Jim Koopman

For all the Shoupistas

Australia has had postal voting since 19th century. It remains for those unable to vote in person I. E remote residents, travelers, or voters with other barriers.

P.S. Building Commission NSW is aware that 5.7.4 of the Housing Provisions states flashings must extend and be visible from the outside face of the wall, but IMPORTANTLY AS3700 and AS4773.2 allows flashings to finish short of the outside face in certain circumstances.

Brick snap facing meets brick parapet

Lack of care , detailing ignorance. This one finished in Mona Vale 2025

Goodbye to their free prescriptions

Oh Yeah.

Trump turns on everyone given time

Homophobic comment

1986-1987 Sydney

A bid by Donald Trump to build Sydney’s first casino was rejected 30 years ago after police expressed concerns about his links to the mafia

Minutes of the NSW cabinet show police warned the government against approving a bid by Trump consortium to run a casino in Darling Harbour

We commissioned a painting from artist Julie Alcorn to celebrate our garden and its inhabitants. Here is a detail with the bees ( even though they are solitary….artist licence)

I think that’s the amazing native blue-banded bee. I’ve seen two in 15 years at Newport (when our blue native flowers were blooming) They are solitary, live in sandstone or sandy mud tunnels and buzz pollinate. Eroding river banks lead to loss of habitat

Claude AI
This is the international meteorological code format (SYNOP or similar) that weather stations use to transmit observations. It’s designed to pack a lot of weather data into a compact, standardized format that can be transmitted efficiently & decoded by meteorological services worldwide.

No powerlines to avoid on takeoff?

Always flying in my dreams

ABC Australia
Despite all that aggression, Putin — has been rewarded.

An in-person meeting with the leader of the free world awaits on Friday, local time.

Trump, for his part, has said he's searching for a pathway to peace. That idea could be unrealistic.

Secret Views Things we might whisper to each other

In the course of an interesting critique of “merit,” Jay Nordlinger observes:

“People call for “merit” in the immigration process…

Those immigrants wanted a better life for themselves and their family, and they sacrificed to get it.

That was their ‘merit.’”

open.substack.com/pub/jaynordl...

I agree with his police comment. American police training places an emphasis on force and firearms, while British police prioritize de-escalation and communication.

US brain drain underway. Why not? I know a weather mathematician who worked for NASA coming home.

Trump had substantial loans from Deutsche Bank, which has been investigated for laundering money for Russian clients. As of 2016, Trump reportedly owed Deutsche Bank around $364 million. Some of these loans—totaling $287 million—were later forgiven.

It’s a reasonable assumption Trump has been compromised by Russia given his behaviour. I suspect they funded the 2016 election but Mueller could not find enough proof. They hold it over him now.

Berlin’s Highest Court Opens the Path to a Car-Free Future On June 25, 2025, Berlin’s Constitutional Court made history. In a groundbreaking decision, it approved a citizen-proposed law that would…

Berlin’s top court just said: 🚗 ≠ fundamental right.
A car-free city is legally possible — and politically necessary.
This is a HUGE moment for mobility justice!

#CarFreeBerlin #ClimateJustice #Volksentscheid #bsky

Wrote about my thoughts here 👉 medium.com/@backoffice_...

@vberlinautofrei.de

YouTube video by Hackney Cyclist Cycling from Harderwijk to Zwolle (GoPro Timewarp footage)

Next part of my trip is cycling from Harderwijk to Zwolle youtu.be/fpqpmR_25Pk

There goes the winter sun at lunchtime in Meagher Street, Chippendale

Winter sunlight

YouTube video by Scott Dier I visited the new Zürich Stadttunnel

Zürich (Switzerland) opened a bike tunnel/parking garage under the railway station. This tunnel was built for a road that was never finished. After decades, the unused tunnel was finally repurposed. A video report: youtu.be/HPwRAEOwQI0?...

It was fun catching a ride in LA