The totally off-topic thread

[anat0l]

My birthday today. Three score and ten. Never thought I would make it. I put it down to regular red wine, long haul in J, good friends and a supportive family

I can remember buying Hill of Grace for about $8 and I also bought a case of 72 Grange for $9.99 per bottle in the late 70's. The Tooth Brewery bought Penfolds and needed cash so they dumped all the Grange stock on the market.

I have no intention of drinking any less nor do I intend to curb my travel. Life is too short not to enjoy your favourite things.

Lunch was fresh seafood with a bottle of (Blackcat20) Taittinger and there will be a special bottle of red with dinner.

Life is good

This week is full of celebrations. Two birthdays today (including yours - Happy Birthday!), plus two wedding anniversaries... an office colleague has a birthday tomorrow, then on Friday another colleague, and then on Saturday is mine (another year towards over the hill!).

I'm really starting to wonder about the people in my neighbourhood. Before work this morning I spotted a man in my yard helping himself to my feijoas. I confronted him, and made him hand over the fruit. He's not the first fruit thief I've caught on my property. Then this afternoon I get home to find someone has pruned my trees, and dumped all the cuttings in the garden. We recently had a council inspection of vegetation and mine had passed, so not like it was an issue.... funny how they waited for the first day of me not being home to come round and do some cutting....

Thank your lucky stars you don't have a mango tree...

 

[blackcat20]

Thank your lucky stars you don't have a mango tree...

Someone damaged my back fence trying to steal peaches a few years ago. I also once lost a whole crop of broccoli and cauliflower, and a lot of basil. People have no shame.

 

[Bindibuys]

Best wishes Major, if the wheel ain't broke - don't try to fix it. Keep doing what makes you happy.

 

[drron]

Discovered today that your EDR card isn't wasted in Tassie.No Coles Express in Burnie,no Woollies dockets left but flashing your EDR card at United stations gets you 4 cents a litre off.

 

[clazman]

Happy birthday major, I had to google 3 score and 10 to get your age ,

 

[Flashback]

This week is full of celebrations. Two birthdays today (including yours - Happy Birthday!), plus two wedding anniversaries... an office colleague has a birthday tomorrow, then on Friday another colleague, and then on Saturday is mine (another year towards over the hill!).

Thank your lucky stars you don't have a mango tree...

*puts hand up* Guilty as charged! No parole any time soon though I am told....

 

[TheEmu]

My birthday today. Three score and ten. Never thought I would make it. I put it down to regular red wine, long haul in J, good friends and a supportive family

I can remember buying Hill of Grace for about $8 and I also bought a case of 72 Grange for $9.99 per bottle in the late 70's. The Tooth Brewery bought Penfolds and needed cash so they dumped all the Grange stock on the market.

I have no intention of drinking any less nor do I intend to curb my travel. Life is too short not to enjoy your favourite things.

Lunch was fresh seafood with a bottle of (Blackcat20) Taittinger and there will be a special bottle of red with dinner.

Life is good

Best post today!
You've obviously discovered the secret to a long life: celebrate more birthdays!
Happy Birthday Major, may you enjoy many more special bottles...

 

[Cossie]

My birthday today. Three score and ten. Never thought I would make it. I put it down to regular red wine, long haul in J, good friends and a supportive family

I can remember buying Hill of Grace for about $8 and I also bought a case of 72 Grange for $9.99 per bottle in the late 70's. The Tooth Brewery bought Penfolds and needed cash so they dumped all the Grange stock on the market.

I have no intention of drinking any less nor do I intend to curb my travel. Life is too short not to enjoy your favourite things.

Lunch was fresh seafood with a bottle of (Blackcat20) Taittinger and there will be a special bottle of red with dinner.

Life is good

Three score for me on Monday, spent enjoying the wilds of Tasmania, I don't have many (if any!) regrets of how things have turned out, seen a lot of the world and will continue to do so, had a superb bottle of Wombat Springs Pinot Noir last night with my flathead at the Blue Shed.
Life really is good!

 

[cove]

Many women assume they have a credit card but if it is a partner card it really is not workable if your partner drops off the perch. Get your own card before you retire is what I am thinking.

 

[JohnK]

According to my dentist, all the stress of organising F trips for holidays has been so bad that I have been grinding my teeth during the night and he recommends I get a mouth guard for sleeping. Anyone have any idea what sort to get and from where?

I have been told I need a mouth guard while I sleep. Apparently I grind my teeth but also have another issue related to inflammation where my jaw locks.

I don't like the thought of a mouth guard while I sleep.

 

[Pushka]

Many women assume they have a credit card but if it is a partner card it really is not workable if your partner drops off the perch. Get your own card before you retire is what I am thinking.

Definitely. I rarely use the partner card. I got so sick of the "need to talk to the card owner" privacy rubbish when there were issues.

 

[TheEmu]

Three score for me on Monday, spent enjoying the wilds of Tasmania, I don't have many (if any!) regrets of how things have turned out, seen a lot of the world and will continue to do so, had a superb bottle of Wombat Springs Pinot Noir last night with my flathead at the Blue Shed.
Life really is good!

Flathead? You either have a pet fish, an old Ford, an even older Harley, or a rather unflattering nickname for your better half? :shock:
Happy Birthday for Monday!

 

[Cruiser Elite]

Truth in reporting? Is it just me - or has one of our fabulously accurate Melbourne daily papers got something wrong?



And:



And:



Any wonder they are a dying breed? But beyond that - don't you love having responsible politicians in charge of the public purse - sheesh!

 

[cove]

CE if we follow the internationals we would have our transfer profit going to Singapore and then Royalties from there to a total tax haven. So much for Part 1VA of the Tax Act we were told was working.
Of course you would get fewer miles on credit cards.
As far as 70 billion in student loans I think we need to hold their passports and make it so the debt cannot be cancelled by bankruptcy.

 

[docjames]

The $339m is direct costs to the company that had commenced construction (apparently all costs incurred by the company since winning the tender) which was announced yesterday.

The $640m would likely to include all costs incurred along the way, presumably including (but not limited to) house purchases, scoping study(ies), compensation claims (current and pending) etc etc.

It's not inconceivable to have two different headline numbers, but I suspect the government would prefer the $339m (being lower) but it doesnt recognise all costs incurred in the project, just the payout to shut down the construction.


Either number is a total waste. Imagine what those sort of dollars could have achieved (either on roads or elsewhere)......


I haven't read either article so happy to be corrected if that's not where the numbers have come from. They may also reflect the (political) leaning of either paper currently

 

[drron]

Truth in reporting? Is it just me - or has one of our fabulously accurate Melbourne daily papers got something wrong?

View attachment 45976

And:

View attachment 45977

And:

View attachment 45978

Any wonder they are a dying breed? But beyond that - don't you love having responsible politicians in charge of the public purse - sheesh!

Actually in a way they are both right.
$339 million is the compensation to the consortium for work already done.
But another $81 million is going to the financiers.
And $220 million has already been spent by the taxpayers on the project so total cost for a road that wont be built is $640 million.

 

[Cruiser Elite]

Oh I can sleep easy now that that is cleared up

 

[medhead]

Hell yeah! you wouldn't want a government that campaigned on a particular promise to stop a project to get into office and break that promise, now would we. Funnily enough I can imagine that the same people would be whinging about broken promises if they did renege.

As far as 70 billion in student loans I think we need to hold their passports and make it so the debt cannot be cancelled by bankruptcy.

I didn't think hecs/help/whatever it's called could be cancelled by bankruptcy. I'm also still struggling to see how the current proposal to allow unlimited fees, which will be paid initially by a government loan to students, is going to help the budget.

 

[whatmeworry]

Oh well, I guess we Melburians will finally get the project we voted instead of the toll road for trucks to nowhere (that was conceived from a thought bubble) that would have gave back 40 cents for every dollar spent.

 

[whatmeworry]

I didn't think hecs/help/whatever it's called could be cancelled by bankruptcy. I'm also still struggling to see how the current proposal to allow unlimited fees, which will be paid initially by a government loan to students, is going to help the budget.

[h=4]HELP debts (previously HECS debts)[/h] On 1 January 2005, the Higher Education Loan Program (HELP) came into effect, incorporating the Higher Education Contribution Scheme (HECS), with changes. On 1 June 2006, existing accumulated HECS debts converted to new accumulated HELP debts. HELP debts that arise under the Higher Education Support Act 2003 (Cth), are not provable in bankruptcy (s 82(3AB) Bankruptcy Act). Accordingly, they may be recovered during and after bankruptcy.
For more information regarding the conversion of HECS debts to HELP debts and its effect on bankruptcy, contact ITSA on 1300 364 785 or the ATO’s Personal Tax Infoline on 13 28 61.

People in the USA are struggling with 100k plus degrees that Mr. Pyne wants to create. Don't know why he or the group of 8 are so determined for such expensive degrees.