The worst of the summer wine
'The BBC Sounds app has just restricted overseas residents from listening to UK-archived content,' laments David Storie of Windsor Downs. 'I did a search on the site for The Goons that used to get me episodes of the great radio comedy, but all I got was a number of news items on Donald Trump. I know which one is funnier.'
Recent discussion on political toilet paper (C8) has led Susan Geason of Bondi Junction to recall that 'many years ago, when I was at university, someone had written, above the toilet paper dispenser, 'BAs, take one.' I think we were in one of our regular recessions.'
'My XJ6 was a beautiful car back in the 1970s,' declares Max Petrie of Palm Beach. 'When the fuel gauge showed empty, a flick of a switch brought the other side tank [C8] into service. They were separate fuel tanks with no connecting pipework.' Tim Crawshaw of Kenthurst had the same setup on his S Type 3.8 and says it was handy on a long drive.
Brian Blunt of Kensington says, 'Mention of cars with low mounted filler caps under the boot reminded me that, while it was fairly easy to fill up from a bowser, they did tend to back-spray when nearing the full level. Also, it was almost impossible if you had to do it with a drum and funnel after running out of petrol.'
'Perhaps a Column 8-er or self-confessed Tour de France widower Charles Purcell knows,' ponders Irene Thom of Vaucluse. 'What does Tadej Pogacar do with all those stuffed lions he receives on the podium?'
Julia Belford of Uralla reports on another random act of kindness (C8): 'Recently, I attended my cousin's funeral and returned to my accommodation at Mantra The Observatory in Port Macquarie. I went downstairs for dinner at the Italian restaurant. When I went to pay for my meal, I discovered that the lovely young couple who left just before had paid for me. A difficult day became a beautiful day. Thank you so much, whoever you are. May you be truly blessed.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News.com.au
40 minutes ago
- News.com.au
UK says first migrants held under return deal with France
The UK said Thursday it had detained the first migrants under a new "one-in, one-out" deal with France in which it can return people crossing the Channel on small boats. The agreement, which came into force on Wednesday, seeks to curb record levels of irregular Channel crossings, which are causing discontent in Britain and helping fuel the rise of the hard-right Reform UK party. "Detentions began for those who arrived in the UK on a small boat yesterday lunchtime (Wednesday). They will be held in immigration removal centres pending their removal," the interior ministry said in a statement. The detained individuals are expected to be removed to France in the "coming weeks", it added. Under the arrangement -- for now a pilot scheme set to run until June 2026 -- irregular migrants arriving on UK shores can be detained and then returned to France if they are deemed ineligible for asylum. This would include those who have passed through a "safe country" to reach the UK, according to a Home Office fact sheet. In exchange, London will accept an equal number of migrants from France who can apply for a visa to enter the UK via an online platform, giving priority to nationalities most vulnerable to smugglers and people with ties in Britain. If approved, they will have a three-month period in which they can enter the UK and apply for asylum. - 'Important step' - "If you break the law to enter this country, you will face being sent back. When I say I will stop at nothing to secure our borders, I mean it," Prime Minister Keir Starmer wrote on X after the announcement of the detentions. His government will refer the detainees' cases to France within three days, and the French authorities will be expected to respond within 14 days. The whole process of returning someone could take three months and the UK will cover all the costs until the migrant is handed over, according to the treaty. Unaccompanied minors will not be eligible for deportation under the scheme. The reciprocal process to allow migrants to submit an expression of interest to come the UK also began on Thursday. Applicants must upload a passport or other identity documents as well as a recent photograph and will have to pass further security checks and biometric controls. Interior minister Yvette Cooper said that the detentions "send a message to every migrant currently thinking of paying organised crime gangs to go to the UK that they will be risking their lives and throwing away their money if they get into a small boat. "Criminal gangs have spent seven years embedding themselves along our border and it will take time to unravel them, but these detentions are an important step towards undermining their business model and unravelling the false promises they make," she added. Refugee charities have criticised the deal, urging the British government to provide more safe and legal routes for asylum seekers instead. The number of migrants making the dangerous journey in flimsy dinghies this year crossed 25,000 at the end of July, the highest tally ever at this point in the year. In recent weeks, anti-immigration demonstrators and counter-protesters have clashed outside hotels housing asylum seekers in Britain, with some marches turning violent.
News.com.au
8 hours ago
- News.com.au
Fitzy and Wippa spill on their worst celebrity interviews
Nova hosts Ryan 'Fitzy' Fitzgerald and Michael 'Wippa' Wipfli have dished the dirt on their worst celebrity encounters over the years. The Sydney radio duo revealed one particular chat with a global music star went so bad, they refused to get a photo with him. Fitzy and Wippa's producer, Tom Ivey, recalled the pair's trainwreck interview with 'one-hit wonder' Taio Cruz, the UK singer who hit the top of the charts with his 2010 dancefloor song Dynamite. 'The one you got most upset about was Taio Cruz, and he refused to take off his sunglasses,' Ivey said on-air Thursday, adding Cruz was giving 'one word answers.' 'Then you [Ivey] introduced him as 'Tayo' and he said, 'It's Taio mate',' Wippa continued. Fitzy added, 'At the end of the interview, he wound it up quite quickly, and his publicity guy said, 'Can you guys get a photo?' And we went, 'Nah'.' Elsewhere on the list of their 'rude' interviews included none other than the notoriously icy Daniel Craig, who played James Bond in five films. 'Have we got the Daniel Craig audio there when Wippa interviewed him for James Bond? When he said he'd rather suck puss out of an abscess?' Fitzy asked. 'I reckon that was on a Saturday as well. On my weekend, I went to sit down with Daniel Craig and the annoying thing is, Daniel Craig thought he was James Bond in the interview,' Wippa said. 'Like, it's OK. You're an actor. You're playing a role Daniel. 'Not really a friendly guy the old Craig of Daniel, man with two first names.' Fellow Aussie radio star Beau Ryan also opened up about his painful A-list encounters as an interviewer, revealing on-air earlier this year he was left disappointed after talking to Melissa McCarthy. Speaking on Triple M's Beau, Tarsh & Woodsy, The Amazing Race host revealed the US actress was his worst famous interview to date, describing her as 'prickly' during their chat several years ago. 'What I found is, the higher profile the talent, the easier the interview was. And what would happen, usually when I travelled to the states, you'd fly all the way over for four-minute interviews, [so] there was a lot of pressure on it,' Ryan said. 'I would usually go after Fitzy and Wippa, and they'd give me a heads-up if anyone was a problem. And I remember years ago I was in LA interviewing Melissa McCarthy, who I'm a fan of, right? I think she's funny. 'As I'm walking in, Fitzy gave me the eyes and whispers, 'She's a problem.'' Elaborating on their brief interview, Ryan described the Bridesmaids star as 'difficult'. '[She gave] short answers, didn't want to be there, gave me nothing,' he continued. 'You feel uncomfortable. It was disappointing. 'We see them play these funny, likeable characters and we picture them as having that persona and personality, so when they don't, we're let down. 'I've seen her [McCarthy] do some wonderful interviews, but I've seen her do a lot of trainwrecks as well.'
News.com.au
12 hours ago
- News.com.au
Labor looks to speed up PBS listings amid calls from lobby groups
Health Minister Mark Butler says he is looking at recommendations to speed up medicine approvals amid pressure from lobbyists both within Australia and in the US. Medicines Australia has repeatedly highlighted that Australia lags behind comparable countries in listing new medicines on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) – a list of federally subsidised medicines. It takes an average of 466 days from when the Therapeutic Goods Administration approves a medicine to when it becomes affordable on the PBS, according to the peak body. This is much longer than in the UK and Canada, for example. The lengthy timeline has also angered the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), which has framed the PBS as a 'non-tariff trade barrier' that harms American companies in representations to the Trump administration. Lengthy PBS listing times is among PhRMA's core criticisms. Mr Butler said on Thursday he would look at Medicines Australia's recommendations to make the 'approvals system quicker'. 'We're getting an enormous number of new medicining coming on to the market,' he told the ABC. 'We're living through a turbocharged period of discovery bringing more and more new medicine, so making sure that we can assess them and approve them very quickly to get them into patients as quickly as possible is something I've said is a real priority for us this term.' Because the PBS compels drugmakers to negotiate prices with the federal government, PhRMA has accused Australia of 'freeloading' on US-funded research and development. Meanwhile, American consumers pick up the bill, according to the lobby group. 'The medicines industry, understandably, given their interest, want to make prices higher as well, so there will be a bit of a debate about how we do that,' Mr Butler said. 'But I'm very much on the page of getting medicines more quickly into our system, our PBS system. 'It's a terrific system and we're trying to make medicines cheaper at the same time for Australians.' PhRMA has explicitly urged the Trump administration to 'leverage ongoing trade negotiations' to influence Australia's PBS policies. Mr Butler has echoed Anthony Albanese and fellow senior government ministers in ruling out any 'compromise' on the system as part of tariff talks. For the moment, Donald Trump's concern with the sector appears to be largely focused on bringing down prices in the US rather than punishing allies for having cheaper medicines. A RAND Corporation report found that Americans pay nearly four times more than Australians for medicines and about three times more than the average in other developed economies. The answer, according to the US President, is to make pharmaceuticals in the US. In a warning shot to firms, Mr Trump this week threatened to slap tariffs of up to 250 per cent on foreign-made products. With Australian pharma exports to the US worth more than $2bn in 2024, it would hit producers Down Under hard. Exports are mostly blood products and vaccines but also include packaged medicines and miscellaneous products, such as bandages. 'We'll be putting (an) initially small tariff on pharmaceuticals,' Mr Trump told US business news channel CNBC. 'In one year, 1½ years maximum, it's going to go to 150 per cent and then it's going to go to 250 per cent because we want pharmaceuticals made in our country.' He did not say what the initial rate would be, but earlier in the year he said duties on the sector would start from 25 per cent.
