Sunday Open Thread

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170 comments to Sunday Open Thread

  • #
    Stanley

    Podium?

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  • #
    Peter C

    Marine le Pen for President!
    If she pulls it off it will reshape the EU.

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    • #
      beowulf

      Marine le Pen is neck and neck with Macron in the polls for the first time ever after losing to him in the last election by about 30%. Here’s Steve Turley’s take on it. Make allowances for his customary, enthusiastic over-interpretation of the facts.

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AcdihDDkEuw

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      • #
        Lance

        France is sick and tired of the crime, inflation, insecurity, loss of culture, open immigration, etc, that Macron has invited and imposed. The social costs are exceeding any promised value.

        Le Pen may have a very good chance this time round.

        Nationalism, stability, law and order, and Cultural preservation will supersede Globalism. That’s what the vote is about, IMHO.

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        • #
          tonyb

          French mass immigration and dilution of French culture has been going on for 40 years. Macron has merely continued it, not created it. I cant help feeling that-as with Trump-there will be an ‘anyone but le Pen’ vote in the second round and Macron will get in comfortably. But she may create a shock in the first round

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          • #
            James Murphy

            Eric Zemmour has made Le Pen look more moderate, or, should I say, the English speaking French media has painted him as being the worst of the worst of right wing extremists…

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          Hanrahan

          So the French are more aware than Australians?

          Strange, France and Italy have always flirted with communism.

          44

          • #
            tonyb

            Le Pen had photos of her meeting Putin in 2017 on her campaign leaflet, since pulped. There is a strange relationship with Russia from both the far right and far left in France, often being supportive.

            Le Pen has sensibly majored on the cost of living, that is to say things of immediate concern to French people. She has also toned down the immigration rhetoric but many will vote for or against her based on her past immigration policies.

            She has few rational economic policies however, believing she can both remove income tax for under30’s and bring down the retirement age. I suspect if she does get in the financial markets will panic

            Macron is not widely liked outside the metropolitan areas but I suspect there are more than enough there to outvote Le Pen in the second round as those who are not natural allies will band up against her, as they did with Trump.

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      • #
        Fuel Filter

        There’s a French speaking BBC woman interviewing Marie LePen. She eats her alive!

        This post includes two interviews. The first is a little over nine minutes long and well worth your time. The second, I didn’t watch but it’s about 18+ min and embedded in his post. Here’s the LePen interview….

        https://youtu.be/SeEHQhARESU

        ****
        “If you’ve noticed that Macron has been acting weird lately, that’s because all French politicians do when election season comes along. Lately, he’s been trying to play peacemaker with Putin and Zelensky, deescalating tensions between sides even though he knows it’s the rotten American deep state calling all the shots. He’s put on a nice performance deviating from his usual globalist puppetry to appeal to the populist left and right anti-war French voters.”

        “For five years the Little Napoleon served his globalist masters at every turn, enhancing and expanding French bureaucracy (as if that were even possible) while sticking his rabid storm trooper police battalions on protestors with yellow vests every single weekend for two years before the Covid tyranny ever began. Their beef started when more fuel taxes were implemented and with the expansion of speed cameras on highways that can result in very hefty fines if motorists are caught going even a few kilometers over the limit.
        The worst of all nanny state laws exist in France and the people, particularly in the rural areas who depend on fuel and transport for their existence finally blew a gasket. (If Americans only knew how much fuel in France costs, even before the latest inflation and engineered economic madness). The yellow vest which French law mandates that motorists wear when they get out of their car on the side of a road to change a tire, or for any reason, became the beau symbole of this national protest movement.”

        @ https://thegoodcitizen.substack.com/p/the-smell-of-cheese?s=r

        30

        • #
          Sambar

          What a fabulous final quote by Mme LePen, “The EU is shining by the light of a dead star” how apt are these words to so many causes de Jour. Dead without just knowing it.

          50

        • #
          Graeme#4

          It’s an old interview, presumably recorded before the last election. But Le Pen seems to constantly nail the key points.

          30

        • #
          KP

          “Lately, he’s been trying to play peacemaker with Putin and Zelensky, ”

          Lol!! In with the Nazis in the Azov battalion trapped in Maruipol are French ‘advisors’ calling for France to get them out. Quite a collection according to Russians intercepting their phone calls, Americans, French, Brits Swedes…

          30

    • #
      John Connor II

      Actually it won’t make any difference because the EU pollies are just puppets and votes count for nothing as mentioned in previous posts.
      Ultimately there’ll be revolution worldwide and that’s what it’ll take because constant doses of Hopium aren’t working.

      142

  • #
    bill+treuren

    big ask for her to do it but yes it would reshape a good part of the earth.

    100

  • #
    beowulf

    CAPTAIN KIRK MEETS JOE BIDEN (Star Trek Parody)

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EH5zCWxVxrA

    111

  • #
    Lance

    As it is Palm Sunday, for those who might wish to view:

    An annual favorite: The Ten Commandments, 1956, Cecil B. DeMille, with Charlton Heston.

    The Archive.org version has been removed for some reason. This is the only full version (3 hrs) I could find for streaming:

    https://eltuboadventista.com/7daytube/the-ten-commandments-full-movie_v1916

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  • #
    PeterS

    It’s doubtful the US will confirm this is true and even if they did they will put some spin on it to make it look like that NATO were completely innocent. Let’s face it. Something like this was bound to happen so if not already then be prepared for foreign casualties, including British and American. I sincerely hope PM Morrison didn’t send any of our people over there.

    We finally have high level confirmation from Russian officials that NATO instructors and foreign fighters are in fact trapped in Mariupol.
    Firstly Russian State Duma member Adam Delimkhanov in an interview with RT has openly stated he estimates around 100 such foreigners there, and that they are in communication with them and the rumors are true that they are trying to negotiate a release and escape corridor. It seems to imply all those Macron rumors were accurate.
    Igor Konashenkov on the other hand, also confirms that significant numbers of foreign fighters are known to be there because Russia can hear them crying in over 6 different languages in intercepted radio calls. Not to mention there’s now a report that they tried to break through the blockade with a ship to rescue them (ran out of helicopters I guess?)
    So this is no longer the realm of speculation and fantasy.

    Comments from Vox Day:

    This is proof of an act of war by whatever government’s troops, which presumably include both the USA and France, are trapped there. The only question is if they have sufficient PR and intel value to the Russians to prevent the Russians from simply flattening the buildings in which they are holed up with artillery.

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  • #
    Rafe+Champion

    Just a word to let you know that the Energy Realists of Australia never sleep and we are working up a booklet based on our briefing notes to pollies that we sent out over the last two years. This will come out next year after the complete closure of Liddell power station that started with one generator last week.

    We are approaching a genuine tipping point in the power supply when we will no longer have enough capacity of conventional power to service all our needs all the time. For the first time ever it will actually matter whether the wind blows and the sun shines. Every windless night will become a threat. Look forward to rolling brownouts on a regular basis, not just during extreme events like January 2019 when parts of Victoria started going out under pressure of a heatwave and the failure of some coal capacity.

    We have been lucky with summer temperatures since then.

    The basis of the project is the series of briefing notes that are hanging off the RiteOn site while our own site is under construction. This is the RiteOn collection and this is a longer list of notes on our own site, apart from the list of notes the site is just filler so don’t get confused by trying to read it!

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    • #
      John Connor II

      On the subject of energy reality y’all (😆) might want to watch this vid from John Cadogan from yesterday.
      The permanently detached from reality Greens at it again with EV delusions.

      https://youtube.com/watch?v=rRS2LulrZpY

      Whst’s less desirable? The Greens or a vaxx? 😆

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      • #
        OldOzzie

        Son visiting old classmate in Monte Carlo on the weekend drove around F1 Circuit in his mates town car – Citreon AMI ONE CONCEPT, A NEW VISION OF URBAN MOBILITY – said it was a hoot and from videos looked it – a great EV idea

        33

        • #
          Kim

          Certainly doesn’t look like a knicker dropper. 😎️

          50

        • #
          tonyb

          I posted details on the AMI here some weeks ago and hope to have a test drive when it arrives in the UK. Let us say that the response here was less than supportive but I think it has its place in urban motoring. It has a top speed of 30mph.However it is MUCH cheaper than other EV’s and likely to remain close enough to its home not to have to worry about range anxiety. A genuine second car whereas because of its expense a big EV needs to be a first car but then range anxiety becomes a factor in normal use.

          40

        • #
          Klem

          I can’t wait for my wife to buy an electric car. Since they are unsafe to park in a garage, I can use that space for my car, my beloved motorcycle and other gasoline toys. This is going to be fun.

          50

        • #
          RickWill

          Citroen have a reputation for doing things differently. Sometimes better and sometimes not so good.

          Most of the current BEVs can be described in one word – behemoths! These resource hungry monsters are a crime against good design.

          The Citroen has gone in the opposite direction. It is a good starting point for city transport. I can only hope that it gives cause for other car makers to adopt good design.

          Materials that go into automobile construction stress supply chains because they are inevitably high volume. Car makers need to be aware of the availability of materials.

          00

        • #

          Have you forgotten the Renault “Twizzie” ?
          70 kmh, 90 km range, 11 kWh pack.
          First introduced 10 years ago !
          http://cars-care.net/renault-electric-car-twizy/

          00

      • #
        Saighdear

        What’s less desirable? – The Vax of course! – affects you individually.
        The Greens – you can EAT them. Unfortunately not every one does so they grow like weeds. Remember that stupid phrase coming back to bite them ..’Eat out to help out’ Maybe there was a clue that no one saw. THe Greens are just a part of our daily diet of sustinence – needed for / as roughage and to help USE as Sh(fertiliser)t …. y’all know what I mean. Just a pity they’ve become the weed, not the vitamin roughage we need. Looks like the Big Muck is more of an appealing form of food these days.

        40

        • #
          Graeme No.3

          I recall a documentary on gorillas which pointed out that their diet of greens lead to semi-permanent flatulence. So the Greens have much the same problem, but out of the other orifice.

          40

          • #
            Hanrahan

            Gum leaves are even less digestible so when a koala spends most of its time sleeping in a fork it doesn’t have the same connotations as it does for blokes.

            10

      • #
        Honk R Smith

        As far as EVs …
        We could transmute to a nocturnal species. (Perhaps with an injection.)
        Then your solar panel could charge your EV during daylight hours while you slept.
        Morning rush hour would become Dusk rush our.
        Commute home at dawn.
        Tans would identify the non-compliant.
        (Well have to get FDA and TGA to approve of vitamin D supplement. Sufficient political contributions could be made.)
        Stabilizing glaciation will require change.

        50

  • #
    OldOzzie

    The Green U.S. Supply-Chain Rules Set to Unspool and Rattle the Global Economy

    By Vince Bielski, RealClearInvestigations

    Making a box of Cocoa Puffs is a complicated global affair. It could start with cocoa farms in Africa, corn fields in the U.S. or sugar plantations in Latin America. Then thousands of processors, transporters, packagers, distributors, office workers and retailers join the supply chain before a kid in Minnesota, where General Mills is based, pours the cereal into a bowl

    Now imagine the challenge that General Mills faces in counting the greenhouse gas emissions from all of these people, machines, vehicles, buildings and other products involved in this Cocoa Puff supply chain – then multiply that by the 100-plus brands belonging to the food giant.

    Thousands of public companies may soon have such a daunting task to comply with a new set of climate rules proposed by the Securities and Exchange Commission.

    Hailed by prominent environmental groups as a long sought victory, the sweeping plan released in late March would force companies to grapple with the unpredictable impact of climate change by disclosing reams of new information to investors. What are your company’s climate risks, such as severe weather, and the possible financial impacts? How have the threats affected your business strategies and what’s the plan to avoid the dangers? The most consequential and controversial piece of the SEC’s proposed regulations would require corporations to calculate their total greenhouse gas footprint, including from the supply chain.

    The regulations also carry political weight for Democrats in the runup to the midterms in November. The Biden administration and centrist Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia are trying once again to breathe life into clean energy legislation that died earlier this year amid a feud between them. If this latest effort at compromise fails – with Manchin reportedly looking for federal support for fossil fuels as well as renewable energy – then much of President Biden’s ambitious climate agenda will be left riding on the SEC proposal.

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  • #
    • #
      OldOzzie

      Unfortunately, by the time the Spetznaz touched down in Beirut, one of the hostages had already been murdered and the body dropped off to be found. Someone was sending the Russians a message – they meant business. The then KGB, like its current incarnation the FSB, had excellent sources of information everywhere in the world. Within a short time, they’d determined who’d actually done the kidnapping and who were the supposedly hidden figures behind them.

      Within a few days the Russians abducted several family members of those who taken their people and cut the t@sticles off one of them and sent them to the kidnappers. The Russians had replied with a similar message to the kidnapper’s message and remaining three hostages were released unharmed within days.

      After that, nobody kidnapped a Russian citizen or came near a member of their diplomatic staff because the Russians made it their business to spread far and wide what would happen. No kidnappers went near any Russian citizen for the two decades after it.

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      • #
        James Murphy

        I’m sure Ukrainians and Russians have killed non-combatants, as happens in every conflict. I wouldn’t be surprised if both sides had committed war crimes of various types.

        I am not sure that the truth will ever come out because the media in the “west” is most determinedly anti-Russian, and it seems that Ukraine can do no wrong. Censorship and propaganda by the “west” seems to be at the same level of that in Russia, but somehow, this is all considered ok, because it’s for the correct reasons.

        Of course, to some, this will read as though I am pro-Russian, when, in reality, I don’t know enough about what’s happening, or about the local history and cultures in the region, and I cant trust much of what is reported, so I can’t take sides.

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    • #
      PeterS

      War crimes in the Ukraine goes back a long way. Yet only recently is some of it being uncovered.

      Pentagon Cannot Confirm Bucha Atrocity

      QUESTION: So you think Russia did not do that in Bucha?

      SJ

      ANSWER: It is to the advantage of Zelensky who is appearing before every parliament he can ask for money. The US Pentagon has come out and even said that they CAN NOT independently verify what took place in Bucha. There is no way to verify anything in Bucha and there are videos that show people laying in the street pretending to be dead with no blood and then there are videos showing they get up when the camera passes.

      If you want your family or someone else to rush over there and kill Russians to avenge Ukraine, you should go there and fight yourself. Don’t send others there to die for propaganda. Don’t worry. Congress just authorize handing all the weapons on the Christmas list of Zelensky so we will get your war that you so are eager to engulf the entire world. If you really think Ukraine can defeat Russia, please, volunteer for the vanguard.

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      • #
        tonyb

        “There is no way to verify anything in Bucha and there are videos that show people laying in the street pretending to be dead with no blood and then there are videos showing they get up when the camera passes.”

        please provide a link to these videos

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      • #
        another ian

        IIRC this is not all that far from “And quiet on the Don”

        10

      • #
        KP

        “The US Pentagon has come out and even said that they CAN NOT independently verify what took place in Bucha.”

        Bullshit- They are the world’s premier spy outfit, so either their systems and cameras are crap compared to what they claim, or they know perfectly well what happened and don’t dare tell the masses as it ruins the narrative. What happened to seeing a cigarette packet on the ground, and that was 40years ago!

        “please provide a link to these videos”
        Tony, you are late to the party! I could have linked a stack last week, but the world moves on so fast and I can’t retro-search Twitter. For every person saying ‘the body moved’ in the rear-view mirror, there was someone saying ‘it was a drop of rain’.

        However, the more telling information came from the Mayor of Bucha himself who released a statement saying the Russians had left, and from the Police who went in to clean up and said it was safe. Neither mentioned bodies in the street. That charade didn’t start for another two days.

        Did you see the stupid bitch in charge of NATO go there and put on the most fake ‘horrified’ face as she was shown a mass grave. Then later tweeted “More mass graves found in Irpen” with a photo. If you enlarge the photo the grave was made before the Russians invaded…

        I’m afraid Twitter has censored Spriter, he had wide-ranging reports each day. Same with Scott Ritter, outright censorship of real news.
        https://twitter.com/spriter99880
        https://twitter.com/RealScottRitter

        You can still check RWA, they are also most interesting.
        https://twitter.com/RWApodcast

        For slower news but deeper analysis, the Saker.
        https://thesaker.is/

        Have a read, come back and argue later.

        10

  • #
    OldOzzie

    thefrollickingmolesays:
    April 10, 2022 at 10:56 am
    Anyone got any decent book recommendations?

    The “Masters of Rome” series
    by Colleen McCullough

    Colleen McCullough’s “Masters of Rome” series about the final days of the Roman Republic is one of the most surprising triumphs of recent decades. They trace eighty years of crisis that led to the end of the Roman Republic, beginning with the political duels between Sulla and Marius. Encompassing dire threats from barbarian invaders, civil wars, and a slave rebellion, they move at length to the rise of Julius Caesar, his victory over his rivals, his assassination, the struggles of his successors and the surprising triumph of his great-nephew and adoptive son Octavius.

    The novels are not for those who like short, swift books centering on romance or action-packed adventure. They are at heart huge, rich political novels, treating in detail the inner workings of the Republic and the unceasing struggles of ambitious men to use its institutions to gain fame and fortune. You will come away from them knowing more than you ever wanted to know about Roman offices, how the plebian assembly chose tribunes, how the Senate chose consuls, and the roles of praetors, questors, censors and the Pontifex Maximus. You will also travel deep into the private lives of the citizens, their dining halls and bedrooms, and across the breadth of the Mediterranean world to exotic lands where crucial wars were fought and won.

    The key to McCullough’s success is the succession of great characters she creates. Decisive in her interpretation of well-known historical figures, she also brings to life an array of vivid female characters whose stories have been neglected in the short summaries of history as we know it. If you want to dive deep into another world, to take part in the struggles of scores of fascinating people whose swirl of loves and hates, skills and fatal weaknesses all played a role in the ultimate downfall of the Roman Republic, the “Masters of Rome” series is for you.

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  • #
    John Connor II

    Move over Sesame Street

    “Now I know my ABC’s” goes woke.

    https://www.bitchute.com/video/z4ESku8cJ4EB/

    I wonder if the Disney boat cruises to Epstein Island handed out copies to the kids.
    Oh…Disney world is looking decidedly empty right now! 😈
    Will Disney be the next Titanic? Hopefully…

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  • #
    John Connor II

    Well, Kinder choccy is off the menu!

    Update to my previous advisory: There are 20 confirmed cases in France, 10 in Ireland, four each in Germany and Sweden, two in the Netherlands and one each in Luxembourg and Norway. Belgium is investigating 26 probable cases and Germany has three.
    The United Kingdom is the most affected country with 63 cases.
    Better add District of Columbia to the list too.

    A few other tidbits:
    India has its first case of the Covid XE variant.

    India now rolling out 3 dose Rabies vaccines.

    Significant increase in Chickenpox cases in the UK.

    That tv advertising about Chickenpox is sooooo convenient isn’t it.😉

    61

    • #
      David Maddison

      What’s with the three dose rabies vaccines in India?

      I was once vaccinated for rabies (at great expense, like $1000, I think) in Australia (which is rabies free) before I went to the Himalayas and that required three doses. There is no single dose rabies vaccine AFAIK. And if you do get bitten by a rabid animal you need more doses after that.

      I have read that many people are getting shingles, the reactivation of chicken pox after receiving the covid injection.

      https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34719084/

      Conclusion: We could not establish definite link but there may be possible association between COVID-19 vaccine and shingles. Large-scale studies may help to understand the cause-effect relationship.

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      • #
        John Connor II

        Rabies is in quite a few countries and a low key recurring event but my concerns lie with the increasing prevalence and its infection of the nervous system, nervous systems being seriously impacted by Covid, the vaxxes, stress etc making them more susceptible.
        Rabies can be transmitted by other means like blood transfusions.
        What I’m seeing starting to build is a wide ranging re-emergence of very nasty diseases we really don’t want coming back.
        This is all starting to line up with the disease cycle that Martin A predicts.
        He works with cycles, timeframes & general events.
        I work with specific events, places and trends.
        Put the two together and…

        60

  • #
    David Maddison

    I have always found it remarkable that solar output is always ignored by warmist catastrophists. It is surely by far the most influential affect on earth weather and climate.

    The idea that a planet can be terraformed, as warmists are attempting to do with controlling CO2 is strictly a science fiction fantasy.

    From Wikipedia, this is about the first science fiction usage of the term “terraform”.

    Author Jack Williamson is credited with inventing and popularizing the term “terraform”. In July 1942, under the pseudonym Will Stewart, Williamson published a science fiction novella entitled “Collision Orbit” in Astounding Science-Fiction magazine. The series was later published as two novels, Seetee Shock (1949) and Seetee Ship (1951). American geographer Richard Cathcart successfully lobbied for formal recognition of the verb “to terraform”, and it was first included in the fourth edition of the Shorter Oxford English Dictionary in 1993.

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  • #
    David Maddison

    The following is being promoted as solar panels that work at night.

    If this was in Australia, you’d get a government (i.e. taxpayer) grant for this…. This is apparently NOT a late April Fool’s joke and claims to produce night time electricity from the thermoelectric effect. It is miniscule, however, about 50mW per sq metre of solar panel.

    https://www.npr.org/2022/04/07/1091320428/solar-panels-that-can-generate-electricity-at-night-have-been-developed-at-stanf

    Solar panels that can generate electricity at night have been developed at Stanford

    April 7, 20227:00 AM ET

    SEE LINK FOR REST

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  • #
    Peter Fitzroy

    The australians will be voting on May 21. It is my hope that a credible third force, like the United Australia Party gain a substantial foothold both houses, and with luck, gain the balance of power

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    • #
      David Maddison

      That’s an unexpected, although refreshing, comment coming from you Peter.

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      • #
        Peter Fitzroy

        it is a long held view David

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      • #
        el+gordo

        Perhaps he forgot to raise the sarc flag.

        The UAP are sending their preferences to the Greens, but will they reciprocate? How to pull down the majors, divide and rule, it might be a hung parliament.

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        • #
          David Maddison

          Clive Palmer said he is not giving preferences to Greens or the LibLabs, he was being sarcastic when speaking to an ABC “journalist” but the journalist didn’t get the joke.

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          • #
            yarpos

            At the level he is aspiring to, the use of the “only joking” response comes across as a bit lame.

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            • #
              b.nice

              He should have spoken to ABC journalists as if they were 5 year old.!

              He just expected a bit of intelligence from them, and found none.

              40

          • #
            Hanrahan

            Palmer has already done a stint in the house. His was the worst attendance record.

            Townsville would rather lynch him than vote for him.

            24

        • #
          Peter Fitzroy

          no el-g my motives go back to the way the Australian parliament was designed.

          Originally, and as in England, parties were a loose coalition of politicians who could vote the way their electors wanted. This two party system with party first and your voters a very distant second is the opposite of what was envisioned when we federated.

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          • #
            David Maddison

            The two party system is reinforced by proportional representation. But most people don’t realise that the Federal Constitution says nothing about the method of voting. Until 1917 it was the traditional English system which is first past the post.

            If people want proper electoral reform to revert back to that system it only requires an act of parliament, not a constitutional change.

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            • #
              Peter Fitzroy

              Not sure about that David
              The USA and England use first past the post, and are solidly 2 party as is Australia. (Exact details will differ as you are aware)
              We also have compulsory voting, which is a factor as well, particularly where the vote is above the line, and preference deals come into play

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          • #
            Hanrahan

            So you, personally, are going to change this by posting anonymously on a blog?

            Find a soap box and state your case for all to hear.

            Only the coalition will keep our borders secure. No one else gives a fig.

            26

            • #
              MP

              The Chinese moved into the Solomon’s on slomos watch, yeah they keep us safe.
              The Chinese moved into the pacific, horns blazing and flags waving and Slomo missed it because he could not hear above his own voice.

              Please inform me what he has done in the last four years. What has he done, not talked about doing.

              Your posting anonymously?
              This blog is a soap box.

              The LNP disposed of our constitution, our rights, allowed states to impose draconian mandates, did not support the people, washed their slimly little hands of us.
              He’s a compulsive liar, they all are. Yeah more of the same at best, but the worst is yet to come.

              I’m pressing flush, full flush.

              10

        • #
          Tel

          A party can recommend preferences but the voter gets to decide.

          The UAP does not “send” preferences anywhere … at best they make a suggestion.

          80

          • #
            Hanrahan

            My suggestion is to send Palmer to Debtor’s Prison until he pays his sacked workers. Yabulu Nickel was solvent until he stripped it.

            25

            • #
              Grogery

              Not quite true.

              He prolonged the inevitable.

              40

              • #
                Hanrahan

                He stripped it. His BIL Manager is yet to be seen. Last heard of on a permanent cruise in the Mediterranean.

                Why are you defending this billionaire who has never got a mine into production? He rips people off, including Chinese.

                24

            • #
              Tel

              If the refinery was so valuable, how come BHP sold it to Palmer at a massive loss back in 2009 while also shutting down related mining operations?

              https://www.smh.com.au/business/bhp-offloads-yabulu-nickel-refinery-20090703-d7vk.html

              “Once we acquire Yabulu, there will be over $200 million working capital in it alone so that is a good start to ramp things up,” Professor Palmer said, adding he intended to retain all jobs at Yabulu. “There are 1000 people working at the plant, 2900 working in the area and 5000 in New Caledonia,” he said. “The Queensland Government and (Premier) Anna Bligh did a huge amount of work to protect jobs. We will be consulting with the workforce and management about how to grow the operation.”

              With the brilliance of hindsight, Palmer’s mistake was even attempting to keep every job after the takeover. He should have made the focus on automation and a lean operation from day one.

              At any rate, if you work for a business with “Pty Ltd” in the name, that means under Australian law the shareholders have limited liability … the business can end up liquidated and people do make losses in this situation. It’s the same in almost every country. This particular bankruptcy has been in and out of court plenty of time. If you think the courts made an error, feel free to point out where.

              The remaining worker’s outstanding entitlements were actually paid by the Commonwealth in 2016, so after that it was the government chasing Palmer to see if they could recoup the taxpayers money … I believe the most recent appeal went against Palmer and he had to pay $100 million to settle it.

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        • #
          b.nice

          NO, UAP is not preferencing the Greens.

          Journalists just don’t understand sarcasm !

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      • #
        Peter Fitzroy

        long held view, David

        34

  • #
    David Maddison

    There is more and more taxpayer money and more regulations in regard to mandatory recycling of waste in Australia.

    The only things from domestic waste truly worth recycling are steel and aluminium cans which are easy to seperate from the waste stream and possibly glass and PET bottles.

    It is not economically feasible to recycle the rest, especially as China is no longer accepting plastic waste for recycling, and Australian greens stopped other countries taking it, so it should be burned to produce electricity. However, whenever there are proposals for incineration plants in Australia there is wild opposition, despite the fact that this is common practise in the green regimes of Europe.

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    • #
      Klem

      Canadians have ridiculous recycling laws, but as usual citizens happily comply. A large percentage of the material submitted for recycling cannot be recycled, but by law cannot be put into landfills either. So it is piled onto ships and sent to Asia where they simply dump it into the ocean. Most Canadians are anawere of this so they continue to happily comply with the ridiculous recycling laws. Neat huh?

      40

    • #
      Graeme No.3

      Oh, come now David, just because Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Germany (and others) incinerate rubbish (as does Singapore for lack of space) you aren’t allowed to do this in Australia. You would need to have the emissions declared non-polluting (or not Global warming) before you could do so. As in the UK where burning biofuel and wood chips generates more reliable electricity than renewables (at times) and more than the persecuted coal burners, are also categorised as Green despite giving off more CO2 than coal-fired.

      Years ago, there was a glut of old newsprint and my suggestion that it all be converted into ‘paper logs’ and distributed to the needy (for winter warmth) was ignored with contempt. Practical solutions aren’t wanted by the bureaucracy, esp. if it rapidly solves the problem.

      60

  • #
    David Maddison

    Australia goes to the polls May 21.

    For the mainstream parties you have a choice between the appallingly bad Liberals or even worse Green Labor.

    However, there will be plenty of conservative small parties to vote for.

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    • #
      Dennis

      And not one small party capable of even getting close to challenging the two party preferred unofficial top two.

      Greens helped Labor to gain 15 seats in 2019, they now have three times the poll support of the two minor best polling parties.

      40

    • #
      David Maddison

      I think SloMo will lose the unloseable election to be replaced by an even worse Green Labor government. Australia is in very deep trouble indeed.

      200

    • #
      Klem

      Just keep in mind that if the Greens win you will own nothing and be happy. Well ok, not so sure about the happy part but you’ll own nothing anyway..

      And that’s an encouraging thought right?

      52

  • #
    David Maddison

    Just to show how far the woke Leftist anti-science insanity goes, there is a brand of sugar in the US called Domino.

    It is certified “carbon free”.

    Back in the day when I studied science we used to learn that sucrose, the main constituent of white sugar and a disaccharide of glucose and fructose had the chemical formula C12H22O11 so without carbon, it would just be water.

    But the Left keep telling us, science is about the strongest opinion, not objective fact, so it must be true that it is “carbon free”.

    https://drugstorenews.com/center-store/domino-introduces-new-earth-friendly-carbonfree-pure-cane-sugar-products

    Domino Sugar’s pure cane products were certified CarbonFree by Carbonfund.org.

    150

    • #
      Dennis

      Well in his speech at the Sydney Royal Easter Show today Albo mentioned renewable energy and electric vehicles many times and the future, and of course climate change.

      Fun times ahead.

      90

    • #
      yarpos

      Multiple supermarket chains proudly advertised that their stores are “powered by renewable electricity” which is not possible. Good enough for the ACT ,so good enough for them. Maintaining the delusion.

      130

      • #
        Sambar

        Hey Yarpos, not only supermarkets. Our very own beloved shire council has stated on their CLIMATE FACT SHEET that they only buy green electricity.
        By the way did you fill in the “Taking climate action” survey? Easily filled out on line and now closed, with apparently a good response, only problem being I can’t find anyone that I have spoken to even knew about this survey. As the “shire” indicate, the biggest emitter of alleged green house gases is agriculture (42% of total shire emissions) and they are not sure how to reduce this. Shire has a recommendation that we eat more plant based foods to assist.
        And so the social engineering continues.
        ,

        30

        • #
          b.nice

          Agriculture doesn’t actually add any CO2 to the atmosphere.

          It takes it out, then recycles it.

          The ultimate GREEN use for CO2.

          40

          • #
            Sambar

            This doesn’t fit the narrative though. I tried this argument with a local zealot. If cows produce methane after eating grass what happens to the grass if cows don’t eat it. Zealot had no idea. When I pointed out that decaying grass produces methane zealot wouldn’t have it. Cows make it worse. I could not get an admission that carbon (and all its forms) in the environment is neither created nor destroyed . Yes I aknowledge some of it changes composition, but it just goes round and round much as the water cycle. Livestock in fact just holds onto a few carbon compounds for their life time then just give exactly the same volume of carbon back to the environment as they took out.

            .

            60

            • #
              b.nice

              “then just give exactly the same volume of carbon back to the environment as they took out.”

              That is real rational chemistry tells us. !

              Cows, sheep etc.. do not create carbon.

              They are part and parcel of the Carbon Cycle that sustains all life on Earth.

              40

        • #
          yarpos

          Yes I did fill it out. I wasxsurprised that it actually allowed me to express a non PC position.

          30

          • #
            Sambar

            Their “Facts Sheet” was a little more biased with many of the facts assumed to be correct rather than supposition .
            Still I’m pleased you found out about it and took the time, I’m trying to “have an opinion” registered even though the survey is closed

            30

    • #
      another ian

      “Domino Sugar’s pure cane products were certified CarbonFree by Carbonfund.org.”

      Wouldn’t be $ signs like a certain practice around meat?

      And that the Union of Concerned Scientist only requires a valid credit card as a qualification ans ao Anthony Watts’s dog became a member?

      50

    • #
      WendyB

      I noticed that the last time I was home in 2019. I laughed and laughed.

      20

    • #
      James Murphy

      It seems like a lot of people have never seen the experiment where concentrated sulphuric acid is poured onto sugar, and all that is left, is carbon…

      40

      • #
        Serp

        Occupational Health and Safety likely prohibits your chemistry teacher from giving that well known demonstration. Back in the days of nib pens it was done with relish; I imagine today everybody in the room would be obliged to don a respirator.

        20

    • #
      Fran

      Reminds me of barrels of candy in Louisiana a few years ago: Large sign reading “Cholesterol Free”.

      40

    • #
      Ronin

      Sugar is about 99% carbon, maybe it was harvested by kanaka labour.

      00

  • #
    John Connor II


    Breakthrough ‘time jump’ technique de-ages human skin cells by 30 years

    A breakthrough de-aging technique is capable of turning back the clock of human skin cells by three decades, a new study reveals. Scientists at the Babraham Institute say the procedure rejuvenates skin cells by resetting them to an earlier stage of development.

    Study authors believe this technique may one day lead to treatments which rejuvenate all types of cells, reversing the aging process and repairing damaged or diseased cells.

    https://www.studyfinds.org/time-jump-de-ages-cells-30-years/

    Just a little more tweaking required…

    40

    • #
      David Maddison

      If it works for skin cells I guess it could theoretically work for all cells, if it is indeed possible to administer the therapy in vivo, not just in vitro.

      30

    • #
      Graeme No.3

      I recall that back in the 1920’s Svante Arrhenius ran trials giving Swedish schoolboys mild electric shocks in classes, and reported an improvement in performance. He claimed that it focussed the students minds.
      Since our current politicians all believe another of his ideas, I suggest they should all get the same treatment; it might focus their minds too.

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  • #
    John Connor II

    Silent No More: The Story That Must Be Told About the C0VID Vaxxine in NZ

    Is this the biggest scandal in New Zealand’s history?

    This is a question that can only really be answered if the full truth and the full evidence is known and assessed by the people of New Zealand. Thankfully that may be beginning to happen now. But one thing is for certain. The biggest victims of this situation are now coming together, they are uniting to support each other, they are uniting to tell their stories, and they will be SILENT NO MORE.

    As a picture of vaccine injury catastrophe becomes clearer by the day, Pfizer and the New Zealand government may eventually try to say that they were just trying to do the right thing for the safety of the country, and that they couldn’t have known this type of catastrophic vaccine fall-out would happen. But shockingly, that has now been proven not to be the case. Pfizer and the Ministry of Health (and most probably the New Zealand government) absolutely did know. They had all the absolutely damning safety data showing this to be the case, and they both forged ahead regardless.

    https://www.australiannationalreview.com/covid-19/silent-no-more-the-story-that-must-be-told-about-the-c0vid-vaxxine-in-nz/

    Where goes NZ goes every other WEF-driven country.

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  • #
    John Connor II

    Breaking: ScudMo calls elections for May 21st.

    How about we all refuse to vote until there’s actually someone with real-world competencies worth voting for?

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    • #
      David Maddison

      The problem is, most of the Sheeple will still vote for the party offering the most “free stuff”. So the smart people refusing to vote won’t help, it will just make things even worse.

      140

    • #
      Hanrahan

      When do you hope to graduate?

      04

    • #
      MP

      Many people have said this “don’t vote”, how will this change anything?

      00

    • #
      b.nice

      Australia desperately need to break the 3 left-wing party construct that currently exists.

      Liberals.. center on some things, very left on many others.. have change a lot since when they were a Conservative rational-thinking party.

      Labor.. Used to be the workers party, now a marxist party of leftist bureaucrats and money scammers.

      Greens.. Loony woke far-left inner-city dregs. Intent on destruction of the Australian way of life and western civilisation as we know it.

      There needs to be a better choice. !

      51

    • #
      KP

      Just start a party called “None of the Above”

      10

  • #
    David Maddison

    A new airport opened in the Maldives.

    In fact, four new airports were meant to open in 2020 but I’m not sure if they did or not due to the plague.

    Don’t we keep getting told that the Maldives will sink beneath the rising oceans?

    https://www.traveldailymedia.com/new-airport-opens-in-the-maldives/

    Megha Paul, 2 months ago

    Accessibility to resorts in the Maldives’ Lhaviyani Atoll will be significantly improved with the opening of Madivaru Airport in early February.

    https://maldives-magazine.com/news/maldives-to-open-four-new-airports-in-2020.htm

    10 January, 2020

    Four new airports being developed in Maldives are set to open in 2020, as per the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation.

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    • #
      Graeme No.3

      David:

      I think that makes 15 new airports since The Maldives disappeared under the waves in 2018.
      It must have done so, as that was the prediction in 1988 that they would be underwater within 30 years – as well as parts of New York (lower Wall St. for example) – and we all know how accurate Global Warming predictions are. Dr. Jim Hansen (now retired from NASA) was interviewed in 2019? about his original prediction (copied by others over the years) and he still said it could happen.
      O/T but has anyone heard of Flannery recently?

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    • #
      Hanrahan

      There will be a limit on the number of aircraft that can park at any time.

      12

    • #
      Grogery

      Sea-planes?

      30

  • #

    Have a look at the image shown at this link.

    There is so much about this image that needs explaining, and at first glance, it just seems to be a fairly innocuous looking sign really.

    There is plenty of parking at the site, but parking in this area is only for those electric vehicles using the charger, and there is a four hour time limit on charging time for your electric vehicle. (That’s a question all on its own right there – Four hours to charge up your EV)

    The small print under that larger text prompts a further question or two, so I had to track it all down, as at first glance, I just skipped over it all, with an ironic shrug at the time limit, but a small nagging question puzzled me to try and track down what was going on here.

    Okay, Rivian was easy, as it’s an American electric vehicle manufacturer. They provide the charger, but only as a courtesy, as the next part also needs some explanation as well ….. where it mentions National Park sites. They can provide the charger as, well, ….. encouragement, but as far as I can ascertain from some looking into the matter, they are not allowed to make money, as it is situated within the National Park. And the National Park itself cannot charge for the electricity being used to charge the vehicle, so, in effect, the taxpayer is paying that cost.

    The National Park in question, the one in this image is Crissy Field. It is an example of an urban National Park, wholly within the area of San Francisco. It’s on the foreshores, with the Golden Gate Bridge as part of the background, and all part of the greater Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, a nonprofit organisation. (hence no charge for the electricity)

    So, the vehicle itself is subsidised, and the owner can also rack up the charge for EV to the taxpayer as well in this case.

    Huh, no wonder there’s a four hour time limit.

    Tony.

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    • #
      Graeme No.3

      Tony:
      I prefer this one in England.
      https://i0.wp.com/tiremeetsroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/2020.2.12-Flooded-bays-2-C.jpg?resize=1021%2C580&ssl=1

      I think it was ideally sited at the end of Fishpond road.

      100

      • #
        OldOzzie

        Could be quite a shock when you connected to recharge

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      • #
        David Maddison

        In Australia we prefer our EV chargers to be powered by diesel. This one is on the Nullabor.

        The Leftist “fact checkers” are claiming it’s OK because it’s powered by biodiesel. So who’s going to bother hauling biodiesel 1000kms to this thing?

        https://www.pinterest.com.au/pin/221380137921370952/

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        • #
          another ian

          Who is making biodiesel in the vicinity?

          50

        • #
          Graeme No.3

          David,
          surely you’ve heard the old one about the Catholic missionary being disappointed at finding one of his converts eating meat on Friday.. The convert explained that when he converted the missionary sprinkled water on him, and said “from now on your name will be John”. So he said, I sprinkled water on the meat and said “you are now called fish”.

          30

        • #
          Graeme#4

          Actually David, the biofuel was supposed to come from the cafe’s fryers. Surely that would mean that the fryers would have to work overtime in busy charging periods? And if they couldn’t obtain sufficient biofuel from the fryers, my guess is that they would then use onsite diesel…
          Currently I believe that there is only one such unit installed as a trial.

          10

    • #
      Hanrahan

      There certainly is a bit to unpack.

      Those chargers would be AC, using the car’s own rectifiers so you certainly get another 200 mile range in that time. Too late at night to find the data.

      But what are the penalties for overstaying? I’d imagine the parks authority have the right to penalise wrongdoers. I have seen commercial chargers can have time limits which can make your charge expensive.

      As an aside, chargers in the US tend to be “nowhere” ie nowhere to amuse yourself while charging. Even if dry the chargers Graeme posted look unattractive.

      20

    • #
      Sambar

      This is the way it works where I live Tony. Six charging stations were put in a local town with absolutely no way the vehicle owner can pay. No key pads nor swipe slots for cards nothing to identify the owner that I can find, so, who’s paying. The rate payers.
      As a slight aside, I went past this charging station on the last long weekend. All chargers were plugged into cars with only one agitated couple madly texting while they stood there waiting all other owners had “wandered off”. The interesting part was there were 4 additional cars waiting their turn for a charge. So the “plugged in ” wander off, car sits there charging, any cars waiting have absolutely no idea how long the wait will be just to get a plug let alone the couple of hours to fill up so you can get home. More unintended consequences.

      00

  • #
    OldOzzie

    Liberal Genius at work in NSW

    Leaked memo warns new Manly ferries risk becoming airborne in heavy swells

    Captains of the new Manly ferries have been warned not to sail directly into waves near the entrance to Sydney Harbour in heavy swells in case their vessels become airborne, a leaked internal memo has revealed.

    The advice was to masters of the second generation Emerald-class ferries, which are at the centre of a fierce debate over whether they can handle large swells as well as the larger Freshwater vessels they are designed to replace on the Manly-Circular Quay route.

    The document by ferry operator Transdev warns masters that trials in early March showed that the new Emerald-class ferries became “airborne”, resulting in “tunnel slamming”, when the vessels sailed directly into waves or on a 45-degree angle to them at about 10 knots.

    “This can be detrimental to the vessel’s integrity and the safety and comfort of the crew and passengers,” it states.

    Tunnel slamming refers to water rising between the two hulls of the catamaran ferries, jolting the bridge deck which structurally joins the hulls together.

    “Running ahead of the swell must be avoided, as this may cause ‘trapping’, which results in the vessel bow-diving or broaching, and a loss of control,” the memo warns.

    The document – obtained by the Herald – advises masters that the safest and most comfortable course for passengers when crossing Sydney Heads is to have the swell directly on the beam of the Emerald-class ferries. The beam is the width of a vessel at its widest point.

    Last weekend a 19-year-old teenager was rescued from the harbour after falling overboard from the Clontarf ferry several hundred metres from North Head. The Clontarf is one of the three Emerald-class ferries now used on the Circular Quay-Manly route.

    Graeme Taylor, from community group Action for Public Transport, said the internal Transdev memo highlighted the fragility of the new Emerald-class ferries which had a “very jerky movement” and slammed into swells even in relatively mild conditions.

    Mr Taylor said the government needed to acknowledge that the new ferries were unsuitable for the Manly route because they handled swells poorly, leading to cancelled services, and were too small for large crowds over summer.

    “The best solution for these problems is to reinstate the four Freshwater-class ferries seven days a week and transfer the generation-two Emeralds to the Inner Harbour,” he said.

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    • #
      OldOzzie

      From the Comments

      – This debacle ranks along with Intercity trains with non-reversible seats, trams incompatible for the two different LR lines, and the corporatisation of Rail to hide deficit $$$s.

      ALL of the above are reversals of, or rather ignorant dismissal of, well proven and safe practices employed by Ferries, trains and trams in NSW for the past 140 years. All in the name of economic rationalism. The NSW LNP Govt has been “pennies wise, pounds foolish”, as the saying goes.

      It is well established safe practice for ships to head into approaching large waves rather then let the wave hit broadside on. Manly ferries have been doing this for generations, until now. The big ferries like the SS South Steyne, SS Dee Why and SS Curl Curl were able to steam out from Scotland by themselves; that’s how safe they were.

      – Seeing that we, the taxpayers, paid for these unstable ferries should we not be able to read the contract that was signed by the LNP Government on our behalf?
      Or, is the reason for purchasing these ferries, that can’t function in all conditions, be considered “Commercial in Confidence?

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    • #
      Hanrahan

      Looking at pics of the Emerald class, they are barges with no consideration of passenger comfort in even moderate swells. Clearly deck space and price were the dominant factors in the choice.

      A little extra and you can have a wave-piercer although they are not universally accepted but I’m sure they have a better tolerance to swells.

      A wave-piercer.

      20

    • #
      Ronin

      The more we move into the future, the further behind we get.
      Refurbish, repower re whatever, the Freshwater class and get something that works, these kiddytoy aluminium catamarans are for river use, not for green water.

      00

  • #
    Jock

    Just for laughs, wind in NSW is currently generating 3 MW (yes 3) of power of the 1850 mw installed nominal capacity. And the renewable industry wonder why it is bagged? It is simply irrational to keep subsidising these ridiculously inefficient 17th century macchines.

    150

    • #
      John Connor II

      With elections next month we can harness enough pollie windpower (puffing) to power the nation for our lifetimes.

      50

    • #
      Hanrahan

      I look at windy.com regularly and at any given time over 60% of the landmass is in the doldrums.

      the only reasonably reliable wind comes out of the Great Southern Ocean. We never see any of that in the north.

      40

  • #
    John Connor II

    Australian politics – vote away!

    https://twitter.com/i/status/1513013396589125634

    Pity we can’t vote them away…

    30

  • #
    Honk R Smith

    Maybe it’s me.

    From my current fav ‘climate’ paper abstract. Very first sentence …

    “Over the past decades, atoll islands exhibited no widespread physical destabilization in the face of seal level rise.”

    https://www.researchgate.net/publication/328500690_A_global_assessment_of_atoll_island_planform_changes_over_the_past_decades

    I received no blows to the head in the face of being pummeled in the head.
    (I think I’m getting the hang of climate science research.)

    It is time to accept the divinity of the Python Prophecies.

    40

  • #
    Simon Derricutt

    Since this is an open thread, I’ll put up something really surprising in physics. I’ve had around a couple of weeks to get used to this and explore the consequences, and first put the idea up on Chiefio’s blog.

    The same equations of motion apply whether the force accelerating a body is relative to the reference frame (the environment) or relative to the object being accelerated (such as a rocket). If you calculate the work done as force times distance in the reference frame, then the force times distance equals the kinetic energy acquired in both cases. However, in the case of the rocket, the energy consumed to produce the acceleration is a constant rate, but the work done is the product of velocity times thrust.

    The equation of motion of an accelerating body is
    d=ut+0.5at², where d is distance travelled, u is initial velocity, t is time, a is acceleration.
    Thus if we’re applying a constant force f, W (the work done) is fd. If we start from stationary, u=0, and the equation translates to
    W=0.5fat².
    Note that W is the output work, and translates to kinetic energy acquired.
    The energy used to produce the thrust is constant with time, so if e is the energy input per second and E is the sum of energy used at any point, then
    E=et (straight line through the origin with slope of e).
    Plot E (energy input) against W (energy output) over time. Fairly obviously, since E is a straight line and W is a parabola, at some point W will exceed E.

    Note that this is totally classical physics and applies to any body that produces thrust relative to itself, whether that’s by ejecting reaction-mass or any other method. Once you exceed a certain velocity and you’re still applying that thrust, you will be producing more kinetic energy than you’re using to generate the thrust. I’ll call that velocity the break-even point.

    See https://ivolimited.us/press-release-ivo-ltd-introduces-the-worlds-first-pure-electric-thruster-for-satellites/ . This uses electrical power only, with no reaction-mass required, and is specified to produce 45mN for 1 watt input. Taking these figures as true, the break-even point for this is 22.22m/s, and it will be producing enough kinetic energy per second to run itself. Once you reach 44.44m/s it will be producing twice as much energy as it uses and can power something else too, though right now that’s only one watt. However, it’s a net gain of energy produced from *nothing*.

    On the face of it, this looks impossible, and of course most people will consider it impossible and thus can’t be true. I can’t however find an error in the maths. We’re using a single reference frame here, so no problems from changing frames. It’s hard to see why this has been missed for so long.

    I’m expecting the electric thrusters to be developed as regards thrust available, since it’s a new technology. It looks like a few orders of magnitude improvement is possible. Thus in future I’d expect we’ll build these devices (the design of a generator is pretty obvious) rather than wind or solar. Of course, this energy will be available 24/7 rather than when the weather is right.

    Go through the derivation yourself. I’m waiting on the tests of the IVO thruster in space, which will be absolute proof that it works, but I expect it to work given the previous experimental data.

    30

    • #
      Honk R Smith

      Wright brother first flight, 1903.
      Last Apollo mission, 1972.
      By my calculations, we have to wait another 19 years before any progress can be made in flight technology.
      Something could go wrong.

      30

    • #
      Forrest Gardener

      TANSTAAFL

      10

      • #
        Simon Derricutt

        Forrest – yep, my first thought when I realised this, too. That’s why I put up the maths – you can work it out yourself. Why do you believe energy is always conserved? It’s something we’ve been taught, and in practice it always works except for this situation. In this situation, though, it simply doesn’t apply.

        Honk R Smith – bear in mind that the rate of technology advance has been exponential because we build on what has come before, and the more people we have the more people there are thinking about stuff and making those advances. Also these days we have almost-instant communication between people in different countries rather than sending a letter and waiting a few months for a reply. I expect we’ll have this technology up and running in a few years, since I know several people working on various designs of thruster.

        The main obstruction here is that most people will dismiss this as being obviously impossible in theory. As Forrest said, TANSTAAFL. However, our beliefs do not affect whether or not something works, though they do affect whether we’ll attempt something. Most people only do something when they think it’s possible. Here, the maths shows that it’s not only possible, but pretty easy. If you can find a mistake there, tell me.

        Of course, there’s also the question of how we managed to miss this simple bit of logic all these years. The only answer I can give to that is that maybe people noticed it and thought it couldn’t be true because they believed that energy was always conserved. So they ignored it.

        00

        • #
          Kalm Keith

          Hi Simon,

          “Of course, there’s also the question of how we managed to miss this simple bit of logic all these years”.

          Went through a lot of what you wrote but could you explain the bit of missed logic, it doesn’t stand out.

          The thrust remains constant but the mass being moved is constantly being reduced as fuel is burnt.

          Can’t see what you’re getting at?

          KK

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    • #
      KP

      Nah- Kinetic energy is halfxmassx(vel)squared. 1/2MxVxV. You were assuming it was FxD, I’m not sure how that correlates. A graph of kinetic energy would also be a parabola.

      Dunno, too late at night.. I do know 45milliNewtons/watt not going far, if he had 1KW he’d get 4.5Kg of thrust. How many solar cells to power a kettle element of 1000watts??

      Isn’t this the old SciFi ion drive where you have an element or an antenna that takes in electricity and emits radio waves or ions out the back?? No thrust really, but no fuel and goes on forever… well, until the element burns out.

      10

      • #
        Simon Derricutt

        KP – the initial derivation used 0.5mv², but since the force times distance is the work, and that all ends up as the kinetic energy, the derivation above was clearer about the total energy use varying as t and the total energy production varies as t². If the force is constant, then it’s just more elegant this way.

        Yep, with the IVO thruster as-is it could easily run itself and something else that needs 1W or so. It will take some development to get to a generator in the kW range. However,the principle of operation is somewhat different than the element you’re talking about. Photons don’t provide that much thrust. See http://physicsfromtheedge.blogspot.com/2021/02/horizon-engineers.html if you want to know, but get a pot of coffee on first. The important thing, though, is that this is measured thrust and it works, so unless you want to build one yourself (and you can do) then the theory isn’t so important. It is however desirable that enough people see this post since it’s useful to be able to generate your own energy without needing fuel. Since this sort of claim is hard to believe, and so many such claims have been false in the past, I give the derivation of the equations and a logical reason for the result. The break-even velocity (when the energy used and the kinetic energy created are equal) can be easily calculated as 1/thrust (in newtons), and that gives you the distance you need to travel in 1 second to generate 1 watt. Since the IVO thruster uses 1W, no need to calculate further, otherwise scale for the power the thruster you’re using needs.

        Seems too simple to be true. However, run through the maths and you’ll see it is true.

        00

        • #
          Kalm Keith

          Hi Simon,

          You might remember Zoe who used to take an equation and plug values in.

          “Seems too simple to be true. However, run through the maths and you’ll see it is true.”

          Best to leave the maths until after the problem has clearly defined in words.

          I didn’t go to the link because the problem wasn’t set out clearly.

          Quote

          “Once you exceed a certain velocity and you’re still applying that thrust, you will be producing more kinetic energy than you’re using to generate the thrust. I’ll call that velocity the break-even point.

          Free energy??

          KK

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            Kalm Keith

            Three long posts, but still can’t get a response that attempts to clarify what’s under analysis?

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              Simon Derricutt

              KK – we’re on different time zones, and I do the computer stuff in my mornings.

              The simple bit of logic we missed is that for a rocket the rate of work done in our frame increases the faster it goes, because the work done in our frame is the force times the distance. Meantime the rate of energy expended to produce that thrust remains constant no matter how fast the rocket is going. Thus since the kinetic energy rises as v² and the rate of energy use is constant, at some point you will be producing more energy than you’re using.

              We’ve known for a long time that Einstein’s Relativity does not conserve energy in the calculations, so we need to be careful when swapping frames or when using accelerating frames, otherwise we’ll get the wrong answers. Thus here I’m using a single inertial frame of reference (where we happen to be standing relative to the rocket at rest).

              If you don’t know Noether’s theorem already (and I suspect you do), it’s worth reading it. Normally, energy transactions are symmetric. Here, by putting the thrust relative to the object being accelerated, I’m breaking that symmetry. The work done in our frame of reference remains force times distance. All the normal equations of motion remain the same whether the thrust is applied relative to the environment or relative to the object. The only difference is that if the force is relative to our reference frame then we do more work to provide it the faster we go – the rate of work put in is force times velocity, whereas if the force is relative to the object it actually does no work. Odd but true. All the energy we use to produce that thrust goes into kinetic energy of the exhaust gas with a rocket. The thrust produced on the rocket actually takes no energy, which is maybe hard to accept but is logical if you start by holding the rocket stationary and considering the work done (or alternatively temporarily use the rocket as your reference frame, but be aware that this is an accelerating frame and thus a bit odd).

              Thus what I’m saying here is that CoE simply doesn’t apply for a rocket. Sure,you can look at the work done in our frame and it will equal the kinetic energy acquired in our frame. However, the energy we need to expend to produce that kinetic energy is not fixed relative to the kinetic energy produced in our frame. Instead we get more work out that the energy we put in if that rocket goes fast enough.

              For a reaction engine, that chucks out mass to produce a thrust, the amount of thrust you get for a certain energy input is also not fixed. If you throw out a small amount of mass per second at high velocity, it requires a lot more power to produce the same amount of thrust as a larger amount of mass at a lower velocity. Thus to get more thrust for the same amount of power, chuck out more mass per second at a lower velocity.

              Still, the only reason to mention the rocket is to show that this “creation of energy from nothing” works in classical physics without resorting to Relativity or anything later than Newton. It’s a simple application of the standard equations of motion. It gives us a way to produce energy providing we are careful to design things so that the thrust is relative to the part being accelerated.

              The real meat though is the new availability of thrusters than only need electrical power and no reaction mass. These will of course produce thrust relative to themselves. Mount them on a rotor, and you get a torque. The faster you allow these to spin, the more power is produced, and we can calculate the rpm needed to produce enough power to run the thrusters. Let them go faster than that and you’re producing more power than is needed to run the thrusters, and can run something else too. It’s that simple.

              If it’s so simple, why has nobody else seen this? I don’t know. I only realised this a couple of weeks ago,and since I can’t find an error I’ve started telling as many people as possible. You can believe in CoE, and that this is thus impossible, but reality just is whether or not we believe something is possible. Given the newness of the idea, I probably won’t have all the answers to questions yet until I’ve thought about it for longer. Thus putting it here so enough people see it and ask questions.

              I think I could design an over-unity motor using rockets using this principle, but it would be messy. I think I could design an electromechanical one using ball-bearings and rail guns, but that would get complex and only worth it to prove a point. On the other hand, using the electric thrusters the design is obvious and simple, and should be cheap in mass-production and reliable in use.

              The question I was asking was “why is energy conserved?”. There needs to be a reason better than the answer “it just is”. Noether’s theorem gives us that answer, and putting the thrust relative to the object being accelerated breaks that symmetry.

              Rocket science really is different, but I hadn’t realised just how different.

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                Kalm Keith

                Thanks for the reply, and yes, I appreciate that we are in different time zones.

                Having read it all I must admit to being a bit concerned about the reality of the concept of energy from nowhere.

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                Simon Derricutt

                KK – yep, it surprised me too. However, I can’t find an error, so I’m telling everyone I can. Note it also allows for energy destruction – just turn the rocket around when it’s going fast. This brings up all sorts of questions about what energy is, and of course CoE is foundational so theory needs some modifications. Practically, though, it means we can make energy cheaply and simply. We just need to get the design right, and use this simple principle. It’s now an engineering problem, and not impossible.

                So far, it seems the majority of reactions are that this is simply wrong, so ignore it. Energy is conserved, and there’s nothing we can do about it. However, according to the equations of motion energy is not a fundamentally-conserved quantity. I’ve also shown that we can break the symmetry for momentum by using a changing field to transfer forces, because that transfer of forces is not instantaneous and is limited to light-speed, but that is also considered to be wrong because of course momentum is always conserved.

                I’m heading out to prune now, so no more replies until tomorrow if you feel like replying. In the meantime, thanks for actually going through the idea, since not many people do.

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                Kalm Keith

                Huge.

                Maybe you could sell the idea to the United Bloody Nations, they love stuff like this.

                🙂

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    Kim

    Run your car on water. This guy does just that! Ok: 1) determine the solar area required to fill up the cars, 2) construct the cars with quick swap tanks, 3) build the gas stations with their solar arrays.

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    OldOzzie

    Who Really Committed War Crimes in Bucha?

    Lurid and false atrocity stories have been used before to encourage Western involvement in unnecessary wars.

    Of course, pictures do not always tell the whole story. For example, to determine whether a war crime took place we must know who did the killing, why, and how. After all, the United States killed many thousands of Iraqis and Afghans, frequently by accident, in the course of those wars. Few in the United States or Europe would call those actions war crimes. This all became apparent after the United States exonerated itself for the annihilation of an Afghan family via a missile strike during the withdrawal of U.S. forces last summer. Oops.

    If civilians were shot and purposefully killed in Bucha, it undoubtedly would be a war crime and a terrible thing. But there are credible reasons to believe the so-called Bucha Massacre was not the doing of the Russian Forces, but rather of the Ukrainians—either local militia or SBU or some combination of thereof—as part of brutal reprisals against “saboteurs” and “Russian collaborators.”

    First, this fits with a pattern of Ukrainian forces violating the rules of war, as evidenced by numerous videos showing the shooting of prisoners, torturing civilians, and the like. Unlike the still photos in Bucha, these videos show the actions themselves, as well as the perpetrators, which even the New York Times recently acknowledged.

    Four, the timeline of reports creates real doubts about whether Russia perpetrated the Bucha Massacre. It is widely acknowledged that Russian forces left Bucha on March 30. Then, Bucha’s mayor happily announced their withdrawal on March 31 without any mention of massacres, bodies in the streets, or other war crimes. Finally, the Ukrainian SBU said it was moving into Bucha on April 2 to conduct a “cleansing” operation against saboteurs and traitors.

    For all the ink spilled in condemning what is being called the Bucha Massacre, one wonders if the calls for war crimes trials and claims that the responsible government is illegitimate would be withdrawn if it turns out not Vladimir Putin and Russia, but Voldomyr Zelenskyy and Ukraine, were responsible for whatever took place in Bucha. The question answers itself.

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    OldOzzie

    U.S. Secret Service Open for Business

    Fake agents, possibly tied to Iranian and Pakistani intelligence, target Jill Biden’s security detail.

    As the Epoch Times reports, Taherzadeh provided the four Secret Service officers and a DHS employee with rent-free apartments worth over $40,000 a year, iPhones, surveillance systems, a drone, flat-screen televisions, and other items. Those goodies were in addition to the $2,000 assault rifle and access to official government vehicles.

    By all indications, the two “Washington men,” were well equipped and well financed. They found willing collaborators in the Secret Service, charged with protection of the president, but if Joe Biden was the target Americans have to wonder. The Delaware Democrat is already a certified nightmare for the United States.

    Are the “Washington men” actually from Washington? Were they part of some “nightmare” Iranian revenge plot? How did they enter the United States? Did someone in DHS look the other way? What did DHS boss Alejandro Mayorkas know, and when did he know it?

    Unlike the two Washington men, the four Secret Service agents have not been named. At this writing the four have yet to be fired or charged with any crime. They have been placed on administrative leave, which usually means they continue to draw their salary and benefits.

    Something about these four particular Secret Service agents must have told Ali and Taherzadeh that they could be bought. Sending the four agents home with full pay and benefits will surely put a stop to any future misconduct in the U.S. Secret Service.

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    OldOzzie

    How a ridiculous plumbing stuff up could see hardworking Aussies who plunged their life savings into their dream homes lose EVERYTHING – with nothing built nearly three years later

    Huge development in Sydney’s west runs into issue – there’s no sewerage pipes, so building can’t start
    Torana Estate in Austral was supposed to be completed two years ago and dozens of families are hurting

    There are 77 home owners who have plunged tens of thousands of dollars into non-existent houses

    Probably a Very Dumb Question why can’t the Owners install a Pump Out Septic Sewage system? – we lived with one for 5 years in Frenchs Forest before the mains sewer came through.

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      Ronin

      Some B needs a good reaming with a wire brush for this debacle, make the clowns spring for a bio-cycle septic for each and every home until the sewer is connected.

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    MP

    Someone posted a twitter link, I looked down the thread and found this https://twitter.com/i/status/1513036488191389698

    This BS has to end and the people who imposed it.

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    MP

    WA police on vaccinating kids, struggles with maths and wants 110% of kids below 11 vaccinated up to date.
    https://twitter.com/i/status/1512945585367977985

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    John Connor II

    Well at least *someone* is ahead of the game😉

    Ferrero recalls chocolates in Australia

    Italian confectionery group Ferrero has recalled several children’s chocolate products in Australia, amid concerns they could be contaminated with salmonella.

    https://7news.com.au/news/ferrero-recalls-chocolates-in-australia-c-6371916

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    MP

    I hate it when this fella makes sense. Russel Brand on a British Medical Journal, peer reviewed study. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uEoNZSLabLc

    Does critiquing the pharmaceutical industry and the medicines we all take make you a conspiracy theorist? In this video we look at a recent peer-reviewed article taken from British Medical Journal to look more closely at the industry of “evidence based medicine”.

    The illusion of evidence based medicine

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    another ian

    “Our Greatest Action Drone Shots”

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_GkpkanNJI

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    Neville

    Well today Albanese fell for the worst double bunger disaster in election campaign history.
    He was asked to tell the journalist the cash rate and another asked him the unemployment rate and he didn’t know either rate.
    This must be the most incompetent donkey in Aussie history because the cash rate has been at 0.1% for months and as Morrison and Frydenberg keep telling us the unemployment rate is 4% and treasury expects this to fall further soon.
    This is the lowest rate for about 50 years and yet the Albanese idiot has somehow missed all of this news.
    Unbelievable but true. But don’t worry they’ll still line up to vote for these clueless fools on the 21st May.

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    another ian

    “Old Mann Yells at Cloud-Sunday Funday”

    https://wattsupwiththat.com/2022/04/10/old-mann-yells-at-cloud-sunday-funday/

    You can have 3 guesses and the first two don’t count

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    Ronin

    How could a politician running for PM not know the unemployment and prime interest rates, 1/10 for the Elbow.

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    Ronin

    H2 spruikers to store H2 in salt caverns, I just can’t wait for this ploy to be publicised when it fails as the clowns pump in hydrogen that they haven’t yet figured out how to make and wonder why the pressure isn’t going up.
    Tis just gets better by the day.
    Also it has just been realised that H2 is more than double the greenhouse gas enabler that originally thought, so no leaks hey.
    Lots of luck with that.

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    el+gordo

    La Nina will lose its grip in May and the wet conditions in South East Australia should abate.

    https://www.weatherzone.com.au/videos/climate-update—april-2022/6303176311001

    March was dry on the Top End and they don’t explain why. He is focussed on temperatures, its been unseasonably hotter than average and this trend is expected to continue.

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