Tuesday Open Thread

Maintenance rolling out well so far. 🙂

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109 comments to Tuesday Open Thread

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      Peter C

      Same here, but the wait is becoming excruciating.

      Following the Whitehouse meeting on 24 Dec, where Trump decided not to invoke the insurrection act (or at least not yet), it seems the next thing will be the vote on Jan 6.

      I don’t see how a rally in DC, or anywhere else, no matter how big is going to change the result.

      In the meantime the MSM is keeping up there attacks on Trump. All his efforts at getting a legal result are “baseless, unproven, with No evidence etc”.
      Alternative media is the only option but it is not easy to get to the majority, who seem comfortable with the story they are told. Yesterday I gave some web sites to people I met. They wanted to give it to their son, who is a Trump supporter but I doubt if they will take a look themselves.

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        If millions of people walked the streets in midwinter gathering for days beforehand it would matter. But it needs to be a huge unprecedented size.

        But imagine trying to fight a battle to regain freedom and fair votes after it is lost. A few days in Washington DC seems so easy in comparison.

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          OldOzzie

          Jo,

          Problem is it is in Washington DC and the Democrat Muriel Bowser, the Mayor of Washington DC is a BLM and Antifa Supporter and has a visceral dislike of Republican Supporters and will go out of her way to make it difficult for President Trump supporters to get Hotels and Congregate.

          eg – DC’s Hotel Harrington Closes for January 6 Pro-Trump March After Pressure Over Proud Boys

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          Peter C

          But imagine trying to fight a battle to regain freedom and fair votes after it is lost. A few days in Washington DC seems so easy in comparison.

          I am certainly not saying that Americans should not go to DC to protest the election. If I was in America I would go myself.

          A problem is that the proposed rally is on the very day of the counting of the electors votes. Even if the rally is huge I think the Congressmen and Senators have already made up their minds about what they are going to do.

          I think the protestors might have trouble actually getting into the city.

          I think something more will need to happen.

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          Tilba Tilba

          If millions of people walked the streets in midwinter gathering for days beforehand it would matter. But it needs to be a huge unprecedented size.

          It’s actually interesting to consider how little public display of outrage there has been since the election, despite the continuous claims of theft by Trump and many of his political and media supporters.

          It might be that relatively few people think the election was fraudulent, or perhaps even if it were, that Trump’s second term isn’t worth getting too passionate about.

          However a more likely explanation I read somewhere, is that Team Trump (and his more demonstrative lawyers) have been promising for many weeks that they have massive evidence, and that the Kraken was about to strike and save Donald Trump’s second term.

          So many who might have demonstrated believed that there was a strong legal case that would save the day … why go out in the freezing weather?

          Could be true … but whatever, I think if it were the other way round, Biden-Democrat supporters would be at the barricades rather more.

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      OldOzzie

      Trump Beats Out Obama for Most Admired Man, and Where Joe Biden Comes In Says Everything

      But now he’s unseated another position that Barack Obama held for the past 12 years – most admired man of the year.

      Gallup results are in and Americans chose Trump over Obama, with Trump receiving 18% of the vote, Obama 15% and Biden far back at 6%. Elon Musk, Bill Gates, Dr. Anthony Fauci and the Pope were some of the other folks to round out the list.

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      OldOzzie

      Steadfast Doesn’t Mean When It’s Easy

      Steadfast doesn’t mean when it’s easy; the term has no meaning when things are working according to our own convenient interests. Steadfast means standing strong when it’s challenging, difficult and unnerving. Just as courage is not the absence of fear, rather it is taking action despite being fearful; so too is steadfast a decision.

      Often when things are disconcerting, we retreat to the place where we are comfortable. However, steadfast is unwavering despite the obstacles and difficulties. When we don’t hold the words to comfort the grieved, yet we show up and sit quietly just to eliminate loneliness, that is a steadfast commitment. When we see adversity on the face of another, and we choose to engage with our time and comfort, that is a steadfast decision.

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    el gordo

    What appeared to be a stunt is more like Keynesian economics with a twist. Donald the Magnificent.

    ‘The United States House of Representatives has overwhelmingly voted to increase COVID-19 relief cheques to $US2,000, meeting President Donald Trump’s demand for bigger payments.

    ‘The vote was led by Democrats, but dozens of Republicans suddenly joined in approval to see the bill pass 275-134.’ ABC

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    WXcycles

    The “Great Attractor” SSTA hotspot has returned. I called it that last Summer because it sucked up every tropical-low and cyclone (without exception) during the 2019-2020 Summer. They were all quickly sucked toward the hotspot’s NW-side ‘feeder’ trough. And sustained very high rainfall occurred in that trough but almost nowhere else.

    Here is it currently:

    SSTA:
    https://i.ibb.co/hsQCcNr/a-Great-Attractor-v2-0-2020-12-29-074132.png

    Surface Pressure trough:
    https://i.ibb.co/FhfzCnR/b-Surface-Pressure-Screenshot-2020-12-29-Windy-as-forecasted-2.jpg

    And this is what it looked like last January:

    SSTA:
    https://i.ibb.co/PNBPqvh/SSTA-Great-Attractor-Screenshot-2020-02-12-earth-a-global-map-of-wind-weather-and-ocean-conditions.png

    Surface Pressure:
    https://i.ibb.co/1m1JrdF/Surface-Pressure-SW-Pacific-Screenshot-2020-02-12-Windy-as-forecasted.png

    Much the same as now only there’s a La Nina developing just north of it during this Summer, and the hotter-anom is further NE than last year, and the two will alter each other from here. But note that the Central Pacific wind and low movement flows more closely resemble EL Nino than La Nina due to this.

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      el gordo

      The Great Attractor appears to be typical behaviour during La Nina.

      http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/glossary/lanina.shtml

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        WXcycles

        Yes, it’s normal to get a warmer area poleward of a strong La Nina, I knew that, but that is not what this is. The hotspot appeared and persisted during a weak El Nino, and is not the E-W elongated area shown in your link, it was a concentrated blob with much cooler water either side of it.

        And is remains in this still weak La Nina. The only difference being that the weakly warmer area from the La Nina activity is being added E-W either side of it as well.

        But it’s still a clumped-up blob of warmer water, it’s just moved a bit further NE now. And it is causing cyclones and lows to travel further SE in the South Western Pacific, then they should in a La Nina.

        Ordinarily a La Nina causes tropical Lows and cyclones to flow SW, not SE, because SW (i.e. Coral Sea and Northern Tasman Sea) is where the warmest waters are, and resulting favorable wind flow in a La Nina.

        So this hotter blob is currently altering the usual trough locations and the winds and moisture falling into it, making it more like an El Nino pattern than a La Nina.

        We talks about this in Jan and Feb, and you may remember that I pointed out (several times), that even though there was barely a La Nina present, the blob of warmth was adding an influence to winds that looked just like a medium strength El Nino and hot drying conditions bought to Eastern Australia, anyway, due to the moisture being pulled into the trough NW of the that thermal blob ENE of NZ.

        This will work somewhat work against the wet season in NE Australia, and already is altering the wind flow, just look at today’s National Loop

        http://www.bom.gov.au/products/national_radar_sat.loop.shtml

        Note that the upper level ‘steering’ winds are drifting towards the SE, i.e. toward the broad regional trough which the added heat anon created.

        That SSTA heat is supposed to be around NE Australia during a well established La Nina, and then that drift is much weaker so the tropical moisture from lows just stays insitu, and rains on us more and more often. So the heat anom is already altering and weakening that wetting effect from a La Nina.

        If the La Nina strengthens (i.e. if the waters around Australia get hotter) and the cold water comes to the surface more in the Central Pacific, then that SE drift may be minimized or negated.

        But at least it should pulls coral sea cyclones away from the coast. But it will also tend to pull Gulf cyclones and lows over NQ … as you can see in the national loop.

        On other matters, around 80 mm to 100 mm of rain in the last 24 hrs in coastal Townsville, but Townsville’s airport BOM sensor (beside same coast) registered 1.6 mm during the past 24 hrs. I’m ~2.5 km from that sensor. Even the Mt Stuart rain gauge (~10 km south), registered ~36 mm during the past 24 hrs. So much for MOM point-sensor samples to tell us anything useful about rainfall trends. Anyway, the NW coast and ranges got a good hosing yesterday, though the BOM data doesn’t indicate that.

        http://www.bom.gov.au/jsp/awap/rain/index.jsp?colour=colour&time=latest&step=0&map=totals&period=daily&area=qd

        I don’t know exactly what BOM bases their 24 hr rainfall maps on, but I’m satisfied it’s not accurate, or representative of rainfall.

        It’s really a map of point-sample interpolation error, which pretends to be an official rainfall map.

        Oh well, we must count ourselves ‘informed’. Who needs error-prone humans?

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    RickWill

    I will be drinking less tea.

    I got so used to the snail’s pace of this site that I could make a cuppa rather than twiddle my thumbs during updates – not anymore.

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      Serp

      Preview doesn’t function but Post Comment is instantaneous.

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        Yonniestone

        True Serp and the auto filter is deadlier than ever WTF!

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        Serp

        recent-comments-and-news doesn’t produce repeatable results and can’t get closer to December 29 than August or September.

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          Andrew McRae

          The recent comments and recent posts columns now seem to be up-to-the-minute.
          But the Preview function is still a non-starter. Some error in the PHP for the preview.

          OTOH, pages load and comments post so quickly I hardly recognise the place.

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      Yonniestone

      Same here Rick but with coffee, I felt like a hyperactive kid in a red snake factory.

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    Hanrahan

    When is a vaccine NOT a vaccine?

    When it is for the Rona.

    All I hear is that you will still have to wear a mask, you can still be infected so ergo you can infect others.

    What does it do that Vit D and ivermectin can’t?

    Tell me I’m not properly informed, please.

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      Belinda

      What can global Covid Vaccine do that cheap Vitamin D ‘n/Invermectin can’t do?
      Why, conn-trol the populace and financially reward Big Pharma et Big Al.

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      MP

      The Vaccine is fine you have a 97.21% chance of still being able to function to a degree after the first shot.

      https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/acip/meetings/downloads/slides-2020-12/slides-12-19/05-COVID-CLARK.pdf

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        Hanrahan

        So being allergic to a compound in the vax is a contra-indication. That’s helpful.

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          MP

          Well you would be better off dead, if that’s any comfort.

          The ministers from the ministry of love (Dr Bill and Malinda) assure me the second shot will reverse the effects. Though they did have this big grin on their faces when they said it.
          But I would have a grin like that, if I was making billions.

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      OriginalSteve

      But it gets better…your submission or your freedom….which is worse?

      At least now it appears its clear cov19 vaccines are about control, not vaccination. But hey, I had no illusions it was never about medical matters….never has been.

      Alea Iacta Est

      https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9095007/Spain-registry-people-refuse-Covid-19-vaccine.html

      “Spain announced it will draft a registry for individuals who refuse to take the COVID-19 vaccine and share that information with EU member states.

      “Spain’s Health Minister Salvador Illa said Monday in an interview with La Sexta television that the list will not be public and the vaccine would not be mandatory.

      ““What will be done is a registry, which will be shared with our European partners… of those people who have been offered it and have simply rejected it,” Illa said.

      ““It is not a document which will be made public and it will be done with the utmost respect for data protection,” he added.

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        Hanrahan

        Show me your papers.

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          PeterS

          They were lost in the Nashville explosion 🙂

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            OldOzzie

            GOTCHA!! 500,000+ UNDENIABLY FAKE NAMES ON PENNSYLVANIA BALLOT = MASSIVE TRUMP VICTORY

            The most convincing evidence is oft times the simplest—in plain sight—and luckily couldn’t be torched, smashed, bleachbitted or ‘Arkancided’

            The CCP and its Democrat Party grasshoppers were busy on Christmas Day covering their tracks of election theft while their media gang co-conspirators stood lookout.

            Evidence of their crime spree is disappearing faster than spiked punch at a High School prom—but a mathematician still has them dead to rights.

            They burned down the suspected printer of 288,000 post-election ballots trucked from nearby Bethpage, NY to Pennsylvania to cover the vote-switching and digital dumps on November 4th—the morning after voting ended.

            Next on the hit list was destroying the evidence on servers in Nashville, Tennessee’s AT&T/NSA data farm on 2nd Avenue North—also on Christmas Day.

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              OriginalSteve

              Naturalnews make a compelling argument the alleged NSA site was hit with a high energy laser burst.

              A femotosecond burst of a 1 watt laser is quite powerful if you integrate under the curve, now imagine higher power but in the UV range….

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              Tilba Tilba

              From the Richardson Post link:

              Don’t know how many Butt Waqas there are, but I found this one on linked-in “HR at Westpac in New Zealand.” How many can there be?

              “Butt” is a common surname in Pakistan, and is the butt of many jokes for English speakers! The linkedin Google description line says there are 300+ members named Waqas Butt. Not sure how many live and vote in Pennsylvania though.

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      Lucky

      Hanrahan asks- ” What does it do that Vit D and ivermectin can’t? ”

      Maybe it will reduce the chance of the injectee from getting the virus.
      But will it stop spread? Enable herd immunity? Maybe not!

      WHO chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan tweets-
      “I don’t believe we have the evidence on any of the vaccines, to be confident that it’s going to prevent people from getting the infection and passing it on”
      ” ..there’s no evidence .. that those who have been vaccinated wouldn’t be a risk if they traveled to a foreign country, .. with relatively low COVID rates.”

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    Kalm Keith

    Someone provided a link to the Ukrainian revelations of foreign “monkey business” involving the Biden’s.

    https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=hKDXVo-OKeQ&feature=share

    Interesting stuff involving Ukrainian corruption and U.S. Mischief.

    KK

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      Kalm Keith

      MP mentioned this on the previous thread, a good one

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      Chris

      Thank you Keith, That’s the sort of things that knock your socks off. If that doesn’t hang, draw and quarter Joe Biden then nothing will.
      The Ukrainians want their $13 billion back and have had chat to Rudi Guiliano – the plot thickens.

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    robert rosicka

    Loving the speed difference with the site wow what a difference .

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    Hanrahan

    After thousands of years of domestication why are cats and dogs still so implacably different?

    Assuming that the people who have pampered each species and changed a wolf into a poodle and a wild cat into a moggie would favour similar traits of loyalty and servitude in both, the two are as different today as they were when Homo first took them into their lives.

    Im not anti-science but Darwin does not tell the whole story. How was sight achieved in a billion incremental steps? I feel there must have been a giant step somewhere that simple evolution could not achieve.

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      robert rosicka

      I’ve always wondered why the big scary dinosaur was replaced with a pug !

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      TedM

      And how did asexual reproduction progress to bi-sexual reproduction?

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      MichaelinBrisbane

      And why at least three different attempts at sight — squid eyes, arthropod eyes and vertebrate eyes?

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      Chris

      Neo Darwinism, natural selection, incremental changes do not explain how the first single cell appeared, how it functioned and reproduced. This is something all biology texts ignore.
      Evolution has a very difficult time in explaining photosynthesis without it there would be no life on Earth . Sexual reproduction is also a mystery as is symbiotic relationships between animals, insects, plants etc.

      Louis Pasteur who proved that life can only come from life – 18/10.1902 …..”The more I study nature, the more I stand amazed at the work of the Creator …”

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        Kalm Keith

        Hi Chris,
        It’s been over sixty years since I left the church, and in that time the church’s “beliefs” have evolved in a way wholly consistent with the environment; a fact which seems to confirm Darwinian Evolution.

        In my early church life in a small, low key protestant denomination, there was never any suggestion of conflict between the scriptures and Darwin’s theories.

        For nine years the scriptures co-existed peacefully with the concept of Darwinian evolution. Both stories made sense.

        On reconnecting with the same church again only three years ago, I was surprised to find that the official take on Darwinism was one of rejection in favour of new “Creator” meme.

        This new understanding obviously “evolved” as a result of the changing environment over the last sixty years with radio and Tele-Evangelism pushing this new concept of the Creator for all they’re worth; an interesting business model.

        To spice things up and make the wider church cool, modern liturgy now includes CAGW and LGBTQIR determinations to guide the faithful.
        The church that I’m currently associated with is led by people who thankfully give these new ideas the space they deserve and focus on the basis of Christianity.

        I hope this small example of evolution has some meaning.

        KK

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      yarpos

      Different species why on earth would you expect them to be the same or even similar?

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      Leo Morgan

      Darwin’s account of why members of plant and animal species vary so much from other members in different geographies and times was admittedly incomplete. But he never pretended otherwise. Today we know much that he didn’t. For example, he didn’t know about chromosomes, recessive genes, messenger RNA and more.
      But that doesn’t take away from the fact his contribution to biology is as foundational and clarifying (though incomplete) as Newton’s was to Physics.
      He addressed the issue of the evolution of the eye in ‘the origin of species.’ It might well answer your questions. You can get a copy for free via Project Gutenberg. Probably through Amazon as well.
      If you are still unsatisfied, there are several books that address the issue further in the light of the of the additional knowledge gained over the subsequent century and a half. A quick Google search lists a few.
      I don’t see a ‘big leap’ needed above and beyond what they cover. And of course evolution has its grubby fingerprints all over its ‘good enough’ work, from the blind spot caused by nerves absurdly going through the retina, to the saccades needed for good vision.

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    Kalm Keith

    Of course Darwin didn’t give us the whole answer, but he sure gave us the right path to follow.

    I’m sure that if you asked a scientist with the right background the evolutionary development of things like “sight” could be outlined.

    I get very nervous when people start mentioning that it’s all too hard so there must have been a “giant step” somewhere.
    🙂
    God has too much on his plate looking after humans to be worried about interfering with evolution.
    Humans are a real handful; just look at 2020 with world politics everywhere gone covid, brexit, electit, trumping crazy.

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      Kalm Keith

      Reply to Hanrahan at #8.

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      Tilba Tilba

      I’m sure that if you asked a scientist with the right background the evolutionary development of things like “sight” could be outlined.

      Darwin himself was very troubled by such things too – he wondered how the eye could evolve. However later analysis and research showed that very early life had some cells that reacted to light, and it proved beneficial, and things developed from there.

      Once you appreciate (a) the mechanics of change, with genetic mutation and the advantages they can confer, and (b) the truly immense amount of time available, then evolution (along with genetics) essentially solve everything.

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    OriginalSteve

    Vaccine fail….it no good, mate…

    Completely useless it appears…

    So if its complete bollocks, why track people who sensibly refuse what may be downright useless and potentially a dangerous medical experiment upon your person with apparently no legal remedy if it all goes badly?

    Its so messed up, its almost funny….

    https://www.skynews.com.au/details/_6218725393001

    “The WHO has warned it does not have evidence COVID-19 vaccines prevent people from passing the virus on to other people and require the same precautions as people without the jab – such as quarantine.

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      Fred Streeter

      Dr Swaminathan was merely telling the truth.
      After all, if you already are infected with Covid but show no symptoms, the vaccine ain’t gonna cure you, it’s not what they do.

      The vaccines are being rushed into service, with insufficient evidence of efficacy or “contra indication”. (Wow! You might almost believe
      that I know what I am talking about.)

      Vaccine trials can take as long as 7 years to ensure efficacy and to determine those to whom it should not be offered.

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      MP

      Steve the vaccine is going to do exactly what it was designed to do.

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        Peter C

        Steve the vaccine is going to do exactly what it was designed to do

        Naively I thought the vaccine was designed to confer immunity to the Covid virus, so that we could go about our lives again, confident that we were immune from infection and could neither catch it or pass it on.

        Is that incorrect?

        It may be an innocent question, but why should people who have ‘had’ the virus need vaccinating?

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          OriginalSteve

          Exactly…unless another agenda is in play.

          My guess is this thing “primes” peoples immune systems for what may come next.

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      OldOzzie

      The nation can afford to hasten slowly with vaccines

      The Australian Editorial December 30, 2020

      Given high levels of anxiety being encouraged by border closures and bans on public gatherings for New Year’s Eve entertainment in some states, a desire to rush the rollout of a COVID-19 vaccine is to be expected. The reality is Australia has been successful in suppressing the virus and medical services are not being challenged by high numbers of patients from the pandemic, despite the outbreak in Sydney’s northern beaches.

      …but it puts into perspective the fact that the challenge facing Australian authorities is vastly different to places where the vaccine is being quickly distributed under emergency powers rather than full approval. As of Monday there had been 79.67 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 worldwide. Australia has recorded 28,337 cases, with 909 deaths, of which the vast majority were in Victoria because of the Andrews government’s bungled management of hotel quarantine. Emergency hospital facilities set up to cope with a surge of COVID-19 cases have gone largely unused.

      The government has faced some criticism for not securing access to the Pfizer vaccine sooner and for having sufficient supplies to cover only five million people. But, while it is the first vaccine to market, it is not necessarily the most suitable for Australian conditions because of the low temperatures needed for transportation and storage.


      [snip email coming- j.]

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      OldOzzie

      Two New Studies in Major Journals Cast Doubt on the Role of ‘Asymptomatic Transmission’ of the Wuhan Virus

      So far, the official response to the pandemic has been one unbroken series of lies and of moving the goalposts. If those in authority had deliberately set out to destroy their own credibility, it is difficult to see what they would have done differently. On the issue of facemasks, we were first told that wearing them was silly and counterproductive.

      Then the same guy turns around and lies to us about why he said that (he says he didn’t want mere peasants grabbing all the face masks and leave major hospital chains, who we know have no purchasing power at all, without protective gear for staff). Despite the mountain of evidence that shows masks have zero correlation or causative effect to infections, we are still in the mode of being forced to wear what is essentially a badge testifying to our personal virtue.

      The second article mentioned, the one that appeared in the Journal of the American Medical Association, found no significant evidence of asymptomatic transmission. The first study could be even more significant.

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      OldOzzie

      Trust science? Fauci’s admission he misled public puts scrutiny on Biden alliance

      Fauci’s “apparent willingness to mislead the public in support of his preferred policy objective should disqualify him from providing public policy advice in any official capacity,” said Jay Bhattacharya, professor of medicine at Stanford University.

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      OldOzzie

      Swedish Covid-19 data exposes our fatal lockdown hysteria

      Sanjeev Sabhlok

      Official Swedish mortality data as at December 18 is available at https://bit.ly/36sV3cE. After controlling for recent under-reporting, I estimate Sweden will end up with about 97,000 deaths this year. Long-term trends suggest Sweden would have had about 92,500 deaths this year, so there will be about 4500 additional deaths this year, a far cry from the models

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      OldOzzie

      https://spectator.us/anthony-fauci-strikes-estimate-covid-vaccine/

      His moving of the herd immunity goalposts should be the final straw

      How many passes does Anthony Fauci get? How many times must he be categorically wrong before people stop ogling his every facial expression and treating him as some sort of minor deity?

      Let me state unequivocally that enough is enough and it’s time for him to step aside.

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      RickWill

      Nothing new there. But a comprehensive position paper.

      With regard to the state of play, the two favourable positions are the fact that 7 states have sent alternate electoral college voters and Chris Miller’s resolve to limit Biden’s access to military briefings. These factors certainly ensure a fluid situation at least till the 6th of January. It is also reported that at least 30 congressmen will object to Biden’s election. That brings a long discussion with Pence presiding.

      A MAGA army of unbounded numbers building up in DC as 6th January approaches would add some steel to the resolve of congressmen who may just want an easy life. A MAGA army would get the notice of the press and might make some swamp creatures nervous. A powerful display of people power would legitimise Trump ordering military action to supervise recounts in the disputed states.

      Ratcliffe’s DNI report is still to come but there are mixed messages there.

      The only way the vast majority of people will be convinced of election fraud is if someone of influence admits guilt and explains their role. It is confounding to me that no one is squealing because there has been considerable co-ordination in organising the bogus voting and hard to imagine no key player has been found out.

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        Tilba Tilba

        With regard to the state of play, the two favourable positions are the fact that 7 states have sent alternate electoral college voters and Chris Miller’s resolve to limit Biden’s access to military briefings. These factors certainly ensure a fluid situation at least till the 6th of January. It is also reported that at least 30 congressmen will object to Biden’s election. That brings a long discussion with Pence presiding.

        Just a couple of technical comments:

        1. The “alternate” or “shadow” electoral slates for Trump in those states are not certified and will have no standing, and Congress is bound by its rules to count only the certified slates, and I expect that is what VP Mike Pence will do.

        2. All states met the safe harbor deadline (except Wisconsin, who were a day late), so those electoral slates are guaranteed, and are considered conclusive, so I expect any objections to them will be disallowed by Mike Pence.

        3. The rules of the Joint Session (chaired by Mike Pence) state that no argument or debate occurs there – if there are objections allowed, all debating and voting must occur in each chamber separately, for a maximum of two hours.

        4. Even if objections were allowed for all Biden states (25), that is only about 4-5 days of debate, but I seriously doubt that an essentially pointless “filibuster” will occur.

        5. The system is designed to ensure that the STATES have authority over who they submit as their individual election winners, and the role of Congress is strictly limited.

        6. If you think about it, it needs to be this way – otherwise, if the opposition party held both the House and the Senate, they could change the vote from as many states as they needed to overturn the result in favour of their candidate – but this can’t happen, and 6 January is essentially formal and ceremonial.

        That’s my understanding of the way the rules are supposed to operate. We’ll see.

        Limiting the Biden Team’s access to military intelligence during the transition I can’t really comment upon, but it does seem highly irregular, and not healthy for national security going forward.

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    CHRIS

    Panic, Panic, Panic. All of these “save the world” vaccines are dubious, to say the least. In ‘normal’ times, approval of vaccines takes 4-5 years. In this environment (ie; grasping at straws), the probability that these vaccines will be effective is MODERATE.
    I’m just sitting back and relaxing to see when this COVID-19 vaccine nonsense goes belly-up

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    David Maddison

    In Washington DC, there is a service for the Elites that will purchase books to put on their bookshelves to give the impression that said Elites are well read and educated even though they are neither.

    https://youtu.be/rngR3lqMRoE

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    RicDre

    Newly Discovered Greenland Plume Drives Thermal Activities in the Arctic

    A team of researchers understands more about the melting of the Greenland ice sheet. They discovered a flow of hot rocks, known as a mantle plume, rising from the core-mantle boundary beneath central Greenland that melts the ice from below.

    https://wattsupwiththat.com/2020/12/29/newly-discovered-greenland-plume-drives-thermal-activities-in-the-arctic/

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    David Wojick

    Wind and solar losing ground to gas (my latest)

    https://wattsupwiththat.com/2020/12/28/wind-and-solar-are-losing-ground-to-gas/

    I was surprised to find that America is building a lot more fossil fuel generation than wind and solar. Certainly not a transition to renewables.

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      Graeme No.3

      They keep predicting:
      2009: China to cut emissions 40-45% below 2005 level by 2020; India to cut 20-25%.
      2020 Reality: China 2020 emissions ~85% HIGHER than 2005; India ~150% HIGHER.

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    RicDre

    Model used to evaluate lockdowns was flawed

    In a recent study, researchers from Imperial College London developed a model to assess the effect of different measures used to curb the spread of the coronavirus. However, the model had fundamental shortcomings and cannot be used to draw the published conclusions, claim Swedish researchers from Lund University, and other institutions, in the journal Nature.

    https://wattsupwiththat.com/2020/12/29/model-used-to-evaluate-lockdowns-was-flawed/

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    RicDre

    Report: Tesla ‘Erupted Like Flamethrower’ in Texas Car Fire

    A Tesla Model S owner in Dallas alleges that his vehicle began erupting flames after he heard a number of metallic bangs from the vehicle while pulling off a suburban thoroughfare.

    https://www.breitbart.com/tech/2020/12/29/report-tesla-erupted-like-flamethrower-in-texas-car-fire/

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      Chad

      On the Tesla theme…
      There is an amusing YT series from Aussie “Auto Expert” , John Caduggan, currently being run laying bare the Tesla myths..
      Todays was the truth behind Teslas “Profits”..
      https://youtu.be/-42MoE7bjaI
      Check his others also on Tesla Battery Day, and Technology .
      …Always good for a larf .!

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    Rocket Rod

    Humanity should sacrifice “personal freedom” just as many nations did during the Covid-19 pandemic in order to successfully fight climate change, a German MP has said, adding that there will “never” be a vaccine against CO2.

    Germany had barely started its coronavirus vaccination campaign when a Social Democratic MP, Karl Lauterbach, warned that his compatriots need to brace themselves for yet another challenge: global warming.

    “We need measures to deal with climate change that are similar to the restrictions on personal freedom [imposed] to combat the pandemic,” the professor of health economics and epidemiology at the University of Cologne wrote in a guest piece for Die Welt newspaper. He added that he hoped climate change issues would play “a dominant role” during the upcoming election campaign ahead of the federal ballot scheduled for September 2021.

    Covid was of course just a brainwashing and compliance exercise for the Great Reset as I have said all along..
    However, the REAL global pandemic is looming…

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      Kalm Keith

      One of the great mysteries for me has been the fact that this Climate Change, CAGW story is still there providing a basis for some to be elected and for those and the deep state to make money from the “solutions” applied.

      There is no scientific basis to insist that CO2 levels in the atmosphere can “cause” global warming. Anyone familiar with atmospheric physics, such as Will J, will show that the idea is a very nasty imposition on Taxpayers and not at all scientific.
      If that isn’t enough, then as I have shown on numerous occasions here, quantitative analysis of the effect of human origin CO2 on Temperature is indisputable.
      A thoughtie for everyone: in your mind go to midday in the middle of winter. Now think about how much colder it will be before sunrise the next morning. From there imagine what the next morning’s temperature will be if the Sun doesn’t shine for the next 24 hours: rinse and repeat.

      CO2 will not save us, without the Sun we would be frozen solid in a few days.

      But this game has been played for big money over the last 30 years and the fact that it’s still going is a tribute, or not, to our Leaders.

      That’s why this US election catastrophe is so important: drain the swamp.

      KK

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    Kalm Keith

    The most recent post is still giving trouble: if on another thread it will activate when tapped and go to the new thread, problem is that the last post doesn’t list. Have to refresh and then tap again when in the right thread.
    Hope that’s not too convoluted.

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    OldOzzie

    Joe Biden refers to Kamala Harris as ‘president-elect’

    “I hope the president will clearly and unambiguously urge all Americans to take the vaccine once it’s available,” Biden said.

    “I took it to instill public confidence in the vaccine. President-elect Harris took hers today for the same reason,” he went on after Harris received the jab earlier Tuesday.

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    OldOzzie

    Delaware shop owner in Hunter Biden case files $500 million defamation suit against Twitter

    Suit claims Twitter’s censorship of Hunter Biden laptop articles falsely branded shop owner as ‘hacker.’

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    OldOzzie

    It’s a Bird, It’s a Drone! | The Wentworth Report

    By James Dunnigan.

    In some cases, like border patrol or safeguarding wild game from poachers, it is essential for UAVs [drones] to remain unobserved if they are to be successful. One novel solution to all this is UAVs in the form of large birds that glide most of the time rather that constantly flapping their wings. Responding to that need, the new Aves UAV is now available. The manufacturer will build a shell for each Aves UAV to look like a large bird commonly seen in the area where it will operate.

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    OldOzzie

    THE DOMINO EFFECT OF MARK LEVIN LEAVING FACEBOOK FOR PARLER

    Decision-makers residing in Silicon Valley have taken a clear, leftward political interest that’s beyond the ones in Hollywood and sports. As a result, a number of independent minds have created accounts on Parler, a free-speech alternative to Twitter and Facebook. Among them is Dan Bongino, who is a part-owner of the social media platform.

    Of late, Parler has seen spikes in downloads, despite most commentators and politicians using it as a complement to, not a substitution for, Twitter and Facebook. That will soon change with Mark Levin.

    The follower count is key. Levin has 4.2 million followers on Parler, which is more than his 2.8 million on Twitter or 1.6 million on Facebook. While Twitter and Facebook have more accounts, Parler’s users are highly engaged and responsive.

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      Tilba Tilba

      Indeed – I was in Third Form in Sydney in 1966 (University of Sydney 1970 … Vietnam Moratorium and Anti-Apartheid days) – and yes – thanks for the flashback.

      As they say, the past is a different country. It’s actually quite hard to recall what a “backwater” we were, but also chirpy and happy in many ways, and we believed we lived in the best place in the world.

      Sydney is still a great city, apart from Blues Point Tower, and those dreadful apartments that are too close to the Opera House.

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    John of Cloverdale

    I was at Sydney Uni in 1966. Ha3! Thanks for the memories.

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    OriginalSteve

    Hmmm….the curious case of Belarus proving lockdowns dont work…

    https://off-guardian.org/2020/12/19/how-belarus-exposes-the-lockdown-lie/

    Covid was never about medical issues, its another cover for the Elite to abuse war-like conditions to abuse whole populations.

    Put anothr way -covid is the trijan horse to deliver tyranny to the whole globe.

    The Elite are fools – the Devil offers them shiny trinkets of power and money, but will burn them when it suits him….

    Humans have a fallen nature that the Devil just exploits…they are but useful idiots….the Elite are just fallen men and women who have fallen for the lie from the Father of the Lie…..

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    Salome

    Is the solar minimum fading?

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      el gordo

      ‘With solar minimum behind us, scientists expect the Sun’s activity to ramp up toward the next predicted maximum in July 2025. Doug Biesecker, panel co-chair and solar physicist at NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) in Boulder, Colorado, said Solar Cycle 25 is anticipated to be as strong as the last solar cycle, which was a below-average cycle, but not without risk.’ (NASA)

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    Salome

    Wow! This site is so fast and responsive without the PRC spyware . . .

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      OriginalSteve

      Certainly whatever changes Jo has made, has made a huge positive difference…

      What have you changed Jo?

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