zik

joined 2 years ago
[–] zik@aussie.zone 10 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (3 children)

Aside from anything else, I've seen a couple of examples of downsizing up close and in neither case did it end up with them making very much money on the deal. They just ended up with smaller places.

In the first case they ended up with a small apartment which they actually ended up having to sell some of their retirement investments to be able to afford after selling a large family home in the outer suburbs and paying all the costs associated with selling.

In the other case she moved from a large family home in the outer suburbs into one of those "retirement communities". The whole thing's a massive scam. You "buy" the unit but you don't actually own it, you only own a leasehold on it - something they didn't make clear to her at all. You're not allowed to even improve or renovate it. They impose rules on you much like a rental. And when you move out you're not allowed to sell it - they contractually reserve the right to sell it themselves and pay you a massively discounted amount for it. Essentially they steal half the value of what you originally paid in a time when house prices are going up as well. It's straight up exploitation of people who are old and struggling to even do everyday tasks, let alone understand complex contracts.

[–] zik@aussie.zone 31 points 1 year ago (21 children)

Toyota really screwed up in deciding that Hydrogen was the energy of the future. Even when everyone else in the world went with electricity they persisted in their failed vision. It's a shame that an otherwise great manufacturer should fall victim to such massive hubris but honestly I think their days are numbered as a major vehicle manufacturer.

There's no chance that hydrogen's going to be a long term success for them and with all their eggs in the one basket it looks like they're dead men walking.

[–] zik@aussie.zone 3 points 1 year ago

Get back in line inmate, you're not allowed to ask questions about that.

[–] zik@aussie.zone 6 points 2 years ago

I expect to hear in a few years that Carlson has been on the payroll of the Russians for years.

[–] zik@aussie.zone 1 points 2 years ago
[–] zik@aussie.zone 12 points 2 years ago

Police weren't happy about gay pride back in the 1970s and it seems they haven't really evolved since then.

[–] zik@aussie.zone 2 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (2 children)

There's no such thing as Miranda rights in Australia - that's an American law. We do however have "the right to silence", and must be informed of that right by police on arrest so it has a similar effect.

[–] zik@aussie.zone 1 points 2 years ago

Here's one on his lack of mental compentence to testify at his own trial.

Apparently Singapore contacted our intelligence service and ASIO organised the sting with the FBI. Prior to that he had no buyer. That's consistent with the Wikipedia article.

I can't find a reference now for the documents not actually being classified - I remember this from media coverage at the time. I think the story was that they were USGS maps which were subsequently publically available or something like that.

[–] zik@aussie.zone 2 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (2 children)

Even worse I can think of two other cases of the Federal Police and ASIO doing similar things:

  • Scott Rush, one of the "Bali 9", was imprisoned in Indonesia after a tip-off from the AFP. This followed his parents alerting the AFP in advance and them reassuring the parents that they'd keep him out of trouble - then waiting until the crime had been committed and tipping off the Indonesian police to take the credit.
  • Jean-Philippe Wispelaere was a defence intelligence officer with mental illness who was caught selling secrets to Singapore. The "secrets" turned out to be publically available maps - not secret at all - and he hadn't committed any crimes until the sting operation organised by an Australian government organisation and the FBI. He was arrested by the FBI and remains in prison today.

I guess for police it looks good on your resume to have caught a bad guy, and it's easier to track if you're making it all happen in the first place.

[–] zik@aussie.zone 12 points 2 years ago (4 children)

I never thought to see the day that a former News Limited CEO was installed as head of the ABC by Labor. Surely they'll regret this at the next election when the ABC becomes like another Fox News.

[–] zik@aussie.zone 6 points 2 years ago

Nuclear is more expensive than renewables pretty much everywhere, and it's getting more expensive while renewables get cheaper.

[–] zik@aussie.zone 5 points 2 years ago (2 children)

Not so "Top Secret" any more, now that it's been in the news...

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