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
Fresh information on Greenland and Mr Trump. It appears that Trump was affronted that he was not awarded the Nobel peace prize and blames Norway which awards it. Mr Trump believes he has stopped eight wars. Any nomination has to be put in to be considered long before any date Trump might have thought he was eligible. If he has stopped eight wars then no doubt he would be a certainty for the peace prize next year. In the meantime he is pressing ahead with his desire to acquire Greenland by one means or another
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15477311/The-message-Norwegian-PM-sent-Trump-sparked-presidents-outburst-saying-Nobel-Peace-Prize-snub-justified-Greenland-land-grab.html
220
Obama was inaugurated on January 20, 2009 and won the Nobel Peace Prize on October 9, 2009 without ending any wars during his presidency. However he did start a war in Libya in 2011.
370
Yes. And the nominations for the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize closed February 1, 2009.
Obama was in office only 12 days in which he could have conceivably done anything to “earn” the prize.
261
Of course he didn’t earn the prize but he was the right person in the right place.
47
I vote to rename it the “Nobble peace” prize. 😆
00
“Ignoble”?
30
I’m surprised you’d pay any attention to the DAILY MAIL!
120
This has been very widely reported and confirmed by the president of Norway.
21
The idea of acquiring Greenland for the US is not new. Over 250 years there were four other attempts by presidents of both political stripes.
Given how crucial the US is to the viability of NATO and the security of Europe now might be the best chance for the US to make a deal to acquire Greenland.
I don’t think Trump will militarily annex Greenland. The optics of such a move would be utterly disastrous. But he will apply as much pressure as possible and he holds all the cards.
We are witnessing the most consequential US presidency in our lifetime.
180
The first attempt was in 1867, so not quite 250 years, 158.
They came very close to purchasing both Greenland and Iceland for US$5.5 million in gold but Congressional approval was unlikely to be given so it didn’t go ahead.
(The dollar value is about $120 million today but the gold value is probably much more.)
70
I was referring to 1776-2026 which is 250 years but perhaps my comment was a bit ambiguous. You are of course absolutely correct.
50
$120 million?
Blackrock or Vanguard would buy it, put four houses and a hotel there and charge a toll for anyone who flies rockets or aircraft over it.
Alternatively the Watermelon Not for profits are so fat they could purchase the land and build cocktail bars in beach resorts powered by wind turbines and solar farms. They would eventually end up selling seal furs and drums of whale oil as with any good cause there should be something for those who sacrifice their lives for their calling. No reason that executive perks and salaries should have to suffer for idealistic causes.
70
Greenlanders might vote to join the USA.
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2026/01/native-greenlanders-reveal-horrors-under-danish-rule-including/
70
That is history, currently 85% of Greenlanders reject Donnie’s offer and 75% of Americans don’t want him to take it by force.
With the Midterms coming up the Republicans are worried about colossal losses.
05
Surveys Gordo? Worth the paper they are written on.
Throw in a few freebies and wait for it.
20
This was a singular question and people are overwhelmingly against invading Greenland without the approval of Congress.
12
Really Gordo? What’s your source?
And can your source also be construed as saying that people ARE in favour of invading Greenland WITH the approval of congress.
TDS is a complicated phenomenon. Especially among those who don’t realise they have it!
60
The idea of buying Greenland is popular among Republicans.
‘A Quinnipiac University poll found 55% of voters opposed to the United States trying to buy Greenland, with majorities of Democratic voters (85%) and independent voters (58%) opposed and a majority of Republican voters in support (67%).’ (ABC)
02
The way to get land at a reasonable price.
The Kremlin owes Beijing $169 billion dollars and when Russia collapses it will be a fair price for Outer Manchuria.
Already the Russian street names in Vladivostok are becoming Chinese.
03
Just watched an interview on GB News. Bev Turner spoke to Mike Sarraille, former Navy Seal and Marine with 20 years in Special Ops.
The bloke is very experienced and presumably well informed on military matters. They were discussing the strategic importance of Greenland to the U.S. and the world. I thought he was going pretty well until he mentioned the naval threat posed by China and Russia as ‘THE ICE CAPS CONTINUE TO MELT AWAY.’ I don’t think he was just talking about summer, either.
Donald needs to be very careful about who is advising him on some matters. Look what happened last time.
30
It is possible he doesn’t necessarily believe it. But knows the media do believe it. So he can use it as leverage to emphasise the importance of Greenland for security.
00
At least Donny has the Fifa prize found in a cornflakes box .
05
Poncie – another gurgle from the human sewer.
30
Ohh, violating Jo’s code of conduct, the mods will be talking to you.
If only her code extended to providing reviewed evidence.
04
Those of us who look at the never ending torrent of climate related peer reviewed articles are increasingly sceptical of their value
Indeed peer review in many different topics can be suspect
https://dailysceptic.org/2026/01/17/the-problem-with-peer-review/
I thought this last quote in the article rather interesting
“…here is Eric Voegelin, one of those great émigre scholars who went to America. This is from Robert B. Heilman and Eric Voegelin: A Friendship in Letters, 1944-1984, p. 312:
If you place money in the hands of academic mediocrities, it will hardly improve scholarship or advance science, but rather increase the social power of mediocrity.”
Hmmm….now which scientists and organisations might that apply to? Answers on a postcard please…
160
Canada seems to want to try to outdo every other western country with its proposed hate speech laws
https://slaynews.com/news/canadian-lawmaker-blames-maga-religious-extremism-criminalize-bible-verses/
Perhaps Carney has been getting ideas from his new best friends in China
130
I have questions. What about:
The passage “love thy neighbor as thyself” is found in Leviticus 19:18 and is reiterated by Jesus in the New Testament, specifically in Matthew 22:39.
I hear that some groups object to loving a neighbor.
130
(1) Luke 6:27–28: Jesus says “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you”: (2) Proverbs 10:12: “Hatred stirs up conflict, but love covers all wrongs.”
So all the Kings evil left-wing Prime Ministers in the World, should love their enemies, and do good to those children who make naughty pictures. The children should not have their phones taken away, for hating the Prime Minister or Communism.
60
Do you really want to go there and start taking The Old Testament literally? Because it is chock full of stuff that would be considered barbaric by today’s standards. Leviticus in particular makes the rainbow crowd cry, as it refers to homosexual acts as an ‘abomination’. Playing the ‘pick and choose the passages I like’ game cuts both ways.
21
Ain’t it the truth!
About it being full of nastiness, not its validity, that is, hence the New Testament.
You’d think an omnipotent & omniscient being would have done a better job creating servants wouldn’t you.
Mind you the talking snake was cool, and turning an XY chromosome rib into XX chromosome Eve was too.
And all land animals travelling to the middle east for a sea journey. Amazing how fast penguins can waddle when threatened with high seas!
Ok, enough…
11
At Christmas, the children showed me a spiting image picture of myself as a very ugly gurning man, with big eyes, a big nose, big ears and a big mouth, with very big teeth and a large tongue. They now showed me a highly illegal picture of the British Prime Minister in a bikini. I warned them that the Prime Minister and the local Tory MP, both tell me they want to take away your phone, and put you in prison, for the serious crime of hate.
100
In Australia’s case I don’t know why Albanese is so offended by being portrayed in a bikini since the regime doesn’t even believe, and it’s the law, that your gender is not determined by biology but by “identification”. Thus a judge says it’s possible to change gender (a biological impossibility), and people are seriously fined for “misgendering”.
Albanese is a typical Leftist hypocrite, his perceived gender is important for him but anyone else’s gender is what they say it is.
Albanese must be a “transphobe” if he doesn’t like being portrayed in a bikini.
Anyway, it’s triggered the generation of thousands of different pictures and videos of Albanese in a bikini. I guess he’ll have to shut down all social media and put people in jail.
At least in the UK, the Supreme Court decided that one’s gender is defined by biology as it is conventionally understood (XX=female, XY=male) while still recognising the right of people to “identify” however they please.
The UK court decision has very important implications for women’s rights such as being able to exclude men from women’s spaces like change rooms and toilets etc..
130
Nobody likes being ridiculed. And the most ridiculous like it least of all.
The King is a fink!
40
How about Bowen in some black leather and whip clobber telling us renewables are the answer?
A new Oz micro-peso dollar note with Bikini Albo on the front and bondage Bowen on the back?
They’d sell fast!
Faster than their idiotic policies have anyway..
20
If they outlaw deepfakes of politicians in bikinis, how far away are we from them outlawing impersonators in other media? Can we throw Alec Baldwin in jail for his Trump impression? Or Dave Chappelle for his ‘Black Bush’ impression? Or Darrell Hammond for his Bill Clinton impression? Or Dana Carvey for his Daddy Bush impression? Or the grandaddy of them all, Chevy Chase’s bumbling Gerald Ford impression?
Contrast that with the Trump administration’s embrace of deepfake, meme and cartoon versions of themselves. 100 years from now, historians are going to have no idea what JD Vance looked like due his babyface meme being more common than his actual picture. Even JD got in on the fun dressing up as his meme-self for Halloween.
https://thatparkplace.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/JD-Vance-Halloween-Thumbnail.png
Even Democrat administrations aren’t above having fun with their image.
https://images.fineartamerica.com/images/artworkimages/mediumlarge/3/bill-clintons-blue-dress-painting-home-art-decor-william-howard.jpg
The British Labor Party is a bunch of uptight empty suits with no sense of humor. BoJo may have been an idiotic Net Zero true believer who squandered his chance to rebuild a post-Brexit UK, but at least he was fun.
https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/976/cpsprodpb/12EAB/production/_111638477_b16fe741-d2b7-42ab-8db5-08487342cb7f.jpg
https://i2-prod.mirror.co.uk/incoming/article6637087.ece/ALTERNATES/s1227b/Boris-Johnson.jpg
50
Sort of ironic that politicians want to ban deep fakes. They spend their lives being deep fakes. Only a small % are genuine people trying to improve the lot of the average citizen. You can also bet that small % aren’t voting for censorship.
90
When you say small, I am reminded of the term vanishingly small. As in my chances of seeing a unicorn in my back garden this morning.
30
Mmmmmm I’m thinking single digital percentages. I can think of a handful of Australian politicians (who probably have their flaws just like me) that generally seem to care about the country and its people.
10
Digital=digit
00
Just for my benefit can you name one of these politicians.
As the saying goes and especially with politicians, if you can fake sincerity you’ve got it made.
00
Any of them who have not been added (excluded) from cabinet membership (government or opposition)
One could suppose after several elections and remaining in Parliament, there might be reasons for such exclusion.
00
I did better than you Paul. My son used one of the so called AI programs to produce an image of me walking across the Abbey Road pedestrian crossing complete with Ringo, Paul and the VW.
Once upon a time he would have used photoshop.
30
There was an important women’s rights case just won in the UK.
A group of seven female nurses at Darlington Memorial hospital felt harassed and violated that a male was using their change room.
Even though Leftists think it’s wonderful for men and women to have shared private spaces, most women object as was the case here. It’s their right to change their clothes among people of the same gender if they so wish.
IreneBritUSA discusses the case in the video:
https://youtu.be/olOub8faKQI
140
If there is one group of women I have little sympathy for regarding the trans thing, it is nurses. I have heard absolute horror stories about the way male nurses are treated by the gynecocracy in the female-dominated nursing field. Every bad thing you have ever heard about how women were treated in the professional world before the women’s liberation movement is still true for how men are treated in female-dominated fields like nursing. And nobody gives a crap because any man who complains is immediately branded as a toxic male and his complaints are dismissed (and he’ll likely get hit soon after with a retaliatory sexual harassment complaint).
So nurses getting a bit of patriarchal penis-helicoptering in their locker room by a demented tranny doesn’t bother me all that much.
65
Nothing new there for me. Back in the 70s I worked in a large factory that employed many women, as well as men. I was 19yo and newly-married, yet I was ‘hit on’ by half the middle aged women with whom I worked. One even invited me to her home where her teenage daughter would be wandering around naked.
At another time, perhaps a couple of years later (now working in quality control), I was ‘posted’ to an all-female section. The sexual abuse I tolerated there would make your jaw drop, including being shown a dildo and being asked, “Does yours look like this?”
50
The misuse of the term gender as distinct from the term sex is totally gay.
60
Yes.
The two terms actually mean exactly the same thing but have been altered by the Orwellian Left (a tautology I know).
30
Here is a very interesting analysis of why the Left don’t support the freedom protesters in Iran but support the regime.
It really is excellent. (12 mins)
https://youtu.be/gTGy_6RSn-o
50
I remember as a child in Australia, choko or chayote fruits were quite common in people’s back yards but are not common these days.
Note: It is a fruit, not a vegetable.
Here is a video about them.
https://youtu.be/MUH02T9aLWc
50
Ha! tasteless terrible things!
20
By April this year NASA will send four astronauts to orbit the moon, but not land, on a ten day mission on Artemis II.
It’s now a race with the Chicomms who seem to want to establish a permanent presence on the Moon.
A particular prize is the Shackleton Crater at the lunar south pole due to a combination of permanent shadowed regions where there is likely ice for water and fuel plus permanently illuminated regions for solar power.
Hopefully the US will establish a presence there first and not the Chicomms.
80
I suspect the Chicomm’s will win that race, since Elon’s focus is on Mars and Bezos is more concerned with celebrity suborbital flights. That only leaves NASA to focus on the moon, and they are a bunch of incompetent boobs who can’t do today with modern technology what they did over a half-century ago with vacuum tube-based technology. They have devolved so much since the 1960s I’m surprised they can still use the forks and knives in the commissary.
Unless one of the private outfits get interested in the moon, ‘murica is going to lose that race.
90
Beijing has chosen 2035 as the first phase, expanding up to a fully fledged community around 2055.
02
Very sad post, but I think it’s largely true these days.
190
Substitute ‘New Zealand’ for Australia and the [sad] story remains the same. TDS is thick on the ground here, as is the belief that cold & wet is akshullay hot & dry and it’s never happened before.
70
From yesterday’s thread, in case you missed it.
https://quadrant.org.au/news-opinions/australia/sunnyside-up-no-longer/
41
Good article. Thanks.
20
It’s a few years ago now but I was genuinely surprised on my road trip around the southwest USA.
I expected explosive, alive, chaotic, rich, loud, obnoxious and unapologetic.
What I found were without exception the friendliest and well mannered people I have ever met. Even the druggies sleeping with their dogs and begging for money in San Francisco were polite. The only exception I suppose was an attempted pick pocketing in Las Vegas.
And while I think of it the London I experienced recently was nothing like the dystopian vision we all hear about so often.
I must have been lucky.
50
Don’t know what time time period is for that quote, but it reminded me very much of my impressions of the US when I first travelled there in 1976. When I got back my workplace seemed very dull and complacent, which triggered of what ended up bring a cascade of career direction changes.
To be fair I think we have rather inflated ideas about what we can an should be achieving. It remains though , with all our natural advantages we should be the Norway of the South (or similar) not a struggling lefty basket case.
30
Here is a hint from Samuel Adams:
“If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, go home from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen.”
Or, Voltaire:
“To learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize.”
50
The quote “To learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize” is not by Voltaire, despite widespread misattribution.
Origin: The quote originated from Kevin Alfred Strom, a self-identified neo-Nazi, Holocaust denier, and convicted child pornography offender.
He first expressed a similar idea in a 1993 radio broadcast and later in a 1999 essay titled “All America Must Know the Terror that is Upon Us.”
Context: Strom’s original phrasing was: “To determine the true rulers of any society, all you must do is ask yourself this question: Who is it that I am not permitted to criticize?” His rhetoric was deeply antisemitic and used to promote conspiracy theories.
Misattribution: The quote has been repeatedly falsely attributed to Voltaire, a French Enlightenment philosopher known for advocating free speech and reason. Scholars and fact-checkers, including the Voltaire Foundation at Oxford University, have confirmed that Voltaire never wrote or said this.
Notable Incidents: The quote has been shared by public figures like U.S. Congressman Thomas Massie (R-KY) and Australian Senator Cory Bernardi, both of whom faced backlash and were corrected after their misattribution was exposed.
00
Yep …. but the guy who came up with the quote being a scumbag doesn’t change the fact that it is a great quote and shines light on a profound truth (just not the way he intended).
10
FWIW
“Geological survey in Texas uncovers 1.6 billion barrels of oil.”
” I well remember that halcyon period in my childhood when government experts delivered the awful news that we were running out of oil. They said we might have a handful of remaining good years, and so the nation was forced by President Jimmy “the Nut” Carter to go onto gas rationing. This resulted in massive gas lines for consumers, and President Carter soon entering a new line of work. Yesterday, Fox-7 Austin reported, “Geological survey in Texas uncovers 1.6 billion barrels of oil.” ”
“Now, 40 years on, there’s more oil than ever, and drillers are finding it far deeper than the deepest parts of the fossil record. In other words, oil is not brontosauruses that melted into goo. The now-accepted fact is —and I am not making this up— scientists don’t know where oil comes from. They’re baffled! And —I am not making this up, either— it comes back. Texas oilfields that shut down in the 1980s because they ran out of black gold are being reopened now and are flowing like rivers.
Basically, and unsurprisingly, the experts were completely wrong about everything they assured us were facts about oil. Oil is, apparently, a renewable resource.”
“That hasn’t stopped loony liberals from beating the “running out of oil” drum like they are in a heavy metal band.”
“But according to the Fox-7 article, a massive, brand-new Permian Basin deposit was just discovered in Texas, containing an estimated 1.6 billion gallons of oil and an even more impressive 28.3 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. So.”
More at
https://open.substack.com/pub/coffeeandcovid/p/about-face-monday-january-19-2026?
And several other things also
110
A possible abiogenic origin of oil is an interesting hypothesis.
But most oil deposits are in sedimentary basins suggesting the conventional theory.
Maybe it’s a combination of both?
To date exploration is focussed on sedimentary basins, maybe they’re missing out on other places where abiogenic accumulation might occur?
70
By all accounts, RUSSIAN geochemists are VERY big on the “abiogenesis” theory, and have been for decades.
10
It’s not just brontosaurus goo. It’s also every bit plant-life, bug-life and any other kind of carbon-based matter that existed during a given era. Any era that had plant life should also have produced oil/gas a few million years down the line.
Also true. I can’t recall the planet/moon, but we have evidence of hydrocarbons on space rocks that have never had carbon-based life on them (to the best of our knowledge). It just kind of … exists out there. So there is likely some chemical mechanism other than decomposition and pressure that can create oil.
Yeah, 19th and 20th century wells were a LOT shallower than modern wells. I suspect the old oil barons were barely sticking their straws in the top of the milkshake, and once they sucked all the goo off the top, just gave up and moved to another site. Now we have the tech to stick the straw all the way to the bottom of the glass and drink it all up.
I also suspect plate tectonics has something to do with it. The Earth’s crust shifts between 1-15 cm per year, and every little movement opens up cracks for more liquid stuff to seep into the upper crust from below (and vice versa, depending on relative pressures). Who knows how deep those deposits go?
80
So-called Anthropogenic Global Warming’s latest iteration, ‘Climate Whiplash’, may have something to it as this week’s tropical low 14U (causing what’s been dubbed as NZ’s Worst Summer Ever?) pelts the North Island with howling rain causing floods & blackouts, before drifting south and drawing up cold sub-Antarctic air turning January into July –
https://www.snow-forecast.com/maps/static/nz/next3days/snow
(click on ‘Next 3-6 days’)
Widespread SNOW <25cm up to 1/2 a metre on the tops the length of the South Island with even similar amounts on the volcanoes in the North Island by this weekend, with max temps for east coast towns barely scraping into the teens (14*C). Snap! Whiplash! Brrrrrr… where’s our ‘summer’ gone?
Meanwhile, as Rick Will noted, it’s been snowing in Florida with MORE on the way for the Gulf Coast, ie. Galveston, New Orleans, etc. Morocco and Algeria’s mountains are draped with snow, parts of SE Greenland received 2-3 metres (10ft) just last week, Japan’s ski areas are having an EPIC snowy season as is Kamchatka and eastern Siberia – which New Zealand may begin to resemble next week.
Oh for the Good Old Days (GOD) when summer was summer and winter was still six months away. 👻
70
From a farming point of view, the longest day is a month past , and in a fortnight’s time we will be in the harvest season , Lammas /Lughnasadh, otherwise known as Autumn.
My “eye of newt” almanac suggests a cool dry February, with a return to rains in early March.
On a drought-prone farm , with no irrigation, it really doesn’t get much better than that.
50
Caused by blocking, a global cooling signal.
https://www.bom.gov.au/australia/charts/synoptic_col.shtml
01
The highs aren’t really ‘high’, and the lows aren’t really ‘low’ – all very ‘average’ – as if the driving force is away on holiday or snoozing… mind you there’s a solar storm in the heavens at the moment so, possibly, just maybe, the sun has something to do with it.
Farmerbraun may be loving the rain, but up here it’s as if Hunga-Tonga’s ejected sea water is STILL coming down in bucket-loads 💦 💧
10
We aren’t getting the rain down here , but evaporation is subdued.
Today silage – making is underway for about the fifth time this season, so it surely is not a drought, but a little more heat would be welcome.
10
We have travelled over a great deal of the USA by car. It is physically such a beautiful country – something that is rarely noted. But we have found also its people very warm and welcoming to us Aussies. Conversely, I have often found Australians contemptuous towards the country and its people. They have adopted a highly caricatured understanding of the Americans which is demeaning of a prosperous and friendly nation.
240
Me too Vicki. Let me confirm my experiences mirror yours exactly. A great place, with wonderful and accepting people.
30
This is the America I grew up in.
North Carolina: Towns Where People Live On $300 Weekly
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1t_3t-K69ek
Of course, when I was young these towns weren’t quite yet desolated.
This is much of America off the Interstates.
The deplorable parts that CNN, NYT, and virtually the entire population of DC and Northern Virginia thinks deserve to be desolated.
Once produced high quality patriotic battle fodder like my father and myself, but no more.
We have drones for that.
Those current attendees at Davos are absorbing the land for pennies.
Southern people know carpetbagging well.
10
FWIW
“Canada Comes to Grips with Financial and Energy Needs”
https://wattsupwiththat.com/2026/01/19/canada-comes-to-grips-with-financial-and-energy-needs/
More reading for “ElBowen”
20
The comments also shed more light on what is really happening in Canada. Interesting.
10
Perhaps the Canadians could swap Alberta and Saskatchewan for Minnesota and Illinois. Would seem a better cultural fit.
20
Add Wisconsin to ensure a contiguous fit?
00
At least one in five Americans would like their state to be Canadian.
01
NHS was promoting benefits of cousin marriage (although rethinking policy after it was exposed). Bradford, where this is probably not uncommon owing to the local demographic, said the risks were no worse than for a ‘white woman over the age of 34’.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15473581/NHS-midwives-cousin-marriage-deformed-babies.html
10
An Australian YouTuber had some comments on that.
Australians are advised to watch it while you’re still allowed.
https://youtu.be/fNGN6YYXZ1s
20
The Old Testament Chosenites thrived on keeping it ‘in the family’, even so far as being ordained from on High – apart from the raiding parties eradicating all & sundry except young maidens who had not known a man. Maybe it’s a desert thing – what do I know, I’m a coastal guy.
10
On that subject:
In Israel, one of the BIGGEST hospital patient demographics is [SNIP] children presenting with “congenital issues”.
Incest, a game for the whole family, apparently.
Did the sand-pirates swipe this dangerous “tribal” practice from the Egyptians, whose Dynasties were ultimately destroyed by it, or did they institutionalize it because it works with their “philosophy”? A “philosophy that predates “All within the state, nothing outside the state, nothing against the state,”, as demanded by some bloke called Benito Mussolini.
Interestingly, MOST nomadic and static cultures had / have strict prohibitions, hence the institutional, inter-tribal “DNA exchanging”.
There are several peer-reviewed papers, in English, on this subject, available on line.
Or, at least they were when I went looking a few years ago. I will check if I still have them backed-up on the old “data” drive.
10
I found the link:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/221917594_Consanguinity_and_Its_Effect_on_Morbidity_and_Congenital_Disorders_Among_Arabs_in_Israel
The entire practice in the region is a bit “off”, be it 3000 years ago or right now..
00
FWIW
“Two Tier Keir Has a Problem Called ‘Waifu Amelia’ and It Is Screamingly Funny”
Read it all!
https://hotair.com/tree-hugging-sister/2026/01/19/two-tier-keri-has-a-problem-called-waifu-amelia-and-it-is-screamingly-funny-n3811000
50
Love it! the ultimate backfire as she was a Govt creation as ‘the bad guy’ in their cringe-worthy game for kids, and now celebrated as the icon for young Britons. ..and you can’t jail her, you can’t sue ChatGTP for making videos of her against Govt rules, and you can’t jail the person who invented her!
40
Too funny. My new grand daughter is named Amelia. Her mother’s speech patterns are eerily similar.
And after attending the Arsenal v Tottenham football game and experiencing the spirited participation of the entire 65,000 crowd I came away confident that the British have a very special ability to come together. They aren’t done for yet. Not yet!
30
In America, a bunch of “anti-ICE” protesters forced their way into a church in Minneapolis and accused the pastor of being a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent. They are being investigated by the DOJ.
If found guilty of a crime, I suggest that their sentence be that they must repeat the exercise at a large and crowded, inner city mosque. Don Lemon, who accompanied the protesters, must of course join them.
I want live footage.
130
Humanoid robots are progressing fast. XPENG Iron is human enough to foster disbelief that it is not just a human in tights:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yoiCjhPAdBA
However it is getting very difficult to know what is AI generated images and actual humanoid robots. This video shows the state of facial simulation on robots:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HgYdJBLCEwA
There are plenty of AI generated movies that look better than this.
10
I wrote an article on humanoid robots (two parts).
https://www.siliconchip.com.au/Issue/SC/2025/November/Humanoid+Robots%2C+Part+1
https://www.siliconchip.com.au/Issue/SC/2025/December/Humanoid+Robots%2C+Part+2
10
FWIW
“Oops. They Were Warned and They Did It Anyway.”
https://hotair.com/david-strom/2026/01/19/oops-they-were-warned-and-they-did-it-anyway-n3810995
Brings some people to mind?
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FWIW
“Times of London: Iran Killed 16,500 in Suppressing Protests – 330K Wounded”
https://hotair.com/ed-morrissey/2026/01/19/times-of-london-iran-killed-16500-in-suppressing-protests-n3810993
20
The official SMH editorial view of the American President-
“Trump fatigue has set in. The endless circus of tariff announcements, bombings, invasions and threats to invade, the Epstein files, false claims to have reduced prices, promises to make Gaza the “Riviera of the Middle East”, mass deportations and pondering the use of troops on US citizens and bluff poker over Ukraine have turned American exceptionalism into dust…We can only hope Americans consider Trump is past his use-by date if he tries a third tilt in 2028.”
The Left must be terrified of him taking a third term and cementing in his changes.
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The Socialist Morning Herald has gone full TDS. Well, has been for years, actually.
60
Compare the SMH commentary to that of the official Russian newspaper commentary about President Trump’s goal to annex Greenland.
The Russians are urging him to go ahead!
30
The SMH? The self-destruction is awe inspiring.
I love the smell of napalm in the morning.
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‘ … taking a third term …’
That would be unconstitutional.
01
That’s up to the courts.
But of course it is really just the man trolling for fun and profit.
Probably but it sucked in the SMH.
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Theoretical ways have been discussed as to how it could be done.
In the next election someone else could run for President with TRUMP as VP. Then the President could resign and the VP would become President.
Would not be ethical or in the spirit of the 22nd Amendment but might be technically legal. Would no doubt be contested in the USSC.
21
Yes. From memory the rules are that he cannot be elected president, but you don’t actually need to be elected to become president.
In the meantime there are bigger fish to fry. The dark side of the force is working to reclaim the congress for the second half of this presidential term. And there are more than a few who supposedly support the president who would like to see him on a tight leash.
10
By the way, Donald J. is off to Davos this week. Expect fireworks – and I don’t mean to welcome him.
40
But the left take his tr0lling seriously.
00
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Two thirds of American women are on antidepressants. That means one third are going around untreated – and they drive.
DYOR
20
Antidepressants?
A debate, of sorts, has been in progress for some time.
https://www.bmj.com/content/358/bmj.j3697/rr-4
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/abcs-child-psychiatry/201509/antidepressants-and-violence-link-in-search-cause
00
FWIW
“Trump Might Offer Asylum to Jews From WHERE?”
https://pjmedia.com/vodkapundit/2026/01/19/trump-might-offer-asylum-to-jews-from-where-n4948474
40
Many Australian Jews are already leaving Australia due to antisemitism, before it’s too late.
I assume if TRUMP grants UK Jews refugee status he will also do the same for Australian ones.
Recently 100 Australian medical doctors left.
Australian Jews first came on the First Fleet and have been valuable members and contributors to the Australian community, but Australian politics and demographics have now changed making the situation increasingly untenable for Australian Jews.
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There is a bit of distance between “left” and “..aimed at encouraging”
40
Myself, like many simple people always thought of Jews as sober-clever group.
So it is really disheartening to see so many (organised) Jews on the side of the people who are obviously responsible for 2 years of their own tragedies.
However, we in Victoria elected Labor so many times and, according to media, are going to do it again.
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David Maddison
January 20, 2026 at 6:27 am
Amazingly, antisemitism is rapidly increasing worldwide (that is, if you subscribe to the Zionist leadership’s definition of antisemitism: ie dissent and protest against the Israeli conduct in Gaza and the West Bank).
Gee, it’s almost as if they are doing something wrong in the eyes of the majority of humankind.
29
From my 1946 Odhams Dictionary:
SEMITE, n. one belonging to an Asiatic racial group that includes Arabs, Assyrians, Babylonians, Jews, etc. [Heb. shem].
Son of Noah, they’re stealing words now too.
20
How big a problem is it if you use a simpler metric: Number of dead bodies?
00
The Jews would not be safe in Australia either.
Governments of all persuasions in Oz stood by and did absolutely nothing as protestors/supporters of Hamas/Palestinians occupied the streets.
Albanese still can’t admit what was behind the massacre at Bondi.
Most of our politicians are very well educated but a lot of them are also extremely stupid.
Educated idiots is the term that readily applies to a lot of politicians me thinks.
150
Not bad song by an excellent Russian rock group. Some colleagues here will understand …
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9xNOfdxTI8
00
And once again I state my preference for rules based systems which can explain decisions over AI systems which cannot explain themselves beyond computer says no.
20
And I have been very naughty this morning. If only I could figure out how.
10
Computer says no.
https://youtu.be/0n_Ty_72Qds
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FWIW
“China Poised to Charge a Tithe on Global Shipping, Thanks to the Maritime Net Zero Framework”
https://wattsupwiththat.com/2026/01/19/china-poised-to-reap-huge-profits-from-the-un-global-shipping-green-transition/
00
” China is especially well-positioned to supply the likes of methanol and ammonia, which require cheap renewable electricity to synthesize.”
Uh-huh… no doubt that is why Germany is going to build nuclear reactors again.. Funnily enough China only claims 30% of its power is renewable, and who would believe the Chinese Govt for anything.
00
FWIW
“Suppressing Climate Dissent Cannot Prevent Reality From Asserting Itself”
Links to
https://www.manhattancontrarian.com/blog/2026-1-17-suppressing-climate-dissent-cannot-prevent-reality-from-asserting-itself
Montford concludes on the UK efforts
“In the aftermath of Ukraine and Venezuela, and the USA’s withdrawal from both the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the IPCC, it is clear that the world is moving on very quickly. Seen in this light, the select committee inquiry can be seen as the last hurrah of a dying movement.”
Via https://hotair.com/headlines/2026/01/19/suppressing-climate-dissent-cannot-prevent-reality-from-asserting-itself-n3810979
More reading for “ElBowen” to ignore
10
Appropriate for “the times”, in the Penal Colonies”?
“If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, go home from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen.” – Samuel Adams
“If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear.”
(If we are forced to resort to whispers and are fearful of the consequences of speaking the truth, we begin to lose our freedom.We used to argue for the right for freedom of religious expression.”) – George Orwell
“Whoever would overthrow the liberty of a nation must begin by subduing the freeness of speech.” – Benjamin Franklin
And finally, and most tellingly, from ONE of the greatest butchers of the 20th Century:
“Restrictions on personal liberty, on the right of free expression, including freedom of the press; on the rights of assembly and association; and violations of the privacy of postal, telegraphic and telephonic communications; and warrants for house searchers, orders for confiscations as well as restrictions on property are also permissible beyond the legal limits otherwise prescribed.” – Adolf Hitler, from his decree for the “Protection of the People and the State” in 1933.
30
FWIW – a picture that makes +43C seem not so bad
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/G_EMYu9XsAAQ_pT?format=png&name=medium
https://www.smalldeadanimals.com/2026/01/19/it-goes-without-saying/
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If only they’d used ‘public transport’ or ridden a bike.
There’ll soon be snow all the way to Mexico.
00
University in Vermont USA 1967 Feb
-35 was the monthly minimum
Roughly the same whether degC or degF
Yes I am OLD in body
00
“A weak president with bad policies can literally kill tens of thousands of people with no accountability for the massive loss of life.”
https://x.com/BillAckman/status/2012009072556720172
Say no more.😉
10
A cow has been observed using a tool for the first time
A pet Swiss Brown cow named Veronika has learned how to use both ends of a stick to scratch her own back. This kind of flexible tool use is rarely seen in the animal kingdom and has never been documented in cattle before.
https://www.sciencefocus.com/news/cow-tool-use
Tenderise that meat for me, that’s a good girl! 😆
10
Around that
“TO BOLDLY GO WHERE GARY LARSON HAS GONE BEFORE: Outstanding in her field: cow recorded using tool for first time.”
https://instapundit.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/the_far_side_cow_tools_1-19-26-468×600.jpg
More at
https://instapundit.com/770633/#disqus_thread
00
FWIW – The Alberta separation petition news –
“Alberta Separation Petition Drive Got a Bad Case of ‘Holy SMOKES, We Got This Thing in the Bag’ ”
Read it all!
https://hotair.com/tree-hugging-sister/2026/01/19/alberta-separation-petition-drive-got-a-bad-case-of-holy-smokes-we-got-this-thing-in-the-bag-n3811013
20
Al Gore – “your children will never know what snow is”
So, here’s a clip from Kamchatka, east Russia a few days ago where snow got to 12 metres.
https://va.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_t921iqA1hG1s1ddrj.mp4
30
It seems their ABC has turned on comments on their Youtube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOvqqvZXYtE&lc=UgynX8LjJ_EQsIDE6V94AaABAg.ASB2BTQky9LASB9jcN5MfB
I though I would throw this in to give some balance:
Trump is the greatest leader the world has ever seen. He is widely respected and his reach is unparalleled . He creates the daily news cycle.. The world is fortunate he dodged the assassin’s bullet. Your ABC is a disgrace to reporting.
60
FWIW
IIRC Mark Twain said something about “the things that just ain’t so”
“This Is the Biggest Self-Own by Leftists in This Entire Minneapolis ICE Charade”
https://pjmedia.com/victoria-taft/2026/01/19/this-is-the-biggest-self-own-of-the-sorry-minneapolis-ice-riots-n4948476
10
FWIW
“Bonus: Not my joke, but I found it amusing: On February 14th, the U.S. play Denmark in Ice Hockey at the Olympics. The winner gets Greenland, the loser gets Minnesota.”
https://www.smalldeadanimals.com/2026/01/20/january-20-2026-reader-tips/
00
Heavy snow in Micigan causes massive traffic pile up:
More than 100 vehicles were involved in a massive pile-up triggered by severe snowfall in the United States, with cars skidding off the road amidst treacherous winter conditions.
The major collision occurred on Monday, 19 January, in Michigan following heavy snowfall across the state. Michigan State Police shut down Interstate 196 southwest of Grand Rapids on Monday morning due to the extensive pile-up, reports the Mirror..
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/public-safety-and-emergencies/traffic-and-transportation-incidents/huge-100-car-pile-up-caused-by-snow-leaves-drivers-stranded-and-busy-road-in-chaos/ar-AA1UxCgg
20
Origin Energy now plans to extend the life of Australia’s biggest coal power plant, Eraring, another two years to 30 April 2029. Articles in today’s The Australian (paywalled):
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/origin-energy-extends-life-of-australias-biggest-coal-plant-until-2029/news-story/c0b92221542aab87b75dff65e53e872a
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/mining-energy/origin-energys-eraring-coal-power-station-gets-2year-extension/news-story/4aebbbe67c632cbf0a96a18a13a355c6
20
FWIW – latest Kunstler
“Monsters of the Deep
“Timing, not haste, drives what will happen next.” —Thomas Sowell”
“Minneapolis, the sucking chest wound on America’s body politic, gets a break this week from Gawda’mighty, who is turning the heat down to subzero so that ICE-Watch nose-rings can hole-up in their Soros-paid motels, play League of Legends with their DoorDashed Chick-fil-A nuggets, and rest up for the next inning of their motley revolution. ICE itself might even have to lay off its daily round-up of rapists, cut-throats, and child-molesters, to wait out the cold-snap.
Meanwhile, things elsewhere roughen up a little. For instance: Davos, Switzerland, where the World Economic Forum (WEF) holds its annual jamboree of vampire squids. Klaus Schwab is out, by the way. He skulked off in a malodorous cloud of embezzlement and sexual irregularities, to be replaced by Larry Fink, CEO of BlackRock, the hedge fund that owns everything in the USA and wants more.”
More at
https://www.kunstler.com/p/monsters-of-the-deep
20
FWIW
“NYT goes full witchcraft, cites an academic declaring Trump will cause bad weather! ‘Trump’s greenhouse gas emissions will cause Trump’s heat waves, Trump’s droughts, Trump’s floods, & Trump’s wildfires’ ”
“Blaming bad weather/hurricanes on Trump and/or ‘global warming’ is a throwback to medieval witchcraft – Book Excerpt –
Have We Advanced since the Middle Ages?”
More at
https://wattsupwiththat.com/2026/01/19/nyt-goes-full-witchcraft-cites-an-academic-declaring-trump-will-cause-bad-weather-trumps-greenhouse-gas-emissions-will-cause-trumps-heat-waves-trumps-droughts-t/
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