[toot2000]

The Beach boys in a recording studio in 1962

 

[toot2000]

 

Mother of Aiden Aslin who returned to the UK following his release by Russia said she “thought this day would never happen” – Aiden will always be a hero to me, I’m very proud of him for defending Ukraine against Putin.

[RnR]

Great news they were finally released.

[toot2000]

 

The Soyuz MS-22 rocket is launched to the International Space Station with Expedition 68 astronaut Frank Rubio of NASA and cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin of Roscosmos onboard, 21 September 2022 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

[toot2000]

 

Cam Norrie, Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Matteo Berrettini, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Roger Federer of Team Europe take a selfie in front of Tower Bridge

Getty Images for Laver Cup

[toot2000]

The 2022 Laver Cup is the fifth edition of the Laver Cup, a men’s tennis tournament between teams from Europe and the rest of the world. It is to be held on indoor hard courts at The O2 Arena in London, United Kingdom from 23 until 25 September.

[RnR]

Poor people.

[RnR]

Lucky to get out IMO.

[RnR]

Great photo thanks Toot.

I love this one too, entitled “heading to dinner with some friends” from Roger Federer.

[toot2000]

 

A sculpture, titled Come Home Again by artist Es Devlin in collaboration with Cartier, which highlights London’s endangered species is unveiled at the Tate Modern Garden in London

[RnR]

Beautiful.

[toot2000]

 

Banks across Lebanon have closed “indefinitely” after a spate of incidents in which account-holders arrived armed to demand access to their money.

 

[RnR]

How on earth do people get their money out now ???

[toot2000]

 

Revolutionary Guard poised for ‘decisive action’ crackdown on Iran street protesters about the murder of Mahsa Amini by Morality Police

[toot2000]

 

Melbourne, Australia.

Red dye is smeared over a coat of arms at the British Consulate during an anti-monarchy protest.  Photograph: Joel Carrett/EPA

[RnR]

Mmmm.

[toot2000]

 

Senator Lidia Thorpe dipped her hands in red paint to symbolise blood at an anti-monarchy protest. Picture: NCA NewsWire / David Crosling

[RnR]

Mmmm again.

[toot2000]

 

First Nations protesters burn the British and Australian flags during an anti-monarchy rally in central Brisbane. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Dan Peled

[RnR]

And again.

[toot2000]

 

Art Nouveau ‘Elderberry’ tea set from 1907 by Villeroy & Boch, Mettlach, Germany. 

[RnR]

Love it.

[toot2000]

 

 

Photographer David Canales captured this photo while kayaking on Alaska’s Prince William Sound.  A seagull attacking an eagle that has another seagull in its grasp.  

 

[RnR]

What a shot, thanks Toot.

[toot2000]

Russians fleeing forced military service could have grounds to seek asylum in the EU

 

 

German ministers have indicated that people fleeing Russia could apply for asylum in Germany after President Vladimir Putin ordered what he called a “partial military mobilization.”

 

Several German government ministers have indicated that under specific conditions, Germany is ready to take in Russians fleeing the “partial military mobilization” ordered by Russian President Putin.

 

“Deserters threatened with serious repression can, as a rule, obtain international protection in Germany,” Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said in an interview with the daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.

 

“Anyone who courageously opposes Putin’s regime and thereby falls into great danger, can file for asylum on grounds of political persecution,” she said.

[toot2000]

 

 

Hans Niemann ended world champion Magnus Carlsen’s 53-game unbeaten run. 

 

 

Hans Niemann, a 19-year-old American and the lowest-ranked player in the tournament, faced Carlson, a man who had dominated chess for more than a decade.

 

Magnus Carlsen, 31 and from Norway, was undefeated in 53 games in classical chess, and had the advantage of playing white – thereby moving first.

 

But if Niemann appeared daunted, he didn’t show it. After confidently nullifying the advantage of the first move, he gradually took over the game. Facing a difficult defence in the endgame, Carlsen faltered and soon resigned in a hopeless position.

 

Soon after the game, Carlsen withdrew from the tournament without explanation, despite there being

another six rounds left – a virtually unprecedented move at the top level of chess.

 

Niemann admitted to cheating online on two separate occasions aged 12 and 16 by using computer software assistance, but denied ever cheating over the board – widely regarded as a much more serious offence – saying he was even prepared to play naked to prove his innocence……..

 

Source:  BBC News  https://www.bbc.com/news/world-63010107

 

 

[RnR]

Such a huge fuss … being very widely reptorted.

[toot2000]

 

Russian conscripts get Nagant/Mosin rifles, designed in 1890/91, and obsolete already at the time of WWII.

 

 

[RnR]

Good grief … thought they would have had a huge arsenal of more modern rifles.

The Mosin-Nagant Model 1891 bolt-action rifle combined a simple design by Russian Captain Sergei Mosin with a five-round internal box magazine designed by Belgians Émile and Léon Nagant. Entering Russian service in 1892, it remained the standard long arm of the Russian infantry through the Russo-Japanese War, World War I and, in its improved 1930 Soviet version, World War II.

It proved murderously successful. In fact, German snipers reportedly preferred captured Mosin-Nagants to their own Mauser Karabiner 98k rifles.

[toot2000]

Reports coming from Tehran that the city is liberated and the Islamic regime has lost control of almost all areas.

 

https://twitter.com/i/status/1573066413459251200

 

 

[RnR]

Hard to believe.

[toot2000]

 

Meet German Barinov, the first Estonian soldier awarded the Ukranian Order for Courage by President Zelensky. Barinov has been wounded twice and is still fighting in the Ukrainian Foreign Legion. “The job needs to be finshed here” he says.

 

[RnR]

Good on him.

The Order for Courage is a Ukrainian award established by Ukrainian president Leonid Kuchma on August 21, 1996. 

[RnR]

Toot, loved your pic of the Art Nouveau ‘Elderberry’ tea set from 1907 by Villeroy & Boch, Mettlach, Germany.

Reminded me that we received a beautiful large Villeroy & Boch “Scarlett” serving platter for our wedding in 1969.

Still have it and use it.

[toot2000]

 

 

It’s lovely RnR, you got married 3 years later us.

 

 

[toot2000]

[toot2000]

 

Macquarie Heads, Tasmania

State wildlife personnel check the carcasses of pilot whales after they were found beached the previous day.  Almost 200 whales have perished at an exposed, surf-swept beach on the rugged coast where Australian rescuers were only able to save a few dozen.  Photograph: Glenn Nicholls/AFP/Getty Images

[toot2000]

Why can’t they find out what causes it, it’s tragic how it keeps on happening.

[RnR]

Why can’t they find out what causes it, it’s tragic how it keeps on happening.

Totally agree Toot, so sad to see.

[toot2000]

 

Ludmilla Lavrova, 70, sits in her kitchen without power on September 23, 2022 in Izium, Ukraine. In recent weeks, Ukrainian forces have reclaimed villages east and south of Kharkiv, as Russian forces have withdrawn from areas they’ve occupied since early in the war.

PAULA BRONSTEIN, GETTY IMAGES

[toot2000]

Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal both let their emotions show after their final competitive match on the same court. Photograph: Kin Cheung/A

[RnR]

Two greats of the game.

[toot2000]

Wife serenades her husband of 70 years. He is now back at home recuperating after spending over 2 months in the hospital.

 

https://twitter.com/i/status/1573536579733291009

[toot2000]

An Art Nouveau vase from 1910 by the “Arnhemsche Fayencefabriek” , The Netherlands.

 

[RnR]

Beautiful, thanks Toot.

[toot2000]

Thomas Kennington’s social realist paintings highlighted the plights of poor, widowed or abandoned women and children during the Victorian era ~ here’s ‘Homeless’ (1890)

 

 

 

[RnR]

[toot2000]

Leaders of the G7 condemned the “sham” Russian referendums being carried out in occupied Ukraine as a “phony” pretext to illegally grab territory.

In a statement on Friday evening, the group of the wealthiest nations said that the votes organized by Moscow were in breach of the U.N. Charter and international law and had no legitimacy.

[toot2000]

 

How many of the world’s “Most influential Jews” are begging the State of Israel for defensive weapons against a genocidal invader – to no avail?

[toot2000]

 

Wollongong, Australia

An aerial view of the men’s cycling elite road race at the UCI Road World Championships 2022.  Photograpkh: Rex/Shutterstock

 

[RnR]

Such a magnificent venue.

[toot2000]

 

Women take part in a sit-in following the death of Mahsa Amini in Beirut, Lebanon 21 September 2022.  Reuters/Mohamed Azakir

[RnR]

What can you say.

[toot2000]

 

This handout picture on 24 September shows an Aeropostale Boeing 737 aircraft after it overran the runway during its landing phase at night at Montpellier airport in Montpellier in France.

[RnR]

Oops!!!

[toot2000]

 

Optus reported a massive data breach on Thursday, which included the details of 11.2 million customers and more than 3.6m driver’s license numbers. Photograph: Bianca de Marchi/AAP

 

[RnR]

What a disaster.

Australian companies should not be required to hold sensitive data for so long by federal government policies.

[toot2000]

 

Far-right leader Giorgia Meloni has won Italy’s election, according to exit polls, and is on course to become the country’s first female prime minister.

 

Her allies, Matteo Salvini of the far-right League, and former PM Silvio Berlusconi’s centre-right Forza Italia have both had close ties with Russia. Mr Berlusconi, 85, claimed last week that Vladimir Putin was pushed into invading Ukraine while Mr Salvini has called into question Western sanctions on Moscow.

[RnR]

Frightening.

[toot2000]

Vladimir Putin is preparing to block men of conscription age from leaving the country as queues of people flee Russia.

Large crowds have been seen at the borders of neighbouring countries of Georgia and Finland

 

[toot2000]

 

This person was born under Mussolini and is witnessing history repeat itself.

[toot2000]

 

VLADIMIR Putin is said to have vanished to a luxury palace in a secret location as a new wave of protests over his war draft swept Russia.

The Russian leader’s disappearance has sparked fresh rumours about the state of his health with sources claiming he is resting “body and soul.”

[RnR]

[Suze]

The Aussie Bird Count is back
17-23 October 2022!

 

The Aussie Bird Count is a great way to take some time out, get back to nature and become acquainted with the birds in your area, whether it’s in your front yard, backyard, courtyard, park, play area or anywhere else you may like to count.

Just spend 20 minutes in your favourite outdoor space and count the birds that are counting on us.

Participating is simple, social and fun, and you will be making an important contribution by providing valuable data for BirdLife Australia’s knowledge of Aussie birds. There are other great reasons to take part too. Just by registering and doing just one count, you will be in the running to win some fantastic prizes! 

Head to the website and register today. 

[toot2000]

Great initiative, thanks Suze

[toot2000]

 

Krakow, Poland

Activists hold banners during a Malopolska provincial session, as the council considers changes to a 2017 anti-smog resolution that campaigners say will allow citizens to burn any kind of fuel, even garbage, resulting in high levels of air pollution.  Photograph:  Omar Marques/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

 

 

[toot2000]

 

Reservists drafted during the partial mobilization line up outside a recruitment office in the Siberian town of Tara in the Omsk region, Russia.  26 September. Reuters/Alexey Malgavko

[toot2000]

 

Reuters / Sunday, September 25, 2022

Local residents collect firewood from abandoned blindages of the Russian army to heat their homes, as they have no electricity, water and gas, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in the town of Izium, recently liberated by Ukrainian Armed Forces, in Kharkiv region, Ukraine September 25.  REUTERS/Gleb Garanich

[RnR]

Just awful.

[toot2000]

 

 

The Painters of Pompeii Exhibition is being held at Museo Civieo Archeologico, Bologna, Italy until March 2023.  Photograph: Roberto Serra.   The exhibition renews focus on the artists and craftsmen who created the wall decorations in the houses of Pompeii, Hercalaneum and the Vesuvian area.

 

 

[toot2000]

 

 

Lebanese army soldiers clash with retired military personnel as they try to break into the Parliament in Beirut, during a session to approve the 2022 budget.  The protesters were demanding an increase in their monthly retirement pay, decimated during the economic meltdown.

 

[toot2000]

 

MOSCOW (AP) — A gunman opened fire in a school in central Russia on Monday, killing 17 people and wounding 24 others before shooting himself dead.

The shooting took place in School No. 88 in Izhevsk, a city 960 kilometers (600 miles) east of Moscow in the Udmurtia region.

[toot2000]

Authorities in Germany are trying to establish what caused a sudden drop in pressure in the defunct Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, with a spokesperson for its operator saying it could have been a leak.

The pipeline has been one of the flashpoints in an escalating energy war between Europe and Moscow since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February that has pummelled western economies and sent gas prices soaring.

Nord Stream 2’s operator said pressure in the undersea pipeline dropped from 105 to 7 bar overnight.

 

[toot2000]

 

Sept 26 (Reuters) – President Vladimir Putin on Monday granted Russian citizenship to former U.S. intelligence contractor Edward Snowden, nine years after he exposed the scale of secret surveillance operations by the National Security Agency (NSA).

[RnR]

Mmmm.

[toot2000]

 

Iranian women taking part in a march on international women’s day through the capital Tehran to protest new rules making the Hijab compulsory. 8th March 1979 

[RnR]

Such an oppressive regime.

[toot2000]

 

 

 

David and his partner had been living in their inner-Sydney property for only 12 months when they were issued with a 50% rent increase. They had been paying $800 a week for a three-bedroom home with a study, one car space.   Now, they were told, it would jump to $1,200.

 

“Their justification was it’s in line with market value,” David says. “We said we’d be prepared to pay $1,000 a week, even though the air conditioning hasn’t worked.”

The same week, they were served with a lease termination notice instructing them they had 30 days to vacate the property.

[RnR]

Sad that things are so dire for anyone trying to rent in Australia.

I despair at the brick wall facing those on social or disability payments.

[RnR]

The Optus data leak saga gets weirder and weirder …

The alleged Optus hacker has made an unexpected announcement just hours after reportedly releasing 10,000 customer records as part of a ransom demand. On Tuesday morning, the alleged hacker, known only as Optusdata, claimed there were “too many eyes” on them and they had made the decision not to sell or leak any more data.

In the latest message, the person apologised to the Australians impacted by the data leak and said they couldn’t release more data even if they wanted to because they had “personally deleted data from drive”, which they claimed was the only copy.

The alleged hacker also offered their “deepest apology” to Optus, saying they “hope all goes well from this. Ransom not paid but we don’t care any more.”

The alleged hacker claimed it was a “mistake” to publish the data in the first place.

[Suze]

Makes one wonder if it was done by some kids who have nothing better to do ???

[toot2000]

So glad we changed over from Optus to iinet, image having to change everything, what an absolute nightmare.

[Suze]

toot

I heard on the news that Medicare is also compromised ? and that Optus keeps records for 6 years.

[toot2000]

Not sure yet Suze, developing story I think

[RnR]

Has anyone here had any notifications?

[toot2000]

Russia is a country where people flee – not because someone invaded their country, but because they invaded somebody elses.

 

 

 

[toot2000]

 

An Orthodox priest conducts a service for reservists drafted during partial mobilization, before their departure for military bases in the city of Bataysk in the Rostov region, 26 September. Reuters/Sergey Pivovarov

[toot2000]

 

Reservists drafted during the partial mobilisation attend a departure ceremony in Sevastopol, Crimea. Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on September 21 a mobilisation of hundreds of thousands of Russian men to bolster Moscow’s army in Ukraine, sparking demonstrations and an exodus of men abroad. Photograph : AFP

[toot2000]

 

Raisa and her relative receive humanitarian aid in the recently liberated town of Izium in the Kharkiv region, Ukraine.  Reuters

 

[toot2000]

 

The gas leak at the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline is seen from the Danish Defense’s F-16 rejection response off the Danish Baltic island of Bornholm, south of Dueodde, Denmark.  The Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline linking Russia and Europe have been hit by unexplained leaks, Scandinavian authorities said, raising suspicions of sabotage.  AFP

[RnR]

Frightening.

[toot2000]

 

A Ukrainian serviceman examines a gun of a fallen soldier of the National Guard of Ukraine found at military positions near the village of Dementiivka, Kharkiv region, on Sept. 26, 2022, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

SERGEY BOBOK, AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES

 

[toot2000]

 

Tourists walk across elevated walkways outside St Mark’s Basilica in Venice, Italy. AFP

[RnR]

Acqua alta

Acqua alta is the term used in Veneto, Italy for the exceptional tide peaks that occur periodically in the northern Adriatic Sea. The peaks reach their maximum in the Venetian Lagoon, where they cause partial flooding of Venice and Chioggia; flooding also occurs elsewhere around the northern Adriatic, for instance at Grado and Trieste, but much less often and to a lesser degree.

[toot2000]

I wonder how they handle mould inside their houses.

[toot2000]

 

Labor is facing a backlash from the crossbench over its decision for the national anti-corruption commission to hold “most” of its hearings in private with public hearings limited to “exceptional circumstances”.

[RnR]

Should all be public IMO.

[toot2000]

 

 

 

Toby Murray, an associate professor in cybersecurity at the University of Melbourne, said the release of data revealed some individuals had multiple documents compromised – which would exceed the 100 points of identification required to prove someone’s identity for organisations such as Centrelink or a police check.

Changing your Medicare card number is relatively straightforward, driver’s licences and passports are more challenging.

NSW will charge a $29 replacement fee, which it said will be reimbursed by Optus.

Victorians will also get “free” licence number replacements and the chance to flag their licence record in case of future fraud………

https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/aced086fcbfdfc7282d78c1e447025265ac1d78a/944_204_3495_2097/master/3495.jpg?width=620&quality=45&fit=max&dpr=2&s=c61f9ffe2d167fa27bfcac4d47e603ac

 

Source:  The Guardian Australia

[RnR]

What a debacle … all my very best to those affected.

Just very grateful I’ve never had an Optus account.

Scary though … which big Aussie companies are next on the cyber attack hit list.

[toot2000]

Poor man, he’s far too old for this 

 

[toot2000]

How strong is a Nord Stream pipe? Quite! The steel pipe itself has a wall of 4.1 centimeters (1.6 inches), and it’s coated with another 6-11 cm of steel-reinforced concrete. Each section of the pipe weighs 11 tonnes, which goes to 24-25 tonnes after the concrete is applied.

 

[Author]

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