Fogbow

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-03-01/ ... e/13201208

She knits, once included an emoji in a legal judgement, and was in the mosh pit of Nirvana's only Australian concert.

Justice Jacqueline Gleeson is not your usual High Court appointee.

Key points:
Jacqueline Gleeson, 54, is Australia's 55th High Court judge
Justice Gleeson has served on the Federal Court for the past seven years
She is the daughter of former chief justice Murray Gleeson

For the files of stupid defenses, the offense is exceeding the speed limit, not what was on his speedo, indeed that argument should have resulted in a vehicle inspection and if his speedo was inaccurate then a defect notice:

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-03-01/ ... s/13202380

Key points:
David Scylla was caught travelling 68 kph in a 60 zone
He told court that his speedometer was out because he had larger tyres
His argument was rejected by the Supreme Court

The Supreme Court was told that between December 2016 and August 2020, Scylla had elected for 12 speeding offences to go to court — and in 10 of those cases, he had successfully argued to have his demerit point loss reduced.

<So a repeat offender.... I doubt this bit from him helped his case>
"My record indicates I do sit above the speed a fair bit now and again and get busted for it. But there's so much bad driving out there that doesn't get picked up. I'm a good driver."

Neo-Nazi group Sonnenkrieg Division to become first right-wing terrorist organisation listed in Australia

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-03-02/ ... d/13206756

A right-wing extremist group is set to be formally listed as a terrorist organisation for the first time in Australia.

Key points:
Sonnenkrieg Division has been outlawed in the UK since early 2020
Australian security agencies suggest there are currently no Australians directly involved with the group
There are currently 27 listed terror groups in Australia

Victorian parliamentary committee set to announce decision on banning Nazi symbols

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-03-02/ ... n/13205700

Tomorrow morning, a Victorian parliamentary committee will announce its decision on whether the swastika and other Nazi symbols should be banned from public display.

Key points:
The inquiry into the adequacy of Victoria's racial vilification laws was prompted by a planned neo-Nazi music festival in Melbourne in 2019
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said the state had a "deficiency in the law"
Some say banning symbols will just encourage hate groups to adopt new ones

Dave from down under wrote: ↑Tue Mar 02, 2021 12:24 am Victorian parliamentary committee set to announce decision on banning Nazi symbols

SNIP

Some say banning symbols will just encourage hate groups to adopt new ones

I was looking up nazi symbols on the Anti-Defamation League website recently, and it mentioned altering some symbols and co-opting others. Those guys are very fast to alter and use symbols.

There are numerous articles about altering hate symbols. Over the past few years, the confederate flag has changed to a white field with a black cross, for example. On the other hand (no pun intended), the ok sign has quickly come to be white power.
Lots of trump campaign items had slightly changed symbols, including the disgusting ad on Facebook with a downward pointing red triangle (political prisoners in death camps) followed by a 14 word sentence. Check out the t-shirt eagle from the trump campaign. This the American eagle, which always looks to the right.

While I'm at it... the swastika was used by Hindus as a symbol of good luck. Buddhists think it represents the footprints of the Buddha. In Mesopotamia it was used on coins. It was discovered in the ruins of Troy. The Navajo nation included it in woven textiles. Around the world, it became a symbol of good luck. Until the nazis stole it.

It's what fascists do... steal, lie, cheat and murder...

We've had them too long..

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Guard_(Australia)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Guard

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australia_First_Movement

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Far-right ... _Australia

Lani wrote: ↑Tue Mar 02, 2021 1:47 am While I'm at it... the swastika was used by Hindus as a symbol of good luck. Buddhists think it represents the footprints of the Buddha. In Mesopotamia it was used on coins. It was discovered in the ruins of Troy. The Navajo nation included it in woven textiles. Around the world, it became a symbol of good luck. Until the nazis stole it.

Screenshot_2021-03-01 Hinduism.png
buddha.jpg
navaho.png

I remember being in Japan many years ago and saw what I thought were swastikas on the GPS. They were Buddhist temple locations.

Spoiler - don't go swimming in Darwin Harbour

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-03-03/ ... r/13211628

A battle-scarred crocodile weighing up to half a tonne has been pulled from Darwin Harbour — prompting a warning that crocodiles are on the move during a heavy wet season.

Key points:
Rangers estimate the creature weighs 500kg
They say crocodiles are mobile because of recent heavy rain
Another large crocodile was caught in the same trap last Saturday

The creature, which is 4.5-metres long and missing some toes and part of its tail, is so large rangers struggled to remove it from the trap in the western side of the harbour, where it was found on Wednesday.

Alexa tells me that 4.5 meters is 14 feet 10 inches, and 500 kg is 1,100 lbs.

He’s a young ‘un...

Males grow to a length of up to 6 m (20 ft), rarely exceeding 6.3 m (21 ft) or a weight of 1,000–1,300 kg (2,200–2,900 lb).

Swimming with dinosaurs.

Tiredretiredlawyer wrote: ↑Wed Mar 03, 2021 9:34 am Swimming with dinosaurs.

Lani wrote: ↑Tue Mar 02, 2021 1:47 am While I'm at it... the swastika was used by Hindus as a symbol of good luck. Buddhists think it represents the footprints of the Buddha. In Mesopotamia it was used on coins. It was discovered in the ruins of Troy. The Navajo nation included it in woven textiles. Around the world, it became a symbol of good luck. Until the nazis stole it.

Screenshot_2021-03-01 Hinduism.png
buddha.jpg
navaho.png

I was aware that the swastika was a Hindu symbol long before it was a Nazi emblem.

But I've never heard the history of how the Nazis came to adopt such a clearly non-aryan symbol.

Can anyone enlighten me?

“How the world loved the swastika - until Hitler stole it”:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-29644591

The swastika was used by the Vikings & other Norse & Germanic tribes, and was sometimes associated with Thor.

I read somewhere that there were swastikas in a catholic church that Hitler attended in his boyhood.

I was outraged by his acts...

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-03-10/ ... y/13232032

Richard Pusey, the Porsche driver who swore as he filmed the final moments of a police officer who died on Melbourne's Eastern Freeway, has pleaded guilty.

Key points:
Richard Pusey pleaded guilty to conduct endangering serious injury, drug possession and outraging public decency
The guilty pleas follow months of negotiations with prosecutors
A truck driver previously pleaded guilty to charges related to the crash that killed the four officers

After months of negotiations with prosecutors, Pusey has now pleaded guilty to conduct endangering serious injury and possessing a drug of dependence.

As part of the deal, he has also pleaded guilty to the controversial charge of outraging public decency, which his legal team initially argued did not exist.

The 42-year-old now accepts that he breached public decency standards by using his phone to create recordings of the dead and dying police officers, while saying: "There you go, amazing, absolutely amazing. All I wanted to do was go home and have some sushi and now you f***ed my f***ing car."

Yeah, I'm kinda torn by this. The news tonight said 'after months of negotiations' he plead guilty. I thought negotiations? Fucking go to trial convict the bastard and throw away the key.

But that would take months. So this way it saves time and money, and gives immediate satisfaction. But lawyers and judges are saying 'he deserves credit' for copping a plea.

Bullshit. Just draw and quarter the asshole.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-03-15/ ... t/13247972

After a Liberal* party wipe-out, WA's Lower House could end up with more MPs named Lisa than Liberal party members.

Key points:
Australia's first female MP Edith Cowan entered WA Parliament in 1921
A century on, WA has elected the 100th woman to State Parliament
Women are set to occupy 28 out of the 59 seats in the lower house

(*Liberal in this context is conservative... things are different down under )

Me: slowly getting there.. hopefully before I fall off the perch...

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-03-15/ ... s/13061688

Unlikely partnership between Magda Szubanski and 'Egg Boy' helping to heal bushfire-hit communities

Magda Szubanski is holding court in a Tumbarumba cafe. This is not where you'd expect the A-list comedian, actor and writer to hang out. Sure enough, the locals are asking her for selfies and autographs, grateful for the distraction stardust brings.

It's been 10 months since the cataclysmic fires of January 2020 tore through more than 4,000 square kilometres of forests, orchards and farmland in the Snowy Valleys area of New South Wales. It was one of the worst-hit parts of the state. And that's exactly why Magda is here.

She's on a road trip with the most unlikely of travel buddies — 19-year-old Will Connolly, aka Egg Boy, and describes herself as the teen's "second nagging mother".

They've raised almost $190,000 to help with the long-term trauma that bushfire survivors often experience. And they're using that money to fund an arts program that's been road tested on soldiers.

But first they want to understand what locals have been through so the program targets community needs.

<much more at the link>

Dave from down under wrote: ↑Sun Mar 14, 2021 11:16 pm https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-03-15/ ... t/13247972

After a Liberal* party wipe-out, WA's Lower House could end up with more MPs named Lisa than Liberal party members.

Key points:
Australia's first female MP Edith Cowan entered WA Parliament in 1921
A century on, WA has elected the 100th woman to State Parliament
Women are set to occupy 28 out of the 59 seats in the lower house

(*Liberal in this context is conservative... things are different down under )

Me: slowly getting there.. hopefully before I fall off the perch...

I am enjoying reading about happenings in Australia, even if I don't say anything, so please keep posting!

Living in Washington State, we occasionally get horse owners from Western Australia signing up on the WA horse FB pages. They are always welcome, but we can't help them with questions such as 'who is a good local farrier' and 'who do you use for a vet', so we break it as gently as possible to them that the page is for Washington State in the United States of America, and not a Western Australia page.

But being “sand gropers”, they should be used to travelling vast distances, so any recommendations you make for vet/farrier etc might be an option..

Lisa? Whatever happened the Sheila?

Not so sadly Sheila is rarely said, except in self parody.

But it’s all jake, Lisa, Lisa & Lisa are three true blue dinky dy sheilas.