Thursday Open Thread

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61 comments to Thursday Open Thread

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    How many climate scientists does it take to change a lightbulb?

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    • #
      Yonniestone

      I dunno, how many?

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    • #

      Do you know how many hits google gives that

      None. Just unscrew the light bulb. Lower the carbon footprint.

      Anyway almost all the jokes turn out to be along these lines

      How many climate sceptics does it take to change a lightbulb?
      None. Eventually the lightbulbs will right themselves.

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      • #

        How many climate deniers does it take to change a light bulb?
        None, because they’ll never agree it needs changing until it’s too dark to find it.

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          Dennis

          What is a “climate denier”?

          Everybody I know understands that there is climate and weather, naturally.

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          Strop

          Apparently 97% of light bulbs fear not being able to illuminate at night if there’s no wind.

          There’s 97% consensus amongst light bulbs that being powered during the day by sunlight is ironic because it’s when they’re least needed.

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      Travis T. Jones

      Q. How many incandescent light globes must be replaced with ‘eco’ light globes before any global warming is prevented? Anywhere?

      A. 0.

      We’ve done the experiment.

      Replacing your lightglobes to prevent weather.

      Don’t you realise how insane that sounds?

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      StephenP

      They can’t find the light bulb because it’s dark, the sun’s not shining and the wind isn’t blowing. No electricity!

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      Mal

      When the wind doesn’t blow and the sun doesn’t shine, they wouldn’t know if it needed changing anyway.
      If they lived in California, they would need a dozen computer models to predict if they needed to change it in 50 years time

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      PeterS

      There is no light globe. It’s an illusion. The climate scientists made it up.

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    • #

      Seven climate scientists + one politician
      One to lecture on efficient light bulbs
      One union representative
      One to stand on the ladder and hold the light bulb
      Four to rotate the ladder.
      One politician to make a speech claiming without his leadership there would be no light
      In the US there would also be Black Lives Metter representative

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    • #
      OriginalSteve

      If we let the eco loons have thier heads, we wouldnt have any factories to make lightbulbs….

      20

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    Ann Johnson

    Answer to Sheldon:

    Not sure, they have a ladder but can’t climate

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    Dennis

    How many NSW Government woke Ministers does it take to count Koala and protect forests against bushfires by leaving it to nature, and therefore natural selection?

    Ask them all what they think about coal, gas, wind turbines, solar panels and electric vehicles and to explain why, their weird responses will explain why Koala and Wildlife protection and bushfires are so confusing.

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    • #

      Sure would be a weird answer if you asked all of them “what do you think about solar panels?” And then to explain why? ((Why do they think about solar panels? What?!)

      What do you think about pavlova Dennis? Or how about cathode rays? Why?

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      • #
        sophocles

        but the Sun doesn’t have any panels.
        It’s an oblate spheroid. Everyone knows that (or should — all sceptix do …)

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  • #
    David Maddison

    This won’t be reported on the legacy media or by any government agency. There are new clinical trial (pilot study) results showing high dose Vitamin D supplementation in a clinical setting works with helping survive covid in advanced cases. Sssshhh… or it will be banned in Victoriastan. (Those of us who follow the science know that vitamin D along with zinc outside of a clinical setting is also helpful.)

    https://youtu.be/3mth0LqC9z4

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  • #
    David Maddison

    New Zealand video. Why are C-19 cases soaring in NZ?

    https://youtu.be/kcONxyAJ8S4

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    • #
      Peter C

      Wow! Thanks you David.

      Dr Sam Baird is both good looking and smart. ( 8 minutes of my life not wasted).
      She talks about the PCR test and explains why it should not be used as a screening test. Baynes theory comes into it. Then goes on to rubbish any future vaccine and finally shows that Covid is Not Spanish Flu. She is also a civil libertarian (no one should be forced to take the vaccine)

      Gee Aye has defended the PCR test as a diagnostic test and might like to comment on its use both as a diagnostic test and as a community screening test?

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      • #
        Fred Streeter

        The Real Time PCR phase provides a “bulked up” (up to 35 billion copies per viral RNA string) Transcribed Viral DNA sample from an Upper Respiratory Swab or a Lower Respiratory Sample.

        Then the Diagnostic Test phase compares the sample of Transcribed Viral DNA against that of SARS-CoV-2.

        If there is a match Bob’s your Uncle – Healthcare Professionals can perform further tests to determine appropriate procedures.

        As it is possible to have your Lungs infected with SARS-CoV-2 and yet have your Upper Respiratory Tract show no infection, or infection by a different virus e.g. Influenza, my preferred testing procedure would be on the lines of:

        Test 1: Upper Respiratory Tract Swab.
        Negative? – Test 3 (preferably) else Test 2.
        Test 2: Upper Respiratory Tract Swab.
        Negative? – Test 3.
        Test 3: Lower Respiratory Tract Sample.
        Negative? – Go home.

        Else Commend your body to your Health Care Professionals, and your soul to your God(s).

        It should greatly rule out false negatives, but it is somewhat invasive.

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      • #

        Peter – that is incorrect. I wrote that PCR is very sensitive at detecting the presence of viral nucleotides. It is up to clinicians and health authorities to make the call on what that means.

        The call that is universally made is that since there is a high chance that someone with detectable viral genetic material is infectious 9and the evidence for that has been presented ad nauseam), the best thing to do is treat them as though they are infectious.

        I never said it is a test for diagnosing the disease conoid-19

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      Strop

      I thought she was being a bit inappropriate talking about test results being niggertive.

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      OriginalSteve

      I have my suspicions they just create new cases to keep fear on the boil…otherwise there seems no logical ay for them tobappear out of thin air…either that or the NZ govt is completely incompetent….maybe both….

      40

  • #
    David Maddison

    Article:

    https://yated.com/is-the-tide-shifting-on-hydroxychloroquine/

    Is The Tide Shifting On Hydroxychloroquine?

    By Debbie Maimon – Aug 19, 2020

    ‘It Sickened Me To My Stomach’

    As millions of Americans continue to battle Covid-19, a chorus of voices in the medical community has emerged to challenge the mainstream view that hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) is ineffective as a Covid-19 treatment.

    Experts across the country calling for the release of HCQ to treat the virus have been joined by elected officials and other personalities who have recovered from the disease, and want to share their personal experience with hydroxychloroquine.

    Their testimonials run counter to the toxic narrative emanating from the FDA, Dr. Anthony Fauci, Democratic congressmen, media personalities and other pundits intent on trashing the drug as “dangerous” and “unproven.”

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    PeterS

    The events surround the funeral border ban is setting sparks flying for the Qld Premier. She is heartless. Actors and players can enter the state because of the money but not OK to let someone in for a funeral. Sorry, but those who advocate for keeping the lockdowns going are showing their true colours.

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    • #
      OriginalSteve

      Yep.

      Now you see the ugly face of what they would do to us if they truly could….

      Evil is never far away…think about how fast Germany spiralled down into efficient, cold genocidal butchery….

      And yes, it can happen again….

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      • #

        This from the excellent lord Sumption formerly of the UK supreme court

        ‘If you are going to inaugurate the greatest invasion of personal liberty in our entire history, even including wartime measures, if you dare to do that, then you have to move straight into justification mode.

        The Government has now found itself trapped in a position where, first of all, it has to exaggerate the extent of the problem in order to justify its past actions. And secondly, by exaggerating the scale of the problem, it is contributing to the difficulty that it now faces in persuading people to go back to school and back to work, because naturally what people ask is, well, what has changed since?

        The use of fear has, of course, been noticed by many people. And some members of Sage have made public statements since then saying that this was perhaps overdone, but it was a matter of deliberate policy, as it quite clearly was. “What you have to remember is that when societies lose liberty, it is not because liberty has been crushed under the boot of some tyrant. It’s usually because they’ve been frightened into giving it up voluntarily.’

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          PeterS

          So true, unfortunately. Our state leaders have been caught out telling lies about who made the decisions to apply the lockdowns based on modelling and medical advice, yet they have the arrogance to continue with the lockdowns. They all should resign.

          60

  • #
    Kalm Keith

    After reading about all the discord in Britain over “the immigrant problems” it seems like time to reflect on one of the past exemplars of sound judgement.

    Abu Ben Adam had the right idea but he could think clearly because there were no mobile phones, just verbal interaction;

    He did post this, not sure how, so long ago,

    https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/44433/abou-ben-adhem

    KK

    20

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    Furiously curious

    ABC-Opening the door to 1984. How about some merc Jo?

    https://www.flickr.com/photos/149157242@N05/50328232801/in/dateposted-public/

    20

  • #
    David Wojick

    https://www.cfact.org/2020/09/10/systemic-racism-is-emotional-semantics/

    Doing some concept analysis, my Ph.D. field (analytic philosophy). More coming.

    Systemic racism is not racism. It is unhappy statistics.

    David

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  • #
    Chad

    Fed Guvm’t’ pushing the Hydrogen plan again b announcing an agreement with Germany for technology development and sales….
    https://www.trademinister.gov.au/minister/simon-birmingham/media-release/australia-and-germany-work-together-hydrogen
    And sighting the Infinite Blue $300m project in WA as its star !
    https://www.businessnewsaus.com.au/articles/infinite-blue-energy-secures-funding-for–300m–green-hydrogen–plant-in-wa.html
    But with hydrogen pricing already below $10/kg, and the intention to drive it down to <$2/kg,..what is the future for a $300m facility that is only planned to produce 25.000kg per day ?

    20

    • #
      Graeme No.3

      The kicker is the last bit in Business News.
      “Western Australia has a patchy history with green energy, after Carnegie Clean Energy’s (ASX: CCE) heralded $16 million Albany wave farm failed to deliver on expectations, leading to millions in losses for investors.”
      Assuming 365 days of sunshine the payback time (not counting operating expenses) is 3.3 years at $10/kg and 16.4 years at $2/kg.

      There are a few problems

      “The Pilbara claims a number of climate records:
      seven of Western Australia’s top 10 hottest days (to 2016), with Mardie recording the hottest day on record – 50.5 degrees Celsius (°C) high temps reduce solar PV output
      most sunshine hours a day in Australia (more than 10 hours a day) good, but what effect if clouds increase?
      second highest inter-annual variability in rainfall (second only to central Australia) solar output while it is raining?
      the most cyclone-prone area along the Australian coastline.”

      10

      • #
        Chad

        There obviously are “customers” paying $10/kg , but you can bet they will in future source from the lower price producers.
        There already are manufacturers able to produce H2 at $7.0/kg, and claim that with development at large scale, that can be below $2.0 very easily ?
        Either way, for H to be viable as an electricity “storage” or clean fuel source, it will have to be much cheaper.
        1 kh of H2, is good for 24kWh of electricity from a fuel cell, so even at $2.0/kg, that suggests a “fuel” cost of $0.08 /kWh , which is still orders of magnitude more than full generation costs from LNG, Coal, wind or solar,

        10

        • #
          Graeme No.3

          Chad:

          You are assuming a 100% efficient “fuel cell”. Even the best laboratory ones get about 90% efficiency, but they are useless as mobile power (possibly something to do with their 10 ton weight). More mobile “fuel cells” are 60% efficient and downwards.
          Then there is the cost of storage and shipping. Hydrogen has a very low B.P. (minus 255℃) thus requires more energy to liquify it. The losses are also likely to be higher than with natural gas.
          I suggest also you also work with dollars per MWh. That means a cost (based on $2 selling price) of a minimum around $139 /MWh compared with coal fired at $40-50, and nuclear at $60/MWh. And if the price of hydrogen only drops to $5/kg. then the whole idea is fantasy, but probably will be propped up with taxpayers funds without their wishes.

          10

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  • #

    Australia and England didn’t take a knee at the start of the latest mini series which hasn’t been widely reported

    https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2020/09/11/refusal-of-england-and-australia-cricketers-to-take-a-knee-draws-fire/

    60

    • #
      el gordo

      Mixing sport with politics is a bad look and the Australian public is quite firm on this.

      20

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      Graeme No.3

      I can’t see why our cricketers should make a futile gesture to gain favour with multi-millionaire American athletes, especially from some other sport.

      20

  • #
    RossP

    I do not know anything about this Perth based researcher but reading the summary of her report, she seems to have dug very deep into the Covid issue from all angles. The report is long, but it might be worth a read.

    https://www.harrisonpublications.org/covid-19-plandemic-profit-fallout.html

    10

  • #
    el gordo

    Further to our theological discussions …

    ‘U.S. Christians, especially evangelical Christians, identify as environmentalists at very low rates compared to the general population. According to a Pew Research Center poll from May 2020, while 62% of religiously unaffiliated U.S. adults agree that the Earth is warming primarily due to human action, only 35% of U.S. Protestants do – including just 24% of white evangelical Protestants.’ The Conversation

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  • #
    el gordo

    This from Notrickszone is really hard to reconcile because its during the LIA, requires further investigation.

    ‘Another new study (Esper et al., 2020) suggests there has been no net warming in Spain since 1350 A.D.

    ‘The years that spanned 1474-1606 A.D. scored 7 of the 10 warmest years in the record. In contrast, there has been only 1 warmest year (1961) and 4 of the 10 coldest years since 1880.

    ‘The 2 warmest 30-year (climate) periods occurred in the decades surrounding the ~1530s and ~1820s.

    ‘The authors record a “striking” and abrupt (within decades) 1°C warming trend during the late 1700s to early 1800s that exceeds any temperature change in the modern record.’

    10

  • #
    Lucky

    Related to statistics for places that use or do not use a particular cure, on Peter C on 5.1 and 6.2, and on Tonyb 7.7.1-

    If the test worked, that is if it did what was claimed, and had a false positive rate of say one percent, the resultant outcome could be far worse than an erroneous one percent. This can be shown by probability calculations using Bayes Theorem.

    For a general explanation of Bayes see-
    https://betterexplained.com/articles/an-intuitive-and-short-explanation-of-bayes-theorem/

    For application to detection of viruses-
    https://towardsdatascience.com/false-positives-negatives-and-bayes-rule-for-covid-19-testing-750eaba84acd

    This relates to the question-
    https://medium.com/@javiergb_com/why-testing-positive-for-a-disease-may-not-mean-you-are-sick-4a3a16a290eb

    The real problem is in that first ‘If’.
    https://wattsupwiththat.com/2020/09/07/covid-19-testing-1000-times-too-sensitive/

    It may look as if I am making a case that this test gives random results, well, it is worse than that.

    00

  • #
    Speedy

    Don’t forget – Leave out your old boots by the letterbox tomorrow – It’s “Give Chairman Dan the Boot” day.

    My oldest and dirtiest and hardest are out there already – and I’m not even from Victoria! (Mind you ALL Australians will be paying for his stupidity for a long time…)

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    tom0mason

    I was searching for the correct spelling of the novelist’s Clive Cussler’s name the other day and came across this page https://www.ranker.com/list/famous-people-named-clive/reference

    What I noticed was that there was very few non-white guys called Clive.
    I think I’ll start a campaign with the title “Black Clives Matter!”

    10

    • #

      Coincidentally in the UK Daily telegraph today is a letter bemoaning the fact that only three Clive’s were registered as a birth name in 2019 in the whole of the UK

      I like Cussler although I get very irritated at the way he brings himself into his own books.

      10

  • #

    I have given you a green tick although I shouldn’t really encourage that terrible joke!

    10