Monday

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148 comments to Monday

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    China’s Chang’e-6 probe successfully lands on far side of the moon

    China’s Chang’e-6 lunar lander successfully touched down on the far side of the moon Sunday morning Beijing time, in a significant step for the ambitious mission that could advance the country’s aspirations of putting astronauts on the moon.

    The Chang’e-6 probe landed in the South Pole-Aitken Basin, where it will begin to collect samples from the lunar surface, the China National Space Administration announced.

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    • #
      Graham Richards

      Amazing achievement for a DEVELOPING NATION / ECONOMY!!!

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      • #
        David Maddison

        Agreed.

        It’s amazing how China as a supposed “developing country” can have nuclear power stations, nuclear weapons, can bully the United States and the West, has massive manufacturing capacity, has modern cities more advanced than many or most in the West, has cheap electricity, a massive and powerful military, and is a space power, among many other attributes.

        Yes, by all means consider them “developing” and let them continue to build two coal power stations per week (not that it matters) while the West destroys it’s own energy supply.

        They are not stupid. Windmills, solar panels and big batteries in the West are the most powerful non-military weapons China could have to destroy Western Civilisation.

        It is to China’s great benefit to have a slave army of useful idiots in the West who are responsible for destroying the West’s energy supply while turning a blind eye to China being by far the world’s largest CO2 emitter, more than twice is much as the United States and increasing exponentially.

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        • #
          Steve of Cornubia

          So-called ‘aid’ to China performs the same function as most of the funds supposedly spent on indigenous programs. It exists only to move money around so that huge sums can be scraped off into private accounts without anybody noticing. Ditto ‘green’ projects.

          Wouldn’t it be great if we could demand accurate and fair audits of government spending? I’m sure it would be very revealing, not just in exposing theft but also incompetence and waste.

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          Vladimir

          I have just one hope: China will finish just like USSR – defeated by itself not by the evil West.

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        • #
          Geoff Sherrington

          David,
          At my own expense I visited China 5 times when it was starting its transitions towards a more capitalistic economy.
          The success of that transition is visible. IMO, it succeeded because if the higher intellectual capability of its leaders, compared to those in numerous other countries trying the communistic economics that China rejected.
          Much needed in Australia and other fine nations now going backwards fast: There are adequate numbers of capable Australians to step up and remove the present incompetents at all 3 tiers of our government. I have met, for example, a few tradies whose clear view of what needs t o be done qualifies them to stand equally with a few business leaders who are also potential capable candidates. Geoff S

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          • #
            Steve of Cornubia

            I too visited China several times, between 2001 and 2005. At that time, there was an air of optimism and openness, and most of the Chinese people I interacted with showed genuine enthusiasm for and interest in western culture. I was often waylaid just so young Chinese could practice their English with me. It seemed like anything was possible. That said, the few senior people I met were rather different and I never felt at ease with them. The way they treated subordinates was appalling. Generally though, I enjoyed my visits and also enjoyed hosting Chinese people who visited Australia for negotiations or training.

            But things are very different since Xi took power. The trajectory has shifted and in some ways the country is now going backwards. I wouldn’t feel safe going there and probably wouldn’t visit Hong Kong again either.

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            • #
              PeterPetrum

              Yes, Steve. My wife and I worked for several weeks in China in 2005/6 caring out training of quarantine fumigators. Like you we found that the average Chinese were friendly and happy to accommodate us. The young staff in all the hotels we stayed in were, as you said, keen to practice their English and many were extremely proficient. But the Government officers that we had to interact with from their Quarantine department were almost universally withdrawn, quarrelsome and at times downright belligerent. There was no point in trying to reason with them, so we just did our job and got out when finished to transit for OZ through HK which those days was still a great place to visit.

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          • #
            KP

            Simple- Never vote for anyone/any party who has had power in Parliament, their failure is obvious all around us..

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      • #
        Dennis

        More developed nations should help by transferring manufacturing industry

        sarc.

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    • #
      David Maddison

      The first step of them making territorial claims on the Moon, even though it would be a violation of the Outer Space Treaty of 1967, which China didn’t acceed to until 1983, although apparently not ratified.

      https://2009-2017.state.gov/t/isn/5181.htm

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      • #
        Graeme#4

        I would prefer that they claim parts of the moon and Antarctica, than claim Taiwan or Australia.

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        • #

          Graeme#4 – noted.
          But I’ve never loved the idea of people throwing things at me from on high.
          Antarctica is very striking, but hostile to human life, just like the Moon – but without being at the top of our Gravity Well.

          Auto

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    • #
      Chad

      China’s Chang’e-6 lunar lander successfully touched down on the far side of the moon Sunday morning….

      Aledgedly !
      Remember China learned much of their space know how from the US…!

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      • #
        Ronin

        It’s handy for them being on the other side of the moon, no one can check what’s going on.

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      • #
        el+gordo

        The race is on for the resources that sit in the basin.

        ‘The Moon has one of the largest preserved craters in the Solar System, the Aitken Basin, located on the far side of our satellite. The area is central to many investigations, with India’s first lunar lander aiming for the region and Artemis 3 hoping to land humans there soon.

        ‘The reason for all this interest is a massive anomaly astronomers found hiding under its surface in 2019. Planetary scientists discovered a structure that weighs approximately 2.18 billion billion kilograms, and stretches for more than 300 kilometers in depth.’

        Read more: https://www.2oceansvibe.com/2023/08/04/enormous-structure-found-hiding-under-the-surface-of-the-moon/#ixzz8c4Habs3u

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  • #

    6 injured in a knife attack in the German city of Mannheim. Police shot and wounded the assailant

    A man stabbed several members of a group that describes itself as opposing “political Islam” on a central square in the German city of Mannheim on Friday, authorities said. Six people were wounded, including a police officer who intervened.

    Police quickly put an end to the attack by shooting the assailant, who also was wounded.

    The attack happened shortly after 11:30 a.m. (0930 GMT) on the Marktplatz, a downtown square in the southwestern city of Mannheim.

    The police man in the meantime died.

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    • #
      John Connor II

      But notice the twisted MSM narrative:

      German anti-Islam activist injured in knife attack

      https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ckmm4lgm0l4o

      The headline isn’t the knife wielding crazy running amok, but the anti-Islam victim.
      Anti Islam illegal crazies? Can’t imagine why.😎

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    • #
      Mike Jonas

      I would have to compare Australian police favourably. A knife-wielding attacker would be unlikely to survive a police shooting here.

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    • #
      KP

      “The attacker must be punished severely”

      Cut his hands off, won’t do it again…

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  • #
    Ian Bryce

    Is there a problem with the What’s Up With That website. I haven’t been able to get onto it in three days.

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  • #
    James

    I cannot reach it here in USA. But on my phone going in via New Zealand on VPN it works.

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  • #
    CO2 Lover

    Lies, Damned Lies and Statistics

    What is the correct answer?

    This link has wind at 13.1 % as a contribution factor

    https://opennem.org.au/energy/nem/?range=1y&interval=1d&view=discrete-time

    Wind 27,760 GWh or 13.1% of total Energy generation 210,653GWh for NEM from 1 June 2023 to 1 June 2024

    Having been lambasted for their first GenCost report, CSIRO went back to the drawing board and doubled down, with even more nonsensical claims about the cost of nuclear power generation and completely ridiculous claims about wind and solar’s purported capacity to generate electricity. One of the more ludicrous assumptions is that onshore wind power operators are generating power 48% of the time (on average) – across the Eastern Grid the figure is around 28%.

    As Judith Sloan outlines below, the latest effort demonstrates that CSIRO has become little more than a propaganda wing of the wind and sun cult, with the singular object of denying Australians safe, reliable and affordable nuclear power.

    https://stopthesethings.com/2024/06/02/propaganda-overdrive-wind-solar-industries-desperate-to-prevent-nuclear-powered-future/

    The capacity factors of different means of generation are then taken into account. They should vary between 25 and 33 per cent for wind and solar but the GenCost report has onshore wind at 48 per cent and offshore wind at 52 per cent, which are both clearly errors.

    Capacity factors are different to contribution factors.

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    • #
      David Maddison

      Just as Their ABC is responsible for promoting Australian Government political propaganda, the CSIRO is responsible for promoting the Government’s science and engineering propaganda.

      All paid for by the long-suffering Aussie taxpayer.

      Disband both of them.

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      • #
        Vicki

        Interesting that informed participants on this blog understand the current state of the CSIRO. Sadly, I suspect most Aussies still think of the CSIRO with high level of respect.

        It is a matter of interest how organisations such as the CSIRO and the universities have abdicated their position of independence and integrity. Money, money, money I suppose. The sad characteristic of western society. Historians of the future (if there are any) will no doubt lament the influence that destroyed independent, critical thinking.

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        • #
          Graeme#4

          There has been a lot of criticism of the CSIRO from The Australian commentators. I rarely see anybody saying that they are doing a good job. Most folks lament how a scientifically-credible organisation has become so political.

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    • #
      Ross

      Amazing isn’t it? Australian wind apparently has more force than wind in other parts of the world. Even the Europeans class the CF’s for their on shore wind in the high 20’s/ low 30’s and off shore in the high 30’s. Australia doesn’t even have off- shore wind, so how can CSIRO reliably insert figures for that? CSIRO claim they get these figures from AEMO which means that organisation is either incompetent or incredibly biased. Probably both.

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      • #
        Graeme#4

        I looked into the original GenCost claim, but could only track it back to the U.S. EIA figures. I haven’t looked at where GenCost’s latest revised figures are supposed to come from – I believe that it’s only checking one wind farm for one year. As is usual with all GenCost assumptions, they never make it clear where the actual data comes from.
        It’s interesting that most commentators in The Australian are now using Tony’s more accurate wind CF figure of 30%.

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      • #
        Ronin

        I once aw a long term average for North Sea windmills and the CF factor was 27%.

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    • #
      Graeme#4

      I prefer Tony’s long-term wind average Capacity Factor or CF figure as a bit under 30%.

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      • #
        Graeme#4

        As a further comment, Tony has noted that the average wind CF in Australia is falling, not rising as GenCost claimed it would. This is to be expected, because overseas experience has shown that the wind turbines have to be gradually derated, in same cases up to 50% around 10 years.
        And another comment is that Tony’s average solar CF is only 16.26%. This sounds low, but can be confirmed by checking your own home solar CF. Mine was down to 15.4% in April, and of course will drop even further during winter.
        And finally, the wind/solar output to the grid is around 50/50 (It’s actually closer to 45/65, but I cannot remember which is which). So if we use 50/50 split, the total average renewable CF contribution to our grids is about 23%.

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        • #

          Huh!

          I’ve said all along that wind Capacity Factor (CF) is actually the only ‘metric’ you can use to compare wind generation. As new Industrial Wind Plants are added to the grid, then the Nameplate increases, and in the more than five years I have been doing this, it has now well more than doubled, up almost 120% in that Nameplate figure.

          So it only stands to reason that if you increase Nameplate, then you also will increase the ‘generated’ power (energy in GWH) delivered to the grid.

          So, the only REAL comparison is in fact that CF percentage, when comparing week to week.

          Oh, and this last week, there was one of those ‘startling’ examples of wind supporters using any old excuse they can, depending on whichever way the wind is blowing, if you’ll pardon the pun.

          Wind generation has been steadily falling for the last (wait for this) 33 weeks on the trot.

          So, that worrying trend has an excuse (and hey, who would have thought, eh!) and it’s called ….. curtailment. You know the grid controllers purposely not accepting wind generation on the grid. Huh! As if that would actually happen! Wind generation is so protected that they will accept all of it, all of the time no matter what, always the first generated power accepted.

          So when they say ….. curtailment, just point that out and ask ….. What did you just say then? Not only can they not explain it, to any degree of actual accuracy, it NEVER happens.

          So, that’s the excuse they use, curtailment, not those monster High Pressure weather systems which cruel power generation because some f00l put two thirds of wind Nameplate all in that area where those systems hover over, hence zero generation.

          But, no, it’s curtailment, the only fallback they have. They’ll even make stuff up about why it’s being curtailed.

          So, there we are, smack bang in what they call curtailment!!!!!

          Lo and behold, this last week, we had three huge days of power generation in the last week as Isobars tightened up, and the wind blew like crazy for three really good days.

          One day, (Wednesday) wind delivered 175GWH to the grid across the day, at a daily CF of 63%, the third highest daily CF it has ever been. The days either side of that were also huge power delivery days but not as big, The four other days in the week were all low, and overall, the weekly CF figure was just 33%, so a little higher than the average.

          But, of all the weirdness you could make up, there, umm, wasn’t any ….. curtailment on those three big days, smack in the hi diddle of all that earlier, umm, curtailment.

          As I’ve always said, during any and every week, there will be good days for wind generation, and some of them even spectacularly good, but it’s only curtailment if wind generation is low, eh!

          Tony.

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          • #
            Graeme#4

            The Australian commentators are now getting stuck into any reporters who dares to quote wind or solar nameplate figures. One recently claimed that a renewables nameplate value of 3.5GW exceeded Earing’s output. It was quickly pointed out that the actual average output was less than 1GW.

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  • #
    David Maddison

    New variant of covid with the playful name of FLiRT.

    A new release for the Australian winter season.

    They still haven’t released the US Presidential Election variant for the US.

    https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-05-24/covid-cases-rising-australia-flirt-variant/103883574

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  • #
    David Maddison

    Jeff Taylor reports on the pro-British patriotic rally on the weekend in the UK.

    Even though it was entirely peaceful, as expected, the media didn’t think so and “journalists” appear not to have even attended and seem to have pre-written their fanciful articles about it.

    https://youtu.be/H6nfzAi8KSQ

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  • #
    Richard C (NZ)

    Climate Reanalyzer enables a models-obs comparison for specific months and specific regions in absolute terms.

    Monthly Reanalysis Time Series
    https://climatereanalyzer.org/research_tools/monthly_tseries/

    CMIP6 SSP245 vs ERA5: Australia April 2024

    Dataset: CMIP6 SSP245 vs Dataset: ECMWF ERA5
    Variable: 2m Temperature
    Level: Surface
    Month: April
    Region: Australia
    Anomaly: N
    Plot

    April 2024 Monthly Mean: Australia
    24.779 C – Model Mean (April 2023 25.569)
    22.512 C – Observations (April 2023 22.510)
    2.267 C – Difference (Difference April 2023 3.059)

    When plotted on the observation chart, the 24.779 Model Mean is literally “off the chart” which is cropped at 24.5.

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    • #
      Richard C (NZ)

      Too early to tell but the tide of natural variation seems to be ebbing. It began in 2016 and went 8 years to end of 2023. Will take months, Michael Mann demands August 2024 to stabilize but it will run its own course.

      Thing is, anyone that claims the wild natural fluctuation of those years for AGW is not being truthful. Like this:

      How well have CMIP3, CMIP5 and CMIP6 future climate projections portrayed the recently observed warming
      Carvalho et al (2022)
      https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-16264-6

      A land-only analysis that relies on wild fluctuations of natural variation to reach their conclusion but using anomalies – not absolute temperature. April 2024 is now 10 years after the end of the “Historical” radiative forcings ending in 2014 for CMIP6. That historical forcing dataset is common to all scenarios; projections are from 2014 onwards.

      Immediately after the CMIP6 projections began in 2015 there was a super El Nino followed by a massive marine volcano. There is clearly no apples-to-apples comparison with models over those past 8 years.

      But now, barring further natural outliers, the system is beginning to slowly revert to initial conditions similar to 2015. We can now begin to track the monthly progress of all that vs the models.

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      • #
        Richard C (NZ)

        >”initial conditions similar to 2015″

        Absent distorting natural variation, 2015 is a good benchmark.

        Change the monthly reanalysis settings previous to:

        Region: South Mid Latitudes

        Clicking each Month in the drop down menu now instantly re-plots without the need to hit Plot again. So for 2024 – Jan, Feb, Mar, April in quick succession shows the progression on a monthly basis.

        Prior to the 2016 super El Nino April was little changed from the 1980s and 90s. For example, April 1991 and April 2015 are identical at 11.734. Not so the models – 11.747 1991, 12.091 2015, diff 0.344.

        The models conformed reasonably well with observations at the end of the historical period 2014 (natch) but a decade later there’s a 0.3 divergence at the latest datapoint April:

        2024 April Mean: South Mid Latitudes
        12.399 C – Model Mean
        12.095 C – Observations
        0.304 C – Difference

        Already after 10 years of projection, the models are 0.3 C too warm for April 2024 in the South Mid Latitude band. The intervening period of observations was distorted by super El Nino, marine volcano, and 11 year solar cycle peak. Without those the discrepancy would have been much worse but the observations are now slowly reverting to the initial state leaving the models high and dry i.e. natural variation made them look better then than they are now.

        0.3 difference after a decade may seem minor to some but when it comes to diverging trends over time (think 100 years) it is a big issue i.e. excess forcing in the models is revealed.

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      • #
        Richard C (NZ)

        Carvalho et al (2022) – see upthread (my paragraphs).

        The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 6th Assessment Report10, the latest existent knowledge about the scientific, technical and socio-economic aspects of climate change, shows that it is virtually certain (> 95%) that human activity has been the main cause of the observed global warming since the mid-twentieth century.

        Other possible factors, such as natural internal variability of the climate system and natural external forcings (solar activity variations, volcanic activity, changes in Earth orbit, etc.), are considered to have a marginal contribution to global warming11. These human-induced climate changes are mainly forced by the continuously increasing emissions of GHG (mainly CO2) to the atmosphere.

        However, and although IPCC 4th12, 5th13 and 6th10 Assessment Reports showed conclusive evidences on human-induced global warming, there is still some skepticism and climate-change denial wave present in different communication and information platforms14, which spreads across a range of views, from complete denial of global warming to attempts to downplay the risks associated to climate change15.

        Although these are more commonly found among the less informed and/or specialized community, climate change skepticism has also been pervasive to academia, politics and decision-making, a cause of concern since it can act as a counterweight towards the adoption of effective measures to mitigate greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions.

        One of the claims of this skepticism is that simulated future climate projections are not able to realistically represent Earth’s climate response to increasing GHG emissions and, as such, the projected warming is alarmist, or at least exacerbated.

        Amazing ignorance, arrogance, and audacity.

        They dismiss out of hand the recent super El Nino activity present in the time-frame of their analysis. Instead, they implicitly claim that specific “natural internal variability” to conclude that the models are actually lower than observed.

        Worse, they completely ignore the massive marine volcano – Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai – that completely upended all understanding of volcanic events on temperature i.e. its effect was completely opposite to Pinatubo – see next comment.

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        • #
          Richard C (NZ)

          >”[Carvalho et al ignore] Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai – that completely upended all understanding of volcanic events on temperature”

          Tonga Eruption Blasted Unprecedented Amount of Water Into Stratosphere
          https://www.nasa.gov/earth/tonga-eruption-blasted-unprecedented-amount-of-water-into-stratosphere/

          The sheer amount of water vapor could be enough to temporarily affect Earth’s global average temperature.

          And,

          In the study, published in Geophysical Research Letters, Millán and his colleagues estimate that the Tonga eruption sent around 146 teragrams (1 teragram equals a trillion grams) of water vapor into Earth’s stratosphere – equal to 10% of the water already present in that atmospheric layer. That’s nearly four times the amount of water vapor that scientists estimate the 1991 Mount Pinatubo eruption in the Philippines lofted into the stratosphere.

          And,

          This extra water vapor could influence atmospheric chemistry, boosting certain chemical reactions that could temporarily worsen depletion of the ozone layer. It could also influence surface temperatures. Massive volcanic eruptions like Krakatoa and Mount Pinatubo typically cool Earth’s surface by ejecting gases, dust, and ash that reflect sunlight back into space. In contrast, the Tonga volcano didn’t inject large amounts of aerosols into the stratosphere, and the huge amounts of water vapor from the eruption may have a small, temporary warming effect, since water vapor traps heat.

          But hey, Carvalho et al, none of that happened in your world did it?

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          • #
            Graeme#4

            Whether or not volcanoes notably impact our global temperatures, it’s unbelievable that IPCC continues to deny that any natural event could generate CO2 since the start of the Industrial Age – I.e., all extra CO2 must be caused by humans. So no CO2 ever emitted by volcanoes, no ocean out-gassing for over one hundred years, etc.

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            • #
              Richard C (NZ)

              Graeme >”Whether or not volcanoes notably impact our global temperatures”

              The IPCC certainly thinks they do. They went to great lengths to retroactively place the Pinatubo dip in the models. I think that was completely unnecessary as the effect was transient and doing so obscures the long-term secular cycle with oscillatory component.

              However, that’s their approach so to be consistent the same should done for Hunga Tonga. Except rather than a sharp dip, the effect was a pronounced rise that has yet to be quantified with any certainty.

              So it is impossible for modelling studies such as Carvalho et al to point to models matching a volcano-forced rise for whatever transient length of time and concluding, and publishing, the models are therefore valid – they’re not.

              The magnitude of the rise can be measured from the 2015 base. Problem there is that the super El Nino got in first so there was rise upon rise.

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          Richard C (NZ)

          A retraction – sort of. My bad.

          The Carvalho et al period of analysis was to 2020. But Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai was January 2022. The paper however, was published July 2022.

          So the authors, reviewers, and publishers knew of the eruption 5 months before publication even though it was well outside their period of analysis.

          I saw the paper date and focused on the rise to 2020 after the dip following the 2016 El Nino. That rise wasn’t Hunga Tonga.

          2019 ended and 2020 began with a positive (warm) El Nino phase that NASA says “marginally increased the overall temperature”. Carvalho et al disagrees with that.

          The IPCC related comments re volcanism still stand.

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  • #
    David Maddison

    Rebel News Canada reports about a man playing women’s Rugby football in Canada, in violation of rules of Rugby’s governing body in Canada and no one is prepared to enforce the rules against men playing in women’s Rugby. This is one of a series of ongoing stories about this matter. The journalist David Menzies gets arrested during the process.

    https://youtu.be/R4SLfJ_BlCM

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    • #
      Mayday

      It appeared that several women playing in the Chinese soccer team should have been in the men’s squad when they played the Matildas, but then you can’t judge a book by its cover. A Chinese trade ban would be the repercussions if anyone in Australian politics had even suggested it.

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  • #
    David Maddison

    Very good six minute video.

    “Why is Everything So Ugly & Degenerate”

    https://youtu.be/GyxDJU_9Zyw

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  • #
    Richard C (NZ)

    An Excellent article in The Australian online [reprinted below]:

    Logic leaves ‘The Science’ of climate in the dust.

    https://frontline.asn.au/news/an-excellent-article-in-the-australian-online/

    Here there is another assault on reason by ideologues. In this game of witch burning, questioning a policy response to global warming is evidence of the crime of climate change denial. Their argument can be expressed as a syllogism.

    Premise 1: Climate change is real.

    Premise 2: Renewable energy combats climate change.

    Conclusion: Therefore, to question renewable energy is to deny climate change.

    This is the logical fallacy of a false dichotomy; it ignores the possibility of neutrality or nuance. But logic, like science, has long since departed in this debate. This is all about faith.

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    • #
      TdeF

      Popper was wrong. His explanation is in direct contradiction of the operation of Rational Science.

      And Ulhmann makes very good points which should invalidate the religion, but
      he and everyone else miss the essential Rational point, that the foundation tenet of Man made Global Warming is that
      the 50% increase in CO2 since 1750 is man made. That is categorically wrong.

      So whether warming exists and is serious let alone driven by CO2, it is not man made.
      There is nothing humans can do or have done to change CO2 levels.

      And direct measurement by C14 shows there is almost no fossil fuel CO2 in the air at 3.0% and that in rapid transit into the oceans in six months.

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        Graeme#4

        That’s essentially the point I made earlier – it’s ludicrous to say that all CO2 emissions since the start of the Industrial Age are caused by humans.
        I do think that Uhlmann made some very valid points based on actual data – it certainly generated a lot of discussion.

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  • #
    David Maddison

    I just heard on the radio that 61% of Australians support the use of nuclear power.

    Bear in mind that the poll was probably rigged to lower the number so the real number was probably higher.

    Not that it matters if will just be used as a backup to solar and wind, not a primary power source and it will be deliberately be priced out of the market like coal.

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      TdeF

      It is comic tragic that we are debating nuclear power because it has zero ’emissions’.

      There is no debate. And we have abundant coal and gas. Coal should be for electricity and gas can be pumped vast distances without loss.

      Science has been captured. The druids have returned. Human sacrifice to change the weather will be next.

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  • #
    another ian

    FWIW

    “State Supreme Courts Take Up COVID-19 Vaccine Cases”

    “Two state supreme courts are considering whether workers who administered COVID-19 vaccines to minors without parental consent should be shielded by a federal law.”

    https://www.zerohedge.com/covid-19/state-supreme-courts-take-covid-19-vaccine-cases

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    David Maddison

    Recently I’ve listened to Their ABC Radio (Australia) either accidentally or on purpose and, as a member of the thinking community, I find it sickening to be bombarded with woke Leftist BS, endlessly. Kudos to those members of the thinking community that do listen to them for monitoring purposes.

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      Vladimir

      What insults me that ABC personalities (with very few exceptions who probably sleep badly at night) are proud for their anti-West, anti-progress, ant-woman and pro Stone Age stance.
      I am not a fan of commercial stations, ABC is my preference even today.
      Our country must have government station, even if they falsely call it “Public” but it must be 10 times smaller and 10 times more serious. I am hoping for journalistic honour and human morale code, too.

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  • #
    OldOzzie

    These are the left’s four ‘self-centred grifts’ that pose the greatest risk to the future of Western society

    The far-left has launched countless grifts in search of power, control, and money for themselves – but four of them pose the greatest danger to our freedom, sovereignty and the future wellbeing of our children, writes Douglas MacKinnon.

    As any citizen with common sense and the ability to think for themselves in Australia and the United States knows, zealots from the far-left – enabled by self-centered socialist-leaning politicians – have rolled out an endless number of strategies, policies, and outright grifts to try to destabilise our respective nations from within.

    While that list is long and continually growing, I would like to focus on four grifts which I believe pose the greatest danger to our freedom, health, sovereignty, and the future wellbeing of our children.

    Those four being:

    – “open” immigration;

    – “Green” energy;

    – digital currency;

    – and the attack on our food supply.

    It’s the real “Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse”.

    eg – “Labor is betting the future of this country on unreliable renewable energy,” Kenny said.

    “The Albanese Labor government is conducting the highest risk technological experiment in the world, trying to transition a modern, energy-dependent economy from fossil fuels to an untried, unprecedented renewables plus storage model. They have no plan B.”

    Next, we move onto “digital currency.”

    Former US president Donald Trump has loudly and rightfully called the push by the left for “digital” currency a “very dangerous thing. One day you don’t have any money in your account”.

    Central Digital Bank Currency is being pushed by the likes of the People’s Republic of China, the World Economic Forum, and many on the left?

    Why?

    CDBC is all about power, control and punishment.

    “So,” those pushing this currency will say: “You went above the government’s allowed carbon emissions? No problem. We will punish you by taking money out of your digital account without your authority.”

    Digital currency is all about moving a nation’s population into a socialist credit scheme in which your “hard” assets such as cash are forcibly taken away from you.

    Gone will be your paper money and coins.

    Gone will be your local bank.

    All to be replaced by a government created and controlled line of “woke” software.

    Then – to former president Trump’s point — with but a phone call; a stroke of a pen; or a wink of the eye, your hard-earned money can not only be frozen, but disappeared forever in a nano-second in service to the all-seeing and all-knowing nanny-state.

    Aside from being an obvious power-grab from the left, digital currency also hurts the poor, the rural, and the elderly.

    Every nation must make it illegal to refuse cash payments.

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      TdeF

      And “digital identity” and people tracking. Turning every country into an open range prison where not only are the people monitored, the state knows everything they do.

      We voted against a Carbon Tax. So Howard and every prime minister created one.

      We voted against an Australia Card. Now it is on your mobile phone and credit card.

      And increasingly you cannot drive on a public road without being taxed. In Victoria the lease funding of freeways stopped, so Daniel Andrews continued it and split the difference with the operator. So Citylink charge you for using your own road. And pay double for using coal based electricity, which money goes to owners of windmills.

      We are trapped, taxed, misinformed. And people who know what is going on are part of it. This is not some black fantasy future. It is now.

      Only the Constitution prevents a total takeover of the law by Canberra and the Marxists. And we just survived an attack on the Constitution. It’s the only thing which stops a totalitarian state. In America it’s the only thing which prevents the DOJ from throwing Donald Trump in prison today. And in Australia, who cares about ‘The Voice’? Certainly not Albanese and Bandt. They will try again.

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    another ian

    FWIW

    “Do Not Underestimate – Icon Status – President Trump is now on TikTok
    June 2, 2024 | Sundance | 385 Comments”

    “Embracing his position outside the cultural norms of the established political system, President Donald J Trump now joins TikTok.

    Remember the context. The DC system and BIG SURVEILLANCE intel tech are in alignment against the platform that Donald J Trump just supported.

    …..and the professional political class are going to go apoplectic!”

    More at

    https://theconservativetreehouse.com/blog/2024/06/02/icon-status-president-trump-is-now-on-tiktok/#more-260969

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      David Maddison

      I think it’s a bad move by Trump.

      TikTok is owned by the Chicomms and promotes degeneracy and other Leftist views in the West.

      It is banned in China. The Chinese have a virtuous version of TikTok for domestic consumption called Douyin which promotes educational and other worthy content.

      I think Trump should return to free speech platform Twitter/X owned by someone who is pro-American, pro-Western and pro-reason.

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        David Maddison

        Also various Governments ban TikTok on government devices because of the possibility of it harvesting data for spying purposes.

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        OldOzzie

        David,

        on this one I disagree with your statement “I think it’s a bad move by Trump.

        TikTok is owned by the Chicomms and promotes degeneracy and other Leftist views in the West.”

        As Conservative Treehouse points out

        It is with this context in mind we now watch the political evolution of Donald Trump continue. Do not underestimate the scale of this move.

        The theme of MAGA Trump now goes from diplomatically -albeit forcefully- directing public attention via a finger pointed toward the corruption, to angrily pointing his middle finger of “f**k you” specifically at the corrupt officials.

        Yes, an unrestrained icon is born! This is the moment when The Big Ugly potential has its greatest value.

        The entire DC system is aligned against the social media platform TikTok; however, there is a cultural dynamic at play in the background within the user demographic.

        Additionally, TikTok is arguably the only widely used social media platform that is not directly influenced by and controlled by the Dept of Homeland Security and USA intelligence apparatus. That reality is likely why Washington DC hates it.

        Embracing his position outside the cultural norms of the established political system, President Donald J Trump now joins TikTok.

        Remember the context. The DC system and BIG SURVEILLANCE intel tech are in alignment against the platform that Donald J Trump just supported.

        …..and the professional political class are going to go apoplectic!

        The people within the system who have targeted President Trump for years, will now scream about the “felon” undermining U.S. national security policy regarding TikTok and China.

        Oh, how they will clutch their pearls over the metadata of Americans being absorbed, controlled and used by those in Beijing who want to do nefarious misdeeds against Americans.

        It’s okay for Google, META, Instagram, FaceBook, Twitter, etc. to harvest the data of American citizens and for the U.S. intelligence apparatus to control data, store data, and search the private data of Americans while identifying subversive activity….. However, it is not okay for an alternative platform to permit content that is out of reach of the Intelligence Community control mechanisms.

        That’s exactly why the U.S. government hates TikTok.

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          Skepticynic

          arguably the only widely used social media platform that is not directly influenced by and controlled by the Dept of Homeland Security and USA intelligence apparatus

          You might include Telegram.

          60

  • #
    David Maddison

    Good news story.

    One hundred year old tortoises have babies.

    https://youtu.be/UTNlF77uy04

    40

  • #
    another ian

    Willis E has a look –

    “The 13th First Climate Refugees”

    https://wattsupwiththat.com/2024/06/02/the-13th-first-climate-refugees/

    30

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    another ian

    FWIW

    “Alarmist Scientists’ Schizophrenia Has Corrupted the Conclusions by Early Climate Science Greats.”

    “However, politics has now perverted the early climate science research. Selectively focusing on Callendar’s examination of CO2’s effect, today’s climate scientists and alarmist bloggers elevate Callendar to hero status. But they downplay his conclusions that such warming would be a good thing.”

    “While today’s alarmists push a bogus narrative that their current conclusions stand on the shoulders of the giants of early climate research, today’s alarmist have only perverted the giants’ work to manipulate the public and forward their political ambitions for control of the world’s economies.”

    https://wattsupwiththat.com/2024/06/02/alarmist-scientists-schizophrenia-has-corrupted-the-conclusions-by-early-climate-science-greats/

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    MrGrimNasty

    The month of May mean Central England Temperature was the second warmest in the 360+ year series, behind 1833 that was a whole degree warmer somehow.

    May is actually one of the few months where recent years aren’t over-represented in the top few %.

    May 2024 was almost 3C above average and every single day was above average.

    Make of it what you will!

    04

    • #
      David Maddison

      Is it real data, or is it “homogenised” to suit the required result, as in Australia?

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    • #
      Ross

      I’ve seen reports of that on social media. Climate alarmists gleefully announcing the warmer May (and Spring temps in general) but then lots of people replying that the figures are nonsense. That in May, lots of people still had their heating on etc and that Spring in general was quite horrid in England with incredibly high rain totals.

      90

      • #
        MrGrimNasty

        Just goes to show how poor people’s perception of what is usual is and why you shouldn’t rely on anecdotes.

        00

    • #
      TdeF

      Science by averages. The reason we use averages is that nothing is average. It will invariably be higher and lower and sometimes by a lot. But in the new Druidic world, any departure from an average is someone’s fault and should be taxed. And we will use the money to pay for giant votive windmills and shiny glass panels to appease the God of averages.

      70

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        TdeF

        2.4 people live as one family in the UK. So on average there are 0.4 children at home. This is due to Climate Change. When times were better there were 2.5 people per family and 0.5 children. A hunt has been started for the missing 0.1 children and scientists are looking to explain how you can have such a loss in an average. Climate Control people are looking at ways to tax excess children as they have an adverse effect on Global Warming.

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        • #
          Adellad

          A NYC magistrate has found DJ Trump was responsible for the missing 0.1 children in the UK.

          80

        • #
          Len

          The Dominion Voting machines are set up to record decimals from the votes imputed. eg. 10.4 for Biden and 0.6 from Trumpy 🙂

          10

    • #
      Mike Jonas

      May 1833 was 4 degrees above average, and here we are 200 years including lots of CO2-emitting years later still unable to match it. That’s what I make of it.

      50

    • #
      MeAgain

      We had a week of Summery weather a few weeks back. Out and about on the first sunny day for ages yesterday (the final day of very wet school holidays) – people were joking about how that’s gonna be it, this is our day of Summer. Lighting gas fire this morning…

      30

  • #
    David Maddison

    On the website of the Martin-Baker company, a family-owned British company that make ejection seats for military aircraft, they keep a count of how many lives their products have saved.

    https://martin-baker.com/

    50

  • #
    another ian

    FWIW

    “Comparing Temperatures: Past and Present”

    “The takeaway?

    Our historical temperature records are far less accurate than we once believed.”

    https://wattsupwiththat.com/2024/06/01/comparing-temperatures-past-and-present/

    So much for those temperatures to three decimal places then?

    70

  • #
    OldOzzie

    NIH scientists made $710M in royalties from drug makers — a fact they tried to hide

    During the pandemic, the American people started to feel that Big Government was very cozy with Big Pharma.

    Now we know just how close they were.

    New data from the National Institutes of Health reveals the agency and its scientists collected $710 million in royalties during the pandemic, from late 2021 through 2023. These are payments made by private companies, like pharmaceuticals, to license medical innovations from government scientists.

    Almost all that cash — $690 million — went to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID), the subagency led by Dr. Anthony Fauci, and 260 of its scientists.

    Information about this vast private royalty complex is tightly held by NIH. My organization, OpenTheBooks.com, was forced to sue to uncover the royalties paid from September 2009 to October 2021, which amounted to $325 million over 56,000 transactions.

    We had to sue a second time, with Judicial Watch as our counsel, to pry open this new release.

    Payments skyrocketed during the pandemic era: those years saw more than double the amount of cash flow to NIH from the private sector, compared to the prior twelve combined. All told, it’s $1.036 billion.

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    OldOzzie

    What’s with Joe Biden’s love of Tehran — and why isn’t it prompting an IranGate fury?

    By Post Editorial Board

    With all the troubling news about President Biden and his team’s inexplicable support for Iran, you’d surely expect media outlets to be screaming “Iran, Iran, Iran” — just as they harped on “Russia, Russia, Russia” in reporting on Donald Trump.

    Nope: It’s been crickets.

    The latest: Republican lawmakers uncovered evidence suggesting Biden special Iran envoy Robert Malley improperly shared sensitive or classified documents with Tehran.

    Malley had his security clearance suddenly canceled last year, and the FBI launched a probe into whether he mishandled classified documents.

    This is the guy, recall, who worked with and hired affiliates of the Iran Experts Initiative, a group Tehran used to push for its nuclear and national-security agenda across the West.

    Good that Malley was placed on leave, but why, exactly? What actually happened, what did Joe Biden know about it — and when did he know it?

    Don’t inquiring minds want to know? Apparently not for Democrats or much of the media.

    By contrast, had Malley worked for Trump, Dems would already have Christopher Steele compiling a dossier on the dirt Iran has on Biden and it would be wall-to-wall coverage. (How do you say kompromat in Farsi?)

    Add in the news that Team Biden has been trying to convince Britain and France not to censure Iran over its nuclear program, despite recent alarming advances.

    And Biden’s attempt to strongarm Israel not to retaliate after Iran launched more than 300 missiles and attack drones against it, directly from Iranian launch sites.

    Plus his own lame-to-nonexistent retaliation against Iran, when it used its proxies to attack US soldiers.

    All that on top of Biden’s waiving of some Iran sanctions and dropping enforcement of others — providing billions to the regime.

    What gives? Iran is not America’s friend — and won’t be anytime soon.

    90

  • #
    another ian

    FWIW

    A “compare and contrast” on US politics

    “It took less than 48 hours for Biden to declare that he must report to prison right now for the theft of billions of dollars of other people’s money which he then spent unlawfully as declared by the Supreme Court.

    He stole the funds after being told he could not legally take them and he spent them. That makes him a felon – right here, right now, and he admitted to the offense in public.”

    More at

    https://www.market-ticker.org/akcs-www?post=251411

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    OldOzzie

    America Today under President Bidet & Democr@ps – 27 People Shot in Ohio, One Dead, Suspect At Large

    Twenty-seven people were shot, one fatally, shortly after midnight Sunday morning in Akron, Ohio.

    The deceased individual was a 27-year-old man.

    WKYC noted that police received numerous calls on the shooting.

    A police source said, “Shortly after those calls came in, the call center received notifications from local hospitals that multiple persons were arriving in the emergency departments with gunshot wounds.”

    Police also indicated, “One firearm and several dozen casings have been recovered from the scene,” USA Today noted there was a “street party” in the vicinity of the shooting prior to the shots being fired.

    From the Comments

    – So if you had to place your entire savings on who was involved, which ethnicity would you bet it on?

    – The Amish….?
    Those crazy Lutherans ??

    – What goes “Clip, Clop, Clip, Clop, BANG!! ClipClopClipClopClipClopClipClop?”

    An Amish drive-by shooting…

    110

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  • #
    Honk R Smith

    Bret Weinstein seems to think we are already in the New Dark Age … maybe since the late 70s.

    Darkhorse Podcast ‘Truth Seeking in a Dark Age’
    https://rumble.com/v4y4izw-no-title-yet.html

    Maybe it produced the cluster fox of CAGW … you know, since the oceans are boiling.

    50

    • #
      Honk R Smith

      They get to climate science a bit before half way and say some interesting stuff.
      Both these guys are becoming suspicious of CAGW.

      Only happening because of the underlying rot and corruption in government and academia exposed by ‘Pandemic’.
      For Weinstein, this on top of what happened to him at Evergreen.

      40

  • #
    YYY Guy

    There’s a new mental health ad on the box. It tells you to breathe. Yes, really. It links to this – https://mentalhealthishealth.findahelpline.com/
    I’m not sure I’ve ever seen such an appallingly bad website that does nothing that isn’t already freely available.
    Money laundering to mates in advertising anyone?

    80

  • #
    Honk R Smith

    I was just thinking, those of us in the climate TFHosphere, maybe owe the Faucis, Trudeaus, and Andrews of this world a little bit of gratitude.
    Their corruption has freed us from the fringes.
    Sarc.
    It doesn’t make me feel any better.
    Criminals.

    100

  • #

    We have all sorts of great arguments and facts here, the problem is feelings don’t care about facts. Big time.
    Recently people I know have flipped on their Trump Derangement Syndrome, and it comes out spitting! Climate change facts can be brushed off with, it’s mis information, or AI. They are gone.
    All I can think of doing, is to say I’m in awe of their amazing hatred, and maybe ask where they learn to hate like that, and praise the ABC for doing such an amazing job??
    The oceans aren’t boiling, people’s heads are.

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    Gee Aye

    How many of you gave money to the convicted felon Dinesh D’Souza to watch or read 2000 mules? Salem media has withdrawn all material from sale and apologised to a litigant they falsely accused of election fraud.

    So all the faked videos, acted ballot stuffing, misinterpreting of actual footage and creative use of editing has been withdrawn finally. The courts did what years of debunking efforts could not. The law cut through and short circuited Brandolini’s law

    And just a bit of history on this blog with some prescient comments well received at the time

    https://joannenova.com.au/2022/05/2000-mules-the-election-was-organized-crime/#comment-2544517
    https://joannenova.com.au/2022/04/patrick-byrne-major-risks-of-dominion-voting-machines-hidden-before-us-election/#comment-2542652
    https://joannenova.com.au/2022/02/2000-mules-its-normal-in-elections-for-one-person-to-make-53-trips-to-20-drop-boxes/#comment-2515948

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    • #

      …”a litigant”

      One defamation case about one guy and five votes hardly proves the election was honest. 1,999 mules to go. Plus all the other mysterious coincidences. If the Democrats wanted honest elections they would want voter ID and voting on the day in person. They’d ban electronic machines. They’d want clean electron rolls, not dead voters. They wouldn’t have hidden ballots in suitcases under tables. They wouldn’t have chucked out the scrutineers, and withheld the paper ballots and electronic machines from inspection. The evidence shows they need to cheat.

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      • #
        Annie

        Sorry Jo, I was heading for green and fat finger misbehaved.
        I remember all those graphs and videos of suitcases stuffed with ballot papers, etc. etc.

        51

      • #
        Gee Aye

        “Mysterious coincidences”, said in a deep voice-over following some made up assessments of fixed images and phone records that happened in different places and times.

        Funnily enough the production company did not cut one mule from the film, they dumped all 2000 of them.

        01

    • #
      Strop

      I’m curious as to why the third link opens to a comment of mine as an example of what you’re referring to. Are you highlighting my comment? Or is the opening of the link to my comment a coincidence?

      I don’t mind if you are highlighting my comment. Because my comment is valid regardless of the accuracy of the 2000 Mules Doco.

      20

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    Gee Aye

    Hey guys check out my latest blog post https://geeaye.blogspot.com/2024/06/blog-post.html

    06

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  • #
    Strop

    Speaking Event – New York, June 12th.

    Please join us for a panel discussion on the costs and consequences of pursuing a “net zero” economy. Experts Benny Peiser and Francis Menton will share their outlook for Europe’s present and America’s future.

    Further details:
    https://www.manhattancontrarian.com/blog/2024-5-29-announcing-a-speaking-event-in-new-york-on-june-12

    30

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    Strop

    Demonized as contributing to climate change, cattle may actually decrease emissions, research shows

    https://justthenews.com/politics-policy/environment/demonized-contributing-climate-change-cattle-may-decrease-emissions

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  • #
    David Maddison

    Why smart meters in your home?

    Why electric vehicles?

    Why digital currency?

    Same reason.

    It’s all control.

    They can turn them off whenever they want!

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      TdeF

      And because wind and solar electricity can be centralized in Canberra. Minerals based power is consitutionally controlled by State Authorities. A total nuisance. All (electrical) power must be concentrated in Canberra.

      60

  • #
    R in Canberra

    Perhaps aboriginal clean energy https://aboriginalcleanenergy.com/ is a purer form of clean energy than that produced by the rest of us.

    I’m pretty sure that the rest of us are the ones contributing to this “project” (East Kimberley Clean Energy Project – Stage 1, Feasibility Study – Australian Renewable Energy Agency) through a A$1.67M grant.

    The CEO and founder of Pollination Group, Martijn Wilder, who is advising this mob, used to be the Chair of ARENA.

    60

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      TdeF

      So aboriginals build a hydro plant on Lake Argyle and the power is used to create hydrogen near Kununurra which is used to create ammonia in Wyndham to be shipped overseas as clean energy. Bruce Pascoe was right! They were a very advanced society. We only had to ask.

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      • #
        Adellad

        Pascoe’s society was indeed quite advanced – from Elizabethan times to early/mid 20th Century.

        30

  • #
    MeAgain

    Any ideas? – https://cointelegraph.com/news/bengal-energy-to-mine-bitcoin-using-stranded-wells-in-aussie-outback – it all seems underpants gnomes to me (Southpark – Gnomes steal Underpants + ? = Profit)

    30

  • #
    another ian

    FWIW

    “White House Spox John Kirby Says World Leaders Appreciate the Way Biden Has “Revitalized Our Alliances and Partnerships and Our Networks Around the World” (VIDEO)”

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2024/06/white-house-spox-john-kirby-says-world-leaders/

    I guess he started with a roll call of BRICS?

    20

  • #
    David Maddison

    The party that says men can get pregnant, wants to control information on the Internet.

    50

  • #
    another ian

    FWIW

    “Oxford University: Myocarditis and Pericarditis Only Appear After COVID Vaccination, Not After COVID Infection”

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2024/06/oxford-university-myocarditis-pericarditis-only-appear-after-covid/

    30

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    another ian

    FWIW – more “what people are pretty sure of” seeps out

    “Jesse Watters: “There is Something Very Fishy About How Judge Merchan Came to Preside Over This Case””

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2024/06/jesse-watters-there-is-something-very-fishy-about/

    30

    • #
      TdeF

      Fishy? No. This stinks like a lobster left in a locked car in the sun in Brisbane in summer for a week.

      31

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    another ian

    Read it for yourself – a “Best of Elbow!”

    “Brilliant.”

    https://www.michaelsmithnews.com/2024/06/brilliant.html

    30

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    Leo G

    ”It’s reckless, it’s dangerous, it’s irresponsible for anyone to say this was rigged just because they don’t like the verdict.” – Joe Biden

    Safer to say it was rigged because this was the verdict liked by Joe Biden.

    30

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    Kalm Keith

    I apologise.

    10