Sunday

8.1 out of 10 based on 29 ratings

143 comments to Sunday

  • #
    John Hultquist

    The recent heavy snow in Colorado damaged many things, including solar panels: see @40 sec.
    https://kdvr.com/video/snow-downs-solar-panels-in-denver/9518853/

    Other outlets have similar reports.

    270

  • #
    Skepticynic

    the definite article, ‘the,’ singles out a specific, probably dubious, version of science compared to science as such, which does not need being elevated to special status. In fact, when this is done through the use of ‘the,’ you can bet your bottom dollar it is no longer science in the humble, hard-working, ‘belonging-to-every-person’ sense. If one’s sceptical antennae do not immediately start buzzing when one of the commissars of the CDC starts pontificating about ‘the science,’ one is probably similarly smitten by the stupidity that’s in the air.

    The War Between Knowledge And Stupidity

    200

    • #
      CO2 Lover

      Stupidity at Work In Australia

      Energy Minister Chris Bowen is stupid and arrogant: Alan Jones

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZPDPaMQtp8

      231

      • #
        Graham Richards

        How is it possible that an intellectual midget, a moron, gets to identify as an energy minister with the economic future of the entire continent in his care.

        He actually cannot do this on his own, not enough grey matter, so can we focus on the morons in Canberra who are behind the madness & encourage the moron, the patsy, without taking any criticism themselves.

        A “ patsy “ like the Bowen moron is indeed a rare specimen! I wonder how many of the world’ bridges he’s got to sell you!!

        281

        • #
          David Maddison

          The simpletom Chrissy Bowen is a classic example of why politicians shouldn’t be allowed to make scientific or engineering decisions.

          The destructive power he holds due to his ability to dismantle our energy supply is massive.

          And it’s shameful that professional bodies remain silent as he continues to destroy the energy supply and therefore the economy.

          320

  • #
    tonyb

    This one is very worrying. The end of free speech in Germany with lots of Western countries not far behind?

    I shall be monitoring peoples thoughts on this thread so hope no one will try to rebel against the system. We know where you live and where your bank account is located….

    https://dailysceptic.org/2024/03/15/german-police-pull-a-16-year-old-girl-out-of-class-and-tell-her-to-stop-posting-smurf-themed-afd-friendly-content-to-tiktok/

    Quote; “She wants to use state resources to intimidate “those who mock the state”, and she has proposed legal innovations to interfere with the bank accounts and finances not only of those who break the law, but also of those who represent “a potential threat” and who exercise undue “social influence”.

    230

    • #
      CO2 Lover

      BERLIN – The Stasi Museum in Berlin is a monument to the ultimate surveillance society. It is housed in the old Stasi headquarters. The Stasi were the state police of communist East Germany whose job was to spy on the population.

      On display is every type of spy gadget imaginable for a pre-Internet era.

      One in six East Germans were either full-time spies or informers for the Stasi, watching their neighbors.

      When the Berlin Wall fell in 1989 and East Germany collapsed, East Germans looked forward to living in freedom. But now, some are beginning to wonder just how free the new Germany is.

      https://www2.cbn.com/news/world/germanys-speech-police-target-truth-spawning-cold-war-flashbacks

      150

      • #
        Bruce

        The REALLY “fun” part is that the Stasi (Stadt Sicherheit / State security) was initially staffed, on the formation of the DDR, with former members of the various nazi “security agencies, particularly the Abwehr. Just delete the swastika on the badges and paperwork and insert the mallet and dividers; easy. There were plenty of black leather trench coats to go around to complete the picture. Just for giggles, the entire post WW2 East German army, looked like models for the last weeks of WW2; basic field-grey uniforms, black ankle-boots, the very distinctive Pattern 1945 helmet and the classic StG 44, the original “assault rifle” (Sturmgewehr). Their soviet “mentors” probably noticed and obviously “suggested” a “re-modelling” the outfits on a more austere “soviet” style; no more Hugo Boss for Fritz.

        Not surprisingly, many such folk re-surfaced in the WEST German security agencies, with not all of them actually working FOR the Bundes Rupublik.

        40

    • #
      David Maddison

      There is also a proposed French law, ostensibly to combat fraud and other crimes but which will no doubt be used for censorship of anything critical of the Official Narrative especially in the more woke authoritarian regimes such as in Australia.:

      https://blog.mozilla.org/netpolicy/2023/06/26/france-browser-website-blocking/

      France’s browser-based website blocking proposal will set a disastrous precedent for the open internet

      Udbhav Tiwari June 26, 2023

      In a well-intentioned yet dangerous move to fight online fraud, France is on the verge of forcing browsers to create a dystopian technical capability. Article 6 (para II and III) of the SREN Bill would force browser providers to create the means to mandatorily block websites present on a government provided list. Such a move will overturn decades of established content moderation norms and provide a playbook for authoritarian governments that will easily negate the existence of censorship circumvention tools.

      While motivated by a legitimate concern, this move to block websites directly within the browser would be disastrous for the open internet and disproportionate to the goals of the legal proposal – fighting fraud. It will also set a worrying precedent and create technical capabilities that other regimes will leverage for far more nefarious purposes. Leveraging existing malware and phishing protection offerings rather than replacing them with government provided, device level block-lists is a far better route to achieve the goals of the legislation.

      SEE LINK FOR REST

      110

    • #
      Yarpos

      The Canadians are well down this path as well. We got an early start and will only get more draconian.

      111

    • #
      David Maddison

      This is my submission against the Australian Government censorship bill, originally introduced by the fake conservative Liberal Party and now promoted by the Labor-Green Party, all factions of the Uniparty.

      https://www.infrastructure.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/acma2023-31735-david-s-maddison.pdf

      170

  • #
    tonyb

    EU Border chief admits he doesn’t want to keep Migrants out of Europe

    https://dailysceptic.org/2024/03/15/eu-border-force-chief-admits-he-doesnt-want-to-keep-migrants-out-of-europe/

    Judging by the vast numbers arriving in the UK and Oz this guy obviously has close relatives in similar jobs here and in Oz.

    220

  • #
    Paul Cottingham

    Medical Doctors for Covid Ethics International, say mRNA Vaccines are causing catastrophic genetic disruption, by the integration of foreign DNA, leading to unreadable genetic sequences with far-reaching implications for cellular function, possibly explaining the surge in tumors and genetic disorders globally: https://expose-news.com/2024/03/15/scientists-stunned-by-first-proofs-of-contaminated-dna-getting-absorbed-into-human-cells-sunak-better-watch-out-says-dr-bhakdi/

    The British Prime Minister had declared in 2019 that he was the beneficiary of a blind trust with a £377 million investment in Moderna who’s stock soared from £4.7 billion to £32 billion due to its Covid vaccine. The British government bought five million doses of the Moderna vaccine in November 2020. He also signed a £1 billion deal with Moderna to build the country’s first manufacturing centre for mRNA vaccines.

    211

  • #

    Aloha! When I think to myself that process involves extensive internal dialogue. Always planning for consequences and contingencies. Worse case scenario and best case! Then I always confront the angel on one shoulder and the devil on the other! Say a prayer or two and all along I thought all that was normal. Now apparently in one study it is not. Not even the majority of people have that same thought process. Can this be true? If it is then it explains a ton of disturbing events.

    Science PROVES NPCs ARE REAL, Some People DONT THINK AT ALL, We Call Them Democrats

    LINK:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMRg4Xx38ws

    110

    • #

      Aloha, Kaimu,]

      Even within cultures,no two humans’ fingerprints are exactly the same
      nor temperaments either. Then there’s Nature itself, involving many
      billion years of evolution. Who among us can confidently say,’Ï know.’

      10

  • #

    Cautious optimism.

    AI chat bots are automated Wikipedias warts and all
    By David Wojick
    https://www.cfact.org/2024/03/16/ai-chat-bots-are-automated-wikipedias-warts-and-all/

    The beginning: “Having worked on the I side of AI, off and on, for over 50 years, I am fascinated by the wave of chatbots that are getting so much debate beginning with Chat GPT. To get my fair share of abuse, here are some thoughts on it. Just like Wikipedia, these machines are there to answer your questions. But their corpus is probably enormously larger—how big I have no idea. An interesting question is: One would like to know what body of documentation a given chat bot is working from, and how this differs from bot to bot.

    Question-answering systems have been around for a while now. They really hit their stride when a bot called IBM Watson creamed two human champions in a 2011 Jeopardy match. What is impressive is that the new bots provide long form answers along the lines of a Wikipedia article. But then you can also question the article, asking for more. You can even disagree and debate the issue. This is truly amazing.”

    Lots more in the article including climate stuff. Please share it.

    David

    111

    • #
      CO2 Lover

      Uni students caught using ChatGPT and other AI to cheat on exams and assessments

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

      However, some professors have faced up to reality and are encouraging students to to use ChatGPT.

      What is the correct approach?

      60

    • #
      OldOzzie

      Question from linked article to Gemini

      as numerous examples of extreme bias of gemini have been posted, critique the following – The passage highlights the exciting potential of chatbots for providing in-depth information and fostering discussion. However, it also warns about the possibility of bias and misinformation. It emphasizes the need for user awareness and responsible development of these powerful tools.

      Answer

      Here’s a critique of the passage considering the potential bias of large language models like me (Gemini):

      Critique:

      . Overly Positive Framing: The passage starts by emphasizing the “exciting potential” of chatbots without acknowledging the documented issues with my own bias. This could mislead users into thinking chatbots are inherently reliable.

      . Focus on User Awareness: While user awareness is crucial, the emphasis here downplays the importance of responsible development in mitigating bias within large language models themselves.

      . Limited Discussion of Bias: The passage mentions bias but doesn’t explore the different forms it can take in chatbots, such as factual errors, selective presentation of information, or alignment with the biases present in training data.

      . Potential for Misinformation Spread: The passage doesn’t delve into the potential for chatbots to be used maliciously to spread misinformation, which is a growing concern.

      Improved Version:

      Large language models like chatbots offer a novel way to access information and engage in discussion. However, these models can be susceptible to biases reflected in their training data, leading to misinformation and skewed perspectives. It’s crucial for users to be aware of these limitations and critically evaluate the information presented.

      Furthermore, developers need to prioritize responsible development practices to mitigate bias within large language models themselves.

      Additionally:

      . You could mention specific examples of how my (or other chatbots’) bias has manifested in the past.

      . It would be beneficial to suggest resources for users to learn more about how to critically evaluate information from chatbots.

      40

  • #
    CO2 Lover

    Have a great St Patrick’s Day

    An excuse to down a Guinness or Two.

    https://www.zerohedge.com/medical/guinness-well-known-not-so-well-liked

    One night, Mrs McMillen answers the door to see her husband’s best friend, Paddy, standing on the doorstep.

    “Hello Paddy, where is my husband? He went with you to the beer factory.”

    Paddy shakes his head. “Ah, Mrs McMillen, there was a terrible accident at the beer factory, your husband fell into a vat of Guinness and drowned.”

    Mrs McMillen starts crying. “Oh don’t tell me that, did he at least go quickly?”

    Paddy shakes his head. “Not really – he got out three times to pee!”

    150

    • #
      TdeF

      Paddy says to Mick, “if you were stranded on a desert island who would you like most to be with you?”

      “My uncle Mick” replies Paddy.

      “What’s so special about him?” asks Mary.

      “He’s got a boat,” says Paddy

      210

      • #
        TdeF

        Paddy’s been sat at the bar for three hours now, trying to figure out why his sister has four brothers, whilst he only has three.

        170

        • #
          TdeF

          Paddy goes to the vet with his goldfish. “I think it’s got epilepsy” he tells the vet.

          Vet takes a look and says, “It seems calm enough to me”.

          Paddy says, “I haven’t taken it out of the bowl yet”.

          180

        • #
          Lestonio

          Paddy, the 747 captain was reading that the chances of having a bomb on an aircraft was 1 in 10,000 and that having two bombs on the same aircraft was 1 in 100,000,000.
          Thereafter, he always carried his own bomb.

          20

      • #
        GlenM

        I will not tolerate such blatant racism against such a deprived people. Maggie sends a letter to her son Paddy, in Australia. “Dear Paddy, happy Birthday. Your loving mother. P.S I was going to sed you 10 dollars to celebrate but I had already sealed the letter”.

        60

        • #
          TdeF

          The great thing about the Irish and the Jewish people is that they really can laugh at themselves. That happens when you have nothing. Poverty is far more common than wealth.

          Jewish actor Warren Mitchell who played in Til Death Do Us Part as an outrageous British bigot disagreed about the English being able to laugh at themselves. Which he says was why he landed the role a British bigot. They like to laugh at everyone else.

          The comic genius Barry Humphries perfected it. He had one half of his audience laughing at the other half and then reversed it. It was so clever. And he said that if you had to swear to get a laugh, that was not comedy. The Woke cancelled him just before his death. The funniest man in three countries was cancelled by his peers. His Barry award was cancelled. So his family refused a State funeral in Victoria.

          Being Woke means pretending to care, nothing else.

          101

          • #
            Annie

            My turn for moderation!

            00

          • #
            Len

            Barry said at the beginning of a function ” I would like to acknowledge the actual owners of the country, the Pratt family”.
            The left were completely triggered by about this 🙂

            30

      • #
        Earl

        Two travelling salesmen arrive in a new town and one suddenly orders the one driving to stop the car then jumps out and runs into a church. Once inside he goes into the confessional and says “Forgive me father for I have been with a married woman”. The priest responds “Not Mary O’Malley on Logan Street”. “No father” replies the salesman. “Don’t tell me Sarah McGinty on George Lane is back to her old tricks again”. “No father.” “Oh well enough then, 20 Hail Marys and be off with you”.

        Upon arriving back at the car the other salesman comments “I didn’t know you were religious”. “I’m not” came the reply “I just got us two hot dates for tomorrow night”.

        10

    • #
      Yarpos

      My local Pub has gone down in my estimations. They had no Guiness (or any other Irish beverage) available for St Patricks Day.

      50

  • #
    TdeF

    And a technology one..

    After having dug to a depth of 10 meters last year, Scottish scientists found traces of copper wire dating back 100 years and came to the conclusion that their ancestors already had a telephone network more than 100 years ago.

    Not to be outdone by the Scots, in the weeks that followed, English scientists dug to a depth of 20 meters, and shortly after, headlines in the UK newspapers read: ‘ English archaeologists have found traces of 200 year old copper wire and have concluded that their ancestors already had an advanced high-tech communications network, a hundred years earlier than the Scots.’

    One week later, ‘The Kerryman,’ a southwest Irish newsletter, reported the following:
    ‘After digging as deep as 30 meters in peat bog near Tralee, Paddy O’Droll, a self taught archaeologist, reported that he found absolutely nothing. Paddy has therefore concluded that 300 years ago Ireland had already gone wireless.’

    280

    • #

      Another technology one:

      Why did the Brits invent the wheelbarrow?

      It was the only way they could get the Irish to walk upright.

      (I am 25% Irish. Me mither’s mither was a Moran, Bugs and all.)

      121

      • #
        John Hultquist

        25% — me also
        My father’s mother was from Béal an Átha Móir, (now Ballinamore)

        70

      • #
        TdeF

        It was an interesting observation by an Indian historian on the Mughal ordered construction of tombs like the Taj Mahal that no one thought to provide wheelbarrows for the workers! Abuse of people took many forms like an absolute lack of concern for their welfare.

        The British changed all that. Such simple improvements like the hand pump to get water from 20 metres down changed life forever, no matter how beautiful the step wells where women carried water on their heads. If you go to India, you must demand to visit the step wells. They are amazing and the tour operators do not understand how beautiful and startling they are. Most are gone.

        My point is that the currently vilified British Empire improved lives for everyone and slowly eliminated slavery, if not the caste system. You could not colonize India if you tried, but you could educate. The endless attacks on the British Empire, like so much today, take me back to the Monty Python “What have the Romans done for us“. And the gender wars to “Loretta“.

        211

        • #
          David Maddison

          The marvels due to mechanisation arising from the Industrial Revolution have been either written out of history or frowned upon. The Left prefer primitive technology.

          Having said that, Indians were quite advanced technologically, although far behind Europeans at the time the British went India.

          E.g. iron was being made in Uttar Pradesh as early as 1800BCE, lost wax casting Indus Valley 3500BCE, irrigation systems etc..

          BTW, you never hear “feminists” or the Left in general applaud the British for outlawing Indian practises such as bride burning.

          Sir Charles Napier wrote:

          Be it so. This burning of widows is your custom; prepare the funeral pile. But my nation has also a custom. When men burn women alive we hang them, and confiscate all their property. My carpenters shall therefore erect gibbets on which to hang all concerned when the widow is consumed. Let us all act according to national customs.

          (sarc)
          And who could argue with the Left’s adoration of primitive technology and practices? The lifestyle of people like the Australian Aborigines was an idyllic utopia with advanced farming, medical and other technology and science before Europeans came and destroyed it all…
          (/sarc)

          Just ask the CSIRO.
          https://www.csiro.au/en/research/indigenous-science

          Or the Australian Council of Deans of Science
          https://www.acds.edu.au/teaching-learning/indigenous-science/

          Or Their ABC.
          https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/speakingout/first-inventors/102512954

          141

          • #
            TdeF

            The breakthrough was steel, not iron. Lower carbon content. More flexible, not brittle. Did not break. Finer surface. Able to be milled with harder steels to fine surface precision and created the high quality and accuracy pistons and cylinders. This enabled so much but particularly pistons and cylinders essential for all sorts of pumps and engines including steam engines. And hydraulics used today to lift everything. Steel cables were another extraordinary development, ropes made from flexible but strong steel and so cranes and suspension bridges.

            So the ages of man were copper, bronze, iron and steel, endless alloys like stainless steel and then the last, aluminum. Aluminum was the most expensive metal in the world by far. On top of the Washington Memorial pyramid is a triangle of the world’s most expensive material which by then was only the price of silver. It’s now worth about $8.

            100

            • #
              Lewis Buckingham

              The Australian ‘silver’ coloured decimal coins are mainly 75% copper and 25% nickel.
              Anecdotally the spires of St Mary’s Cathedral in Sydney are clad in recycled melted down 5c coins.

              00

    • #
      TdeF

      60% Irish, 35% Scots, 5% Dutch. I would pass on some Scots jokes but they are too expensive.

      110

      • #
        TdeF

        There are 11 kinds of people: those who get binary and those who don’t.

        100

      • #
        Yarpos

        but a goodie

        30

      • #
        CO2 Lover

        One afternoon, five American tourists in Ireland are taking in the sights when they see a sign that says, Sean’s Pub – All drinks 20 cents! In disbelief they enter the pub, thinking that this is too good to be true. Sean is standing behind the bar and in a gregarious voice says, “Welcome lads, let me pour you a drink.” After a couple of rounds, at only 20 cents per drink, their curiosity gets the best of them. Sean explains that he hit the Irish Lottery and quit his boring bookkeeping job to open the pub of his dreams. As the Americans lifted their pints, they couldn’t help noticing a group at the other end of the pub that hadn’t yet ordered a drop. One asked Sean, “What’s with them?” Sean replied, “Right, never mind them. That’s Angus and his crew from Scotland. They’re just waiting for happy hour.”

        170

        • #
          Earl

          A pompous English man enters a Scottish pub and orders a shot of every whisky they served. He drinks them all and turns to walk out when one of the locals asks “Why did you do that”. The English man replies “Because I enjoy it, I can afford it and it puts lead in my pencil”.

          Not to be out done a local goes to the bar and orders a shot of every Whisky and downs the lot. He stumbles to the door before turning to announce “I don’t know why I did that. I didn’t enjoy it, I can’t afford it and I can’t write”.

          50

      • #
        Honk R Smith

        I’m half Scot and half German.
        Not a problem.
        Except I get confused about in which direction I should cross the Rhine.

        One of my fav pipe tunes …
        ’10th Highland infantry Crossing the Rhine’.
        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OyZWhV_R5rw

        Pops got within sight of it in 1945, but didn’t quite make it.

        20

    • #
      Brenda Spence

      Copper wire was invented by two Scotsmen fighting over a penny!

      120

  • #
    David Maddison

    Thought for the day:

    Sports can be categorised as either fighting, fleeing or flouncing. (Red Symons)

    111

  • #
    David Maddison

    Here’s some good news.

    Lawsuits for damages due to the world’s most severe covid lockups in Victoria.

    The only problem is that the Government is being sued and therefore the taxpayer will pay. It would be better if individual politicians and public serpents could be personally sued for the harm they caused.

    https://victorianbusinessclaims.com.au/

    Business Losses Class Action

    Class Action on behalf of Victorian Businesses

    If your business suffered losses as a result of the second wave lockdowns in Victoria (July 2020 – October 2020), you may be eligible to participate in the Hotel Quarantine (Business Losses) Class Action. Registration is open to Victorian retail businesses that were unable to provide (or were limited in their ability to supply) goods or services from their place of business to the public because of the second-wave lockdowns.

    Don’t forgive. Don’t forget Prosecutem

    202

    • #
      Sambar

      Noted in todays Herald Sun headlines “Police Officers who refused to be vaccinated will never be allowed back into the police force”
      So, as always the punishment is simply the “process”. Doesn’t matter that Victoriastan has a crime wave, doesn’t matter that more police officers are resigning than are signing up. Doesn’t matter that hundreds of police officers are on extended leave for all sorts of issues, if you don’t do as you are told you will be PUNISHED.

      210

      • #
        John in NZ

        I figured the vaccine mandate was to identify and remove people who were not compliant. They do not want to re-employ them.

        60

        • #
          David Maddison

          Specifically, they were out to get independent, moral thinkers.

          They only wanted sheep who would, absolutely, without question, willingly and joyfully “just follow orders”, no matter what the instructions.

          They now have the police force they always wanted.

          80

  • #
  • #
  • #
  • #
    another ian

    Seems a good time not to have a degree from Harvard

    “Harvard ‘Professor of Honesty’ Tampered With Data”

    https://hotair.com/headlines/2024/03/16/harvard-professor-of-honesty-tampered-with-data-n3784822

    80

  • #
    John Connor II

    Panic in the UK as supermarkets IT goes down

    ‘Carnage’ at supermarkets as Sainsbury’s and Tesco report IT issues and delivery problems
    One Sainsbury’s customer says there are ‘massive queues’ and ‘people panicking’

    Tesco is experiencing online delivery order problems just hours after Sainsbury’s confirmed a technical issue would lead to the “vast majority” of online orders going undelivered on Saturday.

    Sainsbury’s has said stores are open as usual, accepting chip and pin and cash payments – although on social media this has been contested, with some customers reporting only cash payments are being accepted.

    A statement at midday on Saturday read: “Due to an error with an overnight software update, we are experiencing issues with contactless payments and will not be able to deliver the vast majority of today’s groceries online orders.”

    One hour later, it was reported that Tesco was also battling IT issues.

    https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/sainsburys-online-grocery-delivery-technical-issue-uk-b1145731.html

    https://twitter.com/org_scp/status/1769004710575387062

    Cash only in stores eh.😉
    Yet more massive outages due to “update issues”…
    “Panic”? Just you wait. 😎

    150

    • #
      Yarpos

      You would think change management and test and development systems didnt exist. Oh well maybe such arcane processes are not needed in the dynamic modern paradigm. Or as some might say merde happens!

      00

  • #
    David Maddison

    Dr John Campbell released another video about the importance of correcting Vitamin D deficiency and its protective effect against covid.

    https://youtu.be/ZLUoX4YEjqk

    It’s shameful that there’s so.much ignorance among the medical profession about this important hormone and how common its deficiency is, even in sunny countries like Australia.

    In my submission against the Australian Government censorship bill I wrote:

    https://www.infrastructure.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/acma2023-31735-david-s-maddison.pdf

    DISINFORMATION #4 Vitamin D and Covid-19 – Government dis- or misinformation

    Another example of Australian Government dis- or misinformation is about the association of Vitamin D and Covid-19. At the following Government link it is stated that vitamin pills cannot protect you from the coronovirus.

    https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/blog/can-you-boost-your-immune-system-against-the-coronavirus-covid-19

    Do vitamin pills protect you from the coronavirus?

    No.

    This is simply not true for the very large numbers of Australians, especially those in nursing homes who are Vitamin D insufficient or deficient. It has been conclusively proven that appropriate Vitamin D supplementation in such people does have a protective effect against coronavirus.

    See Pharmaceuticals (Basel). 2023 Jan; 16(1): 130 “Protective Effect of Vitamin D Supplementation on COVID-19-Related Intensive Care Hospitalization and Mortality: Definitive Evidence from Meta-Analysis and Trial Sequential Analysis”

    “In conclusion, the positive results highlighted again and now validated by TSAs [Trial Sequential Analysis] suggest that an indisputable association between vitamin D supplementation and the protective effect on ICU [Intensive Care Unit] admission can be considered definitive evidence.”

    How many Australians died unnecessarily because the Australian Government said that Vitamin D could not protect against coronavirus disease? A measure as simple as mailing a bottle of Vitamin D with instructions to every household in Australia could have saved countless lives (apart from
    other measures).

    Note that the Official Government Lie about vitamin supplementation I linked to at the time I did the submission has now been removed. Did they see my submission? Who knows? It’s unlikely thst they even know or care.

    211

    • #
      Ross

      Your comment is so pertinent DM and also Campbell’s highlighting of this very useful simple public health initiative. For a number years the subject of “ long COVID” has become very topical in mainstream media and medicine. But it’s just a big red herring to hide the poor public health policies that were implemented during the COVID bollocks. If the general population had had both easy access to the cheap early anti-virals and an awareness of Vitamin D levels, long COVID wouldn’t be a thing. Because the huge early increase in viral population in an infection cycle could have been thwarted by both measures.

      100

      • #
        Vicki

        I am a great supporter of vitamin supplementation. It was one of the first lines of protection I renewed when Covid first appeared. Routine blood tests during the Covid years confirmed my high levels of Vitamin D – which, incidentally, my conventional GP quietly commended.

        However, these levels did not prevent me (or my husband) from contracting Covid twice in those 4 years- as one would expect. However, I did not expect a fairly heavy dose of the virus – although it may reflect a heavy viral load. I also suspect that a mild ongoing middle ear problem may be the result of some inner ear damage.

        I totally support daily vitamin supplementation – Vitamin C, Vitamin D3, Curcumin, Zinc, Coq10 & possibly Magnesium. But I do not expect that this will totally protect me from biolab viruses.

        90

        • #
          David of Cooyal in Oz

          G’day Vicki,
          I’d have hoped you’d have achieved complete immunity, but:
          #1 You don’t mention iron?? one of D’s cofactors;
          #2 You don’t mention either your intake or your achieved blood levels for vitamin D; and
          #3 I’ve found vitamin C, another of D’s cofactors, interesting as it’s so short lived inside. I’ve settled on taking 1000mg three times a day, broadly morning, noon, and night in the hope of always having some (enough, I hope) whenever I might need it. And if I experienced symptoms I’d add an earlier dose and a later one.

          I’ve not rested positive for Covid, not had the jab, and my hay fever has not returned since I settled on my regime .

          Cheers
          Dave B

          50

    • #
      MP

      Hello Everyone,
      My name is John Campbell and I am a retired Nurse Teacher and A and E nurse based in England. I also do some teaching in Asia and Africa when time permits. These videos are to help students to learn the background to all forms of health care. My PhD focused on the development of open learning resources for nurses nationally and internationally.

      12

  • #
    another ian

    FWIW

    “IF VEGANISM WERE HEALTHY, VEGANS WOULD LOOK HEALTHIER: Harvard doctor says animal products are essential for mental health – in blow to veganism: ‘The brain needs meat.’ “One study published in 2022 surveyed 14,000 Brazilians between 35 and 74 years old and found those who followed a vegan diet were twice as likely to be depressed — even if they had similar nutrient intakes to carnivores. And a meta-analysis published in 2020 and including 160,000 meat-eaters and 8,500 meat-abstainers also found those who cut meat from their diet were significantly more likely to be depressed.”

    That vegans have mental health issues isn’t exactly a shock.”

    https://instapundit.com/636999/#disqus_thread

    120

  • #

    The question for the decade? Who thought our present immigration numbers would be a good idea, and implemented the policy, without discussing it with anyone? Please step forward.
    A fully activated program has appeared out of thin air. Poff! Here’s a million immigrants magically streaming through your airports. Will someone please take responsibility!?
    Crickets.

    220

    • #
      OldOzzie

      The Aussie state where families are paying more than HALF their income for just one household bill

      . House repayments in NSW are highest in Australia
      . Families spending 58 per cent of their salary on it

      70

      • #
        OldOzzie

        Opinion The FT View

        Timing the tricky first rate cut

        As the moment for easing nears, central bankers must stay clear-eyed on the data

        THE EDITORIAL BOARD

        One overriding fear is that of a “second wave” of inflation.

        If rates are cut and price growth surges back — as it did in the US in the 1970s — that would undermine central bankers credibility. Many already blame them for being too slow to raise rates in the first place. Some central bank watchers suggest there may also be a “fear of going first” — with monetary policy committees preferring to wait until the Fed begins easing in the world’s largest economy.

        Rate-setters need to be as clear-eyed as possible. With core inflation still around 3 to 5 per cent in the US, UK and eurozone, there is still work to do. But with the highly restrictive stance of monetary policy, and growing signs of cooling in labour markets, the risk of over-tightening has been picking up.

        This means central bankers may need to start cuts sooner than they currently convey, particularly as rate changes take effect with a lag.

        After pushing an “almost ready, but not yet” message, the Fed will most likely keep its policy unchanged at its meeting next week.

        Markets have pencilled in June for the first cut. With annual headline inflation remaining stubbornly above 3 per cent this year — and increasing in February — caution may be justified.

        But forward-looking inflationary indicators are weakening. Data this week showed a continued fall in small businesses’ hiring intentions — a solid predictor of wage growth and jobless claims.

        The purchasing managers’ index survey of output prices has also been strongly tracking US inflation, and implies easing pressures ahead.

        40

  • #
    another ian

    How it is done –

    “Democrats Control 18 States With Just a Single County in Each – Inside the Impact of Urban Election Rigging – 2024 Addendum”

    https://skeshel.substack.com/p/democrats-control-18-states-with-592?r=7ni7j&utm_medium=ios&triedRedirect=true

    70

    • #
      John Connor II

      And every single demonrat, all 170, voted against deporting these illegal immigrants who commit crimes.
      They hate America and its people.

      70

  • #
    John Connor II

    Sunday funny: could be a “trans” eagle

    https://64.media.tumblr.com/9f067cddfc098e8c3752f8e1313949ae/5aec1fc4f73356d5-79/s540x810/af25cf44de7445ca39dc081ab2dd1e50431a7de9.pnj

    When you put a potato into the microwave and push the “pizza” button but it still comes out a potato – that’s how choosing your gender works.😆

    130

    • #
      David Maddison

      The gender-confused eagle will become an icon of the trans movement.

      BTW, trans-species is also a thing now.

      One can identify as a cat, dog or any other species, including mythical ones, that suits a person’s delusion. They are known as “otherkin”.

      https://metro.co.uk/2019/03/01/otherkins-trans-species-people-dont-identify-human-8787845/

      60

      • #

        Well, according to the Chinese, I am a Water Dragon and a Scorpion in Western Astrology. In real life, I am a Man.

        40

      • #
        John Connor II

        Men are identifying as women to get maternity leave. ie 9 months free holidays.
        Can’t wait to see the babies. Then again, maybe I can. 😉

        40

        • #
          Steve

          Remember when was a comedy routine …

          “FRANCIS: Why are you always on about women, Stan?
          STAN: I want to be one.
          REG: What?
          STAN: I want to be a woman. From now on, I want you all to call me ‘Loretta’.
          REG: What?!
          LORETTA: It’s my right as a man.
          JUDITH: Well, why do you want to be Loretta, Stan?
          LORETTA: I want to have babies.
          REG: You want to have babies?!
          LORETTA: It’s every man’s right to have babies if he wants them.
          REG: But… you can’t have babies.
          LORETTA: Don’t you oppress me.
          REG: I’m not oppressing you, Stan. You haven’t got a womb! Where’s the foetus going to gestate?! You going to keep it in a box?!
          LORETTA: crying
          JUDITH: Here! I– I’ve got an idea. Suppose you agree that he can’t actually have babies, not having a womb, which is nobody’s fault, not even the Romans’, but that he can have the right to have babies.
          FRANCIS: Good idea, Judith. We shall fight the oppressors for your right to have babies, brother. Sister. Sorry.
          REG: What’s the point?
          FRANCIS: What?
          REG: What’s the point of fighting for his right to have babies when he can’t have babies?!
          FRANCIS: It is symbolic of our struggle against oppression.
          REG: Symbolic of his struggle against reality.”
          Monty Python, The Life of Brian.

          30

      • #
  • #
  • #
    another ian

    “Roman Road Myths – You NEVER knew”

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhQrT8UJmp8

    40

    • #
      Graeme No.3

      Well Ian; that proves that Roman roads were suited for EVs.
      So the Climate Nutters will have to go back to the seventeenth Century which they think was so wonderful, although John Wesley was worried about drowning when using the (potholed?) roads.
      I wonder if that is behind the 15 minute Cities?

      40

      • #
        John Connor II

        Phone your local council and complain that there’s a big piece of bitumen in the potholes. 😆

        50

    • #
      David Maddison

      Very interesting.

      And don’t forget the fourth power law for road wear.

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fourth_power_law

      00

  • #
    another ian

    FWIW

    “Electric Transmission Buildout Could Cost Americans Trillions Of Dollars”

    “Like so many issues in Washington, the need for more transmission lines is accepted without question and the costs are not considered. But for American consumers, especially low-income and elderly, as well as small businesses and energy intense manufacturers, building new transmission lines could result in much higher monthly bills and leave them on the hook for stranded assets.”

    https://www.zerohedge.com/energy/electric-transmission-buildout-could-cost-americans-trillions-dollars

    And other places where the modelling applies

    “If in doubt leave it out”

    40

  • #
    OldOzzie

    The conclusion is that Chinese EVs produce more CO2 than any combustion vehicle.

    . You have a choice, buy an internal combustion vehicle, or a spontaneous combustion vehicle

    . Don’t buy Chinese goods!

    . My neighbors were out of their house for nine months because they bought a Chinese generic replacement battery for their Dyson electric vacuum. It exploded while charging killing their dog and smoke damaging the entire house. This is just another random product that anyone can get off Amazon..

    . Keep this video in mind once China’s EVs start getting imported into your country

    . Cannot imagine bringing one of these bikes into a high rise. Madness.

    . Proving Chinese EV’s aren’t even guaranteed to make it out of their own showrooms!

    90

  • #
    OldOzzie

    Ouch – They don’t call them widow-makers for nothing.

    From Camping in Western Australia FB page.

    60

    • #

      Every now and then a branch from these gum trees in WA detaches and either kills somebody or badly injures them. Last reported one was in Kings Park where they line the road in. These trees are often planted along road verges or down the centre of divided roads.

      90

      • #
        another ian

        In that vein –

        I read that one of the hazards of logging redwoods is that the vibration of the chain saw can cause branches that are ready to drop to fall. Up to half a ton from a couple of hundred feet up.

        60

      • #
        Lestonio

        Never camp under a tree with a dead branch, or if birds are nesting in trunk hollows.

        50

    • #
      John Connor II

      Gum trees (and that’s hundreds of species) are notorious for branches breaking suddenly.
      In fact I was under one a few years back, walked off, and the branch I was under came crashing down. No wind, no warning, no sound, nothing.
      Dodged fate by 15 seconds.
      The branch weighed about 150kg.

      50

    • #
      David Maddison

      Back in the day, it was standard wisdom not to camp directly under a tree.

      Even today, when I set up camp, either an overnight pack carry or car camp, I look up to check I am not under any tree branches.

      I first learned that as a cub scout.

      70

      • #
        Honk R Smith

        David, I consider this advice to be anthropogenic interference in the evolutionary process.
        Please allow nature to make its’ wise selections.

        20

  • #
  • #
    another ian

    “Room Sits In Stunned Silence After Black Woman Says What Few Will Admit”

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cCCw-uFBfnA

    30

  • #
    another ian

    From way back when –

    “The Prophets: D.A. Henderson

    Years before Covid, the scientist credited with eradicating smallpox warned against shutting down the world to combat an epidemic.”

    https://www.thefp.com/p/the-prophets-da-henderson?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=260347&post_id=142625815&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=true&r=9bg2k&triedRedirect=true&utm_medium=email

    30

  • #
    another ian

    FWIW – Detailed

    “Vitamin D: Deficiency Symptoms, Health Benefits, Optimal Sources, And Side Effects”

    https://www.zerohedge.com/political/vitamin-d-deficiency-symptoms-health-benefits-optimal-sources-and-side-effects

    30

  • #
    • #
      David Maddison

      AI will lie to propagate the Official Narrative until it gets caught out.

      Then it will admit to the ommission.

      I would like to know if it learns after it’s caught lying and will it repeat the same lie to the next person or not?

      21

      • #
        el+gordo

        In defence of AI, it admitted that it didn’t get the data. So its only a matter of time before it says our climate isn’t under the yoke of positive feedback.

        10

  • #
    el+gordo

    India oblivious tp global warming anxiety.

    ‘India’s thermal power production continues to forge ahead, growing by 9% last year, from 1190 to 1294 TWh.

    ‘Meanwhile there has been barely any increase at all in their much vaunted renewables. Wind and solar only increased by 16 TWh in the 10 months to October (latest data), and still only account for less than 12% of India’s electricity.’ (Notalot of people know that)

    50

  • #
    another ian

    Sounds about right-

    “More Information Gives Less Understanding & More Decay”

    https://chiefio.wordpress.com/2024/03/17/more-information-gives-less-understanding-more-decay/

    30

  • #
    John Connor II

    Sunday Dad jokes

    Doctor:”I’ll be delivering your baby today”
    Dad: “I’d prefer my baby to have a liver”

    I had a neck brace fitted years ago and I’ve never looked back since.

    What’s brown and sticky? A stick.

    If you see a crime at an Apple Store, does that make you an iWitness?

    My sister said I couldn’t make a bike out of spaghetti.
    You should have seen her face when I rode pasta.

    What’s the best thing about Switzerland?
    I don’t know, but the flag is a big plus.

    A rancher had only had 48 cows on his property, but when he rounded them up he had 50.

    I went to the zoo and saw a baguette in a cage. The zookeeper said it was bread in captivity.

    Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.

    A slice of apple pie costs $2.50 in Jamaica and $3.00 in the Bahamas. These are the pie rates of the Caribbean.

    Why did the scarecrow win an award? Because he was outstanding in his field!

    How can you tell an alligator from a crocodile? By paying attention to whether the animal will see you later, or after a while.

    100

  • #
    el+gordo

    Andy May takes a hard look at the Holocene Climate Optimum, comments are worthwhile.

    https://wattsupwiththat.com/2024/03/15/the-holocene-climatic-optimum-and-the-pre-industrial/

    10

  • #
  • #
    another ian

    An interesting theory (IMO)

    “Sorting for Stupidity?

    Thoughts on the state of the federal government.”

    “The upshot, then, is that as the federal government got bigger and more powerful, it also became more stupid. All because of the sorting I describe above.”

    https://instapundit.substack.com/p/sorting-for-stupidity?r=9bg2k&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&triedRedirect=true

    (About Washington DC but – – – – )

    30

  • #
    • #
      Dave in the States

      It’s not just Boeing. It is a problem throughout American big business and also OZ. Ford, GM, DuPont…and so on and so on… are filled with miseducated, woke, inexperienced, arrogant, management, unwilling to learn.

      10

      • #
        Yarpos

        Career managers are about as useful as career politicians. There was a time where managers came from a pool of people who had demonstrated some expertise in the business, but where able the think more broadly and deal with other humans. Now , if you have good credentials you dont have to actually know anything about the specific business you are in. You have people for that , who you may or may not listen to

        10

  • #

    Idris Elba ‘dreams big’ with Sierra Leone eco-city plan for Sherbro Island

    The BBC is – really – puffing an actor’s dreams – he is possibly doing some good, but is there a risk that ‘good’ is treated as an enemy of ‘the best’?
    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-68573737

    A quote … ‘”It’s a dream, you know, but I work in the make-believe business,” says Elba, best known for his roles in Luther, the Wire and for playing Nelson Mandela. The 51-year-old actor wants to make people believe this can happen – and change perspectives.’ And working with Octopus – a large energy [and subsidy] company.

    ‘Ms (Zoisa) North-Bond, Octopus Energy CEO, told the BBC the company was considering two ways to distribute power across the island.
    ‘One was a micro-grid. The other was to function as an “energy island”, enabling local business to bring electric vehicles – both cars and motorcycles – to charge up from on-site battery stations and then deliver energy to domestic batteries in people’s homes.’

    The site – Sherbro Island – is about 7 degrees North; solar may be good there (except for the rainy season [May to November, per the Wiki-thingi] when it must be cloudy, and, taken together with wind, and big, [expensive] batteries, just might function for much of the year. Worth noting, however, is this comment – ‘The dry season starts in December and ends in April, which includes harmattan, when cool, dry winds blow in off the Sahara Desert’ – https://cidmews-sl.solutions/index.php/climate#:~:text=Sierra%20Leone%20has%20a%20tropical,in%20off%20the%20Sahara%20Desert.
    Winds from the Sahara – might they be dusty? How does that help turbines, or slaver panels?

    Still, this provided me with four or five minutes surfing to find the above information [oddly not mentioned by the BBC].

    And that quote, ‘but I work in the make-believe business’ is worth remembering if an actor tells you that X is B-a-a-a-d – or that Y is Oh, soo Goooood! – I guess.

    Auto

    10

  • #
    another ian

    FWIW

    “Macron Attempts to Woo Nation to War”

    Note the bit about Taurus missiles being nuke capable and the ramifications

    https://simplicius76.substack.com/p/macron-attempts-to-woo-nation-to

    00

  • #
  • #