|
|
Midweek Unthreaded
…
10 out of 10 based on 20 ratings
|
JoNova A science presenter, writer, speaker & former TV host; author of The Skeptic's Handbook (over 200,000 copies distributed & available in 15 languages).
Jo appreciates your support to help her keep doing what she does. This blog is funded by donations. Thanks!
Follow Jo's Tweets To report "lost" comments or defamatory and offensive remarks, email the moderators at: support.jonova AT proton.me
Statistics
The nerds have the numbers on precious metals investments on the ASX
|
“John Anderson’s terrific column today about those who steal our trust.”
https://www.michaelsmithnews.com/2019/02/john-andersons-terrific-column-today-about-those-who-steal-our-trust.html
Inferences for the CAGW crowd when it doesn’t turn up IMO
70
When they see any aspect of weather, any repeated event, any genuine disaster its CAGW. How can it not turn up in their minds when they can assign it flexibly to everything? Rationalisation may go in opposite directions , but thats OK. Its a very comfortable fantasyland to live in when you can never be wrong and ignore the real world and passe disciplines like Engineering.
00
They remind me of dim witted, newly shorn sheep……bounce bounce….not a brain cell between them….
10
Nice little earner there
“GetUp pockets commission $$$ for every customer it refers to its bank”
https://www.michaelsmithnews.com/2019/02/getup-pockets-commission-for-every-customer-it-refers-to-its-bank.html
Careful who you bank with
100
Time we stopped regarding GeeUp as mere sneaks and manipulators served by well-intentioned volunteers. More and more they resemble other great leftist institutions like the IRA and CIA which eventually became massive crime organisations running everything from drugs and arms to humans. I’m not saying GeeUp have gone that far. I’m saying watch out. Take them seriously.
While the CIA has its direct mouthpieces installed across the world in the form of leftist CNN and the leftist Washington Post (intell pours in from leftist Amazon etc), GeeUp’s media power is pretty strong locally and well extended internationally. Funding and other forms of support can come from anywhere. So far they are not a crime organisation on their own, but everything is in place to make them such.
I appreciate that there are sincere foot soldiers slogging away in what they see as a good cause. But secrecy and power are a very bad mix. It would be great if a much stronger light was cast on GeeUp now. Later they may own the light.
112
Trump is just starting his big speech .
80
Biggest ever
59
Yup!
30
Longest EVA but I thought he went to great lengths to be bipartisan daring the dems to sit on their hands. Even Nancy had to stand and applaud sometimes.
The man is a showman, a match for Barnham.
62
one of them is dead
58
I have to apologise for the green thumb. Sorry. I was insensitive.
60
Yep, he’s a showman alright. And one of the best Presidents that the USA has ever had. Let’s hope he gets a second term to finish off his disruption of the globalist cabal.
Incidently, his State of The Union speech was measured by CBS after delivery. The results were:
> 76 percent of CBS viewers approved of what they heard in President. Trump’s SOTU speech;
> 72 percent of CBS viewers said they approved of President Trump’s SOTU ideas for immigration.
Stick that in your pipe Pelosi and suck.
173
Nance seems to have better dentures this year. Last year she seemed to have a piece of lemon peel stuck under them from some of the faces she was pulling.
30
Nope. Not according to your ABC 101.9 news at 5:00pm today.
But certainly the best ever.
22
According to someone else’s ABC Pelosi stole the show with a petulant golf clap in Trump’s face after the speech. I guess the ABC has stopped even pretending to be balanced anymore. My missus saw the speech and said it was pretty good.
110
I cant stand the look an that woman’s (Pelosi) face, so conceited.
42
Further to that … Tim Pool (centre left independent YouTube reporter) showed the poll results from the speech. Trump got approval from the right, as expected, but the vast majority of the centrist voters as well:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ej-GxePcmnA
If he can keep up that form he will win the next election easily.
50
Trump has really put some effort into this speech and you can see where it’s headed .
60
Why can’t I be paid twice for the work I do?
Renewable energy generators are paid twice.
Quick, somebody think up a certificate system so that we can all be paid twice.
140
Serp,
They are more like 3 times. They sell the little energy they produce to their customers for about 40c/kw then sell the energy certificates as a compulsory purchase to the networks for about 85c/kw. Download the latest annual report for Hepburn Wind Community Wind Farm built by Simon Holmes a Court as an example of profit margin for an energy source that can only ever produce 25% of rated capacity.
131
Plus the get depreciation deductions on equipment for which the unsuspecting public paid. So no tax!
60
.
❶①❶①❶①❶①❶①❶①❶①❶①❶①❶①❶
❶①❶①
❶①❶① . . . People of Earth !!! . . .
❶①❶①
❶①❶① . . . Our bacterial overlords, have a message for you. . . .
❶①❶①
❶①❶①❶①❶①❶①❶①❶①❶①❶①❶①❶
.
People of Earth !!!
Our bacterial overlords, have a message for you.
A normal human body is made up of cells. 90% of the cells that make up a normal human body, are of bacterial origin.
That’s right. Only 10% of the cells that make up a normal human body, are of human origin.
If life was a democracy, then bacteria would control what you watch on television (and we wouldn’t watch the latest Star Trek series. We would watch “Game of Thrones” (we can’t wait for the next season to begin)).
We are concerned that humans have started using chemicals, which kill 99.9% of bacteria. Don’t you realise that 99.9% of bacteria are harmless, or actually beneficial to humans?
Bacteria of the world, are about to take an important vote. Should we start using body-wash, which kills 99.9% of humans (we don’t have hands to rub the chemicals into our “skin”, so we have to use body-wash).
Humans are stupid. And don’t get me started on global warming. We bacteria like temperatures to be about 5 to 10 degrees Celsius warmer than current temperatures. Then we can reproduce at our optimum rate. Splitting in 2, once every 20 minutes. Even the way that you humans reproduce, is disgusting. Why there are so many of you vermin, we don’t understand.
Once we have mastered using TV controls, then the thermostat is our next goal.
https://agree-to-disagree.com/people-of-earth
30
………….and further people of earth….your kind has forgotten/ignored your most valuable sources of food are the predigested remnants of bacteria/bacillus etc. For example, sauerkraut, Kimchi, Kefir, Natto (Chung-gook-jang) and other incredible work done by microbes…..ignore these ancient primordial super foods at your peril people of earth.
And K2.
“Vitamin K2 and cardiovascular calcification”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZumCN9qbIpk
20
….and various fermented bean pastes, fermented fish/meat….
00
I’ve long been a big fan of Vit K2. Been meaning to post on for ages.
61
K2, Natto, and other fermented foods are a recent area of study for me.
The culinary side of this total ‘rebirth’, as it were, has been just as significant gastronomically….i have about 20 new ingredients i can use that i never thought could taste so good…An instant miso soup on the fly, or natto added to a salad, natto instead of cheese in pasta sauce,…OMGosh i put natto in everything/anything and am preparing to assemble an incubator (40-50 degrees C circa) to make my own natto in the 24 hour Bacillus Subtilis fermentation process..Been making my own sauerkraut and Kefir for months now. It is wonderful having extra things i can choose to eat.
I 2 am now a big fan of K2 too/2.
Still in awe/shock after recently learning that human bodies, and in this case mine, is comprised collectively as a whopping +90% microbial cells/mitochondria/etc, Strewth!
Now that the membrane/veil has been lifted i am never alone 🙂
30
Yep, keep fermenting. I’ve tried drying my bamboo shoots and they were a dud (though the Chinese dry enormous quantities and achieve success somehow). Fermented they are even better than fresh.
My fave is a lacto of tiny little chokos, tossing a branch of tea camellia or wattle into the brine to keep them crisp. Done this way chokos are superior to traditional baby cukes, which are delicious too. (Big cannonball chokos are another matter. I’d rather chuck them at globalists than eat them fermented.)
40
Grocery Store Wars
(Featuring Cuke Skywalker)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=csaONUnvmaQ
10
Must try Chokos.
Tried fennel with cabbage. Must try your tip to add crunch. Thanks! I am still getting a feel for the salt. Last lot added more salt. Previously i had been using less salt and recon i was close to optimum taste when using less salt. There is probably no harm in adding some extra cabbage to the more recent salty lot.
10
What happens when you lose 20kg.
I went from 105 down to 85kg in 15 months.
Did I lose 20kg of me or18kg of microbes and 2kg of me?
Grant money please.
$1million over next 2.years should do it.
40
K2 and D3 go together like knife and fork. And not the 400 IUs “recommended” more like 4,000 if you don’t get any sun.
Osteoporosis and much more can be beaten with these two cheap vits.
30
O HoratiO !?
31
Yes Jo.
Please write about Vitamin K2!
Lets start with: What is a Vitamin?
What does Vitamin K do?
What are Vitamin K1 and K2? All interesting questions.
Is it sensible to eat fermented vegetables?
00
Your moderators too need to help by keeping knowledge of the ancient microbial ways in moderation for as little time possible if at all…
Time is of the essence. Your medical system has become dysfunctional due to a nefarious need to make profit and to control.
30
Moderators please ban all comments 6 – 6.2 , heh heh .
00
Err,
What do you actually mean, Environmental Skeptic?
Is this a frolic into some sort of druidism?
00
Microbes are highly intelligent beings!
20
An advanced, timeless primordial civilisation under our very noses.
20
Read about Roger Andrews, who died recently. A retired engineer, he analysed energy schemes proposed by climate activists.
https://www.manhattancontrarian.com/blog/2019-2-5-eulogy-for-roger-andrews
60
Common sense is in short supply.
51
NB,
thanks for that link, and it’s worthwhile reading it, all of it, and I’m going to make two comments on this, to split them apart, dealing with two matters only.
The first thing is that the article is very good. mainly because it emphasises that ALL calculations regarding electrical power generation are based around Mathematics that are the most basic that everyone learns in high school.
It’s nothing like ‘Secret Electrical Engineer’ stuff at all. Its basic.
So basic in fact that people have quite literally zero comprehension of the numbers involved, not because they don’t understand it, but because they have been so dumbed down at schools these days, that the maths, while so simple, is just so far over their heads, as to ….. ‘SEEM’ like secret EE stuff.
The numbers come out as so huge that people just assume they have been made up. They don’t believe it because they can’t do the Math.
Tony.
170
I agree that the arithmetic involved in understanding basic electricity, certainly for an 80 + year old tradie like me, is not that complicated.
I have followed your posts for decades and can understand your frustration in not getting the message across as Australia’s energy market AEMO etc.is taken over by high priced bureaucratic help and lazy, incompetent politicians.
As an example I posted this in Andrew Bolt’s blog today and had it ignored as I believe the logic and arithmetic was too complicated for the usual suspects who would rather a5rgue about identity politics and the Trump Derangement syndrome rather than try to solve a problem.
Yep the Greens will solve Australia’s energy crisis as described in their Energy Principles by typical motherhood statements like:-
“Transitioning within 15 years to an electricity system based on 100 percent renewables, high levels of energy efficiency and demand management”.
How this is to be achieved is left unsaid, however one thing is obvious, the Greens will shut down all fossil fuel power and substitute intermittent RE, probably in the form of wind as hydro is not allowed and large scale solar is far too expensive.
So how many windmills would Greens require to provide 100% RE within 15 years?
As Australia currently has some 5,500 windmills that produced 13,000 GWh in 2017 extrapolating that to 100% RE would require an additional 104,500 windmills in 15 years, which is an absolute nonsense and as the adoption of RE has seen Australian power prices double the cost of a massive increase in RE will see that trend accelerate.
While 100% RE would provide equivalent total energy, when the wind blows and the sun shines, it cannot deliver it when required and it always needs fossil fuelled backup to keep your fridge and freezer going and your lights on.
Vote Green 100% RE and Labor’s 50-100% at your peril, but buy a 10KW generator or candles.
Keep up the good work Tony you are a legend.
100
The second point I would like to make is about this hackneyed old meme that ‘Battery Storage’ is the coming thing, that we can just use wind and solar power and what’s left from those two sources can be used to charge up batteries for discharge back into the grid at a later time when wind and solar are low.
Yes we can! is that meme, and it is so patently wrong, flat out, baseless wrong.
Roger Andrews did the basics for California, again using high school basic maths, and worked out that it would take 25TWH (TerraWattHours) of storage to cover the power consumption for California.
Luckily, this is useful in fact for reference here in Australia.
California generates around 260TWH of power in a normal 12 Month year.
Australia, as a whole, the major AEMO coverage area, generates around 210TWH of power over a normal 12 Month year.
So, here in Oz, we generate (around) 80% of California’s power, so, using that same percentage we would need 80% of 25TWH, or 20TWH of battery storage to cover Australia.
However, we have politicians who have PROMISED only 50% renewables by 2030. The calculation was done for 100% renewables and storage
So, now, to cover that, and to cover Australia, we only need 10TWH of storage.
Simples, as that annoying TV ad says.
Only 10TWH of storage.
How easy is that, eh?
The currently existing battery in South Australia is, wait for it, 90MWH.
So then at 90MWH, how many to make up 10TWH then.
111,111 of them.
And the cost, going on that same Hornsdale battery:
Just a tick under
Let’s hope the cost of batteries comes down in the short term eh!
See how it only took simple maths to do this.
Tony.
280
And every cell to be replaced every 2-10 years.
172
Two red thumbs but no refutation or alternative facts
70
Amazing isn’t it, ignoring the realities of battery technology doesn’t make them go away, batteries wear out, quickly. Pumped hydro can’t get more than about 75% efficient, both technologies throw away energy in their operation. It’s why traditional energy doesn’t use storage, high losses.
50
Devil is also in the detail.
I understand that batteries operate most efficiently in a narrow temperature range.
As temperatures approach zero or below their efficiency drops of
Apparently batteries in electric vehicles in the polar vortex were essentially non functioning.
If so you would need an even bigger storage capacity and some form of heating the batteries.
Where do we get the rare earth’s etc to make batteries
How much energy is required to make operate and dispose of the batteries at end of life?
Will the energy required to do this is more than wind and solar can generate, where will this other power source come from
What will you do with heavy metals and other pollutants in the batteries, windmills and solar panels at the end of their life (20 years Max?)
100
Mal, yes, the devil is in the detail, …..which you should check before you post !
There is more to storage batteries than Tesla.
Google NaS battery storage..
This is a start for you, its not up to date, but it will give you the basics.
https://www.ngk.co.jp/nas/why/
A 650MWh system has recently been commissioned in AbuDahbi
And a 1.5 GWh system is under construction in Japan !
Some of these systems have been in operation since 2002 with no sign of needing replacement.
Temperature is not a problem as the cell generates its own heat.
Materials are not a problem both Sodium and Sulphur are plentiful.
But obviously, costs are still horrendous !
11
TfromO, agreed, all these numbers are meaningless to the ‘converted warm-ungers’. Cant understand basic powers of 10 let alone x and / operations.
Yup 260 TWH, 2.60 x 10^14 WH! Bit much for small brane-celled organisms. 🙂
My feelings is that if/when coal is in shorter supply, use gas, its nearly unlimited, free from the deep bowels of mother earth. (sorry for using greenie descriptions of earth)
81
Say “Solar Panels” and the green eyes light up – even though it is an economic CATASTROPHE.
Say “Wind Turbines” AND THE GREEN EYES LIGHT UP EVEN MORE – even though they are also a CATOSTROPHE.
Say “Batteries” and the green eyes positively glow – even though the technology is still decades away.
THE CO2 HORSESH*T HAS TO STOP.
60
And of course these batteries need charging, What happens when we have a summer with no sun because of some volcano. Is there ANY data on what happened to the ‘usual’ wind patterns when this year with-out a summer occurs again.
Conversely what happens if it blows a gale and wind farms have to be feathered for days or even weeks until the storm systems blow themselves out….
Inconvenient questions those of course.
60
Is there any data on the current wind/solar electricity generation in Germany during this snow laden winter?
I am willing to bet that the media over there are staying silent upon that question.
40
Slithers,
Go here..
https://www.energy-charts.de/power.htm?source=all-sources&year=2019&week=6
You can get a hourly ananlsis of actual generation detailed by generation type , and including all impported /exported power.
00
Roger Andrews wrote at Energy Matters (euanmearns.com), where he contributed 479 posts since 2014.
Euan Mearns gives the announcement.
http://euanmearns.com/roger-andrews-has-died-aged-77/
Euan quotes Roger as to his motives.
20
.
❶①❶①❶①❶①❶①❶①❶①❶①❶①❶①❶
❶①❶①
❶①❶① . . . The Science and Mathematics . . .
❶①❶①
❶①❶① . . . . of Earth’s Temperatures . . . .
❶①❶①
❶①❶①❶①❶①❶①❶①❶①❶①❶①❶①❶
.
Imagine a temperature model of the Earth, that can explain:
– 94% of the variation in the average temperature, of every country on Earth
– 90% of the variation in the temperature of the coldest month, of every country on Earth
– about 59% of the variation in the temperature of the hottest month, of every country on Earth
That would have to be a big, complex temperature model, wouldn’t it?
What if I told you, that the temperature model of the Earth was based on only 4 factors:
– the average latitude of the country
– the average longitude of the country
– the average elevation of the country
– the area of the country
Would you believe me?
I am sure that many people will expect my temperature model of the Earth to be very inaccurate.
You are welcome to have a look at the results of my temperature model of the Earth.
https://agree-to-disagree.com/the-science-and-mathematics-of-earths-temperatures
63
If the Lancet diet was worrying you – it should!
” A recent report published by EAT and authoritative medical journal The Lancet warns that we must significantly transform the way we eat and grow our food. Failure to do so will cause an increasing proportion of the global population, which is expected to hit 10 billion people by 2050, to suffer from malnutrition and preventable disease. Today’s children will inherit a planet that has been severely degraded.
The report, which has brought together 37 experts from 16 countries, has for the first time set scientific targets that call for nothing short of a revolution in our farm-to-fork practices to address these seemingly colossal challenges.
The report calls for a “flexitarian” approach to eating which caters for meat eaters, as well as vegetarians and vegans.
But wait! There’s a punchline.
That is truly stunning Nina. The Lancet allows a paper being published without external peer review. Not just are a view references incorrect, but major mistakes have been identified in the environmental portion invalidating claims of effects of various diets on the planet. https://t.co/JQBqR1FJuL
— Frank Mitloehner (@GHGGuru) February 4, 2019
They likely assumed no one would notice.
The @EATforum biodiversity data shows that their EAT reference diet as well as the vegetarian and vegan diets cause much more (!) biodiversity loss than the business as usual diet, which of course is very negative. No major discussion – wondering why.
— Frank Mitloehner (@GHGGuru) February 4, 2019″
http://www.smalldeadanimals.com/index.php/2019/02/05/y2kyoto-state-of-anorexia-envirosa-3/
And comments
70
The Lancet confetti paper does not look at people who consume the predigested transformations of microbes.
Are people who consume microbes and the result of their work, not vegan or a meat eater thus in a class of their own?
After all, microbes are living beings.
End of story.
40
Reference to Acorn 2 here
” Chris Gillham
February 5, 2019 at 1:28 am”
https://wattsupwiththat.com/2019/02/04/reassessing-model-projections-for-hot-days-from-rcps/#comment-2617257
Even worser by the look of it
20
Some good news. The spot price of Large-scale Generation Certificates (LGCs) has dropped below $40/MWhr, compared to $70-80 for most of 2018.
Many retailers enter long term agreements with “renewable” generators for prices that include both the wholesale price and LGCs.
70
Is it a good thing or is it a reason for them to drop offline because there isn’t enough profit margin?
Hang on to your hats
40
Yes, the RET has spawned a, necessarily capped, pseudo market with ludicrous degrees of freedom for manipulators which should be unsurprising in light of the revelations at the Financial Services Royal Commission but detected iniquity is always shocking.
60
As we move from the Holocene to Idiocene, the new ruling class, the idiocracy is growing in numbers and strength.
There weapons are sophistry and propaganda to change the world to empowercand enshrine themselves as they plunge the west towards poverty and serfdom.
120
Idiocene, EXACTLY – brilliant!
40
Another glorious, calm, sunny, warm day at 36˚ South, 175˚ East; 28˚C max (2 pm), light sea breeze, bodysurf at midday in the high-tide close-out shore-break… great way to celebrate Uncle Bob Marley’s Birthday and Waitangi Day and a public holiday all rolled into one (except I was working but I’m home now, hoot!).
https://www.niwa.co.nz/news/the-heatwave-in-numbers
Some people believe this crock: NZ’s NIWA plastered the word ‘heatwave’ all over their press release, yet the dates they state are 28-31 January 2019 (four days, not the standard minimum five for a technical h.w.). They also scream the hottest temp was 38.4˚C at Hanmer Forest, 31 Jan, yet in the small print, Alexandra reached 38.7˚C on 31 Jan 2018… so this year’s hottest (so far) is colder than last year’s by 0.3˚C – almost half a degree. Ssshh… don’t say a word.
From their own numbers, the 29th and 31st of Jan were the two hot / warm days, yet two non-consecutive warm days doth not maketh a heat wave – it’s called ‘summer’. Sadly, the seed has been sown (via TV, radio, printed & web media) as I hear adults and children repeating the nonsense faux news about some mythical, non-existent, make-believe h.w. Thankfully, more-and-more people I talk to are calling it out as a complete crock: it’s something called ‘experience’ and ‘memory’ methinks. Happy 6th of Feb everyone!
81
There is niggling suspicion that the MSM is hyping catastrophe and, quite frankly, the people have had enough.
Best wishes from across the gap.
50
no way were Trump supporters primarily viewing the SOTU on CBS or CNN. they had numerous choices and tend to shun the FakeNewsMSM:
TWEET: CBS Evening News: CBS NEWS POLL: 76 percent of viewers approved of what they heard in Pres. Trump’s #SOTU speech; 72 percent said they approved of Pres. Trump’s ideas for immigration.
5 Feb 2019
https://twitter.com/CBSEveningNews/status/1092996857507311616
5 Feb: RealClearPolitics: CNN Instant Poll: 76% of Viewers Approved of Trump State of the Union
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2019/02/05/cnn_instant_poll_76_of_viewers_approved_of_trump_state_of_the_union.html
40
Good ole WaPo is pointing out the glaring hole in Trump’s SOTU address, Climate Change.
They’ll never tire of this rubbish.
Poor Nick Greiner must have been so disappointed that Trump ignored his appeal to the Australian government on exactly that issue earlier the same day…
40
I just saw on Channel 7 some talking head from the Climate Council blaming Australia’s coal industry yet again for the heat waves (record ones apparently). A bit like the Greens leader blaming coal for the Townsville floods.
What so annoys me is that no one can get equal air time to rebut these stupid accusations with facts that are readily available.
130
The MSM works to quotas and so long as the correct line is being advanced they don’t do equal time; more pertinently, there’s no quota for incorrect line (which would be your rebuttal).
It takes some getting used to but once you’ve got it you can sit back and be very relaxed like that Pangloss chap in Voltaire’s Candide.
20
I just don’t watch the news anymore as I can’t stand the rubbish. This was in passing while my wife had the news on after The Chase.
At least my wife laughs at all of this climate idiocy, as it’s become so obvious that all of these climate worriers are just full of crap.
80
bemused
“At least my wife laughs at all of this climate idiocy, as it’s become so obvious that all of these climate worriers are just full of crap.”
The more people that realise this the closer the CAGW-ites get to illustrating Einstein’s definition of insanity
“Repeating over and over and hoping for a different result”
70
I get sick and tired of 7s holier than thou news about everything. They would never put on a ‘denier’ they would label them as an idiot before you got a chance.
100
The only ones in denial are the left in both major parties and roughly 3/4 of the population. I can’t for the life of me see how this nation can avoid a crash and burn scenario. I hope I’m wrong but hope is not enough.
60
Easy!! Read all about it.
(Via one of the usual suspects though)
“Achieving the Paris Climate Agreement goals”
https://wattsupwiththat.com/2019/02/06/achieving-the-paris-climate-agreement-goals/
20
Been thinking about the AEMO and the market and the operators , how do you bring about reliability and reduce prices regardless of energy source .
Each generator bids 24 hours in advance .
No cap on mwh prices from generators .
Minimum reserve is equal to peak summer load .
Any generator non conformance gets fined 10 times the mwh price charged during the short fall .
States can set the royalties for coal but imported electricity from other states attract a 1000% increase on current market cost , this also goes for states that have increased their renewable share over 10 % .
No government subsidies in any form .
In order to get reliable base load back the federal govt will half fund half the cost of any approved base load generator and this only applies to SA and Vic .
Any state wishing to go it alone will have their wish granted and the extension cord will be pulled from neighbouring states .
Any generator found under bidding to try and game the system to be fined 10 times the 24 hr generation cost for the whole network .
Just putting a few thoughts out there .
60
Draconian penalties usually result in their cost just being built into charges or the vendor deciding not to bid.
30
Australian Conservatives: Economy, Budgets and Tax
I stood in the street on Monday, promoting Keven Bailey AM, Senate Candidate for Victoria. Not much response from the public, but the women who owned a shop nearby, took a great dislike to our presence. Too bad. We were on public property and did not require any permit.
I had a visit from Beth the serf, which was nice.
On the economic front, Australian Conservatives want to lower the cost of living, especially power prices. That means removing subsidies from renewables and changing the disastrous AEMO process of wind and solar first.
The policy on Government debt is:
https://www.conservatives.org.au/economy_budgets_tax
80
I have believed for some time now that the ACP policies are much better than those of any other party. The problem of course is they get very little funding and support. Result is a missed opportunity for Australia. Crash and burn is not that far away if more people don’t wake up to the fact that both major parties are poison to this nation – and I mean BOTH.
81
I wouldnt even be aware that they existed if I didnt read this blog. I thought they were a failed attempt by Bernardi to start a new party. No evidence of life for me apart from here.
60
The fact of the matter is the vast majority of the people don’t have a clue as to what we are talking about here let alone where we as a nation are at and where we are going. Pretty much the whole nation is walking blind over a cliff singing and chanting “are we there yet?”.
50
Not a failed party yet. It is indeed difficult to get visibility with very little money.
An ad has been made for TV with Sam Kekovitch. I have not seen it on TV myself but it might have been shown on Foxtel.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_FJgYZoVSI&t=0s&list=PLaT3kogB1lzX4o_YtkDgOUD5Ztq0kTlAF&index=19
We are now about 90 days out from the election.
20
BOM are nothing if not consistent, blowing an absolute gale here and seems to be getting stronger so I checked the forecast and forecast said light winds .
So I checked the warnings page and found that there is a warning out but not for the Wangaratta area .
http://www.bom.gov.au/products/IDV21033.shtml
40
Check out the Johannes Leak cartoons of “Sodom and Warringah” ( 3 of 25 )
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/johannes-leak-cartoons/image-gallery/2403b703a84c4deb3bbc4247796b447f
90
19 is a ripper too….
40
Mate they are all good
40
The leak, please do not forget,this in not the latest leak from the swamp, destabilizing the Donald, capable of swimming and walking on water!
00
Went on a car club run today and at lunch one of the people was talking about solar power and how great it was. He was talking about his 4kW system, saying it was very good except:
– he had to replace his invertor after 18 months
– it now only generates 1.3kW in peak sun hours in summer
– he cant find an electrician who will come out to work on it, to see what wrong
apart from that, its really good
130
Would that be someone who thinks that the proposed local solar micro-grid is a good idea?!
20
No, not associated with that erm initiative (?) at all
In a way in was refreshing to at least hear someone owning up to reality. I think his desire to still think the system was wonderful was directly proportional to how much he had already spent on it. Hopefully he can find a sparky that can help him out, I think he has a panel faulty or poorly connected that is bringing a string of panels down.
This need to self maintain and diagnose is something that is always skipped over in evaluations.
50
Interesting ..
I have just moved to a house with a relatively new (5 yr old) , 3.0 kW (12 panel), solar system.
So far, the most output i have seen is also 1.3 kW…mid day , clear sky etc
Im guessing this may not be an uncommon situation ?
00
I received an offensive flyer from the ALP in my letterbox today. It was about Nicolle Flint who is my Federal MP and was titled “Nicolle Flint – What she doesn’t want you to know.” It had the obligatory less than flattering photo of her (but only slightly less). It contained the “astonishing” news that she signed the petition to tear down the Prime Minister. The point it wanted to make was that “she was the ninth person to sign off on Turnbull’s fate, even beating his challenger, Peter Dutton. She followed Tony Abbott and Kevin Andrews and threw the country into complete chaos.”
The Advertiser on 24 August 2018 reported “Ms Flint remained tight lipped on Friday, saying she will ‘never reveal how I voted'”.
There’s also a picture of the petition in it.
I can’t work out why we all received the pamphlet. Are we supposed to get angry that she voted to remove Turnbull?
Couple of things: (1) Her position (9th) on the petition – after Abbott (7th) and Andrews (6th) – is irrelevant. She just happened to be the ninth person they found willing to sign it. (2) I knew she had supported Peter Dutton at the time as such information was made available.
51
Thank the ALP for boosting her vote. ! 🙂
91
Its funny when you get something that is supposed to be a giant bombshell and just go meh! the people involved in local politics think its the bigest thing in the world and most people really wonder what they are on about.
40
5 Feb: SMH: CSIRO questions whether all Australia’s emissions cuts are real
By Nicole Hasham
The nation’s pre-eminent science agency has cast doubt on the environmental benefits claimed under the Morrison government’s main climate policy, raising concerns Australia is overstating its contribution to the fight against global warming.
Despite concerns over the scheme, known as the emissions reduction fund, there is speculation it will receive a federal budget cash injection of up to $1 billion over three years as the government seeks to neutralise claims it is failing to address dangerous climate change.
About half the carbon abatement pledged under the fund – or 95 million tonnes – relates to farming projects that use one of two native revegetation methods.
The projects are mostly on grazing land in north-west NSW and south-west Queensland. They involve changes to farming practices such as limiting cattle grazing and managing feral animals, to allow native plants to regrow. The plants then draw carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and store it as carbon. Under the scheme, the amount of carbon sequestered through revegetation projects must be additional to what would have occurred otherwise…
In a joint submission to the committee, the CSIRO and the NSW Department of Primary Industries cast doubt on whether all emission reduction claimed under the methods was genuine…
Moderate Liberal MPs fearful of an electoral backlash over climate inaction have reportedly been pushing for the emissions reduction fund to be topped up, and Environment Minister Melissa Price has signalled its scope could be widened to include threatened species management…
Conservative MP Craig Kelly said while the emissions reduction fund had “achieved its objectives” it should now be phased out…
“I would be reluctant [to re-finance it], there are so many other things we need to spend money on.”…
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/csiro-questions-whether-all-australia-s-emissions-cuts-are-real-20190205-p50vsb.html
20
behind paywall:
5 Feb: UK Times: BP profits treble to more than $10bn
by Emily Gosden
Profits at BP more than trebled to $10 billion last year on the back of higher oil and gas prices.
The oil major cheered investors with a significantly better than expected fourth quarter performance, sending shares surging more than 3 per cent in early trading.
Bob Dudley, chief executive, said that its strategy was “clearly working” after a year in which it agreed a $10.5 billion deal for BHP Billiton’s US shale fields and boosted production by starting up six major new oil and gas production projects.
BP, which is based in London, employs more than 70,000 people globally and generates the bulk of its profits from producing and selling oil and gas. It has operations in more than 70 countries…
5 Feb: Houston Chronicle: Texas Democrats caught between climate change and the energy economy
by James Osborne
Houston Democrat Lizzie Fletcher was elected to Congress last November as part of a progressive groundswell against President Donald Trump, winning over a stretch of wealthy Houston suburbs where the oil industry has long reigned supreme and Democrats had not won an election since the late 1960s.
But within a month of her taking office, Democrats’ potential headwinds in suburban Texas are in full view as a proposal from the party’s progressive wing to rapidly shift the United States away from fossil fuels gains momentum amidst increasingly dire forecasts on climate change.
“I don’t think it’s something you want to touch with a 10-foot pole in our district,” said David Feldwisch, a Fletcher supporter and president of the Upper Kirby-based civic group Oil Patch Democrats. “Even with Democrats, you’re not going to find anyone denying climate change, but you’re going to find a split between people who want to do something really drastic right now and people who want to something more gradual.”…
Matt Angle, director of the Lone Star Project, a Washington-based consulting firm that works with Democratic candidates in Texas, said it was critical Democrats presented a pragmatic approach to climate change that did not “arbitrarily put the brakes on fossil fuels.”…
Mike Bloomberg, the billionaire and former Republican mayor of New York City who is considering a presidential run, has himself endorsed a Green New Deal but called Ocasio-Cortez’s proposal “pie in the sky.” And even some environmentalists concede the politics of shifting away from fossil fuels so quickly will be difficult…
For now, there is little expectation of a Green New Deal coming for a vote anytime soon…
Even if Democrats were to win enough support to pass legislation out of the House, Republicans control the Senate and White House and so far have dismissed the Green New Deal as a non-starter…
https://www.houstonchronicle.com/business/article/Texas-Democrats-caught-between-climate-change-and-13588971.php
20
6 Feb: Financial Times: US becomes UK’s top oil supplier for first time since Suez
Growing reliance on one supplier raises questions about post-Brexit trade policy
by David Sheppard
The US has become the biggest exporter of oil to the UK for the first time since the Suez crisis, as the growing bounty of shale production starts to supplant North Sea supplies.
In January the US supplied the equivalent of almost one in every four barrels of crude processed by UK oil refineries, or 264,000 barrels a day, illustrating the outsized role American oil now has in Britain’s energy mix…
That level was more than Norway, Russia, Nigeria or Algeria, according to data from the cargo-tracking company Kpler, which have all been major suppliers to the UK in recent years. Meanwhile, operators in the UK portion of the North Sea have battled to stem production declines…
In 2018 the average volume of US crude exported to the UK doubled to 160,000 b/d, second only to Norway over the course of the year and up from less than 20,000 b/d in 2016…
“We’re likely to see more US exports to the UK,” said Professor Paul Stevens, an energy expert and fellow at Chatham House.
“It’s geography — why sail further than you need to when the UK is the first big market the US can reach?”
The rise in US exports to the UK has been driven primarily by two US-based companies, ExxonMobil and Valero, which own two of the six oil refineries still operating in the UK.
https://www.ft.com/content/8be711e0-2931-11e9-a5ab-ff8ef2b976c7
20
5 Feb: Bloomberg: Oil Giants Are Pumping Out Torrents of Cash
By Rakteem Katakey and Kelly Gilblom
The world’s biggest oil companies are pumping out cash like crude’s at $100 a barrel again, and investors love it.
Exxon Mobil Corp., Royal Dutch Shell Plc, Chevron Corp. and BP Plc smashed analysts’ earnings estimates for the fourth quarter, giving investors assurance that their dividends and buybacks are secure even with oil trading near $60.
Those companies together generated close to $43 billion of cash flow from operations, the highest in more than four years. They achieved this despite a deep slump in crude prices at the end of the year, maintaining returns by keeping a tight grip on spending and squeezing more out of projects at lower prices…READ ON
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-02-05/oil-supermajors-torrent-of-cash-earns-love-from-investors
never mind the issue at hand…just smear “deniers”:
5 Feb: DesmogUK: Comment: Climate Science Deniers Throw Stones at Climate Chief from Their Greenhouse
by Mike Small
A row has broken out over the apparent lack of disclosure of a conflict of interest by Tory politician John Gummer, also known as Lord Deben, who heads government scientific advisory body, the Committee on Climate Change (CCC)…
The issue will no doubt be investigated – and it’s not up to anyone other than Gummer (who denies the allegations) to defend himself – but what’s behind this story is a climate science denial media network in action, and that’s the bigger story not being told.
As one high profile member of the climate science denier mob put it “Christmas has come unusually early this year for British climate sceptics”…
There may be a case against Gummer, but ***for the sake of consistency and balance it’s only fair to point out that this frothing-at-the-mouth coterie gravitates around the climate science denying GWPF…
What this controversy really shows is a network of people defending their political commitment to the fossil-fuelled status quo (and in some cases, their economic interests) through a hit job…READ ON
https://www.desmog.co.uk/2019/02/05/comment-gummer-deben-david-rose-climate-denial-media-machine
10
Pat
I am a great admirer of your hard work in perusing all the relevant media for us ,
but could I add a counter to the article by Desmog. It might give the impression that Gummer is an
unfortunate victim of “denier” hate but that is not the view taken of him back in the UK.
He is almost universally despised and the article in Paul Homewood’s blog and associated comments will
give a more balanced picture of how he is regarded and the many “green” enterprises he is associated with,
whilst supposedly giving objective advice to MPs and ministers.
https://notalotofpeopleknowthat.wordpress.com/2019/02/03/gummer-in-600k-conflict-of-interest-claim/#more-37499
One additional important item that some of us were not aware of is the extent to which members of the Climate Change
Committee are involved in the renewables industry. It is difficult to see how they cannot be unbiassed.
50
Bad grammer in last paragraph
Should be :
..difficult to see how they can be unbiassed.
10
5 Feb: The Hill: Exxon plans $10 billion Texas natural gas export terminal
By Timothy Cama
Exxon Mobil Corp. made a final decision Tuesday with Qatar Petroleum to build a $10 billion liquefied natural gas (LNG) export project on Texas’s Gulf of Mexico coast.
Energy Secretary Rick Perry joined representatives of Exxon and Qatar Petroleum, the country’s state-owned oil company, to sign the deal Tuesday…
The project would greatly expand the existing Golden Pass LNG terminal which was opened in 2010 on the Sabine Pass to import gas. The expanded terminal would have the capacity to produce about 16 million tons of LNG per year, chilling gas to -260 degrees Fahrenheit to increase its density and load it onto tankers for shipping around the world.
Construction is due to take five years and empoy about 9,000 construction workers…
“Golden Pass will provide an increased, reliable, long-term supply of liquefied natural gas to global gas markets, stimulate local growth and create thousands of jobs,” Darren Woods, Exxon’s CEO, said in a statement…
Perry framed the deal as a victory for President Trump’s “Energy Dominance” agenda, which seeks to ramp up domestic production and export of fossil fuels…
https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/428557-exxon-plans-10-billion-texas-natural-gas-export-terminal
20
final comment tonight from the mild summer of SE Qld. Aussies producing CAGW studies – is that the best we can do?
5 Feb: Scientific American: Brutal Australian Summer Heat Spurs Climate Research
Scientists are hoping to get ahead of some of the worst impacts of warming
By Nathanial Gronewold
Australia’s summers are getting increasingly brutal—but they’re also inspiring new climate science that could lead to better predictions and carbon accounting.
Five years ago, a study in the Journal of Climate by Australian and U.K. scientists predicted climate change would deliver more intense summers to Australia. That study, led by Tim Cowan of the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), forecast that by the end of this century, the northern tropical reaches of Australia will experience longer and more frequent heat waves, while the hottest parts of southern Australia will see increases in maximum temperature of around 5.4 degrees Fahrenheit.
That prediction is now proving prescient…
To accompany the hot start to 2019, Australian scientists have published a slew of new climate change-related studies…
Teams at the Australian National University, the University of Melbourne and Griffith University led the studies…READ ON FOR THE STUDIES IF YOU WANT TO
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/brutal-australian-summer-heat-spurs-climate-research/
5 Feb: PV Mag: Solar refuses to lie down and die in the UK, says industry body
Although the prospects for large-scale British solar appear grim, the U.K. trade association for the industry says the compelling economic case offered by PV is ensuring activity continues despite a prolonged policy vacuum.
by Max Hall and Emiliano Bellini
The U.K.’s Solar Trade Association (STA) says the latest figures released by the government’s Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) bear out its fears over the demise of large-scale PV in the country…
The STA’s Greene says although the BEIS figures paint a grim picture for all but the smallest installations – with only 268 MW of capacity added last year, according to provisional statistics – commercial and industrial (C&I) energy users offer a glimmer of hope…
The latest monthly figures for solar indicated there were no PV projects of more than 25 MW capacity or of 5-25 MW installed in December, and only 7.5 MW of new capacity was added from both market segments across the final three months of the year. Similarly, only 500 kW was added in the final quarter – 300 kW of it in December – from projects with a capacity of between 50 kW and 5 MW.
An uphill struggle…
https://www.pv-magazine.com/2019/02/05/solar-refuses-to-lie-down-and-die-in-the-uk-says-industry-body/
10
mmmmm quite a dilema, I mean you are missing out on sooooo much not having solar in the UK. Especially in the winter when you need it the most. Those 25W could have made the difference.
10
Climate Alarmism has been around a lot longer than I realized. Back in 1965 a US Presidential Report on pollution included a section on CLIMATIC EFFECTS OF POLLUTION. The main report gave a short paragraph to the topic.
Main points
1. By 2000 marked changes to the climate could occur.
2. This is not controllable by the United States on its own. They then had a quarter or more of CO2 emissions.
3. Hoping that by 2000 the understanding of climate systems could be great enough to directly control the climate by other means.
A recent Amicus Brief (in the public domain) claims that API President Frank Izard claimed, at the time, in a speech to the American Petroleum Industry that time was running out to control the catastrophic effects of CO2 pollution. Izard did make the dire warning out pollution in general. But insofar as CO2 pollution was concerned, if Izard implied it, he was incorrect.
Listeners at the time would not have been misinformed on Izard’s statement if they had followed his advice and read the report. The recent Amicus Brief (authors include Naomi Oreskes and Stephan Lewandowsky) does not reference the original report to validate their statement.
https://manicbeancounter.com/2019/02/06/was-time-running-out-to-tackling-co2-pollution-in-1965/
21
A master class,and while we are tilting at windmills….
If you have not watched this , President Trump delivers State of the Union, it is a masterclass, I had trouble downloading a copy from YouTube. This is Michael smith link. MSN – LIVE – President Trump delivers State of the Union – LIVE NOW HERE
To save time -Forward to Trumps appearance
And while we are tilting at windmills
2019-02-07-gd.d- link via gwpf- Power to the people
Power to the people
India Opens 52 New Coal Mines To Achieve Universal Electrification
NEW DELHI: The Narendra Modi government has opened 52 new coal mines since coming to power in May 2014 to fuel its flagship village and household electrification programmes without tripping the system, officials told TOI. Since 57% of power is generated in India by burning coal, these mines allowed the government to rapidly move towards universal electricity access without creating shortages. –Times of India, 23 January 2019
India is all set to achieve 100 per cent household electrification by the end of January, with 24.4 million families having received power connections out of the targeted 24.8 million, an official said. –Press Trust of India, 20 January 2019
60
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/retiree-group-lobbying-against-labor-unmasked-as-liberal-party-and-trucking-industry-operation-20190205-p50vvo.html
Tis the season for RW astroturf.
“It also campaigned against Labor in the Longman byelection”
Hmmm….that worked out well. 🙂
20
Yes indeed, but what do you make of this?
‘Energy giant AGL has announced a $25 million upgrade to Victoria’s Loy Yang coal-fired power station.’ Oz
00
They have made an investment decision, but not sure that $25M buys you much in terms of a power stn upgrade does it?? Still will help with the short term maintinence and thier tax liability. 🙂
Had to have a laff at this though.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/feb/07/grassroots-retirees-group-with-liberal-links-may-have-breached-law
If they have been that incomptetent (maybe Freedom Boy Wilson helped them organise?? ) thier donors may see their dosh go in fines more than activism. 🙂
10
“Shares in AGL have slumped after the energy giant announced a $25 million upgrade to Victoria’s Loy Yang coal-fired power station and renewed calls for more certainty from Canberra on future energy policy.”
Strange.
10
Not so strange, virtue signallers pulling the plug.
I’m still confident Morrison is going to announce new coal fired power stations for the states that want them
00
meh..lame duck ad man on the way out mate. I wouldn’t get your hopes up.
00
Interesting development. 🙂
Appeals process if any will be an interesting one.
00
Credlin interviewed Angus Taylor tonight, the Minister said he has received 66 submissions and 10 were for new coal fired power stations.
He referred to that as ‘despatchable’ power.
00
Were they pro-formas he wrote though?? He may have taken lessons from the IPA’s Freedom Boy?? 🙂
00
Its in the entrails, Premier Gladys should win with a very fast train under the Blueys and satellite cities west of the Divide. Gladys has to win the bush or she is curtains.
With her success the PM will put out tenders for coal fired power stations, despicable energy to run the system. The Coalition should come home in a canter.
00
‘Independent candidate Zali Steggall is on track to replace former prime minister Tony Abbott as the federal member for Warringah, according to a GetUp poll.
‘The activist group, which is campaigning to oust Mr Abbott from his traditionally Liberal seat on Sydney’s northern beaches, commissioned a poll of 622 residents that showed the four-time Winter Olympian leading 54 to 46 on a two-party preferred basis.’
SMH
00
I had the great pleasure of seeing a boobook owl sitting in one of our old fruit trees yesterday afternoon. I don’t know which of us was more surprised but he/she didn’t fly away and we just looked at each for a little while and then I turned away to leave him/her in peace. I’ve heard them around here but never seen one before. 🙂
20
Also yesterday, I had the sprinkler on for one of our orange trees and then onto some of our young silver birches and had the joy of seeing a family of blue wrens cavorting in the spray. 🙂
40
How SA manages a grid with wind, solar and gas. Sampling data over the last 24 hours:
Time 1100 1500 1900 2200 0100 0400 0700 Avge
Wind 110 610 1130 830 640 830 550 Avge 670 MW
L Solar 110 110 30 0 0 0 30 Avge 40 MW
Gas 1150 1070 1180 1100 980 730 1040 Avge 1040 MW
Total Supply
1370 1790 2340 1930 1620 1560 1620 Avge 1750 MW
Demand 1300 1770 1600 1470 1270 1100 1460 Avge 1420 MW
Exports 70 20 730 460 350 460 160 Avge 430 MW
Price 183 125 110 98 103 84 136 Avge 120 $/MWhr
On average, wind supplied 47% of demand, varying from 8-70% while large solar was 0-8% of demand.
Gas varied from 730-1180 MW. Low point was just under 50% of supply, presumably to maintain a stable grid with the surplus exported.
I’m unclear how rooftop solar is accounted for in AEMO’s supply/demand data, but it is a significant element of supply, representing over 10% on average, and 27% at peak.
Small Solar 560 680 80 0 0 0 20 Avge 190 MW
But with all those “cheap” renewables in a 50% renewables scenario, spot wholesale prices still averaged $120/MWhr, consistent with SA prices over the last six months, compared to coal-based Qld at $82/MWhr.
And without the Vic interconnector, the SA grid would be unsustainable. The interconnector is essential when the wind blows too much, and when the wind doesn’t blow. The great variability of wind and solar requires duplicate capacity of dispatchable coal/gas to be maintained, adding to overall system costs.
00