G'day all,

Weather on the east coast of Aussie lately has been storms, flooding rains, gale winds, giant hail etc.  

Different from when I first moved to the north coast of NSW 11 and a bit years ago.  Kinda reminds me of Darwin during the cyclone and wet season.  

We have had several thunder storms pass over lately and last evening was no exception.  About 8pm the storms rolled in from the south.  Bit of a boom crash opera.  

Strikes around the house and the yard  in rapid succession.  The house shook and cracking electrical noises echoed inside. Quite blinding light, zap/boom.  Blew the land line out.  Glad I've cleared around the area.  One particular strike was followed by cracking and crunching noises.

Rained heavily all night.  Now, I'm not frightened of the odd thunderstorm and do like a light show but this one was off the scale.  

Woke up this morning and checked the back yard.  Sure enough lightning had struck 2 trees in the yard.
Shrapnel in the form of timber splinters up to 4 meters long were scattered about with some over 2 meters embedded into the ground and sticking upright.  

The bigger tree, an 'Iron Bark' Eucalypt, bout 60 feet tall shading the chook shed suffered a hit from top to roots and was interesting to view as you could see the route taken by the bolt which carved a crevice out.  No burn signs.  This tree is about 50 metres from the house and a piece about 3 metres long speared into the ground travelling 50 metres in a different direction.  Iron Bark is a solid, heavy timber with one of the highest strength ratings.

I took some pics which actually don't really do the scale and distance justice.  (Cheap mobile phone).  Scared the crap out of the rooster who didn't surface till late afternoon.  Knocked the peg baskets off the clothes hoist. 

                   

Bally.  More pics to come. Reached my limit.

Quote:Full Best Adventure Movie | He's looking for his father's killers | The King Maker | Thriller Film The King Maker Fernando De Gama, a determined Portuguese mercenary, embarks on a perilous journey to the exotic Orient, seeking vengeance for his father’s murder. His voyage leads him to the majestic Thai kingdom of Ayutthaya, a land of stunning beauty, complex politics, and ancient traditions. Driven by anger and justice, Fernando is unprepared for the challenges and alliances he will face in this foreign realm. In Ayutthaya, Fernando becomes entangled in the kingdom's power struggles, earning both allies and enemies. As he searches for the man responsible for his father’s death, he uncovers a web of betrayal that stretches from the royal court to the battlefield. Along the way, his mission of vengeance transforms into a deeper quest, as he grapples with questions of loyalty, honor, and his own identity in a land far from home. "The King Maker" is an epic historical adventure filled with intrigue, romance, and action. It weaves a rich tapestry of cultural exchange and personal redemption, as Fernando trinianpal884 learns that the path to justice often demands courage, sacrifice, and an open heart. Director - Lek Kitaparaporn Writer - Sean Casey Stars - Gary Stretch, John Rhys-Davies, Cindy Sirinya Bishop


WITH A LITTLE CHINESE FLY THROUGH THE AIR KUNGFU MOVES

https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_e...in-jordan/

Quote:The Trump administration’s recent decision to suspect USAID payments is reportedly already having a “devastating” effect in Jordan, according to a UAE report citing nonprofit organizations.
The National outlet reports that some 35,000 jobs have been lost as a result of the move, including both Jordanians and Americans working on projects funded by the US.
One of Jordan’s larger nonprofits is quoted in the Emirati report as saying that more than half of its budget comes from US sources and the aid suspension has affected operations “tremendously.”

The lack of funding is affecting projects covering physical and mental health, disabilities, refugees, sexual and reproductive health services, and gender-based violence protection and rehabilitation services, The National reports.
“It goes beyond the numbers. It’s a ripple effect on the whole economy,” the organization says.

Yesterday, Sunday, February 9th, 2025, President Trump ordered the Treasury Department to stop making pennies, citing costs.  From the article:

“For far too long the United States has minted pennies which literally cost us more than 2 cents. This is so wasteful!” Trump wrote in a post Sunday night on his Truth Social site. “I have instructed my Secretary of the US Treasury to stop producing new pennies.”

https://apnews.com/article/trump-penny-t...97653051ba

I think Trump is being short sighted here.  Once he "saves the economy" and prices start going back down, I'm sure that the materials for making things will also cost less to produce as well.  We're gonna need that penny, sooner or later.

When contemplating owning man's most favourite and faithful friend, choose its colour wisely.
Apparently, the black ones can bring problems!

More from the Biden crime family and associates...
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/15oxz4jDE4/  

Quote:It’s hard to believe that there may be a bigger story today than the final score of the Super Bowl.
President Donald Trump learned today a Federal Whistleblower and former PA State Police employee has come forward with information and filed a criminal complaint this week on February 7, 2025, allegedly linking Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro with the assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Allegations from the private criminal complaint,
“In the weeks leading up to the Trump Rally, President Joseph R. Biden, made frequent visits to Defendant Joshua Shapiro to discuss the obstacle faced by the Democratic party. Joshua Shapiro, organized, schemed, and conspired with other officials to carry out the attempted assassination against Former President Donald J. Trump.”
“Governor Josh Shapiro, facilitated, planned, and coordinated the attempted assassination to climb the political ladder..”

Quote:Pennsylvania Arrest Warrant's Post
Pennsylvania Arrest Warrants

It’s hard to believe that there may be a bigger story today than the final score of the Super Bowl.

President Donald Trump learned today a Federal Whistleblower and former PA State Police employee has come forward with information and filed a criminal complaint this week on February 7, 2025, allegedly linking Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro with the assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania.

Allegations from the private criminal complaint,

“In the weeks leading up to the Trump Rally, President Joseph R. Biden, made frequent visits to Defendant Joshua Shapiro to discuss the obstacle faced by the Democratic party. Joshua Shapiro, organized, schemed, and conspired with other officials to carry out the attempted assassination against Former President Donald J. Trump.”

“Governor Josh Shapiro, facilitated, planned, and coordinated the attempted assassination to climb the political ladder..”

"On July 13, 2024, this Affiant contacted the Secret Service to provide a tip which was blocked by Biden's Administration.

On July 15, 2024, through July 23, 2024, this Affiant communicated with Secret Service Agent John T. Donohue and provided numerous documentations related to the crimes committed by Governor Joshua Shapiro and the Philadelphia FBI's involvement in covering up the crimes of Defendant Joshua Shapiro. Agent John T. Donohue sent the complaint to Headquarters, but the Biden Administration blocked it.

On March 9, 2024, Supervisory Special Agent Kenneth Keller, advised this Affiant through email that he contacted the FBI Philadelphia Personnel, FBI victim services, and management at the Washington Field office, and that they advised him to direct the Affiant to Philadelphia FBI. Agent Kenneth Keller informed this Affiant that the crimes being reported are not occurring in his jurisdiction, and that he has no jurisdiction to assist Pennsylvania victims. He advised the Affiant to contact the Department of Justice. This affiant contacted the Department of Justice and Federal Bureau of Investigation. Up until recently, Ex FBI director Christopher Wray was conspiring with the Biden Administration and concealing the reports.

Now that he has resigned, this private criminal complaint must be investigated."

July 23, 2024 the former State police employee filed documents to have criminal charges of attempted homicide filed against Governor Josh Shapiro. Butler County District Attorney, Richard Goldinger sent a letter to the former State police employee, dated August 22, 2024 refusing to bring attempted murder charges, because it was being investigated by other agencies.

Governor Josh Shapiro has not been criminally charged at the time of this story and presumed innocent of any alleged wrongdoing.
Both President Trump and Josh Shapiro are attending the Super Bowl today, which should make for an interesting game.

Finding this stuff is one thing but convicting the fraudsters may be a different matter ??  https://therightscoop.com/breaking-elon-...e-of-doge/

Quote:Elon Musk wrote a long post today explaining the changes that have been jointly agreed by the Treasury Department and DOGE.
Musk also revealed that there is $100 billion being spent every year on entitlements to people without social security numbers. He polled the people at Treasury and the consensus is that about half of it is fraudulent.
He did credit the working level people, saying they’ve been wanting to do something about this fraud for years but were stopped by prior management.
Here’s what Musk said:

Quote:To be clear, what the @DOGEteam and @USTreasury have jointly agreed makes sense is the following:
– Require that all outgoing government payments have a payment categorization code, which is necessary in order to pass financial audits. This is frequently left blank, making audits almost impossible.
– All payments must also include a rationale for the payment in the comment field, which is currently left blank. Importantly, we are not yet applying ANY judgment to this rationale, but simply requiring that SOME attempt be made to explain the payment more than NOTHING!
– The DO-NOT-PAY list of entities known to be fraudulent or people who are dead or are probable fronts for terrorist organizations or do not match Congressional appropriations must actually be implemented and not ignored. Also, it can currently take up to a year to get on this list, which is far too long. This list should be updated at least weekly, if not daily.
The above super obvious and necessary changes are being implemented by existing, long-time career government employees, not anyone from @DOGE. It is ridiculous that these changes didn’t exist already!
Yesterday, I was told that there are currently over $100B/year of entitlements payments to individuals with no SSN or even a temporary ID number. If accurate, this is extremely suspicious.
When I asked if anyone at Treasury had a rough guess for what percentage of that number is unequivocal and obvious fraud, the consensus in the room was about half, so $50B/year or $1B/week!!
This is utterly insane and must be addressed immediately.

Responding to someone who asked how Treasury can be aware of this much fraud and not do anything about it, Musk said:

Quote:Nobody in Treasury management cared enough before. I do want to credit the working level people in Treasury who have wanted to do this for many years, but have been stopped by prior management.
Everything at Treasury was geared towards complain minimization. People we receive money don’t complain, but people who don’t receive money (especially fraudsters) complain very loudly, so the fraud was allowed to continue.

What do you have in your closet?

What steps are you willing to take to pull living history out of the shadows?

In WWII - are you willing to go over Nazi Germany alone, unarmed... dozens of times?

Flying Sargeant. Americans in Supermarine Spitfires.

In 2005, an 83 year-old World War II pilot is surprised to see 16mm footage of his 1944 Spitfire crash for the first time.

Really amazing short story.



The film is complex in that it is a photographic record of a man reviewing a photographic record of his own photographic record-making process (a wartime photo-reconnaissance flight) across a timespan of 61 years. The film includes several high-altitude reconnaissance photos taken by Blyth.

Blyth was interviewed by BBC in 2011 for their docu Operation Crossbow.

Here's some photos...




Aerial photos taken by Blyth:











Photo source for the 14th & 22nd Photo Squadron, 7th Photo Recon Group at American Air Museum in Britain. Around a 1,000 photos.

Hi-res Aerial Photos by John S. Blyth on Flickr

Quote:In authoritarian regimes, the unimaginable becomes reality. In one such country, citizens are required to collect large amounts of feces annually—500 kilograms from adults and 200 kilograms from elementary school students. This is a real situation happening today in North Korea. On January 9th, Radio Free Asia's Korean service reported that North Koreans, struggling to meet the government’s high feces collection quotas, have begun fighting with each other. Not only has the black market emerged as a result, but people, fearing punishment, have been resorting to theft and violent struggles over the feces.

E.O. for 2d amendment signed by Trump... Good news for those who want to retain the freedom to protect themselves from idiots and critters.