Australia. Shhh...don't tell...don't make a noise...there's no one here but us. just the aborigines, and, gosh, aren't they a problem, and only the English, and aren't they a filthy scourge, and only the Irish, and aren't they a joy, and only the Italians, and aren't they problematic, and only the Greeks, and Jesus, no wonder he wept, and only the Iraqis, and how troublesome they are, and only the Jewish Somalians, and how black they are, and only the South East Asians, how Asian they are, and only the Indians, and why can't they speak English without all the head bobbing, and only the Chinese now, now that the more pleasant and less yellow Japs have gone home, and, really only the Americans now... controlling our country now...Sssh. Sssh. Only the Americans are our friends. Americans, like Donald trump. Great Southern Land. A Prisoners Island hidden in the summer for a million years. We imprison little children for many years in horrible places until they go mad, because we want to, because we like it. Australia. It will burn you blind. My country.

The whole reason Scott Morrison, the current bullying PM of Australia, is going on an election tour of Queensland, trying to show everyone how nice he is, full of promises, is that he will be calling an early election well soon of the expected date next year.

GRIEF and FEAR are fascinating activators of human behaviour. When I got my 2 deadly prognoses of heart disease and cancer, after working in palliative care for many decades, I just took off, refused all treatments at age 50, spent money, saw the world for years, fell in love, found a family, and did things I never ever would have done without this impetus. Then, I just didn't die... I'm still standing. I have great respect for grief and fear and, because of them, I still lead an unexpected and remarkably meaningful life...and I have yet to be irradiated or operated on, 15 years later.

Noting some silly people getting in trouble in UK for building a bonfire effigy of the Grenfell Tower and some in the USA getting in trouble for a bonfire of the Twin Towers...Silly people, yes, but nothing wrong with doing that. Social Grief has many manifestations and effigy burning is one of them, whether folk realise what they are doing or not...still better to burn something in a bonfire than to invade and destroy another country as has been the abiding grief-habits of both the USA and the UK for many decades now.

Grief is grief...no one likes it...and no one out evolves it.

Mutterings of the Aged: I like my job. I don't mind going to work. I just don't want to contribute to society anymore. I've experienced Australian society for a long time now, since 1953, and I certainly don't want to contribute to that any more than I have had to. Jesus, look at it! I didn't do that!"

I think the last decent human being who was US President was Jimmy Carter.

On the ever important matter of Car Shapes Through Time, they pretty well all come down to being roundish, squarish, or pointy-triangularish. Then these usual change about every 5 annual models to a variation and mixture of these 3 prime shapes. I've always liked squarish, boxy shaped cars, the Volvo as it always was and the Nissan Navara Ute, as it still a bit is. I was fascinated when Toyota brought out the very boxy squarish RUKUS and I came close to buying one. I liked the black Rukus as it was 6" longer than the white Rukus, and 9" longer than the beige one. It is fascinating, as time goes by, you see these remarkable designers trying to work out what to do with these 3 shapes. The cars from conservative epochs, like the current times, are usually a mix of the 3 so as not to offend anyone...and they pretty well all do look the same, reflecting the aspirations of the people who buy them.