ericbj

Well, first of all you need to decide how much you are going to mix overall, the ingredients (coarse aggregate or not), and the ratios of the dry matter (which the specs give by weight, but I measure by bucket). If it is concrete, I normally mix it in my small electric cement-mixer, but if no coarse aggregate, by hand (using a hoe-like tool) in a big plastic mixing trough because the consistency is better that way when making a fairly stiff mix. If doing a screed I might use three buckets of coarse sand + one bucket of general purpose cement (rather than concreting cement - although in France I would use the latter mixed, say, 2:1 with hydraulic lime [never seen it here]), then choose maybe ¾ of a bucket of water. If one figures on using roughly a ½-litre of hydrofuge for 2 x 50 kg bags of cement which we guesstimate at about 9 of the relatively small Thai builder's buckets (the French ones are a good bit bigger), call it 10 for simplicity, that makes it about 50 millilitres per mix. You might find a yoghurt pot makes a good measure for one mix. Precision is not too critical though better to err slightly on the generous side. Consistency is important; and compaction (tamp with trowel). And not too much water: enough that it does not crumble. Smooth with a soft, wet brush after it has begun setting. And of course keep surface damp until thoroughly cured. I know nothing about Crocodile repair mortar (contains polypropylene fibres?), so cannot help you there. For a normal screed, if memory serves, the recommendation is 20 mm minimum thickness. I might feel inclined to bed wetted slates on to freshly laid screed before it has time to start setting. But have no idea if that would give satisfactory result.

This is from Sika Cambodia: "Recommended Dosage 0.5 kg. (0.43 l) per cement 2 bags (contains 50 kg / bag)" https://khm.sika.com/dms/getdocument.get/0bc5e852-7af1-4b68-b745-305159e47fa2/sika_plastocrete.pdf This is obviously for the adjuvant type. There are many types of Sika hydrofuge, but maybe only one in Cambodia, since no type number is given. Perhaps the same in Thailand. It sounds as if you are planning to place a screed over the existing concrete. Might be worth embedding polyester mesh, if available, to reduce risk of cracking. If you overdose, not a problem, but setting time can be very slow.

The problem was solved. Before it even started, by Hungary. Subsequently by Poland, and then Denmark. None of these countries are bounded on all sides by sea. All are members of the E.U. The solution lies in the hands of the politicians who enact the legislation and those that are then charged with putting the laws into practice. Ranting and raving against migrants is of limited use and enables those protesting to be denigrated and criminalised. Target the politicians responsible. Ensure they are never re-elected. And in the mean time make life hell for them. And later, when the occasion presents itself, make them pay for their treasonable behaviour. Perhaps legislation to deprive them of civil rights?

There are two types of hydrofuge for cement mortars and concretes. The one you are writing about is for adding to the water used when preparing the mix. The other type is applied by brush or spraying to the cured surface to cause it to throw off moisture such as rain. 'Sika' makes both types, but I have only used the former here in Thailand. https://usa.sika.com/en/construction/repair-protection/coatings-water-repellents/silane-siloxane-coatings/sikagard-705-l.html Possible additional precaution: afterwards covering the surface with a bituminous paint before re-laying slates? (Surely not real slates: 50 years ago in the UK they cost a fortune - I had a slate roof).

There can be little doubt that the oceans are warming. One has only to notice the steady disappearance of pack-ice over the Arctic Ocean, opening up new trade routes. However the vagaries of climate may be determined by more factors than are accounted for by current computer models. Ice-core samples dating from periods of intense glaciation contain much higher atmospheric carbon dioxide than current levels (assuming dating of the ice was correct). Claims are made that just prior to the Industrial Revolution atmospheric CO2 had fallen to levels approaching the minima necessary to support plant life, and by extension other forms of life. Some commercial greenhouse growers purchase CO2 to enrich the air and foster plant growth. And yet extensive parts of the world have in recent years begun experiencing exceptionally cold weather. It seems there may be factors that are ignored by the computerised climate models. The Sun, the source of our warmth and light, has entered a phase of weakened radiation. This should not make a huge difference. However the Earth's magnetic field has been weakening progressively for decades, and this decline has recently accelerated at an alarming rate. This means that the Earth has already lost a large part of the mantle that protects it from streams of charged particles emanating from the Sun at velocities close to the speed of light. It is said that some of these particles are now breaking through. I am not a climatologist so I offer no conclusions. Only the suggestion of digging deeper. And this snippet: "To understand the real potential of solar flares, we must revisit an extraordinary moment in history: the Carrington Event of 1859. On September 1st of that year, British astronomer Richard Carrington was observing the Sun through a telescope when he witnessed a sudden flash — a massive solar flare. Within hours, Earth was engulfed in the most intense geomagnetic storm ever recorded. "Telegraph systems across Europe and North America failed spectacularly. Sparks leaped from telegraph machines, some bursting into flames. Operators received electric shocks. In some places, telegraph systems continued to send messages even after being disconnected from power sources, driven by the electrical energy surging through the Earth. "The aurora was visible near the equator, in places where no one had ever seen the phenomenon. The skies of Cuba and Hawaii glowed blood red. Newspapers reported frightened citizens believing the world was ending. "This storm occurred before the modern age of electricity, before the digital infrastructure that now connects and sustains civilization. If a Carrington-class event were to happen today, the damage could be catastrophic." [ https://www.sciencenewstoday.org/the-impact-of-solar-flares-on-earths-weather-and-technology ]

Looks as if this could be another politicians' scheme to squander public funds in order to justify their over-subsidised existence, by showing they are actually "doing something". It would appear that all those involved - the two terrorists, the courageous fellow who terminated their rampage, and the unfortunate victims - were all Semites. No dinky-die Aussies involved. This should help to narrow the breadth of the enquiry.

Is this the future ?

Trump is someone who claims constantly to pursue peace. This is either a deliberate lie or else comes from a mistaken belief that peace can be successfully pursued with violence. At home, abroad, and on the high seas. Yes, a certain calm may be achieved, temporarily, by bludgeoning those conceived as enemies. Repressing rather than allaying may result in later explosions of pent up rage, and alliances between those once mutually antipathetic. Who is not an enemy of Trump? He constantly proclaims the U.S. has been betrayed by her allies who have never lifted a finger to help. Which forces them to see themselves as something other than allies. Decide for yourself as to whether or not this makes sense. Clearly Trump is not a student of Sun Tzu. Those who fail to show obeisance to Trump (even the obsequious Starmer) are seen as enemies not only of himself but of the United States of the Americas, of which he believes himself the personification. He is a gambler who wins a few of his punts, but success whets the appetite for higher stakes. See how it went with Hitler, another psychopathic megalomaniac who sought the affirmation of his views by sycophants, rather than the counsel of the knowledgeable. Some years ago I was accused of being a Trump supporter. My reply was that I saw neither Biden nor Trump as fit to preside over the world's most powerful nation, but that Trump seemed the lesser of two evils. He saw problems that others either did not see or chose to ignore. It is easier now to judge him on results rather than just promises. He must be removed from power democratically, a.s.a.p. And an independent review carried out with a view to examining how the democratic structures may be reformed to render them more responsive to informed public opinion. And since informed public opinion is essential to democracy, the tight grip of mega-finance on the mass media must be loosened

This paints a picture of the Burmese resistance that is likely to be misleading for those who are not following closely the operations. This can be done, for instance, by subscribing to https://burmacoupresistancenotes.substack.com/ or by following various groups on Facebook such as Karen News etc. In fact there is considerable co-operation between PDFs and between PDFs and ethnic armed groups. "State media reported … that Bo Nagar … turned himself in at a military camp … along with family members and several weapons." So, only him and family members. No one else. "Bo Nagar rose quickly in the early stages, leading guerrilla units that once aligned with the shadow National Unity Government (NUG). But in 2023 he rebranded his force as the BNRA, loosening ties with mainstream opposition fighters." Why so ? No longer a shared purpose ? "Tensions with local People’s Defense Force (PDF) units escalated last year, with accusations that BNRA fighters extorted money at checkpoints. The situation boiled over last week when the BNRA admitted to killing a PDF fighter in a dispute. The PDF retaliated with raids, prompting Bo Nagar’s retreat and eventual surrender." Looks like he had to flee - without any followers - after murdering a PDF combattant. "The NUG has accused BNRA members of serious crimes, including killings and sexual violence, and claimed that around 150 fighters have already defected to join PDF ranks." It is obvious whatever Bo Nagar's original motivations may have been, about three years ago his personal ambitions led him to become leader of a dacoit gang, leading many of his unit's members to join genuine resistance units. The democratic forces are clearly better off with this traitor out of the way and his gang dispersed.

Britain has throughout history received immigrants, usually refugees fleeing persecution, such as French Huguenots, loyal Americans, 'White' Russians, and German Jews. Even Count Esterhazy, the villain of the Dreyfus affair (my mother in her childhood sometimes saw him, an old man, walking slowly down to the shops leaning on the arm of his valet). They adapted, often brought skills (certainly true of the Huguenots) and became devoted and loyal servants of the country of their adoption, often serving in the armed services. This has been true also of many post-war immigrants of non-European race, as can be judged from what they say in interview and their criticism of uncontrolled immigration of masses of antisocial young males opposed to British culture, custom and laws. The latter's contempt for Britain is amply demonstrated by their choice of illegal entry. They have come to the wrong place and must be sent packing. These masses of illegal immigrants constitute a national threat. The cause of the crisis must be tackled before all else. The cause lies with the politicians. If one cannot put the fear of God into them, one must put the fear of the mob into them. Seeing they feel they can afford, with taxpayer money, luxury accommodation and other perks for illegal immigrants to whom no duty is owed, except under a half-baked piece of E.U. legislation, let them offer these facilities to our own homeless people; in some cases made destitute by the incompetence of successive governments. https://england.shelter.org.uk/media/press_release/at_least_382000_people_are_homeless_in_england_today_

RUSSIAN & CHINESE MIGHT ON DISPLAY IN DRAMATIC SHOW OF STRENGTH Russian Air Defense + Chinese Radar Ready for US Attack on Iran: This is WW3 https://rachelblevins.substack.com/p/russian-defense-chinese-radar-iran-stanislav-krapivnik

It remains to be seen whether China and Russia are prepared to take an active part in fighting, if it occurs. Probably not. But they will do everything short of that to help Iran to survive any attack. Might be of interest: https://open.substack.com/pub/glenndiesen/p/stanislav-krapivnik-russia-and-china

We could perhaps be about to see a proxy war between China and the United States, where China hopes to see a substantial reduction of its antagoniser's capacity for global power projection, without great loss to itself (a sort of re-run of the Ukraine War, but with positions reversed) : https://www.thedefensenews.com/news-details/China-Supplies-HQ-9B-Missiles-to-Iran-in-Oil-for-Weapons-Agreement "In a development that underscores the growing strategic alignment between Tehran and Beijing, Iran has reportedly entered into a barter agreement with China, exchanging large volumes of crude oil for HQ-9B long-range air defense systems and other advanced military technologies."

You may be assuming that the company managing an ETF is doing it not only on a charity basis but without having to cover any overheads. Unfortunately that is not the case. The gold bullion an ETF purchases has to be stored and insured, and this involves costs. Moreover you will need to study the small print of the ETF's Conditions to discover to what extent the net asset value of the fund must consist of physical gold and how much may be 'paper gold', i.e. derivatives. The ordinary investor cannot withdraw his investment in the form of gold. 'Whales' may be able to do so and if much use is made of this right it can substantially affect the value of the fund. Bullionvault custody charges (including insurance): Gold: 0.12% per annum with a monthly minimum of $4. Hope this helps.

Does that mean printing more dollars ?

What defenses does this fleet possess against hypersonic missiles ?

Scammers are sometimes both skilful and patient. They build up trust over a period of time. With the help of accomplices, of convincing arguments, and seemingly genuine but actually false documents bearing, for example, bank letterheads. I was nearly scammed once over a considerable period of time, many years ago (have forgotten the details), but fortunately smelt a rat and broke contact. But then was successfully scammed by a pseudo-Portuguese "businessman" supposedly dying of cancer and who claimed wished to "leave money to the poor people of Burma". Which had me looking into how to set up such things as a trust account in Thailand, and eventually making a payment to release funds. All this supported with seemingly convincing documents. A Kayah retired veterinary friend of mine from the U.S. was ripped off by a Burmese New Yorker who pursuaded him to put money into his FX speculation fund. He did so, and received a couple of fat cheques not long after. So put in most of his life savings. And that was the end of it. Gold is an excellent store of value, especially in uncertain times. But many Thais lost their gold during the Asian crisis of 1997. Because it was stored with the dealers they bought it through, who went bankrupt. The creditors took all, because the gold was not ALLOCATED (legally owned) by those who had paid for it. Hold the metal, not paper. Or, if you want leverage, shares in successful mining, streaming or royalty companies.

These articles may be of interest as regards pollution by motorbikes: https://motorgearexpert.com/how-much-do-motorcycles-pollute/ https://gearjunkie.com/motors/motorcycle-vs-vehicle-emissions

It seems Trump is being pressurised by not only Natanyahou but also people within his own circle to require what is effectively total surrender of Iran. No longer just concerns nuclear industry, but surrender of missiles, etc., etc. Details in this interview of Alastair Crooke by Col.Davis:

Aircraft-carriers are about as useful. in these days of hypersonic missiles, as battleships were at Pearl Harbour. The destroyers are there to protect them. But how much protecting will they be able to do? Iran is now better protected with Russian and Chinese technology than last June. Which was, according to some sources, a mutually arranged piece of theatre to get Natanyahou off Trump's back and get Trump to leave Iran in peace. (Details of the strike on the U.S. base in Qatar, etc., tend to confirm this interpretation) But the result was short lived; and so Iran has allegedly already turned down a further proposal of shadow-boxing. She is now hard-faced. As a prelude to negotiations? Trusting that Trump will back down as he often does? Can he afford to back down this time? There comes a point where he must stand firm or lose all credibility, despite his proclivity for trumpeting failures as crushing successes. It's possible Iran may offer him a fig-leaf, in the hope the Emperor accepts it to cover his nakedness. If in Iran's position, what decision should she take? Impossible to know without having full details of the balance of power, in technical terms. Will China and Russia give full military backing to Iran, not merely hardware and intelligence. Iran is not Venezuela. She is a neighbour and an ally. Close support does not require projecting power to the far side of the globe. Crippling a significant fraction of U.S. naval strength placed at arms length could significantly diminish the ability to dominate the further reaches of the world. And would leave some of its far-flung bases exposed. If the Trump administration were sincere in its claims to have accepted the concept of a multipolar world, many of its approximately 800 foreign military bases would be superfluous. And it would not be raising its 2026 military budget by a further half-trillion dollars. The danger for either side is to be surprised. A waiting game, and distractions, can increase the chances of being caught unawares. So if an attack is deemed likely, a possible solution may be to provoke it. With a feint.

This is all very interesting. However certain questions must be raised. Analyses of core samples of polar ice show that there are found to be much higher levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide during certain periods of Ice Age. Were these samples wrongly dated? (it's possible) Atmospheric CO2 during the period preceding the Industrial Revolution is considered, by some, to have been approaching the lower limit for supporting plant growth, i.e. all higher forms of life, including carnivores. Current levels are apparently still below sub-optimal. The reason why some greenhouse-growers purchase cylinders of compressed CO2 to enrich the air in their greenhouses. The "greenhouse effect" of CO2 is minor compared to that of methane now bubbling up in huge volume from the bottom of the warming Arctic Ocean (which puts to shame the effect of cow-farts). Annual average temperature measurements at world-wide weather stations are claimed by some to be deceptive because such facilities, commonly established close to major cities, are now often surrounded by urban sprawl; where surface temperatures tend to be higher. Temperatures of the upper atmosphere, recorded by NASA, are said to show cooling over the past quarter of a century. Astrophysicists tell us that the Sun is entering a cooling cycle likely to last several decades. The Sun is our principal source of warmth and light, essential for life. We know that pack-ice over the Arctic Ocean is melting fast. If global temperatures are not rising, how can this be so? I am not a climatologist. But it is well known that there is an accelerating drop in the Earth's magnetic field which is disrupting the ionosphere and in so doing exposing us to particulate radiation from the Sun (potentially opening a pandora's box of problems). The Jet Stream is changing, and with it so are the ocean currents. Winds are strengthening, although not much as yet. Earthquakes and volcanic activity are said to be increasing. The oceans are warming. These changes have been linked to the weakening of our ionosphere, our protective envelope. Antarctica is a continent, not an ocean as in the Arctic. Is the kilometres-thick inland ice there (less affected by ocean temperatures) melting the same way as at the opposite pole? We must be careful not to imitate the supposed bahaviour of lemmings.

Cannabis TREES ! Is this a mistranslation ?

Good move. 2-stroke engines are very polluting. Not worried about CO2: we breathe it out; just plant more trees. It's the filthy stuff that pollutes our air. And then there's the noise pollution.

Too true. European freedom is threatened by unrepresentative politicians and unelected bureaucrats, parasites who are sucking dry the ever-diminishing wealth of our peoples. And to cover up and further extend their racket, they seek to persuade us to give them yet more wealth to supposedly protect us from our Russian neighbours. Neighbours who were happy to trade with us on a mutually beneficial basis. But our leaders, under orders from their puppet-masters across the pond, led us up the garden path by adopting a policy of provocation based upon illusory narratives that drew a curtain of steel and explosive across our Continent. Result: wealth, infrastructure, and people blown to pieces The puppet-masters have seen, not the error of their ways, but the failure to achieve their goal. They have shifted their centre of operations, leaving us with their can of worms. Exposing our leaders' misguidedness. Which they will not admit. So they double down. Leaders who fail on such a monumental scale must be sacrificed.

Must be a joke !