Thursday Open Thread

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162 comments to Thursday Open Thread

  • #

    When will this cold end?

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    Geoff Sherrington

    el+gordo,
    Your link is a lot of generalisation about modelled temperatures over a short time.
    Compare with UAH satellite data when it comes out for June.
    If UAH for Aust June 2022 is close to earlier 2022, it will mark 9 years and 11 months of no warming trend, a pause that started in August 2012. Geoff S

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    • #
      el+gordo

      A lot of hot air is being pushed north because of blocking in the Southern Ocean.

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    • #
      Hanrahan

      I remember a headline from Bob Carter in ’98 “Good news, the warming has ended”.

      If Bob is correct that is a generation who have seen no warming but are sh!t scared anyway.

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      • #
        el+gordo

        Temperature stopped rising for a decade then it took off again.

        https://www.drroyspencer.com/wp-content/uploads/UAH_LT_1979_thru_May_2022_v6.jpg

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      • #
        Ted1

        The peak of the tearaway warming was in ’98, but I thought it was about 2005 that Bob Carter made the declaration that the warming had stopped.

        At about the same time David Evans, having worked for the Greenhouse Office, drew our attention to the fact that the radiosonde balloons were showing that their forecast warming just was not happening, and their computer models were unsound.

        For another ten or twelve years the warmists fought reality, until even the IPCC had to face the fact that the warming had paused.

        Then the NOAA came out and declared that there had never been a pause.

        I have long ago tired of studying the data, leaving that to others, and my thanks to them for that, too, but intuition told me and still does that in recent years the 30 year trend line and the 120 year trend line would be about in sync. i.e. the long run rate of warming has not changed, despite human activity.

        Roy’s chart confirms my intuition.

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    • #
      Graham Richards

      Geoff, data revealing a 9 year timeline in the 4.5 billion years of the plants existence carries less than 1 atoms worth of credibility.

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      • #
        Geoff Sherrington

        GR,
        Yes, one part of me agrees.
        But another part asks why so many people are describing extreme warming, in the last decade, when UAH indicates an equal and offsetting extreme cooling.
        It also asks why so many other parts of the globe show cooling or no warming when the plausible effect of popular radiation physics is steady, rather uniform global change. Look at continental USA and Antarctica for more large regions of little change. Look at vast ocean areas where the temperatures are calculated, not measured. Then explain the lack of warming from radiation from a well-mixed gas.
        Geoff S

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  • #
    OldOzzie

    Democracy Institute Poll, 56 Percent of Americans Say Replacing Biden Better than Replacing Putin 43 Percent

    June 8, 2022 – Sundance

    The Express.UK has a poll released today [DATA HERE] showing U.S. sentiment toward the Ukraine crisis. “More Americans believe that it would be better for them for Biden to be removed (56 percent) than Putin (43 percent).” Also, “Russia is also only seen as the fourth biggest international threat (14 percent) compared to China (45 percent), Iran (20 percent) and North Korea (17 percent).”

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  • #
    OldOzzie

    LETTER TO THE LAW

    The following letter was sent recently to all of the police union and association presidents. Will any of them have the cojones to do anything about it? We can only hope.

    At the moment, I’ve heard it said that tying a noose in a length of rope is illegal. If so, maybe we could repeal that law first.

    SUBJECT: YOUR RESPONSIBILITY AS PRESIDENT TO DISCHARGE YOUR DUTY OF CARE TO THE MEMBERS OF YOUR ASSOCIATION OR UNION

    3 June 2022

    Gentlemen,

    Over the last week or two I have written to each of you separately. I did this because the various attachments to those emails would have been time-wasting and even confusing to some because they did not apply to your individual area of responsibility.

    I am now writing to you as a group so that you are all aware that each of you has received similar communications bringing to your notice the likelihood there has been atrocious criminality perpetrated by politicians, public servants and contractors advising the Government. Complicit in this have been major media outlets and even the Australian Broadcasting Corporation; an organisation supposedly not tainted by commercialism but definitely by political ideology.

    The motives for these actions, which I am certain were criminal to varying degrees, range from ignorance to ideology to perceived financial and career benefits that might be accrued by espousing a particular narrative and pursuing certain policies.

    The regulations and orders, flowing from this, flouted the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Australia and resulted in Australians having their liberty stripped from them; not to mention, small businesses being demolished whilst big businesses, especially those that involved in eCommerce, such as Amazon and eBay, thrived.

    At the core of this criminality, lies the prohibition/obstruction of the use of low cost, readily available therapeutics for the early treatment of COVID-19 by Federal, State and Territory health authorities. These various early interventions were known by many of those involved in this obstruction, to be highly effective in reducing hospitalisation and death by greater than 85%.

    Many hundreds of Australians have needlessly died, and continue to die, as a consequence of this denial of early treatment by the Government and its health authorities.

    One of the key motivations for the banning and disparagement of early treatment, using a sequenced combination of safe medicines such as Hydroxychloroquine, Azithromycin, Ivermectin, Doxycycline, Soluble Zinc Salts, Aspirin, Prednisone, Melatonin, Fluvoxamine, etc, was to make possible the introduction of a new type of medical therapy based on Messenger Ribonucleic Acid (mRNA) technology. Specifically, the Therapeutic Goods Administration of Australia forbade the use of low cost therapeutics for early treatment whilst providing expedited provisional approval for expensive, dangerous drugs like Remdesivir and mRNA gene based Anti-COVID Injections(ACIs) presented as being “vaccines”.

    Such is the power of those involved in this criminal enterprise that they actually changed the definition of a vaccine to include injections involving mRNA technology. In concert with this:

    1. the Australian Health Practitioners Regulatory Agency deregistered any doctor who spoke out in favour of early treatment and pointed to the danger these ACIs, which have never been properly evaluated per Australian Standards, posed; and

    2. there was enforced mandatory wearing of masks even though there is a wealth of empirical data going back at least 70 years that shows masks definitely do not reduce the spread of an RNA respiratory disease and, in fact, may actually result in higher mortality rates from respiratory complaints, including COVID-19. I believe this mask wearing was enforced so as to instill fear into the public and to cause them to believe their only salvation lay in subjecting themselves to some form of vaccination.

    From the outset, there has never been an earnest effort on the part of the Government Health Authorities to rigorously determine the threat that COVID-19, in all its variants, posed to the Australian population. It became obvious very early in the course of this pandemic, from March to June of 2020, that this disease really only affected the very old and those who were already suffering from serious, life-threatening medical ailments.

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    • #
      Ted1

      Did Old Aussie write this?

      Firstly, I do not accept the condemnation of masks. Masks will never score ten out of ten, but if they just caught 90% of the spittle that flies when people are talking I would allow them a score of at least five and a half. Look at the St Basil’s inquiry, where staff were instructed to not wear masks, this after Fauci and others had condemned them, and fifty people quickly died.

      For all that it is a good letter but too long.

      Thanks for writing it. I will use it for reference as I compose one of a quarter its length for our local bloke, and if I can’t get the story into that I’ll split it and send two emails a day or two apart.

      I’m sure I saw Scott Morrison declare before the election that there will be no inquiry. That cannot be allowed to stand.

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  • #
    Zane

    Lots of climate alarmist ads on Utube. Also ads from the gubmint in Canberra pushing ” boosters “. Brings to mind a CCR tune:-

    I see the bad moon a-risin’
    I see trouble on the way
    I see earthquakes and lightnin’
    I see bad times today…

    Right on.

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  • #
    Chad

    Can anyone give a logical explanation as to why WA domestic gas supplies are NOT linked to the “world” market price, whilst East Coast gas supplies ARE linked to those world market prices ?
    ..i know WA negotiated their price into the development deal, …
    …but why was not the same principle followed in the East ?

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    • #

      It is how the state of WA has set up uses for gas produced in its state. East coast – or at least the gas producing states – didn’t do the same. Why? Politics (sorry I can’t deconstruct it further, probably time to read up, here is one take https://michaelwest.com.au/big-gas-v-the-people-acute-energy-crisis-puts-albo-straight-to-the-test/)

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        Hanrahan

        Yes, WA, as part of licensing, insisted that gas be made available for domestic consumption. A local should be able to expand on this.

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          b.nice

          I think that the when initial gas contracts were signed, the eastern states probably assumed that gas exploration and production would always keep gas available.

          They weren’t to know that leftist clowns would decide to lock up all the gas producing areas in an attempt to virtue-seek re climate.

          NSW seems to have finally realised the problem and are trying to get the Pilbara region up and running.

          Doubt Victoria will ever wake up, though.

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          • #
            Ian

            “NSW seems to have finally realised the problem and are trying to get the Pilbara region up and running.”

            What has NSW got to do with the Pilbara?

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          • #
            Strop

            An article in The Australian today that I think suggests there was an opportunity to open new gas reserves while Napthine was Premier of Vic, but he let politics get in the way of doing the right thing. Andrews has continued the same and made it even more difficult. The land lease has been returned to the state govt.

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        • #
          Ian

          I did. See below. My comment went AWOL for a bit

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      • #
        Ian

        In 1979 Woodside approached the Liberal government with plans to drill for gas off the NW Shelf. Charles Court the premier at the time agreed the proposal and offered to assist financially providing Woodside would set aside 15% of the gas obtained for the state. In December of that year an agreement was signed. The link below is to that Agreement

        https://www.legislation.wa.gov.au/legislation/prod/filestore.nsf/FileURL/mrdoc_8880.pdf/$FILE/North%20West%20Gas%20Development%20(Woodside)%20Agreement%20Act%201979%20-%20%5B00-00-00%5D.pdf?OpenElement

        In 2006 the Labor Party with Alan Carpenter as Premier brought in legislation to ensure that the Agreement which was essentially a “Gentlemans Agreement” could not be broken. the link below is to that Legislatio

        https://www.mediastatements.wa.gov.au/Pages/Carpenter/2006/10/State-Government%27s-domestic-gas-reservation-policy-released.aspx

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        • #
          yarpos

          15% of all NW Shelf gas would power Australia, not just WA

          WA would barely make a dent in a 15% reservation

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          • #
            b.nice

            Australia has humongous amounts of gas, (and Coal)

            Its just that some very stupid people don’t want us to use it for our benefit. !

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            • #
              Ian

              With reference to your earlier comment about NSW and the Pilbara is it because NSW is interested in getting gas via a pipeline? I know that would cost but it might help provide some sanity in the energy problems in the Eastern States. Personally I’m all for it but it probably won’t happen’

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            • #
              Ian

              “ts just that some very stupid people don’t want us to use it for our benefit. !”

              I totally agree with you on this. I prefer gas to coal as it is less polluting-no not with CO2 but other pollutants- although hard coal isn’t that polluting. In 1996 a 1378 km pipeline from the Carnarvon Basin in North West WA to Kalgoorlie was built in 1996. Kal is 3,400 Km from Sydney but I imagine there are several options for a pipeline to NSW including a pipeline from the NT and/or from WA to NSW via the NT.

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              • #
                Hanrahan

                If they came from Darwin to The Isa and east it could power the OC gas turbines that are virtually all there is west of Charters Towers. There are three OC turbines close to Korea Zinc and they installed a million solar cells a couple of years ago. IF those turbines had guaranteed gas at a price they could guarantee that KZ will survive and the good jobs that go with.

                But that doesn’t help the southern industrial centres I guess.

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              • #
                Chad

                The West / East pipeline option has/is being considered.
                But it is a $6bn , 4/5 year, project….so wont help the current situation.
                Tanker ships are the cheaper option, but that would need off load terminals on the East coast…also not a quick fix !
                https://www.smh.com.au/national/west-east-pipeline-back-on-agenda-as-government-looks-to-gas-to-save-australia-20200520-p54uwd.html

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              • #
                b.nice

                Plenty of coal seam gas in NSW. Would be silly to pipe it from somewhere a lot further away.

                Also plenty of coal in the interim, if they can get the guaranteed future usage, hence finance, to fix the few turbines that are currently down.

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              • #
                Graeme#4

                Ian, I’ve always believed that running a pipeline from the Pilbara, where gas is available at $6/GJ, to the eastern gas network would be a better option that building gas import terminals right down the bottom of Australia. But surely a far better option would be for Victoria to use its own gas.

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            • #
              Bruce

              “Stupid”

              That’s not how REAL people spell “Malicious”.

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          • #
            Hanrahan

            But how do you get into the markets? Coastal shipping with MUA crews is prohibitive [Bass St. is the most expensive sea freight in the world I’d guess]. Besides no state labor government is going to approve an LNG terminal.

            IIRC there is a proven on-shore gas field in Gippsland, why not tap that?

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            • #
              Hanrahan

              Seems I’m wrong, the only gas in Gippsland is off shore, but shallow.

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              • #
                Ross

                Not sure you are wrong on that Hanrahan. Robert Gottliebson wrote a lot of stories about the readily available onshore gas in Gippsland. Not only gas, but when drilled there is a huge amount of high quality water which could be used for irrigation. Somewhere around Bairnsdale?

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              • #
                Hanrahan

                That’s what I had heard but it was years ago. The article said the farmers could use the water and would be thankful for it. win win.

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                Graeme#4

                Correct Ross. That was a very good article by Gottliebson, and a very good explanation of exactly what’s under the ground in Victoria. Plenty of cheap energy, if only their Premier would allow them to use it.

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        • #
          Peter Fitzroy

          Finally catching up, I’ve been trying to comment on this for weeks, but

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          • #
            b.nice

            You will always be left far, far behind, PF. !

            You never shown even the remotest desire to catch up with reality.

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      • #
        Ian

        I wonder what happened to my reply

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        • #
          el+gordo

          It is still there on a different level, chat to someone else and post it, then they’ll both turn up.

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  • #
    Dennis

    Relax people, as soon as, probably decades if proceeded with, new transmission lines that are wind and solar installation specifications and eight times the present number of wind and solar installations have been constructed, and existing ones removed and replaced as they reach their average 20 year operating life expectancy, the world’s largest interconnected electricity grid will be reliable and supply cheap electricity.

    Trust the politicians.

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      yarpos

      mmmm nothing says reliable and cheap like ever increasing complexity

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      • #
        Dennis

        Well we must try to understand that coal fired power stations, last moved from suburban area sites and new power stations with much cleaner burning of coal constructed in countryside locations were too reliable, and an embarrassment as successive governments discouraged major manufacturing industry electricity consumers from continuing to operate in Australia, thin edge of the wedge being the UN Lima Protocol signed by the Whitlam Labor Government in 1975 followed by many other deterrent factors.

        So the transition to wind and solar was introduced.

        Of course planned by elected representatives, most not having engineering backgrounds or even private sector management of a business for profit.

        /sarc.

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  • #
    Lee

    I just found out about the digital Passenger Declaration that is now on an app and “asks” for our health information. Introduced under a liberal govt, no less.
    Anyone have any experience filling this out for returning travel to Australia, if you have not obeyed their medical demands?

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      Annie

      No card one any more?

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    • #
      Annie

      What if your ‘phone is an Aussie-based one with no international roaming, as ours is? We do not get business rates and we are on a pension so use a local provider’s basic deal.

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        Hanrahan

        Since when has it been mandatory to own a smart phone? I don’t, don’t need it.

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        • #
          Lee

          Apparently you can get to the airport early and fill in a paper one, but ‘may be delayed getting into Australia’.

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    • #
      DLK

      All passengers arriving by air into Australia should complete the DPD. You can start a DPD seven days before your flight, but you must submit it before you depart for Australia. Passengers who do not complete a DPD before departing may face unnecessary delays on arrival in Australia.

      link [emphasis added]

      sounds like you get a star turn in a episode of ‘Border Security: Australia’s Front Line’

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        DLK

        The DPD requests critical health information. You must be able to provide evidence that the critical information was completed before boarding the aircraft. This is an enforceable requirement. A person who fails to comply with the requirement may be liable to a civil penalty (fine) of 30 penalty units (currently $6,660 AUD). This is set out in section 46 of the Biosecurity Act 2015.

        $6660 dollar fine.

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      • #
        James Murphy

        Interesting that buried on the government site linked above, is this statement…

        “…The Department of Health advises that previous infection with COVID-19 is not considered a medical contraindication for COVID-19 vaccination…”

        It seems the human immune system is still very weak in comparison to pharmaceutical company lobbyists and the ignorance of public servants/politicians.

        https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/covid19/vaccination-testing#content-index-2

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        Lee

        I just wonder if you fill out everything except the vaccination questions, what happens. There is no requirement to be vaxed to get in at a citizen, so why are they asking and what do they do if you don’t answer?

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        • #
          DLK

          the link above appears not to contemplate the form being completed by persons of non-vaccinated status, unless exempted:

          Before you start your declaration, have the below information ready:
          flight number
          valid passport
          travel history (14 days before the flight)
          destination and quarantine arrangements (if required)
          COVID-19 vaccination record or acceptable evidence you cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons.”

          this might just be more ‘gentle persuasion’ [coercion]

          i can’t see the actual form though.

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    • #
      Grogery

      Introduced under a liberal govt, no less.

      Yes, the same government that made it compulsory for the injection “givers” to report the injection “receivers” details and covid vax status into a national database. You cannot remove your record. For those that didn’t volunteer for the experimental injections, you will either not have a record, or your covid vax status will be “unvaxxed” – I suspect the latter.

      Same government led by a bloke that told us vaccines will never be compulsory in this country. Obviously coercion in order to keep your job is ok though.

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    OldOzzie

    Interesting Question in the Comments

    California Man Intercepted One Block from Justice Kavanaugh Home, Tells Police He Wanted to Kill Brett Kavanaugh

    June 8, 2022 – Sundance

    Everything about this story is suspicious. A California man travels all the way to Maryland only to be intercepted by unnamed police at 1:50am, and then admits he was intent on killing Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh because he was angry about the possibility of SCOTUS overturning Roe -v- Wade. Uh huh.

    The first indicator something is sketchy is the WaPo with the breaking news. The second indicator is Peter Strzoks BFF journalist Devlin Barrett with the story. Assuming the U.S. Marshals office still holds some credibility, the Occam’ Razor of the sourcing would indicate it’s the FBI delivering the information to the Washington Post.

    MORE ON THE WOULD-BE ASSASSIN

    Inside the suitcase and backpack, the authorities later discovered a “black tactical chest rig and tactical knife,” a pistol with two magazines and ammunition, pepper spray, zip ties, a hammer, a screwdriver, a nail punch, a crowbar, a pistol light and duct tape, in addition to other items, according to the affidavit.

    He said he had traveled from California to Maryland “to kill a specific United States Supreme Court justice,” the affidavit said.

    From the Comments in Sundance Article above

    He brought the gun and pepper spray on the plane?

    Or did the FBI supply him once he arrived in DC area?

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    • #
      Hanrahan

      Pencil neck Schiff told Kavanaugh that he will reap the whirlwind. Now Schiff can’t sack him so what did he mean? Was this an incitement to violence?

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    • #
      OldOzzie

      Washington Times Editorial sums up DOJ/CIA/FBI agencies working against Americans

      Federal law enforcement the real threat to our republic

      Unequal and unfair application of justice

      It is not quite clear why former Trump adviser Peter Navarro was arrested and jailed after being indicted for contempt of Congress. The arrest — made at Reagan National Airport — is all the more unusual because no one even thought about doing so to then-Attorney General Eric Holder, who was indicted for precisely the same crime 10 years ago.

      For that matter, why have dozens of rioters (protesters?) from Jan. 6 remained in pretrial custody for the last 17 months?

      Why have Molotov cocktail-throwing lawyers and killers involved in violent riots during the summer of 2020 been given extremely lenient plea deals in New York and California?

      Why has no one at the FBI or other federal law enforcement been held accountable for their role in the societally destructive, libelous and wholly fabricated idea that former President Donald Trump and his campaign had, in some magical way, colluded with Russia?

      Why is Hunter Biden, having obtained a firearm after lying on a federal application (a felony), still walking around a free man?

      Why is the Jan. 6 committee asking questions from people like Mr. Navarro, who had nothing to do with Jan. 6? Why have they not called FBI informants in the crowd to testify? Why has the committee not asked about why the Capitol’s doors were open, or why the “rioters” were unarmed.

      The answer in each and every instance is the unequal and unfair application of justice brought about by the politicization of federal law enforcement. That politicization, left unchecked, will eventually destroy the republic.

      The Jan. 6 committee — whose members talk a lot about the threats to democracy — is, itself a legitimate risk to the republic. By issuing subpoenas to those with no material connection to the events of Jan. 6 (like Mr. Navarro), and to sitting members of Congress, the committee has nakedly politicized what should have been, at most, a modest examination into a law enforcement failure.

      Conservatives are, by their very nature, institutionalists; they believe in the legitimacy of institutions. But the time has come to reassess those sentiments.

      Federal law enforcement has become a threat to the Republic. There is no surer sign of the erosion of democratic norms than the politicization of the administration of justice.

      We need a thorough and unflinching examination of the unwarranted, unwise and illegal acts executed by those who we have entrusted with guns and badges.

      The pattern of lawbreaking and indifference to political, social, legal and governmental norms among the bureaucracies of the CIA, the FBI and the Department of Justice has become so obvious and so egregious that Congress must make a granular examination of the activities of those charged with safeguarding the United States and her citizens.

      At a certain point, facts become inescapable. We know that some in the FBI and the DOJ wanted to select the president in 2016 and 2020 and fabricated evidence to do so. We know that law enforcement surveilled presidential campaign staff in 2016. We know that Homeland Security surveilled reporters and others. We know that some of those in the intelligence community and federal law enforcement have lied before Congress and elsewhere. We are watching the unequal application of the law in real-time.

      Almost 2,000 years ago, the Roman poet Juvenal wrote: “Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?” — who watches the watchmen themselves?

      The only right answer — and the one we face now — is that we must watch the watchmen and be fearless and resolute in examining their conduct.

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    Clem Cadiddlehopper

    It seems that even CNN have discovered the hard way that it is a go woke, go broke world that we live in today. I expect that we will see a lot more of it in the future. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10893053/CNNs-new-boss-Chris-Licht-cracks-polarizing-anchors.html

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    • #
      wal1957

      I have never understood why news organisations “take sides” when reporting a news story.
      They all do it. No wonder there is so little trust in media.

      I would happily watch any news service (including their ABC) if they reported the facts and ONLY the facts.
      It’s a simple message for CNN and others. Everybody is sick of all the BS.
      Stick to the ungarnished truth and they will gain viewers from all sides of the political spectrum.

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        Hanrahan

        I have no objection to individuals who editorialise which, almost by definition, will have a political bias. I like to hear what people closer to the action see and think. They just can’t all lean the same way.

        Haven’t read The Australian for years but when I did they had a range of views and one could weight their pieces according to their leanings.

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          Ian

          “Haven’t read The Australian for years but when I did they had a range of views and one could weight their pieces according to their leanings.”

          Agreed. The pieces are about 80% Right and 20% Left.

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            Hanrahan

            But Ian, even you would have to admit you are well left and would see bias different to me.

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            b.nice

            … from someone to the far-left of Marx or Che or Mao….. that’s funny !

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            • #
              Ian

              “… from someone to the far-left of Marx or Che or Mao….. that’s funny !’

              Depends on your perception. I think you are so far to the right that you are reappearing at the tail end of the far left. But that said I wonder why it is the elderly that congregate to the Right. Of course there are elderly leftists but primarily leftism is progressive and focusses on social needs. fFor example the introduction of Medicare, the NDIS, SSM, gender equality

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              • #
                b.nice

                … but primarily leftism is progressive” REGRESSIVE.

                Basically everything they do destroys society.

                You know that Australia needs more coal-fired power, but you vote for lab/green/teal, who want to continue the destruction of the electricity grid with erratic wind ans solar..

                Your mind just isn’t capable of thinking right/correctly.

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            el+gordo

            The Murdocracy is to the right of centre, which is healthy for our democracy.

            Generally they are fair and balanced with news, but op-eds are leaning to the tight.

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            another ian

            Gawd! You’re allowing that they were 80% correct???

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      • #
        another ian

        There was that NZ cartoonist that was having a row with his editor on his content.

        One of his cartoons had the man of the house looking over the newspaper and saying

        “This paper used to be twice the size”

        And his wife replying “Perfectly understandable – they used to print both sides of the story”

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      • #
        Kevin Kilty

        There was a day when one could expect the New York Times editorial page to supply propaganda, but the reporters, no matter their political leanings, would do a fair job of reporting facts. Put the Wall Street Journal in the category of a editorial page that advertised its guiding principle as “free people and free markets”, but its news staff, although notoriously left leaning, would accurately report the news. They had to. The world of investment expected no less than objective reporting and any nonsense would lead immediately to no one buying the WSJ newspaper.

        It all seems gone now. Too much is just political propaganda. The big printed news looks like that from eastern Europe of 30 years ago, and the allegedly free press, which leans right, is full of errors and sometimes mixed up news. One has to try to fact check them as best they can. Only the editorial pages of the WSJ appear to have stayed true to their original mission.

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      Hanrahan

      “Analysts say Jim Acosta and Brian Stelter may be among those under scrutiny”.

      May, ya reckon?

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  • #
    Hanrahan

    I recently read that dementia is right up there with heart failure and cancer as leading killers. That surprises me.

    Is that because we are living longer or something environmental? I have no idea but I have never heard of both partners getting alzheimers in spite of living in the same environment, except maybe for smoking and drinking, but women do these less than men but are more susceptible.

    Any thoughts?

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    • #
      Dennis

      I could have replied but I can’t remember.

      /sarc.

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      Chris

      It’s not just people and old age is definitely part of the process. Vets are seeing more and more elderly pets that are living longer and losing their memory. They become confused and lost in their own homes, such as stuck behind an open door and can’t find their way out. Whilst loss of sight and hearing can cause problems, if the furniture has not moved and doors are always shut or open they negotiate their way around with confidence. However when the mind goes, they become very hesitate, they can’t find their bed or dinner bowl and disconnect from their human family.

      It’s a heart breaking time for everyone.

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      yarpos

      Generally speaking we are lasting longer than our design was intended to support it seems.

      We have multiple members of our local car club that are still here solely due to modern medicine and ability to provide long term treatment for chronic conditions; and we have one lost to dementia.

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        Sambar

        The scary thing there Yarpos is that they are all driving. Maybe not in high risk areas but then again the lonely old wombat gets clobbered every night.
        I do know a couple of locals that on their own admission think driving is “a bit difficult these days”
        Sadly no options to a lot of us, public transport being non existent

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          Annie

          The wombats aren’t clobbered by the logging trucks in the early hours?

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            Sambar

            The log trucks dont use my road Annie but poor old “Willy” turns up flattened every couple of days. I was being a bit harsh suggesting that it was vision impaired oldies that were the cause, our black, night wandering little bundles of solid muscle go down to any and all vehicles regardless of whether the driver is impaired.
            A few years ago one extracted revenge on me by rushing across the road at the very instant I was cycling by, I lost a fair bit of skin and needed a front wheel retrued. The language from both myself and “Willie” was not fit for polite company.

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    yarpos

    Recycling of the Brent Oil Platforms

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5xXmEHPFp8

    If only the “RE” fanboys were are as serious about wind turbines and solar panels now entering this life stage.

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    • #
      b.nice

      brill ! 🙂

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      Sambar

      So, with the complete brilliance of engineers of multiple disciplines, lift oil platforms of 20,000 tonnes in the middle of one of the roughest oceans, politicians decide that the best way to produce electricity is with solar panels and wind mills.
      Whatever you do dont let the engineers get involved, after all the may just solve, then fix the bloody problem.

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      another ian

      IIRC a cousin was a driller on those. His summation:-

      “The North Sea is bloodt dangerous and so is Bass Strait”

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      Graeme#4

      Incredible!! 25,000 tonnes, lifted in nine seconds, then moved ashore. Now that’s solid engineering!

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    Robber

    In Victoriastan, Chairman Dan has asserted that it’s not his fault that Victoria doesn’t have enough gas to meet demand, despite banning gas exploration in the State. Why would anyone trust anything that Dan says?
    Victorian politicians are to blame for gas shortage, ROBERT GOTTLIEBSEN

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      Dennis

      On Sky News the CEO of Santos, their Narrabri gas project has been delayed by red, green and black tape and NSW State Government procrastination, explained that when the project is completed the gas is for local market, not export.

      He pointed out that in VIC exploration and fracking has been discouraged by the State Government but beneath the feet of Victorians there is an abundance of natural gas waiting to be extracted, and he pointed out that using what is local is far cheaper than importing gas from another State and building gas terminals to handle it.

      I think most regular contributors here know that Australia has enormous known reserves of natural gas, oil, shale oil, coal, uranium, etc., the common wealth of we the people mostly being locked away based on climate hoax politics including UN based treaties and agreements signed by our elected representatives who never ask us, for example holding referendums, what we want in the majority.

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        Sambar

        As normal dear leader was arrogant in the extreme, denigrating the opposition by claiming that ”The opposition just want to frack everywhere in the state”.
        As is the want there was no pushback from the media scrum and whether Matthew Guy responded or not is not known.
        Apparently covering the country with solar panels and wind mills has no environment impact at all regardless of what has been proven while fracking with many claims of apocalypse that do NOT appear to be materialising any where is so bad

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      Jack01

      This is the theme of politics these days – politicians set out to ruin things, and even if it’s clear as day that it’s their doing, they blame everyone else.

      Our previous PM was perfect for the state governments (especially WA, VIC and QLD) – they could take credit for any good things then blame Morrison for all the bad things. Then the media runs with this false nonsense which is why they keep getting re-elected and things keep getting worse.

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    Dennis

    What is the working life of a wind turbine on average?

    https://energyfollower.com/how-long-do-wind-turbines-last/

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      Tonyb

      Dennis

      Yours is a good link

      Generally off shore wind farms have a licence for 25 years. Here in the UK we have the largest offshore wind farms in the world. The conditions can be very tough and it is useful to equate complex turbines with numerous working parts to a car in continual rally mode.

      To maintain the turbines requires helicopters or difficult boat based maintenance so there comes a point as with an ageing car when you will question if the repair is worth it.

      Turbines are getting larger and larger and the older ones will increasingly be sidelined as being too small and inefficient.

      So what with this factor and the maintenance factor probably around 15 to 20 years is the optimum period

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    Catherine

    ‘On 5 December 2021, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) provisionally approved the Comirnaty (Pfizer) vaccine for use among 5 to 11-year-old children in Australia.

    The TGA’s provisional approval was based on a careful evaluation of available data to support its safety and efficacy among this age group.

    Research shows that the Pfizer vaccine is up to 91 per cent effective in children. Parents, carers and guardians can be reassured that by vaccinating their children against COVID-19 they have done everything possible to keep their child safe from this virus.’

    ————
    june 7, 2022
    smh: ‘COVID-19 vaccination rates for children have stalled due to bookings being disrupted by illness and isolation rules, as experts urge parents to complete their child’s course alongside their flu shot.’
    ———–

    June 9, 2022
    Have “the pieces of the puzzle been worked out” ?
    Sorry, I posted this before, but I was surprised that this didn’t get more attention in the media since we have been asked to vaccinate our children:

    ‘from 8 Dec 2020
    DIVISION OF
    IMMUNOLOGY/ALLERGY/RHEUMATOLOGY
    Department of Pediatrics
    David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA

    U.S. Food and Drug Administration
    Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee
    RE: Notice of Meeting; Establishment of a Public Docket; Request for Comments related to
    consideration of vaccines against SARS-CoV-2

    Dear Colleagues,
    I am a pediatric specialist caring for children with the multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C). I am concerned about the possibility that the new vaccines aimed at creating immunity against the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein (including the mRNA vaccines of Moderna and Pfizer) have the potential to cause microvascular injury to the brain, heart, liver, and kidneys in a way that is not currently being assessed in safety trials of these potential drugs.
    ….

    ….While there are pieces to this puzzle that have yet to be worked out, it appears that the viral spike protein that is the target of the major SARS-CoV-2 vaccines is also one of the key agents causing the damage to distant organs that may include the brain, heart, lung, and kidney. Before any of these vaccines are approved for widespread use in humans, it is important to assess in vaccinated subjects the effects of vaccination on the heart (perhaps using cardiac MRI, as Puntmann et al. did).

    Vaccinated patients could also be tested for distant tissue damage in deltoid area skin biopsies, as employed by Magro et al. As important as it is to quickly arrest the spread of the virus by immunizing the population, it would be vastly worse if hundreds of millions of people were to suffer long-lasting or even permanent damage to their brain or heart microvasculature as a result of failing to appreciate in the short-term an unintended effect of full-length spike protein-based vaccines on these other organs.

    In caring for children with MIS-C, I have been impressed with how widespread the organ involvement is, particularly given the absence of actively replicating virus in virtually all patients. Particular caution will be required with regard to the potential widespread vaccination of children before there are any real data on the safety or effectiveness of these vaccines in pediatric trials that are only now beginning.’
    ———–

    ‘Study Type : Interventional (Clinical Trial)
    Estimated Enrollment : 15350 participants
    Allocation: Non-Randomized
    Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
    Masking: None (Open Label)
    Primary Purpose: Prevention
    Official Title: PHASE 1, OPEN-LABEL DOSE-FINDING STUDY TO EVALUATE SAFETY, TOLERABILITY, AND IMMUNOGENICITY AND PHASE 2/3 PLACEBO-CONTROLLED, OBSERVER-BLINDED SAFETY, TOLERABILITY, AND IMMUNOGENICITY STUDY OF A SARS-COV-2 RNA VACCINE CANDIDATE AGAINST COVID-19 IN HEALTHY CHILDREN and Young Adults
    Actual Study Start Date: March 24, 2021
    Estimated Primary Completion Date: June 14, 2024
    Estimated Study Completion Date: June 14, 2024

    Study Description
    Go to sections
    Brief Summary:
    This is a Phase 1/2/3 study in healthy children and young adults.

    Dependent upon safety and/or immunogenicity data generated during the course of this study, and the resulting assessment of benefit-risk, the safety, tolerability, and immunogenicity of BNT162b2 in participants <6 months of age may subsequently be evaluated.

    Condition or disease Intervention/treatment Phase
    SARS-CoV-2 Infection, COVID-19
    Biological: Biological/Vaccine: BNT162b2 10mcg
    Biological: BNT162b2 20mcg
    Biological: BNT162b2 30mcg
    Other: Placebo
    Biological: Biological/Vaccine: BNT162b2 3mcg
    Phase 2
    Phase 3

    Sponsor:BioNTech SE
    Collaborator:Pfizer
    Information provided by (Responsible Party):BioNTech SE'
    ————–

    June 9, 2022
    So I now assume that the possible toxicities caused by delivery materials aren't an issue? :

    from 2016:
    ' “I would say that mRNA is better suited for diseases where treatment for short duration is sufficiently curative, so the toxicities caused by delivery materials are less likely to occur,” said Katalin Karikó, a pioneer in the field who serves as a vice president at BioNTech.'

    ———

    from the Pfizer Reports Fourth-Quarter and Full-Year 2021 Results
    '….including the possibility of unfavorable new pre-clinical, clinical or safety data and further analyses of existing pre-clinical, clinical or safety data or further information regarding the quality of pre-clinical, clinical or safety data, including by audit or inspection;…'

    I find this a bit weird…it almost reads like: If other people get the opportunity to examine our data, this could affect the value of our shares because we were not very honest about our data… (but I could misinterpreted it of course)
    [Sources please – Jo]

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    el+gordo

    ‘Complete junk’: Bowen denounces opposition calls for nuclear power

    ‘Energy Minister Chris Bowen has shouted his disagreement with calls from the opposition for the new government to make nuclear power part of their energy plan.’ (SMH)

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      yarpos

      I would expect no less from Bowen

      Ruling out on of his best alternatives. No clue, and no clue that he has no clue.

      So far only price is getting attention rather than supply.

      Over the edge we go. If not now, then this summer.

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        el+gordo

        Dutton will continue to nag them until they agree that gas and coal are the only way forward.

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    Dave

    Ice, heroin, cocaine and speed.

    The ACT is set to become the first Australian jurisdiction to decriminalise small amounts of commonly used illicit drugs, such as ice, heroin, cocaine and speed.

    The Legislative Assembly, controlled by the Labor-Green coalition, is certain to pass the law.

    This is conflict with the Commonwealth Criminal Code, but then again the pollies in Canberra can get pissed & stoned.

    Not sure if this will help the drug addiction problem.

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      el+gordo

      It will be the litmus test.

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      Honk R Smith

      For advance insight into how things go with drug decriminalization, see San Francisco, LA, and Seattle.
      Oakland is nice too.
      Just decriminalize shoplifting and Oz will be all set.
      Plus, you won’t have to lock your EV doors at night, in hope that they won’t destroy it as they forage.

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    crakar24

    we are saved Labor has announced an 11 point plan to lower energy costs, i didnt think it was that complicated.

    https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-06-09/energy-prices-australia-why-11-point-plan-no-quick-fix/101137622

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    • #
      yarpos

      Labor waving a non specific piece of paper , claiming energy in our time! sounds vaguely familiar.

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      • #
        another ian

        Y

        I don’t think they’re reading the likes of this:-

        This isn’t going to be pretty unless some sanity arrives from somewhere unexpected

        “The Singular Importance of “Middle Distillate” (Diesel, Jet Fuel, Heating Oil,…)”

        https://chiefio.wordpress.com/2022/06/09/the-singular-importance-of-middle-distillate-diesel-jet-fuel-heating-oil/

        Remember we now get most of our fuel from Singapore

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        • #
          OldOzzie

          another ian, an excellent article

          Finally, we have the knee jerk “Sanctions” on Russia. This hurts Europe and the UK a lot more than it hurts the USA, but it does hurt everyone. Russia just gets a little less money per bbl of “middle distillates” or crude oil, and sells it to China and others around the world. We get a Gut Punch to our transportation, heating, aviation, farming, emergency responders, and military fuel supply. Fuel demand is rising, and is not very price elastic (a small change in volume makes a big price change, but a small price change does not change demand much). So we also get “price shocks” from the 8% loss of Russian Oil in the USA. The EU / UK get it even worse.

          I find it just amazing how Stupid it is to cut off your supply of absolutely essential fuels to your entire economy. Putin can get money anywhere, but where do we turn for more fuel?

          Oh, and there’s a plot complication in that you can’t just swap the feed into an oil refinery from, say, Russian to Venezuelan oil. Every oil is different and the refinery is usually “tuned” to that oil. It can take weeks to months (or years if you need to buy or make additional conditioning units) to convert a refinery to a different kind of crude oil. So changing suppliers is neither fast nor easy even if you do find one.

          What’s the inevitable result of all that? Look at the gas station as you fill your car, and read the green Diesel Price. It ought to be about the same as mid-grade gasoline. It is now running up to $2 more per gallon. (In the USA). There’s a big global shortage of Diesel and to some extent Jet Fuel. It is much worse in Europe than in the USA, with the UK also in trouble. Biden is busy shipping our Strategic oil supply away, that jeopardizes our military ability to fuel up in a real emergency.

          Folks, were headed for the rocks on “Middle Distillate” shortages, and it will have broad and deep impact. This needs to be turned around pronto. IF we continue as we are now, things have a SHTF character in just a few weeks to months. Next September at the latest IMHO, since that’s when home heating oil and farm harvesting (or failure to plant) become critical. Our governments (USA / UK / EU and likely others) are doing nothing to fix this, and everything to make it worse.

          As it gets worse, watch for supply outages of everything (as everything gets transported with middle distillates), cancellation of flights & cruises, busses being cancelled, and prices of everything to rise swiftly and far.

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      Brian the Engineer

      Didn’t think they could count that high, must have taken their shoes off

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    crakar24

    Note they dont actually list the actual 11 points they have in mind but by gee it sounds good dont it?

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    • #
      Sambar

      The twelfth point has been ruled out as Bowen proudly claims on the 6.00 oclock news that nuclear will not be considered as it is the dearest form of energy production and wind and solar are the CHEAPEST.
      The only difference is one works 24/7 and the other is at best completely random.

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      • #
        Chad

        And……
        They still do not see the fundamental problem of the AEMO market system allowing the generators to manipulate the cost to their advantage.

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    Furiously+Curious

    DeSantos talking about getting up the elites nostrils by not looking at polls, and doing his own research! Talking with Dave Rubin. It’s part of a full talk, the whole isn’t up yet.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZdvyuy_IrE&list=PLEbhOtC9klbCr0iN2ANJbaV477B0eSpc6

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    • #
      Kevin Kilty

      Ah, the utility of arbitrage in ameliorating supply disruptions. Good for those Indian arbitrageurs!

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    David Maddison

    The “Green” Left are against coal, gas, nuclear and proper hydro.

    So where is inexpensive, reliable energy meant to come from?

    (Waiting for an answer from the usual suspects…,)

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    David Maddison

    Having just watched Journey to the Far Side of the Sun (1969), a science fiction movie featuring two earth-like planets in the same orbit but separated by 180 degrees, it is worth considering if this is possible.

    Well it is possible, orbital mechanics doesn’t prohibit it, but any such arrangement would likely be short lived as any slight mismatch of orbital speed would result in the two planets colliding.

    More likely there could be two earth-like planets orbiting each other. Simulations suggest that might be possible.
    https://www.space.com/27832-binary-earth-size-alien-planets.html

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      Peter C

      Well it is possible, orbital mechanics doesn’t prohibit it, but any such arrangement would likely be short lived as any slight mismatch of orbital speed would result in the two planets colliding.

      Astromoners agree!

      It is assumed that a planet will have aggregated all the local material in its neighborhood unto its self.
      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clearing_the_neighbourhood

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      Kevin Kilty

      Even if it were possible that the orbital elements of this hypothetical planet were to perfectly keep it hidden behind the Sun, its existence would immediately impact orbits of all other planets. There is no way its presense would go unnoticed.

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    RossP

    A good short video from Nigel Farage (GB News) on the result of the UK reducing it’s oil refining capacity. NZ is closing it’s own refinery and will import from Singapore, virtually signaling nonsense in my view, but it is a privately owned company.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4YmwfFHKxc

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      Kim

      Strategically it’s crazy – a shipping route that can be easily cut off. Self sufficiency is very important for survival.

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  • #
    OldOzzie

    Bourne1879says:
    June 10, 2022 at 9:18 am

    From the Courier Mail :

    Queensland’s Police Commissioner has been called “a most unimpressive witness’’, who failed to properly consider the human rights of police before making Covid-19 vaccination directions.

    “The Commissioner’s approach to the task which she was required to undertake prior to making the directions was an abject failure of public administration,’’ Dominic Villa SC told the Supreme Court.

    Mr Villa was making final submissions in a civil trial on behalf of a group of seven police challenging the Commissioner’s vaccination directions, affecting 18,000 staff.

    Another 54 police and 12 ambulance officers also are seeking to overturn mandatory Covid-19 vaccination directions in the trial.

    Queensland Human Rights Commission is intervening, submitting that decision-makers were required to consider a number of human rights of employees before making such directions.

    “The Commissioner’s regard for the human rights of those under her command was perfunctory,’’ Mr Villa told Justice Glenn Martin.

    “Your honour would be entitled to find that the Commissioner regarded the entire human rights exercise as a box ticking exercise.”

    Commissioner Carroll was cross-examined about her vaccination directions over two days last week.

    “We submit it is breathtaking in its arrogance that the Commissioner did not give evidence in chief as to the reasons why she made the decisions or identify the material upon which she relied in making those decisions,” Mr Villa said.

    He said the evidence showed that the Commissioner did not consider a Human Rights Compatibility Assessment document, prepared by Crown Law, until after she decided to make a September 7 vaccination direction.

    Mr Villa said there was no rational justification for the vaccination mandate.

    He said for the small number of police who objected to mandatory vaccination there were alternative measures that could achieve the same benefit, when there were already high rates of community and police vaccination.

    Dan O’Gorman SC, for 54 police applicants in the legal challenge, said the Commissioner had not outlined her decision-making process in any detail.

    Mr O’Gorman said circumstances had changed with the Omicron variant, and the Commissioner had an obligation to review her vaccination directions.

    He said based on all the evidence, a mandatory vaccination direction was no longer of utility or could no longer be justified.

    Dr Christopher Ward, for 12 ambulance officers, said there was no suggestion they were in greater risk of hospitalisation or death as a result of being unvaccinated than anyone in the community who visited restaurants, cafes, bus stations or cinemas.

    He said their decision to remain unvaccinated had not affected their ability to do their jobs.

    Dr Ward said the Queensland Ambulance Service Covid-19 double vaccination rate was more than 95.2 per cent, at the date of the latest direction affecting ambulance staff.

    “So, we are dealing with 4.8 per cent at the highest of the entire service, let alone a lower proportion of the service who are in front facing roles,’’ Dr Ward said.

    He said Omicron had peaked and any suggestion that the level of risk remained high was unfounded.

    While the hearing was going on, anti-vaccination protesters, including police and a doctor, staged a demonstration outside the Supreme Court in George St on Thursday.

    The hearing is continuing.

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    another ian

    More covid

    “The guilty are throwing one another under the bus now: The World Health Organization says its latest investigation into the origins of COVID-19 was inconclusive — largely because data from China is missing, another blow to its years-long effort to determine how the pandemic began. ”

    http://www.smalldeadanimals.com/2022/06/09/one-flu-out-of-the-wuhan-nest-63/

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    another ian

    “Where are the men of courage? They’re gone thanks to ‘toxic masculinity’ ”

    https://nypost.com/2022/06/01/where-are-the-men-of-courage-theyre-gone-thanks-to-toxic-masculinity/

    Via SDA

    10