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Midweek Unthreaded
Ideas that don’t belong…
7.7 out of 10 based on 26 ratings
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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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‘The arctic air that has frozen the northeastern U.S. over the first weeks of 2018 has prompted New Englanders to crank up the heat and New England’s utility companies to scramble for fuel.
‘This season’s above-average heating and electricity demand has tested grid reliability at a time when the topic has had particular political salience.’
The Hill
140
“This is the sort of thing that happens when eco-polices are allowed to get in the way of energy policy, and could have been easily predicted. One other comment – where is all of this wonderful renewable energy when you need it?”
https://notalotofpeopleknowthat.wordpress.com/2018/01/04/new-england-facing-a-winter-energy-crisis-that-was-largely-preventable/
110
When I rule the world, the first people to have their power cut off if there is an electricity shortfall would be members of the Greens and other lunatics who publicly call for the abolition of coal generation.
If power companies are able to turn the power off to people who can’t afford electricity, then they can just as easily turn supply off to those who have put us in this predicament, thus preserving power to those of us who condemn the current inadequate solar and wind follies.
80
Here in Michigan, USA
home of snow and clouds,
where we have lived
in the same home
for 30 years,
and four miles south
for 7 years before that,
we had the coldest three
consecutive weeks
from mid-December through
the first week of January 2018
in the past 40 years!
.
We actually turned down the furnace
by three degrees F., because it was
running too much, and when we got
the natural gas bill for a four-week
period that included ALL of the cold three
weeks, it was up +25% over last year,
in spite of turning down the thermostat,
by three degrees,
confirming how cold it was.
.
After over 40 years of “global warming”,
and I have lived in Michigan for 40 years,
I DEMAND an investigation to determine
where all that warming is !
.
What a disappointment !
.
My free economics blog:
http://www.EL2017.Blogspot.com
.
My free Politics blog:
http://www.ElectionCircus.Blogspot.com
.
My free Climate Change blog:
http://www.elOnionBloggle.Blogspot.com
with over 14,500 page vies so far !
.
Not as good as JoNova.com,
and no pretty girl on the home page,
but guaranteed to be interesting,
or your money back !
.
.
PS:
Can someone please send
some Australia heat to Michigan
in a box with some sand and shells?
170
I’ll be happy to loan you some Minnesota heat. Return asap since it is damn cold here too…..
40
A good analysis of this winter’s weather patterns over N. America, where east of the continental divide it’s a hard cold winter and west of the divide its has been exceptionally mild, has been given by Dr. Tim Ball:
https://wattsupwiththat.com/2018/01/13/a-climate-history-lesson-extremism-of-stories-like-bomb-cyclone-is-a-good-thing/
Scroll down to where he discusses sinusoidal flow vs zonal flow. Also note he discusses the expanding dome of cold Arctic air with the onset of La Nina and the influence of major mountain chains such as the Rockies.
10
gordo
see, the leftists were right,
the climate keeps changing !
81
trojan horse courtesy beijing https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2018/01/239343/african-union-china-spies-addis-ababa/
60
how to build a 10,000 pound gorilla amid a few barrels of monkeys–world IT in China: http://balance10.blogspot.com/2018/01/china-had-176-million-surveillance.html
10
They said summer snow would become a thing of the past.
http://www.themercury.com.au/news/tasmania/hobart-weather-summer-snow-shocks-tassie/news-story/8bb47aeeaaa98fee07c2d7ed5bb711d6
100
el gordo:
O/T: if you haven’t seen this, you may may find it interesting … enjoy.
20
I’m a big fan of the electric universe theory.
00
The annual “cyclone projection” to scare the masses in Queensland was made public around Oct/Nov last year. Can anyone recall the prediction. I seem to remember a figure somewhere between 9 & 11. Cyclone season is all but over & I have not see any signs of one developing close to our coast. It was mooted that there was one threatening New Caledonia but being a mere citizen I don’t have access to more information. Did it happen? I know a cyclone came ashore in WA but as it happened on the virtually unpopulated coast it has not been mentioned again.
Any info would be appreciated.
Can’t wait for the ABC to explain why the cyclones, just like the Spanish families of El Ninos & La Nina, have gone walkabout once more.
90
I think your recollection is correct – the “9 & 11” bit was easy to remember for obvious reasons, but doesn’t just apply to NE Oz.
There was a low tracking north near Noumea yesterday but that seems to have turned round and fizzled.
Around this time is when we need a certain amount of “crowd monitoring”.
http://www.bom.gov.au/qld/observations/map.shtml
Be on the lookout for phenomena that can be exaggerated because they are outside the extent of the monitoring stations. If they are inside, we need to capture any relevant 10-minute results, just in case the anemometers suffer retrospective damage, such as occurred at Middle Percy Island back in 2016. Also watch out for the tricky ones, eg the Hamilton Airport station is not at the airport, but almost 60m above it.
70
King tides around Brisbane, Sunshine and Gold Coasts would be worth a piccie or two. Understand there is a bit of a surge on top of the super blue blood moon induced king tides.
00
G’day Graham,
This BOM forecast shows “ex-TC Fehi” intensifying and heading for southern NZ within the Tasman Sea tomorrow. Looks nasty, and has been in the forecast for last couple of days. Heads up NZ.
http://www.bom.gov.au/australia/charts/4day_col.shtml
And Martin, I think this is the one you commented on.
Cheers,
Dave B
10
Yes, “Ex-TC Fehi” was the one. It was always heading south. On CIMSS (http://tropic.ssec.wisc.edu/tropic.php#)yesterday the tracking was a bit confusing. For a while it was below 1000hPa so just made it as a Category 1. It no longer appears on CIMSS.
10
Auckland is clouded over with very few breaks in the cloud.
The Super Blue Blood Moon may not be visible tonight. There are some gaps in the cloud so luck may be in play.
Thursday will be a wash out for the whole country. Southland (the bottom of the South Island) is likely to get a month’s rain in the next 24 hrs.
It’s OK, we’ve got a lot of rivers.
Of course, that storm is going to collide with a cold front. So the weather system will intensify. Lots ‘n lots of rain. It will be wet. Nothing’s been said about any snow anywhere so we’ll have to see. It could be that summer snow will not be seen this year … 🙂
20
… and none of the kiddies will know what summer snow looks like! 🙂
20
The blocking high in the Bight is the problem.
http://www.bom.gov.au/fwo/IDY65100.pdf
In 1769 Captain Cook encountered a ‘prodigious high’ sea and cyclone forced winds off Cape Maria Van Dieman. He was not a man to exaggerate, so I take him at his word.
Normally when cyclones move south they lose their intensity in the cooler waters and its head is cut off by the westerlies, but in this situation the water around NZ is unusually warm.
10
Looking forward to the BOM update
text link if it wont let me insert a link again http://www.bom.gov.au/cyclone/climatology/trends.shtml
10
Graham,
I can’t recall the dates, but media reported BoM of predicting 10 to 12 cyclones this season. A few days later, another press report claimed the BoM had predicted 9 to 12 cyclones.
The 9 to 12 and 11 to 14 have been regular BoM predictions for several years now.
With the likes of Hunt and more recently, Frydenburg in the “seat”, BoM appears to be totally devoid of accountability for non-scientific guesses.
Just as they have been let off “scot free” for fraudulently tampering with temperature data. What they have done with temperature data is scientifically criminal, but the relevant people have no comprehension of this – just plain dumb.
00
It looks like this will be The Year of Indecision.
Tasmania goes to the polls early March and it looks likely that the Liberals will lose their majority and face a choice of dealing with an opposition of Labor, Greens and Jacquie Lamby or calling another election, which wouldn’t be well received.
South Australia goes next on March 17. Weatherill is in full campaign mode and snarling at everybody, particularly those who question renewables. So too his loyal Deputy Koutsantonis although the quality? of his remarks makes it doubtful if they help Labor. I am told that the Liberals are contesting this election, and they certainly are in my electorate. Then there is SABest, the vehicle for Xenophon to get his hands on the levers of power. A recent (small) poll claimed that he could gain 3 suburban seats. Certainly in the Adelaide Hills he has a chance in the 2 seats, both of which have been affected by blackouts and both have retiring Liberal members and the new Lib. candidates face very strong ones from SABest. Should Xenophon hold the balance of power then many people expect Weatherill to forget about his claim that he won’t form a minority government in a matter of milliseconds. On the other hand recent stoushes may make Xenophon less keen to back Weatherdill.
Then Victoria goes at the end of the November and who knows? Certainly with Turnbull and Frydenberg as lead in their saddlebags the Liberals will be lucky to get to the finish post, let alone win. Worse, Labor could survive in a minority with Green support.
So it looks like indecision and uncertainty in 3 States until the elections that follow. We could do with some Russian interference.
101
Well, the Northern Italians wanted to separate the poor Southern Italy from the rest of Italy.
Perhaps SA, Vic & Tassie might suffer the same fate…..put up an 8′ chain mesh Leftie-proof fence and leave them to it in the newly minted Great Southern Soviet……
Enjoy….
60
Had my local (Liberal) member ring me yesterday asking if I was going to be able to help. Not a cold call, we go back a bit.
Anyway, in between me avoiding giving a straight answer (mainly because I went off and quietly joined the AC and haven’t been a Liberal since Turnbull took over) I asked what the feel about Xenophon and his little conga line of followers was.
In dot points;
– SA Best would implode into self seeking independents within 12 months, probably less
– They would win maybe two seats, but not the one Xenophon is running for
– Xenophon would then pull rank and claim the MLC spot his group are likely to pick up.
On the other the theory is that SA Best/Xenophon will wipe out Dignity for the Disabled, who are currently the other South Australia ‘other party’ in the MLC, something that is ethically and morally a bit sad, but practically no great loss.
The other wide card is Australian Conservatives. Dunno. Disclaimer – I join them. Prediction? No lower house seats but a semi reasonable showing in the upper.
To be honest I have no great confidence. Xenophon has decided to screw things over. People for some reason think Xenophon is the big doer who looks after the common man, despite his insanely low record of actually achieving ANYTHING. I had that conversation with a taxi driver a few weeks ago where I reminded him of the entire ‘No Pokies’ party.
‘Oh, but we have LESS pokies!’
‘Yes, but he wasn’t the Less Pokies Party, was he?’
He will get votes. To be honest the best long term result would be for him to actually become Premier and finally have to actually DO SOMETHING instead of grandstanding on low risk popular issues he has no real influence over. Sure, another four years of rubbish leadership but it should utter destroy him politically.
Unfortunately under 2PP his votes will go Labor and all those mindless people who don’t understand preference voting will stand slack jawed in confusion as Labor gets re-elected.
Might have to seek refugee status in WA. Jo lives there, so it can’t be all bad.
60
From what I have seen of Xenophon,he’s just another Leibor plant.We had one(the speaker in parliament)in Qld,but he saw the writing on the wall and scarpered,before he got the DCM.Coward.I had high hopes for him too.
30
Credit where credit is due, and I never thought I’d be saying this.
Peter Wellington was all that prevented the last “great green triumph” in Qld vegetation management
10
MudCrab,
I have lived in WA twice and SA once.
No comparison old mate.
WA is and will go places. SA is full steam in reverse.
These are not recent situations. They have been the case for DECADES.
40
Years ago conversation at the Birdsville Races on return travel
Bloke from SA “It is downhill”
Bloke from QLD “All the way! All the way!”
10
South Australia is a case of
Calliforni-cation in the land
-down-under.Thankfully Western
Australia is not. Take a bow,
Jo Nova and Co.
40
Russia wouldn’t bother. The commies are doing well on their own!
20
If you want it, then ask. You won’t get it, otherwise.
10
Looks like the left will have to adjust their propaganda machine from attacking climate change sketpics to attacking Trump full-time. It appears something really big is about to happen to expose the real influence in the US elections and subsequently an apparent plot to bring down the President. Looks like some people in high places of the FBI, DOJ, CIA and NSA are going to be hit with charges of treason. I can only imagine if this is all true the left will turn really nasty and go “all in” to attack Trump, not just as diversionary tactic but also in an attempt to save their own skins. The draining of the swamp now might be exposing some really nasty creatures. I’m already running out of popcorn. Trouble is I’m not sure if this will end well for any of us given the left have a tendency to go to extremes when cornered.
140
PeterS: Ought to be an interesting few weeks ahead. Stock up on popcorn and beer.
WH ought to allow release of the Memo between now and Monday.
“The prior administration weaponized the executive branch against its political enemies. U.S. citizens, Americans, were targeted by corrupt officials within the Justice Department for political purposes. ”
https://theconservativetreehouse.com/2018/01/30/house-speaker-paul-ryan-addresses-intelligence-memo-process-questions/#more-145212
80
It’s now all up to Trump as to whether he will release the controversial memo on the Trump-Russia probe. The Democrats don’t want it released for obvious reasons. I hope Trump does release it since it will clear up the rumours about what it contains. Some of those who have read it say it is the biggest bombshell in all of US history – orders of magnitude worse than Watergate. If true it should put many behind bars, perhaps even including Obama. In some ways I hope not since I don’t want to see a panic crash in the markets. But then again if it’s all true then it would be better in the long run to remove the scum and move on. The US does not and should not move into a KGB style regime, as it appears to have started to become under Obama’s reign. We all know that the US was founded under good principles. We dare not see them destroyed, not just for their sake but for all ours too.
150
You are mistaking
Chicago style politics
with a KGB style regime.
.
Chicago = money.
..
KGB = violence.
.
There are people in the Justice Dept.
and FBI that should have been fired
long ago … and a little prison time
would not hurt.
.
Trump had one advantage that
let him win, in spite of the many
attempts to sabotage his campaign,
from the Billy Bush “sex” tape to
the fake Russia collusion charge,
— Trump was running
against a woman
who is a congenital liar,
being “investigated” by the FBI
(at least people thought so),
with a scoundrel husband,
who milks a so-called charity
for hundreds of millions of
dollars for lousy speeches,
and she had zero charisma too.
.
What really bothers me about
Shrillary, is I believe she is gay
but will never admit it — I don’t
care about being gay at all
— but I have no respect
for those who hide
what they are
for political reasons
That did it for me.
.
Not to mention
her big fat ‘cankles’
and awful pantsuits.
I can’t stand Nancy Pelosi
either, but she does dress well.
.
40
Let me think about that one.
40
I agree it was always about the money but it’s possible it has already turned into violence as well because key people allegedly have been murdered. This is all really scary stuff. I’m hoping none of it is true but reality in the end always wins. I would consider the current swamp creatures as a cross between the KGB and the old mafia. Although history keeps repeating the details are never the same to keep the swamp creatures hidden as long as possible from the public.
50
With the Clintons
quite a few people
surrounding them
went to prison
or stopped breathing.
70
I think Donald has to rid the swamp of a few more from the DoJ and the FBI before he announces the enquiries into Oh Bummer and the Clintons.
The White House had a staff which was 60% Muslim under Oh Bummer. How come that fact does not receive a bit more media coverage?
20
Looks to me like Bill Priestap “flipped” on Strzok, Page, Comey, et al.
https://theconservativetreehouse.com/2018/01/30/oh-lordy-fbi-director-wray-sent-counterintelligence-official-to-review-memo-prior-to-committee-vote/
“Bill Priestap is the FBI Director of Counterintelligence. There’s no way he hasn’t been caught inside the investigative net.
Bill Priestap’s boss, Andrew McCabe has been caught. Bill Priestap’s subordinate, Peter Strzok, has most certainly been caught. FBI Chief Legal Counsel James Baker was caught; and FBI Office of Legal Counsel Trisha Beth Anderson has been caught; AND in March 20th 2017 FBI Director Comey pushed Bill Priestap directly in front of the congressional oversight bus.
My hunch is either Bill Priestap is going to be the attempted fall-guy for the entire scheme. -OR- Bill Priestap saw the bus coming and is assisting the swamp-draining DC investigators”
60
I can’t figure out why Strzok and Page
still have jobs, or what they se in each other !
.
Long past time to get rid of
Jeff Sessions too.
.
He doesn’t run the Justice Department,
the Justice Department runs him!
.
If Trump allows Mueller to question him,
then he is as dumb as he often sounds
in those pesky Tweets.
.
Mueller should be fired for failing
to state what crime he is investigating
— it is just a witch hunt — .
.
,
Trump is not the colluding type !
.
.
He barely colluded with the Republican Party,
which he was supposed to do.
.
.
Not to mention that collusion
is not even a crime, unless money
favors are involved — Trump has
all the money he needs — you can’t
bribe him.
.
I have studied Trump’s actions with
respect to Russia, and believe he has
been too harsh — definitely
not easy on them at all.
.
Trump took a chance in Syria with Russia
(with our planes and their’s too close —
an accident could have happened).
70
There are no “lovey dovey” texts between Strzok and Page. No evidence of an amorous relationship.
There are allegations, but no evidence. They certainly have the same leftist mindset and are cooperating in sedition, but a love interest? No evidence. Not one “see you for lunch” or “love ya babe”. Not one thing.
They still have jobs right up until a Warrant, Indictment or Subpoena is served. They are on a short leash.
Ostensibly, AG Sessions has several hundred parallel investigations going. Rumors of indictments as well. I’ll hold off on Sessions until the bear trap springs shut. He just might be working quietly and diligently in quiet mode.
Mueller may well be part of the bear trap to save his own @ss at this point. No meeting has yet taken place between Mueller and Trump. My guess is it will be written questions and written answers, if at all. We shall see.
Trump has known of the sedition since Adm. Rogers visited him at Trump Tower. The next day, Trump moved everything to MD to negate the IP warrant on Trump Tower. For over a year, Trump has had access to the NSA, CIA, FBI, and all the data that Obama gathered. Methinks the net has been cast wide and deep and a lot of people are soon going to jail. Let it play out. Priestap flipped on the FBI long ago. Trump is paying out line to let the fish think they are free. When that line goes taut and the hooks set, get ready for a fish fry.
Saudi Arabia / Salman just confiscated 106 Billion Dollars in assets from over 300 people. Including Qatar and their banks. Including the bank where Clintons transferred 1.8 Billion in October 2016. The Trump “Net” is worldwide. Grab some beers and popcorn. Things are going to “hot up” a bit, and that, right soon.
80
LANCE:
Strzok and Page had at least two phones each.
.
The goobermint phones
and their own iPhones too.
.
Maybe they kept the personal stuff on the iPhones?
00
Richard – You ought to check out that site that Lance just posted from and read through the many posts about how all this developed and is developing. That will answer many of your questions. The corruption is so BIG that it takes a very careful and necessarily slow and methodical approach to dealing with it. Sometimes it is better to just let people like Strozk and Page lead investigators to more evidence and give them more rope to hang themselves. As for Sessions, still waters run deep, and more dangerous and it helps to have some people think he’s not doing anything.
It is all much, much bigger than Watergate and an incredibly fascinating story better than any fictional novel.
It also has some connections to Australia (and many other countries) and none of them are good. Can you think of any Australian politicians and players who were best friends of Hillary or Obama or sent your tax dollars to the Clinton Foundation?
70
Seems it is easier to require answers if they are still in the job
00
Yes,but with the republicans holding 300 million guns(registered)I’m backing President Trump.MAGA.
50
More impressive is the 2 Trillion rounds of ammunition in private hands. 🙂
30
Oops. 4.2 Billion to 1 Trillion rounds. I just checked.
40
I have about 1000 rounds of 12 Ga and 3000 rounds of .22 LR and 9mm in my closet safe. My ex boss has 50,000 rds of various calibers at any given time. 80% of the people in my neighborhood are Federal Law Enforcement Officers and have on average, 5000 to 10000 rounds at home. The LEO training center nearby has 5 to 10 million rounds on hand at any given time. Nobody in their right mind would risk attempting anything illegal in this area. This doesn’t include the National Guard Armory that has the heavy stuff.
Most people here hunt 9 months out of the year: Wild Hogs, Deer, Duck, etc. For some it is a hobby, for some it puts food on the table, for some it is job related, but for all of them, it is a Right, a Privilege, and a Necessity. In 15 years there has been one suicide in my sub division and that guy was on drugs. Responsible people don’t have an issue with this. Neither does Law Enforcement. I have concealed carry permits, gun safes, trigger locks, etc. You get the picture. Legal and by the book.
The first thing a totalitarian government does is disarm the citizens. That is why US has a 2nd Amendment. The 2nd protects the 1st and all the rest of the Rights. The beauty of the 2nd is that isn’t needed until someone tries to take it away, then things get interesting.
Obviously, this is not a Liberal community. But the amazing thing is that 40 years ago, this was considered Normal, anywhere, nationwide. You carry a gun because a policeman weighs too much. Better to be judged by 12 than carried by 6.
What I find so very odd is why so many other places think this is unusual or in need of regulation or confiscation.
Liberalism is a mental disease of cowards and bedwetters. An armed society is a peaceful and polite society, right after the violent and impolite find out the true meaning of social darwinism and the dangers of instantaneous heavy metal poisoning.
91
Well said and 100% correct.
In Australia the Socialist MSM has basically brainwashed people into thinking guns are evil. Our “republicans” are just socialists like Johnny Howrd and Turnbll, who also brought in Socialist gun control.
Only tyrants fear an armed public.
41
Steve
The police force in the USA is apparently not as reliable as ours. A number of US citizens have commented on this. Why, I don’t know.
I don’t see that carrying guns in Australian cities is necessary.
The fewer Port Arthurs and Connecticuts and Virginia Techs the better.
I don’t remember Wat Tyler carrying a gun and believe our biggest danger comes from a compromised media.
KK
41
Well, Keith, I’m glad you are secure and haven’t a worry. You must simply have a better system of governance.
That must be why your governance has destroyed your power grid and economy. Off topic, but true.
Australian Mafia must be quite different than Italian or Russian Mafia.
That leaves me with a choice. Arm myself, or ask the assailant if he’s complied with the law of AU.
No. I’ll just shoot the bastard.
31
Kk, i personally cant see any issue with carrying a firearm , its really a matter of trust of the population. Clearly we arent trusted. I also note that throughout history, gun control precedes harm of the local population upon which it is imposed.
For our foreign readers, as someone who does handle firearms regularly , I have doubts that a man in Port Arthur with very low IQ and no tactical firearm training, could have a shot/ kill ratio of a military marksman. Take that as you will.
11
Twenty seven dead at the Connecticut massacre.
Thirty two dead at Virginia Tech.
And there are more cases but those are the two where I personally know people directly confronted by the tragedies on their family doorsteps.
We have a problem in Australia and as usual it relates to politicians who won’t make sure that criminals don’t have unlicensed guns.
The Lindt siege in Sydney badly run by politicians leading to deaths of civilians and enormous pressure on the officers confronting the criminal.
Our biggest problem is the failure of government to act in our best interests.
10
Are you by any chance also re-running the Battle of Hastings with ‘Arold having machine guns?
10
I have a nephew who went to Virginia Tech the following year and an acquaintance from Connecticut who went back to visit relatives the Christmas after.
Until those issues are sorted I will resist the idea that Australians need guns, except those living in the bush and out of town.
KK
21
Keith: In RE Va Tech, there are crazies everywhere. Witness those in the UK and EU using knives and trucks/lorries to carry out their insanity. Sane Armed People are the solution, not the problem.
I realize there are differing points of view. But answer me this: Who protects your self and your family and your kin at the moment of difference when the police are merely 30 minutes away?
I should rather be “allowed” to defend my self and my own and those around me, rather than trust in others to complete the paperwork after all of us might come to harm.
Had citizens been prepared and armed at UVA, things might have turned out quite differently.
It is one thing to live in a bubble wherein some imaginary security exists. It is quite another to be secure within the bubble of your own firing distance.
I respect your view. I disagree with it. It is my absolute right to defend my own life and those around me.
No one, at any time or place, will value my life or the lives of my family as greatly as I do.
My defense of my own life supercedes any other opinions. Nobody negotiates my life and those of my kin by taking away our fundamental right to stay alive.
I’d rather die in defense of my right to live than be subject to the whims of those who bear no responsibility for the aftermath.
I’m not saying AU needs guns. I’m asking whether or not AU actually provides the level of protection necessary to preserve life and limb by means of a politically controlled, distantly directed, reactionary force, whose main purpose is to provide properly completed forms after the fact. Satisfying the laws of record after the fact does not preserve my life. Nor yours. Give that a think.
I grew up in Indian Territory (Oklahoma). Everyone strapped a gun and had several in their trucks. Nobody was disrespectful. Everyone would give you the shirt off their backs if you asked. But try to steal that shirt, harm their children or wives, steal their property, well then…. you’d best believe in Jesus because you will damn sure meet him in a millisecond. AU can do what it wants. Don’t try to tell me that navel gazing bedwetters intentions are some abstract security for me or that the actions of crazy people somehow limit my rights to life. I’ll gladly oppose that idea.
101
I’m glad I don’t have to live in a constant state of apprehension. It must be very stressful.
22
I’ve not apprehension. I live in the real world.
It must be stressful to wonder when or how some remote politician might value anything in your actual life.
I avoid all of that stress by taking responsibility for my own life.
That allows me to not care one whit for whatever fantasies others might envision.
70
It’s their normal. Decades ago an immigrant South African friend of mine said it felt weird not having to take firearms to picnic.
60
I take responsibility for my own life whenever I go swimming in the surf and avoid surfing too early or late when light is low.
Sharks are best avoided at all costs.
00
Aus police are there to clean up the mess afterwards, that is all
41
You won’t like NZ then. We’re an unarmed society. Even the police don’t carry.
30
That’s the British model and the one that Australia had in mind when it was being set up.
Problem is that that system fails when criminals get guns. We have a serious problem with illegal weapons now.
00
NZ has far more liberal gun laws than Australia. Police in NZ dont carry but have ready access to their firearms. Given the state of society in NZ (at least my impressions as a frequent visitor) that is entirely appropriate.
10
Lance,
You obviously live in the middle of Detroit.
The Australian Army hasn’t got that much ammunition!!
30
Should have sent Lance & his mates out to sort the ISIS problem!
11
Peter
Try this
http://www.smalldeadanimals.com/2018/01/when-the-fbi-do-8.html
00
Electricity Prices Double In S Australia & Victoria
“Australians are paying the cost of their politicians’ obsession with renewables.”
From The Australian
https://notalotofpeopleknowthat.wordpress.com/2018/01/30/electricity-prices-double-in-s-australia-victoria/
40
When the cost of the cheapest storage (pumped hydro) is factored in the arithmetic of the stupid things doesn’t stack up, when will those donkeys at state and federal governments get that through their thick heads?
70
Um, like when they become unseated from office and turn into “ordinary people” and find out nobody gives a flip about who they “used to be” except everyone will know what they’ve done, where they live, and who was responsible for destroying their savings and homes? You mean like that kind of “when”? It happens on the day after an election.
40
Alinta power, South Australia;
The state government’s planning body has gone to some lengths to ensure a public consultation meeting on a major development remains secret:
https://twitter.com/7NewsAdelaide/status/958582502607806464
00
That’s interesting. Wonder what the gas plant type would be – CCGT or something else?
On top of the GE gas plants in Adelaide that are never turned on? Why another plant?
10
I hope everyone is prepared for the speech of the century or maybe of the millennium. Have plenty of beer and pretzels or whatever you prefer and then watch the rebuttal attempt.
I know it’s at an inconvenient hour for you just across the date line but this one should be well worth the show. To hear the talking heads go on about it Trump must contradict himself if he’s to succeed as president. You have no way to make this stuff up. No one want’s to take a good look at what he’s already accomplished in just one year in office.
From MSNBC where they can’t tell good from bad for the country, to the lying of Nancy Pelosi it’s going t be political spectacle on steroids. The list of top stories may change but this will give you an example of her in full throttle, pedal to the floor operation.
80
Roy,
Sounds as though I might have to turn my T.V. back on.
Interesting.
20
It’s always optional, KK, there will no doubt be reruns, especially on YouTube.
But where’s the fun in that? 😉
20
Speeches are nonsense Roy.
.
Judge politicians by results.
.
One year is not enough to judge —
it is heavily influenced
by the prior President..
.
I haven’t watched a politician speak in decades.
.
Sometimes I read the transcript.
.
But actions speak much louder.
.
For politicians
reading a speech
that someone else wrote
is near meaningless,
even if you LOVE what is said.
.
Watch a good movie instead.
.
Obama was a good speech reader.
.
What did that accomplish —
1.5% average economic growth
over four years!
11
Richard,
You have it exactly right, judge by results. But the results so far, even though not enough to judge his presidency by, are remarkable.
40
Trump grossly over promised what he could deliver
in his campaign without having 60 seats in the Senate.
.
I suspect he will brag and over promise more tonight.
He is a master salesman who tells people what they want to hear.
.
But promising too much can raise expectations too high, and then people can be disappointed by all the things that didn’t happen even if he does a decent job.
.
Well at least he didn’t promise to stop the rise of the seas like O’Bummer did !
.
” … generations from now, we will be able to look back and tell our children that this was the moment … when the rise of the oceans began to slow and our planet began to heal …”
.
O’Bummer in 2008
Five seconds after
I heard that nonsense,
I knew he was a loser
.
52
Without the expectation, there will be no result. Valuing, thinking, choosing comes before action. Action comes before result. Yet, the payoff is in the result.
Things don’t happen simply because they should. Someone must make it so.
10
Did you notice the sour face on Nancy Pelosi? They finally stopped cutting to her for reaction. She looked like she just got told she had terminal idiocy and would die in five minutes.
Whatever else happened last night the Democrats showed the world that they stand for nothing but hatred of a duly elected President of the United States.
A red haired version of a Kennedy is not worth the hot air his time on the air used up. He said everything Trump said only they never did it in the past and they won’t do it in the future either.
10
Unfortunately, in our modern world, idiocy does not bring a quick end. Partly because the productive among us are forced to pay not only for their own idiocy but the idiocy of everyone else too. After all, the repeated bleat is that we are not paying our fair share. How much is fair? According to them, the answer is always more.
As I have said so often, the fix is for us to stop feeding them. If they have to depend upon their own ability to provide for themselves, they will soon pass from the scene.
10
Lionell,
I agree. So the question now is this — how do we manage to stop feeding them? The IRS enforces not just the tax code but its own rules for enacting that code. If enough of us were willing we might cause them some trouble by refusing to pay our taxes. But that’s not tenable either because they insist on taking out the tax we owe before we ever get the money.
So what will it take to stop feeding them? And I do not know an answer to that question. If I did I could be the better mouse trap in spades and be selling the secret by the bottle, the book or however it could be sold and I’d become rich so fast the current bunch of rich nut cases in politics would have their heads spinning.
00
Used to be that leftists
had political positions
that did not make sense,
and they calmly explained them.
.
With Trump in charge, they
are so hysterical that I’m
not sure if they have
any political positions,
other than: “If Trump wants it,
then we’re against it !”.
.
I watched MSNBC when Bush was pres.
.
I watched Fox News when Obama was pres.
.
I tried to watch MSNBC again
when Trump became pres.
but they had gone insane
with fake news, and
Rachel “conspiracy theory” Maddow
seems like she escaped,
from a lunatic asylum,
and seems as dumb as a rock.
.
Fox News in general
is way too biased
in favor of Trump,
but I do appreciate very much,
the investigative reporting by
Sean Hannity, in an era where there
is almost no investigative reporting
being done to keep politicians
somewhat honest.
.
Do you have any conservative
or libertarian news sources
in Australia?
21
That Democrat rebuttal could not possibly have been worse. Some young Kennedy who looked like he was drooling. I actually felt sorry for him.
In contrast, Trump’s speech was powerful and positive, and he never mentioned the emerging Democrat scandal (there was one hint that I’m sure they got). The Democrats in the audience looked like they were at their own funerals. Nancy Pelosi was particularly distraught and constantly making weird faces. Others looked comatose or, at best, depressed.
He said this: “We have ended the war on American Energy — and we have ended the war on clean coal.” So I guess he won’t be getting any rave reviews in the Australian press.
Bit long but some great highlights.
50
I did not feel sorry for him, Kennedy or red hair not withstanding. He repeated almost all of what Trump had talked about and made it all a complaint, the same complaint I’ve heard from his left side of the aisle for years while they spent huge sums of money and have never fixed a damned thing.
Coal is the lifeblood of some states, including West Virginia, where things are now very bad for coal interests, including Kennedy’s presumed fan base, the unions worker. So much for the left in America. They are a dead weight around our neck. They refuse to die or change and they still think that throwing money at a problem is all it takes to fix it.
No, I do not feel sorry for slobbering Bobbie. 🙁
I’ll listen to a long good speech any day before I’ll listen to a short bad one. You can draw your own conclusions from that I think.
Rebuttal speeches are a terrible idea but they insist on equal time. So did either speech change any minds? The first one may because it was factual and you can check what he said, even accounting for some exaggeration you can check it. The second one was simply a litany of same old complaints to the same old audience as usual.
00
The shoulda run with Maxine Waters. Ol crazy eyes has far more entertainment value, she is a scream.
00
We now have our new Davis Vantage VUE (Model #6357). We love our new ‘toy’! It is our 50th Anniversary present.
Thankyou to those who gave us advice on where to look for one and to Anthony on WUWT a few weeks ago where he compared various types of home met. stations.
80
50th Anniversary of what?
Or is that getting too personal?
10
Wedding Anniversary. 🙂
10
Annie,
congratulations.
A couple of years back now, my good lady and I celebrated our 35th Wedding Anniversary.
I knew that there was a list of dates and relevant presents to be given on occasions like this, so I went to one of the sites detailing just those things. They originated in England, and the U.S. cashed in on them at a much later date, so being a bit of a traditionalist, I looked up what the ‘present’ was for the 35th Anniversary.
Traditionally, they go up in increments of one year to the 15th Anniversary and then by increments of five years, so I was a little lucky there as our 35th was a multiple of five.
On the day. I gave her a card and some flowers, the usual mixed Australian bunch with some Australian Natives and a couple of South African Proteas, beautiful flowers and longer lasting that the usual flowers like roses etc.
We also had the day out and went to Yeppoon, and while we were down there I took her into a gift shop, hoping there might be some coral there.
When I mentioned I was looking for a piece of coral as an anniversary present, the look I received would have frozen me at ten paces.
Thirty five years, and all you can get is a piece of coral for me. She would not believe that was the Traditional gift for 35 years. I actually had to wait till I got home to show her.
I visited another site and found that the U.S. present, now also spilling over into all cultures, was Jade, and when she saw that, she said that she’d like a piece of Jade.
I guess coral was a bit of a rarity when those presents were originally thought of. Our daughter was also hard pressed to believe it also.
It gave me a really good laugh really, after dodging all the daggers from those two erstwhile ladies. The best intentions and all that.
Tony.
Link to site for traditional presents
40
Belated congrats on your 35th wedding anniversary!
10
Thankyou Tony. We had a wonderful day celebrating with all our offspring and some of our grandchildren, siblings from England and friends from Melbourne and locally. We had a marvellous lunch at a local guesthouse and then a barbeque for the family at home…sitting out in the gazebo with the rain sheeting down! Our eldest was the bbq cook as he has had plenty of practice. It was a very happy time for us.
20
Darn, I have Ruby next year.
10
Congrats on your 35th.
When in doubt about a gift I always do the obvious and ask her. I know that’s not exactly romantic or PC either but at least I’ve never gotten daggers and she gets something she wants instead of my guesswork.
00
Correct me if I’m wrong, but I presume that when the petrol motor car started to become popular, petrol stations/service stations were built by commercial entities, most likely by the petrol producers so that they had an outlet to sell their product.
Now, Queensland tax payers are footing the bill to provide electric charging stations for a relatively small number of electric vehicles. $3 million, and “free” electricity for a year.
https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/queensland/queensland-s-electric-car-super-highway-all-but-completed-20180130-p4yz35.html
https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/queensland/electric-car-charging-stations-to-be-built-across-queensland-20170727-gxk16r.html
I note the comment by an electric car owner about driving long distances, “It is just a little slow if you have to stop (overnight) at a destination changeover… It just means you have to stay overnight if you want to charge up.”
So you might get a free or cheap charge of the car, but then you have to pay for accommodation for the night, and presumably food for the family, too. That’s not going to make it cheap.
90
The leftists are so desperate they need to throw away as much of our money as possible to try and convince people it’s all about saving the planet when in fact it’s about something far more sinister. They will be a good demonstration of how socialism is flawed, and in the end terminal with disastrous consequences that would make any hypothetical catastrophic global warming look like paradise. History keeps repeating.
60
“So what is the goal of environmental policy?
“We redistribute de facto the world’s wealth by climate policy,” said Edenhofer.”… five years ago he also said that “the next world climate summit in Cancun is actually an economy summit during which the distribution of the world’s resources will be negotiated.”
Christiana Figueres (UNFCCC): “This is the first time in the history of mankind that we are setting ourselves the task of intentionally, within a defined period of time, to change the economic development model that has been reigning for at least 150 years, since the Industrial Revolution,” she said in anticipation of last year’s Paris climate summit.
“This is probably the most difficult task we have ever given ourselves, which is to intentionally transform the economic development model for the first time in human history.”
https://www.investors.com/politics/editorials/another-climate-alarmist-admits-real-motive-behind-warming-scare/
Sounds a lot like Socialism and Lysenkoism to me.
70
“Save the planet socialism”
sells socialism better than:
‘we leftist politicians want
more government power
to micromanage your lives
because we are smart people,
and you are big dummies,
who guzzle beer and drive
big pickup trucks!’
50
The selling of Socialism only requires greed, envy, sociopathic bent, powerlust, and amorality.
The buying of Socialism requires endless self deception, narcissism, cognitive dissonance, and self imposed ignorance of history, economics, and a willful suspension of disbelief in reality.
The Devil may sing a nice song, but it’s your fault if you listen.
80
Peter
Years agone our outfit used to get a Power Farming magazine.
One of its issues had an interview with the top legal man for Stihl.
One of his comments was that “about 90% of my profession give the rest of us a bad name”
The real conservationists left could use that quote with the magic figure of 97%
IMO
40
Hah Hah.To get from the Gold Coast to Cairns will take about 10 to 12 days,provided you don’t have to wait your turn at the plug.And at a fast charge rate,the battery will probably only last 3 or 4 years.There is a reason we dumped electric cars in the 1900.Talk about a retrograde step.
131
clivehoskin,
There are numerous beautiful places to visit on the trip from the Gold Coast to Cairns.
Unfortunately, they do not have charging stations!!!
The people living in those relatively small centres of population are also very practical. It is doubtful that they would be dumb enough to support the installation of charging stations.
However, you just never know the power of subsidies.
20
Cold Air Outbreak
‘A second warming/high pressure near Eastern Siberia in mid-January accompanied near record cold in Siberia and large parts of Asia. Now a third warming/high pressure predicted back in the western hemisphere across Alaska and Northwest Canada is again a precursor for a return of cold temperatures to the Eastern US and Eastern Canada starting this week.’
Judah Cohen (AER)
40
This could be interesting.
EG: “Nearly 200 top-secret code word protected and sensitive documents were left in the office of senior minister Penny Wong when Labor lost the 2013 election.
The 195 documents included Middle East defence plans, national security briefs, Afghan war updates, intelligence on Australia’s neighbours and details of counter-terrorism operations.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-01-31/cabinet-files-reveal-inner-government-decisions/9168442
90
Ms Wong was either careless, seditious, or very smart about plausible deniability. 🙂
50
Lance The all of the above option?
The answer may be in the filing cabinet with beware of the leopard written on it.
The other Lance
40
Too busy creating an expenses dirt files on Coalition MPs from Department of Finance records?
30
What narks me about this sort of gross stupidity is that if an organisation in the private sector misplaced even Restricted documents they may never be trusted with that level of security clearance EVER again. If you ask or know the right people you will hear stories of how some companies were shut out of massive tenders because some idiot within the company shared passwords.
It happens.
Or at least it happens everywhere except APH Canberra.
Security classifications exist for a reason and if you are ‘misplacing’ – even accidently – Top Secret documents you should never be allowed near classified documents ever again.
Casual vacancy in the senate time if you ask me.
20
Penny Wrong’s gross stupidity is right up there with that of her old boyfriend.
50
The Feds demand a lot but suffer badly if judged by the same rules. Most of it is just a facade.
00
Surely if she signed an official secrets act, and presumably had done to have access to such ducuments, should she not be charged?
50
The following was posted here a couple of days ago, I forget who posted it, but it really is such an important disclosure that I am reposting;
This is why I am ashamed. So called “Leaders” (Julie Bishop) of this amazing country betraying their people and deliberately working towards the destruction of the Australian. Been here 11 years and experienced this destruction escalating exponentially. Read “A SUMMARY OF BETRAYAL” by Graham Williamson and weep.
A SUMMARY OF BETRAYAL
The 2030 Agenda: Australian Government invites the UN to control our rights, laws, freedoms, private property, energy use, & life style
The UN, having spent more than half a $trillion in 70 years, is an undemocratic, unaccountable international policeman that is in the business of inventing ‘global problems’ which can only be ‘solved’ by a transfer of power and money from nation states to the UN. It has been elevated to this status by cooperative national governments. As noted by Peter Faris QC, thanks to the eager cooperation of successive Australian governments “laws are imported (as some sort of universal truths) from the UN.”
On 27th September 2015 the UN continued their campaign of global control and undemocratic interference in the affairs of nations around the world with their ‘Transforming Our World‘ 2030 SDG agenda which was signed by Foreign Minister Julie Bishop on behalf of all Australians. With a predicted annual price tag of $2-3 trillion, the agenda is to be sold to the people as ‘voluntary’, although the people will be given no choice, and essential provisions will be undemocratically enforced by national governments. Although both major Parties refused to mention this during the recent election campaign, implementation of this undemocratic bipartisan supported agenda commenced in Australia on 1st January 2016.
The 2030 agenda is a UN driven “master plan” or “roadmap to global socialism” aimed at controlling the planet, including so called ‘climate change’, and the life styles and energy consumption of all people and all countries. Their 15 year goals include:
Redistributing the wealth of Australia and other Western nations, under the control of the UN, to poorer countries, especially impoverished dictatorships, around the world. According to the 2030 Agenda, ‘poverty’ can only be addressed by undemocratically giving money and power to the UN.
The COP21 Paris climate change agreement, comprising SDG 13, is just one part of the 2030 Agenda. The UN version of climate change though, is about global power and money. As UNFCCC chief Christiana Figueres pointed out, the aim of the UN is to bring about a “centralized transformation“… “one that is going to make the life of everyone on the planet very different.” Figueres continues: “global society, is moving to the point where we are going to need more and more global governance muscle… Climate change is only the first of the major, major planetary challenges that we are being given, almost as a playground… to go into that playground and exercise our global governance capacity”
Controlling lifestyles, energy use, and consumption by defining which activities are accepted by the UN as being ‘sustainable’. Only the UN can control ‘sustainability’.
Controlling education around the globe to ensure all children become activists promoting the UN sustainability agenda.
Moving towards global enforcement by developing global monitoring, accountability mechanisms, and surveillance systems so “no one is left behind”.
The UN 2030 agenda is completely open ended, stating no total costs, and stating no limits as far as loss of sovereignty and enforcement mechanisms are concerned.
The people have been betrayed. The 2030 Agenda is all about betrayal, UN control, and global socialism, and expanding global law. The United Nations has “conned governments, citizens andbusiness into adopting the 2030 Agenda“, but “business does not understand” that it will destroy “Capitalism and Free Enterprise.” And all this has been made possible by the Australian government, and governments of other ‘democratic’ countries, who invite the UN to interfere in the domestic affairs of their respective countries WITHOUT the democratic approval of the people.
The choice is clear: do you want UN control and interference, or do you want democracy, freedom and prosperity? Should our destiny be decided by us, or by the dictators that comprise the UN? Do you want democratic Australian laws, or foreign laws dictated by the UN?
120
In addressing the UN, in the words of Bart Simpson:
“They can eat my shorts…”
10
Donald Trump just delivered the most impressive State of the Union speech I can ever remember. Please if you disagree step up and defend your dumbass opinion.
80
My only concern is how the LibTards will defend themselves for their inaction, poor conduct, and lack of platform.
I’m very “into” the History of Korea. For 3000 years they have been vassals of Japan, China, and Mongolia. It is a wonder they exist as a civilization. The answer is that they are very, very, tough people. That toughness is entirely related to the Family. That is why Kim Jong Un tries to play the “father figure”. It is cultural, for him. South Korea has outgrown such insane claims to authority. Now you have a clash of History. Reality vs. Fiction.
Much like America today. the clash of Reality vs. Libtard Insanity. In the Real World, there would be no surviving liberals if survival rules applied. The construct of imaginary ideology is what allows historically failed ideology to exist. That is why infantile 26 yr olds live in their parent’s basement, why socialism is tolerated in Universities, why illegal migrants claim rights under the laws of actual citizens.
Civilizations exist by destroying their opponents or by absorbing their hosts via subterfuge.
Give that a good long thought.
40
Lance,
The Koreans are also very smart people with a work ethic to envy.
40
US helicopter pilot in Vietnam reckoned that the toughest troops he ever ferried were ROK Marines.
“They were so tough that when they moved in even the animals moved out”
20
Bernie blasted him for neglecting climate change.
I agree, Donald should have said CO2 does not cause global warming.
80
el gordo, he said this: “We have ended the war on American Energy — and we have ended the war on clean coal.”
He is basically saying what you want to hear without getting into the weeds of all that bogus ‘science’ and its religious followers. At the same time they are starting to strangle the beast by reducing their funding and on other fronts.
So, who needs to pointlessly argue over the CO2 fairytale? Others will be doing that as the worst of its effects are dismantled.
70
Okay thanx EH, State of the Union is for local consumption, but the rest of the world automatically think Donald is a tosser.
The most important issues of our time are an over priced US stock market and global cooling, I have no faith in his vision.
40
YouTube. Hard to watch that speech -more importantly listen to it – and think “tosser.” But many do and will but he got 70-75% positive reaction in poll results from this speech:
http://dailycaller.com/2018/01/31/cnn-poll-majority-positive-trump-sotu/
Non-stop anti-Trump worldwide propaganda for the past 18 months takes a while to wear off. Trump is a nationalist and the globalists, including their CAGW industry, do not approve.
30
Donald is a good communicator and if he continues to make America great then he should get a second term, dependent on the economy doing well and no stock market correction.
Personally I applaud US isolationism.
10
That sounds good enough.
10
KK, it sounds even better when you consider what Hillary et al would have been doing.
30
KK
Remember that Jo Bjelke used to refer to press conferences as “feeding the chooks”?
Trump has taken that to an art form. And they’re so busy watching his feeding (or tweeting) hand that they miss what the other one is doing, which is all the things that he has got done so far
20
Blasted by Bernie? what was Keating ‘s line? thrashed with a feather boa?
10
Hope yer watched it, Malcolm, specially that reference
to the steel in the spine and ‘its the energy of the people’
that makes America great. We need our own MAGA! Make Australia
Great Again! Get rid of the RET, bring back clean coal and
cut taxes and git rid of those nanny-state regulations. MAGA!
50
30 Jan: WUWT: Greenland Getting Colder: But Please Keep Believing in Global Warming
by Eric Worrall
Fifteen years of satellite measurements have unexpectedly shown that parts of Greenland are getting colder. But the scientists who produced these results urge people to believe that this cooling trend is a blip, because climate models say Greenland should be warming…
https://wattsupwiththat.com/2018/01/30/greenland-getting-colder-but-please-keep-believing-in-global-warming/
29 Jan: ABC Foreign Correspondent: On Top Of The World
Is the world going mad when Greenlanders fight drought and brushfires and catch warm water fish? A decade after discovering a farming boom in Greenland, Eric Campbell returns to see how locals are facing up to climate change…
CLICK ON TRANSCRIPT BELOW SUMMARY:
ERIC CAMPBELL: Thomas Juul-Pedersen is a senior scientist at the Greenland Climate Research Centre.
THOMAS JUUL-PEDERSEN: “The ice sheet has always been melting, there’s always been a melting season, but that melting season seems to dramatically increase. So it starts melting earlier, and the melt continues for full into the autumn every year. And last year there was a very high melt season for instance and it started very early. It is telling us that climate change is real. There’s no doubt about that”.
ERIC CAMPBELL: Climate change sceptics do cast doubt, pointing out that the cap grew slightly this season thanks to record snowfall. But that was caused by record hurricanes. A series of superstorms in the Caribbean sent record precipitation all the way to the Arctic.
THOMAS JUUL-PEDERSEN: “It’s the same trend you see not only in Greenland, but in many places around the world where more numerous hurricanes, larger hurricanes, droughts, floodings – all these things – it’s all signs of a changing climate. The ice sheet is comprised of old snow, so when new snow or more snow on it will of course increase the mass of the ice sheet, but if that is followed by increased melting as well in the following years, then it will go away as well”…
http://www.abc.net.au/foreign/on-top-of-the-world/9371502
10
Pat,
I watched part of this program too but switched off when it was obvious that it wasn’t going to be a balanced report.
Did anyone mention that Greenland owes its settlement due to the warmer climate in the MWP – and GREEN (hence it’s name)?
Are they hoping for the cold that wiped out the first settlers in the LIA?
31
29 Jan: WUWT: Illustrating the failure of the climate movement – in one graph
by Anthony Watts
This graph of global fossil fuel consumption tells the true story: green efforts to reduce fossil fuel use have not succeeded with any impact at all. With a 57% increase in fossil fuel use since 1992, their efforts have been completely without effect…
https://wattsupwiththat.com/2018/01/29/illustrating-the-failure-of-the-climate-movement-in-one-graph/
30 Jan: WUWT: Former Petroleum Geologist and Retired Astronaut Dr. James Reilly Nominated to Direct U.S. Geological Survey
by David Middleton
https://wattsupwiththat.com/2018/01/30/former-petroleum-geologist-and-retired-astronaut-dr-james-reilly-nominated-to-direct-u-s-geological-survey/
20
***UN has lost the plot!
30 Jan: ClimateChangeNews: Megan Darby: UN makes open call for ideas on fighting climate change
A new portal poses three pressing climate questions, with governments to take part in open talks with those who present answers in May
Researchers, campaigners, business leaders and members of the public have an unprecedented chance to influence UN climate talks in 2018.
In a radical opening up of the process, groups and individuals will present their ideas on climate action directly to government representatives during a meeting in Bonn this May…
In an exclusive interview, Fiji’s chief climate diplomat Nazhat Shameem Khan told Climate Home News that one of the major criticisms of the UN process was the lack of connection between those taking action and the UN diplomats.
“Dialogue is the way to start to bridge that gap, both philosophically and substantively,” said Shameem Khan…
***There are to be three working groups to address the questions:
•Where are we?
•Where do we want to go?
•How do we get there?
Anyone with answers, whether they represent a government or only themselves, has been invited to submit materials through a portal (LINK) launched on Friday. This will stay open all year, as part of the “Talanoa dialogue” culminating in a political moment in Katowice, Poland, in December…
At UN climate talks in Bonn in November, one negotiator told Climate Home News: “In here, we are becoming detached from the real world.”
People will be able to register online for the May sessions. Places in the room will be allocated on a first come, first served basis, the Fijian diplomat said.
“Because we cannot have a thousand people at the table… the time is now for the non-state actors, between now and the May sessions, to get organised about the stories they want to tell.”
http://www.climatechangenews.com/2018/01/30/un-makes-open-call-ideas-fighting-climate-change/
20
I wonder if I could register to recite a poem?
The love of field and coppice
Of green and shaded lanes,
Of ordered woods and gardens
Is running in your veins.
Strong love of grey-blue distance,
Brown streams and soft, dim skies
I know, but cannot share it,
My love is otherwise.
I love a sunburnt country,
A land of sweeping plains,
Of ragged mountain ranges,
Of droughts and flooding rains.
I love her far horizons,
I love her jewel-sea,
Her beauty and her terror
The wide brown land for me!
The stark white ring-barked forests,
All tragic to the moon,
The sapphire-misted mountains,
The hot gold hush of noon,
Green tangle of the brushes
Where lithe lianas coil,
And orchids deck the tree-tops,
And ferns the warm dark soil.
Core of my heart, my country!
Her pitiless blue sky,
When, sick at heart, around us
We see the cattle die
But then the grey clouds gather,
And we can bless again
The drumming of an army,
The steady soaking rain.
Core of my heart, my country!
Land of the rainbow gold,
For flood and fire and famine
She pays us back threefold.
Over the thirsty paddocks,
Watch, after many days,
The filmy veil of greenness
That thickens as we gaze …
An opal-hearted country,
A wilful, lavish land
All you who have not loved her,
You will not understand
though Earth holds many splendours,
Wherever I may die,
I know to what brown country
My homing thoughts will fly.
**
Dorothea Mackeller
50
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-01-31/cabinet-files-reveal-inner-government-decisions/9168442
Of all the dumbass lame excuses this one would have to be the best, peope should go to prison for this.
30
Put it down to human error, somebody lost a key, hardly an indictable offence.
14
Leaving a top secret document in anything but a class C container is an indictable offence el gordo
60
We’ll see, but as no harm has been done its unlikely to proceed.
Politicians of all persuasions are focused on energy and their personal survival.
‘Electricity prices have jumped by six times the rate of the average pay rise, new figures reveal, as family wallets are increasingly squeezed by essential services such as education, utilities and fuel.’
SMH
32
There is no “we’ll see” here el gordo, this is a serious breach of national security which will be swept under the carpet faster than Hillary Clinton can say Vince Foster and the dumbass ABC are now publishing the contents on line.
They may use power prices as a distraction of course and the dumb sheeple will baaah along with them as always.
40
From my understanding aunty has not published anything of world shattering importance.
Nothing in the files on climate change?
12
You dont get it do you el gordo…..never mind
10
I get it alright, I just don’t think anyone will be prosecuted.
00
Class C is for Confidential items. Class B for Secret and Class A for Top Secret.
During the First World War some entrepreneurial Australian Army clerks stamped the innocuous Routine Orders Part One with the red SECRET stamp and sold them to the Arabs for a very good price. They were for on selling to the Germans.:-)
20
No, it is a serious offence and should be treated as such. A signatory to the official secrets act has a very serious duty to look after such documentation, at all levels; restricted, confidential, secret and top secret. No excuse for carelessness whatsoever.
40
In the case of the missing AFP documents I agree its serious, but on this occasion we have a storm in a teacup.
11
It might be but that is irrelevant. The fact is that it is a serious offence that has been committed, end of story.
30
If I had committed such an offence when I had access to such documents I would have been for the high jump. Why should Penny Wong (or indeed, Hillary Clinton) be immune? Who protects these careless people?
40
Annie for obvious reasons the AFP has not yet been called in to investigate.
‘The Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet (PM&C) launched an urgent investigation into how the massive breach occurred, within an hour of the ABC revealing the trove of documents.
‘But the ABC understands the Australian Federal Police (AFP) are yet to join the inquiry.’
ABC
10
crakar24,
If it was established that I had purposefully lied to a Royal Commission, I would fully expect to go to gaol.
The sooner Gillard and Rudd are in gaol, the better for mankind.
31
selling in the name of CAGW:
29 Jan: UNEP: Press release: Accelerating the switch to climate-friendly cooling systems in Southeast Asia
Bangkok: The inaugural Asean Cooling Summit convened today for the first time a diverse group of leaders from business, government, civic society and academia to discuss solutions for sustainable cooling in Southeast Asia.
Growing demand for air conditioning in the world’s emerging economies — such as those in the Southeast Asia region — could spur a 64 per cent increase in household energy use and produce 23.1 million tonnes of carbon emissions by 2040…
Furthermore, technology used in conventional cooling systems in air conditioners and refrigerators poses a challenge. They use potent greenhouse gases such as hydrofluorocarbons that have high global warming potential. Moving away from the use of these gases is a key component of the 2016 Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol, which commits signatory countries to a timetable to replace climate-damaging refrigerants with sustainable alternatives…
A comprehensive new white paper, Freezing in the tropics: Asean’s air-con conundrum (LINK), commissioned by the Kigali Cooling Efficiency Program (K-CEP) and produced by Eco-Business released during the Summit revealed the need to sound the alarm about the impact of cooling on the environment in Southeast Asia. There was little awareness of the necessity of energy-efficient cooling to meet national emission reduction targets, though one cause for hope was the widespread sentiment that buildings are sometimes cooled to excess…
The whitepaper also found that potential energy savings accrued in a year from Asean countries by switching to energy-efficient devices would be equivalent to the annual output of 50 coal-powered plants…
Hosted by K-CEP, the event is organized with UN Environment and Asia’s leading sustainability media organization, Eco-Business…
https://www.unenvironment.org/news-and-stories/press-release/accelerating-switch-climate-friendly-cooling-systems-southeast-asia
29 Jan: Nikkei Asian Review: JUSTINA LEE: Air conditioning sends ASEAN electricity demand soaring
Rising wealth in region risks doubling electricity demand by 2040
The report’s findings come from a survey of over 400 respondents across Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, exploring the overconsumption of electricity and its impact on the region.
By 2040, electricity demand could more than double to 2,000 terawatt hours, with air conditioning alone accounting for up to 40% of the increase…
Respondents said that although air conditioning is seen as needed to cope with the hot climate, it is also “a status symbol in their countries” due to its association with affluence.
Indonesia has the highest air conditioning demand in Southeast Asia, according to the report. Herbert Innah, lecturer of electrical engineering at the University of Cendrawasih in the city of Jayapura in New Guinea, said that in order to save energy, Indonesia “has to overcome behavioral challenges.”
“Most Indonesians don’t understand how to operate air conditioners and lack awareness of the importance of saving energy,” he said. “If they want to use a meeting room the next day, they turn on the air conditioner the day before,” he added…
“If ASEAN countries switch to energy efficient products and lighting, they can reduce their consumption of electricity by 100 [terawatt hours] at a saving of $12 billion annually,” it said…
In Indonesia alone, consumers could save nearly $690 million per year by 2030 by further improving the energy efficiency of air conditioners.
https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics-Economy/Economy/Air-conditioning-sends-ASEAN-electricity-demand-soaring
reminder:
24 Oct 2017: Reuters: Florence Tan: Coal, oil to lead energy demand-growth in Southeast Asia to 2040 – IEA
Energy demand in Southeast Asia is expected to climb nearly 60 percent by 2040 from now, with coal and oil leading growth in the region’s power and transport sectors, the International Energy Agency said on Tuesday.
Southeast Asia will become a key driver for energy demand globally as its economy triples in size and its total population grows by a fifth, the IEA said in a report…
The largest share of the increase in final energy consumption will be from power generation, with rising incomes in the region sparking more people to buy electric appliances including air conditioners, the IEA said.
Installed power generation capacity in southeast Asia will rise to more than 565 gigawatts (GW) in 2040, from 240 GW today, it said, with coal and renewables accounting for almost 70 percent of new capacity.
Coal alone will account for almost 40 percent of the growth, overtaking gas in the electricity mix, the IEA said.
Oil demand will expand to around 6.6 million bpd by 2040 from 4.7 million bpd now, with the number of road vehicles increasing by two-thirds to around 62 million, the agency said.
10
I cannot see a problem here. Just set up a few thousand or so wind and solar generators and get all the free energy like Australia is doing.
10
Anyone who doesnt believe that A/C power consumption wont be a problem here in Au, should look at the demand figures for Victoria & SA for last Monday (a 32 C hot day) , and Tuesday (a cool 18 deg day).
The hot day demand was up by nearly 60% on the cool day !
00
damaged, but not melted:
PICS: 17 Jan: Siberian Times: Inside the amazing permafrost ice tunnels built by exiled German genius in Cold War
By Olga Gertcyk
Will no-one save Gustav Backmann’s unique Arctic fish freezer designed to maintain a temperature of between -12C to -14C all year round?
The tunnels go deep inside the permafrost in Novy Port, a subterranean labyrinth that is a relic of a former age and a triumph of supreme German engineering in the most inhospitable conditions…
Built in the 1950s, this intriguing monument remains the world’s largest permafrost store built by manual labour.
The purpose was to preserve newly caught fish before processing and export to western Europe, then a key earner for the Soviet state.
It is a freezer on a grand scale, and all natural…READ ON
http://siberiantimes.com/other/others/features/inside-the-amazing-permafrost-ice-tunnels-built-by-exiled-german-genius-in-cold-war/
40
The Russians kept their German prisoners from WW2 and had them work as slave labour for quite some time after the war. The Russian people where very aware of this but did not think it unusual.
20
Just laughing at the revelation that John Howard wanted to remove the “right to remain silent” clause out of our rights .
Just goes to prove what a grubby little socialist this twerp really was ! I wonder what other gems are hidden in the leaked cabinet papers that we plebs should know about .
31
We dont have rights, we have legislation
20
30 Jan: GatewayPundit: BOOM! After SOTU Address, POTUS Trump Promises GOP Rep. To “100%” #ReleaseTheMemo (VIDEO)
by Joshua Caplan
Following his first State of the Union address, President Trump was asked by Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-SC) if he would release the FISA abuse memo. Trump replied, “oh yeah, don’t worry, 100%.” …
http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2018/01/boom-sotu-address-potus-trump-promises-gop-rep-100-releasethememo/
30
Samenow cherry-picks the “rationale” for the change.
some in comments don’t buy it, some offer other timelines, etc.
that there has been “climate change” forever, so to speak, is pretty much lost on everyone.
nevertheless, quite a bit of fun in the comments.
29 Jan: WaPo: Jason Samenow: Debunking the claim ‘they’ changed ‘global warming’ to ‘climate change’ because warming stopped
“They” changed the term “global warming” to “climate change” because the planet is not warming is an oft-repeated talking point of those, such as President Trump, who cast doubt on the reality of rising temperatures.
This claim is demonstrably incorrect, never mind that it’s unclear who “they” are…
The gradual change in preferred terminology from “global warming” to “climate change” began about a decade ago because that’s what the scientific community and governmental institutions called for. It also happened to be the preference of the George W. Bush White House. Temperatures never stopped rising…
When the preferred terminology for the planet’s rising temperatures pivoted some years ago, it had nothing to do with thermometers.
In 2005, the National Academies of Sciences published a pamphlet (LINK) that expressed the viewpoint that “climate change” was a more scientifically comprehensive description of what was happening to the planet. “The phrase ‘climate change’ is growing in preferred use to ‘global warming’ because it helps convey that there are changes in addition to rising temperatures,” it said.
Shortly thereafter, in 2006, the Environmental Protection Agency changed the name of its Web site on the issue from “Global Warming” to “Climate Change.” It plastered the National Academies quote on the superiority of “climate change” on the front page (LINK) to explain the rationale…READ ON
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capital-weather-gang/wp/2018/01/29/debunking-the-claim-they-changed-global-warming-to-climate-change-because-its-cooling/?utm_term=.d38310284953
00
Jason Samenow brings up Republican political consultant/pollster/public opinion guru Frank Luntz’s “climate change” memo in his WaPo piece, so will include the Luntz bit from the Breitbart article.
this is a YouGov/CBS poll:
30 Jan: Breitbart: Poll: 75% Approve of Trump’s State of the Union Address
by Joel B. Pollak
An “instant” poll of viewers who watched President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address on Tuesday night found that 75% approved of the speech, while only 25% disapproved — a 50-point margin in the president’s favor…
The CBS News / YouGov poll may have been skewed somewhat by the fact that more Republicans watched the speech than Democrats…
However, Trump showed unusually high approval numbers even among Democrats who watched:
CBS News Poll: Approve of speech (Among speech watchers)
Republicans 97%; Democrats 43%; Independents 72%
Many pundits who are normally critical of the president were singing his praises. Frank Luntz, for example, was deeply moved — and mocked the Democratic response delivered by Rep. Joe Kennedy III (D-MA):
TWEET: Frank Luntz: Tonight, I owe Donald Trump an apology. Tonight, I was moved and inspired. Tonight, I have hope and faith in America again.
It may go away tomorrow…
But tonight, America is great again. #SOTU
Update: A CNN poll showed a similar result, with 70% of viewers expressing a “positive” or “very positive” reaction to Trump’s speech.
http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2018/01/30/poll-75-approve-trumps-state-union-address/
20
Pat
Did they forget
“Atmosphere Cancer” – The Latest Name for Global Warming
https://wattsupwiththat.com/2018/01/28/atmosphere-cancer-the-latest-name-for-global-warming/
10
I know this issue has been raised before but I never saw an answer. What is the business model whereby electricity companies can offer huge “pay on time” discounts of up to maybe 30% when this is far beyond normal business practice?
32
The huge discount, settlement discount, well exceeds traditional business account settlement of normally 2.5%
Obviously, the electricity companies have a huge profit margin to play with to attract market share.
30
David Maddison –
not sure what u mean, but Origin & others are falling over themselves to offer big discounts. u only have to ask.
got 14%, then phoned & told them friends got 21%, so they just said ok u can have that too. since then, I have heard of even higher discounts but, being frugal with power, I can’t be bothered asking for more.
also noticed humans answering the phones pronto! what next?
40
29 Jsn: Daily Mail: Energy giants ‘bully their customers into getting smart meters’: Firms accused of flouting trading laws by telling families devices are a legal requirement
Households have been bombarded with texts, emails, letters and phone calls
Citizens Advice reports a stream of complaints from harassed customers
Letter from one supplier said: ‘We have legal requirement to change your meter’
By Victoria Bischoff
Energy giants were last night accused of flouting trading laws by pressuring homeowners into getting smart meters.
Families are being told the digital devices are a legal requirement when they are not. Trading standards chiefs have told power firms that misleading customers in this way is a breach of consumer laws…
A letter sent out by one supplier said: ‘We have a legal requirement to change your meter.’ In other cases engineers are dispatched even when the householder has repeatedly declined.
The £11billion cost for the roll-out is being passed on to customers through bills – at a cost of around £300 for every UK household. Yet those who have them installed are expected to save only £11 a year…
Smart meters are controversial because their internet connectivity may make them vulnerable to being hacked by criminals or even foreign powers. There have also been reports that they interfere with other household devices such as baby monitors, while some studies suggest they make little difference to energy efficiency…
They were supposed to reduce the average household’s gas and electricity costs by £26 a year.
But the Government has revised that down to just £11 because the cost of the nationwide installation of the devices has accelerated past £11billion…
Robert Cheesewright, of Smart Energy GB, the independent group set up to oversee the smart meter programme, said: ‘The roll-out will benefit everyone by bringing down energy bills, upgrading our national grid and delivering savings of £6billion to the British economy by 2030.’
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5323315/Energy-giants-bully-customers-getting-smart-meters.html
10
31 Jan: Australian: Jeff Kennett savages Labor over $22bn power sell-off
by John Ferguson
Jeff Kennett has blasted Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews over his criticism of the Coalition’s $22 billion electricity privatisations, accusing the Labor leader of becoming a serial whinger on core issues, including the economy and law and order.
Mr Kennett, the Victorian Liberal premier from 1992-99, yesterday said the privatisation agenda during his premiership had enabled the state to emerge from an economic swamp.
He savaged Mr Andrews’ criticism of the power privatisations, which were overwhelmingly conducted by the Kennett government. Mr Andrews had linked privatisations to heatwave blackouts on Sunday that caused disruptions for 60,000 Victorians…
If the assets weren’t sold, Mr Kennett said of the Victorian economy today: “We would be in a meat mincer.’’…
Mr Andrews yesterday insisted the majority of Victorians did not back power privatisations.
“If you asked ordinary Victorians, would you prefer the electricity system to be in private, for profit, ownership, or owned by every single Victorian, I think the majority of Victorians would say they would be much happier if it was owned by them,’’ he said.
On Monday night, Mr Andrews tweeted: “The Liberals never should have privatised electricity.’’
His comments came despite the privatisations occurring when Victorian debt had soared above $30 billion and after the near collapse of the State Bank…
Mr Andrews said the government would be pursuing compensation for victims of the weekend blackouts. There is broad consensus the blackouts were not caused by a lack of supply in the system but by failures in the distribution network as companies attempted to deal with heightened demand amid a near 40C heatwave.
Mr Andrews said there had been hundreds of localised faults on Sunday, some of which were still being dealt with. “We’ve still got over a couple of thousand properties without power and that is very frustrating for them, for the government and for all Victorians,” he said.
FROM 184 COMMENTS:
Michael: Selling power assets is still better than blowing them up.
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/state-politics/jeff-kennett-savages-labor-over-22bn-power-selloff/news-story/5cc9e18b5337c8d539fac4a89a390801
40
make of this what you will:
30 Jan: Forbes: Ken Silverstein: Grid Upgrades Can Prevent Blackouts But Still Don’t Eliminate The Need For More Transmission Lines
(writer’s bio: With a background in economics and public policy, I have spent two decades covering corporate and political affairs. I have worked as an editor, beat reporter and contributor for several news publications and my focus has been on the global energy sector. My columns have won some national awards)
In Melbourne, Australia, where it is now summer, intense heat forced folks there to crank up the air conditioners, which then caused the grid to overload and 50,000 homes and businesses to blackout. It’s wasn’t a supply and demand matter, the government said, but an aging infrastructure that couldn’t handle peak load.
The problem is not an isolated one. The United States is especially prone, where the local distribution network is in desperate need of updates and where the long-distance transmission lines need to be widened — and President Trump is expected to address this general issue in his State of the Union address tonight…
The need for producers and distributors of energy to be smarter and more efficient is paramount: The U.S. Energy Information Administration expects electricity consumption here to rise by 28% by 2040, and estimates are that $150 billion is now lost annually to power outages.
If a market need exists, then a system that rewards risk-taking can come up with solutions. Some key technologies are now in the offing that might mitigate such events: on-site generation that uses localized microgrids and energy storage. And there’s also daylight harvesting, which can shoot renewable electrons across state or country lines…
South Australia, for example, has been on a mission to keep the lights on…READ ALL
https://www.forbes.com/sites/kensilverstein/2018/01/30/grid-upgrades-can-prevent-blackouts-but-still-dont-eliminate-the-need-for-more-transmission-lines/#7620cff43808
11
The grids must have aged quite a lot in recent times, ever since the coal fired power stations were mothballed or blown up.
21
KK
Some more Trump on cagw
http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2018/01/30/delingpole-winning-trump-slashes-budget-of-global-warming-madrasa/
20
It took a long time for this monster to grow and a long time to prune him back.
Trump has started.
20
31 Jan: InternationalJournalismReview: After Trump Raised Tariffs, China’s Response Proves Trump Knows What He’s Doing
by BRANDON STEWART
However, when Trump announced this plan, he knew how it would make the markets react, and said what he thought would happen:
“When we do this, a lot of manufacturers will be coming to the United States to build washing machines and also solar”…
Now that Trump has imposed a 30 percent tariff on solar panels, one of China’s largest manufacturers of solar panels announced that it will be opening a production center in the U.S.
Jinko Solar U.S. announced (LINK) it will be opening an advanced solar manufacturing facility in the U.S…
https://ijr.com/the-declaration/2018/01/1057863-after-trump-raised-tariffs-chinas-response-proves-trump-knows-what-hes-doing/
30 Jan: CNN: After Trump tariffs, Chinese solar company says it will build U.S. factory
by Daniel Shane; Serenitie Wang contributed to this report.
President Trump wants Chinese solar panels firms to make more of their products in the U.S. — and they appear to be getting the message.
Trump framed the actions as a way to encourage more foreign companies to move manufacturing operations on U.S soil.
“A lot of manufacturers will be coming to the U.S. to build washing machines and also solar,” he said last week…
Francois Perrin, a portfolio manager at investment firm East Capital who specializes in renewable energy, said more Chinese solar companies could move parts of their production to the U.S. because of the tariffs…
There are other indications that foreign solar companies are bringing manufacturing to the U.S.
Documents filed with the local government in Jacksonville, Florida, this month state that a “leading international manufacturer of solar panels and modules” is seeking to invest more than $400 million in building a manufacturing plant in the city.
The facility, code-named “Project Volt,” will create 800 jobs between now and the end of next year, according to the documents.
Jinko declined to comment on whether it was the company behind Project Volt…
http://money.cnn.com/2018/01/30/news/economy/jinko-solar-us-china-trump/index.html
10
Try the link at
http://www.smalldeadanimals.com/2018/01/reader-tips-4098.html#comments
00
A huge 256 tonne 108 m long generator is being moved from the Latrobe Valley to the Port of Melbourne.
What could this be?
Perhaps one of the units from Hazelwood being shipped off to China so they can use it to make cheap electricity?
https://www.vicroads.vic.gov.au/newsmedia/2018/a-massive-108m-load-on-the-move
40
The total vehicle mass is 650 tonnes!
30
Hope they have a turning motor on that generator.
Else the shaft will bow from dead weight on supports.
That would make for an interesting spin up at destination.
Stand way, way, back.
00
108 metres????
How can that be possible??
Even something 108 ft long would be amazing.
00
I am afraid that the ski resorts in the Swiss Alps will be cut off from the world.
http://images.tinypic.pl/i/00957/higpnat2027i.png
10
Snowstorm in Davos. Beautiful views.
https://www.davos.ch/en/davos-klosters/news/live-cams/livecams-davos-klosters/
00