The Donald said he was going to do it and now he is.
The Great Wall of the Rio Grande, the Trump Wall will stretch almost 2,000 miles (3,100kms) from the Pacific to the Gulf of Mexico, putting a gleam in the eye of graffiti artists everywhere. Banksy is said to be drooling in anticipation.
The estimated cost of this stunning feat of architecture is anywhere between $10 and $20 billion depending on who you listen to. Construction time is also a bit of a back-of-the-envelope exercise but by the time an exhausted bricklayer slaps the last bit of mortar on it, it is probable Donald Trump will be around 90 years of age.
In centuries to come anthropologists will marvel at it and wonder what far-sighted genius brought it into existence. Maybe even an old shyster like Erich Von Daniken will propose some unlikely theory that the Trump Wall was built by God who arrived by spaceship with the blueprint and a couple of trillion tons of prefabricated concrete.
Full column here.
I think Nadal will win even though he may be a bit buggered.
The fact that he lasted so long…well I don’t think Federer could have
lasted dat long
My heart is for Federer but my head is with Nadal.
Difficult one if you’re a gambler. I wouldn’t underestimate Federer . He is cooler, literally and figuratively, but is just as ruthless when he has to be.
There’s a lot in it for both of them. Should be a good game
Nadal’s tennis is boring as but he really pays superbly.
Interesting thing about Federer is that when he plays there is no sound of his shoes on the court while for others there is this continual squeaking. I hope he wins. The 5 hours in the semis are going to take a huge toll on Nadal.
JS, I don’t know about boring as, but I can’t stand Nadal’s grunting! I’ve had to turn the sound down
You call that grunting Penny? How about the efforts of our home grown Kyrgious?
Then there’s the girls esp Sharipova, you must have hired a sound booth to watch her in action. Come to think of it, the girls squealing outdoes Nadal’s little exhales by a few decibels.
I hate to admit it Lou, but I have never watched Kyrgios play. And maybe I was a bit hard on Nadal, but it was still better I think watching it with the sound down. As for the girls the sounds Sharipova used to make was the reason I stopped women’s tennis.
She was reason I thought of starting to watch women’s tennis Penny 😝
Oh, Razor!! Goodness me…….
I like a few volleys to mix it up Penny.
The long baseline rallies leave me cold
I quite enjoy the rallies JS – as opposed to the serve volley game that McEnroe was fond of. Wham bad sort if stuff that persisted for a while.
TV slows the apparent pace of the ball. Watching it live one appreciates just how hard and incredibly fast that ball is travelling. To even get a racquet on a serve is a feat. The skill and patience involved in working towards a winning shot is nice to watch.
Wham bad should read wham bam – without the thankyou ma’am of course
Careful Yvonne you’ll get Milton all hot u der the collar with your wham bam stuff!
Barking Mad Trumper is stopping passengers in transit and sending them back even though they have valid visas. Some passengers have dual citizenship and now will be separated from their families in the USA. Bad luck. They are stopped as well! This is madness at its worst. What happens when Americans are banned from travelling the world in retaliation? Billions could be lost by business. I can’t believe so many on this blog are singing to the Trump choir.
&
Debt now tripled since Labor was in office. Just short of half a trillion. Gross commonwealth government debt has reached more than $474 billion. Total government debt is now rising by $5.3 million an hour – or $126m a day. The average annual increase under Labor was about $36b – but under the Liberals is just on $60b a year. The interest bill is currently around $16b a year and under the government’s own figures, gross debt is projected to reach $600b by 2020. If Labor wins the 2019 election they will have a much better ‘look what we inherited ‘ story than the Liberals had in 2013.
&
The Australian says Labor are the best money managers:-
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/alp-best-manager-of-money-history-shows/story-fn59niix-1226056371414
&
Any government that does not care about its grandchildren is a baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad government.
I noticed the word ”temporary” in the jargon somewhere Bassy.
He wants to be seen to be in control. That’s what he’s all about.
I don’t think it will be a permanent thing.
Nor do I think for one minute that Americans will be banned from travelling the world. They are big spenders when travelling abroad – but maybe not so big in the countries he has specified.
Everyone needs to chill and just see what happens in the coming months.
Watching SBS news. I see there’s a last minute reprieve on the visa thing – which goes to support my theory on the man
Ever the optimist Yvonne! This is not a rethink by Trump, it’s a court-ordered temporary stay to allow a small number of people already in the US with valid visas to remain while legal challenges are dealt with.
We’ll see what happens, but if Trump is true to form his next move will be to attack the entire legal system for getting in his way.
I prefer glass half full JOH! I agree not a good scenario right now. Trump needs to take a deep breath and take some wise advice. He will backflip on this visa issue. He has to.
As world leaders suss him out and adapt to handling him with their kid gloves on, whilst conversing amongst themselves, I think things will settle down. As you say, I’m looking on the bright side.
By one Federal court judge in one state. In the American system her order is binding on nobody except the state she sits in.
Razor, that wouldnt be correct. A federal court order in any state would be binding federally – ie country wide. A state court (which is not a federal court) ruling wouldnt.
Ear,
Sorry mate but it’s a very odd setup in the states. It’s not binding. I know it’s odd but I checked to doubly make sure.
It begins as predicted:
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/30/us/politics/trump-immigration-ban-memo.html
A court order against trumps executive order not does nothing to support your theory on him. Sheesh. I know I know. You are not stupid, It is something to do with your breeding.
HEAR, HEAR, B’man.
BASSMAN, you say: “Barking Mad Trumper”
Then you say: ” This is madness at its worst.
Careful Bassy, it could be contagious.
It’s called kennel cough Carl, very contagious and clearly Bassy has it.
Well I guess you know where he’s been, no surprises there.
This country has bad bad Government for close to a decade now Bassy.
Both parties have believed Treasury’s forward estimates and have spent accordingly..
Both parties have no idea as to how to reign in expenditure.
It really sucks and the failure on both sides is lending itself to a populist leader in the not too distant future.
The media has to take part of the blame because every time there is a cut in expenditure, they keep trotting out worst case scenarios instead of taking the high ground and taking the line that all of this is necessary if the country is to prosper.
I would be curious as to how much of the medical expenditure is pent on the over weight and over 70 brigade,
treasury….against the wall when the revolution comes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nAkv9qz8dTA
“The Australian says Labor are the best money managers”
Hang on bassy that was written by George Megalonius a noted labor tragic
Robin please don’t rain on his parade. Poor bugger thought it would slip through. Just like another blogger on here that uses rent seeker sites to push his dismal agenda!
$1 billion for a coal mine railroad not rent seeking?? Talk about the kettle calling the coal black. you got nothing as usual just weak personal attacks. You don’t like fact so you try to attack where they are published. You have proven time and time again no matter the facts or where they come from you are incapable of accepting anything that does not confirm your already held bias. You are a dinosaur and obviously don’t care about your grand childrens future. As you as you don’t have to admit you are wrong. Which you are.
Firstly the line is standard gauge so can be used by other mines. Secondly you always complain about the Coalition not investing in infrastructure. Well here’s some infrastructure. If you want to run the pot kettle argument you might want to look at your rants against the OZ when you don’t like the facts.
You are seriously losing it. Get back to that Malay psych. Destroying you is becoming easier and easier.
GM is one of the most respected journalists in the country
Strange U to pick this but not a word about the huge debt the looters are loading up the grandchildren with. Must be OK…Labor debt is bad debt. Liberal debt no matter how big is good debt. yep. I get it.
Embrace the winds of change, the new Man in charge BASSMAN. Don’t stay locked into the past like dear Mr Baptiste and Dismayed. You arnt a fossil are you? POTUS Trump is real, he’s here and he’s NOW!
When one thinks about it, maybe Trump’s wall is not that unique. They’re going up all over the borders of Europe too
True, but IMO very sad. Movement is one of the most fundamental freedoms, and before all this madness started, the trend over the centuries had been the relaxation of borders, and the increasing recognition of human similarity rather than difference. I sincerely hope the last few years are a glitch.
People can move around all they like, it’s just they cannot and should not cross borders unless the country they want to cross to wants them. Simple really.
Probably not unless terrorism comes to an end JOH. And I can’t see that happening any time soon.
Sign of the future Yvonne.
Gated communities within countries protecting the rich. With a predicted ( always wrong) of about 30% of all jobs to disappear in the next 20 years, the rich, or those with jobs, will protect themselves. Bit like Feudal times with the castle providing protection from the masses as well as the marauders.
Walls protecting countries from mass migration. If the predictions of climate change are even half right, then what we are seeing now is the tip of the iceberg.
That 1 to 2cm of sea level rise will certainly be a problem JS. Mind you it better get a hurry on because it ain’t rising much at the moment.
Yes agree JS
Israel comes instantly to mind Yvonne and they have monster walls indeed, Gaza and West Bank.
http://tinyurl.com/jbyfzz5
It’s a veritable brickies bonanza Yvonne.
X says , 04:46pm
Geez,.. Coming down on whales like that with Bella ,… That like throwing mud a bees nest , I suggest you start running now having her persistence that will surely have her track you down.
Cheers,..good luck!
Jack the Insider 08:44am.
I agree Jack. We have enough problems with these “rag fake news sites” around now confusing some I add , not all , our already troubled kids now . No wonder crime escalates and prisons filling up with people facing a “recipe for disaster” reading illiterate disgruntle editorialists getting all agitated disturbing some vulnerable people into confusion. Best is ,turn away into quality sites and that surely revitalises the mind into reality.
One of the worst bits of ” news” is the pro-Chinese stuff that Fairfax now publishes.
It is so transparent that it it is almost humorous.
Razor ..12:37am.
Malcolm according from inner circles ,has appeared to have stalled, running out of options ,or , better still dissipated like a once mature storm , not hitting the ground running like Trump is after today having us watching on the ABC early show that policy signings were having an audience behind him.
After this blog from some of us , I think the Trump factor now exposed, we should all retire for a while like a race horse out into the paddock after some exhausting work trying to keep up with idealogy challenges vs cultural change now in the spotlight into the future. Time to get back to work and leave all these scandel reports with added bitterness for the dust bin.
JB ,…Just having a little laugh and a think on you and your post which I find fascinating , yes a laugh ,no animosity at all, just some strange thought you fell over the edge of an outer planet ,maybe the ET planet, decending down onto earth adding your contributions . My descriptions of you at times, you might of landed in the backyard of a KGB agent, may be true indocrinated you . After all, knowing the famous JB has all the insight of Trump’s wife possible a spy you saying. Well , on the other hand ,escaping from the dreaded KGB now into the turf of Australia , I would throw a small tent at you to set up in my backyard anytime you are short of a dollar having no money to return to outer space if hunted down by the KGB . This I might learn some JB KGB stories knowing you have the capacity and resilience to excite us all . Just a thought and invitation JB!
I am all for equal pay for equal effort.
For the life of me I cannot reconcile in my own mind equal pay for women in tennis tournaments.
That argument has raged for years JS. I am inclined to agree with you. They should perhaps play the best of 5 sets too. It’s all relative. They reckon women aren’t strong enough. But putting it another way, they don’t play with such strength as the men perhaps, but playing to their own strength they should play 5. As the men do playing at their strength levels. Hope that makes sense!
They’re not bricklayers. The “watchability” of tennis, and therefore its commercial value, is not necessarily related to how many times they hit the ball or how fast. I guess the length of the game determines how much advertising can be shown, but do they pay anyone less for winning in straight sets?
i don’t know enough about the finances of the game to know where the commercial value lies and don’t care much who gets paid what.
i would say though that the mens and womens games have become quite different, the mens much more an endurance and speed sport and the womens a power game.
Wimmin handle the marathon OK?
Maybe they should play 5 sets in the semis and finals Yvonne.
Dunno JS. As I wrote that I wondered if I could actually watch 5 sets of women’s tennis. But it would have stuffed up the point I was making if I had owned up to that!
Sorry girls!
Men’s tennis is so powerful, so incredibly fast and therefore more exciting I guess.
But then again the sponsors love putting their gear on sensational looking women. I think Sharapova was the highest paid (by sponsors) tennis player at one stage – could be wrong, but I think I read that somewhere.
RE: Dismayed says:
January 28, 2017 at 6:20 pm
“…Actually just a quick review and it is plain to see your Dictator trump is working on undoing at least 40 of the measures listed in the first week…”.
Dismayed,
Those 40+ being? And the associated Presidential actions in respect of each are?
Don’t be silly plmo. He never backs his words with facts
Yep Robin he did his usual…….
You don’t accept anything that is presented. You learnt something 50 years ago and have been unable to fit anything else into your sheep like brain since. Continue to show your juvenile self and try and bully. There have been many on this conservative appreciation clown show who have tired, you probably are the ugliest but still pathetic. If you believe trump is good for the world it says all that need saying about your lack of morals.
And there you have it, Robin
…..and there you have it Robin 🙂
Is your answer something to do with your breeding.
It is self evident to those that have their eyes open. I cannot help you with that.
Our pointless do nothing PM Turnbull is getting ready for his first telephone conversation with POTUS Trump, Mr Insider, some 9 days after the Inauguration. Its reported he will be raising the Manus island Refugee US Intake which am sure Trump will roll his eyes when he hears that waffle. Turnbull has been PM now for one and a half years and has achieved virtually nothing. He pales in comparison to the “hands on” POTUS Trump.
http://tinyurl.com/zt23ygz
POTUS Trump again doing what he said he would do Mr Insider as we read “President Donald Trump’s sweeping ban on people from seven Muslim-majority nations entering the United States has seen several travellers detained and others barred from boarding US-bound flights. http://tinyurl.com/zlwkslb
What he said he would do was ban Muslim migration. Today he says his order is not a Muslim ban. So according to him, he is not doing doing what he said he would do. Would he lie to you?
http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/12/donald-trumps-call-to-ban-muslim-immigrants/419298/
http://thehill.com/business-a-lobbying/316703-trump-defends-order-its-not-a-muslim-ban
.J’OH says: “So according to him, he is not doing doing what he said he would do.”
That’s gotta be worth a cartwheel or two, John, eh?
At leas a spirited here here Carl!
I note the glaring absence of Saudi Arabia from the list.
Arguably the worst country on Earth. Commits the same sorts of human rights outrages Islamic State does but invariably gets a pass.