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Thursday

9.4 out of 10 based on 16 ratings

153 comments to Thursday

  • #
    David Maddison

    When will the Lib/Nats get with the program and loudly and proudly announce that they intend to abandon the Paris Agreement if elected? What are they afraid of?

    Bernie Finn (One Nation, VIC) posted on Farcebook:

    What’s going on with Matt Canavan??

    I’ve known Matt for years and always found him to be a top bloke. This week gave me reason to wonder. In discussion with One Nation’s Lee Hanson on PML, he was churlish – even mean spirited. Very unlike him. Then he astounded most of Australia by embracing the Paris Accord after condemning it for many years! Please explain.

    (I’m not sure what PML refers to in this context, perhaps Paul Murray Live?)

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    • #
      TdeF

      Because he is likely out of a job.. “Despite Matt Canavan standing beside Angus Taylor as the vision for the Coalition’s future, Canavan will be relegated to a potentially unwinnable second spot on the Queensland Senate ticket thanks to the convention left over from the LNP merger.”

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      • #
        TdeF

        And the Libs are 100% behind Net Zero and unrestricted migration and transgender and every other bit of leftist lunacy. And get rid of anyone who disagrees. How would you otherwise explain the Moira Deeming business. Menzies conservative Liberals are long gone.

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        • #
          Dennis

          Paris Agreement 2016 signed by Turnbull Government (as the PM called it at the time) and the net zero emissions future goal was mentioned but the focus was on submissions for reduction of emissions targets that Abbott Government had earlier in Cabinet discussed and proposed the lowest target they believed would be acceptable to the UNIPCC. Noting that Australia had achieved Kyoto 1997 emissions targets and exceeded the target being one of the few signatory countries that had done. However, the UNIPCC refused to give Australia any credit for the result and therefore PM Abbott was determined to obtain the lowest target acceptable at Paris COP.

          Some say Paris Agreement was a commitment to achieve net zero emissions. I believe it was mentioned as a future goal. If not, why was there at Glasgow COP 2021 pressure applied to PM Morrison to “sign up to net zero emissions”? He on behalf of the Australian Government decided not to sign up and instead stated that Australia will have “an aspirational goal” and based on development of new technology for Australia (nuclear power stations (zero emissions would be an example and was Coalition policy later and still is in 2026). And with no adverse impact on the Australian economy both goals in line with the Howard Kyoto COP terms and conditions for Australia.

          Recently the Albanese Labor Government signed a Trade Agreement with the EU Government that had been in negotiation from Coalition Government terms earlier but never signed because terms and conditions the EU demanded were not acceptable. Albanese Labor have signed a Trade Agreement and with terms and conditions that include EU having a say in use of land in Australia and, that Australia agrees to the net zero emissions agenda (UNIPCC).

          If net zero emissions had been locked in via the Paris Agreement 2016 why was there an agreement to be signed at Glasgow 2021?

          Why did the EU Government need to request net zero emissions commitment from Australia as part of the Trade Agreement terms and conditions recently?

          I am interested to read opinions.

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        • #
          el+gordo

          ‘And the Libs are 100% behind Net Zero …’

          Taylor and Canavan have decided to focus on eliminating Net Zero because they can sell it to the electorate.

          “We don’t have time to waste on side quests,” Mr Canavan said on Tuesday night.’ (Sky)

          They also want to distance themselves from the Washington regime, they saw what happened to Dutton. If we can convince them that CO2 doesn’t cause warming then we’ll get out of Paris, at the moment its only a side quest.

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        • #
          Gazzatron

          Agreed, all LINOs – Liberals In Name Only- they kicked out or muzzled all the genuine conservatives. Antic is hanging in there as a token gesture, Deeming hanging on to a pointless position in the Vic Liberal party, Namajinta-Price muzzled after her rapid rise in popularity. Career politicians like Cash and Peterson just warming seats…

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          • #
            Dennis

            Coalition’s Policy on Net Zero Emissions in 2026
            Abandonment of Net Zero Commitment
            The Coalition has officially abandoned its commitment to achieving net zero emissions. Instead, their focus has shifted to reducing emissions “year on year.” This change reflects a strategic pivot towards prioritizing energy affordability and reliability over strict climate targets.
            Key Features of the New Policy
            Emphasis on Affordability: The Coalition’s energy policy aims to ensure that energy remains affordable for families and businesses.
            Use of Gas and Coal: The plan includes a significant reliance on gas as a primary energy source. There is also the possibility of introducing new coal-fired power stations to support energy needs.
            No Specific Emissions Targets: The Coalition has decided not to set specific emissions reduction targets, which marks a departure from previous climate commitments.
            Implications of the Policy
            The Coalition’s new approach is designed to balance economic considerations with environmental responsibilities. By focusing on affordability, they aim to alleviate financial pressures on consumers while still addressing emissions in a more flexible manner. This policy shift has sparked discussions about the future of Australia’s energy landscape and its impact on climate change initiatives.

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          • #
            Dennis

            Coalition’s Policy on Net Zero Emissions in 2026
            Abandonment of Net Zero Commitment
            The Coalition has officially abandoned its commitment to achieving net zero emissions. Instead, their focus has shifted to reducing emissions “year on year.” This change reflects a strategic pivot towards prioritizing energy affordability and reliability over strict climate targets.
            Key Features of the New Policy
            Emphasis on Affordability: The Coalition’s energy policy aims to ensure that energy remains affordable for families and businesses.
            Use of Gas and Coal: The plan includes a significant reliance on gas as a primary energy source. There is also the possibility of introducing new coal-fired power stations to support energy needs.
            No Specific Emissions Targets: The Coalition has decided not to set specific emissions reduction targets, which marks a departure from previous climate commitments.
            Implications of the Policy
            The Coalition’s new approach is designed to balance economic considerations with environmental responsibilities. By focusing on affordability, they aim to alleviate financial pressures on consumers while still addressing emissions in a more flexible manner. This policy shift has sparked discussions about the future of Australia’s energy landscape and its impact on climate change initiatives.

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    • #
      MeAgain

      https://substack.com/home/post/p-194183403

      It is human nature to crave some model to give it some sense of predictability. But, the real problem is that our models of reality also give us an identity and a sense of belonging and fighting for them gives our empty lives a sense of meaning.

      Hold all of your opinions lightly. Be proud of your ability to change your mind. Actively seek out evidence of your own ignorance and failings.

      Because if you don’t find them for yourself, reality will eventually find them for you. And I can guarantee that you will not like how reality does it.

      Because they cannot do the bold bit, reality is going to do it for them.

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      • #
        Jon Rattin

        As the band The Dead Kennedy’s said-

        It’s a holiday in Cambodia
        It’s tough, kid, but it’s life

        50

    • #
      Froggy

      Yes David, I watched Paul Murray Live last night (unusually for me a bit late !!!) and I was astonished at the spray he gave Pauline….I too have thought he was a potential Leader of the Country but he has been on the warpath with PH since he was elevated to the Leadership role. the REALLY cheap shot about the new airplane that Pauline has got from Gina Rinehart and the FIFO jibe was really weak and it would appear that Gina prefers Pauline to Matt…..maybe that is the issue…….Just a really cheap shot………

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    • #
      GlenM

      Canavan gave an informal gathering at a pub in North QLD a couple of years back and he was emphatic that Net Zero and the Paris Accords had to go. I can only assume now that he is leader of the Nationals he has taken stock of his constituency and found large numbers – particularly younger voters are not in favour of a change to those arrangements. Nonetheless a leader has to lead and lead with conviction and persuasion and not by some whimsy. He is very good on energy policy, but broader elements of policy I don’t agree with.

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      • #
        Gerry

        I doubt very much that large numbers of younger voters want the Paris Agreement. I’m pretty sure that the vast majority of younger voters have the DILLIGAFF attitude to it …if they even know about it.

        10

    • #
      • #
        el+gordo

        Its a junket, Blackout Bowen will be quite at home.

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      • #
        Dennis

        The short answer is that there is no hard enforcement in the Paris Agreement. But all the members regularly meet, share progress, and renew their pledges of climate action, encouraging every country to step up its commitments.

        40

    • #
      Steve of Cornubia

      Canavan and the Libs are going after Hanson hard because she’s a real threat now. Remember, politicians rarely have actual principles these days, at least none that are more important than winning power, so even a person or party with whom they should broadly agree on most things is the enemy when they’re competing for the same voters.

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      • #
        Dennis

        I believe they are worried about the behaviour of a minor party that at the last Federal election 2025 did not get one House of Representatives MP elected, and had only four Senators.

        To form government the minimum required is 76 House of Representatives MP and that would not be a comfortable position so 80 would be a far better position.

        Therefore, to replace Albanese Labor Government and hopefully educate or show enough conservative voters from all sources, minor parties, independent, Coalition Liberal National LNP, a combined cooperative is essential.

        Pretending to be already a step away from forming government and convincing opinion polls that is a possibility is self defeating.

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  • #
    David Maddison

    Here is an interesting video and article about a prototype WW2 Japanese interceptor aircraft, the Kyūshū J7W Shinden.

    I think there is some inaccuracies in the video, for example it’s speed is mentioned as 745mph which sounds implausible for the time, more like 745kph, 750kph according to Wikipedia. This was still an extremely high airspeed for the time.

    However, it was a very advanced design and could have been developed into a potent aircraft had they not lost the war.

    https://youtu.be/tJbsEDzc5C0

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ky%C5%ABsh%C5%AB_J7W_Shinden?wprov=sfla1

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    • #
      Peter C

      Wikipedia says 745kph, which is reasonable, given performance of other propeller driven aircraft of the time.

      Maximum speed: 750 km/h (470 mph, 400 kn) at 8,700 m (28,500 ft)

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    • #
      MrGrimNasty

      A Spitfire managed to reach 620mph in a dive when the speed limiter (to 606mph) failed. The propeller ripped off and the diving aircraft reached more than Mach 0.92 with bent wings.

      The fastest and most useless WWII plane was the Messerschmitt Me 163 Komet – 702 mph supposedly, with under 8 minutes of rocket powered flight.

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    • #

      At one of the Kamikaze museums in Japan, there is a “Shinden”, of sorts. It is cobbled together from a few original parts and a LOT of “new” work. Impressively large and standing tall on its tricycle undercarriage. It was built as a “prop” for a feature film a decade or more ago.

      Interestingly,the Smithsonian has one, as well, but theirs is MOSTLY original parts “liberated” at the end of the war. Not on display, normally

      The Museum sits opposite to the large “grass” field used as one of the major Kamikaze bases.

      I have been to this one in Chikuzen, Fukuoka Prefecture:

      https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/14672495

      The factory was also in Fukuoka Province

      Take a train right to the place.

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    • #
      GlenM

      Definitely 750kph. The Germans had a push pull aircraft, the Dornier 335 which as implied had a propeller rear and forward. Named the Pfeil(Arrow) it had a high speed and good flight characteristics. Interesting designs.

      30

  • #
    David Maddison

    In the US, Ilhan Omar is currently under serious investigation with regard to her immigration status and also her finances.

    Bizarrely, she’s not sure if her net household worth is $18,000 or $30 million. (She blames an accounting error.)

    It sounds like yet another “far right conspiracy theory” is coming true.

    Sky News Australia discusses (along with other stories):

    https://youtu.be/3Zh4tvsrY6Q

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    • #
      MrGrimNasty

      Saw an article or video the other day asking how despite never having had a productive job, most the the UK Labour cabinet are multi-millionaires.

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      • #
        David Maddison

        Many politicians, especially the more Left leaning ones (who typically have never had a proper job) have unaccountable wealth. For example, the Australian Slime Minister and 20 of 23 members of his cabinet own more than two rental properties.

        At least 20 out of 23 members in the Labor cabinet have declared they own more than two properties and will still be able to offset rental losses against their six-­figure parliamentary incomes. Read more: https://bit.ly/3PEzwH9

        And from Gulag AI:

        Across the entire federal parliament, ownership of multiple properties is a strong norm. Federal MPs and senators own an average of 2.25 properties each. More than half (56%) of all politicians across political parties are active property investors or landlords, a reality that frequently fuels public debate regarding capital gains tax exemptions and negative gearing policies.

        Also from Gulag AI:

        Tony Burke (Minister for Home Affairs / Arts): Holds one of the largest portfolios in the cabinet, declaring six properties, which includes multiple investment/rental holdings across different states.

        Andrew Charlton (Labor MP / Prime Minister’s former economic advisor): Owns five investment properties, putting him among the most valuable property holders in parliament.

        Madeleine King (Minister for Resources): Declares four properties in total, including investment real estate.

        Tanya Plibersek (Minister for the Environment and Water): Owns an international investment property located in Slovenia.

        Michelle Rowland (Attorney-General): Declares three investment properties.

        Penny Wong (Foreign Minister): Owns multiple properties, though she has previously noted that her additional holdings are utilized by family members rather than run strictly as commercial rentals.

        Typical hypocritical communists.

        While politicians make us poorer and render housing unaffordable, they continue to become more wealthy.

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        • #
          Gary S

          And they have all been recently bleating about housing availability for young Australians, whilst they themselves are hoarding valuable housing stock which is now not available to the market. Hypocrites indeed.

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        • #
          Maptram

          Most of the Labor side would own at least two properties, one in their electorate, one in which they live, in another electorate.

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          • #
            Dennis

            Most would also be taking advantage of the Living Away From Home Allowance that is part of their remuneration package and not an expense requiring a claim and supporting evidence.

            PM Keating was one example, he lived with his family in Canberra as Labor Treasurer in the Hawke Government and owned a house there, the chldren went to school in Canberra. He also had a house in his Sydney Bankstown District electorate and later while PM acquired other properties, as far as I am aware in Sydney Eastern Suburbs including a heritage property that he restored to its former glory.

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            • #
              Gary S

              That heritage property is now valued at up to 20 million dollars, as Keating embarks on an Ocasio-Cortez like rant of ‘tax the rich.’
              This particular scumbag also owns other properties and car parking spaces around Sydney and was formerly (maybe still?) receiving a $25,000 per month stipend from the Pratt family as a ‘consultant’. Consulted on what? These people are in politics purely for the feather bedding benefits.

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              • #
                Dennis

                When he left Parliament he moved into another multi-million dollar property not far from the Packer Family estate and in a very popular Eastern Suburbs area

                30

              • #
                Len

                I remember Barry Humphreys saying ” I would like to acknowledge the actual owners of the country – the Pratt family.”

                40

          • #
            Dennis

            Pauline Hanson does not have according to the records a Canberra property but does own two in Queensland, Only 12 out of 227 sitting MPs and senators have declared no property ownership, indicating that most politicians, including Pauline Hanson, own real estate. This trend shows that property ownership is common among elected representatives across party lines.

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        • #
          GlenM

          Two bigger problems than negative gearing exemptions are shortage of available dwellings and foreigners buying into the housing market.

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          • #
            Dennis

            Yesterday on Sky Business housing market was discussed and that real estate market property sales have already started to decline, many for auction failed to sell and buyers on average fewer than previously.

            The expert predictions are for property values to fall and with the very real prospect of a crisis developing the not too distant future as property values fall much lower.

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      • #
        Broadie

        how despite never having had a productive job, most the the UK Labour cabinet are multi-millionaires.

        And here is why we should not pay Politicians. Democracy relies on the election of people who know how to feed themselves and understand the functions of managing and maintaining services.

        As soon as you pay career polticians you attract the crowd we have now.

        When One Nation simply stands up and says no more career politicians, two year terms and no more than two consecutive terms we will pull out of the dive into the third world green utopia. This will attract real community representatives and they will be entitled to have bridges named after them and statues raised to those who did more than most.

        Pauline Hanson needs to state they are tipping out the trough, rather then pursuing more staffers to handle the garbage and trash invented to hide the real business of running services.

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  • #
    David Maddison

    Frugal science and engineering.

    Making biomedical devices inexpensively. This could help people in Third World countries.

    https://youtu.be/2TTu-Lkz2Eo

    I built a 96-channel pipetting device inspired by an $18k commercial system, using 3D printing, laser cutting, and off-the-shelf parts. Total cost: about $250. This video shows the design, build, and testing process.

    This project is open source!
    https://github.com/Its-Triggy/multi-channel-pipette/

    As a commenter said the reason for the high cost of these machines is the huge cost of certification and tracing and tracking every component. E.g. they note that even an O-ring needs 40 pages of documention.

    I worked at a biotech company manufacturing medical instruments. One of the reasons they are so expensive, is the stringent requirements to certify your manufacturing process. Every single O-ring came with 18-40 pages of documentation, and a batch number. You needed to be able to trace, the date of manufacture, and the specific batch of manufacture, on every single part in contact with wet substance. This was really annoying, if I had to scrap an O-ring, I had to find another with the exact same batch number, or do a very lengthy procedure, to link the replacement one, to the instrument. If there was a problem with a tube, they would do an investigation to see when the problem started occurring, and then they’d know exactly which instruments to recall/hold. A medical company manufacturing pharmaceuticals, would not be allowed to use your instrument in their production, even if it works, according to their certification, because your method of manufacturing, would also need to be certified. etc.

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    • #
      Lance

      The high costs and documentation are all driven by Legal Liability / Tort Law claims. If something screws up that leads to legal action, somebody has to “hold the bag” in court. Tort reform is necessary to reduce costs. Obviously, negligence, malice, and reckless indifference should not be shielded.

      Similar cost ratios exist for spare parts on military weapons systems, some are rational and some not. There is a bolt on the C-5 Galaxy nose wheel brake caliper assembly that costs over 400 USD each. They have about 40 pages of documentation per bolt. An enterprising person in Supply changed it to a Grade 8, cadmium plated, industrial bolt. At high braking temps, the cadmium diffused into the beryllium alloy caliper and upon cool down, the caliper became brittle. The next landing involved loss of the nose gear brakes, runway overshoot, plowing the ground beyond, and 2 Million USD damages, followed by a worldwide grounding of all C5’s until every brake caliper bolt was inspected and replaced, along with the caliper assembly. Sometimes, things are expensive for a reason. Not every time, but who wants to confess to that bolt debacle?

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    • #
      Jon Rattin

      Those rigorous manufacturing standards fell to the wayside 6 years ago as they rolled out covid vaccines. Low standards will be accepted in a climate of fear and hysteria.

      https://www.vaccines.news/2025-09-23-study-reveals-widespread-dna-contamination-pfizer-moderna-vaccines.html

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      • #
        Gee Aye

        that’s a beat-up. DNA- shock horror- can be found in injectibles of all sorts gong back decades.

        010

        • #
          Strop

          “Beat-up” is different to false.

          Are you saying that it’s all in essence true, but just not as much a problem as they’re making out.
          If so, by not as much a problem as making out, is that because it’s not a problem at all? Or because it’s only a problem for the minority who are affected and you’re not one of them?

          DNA- shock horror- can be found in injectibles of all sorts gong back decades

          I don’t think that’s in question. The issue seems to be the delivery components used, how safe they are, and how much of anything in excess of what’s claimed is in there.

          Please explain your contentions.

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        • #

          Gee Aye, it’s like you pretend all DNA is equal. The plasmid contamination in Pfizer vaccines includes the SV40 promoter sequence. Would you like cancer with that?

          Total DNA ranged 371-1,548 ng/dose and 1,130-6,280 ng/dose in Pfizer and Moderna products, respectively. Specific DNA of multiple plasmid DNA targets ranged 0.22-7.28 ng/dose for Pfizer, and 0.01-0.78 ng/dose for Moderna. The SV40 promoter-enhancer-ori (0.25-23.72 ng/dose) was only detected in Pfizer vials. Oxford Nanopore sequencing of one vial found mean and maximum DNA fragment lengths of 214 bp and 3.5 kb, respectively. These data demonstrate the presence of 1.23 × 108 to 1.60 × 1011 plasmid DNA fragments per dose encapsulated in lipid nanoparticles. Using fluorometry, total DNA in all vials tested exceeded the regulatory limit for residual DNA set by the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) and the World Health Authorization (WHO) by 36-153-fold for Pfizer and 112-627-fold for Moderna after accounting for nonspecific binding to modRNA.

          https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40913499/

          Some contaminants are worse than others.

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          • #
            Gee Aye

            Look it up again.
            1. SV40 has contaminated vaccines for a very long time.
            2. SV40 promoter is a promoter region. Promoters need to be in front of a gene specific genes. The SV40 promoter activated viral genes that caused cancer.
            3. Promoter DNA fragments don’t just start activating genes while they float around in the blood and interstitia.
            4. Bits of DNA in blood, at membrane barriers and intracellularly get broken down very rapidly.

            06

            • #

              The mRNA vaccines are not designed to “float around in blood and interstita” they are designed to enter cells. And if 99.99999% of the SV40 promoters are destroyed and only 0.000001% get into the nucleus how is that reassuring? Covid mRNA vaccines contained 15 trillion mRNA molecules. So you might only get 1,000 cells with a random insertion that may or may not generate a cancerous change?

              It only takes one cancer to make your life hell.

              It’s a cost-benefit risk eh? If the vaccines worked, it might be worth the risk.

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              • #
                Gee Aye

                IC. How does this random insertion occur?

                05

              • #
                Gee Aye

                You are welcome to disagree with AI…

                Why They Don’t Cross the Membrane
                The cell membrane acts as a highly selective barrier. For anything to enter using the “lipid fusion” or endocytosis pathways, it must be carefully packed inside the Lipid Nanoparticles (LNPs).The LNP Shielding is Intentional: During manufacturing, the LNPs are designed to selectively bind with and encapsulate the long, negatively charged strands of mRNA.

                Impurity Exclusion: Soluble trace chemicals, elements from the buffer solution, or small fragmented components left floating outside the LNPs are not protected. Because they lack this lipid transport vehicle, they cannot merge with or easily breach the cell’s outer fatty membrane.

                08

            • #
              Peter C

              1. SV40 has contaminated vaccines for a very long time.

              Well that can’t be good.
              Why are cancer rates going up now? Delayed affect from those vaccines we all got years ago?

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              • #
                Jon Rattin

                GA, SV40 may have been present in vaccines for many years but not in conjunction with mRNA technology, particularly the delivery via lipid nanoparticles.

                AI also says:
                “Cancer rates in Australians under 50 are rising significantly, with at least 10 different types of cancer showing unprecedented increases, particularly in those aged 30 to 39. This trend is alarming to doctors and scientists, as early onset cancer is becoming more common,

                The rise in cancer rates among younger Australians is concerning for healthcare professionals, prompting urgent investigations into the underlying causes. This trend reflects a shift in cancer demographics, indicating that younger adults are increasingly affected by diseases traditionally associated with older age groups.”

                The SV40 (amongst other things) won’t be considered as a factor because the vaccines continue to hold the supposed status of being “safe and effective”. Around 95% of Australians were forced to be injected with novel therapeutics for covid. If you’re blindfolded, you can’t see the elephant in the room.

                20

    • #

      All part and parcel of the rampant “Galloping Credentialism” afflicting the planet.

      10

  • #
    David Maddison

    Video.

    Harris Sultan looks at some of the disgraceful behaviour on the streets of London and elsewhere, mostly due to open borders immigration.

    It’s so shocking even the fully woke BBC thinks it’s bad.

    Australia also gets a mention.

    https://youtu.be/WvxaVUDaS9g

    The Left try to silence debate on inappropriate immigration by calling anyone who questions it “racist” or some type of “-phobe”.

    Most people are not opposed to legitimate immigration, but it has to be in absorbable numbers and there has to be a commitment to assimilate, work and obey the law and a fundamental commitment to accept the ways and values of the dominant culture (whether personally agreeing with them or not).

    Welcome You came here from there because you didn’t like there, and now you want to change here to be like there. We are not racist, phobic or anti whatever-you-are, we simply like here the way it is and most of us actually came here because it is not like there, wherever there was. You are welcome here, but please stop trying to make here like there. If you want here to be like there you should not have left there to come here, and you are invited to leave here and go back there at your earliest convenience.

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  • #
    David Maddison

    Prominent Canadian academic Prof. Gad Saad is leaving Canada permanently for the United States due to constant death threats.

    https://nationalpost.com/opinion/gad-saad-is-canadas-number-one-author-and-hes-leaving-canada-for-safety-reasons

    FIRST READING: He’s Canada’s number one author, and he’s leaving Canada for safety reasons

    Gad Saad said constant Montreal death threats ultimately proved untenable

    At the precise moment that his book Suicidal Empathy is topping world bestseller charts, prominent Canadian academic Gad Saad has announced he is permanently leaving Montreal for the United States, citing escalating threats to his personal safety.

    “I’m now leaving in large part because it became difficult for me, if not impossible, to be a high-profile Jewish professor who supports the right of Israel to exist,” he said.

    Saad told Joe Rogan that in 2017, online threats had forced him to follow a safety protocol in which he had to be escorted by security while on campus — and the doors of his classrooms locked to keep out potential assailants.

    Saad told Rogan he is in the United States on a work visa, but hopes to obtain permanent residency and ultimately citizenship. “Maybe we can turn the Saads into Americans,” he said.

    Saad’s departure marks the second time in 16 months that an influential Canadian academic has left Canada for the United States, blaming local political conditions for hounding them into exile.

    Jordan Peterson, formerly of the University of Toronto, officially announced his permanent departure from Canada in 2024, said it had become “uncomfortable” for him to continue living in his Toronto neighbourhood.

    Saad is confirming his exit from Canada at the same time that his new book, Suicidal Empathy: Dying to Be Kind, is currently number one on Canada’s Amazon charts, and number 10 in the U.S.

    The title is a term of Saad’s invention, and refers to a phenomenon of individuals prioritizing empathy over personal safety or cultural survival.

    Even before the book’s publication, it had already entered mainstream political discourse. As one example, it’s one of the favourite terms of billionaire Elon Musk, who mentions it frequently in online posts and podcast interviews.

    “Many people have written to me to ask whether they should come to Canada,” he said.

    “I say that there are wonderful things in Canada. There are amazing researchers in Canada, but, yes, we are an ultra-woke country. We do suffer from stage four suicidal empathy.”

    SEE LINK FOR REST

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  • #
    another ian

    FWIW

    A ponder for the morning –

    “The question people need to ask is

    what is the real reason for the sudden massive need

    for data centers everywhere?”

    (From a cartoon, no citation)

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    • #
      RickWill

      Does your search engine have an AI assistant?

      Huge amount of targeted advertising across many versions of social media. This blog is rare in using a volunteered funding model. WUWT has a paid subscription and advertising model.

      There are people living well off Youtube videos and other social media platforms powered by advertising.

      We are frequent Amazon shoppers. We order today, get advised when an item is packed for shipping; get advised when the item is out for delivery and then get a photo and advice of delivery often the next morning. All done over the internet via data centres. And Amazon is only the #5 ranked company by market cap.

      Our TV viewing is probably 60% streaming these days. Some households do not even have an antenna for free to air viewing.

      The modern world is digital data and it needs data centres run on electricity. The more the electricity costs, the higher the overhead of doing transactions.

      So the question is readily answered by looking into how you do what you do rather than taking it for granted.

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      • #
        OldOzzie

        Heh – Received Message Reminder: Your N900 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router (R8000-100AUS) has reached End Of Service yesteday morning

        We are reaching out to inform you that service updates for your N900 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router (R8000-100AUS) has ended.

        Meanwhile in the last week my Samasung A17 Mobile had been unable to get the Internet over the Netgear R8000 Router

        Nighthawk App on your Samsung is showing the router as “Disconnected” right now is a separate, very common glitch that often happens right around these firmware changes or app updates.

        Having alreay replaced one Netgear R8000 last year due to problems, with TP-Link AXE5400 purchased on Amazon last year for $224, connected to NBN Modem

        Searched Gemini with price I had found on Amazon for $185 for TP-Link AXE5400

        You have found an incredible deal on that TP-Link Archer GXE75 AXE5400. At $185, that router completely changes the math of this comparison.
        The two DeviceDeal links you posted show exactly how much retail prices fluctuate in Australia—the $339 price is a massive markup (likely old RRP stock), whereas the $159 price is closer to the current street value for the Asus RT-AX58U V2.
        However, comparing the $159 Asus against that $185 TP-Link AXE5400 is a mismatch. The TP-Link is a significantly more powerful, next-generation router for just $26 more.

        I ordered 2 TP-Link AXE5400 at $370 to replace the remaing 2 Netgear R8000 at 1107 yesterday morning

        Delivered at 6.30pm same day

        And as for Streaming, and in the case of 12 year old gaming Grandson, and 9 Year old Xbox Grandson plus multiple streaming sites on 83in LG OLED TV with 7 people in the house, 3 TV Locations & yes do have Digital TV Antenna cabled to 3 TV Locations

        Family strong users of Gemini, Chat GPT, Anthropic Claude 4.6, Leo Brave, so lots of Electricty required for searches

        40

    • #
      KP

      “what is the real reason for the sudden massive need for data centers everywhere?”

      The answer seems to ‘AI’.. Although I cannot see the need for AI either! None of this is being driven by public demand.

      I thought it was the number of people in the world wanting to be Youtube stars…

      41

      • #
        RickWill

        None of this is being driven by public demand.

        Obviously you use the internet.
        Do you use a search engine?
        Do you use streaming TV?
        Do you buy on-line?
        Do you use a mobile phone?

        The vast majority of people do.

        My wife used to have a newspaper delivered up till maybe 8 years ago. She would spend time going through it and often do the crossword over coffee if she did not go out. Now no newspaper but computer comes out – she gets news headlines and has a few favoured sites. Maybe 30% of our purchases are done on line and we do a lot of looking on line even if enetually purchased in store.

        50

        • #
          Tel

          Search engines, online shopping and streaming video have all been around for at least 10 years. Mobile phones have been around for 30 years.

          Nothing new or unusually demanding in that lot.

          We already had plenty of data centres and as computers get better and faster they typically also get smaller and lower power. The only new thing which has inordinate demand for power is AI … and probably that also will improve efficiency over time.

          40

          • #
            RickWill

            How much RAM did your 30 year old phone have compared with present phone?

            What resolution was the screen on your first mobile phone. What is the resolution of you current phone?

            What size image did your 30 year old mobile phone produce from its camera compared to what your current phone does?

            Data handling has gone up 100-fold or more in the past 30 years and continues to increase dramatically.

            20

            • #
              Tel

              Improvement in server technology has vastly outstripped what a phone can do, or even what a phone network can deliver.

              Gigabit server networks are considered entry level, but you won’t find too many mobile networks even close to gigabit download speeds. A real server these days is at least 10 Gigabit and higher is quite achievable.

              So no … that’s not even close to an explanation of the current data centre expansion.

              Besides that, most people don’t use their phones at full throttle … firstly the battery runs out quickly and it gets hot if you really attempted to push it. Secondly, the genuine useful apps are all low bandwidth … customers want social media, read the news, chat with short messages (like this blog) or watch short videos.

              There is absolutely zero value to an HD video on a tiny phone screen, and almost everyone tries it a few times, the novelty wears off then they go back to basic TV resolution because the difference is too miniscule to notice. Indeed podcasts are pretty much as popular as videos because podcasts give you the info you want with less effort (depending on age group).

              Service providers have desperately struggled to find something to sell the customers which isn’t dirt cheap and commodified already. E-mail, web services, storage have all been pushed down to razor thin margins by the sheer numbers of competitors out there.

              Then comes AI like a Golden Calf and it’s finally something that might make a profit … for some … after the bubble pops and the weak hands get shaken out. That’s why they are piling in.

              10

          • #
            Earl

            Would AI be involved in the new tv channel option of restarting a program that you missed the start of while the one being broadcast (obviously) continues for all those who did tune in at the start time? This “service” and the mass of channels with all the old/previous series shows has turned the television into a quasi video recorder and as others have noted given the huge amounts of water needed a very large resource devouring vcr.

            40

        • #
          OldOzzie

          Subscribe to The Australian on line & with it comes Wall Street Journal, both appreciated by my Wife on her Matching 27in 5k Retina iMac, though slowly for both of us, as I am Samsung Android, adjusting to trying to set up and work out her new Apple 17e & how it works, as her Apple 5SE Phone had died – Elder Daughter, whose Family is all iPhones not much help

          Why Apple make everything so complicated, I have no idea!

          With Git Hub and various work arounds, can read a lot of paywalled newspapers

          Why go to the shops when you can order online for Coles/Woolworths/ALDI, and some one else wanders around and packs your order and is delivered your front door (or in the case of the back half Family – Rear Door) for $2-4 or if over a value – free

          Wine & Liquor Online, Wife new watch from Myer etc, etc

          50

        • #
          Vladimir

          Probably Mrs. RickWill has doing Wordle nowadays instead of her Crosswords.
          We do.

          40

          • #
            Tel

            Sure … that’s an excellent example of a very low bandwidth app, which requires almost no data centre resources and does not push the phone capabilities.

            And yet, very popular because it’s what people are interested in.

            That makes my point exactly … there isn’t market demand for more and more resource intensive compute … except in one very narrow area and that’s AI.

            10

      • #
        Vicki

        Dunno. I still find it hard to believe how amazing and useful AI is. Loved the internet when it first arrived as I saw it as the most gigantic library in the world with such easy access. But AI is at a different level. I now have a search engine which provides data AND interpretation at my command. I understand its limitations and have at least one major disagreement with Grok.

        But it is truly amazing. I have always wondered about Buckminster’s fascination with the idea of Precession in physics. Grok explained it perfectly and then answered my query whether it applied to Trump’s modus operandi. Bingo!

        So – everything damn issue from the treatment of broken limbs in cows to precession to countless other queries….just wow.

        10

    • #
      David Maddison

      Australian politicians and Leftists fantasise about Australia becoming an AI data centre “superpower” but are too stupid to understand that AI and data centres in general require vast amounts of cheap and reliable coal, gas, nuclear or hydro electricity.

      Plus Government and Leftists love the idea of AI and data centres because of the ability provided to trace, track and control everyone and implement a Chicomm-style Social Credit score.

      As Australia continues to shut down its power stations and de-energise, where exactly is all this cheap and reliable electricity meant to come from?

      https://www.industry.gov.au/publications/national-ai-plan

      150

      • #
        OldOzzie

        David,

        Add Water – From Gemini

        You hit on the exact blind spot that is currently causing a massive reality check for the “superpower” narrative.

        While the media and politicians focus entirely on the electricity grid, the physical bottleneck that is quietly halting or delaying massive data center projects across the globe is water.

        The engineering reality of AI compute is that it creates an incredibly high “heat flux”—traditional air cooling can’t keep up with modern Nvidia chips running intense machine learning workloads.

        To keep the servers from melting, operators have to rely heavily on water.

        The Massive Water Scale (The Data)According to recent industry audits and submissions to the Productivity Commission, the numbers for Australia are staggering:

        Current National Consumption:

        Australian data centers consume approximately 47 billion to 100 billion litres of water annually.

        The 2030 Projection:

        Driven almost entirely by the AI buildout, this is forecast to skyrocket to 220 billion litres per year by 2030.

        The Household Comparison:

        A single, large 100MW data center using standard evaporative cooling uses about 4.16 million litres of water a day—the equivalent daily water usage of a town of 10,000 people (or roughly 2,000 suburban Australian households).

        The Digital Query Cost:

        Every time someone inputs a series of complex prompts into a cutting-edge LLM (Large Language Model), it takes a physical toll on a cooling tower.

        Estimates show a standard session of 10 to 50 complex AI queries directly and indirectly “evaporates” about 500ml of water (the equivalent of a standard water bottle) to reject the heat generated by the processors.

        The Engineering “Catch-22”:

        Litres vs. Kilowatts

        Data center designers face a brutal thermodynamic trade-off between water and electricity.

        You can’t eliminate one without spiking the other:

        Evaporative Cooling (Water-Heavy):

        This acts like a massive version of the old-school evaporative “swamp coolers” used in country homes.

        Water is evaporated to cool the air. It is incredibly energy-efficient (keeping electricity costs down), but it consumes millions of litres of fresh drinking water that literally vanishes into the atmosphere as steam.

        Chilled Air/Closed-Loop (Power-Heavy):

        You can design a system that uses a closed-loop (like a giant domestic refrigerator) that consumes almost zero water. However, this causes electricity consumption to spike by 20% to 40%.

        In a country like Australia—where the electricity grid is already fragile, expensive, and heavily reliant on fossil fuels while transitioning—switching to air cooling means putting immense, unsustainable strain on the power grid during a 40°C Sydney heatwave.

        The Local Friction Points

        This isn’t just a theoretical problem anymore;

        Water utilities are actively sounding the alarm.

        In Melbourne’s west and north, water authority Greater Western Water recently evaluated 19 proposed data center sites that collectively requested 20 gigalitres of drinking water per year.

        That is equivalent to the water consumption of 330,000 everyday residents, dropped right into localized infrastructure.

        One single standalone project proposal near Mt Cottrell requested enough water to match a town of 66,000 people.

        140

        • #
          H P

          Imagine the gall of some two-bit municipality saying “NO”!

          30

        • #
          Roy

          Why not put the data centres in cold countries? Wouldn’t the heat be able to escape to the air then? If water was still necessary even in cold countries then the waste heat could be used for district heating in large towns.

          20

        • #
          KP

          Then they should only be allowed West of the Great Dividing Range, so the water vapour will re-condense over the mountains as rain. That way we can recycle it!

          10

    • #
      Ronin

      The East German Stasi had kilometers of racking to store paper files on their citizens, this is that , in digital form.

      100

  • #
    another ian

    FWIW

    A mention of problems surrounding the “Alpha Gal” tick problem –

    “*****, my in-laws are slowly working towards being able to possibly eat some pork. There is a test with a number scale on it that rises and falls with how much is in your system. Supposedly you eventually work your way out, but some people never do. I know one young woman who has it who can’t even be around barbecue smoke without having anaphylactic shock. That is where I found out about the problems with any medications that have animal products in them or are produced from animal blood or tissue. She has a reaction to them as well.”

    110

    • #
      Greg in NZ

      From uncredited meme/toon:

      Adam tending barbecue as Eve walks by.
      Adam says: The McRib is back!
      Eve replies: Stop calling me that.

      🤣

      100

  • #
    another ian

    FWIW

    “Don’t Buy BMW Plug-In Hybrids or Newer than 2021”

    “Gang Green Wants To Spank You For Insufficient Plugging In
    I’m a bit amazed at this, and I very much hope it doesn’t cross the ocean to America…

    The EU mandates and “carbon” incentives will spank the car manufacturer for too low a fleet wide utilization of plug-in charging in plug-in hybrid cars. Since some large number of people live, for example, in apartments without charging facilities, many people find it easier / more convenient to just let the car charge itself using fuel. This results in “real world” use of total electricity being less, and Gang Green spanks the manufacturer via reduced “carbon credits”. ”

    More at

    https://chiefio.wordpress.com/2026/05/20/dont-buy-bmw-plug-in-hybrids-or-newer-than-2021/

    80

  • #
    KP

    SMH senior economics write agrees with JC11-

    “the price of oil, which has sat above $US100 a barrel for the past month, and government bond markets where investors are betting inflation will be higher for longer. The interest rate on 10-year American bonds, for instance, has climbed by more than 8 per cent over the past four weeks. When you owe the world about $US39 trillion, that’s a big increase in your interest bill. High-priced oil and increasing interest rates is a dangerous combination…

    But Australians, and the investment community, have put this all aside. Breathless concerns about the oil shortage and the number of ships steaming to Australia with diesel and petrol have been forgotten as commentary has moved onto the machinations of capital gains tax reform. Panicking motorists who were filling every spare teapot with unleaded in March now drive into the local service station to see petrol at the same price it was before the war.

    We haven’t run out of oil, yet, because people have responded to the big increase in prices by cutting demand and nations have been tapping oil inventories. But those inventories are being run down at a record pace. ..global prices may soon reach a tipping point with the relatively rosy expectations of a quick return to reality running smack-bang into the reality of the Strait of Hormuz remaining blocked indefinitely…

    He reckons we shouldn’t expect it to get better and it will probably get a lot worse.

    https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/you-thought-you-knew-the-cost-of-trump-s-war-it-s-going-to-get-much-much-worse-20260520-p5zywv.html

    50

  • #
    another ian

    FWIW

    “Met Office Faces Fresh Scandal Over its “Implausible” Climate Projections Report at the Heart of UK Net Zero Fantasy”

    “In 2018, the Met Office published its ‘UK Climate Projections’ report (UKCP18) forecasting several weather extremes including a suggestion that summer temperatures could be 5.1°C higher by 2070. Needless to say, the forecast captured mainstream media headlines at the time, and to this day the report is a foundational source for most UK governmental and private company climate change regulation and spending. Just one problem – it is now officially junk. The Met Office only ran a RCP8.5 set of assumptions through its super-computer, the results of which it then proceeded to highlight. To retain scientific integrity, the Met Office must remove this deeply flawed work with a notification that any policies arising from its discredited figures should be re-examined.”

    Much more at

    https://wattsupwiththat.com/2026/05/20/met-office-faces-fresh-scandal-over-its-implausible-climate-projections-report-at-the-heart-of-uk-net-zero-fantasy/

    Looks like fanyasy buily on fantasy?

    130

    • #
      Greg in NZ

      The hypothesis is implausible;

      the $C!€ŊC€™️ is implausible;

      and yet people still believe, and some people get very rich, and some believe they are Napoleon (again).

      Junk the junk and tap your barometer – it’s the only sign of true change.

      90

  • #
    another ian

    FWIW

    “America’s Energy Comeback is Leaving Green Fantasies Behind”

    https://wattsupwiththat.com/2026/05/20/americas-energy-comeback-is-leaving-green-fantasies-behind/

    And

    “ASEAN Nations Return to Fossil Fuels, Back Away From Net Zero Plans”

    https://wattsupwiththat.com/2026/05/20/asean-nations-return-to-fossil-fuels-back-away-from-net-zero-plans/

    Plus

    “The United Arab Emirates Is Playing Its Own Game”

    https://wattsupwiththat.com/2026/05/19/the-united-arab-emirates-is-playing-its-own-game/

    101

  • #
    KP

    Control of the narrative goes mainstream.. Soon Joe Public will know what it means-

    Some capitalists took on the CGT change with a social media campaign, forcing Labor into a ‘please explain’ situation to defend it.

    Labor in overdrive to rewrite CGT narrative amid ‘incorrect’ meme war- Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and a team of ministers spent the morning trying to rewrite the narrative over changes to the capital gains tax discount, after a social media campaign against the changes by startup founders went viral. Albanese, cabinet secretary Andrew Charlton and Infrastructure Minister Catherine King claimed the social media campaign – featuring AI-generated depictions of Albanese – were tantamount to misinformation and failed to grasp the reality of the government’s tax changes.

    Never mind, soon to be banned under our misinformation laws! For now they’ll settle for a quick bribe to the trouble-makers in the hope of shutting them up.

    Assistant Customs Minister Julian Hill, in a separate appearance, said a carve-out for startups in the capital gains tax legislation was a possibility.

    These are the people Labor is wooing, young unshaven hipsters in a shirt and a suit jacket who deal in apps and green energy solutions on someone else’s money, not old farts who have worked hard to amass capital and know exactly what Labor really is.

    https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/labor-in-overdrive-to-rewrite-cgt-narrative-amid-incorrect-meme-war-20260520-p5zyxj.html

    80

  • #
    another ian

    FWIW – For rocket watchers

    “Third version lucky?

    As I write these words, SpaceX is planning to launch the 12th Starship mission today.”

    “There’s so much information to absorb, I couldn’t summarize it in a brief blog post. Therefore, here’s a 15-minute video describing how we got to today’s launch, and what the company expects from it.”

    https://bayourenaissanceman.blogspot.com/2026/05/third-version-lucky.html

    50

  • #
    Ross

    Open my X feed this morning and someone was lamenting that CSIRO are about to sack 1/3 of their climate modelling department.

    For starters, I would need to see this confirmed and then secondly my immediate thought was- why stop there, get rid of the other 2/3rds as well.

    220

    • #
      TdeF

      Sack the lot. 6,000 people who do nothing at all and all push the economically crippling Net Zero non science.
      As for industry, it is being shut down by carbon dioxide taxes, soaring electricity costs also due to CO2 carbon credits and these secure employment types say nothing. Perhaps they should go on strike for higher wages? And see if society can function without them? As for climate modelling, when did they get anything right? And claim wind and solar are cheaper and Snowy 2.0 is a great idea. What has the CSIRO done for industry? Green steel? Fake science specialists on the public purse. What happened to those self shearing sheep?

      230

      • #
        Ross

        Agree with all that TdeF, and more. Except you were wandering into Monty Python territory a bit- you know “what have the Romans ever done for us? ”

        Self shearing sheep could actually work now. What with better robotics and Elon Musk. I look at Teslas Optimus robot and wonder, maybe we could program them to shear sheep? How hard could it be?

        60

        • #
          el+gordo

          AI is killing their jobs.

          ‘CSIRO management is expected to confirm at a staff meeting on Thursday that it is making about 100 scientists redundant as part of a plan announced last November to cut full-time research positions by between 300 and 350. It follows the sacking of 818 support staff last year.’ (Guardian)

          51

          • #
            Ross

            I’ll take that as confirmed. Thanks.

            .
            .
            [Changed your name to “Ross”, per your usual posting.
            Using your full name makes the system think you are a new user. – Raquel]

            20

        • #
          TdeF

          I think cloud seeding lasted 50 years. Generations of failure. As for sheep shearing, the fact that it might work now 50 years later does not mean it was not a complete waste of money with zero benefit to anyone.
          Pottering around with stuff with infinite time and our money when there is so much which actually needs to be done is not science. It’s full time hobbyist. At our very great expense.

          6,000 full time people and really what have the CSIRO done for us? Over 100 years at $1 Billion per year. Australians have every reason to ask that question and expect an answer. And hope it’s not ‘preventing Climate Change’ or elephant repellent or sheep shearing. And with their total focus on preventing Australian Climate change, they are killing the Industry they were constituted to protect and enhance. It’s in the name.

          In fact name one invention. And not WiFi. The CSIRO did NOT invent WiFi. But they profited massively from opportunism when everyone else donated their technology for the common good. Which the original idea.

          70

          • #
            Ross

            Well actually, they’ve done quite a bit in the ag field.

            So, for example, CSIRO had a lot to do with BT cotton breeding. These are the cotton cvs. that produce their own biological insecticide (Bacillus thuriengensis). When introduced decades ago they revolutionised crop protection for that crop because there was a significant reduction in insecticide use for pests such as Heliothis. (Helicoverpa spp.)

            I’m not sticking up for the present CSIRO, I think they got captured by the climate blob just as much as all other government departments, politicians, banks and businesses. The present CSIRO in no way resembles the “old” CSIRO.

            20

          • #
            Len

            The CSIRO used to send out a magazine with all their achievements with comments from Sir Gus.
            I used to look forward to them arriving 🙂

            10

    • #
      RickWill

      CSIRO need to retain enough people to apologise for destroying the Australian economy and come out in support of One Nation.

      40

    • #
      RickWill

      For starters, I would need to see this confirmed

      Lot of stories on 92 positions going. Only 6 in climate modelling.

      CSIRO has told staff it will cut 92 positions in its environment unit – just days after the Australian government boosted funding to the national science agency by A$387 million.

      Our scientific colleagues have told us roughly a third of CSIRO’s climate modellers will lose their jobs – between four and six roles out of about 15 scientists. These cuts come on the back of decades of slow but steady reductions in funding in the same area. This threatens Australia’s ability to do its own climate modelling at a time when the United States has drastically cut its climate science program.

      The cuts pose a direct threat to Australia’s climate model, known as ACCESS (Australian Community Climate and Earth System Simulator). It’s the only global climate model developed in the southern hemisphere.

      https://au.news.yahoo.com/csiro-cuts-climate-science-jobs-011859298.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly9kdWNrZHVja2dvLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAFzUnKz8FLOk2YDHkO8tzIasjRapRzsczEnQUF32zx_EOB9AF0Zly0K5LuhjXD4sdVeWssU50OmxDEVrjaRZhQeYmElLhRHj7aiFXU5iVeH-3mgsU7B6lqzb6tcPZuI45tcNDNo47EFTxsX6p10fpkmdm3CPjyX4COEvclE-CWkQ

      Why does it matter where a “global” climate model is developed.

      I was planning to attend the ACCESS meeting at the end of August. It might not go ahead now. I prepared to work for pennies to guide them back to useful forecasting and drop the CO2 carp.

      I have seen some of the DOGE stuff from the US targeting Australian research in the climate arena. Maybe US money was supporting jobs at CSIRO.

      50

  • #
    another ian

    FWIW – some things that we were told weren’t going to happen –

    “Russian Sanctions Collapse UK Buys Russian Oil US Extends Waiver; Russian Warnings Baltic Drone”

    https://rumble.com/v7a52fo-russian-sanctions-collapse-uk-buys-russian-oil-us-extends-waiver-russian-wa.html?e9s=src_v1_upp_v

    70

    • #
      RickWill

      Pick you enemies wisely!!

      40

    • #
      el+gordo

      Its not a collapse and Ukraine understands this awkward situation, its only temporary.

      ‘The licences will last for three months before they are reviewed. Keir Starmer’s spokesperson told reporters that such measures were “standard practice to ensure market stability, used by both this government and previous administrations”. (Guardian)

      05

  • #
    RickWill

    WOW – This is a powerful speech:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJF4gyWAReE

    Chantelle Thomas SA MP – It is why everyone should be voting One Nation. Just so refreshing.

    Broad ranging and touching.

    The best first speech I have been engaged for the entire speech. Imagine if our parliaments had more people like this.

    110

    • #
      Sambar

      Potential ON leader? Sadly, by the luck of the draw Pauline lacked a really good public speaking persona, this young lady, if she persists could indeed offer the nation some hope.

      40

      • #
        RickWill

        She already offers hope for me. Her comment she credited her daughter with about the person being rude indicates Chantelle is doing a great job as a mother. Her speech was compelling and a great outlook for someone wanting to make a change for better. Lots of life experience for a young lady.

        40

  • #
    another ian

    FWIW

    “About That Alberta Independence Petition”

    https://hotair.com/tree-hugging-sister/2026/05/20/about-that-alberta-independence-petition-n3815117

    And “things native title”

    This doesn’t mention that, while the East-West pipeline is still in talkfest, Keystonelite is abuilding to link Alberta oil to USA

    30

  • #
    Ross

    Last night as I was about to start the evening meal saw a preview to the SBS news. (the other half watches the SBS cooking show).

    Reports of outbreaks of Diphtheria and there was a comment about reduction in vaccination rates being the cause. You know the whole ANTI- VAXXER narrative. This morning I learn 90 % of the Diphtheria cases were aboriginal- sorry, “First nations peoples”. So, it’s probably more indicative of poor health outcomes in some outback settlements. Golden rule- never trust the MSM news, In fact, dont even Trust and Verify, just don’t trust.

    150

  • #
    another ian

    FWIW – crank this into any high speed rail enthusiasm that you might have –

    “Honey, I Shrunk The California High-Speed Rail…Again”

    https://hotair.com/hot-air-staff/2026/05/20/gop-voters-are-rino-hunting-n3815136

    30

  • #
    Dennis

    The Guardian has provided a comprehensive coverage of Liberal-National Opposition Leader Angus Taylor’s Budget Reply and note the coal fired power stations inclusion;

    https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/live/2026/may/14/budget-reply-angus-taylor-anthony-albanese-jim-chalmers-tax-reform-property-investment-negative-gearing-capital-gains-housing-ntwnfb

    20

    • #
      Dennis

      It has been alleged that the Liberal National LNP Coalition have on Immigration taken the policy of a minor party, the average intake per year from ABS information is revealing;

      2000-2007 Coalition = 125,800 average per year intake
      2007-2013 Labor = 259,000 average per year intake
      2013-2022 Coalition = 168,700 average per year intake
      2022-2025 Labor = 424,300 average per year intake

      50

    • #
      Dennis

      It has been alleged that the Liberal National LNP Coalition have on Immigration taken the policy of a minor party, the average intake per year from ABS information is revealing;

      2000-2007 Coalition = 125,800 average per year intake
      2007-2013 Labor = 259,000 average per year intake
      2013-2022 Coalition = 168,700 average per year intake
      2022-2025 Labor = 424,300 average per year intake

      00

      • #
        RickWill

        And this gives an indication of how half baked ideas copied from One Nation result in conflict within the LNP:
        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6kM8CJy0N28

        Andrew McLachlan on immigration – the current “rhetoric” does not meet Australia’s need on immigration.

        40

        • #
          Dennis

          Taylor says migration intake likely to be 40% below current levels
          In his budget reply, Taylor said a Coalition government would link the number of migrants coming into the country with the number of houses being built.

          Ferguson chases a hard number out of Taylor – he won’t give an exact figure, but a rough estimate.

          That number is likely to be 70% down from the peak, roughly 40% down from where we are now.
          I’ve given you a very clear principle. It will be a very substantial reduction, because there is no way that the government is going to get their housing completions up to a level that’s going to give a bigger number than that.
          After some more pushing, he says the net overseas migration number will be below 200,000. The NOM was 306,000 in 2024-25, down from 429,000 the year earlier.

          Who will make up those numbers – how many will be skilled migrants, how many will be temporary or international students – is unanswered

          20

          • #
            KP

            “net overseas migration number will be below 200,000.”

            550 per day, every day of the year, ABOVE those leaving because their temporary visas expired or they are students going home. So we need 250 new homes, every day, seven days a week, no holidays, all year! Our births are 300,000 our deaths 200,000 so the pressure is on.

            If they are temporary or students they won’t be counted as migrants, they are just students/travelers/tourists/seasonal workers surely? People with no intention of living here.

            30

      • #
        OldOzzie

        The standard historical benchmark used by economists is ASIC’s official tally of companies entering external administration for the first time.

        Here is how the average annual business insolvencies break down across those exact timeframes:

        Political Era – Timeframe Average – Annual Corporate Insolvencies

        Coalition – 2000–2007 – ~6,200 / year
        Labor – 2007–2013 – ~9,100 / year
        Coalition – 2013–2022 – ~7,800 / year
        Labor – 2022–2025 – ~11,200 / year

        Combining the corporate liquidations (ASIC) with small business/sole trader personal bankruptcies (AFSA) gives a comprehensive view of the total small-to-large business failure rate across each period.

        The Combined Business Failure Statistics

        Political Era – ASIC Corporate Insolvencies (Average/Yr) – AFSA Small Biz Bankruptcies (Average/Yr) – Total Average Business Failures Per Year

        2000–2007 (Coalition) – ~6,200 – ~5,400 – ~11,600 / year
        2007–2013 (Labor) – ~9,100 – ~5,100 – ~14,200 / year
        2013–2022 (Coalition) – ~7,800 – ~3,900 – ~11,700 / year
        2022–2025 (Labor)- ~11,200 – ~3,300 – ~14,500 / year

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    • #
      RickWill

      I have listened to Malcolm Roberts and Pauline Hanson for over a decade now. Why would I want to read policies second hand and half backed.

      This is what you will get from a half backed policy on climate from the LNP:
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SdJPZuzEW-A

      Listen to his dumb response on the Paris Accord starting at 11 minutes in.

      It would be foolish to vote for any of the UN-parties. If not One Nation then let Labor have another term so the results of the of socialist agenda is even more apparent. Australia does not need more UN-part carp.

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    el+gordo

    He plans to keep the old coal fires burning and not build new Hele.

    ‘Opposition Leader Angus Taylor is launching his first attack in Australia’s Climate War 3.0, switching the Liberals’ focus from nuclear energy to coal power, declaring that fossil fuels are an essential element of cutting power bills.

    “I announce that a Coalition government will work with coal-fired power plant owners to keep them running as long and as hard as possible to get electricity prices down,” Taylor said in his budget reply speech on Thursday.’ (SMH)

    Its a prudent approach, Tony Abbott has his hand in this.

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    • #
      Dennis

      As reported NSW Labor Government have already intervened and paid for reconditioning of the state’s biggest base load generators power station Eraring to extend operating years and since that work was completed the owners have announced that without needing further government funding Eraring will now continue operating for many more years.

      QLD LNP Government recently announced that the coal fired power stations there, a couple are HELE technology, and all still QLD government owned, have had closure dates cancelled and plan to extend operating for many years ahead.

      The Coalition has argued its 2035 time frame is important because Australia is “running out of power” thanks to the rapid approach of coal plant closures, and slower-than-expected rollout of renewables.

      Eleven of Australia’s 18 coal-fired power stations are due to retire by 2035, although state governments have recently intervened to extend the life of some plants over availability concerns.

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    • #
      KP

      Meh- You’ll know they are sincere when they get the Chinese down here to build new ones!

      ..and the Russians for nuclear stations at the same time.

      40

      • #
        Dennis

        Australia has ANSTO and they designed and built with contractors their current Opal nuclear reactor at Lucas Heights Sydney, referred to as a First Of A Kind design, and of course their Science and Technology side have been developing nuclear technology such as thorium molten salts reactors.

        A firm from South Korea was the primary contractor that built United Arab Emirates Barakah nuclear power station that has 4 generator units combined installed capacity 5,600MW.

        00

        • #
          Dennis

          There is an example of a new nuclear reactor project in Australia. On 3rd September 1997
          the Hon. Peter McGauran, Minister for Science and Technology, announced a replacement
          research reactor would be built at Lucas Heights. The construction licence was issued on 4th
          April 2002 by ARPANSA and the reactor entered production on 12 August 2006 – less than 9
          years from decision to production. This multipurpose reactor (later named OPAL) is a much
          more complicated project than a power reactor and was a First of a Kind (FOAK) project.
          An international example of nuclear construction is the four APR-1400 power reactors at the
          Barakah Nuclear Plant in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The decision to deploy nuclear
          power was announced in April 2008 and construction of the first reactor completed in
          March 2018, again within 10 years. This project was from a “standing start” with no nuclear
          regulator or nuclear experience in the UAE, unlike Australia which has been involved in
          nuclear since the 1950’s.
          The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) provided extensive support to the UAE as
          they did to Australia’s OPAL project and would do again when Australia starts its nuclear
          power program.
          As with the French nuclear power program in the 1970’s, it demonstrates that nuclear
          projects can be completed in a ten-year timescale, if there is a will to succeed.
          When Australia is looking at net zero by 2050, it is clear that there would still be time for
          nuclear power to make a significant contribution to our low emissions future, particularly as
          all the existing solar and wind plants will have to be replaced before 2050.
          Development times for VRE projects and particularly supporting transmission can be long. In
          their report for GenCost 2023-24 Aurecon note that the development time for offshore
          wind is > 7 years.

          20

  • #
    Neville

    Amazing that Aussies have always stayed close to the coastline and the percentage today is about 87% live within 50 klm of the coast.
    And that’s about 23.5 million Aussies in 2026.

    https://soe.dcceew.gov.au/coasts/pressures/population#:~:text=In%202001,%2085%%20of%20Australia%E2%80%99s%20population%20lived

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    • #
      KP

      Well, that’s great, the ones that make it inland haven’t impressed me!

      12

    • #
      el+gordo

      It had something to do with the tyranny of distance and few went beyond the Never Never.

      A very fast train network might open up the country.

      13

      • #
        another ian

        The transcontinental railways opened up the USA and Canada.

        Which is why the idea of a start with a Central Qld to Pilbara line with iron works at each end had promise

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  • #
    TdeF

    “Inaction to force up rates, says Climate Change Authority’s Matt Kean” ( a former NSW Liberal treasurer)
    Australian, Rosie Lewis, National Affairs Correspondent

    “Natural disasters fuelled by a failure to curb global warming will make higher interest rates a permanent feature of Australia’s economy, the government’s climate change tsar Matt Kean has claimed, as analysis shows the ­extent to which climate inaction will harm the nation – in particular in NSW and Queensland – and reduce households’ income.”

    So we Australians control our own climates. How absolutely absurd is that? And this from a very senior former Liberal party member.

    ‘”We’re talking about household incomes potentially 20 per cent lower than the status quo, persistent inflation, and rising interest rates driven not by policy mistakes but by floods, fires and other disasters made worse by climate change,” Mr Kean said.’

    Mad. Completely, certifiably mad. Some people are born idiots, some become idiots and some have idiocy trust upon them. Or all three.

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    • #
      TdeF

      Matt Kean. BBus, GradDipCA
      Political Career & Roles
      • NSW (Liberal) Treasurer (2021–2023): Served under Premier Dominic Perrottet, focusing on state budgets and post-pandemic economic recovery.
      • (Liberal)Minister for Energy and Environment (2019–2023): Implemented the Electricity Infrastructure Roadmap, driving a 20-year transition to renewable energy in NSW.
      • Federal Appointment: Appointed by the Albanese Labor Government in August 2024 to a 5-year term as Chair of the independent Climate Change Authority.

      No wonder Tony Abbott was out the window. More Green than the Greens. And even impressed Trot Albanese.

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    • #
      Honk R Smith

      One of the problems is the two dimensional representation.
      The Laurentide ice sheet did not cover Alaska because on a sphere, Alaska is not as far north as it looks.
      We didn’t want Canada.
      We allowed the Frenchies to keep part of the northeast area in hopes they would absorb New Yorkers.

      There was no Trump in the early days of American expansion.
      If there had been he would have procured it, and it would a ski resort* today.
      Trump may have satisfy himself with only Alberta.
      He may be able to incorporate the US northeast and and Canada southeast as an open air asylum being the crazies have self located there and the best solution is to close it off.

      *(Soon to be matched with the gambling and beach resort in Cuba.)

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  • #
    Dennis

    I apologise for double posts but today I am again having problems with the website connecting

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  • #
    el+gordo

    Xi has told Trump and Putin that Beijing supports the concept of a multipolar world.

    ‘A multipolar world order is an international system where power is distributed among three or more major global centers rather than concentrated in a single hegemon (unipolarity) or two superpowers (bipolarity). In this modern geopolitical landscape, influence is decentralized and fluid, involving nations like the United States, China, Russia, and emerging regional powers.’ (AI)

    Donnie wasn’t too impressed, but Putin had no wriggle room and agreed with Xi.

    03

    • #
      RickWill

      Was it Xi or his double – call me confused!

      Wasn’t Xi on his deathbed last year!

      50

      • #
        el+gordo

        There was a soft coup which was supposedly stymied by a counter coup, nobody outside the elite knows the outcome.

        My guess, the reformers prevailed and Xi is a puppet of the elders.

        04

      • #
        el+gordo

        And he is not a doppelgänger.

        I’m confident that Xi is no longer the supreme commander because there is precedence. Hua Guofeng was heir apparent after Mao’s death and the elimination of the Gang of Four, but he was barely tolerated and his power gradually eroded.

        03

    • #
      Honk R Smith

      Oh great.
      Human history is littered with the wreckage of ‘concepts’.
      This blog features discussion of one of the dumbest ones ever.

      Over the last decade, the main curiosity to me is how dumb will the concepts get.
      You’d think “men can give birth” would be the apex.
      But I’m not confident.

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    • #
      KP

      “Donnie wasn’t too impressed, but Putin had no wriggle room and agreed with Xi.”

      ‘Donnie wasn’t too impressed, Putin was enthusiastic and Xi was obviously keen…’

      Really EG, why would Putin be against a multipolar world, all its doing it adding China to the opposite side of America. If its handled carefully it will pull a lot of ‘vaguely neutral but bullied by America’ countries away from the West and into a non-aligned group.

      Trump is the one losing out here, but it doesn’t matter what he thinks, America’s decline of unstoppable.

      If we’re lucky the Asian world that is rising won’t take too much revenge on us.

      11

  • #
    RickWill

    Our Pauline is looking to make a move to Yeppoon. That places here in Capricornia and likely kills Matt Canavan’s chances of taking a represenative seat.

    One Nation Leader Pauline Hanson is reportedly in talks to relocate her electorate office to Yeppoon, within the seat of Capricornia.

    The electorate is currently held by Nationals MP Michelle Landry, though speculation is mounting that Matt Canavan could take the seat if Ms Landry decides to step down.

    https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/other/pauline-hanson-reportedly-in-talks-to-move-office-to-yeppoon/ar-AA23BBVl

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    • #
      el+gordo

      A battle of the titans, a zero sum game, I’ll bring the popcorn.

      13

    • #
      Dennis

      Another Coalition (LNP QLD) electorate to possibly be targeted by One Nation, why not a Labor electorate.

      There is a pattern developing and One Nation is targeting Coalition seats rather than Labor seats?

      30

      • #
        Dennis

        As Deputy Prime Minister, Barnaby Joyce was a strong supporter of the Snowy 2.0 project. His backing was crucial in promoting the initiative as a means to ensure reliable energy supply and to support the transition to renewable energy sources.

        Of course since May 2022 Snowy 2.0 contract payment system structure and system was changed from the original Snowy Hydro Limited submission approved by the Turnbull Coalition Government resulting in substantial cost increases.

        Tonight on Bolt at Sky now One Nation MP Joyce was unwilling to explain the decision of One Nation’s SA Leader in the Legislative Council voting against fracking gas fields and joining with Liberals while Joyce was explaining drilling for gas offshore SA which is of course what National’s Leader and Liberal Opposition Leader Canavan and Taylor have been promoting as policy if they can form Federal Government in 2028. Embarrassingly for One Nation Joyce mentioned Snowy 2.0 and ridiculed “Liberals”.

        This rivalry must stop. One Nation is undermining the major Opposition from a minor position based on elected members, not one House of Representatives MP elected 2025 and four Senators, now 2 House of Representatives MPs, Joyce who changed from Nationals after being elected as a National 2025 and the successful Farrer by election candidate from the recent election.

        21

      • #
        el+gordo

        One Nation will contest any seat they think is winnable.

        12

  • #
    another ian

    FWIW

    “Eh? Gawd!

    “Labour Considers Making it Illegal to Work When it is “Too Hot”

    Labour is considering making it illegal to work when it is “too hot” as part of measures to “protect people from the impacts of climate change”. The Telegraph has more.”

    https://wattsupwiththat.com/2026/05/21/labour-considers-making-it-illegal-to-work-when-it-is-too-hot/

    00

    • #
      el+gordo

      Early season heat dome coming to Europe, time to knock off.

      ‘The driving force behind this pattern flip is a strengthening upper-level ridge building out of Northwest Africa and expanding across western and central Europe. This feature is evolving into a classic Heat Dome phenomenon where persistent high pressure acts as a thermal lid, trapping and continuously compressing subsiding air.’ (Severe-weather.eu)

      01

    • #
      KP

      But only white people I hope, those North African immigrants are quite used to the heat…

      10

  • #
    el+gordo

    This new paper believes the earth initially came out of glaciation because CO2 was released from the oceans.

    https://notrickszone.com/2026/05/20/74026/

    11