Tuesday Open Thread

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225 comments to Tuesday Open Thread

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    Simon Thompson.

    1st

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      I’m here for the participation award.

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      Hanrahan

      And a lonely 1st. Half an hour alone.

      OK I’ll start:

      The F35 is the right plane at the right time.

      We know it’s troubled history but it is now flying in quite large numbers for various nations and the squadron pilots now only know that aircraft so they appreciate what it DOES not depreciate that it can’t dog-fight.

      If Putin brings any nation with F35s into this war their air force will be destroyed. It really is that simple. But you can’t give them to Ukraine, they are too specialised.

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        Hanrahan

        I mustn’t have refreshed the page. :sigh:

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        OldOzzie

        Ukraine is winning the battle on Twitter, but in the real world Kiev is losing the fight for Donbass

        Western media coverage of the Ukraine conflict has been so hysterically one-sided, and divorced from reality, that it’s probably only a matter of time before Iraq’s erstwhile ‘Comical Ali’ is brought out of retirement to insist that there are no Russians advancing towards the Ukrainian army’s front lines. Meanwhile, the actual fighting continues to result in a string of defeats for Kiev’s battered forces, who have already lost control of two major cities, despite unprecedented support from the US and its allies.

        As American officials work with the government of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to craft a perception of Kiev’s victory against the Russian military, Moscow is preparing to counter with a harsh dose of reality.

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          OldOzzie

          Guest Post: Speedbox – Postcard from Kislovodsk

          Mrs. Speedbox has been in Russia for the past week following news that her mother had suddenly passed away (heart attack). As Cats will appreciate, organising overseas flights at very short notice in stressful situations can be trying, but the nice people at Emirates had her on a flight (in a good ‘private’ seat) in less than 24 hours from the news being received.

          My wife’s mother lived in the small city of Kislovodsk (pop. 140,000) having moved from the frozen north of Russia almost three decades earlier. Kislovodsk is in the North Caucuses region some 1,600 kms due south of Moscow.

          Mrs Speedbox will remain in Russia for another couple of weeks but the following observations may be of interest to Cats:

          12. Mrs Speedbox has many other friends in Kislovodsk and has been canvassing their opinion of current events. Without exception, they are disappointed that the invasion occurred and are genuinely sorry for the Ukrainian people. But, they support the action – even those who are not Putin supporters, and there are many. The consensus is that American meddling in Ukraine and continuous NATO encroachment has ‘forced’ Putin to act. They are also aware of Ukrainian military activities in the Donbas and the indiscriminate impact on local ethnic Russians. Ukrainian President Zelensky is thought to be a fool who is easily lured by coloured lights and trinkets.

          In conclusion, nobody has any concerns about the sanctions and at present, that view is justified as the sanctions do not appear to be having any noticeable impact or alternatively, the impact is nominal (traveller FX notwithstanding). Generally speaking, it appears that the Russian people are going about their lives without any regard for those who have closed their stores or otherwise ceased importing to Russia.

          Unsurprisingly, Russian manufacturing, including the outright copying of previously imported goods, continues to gain momentum. (lessons learned from China’s modus operandi?). Those manufacturers are certain that no claim for breach of copyright will succeed in any Russian court.

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          R.B.

          It was pretty obvious from the start that it was a war between the US and Russia, with the Ukrainians being the collateral damage, and the US expecting to bitch about Putin to drive him into submission. Its not about Putin being good or the Russians being in the right, its why did the US poke the bear when this was a strong possibility.

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            PeterS

            Here’s one reason why the US has gone mad on Russia even to the point of risking a hot war with them. It’s a deluded view by the left that Russia is to be blamed for Trump winning the election in 2016 and the Democrats have ever since wanted pay-back. Of course we all know the deceit of the Democrats and in particular Hilary was so strong that enough voters saw through it and decided to support Trump. Such is the madness of the left. They rather have a world war than admit they were in the wrong, and still are. The mid term elections should echo the same sort of feelings by the public but of course we no longer can trust the elections will be honest and true. I can imagine the Democrats (and some fake Republicans) will put out all stops to make sure they still hold the power.
            Tucker Why We Are in Ukraine – Payback for Hillary

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        Hanrahan
        May 3, 2022 at 1:09 pm · .
        If Putin brings any nation with F35s into this war their air force will be destroyed

        Assuming their ground to air missiles do not get them first !

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          Hanrahan

          How do you target a STEALTH airplane? You cant.

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            Dennis

            I suspect that many do not realise that F-35 is the next generation after F-18 Super Hornet and other similar jet fighter aircraft, F-35 is a fighting platform that can multi-task carrying out air to air engagement sight unseen by the target aircraft, ground-sea surveillance and providing intelligence to Army and Navy, bombing, and much more mostly not for public release.

            Not designed specifically for dog fighting which is after all the past, stealth is the now and the future, but as pilots become used to flying F-5 and learning how to manoeuvre in it dog fighting is considered to be a strength and possibly has a leading edge over F-16 and similar last generation aircraft.

            The RAAF F-35, F-18 and when needed other RAAF aircraft can be accompanied by the Boeing Australia-RAAF joint development “Loyal Wingman” now called Ghost Bat pilotless jet fighter and other F-35 owners are waiting for RAAF trials to be completed to place orders. The RAAF has six and I think they have all now been delivered, made in Australia. A factory and production line is under construction near Toowmba QLD.

            Ghost Bat can also be operated by ground control and fly on missions without piloted aircraft and this will not only greatly increase RAAF capability but do so at significantly lower cost and operating expenses.

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              Ronin

              Single engine, is a problem. ?

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                Hanrahan

                From prototype ’til now there have been VERY few hull losses and none where a second engine could have saved the bird. AFAIK

                The RAF loss off HMS Queen Elizabeth was power loss but I have never seen the theory that engine intake covers were not removed debunked. We must be due for a report soon.

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            Hanrahan
            May 3, 2022 at 2:22 pm · Reply
            How do you target a STEALTH airplane? You cant.

            I certainly cant, any you probably cannot either…BUT..i am not a weapons expert.
            And i do not believe you can completely hide the heat signal from a jet engine .
            Who knows what the Commies can do ?
            After all they claim to have hypersonic missiles that we were not aware of

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              Hanrahan

              Chad I assume you are not an electrical engineer. Why do assume enough knowledge to have an opinion on power production?*

              The F35 is not RADAR invisible but it is so small that it would likely be visible to the eye around the same time radar found it.

              Why to you imagine the ginger beers spent trillions if they couldn’t mask the exhaust? That is just another problem that bright guys and cubic dollars solved.

              After all they claim to have hypersonic missiles that we were not aware of

              Please God, spare me. The Yanks were there decades ag, and hypersonic missiles are not for shooting down aircraft.

              * I am making the assumption that you are among the majority here.

              Note: I know a little about RADAR, I repaired them in a previous life. Know nothing about “phased array” beyond knowing the words.

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              Hanrahan

              My long post must have had a naughty word in it so I’ll make a short one: You must target the bogey with RADAR to get your heat seeking missile to lock on, to get “tone”.

              The jet pipes are well shielded anyway.

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                Hanrahan

                Oh dear. I was thinking of the bombers, the F35 does not have shielding.

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                As i said. I am no weapons expert,…… but i am sure Radar is not the only targeting technology potentially available to enemy forces

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                Hanrahan

                i am sure Radar is not the only targeting technology potentially available to enemy forces

                How can you be sure of that? I’m not and I have a RADAR/electronics background.

                I got a little off track earlier. I’ll clarify.

                The reason that RADAR stealth protects a target from a heatseeking missile is that the IR signature is pretty faint a few Ks out. The attacking pilot can’t just say “I see him” and launch a sidewinder. Doesn’t work that way. The attacker MUST get the bogey “in the RADAR cross hairs” and HOLD long enough for the highly directional IR sensors in the missile to lock on, give a tone in the pilot’s headset and then, and only then, can he launch the missile. No RADAR lock on, no sidewinder lock on.

                The sidewinder has been developed for 50 years but is still short range. Any fighter will also carry long range missiles.

                Do a short search and tell me how they are guided.

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                Hanrahan
                May 3, 2022 at 10:01 pm
                i am sure Radar is not the only targeting technology potentially available to enemy forces

                How can you be sure of that? I’m not and I have a RADAR/electronics background

                You obviously know a lot about radar systems.
                The problem is not what you know, but what you DONT know …about other possibilities that our enemies may have !
                It is obvious even to me, that radar is not the only “play in the game”

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              NuThink

              Chad, the NAZIs (WW2 ones) had hypersonic missiles.

              Hypersonic are classified AFAIK to be MACH 5.

              Check out the link.

              https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rheinbote

              The problem with theirs was poor accuracy and the missile buried itself before the small war head would explode because of the latency from impact to detonation. So very little damage was down.

              Such delays would be fixed by modern electronics eg by detecting the distance from target as well as better guidance systems.

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                Yes NuThink, .. many /most western powers have “hypersonic “ballistic missiles….
                …..but Russia claims (demonstrated) a new Mach 9 (7000 mph) missile capable of being GUIDED in flight and carry nuclear armaments !
                Accurate in flight guidance has not been possible previously at hypersonic speeds..

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        Dennis

        Like the 1960s when the swing wing F-111 fighter bomber was ordered for the RAAF and media found many reasons to criticise what became known as the best fighter-bomber of its time known the F-35 is now receiving criticism. With regard to the can’t dogfight claim here is a pilot’s experience converting from F-16 to F-35;

        https://www.defensenews.com/air/2016/03/01/norwegian-f-35-pilot-counters-controversial-dogfighting-report/

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        David Maddison

        I hope the Chicomms don’t have the plans or software for it.

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          Hanrahan

          The airframe plans don’t matter much, it is not extraordinary in that regard. It’s the software and stealth technologies that matter. That’s why the scramble to recover the one that fell into the Med.

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        another ian

        Maybe not – I saw something recently that pointed out that the Russian equivalents have a considerable height advantage

        I’ll look – later

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          Hanrahan

          There is no other “Russian equivalent”, end of story. As I said in my OP, it is here when we need it.

          I think the Indians have pulled out of their JV with Russia for the 5th Gen fighter. The F35 will still be the ONLY one in service for the foreseeable future.

          The Chicoms still can’t get real military power out of jets. even the Russians are not as good as RR and GE.

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            Hanrahan

            The Chicoms still can’t get real military power out of jets

            Nor can they get the MTBF required for CIVILIAN certification in the west.

            QANTAS will be flying direct SYD to LDN with the A350, a TWIN engine plane. Can you imagine getting on such a flight with “Made in China” on the engine cowls instead of the beloved RR logo [or GE if you prefer], Sacrebleu!

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            Hanrahan

            The F35 will still be the ONLY one in service for the foreseeable future.

            Think about that. Arms development is the equivalent of trench warfare. At great expense we develop a better widget than they do. Next year they roll out out a better one than ours. Any advantage is fleeting and battlefield results are NOT dependent on who has the marginally better widget on the day.

            The F35 [coupled with the abject failure of others to match, let alone better] gives the US and friends air superiority for at least 20 years.

            The early F35 will be running out of airframe hours before the Chicoms get the equivalent onto a carrier.

            In Korea, the US and allies flew Mustangs and Meteors and other such. I remember a book MIG Meat written by an Australian Meteor pilot. The MIG didn’t win the war, the NA Sabre met the challenge soon after. Time matters.

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              Hanrahan
              May 3, 2022 at 10:29 pm · Reply
              The F35 will still be the ONLY one in service for the foreseeable future.

              The F35 [coupled with the abject failure of others to match, let alone better] gives the US and friends air superiority for at least 20 years.

              Once again, ..i am no expert, but…
              I suspect those F35 pilots may end up getting very lonely up there whilst the enemy are piloting drones from distant bunkers ?
              I just get the feeling that piloted fighter/bombers are not the weapon of the future ! .?

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        Deano

        Is it possible that the bad publicity for the F-35 for years before it started being delivered was simply deliberate mis-information which I imagine would be standard practice?
        Also, does anyone else wonder why we still need manned aircraft? Surely this generation will be one of the last.

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          Hanrahan

          Deano, if I were an EV fan I would draw parallels with the reluctance of us here to embrace that new technology.

          I guess scepticism needs to be selective but always there. 🙂

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            Deano

            And I guess there is always a risk that if a 250 million dollar 7th generation pilotless super jet gets jammed or fails in communicating, it’s gone. At least a pilot can get it back under his own steam. Plus, a drone might be ‘only’ a few hundred thousands dollars to lose. Another 2% tax on licorice will cover that.

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        OldOzzie

        Pentagon, US companies involved in Ukraine military biolabs – Russia’s top investigator

        The head of Russia’s Investigative Committee, Alexander Bastrykin, has told RT that his team is making progress in a criminal probe into Ukraine’s alleged Pentagon-funded bioweapons program.

        “The analysis of the obtained documents allowed us to clearly identify the people involved in the military biological activities in Ukraine, including representatives of the US Department of Defense and American companies with ties to it,” Bastrykin said.

        He added that the US had spent more than $224 million on biological programs in Ukraine since 2005. The investigator added that foreign aid was used to equip and upgrade around 30 research centers governed by Ukraine’s defense, health and agricultural ministries.

        “The results of said research had been evacuated to Kiev-controlled territory before the start of [Russia’s] special military operation,” Bastrykin said, adding that his agency would continue to study the documents on the matter.

        In March, Moscow claimed that it had found evidence that the US had been funding biological weapons research in Ukraine. Washington and Kiev denied this claim and accused Russia of waging a disinformation campaign.

        Senior US diplomat Victoria Nuland said at the time that Washington was working with Ukraine to prevent research materials from falling into the hands of Russian troops.

        Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian, meanwhile, urged the US to “give a full account of its biological military activities at home and abroad and subject itself to multilateral verification.”

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    OldOzzie

    As it is Mother’s Day next Sunday 8th May repost from Weekend Unthreaded

    Brains shift in adolescence to tune out parents’ voices

    Obvious to Parents and Kids

    “So, if it seems like your teenager is tuning you out, that may well be the case. But, Abrams said, “it’s not personal. This is a natural part of development.” – “But at a certain point, he said, kids need to expand their social world, getting ready for independence and eventually starting their own family in many cases.”

    With Mother’s Day coming up, Remember

    To Abrams, the study also underscores the broader importance of voice to human beings. Just think about any time you’ve become emotional from hearing the voice of a loved one you haven’t spoken to in a while, he said.

    It’s different from a text message, Abrams pointed out.

    “Voices are among the most important social signals we have,” he said. “They connect us, and help us feel we’re part of a community. And I would argue that hearing a loved one’s voice is one of the most rewarding experiences we have in our daily lives.”

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    OldOzzie

    I Wonder Why Hundreds of CDC Employees Aren’t Vaxxed

    But while the CDC officially recommends all of us to get jabbed for eternity, as of April 12, there are nearly 400 employees at the CDC who have refused to get vaccinated. According to a report from the Epoch Times, 382 workers at the CDC are unvaccinated. Another nine have only had one dose of Pfizer or Moderna, meaning they’re technically not “fully vaccinated.” These unvaxxed employees account for 3.2% of the CDC’s workforce.

    Okay, one could argue that a 96.8% vaccination rate is pretty darn high—and sure it is—but this is the CDC we’re talking about here. These people are (in theory) experts in the field and have access to more information than most … so why doesn’t the CDC have 100% vaccination?

    Curious, isn’t it?

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      Mark Allinson

      There are two types of people:

      [1]. Those who know what’s in the vaxx and will never take it.

      [2]. Those who only listen to what the authorities tell them and thus deserve the fate of common sheep.

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        Ian Lee

        “There are two types of people:

        [1]. Those who know what’s in the vaxx and will never take it.

        That is plain wrong,

        The western world at least, has been vaccinating its citizens for many years from the age of 12 hours after birth onward until at least the age of 18 years. As a result small pox is now considered extinct and diseases such as diphtheria, polio , mumps, measles, whooping cough, TB, German measles hepatitis, typhoid, influenza and many more are now no longer feared as the deadly diseases they’re once were.

        [2]. Those who only listen to what the authorities tell them and thus deserve the fate of common sheep.

        Their fate after vaccination appears to be freedom of movement round the world for work and play and rather than deserving the fate of the common sheep, vastly increased longevity.

        No wonder most countries demand visitors and residents alike must be vaccinated

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          Gary S

          ‘Vastly increased longevity’? A wonder drug indeed.

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            Honk R Smith

            Isn’t the average of death from covid, higher than the average life expectancy in Oz?
            But since vax rollout, I suspect ALE may take a hit.

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          b.nice

          Very funny, you are trying to liken the CV-vaxx to real vaccinations..

          Nope, you are following propaganda again, not science.

          Heck, they even had to change the definition !


          “freedom of movement round the world”

          Until the heart and mental problems kick in.

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          Mark Allinson

          Just keep on doing what you’re told, Ian, that way true safety lies.

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          GreatAuntJanet

          Increased longevity has more to do with increasing affluence. Affluence grows from the availability of cheap, reliable power.

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      OldOzzie

      Media is Slowly Coming Around to Idea that Covid Vaccines Aren’t as Effective as Advertised

      “A pandemic of — and by — the unvaccinated is not correct.”

      Now the media is slowly revealing what many of us have known for some time. The vaccines aren’t as effective at preventing covid as initially advertised.

      To begin with, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinal revealed that state health data indicate the vaccinated are contracting covid at about the same rates as the vaccinated. Interestingly, the disparity in health outcomes has also become less substantial.

      The [Wisconsin department of Health Services] DHS found that in March, those not fully vaccinated were being diagnosed with COVID-19 at a similar rate as those who were fully vaccinated. To be exact, people not fully vaccinated were diagnosed with COVID-19 at a rate 1.1 times higher than people who were fully vaccinated. The state attributes this finding to the omicron variant.

      Differences in hospitalization and death rates were also significantly smaller than previous months. According to March data, people not fully vaccinated were hospitalized at a rate 2.4 times higher than fully vaccinated people, and they died at a 3.4 times higher rate.

      When the DHS last reported illness after vaccination data it was in January with December data, it found residents not fully vaccinated were 10 times more likely to be hospitalized and 14 times more likely to die from COVID-19 than the fully vaccinated.

      The Washington Post also reported that the disparity in fatality rates between vaccinated and unvaccinated elderly patients was dwindling. However, the article also continued to toe the line on vaccinations.

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    OldOzzie

    The Australian Greg Sheridan brilliant on the threat from Simon’s Wealthy White Women Collective

    The teal independents are worse than the Greens. Their view of national security seems to be that an extremist position on climate change solves all other security issues. They are best seen as the latest wave of populists – like so many populists, funded by a white billionaire – to infest our political system.

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      Dennis

      From what I have observed so far the “Teal Independents” party backed by Climate200, and Climate200 is really on the Greens side of politics, are mostly wealthy privileged people who have not much interest in the broad affairs of state and concentrate on climate hoax in support of crony capitalists, and any other trendy issue they believe will gain them support.

      The candidate for Wentworth in the Sydney very trendy and expensive Eastern Suburbs was interviewed and she said that we should all be driving an EV, she doesn’t have on but does have a hybrid and a “normal car”, but nowhere to recharge an EV where she lives. However, she assured the Mum’s Taxi people, Range Rovers would be exempted.

      And as for rising electricity pricing based on renewable energy RET and subsidies, she understands that people can access a website to find the best deal.

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        another ian

        “And as for rising electricity pricing based on renewable energy RET and subsidies, she understands that people can access a website to find the best deal.”

        I think you could have modified that some to read – “she MIS-understands”

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          Steve of Cornubia

          Or she could be paraphrased to say, if ordinary people can’t heat their homes, perhaps they could eat cake instead?

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    OldOzzie

    Politico Obtains Draft of Supreme Court Majority Opinion, Indicating Potential Reversal of Federal Abortion Law</strong>

    May 2, 2022 | Sundance | 199 Comments

    Consider this sketchy right now. Politico is reporting they have “obtained” a draft copy of the Supreme Court majority opinion which would reverse Roe -v- Wade federal abortion law and return the decisions on abortion law to the individual states. {Uploaded Draft pdf Here}

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      OldOzzie

      Supreme Court Barricaded After Bombshell Abortion Leak, Leftists Start to Call for Rash Action

      The news is coming hard and fast after a bombshell leak out of the Supreme Court revealed a draft decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. RedState reported on the initial details, noting that it is misleading to treat the draft as the final result.

      Still, this is completely unprecedented, and it does appear that five justices were prepared at the time of the draft to overturn the landmark abortion precedents of Roe and Casey. What happens next is where things get interesting, though.

      Clearly, this leak was designed to gin up outrage and possibly violent threats against the justices in a last-ditch attempt to get them to change their votes. Shortly after the leak was announced, barricades went up around the Supreme Court.

      As to the reactions on the left, they are as hysterical and radical as you’d expect. The party of “norms” is getting dangerously close to outright calling for an insurrection in response to this news. Here are just a few examples, with many praising the leaker as some kind of hero even though this is an assault on our system of governance.

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        OldOzzie

        BREAKING: Supreme Court Will Strike Down Roe v. Wade, According to Draft Opinion

        SCOTUSblog didn’t mince words:

        SCOTUSblog
        @SCOTUSblog

        It’s impossible to overstate the earthquake this will cause inside the Court, in terms of the destruction of trust among the Justices and staff. This leak is the gravest, most unforgivable sin.

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          OldOzzie

          ASTOUNDING LEAK FROM THE SUPREME COURT

          Liberals love to bleat on these days about how Republicans have been breaching “democratic norms,” but late today one of the most sacrosanct norms of our political order was breached: Someone leaked a draft Supreme Court opinion striking down Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey in the pending case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Association.

          The opinion, drafted by Justice Samuel Alito, is 98 pages long, and I’m going to want to read through it carefully before offering conclusions or analysis.

          A complete draft opinion has never leaked from the Supreme Court before, and it has long been understood that anyone (especially a law clerk) who leaked an opinion would be kissing their legal career goodbye. This is why I think the leak probably came from one of the Justices. And my money is on Sonia Sotomayor, who is by far the most politicized Justice on the Court, though she will soon have company when Ketanji Brown-Jackson joins the Court.

          A leak of the opinion is surely a desperate attempt to stir up a public firestorm (so the left hopes) that will cause a Justice to switch his or her vote at the last minute. (It also provides desperate Democrats with something to distract from inflation, crime, education, Biden’s senility, etc.) This suggests the Court’s vote was 5 – 4, likely with Roberts once again defecting. The media isn’t even trying to disguise the purpose of this leak. Politico “reports”:

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            OldOzzie

            Supreme Scandal: Leaked Supreme Court Opinion Overruling Roe v. Wade — “Time to Heed the Constitution,” Returns Abortion to Elected Officials

            WASHINGTON, DC — A draft Supreme Court opinion overruling Roe v. Wade has been leaked to the press, in one of the greatest scandals to ever hit the nation’s highest court and a possible attempt to intimidate one or more justices to reverse their vote or to ignite a liberal brushfire to pack the Supreme Court before Democrats lose Congress in November.

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              OldOzzie

              The Volokh Conspiracy – Making Sense Of The Apparent Leaked Opinion In Dobbs

              My instant reaction to Leakgate.

              By now, you should have seen the Politico story that links to a purported majority opinion in Dobbs. Yes, there was a leak. No, I am not going to link to the story. Here are my tentative thoughts.

              First, where did the leak come from?

              Second, Roberts has an absolute obligation to conduct a thorough and transparent investigation. And at the end of that investigation, Roberts must publicly identify the persons who are responsible for this leak–that includes Justices and clerks. Heads must roll. Clerks cannot fall on their swords to save their bosses. Anyone implicated in Leakgate (yes, I dubbed a term) should be referred to the Department of Justice for potential criminal activity, including theft of government property.

              If Roberts cannot resolve this situation, he must resign. Yes, I said he should resign two years ago, but now I really mean it. A resignation would mean giving Biden another Supreme Court nomination. So be it. I don’t care.

              Third, we may not be done with leaks

              Fourth, Politico got the scoop. Not the Washington Post or New York Times or WSJ or NPR.

              Fifth, the Court should issue the Dobbs opinion as soon as possible. Do it tomorrow.

              Sixth, if any members of the majority changed their vote in response to the leak, that change will be seen as a direct response to this leak. I can’t quote Chief Justice Rehnquist’s admonition in Casey enough.

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                red edwards

                OldOzzie,

                Exactly what can the Chief Justice do about the leak if it is from another Justice?

                Exactly nothing. Can’t fire the Justice, and only Congress can impeach. Fat chance of that in the current environment. Can’t even ignore the votes on other issues.

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    OldOzzie

    Beyond a Slush Fund, Biden $33 Billion Ukraine Package Includes $8.8 Billion to Establish State Dept Global Disinformation Bureau, and International Civil Asset Forfeiture

    May 2, 2022 | Sundance | 253 Comments

    This is why Nancy Pelosi and Adam Schiff were in Kyiv yesterday…

    The details of the Joe Biden $33 billion supplemental budget allocation have been released. I would strongly urge everyone to read the proposal which now heads to congress for passage {SEE 60 Page pdf here}.

    The spending request outlines a massive amount of money for various ideological foreign policy initiatives under the guise of Ukraine relief (it isn’t). The proposal outlines a kickback and bribery scheme.

    Some of the spending includes an allocation of funds to the State Dept including funds to USAID to “provide $8.8 billion to the Department of State for economic support and assistance to the people of Ukraine and other affected countries, including direct budgetary support, as well as support for food security, democracy, anticorruption, cybersecurity, counter-disinformation, human rights, atrocity documentation, energy, and emergency infrastructure needs.” {pdf page 41} The request specifically authorizes the transfer of these funds globally, outside of Ukraine.

    Apparently, the State Dept is going to set up an international version of DHS “disinformation governance board.” But wait, it gets worse…

    U.S. taxpayers are also going to subsidize farming in Europe and fund the climate change initiatives by paying for the development of alternate energy sources. “This would include [$500 million] support for small- and medium- sized agrobusinesses during the fall harvest and for natural gas purchases by the Ukrainian state energy company.” {page 44}

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      another ian

      There is a cartoon doing the rounds centred in a large laundromat with bulk bags with labels full of “product” needing to be “laundried”

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      Greg in NZ

      0.26 degrees Celsius isn’t what I’d call ‘climbing’ – a mere blip of a fraction. If it was 26 degrees, or maybe even 2.6, then that would be intriguing, otherwise, as you were.

      Your BoM’s calling for snow to 1,000m tomorrow for Tasmania and then some more freezing snow for the VIC/NSW hills Thursday & Friday…

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        Peter Fitzroy

        exactly how much extra energy would be required to raise the temp by 0.26C, where does that extra energy come from, why is it different this time from previous events, how is it that the north americas have massive fires, what is happening in india and pakistan? But snow, in a completely normal scenario, is a great defence

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          el+gordo

          The wild fires in the US and severe bushfires in Australia have been caused by blocking high pressure, which is not a global warming signal. We know this because a quiet sun shrinks the stratosphere and the jet stream meanders. I’m putting all my eggs in one basket.

          The excessive heat wave on the subcontinent requires further deliberation. Nevertheless, if temps plateau at 0.26C above the Spencer line for another five years then it might have something to do with industrial CO2 emissions.

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          • #
            Sceptical+Sam

            The wild fires in the US and severe bushfires in Australia have been caused…

            …mainly by arsonists.

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            • #
              el+gordo

              Deliberate arson is part of the mix, but most of the time people accidentally start a blaze.

              In Australia the biggest fire in that black summer was caused by a lightening strike.

              10

        • #
          MrGrimNasty

          I suggest you regularly view climate reanalyser, you’ll get a better perspective.
          Normality is vast positive and negative deviations, sometimes fast moving, sometimes stuck. Earth’s temperature can easily change more than 0.26C in a day!

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          Grogery

          where does that extra energy come from

          The sun.

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      • #
        el+gordo

        NOAA criticises BoM.

        ‘So, it’s a bit of worry that the BOM expect mean maximum temps to be warmer this season. This isn’t necessarily reflected in the bulk of other climate models, however, the consensus of which expect mean temperatures will be about average.’

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    • #

      Exactly… why is the La Nina trough so higher than the previous ones and pretty much level with the 2010 El nino.

      NZ Greg didn’t really find a useful answer. “Oh look weather.”

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      • #
        R.B.

        UAH started at the end of the global cooling scare. NOAA’s quarterly in October 1974 had an article of how the globe had cooled half a degree since the early 40s. If that global average (based on a temperature record that is not fit for purpose) wasn’t recalculated by someone who wrote a thesis on run-away global warming on Venus, we would be half way to getting back to the warmth not seen for 80 years.

        We put a lot of trust in untrustworthy people that the 0.29 is significant.

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        • #

          you also failed to answer el g’s question plus you comment did not follow on from mine.

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          • #
            el+gordo

            Tentatively, It might simply be a weak La Nina. On the other hand, if a new temperature plateau settles at this level it could be argued that 0.29 is significant.

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            • #

              How many successively warmly La Nina’s does it take to not be a one off? Same for El Nino?

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              • #
                el+gordo

                We are dealing with a moderate La Nina.

                https://ggweather.com/enso/oni.htm

                A strong El Nino will often go straight to La Nina as ENSO over corrects, but hopefully on this occasion El Nino won’t show its face because of a quiet sun.

                30

              • #
                b.nice

                Its strange/bizarre that some very scientifically ignorant people expect the world’s largest heat-sink to give up its energy overnight.

                42

          • #
            b.nice

            You are, yet again, making statements/conjectures that are totally empty of any substance.

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    • #
      b.nice

      These are random about “not much happening”.

      Tropics are cooler.. Australia was slightly about average.

      Its still a total nothing burger.

      And of course, we could look at the solar input as 30 year trailing average (the “climate” period) to get a hint.

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    OldOzzie

    The winners and losers in the Victorian budget

    The Victorian Treasurer Tim Pallas has handed down a budget deficit of $17.6 billion, driven by $44 billion in pandemic spending, with debt to balloon out to more than $167 billion within four years.

    But the budget bottom line has been helped by a “spectacular” economic recovery and $15 billion in extra taxes from the booming property market.

    Here are the key winners and losers of the 2022 Victorian budget.

    Winners

    . Energy users: A $250 payment for Victorians who seek out a better energy deal.

    . Victorian regions: $2.6 billion for the Victorian regions to prepare for hosting the Commonwealth Games in 2026.

    . Melbourne arts: $1.7 billion to transform the Melbourne Arts Precinct.

    . Builders: Infrastructure spending to average $21.3 billion a year.

    . Schools: $1.8 billion for 13 new schools and building upgrades.

    . Health: $1.5 billion for COVID-19 catch-up surgery.

    . Renters: $1 billion for low-interest loans and guarantees for up to 6,000 new social and affordable housing.

    . Advanced manufacturers: A $120 million Victorian Industry Fund to promote advanced manufacturing including $20 million to attract companies.

    Losers

    . Crown Casino: More tax on its 2600 poker machines under changes being made to bring in an additional $30 million a year.

    . Property buyers: An extra $15 billion has been raised from land tax and stamp duty.

    . Developers: An extra $58 million a year from July 2023 as a windfall gains tax on decisions to rezone land.

    . Business: Required to pay close to $1 billion a year for a mental health levy, and support a $246 million pilot program to guarantee sick leave and carer’s leave entitlements for eligible casual employees and contract workers.

    . Future taxpayers: Facing over $167 billion in debt.

    . Road users: Uncertainty remains about the plan to partially privatise VicRoads to modernise the state’s registration and licensing system and how road users data will be used.

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      OldOzzie

      Interest rates and the deficit

      Steve Kates – economic policy, Keynesian economics

      What can you do if Australia has the most incompetent central bank in the world? That they have raised interest rates in the midst of an election is the second time it has thrown in its lot with Labor, as it did in 2007.

      Of course, the problem really is that it has waited this long to do what has been an essential for quite some time. Let me remind you of this which is in no sense at all unrelated to rising rates of interest: Victorian state budget: Daniel Andrews government spending splurge as debt heads to $167.5bn. Labor steals from every constituency it gets to govern.

      The government is desperate for money to cover the massive debts it has wracked up. Until they are permitted to sell the State to the Chinese via China’s Road and Belt “initiative” they are going to have to cover their debt from the only source available, from the people who live within the State. However, once we have a Labor government federally, the competition for your money will intensify exponentially. And this, I remind you, is the pre-election budget. Just wait till you see the one next year when they have four years till the next election.

      As for the increase in rates of interest, a mere pin prick in the midst of all the rest but it will be the only issue that anyone will pay attention to.

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        OldOzzie

        Re Labor – Remember in QLD

        Queensland property tax hits interstate investors

        In December 2021, Queensland’s Treasurer handed down the mid-year budget update announcing a proposed change to the land tax regime to include the value of any land owned by an investor in all other states and territories when calculating the duty payable on the investor’s Queensland based property. Real Estate lawyer Luke Hefferan explains the impact of the proposed changes on interstate investors.

        KEY POINTS

        The Queensland government has announced a new property tax which will impact interstate investors.

        The value of an investor’s real estate assets outside Queensland will be included in calculating the land tax liability on their Queensland investments.

        Key industry stakeholders have expressed significant concerns.

        The proposed changes require legislative amendments which are yet to be confirmed.

        CURRENT SYSTEM

        Currently, each state and territory has its own land tax regime, which operates separately from the regimes of the other states and territories.

        This means each regime has its own threshold minimum before land tax liability applies allowing investors with multi-state portfolios to either avoid land tax completely (if the land values of all properties they own stays below each state’s minimum) or have a lesser land tax liability than if they owned the same value of land, but it was concentrated in one state.

        The practical example used in the Treasurer’s budget update was as follows:

        An individual who owns two investment properties, both in Queensland, with land valuations of $600,000 and $400,000 has a total land tax liability of $4,500.

        An individual who owns two investment properties, one in Queensland with a land valuation of $600,000 and the other in NSW with a land valuation of $400,000, has a total land tax liability of $500.

        This is due to the NSW property being under the minimum threshold for land tax in that state and the investor therefore only paying land tax in Queensland (as calculated on the land valuation of their Queensland land only).

        PROPOSED NEW SYSTEM

        Using the second limb from the above example, under the proposed new system, the value of the NSW land would be included in calculating the land tax liability on the Queensland land.

        As indicated above, if both the investor’s properties (with a total valuation of $1,000,000) were based in Queensland, they would have a liability of $4,500 (or 0.45 percent). On this basis, the land tax liability for their Queensland property will be 0.45 percent of the valuation of the Queensland land (ie $600,000), leaving the investor with a liability of $2,700.

        The examples used in the Treasurer’s budget update are fairly modest. However, the discrepancy becomes more pronounced where more significant interstate land holdings are introduced. For example, if the Queensland land value is $600,000 but the interstate land value is $2,400,000, then—

        an individual investor would have a land tax liability in Queensland of $7,500 (as opposed to $500), and
        a company or trustee investor would have a land tax liability in Queensland of $9,000 (as opposed to $5,700).

        COMMENTS FROM THE TREASURER

        When handing down the budget update the Treasurer stated, “At the moment, interstate property speculators can claim the tax-free threshold and take advantage of lower land tax rates in multiple states”. The Treasurer went on to claim, “young families in places like Logan and Ipswich face unfair competition from southern-based speculators who are flipping properties around the country at a furious rate”.

        To be clear, the Treasurer’s proposed changes will not affect investors whose land holdings are solely in Queensland, nor will it affect a landholder’s ability to claim all available exemptions, such as the principal place of residence or primary rural production exemptions.

        RESPONSE FROM THE INDUSTRY

        The industry response to these changes has been primarily negative.

        REIQ chief executive Antonia Mercorella questioned the changes, “How can the government possibly justify slugging property investors with tax for land they own that isn’t even within our state borders? It’s utter nonsense that there’s a loop-hole to close”.

        Jen Williams, Queensland Property Council executive director, was similarly pessimistic in her assessment of the proposal, “With the second highest land tax rates in the country and a penchant for finding new ways to tax the industry, Queensland faces the risk of detracting the core elements it needs to leverage the decade of opportunity ahead”.

        NEXT STEPS?

        The proposed changes to the land tax regime will require the passage of appropriate legislative amendments. At this stage, the government has not announced any proposed legislation, so a proposed commencement date for the changes has not been confirmed. However, we will continue to provide further updates on the proposal once draft legislation is released.

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    OldOzzie

    Why The Hillary Clinton Campaign Can’t Hide 38 Documents From The Special Counsel

    BY: MARGOT CLEVELAND MAY 02, 2022

    While the special counsel had a strong case that the documents were not protected by attorney-client privilege, new documents strengthen it.

    Documents made public last week by the Federal Election Commission reveal that Hillary Clinton campaign payments to Fusion GPS to dig up dirt on Donald Trump were not treated as legal expenses. These newly released documents eviscerate the Democratic National Committee and Clinton campaign’s attempts to hide behind attorney-client privilege in the special counsel’s criminal case against former Clinton campaign attorney Michael Sussmann.

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    OldOzzie

    Check out the subtexts running through this:

    MULTIPLE families and clans have been squashed on top of each other in Wadeye due to years of inaction following consultations with traditional owners.

    Thamarrurr Development Corporation chief executive Scott McIntyre said the seeds of the latest wave of violence was built into the streets of Wadeye through a lack of response to community consultation on housing needs.

    Since February police, including the Territory Response Group, have been attempting to quell unrest between Wadeye families.

    Four hundred people are estimated to have been displaced after riots and arsonists destroyed at least 37 homes in the remote community, 394 km south west of Darwin.

    The diaspora from the violence has exaggerated overcrowding pressures in the region, with pressures on the services in surrounding smaller communities.

    NT Police confirmed the weeks of unrest had resulted in serious injuries, including claiming the life of a 32-year-old man who passed away following an alleged assault with an 18-year-old man, who has been charged with manslaughter.

    With 20 clan groups in the Wadeye region, Mr McIntyre said Wadeye’s housing layouts were not designed with the complexities of the local community in mind.

    “The government policy is ‘We’re going to build a house here next to this one’ and then they start fighting each other because they’re on top of each other..,” he said.

    “So we’ve been saying for years that this is not working, don’t do this.

    “The Housing Minister needs to understand the scale of the impact and the opportunity to work with us to change that approach completely. “

    Mr McIntyre said Wadeye needed to adopt a rural development approach to housing, allowing families to spread out while still able to access the essential services in town.

    Mr McIntyre said five acre “bush blocks” — similar to homes in Berry Springs and Humpty Doo — would allow families to become more self-sufficient and empowered.

    “(It’s) seven acres or five acres of bush and somewhere in there, there’s a house and a shed and a bore and stuff and people living in there,” he said.

    “And that’s what we want. That’s what we’ve always said. In fact the first missionaries said it.”

    He said the approach differed from the Homelands approach, which would bring infrastructure, upgrades and services to existing sites and communities.

    “It’s not people falling into outstations and homelands — is not that,” Mr McIntyre said.

    “It’s families able to have a patch in and move out and do whatever they want to do on that.”

    Critically he said the larger lots could offer families’ business opportunities not available “if they’re stuck on a little house with no front yard and not even a driveway”.

    The NT Government said there were 17 new homes under construction in Wadeye, along with a 30-lot subdivision.

    Mr McIntyre said there were still major questions about the restitution and repair of at least 80 homes, on top of the 40 homes destroyed in the unrest as of last week.

    Remote Housing and Town Camps Minister Chansey Paech said he had met with members of the Wadeye community to discuss their concerns and proposed solutions.

    “I am now working with my Department to look at options around the urgent provision of infrastructure to make it possible for residents who wish to move on to their homelands as soon as possible,” Mr Paech said.

    “I know homelands are places of critical social and cultural importance and that’s why I have been a strong advocate for better housing on our homelands.”

    He said the Wadeye community would also negotiate with the Northern Territory Government once the current housing agreement expired in mid-2023.

    Mr Paech said there was a $100m Federal Labor commitment to extending housing support to homelands.

    In reaction to the immediate unrest, the Chief Minister confirmed the government was working with non-government organisations, the regional council and local Aboriginal organisations to provide emergency relief.

    A spokesman said food, shelter, bedding, clothing, fuel, and infrastructure on homelands was being provided to help displaced and impacted residents.

    Despite the clinic being down to two health workers, the Chief Minister’s office said the health centre was operational with “staff are available for call outs with a police escort”.

    He said if people were concerned they could apply for an escort to the shops.

    The government confirmed six people were flown to Darwin because of security concerns, with more people being assessed for evacuation.

    “(And) approximately 150 others have left either by their own means or have been assisted to travel to their homelands with the help of community organisations, mainly with fuel vouchers.” he said.

    He said those leaving Wadeye were being supported by Territory Families, Housing and Communities case management team.

    NT News

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  • #
    Old Moss

    What is the test for vaccine efficacy?

    2020: confirmed cases in Victoria: 20,368 with 820 deaths (653 in Aged Care, 167 in general community). Year 1 of economic destruction.
    2021: confirmed cases in Victoria: 156,166 and 705 deaths. Slow roll out of vaccines reaches 92.4% fully vaccinated & 1.4% partially vaccinated at yearend. Year 2 of economic destruction.
    2022: confirmed cases in Victoria: 1,409,081 and 1462 deaths. Year 3 and we have an epidemic of the vaccinated.

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    OldOzzie

    Chanticleer

    ‘This is not starry eyed, soft-hearted greenness’

    Atlassian co-founder Mike Cannon-Brookes says his bid to block AGL’s demerger is in shareholders’ interests. But it has its weak points.

    But for the next six weeks, the tech billionaire will be focused on a different poll. That is, the June 15 vote at which shareholders in energy giant AGL will decide whether to split the company into an energy retailer (to be known as AGL Australia) and a power generator (to be called Accel).

    In political terms, Cannon-Brookes is essentially a one-issue candidate. He put his foot on an 11.28 per cent stake on Monday night via a complex series of equity loans and swaps. The co-founder of software giant Atlassian is now leading a campaign to stop the demerger of the company, which he tried to buy just two months ago.

    And he isn’t mucking around. Aside from securing the stake in AGL – the arrangement essentially allows him to borrow the votes attached to these shares – Cannon-Brookes is planning a sophisticated campaign across traditional and digital media.

    That will be supported by an old-fashioned proxy solicitation effort aimed at winning over a further 14 per cent of AGL’s shareholder base. In total, Cannon-Brookes needs 25 per cent of AGL’s register to vote against the demerger.

    At its heart, the next six weeks will be a fight between the best model for AGL to navigate the energy transition.

    The board believes that the different sides of AGL – retailing and generation – are better to face this as separate companies. Accel will make good money in the short term amid high wholesale electricity prices. But the board’s unspoken message is that the retail business, AGL Australia, will shine best when it is freed from Accel.

    On the other hand, Cannon-Brookes believes the demerger weakens AGL’s energy transition hand and will create a business in Accel that is environmentally and financially unsound.

    The demerger, he says, is the last gasp of a board out of ideas.

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      yarpos

      Thank goodness Mike is here to ride to the rescue. He must have had some chump change left over after solving Singapores power needs.

      10

  • #
    John Connor II

    Greta admits climate change crisis doesn’t exist after all

    Thunberg, in an uncharacteristically unpreaching manner, defended the importance of democracy and the democratic process stating that she would never “say anything to Biden as it would be undemocratic,” and that the people should raise these issues.

    The climate activist’s response at around 2 minutes and 40 seconds into the interview revealed the Freudian bombshell that would solidify the suspicions of climate crisis deniers all over the world.

    In her response, she said “I would just tell him [Biden] to tell the situation as it is because I mean, yeah, you could say I meet with a lot of world leaders, and they say I can’t do anything because I don’t have the support from voters. Well, how can you expect support and pressure from voters if you are not treating the crisis like a crisis? Since the climate crisis doesn’t exist how can we expect people to want climate action.

    https://afipn.com.au/climate-change-poster-child-says-the-climate-crisis-doesnt-exist/

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    Brenda Spence

    Fraud in France. Hope the torn ballot isnt discarded here!

    Marine Le-pen won in reality

    https://en-volve.com/2022/04/29/french-election-fraud-puts-2020-to-shame-millions-of-uncounted-le-pen-ballots-found-video/

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    John Connor II

    Study: Athletes Are Dropping Like Flies Due to the Jabs – Media Blackout

    A preprint study published in February claims that the reason large numbers of athletes are dropping like flies is because of the experimental Covid jabs they have received.

    According to the study, the reason for these deaths could be an increased level of catecholamines. Catecholamine responses, which are already high in young male athletes, are overexpressed in vaccinated athletes, when compared to pre-vaccination levels and non-vaccinated athletes.

    The authors noted that male athletes in particular already tend to have high levels of active catecholamines even at rest. In addition, young people and men have a higher level than people over 40 and women.

    There is a possibility that the catecholamine levels, which are already high in male athletes in particular, will increase again after the SARS-CoV-2 injection, leading to necrosis of parts of the heart muscle tissue. Although myocarditis can be triggered by Covid-19 itself, the cardiac arrhythmias appear to occur more frequently after the jabs than after the illness – which could justify the apparently higher incidence of sudden deaths.

    https://newspunch.com/study-athletes-are-dropping-like-flies-due-to-the-jabs-media-blackout/

    May as well go all out exposing EVERYTHING before the ministry of truth kicks in eh…

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    John Connor II

    MORE food plant fires – more of an epidemic than Coughvid

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNO55jkxuIk&feature=emb_logo

    While we’re at it:

    FBI Warns Ag Coops To Be Wary of Cyberattacks

    The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s cyber division is warning agricultural cooperatives across the country to be wary of possible cyberattacks. The division wants cooperatives to take all possible precautions to keep their operations safe as ransomware attacks typically happen on ag cooperatives during the critical planting and harvest seasons.

    https://wnax.com/news/180081-fbi-warns-ag-coops-to-be-wary-of-cyberattacks/

    The corrupt FBI warning people to be wary…

    Take down the food supply…

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    OldOzzie

    Shut Up, the Disinformation Governance Board Explained

    The only way to overcome lies is with truth, and the government can’t be the arbiter of what that is.

    It’s always exciting for progressives when they create a new government office of something or other. They live for this: another excuse to spend piles of taxpayer dollars; another polysyllabic title and flashy logo; another opportunity to extend the long, comforting arm of the bureaucracy into the business of ordinary citizens who never knew how impoverished their lives were without it.

    So there was a tangible buzz of excitement around Washington last week when the Department of Homeland Security proudly inaugurated the Disinformation Governance Board.

    Other than its title and the identity of its executive director, there’s not much we know about this exciting-sounding new body. Its job, Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas told a congressional committee last week, is to tackle falsehoods that threaten the national security of the U.S. He made it sound over the weekend as though it is all about preventing human traffickers and smugglers from misrepresenting themselves—all harmless enough.

    But we also learned last week that it will be headed by Nina Jankowicz. Her Twitter feed makes her look like a cross between Madame Mao and Bette Midler—a mix of impeccably conformist left-wing views about politics and media misinformation—the Hunter Biden story was Russian disinformation, the Steele Dossier was all true, etc.—with excruciating political parodies of musical-theater numbers. Watching her videos is a little like being an audience member at a Christmas concert in a prisoner-of-war camp.

    The institution she heads—let’s call it the DGB, which has a nice ring to it and is close enough alphabetically and in spirit to another three-initialed organization from another country that was tasked with enforcing the official version of the truth—is potentially a vehicle for all kinds of new rules to stop the left’s version of untruths emanating from media and tech firms.

    But how might it work? Will it have investigative powers? Will it be given its own enforcement resources? Is it going to solicit referrals from the public? Will operators be available around the clock to answer calls from concerned neighbors about violations of information protocols?

    “Hello? Is that the DGB? I think the people next door are watching Fox News again.”

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      OldOzzie

      BAGHDAD BOB DOES DHS

      Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas appeared for a segment on FOX News Sunday yesterday. He alternated between avoiding questions and dissimulating in response to them. If he weren’t addressing matters of life and death, he would be a laughable clown. As it is, he and his colleagues are a menace to the well-being of the United States. They are doing great damage and lying volubly about.

      He has now established a Disinformation Governance Board under the leadership of a lunatic left-wing hack. Not to worry, however. Mayorkas explained that the board specifically addresses “disinformation that presents a security threat to the homeland.” You know — “Disinformation from Russia, from China, from Iran, from the cartels.”

      “This is a working group that takes best practices to make sure that, in addressing disinformation that presents a threat to the homeland, our work does not infringe on free speech, does not infringe on civil rights, civil liberties,” he continued. “It’s not about speech, it’s about the connectivity to violence. That is what we need to address. You know, an individual has the free speech right to spew anti-Semitic rhetoric. What they don’t have the right to do is take hostages in a synagogue, and that’s where we get involved.”

      Bagdad Bob does Nina Jankowicz: “She has testified before Congress a number of times, she’s recognized as a tremendous authority, and we’re very fortunate to have her.”

      Is the Steele Dossier disinformation? The “tremendous authority” says so. However, it wasn’t for him “to opine on that.” He doesn’t want to be judgmental. He needed a lifeline to Jankowicz for help on that one.

      As for the border, Bret Baier asked if he could “name one thing that would help you deport more illegal immigrants that Congress could do?”

      Answer: “What we are talking about when we talk about legislation is building the orderly legal pathways for people to obtain relief under our laws.”

      Translation: Amnesty.

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    John Connor II

    Biden’s ‘Truth Minister’ Has A Problem Telling It Herself

    The episode is another example in which Nina Jankowicz, the recently appointed executive director of the Department of Homeland Security’s new Disinformation Governance Board, either tagged claims as disinformation that were later found to have feasibility or put faith in assertions that were later discredited.

    https://www.blabber.buzz/blab/pop/1037479-must-see-biden-s-truth-minister-has-a-problem-telling-it-herself

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      Honk R Smith

      This could be good.
      If the DGB declares something ‘disinformation’, then ‘ya know it’s true.
      Like the best search engine ever.
      (As if I have a clue what a search engine is. I know that engines make things go.)
      Also, the final nail in the coffin of the word ‘governance’.
      Clown World.

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        Sceptical+Sam

        “…they want us to pretend that we see the world as they pretend they see it”.

        Ayn Rand.

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    Brenda Spence

    This is interesting. What could possibly be the cause? Doesnt appear to be covid.

    In 2022, there were 15,805 deaths that occurred by 31 January and were registered by 31 March, 2,865 or 22.1% more than the historical average.

    https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/health/causes-death/provisional-mortality-statistics/latest-release

    My lovely 52 yr old neighbour was diagnosed with the most aggressive uterine cancer ever seen in the oncologist’s career, 2 and 1/2 weeks later she died.

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    John Connor II

    Psaki – All the weapons the US has approved to send Ukraine

    The Pentagon has pledged thousands of weapons to Ukraine, including Javelins, Stingers, and heavy artillery like howitzers.
    The Biden administration is seeking approval of a much larger bill that includes $20 billion in security funds.

    https://www.businessinsider.com/all-the-weapons-us-approved-to-send-ukraine-fight-russia-2022-4

    The USA wants WW3 desperately. You don’t telegraph your weapons drop details to the enemy!!!

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    John Connor II

    Top Biden Health Official: All Pediatricians Agree With Castrating Gender-Confused Children

    “There is no argument among medical professionals – pediatricians, pediatric endocrinologists, adolescent medicine physicians, adolescent psychiatrists, psychologists, etc. – about the value and the importance of gender-affirming care,” Levine said when asked about a new fact sheet published by the Florida Department of Health advising against gender-affirming care for kids.

    https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/top-biden-health-official-all-pediatricians-agree-with-castrating-gender-confused-children/ar-AAWQNLL

    Sterile GELFs – what a future…Idiocracy v2…

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    OldOzzie

    Russia’s oil revenues expected to soar, EU economy projected to enter recession due to sanctions reducing energy consumption

    Russia will see its income from the oil sector rise sharply this year and reach more than $180 billion, despite production cuts related to international sanctions, suggests a report published by independent research house Rystad Energy on Monday.

    Thanks to the rising oil prices, Russia’s tax revenues will be 45% higher than last year and a whopping 181% higher than in 2020, Rystad Energy says.

    “Europe’s dependence on Russian energy has been a deliberate and decades-long and mutually beneficial relationship. In this early phase of sanctions and embargoes, Russia will benefit as higher prices mean tax revenues are significantly higher than in recent years.” says Daria Melnik, a senior analyst at Rystad Energy.

    According to the firm, the initial issues Russia had with its oil exports when European customers started shunning its oil were quickly resolved and loadings began to recover in late March, supported by orders from China and India. Russian crude exports remained resilient in April.

    The EU, the US and their allies imposed sanctions against Russia with the aim of starving the country of cash and forcing it to abandon its military operation in Ukraine. However, Europe’s high dependence on Russian oil and gas has meant that turning away from it has proven problematic. The EU has pledged to phase out Russian gas by 2030.

    EU economy projected to slow

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    John Connor II

    Destroying the Narrative: 40 Reasons Why a COVID-19 Pandemic Never Existed, Part 1

    There have been thousands of articles written about the devastating repercussions each one of these “safety” measures has wrought against humanity. This two-part article will tie together many facts that when considered together, will destroy the illusion that humanity ever faced a dire “pandemic.” The list is in no particular order and links to source material are included for reference and further investigation.

    Much of this research could not have been achieved without the work of so many independent journalists and alternative media outlets. Now, let’s begin the journey and delve into the first twenty reasons why a COVID-19 pandemic never existed.

    https://jamesfetzer.org/2022/04/destroying-the-narrative-40-reasons-why-a-covid-19-pandemic-never-existed-part-1/

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    John Connor II

    The Supply Chain Does Not Exist’: Green Energy Industry Is In For A Rude Awakening

    Wind and solar companies have reported massive profit declines over the last year as clean energy prices have risen and new installations have been delayed thanks to supply chain shortfalls, market uncertainty and the Ukraine crisis.
    “One of the problems with this industry as a whole is that, since at its very foundation it is based on government subsidies and government mandates, its market value is never truly known,” said Daniel Turner, the executive director of Power the Future.
    “90% to 95% of the supply chain does not exist,” RJ Scaringe, CEO of electric vehicle maker Rivian, told reporters in April, according to The Wall Street Journal.

    https://dailycaller.com/2022/05/01/renewable-energy-industry-prices-supply-chain-joe-biden/

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    John Connor II

    IQ rates are dropping in many developed countries and that doesn’t bode well for humanity

    An intelligence crisis could undermine our problem-solving capacities and dim the prospects of the global economy.

    https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/iq-rates-are-dropping-many-developed-countries-doesn-t-bode-ncna1008576

    When your idiotic common-core crapola mathematics agenda coupled with white supremacist nonsense means that engineering students can say 2+2=5 what future do you expect???
    Brawndo on standby.

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    • #
      Vlad the Impaler

      From the article:

      “As yet, the United States hasn’t hit this IQ wall … … ”

      Apparently, they didn’t look at “Let’s Go Brandon” and all of the people who voted for him.

      It’s largely a function of how many screen zombies you have (all I ever see around me are screen zombies). Plus the fact that while China is teaching middle-schoolers (Western terminology) a form of Calculus, we’re much too busy teaching our kids that Math is racist, and if they wake up in the morning and want to be a gay, transgender sea anemone, then they can identify as a gay, transgender sea anenome.

      IQ’s are falling? From what I’ve seen, I do not think they have very far to go!!!

      Regards,

      Vlad

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  • #
    Greg in NZ

    It’s worserer than they thought!

    Cindy’s govt bureau-serpents’ website (which only went ‘live’ yesterday) purporting sea levels were rising faster than the IPCCC’s earlier failed model, crashed due to a ‘cyber attack’ by “anti-climate change people or Russians” – via RadioNZ.

    I can see where this is leading…

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    John Connor II

    K’s General Medical Council to restrict what doctors can say online.
    A new update to the Hippocratic Oath.

    The UK’s General Medical Council has updated the Hippocratic Oath to reflect current censorial times. The updated draft will prohibit doctors from spreading “misinformation” online.

    “Good medical practice is the bedrock that helps guide ethical practice and supports doctors to provide the best possible care in a world of increasingly complex medicine,” said GMC’s CEO Charlie Massey via The Telegraph.

    https://www.newswars.com/uks-general-medical-council-to-restrict-what-doctors-can-say-online/

    “Good medical practice” you say. Like providing proven worthwhile treatments to patients AND caring more about them than your social reputation perhaps?

    It should be renamed the hypocritical oath.

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    • #
      OldOzzie

      RBA lifts rates just weeks out from election

      The Reserve Bank has lifted the official interest rate to 0.35 per cent less than three weeks before a federal election focused on cost-of-living pressures.

      Following its May board meeting on Tuesday afternoon, RBA governor Philip Lowe confirmed a 0.25 percentage point increase.

      It is the first increase in official interest rates since November 2010 and the first intervention by the bank during an election campaign since 2007.

      The rise is likely to be the first of a series aimed at combating inflation, which reached 5.1 per cent in the year to the end of the March quarter.

      The decision will play directly into an election campaign dominated by cost-of-living issues.

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      • #
        Dennis

        Hurray! At last, we retired self funded capital losers can enjoy a trickle of income above poverty interest close to zero.

        After all, many of us paid very high mortgage interest rates buying homes, me beginning 1970.

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        • #
          Hanrahan

          After all, many of us paid very high mortgage interest rates buying homes, me beginning 1970.

          By that time I had transferred my mortgage to an LOC which had a clause limiting rate rises to 3% [I think] so mine never went >13%. You wouldn’t get away with it today but my business was paying the LOC anyway. They’d hang ya if you tried that today. lol

          What is never spoken about was that virtually all consumer credit was at 10% flat, ie 20% simple. In those days the “debt trap” was a bear trap.

          24

        • #
          Annie

          Indeed. We bought our first house (in the UK) when we already had 3 children and the 4th on the way. We were very hard up, with the interest rate at 15 and 1/2%. In those days I went to Sainsbury’s for our weekly shop, costing around £8, which was heavily supplemented by homegrown vegetables. We still look back on that time as one of the happiest in our life.
          Our offspring still pull our legs about our major standby, tuna fish and rice! At that time my husband was a senior Army officer, pay was at an all-time low (Labour gov’t) and we all but qualified for free school meals for our older 2 offspring. If we had decided a hired colour TV was ‘essential’ (it wasn’t) we certainly would have done.

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    • #
      Tel

      0.35% is an open invitation to more inflation … it’s a surrender covered by a small figleaf.

      What you were trying to say is, “RBA offers tiny gesture while pretending to care about inflation.”

      70

  • #
    John Connor II

    Why is CASH King in Times of War?

    The dollar on a CASH basis has been the safe haven during war, mainly when the rest of the world is collapsing. This war will NOT be a rerun of the last two. Moving to digital currencies will be the kiss of death and render the financial system completely vulnerable to cyber attacks. The last time, there was counterfeiting of an opponent’s currency to undermine its ability to fund its defense. Even the British were counterfeiting the Continental Currency during the American Revolution.

    https://www.armstrongeconomics.com/markets-by-sector/foreign-exchange/usd/why-is-cash-king-in-times-of-war/

    Of course crypto like Bitcoin was a planned event all along.
    The masses piled into it early on in the delusional belief that it was “outside the system” and the government couldn’t track it so your profits were hidden.
    Duh. Blockchain is forever and the IRS etc will be on you faster than Biden on a six year old.
    They let it develop and grow to accustomise people to what’s coming. Played…

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  • #
    OldOzzie

    Democrats, Labor/Greens in Australia – We are all equal except for you Peasants the Voters

    Former Democratic Party presidential nominee Hillary Clinton went maskless at the 2022 Met Gala in New York on Monday night, as a masked black staffer attended the length train of her shimmering red evening gown.

    The unnamed staffer is the latest example in which the “help,” often persons of color, are masked while wealthy liberals, many of whom theoretically support draconian coronavirus restrictions on other people, go maskless at elite celebrations.

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  • #
    David Maddison

    Five axioms:

    1. You cannot legislate the poor into prosperity by legislating the wealthy out of prosperity.

    2. What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving.

    3. The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else.

    4. You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it!

    5. When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for, that is the beginning of the end of any nation.

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    John Connor II

    Increase In Reactivated Viruses Following COVID-19 Booster Shots: Dr. Richard Urso

    Some viruses, after initial infection, remain latent in the body for a lifetime and may reactivate to cause infection again or a different condition. These kinds of latent viruses are being reactivated in a large number of people following their booster COVID-19 shots, causing symptoms of long COVID and other health conditions, according to Dr. Richard Urso.

    https://www.usnn.news/increase-in-reactivated-viruses-following-covid-19-booster-shots-dr-richard-urso/

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    John Connor II

    Mysterious pediatric liver disease found in Minnesota

    The Minnesota Department of Health said it’s investigating several severe cases of hepatitis among children and has reported the cases to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

    The CDC continues to investigate cases of the sudden liver disease in nearly 200 children that has health authorities in several countries racing to find answers. The illness is being called hepatitis of unknown origin. The cases have no known connection, although a link with a virus that can cause colds is being investigated.

    https://lacrossetribune.com/news/state-and-regional/mn/mysterious-pediatric-liver-disease-found-in-minnesota/article_72c2e858-cdea-59f9-8125-b45fa00cddc4.html

    Yep. and it’ll get WAY worse in the USA…

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    John Connor II

    Boosting your bifidobacteria is the easiest and safest way to protect you from getting COVID and other viruses

    Gut microbiota composition reflects disease severity and dysfunctional immune responses in patients with COVID-19 which noticed that levels of faecalibacterium and bifidobacteria were significantly lower in patients who suffered from COVID-19.

    Basically, it makes the observation that there is a connection between the bacteria composition of your gut and whether you will suffer from severe disease if you get infected with SARS-CoV-2.

    https://stevekirsch.substack.com/p/boosting-your-bifidobacteria-is-the

    50

    • #
      Hanrahan

      A baby gets inoculated with skin microbiota from the mother’s birth canal, but not during a caesarean section. I read of an informed doctor who coated his newborn with the “water” after his wife’s c-section.

      The gut microbiota is fragile though. Antibiotics deplete it. Some even whisper of a “poop transplant“. 🙁

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      • #
        John Connor II

        True but there’s a few hundred different bacteria and viruses so it’s a very complex system. Antibiotics are to be avoided if possible but the biome will recover. Natural antibiotics like Garlic are way better choices.
        I’ll skip the poo transplant but apparently Hitler was a fan of it…

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  • #
    John Connor II

    BA.4, BA.5, 2 new Omicron variants detected in the U.S., could spark another COVID wave.

    Two new strains of COVID that appear to be more transmissible than even “stealth Omicron,” and that have the ability to evade antibodies from vaccination and prior infection, have arrived in the U.S.—and they could mean a new wave is coming.

    BA.4 and BA.5—like the original Omicron, BA.1—originated in South Africa. Cases are surging there despite the fact that almost all South Africans have been vaccinated or had COVID, Bloomberg reported last week. The country’s National Institute for Communicable Diseases reported nearly 4,000 new infections on Sunday alone. Of those who were tested for COVID, 22% received positive results. The World Health Organization initially recommended levels of below 5% for communities wishing to reopen after COVID’s first wave.

    https://fortune.com/2022/05/02/two-new-omicron-variants-ba4-ba5-detected-us-could-spark-another-covid-wave-immune-evasion-vaccine-south-africa-increased-transmissibility/amp/

    Ahead of the midterms??

    Cases are surging in S Africa?
    Ahh..no they’re not.

    The dominance of BA.4 has not resulted in a change in transmission rate or severity. These sub-variants are not causing nor are they going to cause the 5th wave,” he said.

    The department said that it was expecting the fifth wave of the pandemic by the end of May.

    Professor Tulio de Oliveira of the University of KwaZulu-Natal also talked about the new subvariants but said no cause for concern.

    “New Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 detected in South Africa, Botswana, Belgium, Germany, Denmark, and the UK. Early indications that these new sublineages are increasing as a share of genomically confirmed cases in SA. No cause for alarm as no major spike in cases, admissions or deaths in SA,” he tweeted.

    https://www.daijiworld.com/news/newsDisplay?newsID=947985

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    John Connor II

    Women Shedding Uterine Lining Surged in 2021, Research Shows and we are asking and saying it is linked to the vaccine

    The purpose of this study is to report on the unprecedented rise in decidual cast shedding (DCS) that occurred in 2021. DCS is historically a rare gynecological event, with less than 40 cases reported in the medical literature over the last 109 years.
    In the survey, 292 women (4.83 % of the sample) reported having experienced DCS

    The Gazette of medical sciences:
    https://www.thegms.co/publichealth/pubheal-ra-22041401.pdf

    Referral:
    https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/women-shedding-uterine-lining/

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  • #
    John Connor II

    Why more and more Americans are refusing to be vaccinated

    I made a list in September 2021 (271 pages long)! Here are a couple of shorter documents that summarize the reasons why intelligent people are refusing to get the jab and why we are winning them over.

    https://stevekirsch.substack.com/p/why-more-and-more-americans-are-refusing

    JC2 GELF status – false

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    John Connor II

    Researchers discover direct gut-brain communication pathway

    New research published in the journal Science reports the discovery of a unique pathway by which bacteria in the gut can directly communicate with neurons in the brain responsible for regulating appetite and body temperature. The novel mechanism adds to our growing understanding of gut-brain communication pathways.

    It is extraordinary to discover that bacterial fragments act directly on a brain center as strategic as the hypothalamus, which is known to manage vital functions such as body temperature, reproduction, hunger and thirst,
    (JC2 – yes it is!!!)

    https://newatlas.com/science/direct-gut-brain-communication-nod2-bacteria-appetite/

    Been meaning to post this for weeks, but busy…see oh so much…

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  • #
    Dave

    Owner of a $3.5 MILLION private jet decided to:
    Use the “Smart Summon” feature to call his Tesla to collect him?

    Well that turned out just great.
    https://www.newsflare.com/video/490374/tesla-car-on-autopilot-crashes-into-35-million-private-jet-after-owner-uses-smart-summon-feature

    Hope they don’t build Summon my Jet?

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    John Connor II

    Brave Aussie family allows monstrous huntsman spider to live in their house for a YEAR

    An Australian man has shared a terrifying photo of a giant huntsman the size of a face perched on his living room wall after he allowed it to live in his family’s home for more than a year.

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10777231/Brave-Aussie-family-allows-monstrous-huntsman-spider-live-house-YEAR.html

    I thought that spider looked familiar!

    Not even remotely as big as those man catchers in Vietnam or Cambodia (not sure of country..) but at dinner plate size I’ll pass.🥵

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    • #
      Vlad the Impaler

      Sorry for being a ‘less-than-optimally-educated-Yank’ from Wyoming, but are the Huntsman-type arachnids typically poisonous? The garden-variety Tarantula, found in many parts of the U.S. have venom, but even if one should be bitten by a tarantula, most will only have some mild symptoms (unless you are particularly allergic to the venom). Black Widows, of course, require immediate medical treatment, and here in Wyoming, almost everyone is deathly afraid of the small Brown Recluse, whose reputation is NOT exaggerated. One young lady my daughter knew from many years ago, almost had to have her hand amputated when treatment was working less than had been anticipated. Eventually, she did make a full recovery, but it was a year or more before things were ‘normal’.

      Thanks for helping out an inquisitive JoNovian,

      Vlad

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      • #
        Sambar

        Vlad, these well known and almost social spiders are very common. Every home will notice a few inside their house at least a couple of times a year and although they strike terror into the hearts of international travellers they are quite harmless. Bites can result in local swelling but no major issues. The oldies used to say “leave them alone they eat the mozzies”. They love living under the bark of trees and at the right time of year knocking a bit of bark off the firewood can reveal families of many dozens of babies living in a group. Generally they are just viewed as part of the local landscape with many people having a live and let live approach to these big hairy spiders

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        Annie

        I’ve been told they can give a nasty nip but it’s not dangerous. However, despite catching many over the last few years to remove them to the far reaches of the garden, I have yet to be bitten by one. They can be huge and we’ve had some monsters in the house. Our house is ‘Spider Central’ as we dislike spraying but it can look like Sleeping Beauty’s castle after 100 years!

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      Graeme#4

      Remember going into a country house where one of the bedroom’s ceilings had lots of Huntsmans crawling about. Bedroom owner regarded them as pets.

      50

      • #
        Vlad the Impaler

        Many thanks to all who answered. I appreciate the education that takes place, largely on a daily basis, here at Jo’s.

        Heads-up to the great Mods and Jo: I am going to be sending an e-mail to the ‘support’ address, with a request. I cannot state for certain when I’ll be sending the message, but know that it is coming.

        Thanks again to all,

        Vlad

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  • #
    David Maddison

    Does anybody have comments about how Novavax is going in terms of adverse effects and efficacy etc.?

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    John Connor II

    Lesser known ozone layer’s outsized role in planet warming

    New research has identified a lesser-known form of ozone playing a big role in heating the Southern Ocean — one of Earth’s main cooling systems.

    New research led by UC Riverside scientists reveals this lower level ozone is adding a great deal of heat to the Southern Ocean — more than scientists previously understood.

    https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/04/220422094308.htm

    There’s more attention to Ozone levels in the news in recent times – worth keeping an eye on.

    30

    • #
      David Maddison

      Ozone is 10ppm in the ozone layer.

      Ozone is about 0.00006 percent of the entire atmosphere with the highest concentration in the ozone layer.

      Hard to see how it will have much effect on temperature.

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      • #
        Graeme No.3

        David:
        I drove into the city this morning and the main road was festooned with Voting corflutes including IMHO a superfluous number urging the gullible to send Penny Wong to the Senate (which isn’t quite the destination I have in mind for her) but at the end of the road, just before the parklands there was a solitary placard which explained the likely result of the 2 major parties “policy” on electricity generation.
        It simply read ONLY JESUS CAN SAVE US NOW.

        I know you are as impressed as I am about the mess they’ve made but I thought it would bring a wry smile.

        P.S. In last weeks Spectator there is an interesting piece by James Allen about the decline in support for major parties. In particular he instances the French situation where the 2 major parties combined got 6.4% of the votes in the first round. Considering that they shared the elections for 59 years it is a dismal result. He also points out that Macron’s 58% in the second round was from the lowest turnout ever.
        He also points out that in both Germany and the UK the major party is “on the nose”.

        01

    • #
      Greg in NZ

      Ozone, methane, sea levels, carbon [sic], carbon dioxide, sulphur dioxide…

      Talking of, Mt Ruapehu (in the heart of the North Island) burped a blast of SO2 from its crater lake this afternoon… just in time for the ski season.

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    • #
      b.nice

      “Based on our models, ……………….

      “team of scientists explored climate model simulations with changes in ozone “

      Ho hum !!! Yaaawn !

      41

  • #
    another ian

    “LETTING OTHER PEOPLE SPEAK IS A WHITE MAN’S OBSESSION SAYS A NON WHITE WOMAN”

    https://richardsonpost.com/jonathan-turley/26846/letting-other-people-speak-is-a-white-mans-obsession-says-a-non-white-woman/

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  • #
    Doctor T

    Updated advice from the RACGP to all college members:

    “Face masks in general practice

    As COVID-19 transmission-prevention measures are removed, the use of face masks in general practice may no longer be mandated. If your jurisdiction removes mask mandates in general practice, the RACGP strongly encourages practices to continue mask use for the practice team, patients and visitors. Your practice can make it a condition of entry to the practice to wear a mask.

    You can display RACGP-developed posters to inform patients of mask requirements, as well as noting this on your practice website, online booking system and phone message. We also suggest that this requirement is also outlined in your practice’s infection-prevention and control policy and COVID Safety Plan.

    Note, however, that you must have processes in place to facilitate access to care for patients who are not able to wear a mask.”

    Compare with the following study:

    The Foegen effect
    A mechanism by which facemasks contribute to the COVID-19 case fatality rate
    Fögen, Zacharias MD∗

    Editor(s): Shalaby., Mohammed Nader
    Author Information
    Medicine: February 18, 2022 – Volume 101 – Issue 7 – p e28924

    21

  • #
    Doctor T

    The gist of the study was the finding that makes do little to prevent infection, but may substantially increase risk of death in those with Covid.

    A link to the study can be found in The Daily Sceptic, or free access in the journal edition as above.

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  • #
    Honk R Smith

    As a faithful reader of JoNova, I am reporting my Great Pandemic experience.
    After two + years, I finally got the ‘flu’.
    Started with scratchy throat.
    Next day in bed, meaning barely able to get up.
    Took gubmint provided home ‘test’… negative.
    Next day up.
    Choosing not to result shop by taking another test.
    (Consider result shopping anti-science.)
    Age 67, historically healthy tough guy type.
    Minor symptoms, runny nose, bit of congestion, but functioning relatively normally.
    Weekend ruined.
    Reside in major US city.

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    • #
      Sambar

      Seems that your experience is not at all unique. Have a mate that is considered “high risk” mid seventies, smoker, known to have a drink no other co morbidities other than old age. Very similar experience. Main complaint, couldn’t taste the durries for 24 hours.

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    • #
      MP

      So you literally just got a runny nose and decided you needed to know what caused this consumption of tissues.
      Got a Neg RATs, don’t want believe a Neg when you feel so positive, so went and did it again, double disappointment. Virtue signalling points zero!
      If the first one was positive would you of got a second, if the second came back positive would you of gone back for thirds. I am guessing you would of been extremely pleased and left it at that, then informed everyone on Facebook and Twitter, put on 6 masks a face shield and did a little jig for TikToc!

      So it is flu, because you didn’t test for it?
      You didn’t test for the common cold.
      You didn’t test for Zika, Malaria, Dengue, Aids, Hepatitis, Tetanus, Rabies, Sars, H1N5, etc. etc. Looks like you got a big day ahead of you at the Walmart Pharmacy, you may want to take a pickup.
      Why are you testing for something you nor anyone else can do anything about, why, why, why. Stop extending the worlds miseries, you testaholics need to get a grip on your imagination.

      And please do not give us a daily report on your “ills”, enough clowns in this circus already.

      05

      • #
        Honk R Smith

        Bruh, chill, had to test for work reasons, wouldn’t have otherwise.
        Wouldn’t have given a wit if it was pos.
        Besides, I’m a mime.

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      • #
        Annie

        I think your attitude is uncalled for MP. It leaves a bad taste in the mouth for me.
        I hope you are fully well. We have just had it too and are now fine.

        42

        • #
          Annie

          The wish was for Honk.

          11

          • #
            MP

            From JC’s link on Canberra down further

            The announcement came as the ACT recorded 1,027 new COVID-19 cases and another COVID-related death — a man in his 90s. Its a tragedy I tells ya.

            Nice little virtue signal at the end, (“We have just had it too and are now fine”) why do you people think we care if you got a runny nose?
            Why are you all constantly announcing your phobias to the world?

            12

        • #
          MP

          I care not how you “feel” about me or my attitude.

          I read about your adventures to Testaholics anonymous.
          What are you trying to achieve by testing, what did you achieve by testing.
          I cannot understand you people, it defies all logic.

          This whole scamdemic has been based on utilising the old people as the driver, why do you think you get the RATs free, virtually everyone else pays.

          You are driving the testdemic by testing (and reporting).

          The stupidity needs to be highlighted and stopped.

          I said way back, the smart investments in RAT manufacturers.

          Please end all correspondence to me with, “you just want to kill old people”. May as well play the game.

          13

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  • #
    CHRIS

    And just how did these ” UC Riverside Scientists” work out that a lower level O3 is heating the Southern Ocean? This hypothesis is tenuous at best, and adds nothing to the Global Warming debate. I dismiss any impact of O3 on the Earth’s climate; the more worrying impact is that of CH4 (if indeed it IS worrying).

    11

  • #
    Honk R Smith

    Just a reminder that we in the US have the best circus …

    https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2022/05/03/supreme-court-leak-chief-justice-john-roberts-launches-probe/9628836002/

    this will likely be center ring ’til November, notwithstanding hot cold war.
    Peaceful rioting inbound.
    I’m sure no plot tersas will be receiving Fed assist uponce, and no thieves will be accidently be expose’d.

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  • #
    OldOzzie

    Orwellian Common Ground: Hitler, Stalin, Putin and Biden

    Autocratic and authoritarian governments have long employed censorship, deception and propaganda to control the people they rule and influence their adversaries. As U.S. Marines, we were “urged” to read Sun Tzu’s fifth century B.C. work, “The Art of War.” In it, the Chinese political-military strategist emphasized: “All warfare is based on deception …”

    The Biden regime’s DHS Disinformation Governance Board threatens constitutionally protected First Amendment rights to free speech for more than 300 million American citizens.

    This “Board – DRB” is yet another move by progressive authoritarians who want to transform America into a socialist utopia. They have tried to seize control over our educational system, film, media, and now, social media. Their goal is that of Orwell’s Ministry of Truth: force us all to accept, maintain and advance their full control over every aspect of our lives.

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  • #
    OldOzzie

    A GOOD QUESTION, TO WHICH WE ALL KNOW THE ANSWER:

    Whispers of Dementia
    @mgEyesOpen


    Is the FBI going to raid the house of the Politico reporter who published the Alito opinion? Or is that just reserved for reporters who get Ashley Biden’s diary?

    41

    • #
      OldOzzie

      FBI Nearly Triples Unconstitutional Searches of Americans in 2021

      The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) released data in a report showing the warrantless searches conducted under Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), which nearly tripled from 2020 to 2021. A senior FBI official admitted to the Wall Street Journal that the 3.4 million warrantless searches “is certainly a large number,” adding that he would “not going to pretend that it isn’t.”

      “For reasons discussed more fully below, these statistics are reported separately from NSA, CIA, and NCTC due to unique variations in FBI’s data, chief among them that FBI does not count the number of unique query terms, but instead counts the total number of queries, which could include duplicate queries of the same term,” the ODNI report stated.

      Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR), a top civil liberties advocate in Washington D.C., is demanding additional transparency and accountability regarding the startling number of warrantless searches.

      “For anyone outside the U.S. government, the astronomical number of FBI searches of Americans’ communications is either highly alarming or entirely meaningless,” Wyden said. “Somewhere in all that over-counting are real numbers of FBI searches, for content and for non-content – numbers that Congress and the American people need before Section 702 is reauthorized.”

      “The FBI must also be transparent about the particular circumstances in which it conducted a staggering 1.9 million additional queries in 2021. Finally, the public deserves to know whether the FBI has fully addressed the extensive abuses of its 702 search authorities that have been documented for years. Baseline transparency is essential if the federal government wants to hold such sweeping surveillance powers,” he added.

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    another ian

    Willis E with

    “A Sense Of Proportion”

    https://wattsupwiththat.com/2022/05/03/a-sense-of-proportion/

    20

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    OldOzzie

    Convenient Timing, Supreme Court Leak Simultaneous With 2020 Election Fraud Documentary Release

    May 3, 2022 – Sundance

    The historic leak from the Supreme Court has sucked all the oxygen from the premier release of an explosive documentary outlining the 2020 election fraud. Many are seeing the timing as suspiciously strategic. {Direct Rumble Link)

    2,000 Mules is an explosive documentary outlining how left-wing political activists targeted key precincts within seven key states through the use of carefully coordinated ballot harvesting operations. The evidence-packed documentary began premiering in theaters yesterday, on the same day an explosive leak from inside the Supreme Court is released indicating the judicial decision in Roe v Wade abortion law is about to be reversed. TRAILER:

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    another ian

    “A sports car test drive after a vasectomy? Sure, why not?”

    https://bayourenaissanceman.blogspot.com/2022/05/a-sports-car-test-drive-after-vasectomy.html

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    OldOzzie

    Barrage Of Cruise Missiles Rock Western Ukraine, Plunging Lviv Into Darkness

    On Tuesday multiple media correspondents reporting from the western Ukrainian city of Lviv said they heard several large blasts in the evening hours. It has since emerged that railway power substations are coming under attack, after the Kremlin last week indicated its military would ramp up efforts to thwart Western arms deliveries into Ukraine.

    Ukrainian Railways has announced Tuesday night that a number of trains are delayed after the blasts. “In particular, trains have been detained at the entrance to Lviv, information is being updated,” a statement from the rail authority quoted by CNN said. The attacks, which are being called the biggest cruise missile strikes on Lviv and perhaps across Ukraine since the war’s start, have knocked out power and internet to parts of the city. Vital power and train stations have also been hit in other key areas of the country Tuesday night (local time).

    From the Comments

    – Somebody forgot to change “Electrical Sub-stations” to “Orphanages” in the Press release.

    – Orphan hospitals.

    – Angling for a job at the NYT are we?

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    OldOzzie

    Scott, your frustration and contempt for the debilitated halfwit from Delaware is clear, and is echoed by me and countless others. Keep up the good work!

    Democrats have been pandering to women for years, not knowing that the word “man” also includes all mankind. Has anyone ever heard Rev. Congressman Emmanuel Cleaver end a prayer? He says “Amen and Awomen”. Evidently, he never learned in reverend school that “amen” is ancient Hebrew for “so be it”.

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    John Connor II

    A War Against Humanity: Canadian Government Declares the Unvaccinated To Be a Danger to Society

    The fascist Canadian regime just declared millions of unvaccinated Canadians already stripped of their mobility rights to be a danger to society.

    Adam van Koeverden, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health, recently made an astonishing statement during his speech in the Parlament:

    “Unfortunately, the unvaccinated continue to disproportionally risk the safety of those vaccinated against COVID-19″

    https://lionessofjudah.substack.com/p/a-war-against-humanity-canadian-government

    The only danger to society are the lying oblivious-to-real-science bribed politicians.
    I won’t vote for any of them.

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    John Connor II

    NZ Government hires firm to monitor New Zealanders’ social media to inform Covid-19 response

    A company commissioned by the government has been monitoring social media comments about the Covid-19 response for almost two years, reporting back every four days.

    For almost every topic in every report, it found New Zealanders were making more negative social media comments than positive ones.

    https://seemorerocks.is/the-end-of-democracy-how-the-government-spies-on-its-own-citizens/

    You can bet the traitors to humanity in Oz are doing the same thing.

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      theotherross

      The irony is that the NZ govt blames social media for misinformation particularly on the subject of Covid.

      01

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    OldOzzie

    Election Integrity Dead: Killed in Court

    . In 2020, an unprecedented burst of mail ballots swamped election offices because of the fright of COVID. All over the country, judges struck down or suspended laws that would have ensured those mail ballots were processed according to the law. At the same time, hundreds of millions of dollars in private money poured into election offices to change the way the elections were run.

    . It is a dangerous place we find ourselves, where citizens through the legislative process are enacting safeguards to keep our elections clean and manageable, yet a hyper-funded onslaught has mastered the art of killing real, verifiable, integrity in elections.

    . First, do not assume there will be a “red wave” this November. Many election operatives have demonstrated a fierce ability to adapt and leverage cultural and technological awareness into electoral wins.

    . Second, a “red wave” cannot overcome the “blue wave” tactics of 2020 seen in urban areas flush with outside cash.

    . Third, the Biden administration is already turning the battleship of the entire federal government toward turnout in 2022. Institutions have mobilized every single agency into a weapon to increase voter turnout among “historically marginalized communities.” Decoded, that means racial groups. This is all happening with little fanfare, and little means to stop it.

    – For good measure, the Biden administration proposed a $10 billion federal fund available for the next decade to replicate and expand the cash injections to election offices like those seen in 2020. Another $5 billion is requested for the U.S. Postal Service so it can expand its role in voting-by-mail. Even if the administration gets a fraction of that request, it will make the $500 million spent in 2020 from private groups to increase urban turnout look like small potatoes

    Predictably, an enormous litigation apparatus attacked nearly every post-2020 election reform in federal or state court. Too often, they were successful.

    Arizona, for example, enacted legislation to ensure that only citizens are registering and voting. No sooner had the ink dried on Governor Doug Ducey’s signature, than the state was hit with a federal lawsuit by Mi Familia Vota, an organization dedicated to “build[ing] Latino political power by expanding the electorate….” This promises to be another example of trench warfare-style litigation ultimately decided well into the future.

    Before you think these sorts of lawsuits are frivolous, consider the fact that every lawsuit like it brought against other states has effectively won to the expense of election integrity.

    Additionally, governors in five states – Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Michigan and Louisiana — have vetoed legislation that would have banned or restricted the Mark Zuckerberg-style private funding of elections.

    Election process fights have become a Darwinian “survival of the fittest.” Whichever side can adapt to a new technological or cultural environment the fastest and the best often determines who wins and who loses.

    In 2020, an unprecedented burst of mail ballots swamped election offices because of the fright of COVID. All over the country, judges struck down or suspended laws that would have ensured that those mail ballots were processed according to the law. At the same time, hundreds of millions of dollars in private money poured into election offices to change the way the elections were run.

    The reaction in many states in 2021 — Arizona, Florida, Texas, Iowa — was to adapt, ban private money, and strengthen safeguards. Unfortunately, these cures faced an even more powerful “Darwinian” response — the well-established, often partisan control of the judiciary. Courtrooms became the forum where experienced killers of election integrity law went to hunt.

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    OldOzzie

    VIDEO: Tucker exposes the Democrats’ desperate desire for war

    Tucker Carlson’s opening monologue on Monday night was a wake-up call to Americans: the Democrat political class, with help from (or no opposition from) Republicans, seems determined to bring America into a direct conflict with Russia. He points out that the Democrats’ warmongering is so extreme that even Noam Chomsky longs for Trump to be back in the White House. He recognizes that Trump, whom he dislikes, would keep us off the path of a hot war with Russia.

    As all of us do, Tucker understands that Putin is a dangerous bully and that the Ukrainian people are suffering. However, although he doesn’t say so, I’m sure Tucker also appreciates, as all of us should, that Ukraine’s government is deeply corrupt (money-laundering and human-trafficking, among other things) and has been so for a long time.

    It’s not a coincidence that Hunter Biden, while his father was vice president, got a cushy sinecure earning $83,000 a month sitting on the board of an oil company, despite knowing nothing about Ukraine or about oil. Nor is it a coincidence that Zelensky has become massively wealthy as Ukraine’s president.

    Tucker rightly traces the Democrats’ fulminating hostility toward Putin to the 2016 election. Hillary and her cohorts created the lie that Putin put Trump in office. Now, despite having the lie repeatedly disproven, Democrats have come to believe this lie. They want revenge.

    They also simply want war.

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    MP

    Update to 2019 NLGA conference
    by Alison Ryan
    The Resolution 29: That the NGA call on the Australian Government to:
    Declare a climate Emergency
    Establish a $10 billion national fund for councils to build the resilience of climate change vulnerable communities
    Commit to providing maximum protection for all people, economies, species, ecosystems and civilisations, and to fully restoring a safe climate
    Mobile the required resources and take effective action at the necessary scale and speed across Australia
    Transport the economy to zero emissions and make a fair contribution to drawing down the excess carbon dioxide in the air
    Encourage all other governments around the world to take these same actions
    The Response, 24 Oct 2019, from Sussan Ley MP Minister for the Environment, read as follows:
    The Australian Government takes the issue of climate change seriously. The Government is taking the action that is needed to address climate change. As a result of the policies that the Government has put in place over the last six years, Australia will exceed its Kyoto 2020 targets by 367 million tonnes. The Government has set out, to the last tonne, responsible targets to ensure that Australia meets its Paris 2030 commitments. Emissions per capita are now at the lowest level in 29 years and by 2050, emissions per capita will fall by 50 percent. Due to the Government’s commitment to meeting its Renewable energy Target, Australia’s investment per capita in renewable energy is currently the highest in the world. The Government will continue to take responsible action on climate change in a way which ensures both jobs for the future, and a clean and green environment.
    A much clearer news report from The West Australian says, “Environment Minister Sussan Ley tells mayors to stay out of climate change”, dated 18 July 2019.
    “Ms Ley did not say if she would declare such an emergency, but believes councils should focus on dealing with local environmental issues, such as household rubbish.”
    “The Australian councils are part of 800 across the globe to have declared climate emergencies, encompassing more than 140 million people. Victoria’s Darebin City Council was the first to take the leap in 2016. Darebin has taken a steering role among other local administrations, leading a national climate emergency conference last year.”
    Link: Environment Minister Sussan Ley tells mayors to stay out of climate change | The West Australian
    I think these Councils are a not fit to do other than services. Through ICLEI they are globalists. eg: Think local – act global.
    ICLEI news reports “Labor commits to working with local government on climate action”.
    “Friday 8 April – Shadow Minister for Climate Change and Energy, The Hon. Chris Bowen MP committed to collaborating with local governments on climate action if elected to the Federal Government. The Hon. Chris Bowen joined over 200 Mayors and elected members representing over 108 local governments from across Australia to discuss Labor’s priorities to adapt, mitigate and build resilience.”
    “As one of the small handful of former Mayors in the House of Representatives, I embrace partnership between the Commonwealth and local government, particularly in climate change,” stated Mr. Bowen. “States, territories and local governments are getting on with doing the job and I want to provide a better framework for that to occur as part of a more consistent national approach.”
    “During the Roundtable, if elected, the Shadow Minister Chris Bowen committed to:
    A roundtable with the Mayors in June to discuss how to accelerate climate action with local governments.
    Invite a representative of the Australian Local Government Association to a meeting of all jurisdiction climate change and energy ministers to develop a national framework for climate change and energy policy.”
    Link: Labor commits to working with local government on climate action — ICLEI Oceania
    So there we have it – Local Government sneaking into the National Cabinet = 3 tiers of government.

    SACK THEM ALL is the Rally cry for Melbourne’s next Freedom March on 14 May.
    Telegram: Contact @melbournefreedomrallyupdates

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    OldOzzie

    German Study: Number of Those Suffering Severe Complications After Taking COVID Vaccine Is 40 Times Higher Than Previously Recorded

    CORONA VACCINATION

    Charité researcher calls for ambulances for vaccine victims

    A study on side effects after corona vaccinations is being carried out at the Charite in Berlin. Professor Harald Matthes is leading the study and is calling for more contact points for those affected.

    The number of serious complications after vaccinations against Sars-CoV-2 is 40 times higher than previously recorded by the Paul Ehrlich Institute (PEI). This is one of the results of a long-term observational study by the Berlin Charité. Study director Professor Harald Matthes is now calling for more contact points for those affected.

    Study with around 40,000 participants

    The study “Safety Profile of Covid-19 Vaccines” (“ImpfSurv” for short), which focuses on the effects and side effects of the various vaccines, has been running for a year. Around 40,000 vaccinated people are interviewed at regular intervals throughout Germany. Participation in the study is voluntary and independent of how the vaccines work in the subjects.

    One result: eight out of 1,000 vaccinated people struggle with serious side effects. “The number is not surprising,” explains Prof. Dr. Harald Matthes, head of the study: “It corresponds to what is known from other countries such as Sweden, Israel or Canada. Incidentally, even the manufacturers of the vaccines had already determined similar values ​​in their studies.” With conventional vaccines, such as against polio or measles, the number of serious side effects is significantly lower.

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    OldOzzie

    The war on cars is a war on ordinary people

    Greens seem blissfully unaware that cars are a necessity for most Brits.

    Environmentalists have had it in for cars for years. We all know they’d like to ban cars altogether, but they appear to have come to the (correct) conclusion that doing so sounds unreasonable to most people. And so we’ve had a long line of proposals to make driving more expensive and difficult. The latest one being floated is an effective ban on second car

    Like all the worst ideas in British politics today, this one hails from Scotland. Stefanie O’Gorman, who sits on the Scottish government’s Climate Emergency Response Group, said last month that the construction of houses with double garages drove her ‘bonkers’. She told the Edinburgh Science Festival that owning two cars ignores ‘the social and cultural changes taking place as we adapt our lives to live more sustainably… we can’t afford for everybody to have two cars’.

    Though this isn’t yet the formal policy of any government in the UK, in the age of Net Zero the car is public enemy No1. Low-emissions zones are already in effect in London, Birmingham, Glasgow and Bath, with Manchester, Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Newcastle and Sheffield all planning to follow suit. Even in cities that do not have such measures in place, parking is frequently either impossible or expensive.

    Such policies only really make sense if you are a 25-year-old graduate who has only ever lived in London. When I lived in London, virtually no one I knew owned a car – including a chap whose job it was to write about motoring. Many born-and-bred Londoners in their twenties have never even got behind the wheel. But most of Britain is nothing like London.

    Take where I grew up in rural Staffordshire. The nearest bus stop was an hour’s walk, the school my siblings and I went to was nine miles away, and our parents worked in different towns in separate counties. Not having two cars in a situation like this would be virtually impossible – and there are millions of people in the country who face similar issues. Dad might have to travel frequently for work, the kids might attend different schools, mum might work nights, the shops might be a long way away – the list of reasons why a second car might be necessary is potentially a very long one.

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    another ian

    “Two more food processing plants have caught fire following a strange series of similar incidents in the United States.

    https://neonnettle.com/news/18965-another-food-processing-plant-explodes-in-flames-amid-string-of-mysterious-incidents-

    There is a map there

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    John Connor II

    Brace yourselves for Thursday 😉

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    OldOzzie

    Elon Musk Tweeted My Cartoon

    Commentators on the left set about debunking my ‘lived experience’ with charts and abstractions.

    By Colin Wright

    I was out for a walk last Thursday when Elon Musk tweeted a political cartoon that I created in August 2021. It received hundreds of thousands of retweets and more than 1.5 million likes. The stick figure in the middle depicts me, a center-left liberal in 2008, and how the ground had shifted under my feet by 2012 and 2021.

    At the outset, I stand happily beside “my fellow liberal,” who is slightly to my left. In 2012 he sprints to the left, dragging out the left end of the political spectrum along and pulling the political “center” closer to me. By 2021 my fellow liberal is a “woke ‘progressive,’ ” so far to the left that I’m now right of center, even though I haven’t moved.

    When my cartoon went viral, it resonated with many people—and caused dissonance in the left-wing media.

    I created the cartoon to help sort out my feelings of increasing political alienation from the left. I’m a lifelong Democrat. I turned 18 in 2003 and have never voted for a Republican. But over the past decade, and especially the past five years, I’ve watched my party distance itself from the values and principles I hold dear.

    People on the left once viewed free speech as sacrosanct and championed speaking truth to power. Now they disparage open expression as a danger to democracy and minorities. The aspiration of judging individuals by the content of their character rather than by the color of their skin has given way to identity politics and “equity” initiatives that prioritize group interests over individual rights. Women’s rights, previously understood as relating to their oppression on the basis of @sex, is now viewed by the left through the lens of gender identity, which gives priority to men who declare themselves to be women. Today’s progressive can’t even tell you what a woman is.

    It’s also based on my own. I am an evolutionary biologist, and from 2008 to 2020 I worked to become a university professor. But while working as a postdoctoral fellow at Penn State in 2018, I found myself ostracized by scientific colleagues and people I thought were my close friends because I was unwilling to promote scientifically inaccurate claims about biology to avoid offending those who identify as transg@nder.

    Suddenly, simple truths, supported by both science and common sense—such as “male and female are real biological categories defined by reproductive anatomy”—became taboo. For my great sin of stating plain biological facts and advocating for civil discourse, I endured relentless smears as “transph@bic,” “far right,” even a “white supr@macist.” Similar experiences have played out for millions across the U.S. and abroad.

    I hope many on the left will resist the urge to debunk or dismiss my cartoon and instead use it as an opportunity to understand why so many people feel it describes their experience.

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    OldOzzie

    What you don’t know can’t hurt you: How bureaucrat ‘protected’ Qld minister

    A Queensland public servant prevented a report reaching a government minister so they could deny knowing about it, an inquiry has heard.

    Professor Peter Coaldrake released an interim report on his review into state government accountability and workplace culture late on Thursday afternoon.

    Serious concerns have been raised about senior public servants, ministerial staff and lobbyists.

    Public servants have told the review they have been told by seniors how to “channel” information to ministers.

    “Instances of senior public servants directing employees to sanitise advice and alter recommendations to align with what was presumed to be the minister’s position,” he wrote.

    “Another example included a director-general taking steps to prevent a report from ‘reaching the minister’s ears’ so as to ensure that the minister could continue to plausibly deny knowledge of the matter.”

    Prof Coaldrake said public servants were not necessarily acting under pressure from ministers or staffers

    Instead, they were taking it upon themselves to protect ministers.

    “The effect is to have a public service whose motivations are partly informed by a self-imposed obligation to ‘protect’ the Minister, which is at variance with its proper practice,” Prof Coaldrake wrote.

    Public servants also have concerns about the overreach of ministerial office staffers.

    There have been instances of staffers directing public servants as if they were ministers.

    Queensland has a ministerial code of conduct, but Prof Coaldrake said awareness and observance of the code are uneven.

    “This review in its next phase will be considering what steps, if any, are needed to ensure that the Code has teeth and is observed,” he wrote.

    The influence of lobbyists has also been raised as a key concern.

    Contacts between ministers and lobbyists rose from an average of 239 per year from 2010 to 2019, to 988 in 2020/21.

    Prof Coaldrake said lobbyists avoid scrutiny by increasingly using ‘other’ and ‘commercial-in-confidence’ categories when recording meetings with officials and ministers.

    Other categories such as ‘introduction’ or ‘development or amendment of a government policy or program’, he wrote, were equally vague.

    “This implies artistic obscuring of the purpose of registered meetings,” the report said.

    There have also been complaints about lobbyist contacts being vaguely recorded in ministerial diaries as ‘meeting’ or ‘briefing’.

    Prof Coaldrake said lawyers or consultants, who are not registered as lobbyists, have also been lobbying.

    He said the number of people actually lobbying could be up to five times greater than the amount of official lobbyists.

    Despite success fees for registered lobbyists being illegal, the review heard of at least one case of a consultant receiving such a kickback.

    Prof Coaldrake said lobbying was only legitimate if its purpose and frequency were disclosed, and tighter laws may be needed in Queensland

    “Unfortunately, there is declining confidence that governments across the board are making the best decisions rather than decisions influenced by those with the most effective voice,” he wrote.

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    OldOzzie

    Baby boomers under fire as younger generations hit back over rate hike and suggestion they’re too soft

    The generation divide has been well and truly exposed when it comes to Tuesday’s interest rate hike.

    The West Australian’s front page on Wednesday, where an 85-year-old retiree scoffs at the Reserve Bank of Australia’s first rate increase in nearly 12 years, has been flooded with comments from millennials and baby boomers to those in between.

    Retiree Ron de Gruchy says today’s mortgage holders need to keep the RBA’s decision in perspective, claiming they have it easy compared with the 17 per cent interest rates he once paid.

    Back in 1990 when Mr de Gruchy was paying the exorbitant rate for the loan on his Duncraig home, he and his family lived a frugal existence.

    By that time, the former public servant had been wearing the same pair of leather shoes for 15 years — which he still occasionally slips into today.

    Mr de Gruchy called on the younger generations to simply tighten their belts.

    “The high interest rates were a real squeeze on finances but you just adjusted,” he said.

    “Overseas travel was non-existent for us and we never went for night’s out, or to the casino.

    Summed up by Four Yorkshiremen- Monty Python

    Four Yorkshiremen discuss “the bad old days” and how young people don’t properly appreciate what their elders had to go through.

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    OldOzzie

    Hillary Clinton and the Durham Inquiry

    The trial that begins in 12 days won’t tell us why she launched the Russia collusion hoax.

    One question that won’t come up in a trial that starts later this month of a Democratic Party lawyer is the same question that arose in the wake of Nixon’s Watergate crimes, committed on his way to a landslide victory. Why, when Hillary Clinton was expected to trounce Donald Trump in 2016, did she devote campaign resources, always in short supply, to a risky, unnecessary and possibly illegal effort to smear Mr. Trump with the Russia-collusion slur?

    Of course, the story ends in a five-star irony: The email case did resurface in a way even a paranoid Mrs. Clinton could never have anticipated, thanks to FBI chief James Comey and the underage sexting adventures of disgraced ex-Rep. Anthony Weiner. Like the rest of us, Mrs. Clinton also only learned much later that Mr. Comey’s many strange actions in her case had been influenced by fake Russian intelligence that (in the untold story of 2016) he kept secret from his own bosses at the Justice Department.

    Then again, these actions could have cost her the race only in conjunction with her own errors, like spending last-minute money running up her vote in states that weren’t in play, or tying up many of her key aides during the final months of the race on the Trump hoax project.

    One defense Mr. Sussmann won’t be offering in his approaching trial is that the proffered evidence was accurate, perhaps to preclude CIA testimony that the info not only was false but doctored.

    A judge has also ruled as inadmissible a Hillary Clinton tweet touting the Alfa bank allegation on grounds that her tweet amounts to “hearsay.” This is like saying a bag of money is “hearsay” in a bank robbery, when obtaining the bag of money was the whole purpose of the robbery.

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    OldOzzie

    Is WA this bad?

    Qantas has announced it will commence direct non-stop flights from Sydney to London and New York from 2025, with a landmark order for Airbus A350-1000 jets capable of the monumental task.

    But West Australian veteran journalist Ben Harvey argues that the decision by Qantas to establish flights from London to Sydney makes flights to Perth virtually pointless.

    ‘There’s gonna be f**k all Londoners who want to come to Perth instead of Sydney… because Perth is to Sydney what Birmingham is to London,’ Harvey said.

    ‘The Poms have two choices, fly to Perth and then go four or five hours on a flight to the east coast because that’s where the cool stuff is, or fly direct to the cool stuff without being attacked by a meth zombie at an empty shop outside of the Hay Street Mall.’

    One user said in response to Harvey’s statement: ‘Yep go to Sydney, Perth is horrendous at the moment.’

    ‘Nothing to see in Perth,’ wrote another. ‘This place is 20yrs behind. Best coastline with little accommodation.’

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      Graeme#4

      As a local WA person, Perth is not a great tourist spot. While I don’t believe we are 20 years behind, there is still a “large country town” feel to parts of Perth. However, our SW corner from Busselton down to Albany is quite good and worth a visit, particularly if you are a wine buff. While our NW coast has some great scenery in places, there are hundreds of kms between each spot, so it’s an effort to see these northern sights.
      While our seafood is good (The WA rock lobsters are superb), I prefer visiting other states for a really good feed.
      One of the problems Qantas faces is dealing with the Perth airport folks.

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    another ian

    “Voters Will Not Pay Extra to Achieve Boris’s Net Zero Targets – POLL”

    https://wattsupwiththat.com/2022/05/04/voters-will-not-pay-extra-to-achieve-boriss-net-zero-targets-poll/

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    Grogery

    I wish I was rich so I could give this a go, but I might try anyway.

    When (if) the QLD state government surrenders its “emergency” powers – where they and their bureaucrats dream up spasmodic, irrational, hypocritical rules – I will truly consider this notion.

    I would like to sue the state government for discrimination – maybe even the feds, seeing as “conservative” (haha) scomo assured us that Australians are responsible for their own health decisions – then abandoned every Australian and allowed the evil state premiers to run their own show. He thinks “it’s not his job” but he could have used the constitution (section 51 in particular) to halt the tyranny.

    I have not had legal counsel at this stage, but I imagine some of my dot points would be along the lines of:-

    As an Australian citizen unwilling to participate in an experimental vaccine trial, I was discriminated against in ways including but not limited to the following:-

    – I was banned from entering certain (mostly liquor licenced) establishments even though I was not sick and posed no threat to others.
    – I was banned from travelling to certain areas within my own country even though I was not sick and posed no threat to others.
    – I was banned from attending funerals even though I was not sick and posed no threat to others.
    – I was banned from working (earning an income to support my family) at most job sites even though I was not sick and posed no threat to others.

    There would be many more examples of this discrimination than what I have listed above.

    Lastly, and importantly, a person “vaccinated” with covid injection(s) was NOT banned in those examples, EVEN IF THEY WERE INFECTED AND POSED A THREAT TO OTHERS.

    The “leaders” that are responsible for these atrocities MUST be held accountable.

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    another ian

    Great moments in education!

    “The Toronto District School Board is planning to do away with entrance exams, grade evaluations and auditions, as a means of deciding who gets admitted to dozens of highly sought after specialty schools and programs…”

    http://www.smalldeadanimals.com/2022/05/04/what-could-possibly-go-wrong-27/#comments

    10

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    another ian

    “Column: A Stake Through the Heartland – Inflation and Supply Chain Issues Are Greatly Stressing the Country’s Producing Class”

    https://wattsupwiththat.com/2022/05/04/column-a-stake-through-the-heartland-inflation-and-supply-chain-issues-are-greatly-stressing-the-countrys-producing-class/

    00

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    another ian

    Another “Green perpetual motion machine”

    “Samantha Power and the Green New Famine”

    https://wattsupwiththat.com/2022/05/04/samantha-power-and-the-green-new-famine/

    And there is a reading list on the latest try in Sri Lanka at the end

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    another ian

    More covid

    “As we are now discovering the odds are that significant percentage of those who took the jabs are ****ed and there’s nothing you can do about it if you did so; what’s done is done.

    If you took these jabs, read this, and your blood doesn’t run cold — or hot enough to get the people who did it to you — your IQ is smaller than your shoe size.”

    More at

    https://market-ticker.org/akcs-www?post=245779

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    yarpos

    Went to Melbourne too have lunch with some old work colleagues. At the end of the get together I was crossing the road to get back to my car and down the bike lane comes a guy on an electric scooter with his head down looking at his mobile phone. He nearly fell off when I said “dont kill yourself doing that mate” he was startled by a voice let lone whatever may pop out in front of him. Thick as two bricks.

    10