Thursday Open Thread

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354 comments to Thursday Open Thread

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    OldOzzie

    New York Stock Exchange Threatens to Leave New York!

    Two professional football teams left New York for another state – but the New York Stock Exchange? That is a possibility if the Empire State imposes a transfer tax on stock sales, according to the exchange’s president.

    In a Tuesday op-ed in The Wall Street Journal, NYSE President Stacey Cunningham said she and 25 other representatives of New York’s securities industry sent a letter to state legislative leaders warning against the unintended consequences of imposing such a tax.

    “The New York Stock Exchange belongs in New York,” Cunningham said. “If Albany lawmakers get their way, however, the center of the global financial industry may need to find a new home.”

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      Hanrahan

      Where would they go? I can’t imagine them heading for Florida or Texas, the destination of so many overtaxed New Yorkers. What would be the point of moving to another democrat run city/state?

      Just bluster, methinks.

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      • #
        RicDre

        “Where would they go?”

        Given that modern electronic stock exchanges are more virtual than real, I think the answer to that question is pretty much anywhere that has sufficient access to telecommunications and electricity.

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        PeterS

        The Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) is one of the biggest exchanges in the world and is based in Chicago. They could go there, or even merge with the CME.

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      • #
        Ted1

        Unintended consequences of The Great Reset?

        How many more to come?

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      • #
        Denny

        Where would they go?

        Across the river to Newark. With their accents nobody could tell the difference.

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        • #
          Yarpos

          The NYSE data centres are already in NJ, but the political environment there is almost as bad as NY.

          In reality I doubt anyone is moving.

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        sophocles

        There’s always California … 😀

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        truth

        Wasn’t the Republican loser of the Georgia Senate seat, the wife of the owner of the Stock Exchange?

        May have something to do with it.

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      TdeF

      I expect there are only three actual exchange floors left in the world, London LSE FTSE, New York NYSE and Shanghai. The others went electronic two decades ago. And most of the traders in the NYSE work from home these days of Wu FLu. So it is just an acceptance of the inevitable. You wonder where they will get those images of traders with wiry white hair looking desperate. Pure theatre these days. There is no particular conclususion to be drawn except that trading on an actual floor is something out of the Middle Ages.

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      • #
        TdeF

        Even stockbrokers jumping out of windows is possible only in old American skyscrapers, pre airconditioning.

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      • #
        Hanrahan

        Trading on Wall St [physically] still matters. The big broking houses have super computers in the building each trying to do computer generated trades and front-running buy/sell orders from the smucks faster than their competitors. They set up in the building but it is mandated that there is a minimum cable length twixt the brokers’ ‘puters and that of the exchange lest one has a pofteenth of a second advantage over the others.

        The high speed trades are so many and so quick the average hold times in the seconds. They can buy/sell so fast and cheaply that they can pick up the arbitrage between buy/sell orders even if they are pennies.

        The best thing NY can do for an open market is to tax trades so that picking up pennies that otherwise belong in the client’s accounts becomes unprofitable. But NY is not altruistic, merely hungry.

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      Tilba Tilba

      Are there global standard practices in these things? Do the big exchanges in Europe and East Asia have a transaction tax?

      Anyway – it seems to me to be reasonable tax to have … although it should be at the federal level to avoid state v state competition.

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      • #
        Nadia bin Du Natan

        Yes it would be a very good tax to have. It would stop all these sharks from front-running trades, with super computers very close to the stock exchange. It would bring some stability and sanity back to the market. Bring it closer to rational resource allocation. Its called a Tobin Tax and they ought to have it. The Americans already pay a tax to these numbers racketeers. The Tobin tax wouldn’t cost any more than the tax they are already playing and would bring a bit of stability rather than the current instability.

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  • #
    OldOzzie

    12 things I’ve learned after driving an electric car 9000km – Auto Expert John Cadogan

    I’ve clocked 9000kms in the Hyundai Kona Electric, despite a pandemic and wearing pyjamas 24/7. Here’s what I’ve learned about using an EV as primary transport…

    I’ve learned not to worry about range or recharging – especially if you have off-street parking. Like, I know last year was fairly unique in terms of personal mobility. But still, it’s rare for me to drive more than 430 kays in a day, and that’s what the Kona EV delivers, fully charged. The onboard range estimation algorithm is dead accurate, too, so I know you can trust it.

    I got a single-phase 32-amp charger installed. It’s weather-proof, and it’ll re-charge the Kona at its maximum 7.7kW AC recharging rating in about eight or nine hours – so even if you come home dead flat, you just sleep on it, and you’re fully charged again in the morning, using the cheapest electricity.

    A three-phase charger – three-phase power – would not be an asset in this situation. And even without a solar array on the roof this is a dirt-cheap vehicle to run. At – let’s ballpark it – 26 cents per kilowatt-hour, a full charge costs about $17. So it’s about $3.70 for 100 kays of mobility, versus (ballpark) $12 for internal combustion.

    So – provided you’ve got off-street parking and you live in a city – operating an EV is mainly super-convenient. It’s just one more thing to remember to recharge, right? Like phone, laptop, tablet, camera, car – check.

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      robert rosicka

      Ok if you live and work in a capital or regional centre but let’s complicate things by saying you want to drive from Melbourne to Broome via Old Andado ,Santa Theresa and Balgo !
      Then you head into renewables economics and have to have two vehicles to power your life so suddenly things get expensive unless you use green economics that is .

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      • #
        OldOzzie

        Then you head into renewables economics and have to have two vehicles to power your life so suddenly things get expensive unless you use green economics that is .

        Agreement with – Addressed at end of article

        There’s also such a thing as objective reality. Ontological objectivity. I’d suggest that EVs will not kill internal combustion – and in any case, that’s not their purpose. This is not a war, and there doesn’t have to be a winner. There will just be more choice in the future mobility energy mix. And that’s a good thing.

        Hydrogen fuel cells – same thing. Great idea. Interesting that Electric Jesus is very keen to polarise opinion there, by denigrating fuel cells. Obviously in the Church of EJ, the enemy of my enemy is also my enemy.

        There is certainly a place for all of these energy delivery mechanisms in the future transportation ecosystem. The future is pretty bright for EVs – they are going to be an increasing part of the transport mix. That’s a certainty. But this is not a battle to the death between the forces of EV goodness and the forces of internal combustion evil.

        The future is just going to offer more choice for you and me. I can see the garage of the not too distant future where there’s an each-way bet. An internal combustion SUV for towing and long-distance driving, and an EV for the hack work.

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        • #
          RodgerwithoutaD

          Has anyone worked out how much tax we pay when filling with Petrol or Diesel, then how much is not going to be collected when we move to “free” electricity and then thought about how they will slug us to make up the difference?

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          • #
            Robber

            Petrol and Diesel tax (excise) in Oz is 42.7 cents/litre – plus 10% GST.
            The terminal gate price for petrol in Australia is currently about 114 cents/litre incl GST – then add retail margin to get pump price.
            Tapis crude oil price is currently US$ 60.65/barrel, or 49.4 AUcents/litre.
            So raw material cost incl GST 54.3 AUcents/litre
            The refinery gate price for gasoline in Singapore is currently about US$66.50/bbl = 54 AUcents/lite or 59.4 cents incl GST
            Excise 47.0 cents/litre incl GST
            Transport, storage costs plus wholesale profit = 114-59.4-47.0 = 7.6 cents/litre
            Retail prices in parts of Australia vary from 114-154 cents/litre reflecting widely fluctuating retail margins on a weekly basis.

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          • #
            Dennis

            Australian governments are already talking about a road use tax for EV to replace the fuel excise for on road use now collected via liquid fuels.

            And starting with NSW all EV must display a sticker on both front and read number plates to identify EV to alert road accident services personnel to identify the increased risk of inferno from Lithium ion exothermic reaction. The sticker is similar to the LPG sticker for dual fuel conversion vehicles or LPG only.

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            • #
              Dennis

              By the way, battery pack replacement must be included in operating or running costs for an EV, fuel tanks do not normally require replacement.

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                Graeme#4

                I’ve noticed that the WA RAC, when evaluating car costs, carefully uses a time period that conveniently excludes the replacement battery cost.

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              • #
                Chad

                Dennis, do you factor in the cost of a replacement engine or gearbox in your ICE running cost ?
                There is just as much probability of those needing replacement is a current EV battery pack
                Infact,many have an 8 year replacement warranty and have been shown (Tesla,),.. to last way past 500k miles with less than 10% capacity loss.
                Most people buying new cars dont keep them much past the warranty period ..5 to 8 years these days.
                But, I guess if you plan on keeping a car for eternity, then you micht be concerned ….

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              • #
                Yarpos

                The car doesnt magically disappear at the end of those 5 to 8 years.

                Last 4 cars i have purchased and 3 onsold have been 36, 32, 60 and 25 years old.

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              • #
                Chad

                Yarpos,
                Anyone buying a car even outside its warranty, let alone over 25 yrs old,….needs to be very careful and do plenty of checks.
                Battery condition is relatively easy to check compared to the state of the internals of an ICE.

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                robert rosicka

                Chad your knowledge of the combustion engine and repairs is non existent unless you base your replacement engine costs on a Bugatti Veyron !

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              • #
                Chad

                Robert,
                A can instantly site at least 3 instances of close aquanitances and my own ..
                1) Ford “Escort XR3 ” 1988 model but only 2 yrs old. Complete motor rebuild (under warranty ) after the cam belt broke and trashed the internals
                2) BMW M5 complete engine replacement ..TWICE..within 12 months of rolling off the dealers lot
                3) ford Focus, 2015,.. transmission replacement ( TWICE ) again within 12 months from new
                4) Mazda 3 major motor rebuild after cooling system leak ..well under 100k kms
                Modern ICEs are very reliable, but you are fooling no one to suggest they never have major problems
                Personally i suspect the risk of high value failures is greater with an EV…but not necessarily the battery. There are so many complex electrical systems , Inverters, chargers, control systems, etc etc, which would require rare and expensive skills to rectify.

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        • #
          Gary Simpson

          But there won’t be any choice to make, as the woke, leftist governments of the west are rushing headlong to disaster by banning the use and manufacture of internal combustion transport because of, you know, the existential threat of slightly nicer weather.

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          • #
            Gary Simpson

            By the way, announced today – the closure of the Altona refinery in Victoria. This will leave Australia with just two remaining refineries. Add this to the blowing up and junking of coal-fired power stations here and we know where this will all end- dancing around the fire wrapped in possum furs to protect us from the cold and praying to our gods of nature to provide us with a miracle form of energy to propel us into an industrial revolution. Oh wait….deja vu.

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            • #
              Harry Passfield

              “…dancing round the fire in furs…” – which us just what CCCP want, so they can ‘rescue’ you.

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              • #
                GD

                “…dancing round the fire in furs…” – which us just what CCCP want, so they can ‘rescue’ you.

                No, not rescue us, but take us over and own Australia. Fait accompli.

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              Hanrahan

              We’ll prolly import our possum fur from the Kiwis anyway.

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            • #
              RicDre

              Another article on the refinery closure:

              Major Aussie Refinery Closing, Due to Hostile Government Policy

              https://wattsupwiththat.com/2021/02/11/major-aussie-refinery-closing-due-to-government-policy/

              This comment to the article is interesting:

              markl

              February 11, 2021 10:19 am

              Once again Down Under becomes the crash test dummy for environmentalist and AGW diktats. So where will the Marxists turn to for providing the money to fuel their ideology after they’ve successfully destroyed Capitalism? The Iron Lady was right …. “until you run out of other people’s money”.

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      • #
        Neo

        and have to have two vehicles to power your life so suddenly things get expensive

        Ahh, i see silly arguments are the flavor of the day. 🙂 No, you dont have 2 vehicles. The EV does a good job for 90 – 95% of your actual vehicle use in a year. Wanna go to Broome or serious bush? You hire a landcruiser, or a 4WD hybrid when they are available. No maintenance or day to day costs costs, just a fee and fuel.

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        • #
          robert rosicka

          See Neo it wasn’t that hard to admit it would double your cost , frankly I’m amazed you admit it .
          As for your 90 – 95% ? , we go Bush up north and or north west for up to six months , how many EV chargers are there at places like Old Andado or James Price point ? .
          If I didn’t know any better I’d swear you were Peter Fitzroy ! Totally devoid of logic and absolutely blinded by ideology.

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        • #
          Fran

          Last time I rented a car, the insurance was not valid off tarmac. And the only people I know who bought an electric car bought a hybred shortly after because of range problems. The capital cost of either was shocking, even in comparison to the luxurious new car I bought once. All my other cars have been > 10 years old.

          Consider what you get in the stock market for $10,000 over 10 years in a stock paying 7% dividends. That is the difference in the initial investment in an equivalent electric that for sure needs new batteries by 10 years. No wonder rebates are not working to get people to buy them and the Lefties want to legislate what kind of car you buy.

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        Yarpos

        Seems to be manufacturing a problem. Why would you have two vehicles? reality is the mass consumer market is tge city market. For EVs and most other things.

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      • #
        Tilba Tilba

        Ok if you live and work in a capital or regional centre but let’s complicate things by saying you want to drive from Melbourne to Broome via Old Andado, Santa Theresa and Balgo !

        This isn’t a fair dinkum comparison. I think 95% of all vehicles owned and driven in urban areas would not be used to drive to Broome … I have been to both Old Andado and Santa Theresa, and most cars would object.

        However I would have welcomed a little more comparative information – the capital cost of the electric car versus an equivalent IC one – size, features, power, zippiness.

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        • #
          robert rosicka

          Tilba you are clueless about four wheel drives in Melbourne and how many want to do the iconic tracks and do get to do the iconic tracks of oz , of which WA is a Mecca and few of them want to drive on bitumen where possible.

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          • #
            Tilba Tilba

            I live in Melbourne and I’m very aware of all the Toorak Tractors … my goodness in my leafy suburb there are plenty of BMW, Lexus, Porsche, Range Rover and everything else SUVs … mostly taking the spoilt little brats to and from school.

            But I stick by my 95% – most of these status vehicles never leave the bitumen … a day out to the Yarra Valley wineries is the most excitement they get. They never get to Old Andado.

            Sure – there are good old-fashioned Toyotas, Nissans and Land Rovers that will actually do some bush-bashing off the tar, but it’s not many as a percentage of the vast total.

            Anyway, it’s not an issue for the vast majority who need an economical car to run around Box Hill or Hoppers Crossing.

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            • #
              robert rosicka

              There are a half dozen Nissan forums and god knows how many Toyota forums in Melbourne and some have around 35,000 members , then there are various faceache forums for iconic Australian 4by tracks .
              I’m a member of a few of each and visit these isolated places and sign the visitors book , it’s amazing how many do come from Melbourne and other capital cities, yes there are bitumen bunnies but you seriously underestimate the amount of four wheelers hitting the tracks from Melbourne.
              You don’t know because you’ve never been by the sound of it but between the caravan and 4WD industry your talking hundreds of millions of dollars annually with some vans up around 4 tonne and needing a hefty V8 4WD .
              Your EV is tens of years away if indeed ever being able to corner that market , you underestimate the amount of grey nomads and four wheel drivers who winter up north and over in the west .

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      Klem

      Where i live you only see electric cars in the summer because they lose 40% of their range in the winter. This means the owner must own two cars, one beautiful fossil fuel powered car for the winter and the electric car simply to display their green virtuosity. Electric cars are g.., not that there’s anything wrong with that.

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      RickWill

      Almost half of the price of unleaded petrol is taxes. The tax component is much less for electricity. Australian governments could not afford to not tax EVs at a similar level to current vehicles.

      Add $6/100km to the electricity cost to recover the same amount of tax and the comparison is $9.70/100km to $12/100km. Governments will extract the money in some way to support their spending. It could take a decade or more given the slow uptake of EVs but it will come.

      The tax will not be levied on the electricity but on the distance travelled. All manufacturers will be required to provide the data from the vehicles they sell to streamline the road tax.

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        James Murphy

        Should tie in nicely with being nicely looked after by the government (for our own safety), given that we are already being normalised for “checking in” everywhere we go, and having to ask permission to travel within, travel to, and from the country of ones citizenship.

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        • #
          Just Thinkin'

          Murph,

          I see in the paper today that they want us to take 6 years to get back to normal overseas travel.

          IT IS ALL ABOUT CONTROL.

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        • #
          OriginalSteve

          Correct….Its the CCP way……

          Victoriastan appears to be the allocated disposable crash test dummy to do all this in.

          If you want to see the true mindset of the N W O flunkies and thier evil collaborators in our own country, look up the Denver Airport murals – disturbing at a minimum, including the demonic-looking horse at the entrance of the airport with glowing red eyes ( no, I’m not making this up…)

          This is thier mindset – its appears to be evil and very very disturbed. The N W O appear to be just a reboot of Na*ism, except this time its a medical version but the end “solution” seems to always be the same….

          You can see echos of it in Pol Pot and other people of that ilk…

          “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
          ( Romans 12:21 )

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          • #
            OriginalSteve

            Oh dear….

            https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2021/02/10/cambridge-university-bbc-took-cash-chinese-communist-party-backed-tech-giant-report/

            “Cambridge University and the BBC have become the latest British establishment institutions to have been accused of working in step with the dictatorship in Beijing, after signing deals with a Chinese Communist Party (CCP) tied tech giant.

            “The University of Cambridge reportedly received a “generous gift” from Tencent Holdings, one of the largest technology firms in China, to fund engineering research.

            “The university received money from Tencent to fund a quantum computing research project under Cambridge’s Dowling postdoctoral research fellowship, The Times reported on Wednesday.
            …..
            “In December, a former senior CIA official told Foreign Policy magazine that the American intelligence agency had concluded with a “high-confidence reporting” that Tencent was initially funded by the CCP’s Ministry of State Security, the top civilian security agency in China.
            ………….
            “Britain’s publicly-funded broadcaster, the BBC, has also been swept up in the flurry of reports on Chinese influence.

            “On Wednesday, The Telegraph reported that Tencent had signed a series of deals with the BBC to co-produce some of the broadcaster’s top programmes, including Sir David Attenborough’s climate change alarmist Blue Planet II wildlife series.

            “The report claimed that in 2018, the BBC inked a three-year production deal with Tencent to make “content-rich documentaries”.

            “Chinese expert at The Henry Jackson Society think tank, Sam Armstrong, said: “This is an appalling misjudgment by the BBC. Tencent is intricately connected to the Chinese State.”

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          • #
            OriginalSteve

            Hmmm…ever wonder if something “interesting” might be brewing?

            Is America to become the New Babylon?

            “Mene Mene Tekel Upharsin” = “You have been found wanting, and your kingdom is finished” ( roughly translated )

            “Amazon reveals plans to build “Tower of Babel” opposite US Capitol”

            “Amazon has just unveiled the plans for its new corporate headquarters that will stand in Arlington, Virginia, directly across the Potomac River from Washington DC. The announcement inaccurately describes the design as a “double helix” but scholars of ancient history and the Bible will readily recognize the ancient model for the design: the Tower of Babel.

            Gen 11:

            “1 Now the whole world had one language and a common speech. 2 As people moved eastward,[a] they found a plain in Shinar[b] and settled there.

            “3 They said to each other, “Come, let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar. 4 Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth.”

            “5 But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower the people were building. 6 The Lord said, “If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. 7 Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.”

            “8 So the Lord scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city. 9 That is why it was called Babel[c]—because there the Lord confused the language of the whole world. From there the Lord scattered them over the face of the whole earth.

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      • #
        Hanrahan

        The obvious way to tax EVs is on a distance travelled basis but you can bet it will not replace fuel tax for ICEs but will be an addition, a punishing way to do it for the battler who can’t afford the EV.

        I would be surprised if there was a rapid charge station anywhere in OZ north of Brisbane and last time I looked there was just one 22kW station in the Valley. Yesterday I was looking for charge stations and the Qld Gov site did not show any off highway 1. If businessmen are to install charge points off the beaten track they won’t be cheap to use, they will be slow charge OR they will be diesel driven.

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        • #
          Dennis

          Does the long term hidden agenda include travel restrictions, by government permit only outside of your defined home district, and public transport including EV hire replacing privately owned transport?

          Consider the enormous cost involved in supplying the electricity that would be needed if only passenger transport vehicles were electric, let alone goods transport and buses. And the cost of dismantling the liquid fuel service stations and fuel depots.

          The Inevitability Of Gradualness, Fabian Society of socialism and associated leftists.

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          • #
            Chad

            Dennis
            February 11, 2021 at 10:25 am ·
            Does the long term hidden agenda include travel restrictions, by government permit only outside of your defined home district, and public transport including EV hire replacing privately owned transport?

            2020 has shown that even local State Gvmt can restrict our freedom practically at will, with little legal recourse for the individual.
            Get used to it, .
            RegArding personal transport, it is anticipated that the advent of effective Autonamous EV,s. , most Urban/suburban car users will give up ownership infavor of “on Demand” car use . It simply will not be necessary or economical to actually own a car when one can be available whenever you need it .

            Consider the enormous cost involved in supplying the electricity that would be needed if only passenger transport vehicles were electric

            Yes Dennis, why dont you estimate those costs ??
            You may just get a surprise !

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      • #
        Ted1

        Hmnnn…?Lost my place! Can’t remember who this was meant for, but here it comes anyway.

        I have wondered about these Chinese “bans”. Most of. the commodities involved have been affected by other disruption. Thanks to an awful drought, beef and barley have been experiencing severe supply problems. Wine maybe the same. A lot of Australia’s wine is produced with irrigation in the Murray/Darling basin, and in that drought the authorities gave the water needed for irrigation to The Greens, so there is probably a supply problem there too.

        Meanwhile, how much has the pandemic disrupted industry in China? Maybe they can’t handle that coal at the moment.

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          el gordo

          The drought is over and all those products which Beijing has banned will have to find new markets.

          On the question of China growth during the pandemic, anecdotally they are doing fine.

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      Deano

      John Cadogan – Hyundai. Hmmmmm. I’ve read quite a few of Cadogan’s car reviews and after a while you notice a trend appears. It seems Hyundai’s cars are exceptionally better than everything else.

      Their cars seem good for their price points and all but, I wouldn’t take Cadogan’s enthusiasm for anything Hyundai too seriously.

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        Chad

        Re is a reason hyundai are second only to toyota (Corolla) for car sales in Australia
        They are also 3rd overall for total vehicle sales behind Toyota and Mazda who both rack up most of their sales from Ute’s…which Hyundai does not sell here currently
        Hyundai are more popular than Ford, Nissan, Mitsubishi, VW, Audi, etc etc etc…
        Maybe you should do some test drives yourself !

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        • #
          Chad

          Oops ! That should read ..”there is a reason “…..
          Cadogan is an oddball character for sure ( and a “climate alarmist”).. but he is probably the most independent and technically astute motoring journalists in the country.
          ..he also does an entertaining presentation !
          FYI, he has previously warned buyers away from some Hyundai models, based on dubious crash test results
          You should also watch his trashing of Tesla. And Musk ..AKA..”Electric Jesus” !

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          OldOzzie

          We changed from a 2004 Honda Jazz to a Kia Rondo 7 seater $30K driveaway 3 years ago for my youngest daughter, husband and Grandkids 7/8/9

          Have been perfectly happy with the Kia, especially 7 year Warranty and Service.

          We are trying to get my wife out of 2006 Honda Jazz for more safety, but it keeps driving as if new.

          Looking at Kia Seltos, Hyundai Venue, Mazda CX30 Pure with safety, Subaru XV and Toyota Yaris Cross GXL probably 2WD FWD and not Hybrid as around 8K mileage per year hybrid not justified and have been happy with CVT in Jazz’s – as short mileage have changed CVT Fluid every 10K.

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            Hanrahan

            I’m a bloke, worked with blokes but find Cadogan hard going although the couple of vids I’ve watched lately he has toned down. He has his favourites and Toyota isn’t one. Listening to him you would be unaware that they are sold here. His enthusiasm for Hyundai is not misplaced and his distain for Mercedes is well deserved.

            The CVT in my Camry is a “non-service item”, we’ll see. It also has a timing chain so no belt change, being hybrid it has electric aircon, power steering, power brakes so no belts there either. I can’t argue the case Cardogan made and according to him I shouldn’t own one, but I like it and it’s low maintenance.

            What has Honda done to fall from grace? The two I owned I liked.

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            • #
              Chad

              Hanrahan,
              Cadogans beef with Toyota is not about their vehicles so much as their recent Customer Service disgraceful response to the Diesel PF screw up.
              They just would not accept there was a fault, tried to cover it up, retrofitted dumb non solutions,, ripped off owners with major problems that should have been warranty issues….before eventuall yeilding to a class law suit….assisted by Codogan .
              That and he believes the Top Selling HiLux, is not the best choice 4wd Ute !
              Similarily his dislike of Ford ( DCT issues), VW, , and Merc. ..all of which have shown contempt for customers in a major way !
              If you follow him, you will notice that he puts Customer service and good Warranty , high on the list of essentials for car ownership..
              Honda, well, the fact is they have done little to keep up with other manufacturers developments, warranty span,, even engine tech..other than their “Type R”.
              Buyers do test drives, compare value, warranty etc, then vote with their wallet !

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        Matthew Bruha

        Having driven my Santa Fe for 15 years without a problem , we made the choice to upgrade my partner’s Holden to a Hyundai when it needed to be replaced last year.

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      William Astley

      EV vehicles are not practical for engineering reasons in cold climates.

      Batteries start to fail as the temperature drops. And range is cut in half if the battery is required to heat the vehicle.

      This is interesting. Kind of blocking pattern that could cause an ice age.

      https://www.theweathernetwork.com/ca/news/article/canada-set-to-endure-the-most-widespread-cold-this-century

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        Chad

        William,
        Strange that Norway should have such a high uptake (highest per capita in the world !) of EV’s ,then ?

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          OldOzzie

          Discover Norway’s Unique EV And EV Chargers Perks

          When it comes to nationwide transformation of electric vehicle adoption, Norway continues to lead the way. Since the early 1990’s, Norway has been developing substantial and comprehensive EV incentives programs. Such prescient thinking has paid off – a world record 69% of cars sold in Norway in 2020 have a plug.

          10

        • #
          Analitik

          Not at all strange when you look at all the subsidies offered for EV ownership and purchase (all funded by Norway’s oil exports).

          And there are common reports of Tesla owners crawling about when driving in winter nights, desperately conserving their charge so that they can reach their destination (probably home where it will be recharged for the next day’s usage).

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          • #
            Chad

            Even accepting exaggerated anecdotal “”Reports” .. it doesnt seem to prevent the Norwegians from continuing to buy EV’s
            Sure , they are subsidised to sometimes be cheaper than ICEs, but no sane person is going to buy any car that doesnt function in typical local conditions.. ( and there are a lot of smart folk in Norway !)
            Maybe, like most of the world, the Norwegians never drive much more than 40km /day on average, so any reduction on a max 400km range is not a concern ?
            The top selling EV in Norway is Audi’s Etron.
            Tesla ?..they sell a lot in Canada also

            14

            • #
              Analitik

              It just goes to show how strong the incentives from the subsidies are (including single driver use of HOV lanes).

              Yes, the EVs work in winter but that is because they have grossly over-spec’d battery capacity if you accept the “normal” capacity value vs the range requirement. If they had the battery capacities that were actually appropriate to usage (based on nominal values) like a GeeWiz, then they would be OK in summer and maybe early autumn, late spring but they would utterly useless in winter. This makes the EVs far more expensive than they would be if cold weather performance of the battery packs was not so heavily curtailed.

              60

            • #
              Graeme#4

              I believe that many Norwegians have two cars – one EV for local use due to the generous subsidies, and the other an ICE SUV to drive to other countries.

              50

            • #
              Fran

              Bet they have a heater to warm the interior plugged in as well as their car.

              00

    • #
      David Wojick

      A home owning city dweller that never goes anywhere is the perfect early adopter of EVs. Not what the issue is about.

      121

      • #
        ColA

        David, to the inner city cafe late woke SJW leftie greenie they are virtue signaling their superior world climate saving efforts so there will be a battle to the death between the forces of EV goodness and the forces of internal combustion evil = ICE man bad!!

        141

    • #
      Richard Jenkins

      Oldozzie #2
      I find that Cadogan essay unbelievable and would check the author’s motives and credibility.
      The gauges are reliable in kms. The kms per amp must vary! Hills, wind, auxillaries, weight, number of passengers, speed are amongst the factors that must change kms / amp.
      The charging rates also vary. The amount of charge in the battery has a huge influence. Between 30% & 70% charge rates are far better.
      The charge rate slows dramatically when the battery has more charge. 95% to 100% slows.
      The promoter suggests he is going from little charge to fully charged quickly using 7.5 kw.
      I don’t beleive that is possible either.
      The amount of energy required to move 1500 kg at 80 kph with no wind is considerable.
      It’s like the AGW claims. Hotest decade on record after they homogenize the records.
      Currently I think it was a publicity narrative.
      Admittedly I found taxis in Adelaide pleasant and suspect they use wating times on charges.
      I want to see the data.

      52

      • #
        Richard Jenkins

        It is also interesting that charge rate was 7500watts. That needs a 35 amp fuse or in USA 80 amp fuse.
        Most unlikely.
        Some fast charging offers 50000 watt but they are rare and still have long waits.
        Trip would have to be from fast charge to fast charge.

        21

      • #
        Chad

        Richard Jenkins
        February 11, 2021 at 9:08 am · Reply
        Oldozzie #2
        I find that Cadogan essay unbelievable and would check the author’s motives and credibility.
        The gauges are reliable in kms. The kms per amp must vary! Hills, wind, auxillaries, weight, number of passengers, speed are amongst the factors that must change kms / amp.
        The charging rates also vary. The amount of charge in the battery has a huge influence. Between 30% & 70% charge rates are far better.
        The charge rate slows dramatically when the battery has more charge. 95% to 100% slows.
        The promoter suggests he is going from little charge to fully charged quickly using 7.5 kw.
        I don’t beleive that is possible either

        Firstly, ..energy is measured in Wh (or Joules) , not in Amps.
        Secondly, EV, energy use is quoted in Wh/km , and just like ICE fuel consumption will vary dramatically during use, ..so (as with ICE) it is normal to quote an “Average” figure for a journey, a week, or overall use to date. Typical Ev energy consumption is between 150 to 500+ Wh/km..depending on type of use. ( ICE for comparison uses between 700 and 2000+Wh/km equivalent).
        The 7.5kW charge rate is limited by the onboad charger in the Kona, and yes, 40A domestic 240V supply is common. ( my electric cooktop is wired for a 9.0 kW draw.)
        So overnight (12 hrs ?) a 7,5kW charger could easily recharge the Kona’s 64kWh pack… even with the reduced rate for the last 10% . (<8 hrs to 90% )

        20

        • #
          Richard Jenkins

          Chad,
          My point is that the gauges in EV use kilometers as electrical units.
          How many kilometres are left in your battery???
          Charging rates are in kilometres.?????
          As the voltage is constant the charge rate unit is more simple and honest if quoted in amps.
          Battery charching is shown in many types of petrol cars in amps
          Sure energy is watts. How many watts make a joule or a kilojoule?
          Energy is also callories.
          1 callory is the amount of energy required to heat 1 cc of water 1 degree celsius.
          Surely using kilometres is delibrately misleading.
          Would a petrol station use kilometres on a bowser?
          My cars for 30 years have had a current rate of petrol usage. Then press a button and range left in tank at this rate.
          Fascinating how, on a flat road on cruise control, those numbers change. Probably with wind direction.
          Cadogan claimed his car was consistent.
          I don’t believe hm.

          21

          • #
            CriddleDog

            “Sure energy is watts”

            No. Power is measured in watts.
            Energy is power x time hence joules(watt.seconds), or larger units kWh(kilo-watt hours)

            30

    • #
      Ted1

      Who is John Cadogan and how does he earn his bread?

      That said, the only thing stopping electric vehicles is the cost of the batteries. Which are not all included in the manufacturing cost.

      Note that when John was charging his Kona, there was no PV power available. Lucky not too many others were charging their Konas.

      Of course, that could be overcome by having a spare battery. What was the cost of that again?

      If EVs come into widespread use, batteries will be swapped like gas bottles.

      12

      • #
        Sceptical Sam

        There’s nothing wrong with black electrons.

        They’re the most reliable ones around.

        10

      • #
        Richard Jenkins

        Ted 1,
        I have often thought about EV serice stations.
        You standardize batteries, Slide them out. measure the charge left in them, insert a fully charged battery and pay for the amount ofelectricity you bought.
        Major problems. The batteries are very heavy.
        The shapes vary as the battery are spread all around the car. Weight distribution and centre of gravity are vital.
        Batteries are very expensive and depreciate.
        Changing batteries is labour intensive.

        00

      • #
        Chad

        Ted1,
        Cadogan is a professional motoring journalist, these days his main media outlet is the Youtube channel, but previously he was Editor of “Motor” magazine and other motoring publications befor the internet killed them.

        If EVs come into widespread use, batteries will be swapped like gas bottles.

        You mean like the gas bottles in the LPG cars and Taxis were ????
        NO.. as discussed previously, battery swaps were tried, found to be impractical, send a few people broke, ..and finally rejected.
        ..i you’r Dreamin’ ..!

        51

      • #
        Hanrahan

        Batteries will never be swapped like gas bottles. Only accredited technicians can change them and that is how it should be.

        It may happen in buss/truck depots but the installations will, of necessity, be simpler and less efficient

        41

        • #
          OldOzzie

          Tackling KERS in Formula One

          System lifecycle

          The lifetime of a RESS is a key determinant in its long term viability. Chemical batteries can typically be cycled (charged and discharged) about a thousand times before they must be disposed of or recycled. Supercapacitors have a lifetime of around a million cycles but it is flywheels that excel in longevity with lifetimes upward of ten million cycles.
          When considering a RESS in a long term context, it is informative to look at the number of charge/discharge cycles over its life multiplied by the energy exchanged per kilogram. This figure illustrates the amount of energy that the system handles over its life. For a chemical battery this is in the region of 1000 MJ/kg, for supercapacitors about 10,000 MJ/kg and for flywheels it approaches 1,000,000 MJ/kg. To put this in context, a single 40kg flywheel system would recycle 40 terajoules over its lifetime which is the same amount of energy as the electricity used by 2.2 million UK households in a year.

          The above advantages of a flywheel also fuel the FIA’s desire to move away from chemical batteries as energy storage device. It is more and more important to keep costs under control while keeping in mind the friendliness to the environment – flywheels to not require the use of toxic materials and can be safely recycled after usage. As such, the FIA makes no secret that it might push for a standard KERS device. When such design is proposed, it looks highly probable that the flywheel will win the challenge.

          Safety

          The most important aspect of any RESS, especially in a mobile context, is safety. By definition any energy storage device represents a safety risk should it fail and rapidly release its energy. Batteries can explode if they overheat and flywheels can explosively shatter. Any system must therefore be able to safely withstand an internal failure but also be resistant to external events such as a high speed crash.

          In order to ensure the safety of the KERS systems, the drivers and teams have repeatedly sit together to find solutions to problems that arose with the new technology. Worries have been reported by several drivers and teams after both BMW Sauber and Red Bull suffered from failures. In the end, the FIA have issued measures such as rubber gloves for team personnel and danger courses for the track marshals in case of an on-track failure.

          Systems used in Formula One

          – Flywheel technology by Williams Hybrid power
          – Chemical batteries

          Kinetic energy recovery system

          00

    • #
      Strop

      it’ll re-charge the Kona at its maximum 7.7kW AC recharging rating in about eight or nine hours – so even if you come home dead flat, you just sleep on it, and you’re fully charged again in the morning, using the cheapest electricity.

      Cheapest electricity? Are we able to charge using the controlled load off peak source like hot water services?

      If everyone is charging their cars at night it will no longer be off peak. 🙂

      Plus, given the greens keep saying renewables produce the cheapest electricity ….. how do we get cheap electricity at night without solar being available? Does this mean nearly all overnight car charging will be done using CO2 emitting electricity generation instead of running a CO2 emitting car?

      The cost per 100km will be different when the taxes moves from petrol to electricity or some other form of car use tax.

      100

      • #
        Chad

        Strop,
        Depending on your service supplier, it is possible to have an “off Peak” supply rate ( sometimes below 20c/kWh ) but be careful , other time usage rates may go up !
        Cheap nighttime electricity will be around for some time mainly because as you say, RE doesnt do much then , so the “back up” gas and coal generators have to run to keep the lights on , and there is always a surplus capacity there because they have to be prepared for the worst case …”ZERO RE” situation.
        Are you really concerned with CO@ emission ?

        10

        • #
          Chad

          I should add also,
          Idoes it matter if its Off Peak rates or not, ?
          Even at the regular 30c/kWh, the Kona full charge is less than $20, for a 400+km trip that works out at <5c/km .

          00

          • #
            Chad

            Here is a point to screw with your EV arguments….
            Somebody raised the issue of Grid capacity to cope with a increased demand from EV use.
            In the extreme ( but never going to happen !) assume ALL cars etc are EV’s ,..and all of them will charge from the grid supply.
            First a few facts ….
            From https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/industry/tourism-and-transport/survey-motor-vehicle-use-australia/latest-release
            14 million cars in AU, averaging 30 kms per day.
            Even if every car sold starting today was an EV, it would take at least 7 years to reach 50% EVs on the road !
            ..but that is not happening, so it will be at least 15-20 years minimum for %0% EVs (7 mil)
            With each on travleing 30km daily , using 250Wh/km , that would need ..<8 kWh each, or 53 GWh total to recharge them all each day.
            Remember , total grid capacity is 800-850 GWh per day, so this is only an extra 6% demand… but mostly during the overnight period
            With a possible night time of 12 hrs, that implies approx an extra 4.5 GW demand on the grid.
            Since we all know there will always be a need for large amounts of Gas and Coal support for the RE generators, then it is obvious that another 4.5 GW at night is not a problem,..it just gives better utilisation of existing generation assets.
            It could even work today !
            But again remember tis is all 15 + years down the road, so no need to worry at all..
            ..it may never happen ?

            10

            • #
              Chad

              Oops again..
              That should read..
              ….“15-20 years for 50% EVs ( 7 million )”……

              00

            • #
              Hanrahan

              What EV do you drive Chad?

              That’s a circular argument. Because of the costs and inherent shortcoming in EVs we can ignore the problems because no one is buying them.

              I just checked, EVs are 0.5% of the Qld fleet and Teslas have been the preferred toys of the rich for years. You can buy a Jabiru airplane for not much more than a long range Tesla. Three of my friends own them, none own an EV.

              Electric light aircraft are becoming popular with aero clubs but that’s another story.

              10

              • #
                Chad

                Hanrahan
                February 11, 2021 at 1:55 pm ·
                What EV do you drive Chad?

                As i have stated before,…i dont own an EV,..and wont untill the costs become comparable with ICE,s
                I realise the issues with EV,s ..cost , charging, range , etc….but i am also attracted by their drive characteristics..high torque, no gears, low noise , etc…
                …but it will be quite some time before i pay a significant premium for those benifits.

                00

              • #
                Hanrahan

                So you don’t want one, I definitely don’t want one. Can we stop now?

                40

              • #
                Chad

                No, no,…
                I would like on ,….but i am not prepared to pay the current prices.
                ..between you and me (no one else reading , is there ?)
                ..i would ideally like a PHEV….(Diesel Plug in Hybrid ?) with about 10-20 kWh battery )..something like the Outlander PHEV.
                Enough battery to do 90% of daily usage, but with Diesel range and onboard recharge capability !)
                ..which are much more practical than a BEV currently.

                00

        • #
          Strop

          Hi Chad,

          No, I’m not concerned about CO2 emissions. Was just referencing the irony of moving to electric cars supposedly to get to zero emissions (by 2030? 2050?) but then charging cars overnight on CO2 emitting energy sources.

          I’ve got “off peak” (controlled load) for hot water. (jumped from 10.5c to 14c last year) Didn’t know there were elec supply plans for general off peak use.

          As for <5c/km ICE cars would be close to that without the taxes on fuel. The same taxes that will find their way onto EV's when the tax revenue starts drying up from ICE.

          Regarding 15-20 years for 50% EV's. Vote Labor and it will be much quicker.

          10

          • #
            Chad

            Strop
            A recent survey (USA) of EV owners revealed that
            A) costs ( purchace or running) was not a major issue ( no surprise there !)
            B) Range was not a concern to most
            C). CO2/ emissions were not a factor in the decision of most to buy EV

            To most it was a “trend” or “Lifestyle” decision, ..most likely influenced by peer pressure ? IE .. the “Tesla Cult” ..the followers and supporters of Electric Jesus !

            Until EV prices become comparable to ICE, there will be no major uptake !.
            What makes you think Labor can make EV sales increase ? ..
            …..their policies will just force up the price of electricity !

            20

            • #
              Chad

              Strop,
              To most of us here, the emissions/CO2 case for EV’s is a marketing/political furphy, we know that they do nothing when you consider the big picture.
              But the EV (and Hybrid) drive trains do have some good advantages.
              Anyone who tries one would be surprised at the differences.

              10

            • #
              Strop

              Labor’s policies at the 2019 election.

              00

        • #
          OldOzzie

          Chad,

          I have been on TOD metering since late 90s

          Sydney Current Rates

          Off-Peak 2200-0700 0.147500 per Kw Hr
          Shoulder 0700-1400 & 2000-2200 0.218000 per Kw Hr
          Peak 1400-2000 0.574400

          and I get 26% Discount on Usage Charges for on time payment

          00

          • #
            Chad

            Ok, that would make the Kona EV’s 64kWh charge cost less than $10, or even $7.50 if you pay on time .
            And with a 430km range, that would be 1.7 c/km currently…($1.70 per 100km)

            30

      • #
        Hanrahan

        7.7 kW charging will indeed need a 35A circuit. Can your electricity retailer allow every house in your suburb to install one of these? I doubt it, substations could be overloaded. As stated above, if EVs become ubiquitous 3AM will no longer be off peak.

        Free lunches don’t last.

        20

        • #
          Hanrahan

          I can see the day when retailers reduce your pole fuse to limit maximum usage. To get a larger fuse to enable a 35A circuit you will need a smart meter that enables your charger to be switched off.

          Chad is looking at this from the POV of the user, I’m thinking of the supply and costs borne by the community to provide for the wealthy who can afford an EV. A battler with an old Falcodore should not have to pay for his wealthy neighbours’ electricity supply, the reason I also abhor high FITs.

          10

          • #
            Richard Jenkins

            Hanrahan, Chad will be okay he has got a 40 amp cooktop to plug in an EV.
            MOTELS and hotel garges will have 40 amp GPOs for your car.
            I have 1 40amp point for our electric oven.
            It is common to have 15 amp. fuses in the kitchen.
            Your reference to the supplier’s fuse is important.

            I found a Jaguar EV article interesting.The author had 95% charge when he picked up the car and plugged it in to start his review from fully charged. The charger showed 3 km per hour. Later he managed 8 km per hour. I now know that conditions alter the charge rate. The top 5% Charges slowly. Sales recommend to not go less than 30% or above 70% If charging time is an issue. I guess that takes 60% of quoted range.
            It took 3 days on a gpo to recharge the Jag.

            00

        • #
          Chad

          H,…. check your distribution panel /fuse box…..
          I suspect the majority of houses in Au have at least one 32A breaker,…many will have more than one
          Cookers are common on 32A
          A/C also, as are water heaters or Electric showers
          Spa’s, and Garage circuits are other common applications for 32 A circuits.
          The main fuse on most normal homes are 60 or 100A typically
          See my above post regarding likely max demand with all EVs charging at the same time !

          40

    • #
      R.B.

      That has be the first EV to get it’s range calculations right.
      Inside Eva test on the Kona
      The range estimator was overly optimistic in the first half of the journey. When I was at 50% state of charge, I had driven 133 miles and the range estimator was predicting another 137 miles of range was still available. However, once I started out on the second half the estimator began lowering its predicted range, and by the time I was down to 25% SOC, it seemed to be more in sync with reality.

      They do say that it was close to the estimated range on a cold day without use of the a.c..

      Interesting about the just have two cars argument. Low paid workers can’t afford the insurance, rego and service on a second car. A secondhand EV will most likely require a new battery pack to get these ranges, costing the same as 1/3 of a new petrol Kona.

      00

  • #
    OldOzzie

    Even France Fears America’s ‘Woke’ Left

    French officials, intellectuals, and journalists are warning that progressive American ideas are contaminating their society.

    They specifically cite progressive ideas on race, gender, and post-colonialism as undermining their way of life, The New York Times reported Tuesday.

    French President Emmanuel Macron defines the threat as “Certain social science theories entirely imported from the United States.”

    Other French officials simply blame the out-of-control woke leftism of American campuses and the accompanying cancel culture.

    And the Times noted disputes that normally wouldn’t have attracted much attention are now becoming major issues in France.

    In one case, the new director of the Paris Opera said he wants to diversify its staff and ban blackface. But he was blasted in the Le Monde newspaper for having worked in Toronto and having “soaked up American culture for 10 years.”

    170

  • #
  • #
    OldOzzie

    Lindell challenges Dominion and says 22 million people have watched his documentary

    Rumble — Mike Lindell says at least 22 million people have watched his election fraud documentary “Absolute Proof” in the United States alone.

    Lindell again challenged Dominion to join him on live television to go fact by fact on the election fraud, and has yet to get a response.

    Watch “Absolute Proof” at http://michaeljlindell.com

    180

    • #
      Klem

      No one truly wants to investigate the fraud because they might actually find evidence for it, and end up receiving the Seth Rich treatment. No good deed goes unpunished they say.

      150

      • #
        John R Smith

        Now, now,
        it’s not fraud (that’s a hurtful trigger word), it’s ‘fortification’.
        I didn’t steal your wallet, I fortified your understanding of your privilege.
        We of all people should understand.
        It wasn’t a collapse of the correlation between CO2 and warming, it was a ‘Pause’.

        190

    • #

      As usual, an important documentary but no easy way the obtain a copy. I think I have managed it using Flashback Recorder, but there is a load of stuff to delete as I dozed off …

      30

  • #
    OldOzzie

    Lee Smith: The American Elite’s Primary Allegiance Is No Longer to America, But to the Communist Party of China, That Makes Them Rich and Keeps Them In Power

    Great article called “The Thirty Tyrants” — a reference to a period of Athenian history in which the city-state was controlled by tyrants allied with foreign enemies– that everyone was reading last Monday.

    He just appeared on Tucker Carlson, talking about the article. Two clips from that appearance are below.

    He starts the article by quoting from a Tom “Chinese Dictatorship Should Be Our Model” Friedman column from ten years ago, noting that the corporate elite had previously used the Republican Party as its vehicle for gaining favorable policies. But the Tea Party made the GOP a less welcome place for the aborning oligarchy.

    The GOP was still rolling over for the US Chamber of Commerce and Wall Street and the corporate elite — but it wasn’t rolling over hard enough.

    But the elite easily found a new home in the transnational left.

    130

    • #
      Harry Passfield

      I think it was Tony Blair, or one of his CC ministers who said, during an interview some years ago that what was needed was a China-style government which could dictate the laws necessary to implement a green revolution.
      Fortunately, we got rid of Blair but now have Carrie.

      170

      • #
        Klem

        “There’s a level of admiration I actually have for China. Their basic dictatorship is actually allowing them to turn their economy around on a dime.”

        – Justin Trudeau

        100

        • #
          PeterS

          Yes one could say the same thing about Nazi Germany about how well organised they were and how they too turned their economy around on a dime. If anyone bothers to listen to China’s national anthem in English will soon realise they have already declared war on the West, and are winning so far without firing a shot.

          102

          • #
            OriginalSteve

            It helps too when you have politicians and business leaders who would happly collaborate with the CCP and sell oput thier own countrymen & women….

            The joke is on the local collaborators though – if the CCP decide to actually physically invade the USA after attacking the USA with a much worse biological weapon, the first thing they will likely do is execute all the local collaborators.

            From an invader point of view they would likely voew that if youre happy to sell out your own flesh and blood people and kinsmen and deliver them into slavery and likely death, youre the sort of individual that they cant trust not do the same to them. Its just logical.

            81

            • #
              PeterS

              No need for biological weapons for a real attack. Too messy. A few EMP strikes will do a much better job.

              00

            • #
              el gordo

              ‘ … if the CCP decide to actually physically invade the USA …’

              They won’t, the citizens are armed to the teeth.

              Biological warfare spread by agents provocateurs would be cruel and indiscriminate, similar to the British giving American Indians blankets laced with smallpox.

              13

              • #
                OriginalSteve

                Um..yes they would. Ive seen a transcript of a speech by a CCP General ( released on epoch times ) who said exactly this.

                Why would they risk thier own PLA soldiers and being shot at, if they could just drop a bioagent and let it do its job? It makes perfect sense. The clean up would be horrible, but the CCP doesnt seem to mind getting dirty….

                The push is that China needs more land. Americans appear to be regatrded as a “problem” to be solved. They want the infrastructure, and a rebuild after an EMP would be huge….ergo….

                51

              • #
                el gordo

                War is unlikely because its a zero sum game and Premier Xi says war is a waste of resources.

                Beijing has no intention of taking over the world militarily, but they can do it commercially. They love capitalism with Chinese characteristics., neo Fascist style.

                06

              • #
                Serp

                Is there nothing you won’t trivialise? Xi is a &*#$% whose every utterance drips dishonesty.

                50

              • #
                el gordo

                Xi is a Marxist Leninist who has morphed into a totalitarian Fascist and China is Australia’s biggest trading partner. We are at their mercy, but refuse to bend.

                Because of Covid and the coal debacle, the ruling elite are vulnerable, so its plausible that a new leader might emerge who will offer a Third Way.

                03

  • #
    OldOzzie

    For Biden, there’s never too much control for Americans, and never too little for illegals

    There’s a reason the left doesn’t want COVID ever to end.

    First, it became a pretext for blue-state officials to shut down businesses, churches, and schools.

    Now it’s morphed into a pretext for Orwellian spying on Americans and their every personal move. It’s all about control.

    At the same time, the Biden administration is also encouraging illegal immigration.

    It comes down to “your papers, please” for Americans, based on purported concerns about COVID, but for unvetted foreigners, never mind about the passport.

    This comes with open borders, amnesty, and “free” health care serving as incentives for them to come on in.

    That’s some central planning from the party of Big Government. Or more to the point, Biden has his priorities.

    Here are some of the specifics:

    110

  • #
    el gordo

    ‘Hundreds of thousands of people in southern and eastern parts of China are facing drinking water shortages as a result of months of reduced rainfall, the central government says.

    ‘The Ministry of Water Resources said on Thursday that more than 500,000 hectares of arable land had been affected by the drought, leaving 330,000 people in rural areas without a sufficient supply of potable water.

    ‘Since October, rainfall in regions south of the Yangtze River had been 50 to 80 per cent lower than normal, it said.’ (SCMP)

    34

  • #
    OldOzzie

    Tom Brady is the left’s worst nightmare

    Let me go on the record by saying that until about four years ago, I couldn’t stand Tom Brady. I used to root for every one of Patriot’s opponents. My reasons for not liking him: He was successful, a winner, and a good-looking guy with a supermodel wife. I suppose, like most guys who wanted Brady to lose, I was jealous.

    Yeah, it really just came down to stupid petty jealousy, and it’s pretty embarrassing to admit.

    So what changed?

    I then came to the realization that anyone who works hard and succeeds in any endeavor should be emulated, not ridiculed. We used to love winners in America, but I guess these days, winners have to be a member of a minority group for it to count and not a white man who keeps his political opinions mostly to himself.

    I am a Christian, and an American who happens to be black and I proudly say that Tom Brady is the greatest quarterback to ever play in the NFL. He is deserving of admiration as a great American athlete.

    This is a man who worked hard for everything he achieved: first in his effort to earn the starting QB role for Michigan (1996–1999) and then in his quest to be the starter at New England. What Brady’s detractors either do not know or forget is that this guy was drafted by the Patriots in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL draft. As the 199th pick in the sixth round, no one was predicting that this guy would win seven Super Bowls, much less one. Brady is a living, breathing example of success: a strong work ethic, focus, and tenacity.

    Brady,43, wears seven Super Bowl rings, not solely because of his talented throwing arm or his ability to read defenses, but because he is one of those rare leaders who inspires his teammates to elevate their game.

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      Denny

      Ozzie

      I agree wholeheartedly with everything you said. I loved Starr, Bradshaw and Montana but Brady is beyond great.
      I watched all of his games at UM but no one could have predicted his future greatness.

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  • #
    David Maddison

    Here is the free speech BitChute link to the following video which was censored on YouTube, because Leftists can’t tolerate alternate opinions. And YouTube says the facts presented go against supposed “community standards”.

    UNMASKED: HAVE WE UNCOVERED THE TRUTH ABOUT THE 2020 ELECTION?

    https://www.bitchute.com/video/nskOC1a6YnST/

    Original censored YouTube link:
    https://youtu.be/jsOXMi1E0tQ

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    • #
      PeterS

      Thanks. It’s the clearest evidence of fraud I’ve ever seen. I just hope more and more people see it so that the world understands the US electoral system has no credibility at all. The Democrats have just lit the fuse for the break-up of the Union, and possibly even the destruction of Western civilisation, warts and all.

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      • #
        Tilba Tilba

        The Democrats have just lit the fuse for the break-up of the Union, and possibly even the destruction of Western civilisation, warts and all.

        The US has given the world many useful things, but “democracy” to my mind isn’t on the list. There are a large number of Western nations that will survive as functioning democratic nations, while being very civilised, even if the US political system is in some chaos.

        I also don’t see how the “Union” could break up – it isn’t an issue of state v state – a majority of states are reasonably evenly divided between Democrats and Republicans. Even very blue states like California and NY have millions of Republican voters.

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        • #
          Analitik

          There has been a push for northern California to succede due to the difference in the voter preference in that largely rural portion vs the heavily urbanized SoCal. It could help rebalance the Senate after DC and Puerto Rico become states so the Democrats will never allow it to happen.

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          • #
            sophocles

            as the Democraps were stealing the election, Trump apparently flipped California … what a shame.

            Analitik: it’s secede, v
            – withdraw formally from a federal, political or religious union
            18th century from Latin se ‘apart’ + cedere ‘go’

            Just a helping paw in passing 😀

            50

            • #
              Analitik

              It’s called “fighting autocorrect” :p

              30

              • #
                sophocles

                I sympathize.

                I don’t use any of MegaSloth’s software for that reason.

                I stopped that back in 1995 and haven’t missed it.

                Software which thinks it knows better than me is removed ASAP.

                10

          • #
            Tilba Tilba

            There has been a push for northern California to succede due to the difference in the voter preference in that largely rural portion vs the heavily urbanized SoCal.

            I’ve always understood a split would place San Francisco and Sacramento in the North California state – otherwise it wouldn’t have a viable population – north of SF it’s sparsely filled by hippies, greenies and marijuana growers (having driven through it fairly extensively).

            00

  • #
    Peter C

    US Election – The missing link!

    There is so much information now to show that election was indeed stolen.

    What I am missing so far is evidence of the communications between the conspirators who fixed the election.

    Maybe the Nashville explosion fixed all that by damaging the telephone recordings, or maybe it didn’t. That will be the final key evidence, if it can be found.

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    • #
      Tilba Tilba

      What I am missing so far is evidence of the communications between the conspirators who fixed the election.

      An alternative view is that there is no communication between conspirators because there was no conspiracy to defraud the election.

      In fact – sceptical as I remain – one of the rather solid arguments against the fraud claim is that it would have taken a lot of sophisticated and well-planned coordination, and I simply don’t believe it happened.

      As to whether there is good information (is that evidence?) to show fraud, I remain totally sceptical on that too. Those claiming fraud (and they do so frequently) have had months and months to put their compelling case forward, and so far we have … not much.

      Even the Republican-Trump stacked Supreme Court said “nothing to see here”. Are they all in on some vast anti-Trump conspiracy?

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      • #
        Analitik

        Are they all in on some vast anti-Trump conspiracy?

        yep

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      • #
        Harley

        Similar to the faked moon landings theory, it would have cost more to create and perpetuate than to actually go there. Also the glaring lack of evidence/ whistle blowers.
        AGW deniers also on the same faked space craft.

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        • #
          Sceptical Sam

          Supreme Court ruled “Lack of Standing’.

          What is it you don’t understand about that term?

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          • #
            Tilba Tilba

            What is it you don’t understand about that term?

            I understand the term, but even the two most conservative justices (who did state that inter-state standing should be allowed) also stated that they would not have allowed the relief that was being sought by Texas et al.

            And it wasn’t a case of “gutless judges” – just about every legal commentator in the land said the case was ludicrous and doomed to not reach first base on its merits.

            00

            • #
              Nadia bin Du Natan

              Please don’t oppress us with this level of stupidity. It matters not what a judge says nor how conservative you perceive him/her/it to be.

              00

      • #
        Neil Crafter

        The Supreme Court was too gutless to hear any evidence so your “nothing to see here” comment was more like the three monkeys with hands over ears, eyes and mouth. “i know nothing!” like Sergeant Schulze.

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        • #
          Sceptical Sam

          The Supreme Court did not say “nothing to see here’ It ruled “Lack of Standing”.

          Let’s at least get those facts right.

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        Peter C

        Even the Republican-Trump stacked Supreme Court said “nothing to see here”.

        No they didn’t. I don’t know why you persist in repeating these misrepresentations.
        Your alternative view is ok, but deceit is not ok.

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        • #
          Peter C

          The evidence for a ‘stolen election’ will likely find its way to court in this case.

          Dominion says it had to hire detectives to track down Sidney Powell to serve her with its $1.3 billion lawsuit
          https://news.yahoo.com/dominion-says-had-hire-detectives-082800473.html

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          • #
            sophocles

            Good luck to dominion and its lawyers. I have a feeling they’re going to need it. Ms Powell is a pretty high powered attorney.

            The route was across the Internet from the client tabulator machines to CIA-operated servers in Frankfurt Germany under the control of Gina Haspel, then up through the Italian Leonardo military satellites to servers in Rome. The return route was the reverse. The Italian govt was in a state of turmoil once that was discovered with two high-level arrests of a general and of a politician.

            The server site was raided by the 5th Battalion (The Kraken Battalion) of Military Intelligence.
            They were defended by CIA trained personnel flown in from Iraq.
            Gina Haspel is now the ex-head of the CIA. I guess she didn’t like Gitmo.
            One of the “Krakens” read a detailed statement back then. Should be searchable.

            The link was apparently set up and tested by two UK MI6 agents, according to published info.

            All this is available off the Internet complete with graphics of participants.
            So it’s going to be very interesting to see what dominion executives regard as
            Sydney Powell’s defamation.

            Hey: has anybody noticed that Biden’s “broken foot” switches sides? Has he got two dogs attacking his feet?
            Or could that be a house-arrest anklet?

            (Digital cameras don’t use film to print back-to-front.)

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            • #
              Peter C

              There were rumours that the Dominion servers which were recovered from Frankfurt contained not only the computer instructions for tallying and switching the votes but also emails between the conspirators. Also that Sidney Powell has that information.

              Unfortunately I think it has to be regarded as speculation at this stage. If true why has it not been revealed? I don’t know. Maybe it is not true, but if it is true, Dominion seems to be playing into the Sidney Powell net by bringing the defamation lawsuit.

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              • #
                sophocles

                You could try searching for the Kraken Colonel’s testimony of his discoveries. (Darn. I didn’t keep a record of it nor a copy.) It was very interesting. I think Sydney Powell will have it. You could look for Simon Parkes blog and search backwards through that too. He sometimes posts … very interesting stuff.

                Dominion seems to me to be trying to light matches while soaked in high octane petrol …
                but that’s their affair.

                Stumbled over this on Bitchute while looking for other stuff. Seems we was all wrong about this fellow: a patriot undercover … The Wicked Witch of the West (Pelosi) won’t appreciate his note — not at all.

                30

              • #
                sophocles

                … or Gateway Pundit’s history could be a good hunting ground.

                10

            • #
              Tilba Tilba

              G

              ood luck to dominion and its lawyers. I have a feeling they’re going to need it. Ms Powell is a pretty high powered attorney.

              LOL … cruel but sadly true (not).

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          Sceptical Sam

          Peter C is correct.

          The Supreme Court rules “Lack of Standing.

          It did not rule “Nothing to see here”.

          That’s the deceit that the left is continuing to push.

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        Tilba Tilba

        Secondly we knew they stole the election ON THE NIGHT. You know this also. You are just a liar.

        Yeah well … I avoid ad hominem attacks and personal name-calling … it doesn’t add to the collective knowledge of humankind, and it lacks class.

        I don’t know whether there was election fraud perpetrated by the Democrats or the Republicans – and until someone goes to an administrative appeal tribunal, or a court with jurisdiction, and presents compelling evidence to win a judgement, neither does anyone else.

        That’s why I don’t claim there was no fraud; I’m waiting for someone to offer proof in a context where someone can decide, and until then I remain of the view that it was not fraudulent. Is that unreasonable?

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          Nadia bin Du Natan

          No no. You are just talking a lot of idiocy. Unless you are congenitally deficient in statistics and probability we both know it was a coup because the coup was proven in real time.. None of this court jibber that you are coming up with has any relevance at all.

          The coup was inherent in the scoreboard.

          00

    • #
      RossP

      Peter
      Just read the article put out in Time magazine, which Jo wrote about a few day ago. Scroll down a few pages on this site. It explains quite clearly about the communication, you seek evidence of.

      10

      • #
        Peter C

        Thanks Ross,

        I went back and read Jo’s article again and also the whole of the Time Magazine article by Molly Ball.

        This is the best I got;

        This is the inside story of the conspiracy to save the 2020 election, based on access to the group’s inner workings, never-before-seen documents and interviews with dozens of those involved from across the political spectrum. It is the story of an unprecedented, creative and determined campaign whose success also reveals how close the nation came to disaster. “Every attempt to interfere with the proper outcome of the election was defeated,” says Ian Bassin, co-founder of Protect Democracy, a nonpartisan rule-of-law advocacy group. “But it’s massively important for the country to understand that it didn’t happen accidentally.

        It is stated that there were ‘never before seen documents and interviews’ but no links to the said documents and intervews. Political campaigns are not illegal and neither is co-operation by groups of people to run a campaign but switching votes, creating votes and voting on behalf of other people are all illegal. A conspiracy sounds illegal but I am not sure if that was what Molly meant.

        The communication I am seeking is directions to people to illegally corrupt the election. I think it exists but I have not seen it yet.

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    • #
      Nadia bin Du Natan

      You might be missing the communication. But the communication was not missing. They had the “Election Integrity Project” for example, which was all about maintaining the coup. A lot of these people have private planes if they want to talk face to face. There are billions of telephones in the world and each one calls every other. Very many computers to communicate their plans over. Which may be why many people picked up on the coup (or colour revolution) many months before it happened; One reason these guys may have to formally show us what they are up to, to some extent, is that its more convenient to organise over normal channels. I could see they were planning a coup as well. But I didn’t think they would go through with it. I couldn’t see the motive for the deep state to get rid of Trump because they already control both parties and Trump was fairly compliant.

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  • #

    Banks collaborating with the regime.

    “However, the most immediate consequence is that any BoA customers unfortunate enough to have been caught in a rather large net now have a file on them at the secret police..”

    Read more at – https://thepointman.wordpress.com/2021/02/09/banks-collaborating-with-the-regime/

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  • #

    Electrical power matters don’t seem as important these days. See how it’s like the air we breathe and the water we drink now, something always there, and it always will be there ….. well, at least until it isn’t anyway.

    Robber emailed me and asked a question as to the oldest wind plant in the Country.

    It’s something that I never got round to following up on, because even though there were so very few of them when I started in 2008, they then got constructed like topsy to the point there are now 67 dedicate wind plants just in the AEMO coverage area and the rest in W.A.

    So, other than taking notes as each one came on stream, I never got round to having them all in the one place.

    Wikipedia is hopelessly clueless on something like that, (the ‘all in one place’ thing) so Now, Robber prompted me to go looking.

    It took a while, but I think I do finally have just that. I found an obscure Australian Government site. Well, I say obscure because it was the fourth or fifth attempt at using different wording in the search engine, and the site I did find was at the bottom of the page of links or even across on page two anyway.

    However, after looking around at that site, I saw they had a lot of links, and after taking most of them without any result, I took one I thought would not be of much help, just a map I thought of where the wind plants were located. And, lo and behold, there it was, down the text list at the right of the map, listing the name, the owner, the date it opened, the size in MW, and the turbine manufacturer.

    Here is the link to that map, Wind Map Of Australia 2020

    Now, the map is small, naturally, but at the top on the menu bar immediately above the map and in the middle is a plus and minus expander to increase the size of the map. It looked out of focus, well that’s because the size thing, making it a huge informational thing. I expanded it to actual size, (100%) and it got huge, naturally, and looked even more out of focus. Then, after ten or so seconds, it came into focus, and when you scroll across to the right, that list is now in a lot better focus, and you can read it. I took it up to around 150% or a little higher, and then it starts to get a little fuzzy, but if you wait a few seconds it will again come back into sharper focus.

    Each wind plant is listed by State, and each one has the opening date shown.

    I always had the thought that Challicum Hills (2003) was one of the oldest of the big ones in those early days, but they are all shown there with the age of them all.

    When I started back in March of 2008, there was not much around to show, (well, I was just starting so didn’t really know where to look) and I found a good image of a single wind tower. I wanted to try and show the size of the thing, because only around one in perhaps a hundred people have any concept of the size, now almost as tall as the top five percent of skyscrapers in Australia. I found an image of one tower, and while I have quite literally hundreds of images with wind in the title on my computer and at my home site, this one image was one of the first I downloaded for use.

    I like this image, shown at this link, to this day, and I purposely kept it as large as I could. What it shows is the image of the tower itself. However, luckily for me, it had something I wanted to show exactly. When you look at the image, right at the base of the tower is a Land Cruiser, and I wanted that there in the image to give an appreciation of the size of the tower itself, with that Land Cruiser appearing as positively tiny. Now this wind tower is one of the oldest in the Country, and it is at Nine Mile Beach in W.A. This tower’s nacelle on top holds a 650KW turbine/generator (not even 1MW) and I think there were originally six of them on site, for a Nameplate for the whole plant of just a tiny 4M. This one tower was around 55 Metres to the hub. So now they have single towers with nacelles on top holding turbine/generators larger than the total Nameplate of this whole Wind ‘farm’, and how I hate that word farm, when used in the wind context, They are industrial plants.

    For some perspective on that, current new wind towers here in Australia are now up over 4.5MW each turbine, and they are MORE than TWICE the height to the hub, up around 120 Metres just to the hub. Look at the skyline of Brisbane, all those tall buildings. Barely 20 of them are taller than the largest wind tower in Australia, and that’s just to the hub, as the blades are higher even than that.

    Although I have attached the image, I inserted it into a Post at this link I made in my original Kyoto Series, and if you have some time, take the quarter hour to read it. In the second half of the Post I mentioned Cape Wind in Massachusetts in Nantucket Sound. I wrote all that in May of 2008. Cape Wind was first proposed in 1999, and started the approvals process in 2001. Now most wind plants, like all power plants take many years in that lead up process, before even construction starts, usually between five and seven maybe ten years sometimes. Cape Wind just kept on getting setbacks, rich people in that area, Kennedy’s included, and all of them opposed it, the typical NIMBY. Anyway what I have written there, well even that was early days. The cost blew out to around $1.6 Billion U.S. dollars and finally got totally canned a couple of years back. The cost of the whole thing was probably even more than the cost of the plant. It took almost 20 years and even then, they just gave up. While at the time, the links I included in the post were viable, most of those links are now removed from the internet.

    While this is just general interest, you might save the link to the wind map because that is a good resource for those of you who are interested.

    By the way, see the Nameplate for each of those wind plants. Very few of all of those wind plants, if any of them at all, have ever reached their Nameplate as total power delivered, even for one five minute recording period.

    Tony.

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    • #
      GD

      Tony, your posts are pure gold. They should be set to auto-forward to Scott Morrison and the rest of the bed-wetters in the Liberal Party.

      That would be every Liberal politician except for Craig Kelly and Peter Dutton.

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    • #
      Peter C

      Robber emailed me and asked a question as to the oldest wind plant in the Country.

      Thanks Tony,

      That source (Wind Map of Australia 2020) seems to list all the plants that are ‘currently operating’, or under construction or planned.
      I think there were older sites which have now closed going back to the 1980’s.

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      • #
        Chad

        Peter C
        February 11, 2021 at 8:47 am ·

        That source (Wind Map of Australia 2020) seems to list all the plants that are ‘currently operating’, or under construction or planned.
        I think there were older sites which have now closed going back to the 1980’s.

        Whilst there were undoubtedly “Wind drivengenerators”…working individually much earlier than the ‘80s, … I seriously doubt there were any commercial utility connected , generators working before the early 90’s.
        I recall a “Towards 2000”. TV program at the opening of the Claimed “ Worlds First” commercial wind generator in 1992 on a hilltop in California.
        But , that is TV news …so could be total rubbish !

        00

    • #
      Ross

      Tony, based in Ballarat I can drive any direction from home and go past large wind turbines. My memory is that Challicum Hils was the first “big” installation in Australia. In fact, I thought that it was being established in the late 90’s, as I regularly drove past them on the way to Ararat/ Horsham. 2003 seems too late to me. There is a information centre on the Western Hwy near Buangor. Next time I go past I might check it. Waubra the next big one – which was early mid 00’s.

      30

      • #
        Chad

        That list linked , only shows facilities with more than 50MW capacity, so many of the earlier , smaller wind farms will not be listed.
        Certainly the 10 Mile Lagoon , Esperance , WA 2 MW wind farm is not listed even though it has 9 towers installed in 1993 and still working apparently ?

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        • #
          Chad

          And further back still with ..THE WIN

          00

          • #
            Chad

            Further back on the WINDS OF TIME..
            Salmon Beach, Esperance , 1987, opened in 1987 and decommissioned (Site cleard) before Challicum was even commissioned !
            “he Salmon Beach wind farm near Esperance was the first wind farm in Australia. Six turbines operated for nearly 15 years before being decommissioned in 2002 because of the age of the turbines and larger and more cost-effective units became available.”

            00

    • #
      sophocles

      Maybe towers + generators could be called “wind weeds” and the terminology grown from there.

      I agree they aren’t “farms.”

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    • #
      RooDog

      Thanks for another informative post Tony.

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  • #
    Fuel Filter

    Two great essays for your collective digestive tracts.

    Regarding the legitimacy of our (USA) government.
    Interesting take, which is ringing pretty damn accurate, IYAM

    https://twelveround.com/blog/the-grand-illusion

    This next one describes the state of things RIGHT NOW here in the States.
    AND it is not only EXTREMELY ACCURATE, but pretty damn scary.
    But this is where we are. Our rights, our Constitution are being shat upon.
    And there is NOBODY in FedGov doing anything meaningful to stop it.

    https://www.unz.com/chopkins/the-new-normal-war-on-domestic-terror/

    Read both. Do not dare to deign comment until you do AND say something meaningful. That excludes, by default, the usual suspects (Gee, Ian, ad nausum…)

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    • #

      It is all a matter of trust FF. You’ve linked to crazy, poorly researched opinions too many times for me to suspect (with evidence from the title), that this is yet another.

      You get a gold star for trying.

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  • #
    Deano

    Isn’t it great that we have hospitals?

    Yes, I know all about their idiotic administration departments and the waste and the medical culture that regards itself above accountability. BUT, to know that in the event of an ‘proper’ accident or illness you will be looked after in a way you could never hope to achieve at home is a huge relief.

    Science is a wonderful thing when used for good.

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    • #
      OldOzzie

      Deano,

      let me add an Excellent Mark to Royal North Shore Hospital and St Vincent’s Hospital (Including Kinghorn Cancer Centre) Sydney

      RNSH my second home for a number of years and before that St Vincent’s

      The level of care and enthusiasm of the Staff in both is outstanding.

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      • #
        OriginalSteve

        I experienced that at the local ER when my daughter came off her horse last night.

        The ER are very good. I think she was given enough IV antibiotics to heal a draughthorse too….

        In terms of doing good, we must continue to do so. And medicine when used for good is a truly wonderous thing.

        The alternative is a Dr Mengle-inspired future….

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    • #
      Hanrahan

      I wonder how many knockers of our hospitals are users of the system. My modest interactions with Qld Health have been positive.

      We all know ERs can be a problem but you aren’t going to die waiting. Triage sees that doesn’t happen.

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  • #
    RicDre

    Journal Nature Refutes PIK’s Fantasy-Rich Science That A Warmer Arctic Causes Extreme Cold Snaps

    The polar vortex theory takes a beating: The claim a warm Arctic is behind the brutally cold winter conditions at the mid latitudes is shown by a Nature study to be scientifically baseless.

    https://wattsupwiththat.com/2021/02/10/journal-nature-refutes-piks-fantasy-rich-science-that-a-warmer-arctic-causes-extreme-cold-snaps/

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    RicDre

    Kivalina: A Case Study of How Media & Politics Mangle Objective Climate Science!

    What appears to be more failed alarmist predictions, the BBC’s 2013 headlines read Alaskan Village Set to Disappear Under Water in A Decade. “Gone, forever. Remembered – if at all – as the birthplace of America’s first climate change refugees. ” (see Willis on “first refugees”) The assumed cause? “Temperature records show the Arctic region of Alaska is warming twice as fast as the rest of the United States.

    https://wattsupwiththat.com/2021/02/09/kivalina-a-case-study-of-how-media-politics-mangle-objective-climate-science/

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    RicDre

    California High-speed Rail Hopes Joe Biden Restores $1 Billion for Rural Train

    California’s high-speed rail project is not dead — yet. Although Gov. Gavin Newsom canceled the L.A.-to-San Francisco route in 2019, the project is hoping President Joe Biden will restore nearly $1 billion yanked by the Trump administration.

    Critics are skeptical of the idea of a “mini-bullet train.” Dan Walters of CalMatters wrote on Wednesday: “By 2030, according to a new state plan, Californians will be able to ride high-speed trains — but only between Merced and Bakersfield. … Is that worth the $20-plus billion that such a limited system would cost? Would it even attract enough passengers to cover its operating costs without the subsidies that the 2008 ballot measure banned?”

    “Hoping that the federal government will come in and save your asses is not a business plan,” said David Schonbrunn, president of the non-profit Transportation Solutions Defence and Education Fund (TRANSDEF)

    https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2021/02/10/california-high-speed-rail-hopes-joe-biden-restores-1-billion-for-rural-train/

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    David Maddison

    Notice how the Left generally call their civilisation-destroying fraud “climate science”?

    Legitimate sciences are not usually referred to in that way with the “science” descriptor. E.g. quantum mechanics, physics, chemistry, meteorology, zoology etc..

    They only call it that to try to fool the sheeple that their political ideology is a science. Just like social “sciences”.

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    David Maddison

    With President Imposter Biden’s controllers in charge in the White House and the unholy alliance between them and the Socialist Billionaires that control the flow and content of nearly all information plus a slave army of useful idiots to support them, it is everything the Left could have dreamed of.

    Not even President-in-Exile Trump has a voice. Indeed, the Left are actively erasing all evidence that he and even his associates or appointees ever existed.

    Authoritarian rule is rapidly being established in the US with many other countries following. Sadly, with years of social conditioning by the Left against the values of free speech and individual liberty, there is little resistance to these moves.

    Orwell’s 1984 is their instruction manual.

    it is not going to end well.

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    • #
      PeterS

      Yes, it certainly won’t end well but how long it takes depends totally on how awake the Americans are. Much like here in Australia, most people don’t give a damn, are clueless and/or asleep. In time of course when the pain starts to reach their puny little brains they will wake up and react accordingly to stop voting for the despots en mass unless by then they are so brain dead or brain washed by the despots they will be like robot slaves. In that situation those who are awake will need to relocate to another country to escape the purge.

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    • #
      Lucky

      Editorial. The West Australian. 25-Jan-2021.
      Biden: vast experience, deep knowledge of how government operates, and downright decency…

      Check, “downright decency”. Gulp!

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    • #
      Peter C

      it is not going to end well.

      If the ending is in any way different from the course that we are now on, that will likely be a Good Result. Serfdom under a socialist regime seems as bad as it could get.

      “Live Free or Die”
      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Live_Free_or_Die

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  • #
    David Maddison

    Did you notice how with Biden’s message at the Superbowl it was his wife that did most of the talking? He is too demented to be able to trust not to mess up his lines on live TV.

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      PeterS

      I believe most of us here noticed that fact about Biden some 6 months ago and wondered why anyone with even half a brain would vote for him. Of course we now know he won with a lot of help of a discredited voting system that’s wide open to fraud. Even so many millions did vote for Biden so they too must be demented in the brain for hating Trump for no valid reason at all, and instead prefer to vote for a demented person who can’t even remember his own name at times. Stupid is as stupid does, and there are a lot of Americans who are really that stupid and they are increasing in numbers, which is why the Union will have to break apart so those who do have a brain can live in a state of their choice.

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        el gordo

        Biden is not demented, he suffered from stutter at an early aged and cured himself. Which is why he needs the help of the teleprompter.

        Speaking on behalf of the utopian socialists, we believe Trump was a demagogue who blotted his copy book and Biden should lead the country back to stability.

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          robert rosicka

          el gordo there is a video somewhere which shows Biden talking normally and without a teleprompter when he was younger and the difference now , he has dementia.

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          David Maddison

          He is well over his stuttering. That’s the Left’s excuse for his cognitive decline. There is plenty of evidence of him speaking clearly, forcefully and without a stutter or teleprompter from decades ago.

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            el gordo

            Okay, you’re probably correct, if he has to retire early then Harris will take his place. The ship is steady.

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              Sceptical Sam

              Spoken like a true Utopian Socialist.

              I hope it turns out better than all the other attempts at Utopian Socialism.

              “..utopias are especially vulnerable when a social theory based on collective ownership, communal work, authoritarian rule, and a command-and-control economy collides with our natural-born desire for autonomy, individual freedom, and choice. Moreover, the natural differences in ability, interests, and preferences within any group of people leads to inequalities of outcomes and imperfect living and working conditions that utopias committed to equality of outcome cannot tolerate. As one of the original citizens of Robert Owen’s 19th-century New Harmony community in Indiana explained it:

              We had tried every conceivable form of organization and government. We had a world in miniature. We had enacted the French Revolution over again with despairing hearts instead of corpses as a result. … It appeared that it was nature’s own inherent law of diversity that had conquered us … our “united interests” were directly at war with the individualities of persons and circumstances and the instinct of self-preservation.”

              https://www.theweek.com/articles/760689/problem-utopias

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              • #
                el gordo

                This is the 21st century and the Utopians accept that free enterprise and personal ownership of property must remain in place. We are not Marxists.

                The citizens of the Trans Tasman bubble are more likely to become utopians that US citizens, each to their own.

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              • #
                Sceptical Sam

                We are not Marxists.

                Even if they’re not, they’re still of the species Homo sapiens. And, Homo sapiens’ innate nature will repeat in the 21st Century just as it has in every preceding one.

                Socialism, Utopian or any other aberrant type, has failed and will continue to fail, at great Human cost, because it is nothing more than a narrative spread by evil minds to obtain control and power over those silly enough to drink the Kool-aid.

                60

              • #
                PeterS

                Watch out el gordo, you are starting to sound just as demented as Biden. Your stattement “we are not Marxists” reminds me of the quote from David Hilliard from the Black Panther Party. He said, “We are not Maoists. We are not Marxists. We are black people from Africa, who have a scientific approach to our world. Our philosophy is that everything in the world is always changing. Which means that you always have to adapt your thinking.”

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              • #
                el gordo

                The English Revolution is where I’m focussed, the Ranters and Levellers were utopian socialists with a strong Christian bent.

                07

              • #
                PeterS

                el gordo you are clearly demented. Christians are not typically socialists/communists. In fact, socialists/communists see Christians as their enemies.

                50

              • #
                el gordo

                Comrade our roots are in the English Revolution, a Millenarian movement, deeply spiritual. The world was turned upside down.

                05

              • #
                robert rosicka

                I like you el gordo but never have you been more wrong , take China as just one example .

                30

              • #
                el gordo

                Marx gave socialism a bad name, but socialism with Chinese characteristics has the ability to reinvent itself. Most of the ordinary people in China want democracy, so I’m standing shoulder to shoulder with them.

                06

              • #
                Nadia bin Du Natan

                It’s kind of tough Old Ozzie. Because alleged-Biden has got dementia and he has to pass on Obama’s cues coming into his ear. So these sort of mixups follow more of less directly.

                00

            • #
              Denny

              The ship is steady

              They said that about the Titanic too.

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    • #
    • #
      OldOzzie

      BIDEN SPEAKS

      President Biden turned up at the Pentagon yesterday for some purpose or other, perhaps to make the remarks to Defense Department personnel in the video below (about 10 minutes). The White House has posted the text of Biden’s remarks here.

      With a vacant look in his eyes, Biden observes: “Before I begin, I have some welcome news that the Saudi government has released a prominent human rights activist, Loujain al-Hathlou — -loul — excuse me, l-o-u-l — from prison.” That’s loul — not lol. Silence!

      A bit further into his remarks Biden refers to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin as “Senator Austin.” Biden stares vacantly into the prompter persists throughout. He occasionally slurs his speech. He occasionally misreads his text. “I will never, ever dishonest you — dishonor you,” he vows at one point. He pronounces Tuskegee with a hard “g” and then a soft “g.” “Sorties” becomes “sortays.” I wonder what the little boy who said the emperor hasn’t got anything on might have to say.

      Oh, and what about the content? The Democrat dogma is pathetic: “There is no aspect of our agenda of the 21st century leadership where the women and men of the Defense Department do not have a role — whether it’s helping curb the pandemic here at home and around the world; or addressing the real threats of climate change that already is costing us billions in impacts on our bases, on our national security; or being part of an ongoing fight for racial justice.”

      The obligatory racial theme is not shortchanged. Beau Biden appears as a sort of motif in the remarks. As the president drones on, he makes these 10 minutes feel more like 10 hours.

      10

      • #
        Nadia bin Du Natan

        Old Ozzie this weird behaviour is inevitable. Because alleged-Biden is getting constant cues from Obama I his ear. Plus alleged- Biden has dementia. So once a mistake is made it just spirals on itself.

        00

  • #
    RicDre

    The W.H.O. did not find that there was an accidental leak at the Wuhan Lab. Quelle surprise!!!

    W.H.O. Adviser: ‘Actual Investigation’ in W.H.O. Wuhan COVID Probe ‘Done by Chinese Authorities’

    On Tuesday’s broadcast of the Fox News Channel’s “Ingraham Angle,” World Health Organization adviser Jamie Metzl criticized the organization’s investigation into the origins of the coronavirus for not taking a serious enough look at the possibility of an accidental lab leak and saying that “the actual investigation was done by Chinese authorities. And so, the W.H.O. investigators were basically receiving reports from the Chinese officials.”

    https://www.breitbart.com/clips/2021/02/09/w-h-o-adviser-actual-investigation-in-w-h-o-wuhan-covid-probe-done-by-chinese-authorities/

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    • #
      OldOzzie

      WHO whitewash leaves the world in darkness on Covid

      The Australian Editorial

      It would be hard to view the report by World Health Organisation investigators into the origins of COVID-19 as anything other than an outrageous whitewash that has found exactly what Beijing has been trying to get the world to believe about the start of the pandemic. The report’s barefaced conclusion that it is “extremely unlikely” the virus emerged from the Wuhan Institute of Virology, just because Chinese scientists say so, beggars belief. But it is no surprise given the cosy relationship between China and the WHO.

      Peter Ben Embarek, the Danish food safety expert leading the WHO team, said the group was fully satisfied with answers about the institute’s safety. Conveniently for China, the team did not recommend further investigation into possible links to the laboratory. “They (the institute’s scientists) are the best ones to dismiss the claims and provide answers to all questions,” Dr Embarek said.

      But as Stanford University microbiologist David Relman pointed out: “If the only information you’re allowing to be weighed is provided by the very people who have everything to lose by revealing such evidence, that just doesn’t come close to passing the sniff test.” He is right, especially in light of WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus’s lavish praise of China in a meeting with President Xi Jinping at the start of the crisis in January last year. After a WHO team travelled to China the following month and also praised its response to the pandemic, it was clear that the WHO, under Dr Tedros, was in China’s pocket.

      The report does demonstrate, however, the absurdity of the CCP’s vehement over-reaction to Scott Morrison’s prudent call in April last year for a full investigation into the provenance of the pandemic. As the Prime Minister said at the time, it was in the interests of the entire world that a full investigation be started without delay. Despite Mr Xi’s hostility, the entire world, including even China, albeit reluctantly, eventually agreed with Mr Morrison at the World Health Assembly in May. But because of deliberate Chinese obstruction, it took until last month to get the team into Wuhan. The disappointing report reflects poorly on the WHO’s willingness to get to the bottom of the pandemic. But it leaves no doubt about the importance of getting to the bottom of what spawned COVID-19.

      Regardless of China’s determination not to open up, the WHO team’s inadequate effort must not be the end of attempts to establish the truth, which is vital to help avoid future pandemics. Having failed to get any real answers, the world must not give up on hopes for a more rigorous investigation.

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    • #
      RicDre

      Australian W.H.O. Investigator: Coronavirus Most Likely Originated in China

      Professor Dominic Dwyer, an Australian microbiologist and infectious disease expert who traveled with the World Health Organization (W.H.O.) team investigating the origins of the coronavirus in Wuhan, China, said on Wednesday there is little evidence the Chinese coronavirus originated anywhere but China.

      https://www.breitbart.com/national-security/2021/02/10/australian-w-h-o-investigator-coronavirus-most-likely-originated-china/

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      • #
        Lucky

        A week ago I was an optimist when I said the WHO team would put the delay to good use. In the many months while waiting for permission to inspect, they would write the report ahead then confirm after the visit.

        It looks like now that the team did not write the report. It was written by China. Have team members put their names and signatures on it?

        50

  • #
    graham dunton

    Sibel Edmonds Launches FUAMI.org to Fight Illegal Government Ordered Mandates
    Jason Goodman conversation with,FBI whistleblower Sibel Edmonds, who has formed FUAMI.org, a group dedicated to fighting the insanity of government mandated health regulations. visit http://www.fuami.org

    Why so many of us are following the events in the US? we are aware how critical it is, that the deep state or rot be extinguished.
    We are mirroring the same draconian measure across all states here in Australia.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRQw9I69Bck&feature=emb_logo

    30

  • #
    graham dunton

    Beautiful eyes,
    A look at New York’s lights, certainly not the daytime walks which are depressing, all those business closures!
    This reporter Tara is certainly is not timid when it comes to dangerous locations, some may remember her in the heart of the trump rallies?

    The Polish American Brotherhood, a site she created was to unite people against the plunge into the great reset, simply communism by a fancy name.
    In this instance however, she is walking around New York at night, she is using a new stabilizer system on her camera, and also communicating, in real time with some of her many fans.
    But the shots of the city at night are extremely good. many will enjoy?
    Many ethnic groups, that escaped communism and dictatorships, have their own united sites, all combine, they do not want to see the US progressing any further down that pathway. The old saying it takes one to know one.
    Polish American Brotherhood
    good evening @Polish American Brotherhood
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QU3qyBZi2Ks

    50

  • #
    Robert McCarter

    A very interesting article, backed up with excellent evidence, on the origins of Covid-19. Spoiler alert: it conflicts with the latest WHO investigation.

    Bayesian Analysis of SARS-CoV-2 Origin
    Steven C. Quay, MD, PhD

    https://zenodo.org/record/4477081#.YCQ92S2cbOR

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  • #
    robert rosicka

    Our Glorious leader of the socialist people’s republic of Victoriastan has just ordered manure be classified as industrial waste and be treated appropriately, all farmers are to comply with regulations by July this year or else .

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  • #
    el gordo

    ‘The WHO report into the origins of the COVID-19 virus has zero credibility and is not worth the paper it probably won’t be written on.’ Oz

    Also because so many countries are in real strife the world’s film industry is moving to Byron Bay and thereabouts.

    82

  • #
  • #
    another ian

    “ABOUT THE CONTROLLING AND THE CONTROLLED.”

    https://thepointman.wordpress.com/2021/02/10/about-the-controlling-and-the-controlled/

    And the thread before that

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  • #
    Tides of Mudgee

    Someone needs to let Google know what happened on 3rd November. I just keyed in the search “How to contact Donald Trump” and the top three listings were giving contact details for the White House and the fourth was his Facebook address (thought he’d been dumped). Has something happened that we don’t know about? ToM

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    • #
      another ian

      No – better to leave it and see how long it takes their “fact-f**kers” to catch up with the real world.

      You could even run a book on it – IMO of course

      21

  • #
    Neville

    Clive Hamilton explains how China is infiltrating businesses in the UK and the most important employee in those companies is nearly always a CCP spy.
    Big surprise NOT and I’m sure Chinese companies are run the same way in Australia and have the very same agenda as well.
    Hamilton is from the far left , but also has genuine fears for the West’s future as the CCP extends its influence around the world.
    And with the weak Biden Donkey at the helm of the Western alliance things can only get worse.

    https://unherd.com/2021/01/how-china-could-turn-off-britains-lights/

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    • #
      Chris

      Behind Biden stands a determined and efficient criminal – Obama, aided and abetted by Susan Rice. Of the $152 billion given to Iran in cash, $2 billion came back . Where did that go?

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    • #
      el gordo

      Clive is a rabid alarmist and cannot be believed.

      06

      • #
        Serp

        Sorry your grace but Palmer footnotes almost every sentence in his books which does conduce to credibility and is contrary to the spirit of rabid alarmism with which you imbue him; time for a quick rinse out of your gob with soap and water.

        40

        • #
          el gordo

          Perhaps we are talking about different characters, Clive Hamilton is a climate change alarmist and I spit on him.

          ‘Hamilton’s general view about climate change is that the “world is on a path to a very unpleasant future and it is too late to stop it”. Hamilton argues that to believe anything else is to deny the climate change truth and engage in wishful thinking.’ wiki

          02

  • #
    OldOzzie

    Upside down is only way to fly for rhinos

    Dangling rhinoceroses upside down is the safest way to move them, researchers found after tests in Namibia using a dozen of them and a crane.

    Moving rhinos to new and often remote locations has become a key tool in ensuring their survival, to keep them out of the reach of poachers and to distribute the animals across a range of habitats to maintain healthy gene pools.

    Conservationists have viewed suspending the 1400kg beasts from a helicopter as a last resort, when journeys by road are impossible. Yet studies of endangered black rhinos in the Waterberg Plateau National Park discovered that they fared much better with being hung upside down from a crane, to mimic a helicopter, than lying on their side as they would for a road trip.

    The team from Cornell University in the US had predicted that inverting the animals would exacerbate the perilous effects of the drugs used to sedate them. Horses moved upside down suffer from impaired breathing because of heavy abdominal organs pushing against the lungs and chest cavity, but the test rhinos responded quite differently, the researchers observed.

    Robin Radcliffe, an author of the Cornell study, said: “It actually improved ventilation, albeit to a small degree, over rhinos lying on their sides.”

    40

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    OldOzzie

    Fox News Reporter’s Exchange with ‘Circle Back’ Psaki Shows Once Again How We Got Trump

    Should we be shocked? No. Joe Biden cannot help coal miners or workers on the Keystone Pipeline. The Environmental Left won’t allow it. These people think these jobs are in some way immoral, killing the planet, and, therefore, should die out. They don’t care about the workers or the families that will be left destitute. They don’t need to — the folks who think this way are coastal elitists. The problem with the Democratic Party ethos is that people who don’t have college degrees or are part of the working class simply can’t do something else, like make solar panels. John Kerry exposed his liberal elitism when he pretty much said that the people who lost their jobs were dumb, to begin with, but don’t worry — solar energy will save them. How? Those jobs pay $20,000 less than oil and natural gas.

    Fox News reporter Peter Doocy sparred with White House Press Secretary Jen “circle back” Psaki over green jobs, once again showing how Donald Trump became a political phenomenon. Also, she didn’t answer Doocy’s question. Curtis Houck at Newsbusters clipped the exchange, particularly the part where Doocy noted how Biden climate czars Gina McCarthy and John Kerry have gone underground after both figures made idiotic remarks about what to do about the tens of thousands of those who have lost jobs or no longer have such prospects thanks to Joe Biden’s executive orders.

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    OldOzzie

    Hey, @MSNBCPR, you guys are missing a bullet point for Eric Swalwell during this #ImpeachmentTrial:

    •Banged a Chinese spy named Fang Fang

    D’OH! Eric Swalwell’s making such a splash as an impeachment manager that somebody else’s name is trending (just guess)

    90

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    RicDre

    Medical Trial: Cheap Asthma Inhalers 90% Reduction in Severe Covid Symptoms

    Queensland University and Oxford University Medical researchers investigating why asthma sufferers were “under-represented” in severe Covid cases have completed a clinical trial of Budesonide asthma inhalers. According to researchers the randomised trial was stopped early, because the results were so remarkable, the researchers did not believe it ethical to deny treatment to placebo patients.

    https://wattsupwiththat.com/2021/02/10/medical-trial-cheap-asthma-inhalers-90-reduction-in-severe-covid-symptoms/

    60

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    RicDre

    CDC Coronavirus Guidance Recommends ‘Layers of Material,’ Including Double Masks

    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is recommending that Americans “add layers of material” to face coverings, even double-masking by wearing a disposable mask under a cloth one, to better protect themselves against coronavirus infection.

    https://www.breitbart.com/health/2021/02/10/cdc-coronavirus-guidance-recommends-layers-of-material-including-double-masks/

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  • #
    R.B.

    The Guardian. “Climate crisis pushing great white sharks into new water”

    Shark attacks have been in the news lately. Numerous sightings and attacks, many cases being multiple attacks or close calls by a single shark. So out comes the pure propaganda.

    Heating of the oceans, which reached a record level in 2020, has led young great white sharks to move 600km (373 miles) northwards off the coast of California since 2014, into waters that were previously too cold. Over that time there was a dramatic rise in sea otters killed by white sharks, with the number in Monterey Bay dropping by 86%.

    Heating of the oceans is described in the link “Climate crisis: record ocean heat in 2020 supercharged extreme weather” also in the Guardian, which mentions how many zetajoules warmer the oceans are since 2019 but not how much higher the average temperature is than 40 years ago – 0.1°C.

    Even sea surface temperatures have only gone up 0.6°C since 1950, according to Hadsst3. Sensitive little bugger.

    So 0.1°C warmer oceans reduced sea otter populations by 87% in one bay even though the New Scientist reports that great whites don’t kill them for food, they are merely accidental kills on the way to feeding grounds – in summer.

    They found that sea otters were being bitten more frequently in the summer, around the time adult sharks come closer to shore before moving on to seal rookeries

    Read more: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2203631-sea-otters-are-bouncing-back-and-into-the-jaws-of-great-white-sharks/#ixzz6m77GlDos

    And

    Great white sharks live in almost all coastal and offshore waters which have water temperature between 12 and 24 °C (Wikipedia)

    Monterey Bay has sea surface temperature measurements since 2007. The coldest it gets is just under 12°C, warming to about 20°C in Summer.

    https://seatemperature.info/monterey-bay-water-temperature.html

    The Science is not what it once was.

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    el gordo

    First we were bullied by Beijing and now Brussels puts the boot in.

    ‘Senator Canavan said Australia should “stand up” to foreign powers making trade contingent on emissions reduction.

    “That’s bullying: give us your lunch money or we’re going to punch you in the face,” he told Sky News.

    “This is ridiculous and I’m not going to take lectures from other countries that have not met their targets.

    “I don’t think they’ve got any moral high ground to make those arguments.”

    Nine News

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  • #
    Dennis

    With due consideration for the supply sources of electricity in Australia, being mostly fossil fuelled generators, what is the point in a massively expensive transition to EV involving the dumping of the existing ICEV fleet and support infrastructure replaced by EV and infrastructure costs?

    And buyers having to pay at least $45K for a cheapest EV model with limited range as compared to an equivalent ICEV for $20K less, a lot of fuel and servicing costs before break even point on the EV?

    Other than political agenda?

    80

    • #
      Dennis

      The Turnbull Government gifted $300 million of taxpayer’s monies to leasing firms to promote EV to vehicle fleet operators.

      80

    • #
      Chad

      Dennis
      February 11, 2021 at 10:31 am · Reply
      With due consideration for the supply sources of electricity in Australia, being mostly fossil fuelled generators, what is the point in a massively expensive transition to EV …….

      ..it is just freedom of Consumer Choice.
      No one is being “Forced” to buy EVs, it is the buyers discretion what they spend their money on, and how many dollars.
      Research has revealed that the majority of EV buyers do not care about emissions, CO2 , or where electricity comes from.
      What is your problem with EV’s Dennis, ?…….if you dont like them ,..fine.. you are not being pushed to buy one ….but why restrict choice for those rich and dumb enough to do so.
      You would be better to direct your efforts to changing the political system that produces ideas such as these “Net Zero” Policies .

      00

  • #
    Lance

    Australia might want to consider not trusting in the US to help them.

    “Apparently, the Chinese are not just building a base on Dara. They are going to begin to create as yet unidentified additional islands in the immediate area.

    The real significance of Dara does not lie simply in its proximity to the coastline of Australia. It lies in the fact that a base there can control all maritime traffic through the Torres Strait…. Just as the Chinese can threaten the movement of ships to Taiwan, Korea and Japan via their bases in the South China Sea, they will now be able to hold a dagger to Australia’s throat.”

    https://andmagazine.com/talk/2021/02/09/if-the-australians-wait-for-joe-help-may-not-be-coming/

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    • #
      Nadia bin Du Natan

      He is not coming to help for sure. And the Chinese just need to capture the surrounding islands, then they can build up and take the mainland. They can’t take the mainland direct. So we have to be ready to put everything on the line to keep the CCP out of the surrounding islands. Alleged-Biden is not going to help us if we lose our nerve. Only by humiliating China, and sparking a neighbour of hers to take a new opportunity … only in that way can we even hope to survive.

      40

  • #
    OriginalSteve

    https://www.israel21c.org/has-israel-just-found-the-cure-for-covid/

    “Has Israel just found the cure for Covid?
    “Experimental Covid drug cures 30 out of 30 moderate to severe cases in Phase I clinical trial at Israeli hospital. Second new drug also shows promise.

    “Even with Israel’s world-leading rollout of Covid-19 vaccinations, drugs to treat Covid patients are in desperate need across the world.

    “Two such drugs developed in Israel show great promise in clinical trials: EXO-CD24 and Allocetra.

    “EXO-CD24, an experimental inhaled medication developed at Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, cured all 30 moderate-to-severe cases in a Phase I clinical trial.

    “Developed over the past six months at the hospital, EXOCD24 stops the “cytokine storm” – where the immune system goes out of control and starts attacking healthy cells – that occurs in the lungs of 5-7% of Covid-19 patients.

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    • #
      Ross

      “EXOCD24 stops the “cytokine storm”- that’s what HCQ also does. Because it is prescribed for Lupus, rheumatoid arthritis etc, one of its other functions is to reduce the immune response which can lead to the cytokine storm.

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    • #
      Nadia bin Du Natan

      Just more lies and distraction. We already have the treatments.

      00

  • #
    OriginalSteve

    https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/australia-and-allies-must-plan-for-pushback-against-china-over-taiwan-analyst-says/ar-BB1dvfyA

    “Australia should plan with allies how to jointly push back if Beijing intensifies pressure on Taiwan, amid fears Xi Jinping could deploy “all means short of war” to seek unification, a leading analyst has argued.

    “Linda Jakobson, the founding director of the Australia-based China Matters thinktank, said Australia should care about the future of Taiwan as it was the “kind of vibrant, free and democratic society that Australia wants to see flourish across the Indo-Pacific”.

    “Australia needed to ask itself, she said, whether it was “willing to suffer retaliatory measures far greater than the current ones being meted out” by China, which took actions against a range of Australian export sectors as the bilateral relationship deteriorated last year.

    “Jakobson said if the People’s Republic of China (PRC) took possession of Taiwan, the dynamic of east Asia would change dramatically, altering the US defence posture in the western Pacific and adversely affecting Australia’s own strategic environment.

    “The havoc resulting from either a military confrontation or a comprehensive cross-Strait crisis “would severely impact regional trade, and cause serious damage to Australia’s trade-dependent economy”.

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  • #
    Michael

    Good news: Peter Ridd granted special leave to appeal to the High Court.

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    David Maddison

    In Vicdanistan ANZAC Day is cancelled. But Chinese New Year is not.

    Because Andrews is owned by the Chinese. And like all Marxists he hates Australian values.

    ANZAC Day bad. CANCELLED
    Chinese New Year good. NOT CANCELLED

    https://whatson.melbourne.vic.gov.au/article/melbournes-lunar-new-year-festival-events

    https://www.3aw.com.au/veteran-angry-as-melbournes-anzac-day-march-cancelled/

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    • #
      David Maddison

      To clarify, Andrews is owned by the Chinese communists of the PRC, not Chinese people in general.

      81

      • #
        Lucky

        .. And.. Chinese New Year is not owned by the government or the communist party of China,
        -unlike certain Australian state premiers, newspaper editors and universities.

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  • #
    TdeF

    Consider for a second that this virus really was a biological weapon created in the amazingly coincidental Virus Research laboratory in Wuhan run by the Chinese Army and released accidentally or intentionally. Either way they suppressed its existence using WHO and the new and first non medical head of WHO in late January 2020 stated emphatically and officially that the virus was not infectious person to person while millions of Chinese carriers went all over the world.

    And consider also that the WHO exists wholly to prevent pandemics and they had the Taiwan report for a month, but that Taiwan does not exist according to WHO, which is a little bit of a problem when Taiwan reports a killer virus coming from China.

    With millions now dead and economic devastation world wide, what would you expect them to say?

    1. We didn’t do it.
    2. the Americans did it
    3. it came on a frozen chook

    And anyone who wants an independent investigation will punished severely. Australia for example.

    Now that fits. WHO of course disagrees. They are going with the frozen chook.

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      OriginalSteve

      Back in 2017 I think it was, it appeared that Bill G*tes was the 3rd biggest donor to the UN medical arm, the WHO.

      Think about how much pull that potentially gives him.

      Dont forget it appears the UN has no real oversight – nor accountability – to anyone.

      So if you boil it all down, the UN and by extension the WHO, appear to be a bunch of tools, in the hands of billionaires with agendas.

      The fact the govts give money to the UN and suck up to the UN, effectively means govts are subservient to billionaires agendas.

      Who really runs the world?

      20

      • #
        OriginalSteve

        Sorry..that should read….

        “So if you boil it all down, the UN and by extension the WHO, appear to be tools…. in the hands of billionaires with agendas.”

        Er…..

        20

      • #
        el gordo

        ‘Who really runs the world?’

        Bill is a philanthropist and no doubt its a tax write off.

        00

  • #
    Simon

    Anyone still believe that Trump supporters aren’t violent?

    114

    • #
      Strop

      Simon,

      I believe that everyone is capable of violence and of course some Trump supporters are violent.

      But if we’re going to label people of particular political views as being violent or more likely to be violent, then last year clearly showed where the larger group numbers lie and it’s not on the Trump side.

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    • #
      Nadia bin Du Natan

      “Anyone still believe that Trump supporters aren’t violent?”

      They just had their country stolen and they are acting as tame as little lambs. I think thats the proof that they are …. tame as little lambs. Should they be? If so, thats the first time in human history that we have to judge it that way.

      Simon where did you get the idea that Trump supporters were violent in the first place? You know that not everything you see on the television is real right? You know that not everything they write in the Guardian, The Atlantic and the New York Times is true right?

      You’ve got that far in life haven’t you?

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      Yarpos

      Supporters of anything or anyone can ba violent if they want to, including the BLM and Antifa groups that burnt dosn many areas ghrough 2020 (mostly peaceful of course)

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      Tel

      Your question is vague and does not provide any basis for comparison, but I’m willing to use a simple metric counting loss of human life.

      6th January pro-Trump protests resulted in 5 dead, although 2 were by accident, and one was killed by a cop. Don’t know for sure who or what killed Brian Sicknick … easier to simply use a number 5 and gloss over the details.

      Total murders in Chicago 2020 was 769 dead or averaging at 2 dead per day every day, but if you want to include non-lethal shootings (which might also be considered violent) then a Chicago resident got shot an average of every 2 hours (see the stats site Hey Jackass for details).

      In comparison Detroit only saw 327 homicides in 2020 which we could rate at 1 dead per day every day.

      New York City surged to 462 murders in 2020 putting it about the middle of the other two.

      Ummmm, those are all Democrat cities, am I right? Lot of murder seems to happen under Democrat mayors, unless you have information otherwise.

      This comparison does not do full justice to the Democrat capability … let us look at the War in Yemen as started and supported by Obama and Hillery in 2014 so far resulting in 233,000 dead by UN statistics but probably more … mostly from a combination of starvation and lack of clean water … you know they bombed water treatment plants, and supermarkets, they shut down the port facilities and blockaded the country. It’s been going for a while now, let’s call it 2000 days and that would be in the ballpark of 100 people dead per day on average, including a lot of women and children (does that make a difference? you need to clarify) but we could call it about two orders of magnitude worse than the violence happening inside the USA. Perspective don’t you know. Ummm Hillary and Obama were Democrat politicians if I recall.

      Oh yeah, Hillary and Obama started a number of other wars: Libya, Syria, arguably Ukraine, did nothing to stop the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Well that ain’t good … not looking good … pretty bad actually.

      And yeah, out of fairness Trump also had the opportunity to stop the Yemen War but failed to do so … I guess he really didn’t care all that much. He did at least try to pull back some US troops from other wars like in Syria for example (Biden put them straight back in again). Basis for comparison? I dunno +1/2 for Trump and -3 for Hillary and Obama … is that reasonable? Could give Trump 1/4 point for attempting peace in North Korea, worth a try, no one expected that.

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    Strop

    High Court will hear the Peter Ridd Case.

    Update:

    TODAY
    by Peter Ridd, Organizer

    We have been successful in convincing the High Court to hear this case, most likely in the middle of the year. I am naturally relieved and happy that the highest court in our country will hear the case.

    As the case is continuing, I will otherwise not be commenting on the legal aspects to my case.

    I will continue to advocate for academic freedom protected by legislation. Academic freedom is essential to the search of truth and learning.

    As my case demonstrated, my views on the problems of quality assurance in GBR science helped precipitate a Senate inquiry into links between agriculture and the Reef.
    These legal proceedings do not diminish the importance of the Morrison Government going ahead with its proposed reforms of the Higher Education Act. It must legislate to guarantee academic freedom of speech and that it is not subservient to other rules made by a university.

    I again wish to thank my wife, Cheryl, for supporting me through a rough few years. Also, the thousands of people who have donated about $1.4 million to fighting this legal battle. There are too many to thank at this time, whilst the fight continues.

    I will do my best to acknowledge the broad church of supporters who have assisted me over the past four years after the High Court judgment.

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      Saighdear

      Not interested. period. …

      The GREEN question should be” howBIG is the Carbon footprint of REMOVING, and then add on the total cradle to grave Carbon cost of the project: Project being the ” PLANNING ERECTION MAINTENANCE DECOMMISIONING ” . but they are not interested. Like the covid scam the costsof furloughing etc – ultimaely it will be thePLANET – nobody else around – killed off etc.

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    Nadia bin Du Natan

    Lets say you have a game of Rugby Union that a lot of Deep State and dumb left wing types attend. Supposing for almost all of the game the guys in the black “Jerseys” are winning. The black Jerseys are THRASHING the white Jerseys. Then the camera of the actual game goes off around about the last five minutes of the game. Now the guys in the white Jerseys keep racking up points according to the scoreboard. But we cannot see them doing so.

    After the white Jersey guys are declared the winners, and the trophy is presented, people point out that cannot be true. But the media repeats the mantra “no evidence” even though they are supposed to be separately owned media. Imagine if the DEBUNKING arguments were made to the effect, that the score COULD be right, because at Usain Bolts top speed you could have that many points rolled out in five minutes. But upon checking you found that Usain Bolts top speed was inadequate, even prior to allowing for the impossibility of accelerating to that top speed by all these normal humans, on the black Jersey teams side of the field.

    Then the next meme that comes out there is that a drop kick is faster than a man running. Whether or not a loping drop-kick is faster than Usain Bolts top speed might never be subject to analysis. But the meme is out there by the “debunkers”. And just having the meme is good enough. After all a new spiralling drop kick could have been developed where the kicker got the ball at the pointy bit, developed a lot of spin like a grid-iron throw, and that accounted for the extra speed of the many drop-kicks, one following the other, SO SAYETH THE DEBUNKERS.

    But then an investigation of the timeline of the scoreboard shows, that the Deep State and the dumb left THEMSELVES claim almost no dropkicks in the first place. But then the meme is still out there.

    In Joseph and his technicolor coat it was: “Any Dream Will Do” But for the deep state and the dumb left its: Any Meme Will Do.

    What I am saying here is THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE COUP WAS INHERENT IN THE VOTE TALLYING.

    And we all knew that at the time. The deep state will try and beat that out of us. So if you see someone come on here and they seem genuinely stooged thats one thing. But if you see one smug smooth talking idiot after another come on here, well we have to expect paid liars. These programs are very well known. And since the coup is completely evident in the scoreboard, they are simply showing up to bludgeon an alternative reality into your mind.

    Sadly I don’t have any good news for you. Because I suspect that sooner or later they will succeed. These troglodytes can put more than 30 years into a project of forcing people to believe things that cannot be true. Because forcing people to believe things that cannot be true is a long-standing technique for controlling us.

    They made us believe that there was no aether. That worked a treat, and to my way of thinking they have been using this same technique ever since. But even when the pressure is long and sustained, always hang onto the idea, that the coup was inherent in the scoreboard. The TOTAL PROOF was there, right on the night.

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    robert rosicka

    So the WA liberal party are now the Greens party by wanting to get rid of coal use in the state , I’m struggling to think of a liberal state Premier or opposition who haven’t drunk the coolaide and now only represent the inner city elite .
    The Federal libs are not much better with only a few vocal minority willing to challenge the status quo , Australia you’re standing in it but starting to sink .

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      el gordo

      Some of their power stations burn sub-bituminous coal sourced from the Collie Basin and the government said they will reinvent the town of Collie.

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    another ian

    I was reflecting on a photo of the fence etc left behind in Washington DC from the inauguration.

    Anyone aware of a leftist event where they actually cleaned up after themselves?

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    el gordo

    Beijing lies like a pig in mud.

    ‘China’s health authorities have repeatedly said they are finding the Covid-19 virus on frozen food imports and have linked infections in the country to pig heads and seafood.

    ‘While some researchers and health authorities have raised doubts about frozen food as a virus transmission route, Beijing has suspended imports of products and introduced checks, tests and disinfection of packaging and containers, creating delays that clog ports and irk trading partners.’ (SCMP)

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      Saighdear

      frozen food eh? Yes it’s funny how in Europe we’ve had so many cases of covid in Animal processing plants. Scotland, Germany, spring to mind. Germany has huge pig processing plants – Heads up on where the offal goes! but then again, as like our tomatoes for sauces, etc mostly apparently come from China, it is maybe just a load of bluster.
      When you listen only to LOCAL news, one becomes very susceptible to fake news.

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        el gordo

        Beijing is trying to save face and will try to convince the world that Covid was introduced into Wuhan by a foreign country, primarily their arch enemy the US.

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    CHRIS

    Very true, especially when it relates to “Our ABC” news (local or otherwise). ABC news is entirely faked, full of lies and distortions (and this includes the meteorological reports)…and this is what the taxpayers pay for ($1 billion + per year). How I wish that that the ABC could be privatised or broken up; but of course such cowards as Morrison would not go through with it.

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    another ian

    “One Flu Out Of The Wuhan Nest”

    Covid investigations bought and paid for by the look of this

    http://www.smalldeadanimals.com/2021/02/11/one-flu-out-of-the-wuhan-nest-24/

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    another ian

    Peak stupidity yet?

    “I, Nippleon”

    http://www.smalldeadanimals.com/2021/02/11/i-nippleon/

    (That is a word play on a headline used at SDA – like this

    http://www.smalldeadanimals.com/2021/02/10/i-napoleon-128/)

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    another ian

    I was trying to find how I edit email contacts in MS Mail when I found this:-

    “Try using the People app. It may solve some of your issues.

    MICROSOFT did the impossible, it got worse. “

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    el gordo

    ‘Trump won’t be convicted but his party’s senators are damned if they support him and damned if they don’t. They want him gone but they don’t want to be held responsible for what comes next.’ (Baker/Oz)

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    el gordo

    We give the finger to our mother country.

    ‘The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age revealed on Thursday that Australia would push back against Britain’s bid to use the G7 leaders’ summit in June to establish climate tariffs, arguing the sanctions would be a new form of protectionism designed to shield local industries from free trade.’ (SMH)

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    el gordo

    ‘Biden says US needs major infrastructure plan to keep pace with China

    ‘If we don’t get moving they’re going to eat our lunch,’ US president says – along with the fact that he and Xi Jinping’s phone conversation lasted ‘two straight hours’. (SCMP)

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      Nadia bin Du Natan

      Two straight hours. That’s a phone conversation we aren’t going to see the transcript for. The CCP is junior to the Deep State. But alleged-Biden is junior to Xi.

      So it’s basically just a Chinese guy firing out orders for two straight hours, with Obama talking in alleged Biden’s ear , to cue the marionette responses.

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        el gordo

        My guess there would have been half a dozen in the room, probably on a secure zoom, where all the awkward things could be discussed. Obama wouldn’t have been there.

        ‘The CCP is junior to the Deep State.’

        That is delusional.

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          Nadia bin Du Natan

          Don’t be an idiot mate. Of course the CCP is junior to the deep state. Pull your act together.

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          Nadia bin Du Natan

          Look you have a man with dementia pretending to be President. Obviously he needs someone giving him cues and we’ve seen him get confused with these cues often enough to know what is going on. You’ve just seen a deep state coup so don’t expect things to be just normal and according to Hoyles. Plus the Deep State has been accumulating power for centuries during a time where the Chinese have been a backward country. There is absolutely no way that the CCP could have accumulated the kind of reach we are talking about here. They’ve only just climbed out of third world status.

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            el gordo

            ‘They’ve only just climbed out of third world status.’

            It was the greatest economic revolution the world has ever seen.

            ‘The Communist Party authorities carried out the market reforms in two stages. The first stage, in the late 1970s and early 1980s, involved the de-collectivization of agriculture, the opening up of the country to foreign investment, and permission for entrepreneurs to start businesses.

            ‘However, a large percentage of industries remained state-owned. The second stage of reform, in the late 1980s and 1990s, involved the privatization and contracting out of much state-owned industry. The 1985 lifting of price controls was a major reform, and protectionist policies and regulations soon followed, although state monopolies in sectors such as banking and petroleum remained.’ wiki

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        Tilba Tilba

        Two straight hours. That’s a phone conversation we aren’t going to see the transcript for. The CCP is junior to the Deep State. But alleged-Biden is junior to Xi.

        So it’s basically just a Chinese guy firing out orders for two straight hours, with Obama talking in alleged Biden’s ear , to cue the marionette responses.

        My goodness – there’s a basketful of bald and bold assertions in that lot, without any substance or evidence.

        Anyway – I think it’s the reverse – Biden advising China that they are now dealing with serious adults, not the previous lot. And being told a few hard truths I expect.

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          Nadia bin Du Natan

          Obviously thats speculation. Unlike the understanding of the deep state coup. Which is inherent in the scoreboard.

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          Nadia bin Du Natan

          Real Biden isn’t in any position to be dragging the CCP over the coals. He is their asset. What did you imagine all that talk about Hunter was made up fantasy? The CCP has the upper hand with their assets in other countries.

          “Anyway – I think it’s the reverse – Biden advising China that they are now dealing with serious adults, not the previous lot. And being told a few hard truths I expect.”

          Whether its the real Biden, ie a CCP asset, or some old actor with dementia, pretending to be Biden, this is a very unlikely scenario. If a statesman wanted to start laying down the word to these hard men in the CCP he wouldn’t be wasting time with these personal conversations. And a commie dictator wouldn’t diminish himself by being hectored to. What a serious administration would be doing is pulling all their guys out of the middle east and projecting power into South Asia. Slashing non-defence spending and putting their house in order. This is very much out of the realm of possibility for post-Coup America.

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            el gordo

            Biden is not a CCP asset, this is pure fantasyland.

            In reality the conversation was conducted through translators, in a cordial manner, Taiwan is safe for a couple of years.

            Donald was withdrawing from international adventurism and bringing the troops back home, but Joe might have a different perspective.

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          Yarpos

          Serious adults? Wow! How are things in Alpha Centauri these days?

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    Saighdear

    I’ve just fallen over this stuff….. Obama, Clinton, Biden and Brennan will “hang for treason” when this evidence comes out… BOMBSHELL recordings prove they had Seal Team Six EXECUTED to cover up deep state crimes more at https://bestnewshere.com/obama-clinton-biden-and-brennan-will-hang-for-treason-when-this-evidence-comes-out-bombshell-recordings-prove-they-had-seal-team-six-executed-to-cover-up-deep-state-crimes/ and further links there, well, read for yourselves…

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