Open Thread – Wed 2 August 2023
1,200 responses to “Open Thread – Wed 2 August 2023”
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Was released to media under an ’embargo’
https://www.9news.com.au/national/bruce-lehrmann-statement-shane-drumgold-act-department-of-public-prosecutions-report/5d5e8bca-b9f9-4606-aa19-a306db2fa9a5 -
Roger Franklin has linked to this on Quadrant – a car enthusiast and specialist Jon Cadogan having a big say on why EV’s are so dangerous with regard to fire.
Link is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XBpcyJeHmww
Also a direct video under RF’s editorial in Quadrant OnlineCadogan’s delivery is superb old Aussie style, with terrific language. He slates the EV zealots who ignore what he presents, i.e. ‘the high tech of facts’ re a ‘thermal runaway’ as we see in the ‘floating kiln’ of the ‘Dutch Oven’ currently burning on the European seas. These are no ordinary fires, they are chemical reactions and must burn to completion, dangerously. To the zealots who don’t like to hear these details, he says the facts matter: ‘mummy and daddy were wrong. Your feelings don’t matter at all’. Great stuff, including the warning to do what I always do anyway with my claustrophobia – note the exits whenever you park underground anywhere EV’s may lurk. And always move downwind of the EV smoke as you can collect cobalt poisoning from it, on your skin as well as in your lungs. Oh, and get that charging point right out of your garage and, if you must, then at least onto an external wall not under your daughter’s bedroom. EV fires are no more frequent than ICE fires, but the consequences can be far more serious; dire even under the Opera House or in an large supercentre or apartment carpark.
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Roger Franklin has linked to this on Quadrant – a car enthusiast and specialist Jon Cadogan having a big say on why EV’s are so dangerous with regard to fire.
Link is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XBpcyJeHmww
Also a direct video under RF’s editorial in Quadrant OnlineCadogan’s delivery is superb old Aussie style, with terrific language. He slates the EV zealots who ignore what he presents, i.e. ‘the high tech of facts’ re a ‘thermal runaway’ as we see in the ‘floating kiln’ of the ‘Dutch Oven’ currently burning on the European seas. These are no ordinary fires, they are chemical reactions and must burn to completion, dangerously. To the zealots who don’t like to hear these details, he says the facts matter: ‘mummy and daddy were wrong. Your feelings don’t matter at all’. Great stuff, including the warning to do what I always do anyway with my claustrophobia – note the exits whenever you park underground anywhere EV’s may lurk. And always move downwind of the EV smoke as you can collect cobalt poisoning from it, on your skin as well as in your lungs. Oh, and get that charging point right out of your garage and, if you must, then at least onto an external wall not under your daughter’s bedroom. EV fires are no more frequent than ICE fires, but the consequences can be far more serious; dire even under the Opera House or in a large supercentre or apartment carpark.
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H B Bear
Aug 3, 2023 8:01 PM
JC at 3:35 PM – law is complicated. Getting an LLB still means you know next to nothing. Youre probably more dangerous than the man in the street. As a junior lawyer telling your KC boss how to suck eggs would be a career limiting decision.Yeah sure, but she was asked to do something dishonest and she was a qualified lawyer.
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ABC journalist wrote ‘sloppy’ report on Heston Russell, court hears
By ellie dudley
Legal Affairs Correspondent
@EllieDudley_
5:58PM August 3, 2023A senior ABC journalist has rejected a suggestion his reporting was “sloppy” and he “cobbled together” a denial for an article that falsely suggested former commando Heston Russell was involved in the unjust killing of an Afghan prisoner.
The Federal Court on Thursday witnessed a fiery exchange between Josh Robertson and Mr Russell’s barrister, Sue Chrysanthou SC, who suggested the ABC Investigations reporter failed to conduct due diligence when seeking a response him.
Mr Russell is suing the ABC, Robertson and fellow journalist Mark Willacy over two articles that, he says, through the use of links and his photograph implied he was complicit in the execution of a prisoner captured during a joint drug enforcement operation between Australia and the US.
Read NextMs Chrysanthou accused Robertson of failing to seek out a proper denial from Mr Russell when writing an article in November 2021, which the court heard was a follow-up to an earlier story penned by Willacy in October 2020.
Robertson’s story evolved from a denial of a Freedom of Information application to Defence, which said there was an active investigation into the conduct of Mr Russell’s November platoon in Afghanistan in mid-2012.
When Robertson called Mr Russell prior to publication of his article, the latter said he was willing to conduct a “live, unedited” interview, as well as answer basic questions about the alleged investigation. At this time, Mr Russell had already spoken to other media outlets denying the allegations detailed in Willacy’s original article.
The court heard Robertson instead “cobbled together” a denial from Mr Russell rather than asking him directly in the call.
“(Mr Russell’s) complaint is you are sloppy, Mr Robertson,” Ms Chrysanthou said.
“His complaint is you got it wrong. His complaint is you didn’t bother to ask him and instead in a very underhanded, sneaky way, tried to cobble together a denial. Instead of just asking him when you rang him on the phone. Do you understand some of the lists of his complaints now?”
Robertson responded: “I understood the list of his complaints previously, Ms Chrysanthou, and I don’t agree with them.”
Ms Chrysanthou continued. “His complaint is that you have together with Mr Willacy and Ms (Jo) Puccini (head of ABC Investigations) and the ABC concocted a story that is not news, that is not in the public interest to defame him and his position.”
Robertson responded: “I think it’s a very self-serving interpretation and wrong.”
Robertson was listed as the sole author of the November 2021 article, despite Willacy having received the FOI response and drafted the first version of the copy.
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Bear at 8:01.
Quite so.
Although I probably need a bit of clarification around “more junior”.
If aged 30, and maybe running minor prosecutions or assisting … well should of known better.
If aged 22, and first year out, kind of forgivable.
If the kid is half smart they will have already realised they screwed up. -
Pared back goodies and I hog two spots. Sorry for the double post.
Don’t know how it happened but it did.Site has been a nightmare of slowness, but not Dover’s fault. Hamsters are notoriously difficult little critters to keep to their wheel.
Sing out when funding can be made once more. Every little bit helps, as they say in Lancashire.
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THE TRUMP INDICTMENT CRIMINALIZES POLITICAL DISSENT
http://www.danielgreenfield.org/2023/08/the-trump-indictment-criminalizes.html
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I stand with JC. Coffee shop waitresses are allowed small mistakes, as they’re not expected to know any better.
Lawyers are supposed to know better. They’ve done years of study, culminating in being admitted to the bar & obtaining a Certificate to Practise – allowing them to hang a shingle & charge real money for their … [drumroll] … advice.
For that advice to mean anything, it must be mistake-free.
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JC
Aug 3, 2023 3:24 PM
Dover
“I’d like to interject here.
I’d take a climate science approach the Turtleheads near pity trolling about the direction he’d take if he was “bombed” with cancer.
As you know, there’s theory and observation.
Theoretically Turtlehead suggests that if the cancer was serious etc, he would avoid treatment and go into the slow lane. That’s great in terms of theory because who are we to judge this quasi pity trolling?
However, the observations to appear to me to supported by the theory.
I’m pretty certain my recollection is accurate, but he can correct it if it’s not. He loathes me so it would be better if he wants respond to direct it to you, which does anyway. It’s called the indirect stoush trolling method.
Now this is an individual who had a heart transplant, which is seriously major surgery. On top of that he’s no very serious medication to prevent rejection. These surgeries aren’t for the faint of heart, if you know what I mean. (No pun intended).
Twice now, that I know of, Turts has been boasting he’s loaded up to the gills with iodine because he suspects that rural Queensland would be hit with a nuclear attack, presumably from China.
Does this sound like someone giving up, or does it sound like someone clinging to life with every fiber of his being.
Observationally.,it just doesn’t mesh, right?”
There are so many lies, mistruths, and just plain wrong statement in this that it’s not worth replying to, so I won’t. -
Crossie
Aug 3, 2023 8:38 PMWhy does this feel more like a denial of service attack than a routine problem?
Dover told us the problem, yesterday I think.
The blog is hosted on a shared server which is a lot cheaper than a dedicated one.What they do to get your business, is that give your site priority for a while and as new customers join they do the same to them and you drop down the list.
Shared servers work fine as long as they have the resources, but it costs money and if customers balk at the cost then it doesn’t happen.
Many of us offered $$ help, but so far Dover said nothing.
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The Guardian.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/aug/03/shane-drumgold-did-not-see-sofronoff-inquiry-findings-before-media-leak
‘Australian Federal Police Association is also calling for immediate release of report, saying there is no point in ‘hiding or sugarcoating’ findings’ -
Thanks Delta.
I very obviously wasn’t paying proper attention when the info was being read out on the giggle box.
The moon is still beautiful tonight.
Will definitely google about the Super Moon. Cheers.Delta, just had a thought, I must be a tranny. I didn’t pay attention, and went too soon. LOL!!!
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The Sofronoff report says that Dumgold “preyed on a junior lawyer’s inexperience and had betrayed that junior lawyer’s trust.”.
Harsh words but that junior lawyer should have known better, that junior lawyer would 100% known that what he/she was being instructed to do by Dumgold was wrong. I’m sorry but if this was in NSW, that “junior lawyer” would almost certainly be facing censure and likely lose his/her legal licence for a period of time. I know of two such cases here in NSW where young lawyers lost their licence, one for a period of two years.
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Vicki:
“Every sort of food is readily available, although many rely now on food prepared by others in restaurants and takeaway businesses. ”
Replying just to this part, I rarely use my stove to cook with – yes, I use the stove top for stuff like pasta, rice etc, but mostly cook in crockpots etc that I can measure the amount of electricity I’m using and see if it’s excessive. And I also do a packet at a time and freeze the remainder.
I use a breadmaker for bread. Even now, though I’m starting to look at the difference in prepared foods like mashed potato etc against boiling potato in a pan on the stovetop.
It comes down to the cost saving behind a 1 minute nuking in the microwave or 15 minutes with something else on the stove.
“When you look after the pennies, the pounds look after themselves.” -
Dan Murphy’s is placing pressure on staff to wear “Yes”, t-shirts while at work.
Head office says “no, staff can wear what they like, even “No” shirts”.
Staff don’t believe management. -
Hope Downs trial: Family emails reveal John Rinehart’s ‘happily ever after’ wish
Tim Clarke
The West Australian
Thu, 3 August 2023 5:08PMMore private emails sent within the House of Hancock have been revealed in court — with the son of Gina Rinehart at one point wishing the clan could “live happily ever after”.
The trial pitting two of Australia’s richest people — Mrs Rinehart and billionaire mining heiress Angela Bennett — has continued this week, with the vast resources and royalties buried within the Hope Downs iron ore project at stake.
Mrs Bennett’s Wright Prospecting company is claiming they are owed royalties from Hope Downs because of an agreement struck between company founder Peter Wright and mining pioneer Lang Hancock.
But also laying claim are Mrs Rinehart’s children — John and Bianca — and another company, DFD Rhodes.
Lawyers for the latter have spent the week opening their case which asserts that they are entitled to 1.25 per cent of the royalties from Hope Downs, which would add up to hundreds of millions of dollars.
And during those openings, they have opened the previously private inboxes of Mrs Rinehart and her children, exposing the sometimes bitter family infighting.
On Thursday, more letters and emails, sent between 2005 and 2007 to and from Mrs Rinehart and her children, were read out.
In one, John claims that his allegations against his mother are “simple”.
In fact, they are said to involve the complex movement of shares and assets between various companies and trusts by Mrs Rinehart — which are said to have deprived her children of a significant slice of the Hancock fortune.
In another correspondence read to the court — following Mrs Rinehart’s bitter court battle with her late father’s third wife Rose Porteous — John claimed some of the credit.
“I hope you will remember the effort I put in also, especially in turning the tide and the media, against the Porteous camp.”
By 2004, Mr Hancock had emailed his three sisters advising them he was working on the legal case to have their mother removed as trustee and reclaim the “assets my grandfather (Lang Hancock) wanted to leave his grandchildren”.
He later told his youngest sister Ginia Rinehart, who was a teenager at the time, that their mother had “stolen 33 per cent of the family company from us children”.
“She has breached her fiduciary duties to the detriment of the beneficiaries and enriched herself.
“Further she has removed tenements, including Hope Downs, from companies the children control.”
And in 2005 Mr Hancock threatened to go to Mrs Bennett — one of his pioneer grandfather’s former business partner Peter Wright’s children — to help with his litigation funding.
But in late 2006 — during an apparent outbreak of peace between mother and son — he writes to her proposing a way forward between them, which would include him doing some training and taking a salary.
“Everyone then lives happily ever after and I work hard helping to drive the company to reach its goals,” lawyer Simon Taylor recited.
That entente cordiale did not last, with the children having spent the last ten years battling their mother over what they claim is fraud.
And DFD Rhodes concluded their opening remarks by saying the slew of emails showed that for years John and Bianca were happy with the proposed joint Hope Downs venture between Hancock and Rio Tinto.
Emails revealed earlier in the week show John was keen not to hamper the proposed joint venture.
“‘I’ve taken steps to ensure the Rio deal is not jeopardised, I’ve consented to the Supreme Court proceedings being held in secret in Canberra to ensure there is no publicity that might jeopardise the banks or Rio in their dealings with Hope Downs’,” he wrote.
That email eventually found its way to his mother via his sister Bianca.
“I’ll have to wait for idiot John to reply to her before I can see if she sent anything else, I’ll keep checking,” she added.
Now Bianca and John are co-claimants — asserting they should be given some ownership of Hope Downs.
Barristers for Hancock Prospecting will next week make their opening remarks, laying out their case against all the claims made — by Wright, DFD Rhodes, and the children.
The trial is scheduled to run until November this year.
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Harsh words but that junior lawyer should have known better, that junior lawyer would 100% known that what he/she was being instructed to do by Dumgold was wrong.
Some sanction is necessary, that’s for sure.
But it depends on a few factors:-
1. Did she know that the senior colleague had already knocked Dumgold back?
2. Did she know the AFP hadn’t exercised privilege over the document?
3. Did Dumgold convince her that the AFP had exercised privilege? (Yes, she should have checked)
4. How junior was she exactly? (Yes, qualified, but I can imagine a first year grad being convinced that corners are cut in the real world).
5. Did she do it out of a desire to be on board the Britnah train?
None of that excuses it, but might be mitigating factors. -
JC:
Actually one of your lies does need a reply.
Do you have an emergency box at home? One with a flashlight? Some candles? perhaps a spare battery or two?
Perhaps some medication? A box of antibiotics you didn’t need to take?
You know, stuff you just might need in an emergency?
People are encouraged to do so in Queensland because of adverse weather.
I have an arrangement with three of my neighbours where I can supply enough electricity through extension cords to keep them in power enough for lights and fridges. They also keep a fair bit of diesel so that we can keep going for a month.
All pulling together so that if – God forbid – shit does happen, we can be in a position to help out instead of sitting on our fat arses waiting for everyone else to come to our aid.
So which are you? The asset to your community or a bludger?
I can pretty well guess.
…and as for the iodine idiocy you vent over, I had delivered today 600ml of Lugols Iodine Solution, which will sit in a cupboard until it expires in 2030 or thereabouts.
If it’s needed, I’ll hand it over to the hospital for community use. Why?
Because our pharmacies don’t stock it, nor do our hospitals. Do you think the government is able to organise iodine for the young adults and kids to get to outlying towns if needed?
I’ve been involved in enough Civil Emergency and disaster planning to know the government would be incapable of getting out disaster relief in an adequate time frame, and it only cost me $155 for the 600 ml which is enough to treat a lot of children and adults.
So what are you doing to help out? Apart from trying to book a flight to NZ to run away from your collective responsibilities?
No, your type always go for the “I’m all right Jack plan.” -
IgG4 Antibodies Induced by Repeated Vaccination May Generate Immune Tolerance to the SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10222767/Increased IgG4 synthesis due to repeated mRNA vaccination with high antigen concentrations may also cause autoimmune diseases, and promote cancer growth and autoimmune myocarditis in susceptible individuals.
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Reading an account of the Battle of the River Plate, 13th December 1939.
Shells from the German pocket battleship Graf Spee knocked out B turret of HMS Exeter, killing or wounding the whole crew of fifteen men. Royal Marine Wilfred Russell had his left arm blown off, and his right arm badly broken in two places.
Despite his horrific wounds, Russell dragged the wounded survivors of “B’ turret to safety below decks. Spotting a midshipman on the shrapnel and splinter strewn deck, he asked “I wonder if you could tourniquet my arm, sir.. Don’t worry about the other one – it’s gone!”
They bred them TOUGH in the Royal Marines!
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The $30bill number has been used by a fair number of Voice opponents for the last 6 months.
But the ABC/RMIT choose to fact check Tony Abbott when he says it.https://amp-abc-net-au.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/amp.abc.net.au/article/102656190
Sectarian much ?
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calli
Aug 3, 2023 8:10 PM
Love the revelation that the leaker is the Judge himself.
What an indictment on the ACT “government” who think they are above the law.
I’ll bet Sofronoff’s engagement letter enables him to do just that.
Why didn’t the ACT Shire Council write that out of the terms?
Well, remember how this started.
Squeals from Dumgold about “police corruption” and “dark political forces on the far-right”.
They imagined Sofronoff was going to hand them a stick to beat the Liberals with.
Never in a million years did they think they’d be under the pump to sack their tame DPP, or that they would have pulled the rug from under Dreyfus and Gallagher’s big payday to Britnah. -
Iodine supply and use after Chernobyl.
https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/108423/E73140.pdf?sequence=1 -
Check all of ACT DPP Shane Drumgold cases, urge legal experts
EXCLUSIVE
By janet albrechtsen
Columnist
@jkalbrechtsen
and stephen rice
NSW Editor
@riceyontheroad
8:43PM August 3, 2023The ACT government is under pressure to conduct an inquiry into previous criminal cases prosecuted by Director of Public Prosecutions Shane Drumgold, following damning findings by the Sofronoff Inquiry that he knowingly lied to the Supreme Court and engaged in serious malpractice and grossly unethical conduct.
Several senior barristers and retired judges said it was incumbent upon the government to scrutinise Mr Drumgold’s past prosecutions in light of the findings by inquiry chair Walter Sofronoff KC that the DPP had lost objectivity during the prosecution of Bruce Lehrmann for the alleged rape of Brittany Higgins and “did not act with fairness and detachment as was required by his role”.
Former NSW Supreme Court judge Anthony Whealy KC said a review of past cases involving Mr Drumgold was necessary and that the case was a stark reminder that prosecutors had to be balanced and impartial.
Read Next“They have to uphold the standards of prosecutorial action on the one hand, and not discard them to get a win at all costs, which is what’s gone wrong here,” Mr Whealy said.
Mr Sofronoff’s findings were revealed by The Australian on Wednesday night but the ACT government has refused to release the 600-page report, which it was handed on Monday, until early next week.
The government had earlier said it would not release the report until the end of August but backflipped on Thursday following publication of the findings in The Australian.
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You saw it first here.
From the Oz:-The ACT government is under pressure to conduct an inquiry into previous criminal cases prosecuted by Director of Public Prosecutions Shane Drumgold, following damning findings by the Sofronoff Inquiry that he knowingly lied to the Supreme Court and engaged in serious malpractice and grossly unethical conduct.
This isn’t a bad habit he picked up overnight.
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Zulu Kilo Two Alpha
Aug 3, 2023 9:19 PM
‘The trial pitting two of Australia’s richest people — Mrs Rinehart and billionaire mining heiress Angela Bennett — has continued this week, with the vast resources and royalties buried within the Hope Downs iron ore project at stake.’
Herod’s solution needs to be considered. -
Zulu Kilo Two Alpha
Aug 3, 2023 9:19 PM
‘The trial pitting two of Australia’s richest people — Mrs Rinehart and billionaire mining heiress Angela Bennett — has continued this week, with the vast resources and royalties buried within the Hope Downs iron ore project at stake.’Herod’s solution needs to be considered.
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Farmer advised of $100,000 cost for cultural heritage survey
By joe kelly
National Affairs editor
@joekellyoz
8:12PM August 3, 2023
31 CommentsShane Kelliher knows first-hand the confusion caused by Western Australia’s new cultural heritage laws and says there must be a “better way forward” to preserve Indigenous sites.
Mr Kelliher, 58, has received preliminary written advice organised through his legal firm saying that, under the Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Act, which took effect on July 1, he could be forced to pay between $30,000 and $100,000 for a cultural heritage assessment.
He told The Australian he wanted to extract high-quality building sand from his 85ha property in North Dandalup about an hour south of Perth. But this plan was thrown into doubt when the site was found to be close to possible historic camping areas for Indigenous Australians.
Read NextWhile he supported protecting Aboriginal cultural heritage, Mr Kelliher argued that “it should not be at the cost of the individual landowner”.
“If it incurs cost to the individual landowner, then they should be compensated,” he said. “I’ve got a significant connection to the land myself. It’s been in the family for three generations.”
Federal Nationals leader David Littleproud told The Australian most people already respected cultural heritage sites, but warned the WA laws could backfire and “see that respect taken away”.
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Robert Sewell
Aug 3, 2023 10:19 PM
Iodine supply and use after Chernobyl.
https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/108423/E73140.pdf?sequence=1 -
Sancho Panzer
Aug 3, 2023 10:22 PM
“Would you sell me some iodine Bobby?”
I’ve given you the address where to get it, Sancho. Get it yourself. You’re an adult – I don’t hand feed adults.
If you want the address, here it is.
https://www.survivalsuppliesaustralia.com.au/
One course is about $50.
…and it’s Bob. Or Robert. -
The full uluruh statement from the arse, all 26 pages, proving, not that we needed proof, that everyone advocating the screech is a lying POS; or a useful idiot:
https://www.skynews.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Credlin-Editorial-PDF-2.pdf
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Mem, I did hear about your illness and extraordinary medical procedure and I hope you are still doing well, recovering well. I’ll take this quiet time chance to send you best wishes. Take it easy, there is no rush about convalescence. Let others help you now.
Your fortitude in the face of something we’d all dread is admirable. Drop in when you can and let us know how things are with you as you recover.
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Monty:
Not a good idea to get too smart:
“Special counsel Jack Smith’s team made a startling admission in its case against former President Donald Trump, acknowledging in a new court filing that it failed to turn over all evidence to Mr. Trump’s legal team as required by law and falsely claimed that it had.”
“Mr. Smith’s team said in a July 31 court filing (pdf) in its classified documents case against the former president that it had incorrectly claimed during a July 18 court hearing that it had provided all Mar-a-Lago surveillance footage to Mr. Trump’s defense attorneys, as required by law.”
Link: https://www.theepochtimes.com/mkt_app/us/jack-smith-admits-to-making-false-claim-to-court-in-trump-case-5437903?utm_source=Morningbrief&src_src=Morningbrief&utm_campaign=mb-2023-08-03&src_cmp=mb-2023-08-03&utm_medium=email&est=jbqZNFcKo0N1ydVIBJf7wjrS9hYv8zOb5zzZGIsNTasuv0YUR0nTjBm67cd0IIvl -
I remember somewhere along Tassie’s long wild west coast being taken to old aboriginal shell middens that were crumbling open to the skies and winds and being told that along the whole of the north-west coast any beach was one big midden.
Keeping them all would be like insisting on sticking to old Anglo-Saxon field boundaries for the sake of heritage. Sometimes it happens, but you can’t and shouldn’t count on it. Peoples move, places change and that’s just the way of things.
Aborigines should live in the modern world and get used to it. The ridiculous claims the current Vic ‘Treaty’ is giving some unknown Land Council over the area of ten local Councils in Victoria is complete lunacy, especially as it involves control of water resources. It will be this on steroids with the Voice, and no hope of rescinding legislation with a change of government either, which at least can be done re a legally constestable State treaty.. -
how to derail a civilization
https://boriquagato.substack.com/p/how-to-derail-a-civilization?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
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The fat fascist fool still thinks that an event substantially less violent than an average BLM or Ante-fa afternoon stroll through town was an “insurrection”. The only unarmed “insurrection” in world history still gives him wet dreams.
To say nothing of the multiple undercover FBI and other agents provacateurs.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IcJJ6aK7lzU
Interesting method of water well construction in Senegal from a mob probably called Water Without Borders. No machinery, just hand labour and skill. Bugger all dependency on the supply chain for consumables apart from cement. -
Indolent:
https://boriquagato.substack.com/p/how-to-derail-a-civilization?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
And with our current leadership in the West, we’re falling further behind. -
“Nip down the shop and get a tin of stripped paint.”
I have a friend who used to run a car spares shop, and got one of these.
He told the guy to wait.
Then took the lid off a tin of untinted white paint and allowed a skin to form.
Then carefully put tint in stripes over the top and told the guy to be very careful when taking it back – keep it upright, don’t shake it etc.
He reckons the phone call from the individual responsible for the request was worth the effort. 🙂 -
Barcelona
We have discovered the hard way – don’t allow yourself to be given E500 notes in Australia. Even trying to pay a legitimate large bill at an institution where your passport is inspected as part of the check-in process – such as one of our hotels – will not accept them. So we were told to go to a bank; did so; no good – you must go to the Bank of Spain. Once there, sorry, you need to make an appointment, and there are none left today. Somewhere out there the counterfeiters’ E500’s must be VERY good quality. Postscript: money changed, luckily we had the kosher stuff.
Been slightly disappointed with Barcelona – not as beautiful as the other cities we have visited. Also, the first time in Spain we have encountered clouds and dare I say it, humidity! It even rained a bit yesterday. Not as hot, low 30’s.
Barcelona is Gaudi overload – a Spanish architect and designer known as the greatest exponent of Catalan Modernism. IMO it is a whimsical almost fairytale style. We visited the grand Sagrada Familia (church) which is symbolic of the lifetime of Christ. The intricate outside stonework shows various concepts, such as saints, virtues and sins, ably explained to Mrs TE by Top Ender who recalled his many years of Catholic education. Also saw Casa Batlow, a house that Gaudi re-designed on one of the city’s main streets. That was enough.
We met up with our friends from Australia and ventured out to dinner at The Four Gats (The Four Cats), a restaurant which was frequented by Picasso and other artists and writers. It has a bohemian Parisian style. Lovely food and great catch-up. We all board our Med cruise today.
Randoms:
• There are Aldi’s throughout Spain – their security guards impressed me – stab vest, handcuffs, truncheon etc. Saw one search a bloke leaving and removing two bottles of bourbon – one from front of shorts and one from the back! Then let him go.
• Included a photo of street cleaning as well. Two women in wet weather gear and hose spraying. Followed by small vehicle with scrubbers.
• Did a history “free tour by foot” – which featured the Spanish Civil war and damage to buildings and Catalonia’s fight for independence (hence three flags on their buildings)
• Alcohol is often approximately 1/3rd of the price in Australia everywhere in Spain!
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