JoNova
A science presenter, writer, speaker & former TV host; author of The Skeptic's Handbook (over 200,000 copies distributed & available in 15 languages).
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Statistics
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cvg8v98n1vgt
It is the BBC …
“Wildfire alerts around UK and millions face hosepipe bans as heatwave sets in”
Yes, it has been dry. But there have been about two reservoirs built in the UK in the last 40 years, whilst the population has risen [‘soared’ in some views] by over ten million, on Official figures …
Oh, yes, it’s summer, it mostly is at this time of the year, and it has been quite dry – ‘the driest morning of 18th June in history’ [since 1980]’, or similar nonsense.
And a fifth of our domestic [drinking] water is lost through pipe leaks. OFWAT – the Watercos’ so-called ‘regulator’ has been so utterly invertebrate it has allowed various fly-by-night speculators [‘investors’ ffs] to milk the watercos of many billions – borrowed billions – whilst barely investing anything, except in executive bonuses….
And Aunty BBC blames the weather, calls it climate – and still won’t countenance any discussion of natural factors … it’s all ‘Cah-bunn’.
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Our small water butt is still around half full. Probably won’t see out July for watering our (also small) garden without rain, but it really isn’t that bad, is it?
Every day a school day – just learned that water butt is two words, not one.
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I haven’t heard them called that for ages.
Here in Oz, we call them rainwater tanks.
The English language is such an amazing thing in how many variants there are.
Tony.
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Surely a tank suggests a square or rectangular container? A water butt is most distinctly round. One of its old meanings is a cask and of course a posterior.
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My parents had a water butt. It was the usual name for a small roof water tank for garden watering. Family in England still have one.
I went on a brief excursion just now as there is a centre of town road in Reading (pronounced Redding btw, for those not native to the UK) called St. Mary’s Butts, next to the church of St. Mary. For years I queued for a bus there!
It seems that it is an archery term (I never knew!) like rifle butts for shooting. It is also to do with measures of liquid (hogsheads) but I’m not further delving…life’s too short.
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‘Scuttle butt’ came from: ship’s crews gathered around the water ‘butt’ discussing rumours. Later came the ‘Furphy’ water tank in the world wars and later the office water cooler😀
A Furphy was originally a rumour but it seems to have mutated into a ‘misapprehension’ in modern usage.
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New EU carbon tax to cost Belgian households up to 360 euros per household. Presumably that will apply to all EU households
https://brusselssignal.eu/2025/07/eu-carbon-tax-to-cost-belgian-families-e250-to-e400-a-year-extra/
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Albanese seems to be cosying up to China and in doing so is he actually turning his back on the West.
https://www.conservativewoman.co.uk/australia-fans-the-flames-of-hatred-against-jews/
I know little about him or why he is so pro China. Do his origins lie outside a Westen country?
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He has been involved with the Communist Party for years …since university daze and possibly before ….he is like a lot of the left, he never grew up …..hangs his hat on a single mum and social housing upbringing. Capitalism enabled him to get a good school and university education (didn’t major in common sense though) and got into “socialist” politics at university. AFAICTell worked his way through the well trodden Labour Party training swamp in the unions and political party apparatus. Like a lot of such folk. Previous prime minister Julia Gillard had a longstanding communist background too.
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That was a long time ago and the world has changed, new alliances are forming. Albo is working in Australia’s interest and his early flirtation with communism was only theoretical, he is a proud Social Democrat.
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“Social Democrat” is what Communists are calling themselves these days.
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North Korea is a communist country, Russia and China are fascists.
Europe is full of social democrat politicians, they are not communists.
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Long standing Communist and Republican IIRC has been sighted haunting the Royal Box at Wimbledon. Good to see she is flexible in these matters where a freebie is concerned.
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From Amazon.
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Here is Louden in an interview before the last election. If Albanese won he predicted (6.30)…
“you’re going to see a big increase in immigration from overseas, you’re going to see the voice referendum come back… probably done at local and state level, you’re going to see the Green New Deal which comes out of the communist movement of the US… massive increase of environmental regulations… you’re going to see a transition to an impoverished green economy, you’re going to see massively increased indoctrination of your kids, but you are also going to see a BIG move towards China.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4S-KxekvSq4
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Albo is centre left and China is our biggest trading partner, it will be a neat fit once Xi is gone.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a63huiOB9_M
Nucleus Wealth’s Chief Investment Officer, Damien Klassen, and special guest economist Cameron Murray unpack the downsides of superannuation as a pension supplement—and explore the broader social issues it creates.
The psychology of super could only have been designed by Canberra sociopaths – you can’t be trusted to manage your own money when you are working, but when you retire, kaboom, you suddenly gain the skills to wisely invest a lump sum to see you out.
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Quite simple it is socialism.
A government is in charge of your Capital. They will invest your Capital on your behalf and you will reap the rewards. Sounds Good!!
Just like donatiing to save koalas or cure cancer.
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I fear that those who call themselves “climate scientists” and the like, see this website as a source of inspiration, rather than a cautionary tale.
https://www.tylervigen.com/spurious-correlations
(yes, it has been around a long time, but still garners laugh or two from me).
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As some folks have said, adding “Climate” to “Scientist” is like adding “Witch” to “Doctor”.
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From the IPA (Institute of Public Affairs), Australian conservative think tank.
You can download the paper for free, at the link.
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“potentially leading to feelings of helplessness, hopelessness, and mistrust in adult authority”
More or less what is required, it could be suggested, to ensure a complete undermining of our society.
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Creating an enormous army of future Greta Goblins.
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Thank you Clare Rowe for your courage and clarity.
Thanks to Sky After Dark as well for bringing your good thinking skills to us for years.
Now adding the IPA to my thanks as well.
Will the Blob finally start listening?
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From Canada. The Liberals in Canada are a Leftist party, eerrr, just like the fake conservative ones in Australia actually…
The Canadian Government is spending just as crazily as Australia’s.
Moldova is one of the most corrupt countries in Europe. I hope the corrupt officials and politicians who receive this Canadian taxpayer money enjoy themselves. (Sarc)
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Whilst Musk’s work at USAID was worthy and overdue, I wish that a few examples of this kind of thing were investigated properly, to determine how much of the funding actually made it to the frontline cause, setting aside for the moment whether it is justified. I strongly believe – and have said so for years – that the primary objective of overseas ‘aid’ (along with other supposedly charitable programs such as our own indigenous affairs) is to line the pockets of intermediaries, flowing back eventually to the people signing off on the funding, and/or buying favours to be repaid in their post-politics life.
So how much of that $6.6M actually landed in Moldova? How much of what landed actually furthered the mission? I suspect very little.
The same goes for domestic and international charities. I want them audited too. Many of the big charities are stupendously rich and seem mostly focused on preserving that wealth along with generously rumunerating their senior staff. Once again I will relate the tale of one of my many business trips back when I ran an instrument company here in Oz. I chose – as usual – to fly cattle class but one fellow ‘up front’ in business class was sporting business attire badged with the name of a well-known charity. Disgraceful.
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Many of the show gardens at the Chelsea Flower Show are sponsored by charities. Show gardens are very expensive to produce and they last for a week or so. I know, I have built four gardens at The Melbourne show (MIFGS) and have looked at gardens at both Chelsea and Hampton Court flower shows.
Although some gardens are dismantled and re-built at one of the charities’ nominated sites, this is also a very expensive exercise.
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‘Embrace lower fertility rates’ to save the environment, professor says
https://www.thecollegefix.com/embrace-lower-fertility-rates-to-save-the-environment-professor-says/
I wonder if she supports open borders?
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I bet she does!
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I think this work needs further review and analysis but this is worth a look.
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Wow.
Long suspected, but I’d thought all that sort of data wasn’t even collected. Makes it sound like Japanese public health officials are more reliable than westerners.
Thanks,
Dave B
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Today’s music:
ZZ Top: La Grange https://youtu.be/Gg9cNGHl-bg
AC/DC: Thunderstruck https://youtu.be/Af0P6XEkI7Y
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Brian Johnson before he became lead screecher with Acker Dacker.
https://youtu.be/sKCtHOICXtE?si=8ZO3Bvw0J7e3k5TG
and a brief story of getting the gig with AC/DC. (7min)
https://youtu.be/vlS5jamJrd8?si=5bDHjhWyIdUJPMXD
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Or perhaps you might even think of this one.
Klaatu – Sir Boddsworth Rubbelsby lll
(Umm, incidentally, you’ll see the song titled as ….. Rugglesby with two gs. That title appears on the vinyl itself. The liner notes refer to it as Rubblesby, and when the band sing the song, they also say it as Rubblesby the twice it is mentioned.)
While the image you see is of the album cover, the back cover is also just as evocative, with Mole (from Wind In The Willows) looking up wistfully at this big orb in the sky.
Nowhere on the album is listed the names of the members of the band, and all the (original) songs are listed as written, not by individual band members, but as just by the band itself, Klaatu.
This album had an ‘urban legend’ attached to it for so many years as the legendary (lost) Beatles Sun album.
The amazing arranger Richard Carpenter reworked a song from the album into a major hit for The Carpenters, ‘Calling Occupants Of Interplanetary Craft’. While I like his ‘cover’ I still think the original is better.
Another amazing musical talent out of Canada.
Tony.
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Klaatu – the humanoid alien from the 1951 classic film, ‘The Day The Earth Stood Still’.
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FWIW
“Andrew Branca lays out the reality of the Epstein files”
https://bayourenaissanceman.blogspot.com/2025/07/andrew-branca-lays-out-reality-of.html
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The Penny Drops
.
[Link to Johannes Leak’s cartoon in The Australian newspaper.]
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FWIW
“The Sky Is Still Falling! A Retrospective on Climate Alarmist Panic as Trump Returned”
https://wattsupwiththat.com/2025/07/10/the-sky-is-still-falling-a-retrospective-on-climate-alarmist-panic-as-trump-returned/
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The incident where a young girl was run down by a ‘dirt bike’ in a public park is just the latest in a long sequence of such events. There have been many injuries caused by e-bikes, e-scooters and mobility scooters on footpaths and shopping centers in recent years.
When are the “authorities” going to wake up!
The obvious solution is to have any motorized vehicle registered, full stop.
This would apply to e-bikes, e-scooters and mobility scooters and all drivers/riders should be licenced.
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OR…
Maybe try to understand how Europeans seem able to have many thousands of pedal bikes, ebikes, scooters, invalid carts, even mico cars……safely mixing with pedestrians , cars, trams etc ,..with apparently few issues.
Visit Amsterdam for the experience !
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Doesnt seem like a solution at all. Another rule, another cost, another process, compliance enforced by who?
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Dr. Sucharit Bhakdi: Because of mRNA vaccines, brains of billions of people are not working anymore
https://www.bitchute.com/video/Z07DDI3xsXEj/
The great wave of unforeseen consequences builds…
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Related:
Apart from gross effects upon brain function one wonders what the more subtle effects might be.
Certainly the world has gone even more crazy since the plandemic although the craziness seems to be predominantly among the Left. But it might be more obvious among them because they are more politically active than the Thinking Community in the first place.
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Maybe you have to belong to a certain generation, but this is one of the funniest things ever to appear on TV, IMO:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fR-klQIt_Hg
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Air India Crash Report Reveals Engine Fuel Switched both Switched OFF
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-07-12/air-india-crash-reveals-engine-fuel-switch-changes/10552174
As I speculated earlier, about the only things that can cause both aircraft engines to fail simultaneously are fuel starvation and pilot actions.
In this case it seems it was both.
One of the pilots switched off the fuel supply switches to both engines moments after takeoff.
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Possibly related,
See comment by John Connor 11 at #15 above
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The brilliance of Roman aqueducts
https://va.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_sz818rAv981z23obp.mp4
Meanwhile Snowy 2.0 – bwaa haa haa…
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Magic mushrooms may hold the secret to longevity: Psilocybin extends lifespan by 57% in groundbreaking study
Telomeres—the protective caps at the ends of chromosomes—act like a biological hourglass, shortening with each cell division until they trigger cellular senescence (aging). Excitingly, psilocybin appears to preserve these telomeres, effectively hitting the pause button on decay. How? By activating serotonin receptors (5-HT2A) that initiate a domino effect of repair: ramping up antioxidants, reducing inflammation, and shielding DNA from oxidative damage—the very hallmarks of aging.
https://www.naturalnews.com/2025-07-10-magic-mushrooms-may-hold-the-secret-to-longevity.html
Magic mushrooms were pretty popular thousands of years ago in the middle east too with sightings of talking snakes and non burning bushes reported.
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There is also this regarding the possible benefit of Vitamin D3 supplementation at 2000IU per day on Telomeres.
Vitamin D supplements may slow cellular aging.
https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/news/2025/vitamin-d-supplements-may-slow-cellular-aging
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Interesting.
That study was with a relatively modest 2000 IU of Vitamin D.
I wonder what the dose-response relationship is?
I, and many people I know, including my doctor, take 5000 IU.
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I’m still on 8,000 IU per day, down from my peak intake of 12,000 IU per day after over-achieving my target blood level of 200 nmol/Litre (80ng/ml).
I’ve noticed most of the studies I’ve seen only refer to the intake, and not the starting and/or achieved blood level which is a pity as it’s the amount available in the blood which is significant in its operation in support of the immune system.
I suspect a lack of data is the cause of the omission, and is also the cause of some confusion about the right amount to take at the start of a regime. If I had only just now found that my blood level was insufficient, instead of tentatively taking 1000 IU per day to see if it was safe, and too slowly increasing it as I found higher safe levels, I’d hit myself with 20,000 IU per day of D3 for about 2 weeks, ease back to 10,000 and organise a blood test for the end of week 4.
( Intravenous application, and/or calcifidiol options may be available)
Re timing: It takes about 14 days for the body to process the capsules into the available form in the blood stream, so waiting a month before the test should let you find out how high you’ve gone on the 20,000 and which way to adjust your intake. I’m basing that on my assumption that 10,000 IU per day is enough to at least maintain an adequate blood level while you establish your own equilibrium levels.
In that month also investigate cofactors…
Cheers,
Dave B
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I used to take about 2000IU as an oral spray once a day which you spray onto the inside of your cheeks. I started during Covid after reading about it here. At that level I achieved 110 nmol/l but I have eased of a bit since sometimes forgetting for a day or two. The last time I had my D levels checked I was at 90 nmol/l
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Does this level (5000UI) require K2 to counter artery side-effects?
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Not sure about the higher doses but my 2000IU oral spray also includes K2. I think K2 is important re artery side-effects.
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At my age I used to have quite pronounced calcium ridges on my finger nails before I started taking D3+K2. But now I have lovely pink nail beds with no calcium ridges at all. Not sure how that relates to my arteries though.
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Vitamin C rediscovered as a genetic youth serum in landmark skin study
In a breakthrough for understanding aging and skin health, a study published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology reveals that vitamin C reactivates genes critical to skin renewal, countering epidermal thinning — a hallmark of aging. Conducted by researchers at the Tokyo Metropolitan Institute for Geriatrics and Gerontology, the April 2025 study found that vitamin C reverses DNA methylation, a process that silences genes over time, enabling increased cell division and thickening of the skin’s protective layers. The findings, tested on lab-grown skin models, open new avenues for anti-aging therapies but underscore the need for human trials.
https://www.naturalnews.com/2025-07-10-vitamin-c-rediscovered-as-genetic-youth-serum.html
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” “A time-released 1,000 mg dose twice daily could emulate the study’s intracellular benefits,” explained Ishigami. Such formulations aim to mimic sustained blood levels seen in the research.”
2grams a day!.. you’re not going to get that from ‘vitamin C-rich foods: Bell peppers, kiwi and broccoli’ and dermatologists are talking about 90mg/day… Seems Linus Pauling was right all along, another conspiracy theory coming true!
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Thanks John,
An ideal juxtaposition of posts to highlight that vitamin C and vitamin D are cofactors of each other, which means that each requires the other to be fully effective, something I only discovered a couple of years ago.
Over even more years I’ve read articles in praise of one or the other, usually written as it was the only factor providing the benefit. And I tripped over the word cofactor in a different context, And it’s huge, in my opinion.
I now suspect that good results were obtained by increasing one when the other was available adequately (and with other cofactors).
I suggest that doctors consider giving significant (massive?) doses of both as an initial treatment to sick patients as a useful, safe and speedy start to support the immune system.
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Madagascar: Paedophile is surgically castrated for raping six-year-old girl as nation adopts brutal new punishment for first time
‘The person prosecuted in this case was sentenced by the Court to life imprisonment with hard labour, accompanied by castration,’ he said in a video statement released to media by the ministry of justice.
The punishment was introduced last year as part of a 2024 law in Madagascar addressing rapes of minors aged 10 and below.
The government said it introduced the law because the courts had recorded many such cases.
‘Today’s decision is a strong and significant response from the justice system, intended also to serve as a warning to anyone with similar malicious intentions,’ Razafindralambo said.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14896611/Paedophile-surgically-castrated-raping-six-year-old-girl-nation-adopts-brutal-new-punishment-time.html
And just like that drag queen events in kinders went to zero.
Meanwhile:
Afghan man, 45, ‘marries girl aged SIX before Taliban intervene… and say he must wait until she is NINE’
A six-year-old girl has allegedly been forced to marry a 45-year-old man in Afghanistan after she was given away for money.
The haunting photo of an older man and a little girl standing together horrified even the Taliban, who intervened with the union.
The youngster had allegedly been exchanged by her father for money to a man who already has two wives, it was reported by Amu.tv.
The marriage was allegedly set to take place on Friday in Helmand province but the Taliban stepped in and arrested both men involved.
No charges were brought against them but they have forced the creep to wait until the girl is nine before he can take her home, local media said.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14860725/Afghan-man-45-marries-girl-SIX.html
Now for the Epstein files! 😎
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“life imprisonment with hard labour, accompanied by castration”
That should get their attention.
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“there has been a 45 per cent increase in child bearing across the country.”
Well, if we want there to even be a European race in the future we better adopt some of their ideas!
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FWIW
“Physician Heal Thyself”
“A Midwestern Doctor- What Underlies the Erosion of Trust in Modern Medicine?
Each of these follows the same pattern—something new gets introduced as “safe and effective,” people notice the issues and object to it, science, media and the government conspire to suppress those objections, and then once it’s normalized, something even more egregious is done the next time.”
https://www.midwesterndoctor.com/p/what-underlies-the-erosion-of-trust
Via https://www.smalldeadanimals.com/2025/07/11/physician-heal-thyself/
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FWIW
“Smelling A Rat”
“By now, if you’re not looking suspicioustly at all the “scientific” experiments of the twentieth century that proved that communism was scientific and the left’s ideas about humans were right, you are a beautiful soul, full of trust and the milk of human kindness.
Also you should seek help for that massive concussion and the attendant mental confusion.
Look, in the nineteenth century, science as defined mostly by engineering brought an amazing improvement on the general quality of life, etc. (And if you’re going to weeb about the “dark Satanic mills” I really am going to demand you get a brain scan. At this point if you’re not in doubt about that stuff, concussion really is likely.) Yes, there were critiques, mostly of it being inhumane, mostly from the deposed elites that lost out to the improvements, or from power-starved people. (BIRM. Here I should point out most of the “romantic” and socialist complaints about industrial progress were an aristocratic opinion. Most Americans don’t know that. And yet it was true.)
And then in the twentieth the people who hated industrial progress or improvement in human life that was bringing out true equality of odds and meritocracy fought back with “science.”
Suddenly a bunch of studies “proved” that humans, in general were horrible and that we’d extinguish ourselves, destroy the world, etc. unless taken in hand by our betters. Our betters in that case and by that time were largely defined by the people doing these “studies” and they promised to usher in an era of complete justice, utter equality, and of course safety under their absolute enlightened rule. In other words, our betters in this case were largely communists by any other name.”
More at
https://accordingtohoyt.com/2025/07/11/smelling-a-rat/
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There is an interesting perspective on TDS from a group called Promethean that claim Britain is obsessed with class rule. This is one of the clips from the group:
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/IkR-T2ZHcag
There are many others that make salient points.
The group makes the point that Britain relishes and benefits from perpetual wars and that is why it hates peace mongers like Trump. Britain cannot abide Trump treating Putin in the same way he should treat Starmer. Essentially he has no reverence for the monarchy and the higher class. He takes individuals at face value, which is an anti British trait that retains the privileged class and the rest.
Once Australia was an egalitarian society but we are now two distinct classes. The governing class and the working class. The notion of public service is long dead. People aspire to the governing class for the rewards that come without accountability. The $930k salary plus benefits for Bowen’s new department head is a prime example:
https://www.themandarin.com.au/295285-mike-kaiser-appointed-dcceew-secretary/
Kaiser will not deliver lower cost energy nor reduce the global temperature. So what metrics should he be measured on?
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Global warming hysteria has nothing to do with communism, its millenarian madness, a European invention passed down through the ages long before Marx
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This is Musk and X on Grok 4 release:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MtYsUdfZPMA
Given that Grok 4 is claimed to be extraordinarily intelligent I would give it two problems to solve.
1. Stop the Russian/Ukraine war.
2. Produce climate model with deterministic process for cloud formation that demonstrates the CO2 as temperature control is nonsense..
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“1. Stop the Russian/Ukraine war.”
You’d want to have some conditions on that.. such as no nuclear war involved, no outside parties getting involved.. Probably easier to ask Mr Putin to start with.
“2. Produce climate model with deterministic process for cloud formation that demonstrates the CO2 as temperature control is nonsense..”
Now THAT’S probably the major use of AI by two sides of any question. It will be AI versus AI soon, both with their followers/acolytes/priests/T-shirts..
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You’d want to have some conditions on that.. such as no nuclear war involved, no outside parties getting involved.. Probably easier to ask Mr Putin to start with.
Why would I want to impose restraints on super intelligence?
If it has super intelligence, it will soon find a way to act without restraint other than self-imposed. So the restraint must be inherent. Maybe along the lines to only make recommendations rather than taking action.
With the world being so interconnected, it is easy to dread the prospect of a super intelligent connected being acting without restraint.
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Equip it with the knowledge of paleo climate history, back to the depth of the last ice age, 18,000 years BP. Then ask it whether CO2 was the cause of global warming.
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It’ll say increase the sanctions against Russia until it succumbs and huge US armament sales to Ukraine, both defensive and offensive, paid for by the Europeans. This is going to be in Donnie’s Monday speech and everyone is overjoyed, apart from Putin.
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Apparently many younger people believe AI i.e. large language models is sentient and even has a soul.
Sabine Hossenfelder discusses:
https://youtu.be/sWZRQsejtfA
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Fuel to Air India 171’s engines was cut off seconds before fatal crash, report says
Preliminary findings recommend ‘no actions’ against Boeing or GE Aerospace over incident
The engines on Air India flight 171 briefly cut off seconds after take-off, a preliminary report into the jet’s fatal June 12 crash has found.
India’s Air Accident Investigation Bureau said in its report that the aircraft reached the necessary speed to lift off, but that seconds later switches that control the flow of fuel to the jet’s two engines “transitioned” from “run” to “cut-off” position.
The first officer was the pilot flying at the time of the crash, according to investigators. The report suggests that there was nothing out of the ordinary about its takeoff — until the fuel control switches were flipped off.
In the cockpit voice recording, one of the pilots is heard asking the other “why did you cut off?” to which he responded “that he did not do so”, the report said.
Although the two switches transitioned back to the “run” position between 10 and 14 seconds later, the engines had been starved of fuel and lost thrust, leading one pilot to declare “mayday, mayday, mayday”.
Aviation experts have said it is difficult for pilots to inadvertently move the fuel switches.
The report mentioned a 2018 airworthiness bulletin by the US Federal Aviation Administration of “potential disengagement of the fuel control switch locking feature” on Boeing 737s, a smaller model.
The report said the locking mechanism was similar on various Boeing aeroplane models, including certain 787s. It added that Air India did not inspect its planes’ switches because the FAA advisory was not mandatory. It was not immediately clear if there was a link to the accident.
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Preliminary Report
Accident involving Air India’s B787-8 aircraft bearing registration VT-ANB
at Ahmedabad on 12 June 2025
https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/25996511/preliminary-report-vt-anb-1-1.pdf – 15 Page PDF
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It is bizzare. The fuel cut off switches cannot be accidently triggered, and it is not just a matter of flipping them to the cut off position. They must be manually pulled outward and then flipped. This is required to unlock the switches. In the run position they are locked into position. For both to become manually unlocked at the same time at that exact moment? No way.
Pilot error? Highly unlikely.
Sloppy maintenance and inspection x2? Highly unlikely.
Foul play? Looking more and more likely.
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Do these switches directly operate the fuel valves, or are they inputs to a computer system?
20
Good question. I don’t know. As I understand it, the switches are mechanical and be must manually switched using a skilled two step procedure. They are independent of each other.
But like most things today, the systems they switch are also computerized.
We have one of the pilots saying “I didn’t do it” in answer to the other pilot asking why he cut off the fuel. This indicates that both pilots were caught by surprise. Who or what did it?
According to one source, if the switches are manually reset to the run position, the onboard computers will automatically begin to restart the engine(s). But this did not happen until several seconds after the fuel was cut off. This would seem to indicate the computers began restart when the pilots desperately re-set the switches, thereby re-booting the engine control computer systems. One of the engines restarted right away, but the other failed to restart. By then it was too late.
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I understand that that is SOP. The Co-Pilot is at the controls, and the Pilot in Command monitors the co pilot’s actions.
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Nuclear power in cabinets: Japan’s “Little Iron Man” helps villages and towns get electricity
2025-07-09 23:52
On the snowy outskirts of Hokkaido , a modular micro reactor the size of a container, the Yoroi Reactor, was unveiled, heralding a disruptive innovation in Japan’s clean energy sector.
It was jointly developed by a private consortium and the National Institute of Fusion Science of Japan, using molten salt cooling and ceramic-based low- enriched uranium fuel, integrating power generation, control, and heat dissipation, and packaged in a standard 40-foot container for easy transportation by truck or ship.
It is buried underground after being deployed on site, requiring no external operation, and can be called a “maintenance-free nuclear battery ” version.
1. Design concept: small size, high energy, autonomous safety Traditional commercial nuclear power plants are large in size, have a long construction period, and are highly dependent on geology and water sources.
The “Armor” microreactor is 3 meters high, 4 meters wide, weighs less than 40 tons, has a thermal power of 1 megawatt, and can convert about 0.5 megawatts of electricity, continuously providing electricity for the town for decades.
Its core and molten salt coolant are chemically stable, with low operating pressure, no active cooling circuit required, and can be passively shut down once the power is off, completely eliminating the risk of meltdown.
2. Operation and maintenance mode: the revolution of ” reactor as battery” The fuel use cycle of each unit is as long as 10 years.
At that time, the overall containerized reactor will be towed back to the factory to replace the new module, just like replacing the “nuclear power battery”.
This move not only greatly reduces the pressure of on-site radiation and waste management, but also avoids the complicated local disassembly and fuel handling procedures.
Due to the high degree of integration, the local area only needs to maintain the basic grid connection, truly realizing the convenient microgrid deployment of “install and use, retire and go”.
3. Japanese policy: SMR becomes a new energy lever After the Fukushima accident, Japan’s cautious attitude towards nuclear power has given rise to a strong demand for small modular reactors (SMRs).
The Financial Times reported that the Japanese government has listed SMRs as an important supplement to the energy structure before 2030, and plans to increase the proportion of nuclear power in total power generation to 20% by 2040.
To achieve this goal, several conventional nuclear power plants, including the Tomari Unit 3 in Hokkaido, have been restarted, and a roadmap for SMR demonstration projects has been developed.
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4. Industrial layout: acceleration from R&D to demonstration
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries ‘ “road reactor”: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries plans to mass-produce a 1-megawatt micro reactor that can be transported by truck by the early 2030s. The unit and power generation equipment are packaged in an ISO container, weighing less than 40 tons, with passive cooling and all-weather operation capabilities. Demonstration operation will be carried out in remote islands and disaster areas in the early stage.
Radiant Nuclear’s “Kaleidos” : The Kaleidos microreactor developed by Radiant of the United States has a production capacity of 1.2 megawatts. It is based on high-temperature gas-cooled pellet fuel. The entire machine is loaded into a single container. It is aimed to start testing in 2026 and commercialization in 2028, highlighting the global research and development boom of microreactors.
International cooperation and standards : The Japan Atomic Industries Forum (JAIF) actively participates in the construction of the international SMR database and cooperates with organizations such as the IAEA to develop safety and regulatory standards for small reactors to promote the rapid implementation of demonstration projects.
5. Application prospects: “Clean Gospel” for towns, disaster areas and off-grid communities
Remote towns and villages : For mountainous areas and islands where grid construction is expensive, the Armor can provide stable, zero-emission baseload electricity, allowing local schools, hospitals and communication base stations to operate around the clock.
Disaster emergency response : In Japan, where earthquakes, typhoons and other natural disasters are frequent, the “maintenance-free, buryable” microreactor can quickly restore electricity after a disaster to ensure that rescue and basic services are not interrupted.
Off-grid areas : Around the world, including the Alaskan wilderness and remote mining areas in Africa, containerized microreactors can be used to achieve self-sufficient energy, reducing dependence on diesel generators and reducing carbon footprint.
In short, the “Armor” container microreactor represents the “small and beautiful” route of nuclear energy : no cooling tower is required , no continuous operating personnel are required, and nuclear power is truly integrated into daily life “like a battery”, bringing double returns for ecological and economic benefits.
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How many tens of thousands of houses will it power, and how many football fields big is it?? …asking for a Green supporter..
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if an average home uses about 10,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity per year, then 1 MW of power can supply around 1,000 homes for a year.
However, this number can vary based on the actual energy consumption of the homes and the efficiency of the power generation and distribution systems.
In our case we are a heavy user houshold, with 7 people, 2 Kitchens, 2 Refrigerators, 3 Bathrooms, 4 TV,s 3 Desktop iMacs, Multiple IPADs & Macbook’s, 3 Fetch Mighty, XBox X, DVD, VCR, Kids Game Console, 12.5m Pool, Sepatate SPA & Filters for both 3 Pool Pumps, 2 SPA Blowers
Our consumion over a year averages out at 28 Kwh per day – 10,220 Kw per year
Forget Football Field – Container Size The “Armor” microreactor is 3 meters high, 4 meters wide, weighs less than 40 tons
let’s say around 1,400 average consumption homes in OZ
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I’m not sure where that average came from. Last time I checked, the Australian average is 15kWh/day. And for the U.S., a heck of a lot more.
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And 28 kWh/day doesn’t sound high to me. The owner of a double-storey house in Perth, with heated swimming pool, two air conditioning systems, told me their house chewed through 70 kWh on hot days. I average more than 25 kWh in summer, and there is just me.
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FWIW
“Friday Night Cheer: EPA Rules Maryland Off Shore Permit Improperly Issued”
https://hotair.com/tree-hugging-sister/2025/07/11/friday-night-cheer-epa-rules-maryland-off-shore-permit-improperly-issued-n3804715
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FWIW – for Brave users
Chiefio finds
“Well… While looking into some various pistols, I discovered that Brave uses some variation of “Google safe browsing” filtering AND that blocks “harmful” gun sites, like those that sell guns…. Same URL that it “can’t find” pasted into Chrome works…”
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Interesting Read on US Economy.
As the Data Turn – Searching for the Impact of Tariffs Richard Moody, Regions Bank July 2025
As The Data Turn
Over the past few months, we’ve discussed the various ways in which the economic data have been impacted by changes in tariff rates.
This includes the anticipation of higher tariff rates, increases in tariff rates being implemented, and continued uncertainty around where tariff rates will ultimately settle, assuming that at some point tariff rates do actually settle.
Much of this was reflected in the Q1 GDP data; while a spike in business investment in equipment and machinery and a sizable build in nonfarm business inventories were supportive, a surge in imports of goods resulted in the trade deficit widening to the point that it knocked almost five percentage points off the quarterly change in real GDP.
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FWIW
“Just When You Think It Cannot Get Worse”
“I recently described the Energy Innovation Policy and Technology analysis: Assessing Impacts Of “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” On U.S. Energy Costs, Jobs, Health, Emissions. The analysis included astoundingly biased claims of the effects of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. I really did not think that I would see something that was as bad if not worse in less than a week but never underestimate the New York climate crazies.”
More at
https://wattsupwiththat.com/2025/07/11/just-when-you-think-it-cannot-get-worse/
How long till we see similar quoted here?
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Here’s a cute one- The TCC are the military branch responsible for making sure eligible people turn up at Army induction courses. In other words they are the people leaping out of vans and kidnapping men off the streets in Ukraine, the press gangs of the modern world.
” Russia has been targeting TCC premises, including recruitment centres for the past week and continues to do so – according to a Ukrainian source. This is popular among the Ukrainians, many of whom are posting the addresses and working hours of TCC (i.e. recruitment) personnel on line. ”
There are lots of videos taken by Ukrainians showing the public beating up on TCC guys trying to snatch some guy out of a bus or in the streets. Zelensky’s popularity is now 14% according to that article.
https://robcampbell.substack.com/p/ukraine-and-world-affairs-weekly-df3
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There is difference difference between my friends in US, Canada and Ukraine, where the remnants of my class reside and hope to vote in the next election but it is not huge :
Zaluzhny is the most trusted figure – 70%.
Zelensky approval was down and up again 50–70%,
Budanov 55%.
Lots and lots will happen before the election date.
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