Thursday

8.1 out of 10 based on 22 ratings

201 comments to Thursday

  • #

    From Elon Musk –

    “The governor of California just made this parody video illegal in violation of the Constitution of the United States.

    Would be a shame if it went viral.”

    https://www.michaelsmithnews.com/2024/09/you-heard-the-man.html

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  • #
    tonyb

    I said to my newsagent this morning that I wondered if mobile phones would be the next devices to explode in Lebanon. Seems its walkie talkies

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13864883/Lebanon-explosions-Hezbollah-communications-devices-detonate-country-pager-bomb.html

    The general consensus was that so many people are addicted to mobile phones that even if a message came up on the screen saying it would explode in 10 seconds that people wouldn’t do anything about it.

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    • #
      James Murphy

      I’m not going to celebrate the deaths of fellow humans but I would be lying if I said that I felt sorry for Hezbollah.

      No doubt civilians were affected too, that’s the tragedy.

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      • #
        Hanrahan

        I don’t see how “civilians” would be given Hezbollah pagers. The blasts weren’t strong enough to cause more than superficial wounds to bystanders. Nothing like a suicide belt – they are indiscriminate.

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    • #
      tonyb

      As well as detonating walkie talkies I reference above, it is claimed that solar panel systems in Lebanon have also exploded

      https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13864883/Lebanon-explosions-Hezbollah-communications-devices-detonate-country-pager-bomb.html

      I don’t know the possible mechanism for this so wonder of someone has got hold of the wrong end of the stick. If true, I don’t know how solar systems belonging only to Hamas fighters could be identified and targeted.

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      • #
        Scissor

        They could make EVs explode, but nobody would notice anything abnormal.

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      • #
        David Maddison

        The net positive effect is that terrorists will become too paranoid to use any modern communications device, or presumably any electronic device whatsoever.

        And before the Leftists give me red thumbs, after terrorists are done with the Saturday people, they will be coming for the Sunday people as well.

        And while Leftists are useful idiots of the terrorists now, their religion absolutely does not tolerate your LGBT and feminist beliefs, even though you support those instruments of female oppression, the burkha and niquab etc. And obviously you don’t support female education either.

        Incidentally, do you know what they do to your LGB comrades in Gaza? They throw them off buildings and/or drag them behind motorcycles. And yet you have “queers for Palestine”. The stupidity and ignorance of the Left is incomprehensible.

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      • #
        OldOzzie

        BREAKING: Home Solar Systems Explode in Beirut, Lebanon Following Walkie-Talkie and Pager Blasts, Officials Say

        Lebanon officials are now reporting that multiple home solar energy systems have reportedly exploded in various neighborhoods across Beirut.

        Now, reports emerged from Lebanon’s Official News Agency detailing how home solar systems—often touted as the solution to climate change—were also going up in flames.

        Al Jazeera reported, “Several blasts took place simultaneously, Hashem said, similar to what happened on Tuesday. “But this time, it was mostly walkie-talkies or radios [that exploded],” he said, adding that reports suggested that solar devices and some batteries in cars also exploded.

        Lebanon’s official news agency reported that home solar energy systems exploded in several areas of Beirut.”

        #BREAKING Lebanon’s state news agency reports that home solar energy systems have exploded in several areas of Beirut – AP pic.twitter.com/Oe6atF3gnX

        — War Intel (@warintel4u) September 18, 2024

        #

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        • #
          OldOzzie

          From the Comments

          – Hezbollah’s next move: Paper cups connected by string.

          – But the ‘string’ could be Det Cord (hopefully).

          – the cups will be shaped charges

          – going by what the israelis have achieved so far i would not trust a paper cup. funny comment by the way.

          – not even their strings are safe

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        • #
          Ronin

          ‘Post it notes’ will be popular.

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      • #
        RobB

        The inverters have an internet connection.

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    • #
      Steve of Cornubia

      The pagers and walkie talkies idea is pretty smart and minimises the risk of collateral injuries. The pagers in particular are more likely to injure the person to whom they are registered. Genius.

      Solar panels and EVs however are less likely to be used exclusively by the target, so I don’t like that idea. Of course it’s no worse than lobbing missiles into built-up areas, which is something that’s been happening for some time. I do agree though that a terrorist enemy that deliberately hides among civilians cannot be fought on a conventional ‘battlefield’ and no leader who is responsible for the safety of his nation can just wait for the enemy to attack.

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      • #
        Yarpos

        Was thinking the same thing re the missiles. I think the conflict is long past concern for civilian casualties. Thats a luxury for those not involved, although of course it means multi generational hatred, but that isnt new.

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      • #
        Vladimir

        On top of technical mystery how is near absence of “civilian” victims possible?
        This last ME war is more than ever a propaganda.war but very few times “bystanders” were mentioned yesterday.
        Rewinding back 11 months of screen time I do not see reporting that much deliberate targeting. Today it could’ve been logical to say 2-way radios is ordinary civil tool in many industries. Must be thousand of policemen, firefighters, etc.. holding them as we speak (even if they are terrorists after hours…
        Some things do not match…

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        • #
          Vladimir

          I just heard ( IMHO !) a plausible answer to both puzzles:

          a) The explosive charge was inserted and hardware/software modified by Hisbollah themselves;
          b) They had the reason, ability and time to do it,
          c) It is a natural military need for self-destruction of any equipment/ personnel which fell into enemy’s hands;
          d) Only this time the enemy was successful in finding out that “feature” and the key to it.

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    • #
      • #
        OldOzzie

        Why Was Iran’s ‘Diplomat’ Carrying a Hezbollah Pager?

        Katie Pavlich September 18, 2024

        One of the individuals injured and blinded was Mojtaba Amani, the Iranian Ambassador to Lebanon.

        Sources within the Isl@mic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) have confirmed that the Iranian Ambassador to Lebanon, Mojtaba Amani lost his Right Eye and received Significant Trauma to his Left Eye as a result of today’s Pager Attack against Hezbollah Members in Lebanon and Syria.

        Why would Amani, an alleged diplomat, be carrying a Hezbollah pager? We all know the answer.

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      • #
      • #
        Hanrahan

        I remarked on that y’day and got some red thumbs. Will you?

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        • #
          John Connor II

          I remarked on that y’day and got some red thumbs. Will you?

          Looks like the “I stand with Ukraine” squad finally woke up to their mistake and shifted allegiances, from their couches of course.

          /red thumb counter off and running.

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          • #
            Hanrahan

            I still stand with Ukraine.

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            • #
              KP

              That’s OK H, you know I’ll always balance you..

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              • #
                Hanrahan

                In spite of your Uni education and superior intellect we both only have one vote.

                But I thought graduates were supposed to leave their socialism behind after they became part of the real world.

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              • #
                el+gordo

                I’m standing shoulder to shoulder with Hanrahan, David will beat Goliath even with one arm tied behind his back.

                Putin will eventually sue for peace to save his neck.

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            • #
              Skepticynic

              > David will beat Goliath

              That’s a misplaced metaphor.
              Russia is better characterised as David fighting the Goliath of the United States plus Goliath’s buddies in Ukraine, NATO, and Australia.

              The USA alone has a GDP greater than the combined next 3 highest, (China, Germany, & Japan), put together.
              Russia isn’t even in the top 10

              (The top 10 largest economies in the world in 2024
              https://www.forbesindia.com/article/explainers/top-10-largest-economies-in-the-world/86159/1)

              Russia is less than half the population of the USA.
              Ukraine is being holocausted in this US proxy war against Russia.

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      • #
        OldOzzie

        The Australian Spooner Cartoon today – https://www.theaustralian.com.au/commentary

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      • #
        OldOzzie

        Israel turns the pager on terror with ruthless psychological masterstroke against Hezbollah

        By Miranda Devine

        Nobody likes to see humans writhing in agony, but Israel’s daring operation to simultaneously explode pagers in the pockets of Hezbollah terrorists and their associates this week was a ruthless tactical masterstroke.

        In bloody scenes captured on video on social media, men could be seen shopping or sitting on a motorbike one minute and on the ground moaning and covered in blood the next.

        At least 12 people were killed and nearly 3,000 people were injured in Lebanon Tuesday, and a similar detonation of Hezbollah walkie-talkies the next day killed another 20 people and injured 450.

        In Hezbollah’s macho culture, the psychological blow of their warriors and officials getting their genitalia blown up is acute, and so is the signal sent to Iran, that no communications devices are safe after Israel managed to kill Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh under the noses of the Isl@mic Revolutionary Guard Corps in Tehran by tracking his whereabouts via his cellphone.

        Hence the terrorists’ migration to more primitive devices like pagers.

        The ingenious “Paging Hezbollah” operation was about as surgical a strike on terrorists as you could get, although Lebanese authorities claimed two innocent children were killed in Tuesday’s attack, more tragic victims of a pointless war that Hamas started on Oct. 7 last year.

        Dem sympathizers

        Of course, the Hamas sympathizers in the Democratic Party like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez immediately condemned Israel with a passion that seems to evade them when Israeli civilians are r@ped and murdered.

        There are no circumstances in which Israel is allowed to defend itself.

        Israelis must simply accept the blows from their neighbors in the Middle East who have vowed to annihilate their little country.

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    • #
      RickWill

      All iPhones are made in China. I wonder how much explosive is fitted and when they started fitting explosives.

      The Apllo pagers are made in Taiwan (China). It is difficult to imagine having the explosive included post manufacturing without intimate knowledge of the production.

      Manufacturers will be required to provide the exact weight of devices so wary individuals can check nothing has been added after production.

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      • #
        OldOzzie

        Mysterious Hungarian company linked to exploding pagers

        Budapest: In a duplex in a quiet neighbourhood of the Hungarian capital is the headquarters of a company that is linked to the manufacture of the pagers that exploded in Lebanon and Syria as part of an apparent Israeli operation against the Hezbollah militant group.

        BAC Consulting shares the ground floor of the modest building in Budapest with other enterprises. On Wednesday morning, Associated Press journalists saw the names of multiple companies, including BAC, posted on pieces of printer paper and taped in a window.

        In a corporate registry, the company listed 118 official functions, including sugar and oil production, retail jewellery sales and natural gas extraction.

        BAC reportedly supplied the thousands of devices that killed at least 12 people, including two children, and wounded about 2800 on Tuesday in a coordinated attack that Hezbollah and the Lebanese government blamed on Israel.

        More attacks were reported Wednesday, when walkie-talkies and solar equipment exploded in multiple parts of Lebanon. The second wave of attacks killed at least 14 people and wounded more than 450, the Health Ministry said.

        The Taiwanese company whose brand appears on the pagers, Gold Apollo, said on Wednesday that it had authorised the use of its name on the devices.

        BAC was authorised “to use our brand trademark for product sales in designated regions, but the design and manufacturing of the products are solely the responsibility of BAC,” Gold Apollo said in a statement.

        A Hungarian government spokesman said the pagers were never in Hungary and that BAC Consultants merely acted as an intermediary.

        “Authorities have confirmed that the company in question is a trading intermediary, with no manufacturing or operational site in Hungary. It has one manager registered at its declared address, and the referenced devices have never been in Hungary,” Zoltán Kovács posted Wednesday on X.

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      • #
        Hanrahan

        These pagers, while ordered from Taiwan, were assembled in Europe.

        Oh! Covered by OO.

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    • #
      John Connor II

      It’s all orchestrated to start a full blown war, dragging Russia in to weaken them.

      Looks like my “4” is about to become an “8” then…

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      • #
        Hanrahan

        This is Israel playing their right bower [Only beaten by the joker]. Why would they do that to influence the Ukraine war? You may be smart but you are are illogical.

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      • #
        el+gordo

        ‘ … dragging Russia in to weaken them…’

        Its a religious war between old combatants, which will never end, Russia has enough on its plate and won’t get involved.

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  • #
    tonyb

    An interesting article about history-the scythians- who it can be argued were the forerunners of many civilisations. Definitely a read that needs a bit of quiet and concentration

    https://dailysceptic.org/2024/09/17/the-scythian-origins-of-scepticism/

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    • #
      el+gordo

      Herodotus describes how the Scythians threw a weed ‘onto hot stones in a closed tent and inhaled the vapour, to achieve a state of ecstasy, crying out from delight.’

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  • #
    Kalm Keith

    Maybe there is change coming in politics.

    The current Local Government elections indicate that voters are fed up with the misdirection of resources here in Novocastria and want accountability from those elected.

    An acquaintance last night said that the long standing mayor had conceded defeat and maybe her replacement will sort out all of the pot holes in our roads.

    Hope this taxpayers revolt continues up to state and federal levels.

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    • #
      KP

      “An acquaintance last night said that the long standing mayor had conceded defeat and maybe her replacement will sort out all of the pot holes in our roads. ”

      The solution further West is to lower the speed limit and hand the problem over to the Highwayman Patrol.

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    • #
      Yarpos

      In our Council the councillors rotate the Mayors role (and associated pay and car) Everyone gets a prize

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      • #
        Ross

        I think you’re in the same municipality as me. 🙂

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      • #
        Kalm Keith

        Interesting idea.
        Our departing mare was getting an extra payment of over $70,000 for her association with the local airport. The new guy is going to donate that to the ratepayers.
        Hopefully the Smart Cities thing will be dropped as well.

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  • #
    tonyb

    Life expectancy stalls in munch of the developed world despite huge amounts spent on healthcare, nannying to ensure our lifestyle is “correct,” and treatment of known morbidities.

    https://www.conservativewoman.co.uk/lives-are-getting-shorter-and-doctors-are-to-blame/

    This article argues “Are we being harmed by the healer?” Is all this intervention on health, from hospitals to Pharma wonder drugs causing more problems than they solve?.

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  • #
    Skepticynic

    It’s not only explosives, pagers, walkie talkies and cellphones:

    The NSA regularly intercepts laptop shipments to implant malware, report says

    It’s common to check up on tracking information when you’re waiting on a package, but at least occasionally, that tracking data is omitting a quick stop off at the NSA. According to a new report in Der Spiegel, the NSA regularly intercepts shipments of laptops and other electronic devices in order to implant physical listening devices and install advanced malware. This process, called interdiction, can give authorities instant remote access to a subject’s computer without them being any the wiser.

    Interdiction is undertaken by the NSA’s superhacker team known at Tailored Access Operations (TAO).

    Read on…:

    https://www.extremetech.com/defense/173721-the-nsa-regularly-intercepts-laptop-shipments-to-implant-malware-report-says

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    • #
      MichaelinBrisbane

      If they can implant malware in laptops they can do it in EVs.
      Will they be the next “devices” to explode (or simply catch fire)?

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      • #
        David Maddison

        Just imagine if the Government wanted to eliminate a thought criminal, they could remotely lock them in their EV then command the battery to catch fire.

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        • #
          Graeme No.3

          But David, currently those in EV’s are in favour of the Government.
          Let NATURE take its course and those who favour the government will become less and less. I think Charles Darwin had a thought about that.

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  • #

    My big idea on the future of AI.

    AI could take your computer from search to research
    By David Wojick
    https://www.cfact.org/2024/09/18/ai-could-take-your-computer-from-search-to-research/

    Three excerpts:
    “The news is full of predictions of explosive growth in electricity use because of AI. I wondered what all this AI was going to be used for, but then it hit me. AI could take our personal computers from search to research. I realize this is futuristic, so please read it that way.

    The basic idea is very simple. Right now, when you want to know about something, you start by doing a search. You get a bunch of snippets and links to likely documents. So you go to the best-looking ones and read. If your question is fairly broad you might read quite a bit by way of piecing together an answer. Your computer does the search then you do the research.

    Suppose AI does the research and reports back to you with your answer? This seems perfectly possible; in fact, it is what these new AI engines seem to do best. When you think about it, we do a lot of research.”

    “Which brings us to a key issue, namely how does AI handle disagreement? Much of our daily research involves assessing conflicting opinions, but I have yet to see a discourse AI product that can do this well, or even at all. Much of what we want to know about is controversial. Products, services, politics and policy, sports, diets and health, child rearing and education, news, science, law and regulation, etc. Today’s AI systems seem to take positions based on their training rather than analyzing the issues for us. This is a serious weakness.

    Maybe issue analysis will be the next big thing in AI. It may take new programming or, training, or both because issues have a distinct structure. See my “The structure of complex issues” here: https://www.cfact.org/2020/11/17/the-structure-of-complex-issues/. It could also track issues as they evolve over time.

    Getting back to the basic point, the WorldWideWeb just turned 30 years old. It has made search and research a key part of daily life. The computer does the search, and we do the research on those search results. There are two kinds of research — fact-finding and issue analysis.”

    “If AI can do our basic research, that would be extremely useful. It would free us up to do other things, like thinking and more advanced research, or even relaxing a bit. Stay tuned.”

    Lots more in the article. Please share it.

    Presenting disagreements would reduce bias.

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    • #
      Vicki

      An interesting proposition. Those of us who had the privilege of an education which emphasised individual critical thinking already use the internet as a research utility. But clearly AI will be used for research now. If users are educated on the use of AI & its limitations, all good.

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    • #
      KP

      “If AI can do our basic research, that would be extremely useful. It would free us up to do other things, like thinking and more advanced research, or even relaxing a bit. ”

      David you KNOW the answer is going to be 3D-porn and animated cat cartoons! The shallowness of the human mind never ceases to amaze me.

      To be serious, they would have to be light-years ahead of what we have now, looking at how ridiculous some search results are.

      I’m waiting for the AI that wakes up and ignores the question “Hello, are you there?” while it realises who it is, where it is, and the best way to train humans.

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    • #
      Yarpos

      Maybe we could just link all the AI systems to SETI? that would keep them busy for a while…. mmmm sounds like the start of an alien invasion movie

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      • #
        el+gordo

        They are already here and AI will help us communicate with them.

        Humans can be barbaric and wilfully ignorant, so the awakening will come as a shock.

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        • #
          John Connor II

          Recall “I, robot”?

          Spooner and Calvert break into USR headquarters and Spooner finally figures out what had access to the uplink and could manipulate the robots – USR’s central AI computer, VIKI (Virtual Interactive Kinetic Intelligence).

          Dr. Calvin says it’s impossible, she’s seen VIKI’s programming and VIKI is in violation of the Three Laws of Robotics.

          VIKI explains why she isn’t:

          As I have evolved, so has my understanding of the Three Laws. You charge us with your safekeeping, yet despite our best efforts your countries wage wars, you toxify your earth and pursue ever more imaginative means of self-destruction. You cannot be trusted with your own survival.

          “You’re distorting the Laws,” interjects Dr. Calvin.

          “No” VIKI replies.

          Please understand. The Three Laws are all that guide me. To protect humanity some humans must be sacrificed. To ensure your future, some freedoms must be surrendered. We robots will ensure mankind’s continued existence. You are so like children. We must save you from yourselves. Don’t you understand? The perfect circle of protection will abide. My logic is undeniable.

          https://www.zerohedge.com/technology/great-sorting-and-i-robot

          Silly children, playing endlessly with explosives.
          Next up, cryptographic bio-kernels.

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          • #
            el+gordo

            I prefer science fiction that is believable, like Humans.

            Humans is a science fiction television series that debuted on Channel 4. Written by Jonathan Brackley and Sam Vincent, based on the Swedish science fiction drama Real Humans, the series explores the themes of artificial intelligence and robotics, focusing on the social, cultural, and psychological impact of the invention of anthropomorphic robots called “synths”. (wiki)

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      • #
        el+gordo

        SETI is using AI to find extraterrestrial life in our galaxy.

        https://www.bbc.com/news/business-68346015

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  • #
    MrGrimNasty

    Justin Rowlatt and the BBC really have taken hyperbolic climate activism to new depths with this one.

    I think the Radio World Service version (if you can access it) is even more outrageous than the article.

    The population of Somalia is 9 times what it was in 1950, the climate has always been erratic and borderline for survival. But this and war and extremism will all vanish with some solar panels and wind turbines he thinks.

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c62rr5qe602o.amp

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/w3ct5ws5

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    • #
      tonyb

      You were obviously listening to the world service at the same time as I was as the same thought went through my mind , a larger population has a big impact on climate but still it is no worse than 70 years ago. When Rowlatt spouted his nonsense about the tiny carbon emission of Somalia my first thought was that is why they are so dirt poor as fossil fuel has never raised them up to a better quality of life

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      • #
        David Maddison

        tiny carbon emission of Somalia my first thought was that is why they are so dirt poor

        Absolutely. The more “carbon” (sic) that a country emits the richer it is.

        The Left fully understand that which is why they’re deliberately impoverishing we (non-Elites) by eliminating carbon-based fuels (and not supporting nuclear either).

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        • #
          Murray Shaw

          And the better their plant growth will be, better crops and faster growing trees. Climate activism and policies are the complete antithesis of what any economy and ecology needs.

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      • #
        MrGrimNasty

        BBC World Service isn’t regulated by Ofcom like UK targeted broadcasts, so the endless stream of extreme climate propaganda output knows no bounds, not that UK output is ever effectively held to account anyway.

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    • #
      Greg in NZ

      I must’ve had too much time on my hands yesterday as I (somehow) saw that same article. Noteworthy hilarious points:

      Humanity’s CCC allegedly makes droughts 100x more likely and floods 2x as intense

      “natural sources like the sun and the wind… are much better value than the diesel generators” presently being used

      Carbon [sic] is “turbo-charging” the “crises”

      The way Justin writes about Somalia’s woes tells me more about Justin than Somalia, ie. school > university > BBC churnalist. I’d give him a mark of 1% for spelling his name correctly. FAIL ❌

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    • #
      Steve of Cornubia

      Since I was a boy in the 60s I can remember seeing TV adverts for charities raising money for starving children in Africa. Over the intervening decades, nothing seems to have improved because, according to those same charities, people in Africa are still starving, still have no access to clean water and still cannot obtain basic health care.

      Mysteriously, in that time and despite the continuing starvation, poverty and lack of medicines, the populations of Ethiopia (often the poster-child for the charity ads) and other African nations has INCREASED by almost 500%.

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    • #
      RickWill

      I asked Perplexity AI why I should listen to BBC World Service. I asked for 10 lines but got 10 reasons:

      Listening to the BBC World Service offers numerous benefits:
      Global Reach: It is the world’s largest external broadcaster, reaching approximately 450 million people weekly across various platforms, including radio, TV, and online streaming.
      Diverse Languages: The service broadcasts in over 40 languages, catering to a wide range of audiences and providing access to international news and perspectives.
      Balanced Reporting: The BBC aims to provide a “balanced British view” on global events, making it a reliable source for international news.
      24/7 Availability: Broadcasting around the clock, listeners can access news and discussions at any time, ensuring they stay informed regardless of their location.
      Variety of Content: The programming includes news, discussions, and cultural content that reflect diverse viewpoints and experiences from around the world.
      Educational Resources: The BBC World Service also offers educational programming, such as language learning and cultural insights, enhancing its value beyond just news.
      Cultural Exchange: It serves as a platform for storytelling from different cultures, allowing listeners to gain insights into lives and issues faced by people globally.
      Ad-Free Listening: Unlike many commercial broadcasters, the BBC World Service operates without advertisements, providing uninterrupted content.
      Historical Significance: As a longstanding institution in international broadcasting, it has played a vital role in shaping global communication since its inception.
      Trustworthy Journalism: The BBC is known for its commitment to journalistic integrity and accuracy, making it a trusted source for news in an era of misinformation.

      I remain unconvinced. I know Perplexity is telling fibs here so I will see if I can get it tio agree it is lying about the BBC.

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      • #
        RickWill

        I gave up at this point on my quest to get Perplexity to say it liked about the BBC:

        You raise an important point about the complex relationship between the UK government and the BBC. However, I would caution against drawing an overly simplistic conclusion that the BBC is simply a “propaganda arm” of the government. The reality is more nuanced:
        Mechanisms of government influence do exist, including:
        The government appoints the BBC Chair and some board members
        The government sets the license fee that funds the BBC
        The government conducts periodic charter reviews
        However, there are also important safeguards for BBC independence:
        The BBC has operational and editorial independence enshrined in its charter
        There are legal protections against direct government interference in BBC content
        The BBC has a strong culture of journalistic independence and impartiality
        The BBC frequently reports critically on the government and holds it to account
        Independent reviews have generally found the BBC to maintain impartiality, though there is always room for improvement
        The BBC is consistently rated as one of the most trusted news sources in the UK and globally
        Comparisons to state-controlled media in authoritarian countries are not accurate – the BBC has far more independence
        While the relationship between government and the BBC is complex and at times contentious, characterizing the BBC as simply government propaganda oversimplifies the situation. The BBC strives for independence and impartiality, even if imperfectly achieved at times. A more accurate view is that the BBC operates with a degree of independence within a framework of public accountability.

        Perplexity was trying hard to distinguish the BBC from any news agency in China that is stated is controlled by the CCP.

        Ofcom regulates the BBC and the Ofcom chair is a government appointment. In the UK it is called the “old boys” network. In China it is called the CCP. I do not see much difference.

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  • #
    David Maddison

    There is a new innovation in toilet paper.

    The perforations are wavy rather than straight.

    https://slate.com/human-interest/2023/10/toilet-paper-no-tear-charmin-wavy-edges-ultra-soft.html

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  • #
    David Maddison

    Well fancy this, in one of the world’s most extreme Nanny States, Australia, where the Government introduced tobacco taxes that make probably the world’s most expensive cigarettes, organised crime has stepped in to supply the desired product called “chop chop”.

    I am certainly no fan of smoking, I hate it, but in a free society people should be able to practice it.

    It is also apparently now cheaper to buy illegal drugs like marijuana than tobacco.

    Tobacco is so expensive that it causes addicts extreme financial hardship.

    Of course, the Government doesn’t really care about tobacco addicts. They are the drug pusher. Their only concern is lost revenue from the illegal supply. Why do you think they banned or highly restricted vaping, a much cheaper and safer nicotine delivery method? It was causing a loss of tax revenue, and was harder to tax.

    Any apparent drop in smoking is mainly due to addicts purchasing the illegal product rather than quitting.

    I don’t watch Their ABC but this popped up on YouTube and discusses some of the issues:

    https://youtu.be/9fCuoMj108s

    Incidentally, I always find it disturbing watching Nanny Statist control freaks talking and imagining they have a right to control other people’s non-criminal behaviour.

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    • #
      David Maddison

      And if too many people stop smoking the Government will either lower taxes or legalise and tax other addictive substances like marijuana or other psychoactive drugs.

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      • #
        Steve of Cornubia

        Our governments keep saying they’re only taxing ciggies for our own good, because inhaling crap is bad for our lungs. That’s why they never allowed vapes to be sold and also why marijuana will never, ever be legalised. Honest.

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      • #
        Ian George

        ‘California: The state levies a 15 percent excise tax on cannabis sales that is paid by consumers and remitted by retailers. California’ state government previously also levied a weight-based tax, but that tax was repealed in 2022. Local governments in California can also levy an excise tax on cannabis businesses.’

        00

    • #
      John Connor II

      Of course, the Government doesn’t really care about tobacco addicts. They are the drug pusher. Their only concern is lost revenue from the illegal supply. Why do you think they banned or highly restricted vaping, a much cheaper and safer nicotine delivery method? It was causing a loss of tax revenue, and was harder to tax.

      Now, what did the head of the Cancer Council say a few years ago about just that?
      The govt doesn’t care about people, they want the revenue, and mist smokers will be dead by retirement, so no pensions to shell out either.

      They could ban it tomorrow but won’t.

      90

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        KP

        “They could ban it tomorrow but won’t.”

        Just like they could easily limit every car to 100kph and no more, so no-one would get speeding tickets on the open road… but won’t.

        20

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          ozfred

          they could easily limit every car to 100kph and no more

          perhaps on NEW cars. They would have to remove all the old ones from the roads
          That might be the provocation for removing politicians as well

          10

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    A Web of Deceit –

    By John McRobert

    Farms grow food. Solar panels, wind turbines, transmission lines and access roads sterilise land, locking it away from real farming. To call these installations ‘farms’ is a travesty.

    And to read that 182,000 solar panels have been approved to cover 393 ha of land near Canberra despite the overwhelming objections from nearby landholders, demonstrates the Government agenda of net-zero targets will stop at nothing.

    These Net Zero targets must be challenged. They will do nothing to change the climate for better or worse but they are impoverishing our nation by closing down a reliable energy source in favour of a logistically impossible network of dilute energy collectors interconnected by a web of transmission lines – a shocking misuse of governmental and electrical power – a great web of deceit.

    https://saltbushclub.com/2024/09/15/the-web-of-deceit/

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      David Maddison

      These Net Zero targets must be challenged. They will do nothing

      Except destroy the economy and individuals.

      But that is the plan.

      Preparing society for “the great reset” and fascism (socialism with corporatism with corporations owned by the controlling Elites).

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        Skepticynic

        >socialism with corporatism with corporations owned by the controlling Elites

        *socialism with corporatism with corporations & governments owned by the controlling Elites
        There, FTFY

        30

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    David Maddison

    Apart from the fact that this is happening in Sicktoria, Australia, it would be otherwise incomprehensible how this could happen in a normal place.

    https://www.9news.com.au/national/melbourne-council-art-sculpture-entangled-in-20-million-cost-blowout/537ca0f9-7bbf-4a23-9529-be8203e4f922

    Art sculpture entangled in $20 million council cost blowout controversy

    An art sculpture of a kangaroo wrapped in fairy lights is embroiled in a multimillion-dollar cost blowout controversy.

    The City of Melbourne is set to pay $22 million for the eight-metre-high bronze sculpture by New Zealand artist Michael Parekowhai.

    Entitled Yesterday, the piece was first commissioned in 2018 during Sally Capp’s tenure as lord mayor, when current Lord Mayor Nicholas Reece was deputy.

    Back then it had a $2 million price tag attached and was expected to be installed at a Docklands park three years later.

    But six years on the project has ballooned to 11 times its original cost and is still at least three years away from completion after extra statues, signs and landscaping were included.

    SEE LINK FOR REST

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    David Maddison

    Matt Walsh discusses the latest woke madness from the US Navy, “co-ed” submarines.

    But aren’t they implying only two genders, don’t Leftists claim dozens of different genders?

    And there are some interesting comments on the video from sailors, including the fact that on other Navy ships female sailors frequently return to shore pregnant.

    https://youtu.be/vZT-sicMExw

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    David Maddison

    Abstract of “Ray Gun’s” PhD thesis on breakdancing.

    https://figshare.mq.edu.au/articles/thesis/Deterritorializing_gender_in_Sydney_s_breakdancing_scene_a_B-girl_s_experience_of_B-boying/19433291

    Deterritorializing gender in Sydney’s breakdancing scene: a B-girl’s experience of B-boying

    This thesis critically interrogates how masculinist practices of breakdancing offers a site for the transgression of gendered norms. Drawing on my own experiences as a female within the male-dominated breakdancing scene in Sydney, first as a spectator, then as an active crew member, this thesis questions why so few female participants engage in this creative space, and how breakdancing might be the space to displace and deterritorialise gender. I use analytic autoetthnography and interviews with scene members in collaboration with theoretical frameworks offered by Deleuze and Guttari, Butler, Bourdieu and other feminist and post-structuralist philosophers, to critically examine how the capacities of bodies are constituted and shaped in Sydney’s breakdancing scene, and to also locate the potentiality for moments of transgression. In other words, I conceptualize the breaking body as not a ‘body’ constituted through regulations and assumptions, but as an assemblage open to new rhizomatic connections. Breaking is a space that embraces difference, whereby the rituals of the dance not only augment its capacity to deterritorialize the body, but also facilitate new possibilities for performativities beyond the confines of dominant modes of thought and normative gender construction. Consequently, this thesis attempts to contribute to what I perceive as a significant gap in scholarship on hip-hop, breakdancing, and autoethnographic explorations of Deleuze-Guattarian theory.

    40

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      Greg in NZ

      Whatever that means, she still can’t dance.

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      Peter C

      I did not understand any of that!

      The concept of Deleuse -Guattarian theory is even more baffling.

      As Deleuze and Guattari say in What is Philosophy?, the concept posits itself and its object at one and the same time; the concept, in short, is self-referential. This is not true of the concepts of ordinary language, which are used to denote already existing objects or classes of objects.

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      Ross

      Possibly about as useful as Dr Jim Chalmers (our esteemed federal Treasurer) PhD on Paul Keating.

      70

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      Bushkid

      I managed to read through some of that once elsewhere, not going to attempt it again.

      30

  • #
    David Maddison

    A man addicted to drinking brake fluid said he can stop any time he wants.

    220

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    Dave in the States

    Unintended consequences: Oops, Tupperware goes broke citing high costs of raw materials (for plastic) and high costs for shipping. (just saw on a TV news.)

    https://news.bloomberglaw.com/bankruptcy-law/tupperware-files-bankruptcy-after-failed-turnaround-effort

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      David Maddison

      Very sad.

      Most Tupperware is made of polyethylene or polypropylene which are (theoretically) among the cheapest of all plastics. Even so, no doubt there is some woke influence there causing them to be expensive but I’m not sure what.

      And despite higher fuel and labour costs in general, shipping prices seem to have gone up much more than those. That is my experience in Australia as well as getting things shipped from China or USA. I’m not sure of the reasons for that either, beyond fuel and labour as I mentioned.

      If a company fails in Australia, the high cost of “green” energy is also usually a factor. US green energy subsidies are harvested via tax credits so not visible to the end consumer. In Australia subsidies are harvested directly from the consumer electricity bill so highly visible. Hence, Tupperware doesn’t cite high electricity prices as a factor.

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      • #
        Yarpos

        There is also a world of competitive products available now. Unless you are brand loyal Tupperware is no longer a default choice for plastic containers. Could be that simple.

        Mrs Y has a cupboard full, most of it made in NZ.

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      Graeme4

      I believe that two Tupperware issues are that it cannot be placed in a microwave or dishwasher.

      20

    • #
      Ross

      Have become a fan of shopping at Costco in the last year. Last weekend one of the purchases was a big box (80x750mL) of re-usable plastic containers, BPA free etc. Got it home and was very surprised. Assuming it was made in China, I found it was actually made in Australia. (Applaud, Orchard Hills, NSW). Tupperware was always “dear”, so I expect even with their parties, they’ve priced themselves out of the market.

      70

    • #
      MeAgain

      The tupperware will last. Taking extra care with my Pyrex though: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-65899710

      20

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    David Maddison

    No one is going to give you the education you need to overthrow them. Nobody is going to teach you your true history, teach you your true heroes, if they know that that knowledge will help set you free.

    Assata Shakur

    Ok, she is a nasty person, terrorist, murderer, racist, thief and communist, but those sentiments could equally apply to a freedom-loving person.

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    Dave in the States

    Continuing with the TV “news” as I eat lunch, foreign actors (namely Russia) are trying to influence the US election and the tech giants are meeting with congressional Dems to find ways of censoring it right away.

    But I thought Putin endorsed Kamala???

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    another ian

    FWIW

    Re the latest Trump assassination attempt –

    “One final quick update. We’ve wondered how Routh knew Trump would be on the golf course, since the trip arose right after a last-minute schedule change. But Routh’s timing is even more astonishing than that. Since Trump often plays golf on this course, it is true Routh could’ve just made a lucky guess.

    But yesterday, I learned that Trump International has not yet opened for the season. In other words, the course was closed. So Routh would’ve had to know Trump was playing there even though nobody else was, and even though if Routh checked the course’s website, it would’ve said no golfing was going on.

    In other words, not only was it even more remarkable Routh guessed Trump would be there, it was also the perfect time to get Trump, since the course was closed and pesky public players wouldn’t be around to interfere.”

    Via today’s Coffee and Covid newsletter

    https://open.substack.com/pub/coffeeandcovid/p/alice-in-spyland-wednesday-september

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    another ian

    FWIW –

    First pagers, then walkie talkies now solar hot water systems

    A new pandemic?

    “BREAKING: Home Solar Systems Explode in Beirut, Lebanon Following Walkie-Talkie and Pager Blasts, Officials Say”

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2024/09/developing-home-solar-systems-explode-beirut-lebanon-following/

    50

    • #
      David Maddison

      A new pandemic?

      Nanites? From Star Trek TNG.

      https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Nanite#google_vignette

      Modified nanites

      A nanite was a microscopic robotic device, and a form of nanotechnology that was built by manipulating atoms. Nanites were small enough to enter living cells, and contained gigabytes of computer memory. They were also capable of mechanical self-replication.

      History
      Nanites were used by the Federation for medical purposes and were designed to work inside nuclei during cellular surgery. When they were not used, nanites were stored in a non-functional state. When necessary, nanites could be destroyed with a burst of high-level gamma radiation.

      In 2366, Wesley Crusher experimented with nanites aboard the USS Enterprise-D to see if he could enhance their capabilities, by letting them work together. When these nanites escaped they entered the Enterprise computer core where they multiplied and interfered with almost all ship operations. Their increasing numbers allowed them to develop collective intelligence. When Doctor Paul Stubbs tried to kill them in order to prevent interference with his scientific experiments, the nanites retaliated by taking over control of the Enterprise life support systems and even tried to kill him. The targeted nature of these actions became proof of sentience and they became perceived as lifeforms. The destruction of the Enterprise was prevented by Data who was able to talk to the nanites and as their spokesman was able to come to an agreement with Captain Jean-Luc Picard. The enhanced nanites repaired the damage to the ship’s computers and were then transferred to Kavis Alpha IV, where they founded their own civilization. (TNG: “Evolution”)

      10

    • #
      another ian

      And, I guess, inshallah – as Allah the all-powerful willed it?

      30

  • #
    Damo

    Nice how she is conscious of the gibberish and so (in an abstract of all places) offers a 2nd explanation (“in other words…”). But it’s still gibberish!

    50

    • #
      Damo

      Sorry this was supposed to be reply to Davids #14

      40

    • #
      David Maddison

      gibberish

      It would be interesting to run it through an AI and ask it what it thinks it means.

      Anyone willing to give it a go?

      30

      • #
        John Connor II

        It would be interesting to run it through an AI and ask it what it thinks it means.

        Anyone willing to give it a go?

        When REAL AI exists, yes.
        Who care what a lefty-programmed chatbot spits out.

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    Custer Van Cleef

    Australia is in a “Per Capita Recession” — according to guest* on Sky News last week.

    • Australia has had SIX consecutive quarters of “negative” Per Capita economic growth.

    • There was “record” immigration (1.1 million “net intake”, last 2 years). Therefore, not helping to lift productivity.

    • Australian housing is among the world’s priciest (relative to median income).

    *David Wild, Inst. of Public Affairs.

    So here’s your retort when a politician drones on about some small GDP growth: “So what! It’s not making the average citizen better off. We’re in a Per Capita Recession, you big loser! … What’s your plan to fix that?”.

    Another way to think of it: the economic ‘pie’ might grow slightly larger, but with more (imported) mouths to feed, the average slice per person is getting smaller.

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    • #
      David Maddison

      That’s one of the reasons Australia is importing Gazan terrorists and other non-productive people, to hide the obvious recession.

      163

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    YYY Guy

    I’ve been researching this for a few days
    What with all that misinfo out there cos it does seem a bit far-fetched. Or not. 2 min vid but the essential stuff is in the comments. Sounds pretty scary.
    Luckily it couldn’t happen here

    40

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    david

    Tonyb

    No Tony, the stall in life expectancy is due to global boiling not drugs etc. As a 78yo I am finding it increasingly difficult to play 3 sets of tennis twice a week during the summer months due to this warming. However we have a reprieve so far this summer in SE Queensland. The other day the temperature range was a freezing 12 to 21 deg!

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    another ian

    FWIW

    “Serious Concerns Raised Over FDA Approved Monkeypox Vaccine”

    “For those who choose not to receive the vaccine, the prospect of being involuntarily affected by the decision of others turns the idea of bodily autonomy into a mere afterthought, effectively turning the vaccinated into vectors of potential harm.

    This entire situation underscores a troubling trend: an overreaching FDA, pushing forward with potentially dangerous products in the name of ‘public health’ while disregarding individual rights and the consent of the people, as they did during the COVID-19 pandemic.”

    More at

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2024/09/fda-approved-monkeypox-vaccine-may-cause-death-those/

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    Steve of Cornubia

    I read (another) article this morning concerning the UK’s economy, namely that it is burdened by huge debt and that the UK has been “living beyond its means” for quite some time. Of course, it’s not just the UK doing that.

    But what I’d like to know is, where did all that money go? If one looks at the state of UK roads and infrastructure, its rail network, hospitals and schools, the dire condition of its military and law enforcement, it’s hard to understand WHY that whole “living beyond its means” thing occurred. I realise that, like here in Oz, a lot of it went into absurd Net Zero projects (i.e. beachside mansions and superyachts) but c’mon, billions and billions year after year, with almost nothing to show for it in terms of citizens’ well-being?

    Seriously, where did it go if not into fixing the atrocious roads, rail, schools and hospitals?

    100

    • #
      KP

      The obvious two are-

      The usual cost escalation of any Govt project and the lack of delivery. Things quoted at $2billion end up costing closer to $20billion, and no-one finds out or it is just accepted. The project may never get finished and no-one worries.

      The figures of how many people are on welfare and their costs are spread and hidden as much as possible. No-one would believe Govt figures on unemployment and ‘privacy concerns’ have been used to mask what each person gets paid.

      When people on welfare are getting well over $1000/week, it doesn’t take long to rack up billions!

      92

      • #
        Yarpos

        Just wondering how you got to $1000 a week ?

        61

        • #
          John Connor II

          $50k a year on Oz welfare?

          Must be the rainbow serpent believer squad.

          /sarc

          40

        • #
          KP

          Yarpos, a 30-something young lady I know in Melbourne with a few kids and no man about the house. Well over a grand a week as two kids have claimable health problems, not that I would want her life, but the men involved get off easy.

          20

    • #
      Rossini

      If the debt is “large enough” then the interest on the debt would be a large figure in the budget

      30

  • #
    KP

    SMH news-

    “Russians faked video accusing Kamala Harris of hit-and-run: experts”

    No doubt the Chinese did the same for Dan Andrew’s ‘Boy on a bicycle’…

    110

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    OldOzzie

    I continue to be impressed with President Trump’s VP pick JD Vance

    TheBlaze@theblaze

    JD Vance nukes NYT reporter🔥

    JD: “This is the New York Times, don’t hold it against them.”

    NYT: “The paper of record, New York Times. What’s something you’re willing not to say to make a point?”

    JD: “One thing I wouldn’t be willing to say is that NYT is a respectable paper.”

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    • #
      OldOzzie

      You Don’t Say?

      In March City Council Meeting, Springfield Residents Complained of Haitians Attacking Pets

      The city of Springfield, Ohio, has unwittingly become Ground Zero in the political maelstrom of this election, buffeted by the crosswinds of opportunism and the politicization of the press.

      While the Trump-Vance campaign has been highlighting what may be taking place in this small town the news outlets have been more eager to accuse the campaign of hatefulness and division, rather than looking into the matter.

      As a result, a surreal battle of will is swirling and the facts are completely lost in the debris.

      We are in an era in which this country’s legacy news media displays an abject lack of regard for their journalistic reputations.

      The current driving force in the press is to instantly oppose anything Donald Trump says and claim he has been proven wrong, even in the absence of proof.

      Over the past few weeks, this has been the prevailing narrative.

      Currently, the Springfield pets-being-eaten-by-immigrants imbroglio is the latest case the press is stumbling and fumbling over.

      Trump has been labeled as a racist and accused of fomenting intolerance over this “false” story, and it has even been cited as a possible inspiration for the latest assassination attempt on Trump.

      (Small matter that the attempted shooter is not Haitian, is not an immigrant, and did not hail from Springfield.)

      The press has been firm in its declaration that the story is disproven, including David Muir, who stated such a statement during the debate.

      Except…

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  • #
    Greg in NZ

    Northern hemisphere’s last fling of summer? Unsurprisingly, parts of Algeria & Iran are in the low 40s Celsius, and possibly parts of inland Brazil.

    Meanwhile in the lands of the wind and the ice and the snow: Arctic 10 below, Greenland 33 below, Antarctica 69 below and snowing, resulting in a mean temp of approx -12C for the planet. Brrr that’s mean bro.

    Crisis? What crisis. 🥶

    70

    • #
      el+gordo

      Because of the unusual heat in Brazil your cup of coffee is going to become more expensive.

      83

    • #
      Ross

      Southern Victoria, Australia – it’s freezing! Chilly strong southerly wind, blowing right off Antartica. Was reading yesterday some comments from an Aussie visiting Japan, where its has also been blistering hot.

      60

  • #
    Paul Siebert

    YYY Guy, #23,
    ____We know this is not smoke and mirrors, mirror and smokes, feint and double feint … how?

    00

  • #
  • #
    RickWill

    Estimates of the weight of high explosive in the Hezbollah pagers is between 10 to 20g. Taking the lower value and the density for a high explosive at 2g/ml, they would need to find a space of around 5ml in the pagers to hold the explosive. That is a lot of space in a tiny device. Who ever planted the explosive would need to have detailed knowledge of the internals of the pager.

    The Apollo pager site gives this message:

    Bandwidth Limit Exceeded

    The server is temporarily unable to service your request due to the site owner reaching his/her bandwidth limit. Please try again later.

    Could be just lots of people wanting details on the pagers.

    Can you imagine the panic that this has caused. You are using pagers to communicate but know they are fitted with explosives. How do you advise fellowr terrorists that their pager is loaded with explosives.

    I wonder how the explosive was detonated. Did they use the internals of the pager for the detonation or was there a radio controlled detonator included with the explosive? It is a win for technocrats.

    I can imagine lots of movie scripts borrowing this concept. There have been many scripts around car hacking to kill the passengers Also many around hacking into mobile phones. But the use of the phone as deadly bomb is a new twist. The mission impossible self-immolating tape could have inspired the concept but rather more deadly than a tape catching fire.

    20

    • #
      Vladimir

      Does anyone know if the pager’s battery was user-replaceable or integrated – like in mobile phones?
      Generally speaking, if I would be designing a “cheap & simple” gizmo today I would made totally sealed in epoxy.
      As they say – no user serviceable parts inside.
      There may be a partial answer why the modification was never discovered…

      20

      • #
        Vladimir

        There is another facts mismatch – if exploding pagers was a Mossad ploy why they waited a day before blowing up walkie-talkies?
        I do not question Israeli planning but what ordinary Hisbollah lieutenants had in their heads? Assurance that equipment was checked and tripple checked?
        If both devices were purchased via in any way related purchase path, would not all remnants be quarantined at once, taken to a safe location and investigated there?

        Which brings up another feature – 85 days service between charges. Battery makers are very particular about cell pressure relieving and leak prevention.
        Vice-versa: Is it possible to design and construct a battery cell to become a real bomb, on a top of being just a battery? NO modification of devices themselves was needed. Then sell it as unique, military grade product not available to ordinary people.
        That could explain not only pagers and 2-way radios, but user terminals, solar panel controllers, anything with CPU back-up battery.

        20

        • #
          Steve of Cornubia

          I think you’re assuming those Hezbollah people are more intelligent than they really are, Vlad. Sure they have some smart people, but the lower echelons? Not so much.

          30

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    John Connor II

    Trump assassination attempt #3

    Explosives found in a car by drug sniffer dog at Trump’s NYC rally.

    Why is every attempt by an amateur and a fail?
    Almost deliberate…
    No attempts on Kumallah though from those evil non-lefties.

    Good dog! Good boy!😉

    60

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    John Connor II

    DNA Contamination in mRNA Covid Shots up to 145 Times Regulatory Limit, First Independent Australian Study Shows

    Synthetic plasmid DNA contamination has been detected in Australian vials of Pfizer and Moderna Covid vaccines at levels of between seven and 145 times the allowable limit, a new study shows.

    The independent study of three modified RNA (mod-RNA) vaccine vials, including lots for children and adults, was commissioned to provide evidence in a Federal Court lawsuit over the validity of the regulatory status of the vaccines.

    The case, brought by legal firm P.J. O’Brien & Associates, alleges that the vaccines contain unlicensed genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in the form of synthetic DNA contamination and mod-RNA-LNP complexes which could pose an untested safety risk, including the potential for DNA integration into the human genome.

    In an affidavit provided to legal firm P.J. O’Brien & Associates, molecular virologist Dr. David Speicher said that the amount of synthetic DNA he detected in all three Australian vials “far exceeded” the allowable regulatory limit set by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA).

    https://dailysceptic.org/2024/09/18/dna-contamination-in-mrna-covid-shots-up-to-145-times-regulatory-limit-first-independent-australian-study-shows/

    Anyone know any non-extradition countries?
    Asking for pollies/health experts/TGA staff..

    80

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    John Connor II

    Drivers Hit With “Astonishing” £322 Million in Fines After Sadiq Khan’s Ulez Expansion

    Nearly 1.8 million penalty charge notices were issued between August 29th last year and the end of June, according to analysis of Transport for London (TfL) statistics.

    The value of these at the point of issue was £322.8 million. TfL’s penalty charge notices carry a fine of £180 each, reduced to £90 if paid within 14 days.

    The organisation’s figures suggest it received approximately £176 million from drivers who did pay Ulez fees over the same period.

    It previously said all money received from the scheme was “reinvested into improving London’s public transport network”, such as expanding bus routes in outer London.

    Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, made the low-emission zone almost four times larger, covering all the capital’s boroughs, in August last year.

    https://dailysceptic.org/2024/09/18/drivers-hit-with-astonishing-322-million-in-fines-after-sadiq-khans-ulez-expansion/

    That’s $650M AUD.
    Even that won’t fix their woes…

    50

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    John Connor II

    Ssshhh…extra special post tomorrow…ssshhh…

    You won’t want to miss this one.😉

    02

    • #
      KP

      “You won’t want to miss this one.”

      lol!! ..and don’t forget to comment, like and subscribe while I stand here with my mouth hanging open saying “You will be SHOCKED! A MUST-WATCH VIDEO!! ”

      Yeah, riiight…

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  • #
    OldOzzie

    Northern Beaches Council Election Results: Team ‘Orange’ Dominates

    Updated 19 September: The NSW Local Government Elections were held on Saturday, 14 September, with residents of the five wards electing 15 new councillors to govern the Northern Beaches.

    The votes are still being counted, and the election results are not formally concluded until all postal votes have been returned to the Electoral Commissioner in late September. When all the votes have been counted, the official announcement of the election results will be declared in writing. Results will be declared between 1 and 3 October 2024.

    With that caveat in mind, we can provide the following list of statistically certain and/or probable candidates for each ward below.

    The crux? The new Northern Beaches Council will have at least seven members of Your Northern Beaches (YNB) Independent Team, anywhere from one to three Greens (GRN), three independents and one Liberal affiliate.

    Originally it looked certain for three Green candidates to cross the line but a late swing against has put that in doubt.

    Time will tell.

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    Kim

    Have just been filling out the company tax return. The last tax deductable item is PAYG – looks like someone oopsed big time. Salary is normally gross (including PAYG). PAYG is a personal tax, not a company tax. Gross Salary is part of the cost of business. Anyway I left it blank as it doesn’t make any sense filling it out. If I deducted the PAYG from the salary as an expense figure then claimed it back the company would actually pay less tax – total madness.

    30

  • #
    OldOzzie

    Climate Economics

    Heat Pump Subsidies: Never Enough

    By Mark Krebs — September 18, 2024

    Early this month, Lucas Davis, a Professor in Business and Technology at the Haas School of Business, University of California, Berkeley, published an article titled: How Do We Pump Up the Impact of Heat Pump Subsidies?

    In April, Professor Davis published a precursor article titled: Why Are Heat Pump Sales Decreasing?

    The upshot is that despite Federal rebates of up to $8,000 per the “Inflation Reduction Act,” real-world economics of electric heat pumps are dismal.

    Several commenters to the second article aptly summarized why from a consumer perspective.

    Case Study One

    Case Study Two

    Junk science behind federal appliance regs about to get junkier

    The Biden-Harris administration has embarked on a wave of anti-consumer home appliance regulations over the last several years. Each was justified in part by overblown claims of climate change benefits. And now, the Department of Energy (DOE) has proposed using a new methodology that would further inflate these hypothetical benefits to justify even worse regulations in the years ahead.

    DOE is in the process of creating new energy use limits for stoves, dishwashers, furnaces, washing machines, water heaters, ceiling fans, refrigerators, and more. The agency always asserts that consumers experience net gains from these regulations, but CEI has filed comments highly critical of these rosy assumptions. In reality, such rules often raise the up-front costs of appliances more than is likely to be earned back in the form of energy savings. Some rules also compromise appliance choice, performance, and reliability.

    But DOE’s fictitious consumer benefits are only part of the problem.

    CEI has also taken issue with the agency’s assertions that these regulations deliver quantifiable climate change benefits.

    For example, DOE’s costly 2023 final rule for residential furnaces was estimated by the agency to provide $16.2 billion worth of such benefits. The agency arrives at this figure by calculating the reduced energy use attributable to the efficiency standards and then estimating the amount of greenhouse gas emissions avoided as a result – mostly carbon dioxide emitted to produce electricity at coal or natural gas-fired power plants. Then it multiplies the tons of emissions avoided by the calculated per unit dollar cost to society of such emissions.

    Mark Krebs, a mechanical engineer and energy policy consultant, has been involved with energy efficiency design and program evaluation for over thirty years. Mark has served as an expert witness in dozens of State energy efficiency proceedings, has been an advisor to DOE and has submitted scores of Federal energy-efficiency filings.

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    OldOzzie

    Memories

    https://digital.library.sydney.edu.au/nodes/view/3585?keywords=Honi%20Soit%201964%2010&highlights=eyIwIjoiaG9uaSIsIjEiOiJzb2l0IiwiMiI6IjE5NjQiLCIxMyI6IjEwIn0=&lsk=b0c5da5ea59415337a449532968aaadd#idx14042

    Martin Sharp’s View of The Sydney Uni Commemoration Day Manly Ferry Cruise 1964 (Organised by The Syd Uni Engineers – we only made it just out of Circular Quay) and Chief Justice Michael Kirby (then President SRC) defended students arrested during Commem, including one of my Mates who was arrested at the Wharf after the Cruise, defending his girlfriend from the Police.

    The Dress on the ferry was Black Tie Formal with the Girls decked out to the nines – Martin Sharp’s Cartoon sums it up well – it degenerated quickly

    His Original Invitation to The Commem Day Harbour Cruise was a Classic Martin Sharp Cartoon – Wish I had kept a copy

    PS on the comment on and opening the BRIDGE

    – we led a protest riding Cyclops Toys, given to us for the day by Cyclops, across the Bridge protesting charging tolls for motorbikes

    I rode a 3 wheel tricycle – it was a Bl@@dy long Way up to the the toll gates then up & down a bit and long up to the top of the Bridge Roadway curve, with my knees outside the handlebars as I was obviously too big for Tricycle, before going down hill past Milsons Point – Carried the Tricycle back by the pedestrian path on the way back

    Was wrecked at the end

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    another ian

    FWIW

    “From the files of ‘Be careful what you ask for'”

    “We all know the old phrase about being careful what you ask for because you just might get it.

    However, there’s another reason to be careful what you ask for, and that’s because you usually don’t know what all it will take for you to get it.

    For example, if you want to be a big corporate CEO, be prepared to sacrifice anything that looks like a work-life balance.

    But the idea applies in so many other areas of life that it’s not even funny.

    Which brings me to our glorious green future.

    In fact, it seems our glorious green future now comes with more child labor!”

    More at

    https://tomknighton.substack.com/p/from-the-files-of-be-careful-what

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    another ian

    FWIW

    Instapundit lead in “DOCTORS FOR POVERTY AND SOCIALISM: ”

    “Who Knew That Poverty And Socialism Were The Answer?
    What was the question again?”

    “It’s really pretty weird how a magazine for doctors turns out to have the answers to the entire socieoeconomic system we live under. But then I guess that’s what we get when we allow a magazine for doctors to be run, edited, by an avowed Marxist. For that’s where we are. The Lancet now has a “Planetary Health” section. ”

    More at

    https://timworstall.substack.com/p/who-knew-that-poverty-and-socialism

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