JoNova
A science presenter, writer, speaker & former TV host; author of The Skeptic's Handbook (over 200,000 copies distributed & available in 15 languages).
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Ford faces £1.5bn hit as it cancels electric SUV project
Ford has unveiled a £1.5bn hit from its decision to cancel a new electric SUV as it says motorists are unwilling to pay higher prices to switch away from petrol and diesel.
The Detroit powerhouse said on Wednesday it was watering down its electric car plans by focusing increasingly on its hybrid range as it seeks to appeal to cost-conscious buyers.
The news comes as a major blow to the Biden administration, which has announced billions in subsidies for American carmakers to invest in electrification.
As part of the shift in strategy, Ford said it will scrap plans for an all-electric three-row SUV and replace it with a new hybrid model.
This is expected to cost the company up to $1.9bn (£1.5bn) in writedowns and additional expenses.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/ford-faces-1-5bn-hit-as-it-cancels-electric-suv-project/ar-AA1pc372
90
Get woke. Go broke.
And it’s a worry for the Australian people because Australian Governments usually follow the failed ideas of others. So, just as numerous companies are abandoning EVs, Australian Governments will redouble their efforts to make them compulsory.
E.g. in the ACT, where a majority of Australia’s federal public “servants” are warehoused, ICE vehicles will be banned from 2035.
https://electricvehiclehub.com.au/information-centre/will-my-petrol-car-lose-its-value-after-the-ev-transition/
Also, recall how larger ICE vehicles have been effectively banned nation-wide by a prohibitive “fuel economy” tax.
160
It must be working: while most of Aus woke to pleasant mid-teen temps, the fish bowl called Canberra is sitting on exactly, precisely, zero degrees Celsius (0 C) freezing*. Their 100% ‘renewable green generation’ is a marvel of imagineering and hopium powder.
* via BoM
160
ICE vehicles banned in Canberra from 2035?
Surely that can be brought forward to 2025. After all they have a planet to save or a universe to master or something.
And if they can’t get to work there will be less damage done.
171
Meaningless, considering everything else.
60
David,
probably a very Dumb Question, but that banning of ICE Vehicles, does it mean other states registered ICE Vehicles will not be allowed to drive through ACT?
90
They’ll have to or the Public Serpents will starve.
And who is going to bring in the monogrammed LGQITBFK etc polyester soccer strip for the members and staff games after question time. You know after the houses are emptied leaving the sole member of the opposition and the government member and the deputy speaker to debate important legislation.
50
I took it to mean that the ACT wont register them. Good news for Goulburn and Quenbeyan car dealers.
10
Meanwhile in the Communist Republic of Victoria – Bill shock grows as energy giants fail ‘pub test’ on profits
There has been a surge in Victorians seeking help for rocketing energy costs, with data showing the number of people complaining about “bill shock” jumped 22 per cent in a year.
Origin Energy and AGL Energy have reported higher annual profits and bumper dividends.
Dufty, national director of energy policy research at St Vincent de Paul, said power companies did need to bank healthy profits to fund the switch from fossil fuels to renewable sources.
“But it doesn’t pass the pub test, it doesn’t line up with people’s experience,” he said.
“We’re in a cost-of-living crisis, energy prices are going up, and these guys are making more money than they did last year.
“They need to talk about how they’re building the energy system in a nation-building and transformational way.”
The Energy and Water Ombudsman of Victoria – an independent body that helps resolve complaints between customers and utility companies – said there had been a 22 per cent year-on-year jump in people seeking help for bill shock in the June quarter.
“We saw an increase in cases that reflect cost-of-living pressures, as consumers experiencing bill shock look closely at their bills, question their accuracy, and seek help to pay bills,” ombudsman Catherine Wolthuizen said.
And Given my Gas & Electricty Increases since 2020 – I dispute the following
A typical residential energy consumer using about 4000 kilowatt-hours of electricity a year is paying 17 per cent more than they were in 2020, according to the Essential Services Commission, a regulator that assists consumers on the price, quality and reliability of essential services.
Prices rose $180 – 14 per cent – in the year to June.
20
Not Good for Australia Under Labor
China Steel Mill Profits Collapse, Goldman Issues: “Bleak Outlook” For Iron Ore
Meanwhile
‘You’re going to be poor’: Barnaby Joyce rails against mining closures after Tanya Plibersek blocks NSW project
Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce has hit out in the wake of Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek’s decision to veto a mining project in NSW, suggesting the decision to clamp down on Australia’s key export industry showed the Albanese government was off its “pills.”
[SNIP]
In an 11th hour intervention, Ms Plibersek last week shut down a proposal from Regis Resources for a tailings dam tied to its gold mine project in the state’s central west.
The Environment Minister flagged cultural heritage concerns with the dam’s proposed location, despite the local Indigenous land council declaring “the proposed development would not impact any known sites or artefacts of high significance”.
A small group of activists disagreed, however, with one using a submission to the NSW Department of Planning Industry and Environment to argue the development would have “irreversibly detrimental impacts” on the cultural landscape of the region.
Lisa Paton, an Indigenous historian, also argued the site should be treated with the same respect as “Gallipoli and Battle of The Somme,” as it was the location of “encounters” between the Wiradjuri people and stockmen which ultimately escalated into the Bathurst Wars in 1824.
[SNIP]
“Australia, if you keep shutting down your exports, your coal mines, your gas exports, your iron ore mines, and now your gold mines, if you keep doing this, you’re going to be poor,” he declared on First Edition.
30
AGL made a loss last year, and their share price is about half what it was going into 2020.
https://www.google.com/finance/quote/AGL:ASX?window=5Y
Any profit at all they made this year would have been an improvement over actually losing money but they made 711M in financial year ending 2024, but lost 1.26B in financial year ending 2023. Thus, they haven’t even broken even yet.
I’m not expecting some guy at St Vinnie’s to be an economic expert but if he is going to howl in public it would be nice for him to spend 5 minutes getting a quick idea of what he is talking about. Hope I’m not asking too much.
The AGL dividends are nothing special either … at about 5% you can earn much the same simply leaving money in a bank account. UBank is advertising 5.5% interest and there’s 6 month term deposits at 5.0% so the AGL dividends (which come with significantly more risk) could only dishonesty be described as “bumper”.
10
That’s an excellent idea … then we just need to strictly allow only electric aircraft to fly in and out of Canberra and only allow pure solar recharge stations.
With those rules in place … most of Australia’s problems will fix themselves.
90
In 2023, sales of electric vehicles (EVs) in the USA passed the 1.6 million mark.
To visualize where EVs are the most popular, Visual Capitalist’s Bruno Venditti maps the number of registered EVs per 100,000 people by state as of June 2024.
https://www.zerohedge.com/technology/spot-odd-one-out-ev-adoption-state
In 2023, the auto industry in the United States sold approximately 15.5 million light vehicle units. This figure includes retail sales of about 3.12 million passenger cars and just under 12.4 million light trucks (eg the Ford F150).
Note the EV version of the Ford F150 (Lightning) has been a huge failure.
22 Jan 2024 — Declining demand for the Ford F-150 Lightning has resulted in a drastic production cut, with 1400 US employees no longer building the pickup.
https://www.carexpert.com.au/car-news/ford-cuts-more-f-150-lightning-production-amid-declining-demand
40
I guess their idea of “Market Research” means just listening to the MS Media, rather than actually asking real consumers !
00
Signs of covid still apparent in Oz according to this report. Does it reflect real world experience?
https://www.conservativewoman.co.uk/official-officious-and-offensive/
91
There is still plenty of covid propaganda in Australia, legacy signage, promotion of covid “vaccines” and worst of all, people being denied organ transplants and dying TO THIS VERY DAY, if not injected with the mRNA, even if they have legal medical exemptions (references below).
And there are still lots of people wearing obedience masks.
Monkeypox hysteria hasn’t yet set in but there are early signs of panic being promoted by government, e.g.
https://www.thepublica.com/aussie-teen-dies-of-leukemia-after-being-refused-a-life-saving-lung-transplant-because-she-didnt-have-a-covid-19-jab/
https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/health/health-problems/no-jab-no-heart-mother-denied-transplant-due-to-vaccination-status/news-story/5580aca526744d15fe1a25e595ef7d76
120
My rental house periodic inspection notice has only just removed the all-important requirement to reassure us that all inspectors are “fully vaccinated for covid”. For a long time I’d been tempted to write to them about it but didn’t want to rock the boat! They obviously have a high turnover of inspectors so must have had problems recruiting them and did a review.
It was like the annoying “includes GST” note still appearing 20 years after the fact.
110
South African group refutes WHO’s declaration of an mpox emergency and warns the public about the risks of the vaccines
The South Africa “Vaccine” Injury Medico-Legal Study Group (“SAVIMS”) has released a press statement to say that it does not support the Africa CDC and World Health Organisation declaration of a global health emergency for monkeypox, now known as mpox.
Additionally, they have warned about the recommended live virus vaccines, Jynneos and ACAM2000: The vaccines are experimental use for monkeypox, as they were originally intended for smallpox; there are reported serious adverse effects; and, they contain live viral strains, which may potentially instigate a resurgence of the eradicated smallpox virus.
“We warn members of the public about the inherent risks of taking any vaccine, including those proposed for mpox, of which the effectiveness and safety have not been reliably determined … There can be no justification for a vaccine with unknown adverse effects,” SAVIMS says.
We at SAVIMS would like to point out pertinent facts to both institutions and other relevant bodies of interest:
1. There is no prescribed vaccine with documented Level 1 scientific evidence for monkeypox. The current WHO recommended live virus vaccines, Jynneos and ACAM2000, are (a) intended for smallpox and are thus experimental for monkeypox; (b) have reported serious adverse effects and (c) contain live viral strains which may instigate a resurgence of the eradicated smallpox virus.
2. The potential use of mRNA vaccines. There is no scientific evidence supporting the use of any mRNA vaccine to prevent or mitigate any infectious disease. The observed data of adverse reactions to experimental mRNA vaccines far outweighs any benefit.
4. The article by Allan-Blitz et al, ‘A position statement on Mpox as a Sexually Transmitted Disease’, concluded that monkeypox is a sexually transmitted disease. Preventative measures for this scenario should necessitate and provoke relevant clinical and primary health care and education initiatives directed at the high-risk group. There is no merit for the recommendation of experimental vaccines to the general population.
6. There have been no autopsy reports published on the deaths related to monkeypox. The lack of formal documented autopsy, lack of information regarding equipment test sensitivities and specificities, and lack of information on procedures validating random collation of data, further reduces and invalidates the authenticity of the statistics.
https://expose-news.com/2024/08/22/south-african-group-refutes-whos-declaration/
Such honest reporting. Can we ship these guys to Oz and replace the corrupt doctors and clown govt “experts” here?
Like I said, it’s a non-event, but a media beat-up.
180
Signs of influenza this winter also. I guess thats what they mean by endemic.
00
EU still trying to ban X/twitter
https://dailysceptic.org/2024/08/21/eurocrats-are-having-a-very-big-sad-about-twitter-right-now/
150
It’s been 79 years since the National Socialists were removed from Europe and only 33 years since the Union of Soviet Socialists Republics was removed and the totalitarians are already back to their old ways of dictatorship.
Fortunately, Musk will not accede to their demands.
220
I know this new solar facility will be wildly popular on this blog
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13763119/Mike-cannon-brookes-sun-cable-solar-farm-northern-territory-tanya-plibersek.html
14000 well paid new jobs, the opportunity to transmit electricity to Singapore. Cheap reliable electricity for Aussies. What a great scheme, and so cost effective. What could possibly go wrong?
180
Just what Darwin needs – more solar!
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-03-05/nt-government-flags-buying-solar-farms-amid-renewables-push/103548406
https://www.ecnt.org.au/repowernt_gps
So somebody else has to pay for the batteries for overnight electricity supply and for enough electricity supply during the wet season!
130
It’s amazing that such huge and expensive projects keep going ahead in Australia without the slightest engineering consideration of their viability.
Yesterday, we talked on this blog about $100 million of taxpayer money given to Ampol to install EV chargers, even though there is not enough power in the solar and wind compromised grid to support them.
These are simple calculations smart ten year olds should be able to make.
Incidentally, who gets the $100 million for the not-installed chargers?
190
“Incidentally, who gets the $100 million for the not-installed chargers?”
Already been spent… consultants, feasibility studies, lobbyists, planning permissions,engineering design, Council DPAs, salaries for the big bosses, negotiation expenses with unions, expenses claims, the necessary bribery and corruption.. $100mil goes nowhere these days you know!
90
Plus GST.
50
More from Will Shackel on the bulltish Bowen is feeding us on Nuclear Energy
Thursday, 22 August 2024
According to Australia’s Energy Minister Blackout Bowen it could cost as much as $600bn to build 7 nuclear reactors.
That means either of 2 things:
-Either it would cost ∼20x more to build a reactor in Australia than in China
-Or…the numbers we’re being sold are a bit off pic.twitter.com/8jZTQz6IMB
— Will Shackel (@ShackelWill) August 21, 2024
80
A$30 billion you say! So how much will be spent on batteries (assuming an installed cost of A$750 per kWh)?
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/article/2024/aug/21/suncable-solar-farm-nt-approved
So there will be 4 hours of battery storage based on “10 gigawatts of solar” – that will get them through the night!
Now the cost of 42 GWh of battery storage comes to A$31.5 billion alone (at A$750 per kWh) before costs for the solar panels and the 800 km transmission lines to Darwin and then the cost of the 4,300 km cable to Singapore!
“SunCable Australia’s managing director, Cameron Garnsworthy, said the federal decision was a “vote of confidence” and a “landmark moment in the project’s journey”. He said a final investment decision on whether it went ahead was not expected before 2027, with electricity supply expected to start in the 2030s.”
Sounds like another Green Elephant!
160
Now let’s add in the likely cost of 4,300 km submarine power cable to Singapore
https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/Subsea-Power-Cables-The-Future-of-Global-Energy-Transport.html#:
This comes to A$16 Billion!
So the cost of batteries and cable to Singapore come to A$47.5 Billion before the cost of the solar panels (to be made in Australia?) and the 800km transmission line to Darwin!
If should no take Mr Garnsworth 3 years to work out “a final investment decision on whether the project went ahead”
130
Lessons from the 370km BassLink submarine cable between Victoria and Tasmania
On 21 December 2015, Basslink was disconnected due to a faulty interconnector approximately 100 kilometres (62 mi) off the Tasmanian coast. It was originally expected that Basslink would be repaired and returned to service by 19 March 2016, but the link was not restored until 13 June 2016. A separate non-cable fault caused another failure on 22 June. Power was restored in the evening of 23 June, after almost 36 hours.
On 12 November 2021, the companies that owned and operated the Basslink undersea power cable between Tasmania and Victoria were placed into voluntary administration. The company owed $A40 million to the Tasmanian state government and Hydro—Tasmania for the 2015 outage.
The risk of a failure on a 4,300 km submarine cable is clearly much higher and a six month delay in repair is also clearly unacceptable.
A nuclear power station for Singapore would seem a much better option.
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/nuclear-energy-fusion-fission-experts-deployment-timeline-tan-see-leng-parliament-4239546#:
130
I haven’t seen much comment on the possibility of damage from seismic activity, let alone sabotage.
Hmm, just read on and there are comments re. tectonic activity.
40
“Sounds like another Green Elephant!”
At first I read it as “Green Excrement”.
120
CO2, thought you mentioned that the last large-scale completed in Australia, in WA, worked out at $1m/mWh. Has there been a more recent, and cheaper, battery build to produce your figure of $750k/MWh?
10
As I understand it Singapore has not signed up to take any electricity, having contracts with nearby countries with fairly low prices.
The other problem is that there is an active (very active) tectonic fault line between Darwin and East Timor.
180
BTW, Singapore never asked for the power from Australia, and they would be unlikely to be stupid enough to take it.
170
I mean, why would they take Australian solar power from the end of a 4200km / 2610 mile long cable when they have countries that are nearer producing cheap reliable power from coal, gas and hydro?
And the world’s longest undersea electrical cable would be highly prone to damage from tectonic activity, fishing trawlers or sabotage.
It may surprise many Australians to know that in proper countries, they don’t subscribe to the anthropogenic global warming fraud.
And they never asked for it.
160
For cabling distances greater than 800km, HVDC has lowest losses (3% / 1000 km). But the inverter substations at each end are approx USD 300 Million each. And the cabling is approx USD 4.6 Million/ mile ( AUD 4.3 Million/ km )
So, that’s AUD 18 Billion in cabling, approx AUD 1 Billion in inverters, and 12.6% losses in the cable.
Doesn’t seem economical to me.
90
I calculated the total transmission loss at 24%, including the 800 kms of HVAC line(5.6%), plus 0.7% conversion loss at each end of the cable.
And if we use the HumeLink’s latest line costs, at $13m/km, the 800 kms of HVAC transmission line would cost 10.4bn.
50
I can’t see Singapore being dependent on a single source of power to this extent, what happens when it trips or the cable fails.
70
The Singapore government has shown itself to be very astute.
I would imagine that any power agreement would be on terms very favourable to them. Perhaps only paying for electricity as and when it is required which is of course the reverse of arrangements with solar farms in Australia. Perhaps also including severe financial payment when required power is not forthcoming.
As readers can tell I have very little confidence in Australian government and business when playing in the international arena. Probably something to do with selling gas to China.
110
A good cost estimate of the project was done by Michael Darby, WUWT, on 2 August 2020:
https://wattsupwiththat.com/2020/08/02/flogging-unreliable-energy-by-extension-cord-to-singapore-looks-like-an-outrageous-fraud/
However, even these cost figures are not out of date and need upwards increases.
The recent two articles in The Australian on this topic produced over 2000 comments, virtually all negative.
40
Excellent article.
It’s unbelievable that this project is being pushed so hard when Singapore (or anyone else in ASEAN) doesn’t need or want it nor have they expressed interest in it (except I assume interest in mocking this absurd project).
60
David Maddison, #4.5.1,
This project needs only to get through the door of Cannon Brookes’ vault – purpose served.
30
Sorry, meant to say that the cost figures were out of date.
20
I know Suncable has been done to death here, but does anyone know why they look towards Singapore (who didnt request the service and are well supplied) rather than the NEM? Its 2-2.8k klm to Sydney depending how you cacluate it and we arent awash with capacity.
Its a wonder Bowen hasnt suggested it. The project could be called “Final Nail”
70
It seems that back in 2020, they had a client in Singapore, iSwitch, who may have agreed to take the power and re-sell it. But iSwitch then canned its retail arm.
30
Klaus Schwab Warns Of “an Era Of Shock Events”
https://www.armstrongeconomics.com/international-news/great-reset/klaus-schwab-warns-of-an-era-of-shock-events/
90
It’s no surprise that one of the most evil people in the world, an archetypal real life James Bond villain, is idolised by the Left.
100
Skepticynic, #5,
______So, actual events? Or, rumours of such? Maybe, the combination omelette?
______Will tickets be pre sold, or should we just turn up at the gate, hoping for an evening’s entertainment?
30
The last great engine of the world economy is sputtering out
Both China and the eurozone are in a slump and no one looks ready to take the baton from the stalling US
Ambrose Evans-Pritchard
A jumbo US rate cut of 50 points in September is back on the table, and possibly several cuts in a quick succession as the Federal Reserve is forced into a screeching hand-brake turn.
Markets have been caught off guard by a drastic revision of non-farm payrolls, the worst miss since the Lehman crisis. Labour economists can justifiably say “I told you so”. They have been warning all year that instant headline figures do not catch early signs of trouble in the US jobs market when the economic cycle rolls over. You have to look under the bonnet.
“The Fed is late, and is now going to have to scramble, in an undignified manner,” said Paul Donovan, chief economist at UBS wealth management.
One has to sympathise with Fed chairman Jay Powell as he descends on Jackson Hole this Friday for the annual ritual of marshmallow roasting and campfire songs. The institution has been misled once again by unreliable data. The gain in non-farm payrolls in the twelve months to March was 818,000 less than previously stated. The enormous error flattered Bidenomics and overstated the US boom. We should assume that GDP growth will be revised down as well — unless productivity has magically surged, which I doubt.
Citigroup says the economy may already be well into recession. It has pencilled in double-decker cuts in both September and early November.
The start of a US rate-cutting cycle is an intoxicating tonic for global equities, small caps, emerging markets and commodities, provided it comes with a soft landing. It is a different story if a slowdown flips into a hard landing. Portfolios are cut to ribbons once that is allowed to happen.
“We say sell the first cut as hard landing risks are clearly rising,” said Michael Hartnett, investment guru at Bank of America. The S&P 500 fell by an average of 6pc three months after the first cut in the seven hard landing episodes since 1970, and this time stock P/E ratios are stretched to the moon.
It is sobering that combined federal, state, and local deficits running above 8pc of GDP this year are still not enough stimulus to stop US unemployment ratcheting up to 4.3pc and triggering the recessionary Sahm rule.
If that level of spending cannot buy you perma-boom, what can?
00
More signs that the master of “The Art of the Deal” has done a deal with Bobby Kennedy Jnr.
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2024/08/trump-announces-reinstatement-discharged-military-members-unconstitutional-covid/
230
Excellent.
110
Kennedy was named by one of the “Disinformation Dozen” – and was specifically targeted by the government over what they alleged was COVID-19 misinformation, Doughty noted in his ruling – adding that there is “not much dispute” that Kennedy, and his organization – Children’s Health Defense, were “were specifically targeted by the White House, the Office of Surgeon General, and CISA [Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency].”
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/judge-rules-rfk-jr-can-sue-biden-admin-over-censorship-after-supreme-court-rejects
80
Good news, he is now free to endorse Donald.
00
Short video, 2 minutes 21 seconds
140
The location and orientation of hydrocarbon fields appear to be controlled by and related to subduction and rifting activities. The formation of hydrocarbons are due to the chemical processes which take place, even today, within the subduction/rift zones, and deep into the basement.
The carbon and hydrogen, necessary for the formation of hydrocarbons, can originate from organic compounds, located in subducted sedimentary rocks, and from the dissociation of carbonates (CaCO3 ), and the reduction of carbon dioxide (CO2 ) and water (H2O) that seeps into subduction zones, or deep into rifts and fractures.
https://www.offshore-mag.com/home/article/16762472/middle-east-geology-why-the-middle-east-fields-may-produce-oil-forever
80
“deep into the basement”
where ancient fossil fools lurk, eg. Joe Biden.
80
Skepticynic, #7
_____Long live Professor Gold. First I knew of him was an article in Wired Magazine about late ’80’s.
_____For decades, it was just that one article that I knew of.
Recently though, Dr Willie Soon spoke to Tucker along these lines.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=E7IdLzxzINw>
______Looks like oil and gas can apply for a ladling from the ruinables gravy bucket.
20
New York (State) weighs charging oil firms billions of dollars to fuel new climate change fund
https://nypost.com/2024/08/18/us-news/ny-weighs-charging-oil-firms-billions-of-dollars-to-fuel-new-climate-change-fund/
70
And what happens if the oil firms stop supplying products to New York State?
160
I would smile!
180
North Sea oil ban: Lionel Shriver on Labour’s net zero madness (video)
50
One of the comments is:
120
Have they met Chris Bowen?
130
“As democracy is perfected, the office of president represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart’s desire at last and the
White HouseCantberra will be adorned by a downright moron.” ― H.L. MenckenNo time left to form a new party worth voting for.
50
Movement towards virtual societies. 😎️
10
We already have three conservative-oriented parties worth voting for.
United Australia Party
Libertarian Party
One Nation
90
Thoughts on the Citizens Party?
https://citizensparty.org.au/policies/climate-change
00
Time for these parties to forget the quest for the ‘Golden fleecing’ that is a Parliamentary career and unite on a simple platform.
Two year terms. Only two consecutive terms.
Compensation not remuneration.
Parties to be funded by chook raffles and not the public purse.
Pen & Paper ballots counted and scrutineered in the local community.
Same day voting.
Non compulsory voting.
States to compete. No over arching federal departments.
Senate to vote as intended as the states house of review not as a power junket of lunatic minorities uniting for a cause.
Basically kick out all the changes made since the seventies, those sponsored by the likes of the Fabians, Gramski and Alinski. They obviously have not improved any aspect of Australian Society.
The public will support a simple message.
Pay Monkeys and you are a Peanut!!
The more you pay parties, politicians and public officials the larger government will grow along with the amount of time you will spend working to pay for a blob that producers nothing but grief.
80
Please do not reject ever-improving computer technology.
I detest all this AI hype, there never will be Governators but, having only had a minor involvement into our system of justice, I know it can not be fixed and would prefer to be judged by a computer. The answer to everything is transparency.
The law must be written by humans, the count made by machines.
No need to to go further than THAT rape scandal (still in full bloom and its stinky fruit is unpredictable!) and how it has influenced THE election.
00
Broadie. I support compulsory voting, turn up and get your name ticked. It greatly reduces fraud options. I also like preferential but it should not be compulsory.
Doug
30
Compulsory voting would be fine if one of the options in all candidate elections was: None of the above.
50% of votes tendered would still apply to win
00
Voting only becomes compulsory for every caring adult like now, when there is a mess to be cleared up. That is how the system works best. You do not have to count many votes when the populace is content with their elected representative. Keeps the cost down and doesn’t ruin everyone’s week-end.
Voting isn’t compulsory in the houses of parliament or councils. If you don’t feel like turning up you do not bother. The Whips work it out so you can do a winery tour or a trip to Europe.
20
‘ … and unite on a simple platform.’
They may have more clout as independent splinter groups, nevertheless they do have a lot in common.
https://www.lpnsw.org.au/onenation_vs_libertarianparty
00
Desperation: U.S. Solar War To Backfire Badly, EU Drops Subsidy Bombshell To Save Germany (video)
40
The US is learning the hard way that you cannot make solar panels using energy produced by solar panels. Solar panels require a lot of coal. In fact, they use more coal in their manufacture than they can save during their operating life when used in a dispatchable power suoply.
120
Some governments take the environment seriously.
Two possible examples: –
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c7v5l29q2dvo
“Edinburgh backs introduction of new ‘tourist tax'”
5% – or 8% – on the [accommodation?] costs of your stay
And
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ckg2ynp8p4go
“Could Scots soon be charged extra 25p for single-use cups?”
But, perhaps, some governments look everywhere for new sources of taxes that they can waste [pronounced ‘invest’ anywhere north of the Antarctic Circle].
Auto
40
When talking of new sources of taxes, one of the more disturbing phenomena of the modern administrative world is the self-funding government department.
Why disturbing? Because it enables such government departments to go off on frolics of their own.
70
How ABC boss will be rich for LIFE – despite quitting his job today: Staggering details emerge about the pension you will be paying for
Outgoing ABC managing director David Anderson will remain one of the country’s highest earners for the rest of his life despite quitting his $1.15million job – all thanks to you.
Mr Anderson, 54, stood down just 14 months into his second five-year term at the public broadcaster but confirmed that he will stay on into the new year.
According to the ABC’s annual report from the 2022-23 financial year, the corporation’s top executive received a total remuneration package of $1,156,969, increasing year-on-year by $120,000.
Under the Commonwealth Superannuation Scheme, Mr Anderson, who first joined the public broadcaster as a bike courier in Adelaide in 1989 and enjoyed a 35-year career at the ABC, is entitled to an annual CPI-indexed pension of at least 37 per cent of his final salary.
That would put the outgoing ABC boss’s total taxpayer-funded annual pension at almost $430,000 – more than four-and-a-half times the nation’s average income.
However, sources within the ABC have hinted Mr Anderson may have negotiated an even higher pension package.
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And in yet another astounding engineering failure in Australia, unbelievably incompetent “engineers” didn’t realise that running electric train tunnels beneath a hospital would interfere with MRI scanners.
So, the trains will now have to run at reduced speeds to minimise interference which will double the length of the train journey between Parkville and Arden.
What are they teaching “engineers” and “scientists” in “universties” these days???
Even The Age newspaper reports this, so it must be bad.
https://www.theage.com.au/politics/victoria/melbourne-14b-metro-tunnel-quietly-doubles-travel-times-between-stations-20240822-p5k4fy.html
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MRI = Melbourne Rail Interferes.😆
80
Australia is run by Idiot MP’s and Government Public Servants, who have never run a Business, had to balance forecast sales against Staffing Requirements to make a profit, never had to make Payroll and Government Taxes at the end of the month, monitoring Cashflow to stay alive!
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Chris Bowen – now taking command & control of the nett zero economy. What could go wrong?
Australia now has a Net Zero Economy Authority. We’re ensuring the workers and regions that have powered Australia for generations can seize the opportunities of our net zero transformation. pic.twitter.com/ylmcnXGx1H
— Chris Bowen (@Bowenchris) August 22, 2024
The Albanese Government has established The Net Zero Economay Authority!
More Useless Government Incompetent Bureaucrats Sucking up Australian Taxpayers Money & Sending Australia Broke!
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From the Comments
seeker of truth said…
We already have a Net Zero Economy Agency so what is the point changing this Agency to be legislated as the Net Zero Economy Authority. The Authority will be carrying out the same work as its predecessor Agency.
Are Albo and Bowen establishing this Authority because for more than a decade the union movement has been campaigning for the establishment of a federal authority to support workers and communities to thrive through the clean energy transition?
https://www.actu.org.au/media-release/net-zero-economy-authority-historic-breakthrough-for-australian-energy-workers/#:~:text=The%20creation%20of%20the%20NZEA,support%20a%20just%20energy%20transition.
The answer is “Yes”.
The ANU thinks the Albanese government has got it wrong on how this Net Zero Economy Authority will operate. The government should not be investing directly and it should not be concentrating on power station workers and coal miners but also assist those workers employed in businesses that have links to the power stations and coal mines.
https://iceds.anu.edu.au/news-events/news/why-do-we-need-net-zero-economy-authority-and-how-can-it-fulfil-its-promise
Linked below is a article released by the Dept of Prime Minister & Cabinet in March 2024 as to how it intends this Authority will operate. And guess what, the investment dollars will be coming from the government –
“And to attract people to live and work in the regions where this is all happening, investment will be required in the things that make communities thriving and positive places to live and work. This could include investment in housing, transport or utilities.
The Australian Government has a wide range of instruments that will drive this investment, such as the Australian Renewable Energy Agency, the Clean Energy Finance Corporation, the National Reconstruction Fund and Austrade.
However, what is missing is a coordination point to bring this work together and manage the transformation as a whole, ensuring this process is smooth and the benefits for communities, workers and regions are shared.
40
FWIW
“Nolte: Stubborn Polls, Blah Democrat Convention Help Trump Regain Lead in Betting Markets”
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2024/08/22/nolte-stubborn-polls-blah-democrat-convention-help-trump-regain-lead-in-betting-markets/
30
I wouldn’t put more’n pocket change on Trump, another assassination plot has been foiled and I don’t believe industrial scale ballot stuffing is beyond the (D)s.
20
As Honk says, it wasn’t “wasted”.
That governments can get away with this kind of behaviour is devastating.
https://joannenova.com.au/2024/08/solar-plants-sit-idle-for-4-years-in-nt-because-the-grid-wasnt-ready/#comment-2794379
60
Strange, isn’t it, how cost is only a problem when talking about nuclear generation.
70
CO2 lover
Subduction, rifting etc. Rubbish. Theories only. This old geologist is not for changing!
40
Fair enough. But can you explain what happened to ‘peak oil’? Are Middle East oil fields being recharged from deeper structures?
20
Don’t change then.
I think they make some interesting points and ask challenging questions.
How come oil reserves in Saudi Arabia are going up despite the massive amounts extracted so far?
How to account for the geological distribution of the oil deposits?
Why is there so much sulphur in the oil, and nickel and cadmium etc?
Could oil have an abiotic origin?
20
https://www.commondreams.org/news/richard-medhurst
30
” accused me of allegedly ‘expressing an opinion or belief…..contrary to Govt opinion”
Which is all it is, Govt decide they don’t like an organisation and put that name on the list of ‘organisations you must not support, because we don’t like them’. Tyranny from top to bottom, pretending to be a democracy.
50
There are huge needed infrastructure projects required in Australia such as roads, railways, airports, real coal, gas and nuclear power stations, flood mitigation and irrigation etc..
There few or no investments in these.
Instead, it’s tragic to see almost all available investment funds thrown away on things like cables to Singapore, endless wind, solar and Big Battery plantations, unused desal plants, huge waste of “university” and “school” resources “researching” and teaching “climate change”, waste of resources within CSIRO and other government research agencies involved with “climate change” etc..
And extensive censorship and no political opppsition (because of the Lib/Lab/Green Uniparty) to hold the whole scam together.
What a horrible way to destroy the Australian economy and society and end Australia as a modern industrial society.
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Yeah, where is the bullet train they promised.
I suspect that with the iron ore price going south we may not have the luxury to reinvent ourselves.
31
Even just a moderately fast train would be good
70
Just any train would be a miracle for some of us in the “regeons” !
60
Memories of the 1970?
00
That is one that averages more than 30 miles per hour?
Which was possible with pre-WW2 rail technology
00
The Bendigo/Echuca line was given a ‘Victoria’s Big Build Fast Rail Project’ a few years ago. Took forever to complete. The Melbourne to Bendigo section is now no faster at all than it was before. the reason being they ripped up duplicated track over most of the distance and replaced it with single track plus passing loops. So if a train is a few minutes behind or ahead of schedule it will have to wait in a loop for the train coming the other way to pass.
Design brilliance! /s
(Like the Spencer Street Station ridiculous roof design brilliance – a fully functioning diesel exhaust trap)
00
My impression is that most large infrastructure projects are scams held together by commission agents.
40
Surprising Number of F-35s Around Taiwan Strait; J-20 No Match, CCP Dares Not Act (video)
00
Some of these videos vary from comedic to hysterics
00
“Surprising Number of F-35s Around Taiwan Strait; J-20 No Match, ”
Lol- Like they used their much-vaunted HIMARS to take out the bridges in Kursk, and lost three of them immediately to Russian counter-missiles.
I see there is no rush to put F-16s up against the MIGs or SU’s, you only know how good your wonderwaffen is when you’re using it in war!
10
The pontoons are continually blown up by HIMARS, according to Russian sources.
They are holding back the F-16 until the appropriate moment.
10
The 1,000th F 35 has rolled off the assembly line.
It has suffered surprisingly few hull losses and a couple of those have just been dumb mistakes.
It is cheaper than the FA 18 or the Eurofighter Typhoon.
It’s Max TOW is 70,000 lbs, same as a Lancaster.
Both the Typhoon and J 20 have canards so could not possibly be as stealthy as the F 35.
The F 35 has world beating sensors with the ability to communicate with Loyal Wingman drones or FA 18s used as “missile trucks”.
US carriers can launch and recover three times the sortees of Chinese carriers and carry more aircraft of greater variety.
Don’t bet against the Yanks.
30
Pauline Hanson – Please Explain National Insecurity
Friday, 23 August 2024
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Good one. And dangerously true!
50
Labor MPs dismayed at Anthony Albanese’s failure to reassure Australians Hamas supporters are not being granted visas
Anthony Albanese’s failure to reassure Australians that terrorist supporters aren’t being issued visas is putting community safety at risk and has triggered dismay from some Labor colleagues.
Sharri Markson – Sky News host
It should be the simplest thing to say: that terrorist supporters aren’t welcome in our country.
Yet, inexplicably, the Prime Minister cannot say it.
He cannot explicitly reassure Australians that terrorist supporters aren’t being issued visas, straight from a violent warzone.
Liberal MP Julian Leeser asked Mr Albanese this question twice during Parliament on Thursday.
He pointed out that Isl@mic terrorists had filmed themselves gleefully murdering victims on October 7, 2023.
“1300 people were gunned down for sport,” Mr Leeser said.
“Prime Minister, does supporting Hamas pass the character test for an Australian visa?”
Surely, it’s the easiest question in the world for any politician to answer, yet not for Mr Albanese.
The Prime Minister’s poor performance even shocked Federal Labor MPs who were dismayed that Mr Albanese could not come out and say that anyone who supports terrorism isn’t welcome in our country.
That it would fail the character test requirement of a visa.
Labor MPs are concerned about Mr Albanese’s handling of this crucial issue that’s fundamental to our very values and democracy.
They have failed to understand why Mr Albanese didn’t come out straight after ASIO Director General Mike Burgess’ comments 10 days ago and clarify that, actually, no, Hamas supporters aren’t welcome in Australia.
After question time, Julian Leeser told Sky News that it was “disappointing” Albanese can’t say in simple terms words that would have been easily uttered by former prime ministers John Howard or Bob Hawke.
“I don’t understand why the Prime Minister cannot say what Australians expect a Prime Minister to say, that anyone who supports terrorist organisations like Hamas is not welcome here,” he said.
Perhaps the only explanation is that Hamas supporters are, in fact, welcome in Australia.
The reality is – Hamas sympathisers have already come to Australia on visas issued by the Australian Government. In February Sky News reported that a 21-year-old Palestinian had liked and shared pro-Hamas content after the October 7 attacks.
This individual is no longer in Gaza but in Melbourne on a visa issued by Labor.
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Australia Under Labor Governments
Fraser Rise stabbing: Melbourne teen knifed by gang of machete-wielding thugs in ‘targeted attack’ after school
Watch the Video of them brazenly walking down the road – Disturbing footage obtained by Nine News shows a group of males dressed in black wearing hoodies and face coverings armed with what appear to be machetes.
A urgent manhunt is underway for a group of up to seven youths after a boy was stabbed outside a high school.
Emergency services were called to City Vista Court in Fraser Rise, in Melbourne’s north-west about 3.10pm on Thursday following reports a teen had been stabbed while waiting at the bus stop.
The 16-year-old was rushed to Western Hospital suffering a wound to his arm.
The boy’s condition is unknown.
Police believe the boy was set upon at a bus stop by a group of up to seven males armed with machetes in what is understood to be a targeted attack.
50
Outstanding.
The best yet.
30
I saw the Bolt version yesterday.
https://youtu.be/ldgozmt7aGs?si=jeBUQuR7gRT6l1HJ
Do we really want that deep-seated irrational rabid religious hatred manifesting here due to a lack of basic border vetting procedures?
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deep-seated irrational rabid religious hatred
Irrational?
No group or organization, which calls for the killing of a human for any reason other than self defense, should have tax free status.
30
Beginners guide to the climate apocalypse
https://imgbox.com/Dms0VL54
20
Viv Forbes on the Green Foods Fail Olympics
The first occupants of the Olympics village in Paris quickly taught the caterers that athletes did not favour their “climate-friendly” diet of things like avocados on toast plus almond-milk coffee. The athletes demanded more meat and eggs.
Paris Olympics CEO, Etienne Thobois, told reporters they suddenly needed more animal protein, causing them to order “700 kilos of eggs and a ton of meat, to meet the demands of the athletes.”
The Olympic caterers should have read a bit of French history – Vikings brought cattle to Normandy in the 10th century and valued them for both meat and milk.
The Paris organisers could also have also looked at some French cave paintings, such as the one in Lascaux, which depict aurochs, the ancestor of domestic cattle, being attacked by ancient hunters.
The Normans took their love of beef to Britain. In 1611 King James knighted his loin roast so it could be worthy item on a King’s table – since then it has been known as “sirloin”.
That old enemy of Napoleon, the Duke of Wellington, knew that his army could not survive without beef. Britain is famous for great beef breeds such as Herefords, Angus, Scotch, Welsh and Orkney beef. So the Duke’s red coat armies often had their own cattle herd bringing up the rear. Fresh beef was supplemented by salt pork, flour (often fortified with weevils) and a tot of rum before battle.
Beef was also the favoured food of the new world. Spanish and Portuguese colonists took horses and cattle to the Americas and from these developed the wild longhorn cattle of Mexico and Texas. Many covered wagons of the American west were pulled by mules or oxen – and if they ran short of food, they ate some of them.
Native Americans soon learned to steal or catch horses and used them to hunt their favoured food – buffalo. Their mounted cavalry quickly conquered the prairies; and when they wore out their horses, they ate them.
As the buffalo were hunted to extinction by white and red hunters they all turned to longhorns and then to softer easier-handling British breeds like Hereford.
Soon American demand for beef prompted Texas cowboys to fight Indians, drought and wild-fires to send big mobs of beef cattle towards big meat centres such as Chicago. This Eastern demand for beef then supported the growth of transcontinental railways.
In Australia, great cattlemen like Sidney Kidman (“The Cattle King”) learned to move cattle along the Channel Country from north to south on a string of Kidman properties, the cattle growing as they travelled.
And on every road entering Australia’s beef capital, Rockhampton, there is a statue – not a green-skinned avocado, but a red-blooded bull.
The staple food of the Anzac warriors was canned “bully beef”, billy tea and hard biscuits. Bacon, eggs, a tot of Bundaberg rum and some Anzac biscuits were the luxuries.
Green propagandists such as the Paris caterers are doing tremendous harm to our health and our food supply by attacking animal foods, and promoting grains, vegetables, seeds and fake foods for humans.
As far back as we have recorded history, humans have been hunter-gatherers.
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Not forgetting Beef Wellington.
20
Half a century before Kidman’s enterprise, the Australian Agricultural Company was recruiting young couples in Allied-occupied Europe to travel to Australia to start the grazing industry in the New England area of New South Wales (and the grape industry in the Hunter Valley).
30
Oh No! Man At DNC Thinking He Was In Line For Food Truck Accidentally Gets Vasectomy
https://babylonbee.com/news/oh-no-man-at-dnc-thinking-he-was-in-line-for-food-truck-accidentally-gets-vasectomy/
Never mind. You’re a male democrat, so you can still have a baby.
70
Was wondering what Hillary, Oprah, Michelle, and a host of hysterical screaming banshees meant when they all yelled out:
“… DO SOMETHING!”
50
Any similarity to politicians is coincidental and unintended
https://va.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_sim998Oo551z23obp.mp4
😆😆
40
‘Ukraine pleads for our Abrams tanks.
‘A decorated Ukrainian commander says Australia’s soon-to-be-retired Abrams tanks could play a ‘crucial role’ in turning the tide against Vladimir Putin’s forces.’ (Oz)
04
More advanced “old equipment” has failed so why will our tanks work?
Somewhat ironically, the biggest problem Russia faces comes from within – seriously collapsing population (for decades).
20
Bit overstated compared with say Europe but certainly declining, which they are actively campaigning to turn around.
20
” seriously collapsing population (for decades).”
Not as fast as Ukraine’s!
20
People stopped having children after the fall of the iron curtain.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Population_of_Ukraine.png
01
While Kiev’s Adventure in Russia’s Kursk Is Ongoing, Its Defenses in Donetsk Are Folding, and Putin May Soon Be Victorious in Key Region of the War
The Ukrainian cross-border incursion into Russia’s Kursk region has yielded spectacular PR results for the Kiev regime, creating an image of success that was completely lacking in last year’s failed summer counteroffensive.
But it is also true that, from a strictly military strategy standpoint, the adventure will not generate any game-changing momentum on the ground that would reverse Moscow’s upper hand in the ‘special military operation’.
In fact, much to the contrary, diverting that much manpower and equipment to this operation has further weakened the already depleted Donetsk defenses to a point where Russian Federation forces can now see the ‘final’ goal in sight.
Losses sustained by Ukrainian forces in the Kursk Region have surpassed 4,700 servicemen and considerable armored capabilities.
Meanwhile as they capture New York, besiege Toretsk and start to threaten the very last defense line of Kramatorsk-Slavyansk.
Needless to say, the conquest (or as they say, ‘liberation’) of the Donetsk Oblast is one the most – if not THE most – vital Russian objectives in the war.
With all that, while the Kursk invasion may tale weeks of even months to quell, outlets like Bloomberg are calling it ‘the most failed military operation in the 21st century in terms of the ratio between the result and the resources expended’.
Not even the American fleeing of Afghanistan have wasted so many resources.
What can we expect? Maybe chemical attacks, dirty bombs, etc – many ways to escalate the conflict and drag NATO in.
10
Friday sarcasm: welcome to British Airways
https://imgbox.com/xG3TaPyw
/jumped the gun a bit.
70
Brilliant!
20
Good Yarns – Street Libraries
Or where to read the Mosman Daily online.
Street Libraries Australia – Buy a Street Library
We’ve got the materials and complete libraries, all you need is the books.
Haven’t got time to build?
Let us send you one, ready to go.
An excellent way to get started. Also a great gift idea for someone with superfluous books (and a space to plant a library).
20
Perth has quite a few of these along our river foreshores, plus a few scattered throughout the neighbourhood and public parks. One about 100 metres from my place.
10
FWIW
“How a US conservation group is painting the full picture of livestock emissions”
https://www.beefcentral.com/carbon/how-a-us-conservation-group-is-painting-the-full-picture-of-livestock-emissions/
20
I did read that Olympic superermegastar Raygun has signed up with a talent agency. SHe’ll never be as good as her AI
Thanks DT
10
These are the Dems who deserve an Oscar for the fake, all-an-act convention
By Douglas Murray
– Best Actress — Nancy Pelosi
– Best Supporting Actress — Hillary Clinton
– Best Actor — Bill Clinton
– Best supporting actor — Cardinal Cupich
– Lifetime achievement award — Oprah Winfrey
– Best animated feature — Joe Biden
– Best Picture — Teresa Woorman
– Special Effects — The Democratic National Committee
30
‘Toilet paper’ that fell out of Nancy Pelosi’s pants on DNC stage was really notes, source says
CHICAGO — Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has gone viral over what some suspected was toilet paper falling from her pants as she walked on stage Wednesday night at the Democratic National Convention — but a source tells The Post the rampant speculation is incorrect and that it was actually notes.
Pelosi (D-Calif.), 84, left behind what seemed to be a square white paper product as she walked to the podium to address thousands of Democrats — sparking the sickening theory.
Malaysian political commentator Ian Miles Cheong, who shared the viral footage, declared it to be “toilet paper” and many social media users latched onto the explanation to mock the senior Democrat.
X users clamored to roast Pelosi in replies.
“Stage hands are quarreling: ‘Who’s going to pick it up? Not me! You! No, you! Not gonna happen!’” wrote one user.
30
Kamala’s price-gouging backtrack is blatant gaslighting
By Post Editorial Board
Kamala Harris is backpedaling again, this time on her plan to ban “price gouging.”
Sources “familiar” with Harris’ “thinking on the ban” anonymously told The New York Times this week that the policy would be “narrowly tailored to the food and grocery industries” and “would likely be reserved for emergency situations, like the immediate aftermath of a natural disaster or the thick of a pandemic.”
It can’t be a coincidence that the “clarification” came just days after even the lefty Washington Post slammed Harris’ plan, flaming her for offering “populist gimmicks” as supposed economic fixes.
And after food-industry brass pointed out that the price hikes that are bulldozing Americans’ budgets resulted from inflation in their costs, not greedy fattening of their profit margins.
Fact is, Harris only issue her (purposefully vague) plan was so she could pretend “corporate greed” was the root cause of inflation.
Anything to deflect responsibility from what actually sent costs for basic goods soaring: the Biden-Harris administration’s never-ending spending sprees, economy-choking policies and vote-buying freebies.
Could be describing Australia under The Australian Labor Party PM Albanese-Blackout Bowen-Jim Chalmers-Tanya Plibersek- Tony Burke etc in the sentance above!
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Quinn: They’ve Selected Kamala & This Is Their Plan
The plan to place this low IQ diversity puppet into the White House is multi-faceted…
“As democracy is perfected, the office of president represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart’s desire at last and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron.” ― H.L. Mencken
The Powers That Be/Deep State have gone to Plan B, since Plan A was a dementia ridden, pants sh@tting, child sniffing, corrupt, global embarrassment.
Everybody knows Kamala Harris is an extremely unlikable, vacuous, commie, diversity shill, Obama puppet. She couldn’t get above 2% support in the 2020 Democrat primaries and had the lowest popularity rating of any VP in history, because she is an honest to goodness moron.
She was selected because she can read a teleprompter better than the shuffling cadaver in the White House.
Every time she is stumped by a question, she cackles like a hyena, so she cackles a lot.
She hasn’t had an original thought or idea in her entire worthless, sleeping up the ladder, life.
But, suddenly she is the toast of the town and the regime media has gone into full propaganda mode to elevate her as the joyful diversity queen who will lead us to the promised land.
It is beyond laughable, but have you observed the ignorant masses and their immense gullibility and lack of critical thinking skills? The Deep State engineers have, and they know they can place her in the oval office.
The propaganda media machine is in full “elect Kamala” mode, as can be seen in the graphic below.
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The FT View
Kamala Harris’s underwhelming economic agenda
The US economy needs a comprehensive vision, not misguided populist policies – The editorial board
Ahead of this week’s Democratic National Convention, Harris unveiled snippets of her long-anticipated economic agenda in a speech in North Carolina on Friday. It proved disappointing, and tinged with excessive populism.
Harris outlined a series of measures designed to appease America’s cash-strapped middle classes, while blaming their woes on big business. The messaging may win over some households in swing states. The high cost of living is a core voter issue. The problem is that many of her proposals make for bad economics and risk alienating other parts of the electorate in the process.
Plans for a federal ban on “price gouging” on groceries — which have regrettably become her headline measure — are particularly misguided. Food prices have risen around 25 per cent since March 2020, faster than many workers’ wages. But Harris should note that state meddling in market pricing often makes matters worse. Economists also reckon high inflation in the post-pandemic period was driven more by supply-chain snags and labour shortages than by greed. Broader plans to root out any monopolistic practices by retailers are welcome, but price growth is still best tackled through monetary policy and measures to boost productivity.
The proposal — alongside the vice-president’s plans to raise the corporate tax rate from 21 per cent to 28 per cent to pay for her broader package — also risks turning away some voters. Business leaders, who may be flirting with Trump given his plans to cut corporate taxes, may be less inclined to vote for her. Indeed, the Republicans have already tapped into fears of a more interventionist Harris administration by dubbing her a “socialist”.
00
Toilet paper fell out of Nancy Pelosi’s pant leg when she walked onto stage. pic.twitter.com/yOqCsJjHqn
— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) August 22, 2024
00
DEMOCRATIC PARTY
Democrats Unburdened by What They Have Done to Chicago
This is what you get when politics is untethered from governance.
Democrats begin their four-day national convention Monday in the city that perhaps best exemplifies the chasm between their party’s dreamy policy rhetoric and grim real-world results.
As a direct result of one-party misrule (there are zero Republicans on the 50-seat City Council), Chicago’s tax base is decreasing, not increasing. The population has declined for nine consecutive years, is shrinking by an annual rate of 1 percent, and is at its lowest point in more than a century.
Illinois, where Democrats control the governorship and a two-thirds majority of the legislature, lost “an estimated $3.6 billion in income tax revenue in 2022 alone, a year the net loss of 87,000 residents subtracted $9.8 billion in adjusted gross income,” syndicated columnist and Illinois native George Will observed last week. “In the past six years, $47.5 billion [adjusted gross income] has left….Illinois leads the nation in net losses of households making 200,000 or more.”
None of these or other grisly Windy City stats—including the murders and the pension liabilities—are obscure.
As Illinois Policy Institute Vice President Austin Berg put it Saturday night at a live taping of the Fifth Column podcast, “I believe Chicago is the greatest American city, and the worst-governed American city.”
The bigger mystery has been why the Democratic Party would choose such a metaphorically dicey backdrop.
But an answer begins to suggest itself amid the banal dystopia of the DNC’s endless security checkpoints, concrete barriers, and battalions of police officers separating America’s political class from its serfs.
Democrats chose Chicago for a similar reason that Harris chose a running mate with a particularly awful record during the pandemic- and riot-scarred year of 2020:
Because they, like their candidate, know that, contra Harris’ assertion Sunday in Pennsylvania, the people who talk about policy—whether politician, journalist, or political consumer—almost never “critically evaluate how you measure the return on investment.”
00
Chicago Suffers 22 Shootings Since Start of Democratic National Convention
There have been 22 shootings, resulting in at least six fatalities, in Chicago, Illinois, since Monday, the day on which the Democratic National Convention (DNC) opened its doors in the Windy City.
According to FOX News, Chicago Police Department (CPD) data show that there were eight shootings on Monday, five on Tuesday, and nine on Wednesday. There were a total of six fatalities as a result of these shootings.
Robberies, in addition to the shootings and subsequent fatalities, have forced the CPD to release a “community alert,” according to ABC 7. Police say one of the robbery victims was a Democrat delegate who was in town for the DNC.
This violence comes on the heels of a weekend, August 16-18, in which at least 23 people were shot, four of them fatally.
Ironically, Chicago, like all of Illinois, has many of the very gun controls Democrats are pushing federally as a way to keep Americans safe. Those gun controls include a red flag law, a 72-hour waiting period, an “assault weapons” ban, and a “high-capacity” magazine ban.
Moreover, Cook County, where Chicago sits, has its own “assault weapons” and “high-capacity” magazine ban, meaning some guns and gun accessories are banned twice.
Despite these gun controls, data from the Chicag0 Sun-Times show that 363 people have been killed in Chicago in 2024.
00
The Crying Game convention: Childless Cat Lady vibes vs. A Man’s Man’s World
CHICAGO — Welcome to the matriarchy.
In the epic battle between Mars and Venus, insanity has won. And the Cat Ladies have taken over the Democrat Party.
The free vasectomy campaign here at the Democrat convention is bad enough. But then again, if a “man” climbs into the back of a taco truck to be sterilized for life, it is probably a win-win situation for America and humanity.
Beyond humiliating for the male species, however, is all the forced crying at this convention. Only by men, of course.
When President Biden came out for his humiliating midnight address to the convention on the first night, he walked onto the stage with a tissue in his hand, already crying. He hugged his daughter — who had introduced him — and dabbed his eyes. The crowd of Cat Ladies — and their Cat Lady Allies — roared their approval at Mr. Biden’s exposed vulnerability.
Throughout the convention, the camera in the hall frequently pans over to vice presidential nominee Tim Walz, who has a large expressive face. It is hard to tell whether actual tears are forever streaming out of his eyes, but his big pale face sets like a crybaby so that he always looks like he is blubbering.
And when he gets extra emotional, his crybaby face becomes more deeply pronounced with his mouth dropping deeply at the edges like a sad clown. Adding to the raw emotional vulnerability of Mr. Walz is his tendency when deeply moved to flog his chest with his big right paw like a sad seal barking for another anchovy.
This crying game, mind you, is reserved only for the men. Among the women, no crying is allowed.
Former first lady Michelle Obama mounted the stage like an ancient Amazon — fierce, powerful and stoic. Even talking about the death of her mother, Mrs. Obama shed not a tear.
When her husband spoke next, he also mentioned his mother-in-law and why he loved her so much.
“She always defended me with Michelle when I messed up,” the former president said. “I would hide behind her.”
You could hear the entire convention hall ovulate with glee as Mr. Obama re-enacted the scene by hiding behind the podium.
Indeed, this is a far different planet from where former President Donald Trump entered the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee last month — with a bandaged, bloody ear — to the tune of “It’s a Man’s Man’s World,” sung by James Brown and Luciano Pavarotti.
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*** DNC Livewire Night 4 *** It’s Kamala’s Turn: Harris to Speak to Dysfunctional Convention
UPDATE 11:17 p.m. ET:
It appears as though that’s it, and the DNC is officially over as the balloon drop happens now.
What a massive letdown–a terrible speech from Harris and no surprise appearance from Taylor Swift or Beyonce.
This was the worst night of the convention by far after three other bad nights for Democrats. They are in trouble as a party.
UPDATE 11:14 p.m. ET:
Harris is done finally. One cannot help but think if she is this bad at delivering a speech on the teleprompter, how bad will she be when she is off the teleprompter?
This was a train wreck for Democrats. They just hitched their wagon to a crashing train.
UPDATE 11:09 p.m. ET:
Harris keeps waving her hands around wildly while she is speaking in a very odd way.
UPDATE 11:04 p.m. ET:
Now she’s off on some tangent about Ukraine and Russia, and she offers no pathway to peace or an end to the war.
UPDATE 10:59 p.m. ET:
Harris continues to scream about Trump in an incoherent way, rambling on and on about him.
The faces of members of the crowd show nervous DNC attendees as Harris continues this extremely tepid and weak speech.
UPDATE 10:55 p.m. ET:
One can’t help but think this is what happens when party insiders install someone who got zero votes as their presidential candidate–voters would have helped sort out these serious and debilitating political weaknesses on display from Harris tonight.
UPDATE 10:54 p.m. ET:
Now Harris is yelling from the podium on a section of the speech screaming “we are not going back,” in which she comes off as angry and upset about Trump. That was very ineffective and will likely turn off a lot of middle-of-the-road voters.
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The pragmatic reality of the November election
When retail politics takes center stage in mass public attention, as the political party conventions do, nearly everything but the facts tends to be laid out clearly for voters.
These conventions are surely American in how they are corporate marketing events, and they are meant to entertain and generate feelings rather than thinking.
Much marketing and many theories of mass psychology are brought to bear. In that way, they underscore how professional politicians view their constituents: with general low regard, as mere “consumers.”
The DNC established more than election irregularity in 2020. It created an “off balance sheet” voting system by three primary means:
First, by lifting the discipline and oversight function of the voting event itself by subjecting it to an open-ended periodicity — that is, rather than an organized and controlled method, it is now an unorganized and uncontrolled “season” that can stretch for many days, weeks, or longer, and thereby escape statistical quality control, numerical verification, and qualification standards.
Second, the definition of eligibility has been so expanded to unqualified, unidentified, unknown, or uncertain persons as to citizenship, residency, or registration that voting no longer captures voters, but merely bodies, or even virtual ones.
Third, over the last four years, up to 25 million (perhaps more) unknown illegal invaders have established a presence on U.S. soil and have been strategically transported by private charter aircraft, bus, and rail to key state locations and converted into voting bodies. As the previous election showed, all it takes to assert a victory in vote-counting is at most a few hundred thousand extra ballots. Twenty to thirty million illegal but voting aliens, spread out over just a dozen swing states, means that each such state, like Arizona, or Wisconsin, or previously stable “red” states like Texas and Florida, may have up to two million new “strategic voters,” established with identity documents, to be “counted” by any means of voting assertions, including of course absentee, mail-in, delayed counting, drop-off, and more.
Moreover, the Fourth Estate, or the media (in reality the “Fifth Column”) provides the digital voting results in major media outlets, and this too is subject to enormous irregular opportunism.
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From the article:
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Cowardly Hamas terror chief stalls cease-fire deal with ‘don’t kill me’ demand
By Post Editorial Board
Yahya Sinwar, the new head of Hamas, tossed yet another wrench into Gaza cease-fire talks with an rumored demand for a “don’t kill me” clause in any deal with Israel.
The mastermind of the Oct. 7 atrocities reportedly wants Jerusalem to guarantee his safety — permanently.
Never mind his years of tough talk that it would be an honor to die fighting Israel, nor his opposition to any cease-fire before his recent rise to head the terror group.
Then again, he won the top job after the assassination of former Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran last month: Seems that has Sinwar second-guessing the importance of his honor.
Is Israel’s relentless elimination of Hamas leaders getting too close?
It’s up to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu whether to appease Sinwar with this promise; if it can get the remaining 109 hostages back, perhaps it’s worth a pledge (with fingers crossed behind Bibi’s back).
Hamas began this war by violating the cease-fire in effect on Oct. 6; it remains dedicated to Israel’s utter destruction and plainly means to use any new cease-fire to rearm so it can r@pe, kidnap and murder again.
And it’s absurd to think any promise of “hands off on Yahya” would last an instant longer than what must be a temporary cease-fire, as Israel cannot let Hamas survive this war.
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If such a guarantee also stated that it only applied while in Sth America, that any return to the ME would be considered a breach of parole, it would be a reasonable concession.
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Well, it had to happen.
But is this the expected special US Election Variant of monkeypox? (I refuse to use the PC name, mpox.)
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Demographics
Ranked: Old-Age Dependency of the Top 10 Economies
In charts by creator Preyash Shad, we look at old-age dependency ratios of the top 10 economies based on data from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
Japan in Trouble
Japan has had a rapidly rising old-age dependency ratio for several decades and has the highest ratio currently at 54.5.
Country 2023 2050F
🇯🇵 Japan 54.5 80.7
🇮🇹 Italy 40.9 74.4
🇩🇪 Germany 41.4 58.1
🇫🇷 France 38.4 54.5
🇨🇳 China 20.0 47.5
🇬🇧 United Kingdom 34.2 47.1
🇨🇦 Canada 33.4 44.9
🇺🇸 United States 31.3 40.4
🇧🇷 Brazil 17.1 39.5
🇮🇳 India 11.6 22.5
Source: OECD
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American DEI or DIE at Work?
Blue Origin Rockets Crumple And Explode in Two Incidents
Two Upper stages of Rockets at the Blue Origin New Glenn Factory were damaged in the last few weeks. These incidents are only now being reported.
The upper portion of one rocket crumpled into itself, in part due to worker error, while it was being moved to a storage hangar.
It was moved from hot and humid conditions outdoors an into an air-conditioned storage hangar. It then collapsed like a crushed coke can.
In a separate incident, another upper rocket portion failed during stress testing and exploded.
New Glenn is designed to compete with SpaceX Falcon Heavy and is four years late.
Blue Origin is trying to launch NASA Escapade mission to Mars. It needs to launch in October, 2024 when the Mars launch window is open. Mars and Earth get aligned every two years.
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When such things happen I always first check their DEI policies/staff.
https://spacecrew.com/space-jobs/lprztheh-blue-origin-director-of-diversity-equity-and-inclusion-r38098
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Solar forcing gets the blame for global warming.
https://notrickszone.com/2024/08/23/scientists-100-of-2000-2023-warming-explained-by-solar-forcing-human-climate-forcing-does-not-exist-in-reality/
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I believe that changes in solar activity affect the climate mainly through changes in ozone production in the upper stratosphere. The ozone zone is very sensitive to changes in shortwave radiation. If these changes persist for many years, drastic climate changes occur. For example, an increase in UVB radiation in the troposphere heats up water vapor and thus impedes cloud formation.
The distribution of ozone in high latitudes in winter affects the pattern and strength of the stratospheric polar vortex, which can lead to an influx of Arctic air in middle latitudes.
In summer, stronger UVB radiation will warm land surfaces more strongly.
http://wso.stanford.edu/gifs/Polar.gif
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“Figure 2 depicts monthly TSI anomalies computed from CERES monthly measurements of shortwave insolation. Note that TSI exhibits a nearly zero trend over the past 24 years, and its fluctuations (±0.48 W m−2) represent only a fraction of the observed changes in the absorbed shortwave flux depicted in Figure 1b. According to CERES observations, the Earth’s all-sky albedo has declined by approximately 0.79% since 2000 causing an increase of planetary shortwave radiation absorption of ≈2.7 W m−2. For comparison, the IPCC AR6 estimated a total anthropogenic forcing of 2.72 W m−2 driving climate change from 1750 to 2019.”
Note that with the decrease in ozone production in the upper stratosphere comes an increase in temperature in the lower layers of the atmosphere, and in the troposphere, clouds and water vapor absorb almost all UVB radiation. When the amount of ozone decreases, the Earth’s albedo must decrease.
https://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/stratosphere/strat-trop/gif_files/time_pres_TEMP_ANOM_ALL_EQ_2022.png
https://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/stratosphere/strat-trop/gif_files/time_pres_TEMP_ANOM_ALL_EQ_2023.png
https://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/stratosphere/strat-trop/gif_files/time_pres_TEMP_ANOM_ALL_EQ_2024.png
https://www.mdpi.com/2673-7418/4/3/17
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The daily geopotential height anomalies at 14 pressure levels are shown for the previous 120 days as indicated, and they are normalized by standard deviation using 1979-2000 base period. The anomalies are calculated by subtracting 1979-2000 daily climatology, and then averaged over the polar cap poleward of 65S.
The blue (red) colors represent a strong (weak) polar vortex. The black solid lines show the zero anomalies.
https://i.ibb.co/ckPnKLG/hgt-aao-cdas.png
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Do you think the AAO will return to a positive trend?
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No, it will fall again.
https://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/stratosphere/strat-trop/gif_files/time_pres_WAVE1_MEAN_JAS_SH_2024.pnghttps://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/stratosphere/strat-trop/gif_files/time_pres_HGT_ANOM_JAS_SH_2024.pnghttps://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/stratosphere/strat_a_f/gif_files/gfs_toz_sh_f00.png
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Sorry.
https://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/stratosphere/strat-trop/gif_files/time_pres_WAVE1_MEAN_JAS_SH_2024.png
https://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/stratosphere/strat-trop/gif_files/time_pres_HGT_ANOM_JAS_SH_2024.png
https://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/stratosphere/strat_a_f/gif_files/gfs_toz_sh_f00.png
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The Sudden Stratospheric Warming triggered SAM to enter a negative phase, a small fluctuation, there is nothing to stop it becoming positive again. Except perhaps the excess water vapour in the stratosphere.
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More Leftist post-modernist BS.
The implications of this case are huge and likely worldwide. It means there will be ZERO protected female spaces.
A lot of people throughout the world were hoping for a rational outcome to this case, but sadly the court has decided what a “woman” is, not biology. It’s a huge blow for women.
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You’ve Been Lied To About Cow Farts & Climate Change – New Research (video)
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