Friday

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132 comments to Friday

  • #
    Reader

    France is cheesed off with EU camembert packaging rule: Fury as traditional round boxes are ‘banned’ by recycling law
    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12756339/France-cheesed-EU-camembert-packaging-rule-Fury-traditional-round-boxes-banned-recycling-law.html

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    • #

      What bunch of brainless people is working in Bruxelles EU…

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      David Maddison

      But wood is a renewable product.

      And it can be burned for fuel or even made into something else.

      Plus, assuming CO2 mattered, which it doesn’t (except we don’t have enough) it is CO2 neutral (what the Left call “carbon” (sic)).

      It’s not about “carbon” (sic) it’s about the Left destroying our standard of living and all the little (and big) niceties of life, except for the Elites.

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    • #
      Philip

      Children’s environmentalism. The people who get into these positions who can then make these decisions have very limited understanding of the topic they have power over. There’s very little logic to anything.

      Chris Bowen is a classic example. I seriously doubt when Chris was growing up he would sit and think deeply over years and years about how the environment works, but here he is with all the power in his hands because he believed in unions and started attending Labor Party meetings.

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    Reader

    Extinction Rebellion plans to infiltrate British advertising awards raising money for disabled children charity and protest against ‘greenwashing’ – as eco group tells 290 eco-activists they should ‘dress smart’ to blend in
    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12751677/extinction-rebellion-british-advertising-awards-protest.html

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    • #
      Ross

      Gotta love the irony in these jokers being called Extinction Rebellion – if anything, they’re the ones trying to cause the extinction of the human race. Trying to stop all the basics of modern human civilisation in order to depopulate the world. XR are the anti-human ones.

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  • #
    tonyb

    I don’t know how widespread 5G is in Oz? This is an interesting piece on its safety

    https://dailysceptic.org/2023/11/15/experts-raise-public-health-fears-about-microwave-syndrome-from-5g-masts/#comments

    Of equal interest are the surprisingly sceptical comments under the article.

    I am more suspicious of 5G than the previous technologies and extremely concerned about the coming internet of things which will increasingly dominate every facet of life and usher in all sorts of things including Digital I.D. digital money and extreme surveillance. The digital world in general is set to become the single biggest consumer of power. Wonder where it will come from?

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      Bruce

      The interesting part comes when th e”renewable” electricity STOPS.

      VERY tricky to run a network and surveillance systems when the juice stops flowing. And “auiliary generators only work until the fuel tank runs dry

      “Safe Hand” is slow but it works.

      Are some people seriously thinking that a descent into an apocalyptic “Mad Max” scenario would be a “good thing”? (For the peasants, of course)

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    • #
      Glenn

      Short of sitting on the 5g Tower antennas, I have serious doubts about that articles veracity. Most of the skeptical comments made are in my opinion, correct. It is amazing how many poeple sit right next to a Wireless Modem in their home and suffer no ill effects but if the see a 5G Tower…

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      • #

        I am entirely unsure about 5g towers . Having said that there are a number of authoritative reports on tit expressing caution before it is rolled out but the phone companies have ignored them and are busy promoting it and building towers

        Being susceptible to electro magnetic radiation is definitely a thing and can cause problems with heart rhythms and general unwellness.

        It is recommended that a modem should not be in a bedroom and any mobile phone should be kept 3 feet from your sleeping position and preferably turned off.

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          Graeme#4

          The inverse square law gets in the way of EM radiation over distances. Some people are worried about the towers, yet quite happily slap mobiles next to their brains on a regular basis. Or leave mobiles charging on their bedside tables. If anybody is truly concerned, field strength meters that allow you to actually measure radiation levels are cheap, so anybody can do their own measurements. Then get back to us and tell us the actual radiation levels from the towers, if you can actually measure them at any distance.

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          • #

            Inverse square law – correct. And, the power of repeater towers cannot be very strong otherwise they will clash with each other. Used to be 25 watts max. As a regulator required to process applications for these towers, I acquired a field strength meter. My nearest tower on Mount Low Qld, no reading. A slight response from the electric substation down below it, or it could have been the 3-phase power line above the substation. No readings on any scale from single repeaters, or phones themselves. I suspect another case of the questionable LNT (linear no threshold) that comes from the anti-nuclears, climate loonies etc.
            However, MASSIVE response underneath the 275kv power line in front of the shops at Deeragun Qld. There were people sitting on a bench there who wanted to know what the screaming noise was, and took off when I explained. One of my sons who has worked on powerline inspections says if you stand under one of these hv lines holding up a fluro strip-light it will start to glow.

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              Graeme#4

              Interesting data, and what I would have expected. We complain about alarmists using unsubstantiated beliefs and ignoring the actual data. Yet with 5G towers, the same beliefs appear, with nobody prepared to go out and do the measurements themselves.

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      • #
        Ross

        Or have their mobile phone in their pocket all day.

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      Ross

      I think where we are with 5G towers now , is where where we were with vaccines in 2019. The greater part of the population back in 2019 thought vaccines per se. were health preserving wonders of science with no adverse effects. However, the spotlight that’s been shone on vaccine technology over the last 4 years has revealed quite the opposite. There is some veracity in the basic science of EMF radiation, regarding its effects, which it appears our authorities are choosing to ignore. People were labelled anti-vaxxers it they doubted vaccines, so we now need a new name – anti-rads?? Also, I don’t ever recall the population demanding 5G tech – 4G seems to work just fine. I’m thinking 5G was just one of those technologies designed to be more profit makers for the communications industry.

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      • #
        Glenn

        The radiation emitted from a Cell Phone tower is non ionising radiation. It IS capable of causing heating if the field strength is strong enough ( think microwave ovens ). However, to get that sort of field strength with a 5g tower, you would have to be sitting on the antennas. For years now, nervous nellies have been trying to prove that mobile phones are dangerous. I have yet to see any definitive proof to prove this as a fact. Given the amount of mobile phones being carried around on pockets and the amount pressed up against people’s heads, I would have thought that by now, we would have seen some evidence if they were causing damage. As pointed out by Graham’s post, the inverse square law see’s the field strength from Cell towers drop quickly with increasing distance from the Tower. As most are 25-50W transmitters if that, and the antenna patterns are steered for best coverage out at a distance, I doubt there is any danger to our health.

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      KP

      The Invisible Rainbow by Arthur Firstenberg will fill in a few gaps about the effects of EMF radiation on living things. He just puts up the evidence of what happens when you put a radar tower next to a village and everyone suffers sleeplessness & heart problems, or the bees all vanish.

      The ‘safety’ of all this stuff is measured on whether or not it cooks you, not whether is interferes with the electron transport system in your mitochondria making the energy to power your cells.

      Sure, everyone uses a tracking device to phone with, but doesn’t everyone complain about the stress of modern life while taking the greatest amount of pharmaceuticals ever? Don’t we have more nut cases waking the streets listening to the voices in their heads?

      I’m with Ross, a totally un-needed technology that will just make more profit for the industry and do nothing positive for my life at all.

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        mawm

        From what I understand the 5G uses a different part of the spectrum from the previous networks with a far shorter wave length and far more energy. The industry apparently has not done any safety assessment and has just pushed the product onto the market. The issue with the higher energy Electromagnetic radiation is the effect that it has on one’s DNA which is an accumulative effect – very similar to the effect which the electromagnetic radiation from UV light has on one’s DNA causing melanomas and squamous cell carcinomas.

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  • #
    tonyb

    German bankruptcies grow

    https://www.voiceofeurope.com/germany-witnessed-a-22-uptick-in-bankruptcies-in-october/

    Nothing to do with their cost of energy of course. Companies are fleeing the country for China, who ironically of course are big users of coal rather than their own countries much loved green energy.

    Here are some Eu prices. I would be very interested if someone in Oz or the US could supply their own prices on a like for like basis.

    https://www.voiceofeurope.com/germany-faces-among-the-highest-electricity-prices-in-europe/

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    • #
      RickWill

      My electricity unit charges are:
      Peak 54.78c/kWh
      Off peak 31.88c/kWh
      Daily service fee $1.628/day

      I do not have an electricity bill because exports always exceed consumption. However without any export, if I consumed 10kWh/day with 50% peak then the annual consumption of 3650kWh would cost $549.22 connection, $999.73 peak, $581.81 off peak to give average cost of 58.37c/kWh, which converts to EUR of 34.79c/kWh more expensive than EU average but less than Germany. Germany has more WDG than Australia.

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      • #

        Thanks for that comparison. I suspect the US manages to be competitive because of low energy prices. Hope someone can confirm that.

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        • #
          Robert Swan

          Bear in mind that RickWill’s prices are in tiddly little Australian dollars, so still a lot cheaper than those German figures (assuming they’re in $US).

          He also seems to be in an extra-expensive part of Australia (or maybe there’s a higher rate for houses that export to the network). My last bill was around 37c/kWh and nearer $1 per day (IIRC; don’t have it to hand).

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          Graeme#4

          Depends on the U.S. state. California is twice as expensive as the cheapest state. States that use a lot of hydro generally have the cheapest rates, followed by states that use a lot of gas.

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          • #
            Graeme#4

            Didn’t have time to look up the U.S. electricity costs earlier, but here are some 2021 figures, in USD, per kWh:
            California: 19.65c
            Alaska: 20.02c
            Hawaii: 30.31c
            Idaho: 8.17c
            Wyoming: 8.25c
            The other states are between these figures, mostly around 9c to 18c.

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        • #
          Strop

          A while back one of Australia’s brick manufacturers was moving operations to the USA because the energy costs in the USA were notably less. The cost of transporting bricks from the USA for Aus consumption was cheaper than the higher manufacturing cost here in Aus. That was based on energy costs and not labour costs.

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      • #
        Graeme#4

        That’s expensive electricity Rick! Here in Perth it’s only A$0.28/kWh.

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        • #

          Current prices for all US states are available on line ,..but very variable..EG
          California $0.30 kWh
          Idaho $0.12 kWh
          https://www.chooseenergy.com/electricity-rates-by-state/
          In Australia there is also much variation..
          For instance , my retailer (Alinta) waanted to increase my cost by 30% to Au $0.42 kWh..
          But a quick google ( compare the market .com) got me changed to RED energy on a rate of $0.31 kWh ,..which is less than i was paying before the latest increases ??
          Go figure ?…. It is all a roort !🤔😡😡
          But yes, germany and California are off the scale when fx rates are factored in.

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        • #
          Strop

          Hi Graeme. I think Rick has such a high usage cost rate because he has solar panels feeding into the grid. Supply contracts for the consumers with solar panels are usually notably higher than rates for consumers who don’t have panels.

          I suppose you’ll tell me you have panels too. 🙂

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          • #
            Graeme#4

            Yep, certainly do have panels Strop. 5.2 kW of them. Currently saving $985/year compared to my 2018 no-panel costs. I mainly run the air con during summer when the panels are delivering most power. System cost, inc Opportunity Cost, was $6674, so should pay off the system in 7 years.

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        • #
          RickWill

          Are you looking at a recent value? Prices have gone up as much as 25% in the past few months.

          Does the 28c/kWh include the connection charge? If not what is it and how much does that add to your per unit cost?

          I am monitor the increasing connection charge because higher connection charges reduces the payback for batteries to go off grid.

          The prices in Germany are indicative of the upward price trend in any region where coal is demonised. Australia is catching up with Germany and likely to surpass it as proof Australian polies are less numerate than their German counterparts. Germany is still trying to make stuff. That ship has long sailed in Australia.

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          • #
            Graeme#4

            Just received my latest electricity bill today Rick. 28.0109, residential anytime consumption. 60-day supply charge was $60.25. Not including any other rebates in the 28c figure. With export buyback and other assistance, only paying $83 for two months. And I don’t spare the reverse aircon usage.

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            • #
              RickWill

              So if you add the connection fee to typical daily usage of 10kWh the average unit cost increases to 38c/kWh.

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              • #
                Graeme#4

                Really can’t add these extra charges and discounts Rick, as they vary from person to person, location to location. Then amount used, which also varies widely, comes into play. So think it best just to compare the kWh rates.

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              • #
                Lucky

                Connection charges, admin fees, discounts and so on are still to be paid by the customer even if full inclusion makes comparison difficult.

                Electricity charges are almost universally two part: a fixed charge for a time period, and a consumption charge. Ignoring one part may make comparison easier but the figures then used are part cost only.

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    • #
      John Hultquist

      I live just west of the Columbia River where dams provide power. For me, that is sold through the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) headquartered in Portland, Oregon. My local supplier is a Public Utility District. My cost was raised about a penny per unit this year. The rate schedule is here:
      https://www.kittitaspud.com/DocumentCenter/View/1559/Residential-Rate-Schedule—2023pdf
      The Facility Charge (up about $1) is separated from the Energy Delivered charge, that, for me, is $0.1021 / kwh [See Schedule #1004].
      Note, there is no change through the day or the year until next fall.
      East of the river, the County owns the power facilities and a residential charge there is likely 6¢ per unit – I haven’t checked recently. The low cost has attracted “server farms” to the small town of Quincy, WA.
      The BPA takes power from many different sources, including one nuclear plant, and many wind sites. On their charts wind is the main part of “VER” – the green line. See here:
      https://transmission.bpa.gov/Business/Operations/Wind/baltwg.aspx

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    • #
      Old Goat

      David,
      No way you could use that here – you would need the CFA following you. I doubt its running on batteries….

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    • #
      Peter C

      Directed Energy Weapon!
      I have heard of them but doubted their existence.

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    • #
      Rusty of Qld

      Gee I wonder if any countries are working on military applications? (Sarc) going hell for leather.

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      Steve

      Looking at the size of military lasers and the size of this apparatus I’m a bit sceptical that this is genuine !

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    • #

      Well , Bunnings doesnt stock them…( I just checked !)…..so it must be a fake video !😱
      But..boy what an ideal application for a lazer !
      Anyone with a palm ,or tall hedge, would kill for a tool like that !
      ( as would a few terrorist organisations ! )

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  • #
    Ian George

    Would these prices for electricity be correct?
    Australian Capital Territory 24.28c/kWh
    New South Wales 34.91c/kWh
    Northern Territory 27.37c/kWh
    Queensland 30.34c/kWh
    South Australia 45.54c/kWh
    Tasmania 28.12c/kWh
    Victoria 29.23c/kWh
    Western Australia 30.06c/kWh

    Does that make SA equal to some of the world’s top prices for electricity?

    Source:
    https://www.finder.com.au/average-cost-of-electricity

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    • #
      David Maddison

      It’s strange isn’t it?

      We keep getting told that wind power is the “cheapest and most reliable form of electricity production” and yet it is an obvious fact that the more we get, the more expensive electricity becomes.

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      • #
        KP

        ” wind power is the “cheapest and most reliable form of electricity production””

        Well, it obviously is for the drones in Canberra living off our taxes! The pigs in Animal Farm…

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    • #
      Old Goat

      Ian,
      In a word yes. Trying to get to grips with the true cost in some countries is difficult as VAT and other charges apply . Supply charges are now a large factor due to renewables . Hidden taxes and charges everywhere .

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      Glenn

      I have an old account where I was paying a bit over 18c per kWh..I now pay over 30c ( Living in Queensland ). Same house, same poles and wires but BS Bowen has managed to almost double the cost.

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      Geoffrey Williams

      And the ACT get the cheapest electricity, coincidence?!

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        David Maddison

        Don’t they claim that the ACT runs entirely on “renewables”?

        Well, cut off their grid connection (which gives them coal power).

        Let’s see how long all those parasitic politicians and senior public serpents last when the wind stops blowing and the sun stops shining and the Big Batteries go flat after a few minutes.

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          Gee Aye

          We’d do just fine if you cut all the coal stations off the grid. You wouldn’t though.

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          • #
            David Maddison

            We’d do just fine if you cut all the coal stations off the grid. You wouldn’t though.

            How? Where does the electricity come from with no wind and sun? Appropriate battery storage is infeasibly large and expensive, as is the huge extra amount of extra windmills and panels needed to keep the batteries charged.

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        Gee Aye

        The ACT has contracts to only buy from renewable suppliers. Yes the electrons that come into the ACT are not checked for their point of origin but that renewable electricity is being generated and put into the grid to meet the needs of the ACT.

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    • #
      robert rosicka

      If electricity gets any cheaper in South Australia it will be back to candles and an ice box .

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    • #
      RickWill

      Those prices excludes the connection fee, which is now a significant component of the total cost.

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    • #
      John Michelmore

      Yes, I pay 45c/kWh if I use too much power in SA. ATM 5kW of solar panels almost negates the power bill. However I had to shop around to find a provider that would pay more than 5 cents/kWh for my excess solar generated power. We always run our discretionary power consumers (dishwasher, washing machine, power tools etc) when the sun is shining! We find that moonlight doesn’t provide enough power to run them at night.

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    • #
      Graeme#4

      Ian G, Perth’s electricity prices are 28.0109/kWh.

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        Ian George

        I do know that my friend who has solar panels pays more per/kwh than I do with no solar panels (NSW). is that the same in all states?

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    • #

      Ian George
      November 17, 2023 at 5:56 am · Reply
      Would these prices for electricity be correct…

      Probably, but they are “averages” ..individual experiences will differ.
      EG.. in NSW i pay $0.30 flat rate but some suppliers would charge $0.45kWh for the same service and location.
      Effectively you can negotiate a price and switch suppliers at will.

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      • #
        Forrest Gardener

        You can switch suppliers but negotiating a price is not available to household consumers.

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        • #

          Have you tried ?
          ..some suppliers will offer a “existing customer retention” special deal..
          Others may offer “New customer only” offers.
          ..otherwise just search for the best offer from different suppliers,…they all have different prices for similar service !

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  • #
    James Murphy

    https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-11-17/act-photo-exhibition-displays-50-years-everyday-australian-life/103115828

    This looks like an interesting exhibition.

    Pity that even this insight into the recent past cannot escape negative comments about white men. It seems another sin has been committed by virtue of the fact that they are being photographed and being photographers.

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  • #
    Uber

    Does anybody know when the ‘long, hot summer’ is going to start? Are we redefining the meaning of ‘long’ now? Because this spring has been notably not hot.

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      robert rosicka

      Hottest year evahhh and I’m here in northeast Victoriastan freezing , where is this warming they promised ?

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      • #
        Greg in NZ

        Last century, when all this Goebbels Warming nonsense began, we were warned we’d soon have the ‘climate of Sydney’ if we didn’t mend our ways… most NZers shouted with joy, huzzah! Except, now we’re living in ‘the future’, it would appear Sydney and Melbourne both have our climate – cool(ish) and wet(ish) – while pleasant, warm nor’westers tickle our shores 🌞

        ‘Tis a different story down south, however: “snow to 800m” (2,500’) today, providing my twin nieces with a ‘white birthday’ for the first time EVAAAH! in 34 years. Even pohutukawa (our so-called Christmas trees) are struggling to flower this Snovember [the earlier they bloom, the hotter and longer the coming summer will be… not looking too good so far].

        Please Santa, can I have some warming?

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    • #
      RickWill

      David at #12 below indicates summer started on the Sunshine Coast this week.

      I was in Queensland a month or so back and wore shorts on a couple of days. Since coming back to Melbourne I have had 1 day where shorts wore suitable for the conditions. Indoors reached 22C.

      There is a lot pf moisture over central Australia right now. Enough to support cyclic convective instability. That tends to draw more moisture in from the oceans so not yet typical El Nino conditions although that is well established in the Pacific. There is already a low pressure band bridging from Dampier to Brisbane indicative of the widespread convective instability.

      Atmospheric moisture over Australia is vasty different to the same time in 2019 when the bush fires were widespread.

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  • #

    Truly hilarious, the Washington Post attacking last year’s Nobelist in Physics for saying there is no climate emergency.
    https://www.climatedepot.com/2023/11/16/washington-post-2022-nobel-prize-in-winner-in-physics-declares-his-dissent-i-call-myself-a-climate-denier/

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    • #

      There is a crack in everything, tra la,
      That’s how the light get’s in.

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    • #
      Graeme No.3

      Send them these from Climate Believers and see if they print them
      1981: Scientists (including Steven Schneider) warn global warming would see Buckingham Palace 7 feet underwater
      1987: NASA’s James Hansen predicts world 3C warmer by 2020.
      1988: UN — world will be 4℃ warmer and Antarctica 5.5℃ by 2030
      1988: Maldives completely under water in 30 years
      1990 IPCC FAR: “Under the IPCC ‘Business as Usual’ emissions of greenhouse gases the average rate of increase of global mean temperature during the next century is estimated to be 0.3°C per decade
      And for the topical one
      2000: ‘Children won’t know what snow is by 2010.’
      Dr. David Viner a senior research scientist at the climate research unit CRU of the University of East Anglia “Within a few years winter snowfall will become a rare and exciting event. Children just aren’t going to know what snow is”
      Source: The Independent, March 20, 2000
      subsequently modified to 2013 then 2017 (no further Date)

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      David of Cooyal in Oz

      But David, I thought you’d have understood that a failing teenage female beats an aging white Nobel prize winner in all good woke communities.
      Cheers
      Dave B

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      Dave in the States

      So the imbecile Biden dismisses the counsel of a Nobelist as “right wing science”? In their world everything is politicized. But what is more troubling is WaPo assumes the imbecile is the reasonable one and the Nobelist is the one gone off the rails.

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  • #
    Peter Fitzroy

    School strike for climate is on in Australia today

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      Greg in NZ

      Hopefully the parents have wrapped their precious little waggers up in warm clothing, beanies, gloves, maybe even gumboots and umbrellas too, just in case…

      How do you spell ‘cool change’.

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      Glenn

      Yep…proving our children are dumb, and will be just that little bit dumber if they chose to strike. However, if the temperature is 2 deg C colder tomorrow, I bet thay claim a victory !

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        David Maddison

        will be just that little bit dumber if they chose to strike.

        But will they be?

        Do they even learn anything useful at “school” these days which isn’t Loony Left climate, covid or LGBT propaganda?

        Back in the day they used to teach reading, writing, arithmetic, science, critical thinking, moral values, how Western Civilisation was fundamentally good not evil, etc..

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      David Maddison

      You say that as though (1) they know the science about what they’re striking for and (2) it’s good missing a day of “school”.

      They can’t all grow up to be illiterate overpaid, professional propagandists like Thunberg, you know.

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      David Maddison

      The Left has been successful in producing a child slave army of illiterate, innumerate, drones who will respond to commands and ask no questions.

      The National Socialist Youth was a similar concept.

      As the führer himself said:

      These boys and girls enter our organizations with their ten years of age, and often for the first time get a little fresh air; after four years of the Young Folk they go on to the (National Socialist) Youth, where we have them for another four years…And even if they are still not complete National Socialists, they go to Labor Service and are smoothed out there for another six, seven months…And whatever class consciousness or social status might still be left…the Wehrmacht will take care of that.

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    • #

      You striked school to often, regarding the quality of your comments 😀

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  • #
    Mayday

    After receiving over 23,000 submissions, 99% totally opposed to the proposed toxic “misinformation” bill the Australian government refuses to back down.
    Those accused of publishing or speaking “misinformation” can be fined over $8000 per day for failing to turn up to an A.C.M.A. hearing to defend yourself.
    R.I.P. free speech in Australia if this gets up.

    https://www.skynews.com.au/opinion/sharri-markson/albanese-government-still-pressing-ahead-with-misinformation-bill/video/b1adaf1e78b7480282a0395bd89a0396

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      Ross

      This is in line with yesterdays piece by Jo. Australia will have signed some UN or international agreement regarding misinformation or internet censoring and irrespective of the “peoples” opinion it will go ahead regardless. We know the LNP ( Paul Fletcher) did the initial work on the legislation, so its got bi-partisan support. Just another case where the bureaucrats force the politicians to progress legislation and the pollies just go along with it. The only people in the Canberra bubble taking sense on this are One Nation and the likes of Senator Gerard Rennick from the LNP.

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        David Maddison

        We know the LNP ( Paul Fletcher) did the initial work on the legislation, so its got bi-partisan support. 

        Yes, the pretend conservative Liberal Party are ultimately behind many of Australia’s disasters including the “renewables” ones.

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    • #
      Russell

      Remember when ACMA used to hold “hearings” to regularly test all the lame-stream media companies?
      “Fit and proper to hold a broadcasting licence” was then the core examination. And still done in UK.
      That ACMA role was abolished here because it was being clearly abused by political activists and wasting government resources.
      ACMA are always underfunded and it was impossible to keep up with the explosion of media tentacles.
      So, lesson, simply keep sub-structuring and moving platforms. Very hard for ACMA to keep up.
      By the time they serve you with a request for a hearing, the audience has moved on to another site.
      Sure, it’s harder to capture new audience and relies on a loyalty factor. But better than oblivion …
      And such fun to chase a useful-idiot government department around the table thinking they are going to get more funding!

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      David of Cooyal in Oz

      Do you think, maybe, that Albo will run a referendum on it?
      But, nahh, Senator Price would probably speak against it and he wouldn’t like that. Or the result.

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  • #
    david

    On Tuesday Radio on the Sunshine Coast was telling residents to stay inside, close doors, windows, put the aircon on, and drink lots because there will be “heatwave” conditions for the next 2 days. Then severe storms are likely to “smash” the place. “It is expected to exceed 30 degrees”. Heaven forbid!
    Undeterred I continued on to the tennis club for a very pleasant 2 hours of tennis. We didn’t suffer heat stress nor did we drown.

    Pouring concrete in Canberra during Uni vacations in January in the early 60’s a heatwave was considered to be when temps were greater than 37 every day for a week or more. How did we ever survive!

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      Ross

      If you look at the rain forecast for Southern Qld it looks like rain, rain, rain right up to about December 2. So, I think that might be the last of the “heat” you’re going to see for a while.

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        Greg in NZ

        30 degrees and rain was what we called winter when I lived on the Sunny 40 years ago. Surely authorities will have to cancel the skool shtryke 4 klymit gathering today – won’t somebody thunk of the children!

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        Glenn

        Assuming the Widgee Board at the BoM has been calibrated correctly and ” the models ” adjusted just right.

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    RickWill

    I have been watching the cricket World Cup.

    The NZ v India match was played in Mumbai. As I watched the day turn to night and saw the effect of the massive lights, I had pause to think about my first visit to Bombay on a flight stop over for a couple of hours in a dimly lit, oppressively humid transit area. I recall the landing around 11pm and then the take-off after midnight and observing just a few incandescent lights marking the streets. It was like no other “city” I had flown over at night. That was 40 years ago in May 1983.

    So watching the cricket and observing the modern buildings and well treed surrounds along the coastal strip I was impressed by Mumbai’s modernisation. Also the clothing and demeanour of the crowd indicates a level of wealth that was not evident 40 years ago.

    India is heading toward burning 1bn tonne of coal per year by 2030. That will still be less than half per capita of the 1.76t per year Australians burn but they are no longer impoverished.
    https://www.tititudorancea.com/lib/energy/204_10.png

    ODI CWC Final, India v Australia on Sunday.19th, 7:30 AEST.

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    Steve

    The UK government has raised the price paid for energy generated by offshore wind farms by 66 per cent after the previous auction for new projects failed to attract any interest from the sector.
    (this link may be corrupted, apologies)
    https://eandt.theiet.org/content/articles/2023/11/uk-to-pay-66-per-cent-more-for-offshore-wind-energy-after-failed-auction/

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      KP

      “said that offshore wind projects could get more money from 2025 if they reduce carbon emissions in their supply chains ”

      I wonder if they count coal-fired Chinese cement, or with china being a developing country that is exempt none of their products count.

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      Mike Jonas

      It is stunning how stupid Rishi Sunak is when the people’s money is at stake. Yes, he’s super smart at getting political power for himself, but worse than useless at getting physical power to the people. What a shame it was that Liz Truss had no spine.

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    KP

    SpaceX is flying their Starship for the second time on Saturday. Hopefully this time it works..

    https://twitter.com/SpaceX

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    another ian

    “Toyota Prius converted into camper- with fridge, microwave, running water, climate control & more”

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-u1HjXLQhy0

    Via SDA

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    another ian

    Shiddybrick!

    Elbow’s cheaper living!

    “Labor/Greens Council hikes rates 44%”

    https://www.michaelsmithnews.com/2023/11/laborgreens-council-hikes-rates-44.html

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    another ian

    The “Best and Fairest Electoral System tm” in action –

    And still the wonder grew –

    “How Do They Explain This? Video Shows 386,151 Votes REMOVED from GOP Supreme Court Candidate’s Totals in PA Where She Ended Up Losing by 207,237 (Video) ”

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2023/11/nothing-see-here-video-shows-350000-votes-removed/

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    John Connor II

    Millions of UK Residents Unplugging Their Refrigerators to Try to Save Money on Electricity

    Millions of UK households have been resorting to ‘desperate measures’, such as turning off their fridges or freezers, in order to cope with the cost-of-living crisis, according to a new study by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) charity.

    Cited by The Guardian on Tuesday, the report found that in October a quarter (2.8 million) of UK low-income households had incurred debts to pay for food, a third had sold belongings to raise cash, and one in six had used so-called community ‘warm rooms’. Four out of five households on universal credit were going without food, switching off heating and not replacing worn-out clothing. Nearly a million households said that since May they had to disconnect their fridge or freezer for the first time.

    https://citizenwatchreport.com/millions-of-uk-residents-unplugging-their-refrigerators-to-try-to-save-money-on-electricity/

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    John Connor II

    I was thinking today about solar layouts and wondered why arrays were all ground based over large areas. Why not go vertical and save the real estate I thought.
    Turns out it’s already being done.

    One example of this thinking-outside-the-frame is the new ‘vertical polygen solar tower,’ unveiled in Los Lunas, New Mexico this June.

    A village called Los Lunas – the moons – is admittedly an odd one for testing a device that runs on sunshine, but this 6-sided tower – built by New Jersey-based startup Wiltech Energy – packs 20kW into 4.5 square meters (49 sf)[3] and is topped by a bladeless wind turbine for additional power and generation during times of low light. A 22kW storage battery is included to keep power flowing continuously.

    Designed to power the village’s recycling facility, the polygon approach is a radically different type of panel structure which involves a number of small panels set in vertical tiers at different angles in such a way as to gather light no matter where the sun is relative to them.

    Horizontal panels, whether ground or roof based, are raked to catch the sun when it is directly overhead, and fall off considerably in output earlier and later in the day. Vertical panels, on the other hand, capture light far longer and continue to produce even as the sun is on the horizon.

    The polygon structure does the same by capturing light more directly from east to west and – as each of the six sides is vertical – for longer than is usual. Such light is largely lost to standard panels, which thrive on overhead light but fare poorly at other times. In addition, the panels are hung on masts for maximum exposure and this allows more panels to be stacked on top. The whole contraption takes a fraction of the land space – about 4 square meters – so land costs would be lower.

    https://valutus.com/2020/09/22/vertical-solar-pv-stands-tall/

    My next design! 😎

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      another ian

      Go flog that as a top cap for high rise buildings and make a motsa?

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    • #

      John Connor II
      November 17, 2023 at 4:39 pm · Reply
      I was thinking today about solar layouts and wondered why arrays were all ground based over large areas. Why not go vertical and save the real estate I thought.

      Because flat real estate is cheaper than building vertical structures..and maintenance is easier/ cheaper.
      And vertical panels are not optimal for solar efficiency.

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    MrGrimNasty

    BBC admits dams/hydro schemes, chiefly China, are destroying rivers, the Mekong in this case. With the gratuitous assertion that climate change is to blame too.
    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/extra/3s2qsuikpf/mekong-the-last-chance-to-save-a-mighty-river

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    Steve of Cornubia

    Third round of chemotherapy for my wife today, at Brisbane’s Mater Cancer Care Centre. It’s all unbelievably stressful but the folks at Mater are exceptional and have made an awful experience just about as positive as it could be. The treatment involves arrival and check-in at 8am, then consults followed by hours of sitting in a big chair, hooked up to an IV that pumps toxic chemicals into her.

    It’s surreal dealing with the fact that the meds she’s being injected with are so toxic that the nurses have to ‘gown up’ in hazmat gear, yet at the same time, we try to focus on the fact that those toxins are scooting around her body, fighting the cancer. We don’t quite know how to deal with that.

    We got good news about her blood tests, processed ahead of this round of chemo. Her ‘cancer marker’ (which they believe to indicate the level of cancer activity) has continued to fall. We now await a CT scan next week which will provide an image of the tumours. If they have shrunk sufficiently, she will have surgery to remove them. In her case, they are dispersed around her abdomen, so quite a lot will have to go. It’s unlikely they will get all of it so recurrence is predicted sometime down the line. For stage 3 sufferers, treatment is all about adding months or years, not curing the cancer.

    Meanwhile, she’s in regular contact with one of her (many) cousins who also has cancer. He is a UK citizen living in Thailand with is wife, so has to travel to the UK for treatment and throw himself at the mercy of the NHS. We are unsurprised but nevertheless appalled by the treatment he is receiving. The specialists have so far managed to prolong his life significantly thanks to a trial medication, but the NHS itself is simply a barrier. Tests are continuously delayed, consults likewise and he is currently hopping from house to house (cousins putting him up, bless them) while he deals with the latest delay. Despite having booked appointments months in advance, he arrived in the UK in early October but has yet to actually see a doctor or have the scan that was supposed to happen a month ago. Meanwhile, his cancer continues to progress.

    The UK’s public health system is an absolute wreck. We are so very lucky here, despite doom-laden media reports, to have a (mostly) functioning system. However, take a look at the UK because, based on current trajectory, that’s where Australia will be in 10-20 years.

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      Kalm Keith

      All the best to you both Steve: you’ve been together a long time but every brief moment of calm and relaxation from now on should be taken as a wonderful gift.

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    MrGrimNasty

    Do any amount of criminal damage you like, climate loons are untouchable in UK courts.
    https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/nov/16/climate-protesters-cleared-of-causing-criminal-damage-to-hsbc-london-hq

    10