Earl Hood

Hi Biff how did we bring Lebanon into this? I am talking West Bank and the Gaza Strip and the people on the receiving end of Isreali settlements and the restriction of power and water for those same people trapped in Palestine. Reduce their living conditions toward abject poverty and filth and then deride them as less than human. Have we seen this before in Europe? Can we forget Muslims and get back to the thread's theme, President Gump! Let's concentrate on him or Steve Bannon if you like.

Ditto!

Grape I respect your views. However this is my personal view I see little difference between the German ghettos of the 1930's and modern day Palestine, as created by the modern day State of Isreal. The world pays lip service to a two state solution while Isreal builds new settlements on Palestinian territory, as well as building walls, controlling access to power and clean water and numerous other goods. When you commandeer another people's land for your own people it usually means genocide, a la our actions with our indigenous Australians in the past two hundred years as the Brittish Empire commanderred Terra Nullius. And of course the Isrealites have the Old Testament to back their case for ownership going back a 2000 years. Those Palestinian interlopers who took over in 66 AD have no rights. Johnny come lately's!

Biff give me a break The Donald's private businesses have filed for bankruptcy six times but yeah he knows how to run an economy, the biggest on earth! i don't think. You can't bribe government officials, lobby officials, pay kickbacks to the mob or sue everyone to make out you are running a successful national economy. The national balance sheet has to add up, at least in the way he has promised. You can't litigate your way out of an economic crisis when you are the President. I wish the Gump good luck on running the economy. I think he will fail. That is my take!

Which part of the swamp is being drained Wrecker? The members of congress, the senate, the myriad of lobbyists, the multitude of public servants who are there merely to follow orders? The Gump talks about draining the swamp but what does that mean, who are his targets? All we know is that he has added quite a few apex predators to the swamp.

Biff I am not arguing that the Gump got voted in, although it was by 3 million less votes than his rival. We agree he is the main man, the big Kauhuna, the big cheese. But we don't have to agree that he has any competence for the job!

Macca I hope he fails but if he doesn't we are in trouble because I believe he is pushing the boundaries of his power with every edict he makes. A federal judge has today called a halt to his edict on Muslim entries to the US. What happens next will be a guide to our future. If the Judge's ruling is overturned by the power of the president with no new evidence, we have commenced a new era of conflct

In what way Ethan?

DC that is the problem with averages. There are of course a select few on $700k plus and then the rest, including rookies on $50k. It averages out but means nothing in terms of fairness.

I think I am a realist DC and things look decidedly gumpish!

The Donald has been active for only 2 weeks but gee what theatre! I wake up every morning eager to tune in to the latest episode of the president and he never disappoints. It is all action. Bans on Muslims from every country that hasn't attacked the US on their soil, that makes sense. But open borders to our Saudi friends who manned the 9/11 jets. Giving our PM Mr Trumball a right old rollicking, leaking it to the US media, then bragging about how tough he has had to be but then denying it all happened in the space of 48 hours! That is our Donald! The world of politics as we know it has gone mad. The man is unhinged and I will state here and now within the next 2 years, he or his chief advisor, Steve Bannon will declare war on someone. My guess is Iran, it's the only country left that hasnt been trashed by the US or has been caused by them, in the Middle East. There is Israel of course but if The Donald is going to move the US embassy to Jerusalem then the Palestinians have no choice but to rebel for their survival. It is called genocide anywhere else. So expect more unnecessary carnage that will impact on people in Isreal and the Middle East. Welcome to the future.

Biff, have you found Colonel Kurtz yet?

I must try this new coffee, mixed perhaps with guava paste, it could be a winner. My basic rule on coffee is that it should be naturally grown and not have passed through a gut of some creature. Call me conservative if you like!

Steady Biff, we don't have the facts yet, other than 6 people, presumably Muslims are dead. We know nothing of the two perpetrators captured, their motives are unknown. They could be God fearing Christians of Canadian origin for all we know at this time. And as for Trudeau, he has only been in power for a year, is he responsible for all foreigners, (new arrivals)living in Canada today? I think not. Lets hold off our judgements until we have more information

Well Dieter I believe all US leaders believe in their right to attack their enemies off shore, wherever it may arise in the world. That gives them the right to ferment revolution or assination locally. And we have witnessed that throughout Central and South America and in Asia of course in the 20th century. Obama is just following a well worn national tradition.

Alas the answer is no DC. No polo for me I have been in Canberra for past few days visiting galleries and two exhibitions, the treasures of Versailles and the 2 million years of history in one room with 100 objects from the British Museum of History. In the latter I thought I would find an answer to the last 60 odd posts on this thread but no, while I saw the first evidence of human endeavour with cutting stones from Tanzania more than a million years ago through to tools and art from ancient Egypt, Babylon, Persia through to Alexander and Ptolemy, Augustus, Roman dominance, Tamarlane, aboriginal artifacts and on and on but oddly no mention of the Habsburgs, the Nazis or Steiner schools for that matter. Perhaps the aforementioned discussions are no more than a blip in history of mankind.

Interested in your sources for this post Biff. I am currently reading about early contact from 1788 onward and the writings of the early explorers observations of the locals in their natural environment.

Ethan if you read the entire story you linked you should still be alarmed. The area around Perth was the anomaly in yet another very warm year, fourth warmest on record. Historic high temperatures in northern WA as mentioned in the article and from other sources, historic high sea temperatures along much of the east coast of OZ, the result was unprecedented coral bleaching on the northern Great Barrier Reef, damage to kelp forests in the south and there was the bizarre death of huge areas of mangroves in the Gulf of Carpentaria that has been attributed to the extreme heat events last year. I think that may be cause for alarm and there is no scare mongering going on just a listing of events and outcomes that are deeply troubling. of course you can live in the fantasy world of someone like Pauline Hanson who jumps into one or two square meters of sea on the reef,south of Cairns, selected no doubt by the local tourist industry and then declare a 2,500 km long coral reef to be totally healthy! My advice is to stay alarmed!

My sources tell me Biff is off to Indochina and will be heading up river in search of a certain Colonel Kurtz who is known to inhabit his village. There won't be much time for revelry I think.

Is that you Riddler?

I will not count chickens before they are hatched! I base that iron clad rule I live by on 50 years plus of support of MFC.

I saw on 7 News tonight that big Max and the two Macs were flogging themselves running laps at the Lexus Centre today getting an early start on the others who are due to be training this Thursday according to 7. Big Max looks fit!

LD both Arthur Streeton and Roberts were members of the West Heidelburg School of painters and did a lot of their landscapes in the area. I think it is just as likely the point posts were knocked off by the locals for firewood or something!

DC where are the bean counters? Obviously they are not in hell because the engineer would normally be bogged down developing numerous cost benefit analyses and endless compliance paperwork and would end up building nothing! I can't believe such types are in heaven, they must be in purgatory?

We need a backup for Max in the ruck so I think Pedo gets the nod as third tall.