Category: General Interest

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Roof Tiles From Tyres

Tyre Shingles

My husband came home from work last Friday with a trailer full of old tires and announced he was fixing our leaky shed roof. I thought he meant he was going to buy actual roofing materials, not turn our backyard into a tire graveyard.
He spent the entire weekend arranging these things like giant black shingles, overlapping them in rows that somehow actually look intentional. When I asked where he got the idea, he just shrugged and said “free materials, good drainage, problem solved.” The man has an engineering degree but apparently thinks like a caveman when it comes to home improvement.
I posted photos in my upcycling group on the Tedooo app hoping someone would back me up that this looks ridiculous. Instead, half the people said it was genius and started asking for tutorials. One woman said her neighbor did something similar and it has lasted fifteen years without a single leak. Another person shared photos of tire roofs in developing countries that are built to withstand hurricanes.
The shed has not had a single drop of water inside since he finished, even after three days of heavy rain last week. The tires seem to channel water away perfectly, and I have to admit they are probably more durable than the cheap metal roofing we were going to buy. My neighbor stopped by yesterday and said it looks like modern art.
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Original Apple Pie

Original Apple Pie

The first ever recorded ‘apple pie’ recipe from 14th century England contained more pears than apples and was baked in a crust called a ‘coffyn’.
This recipe, recorded around the year 1381, gives us a look at what our ancestors truly ate.
It wasn’t just a simple apple dessert. The filling was a rich mixture of apples, pears, figs, and raisins. A far cry from what we see today.
The real show of wealth wasn’t the fruit, but the spices. Saffron, which was worth more than its weight in gold, was a key ingredient, giving the pie a golden color and a distinct flavor.
There was no refined sugar in the recipe. All the sweetness came naturally from the fruits and perhaps a bit of honey, not from the processed sugars we rely on now.
The word ‘coffyn’ didn’t mean what it means today. It came from an old word for a box or case, and in this context, it just meant a sturdy pastry shell.
This thick, hard crust wasn’t always eaten. Its main purpose was to act as a durable, edible container that could preserve the fruit filling inside for days, making it a portable meal.
So the original apple pie was less of a sweet dessert and more of a hearty, preserved meal for the wealthy, a world away from the classic American treat.
Sources: The Berkshire Edge, South Florida Reporter, The French Life, Splendry
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…even a man with nothing… can still give everything.

Skelton and Chaplin

In the 1950s, Red Skelton was performing to sold-out crowds in Los Angeles. One night after the show, an elderly, hunched man in tattered clothes appeared at the stage door—so unrecognizable that the staff assumed he was just another street performer and tried to send him away.

But the man quietly pleaded:
“Please… tell Mr. Skelton I’ve come to see Freddie the Freeloader.”

Red, still dressed as his beloved character Freddie, heard the commotion and peeked outside—only to be completely stunned.

It wasn’t just anyone.

It was Charlie Chaplin—the silent film legend himself.

Red immediately invited him in, offered him a seat, and the two comedians spent nearly two hours together, just the two of them. No reporters, no audience—just two kindred spirits sharing stories from the heart.

Chaplin told Red:
“Freddie the Freeloader… he’s a beautiful soul. He’s the closest I’ve seen to The Tramp since I retired him.”

For Red, this meant the world. Chaplin was his idol, and to have him recognize Freddie—not as a copy, but as a kindred soul—was the highest honor.

Before leaving, Chaplin embraced Red and whispered:
“Never stop playing that character. The world needs to remember that even a man with nothing… can still give everything.”

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Richard Norris Williams

Richard Norris Williams

Richard Norris Williams was an extraordinary figure whose legacy bridges one of history’s greatest disasters and remarkable athletic triumph. Born on January 29, 1891, in Geneva, Switzerland, Williams was aboard the RMS Titanic when it struck an iceberg and sank on April 15, 1912. He survived the tragedy despite spending hours in the frigid waters of the North Atlantic. Doctors recommended amputation due to severe frostbite, but he refused—and that decision would soon define his resilience. Not only did he recover, but he also went on to dominate the tennis world. He won the U.S. Open singles title in 1914 and 1916, and in 1920, he captured the Wimbledon doubles championship, partnering with Chuck Garland. His powerful play and steadfast determination made him a standout in early American tennis.
Beyond his tennis victories, Williams’ life was a testament to perseverance. He represented the United States in the Davis Cup and earned a bronze medal in mixed doubles at the 1924 Paris Olympics. In 1957, his contributions to the sport were formally recognized when he was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. His story is more than one of athletic prowess—it’s the arc of survival and triumph. The visual depiction of him playing tennis against the backdrop of the Titanic captures this duality perfectly: one man, shaped by catastrophe, yet undeterred in his pursuit of greatness. Williams remains a symbol of grit, endurance, and the indomitable human spirit.
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Norway Launches Robotic Fish That Eats Plastic Waste from Harbors

Plastic Eating Robot Fish

In Oslo, Norwegian marine engineers have released a fleet of biomimetic robotic fish that autonomously swim through polluted harbors, detecting and swallowing floating plastic without disturbing wildlife.
The robots, nicknamed “Cleanfins”, are about the size of a tuna and equipped with infrared cameras, sonar, and chemical sensors that identify microplastic clusters, wrappers, and bottle debris. Once detected, a soft internal vacuum gently pulls the plastic into a biodegradable holding chamber.
Powered by solar-charged batteries, they can operate for up to 48 hours per swim, filtering thousands of particles before returning to a floating dock for unloading and diagnostics. Their tail-fin propulsion mimics real fish, reducing noise pollution.
Field trials in Bergen and Oslofjord removed over 3,000 kilograms of plastic debris in just one month. AI swarms let them communicate and divide search zones to maximize coverage.
Norway is now producing them for use in coastal resorts, industrial ports, and fishery zones — a scalable solution for autonomous microplastic removal.
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Wind Turbine Blades To Shelters

Blade To Shelter

Denmark is turning discarded wind turbine blades into stylish bike shelters. This creative use of hard-to-recycle materials promotes sustainability while providing practical public infrastructure.

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A Letter From George

Dear Tom,

We sent them ten simple questions.

Ten clear, values-based questions on life, family, freedom, and truth.

And what did Tasmania’s political class do?

They ran for cover.

The Labor Party, the Liberal Party, the Greens, the Nationals, and the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party did not respond to our questionnaire.

Not one had the basic decency to be transparent with the public.

This isn’t just silence. It’s cowardice.

They don’t want to be accountable to you.

They don’t want to be pinned down on abortion, gender ideology in schools, parental rights, religious freedom, or the right of faith-based schools to employ staff who actually believe in their mission.

And sadly, this refusal to engage tells you everything you need to know.

Let’s be blunt: Labor and the Liberals have both abandoned our values.

Labor, under Dean Winter, has already pledged to maintain taxpayer-funded access to late-term abortion, with no conscience safeguards. They plan to criminalise prayer and counselling that doesn’t affirm gender ideology and sexuality, through a sweeping “conversion therapy” ban.

They are committed to defending Tasmania’s radical Anti-Discrimination Act, which already erodes religious liberty and offers no protection to faith-based schools trying to uphold their values. And let’s not forget, every single Labor MP voted in favour of Tasmania’s euthanasia legislation in 2021, helping to make it one of the most extreme assisted suicide laws in the country.

Labor is proudly flying the flag of the hard Left, and they’re coming for your conscience.

And the Liberals? They helped them do it.

Premier Jeremy Rockliff’s Liberals have vowed to reintroduce their own conversion-practices ban, one that opens the door to criminalising parents, priests, and counsellors who simply dare to disagree. They have refused to commit to any protections for life, parental rights, or freedom of speech.

They’ve said nothing about safeguarding the most basic freedoms for families and people of faith in this campaign. And yes, seven Liberal MPs, including then-Premier Peter Gutwein and now-Premier Jeremy Rockliff, voted in favour of the euthanasia bill in 2021. The party refused to take a stand, and that enabled the bill to pass.

Rockliff calls himself a moderate, but in reality, he’s just tagging along with the same activist agenda.

The minor parties showed us nothing better.

We expect the Greens to be against our values. The Nationals, and the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers are supposed to be conservative, but when given the opportunity to prove it, they went completely silent.

Not a word. Not a reply. Not a single answer.

They want your vote without earning your trust.

Only one independent candidate, John Macgowan in Clark, had the courage to engage with the issues, answering thoughtfully and in full. Mr Macgowan answered “Yes” to nine of our ten questions, and, while staking a personal pro-life position, he did not support rolling back abortion laws, stating he would only consider doing so if there were clear public support.

This election has revealed a brutal truth: the political establishment in Tasmania is either hostile or indifferent to your values.

They’re afraid to answer your questions because they don’t represent you.

They don’t believe in your freedom.
They don’t believe in your family.
They don’t believe in your faith.

So now, it’s up to us to make that truth known. Loudly. Publicly. Unapologetically.

Let’s show these politicians that ignoring the silent majority comes at a cost.

For life, family, and freedom,

George Christensen and the team at CitizenGO