The Daily Good News
Black cockies and RAAF Caribou’s flying overhead at the same time.
That’s a good day.
Ironic in a way that Chelsea "stole" the title off them a few years back via the Gerard slip & a Willian goal, then handed it to them this morning via a brain slip (Fernandinho) and Willian goal.
Taking nothing away from Liverpool though - they've been outstanding.
A wild guess, but are you a Chelksi fan, Pops?
Haha.
Cheers.
Sure am... from before the Abramovich days.
Needn't ask who you support. Congratulations, must feel good to finally get over the line.
My first trip to Blighty was the last time they won the league! I saw the last game of that season vs Arsenal at Highbury.
A long time between drinks.
And in further related good news...
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-06-26/australia-and-new-zealand-to-host...
Yeah - and with home advantage we'd have to be in with a shot of winning it (especially if the likes of Sam Kerr are still going strong). Hopefully the girls can get some more media coverage too.
Important purchase of 153,415-hectare north-western NSW property by National Parks & Wildlife Service.
The purchase adds important ecosystems particularly the intermittent wetlands fed by the Bulloo River.
The property is rich in Indigenous and European history, including containing an ancient trade route that brought stone axes in from Queensland to the north in exchange for a drug extracted from local trees.
woo-hoo!
Great.
Just tack on an extra couple of weeks for when you get home and have to quarantine.
The A team at work
Dogs.
Very good news indeed
Great pic SD. So true.....
NZ 100 days covid free. Well done to all. Geez I love that place.
"Morrison to tear up Victoria’s Belt and Road Initiative deal with Beijing
Scott Morrison will legislate to tear up Victoria’s multi-million-dollar Belt and Road Initiative agreement with Beijing, creating laws that will also ban a raft of other deals with foreign governments found to be against the national interest.
In an unprecedented move against Chinese interference and the protection of state secrets, the use of external powers under the Constitution to direct state, territory and local governments on national security issues will effectively kill dozens of agreements with foreign governments and institutions.
The Foreign Relations Bill, which will be introduced to parliament next week, also extends to universities and captures any questionable agreements between Australian public institutions and foreign governments.
In a major flexing of its constitutional powers, the Morrison government will cast its net over all foreign relations agreements struck by lower tiers of government, amid fears that national security has been compromised by often secret deals between state governments and foreign powers.
The move could have rippling effects for the private sector, with the Foreign Minister given powers to review any private infrastructure contracts that a state government signed as part of a BRI agreement with China.
The list of agreements that could be scrapped under the proposed legislation will range from sister city agreements, popular with local governments, to memorandum of understanding deals and include all legally and non-legally binding arrangements.
Continued: (quite a bit more)https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/morrison-to-tear-up-vic...
It is good news now move it elsewhere this is a non political forum you pillock
A sneaky bank in an unlikely location cranking all week. Maximum crowd - 3. Good news indeed.
Stunt toddler soars to new heights, to claim ride of the year.
[ Comes with a Rad Warning ] Do not try this at yer local.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-08-31/girl-in-taiwan-lifted-into-the-ai...
After last years drought thankfully coinciding with mangoes undertaking their biennial break from fruiting, this year’s return to regular rainfall is making them go gangbusters. It seems that the drought is almost beneficial in that it weeds out the weaker trees and hardens the survivors do that when conditions improve they grow like crazy.
The Heidi variety are straight out of the gate with blooms like I’ve never seen. The R2E2s are also looking the goods for a later season harvest.
Freakin’ mangoes .....I can’t get enough. I’m not often in town for the harvest and so it’s going to be a pleasure going full Bubba Gump on those juicy , heaven sent orbs .....Dried mango , Frozen mango , mango smoothies, mango ice blocks , sliced mango , mango salad..... mmmmmmmnnnnn.
Fingers crossed / touching wood they escape the hail and thunderstorms.
So good.
"The good news, however, is that leading thinkers among the world's economists are still grappling with the embarrassing question of why their profession's advice over many decades seems to have made our lives worse rather than better."
Gittins on the economists who seek to fix the damage they've caused.
'Thinking economists are grappling with why their profession has made our lives worse'
Marginal good news Stu.
correct me if im wrong but im sure mangoes like it dry while they flower /fruit.
Here you go VJ
“Here is the good, the bad and the ugly truth about mangoes and rain.
The Good
Good rains make the fruit grow bigger at a nice and slow pace, allowing the fruit to have ample time to mature.
Good rain achieves not only larger sizing but more of each size, higher yields.
Bigger sizing equals more edible mango flesh, more bang for your buck!
The right amount of rain helps the fruit mature properly at nature’s intended rate, providing abundant time for the fruit to move through the ripening phases.
With the right amount of rain, mangoes will ripen to optimal flavor with ideal sugar concentration and flavor.
Good rain makes a smooth and tough-skinned mango, perfect for protecting the flesh.
Tough skin mangoes tend to be free from most blemishes and nix.
The fruit stays on the trees longer with good rain and the season will last longer.
Good rain influences the juiciness and vibrancy of the mango.
Good rain produces good, strong yields.
The Bad
Bad rain causes thin skin, causing the mango to be more susceptible to bruising, scuffs and/or scratches.
Discoloration and black spots occur with too much rain at the wrong time.
Too much rain can seep into the fruit at the stem and cause internal rot and a poor pulp/water balance.
Too little rain makes for small sizing and low yields.
The Ugly
Severe, prolonged rains can cause and accelerate Anthracnose.
Fruit flies love to breed and thrive in heavy rains; an orchard with fruit flies (or their larvae) problems will close for export entirely.
Heavy rains delay harvest, pickers cannot operate in the mud so they have to wait until it is dry to pick, causing holes in the supply programs.“
Stu....the first step in solving a problem is acknowledging you have a problem.
In reality , think how much better the world would be without those decades of theoretical economic malpractice.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-australia-environment-tasmanian-devil...
great news
now go get those fox cunce
Dunno if it would happen but imagine devils getting stuck into cats, foxes and rabbits.
when I did trapping was told they go the fox cubs
outcompete that way
saw some magnificent spotted tail quolls too
Few photos from Saturday night, when the surfshop downstairs hosted a slide night. Running the projector was photographer Mick McCormack who back in the eighties made a name for himself swimming in tight at Aussie Pipe, 'Razors', and Hawaiian Pipe. Mick was softly spoken but had a sharp recall on every slide and even the random photos that made up the grommet wall - surf mag photos and posters blu-tacked to the shop wall - some of which he'd forgotten had been published.
Despite being a gun swimmer, able to mix it with the Hawaiian macho-photogs like Don King and Dan Merkel, Mick mentioned how his personal mission was to appear invisible, try not to disturb the wave face or the lip so the surfers could perform naturally, which is no small feat when you see how deep he burrowed himself, but it also served him well when you see how close some of the surfers came to his lens.
First photo is one of Mick's fave subjects, Kent Klassen - "He was right into his karate," said Mick - at 'Razors'.
Cool. I see MIck around a bit. Seems to be a pretty humble guy. Always asking if I've been in the surf. Never a mention of his own exploits.
Just had an insane walk over the hill to the next beach south. Didn’t see another human the whole time. Looking down on the first beach from the headland and there’s an eagle ray jumping in panic then bolting across the top of the water in fear for its life . The culprit turned out to be a decent size tiger shark which somehow managed to soon make itself disappear in the shallow clear water over sand . Not even 5 metres deep and it evaded detection, shows how limited drones are.
Half way up the hill and a big fuck off army helicopter zoomed past at eye level. Full camo colours and loud as hell.
Lost myself in thought on the walk up and over through the crazy beautiful palm jungle , scoped the beach on the other side -onshore but very pretty and deserted - then smashed a banana and a sweet , sweet mango amongst the littoral rainforest . Listening to the birds doing their thing , watching a brightly coloured lace monitor cruise past .
Skolled some water and powered back up the hill lost in wonderment of nature. Getting glimpses of the ocean on the descent back to home beach and saw a nice White shark probably three metres , a squadron of half a dozen cobia shooting south in the top of the water column and an osprey lazily sitting high into the light Southerly without flapping its wings once .
Gorgeous purple current out wide .
Almost home when a second army helicopter flies past at eye level .
Made it home without needing stop once on a walk that’s quite demanding.....buzzing with good energy. Now I’m pleasantly fucked and feeling quite content.
Australia is an amazing place. Cheers Huey you fucken legend.
Early for the Cobia?
Was paddling back out at Crescent in Autumn one year, classic east swell, when a nice wave walled up in front and then a school of garfish exploded out of it. I went to duck dive, hoping there were no more garfish to come when this 3ft Cobia appeared, cruising inside the wave, me looking up at it, before I had to put my head under. Awesome.
dunno why but there always seems to be more cobes down that way.
I went to take the young fella for a grovel at ........ this arvo. Car wouldn't start.
NRMA membership came in handy. Fucked battery, guy got me started, drove to battery place in Ballina.
There I met the guy who started Bite Club.
Shined plans for surf. Went to Ballina Skate park, that was sick.
Home to make dinner for fam.
Bit of light left, went for a quick spin.
Came up with a real solid greenback tailor. Stoked, first one Ive caught for weeks.
not sure whether it was a straggler or the first of the post-breeding fish back from Fraser Island.
It was long and skinny and hit the lure extremely aggressively so I think the latter.
Can’t believe you can just go for a stroll and see a tiger and a white like it’s nothing.. that’s crazy
It’s never nothing Goofy.
Always a big deal when I see a white. As much as we don’t want them to be elevated to an unrealistic and untouchable status , there’s definitely something charismatic and iconic about them . Perhaps because they were not much more than a myth for most of my life and then one day you’re looking at the water same as ever , only now there’s this beast you’ve imagined for so long casually swimming past. The first one I saw felt like I was witnessing a thylacine in the flesh.
Doesn’t hurt that they are brutally proportioned animals with a fluid grace which has to be seen to be appreciated. Although I’m jazzed every time I see one I’m no longer surprised by it. They’re out there and they’re not uncommon.
Any big shark is still a thrill really. I can’t imagine ever tiring of the sight of them.
I took a stroll today too.. I just saw a useless onshore line up , a shit load of sand and a few seagulls. Ahh well , maybe better luck next time .
Not actually taking the piss ,but witnessing the wildlife in the ocean doing it's thing is special , and often overlooked by downward glaring trail walkers staring at their fitness watches.
"downward glaring trail walkers staring at their fitness watches."
How weird is that?
Go for a walk in the beautiful outdoors and see pretty much nothing.
Humans eh?
Bruce said it best .. " It is like a finger pointing to the moon , {slap} don't concentrate on the finger,,, or you will miss all that heavenly glory"
Good news if you're an Irish big wave pilot:
Four different swells, three of them 25ft or above.
25ft with a 43kt offshore on 3 November sounds like a fun day.
Aren’t the Irish big wave spots on the West coast and therefore onshore AF ?
all that wind from the W'ly quadrant can't be good can it?
has Mullaghmore got protection?
Can you say wee nook and cranny in an Irish accent?
Mullaghmore, to give you just one example of a great many, is on the west coast but faces north-northeast.
Go fly Google Earth for a daydream.
Conversation in Irish pub at 6PM on Wednesday 4/11.
Patrick : Oh , Liam . P’haps we call it a night . The night is a fine bit o craic but the waves will be foirin’ in da morning’ .”
Liam : Aww feck off Patrick ya daft wean. Tis going to be lashing in the morn . Winds at tirty tree knots . Best we settle down and have a wee drink around the fire where it’s nice and warm.”
Patrick : Oh Liam . Wind your neck in you silly melter .Then again you may be right and all so be a good lad and get another round in then.
I'm procrastinating so here's a story. It ain't mine, Mick McCormack told it during last Saturday night's slide night, and I hope he doesn't mind me retelling it.
The tale involves this photo of Jervis Bay surfer John Clout at Aussie Pipe that appeared in SW Photo Annual 5:
As Mick explained, the photo was taken on a big day in 1983, very late in the afternoon with just a couple of surfers left in the water. Mick got caught inside and was battling to push through the whitewash and not get swept down the reef and lose precious daylight minutes swimming back.
Looking out the back he saw John take off on a big wave, but first Mick had to deal with the wave in front of him. He dove under, kicked hard and came up the other side to get a clear glimpse of the wave John took off on, except he was no longer on it.
'Must've blown the drop,' thought Mick who kept kicking hard as the wave approached. It was a big beautiful, empty wave, and when he realised he was going to be able to punch through, Mick lifted his waterhousing and quickly fired off a frame to "honour the wave", as he said.
He didn't even look, just lifted his arm up as he was below the surface, pulled the trigger, then concentrated on not getting sucked over.
A short while later the sun set, Mick went in, noticing that John had already left, and that was it for the day.
Six days later he picked up his developed photos from the day and flicked through them. There at the end was a tack-sharp photo of a supremely barrelled John Clout, yet Mick couldn't remember taking it?
Thinking it through, the puzzle revealed itself when Mick realised that the big beautiful wave wasn't empty after all.
Continuing in the Irish vein, anyone here ever kissed the actual Blarney stone?
Or reckon they've been in a TV commercial?
Step right up, to be sure etc etc
Zen's food migration from the fitness thread!
Vegetarians, turn away now.
I had a whole Aussie grass-fed sirloin so decided to dry age half of it. I kept it in the fridge in my cabin because it's very rarely opened. My goal was 45 days.
Yesterday was day 45. I trimmed it up and removed the pellicle and mouldy fat. I got three small but nice steaks. Had a pleasant nutty smell.
Anyway, cooked them up last night with my control steak. You can see, the yield leaves a lot to be desired when dry ageing. However, what was lost made up in flavour- I only seasoned with a little sea-salt and cooked as I really wanted the meat to shine through. Intense beefy flavour with a very subtle blue-cheese aftertaste. Not at all unpleasant.
Will I do it again? Probably- but I'll probably only do 30 days and maybe with a different cut.
Btw, very firm, quite dense but still very tender.
I don't eat much red meat but wanted to give this a go. Not bad.
Wont someone think of the big eyed little calves !
Dedicated to good news ....