I had suspected he was stealing my paddle I WOULD have fired a couple of rounds 'across his bows' (as the saying goes). There were also numerous witnesses (eg camped at Burgoynes) of him canoeing the river with my paddle. It was quite distinctive - few people those days canoed a Canadian with a double paddle, and he was the only other party on the river. What? Do you think police should refuse to charge people because they believe it is a TRIVIAL offence? I certainly didn't think so (and still don't). I often canoed that river with small children (as a day trip). He was not to know that I was not just off for a walk with a couple of small kids (something I often did) - and what he did would certainly have endangered their lives, as it is a rugged walk of many hours out of there if you can't canoe the river...Understand this, I buttonholed him when I arrived at Cheynes Bridge (he was camped there - and I recognised his canoe). ALL I wanted from him was an apology and my paddle back. He just refused (and denied) even when I pointed out to him that I had seen him with it, could have shot him, and would take the matter up with police. Honestly, some people are too stupid to be allowed to live! I AM talking about HIM!

 

02/11/2014: I’d guess these chemical illiterates would ban di-hydrogen monoxide if they could: http://icecap.us/index.php/go/joes-blog/epa_to_ban_argon_one_of_the_largest_components_of_the_atmosphere/

 

02/11/2014: So, THIS is Halal…and you’re paying for it with your Vegemite (and practically every other foodstuff you buy! And what is all that Halal money used to pay for? Terrorism against us! This vileness HAS to STOP: http://pickeringpost.com/story/halal-is-much-more-fun/4015 & http://pickeringpost.com/story/kosher-v-halal/4047

 

 

02/11/2014: The forgotten Yazidis: http://pickeringpost.com/story/-please-kill-us-/4048

 

01/11/2014: MACALISTER RIVER: We have been canoeing various sections of this river for over 25 years. Our favourite section has been: Basin Flat to Cheynes Bridge. This is one of the few rivers you can canoe with one vehicle by hitch hiking as the road parallels and comes back to the river . I guess you could do the same on sections of the Wonnangatta, Mitta etc. We normally drop the boats off on the river bank at Basin Flat and drive the car back to Cheynes Bridge, park conspicuously on the road, then put the thumb out. The first car usually figures you have broken down, so you are back at Basin Flat within about 40 minutes of dropping the boats off. We did this trip again yesterday (30C). This is getting to be a trip which we would (probably) enjoy more as a two dayer (we ARE getting older) but also the wider river (following fires, floods, willow removal, etc) has slowed the trip down somewhat, so that what used to take 4 hours has crept up to nearer 5-6. The dogs and portages slowed us down a lot. If I did a bit of work on some of the timber down, and cleared some of the trickier rapids a bit, it would speed it up. I did this years ago when we used to run it regularly in four hours. This MAY happen, but there are so many other things to do…There are some nice places to camp, so it should best be considered as a weekend trip. There are lots of fish to catch, and numerous deer, so the extra day can be well-spent! The river height on the Licola gauge yesterday was 1.68, quite adequate water. 1.7 is really nice. I feel you could still have an enjoyable trip with some more portages 50mm lower than this, say a minimum of 1.63. I would say it would be a bit too dangerous over 1.8 metres.

 

Gorge: below Burgoynes

 

Tiny enjoyed the trip!

In hot pursuit

 

I said, 'Sit on the bag, Spot or you'll fall in!'

'Spot' the figurehead

 

They say water finds its own level, but sometimes it does so in unexpected ways...

Below Burgoynes

 

The tree on the right would make this Grade 3 rapid: Death!

 

01/11/2014: Tin Canoes: I have been canoeing for a long time now…nearly sixty years: when we were primary school age we used to make tin canoes out of a sheet of corrugated iron, usually tacked to a plank front and stern, tar-sealed, the side edges folded and hammered flat  so we didn’t cut ourselves to pieces. Paddles made from a straight tree branch with a couple of pieces of flat plank nailed on. We had to wait till the creek was running a ‘banker’ before we could try it out. It is a wonder really we are still alive (well, most of us). It was a different childhood to the cosseted suburban video-game ‘heaven’ most youngsters ‘endure today. Thank goodness our own children got to spend a lot of their childhood in the forest, on our wild rivers, growing up on a farm & etc.

 

01/11/2014: This looks like an excellent one person tent: http://www.trekkertent.com/home/home/3-stealth.html

Stealth

 

31/10/2014: I recently posted about the BCB Fishing Kit (10.5 grams). The ‘Speedhook/s’ might be a useful addition to (a couple of) these. Pack of six US$20.95. Nothing like a set line overnight to provide for the hungry, lazy hiker that fish breakfast (or maybe platypus?) in paradise: http://www.speedhook.com/servlet/the-1/Speedhook/Detail

 

Speedhook 

 

31/10/2014: I SUSPECT, (but I might be wrong) that when Moslems INSIST our dogs be BANNED, we MAY just prefer to ban MOSLEMS! Correct me if I’m wrong: http://pickeringpost.com/glance/dogs-and-muslims-a-toxic-mix/4035

 

31/10/2014: A Time for Choosing: Ronald Reagan in 1964; still relevant today. What a great speech: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXBswFfh6AY#t=355

30/10/2014: It just gets scarier and scarier: http://conservativetribune.com/bikers-for-kurds/

30/10/2014: One of my (remote) French ancestors (a Sanlaville) won a Legion of Honour in Napoleon’s wars. It is interesting to see these photos of Napoleonic War veterans. Retronaut is AMAZING: http://mashable.com/2014/10/27/napoleonic-wars-veterans/?utm_cid=mash-com-fb-main-link

30/10/2014: In the States lots of people are contracting Lyme disease (http://sectionhiker.com/hiking-and-lyme-disease-revised-estimates-from-the-cdc-indicate-us-infection-rate-is-10-times-more-prevalent-than-previously-reported/) from infected ticks when hiking. The disease is not yet here, but we have plenty of ticks/leeches which can be unpleasant. Usually I just tuck the ends of my trousers into my socks, but a gaiter will also help prevent things from falling into the tops of your shoes. Trouble is, most gaiters are far too heavy and increase the energy needed for hiking enormously. There ARE a couple of ultra-light gaiters available however, which weigh less than two ounces per pair such as: http://sectionhiker.com/montbell-stretch-semi-long-spats-in-other-words-gaiters/ & http://www.mountainlaureldesigns.com/shop/product_info.php?cPath=37&products_id=114

29/10/2014: Why ARE people POOR? I think there are a lot of people who would benefit from this advice (if they were willing to TAKE it!). Every day I see folks around me making the most spectacularly BAD financial decisions (only later to lament them as a form of victimhood - eg ‘Why/Poor me?’). The decision to not be poor can be as simple as deciding to grow/cook your own food (instead of take-aways/restaurants) or realising you don’t need a new shirt/pair of shoes; you don’t need to buy a new car, when yours has only done (eg) 150K, ie it is NEWER than any car I have bought in the last 30 years! You don’t need that large house; you don’t need someone ELSE to build it; you don’t need that expensive overseas holiday when you have not even seen 1% of Victoria’s Alps or rivers. And etc, etc: http://pjmedia.com/drhelen/2014/09/29/how-not-to-be-poor/?repeat=w3tc

29/10/2014: Introducing the Peshmergettes: http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/world/claims-famous-kurdish-peshmerga-fighter-rehana-may-have-been-decapitated/story-fni0xs61-1227103268843

 

29/10/2014: This is about how good ‘renewable energy is: not even hot air: ‘demonstrators…to make their point, had a blow-up coal power plant that was running on a fan powered by wind and solar charged batteries. Before the protest was over, however, the batteries died and their solar panel could not produce enough energy to keep the power plant standing upright: http://wattsupwiththat.com/2014/10/17/friday-funny-renewable-energy-fails-protesters-calling-for-more-renewable-energy/

28/10/2014: GO Mark Steyn: ‘The sub-title of my new book is "Don't Say You Weren't Warned". I have been writing for over a decade now about the west's wannabe jihadists, often born and raised in Canada and America and Britain and Australia and Europe, some of them converts - or "reverts", as they call them. Throughout that period, the multiculti delusionists have insisted that Islam's contribution to the diversity mosaic is no less positive than that of Poles or Italians. Now we have pure laine Quebeckers and Nigerian South Londoners converting to Islam because it's the coolest gang on the planet. And one consequence of that is that a relaxed, open capital city will descend into the same panopticon security state as Washington. I love Ottawa - I know every yard of that stretch of Wellington Street connecting Parliament and the Cenotaph: Chateau Laurier is where I always stay when in town; not so long ago I walked past the war memorial with a senior Minister of the Crown and we talked about how simple and dignified and profoundly moving it was; and during my battles with the "human rights" commissions I had the honour of testifying to the House of Commons and strolling that same Centre Block corridor that that Allahu Akbar loon rampaged down today. That security-lite Ottawa is gone, and that is a loss. But there will be others in the years ahead. Because the price of welcoming and incubating and growing Islam in the west is, ultimately, the loss of everything else.’ http://www.steynonline.com/6621/an-assault-on-the-heart-of-the-canadian-state

28/10/2014: Wishing I was there (well, perhaps!): http://neveryetmelted.com/2014/10/17/great-london-beer-flood-of-1814/

 

28/10/2014: You might find this a bit religious, but it is replete with some excellent advice: http://www.relevantmagazine.com/life/what-if-having-extraordinary-life-isnt-point

 

27/10/2014: Mobile Phones: so many things to know…When buying one you really need to check out the frequencies covered, eg it must have 3G = 850 to function on Telstra’s nextG network, which offers superior connectivity in rural areas. Nearly ALL Samsung phones have an external antenna connection point under the back cover (you MAY have to drill, or the antenna/patch lead suppliers may supply a pre-drilled cover, eg http://telcoantennas.com.au/site/samsung-galaxy-s4-patch-lead-and-back-cover-combo ). You also need to really check all the phone features (eg here: http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_i9190_galaxy_s4_mini-5375.php) BEWARE: most of the dual SIM phones do NOT offer nextG connectivity. Bizarrely, some (quite high-end) phones do not have wi-fi, GPS or a radio & etc. To utilise the excellent Avenza Pdf maps app, you will need a phone above Android @ 4.1 (some are upgradeable) AND a certain amount of (internal) memory. This IS an excellent App for bushwalking, 4WDriving & etc as it allows you to download (eg) Vicmaps & utilise GPS on them. It IS also possible to convert other maps to GPS AND to ‘geo-reference’ maps which aren’t (More about this later). DUAL SIM is useful particularly if you want pre-paid DATA, but don’t want to lug around an additional device (which you have to charge separately). These folk (http://www.magic-sim.com.au/) have an add-on dual Sim gadget which fits most phones (for less than $50) which will allow you to do this (or have two providers eg Telstr a AND Optus). Very few phones fit in your pocket nowadays (ie are less than 5”/125mm long) ; rare exceptions are the Samsung Galaxy Y, Ace, and S4 Mini.

 

27/10/2014: Greens (& the Left generally) are just NUTS: ‘When is it acceptable for a terrorist to go berserk in a shopping mall and machine gun innocent victims to death? When it's all being done for the noble cause of environmentalism, of course…’ Soon to be compulsory reading in Oz school curricula too no doubt?  http://www.breitbart.com/Breitbart-London/2014/10/22/Splattergate-II-green-graphic-novel-celebrates-eco-terrorism-shopping-mall-killing-spree

27/10/2014: THIS says it all, I think: ‘US Spends 30 Times More on Welfare Benefits Per Person Than Communist Chinahttp://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2014/10/shock-report-us-spends-30-times-more-on-welfare-benefits-than-communist-china/

26/10/2014: Surprise news from our Jeeralang menagerie! Yesterday Steve attached a new flight to the aviary inhabited by our pair of delightful dusky lorikeets. Today he went to replace their old, dilapidated nest box with a new model in the hope that they might breed this season (their first spring outdoors). He took the old nest-box down and noticed funny noises within (Yes, despite his deafness!)...and lo and behold: a downy chick! It must be about 2 weeks old according to my lorikeet book. Who knew! Secretive Rusty and Goldie! Steve suggested "Rufus" for a name - sounds perfect to me! I have attached a pic of proud dad, Rusty, (not a recent pic) for those who don't know how beautiful dusky lorikeets are! The aviary extension was clearly well-timed!

 

 

26/10/2014: Touch-feely lefties are just too hard to take: http://patch.com/michigan/royaloak/death-threats-aimed-boy-11-who-bagged-rare-albino-deer Maybe should be read in conjunction with this: http://clashdaily.com/2014/07/hunting-conserves-study-says-deer-hunting-helps-replenish-forests/

 

Death Threats Aimed at Boy, 11, Who Bagged Rare Albino Deer

 

26/10/2014: Things to worry about: Solar flares: ‘NOAA forecasters estimate an 85% chance of M-class flares and a 45% chance of X-flares on Oct. 24th.’ Missed, I guess. http://wattsupwiththat.com/2014/10/24/massive-x-class-flare-erupts-from-the-sunspot-2192/

 

26/10/2014: It is important to KNOW THIS: ‘Natural’ gas is NOT (necessarily) a ‘fossil’ fuel (This MAY mean that it is virtually unlimited. NB No ‘fracking’ produced these flames). These flames have been burning for 2500 YEARS: ‘Abiotic methane ordinarily only forms at temperatures much higher than those that occur in the rocks at Yanartaş. However ruthenium, is present in the igneous rocks under the flames, and is believed to act as a catalyst, permitting the formation of methane at the lower temperatures (i.e., below 100 °C) that occur at Yanartaş…These vents represent the biggest emission of abiogenic methane discovered on land so far. The emissions do not have a volcanic origin, since methane is not related to mantle or magma degassing...’

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yanarta%C5%9F

 

25/10/2014: Wisdom…There's More to Life Than Being Happy…Meaning comes from the pursuit of more complex things than happiness: http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2013/01/theres-more-to-life-than-being-happy/266805/?single_page=true

“Life is never made unbearable by circumstances, but only by lack of meaning and purpose.”

“Our greatest freedom is the freedom to choose our attitude.”

 

“The pessimist resembles a man who observes with fear and sadness that his wall calendar, from which he daily tears a sheet, grows thinner with each passing day. On the other hand, the person who attacks the problems of life actively is like a man who removes each successive leaf from his calendar and files it neatly and carefully away with its predecessors, after first having jotted down a few diary notes on the back. He can reflect with pride and joy on all the richness set down in these notes, on all the life he has already lived to the fullest. What will it matter to him if he notices that he is growing old? Has he any reason to envy the young people whom he sees, or wax nostalgic over his own lost youth? What reasons has he to envy a young person? For the possibilities that a young person has, the future which is in store for him?

More great quotes here: http://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/2782.Viktor_E_Frankl You can get a free copy here: http://new-free-pdf.blogspot.com.au/2013/04/man-search-for-meaning-by-viktor-frankl.html

25/10/2014: Gough: Sacked three times by the people and once by the GG: Perhaps his most lasting legacy has been the increase in the size of government he bequeathed to Australia. When Whitlam took office in 1972, government spending as a percentage of GDP was just 19 per cent. When he left office it had soared to almost 24 per cent. 19% is WAY TOO HIGH! This (used to be) our money folks. A guy I used to know, someone whose opinion actually COUNTS (owner of a farm plumbing supplies shop in Traralgon) used to be Gough’s BOSS in Bomber Command, didn’t think much of him (then or since) – which is about right, I’d say! Oh, & let’s not forget, he also brought us ‘multiculturalism’, GREAT!

 

25/10/2014: What sort of weird place is New Hampshire – where you are ALLOWED to go fishing on a bicycle. Really? SUVs should surely be compulsory: http://www.surflandbt.com/october-17-sams-first-keeper-and-the-fish-bicycle/

 

 

 

24/10/2014: Spent a couple of nights camped by the Moroka River, one at Horseyard Flat. Beautiful weather. Great mid-week company. No-one but Della and the two JRs, who were born in Australia, pay their taxes on dog food, vet supplies & etc, so are entitled to share our beautiful National Parks with us! A.B.Guthrie on the ereader! Walked in to the lovely Moroka Falls in the Snowy Bluff Wilderness. Della’s ankle is improving all the time, but is not yet up to multi-day 5-8 hour walks over rough country. Soon, perhaps. Will need to be cooler weather (than today), high up (temperature decreases by @ 1C per 100 metres elevation) or further South. Baw Baw Plateau or the Sealers Cove Circuit (on Wilsons Prom) are short-term possibilities. The South Coast Walk in Fiordland is still on the agenda (maybe early autumn next year, rather than late summer this year because of the ankle). Soon we will be off canoeing (Macalister, Wonnangatta, etc). Today (32C) would be a great day, but Della has declared it a ‘rest’ day – presumably more suitable for working in the heat!

 

Horseyard Flat, Moroka River

 

Della & Spot, Moroka Falls Track

Moroka Falls, Snowy Bluff Wilderrness

 

Moroka Falls, Snowy Bluff Wilderrness

24/10/2014: You may think it odd that the green movement opposes fracking for natural gas but support hot fracture rock geothermal technology, but you see, the first WORKS whilst the latter does NOT – so it’s quite simple really!

 

24/10/2014: Peter Jackson it ain’t, but it’s sure a lot quicker: http://digg.com/video/the-hobbit-in-lego-in-72-seconds?utm_source=digg&utm_medium=email

 

21/10/2014: Hiking Food: There are quite a few suggestions and recipes here. I admit I hadn’t thought of using bulgur as an alternative to rice, pasta, couscous, etc, but it does have a different taste, so I will try it out. This guy has a ready-made recipe. Not sure whether it would be to my taste or not: http://sectionhiker.com/apricot-lovers-quick-cooking-bulgur-wheat/

 

 Apricot Lovers Quick Cook Bulgur

 

21/10/2014: THIS is one of the problems (drone strikes are another; there used to be such things as: warrants, arrests, charges, trials, convictions, punishments…what used to be called – quaintly – ‘the rule of law’)

 

 

21/10/2014: An interesting article by ‘There are no grown-ups. We suspect this when we are younger, but can confirm it only once we are the ones writing books and attending parent-teacher conferences. Everyone is winging it, some just do it more confidently…You will miss out on some near soul mates. This goes for friendships, too. There will be unforgettable people with whom you have shared an excellent evening or a few days. Now they live in Hong Kong, and you will never see them again. That’s just how life is…And you and your partner know your ritual arguments so well, you can have them in a tenth of the time…More about you is universal than not universal. My unscientific assessment is that we are 95 percent cohort, 5 percent unique…’ http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/01/opinion/sunday/what-you-learn-in-your-40s.html?_r=2

 

20/10/2014: BCB Fishing Kit: I reckon this is about as it gets for a lightweight hiking hand caster @ 10 grams (inc. line). It has a handy notch for holding the line from unravelling when not in use. The kits are available from the UK for @$7 delivered if you buy half a dozen. Good stocking fillers! Once you have caught ONE 200 gram trout or blue cod you will think it was worth carrying one in your pack. The Eneloop AA battery is shown for contrast, but if you haven’t yet made the switch to these rechargeable batteries which retain almost full charge for over a year(!), you should! http://www.bcbin.com/products/product_details.php?category=marine&product=Survival%20Food%20and%E2%80%88Water

 

20/10/2014: FUSION: here we come: http://www.lockheedmartin.com/us/products/compact-fusion.html

20/10/2014: Della: ‘Ankle sprain close to mended now. We went for a therapeutic trial walk along the lovely George Bass Coastal Walk yesterday and completed around 8km without ankle pain. Might be able to attempt something more uneven next week! The dogs had a lovely time too, as verified by Tiny's big grin on the sand of Half Moon Bay!’

George Bass Coastal Walk

 

Half Moon Bay, George Bass Coastal Walk

Tiny at Half Moon Bay, George Bass Coastal Walk

20/10/2014: Great quote: Roger Scruton: ‘Conservatism starts from a sentiment that all mature people can readily share: the sentiment that good things are easily destroyed, but not easily created. This is especially true of the good things that come to us as collective assets: peace, freedom, law, civility, public spirit, the security of property and family life, in all of which we depend on the cooperation of others while having no means singlehandedly to obtain it. In respect of such things, the work of destruction is quick, easy and exhilarating; the work of creation is slow, laborious and dull. That is one of the lessons of the twentieth century. It is also one reason why conservatives suffer such a disadvantage when it comes to public opinion. Their position is true but boring, that of their opponents exciting but false.’

20/10/2014: Two great Australians: http://blogs.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/timblair/index.php/dailytelegraph/comments/across_the_divide/

 

19/10/2014: You would think Himalayan trekkers would all carry something like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=al4UUSAd5yQ ‘Live and learn or you won’t live long’! http://www.lifesystems.co.uk/products/outdoor-survival/4-person-survival-shelter.html The new breathable ‘Escape Bivy’ (http://www.adventuremedicalkits.com/survival/survive-outdoors-longer-escape-litetm-bivvy-1.html) @ 157 grams is surely a must in your day pack long with (eg) something like this to keep your dry and warm (http://www.adventuremedicalkits.com/survival/survive-outdoors-longer-survival-poncho.html) @ 65 grams. Surely a small price to pay (both in weight asnd dollars) to save your life.

 

 

19/10/2014: Before James Harrison (Geelong) invented refrigeration meat in Australia was effectively free as sheep and cows could only be killed for their skins and fat. At one point four MILLION sheep carcasses were thrown into the Murray river annually at Echuca (thus creating giant cod). Some other interesting Australian inventions: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Australian_inventions

 

19/10/2014: Tim Worstall is quite right here, Limits to Growth’ is total nonsense: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/09/07/the_club_of_romes_limits_to_growth_was_right_you_know/

 

18/10/2014: I LIKE this guy…read the whole article; it will make your day, ‘And I neither dismiss nor fail to appreciate the advances of the modern era. They have improved the lives of Americans in immeasurable ways. But what such arguments fail to acknowledge is that I am actually pining for the missing element of those bygone days; that sense of self-reliance and a belief that no matter how bad things get, the individual and the family can persevere and find a way through. That’s what’s missing. Were you able to combine that survival driven spirit with the multitudinous advantages offered by current technology, you might indeed see paradise just over the horizon. But you’ll never arrive at that horizon on the back of technology and government insistence alone’ : http://hotair.com/archives/2014/10/14/the-end-of-the-era-of-personal-responsibility/

 

18/10/2014: You may not realise just how many peer reviewed studies show that climate sensitivity to CO2 doubling to be well LESS than 1C. The theoretical max was only @ 1.2C anyway! The latest one has it at .43C (and we have already had HALF that doubling, yet the world has been cooling by more than this ie .21Cfor @ 20 years!) Well past time to give up on climate alarmism – and get a LIFE: http://wattsupwiththat.com/2014/10/14/yet-another-significicant-paper-finds-low-climate-sensitivity-to-co2-suggesting-there-is-no-global-warming-crisis-at-hand/

 

18/10/2014: THE LITTLE PRINCE: Unlike Machiavelli’s ‘The Prince’, Antoine Saint-Exupéry’s ‘Le Petit Prince’ isn’t usually on reading lists for policymakers and international relations scholars. But it should be. ‘The French aviator’s short book, on the other hand, describes the deep human desire to be social out of love toward others, not from fear of them. For the former, fear of others is the source of social cohesion; for the latter, the source is the need for others. The former would repel others, the latter attract them. In the end, the simple wisdom of the Little Prince may trump the calculating shrewdness of the Prince, or at the very least it complicates and complements it…’ NOW 70 (wasted) years since Antoine’s death:  http://www.the-american-interest.com/articles/2014/10/06/two-princes/

 

17/10/2014: WOW! If these guys really have CRACKED it, this discovery will change the world more quickly and more profoundly than anything which has happened in the last 200 years. Just watch Greens get behind it too – I don’t think! http://directorblue.blogspot.com.au/2014/10/a-compact-fusion-reactor-that-could.html#more

 

17/10/2014: What It’s Like to Carry Your Nobel Prize through Airport Security: “They’re like, ‘Sir, there’s something in your bag.’ I said, ‘Yes, I think it’s this box.’ They said, ‘What’s in the box?’ I said, ‘a large gold medal,’ as one does. So they opened it up and they said, ‘What’s it made out of?’ I said, ‘gold.’ And they’re like, ‘Uhhhh. Who gave this to you?’ ‘The King of Sweden.’ ‘Why did he give this to you?’ ‘Because I helped discover the expansion rate of the universe was accelerating.’ At which point, they were beginning to lose their sense of humour. I explained to them it was a Nobel Prize, and their main question was, ‘Why were you in Fargo?’”http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/2014/10/10/nobel-prize-airport-security/

 

17/10/2014: GREAT questions of our time: Is pepper aphrodisiacal? Can we bear to be without it? LOVE pepper myself. There was a time when it was very much more valuable (when the term, ‘peppercorn rent’ meant EXPENSIVE). At the height of this trade you could send out a dozen ships (to the Indies, aka Indonesia) and if only ONE returned turn a 1,000% profit! Medieval food was SO bland (months of salted/smoked/dried meat/stuff) that you would pay anything to spice it up a bit. Of course pepper’s value fell dramatically after the British captured India making many interesting spices available, and especially after the Australians invented refrigeration, making ‘fresh’ food available year round!

 

16/10/2014: NINETY-one per cent of Daily Telegraph readers have ­condemned a social media campaign to drive patriotic shirts out of Woolworths. Fair point, PETER COSTELLO: ‘What I’ve said is that this is a country, which is founded on a democracy. According to our Constitution, we have a secular state. Our laws are made by the Australian Parliament. If those are not your values, if you want a country which has Sharia law or a theocratic state, then Australia is not for you. This is not the kind of country where you would feel comfortable if you were opposed to democracy, parliamentary law, independent courts and so I would say to people who don’t feel comfortable with those values there might be other countries where they’d feel more comfortable with their own values or beliefs.’ You MAY remember when Aldi pulled these T-shirts from sale (‘Australia est 1788’) because they were ‘sickening’ and ‘racist’. http://www.smh.com.au/national/aldi--1788-tshirt-approved-20140108-30g81.html  or when Defence personnel (and school cadets!) were advised not to wear their uniforms in public – as it might invite attack from un-Australian elements in our society. This Fifth Columnist treasonous bullshit has gone on far too long. We need to inter (then deport) ALL such folk! http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/opinion/canberra-puts-boot-into-aussie-industry/story-fni0cwl5-1227088074587#social-comments

 

image

 

16/10/2014: On January 20, 1961, Robert Frost spoke at John F. Kennedy's inauguration. The snow-glare made it impossible for him to read his new poem for the occasion (he was 87 years old), so he recited a better poem, ‘The Gift Outright’, from memory:

 

‘The land was ours before we were the land's.

She was our land more than a hundred years

Before we were her people. She was ours

In Massachusetts, in Virginia.

But we were England's, still colonials,

Possessing what we still were unpossessed by,

Possessed by what we now no more possessed.

Something we were withholding made us weak.

Until we found out that it was ourselves

We were withholding from our land of living,

And forthwith found salvation in surrender.

Such as we were we gave ourselves outright

(The deed of gift was many deeds of war)

To the land vaguely realizing westward,

But still unstoried, artless, unenhanced,

Such as she was, such as she would become.’

 

16/10/2014: PUMKINS: For pottage and puddings and custards and pies

Our pumpkins and parsnips are common supplies,

We have pumpkins at morning and pumpkins at noon,

If it were not for pumpkins we should be undoon." Pilgrim verse, circa 1633 About time to get them in: http://maggiesfarm.anotherdotcom.com/archives/20798-Pumpkins-are-tasty-food.html

The goal for some Lefties, like medieval ascetics, is to live off only cabbages that have been certified to have died a natural death.

 

 

15/10/2014: Always loved Bruegels’ dogs (and Thurber’s!). An interesting analysis of their breeds: I think the hound in the right foreground could be taken right out of the painting and used (as a bloodhound) to hunt sambar deer in Victoria today. http://neveryetmelted.com/2014/10/11/bruegels-hunting-dogs/

BruegelDoggies

 

15/10/2014: FRESH asparagus: I have only recently discovered how DELICIOUS this is: tastes something like fresh peas. There ARE many adventures yet for the ‘over-60s’ it seems!

15/10/2014: GREAT quote: Senator Marco Rubio: “the greatest tool to lift children and families from poverty is one that decreases the probability of child poverty by 82 percent. But it isn’t a government spending program. It’s called marriage.” http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2014/01/13/whos-poor-in-america-50-years-into-the-war-on-poverty-a-data-portrait/

14/10/2014: Della safety device installed: hopefully the new step to her potting shed will forestall another sprained ankle…PS: might be a good idea to remove the rubble though!

 

14/10/2014: Tony is SO refreshing after all the nut jobs banging on about ‘renewables’, ‘clean energy futures’, & etc, ad nauseum: ‘Coal is vital for the future energy needs of the world. Energy is critical if the world is to continue to grow and prosper. so let’s have no demonisation of coal. Coal is good for humanity. Coal is good for prosperity. Coal is an essential part of our economic future here in Australia.’

 

14/10/2014: How ‘renewables’ equals DEATH: Watch this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSugIzPGa5I

 

13/10/2014: We have many wonderful ‘wilderness areas’ in Victoria, defined by both their remoteness and there not being any tracks or roads in an area of @ 100 square Km. I have been studying my maps. Mt Darling-Snowy Bluff Wilderness, here I come! Several interesting days hiking to come. I think I will walk up the ridge at the Moroka-Wonnangatta Junction (or the Mt Darling Creek junction) to @ Dimmicks (anyway Mount Creek – there is apparently a hut there @ 832705), then on to Mt Darling, then walk down the other ridge to the Mt Darling Creek Junction thus circumnavigating (most of) Mt Darling Creek. Very weather dependent though. Along the river bottoms the Wonnangatta-Moroka is about 3-5C warmer than here, but along the tops is probably 10C colder. Then there is the 1” of rain today and half an inch tomorrow…I HOPE this trip doesn’t have to wait until autumn.

Carey Rd on the Mt Darling Range

 Carey 'Road' Mt Darling Range

 

13/10/2014: Things to think about? Hyperreality? Oh, Yeah: ‘ The simulacrum is often defined as a copy with no original, or as Gilles Deleuze (1990) describes it, “the simulacrum is an image without resemblance”.[9] Baudrillard argues that a simulacrum is not a copy of the real, but becomes truth in its own right, aka the hyperreal. He created four steps of reproduction: (1) basic reflection of reality, (2) perversion of reality; (3) pretence of reality (where there is no model); and (4) simulacrum, which "bears no relation to any reality whatsoever".[10]’: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperreality

 

13/10/2014: Of COURSE, climate change CAUSES everything: Isis, volcanoes… http://www.breitbart.com/Breitbart-London/2014/10/01/US-professor-blame-climate-change-for-Islamic-State & http://wattsupwiththat.com/2014/10/02/another-story-about-global-warming-causing-volcanoes/

 

12/10/2014: GENIUS: DIY gun folds and shoots paper airplanes: http://www.gizmag.com/paper-airplane-gun/34213/

 

12/10/2014: TAMARILLOS: What a great fruit they are, even if short-lived – you MAY need to plant a couple every other year to keep yourself in fresh fruit, but they take up very little space (@ 2 metre circle) and have delicious fresh fruit all through August, September, October – just when there IS a bit of a shortage (apart from citrus) and greenhouse strawberries, etc. We both love them and reckon we could consume the produce of 3-4 trees. We have three now, but will add a couple more when I see them in the nursery. They usually cost under $10 a tree too. Of course you could grow them from seed too I imagine.

 

 

 

12/10/2014: Well SAID: ‘If Islam is a religion of peace, what sort of peace does it bring?... Islam can at times be defeated or stopped, as at Tours or Vienna, but it will always rise again as it is now bent on so doing…Briefly put, Islam, in its founding, is intended to be, literally, the world religion. Nothing else has any standing in comparison. It is to bring the whole world to worship Allah according to the canons of the Qur’an…’ http://www.crisismagazine.com/2014/time-take-islamic-state-seriously

 

11/10/2014: ANTS are fascinating. Here’s E.O. Wilson: ‘The Trailhead Queen was dead. At first, there was no overt sign that her long life was ending: no fever, no spasms, no farewells. She simply sat on the floor of the royal chamber and died. As in life, her body was prone and immobile, her legs and antennae relaxed. Her stillness alone failed to give warning to her daughters that a catastrophe had occurred for all of them. She lay there, in fact, as though nothing had happened. She had become a perfect statue of herself. While humans and other vertebrates have an internal skeleton surrounded by soft tissue that quickly rots away, ants are encased in an external skeleton; their soft tissues shrivel into dry threads and lumps, but their exoskeletons remain, a knight’s armor fully intact long after the knight is gone. Hence the workers were at first unaware of their mother’s death. Her quietude said nothing, and the odors of her life, still rising from her, signalled, I remain among you. She smelled alive…’ Read on here: http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2010/01/25/trailhead

 

 

11/10/2014: What DO women find Attractive in men? One woman’s view: ‘The traits I find quickly appealing and charming in men are courage, honour, manliness, humour, shyness, but a confident attitude towards life and an easy, relaxed deportment which says that they are comfortable in their skin. They like to play sports and to play with power tools, books, and guns…’ http://maggiesfarm.anotherdotcom.com/archives/25082-A-Maggies-Farm-Scientific-Poll-for-the-Ladies-What-do-women-find-attractive-in-men.html

 

11/10/2014: Time to rid ourselves of this halal scam (as Denmark has done) which is only channelling millions to Isis and other extremist organisations anyway: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2562350/Denmark-accused-anti-Semitism-bans-religious-slaughter-animals-kosher-halal-meat.html

 

10/10/2014: Camera Phones: I see Lumia (1020) has now included a 41 Megapixel camera on its latest phone (compare Samsung Galaxy K with 20Mp & 10x zoom: http://www.samsung.com/au/consumer/mobile-phone/smartphone/smartphone/SM-C1150ZKAXSA & Samsung-Galaxy-S4-Zoom with 16 Mp & 10x zoom) ). It won’t be long before the equivalent of 100 Megs is exceeded. The days of the camera ARE numbered. Likewise most other devices. Samsung Galaxy S5 ‘Active’ is waterproof to 3’. The Xolo Win Q900s is set to break the 100 gram barrier, & etc, etc. I need to reappraise my use of such devices. I was turned off by a 7” Samsung Galaxy Tab I bought which I NOW believe has a number of weird faults (I HAD thought that there was some incompatibility between me and touch screens, but I have been playing with Della’s Galaxy Note 1 - and it WORKS). She tried my Tab and encountered the self-same problems I have with it. When hiking (for eg) if there IS no service (or wifi) these features can be turned off. The screen can be set to black and white for ebook reading (to save power). You can turn the GPS off (and on when you need a fix) and just carry the phone as a camera in ‘sleep’ mode. I need to see how long the battery will last in these circumstances. I see I can buy (spare) batteries for her Note (43 grams ea) from eBay for $6ea (delivered!), and an external charger. If one can scale back power usage when hiking and carry a few spare batteries, (and/or figure a lightweight way to recharge them) it might be a viable alternative to a whole host of other devices. You can also now buy waterproof cases for a song! I am (also) playing with loading some topo maps (and the GPS feature) to see how this goes. It is hard to find them for Victoria, but I HAVE found a set,and an android programme which will use them and a way of adding georeferencing so that they work with GPS (more later about maps) http://www.laptopmag.com/reviews/smartphones/nokia-lumia-1020

 

10/10/2014: IS there any GOOD NEWS? Perhaps: http://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2014/10/01/arabs-are-slowly-but-surely-integrating-into-israel

 

10/10/2014: Remember (not so long ago) when we passed ‘peak (oil) production’? NOW, the tables have turned (thanks to fracking). Australia NEEDS to get onto this BOOM, soon: http://www.the-american-interest.com/blog/2014/09/29/america-about-to-dethrone-saudi-arabia-as-liquid-petroleum-king/

 

09/10/2014: What the Arab World Produces: ‘Hatred and violence’. That’s about it, oh, and some oil! http://www.dennisprager.com/arab-world-produces/

 

09/10/2014: Dangers of the ‘great outdoors’:

http://maggiesfarm.anotherdotcom.com/uploads/get-attachment.jpg

 

09/10/2014: Hard to understand: whilst the SURFACE of the SUN is @ 5700 Kelvin, its corona (outer atmosphere @ 1 million km out) is MILLIONS of degrees Kelvin. When you get THAT conundrum of atmospheric physics sorted out, come back to me about your quaint beliefs about global warming!

 

08/10/2014: I guess there are many people who have forgotten (did they ever KNOW) the importance of Malta (to Western Civilisation) or of the Battle of Lepanto (October 7 1571: STILL the bloodiest single battle in history!), Charles the Hammer, Afonso de Albuquerque (or Dracula, for that matter!); but without them Europe would have been WIPED OUT by Islam CENTURIES ago, just as they ‘raped’ Constantinople (1453), Cyprus, & etc. We should remember the fate of General Bragadino after Famagusta. Remember THIS too: it took the Spanish 750 years to push them out of Spain! (not until 1492 – Columbus year: the VERY beginning of the USA!) We should remember this: the West’s ‘final’ victory was on SEPTEMBER 11 (1683) at Vienna. Do you REALLY think the Moslem world has FORGOTTEN that? Islam IS having another crack at it NOW. WHERE are the Knights of Malta (and of Venice, etc) NOW, when we need them? Yet what does (the Left in) the West THINK is the great battle of our time? Climate Change! Phooey! http://www.nationalreview.com/node/389697/print

 

08/10/2014: A pretty good EPITAPH: ‘Dedicated to the Memory of G. Inestine B. Roberts aged 88 years who died at the timberline after her fourteenth ascent of Pikes Peak (Colorado 14,115 ft - on a plaque at the timber line there).

 

08/10/2014: Hiking Music #2: Sony ICD-UX (eg) 534F digital voice recorder includes an alarm clock @ 58 grams inc one AAA battery + hundreds of hours of music! http://www.sony.co.uk/support/en/product/ICD-UX534F/downloads/soundorganizer15

 

08/10/2014: Christopher Hitchens was wonderful, ‘There’s no real trick to thinking like an apparatchik: you just keep two sets of ethical books.’ Julia Gillard was BIZARRE, ‘even if you are the single most powerful person in your country, if you are a woman, the images that are shadowed around you are of sex and rape.’ O, SURE!

 

08/10/2014: Unsurprisingly Ju-liar LIED to the Royal Commission concerning the (un) incorporated AWUWRA. The AWUWRA was incorporated on 24th June 1992. Scroll down to see the document dated 21 May 1992 where she tells Blewitt to FORGE a document on AWUWRA letterhead. Blewitt was writing cheques on the Association’s account on 26 May 1992 which passed through Ms Gillard’s hands. This constitutes being a PARTY to that fraud, and perjury to the RC - whom she told under oath that there WAS no unincorporated Association. She WILL be charged AND go to gaol. At least you would hope such crimes do not go unpunished: http://www.michaelsmithnews.com/2014/09/any-practitioners-care-to-take-a-swing-at-the-law-on-incitement-in-victorias-crimes-act-.html

 

07/10/2014: The An interesting ‘solution’ to the ‘marriage equality’ ‘problem’: http://www.breitbart.com/Breitbart-London/2014/10/04/Woman-who-married-herself-admits-friends-found-wedding-a-bit-narcissistic

 

07/10/2014: The Quince is SUCH a wonderful tree, particularly now when it is in bloom, but also @ Easter time when it is laden with @ one tonne of delicious fruit suitable for a vast gourmanderie of tucker (not just Della’s quince jelly which I have praised before). It can also live hundreds of years with little or no attention. This lass has even written a book entirely in praise of the quince: http://queenofquince.com/accolades/

 

 

07/10/2014: Fair point: http://pickeringpost.com/story/if-islamic-countries-can-ban-the-burqa-why-shouldn-t-we-/3909

 

07/10/2014: Seems to me ISIS (still) keeps on advancing. They have taken (much) additional territory (even) since allied forces started bombing them and are (now) in shelling range of Baghdad. Folks who believe(d) that wars can be won by ‘surgical strikes’ (NB ‘The Blitz’!) ignore the necessity of ‘D-Day’ and troops on the ground. Isis will ONLY be defeated by such troops. The Kurds will NEVER be enough (though they MAY be able to defend themselves)! The Iraqi forces are clearly corrupt, gutless & etc and will not even fight when they have clearly SEEN that the alternative is mass executions. ERGO, in the absence of another ‘Gulf War’ (unlikely) this will only end with ISIS triumphant or if Iran steps in (likely & MY best guess). If (or rather, WHEN) they do, this Iranian invasion will re-establish (most of) the ancient Persian Empire (and if you don’t think the Iranians WANT to do that, then you don’t THINK!) Very troubling for Israel, but even worse than that…I fear World War 3! REALLY!

 

06/10/2014: There are many wonderful hiking circuits to be ‘found’ in the Victorian mountains. Just because the route is not marked on any map or DSE brochure ought not deter you. Some are quite long and would take a fortnight or so to complete. Others are shorter. The Wonnangatta, Dry Creek, Caledonia, Wellington, Moroka form such loop. The loop can be shortened (or indeed lengthened). I am thinking to head up the ridge from Mt Darling Creek to Mt Darling Saddle (to Dimmicks). This is in the ‘Mt Darling-Snowy Bluff Wilderness’. A clear route there will create a variety of one week loops for me. It is SO much easier to find your way UP a ridge than down!  It will also give me an escape route when the Wonnangatta-Moroka floods and strands me upstream for ages (as happened to me a couple of years back). There are MANY great walks already. The Upper Yarra Trail heads from Warburton to Walhalla across the Baw Baw Plateau, for example (a great warm weather walk). You can even walk all the way from Warburton to Canberra, ‘The Australian Alps walking Track which takes 50-70 days! Worth putting on your ‘Bucket List.’ You can see the maps for this here: http://theaustralianalps.wordpress.com/experience/aawt/maps/

 

alps-map-guide

 

06/10/2014: ‘It’s the sun, stupid!’ STRANGE how there are so many folk who vie to ignore this important advice. Imagine searching for water in the Victorian mountains and concentrating your efforts on the North-West slopes instead of the South-East ones. Anyone who has wandered around in the bush for just a little while (unless they are exceedingly dull) will surely have noticed that the areas which are most shaded are also cooler and moister. The very instant you venture outside your air-conditioned holt, the Sun is obviously what dominates the weather (particularly temperature!). How can folk have failed to NOTICE just how much colder it is at night than in daytime - nearly 20C difference on average? Yet such is the attraction of ‘the butterfly effect’ that folk come to believe that a tiny quantum of exhalation (gas) shakes the world!

 

06/10/2014: We should be up there with Singapore, (or at least the UK) but immigration & paying (the wrong) people to breed has been dragging us down; if you study the list a bit you will see what kind of immigrants we might want and those we most definitely do NOT want. You could ignore this advice, as the Romans attempted to ignore the threat of the Goths (but Rome became little more than ruins for a thousand years!): http://www.photius.com/rankings/national_iq_scores_country_ranks.html 

 

05/10/2014: GEAR freaks might enjoy this website I just discovered…I am already thinking about the Nemo Nocturne sleeping bag, and wondering whether I can fit all my gear in a 20 litre bucket (and I am only on Page 2!): http://sectionhiker.com/

The contents of a Ultralight Gear List fit into a 5 gallon Plastic Bucket

 

05/10/2014: ATHEISM now has a TV channel all its own. Things ARE looking up: http://atheists.org/atheisttv or http://www.youtube.com/user/AtheismTV

 

05/10/2014: Six Reasons I'm Happier Because I Went to War: https://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20140925023742-84021053-6-reasons-i-m-happier-because-i-went-to-war

 

04/10/2014: Alas, one of our Mountain Paw Paws (a male) has bitten the dust (and I have had to cut it up and remove it). His ‘lady’ is just about to burst from winter dormancy and has plenty of fruit on board, so I will have to plant some seeds (as you need at least one of each). They are interesting plants giving early lemonade tasting fruit. Apparently they only last about twenty years though:

 

04/10/2014: More news about the Franklin expedition including some accolades for the remarkable Dr John Rae: http: //wattsupwiththat.com/2014/09/15/weather-climate-arctic-ice-and-the-franklin-expedition/  

 

04/10/2014: Now EIGHTEEN full YEARS with NO global warming: ‘What will the Warming Pause do next? Get a job? Go on a gap year? Maybe go to college and rack up some proper student debt. Who knows, but it’s worth celebrating the good news that the planet’s temperatures are not accelerating to thermageddon.’ http://wattsupwiththat.com/2014/10/01/happy-anniversary-1-october-marks-18-years-without-global-warming-trend/

 

03/10/2014: Waleed Aly is clearly Australian Islam’s Lord Haw Haw (and he should suffer the same fate!) Unfortunately he has many Fifth Columnist emulators and followers!

 

03/10/2014: Cable tie tomato cage; (Della in background):

 

03/10/2014: ‘Shenandoah’ (1965) staring James Stewart, ever one of my favourite actors (a WW2 airman who served in the USAF 27 years! So different from the current crop!) This is one of THE great movies. Set during the Civil War, it may give you an idea of what (constructive) anarchism might be like. The hero (James) pretty much holds Mercutio’s view ‘a plague on both your houses’. He is a Virginian, yet owns no slaves and made and works his land himself (with the aid of a bevy of excellent children – the girls of whom never needed Germaine to ‘liberate’ them!) so that the concept ‘Government’ is pretty much meaningless to him. Download a copy and settle in for a VERY enjoyable night’s viewing. ‘Shenandoah’ also was ever one of my favourite songs – so much so that I was minded to name my first-born thus. She MAY be grateful I did not!

 

03/10/2014: All The luvvies are out in force this morning shrieking and wailing that Bronwyn Bishop MAY ban face coverings, which is strange when you think that many people wanted faces (indeed whole HEADS) ‘banned’ only a couple of weeks ago without the slightest demur from these concerned folks. Racists amongst us are claiming the ban is ‘racially’ discriminatory (how is this when Islam is something you can JOIN?), and I agree, since clearly the ban is aimed at people in gorilla suits (and REAL gorillas) who (as everyone know as a result of innumerable famous psychological experiments) are well-nigh invisible (an hence clearly a public danger) – as WHAT might they be carrying in that bunch of bananas?

 

02/10/2014: ‘A Million Ways to Die in the West’ 2014. This is a seriously FUNNY movie. I didn’t think Americans COULD actually make anything funny, but these guys did. There were several occasions where I had to exit the room choking and laughing, then rewind when I recovered (always a sign you enjoyed it). It’s NOT Monty Python (live) – which I also celebrate, and the humour IS a bit patchy, (some quite vulgar), but all in all, I highly recommend this movie!

 

02/10/2014: Renovated the strawberry bed; pulled all the plants, added 1 metre of new soil, lime, gypsum, fertiliser, replanted them, mulched with pea straw and added a Bunning’s tent greenhouse to one end to speed some on a bit. These little guys are suddenly looking much happier. Should be heaps of strawbs soon:

 

02/10/2014: Quote of the week: Catherine Deveny: ‘I regard heterosexual marriage as a much more important feminist issue and bigger oppressor of women than the burka.’ Duh! It seems to me that the further to the Left society is dragged, then it must be dragged even further to the UTTERLY MAD Left.

 

01/10/2014: FINALLY, the END of communism? Hong Kong protesters deploy the great weapon that China’s authoritarians now fear - the smart phone:

image

 

01/10/2014: Last day of September. First hydroponic strawberry:

 

01/10/2014: DISABLED OR HANDICAPPED: This gal will never need a pension. Bravo, Jen Bricker: https://docs.google.com/file/d/0ByFUzo9KwryWWkRwUEw4bmZNaVk/view?pli=1&sle=true

 

30/09/2014: Ultra Light DOG LEASH (8.5 grams): Mini D carabiner 2.8 grams + 2ml spectra cord www.zpacks.com/accessories/carabiner.shtml Sometimes we have to walk on a ‘road’ aways or keep the dogs from ‘hunting’ some other pesky hiker, particularly in NPs (where the JRs have every right to be - they are Australians TOO, and pay all their taxes on dog food, etc!) Lately, the prevalence of unexpected fox baits makes getting the dogs under control important too, so these lightweight leashes are the answer. I KNOW I could have made them lighter with (black) dyneema, but I have run out of it.  Great product: there is even a flat kind, good for shoe laces too perhaps.

 

 

30/09/2014: Yay, Tim Blair: YOUR E-Z GUIDE TO TERRORISM AVOIDANCE: http://blogs.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/timblair/index.php/dailytelegraph/comments/your_e_z_guide_to_terrorism_avoidance/

 

30/09/2014: RELATIVISM: Multiculturalism maintains that all cultures are equally valid and that all should be allowed to flourish amongst us (presumably no matter how repugnant they are to the majority of us, to common decency, to the common law & etc). ‘Multiculturalism’ though, is itself a ‘culture’, which has no more ‘validity’ than any other – so why should IT take precedence? I sense an infinite regress in their argument right there. The true fallacy of any ‘relativism’ though is that it is impossible to define anything exclusively ‘in relation to’ something else. There has to be a timeless quality against which such ‘relations’ can be measured, (eg ‘Give me a place to stand, and I shall move the world,’ as Archimedes of Syracuse said in his formulation of the principles of mechanics). ‘O no; it is an ever-fixed mark, That looks on tempests, and is never shaken; It is the star to every wandering bark, Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken.’ (Shakespeare Sonnet 116) It is these ‘timeless’ values which ‘civilised’ society has ever been at pains to define eg in the American Declaration of Independence, viz: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness’. Similarly, British society has ever striven to define the natures of ‘good’, ‘duty’, justice, etc in the Law and in public morals. If we cast aside the history and contribution of the English speaking peoples, we abandon ourselves to the chaos of relativism, to multiculturalism at our extreme peril…(NB Hosea 8:7: ‘they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind’)

 

29/09/2014: The IRISH had at least one GREAT thing: William Butler Yeats: WHEN YOU ARE OLD:

 

 When you are old and grey and full of sleep,

And nodding by the fire, take down this book,

And slowly read, and dream of the soft look

Your eyes had once, and of their shadows deep;

 

How many loved your moments of glad grace,

And loved your beauty with love false or true,

But one man loved the pilgrim soul in you,

And loved the sorrows of your changing face;

 

And bending down beside the glowing bars,

Murmur, a little sadly, how Love fled

And paced upon the mountains overhead

And hid his face amid a crowd of stars.

 

29/09/2014: SONGBIRD: This old grey thrush has nested in a hole in our house wall for @ 25 years! It is a hole I should have filled in, but it is her home too! I wonder what age these birds live to? She has started early on her first clutch this year; odd years she raises three – one year totalling nine offspring. Birds are very productive. Her efforts over the years have filled our little valley with beautiful bird song. WHAT a treasure:

 

29/09/2014: Isis covering up goat genitalia! If these folks weren’t so downright NASTY, if not to say completely EVIL - AND bonkers, they would be seriously FUNNY, just like some surreal skit from Monty Python or etc: http://www.jammiewf.com/2014/as-part-of-sharia-crackdown-in-syria-isis-now-covering-up-goat-genitalia/

 

28/09/2014: Finnsheep: You may not know that for over twenty years we have been the foremost breeders of Finnsheep in Australia. This is an ancient Scandinavian (short-tailed) breed with long, fine lustrous wool and the capacity to lamb in ‘litters’ (typically 3-4) and even twice per year. In Finland (under intensive management) a Finn ewe can raise in excess of ten lambs in a single year. Here is one of our ewes with her five lambs. This is our website: http://www.finnsheep.com/index.html:

 

28/09/2014: DISAFFECTED YOUTH: Once ‘defenestration’ (ie window exiting) was more popular, but the flavour of the week is definitely ‘decapitation’ (particularly amid the ‘crescent’ community). Interestingly local Leftist pundits almost universally depict the perps as ‘disaffected youths’ as if this is the sort of thing Holden Caulfield would have done! The world seems to have ‘lost its head’: http://www.frontpagemag.com/2014/dawn-perlmutter/blood-in-beheading-as-islamic-state-initiation/ & http://www.khaama.com/taliban-behead-15-civilians-including-women-children-in-ghazni-6754 & http://news.sky.com/story/1342728/oklahoma-beheading-fired-mans-knife-rampage

 

28/09/2014: POVERTY: ‘where is thy sting’? http://dailysignal.com/2014/09/15/9-facts-poor-america-live/

 

27/09/2014: Renovations to Della’s potting shed continue. It was once the original owners’ cream house. She now has shelves and hooks (and the original door back in place). She has been doing a bit of painting (as you can see). The roof renovation will have to wait until the (nearby) soil is firm enough so I won’t fall off the ladder. I also need to build a step (to forestall more sprained ankles!) Spot (as always) enjoys helping:

 

 

27/09/2014: Paid to BREED: From ‘Geoff’: ‘A couple of interesting ‘clients’ at the emergency relief centre where my wife volunteers, yesterday. The first was a couple. She was intellectually handicapped to the extent that she was incapable of completing a form which provided basic contact details and Centrelink number. Her ‘partner’ was similarly handicapped to the extent that he was in the charge of a carer. [The local] Hospital has confirmed that she is pregnant with twins. The second was a mother and daughter. The daughter was in her early twenties and the mother was seeking assistance because there were sons 12 and 14 at home and, since it was school holidays, she did not have enough money to feed them. The daughter was in a similar situation with insufficient money to feed the three children she already had—and she was about to give birth to a fourth!’ This is a VAST national problem. Solution: No-one should be entitled to breed on WELFARE. The FIRST child should be adopted out and the mother given (reversible) tubal ligation to prevent further infants. When the mother can afford to have children, she can then be ‘entitled’ to a reversal of the previous operation under Medicare. If she never affords to breed, well, WE cannot afford her or her offspring! ‘He who pays the piper calls the tune’!

 

27/09/2014: I see Antarctica (& the Arctic) have just racked up yet another record sea ice extent. O global warming, where is thy sting? No doubt this looming mini ice age IS due to global warming: http://wattsupwiththat.com/2014/09/19/antarctic-sea-ice-extent-sets-new-record-pierces-20-million-square-kilometer-barrier/  & http://www.ijis.iarc.uaf.edu/seaice/extent/Sea_Ice_Extent_v2_prev.png & http://wattsupwiththat.com/2014/09/13/prof-bob-carter-warns-of-unpreparedness-for-global-cooling/

 

26/09/2014: Spent yesterday traipsing (16km) around the Upper Jordan catchment, once the richest alluvial goldfield in the world (the average 3.6 metre square 'paddock' yielded 200 ounces of gold!) with Spot and my two 'boys' Bryn & Matt. We found an old boiler surrendering itself to the forest amid a welter of other old mining equipment, as well as the ruins of two old miner's huts, one of which still enriched by mementoes of my old hunting mate, the 'legendary' (late) Arthur Meyers with whom I hunted (this area) in the 80s and 90s. This area has produced the largest sambar deer heads ever taken in Australia, some of which (eg a monster taken by George Allen, Arthur's mate) have never been measured. Many of the watercourses have become a 'sea' of blackberries since my 'time' hunting there; one gully I crossed involved a struggle of over an hour to force my way through. At one point I had to carry the plucky Spot in my backpack...

Old miner's hut with some mementoes left by Arthur Meyers

Spot's hunting equipment

@ 8 x 1.5 m (wrought iron?) boiler

The boiler site included many dry stone walls

Inside the boiler seems good enough to fire up

Matt inspecting the steam release valve

Bryn checking he can fit into the boiler - as you do!

And he can - Spot wonders whether he can come to!

Matt can fit in as well!

The boiler is situated in a beautiful fern gully...

Old miner's hut

 

26/09/2014: You need to snap up the ‘New’ Sony ebook reader as Sony is soon to cease production. This will mean that you can only buy ‘proprietary’ ebook readers which create some difficulty if you want to load ‘borrowed’ books on them. This is a really great reader (163 grams), and is still available for @$100 new. It will take a 32 gig card. If you want an MP3 player as well you will have to source the older model second-hand (as I did). I will probably buy 2-3 of these (while they last) as I doubt anyone is going to produce a better reader in the future: they have all moved to ‘bought’ using books…

 

26/09/2014: I really do need to wash my down sleeping bags. I will have to buy some Nikwax Down Wash & Proof. I can waterproof the down while I am at it. The cheapest source seem to be on eBay from the UK in 1litre size. http://meaningoflite.com

 

26/09/2014: WALK! Don’t run. Fortunately this doesn’t happen in Oz, though Tiny and I were ‘hunted’ by packs of wild dogs last time we were in the Wonnangatta!: http://www.myfoxny.com/story/26592220/bear-suspected-of-killing-hiker-in-new-jersey

 

24/09/2014: GILLARD TOAST: So, now police HAVE Gillard’s appointments book (travel details, bank account?) etc which will prove her responsibility in the WRA fraud: ‘DETECTIVES investigating fraud allegations against Julia Gillard’s ex-boyfriend Bruce Wilson have won access to hundreds of documents seized from her former law firm after the former union boss abruptly settled a year-long legal battle. The development means the investigation led by Victoria Police fraud squad detective Ross Mitchell can now examine fresh material and proceed with interviewing witnesses…The papers are likely to be available to the royal commission investigating trade union governance, which has questioned Mr Wilson and Ms Gillard under oath.’ (Australian) Charges WILL follow…

 

24/09/2014: Added 1 ½ tonnes of soil and renovated this vegie garden bed for Spring. I think I will put in some plants early (zucchini, squash, corn…) under 3-4 of the Bunnings pop-up greenhouses I have already talked about to get an early start this year. I did this with some tomatoes (as you will have seen) and they are already doing well.

 

24/09/2014: Just in case you didn’t know quite how the Fifth Column of this the Fifth Crusade actually works, read how their families can be paid $3000 per week without working AND be provided with free halal food, whilst at the same time becoming ever more intent on destroying our society: http://pickeringpost.com/story/the-ugly-face-of-moderate-extremism/3815  & http://moonbattery.com/?p=50426

 

24/09/2014: Melbourne’s ‘inner-suburban’ tourists will recognise the symptoms of this: ‘Certain parts of San Francisco are what happens when white people have no natural predators’: http://neveryetmelted.com/2014/09/16/bring-back-the-grizzlies/

 

23/09/2014: Kobo Mini: I just bought one of these for hiking. Without the snap-on decorative back it weighs 117 grams, (48 grams less than my Sony) so I will certainly choose it as a dedicated hiking book which I can leave in my pack all the time. The ‘Mini’ has a 4 gig micro SD card inside, but only uses @ 2 of this – though this too can be changed. It is possible to upgrade the storage (say to 32 gigs - worth a try) so that it will fit all your books. The Kobo Mini has wifi and a micro browser so you can surf the Net one tab at a time, check your email, Facebook, shares etc. With the wifi turned off they claim about two months battery life, so PERFECT for the trail. This model is no longer for sale, so I suggest you snap one up off eBay (which is what I did) pretty soon, before they are completely unavailable: http://blog.the-ebook-reader.com/2013/10/08/how-to-expand-internal-storage-of-kobo-ebook-readers-video/

 

23/09/2014: An important essay on conservation, recalling the seminal work of Aldo Leopold for example, ‘Not that indigenous societies were always harmonious stewards with light footprints. There are many examples to the contrary, most notably the large-animal extinctions that followed once stone-age humans arrived in the Americas and Australia. Yet those extinctions hardly constitute the end of wilderness, or fall on the same spectrum as industrial-scale development. Once we out-competed 20-foot-tall giant sloths and sabre-toothed tigers: now we have trouble sharing even with kangaroo rats and tiger salamanders. That’s the difference between the transformations wrought by several million people and by 7 billion…’ A bit too Left for my liking, but thought-provoking, nonetheless:  http://aeon.co/magazine/science/green-modernism-would-kill-off-the-wilderness/

 

23/09/2014: Iceland’s threatening volcanic eruption reminds us how poorly the world is prepared for ‘global cooling’: http://wattsupwiththat.com/2014/09/19/laki-caused-1783-could-icelands-bardarbunga-volcano-trigger-another-year-without-a-summer/

 

22/09/2014: Who WANTS to be a struldbrug? I can see this guy’s point: http://www.theatlantic.com/features/archive/2014/09/why-i-hope-to-die-at-75/379329/

 

22/09/2014: The new APARTHEID: ‘AUSTRALIA stands on the brink of making a terrible mistake. That mistake is introducing ethnic distinctions into our Constitution and inevitably into the nature of our citizenship. It would be a grievous error for Australia to pass by referendum a new preamble to the Constitution that acknowledges Aborigines while it does not similarly acknowledge all the other Australians; it would be a mistake to set up a new Aboriginal consultative body under the Constitution; and it would be an absolute disaster to establish racially or ethnically reserved seats in parliament…I am not someone who denies historical injustice done to Aborigines. But you cannot redeem historical injustice by creating ethnic divisions for the descendants of that injustice in a society based on equality of citizenship.’ http://www.theaustralian.com.au/opinion/columnists/constitutional-change-will-divide-not-unite-the-nation/story-e6frg76f-1227064539257#

 

22/09/2014: Our ‘greenhouse’ tomatoes, peppers, strawberries, etc are already doing well:

 

21/09/2014: THIS is simply DREADFUL: our soldiers ‘unable’ to wear their uniforms because of the danger presented by Islamists. This situation must END, and SOON: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/australian-defence-force-personnel-advised-to-wear-civvies-due-to-terror-threats-20140920-10jqse.html#ixzz3Dt7ay4uy

 

21/09/2014: Various folks are posting something like this, ‘The KKK is to Christianity what Isil is to Islam’. Apart from once again remarking how weird is the ‘common ground’ the Left seem to see with Islam when EVERYTHING which is central to Islam is diametrically opposed to everything which represents Leftist Central, I take greatest exception to the spuriousness of their ‘parallel argument’: The KKK were NEVER a Christian sect (or even Christian – as indeed nearly all of their victims/targets WERE!) The other chasm in the ‘parallel’ is that whilst ‘cults’ (such as ‘The Family’ or ‘The Children of God’) can properly be viewed as extremist aberrations/’outliers’ of Christianity, Isil and Sharia generally are CENTRAL to Islam. Nothing taken from the Sermon on the Mount (the Central Christian text) or in the exemplar of Christ himself justifies anything like the extremism of Christian ‘cults’, but BOTH the central teachings of Islam (ie Sharia) AND the life of Mohammed (who practiced so many of the things WE find SO objectionable - eg child marriage, execution of Jews and apostates, beheadings, etc) reveal that Isil (and its likes) are indeed what Islam is ALL about – and why it must be banned; its immigrants excluded, and every effort made to ‘de-Islamise’ Australia by MASS DEPORTATION of illegal immigrants and by subsidising legal immigrants (and their descendents) to return to their countries of origin (or like countries) whose philosophy better suits their own. If we do not act on this VERY SOON, our domestic situation will become dire (daily news reports from Sydney/Melbourne will begin to resemble those from Baghdad), and in the end we will LOSE the ‘Fifth Crusade’ which has already begun – and we, (and civilisation generally) will be annihilated!

 

21/09/2014: Southern Macadamias: the aftermath: testing of various methods of cracking our macadamias is now complete. The ‘Crack-a’Mac’ was Della’s preference, whereas I opted for BONK, the triangle shaped one (‘Bart’s original nut kracker’) – which is a real ‘bottler’!)

 

21/09/2014: Photos: most of the paces I have ever been, most of the things I have ever done…there ARE no photos. Even today I cannot use a smart phone; they don’t work for me (don’t know why), AND I find them exceedingly difficult because of my arthritis. Not so long ago using film cameras, each photo cost more than a (2014) $1ea, so we didn’t take so many. Often, if you were somewhere interesting (where a modern digital camera would give you 1,000 beautiful shots for free), the 35mm we could afford would only produce rubbish. I DO have SOME old photos and I am (slowly) working my way through scanning them (but there IS life, too!), and of course, there IS Photoshop, so SOME old snaps WILL emerge. I have spent a lot of my life in some pretty amazing paces (you can only get to on foot, with MUCH difficulty). Fortunately, while I last, there is memory – which usen’t to be something you could buy! Still, stay posted…

 

20/09/2014: Well said, Joe Hildebrand: (my emphasis) ‘They’re called terrorists for a reason. They don’t have the courage to win in a battle and they don’t have the numbers to win in a democracy. Instead they attack the most innocent and vulnerable: Kidnapping and raping women and girls on an industrial scale, beheading helpless captives for the camera and slaughtering en masse countless other normal everyday people. This is both cruelty and cowardice at a level that is literally inhuman. The creatures who commit such acts, and those who support them, forsake all claims not just to membership of this or any other country but to humanity itself.’ http://blogs.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/joehildebrand/index.php/dailytelegraph/comments/exclusive_why_we_will_always_win_this_war/

 

20/09/2014: This is a Trail Designs Caldera Cone with a Toaks 1100ml pot & frypan lid. The ‘cone’ plus two titanium pegs weighs 44grams. A ‘floor’ to prevent leaving a burn mark, if you care - & to facilitate lighting weighs about 12 grams. The pot (inc. lid) weighs 156 grams. This cone also fits the Evernew 900ml ultralight deep pot (123 grams inc. lid) – fine for one. I could not believe how QUICKLY it boiled @500ml of water. These pots & etc are about as good as it gets (& surprisingly cheap). You can also use the ‘cone’ as a windscreen if you are using a metho burner (which Rand also sells - also with simmer contro):  http://www.traildesigns.com/stoves/toaks-1100ml-ti-pot-frying-pan-fissure-ti-tri-bundle

 

 

20/09/2014: FREE SPEECH is SO important; our laws against it must be abolished:

 

“If the freedom of speech is taken away then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter.” - George Washington

 

“Whoever would overthrow the liberty of a nation must begin by subduing the freeness of speech.” - Benjamin Franklin

 

“If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear.” - George Orwell

 

“Once a government is committed to the principle of silencing the voice of opposition, it has only one way to go, and that is down the path of increasingly repressive measures, until it becomes a source of terror to all its citizens and creates a country where everyone lives in fear.” - Harry S. Truman

 

“I believe there are more instances of the abridgment of the freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments of those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations.” - James Madison

 

“The moment you say that any idea system is sacred, whether it’s a religious belief system or a secular ideology, the moment you declare a set of ideas to be immune from criticism, satire, derision, or contempt, freedom of thought becomes impossible.” - Salman Rushdie

 

19/09/2014: Looks like Scotland stays with the UK: http://www.bbc.com/news/events/scotland-decides/results

 

19/09/2014: ‘Kill the PM’: That’s one of the monstrous acts these people had in mind (apart from the usual bombings, beheadings etc). They had identified a weakness in Parliament House’s security and planned to storm it and kill our PM and Cabinet. I know that there are those on the Left who would like to see an end to Tony Abbott, but in a civilised society this is done at the ballot box (by a majority of voters), NOT by a few lunatic fringe cult members! http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/terror-raids-red-alert-over-the-plot-to-attack-our-nations-leaders/story-fni0cx12-1227063429358

 

19/09/2014: Shoelaces: usually come undone because you are tying a Granny Knot instead of reversing the handedness between the first and second knot of a Double Knot! There are many other great ways of tying shoelaces, eg: http://www.fieggen.com/shoelace/secureknot.htm

Double Shoelace Knot diagram 4 

 

19/09/2014: BRAVO Larry, an outstanding idea: BAN SHARIA LAW: http://pickeringpost.com/story/mosque-ban-a-pyrrhic-victory/3806 & some reasons why: Sharia is CENTRAL to Islamic belief: if you do not believe these things, you SHOULD be put to death http://pickeringpost.com/story/hello-is-it-the-presbyterian-state-or-the-islamic-state-/3813

‘• Theft is punishable by amputation of the right hand.
• Criticising or denying any part of the Koran is punished by death.
• Criticising Mohammed is punished by death.
• Criticising or denying Allah, the God of Islam, is punished by death.
• Any Muslim who becomes a non-Muslim (apostate) is punished by death.
• Any non-Muslim who leads a Muslim away from Islam is punished by death.
• Any non-Muslim man who marries a Muslim woman is punished by death.
• A man can marry a girl at the age of 6 and he can have sex with the girl but may not penetrate her until she is 9 years old. (What a nice birthday present for a 9 year-old girl.)
• The clitoris of all girls must be cut (per Muhammad's instruction in Book 41, Kitab Al-Adab, Hadith 5251).
• A woman can have only one husband, but a man can have up to four wives.
• A man can unilaterally divorce his wife but a woman needs her husband's consent to divorce.
• A man can beat his wife for disobedience.
• Testimonies of four male witnesses are required to prove rape against a woman.
• A woman who has been raped cannot testify in court against her rapist(s).
• A woman's testimony in court, allowed only in property cases, carries half the weight of the man's testimony.
• A female heir inherits half of what a male heir inherits.
• A woman cannot drive a car.
• A woman cannot speak alone to a man who is not her husband or relative.
• Meat must come from animals that have been sacrificed to Allah in the manner of halal.
• Muslims are commanded to engage in deception and lie to non-Muslims to advance Islam. (Taqiyya)’

 

19/09/2014: 3D printing: cars, houses, what next? http://reason.com/blog/2014/09/16/3d-printing-now-with-more-jet-engine-par & http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-27221199 & http://www.smh.com.au/digital-life/digital-life-news/ten-houses-in-24-hours-from-chinese-companys-3d-printer-20140504-zr4mm.html & http://mashable.com/2014/09/16/first-3d-printed-car/

 

18/09/2014: TERRORISM comes home: Huge raids are taking place RIGHT NOW arresting scores of people who were planning beheadings and mass killings in Sydney: http://www.smh.com.au/national/live-antiterrorism-raids-across-sydney-and-brisbane-20140918-3fzkq.html#ixzz3DclzIwuf

 

18/09/2014: Winter’s harvest: some of our Southern Victorian macadamias, straight off the tree; they sure taste great fresh:

 

18/09/2014: The love of rugby surpasses the love of women (obviously!): http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/lifestyle/relationships/why-travis-mcintosh-and-matt-mccormicks-wedding-angers-gay-groups/story-fni0dpm5-1227055456076

 

 

18/09/2014: Well SAID, Andrew Rule: ‘...you don’t have to be a redneck bigot to be uneasy about border protection that lets so many “diverse communities” into Australia that our police, spooks and military are now desperately playing catch-up before something terrible happens. You don’t have to be a redneck bigot to wonder if we could have our own version of the Rotheram nightmare in England, where gangs of Pakistani men got away with abusing an astonishing number of girls and young women because everyone was too timid to blow the whistle, and those who weren’t too timid were howled down by bureaucrats determined to see no evil. And you don’t have to be a redneck bigot to wonder if Australians are now under threat because of the way we naively followed the marshmallow British system of letting in a tidal wave of people without realising that manipulative crooks can always buy or bash their way to the front of a queue, whether it’s for migration or meal time in jail…’ http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/opinion/theres-a-price-to-pay-for-a-lack-of-vigilance/story-fni0ffyu-1227057480718

 

17/09/2014: The Father’s Day Suluk 46 TDW titanium double wall wood stove (78 grams) in operation. (Notice how cleanly it burns). WHAT a beauty:  http://www.suluk46.com/products%20%20-%20P14%20TDW%20Stove.html

 

17/09/2014: Crazy Green Defence Policy: These folks are apparently SO supportive of decapitation and other environmentally friendly activities they oppose any involvement in Iraq/Syria, arguing instead that it is our Government’s own response to these terrible evils which is creating a greater danger of a terrorist attack in Australia. I figure it goes like this with them: if wicked Tony tells Mustafa he can’t go to Iraq to chop off people’s heads, Mustafa will be VERY ANGRY and want to take out his height adjusting fetishism on the good folks of Oz – so obviously we should DO nothing, just snuggle up to Mustafa and everything will be just fine! These folk are seriously deluded; so is Mustafa!

 

17/09/2014: Shorten IS toast: The guy is a clearly rapist thug who really doesn’t deserve to be out of gaol, and certainly doesn’t deserve to have a chance to run this country. He quite clearly DID rape the teenage girl he was arrested earlier this year for violating; police might not be pursuing this case, but that is not because there IS no case. These things are VERY difficult to gain a conviction over. However, he clearly ruined this young woman’s life and should not get the chance to harm anyone else: http://pickeringpost.com/story/-i-was-raped-by-bill-shorten-kathy/3798 & http://pickeringpost.com/story/-i-was-raped-by-bill-shorten-cont-/3803& http://www.canberratimes.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/royal-commission-told-mushroom-pickers-shortchanged-in-union-deal-20140915-10hcas.html

 

16/09/2014: Hiking Music: I had despaired that everyone had stopped making lightweight mp3 players with speakers, let alone ones which take AAA batteries, but had not considered a digital voice recorder, like this little beauty (http://www.getolympus.com/us/en/ws-802.html) @ 51 grams! They have another model which also has an FM radio. Another maker even has one with an alarm clock feature as well. More research needed. However, I mustn’t take too long deciding, as they will probably stop making these devices as well, thanks to the ubiquitous mobile phone (which is not much use when hiking due to weight, lack of connectivity and recharging issues)!

 

16/09/2014: Bizarre night on SBS: they had a programme on elephant sex, an interesting fetish, no doubt. They chose as their announcer a woman of surprisingly pachydermic appearance whom one could readily believe had all the practical first-hand knowledge to make her a renowned expert in this field: you know the type of dirigible you see at lunchtimes in shopping centres if you are retired, don’t work or happen to work there. We watched an old Western instead…

 

16/09/2014: It is really astonishing that both ‘sides’ of British politics are urging Scots to vote, ‘No!’ Scotland is pretty much nothing but a welfare basket case. If these chronically dependent folk vote to cut themselves off from mummy’s apron strings it will be an enormous saving for England (and a huge surprise to all those welfare luvvies when they find out that the free ride is over!) I urge that we (similarly) have a vote for ‘aboriginal independence’ (& etc) in Australia. THAT (tautology) would have pretty much the same effect! If Scotland votes, ‘Yes’ it will turn into an economic basket case: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/scottish-independence/11092522/This-is-no-dream-Scotland-is-sleepwalking-into-a-nightmare.html & http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/09/13/up-to-a-point-a-free-scotland-would-be-a-hilarious-disaster.html

 

15/09/2014: Must teach Spot to do this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewdbilSWjaM

 

15/09/2014: Labor’s Defence policy: build more submarines here which don’t work so that we will continue to have a one submarine fleet after 2030 (as now), and flood the country with more Moslems. That will make us safe!

 

15/09/2014: OUR Federal Government: We should certainly give them a chance; the makeup of the Abbott Government is VERY different from the coterie of party apparatchiks and trade union hacks which IS Labor. For example, ‘there are three Rhodes Scholars: Abbott, Malcolm Turnbull, and Angus Taylor. Two more ministers have degrees from Oxford University: George Brandis QC, and Josh Frydenberg, who has the added distinction of a masters degree from Harvard. Two other MPs also have masters degrees from Harvard, among the seven MBAs, two MPAs and four PhDs on the government benches. Two more have masters of philosophy from Cambridge. Fulbright scholar Greg Hunt has an MA from Yale. Former WA treasurer Christian Porter has an impressive four degrees. And he’s a backbencher. Three government MPs are medical doctors, including Dr David Gillespie, a gastroenterologist who won independent Rob Oakeshott’s old seat of Lyne. He is also a farmer, one of 16 in government. There are also teachers, bankers, journalists, engineers, research scientists, economists, small business owners, a shearer, a carpenter, a wool classer, an air traffic controller and even a crocodile catcher…’ http://blogs.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/mirandadevine/index.php/dailytelegraph/comments/why_the_libs_are_ruddy_marvellous/

 

15/09/2014:Indeed:

image

 

14/09/2014: The 1940 movie ‘Northwest Passage’ (Spencer Tracy http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0032851/ ) which we watched a couple of nights ago, is another historic gem which loses nothing from the fact that the events depicted (Rogers’ Rangers) were actually TRUE. In another Northwest Passage update (maritime rather than land-based – as in the previous example) I see that they have found ONE of Franklin’s ships (at last – after 170 years of searching). I can only hope that it is the ‘Erebus’, Captain Francis Crozier’s ship on Ross’s Antarctic expedition (one of my own Della Crozier’s remote ancestors) who walked (poorly prepared for doing so) at least 1200 miles towards the post at Hudsons Bay only to perish (as one version has it) in the last twenty miles (his body has never been found). He started out from the wreck of his ship, ‘Terror’ with at least eighty men and was only one of FOUR still going when last seen (by Eskimos), easily spotted because of his red beard and hair (which still crops up now and again in the family). Woodman, ‘Unravelling the Franklin Mystery’ (1992) and ‘Strangers Among Us’ (1995) wrote of Inuit reports that between 1852 and 1858 Crozier and one other expedition member were seen in the Baker Lake area (further hundreds of miles) where in 1948 Farley Mowat found ‘a very ancient cairn, not of normal Eskimo construction’ inside which were shreds of a hardwood box with dovetail joints. If this is so, he was one tough dude and survived at least 13 years in the Arctic long after all the others had perished. There are (occasionally) fair children born to Inuit people in the area. It may be that he will one day be seen as the greatest Arctic voyager. One of Australia’s only active volcanoes, Mt Erebus as well as Cape Crozier in Antarctica, were named by/after him. In an interesting ‘global warming’ slant, the two ships sailed into an open lead back then (1845) which closed over with ice (trapping them) and has mostly remained closed SINCE then, ie it was warmer THAT year in the Arctic than pretty much any year since!

Northwest Passage (1940) Poster

 

14/09/2014: Swingler’s ‘Portal’ on the Upper Thomson River: This is the type of weir which could be built CHEAPLY on a number of other rivers (Aberfeldy, Macalister, Barkly, Moroka, Wonnangatta, etc) to increase (Read: ‘DOUBLE’) Melbourne’s water supply by diverting some of the surplus winter flow. As you can see it takes up only about an acre! No flooding of ‘wild rivers’ etc. Of course you would need to construct ‘fish ladders’ and diversions for canoeists, as well as supply tunnels. (You have to walk in @ 2km off the Marshall Spur Rd off the Thomson Valley Rd behind Mt Baw Baw to see this weir – a worthwhile walk. (PS Ignore the ‘Keep Out’ signage). Such weirs could be easily paid for by dredging the billions of dollars of gold still along the Jordan’s alluvial flats. This might also help eradicate the dreadful blackberry menace there. They are @ 12’ high with trunks as thick as your wrist. There are few places even where deer can push through them (VERY good shooting spots if you are hound hunting)! In such a spot, as they burst through the tunnel startled by the hounds, in Poole’s Gully nearby on the Jordan, an old (departed) friend of mine Arthur Meyers, shot three trophy stags in as many minutes in 1962, (laying them down next to each other like lovers) one of which remains the largest sambar stag ever taken in Australia! Very few people have ever seen this monster trophy – I wonder what became of it after Arthur’s passing?

Swingler's 'Portal' 10th August 2009

14/09/2014: Poster love: I REALLY recoil from these awful protestations of (undying) love eg for one’s children/mother/horse/car etc. If you can’t think of anything to SAY (or indeed, DO) yourself, maybe don’t say anything. It all rings so FALSE. I doubt we have EVER told our children we love them (if we had it would have been said in private!): they would have to be much duller than they otherwise appear to be to have failed to notice, that through our every day actions (and words), we have substantiated our love quite satisfactorily - without descending into insincere (often self-contradictory) protestations, or maudlin sentimentality. ENOUGH of the awful posters and their wretched homilies!

 

13/09/2014: ‘Big Jule’s Performance’: Lots of folks of a Leftist persuasion have been ‘celebrating’ this, thus revealing (aside stupendous prejudice) an abysmal ignorance of the case - and due process! Of course the ‘accused’ in any ‘trial’ can be expected to give a ‘creditable’ performance. After all this is his/her only chance to convince the judge/jury of their innocence in the face of (in this case particularly) overwhelming EVIDENCE to the CONTRARY. You MUST have THOUGHT Oscar Pistorius’ performance was impressive too. The Royal Commission is now investigating (what remains) the second largest FRAUD in Australia’s history (that perpetrated under the guise of the AWU Workplace Reform Association) by herself, Blewitt and Wilson. ALL the details of the case have been confirmed by evidence so far. The LARGEST fraud (also involving her and Wilson) regarding theft of nearly twice as much ($880,000 1992 dollars) from the miners’ Funeral Fund is yet to be investigated. The Commission has already heard testimony from a large number of witnesses AND has at its disposal (but not yet presented to the ‘accused’) a large body of other evidence. It is not the role of the RC to present or prosecute a case. This will come later. Let’s just look at HER response to TWO crucial aspects of her malfeasance. As an aside, I assume, listeners are aware that her claiming ignorance of the LAW (was laughable & received so by the Commission!), ie. in (knowingly and fraudulently) setting up the Association (&) will not be considered a defence, especially when the (vital) aspects of the law were set out on the pro-forma she filled in to do so (ie the PURPOSE of the Association). She SAYS/SAID (the purpose was) ‘election funding’ yet PROCESSED a cheque (deposit) with that Association’s name PRINTED on it as the drawer for the PURCHASE OF A HOUSE by her boyfriend. She also attended the auction for this house AND admitted taking part in the BIDDING. She will be found to be guilty of being a party to this fraud, prior to its occurring, during its progress, and AFTER the event. She did not (at any point) when she became aware of it either ‘end the relationship’ with Wilson, or notify her employers, OR the Vic Police.

 

The first issue is her (forged) witnessed ‘Power of Attorney’ document (used to purchase a house by Wilson). She swore (under oath) that she had never witnessed a document in the absence of the person she was witnessing. The Commission has access to her Appointment Book from Slater & Gordon (on that day) as well as airline records, both of which PROVE Blewitt and her were NOT together when the document was witnessed (a fact which Blewitt also confirmed in HIS testimony). Indeed it was post-dated, and NEVER EVEN EXISTED on the day the house was purchased using its ‘power’. This fraud (and her PERJURY about it), is enough IN ITSELF to see her receive a prison sentence.

 

The SECOND crucial testimony (concerning whether she had personally benefited from the fraud) revolves around her BOMBSHELL ‘confession’ that she had paid for every aspect of the renovation by writing cheques against invoices held. If she EVER had such documentary evidence she would NEVER have destroyed it, as she has been under threat of investigation over this matter since BEFORE she was SACKED by Slater & Gordon in 1994! Yet she ‘expects’ the Commission to BELIEVE that she ONCE had this documentation (1995). This revelation was received by the Commission with stunned DISBELIEF (some lawyers present even LAUGHED – as you may have noticed Mr Stojer also do at an earlier implausible point in the proceedings!) She then blithely told the Commission that it was a pity her bank records NO LONGER EXIST as SHE would have presented them in evidence. (Oh, YES!) She had better be right that they do not exist, as they will show the deposit of $5,000 of STOLEN funds into her account as witnessed by Mr Hems! I think it is very likely the Commission ALREADY has these records…And so it goes on. She AND her supporters can (apparently) continue in their ‘fool’s paradise’ that she ‘did nothing wrong’ until such (a) day as she is dragged (justly) kicking and screaming off to the hoosegow!

 

13/09/2014: The Thomson Dam is nearly full right now. Only a couple of years ago the river/gully was just a trickle along its bottom and I was contemplating a once-in-a-lifetime canoe trip along the length of the empty dam (I only wish I had!) I did hunt/hike it though; the photos I took of the stream at the bottom of the dam I could easily JUMP over (@150 metres below the surface today)! It is a large storage. Melbourne’s water usage (with the addition of over a million people since it was built) now requires additional CATCHMENT. Some weirs need to be built along streams higher up (eg the Aberfeldy, Macalister/Barkly, Moroka, Wonnangatta etc to channel some of the surplus winter flows INTO the storages so that at this time of the year they would all be FULL. (This would have been most preferable to building the useless, costly desal plant Labor required, as NO additional land would need to have been flooded) You can view eg the weirs at the Easton and Swingler’s ‘portals’ on the Upper Thomson to see what I had in mind. Interestingly, these weirs/tunnels COULD be built at NO cost if dredging for gold (and environmental restitution) was allowed (eg) along the Jordan River whose (blackberry buried) alluvial flats yet contain at least $10 BILLION worth of GOLD!

 

Thomson River at bottom of Thomson dam May 2010: Note 'line' of 'normal' water level on the hill in the background. It was dry for a long while' note the growth of trees/shrubs along the bottom.

 

13/09/2014: Quotable quote: Tim Blair; O so true: ‘On September 11, 2001, 19 middle-class Islamists financed by a multi-millionaire murdered nearly 3000 men, women and children in the United States. Leftists have spent the subsequent 13 years complaining about climate change, Israel, sexism, racism, homophobia and the gap between rich and poor.’

 

12/09/2014: Yesterday we spent 9 hours driving (mainly) and poking about in a (partial) circumnavigation of the Thomson and Jordan Rivers, one of my old hunting grounds. It still takes nearly 3 hours to drive each way (eg) to Mt Victor Spur Track (allegedly the site of a ‘Sweeney Todd’ hostelry during the 1860s) where I used to BEGIN hunting c7:00am, hunt till after dark, spend a few hours having a cook-up/yarning around the fire/waiting for hounds, then drive home. When we lived at Tarwin Lower it was another hour each way, so that often nearly 24 hours had gone by since I woke up. After a short rest I would be up again at 7:00am to go fox hunting all day around the Tarwin Flats. I wonder whether I will ever recover anywhere near THAT level of fitness? There IS a big difference between being 40 and 65!

Marshall Spur Track Upper Thompson River

 

Victor Spur Track Upper Jordan River

PS & NB: The firebreaks they have constructed around the Thompson Catchment make excellent private camping areas – plenty of firewood available too!

 

12/09/2014: At @$22K a lion is probably outside my price bracket, but there are some interesting critters (impala, warthogs, etc) which seem like a reasonable bargain @ $400. $35K for an elephant seems reasonable too, but I may not be affording one any time soon (unless the stock market picks up substantially anyway!): http://www.africanskyhunting.co.za/pricelist.html

An eland hunted in the Free State.

Impala

12/09/2014: Peltiers #2: I am surprised that hybrid cars do not recover electricity from waste exhaust/radiator/engine heat via peltiers/stirling cycle engines etc to recharge the battery and boost overall fuel efficiency.

 

11/09/2014: ENVY: A friend of mine is in Africa hunting and shooting things; sounds like he is having a wonderful time. Every day there is talk of a new successful stalk, an impala or warthog taken, etc. Wonder how much it costs…Oh well, there are plenty of sambar deer here in Vic yet. May be time for a couple of days up the bush?

 

11/09/2014: I HAD been thinking that it would be somewhat of a disaster for civilisation if the upcoming Scottish referendum resulted in the break-up of the United Kingdom (what I had always called just ‘England’ most of my life – soon to be literally true it would seem). I had not realised that it is Scotland which ‘causes’ British Labour Governments. (No wonder Cameron AND Millebrand are both there campaigning for a ‘No’ vote!) Perhaps here in Oz we should divest ourselves of TASMANIA &/or SA for the same reason? http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/scotland/11086063/Labour-could-win-next-election-but-only-if-Scotland-votes-No.html

 

11/09/2014: You could certainly learn a few lessons from Charlie White, dead at 109, eg ‘he leapt at the chance to learn anaesthesia at the Mayo Clinic. That was 1944. He later learned that his specialty had side benefits; Charlie confided to me that he rendered his kids unconscious for long drives across Kansas on their way to vacations in Colorado.’ “Because I could not stop for Death—He kindly stopped for me.” (E.D.)  http://time.com/3148628/worlds-oldest-people-life-lessons/

Charlie White

10/09/2014: PC gone MAD: http://legalinsurrection.com/2014/08/16-year-old-arrested-for-writing-about-killing-a-dinosaur-for-school-project/

10/09/2014: WHAT an interesting idea. Make your own ‘Hitler reacts to…’ (eg Climate change, Moslem immigrants, creeping feminism, bad weather, etc, etc) here: http://downfall.jfedor.org/

10/09/2014: Another diddums moment! After doing a bit of mayhem and decapitation, these British jihadists want to come home. (No doubt we will have a few like this soon – perhaps better to leave them to their ‘just deserts’? - sic) No wonder the terrorist threat level is likely to be raised to HIGH: http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/news/world/middleeast/article4197191.ece

 

09/09/2014: ‘The Big Trail’ (1930). DO download this old movie – one of John Wayne’s first. I guess it is the precursor to (and maybe the model for my favourite western TV series (‘Wagon Train’), but I think the earlier version has a greater verisimilitude: I particularly ‘liked’ the heavy manual work the gals were doing. Lots of early ‘feminist’ wood chopping & etc. Horses AND mules AND bullocks (dogs, cats, chickens, pigs…) Old movies are the BEST movies.

 

09/09/2014: Some fathers ARE spoiled! Yesterday I received this excellent gift: http://www.suluk46.com/products%20%20-%20P14%20TDW%20Stove.html It will save nearly 3 oz from my pack weight! Yesterday morning I tried boiling the billy on it…and, it is a BEAUTY. I thought NOTHING would surpass the Bushbuddy Ultra (http://bushbuddy.ca/indexs.html) but I was wrong (as usual?) The saving in weight is  enough Bacardi 151 to work up quite a glow! This Suluk stove actually burns BETTER than the Bushbuddy AND is easier to ‘feed’. Thanks a million Della! We use these stoves even where (open) fires are prohibited (ie canister stoves only required) as they fulfil all the requirements really, ie the fire is contained; it ‘leaves no trace’ (you can even have it burning on the palm of your hand – so it certainly won’t scorch the ground); it is not in any way injurious to the environment, which can certainly spare a handful of twigs! Of course the (true) beauty of such a cooking system is LIGHTNESS: there is no fuel to carry: this beauty weighs less than the burners of the lightest canister stove (sans canister), so prpbably represents a saving of up to half a kilo (that’s a day’s food!) on a multi-day trip!

TDW Stove

 

09/09/2014: ‘Ju-Liar’ Day folks! A wet day anyway, so why not curl up in front of the TV and enjoy her performance’ before the Royal Commission: it should make an interesting prelude to her appearance before the courts in the not too distant future…And, ‘OH, YES!’. Paul Sheehan: http://www.smh.com.au/comment/two-shades-of-limelight-for-julia-gillard-with-royal-commission-and-memoir-launch-20140907-10dljw.html I’d say this is the first time since she was sacked from S & G she has been questioned by anything other than her tame acolytes (eg at the ABC – of course no mention from them of this upcoming event on the news this morning) well trained in ignoring/obfuscating evidence against her. Today we will see just what sort of creature we had as PM! Have a nice day!

 

08/09/2014: Return of the (large) predators: Sounds like the title of a new B-rated movie, I know – but Europe is now home to @ 17,000 brown bears, 12,000 wolves and 9,000 lynx. To put that in perspective there are@ 32,000 lions in Africa and 2,000 tigers in India. These large predators have returned to areas where they had not existed for HUNDREDS of years. This transformation is NOT due to conservation, but to WESTERN AGRICULTURE which has fed/clothed an increasing population from a smaller and smaller quantity of ‘good land’, enabling the return of the more marginal land (@ one-third of the total area) to wilderness. As Western agriculture transforms the Third World too, we can expect to see huge improvements there in the future – as well as the ability to (better) feed the burgeoning human population. This is the biggest win/win for science (NOT activism – which would have had the opposite result!) in history. http://www.theguardian.com/science/animal-magic/2014/aug/08/slavc-wolf-migration-europe

It's estimated there are now around 10,000 wolves in Europe. 

 

08/09/2014: Cherry blossom: you might have noticed (in Merrin’s photos over the last few days) that the cherry plums are blossoming all over our little valley. I guess there are a couple of dozen of them. One is right outside our bedroom window, and though the fruit are fairly indifferent (to us) they are not so to the myriad parrots, etc who flock to devour them in early summer. It makes a very pretty display these mornings when you are dressing, combing your (scant) hair, etc. I WAS for removing/replacing it, but Della decided on a ‘good haircut’ (for it!) instead. This morning it is clearly overjoyed with (the result and) Spring!

 

08/09/2014: Time to have another drink: abstinence is REALLY bad for you, but quite heavy drinking is in fact MUCH better: http://www.psmag.com/navigation/health-and-behavior/truth-wont-admit-drinking-healthy-87891/

 

07/09/2014: Maybe you (figure you) don’t need a walking stick (or two) but when you work out you do, (or that a couple will reduce the effort of hiking by 50%+ and reduce the chances of falls by @100%), maybe you will be ready to try the LT4s. They only weigh @ 119 grams (about HALF a conventional pole) each, yet are strong enough to support MY weight (and that is SOME recommendation!) You can usually use them as the tent poles for one or other lightweight tent too. Two poles can be added together to make quite a tent pole, eg we used the upper section and TWO lower sections (you Have to pop out the little cork circle in the handle to do this) to form a 6’+ centre pole for our Mountain Laurel Designs ‘Supermid’ (sleeps 4!) pyramid tent on our walk across Tasmania. I woud not buy the ones with straps as I would not USE straps. I usually add a loop of very lightweight spectra and a micro cord lock to each pole for those occasions when you want to hang them on your wrist eg to take a photo, or so you don’t drop them when crossing a walkwire. It is better NOT to walk with the string (or a strap) attached to your wrist: that is how Della dislocated her shoulder on the Dusky Track (thus ending our hike – apart from a rather miserable struggle to a relatively nearby spot where a helicopter could land!) As we crossed a giant boulder she slipped, and slid down its face. She would only have sustained (maybe) a couple of bruises to her bottom, but she had the loops  around her wrist, and as she slid down, one of the poles caught in a tree root and hanged her by it - thus dislocating her shoulder. Sometimes too it is good to be able to let go of the poles and be able to grab a handhold such as a tree etc: http://gossamergear.com/trekking/trekking/lt4-trekking-poles-all.html

 

07/09/2014: A brief history of decapitation (with some charming anecdotes): http://pjmedia.com/michaelledeen/2014/09/04/chopping-off-heads/?singlepage=true I see the colourful practice IS spreading, with Brazilian prisoners having a turn at it last week and an Islamic murderer shortening a little old lady in London this week. What a heartbreak old world you ARE!

 

07/09/2014: Charity: We used to rack up a fair tax deduction in this category once, but the ‘charity’ mobsters have cruelled their pitch as far as I’m concerned. Partly, the BARRAGE of tele-marketers has been a turn off, especially when some of them are just charities we (used to support) continually ‘bothering’ us. Then, there have been the revelations about the (tiny) quantum of donations which actually go to the ‘causes’ they claim to support (rather than to the pockets of the collectors, administrators, etc). One ‘charity’ even employed a ‘collection agency’ to PENALISE us because our ‘donation’ was LATE! THE END, I’m afraid. I have never been much ‘into’ Christianity or guilt-trips anyway. We will be quietly generous towards the folks we WANT to support, and the others can go beg! There is not so much money to waste on ‘good causes’ as there once was, anyway!

 

06/09/2014: My breakfast this morning is a piece of toast with Della’s quince jelly: a taste of autumn in early Spring. Quinces are great trees living @ 800 years and producing up to a tonne of fruit every year with (practically) NO care at all: drop by @ Easter time and I will give you a quince whose seeds will grow trees true to type, so that you can plant (some) yourselves.

 

06/09/2014: BBC ‘Under Milk Wood’: Watched this last night. It was surprisingly good, even though we both know this wonderful play be heart!

 

06/09/2014: ‘There is no statistical difference between the rate of warming over the 27 years from 1917-1944 and the 25 years from 1975/1976 to 2000’:

image http://wattsupwiththat.com/2014/09/03/laughable-new-paper-claims-99-999-certainty-global-warming-over-past-25-years-is-man-made/

 

06/09/2014: And Merrin Again: We must have gotten a bit fitter since yesterday because today we got another fifteen trees planted in record time. That brings our total to sixty trees on the block. Hooray! There'll be more to plant in the future but we have probably earned a little break. Now we just need some spring rain to water them all in. We also spotted a stray chicken in the driveway, couldn't catch it though. Thanks Della and Steve! Today's additions were: 2 English Oaks, 2 Chinese Elms, 2 Japanese Maples (acer palmatum), 3 Silver Birch, Natchez Crepe Myrtle, Forsythia, Washington Navel Orange, Lemonade Lemon, Magnolia Rustica Rubra and Plumcot (plum/apricot).

 

05/09/2014: Merrin again: We've now planted 45 trees so far on the block and have another 15 ready to put in tomorrow. I can't wait for them to take off! Thanks again to Della and Steve for helping me to get our future garden established. The sheep are going to love the garden we have made for them for the time being! Also thanks to Matt for being kind about me going wild with the credit card. As you can see we filled the car with only just enough room left to fit us in there with all of the trees. Hehe! Nobody can keep up with the joneses when it comes to planting trees...Today's additions were:
Manzanilla Olive, Golden Rain Tree, Nettle Tree (celtis australis), Yunnan Poplar, Ginkgo, Sugar Maple, Moorpark Apricot, Trevatt Apricot, Corella Pear, Granny Smith Apple, Golden Delicious Apple, Red Fuji Apple, Paradise Cocktail Pear, Santa Rosa Plum and Williams Pear.

 

 

 

 

Della: Beautiful and useful trees, mostly fruit trees with a few deciduous exotics at this stage. The surrounding hills are full of natives; Merrin and Matt are improving the landscape, not just adding more of the same. The native wildlife will no doubt find it a great place to visit, as they do our garden.

 

Hopefully they will BECOME indigenous and push aside some of the dreadfully useless, ugly native rubbish!

 

05/09/2014: I DO like THIS:

RC invite

 

05/09/2014: People are always dragging out this old chestnut. Don’t I think We (?) should share with 'The Disadvantaged’, or ‘The Unfortunate’. There are all sorts of words which conceal an insipient theology. I MIGHT also call such folks ‘improvident’ but that would reveal just the same assumption ie that it is NOT THEIR FAULT, but (they) are victims of some sort, as we would all be if we could not bear to ‘get off our arses’. They could not be eg ‘lazy’, ‘spendthrift’, bone idle’, ‘undeserving’…could they? This fellow said to me the other day, ‘Oh, I don’t mind sharing with such folk…’ I said to him, ‘Look mate, you share your money with whomever you like, – as we all do (or don’t!). Go right ahead! I would be interested to see YOUR tax returns showing evidence of your impressive charity though. Just don’t try to legislate to make me do the same’. Unfortunately such folk DO want to force us to do so. ‘Stand and deliver’ rings out from every street corner from these eternal ‘Robin Hoods’, but when they are stealing from the hard-working 50% to give to the indolent 50%, I rather resent it. Especially as the recipients have often (over time) received rather more without any effort on their behalf, for DOING nothing - than I have from my earnings, but THEY have just frittered it all away…

 

05/09/2014: When CHESS became a contact sport: ‘Competitor dies in the middle of a match during Chess Olympiad in Norway and another is found dead in hotel room’… http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2014/aug/15/deaths-world-chess-olympiad-norway

 

05/09/2014: Beware: the Ice Age IS coming: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2738653/Stunning-satellite-images-summer-ice-cap-thicker-covers-1-7million-square-kilometres-MORE-2-years-ago-despite-Al-Gore-s-prediction-ICE-FREE-now.html

 

04/09/2014: We have just watched the WORST movie of all time, ‘Journey to the Seventh Planet (1962). This is the cinematic equivalent of Guy N Smith’s blockbuster worst book of all time, ‘The Slime Beast ( a must read). You do not need to be smashed or on any psychedelic drugs to enjoy this film. It is simply AWFUL. I will not spoil anything about the incredibly improbable plot, the awesomely bad acting or the dreadful props by enticing you any further. Just download it, quaff a few magic mushrooms or a gallon or so of red wine (whatever your poison is) and ENJOY! (Ditto ‘The Slime Beast’)

 

04/09/2014: Pain is such a pointless thing mostly, especially with regard to chronic conditions (sciatica, arthritis…) where one is surely well aware that there is a problem (and nothing to be done). Any God who ‘designed’ such a system was not ‘on the side of the angels’, but rather of the DEMONS!

 

04/09/2014: ‘Life WILL find a way’: http://wattsupwiththat.com/2014/08/22/life-found-below-antarctica/

 

04/09/2014: Merrin: Let there be MORE TREES: Another day, another fifteen trees planted! That brings the total to around thirty on our block. And still more to go...Today's additions were: Magnolias x3 (orchid, ricki and galaxy), Peppercorn Tree, Cape Virgilia, Irish Strawberry Tree, Wattle, Andean Walnut, Pin Oak, Holm Oak, Lipstick Maple, Pink Judas Tree, Feijoa and x2 Bunya Bunya

 

 

04/09/2014: Various lefties have been posting that the Govt’s deferral of super increases is somehow a blow to workers, but these ‘increases’ were to come from DECLINING wages, so the Government’s deferral is ensuruing wages increase or remain stable. Those who wish (they should!) can still make a (Tax concessional) deduction TO their super account (if they so wish) OR they can pay off their mortgage – whichever financial strategy best suits their present financial situation: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-opinion/superannuation-the-coalition-helps-the-workers-20140902-10bfmg.html#ixzz3CCV9mpAO

 

03/09/2014: Probably too late? Rally Against Abbott, 16th November 2014: If this was anywhere near so, the tax would not be raising a mere $344 million over the forward estimates (four years!) The mining companies CREATE the resources with their investment, (which in many cases will take up to ten years to develop) and which will not pay a profit over the investment costs for twenty years, and can only be undertaken if there is confidence of a continuation of similar economic circumstances for eg forty years. This is why so many projects have been cancelled, mines closed and investment moved to less risky countries such as Guinea and Mongolia! Yes! If you want Australia to decline away to Third World status (quite quickly, circa the next ten years) support the rally. If not, support the repeal of this odious tax, its associated spending, AND necessary economic and labour market reforms which will build future prosperity. https://www.facebook.com/268705539967803/photos/a.268715549966802.1073741828.268705539967803/293531167485240/?type=1

 

03/09/2014: Now, HERE is an interesting topic: what to do with your savings…have I lost you already? What? Don’t have any savings? Just hoping someone else comes to the party if that rainy day does come along, which it will, eventually? Just can’t be bothered? Much more fun to blow it all and party on? Ourselves, though we never earned vast piles of money, we saved what we could (mostly in property) and have now invested in over 150 private companies listed on the ASX. OUR fortunes rise (or fall) with them. As does whatever income we receive, even though we may be eligible for the pension – but what sort of person WANTS charity? Why? Because we believe in capitalism (and self-sufficiency - which means more than our extensive vegetable garden, orchards etc)! Statists too should put their money where their mouths are - instead of just waiting for the Government to bail them out, and provide FOR them - against all wisdom, morality and economic sense? I cannot see WHY Australians cannot tip a little more of their OWN money into their super accouts!

 

03/09/2014: I really don’t mind getting junk email with links like this: http://www.cabelas.com/?WT.tsrc=EML&WT.mc_id=email-nl&eid=26176709&cmp=EP20140804&seg=EPP0ALL&cnt=11065&ctb=LOGO

 

03/09/2014: While I do not resile from anything I said about fresh food (above), however I have to admit I WAS confusing ‘rickets’ with other vitamin deficiencies. Rickets (Vitamin D deficiency) is mostly caused by insufficient SUNSHINE, so we would expect it to be more common for example amongst dark-skinned people who have moved to high latitudes (such as the UK) particularly as they may be spending too much time indoors or ‘rugged up’. Interestingly enough I have been diagnosed as being (marginally) Vitamin D deficient (despite my ruddy complexion & etc), and have been taking increasing levels of supplementation to avoid eg osteoporosis, Alzheimers, etc which might become a result.

 

03/09/2014: How LONG does the ‘pause’ in ‘global warming’ have to continue before ‘alarmists’ admit they were WRONG: http://wattsupwiththat.com/2014/09/01/new-paper-on-the-pause-says-it-is-19-years-at-surface-and-16-26-years-at-the-lower-troposphere/

 

02/09/2014: Further to my recent post about marshmallows: the nanny state gone totally MAD: http://www.theblaze.com/blog/2014/08/29/government-publishes-detailed-instructions-on-how-to-safely-roast-marshmallows/

campfire

 

02/09/2014: ‘Rickets returns as poor families find healthy diets unaffordable’: I just don't think this is true: I went past Centrelink just yesterday: my impression was that practically everyone on 'welfare' SMOKES. Another eg: potatoes are quite inexpensive: much less so than fries or crisps anyway, as is cabbage; and anyway: you can GROW your own vegies pretty much for FREE (though I KNOW that might involve WORK) - something which I have noticed the 'disadvantaged' have an aversion to! You can also raise a few chooks/rabbits in the backyard and/or take up a spot of recreational hunting/fishing… http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/aug/30/child-poverty-link-malnutrition-rickets

 

Replies to comments: Well, a spot of fishing/hunting (as well as raising eg chooks/rabbits in the back yard) can certainly supplement the larder (and is good for the soul as well). We have certainly been doing all these things all our lives, so that even though our income might often have been what would be regarded as 'disadvantaged', we have always eaten well- if not too much!

 

I really think people could teach themselves that fresh food and vegetables are best, and surely there are plenty of books, websites etc devoted to gardening, fishing, etc?

 

I should think they could, yes, even if they lived in a HC flat (and gave up smoking). A walk around a few suburban blocks and along a railway easement would provide quite a lot of wild food and hanging fruit from other peoples' trees. And there are eg hares and pigeons to catch in such places - and many othe animals besides. In the urban rivers/shores there are also many fish to be caught. And this is as well as the idea that they might buy and cook fresh fruit and vegies instead of eating rubbish, take-aways and etc. Look, get over this victim nonsense. People are poor (in our society) because they WILL not lift themselves out of their situation - and for NO OTHER REASON. The more you 'help' them, the worse they will become. People need to stand on their own two feet and work hard. Do you think I have never been poor? I KNOW!

 

You just want to find victims al la 1950's communist ideology when the reality of C21st is utterly different, here and elsewhere. The issue raised was whether rickets has returned because the poor cannot afford food which would prevent it. As I have pointed out, there is plenty of food available both in the supermarket (and cheaper than what they eat now), in the wild (even in the city), from their own resources (wherever they live) not only to prevent rickets but to provide healthy, wholesome nutrition. PS: you don't need a gun (or Centrelink to issue a gun - WHY this bizarre dependency?) to catch a hare, a pigeon, a rat, a sparrow, a starling (there is an abundance of fresh meat available free even in the city); snares are very inexpensive: as I said before, there is a wealth of info available on how to grow your own food, how to trap or snare animals for food & etc, shoud people want/need to. If people have a poor diet, it is THEIR faullt, not 'the system's'. It is their lifestyle CHOICE - but when I see these 'welfare elephants' everywhere (as YOU do too), smoking and drinking Jim Beam's (or eating Maca’s) at 9:00am, I really doubt your SANITY that you think that someone else is to BLAME for their 'plight'.

 

There IS no argument against FACTS which is largely what I have been presenting. I have no (personal) experience of the situation in England though I know rickets (not to mention an epidemic of diabetes, etc) has re-emerged here amongst the poor (largely due to their poor diet and lack of exercise). I restate: it IS a dietary CHOICE: fast food is not (and never is) cheaper than quality food you prepare yourself, particulalry if you grew, gathered, hunted or fished for it yourself. So, poverty IS no excuse. I know the Cameron Government has made a determined effort on unemployment and is attempting to wind back the 'welfare state' - which can only be a good thing. No doubt also, it is always possible to find examples of 'collateral damage' in this process. A certain number of 'bruises' and 'contusions' MAY be necessary before people DO learn to stand on their own two feet and fend for themselves, (as such people have become so ‘spoiled’), but the process is entirely for their own good in the long run, and the good of society. Dependence on Government (or one's fellows) is ALWAYS base and demeaning.

 

I should also mention that when our kids were little and we were both working two jobs to support them, pay child care, the mortgage, afford to go out to work & etc, a couple or three times a week I used to get a box of 'spoiled' fruit and vegies from the supermarket (FREE!). A little bit of WORK with a knife cutting off the bad bits produced heaps of tasty, wholesome nutrition. We were always hard put to get ENOUGH fruit and vegies for our kids - as they would eat a whole box of nectarines (say) in a day - whenever they got the chance. I am happy to say they got lots of chances.

 

I object to your depiction of our utilising 'waste' food which would only have gone to landfill as a 'handout'. I outlined a number of strategies which the 'poor' could utilise to improve their diet. I should also have mentioned laying in preserves, something which is cheap and easy - and which we have also always done. PS: You will no doubt be pleased to know we no longer choose to be poor; this is mainly because we SAVED all our lives!

 

Incidentally, regarding preserves: If you don't own a Vacola unit, you can do this in the microwave using jars and lids you bought things in from the supermarket. Lots of links on how to do this on the Net. Della often does it with jams & condiments.

02/09/2014: Holy Cow! Seagate is now shipping 8tb hard drives: http://www.gizmag.com/seagate-8tb-hdd/33541/

Seagate has begun shipping the world's largest capacity HDD (Photo: Shutterstock)

01/09/2014: HAPPY little Vegemites? Take a LOOK at the jar, folks, right next to the Aussie kangaroo you will see another symbol which says ‘AFIC’ and Halal Authority’ with some Arabic writing which probably translates as ‘Support Jihad’! This now appears (at a cost of $30,000 per MONTH to EACH producer) on just about every food ‘made in Australia? This is just like it saying on each item ‘brought to you by the MAFIA’. ‘Where do all these billions (so raised) GO’, you ask: Well, just guessing: but someone is arming monsters like ISIS and PAYING for the overseas trips of their Aussie ‘freedom fighters’ – don’t you think? Islam is a POLITICAL movement. Its status as a RELIGION needs to be removed. Its adherents need to be deported!

 

01/09/2014: ‘Pride goeth’…etc: We THINK we are travelling well until confronted by such ‘realities’ as this. Della & I help out at our children’s store weekends to give them a break…a significant number of the customers believe Della is another of my DAUGHTERS! And here I used to kid her (since she was about 40 (that) I should trade HER in on two half her age! Seems the tables have turned. ‘Vanity thy name is man’ as the bard said: I wonder whether I should banish the white beard, but both dyeing (affectation) and shaving (emasculation) would take up some months (collectively) of what little time (seemingly) I have left…

 

Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer's lease hath all too short a date:
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimm'd;
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance or nature's changing course untrimm'd;
But thy eternal summer shall not fade
Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest;
Nor shall Death brag thou wander'st in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou growest:
  So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,
  So long lives this and this gives life to thee.

 

01/09/2014: Yesterday I succeeded in getting a new audiogram, so I was able to come home and readjust my hearing aids: WECOME BACK WORLD! My hearing was down another 5dB (the worst point being NOW 80) so it IS only a matter of time before I really will be ignoring everyone! For the moment though, it IS so nice to hear (eg) what Della says…except, I think she is saying I should get off the computer, and DO something useful! PS: For those who came in late, can I recommend Cosco for hearing aids (if you don’t feel able to learn to adjust your own)  at @ $2500 per pair, or this guy in the States who will sell you the top of the range Siemens (eg Aquaris waterproof – which I have) for just over $3,000: http://www.thehearingcompany.com/

 

01/09/2014: I have been reading about the Pacific Crest Trail. Some parts of this must be SO beautiful. Maybe something for your ‘bucket list’ (At least hiking IS cheap and affordable!) http://www.cherylstrayed.com/wild_108676.htm  & http://freedirtmonger.blogspot.com.au/2014/08/definitions.html

 

01/09/2014: Isn't this fascinating: http://www.coyoteblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/mckinsey-global-center-map.0.png

http://www.coyoteblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/mckinsey-global-center-map.0.png

China has been the world’s largest economy for most of history!

 

01/09/2014:

image 

 

01/09/2014: GREAT news for an ‘innocent’ Aussie gal: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/national/schapelle-corbys-boyfriend-arrested-in-bali-on-drug-charges/story-fni0xqrc-1227041114311

 

31/08/2014: Beer on the trail? Sounds like me: http://gearjunkie.com/pats-backcountry-beer-review

Pale Rail.jpg

 

31/08/2014: Diddums: ‘A former public servant says she suffered post-traumatic stress disorder after attending a workplace respect and diversity workshop four years ago.’ Hopefully she wasn’t injured whilst having sex at work, a trauma which is becoming all too common: http://www.canberratimes.com.au/national/public-service/respect-and-diversity-workshop-left-me-with-ptsd-claims-public-servant-20140828-109djw.html


31/08/2014: Think about how FAR left today’s ‘progressives are’…eg Do you remember that Lenin made Henry Ford a ‘Hero of the Soviet Union’? (Because of all that he had done for workers). This is TRUE. Gillard, Shorten, Milne etc are WAY to the left of Lenin. Indeed they are way to the left of Marx & Englels. I used to have some time for the old commies. At least they believed in hard work, everyong putting in, industry, progress…In today’s left all that has gone down the drain!

30/08/2014: More garden doings: Potatoes growing in inverted pots tostop them taking over the beds and to make them easy to harvest; Della’s garlic and broad beans are looking really good:

30/08/2014: There certainly ARE too many ‘free lunches’, and Labor (& Palmer) need to get their heads around it & support the Government’s budget measures. For example 15,345 work-fit young Victorians have been on the dole for more than 5 years! And you think NOTHING needs to be done? Having them do a little work should be a real game changer for them. They must learn to stop living out of the pockets of those who DO work! http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/workfit-victorians-on-dole-for-more-than-two-decades/story-fni0fit3-1226933709319 & this: I suppose at least this disability pensioner won’t be a burden to the taxpayers any more, but they might be entitled to know how he afforded all this largesse ON a pension: ‘The part-time punter had been back from a trip to Macedonia for only a day when he dropped into the Jim Dandy Hotel and outlaid $50 on fifty $1 10-number Keno games and then went to play a poker ­machine.’ http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/pensioner-won-more-than-2m-on-keno-in-local-pub/story-fni0fit3-1227034454264?nk=d3bc9c173da49e1047da36127a5b6899

30/08/2014: I used to be a great fan of ‘The Age’, but since we stopped buying it I have slowly come to the view that the ‘Herald Sun’ lights the fire just as well, if not better; at least both are adequately full of inflammatory articles!

29/08/2014: ENVY: I WISH people would get this straight: the difference between envy and jealousy. People sometimes say things like, ‘I’m totally jealous of where you live’. THIS is envy. You are envious of something someone ELSE has; you are jealous of something YOU have (the usual culprit is your spouse – & why there are so many ‘crimes of passion’, ie you think of them as ‘mine’ – when indeed, they are ever ‘theirs’). With ‘jealousy’ you do not want others to have what you have. With ‘envy’ you wish you had what others have. ‘Covetousness’ is ‘envy’. It (and jealousy) is (rightly) one of the ‘seven deadly sins’ - which unless you conquer (them) you will fail to be ‘saved’. It is also one of the chief ‘desires’ which the Buddha tells us (that) unless we conquer (them) we will never have happiness – and he is quite right. Folks too frequently ‘covet’ one possession after another and spend their life and energy doing so, failing to appreciate (as they do so) the happiness which is (or should be) theirs already. (Most people’s ‘bucket lists’ for example, are ridiculously materialistic and unaffordable. Maybe plant an apple tree or weed that back slope, instead?) My mother used to say ‘You should be happy with what you’ve got’. She ALWAYS was. (Many of us – when young – mistake wisdom for platitudes. Some never learn. Many mistake platitudes for wisdom. Perhaps it IS a fine line?) I can remember my Uncle Basil remarking to me once (about her) that she was entirely without envy, and I think this was so. She would always tell you how her things were better than anything else one might have (as OURS are, so THERE!)…This is a good attitude to have – and now, I must be off to plant some more trees, many of which I grew from seed, but now, I cast them to the world for others to enjoy when I have departed, in the future - as I have enjoyed theirs!

29/08/2014: It is amazing to me how SO many people don’t eat fruit and vegetables (which have ever formed the bulk of our diet (and yet they are All so EASY to grow (thus so CHEAP!). It has an interesting corollary though, IF you buy. The check-out people at the supermarket can never even RECOGNISE what fruit and vegetables ARE: you can always buy persimmons (which I ADORE) as tomatoes, if you buy a kilo of them, for example.

29/08/2014: You won’t even need to book your seats for this show, since the Royal Commission streams free online. It will be instructive to see this DREADFUL woman lying under oath (and subsequently ‘going down’ for her crimes): ‘The hearings will occur over three days from September 9 when the anti-graft probe returns to its investigation of a union slush fund, which was established with legal advice from Ms Gillard to her then boyfriend, allegedly corrupt Australian Workers Union boss Bruce Wilson’. “allegedly? Wow:  http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/investigations/awu-slush-fund-in-spotlight-as-royal-commission-calls-julia-gillard/story-fng5kxvh-1227039326535#

28/08/2014: Garden doings: Greenhouses. One of our $69 Mitre 10 greenhouses is nearly finished being set up with some self-watering pots & etc – tomatoes, capsicums, strawberries and eggplants should come early this year. Also a $25 Bunnings pop-up greenhouse over one of the garden beds (the first of four) with eight ‘Sweetbite’ tomatoes ready to start fruiting @ Melbourne Cup Day: ‘Sumer Is Icumen In’: http://britishlibrary.typepad.co.uk/digitisedmanuscripts/2012/06/sumer-is-icumen-in.html

 

 

28/08/2014: No doubt many of us worry about this too (ie our investment strategy)…it IS nice to know that a self-managed fund (ie minus those FEES, folks) outperforms mamaged funds. Time to get your money out of that greedy super fund? http://www.aei-ideas.org/2014/08/the-debate-about-whether-to-hire-an-active-fund-manager-to-beat-the-market-or-use-a-passive-index-fund-is-over/

28/08/2014: I have been reading this book: ‘Unbroken’ by Laura Hillenbrand. It is an ASTONISHING story. For any one person to have survived one-tenth of what Louis endured would be a miracle, yet I see he lived to be 97! Bravo, Louis! I really recommend this book. Also watch for the film, out on December 25, 2014: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Zamperini

Louis Zamperini at announcement of 2015 Tournament of Roses Grand Marshal.JPG

27/08/2014: P.J.O’Rourke: ‘Wealth is, for most people, the only honest and likely path to liberty. With money comes power over the world. Men are freed from drudgery, women from exploitation. Businesses can be started, homes built, communities formed, religions practiced, educations pursued. But leftists aren't very interested in such real and material freedoms. They have a more innocent - not to say toddlerlike - idea of freedom. Leftists want the freedom to put anything into their mouths, to say bad words and to expose their private parts in art museums.’

27/08/2014: Things you might not know about marshmallow: http://inventors.about.com/od/foodrelatedinventions/a/marshmallows.htm

Toasting marshmallows - Diane Macdonald/ Photographer's Choice/ Getty images

27/08/2014: Simple rules for training dogs and children: ‘YES’ means ‘Yes’; ‘NO’ means ‘No’; ‘Perhaps’ means ‘If you are good, and there is time and money enough’; Pestering means definitely ‘NO!’ There is ALWAYS time for a cuddle.

 

26/08/2014: Glaciers are beginning to form on Scotland’s highest peak, Ben Nevis (http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-28885119) , a phenomenon which (I suspect) is more common than we would be led to believe…this is just the sort of thing we would expect from the beginning of an ice age. Meanwhile, our BOM (just like America’s has been caught out badly ‘adjusting’ historical temperature data (to ‘create’ global warming: http://jennifermarohasy.com/2014/08/heat-is-on-over-weather-bureau-homogenising-temperature-records/ ), a phenomenon which I have been banging on about now for many years, as a cursory look at some of our oldest temperature records shows… PLEASE take a look at the (last column) Annual Mean Temperatures for Cape Otway Lighthouse Vic here. Scrolling down you will surely notice that for the LONG period c1860-1900 the figure is Always 18C-19C+, but for the period c 1914-2011 it is always 16C-17C+. This is a COOLING of 2C in a pretty remote area of Australia. There are less than a dozen such remote long-term temperature stations in Australia and they all have the SAME pattern of COOLING. How can green fanatics turn this cooling into global warming: http://www.bom.gov.au/jsp/ncc/cdio/weatherData/av?p_nccObsCode=36&p_display_type=dataFile&p_startYear&p_stn_num=090015

 

26/08/2014: You don’t see this quality of news so much nowadays: ‘It all began, as these things so often do, with a drink. One drink, which led to another, then more besides. Each one, generously given by a genial customer. Each one eagerly slurped by the monkey chained to the bar’: http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-magazine-monitor-28888684

 

26/08/2014: It certainly IS a manly art…curiously when I was a lad I learned an entirely different method which I will demonstrate for you one day (I wonder whether my arthritic fingers will still work that trick): http://www.artofmanliness.com/2013/07/27/how-to-whistle-with-your-fingers-video/

 

25/08/2014: Well DONE Kipling. A good smoke IS better than a good woman! Almost makes me want to take up smoking again: http://maggiesfarm.anotherdotcom.com/archives/15278-Saturday-Verse-A-good-Cigar-is-a-smoke...with-Maggie.html

 

25/08/2014: THIS (likely) is the face of the evil coward who cruelly murdered James Foley: http://www.news.com.au/world/london-hiphop-artist-abdelmajed-abdel-bary-key-suspect-in-hunt-for-killer-of-american-journalist-james-foley/story-fndir2ev-1227034541900 Her is one of his earlier ‘performances’: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MARkfLEtpY  For his next performance, I would like to see him DANCE at the end of a rope!

View image on Twitter

25/08/2014: I’m sure this is true for Australia too (ie that there are more Moslem Australians fighting for ISIS than there are serving in the Australian armed forces): http://www.newsweek.com/twice-many-british-muslims-fighting-isis-armed-forces-265865

 

24/08/2014: What a GREAT gift for a (literate & venturesome) small(ish) child (in us all!) THIS would make: http://www.amazon.com/Mini-Weapons-Mass-Destruction-Implements/dp/1556529538/ref=pd_rhf_ee_s_qp_13_NJ59?ie=UTF8&refRID=0BTEFV31KDDHHR178VK7#reader_1556529538 ot THIS: http://www.amazon.com/The-Practical-Pyromaniac-One-Candlepower-Incendiary/dp/1569767106/ref=pd_rhf_ee_s_cp_10_4EJJ?ie=UTF8&refRID=0BTEFV31KDDHHR178VK7

 

24/08/2014: Not everything is rosy in Iceland. If you are off somewhere, definitely take travel insurance. Remember the last one, and this one is several times bigger? Global warming? http://wattsupwiththat.com/2014/08/20/bardarbunga-getting-ready-to-blow-1000-earthquakes-felt-as-magma-moves-into-ice-covered-caldera/

 

24/08/2014: Fortunately, despite huge Government interference before (and after) Port Arthur, Australia's hunters still represent a larger 'army' than our official army, and as demonstrated in two World Wars & etc, can be relied on to bolster its numbers with well-qualified soldiers if/when the need ever arises: http://shariaunveiled.wordpress.com/2013/09/18/a-tribute-to-the-worlds-largest-army-americas-hunters/

 

24/08/2014: Some interesting stuff here. I DO like AMK’s new $25 pad. I will get some of these. Good for the daypack (or an emergency night in the bush) as is their Escape Bivy. Maybe carry a piece of cuben tape in case repairs are needed. Another great emergency idea is the Blizzard Bag: (http://www.blizzardsurvival.com/product.php/100/blizzard-survival-bag) which would go really well with this new mat. The combined weight of the two items would be: Pad 185 grams + Blizzard 385 grams = 570 grams which is pretty good for an emergency and comfie night in the bush: http://southwestultralight.blogspot.com.au/2014/08/outdoor-retailer-summer-market-2014.html You could add my kitchen idea @ 97 grams (from 16/08/2014) and be able to cook a meal as well: Total: 667 grams!

 

24/08/2014: Back in 1941 Ford could REALLY cut it: (The B-24 ‘Liberator’ heavy bomber – built in 55 minutes!) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iKlt6rNciTo#t=131 Interesting fact: more than half of US bomber casualties/deaths were other than in combat eg crashes etc. Maybe Ford didn’t build them so well after all!

 

24/08/2014: It IS very difficult for police to successfully prosecute a rape which took place nearly 30 years ago. This does NOT mean that it did not take place. I’m sure the woman who made the complaint did not do so lightly; nor do the police suggest she did – else they would have charged her with a serious offence committed NOW, ie making a FALSE STATEMENT - and Shorten would have sued her for defamation! What POLICE say is that it would be very hard to achieve a conviction. It is very easy to believe that such a union thug and bully boy as Shorten is behaved like this. He should resign. Labor does not need to be FURTHER tarnished by the likes of him. (For a case to proceed there must be 1: a more than 95 % chance of a conviction, 2: it must be economically viable to get that conviction and 3: it must be in the best interest of public safety. If ANY of these criteria are not met then the case doesn't go ahead).

 

23/08/2014: The murder of James Foley was indeed terrible. Watch the video at the link at the end of the article if you can bear to see a brave decent human being having his throat sawed through by a monster with a blunt 6” knife! I can scarcely imagine what threats were made to him to persuade him to speak all the falsehoods ISIS wanted him to say a minute before he was ‘executed’, or perhaps he at least wanted the video of his death out there (instead of his being invisibly butchered) so we can all SEE what awful evil these folks ARE. Hopefully his death will have at least these TWO effects: First, it will put some backbone into the West’s urgent need to utterly destroy ISIS; Second, it will persuade Australians that something really needs to be done URGENTLY about the growing Moslem minority amongst us (BEFORE it is too late). Somewhere between 50-120,000 illegal Moslem immigrants arrived under Rudd/Gillard, and too many of them are out there now, waiting their chance! The proportion of Moslems in Australia DOUBLED under Rudd/Gillard and now stands @4.7%. Nearly 90% are on welfare and breeding like rabbits. The vast majority clearly do not want to assimilate, and NEVER DID! Their numbers need urgently to be shrunk. ALL such illegals need to be deported ASAP. All othersduch unassimilable folk living here on welfare (even if Australian born) need to be moved on (to their place of origin). If this needs us to bribe them with a lump sum payment of a couple or five year’s welfare (as eg Denmark does) as an incentive to leave, this is what we should do. We should also BAN any further immigration of Moslems to Australia (as Japan and a number of other countries have done). That is not to say that there are not good Moslems. Of course there are. And there are some 70 or so Moslem countries they can go live in. The risk of the bad Moslems (of which there are awesomely too many) is just too great for us to recklessly allow them to breed up until they can overwhelm us, and do to each of us what they did to James Foley! I cannot imagine you would want to see your son or daughter take James’ place in the video below! You woud have to be fancifully naïve to deny this likelihood and to refuse any remedy: http://pickeringpost.com/story/now-choose-your-enemy/3691

 

23/08/2014: Lamellar Vest: You have probably seen me out and about in this great vest (I have two, which has to be the minimum number!) I would prefer green, as you can imagine but it only comes in black and two versions of camo. Still a great windproof, waterproof vest with wonderful pockets. You should get one (or two!) http://www.lamellar.com.au/mantle-layer/xplorer-vest/

 

23/08/2014: Quotable quote: George Orwell: ‘The Socialist who finds his children playing with soldiers is usually upset, but he is never able to think of a substitute for the tin soldiers; tin pacifists somehow won’t do.’

 

22/08/2014: East Gippsland has SO many beautiful places. In winter it is @18C and you have it completely to yourself: Due to an ongoing fox control programme you have to be very careful where you camp with dogs. Picnic areas are probably safest.

Drummer Rainforest

McKenzie River Rainforest

McKenzie River Rainforest

Thurra River Mouth

An illicit Spot enjoying Point Hicks

Drummer Rainforest

Little Cormorants Wingan Inlet

Fly Point, Wingan Inlet

Seals, The Skerries, Wingan Inlet

Combienbar Rainforest

Combienbar

 

22/08/2014: Human beings are astonishingly long-lasting: I have carefully calculated this: the average human being owns approximately the same number dogs and cats as fridges & microwaves in a lifetime!

 

22/08/2014: Climb Mt Everest (without the risk): http://everestavalanchetragedy.com/mt-everest-journey.html I made it (easily): see how YOU go! PS: When you see where Mallory’s body lies (with a broken leg at the bottom of the ‘Hillary Step’) it is 50:50 likely that he IS lying on his camera with proof that HE was the first man to the top!

 

18/08/2014: Now that is a neat idea: http://briangreen.net/2011/07/diy-single-use-antibiotic-packs.html

DIY single use antibiotic packets

Tiny containers made from a drinking straw sealed with a cigarette lighter.

 

18/08/2014: The Internet Archive: Don’t know if you’ve seen this site but it is amazing. Just about everything ever posted on the internet is here in a searchable form. Also available is eg an amazing collection of video inc. TV and movies which are all ex-copyright and free to download (with eg Utorrent – DO download IT). I have been downloading ‘The Adventures of William Tell’ (c1958). Don’t know whether you remember that. Here is another wonderful example, ‘Things to Come’ (1936): https://archive.org/details/things_to_come_ipod PS: Many similar movies etc are also available to watch on You Tube.

18/08/2014: This is a profoundly important article…here alone is something to think about; but PLEASE, read the whole thing: ‘The Danish government has not been completely idle in addressing the problems of an unassimilated and crime-prone minority. Without fanfare it introduced two basic policies: individual repatriation and reduction in child support. The repatriation policy targets unintegrated immigrants and pays them 1,000 euros, a one-way ticket to their homelands, free medicine for a year and extra money if they intend to start a business. This expense is reckoned to be cheaper than paying the 300,000-plus euros a non-Western immigrant is estimated to cost the state over his lifetime. The policy is administered through local municipalities and sees hundreds returning every year to their countries of origin. The second policy, limiting child support to no more than two children per family — the average of all Danish families — was introduced to discourage both immigration and welfare dependency.’ https://quadrant.org.au/opinion/qed/2014/08/denmark-bruising-multiculturalism/

17/08/2014: Last summer we planted another 100 or so new grevillias etc on the back slope behind the house. As I comb my hair & etc by the bedroom window I see they are bursting into bloom everywhere (some have already grown 2 feet!) as is the native hibiscus – a purple delight (perhaps it belies my age that I now admire mauve!). I really never thought to say anything good about native veg; perhaps age mellows me…All this free blossom has lured a ‘green army’ of freeloaders (as free stuff will): wattle birds and honey-eaters are likely to demolish all these baby plants: where DO all these critters come from?

 

17/08/2014: At last, THE SWALLOWS ARE BACK scything the air into long swift arcs as they herd the mayflies and mozzies into their sharp beaks: there is nothing quite like a (mud-brick) verandah they opine anywhere between here and Siberia to build a messy nest. I used to hear their sharp shrill calls to each other as they raced across the sky, but like the bats (to me at least) they have fallen silent. Fortunately (at least) we both still have eyes to follow their progress…

 

17/08/2014: OVER 260 TERORIST attacks perpetrated by ISLAMISTS in the last MONTH alone. (Pretty much ZERO for everyone else!) And you STILL think there isn’t a probem? Add this: @ 20 Federal Labor seats are likely to be won (by them) at the next election) on the basis of their pandering to the Islamic vote alone. Figure THIS out: a vote for LABOR is a vote for ISLAM! Even Tony is caving in with his abandonment of 18C. (PS: congrats to senator Bob Day who plans to bring it back to the vote as a Private member’s Bill! Bob is also advocating curtailing Moslem immigration: Result: Family First will get my No #1 preference at the next election!) http://pickeringpost.com/story/dear-mr-marles/3653

 

16/08/2014: The Arabic letter ‘n’ (or ‘nunn’) has been BRANDED on Christians (signifying ‘Nazarene’) prior to their execution by Isis abominations. It looks SO like a ‘smiley face’ on this t-shirt! http://ogpdn1wn2d93vut8u40tokx1dl7.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Nuun_Mosul_T__25812.1406051550.1280.1280.jpg

http://ogpdn1wn2d93vut8u40tokx1dl7.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Nuun_Mosul_T__25812.1406051550.1280.1280.jpg

 

16/08/2014: 29 GRAM multi-fuel stove: it doesn’t get any better than this: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1080275728/critter-cr2-multifuel-backpacking-camp-stove Well, it DOES I bent three of these 1 gram titanium tent pegs (http://www.amazon.com/Terra-Nova-Titanium-Skewers-Pack/dp/B007POB8IC) carefully like this to make a cradle for this 450ml Vargo (insulated lip) cup (http://www.amazon.com/Terra-Nova-Titanium-Skewers-Pack/dp/B007POB8IC) @68 grams. All you need to add is a mini-Bic (11 grams) and a spork (eg http://www.traildesigns.com/accessories/ulv-titanium-spork @ 11 grams) & a cuben fibre bag (eg from zpacks @ 4 grams) to complete your cook set @ 97 grams!

Video image.

 

 

16/08/2014: While renovating the shed wall (to add insulation for the back wall of the greenhouses) I uncovered THIS treasure. Had to quickly find a new home for him. I suspect there are many more live underneath the ‘corrie’ on the house roof. I used to delight in hearing them at dusk but that part of my hearing has long since gone South. Small children are now just as much an auditory mystery to me. I CAN still hear the other extreme frequency: the sub-sonic roar of the power station chimneys. On the ‘to do’ list: build ‘nest’ boxes atop all strainer posts for eg possums, parrots, bats, etc:

(Prob) Lesser Long-Eared Bat

 

15/08/2014: What IS the fuss about this petrol excise tax? 1 cent per litre is MUCH less than the 'normal' weekly variation in price, so it's hard to imagine how anyone would NOTICE it anyway - especially as it would add (annually) @$15 to yout taxes. We will need to agree to many more such savings if we are to find the $50 billion or so we NEED to save each year - if we are to stave off national bankruptcy!

 

Replies to posts: I would have to see how you figure this! We have nearly $600 billion of deficit in the forward estimates, so $150 billionpa to pay it off in four years. So you are looking for something which has a turnover 100 times that. I would be VERY surprised if there was anything like that in Australia. The total VALUE of our stock market is @ 20 trillion (ie million million) from which you seek to STEAL 150 billion per year - agreed around 1%. Lots of folks with investments (ie SAVINGS) in the market (myself; everyone with superanuation...) would be unhappy about that! It would also represent a VERY large ADDITIONAL impost on such people's post-inflation earnings (33%+). You could expect folk to massively MOVE their assets even if such a thing was threatened - causing a complete economic collapse! But Why/how would it be ethical to steal from the people who have SAVED to pay off the debts of people who have recklessly SPENT?

 

One of two things would happen: either the market turnover/profit percentage is too low and you would not raise the required money or the market would collapse because of the impost. BOTH might happen. In either case you have to justify taxing someone else's income to pay for reckless spending by a quite different group of people.

 

Surely though the 'Futures Market' like CFDs is just a 'nil sum' game, where 'winners' almost exactly balance out 'losers' over time - with the only profit being stockbrokers charging a percentage on each trade. So there would be NO overall profit TO tax. Even if you taxed the stockbrokers for their service fee, this would not amount to much. Also, CORRECTION: such markets are not wholly speculative. Much of the activity is about ironing out the uncertainties of supply and demand, and in people who actually own the shares or Resources 'hedging' against possible losses to their holdings caused by price movements. Without such markets the real prices of things would almost certainly fluctuate much more, which would cause quite widespread distress actually.

 

15/08/2014: The world’s oldest (authenticated) eel has died in Sweden at age 155, (clearly not enough folks EAT eel). I guess not all hail from ‘Ely’ in Cambridgeshire (as my ancestors did), a famed seat of ‘eel-lore’. We encountered some very friendly eels at Paronella Park in Qld recently. After the disastrous Alpine fires (in 2006) I was anxious to canoe the Macalister to assess the damage (and wished that I had not – the pervasive smell of death was overbearing); vast numbers of deer and wallabies lay dead everywhere; every fish was dead; there were dead eels on the river banks thicker than my robustly stout legs and long as I am tall (see photo). It may be that they had not experienced such an event in a century of living placidly there. Their existence does give me qualms about swimming in mountain rivers, I must say (at least ‘skinny-dipping’!) Some say though that they were killed by some chemical fire retardant which was sprayed on this particular fire, which may be so, as even trout survived very well the (2007) fire along the Moroka which burned right to the water’s edge in VERY hot weather. It is a fine river for trout fishing though requiring some walking. The Moroka Creek Track off Doolan’s Plain gives good access. http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/31824

Paronella Park 'tame' eels 2014.

Fire killed giant eel Macalister R autumn 2006

15/08/2014: Certainly in (fundamentalist) Islam ‘Inshallah’ follows every statement about future plans:ie  ‘if God wills it to occur’. This is so similar to the Leftist (Marxist) ‘historical determinism’ that it is unsurprising both are united in ‘victimhood’ politics, and are unwilling to embrace the self-deterministic and enterprising attitude which would lift people out of dependency AND make the world a better and safer place.

 

15/08/2014: I just do not ‘get’ anti-Semitism. Jews are (if anyone is) the hardest working, most law abiding, best educated, most pro-prosperity, most CIVILISED group in our society. They are wonderfully OVER-represented in the professions (think particularly medicine) and have (world-wide) won more Nobel prizes than ANY other group. In Australia they have disproportionately contributed to our nation building, culture, defence, etc, etc. In my own experience they are extremely polite, sociable, co-operative and make great friends…What’s NOT to like?

 

14/08/2014: BIG CATS: It is enchanting to realise that there are probably more tigers and lions living in apartments in New York than there are wandering the forests and savannahs of India or Africa. Just about every week some hapless pet owning suburbanite is deliciously but spitefully consumed by one such pet. You would think that those apocalyptic movies which picture such cities drowning, being taken to pieces by invading aliens, lost in space/time & etc would portray escaped (liberated?) rampant ‘Tiddles’ & ‘Felixes’ dining demurely on the jaded denizens of just such decaying cities…

 

14/08/2014: IBM has made a new computer chip which works like a human brain (Error: The human brain WORKS?)…Perhaps the chip should be quietly put out of its misery NOW, before anything else can go wrong? http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2720004/IBM-develops-computer-chip-one-million-neurons-functions-like-human-brain.html

 

14/08/2014: Constitutional Reform #2: The destruction of private property rights by the High Court (as evidenced by the Tobacco Plain Packaging Decision – as mentioned in a previous post) which has certainly kyboshed any challenge from the tens of thousands of farmers who have had their property stolen by ‘environmental’ legislation certainly requires an urgent redress. How this worked: eg under various (usually state) acts of Parliament, landowners were forbidden to clear, lop (& sometimes graze) ‘native’ vegetation (eg under ten years’ old) on what had previously been ‘freehold’ land. Previously freehold land granted ownership of everything on, under or over it (to a certain depth and height) basically to do with as the owner lists. These Acts forbade such ‘interference’ and provided enormous penalties and restitutions (300%!) in such cases. No compensation was payable by Government for this confiscation of private property (right/use) A parallel case: supposing Government decide to rezone or alter the ‘use’ of the land on which YOUR house stands perhaps to build a road, school or refugee centre. Suppose that they did not ACQUIRE the land but simply changed its use (forbidding eg the existence of your house). Suppose further that such an Act contained no compensation. Would YOU support that? That is exactly what has happened to tens of thousands of Australian farmers. They have been deprived of billions of dollars of their property without a cent of compensation, indeed accompanied by a huge threat of punishment if they refuse! Clearly this situation is untenable. No-one’s private property is safe. We need a Referendum to ‘beef up’ the private property provisions in the constitution to ensure that if Government needs to acquire private property it HAS to pay a just recompense.

 

13/08/2014: My 45:70 Marlin. MANY years ago I managed to break the stock on this wonderful rifle and have been unable to acquire a new one (even though it has been on my ‘present list’ for close on 20 years). To my surprise my wonderful family managed to source one for my birthday yesterday. I’m not sure whether I am now too old for this rifle. It IS a blunderbuss (and quite heavy), but we shall see. At least Matt and/or Bryn may enjoy the use of it. Originally this was the round which wiped out the American bison. It was then (as now) .45 calibre (ie 45/100ths of an inch) and was loaded with 70 grains of black powder. NOW you can load (a modern version of the rifle) up with over 80 grains of modern chemical propellent and 500 grains (that’s half an ounce) of copper-jacketed lead. It comes out of the barrel at over 3,000 feet per second and is still going nearly as fast as a ‘baby’ .308 @ 100 yards, but with immensely more kinetic energy. When the projectile mushrooms out, you would have to see the damage to believe it: it is awesome. Small game (wallaby size) just disintegrates! Something the size of a man will have a hole you can push your whole arm through. Anything hit in the chest will be very suddenly, very dead. It is an excellent big game (eg sambar deer) rifle. During the war against the Huk in the Phillipines c1905 American marines brought it back into service as they found (surprisingly) the full metal jacket 30:06 just didn’t have the stopping power for these crazed folks who were completely hyped up on some bizarre concoction of drugs, their gonads tightly wrapped with wet greenhide so they wouldn’t feel any other pain & etc. Allegedly you could shoot them through the heart with a 30:06 solid round and they would still run a 100 yards and chop off your head with a scimitar (you can probably guess at their religion!) The old 45:70 knocked them over backwards and they just didn’t have the ‘heart’ (literally - or much else) to get up again and keep going. I can’t imagine that the current puny .223 round would stop such folks! Perhaps I will stock up on 45:70 ammo!

 

13/08/2014: Yesterday Catholic Online posted this horrific content (surely THIS is as mainstream a warning as you need?) WARNING : graphic images of decapitated ‘Christian’ children! NB: How can ANY three year old HAVE a religion? This is just the most dreadful barbarism – and at least some of it being carried out by ‘Australians’: http://www.catholic.org/news/international/middle_east/story.php?id=56481

 

13/08/2014: I did not know you COULD grow sweet potatoes in Southern Victoria, but clearly you CAN! Should have dug these fellas up long since, but they might still make a pleasant soup. PS: We also grew a few peanuts this year (always pushing the limits!):

 

12/08/2014: Empty Drums: My beloved son, Bryn gifted me some empty 200 litre drums for my birthday. What an exciting gift, so fraught with possibilities! I may be dithering with what to do with them for ages. My ‘next’ empty drum project involves empty 20 litre black or blue drums (which don’t degrade in sunlight, ever). The kind with a 2” cap. I am going to acquire 100 or so of these (probably from a cleaning company) and cut them in half vertically (they make great shed tidiers just like that), but there is more…I am going to ‘tile’ them along the back slope behind our house in such a way as to make a STREAM (maybe with several forks, including waterfalls) which will cascade from one to the other via the half spouts remaining (I hope you can picture that). A small pond pump and some poly will return the water from the bottom one to the top one. Once they are ‘disguised’ with mulch (see previous post: ‘Della’s New Toy’) and planted out with shrubs, ferns etc they will make an excellent refuge for birds, lizards, frogs, mozzies & etc - & hopefully ‘beautify’ the back garden. Pictures to follow, MUCH later!

 

12/08/2014: DEATHS and entrances: It is interesting that in a contest between an eagle and a fox over the carcass of a dead ewe on the hill, the fox wins quickly. Eats his fill, then lies down in the sun to survey the farm. A very cheeky soldier bird comes along to suicidally menace him. She was a fine old ewe (3331), mother of many lambs, who died (of old age) a couple of days ago, which is what our sheep get to do nowadays (since we are retired shepherds) and one day we will too…The eagle waits in a roadside tree for the fox to continue home to bed, so it can complete its interrupted breakfast…

 

12/08/2014: It is hardly surprising that the number of Moslems in Australia increased by MORE than 50% under Rudd/Gillard when they let in these ADDITIONAL 120,000 illegals by air (on top of the 50,000+ who came by sea): http://pickeringpost.com/story/gillard-rudd-let-120-000-illegals-fly-in/3640 It WILL all end in tears: http://blogs.news.com.au/heraldsun/andrewbolt/index.php/heraldsun/comments/a_100_war_against_islam_then_surely_our_immigration_program_must_change/

 

11/08/2014: I KNOW most of us wear pull-on boots (perhaps because we can’t tie our laces), but there have been some advances in shoe laces, eg Aramid Shoe Laces http://www.moontrail.com/accessrs/a-misc/aramid_laces.html and Dyneema: https://www.rhinolaces.com/ And, if you need help tying them: http://www.fieggen.com/shoelace/tying.htm

 

11/08/2014: WE have a PROBLEM. Perhaps we should have backed Assad (earlier)…but what are we going to do with these ‘Australians’? Five (?) year old boys who are encouraged to play with severed heads are going to be hard to fit back into a peaceful Australian suburbia (Warning; Maybe don’t click on the link): http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/defence/thats-my-boy-sharrouf-kids-witness-wars-horror/story-e6frg8yo-1227019872823 Former head of the Army, Peter Leahy warns we will have this problem for 100 years right here in Australia. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/defence/well-fight-radical-islam-for-100-years-says-exarmy-head-peter-leahy/story-e6frg8yo-1227018630297#  Poor Fellow My Country!

 

11/08/2014: Della’s new toy: Let there be MULCH:

Michigan 20hp w/electric start ($750 – thanks eBay!) The jolly (small) green giant in action!

 

10/08/2014: 65! Thanks to all for your kind birthday wishes. It sure happens quickly! I remember when we were at school we used to speculate about what the world would be like in 2000, when we would be the unimaginable old age of 50! Flying cars, holidays on the moon, space habitats, colonies on Mars…the world would be a VERY different place. Mostly though, it isn’t. Sure, we have a host of ‘clever’ gadgets, but when did we not? Just different gadgets really. Way back c1900 they had electric cars which could do nearly 100mph. They haven’t really taken off! ALL my great-grandparents lived to be around 85 back then, about the average age of death now. Boy, if I thought the last 65 years went pretty quickly, the looming LAST 20 will surely skip by! I have a personal conundrum. Now I qualify (perhaps) for the Age Pension. Loth as I am to steal from my friends and neighbours (which is what doing so represents to me), I wonder whether (since my kids will be paying the taxes anyway) I should take it and bank it FOR them, so they get some of their taxes back? Someone I know also just ‘benefited’ by qualifying for an expensive drug (on the pension c$6,000/dose) which was unavailable for folks on private health! Unimaginable. You would really think it would be the other way around! Mostly though we have enough to live on, and are still spry enough to do a bit of gardening, hiking, white water canoeing (not today though!) & etc. I think I will resume my weekly bush trips as I have grown inclined to leave too many gaps between them, but the jobs around the place really CAN wait. Must also postpone the caravan trips a little less. I have promised Della a week’s hiking on the South Coast Track, Fiordland late Nov-early Dec. Must also have a week’s canoeing with the dogs on the Wonnangatta (Humphrey Confluence to Angusvale) when the weather warms up before Xmas. Lots to do yet...

 

10/08/2014: Must Buy moments: Had one of those yesterday when I saw these excellent (6'6x6'6x4') greenhouses at the local Mitre 10 for $69ea, so I bought TWO. I figure I can fit @ 32 x 15l water-well type pots in them all plumbed together with spaghetti tubing, & that I can sit them on sheets of polystyrene insulation and apply bottom heat to them via @ 10-20 watt/metre reptile heating cable to keep the root zone @15-20C with a thermostat. During a winter's day here it rarely gets below 11C (today!) so the air temperature should always be above 16C and usually above 20C, so that we should be able to have cherry tomatoes and strawberries year round and peppers, chillies, baby watermelons, cucumbers etc for at least an additional three months (with no weeding). I'll let you know how it works out.

Greenhouse complex development

 

09/08/2014: Mt Useful: Spot’s Second Snow Trip. Still plenty of snow for you snow bunnies to enjoy. Mt Useful is about 1450m, so there ought to be good fun @ Baw Baw etc. Much of the snowgum forest there (and elsewhere) has been dreadfully ruined by bushfire. Large areas have not regenerated. All areas contain huge quantities of dead timber which is beginning to fall which will create a worse fire next time which will certainly kill the snow gums. I wonder whether this succession is what created the ‘High Plains’ in the past, which are definitely not above the tree line really. In any case routine fuel reduction fires would have prevented this destruction.

Thousands of hectares of fire killed snow gums

Snow bunnies: tower track: Mt Useful

Alas, so many snow gums are NOT coming back.

A more elegantly shod Cindie had left her shoe: cold tootsies!

Frozen tarn

Lots of timber down everywhere

Our forests look beautiful in the snow

Ditto

 

09/08/2014: What a really cool way of inflating your air pad! Hope Thermarest get onto this (PS: Watch the vid): http://www.gizmag.com/windcatcher-air-pad/27582/

Blowing into the large opening of the Windcatcher valve draws in surrounding air to inflat...

09/08/2014: Want unemployment lower than 6.4%? Maybe lower the immigration level, which @ 240,000 is putting too much strain on that, housing, tolerance… http://www.theage.com.au/comment/lax-immigration-policy-hurting-australian-job-seekers-20140807-1019tr.html 

 

09/08/2014: If we MUST choose between the Devil & the deep blue sea, I guess we should choose the Shia: http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2014/08/must-see-video-yazidi-female-lawmaker-collapses-in-parliament-begging-for-help-from-isis-genocide/

 

08/08/2014: Here’s the lightest carbon fibre Canadian I could find: http://www.canoekayak.com/canoe/hornbeck-blackjack-review/

Carbon Fiber Canoe

 

08/08/2014: Jewish emigration from ‘European’ countries (eg France) to Israel has hit a post-WW2 high as anti-semitism has flared to levels we have not seen since the Nazi period, with Jewish shops, synagogues & homes attacked and (occasionally) Jews murdered. (This is coming to a town near YOU, soon). It has been fuelled mostly by unacceptably high levels of Moslem immigration and its associated failed assimilation policies, AND has been (shamefully) widely supported by the Left - and particularly the Greens. We have seen anti-semitism raising its ugly head on our Australian streets in recent times (again for the first time since WW2) with protests outside Max Bremer (Jewish) chocolate shops, Moslem ‘protesters’ openly displaying banners promoting ‘death to Israel/Jews’ etc, and their various hate mullahs openly advocating the utter annihilation of Jews everywhere - without a single one attracting such prosecution as Andrew Bolt (wrongfully) suffered for simply noting that 90% ‘white’ aborigines were (racially) mis-identifying. (As if to identify racially was ever acceptable behaviour anywhere, anytime!) A different set of laws and standards of behaviour seems to be allowed for Moslems. This simply HAS to stop. There is absolutely NO place for anti-semitism in our society. Some simply awful examples: http://blogs.news.com.au/heraldsun/andrewbolt/index.php/heraldsun/comments/how_the_left_and_mass_immigration_are_making_jews_unsafe_in_our_country/

 

07/08/2014: Congratulations: The first private toll road in 100 years: http://www.aei-ideas.org/2014/08/but-but-who-will-build-the-roads-without-government-uk-guy-built-one-in-10-days-so-drivers-can-bypass-14-mile-detour/

 

07/08/2014: Sandals are well named (if not well-spelled). They certainly DO fill up with sand and grit so that you have to stop frequently to empty them out (a more arduous task for me these days because of my arthritis) but they ARE much cooler for walking in hot weather. My personal choice are these Keen Newport H2s. (Della seems happy with her couple of pairs too): http://www.keenfootwear.com/us/en/product/shoes/men/waterfront/newport%20h2

 

I have weighed the Newports (422g) and the Arroyo 2  (411g) each (in US size 9). Probably the Arroyo IS a better trail sandal: http://www.keenfootwear.com/en-ca/product/shoes/men/arroyo-ii

 

07/08/2014: The decision to give up on Section 18c (though it would likely have failed in the Senate anyway) is a bad one. We OUGHT to have free speech even if it might ‘offend’ some ‘ethnic’ (or otherwise) groups whom we might just be a lot better getting on without anyway! YOU fill in the spaces! http://pickeringpost.com/story/-18c-a-leadership-decison-abbott/3632

 

07/08/2014: Midwinter Fruits: Even here in Southern Vic you can enjoy a variety of seasonal fruits/nuts still even in the coldest weather (which no doubt belies the cost to transport unseasonal fresh produce to us). Here are some examples from our garden today. Of course some things have just finished (medlars, pomegranates) and some are swelling already: eg berry fruit inc. mulberries, loquats, etc) At all times of the year we can have a bewildering variety of fresh fruit straight from our own gardens:

Pepino: ripen on windowsill

Coastal guava: have been eating ripe ones for over a month

Rhubarb

Cape Gooseberries: parrots have recently discovered how to eat the ripe ones.

Tamarillos

Avocado

Citrus: many kinds; oranges shown

Moreton Bay fig

Lilypily

Macadamia

Mountain Pawpaw: ripen on window sill

 

06/08/2014: This guy has some interesting Peltiers (and circuits). It seems to me that with them one ought to be able to construct a USB (or just a AA) battery charger warmed by one’s fire, and cooled by a Platypus bottle (which you every so often refill with fresh, cooler water) instead of a fan (the ‘normal’ set-up – and much heavier and more elaborate). You could simply attach the Peltier to the bottle with a couple of rubber bands. As I almost always have a fire when camping out, (even in those tiresome, trendy ‘National Parks’ where such wickedness is verboten), this should enable me to recharge electrical devices (with minimal weight) when out in the bush. PS I always in addition, just for the insouciant wickedness of it camp anywhere else than in the ‘designated camping areas’: http://www.customthermoelectric.com/powergen.html?gclid=CLTl4JPpxrMCFchbpQodszYAow

Seebeck Effect

06/08/2014: Deafness: one thing you can say in favour of it is that it presents a whole range of new poetic experiences. Dozens of examples present themselves every day, but just now I heard Della say, ‘My drawer is open again’, when she said ‘My jaw is aching again’. It often gets much more hilarious than that without being quite so painful! If many more people were deaf (as clearly the current generation of pop song writers are) we would end up with vast swathes of literature and music which was incomprehensible to those of ‘normal’ hearing, just as most of what ‘normal’ people say is incomprehensible to me (even when I have my hearing aids in actually)!

 

06/08/2014: It is a strange sentence, ‘Everyone has the RIGHT to…’ fill in the blanks as you wish, eg free medical care, free old age pensions, free dental care, free housing, free child care, free transport, free food…all of this without any work needing to be done, without any contribution from ‘the good self’! It is SUCH a wonderful idea. SO Utopian. Listen up, RIGHTS are a NONSENSE: at best a pathetic attempt at highway robbery. The only RIGHTS you are ever likely to get are those you pay for with your own blood, sweat and tears. It has always been thus, and SHOULD always be thus. Those who expect others to provide should be left holding their beggar’s bowl on the street corner till they drop! A belief in ‘free stuff’ is utterly infantile: ultimately someone MUST pay, not necessarily those who SHOULD pay (eg those who RECEIVE). Similarly, no society can afford any infinity of free things. Any such redistributive principle bangs up against the iron law of necessity, ie there IS ever only a finite amount of stuff, so you just CAN”T eg spend infinite sums on any individual’s maybe really horrid health problem before the kitty is wholly empty and all must suffer.

 

06/08/2014: Quite: http://maggiesfarm.anotherdotcom.com/uploads/Half-Way-590-LI.jpg

 

05/08/2014: This HORROR in Syria and Iraq is all down to Obama (and the Left generally) forcing a premature pull-out of allied troops from Iraq. This is the largest scale nightmare the Middle East has seen for a long while and fills me with awful forebodings on this the centenary of WW1 (or was it the 2nd ‘Thirty years’ War?): http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2014/08/04/islamic-state-now-controls-resources-and-territory-unmatched-in-history-of-extremist-organizations/?tid=hp_mm

 

05/08/2014: BEWARE! THIS is NOT for the faint of heart! THIS is how vile Islamists ARE (including SOME ‘Australians’). If you have a very strong stomach watch the videos, (Warning: executions, beheadings) but at least STOP denying there is a problem: http://blogs.news.com.au/heraldsun/andrewbolt/index.php/heraldsun/comments/there_is_no_root_cause_to_talk_about_with_animals_like_these/

05/08/2014: Green Island: Like everyone else, I found the Buff-banded rails there quite enchanting, esp. as I had spotted a pair of their relies (Lewin’s Rail) crossing Monash Way, Churchill not so long ago. A little commented aspect of the island is the coral ‘beach’ about 2’ higher than the high-tide mark on the western (onshore) side of the island. Hundreds of thousands of people who (otherwise) believe passionately in global warming and sea level RISE, (and who are doing their level best to accelerate it by flying there each year) must have walked this ‘beach’ without noticing it. Coral is quite soft and easily eroded even with the weak wave action of the inner reef, so this 2’ above high tide reef must have been formed quite recently when the sea level was at least 3’ HIGHER than it is now! Oh dear!

 

Gallirallus philippensis Lord Howe Island 1.jpg

 

05/08/2014: This 18 year warming halt is clearly caused by ‘climate change’. What else? https://wattsupwiththat.files.wordpress.com/2014/08/clip_image002_thumb.png?w=604&h=330

 

05/08/2014: Well, imagine that, credit card nos: they are not just a string of random numbers: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/heres-numbers-credit-card-really-160743550.html

 

04/08/2014: Cairns mid-winter break. July14-21 – absolutely the best time for this. Temperature average 23-27C and (relatively low humidity); so a pleasant change from 11-13C. It is still nicer on the Atherton Tableland. I would recommend you get all the tourist brochures, colour all those places in on the map, then religiously avoid them. The old brown tourist attraction signs are a better guide, and there will be fewer folk there. Traffic Tully-Cape Tribulation is almost Melbourne suburban with average speed @ 50kph. If you need to pull over for a pit stop go into a vacant private driveway, because if you pull up on the side of the road anywhere else, 26 tourists will immediately pull up behind you. There ARE some nice places, but they aren’t Mission Beach, Cairns, Kuranda, Port Douglas, Daintree, Cape Tribulation or etc. Don’t waste your money on Paronella Park. Green Island especially reminds us that the Japanese WON WW2! The Tablelands are nice. If I went again I would book overnight van accommodation eg at Atherton & explore up there further. The Crystal cave has to be seen to be believed. There remain some lovely rivers, lakes and forests up there. The Daintree-Cape Trib area might as well be transformed into an open-cut mine as it is all degraded farmland, logged out second-growth rubbish, overrun with weeds and tourist traps. There ARE beaches up there but they are dreary, devoid of waves and impossible to swim at. Compared to NSW-Vic beaches they are an enormous disappointment. We enjoyed the Boulders & Josephine Falls South of Cairns, and as I say lots of nice places on the Tablelands (and you CAN swim), eg Yungaburra Pit Stop, the Curtain & Cathedral Fig, Moho Creek Crater,  Hastie’s Swamp, Mt Hypipamee Crater…

Magpie Geese Hastie's Swamp

Babinda Boulders

ScrubTurkey: Boulders

Josephine Falls

Curtain Fig

Obligatory Daintree R Croc

Cairns industrial Wasteland Fig

Curlews Cairns Industrial Wasteland

Cassowaries: Don't expect to see either, visit a zoo

Green Is Buff-banded Rail

Study: Cathedral Fig Root

Cathedral Fig

Moho Creek Crater: A lovely short walk

Two Gems: Crystal Cave

Mt Hypipamee Crater

Hastie's Swamp

 

04/08/2014: As long as you don’t find jewellery a tad effete, you MIGHT say, choose this eg for your wedding ring, (if you are a gear junkie anyway)…Will multi-tools get any smaller than this? Danger swallowing warning! (I should probably recommend that THIS ring is not to be used for any other ‘playful’ purposes – the risk of self harm is just too great). You CAN imagine though, it might get you out of some tight spots, say if you are captured by terrorists, or find your arm stuck between two rocks & etc: https://www.etsy.com/au/listing/115928701/the-man-ring-titanium-utility-ring

The Man Ring: Titanium Utility Ring

 

04/08/2014: What a lot of rot THIS is. Shameful that it was headlined on news.com. The ‘argument’ is that because (OR, let’s say, ‘If’) .0064% of species vanished in the last 600 years (mainly on islands being colonised by foxes, rats, cats, people etc for the very first time) that doom is just around the corner. On continents (other than Australia, which counts as an island for this particular phenomenon) in that time only about half a dozen species have vanished (IF they are indeed gone for good – the ‘Aurochs’, previously an extinction icon, for example is well on the way to return – and may soon find its way onto the menu of classy restaurants such as tree-huggers frequent). Given that this ‘decline’ paralleled the Industrial revolution and the greatest population explosion (of humans) in history, it is no surprise there was some (very minor) collateral damage. What is happening NOW though, is that wilderness area worldwide (and particularly in developed countries) is INCREASING, and that rare or endangered (even extinct) creatures are being re-introduced or are on the increase. It is all GOOD news really, not this eschatological crap!  http://www.perthnow.com.au/technology/earth-is-in-the-early-stages-of-a-sixth-mass-extinction-says-the-journal-science/story-fnjww8p0-1227005464142?nk=d20ace337f888e4427617dd66a824e1f

 

04/08/2014: It IS terrifying how jihadists ‘love’ death. YOU might not think of it as a winning strategy! But THEY do. Of course most of us in the West ARE somewhat delicate and trepidacious, and tend to eschew death. In such a case a disproportionate response IS necessary. Just as we killed over 500,000 Japanese CIVILIANS in eg Tokyo, Hiroshima, Nagasaki (to END THE WAR) as against how many Australian civilians killed by Japanese bombs (0?), or British (0?) & etc, ie a DISPROPORTIONATE response WAS needed to bring the horror (WW2) to an end. Similarly if we want to bring Jihad to an end (This IS the ‘War on Terror’ remember), WE have to kill a disproportionate number of them (Well, they LOVE death, you see, so never mind). That is why 1100 Palestinians have been killed in the most recent Israeli incursion into Gaza, but only 50 Israelis. Get it now? Of course the Israelis have still 6 million Jews killed in the Holocaust to balance all this against – or the entire extermination of Jews everywhere – the avowed aim of all jihadists, Moslems, various other anti-semites (including most of the Greens and the Left), & etc…http://www.jihadwatch.org/2014/05/we-love-death-more-than-you-love-life-u-s-court-upholds-conviction-of-man-in-2009-plot-to-bomb-new-york-city-subway

 

03/08/2014: We have had a solitary wagtail in the garden now for at least four years. There ARE other wagtails about which mate and raise young, but not this guy. Is s/he gay? Does s/he suffer from the avian equivalent of misanthropy? Is s/he just completely unco in his dealings with his kind (as some people are), or does s/he suffer from the flycatcher version of shocking halitosis? There are SO many mysteries all about us…

Rhipidura leucophrys -Canberra, Australia-8.jpg

 

03/08/2014: Our society is awash with crooks on a MASSIVE scale (see eg these three examples: http://www.breitbart.com/Breitbart-London/2014/07/30/Shock-US-Senate-Minority-Report & http://pickeringpost.com/story/reserve-bank-officials-in-deep-crap/3605 & http://pickeringpost.com/story/sleeping-with-the-enemy/3606 & etc ) Democracy may not survive this! Incidentally, here are the names of the folks whose names have been quashed by the suppression order (in case you were wondering eg why Malaysia and Indonesia might be a little tetchy just now: https://wikileaks.org/aus-suppression-order/WikiLeaks-Australian-suppression-order.pdf

 

03/08/2014: I have been re-reading Jack London. Such a wonderful writer. What a tragedy he was taken so early (41) with kidney stones.  ‘Call of the Wild’ has got to be just about the best animal story ever written, though I still love ‘Tarka the Otter’!

 

02/08/2014: Remember those 157 illegal Tamils etc whom Morrison (O, so CRUELLY!) imprisoned on a boat for a month and…Well, they’re gone. All refused India’s offer that they return there, so they are now in Nauru and will be settled in New Guinea or Cambodia if they do not change their minds. Watch this space. They WILL change their minds. Like the last 11,000! Good riddance to them. WE will decide who is to come live in our country, not foreigners!

 

02/08/2014: SURELY time for same-pronunciation marriage: http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/volokh-conspiracy/wp/2014/07/31/the-homophone-menace/

 

02/08/2014: The REAL cost of going solar: these are US calculations, but first you would have to cover an area of @ 250,000 square miles with solar panels (this is 2 ½ Victorias!) Just one day’s pumped storage dams would cover an additional 3,500 square miles. You can just IMAGINE gaining environmentalists’ support to pave over an area such as that! (But wait, it is they who are advocating it! Problem THERE, folks?) Cost would be about $65 trillion for the panels, and at least another $5 trillion for ONE DAY”S storage (without ANY provision for two consecutive cloudy days – how likely is that?) Contrast: total value of shares on the US stock exchange @ $20 trillion, the Manhattan Project cost $26 BILLION in 2014 dollars, Apollo $130 billion and the entire US highway network $500 billion. (NB A trillion is 1,000 billion!) So, is ‘going solar’ anywhere near a feasible or sensible option? You would have to be utterly, blindingly, barking MAD to think so! What? You STILL call THAT thought? http://wattsupwiththat.com/2014/07/31/capture-the-sun-power-america-with-solar-is-there-a-business-case/#more-113764

 

02/08/2014: A German woman has been killed by a herd of cows and calves. I blame ‘global warming’: http://www.thelocal.de/20140729/cows-kill-german-dog-walker-in-austria

 

01/08/2014: Snow in the Jeeralangs last night: Spot's first snow-trip! (The white bits are not comets, as I first thought, but snow flakes!) This is at the gateway to our old farm, Dobbins Hill:

 

01/08/2014: If YOU have also noticed that our stock market fell like a stone at opening this morning, you might care to think about : ‘Why?’ Argentina has just defaulted on its debt. As a result the US stock market fell 2% overnight, and we are just following it down. Of course, this (unsustainable sovereign debt and the risk of default) is just what I (AND the current Government) have been warning is a mid-term risk for Australia if we continue with huge budget deficits & etc. remember this, Argentina used to have (with Australia) the highest per-capita GDP in the world in the 1950s. Their embrace of left-wing politics long since took them back to Third World status. We must BEWARE we don’t do the same! Thte total value (market capitalisation of the US stock market in 2012 was $18,668,333,210,000. By now it would be over $20 trillion. A fall of 2% represents the destruction of $400 billion (roughly the size of the Australian Government budget for one year)!

 

01/08/2014: Unless I’m wrong wasn’t LIGHT the first creation in Genesis? So, it IS most surprising to me that astronomers have found that there is about five times more of it than there ought to be (adding up all the light sources). Similarly there is only about one fifth of the visible mass out there that gravity informs us exists. The universe remains a dazzlingly mysterious place: http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg22329782.700-strange-dark-stuff-is-making-the-universe-too-bright.html#.U9mqwGO-KGg

 

01/08/2014: And does it ever get any weirder than this: there are MANY bacteria whose diet is pure electricity, which simply ‘eat’ and ‘excrete’ the stuff. Someone will soon figure a way to get these little guys to do useful work: http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn25894-meet-the-electric-life-forms-that-live-on-pure-energy.html#.U9mrrWO-KGg

 

01/08/2014: Critters so often seem to be smarter than WE are. There was a simply terrible wind blowing yesterday (from the NW). Going round the lambs in the morning on our steep NW facing slope in many paces you were like to take off. Other spots which LOOK identical were completely still and @10C warmer – which is where the sheep chose to lamb. I have noticed this before on the dreadfully exposed flats we had at Yinnar and Kyabram where a shockingly cold, wet westerly wind swept all before it. The sheep/goats would nonetheless find that invisible spot amid the maelstrom which was dead calm to bed down. Of course they live outdoors in all weathers so it’s no surprise really they KNOW the best spots. When you are out in the wild looking for a good place to camp, take off your coat so you can FEEL the wind and warm, and seek out just that calmer, warmer, drier spot where your tent won’t blow away in the hurricane.

 

31/07/2014: So, Ian Turnbull of Moree has been charged with MURDER for shooting dead an ‘Environment Officer’. REALLY? They should have rewarded him, given him a medal or something. Such vermin as he eliminated are multiplying worse than cane toads. Ian was no doubt defending his private property from compulsory acquisition without compensation by a vile Government functionary. We have been in exactly the same situation (and lost hundreds of thousands of dollars!) I can totally understand Ian taking the law into his own hands, but the law should rightfully be WITH the property owner! Now that the High Court has repudiated private property rights we thought were guaranteed by our constitution (The Tobacco Plain Packaging Decision), what other recourse did he have? In ‘normal’ circumstances we would all act in concert in defence of our property rights (say in the event of an invasion) and it would be perfectly proper (indeed a patriotic DUTY) to kill the enemy who sought to take them away. What is different about this case? Surely what is true for the many, is true for the one?

 

Some replies to posts: We were persecuted for @ 7 years by just such a bastard employed by Latrobe Shire who did not fail to stoop to using perjurious Stat Decs and Photoshopped and other faked documentation to drive us off our land. As I said before it cost us hundreds of thousands of dollars. And just such terrorists are doing this every day to farmers across Australia. A friend of ours has been fighting the 'confiscation' of thousands of acres of his family's land along the Lodden: grassland which the family has grazed since the 1850s - but now so sacrosanct it must be taken from them without compensation!

 

Stealing people's private property (even at the Government's behest) is NOT simply 'people doing their jobs'. The constitution provides for 'just compensation' for property compulsorily acquired by the state, but this provision has been junked, and people are losing their use of thousands of acres of their own (freehold) land with NO compensation. The 'officials' who carry out such theft are no better than thugs and vermin.

 

And, just WHEN are you going to replace OUR land, and all the other farmers' land which is being stolen by Governments in Australia (under the aegis of the great Green god)? All I am pointing out, is that Ian's conduct would be considered HEROISM in the parallel situation where a FOREIGN government sought to steal our land.

 

He is 79 years old. He obviously believed he was losing his farm (and losing his fight to keep it, anyway). It is a terrible tragedy that he (and the dead man) were both put in this dreadful position. You have to understand that the dead man was acting under orders from an evil government. That does not excuse his conduct (as the Nuremberg decisions showed). He had a (moral) duty to refuse to obey an evil order. What I argue is that an order to confiscate private property without compensation IS an evil order. If we do not hold that private property IS sacrosanct, what sort of society do we have? What rights ARE left?

 

If a few more people stood up for their private property rights and forced the Government to overturn the High Court's decision on this issue Ian would not be defending his property with a gun OR be being charged with murder. Nonetheless, the Government official who was (perhaps obeying) the Government's orders to steal his land (or exceeding his authority and using every illegal means to do so - as in our own experience) had a moral duty to refuse the order. As he continued to carry out an illegal order, he was putting himself in just the position he ended up in - and serves him right! The only reason we were unable to take our case to the High Court is that we would have risked costs of over $2 million - which would have much more than bankrupted us. Every other landowner facing just the same greenie oligarchy is similarly prevented from doing so. As we can now see, the High Court has been so stacked with communists by the Labor Party that it no longer upholds the constitution - meaning that the individual NOW has no defence against the evils of Government BUT to take the law into their own hands. What person would not take the law into their own hands in defence of their private property? Those who seek to take it from you are just the worst kind of thieves (especially if they have the law to back them up) and deserve no better than summary execution!

 

And clearly the High Court judges who voted to junk the constitution’s provision ensuring private property right ARE communist. What else are you if you think that it is right for Government to take people’s private property without paying for it?

 

31/07/2014: I wonder: Does this also happen in YOUR house?

 

31/07/2014: THE WAR ON TERRIER: SERIOUSLY, what kind of person TAKES OFFENCE at a SCOTTISH TERRIER? Well, you guessed it: http://www.breitbart.com/Breitbart-London/2014/07/28/Commonwealth-Games-Scottie-Dogs-Disrespectful-to-Muslims

 

30/07/2014: What a great little tool/hairclip for your beloved! S/he might have to be a tad careful using it AS a hairclip, but it might come in handy in any other James Bond type situations s/he might encounter. WARNING: this site has SO many other ‘must haves’, it just makes your mouth water: http://www.animicausa.com/shop/Gifts-for-Him/Leatherdos-Mini-tools-clip/tpflypage.tpl.html

Clippa- Mini tools clip

 

30/07/2014: The Institute for Palestine Studies…reported that tunnel construction in Gaza has resulted in a large number of child deaths. “At least 160 children have been killed in the tunnels, according to Hamas officials.” Given that they are now killing their children by using them as human shields (and equipping them with 250,000 hand grenades) surely Hamas has long since lost any credibility as an ‘aggrieved party’. If you have some practical suggestion as to what Israel might do in the face of having had over 5,000 rockets fired at its innocent civilians this year alone, please SPEAK UP! http://www.tabletmag.com/scroll/180400/hamas-killed-160-palestinian-children-to-build-terror-tunnels#undefined

 

30/07/2014: The Honourable (sic) Daniel Andrews is a LIAR (and a bad one at that!), & therefore completely unfit to lead this great state. There is NO WAY that he isn’t complicit in the theft of the dictaphone and the airing of its (damaging) recordings, well those which are damaging to Ted and Dennis anyway....What IS it about Labor that they keep showcasing these liars and crooks – and what is WRONG with Labor voters that is just doesn’t seem to matter to them whether their leaders are the lowest moral types in our society? ‘Can I use your Dictaphone? No you can use your own just like everyone else!’

 

29/07/2014: I think I will try one of these. I KNOW it’s only 80 grams lighter than my Bushbuddy, but you have to score something for birthdays and Xmas, surely? Anyway, that’s nearly 3 oz of Bacardi 151, enough for a fair buzz around the campfire one night at least: http://www.suluk46.com/products%20%20-%20P14%20TDW%20Stove.html

 

29/07/2014: At the beach with PJ O’Rourke: ‘One hears a high percentage of Americans are morbidly obese. “Morbidly obese” is such a tactful way to put it. If Captain Ahab ran aground here he’d shrug off Moby Dick as barely fit for catch-and-release on a dry fly. Queequeg and Ishmael could wade ashore and, without the bother of whaleboat or “Nantucket sleigh-ride,” busy themselves in harpooning all season. Meanwhile the Captain, in salvaged beach chair, would put his peg leg up on the Pequod’s rail and gleefully contemplate blubber enough to make oil for ten thousand lamps.’ I agree with him; beaches are crap: I much prefer shooting clear mountain rivers in our Old Town Pack Anglers or our Alpacka rafts: http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/07/27/up-to-a-point-why-i-hate-the-beach.html

 

29/07/2014: THIS is not the sort of news the ‘warmists’ want you to hear: http://sunshinehours.wordpress.com/2014/07/24/noaa-28504-low-max-records-set-in-last-365-days/

 

28/07/2014: I have just discovered this section on eBay (Home & Gardening> Gardening> Plants, Seeds & Bulbs) where you can (eg) buy Moreton Bay Fig seedlings for $4.00 ea. Now YOU might not have enough room for a few more of these beauties, but WE do! We are working quietly away at converting our remaining @ 25 acres into a sort of (agro) forest of interesting and beautiful trees. There will even be SOME natives (though NO wattles or gums - as we consider them noxious weeds). We have a couple of dozen Bunyas (the seeds came from Palmgrove Crematorium (where we said farewell to Della’s parents), we already have one Moreton Bay @ 30’ high and will add more, as well as some Port Jackson figs, Kurrajongs, bottle trees (brachychitons), lillypillies, macadamias, etc. Mostly though our trees come from all over: a mix of beautiful (eg holm oaks), edible, useful etc. Yesterday we visited ‘Botanic Arc’ nursery at Warragul and came away with about three dozen trees which will just about complete our restoration of the old ‘dog yards’ at the back of the house (with an additional @ 100 trees). There we saw some interesting ‘warm climate’ trees happily growing (which we would not have suspected) so we will be adding some Queensland Kauris, some Cinnamon Trees, Black Bean, & etc. It would be well worth a visit (if only for the owners wonderfully eccentric repartee!) Beautiful day today for planting…

 

28/07/2014: Just when you thought you were satisfactorily dead, they invent a way to bring you back to life: http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20140704-i-bring-the-dead-back-to-life

 

28/07/2014: Hamas: SUCH a charming lot, are to give 250,000 grenades to CHILDREN to throw at Israelis: http://directorblue.blogspot.com.au/2014/07/lets-give-em-state-hamas-announces-it.html

 

27/07/2014: Absolutely the best kids’ toy in a long while: http://www.gizmag.com/bunch-o-balloons-water-bombs/33099/

Inventor Josh Malone claims that it's possible to fill 100 Bunch O Balloons every minute

 

27/07/2014: This will just have to do until someone builds an even better billy cart: http://www.gizmag.com/razor-crazy-cart-uk/33112/

Razor's Crazy Cart: available August 1 in the UK

 

27/07/2014: Great QUOTE: Thomas Jefferson: ‘Tyranny is defined as that which is legal for the government but illegal for the citizenry.’

 

26/07/2014: Just bought a great new pair of wet weather pull-on boots, Otway Ranger Lo Soft (Toe) @ $75 from Scotts, Traralgon. I have just been around the lambs on the (steep) hill and can report that they have excellent grip on wet, clayey grass and are totally waterproof in 2” deep puddles. These are a (very comfortable) rubber boot with neoprene lining (for winter insulation). Recommended so far: http://www.otwayfootwear.com.au/mens_boots.html

boots 2

 

26/07/2014: If you are wanting to plant some nice trees, you might check out these people (100 English oaks fro $149 is wonderful value!): http://www.plantinspirations.com.au/plants.php?c=trees

 

26/07/2014: Clearly these guys were just the type of immigrant we wanted: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2705008/Australian-jihadist-poses-decapitated-heads-sickening-pictures-posted-online.html#ixzz38W6a8KQd

 

25/07/2014: It is sometimes difficult to find some GOOD news, but the market HAS risen pleasantly the last week, though mining stocks (which went into a death spiral at the end of last May due to Gillard’s new taxes) are still lagging dreadfully with most such shares still being a fraction of their pre-Rudd values. You could HOPE that some of these shares will rise: eg Boart Longyear (which WAS down over 90% in a year last week) WILL rally (as it has during the last week (going up 100%, then falling back again yesterday). I think the mining tax simply HAS to go, but without making progress on removing vast trammels of red/black/green tape AND workplace reform, and abolishing the ‘entitlement culture’ I’m afraid the country MAY be unsalvageable…

 

25/07/2014: It is just OBSCENE that ABC and SBS source so much of their news feed from Al Jazeera who are NOTHING BUT a front for extreme jihadist Islamic fundamentalists ie supporters of Hamas, Hezbollah, Moslem Brotherhood, ISIS, Al Qaeda & etc. Who would ever have believed that communication in our ‘free’ country would come DOWN to this? The very best that could be done with these two broadcasters would be to ABOLISH them; probably preferable would be to ostracise and deport most of them!

 

25/07/2014: Just TOO BAD if you happen to be a Christian in the Middle East: http://blog.gmfus.org/2014/07/22/cataclysmic-purge-in-the-middle-east-the-price-of-inaction/ and particularly if you are a woman: http://www.smh.com.au/world/fears-islamic-state-militants-ordering-female-genital-mutilation-in-iraq-20140725-zwn9s.html#ixzz38QNUBn4R

 

24/07/2014: DUST! I know it gathers in OUR house. We have always blamed it on living in a mud brick house (never our lassitude as cleaners!) Still, who would have believed that it accumulates at 4” a century and WILL bury us all one day? Some days it feels a bit like that day might be quite imminent around here, (especially in winter when the JRs bring in SO much mud). THEN we get ‘Alexander’ (our domestic robot) humming. He may reverse entropy yet! http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2014/07/22/science-of-dust-picasso/

 

24/07/2014: THIS is how it works: “Time and again, over the years, UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency) has been abused by gunmen from different terrorist factions who are using UN facilities to stockpile weapons, to fire rockets from, to steal UNRWA humanitarian equipment and to cause damage and fire in UNRWA’s hangars,” a senior Foreign Ministry official told The Times of Israel. Is it any wonder there are civilian casualties when Israel tries to destroy these rockets which rain down on Jewish and Arab citizens of Israel alike every day (in defiance of any ‘cease fire negotiated). Hamas’ ‘human shield’ policy is obscene and barbaric:  http://www.timesofisrael.com/for-second-time-rockets-found-at-un-school-in-gaza/

 

24/07/2014: I imagine THIS will befall me too; the Left claims to believe in freedom, but such posturing is only a ragged veneer pasted over ultimate totalitarianism. All those ‘gentle’ beliefs they post about (cf ‘organic’, GMO, orang-utans, Barrier Reefs, crystals, female ‘equality’, ‘renewables’, helping ‘The Poor’, etc , & ad nauseum) would soon disappear if they ever got the chance - and we would be treated to a repeat of Pol Pot, of the Gulag. All they really want is CONTROL, to destroy capitalism, and to redistribute the goodies among themselves, (THEY will have their dachas and their limos) and DAMN the poor. There will be NO CRITICISM! Don’t be fooled by this lot; they ARE evil: http://pickeringpost.com/glance/facebook-bows-to-the-left/3558

 

23/07/2014: YOU may not SEE it, but our Prime Minister has shown excellent leadership since Day One. His latest dealing with Russian ‘terrorism’ is merely symptomatic. You have to give him an ‘A’ for honesty and courage even when taking decisions that he KNOWS will be unpopular; it is not Government’s role to BE popular, but to be GOOD. As far as the Budget is concerned: all the adumbrated ‘cuts’ have done is invite ignominy amid the half-witted ‘swinging’ voters who do not care to understand reality. It was always MOST unlikely he would negotiate them through a log-jam of thoroughly unpleasant wreckers in the Senate (but it is noble to strive to do so)! Now, I think he might as well just get on with Governing and let ‘bracket creep’ and careful spending take care of the deficit (albeit over a much longer time frame). He has had immense success with his core promises (boats/carbon tax) which will stand him in good stead in the long term. I think he should repeal the mining tax, even though the Senate requires him to keep the associated (over) spending – because it is such a drag on resource development and economic progress in general.

 

 

23/07/2014: 1.4%: that’s Australia’s contribution to the <2% which is the total human contribution to CO2. Now, if we were to change that 1.4% to say 1.2%, (at a cost of $ hundreds of billions), exactly how MUCH difference would that make to the total percentage of CO2 world-wide? Exactly ZERO. And if every human being were to do the same, how much difference would it make? Bugger ALL! To add insult to injury, the CO2 that IS there doesn’t seem to be warming the atmosphere OR the oceans anyway, as the deep oceans are cooling – which means we really ARE in for a COOLER world, as this study shows: http://wattsupwiththat.com/2014/07/21/deep-oceans-are-cooling-amidst-a-sea-of-modeling-uncertainty-new-research-on-ocean-heat-content/

 

 

22/07/2014: I, for one, am not surprised (there IS no limit to human hypocrisy!): ‘People who claim to worry about climate change use more electricity than those who do not, a Government study has found. Those who say they are concerned about the prospect of climate change consume more energy than those who say it is “too far into the future to worry about,” the study commissioned by the Department for Energy and Climate Change found …’ http://dailycaller.com/2014/07/17/do-global-warmists-use-more-electricity-than-normal-people/

 

22/07/2014: Quote of the day: ‘In Left-wing La-La Land everyone should either work for The Excellent Benign Government or sell puka shell necklaces to each other (if you can comply with the 4,000 pages of Puka Shell Necklace regulations.) Failing that, Nancy Pelosi suggests writing poetry, an apparent high-paying growth industry.’ Scott Johnson, http://www.powerlineblog.com/

 

21/07/2014: It is interesting the way bower birds love blue things: their bowers are always decorated with them, yet it is almost impossible to find anything blue in the bush; indeed if you want to avoid losing bushwalking equipment always buy blue torches, tent pegs, pocket knives, etc. The bluest thing you CAN find (if you look closely) is the incredibly blue eyes bower birds have!

Photo: 679204

 

20/07/2014: ‘63 years ago, we knew that 'The Catcher in the Rye' was insufferable and overrated’ so why did we read it: http://www.newrepublic.com/article/118703/original-review-jd-salinger-catcher-rye-insufferable

 

20/07/2014: TWO great quotes today: Arthur C. Clarke, ‘I don’t believe in astrology; I’m a Sagittarius and we’re skeptical.’ & John Kenneth Galbraith, ‘The only function of economic forecasting is to make astrology look respectable.’

 

20/07/2014: WHAT A HORRIBLE SENATE Tony has to  deal with! Dominated by EVIL folk who WILL not control their own spending OR increase taxation to COVER such reckless spending. First we had the so-called $80 billion Tony was accused of ‘cutting’ from schools and hospitals over the future decade - which has not been financed by any prospective budget or tax increase. Now we have a further $17 billion of spending predicated on income from the mining tax which will never be raised - whether the tax is abolished or not! Yet the spending MUST stay, we are told. The trouble is that such reckless deficit spending will drag Australia into BANKRUPTCY in the mid-term future, ESPECIALLY if such investment blockades as the mining tax (green/red/black tape and outdated or corrupt labour practices) remain in place. For some years now mining investment which would have come here to a relatively free, peaceful, stable country has been flowing to what any sensible person would (not so long ago) have thought of as extremely high risk countries (such as Mozambique, Guinea, Mongolia, Chile…the list is long, BECAUSE Australia has become RISKIER! AND a swathe of Australian mining investments have been cancelled, put on hold or CLOSED down) because of Australia’s inability to live within its means and reform itself. Folks who are voting for this Labour/Greens/PUP nightmare are at best childishly economically illiterate, and ‘blissfully’ ignorant that they will lose not only their homes (and their superannuation savings), their jobs, but in the long-term their very country - if they continue on with this asinine, frivolous behaviour.

 

19/07/2014: Australia has now produced TWO suicide bombers! Such folks are our greatest present danger. Within <5 years one of them will have perpetrated some such horror on Australian soil. The existence of SAMs amongst such folks may also make much international air travel impossible in the future - which will be bad news for the tourism industry. I predict that many of those who have found my warnings ‘distasteful’ will then ask, ‘Why was nothing done to prevent this?’ Such is the fate of Cassandras: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/first-australian-suicide-bomber-in-iraq-reportedly-kills-three-people-in-baghdad-20140718-3c4oe.html#ixzz37lh1SybC

 

19/07/2014: Is THIS the kind of society we WANT: http://www.freerangekids.com/mom-jailed-for-letting-her-9-y-o-play-at-park-unsupervised-and-daughter-in-state-custody/

 

19/07/2014: Interesting quote: ‘Sneaking into a country doesn’t make you an ‘immigrant’ any more than breaking into a house makes you ‘part of the family’!

 

18/07/2014: Whose fault IS it that so many folk don’t understand the meaning of the simplest verbs, eg ‘am’, ‘do’, ‘earn’, work’, ‘owe’…? Such simple everyday sentences as these are clearly beyond the comprehension of MILLIONS of Australians, eg ‘I am a cleaner’, ‘I work hard’, ‘I earn my own living’, ‘I do not think anyone owes me’, ‘I owe no-one’, & etc, etc…

 

18/07/2014: Interesting irony: on the day the Senate (finally) killed the carbon tax Victoria had more snow than in many years - in a snowier year than we have had in a quarter century – almost longer than this whole global warming scam has been going on!

 

18/07/2014: Who knows WHY it just keeps getting colder in Antarctica: http://wattsupwiththat.com/2014/07/12/coldest-antarctic-june-ever-recorded/

 

17/07/2014: ‘Mahmoud Abbas…leader of the Palestinian Authority asked Hamas a question that other bewildered people are also asking: ‘What are you trying to achieve by sending rockets?’…Hamas has recently fired more than 500 rockets at Israeli towns and cities.’ Like SO much else in the Arab world, the answer is only ever, ‘LUNACY’: http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2014/07/what-exactly-is-hamas-trying-to-prove/374342/

 

17/07/2014: Intelligent observers of Australia’s political scene must ask a similar question of the coterie of obstructionists in the Senate, ie ‘What are you trying to achieve?’ The answer (given that they are FORCING us to take on many hundreds of billions of unwanted and unsustainable debt) is national ‘BANKRUPCTY’.

 

15/07/2014: Quote of the year: ‘The amount of energy needed to refute bullshit is an order of magnitude bigger than to produce it,’ Alberto Brandolini

 

13/07/2014: William M. Gray, Ph.D. (gray@atmos.colostate.edu) is professor emeritus of atmospheric science at Colorado State University and head of the Tropical Meteorology Project at CSU’s Department of Atmospheric Sciences: ‘If there is a small negative water-vapour feedback of only -0.1 to -0.3oC (as I believe to be the case), then a doubling of CO2 should be expected to cause a global warming of no more than about 0.2-0.4oC. Such a small temperature change should be of little societal concern during the remainder of this century.’ (NB AND we have already had HALF of this!) Read his full article here: http://wattsupwiththat.com/2013/12/10/on-the-futility-of-long-range-numerical-climate-prediction/#more-98962

 

13/07/2014: BEWARE: THIS certainly IS happening to our language: ‘It’s increasingly ridiculous to use the word “liberal” to describe the modern American collectivist.  There’s nothing liberal about them at all.  They’re shooting for the ultimate subversion of liberty, by re-defining “liberty” as a form of compulsion.  In other words, they’re saying you are being oppressed unless a wise and virtuous dictatorial authority can force other people to give you what the authoritarians have decided you “deserve.”  You aren’t “free” as long as you must provide for yourself.  Liberty becomes a term used to describe its exact opposite: a set of active obligations placed upon other people.  It’s right up there with any perversion of language and thought described by George Orwell in “1984.”  Actually, it is one of the perversions he laid at Big Brother’s feet: “Freedom is slavery, and ignorance is strength.”’ http://www.redstate.com/2014/06/30/freedom-just-another-word-nothing-left-buy/

 

13/07/2014: It will be interesting to see whether ISIS manages to ‘find’ (and no doubt use) any of Saddam’s ‘fictitious’ ‘weapons of mass destruction’: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/iraq-says-terrorists-seize-chemical-weapons-site

 

12/07/2014: ‘Asylum’(!) Seekers: Sri Lanka’s Daily News: ‘There are the bad eggs and the incorrigible in any society, and a few hundred people getting on boats because they think the pavements Down Under are made of pure 24 carat, is no reflection on this progressive society any more than a few Australian journalists aiming for upward mobility in their professions by sensationalising hard luck stories is a reflection on the general integrity of the good and industrious Australian people.’

 

12/07/2014: Addendum: ‘Debt & Obligation #2: Take the phrase, ‘We ought to help the poor’; I imagine this is something inherited from Christianity & which (I suspect) was never practiced anyway when Christianity was ascendant (and might partially explain why Christ was crucified!), however…the phrase implies an obligation, which implies a ‘debt’. Just exactly what financial/loyalty/deed contribution have ‘The Poor’ made to ‘Us’ that could CREATE such a debt? Indeed, in Australia today 50% of the population pay NO NET TAXES whilst 10% of the population pays 50% of all taxes – but not the poor, who are merely the ‘deserving’ beneficiaries of all this largesse. ‘The Poor’ however have had @ 18 years of State sponsored charity and education by the time they reach adulthood…Is it any wonder many just want this to CONTINUE, rather than begin to CONTRIBUTE themselves? WE owe ‘The Poor’ NOTHING, but they owe US big time. It is long since time that the debts ‘The Poor’ owe society were called in! ‘The Poor’ are quite simply beggars, the (largely) undeserving recipients of ‘our’ charity, all too often giving nothing back (often not even loyalty to our society); no doubt if this continues, they WILL ‘inherit the Earth’ – & what sort of ‘scorched’ earth will it be?

 

12/07/2014: I think lots of people have this problem (of anthropomorphising MORE with dead lions and such), yet are able to completely ignore (indeed SUPPORT) the murder of countless human babies (and others!) - like eg Emily Letts, who filmed her own abortion (http://themattwalshblog.com/2014/05/07/this-is-my-positive-abortion-story/) and who (inhumanly) comes up smiling at the end of it (a human life!): http://themattwalshblog.com/2014/07/03/just-pretend-this-dead-lion-is-a-human-baby-and-then-you-wont-be-so-upset/

o-KENDALL-JONES-SAFARI-KILLS-facebook

 

11/07/2014: Tony was ONLY referring to Japanese submariners (eg in Sydney & Newcastle Harbours) This is what he actually said: ‘Even at the height of World War II, Australia gave the Japanese submariners killed in the attack on Sydney full military honours. Admiral Muirhead-Gould said of them: “theirs was a courage which is not the property or the tradition or the heritage of any one nation…but was patriotism of a very high order”. We admired the skill and the sense of honour that they brought to their task although we disagreed with what they did. Perhaps we grasped, even then, that with a change of heart the fiercest of opponents could be the best of friends.’

 

11/07/2014: If ‘Big Oil’ caused anywhere near this amount of animal cruelty or environmental destruction, Greenpeace et al would be screaming to close it DOWN…but THIS is THEIR alternative: http://www.slate.com/blogs/wild_things/2014/07/08/solar_power_plants_burning_birds_usfws_report_on_california_facilities_and.html

 

11/07/2014: Even, (especially?) Bob Carr, (Labor’s last Foreign Minister) thinks it is perfectly OK to send Tamils (etc) back to Sri Lanka - where HE indeed sent over 1200 (involuntarily) himself! http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/policy/claims-of-tamil-persecution-in-sri-lanka-a-myth-says-bob-carr/story-fn9hm1gu-1226982849322?nk=6f90b1b0c7a286b7eaff0189de8dbf06

 

11/07/2014: There has been NO decrease in the number of refugees Australia accepts, just that they must be selected BY US and possess their identity documents, come from groups waiting patiently  in refugee camps, and be already accepted by the UNHCR as genuine refugees, AND pass a fitness test - as well as be likely to assimilate (Wow!) This is most preferable to the ONE PER DAY (mostly economic refugees or potential terrorists who had destroyed their documents) who DIED under Rudd/Gillard trying to get here on leaky boats. Morrison should have simply stopped the two Sri Lankan boats and waited for the Sri Lankan navy to pick them up: this is what WILL happen in the future, thanks to the crazed Lefties who have hijacked the High Court (cf their voting down of private property rights as guaranteed under our constitution under Roxon – this, not Fromelles, was the blackest day in Australian history, AND a compelling reason for abolishing the Hight Court along with the Senate).

 

10/07/2014: You CAN eat raw rhubarb stalks, and there are many interesting other things to know about this wonderful plant, eg: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhubarb

Rheum rhabarbarum.2006-04-27.uellue.jpg

 

10/07/2014: Lots of folks misunderstand the meaning of the concepts of ‘debt’ and ‘obligation’. This is particularly apparent in their use of the words ‘owe’ and ‘ought’ (Old English āhte, past tense of āgan 'owe'). BOTH imply a DEBT. Put simply, you incur a debt when someone spends money on you, such as eg the several hundreds of thousands of dollars society spends on raising and educating its young to University entrance level or higher. The consequence of such a debt is that the recipients ‘ought’ repay that debt, ie have an obligation to do so, eg by engaging in productive work, paying their taxes, etc. Exactly the same is true of all such spending on people, eg on welfare, education, health, aboriginal affairs & etc. By ‘accepting’ (or requiring) the spending the recipient OWES the debt and ‘ought’ REPAY it. This is not too much to ask; it is only fair. It is what having a societal ‘safety net’ is all about. There IS no such thing as a free lunch! People misuse the terms frequently, such as when they say things like, ‘Australia ought to do such and such, or help so and so,’ eg ‘Australia ought to help asylum seekers’. NO such debt exists. Its existence would imply that we had previously received something from such folk!

 

10/07/2014: We DO need this. Such waste is dreadful: http://www.michaelsmithnews.com/2014/07/jason-morrison-on-the-need-for-an-opt-out-register-for-organ-donation.html

 

09/07/2014: Spot ON, Larry: ‘There was a time, before the baby-boom generation took over, when we took pride in the achievements of our builders, producers and innovators… Many of the genuine conservationists from the original environmental societies were replaced by political extremists who felt lost after the Comrade Societies collapsed and China joined the trading world. These zealots were mainly interested in promoting environmental alarms in order to push a consistent agenda of world control of production, distribution and exchange – a new global utopia run by unelected all-knowing people just like them.’  http://pickeringpost.com/story/death-by-delay/3474

 

09/07/2014: AGE never was any bar: http://kottke.org/13/08/the-surprising-ages-of-the-founding-fathers-on-july-4-1776

 

09/07/2014: The ‘young folks’ at ‘Ancestry’ sure are naïve about the number and kind of life skills the average ‘modern’ has lost; I could add a solid double handful before I even draw breath (eg the Cobb & Co hitch, the Spanish windlass, knitting, crochet, food preservation,…): http://blogs.ancestry.com/cm/2014/05/13/skills-your-great-grandparents-had-that-you-dont/?utm_source=taboola&utm_medium=referral&o_xid=60678&o_lid=60678&o_sch=Content+Marketing

 

08/07/2014: Erratum: Re recovery of the ASX: as soon as the (new) Senate chose to delay voting on repealing the carbon tax yesterday, the market headed south again (particularly mining stocks). Today the High Court (now simply the plaything of the Left - NB their decision over a year ago now to smash private property rights – as guaranteed by the constitution) is aimed to torpedo the Government’s (enormously successful) ‘boats’ policy. The Senate and the High Court (not to mention the ABC) are anathema to democracy – and urgently need reform or abolition, preferably the latter!

 

08/07/2014: While WE have been busily banning drilling in National Parks, Barrier Reefs… (& opposing fracking just about everywhere) whilst our supply of crude dribbles to an end, and our national debt spirals out of control (even though half the population drives a Thai SUV!), the US has been turning the game around so that NOW they are the biggest oil producer in the world, (and with the Green River formation in Wyoming (greater than the sum of ALL the word’s known reserves!) coming on stream, they are set to remain that way for a long while to come. Cheers to Uncle Sam: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-07-04/u-s-seen-as-biggest-oil-producer-after-overtaking-saudi.html

 

08/07/2014: Satellites do not LIE: YET another month with no warming. This year’s ‘crop’ of High School graduates will have experienced NO warming for their entire lifetime – yet most of their years of ‘education’ has been a continuing attempt to convince them of the reality of ‘global warming’! Where are the naked ‘Emperor’ - & ‘Chicken Little’ again: https://wattsupwiththat.files.wordpress.com/2014/07/clip_image002.png

 

08/07/2014: I could get behind this cause: FREE THE HAGGIS: http://reason.com/blog/2014/07/03/baylen-linnekin-on-the-move-to-free-the

 

07/07/2014: Absolutely: http://www.luckyculture.com.au/2014/07/04/bill-leak-comments-on-tuesdays-column/

Screen Shot 2014-07-04 at 6.02.13 am

 

07/07/2014: I was pretty happy with the ‘Declaration’, bifocals & pot-belly stoves actually, but this guy was responsible for SO much more: http://mentalfloss.com/article/29762/10-ben-franklins-lesser-known-feats-awesomeness

BenFranklinDuplessis.jpg

 

07/07/2014: I am frankly sick of whinging lefties attacking the budget – as if Joe Hockey was ‘Attilla the Hun’. The budget ‘cuts’ are NOT cuts at all, (but a more modest INCREASE) in Government outlays which will, over time, repair the budget bottom line. At the moment we are borrowing $1 BILLION per MONTH just to pay the interest on debt. If nothing is done, in ten years’ time that sum will be $2.8 BILLION per month (or $100 MILLION per DAY!) The Labor party (and others) need to say how THEY would fix the mess THEY created! They need to ‘put up or shut up’! http://blogs.news.com.au/heraldsun/andrewbolt/index.php/heraldsun/comments/not_savage_and_no_surprise/

 

07/07/2014: I KNOW the blind may not be able to see the difference, but it is just this: Israel has arrested and will punish (if found guilty) these murderers, whilst the Palestinians continue to celebrate and honour their murderers; it is an enormous gulf between such barbarism, and civilised behaviour: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/07/world/middleeast/israel-palestinians-muhammad-abu-khdeir.html?_r=1

 

06/07/2014: What could be more bizarre: religos urging the Government to 'respect the science' - just like they do with their absurd theist nonsense! http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/respect-climate-science-anglicans-urge-tony-abbott-to-change-tack-on-climate-change-policies-20140704-zsvyn.html

 

06/07/2014: Back in 1955 Emma 'Grandma' Gatewood (67 - mother of eleven and grandmother of twenty-three) was the first person to solo hike the (3,000km = 5 million steps ) Appalachian trail using her own home-made gear...She stood five foot two and weighed 150 pounds and the only survival training she had were lessons learned earning calluses on her farm. She had a mouth full of false teeth and bunions the size of prize marbles. She had no map, no sleeping bag, no tent. She was blind without her glasses, and she was utterly unprepared if she faced the wrath of a snowstorm, not all that rare on the trail. Five years before, a freezing Thanksgiving downpour killed more than three hundred in Appalachia, and most of them had houses....And she walked it THREE times...so what's STOPPING you: http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/pick-up-your-feet-montgomery.html#.U7iX3rHm5dk Ebook here @ $16.95: https://books.jbhifi.com.au/Book/grandma-gatewoods-walk-the-inspiring-story-of-ben-montgomery/426687?gclid=CMy87qTJr78CFcIIvAodOaUA1Q

Grandma Gatewood's Walk: The Inspiring Story of the Woman Who Saved the Appalachian Trail

 

06/07/2014: Hard to believe you could destroy a country by bombing it with the equivalent of Weston’s Wagon Wheels, but such is the nature of North Korea. I think we SHOULD: http://news.nationalpost.com/2014/07/04/north-korea-bans-popular-choco-pie-snack-from-south-korea-to-avoid-ideological-unrest-reports/

South Korean managers are not allowed to give cash directly to employees, so they started rewarding good employees with Choco Pies.

 

06/07/2014: John Roskam: ‘The great American conservative William F. Buckley Jr. said: “I would rather be governed by the first two thousand people in the Boston telephone directory than by the two thousand people on the faculty of Harvard University.” The Australian version of that quote would be “A cabinet full of Ricky Muirs couldn’t be any worse than a cabinet full of Gillard government ministers.” Given the scale of corruption being exposed by Royal Commission (particularly) in the Victorian Labor Party (not to mention their criminal bikie association), I couldn’t agree more! http://www.afr.com/p/opinion/ricky_muir_the_senate_everyman_0rEMpK2I7VZ2SRHWn6qDtL

 

06/07/2014: Just finished reading this book, ‘Cape York – The Savage Frontier’ by Rodney Liddell. It was not especially well-written, but what IS surprising is that (in the present PC climate) it was written at all! I can remember reading about such atrocities as a youngster (Ion Idriess perhaps?), eg the dire cannibalism on the Palmer River goldfield (where WAS Clive then I wonder…), the dreadful narrative of shipwrecked Barbara Thompson - & so many others, the death of Kennedy, the faithfulness and bravery of Jackey Jackey & etc, but I confess I had actually forgotten that archaeologists and anthropologists USED to claim a much more recent arrival of the current aboriginal population, as contemporaneous with the (recent) arrival of the dingo of a thousand years or so – except for the now defunct Tasmanians - (as well as attesting to their absolutely vile culture, eg of violence and cannibalism!)…AND I had forgotten the narrative/s (and drawings) of Dampier et al, who THEN identified the inhabitants they encountered as brown skinned and curly-haired, in contrast to the black skinned and straight-haired folk (Dravidians?) whom later settlers (Phillip etc) encountered. I guess it matters not a jot if the ‘aborigines’ present at European settlement had only arrived @ 500 years before (and had killed and eaten the true indigenes – the lack of DNA tracers from ‘Mungo Man’ & etc makes this, at least probable – as does the panicked desire to ‘bury’ the evidence), but it DOES take some of the ‘sting’ out of their outrageous claims on the nation to this day – AND it leaves the mystery (if it was so) of WHO brought them here (from Ceylon presumably), and WHY. It seems improbable that they had lost the technology to build ocean going ships (if they previously had it) in a couple of brief centuries…though our British ancestors ‘lost’ the ability to make glass and build chimneys after the Romans ‘left’ Britain, so who knows...folks can quickly degrade on islands! Mysteries abound: http://www.copyright.net.au/extra_info.php?info=intro&id=102

 

05/07/2014: Poor old Rolfie: Five years in the slammer DOES seem like a lot (comparatively) for having had (consensual) heterosexual sex with teenage girls who were (no doubt) then (as now) ‘hot to trot’ – as the saying goes…at least when you compare it with the quite trivial sentences which have been handed out to our (beloved) clergy for homosexual RAPE of numerous pre-pubescent boys back when, or compared with the fate of fellow octa- and nonagenarians found to have quite simply MURDERED hundreds of Jews during WW2. The Left seem to have selective memories about what was ‘acceptable’ behaviour back when - as THEIR beloved Leunig’s illustrations of drunken lecher Sam Orr’s book from the 70’s illustrates - when a ‘healthy’ admiration of nubile femmes was not considered quite so declasse as it now is. I also note that there are now literally hordes of would-be aggrieved belles dames keen to get their hooks into the dosh - now that it seems probable that compensation claims might be in the offing. Ah, what a heartbreak old world you are: http://blogs.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/timblair/index.php/dailytelegraph/comments/rolf_would_have_laughed/

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05/07/2014: THREE beautiful days on the ASX – is the market FINALLY heading up from where Rudd/Gillard drove it? Thank YOU, Tony Abbott!

 

05/07/2014: HOW is it that guys who ‘design’ supermarket car-parks have failed to notice that EVERYONE now has a dual cab SUV with the turning circle of a semi-trailer. The ‘new’ car-park in Churchill (SEVEN years in the ‘building’ of basically a concrete paddock!) will HAVE to be by-passed by at least HALF the population as there is simply nowhere to park a largish car!

 

05/07/2014: MH370: SOMEONE is not telling us the truth: I was just looking at our Jindalee ‘over the horizon’ radar network. Given the (present) Government’s intense desire to ‘stop the boats’ and other unwanted intrusions into our region, it seems vanishingly unlikely that Jindalee did NOT ‘see’ MH370 if it flew for several hours southwards across the West Australian coast. Either it DID (and was ‘seen’ – and is on the LOG), or it did not, and is somewhere else…A little more information please Mr Abbott: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jindalee_Operational_Radar_Network

 

04/07/2014: Hiking food again: Ainsley Harriott ‘Creamy Vegetable Spelt’: THIS was quite delicious (so long as you have eg a Brasslite stove to simmer it on for @ 20 minutes). If you feel you might need more protein, a sachet of tuna, 100 gram can of ham etc might be stirred in at the end:

 

 

04/07/2014: It ain’t half hot, mum: Antarctic sea-ice hit yet another record high today:

 

04/07/2014: Another triumph for ‘liberty’, Valle is to walk free – after all what COULD be wrong with murder and cannibalism – viewed properly they are just alternative ‘lifestyles’, aren’t they (particularly if the ‘victim’ agrees, as in the Miewes case http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armin_Meiwes ): http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/07/01/cannibal-cop-conviction-overturned/11894353/

 

03/07/2014: There IS an answer to those alarmists talking up the Emperor penguin’s imminent demise. Dr. Michelle LaRue has provided evidence showing twice as many emperors as had previously been thought. I guess the story ranks alongside the tenfold increase in polar bear numbers in the last fifty years: http://wattsupwiththat.com/2014/07/01/blinded-by-beliefs-the-straight-poop-on-emperor-penguins/#more-112307

 

03/07/2014: Just maybe these guys don’t appreciate continued Saudi funding: http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2014/06/isis-promises-to-destroy-the-kaaba-in-mecca/

 

03/07/2014: A newly married man asked his wife, 'Would you have married me if my father hadn't left me a fortune?' 'Honey,' the woman replied sweetly, 'I'd have married you no matter who left you a fortune."

 

02/07/2014: VERY touching eulogy:  ‘Minds me of our old Maremma, Brandy who died two years ago at 14 (of prostate cancer). Even as he became weaker and weaker, he refused to forsake his duty: he slowly followed the sheep each day to pasture even though it took most of his day to make it there, and back again. The moment he had any suffering, I rescued him immediately with my .22. You can guarantee that my end will be the same. He was a GREAT dog and saved many thousands of lambs from an awful death. As I have said before, often I prefer dogs to people: http://lileks.com/bleats/archive/14/0214/020314.html

 

02/07/2014: Thank goodness for the government’s cuts – I couldn’t stand much more of THIS: http://blogs.news.com.au/heraldsun/andrewbolt/index.php/heraldsun/comments/bad_abbott_hands_off_arts_grants_for_spider_sex/

 

02/07/2014: Scientology had its status as a religion withdrawn. Why can’t this be done to Islam? An EXAMPLE: The wife of the prophet Mohammed was a 6 year-old girl, A’isha… she, herself, is quoted in Sahih, Book 008, Number 3310: “A’isha, Allah be pleased with her, reported: Allah’s apostle, may peace be upon him, married me (that means betrothed) when I was six years old and I was admitted to his house (that means sexually abused) when I was 9 years old.” & http://www.michaelsmithnews.com/2014/06/questions-of-fact-arising-from-my-chat-with-ben-fordham-on-2gb.html & http://pickeringpost.com/story/the-road-to-damascus-was-blocked/3458 

 

01/07/2014: Must do this next shearing time:

https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xfp1/t1.0-9/p526x296/10307364_578610122260660_4650508890475891057_n.jpg

01/07/2014: MORE Senators like THIS, please: ‘In my term in Parliament, I want to convince Australians to reconsider whether handing their money over to the government is better than keeping it themselves. I want them to understand that disapproving of something does not justify it being prohibited or heavily regulated. I want them to understand the connection between the liberties they care about and the liberty of others, and to understand that individual freedom is universal, precious and must be fiercely protected…’ David Leyonhjelm, Liberal Democratic Party.

01/07/2014: Seriously accurate tree felling - I doubt this would happen if I was in charge: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZWeKw6dS58#t=105

01/07/2014: Changes to marriage/motherhood must have profound (and I suspect entirely deleterious) effects on society: http://www.theamericanconservative.com/childless-elite-spouseless-poor/

30/06/2014: Tim Blair: ‘The 17,920 dots shown here represent just a small fraction of the 832,034 Australians currently claiming the disability pension. For a more accurate representation of the disability pensioner total, copy this image 46 times and then add another 1000 people every single week until Australia is broke.’

 

30/06/2014: These folks are NOT hypocrites? http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthnews/10920198/Greenpeace-executive-flies-250-miles-to-work.html Sure ARE: http://www.eureferendum.com/blogview.aspx?blogno=85039

30/06/2014: THIS is deeply disturbing. I USED to believe in tolerance, and was opposed to ‘discrimination’. That was before I realised you HAVE to discriminate against EVIL. When you have a clearly identifiable population a VERY large percentage of whom (eg 15-25-40% - estimates vary) WANT to do you harm, you HAVE to discriminate: Excerpt: ASIO: Report to Parliament: ‘Influences in Australia’s security environment have remained similar to those of previous years. Terrorism remains the most immediate threat to the security of Australians and Australian interests— yet other security threats have gained momentum. The threat of home-grown terrorism is of significant concern—terrorist attacks such as the Boston Marathon bombings in the United States and the Woolwich attack in the United Kingdom demonstrate this. Home-grown terrorism and lone actors present unique and difficult challenges for security agencies. Viii ASIO Report to Parliament 2012–13 Terrorist organisations, such as al-Qa‘ida and its affiliates, remain committed to conducting and promoting mass casualty attacks. They continue to encourage vulnerable individuals to commit attacks on ordinary citizens. The threat of terrorist attacks on Australians and Australian interests abroad remains of concern. ASIO works with domestic and international partners to identify, investigate and mitigate such threats. There has been an increase in Australians travelling overseas to participate in terrorist training or engage in foreign disputes—Syria is the primary destination. The concern is not only for Australians who risk their lives overseas, but also the likelihood of radicalised Australians returning home with an increased commitment and capability to pursue violent acts on our shores. The Syrian conflict has also created domestic tensions. Communal violence within our borders does occur, and, while all cultures have a place in Australian society, violence should not. In response to these many threats, ASIO has contributed to the defence of Australia’s interests through the disruption of terrorist planning in Australia, the prevention of Australians seeking to travel overseas to participate in violent extremist activity and the identification and prevention of violent extremism within the Australian community. These actions were conducted in partnership with law enforcement, national and international partners. Instances of espionage and foreign interference have continued to increase - both in terms of the number of occurrences and the range of actors.’ http://www.asio.gov.au/img/files/ASIO-Report-to-Parliament-2012-13.pdf

30/06/2014: This is why the Greenies oppose ‘fracking’: ‘Natural gas from hydraulic fracturing is a direct threat to the growth of wind and solar energy. Gas-fuelled power plants are low-cost and dispatchable. In contrast, wind and solar electricity is two to three times the price and plagued by intermittent output, unable to respond to varying electrical demand. With hundreds of years of natural gas available from hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling techniques, why build another wind turbine?’ The article explains why their efforts (must?) fail: http://wattsupwiththat.com/2014/06/11/environmental-groups-have-lost-the-war-against-fracking/#more-111297

29/06/2014: Oh Boy! Do we ever need to do this in Oz: http://isil.org/the-town-that-privatized-everything/

29/06/2014: Ain’t it the truth: A plea from the new imperialists (the Greens, etc): ‘Please give me the power. I promise to make everything new and beautiful for you ignorant little people who do not understand what you really want or what is best for you. Furthermore, I'll turn your slob husbands into young studs, your wives into Miss Americas, your bank accounts into mountains of gold, and I'll make the oceans recede by shipping water to the moon (with apologies to those with waterfront property).’

29/06/2014: If anyone thinks it is Israel which holds up the Middle East peace process, the results of this poll should put them right: http://www.jpost.com/Diplomacy-and-Politics/Majority-of-Palestinians-now-oppose-two-state-solution-new-poll-finds-360489

28/06/2014: The war on ‘offensive nomenclature’ continues…where will it end: http://youngcons.com/liberals-passed-a-bill-to-change-this-fishs-name-because-it-is-hurtful-and-offensive/

fish

Asian Carp

28/06/2014: Lots of fun with spurious correlations: http://www.tylervigen.com/

28/06/2014: Here is a ‘cool’ idea: THIS sustainability ‘expert’ whom I heard this morning talking to Alan Jones on 2GB (you should really try this. It’s free – and doesn’t cost you $1 BILLION, like the ABC here) claims that the temperature difference between the road and his back garden etc is 5C. Who knew? Maybe he should think about all those dark tile rooves as well. And then, he might start thinking about the heat output of all those air cons and car exhausts. Even the several million PEOPLE alone in Melbourne are pouring out 150 watts each every second of every day. Yet we are told the world has ‘only’ warmed .8C since pre-Industrial times. Doesn’t this mean (if our cities’ roads etc are so much hotter than their surroundings, that almost certainly the earth has been COOLING? Just thinking…Of course, this ‘expert’ has been so ‘good’ and has a water tank, septic, solar panels, compost bin – you know, all those things that everyone has had IN THE COUNTRY forever!

http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/breakfast/first-trial-of-cool-roads-to-combat-warming/5485844

27/06/2014: Some very interesting points in this article, including this one (which surprised me): ‘Newton’s wrong guesses are, however, as interesting as his correct ones. A well-known example is his conviction that light is made of particles, not waves. What he had in mind were solid ‘corpuscles’, not the photons of modern physics, but it’s still tempting to see him as having been half right. And in trying to explain the splitting of white light into a spectrum, he came up with the beautiful notion that the width of the coloured bands matches the mathematical proportions of a musical scale. People had traditionally counted no more than five colours in a rainbow, but for his theory to work Newton needed more, so he introduced two ‘semitones’, orange and indigo, and we’ve been counting seven colours in a rainbow ever since. Generations of schoolchildren have learned mnemonics that colour-code light, such as ‘Richard Of York Gave Battle In Vain’, which have as much to do with physical reality as the signs of the zodiac.’ http://aeon.co/magazine/world-views/how-fossilised-ideas-live-on-in-language-and-science/

27/06/2014: MH370: ‘Sources close to the investigation confirmed to The Telegraph on Sunday that a deleted flight path had been recovered from Capt Zaharie's simulator which had been used to practice landing an aircraft on a small runway on an unnamed island in the far southern Indian Ocean.’ His wife has also confirmed HE spoke the final words, ergo he was piloting the aircraft when it disappeared. Is it POSSIBLE then, that the plane landed at some such mystery runway and THEN took off again to be crashed (or whatever) at it final location? If it IS possible and if it actually happened, there MAY be survivors! (At least him) But where are they? This ‘theory’ assumes there was something very valuable on the plane (and that the whole operation was a huge HEIST, possibly including mass murder). TWO tonnes of cargo ARE yet to be identified. As well, there were (no doubt) some VERY valuable Chinese on the plane. Interesting times…It has been quite some time since Inmarsat released all its data; presumably other folk have had time to double-check their results. Even so, if the main rationale for choosing the so-called ‘Southern’ route remains the absence of radar detection, our own failure to detect it when it was within our over-the-horizon ‘envelope’ (switched off at the time) indicates others could have similarly failed (and it could still have landed along the ‘Northern’ route). If however, it took the ‘Southern’ route, there are not many islands I can see where it could have landed (and taken off). More if it could have done so on a beach. Possible? I don’t know. The Andamans would have to be the most likely such ‘way-point’. Such a theory pretty much implies Zaharie had accomplice/s. Eventually I suppose we WILL know: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/malaysia/10917868/MH370-captain-plotted-route-to-southern-Indian-Ocean-on-home-simulator.html

27/06/2014: It IS so NICE to know that Chelsea Clinton doesn’t care about money: ‘the snail’s on the thorn…and all’s right with the world’ (‘Pippa’s Song’ from ‘Pippa Passes’, Robert Browning): http://neveryetmelted.com/2014/06/24/the-anchoress-spanks-chelsea-clinton/

26/06/2014: Robbie Burns warned us over 200 years ago:

"The best laid schemes of Mice and Men
Gang aft agley,
An' lea'e us nought but grief an' pain,
For promis'd joy!"

26/06/2014: PROOF: Climate alarmists simply FAKED the warming they claim will engulf us all. The reality is that the world has been COOLING for nearly a century! http://stevengoddard.wordpress.com/2014/06/23/noaanasa-dramatically-altered-us-temperatures-after-the-year-2000/

26/06/2014: Aussie boy Zacky Malah is the guy in the centre of the photo below. Leo’s warning is REAL: and pressing; we ignore it at our EXTREME peril: http://www.express.co.uk/comment/columnists/leo-mckinstry/484235/Leo-McKinstry-on-multi-cultralism

comment, opinion, daily express, muslim, isis, jihad, britain

25/06/2014: The ‘average’ man’s shoe size has increased (since 1970) from Size 8 (me) to size 10. I make THAT 25%. When truly alarming changes (eg of the climate or environmental ‘toxicity & etc kind) are measured in picograms and such, such a profound change in only a generation should start such enormous panic that we should ALL be running away (presumably 25% faster, now). But really, what CAN have prompted such a profound alteration (and WHERE will it end?) We look set pretty soon to be very like ducks. At least many swimming records will continue to be broken. I note that an excess of human growth hormone will cause this sort of change in an individual – but if that’s the cause, where IS this hormone coming from? Growth promoters in poultry perhaps? I thought they had been banned. Anyway, something else to worry about! Over to you…

25/06/2014: Quote of the Week: ‘What you suggest may be all very well in practice, but it will never work in theory’. Apocryphal French philosopher.

25/06/2014: 3100 live cops can’t be wrong! Stephanie Klowlek, the inventor of Kevlar dies: http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2014/06/22/Inventor-Of-Kevlar-Dies-At-90

24/06/2014: Ah, Tim Blair, I salute your Bad taste: http://blogs.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/timblair/index.php/dailytelegraph/comments/compo_caliphate/

 

24/06/2014: Police call it corroboration. EXACTLY! The ABC generally (and shamefully!), John Faine in particular and sundry others have been making the same point Mark Latham struggles to make in the Fin Rveiew, and which Michael Smith so devastatingly critiques here: ‘Who knows what motivates a politician?   Mark Latham in the Fin Review sums up oral evidence at the Royal Commission. Documents aside, what verbal evidence has come before the commission concerning Gillard? Like a parade of ageing Oompa Loompas, three impish men – Ralph Blewitt, Wayne Hem and Athol James – claimed to remember cash being exchanged in and around her Melbourne home. Indeed, the nature of their recollections is remarkably similar. 3 men unknown to each other.’ Of course, there is also a HUGE documentary trail to follow: http://www.michaelsmithnews.com/2014/06/mark-latham-sums-up-evidence-of-3-strangers-with-eerily-similar-versions-of-events-police-call-it-co.html

24/06/2014: Doha, Unesco, World Heritage…How dare these unelected bureaucrats interfere in our affairs? It is our business, our decision, no-one else's. If we chose (through our elected representatives) to make decisions about our own land, that is the end of the matter. These UN fascists should be shot! It certainly IS our land. It doesn't belong to unelected commie UN bureaucrats. It is up to US what we want it to be for future generations. Unelected officials are NOT an 'independent watchdog'. They are a fully paid, trough driven, one-eyed nightmare. The whole UN is the most undemocratic organisation in the world. Not ONE 'representative' there is ELECTED by the people of the nation they come from; nor is it in any way 'representative' as to population - or anything else. The whole thing is a tyrannical, money-sucking gab-fest which has done NO good for nearly 70 years, should never have been set up in the first place and should be abolished forthwith. The LAST thing Australia needs is to become the whipping boy of UN troglodytes!

23/06/2014: Now THAT is a VERY good question: ‘As plastic is made from oil and oil is made from dead dinosaurs, how much actual real dinosaur is there in a plastic dinosaur?’ And the answer is: http://what-if.xkcd.com/101/

23/06/2014: As a (sometime) conservative myself, I confess I just did not KNOW this: ‘Same-sex marriage fits comfortably within the conservative ideology of the self-sufficient family and contributes to the politics of state austerity,’ or this: ‘Isn’t marriage merely a clever ploy to keep us quiet about the trickier issues such as the deportation of lesbian asylum seekers?’ Maybe the Left have moved even further away from YOU too: http://davidthompson.typepad.com/davidthompson/2014/06/princesses-and-peas.html

23/06/2014: Bad news for socialists (and most of the rest of us too): Most of us are not going anywhere, (but perhaps, given a little more time, we might): http://quadrant.org.au/magazine/2014/06/pays-choose-ancestors-carefully/

22/06/2014: Terrorism expert Brigitte Gabriel goes through the numbers. And the answer is, 180 -300 million Islamic extremists…Truly terrifying: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ry3NzkAOo3s

22/06/2014: Patrick Moore (FOUNDER of Greenpeace) on Greenpeace members today: 'If you ask them for the name of any mine that is operating in an environmentally acceptable standard you will draw a blank. They have become so cornered by their own extremism that they must deny their daily use of cell phones, computers, bicycles, rapid transit, and yes, the simple teaspoon.' http://www.breitbart.com/Breitbart-London/2014/06/19/CO2-is-good-for-us-climate-change-is-bunk-greens-are-raging-extremists-says-Greenpeace-co-founder

21/06/2014: BUSTED! In the last 17 years CO2 has gone up @15%. In the same period, world temperature has flat-lined. END OF STORY!

21/06/2014: How many things are wrong in our society for it to encourage THIS: http://blogs.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/timblair/index.php/dailytelegraph/comments/portrait_of_a_disability_pensioner/

21/06/2014: Study asserts startling numbers of insider trading rogues: They had to do a STUDY to find this out? I watch the market every day, and you can just about bet that when a stock mysteriously shoots up or down, TOMORROW there will be an announcement nobody was supposed to know about: http://www.cnbc.com/id/101764568

20/06/2014: Holy Cow: With this shovel, the chinks will conquer the world: Original Chinese Army Multifunctional Military Shovel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ryyAenmzHM#t=125

20/06/2014: Is THIS the best ad for a knife ever? The ‘Cold Steel’ brand kukri (Start about 37 secs in): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7dS8YWqymo#t=121

20/06/2014: Gillard's best friend Robyn McLeod named at Royal Commission: Bruce Wilson told the Royal Commission that Robyn McLeod did work for the AWU Workplace Reform Association in Melbourne in the early 1990s. McLEOD was "working" for the slush fund that received bogus consultancy payments from Thiess. I would guess McLeod will be implicated in Wilson’s deliberately exposing workers to dangerous levels of asbestos (for HIS personal profit) if not worse malfeasance! There is MUCH more of this story to come: eg Wilson (inadvertently) admitted that Gillard had appeared before the WA Corporate Affairs Commission in setting up the AWU ‘Workplace Reform Association’. If this proves true (and there WILL be a transcript – no-one knew about this at all until Wilson blabbed), she will certainly be found guilty of the same fraud Wilson will eventually be gaoled for. Shorten AGAIN named yesterday, which makes at least THREE times he has been accused of (at least) gross impropriety at the Royal Commission! Interesting times.

19/06/2014: Be WARNED: You really can BORE yourself to death watching soccer: http://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2014/06/16/Chinese-man-dies-from-sleep-deprivation-after-staying-up-late-to-watch-the-World-Cup/2231402924470/#ixzz34wlEFdUG

19/06/2014: A VERY good story (in pics); the power of love: http://www.thefleurdelys.com/pdfs/Love-Story-Wounded-Warrior.pdf

19/06/2014: The voice of sanity: Tony Abbott last week in Texas: ‘Affordable, reliable energy fuels enterprise and drives employment…For many decades at least coal will continue to fuel human progress as an affordable, dependable energy source for wealthy and developing countries alike.’

19/06/2014: Well Done, George Bush (Snr). Keep fit: we may need you in Iraq again soon: http://news.yahoo.com/90-old-ex-president-parachute-jump-121807251.html

18/06/2014: I LOVE prawns, but I doubt if this is true, I will buy ‘Product of Thailand’ (anything) ever again: http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2014/jun/10/supermarket-prawns-thailand-produced-slave-labour

18/06/2014: If you have difficulty buying stuff online, check out http://www.shipito.com/ You can (for example) buy that stuff on Amazon (which has free US shipping but which they won’t send to Oz) and have shipito forward it. Some sites won’t (eg http://www.montbell.us/ who have wonderful ultralight clothing, sleeping bags, etc) even let you buy, but you can get a ‘virtual’ US debit card from shipito which will allow you to do so. THIS is the best sleeping bag: http://www.moontrail.com/montbell-ul-spiral-down-hugger-3-reg.php

18/06/2014: What a GREAT story. I feel I have met this woman somewhere: http://www.deathandtaxesmag.com/216498/woman-accidentally-joins-search-party-looking-for-herself/

17/06/2014: I notice the ABC’s Linda Mottram claiming yesterday Tony Abbott has ALREADY forced young women into prostitution (by putting up Uni fees and reducing the dole – things which have YET to be passed by Parliament!) Naturally he is also responsible for global warming, the spread of European wasps in our gardens, chewing gum on our footpaths, the increasing madness of the Left, & etc, etc.

17/06/2014: Ain’t it the truth: Jon Gabriel: ‘When natural gas production was a too-expensive alternative to oil, the environmental lobby promoted it as a surefire way to reduce carbon emissions. Close the coal- and oil-fired plants; convert cars to run on CNG. Yes, it will devastate industries, cost jobs and burn billions of dollars, but think of the children! Since even malevolent industrialists love their kids, energy barons took the greens’ advice and found cheaper, more efficient ways to extract and transport natural gas. What a victory for the movement! But instead of celebrating, envirolobbyists rent their garments over their once-miraculous fuel. The instant green energy translated into Big Oil profits, progressives placed the CNG and fracking on their naughty list …Every time a real-world solution is provided to a promised calamity, leftist leaders move the goalposts …That’s because the Left doesn’t really believe in climate change. Their true religion is raising taxes, increasing government, impeding capitalism and reducing national sovereignty. Climate change is just a temporary excuse to achieve those ends.’

17/06/2014: The dreadful internecine mass murder in Iraq has to be seen to be believed; we must do everything we possibly can to quarantine ourselves from such horror as this before we begin to see it happening in Melbourne, Sydney, etc: http://blogs.news.com.au/heraldsun/andrewbolt/index.php/heraldsun/comments/just_one_week_in_the_world_of_islam_what_is_wrong_with_this_faith/

17/06/2014: Let's NOT forget, OBAMA ARMED these people (ISIS) whilst Putin backed Assad!

17/06/2014: Perhaps THIS is what many are like: http://pickeringpost.com/story/more-info-from-manus/3388

16/06/2014: It would have to be worth a try: http://ww2.nationalpost.com/m/wp/blog.html?b=news.nationalpost.com/2014/06/05/fasting-for-three-days-renews-entire-immune-system-protects-cancer-patients-remarkable-new-study-finds

16/06/2014: A very fair point, Chelsea: ‘A woman is not empowered by her clothing, or lack thereof. A woman is empowered through her actions, her intelligence, compassion, and character. These things will bring a woman respect, the kind of respect that true “feminists” fought for.’ http://acculturated.com/is-going-topless-empowering/

16/06/2014: Good cop, Bad cop. The Costigan Royal Commission and the current ‘AWU’ Royal Commission, ICAC in NSW & etc continually expose the evil and corruption rife in our country (especially in the Left of the political spectrum – but it has also ensnared Sinodinis). I have long argued for much tougher penalties for the corruption of public officials (indeed I think they should receive the DEATH penalty!) The Rogerson/Drury ‘incident’ is a case in point, as was the bashing of Bob Kernohan as revealed in the RC yesterday: http://blogs.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/mirandadevine/index.php/dailytelegraph/comments/haunting_legacy_of_a_night_of_terror/

 

15/06/2014: What an excellent idea: http://maggiesfarm.anotherdotcom.com/archives/24420-Recoil.html

 

15/06/2014: Alcatel have boosted VDSL ‘vectoring’ internet speeds to 300mbps, so fibre to the home is really NOT going to be necessary. Attenuation may still be a problem out here where we are (@ 4km from the exchange, though we DO have wires with a larger cross section in the country - which will help), and you CAN use two pairs of wires to double your speed as well. It may be that we will eventually get better speeds sticking with the copper network than we would get (@20mbps) from NBN’s fixed wireless @ 300 metres away on the top of the hill opposite (as well as having a telephone which works in emergencies) A fire would take out the tower as it is in the bush behind us, but not affect the copper lines which are underground in clear land between Churchill and here. We may try the new fixed wireless, but retain our copper lines while we ‘wait and see’. We get nearly 7mbps NOW, so now that I have discovered ‘iLivid’ I just don’t need any more speed: http://www.alcatel-lucent.com/products/phantom-mode

15/06/2014: Our Government has to APPEAL to UNESCO to withdraw World Heritage Listing of parts of OUR country! Huh? UNESCO (indeed the entire United Nations) comprise nothing but UNELECTED BUREAUCRATS. We should NEVER sign away our sovereignty by endorsing UN ‘conventions,’ as this transfers power from individual Australian citizens to such unelected bureaucrats, and is (apparently) legally IRREVERSIBLE. As an example, a couple of years ago our politicians ‘ratified’ a ‘convention’ making it ‘impossible’ for a future Government (in Australia) to reintroduce the death penalty. Now, I doubt if there was a REFERENDUM about reintroducing the death penalty, it would fail. A referendum to mandate that we could never have a referendum to reintroduce the death penalty would CERTAINLY fail. Yet our politicians HAVE ceded our power over this matter (and many others) to UN bureaucrats! Not only must this STOP, it must be undone. Whether you believe we should (eg) ‘Save the Tarkine’ (or some such), do you really want all decisions about that self-same matter to be ceded to UNELECTED FOREIGN public servants for all time – so that you may NEVER again have a view about it? Personally I have seen much of the Tarkine – and it is awful rubbish, good for nothing in my opinion. Much of it would benefit from being turned into a giant open-cut mine. You MAY not agree with me, but surely you would prefer that the matter be settled by Australians VOTING than by some foreign public servant’s ‘stroke of a pen’?

15/06/2014: Naming Nebulae: I don’t think it is a COYOTE’S head at all. It is clearly an image of our beloved JR, Spot: http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/images/5824-sig14-009-Coyote-Head-Nebula-Does-Not-Approve

 

14/06/2014: I may need to reconsider my advocacy of superannuation. Apparently somewhere during those madcap Rudd-Gillard years they raised the age at which you can access your OWN money (from 55 to 60 - if you were born after 1964). I would guess the reason was because of the current crop of ‘retirees’ claiming their quite inadequate savings at 55, spending it all, then coming back to impose themselves on the public purse when they are 65. THIS needed changing, not whether you could access your savings in a responsible manner if you had enough to support you for the remainder of your life. I am just as much against FORCING people to continue in the workforce (at 56, 61, 66…or any age) as anyone else – so long as you can provide for yourself. Younger people maybe need to reconsider their strategy of taking the tax concession on superannuation savings IF their savings are going to be locked up (mayhap until AFTER their own deaths!) Perhaps they need to look at some other tax effective strategies for retaining control of their savings, such as negative gearing in rental property (good luck with making a profit from THAT), owning a business, gold, futures, CFDs, offshore investments, etc. Of course NOTHING will prevent the rapacious Left from STEALING your savings and spending them on their much more ‘deserving’ selves (or pet projects)  - if they can!

14/06/2014: I haven’t seen the new ‘Godzilla’ movie yet (or ‘Noah’) but apparently both open with alarmist greenie critiques of mining as the big bogey which has to be destroyed. This is becoming a frighteningly too-familiar meme. I see Santos is (this morning) reappraising its coal seam gas development in the Pilliga, which adds to a long litany of mining retreats from Australia (Olympic Dam, James Price Point…etc) taking many hundreds of billions of dollars which would have flowed to Australia off to such more desirable locales as Guinea, the Atacama Desert, Mongolia, Mozambique, Cameroon etc. The same doom is befalling mining (too high costs and over-regulation) as previously befell manufacturing, then farming, forestry and fisheries…so that we WILL have no viable internationally competitive industry of any sort to underpin future economic prosperity (unless we can find a burgeoning market into which we can export leftist greenie idiots – and their rules - who are proliferating uncontrollably here!)

14/06/2014: Perhaps this should be compulsory reading to qualify for the franchise: http://mises.org/books/economics_in_one_lesson_hazlitt.pdf

13/06/2014: ‘Protect me mummy!’ This is the ubiquitous infantile prayer so beloved by religos and socialists. Since Government replaced God, it has a different note. At least the religious never really believed that God WOULD provide; they prayed but had still better provide for themselves…but socialists actually expect you don’t need to provide for yourself, because the Government WILL. This is a worrying development. Nothing is worse about it though than its babyish, puerile DEPENDENCY. NOTHING can replace people standing on their own two feet, taking on whatever the world throws at them with willingness, determination  and courage – and providing for themselves: the chiefest role of Government in all this should be in setting the scene which makes human independence possible.

13/06/2014: The importance of hunting: ‘The report shows that hunting contributes $417 million annually to the Victorian economy, making us second only to the Spring Racing Carnival in importance to the state.’ http://gallery.mailchimp.com/e126ff12cbbcb8d3dfa71147b/files/7606e35c-a6a4-4da9-9775-acffc04f8211.pdf

13/06/2014: Human excrescences are not much in use any more. Once a vast industry revolved around the collection and preparation of human urine (for the chemical industry, dyeing, tanning, fellmongering, etc), but it has, alas fallen by the wayside; more artificial chemicals have replaced it. You would think that the ‘back to nature’ brigade would be ‘up in arms’ about this. There is also huge potential to collect human dung for recycling as nutrients. Millions of tonnes are simply swept into the seas (for the benefit of undeserving fishies alone) which could be spread on our fields to make them fertile, or used as some other raw material, perhaps in the building industry: I’m sure it could be formed into perfectly serviceable and natural house bricks. Why then you could properly say you live in a s—t house! A few die-hard recyclers yet collect navel fluff for stuffing small cushions. The odd carpenter mayhap still runs a nail (to be driven into a difficult piece of wood) through his hair to lubricate it (though no doubt the fashion to avoid Macassar – and the prevalence of nail guns has diminished this too, alas). As a hiker, you may like to know that when you burn the tips of your fingers on your billy, for example, they can be soothed by the oily excrescences of your ears. There’s a useful ultralight hiking tip for you! I learned it from this wonderful old fellow Richard Graves, The Bushcraft Books: http://chrismolloy.com/page.php?u=p131

12/06/2014: Despite the indisputable FACT that our ex-Prime Minister GILLARD is being PROVEN to be a CROOK and a LIAR at the Royal Commission into union corruption, AND that the current opposition leader is also IMPLICATED at VERY least as a THUG, the ABC and the Age are both running dead on the story – as if it were not the BIGGEST STORY in the last several years of Australian history. The ABC should be abolished (or privatised – if anyone wants it!) It is a NATIONAL DISGRACE! AGAIN, you can watch it all LIVE, here: http://rcommedia.com.au/turc/live/

12/06/2014: The Palmersaurus: http://blogs.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/timblair/index.php/dailytelegraph/comments/know_your_thunder_lizards/

12/06/2014: Also see Miranda: https://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.news.com.au%2Fdailytelegraph%2Fmirandadevine%2Findex.php%2Fdailytelegraph%2Fcomments%2Ftaking_the_electorate_for_fools%2F&h=iAQFK_Nul

 12/06/2014: If you think the caricature IS a bit tasteless (and I admit it is), you DO have to remember that Clive actually RESIDES in a defuinct Dinosaur Park!

 12/06/2014: Heat death or cold death: Here is the Central England Temperature dataset (the longest RECORDED dataset on earth (compete with a false ‘hockey stick’ at the end kindly provided by Hadley). You will notice that the average temperature is somewhere like a rather chilly 9C. Now, does anyone SERIOUSLY believe that there would be terrible disaster if the average temperature was 11C, an increase of the approx 2C the IPCC is always banging on about? Folks in Central England (and many other places!) would probably appreciate someone turning the thermostat up two degrees! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_England_temperature#mediaviewer/File:CET_Full_Temperature_Yearly.png

 

12/06/2014: Quotable quote: Patrick Lion: ‘The ABC is massively over-funded. Consider this: if the ABC received similar per capita funding in the US as it does in Australia, its budget would be somewhere in the vicinity of $16.6 billion. That’s pretty much equal to the entire annual budget of NASA, yet the only person the ABC has ever put on the moon is Mr Squiggle.’

 11/06/2014: This is Spotty's favourite trick of late!

Photo: This is Spotty's favourite trick of late!

11/06/2014: Spotty's hobbies include gardening..

Photo: Spotty's hobbies include gardening...

 11/06/2014: Castration is not so fashionable as it once was – when motorcycle petrol caps protruded in magnificent gonad scalloping splendour, or when it was more common for cuckolded husbands to perform this essential community service. Why once a friend of mine found a perfectly fresh pair of cojones still warmly wrapped in their tidy purse on the main street of Glebe. Carefully working them onto his handkerchief with the point of his umbrella (as you do), he hied him to the nearest police station to handed them in, asking (as you would) whether he could claim them if no-one else did (in a charming contralto!) Of course he never heard. Police in those days lacked somewhat in the cojone department, I guess. I am thinking that it would be desirable to re-implement a tad of castration, if only to create a susurration of concern amongst dilatory citizens such as tailgaters, like the one who followed me at about 2 metres distance yesterday morning in heavy fog. There are just too many aggressive drivers -who would benefit from this simple operation.  Of course, I HAVE noted of late that rather too many such are young Ms. Where are THEY getting all this testosterone, I wonder: perhaps it is in the water supply, or the energy drinks…?

 11/06/2014: Toilet rolls should be BANNED. I wonder really that our emerald agitators have not hit on this particular remedy for the woes of our troubled forests. Why when we are hiking we manage to get by with (at most) 2-3 Kleenex tissues a day, which saves a lot on pack weight – and the handy purse-sized dispensers prevent the tissues from becoming saturated and unusable in the rain (which would happen to a toilet roll). But, think of the vast forests to be saved if everyone was FORCED to do this EVERY day. Why, we should never resile from the ability to use force on the citizenry – to make them better, of course!

 11/06/2014: The gratitude of dogs: It really is less likely that dogs will bite the hand that feeds them than is the case with two-legged ‘pets’. I am minded of this each morning by the looks of adoring gratitude from our two, as I restoke the pot belly they are lying adjacent to or underneath. The effort spent caring for dogs is always handsomely rewarded, yet efforts to help our fellow humans is too often returned with spite and recriminations: is it any wonder really so many of people PREFER dogs?

 10/06/2014: DEMOCRACY really IS the most wonderful form of Government! You can WATCH the Royal Commission LIVE, here: http://rcommedia.com.au/turc/live/

 10/06/2014: It may be surprising to YOU that: Income inequality has been falling globally (and would likely fall a lot more quickly if it were not for the interference of Governments): http://www.rationaloptimist.com/blog/inequality-is-falling,-globally.aspx

 10/06/2014: You might THINK (at first) that it looks a bit long, but THIS is a GREAT speech. Maybe you will figure out why I think this guy has been the greatest American President (so far): Ronald Reagan’s ‘Fortieth Anniversary of D-Day’ Speech’. Remember as you listen (and are captivated by it, as I was), that Reagan too was a WW2 veteran: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEIqdcHbc8I) You MIGHT care to contrast it to Obama’s ‘70th Anniversary of D-Day Speech’ (but I wouldn’t bother): (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oruve06Hz1E)

 10/06/2014: Right wing/Left wing? As far as I can see there ARE no ‘right wing’ parties in Australia. The ‘Left’ believes basically that Government is the solution. The Right (if there were one here) believes that Government is the PROBLEM. The Liberals are just as bad as Labor in believing in BIG Government. At the end of the Howard ‘Era’ Government was bigger than it was at the beginning, but it did not GROW as quickly as it did under Hawke/Keating or as under Rudd/Gillard. Under Abbott it again will grow more slowly, but as the Budget shows, at the end of the forward estimates (in four years time) the Government’s share of GDP will be knocking on 25%, an all-time record. People get confused about this, but you should remember: The Nazis were LEFT wing! If they had been Right wing they would have believed in freedom, small Government and private enterprise, which were ALL things they passionately OPPOSED. To be ‘right wing’ is essentially to be libertarian, to believe that people should as completely as possible be responsible for themselves and answerable only to themselves. That people should have the freedom to express themselves as fully as possible as economic beings. It is to have a minimum of Government and a minimum of laws, particularly laws which curtail human freedom. I grew up under Menzies when Government’s share of GDP was more like 15%, which I consider to be probably a bit too high too really, but it was without a doubt the BEST period in Australian history (so far!). 10% is a nice, round figure – and leaves lots of room for everyone else! THAT would be more like where I would have it. I doubt we CAN go back (at least not in a hurry) to what it was like in the C18th when even what we (now) would consider to be ‘essential services’ (think: the military, social welfare, police, post…) were all PRIVATELY provided. Those ‘redcoats’ you see fighting against the Americans in (what the Yanks call) ‘The War of Independence’ were provided by private British citizens, just as the ones who conquered India for example, were provided by a private company! Clearer?

 09/06/2014: It’s going to be a VERY hot week for Ju-Liar at the Royal Commission this week, Evidence will be heard from Ian Cambridge, Olive Palmer, Wayne Hem, Kon Spyridis, Athol James…All these folk can attest she benefited from and/or participated in Wilson’s frauds. Blewitt has already testified he paid $7,000 for her house renovations. Spyridis and Hem will add $20,000 to that sum, taking it to AT LEAST $27,000 – a fair amount of loose change back in 1991. You should LISTEN UP and stop being in denial: http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/opinion/julia-gillards-buried-story-unearthed/story-fni0ffxg-1226947496876 & http://www.michaelsmithnews.com/2014/06/the-australian-today-gillards-builders-to-testify-at-the-royal-commission-not-good-news-for-ms-gilla.html

 09/06/2014: Non-PC I guess, but more metaphorical training needed, surely: officers ‘probing’ rape allegations at the ADF swear (repeatedly) to get ‘to the bottom’ of the matter; when ‘the bottom’ IS THE ‘bottom’, a more appropriate phrase needs to be chosen. They should get to the ‘root’ of it, probe every dark recess, ferret it out, & etc

 09/06/2014: The stars ARE crazy: Gwyneth Paltrow: ‘I am fascinated by the growing science behind the energy of consciousness and its effects on matter…I have long had Dr Emoto's coffee table book on how negativity changes the structure of water, how the molecules behave differently depending on the words or music being expressed around it.’ http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2014/06/05/gwyneth-paltrow-mean-words-hurts-water-feelings/?intcmp=features

GwynethPaltrowByAndreaRaffin2011.jpg

Blonde!

 09/06/2014: Somebody really should start calling it ‘Income Diversity’.  How could Progressives be against it then?

 08/06/2014: 'One way to make sure crime doesn’t pay would be to let the government run it.' (Ronald Reagan) - loved this guy! Another of his greats, 'They say hard work never hurt anybody but I figure - why take the chance?'

Official Portrait of President Reagan 1981.jpg

 08/06/2014: Invisible worlds: the archway: Straight outside our front door we have this archway: you’ve probably seen it before in family photos, as it makes an interesting backdrop. Around here we have often been too busy to notice things, but as we are slowing down we maybe have more time for noticing and less for doing…anyway, we were sitting in front of it the other night watching the pigeons fly…And hearing them too: since a have had my new Siemens waterproof hearing aids I can once again HEAR the wondrous ‘woosh’ of pigeon flight…we noticed a fair sized flock of starlings circling as well. It was just on dusk. We were wondering what they were doing. Well, Della put the pigeon food in the loft and opened the trap. The pigeons dropped into the loft like stones. A chill was creeping in, so we turned to go in the front door. Suddenly, literally in the blink of an eye I guess, 100 starlings fell out of the sky into that archway. They must have done this several thousand times since I built it many years ago, but we had never caught them doing so. They are quiet neighbours, obviously up at sunrise and off about their business, returning swiftly at dusk, and making no outward noise to advertise their presence. I am sure the potato vine has benefited enormously from their residence over the years though. So much in nature is virtually invisible to us even if it is right before our eyes. The arch was very simple to construct, and we do need more of them, one leading down to the shed, for example – a job for another day...I marked it out, drove 3’ lengths of ¾ gal water pipe into the ground vertically to half their length, then slipped the required length of concrete reo inside them (to form a hoop), and lengths of 1 ½ inch poly water pipe over them, Surprisingly each arch is strong enough like this for a large person like me to swing on. Having made a row of them, we simply clad them with light gal weldmesh (attached with cable ties), planted the potato vine/s, and voila! You used to be able to walk up pavers through it from the ‘guest’ parking below to our front door, but over the years Della has so cluttered it with interesting decorations this may no longer be possible…

 08/06/2014: Paul Keating1995: ‘There is no such thing, of course, as “free” education. Somebody has to pay. In systems with no charges those somebodies are all taxpayers. This is a pretty important point: a “free” higher education system is one paid for by the taxes of all, the majority of whom haven’t had the privilege of a university education. Ask yourself if you think that is a fair thing.’

 08/06/2014: ‘The parliament shall have the power to regulate the mixing, baking, serving, labelling, selling and consumption of food.’ Did the ‘founding fathers’ forget to write this provision into our Constitution? Certes the food faddists are out in force, baying for blood. THAT chocolate éclair, cream doughnut, or oatmeal stout even may be your last.

 07/06/2014: Pets: I guess we have owned many tens of thousands of head of livestock over the years (mainly sheep and goats). I’m afraid they all had (pretty much) to pay their way: we were always a working farm – no Government subsidies out here. A sheep had to produce lambs and/or wool, or it was off to the abattoir at six months, 1 ,2, 3 years old…whatever. Some old girls have paid their way so well, they deserve a pension. A few old sheep have raised over 30 lambs each over the years.  As far as I am concerned, they can just die of old age around here, eating clover. They have done their job well. In fact, having kept the progeny of such girls, we have extended the profitable average age of our sheep by several years, thus sparing many great dams from the abattoir. But, of course, these good old gals just keep producing, year after year. Our sheep were never our pets but rather working animals, though some old girls were too, eg Angel who raised 34 lambs over the years, and we were all sad to see her go. She has a daughter here still who is the spit and image of her. As I say, we were not in the business of having tens of thousands of pets. No-one is, excepting the Government. I’d guess the Government has upwards of a million pets: folks who won’t ever pay their way and never have. There would be no room for such folks (if they were sheep) in our pastures. These folks are just ‘pet people’. Now, if YOU want to have pets, YOU feed them and care for them. I won’t. Nor can you (or they) expect anyone else to. Why, there are whole groups of people who have not paid their own way for generations, as much as 200 years! This is just poor husbandry. They MUST be put out to fend for themselves. We can’t be affording a nation of ‘pets’. Enough is more than enough! I have been up in the frost, outdoors in all weathers, closer to 300 than 200 days per year etc for over half a century. I have NEVER earned (pa) what yesterday was absurdly declared ‘the minimum wage’ – what an incredible impediment to employment THAT is. But I have not wasted my money. I AM eligible for an aged pension, but I would not take it if it was forced on me; I will continue to live on my own resources. I have supported myself for nearly sixty years and I am not about to start bludging on my fellow Australians NOW. A dozen or so more (mainly food) trees went in today; we implemented a new potato (and Jerusalem artichoke) patch; Della’s broad beans are up; peas, carrots, Brussels etc are going in. We WILL continue to feed ourselves. That million or so ‘pets’ I spoke of before: time THEY shifted for themselves; time they spent a bit of the sweat of THEIR own brows providing for themselves. They can’t be pampered darlings forever!

 07/06/2014: Watched Attenborough’s programme about bugs: he showcased a brilliant iridescent wasp which preyed on cockroaches (a critter I haven’t much sympathy for anyhow – and Della completely loathes them). HOWEVER, this wasp was able to paralyse the cockroach and lay its egg in it. The larvae hatched and took ten days to eat the cockroach alive. NOW, we need a LARGER version of such a wasp for such persons, as Adrian Bayley, Julian Knight…Genetic Modification is not necessarily such a bad thing!

 07/06/2014: ‘Coming to a town near you soon’ I would think. I am gratified that these ‘criminals’ would so ingeniously and intrepidly desecrate those lovely bird and bat shredding wind generators: http://www.france24.com/en/20140528-france-metal-organised-thefts-wind-turbines-copper/  

 06/06/2014: Remember how Jesus used to say it was harder for a rich man to get to ‘heaven’ than for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle, so the rich should give their money to the poor, was his notion (THAT never happened!); the rich could always hang onto their cash if they didn’t give two hoots about an after life! Socialists came along and decided it would be a good idea to LEGISLATE what Christ only suggested would be an important moral principle, even though THEY (correctly in my opinion, but that is another matter) did not believe in God or Heaven at all! – which just shows how corrupt they are really – and that most are descended somehow from wacko religos! Presumably such (legislated) conduct would somehow create some sort of ‘heaven on earth’ such as we saw for over 70 years in all the communist countries. I listened to Jenny Macklin yesterday burbling on in Parliament about how ‘The Poor’ would have smaller superannuation savings than ‘The Rich’ and how this was unfair, so the taxpayers should help out. ‘The Poor’ though have had just the same opportunities in life as everyone else, and presumably have had ‘less’ money ALL their lives, so WHY we should change this situation in their retirement after they spent a lifetime of wasting their money is beyond me! Interestingly Macklin was the staffer who had Howes introduce the Medicare co-payment under the Hawke Govt (at almost the same inflation adjusted value as Abbot’s - ‘Plus ca change’!)

06/06/2014: Food faddists take note: the ‘truth’ about Halal: ‘2 percent of Australia’s population can use a protection racket to force unwitting Aussie shoppers to finance the slaughter of Christians by Syrian rebels’ "When the day of judgment comes, that person will be wearing a pig-face because of what he has eaten. We need to unite, we must declare jihad!”: http://pickeringpost.com/story/-cadbury-cops-a-jihad/3304 

06/06/2014: Good news: 86.96% of voters say they would rather the ABC chop Q&A than Peppa Pig! The ABC employs 4,664 FTE people at a cost of $477,499,000, or at an average cost of $102,380 per person…So how many people will lose their jobs at their ABC if Mark Scott only cuts jobs? Using the above figures of $102,380 and $8,875,000 we end up with 87 people being downsized, or 1.87% of the “workforce”. Until recently, Fairfax [the Sydney Morning Herald, the Age, the Australian Financial Review and the Australian] employed around 1500 journalists. Today that number is closer to 1000. Within two years it could be as few as 500. http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/entertainment/television/future-of-peppa-pig-on-abc-in-doubt/story-fni0cc2b-1226934648643

05/06/2014: Neanderthal language: At the Max Planck Institute they have been trying to work out whether there are any language artefacts from the Neanderthals, and they have found ONE! And…it is the apostrophe ‘s’ for possession which so many folk (who presumably are not in any way descended from them) cannot spell! It is delightful to think of those large hairy folks roaming round saying, ‘Zzzz, Zzzz, Zzzzz’ like so many Daleks!: http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00397/full

 05/06/2014: ‘Welfare benefit’. People always use this wonderful example of REPETITION together, but each (separately) is (at best) oxymoron. Together, I don’t really know WHAT to call them: Is the plural ‘oxymorose’? OE has the first (as ME) from ‘well’ (noun) and ‘fare’ (verb) = @ ‘Make well’ (?) and the second (again ME) as something like ‘good’ + ‘do’. But does such CHARITY ever have this effect? Does GIVING people things MAKE them GOOD (or better)? EARNING things makes people ‘better’ – it goes without saying really, but UNEARNED ‘rewards’ only encourage sloth and false expectations! It is all just so unnecessary too now we have ‘well-being’ and ‘well-coming’, etc. You figure it out!

 05/06/2014: ABC figures show there are 36 employees paid more than $300,000, 50 earning more than $270,000 and, in total, 226 employees are on a salary of more than $180,000 a year. Mark Scott is on $805,000, TWICE what the Prime Minister earns! BUT there are NO savings to be made? Let’s just see how much you would have if you paid all these folks a MERE $100,000 (and assuming the 36 ‘only’ earned $300K!) WHY that’s $33.78 MILLION right there! Astonishing the pigs who come to YOUR trough! Just how much money anyway should we throw at a thoroughly corrupt public broadcaster which seems to see its only duty to be as a polemicist for the Labor Party and the Greens?

 04/06/2014: I have been gathering some of my hiking/hunting observations together and posting them on a new website (http://www.finnsheep.com/Ultralight%20Hiking.htm) which joins my blog (http://www.finnsheep.com/Steve%27s%20Blog.htm) on our sheep website (http://www.finnsheep.com/index.html) All three sites still need a lot more work, but perhaps you will find something interesting there.

 

04/06/2014: Never mind addictive drugs, they should ban statins – these things are keeping people alive for years and years!

 04/06/2014: Great ideas occur about 4:00am. Fortunately for most of us, they are gone by the time we wake up!

 04/06/2014: Tradesmen: Socrates was a stonemason; Jesus was a carpenter. At least one of them should have stuck to his trade. There are fewer arguments about furniture!

 03/06/2014: It is unfortunate that more folk no longer read the Classics. Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey are perhaps mainly moral allegories on the virtue of hospitality, and the punishment which ought to befall an unworthy ‘guest’ Paris stole Menelaus’ wife, Helen (thus provoking the Trojan War), as you might remember from Brad Pitt’s ‘Troy’; his fate was to be dragged around Troy behind Achilles’ chariot, then his body was thrown on a dunghill to be devoured by wild dogs, etc. Odysseus similarly punished the unwanted (suitor) guests who had been preying on his wife Penelope with violent and sudden death. And a right good thing too! We have had many unpleasant ‘guests’ in our country who perhaps ought to read more Homer – or be treated to his ‘remedies’!

 03/06/2014: Quote of the week: Tim Blair: ‘Bad news for the Greens: Researchers from the University of Eastern Finland found an association between cynical distrust — which researchers described in the study as “the belief that others are mainly motivated by selfish concerns” – and an increased risk of developing dementia.’

 03/06/2014: A STRANGE thing has been happening (the last 20 millennia or so) and, though we may have scarcely noticed, the size of the human brain has been SHRINKING and now comprises less than 90% of its once glorious bulk. The same brain shrinking has occurred in domesticated animals (such as dogs) which makes one think that there is something about the Neolithic ‘revolution’ which is causing this. Fortunately now that we have elastic-sided boots we do not have to look forward to a time when we are too stupid even to be able to tie our own bootlaces! One wonders whether sex selection could be a cause. A memorable passage in J Diamond’s ‘Guns, Germs and Steel’ ‘quotes a man from the New Guinea Highlands on the great beauty of the local women, with their tight curly black hair, their eyes very close together and their noses spread across their faces. He contrasts them to the ugly Western women, with their hair like dead grass, their eyes wide apart like pigs and their axe-blade noses.’ ‘Mr/s Big Head’ is maybe just not so attractive as s/he once was. Perhaps all we have to look forward to is a world of cutesy pin-heads drooling over their X-boxes – or has this already happened?

 02/06/2014: Della: A perfect Sunday! I couldn't have had a better day: 4 hours at the shop, a couple of hours (finally found) setting up and playing with my new Mother's Day toy (vintage Bernina sewing machine), then a drive down to the coast and a couple of hours walking with the dogs along the George Bass Coastal Walk (near Kilcunda). The weather was warm and dry (albeit overcast) and the only regret was that there was insufficient light to walk further. Spot was dazzled by the feel of running on sand, and did many excited high speed circuits just for the hell of it! How lovely it is to see the pure joy of a young dog! Tiny enjoyed herself too, but in a more dignified manner! Finally we topped it off with a splendid meal at McCartins Hotel in Leongatha (the Seniors' menu is to be recommended, if you qualify!). Spot and Tiny had to wait longer for their left-over store pies when they got home, but they opined that they, too, were delicious!

 02/06/2014: Spent a couple of pleasant hours yesterday (as Della says) walking on the George Bass Coastal Walk http://parkweb.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/352803/Park-note-George-Bass-Coastal-Walk.pdf  This can be combined with the  Bass Coast Rail Trail http://www.railtrails.org.au/trail-descriptions/victoria/gippsland?view=trail&id=203 to make a walk from @ San Remo to Wonthaggi. It would be nice if a little more work/instruction could be implemented to take it all the way to Wilsons Prom. For example, there is no real problem with walking from Point Smyth Reserve (Venus Bay) to Bear Gully (Walkerville South) - though you have to climb up and around Cape Lipptrap. You would hope that eventually you could walk ALL of Victortia’s coast. There is a well-marked walk all the way from the South Australian border to Geelong. There is no obstacle to walking the ninety mile beach (except availability of water!). There is a walk from @ Bemm River to Eden called the Wilderness Coast Walk (19 days!) http://parkweb.vic.gov.au/explore/parks/croajingolong-national-park/things-to-do/walking-the-wilderness-coast Here and there a packraft might be handy to get yourself across the odd river or coastal inlet.

Spot

 02/06/2014: Unable to meet the intellectual challenge, the Left has apparently launched ‘denial of service’ attacks on ALL Oz’s conservative bloggers the last couple of mornings…Alas, I have had nothing to read but commie bullshit, or my own maunderings…

 02/06/2014: I am always ASTONISHED that people feel that THIS is a valid riposte: ‘It is a matter of opinion,’ or ‘That is just YOUR opinion’ & etc. Listen up, folks, there ARE no matters of opinion; ONLY matters of fact…EVERYTHING is either accessible to rigorous TESTING as to whether it is true or NOT. If it is NOT, then it is simply gibberish, and not worth saying, let alone repeating! ALL the world’s BELIEFS are like this, ie provable/falsifiable or NONSENSE. Think: God, after life, socialism, Tim-Tams, etc, etc. Actually that LAST doesn’t fit the pattern; as Horace remarked ‘De gustibus non est disputandum’ ie ‘In matters of taste, there can be no disputes’.

 02/06/2014: I am really over all the tasteless caricatures, eg of Tony Abbott (and his daughters, no less) posted everywhere on Facebook, etc – and by folks who SHOULD have some intelligence, commenting that they ‘laughed all day’ or etc at them. These visual doggerels are not even funny, folks. If you have something intelligent to say about our political leaders, please SAY it. Don’t re-post crappy immature photo shopped snaps of people with penis heads & etc. Everyone’s appearance leaves something to be desired, (What? Even MINE?) but it is their IDEAS which are the main game – and even more important, their COSTINGS! My goodness, I’m sure we had all noticed the striking similarity between Ms Gillard and the ‘Wicked Witch of the West’ from ‘Oz’, or between Mr Shorten and Herman Munster, (Mr Howard was certainly no film star either – and nor is Mr Abbott – O, those simian arms, and THAT gait, but we can’t all be film stars!) but it is what such folks DO and SAY which is important – in the latter context, you folk might give some thought to the evidence being presented at the Royal Commission into Union Corruption, and NOTE that your idols appear to be outstanding CROOKS!

 02/06/2014: Touchy-feely kiss the earth ‘nature lovers’ are always posting photos of some scrap of bush they want ‘saved,’ but I misdoubt any of them has spent a fraction of the time actually IN the wilds that I have. Every year for at least the last 30 years I have walked AT LEAST 1,000km/year through our wild places (and probably driven 5-10,000km); I have slept out on the ground probably 6-8 weeks in toto every year, (meaning that I have literally spent YEARS of my life LIVING in the wild places!) I am appalled at the consequences of the MISMANAGEMENT THEY advocate, especially the vast areas utterly destroyed by wildfires, destruction which COULD have been prevented but for their mismanagement: vast contiguous areas not been ‘locked up’, their (fire) access tracks closed; the absence of forestry clearing, grazing, mining, tourist facilities, fuel reduction burns etc meaning that there was NO refuge left for creatures to escape a horrible death from wild fires. Such management is NOT conservation; it is EVIL GREENIE MADNESS!

 01/06/2014: There is a story going around on the net about a chap who has (so far) succeeded in shooting 13 LIONS (or elephants; anyway the article is always accompanied by a photo of him with various grisly remains!) And GOOD FOR HIM! Alas, we cannot ALL have the opportunity to bag innumerable elephants, pandas, platypodes, blue whales, etc - though I am sure we have all read all Teddy Roosevelt’s hunting books, etc but, here is an interesting book about a chap who satisfied his venality with the pursuit of RATS, ‘Tales of a Rat-Hunting Man’ (by Brian Plummer – I see he wrote many other fascinating books too, and was, like me a devotee of the Jack Russell terrier. Well DONE, Brian: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Plummer) This fascinating adventure story contains many riveting accounts of his pursuit of the wily rodent through the maggot factories and rubbish tips of England. Why he even (once) pursued his prey through the decomposing body of a circus elephant, which recalls my own adventures hunting foxes out of the carcass of a large beached whale many years ago! I note Roald Dahl ‘stole’ one of his excellent (Claud) bar stories about rat hunting from Brian. (http://www.roalddahlfans.com/shortstories/ratc.php ) Lo, how the mighty are fallen! Here is a review of this excellent tome: ‘After the initial shock of even considering a rat-catching professional, the title and content of this book are intriguing. The rat is "the unheralded game-animal of Great Britain," so much so that its proponents are feared and reviled as not quite "right." But from the time D. Brian Plummer received his first rat terrier at the age of 10, he dedicated himself to the sport of rat-catching using either dogs or ferrets. He actually enjoys killing rats and is pleased to share his techniques. Thank goodness for Plummer's wit and charm, which make the experience of reading about such nasty creatures a delight.’ It IS available here: http://www.amazon.com/Tales-Hunting-David-Brian-Plummer/dp/1906486271 Here’s Roald: ‘he tries to make amends with the men by showing them some rat tricks. He pulls a rat out of his pockets ("Always got a rat or two about me somewhere.") and drops it down the neck of his shirt. Then he drops in a ferret he pulled out of another pocket. A frantic chase and fight ensue in the shirt, and eventually the ratcatcher pulls out the dead rat and the bloody ferret. After that performance, he claims he can do something even more amazing: he can kill a rat himself without using his hands or arms or legs or feet. He gets Claud to bet him a shilling that he can't. He produces another live rat and they tie it to a car antenna. The ratcatcher begins to stare at the rat, moving closer and closer, until finally he strikes like a snake with his mouth open and his yellow teeth biting. The narrator closes his eyes, and when he opens them the ratcatcher is collecting his money and spitting out blood.’ I DO like THAT line, ‘Always got a rat or two about me somewhere’. I WANT it for my VERY own! I remember when I was a child most times having a ferret about my person (eg inside my shirt) too. This is a sadly neglected foible nowadays.

 01/06/2014: Never short of something to worry about…I am worrying this morning about what to do when our robot vacuum cleaner, Alexander (Beetle) DIES. He has been SUCH a faithful servant and cheerful little chap I cannot bear the thought of his ending in landfill, or (worse still) being RECYCLED once his bright red LED eyes grow dim! Egad! There needs to be a proper cemetery (and appropriate ceremonies) for tastefully memorialising our fallen automata, simulacra, doppelgangers, cyborgs and such…

 01/06/2014: AGAIN I note, ‘we have TWO MILLION public servants in Australia’. If we had any more we would begin to look like a gigantic episode of ‘Upstairs, Downstairs’! Surely we don’t NEED to have so many ‘servants’? This is getting on very close to every second household having its own BUTLER (now, THAT would be nice – or at maybe a downstairs maid at least!) It really begs the question though, doesn’t it, ‘WHAT can all these ‘servants’ be DOING?’ It clearly isn’t what any SANE person would describe as ‘Work’, so what IS it exactly? And why couldn’t we do without just a LITTLE bit of it/them? Over to you…

 31/05/2014: Our ‘team’ has ‘captured’ the spacecraft! Isn’t this just great? http://spacecollege.org/isee3/

 31/05/2014: Great ad on the radio this morning, ‘The over-50s lifestyle you’ve ALWAYS wanted.’ Hard to believe really, but there you go…apparently these are all being snapped up, so you’d better be quick! In other great news Sydney (and presumably Melbourne too) is set to have another 1.6 million people soon. Gee, I’m just about keen to rush down there too!

 31/05/2014: ‘Beerenomics’: Every day, ten men go out for beer and the bill comes to $100. They pay their bill the way progressive taxes work. The poorest four pay nothing. The fifth pays $1. The sixth $3. The seventh $7. The eighth $12. The ninth $18. The tenth man (the richest) pays $59. The ten men are content, until the bar owner says he wants to reward their custom by reducing their bill by $20. How will they divide the $20 windfall so everyone gets a fair share? The owner suggests reducing each man’s bill by a higher percentage the poorer he is, to follow the principle of the tax system. So the fifth man, like the first four, now pays nothing (100% saving). The sixth pays $2 (33% saving). The seventh $5 (28% saving). The eighth $9 (25% saving). The ninth $14 (22% saving). And the tenth now pays $49 (16% saving). Each of the six is better off and the first four still get free beer. But outside the bar they compare their savings. “I only got a dollar,” says the sixth man. He points at the tenth man, “but he got $10!” The others agree. “Why should he get $10 back, when I got only $2?” yells the seventh man. “We didn’t get anything at all,” yell the first four. “This new tax system exploits the poor!” So they beat up the tenth man. The next night he doesn’t show up at the bar so the other nine drink without him. But when it comes time to pay the bill, they discover they don’t have enough money between them to pay even half! Plus ca change, C’est la vie, etc!

 31/05/2014: I have spoken about ‘meliorism’ here before (17/03/2014), but really, SOMETHING needs to be DONE. DO click the link to see just how 'stuffed' we ARE: http://www.australiandebtclock.com.au/

 30/05/2014: Clancy: One great thing about camping out in an open shelter (such as I posted about 27 May) you have this all your own: ‘And at night the wond’rous glory of the everlasting stars.’ Here is the whole poem, just in case you have forgotten it, or were so MUCH poorer, and never learned it: Clancy of the Overflow (Banjo Paterson)

 I had written him a letter which I had, for want of better

Knowledge, sent to where I met him down the Lachlan, years ago,

He was shearing when I knew him, so I sent the letter to him,

Just ‘on spec’, addressed as follows, ‘Clancy, of The Overflow’.

 

And an answer came directed in a writing unexpected,

(And I think the same was written with a thumb-nail dipped in tar)

’Twas his shearing mate who wrote it, and verbatim I will quote it:

‘Clancy’s gone to Queensland droving, and we don’t know where he are.’

 

In my wild erratic fancy visions come to me of Clancy

Gone a-droving ‘down the Cooper’ where the Western drovers go;

As the stock are slowly stringing, Clancy rides behind them singing,

For the drover’s life has pleasures that the townsfolk never know.

 

And the bush hath friends to meet him, and their kindly voices greet him

In the murmur of the breezes and the river on its bars,

And he sees the vision splendid of the sunlit plains extended,

And at night the wond’rous glory of the everlasting stars.

 

I am sitting in my dingy little office, where a stingy

Ray of sunlight struggles feebly down between the houses tall,

And the foetid air and gritty of the dusty, dirty city

Through the open window floating, spreads its foulness over all

 

And in place of lowing cattle, I can hear the fiendish rattle

Of the tramways and the ‘buses making hurry down the street,

And the language uninviting of the gutter children fighting,

Comes fitfully and faintly through the ceaseless tramp of feet.

 

And the hurrying people daunt me, and their pallid faces haunt me

As they shoulder one another in their rush and nervous haste,

With their eager eyes and greedy, and their stunted forms and weedy,

For townsfolk have no time to grow, they have no time to waste.

 

And I somehow rather fancy that I’d like to change with Clancy,

Like to take a turn at droving where the seasons come and go,

While he faced the round eternal of the cash-book and the journal —

But I doubt he’d suit the office, Clancy, of ‘The Overflow’.”

PS: I know I wouldn’t!

 

30/05/2014: MH370: Seems like I was right after all and the ‘pings’ weren’t from the plane. When are they going to figure there was something ‘wrong’ with the ‘handshakes’ too? Do we (yet) have the correct amount of FUEL for the plane? What if the Inmarsat calculations are wrong too? A fine way to spend 50 million bucks! Maybe I should be in charge after all?

 

30/05/2014: ‘It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity’ (Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities): http://www.theage.com.au/comment/we-live-in-the-best-of-times-so-dont-buy-the-media-gloom-20131230-302wn.html & http://www.city-journal.org/2014/bc0523yf.html

 

29/05/2014: THIS is simply the world’s greatest machete. If you don’t already own one, you MUST. It will make easy work even of removing blackberries:  http://www.amazon.com/Fiskars-7860-Brush-Axe/dp/B000F99IEU/ref=pd_sim_hi_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=0FZ0KWXB63ZCG1ZHF906 I have the Gerber version (http://www.amazon.com/Gerber-31-000083-Gator-Brush-Trimmer/dp/B0025VKMI2) which is probably much the same.

 Gerber 31-000083 Gator Brush Trimmer

 

29/05/2014: In case you had not noticed: UKIP took first place in the recent national poll in the UK for the European Parliament ahead of both the Labour and Conservative parties. This is the first time this has happened in 100 years. This party is anti-immigration, climate sceptic and quite a ways to the right of the current Conservative Party - who will need its help to win another term. The Liberal Democrats (currently in coalition) were all but wiped out, as were the Greens! A sign of times to come, I hope!

29/05/2014: UNFAIR TO PIGEONS perhaps, but I liked Alan Jones’ comment on 2GB this morning that arguing with a Leftist was like trying to play chess with a pigeon who just knocks over all the pieces, makes lots of meaningless noises, craps on the board and then struts around as if it had won! I think it would be a good idea if leftists tried to get a more balanced perspective by harkening to some of the other media, instead of trying to subsist on a diet of commie/greenie pap from the ABC/Fairfax. I thought Tony came over very articulately and reasonably this morning in his explanation of why the budget is GROWING more slowly than the left might like (even though they refuse to identify where the money could come from to make it different!) Alan Jones IS a weird chap: on the one hand buttonholing Tony to somehow do a socialist deal to make gas cheaper, as the price is driving many of our industries overseas (eg Incitec), but also insisting there be no onshore drilling eg for coal seam gas (or fracking). The cheaper price of gas which he (correctly) identified for making US investment more attractive there has come from onshore drilling, coal seam gas and fracking shales. As I understand THEY still have a ban on off-shore drilling for hydrocarbons!

28/05/2014: Just in case you were wondering why I am always slipping off to NZ to look for these big guys: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moose

 Moose superior.jpg

 

28/05/2014: I notice the author(s) of the wikipedia article continually want to comment on the ‘unexplained decline’ of moose numbers, perhaps so they can later blame it on that universal bogey, ‘climate change’, yet the self-same article mentions numerous instances of ‘unexplained increases’ in moose numbers in various (often Southern) areas. In some areas of the US ‘Lyme Disease’ has become quite a problem amongst deer - and hikers – I have met a number of young people who have contracted the dreadful thing – previously mainly a problem amongst C19th rat-catchers! In the Scandinavian countries (especially) moose numbers have been boosted enormously by sensible deer management (for hunting!)

 

28/05/2014: Shock! Horror!  Kevin Andrews: ‘Young unemployed people facing the prospect of receiving no dole for six months should simply take a job they do not really want or do a course.’ The ‘elephant’ in this story is that they will be obliged to work (at designated centres) for 16 hours per week. If anyone does not think this will be good experience for them, I think you should think again!

 

28/05/2014: The Written Breathalyser:

 

28/05/2014: Remember the morning of 8th April: Labor’s vote fell to 21.8% in the WA Senate election! Still far too BIG, I think, BUT…once the Government manages to SELL the Budget, AND folk realise that it is NOT the end of the world (probably not even the end of ‘The Age of Entitlement’), we can expect to see a return to more ‘normal’ poll results.

 

27/05/2014: Now THIS really IS BIG news: the Universe may not be expanding AT ALL. Get set for a heap of wacko metaphysical ‘theories’ about this in time to come (Welcome BACK Fred Hoyle?): http://www.sci-news.com/astronomy/science-universe-not-expanding-01940.html

 

27/05/2014: Matt intent: We always camp in an open shelter (something like this) with an open fire out the front. SO warm and cozy even on cold,wet days. This shelter is very easy to make. It consists of a square of Tyvek ‘Homewrap’ (available Bunnings in 30 metre rolls) 8’ x 8’ square. The ‘wings’ consist of another square the same size cut in half. One of these can be cut right off the roll; the other has to be sewn or stuck on (using Tyvek tape). (You end up with an isosceles triangle @ 16' x 23' x 16'on which you pitch like this. You can bring the 'wings' in towards the tree if rain/wind moves around to that direction - which it almost never does!) The tie-outs are tarp holders from Aussie’s.

 

27/05/2014: Our kitchen sink: the last few days. Matt and I jut spent four days hiking/hunting a day’s walk away from the car in the Wonnangatta-Moroka NP. Never have competition for who does the washing up at home, but this setting/plumbing makes a difference I guess…

 

23/05/2014: Parrot? http://jezebel.com/your-mind-will-be-blown-when-you-realize-this-isnt-a-p-1544627628

 Your Mind Will Be Blown When You Realize This Isn't a Parrot

 

23/05/2014: Spot on, Tim Blair: ‘Take a look at all of these signs from last weekend’s complain-about-everything rallies and you’ll barely see any mention of climate. Why, it’s almost as though the protesters are suddenly more worried about other people’s money being taken away from them than they are about the planet’s very survival.’ http://blogs.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/timblair/index.php/dailytelegraph/comments/warming_over/

 

23/05/2014: Personally, I think the students who assaulted Julie Bishop and Sophie Mirabella, (and the police who were just doing their job) should be SENT DOWN from University. Surely people who have not learned the rudiments of civilised discourse (ie to politely listen to the views of others and if you disagree with them offer your alternative well-argued position) do not deserve a place in our institutes of ‘higher learning’. Again, if our Unis have merely turned into breeding grounds for such thuggery, a much more extensive razor gang needs to be put through them!

 

22/05/2014: NO slippery slope, YOU say. I’m sure this is just the beginning, and soon we will have to accept folks ‘marrying’ their horses, dogs and vacuum cleaners! ‘Brynne’ also appears suspiciously ‘Adam’s Appled’ to me: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2611020/Meet-worlds-married-lesbian-threesome-baby-make-four-July.html#ixzz2zkX9A2l1

 Doll, 30, Kitten, 27, and Brynn Young, 34, (L-R) from Massachusetts, USA, are the world's first married lesbian threesome and are expecting a baby daughter in July

 

22/05/2014: Ain’t it so: ‘…postmodern progressive nihilism. The perfect is the enemy of the good. If we cannot meet an impossible standard, we should abandon that standard — even if we have no alternative save dissipation.’ http://ricochet.com/the-knightly-ideal/

 

22/05/2014: Einstein WOULD be pleased: http://www.sciencecodex.com/scientists_discover_how_to_turn_light_into_matter_after_80year_quest-133851

 

21/05/2014: ABSOLUTELY: Paul Sheehan: ‘We have a (PM) who will sacrifice his career for the good of the country. We have an Opposition leader who will sacrifice his country for his career.’ Our PM:  ‘If any of you have ever had a mortgage, if any of you have ever had a credit card debt: if you are borrowing to pay the interest on the borrowings, you are stuffed.’ Not clear enough for YOU, yet?

 

21/05/2014: There are nearly TWO MILLION public servants in Australia! Surely we don’t need them all? On the other hand, do we need ANY of them at all?

 

21/05/2014: The climate fascists are still out in force: Just a few days ago, THIS was the big news amongst the ‘climate community’ (http://www.breitbart.com/Breitbart-London/2014/05/08/Leading-climate-scientist-defects-no-longer-believes-in-the-consensus ). This morning it is THIS: http://wattsupwiththat.com/2014/05/14/shameless-climate-mccarthyism-on-full-display-scientist-forced-to-resign/

 

20/05/2014: The opinion polls this morning reveal TWO things: 1. The coalition overdid their own hype that the budget was ‘tough’ when it was in fact expansionary, 2. Voters refuse to get over being spoiled darlings. Under the projections of this budget the Government’s share of GDP continues to rise (reaching very close to 25% at the end of the 3-year projection), and Government debt also continues to rise (by 50%! To $300+ BILLION), so that only a simpleton could find this budget to be a fiscally conservative one. What people simply REFUSE to get their heads around is that Labor and the Greens LEGISLATED (mostly in last year’s autumn session) for a massive EXPANSION in budget outlays to occur in future financial years (when they would no longer be in power) so that debt would have risen from @ $200 to nearly $700 BILLION at the end of @ 3 years. Debt would have risen because none of the spending was funded by increased revenue measures (ie taxation). The TWO debates we should be having (instead of ‘Hate Tony Abbott!’) are: 1. Do we want an expansion or a contraction of Government (the people SEEMED to vote for a contraction at the last election. Now it seems they have may changed their minds) and 2. If we do, do we want it funded by increased taxation or by increased debt. (The first solution means WE pay for it ourselves; the second means we expect someone else to, ie our children! The main problem with expecting our children to is that SO many people refused to HAVE children, there are not going to be enough of them to fund such levels of debt).

 

20/05/2014: What both major parties have been trying to sell us for years (but Labor moreso) is the idea of debt discounting (such as has been employed by many retailers, (eg Harvey Norman). If Government spends more than it has, it APPEARS we get $1 worth of spending by only shelling out eg 50 cents, because 50 cents worth of spending is discounted’ as debt which we can pay off at some indeterminate time in the future (whilst ignoring the cost of the interest bill, and whether we will have the capacity to pay in the future). So, half of the ‘goodies’ the Government is selling us, we are putting on hire purchase with no defined payment schedule or final settlement date. This is what Europe (think, particularly Greece) has been doing for years; (alarmingly the US has also joined the party), but inevitably the chickens come home to roost. After a while the debt repayments become larger than any other budget outlay. Clearly (for eg) the interest bill on the current 3-year projected debt (of $670 billion) even @ 5% would be ($33.5 Billion) be greater than the totals we currently spend on major budget items (think Defence/health/education), so that we will either have to cut them REALLY savagely, or further extend debt. Now, we could only further extend the debt if we had the growth in revenue to do so, for example if we had an ever-increasing cohort of young people entering the workforce (willing?) to take it on – but demographic projections are that this cohort is shrinking (proportionately), instead of rising. Therefore this ‘discount’ ponzi scheme must end as all such ponzi schemes do when you run out of suckers! In bankruptcy. It is only a matter of time. Wiser by far, to rein in future spending so that today’s generation pays for its own spending.

 

20/05/2014: Organic food will DESTROY the Earth: THIS is the problem with organic agriculture: it needs AT LEAST 25% more land per unit produced (= more forest loss), more water, produces more polluting run-off, etc, etc. You have to get your heads around this: ORGANIC IS BAD: http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304431104579550002888434432

 

19/05/2014: Jupiter’s giant red spot has been shrinking. (PS: I’m sure they will): http://wattsupwiththat.com/2014/05/16/somehow-im-sure-somebody-will-figure-out-a-way-to-blame-climate-change-for-this/#more-109375

 hs-2014-24-a-web_print[1]

 

19/05/2014: This is a REALLY great article; to paraphrase: ‘(Leftists) have a new word for what normal people call “success”. They call it “privilege,” as if a happy, prosperous life is the result of some magic process…We can’t have the (Australian) people thinking that hard work leads to success; people might start asking why (Labor) constituencies don’t just work harder instead of demanding more money from those who actually produce something…What they say is privilege is what we say is a reward for doing more with our lives than waiting for Uncle Sucker to refill our EBT cards. “Privilege” is a result of not being a human sloth, of not doing drugs, of not having kids we can’t afford them, and of not living our lives as a practical exercise in chaos theory.http://no-pasaran.blogspot.com.au/2014/05/we-cant-have-american-people-thinking.html

 

19/05/2014: Attention grabber: ‘I actually missed my stop on the train this morning because I was engrossed in the chapter about duck sex.’ http://www.alternet.org/sex-amp-relationships/duck-vaginas-bumblebee-sex-amazingly-overlooked-science-genitals

 

 

18/05/2014: This looks the go; need to get my hands on a bucketful: http://www.gizmag.com/gdf11-protein-aging-mice-harvard/31929/

 

18/05/2014: THE RIGHT STUFF: ‘With the number of applicants vying for an opportunity to take part in a one-way mission to Mars now down to just over 700, organizers of the Mars One project are now focusing on selecting the perfect mix of individuals who have the physical and mental capacity to live on the red planet’: http://www.ctvnews.ca/sci-tech/the-new-space-pioneers-what-does-it-take-to-live-on-mars-1.1816852

 

18/05/2014: So, my $100 helped: something to look forward to on my birthday; if all goes well ‘the team’ will reboot ISEE-3 and buzz the moon with it on 10 August @50km altitude! Thanks to our donations the project is, ‘GO!’ http://www.rockethub.com/42228

 

18/05/2014: Shorten’s budget reply: all rhetoric without numbers. THIS is pathetic: Labor will block $18 BILLION of revenue measures without ANY idea WHERE THE MONEY IS COMING FROM - which is how we got into this mess in the first place. Just to jog your memory, it went like this: the last Howard budget: 300 billion IN, 280 billion OUT, surplus: 20 billion (plus $60 billion in the ‘Future Fund’ and ZERO Government debt). Gillard’s last budget: 375 billion in, 412 billion out, deficit $37 billion = total projected of all six Labor years $670 billion DEBT! For SIX STRAIGHT YEARS they spent $2 billion PER WEEK more than we earned. Shorten thinks this should CONTINUE (what, until we are bankrupt, not too far in the future?) Hockey’s ‘horror’ budget will only pay off HALF of Labor’s debt, (ie only $300 billion in five years) when the budget will finally NEARLY be in surplus. Arthur Fadden in 1951 tackled a Labor disaster of similar proportions with a truly horror budget which brought the ledger back into the black in ONE year. So that Australia could GROW. The Liberals remained in Government for a further 21 years; to my mind the BEST years in Australia’s history. Then along came Gough Whitlam and economic OBLIVION! It is incredible that Labor, during the greatest sustained boom in our history managed to turn a surplus budget with zero debt into such a basket case. They did this: whilst revenue growth rose 25%, their outlays rose 50%. They remain economic LOONIES. We must NEVER allow such people near the purse strings again!

 

17/05/2014: MH370: Maybe my RF (radio frequency) understanding leaves something to be desired, BUT black boxes emit at 37.5 Mhz. Two of the ‘pings’ received by Ocean Shield were @ 27Mhz and two at 33Mhz. Huh? Correct me if I’m wrong, but doesn’t that MEAN none of them was from a black box? $45 MILLION so far, a further $45 MILLION in the budget; a couple of hospitals there! Over to you, Angus… http://au.ibtimes.com/articles/552468/20140514/mh370-missing-malaysia-airlines-plane-pings.htm

 

17/05/2014: I am so tired of hearing spoiled people (eg on Facebook) lament that they haven't been GIVEN enough: after all, they started (usually) with a pair of hands, a back, a brain; with such excellent tools they could make of themselves absolutely ANYTHING they wanted. If they did, or if they did not: it is down to THEM, not to someone or anything else...Maybe I’m just plain cruel, but it seems to me that if you just keep GIVING people free stuff, they will NEVER learn to stand on their own two feet and take responsibility for their own lives. AND if THEY won’t, WHY should anyone ELSE?

 

17/05/2014: To those who deny the poor can triumph over their lot: I have known many such as you describe, who have started life hard, and I have known many such who have triumphed OVER their adversity. Is there to be NOTHING in your catechism that recognises good character and true nobility? Is ALL you can see a person's environment crippling them? Our culture and our legal system have for centuries recognised human worth and responsibility. This Marxist prattle you espouse which DICTATES the primacy of environment is obscene heresy; it allows NOTHING for human choice or human worth. It is complete NONSENSE and WICKEDNESS. For over two centuries all the world’s great religions and ethical systems have asserted (as I do here) the primacy of the individual’s ‘free will’. I am somewhat astonished (as an atheist) to be lecturing a Christian on the concept of ‘free will’ and personal redemption. The Marxists challenged it with their ‘environmentalism,’ claiming by this that there WERE no qualities, only relations, and so debasing all action to  pure mechanism (much as Descartes was able to believe that the horrid squealing of the tortured dogs he was dissecting live were purely mechanical - as dogs did not have souls! It is THIS very distinction which made communism ‘ungodly’. Studies in animal intelligence and the evolution of intelligence generally, are now telling us that there is a continuity of intelligence in all animate life (even plants!) and that the dogs who eat the chocolate (only when their owner is out) are CHOOSING to be naughty. It has long been thought that the most important human qualities come out in extremis, eg in wars or in the vile Nazi, Soviet and other Left-wing ‘death camps’. We have forever awarded the highest accolades for bravery to such circumstances when the consequences of free will are so DIRE. But the poor today in Western countries (who might be ‘excused’ free will on account of their ‘environment’, you say) are richer by far that even the excesses of Louis 14, the so-called ‘Sun King’ with his many palaces and servants. The availability of luxury goods, the bewildering choice and availability to them of food and manufactured goods (the equivalent of employing tens of thousands of servants) makes them so. No-one can rationally argue that the ‘poor’ today live lives of unalleviated poverty which (even if they did) would not excuse them from the exercise of their ‘free will’ to CHOOSE to rise above their beginnings. Do NOT deny ‘choice’; for most of history folk would have recognised instantly THAT is SATAN talking.

 

16/05/2014: The mind plays STRANGE tricks: sometimes I feel the past is just like having moved to Geelong; I feel I could so EASILY travel back to where I came from, pick up a conversation, or an acquaintance from 20 or 40 years ago, as if I had just moved across the street, been drinking at a different hotel…something like that. When I realise it is ALL gone (the past) I have a twinge of regret. The news of Australia’s greatest PHILOSOPHER, David Armstrong’s death this morning affected me this way. I just wanted to say, ‘but stop, I haven’t finished my conversation with him yet…’ I just wanted to slip quietly back into 1973, prop on the stone wall in front of the tree in the quad (just outside his office in the Philosophy Department) and RESUME our talk. It is not to be…he has gone forever to ‘The undiscovere'd country, from whose bourn No traveller returns’ (Hamlet). A GREAT teacher can affect you like that…

 

16/05/2014: TOO many people today have never learned to have pride in themselves. As a consequence we are turning into a nation of beggars whose only sense of pride comes from ever louder demands that someone else, eg ‘the Government’ ‘should’ do something more for them. The ONLY pride many people seem to have is in ‘crying poor’, (THEY are the ‘battlers’, you see) as if it is their ‘right’ that the correct response to this quite pathetic display was to shower them with even more free things. However, the really correct response to all such temper tantrums, is IGNORE them; when they have quietened down advise them to stand on their own two feet and shift for themselves! THESE are the two most important RIGHTS: the right to work (I do NOT mean the ‘right’ to a job); & the right to own private property. All such ‘leaners’ should just GET ON WITH IT!

 

16/05/2014: Money is always shortest when the kids are growing up. We certainly applied many economy measures to make ends meet when our kids were, so that we could ALSO meet our house repayments. Everyone makes lifestyle choices. Some make bad choices and do not save. For example, these were some of OUR savings: we have driven quite old second-hand cars for over 30 years. Our two current Landrovers are 1995 and 1996 models. The average age of all our many Subarus (average purchase price $300!) was always about that. For all that time I did ALL the maintenance and service work on them. We have always had a vegie garden and an orchard, so that we grew most of our own food. We grew or hunted all our own meat and fish. We always prepared our own food and never ate take-aways; nor did we ever buy soft drinks and other rubbish food. We built our own house (out of earth) driving every nail, sawing every piece of wood ourselves and even making the bricks! (Someday we may even FINISH it! Della certainly hopes so!) We have always done all our own house and property maintenance. We collected and cut all our own wood for home heating. We did not waste money, eg we have not smoked for a generation. We never spent any money on overseas trips or lavish gifts, eg none of our children had a motor-bike until they were old enough to buy one themselves (though they would certainly have LIKED one – AND many other things!) Della has always mended our clothes AND made most of them. She also knits, felts, makes preserves, curtains, furniture coverings etc. Nearly all our furniture is/was second-hand - which we restored. I always made the kids’ school lunches. I baked all our own bread from bulk ingredients. If you shop around (even for the goods you normally buy) substantial savings can be made; eg if you choose to drink, you can always save a lot of money by brewing your own, & etc. When I was growing up the ‘Woman’s Day’ and ‘Women’s Weekly’ were full of useful suggestions for making savings and ‘making do’ for yourself. My mother devoured these suggestions avidly, and (fortunately for me) passed on her frugality, self-reliance and pride in one’s self to me. We catered the children’s weddings, saving thousands of dollars there, which could better go towards a house deposit for them. As soon as the kids were earning their own money (18-19) they chose to buy their own houses which are mostly paid off now, as they have saved their money too. Renting is always expensive in the long run, and there is no asset to leave one’s children at the end of it, or anywhere one can afford to live when one is too old to work, which is why the Government has always encouraged it. We have looked into buying rental accommodation and found that we could not (possibly) make a profit out of it, which is why the rental market is so tight. It is a really good idea to make whatever sacrifices are necessary to BUY one’s own house, as it is in one’s best interest in the long run. It is always POSSIBLE to do so, even if it may be difficult. It was just as difficult for the people who came before us, our parents etc, if not more so. A home owner may well have to start out very small (even with a share in a house) and work their way up. Most people would refuse to LIVE in our first house (or probably our second or third too!) It may be necessary to buy somewhere (other than where one would prefer to live) so that one can afford to do so. We have lived most of our lives somewhere other than where we would have preferred to live, but in the long run we prefer to live here NOW– which certainly wasn’t our first, or even third choice. Like Edith Piaf, ‘I Regret Nothing’!

 

16/05/2014: Vale: David Armstrong: A VERY great TEACHER (of mine, and SO many others) and courageous man. I spent many pleasant hours with him, in his rooms (or mine) and in the quad (under the tree which remains even when no-one is there to see, & etc) at Sydney Uni in the 1970s. I remember watching (with him) a peculiar 'transit' of Venus which appeared to traverse the crescent of the moon under that tree, about 1973. It seems a long while ago now – and it IS. I AM sorry I did not live up to his estimation of me. We have only ONE life, and I chose this one. I will MISS HIM, as I miss our mutual friend ‘Sandy’ Anderson (son of John), with whom I spent many pleasant hours at Newcastle Uni in the 1960s; gone these many years now. Philosophy (& many other things) are much poorer with their passing: http://quadrant.org.au/opinion/qed/2014/05/david-armstrong-great-philosopher-great-man/

 armstrong - mug

 

16/05/2014: Della: A great philosopher and teacher indeed! His lectures at Sydney Uni stand out in my memory as invariably insightful, clear and captivating. And I am so pleased to read of the outcome of that turbulent time which coincided with my undergraduate years when the marxists and feminists threatened the freedom of the Philosophy department. His leadership at that time was strong, but the opponents of free thought were a huge force.

 

16/05/2014: Pity we did/do not have more intellectual leaders like him. The leftist rabble were ultimately defeated in the Philosophy Department (and rational argument prevailed)...but in the wider world, the loonies are STILL ascendant!

 

15/05/2014: It's over 20 years since Keating introduced compulsory superannuation. The intention then was that THIS is what people would retire on in the future (now). Still not enough people have SAVED enough. THAT is the problem with aged pensions. Not anything ANY Government has done since. People who are 40 now will have had 40 years to save (in their super accounts) for their retirement (at age 65 in 2034). Why aren't they doing so? What I mean is that 20 years ago you started having Keating's compulsory superannuation so that by the time you are 60, having worked for 40 years you should have put away at least 10% of your salary all that time which ought to be getting pretty close (depending on the fund's results) to provide for retirement at 65 - instead of needing the old age pension. You can also add to the 10% (as much as you like) and gain a huge reduction in the tax you pay. So saving for retirement has been encouraged (even subsidised) for a long while. The average 40 year old should have saved enough by the time they are 65 to not need anything from the government. Remember also, this was originally a Keating (Labor) government initiative we are discussing here.

 

15/05/2014: All my kids own houses because I advised them to go get the First Home Owners Grant and a bank loan and buy a house they could afford, and they followed that advice. That is not 'good luck'. Similarly Paul Keating's superannuation reforms are not 'good luck', but 'good policy'. By making it not just possible but compulsory for everyone to have superannuation savings, and by making it desirable for people to add to them, Mr Keating was giving everyone the advice, 'Provide for your own retirement, and you will be better off'. He also saw that people who did so would not be a burden on anyone else, eg taxpayers. Anyone who follows both these pieces of advice (ie buying a house AND investing in superannuation) can have at the end of their working lives as much money in savings as the total amount they have earned during their working life. This is because of: inflation, increases in productivity, compound interest on savings, increases in the value of their house and of businesses on the stock market, plus some small Government assistance such as the First Home Buyers Scheme and the Government’s ‘co-contribution’ to superannuation. This is not 'luck'. It is society setting things up so people can make their own luck. Of course, it does depend on people taking advantage of these opportunities that society offers. At the moment many people are cashing out their superannuation and spending it, THEN coming back and applying for a pension. Society (ie taxpayers) cannot afford people to 'double-dip' like this. If people actually squander their money, that is no reason for their mates to dig into their pockets to help them out. If they CHOSE to do it, that is one thing, if they are COMPELLED to do it (help out), that is another. Neither do I like to see politicians helping themselves to an over-large share of the public's money and then turning around and saying to people, 'You will have to work more years until you are eligible to live on your own superannuation savings'. Mr Keating set that age at 55. He thought that if you had saved enough by age 55 to live on for the rest of your life, you should be able to. If you had not, you would have to work on. This seems quite fair to me. I will be 65 this year, and I intend to have a little fun with what money we have got while I am able. I am NOT eligible for the Old Age Pension, and I would not take such ‘charity’ even if I was. I don’t BELIEVE in charity, whether it is called ‘welfare’, ‘benefit’, ‘entitlement’ or what! I recently spent ten days' hiking in Fiordland in NZ. I am hoping for quite a few more such adventures.

 

15/05/2014: Something in the regretful tone of the line’ The Sea of Faith was once too at the full’ from Mathew Arnold’s ‘Dover Beach’ strikes a chord in even a hardened atheist like me. I think, for me it is the challenge to eclecticism which has ever since (perhaps) become a pervasive disease of the mind. At least what the ‘rationalism’ of the ‘Churchmen’ (Aquinas etc) attempted to do was build a consistent edifice of principles from Reason. Eclecticism flies in the face of this. It is rather like a museum housing simply a vast array of ‘curios’ without any attempt to delineate a pattern, or even catalogue them. Much as I find such a museum fascinating (I think of the giant Irish elk, the vegetable ‘sheep’, the skeleton of the moa ‘brooding over its swamp’ and other such wonders in the Canterbury Museum, Christchurch – an outstanding example of the wonder that museums USED to be - before they were taken over by Leftist ideologues!), I am too much a rationalist to ever take ‘on faith’ mutually contradictory propositions. I am for example, dismayed by folk who pretend to admire what they imagine to be German energy policies. Such folk note that Germany has abandoned nuclear power (a stupid decision mandated by the Greens) and think this is a progressive step – when it is in fact utterly retrograde: the sole ‘problems’ with nuclear power are often unnecessary concerns about its ‘safety’ vis a vis other energy sources, and its links to the weapons industry – both such concerns fully addressed by a move to thorium powered nuclear energy, and ultimately to nuclear fusion. They imagine that Germany now gets its energy from the ‘wonderful’ ‘renewables’ sector – a proposition which has not the slightest skerrick of truth in it. It IS true they have been required by the Greens to invest huge amounts of capital in wind/solar/etc (to their economic detriment) but they have gained vanishingly close to zero energy from them – as must be the case, as even a cursory examination of this fanciful energy notion will attest. Germany has launched into a vast build of new coal fired power stations and has become increasingly dependent on (cheap) Russian gas. http://environmentblog.ncpa.org/power-grid-reliability-as-coal-plants-retire/ I am keen to see people struggling to develop a CONSISTENT set of principles (based on reason and evidence) instead of the dismaying grab-bag of eclectic ‘beliefs’ which I see redolent in their posts every day. More about this later…

 

14/05/2014: The politics of the possible: I KNOW what with all the heartfelt shrieks of the Left and their dependents ie, ‘How dare you take my hand out of your pocket?’ it MAY not be possible to return the budget to surplus in ONE year (though, ABOLISH CANBERRA altogether might be a GOOD START!), but Hockey has not abolished the deficit in FIVE years, so the Government cuts are NOWHERE NEAR savage enough! The country really has been in crisis for a LONG TIME. The ‘Age of Entitlement’ should never have begun, and MUST END NOW, before it is simply TOO LATE for our country, and we speed down the ‘Argentine (and Greek) Paths’ to financial ruin! CEASE your rending and gnashing of teeth peoples, prepare to take a little pain, a little sacrifice for the good of your country…even, (dare I say it?) STAND ON YOUR OWN TWO FEET! http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/budget-2014/joe-hockeys-long-path-back-to-budget-surplus/story-fnmbxr2t-1226916438784

 

14/05/2014: 'Have you ever done anything of particular merit?' St. Peter asked the cowboy. 'Well, I can think of one thing,' the cowboy offered. 'On a trip to the Big Horn Mountains out in Wyoming, I came upon a gang of bikers who were threatening a young woman. I directed them to leave her alone, but they wouldn't listen. So I approached the largest and most tattooed biker and smacked him in the face, kicked his bike over, ripped out his nose ring, and threw it on the ground. I yelled, 'Now, back off or I'll kick the shit out of all of you!' St. Peter was impressed, 'When did this happen?' 'A couple of minutes ago.'

 

14/05/2014: Environmentalists have apparently decided they WANT to save the small pox virus. Presumably they want to engineer it to make a deadly plague to reduce the human race by the 90% they would like it down (to save the planet, dearies!). If you agree, PLEASE vote Green!

 

14/05/2014: Well, I HAD thought there was something in all this food prescription/proscription – and had eaten my fruit and vegies just like my mother told me, even though I liked them – but evidently it was all bunkum: http://voices.yahoo.com/study-finds-eating-fruits-vegetables-does-5836598.html & http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/22/science/an-apple-a-day-and-other-myths.html?smid=pl-share&_r=2

 

13/05/2014: After Labor’s big spend during Chifley’s years, Treasurer Fadden had to bring in a truly horror budget in 1951. In today’s terms it would pay off the ENTIRE deficit in ONE year, so a VAST slash and burn of public servants and cosy entitlements to make Hockey’s budget look quite gentle. Back then Australians (after the sacrifice of the war years and the depression) could take it on the chin. THEY understood that ALL that Government is, is their mate’s pockets. Let’s hope Australians today can rise to the challenge of no longer bludging on their mates and stand on their own two feet instead!

 

13/05/2014: Blewitt’s biggest bombshell yesterday: he admits handing over cash to pay for renovations on Ju-Liar’s home. There will be other witnesses who swear the same. If you benefit from a fraud (or create an instrument to perpetrate a fraud) YOU are guilty of the fraud. She WILL go down!

 

13/05/2014: 2007: The past through tomorrow (and STILL we wait): http://www.itnews.com.au/%28S%28tgobyy55fuhxqpvfjefki445%29%29/News/96153,eftel-plans-to-rollout-vdsl.aspx

 

13/05/2014: The nanny state has no limits (and no human decency for that matter). God’s blood, kids LOVE cream, one of THE great pleasures of life: http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2014/04/25/Connecticut-Democrat-Lawmakers-Sponsor-Bill-To-Ban-Whole-And-2-Milk-In-State-s-Day-Care-Centers

 

13/05/2014: The AWU Royal Commission begins examining Ju-Liar's 'crimes' TODAY. You MAY have been in denial about this for over twenty years, BUT the holiday is OVER!

 

12/05/2014: ‘On what principle is it that, when we see nothing but improvement behind us, we are to expect nothing but deterioration before us?’ Thomas Macaulay 1830

 

12/05/2014: The NDIS is just GREAT! Definitely NEED MORE of this: Ellen Whinnet: ‘7313 disability support pensioners are living overseas, costing $99.9 million a year.’ http://www.news.com.au/national/youre-paying-100m-for-pensioners-to-live-overseas/story-fncynjr2-1226901383832

 

12/05/2014: Sometimes ‘property’ isn’t theft: http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2014/04/marxist_publisher_sues_over_property_rights.html

 

11/05/2014: Paying attention: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/budget-2014-prime-minister-tony-abbott-orders-pay-freeze-for-himself-and-federal-politicians/story-fni0cx12-1226912955745

 

11/05/2014: Boko Haram KILLED all the boys - and there wasn't a single word of protest from all the selfie wankers about THAT!

 

11/05/2014: Welcome to the welfare nation: Half of Australia’s families pay no net tax: ‘On average, Australian families will pay $12,935 in income tax this year but receive $9515 in benefits — a net yearly contribution to the public purse of just $3424.’ Seems to me that this is a MASSIVE accountancy and compliance effort to collect a mere $3K! Seems to me if you ABOLISHED tax altogether, all the productivity you ought to be able to get from the folks freed up (in the tax department, accountancy and law firms etc) would just about cut out the inflation you would get by just PRINTING the $3K in the first place. Then again, if you abolished ‘welfare’ altogether you would not even NEED the $3K, and you would have a couple of million OTHER folks doing something worthwhile with their time. WHAT a BOOM there would be! Just how many people are there who are either doing nothing or whose ‘work’ is just silly bloody nonsense: attending meetings, bullying other folks around, standing at corners with cups held out, assessing insurance claims, litigating, etc, etc. Of course, on the other hand, we have the situation where the ‘richest’ 10% of taxpayers pay over half the total income tax pool (which surely must give THEM such a warm inner glow too):  http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/national/welcome-to-the-welfare-nation-half-of-australias-families-pay-no-net-tax/story-fni0xqrc-1226911042149

 

11/05/2014: After four years of fiscal restraint, the Victorian Government has wound back Labor’s profligacy (always wasted on urgent needs such as employing innumerable public servants to hold MEETINGS!) and has a whopping SURPLUS which they are going to INVEST in a further $27 billion of infrastructure projects, another $45 billion already ‘on the books’ for like investments. Every OTHER state is still ‘in the red’. These guys DESERVE another term, and another, and another…

 

11/05/2014: Back about 20 years ago (when Keating introduced his superannuation reforms), Vic state teachers became able to retire (albeit on limited benefits) at 55. Previously they had to work till they were 65, when the average age of DEATH of teachers was 67! Almost straight away, the average age of death shot up to 85! If everyone has to work till they are 70, does ANYONE really believe this will INCREASE longevity? BOTH major political parties (NEITHER of which has sorted this out) need to re-work their retirement policies. Of COURSE, I believe people should provide for themselves, and after they have done so, it is THEIR business whether they chose to keep on working (in the conventional sense), write that best-seller, help a charity, take up REALLY dangerous sports (or WHATEVER). The really important reform needed is to get EVERYONE OFF the Government payroll and standing on their own two feet!

 

10/05/2014: MH370: I would have thought Angus Houston was a bit smarter than this…but it could just be like when you’re hunting deer, when every stump begins to resemble a prize stag! The four ‘pings ‘Ocean Shield ‘heard’ were VERY widely spaced, more than 20km from each other, MUCH further away from each other than the maximum detection range we have been told is the case for black box signals (about 3km - & remember all the problems subs have always had of keeping in radio communication even with MUCH stronger transmitters); (Sea) water is not the greatest medium for transmitting radio waves. And remember that the Chinese recorded pings on the same frequency over 1,000km away! What WAS that? Are we to believe that the Chinese are stupid dupes, but WE are not? Again, one of Ocean Shield’s recorded transmissions lasted for over two hours (while the ship was under way). Even if she was only making two knots (and remembering the bottom is several kms down) she would have steamed well out of range of a black box in NO time – which implies that the source of the signal was moving (parallel to the ship!) – which clearly a black box on a sunken aeroplane could not be doing! They have now scoured the sea floor central to where the pings would have had to be coming from if they were to be receivable at the four positions – and there is nothing! This is NOT a good sign. $45 million DOWN and another $60 million to go – and the plane may well be far from there, and the signals they recorded from transmitters on cetaceans! Wonder whether the Bangladeshis WILL find anything in the Bay of Bengal? If the plane IS in eg Iran/Afghanistan etc we may never hear from it again either: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/missing-flight-mh370-live-updates-3506557 Inmarsat data questioned here: http://qz.com/207621/the-official-explanation-of-what-happened-to-flight-mh370-doesnt-hold-up/

 

10/05/2014: SO, you want to LIVE FOREVER? OK then, first eschew pizza, next: http://www.weeklystandard.com/articles/so-you-want-live-forever_788982.html?nopager=1

 

10/05/2014: If you have ancestors from Waterford Ireland (the best preserved Viking settlement there) AND mayhap (as I) your ancestral name (‘Flynn’ = ‘red’) and general blue-eyed, ruddy appearance attest to some Viking ancestry, you may be interested in this small set of videos from the Irish museum about Viking things: http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/29998

 

09/05/2014: Quote of the week: ‘Millions long for immortality who do not know what to do with themselves on a rainy Sunday afternoon.’ Susan Ertz.

 

09/05/2014: You WOULD think the pollies would BEGIN their cost-cutting exercises (on the rest of us) by cutting a few of the costs of THEMSELVES – such as their own VASTLY inflated (numbers and) salaries (which has OUR PM paid much more than the PMs of Britain, Germany, France, etc) and all their other gold trough ‘entitlements’. Whatever nice things you might want to say about Whitlam, Fraser, Hawke et al, do they really deserve huge lifetime pensions, free travel, offices and staff in perpetuity, state funerals (bring it ON), when the dosh can’t be found to treat this kid’s leukaemia, or that old guy’s bad back, & etc, etc? As to having THREE levels of Government, TWO of them having TWO houses, THEN there are THREE levels of public ‘servants’ – if not more!

 

09/05/2014: We have over 200 ‘Australians’ fighting in Syria who thank us for this, ‘Whoever equips a fighter or takes care of a fighter's family, it's (as) though he has fought himself…Brothers may have the opportunity to equip the fighter and if it's not to equip a fighter it's to look after the family of those brothers we have lost.’ Good work Oz Governments; let’s bring in MORE refugees from Moslem countries, give them lifetime pensions and send them out on jihads: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2618590/Watch-Shocking-footage-shows-British-gunmans-cold-blooded-execution-unarmed-kneeling-prisoner-Syria.html More of the same: http://www.smh.com.au/national/mother-stopped-at-sydney-airport-charged-with-supporting-terrorism-20140505-zr4ks.html#ixzz30n0A39wY

 

08/05/2014: WHAT a start to the day: Woke up to that evil lunatic Adam Bandt raving ‘there IS no budget emergency’ (he should have added the codicil ‘except the one CAUSED by us!’), & advocating ripping a further 24 billion from the ‘rich’ miners and 11 billion from the ‘rich’ banks INSTEAD (as if the carbon/mining taxes hadn’t already brought the mining boom to a standstill; evidently if we don’t have profitable banks we will all be better off too!) BUT the Greens won’t vote for a ‘levy’ on the ‘richest’ taxpayers (even though that was policy THEY took to the LAST election only six months ago). At THAT time we did not know the full extent of the economic destruction the Greens/Labor alliance had wrought. Instead of a $200 billion deficit, it NOW turns out to be $360 billion, building to $750 billion rapidly if NO attempt is made to turn the mess around. If we stayed with these evil maniacs we would be a Greece within five years, particularly if China hiccups (INCREASINGLY likely) – and remember these Leftists have destroyed the profitability of EVERY other industry we had, except flogging off minerals TO China. ‘Poor fella, my country’!

 

08/05/2014: Income tax was introduced by the Hughes government as an emergency wartime measure during WW1. The Curtin government assumed sole power to levy income tax in 1942 as an emergency wartime measure. Just TWO disastrous Labor ideas, best abolished!

 

08/05/2014: The critters ARE catching on: http://maggiesfarm.anotherdotcom.com/archives/24254-Deer-Stand.html

 

 

07/05/2014: It IS horrifying, is it not? (As the ‘occupation’ of already disgracefully Leftist Q & A the other night demonstrated), AND we might have thought that ‘education’ would produce more critical thinking, more creativity, indeed more diversity. However, NOTHING compensates for the reality that only a small percentage (3-10%) of human beings could actually BENEFIT from a college education; the remainder can ONLY be taught to plagiarise, to copy, to fall in line behind each other. We passed that critical 3% more than a generation ago. Most of the spending on so-called ‘education’ is a complete waste. We would do better equipping those capable of learning (something) with a technical education, and providing the remainder with menial jobs (such as labouring and factory work) instead of exporting such jobs to China (importing their rubbish), and building vast social problems on so-called ‘welfare’ here! http://www.mindingthecampus.com/originals/2014/04/whydomostcollegestudents.html

 

07/05/2014: Some young folk are BORED with life. Others do THIS. I found myself holding my breath just watching Alex…There are also many OTHER interesting things to DO: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Phl82D57P58

 

07/05/2014: ‘Ilivid’ is REALLY hot! If you are impatient like me, give it a go: you can even start watching when only 3% has downloaded! Maybe try the new Coen Bros movie, ‘Inside Llewyn Davis’? Even with just my 5 meg speed I was able to watch it after less than a minute!

 

07/05/2014: Another 30 yesterday! I estimate there is space for at least another hundred trees in the (extended) garden alone before we move into areas where the trees will require fairly elaborate stock protection. Deciduous trees which can be grown from (large) cuttings, such as willows (there is an EVERGREEN variety) and poplars can be planted (@ 45cm deep and 1.5-2 metres high) in a plastic tube supported by a section of 19mm electrical conduit. As the 'guards are VERY flexible the sheep do not rub against them or climb on them to get at the shoots which grow out the top. By the time the plastic has decayed away the bark is hard enough the sheep will not trouble the trees...at least THAT is the theory!

 

06/05/2014: Della’s (latest batch of) green tomato pickles certainly passes the taste test. It is a condiment SUPREME. Thanks to Yinnar General Store for the tomatoes. She made MANY  jars, enough for a multitude of breakfasts such as I am now savouring, but definitely NOT enough for YOU to have even ONE!

 

06/05/2014: We have a ‘pair’ of young pallid cuckoos in the garden. Our suspicion is they were raised by the blackbirds (as they seem keen to hang around with them). We wonder whether this pair (of siblings?) will mate and do the same thing next year, and so on…Eventually this hand-out cuckoo strategy (of paying others to breed for them) will exhaust the numbers of blackbirds and others (willing?) to raise their offspring for them. It is self-limiting really. Though they ARE attractive creatures (and the same MIGHT be said of other welfare hangers-on?) it REALLY would be better all round if they shifted for themselves…

 

 

06/05/2014: The opinion polls this morning show that there are a disarming number of Australians who are little better than cuckoos really. So many folks have a naïve belief in money trees, cornucopia, horns of plenty, magic puddings…ANYTHING but shift for themselves, take responsibility for themselves, anything rather than have enough pride in themselves to feel the NEED to support themselves, to stand on their own two legs, to accept that there really IS no such thing as a free lunch. I worry about the future of our country which has paid so many ‘cuckoos’ to inhabit it, ‘cuckoos’ in every sense of the word…

 

06/05/2014: Lesson from the Byron Smith judgement: use a big enough gun to kill with the FIRST shot: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Byron_David_Smith_killings

 

05/05/2014: Trees, trees, trees. Della has had me busy planting them. (This may have reduced her value somewhat!) We will have to be careful to leap out of the way before they are springing up everywhere. We plan (I have this on GOOD authority) to have 25 acres of GARDEN. In the paddocks they will mostly be deciduous trees, as these should increase the available sheep feed whilst keeping the paddocks greener in the hot weather. Mostly yesterday’s 60 odd were grevilleas (as she has fallen in love with honeyeaters) – though the ‘strange’ bird in the garden she pointed out to me yesterday was a pallid cuckoo! It is anyway a harmless eccentricity and WILL keep us off the streets! I guess we have around 1,000-1,500 to go. This MAY take some time. It IS a good feeling though. I guess we already have @500+. Mostly I incline to things which produce useful fruit and nuts. Already I am a sort of god among the local parrots, currawongs and possums who come from miles away to check out our ‘dining table’. I am UTTERLY opposed to gums and wattles which I see as a dreadful invasive pest created by thousands of years of awful aboriginal mismanagement of our land which saw eg phosphorus levels drop to under 3ppm, barely enough to sustain ANY life (except such horrible things) – and which is the principal cause of our destructive bushfires. Around here, we will have damp and green – which doesn’t burn! We WILL have SOME natives (NOTE the grevilleas!); I am particularly fond of Moreton Bay Figs, and Araucarias for example.

 

05/05/2014: Boko Haram just doesn’t understand the MARKET! It is apparently offering up the 250+ schoolgirls which it kidnapped for SALE @ $12ea. Given that these girls can do Physics, this is VERY cheap. Della can’t do Physics at all, yet I would spend quite a lot more buying her, perhaps as much as $50! Surely this proves, for all time, that terrorists are stupid! On a more serious note, the Left finds reason to ‘forgive’ them; the Left has NEVER been able to tell Right from Wrong: http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/may/03/220-schoolgirls-abducted-by-boko-haram-have-been-enslaved

 

05/05/2014: ‘Poor people get fat, and watch TV because they are too passive. When we think of true poverty, the famous picture of the migrant mother in the Dust Bowl comes to mind, but today’s poor look more like Honey Boo Boo’s mom. They live in big houses or subsidized apartments. They play video games. They watch TV on a massive screen and they stuff their faces. What do these people do in exchange, to justify their existence and to pay back to a generous society which helps support them and, often, their kids? Or does the entitlement state erase a sense of obligation, duty, and gratitude to tribe, community, and nation? The free-loaders are what bother me. I have known plenty of people who are poor by life-style choice, but they are not seeking freebies from their neighbours via government programs and they are neither fat nor lazy.’ (Maggie’s Farm)

 

04/05/2014: ‘Shakespeare’s star’ (which presaged the appearance of Hamlet’s dad’s ghost) may have been a 1572 supernova (also known as ‘Tycho’s Sar’) which shone (brighter than Venus) for several months, and whose appearance  helped so much to overturn the (previous) geocentric world view and herald in the (new) scientific era, which is still so under attack by religious and pseudo religious views today..

 

04/05/2014: A surprising finding: water is corrosive to life, and life almost certainly arose in its absence, possible even on Mars (Or Kamchatka – which looks like an interesting place to go, if you like bears, salmon, volcanoes – and if you can figure out how to get there economically): http://colinbarras.co.uk/2014/04/16/no-more-primal-soup-creating-life-without-water/

 

04/05/2014: An interesting review of Ian Morris’ surprising book, ‘War, What is it Good For?’ which examines the proposition that war has done more than practically anything else to REDUCE the level of violence in society (!): http://www.spectator.co.uk/books/books-feature/9173241/war-by-ian-morris-review/

 

03/05/2014: Evidently there ARE ‘fairy godmothers’! Researching our family tree, I came across the sister of one of my great, great grandmothers, one Sarah Merriman. Just like the rest of her family (ALL factory workers) Sarah went to work in the (woollen) mills of Northern England at an early age. Aside from raising a love child, who tragically died at 24 from TB ( the most common grim reaper of the past) she remained a ‘spinster’ & looked set to have much the same life as everyone else in her family. Suddenly between 57 and 67 I can see she was ‘living on independent means’ which was C19th code for ‘RICH’. When she died (at 83) she left an ‘estate’ of 932 pounds 15s and 5p, probably enough to buy a dozen houses (!) which she left to two men she was not related to! I am STILL waiting for MY fairy godmother to strike in a similar way. Good luck with yours!

 

03/05/2014: Toast soldiers, fairy bread & cookie cutters: when my kids were young (and I was much more nimble fingered than I am now) I spoiled them with a bewildering choice in cutting up these delicacies (until it became quite a nightmare, eg ‘No, I want six tiny triangles and four tiny rectangles’ & etc. No doubt your children controlled your houses in much the same way, with chin-quivering and foot-stamps etc. I NEVER revealed to them the bewildering array of fairy bread which could be made available with cookie cutters. I think THIS is a secret well kept from the small ones FOR ALL TIME, don’t you?

 

03/05/2014: What a FASCINATING article. Oliver Sachs is just wonderful. You may remember ‘Awakenings’ which was astounding, as was the original Sacks doco it was based on: http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2014/apr/24/mental-life-plants-and-worms-among-others/

02/05/2014: Greg Sheridan: ‘Our gross government debt, at $360 billion, is more than 22 per cent of GDP. This is modest by some international comparisons, but we have jumped into that debt at an astonishing and alarming rate, and the debt is rising rapidly. In one year, from 2011 to 2012, we nearly doubled our net debt. Yet there was no net debt when Labor came to office in 2007…The Abbott government is telling us with maximum honesty that we face a serious and growing budget crisis that is immediate and long-term… Already, because of the debt incurred under Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard, we pay $12bn a year in interest on government debt… At $12bn, interest payments are more than twice our aid budget, nearly half our defence budget. Is it progressive to let that debt payment rise to $20bn or $30bn?…Abbott and his Treasurer’s budget will cut spending in many areas. Abbott should not have promised in opposition to maintain spending in so many areas, but he is going to make a start now…But he also may share the sacrifice by imposing a temporary levy on high-income earners. If Abbott’s side of politics cannot wear such a modest contribution to addressing the crisis by some sacrifice from its own supporters, then our prospects for getting our public finances back in order may be bleak.’

02/05/2014: A candidate in the South East European elections has been arrested after making a speech quoting from a book by Winston Churchill about Islam. Here is the passage, from The River War: An Account of the Reconquest of the Sudan: ‘How dreadful are the curses which Mohammedanism lays on its votaries! Besides the fanatical frenzy, which is as dangerous in a man as hydrophobia in a dog, there is this fearful fatalistic apathy. The effects are apparent in many countries. Improvident habits, slovenly systems of agriculture, sluggish methods of commerce, and insecurity of property exist wherever the followers of the Prophet rule or live. A degraded sensualism deprives this life of its grace and refinement; the next of its dignity and sanctity…The fact that in Mohammedan law every woman must belong to some man as his absolute property, either as a child, a wife, or a concubine, must delay the final extinction of slavery until the faith of Islam has ceased to be a great power among men. Individual Moslems may show splendid qualities – but the influence of the religion paralyses the social development of those who follow it. No stronger retrograde force exists in the world. Far from being moribund, Mohammedanism is a militant and proselytizing faith. It has already spread throughout Central Africa, raising fearless warriors at every step; and were it not that Christianity is sheltered in the strong arms of science, the science against which it had vainly struggled, the civilisation of modern Europe might fall, as fell the civilisation of ancient Rome.’

 

02/05/2014: You SHOULD read this article (AND watch the video). Every so often you NEED to be reminded of the ultimate evil the human mind IS capable of. Bear this in mind when avuncular luminaries (such as Princes Charles and Phillip opine (for eg) that there ARE just vastly too many people (and that the human population would benefit from a virus deadlier than the Black Death - and they DID BOTH say this), then drive away to their castles in their Rollers - a kind of hypocrisy all too familiar in Green circles, who all the time make Ted Bundy look like a pussy cat: http://yidwithlid.blogspot.com.au/2014/04/yom-hashoah-visions-of-horror-when.html

 

01/05/2014: May Day: time to pause and remember the hundreds of millions butchered and the billions enslaved by communism and socialism…

 

01/05/2014: For at least the last THIRTY years ALL the gas you have been using (from Bass Strait) has been fracked - as has most of the oil you have used since WW2. I can't figure why stuff which was solved long ago is for some people a hot news panic story eg over-population, resource depletion, pollution, whaling, immunisation, fluoride, etc, etc. The World's Resources Aren't Running Out: Maybe you didn’t have time to read Julian Simon (eg ‘The Ultimate Resource’ – which for me, many years ago was a complete game changer), but maybe you have time to read this short article, which makes much the same point more succinctly: http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304279904579517862612287156?mg=reno64-wsj

 

01/05/2014: An interesting examination of pschopathy, (check out the photo of Ted Bundy if you think you can SPOT one): ‘He suggests that instead of thinking in terms of blameworthiness, the law should deal with the likelihood that someone will reoffend, and issue sentences accordingly, with rehabilitation for those likely to benefit and long sentences for those likely to be long-term dangers.’ http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/10737827/Psychopaths-how-can-you-spot-one.html

 

01/05/2014: There are so many STRANGE people in the world…can you BELIEVE there are people who, when eating a fried egg on toast do not halve and halve again until there are precisely eight mouthfuls to enjoy. Weird!

 

30/04/2014: There is no end to the EVIL which the Greens will get up to. The only way to deal with such people is the old adage, ‘Give them an inch and they will take a mile’. These folks have always made Adolph look like a cookie monster. NOW these folks are set on banning our stoves and fireplaces. They will succeed too if we don’t take them firmly in hand ( a four by two might be handy!) : http://www.independentsentinel.com/epa-is-going-to-regulate-wood-burning-fireplaces-out-of-existence/

 

30/04/2014: THIS will never work on any car I own: http://editorial.autos.msn.com/blogs/post--will-self-cleaning-paint-put-an-end-to-dirty-cars?icid=autos_5570

 

30/04/2014: MH370: I think the most likely explanation about this (phone) call is that he was locked out of the cockpit (and the plane was immediately taken to 45,000’ and the cabin air disconnected). He would have realised immediately what was going on and turned his phone on in the hope that in the few seconds he had left he could get a warning out. If HE had been the hijacker (and wanted to make a call/explanation) he could have used the plane’s radio. Mind you, this all depends on WHO gave that final ‘Cheerio’. The Malaysians are still sitting on the data, having at least ONCE changed their minds about THAT. I think the telephone ‘handshake’ (no connection, from ANYONE) indicates  there is little prospect that anyone (other than the pilot perhaps) was alive when the plane landed, which it clearly DID – if we are to believe the Inmarsat pings. This disappearance makes the ‘Mary Celeste’ look like a High School picnic; a ‘Picnic at Hanging Rock even (!): http://www.smh.com.au/world/mh370-search-copilot-made-call-after-plane-went-off-flight-path-reports-20140412-zqu2q.html Then again, there is a report (reputedly) out of Russia recently that the whole plane IS in Afghanistan! Seems unlikely though. Further, two different guys over the last few days claim to have spotted the wreck: one in the Gulf of Thailand, the other in the Bay of Bengal: it has been missing nearly long enough for it to BE in both places!

 

29/04/2014: Fitness fanatics have always banged on with ‘a healthy mind in a healthy body’ but much as their efforts towards the latter have sometimes been Herculean (and usually short-lived and unsuccessful, I have yet to see even ONE made any effort towards the former! Always the sloganeering and the poor attempts to shame those who felt no need to spend every waking day playing at tiddlewinks or whatever ‘new’ health craze was in town. Efforts on my part to interest them in Bertrand Russell, Freud, or Shakespeare ever ‘banged back on an empty shaft’…

 

29/04/2014: Hot NEWS: Germany is voting to REDUCE its retirement age from 65 to 63!

29/04/2014: It is THAT time of year again (Time to remember that a ‘keat’ is a baby guinea fowl and that tuberculosis is a dreadful disease, best extinct – even if the Greens wouldn’t like that!): To Autumn :John Keats 1795-1821 To Autumn

                                            1.

    SEASON of mists and mellow fruitfulness,
        Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;
    Conspiring with him how to load and bless
        With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eves run;
    To bend with apples the moss’d cottage-trees,
        And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core;
            To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells
    With a sweet kernel; to set budding more,
        And still more, later flowers for the bees,
        Until they think warm days will never cease,
            For Summer has o’er-brimm’d their clammy cells.

                                            2.

    Who hath not seen thee oft amid thy store?
        Sometimes whoever seeks abroad may find
    Thee sitting careless on a granary floor,
        Thy hair soft-lifted by the winnowing wind;
    Or on a half-reap’d furrow sound asleep,
        Drows’d with the fume of poppies, while thy hook
            Spares the next swath and all its twined flowers:
    And sometimes like a gleaner thou dost keep
        Steady thy laden head across a brook;
        Or by a cyder-press, with patient look,
            Thou watchest the last oozings hours by hours.

                                            3.

    Where are the songs of Spring? Ay, where are they?
        Think not of them, thou hast thy music too,—
    While barred clouds bloom the soft-dying day,
        And touch the stubble plains with rosy hue;
    Then in a wailful choir the small gnats mourn
        Among the river sallows, borne aloft
            Or sinking as the light wind lives or dies;
    And full-grown lambs loud bleat from hilly bourn;
        Hedge-crickets sing; and now with treble soft
        The red-breast whistles from a garden-croft;
           And gathering swallows twitter in the skies.

28/04/2014: SCRAP (or at lest SELL the ABC). If folk really want such treasonous leftist twaddle let THEM pay for it. Seriously, Simpson NOT a hero! http://blogs.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/timblair/index.php/dailytelegraph/comments/abc_donkey_squad/

 

28/04/2014: ‘NO people-smuggling venture had succeeded in landing asylum seekers on Australia for more than four months…Mr Morrison said no one had reached Australia since December 19 and that continued this month. But 3351 on 47 boats arrived in April 2013 under the former Labor government...Since Operation Sovereign Borders started on September 18, 220 asylum seekers have voluntarily returned to their home countries.’ http://www.news.com.au/national/breaking-news/hard-line-on-boats-paying-off-morrison/story-e6frfku9-1226896710647

 

28/04/2014: And now, a ONE miracle saint. Hagiography ain’t what it used to was! It’s like a ram with one stone, like ONE Weet-Bix for breakfast with skim milk and no sugar…Ah, the ‘sea of faith’s…melancholy, long, withdrawing roar’!

 

27/04/2014: 450! Happy Birthday Bill. Seems like only yesterday you were 400! Ah, ‘Alas poor Yorick’!

 Shakespeare.jpg

 

27/04/2014: WARNING: the new series of ‘Fargo’ is seriously good. Watched (with fascination) the first two episodes last night…

 

27/04/2014: I can see that requiring everyone to work until they are 70 would be particularly hard on the poor (who are apparently not going to get to BE 70 – unlike the rich who are going to get to be 85, Hoorah! So glad I am the one, rather than the other!) Quite astonishing differences are revealed here. Quite a proportion of the ‘poor’ are also treated like aristocrats and never expected/allowed to work, so you would think they would all live as long as the Queen Mother! Nothing is ever quite what you expect it to be:  http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2014/04/more-money-more-life-the-depressing-reality-of-inequality-in-america/360895/

 

26/04/2014: These two guys could not be more different. Guess which one I celebrate and which one I would sack: http://www.news.com.au/national/breaking-news/digger-wanted-to-march-despite-collapsing/story-e6frfku9-1226896111471 & http://www.news.com.au/national/breaking-news/corporal-baird-honoured-in-hobart/story-e6frfku9-1226895802689

 

26/04/2014: This project is JUST fascinating. I'm up for $100. How about you? http://www.rockethub.com/projects/42228-isee-3-reboot-project-by-space-college-skycorp-and-spaceref

 

26/04/2014: I don’t think it is JUST my increasing arthritis makes it harder to start new rolls of toilet paper. I think they ARE putting more glue on them so that you waste more paper getting them open. You would think this resource waste would be a key element of the ‘Greens’ policies – given that they are full of s---t anyway!

 

26/04/2014: Of course, if we DON”T have global warming, things might not be very nice. A return to the conditions of the ‘Little Ice Age’ which we came out of only c200 years ago would spell terrible things for a great many people. I have said before there is a pressing need to improve our food supply (particularly increasing yields at lower seasonal temperatures and shorter growing seasons. I hope this CAN be achieved by GM!) Energy will be another important element: we need to boost nuclear as much as possible and to move to a thorium cycle. We have to realise that much of the populated world may once again go under the ice and be ready to move them to safer havens. (Here at Jeeralang Junction we hope to have found one – even if the poles melted we are 200 metres above sea level (40 metres higher than the seas could ever rise!) Our seasons would be shorter if it became colder but we would be far from the ice. This article is a worthwhile read: http://joannenova.com.au/2014/04/why-life-in-the-21st-century-will-be-nasty-brutish-and-short/

 

26/04/2014: Camp Mena near Cairo sometime in February or March 1915. So sad to lose these kids (and their roos): http://michaelsmithnews.typepad.com/.a/6a0177444b0c2e970d01a73db2f619970d-pi

 http://michaelsmithnews.typepad.com/.a/6a0177444b0c2e970d01a73db2f619970d-pi

 

25/04/2014: THE ANZAC ON THE WALL by Jim Brown

 

I wandered thru a country town, 'cos I had some time to spare,

And went into an antique shop to see what was in there.

Old Bikes and pumps and kero lamps, but hidden by it all,

A photo of a soldier boy – an Anzac on the Wall.

 

'The Anzac have a name?' I asked. The old man answered 'No'.

The ones who could have told me mate, have passed on long ago.

The old man kept on talking and, according to his tale,

The photo was unwanted junk bought from a clearance sale.

 

'I asked around', the old man said, 'but no-one knows his face,

He's been on that wall twenty years... Deserves a better place.

For some-one must have loved him, so it seems a shame somehow.'

I nodded in agreement and then said, 'I'll take him now.'

 

My nameless digger's photo, well it was a sorry sight

A cracked glass pane and a broken frame - I had to make it right

To prise the photo from its frame I took care just in case,

Cause only sticky paper held the cardboard back in place.

 

I peeled away the faded screed and much to my surprise,

Two letters and a telegram appeared before my eyes

The first reveals my Anzac's name, and regiment of course

John Mathew Francis Stuart - of Australia's own Light Horse.

 

This letter written from the front... My interest now was keen

This note was dated August seventh 1917

'Dear Mum, I'm at Khalasa Springs not far from the Red Sea

They say it's in the Bible - looks like a Billabong to me.

 

'My Kathy wrote I'm in her prayers... she's still my bride to be

I just can't wait to see you both, you're all the world to me.

And Mum you'll soon meet Bluey, last month they shipped him out

I told him to call on you when he's up and about.'

 

'That bluey is a larrikin, and we all thought it funny

He lobbed a Turkish hand grenade into the CO's dunny.

I told you how he dragged me wounded, in from no man's land

He stopped the bleeding, closed the wound, with only his bare hand.'

 

'Then he copped it at the front from some stray shrapnel blast

It was my turn to drag him in and I thought he wouldn't last.

He woke up in hospital, and nearly lost his mind

Cause out there on the battlefield he'd left one leg behind.'

 

'He's been in a bad way Mum, he knows he'll ride no more

Like me he loves a horse's back, he was a champ before.

So Please Mum can you take him in, he's been like my own brother

Raised in a Queensland orphanage he' s never known a mother.'

 

But Struth, I miss Australia Mum, and in my mind each day

I am a mountain cattleman on high plains far away.

I'm mustering white-faced cattle, with no camel's hump in sight

And I waltz my Matilda by a campfire every night

 

I wonder who rides Billy, I heard the pub burnt down

I'll always love you and please say hooroo to all in town'.

The second letter I could see, was in a lady's hand

An answer to her soldier son there in a foreign land.

 

Her copperplate was perfect, the pages neat and clean

It bore the date, November 3rd 1917.

'T'was hard enough to lose your Dad, without you at the war

I'd hoped you would be home by now - each day I miss you more'

 

'Your Kathy calls around a lot since you have been away

To share with me her hopes and dreams about your wedding day.

And Bluey has arrived - and what a godsend he has been

We talked and laughed for days about the things you've done and seen'

 

'He really is a comfort, and works hard around the farm,

I read the same hope in his eyes that you won't come to harm.

McConnell's kids rode Billy, but suddenly that changed.

We had a violent lightning storm, and it was really strange.'

 

'Last Wednesday, just on midnight, not a single cloud in sight,

It raged for several minutes, it gave us all a fright.

It really spooked your Billy - and he screamed and bucked and reared

And then he rushed the sliprail fence, which by a foot he cleared'

 

'They brought him back next afternoon, but something's changed I fear

It's like the day you brought him home, for no one can get near.

Remember when you caught him with his black and flowing mane?

Now Horse breakers fear the beast that only you can tame,'

 

'That's why we need you home son' - then the flow of ink went dry-

This letter was unfinished, and I couldn't work out why.

Until I started reading, the letter number three

A yellow telegram delivered news of tragedy,

 

Her son killed in action - oh - what pain that must have been

The same date as her letter - 3rd November 1917

This letter which was never sent, became then one of three

She sealed behind the photo's face - the face she longed to see.

 

And John's home town's old timers - children when he went to war

Would say no greater cattleman had left the town before.

They knew his widowed mother well - and with respect did tell

How when she lost her only boy she lost her mind as well.

 

She could not face the awful truth, to strangers she would speak

'My Johnny's at the war you know, he's coming home next week.'

They all remembered Bluey he stayed on to the end.

A younger man with wooden leg became her closest friend.

 

And he would go and find her when she wandered old and weak

And always softly say 'yes dear - John will be home next week.'

Then when she died Bluey moved on, to Queensland some did say.

I tried to find out where he went, but don't know to this day.

 

And Kathy never wed - a lonely spinster some found odd.

She wouldn't set foot in a church - she'd turned her back on God.

John's mother left no Will I learned on my detective trail.

This explains my photo's journey, of that clearance sale.

 

So I continued digging, cause I wanted to know more.

I found John's name with thousands, in the records of the war.

His last ride proved his courage - a ride you will acclaim

The Light Horse Charge at Beersheba of everlasting fame.

 

That last day in October, back in 1917

At 4pm our brave boys fell - that sad fact I did glean.

That's when John's life was sacrificed, the record's crystal clear

But 4pm in Beersheba is midnight over here......

 

So as John's gallant spirit rose to cross the great divide,

Were lightning bolts back home, a signal from the other side?

Is that why Billy bolted and went racing as in pain?

Because he'd never feel his master on his back again?

 

Was it coincidental? same time - same day - same date?

Some proof of numerology, or just a quirk of fate?

I think it's more than that you know, as I've heard wiser men,

Acknowledge there are many things that go beyond our ken

 

Where craggy peaks guard secrets 'neath dark skies torn asunder,

Where hoof-beats are companions to the rolling waves of thunder

Where lightning cracks like 303's and ricochets again

Where howling moaning gusts of wind sound just like dying men.

 

Some Mountain cattlemen have sworn on lonely alpine track,

They've glimpsed a huge black stallion - Light Horseman on his back.

Yes Sceptics say, it's swirling clouds just forming apparitions

Oh no, my friend you can't dismiss all this as superstition.

 

The desert of Beersheba - or windswept Aussie range,

John Stuart rides on forever there - Now I don't find that strange.

Now some gaze upon this photo, and they often question me

And I tell them a small white lie, and say he's family.

 

'You must be proud of him.' they say - I tell them, one and all,

That's why he takes - the pride of place - my Anzac on the Wall.

 

25/04/2014: Watched the movie ‘Nebraska’ which should have taken out the Oscars in my opinion: not a car chase in it! Plenty of human interest and excellent acting though…

 

25/04/2014: My father Lawrence Jones (photo 1/02/1954), ten years before his untimely death from brain cancer. He would have been 99 years old today having been born on the very first Anzac Day. (His grandfather, David Jones lived to 99!) It is hard to believe we have been missing him for 51 years...

 

26/04/2014: Replies to comments: You can't know how hard it was losing him at 13. Since then I had to make my own way in the world - until I discovered Della.

 

26/04/2014: Sadly the nature of his illness meant I lost most of him some years earlier. Unfortunately the veil of time has removed many happy memories of our brief time together before he became ill. Life has been a struggle for me. I had to work early, hard and long, for example. I have always felt somewhat alone in the world. (Childhood) grief can have a long and pervasive effect. Of course he had only a little over 40 good years; I have had 65, so far! Thank you for thinking I turned out OK anyway.

 

26/04/2014: Nothing in life is fair. It is all luck. 'Fairness' would imply a designer or an umpire. The universe is entirely neutral to our lives. We are what we make ourselves to be. There is no sense in saying something 'made' us happy/unhappy. Only our self has the ability to make us happy. If/when you are unhappy, you must see what (falsehood) in yourself is making you unhappy - and change that!

 

25/04/2014: 72 new F-35 Joint Strike Fighters! You BEAUTY! TWICE as many would be even better! This acquisition will begin the process of rebuilding our parlous ‘Defence’ forces to something like readiness after the disastrous (if not wholly TREASONOUS) Gillard years. It MIGHT also be a good idea to switch ON the ‘over the horizon’ radar which would have detected MH370 – or eg a sneak attack on Perth too!

 

24/04/2014: At first I thought this might replace my old hiking (booze) standby ‘Bacardi 151 (= 75% alcohol) but on further investigation I see it would weigh more - & likely taste crap to boot: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcohol_powder

 

24/04/2014: In other hiking news, I am going to try THIS out as my new hiking alarm clock (http://www.invisibleclock.com/) @ 1.5 ounces. My increasing deafness makes it impossible for me to hear most lightweight alarm clocks, so if I have to get up early (eg to catch the tide for a walk along the beach - which I did on the South Coast Track) I can easily sleep in. I hope I NEVER need THIS one (which weighs over 5 ounces but @ 120 decibels it might even wake me up! http://www.screamingmeanie.com/

 

 

24/04/2014: The ‘Barrier Reef Issue’: Surely the issue is 'Save a miniscule fraction of the Barrier Reef'? The reef is LARGER THAN VICTORIA. As such its totality is on NO danger from anything! Especially when the litigation is like to cost more than the dredging (AND achieve NOTHING! Like ALL litigation – save fatten the lawyers!) The trouble is, if we want to have money to spend on things (like conservation, preserving many of the beauties of the Reef, etc) we must EARN it - eg by exporting energy (by far our largest industry!) My ‘poor old mum’ used to opine (laconically), 'None so pure as the pure in heart'. I also liked GK Chesterton's comment (I recently quoted), ‘there is scarcely a shade of difference left between meaning well and meaning nothing’.

 

23/04/2014: Quote of the century: Abraham Lincoln (1861):’The legitimate object of government, is to do for a community of people, whatever they need to have done, but can not do, at all, or can not, so well do, for themselves – in their separate, and individual capacities. In all that the people can individually do as well for themselves, government ought not to interfere.’

 

23/04/2014: Just how utterly MAD can ‘Governments’ get? Well, THIS mad. The UN thinks vacuuming CO2 out of the air may be the ONLY way toe SAVE the planet (which got by just fine with a hundred TIMES as much CO2 in the past!): http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2014/04/not-a-joke%E2%86%92-un-says-vacuuming-co2-out-of-air-may-be-only-way-to-save-planet-earth/?ModPagespeed=noscript

 

23/04/2014: If Sweden can turn the ship of state around, surely WE can too: http://www.american.com/archive/2014/january/swedens-swing-toward-a-free-market

 

22/04/2014: Tax Freedom Day. Today is the day you stop working for the Government and start working for yourself. Comparable dates for other countries are even more frightening as is the data on the growth in the percentage of our wealth spent on taxes over time: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tax_Freedom_Day

 

22/04/2014: What a WONDER the ‘Zeppelin’ was. O, to have flown in it! Around the world in 12 days: http://moreintelligentlife.com/content/places/samantha-weinberg/graf-zeppelin

 

 

22/04/2014: Even as an atheist I still have a problem with the ubiquitous season’s greeting which seems to have crept into our society, ‘Happy Easter’. Just about every customer who came into the shop on Friday said this to me (requiring me to respond in kind). I doubted somehow they had also watched Mel Gibson’s, ‘The Passion of the Christ’ on late night TV the night before! Could it be that they do not KNOW the significance of ‘Good Friday’? The greeting just seems a little thoughtless is all…I expect they would toss it off as cheerily to Christ as he ‘ambled’ up the hill with his firewood on THAT day…Maybe we should change it to ‘Happy Holiday’? In some ways it IS nice though to be living in a time when people no longer even RECOGNISE the shibboleths and fetishes of the past! Of course, the Gospel according to Phillip has Christ living on, marrying Mary Magdalene and begetting children – some even claim descent from him. I believe his grave can be viewed somewhere on the sub-continent, Kandahar perhaps? The (original) Adam’s grave can also be viewed in Jeddah in Saudi Arabia! Mind you, I could be wrong: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/china/10776023/China-on-course-to-become-worlds-most-Christian-nation-within-15-years.html

 

21/04/2014: VERY bad news for this particular rapper: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bk_q05r8DcM

 

21/04/2014: Britain seems to have found the solution to unemployment, the ‘claimant commitment’. Australian Government please take note: http://www.rationaloptimist.com/blog/britain%27s-employment-and-productivity-puzzle.aspx

 

21/04/2014: We have been watching old episodes of ‘Wagon Train’ (Series 1 & 2 1958-9) which then starred Ward Bond and Robert Horton. The scripting is very good. These were excellent stories, dealing with important issues well ahead of their time and were universally morally uplifting – something which is so often wanting in today’s shows.

Robert Horton Ward Bond Wagon Train.JPG

 

20/04/2014: MH370: I think it is REALLY strange that AMSA (see map!) is still searching over 1,000km from where Ocean Shield ‘heard’ the ‘pings’. Clearly there are MANY things we have not been told about this whole dreadful occurrence: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-04-19/mh370-search-at-critical-juncture-as-drone-mission-continues/5400094

 

20/04/2014: Mark Twain: ‘There is something fascinating about science. One gets such wholesale returns of conjecture out of such a trifling investment of fact.’ More PROOF here on Michael Crichton’s conjecture that ALIENS cause global warming: http://www.drroyspencer.com/2014/04/do-aliens-cause-global-warming-the-data-say-yes/

 

20/04/2014: This is pretty neat: This 300 ft Wall in Bolivia has over 5000 Dinosaur Footprints: http://twistedsifter.com/2013/10/cal-orko-wall-in-bolivia-covered-in-dinosaur-tracks/

 cal orko wall of dinosaur footprints sucre bolivia (1)

 

20/04/2014: Socialists here are banging on about ‘The Government’ not spending enough money on cleaning up (eg Morwell) after the (Hazelwood Mine) fire, that there should be an enquiry into the long-term health effects, and so ad nauseum…It WAS a bit smoky for a while, pretty much like the air was all the time in Newcastle when I was growing up, and nowhere near as bad as the London air was when Della’s mum was growing up there in the 20’s and 30’s – and she lived to be 91. People should look after themselves. In the past people were quite capable of cleaning up a bit of coal dust themselves without always expecting their fellow citizens to chip in. The reds are SO inventive about what OUR money could be spent on. I am opposed to them collecting it from ME at all, and do everything I CAN to avoid ‘The Government’ getting its hands on a single cent of MY hard-earned – as they will only waste it on silly causes…I was much in favour (once) of the L5 society’s plans to build space habitats at the ‘Lagrange Points,’ as there even the air would have to be paid for by the inhabitants – a policy which would automatically ELIMINATE socialists – as they would never find someone else in time to cough up the necessary credits for their next unfunded lungful…THEN I remembered how dodgy credit cards can be; how betimes I have been caught out without a cent to spend by the dreadful things - even when my account was replete with cash. Such a situation might be a bit more than embarrassing if I hadn’t fed my oxygen meter today.

 

20/04/2014: Of course you realise that of all the whales killed by the whaling industry over the centuries almost none was ever EATEN? In the absence of rerigeration their only viable products were oil, baleen, scrimshaw, spermaceti...Similarly, prior to c1890 they used to kill 4 million sheep at Echuca (for eg) entirely for their hides and tallow. All the carcasses were just tipped in to the Murray: no wonder they had BIG cod back then!

 

19/04/2014: Greenie whale huggers apparently are unaware (as of SO many other things) that John D Rockefelller (Standard Oil) saved the whales circa 1872 by giving the world (cheap) kerosene which so outcompeted whale oil as to drive all its ‘producers’ broke. Ain’t capitalism wonderful! Now there are literally MILLIONS of minke whales (for eg) there remains little argument against harvesting a few now and then. If we don’t, whales will eat up everything in the sea! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_D._Rockefeller

 

19/04/2014: This IS the C21st! WHAT a gal! A 13-year-old eagle huntress in Mongolia: http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-26969150

 Ashol-Pan on a mountain top with her eagle

 

19/04/2014: Your taxes at WORK (Sounds like FUN though): Northwestern U hosts event for female students who are ‘having trouble masturbating’: http://www.campusreform.org/?ID=5535

 

18/04/2014: The great bee scam, another evil conspiracy by the endlessly corrupt ‘Greenpeace’:  http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/jamesdelingpole/100244756/how-green-bullying-junk-science-and-eu-lies-killed-off-yet-another-successful-industry/  & http://www.breitbart.com/Breitbart-London/2014/04/11/Bees-doing-just-fine-finds-EU-but-continues-to-ban-the-pesticide-which-didn-t-harm-them

 

18/04/2014: The natural world still holds many great mysteries: for example there is something which is smarter and tougher than crows or (sulphur crested) cockatoos - else their numbers would be infinite. Yet you pretty much never see one killed on the road or its feathers scattered in the paddock by a predator. You can’t blame foxes, cats or motor cars, as something kept them in check long before these ‘pests’ were introduced, before even aborigines I imagine…What can it possibly be?

 Cacatua galerita Tas 2.jpg

 

18/04/2014: I am NOT a great admirer of Paul Keating though there are some of his policies which have been most worthwhile. He DID succeed in freeing up the Australian economy a great deal – as it had long been mired in socialist shackles. Also, he introduced the universal compulsory superannuation ‘system’ we have today envisaging that it would eventually replace state based ‘entitlements’ such as the old age pension etc. Until then it was largely public servants who ‘owned’ superannuation as they forewent more lucrative emoluments elsewhere to work for the common good. There was also private superannuation which the provident contributed to. The improvident gave no thought for the future, squandering their lifelong earnings and then throwing themselves on the mercy of the public as common beggars seeking the old age pension. SUCH folks want to continue this profligacy over twenty years later than Keating’s superannuation reforms. Remember : ‘Tanstafl’ = ‘There ain’t no such thing as (a) free lunch’ (Robert Heinlein, ‘The Moon is a Harsh Mistress’)

 

17/04/2014: So much for the health benefits of red wine...it WAS only a wee bottle of Grange!

 

17/04/2014: In praise of babes: Many people think of society (or THE Government) as some giant ‘sugardaddy’ which doles out its largesse if you simply snuggle up to it in the cutest possible way…It is more like a savings bank, making a very little interest perhaps, but mainly safeguarding the assets you put in its trust: in which regard, YOU CANNOT TAKE OUT WHAT YOU NEVER PUT IN. Those who never made a (financial) contribution have no assets there to access and NO entitlements. THEY needs must simply live on the charity of the rest of us, if we will have them! The most important asset we input to the common ‘bank’ is our children, as it is they who will (ultimately) provide for us in old age (through their work, taxes, sacrifice etc). Those who had no children have no such assets, and so no claim on the commonality. It is THEY who will have to work on until they die - as they have provided no-one to take their place. There are some people who have a greater claim than others, as they have made a greater contribution: our soldiers (and emergency workers) who put their lives on the line for the common good, for example. Many have noted the demographic change of the last couple of generations which have led to the ‘average’ woman producing fewer children. I don’t think that is really how it has worked out at all. The majority of women have continued to have 2-3 children (and also paid their taxes!) whilst some have produced none. I guess there are four main causes (aside from ‘natural’ infertility which has deservedly received much public redress). Sexual licence (and cheap contraception) allowed many to either choose to have no children at all or to so injure their fertility with cheap abortions and sexually transmitted diseases they were unable to conceive. At the same time rampant homosexuality has reduced the number of offspring. Various deluded greens and selfish others CHOSE not to have children (some for the ‘good of the planet’). None of these childless folks has EARNED the right to a retirement pension - which can only be paid by the work and taxes of the healthy children of the rest of us. I can quite agree with the Government that when something is in short supply (such as retirement) that it has to be rationed: this does not mean that ‘per capita’ is the fairest desiderata. As I said before: YOU CANNOT TAKE OUT WHAT YOU NEVER PUT IN. The childless should clearly largely be excluded from retirement benefits (unless they were soldiers etc).

 

16/04/2014: Watched ‘Raid on Entebbe’ (1977) tonight. Makes me wish I was Jewish – at least Della is (a bit), so maybe that counts! If only we could organise Australia like this; if we don’t, all is lost, eg: http://pickeringpost.com/glance/when-it-s-ok-to-rape-a-13yo-girl/3096

 

16/04/2014: Before you take that next trip to Thailand (& etc) there is something you should know about the slave trade in the world today: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/705178-the-slaves-who-live-and-die-on-thailands-fishing-boats/?utm_source=newsletter-20140218-0803&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=news

 

16/04/2014: I have been looking at our family tree to see whether we really ARE living longer than our ancestors. I know the age of death of 53/60 of our combined ancestors. The average age of death of (Della and my) parents was 76.25, grandparents = 69.125 (8/8 known), great grandparents = 75.87 (16/16), great-great grandparents = 62.16 (25/32 known). No pattern (of gradual increase) there. I suspect the average age of death or our more remote ancestors will push HIGHER if I can find out WHEN they died, but the Irish records are bad. One thing I do notice is how much an early death pulls the average down, so eg an accidental death or a touch of TB in the family really has a large effect. This is because the average age of death of all our ancestors displays a high degree of ‘clumping’ ie they would not have got to be our ancestors if they died in infancy (like my brother – whose death as a baby should really pull the average for my generation of my family down!); 33/53 of our combined ancestors lived past 65 so could have benefited from the aged pension (which for many did not exist when they were old – I also know that fewer than this actually received the pension eg either declining it, living on their own means, continuing working, etc). My average ancestor would have collected the old age pension for 3.45 years (average age of death 69.45 (of 24/30 known). Della’s would have collected for only 1.52 years (!) average age of death 66.52 (29/30 known). Between us, our children’s ancestors would have collected for 2.84 years - average age of death 67.84 (53 known out of a total of 60). My six ‘missing’ Irish ancestors would probably have pushed this up as bit given that the known Irish ancestors were long lived. However, averages are deceptive as the 33 who lived past 65 died at an average age of 80 so they would have collected for 15 years – quite an impost on the 20 who died early! In our families men lived longer than women: my family’s men lived to 73.83 as against 65.08 for women. In Della’s men lived to 71 and women to 62.33! Times have changed: now it is women who live longer, so it is women who are pushing up the cost of the pension (and who have spent less time working to contribute to it). Perhaps it was better (economically) when they on average died before they would have become eligible! Of course, during the time since our great-great grandparents were born (in the early years of the C19th) average labour productivity has increased by at least 2% per annum, making the old age pension easy for our ancestors to afford in 1900 and even easier for US to afford over 100 years later! Of course 20/53 (of 60) of our ancestors did NOT live past 65 (a ‘problem’ which still exists today), yet they would (have been expected) to contribute to the ‘pension pool’ but have received no personal benefit, not even an amount for their estate! Again, some no doubt worked many fewer years than others (and vice versa) which leads us to the question whether a retirement benefit funded indiscriminately by the taxpayer (and only claimable by those who exceed age 65,66,67…) is fair and equitable as compared to a ‘contributions’ scheme for example where you only get out in proportion to what you put in - & eg the ‘unclaimed’ portion forms part of your estate.

 

15/04/2014: The Nanny State gone completely troppo: http://blogs.news.com.au/heraldsun/andrewbolt/index.php/heraldsun/comments/and_not_a_drop_to_drink_without_a_certificate/

 

15/04/2014: ‘Renewable energy was supposed to usher in a new era of job creation in Germany, but just the opposite is now taking place.’ http://www.the-american-interest.com/blog/2014/01/28/green-dream-turns-to-nightmare-for-german-workers/

 

15/04/2014: Spot on, Christopher: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/environment/climatechange/10746497/How-did-the-IPCCs-alarmism-take-everyone-in-for-so-long.html

 

14/04/2014: We used to sing this on Empire Day (May 24th). WHAT a poem: Rudyard Kipling: ‘Recessional’

 

God of our fathers, known of old—
Lord of our far-flung battle line—
Beneath whose awful hand we hold
Dominion over palm and pine—
Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet,
Lest we forget—lest we forget!

The tumult and the shouting dies—
The Captains and the Kings depart—
Still stands Thine ancient sacrifice,
An humble and a contrite heart.
Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet,
Lest we forget—lest we forget!

Far-called our navies melt away—
On dune and headland sinks the fire—
Lo, all our pomp of yesterday
Is one with Nineveh and Tyre!
Judge of the Nations, spare us yet,
Lest we forget—lest we forget!

If, drunk with sight of power, we loose
Wild tongues that have not Thee in awe—
Such boastings as the Gentiles use,
Or lesser breeds without the Law—
Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet,
Lest we forget—lest we forget!

For heathen heart that puts her trust
In reeking tube and iron shard—
All valiant dust that builds on dust,
And guarding calls not Thee to guard.
For frantic boast and foolish word,
Thy Mercy on Thy People, Lord!
Amen.

 

14/04/2014: If you have EVER though, ‘Has the sun finally set on the British Empire?’ here’s the answer (‘No’ in brief) : http://what-if.xkcd.com/48/

 

13/04/2014: CRV (Cigarette Request Violence) is a growing problem: http://blogs.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/timblair/index.php/dailytelegraph/comments/dont_ask_dont_kill/

 

13/04/2014: I think this is about TRUE (though I HAVE actually read SOME of them): http://thefederalist.com/2014/01/16/the-top-ten-books-people-lie-about-reading/

 

13/04/2014: So, it turns out ONE thing your mother told you IS true: http://time.com/45424/no-its-not-safe-to-pee-in-the-pool-says-science/

 

12/04/2014: THIS is why we have installed an electronically controlled gate and why we are ARMED to the teeth. You can bet that if such scum try this around here they will end up VERY dead. WHEN are we going to stop importing such bastards, start executing them and drive the rest into the SEA: http://pickeringpost.com/story/did-islamic-youths-rape-another-young-mother-/3080

 

12/04/2014: We MUST resist this creeping Sharia. First we had ‘halal’ abattoirs requiring an Islamic ‘tax’ then used to fund Islamic schools. The NAB (& other banks) have introduced Sharia banking. Decentralisation of state schooling (and public funding of ‘private’ schools) is fuelling a huge increase in Islamic (& other) schools which can only lead to social division and to Fifth Columnist indoctrination. Then there is this case from England, ‘British Teachers Lose Jobs For Resisting Islamisation of State Schools…’ http://weaselzippers.us/179942-british-teachers-lose-jobs-for-resisting-islamization-of-state-schools/

 

12/04/2014: ‘Apparently the human body does not run on good intentions. It does run, at least in part, on meat. That’s why we have incisors.’ Study Finds That Vegetarians Are Less Healthy: http://moonbattery.com/?p=44169

 

12/04/2014: MH370: In 1952 Alain Bombard (deliberately) crossed the Atlantic (4400km) in @ 60 days in a 4.5 metre in an inflatable life raft subsisting on only sea water and fish he caught along the way: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alain_Bombard  The greatest survivor of all, Poon Lim survived 133 days at sea in 1943 on a 2.4 metre wooden hatch cover. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poon_Lim The pilot (and others) CAN still be alive!

 

11/04/2014: Move over Sherlock, the future is HERE, DNA mugshots: http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2014/03/these-eerily-accurate-mugshots-were-created-from-dna-alone/

 These Eerily Accurate Mugshots Were Created From DNA Alone

 

11/04/2014: THIS farrago has been going on FAR TOO LONG: Frank Pledge, Quadrant: ‘Consider the appendix of the 1899-1900 Annual Report of the South Australian Protector of Aborigines “ In South Australia the public funds, so far as the natives were concerned, chiefly went in providing rations and clothing in depôts scattered about the colony…He had heard criticisms…that they did not do enough in the way of providing food and clothing for the natives. He was personally quite convinced that it was possible to do more harm than good by indiscriminately providing food and clothing all over the place, and so leading the natives to think there was no necessity for them to work. They might spend four or five times as much money as at present, and do a great deal less good than was being done. Idleness among whites or blacks bred all kinds of trouble, disease, and finally death, and if they took care that the assistance rendered by the public always went in the direction of helping those institutions which aided in providing work for the natives, they would do far more good than by public or private indiscriminate charity to the aborigines. He had seen natives in a good many places.” Those guys recognised in 1900 that welfarism was no solution to Aboriginal (or other) problems, and were prepared to take flack from the charitable NGOs while rejecting it. And they are still, 100 years later, taking flack for their non grand-standing approach. http://quadrant.org.au/opinion/bennelong-papers/2014/02/pathological-altruism-consequences/

 

11/04/2014: IS the aging of the population and an increasing average age of death REALLY the cause of a decline in available adult workers able to pay taxes to fund social programmes? It seems to me equally likely that pushing an ever larger percentage of the population into yet more years of education (or into ‘disability’ or other ‘support’) also needlessly subtracts them from the employment pool? When I was 15, the average person left school and began working. Most continued working for 50 years until they were 65 AT LEAST. Few ever returned to ‘education’ or needed to: for two reasons. They were better educated by far at 15 than the average 15 year old is today with not only much higher literacy and numeracy but infinitely higher skills in most practical areas (almost completely lacking today!) and ‘on-the-job’ training (rather than uni/tech) was the norm – which was  much more efficient and time-saving procedure. In those days schooling began at 5. There were at most 11 years of schooling (but brighter kids were accelerated to shorten this) , meaning that even those who went on to tech/uni did so at 15/16 and were finished at 17/19 leaving them still 46/8 years in the workforce before age 65 retirement. Now, the average student doesn’t finish school until at least 18 and if they go on to tertiary (more often than not 4 years) they are at least 22 before they enter the workforce. Increasing percentages are being pushed into further nonsensical second degrees, entailing at least another 3 years so that they are 25 before they can sensibly begin work. It is absurdly unlikely that they have gained skills in this ‘wasted’ ten years which will ever pay back the investment in time they have spent. Then a VERY small percentage of the population was so ‘disabled’ (say 1%) they could not meaningfully contribute to society. NOW this percentage is OVER 10%. Then we had no ‘supporting mother’s benefit’. People were expected to support themselves (and did). Now we have half a million children being raised (undesirably) by this process - which also subtracts at least 3% of prospective workers from the employment pool. Add to this ‘improvements’ in gerontology which keep utterly dysfunctional aged people living in desperate dependency long after their plight would have once been alleviated by a needle of morphine, and long after they would have wished to continue. It is NOT age 65 ‘retirement’ which society can no longer afford, but a whole grab-bag of other social ‘experiments’ which are not being questioned at all!

 

10/04/2014: On the wall of the Port Craig Schoolhouse was a photo of the last class there (c1928). Very poignant I felt. I wonder whether one of these bright youngsters still survives somewhere, still remembering her far-off schooldays?

 

10/04/2014: MH370 Debris: If the plane CRASHED and BROKE UP where they are looking now, the debris should long ago have been scattered along the WA coast. In that part of the world the winds are generally Westerly, so that any floating object will be pushed East. If we assume the objects move @ 4km/hr they will have covered 100km/day or 3000km in thirty days, but the search area is @ 1500 from the Australian coast, so they began to arrive a fortnight ago. Beachcombers would long ago have found ONE piece of identifiable debris on the WA coast IF the plane broke up, ergo it did NOT- at least if the plane WAS stationary for the last 2-3 pings…On the other hand, a maniac who wanted to ‘hide’ a plane way beyond the possibility of any search would have plunged it into the sea at great speed nearly vertically so that nearly all of it would have been transmuted swiftly to the very bottom of the sea. He might have done this so that his insurance could still be claimed as no-one could prove suicide – though clearly they WILL prove murder!

 

10/04/2014: Yet another example of the ‘draconian’ tendency in a modern ‘democracy’ where (in Britain!) a mother was forcibly subjected to a Caesarean section so the state could take her baby from her: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/columnists/christopherbooker/10485281/Baby-forcibly-removed-by-caesarean-and-taken-into-care.html

 

09/04/2014: The South Coast Track, Fiordland NZ: is SO much better than the similarly named South Coast Track in Tasmania. You can have a number of different trips there. What will best suit most is a jet boat ride down the Wairaurahiri River staying either at the Wairaurahiri Hut or at the Waitutu Lodge ($30/night + hot showers). From the Lodge you can spend a few days exploring the bush and the sea, perhaps venturing on to the Waitutu or Big Rivers. Then you can walk back staying perhaps at the Percy Burn Hut (where there is an enormous timber viaduct built from Australian hardwood c1920!) or at the Port Craig Hut, or the (new) Port Craig Village - where you can enjoy hot showers and BOOZE for twin share $100/night. It is 6 ½ hours walk back to the Rarakau carpark just out of Tuatapere (you can arrange with the jet boat people to be picked up from the car park). It is 5 ½ hours walk along the beach only if the tide is low with some scrambling over rocks. You can break your walk with a camp on the grassy edge of Blowholes Beach (approximately half way). You can (if you are very intrepid) push on along the beach or through the bush after Westies Hut (in a sea cave after Big River) all the way to Puysegur Point  lighthouse on Preservation inlet. There is a hut there at Te Oneroa from which you can explore the C19th ruins of the gold mining town of Cromarty. You can fly out by float plane from here (or stay at a luxury resort there – if you are exceptionally well-heeled!) After the Waitutu River you can push on up the Waitutu River to the hut on the Slaughter Burn and onwards to Lake Poteriteri, thence to Teal Bay on Lake Hauroko and on to the lake Hauroko car park where again you can be picked up by the jet boat operators.

Port Craig Schoolhouse

Camp at Blowholes Beach

 

09/04/2014: The beginning of the end: Bob Kernohan spoke on the record to the Royal Commission about Bill Shorten yesterday…

 

09/04/2014: GREAT news for emergency patients and not a far step from suspended animation: http://www.coyoteblog.com/coyote_blog/2014/03/just-when-you-thought-you-would-never-see-any-of-that-stuff-from-science-fiction-novels.html

 

08/04/2014: An interesting piece of Australian history: our first Islamic terrorists, Broken Hill 1 Jan 1915, three months BEFORE Anzac: 6 dead, 7 wounded. It may have been the first, but it certainly won’t be the LAST: http://pickeringpost.com/story/islamic-suicide-attack-on-broken-hill/3005

 

08/04/2014: MH370: A further thought: Now that some ‘black box’ signals have been found (about 1500 km closer to Malaysia), we can be sure that the last two (or three) satellite pings (Nos 7 & 8 anyway) came from a plane which was FLOATING on the sea (because it had been carefully landed). Too much time had passed (but not enough distance) for it to have still been in the air. This means that the pilot was alive and did NOT commit suicide. He will have made good his escape you can be sure, as this was a meticulously planned operation. He might have had assistants who possibly met him there (though they would have to be watching him pretty carefully after he had just killed 250 people!) or he could have acted alone. He would have had to include (as cargo) some means of propelling the lifeboat to his chosen destination where he has no doubt made off with the huge quantity of gold (or whatever very heavy expensive cargo the plane was carrying to mean that it could fly 50 passengers short). If this is the case there will be no wreckage as the plane did not crash and did not break up. When he was finished with it he simply scuttled it and went on his way! He really meant that this plane never be found, but (like so many crooks) he was simply WRONG!

 

08/04/2014: Labor’s vote fell to 21.8% in the WA Senate election. Counting the ‘donkey vote’ fewer than one in five Australians believe they deserve to govern. Clearly Shorten is finished. (I see this morning Martin Ferguson states his willingness to testify at the Royal Commission into Union Corruption, which should see him and Ju-Liar off somewhere for a LONG holiday), but the Party needs to either disband or rid itself of its corrupt and disastrous left wing and forever distance itself from the utterly evil and crazy ‘Greens’. I was in the past an admirer (even a member) of this once great party, but today it is a hollow, evil thing. I notice that the latest Newspoll has Liberal 51 Labor 49. As the positive effects of things like the new trade agreements, the repeal of the carbon/mining taxes, the Royal Commission into union corruption, the prosecution of further prominent Labor figures (eg Ju-Liar) begin to bite, expect the party to completely self-destruct.

 

07/04/2014: ‘Nihil ex nihilo’ (‘Nothing from nothing’) used to be a popular saying, mostly followed by ‘ergo Deum’ (‘Therefore God’). For long this approach: the attempt to understand and explain the ‘Universe’ by reason (once, alone) was supplanted gradually by ‘the scientific method’ (or ‘epistemology’ in philosophical terms, ie that which ‘we’ can apprehend with the senses). Of course the former reasoning was shown (reductio ad absurdum) to be fallacious in that, if used as a ‘proof’ of the necessity of a ‘God’ it also required the existence of prior ‘things’ to CREATE ‘God’ and so on ad infinitum. The religious mentality resiled at the idea of the ‘Big Bang’ ie the ‘universe’ coming into existence out of ‘nothing’, but there IS definitive scientific proof of ‘things’ coming into existence out of ‘’nothing’ (as required by Quantum Theory). In ‘reality’ the exact amount of matter/energy appearing ‘out of (discrete ‘quantities’) of nothing’ has been measured and quantified by physicists today (and may even one day provide ALL our energy needs!) Only so much can be learned by reason; even then you have to be VERY careful of the truth of ‘axioms’ , first principles, premises – and also of the VALIDITY of the argument…

07/04/2014: Boltzman Brains. Quantum theory postulates that the ‘universe’ is entirely probabilistic; that ‘things’ (including universes’) can (and do) just pop into existence out of nothingness; (just like the pygmy hippopotamus shot by a pig hunter on the Daly River NT http://www.news.com.au/national/pygmy-hippopotamus-shot-during-northern-territory-hunting-trip/story-e6frfkvr-1225798038412); that therefore there ‘are’ an infinity of ‘universes’. That being so, huge cosmic intelligences will constantly arise out of nothingness…these are known as ‘Boltzman Brains’. If the speed of light really IS an unbreakable barrier, these guys must be VERY lonely indeed, and quite utterly MAD. Should any one such decide to CREATE a universe, we should not expect TOO much from such a creation!

Nico Courteney pygmy hippo / NT News

07/04/2014: Well, Hello World: Back from a few days walking the Dusky & South Coast Tracks in Fiordland NZ. Cheers.

Supper Cove, Dusky Track Fiordland NZ

Waterfall Burn Dusky Track Fiordland NZ

Blowholes Beach South Coast Track Fiordland NZ

Te Wae Wae Beach South Coast Track Fiordland NZ

South Coast Track Fiordland NZ

 

26/03/2014: OUTLAWRY. It was SUCH a good idea: H. L. Mencken explains the ancient punishment of outlawry, last applied in England 155 years ago: ‘Certainly it is simple enough in its workings. A man who deliberately chooses the career of an outlaw is made one officially. From that moment he has no rights whatever. Any citizen may beat him, wound him and even kill him without challenge. It is a misdemeanour knowingly to conceal him, or even to feed him. He is thrown into the exact position of the victim he assaults and robs, and is paid off in his own coin.’

 

26/03/2014: Expect a break from me: tomorrow I am off for ten days’ hiking in Fiordland. In the unlikely event that I capture a photo of a live moose, I will come back $100,000 richer as there is a prize offered. I HAVE seen one, and have seen much sign over the years: tracks, browse, fewmets…so I am in with a chance. Wish me luck. In any case, be assured I WILL enjoy myself in that vast wilderness.

26/03/2014: Labor is NOT a representative political party (only 18% of workers are union members, yet 48% of Labor MPs are (ex) unionists). The Labor Party simply serves at the behest of thuggish union leaders who have been for many years doing their level best to destroy the country: ‘SENATORS – 31 Labor Senators presently in Parliament, 18 of which have held positions in unions, (below) HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES – 55 Labor MPs presently in Parliament, 23 of which have held positions in unions

Catryna Bilyk, ASU
Mark Bishop, SDAEA
Doug Cameron, AMWU
Jacinta Collins, SDAEA
Stephen Conroy, TWU
Don Farrell, SDAEA
Mark Furner, TWU
Alex Gallacher, TWU
John Hogg, SDAEA
Sue Lines, United Voice
Joe Ludwig, AWU
Kate Lundy, CFMEU
Gavin Marshall, ETU
Anne McEwen, ASU
Claire Moore, CPSU
Lisa Singh, AEU
Glenn Sterle, TWU
Anne Urquhart, FPU and AMWU

Chris Bowen, FSU
Anna Burke, FSU
Tony Burke, SDAEA
Mark Butler, LHMU
Terri Butler, AWU
Nick Champion, SDAEA
Lisa Chesters, United Voice
Pat Conroy, CFMEU
Michael Danby, SDAEA
David Feeney, TWU
Laurie Ferguson, FMWU
Alan Griffin, Union organiser
Chris Hayes, AWU
Ed Husic, CEPU
Stephen Jones, CPSU
Richard Marles, TWU and ACTU
Brendan O’Connor, ASU
Graham Perrett, QIEU
Bernie Ripoll, ETU
Amanda Rishworth, SDAEA
Bill Shorten, AWU
Warren Snowdon, NTTLC
Matt Thistlethwaite, AWU and Unions NSW’: http://catallaxyfiles.com/2014/03/24/unemployment/

26/03/2014: Concerning profundity, let me say that I am weary of the barrage of posters arrayed with glib epithets and bizarre homilies masquerading as wisdom. Most are at best doggerel and contain all manner of inner contradictions or obvious fallacies. True profundity might require more than a throwaway line, and rather more mental effort. Undertake a course in elementary logic, understand how the scientific method actually works, bone up on some science, maths, history, literature…Expect perhaps to have to read a number of whole BOOKS (eg by Plato, Descartes, Hume, Kant, Bertrand Russell, Wittgenstein…), and to have to do some darn hard thinking about what you find therein…

 

25/03/2014: Just barking MAD: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tag/bottled-water-ban

 

25/03/2014: The case of the guy in the UK who rang the Female Genital Mutilation Helpline seeking to have his daughters mutilated might be funny if it were not for this: We’ve only seen a handful of prosecutions, yet in 2010 Melbourne’s Royal Women’s Hospital reported treating between 600 to 700 FGM cases every year.’ We must put an end to this barbarous practice, indeed ANY mutilation of children: http://blogs.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/timblair/

25/03/2014: The ‘Big Apple’ SURE still IS: http://www.theatlanticcities.com/jobs-and-economy/2014/03/new-york-metros-economy-almost-large-australias/8543/

24/03/2014: “ ‘Nice’! English teachers have a lot to answer for perhaps in challenging students to chose more evocative terms (eg than ‘nice’). As a result of this perhaps, our language gradually becomes poorer. Some words become distorted from their true meaning (gorgeous, rampant), then are over-used to an incredible extent.  So ‘fabulous’ no longer suggested lost cities, unicorns etc but to any number of mundane things from pop stars to washing powder. ‘Awe’ used to be the profoundest of emotions suitable only when ‘wonder’ ‘rapture’ etc were insufficient to describe the depth of the experience. Now, it seems I should click on practically everything as ‘awesome’. Don’t get me started on that most innocent of terms to describe pleasure and happiness. Children (and myself) can nevermore be simply ‘gay’…

 

24/03/2014: Execution is really the BEST punishment (corporal ‘punishment’ whilst highly desirable, is a TRAINING aid). If the culprit has proved incapable of training, the universe deserves a chance to recycle their atoms to see if they can become something better next time!

 

24/03/2014: They WILL win the Nobel prize for THIS, the first detection of ‘gravitational waves’; its ramifications will be immense: http://wattsupwiththat.com/2014/03/17/faint-whispers-of-the-early-universe-detected-bolsters-the-cosmic-inflation-theory-aka-big-bang/#more-105413

 

23/03/2014: NEW sat image of the object in the Southern Ocean, only NOW its dimensions are 22.5m (compare 24m) long by 13 wide (compare 5m). The ONLY part of a plane this could be is the TAIL if it is turning over and over (likely). Of course, more likely than not it is something else entirely – but if it IS MH370, then it is almost certain that we have a case of pilot (murder and) suicide and that everyone else on board was dead when the plane climbed to 45,000’ right at the beginning of the hijack, alas! If they are not, then they will be found MUCH further away in the direction this debris has been drifting to (nearly 50km per day for this large object – so MUCH more for lighter ‘debris’ such as bodies, rafts, etc) That is , over 500 km AWAY from the current search area. The ‘body’ of the plane will be WAY back THATAWAY! Of course, if the plane broke in half fairly quickly the prospect of finding survivors is extremely slight, but it might not have. The ‘fact’ that authorities still hold out hope of survivors surely indicates Malaysian Airlines do not have Epirbs on their life-rafts, just another of their very dangerous follies. They should also still get a signal from the ‘black box’ – if they are VERY quick; its batteries are running out FAST! YOU can help look HERE: http://thenextweb.com/insider/2014/03/11/can-help-search-flight-mh370-tomnods-crowdsourced-satellite-image-platform-2/#!AWALE

 

23/03/2014: I KNOW there are folks out there who won’t like this, but here goes: I think we need to be more selective about citizenship: particularly we need to abolish the right of citizenship BY BIRTH, ie that being born on Australian territory AUTOMATICALLY confers citizenship. Surely WANTING to become a citizen is important, as are acceptance of Australian law, culture, history, marriage practices, mores etc, and a readiness to participate FULLY in all aspects of Australian life: eg manners, work, volunteerism, sport, obedience of the law, public schooling, a sense of shared values, a willingness to serve  the public good, patriotism…those who REJECT this can (at best) be TEMPORARY residents (for whatever reasons - eg civil strife in their home countries, awaiting their punishment here before being deported/ostracised & etc) and ought not be provided with the full benefits of citizenship, eg the franchise, welfare safety net, common politeness, etc. EARNING citizenship, eg by public service (in the Defence forces, CFA, sport & recreation associations, Landcare, vermin control etc ) is surely not too fanciful a suggestion. We should have a mechanism for withdrawing citizenship from anyone (whether born here or not) – particularly for treasonous or anti-social behaviour, or a persistent desire to welch on the public purse – and even for deporting, repatriating or ostracising them. In extreme cases (such as spitting on the pavement, pushing in at the supermarket, arguing with elders/betters/policemen, cruelty to kittens…) etc I would reserve the DEATH PENALTY which should be carried out immediately with dispassion and WITHOUT recourse to appeal, the person’s relatives to cover the cost, clean up the mess and dispose of the body expeditiously on penalty of suffering the same! For ‘lesser’ offences such as an insistence on wearing funny clothes, bad haircuts, vile language, rudeness, being late for work, public drunkenness, etc, a sound public whipping delivered immediately by any available policeman, soldier or citizen ought to discourage loutish behaviour! I think prisons should generally be abolished: they should only ever be a temporary expedient for a couple of days at most while the offender awaits his/her trial, whipping, confiscation of property, deportation or execution. PS: NO trial should consume more than ONE FULL DAY and should take place the day of the offence or at most the day after (or in any case immediately the culprit is apprehended). Punishment, (PREFERABLY execution) should be carried out immediately. I am opposed to the dreadful cruelty implicit in having people wait around (in a fool’s paradise), or having human beings living in cages for protracted periods. It is also fanciful to think anyone else would WANT our rubbish, but (in fairness) people should be given a couple of days to see if anyone IS foolish enough! The carcasses of such unwanted felons should be harvested for organs to save the lives of citizens.

 

23/03/2014: Probably too late for them to reply now: http://cnsnews.com/mrctv-blog/barbara-boland/deciphered-roman-soldier-s-papyrus-family-complains-you-never-wrote-back

 

23/03/2014: Try THIS at home: Shatter beer bottles: Martial arts for beer drinkers: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77gWkl0ZUC8

 

22/03/2014: MH370: Of course if the Iranian ‘illegals’ DID take the plane, eg so they could duplicate and use its embargoed navigation systems in their next generation ICBM’s (Israel still being the target), then we would not expect to hear anything about it or the passengers and crew EVER again: they would be just collateral damage in their anti-Semitic jihad! Not until the nukes start falling on Tel Aviv and Haifa will we KNOW. FYI: I sincerely HOPE this never happens, but with Obama in the White House and the US in retreat and decline everywhere, there is NOTHING (excepting Israel itself, whom we can expect to make valiant efforts) to prevent it. (You can SEE how the ‘situation’ in the Crimea is panning out). NB: The plane was flying in a generally North-Western direction (towards the Andaman Sea) when it was last detected on BOTH Malaysian and Thai radar. It would have had to make an abrupt 90 degrees course change (and SOON) if it was ever to end up at the current search area. Clearly it continued flying between the sixth and seventh ping, but could have been stationery on the seventh ping. The absence of the eighth ping indicates all systems powered down, or destruction of the aircraft eg by impact, sinking etc. We have been given to believe that it could have had no more than half an hour’s fuel on the seventh ping just after 8:11am. (Airline officials have said the plane had enough fuel to fly for up to about eight hours). It took off at 12:41am. It could have glided at most for @ another 100km and would have come to earth 9:00 am at the latest, so unfortunately it WOULD have crashed BEFORE the eighth ping. The last time the plane was detected by the air control tower was in the vicinity of Pulau Perak in the Straits of Malacca at 2.40am. Clearly it has to be within @ 5700 km of there. Just one more radar ‘fix’ on the plane say after 3:00 am would PROVE whether it is in the Northern, or Southern corridors, which is why Indian radar data is SO vital. It would also show whether it COULD have reached the current search area (approx 5100km from there), to do which it would have had to turn around very close to 2:40am. If it did so, it should have been tracked SOUTH on Malaysian radar (Butterworth) for quite some time though, which really argues for it continuing generally NW – so it is NOT at the current search location – and NEVER WAS. Mind you if OUR Jindalee at Geraldton had been switched on, it WOULD have detected the plane flying South, if it did. You wonder WHY we have such a sophisticated system if not to guard against surprise (attacks), so WHY is it not operational 24/7? PS Repeated suggestions that the plane suffered a mechanical failure and flew to its current location AUTOMATICALLY were discounted by Malaysia’s Defence Minister nearly a week ago. He stated then that the plane was under conscious expert control when it was flying towards the Andaman Sea BECAUSE it had executed a number of manoeuvres and course changes requiring a human was in control, ie that person could have called or landed the plane if there was an emergency (eg decompression/fire). NB In the event of a fire a plane HAS to be landed within 20 minutes or it becomes completely unairworthy. The plane WAS hijacked: all speculation to the contrary does NOT fit the known facts. I have been unable to discover how many staff SHOULD have been on the flight deck: THREE seems about right ie pilot, co-pilot, flight engineer: difficult for one of them to overpower the other two; easier if there were only two to begin with. The younger of the two would be the more likely. More likely still someone else (armed – how?) stormed the flight deck…However, whoever turned off the system UNDERNEATH the cabin was more likely an aircraft engineer than a pilot. One of the passengers was also an aircraft engineer, so presumably there were two on board who could do this.

 

22/03/2014: Do NOT expect me to start doing THIS: http://news.ninemsn.com.au/entertainment/2014/03/21/08/48/sellotape-selfies-go-viral

 This guy has nailed it. (All images Facebook)

 

22/03/2014: This is a VERY thoughtful article, (Dr Murray Walters is a Brisbane psychiatrist) ‘It is ridiculous that it is potentially illegal to question something as intangible as racial identity (or religious identity or the mantle of victimhood, for that matter) just because someone might get offended.  Surely the aggrieved should not be entitled to legal protection from scrutiny just because they feel something to an intense degree. Actually, that intensity might be a clue: Sometimes we hide the truth even from ourselves.’ http://quadrant.org.au/opinion/qed/2014/03/shrink-wrapped-racial-identity/

 

22/03/2014: May be a good time to buy some shares in Macdonalds and KFC: http://io9.com/scientists-fail-to-find-a-link-between-saturated-fat-an-1546275162

 

21/03/2014: They look like shipping containers to me. The longer one has a VERY rectangular shape and is exactly the right dimensions. Besides they are: 1. In an area where AMSAR admits there is 'usually' such debris, 2. Off the calculated course & 3. Why would someone 'double fuel' a plane and then fly it towards the South Pole until it ran out of fuel? Nuclear armed India and China just do not want to ADMIT that their radar missed an unidentified commercial airliner 'piggy-backing' a legitimate one, and so 'concealing' itself from surveillance!

 

21/03/2014: You would think the Greens and alternative people would stop smoking the stuff (to save the planet!): http://wattsupwiththat.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/pot-killing-planet.jpg

 

21/03/2014: THIS is simply dreadful; the tyranny of the Left; the demagoguery of the ‘entitled’. On top of which I note that Eric Aarons (one of the ‘founding fathers’ of the Communist Party in Australia - and the ‘looney left’ generally) admitted that if they had gained power they WOULD have KILLED their opponents. This is EVER the modus operandi of the Left as I have bespoke many times. They have left a trail of HUNDREDS of MILLIONS of CORPSES through the C20th, and if they are given rein will do so throughout the C21st! The suppression of ‘Quadrant Poets’ outlined here is merely symptomatic of a more general boding evil: http://quadrant.org.au/opinion/qed/2014/01/insufferable-prigs-overland/ 

 

21/03/2014: PJ O’Rourke: ‘Everybody by turns has libertarian impulses, “leave me alone,” and statist impulses, “please take care of me,” and anarchist moments, “the whole system is rigged, they’re all a bunch of bums…I’m not full of doom and gloom. We’ve faced bigger problems, and gotten through them.’ Interesting interview: http://www.humanevents.com/2014/01/31/p-j-orourke/

 

20/03/2014: MH370: Correction: It WOULD have been possible for ONE pilot (the co-pilot most likely) to have killed the pilot (eg by strangulation or with the fire axe) AND killed everyone in the cabin by depressurising it, then turned off all the systems after re-pressurising the cabin. The passengers are dead only if the pilot depressurised the cabin, but this would have also killed any terrorist in the cabin. However, the pilot who is NOT flying the plane usually answers the radio. The co-pilot gave his last cheerio minutes AFTER the plane changed course. The message was WRONG by protocol, indicating perhaps he was trying to warn air traffic controllers, who should have recognised this was so. He would also have expected to be tracked by military radar and fighters scrambled to intercept the aircraft. The plane was probably then being flown by the pilot (this is customary) under duress. The most likely scenario is that the two (or more) eg Iranians hijacked the plane, one storming the cockpit whilst meals were being served and the cockpit door was opened, the other/s menacing passengers and crew (probably using 3D printed plastic guns and bullets smuggled inside eg walking sticks, backpack frames etc.) The plane flew over Malaysia into the Malacca Straits then turned north-westerly and headed out over the Andaman Sea. It was tracked for a time by Thai radar. The plane likely just flew at normal elevation and speed in a commercial corridor, so the fact that it had no ID alerted no radar operators (if there were any on duty in the early hours of the morning anyway). The hourly radar pings from the satellite should have long since established that the plane cannot be in the mirror-image position in the Southern Indian Ocean, but has to be eg in the ungoverned areas of Afghanistan/Pakistan where it is being prepared for a terrorist/smuggling operation by eg Al Qaeda. The plane was short 50 passengers, so had a huge cargo load, (some say melons!), but maybe gold - so it could have been simple piracy for profit.

 

20/03/2014: Just re-visiting THIS graphic (which has informed Australia’s search area at the bottom of the map - nearly 6,000km from the plane’s last known position). The circle showing farthest distance from the Malacca Straits (the plane’s last tracked radar position) clearly indicates the plane as flying 6-7,000 km from that position. It had already flown 1300-1500km TO that position. The plane should have been fuelled with only enough fuel to fly approx 5,000km from KL (4335 to Beijing plus eg a 45 minute ‘margin of error’), so it should have been able to fly only @ 3,500-4,000 km FROM that position. Someone added a LOT of EXTRA fuel, ie enough to fly an additional 2-3,000 km, so the plane was DOUBLE fuelled. Surely this would normally be done at the discretion of the PILOT (after he saw the total load/distance wind speed, etc?) In ANY case KL airport knows EXACTLY how much fuel the plane had on board. If they have sent Aussies on a ‘wild goose chase’ to somewhere the plane could not possibly reach, it would be MORE than annoying. Yet if it HAD that amount of fuel, surely the pilot/ground crew is/are implicated in the hijack? (Incidentally I discount the Maldives ‘sighting’ because it is only @ 3150 from the Malacca Straits and supposedly took place @ 6:00am local time. The plane would have passed that point in 3.5 hours flying at approx 3:00am local time. Anyway, the plane could not then have arrived at the outer edge of the circle where the satellite puts it). http://media.news.com.au/nnd//05da32098f2f2f87c18cf04b85e24a8e/desktop/assets/01.jpg

 

20/03/2014: A great hunting story; a reminder that there ARE still many wild places: http://standpointmag.co.uk/dispatches-january-february-2014-hunting-lynx-with-the-old-believers-ben-judah-tuva-siberia

 

20/03/2014: Quote of the week: ‘If I catch anyone molesting my daughter, there will only be one trial, mine.’ Larry Pickering: http://pickeringpost.com/story/judicial-injustice/2960

 

19/03/2014: MH370: I see Israel is on high alert for an attack from a commercial airliner; that lots of pilots & etc opine that no single person could have hijacked the plane. India (and no doubt Pakistan) express doubt that a commercial airliner could have flown a normal commercial route without their having noticed; they are also dumbfounded to have the world discover they are both corrupt and incompetent, and that their public servants take the nights off! Meanwhile Thailand admits to having noticed MH370 on their radar. The timing of this blip is crucial as it would tell us for certain that the plane did not have time to reach the furthest point it had to attain to have its echo appear at the final point in the ‘Southern corridor’. I am personally annoyed at the millions Australia has to waste on this almost certainly fruitless search to the South-West of us. The total distance and direction intersects from the satellite blip really makes Afghanistan/ Northern Pakistan as the most likely spots the plane landed. I think we can discount the Taliban’s denials (and remember just how long it was before Al Qaeda claimed reasonability for 9/11). They are also not likely to want to draw down on themselves the sort of ‘shock & awe’ they can expect – especially before they have re-used the plane.: http://au.news.yahoo.com/world/a/22029295/insight-planning-could-hold-key-to-disappearance-of-flight-mh370/  The ‘meliorists will also find some relief here: http://www.smh.com.au/travel/travel-incidents/mh370-six-travel-security-concerns-that-must-be-addressed-20140318-34zvn.html

 

19/03/2014: GREAT new Aussie built car (and without ANY Government subsidies) – hope they sell a million of them: http://www.tomcar.com.au/

 Tomcar

 

19/03/2014: In other breaking news, socialists continue to evince surprise that firms which produce products people want to buy don’t need subsidies!

 

19/03/2014: ‘Eat the Rich’: The Papuans seemingly took the Left’s old adage rather literally: http://nypost.com/2014/03/15/how-a-young-rockefeller-died-at-the-hands-of-cannibals/

 

19/03/2014: An interesting graphic of the borders of Europe from the Middle Ages to the present. FYI the Crimea has been RUSSIAN since at least 1750. Perhaps Obama should think about handing Alaska back to Russia: http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=14d_1348362692

 

18/03/2014: THAT would be right: Stanford Traditional Marriage Event Deemed ‘Hate Speech,’ Denied Funding: http://www.thecollegefix.com/post/16712/

18/03/2014: Ah, ‘The Age of Entitlement’ IN SPADES: ‘Rescued From Submerged Car, Ingrate Sues Rescuers’: http://moonbattery.com/?p=43335

18/03/2014: An excellent review of the great (Polish!) novelist Joseph Conrad (1857-1924). He had SUCH a turn of phrase and depth of perception (and all this genius in his THIRD language makes me feel tongue-tied!) eg, ‘Is there a spot on earth where such a man is unknown, an ominous survival testifying to the eternal fitness of lies and impudence? . . . He was the man that cannot steer, that cannot splice, that dodges the work on dark nights; that, aloft, holds on frantically with both arms and legs, and swears at the wind, the sleet, the darkness; the man who curses the sea while others work. The man who is the last out and the first in when all hands are called. The man who can’t do most things and won’t do the rest. The pet of philanthropists and self-seeking landlubbers. The sympathetic and deserving creature that knows all about his rights, but knows nothing of courage, of endurance, and of the unexpressed faith, of the unspoken loyalty that knits together a ship’s company. The independent offspring of the ignoble freedom of the slums full of disdain and hate for the austere servitude of the sea.’ http://www.city-journal.org/2014/24_1_joseph-conrad.html

17/03/2014: Just looking at the circle of possible landing sites for MH370, I see that Somalia and Oman are possibilities, as I have already mentioned. However, I somehow ignored the obvious point that the two guys with the stolen passports were likely IRANIANS as the tickets were bought from that country. What we should be asking is who/what is the target the plane is intended to be used against eg as a flying bomb. If they ARE Iranians, then the target is obviously ISRAEL, AND the plane is intended to deliver Iran’s first nuclear weapon against that country. Three possible targets: Jerusalem (probably not – also holy to Moslems) Tel Aviv, (most likely) or Haifa. The Israelis will have to identify and destroy it in the air; it will be flying very low (under the radar), so this will be VERY difficult and they will have perhaps five minutes to do so. Of course the passengers will likely be reloaded on board to make this look like even more of a barbarous crime on Israel’s behalf if/when they shoot it down especially if it is NOT carrying an Iranian bomb. One thing is SURE, this plane WILL re-surface AND it is not a simple hostage situation like El Al Flight 426 in 1968: http://media.news.com.au/nnd//05da32098f2f2f87c18cf04b85e24a8e/desktop/assets/01.jpg

 

17/03/2014: Things you may not know:'...with the advent of the railroad, bags were about to experience a revolution. In 1843, there were nearly 2000 miles of railway lines in Great Britain. As more people travelled by train and more women became more mobile, professional luggage makers turned the skills of horse travel into those for train travel, and soon the term “handbag” emerged to describe these new hand-held luggage bags. Indeed, many of the top names of today's handbags got their start as luggage makers (in contrast to the previously made purses and pouches which were made by dressmakers). For example, Hermes bags were founded in 1837 by Thierry Hermes, a harness and saddle maker, while Louis Vuitton was a luggage packer for the Parisian rich. Modern handbags still allude to luggage with their pockets, fastenings, frames, locks, and keys.' http://www.randomhistory.com/2008/10/01_handbag.html

 

17/03/2014: SOME of you may not be familiar with the ‘philosophical’ term MELIORISM (THINK: ‘ameliorate’); the meliorist insists that something ought to be done (often whilst the rest of us run around in circles crying, ‘The SKY is falling!’); the meliorists’ solutions are infrequently any better than ‘Chicken Little’s’! The Left is particularly fraught with meliorists, (hence the ‘nanny state’), but the disease HAS infected Conservative ranks too. SO pressing has the problem of meliorists become, that I am bound to say that something must be done about them!

 

17/03/2014: MH370: Malaysia is NOW admitting that it had at least three radar ‘fixes’ on MH370 as it flew West (in the first hour/s) with which they could plot it course. They have also known for some time that it flew for @ 8 hours. Duration of flight to Beijing would have been <5 hours; therefore cabin crew knew the plane had been hijacked (even if only by the pilot/s) for longer than three hours. Whenever I fly I ALWAYS have my satellite phone in my cabin luggage just in case the plane goes down, and because it is valuable. It is inconceivable that none of 270 passengers had a satellite phone or Eperb or that in three hours the Eperb from a life raft would not have been activated by cabin crew if only the pilot/s was involved. Clearly someone else was holding guns on cabin passengers ALL THAT TIME. If the pirates intended to simply destroy the plane they would not have flown on for 7-8 hours. Clearly they intended to land the plane somewhere (one of those ‘failed states’ such as Oman, Somalia etc) and there hold the passengers for ransom, and/or prepare the plane for its ‘true’ mission (eg a flying bomb).

 

16/03/2014: Correction: MH370 COULD have reached Somalia in 7 hours (distance KL to Mogadishu 6298km). Air speed is Mach 0.89 (590 mph, 950 km/h, 512 knots) at a cruise altitude of 35,000 ft (11,000 m). Therefore, the aeroplane HAS landed and the passengers ARE hostages. Prediction: negotiations have already begun:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_777

 

16/03/2014: MH370: Apparently you CAN glide and belly land a jet which has run out of fuel. As the plane is known to have flown for over 8 hours (or approx the travel time to Beijing - 4335km) it has clearly either crashed in the sea (no pilot/mad pilot) or belly landed @ 4500 km in the Indian Ocean from KL. (Someone knows the exact fuel supply and fuel usage figures). Not SO hard to search along that arc even if you don't know the bearing! Strangely, they are NOT searching anywhere near there (according to reports)! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuel_starvation

 

16/03/2014: Photoshop has gone too far: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hnvoz91k8hc&feature=youtu.be

 

16/03/2014: What an interesting website: http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/26433081

 Elachura, a unique bird family

16/03/2014: It was obvious that MH370 was piracy within hours of the plane disappearing from its flight path. Malaysian military radar had tracked it before it left their air space, so why has the Malaysian PM carried on with the farrago of the last week? Good news (at last) I suppose for Anwar Ibrahim! Security experts should have been reading Lee Falk’s c1940’ Phantom Comic ‘The Sky Band’ where an aircraft was hijacked by just such attractive young women and flown elsewhere (for the hostage value)! SHE would be MY first suspect: Samantha Lewthwaite, the ‘white widow’ of  London subway bomber Germaine Lindsay, who blew himself up on a London Underground train on July 7, 2005, killing 26 people. She has recently been ‘working ‘ with Al-Shabab in the terrorist attack on the Westgate mall in Nairobi. Clearly she could have gained access to the cockpit as did the two young Aussie girls who have been pictured in the papers with the pilots. If you doubt that terrorists have gained access to undetectable plastic guns and explosives you would be mistaken. Authorities have known about these dangers for yonks and have sat on their hands. The plane was flown (authorities now admit) for at least 8 hours by a trained pilot. All week THIS has been clear. So either the plane’s own pilots had gone renegade or they were under duress, or the pirates were trained pilots. You can calculate for yourself that the plane would not have had enough fuel to reach Somalia (Al-Shabab’s headquarters) which is 50% too far. If it had been landed somewhere else, (eg Kazakhstan), surely ransom demands would have emerged by now. Either it was planned to land it on an atoll in the Andaman’s/Maldives etc and there pick up the passengers by ship (Authorities should be checking ships heading for Somalia/Oman etc heading out of that area) or it was diverted to Pakistan/Afganistan where it might have reached, or it is a colossal cock-up on the part of a couple of stray pirates acting alone who refused to heed the pilot’s advice that the plane did not have enough fuel to reach Somalia, but they forced the pilots to fly on until it did run out and crashed in the sea. Authorities should be able to work this one out to within a hundred klicks or so. It clearly had enough fuel to fly at least 4335kmn (KL to Beijing). There just MIGHT be a collection of raft at about that distance on a bearing KL to Mogadishu. Well worth a look – and well outside any present search area. The terrorist/s have been destroying all transponders, so all Eperbs on rafts too (presumably) but life-rafts have salt water reverse osmosis pumps (and fishing lines/nets) so people should be able to stay alive for over two-three months on one (even PADDLE) the remaining distance to Somalia. The recent success of HMAS Melbourne in Somali waters against their pirates has mayhap driven them to seek targets further afield.

 

16/03/2014: ‘Forgotten’ folk singers, Jean Ritchie sings ‘Hangman’ & accompanies herself on the dulcimer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48bX-hBjVn4

16/03/2014: Quote of the day: ‘Kimmel: "You once shot a coyote while jogging."
Texas Gov. Rick Perry: "True."
Kimmel: "You jog with a gun?"
Perry: "I do interviews with a gun."’

15/03/2014: Where ARE the jokes about MH370? This has to be the most bizarre aviation disaster in a long while: Good Heavens, there are even jokes about the Twin Towers. Surely we shouldn’t allow the deaths of a few hundred or a few thousand people to dull our sense of humour? Does this mean we won’t see the funny side of WW3 (which incidentally seems fast approaching – why, soon Putin MAY demand the return of ALASKA – what WILL Obama DO then?)?

15/03/2014: Perhaps he thought he was a Yeti? Cat lovers should beware of Himalayans: http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2014/03/aggravated_cat_is_subdued_by_p.html

15/03/2014: Reminiscent of Heinlein's 'The Door Into Summer'!

 

15/03/2014: Do you need to ask yourself THIS question: http://www.salon.com/2014/01/30/new_york_times_is_waxing_your_pubic_hair_declasse/ ? A couple of generations ago when I was young such Brazilian depilatory antics were the province only of Swiss finishing schools and bordellos, (I have it on good authority) Just as there are fashions in ‘To merkin, or not to merkin,’ there are fashions in ideas. Sometimes it is difficult to say what informs our ideation. Oft times alas, in the last century or so, it has been the musings of some Marxist philosopher, economist or historian which unwittingly informs our certitudes. ’First Principles’ are everything as they are the inception of all, so it behoves us to seek out and clarify the axia which motivate all our subsequent thoughts, not just slavishly (for example) bare our pudenda to the world! NOTHING at all follows from a false premise!

15/03/2014: This poem, ‘Dover Beach’ by Matthew Arnold (1822-1888) was for many years my favourite. (I DO also really like Dylan Thomas’ ‘Fern Hill’ though!) You may be surprised to learn that I (as an atheist) particularly like the penultimate stanza. To be an atheist does not mean that one is without the deeply felt beliefs or moral principles without which a person is scarcely human. I too lament that so many today grow up without having developed any consistent set of ethical values to inform their lives…

The sea is calm to-night.
The tide is full, the moon lies fair
Upon the straits; on the French coast the light
Gleams and is gone; the cliffs of England stand;
Glimmering and vast, out in the tranquil bay.
Come to the window, sweet is the night-air!
Only, from the long line of spray
Where the sea meets the moon-blanched land,
Listen! you hear the grating roar
Of pebbles which the waves draw back, and fling,
At their return, up the high strand,
Begin, and cease, and then again begin,
With tremulous cadence slow, and bring
The eternal note of sadness in.

Sophocles long ago
Heard it on the Aegean, and it brought
Into his mind the turbid ebb and flow
Of human misery; we
Find also in the sound a thought,
Hearing it by this distant northern sea.

The Sea of Faith
Was once, too, at the full, and round earth's shore
Lay like the folds of a bright girdle furled.
But now I only hear
Its melancholy, long, withdrawing roar,
Retreating, to the breath
Of the night-wind, down the vast edges drear
And naked shingles of the world.


Ah, love, let us be true
To one another! for the world, which seems
To lie before us like a land of dreams,
So various, so beautiful, so new,
Hath really neither joy, nor love, nor light,
Nor certitude, nor peace, nor help for pain;
And we are here as on a darkling plain
Swept with confused alarms of struggle and flight,
Where ignorant armies clash by night.

14/03/2014: ‘In January, Shorten and his wife Chloe travelled to Paris and London …Bottom line: no, he never actually made it on to a Qantas plane on any of the legs…There are people who put our money where their mouth is. Then there are others who simply mouth off.’ A Bolt.

14/03/2014: I imagine the same is likely true here (in that we have slavishly copied much of US law. Time for a re-think? http://www.bop.gov/about/statistics/statistics_inmate_offenses.jsp

14/03/2014: Well said Gina & Pauline: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/gina-rinehart-hits-out-at-welfare-recipients-and-the-left-for-dragging-australia-into-debt/story-fni0cx12-1226847448435

13/03/2014: THIS has been illegal in Oz & the UK since Palmerston was PM (c1855). How far back in time are we to be thrust? No second guesses as to which ‘religion’ married the pair: http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/2014/02/07/07/40/man-charged-after-marrying-12-year-old

 

13/03/2014: The girl’s dad sounds a real charmer too: ‘“My daughter was not going to change her mind, I couldn’t talk her out of it,’’ he said. “Him being 26 was not a big concern to me because I was not marrying him. I was not happy with it but it was not my decision.”’ http://blogs.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/timblair/index.php/dailytelegraph/comments/not_his_problem/

 

13/03/2014: Unfortunately, he is NOT alone. We should stop importing and begin exporting this disgusting ‘culture’: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/shame-of-our-child-brides-court-hears-how-woman-was-raped-and-beaten-as-its-revealed-hundreds-are-forced-into-arranged-and-unregistered-marriages-across-nsw/story-fni0cx12-1226824176047

 

13/03/2014: AND, guess who else has a taste for young girls? ‘MORE than 3000 under-aged teens are married or in de facto marriages across the nation, according to data which reveals that the practice is most widespread in indigenous communities.’ Nicola Berkovic, The Australian, February 14, 2014. Let’s recognise THAT culture in our constitution, for sure!

 

13/03/2014: I like Tim Blair’s comment: ‘GENERATIONAL CHANGE:

1979: More than six million Australians were working.

2014: More than five million Australians are on welfare.’

13/03/2014: Everything you always wanted to know about SALT: http://junkscience.com/2014/03/02/salt-of-the-earth/#more-50749

12/03/2014: Listen UP folks: The Marcellus Shale is SUCH a boon to mankind: ‘Thanks to both purer heating oil in local buildings and the conversion of others to natural gas fracked along the Marcellus Shale, New York’s air has not been this clear in 50 years, officials say.…As former EPA EPA chief Lisa Jackson testified before Congress in May 2011: “I’m not aware of any proven case where the fracking process itself has affected water…” it typically takes three gallons of water to produce 1 million British thermal units of energy from deep-shale natural gas/fracking. Atomic energy requires 11 gallons per million BTUs. Coal: 23 gallons. Corn ethanol? A whopping 15,800 gallons. And soy biodiesel requires nearly triple that amount: 44,500 gallons per million BTUs. That’s 14,833 times the water needed for fracking.’ http://junkscience.com/2014/03/07/deroy-talks-some-more-abou-the-marcellus-shale/#more-51334

12/03/2014: And, you thought the Greens were in favour of renewable energy: http://www.smh.com.au/environment/devastating-changes-allow-forests-to-be-burned-for-power-20140307-34bd5.html

12/03/2014: VERY true Christopher, ‘Green’ investments will sink your super account (Or, as they say, ‘Fine words butter no parsnips!’) I don’t mind so long as it’s YOUR money…it’s when you start throwing everyone else’s money at this nonsense my gorge rises: http://wattsupwiththat.com/2014/03/06/dont-put-your-pension-into-greens-mrs-worthington/

11/03/2014: If you like puzzles (and have some time to spare) you might like to try decyphering this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voynich_manuscript

Voynich Manuscript (170).jpg

11/03/2014: Quote of the week: Stuart Schneiderman: 'Envy is the emotional core of deconstruction. Its opposite is a work ethic...Aquinas notes that it befalls someone who believes that someone else’s gain is his loss. It derives from seeing the world as a zero-sum game.' A very interesting article. We CAN become ‘our better selves’, or as Buddha notes ‘eliminate desire’ and so find happiness: http://stuartschneiderman.blogspot.com.au/2014/03/the-politics-of-envy.html

11/03/2014: Maurice Newman had some telling points to make about the parlous state of Tasmania (pun intended!) eg, ‘Over 70 per cent of Tasmanians rely on taxpayers for a living. More than 36 per cent of households derive their sole or primary income from a commonwealth government payment, while 25 per cent depend on a state government job or related business. Another 10 per cent are employed in the private sector where the state is the dominant customer…This reliance on government is despite Tasmania’s dependable water supply, fertile agricultural lands, highly prospective mineral provinces, reliable energy supply, vast renewable timber plantations and a demonstrated ability to engage in high-value manufacturing. But rather than create the conditions that would exploit these comparative advantages, successive governments, both federal and state, have seen political gain in preserving Tasmania as the mendicant isle…’ We have to put a total stop to this. The Greens policy is even more of the same ie more crazy statism. Greens voters are clearly just barking MAD: http://blogs.news.com.au/heraldsun/andrewbolt/index.php/heraldsun/comments/how_the_left_destroyed_tasmania/ & http://blogs.news.com.au/heraldsun/andrewbolt/index.php/heraldsun/comments/meet_the_kind_of_candidate_to_explain_why_tasmania_is_dying/

11/03/2014: 400 tigers today! Gee, thirty years ago I watched a documentary about some natives hunting a Sumatran tiger (this was back when there were only 200 of them!). They had to make their own guns out of car shockers, powered by match-heads (gunpowder being banned from civ hands in Indo), the lead bullets cast from fishing sinkers (only ONE shot). The guy had to keep a cigar burning in his mouth so he could 'touch off'’ the round. AND he bagged his tiger. Not a wink of it was wasted, not even the 'smile on the face of the tiger'! Magnificent achievement. THAT conservation has doubled the number of tigers, I see. Well done hunters!

10/03/2014: Someone quipped to me just yesterday. ‘Old age is NOT for sissies!’ Boy, you’re not just ‘whistling Dixie’! The young just wouldn’t be up to this shit! But their turn WILL come. Most of my (old) friends are either already dead or might as well be, creeping SAFELY towards the grave as they have been doing for yonks. Most have decided long ago that wilderness treks, hunting, white-water canoeing are not for them, at least not for THIS life. ‘What if you die out there?’ is an oft-repeated homily. ‘What if you don’t?’ is a fine reply - as what sort of life would you have had THEN, really? My grandad, George Jones used to opine, ‘Most folks die in bed, therefore bed is a dangerous pace and should be avoided!’ I remember going around to his shack AFTER he had just died and seeing a brace of hares hanging on his back verandah (as was his wont), hares he had shot out hunting a few days before in his late eighties. They will have to drag ME kicking and screaming out of this place!

10/03/2014: I think today is the last day here we will all be on 'FireWatch'. 1-2" of rain is on the way in two events in the next week following up on some rain we already had (albeit very locally) at Jeeralang Junction over the past ten days. I thought then, 'THIS is the autumn break' (ever an optimist!) but seems I was right! If it is, it is now safe to go away - perhaps to Dusky Sound! Also, the Hazelwood Open-cut fire is now 'under control' and should be out soon.

10/03/2014: "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it" (George Santayana), and particularly in relation to 'Golden Rice'! Sometimes (well, rarely!) one forgets that the origins of the 'environmental movement' are pretty mucky: http://www.breitbart.com/Breitbart-London/2014/02/22/Ein-Volk-Ein-Reis-Ein-Fuehrer

09/03/2014: What a useful video: watch this girls: how to pick a lock with hairpins: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjuT_63Ioig#t=318

09/03/2014: Rechargeable angle grinders are such a boon for DIYers and civil disobedience in general. We have troublesome druggy greenies live further up the road who have 'organised' their leftie bureacrat mates on the local Council (as such folks DO!) to have our road signposted @ 60 klicks. We live 1km up this road which goes for another 33km before it meets the next one - through either farmland or forest. This is the only public road outside a built-up area as far as I know which has anything other than a 100km speed limit. Lots of my neighbours must have rechargeable angle grinders too, as the signs disappear even before I get to them - I was hoping to acquire a collection of them, rather than speeding tickets!

09/03/2014: Interesting: the music of the spheres, perhaps: http://vimeo.com/6428069

09/03/2014: And you wonder why, this time of year I get a hankering to once again walk the Dusky Track:

09/03/2014: I have not watched this yet, but it sure looks interesting! Finally they are (again) making movies for us deaf folks! http://www.amazon.com/Into-Great-Silence-Two-Disc-Set/dp/B000OYNVOY

09/03/2014: Is there a ‘species’ which is MORE maligned than husbands? Germaine has SO much to answer for (and she never even had ONE!)! We work away quietly around the home (and away), then just as quietly PASS away - with scarcely a murmur…Can we really be the (imagined) monsters the feminists paint us? http://themattwalshblog.com/2014/02/22/your-husband-doesnt-have-to-earn-your-respect/

08/03/2014: Spent a couple of days at our old campsite on the Western Tyers (haven’t camped there for years). Still as beautiful as ever. We will be going back for a longer stay. So many beautiful places in Victoria. This tree has had thirty years to fall on us. Just have to give it another chance. Lots of trout and crays we haven’t eaten from this excellent stream:

 

08/03/2014: I’d guess we’ll want a couple (or more!) of these:  http://themiraclemachine.net/

08/03/2014: I love this poem (much as I hate the war that stole the poet from us!) I so agree with the sentiment. It is the small acts of conservation count most. We have an archway I constructed 20+ years ago harbours many fine birds who are maybe our friends. The wrens and antechinus love the blackberries I labour to destroy. The pardalotes find a home in a raw bulldozer cut on the hillside. The sea eagles nest in the open cut, finding the cliffs to their liking. The peregrine sees the Station stacks as merely an eyrie. The whistling kites hunt the ‘pest’ tilapia in the Pondage. Marsh warblers sing from the cumbungi in the roadside drains. The thornbills love spiders in our old sheds. Many birds collect our sheep’s cast wool for their nests…life WILL find a way: we do not need vast National Parks to destroy with vicious wildfire. SUCH ‘conservation’ is folly:

 

Fifty Faggots: Edward Thomas 1878-1917

There they stand, on their ends, the fifty faggots
That once were underwood of hazel and ash
In Jenny Pink's copse. Now, by the hedge
Close packed, they make a thicket fancy alone
Can creep through with the mouse and wren. Next spring
A blackbird or robin will nest there,
Accustomed to them, thinking they will remain
Whatever is for ever to a bird:
This Spring it is too late; the swift has come.
'Twas a hot day for carrying them up:
Better they will never warm me, though they must
Light several Winters' fires. Before they are done
The war will have ended, many other things
Have ended, maybe, that I can no more
Foresee or more control than robin and wren.

07/03/2014: One thing (at least) I miss about the Hazelwood flats farm were the skylarks, or pipits as they are known here; also the whistling kites which I observed still hunting there yesterday, as I passed:

To a Skylark: Percy Bysshe Shelley:

Hail to thee, blithe Spirit!
Bird thou never wert,
That from Heaven, or near it,
Pourest thy full heart
In profuse strains of unpremeditated art.

Higher still and higher
From the earth thou springest
Like a cloud of fire;
The blue deep thou wingest,
And singing still dost soar, and soaring ever singest.

In the golden lightning
Of the sunken sun,
O'er which clouds are bright'ning,
Thou dost float and run;
Like an unbodied joy whose race is just begun.

The pale purple even
Melts around thy flight;
Like a star of Heaven,
In the broad day-light
Thou art unseen, but yet I hear thy shrill delight,

Keen as are the arrows
Of that silver sphere,
Whose intense lamp narrows
In the white dawn clear
Until we hardly see, we feel that it is there.

All the earth and air
With thy voice is loud,
As, when night is bare,
From one lonely cloud
The moon rains out her beams, and Heaven is overflow'd.

What thou art we know not;
What is most like thee?
From rainbow clouds there flow not
Drops so bright to see
As from thy presence showers a rain of melody.

Like a Poet hidden
In the light of thought,
Singing hymns unbidden,
Till the world is wrought
To sympathy with hopes and fears it heeded not:

Like a high-born maiden
In a palace-tower,
Soothing her love-laden
Soul in secret hour
With music sweet as love, which overflows her bower:

Like a glow-worm golden
In a dell of dew,
Scattering unbeholden
Its a{:e}real hue
Among the flowers and grass, which screen it from the view:

Like a rose embower'd
In its own green leaves,
By warm winds deflower'd,
Till the scent it gives
Makes faint with too much sweet those heavy-winged thieves:

Sound of vernal showers
On the twinkling grass,
Rain-awaken'd flowers,
All that ever was
Joyous, and clear, and fresh, thy music doth surpass.

Teach us, Sprite or Bird,
What sweet thoughts are thine:
I have never heard
Praise of love or wine
That panted forth a flood of rapture so divine.

Chorus Hymeneal,
Or triumphal chant,
Match'd with thine would be all
But an empty vaunt,
A thing wherein we feel there is some hidden want.

What objects are the fountains
Of thy happy strain?
What fields, or waves, or mountains?
What shapes of sky or plain?
What love of thine own kind? what ignorance of pain?

With thy clear keen joyance
Languor cannot be:
Shadow of annoyance
Never came near thee:
Thou lovest: but ne'er knew love's sad satiety.

Waking or asleep,
Thou of death must deem
Things more true and deep
Than we mortals dream,
Or how could thy notes flow in such a crystal stream?

We look before and after,
And pine for what is not:
Our sincerest laughter
With some pain is fraught;
Our sweetest songs are those that tell of saddest thought.

Yet if we could scorn
Hate, and pride, and fear;
If we were things born
Not to shed a tear,
I know not how thy joy we ever should come near.

Better than all measures
Of delightful sound,
Better than all treasures
That in books are found,
Thy skill to poet were, thou scorner of the ground!

Teach me half the gladness
That thy brain must know,
Such harmonious madness
From my lips would flow
The world should listen then, as I am listening now.

07/03/2014: During the 2008 presidential campaign, Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin warned that if Senator Barack Obama were elected president, his “indecision” and “moral equivalence” may encourage Russia’s Vladimir Putin to invade Ukraine’: http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Peace/2014/02/28/Flashback-Palin-Mocked-in-2008-for-Warning-Putin-May-Invade-Ukraine-if-Obama-Elected-President

07/03/2014: TOUGH GUY:’ “President Obama made clear that Russia’s continued violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity would negatively impact Russia’s standing in the international community.” O DEAR! Now to frighten Iran, North Korea, etc…

 

07/03/2014: What a waste! Annabel Hepworth, ‘The Australian’: ‘ALMOST $7 billion of government funds have been ploughed into the National Broadband Network to complete just 3 per cent of the rollout and NBN Co’s much-vaunted “Gigabit Nation” service does not have a single end-user customer…It also emerged there was only one end customer on NBN Co’s 250 megabits-per-second service.’ It should be added: VDSL can deliver 100 megabits over copper wires at a tiny fraction of the cost AND that advanced DSL copper services delivering OVER a gigabyte have already been demonstrated!

 

6/03/2014: Hazelwood heroics: just a couple of snaps to indicate the scale of the fire-fighting operations. Best guess is they will have it out next week:

06/03/2014: QANTAS workers may soon join these interesting extinct occupations: http://izismile.com/2014/03/03/strange_jobs_throughout_history_that_are_now_extinct_22_pics.html

06/03/2014: Global ‘warming’ was so unlikely to have produced this interesting result: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2572681/Niagara-Falls-comes-frozen-halt-AGAIN-subfreezing-temperatures-freeze-millions-gallons-water-normally-flow-Falls.html

Frozen: Lights that usually reflect the water of Niagara Falls illuminate the ice after it froze over on Monday

06/03/2014: GREAT speech Tony: My carpenter granddad recruited me to help build a workbench for the new family home when I was in year seven. He joined me in building a timber canoe which I paddled around the Lane Cove River National Park in year eight ... and for my sixteenth birthday when I was in year ten he gave me a toolset which, until just a couple of years ago when it was lost in a flash flood at home, was still the tools which I used around the house…I can’t say that having a shipwright grandfather made me a craftsman ...  but I did learn to appreciate the value of timber and the importance of working with one’s hands. I came to appreciate the forest wasn’t just a place of beauty, but it was a source of resources; of the ultimate renewable resource, of the ultimate biodegradable resource. So when I look out at an audience such as this this evening, when I look out tonight at an audience of people who work with timber, who work in forests, I don’t see people who are environmental bandits, I see people who are the ultimate conservationists. That’s what I see and I want to salute you. I salute you as people who love the natural world, as people who love what Mother Nature gives us and who want to husband it for the long-term best interests of humanity. I want to say this: we will never build a strong economy by trashing our environment, but we will never help our environment by trashing the economy either.  You understand - what I regret to say not everyone does – that it is possible to combine respect for the environment and respect for nature with healthy private business. Man and the environment are meant for each other. The last thing we do – the last thing we should want – if we want to genuinely improve our environment is to want to ban men and women from enjoying it, is to ban men and women from making the most of it and that’s what you do. You intelligently make the most of the good things that God has given us. So my friends, when I say that I want Australia to be open for business, I mean open for business for the forestry industry…Greg Hunt [is] an Environment Minister who appreciates that the environment is meant for man and not just the other way around…We don’t support, as a Government and as a Coalition, further lockouts of our forests. We just don’t support it. We have quite enough National Parks, we have quite enough locked up forests already. In fact, in an important respect, we have too much locked up forest,’ to the Forest Works Dinner.

05/03/2014: WELL DONE Shelby: "Grab that gun and go shoot that cat."

http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2014/02/28/11-Year-Old-Girl-Wasn-t-Scared-a-Bit-When-She-Shot-Cougar-To-Save-Brother

 

05/03/2014: WELCOME folks: http://www.frontpagemag.com/2014/dgreenfield/dog-killing-afghan-refugee-to-swedes-throw-me-out-and-ill-kill-10-of-you-video/

 

05/03/2014: You WOULD hope he wins…this is JUST SHOCKING: ‘Man sues McDonald´s for $1.5 million after being given only one napkin’: http://lucianne.com/thread/?artnum=774329

 

04/03/2014: My ‘Clearviewers’ arrived and they certainly ARE the solution to having difficulty taking photos with digital cameras. I think they make a better viewfinder than conventional cameras. http://www.clearviewer.com/Products.html

 

04/03/2014: Finkielkraut: ‘Like Albert Camus, I am of the opinion that our generation’s task is not to recreate the world, but to prevent its decline. We not only have to conserve nature, but also culture.’ http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/interview-french-philosopher-finkielkraut-on-muslims-and-integration-a-937404.html

 

04/03/2014: PROGRESS: ‘Mr Morrison said... 171 asylum-seekers had gone home voluntarily since the Coalition won government in September…no people-smuggling boats had made it to Australia in the past 71 days...There were 1325 asylum-seekers in the centre on Manus Island and 1107 on Nauru.’ Brendan Nicholson: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/policy/refugees-seek-to-return-home-in-latest-week/story-fn9hm1gu-1226841337078#

 

04/03/2014: A VERY fair point (and especially considering the period of ‘global cooling’ which preceded both was LONGER than both): ‘Even worse for the theory of catastrophic, anthropogenic (human caused), global warming is that during this now extended period of no global warming mankind’s emissions of the carbon dioxide (CO2) that are supposed to be predominant in causing global warming continued to explode, with one third of all CO2 added to the atmosphere since the industrial revolution occurring during this period. Yuri Nagovitsyn,…from the St. Petersburg Pulkovo Astronomical Observatory…“we could be in for a cooling period that lasts 200-250 years.”’ http://www.forbes.com/sites/peterferrara/2014/02/24/the-period-of-no-global-warming-will-soon-be-longer-than-the-period-of-actual-global-warming/

 

03/03/2014: Hiking food, an occasional series: if you are an omnivore like me, you probably have at least occasional lusts for venal delights (hiking food, folks!) The trick to satisfying these is to do so without spoilage/food poisoning…’Hans Twiggies’ are a staple with us (eg chopped & added to ‘Four Cheeses’ pasta) as they require no refrigeration. We have become concerned about the salamis issue since the Tibaldi & etc episodes. Sachets of tuna are good also, as is jerky. We have recently ‘discovered’ ‘Chinese Sausage’ which is vacuum packed and needs no refrigeration until it is opened. It is also fatty enough you can fry it without oil which is a handy trick in the wilderness. Adding it to various dehydrated meals makes them much tastier. I recommend them with Ainsley Harriot’s Lentil Dahl with a side of Continental Mash (with onions) and Surprise Peas, for example. PS Continental ‘Tuna Mornay’ dehydrated packet sauce goes well with a sachet of tuna, two minute noodles & Surprise Peas’. There you are: THREE fine hiking dinners, enough for a four day trip. Enjoy!

 

03/03/2014: Evidently gals have more to worry about from ‘global warming’ as the following headline attests: ‘Study: Global Warming Will Cause 180,000 More Rapes by 2099’. Whoops! Sexism showing. Guys are sometimes raped too. When will this madness end? http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2014/02/climate-change-murder-rape

 

03/03/2014: Indeed! I have long advocated for the introduction of beavers (and the promotion of willows and aspens) for the self-same reason: http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/jan/29/beavers-dam-flooding-owen-paterson

 

02/03/2014: Further to my post about ‘The Perfectability of Man’, surely the vast majority of us would prefer to live in a society of GOOD PEOPLE? It is equally certain that the first duty of Government is to ensure that we do. There should be zero tolerance of bad behaviour and crime. If bad folks are eliminated swiftly, before they have a chance to breed, this outcome (a good society) can be achieved swiftly. NOW, consider what we do instead: reward the bad, and PAY them to breed. This is against all common sense. Only the criminally insane treat even their pets thus, so why are WE wasting time and money on faux human beings who are LESS than worthless or downright evil?

 

02/03/2014: Have seen the ‘Australis’ betimes in NZ. Sure a spectacular phenomenon: http://laughingsquid.com/the-incredible-beauty-of-the-ovation-aurora-borealis/

 Aurora Gullane Scotland - Ian Foote

02/03/2014: It’s a great headline, BUT has nothing at all to do with naked women: ‘Wild beavers seen in England for first time in centuries’. It would have to rank with the shooting of a pygmy hippo on the Daly River in 2009 (http://www.news.com.au/national/pygmy-hippopotamus-shot-during-northern-territory-hunting-trip/story-e6frfkvr-1225798038412) and with the quote from Jurassic Park, ‘Life will find a way’: http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/feb/27/wild-beavers-england-devon-river

 Beavers in River Otter, Devon

Two beavers were caught on camera playing at night while a third one (in background) is gnawing a tree on the banks of the River Otter, Devon.

02/03/2014: This headline also, is not quite what it appears to be (whilst still arguing powerfully AGAINST the ‘nanny state’: http://hotair.com/archives/2014/02/26/new-loathsome-nanny-state-initiative-banning-bottomless-brunches/

 

29/02/2014: Television is SUCH a powerful medium which could do SO much – yet in all my life there has only been ONE programme dealing with ‘The Perfectability of Man’!

 

29/02/2014: Just hate it when I’m out at the shopping centre, happen to catch a glimpse of someone’s reflection in a window, think, ‘O dear, look at that poor old bloke,’ and then realise it is ME.

 

29/02/2014: College students sure aren’t what they used to be…or perhaps they ARE, ‘Dice has now successfully managed to persuade Americans in his area to agree to repeal the First, Second, Third, Fourth , Fifth, Sixth and Seventh Amendments, as well as the entire Bill Of Rights’: http://www.infowars.com/students-sign-petition-to-have-gun-owners-executed-in-concentration-camps/

 

29/02/2014: A brief ‘history’ of schooling…whereas today in Germany…a judge recently ordered that parents may not have custody of their children because “the family might move to another country and homeschool, posing a ‘concrete endangerment’ to the children”! http://pjmedia.com/eddriscoll/2014/01/13/prussian-system/

 

28/02/2014: I have lamented before that the awful Gillard/Shorten contest spelled the demise of Martin Ferguson, one of the LAST decent human beings in the Labor Party and almost certainly THE last cool head. Today he is forcefully arguing that union work practices are a threat to the country. Will anyone else on the Left of politics join him? http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/policy/martin-ferguson-backs-tony-abbott-on-ir-law-changes/story-fn59noo3-1226840049716#

 

28/02/2014: An excellent article: ‘The “modern” system that we have adopted with its low birth rates, high social spending and retirement benefits is at odds with itself. We can have low birth rates, deficit spending or Social Security; but there is no possible way that we can have all three.’ Minds me of THIS couplet from the great poem by Percy Bysshe Shelley, Ozymandias (‘My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings:

Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!' cf http://www.online-literature.com/shelley_percy/672/ ) http://www.frontpagemag.com/2014/dgreenfield/the-coming-collapse-of-the-welfare-state/

 

28/02/2014: A MUST READ: Greenpeace FOUNDER, Patrick Moore’s address to the US Senate: (PS: Every word here is TRUE): ‘When modern life evolved over 500 million years ago, CO2 was more than 10 times higher than today, yet life flourished at this time. Then an Ice Age occurred 450 million years ago when CO2 was 10 times higher than today. There is some correlation, but little evidence, to support a direct causal relationship between CO2 and global temperature through the millennia. The fact that we had both higher temperatures and an ice age at a time when CO2 emissions were 10 times higher than they are today fundamentally contradicts the certainty that human-caused CO2 emissions are the main cause of global warming... Today we remain locked in what is essentially still the Pleistocene Ice Age, with an average global temperature of 14.5°C. This compares with a low of about 12°C during the periods of maximum glaciation in this Ice Age to an average of 22°C during the Greenhouse Ages, which occurred over longer time periods prior to the most recent Ice Age. During the Greenhouse Ages, there was no ice on either pole and all the land was tropical and sub-tropical, from pole to pole. As recently as 5 million years ago the Canadian Arctic islands were completely forested. Today, we live in an unusually cold period in the history of life on earth and there is no reason to believe that a warmer climate would be anything but beneficial for humans and the majority of other species. There is ample reason to believe that a sharp cooling of the climate would bring disastrous results for human civilization.’ http://wattsupwiththat.com/2014/02/26/confessions-of-a-greenpeace-droput-to-the-u-s-senate-on-climate-change/#more-103850

 

28/02/2014: The Soviet Union ended on (Australia Day!) 26 December 1991, yet the Labor Party and trade unions still hanker after soviet ‘solutions’ to all our problems: eg the Government should take control, jobs (rorts, work practices, industries) should be ‘protected’, opponents should be silenced, there should only be one (state run) medium, private enterprise (and religion – other than their own green/left kind) are evil and should be abolished, traditions are backwards and must be swept away…I’m sure you can add to the list.

 

27/02/2014: Folks like us who live in the ‘borderlands’ of their electorate never know quite which electorate they ARE in as the AEC adjusts the borders of the House of Reps between every election to keep them as nearly equal in voter numbers as possible. No such adjustment is done to the states as electorates for the Senate, where the grossest gerrymander occurs. Tasmania (just another mania with bugger all people – which actually gets less Federal Govt money than the ABC, as Paul Keating once observed!) gets ten Senators and NSW (with half the nation’s people) gets ten Senators. The Senate MUST be reformed or abolished. I think the most democratic thing to do would be to preserve the current ‘proportional’ system there (much as I hate it) but make the whole nation ONE electorate for Senate voting purposes so that each voter gets exactly the same weight as every other – unlike the present system where some people (the ‘maniacs’) get more than ten votes to the ‘Welshmen’s’ one!

 

27/02/2014: This de facto widowerhood (whilst Della is craftily Halls Gapping) is not all it’s cracked up to be - as I spiral into eccentric extremis: I sashayed into Morwell without my hearing aids this morning (which would never happen if there was someone at home to talk to) and was continually surprised at strange distant whispered comments from folks who were not two feet away, and whom I did not know were addressing me (most confusing). Then tonight, I have spent the last few hours wearing my shirt inside out…O, woe is me!

 

27/02/2014: Before the 2007 election DFAT warned THIS (and worse) would happen. Krudd echoed the Immigration Minister Kevin Andrew’s intention to restrict immigration of these good folks, but once in power he flooded the country with them (and other undesirables – as if we didn’t have enough of our own home-grown thugs already just crying out to be used as spare parts!) We HAVE to turn off the tap, then implement some forcible repatriation before we no longer have a country: http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/world/the-horrible-moment-lewis-gill-kills-andrew-young-with-a-single-punch/story-fnihsmjt-1226838177181

 

27/02/2014: GK Chesterton once said there was scarcely a shade of difference left between meaning well and meaning nothing.

 

26/02/2014: There ARE people who question the importance of ‘Question Time’. Malcolm Turnbull’s ‘performance’ today re the ‘Conroy train wreck’ is masterful, and should leave little doubt there IS fun to be had yet in this Parliament. DO watch; you will laugh yourself silly as did most of the members on BOTH sides of the House: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfZfB9dS_vk

 

26/02/2014: Windfall winners: all sorts of critters come to our larder (orchard) most times of the year. Lots of native critters (possums, parrots, currawongs, etc) have quite insufficient fear and loathing of ‘introduced’ plants such as apple/pear trees; they are like to leave US nothing. Here a kitten rabbit just outside our bedroom window fattens himself for the pot (!) on an apple, and our aged JR, Tiny has been gorging on a windfall pear. Evidently pears too are soporific:

 

26/02/2014: In ‘quick work’, police have apparently finally admitted that the current fires here are the work of a serial arsonist. Duh! Four arsonists have been apprehended for setting HUGE disastrous fires around here in the last ten years or so. (Living here has become rather like being Londoners enduring the ‘Blitz’). One arsonist is serving a life sentence for the Churchill fire which killed 9 people (and came within 300 metres of our house). One is before the courts at the moment for the Aberfeldy fire which killed one person. Two people were dealt with lightly by the courts for the Driffield fire. One was let off for the Boolarra fire which came close to destroying the town and destroyed our friends’ sheds and orchards. No-one was caught for lighting the Coopers Creek fire or the Moondarah fires (which Della and I were nearly trapped in - we were canoeing the Thomson River at the time). As yet no-one has been caught for lighting the current Hernes Oak/Hazelwood fires. At best such folk are mad or bad (or both). It doesn’t really matter what. I think it is long past time that ‘diminished responsibility’ was an accepted defence. If we are going to allow such people free rein in society, they have to also face the consequences of their ‘free’ actions. In the current case I feel it is likely a ‘religious’ element has crept in. It is obvious to me that the arsonist has been deliberately targeting our BELOVED Hazelwood Power Station in an attempt to have it shut down. Clearly s/he is a GREEN ZEALOT. I notice that like-minded folk are having a ‘meeting’ about coal seam gas on Thurs night. (They even have a groundwater ‘expert’ named ‘Mudd’ to address the meeting.) It is from just such deluded zealots that the current arsonist has emerged: a green ‘jihadist.’ A couple of snaps of the fire yesterday afternoon taken a couple of hours apart and from slightly different locations (but within a couple of hundred metres of the front gate of our Hazelwood farm - sold 2012). The helicopters were wheeling around the station like angry wasps. They, and hundreds of fire fighters continue to do heroic, indeed Herculean work in fighting this immense fire. I hope someone is filming their efforts as a documentary really needs to be made to acknowledge their wonderful efforts!

 

The fire came VERY close to destroying the coal bunkers (building on the left of the chimneys) which would have shut the station down for a long time (months/years) and deprived Vic of 25% of its electricity. It DID damage some conveyors, but heroic power station staff have kept all eight generators running (at the risk of their LIVES) while this inferno swirled around them - And here I have been opining they are over-paid!

 

26/02/2014: In further news, you would think the Greens would be right on to this one: apparently ‘asylum seekers’ have introduced a new invasive species (of gecko – not themselves!) Surely this is sufficient reason (in itself) for ‘stopping the boats’? http://www.michaelsmithnews.com/2014/02/memo-to-the-greens-wheres-the-outrage-introduced-vermin-ruining-ci-ecosystem-courtesy-of-the-illegal.html

 

26/02/2014: Similarly, wind & solar power are so ‘good’ for wildlife, it is now wonder Greens are so in favour of them. Mind you the MILLIONS of birds and bats being killed by them might not agree: http://wattsupwiththat.com/2013/11/15/study-shows-wind-turbines-killed-600000-bats-last-year/ & http://wattsupwiththat.com/2014/02/13/the-2-2-billion-bird-scorching-solar-project-at-californias-ivanpah-plant/#more-103171

 

25/02/2014: Worth knowing: T-rex would need to consume @ one ten year old child per day in order to survive. I'm sure we have all known at least one of the latter who would best be utilised in this way (Think: little brother/sister!) Alternatively each T-rex would need about 80 Big Macs, so even a small town could support a few: http://what-if.xkcd.com/78/

 

25/02/2014: Little known fact: Cedara Agricultural Development Institute's Applied Ruminant Nutrition for Dairy Cows: 'Cows on a typical dairy ration can produce 80 to 100 litres of saliva per day.' You NEEDED to know that!

 

25/02/2014: Quote of the day: Freeeman Dyson, the greatest living physicist: 'The worst political blunder in the history of civilization was probably the decision of the emperor of China in the year 1433 to stop exploring the oceans and to destroy the ships capable of exploration and the written records of their voyages. In no way can this blunder be called brilliant. Before the decision, China had a fleet of ocean-going ships bigger and more capable than any European ships. China was roughly level with Europe in scientific knowledge and far ahead in the technologies of printing, navigation, and rocketry. As a consequence of the decision, China fell disastrously behind in science and technology, and is only catching up now after six hundred years. ' in an excellent book review of 'The case for Blunders': http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2014/mar/06/darwin-einstein-case-for-blunders/?pagination=false

 Freeman Dyson.jpg

25/02/2014: Oh, Yeah: ‘My "problem" - if it is a problem - is that I instinctively rebel whenever a government tries to tell me that they are doing something for my own good. As red-blooded Americans, we know that government is mostly made up of self-important jackasses who couldn't run a candy store and who surely should not be running my life in any way. I can do that myself, just fine.’ (Maggie’s Farm)

 

25/02/2014: HOW THINGS WORK: the 1911 .45 – you’ve probably seen thousands of these fired on movies over the years, but have you ever wondered what makes it tick? Also see ‘How a Car Engine Works’: http://animagraffs.com/how-a-handgun-works-1911-45/

 

25/02/2014: Until c1930 nearly all of Australia’s petroleum came from SHALE mining (eg at Joadja, Glen Davis, Newnes, etc NSW). These were (for the time) large open-cut operations just like those (much larger) proposed eg for Rundle during the ‘oil-crisis’ of the 1970’s (but never implemented). When the Government sold its ‘Commonwealth Oil’ around then these operations closed down, as oil could be had more economically (eg from the vast reserves in  Saudi Arabia) - though it should be noted that the pump price rose steeply here after the sale! Bass Strait oil had already been discovered back then, but nothing was done at the time for the same reason (too expensive). As the international price of oil has slowly risen, shale oil and gas have become more attractive (price-wise). Also new drilling technology has lowered their relative price. NOW the world has huge reserves of coal seam gas and shale oil and gas (enough to last for centuries!) Another huge reserve of energy is underground coal seams which cannot be economically mined. They can however be burned in situ to extract energy (methane). This is called Underground Coal Gasification (UCG). The Russians have been doing this (near Tashkent) for over 50 years! Under the permafrost and in deep ocean deposits there also exist unimaginable quantities of clathrates which are a form of frozen methane. In short, added to the vast reserves of conventional coal, oil and gas, hydrocarbons exist in such quantities as will power the entire world for THOUSANDS of years – and we will have developed ‘better’ alternative energy sources LONG before then - such as controlled nuclear fusion, the ability to harness gravity waves – or whatever. End of ‘problem’, MOVE ON!

 

24/02/2014: Michael Marshall, New Scientist a5/02/2014: ‘Female preying mantises are famous for devouring their lovers…Males are large compared with other food items, so they’re nutritious. The females often go for the male’s head first…removing the male’s sexual inhibitions and causing him to mate for longer…’ Girls, these mantids might just be on to something here!

 

Female Chinese mantis eats a male copulating with her

24/02/2014: Sadly, James Delingpole will blog no more. His final post was a beauty though: http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/jamesdelingpole/100259000/watching-lions-eat-a-giraffe-is-a-family-day-out/

 

24/02/2014: EDWARD SNOWDEN helped these ‘gentle’ folks out, yet there remain crazy touch-feely types in Oz who can’t see that he should be executed, not celebrated: http://somalilandsun.com/index.php/world/somalia/5029-somalia-powerless-to-stop-al-shabaab-mobile-internet-shutdown#chitika_close_button

 

23/02/2014: No matter WHAT Della says, I am NOT going to get bees: http://laughingsquid.com/artist-collaborates-with-honey-bees-to-create-fascinating-beeswax-covered-sculptures/

 Beeswax Sculptures by Aganetha Dyck

23/02/2014: Our forecast for today: ‘Smoke’! http://ozforecast.com.au/cgi-bin/weather.cgi?station=Jeeralang+Junction.VIC

 

23/02/2014: Some interesting recipes HERE to try: http://maggiesfarm.anotherdotcom.com/archives/21404-The-Maggies-Farm-Classic-Mommys-of-America-Cheap-n-Easy-Winter-Supper-Cookbook.html

 

23/02/2014: The small survey I recently completed on the ‘moon illusion’ convinced me that rather more folks here not only do not know the earth orbits the sun; they still believe the earth is flat: http://news.discovery.com/space/astronomy/1-in-4-americans-dont-know-earth-orbits-the-sun-yes-really-140214.htm

 

23/02/2014: A number of businesses (eg Hughes) are working at installing internet satellite systems which will get around the NBN and various Government’s nasty pernickety restrictions. THIS system will be a real game changer for the Third World: http://www.nationaljournal.com/tech/coming-soon-free-internet-from-space-20140220

 

22/02/2014: A VERY worrying development: http://www.latrobevalleyexpress.com.au/story/2106198/gigantic-crack-appears-in-hazelwood-mine/

 

22/02/2014: We have had an inch and a half of rain (37mm in French!) over the last 36 hours but air quality in Morwell has become worse (because of the inversion, and because it has made the fire smokier) peaking at an EPA reading of over 1,000 (when 500 is considered hazardous!) Fortunately WE live 8km away where it’s not so bad, but I am really feeling for my son (Bryn) and many other people we know who live IN Morwell. I guess they will live through it, but it is NOT pleasant. Mind you I am reminded that Della’s dear mum (Dorothy) lived through many such London ‘pea soup’ smogs AND the London Blitz, the death of her father (from TB) at 13, and many other vicissitudes (exiting gracefully and eventually @91!) She told us that when she used to become a little despondent - watching buzz-bombs fly by her double decker bus on the way to work, witnessing hundreds of people drowning in a basement shelter right across the road, her house being blown away while they hid in the ‘Andersen Shelter’ in the backyard (& etc) – her old mum (both were truly TINY women) used to tell her, ‘Just get ON with it, Dorothy’ (or words to that effect). They WERE made of sterner stuff.

 

22/02/2014: The ‘Steve’ in this article was not me, (I’m pretty sure!) though I take criticism poorly (but I AM well armed!) I have to admit I never grew up with oceans of praise for things which were not at all noteworthy, indeed I have had to do quite a lot of hard graft often without any praise at all that I can remember (Just ‘life’, ‘duty’, etc) The article sounds an excellent warning though, I think: http://themattwalshblog.com/2014/02/18/learn-how-to-take-criticism-or-be-prepared-to-fail-at-life/

 

22/02/2014: It IS astonishing that these ‘Green’ folks have managed to arrange a (Virtual ban) on wood stoves. They have succeeded here and in NZ too at least insofar as you are not allowed to install a chimney damper which is what makes the stove conserve wood and put out lots of heat. If you have a stove which is really churning through the wood (Read: several times as much) and not even warm enough to boil the billy on (like all the new stoves they have installed in the hiking huts in Fiordland!) get on to eBay and buy a damper (from England) for less than $20. You will be astonished at the difference: http://www.newsmax.com/newswidget/heat-energy-wood-stoves/2014/02/18/id/553372?promo_code=EB8D-1&amp;utm_source=National_Review&amp;utm_medium=nmwidget&amp;utm_campaign=widgetphase1

 

22/02/2014: While I am on the subject of GREEN EVIL, did you know that the wonderful ‘organic’ farming practices employed in Cuba (and other socialist ‘paradisios) are starving their people equally wonderfully. Green folks like the odious Bill McKibben are fulsome in their praise of Cuba’s ‘sustainable’ starvation practices: http://www.nationalreview.com/article/371520/cuba-holodomor-next-door-robert-zubrin

 

21/02/2014: Craig will receive a minimum five year term by the looks. How long will Julia get when HER case finally comes to court – probably towards the end of this year? At least TEN, I would think!

 

21/02/2014: ‘Why did Julia cross the road?’ – because she said she wouldn’t!

 

21/02/2014: THIS looney idea is what the Club of Rome thought back in the 70’s, "The earth has a cancer; the cancer is man". Trouble is such eco-quackery has become almost mainstream – at least to the extent that it is now deemed bad manners to guffaw at such folk at dinner parties, or propose that there should be an ‘open season’ on THEM (which there should!) For example, I am simply horrified at the number of what ought to be sensible folks crying out against WA’s shark culling: sharks which have been enabled to breed up quite uncontrollably (because of bans on whaling, shark fishing, etc) and which have been TRAINED to target humans as food which is what the eco-tourism industry HAS been doing! In my opinion ‘shark cages’ where a diver PAYS  to be attacked by a shark inflamed by a burley of blood and guts just for a ‘photo-op’ ought to be banned - as should ANY human feeding of (wild) sharks. Obviously sharks which have been thus trained NEED to be eliminated from the oceans. These are dangerous critters at the best of times and far better suited ON THE PLATE than at the beach! http://www.breitbart.com/Breitbart-London/2014/02/18/humans-or-sharks

 

21/02/2014: ‘How many economists does it take to change a light bulb? None. When the one they used in graduate school goes out, they sit in the dark.’: http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2014/02/17/the_lights_go_out_on_the_dismal_science_121596.html

 

20/02/2014: 21mm of lovely rain here overnight, and only 14C @ 9:00am this morning. Hopefully THAT gives the ‘firies’ in the open-cut some relief!

 

20/02/2014: Quote of the day: ‘Just this morning we were thinking about the former Special Advisor for Green Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation. He’s written books, has a heck of a CV, and has received oodles of honors from very prestigious institutions. And yet there’s something missing from the résumé of the Job Czar: he’s never had a job in the private sector. It’s a remarkable thing, and atypical of US history, though quite typical of today’s utopians. But the media don’t notice; in an important sense, they have also never worked in the private sector. Do the journalists ever talk to the ad sales people? It’s an unbridgeable gap, that between the media-academy-government mindset and those who came up in what was once called the real world. The universities have become detached from their original missions. All this has been dramatically exacerbated by the rapid progress of technology, which creates for the young a believable metaphor that their generation is not just the luckiest, but the wisest in human history. This will end, but in all likelihood, it won’t end well.’ http://www.dinocrat.com/archives/2014/02/01/unbridgeable-until/

 

20/02/2014: Grace Collier’s fine article on how Labor and the unions destroyed Alcoa is paywalled at ‘The Australian’, but you can read a fair bit of it here. An excerpt: ‘the $40 million of our money given to Alcoa in June 2012 has gone “down the tube”. Alcoa spent a lot of money on three new enterprise bargaining agreements… Thanks to the EBAs, perhaps up to half of the $40m was committed to cash pay rises and flow-on labour costs. The rest may go towards the closure bill, estimated by Alcoa as between $250m and $270m. Roughly divided, this equates to a budget of $250,000 to $270,000 in redundancy pay and associated benefits for each employee…Under the life of that EBA, the entry-level wage for a continuous seven-day shift worker was hiked from $82,106 annually to $91,571 by 2015. The wage for an experienced continuous seven-day shift worker went from $119,334 annually to $133,092 in 2015.’ This RIP-OFF was on top of Labor DOUBLING electricity prices: http://blogs.news.com.au/heraldsun/andrewbolt/index.php/heraldsun/comments/how_labor_blew_40_million_on_its_favorite_union/

 

20/02/2014: ‘Suppose that we were supplied with groceries in same way that we are supplied with K-12 education…’: http://cafehayek.com/2011/04/grocery-school.html

 

20/02/2014: Interesting facts about whales: ‘There are bowhead whales still alive in arctic that were born long before Moby Dick was written in 1851…Thirty four years ago, scientists counted 1,200 (bowhead) whales. Today there are about 14,000 of the mammals out there.’ http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/there-are-whales-alive-today-who-were-born-before-moby-dick-was-written-660944/#.UwFWUVflt8s.twitter

 

19/02/2014: Just been in to Midvalley. The air quality was AWFUL. Had difficulty seeing from one end of Bunnings' store to the other, INSIDE! It is bad enough here (Jeeralang Junction/Yinnar) and has me coughing and eye-watering, but I don't think I would survive living in Morwell at the moment. This is (probably) the greatest disaster in Australia's history, yet it barely rates a headline!

 

19/02/2014: HERE, Steyn makes some other telling points, such as this quote from Walter Williams, ‘There is no material poverty in the U.S... What we have in our nation are dependency and poverty of the spirit, with people making unwise choices and leading pathological lives aided and abetted by the welfare state.’ He goes on, ‘Because Big Government pushers want junkies, not citizens. Which is why the benevolent bureaucracy actively recruits dependents…In an age of computerization, globalization and long-term unemployment, how many more unskilled immigrants does America need? Ten million? Twenty million? Forty million? The Democrats are importing voters, and the Me-Too wing of the Republican Party is stupid enough to think it can win a bidding war for the affections of the ever swelling ranks.’ This comment so easily transfers to OUR Oz political parties: http://www.steynonline.com/6093/the-future-is-another-country

 

19/02/2014: Reading Steyn’s Shirley obit I have to agree, SHE WAS remarkable. As he says, she could sing, dance AND act-  a rare combination AND she went on to have a REAL life, not some drugged disaster like so many Hollywood kids: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNwFXLcrsbc&feature=kp & http://www.steynonline.com/6099/on-the-good-ship-lollipop-animal-crackers-in-my

 

19/02/2014: ‘Global Warming’ flooding in Somerset? Maybe NOT: Christopher Booker writes that ‘before 1996, local groups of farmers and engineers managed the drains, but in 1996 the EA (Environmental Agency) took over. Regular dredging stopped happening, the pumping stations were neglected (or stopped...), and the local drainage boards found it hard to get anything done with the EA red tape. Then things got worse…In 2002, “the Baroness Young of Old Scone, a Labour peeress, became the agency’s new chief executive”…what they got was some parts of Somerset suddenly “returned to wetland” — but that, it seems, was kinda the goal. According to the Baroness, the cheapest way to get a wetland was to “stop drainage” and let “nature take its course”.’ All this sounds familiarly like our ‘bushfire season’…WHEN, O WHEN can we rid ourselves of these Greenie ‘do-gooders’?

 

18/02/2014: I had noticed this particularly in relation to the internet ‘phenomenon’ known as ‘Unfriending’. (Particularly young) folks of a leftist persuasion seem most likely to perform this ungenerous ‘trick’. Seems they would rather see legislation to enforce their ideas than have to defend them. I have had a number of young folks do this to me: one whom I have known well since birth has 651 ‘friends’ but I am no longer one of them. Apparently she (they) just cannot stand to read views which they do not (presently) share (unaware that they WILL grow up!) In contrast people of a more conservative disposition such as myself read all their leftist rants AND do my best to counter them with argument and example:   http://www.frontpagemag.com/2014/thomas-sowell/leftists-for-the-people/

 

18/02/2014: Millionaire (?) Clive PALMER looks headed for bankruptcy, in which case he forfeits his seat in Parliament with who knows what (?) other interesting consequences…

 

18/02/2014: Yet another great parrot: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=627319517340658&set=vb.388525541220058&type=3&theater

 

18/02/2014: Many examples of undecyphered runes exist in Greenland and North America, for example. The past has many lessons to teach us yet: http://sciencenordic.com/mysterious-code-viking-runes-cracked

 

Two men, Sigurd and Lavrans, carved their names both in code and in standard runes on this stick, dated from the 13th century and found at the Bergen Wharf. This helped researcher Jonas Nordby crack the jötunvillur code.

17/02/2014: If you can't see to take photos with your digital camera THIS may be the answer: http://www.clearviewer.com/Products.html

 

17/02/2014: Just in case you THOUGHT there aren’t enough stupid people in the world, get this: GRENADE fishing gone wrong: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Vw7T2yhFek

 

17/02/2014: There ARE other kinds of heroes: Saving one’s country is all very well, but saving your wife’s garden has to rate too! I have just spent most of two days in the heat devising & implementing a method which rescued the water that was leaking from our dam: enough to run sprinklers for over an hour per day. Also connected the top dam (which is on a spring) to the downstream pump providing perhaps another hour of watering - just when we thought the garden was certain to die!

 

17/02/2014: The view from the front gate our old farm (Dobbins Hill sold 2003) yesterday afternoon on our way back from our walk. We always used to have to nudge people out of the way to get in: the view across the valley to the Baw Baws was so spectacular. The fire in the open cut has clearly become even bigger. It must now stretch for kilometres around the whole Eastern end. Firefighters have been prevented from doing much down there because of the CO risk (there was even a ‘Stay Inside!’ alert issued to all Morwell West End residents yesterday because of this risk). I suspect it will not be possible to extinguish this fire until there are several inches of heavy rain on it – perhaps not even then, as coal seams can burn in the absence of oxygen. These TWO open cut fires certainly rank as National Disasters. THREE generators are at risk from it (Hazelwood, Yallourn , Morwell) representing nearly half of Vic’s electricity supply! The longer it burns the more difficult it will be to put out as it will undermine the surfaces and burrow deeper in to the seams. Mt Wingen near Muswellbrook  in the Hunter Valley has a coal seam which has been burning for THOUSANDS of years. (There are over 30,000 such fires world-wide whose collective CO2 output is greater than all mankind’s!)

 

17/02/2014: 850,000 year old footprints discovered on a beach in England: human prehistory is replete with mysteries: http://www.rationaloptimist.com/blog/science-discovers-new-ignorance-about-the-past.aspx

 

16/02/2014: Unfortunately Wilson’s appeal to the Supreme Court has been put off until June, so he (& Gillard) have a reprieve until at least then. I just HATE legal process (& especially lawyers – a word which I take to be a corruption of the OE ‘liars’). Scipio had the right idea about what to do with these bastards. It is believed there is no other planet in the universe where intelligent life exists where they allow such evil critters! In ancient Athens a charge, trial and punishment had to take place on the same day – not to do so was seen both as a waste of the public’s time (& patience!) and undue cruelty to the accused. Those ancients also thought that to do other than execute was undue cruelty so they had neither prisons nor corporal punishment. You COULD choose ‘ostracism’ (ie going to live in someone else’s country) if you could find folks foolish enough to want you – otherwise it was, ‘Off with his/her head’, an eminently sensible approach to such unwanted folk – as lawyers, traitors and rip off merchants generally!

 

16/02/2014: In another twist Vic police have raided the Perth offices of the AWU and taken away a dozen boxes of documents. Gillard must be VERY foolish indeed if she still thinks she will NOT go to gaol over this!

 

16/02/2014: Instead of ‘dying for a cause’ Della is today ‘dyeing for a course’ as she prepares herself to give me a foretaste of widowerhood by taking herself off to a week-long gabfest of arty-crafty doings in Horsham next week

 

16/02/2014: Della: ‘BEWARE!’: Everything you always wanted to know about GIN: http://www.artofmanliness.com/2014/02/05/a-mans-primer-on-gin/

 

16/02/2014: It SURE is getting crowded up there: http://theknow.ask.com/there-are-how-many-dead-bodies-on-mount-everest?utm_source=outbrain&utm=referral

 

15/02/2014: Human DNA has some interesting stories to tell. Previously historians believed the Bushmen were one of the most isolated human populations. DNA NOW tells us that they received an infusion of European and Neanderthal DNA (together) between 900-3,000 years ago. This would indicate a previously unknown Viking or Greco-Roman colony in Southern Africa which WILL one day be found and excavated. The ancient Greek historian, Herodotus tells of the voyage of Necho, who reported "as they sailed on a westerly course round the southern end of Libya (Africa), they had the sun on their right - to northward of them" (The Histories 4.42) which indicated that they HAD sailed from the Red Sea to the mouth of the Nile right around Africa somewhere between 610 and 594BC…

 

15/02/2014: No boats for eight weeks, yet stopping the boats can’t be done? What else can’t be done?

 

15/02/2014: Compares very favourably with Labor's record: 820 boats arrived carrying 51,870 asylum-seekers and more than 1200 others (that we know of) drowned at sea…

 

15/02/2014: Not in front of the children and DEFINITELY not in front of the parrot: http://www.ebaumsworld.com/video/watch/82447336/

 

14/02/2014: I notice that my dear departed aunt Emmeline Valentine Jones (after whom ‘Valentine’s Day’ was named – or possible it was the other way around) would have been 107 today - had she not been taken from us prematurely. She was (as my mother described her on her own deathbed), ‘a lovely woman’. Here she is in c1917 with her aunt, Emily who was annoyed Emmeline had begun to draw in the (coal) soot of the railway carriage on the way to the studio with her finger and had wiped it on the front of her sock, so spoiling the pic as Emily thought - but providing US with an interesting family anecdote. Emily too was taken prematurely at age 35, and HER mother (Emeline) also at age 63 -  Gone, but not forgotten, as Marius's inscription on her tombstone heart-wrenchingly reveals,  ‘Love’s last token.’

 

14/02/2014: Well done Cameron Baird, our 100th VC winner: an excellent commemorative speech by our PM in announcing his award ‘we salute…the extraordinary courage of these amazing men who serve our country, and keep us safe’: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r960Ezgs-dI&feature=youtu.be

 

14/02/2014: Except for the usefulness of beards, I guess this would work for women too: http://www.artofmanliness.com/2014/02/07/how-to-survive-falling-through-the-ice-an-illustrated-guide/

 

14/02/2014: Water on Mercury, water on the moon, water on Mars: http://wattsupwiththat.com/2014/02/11/flowing-water-on-mars-appears-likely-but-hard-to-prove/

 

14/02/2014: This reminds me so much of the James Price Point decision (the Ford, Holden, Toyota…decisions). Let’s say, ‘YES!’ to capitalism and a big, ‘NO!’ to interfering busybodies: http://www.coyoteblog.com/coyote_blog/2014/02/gee-i-wonder-why-us-business-investment-is-sluggish.html

 

13/02/2014: TRACTOR square dancing: this is for real! About 21 minutes in: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hx7xGnXxvZ0

 

13/02/2014: This HONEST unionist (Yes, there ARE some!) has been waiting twenty years for justice. Here’s his advice to Bill Shorten, whom he knows is CLOSELY associated with union corruption: http://www.michaelsmithnews.com/2014/02/media-statement-from-bob-kernohan-former-victorian-awu-president.html

 

13/02/2014: BEST solar energy storage yet: http://wattsupwiththat.com/2014/02/11/solar-energy-storage-a-gift-from-gaia/

 

13/02/2014: Australian car makers have been living on subsidies and borrowed time since 1974 when manufactured vehicle units peaked at 498,000. That figure has slowly fallen to less than 200,000 last year despite a rapidly increasing population. ‘Australia has the highest rate of budgetary assistance to the automotive industry at $US 1885 per vehicle, with the next closest Sweden at $297 per vehicle.  In point of fact, the figure for the US came in at only $166 per vehicle and Germany at $206 per vehicle.’ If Shorten had HIS druthers, the subsidy on a $23K auto would be…$23K (or more!): http://catallaxyfiles.com/2014/02/11/everyone-is-doing-it-subsidising-the-auto-industry/

 

12/02/2014: Farewell, Little Princess: http://www.latimes.com/obituaries/la-me-shirley-temple-black-20140211,0,1264780.story#axzz2t0xALTlF

 

12/02/2014: Some MORE reasons for taking up e-cigarettes: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/will-a-nicotine-patch-make-you-smarter-excerpt/

 

12/02/2014: MORE on the ‘moon illusion’: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXkYjL_7jME#t=239

 

11/02/2014: And NOW for the GOOD news: ‘A group of Sunni militants attending a suicide bombing training class at a camp north of Baghdad were killed on Monday when their commander unwittingly conducted a demonstration with a belt that was packed with explosives, army and police officials said.’  22 dead, 15 wounded. Not a BAD score! http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/11/world/middleeast/suicide-bomb-instructor-accidentally-kills-iraqi-pupils.html?_r=0

 

11/02/2014: Good advice: Piers Akerman: ‘Have a tortilla for me at Mi Tierra in San Antonio. I was once eating there when a woman at the next table collapsed and died. Then they took my order. Whatever she didn’t have.’

 

11/02/2014: I see six ‘asylum seekers’ have shown their gratitude to their new country by raping a fourteen year old girl in a Sydney park…There are so many decent Aussies needing spare parts from just such healthy donors to save their lives…

 

11/02/2014: ‘COMMUNITY leaders have warned of possible reprisal attacks by Blacktown’s Pacific Islander community targeting young African-Australian men in the wake of the gang-rape attack on a 14-year-old Islander girl.’ http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/community-leaders-appeal-for-calm-after-race-hate-revenge-fears-following-gangrape-of-14yearold-girl-in-doonside/story-fni0cx12-1226823057102

 

11/02/2014: Ben Packham in The Australian: ‘IN his former life as a union leader, Bill Shorten led SPC Ardmona workers on a six-day strike during the harvest season, winning them an extra eight days "leisure time''. Amid debate over the workers' enterprise agreement and its role in the company's financial woes, a 2004 press release has emerged in which the now-Opposition Leader claimed to have changed SPC working conditions "forever''.’ WELL DONE Bill. And let’s hear how you helped out Holden & Ford too!

 

11/02/2014: These union THUGS are NUTS: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/policy/toyota-workers-launch-legal-action-to-save-entitlements/story-fn59noo3-1226817387341#

 

10/02/2014: Just HANG in there: RAIN IS COMING; autumn is coming...the GFS has 26 mm here on Sunday with the rain beginning Thurs-Fri! Even OUR BOM has some rain coming: http://www.bom.gov.au/jsp/watl/rainfall/pme.jsp

 

10/02/2014: WHY do footballers wear ‘jerseys’. Why this insane prejudice against Friesians, Guernseys, Ayrshires…?

 

10/02/2014: And you don’t THINK we need a Royal Commission: Henry Ergas: ‘AFTER the 1983 election, when half the Australian workforce were union members, barely a third of the ALP’s new MPs thanked the unions in their maiden speech. By the 2013 election, union membership had fallen below 20 per cent of the workforce; but more than 90 per cent of Labor’s new MPs devoted part of their first speech to praising the union movement…’

 

10/02/2014: Meanwhile, the Royal Commission into Child Sex Abuse has declared that paedophiles will be charged with sex discrimination offences unless some come forward admitting to having had sexual relations with girls…

 

10/02/2014: Happy anniversary Della: 41 BEAUTIFUL years! Sorry if a little bit of fire and smoke prevents me taking you out to tea. I promise you a rain check!

 

10/02/2014: In Vic we employ 15-20,000 ‘green’ folk in our Dept of ‘Sustainability’ & Parks Vic, and heaps more in Metropolitan Fire Brigades all on huge salaries, with weekends (like this) off and enormous superannuation. Why, many will be on leave at a time each year when fire is most likely to strike. Meanwhile Vic burns! And VOLUNTEERS and farmers like us are pretty much all that stands between our lives and horrible death. All around US there are ‘good’ green folk on ‘environmental living’ blocks let run to weeds and tinder (none of whom is in the CFA it goes without saying!) Next door two greenies have ‘conserved’ dozens of acres of grass all summer. Others behind us have ‘conserved’ hundreds of acres of vermin and weed infested rubbishy regrowth, a vast powder keg, leaving us to fight the conflagration that threatens to explode any minute from their (subsidised) green madness. O, how I hate the Greens!

 

09/02/2014: I asked several people today whether they thought the moon was bigger when it first appears on the horizon or whether it was an optical illusion. Without wanting to spoil the answer for you, I should like to report that a number of people were sure that it WAS closer when it was near the horizon. These flat-earth advocates no doubt also eat organic food because it contains no chemicals and totally eschew di-hydrogen monoxide!

 

09/02/2014: Trouble is, I never did eat canned fruit; probably haven’t eaten canned peaches since I was a kid in the 50’s or early 60’s. Australian canneries continued with a business model which dated from the era of ‘imperial preference’ – BEFORE Britain joined the Common Market in (was it?) 1967? Australian trade unions have been running an anti-business model which predates even that; it hearkens back to Engels’ C19th ‘dark satanic mills’ where he (literally) included OPIUM as part of the wages, as it kept the workers DOCILE (hence Marx’s phrase ‘religion is the opiate of the people’). Live AND learn, folks…

 

09/02/2014: All my life labour productivity in Australia has increased by over 2% per annum which means that it has doubled in less than 36 years meaning one worker now produces what took TWO thirty years ago – yet thirty years ago we could afford to pay men over 65 and women over 60 the aged pension. Even though the aged have increased slightly as a percentage of the population, increases in labour productivity ought to easily cover the cost. WHY are today’s workers expected to continue (men and women both) to age 67 or older. This is an increase for half the population of seven years of work. THAT is some punishment!

 

/02/2014: SO true: Mr Micawber in Dicken’s David Copperfield 'Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure nineteen pounds nineteen and six, result happiness. Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure twenty pounds nought and six, result misery.'

 

08/02/2014: This is something you can do if you’ve got tank water and it is 40C+ outside. I installed these sprinklers on the roofline mainly for ember attack on fire days. They are doing double duty dragging the temperature in the house down this afternoon. You would not believe how warm the water is coming off the roof at the front of the house:

 

08/02/2014: Curiosity looking home: http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/figures/PIA17936_fig2.jpg

http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/figures/PIA17936_fig2.jpg

08/02/2014: What about that: you probably thought I WAS a primitive type, and you were likely right, ‘Hairiness, blonde hair, and thick body hair are all thought to have been inherited from Neanderthals…Researchers believe that darker skin and hair colour came from the human gene lines, whereas genes yielding red or blonde hair and lighter skin complexion came from Neanderthals.  Perhaps that explains like regions such as Scotland and Scandinavia where Neanderthals are believed to have survived the longest have the highest rates of red or blond hair and fair skin.’: http://www.dailytech.com/NeanderthalHuman+Breeding+Was+Hard+But+Yielded+Benefits/article34236.htm 

 

08/02/2014: Brachychitons are Della’s NEW LOVE. I am eagerly seeking foreign specimens of these bulbous beauties as planting them would contradict my long-held policy of having nothing to do with the natives. Their (and Araucaria’s) relative absence from our Southern forests has long been an indication to me of the unwisdom of indigenous burning practices…There remain some (brachychitons) growing wild in the forests around Dargo…I once found a solitary Araucaria whilst deer hunting and wondered at its provenance…

 

08/02/2014: Labor and the ABC are certainly running scared in Griffith. If the Govt were to win, it would be the first time this has happened since the Kalgoorlie by-election in 1920. Even a significant swing TO the Govt (almost a certainty) will fatally injure Shorten’s so-called leadership, dealt a serious body-blow by Paul Howes’ attack earlier this week. He is also next month no longer to have his mummy-in-law as GG. AND we are still in doubt about whether he will be charged with the rape police are continuing to investigate…

 

07/02/2014: I am rather proud of our new folding staircase for the camper:

 

I KNOW it needs a coat of paint!

 

07/02/2014: Since the rise of the micro parties 1300 votes which went missing in WA mean that at least 2-3 candidates failed to be elected: THE Barking Mad Party, THE Antigravity Party, the Flat Earth Party, the NQR Party, etc say that there will now be unnecessary delays in important aspects of their legislative programme. There will be a long delay in turning back time, repealing the laws of gravity, increasing the speed of light, introducing compulsory sex change…

 

07/02/2014: GET this twaddle: ‘Eating healthily costs up to 30% more than a diet high in carbohydrates, sugar and fat a new study shows…a food tax could be the answer. A low-income family would spend half its weekly wage to eat the healthy diet of lean meat, fruit and vegetables…’ (Herald Sun 05/02/2014) Low-income folk are apparently unable to GROW THEIR OWN fruit and vegetables, raise poultry or rabbits (unlike the rest of us)…naturally a TAX (THANKS A MILL, BIG BROTHER) is the solution. Just maybe they wouldn’t be so indecently fat, unfit and unemployed if they had a veggie garden, instead of being veggies themselves! WHO CARES if these folk DROP DEAD? They are certainly not worth a single cent of MY taxes!

 

07/02/2014: SAY no more: Grace Collier: ‘the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union has confirmed that almost all of the plant’s more than 400 or so employees were employed under a previous enterprise agreement that provided for redundancy of four weeks’ pay for every year of service, up to a maximum of 104 weeks…Harvest Freshcuts is a food processor. The plant at Bairnsdale is about the same distance away from Melbourne that Shepparton [SPC’s home] is. Its last EBA, just terminated, was much more appropriate than SPC’s and made with staff rather than a union. The working week is longer. Labour costs look a third lower. Conditions are much closer to or capped at award rates and wages are adjusted only by CPI.’

 

06/02/2014: WOW: http://wattsupwiththat.com/2014/02/05/small-asteroid-slams-into-mars-impact-captured-by-orbiter/#more-102706

 

06/02/2014: 90% of road accidents involve non-smoking people who had zero alcohol reading and were not using a mobile phone. This problem cannot be allowed to continue. Causation and correlation both require that the Government legislate to make these undesirable activities illegal in order to reduce the road toll. A trial education programme will begin next week where people are required to consume a six pack before getting behind the wheel, are taught to do the drawback and blow smoke rings… Prizes will be given for speed texting while driving…

 

06/02/2014: Water on Ceres: which means there WILL be asteroid miners after all & the beer propelled rocket, a reality (The Makeshift Rocket

 By Poul Anderson). Great news!  http://thesop.org/story/20140202/deepspace-discovery-dwarf-planet-ceres.html

 

06/02/2014: Ain’t capitalism wonderful? When arthritis robs you of the ability to open champagne corks, help is at hand; you CAN still celebrate. Della used hers for the first time last night, awarded it a flying ‘Pass’ and celebrated accordingly. Cheers: https://www.house.com.au/product/d-line-champagne-cork-remover

 

05/02/2014: I guess ‘sharing art’ is code, the semantic equivalent of ‘have nothing intelligent to say’ - rather like all those other non-conformists struggling fiercely to be the same!

 

05/02/2014: This is absurd: Q&A Leftist host Tony Jones asks his panel (of four Leftists) last night to discuss whether the ABC really is biased (all this in front of a 100% Leftist audience!) The ABC should be abolished!

 

05/02/2014: I don’t think it is fine to shoot people for jumping the queue, or spitting on the footpath...Shooting is SO noisy (and frightens small children and horses. Garrotting is fine). The essence of ALL crime is folks who forget the ‘golden rule’ (had they ever heard of it? Viz: ‘Do unto others…’). ie Folks who think they are more important than other folks, so that it is only the latter who should stand in line! People need to learn to ‘keep their place’; if they do not, THEN ‘off with their heads’!

 

05/02/2014: The Roman, Scipio Aemilianus. His name is hardly a by-word today – yet it should be. During the course of the Third Punic War he was famous for repeating, ‘Carthage Must Be Destroyed!’ which they did most efficaciously when they won, executing all the menfolk, enslaving all the women and children, razing the city to the ground, ploughing salt into the fields & etc. Not much sign of Algeria resuming super-power status today. Less well known is that when he returned to Rome he expeditiously carried out his next plan. It had rankled him that bankers had grown fat lending money AT INTEREST to enable the pursuit of the war. So far as he was concerned this was a breach of a patriotic duty. (Usury, which is what this used excellently to be called was punishable by death right up to a couple of centuries ago!) His motion in the Senate on Day 1 of the peace was that they ALL be put to death (by garrotting) that very day. And they were! We need more of Scipio’s ‘remedies today: To bankers I would add: lawyers, insurers, facilitators…

 

04/02/2014: During the heat yesterday we needed to purchase some hardware items from Bunnings and decided to quickly lunch at Midvalley. Also seeking solace from the heat was a vast pod of enormously fat people amazingly deftly skating around on disability/mobility ‘scooters’ who would clearly have been far better off outside getting some exercise, sweating some of those hard-won kilos off and eschewing the attractive calories offered by ice-creams and fries. But they were not: I remarked to the assistant at the ice creamery that they constituted a most unattractive advertising display for their shop. Japanese whalers should certainly abandon the Southern Ocean and target this wondrous potential source of blubber at Midvalley Shopping Centre. I doubt there would be any Greenpeace ships to hinder their activities there: one cannot even IMAGINE the staunchest champion of the NDIS (who ARE those people anyway?) standing in front of the harpoons. It is astonishing to me that gluttony and sloth are now disabilities worthy of reward and support.

 

04/02/2014: If one can grow SO enormous on the present ‘disability’ or ‘unemployment’ allowance, it beggars belief that it is socially (or personally) desirable that society spends MORE money on these problems. A reintroduction of rationing and ‘manpowering’ (ie compulsory designated) work such as worked so well to WIN WW2 (whilst keeping the population trim and fit) would seem a more appropriate strategy than a costly NDIS, much of which will be wasted on such indigent bloated loafers and their hangers on (carers, ‘facilitators’, experts and the like – not to mention lawyers)!

 

04/02/2014: Laziness IS a cause of indolence. Busy-ness, restricted calories and FORCING people to both contribute and take their own lives in order IS a solution. As people on welfare (through the votes that they should NOT have as they have not EARNED them) are forcing the rest of us to work and provide for them (even to the extent that the present generation are expected to work another TWO YEARS of their lives - which I think IS cruel and harsh!), it is reasonable that those who provide (instead of their being the SERVANTS of the indigent –as at present) become their masters, and REQUIRE them to contribute for their bread - just as the rest of us have to do. The people I saw at Midvalley had been getting rather too much bread: they were far too fat to be ABLE to work, ergo we are providing too much bread!

 

04/02/2014: Are not those who work 'forced to contribute' and doubly so: first they have to work for their own benefit, and then for the benefit of others and other causes many of which they would not CHOOSE to contribute to? They have to do this because those whom they prop up with their welfare have the majority of votes. I AM in favour of capital punishment, but someone would have to be VERY lazy before I would hang them. I think I could get them working sooner than that. There are many offences which I think 'hanging is too good for'. I would be MUCH crueller than that eg to those who attacked Nurse Cobbey or Camileri, Milat, etc.

 

04/02/2014: HOW much do you believe people should GET for NOTHING? I believe they should get exactly NOTHING for NOTHING. There is already a free education system; besides work is free. There is any amount of paid work going begging all over, much of it requiring no more skill than the willingness to do it! You sure CAN force people to work and eat less. AND you should! I hope that the Government we have elected in Canberra will soon do exactly that!

 

04/02/2014: You don't have to thank us: you are ENTITLED! Interesting word that: once meaning -'aristocrat' - but these folks ARE 'the new aristocracy'; nothing to do but bleed the peasants dry, breed like ferrets, grow fat on the public purse, curse the Government for its stinginess...

 

04/02/2014: Over the years I have provided MILLIONS of meals (lamb, milk, chevon...)  to society (and the makings hundreds of thousands of jumpers/blankets). For over 50 years I have worked TWO jobs (sometimes more) and have been a volunteer in MANY organisations (Country Fire Authority, Meals on Wheels, various clubs, societies, political parties...), built several houses with my own hands, thousands of kilometres of fences...& raised four fine children. Now I'm 65. I have contributed (literally) millions of dollars of tax and never asked for (or received) a single cent back from ANY Government! Of course the Government wants still more from me - I have been a fine milch cow for them! AND I am still working 50+ hours per week, but have time for some fun too! How much more do YOU expect me to do? Pushing those giant tubs of lard anywhere might be more than my poor old back would stand. I DO refuse to feed them any more - which WILL do them good! After they have fasted for six months or so, they might be able to run away - or do some useful work themselves!

 

04/02/2014: Could this possibly be TRUE? Apparently it IS! In some of KS Robinson’s novels (eg ‘2312’) the ‘terminator’ on Mercury moves slowly enough that a walker can keep ahead of it (unlike on Earth – where you need a VERY quick plane @ 1,000 kph). Though on the ‘day’ side Mercury is hot enough to melt lead or something, on the ‘night’ side it has a ‘habitable’ temperature? There is even some speculation (amongst astronomers, etc) that there MAY be dark craters on Mercury where sunlight never falls (as has been proven on our moon) and where ice may linger, indeed where it may be possible to ski! The universe certainly IS a fascinating place! http://messenger.jhuapl.edu/qa/index.php?faq=1&ca=34#qn408 & (GREAT website) http://intergalactictravelbureau.com/mercury/

 

04/02/2014: THIS is SUCH good news: ‘Older people do not decline mentally with age, it just takes them longer to recall facts because they have more information in their brains, scientists believe. Much like a computer struggles as the hard drive gets full up, so to do humans take longer to access information, it has been suggested.’ Sarah Knapton at telegraph.co.uk -  but it is obviously complete twaddle!

 

03/02/2014: SO sick of people reposting greenie-leftie scams. Della & I spent most of two lifetimes trying to teach people the value of critical thinking, so it is quite disappointing to see how our efforts failed. You would hope that when people see a sensational claim that they would make SOME effort to Google up the various points of view on the issue – if only to avoid the embarrassment of others seeing how THEY have been gulled! A case in point: the proposed ‘dumping’ of 3-5 million tonnes of ‘spoil’ on the Great Barrier Reef. First, the quantity is DOWN 90% compared with what the previous Government already approved. Second, @ 1 cubic metre =@ 1 tonne, it represents less than a cube 170 metres on an edge to be placed somewhere (presumably in a deep hole) in a reef over 3,000 km long. This IS clearly inconsequential. Figure the depth of cover of sediment this represents. The reef is at least 10,000 square kilometres. If you spread 170 x170x170 or .0049 of a cubic kilometre over that area, how few microns of sediment do you think that would be? My calculator does not have enough space for all the zeroes after the decimal point before the first digit to even calculate it. Figure this also, that every year each cyclone likely adds much more sediment than this (thank goodness a recent study shows cyclones are at their least prevalence in thousands of years!). But also figure that coral reefs likely form in just such shallow waters as will trap nutrient rich sediments washing in from the mainland so as to sustain their burgeoning life-forms!

 

03/02/2014: Whether to selectively kill man-eating great white sharks? These are nasty beasties at the best of times – just ask the seals and penguins, people. Their behaviour has been made so much worse by tourist operators training them to associate people with food by encouraging them to come take lamb legs & etc from sight-seers' hands just so they get an interesting photo-shoot. This is called ‘eco tourism’! Then there are the innumerable surfers DISGUISING themselves as seals (their ‘natural’ prey) in black wet-suits to also add encouragement to the sharks’ excessively unpleasant predilection for vicious carnivorous pranks! No-one seems to mind when hunters risk their lives to cull the odd man-eating tiger, lion, polar bear, crocodile…or when council officers put down a brutal dog which has just squaffled some innocent babe! Most folks think that child molesters should entertain us at the end of a rope! What is it about the odd very nasty great white shark that belies the same treatment for them? It is the SAME thing folks!

 

03/02/2014: Quote of the day: ‘The first definition of “indigenous” offered by the Oxford dictionary is “originating or occurring naturally in a particular place”. And indeed, I have originated in this particular place, Australia. So I repeat:  “I was born here, I live here and I call no other country home. I am therefore indigenous to this land and have as much right as anyone to it.”’ A Bolt. ‘Not a single person who “inhabited this land before European settlement” is in fact an “integral part of society today”. Every single one of those individuals has been dead for more than a century at least. The only way The Australian could claim that the original inhabitants are with us still is to call their descendents “original inhabitants”, too - not because they were, but because some of their ancestors were. Once again, this is judging people not as individuals, but as representatives of a “race”. This is judging people not for who they are as individuals, but for who their great-great-grandparents were and what “race” they belonged to.  How could this possibly be right?’ http://blogs.news.com.au/heraldsun/andrewbolt/index.php/heraldsun/comments/the_australian_damns_my_inflammatory_language_but_its_dodging_a_moral_argum/

 

02/02/2014: Sharks are fish. I had a can of tuna for lunch. Ergo, I am a monster! I would MUCH rather eat a fish than have it eat me. While I am on this non-PC topic, I also doubt dolphins and whales are much smarter than sheep or cows. Indeed, neither of the above is known for mass suicide such as cetaceans seem to enjoy. They are (in the wild) also generally harder to catch than ‘Flipper’. If we don’t kill and eat the latter, they will breed up until there ARE no fish in the sea. All this crazy neo-Buddhist stuff: Save the everything. What do you think you were raised on, people: meat pies and Birds Eyes. What do you imagine was in the fish fingers? Get over it people, WE are the mega-predator. Quit the guilt and enjoy. Fillet of Moby Dick tonight, please Della! http://quadrant.org.au/opinion/doomed-planet/2014/01/sharks-taste-greenies/

 

02/02/2014: SO true (NB for ‘Social Security’ read ‘Welfare’): ‘Count me in with those who believe Social Security is a Ponzi scheme.  After all, many Ponzis start with a surplus and garner interest, but over time the payouts exceed incoming revenues.  All Ponzis are based on paying dividends to "investors" out of active money incoming from new "investors".  But even Ponzis don't pay out additional money to people who petition for someone else's funds.  If they did, I presume they would lower one person's payout to cover the person making the petition. I'm not sure how long Social Security can last.  A friend of mine who is dyed-in-the-wool liberal/progressive believes the upper range limit for SocSec payments should be eliminated and it should be handled the same way as an income tax.  That is probably the first step that will be taken.  Soak the Rich.  This will extend the scheme for a few more years.  Then they will undoubtedly implement means-testing, which will extend it a bit longer.  At some point, all the financial engineering will fail.  Until then, keep kicking the can down the road.’ http://maggiesfarm.anotherdotcom.com/archives/23744-The-Government-Comes-Up-With-The-Money.html

 

02/02/2014: GREENPEACE is utterly EVIL. It was not always so, but after the fall of the Berlin Wall, in the 80’s it was taken over by ultra left wing extremists who will say and do anything to further their cause. Patrick Moore, the founder of Greenpeace, should know. Greenpeace have been attacking him for years and have recently even been attempting to airbrush him from their history. He has written a book about it (http://www.beattystreetpublishing.com/confessions/Dropout ) and spoken about it many times, eg here: http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB120882720657033391 and here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCf8AXJHu-U I think chief amongst their socially destructive campaigns have been: those against chlorine, phthalates, GM – and particularly ‘golden rice’ – how can folk who are THE CAUSE of millions of children dying or being BLINDED be anything but EVIL?

 

01/02/2014: Of course, this (excessive union interference) is why Holden & Ford had to close. SPC may be next: http://blogs.news.com.au/heraldsun/andrewbolt/index.php/heraldsun/comments/if_the_union_wants_spc_saved_here_are_some_savings/

 

01/02/2014: THIS should teach Sarah Hanson-Young a lesson she’ll NEVER forget. Good luck with Mustapha, Sarah: http://pickeringpost.com/story/dear-ms-sarah-hanson-young-/2682

 

01/02/2014: Canadian Experts: Pedophilia Is A Sexual Orientation. Of course it is. And theft is a Material Orientation: http://weaselzippers.us/?p=165472

31/01/2014: ‘Before Jayden there had been only one death in 30 years. Yet in 2012 about 900 cases were diagnosed in hospitals in England.’ Children are once more dying of rickets, whooping cough, diphtheria – a host of previously extinct preventable diseases. I put it down to a resurgence of the religious mentality ie superstitious faith, (though not necessarily religion) which is endemic in ‘green’, ‘health’, ‘sustainability’, ‘warmist’ & etc, etc believers. It IS a dangerous trend: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/law-and-order/10600639/Baby-dies-of-rickets-from-vegetarian-mother.html

31/01/2014: An important post by Prof Judith Curry on our emeritus PM’s recent speech: http://judithcurry.com/2013/11/07/john-howard-one-religion-is-enough/#more-13667

 

31/01/2014: Deeply worrying: THIS, from retired Labor Minister Barry Cohen, ‘Soon after I told a Labor legend: “Anti-Semitism is now rampant in the Labor Party.” I expected a vigorous denial. His response confirmed my worst fear: “I know,” he said.’ Shamefully, it is EVEN MORE apparent in the Greens Party, most of whom advocate sanctions against Israel: http://catallaxyfiles.com/2014/01/29/barry-cohen-taking-a-stand/

 

29/01/2014: You folks who have smartphones might like to TRY this: Turn Your Smartphone Into a Digital Microscope! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KpMTkr_aiYU

 

29/01/2014: ‘So why did Labor do it (ABOLISH the ABCC)? How close are its senior figures to union bosses? How beholden is Labor, now led by former AWU boss Bill Shorten, to big unions in general, and the rich CFMEU in particular? Did Prime Minister Julia Gillard disclose to her party room that the national president of the CFMEU was her former boyfriend?’ It will be very hard for Labor to escape the perception that they are ALL CROOKS! http://blogs.news.com.au/heraldsun/andrewbolt/index.php/heraldsun/comments/so_why_did_labor_scrap_the_watchdog_that_could_have_stopped_this_cfmeu_corr/

 

29/01/2014: ‘THE Indonesian navy has added three small warships to its southern patrols, with Jakarta declaring they are there to intercept people-smuggling boats, not to deter Australian incursions. "The increased security measures in (the) southern part of the country is in order to anticipate increased illegal migrant activities," said Agus Barnas, spokesman for Senior Security Minister Djoko Suyanto.’ Peter Alford & Telly Nathalia in The Australian

 

29/01/2014: This has been a particularly clever strategy on Abbott's part. Many people commented on our navy apologising for 'inadvertently' stumbled into Indo territory (on the basis that this was unlikely = correct). The response it has provoked from the Indos is their need to POLICE their borders. WELL DONE TONY: http://pickeringpost.com/story/war-games-abbott-1-indos-0-/2675

 

29/01/2014: Ragnarok IS COMING! We survived the Mayan apocalypse LAST year, but maybe we Norse types ought fear the ‘twilight of the Gods’ MORE? Make a special place in your calendar for 22 Feb THIS year, as it may be the LAST: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ragnar%C3%B6k

 

28/01/2014: G’bye Pete. We’ll miss ya now you’re gone: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/29/arts/music/pete-seeger-songwriter-and-champion-of-folk-music-dies-at-94.html?pagewanted=all&_r=1

 

28/01/2014: Bruce Wilson’s last chance to stop the cops getting their hands on the Slater & Gordon material is less than a month away. He will certainly lose. This material contains (among other incriminating documents) Ms Gillard’s work diary from her time at S&G. This WILL show that her witnessing of the Blewitt Power of Attorney was false and illegal. Once the police have this material they WILL interview Ms Gillard and Mr Wilson. Shortly after that charges WILL be laid. During the next three years the Abbott Government will expose the vast web of union corruption which exists in this country (as the ICAC is already doing in NSW & even the ABC, to my astonishment, LAST night). Many senior Labor figures will be gaoled &/or be irrevocably ruined. Interesting times…

 

28/01/2014: ‘WE SHALL OVERCOME’. Pete Seeger, my all-time favourite, dead at 94. I have been a fan for over 50 years. Pete was already famous when Woody Guthrie (my SECOND favourite) went up to New York to seek him out in the 1930’s. They were BOTH mentors of my THIRD favourite, Bob Dylan. You may think it strange that I have such left-wing taste in music…My mind might have changed even if my taste in music has not (I can still sing along with 'Cumbaya', even if I no longer believe it!) I KNOW he was an 'old commie' (which I deplore - and have done for over 50 years!) but I can still sing along. How's this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pZa3KtkVpQ

 

28/01/2014: Interesting take on the myth that conservatives fear change: ‘My reading of the news is that it is (‘progressives’) who fear things.  They fear climate change, even though there doesn't seem to be much, and much of it might be beneficial.  They fear GM foods, even though those have #deaths=0 and organic foods have #deaths=millions.  Even recently, a lot. They fear even reporting human biological diversity and racial differences.  They fear home schooling. They fear concealed carry and those icky people that even want to own guns. They fear free markets’ http://assistantvillageidiot.blogspot.com.au/2014/01/fraidy-cats.html

 

27/01/2014: Say’s Law: ‘The European economies, and Australia as well, emerged from the Great Depression faster than we have today because they used classical theory and policy to work things out. The UK famously balanced its budget in 1933, at the very trough of the Great Depression. We cut spending here in 1931 and (were) the first economy to come out of the Great Depression with the Australian trough being reached in 1931 from which time things continually improved. Only the American economy, with its Keynesian-Roosevelt road to recovery remained in the Great Depression right up until the US entered the war at the end of 1941.’ Keynesianism is recognised as having protracted the ‘Great Depression’ in the US by7+ years! WHY are the Left still so in favour of it? For some bizarre reason they think that their ‘intellectuals’ and bureaucrats can more sensibly manage the economy than the market can. A compromise might be (if you really WANT to throw good money after bad) to have THAT managed by BUSINESS leaders (in that capital IS always in short supply – and ought NOT to be wasted on building ‘ivory towers’!):  http://catallaxyfiles.com/2014/01/26/paul-krugman-and-his-continuing-ignorance-of-says-law/

 

27/01/2014: It is almost THIS difficult already in Oz to deal with things which want to eat your lambs. Traps? Snares? Both banned. $60,000 fine PLUS other penalties (eg loss of shooter’s licence, placed on register etc, etc) Try putting out poison baits. Licences, course/s, permits, paperwork…Shooting? Perhaps your farm NOW resides in a ‘Environmental Living Zone’, then it’s NO GO!…Of course this is only when it is just FOXES. If it is someone else’s dog, WELL! What if it is, Hush! Wait for it! A wedged-tailed eagle? – which it commonly is. (Curiously the ‘Farm Chemical User’s’ course I was COMPELLED to attend [TWICE now!] to get my ‘permit’- I still have to apply to buy FOX baits and then fill in lots of paperwork etc if I want to use them) informed me that the lethal dose (of 10:80) for eagles is EIGHT TIMES that for foxes – a useful piece of info! ‘Shoot, Shovel and Shut Up’ is MUCH quicker and more effective: http://neveryetmelted.com/2014/01/23/just-a-few-years-down-the-road/

 

27/01/2014: Some wonderful hiking ‘goodies’ here. I liked the ‘Grip Socks, the mylar survival poncho and the new Vasque shoes, for example: http://gossamergear.com/wp/buzz-blog/outdoor-retailer-delivers-again-loads-of-new-updated-lighter-better-and-outrageous-gear-and-some-items-you-didnt-know-you-needed-or-not

 Adventure Medical Kits Survival Poncho

26/01/2014: It IS sad to think there may still be children today who are unfamiliar with Raymond Briggs’ wonderful ‘Fungus the Bogeyman Plop-up Book’:  http://www.amazon.co.uk/Fungus-Bogeyman-Plop-up-Raymond-Briggs/sim/024110811X/2

 

26/01/2014: NEVER have to sharpen your knife again: GREAT for hunting; these made useful gifts for myself and the two ‘boys’ @ US$34.95 on Amazon (105 grams): http://www.outdooredge.com/Razor-Blaze-p/razor-blaze.htm These little guys, the Gerber ‘E.A.B. Lite’ utilising a standard ‘Stanley’ knife blade (@67 grams) are very handy for everyday use: http://www.amazon.com/Gerber-31-000345-E-A-B-Pocket-Knife/dp/B002RILCLY

 

26/01/2014: WHOSE national sovereignty IS MORE important? When an Australian ‘illegally’ visits the conquered territory of West New Guinea (which the Indos NOW call Irian Jaya – just as they call Oz SOUTH Irian) the person is promptly gaoled AND (not so promptly) deported. When the Indos can PROFIT from smuggling their Moslem mates into Oz (mostly as a preliminary ‘fifth column’ to eventual dreams of conquest and caliphate anyway) they WILL do so unless we stop them. They will also tell any lies they like about the matter – aided and abetted by the incredibly leftoid ABC which should not receive a single CENT of taxpayers’ money for its treasonous betrayal of this once great country!

 

26/01/2014: Answer to a comment: You are refusing to engage with Indonesian 'history'. MOST of its current 'empire' is conquered territory (and people) over which it had NO lawful claim for hegemony (and which has been bitterly and cruelly disputed by the conquered peoples (occasioning much pain and bloodshed). We did nothing when they took over Sumatra (Aceh), the Celebes (Kalimantan), etc. We (successfully) opposed their attempted takeover of (the balance of) Borneo, ie Sabah, Sarawak Brunei (& Singapore & Malaysia) in the 60's. We stood by and did nothing when they took over East Timor in 1972 (even though tens of thousands of Timorese were murdered by the Japanese during WW2 protecting OUR troops there. Again we did nothing in 1968 when they conquered West Papua (even though they have continued to perpetrate atrocities of all kinds there. We have a shameful history since (at least 1968) of appeasement with Indonesia. Clearly by calling Australia 'South Irian' on every schoolchild's atlas they intend to add us to their empire (if and when they can). We need to continue to be (economically and) militarily strong enough to successfully withstand a nation with a population TEN TIMES ours which is culturally utterly opposed to ours. This is not primitive jingoism or sabre rattling as you imply. Our behaviour to Indo has been no different to Chamberlain's behaviour to Hitler - and (if their military was strong enough - it is not) we would suffer the same consequences as Europe did then!

 

25/01/2014: At Davos Tony Abbott has just delivered one of the greatest speeches of modern times. It is not very long. You should read every word of it. Some snippets:

‘It’s worth noting – if only to remind ourselves of the good that can be done – that in the past few decades, more has been achieved to reduce poverty than in any other period in history… Mostly, though, it’s been driven by the intellectual and philosophical conviction that freer trade and smaller government will strengthen prosperity; the instinct that empowered citizens can do more for themselves than government will ever do for them…You can’t spend what you haven’t got. No country has ever taxed or subsidised its way to prosperity. You don’t address debt and deficit with yet more debt and deficit. And profit is not a dirty word because success in business is something to be proud of…A certain level of government spending is necessary and good. In Lincoln’s words, government should do for people what they can’t do for themselves – and no more…As always, stronger economic growth is the key to addressing almost every global problem. Stronger growth requires lower, simpler and fairer taxes that don’t stifle business creativity. And stronger growth requires getting government spending under control so that taxes can come down; and reducing regulation so that productivity can rise…We’re determined that fit working age people will work, preferably for a wage but, if not, as a condition of receiving unemployment benefits…After all, government doesn’t create wealth; people do, when they run profitable businesses. Government’s role is always to nurture its citizens rather than to promote itself…Better governance, though, is not the same as more government.’

http://www.pm.gov.au/media/2014-01-23/address-world-economic-forum-davos-switzerland-0

 

25/01/2014: AT LAST: some GOOD news: http://www.salon.com/2014/01/19/top_10_reasons_sex_is_good_for_you/

 

25/01/2014: Bill & Melinda Gates have done more to abolish poverty than any two people in all of history. Have a read of their latest hugely optimistic letter (they foresee poverty disappearing in their lifetimes – by 2035). It HAS drastically declined already in the last 25 years thanks to CAPITALISM! BIG HURRAH! Great news: http://annualletter.gatesfoundation.org/?cid=bg_pt_ll0_012122/#section=home

 

24/01/2014: Already a lightweight hiker, I have nonetheless managed to shave off nearly 2kg from my pack weight in prep for our next foray into the Fiordland wilderness. These were amongst the savings: http://www.zpacks.com/  cuben raincoat (save 334 grams), https://goosefeetgear.com/ waterproof over booties (save 365 grams), http://www.montbell.com/ Ex Light Down Jacket (save 200 grams), new pot & stove combo http://www.traildesigns.com/stoves/toaks-1100ml-ti-pot-frying-pan-fissure-ti-tri-bundle (save 165 grams), new waterproof camera Sony Cyber Shot DSC-TX200V ( Save 170 grams), lightweight dry clothes eg Tachyon wind jacket (@ 1.6oz & Dynamo pants @2.6oz by Montbell (save 498 grams)…compared to our South Coast walk in Tasmania in 2011 my pack weight is down OVER 4.5 kg. I should be carrying UNDER 10kg at the beginning of our Fiordland walk (including 10 days’ food (& rum!)

 P1040575

24/01/2014: I like it that the Government is set to go for full recovery of the cost of rescuing the warmist clowns who utterly stupidly got themselves stuck @ Commonwealth Bay at Xmas & who panicked & screamed for help. Their ship arrived in port weeks before they did! 53 of them into $2.5 mil works out @ $47,169.81ea. Serves the bastards right! They won’t be partying on the ice any more!

 

'About 2.30pm the weather deteriorated. At the same time Captain Kiselev saw slabs of sea ice moving into the open water channel from which the ship had entered the area. He called for everyone to return.

A passenger standing near Professor Turney overheard the voyage leader, Greg Mortimer, telling him over the radio to bring passengers back to the ship so it can leave.

But minutes later, Professor Turney drove six more passengers into the field.'

…the insurers will likely say the incident was caused by negligence on the part of Dr. Chris Turney, and toss the claim back in their laps.

 

24/01/2014: Why can’t the pols figure that only ‘light’ drinks should be sold at these ‘entertainment’ venues? I have drunk only light beer for over 40 years – and it has done me no harm that I can discern. Anyway, I have very rarely ‘king-hit’ anyone in that time or kicked them when they were down – much as I might have wanted to!

 

23/01/2014: The Australian Navy has done it again: http://larrybrownsports.com/tennis/rafael-nadal-blisters-hand/217432

 

23/01/2014: Tim Blair: ‘As Wade Laube notes, the ABC considers video of asylum seeker burns to be proof of how the burns occurred. But Prime Minister Tony Abbott requires a higher evidentiary standard: Asked if the aired footage constituted as evidence, Mr Abbott said: “Who do you believe? “Do you believe Australian naval personnel or do you believe people who were attempting to break Australian law? I believe Australian naval personnel.” So do most sane people. However, given that so many completely credible and utterly trustworthy individuals are convinced that Australian naval personnel have variously shot at, burned and assaulted asylum seekers, it’s worth asking the question …’

 

23/01/2014: No finer epitaph could I have than‘, He ate what was set before him,’ Robert Heinlein, ‘Starman Jones’, p. 234. (GREAT title!) The prevailing sense of ‘entitlement’ is SO wrong. We have only THIS life, not some yearned for fairy-tale. Grab life with both hands. Carpe that old Diem. ie ‘Seize the day’. Enjoy!

 

23/01/2014: ‘Despite their grimly statist ways, the utopians continue to pass themselves off as well-meaning hipsters, anti-establishment rebels and earthy pro-underdog types, united by a devotion to freedom and tolerance. This has to be the most successful PR exercise in history – no less astonishing than if Hitler had convinced the world he was an avid Judeophile. The people responsible for hate crimes, speech codes, the smoking ban, debilitating taxes, and a soul-sucking state bureaucracy would have us believe that they are chilled-out hipcats, who totally dig your scene. If you think what they think, do what they say, and accept the terms of their ‘generosity’, it might be possible to enjoy their simulacrum of freedom as though it’s the real thing. But wander too far from the coop and soon you’ll soon collide with the chicken wire.’ (Maggie’s Farm)

 

23/01/2014: A VERY worthwhile read if you are interested in how things come about, eg ‘GISS and UAH differ by 0.36°C, which is enormous in nine years. Compare it to the 0.6°C increase over 140 years, a change the 2001 IPCC claimed was dramatic and unnatural.’ Mostly the error climatologists seem to have made is attributing to temperature what should have been attributed to precipitation. I had noticed that myself in relation to glaciers (which grow when it rains and shrink when it is dry - irrespective of temperature change). The validity of the chronological CO2 record is PARTICULARLY important: ‘The amount of CO2 in the ice crystals varies with the temperature of the water droplet and raindrop, just as seawater CO2 capacity varies. This means glacier meltwater has a higher concentration of CO2 and as it trickles down through the ice layers modifies the ice bubbles as Jaworowski explained in his presentation to the US Senate Committee (March 2004). This is because the ice cores do not fulfil the essential closed system criteria. “One of them is a lack of liquid water in ice, which could dramatically change the chemical composition the air bubbles trapped between the ice crystals. This criterion, is not met, as even the coldest Antarctic ice (down to -73°C) contains liquid water[2]. More than 20 physico-chemical processes, mostly related to the presence of liquid water, contribute to the alteration of the original chemical composition of the air inclusions in polar ice”’ : http://wattsupwiththat.com/2013/12/27/many-climate-reconstructions-incorrectly-attributed-to-temperature-change/#more-99965

 

22/01/2014: My new raincoat. 154 grams (in my size) in waterproof, 40,000ml breathable cuben fibre from http://www.zpacks.com/ It IS spectacular. Rolls up to the size of a pack of cigs. It comes in this attractive white colour only. Can hardly wait for some rain so I can try it out! It has Spot’s seal of approval , as you can see.

 

22/01/2014: The House by the Side of the Road: Sam Walter Foss

 

There are hermit souls that live withdrawn

In the place of their self-content;

There are souls like stars, that dwell apart,

In a fellowless firmament;

There are pioneer souls that blaze their paths

Where highways never ran

But let me live by the side of the road

And be a friend to man.

 

Let me live in a house by the side of the road,

Where the race of men go by

The men who are good and the men who are bad,

As good and as bad as I.

I would not sit in the scorner's seat,

Or hurl the cynic's ban

Let me live in a house by the side of the road

And be a friend to man.

 

I see from my house by the side of the road,

By the side of the highway of life,

The men who press with the ardor of hope,

The men who are faint with the strife.

But I turn not away from their smiles nor their tears,

Both parts of an infinite plan

Let me live in a house by the side of the road

And be a friend to man.

 

I know there are brook-gladdened meadows ahead

And mountains of wearisome height;

That the road passes on through the long afternoon

And stretches away to the night.

But still I rejoice when the travelers rejoice,

And weep with the strangers that moan,

Nor live in my house by the side of the road

Like a man who dwells alone.

 

Let me live in my house by the side of the road

It's here the race of men go by.

They are good, they are bad, they are weak, they are strong,

Wise, foolish so am I;

Then why should I sit in the scorner's seat,

Or hurl the cynic's ban?

Let me live in my house by the side of the road

And be a friend to man.

 

22/01/2014: NO boat arrivals for a month. This compares VERY favourably with 3,000 arrivals per month (under the previous ‘Government’), and a drowning death either every day or every other day! To recap, 3,000 fewer people arrived and 30 fewer died. That’s what I call a win/win!

 

21/01/2014: SO many things I do/did not know (eg ergot causes St Vitus Dance – can this be why during the Middle Ages there was a weird outbreak of mass hysteria where folks danced themselves to death (See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dancing_Plague_of_1518 This woman, Frau Troffea, deserves to go DOWN in history!) ? That is something which would NEVER catch on with me, as I consider ‘dance’ to be just about the weirdest thing people do, pretty much on a par with wishing people ‘a nice day’, and car washing – something I have never fallen for either!) BUT ‘white food’ IS an interesting notion which I had never thought much about (nor its racist connotations). I can remember my dad always picked minute invisible somethings out of his bread before he ate it which I had always assumed was just because of a background of Depression era poverty food (‘Weavils in the Flour’) & etc – but maybe not. He may have been a ‘white’ supremacist after all: he DID always use white toothpaste, add white sugar to his tea, eat white bread, use white mayonnaise, had a preference for vanilla ice cream, wrote on white sheets of paper…the list is well-nigh endless…Two of my favourite quotes; Milton Berle used to joke, “Anytime somebody orders a corned beef sandwich on white bread with mayonnaise, somewhere in the world, a Jew dies.” & ‘It was widely believed that the safest meal to eat in a strange diner was a grilled-cheese sandwich.’

White food: http://takimag.com/article/white_food_steve_sailer/print#axzz2qklj8FAq

 White Food

21/01/2014: I was trying to think this morning of books which are REALLY good for a laugh. I got to three which are really rib-tickling before my mind moved on to something else: 'The Exploits of the Incredible Mulla Nasrudin' by Idries Shah, 'The Book of Heroic Failures' by Stephen Pile, 'Puckoon' by Spike Milligan...PLEASE add to the list!

 

21/01/2014: If you wonder WHY I return again & again to Fiordland (& the Dusky Track) maybe this excerpt from ‘Shadowland’ will whet your appetite. (Della’s favourite part, the kakapo @ 37secs in). You MAY have to BUY the complete vid as no-one seems to have uploaded it, but it WILL be worth it. Even more worthwhile is to tramp the Fiordland wilderness. If you feel you are not as fit as we geriatrics, treat yourself to a heli or plane tour out of Te Anau. Ah, back again in Feb/Mar 2014: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jF4ugISWMT8

 

20/01/2014: It’s TRUE: ‘Antarctica Has Sea Ice Rabbit Ears, a V for Victory or Maybe It’s a Peace Sign?…’ (Thanks to Anthony Watts for noticing this) http://nsidc.org/data/seaice_index/images/daily_images/S_bm_extent_hires.png

 

20/01/2014: Dogs just can’t be made to speak clearly (and they are not alone there, as my advancing geriatric deafness attests!) After our two Westies died our remaining ancient Jack Russell, Tiny showed every evidence of wanting to learn to talk. I spent many hours training her until (I thought) she could quite clearly say, ‘Food’! However, immediately we bought her a new puppy (Spot) she ceased all attempts at oral communication. This was clearly because she had been trying to say, ‘Puppy’ when I just thought she said, ‘food’. It is surprising how few animals have learned how to speak English (or any other language for that matter). What s even more surprising is how many fewer humans have learned to speak ‘Animal’ considering that we consider ourselves to be the smartest animal! This man is perhaps the only exception: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xvccpd_my-life-as-a-turkey-hd_shortfilms

 

20/01/2014: Breathtaking NZ: http://vimeo.com/83907617

 

20/01/2014: Quote of the day: Henry Hazlitt’s ‘Marxism in One Minute’: ‘The whole gospel of Karl Marx can be summed up in a single sentence: Hate the man who is better off than you are. Never under any circumstances admit that his success may be due to his own efforts, to the productive contribution he has made to the whole community. Always attribute his success to the exploitation, the cheating, the more or less open robbery of others. [MP: Or according to our Marxist-in-Chief: "If you’ve got a business — you didn’t build that. Somebody else made that happen."] Never under any circumstances admit that your own failure may be owing to your own weakness, or that the failure of anyone else may be due to his own defects — his laziness, incompetence, improvidence or stupidity. Never believe in the honesty or disinterestedness of anyone who disagrees with you. This basic hatred is the heart of Marxism. This is its animating force. You can throw away the dialectical materialism, the Hegelian framework, the technical jargon, the “scientific” analysis, and millions of pretentious words, and you still have the core: the implacable hatred and envy that are the raison d’etre for all the rest.’

 

19/01/2014: Today my mother Marie would have been 95 if her life had not been cut short ten years ago by mesothelioma. Especially on her birthday I am aware of many conversations I failed to have with her, and never will. Her only contact with asbestos (as far as anyone could tell) was washing my asbestos covered clothes after I came home from work at Sulphide Corporation at Cockle Creek Newcastle (Rio) in the 1960’s where I was daily (literally) up to my armpits in the stuff and (most days) breathing it in in huge lungfulls. I understood then and understand today that such unsafe working conditions which saw weekly deaths in refineries and mines in the Hunter where I worked for a number of years were a consequence of rebuilding the country after the huge cost of WW2, so that we were in a situation not unlike those who had fought to save the country during that conflict, ie necessity. Thankfully we have been able to afford safer working conditions for workers & management since then, but everything we ‘enjoy’ has to be affordable. (My great uncle Albert Sanlaville, a manager at a coal mine at Kurri Kurri was killed in an ‘accident’ there in 1929). I trust I have not inherited the acute susceptibility to asbestosis my mother had - her chance of contracting the disease which killed her were 4 in one million IF she had acute exposure (she did not).

 

19/01/2014: THIS would be a pretty neat gadget if he can make it work: there may be some difficulty extracting sufficient dissolved oxygen from the available water quickly enough – large animals like humans DO require quite a bit, but you must have all seen those vids of underwater rabbits & etc, so the concept might work: http://inhabitat.com/triton-scuba-mask-transforms-divers-into-human-fish/

 scuba mask, triton scuba mask, design concept, breathing underwater, scuba equipment, diving, south korean designer, microbattery, oxygen mask, oxygen filter

19/01/2014: ONE of the reasons we have unemployment is that it is just too hard to give ‘dubious’ or inexperienced workers a start due to minimum wage awards, plus the plethora of additional charges on employment (payroll taxes, sick leave, LSL, holiday pay, superannuation, maternity & paternity leave, workers’ compensation, public liability insurance & so on ad nauseum), and also the serous risks of litigation involved in various labour ‘protection’ rackets such as ‘unfair dismissal’, workplace ‘bullying’, the various forms of ‘harassment’ & etc. It must be a terrible problem if you are someone keen to get a job or make a new start but who has ‘made a mistake’ at some time in the past eg been fired for some reason, acquired a police record & etc. Who in his/her right mind IS going to give you ‘a go’? A Govt scheme to indemnify employers who are willing to give people a chance has long been urgently needed – which SOUNDS like bad grammar, I know, but it is merely the reality of the problem. The writer of this article argues (very lucidly) that minimum wage awards seriously disadvantage the very people they are intended to protect (like almost all socialist policies really!): http://mises.org/daily/6630/The-Minimum-Wage-Forces-LowSkill-Workers-to-Compete-with-HigherSkill-Workers

 

19/01/2014: Can smokers, drinkers and motorists really afford to keep supporting all the wowsers and do-gooders of the world? These obsessive health nuts are clearly (attempting to) outlive these honest taxpaying party-goers who provide such a bonanza to them through their onerous excise duties which often, counting that the ‘goods’ involved are purchased with after tax money AND attract GST as well, pay a marginal tax rate on their ‘recreational’ purchases of over 90% - far more than the rich EVER paid in income taxes in the ‘good old days’ of Bob Menzies & etc – but these taxpayers are not the rich. Too often they are the poorest in our society – made even moreso by having to shell out their 90% to the wowsers who condemn them and who seek to outlive them as well, but outlive them at those selfsame taxpayer’s expense: a ruse which only works because they (the wowsers) in fact do not outlive the indulgent – and thank goodness for that!

 

18/01/2014: SOME improvement! I can see NOW how Volvo have an aim of making cars which NO-ONE dies in by 2020: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=joMK1WZjP7g

 

18/01/2014: Well SAID, Viv: http://wattsupwiththat.com/2013/12/26/pioneers-builders-and-termites/#more-99941

 

18/01/2014: To some extent, THIS has happened here too: Everyone Is a Criminal. Fortunately Tony has recently announced he is abolishing 8,000 laws in a single day (sic!). This IS a step in the right direction: http://www.thenation.com/article/177519/everyone-criminal-over-policing-america#

18/01/2014: ‘Young people once looked forward to the day they would escape the family home and forge their own path through life. Holding down a job, managing their finances and taking responsibility for their actions were what defined them as adults. And a society of such people, working together, was the cornerstone of Western civilisation. But for the past few decades, the Left has sold us a different dream. They have promised to look after the boring admin of life, so we might set off on its great adventure, like Georgian gentlemen embarking on Grand Tours. Even if this vision had not soured to a living nightmare, it would have still been profoundly dehumanising. Coping with the vagaries of life is life. It’s how we express our individuality and become more mature, rounded human beings. By seeking to liberate us from life’s challenges, the Left has turned us into a nation of children, trapped in a shabby, impoverished society, the primary function of which is to subsidise its least productive members.’ (Maggie’s Farm)

17/01/2014: I can think of MANY people for whom THIS would be a MOST appropriate present: http://www.thinkgeek.com/product/e5a7/#tabs

 Tasty Magical Beast

17/01/2014: This ad targeted ME – I think I probably could use a touch-up but would most likely need the real thing improved, not just the pics: http://studio.portraitprofessional.com/?gclid=CP6H8P3hgbwCFcUbpAodBVEARQ

 Example image

 

17/01/2014: Quote of the day, ‘an attractive misandrist is an oxymoron’, Larry Pickering. I must admit I too am appalled, astonished and disgusted  that ‘Destroy the Joint’s campaign includes sending  Scott Morrison used condoms every month! http://pickeringpost.com/story/real-blokes-like-real-sheilas/2617

 

17/01/2014: Thanks Grace; I confess I did not know UNIONS pay NO TAX. I knew churches and charities were exempt - & I never agreed with that either. Frankly, I can’t see why ANYONE should pay no tax. Either we’re all in this mess together, or it is a question of some of us providing a hand-out to the others – a state of affairs about which I’m sure I’m not the only one who is ready to cry, ‘ENOUGH!’ http://www.michaelsmithnews.com/2014/01/grace-collier-with-startling-common-sense.html

 

16/01/2014: The UN IS a disaster: http://www.smalldeadanimals.com/archives/are-we-still.html#comments

 

16/01/2014: TOO good to be true, ‘the #spirtofmawson people are still at Casey Station, waiting for their ride home, while the Akademic Shokalskiy has made it to port in New Zealand’ Money WELL SPENT: http://wattsupwiththat.com/2014/01/13/akademic-shokalskiy-makes-it-back-to-port-spirtofmawson-fools-still-stuck-in-antartica/

16/01/2014: Public Enemies: the Green Police, the Warm Police, the Exercise Police, the Smoking Police, the Food Police… http://www.luckyculture.com.au/what-the-food-police-dont-tell-you-about-trans-fats/

15/01/2014: ‘But because people in the West are not threatened by concentration camps and are free to say and write what they want, the more the fight for human rights gains in popularity, the more it loses any concrete content, becoming a kind of universal stance of everyone toward everything, a kind of energy that turns all human desires into rights.’ – Milan Kundera, and so ‘Human desires are frequently cited, accurately or not, as the basis for human rights. Want publicly funded birth control? Then argue that it’s a human right. The same goes for SSM or assisted suicide. If you love someone, then it’s your human right to marry them; if you no longer want to live, then it’s your right to die. If you don’t want a child, then abort it. But if that same baby dies in a car accident on the way to the abortion clinic, the death becomes homicide. By making human desires indistinguishable from human rights, the Left fundamentally recreates the historic Western category of the human.’ Harrison Dietzman: http://ricochet.com/main-feed/The-Left-s-Reordering-of-Human-Desire

 

15/01/2014: How the ‘Great Deceit’ was created: http://wattsupwiththat.com/2013/11/13/why-and-how-the-ipcc-demonized-co2-with-manufactured-information/#more-97390

 

15/01/2014: Can YOU think of a better example of power for power’s sake and nanny state nonsense gone utterly barmy than the ban on incandescent light globes?

 

14/01/2014: Way to GO:  HUGE CUTS: In an effort to slash red and green tape, Prime Minister Tony Abbott has announced around 8,000 federal laws will be abolished in one day.

 

14/01/2014: Freedom? How can THIS be happening in our country? http://pickeringpost.com/story/a-pizza-with-the-lot/2539

 

14/01/2014: Duh! ‘More dramatic isotopic warming (and cooling) trends occurred in the mid-nineteenth and eighteenth centuries, suggesting that at present, the effect of anthropogenic climate drivers at this location has not exceeded the natural range of climate variability in the context of the past ~300 years.’ http://wattsupwiththat.com/2013/12/05/new-ice-core-record-shows-climate-variability-in-west-antarctica/#more-98594

 

14/01/2014: A very great leader, Ariel Sharon dies and is decently buried within 48 hours with little said by international leaders or the world’s press, yet they dragged poor Nelson around for WEEKS like some ragged toy, making out that HE was somehow ‘The Second Coming’!

 

13/01/2014: ‘If all else fails, lower your standards’

 

13/01/2014: Not JUST Detroit (and, I suspect, not just the US either): http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-12-16/camden-new-jersey-one-hundreds-us-cities-are-turning-rotting-decaying-hellholes

13/01/2014: Even if you die (of an excess of salt?) at age 87(!) does that REALLY entitle your spouse to a WAR widow’s pension just shy of 70 years AFTER your service ended? Though I appreciate Clement Hutton’s service to our country, the sense of ENTITLEMENT present in Australian society is frightening, (as is the ENORMOUS cost of the blood-sucking lawyers ‘fearlessly’ pursuing such claims): http://catallaxyfiles.com/2014/01/02/87-year-old-man-dies-time-for-compo/

12/01/2014: If you’ve got an hour to listen (and you really SHOULD have) here is how Studs Terkel introduced Bob Dylan to the world way back in 1963 BEFORE times began changing… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4nA3QwGPBg

 

12/01/2014: Anthony Esolen, reflecting on John Ford’s great movie, ‘How Green was My Valley’: ‘I do not own a coal mine.  I am a professor of literature at an American college.  We professors, like the mine owners, do not do hard manual labour for a living.  Unlike those mine owners, if I may speak generally, we spend none of our time around such men.  We do not break bread with them, we do not live near them, we do not worship at the same church, our children do not see one another on the streets.  We are almost entirely insulated from the exigencies of bodily life.  We do not grow our own fruit and vegetables, we do not build our own homes, we do not raise our own livestock, we do not dig our own wells, we do not repair our own vehicles, we do not clear our own fields, we do not pave our own driveways and roads, we do not lay the bricks for our own schools, we do not fight our own fights.’ Far TOO many like him – and yet unlike, for most show no remorse and are ever assured of their superiority! http://www.frontporchrepublic.com/2014/01/theres-equality-theres-equality/

 

12/01/2014: Well, far from being abandoned with NO telecommunications at all (as a result of the NBN) I noticed a couple of days ago that one of those crown-topped NBN wireless towers had suddenly appeared amid the trees at the top of the hill on our next door neighbours’ property not half a click away! Evidently we can now receive the internet @25 megs and cheaper than from our current provider; all this far sooner than most folks in towns/cities even!

 

11/01/2014: YES: http://blogs.news.com.au/images/uploads/allus.png

 http://blogs.news.com.au/images/uploads/allus.png

11/01/2014: An oz of Gallium; the perfect gift? http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BSRAH5M//ref=cm_sw_su_dp?tag=duiwath-20

gallium-melting-metal

 

11/01/2014: WANKERS of the Year Award: OUR ‘Education Department (which) manages “a high-quality, coherent, birth-through-adulthood learning and development system” that costs $11.1 billion a year to run…it exists “to support Victorians to build prosperous, socially engaged, happy and healthy lives” Not SO long ago we could all agree on what we wanted schools to teach our children, (Literacy, Numeracy, Citizenship for a start!) Now that they no longer do so, we have this… http://www.luckyculture.com.au/a-whole-of-government-guide-to-tortured-syntax/

10/01/2014: Peak oil is over? Tell that to the USA: http://hotair.com/archives/2013/12/27/2013-the-year-of-the-united-states-biggest-oil-boom-ever/

 

10/01/2014: STRANGE things you can’t bring onto planes: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=luNfghUnvFg

 

10/01/2014: Astonishing that anyone could WANT to do this, let alone succeed: http://www.gizmag.com/south-pole-fat-trike/30245/

 Maria Leijerstam with her White ICE Cycle

09/01/2014: Ah, the rush to publish…Della has beaten me hands down on this one – I blame a nasty episode of Meniere’s. Foxbaits laid on our intended route, we ventured instead into the Baw Baw Nat Park (of course not telling the dogs; they were doing anything wrong – you wouldn’t want to fill them with guilt; they were enjoying themselves too much). I used to hunt over that whole area with hounds before it was declared a nat park (in 1983?) and indeed until we were ourselves hunted out of there by police in helicopters one Queen’s Birthday weekend in the mid 80’s! Della was there then too. There is still a hunter’s hut no more than a km from the Mushroom rocks (NOT the scout hut!) where once I warmed Della’s frozen feet on a snowy morn about five years ago. I have been wanting to take Della on the full Warburton to Walhalla walk (four days – and GREAT in hot weather because temp drops by @1C per 100metres elevation). I think I may persuade her now. We walked past the Mushroom Rocks, climbed Mt Erica and went on to the ruins of the Talbot Hut and the extraordinary stream nearby right on the top of the mountain. There are many such streams right across the Baw Baw plateau so that water is never a problem. Beautiful clear, & icy-cold too. The plateau is well-named as there are @ two days of quite flat walking from Mt Erica on until you begin your descent after Mt Whitelaw amid beautiful snow gums and other interesting alpine veg such as prostrate conifers and many mountain flowers.

09/01/2014: This headline indicates the level of statism in the ‘land of the free’. I misdoubt the situation is any better here. With @ 1/15th of their population I imagine we have @ 3,000 new laws each year. The sooner we get rid of half our Governments and half our laws, the better. Then we can start on ridding ourselves of the OTHER half… http://thelead.blogs.cnn.com/2013/12/31/40000-new-laws-take-effect-in-2014/

09/01/2014: Excuse me folks but WHALES are a RENEWABLE RESOURCE which once supplied all of the world’s lighting and lubrication – as well as a considerable amount of food (not to mention corset building material, scrimshaw, ambergris & etc, etc)…It is also more than passing strange that the same folk who think whale killing is evil, think that baby killing is good! And good enough to be paid a $5,000 baby bonus for! Yes, really! Incidentally I was a foundation member of Project Jonah which was successful in having Australia’s whaling stations shut down in the early 70’s!

 

A month ago you could have bought Boart Longyear (BLY) for $0.265. This morning it hit $0.50, and has risen $0.10 in the last three days! I have commented on this stock before. Congrats if you made an easy $100K or so since Friday! Mining IS coming back!

 

08/01/2014: A transparent canoe would be cool for a while but unfortunately I would soon scratch it up: http://www.dudeiwantthat.com/outdoors/watersports/see-through-bottom-canoe.asp

 See Through Bottom Canoe

 

08/01/2014: The food CRISIS: the world already produces THREE TIMES the food needed by the world’s population: ‘Currently food production is believed sufficient to feed 25 billion people and growing. The issue is that in the developing world some 60 percent of production never makes it to the table.’ Over-population, resource depletion, pollution, extinctions, global warming…these are ALL febrile INVENTIONS of the Left whose aim is ever world domination and the fattening of the commissars:  http://wattsupwiththat.com/2014/01/05/overpopulation-the-fallacy-behind-the-fallacy-of-global-warming/#more-100583

 

08/01/2014: Vikings in America: This lady, Pat Sutherland, will have her work cut out. There are (apparently) whole towns of stone ruins scattered about in the high Canadian arctic, even NORTHERN Greenland & etc - apart from THESE ruins on Baffin Island which begin to show the extent of the Medieval Viking ‘empire’ in the New World, made possible by an extended warm period several degrees warmer than today (or even than predicted by the most doomster Warmists). For example, Viking houses in Greenland were framed with large timbers which grew there - where today NO tree grows, and has not these five centuries past. As the archaeological data emerges from the recently laid down permafrost, a fertile field for artistic creativity will emerge: I predict lots of NEW ‘Vinland’ sagas will hit the bookshelves (or at least the e-reader micro SDs!) Curiously, the Viking presence in Greenland, Baffin Island etc PREDATES the Inuit (Eskimo) occupation, giving a whole new meaning to the word ‘indigenous’. I have long wondered also WHO brought the ‘aborigines’ to Australia (and why!) Clearly someone who long ago had the ability to build sea-faring ships, a technology clearly beyond historical aboriginal peoples. I also think it curious that Tasmanian human occupation only began on THAT island perhaps 15,000 years ago when one could have easily have walked there 50 or 100,000 years ago, if people were present to do so. I note that ‘Mungo Man’, ‘Cow Swamp Woman’ & etc have NO descendents amongst present-day aborigines, surely putting the lie to a lengthy occupation by them. (It is also MORE than unfortunate that these priceless relics have been sequestered FROM scientific investigation by the ‘aboriginal industry’). It is more than likely that the present aboriginal population arrived (basically in the historical period - with their dingos) ie c5,000 years ago – and on someone else’s ship – mayhap an ancient Iraqi one (though there were then no doubt others sailing the Arabian and Indian Seas), having been picked up from somewhere like Sri Lanka (where there relatives remain today), perhaps intended as labourers. If so, will today’s ‘aborigines’ be willing to hand back the land they misappropriated to these earlier owners should they come forward. Well, they have: thousands of Iraqi refugees (or claimants) HAVE arrived: http://news.nationalgeographic.com.au/news/2012/10/121019-viking-outpost-second-new-canada-science-sutherland/

 Archaeologists dig in the Tanfield Valley.

07/01/2014: I’m sure this is also true in Vic! What a MAD (Green) world we live in: http://www.michaelsmithnews.com/2014/01/all-frogs-and-tadpoles-are-protected-in-nsw-under-the-national-parks-and-wildlife-act-and-it-is-agai.html

 

07/01/2014: We are rather cosseted by our media here in Oz in that they will not report even the worst excesses of their Leftie mates, even Kim Jong Un, but having your uncle (and five of his mates) torn to pieces and eaten by savage dogs is surely a little beyond the Pale (as is having your girlfriend machine-gunned for that matter!): http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2014/01/horror-kim-jong-un-had-his-uncle-eaten-alive-by-120-revenous-dogs/

07/01/2014: I do LIKE Larry Pickering. Here he revisits one of the (other) great scams of our time, (the anti-smoking pogrom) and establishes brilliantly the indisputable FACT that tobacco smoking is GOOD for you, REDUCES your chance of cancer and heart disease and INCREASES your longevity. WELL DONE, Larry: http://pickeringpost.com/story/tobacco-fibs/2553

06/01/2014: Quote of the day: ‘The global warming scam is unravelling quicker than Julia’s knitting’ Larry Pickering: http://pickeringpost.com/story/the-scare-scam-is-well-and-truly-sunk/2572

 

06/01/2014: Ain't it the truth? http://www.aei-ideas.org/2013/12/chart-of-the-greatest-and-most-remarkable-achievement-in-human-history-and-one-you-probably-never-heard-about/

 

06/01/2014: Exped ultralight pillow (@45 grams http://www.moontrail.com/exped-airpillow-ul-m.php). Received one of these for Xmas and tried it out last night. VERY comfortable. I have been seeking a new hiking pillow since Graham Medical stopped making their dual chamber ‘Flexair’ pillow. This could well be IT. Unlike Bonnie Prince Charlie who famously used a rock for a pillow (and was taunted as a sissy for needing one - in the snow during the raising of the Highlands), I NEED a comfortable pillow. This one allows you to sleep either on your back or your side, and is lower on one side (so supporting your neck and preventing nasty ‘cricks’). I recommend this product, but I would also like to try Thermarest’s new offering in the same category before I decide which is best. (http://www.cascadedesigns.com/therm-a-rest/pillows-and-bedding/neoair-pillow/product @ 55 grams!)

 Airpillow UL M

06/01/2014: Went to Midvalley Cinema to watch ‘The Hunger Games – Catching Fire’. I said to Della at the start ‘Think they have it on Widescreen’, but she was non-committal, so watched the whole movie with everyone pretending to be Gimli the Dwarf. Spoke to the manager at the end who was MOST surprised (as clearly it had been set at the wrong format for perhaps several weeks and I was the first person to notice/comment!) Anyway was given two free tickets for our trouble, so a win really, as we will be able to download the thin version pretty soon anyway! Incidentally, a VERY good movie!

 

06/01/2014: We live just 4km from Hazelwood (renamed ‘Churchill’ since he died). This is the wonderful ‘Hazelwood Power Station just as it has been for the last fifty years emitting nothing but clear air - and providing (over that time) approx HALF Victoria’s electricity (down to @25% today). Sometimes in the colder months it appears to emit columns of steam, just as your warm breath appears to on a cold morning, but this condensation is no more ‘pollution’ than your breath is on a winter’s morn! It has been (for Vic – like Wangi in NSW) the wonderful machine which long since brought the bounty of rural electricity to everyone outside Melbourne and cheap electricity to them too, so that everyone could have lights and all manner of beautiful devices - and so that industry could have the cheap energy which built the State’s prosperity. I feel it is a NATIONAL TREASURE – and a very beautiful structure in its own right, encompassing all that was splendid in fifties era power station design. Well done Hazelwood, and wonderful that you can continue to do great things for Vic for the next 25 years.

 

05/01/2014: EXACTLY: ‘Medical care is not an inalienable right or entitlement. It sits alongside other things that people need and want and which can only be afforded out of earnings. Most people have to, or should, understand that as much as they understand that the cost of food, clothing, shelter, and transport comes out of their earnings. To give an impression that medical care is a free good is equivalent to putting LSD in the water supply. It creates an artificial world; remote from the real world…Most people can afford it with appropriate insurance and with a prioritisation which puts their medical expenditure ahead of any and all spending beyond meeting essential needs. You can’t (or shouldn’t) expect someone else to pay for your visit to a doctor if you are spending money on holidays or on fashionable shoes.’ Peter Smith: https://quadrant.org.au/opinion/qed/2014/01/free-medicine/

05/01/2014: These guys have re-engineered the block-splitter Watch the vid: http://www.dudeiwantthat.com/outdoors/tools/vipukirves-leveraxe.asp

Vipukirves 2

05/01/2014: Della’s (Xmas) robot vac has been renamed yet again (from ‘Hired Girl’ to ‘K9’) to ‘Alexander’ (Beetle – thank you Melanie!) because of his appearance. In the same way ‘Spot’ the dog began as ‘Jack’, then ‘JR’…Our children suffered similar fates: our first used to be ‘Opie’, then ‘Shenandoah’, finally ‘Irralee’, but now ‘Izza’, and so on. This SHALL be known as ‘Nominative Indeterminacy’. Learned articles will SOON link the phenomenon to climate change, excessive sugar consumption, aliens, Big Oil, & etc ad infin!

04/01/2014: The Chinese ice-breaker Xue Long is NOW frozen in too, AND the Aurora Australis is only making ¼ of a knot. I really can’t see how Aurora can rescue Xue given she is only 8,000 tonnes against the Chinese boat’s 20,000! Meanwhile, UAH satellite records show 2013 the FOURTH warmest year since their records began (1978): http://wattsupwiththat.com/2014/01/03/global-temperature-report-december-2013/#more-100432

04/01/2014: Before you waste all that hard-earned on orthodontics for the kids, why not wait and see whether their snaggle-teeth are becoming fashionable: http://shine.yahoo.com/shine-beauty/japanese-snaggletooth-craze-spawns-dental-procedures-girl-group-194500258.html

04/01/2014: Absurd Creature of the Week: Enormous Hermit Crab Tears Through Coconuts, Eats Kittens: http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2013/12/absurd-creature-of-the-week-2/

04/01/2014: Spot’s birthday trip: Amazing really how (too) busy you can be. THIS lovely waterfall (one of a series of three!) is just around the corner from us (on the Morwell River), yet having lived nearby for 22 years we had never visited it until Wednesday. Spot (as you can see) enjoyed it too. I hope my new (Xmas) camera, a Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-TX200V Waterproof (114 grams) will get lots of work this year:

 

03/01/2014: I have been really enjoying this website about Mawson’s expeditions (especially with the AGW ship stuck in the summer ice 75 km off-shore!). If I had been Mawson I would have fed the dead Mertz to the dogs in order to maximise the distance the dogs could pull me on the return journey before they were all ‘used up’. Mathematics ought to be able to prove whether he did so. Other things mathematics OUGHT to be able to establish: the correct batting order for the Australian cricket team (eg Do you really get the best overall score by having your best batters batting when the bowler is freshest?) http://mawsonshuts.antarctica.gov.au/cape-denison

Temporary tent camp during the erection of the main base hut at Cape Denison

Some fair questions HERE: http://wattsupwiththat.com/2014/01/02/now-that-the-ship-of-fools-is-safe-in-antarctica-tough-questions-need-to-be-asked/

 

03/01/2014: Unbelievably, the ACT has spent SO much of OUR money it is now functionally BROKE and seeking to be bailed out! WHY did we ever think that the ACT needed a Government of it OWN? Don’t we already have such a surplus of Governments in Oz we should be giving most of them away to deserving poor countries who don’t have enough (just supposing that THEY could afford them – or WANTED them)? http://blogs.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/timblair/index.php/dailytelegraph/comments/capital_city_bail_out/

 

03/01/2014: Oh, diddums: ‘A Greenpeace campaigner claims he was forced to live on bread and water while being held in a Russian prison because it didn’t offer a vegetarian alternative.’

 

02/01/2014: Labor’s parliamentary secretary Ed Husic, said ‘people often had to jump through hoops to qualify for the (disability) benefit’ in reply to Matthias Corman’s announcement that the Disability Pension will be reviewed in the light that 1 in 20 working age adults currently receives it (MANY MORE if you are an Afghani Ozzie) and that there will VERY soon be ONE MILLION folks guzzling at that particular trough if nothing is done. Surely folks who CAN ‘jump through hoops’ ARE work ready?

02/01/2014: Quote of the day: Former ABC chairman Maurice Newman, now head of the Prime Minister’s business advisory council: ‘From the UN down, the climate change delusion is a gigantic money tree. It is a tyranny that, despite its pretensions, favours the rich and politically powerful at the expense of the poor and powerless. But the madness of the crowds is waning and, as Mackay writes of the perpetrators: “Punishment is sure to overtake them sooner or later.” We can only hope it comes before most of us descend into serfdom.’

02/01/2014: Some good ones here. MY personal favourite: “Let’s be under no illusions. The carbon tax was socialism masquerading as environmentalism.” – PM Tony Abbott: http://blogs.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/timblair/index.php/dailytelegraph/comments/quotes_of_2013/

 

01/01/2014: Tim Blair’s 2014 predictions: some of MY favourites: ‘The first Tony Abbott blaming of 2014 take place at 12.01am on January 1 following an overcooked late-night snack at Christine Milne’s Tasmanian home. The Greens leader holds Abbott’s carbon tax repeal legislation responsible for two scorched chipolatas and a frankly abysmal fried egg…Natasha Stott-Despoja is released by authorities after an incident at New York’s JFK airport. “She listed her occupation as ‘ambassador for women’ on her visa form,” an official explains. “We just assumed she was insane and locked her up”… The gay marriage debate takes an unexpected turn when Tim Mathieson publicly proposes to federal communications minister Malcolm Turnbull. “I love Malcolm and will be his bride,” vows the former First Bloke…After being denied access to Uluru, four Swedish tourists climb Clive Palmer’ http://blogs.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/timblair/index.php/dailytelegraph/comments/2014_foretold/

 

01/01/2014: A year in the army! What a great idea for a GAP YEAR! Why not make it universal? NOW it is possible. The previous system where you could only volunteer for 6-8 years even when you could be conscripted for TWO (and would have PREFERRED to volunteer) was nonsense.

 

01/01/2014: It’s obvious really (when an adult explains it) but it HAS puzzled me why the Antarctic ice has been growing, even when the Arctic was shrinking, but (of course) it IS all that black dust from all that coal we sell China! Of course, if they clean THAT up (as everyone in World 1 did long since), the world generally will get a lot COLDER (as predicted by the solar numbers – see second link) which IS a worry: http://www.coyoteblog.com/coyote_blog/2013/12/want-to-save-the-ice-in-the-arctic.html & http://wattsupwiththat.com/2013/12/13/leif-svalgaard-at-agu-on-the-current-solar-cycle-none-of-us-alive-have-ever-seen-such-a-weak-cycle/ See also: http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/lawrence-solomon/global-cooling_b_4413833.html It IS amusing, (is it not) how these AGW meetings (such as the AGU conference) are universally snowed in!

2013 blog