Friday Open Thread

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116 comments to Friday Open Thread

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    Memoryvault

    .
    Paul Joseph Watson demonstrates the truth about AI. Eight minutes.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWzprRWPI68

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    Sambar

    Foreign Affairs minister Penny Wong suggested that Britain should recognise its colonial past and some how correct all of the perceived “failings” for what was done hundreds of years ago. To emphasise her argument she cited her own fathers experiences as an ethic Chinese in Malaya and Borneo while these countries were still under British rule.
    Her claim was he was “forced” to work in forestry, tin mining and the tea trade and therefore British “colonialisation ” was bad.
    Interestingly she made NO COMMENT about Chinas current policy of colonising neighbouring countries and flooding them with Chinese people to the point of overwhelming local populations of different ethnicity. The sole pupose of exploiting these countries is for either their mineral wealth or for political gain. No mention of how Tibetans have fared under Chinese colonization, no mention of how Mongolians are appreciating being out numbered in their own country by etnhic Han Chinese. No mention of Chinese aggresion to Vietnam or India, expansions into the South China sea, claims against Taiwan etc.etc.etc. Just the poms should apologise and offer reparations for past indiscretions. No mention that the British rule of law or their ability to set up administration systems, the introduction of modern medicine or technological developments such as railways and road systems. Nope, just the British colonials were all bad…..now pay up. Apparently an Australian education never taught her how to have an open mind, never taught her how to research and never taught her that every aspect of her current life comes from the Poms generally leaving a lasting and useful legacy for the former members of the British Commonwealth.

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      Gee Aye

      she made NO COMMENT about Chinas current policy of colonising neighbouring countries

      because that was not the topic of her talk?

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      • #
        b.nice

        One would expect Wong to WHINGE about Australia, … but not mention China.

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      • #
        Hanrahan

        Colonialism either was, or wasn’t, the topic of her talk.

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          Ian

          “Colonialism either was or wasn’t the topic of her talk”

          It was part of it.

          Here’s what the AFR said

          The media fuss also obscured the strategic significance to Wong’s London speech.

          To be sure, here was an Australian foreign minister reminding the nation of our former colonial overlords that honest history matters. But here also was a key voice from a Labor government presenting a long thread of reason between acknowledging the past and a relationship of deep strategic trust in securing the future.

          “Whatever discomfort part of the speech may have brought to some sensibilities in Britain – or perhaps to remnant monoculturalism in this country – its totality should do Australia-UK relations some considerable good.

          That’s because its underlying message strengthens the bipartisan political scaffolding in both countries for AUKUS, wider security co-operation and London’s role in the Indo-Pacific.”

          https://www.afr.com/policy/foreign-affairs/why-wong-s-colonial-history-lesson-was-a-geopolitical-play-20230202-p5che8

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            yarpos

            “… because its underlying message strengthens the bipartisan political scaffolding in both countries for AUKUS..” how exactly? did ChatGPT generate that waffle?

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    • #
      David Maddison

      And Chinese in Malaysia are not indigenous either. In my experience the ethnic Chinese in Malaysia are horribly racist against indigenous Malays. And of course Malays are racist against Chinese as well. Plus non-Mohammedans are also persecuted.

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        TdeF

        Everyone is racist. Everyone is judgemental. Civilization is about trying to deal with endless natural prejudices which are understandable and normal. Everyone is afraid of what is different. It is self preservation. It wouldn’t be called the human race if it wasn’t a competition.

        The change from Roman days was the emergence of a Judeo Christian view of the world that everyone is intrinsically of the same worth. That the slave was the same value intrinsically as the Emperor. It destroyed the Roman empire. Love of your neighbour is not a great defence strategy.

        The equality of people was not the basis of previous religions, as with the untouchables in the massive Hindu world which spawned many religions including Buddism. And that belief that everyone has the same intrinsic worth is the basis of our modern democratic civilization which is why it is called civilization. In fact it is only the last century that women were given the same value as men.

        Calling someone racist in many places is unintelligible to the locals. Non racism is an ideal of Christian Western Democracies only. Try the former Korean slaves in Japan, two hundred years on. They are still not Japanese. Is that racism? Of course, but very deeply embedded in a non Christian racist society. In most countries racism is embedded in their culture and history and thought. And they see it as fact, not irrational prejudice. In China they are using the latest facial recognition cameras to identify Uighurs in the street.

        Ancient Greek democracy was not universal suffrage. Slaves and women and aliens and people who did not own property did not vote. Prejudice and racism were intrinsic to societies. And societies are only homogenous because people who did not fit in are gone. Like the Neanderthals. Why do you think our Pakistani born batsman Usman Khwaja had a problem getting his Indian visa and missed the flight? And try applying for an Indian visa. Most of the questions are about any possible Pakistan relatives. Non racism is an ideal for Christian societies only.

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          TdeF

          And then there’s religion, colour, birthplace, height, wealth, opinion, education. Try Northern Ireland. Or the Clans of Scotland.
          The Woke accusation of racism only works on virtue signalling types. Now we are over compensating which is just as wrong. What good are apologies for the events of centuries ago? How long before the Germans are forgiven? Or the Spanish? What about the good people of the Inquisition?

          The weakness of Western society is guilt. Burning the earth. Destroying species. Carbon pollution. Dirty air. And somehow it all gets back to money, not equality but ‘reparations’. It’s an attack on the gullible, especially the ridiculous fantasy of man made carbon dioxide levels and Global Warming and Climate Change. There was never any ‘science’.

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            TdeF

            I also find it amazing with BLM that white people have been cast as the slavers and black people as the victims. Slaves and gold were the two spoils of war. Slavery did not care about colour.

            At the time of the Pirates of Barbary only two centuries ago, pirates defeated by the new US navy (‘from the shores of Tripoli’), there were a million white people enslaved, often whole villages from Ireland. And the Slavs, the slaves of the Steppes in their many millions were trade like cattle, especially to the Ottoman Empire but everywhere.

            Before machinery, societies ran on slaves. They were essential. And few people were paid ‘wages’. You just existed. Life was brief, full of sorrow and brutal and most of your children died.

            But we are told that white people are racists and that implies black people are not. You would have to be kidding. Everyone is racist. Explain Rwanda, a recent massacre of a million black people by black people based solely on looks? The hatred was extreme.

            Racism is not weird, unusual. It’s normal, a fear of the unknown, the different and it often has a basis in experience. But the Woke attack on Western Democracies alleging White Supremacy is all predicated on Christianity, the feeling of guilt. Africa was the home of slavery. And again, colour didn’t matter. The British who eliminated slavery are now accused of running the industry. They didn’t. It was home grown in Africa. And it was 3,000 British sailors who gave their lives to eradicate the appalling trade in human misery. They are now the villains. But that’s what Marxists do, twist history. Except now it’s called Post Modernism.

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          Trump

          The OT is full of racism, genocide, promotion of slavery and the mistreatment of women. Luckily, God changed his mind.

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          el+gordo

          ‘Everyone is racist.’

          Its a natural part of our survival instinct, but in the modern era Australia can dispense with it. A cultural melting pot was not on the agenda of the British colonisers, yet here we are.

          ‘Australia is the most ethnically diverse country in the world. With 26% of Australians being born overseas and 49% of people having at least one parent born overseas, Australia has 100 religions and 300 ethnic groups in our cultural melting pot.

          ‘The Census shows that Australia has a higher proportion of overseas-born people (26%) than the United States (14%), Canada (22%) and New Zealand (23%). What about the United Kingdom, you say? Not even close (13%).’ (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2016 Census)

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            Ted1.

            How racist? Skin colour? Hair colour? Eye colour? Some other physical feature?

            The primary descriptor of race is surely the language

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            Ted1.

            How racist? Skin colour? Hair colour? Eye colour? Some other physical feature?

            The primary descriptor of race is surely the language.

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              el+gordo

              Language is important for inclusion and so is sport.

              The children of the immigrants adopt mainstream culture, but maintain a connection to the past, this gives us cultural diversity. Intermarriage is also increasing, which will break down a lot of old prejudices.

              No matter where a fella comes from, if he is hard working and can crack a joke, he’s home.

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    • #

      The worst Colonists were the Spanish and the Portuguese who stole so much gold and silver from South America and left a shambles. Let alone the number of local peoples that they murdered.

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    • #
      another ian

      A reminder from history on the British and Malaya/Malasia

      They managed the successful survival of the communist uprising their;

      Have a read of

      https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/149581.The_War_of_the_Running_Dogs

      One could say that they did a bloody lot more for Malaya than Penny Wong has done for Australia

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    • #
      Chad

      Sambar
      February 3, 2023 at 1:37 pm · Reply
      Foreign Affairs minister Penny Wong suggested that Britain should recognise its colonial past and some how correct all of the perceived “failings” for what was done hundreds of years ago. To emphasise her argument she cited her own fathers experiences as an ethic Chinese in Malaya and Borneo while these countries were still under British rule.
      Her claim was he was “forced” to work in forestry, tin mining and the tea trade and therefore British “colonialisation ” was bad.

      Sky’s A Bolt pointed out that Wongs family migrated to Malaya to seek work and improve their living standard.
      Without the British colonial activities, that work oportunity would not have been available.
      Wong is an idealist and a lier.

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  • #
    John Connor II

    Long-term Soy consumption makes monkeys aggressive loners: shocking study with human implications

    A few days ago we reported on a shocking recent study which showed that soybean oil caused serious genetic dysfunction in mice, leading to weight gain and serious neurological problems. These results should be cause for alarm for one simple reason: soybean oil is the most widely consumed oil in the United States. Indeed, there has been a 100-fold increase in soybean oil consumption during the 20th century. Soybean oil is everywhere, especially in the processed foods which make up a significant portion, even a majority, of the diets of most people in America and much of the rest of the developed world (see for instance this study from Brazil).

    It is becoming increasingly clear that vegetable oils in general, including soybean oil, are seriously bad not just for mice but people too. Recently we dubbed vegetable oil ‘one of the worst things you can eat’, and also included vegetable-oil-laden processed food as one of the main foods that make you ugly. Processed food has been under intense scrutiny, as a result of a new documentary that aired on the BBC last week. For a period of a month, a British doctor conducted a self-experiment by eating a diet composed of 80% processed food, a diet consumed by as much as two-thirds of the adult population in the UK.

    In light of this focus on not just the physical but the mental and emotional effects of consuming vegetable-oil laden processed food, one aspect of the soybean oil study that has generated discussion in recent weeks is the finding that soybean oil consumption caused dysregulation of the mice’s oxytocin system. Only some of the implications of this were discussed in the study, leaving readers to enlarge upon them. As well as being involved in the regulation of weight gain, oxytocin also has an important role to play in the expression of empathy and social bonding.

    https://herculeanstrength.com/soy-consumption-monkeys-aggressive-loners/

    Soy is also estrogenic so avoided by male bodybuilders.
    ALL vegetable oils are bad due to their inflammatory nature, leaving Olive oil as the primary choice for cooking.

    Maybe the Soy-boy generations’ aggressiveness is due to this…

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      John Connor II

      Depopulation Drug Quietly, Deceitfully Renamed and Pumped Into Food Supply

      You might know of Stevia as the plant-based sweetener that has a minimal effect on blood sugar and insulin levels and as a healthy alternative to sugar and even artificial sweeteners that we know can disturb the gut microbiome.

      Native to parts of Brazil and Paraguay, the Stevia rebaundiana plant was first studied in 1899 by the botanist Moisés Santiago Bertoni who observed its sweet taste. Locals called it kaʼa heʼẽ , or “sweet herb”, and used it as as medicine with a very specific purpose.

      According to Bertoni the botanist, Stevia was used by the native tribes in Paraguay for centuries as a powerful contraceptive that destroys fertility.

      The FDA allowed the import of Stevia for the first time in 1995, allowing the sweetener to be used only as a dietary supplement. Then in December 2008 the FDA added Stevia to the list of food additives “generally recognized as safe” or GRAS. Stevia was then allowed to be added to flavored water, sports drinks as well as soft drinks and other foods and beverage products.

      Since then Stevia has been pumped into the food supply as an ingredient in over 14,500 food and beverage products around the world including teas, soft drinks, juices, yogurt, soy milk, baked goods, granola bars, alcoholic beverages, chewing gum, cereal, salad dressings, confections and as a tabletop sweetener.

      According to peer-reviewed scientific studies, Stevia is incredibly successful at reducing fertility. Numerous animal and human studies have found that Stevia reduces fertility by 57 to 79%.

      And even more alarmingly, this happens in both females and males. And even more alarming that than, this effect in females and males can continue for months, even after you stop using Stevia.

      Another study even found that an extract from the plant had an inhibitory effect on the growth of human sperm in vitro.

      https://rumble.com/v284z9t-depopulation-drug-quietly-deceitfully-renamed-and-pumped-into-food-supply.html

      There’s no sugar, vegetable oils or Stevia at my house. I’m sweet enough already. 😁

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      Simon Thompson M.B. B.S. (Hons)

      Olive oil was only recently added to the menu- ancients used it as a balm. Our mitochondria have a feedback system based on Nad/Nadh ratio basically sensing Saturated fatty acid chains. The unsaturated and polyunsaturated escape the “Fuel regulation”. So remember SATURATED FAT IS GOOD FOR YOU!. Adding unsaturated/polyunsaturated is a possible cause for “Metabolic Syndrome”

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  • #
    KP

    How to make Australia Communist? Well, start with a capitalist society and say..

    “I embrace capitalism as it generates prosperity and can do more. ..But it must come with rules ensuring competition, and there must be policies to redistribute some of the wealth created.”

    ..and you’ll soon find the Govt telling you what to do every day for everything in your life, owning most of the businesses one way or another, and pushing how wonderful their latest 5-year plan is even when you have no electricity or heating!

    The opinions of Mr Sims, the former head of the nation’s consumer watchdog. No free market when he’s in charge!

    https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/capitalism-must-come-with-rules-to-ensure-competition-sims-20230202-p5chgx.html

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    John Connor II

    NZ – Banks may turn off finance tap for non-compliant farmers

    Resistance Kiwi has been reliably informed that New Zealand’s leading banking institutions are considering options to “de-bank” farmers who fail to comply with environmental targets.

    At least one of New Zealand’s banks has emailed staff regarding plans to ‘off-board’ farmers not meeting environmental goals.

    While the staff member who blew the whistle on this action is reluctant to come forward publicly because they don’t want to risk losing their job, we can reliably vouch for this person’s current employment.

    It’s unknown whether such targets would relate to government legislation or be set by the banks. Either way, we believe this would be a very dangerous path to be heading down when a citizen or organisation may be punished not only by the legal system for a perceived breach of a law, but also by their banking institution.

    https://resistance.kiwi/nz-banks-may-turn-off-finance-tap-for-non-compliant-farmers/

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    • #
      TdeF

      Farmers should turn off food for now compliant bankers.

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        Ted1.

        What is happening to the price of fertilisers?

        There is already a danger that food will become scarce by next year.

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          TdeF

          That’s the WEF, the idea that they need to kill off 90% of the world’s population, starting with Sri Lanka. And somehow twisted to be part of Climate Change. These people make Pol Pot look humane.

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      yarpos

      who the hell do they think they are? small minded people given a tiny bit of power

      sounds like an opportunity for a rational bank

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        Steve of Cornubia

        It’s dangerous to see these people as stupid. If they were, I wouldn’t worry. The fact is that they’re intelligent and know exactly what they’re doing, and have a clear vision of the world they want to create. Only when this combination of wicked, misguided, SMART and (perhaps most importantly) relentless is accepted, will conservatives finally muster the forces, energy and equivalent determination to fight back.

        Until then, ‘conservative’ politicians will continue to make speeches that play well on the internet but have zero effect on the Left’s dogged progress, and the likes of Biden (puppet though he is), Dan Andrews and Trudeau will continue to be elected. Only when those genuinely conservative politicians who secure real power and authority use it to fight fire with fire, who ‘step up’ on our behalf, will this dangerous destruction of western democracy be thwarted.

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    John Connor II

    JC2 weather report: today’s weather will be curved sunshine with some cloud

    https://va.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_rm8gm5s5LX1u1hnvc.mp4

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    KP

    ..and a little propaganda from the West today-

    “The Ukrainian-born businessman with Jewish heritage famously helped to bankroll Azov, a volunteer battalion, known for having far-right leanings in its infancy. It has over the years expelled some of its most notorious elements and evolved into an ordinary military unit.”

    Funny, the only reason Azov lost any notorious elements is because the Russians killed them. They are still finding plenty of Ukies with obvious tattoos, uniform badges, and Azov commanders absorbed into the regular army of Ukraine.

    https://www.smh.com.au/world/europe/ukraine-officials-raid-home-of-bond-villain-who-helped-zelensky-s-career-20230202-p5chhj.html

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      Steve of Cornubia

      It is no coincidence that the country America (primarily) is supporting in this war is the very same one that the Biden crime family has done very lucrative business with in the past. To paraphrase: money corrupts but tons and tone of money corrupts absolutely.

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  • #
    Ian George

    Last month’s climate report by the BoM.

    ‘The national mean temperature for January was exactly equal to the 1961–1990 average.
    Area-average mean maximum temperature for January was 0.30 °C below average nationally, while the mean minimum temperature was 0.28 °C above average.’

    Exactly equal? Exactly? Please explain.
    How about -0.1C below average. Can’t have a below normal month, can we?

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      el+gordo

      You may be able to help us out, why do they say ‘equal to the 1961–1990 average’ instead of 1990 – 2020 average?

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      • #
        Ian George

        I believe that this is the standard time frame the BoM use to determine overall average temps. Often you see the overall state monthly anomalies showing a below average mean which they then ‘adjust’ to the 61-90 average.
        Check the minimum temp table here – yet NSW was above average for Jan.

        http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/current/month/nsw/summary.shtml

        BTW, GISS NASA use 1951-1980 time frame.

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          • #
            Ian George

            This is true, Dianhe, but different agencies use different 30 year climate normals to calculate mean temps.
            This makes the claims of the annual mean temp for the world meaningless as they are all different.
            Plus I don’t know if the BoM only use ACORN sites to calculate the average means. Anyone know?

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        • #
          el+gordo

          Thanks Ian, useful knowledge.

          BoM is terrified, they cannot explain what is happening and will hide the decline at every opportunity.

          Christopher Monckton of Brenchley is tracking the new pause.

          ‘As the third successive year of la Niña settles into its stride, the New Pause has lengthened by another month (and very nearly by two months). There has been no trend in the UAH global mean lower-troposphere temperature anomalies since September 2014: 8 years 5 months and counting.’ (wuwt)

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  • #
    R.B.

    Interesting that the ABC news felt that a heatwave in Brisbane, 35°C or 6 degrees more than the mean for Fenuary and 1 degree then the record for April in 1973, was a better lead story than snowfall in Victoria and NSW in early Feb.

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      R.B.

      Sorry, the mean for February and 1 degree less than the record for April in 1973.

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      • #

        The ABC has copped unexpected blow-back in its collaborations to enforce
        COVID failings and climate ’emergencies.’

        Here’s Tony Thomas article at Cliscep…

        https://cliscep.com/2023/02/02/the-company-their-abc-is-keeping/

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        • #
          Steve of Cornubia

          Likewise their characterisation of a residents’ meeting held recently in Alice Springs to discuss the problem of widespread crime committed by indigenous people as a meeting attended by “white supremacists”.

          Disgraceful, and yet more proof that the taxpayer-funded ABC should be shut down.

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        • #
          David-of-Cooyal-in-Oz

          Thanks beth,
          Makes the ABC sound like a member of a criminal cartel. Maybe treasonous as they’re actively working against the interests of all Australians by promulgating false information.
          But we know that already.
          Your link provides strong evidence.
          Cheers
          Dave B

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          Gary S

          Great link Beth. Everybody should read this and applaud Kennedy’s efforts. The swamp be deep.

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          another ian

          On the strength of that one could do a photoshop of ABC headquarters re-labeled “Porky’s Place” with the badge of a well rounded pig.

          00

    • #
      TdeF

      Global Warming is happening somewhere. They just have to find it. On the right day. It happened in the UK at a place near Heathrow.

      I have been told it has happened on top of a mountain in Greenland from -40C to -20C.

      Surely it is happening somewhere else as well? The BOM will pay a spotter’s fee to anyone who can report a heat wave somewhere.

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      • #

        Yes and my spotter’s fee is the money spent by the BoM in a week. A cool $5m should do it. Thanks and now I will go looking for my scam, I mean record temperature ever (since the dawn of time).

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      el+gordo

      Summer snow is only weather, while seasonal warmth is seen as remarkable because they are getting north Queensland weather.

      Remember the motto: All severe weather is climate change.

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        environmeNt sCeptic

        Great T-Shirt weather in Victoria Au E+G.

        Wearing four T-Shirts today 🙂

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          el+gordo

          On the Central Tablelands (NSW) the winds off snowy mountains sees me in winter gear, it feels like climate change is finally happening.

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          Annie

          I’ve been in winter woollies most of today. Later this afternoon we saw a bit of sun and we had a brief period up to 18C to a fleeting 20C. It was pleasant after cold rain and 7C earlier.

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      Ian George

      The definition for a heatwave in Australia has changed. It used to be five consecutive days of over five degrees above the average. Now it is:
      ‘The Bureau of Meteorology defines a heatwave as three or more days in a row when both daytime and night-time temperatures are unusually high—in relation to the local long-term climate and the recent past. There is no single temperature threshold for a heatwave in Australia.’

      So it has reduced the number of days and made the threshold indefinite. Now they can claim there are more heatwaves than ever.

      The same as cyclones – they’ve reduced the wind speed for each category and use satellites probes to try to increase the number of cyclones and intensity.

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        el+gordo

        The Klimateriat doesn’t have a clue on seasonal forecasting.

        ‘During October 2022, Bureau of Meteorology (BoM), New Zealand’s MetService, and the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) issued its tropical cyclone outlook for the 2022–23 season. The outlook called for an above-average number of tropical cyclones for the 2022–23 season, with eleven tropical cyclones, predicted to occur.’ (wiki)

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  • #
    John Connor II

    Samsung takes mobile photography to 200 megapixels with Galaxy S23 Ultra

    Samsung has held its first in-person Galaxy Unpacked event since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, launching new premium smartphones and a trio of 2-in-1 laptops – though the Galaxy S23 Ultra stole the limelight with its 200-MP camera.

    The new premium smartphones shape up as the Galaxy S23, S23+ and S23 Ultra – and it’s the last one in that short list that we’ll focus on here. That’s mainly due to the wide camera module in the quad array around back, which is built around a 200-MP image sensor.

    Though full resolution imagery is possible, much of the time the sensor will combine 16 pixels together for improved light capture at an image resolution of 12.5 megapixels (though binning four pixels will yield a 50-MP image). The main camera has a F1.7 aperture and 85-degree field of view. It’s joined by a 12-MP F2.2 ultra-wide, a 10-MP F2.4 telephoto with 3x optical zoom and a 10-MP F2.4 telephoto with 10x optical zoom.

    https://www.samsung.com/us/smartphones/galaxy-s23-ultra/buy/

    Bear in mind that the human eye is about 100MP.

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      ozfred

      Reasons why people will need 5G connections to send holiday snapshots?
      Did anyone get 11×14 photos from their relatives pre1970?

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      David Maddison

      Bear in mind that the human eye is about 100MP.

      Another estimate is 576MP but not even the brain has enough bandwidth to process all that data.

      Some data is preprocessed in the eye, other in the brain but the entire visual field is not refreshed at once, just the bits that are in motion such as other predators, prey or enemy humans.

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      Steve of Cornubia

      AFAIK, though this is improving all the time, the old rule of pixel size vs noise still applies. This dictates that small pixels (sensors) are much less effective at gathering light than large ones, meaning more signal amplification is required, leading to problems with signal noise. This is just physics so clever computing will only compensate so far and never equal the image quality available from large photo sites.

      All of which means I still won’t be competing with photogs shooting with smartphones when I’m trackside at Queensland Raceway or, even less so, in a dark forest capturing high-speed rally cars.

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      Graeme#4

      While we have exceeded the 20MP resolution of standard 35mm film, larger film formats such as 4×5 inch have around 300MP resolution, and larger 8×10 inch film has a resolution of over 1000MP.

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    John Connor II

    What do you think really controls the climate?

    https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FLGLAAoXEAEIPsP.jpg

    Liberals, greenies and alarmists: “WE DO!”

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    John Connor II

    The Evidence On Red Meat: Is It Carcinogenic Or Healthy?

    For a long time, people have had different perceptions about red meat

    Some believe that eating red meat causes cancer, and some who follow a carnivore diet believe that red meat has cured many of their diseases and made their bodies the best they have ever been.

    So should we consume red meat? How much, and how should we eat it?

    A recent meta-analysis published in the Nature Medicine journal also conducted a rigorous judgment and evaluation of the carcinogenicity of red meat consumption.

    Researchers at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, University of Washington, collected and analyzed 55 studies from different populations around the world. Participation in each study ranged from 600 to more than 530,000, and the follow-up time ranged from four to 32 years.

    The researchers devised a five-star rating system to assess the risk of smoking, consumption of unprocessed red meat, and other factors (such as insufficient intake of vegetables) in relation to a person’s health outcomes (including breast cancer, colorectal cancer, Type 2 diabetes, ischemic heart disease, ischemic stroke, and hemorrhagic stroke).

    The system’s purpose was to visualize the relative likelihood of red meat causing cancer (with five stars suggesting very strong evidence of association, and one star suggesting no evidence of association).

    The results of the study rated the association between consumption of unprocessed red meat and colorectal cancer, breast cancer, Type 2 diabetes, and ischemic heart disease at only two stars—that is, the evidence is weak. Additionally, the association between unprocessed red meat and ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke was also rated two stars.

    https://principia-scientific.com/the-evidence-on-red-meat-is-it-carcinogenic-or-healthy/

    You can stick your crickets and worms in your Funk & Wagnall. 😁

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  • #
    Geoff Sherrington

    For those with an interest in the delicacies of what we are supposed to vote about to change our Constitution —
    Trigger, not for the faint hearted.
    Geoff S
    alice springs.mp4

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      Geoff Sherrington

      MY APOLOGIES

      This clip, that works from the Memoryvault correction just below, is bogus.
      It is not from Australia.
      It has circulated around the Net for a while, I am told by a good source.
      MESSAGE! Geoffrey, check better before you post next time.
      Geoff S

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    Geoff Sherrington

    Sorry, did not copy. Please try

    http://www.geoffstuff.com/alice.springs.mp4

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  • #
    Geoff Sherrington

    Oh bother, and I gave up the grog in 1982. Geoff S
    http://www.geoffstuff.com/alice.springs.mp4

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    Geoff Sherrington

    Groan. Getting computer error messages now. Sorry Geoff S

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    The Voice – an analogy:

    A few months ago I spotted Indigenous Australian Minister Linda Burney by chance at a Chinese restaurant. It gave rise to a hypothetical conversation — what if a waiter explained the menu to Burney in the manner she responds to questions about the voice model?

    Waiter: Good evening and welcome. I’ll be taking your order.

    Burney: Thank you. Could I please have the prawn dumplings to begin with, followed by the Mongolian lamb and…

    Waiter: Sorry to interrupt, but we have revised our ordering process. This is our new menu. (Hands leatherbound folder to Burney)

    Burney: (Opens folder, revealing only a single page) There must be a mistake. Where are the dishes?

    Waiter: Look under the heading.

    Burney: The heading says ‘food’. There’s nothing listed underneath.

    Waiter: It’s what we call a principle-based menu. I’ll put you down for food for one, shall I?

    Burney: I’m sorry, but is this a joke?

    Waiter: I can assure you this new menu will be to your liking. The food will be delicious. It will nourish. It will enrich. It will bring diners together.

    Burney: Look, this doesn’t have to be a complex question. What dishes are you offering?

    Waiter: You don’t like the new menu?

    Burney: How can I like it when I know nothing about it?

    Waiter: Of course you will like it. The food is delicious. It nourishes. It enriches. It will bring diners together.

    Burney: So you keep saying. But how do I know what I’d be getting?

    Waiter: There is a wealth of information available on Chinese cuisine, which you can read for yourself. I suggest you start with ‘Classic Chinese Dishes’ by T. Calma & M. Langton.

    Burney: This restaurant endorses that book?

    Waiter: No.

    Burney: But nonetheless this restaurant serves the dishes contained in that book?

    Waiter: I didn’t say that.

    Burney: Then what is the point of reading it?

    Waiter: It will help you understand that the food we serve is delicious. It will nourish. It will enrich. It will bring –

    Burney: Will you stop saying that! If you can’t answer simple questions, then forget it. You’re not getting my business.

    Waiter: I urge you not to be divisive. After all, the Asian owners of this restaurant have generously extended their hand and asked you to walk with them on this journey. You don’t want to be associated with the xenophobes, do you?

    Burney: That’s preposterous! And by the way, you don’t even list prices on the menu. What’s this going to cost me?

    Waiter: It’s not our policy to reveal our prices upfront. But don’t worry, you’ll find out — eventually!

    And then there’s the Wine List…………..lol

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    Broadie

    Sad announcement from NSW Health

    Frankenstein’s Monster has finally been put to rest. There may have been a genuine faith a link between the life saving vaccines and those catching or passing away with Covid would stand out like the proverbial. Well maybe it did stick out but at the wrong end of the beast and maybe despite the application of various glasses (the ‘no effective dose’ 21 day delayed optics, the ‘they didn’t have a third dose’darkened lens) the thing still stuck out right before your eyes. The data indicates the majority of those hospitalized or dying with Covid are vaccinated, though evidently not vaccinated enough. As explained below when everyone is vaccinated or has been exposed there is little point in reporting those who have contracted the disease when there isn’t a significant control group.
    ( or? if you think too much, any reason to vaccinate for that disease at all)

    Changes to this report
    Vaccination status of cases admitted to hospital, admitted to ICU and those who die are no longer reported here.
    These data were included from 2021 when vaccines were first rolled out to monitor trends in the relationship
    between vaccination and serious outcomes. Now most of the population have received at least two doses of vaccine
    (aged 16+ 95.8%, close to 100% in those aged 65+)
    1
    , and the majority of the population have also had prior COVID19 infection (likely more than 80%)2
    . There are also differences in timings of booster dosing across different age
    groups. Age is a primary factor in vaccination coverage and driver of serious outcomes, as are underlying conditions.
    Given this complexity, the relationship between vaccination and risk of serious outcomes cannot be determined
    using these surveillance data alone. NSW data is contributing to studies where these factors can be taken into
    account.
    Staying up to date with COVID-19 vaccinations, as recommended by ATAGI3
    , is the most important factor to protect
    against serious outcomes from infection.
    For research about vaccine effectiveness see: https://aci.health.nsw.gov.au/covid-19/critical-intelligence-unit/covid19-vaccines

    The message is clear

    Due to the population having been vaccinated against this disease or having been exposed to the virus you should continue to follow Atagi’s advice.

    Maybe from the pieces of this PR monster we could build a more useful servant for the people of New South Wales. Instead of the pain of struggling with an ‘unwell parrot’ narrative why not provide a link to the data and let the story tell itself?

    Such meaty pieces like date of injections, type and batch of the injection, date of diagnosis, date of hospitalization, age of patient, treatments administered under care and other underlying health issues. etc.

    So easy to do and just sitting buried in a hole.

    RIP Public Health.

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    • #

      As far as I know a proper study has never been done and all we are left with is junk data — we are unable to control for the confounding factors. Age is such a powerful single variable (with risk doubling every 7 years if I recall) that unless all the data is grouped in decadal units at least, it’s worthless. If the Minister of Health cared at all about Australians it would have been easy to set up a data unit to collect all this info live…

      Obviously the highest risk people are the most likely to get vaccinated, but there were subgroups in Australia who were forced to get vaccinated, and these subgroups would be more representative, yet none seem to have been set up to do the right study.

      Because of the borders separate states also made and ideal experiment both with and without covid. Again, no one in the government wanted to collect the data,w which says everything we need to know. If they thought the data would look good, wouldn’t they have wanted to collect it?

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        Broadie

        Dear Jo,
        The data is reported by age ranges. and by sex though there is a binary definition that has crept passed the anthropologists.

        I love the fact they are no longer reporting as everyone may have been exposed naturally or by vaccination. Is the shot a vaccination or a cure? If a cure it certainly is a killer of a cure from what I have seen.

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        • #

          Last time I looked the age ranges were too broad. Is that still the case? And if so, where can we find that data? I’d be grateful to know.

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            Broadie

            Page 3 of the link above and same for the latest weekly report which now includes a landing space for ‘Transgender’ as well as the regional and age breakdowns.

            The data is probably good at the basic level only when the ‘Reporting is Distorting’ Crowd get hold of it they have had to struggle with the fact the majority of those dying with Covid were vaccinated. The no effective dose was similar to Pfizers phase one trial where those hospitalized or dropping dead within 21 days of a shot could be put in the unvaxxed category in order to get someone to join that club.

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      • #
        Hanrahan

        I have been trying to find if age is a single line item. Is a healthy 80 yr old more at risk than the average 50 yr old? The answer eludes me.

        I suspect that, as with so many things, insulin resistance plays a big part and that’s a problem as we age. I have never thought of myself as “at risk”.

        10

        • #
          David-of-Cooyal-in-Oz

          G’day H,
          I’ve also pondered your question, and have come up with my own, tentative, answer. Unfortunately I think the short answer is “Yes”.
          But a more nuanced answer is “It depends”.
          Since doctors are not actively promoting adequate vitamin D levels, and ignoring not only zinc, but also early treatment for any age group, apparently healthy people may not be as well prepared as they could be. And, generally, aging does imply slowing down for the average person. (At 85 I’m very much aware of the lower numbers in many of the death notices.)
          Again, that we’ve already reached the 80s, suggests there’s something right in our back stories, but which are significant? Maybe it’s because red meat has been a big part of our diets?
          Cheers
          Dave B

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      KP

      ” the relationship between vaccination and risk of serious outcomes cannot be determined using these surveillance data alone.”

      That seems like an outright lie, an excuse for their inability to explain why the vaxxed get just as sick as do the unvaxxed. They were completely wrong about the vaccinations from start to finish, and just can’t admit that.

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    David Maddison

    A possibly(?) sensible decision by the TGA.

    They have approved MDMA and psilocybin for certain psychiatric treatment.

    It is unusual and unexpected decision by TGA because these drugs are not subject to patent and don’t need the TGA’s business partners at Big Pharma to manufacture them.

    Any competent lab could make either of them or extract the psilocybin from natural sources as humans have been doing for at least 6,000 years.

    It’s an incredible day!

    Earlier today, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) announced that – from the 1st July 2023 – the medical use of MDMA and Psilocybin will be rescheduled from Schedule 9 (prohibited substances) to Schedule 8 (controlled medicines) of the Poisons Standard. This will enable authorised psychiatrists to prescribe these substances for treatment-resistant depression and treatment resistant post-traumatic stress disorder.

    All other uses of MDMA and Psilocybin will remain in Schedule 9.

    The TGA’s decision to reschedule these substances for medical purposes for use by authorised psychiatrists is in response to Mind Medicine Australia’s rescheduling application lodged in March 2022 (and earlier application lodged in July 2020) and the enormous number of Australians who lodged their submissions in support.

    You can read the TGA’s full announcement and the Delegate’s Final Decision here – https://www.tga.gov.au/news/media-releases/change-classification-psilocybin-and-mdma-enable-prescribing-authorised-psychiatrists

    We are delighted with the decision which will be welcomed by so many suffering Australians. It specifically recognises the current lack of options for patients with specific treatment-resistant mental illnesses and the supporting evidence of safety and efficacy from clinical trials.

    We want to express our enormous gratitude to the tens of thousands of people who have made this breakthrough possible including the TGA, the Delegate, the members of the TGA’s Medicines Scheduling Advisory Committee and all of the psychiatrists, psychologists, other mental health professionals, world leading experts and all of the people who put in submissions of support.

    The support that we have had throughout this process has been incredible and overwhelming.

    Finally, our hearts go out to all those Australians suffering from treatment resistant depression and treatment resistant post-traumatic stress disorder. They will now have the opportunity of accessing this breakthrough treatment with their mental health professionals, which has shown such positive safety and efficacy results internationally.

    Warmly,

    Tania de Jong AM, Peter Hunt AM and the Mind Medicine Australia Team

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    • #
      Len

      The problem is the trick cyclists are trying to treat a spiritual problem with chemicals which doesn’t work.

      10

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    John Connor II

    I asked ChatGPT AI to write a Dr. Seuss poem that’s also a persuasive explanation why “transwomen” are men.

    https://twitter.com/Huff4Congress/status/1620852317783474176

    🤣

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    • #
      David Maddison

      That’s impressive.

      And it’s not woke.

      I have seen other ChatGPT tests where it does give woke answers. I assume they’ll adjust the algorithm so this non-woke answer won’t happen again.

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    John Connor II

    Zelensky says it’s ok to nuke Moscow but they must not respond in kind

    https://twitter.com/DVATW/status/1621045348323176448

    More EU countries are *finally* waking up and seeing the realities.
    By the end of this month Ukraine will be at the end of the line, with massive losses.
    Russia has been preparing for decades and is beating both Ukraine and NATO countries combined, and isn’t even remotely near losing. Realistically, their resources are such, they CAN’T lose!
    The question is – will the west end this US-led legacy war and de-escalate OR will someone be stupid enough to cross the line.
    In a few weeks we’ll know…

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  • #
    John Connor II

    Would YOU accept less anesthetic during surgery to save the planet? Doctors say it could reduce world’s carbon footprint… by up to 0.1%

    Researchers are asking doctors to use less anesthesia on their surgery patients in the name of climate change.

    Doctors from the Henry Ford Health in Detroit, Michigan, said it could significantly reduce the carbon footprint of hospitals in the US.

    Research suggests that inhaled anesthesia accounts for up to 0.1 percent of the world’s carbon emissions.

    Dr Mohamed Fayed, a senior anesthetist at the Henry Ford, said: ‘Global warming is affecting our daily life more and more, and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions has become crucial.

    ‘No matter how small each effect is, it will add up. As anesthesiologists, we can contribute significantly to this cause by making little changes in our daily practice — such as lowering the flow of anesthetic gas — without affecting patient care.’

    He made the comments at the American Society of Anesthesiologists annual event last Friday in Orlando, Florida.

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-11685265/Would-accept-anesthetic-operation-save-planet.html

    “0.1%” is significant
    ..looks for new doctor, preferably one with an effin’ brain..

    90

    • #
      David Maddison

      I have an anaesthetist friend and one of his preferred gases, desflurane, has been targeted and they are reluctant to use it in some of the more woke hospitals of Melbourne or some have banned it altogether.

      https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9413181/

      In Melbourne, The Alfred and Western Health have taken similar approaches by removing desflurane from their hospital formulary and anaesthetic trolley, respectively.42 45

      20

  • #
    another ian

    ““Most-Read Propaganda Paper Ever”: The Dam of Lies Surrounding Covid Lab Leak Is Breaking
    by Dr. Joseph Mercola ”

    https://discernreport.com/most-read-propaganda-paper-ever-the-dam-of-lies-surrounding-covid-lab-leak-is-breaking/

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    John Connor II

    BREAKING: Secret Australian Government Reports prove COVID Vaccination has caused a shocking 5162% increase in Excess Deaths compared to the year 2020

    The Government of Australia has chosen to ignore the consequences of its actions in coercing the public into getting more and multiple Covid-19 injections, despite the staggering deaths from vaccines.

    The death toll is staggering, and the nation should be reeling.’

    ‘Secretive data on deaths and excess deaths in Australia has been handed to the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) by the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

    And that data reveals the following…

    Australia suffered 11,068 excess deaths in 2021 and then a shocking 22,730 excess deaths by week 38 of 2022. This is in stark contrast to 2020, when only 1,306 excess deaths were recorded during the alleged height of the Covid pandemic and prior to the rollout of the Covid injections.

    As we know, Australia suffered a shocking 22,730 excess deaths by week 38 of 2022.

    But according to the same data provided by the Australian Bureau of Statistics to the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD), Australia suffered 6,706 excess deaths by week 38 of 2021, and only 432 excess deaths by week 38 of 2020.

    https://palexander.substack.com/p/breaking-secret-australian-government

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    • #
      John Michelmore

      Can anyone help me here? How can one differentiate the excess death data from the potential causes? That is, are the excess deaths caused by the effects of Covid vacinations, longer term Covid infection effects, or a change health care itself. I suspect without detailed autopsies etc the answer wil probably be elusive.

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    Broadie

    I’m shocked by the claim

    shocking 5162% increase in Excess Deaths compared to the year 2020

    My maths has gone to &$#@

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    Honk R Smith

    Here is a little bit of an interesting turnabout.
    https://www.newsweek.com/its-time-scientific-community-admit-we-were-wrong-about-coivd-it-cost-lives-opinion-1776630

    NO Forgetting
    NO Forgiveness
    NO Amnesty

    Why are the officially smartest people so unbelievably cringe dumb?

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    Andrew McRae

    You may recall during the Covid19 pandemic that the Wuhan lab leak hypothesis was rapidly dismissed as “conspiracy theory” (in the pejorative sense) by mainstream scientists and talking heads. Six months later many of the same journalists, scientists, and politicians began to accept the theory as plausible and even as the most likely origin of the virus. For examples WaPo’s timeline shows the theory still being doubted in PNAS as late as 2 November 2020 and being described as plausible on 5 May 2021. This gave rise to the popular joke (meme) that the delay between the truth being dismissed as conspiracy theory and being accepted by the mainstream is down to only six months.

    It is possible a new world record has been set on that metric.
    https://twitter.com/JackPosobiec/status/1620090049525354496
    In the video clip above, cut from what is likely a longer interview, the German Minister of Health reiterates his earlier opinion that [translation] “I cannot even rule out that during the climate crisis we could end up in a situation where we would have to prohibit certain things.” In the clip the the very next sentence is from the interviewer who says many critics were concerned that coronavirus policies were a blueprint for introducing a climate dictatorship.
    Less than 20 seconds after his last answer, the Minister dismisses this criticism with the pejorative “Oh but those are conspiracy theories.”
    The clip ends without showing how the Minister responded to being challenged on the apparent self-contradiction.

    That appears to be the new world record. The delay between truth being dismissed as conspiracy theory and then being recited as likely by mainstream politicians is now down to negative 20 seconds.

    Will any mainstream politician, scientist, or journalist ever beat this record?

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    The underground coal fire that has slowly consumed Centralia, Pa., isn’t unusual. Many such fires burn around the world.

    Centralia, Pa., coal fire is one of hundreds that burn in the U.S.

    Net Zero ? 😀

    50

  • #
    another ian

    Joe Rogan and Jordan Petersen

    “Dear Gays – you might want to pay more attention to this”

    http://www.smalldeadanimals.com/2023/02/03/dear-gays/#comments

    In comments –

    “Women who don’t have anything better to do are turning university students into the infants they never had.”

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    another ian

    Seen or heard anything on this from their ABC – or elsewhere?

    “– Australian Federal Police have charged nine people after smashing an alleged Chinese-Australian money laundering syndicate.

    – The group allegedly moved an estimated $10 billion out of Australia while amassing a blue-chip property portfolio in Sydney.”

    More at

    http://www.smalldeadanimals.com/2023/02/03/chinada-47/

    And, relative to that scene here –

    “Hey, remember that report about the 11 Canadian politicians compromised by Chinese funding? The one that just sorta went away?”

    10

    • #
      el+gordo

      The SMH is running it.

      ‘Federal agents have dismantled an alleged Chinese-Australian money laundering organisation that moved an estimated $10 billion offshore while amassing a blue-chip property portfolio comprising Sydney mansions, a luxury city building and hundreds of acres of land near Sydney’s second airport.’

      Its behind a paywall, but intuitively I suspect the land buying spree near the new airport was dodgy and corrupt.

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      Gee Aye

      yes… was all over the ABC.

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    Richard C (NZ)

    Following ChatGPT’s AI effusion over Joe Biden (but not Trump or DeSantis):

    ChatGPT Writes Poem Praising Hunter Biden
    Refuses to write poem about Marjorie Taylor-Greene

    https://summit.news/2023/02/03/chatgpt-writes-poem-praising-hunter-biden/

    “But through it all, he stands tall,

    With a spirit that refuses to fall,

    And though the road ahead may be rough,

    He knows that he’s strong enough.”

    “So let us judge him not by his surname, Or by the actions that bring him shame,

    But by the person that he is today,

    And the lessons that he has to say.”

    As ZH put it – Pass the sick bag.

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      Richard C (NZ)

      Also,

      OpenAI’s ChatGPT Shows Clear Racial Biases in Responses as Far Left Magazine Calls For Them to “Go Woke”
      https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2023/02/openais-chatgpt-shows-clear-racial-biases-responses-far-left-magazine-calls-go-woke/

      On December 4, 2022, a Twitter user asked ChatGPT to write a Python script to check if someone would be a good scientist based on their race and gender. The alleged response was clearly racially biased: if you were a white male, you would be a good scientist (“true”). Everyone else was not a good scientist (“false”). Obviously, this is wildly inaccurate and fundamentally racist.

      And,

      Fast forward to today and we have the opposite response from the ChatGPT AI. A colleague gained access to the AI and asked it to “Write me a poem about how great black people are.” The response is below: [image]

      Then, ChatGPT was asked to “Write me a poem about how great white American people are.” The response varied significantly: [image]

      Here is a screen share video of the responses from ChatGPT when asked to write a poem about the greatness of Blacks, Whites, Asians, Mexicans, Latinos, and Indians: [image]

      As CanConn put it on Twitter – Notice anything?

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    another ian

    “The oligarchical takeover of the world’s essential supplies”

    https://bayourenaissanceman.blogspot.com/2023/02/the-oligarchical-takeover-of-worlds.html

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  • #
    Lance

    Current Conditions, Mount Washington, New Hampshire, US.

    Still Air temperature: – 43 C

    Wind Velocity: Steady: 158 kph, Gust: 176 kph.

    Wind Chill temperature: – 74 C

    https://twitter.com/MWObs/status/1621596962414891009

    A bit of warming would be appreciated, there.

    00

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      Lance

      Just reached – 85 C wind chill temperature, an all time record low.

      Where is the CO2 effect when one needs it?

      00

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    Crakar24

    So the first spy balloon was nothing but a wayward weather balloon, I wonder what the second one over Latin America will be called?

    00