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
Worrall on Oz grid price controls with a great picture of Clown Bowen:
https://wattsupwiththat.com/2025/06/21/australias-green-car-crash-grid-will-now-face-harsher-government-price-fixing/
331
Great picture of Chrissy “Blackout” Bowen.
I bet he would be incompetent in that job as well.
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He looks right at home there.
100
Reminds me of the nine worst words you can hear
anyone saying.
“I’m from the government and I’m here to help.”
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Ronald Reagan I believe!
10
Can’t find an English writen news site talking about the Wind- and Solarpower Moratorium in France that passend the National Assembly today.
https://apollo-news.net/frankreich-beschliet-moratorium-fr-neue-wind-und-solaranlagen/
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https://europeanconservative.com/articles/news/french-parliament-backs-halt-on-wind-and-solar-projects-for-now/
Tres cool.
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That was the preparation of what happend today.
30
14 nuclear stations in 5 years !
How is it possible ?
France is part of European “civilisation”, meaning the same counter-civilisation people and movements that we have here – bureaucracy, greens, NIMBYs, etc,.. etc…
By the way, it applies equally to non-nuclear projects, like upgrade of old coal stations to modern technology.
140
It’s a shame Germany is going in the opposite direction. This plan to destroy an ancient forest first surfaced five years ago, but now it’s happening
https://notrickszone.com/2025/06/22/german-wind-industry-now-destroying-german-forest-that-inspired-grimm-fairy-trales/
170
Where is our modern journalist (cf Charles Mackay) to write about Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Politicians.
160
Surely Saint Greta and other Greens will chain themselves to trees and stand in front of bulldozers to save the forest?
170
Why address current environmental damages that will definitely transpire when you can ramble on about supposed natural disasters that may or may not occur in the distant future?
70
David,
Try and keep up!…Saint Greta is busy busting through blockades in her trusty sailboat with her coconspirators to deliver aid to Gaza…WAY WAY WAY more important than any other issue!
30
For overseas readers, Australia has a system of employer-sponsored or individual tax-beneficial retirement funds called superannuation, somewhat like US 401K.
Anyway, the latest government policy is to impose an unrealised capital gains tax on funds with a value above A$3 million dollars.
This is effectively a wealth tax plus fundamentally immoral as is any tax on monies that have not yet been realised. It means assets will have to be sold to pay the tax.
Notably, many politicians and senior public serpents are exempt from this tax.*
Additionally, our simpleton and communist PM** said it would only affect a few people. In that case, why bother with it?
He knows that once it’s in place, 1) the hidden tax of inflation will lower the threshold and 2) at successive budgets they will lower the the threshold so that the funds of more and more people are included.
This is also a wealth tax, something that I am not aware that Australia has had before in its history. Now that such a tax is in place, it will no doubt be extended to other areas.
For the above reasons, I know many people who no longer consider their superannuation safe and are looking for other investment vehicles but it’s not obvious what these could be apart from precious metals although these aren’t safe or practical to use. And in Australia, you can’t even buy those without the transaction being recorded by Big Brother so they could still tax your gold bullion.
For the above reasons, some are even considering retiring overseas. I know people who are actively investigating this option and one who has done it.
* https://www.skynews.com.au/australia-news/politics/former-state-premiers-and-politicians-under-previous-pension-scheme-will-be-exempted-from-labors-superannuation-tax/news-story/666cc496e1e66d0403e6de5f6804e9c8
** Book: Trevor Loudon, Comrade Prime Minister: Anthony Albanese’s 40-Year Alliance with Australian Communism
450
And guess who gets exempted from this tax? The clue is that they all get a taxpayer funded Defined Benefit Pension.
“Pollies”
Judges
and loads of senior Public Serpents
This an out right RORT and stealing………………………………….
Beam me up Scottie.
410
That very same group were excused compulsory wuflu vaccinations too!
330
And when they tried to get me to have the Jabs and said “Safe and Effective:. I said “no Way” or words to that effecrive. Still alive vnw at 72. And very happy as I Know that I have a good Immune System. Thank you Mum and all our Ancestors.
10
And my Mum is still alive at age 93.
20
David,
Is it feasible/possible to invest in investment funds similar to our “super” in other countries.
Other countries may be interested in our investments if our dumbass authorities are not!!
92
That’d class as tax evasion, and as the government is broke, they’d be coming after you.
Interesting though, comparing countries, on account returns.
In Venezuela you’d get 23% or more on your savings account but 2 or 3% here, and it’s supposedly a good return.
Obviously the risk is your main concern.
60
If you are a “USA person” for USA tax purposes, having a self funded superannuation fund in Australia is NOT a good idea. It is considered a “foreign trust fund” and is a major flag for income tax audits. Even the company sponsored funds are now a pain the wallet/preparation time for filing USA tax returns.
And there was a period of time when the IRS did not know how to treat the issue (consistently).
May a change to residence based taxation (I’m dreaming) for “USA persons” will happen.
I wonder how the ATO would consider the foreign equivalent of self funded super?
20
Apparently one of the features of this “program” is to eliminate the (financial) possibility of having non-liquid assets in superannuation accounts (like farm land).
Or how to ensure that farms are all corporately owned.
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Australia is now an effective One Party State due to having almost no numbers in opposition parties federally, or in most states except QLD and NT. In any case, the Liberals (fake conservatives) are almost in lockstep with Labor on many issues such as climate and covid (should it or another plandemic re-emerge).
There is basically nothing stopping Labor doing whatever they please, including spending without limit and dramatically growing the size and scope of government, including the numbers of public serpents.
Even if by a miracle Australians elected an actual conservative party (not Liberals), there would be a huge mess to clean up and it would be extremely painful for all. Australia’s status as a rich country might be permanently finished.
This is all very disappointing as I thought that with the US electing TRUMP, other countries would follow the lead of the US toward common sense, science, traditional morality, reason and conservatism, but the whole world, including Australia, seems to be heading rapidly in the opposite direction.
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This is precisely what Biden did! Open the borders and flood the country with malleable voters
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‘ … seems to be heading rapidly in the opposite direction.’
Its called the Trump Effect.
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What happens is that they run out of money, and with deficit spending DESPITE Modern Money Theory there will be inflation. And since we now longer makes things in Australia imports will become so expensive that they are unobtainable.
We will go backwards towards 1950 when the Labor Government was frantically trying to get industries started in Australia, but this is unlikely to happen with inflation raging and hordes of bureaucrats making life difficult if not impossible. Shortly after that East Timor will claim parts of Australia and Indonesia might want a bit too.
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I think TRUMP’s attack on Iran’s nuclear weapons program restores respect for America and pride among Americans, especially after a series of humiliating abandonments such as Biden’s withdrawal from Afghanistan in a hugely humiliating way.
It also partly avenges previous attacks by Iran against the United States such as the taking of US hostages by Iran in 1979-81, the Beirut US Marine barracks bombing in 1983 killing 241 American servicemen plus others perpetrated by Iran and their proxies, and also in 1983 the bombing of the US Embassy in Beirut killing 63 mostly US personnel and a second bombing in 1984 killing 23, also perpetrated by Iran or its proxies.
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Last time I was standing in attention and saluting my commanding officer was more than 1/2 century ago, so as a totally civil man I think:
a) Trump wanted to impress the Emperor more than to frighten the Ayatollah,
b) Maybe it is true that Chinese leadership is at the cusp of.., Trump knows that and nudging the “reformers” to hasten,
c) It has a lot of sense to return part of $23B (those old dollars) spent originally on B2 program by building another 20 or 40 machines.
Why ? Check point c)
1010
Vladimir:
you posted a fact and 3 conjectures so why has that got equal amounts in favour/ or against. Weird.
Your fact can hardly be controversial at all (unless Miasma has lots of cousins/aunts etc).
As for a) probably true although I think that Trump was returning “favours” for past mistakes by the Iranian rulers. Also letting others know that he doesn’t dither like Biden or who was making decisions then.
b) I don’t know but it seems that the Chinese regime is shaky (although nowhere near to collapse as those in England and Germany).
c) OK although someone like Miasma would disagree because he wants more wind turbines which don’t frighten any foreigner.
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‘ … and nudging the “reformers” to hasten …’
Probably not before the 4th Plenary Session, late August or early September, in the meantime they will discuss strategy for economic recovery and democracy.
As Albo said at the stand up with Wong, this bombing run was a unilateral decision by the Americans. It would have been more correct to say it was the power of one.
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“I think TRUMP’s attack on Iran’s nuclear weapons program restores respect for America and pride among Americans,”
Yep, they specialise in bombing third-world countries back into the stone age, anyone ho can’t fight back. The SMH has the propaganda spread half an inch thick all over it this morning, a thousand reasons why bombing another country is a good thing. Reports are out that the Iranians knew the attack was coming, well, you couldn’t NOT know from the publicity, so very little damage to their nuclear program would have been done. However, just a show for the Yanks as usual, all they ever need is some spectacular explosions and a jet flying past the camera.
Russia/Ukraine?? Oh, Ukraine is losing every day, just ignore it and concentrate on Iran..
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Witness Bush and “Mission Accomplished” whilst on the deck of an aircraft carrier. Sums up USofA.
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Not a problem. Trump signalled to Xi “we can get you, too” by having B2 bombers fly from Missouri to Guam and refuel, take off again! (It was calculated misdirection, too.) Similarly, a message is delivered to Putin’s Evil Obstinacy . You can’t walk softly and deliver fear unless you show a Big Stick and how to use it from time to time. This is the same demo Trump delivered to Russia early in his first term as President — to Xi after hitting a Russian middle battery in Syria with cruise missiles.
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FWIW –
“Who told how the work was done”
“Operation Midnight Hammer: How U.S. B-2 Bombers Struck Iran Undetected”
https://theaviationist.com/2025/06/22/operation-midnight-hammer/?utm_source=mailerlite_newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_term=2025-06-23
And
“Debunking the “We Evacuated Everything” Narrative:”
https://x.com/AimenDean/status/1936600903638749655
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Both via Instapundit
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But what if all that was evacuated was the enriched uranium?
Any idea of what weight and volume that would be? Enough for two SUVs? ( That’s a me, provocative, guess.)
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Would a list of US global shenaigans 1979 to now justify bombing the US? If that is the case there are quite a few countries that have the green light.
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I don’t follow your logic here David
America has lost all respect in the eyes of the international community because thecworld knows this is about regime change and nothing more.
The nuke issue is just a smoke screen to dupe people like you into accepting any military action against Iran as legitimate and nessecary.
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You left off an important part of the quote
It helps you follow the logic if you note that part.
You may still disagree. But at least you’ll understand the logic.
The level of incompetence with the Afghanistan withdrawal may well have given Russia and Gaza the confidence to do what they did in the following two years. Maybe not. Maybe so.
But whether the Iran nuclear facility bombing is the right thing or not, it wasn’t incompetent.
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DM’s quote exemplifies that the US can thumb its nose at international law and attack another nation which does not pose a direct threat to it. As David suggests that this was for the embarrassment of 1979, then one can hold a grudge for a long time. No chance for international trade sanctions I guess.
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Totally disagree DM.
The basis of MAGA was to END the decades of foreign wars and interference, and the majority voted him in on that basis.
So, with a 2 week window for Iran to negotiate, he goes in and bombs them anyway.
NOW he’s talking about regime change.
He’s failed the people and lit the fuse on WW3.
And as I said, who cares if Iran wants a nuke as their allies have thousands.
Today: Russia’s Security Council Chairman announces Iran’s allies will give them nukes if need be.
What I said…
On top of that, the odds of the bombing actually having destroyed the stockpike have now dropped to 60% in a few hours.
Probably evacuated back in March.
Anyone smell a setup?
Trump’s not the saviour any more.
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No one said he was the saviour but at least he did something that effected an outcome. Others have wrung their hands, made a noise and the Iranian mullahs have totally ignored them in their quest to destroy Israel. Unbelievably Biden gave them millions of dollars to do what exactly?
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>something that effected an outcome
It’s too soon to know yet, what the outcome will be.
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‘ … at least he did something that effected an outcome.’
In the 21st century its not a good look seeing a delinquent ignoring social norms and creating unstable outcomes.
American Adventurism is so last century.
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Obama sent them 1.7billion in cash also. Seems to be a trend.
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‘….who cares if Iran wants a nuke….’ Israel.
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Weapons inspection for the Dimona facility. That would send the Israel lovers into conniptions.
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Israeli army says has ‘other goals’ in Iran, will continue attacks
https://insiderpaper.com/israeli-army-says-has-other-goals-in-iran-will-continue-attacks/
VP Vance says ‘up to the Israelis’ whether to take out Iranian supreme leader, https://thehill.com/.
Iran’s Atomic Energy Agency says nuclear sites quickly being rebuilt, activity to continue with greater power – Insider News
Iran’s parliament has approved closing the Hormuz Strait, (still to be ratified) https://thehill.com/
That won’t affect China’s dependency on oil imports from Iran. They still have the new China-Iran Railway Link. https://www.armstrongeconomics.com/international-news/iran/the-middle-east-china-connection/
B2 Bombers have returned to Whiteman AFB, Missouri.
Russia, China, and Pakistan propose Draft UN Security Council Resolution calling for immediate, unconditional ceasefire in the Middle East. – Insider Paper
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Yesterday TdeF mentioned all or at least some of the things the Australian Government claims Australia will become a “superpower” in.
It’s absurd.
1) “Green” wind and solar energy is super expensive and unreliable and cannot sustain an industrial economy.
2) Hydrogen is a nightmare transport fuel, even for NASA. It is not an appropriate consumer or industrial fuel. Ammonia is also a nightmare fuel.
3) “Green” steel, presumably by direct reduction of iron ore using hydrogen would be hugely expensive due to the high cost of “green” hydrogen and then the high cost of “green” electricity for electric arc furnaces.
4) AI data centres need vast amounts of cheap, reliable power, which does not come from wind or solar.
5) Quantum computing is at an early stage and does not warrant giving a Californian start-up company one billion dollars of Aussie taxpayer money. And Government should not be investing in private business enterprises in any case.
6) There is no need for Australia to build its own solar panels as they will not be cost competitive with the Chinese except for the one billion dollars of Aussie taxpayer money given to them as a subsidy. And no need for solar panels in any case as we have plenty of coal and uranium with which to produce electricity…
The only thing we will become a *power in is a stupidpower.
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These people are idiots.
You can’t make steel without carbon. Otherwise you have cast iron which is not very strong.
Wake up you “Pollies”. Back to School tomorrow.
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I would like to see a general knowledge and numeracy test applied to politicians.
I bet none could explain how steel is made or even the principal raw materials, nor could they explain the basic operating principles of a coal, gas or nuclear power station. Not asking for an explanation of the thermodynamics of the Rankine cycle or anything like that, just the very basics. Similarly for hydro.
And I’d be willing to bet not very many could write the numbers one billion or one trillion in numerals either.
With only a handful of exceptions, politicians are the school dunces and bullies who have now acquired enormous power.
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David Maddison,
And who would police this? Yet another unaccountable tier of bureaucrats? Don’t you think we already have enough of those?
If we had such a panel, I fear they’d tend to select for MPs according to how nicely they’d look after the bureaucrats.
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To become a medical doctor at Melbourne University today, you have to do a general science course first, not just the first year.
I do not see why politicians should not be required to have a real job first. Not one in the Union or sponsored by the Union or with a legal firm which does union work. That alone would wipe out most Labor politicians who have never had to earn a living. It’s not called the Labor party for nothing. If the Liberals were owned by BHP Billiton there would be outrage.
And I would include motherhood as full qualification. Pauline Hanson ran a fish and chip shop to support her family. And is ridiculed for it, especially by the cosseted irresponsible unaccountable snakes in the ABC. Pauline would automatically qualify as very experienced.
What is amazing about Donald Trump is that he has never been a public servant or politician. He does not need or want the salary or the perks. Or to live in the White House or have an army of servants, even someone to sign his documents. And Washington hates him for that.
Australia has a collection of the worst governments in my memory, unrepresentative swill. Self serving autocrats who kowtow to China and cannot bring themselves to congratulate Donald Trump on defanging the world’s greatest exporter of terror. Our politicians stand for no one and nothing.
And the Liberal party is spending millions to keep Persutto in a job. Why? We all know they did nothing to stop his appalling slanderous defamation of Moira Deeming. Former Premiers Kennett, Napthine and Beaulieu should hang their heads in shame. What is their game? Sacrificing their good names to save one seat in a minority party for a proven misogynist liar.
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TdeF,
That’s a bit of a rant, and failed to address my question.
If you were to have a red-hot go at writing down the exact rules that you would approve of, but that some bureaucrat is apply to decide who can or cannot stand for election, I bet it’d turn out that you’d get into a situation like Dr Hewson’s birthday cake fiasco. Haven’t you already gone part-way down that path with the exception for mothers? I mean, what do *they* know about the need for inertia in power systems?
The thing is, the point of MPs is to represent ordinary citizens. They’re not meant to make up some sort of expertocracy. They’re meant to take advice from experts and make decisions in the general interest.
Obviously they’re not doing that these days. I think the bad candidates are a symptom of bad incentives. If you demand a better class of candidates but leave the bad incentives in place, we’d most likely end up with a better class of bad representatives.
30
Yes, a bit of a rant on a Monday. I am just so disappointed in ALL the candidates. Some stand out like Jacinta Price and the indomitable Pauline Hanson and recently Moira Deeming who took on all the Liberal party. A few others. Can you believe Pauline was jailed for three months? In Australia?
Otherwise they are all the same facile crowd pleasers who have no ideas of their own and parrot whatever they think will get them elected. Free theatre passes for disabled hospital veterans. And when in power they do as they please.
Adam Bandt never cared at all about the environment, a true Watermelon. And could care less about Jews except that communists hate Jews, so it’s from the river to the sea as policy for the tree huggers. Then our foreign Minister Mr Wong who is not the slightest bit representative of Australia or Australians. Downright evil dictator and robber Daniel Andrews. Drunk, he nearly killed that teenage cyclist and lied and lied and lied. The police covered it up.
It’s a thrill to see world changing non globalist politicians like Trump and Farage and Melei and Meloni and the incredible support they have to fix a very broken system. While the left conspire to prevent popular politicians from being allowed to govern. And Zelensky has not had an election for six years and still pretends to lead a democracy.
In Australia the only thing going well is taxation, which has risen from 25% of GDP to 30% of GDP in a very short time. Businesses are paying $300Billion in other regulations and only $140billion in actual company taxes. We are being taxed into the ground. By the politicians. Licenced robbery. Wait till the 35% CO2 tax peaks in 2029.
So where is our Farage? Someone who has succeeded in life and is determined to fix what is broken in government? The candidates I see are all the same DEI opportunists. Then the rich and caring Teals like Monique Ryan. The Aegean stables need flushing. Fire half the public service for start. Give the money back to the people.
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Some ideas..
Rule 1. At least 25.(not 18)
Rule 2. Not a public servant for the last 3 years excluding police, health, teaching.
Rule 3. employed outside the public service and legal industry for at least 3 years or qualified in a profession. Nursing, medicine, academic, tradesman.
Rule 4. Some actual professional or trades or organizational skills can be demonstrated. Like train driver(Ben Chifley) Manager of a concrete factory (Tony Abbott) Otherwise Union to politician is just a baby factory for automatons or lawyers with zero real world experience.
And the only way to stop explosive growth in the public service or fully government funded contractors such as the ABC and other quasi public servants on the government teat is that if you work for the government, you lose the right to vote. Otherwise parliament becomes a closed loop of public servants just voting for more of other people’s money, as with the ABC.
We need to stop the situation that 70% of politicians are lawyers or academics with no substantial work experience. Adam Bandt for example. And as over 30% of all private money earned (outside wages) GDP now goes to the government, the second highest in the OECD, that the government can just demand more and more cash from fewer and fewer people. Without even knowing what is going to be done with the money.
50
Don’t forget the hydrogen making the steel brittle too.
If you don’t bake it out, (in a very hot electric arc furnace for many hours), then the steel will snap like a ceramic when strained. It would be like buying the worst chinese steel but having to pay 10x European prices.
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And there is the general ignorance of steel. Appallingly the UK now does not make steel, it only melts old steel. This is the business of electric arc furnaces run ultimately on an emaciated grid with such fuels as wood pellets imported from America. Australia is heading the same way. Our integrated mills which turn hematite or iron oxide into steel are in a bad way, Whyalla and Newcastle. China would rather shut them down. In fact China just tried to shut down the entire UK steel industry.
Australia, the UK and America are under attack economically.
It’s simple. You buy the loss making furnaces and then you shut them down. Then you make much more money selling Chinese steel to the mugs who sold you their facilities, shipyards, ports, airports. Idiots.
In the US the Japanese bought US steel. Ultimately controlled by China. As in the UK the next step is to argue you could buy it all cheaper from China and just import steel.
But in rare earths it was different. The funded world wide Green parties attacked every rare earths mine as polluting. So they have been shut and only China now supplies critical rare earths. And the price of rare earths rocketed from $8 a kg to $250 a kg in a year. Plus you get the real buzz of threatening to withhold supply in a time of conflict. Snap.
Ditto refrigerants like the very efficient CF4. Argue saving the planet from the evils of carbon tetraflouride. Now refigerants come from China and in Australia at neaerly $1000/kg instead of $10/kg. As for the ozone hole? Unchanged. And besides if it was true, the ozone hole should not be in the bottom 40% of the planet where only 2% of population lives.
China was stopped from closing down British Steel. Infrabuild has been stopped in Whyalla, though that is more likely the Gupta family world ponzi scheme. America even under Biden stopped the outright overseas control of the US STEEL company. But the games are afoot as China threatens to withold rare earths.
The world has been under seige from China for two decades. High profile terrorism has been the job of their very close allies in Iran and North Korea. All three are now outraged that the US has the technology, the power and the will to defend everyone against them.
The real war is economic and Victoria is a basket case example of Chinese theft and control through rotten politicians who have sold us out. Starting with Paul Keating supported by Penny Wong and a whole cast of Labor marxists and opportunists. We will be taxed into submission, now through hidden massive CO2 taxes like the Safeguard Mechanism. Who knows Australia has a CO2 tax of 35% underway? On everything. Except petrol.
230
I’ve read that Scunthorpe was saved at the last possible instant and a shipment of coke to feed it, previously cancelled by owners Jingye, was restored; national security still features on the agenda of government responsibility in the UK though long abandoned here in its former colony.
70
Tucker Carlson versus Ted Cruz (Texas senator):
Greenwald does a brilliant ‘post-match review’ of their ‘talk’. (Listen to Glenn’s “System Update” show)
Glenn covers:
1. Cruz’s basic ignorance of the country he wants attacked.
2. Who is Cruz devoted to serving every day? … Clue: it’s a foreign country… Okay, another clue: AɪPAC
3. James Baker, former U.S. Sec. of State… how his career was ruined by the antɪsemɪtɪsm smear. (Bill Clinton had a starring role). Why? … Baker thought West Bank settlements were jeopardizing a 2-state solution.
It’s all riveting information you’ll never hear from Fox News…
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Found the link here: https://www.24vids.com/video/ted-cruz-does-not-even-know-the-basic-facts-about-iran-that-can-be-found-on-a-p-tw-1935703829158252821
And here is the link to the original Tucker/Cruz interview posted yesterday by Crakar: https://joannenova.com.au/2025/06/sunday-112/#comment-2856034
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There is not, nor can there ever be, a ‘two-state solution’ as long as one side is literally calling for the erasure/genocide of the other. ‘From the River to the Sea’ is not just a pithy protest chant for LARPing teenagers on college campuses. Hamas and the Palestinians take it literally. They want to wipe Israel off the face of the earth and have no interest in a ‘two-state solution’ that includes a single Jew ‘from the river to the sea’. Read the Hamas charter.
Ditto for Iran. They openly state their primary foreign policy goal is the destruction of Israel. How can you live peaceably next to a neighbor who wants you dead and gone?
Personally, I’m not in favor of the USA poking it’s nose in their regional dispute. I would have preferred letting the Israelis finish the job themselves, since everything America has touched in the Middle East over the past 30 years or so has turned to crap, but what’s done is done. Hopefully, the Iranian expat community in America has been telling us the truth for the past 45 years and their pro-western inclination really is the norm among the Iranian people, and they will rise up and throw out Islamist death cult now that their government has been defanged. But if history is any guide, that happy outcome will probably not happen, and some other even more radical group of Islamist clerics will seize power and eventually get the bomb and use it.
191
How well-informed are you? . . .Have you read the New Historians?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Historians
A group of IՏræli historians “who have challenged traditional versions of IՏræli history and played a critical role in refuting [some of the] foundational myths”
Benny Morris might be the best known.
Ilan Pappe’s book on the history of the Occupied Territories is excellent.
29
Steve writes “everything America has touched in the Middle East over the last 30 years or so has turned to crap.”
This needs a further input, that of American politics. It is Republicans that have started remedial action, it is Democrats that have ended the action, often not well. Democrats know a lot about crap. Geoff S
Geoff S
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It’s not a rival political party thing. It’s uniparty thing of administrative state, State Department, Pentagon, the Intelligence Community and NGOs. No matter which political parties win elections, ‘The Blob’ continues to do it’s thing and foment regime change wars and color revolutions around the world. Politicians come and go, but they are the real permanent power in Washington. It’s why they absolutely despised Trump for throwing a wrench in the plans, and it’s why they must be over the moon with glee right now because the Bad Orange Man has FINALLY got with their program.
60
While I have nothing but disdain for Greta it is interesting to see the transnational Arab/Israeli/Corporate connections and collaborations in the Middle East which enable the leaders to construct surveillance states throughout the region at the expense of, but with zero regard for the humanity of the populace.
Arab leaders Helping Israel Attack Iran AND Gaza
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Heo6QxpGWyQ
30
Mystifies me why Jo Nova’s has become a hotbed of opinion on the Middle East.
Anyhow, I watched your video. It was big on making it sound like a conspiracy between various Arab nations and Israel to dud the Palestinians.
Here’s a different video which gives an alternative perspective. Allegorical, I admit, but there might be something in it.
40
And I am mystified why some bloggers are scared to call Jew a Jew.
My personal belief is that all people are Jews, just not everyone has beed uncovered yet.
26
Same reason that it became a hotbed of opinion on virology and public health back in 2020 … because a giant world event just happened that made it hot issue. Because that event could spill over to the rest of the Anglosphere if things go pear-shaped. These strikes could be the end of the Islamic Republic of Iran, or they could be the start of another fruitless 20+ year regime change war.
180
Steve,
One big difference is that Jo *led* the discussion on COVID. I haven’t seen any articles on the Middle East posted by Jo, nor even a comment.
Taking a stab at why it’s being so hotly debated here at the moment:
most commenters here agree about the climate alarm scam
they thus recognise various personalities here as good eggs; allies
then they find that some of the erstwhile good eggs actually side with the [Snip – the descriptions/slang for either side is unnecessary to make the point. “opposite position” might be the appropriate insert. – Raquel] and are duty-bound to bring them back to the side of light.
Same rationale behind the Ukraine controversy. My view on both is borrowed from Tony Abbott: baddies versus baddies. Not inclined to champion either side in either debate.
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>baddies versus baddies
Sums it up nicely.
00
Labor and Liberals. Should it suit our monarchist mad monk. May I add that I don’t disagree with all things that he says. that being said he has more kinks in him than a chain.
10
Why not? This is off topic. Are there rules we should know about.
40
I only managed to watch half of that anti-Arab video.
Why? Pure jealousy of course.
Ukraine is larger than France and the girls are more beautiful.
The (long term) opportunities there are limitless so why Arab governments choose Israel ?
Granted, the Ukrainian officials and elites are corrupt but some businessmen see it as an advantage.
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The war is just beginning
George Galloway interviews Colonel Douglas Macgregor
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tdeP4up5To
Israel & the US seem to be achieving the opposite of their objectives
The focus is now off Ukraine & Gaza
MAGA is now in trouble
The USA is now in trouble
Israel is now in deep trouble
The insufferable hubris of Netanyahu has caused untold suffering and has dragged Trump into the vortex of doom.
The West is sinking while BRICS gains strength.
Australia desperately needs its own MAGA. Restart our oil and gas developments. Fire up our coal generating capacity. Build up our productive capacity. Build a bonfire out of our woke, non-productive, politically correct, moral vanities, and wake & shake the general public to the harsh realities.
125
But Netanyahu has achieved his long term goal i.e. to get the US fighting his war for him, and to Hell with anyone else.
And thanks for the link. 15 mins. Some real straight talking from both men.
34
George is a wild ride! Geopolitics with a rocket up its a–.
His show M.O.A.T.S got (I think) 7million listeners last week… and the week before it was 4million.
So he’s growing fast. Top 5 in Morocco ? he said… and getting calls from America, Liverpool etc.
02
The following short video is from Mark Latham’s outsiders when an American explains that he can’t understand why Australia has all this massive mineral wealth but is not prepared to use it.
I couldn’t find it on YouTube but the video should work even without a Farcebook account.
So sad how our politicians have destroyed this country.
https://www.facebook.com/share/v/16VTKeQTpe/
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The good news for Aussies is that mineral wealth will still be there when their children or their children’s children come to their senses and realize their parents generation made a mess of things and decide to exploit those minerals to increase the national wealth and living standard. Unless India and China buy it all up before that happens.
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I doubt that the average Australian, and far less under thirty education system graduates, appreciate the enormous potential unrealised wealth Australia has in minerals and energy reserves.
One example to highlight our wealth in lockdown was Howard Coalition Treasurer Costello who sold a large part of the gold bars reserve for a substantial profit, the opposition complained that if the sale had been held off until later more profit would have been gained.
Costello replied that Australia is one of few countries that needs no gold bar reserve in secure storage because the known gold and silver deposits are valued at far more than could be reasonable mined, processed and held in secure storage.
Enabling mining companies to proceed with their business activities would greatly increase mining royalties and taxes, not only from mining companies but from the many service businesses and employees.
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As I wrote above, the taxes reported in the Australian are just appalling, now passing 30% of GDP and rising very fast. Of all the OECD countries, the ONLY country with higher taxation is Columbia! We are nearly officially a third world country in terms of government greed. And Albanese wonders why investment, R&D, productivity are at OECD record lows. It’s an absolute disgrace, but no accident.
As you say, our mineral wealth is huge. Coal and gas too. But oil rich Venezuela was a first world country just 20 years ago.
Now socialist, it is third world. Diseases are rampant. And the Chinese and Russians and Cubans are there helping rob the people of their immense wealth.
Our governments respond to China, not us. Andrews and Keating made this very clear. How long before we have Chinese police stations in our suburbs, as in Ireland?
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Jo,
I thought some of your readers might appreciate this Texan’s reflections on getting his latest power bill…
sunday memepool 2
febrile faulknerian follies (without the incest)
el gato malo
Jun 22, 2025
∙
40
Its funny how reality can be recognised in some places while Bowen continues to trundle toward the cliff with his smug little grin.
https://www.zerohedge.com/energy/natural-gas-projects-reboot-after-officials-wake-stark-realities
and in related news
https://www.zerohedge.com/weather/maximum-generation-alert-issued-nations-largest-power-grid
80
Once you’ve crossed the Rubicon, you can’t get the toothpaste back into the tube.
So to speak.
As it were.
As if such were so.
Mixing metaphors for emphasis.
The US and Israel were negotiating peace & nuclear non-proliferation with Iran’s lunatic leaders.
In the middle of negotiations Israel murdered Iran’s negotiators and attacked Iran with bombs.
Now nothing that the U.S. or Israel does is going to force the insane Iranian leaders back to the negotiating table.
Israel and the US have now thoroughly trashed what little remaining good faith they had.
They have accelerated the opposition they aimed to assuage.
Interestingly, just hours ago former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev warned that other countries “are ready to directly supply Iran with their own nuclear warheads”…
https://open.substack.com/pub/michaeltsnyder/p/iran-turns-to-russia-for-help-as?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=3d25e
cf.
https://joannenova.com.au/2025/06/monday-111/#comment-2856096
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Empty threat. Russia doesn’t want those lunatics to have nukes anymore than the western alliance does. They’ve had more than their own share of problems with Islamist death cultists. Ditto for Pakistan due to Sunni vs Shia enmity. China doesn’t want it either, as a regional nuclear war would interfere with their plans to subvert the Middle East/Africa via belt-and-road debt traps and would also interfere with global commerce which keeps their economy afloat. North Korea is the only country that might want to see Iran with the bomb, and one hopes they are smart enough to understand that what just happened in Iran could be in their future if they do something crazy (plus China would most likely stop them anyway).
130
“7. The people are rallying around the country’s spiritual leadership, including those who were previously indifferent or opposed to it.”
I’m amused when I hear people say Trump’s popularity will soar because he’s a President at war, yet next they say Iran’s leaders will all get deposed because they led Iran into war. The same with Putin, ‘the Russians will rise up against him because he invaded Ukraine.’ Well, the polls show his popularity soared after that.
11
DM,
There is widespread smear of our miners under the present pollies.
I did an analysis of the top 50 Australian Honours in the King’s Birthday list. Not one mention of a miner, though mining is holding our economy together.
So I tried an analysis of the folk who decide who gets an Honour. There are 19 of them. I gave up when I found Internet searches revealed next to nothing about them except luvvie groupie trendy moderns with missions. With a couple of exceptions. Geoff S
240
Agreed Geoff.
The Australian Government is at war against the miners, the farmers, businesses (except Big Green), the energy supply and just about anything and anyone else which is useful, productive and decent.
260
How women are protecting themselves in the EU now
https://x.com/realmaalouf/status/1936361978366247098
Earrings of lean cut bacon would do! 😆
130
>Earrings of lean cut bacon would do
…and leave the handbag at home, carry a hambag.
90
Just make pig skin fashionable
20
“Young Italian women are now joining their French counterparts in buying pet pigs so Muslim men will leave them alone when they go out.”
I suppose that’s what comes from banning handguns..
10
Here we go…
Dept Homeland Security issues a national terrorism advisory warning of attack by Iranian proxies..
FBI says it can’t locate Iranian sleeper cells in USA.
Trump appoints new head of Terrorism Prevention Unit:
https://x.com/ChrisMurphyCT/status/1936750454270247004
Love the experience!
The circus continues…
50
Iran has threatened to activate sleeper cells in the US.
Who knows how many Iranians and Obama and Biden illegally allowed in.
This is one the reasons why TRUMP wanted stricter border protection and is rounding up these criminals.
141
The Colorado terrorist is an Egyptian national, so why Isn’t Egypt on Drumpf’s list ?.
216
And the majority of the hijackers in the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Towers and the Pentagon.
20
So true, mostly Saudis, not listed.
Nothing to do with terrorists
05
A reminder of the Christmas Island arrivals from people smuggler vessels and photographs of young and fit military style men seeking asylum in Australia.
70
31/ July 2013.. Michael Smith News records the arrival of refugees from Iran
30
I see Trump’s daily approval rating has come from a low of 47% on April 30 to 52% on June 20 (Friday). It will be interesting to see what it will be after this weekend.
Rasmussen Poll
130
Trump’s disapproval rating will go south because of his unilateral attack on a sovereign state, like the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
His base is eroding but he is unaware, Nero comes to mind.
011
FWIW – or not
“Trump’s Attack on Iran Will Not Destroy the America First Movement”
https://townhall.com/columnists/kurtschlichter/2025/06/23/trumps-attack-on-iran-will-not-destroy-the-america-first-movement-n2659245
20
There will be MAGA defections because Donnie promised he wouldn’t go to warm on a whim and here we have it.
The War Powers Act is there for good reason, to prevent dictatorial rule.
08
Did you note that the US Airforce stealth bombers were not detected flying to or from Iran and there were no Iran Airforce or missile attacks against them and the escort jet fighters and others monitoring further afield.
A US General referred to Generation 5 and 4 aircraft and they would be;
* F-35 Lightning stealth fighters Gen 5
* F-18 and similar jet fighters Gen 4
Our Federal Government when creatively accounting for budget surplus cancelled the outstanding order for 30 more F-35 for the RAAF and, F-35 was developed as Joint Strike Fighter Programme between allied nations including Howard Coalition Government Australia contributing.
Next stage is Loyal Wingman Programme to develop an unmanned (drone) jet fighter to fly with crewed aircraft as force multipliers, one piloted aircraft say F-35 and two MQ-85 Ghost Bats. Our government cancelled funding for the weapons system, RAAF have some MQ-85 designed and built here by Boeing Australia in development.
No wonder Australia’s allies are frustrated with our poor response to ADF capabilities.
160
The MQ-85 Ghost Bat production was a very promising development for our impoverished defence capability. The Albanese government is unbelievably optimistic about our ability to defend ourselves. But, in view of our current obsequious relationship with Communist China, they probably think that any such program would offend the CCP.
170
Arab media says Iran was told about it beforehand by the Yanks, so they just cleared the stuff out and stood back. Made Trump look good at home…
06
Taking the Darwin Awards up a notch
https://va.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_sy9195pKcA1z23obp.mp4
Lost for words.
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>Lost for words.
Here, have some of mine:
A Poem
Life is cheap
and easily taken for granted.
Quadriplegia is not by any means cheap,
and unforeseen funerals can be quite expensive.
40
CGI!
No way! The actual pool would have been narrowed like a pin prick pupil of an opioid user.
20
Red Energy NSW (a Snowy Mountains Hydro Limited subsidiary, and SMH wholly owned by the Federal Government);
40
Wow. Service daily is up 30%. And “Anytime” rate went up 6 fold? Am I correct? Really?
70
Apology my error typing;
Anytime New Rate 38.665 c/day
20
One of the “20 old men in this blog” when they destroy a lefty’s argument with ridiculous ease
https://va.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_sy90yzz8HM1z23obp.mp4
LOL..
Don’t mess with oldies,
wethey know stuff.😆😆
80
Try dancing your way towards some evidence ?.
015
Why? You just regurgitate discredited lies and unsubstantiated cr*p, that masquerades as so called “The Science”.
100
In what alt universe is that in ?, who’s living in the sheltered workshop ?.
08
Dunno, but it’s better than living with the grifters. Give us your money or you will die is generally classed as extortion or blackmail, unless it’s the IPCC of course, who just steal our money and do nothing with it other than get very rich.
40
If one ‘believes’ in ‘Science’ …
such as the ‘theory of evolution’ …
one might ask …
“what are the evolved attributes that allow particular representatives of a species to become old?”
This is likely a question best contemplated by the not yet old.
But alas, the new young have an old that were young before the internet and rocked out to ‘My Generation’.
And evolution may yet again parse which of the post-internet particulars achieve ‘old’.
30
FWIW
Seems that there is a fake report going around on that Air India crash –
“PIB fact check debunks fake WhatsApp message claiming preliminary AI-171 crash report”
https://www.msn.com/en-in/news/other/pib-fact-check-debunks-fake-whatsapp-message-claiming-preliminary-ai-171-crash-report/ar-AA1GP53v
10
Withh apologies to Chubby Checkmate..
Impeach again, like we did last summer
Impeach again, like we did last year
Do you remember when we were even dumber?
Impeach again, ‘peachin’ time is here!
Brought to you by AOC and the Democrats
100
This time they control neither house. And only five months into the second Trump presidency, he is kicking so many goals! His unwavering stance on immigration is very popular, even among legal migrants. He is rising in popularity with blacks and latinos as well.
I suspect that the Jewish voters who mainly vote liberal/democrat will be thinking hard about who has defended them from rampant anti Semitism and really saved Israel.
Certainly not their Democrat favorites who think from the River to the Sea extermination of Jews is a reasonable approach. There will be a lot in California and the Democrat cities who will be thinking hard about whether they really want the violence in their cities that they have seen. Los Angeles, Portland, Seattle, Minneapolis and even downtown Chicago.
And the decapitated Democrats have no answer to Trump. The squad is lecturing Americans on how bad America is. And Whoppi Goldberg is only opening her mouth to change feet.
So impeach away. Even the tricky Murkowski, Collins and the like will be wary of putting their lot in with the Democrats. They will be primaried as soon as blink. A red wave is sweeping America and the lying legacy media are being consigned to the dustbin of history. Disney/ABC is a disgrace as film after film crashes. Soon there will be a remake of Old Yella, a Green Shih Tzu with superpowers.
120
Leftists lost the citizens who cast the votes about 15 years ago. However, in many big cities, they still own the people who count the votes!
10
What’s so wrong with a little insurrection ?
17
Most likely in Tehran.
40
Last one was in Washington…
11
Unarmed is not an insurrection. The only person shot was an unarmed woman and two term of duty veteran at point blank range. The policeman was not charged.
80
And riots in Portland where buildings were in flames and people were shot dead over a period of months were described as ‘mostly peaceful’. It’s all in the reporting.
110
FWIW
And here we go again
Cultural burning
https://www.michaelsmithnews.com/2025/06/what-a-load-of-horse-shit.html#comment-6a0177444b0c2e970d02c8d3d69b8d200c
10
Suggested reading –
https://quadrant.org.au/product/romancing-the-primitive/
10
Submissions are in for the Greenwashing senate committee: https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Environment_and_Communications/Greenwashing/Submissions
Some corkers in there eg Climate Action Against Disinformation
The hearings are a painful read (these committees generally are):
eg. But we know these trigger terms now. We know ‘net zero’. We know ‘ocean-bound plastic’. We know about ‘green claims’ and ‘blue claims’. These are the trigger words that should then trigger—it should be easy for the consumer to find, and for the supply chain to find as well
If a brand, a company, is going to claim something, it should be very, very easy for their supply chain and their consumer to be able to substantiate that, whether that is through the accreditations, the certificates—whatever it is that they have on their website. It should be easy to find everything that they are claiming. In Europe, they have digital product passports. You can go to a QR code and you can go, ‘Alright; so you say it’s this, this, this and this,’ and find all the independent research to prove their claims; it’s very, very easy to find. That’s what we want—transparency and clarity. As I mentioned in the previous answer, we do want to get it before it gets to that point because, otherwise, the ACCC needs a lot more funding to be dealing with this issue.
https://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/download/committees/commsen/27971/toc_pdf/Environment%20and%20Communications%20References%20Committee_2024_05_24_Official.pdf;fileType=application%2Fpdf#search=%22committees/commsen/27971/0000%22
10
A Climate Army coming soon: https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Foreign_Affairs_Defence_and_Trade/ClimateArmy47
(So basically, volunteers for rescue and recovery operations for Natural Disasters must pledge their allegiance to ‘Net Zero’)
10
A proposed biodiversity offsets scheme being considered in response to the Extinction Crises:
https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Environment_and_Communications/ExtinctionCrisis/Submissions
00
FWIW – latest Kunstler
“Anxiety Attack
“The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane.” —Marcus Aurelius”
https://www.kunstler.com/p/anxiety-attack
20
How about this for a view on the World,
Who was living in New Zealand before the animals? And where did the pwople come from. Did they own the land And who did they buy it from. Other Islands
Then the British turned up. From other Islands. Were they really Invaders,
And then there is Australia and North Amarica.
10
https://brownstone.org/articles/cochrane-on-a-suicide-mission/
And when we submitted our review to the Australian-based Cochrane Breast Cancer Group – which had a financial conflict of interest, as it was funded by the centre that offered breast screening in Australia – we ran into a roadblock. The editors refused flatly to include data on the most important harms of screening, overdiagnosis, and overtreatment of healthy women, even though these outcomes were listed in our protocol the group had accepted and published. We wasted a lot of time negotiating with the group but got nowhere.
20
How could they possibly even think of touching the holy grail of medicine.. cancer research and treatment!!
Nothing will derail the organisations with ‘cancer’ in their name, they can only ever be a force for good, even saying something doubtful about one of them is like kicking a puppy. If will only get worse, if that’s possible, as the cancer rates continue to climb and treatments get ever-more expensive.
Ask the skin-cancer mob about the atomic fallout from the British tests in Australia, and where all the highly-radioactive dust is now.. Settling on your skin and getting trapped in your lungs every time there is a stiff Westerly wind… but its the sun & smoking that causes those cancers you know!
Its a great gray-train if you’re on it!
11
FWIW
“This is Why Modern Police Are So Useless at Fighting Crime”
https://dailysceptic.org/2025/06/22/this-is-why-modern-police-are-so-useless-at-fighting-crime/
20
Remember when tasers came in as a replacement for ‘lethal force’ – thank goodness for tasers, else the cops would be shooting a hell of a lot of people these days….
20
Japan’s approach can be seen as “energy realpolitik,” where national interests of economic stability and energy security favor technologically achievable pathways over impractical climate mandates.
The Japanese approach may be more subtle than India’s and China’s open defiance of the climate industrial complex’s rulebook, yet it is establishing a similar hydrocarbon supremacy.
https://co2coalition.substack.com/p/market-realities-continue-to-mug
30
What was COVID? Peer pressure to pick a side. Pressuring me to dislike Jay Couey, because others don’t like him won’t work, just like the pressure to take saline shots in 2021 didn’t. I said no to the saline in March 2020 and haven’t stopped questioning since. Jay Couey gets that. In this clip, he theorizes that “No Virus” and “Gain of Function” camps are pawns in a chess game of genomic control, herded into a staged fight to distract. Check it out. Think for yourself.
https://www.farsideoffringe.ca/p/no-virus-fixation
00
As political parties converged on a free-market agenda, they steadily abandoned their traditional social constituencies.
Conservative parties abandoned social traditionalists and small businesses, favouring unfettered markets that destroyed social bonds while benefiting large, internationally-oriented (and often foreign) companies.
Social democrats abandoned organised labour and the working class, often weakening the postwar welfare state in ways that conservatives could only dream of.
Meanwhile, ordinary citizens retreated into private life. The institutions through which they had participated in and shaped public life – political parties, trade unions, churches, civic associations – have all shrivelled.
https://thenorthernstar.online/2025/06/17/geopolitics-at-the-end-of-the-end-of-history/
40
“All it took for Syria to get back in the global dollar regime was for Al Qaeda to take over…Like every post-US intervention state, Syria now needs to make transfers with Western financial institutions – or what the Deep State calls “laundering money”.
After Assad was ousted in a lightning offensive led by “reformed” Al Qaeda CIA-supported “opposition forces” last year, Syria has taken steps to re-establish international ties..”
https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/syria-makes-first-bank-transfer-swift-war
Regime change by the CIA?? Get the American banks in there, get control of the oil money, send it back to those on charge in the USA…
31
..and if you’re thinking Trump did the right thing to bomb Iran..
“The UK government secretly used popular soap operas like EastEnders and Coronation Street to push vaccine propaganda during the pandemic, raising urgent questions about how much influence the state holds over British media, and how far officials are willing to go to manipulate public thought, opinion and behavior under the guise of public health…They also mirror…U.S. House investigation that found the CDC and Biden administration used a $900 million COVID campaign to “manipulate Americans” with “deeply flawed” messaging, “overpromising” vaccines “without evidence,” and funding Big Tech companies to “track and monitor Americans.””
Any mainstream news will just be Govt propaganda, one side or the other.
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/uk-govt-secretly-used-bbc-itv-soaps-underhanded-vaccine-propaganda-covertly-shape-public
42