I’ve been repairing an apartment for a new tenant, so I haven’t been on the computer much. Frankly, I was more interested in reading about a fluffy, over weight penguin chick, a snowmobile riding dog, and Dutch police training eagles to take out drones,[all on CBC] than the Iowa caucuses [on everywhere].
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20 comments
Can’t say I blame you m8. They sound a lot more interesting to me also.
I’ve been busy last couple days trying to sort out yet another comm’s problem. This time with my mobile carrier. They switched from Optus to Vodaphone. VF coverage around here is crap, and they cancelled my service because I haven’t supplied enough ID to suit them. They seem to think this is the USA! Wasted all day threatening all sorts of legal mayhem to VF & my carrier if service was not restored pronto! Finally was, obviously. Unbelievable!
Good luck with new Tennant m8. 🙂
In the USA you walk in and buy a Tracfone phone and air time card with cash at almost every department store [air time cards at convenience stores] and activate it. No one knows who you are. These are the choice for communication by everyone, criminal or not, who doesn’t want to leave a trail. Tracfone buys service from most major cellular networks. I’ve used a Tracfone for a decade. If you watch any US cop shows they are called “burner phones”.
The apartment is becoming a pain that I am about to outsource.
Yeah. We have that here also. The biggest prepaid deal is a Chinese company called Amaysim (or something like that). A cheap phone is about $20 if you only want talk & SMS (no MMS or Internet), or about $100 for a somewhat *smart* phone if you do want Internet as well.
The deal I have now is $40/mth with no contract for unlimited voice & sms (in Aus) + 10 GB data & limited International voice & sms. Before was similar but only 4GB data, which was not enough. Carriers here charge $10-$15 / GB over the allowance! Last month cost me $80 all up.
Outsourcing can be a good idea at times. 😉 Good luck m8. 🙂
Just got another victory on a petition, & I can say I am proud of Aussies for the first time in some years. 🙂
An American neanderthal by the name of Daryush Valizadeh (born in Washington D.C. – kinda appropriate that), who is known as Roosh V and an extreme advocate of “legal rape” was organising a meeting here in Sydney this weekend. It took over 100,000 signatures to get the Imagration Minister to deny him a visa, & for the NSW Police to agree to monitor and track any man here suspected of working with him.
“3 Feb 2016 — We have officially reached 100,000 signatures! 100,000 Australians have expressed their disgust over such misogynistic, sexually violent and oppressive views that this man and his supporters have promoted.
More great news! Not only has Peter Dutton denied ‘Roosh V’ entry to Australia, but the NSW Police have also responded to my petition!
NSW Police say they’re monitoring the situation, and if they find out the group meet and breach the law they’ll swing into gear and act – win!
This is a great result. It was important for us to send the clear message that sexual violence is not tolerated and should have no place in our society. Thank you all for helping me do this on my petition – I was truly amazed at the impact, response and coverage we received!!”
100,000 seems to be the magic number to force a Politician here to do the right thing. Especially with an election looming. Makes me sick and quite angry actually! Even the Police originally stated “It’s a Federal issue. Nothing to do with us.” Until the actual law was pointed out to them.
Good on ya, M8! It’s always nice to win one for society. The British Parliament talked about banning Trump, but didn’t in the end. Your democracy seems to be working better than ours.
That plan is $45/month in the US, but you have to ID yourself. It’s called Straight Talk. I don’t use data, so I’ll stay with my Samsung slider until it dies.
Thanks m8. We’ve had some other wins, and I’m hoping 2 other petitions will force the gutless Dutton to do the right thing. We’ve already had 3 petitions including the one above to force him to do what’s right. Some people truly never learn! Hopefully, common sense will prevail at the election & the whole lot of them will be gone. Then we get to deal with a slightly saner bunch. *sigh* Isn’t it sad that that is the best that can be hoped for?
Given that neither of our Nation’s are Democracies, I guess we are somewhat better at faking it at times. 😉 😆
Yeah, that is a good deal. Only happened in Jan. Before the new year, the best was 7GB data for $50.
Hope the Apartment is becoming easier to deal with Bryan. Good luck.
So far after painting everything and putting down new flooring, the stove, frig, and water heater had to be replaced and I waiting for a licensed electrician to replace the circuit breaker panel – the probable reason that the appliances died.
I noticed that it looks like you are going to be cutting the budget for the government’s climate science resources, another bad idea borrowed from the US.
Canada threw the bums out, so there is hope for a change 😉 I doubt the US government is going to be functional any time soon.
So… That’s what you call “repair” m8? Most people would call that major renovation! 😉 😀
This moronic Gov has been trying to cut research funding for just about everything since Abbott was elected. Education funding also. A few petitions stopped Abbott, I’m sure there will be another few soon. My current fight is to end the corruption & stupidity in the Military, primarily at most senior ranks, & the VA. This for example:
https://www.change.org/p/dr-brendan-nelson-director-australian-war-memorial-demand-that-the-australian-war-memorial-formally-recognise-the-2nd-d-and-e-platoon
I’ve been in touch with the fellow who organised this to offer my experience, knowledge & contacts. I understand since my unit has never *officially* been recognised (or even existed for that matter). When he got curious about my history, I strenuously refused to divulge any info and suggested he stick to his current objective. Some termite mounds are best left alone.
I missed the fluffy penguin chick and the snowmobile dog, but the eagles taking out the drones is way cool.
I had a friend in college who was into falconry, and while I thought that was way cool, I couldn’t get into the actual hunting of little furry (or feathered) creatures. the hunting of quadcopters, though, strikes me as a hobby I could get interested in….
Hipparchia, the military drones were originally used as targets for live fire training, not as weapons, so this is a return to their roots, whether the owners like it or not.
Kryten, it has been years since we have been able to get into this apartment, so there was a lot to be done.
The so-called ‘conservatives’ like to talk about the troops, but they always treat them like dirt. Australia and the US are the same – speeches & flag waving, but veterans don’t get the services or benefits they were promised when they enlisted. Nobody wants to cancel bad contracts for weapons that don’t work, but they’ll ignore the needs of veterans to cut the taxes of the !%.
I think you are correct in steering interest away from the really ‘specialized’ military units, because that will provide an excuse for the government to shout ‘national security’ and close down all conversation. They will use any excuse not to take action.
Ahhh, I understand about the apartment now. You never know what needs repairing until you start on those old ones, then it never seems to end. Wish you good luck Bryan. 🙂
Yep. That’s it. You know how the bastards work. I am unsurprised. And yes, I really don’t want anyone digging where they shouldn’t just yet. Only a couple more years to go… 😉 🙂
I got an update on that narcissistic sociopathic rapist petition above:
“Feb 04, 2016 — According to the Sydney Morning Herald Roosh V “has cancelled a string of public meetings planned for several Australian cities after a wave of public anger directed towards his “neomasculinist” views”. Thanks to your help we have fought hard and we have won! We have let Roosh V, his supporters and Australia know that his misogynistic, violent and oppressive views are not allowed in Australia!!”
Yayyy for sanity & reason! Which should have been totally unnecessary! As usual, Politicians are too busy with their ego trips to actually do anything useful until reminded the trip can end suddenly here!
Hi hipparcha. 😀 I hope all is well with you.
Birds are known to learn behaviours from one another. Could get interesting if drone delivery ever becomes common:
“Yeah, I ordered some takeout, but an eagle got it!”
If that happens PJ the animal rights activists will want to stop take out because birds were getting obese 😉
At least half of the documents classified are cover ups for incompetent, embarrassing, and/or criminal activities. As I have said all too often when some things have been classified: ‘They know they are doing it; we know they are doing it; about the only people who don’t know are the American public, so why are we hiding this from the public?’ The response is always: “Sources and Methods!!!” 😈
That creep is easy to understand when you read about all of the gang rapes in India.
That “rapists rights” activist was born and raised in New York City, despite his Indian name. He doesn’t even speak with an Indian accent. But I guess he pines for the way things were done in his daddy’s day back in the home country…
And in today’s hilarity, the Daily Mail tracks down where this Roosh rapists-rights dude lives… in his mother’s basement.
The jokes just write themselves, don’t they?
Too many people choose to bring along the worst of their individual cultures when they emigrate. When you have genital mutilation and honor killings in North America, you know that some people have missed the entire point of coming.
Update: [We were posting at the same time] Give me a break?! Really? Are we sure this wasn’t copied from the Onion?
The Onion might as well just fold shop and get jobs at Wally World, real life once again out-does anything the Onion could ever come up with :).
The guy is an abject coward. He was, as I stated above, apparently born in Washington D.C. Anyway, he’s pretty much finished now. His riseing star crashed & burned.
Our Immigration Minister on the other hand… I’ve so far managed to get the authors of two petitions calling for his resignation to withdraw them. I explained simply that with him there, the chances of the Coalition being reelected decrease significantly. If he resigns, some people may be willing to give the Coalition another chance. Better the devil you know, especially when he screws up so often! 😀
http://www.crikey.com.au/2016/01/11/time-for-dutton-to-go/
Thanks badtux! I really needed a laugh! 😆
Oh, hey… That reminds me. Don’t know if you would be interested badtux, but Paragon are giving away their Go Virtual 2015 s/w for free (just need to give an email address for codes & details):
http://www.paragon-software.com/landing-pages/2015/virtualization-manager-win10/index.html
The problem, as I am sure you know Bryan, with unit’s like mine is that we not only discover what our orders tell us to discover, but often dicover much that *the powers that be* don’t want us to. Knowledge is often a double-edged sword. 🙂
As an outsider I have noticed that Dutton’s name shows up a lot on the ABC News site linked to some screw up or another. I can’t tell whether he’s bringing it on himself or is a sacrifice for the Prime Minister, i.e. a scapegoat.
Oh, yes, Kryten, they want to know how bad things are in a target area, but really aren’t interested in having too many people learning why or who’s responsible.
Just for a laugh… This is what our great Coalition Government has done since Turnbull took over as PM:
However, a law is still on the books that requires a walker with a lantern in front of your car or carriage at night. 😆 I guess they are leaving that for when the need to look busy in the future.
Meanwhile, they are trying to increase taxes on low-middle income people, destroy all research (apparently research isn’t needed to create things), and destroy education & healthcare. Sorry if you think I am talking about the GOP. No, it’s simply “monkey see, monkey do!” 🙂
Seems we posted at the same time Bryan.
It’s curious about Dutton. He backed Abbott in the leadership war, and apparently offered his resignation in an sms to Turnbull in Septenber after Abbott lost, but Turnbull refused to accept. Highly unusual, unless a deal was struck.
Yes. I learned a great deal about what really happened in Cambodia, and why. Most of it we were tasked to find out. But we learned a lot about things that the USA & China didn’t want us to, especially about Vietnam. And why Aus. really became involved, and why we are the only Nation to have received FB-111’s. And why the UK stayed out of it. 🙂 Someone on high decided they needed confirmation. Hence my involvement as a civilian with GD in the USA after I took early retirement. 😉 😀
No. I don’t care.
Yes. I am annoyed.