Comments by "Helmuth Schultes" (@helmuthschultes9243) on "IWrocker"
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These notes are absolutely fantastic to use. Certainly much longer wearing than old paper, and appearance lasts. The latest ones are especially appealing look.
Highly unlikely to be forged, and while the previous ones had a few attempts, all caught very quickly.
One feature is also good they remain cleaner, and are easily wiped/washed if a dirty one comes your way.
US notes, especially seem to have issues, for me at international security checks. As it seems, not too exagerated, most carry drug residues on them, that can put you through additional security scrutiny at border/customs checks. I had two deeper checks in Spain, and in Germany and Japan, on several business trips, by residues on back pocket, where my wallet had a few US currency notes. Each time a deeper check quickly clarified the currency at fault, I do NOT do drugs or associate with that scene, all else was clean. Though admittedly baggage can also cause headaches of that kind, by traces picked up in hotel rooms, hotel porter handling, taxi or airline baggage handling.
The plastic/polymer notes have no more issue if accidentally getting wet, swimming or falling in while fishing, or caught in heavy rain or notes left in a pocket going through laundry. No lost money by becoming paper mashette due to water.
They are definitely not mixed up in poor lighting, mere size, colour and lastly the sensory pips even in pitch darkness.
The rapid adoption worldwide by other countries speaks for itself. Low cost and long endurance compared to the costly special paper, metal threads, cotton blend whatever is used in other secured currencies is far more costly, with exception of places using almost standard writting paper to print their cheap notes, but have no security features and endurance in months not years.
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Paulaner has been available from Aldi here in Australia a couple of times each year. For around the 'October Fest' time they had both bottles and these 500mL cans of HefeWeizen, but a bit earlier in the year had also ' Kristal Weizen' with 0% alcohol. Kristal = Crystal is for a filtered clear version of the Wheat beer. I find it is best as a cool drink, refreshment for those really hit summer days 30°C to 40°C, so up to over 100°F. At 0% also quantity to drink is safe, as no ways do you get drunk, can consume it on hot days and still be safe driving.
At other times thecakcoholic versions go well with afternoon barbeques. Presuming no driving later, as with 5% and up alcohol it is not too big volume to put you in trouble for DUI. especially as 0.5L or even 1L are typical glass volumes.
Both the Hefe (Yeast) version and the Kristal(Crystal) clear types are good, but as pure refreshment I like the clear over the cloudy versions. To me wheat beer is my preffered type for pure refreshment, other times I prefer "Pils" beers, but I steer clear of the like of 'Becks', of course you have little choice, needing to get what limited types you can get in US retail. I currently have 4 bottles and 8 cans of the Paulaner HefeWeizen and also 6 bottles 0% Kristal Weizen for our summer, sadly so far we have few days into high 30°C range, so not had much yet, just keeping some cold and ready.
In Germany about any village has own brewery, so there are hundreds of brands, and each part of Germany will have own major brands. Depending where you are will determine what major brands are most common. There are also many styles of beer, including some rather great special beers, including some like BOCK and DOUBLE BOCK, the latter being a stronger alcohol version of BOCK, with from memory well over 20% alcohol. BOCK is a thicker dark Meade like beer. Originally invented by monks for "Lent" fasting, where eating is forbidden but drinking allowed. On the rich BOCK beer they typically gained weight during the Lent fasting.
Beer flavours do vary. The one feature throughout Germany, only the basic 4 ingredients are allowed, a about 400 year old fixed rule. NO FUNNY ADDITIVES, bittering agents colour, stabilisers, preservatives, no chemical additives period. Nothing but pure water, hops, yeast, and relevant grain
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The Valiant Charger was definitely a popular performance car in Australia. The model was also used by police especially the highway patrol in NSW. There they got a boosted performance engine, special 300 Kg lead weight in the boot to improve highspeed handling and improve traction under leadfoot power takeoff, for better pursuit.
I in those days had a Suzuki LJ50 Jimny 4WD, a tiny 3 Cyl 540cc two stroke engine with around 33 hp, that sadly needed a repair needing parts from Japan, caused by the dealer workshop after some defective service repair work. I had to over two weeks drive my bosses wife's Ex-police pursuit model, Valiant Charger, all orange paint job, borrowed to keep me mobile while without my little Suzi.
After driving this for two weeks, with ample ' kick in the pants' go power I picked up my now ready Suzuki. Letting the boss's wife drive off in her car, as mine was returned to me.
On engaging 1st gear, and driving off, my first reaction was having missed being in gear. Engine reved up to say 7000 rpm, no sensation of acceleration, as the Suzi barely rolled away. After driving with heaps of tyre squealing power available for over two weeks, going to beyond 50 kph, before even bothering to up shift gears that free wheeling high performance 6 Cyl Hemi easily pushed power to high revs without any effort.
By comparison the tiny 540cc Two Stroke low power, but with matching high ratio 1st gear, only accelerated you to a bit over 3 kph and high revs, before needing to up gear range, till top gear, 4th, allowed 80 kph at some 7500rpm and speedo red line indication. In reality you could push that three cylinder, glorified motor bike engine over 10,000 rpm and have speedo at end stop, with road speed at around 100 kph. No need to say in 1st gear, it was as if you had no gear engaged, compared to the punch of Charger takeoff. Case of big difference of performance car vs NO Performance 4WD. Just in 4WD the Suzuki would do far more than the Charger, which was impossible driving on even rough dirt roads, a number of police pursuits failed as the persued drivers took off into rougher unsealed side roads. Just poor ground clearance and suspension travel limits.
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A number of years ago, we had repports of an elderly couple taking a holiday in the USA. While they had travel insurance, that among many problems had travel related costs and accident covered, they failed to understand a fine clause excluding pre existing health not covered or limited cover. The husband had a heart condition needing a significant daily tablets treatment. Of course with needed medical certificates, they had three months of tablet supply on hand.
Sadly while in San Diego, he suffered a bad heart attack. As a result was rished by ambulance tl LA from recollection. That started a huge bill rolling, of several thousand dollars on ambulance transport, plus additional thousands for medical supplies used during transport, though all tablets needed were on hand, by practice only ambulance supplied medications allowed.
Once in hospital the daily charges were enormous, again none of his own tablets were allowed, but hugely costly hospital issued tablets were used. Although the same brand, dosage and types, were on hand. But also something like $300 a day charged for disposable, single use plastic plates/bowls/cups and cutlery was charged. By the time they were able to leave from hospital treatment, after two weeks, and return home, cancelling all but the first couple of weeks of their holiday, they owed over $300,000. On return they discovered the travel insurance covered only $2000 maximum, for pre existing health matters, and faced selling their home, as pensioners little cash existed, having spent ten years of savings on a once in a lifetime US holiday that was now close to ending their future life. Without private health insurance, that might have assisted a little they began advertising their home. Fortunately some very helpful people assisted, from memory, raised some donations and a VERY wealthy person who himself faced the rediculous US costs donated the balance, leaving them very poor, losing their years of savings for a holiday never enjoyed.
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The Red Back is in most ways the local version of Black Widow. The red stripe on the back is different, but both have a almost diamond red patch on the underside. The red colour in fact varies for bright orange to darker brown, almost invisible brown/black.
There are very few deaths as antivenom is readily available, Main bites seem to be accidental, in shoes, gloves, moving stuff on the garden or yard, even sitting on the toilet seat, especially outdoor/public facilities.
Greater danger are the Sydney Funnel Web, that are actually attack inclined. Really a Sydney issue, related spiders elsewhere are less venomous.
I got bitten by a large female Red Back while gardening did no more than wash and bleed the wound, had sore swollen hand, elbow and shoulder for about a day. Note both Red Back and Funnel Web, the males are largely harmless, the females are the danger.
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Yellow base plate colour is NSW.
The suburban areas do vary by regions but many suburbs tend to such "green" scene in many places.
Most bin provisions are three, with four in some, and becoming standard for many suburbs now. While there are variations, I will mention my area bin lid colours as example. RED is trash destined to land fill, YELLOW is recycled items, with soon a BLUE to be added for specially recycled Glass, the other GREEN lid is for garden wastes, that goes into composting, but newly being brought in is composting kitchen/food wastes to be added to the GREEN lid bin.
In my case the weekly night/day is Thursday, with RED each week, and YELLOW, GREEN alternate weeks. How the new BLUE bin for glass will be handled is not clear yet. Different parts of a council region will be assigned different days, so the trucks need only cover partial suburb areas. Different trucks handle the 'waste' RED and recycle YELLOW and the GREEN garden wastes.
Unbelievable is some councils in trying to save costs want/are changing all bin pickup to fortnightly, to much objection by residents. Normally you have choice of 120L and 240L bins, and get charged by volume chosen as part of annual rates charged by councils. Again some are or want to change to separate charge for rubbish collection, no longer included in rates based on assessed property value. Due to inflating council rates, state government introduced caps on annual rate increases, and councils are trying to sidestep the capping of rate rises, by separate charging for trash removal.
Further we normally have free one or two annual bulky household waste collections for say old toys, furniture, appliances, but not old tyres, engines, waste chemical, building scraps, concrete etc Fir some of those there are special days you can deliver such disallowed wastes to suited collection points, or deliver to waste collection sites against charges. The free kerbside household bulky collection is however volume limited to several cubic meter volume, and must be manually moveable by the collection workers who come by with a truck. You must in my area get a collection booked with a provided tag label, to be attached to the pile, that must only be put out at roadside grass strip no more than 24 hrs before booked collection. Taking things from other people's pile is generally illegal, say broken TV, Computer, Appliances, since recycle value assists covering the free collection system, so taking such deposited rubbish is treated as theft from the council. Many areas still have a general one or two hard wastes collections for areas within the council, where all in a given part of suburb all at same time put out their bulk rubbish, not by specific booking such. There are variations in all waste handling across the many towns, suburbs and areas around Australia.
Hope the above adds sufficient explanation to clarify a bit more than explained in that video on garbage trucks. Always be aware there are local variations of all matters rubbish.
One final point, in sink garbage disposals as frequently seen in USA are not used here that I am aware of, at if so very rarely. No kitchen wastes are sent down the sewage system by being groundup and flushed away.
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A lot of inland Australia has never been up for actual sale, only for Lease Holding. Typical I believe are 99 years leases, with entitlement to extend over anyone else, so unlikely to change hands unless the current holder wants out.
A lot of large properties have changed hands (lease holder) in the past 20+ years. One very large holder of several large NT leases is a British Lord, another is Gina Reinhart, who inherited major Iron mines in WA. Others that have taken some big properties lease and purchases included are some big Chinese holdings who also own some major water rights that are being strongly fought, as the Chinese operations are preventing significant natural river waterflow and holding other properties to ransom, offering to buy out others.
Many of the big properties are so large, it is use of light aircraft making visits to neighbours or near towns, as driving can be days for trip turn around. Imagine telling your wife you expect to be back by tomorrow evening, from getting the mail from the mailbox, or back from saying hello to the neighbour in two days.
Many original large properties for example Wavehill Station in NT have been broken apart to some extent and been returned to Native Title, returned to Aboriginal local tribe to manage.
The big areas are definitely needed as number of stock is often many square miles per head of stock. Land shared by the stock, Kangaroos, EMUs, Camels and more.
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The area between Melbourne and Geelong was not a very popular living segement due to being an ancient lava flow plain, dry, poor soils very rocky, wind swept, and most beaches over a large part of that section of Port Philip Bay are rather muddy flats. The Werribee area also had Melbournes largest sewage processing plant, with windblown odour issues. The land remained more a farming of livestock use, sheep, goats, some cows and limited grain crop planting. Compared to the eastern side of the bay with excellent soils infact until modern time much started as market garden and farming, the eastern side also has best beaches had many creeks and forested areas and more rolling not so flat terrain.
In modern times, there is by necessity of Melbourne population growth, maybe soon more than Sydney, the western sude has many community developments taking place from both Melbourne and Geelong ends. Much though is still the poorer cheaper places. Most homes must truck in good soil to establish nice gardens and lawns.
In reality that lack of development is now becoming distant past, though there is still plenty open grassy, roccky flat land remaining.
Also those western regions have a greater snake problem than the eastern areas, which being longer heavily populsted maybe have eliminated most of the snakes. In my south-easter area, we have had no snake issues for several decades. Yes they exist but very rare. Some western side places have significant Tiger Snake problems.
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Definitely beautiful scenery for the Airshow.
Australias largest airshow is annually ar Avalon between Melbourne and Geelong, a multiday show with both active airflights and static ground exhibits including various missiles and armaments used in air superiority. I have however never physically attended just watched TV video and DVD Airshow releases. Even have dummy bomb runs with huge flame effects like seen in Napalm bombing.
I have while working in Germany for my employer in vicinity of Stuttgart southern Germany. That area has numerous US military bases in the area including a significant airbase at Stuttgart airport. So I had experience of various military activities, personelle and hardware, including tanks rolling through farm grain crops, tanks coming down Autobahn embankments and joining car and truck traffic going down the highway. Treads destroying swathes of crops, and on highway making a huge noise while tearing gauges into asphalt and cracking concrete suface. Our car copped some concrete chips on the hood and front right fender. All traffic forced to rapidly reducing speed, as the tanks would have been below 80kph (50 mph) joining and maybe increasing to such speed. On Autobahn almost nothing travels that slow some cars going even over 200kph, most between 120 kph and 160 kph.
The US military just send assessors out to workout the costs to roads and farms, and issue compensation cheques.
Other than that seeing lots of aircraft, some very low flying even.
One time on 4th floor of the company development centre complex 8 story office block, I was looking out over the valley with local small farming village below. The company complex is on top of the one set of hills and far side of the valley with modern multistory appartment blocks. Otherwise basically a farming village. Suddenly three US jets roared past maybe two building levels lower, so was seeing these jets looking down on the top of them as they roared past through the valley, with say less than 100m interval between aircraft and likely not much more altitude.
Other times several military helicopters flew both lower and higher over the valley or complex.
One occasion I was walking between buildings on paved pathway through lawn spaces. Suddenly BOOM, BOOM like a double barrel shotgun going off only meters away. Then the front windows of a large furniture shop outside the company area, about 200m ahead showed a wobbling image of reflected scenery, ground and sky wobbling in and out. A jet had passed at some higher altitude at super sonic condition. Of course by the time the sound hit ground the aircraft was well past being visible. It gave me quite a fright as initially I though of gun shots, and there were terrorist precautions at the time around Germany by the Baader Meinhoff Red Brigade that had murdered several business executives several of the group in a high security jail within about 10km of my job location. Threat existed that other members of the industrial/left wing terrorist group were planning some attacks. So terrorist attack was certainly possible. I was glad to realise it was a sonic boom, not gun fire.
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Yes, I recenttly got a packet of the Tim Tam Coconut cream. Only seen at one supermarket so far, so may yet be a trial marketing.
Sadly I did not find them so great. I generally love coconut, but I would prefer others.
I do have an amusing thing to mention about these. I finished the last ones while watching Youtube in bed early morning. As a result I dropped the tray and wrapper in my bedside bin. This left them standing upright, and the wrapper open to the top. That eveening on starting to go to bed, I heard some barely audible rustling. On tracking the source of noise, it was from the wrapper. On lfting it from the bin it was way heavier than an empty wrapper.
Looking inside I saw mice looking back. I carried the bwrapper out to dispose, flush away, the live mice. There were actually THREE mice trapped in there, unable to climb out of the smooth wrapper sides.
During the day these mice must have been attracted to the smell residue of these Coconut Cream Tim Tams. Note I had a baited mouse trap and a live mouse box trap with bread and peanut butter bait in the room for over three weeks without catching any mice.
My conclusion is these new Tim Tams are EXCELLENT mouse bait, so maybe I should buy some more as bait, as I probably was disappointed by the taste enough to choose other Tim Tams over these.
Also noted recently were advertisements of THREE variants of MOCHA flavour TIM TAMS. As I do not drink coffee, I am not likely to try these, if so only to try the flavour experimentally.
Keep the Coconut Creams safe from mice!
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Those samdstone cliffs are what remains of very ancient sandstone layer that was over 20km thick layed down over 400 million years ago, as ancient mountains pre 1 billion years ago weathered away. That was capped by lava several km thick, forming sandstone. After the lava layer eroded, the sandstone began eroding. Leaving only upto 100m sandstone today. Facinating geology, natural wilderness across northern part of Australia.
Another interesting aspect is the name Kimberley Ranges, that was given by explorers, due to similarity to South Africa Kimberlies. Now it is known from continental plate drift, that these two areas are in fact related, having been joined in the ancient GONDWANA LAND continent.
Another aspect, South Africa Kimberlies are known by that name fot KIMBERLITE volcanic cores of ancient volcanoes, bearing DIAMONDS. For which SA is so well known. However similarly the Australian Kimberlies have its known Diamond deposit mined at Argyle mine.
Note the earlier lava overlay, mentioned above, was from the significant volcanic activity that deposited the Kimberlite cores, containing these diamond deposits.
A little research can produce lots of fascinating information, to add to the picture perfect, beautiful scenery. Other than huge distances from most populated centres of population it is absolutely a must see area, with numerous places to visit. Some other major regional places include Broome pearling hub, Bungle Bungles bee hive mounds, huge tide rise/fall, Ord river dam and Kunnunnurra irrigation farming, Barramundi fishing trips, and more.
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Australian flies are very persistent, unlike around the world. I have experienced flies in many coutries. Mostly they shoo away easily, and do not get too bothersome.
In Australia, the flies, when swatted at by a swipe of the hand barely depart and immediately return. But especially bad is they home direct to where they can draw moisture. Around eyes, nose and mouth are direct targets. Also large accumulations on back of shoulders is common, but there they at least are not bothersome, often best left, otherwise may end up irritatingly in your face. Easy really bad are into nose and mouth, easy to swallow some if not careful.
As a consequence the common "Aussie Salute" the often seen swipe across the face by a persons hand to momentarily drive flies from the face. You get into tje habit quite quickly, but tourists do experience some problems.
The hat you recently had with a nu.ber of things on strongs around the brink is a local solution of people on the land. The dangling thongs, corks, bottle caps, anything in fact to hang around, by swinging do help keep flies away a bit, as the motion keeps them moving away without needing constant hand swipe.
Hat like you received are common tourists souvenirs. But you do seen them for real around the place. Sadly many 'repellants' also act as attractant in many cases as much as repelling.
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Definitely a beautiful area. The rainforest is wonderful, especially if notvused to such lush tropical forests. The bountiful range of plants and flowers, the rich variety of birds, lizards, frogs snakes, spiders and so many other insects.
On aspect I have to mention is my doubts about oldest rainforest. The area has in not impossible long time span been very hospitable as that northern area of Queensland has had strong volcanic activity in past millions of years. Also the mountain ranges are remenants of older higher mountains weathered away and likely not been tropical as long as areas in Africa and South America, as Australia has moved far larger distances by continental drift than either of those two, so not been covering tropical regions as long as those two that have mostly had east-west travel mostly while Australia wandered northwards from Antarctic regions. Australia however has a number of temperate rainforests that carry very ancient plants, some dating back to very ancient times hundreds of millions of years back, even to times Antarctica and Australia were joined and climate was warmer and lush with dinosaurs inhabiting these. In NSW there was discovered an ancient pine species, Wollmai pine (or similar spelling) that apparently represents the earliest pine species, now assured continuity by botanical efforts to propogate the plant. Now even able to be purchased in plant nurseries, though the original is being highly protected though threatened more than once by major forest fires.
Another temperate rainforest once covered much of eastern Victoria, while most destroyed by modern people settling the whole Gippsland valley, now largely dairy farm paddocks and other farming land, plus coal mine, there is little evidence of original forest, felled for wood and much just burned for land clearing, a small patch in south Gippsland Hills in Bulga State forest of lush temperate rainforest remains. Not to detract from lush forests of the Victoria's mountains north of Gippsland valley and far east Victoria, with huge stands of very large Mountain Ash trees. Even Central Australia has examples of plants from times pre-dating flowering plants evolving. One great place lies near Hermansburg, west of Alice Springs in the McDonnell Ranges, called Palm Valley where examples of earliest palm species grow in a narrow valley. The only place such early palms exist on earth (other than botanical efforts to preserve these types). Then there are also very ancient cicads in other valleys of the ranges.
None of the above should be seen as detracting from the wonder of the Daintree forests. Tours of the area both land walks and boat tours of the rivers are wonderful and informative seeing much of plants and animals. Car tribulation is also nice to visit. For those seeking high end tourist facilities a little south of Daintree town lies Port Douglas, with premium tourist resort to simple camping, while Daintree offers excellent accomodation in very natural surrounds to basic camping facilities. At Port Douglas access to Great Barrier Reef, diving and fishing is readily available. Numerous tours of reef exist, much as from even further south in Cairns the last larger city of far north Queensland.
Other very ancient plants and forests exist in WA and far north the Kimberley Ranges to parks nearer Darwin in NT.
A wealth of great places, that sadly needs years to visit and absorb all these magnificent sights. I suggest a lifetime of experiences.
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Definite Sydney bias there.
As far as traveller under estimating size, we had a young couple from Germany, planning to buy bicycles, and then ride , covering VIC, SA,, NSW and finally up Queensland to Cairns. Firstly was complaint of cost of new bicycles. The first trip planned was Melbourne, to Mildura at top right, north-west on Murray River. Then down to Adelaide, and back to Melbourne via coastal area, including Great Ocean road in Victoria.
They were used to cycling Europe, even Spain to Poland, but there cycling there are basically towns and villages rarely more than 10 to 20 km apart, so rest and refreshment readily available in easy cycle distances. Weather even in Spain mostly relatively mild, wind rarely an issue. Here they faced up to 80 km or more with nothing long straight stretches with strong headwind, and temperature inland up to 40 °C. Even the few towns were small fam communities, and mostly no real shop, restaurant or rest facilities. By the time they got back to Melbourne they had saddle sores, sun burn, dehydration and very sore muscles. As a result, cycling was shelved and Bus or train was used for further trips. But being less flexible many places were not really included in the travel, now reduced to major places of interest only as all the smaller, and side trips were just bypassed, zooming along in bus or train.
They finally continued to New Zealand, with bikes carried as sports accessories as luggage on the flight. Around New Zealand they cucled, all being smaller scale, with shorter distances, very much cooler milder weather all went well on both North and South islands. Finally they were amazed, they sold their second hand bikes, with thousands of km, with worn patched tyres and various worn_scraped paint work, for about 15% HIGHER value than they paid in Australia new. Now they realised that bike prices in Europe were not just abnormally low but compared to Australia, New Zealand was far more costly. They definitely learned to judge distances, in sparely populated places as critical, and Australia is far bigger than brief map reading might suggest.
Take the Japaese tourists, that asked the girl at airport car higher, for directions to Ayres Rock ( Central Australia), as they wanted to visit that before heading to their hotel in Melbourne, and how long the drive would take. Note: that is over 2000km and for most city drivers about 4 days each way, while I have done soin 3 1/2days and even once in 2 days of 14 hrs driving each day, including time for rest, fuel, food stops. TheJapanese, based on experience of test engineers on hot test work trips would definitely need 4 days or more each way, plus actual time at Ayres Rock and Olga's nearby.. Tourists without any idea of size, in Japan on their freeway/tollway, you would in a day get to drive the full length of the main island.
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