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
Scientific American may have ditched it’s ultra -woke, Kamala-fan editor but that doesn’t seem to have made much difference at all:
In case there’s any confusion, the magazine helpfully declares:
>This is an opinion and analysis article.
Last year even the woke Guardian seemed dismayed at how far Scientific American had fallen:
Scientific American editor steps down after calling Trump supporters ‘fascists’ and ‘bigoted’
https://www.theguardian.com/media/2024/nov/16/scientific-american-editor-steps-down
SciAm apparently hasn’t improved.
180
It’s likely that the woke infiltration is so severe, SA might not be fixable.
Springer Nature, is a fully woke German company who has owned it since 2008.
As Donald TRUMP said, everything woke turns to s**t.
The dumbing-down of SA started when Holtzbrinck Publishing Group purchased it in 1986.
I became aware of SA when I found it in the school libray at high school when I was in year 7, back in day before it was dumbed-down and school libraries had quality educational materials. It was one of the influences that enhanced my interest in science.
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Climate change compounds climate change?
That’s 5 Cs (CCCCC), are they trying to outdo the Olympic logo with that ‘circular’ reasoning, or should I say ‘opinion’, or as my analysis shows, a
Crock of Cringeworthy Cow-dung.
What color is climate anyway?
130
GREEN!
/$$$
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Michael Shellenberger
@shellenberger
Since taking office, President Donald Trump has pulled the US out of the United Nations Paris agreement on climate change, unleashed fossil fuel production, cut climate subsidies that were part of the Inflation Reduction Act, and chosen as his Secretary of Energy an oilman who helped create the fracking revolution. Given that Democrats have spent the last 20 years describing climate change as an “existential threat”
https://x.com/shellenberger/status/1904930829853483509
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From the article:
250
So remind me again why Australia (both factions of the Uniparty) is continuing to destroy its energy supply and economy ?
330
Marching orders and a strict timetable?
100
“So remind me again why Australia (both factions of the Uniparty) is continuing to destroy its energy supply and economy?”
Sad to say, but Australia isn’t America, or Poland, or like any of the conservatively-governed nations. Covid exposed Australians as mostly weak, sheep-like citizens happy to be herded. Our political landscape reflects this, with relatively little support for genuinely right wing parties, at local, state or federal levels. We are still in the position where our largest so-called conservative party is anything but, and this is because properly conservative parties and policies don’t get sufficient support. Our Liberals recognised this ages ago and so steered to the left.
Sans corruption, nations by and large get the government they deserve.
190
Because people keep on voting for inept lying turkeys as they can’t see through the election promise lies or ask hard questions upfront that get good answers demonstrating competent delegates…
/every single election
140
“Because people keep on voting for inept lying turkeys as they can’t see through the election promise lies …”
The average voter – it appears – doesn’t pay attention to what politicians and parties actually DO, only what they SAY. There is usually a huge difference.
00
‘So remind me again …’
https://poll.lowyinstitute.org/charts/climate-change/
The brainwashing has been intense, but when Dutton gets into government he’ll follow in the footsteps of Donnie. Buy coal futures.
61
If you follow the money, it might well show that No USAID was the most significant “No”. The money has dried up.
Climate Change™ is inspired by a marxist ideology that pervades the UN. Where the unelected bureaucrats pay themselves to live cosseted lives while requiring everyone else to lower their standard of living. It appears that USAID had become the propaganda arm.
250
It has always been about money and power.
110
Jeff Bezos now challenging Musk as world-leading billionaire space cowboy
70
Yes, but the platforms were delivered to the moon using SpaceX Falcon 9 rockets which dominate all rocket launches now. Bezos has a huge amount of catching up to do with his New Glenn rocket (one launch so far, vs 462 succesful for Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy). I say best wishes to both Musk and Bezos.
170
Alex today and ESG –
https://alexcartoon.s3.amazonaws.com/8753_25.03.25_web.jpg
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What indeed happens to all these woke “ethical” funds, at least in the US where wokeness, DEI and ESG is being rapidly abandoned?
And what happens to them in Australia where a lot of the money may be invested in the US in soon-to-be anti-woke companies?
Of course, when a company casts off its woke policies it will thrive, but the objective of the ethical funds is to not invest in non-woke companies so they’ll have to sell off stocks.
Or the sensible thing would be for the woke investment funds themselves to become non-woke.
120
It seems that the senior executives steal the company funds!
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2025/03/major-dei-non-profit-files-bankruptcy-after-bosses/
80
Yep. Business as usual.
30
Step 1. Close the hatches. Step 2….
Things to do before diving in a submarine.
70
Step 2: Open the hatch
Step 3: Climb down from the conning tower
Step 4: Close the hatch again
The standard dictum: A job worth doing is worth doing twice.
Climatologists have made an art of it, hence the dozens of models.
50
At the Avalon Airshow I noticed the absence of several of the usual favourites which were the US Air Force F-22 Raptor, B-1 Lancer and the B-52, at least for the last several trade days of the show thst I have attended.
They have all been there for the last several shows.
They may or may not appear at the public days but I think that’s unlikely. Conceivably a B-52 could do a flyover without landing but nothing has been announced yet.
I feel that their absence might be indicative of what I perceive as subtle US disengagement from Australia due to several reasons.
For example, Australia’s three most important officials, PM Albanese, Foreign Minister Wong and US Ambassador KRudd all having severe Trump Derangement Syndrome and have all publicly mocked TRUMP (see below)
Furthermore, Australia’s exports of steel and aluminium to the US are heavily taxpayer subsidised (as due to “green” energy it’s impossible to produce them at a reasonable price) and the US rightly doesn’t want subsidised products sold into the US as it’s unfair.
And Australia remains fanatically committed to Net Zero.
Another issue is Australia’s censorship regime which it imposed on US social media platforms operating within Australia and you will recall the Musk/X court case where Australia’s e Safety Kommisar tried to globally censor X which was clearly beyond her jurisdiction but she still had it censored within Australia.
All these reasons and more is why I feel the US is subtly disengaging from Australia.
https://www.news.com.au/national/politics/old-video-resurfaces-of-anthony-albanese-saying-donald-trump-scares-the-sht-of-me/news-story/7b4f793a11874a66ee7bf677f0c60d1c
https://thenightly.com.au/politics/latika-m-bourke-penny-wongs-harsh-comments-on-donald-trump-surface-ahead-of-president-elects-inauguration-c-17369234
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-11-08/rudd-trump-us-ambassador-question/104574464
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David,
reading through this thread https://simplicius76.substack.com/p/solving-the-drone-dilemma-can-russia
Scroll down to
These days the most successful drones are modular, and can be adapted to a variety of EW conditions and general tasks. Russian forces have been rolling out a highly modular copy, which can change cameras depending on needs, and most importantly, the antenna itself, allowing it to operate on different frequency bands to out-maneuver whatever EW frequencies the Ukrainians are favoring in that particular section of front:
and watch the RT Video of Drone Modular Construction
Was there any Australian Equivalent at the Avalon Airshow?
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Was there any Australian Equivalent at the Avalon Airshow?
and this as well
Hunting Killer Drones With Your Father’s 12-Gauge?
The Ukraine-Russia war and its innovative use of drones has significantly changed warfare. And while the use of drones as spotters for artillery and bombs is arguably their biggest contribution to death and destruction, Telegram is full of chilling FPV footage of kamikaze drones blowing up soldiers and equipment.
Among the many measures being used to protect men and equipment from drone attacks is the shotgun, which along with being used by individual soldiers, is also being mounted on both ground and aerial platforms to provide defense against drones.
100
Guns aren’t woke in Nanny State Australia.
There were many anti-drone measure on display primarily operating by disrupting the drone’s data link or spoofing GPS signals.
Of course, this doesn’t work if the drone is fully autonomous and uses inertial navigation. (That’s how the Australian drones sent to Ukraine are reported to be often used.)
There is an Australian company DroneShield.
https://www.droneshield.com/
Israel has the Iron Beam 100kW laser system to defeat drones with no data links and which have inertial navigation. (Soon to be released.)
https://www.rafael.co.il/system/iron-beam/
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I am off to the airshow today.
The last time, 2 years ago I followed my usual practice of driving to the venue at Avalon airfield, expecting to park and then buy an entry ticket at the gate. That did not work out. Traffic management was terrible. I parked by the side of a road and took a bus to the gate but was told that all the tickets were sold. I ended up watching from outside the venue across the highway.
This year I have prepaid entry tickets and will take the train to the Lara station, then a bus.
I chose Friday because I thought it would be a bit less busy and also because I thought the industry displays in the tent city would all be open. I was expecting to see the latest in drone technology as well as displays of small jet engines, aviation tools and lots of other interesting stuff. Yesterday I learnt that the tents are closed !
The flying display also looks a bit thin compared to previous years. I hope it is worth the money.
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I hope you enjoy it Peter.
I have attended the industry days but I still took the train from Melbourne (Southern Cross Station) to Lara and then picked up the shuttle bus. I think it’s much better than driving and parking.
Don’t forget to see the STEM tent down the back which has Aussie Invader, a vehicle that will attempt to break the land speed record and reach 1600kph / 1000 mph. https://aussieinvader.com/
You can also watch drone racing in the big circus tent.
There is also the B-24 Liberatir restoration project in the “museum” tent or near there.
(The above three are not the main focus of the show, but interesting incidental exhibits.)
The flying displays are good but best to wear earplugs. Be sure to get pictures of the explosions during the mock battles.
There are plenty of military aircraft and other vehicles on display and also civilian aviation aircraft including private jets in case you are a rich Leftist looking for a suitable conveyance to take you to the next climate crisis conference.
There is also the South African manufacturer of the highly acclaimed Sling light aircraft kit planes (but they don’t look like kits). One of them can fly from Brisbane to Melbourne non-stop in 5.5 hrs.
FWIW, I will be writing an article on things that I saw, excluding things that I have previously written about in previous articles as there’s no point in mentioning them again.
130
Thanks for your advice David,
I will definitely visit the Aussie Invader display. It would be amazing if Australia was to hold both the world Land Speed and the Water Speed records at the same time.
Incidentally I currently fly a kit aircraft known as a Hornet STOL. It has been adapted for glider towing and is powered by a Subaru EJ22 car engine.
70
My experinence so far is not good.
My local train was 10 minutes late. An unexpected platform change at Flinders St station and then platform chaos at Southern Cross station and I missed the Lara train by a few seconds. Then another platform change and 20 mins later I was finally on the train to Lara.
At Lara there was a queue to get on the bus which took about an hour and 15muns. Then the bus ride took 30 minutes. I am almost at the entrance gate now.
40
Sorry to hear that Peter.
10
And there are now reports of a crash at Avalon. Tragic.
10
Flying to Melbourne today for a family week-end. Return on Sunday from Avalon. I had no idea there was an airshow in progress until I received a txt from Jet star advising to allow an extra 30 mins to get to the airport. I enjoy air shows as much as anyone, but at a fully operational commercial airport.? No thanks, but it’s too late to change. It will be a nervous few days.
30
I recently set up an amateur radio beacon that transmits continuously autonomously and is listened for by others (autonomously). The purpose is to monitor propagation conditions. The beacon uses a low power digital protocol called WSPR and the transmission power is a mere 200mW. I find it amazing that such a low power signal can be detected by others anywhere in the world. Signals can be detected well below the noise floor.
I am getting “spots” from US, Canada, NZ Japan, Europe and elsewhere. You can see how WSPR signal propagate here:
https://www.wsprnet.org/drupal/wsprnet/map
40
Interesting. David that sounds like a non-orbital (land based) Sputnik!
I wonder what the transmitting power was that they used?
20
Sputnik had a 1W transmitter.
30
ADAM CREIGHTON
Vaccine tops list of Covid pandemic blunders still ignored across West
Five years on from the collective madness that gripped much of the world during the Covid-19 pandemic, it’s become fashionable to decry the kind of government overreach that was practically championed by almost everyone in Australia.
Earlier this month, the Australian Human Rights Commission chimed in, condemning lockdowns as an affront to human rights, something that should’ve been obvious at the time.
The idea that all the restrictions and lockdowns passed any sort of cost-benefit analysis is laughable, especially given the endless list of socio-economic and health damages they wrought.
That’s why no pandemic plan of any nation recommended those sorts of policies be pursued, let alone for a mild and contagious virus.
These measures led to the biggest increase in inequality in human history, supercharging asset prices while crushing the educational attainment of a generation of young people. They saddled future generations with debt levels comparable to the aftermath of a world war. Indeed, in a week where commentators have decried the imminent surge in federal public debt beyond $1 trillion, let’s remember that at least a third of it can be traced directly back to our ludicrous spending binge.
Numerous countries across Europe, including Switzerland, Sweden and Norway, exhibited practically no increase in public debt without noticeably different health outcomes. Indeed, Sweden, which famously refused to copy China’s totalitarian approach, ended up practically with the least excess deaths of any Western country.
Why the greatest levels of panic and fiscal insanity were concentrated so significantly in English-speaking countries remains to be explained. While it’s great to see the case for lockdowns headed for the intellectual scrap heap, there’s another Covid policy that unfortunately remains largely immune from criticism: de facto compulsory Covid vaccination.
Five years on I should apologise for not having been as strident in condemning mass coerced Covid vaccination.
At the time, I didn’t dare: the experimental vaccines were accorded practically religious veneration by the mainstream media.
To point out that more people died from all causes (unrelated to Covid) in the vaccinated as opposed to the placebo group of Pfizer’s 2020 trial would risk total banishment.
210
OldOzzie,
Your link doesn’t work. Googling turns up this paywalled Australian article.
Since I can’t read the rest, I’ll leap to a conclusion from what you’ve quoted:
When he says for not having been as strident, I suspect a more honest wording would be for having been a craven lickspittle. Was Crieghton *ever* in any way strident about the vaccines?
60
Actually, Robert, Creighton was one of the very very few mainstream commentators who offered ANY opposition to the mRNA vaccines. As one of the few who refused to be vaccinated in this country (was it 2%?), I was very much attuned to what was offered as opposition to the vaccines.
Today he apologised for not having been strident enough. He need not have apologised. Had he been any more strident, even The Oz would not have published it. I think Steve Waterson was one of the only other essayists in the mainstream papers who criticised the vaccine program.
110
Vicki,
Thanks, and apologies to Adam Creighton. I did say I was leaping to a conclusion. Leapt a bit too far.
OTOH, from what you say, I think it’s right that he apologise. If he really felt strongly about the dangers of the rushed vaccines AND took his fourth estate responsibilities seriously, he would have written as strident an article as he thought was called for, and resigned if the Australian spiked it. He might have ended up unemployed — Just one of many who put their principles ahead of their jobs — doesn’t sound like he gave it a go.
I’ll withdraw the craven lickspittle — that was too strong — how about coward? No shortage of companions there either.
31
I was wondering about Crakar24’s observations about enlistment problems in the Australian Defence Forces yesterday and ended up on the Human Rights Commission website
I wondered about whether a vaccination requirement was the same enlistment problem the US armed forces had just addressed? Good luck to anyone attempting to get a definitive answer!
The closest I could find to Vaccine requirements for ADF was a deleted reddit post from 2 years ago. However, the comments remained;
One comment said:
and another:
Anyone have able to find a definitive answer on this one? Maybe some of the medals for valour now appearing on the breasts of the ADF are for Covid 19 Vaccines received in the face of life threatening side effects.
90
Broadie, I would think that it must have been a requirement for the ADF, just as it was for many government sponsored organisations.
My husband had to resign from our local RFS, as did the Captain, because he refused to be vaccinated. The mandate caused a lot of unfortunate breaches of trust and friendship in our rural community, as you can imagine. This is only being repaired of late – some 4-5 years later.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKjnIhXdM-o
Still required.
00
“… an affront to human rights”
I thought the word “universal” was usually attached to human rights.
Compare the two.
Same state, same family, different employer with one government and other private establishment.
One (government employee) refused the shot and was suspended on basic pay for some 2 years before the case made it to court where the ruling was that the action taken was “unlawful”. Currently work on a class action for compensation is progressing.
One (company employee) questioned why they had to share personal health information. Their question was never answered and their shot or unshot status was never established however they were dismissed on disciplinary grounds.
Guess that might be why “universal” is MIA.
Side giggle to consider. The company employer had a strict policy of zero tolerance to illegal drug use i.e. instant dismissal if caught partaking/impaired at work. They never asked their employees whether they had exposure to illegal drugs and had receptacles for sharps (needles) in work toilets and lunchrooms. About one year before the covid (insert word of choice) this woke business changed their policy to be more supportive and caring i.e. caught taking/influenced by illegal drugs at work and support rather than the sack would be offered. Go figure.
50
If Dutton is elected he proposes to reduce fuel excise prices which of course is a good thing.
Remember it was the fake conservative Liberals that first introduced “world parity” fuel pricing in 1978 causing a huge increase in Australian petrol prices. It was that repulsive little man Howard that did that.
So like all of Australia’s worse anti-energy decisions, Australia’s high fuel prices are traceable to the Liberals.
Anyway, if Dutton recognises that (temporarily) reducing fuel taxes will lower the cost of EVERYTHING, is it such a big stretch to agree to abandon the Paris Accords and return Australia’s electricity supply to how it was before Howard also introduced “green” energy (apart from higher fuel taxes mentioned above)?
270
Howard’s RET ends in 2030. It has been replaced by the AEMO administered capacity contracts but that only applies to new stuff. Work is now under way on the first projects that will enjoy Blackout’s largesse; curtesy of OPM.
In the RET era the electricity market has progressed to where the remaining coal fired power stations bid sufficient capacity at high negative price through lunchtime to ensure they remain scheduled at minimum demand. Through most lunchtimes, the wholesale price goes negative. Yesterday, prices in Vic and SA were negative from 10am till 2pm. NSW and QLD must have had cloud cover because demand dropped somewhat but prices remained positive.
The grid scale wind and solar can still make money if the wholesale price is just above the price of LGCs, which is presently $22/MWh. Yesterday, the Vic and SA lunchtime prices hovered around $20/MWh.
As the LGC gets toward zero, I can see the situation where the coal generators will always bid just below $0/MWh so they remain scheduled at full capacity. Rooftops will be charged to export to recognise that they are a cost not a benefit. That forces rooftop owners to install batteries. The largest battery installer tells me that their most common battery is 5kWh. That is enough to keep most houses going through the evening and over night.
The end of the RET will bring an end to transfer payments from renters to solar rooftop owners. The coal power stations will just run at optimum output so their average unit cost will drop. Uncontracxted wind and solar will have limited opportunity to generate so will not be replaced unless they get AEMO contracts to upgrade. I doubt Dutton will do that. I expect Dutton to stop the AEMO process.
If a household buys a 5kWh battery and has enough solar panels to charge it every day, then it will cycle at least once a day. Probably a bit more given changing cloud cover on most days. If it cycles every day, mostly though peak demand times, daily saving is around $2 or $730 per year. The installed cost for the 5kWh battery is $5300. So a 7 year payback at present prices. The batteries come with a 10 year warranty. That is a lot more attractive than paying to export rooftop solar power so you can use your solar through the day.
The end of the RET could see changing dynamics that actually reduce electricity prices in Australia. The extent of long term economic harm will depend on how far Blackout’s AEMO contracts advance along with all the supporting infrastructure that adds to the big chunk between wholesale and retail price.
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RickWill, you need to factor in some accesories to achieve this nirvana plus factor in risk. And, good luck with that for an actuarial concept.
No need to read any further unless you have a North facing roof without close neighbours or trees / buildings casting shadows on the roof. Give up now!
When the sun doesn’t shine:
You will need a generator and charger ~ $5000 – $10000 (good luck with servicing and stopping bugs and moisture in the fuel)
Changeover switch ~$500 to $1000
Some acts of God, corrosion and vermin both furry and of the tie-wearing pointy nose type:
Lightning – direct hit start again $30000 and lose insurance cover.
Hail – replace panels $10000 and lose insurance cover.
Chewed DC wiring – lose house to fire.
Corrosion – buy heaps of buckets for roof leaks $50 plus plumber $1500 call out plus new roof?
Bushfire – run for your life.
Storm – advice was to turn system off in recent cyclone. Useless
Dispute with neighbours over trees – $50,000 to $1,000,000 given to nice helpful lawyers without any chance of resolution.
So unless you are remotely located your chances are you will be really busy maintaining the system for ever and even your grandchildren will never achieve payback on your purchase.
110
I am not talking about going off-grid here. It is just load shifting the solar. I already do that with the heat pump hot water that I run off solar from 11am to 3pm and use mostly in the evening.
Since my 66c/kWh FIT ended last year, I am paying down the credit I had and will eventually have a positive electricity bill. I did consider a larger battery with generator but it would require rampant inflation to make economic sense and that is not likely if Dutton gets in.
The battery is simply to load shift to service my evenng demand from solar rather than exporting it. Victorian government has mandated zero FIT as of July. So a lot of Victorian households are looking at the economics of batteries and they do make economic sense to load shift. Nothing more than the overnight usage from sunset to sunrise so you can cycle close to the full capacity reach day.
There is a substantial opportunity to eliminate the service fee but it does not make economic sense unless it gets substantially higher. Right now the connection fee can be viewed as an insurance policy against adverse weather for solar panels. But most days my 6kW of solar panels produce more electricity than we consume. It is just that they do not produce at night or have reduced output if there is cloud.
The solar panels on 4M homes in Australia are a sunk cost bought and paid for by OPM. A battery to load shift your own solar power on a daily basis makes economic sense. You are charging the battery at zero cost and using that energy to replace electricity that could cost up around 45c/kWh – maybe higher in SA.
30
We are going through this calculation now. We currently have a 10kw solar system constructed in a paddock well away from the house. I dearly want to go “off grid”, as our provider repeatedly sends very suspect bills for intermittent grid use, but my husband thinks the batteries are too expensive. He argues that we have a petrol generator in the event of blackouts. I argue “what good will that be if the Chinese blockade our fuel supples?
30
Vicki
It is not economic to go off grid at this point in time and the costs of “renewables” will be gradually transferred to taxpayers rather than consumers. Often the same people but not quite.
You need to think about load shifting. If you are using gas or direct electric heating for hot water, a heat pump makes economic sense. It can be set to run through lunchtime so it normally runs off your solar power. The Victorian government is gifting OPM to encourage households to go off gas. Ledcom were very easy to work with on this aspect.
If you have a gas connection for cooktop and hot water than that can be eliminated by going electric. You then get rid of the gas connection fee. I think you have said you burn wood for heating already.
Have a look at how much electrical energy you are using over night. You can get that information from your poles and wires provider – probably AusNet like me. They have a web site MyHomeEnergy where you can get access to your data. It provides metered data like this:
https://1drv.ms/i/c/cdb8a3183f0262ad/EfY3xaHGhE1BjHJyltGygrUBwD7-ThR3nOXO6wGWHsSWOQ?e=sC2D89
The aim is to load shift some of what would be sent to the grid to the battery so the battery can feed the overnight use. Because I already am load shifting the electricity for the hotwater and run the fridge and freezer off-grid, my overnight load totals around 3kWh at worst so that is what I can load shift and make an economic case for. It would be maybe 4kWh if the fridge and freezer were included.
The installed cost for the batteries is close to $1,000 per kWh. With a suitable battery, you should aim to cycle at least once per day. You are only aiming to provide a small part of your demand through the evening peak and overnight. To go off grid, you need a battery able to provide you typical load over two days. That is a huge difference. For me the cost is an order of magnitude higher to go off-grid than to just load shift. Hot water storage is also a lot lower cost than a lithium battery.
10
solarquotes.com.au has a useful and in retrospect surprisingly accurate payback calculator for both panels and batteries.
21
Rick, I don’t see any mention of Opportunity Cost in your battery calculations. That could easily another one third to the battery costs, which could then push its payback period out to ten years, the same as the battery lifetime. And I really doubt that during winter the battery would be of much use.
20
Working on the 5kWh assuming a cycle per day, the annual saving is say $730. Could be more in SA; less in other places.
The alternative is to put the $5,000 in a TD earning 4.8%. After the first year I have $5240 but I have to pay electricity of $730 so am left with $4510 to start the second year. My $5,000 would be all gone after 9 years. I will still have one year on the battery warranty with good prospects of the battery continuing to operate but maybe already down on capacity by then so not saving quite as much.
My 13 year old large format LiFe cells are down maybe 10% in capacity but they have never been fully cycled and rarely get more than 50% DoD on a daily basis. The most common operation is between 70 to 90%. So there is a downside risk with deep cycling on a daily basis but there is also an upside by eliminating short periods of grid demand when cloudy as you can see in the chart I linked to.
The money I need to spend to go off-grid currently earns enough in a TD to pay all my electricity bill even without the small battery. So it would only fly economically if price inflation was rampant. I think even Blackout might admit he was wrong if it got that bad.
10
I’m not sure that the term Opportunity Cost is fully understood, nor its impact on the total system cost.
10
I hope I clarified it for you.
00
David Maddison,
The little Johnny Howard formula has always been popular, especially amongst those who never outgrew their university days. He *was* short when compared with Fraser or Whitlam, but actually about average height; taller than Bob Hawke, say, or (apparently) Vladimir Putin.
As for repulsiveness, that’s not so easily measured — a bit subjective, I suspect — but Howard strikes me as mid-pack. On my make your skin creep scale, Rudd is a comfortable winner (got the feeling his wife felt that way about him too), Morrison probably next, though maybe Keating. It gets a bit tricky rating ones further back. McMahon would probably be pretty high, and Whitlam pretty low, but I have changed a bit since they were sparring.
Anyhow, is the quoted snippet anything more than an ad-hom? Our best PM probably wasn’t the tallest, and probably not the least repulsive either. Better to score them on what they did as PM.
60
Totally agree, Robert.
Very timely Labor derided Peter Dutton as first candidate ever, taking tax increase to election.
They are lying of course.
John Howard was.
And won.
20
Robert, to refer to a man as “little” doesn’t necessarily refer to his stature.
He is little because he has and had little to offer Australia or humanity and was not a true conservative.
I know he waa taller then Bob Hawke, but the TV cameras back in the day would always point down at Howard and up at Hawke to make Hawke appear taller when he was shorter than Howard.
31
On a tour of Old Parliament House in Canberra, the guide relayed that Hawke was shorter than “little Johnny Howard”. Hawke wore shoes with enhanced Cuban Heels. He also had the legs of the PM’s desk made shorter so that he (Hawke) appeared more imposing when seated.
40
David Maddison,
The it’s just metaphorical defence doesn’t wash.
The expression He’s a piece of sh** is metaphorical too. Yours was less vulgar than that, but just as ad-hom.
I’d also contest that if you distill him down to just two phrases:
We will decide who …
rabbiting on about Jihad …
that’s enough to see he had more vision for Australia than the last several PMs.
30
He said it a 1/4 century ago !
Long before Charlie Hebdo, before Malmo, before (…) insert any European Capital here, before.., before…
Most importantly – before Sydney and Melbourne .
His words had more impact than we appreciate.
20
Robert, I called hlm Little. Because he acted as though he had to prove he was Big. Little was an apprpopriate call because he felt little
00
“Anyway, if Dutton recognises that (temporarily) reducing fuel taxes will lower the cost of EVERYTHING …”
That will only happen if they also find a way to force the fuel companies to pass the full saving on to their customers rather than simply adding it to their own bottom line.
50
Competition by the independent operators like Liberty and United will do that, I think.
30
When Aldi landed in Australia, to compete with the duopoly, they were significantly cheaper than Coles and Woolworths. Over time however, Aldi has increased their prices and now sit just a fraction lower than the Big Two, who are even more profitable than they were before Aldi’s arrival.
Last year, a self-serve (zero staff) petrol station opened near where I live and sold fuel at 20-30c/litre less than other servos, but once again the cheaper supplier slowly increased their prices and are now just a few cents cheaper. Price Elasticity of Demand and all that.
It seems to me that too many people in Australia aren’t prepared to go very far out of their way to support cheaper retailers. Convenience is the biggest seller these days, despite us all being financially squeezed (so they say).
50
Aldi remain substantially lower cost in our neck of the woods.
Choice did a survey recently and Aldi came out substantially lower. Baskets compared. Aldi: $50.63. Coles: $67.90. Woolworths: $69.29. IGA: $77.57.. It was suggested to the reviewers that they were not comp[aring apples with apples but they made the point they were literally comparing apples with apples. My wife does not buy much fruit and veg from the big two because it has very short shelf life. Aldi fruit and veg has better shelf life and generally higher standard. Aldi nuts are substantially cheaper than Coles or Woolies unless they are on special.
I have done the shopping with my wife since the beginning of Covid – it was our reason to “go out”. It became a habit. I had never done my own grocery shopping unless I was provisioning for a trip or travelling for work and staying in an apartment. Our weekly shop is always Aldi first. The IoS is like a magnet for both of us. Most of my clothing now comes from Aldi and my wife gets most of her undergarments from Aldi plus a few other clothing items.
30
I gave them another try last week and checked a few prices against those in Coles. Everything I compared was just a few cents cheaper. For a family that would add up of course, but I didn’t think it was worth the effort of getting what I could from Aldi, then getting the rest from Coles or Woolworths.
20
Orange juice 2 Litres was $8 last week in Coles, up from $6.50 for some time. 23% jump, almost as bad as the oil companies.
Got some at Food Land. Will check their prices next week in case they were exhausting the stock before a price rise.
20
“Most of my clothing now comes from Aldi …”
I get about half of mine from Temu. The rest I get in sales. Being old and retired, I can get away with ‘smart casual’. While I buy cheap, I nevertheless buy very presentable attire. It may not last but then I like to update/replace my clothes every couple of years anyway.
My favourite shirts were bought cheap in Singapore. I love the Asian use of bright colours and they’re perfect for hot, sweaty climates. Also,they don’t need ironing. Amazing things and I lament every one that eventually gets tossed.
30
The biggest problem is the cosy relationship between the manufacturers and the retailers.
Sixty years ago there was a thriving Commercial Travellers Club in town catering for the salesmen selling their products, some travelling as far as Mt Isa. these guys wanted to make budget and would call on small retailers if regulars. Today all the deals are done from the capital cities and small retailers be damned, they buy from a general wholesaler who can’t get the prices the chains sell at, even though they are buying most stuff by the pallet.
If IGA and Seven11 were dealt with fairly by the manufacturers it would all be different.
00
As I Travel the highways looking at the prices on the servos My conclusion is law of supply demand contains a lot of bull[snip – Raquel].
I have seen a 30c difference accross thke road.
But never in Mudgee.
00
Were the leftists correct about Tesla before they were effected by the woke mind virus?
For years the left actively promoted Teslas and – let’s be honest – the right pushed back on this. I am conflicted now because I think we can concede that the left was right about this one thing. Teslas ARE great cars. They ARE well built. They ARE the future. They COMFORTABLY run for over 2 million kilometers. I am hoping that the drop in Tesla sales by the leftists can be made up by those on the right.
At the end of the day, Elon Musk invented EVs and lithium-ion batteries. I’m pretty sure this man can build a great car for you and your family. It is scientific fact that Teslas are built to last forever (and they appreciate in value). Automakers are not comfortable with the idea that a brand out there is building a car that doesn’t just last years but for generations.
59
“Teslas ARE great cars. They ARE well built. They ARE the future. They COMFORTABLY run for over 2 million kilometers.”
Are you trolling or being sarcastic?
Is still believe the Teslas are awful things, even though Musk presently appears to be ‘on our side’. At the same time, I believe those vandalising cars just because their preferred ideology is having a dummy spit should go to jail.
100
Twiggy is being ironic and in need of stimulating conversation.
11
Trolling.
You left off the best part:
🙂
30
And… 97% of their owners can’t drive for $h!t.
Just this morning saw an almost 5-car nose-to-tail pile-up because Mr Virtue (non-) Signaller STOPPED in the one-lane ‘highway’ to peruse which spot (among a plethora) he was going to park his Precious Princess in.
All the local drivers behind him (in petrol / diesel) managed to read the sh!tuation and slowly ‘under’took him, though one 4×4 bloke pulled into the median strip (where Mr Virtue should’ve veered into) once the Tesla was parked, and offered some constructive criticism / healthy suggestions re driving etiquette, and safety, on NZ roads.
Sadly it’s become a daily occurrence with people away with the faeries, best avoided at all costs. Safe driving – while we can.
20
BEVs are apt to do strange things and not always under instruction from the person supposedly in charge. For all you know, it may be getting instructions from Starlink to do some surveillance.
It is not uncommon to find a BEV progressing much slower than the posted speed. That can mean the person in charged is anxious about the remaining range but it could be in limp mode for any number of reasons. You always have to give BEV drivers the benefit of the doubt. It could be the fault of the person actually in control of the vehicle rather than the individual seated near the steering wheel or joystick.
My wife is eying this BEV:
https://dreamingartsus.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/stay-magical-on-the-move-unicorn-mobility-scooters-for-seniors-4.jpg
This provides an overt exhibition of the magical thinking that BEV owners are blessed with. The fact that Teslas are now being torched indicates that the magical thinking is fading.
20
Perhaps that’s where the Volvo drivers migrated to.
10
Let’s face it! Science is corrupted by $$$$ and power! A famous advertisement for travel in Australia “You’ll never never know if you never never go” Most of us are in the “never never know” category out of laziness. Our inquisitiveness is sated by MSM which is corrupted by $$$$. Just look at the way we were duped by Government and Big Pharma propaganda peddled by MSM. We just hope and pray that the light in the tunnel just ahead is not a train
60
‘Science is corrupted by $$$$ and power!’
Climate science is corrupted, but eventually the perpetrators and their running dogs will be exposed. From our perspective we need to prepare for that day, to explain to the brainwashed masses that CO2 doesn’t cause global warming.
The biggest hurdle is the corrupted MSM, there needs to be a debate on energy infrastructure before tackling weather and climate.
31
FWIW
“Joe Rogan Guest Completely Shatters the Vaccine Narrative”
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2025/03/joe-rogan-guest-completely-shatters-vaccine-narrative/
10
And
“”This Is Existential”: Billionaire Cancer Researcher Says Covid & Vaccine Likely Causing Surge In Aggressive Cancers”
https://www.zerohedge.com/medical/existential-billionaire-cancer-researcher-says-covid-vaccine-likely-causing-surge
70
I do not suffer of ABC addiction, I enjoy it.
Nonetheless, the Parliament Question Time on ABC is going over the border.
I bet some people here could provide better entertainment for free rather than burn the money the public serpents do not have.
So wrote to my friend Peter (as he called me…) residing at [email protected]
Dear Peter,
Thank you for reaching out to me personally.
I would like to propose a procedural change to Australian Parliament operations that could significantly enhance its efficiency. Even if the attempt to implement this change does not succeed, advocating for it would demonstrate your party’s commitment to integrity, especially in contrast to those who oppose it.
The core of this proposal is to reform Question Time by ensuring that the government’s role is strictly limited to providing answers, rather than using this important democratic process as a platform for self-congratulation.
I appreciate your consideration and look forward to your thoughts.
Best regards,
Vladimir
110
Good luck Vladimir, I continually get emails from the Liberal party asking me to donate to their cause. As I have NEVER received any answers to what I believe are genuine questions regarding both state and federal matters, I will decline their offer to “give them money”. Without doubt it would be like buying a pig in a poke, You spends your money, but you get what you are given, NOT what you asked for!
40
Nice one Vladamir!
30
Touché, well written Vladimir.
Let us know if “hq” get back to you.
30
Vivaldi integrates Proton VPN into the browser to fight web tracking
Vivaldi has announced the integration of Proton VPN directly into its browser without requiring add-on downloads or plugin activations, allowing users to protect their data against ‘Big Tech’ surveillance for free.
When enabled, browsing activity will be transmitted through Proton VPN’s encrypted tunnels while also obfuscating the user’s IP address, safeguarding their privacy and protecting them from persistent tracking.
https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/software/vivaldi-integrates-proton-vpn-into-the-browser-to-fight-web-tracking/
Another reason to use Vivaldi.
20
John Connor II,
Whether it’s a good reason depends on how confident you can be that Vivaldi and Proton VPN aren’t honeypot operations designed to attract people with things to hide, only to snoop on them. There’s also the possibility of them being sincere in not snooping on your stuff, but later being infiltrated by people less well intentioned (as per EncroChat).
To be more specific, what percentage of users would know enough to check that their VPN encryption was readable by just one key? Instead of understanding what they’re doing, a lot of users rely on the advice of *experts*. Now and then experts have been known to give bad or even dishonest advice.
20
Ooh ahh, e be roit there mister.
I be but a lowly farmer with nought knowledge of them new fangled puters ‘n stuff.
Plus decades in IT support, a background in cryptography, ethical hacking, I designed features later built into to Microsoft OS’es, and other “interesting things”.
Oohh, I know all the dirt on VPN’s and proxies, don’t you worry.
00
” ethical hacking”
..oxymoron..
00
You don’t get out much, do you…
00
honeypot operations designed to attract people with things to hide
Proton mail’s close relations with Bellingcat gives me the heebie jeebies
00
A quick reminder to all to get your washing done and bring the tomato plants in, as the world ends tomorrow
https://1028daysleft.com
Yes, climate loon Alizee from climate doom group Dernière Rénovation who glued herself to the tennis court net back in 2022 has spoken.
50
Splendid NEWs for Simon.
He believes in Hobgoblins, Brownie, Bwca, Fenodyree, Uruisg & Boggarts. Some or all of them.
Probably an avid devotee of the recent box office disaster from Disney.
Incidentally there was a 1988 film called Hobgoblins, low budget and apparently sunk with little trace.
YouTube might help if your tastes run that way.
20
I think I missed Hobgoblins. Thankfully.
10
Meanwhile in Spain, being dead doesn’t mean an end to filing tax returns
In the UK, debts are paid out of the deceased’s estate and heirs are not personally liable, while in Spain, heirs inherit both assets and liabilities, and can become personally responsible for the deceased’s debts unless they formally reject the inheritance or accept it “a beneficio de inventario” (benefit of inventory) to limit liability to the value of the inherited assets.
In short: the heirs must file the tax return of the deceased. Fail to do so, and you could be slapped with penalties and lose out on potential refunds.
https://euroweeklynews.com/2025/03/27/spanish-taxes-shock-2025-even-the-dead-must-file-or-their-heirs-could-face-fines/
/Probably shouldn’t give pollies ideas.
2 things are certain, death and taxes.
40
Lawyers paid out my parents estate last week, but held $3000 back from each child to pay the accountants, the tax dept and themselves as they wind it up. I have never seen such a byzantine arrangement, and am working to re-write my will so no lawyers get involved at all!
20
Good luck keeping lawyers out. The executor will almost certainly need to engage one just to obtain probate.
Of course you could always die penniless. That would solve lots of legal problems.
30
Deceased estates need a TFN in Australia too unless a single final tax return can be filed on behalf of the deceased. And of course the debts of the deceased must be paid before any assets can be distributed to beneficiaries.
These duties fall to the executor here and not the beneficiaries.
10
I managed to sort my deceased brother’s estate in Victoria last year. No lawyers, no accountants, no tax file numbered account. All it required was a bit of leg work from me as the executor and sole beneficiary. Biggest hurdle was superannuation, which took – wait for it – eighteen months after I had supplied all certified documentation. Aware Super – be aware.
By the way – his phone is still locked as the only person who could authorise unlocking by Optus was the account holder, in other words – the deceased!
40
Well done.
Super funds are a law unto themselves and amazingly bureaucratic. Strictly of course they are not part of the estate. But woe betide anybody trying to deal with them if the deceased has not kept their beneficiary nomination up to date.
Another common problem area is getting deposits back from nursing homes. They are very reluctant to refund the cash without a grant of probate.
20
I often wonder about how people get notified of others passing these days – newspapers are no longer read. I have quite a few contacts that my wife has only met in passing or never even met. In fact I still do a bit of design work for people I am unlikely to ever meet but we have exchanged hundreds of emails.. I am thinking that I need to clean up my contacts list and keep it current so my wife can broadcast my demise to people who might rejoice or mourn. If she happens to go before me then I will need to ask one of the boys to do that so they will need computer access.
Maybe Jo can offer a service here where she sends out an email to regulars if there is no show for a few weeks. If no reply, she provides a notice of MIA. TdeF has gone missing for weeks at a time. And there was some concern that Gee Aye had slashed their wrists during Trump’s inauguration. How long since TonyfromOz commented? Can you imagine how much less enjoyable this site would be if Simon did not show up at least once a week (admit it – there was wide concern earlier this year). We have to accept that Peter Fitztoy is losing their edge.
30
I’ve told my daughter to just send a shotgun email to everyone in my contacts list, it seems the only way these days.
Otherwise, the family knows my passwords and if they stick my body in the freezer or bury me in the swamp out the back life will go on as usual! Its a strange part of the world these days that you don’t need to meet anyone face to face to conduct life’s business.
00
Elon Musk and seven members of his DOGE team discuss the issues they’re finding, their efforts to eliminate waste and rorts from government, and address their critics and more.
Interview from Fox. 38mins
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7kQNwJ4H_w
30
Well worth a watch, they seem an impressive and earnest group.
30
With the Aus Election having been called, advertising campaigns will need to ramp up.
Advance Australia were instrumental in the No campaign at the referendum and plan election campaigns to fight the Greens, and Labor’s “woke” and renewables agenda.
.
If you’d like to support their efforts you can do so here https://www.advanceaustralia.org.au/election2025
.
You can also checkout their various ongoing campaigns here https://www.advanceaustralia.org.au/campaigns
40
FWIW – another solar duck shoe
“GBE To Pay £200 Million For Solar Panels on Schools”
https://wattsupwiththat.com/2025/03/27/gbe-to-pay-200-million-for-solar-panels-on-schools/
10
FWIW
“Climate Collapse in 52 Glorious Days: Common Sense, Courtesy of Trump”
https://wattsupwiththat.com/2025/03/27/climate-collapse-in-52-glorious-days-common-sense-courtesy-of-trump/
30
Suggesting it took 52 days really understates Trump’s commitment. He had a lifetime of business and media education; 4 years learning about government – mostly about who he can and cannot trust. Then 4 years to plan an assault with a personally hand-picked senior team. Then 52 days to get the head of steam the assault now has.
The fighting in Gaza has stopped as far as I know. Ukraine and Russia have talked separately to USA over ceasefire in Ukraine. Plans are on the table for a Russian-Ukraine meeting.
USAID has stopped funding the UN agenda. The USA has openly declared its love of and need for fossil fuels. US funding has dried up for woke and anti-science activities around the world.
The rest of the world is being forced to question UN motives and their own woke agendas.
We are now in the Trump era. And it is global in reach. Common sense prevails over all the BS. Patriots prevailing over globalists. Democracy in favour of marxism.
70
“The rest of the world is being forced to question UN motives and their own woke agendas. We are now in the Trump era.”
And he’s achieving everything with simple economics, not politics. Trying to do what he’s doing through politics is like mud wrestling with pigs – after a few hours you realise you’ll never beat them because they’re ENJOYING it. Using economics to fix problems allows no room for lying, obfuscation or endless delaying tactics. Take their funding away and Bam! They have to negotiate. Slap on a tariff and Bam! They start to see reason. Withdraw military aid and Bam! They come back to the table.
As an old, very experienced business acquaintance used to say, “Speak softly but carry a big stick.”
30
Sorry, but all these successes are prematurely announced. Russia will not end the war, and the same in Gaza. Business will not get everything done.
03
‘Spare’ human bodies grown in artificial wombs in lab as scientists insist ‘bodyoids’ feel no pain & can serve as ‘MEAT’
CUTTING-EDGE scientists have unveiled a disturbing plan to grow soulless “spare” human bodies that can be used for medical experiments and even meat.
The so-called bodyoids would be grown in artificial wombs and have the eerie ability to withstand endless pain.
The scientists, Carsten T Charlesworth, Henry T Greely, and Hiromitsu Nakauchi, made their bizarre pitch in MIT Technology Review and explained why the Frankenstein-esque plan would revolutionize medicine.
https://www.the-sun.com/tech/13885342/spare-human-bodies-bodyoid-meat-grow-lab/
We’ve all watched the film “The Island” haven’t we?
Presumably no trace of the vaxx either.
40
Will see if i can find ‘The Island’, and in saying that, here is a recent Sparticast podcast that flew past my radar, that is somehow related to your post.
Did the dishes twice while listening to this one.
Spartacast 18
AI and synbio merging together constitute a nightmare
Spartacus
Mar 25, 2025
20
“Danger Will Robinson”
Horrific implications…
What would Dr Smith do in this situation??
“Celery Smith – Lost in Space”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J88udtXLStw
20
FWIW – Chiefio has a look at gas vs electric stoves
https://chiefio.wordpress.com/2025/03/09/w-o-o-d-9-march-2025-jihadis-gotta-jihad-eu-pushing-war-germany-joining-the-debt-club-poverty/#comment-176032
“One thing I’ve figured out: A LOT of the “comparisons of gas to electric” for things like particulates, smoke from spattered bacon grease, etc are NOT comparing Electric Resistance coils (most common) but are ONLY comparing to induction!
That’s basically lying about “gas vs electric”.
My electric stove with resistance elements smokes up a storm when the burner is first heated up; and it has not been used for a while. Why? Because the OTHER burner / pan will put oil splatter on the cold burners. Then when you turn them on, it is a LOT of smoke. A gas burner will just burn the oil – no smoke. An induction top will be greasy, but wipe off before cooking and / or not get hot enough to vaporize cooking oils.
So really what they are doing is pushing Induction Stoves.”
60
We have the 4th option, a glass-topped electric one with fine electric wire elements to heat it, each element sitting in a ceramic bowl to direct the heat upwards. Easy to clean, but the touch-panel controls are a nightmare and I wouldn’t buy another one with them.
A wife who doesn’t clean the glass top before cooking will soon bake on a layer of carbon soot.
30
We have one of those – our second. It has the special super dooper, high tech, non-scratch glass that scratches if you so much as move a pan one millimetre. Mind you, it’s now six months old so I guess I was supposed to replace it by now.
30
My Miele induction top is years old and hasn’t scratched. Once you learn patience and refrain from using the super fast heating and damaging your pans, I like it. It’s easy to clean and there is no waste heat into the [tropical] kitchen.
No good for a chef who uses a wok though.
20
I wonder if induction cooktops are less likely to scratch?
10
I didn’t mention Miele to be a snob but because manufacturer prolly matters.
00
Something very noticeable H, is the friction between pot and glass when hot. When cold its just what you’d expect, but when the glass is hot the friction is far greater. Does the induction top do that? Our ceramic cooktop is just a Bunnings cheapo, one relay has blown out already.
00
Ever go to the kitchen in the morning and find it a bit warmer than the rest of the house.. Then realise one of the gas burners was left on all night. Think about how much oxygen it depleted. Fortunately the main concern is hip pocket rather than death because the LOC for methane is 14% and it is an asphyxiant rather than a poison. So it has to be captive and able to displace oxygen. That is unlikely because it is a low density gas and will exit via windows preferentially to forcing air down through any low level vents if present.
Humans can still survive down to 6% oxygen. Hence a good safety margin but no recommendation to test it. You hear of CO poisoning from poorly adjusted burners but never gas burner asphyxiation.
As far as particulates are concerned I know any open top pan can liberate particulates. Notably cooking things like stir fry with a hot pan and lots of stuff that can be volatilised.
My wife has used enough induction cooktops to believe they have merit. And she has never been happy with the piezo igniter on our gas cooktop. She finds them easier to keep clean and safer to use. I found the touch controls on one in a place we holidayed in was a tad hit and miss.
10
40
At the moment the punters think Albo will be first past the post, but that should change over the coming weeks.
12
The 63% result is interesting compared to the 61% voice treaty truth referendum result, I believe no voters are angry that no has not deterred Albanese Labor and states from carrying on regardless with the race based division agenda.
Will it continue to the Federal election ballot boxes?
20
Sportsbet have Labor at $1.83 and Libs at $1.90.
10
Who conducted the survey? I bet there were not many people from Canberra included in the survey. Maybe all from Gippsland.
If you poled the people on this site with only two choices, Dutton to Also, I bet Dutton would get a solid majority.
10
Really? An awful lot would have libs third pref, possibly over lab but I wouldn’t want my life depending on it.
I always give Pauline a vote in the Senate, where you can spread the love around a bit.
10
This is a post lower down that shows what I mean:
Bring it on!Can’t wait to vote and neither of the incumbents will be beneficiaries
00
A big part of that not being done on the day is the scare tactic of “not voting for Team One will let your dreaded enemy Team 2 get power, so don’t waste your vote on a third party.”
That is the only time you will see Labor and Coalition publicly agree, when they are united against the small parties. (The rest of the time they agree that the peasants are revolting, but pretend not too…)
00
The low over eastern Australia will move toward Sydney and enter the Pacific pulling tropical moist air.
00
I’m thoroughly hissed with the rain. There is a major road/bridge works into town with a couple of Ks @ 40. Work has hardly progressed all year and the river is still running fast so they can’t do much with the bridge either.
We saw the sun one day last weekend. This should be the BEST time to visit the North.
10
Rainfall is intensifying in New South Wales.
Latest Southern Oscillation Index values
SOI values for 28 Mar, 2025
Average SOI for last 30 days 7.51
Average SOI for last 90 days 5.34
Daily contribution to SOI calculation 16.94
10
A lot of farmers in N.Z. are counting on that low to break the drought conditions , around 3-6 April.
What is the significance of these SOI values for short-term climate?
00
Rain in eastern Australia and New Zealand.
00
This is unprecedented.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14545589/Donald-Trumps-proposed-minerals-deal-Ukraine-US-gun-Zelenskys-head.html
00
The US has already gifted Ukraine a king’s transom in weapons and intelligence. Look at how quickly Russia advanced when none of that was available.
Trump is at least getting some return on that investment. It also makes any settlement that Ukraine achieves with Russia the lesser of two evils. Is he conceding more by accepting Russia’s offer or wanting to continue the fight against Russia by giving up more mineral wealth to the USA. Ukraine is between a rock and a hard place. Trump is actually the unyielding rock while Putin is just the hard place that is willing to yield a little.
Putin now knows USA has something to lose and might actually defend it. But it also avoids having the NATO nut cases on his doorstep.
Still a lot to pan out but it must bring a smile to Putin’s dial.
30
Crap. Very little new, most is obsolescent and would need to be decommissioned soon at high cost anyway. NO aircraft.
21
Ukraine will settle for nothing less than all their stolen lands being returned, including Crimea.
04
“Ukraine will settle for nothing less than all their stolen lands being returned, including Crimea.”
Lol… as if they get a choice at all!
“NO aircraft.”
Russians say they shot down an F16 last week..
30
Settle for nothing less? Then there will be no settlement and the Ukraine will be no more.
10
FWIW
https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_848,h_565,c_fill,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep,g_center/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F73481447-f1a0-4406-849f-07b73ab8774c_462x350.jpeg
https://simplicius76.substack.com/
https://simplicius76.substack.com/p/sitrep-32625-signal-gate-crash-russia
10
Bring it on!Can’t wait to vote and neither of the incumbents will be beneficiaries
10
No its not, the ‘art of the deal’ is being applied to the world, pity Ukraine, who is being gifted to Russia.
24
“pity Ukraine, who is being gifted to Russia.”
Only the Eastern half, the Pro-Russian part. The Western half can go to Poland and sink with the EU. Its just the usual outcome for a country that was created via a war that jammed quite different peoples into each half. Look at Yugoslavia.
Is the idea that Ukraine was the most broken, poorest, most corrupt country in Europe just propaganda? Were the Bidens and the Yanks there out of altruism, or were the Bidens just lining their pockets while the CIA and Pentagon lined up trouble in Russia. What about the dozen biolabs the Yanks had in Ukraine ‘studying’ diseases and collecting Slavic DNA?
What its all done and dusted, the Ukrainians in the Eastern half might be far better off as Russians than they were before 2020 in a pro-European Ukraine.
51
The initial referendum on autonomy of all Ukraine was quite conclusive. Apart from Crimea, with just over 50%, the rest was +80%, including the contested bits.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1991_Ukrainian_independence_referendum#Results
01
Seemed like a good idea at the time?
But KP is right. This is the usual outcome for a country created by war and most recently in this case the end of the USSR.
Have a look at a reasonably objective history at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Ukraine
The whole of Europe has a similar history. It just takes a while for the friction to build up and then boom.
10
FWIW
“Leftists Melt Down after Climate Change Removed from America’s List of Policy Priorities
As “climate change” is removed from the national threat assessment, a Bloomberg opinion piece provides a great list of all the winning Team Trump has had over the past 52 days.”
https://legalinsurrection.com/2025/03/leftists-melt-down-after-climate-change-removed-from-americas-list-of-policy-priorities/
10
Trump has done well domestically where he has fulfilled his pledge of America First. Internationally he’s a disaster for the same reason. It’s absurd to think he can hoover up all the good business and import coffee, bananas and avocados.
13
FWIW
A strategy we might see from “Their ABC”
“Two Good Facts/Two Bad Facts”
https://x.com/jarvis_best/status/1904978509057110222
Via SDA
00
Artificial intelligence better than physics based models at forecasting weather.
https://wattsupwiththat.com/2025/03/27/artificial-intelligence-ai-making-strides-in-the-world-of-weather-forecastingeuropean-center-for-forecasting-makes-its-ai-model-fully-operational/
01
https://sanityunleashed.substack.com/p/uk-government-announces-a-new-exercise
Don’t get assessed as vulnerable…
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https://brussels.mcc.hu//uploads/default/0001/01/1a47a9192707d75b7d8d44211731f9cb177cb225.pdf
This report, however, sets out to explore the impact of lesser-acknowledged factors – sustainability policy and environmental restraint that are having an impact on housing provision and the output of the construction industry more broadly. On a philosophical and policy level, environmentally restrictive practices and limits to the growth of material ambition are exacerbating the problem across Europe. The impact of carbon-reduction and energy-saving is adding start-up costs to housing that are hitting poorer countries hardest.
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