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Friday
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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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Statistics
The nerds have the numbers on precious metals investments on the ASX
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Why hurricane season is suddenly quiet — and what’s in store
https://archive.is/mV9fN
40
“When are we going to have these quiescent periods, and when are we going to have these active periods?” It’s hard to say, Kirtman said.
I will now spend the rest of my day wandering around and muttering to myself.
130
Mann oh Mann!
“despite predictions” … warm air now prevents storms from brewing … “it’s a bit mysterious”.
Ex-spurts need more of your money…
90
This is fun:
https://notalotofpeopleknowthat.wordpress.com/2024/08/29/new-zealands-net-zero-green-energy-disaster-is-a-terrible-warning/
111
New Zealand, like Australia, is a country in full self-destruct mode and run by idiots.
Incidentally, New Zealand is mentioned in the preamble of the Australian Constitution as it had the opportunity of becoming an Australian state when both Australia and NZ were colonies. However, NZ decided to go its own way. It was however part of the colony of NSW until 1841.
100
At the end of June 2022, 586,020 New Zealand-born people were living in Australia, 2.9 per cent more than the number (569,630) at 30 June 2012. This is the fourth largest migrant community in Australia, equivalent to 7.6 per cent of Australia’s overseas-born population and 2.3 per cent of Australia’s total population.26 June 2024
Country profile – New Zealand – Department of Home Affairs
homeaffairs.gov.au
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With a little help from its NSW friends? Treaty of Waitangi signed one year earlier in 1840
10
And a little help from Sir Robert Nesta Marley whose birthday is on the same day, 6th of February.
You got to lively up yourself –
Bob Marley & The Wailers 🇬🇳
Otherwise, they’re screwing us.
20
The real racism we are experiencing in our time is the assumption the natives of Australia and New Zealand were ignorant naked savages when the sailing ships arrived
The Australian tribes clearly favoured, a roof over their heads, steel fishing spears, hooks, salted beef, ships, biscuits etc to the legs of relatives and being a stone age hunter gatherer.
The old people weren’t stupid and it has only been the welfare lure that has returned some of them to a life of tribal violence.
92
David,
I don’t know, I think our Resident Idiot Prime Minister Albanese could give NZ a run
Albosleezy summed up perfectly by Johannes Leak Cartoon in today’s The Australian
However if the following from yesterday’s thread is true – Australia is gone
KP
August 29, 2024 at 10:15 pm · Reply
Sydney Morning Herald poll results- “Do you think Anthony Albanese has been doing a good job as prime minister?”
Yes 63%
No 24%
Unsure 13%
..and that’s why Aussie is in the mess it is in!
Skepticynic
August 30, 2024 at 12:38 am · Reply
Surely that poll must be complete fiction!
After the Voice referendum my confidence in public commonsense warmed a little.
But if that SMH poll is accurate, if Australia’s population could really be that dumb, it would be beyond depressing it would be scary. Are we as a nation seriously that brainwashed?
100
But The Good News Is! – ZERO Greens seats after NT election finalised!
100
That’s the kind of “net zero” we need.
40
Thank dawg for that or we’d all be saying “fush and chups”. 😆
10
The New Zealand accent is a variation of Scottish English 🙂
00
The 2016 Tasmanian energy crisis was an ongoing energy storage situation in the state of Tasmania, Australia in 2016. Two years of high volumes of energy exported to Victoria via the Basslink HVDC cable, followed by low rainfall, and a fault which rendered the cable inoperable, resulted in record low storage levels in Tasmania’s hydro-electric system. This resulted in a number of contingency plans to be enacted by Hydro Tasmania and the Hodgman Government.
Tasmania’s reliance on hydro-electricity was further increased by the decommissioning of the Bell Bay Power Station in 2009.
Deploying up to 200 MW of portable diesel generators was required to keep the power on!
Snowy 2.0, if ever completed, will also be vunerable to drought so expect portable diesel generators to be required here as well!
180
Australia, a woke country fanatically committed to wind, solar and Big Batteries but which will end up running on diesel generators (if the fuel is available) just like Third World countries. Probably with power randomly available or according to a schedule.
130
Come to think of it, what will happen to Australia’s heavy transport industries and the price and availability of diesel fuel as we rely more and more on diesel generation for baseload electricity?
111
Pauline Hanson – Please Explain The Man From Snowy Hydro
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Much of the damage currently being done to Australia by politicians and the Left more generally is not reversible or at least not reversible any time soon. A country that once had such a bright future is being systematically destroyed and most people (present company excepted) have no clue what’s going on. In addition there is no Donald Trump style leader with any chance of being elected that might begin to fix things up. It’s tragic.
There is a little hope. Two things cone to mind. 1) Farcebook, one of the most powerful weapons of the Left, admission of censoring the truth and issuing a fake apology, which might wake up a small number of people and make them realise they have been lied to by their heroes of the Left and 2) the possibility of Donald Trump winning due to the huge popular movement against the Left and wokeism and the possibility of that movement spreading throughout the West, including to Australia.
170
Albo has already conceded that forming a minority government at the next election is the best outcome Labor can expect, with the Greens taking more inner city seats and the new “Muslim Party of Australia” (most likely led by former Labor Senator Fatima Payman) taking outer city seats {Hoplefully one of these will be Bowen’s seat of McMahon}.
Australians can then experience real damage.
200
Resource Minister’s Critique of BHP’s Labor Relations
According to recent reports, Australian Resources Minister Madeleine King has engaged in a heated exchange with BHP, accusing the mining giant of consistently opposing Labor policies and refusing to cooperate with unions. This extraordinary spray marks a significant escalation in the minister’s rhetoric, highlighting the ongoing tensions between the government and the mining industry.
Key Issues
1. Labor Policies: Minister King has criticized BHP for consistently opposing Labor’s policies, particularly those aimed at improving workers’ conditions and rights.
2. Union Interference: BHP’s chief economist, Aaron Morey, claimed that union interference in the offshore oil and gas industry could stifle new investment and increase worker salaries to quarter-million-dollar levels, which Minister King dismissed as “hysteria.”
3. Industrial Relations Laws: The minister has defended the federal government’s industrial relations laws, which allow unions to negotiate with miners even with limited worker support, against claims that they could lead to an “economic catastrophe” in WA’s mining heartland.
Minister King’s Stance
In her defense of the policies, Minister King accused BHP of using the Murdoch press to rail against Labor’s initiatives and emphasized that demand for labor is having a greater impact on company HR departments than the new laws. She also took aim at BHP’s chief economist, Aaron Morey, during a debate on union interference in the offshore oil and gas industry.
Implications
The conflict between Minister King and BHP highlights the ongoing power struggle between the government and the mining industry. As the debate continues, it remains to be seen how this extraordinary spray will impact the relationship between the two parties and the broader mining sector in Australia.
Follow up
. What specific Labor policies has BHP consistently opposed, and how have these disputes impacted Australian workers?
. How do other major mining companies in Australia, such as Rio Tinto and Fortescue Metals, compare to BHP in their stance on Labor policies and union cooperation?
. Have there been any notable instances of successful cooperation between unions and mining companies in Australia, and what factors contributed to these positive outcomes?
🌐
crikey.com.au
Resources Minister Madeleine King says gas industry here to stay
🌐
minister.industry.gov.au
Media Releases | Ministers for the Department of Industry, Science and Resources
🌐
smh.com.au
WA Mining: New policy aims to give FIFO miners better conditions says Minister Madeleine King
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The Australian – Labor lands King hit on the Big Australian
Resources Minister Madeleine King has gone to war with BHP in an extraordinary spray, attacking the mining giant for always ‘railing against’ Labor policies and refusing to work productively with unions.
30
The tax perk supercharging EV sales
A discount intended to help sell electric cars has proved far more popular than the government expected.
Electric vehicle sales in Australia are being propped up by a tax discount Treasury officials have forecast will cost four times more than previously expected.
The Albanese Government’s discount waiving fringe benefit tax (FBT) requirements for electric cars leased through salary sacrificing has been credited with turbocharging EV demand, but a document produced independently by Treasury suggests this will mean significantly less revenue for the budget.
While electric cars are more expensive to buy than petrol equivalents, the FBT exemption has made them cheaper to lease.
Treasury’s 2022-23 Tax Expenditures and Insights Statement released in January last year forecast the tax exemption would equate to about $260 million in sacrificed revenue over four years.
But figures released in January 2024 upgraded the total forecast over the same period to about $1.15 billion based on strong early uptake.
It is understood Treasury significantly changed its methodology between modelling the two forecasts, which are produced separately from the government’s own estimates used for the federal budget.
The EV tax incentive forecasts are from a document designed to improve transparency about individual tax policies by showing their impact on revenue in isolation, assuming no other policies exist.
It is not a Budget costing.
But Coalition treasury spokesman Angus Taylor said Labor’s policy had been “poorly designed” from the start.
“It’s typical of the Treasurer’s ability that a bad policy he dressed up as tax reform has blown out in cost while delivering a benefit to only some Australians,” he said.
“Once again it is hardworking Australians who will foot the bill for Labor’s economic mismanagement.”
With the FBT exemption the weekly cost of leasing a $67,000 electric car is about the same as for a $40,000 petrol car.
The success of the EV tax discount could flood the second-hand market with electric cars when the first tranche of three-year leases promoted by the program ends in July 2025.
40
EV, go home – why I pulled the plug on my Tesla
Gone are the days of being gaslit by an iPad on wheels that didn’t like the cold and took absolute liberty with the concept of fast charging. I’m finally free.
Gemma Tognini
It’s not me, it’s you. Standing there, I whispered those words quietly under my breath as I shut the door and turned away, leaving the past behind me.
Eighteen months together, the last six the most difficult if I was honest. What to do, though? When it’s not working, it’s not working and sometimes you’ve just got to call it. Just must accept when the music is over and move on.
So I did. I got rid of my Tesla. Gone are the days of charging anxiety. Being gaslit by an iPad on wheels that didn’t like the cold (it would lose charge when the temperature dropped) and took absolute liberty with the concept of fast charging.
Like I said, it wasn’t me, it was him. It. The car. The EV. The purveyor of emerald-coloured dreams that turned into a logistical nightmare and ultimately led me to re-embrace the world of sweet fossil fuel and its glorious reliability.
Freedom, such sweet freedom.
For those of you joining this conversation for the first time, a quick recap. I have been, since early 2023, Australia’s least enthusiastic EV owner.
I went down that road as a wide-eyed sweet child of summer.
Literally. I picked up the car in February last year and initially was enamoured. It’s fast. Goes like a shower of the proverbial. Too clever by half. Seriously impressive.
And when the enthusiastic salesman said that, like me, he didn’t have the capacity to charge his car at home but reassured me it was no big deal, I ran head first into the mist.
He also said he’d driven his EV all the way from Sydney to Perth, blithely saying it just needed a little “planning ahead”. Who was I to argue? It was like he was straight from central casting, sent to lure me with honey-coated words about convenience and reliability and tax breaks.
I didn’t just drink the Kool-Aid. I bathed in it. Gargled it. Mainlined it into my veins.
But it wasn’t long before I got mugged by reality; my traumatic search for a working charging station in the NSW Southern Highlands last May still haunts me.
That was a brutal awakening.
The relief I felt on that Saturday morning a few weeks back, charging my car in a shopping centre carpark for the last time? Palpable.
When I ended my relationship with my Tesla, I did one final check of my car stats to find out how much I had saved in fuel costs across the past 12 months.
A grand total of 524 bucks, so $42 a month.
If we’re honest, the mad, singular push towards EVs is consistent with the all-or-nothing approach adopted by industry lobby groups, and carried, seemingly without being tested at all by energy-illiterate ministers who prefer ideology above all else.
Again, if an EV works for you? Fantastic. You’ll find me at the servo, pumping gas and singing a merry tune along the way.
80
‘Question that we need to be asking’: Grim warning raised over looming Chinese electric vehicle dump
Waves of electric vehicles from China could soon hit Australian shores in massive numbers, but grim questions have been raised over possible security concerns.
From the Comments
– The Albanese Government’s discount waiving fringe benefit tax (FBT) requirements for electric cars leased through salary sacrificing has been credited with turbocharging EV demand, but a document produced independently by Treasury suggests this will mean significantly less revenue for the budget.
The revised estimated loss in tax revenue is $1.15 billion over four years.!!!!!
Albo has done it again. He’s subsidized a Chinese built product at our expense under the belief it will save the planet.
Yet there is zero scrutiny over the emissions generated to produce these vehicles and no scrutiny over if the buyer even does enough kilometres per year to negate these emissions in the life of the vehicle.
20
BUSTED: The Biden-Harris admin has been caught using a secret rule to “Trump-proof” the Department of Justice.
Their moves suggest that a Trump comeback is imminent, and they’re laying the groundwork to undermine his power.
How are they doing this?
The answer: they’re using a loophole called the “Schedule A” hiring rule, allowing them to pack key DOJ offices with people who can’t be easily fired—even if Trump wins in 2024.
Hundreds of employees have already been brought in under this rule, bypassing the usual qualifications and ensuring they stick around, no matter who takes the next oath of office. If Trump returns, he’ll be walking into a DOJ filled with Biden appointees.
https://x.com/VigilantFox/status/1829249315920859426
The illegals are now organised gangs, Mafia-like, and starting to take over.
All planned and allowed…
70
Dr John Campbell’s latest comments on admissions of censorship at Farcebook.
https://youtu.be/5KTdKNMRPPs
It should be huge news in the Lamestream media but isn’t. Because, if they acknowledged it they would have to admit their own similar lies and behaviours.
150
Just got pegged in farcebook for spreading misinformation, I checked the blurb that was the reasoning why and spat my coffee out .
https://science.feedback.org/review/bjorn-lomborg-claims-polar-bears-coral-cold-deaths-ignore-scientists-predictions-climate-change-futures/?fbclid=IwY2xjawE-MQNleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHQrxefieS36inZmkVHnM6HwzsrH0QibqXuwKXVr1oVySU4tFchOEH0bCfw_aem_SGNVvMIcyMXCWcV8IwkzpA
30
Elon Musk tweeted this short video of Orwell speaking about Nineteen Eighty Four.
Most of what he talks about is happening or has happened.
One of the issues Orwell talks about is abolition of the sex instinct. Well, the Left are working on that as well, by the sterilisation, neutering and mutilation of children and others via the heavy promotion of transgenderism.
https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1829025737564709035
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Too many modern “women” aren’t worth touching.
Trashy appearance, tetchy and irritable, covered in meaningless permanent tattoos, chonky.
No appeal at all!
Bring back wholesome quality.
One for all the old codgers here:
https://imgbox.com/bHFHKWGn
60
Kamala Harris’s trendy stepdaughter Ella Emhoff has ‘at least 18’ tattoos that she often flaunts on Instagram, including quirky patchwork designs of apples, crab claws and a cartoon cow
Ella Emhoff, stepdaughter of the US politician Kamala Harris, has lots of tattoos
or
https://www.thelist.com/1648583/closer-look-ella-emhoff-kamala-harris-step-daughter-tattoos/
20
What a miserable looking creature. Lefties are usually miserable, the only time they are happy is when they are making conservatives miserable.
30
Too true. I see a Tattoo on a woman and I think “Broken”
Barbara Eden had a delightful personality as well.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2IqK2aR48BQ
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Harley-Davidson, Tractor Supply, and John Deere have recently ditched DEI
Ford on Wednesday said it will alter its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts, and end participation in a controversial ranking system for LGBTQ-friendly firms.
When will Boeing join this list and start making safe planes again as it once did?
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/yourmoney/article-13792939/Automaker-joins-growing-list-corporate-titans-ditch-LGBTQ-group-DEI-efforts-face-conservative-anger.html
170
Koala Airlines will use Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft.
I have already emailed Koala and said I will be staying with Jetstar and their Airbus A320s!
https://www.thenewdaily.com.au/news/2024/08/28/koala-airlines
100
I thought REX was an excellent airline and I flew with them all the time at excellent prices.
Apparently, one of the problems with them was that they didn’t advertise and relied on word of mouth recommendations. Everyone I suggested them to ended up flying with them and was happy.
Another problem was that government regulation ensured that Qantas got the best time slots and gate locations at airports.
As well, Australia is not a good place for business anymore due to high taxes, high land prices/rent, feral unions, high electricity prices, high fuel prices, excessive government regulations, etc.. Only the strongest businesses with the most protection survive.
130
Another good think about REX that people applauded was at the start of the flight you didn’t get any apologia for being on someone else’s “stolen land” (or presumably in their airspace) or similar. And initially there were only two gender options to select when you made a booking although sadly they later added “other”.
110
When I was studying business management, we were told a clever anecdote about marketing. The story goes that the head of Wrigley chewing gum, a huge corporation and pretty much the dominant player in that market years ago, was asked by a journo on a flight to a convention, “Why is it that, while leading the market in a huge way, Wrigley still spends millions on marketing?”
Mr Wrigley relied, “We do that for the same reason the captain of this airplane still has the engines running even though we’re cruising at 50,000ft.”
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mmmm marketers always think they are the engine room of the company
10
That hasn’t been my experience. Sure, just like many other ‘management’ roles, some have an overinflated ego, but believe me, a good marketing manager can seriously make a difference. Many people confuse marketing with sales, but real marketing is much, much more than that and should form one of the pillars of a good business plan.
20
Get woke. Go broke.
62
I think a lot of companies are ditching DEI because it results in poorer performance, less profit and most importantly, the possibility of dangerous products or products that don’t work resulting in astronauts being stranded in space or airline plug doors that pop out, for example.
DEI (Didn’t Earn It) is also fundamentally unfair as it discriminates against people who work harder or more meritoriously and is also based on racial and sexual discrimination.
Also, many US companies might be anticipating a Trump win, and Mr Trump believes there are only two genders… Thankfully it will be the beginning of the end of DEI if Trump wins.
170
(Australia)
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I nominate Chris Bowen for the Golden Logie. Any seconders?
https://www.facebook.com/kyleandjackieoshow/videos/fake-news-logies-edition/2036289939739237/
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Today’s Johannes Leak cartoon in The Australian awards him.
50
Oops! forgot to add the link.
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/commentary/cartoons/johannes-leak-cartoons/image-gallery/de8f7d34d6dcf6dbb2f01239663cedd7
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Paywalled.
20
Better View – https://www.theaustralian.com.au/commentary
50
Very good – and so true.
Our BoM and CSIRO globalist elite wannabes have a lot to answer for.
70
Only yesterday my sisters were complaining about Dutton’s plan for nuclear plants everywhere and the dangers of nuclear waste everywhere. Of course they both watch the ABC (& SBS) although curiosly not voting for Labor or The Greens.
I’ve given up on trying to answer their fears** as it never changes their fears.
e.g. that France & Finland store their nuclear waste in their own countries.
140
Nuclear energy has served France well and much is exported to the rest of Europe as well as exporting nuclear reactors.
In 2022, France exported $284M in Nuclear Reactors. The main destinations of France exports on Nuclear Reactors were Japan ($148M), China ($91.1M), United Kingdom ($8.21M), South Korea ($7.43M), and Czechia ($6.91M).
Why could Australia not be on this list? Is relying on Chinese made solar panels and wind turbines such a great idea?
https://wattsupwiththat.com/2024/08/29/study-quantifies-germanys-disastrous-switch-away-from-nuclear-power/
90
Renault can still build cars at competitive prices in France because they have not destroyed their power grid.
100
Dutton has no intention of going to an election pushing nuclear power, its too hard to convince the electorate in one electoral cycle.
So I’m thinking he will put in a good word for a gas pipeline from Karatha to Moomba as an interim measure.
14
Love it.
I might even watch one of their ads so I can help them see the error of their ways.
40
(Canada) Government says Muslims, Indigenous more impacted by wildfires due to racism, colonialism
https://tnc.news/2024/08/28/muslims-indigenous-wildfires-racism-colonialism/
60
Matt Walsh discusses America’s most (woke) celebrated poet, Amanda Gorman.
https://youtu.be/1IpMEVEDwEY
10
FWIW
Robert Onfray on being a forester
“The joy of being a tour guide”
https://www.robertonfray.com/2024/08/30/the-joy-of-being-a-tour-guide/
You will find more of his items in
https://www.robertonfray.com/category/forestry/ “All Posts”
A suitable image –
https://www.robertonfray.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Feature-image-800×1024.jpg
40
FWIW
“Remember Biden’s Disastrous Gaza Pier? Well…”
“A new Inspector General report shows President Joe Biden was warned that building a “humanitarian pier” in the Gaza Strip would fail as a result of rough seas and other logistical issues. Biden ignored the warnings and for the sake of virtue signaling, demanded the $230 million taxpayer funded pier be built anyway. ”
https://townhall.com/tipsheet/katiepavlich/2024/08/29/biden-knew-his-gaza-pier-would-be-a-dangerous-disaster-and-did-it-anyway-n2644095
They could have consulted Herod the Great’s harbour build at Caesarea just down the coast
https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/bas-onsite/caesarea_maritima/
90
After lookin at a map I guess that should be “just up the coast”
10
With covid back in the news a la Meta’s (translucent) mea culpa I yesterday reviewed the Daily Mail Australia landing page at 4 random times doing a control+f for the word “theory”.
Still intrigued how some theories are instantly classed conspiracy while others are not.
Searching on DM is easy as they use “theory” as part of their headline – how open and honest is that wow (sarc).
Mid-afternoon there were 4 “news” headline items that included the word – Scalded baby, Vietnam deaths, Super yacht sinking and the Wests mental health crisis.
By 6.30pm the 4 were (still) scalded baby, Vietnam deaths, the Wests mental health crisis and (newbie) ultra-processed food.
9.30pm down to 2 which were ultra-processed food and a tourist who vanished down a sink hole.
12.30am just the vanishing tourist one.
Interesting that “theories” on incidents which individually report on death (3) or physical harm (1) mental harm (1) and future well-being harm (1) are newsworthy “theory” items. Conversely items on the covid saga both past and present remain far less reported “conspiracy theory” stories even though all the death and harm elements would be included in the one article. It is even more amazing to think that such articles would no doubt also report on the subject of missing figures – how spooky is that?
60
China Is Rethinking Its Russian Pipeline Plans (article)
00
This warm relationship has been developing over many decades.
‘In recent years, thanks to the rapid development of natural gas cooperation, China has become Turkmenistan’s largest trading partner, while Turkmenistan has become China’s second-largest trading partner in Central Asia’ (Global Times).
21
NZ’s new PM setting about undoing Herr Helen’s disastrous laws that crippled the country. He’ll be busy, after her there is ol’ smiling horseface to sort out as well.
“The PM effectively told the conference that councils needed to tighten their belts and live within their means. Their focus, he said, should be on the core purpose of local government instead of wasting money on feel-good vanity projects:…“Ratepayers expect local government to do the basics and to do the basics brilliantly. Pick up the rubbish. Fix the pipes. Fill in potholes. And more generally, maintain local assets quickly, carefully, and cost effectively. What they don’t expect to pay for is the laundry-list of distractions and experiments that are plaguing council balance sheets across the country…There is no magic money tree in Wellington, thanks to the previous government’s economic mismanagement and vandalism.”
This is the result of Helen Clarke’s 2002 laws that widened the remit for local Councils and gave them ‘powers of general competence’, so they could do anything they liked instead of being limited to basic Council functions. They soon showed the level of competence they had!
“The reality is that before Labour changed the ‘purpose’ of local government in 2002, councils pretty much stuck to their knitting: rubbish, roads, sewerage, water, and regulation were their main focus. This enabled most councils to keep their costs under control and live within their means. But once Labour allowed local government to become all things to all people, they opened up a Pandoras Box of crazy schemes – like buying farms in Australia, building multi-million council palaces, running loss-making sporting events, or going overboard to deliver outcomes for tribal corporations.”
If he keeps this up NZ might become a place worth living in again!
https://www.nzcpr.com/the-radicalisation-of-local-government/
90
Councils in Queensland changed from meeting fees for Councillors to salaries at about the same time Shire Clerks became Chief Executive Officers.
The cost of one shire having the Shire Clerk copying off a few minutes as was his duty went from about $3000 a year to about $150,000 with the new Online system. The costs for this efficiency has only risen from there as the amount of material available without having to resort to the the dead end of a FOI request has been reduced. Good luck walking into a Council and asking to see the cheque book. Good luck walking into a Council and having access to anything. My experience is the shiny new chambers have a triage and if you are able to have your issue raised you will be shown to a phone in the foyer to talk to the appropriate department. Anything after that will incur a fee and an online application.
50
Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said on Thursday that the government would toughen knife controls and curb benefits for some illegal migrants in response to the suspected Islamist stabbing.
Three people were killed and eight others injured at a festival in the western Dutch city of Solingen on Friday, in an attack allegedly carried out by a 26-year-old Syrian man with links to the Islamic State group.
How will “Two-Tier Keir” respond in the UK?
What if they are second generation knifers?
10
So About Those Oceans That Were Just About to Boil Away…
It seems like only last year [it was only last year, Steve —Editor] that we were all going to die because the oceans were literally figuratively boiling away.
I’m not sure whether it was the massive amounts of steam that were supposed to kill us or the resulting Sharknado.
I just know that whatever the oceans are doing, it’s a VERY BAD THING, even though the Great Barrier Reef seems to love it. Seriously, the GBR is in better shape than it’s been in for years.
But now, “surface ocean temperatures are plunging rapidly around the world with scientists reported to be puzzled at the speed of the recent decline, according to Chris Morrison at The Daily Sceptic this week. “Less puzzlement was to be found when the oceans were ‘boiling’ during the last two years,” Morrison dryly noted.
When things are getting worse, climate scientists enjoy the certainty of knowing exactly what’s going on and why. When the trend lines improve, it’s a much less newsworthy mystery.
“Until recently, the surface sea temperature (SST) graph below showing measurements up the Arctic and down to Antarctica was rarely out of the public prints… This year the temperature shown by the black line flatlined until April compared with the substantial rise in orange for 2023. It then fell more sharply than last year and is now 0.2°C lower.”
You can play with the interactive chart here if you like.
For whatever reason, ocean temps are up a full degree Celsius or so since the mid-’80s but 2024 is showing cooling like we’ve never seen before. Then again, if our data only goes back to the mid-’80s, how much do we really know about oceans that are billions of years old, and surround continents that slowly drift around?
30
Drink port and not beer to avoid gout, study suggests
Glass of fortified wine does not increase chance of chronic condition, but same cannot be said for other alcoholic drinks
People should avoid beer rather than port if they want to lower their chances of getting gout, a study has suggested.
The research found that a daily glass of fortified wine did not increase the risk of the painful foot condition, according to data from more than 400,000 Britons.
A pint of beer or cider a day, however, was found to increase the risk by 60 per cent in men and 62 per cent in women.
Gout affects about one in 40 people in the UK and is a form of inflammatory arthritis that causes severe pain and swelling in the joints. The first symptom is often discomfort in the big toe.
Sufferers have periodic flare-ups of the chronic condition that affects that person for life. Postmenopausal women and men over 30 are most prone to the condition.
Gout is caused by uric acid building up in the body and turning into urate crystals which accumulate in the joints, causing inflammation and swelling.
Bacon, turkey, sardines, haddock and offal are all also high in purines and should be avoided by gout sufferers to prevent flare-ups, scientists say. Foods deemed to contain a moderate amount of purines which should be consumed sparingly include beef, chicken, crab and shrimp.
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Bacon, beef, anchovies, sardines, wine – love ’em all and I have zero joint issues of any kind. 😁
A former colleague had BAD gout and could barely walk despite avoiding all the bad things.
It’ll probably all be found to be wrong, like dietary fat and cholesterol myths, in a few years.
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Does whisky work as well? Asking for some Scots-Irish ancestors…
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Take 50ml Whisky (or Whiskey) and add 950ml water.
Should work well, and taste better.
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This works for me when I feel gout returning
https://www.healthline.com/health/gout/can-different-parts-of-the-celery-plant-naturally-treat-gout
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Celery – like drinking water with lots of cotton threads in it.
Have you tried fried scorpions?
Tastes like bacon apparently.
Don’t know about gout benefits though.😁
Let us know.
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FWIW
“Kimberly Klacik
@kimKBaltimore
·
Follow
Kamala is clearly reading notes for many questions from @DanaBashCNN.
Why is this important?
She had the questions prior to this interview, crafted notes with staff/experts, and is still struggling.
This is hard to watch. Wow.
#KamalaAndTim
11:28 AM · Aug 30, 2024”
https://instapundit.com/669749/#disqus_thread
Hmmm! failing an open book exam eh?
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Kamala Harris took 39 days to say nothing at all
The Democratic Party successfully cocooned Kamala Harris for 39 days since President Joe Biden coronated his vice president, giving the new presidential nominee more than five weeks to prepare her own answers to the inevitable inquiries about her radical record as the most left-wing member of the Senate, the inflation wrought by Bidenomics, and the growing list of complete policy reversals as a result of her newfound candidacy.
But despite answering fewer than a dozen questions in the more than a month since becoming the ostensible future of the Democratic Party, Harris conjured nothing more than a feast of world salads during her first-ever interview as nominee with CNN’s Dana Bash. Or, that is to say, Harris said nothing of consequence at all.
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She was trying to think
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Harris conjured nothing more than a feast of world salads during her first-ever interview as nominee with CNN’s Dana Bash.
ProudPatriotUS🇺🇲@PrPatriotUS
Kamala Harris is her name and word salad is her game!
plus
An 18 minute interview with an emotional support Governor…..That’s beyond pathetic! 🤦♂️🤣😅😎
from
Lmao, so that is their strategy?
“My policies are completely different but my values are the same”
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DEAD INTERNET Virtual ‘inbreeding’ risks sparking AI doom where bots get ‘progressively dumber’ as expert warn
ARTIFICIAL intelligence models may soon fall into a doom spiral as machine-generated gibberish floods the internet
Researchers warn artificial intelligence is approaching the concept of ‘model collapse’ as models train on nonsensical, machine-generated data
However, that data must be “high-quality,” meaning accurate and reliable – and the tech giants know it, too.
ChatGPT developer OpenAI has partnered with newsmakers like Vox Media and News Corp to train its chatbots on fresh content.
But this may not be enough to slow the spread of synthetic data, which has flooded the internet since AI systems became widely accessible.
As companies like Google and Meta comb search engines and social media for training data, it is inevitable that they will encounter AI-generated content.
Systems become increasingly deformed as they learn from inaccurate, machine-generated content and spit falsities out.
This information then winds up in a dataset for a different model, and the process repeats, leading to a total meltdown.
Researcher Jathan Sadowski has been documenting the phenomenon on X for over a year.
https://www.the-sun.com/tech/12245502/artificial-intelligence-inbreeding-habsburg-ai-autophagy/
Not ever close to true AI, but AGI grows closer at breakneck speed, 2 years maybe.
Chatbot Idiocracy for the bored masses.
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Hundreds of LLM Servers Expose Corporate, Health & Other Online Data
Hundreds of open source large language model (LLM) builder servers and dozens of vector databases are leaking highly sensitive information to the open Web.
As companies rush to integrate AI into their business workflows, they occasionally pay insufficient attention to how to secure these tools, and the information they trust them with. In a new report, Legit security researcher Naphtali Deutsch demonstrated as much by scanning the Web for two kinds of potentially vulnerable open source (OSS) AI services: vector databases — which store data for AI tools — and LLM application builders — specifically, the open source program Flowise. The investigation unearthed a bevy of sensitive personal and corporate data, unknowingly exposed by organizations stumbling to get in on the generative AI revolution.
Using scanning tools, Deutsch discovered around 30 vector database servers online without any authentication checks whatsoever, containing obviously sensitive information: private email conversations from an engineering services vendor; documents from a fashion company; customer PII and financial information from an industrial equipment company; and more. Other databases contained real estate data, product documentation and data sheets, and patient information used by a medical chatbot.
Leaky vector databases are even more dangerous than leaky LLM builders, as they can be tampered with in such a way that does not alert the users of AI tools that rely on them. For example, instead of just stealing information from an exposed vector database, a hacker can delete or corrupt its data to manipulate its results. One could also plant malware within a vector database such that when an LLM program queries it, it ends up ingesting the malware.
https://www.darkreading.com/application-security/hundreds-of-llm-servers-expose-corporate-health-and-other-online-data
“AI” based data breaches are the new risk.
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Kamallah – the climate crisis is real
https://twitter.com/greg_price11/status/1829250723659559419
Well if it’s real then why is the west wasting 10’s of billions on wars rather than saving human lives?
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According to the ABC radio “news” at 6 AM this morning ,there is a bit of a disagreement surfacing on the admission that the next census will require the answers to some rather personal questions about ones sexual preferences to be answered. What other intrusions are in the wings for the next invasion of our privacy???????
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I recall a couple of censi ago there was talk of Star Wars fans listing their religion as Jedi. Apparently if there are at least 10,000 followers of a certain persuasion then “it” becomes a confirmed religion. There was a general warning issued saying that Jedi would not be accepted as a religion indicator.
I also recall that the British health service did a canvas of their staff early on in the wokeness stakes to see how many identified as the lgbtwtf side and were taken aback by the result which was far greater than expected. We have a queen state so what are the chances of a majority country coming out of the woodwork. Would pose an interesting quandary for some potential immigrants not of the Jedi “religion”.
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Anyone got any final comments before we go live?
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Northern Territory election last weekend, not one Green candidate won a seat.
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Australia gets greener as you move south. Tassie is almost all green.
00
Facebook Censorship
Last week, we revealed in The Australian that for months Nuclear for Australia has been censored by Facebook. We had received dozens of reports from supporters like you letting us know that Facebook was preventing them from sharing our content.
We strongly believe that no social media platform should have the power to interfere with Australia’s nuclear debate, particularly when the content shared is factual.
We are glad to share that since the article was published, Facebook appears to have removed the restrictions on our account allowing us to share the reality of nuclear with as many people as possible. We would like to extend our gratitude to everyone who alerted us to this news and sent us evidence.
We will continue to stand up for the facts despite any attempts by social media companies or anti nuclear groups to silence us.
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A ‘Tax on Freedom’ Coming as Labour Plans Pay-Per-Mile Pricing in October Budget
Leaked documents suggest that Labour’s plan, likely to be unveiled by Chancellor Rachel Reeves, aims to introduce a “pay per mile” charge on drivers across the UK. This would mean every mile driven could come with an added cost, potentially crippling already cash-strapped families who rely on their cars.
The impact on families and businesses will be profound. Take the average family living in rural areas where public transport is a joke. For them, driving isn’t a luxury—it’s a necessity. Whether it’s taking the kids to school or doing the weekly shop, driving is often the only practical option. With this new tax, Labour is effectively punishing people for not living in urban centres.
Businesses too will suffer. The cost of delivering goods will skyrocket, and who will end up paying the price? Consumers, of course. Every extra mile driven by delivery vans, lorries, and sales reps will add to the cost of goods on the shelves. Prices will rise, hitting the poorest the hardest.
And let’s not forget those who have no choice but to drive as part of their job. Plumbers, electricians, mobile hairdressers—the list goes on. These people will see their costs soar, and many small businesses could be pushed to the brink. Once again, Labour’s war on the self-employed and small business owners continues unabated.
https://www.visionnews.online/post/a-tax-on-freedom-coming-as-labour-plans-pay-per-mile-pricing-in-october-budget
No doubt the dole bludging illegals will be exempt.
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Boar’s Head facing deadly health crises, including listeria, mold, and bugs, after implementing ‘refugee’ work program.
At least nine people have died after being infected with listeria from Boar’s Head deli meats tied to a massive recall last month, federal health officials said Wednesday.
At least 57 people have been sickened and hospitalized in the outbreak. Illnesses were reported starting in late May and have continued into August, the agency said. It is the largest listeria outbreak in the U.S. since 2011, and Boar’s Head has recalled more than 7 million pounds of deli products.
This is what happens when you turn your company into a charity organization for underperformers, and sadly, the American people are the ones who suffer and sadly die.
https://revolver.news/2024/08/boars-head-facing-deadly-health-crisis-listeria-mold-bugs-after-implementing-refugee-work-program/
The food safety cultural differences should be a zero tolerance item.
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Surely modern genetic testing technology could determine the origin of the outbreak, i.e. ‘local’ or imported?
00
Scientists Detect Invisible Electric Field Around Earth For First Time
An invisible, weak energy field wrapped around our planet Earth has finally been detected and measured.
It’s called the ambipolar field, an electric field first hypothesized more than 60 years ago, and its discovery will change the way we study and understand the behavior and evolution of our beautiful, ever-changing world.
In 1968, scientists described a phenomenon that we couldn’t have noticed until the space age. Spacecraft flying over Earth’s poles detected a supersonic wind of particles escaping from Earth’s atmosphere. The best explanation for this was a third, electric energy field.
“It’s called the ambipolar field and it’s an agent of chaos. It counters gravity, and it strips particles off into space.”
What’s even more exciting is that this is just the first step. We don’t know the broader implications of the ambipolar field, how long it has been there, what it does, and how it has helped shape the evolution of our planet and its atmosphere, and possibly even the life on its surface.
“This field is a fundamental part of the way Earth works,” Collinson says. “And now we’ve finally measured it, we can actually start to ask some of these bigger and exciting questions.”
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-07480-3
No need to ask questions. The science is settled!
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Michael Laws on the Treaty of Waitangi’s Impact on New Zealand Politics (video)
11
Thanks for that. Things are really dire over there. Learnt of the kings death today and expect that will be the marker for the reinterpretation of the treaty. Amazing that “ownership” only started just over 300 years before GB’s “ownership” and despite the (timely) debunking I’m still not convinced that the Maori didn’t themselves take ownership from those forest dwellers that their oral history talks about. Cheers.
00
So… China Just had a Secret Coup? (video)
00
I’ve been seeing reports like that for months, but I don’t give them much credibility – yet. Like the constant stream of stories predicting Putin’s demise, I think most of it is wishful thinking, or perhaps anti-China propaganda. Don’t get me wrong, I’m no fan of Dictator Xi, but I have seen many, many false predictions from ‘China experts’ that were very wrong over the past year or so that I have to be sceptical.
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FWIW
“Dog Who Barked Near Mosque Jailed for Islamophobia”
https://theupperlip.co.uk/2024/08/dog-who-barked-near-mosque-jailed-for-islamophobia/
00
FWIW – mostly peaceful!
“Colorado Mayor Admits Police Have Lost Control of Part of Community to Venezuelan Illegal Migrant Gang “Tren de Aragua”
August 29, 2024 | Sundance | 467 Comments”
https://theconservativetreehouse.com/blog/2024/08/29/colorado-mayor-admits-police-have-lost-control-of-part-of-community-to-venezuelan-illegal-migrant-gang-tren-de-aragua/
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There will now be charges to discourage people from sending solar power to the grid. They are encouraged to store it in their own batteries instead.
https://www.news.com.au/finance/business/madness-to-charge-people-for-sunlight-sneaky-sun-tax-slugged-on-solar-households-slammed-as-ripoff-amid-cost-of-living-crisis/news-story/c0c446f7a071dfa8e1f50eea26a4148a
00
FWIW
“Don’t Buy Walmart Gift Cards – Scammers Are Into Them”
https://chiefio.wordpress.com/2024/08/28/dont-buy-walmart-gift-cards-scammers-are-into-them/
Reads like any gift card could be sus
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One never widely reported incident involving an Australian national chain from a few years back saw all staff member’s store cards loaded with a special bonus payment. It took about 3 days for the urgent edict that staff were not to use self serve checkouts and HAD to only use (staffed) assistance check outs for all transactions. Seems one or more fellow workmates had obtained staff card/pin info and were cashing in on the ATM functionality of self serve. No further bonus payments were ever “parked” on staff cards after that. Evil walks among workmates too.
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France Erupts as Macron Refuses Election Results (video)
00
I must be smarter than the “educated class”. Kel Richards, a beloved wordsmith on Austar, quoted Latrobe U who did a survey which said 4% of us are queer. [None of my friends are queer so the odds are shortening for you]
That number was derived by adding 2.5% of men and 1.5% of women.
I don’t joke: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DVeJ17gP5s
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