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
Australia’s Avi Yemeni and Canadian Ezra Levant from Rebel News are at Davos.
Videos:
1) Looking at the transportation of the woke participants.
https://youtu.be/gt2I8zr6l7w
2) Confronting Trudeau.
https://youtu.be/loB-zAxY8ec
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Hate Speech Laws, the moral hazard of privatised prisons.
Now let’s see what the COVID concentration camps (for concentrating incoming passengers – quarantine is for sick people) are really for.
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My vote for the Brisbane Olympic anthem – “Brisbane (Security City)” – the Ed Kuepper acoustic version (from the album “Return of the mailorder bridegroom”) if the Saints early version is a bit much.
It’s always guarded by the sea
Our prison island is not free
Our hope goes but is still there
It doesn’t alter if you stare
Living room isolation
Extraordinary situation
I see police but where’s the crime?
We’re just like convicts doing time
90
Big up to the Lifeboaties – first UK rescue for 2026 a success: https://www.somersetlive.co.uk/news/somerset-news/gallery/crew-rescued-sinking-boat-river-10768251
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ChatGPT: Are there countries that ban children from Social media?
ChatGPT says: Yes. Australia, Burma, China, Iran, North Korea and Turkmenistan. Nepal briefly blocked major social media platforms (Facebook, X, YouTube) for failing to register locally — though the ban was reversed after protests.
Britain is now planning to ban children from social media, after the Prime Minister became very angry about children posting rude pictures of the Prime Minister in a bikini.
181
Says it all doesn’t it?
180
Our Uniparty politicians and Green Labor voters identify more with those countries than free countries like the United States.
Probably much like your DemonRATs.
170
Except for China they are all excellent testing grounds for stupid ideas.
And speaking of Australia I am reminded of a time when it was used as a test market for new products. Those days are over. Now its just a testing ground for the abovementioned stupid ideas.
Exhibit 1: the Australian/American doofus who has been tasked with testing the idea of Australia censoring what happens on the internet around the world. That is weapons grade stupidity. She just has to have been put up to it. And nobody in Canberra has the creativity to have thought of it by themselves.
70
FWIW –
” She just has to have been put up to it. ”
Sounds like the description of a “post turtle”
10
Or a vegetarian cat.
00
I sometimes wonder “how do companies know how to do that”.
According to today’s Herald Sun, there are plans for a 720Mw AI hub to be built in Victoria. Interestingly the article (paywalled) suggests that this plant will be built near Morwell in Victoria. Why is this interesting, well Morwell is literally just down the road from what was a huge coal powered electricity generator that was closed down and demolished a few years ago. Hazelwood.
So curiouser and curiouser why wouldn’t this plant be built near one of the big solar arrays in Victoria, think the Winton array, or the big wind factories in the western district.
Just asking, because, well —
https://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/plans-for-720mw-ai-hub-in-regional-victoria-revealed/news-story/eb414425984cb7ec7f8b9df2f2cf373f
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Why Morwell? Why Victoria? Why Australia? Why at all?
So many questions. So little time. Where’s Rob Sitch and the Utopia team when you need them.
60
” Where’s Rob Sitch and the Utopia team when you need them.”
Serving time under the Hate Speech Laws…
60
Why Morwell? Possibly proximity to transmission lines, freeway and train access to Melb, proximity to remaining coal plant, proximity to Basslink, proximity to gas supply. Doesnt look entirely random.
00
Good point about the transmission lines but where are the power sources? Good point too about the remaining coal plant. Perhaps there is some scope for optimism.
00
Is Hazelwood physically demolished or just reported to be?
Switchyards, substations, power pylons…?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1jrGHa-gJYw
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Yes; we’ve driven past the site a few times and my blood pressure rises every time. It’s a huge bare area.
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It is erased. The Government couldn’t destroy it fast enough, even though several hundred million dollars had just been spent on its refurbishment.
01
They had an open day for fishermen in the cooling pond at Hazelwood before it was closed to the public. My son and I launched his boat along with hundreds of others, hopeful of catching one of the giant barramundi which were rumoured to exist. I caught a Tilapia (tropical fish) in water which was so warm that it was warmer than the air temperature that day. The day was so hot that we had to pull into the shore and sit in the shade for a while. That was the last shot for catching those fish before the water went cold. The Barra likely perished.
20
Important good news from the US you will not hear … because Orange Man Bad.
https://www.ems1.com/substance-use-disorders/study-links-sharp-drop-in-overdose-deaths-to-disruption-in-global-fentanyl-supply
“Nationally, all drug overdose deaths dropped from more than 111,000 in August 2023 to 69,000 in August 2025, according to Centers for Disease Control data. Maryland deaths similarly dropped from 2,548 to 1,417 in that time period. Deaths in Baltimore City fell from 1,043 in 2023 to 778 in 2024.”
I wonder if interdicting and arresting illegal immigrant gangsters and kinetic disassembly of drug boats had anything to do with it?
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Great statistic to hear, but I think the link between the ‘war on drugs’ and O/D is very tenuous.
Recommend Howard Marks ‘My last pill and testament’ – talks about interdiction efforts lead to dodgy tainted stuff coming out onto the streets from the back of storage and deaths go up. Also can be more ‘cutting’ with noxious substances. Should be required reading for any teenager thinking of trying out pills – remember, only if you want to risk dying horribly (in the book, whatever stuff is tainted with wastes the kids away after just one pill).
No orange man bad in this, just is what it isn’t. I just don’t think that the ‘drug problem’ is as much an offshore one as we think. Australia is supposed to be ‘cleaned up’ with the crack down on outlaw bikie gangs moving about into SE Asia and stuff – just seems to have created a gap in the market for others.
50
If they could attribute it to non-Trump actions, we probably would hear more about it.
So my political divination senses tingle Trump.
A spectacular result for which much social energy has been focused for years and crickets.
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So bombing fast boat drug couriers isn’t a war crime, they don’t exist.
10
Not denying there are drug boats, just feel that the ‘drub problem’ is a much bigger and nuanced question around demand than just simply supply.
A lies, damned lies and statistics kinda problem – where deaths from OD are not really telling you much if the kids that are just wasting away don’t show up any toxicity when they are screened at death kinda problem, where wrong assumptions make a situation worse, rather than better, kinda problem.
A ‘the kids are doing coke because it clears the system for work place drug testing much quicker than weed’ kinda problem.
10
Not sure what your argument is. OK it’s big and nuanced. So are lots of things. That doesn’t mean you sit on your hands playing word games when you can attack a big chunk of the problem. I doubt Fentanyl deaths would have even been on Kamala’s radar.
Not a big fan of attacking the boats at sea, but my thoughts don’t matter really. Other people with the actual problem have chosen that path.
20
Just wouldn’t be using this statistic to boast, just yet anyway.
A drop in ODs might pick up again – it is a pretty erratic number anyway. And a drop in death may, possibly, be also about demand – the people who OD’d last month aren’t part of the total population of drug users, so if there aren’t many new entrants to the population (things are feeling a bit brighter maybe), that may explain the drop.
I think that the main point Honk was making was about which side of media is reporting which statistics as opposed to the statistic itself. On the side of Trump Administration, though, I would just take care using these numbers so quickly. When there is a bit of a longer run of data, perhaps a year or two after these latest efforts, sure, start to attribute. But for now, I think it is a just a happy statistic.
After seeing population control during COVID with use of statistics that made your eyes bleed, I am v. wary about the proper attributions of cause and effect in any numbers these days.
But get rid of one supply chain, and people still unable to face the World out there, another supply chain pops up somewhere.
00
Drink driving is a complex problem. Do you suggest we shrug and ignore the problem, blame the dead?
00
“We need to do something” is a road to ruin.
We don’t bomb the pubs to stop drink driving.
These guys still look pretty happy though: https://www.lawyer-monthly.com/2025/01/the-sackler-family-legacy-power-and-the-opioid-crisis/ maybe there isn’t really a problem at all?
00
Did you read the article? – its first paragraph tells you that the reduction in precursor chemicals reduced supply, and therefore deaths.
kinetic disassembly of drug boats – you mean state sponsored murder, there is no death penalty for drug trafficking in the US
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That must be why they’re doing it outside of the United States. Issue solved.
Technically they’re classified as terrorists, which can be punishable by a death penalty in the US.
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111,000 or 69,000
How many 9/11s is that?
I’m not so good at math.
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“Technically they’re classified as terrorists, ”
Ah, more new, inexplicable meanings attributed to old words. Terrorists strike terror into the general population, meaning anyone could be killed by them. Drug runners supple a product people want, they are just businessmen. No correlation at all!
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I don’t think it’s the actual drug trafficking that is being used to define them as terrorists. It’s the group they belong to (Cartel de los Soles? Tren de Aragua?) that has been classified as a terrorist group because of their political ties and actions. Which is why I said “technically they’re classified as terrorists” and didn’t say “drug running is terrorism”.
Are you suggesting that Cartel de los Soles or Tren de Aragua don’t “strike terror into the general population”?
Of course there needs to be more than just that for brutality to be terrorism. There has to be a political or ideological aim/outcome sought. Which the linking to Maduro achieves for US’s purposes.
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If you are complicit in killing American citizens en masse, then the Americans are perfectly justified in designating you a terrorist. Yeah?
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Yes it is a technicality, you use the label ‘terrorist’ (no evidence needed, of course) a you can murder them, brilliant !.
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And if you call them protestors you can give them license to attack government agencies.
Are the drug runners terrorists or Freedom Fighters? My guess is that I know what your programmers will say. Let’s see.
Yes folk. Relax. I know I’m talking to a bot.
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Do you think evidence is needed before you kill somebody ?.
Astonishing that I even have to ask that question
Bots have high moral standards.
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These reprobates are doing their utmost to avoid leaving evidence. They’re gutless.
Have you watched the surveillance footage? High powered motor boats arriving at night laden with large tightly packaged, waterproof items of cargo. you must be a f’n numbskull to be in any doubt as to the intention.
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Wow, there goes the rule of law
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Yes I was right. The bot’s programmers told it to try changing the subject.
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Thanks. But I can’t take credit for the idea.
10
“Depends what the meaning of “is” is”…. Bill Clinton.
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You mean this?
“We are reasonably sure that something has happened to the precursor chemical supply from China that was a significant cause of the downturn in fentanyl.”
Donald Trump Says “China”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDrfE9I8_hs
Was it tarriffs?
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Just like the Covid vaccine safety question, the reduced drug deaths under Trump poses a similar problem for the mainstream media. In this case, lefties don’t know why numbers are down, but they’re absolutely 200% certain it wasn’t because of Trump.
That’s how ‘science’ works, too.
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They’re completely baffled as usual.
10
‘Was it tarriffs?’
China is managing this trade war very well, making deals with old adversaries in the EU and Canada has just signed a trillion dollar deal with Beijing.
Xi is a lame duck and the elders running the show see that the elimination of the ‘precursor’ was a step in the right direction.
03
Lucky for the CIA, eh!
50
ChatGPT: What is the largest criminal fine for the production of a dangerous drug?
ChatGPT says: $2.3 billion to settle criminal and civil charges for illegally promoting prescription drugs. The payment included $1.195 billion in criminal penalties for felony violations of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, plus an additional $105 million in forfeiture, and $1.0 billion to settle allegations Pfizer had illegally promoted the drugs for uses that were not approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) leading to violations under the False Claims Act as reimbursements were requested from Federal and State programs. However, the PREP Act can now protect Pfizer (and other pharmaceutical companies) from many types of civil liability related to vaccines and drugs, but it’s not absolute and is being tested in court.
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More likely that the population has gone back to work. With the ‘hand downs’ and the low life that profit from the welfare industry having been defunded people are having to get out of bed and go to work to earn a living.
Nothing cures addiction like having to take responsibility for looking after yourself and getting a good sleep so you can turn up to work.
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Word of the week:
Interdicting: (google AI)
Interdicting means to formally forbid, prohibit, or stop someone or something from doing a particular action
.
(Yes. I had to look it up)
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In Vietnam during that war the Artillery carried out H and I fire. Harassing and interdictory fire. They would fire into supposed unoccupied areas. I was concerned how many deer etc were killed by it
10
Strop, same with the US legal term ‘indicted’ [with a silent ‘c’] which I had to look up during DJT’s 1st term in office, as churnos were throwing the word around as if the president had been found guilty – yet it’s simply an accusation, a proclamation, a charge against someone, and we all now know the outcome of those [faux] claims.
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That one I did know. 🙂
But I’ll start pronouncing the movie about Nelson Mandela and the 1995 Rugby World Cup as Invite Us.
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I’d imagine there is a fair bit of cold turkey going on. But the numbers are still very high. And behind the numbers are ruined lives.
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Hmm, I vaguely remember certain things being mentioned in regards to Iran-Contra and various conspiracy theories about certain US social trends after Viet Nam.
And then a US President gets elected that certain elements get really mad about.
Especially concerning USAID.
An organization that figures much in this book.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Bright_Shining_Lie
A Bright Shining Lie: John Paul Vann and America in Vietnam (1988) is a book by Neil Sheehan, a former New York Times reporter, about U.S. Army lieutenant colonel John Paul Vann (killed in action) and the United States’ involvement in the Vietnam War.
A truly great book.
Important to us all of a certain generation.
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The decline mostly happened in 2024
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Yep, well caught.
https://www.aspistrategist.org.au/no-china-isnt-really-suppressing-its-production-of-fentanyl-precursors/
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The reason Australia and Commonwealth countries can get away with passing totalitarian laws such as the recent censorship laws, as compared to the US is due to the difference in the moral philosophers they both follow.
The US Founding fathers believed in God-given or natural Rights, while the Commonwealth countries follow the notion that any Rights one may have are given or taken away by man (Government).
The former British colonies Australia, Canada and NZ and Once Great Britain itself reject notions of “natural rights” because they were influenced by the philosopher Jeremy Bentham who did not believe in natural rights as derived from God or nature (depending upon your belief). He thought rights only came from man, i.e. government.
The founding fathers of the US on the other hand were influenced by philosophers like John Locke, Jean Jacques Rousseau and Baron de Montesquieu who did recognise God-given natural rights and this is reflected in the US Declaration of Independence and US Constitution, including the right of free speech and the right of the people to bear arms to ultimately protect those Rights should a Constitution-violating Government come into power.
The ultimate power in Commonwealth countries is a powerful and increasingly-oppressive Government while in the US “we, the people” are the ultimate power as per the preamble of the US Constitution recognising the sovereignty of the people.
Video about “Jeremy Bentham’s Attack on Natural Rights” at: https://youtu.be/Ecp-PR_K1JI (16 mins)
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The best argument for the existence of a God must be the phrase:
“He who kneels before God, can stand before any man.”
― Ezra Taft Benson
Ever wonder why your totalitarians erect statues of their Glorius Leader and persecute religions?
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That’s the best argument ??.
04
Supply us with your ‘best’ Ponzi.
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Consensus?
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Not going to happen. Seems to prefer the seagull approach.
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Apologies for my seagull behaviour, I had community work commitments as well as everything else, hence the rushed comment I appear to have worded incorrectly. The comment maybe should have been introduced as having a diety to answer to for your behaviour is better than worshiping a dear leader as a god like figure.
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I’d love to discuss proof of the unfalsifiable. Lets start with which god ?,and why are all the many others dismissed.
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Which God? How about the Jewish and Christian God.
Why are all others dismissed?
Because God said,
The why are all the others dismissed is an easy one given once you have the God who said that, then the dismissing naturally follows.
Per your request: We have a nomination and the dismissal part taken care of.
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The Bible is not evidence, try that in court of law – the bible is true because it says so !.
Btw, the Abrahamic god is also worshipped by Islam.
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Ponzi. I thought you were going to provide your best argument for the existence of God.
Annie asked you what’s your best (argument for the existence of a God) and you replied indicating you would “love to” say and asked, “which god?”.
**
Separate to that. The bible is evidence. It’s just not proof. What weight you put on the evidence is up to you.
Courts have used history writings as evidence on some matters. So, you never know. One day there might be a land dispute in the middle east and a judge might accept the bible being used as evidence. But, probably not. The chance of there ever being a land dispute in the middle east is very unlikely. They’re such a forgiving bunch.
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‘..try that in a court of law’ – where, in our nominally Christian country, you must swear to your veracity on a Christian holy book – the Bible.
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Haven’t you twigged that I’m an atheist ?, all the arguments I’ve read for the existence of a god usually end up as some form of wishful thinking .
The Bible, properly read, is the best advertisement for atheism ever.
But hey, if it rows your boat, just keep it out of science classes.
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Yes. I was confident you are an atheist.
But that doesn’t mean you can’t offer up an argument for the existence of God.
Anyone should be able to make an argument for either side on any topic. They’ll just have more conviction for one argument. Weighing arguments or aspects for both sides should be what we do within our own mind when contemplating matters.
I know you can argue from a religion perspective. I’ve seen your cause of climate change comments. Although, I should caveat that with your comments are not typically arguing a point. Just making a comment and not answering or engaging directly.
20
‘The Bible, properly read, is the best advertisement for atheism ever.’
More importantly, who wrote the New Testament?
From my reading it was created by Romans 200 years AD, based roughly on verbal history.
A revolutionary leader died on the cross and was resurrected, the story has an unworldly quality.
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Yes, religion may give one hope, but I can’t make myself believe some supernatural fairytale to make myself feel better.
Facts do matter.
The real world is far more amazing than religion.
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“Religion is the opium of the masses” (Karl Marx)
In western society the churches are now running on empty, while the pope is dismantling Vatican finances and throwing out superstitious nonsense.
Something that has changed over the years is the strong possibility that we are not alone in the universe.
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You could never convince a monkey to give you a banana by promising him limitless bananas after death in monkey heaven.
– Yuval Noah Harari
Maybe Silicon heaven, where all the calculators and copiers go when they die? 😆
20
>bananas after death in monkey heaven
“You will eat, bye and bye,
In that glorious land above the sky;
Work and pray, live on hay,
You’ll get pie in the sky when you die.
(That’s a lie!)”
From The Preacher And The Slave, by Joe Hill
10
David Maddison,
It’s simplistic to say it comes down to *one* reason. The US owes quite a lot of its original philosophy to French thinkers, esp. Voltaire and Rousseau. Shortly after the American revolution came the French Revolution, and they adopted Liberte, Egalite, Fraternite as their national motto. High-sounding stuff. The French *have* enshrined free speech in their constitution, yet have seen fit to pass anti-hate-speech laws.
Rather than stemming from philosophies adopted centuries ago, I see it as a process of evolution. I don’t think it has been going all that well in the USA lately. What *used* to set the US apart from all other countries was their national idealism. They believed in their democracy: He’s not the one I voted for, but he’s my President. This appeared to change in the mid-’90s — I suspect it was the Clinton impeachment — since then it has been a grudge-match like the other western democracies, but more bitter.
Not *too* surprising when idealism is replaced by cynicism. It might be that Trump is hoping to spark a return to idealism, but I fear the cynics have the numbers.
20
“Not *too* surprising when idealism is replaced by cynicism. It might be that Trump is hoping to spark a return to idealism, but I fear the cynics have the numbers.”
As we all move from youthful idealism to mature cynicism through our lives, so too does the whole society, and maybe the whole civilisation. Perhaps its part of the use-by date on any civilisation, the people realise the changes over the generations and see that those in power are there for themselves only. The West is way past its idealistic youth…
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Total agree KP. I’ve certainly transitioned in this way as i’ve matured (as in a fine vintage). Cynicism is governed by a large component of life experience & in regard to this discussion, political experience ie. interaction
11
I’d argue it was later. There were plenty of Republican voters who didn’t like Clinton but thought that his impeachment was ridiculous. We didn’t start to see honest to God ‘election denial’ until Dubya’s win over Al Gore and a certain subset of Democrats refused to accept his legitimacy. But that largely died down when he won re-election and proved it wasn’t a fluke. The we saw a bit more of it leading up to the 2008 election with the ‘birther’ movement, but Obama’s overwhelming win crushed any talk about him not winning fair and square.
… and then came Trump, and everything changed. ‘Not My President’ became the catchphrase of a large swath of the pussy-hatted ‘Resistance’ Democrats. Now, even after Trump pulled a Grover Cleveland and came back to win a second non-consecutive term with a popular vote win and a swing-state sweep, the ‘Resistance’ Democrats treat his administration like it is an illegitimate autocracy rather than the constitutionally elected government of the USA. They have all but declared a nullification crisis where blue states can opt out of federal law enforcement and ignore the supremacy clause, then make Trump the bad guy when he plays the role of Lincoln/Eisenhower/JFK and does what must be done to drag recalcitrant state governments back into the union.
Hopefully, once Trump’s term ends, we can get to normalcy of vehemently disagreeing with each other without denying the legitimacy of a democratically elected government just because our ‘side’ didn’t win. That’s what we have been told. That Trump was a uniquely person and that all this hullabaloo is about him personally and not just any old elected Republican.
Sadly, I suspect what we will see is a continuation of each new Republican leader being deemed even worse than Hitler, or dare I say it, even worse than Trump. We’ve already begun to see rumblings to that effect from the left in regards to JD Vance. The notion that Trump is uniquely malevolent will fall by the wayside once it is no longer politically convenient.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/opinion/jd-vance-s-2028-strategy-be-even-worse-than-trump/ar-AA1STw9A
https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/4934760-jd-vance-trump-presidency-threat/
https://headlineusa.com/leftist-hosts-planting-narrative-that-vance-worse-than-trump-ahead-2028/
Oddly, you never see this kind of ‘resistance’ when a Democrat is in office. Conservatives may not have liked Clinton or Obama or Biden, but they never rioted over it or declared they were illegitimate. It’s a one way ratchet. When Democrats win there is grumbling, but peace. When Republicans win, Hell gets unleashed.
The Democrats electoral strategy has become the rioters veto. Vote for our guy or we riot. Enforce only the laws we want enforced or we riot. Make these new laws or we riot.
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“The US owes quite a lot of its original philosophy to French thinkers, esp. Voltaire and Rousseau.”
Just as well they got that sorted out before post-modernism hit.
00
I think the main reason for all this is that those countries (Australia etc) are among the first where the Left’s decades-long strategy of taking control of all the important institutions, plus ‘locking in’ voter support from unions, immigrants, a huge army of public servants and an even larger number of welfare dependents has given them so much power and confidence that they really don’t care about their so-called ‘opposition’ any more. Add to this the vast sums of money from the CCP spent on disruptive activities and bribes. The end result is we no longer live in a democracy but some hybrid form of globalist socialism.
Conservatism lost, I’m afraid, and I fear not enough people have the guts to do what it might take to get out of this mess.
60
As Mark Steyn oft says, “When the left wins, they’re in power. When conservatives win, they’re in office.”
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A democracy will always end thus. There will be the bottom end of the people who can be easily won over by giving them small amounts of money, so we start off with war widows, then all widows, then age pensions, then unemployment benefits, then ‘youth in transition’ and onto unmarried mothers..
Now you have the unions locked in and the bureaucracy expanding faster than the economy is growing as it has to administer all the above.
Locked in unions means wages become unaffordable for production so more and more automated machinery is used, moving union workers onto the unemployment list or the bureaucracy. That cuts down on the need for office/administration staff so they go as well.
Slowly more and more people depend on the Govt and keep voting in the Left, and fewer and fewer people are capitalists, so the vote for the Right dies. Eventually the taxes on the few can’t cover the expenses for the many so the govt borrows to pay for everyday living expenses, which is where we are right now…
The younger amongst us will see the final days of democracy being one-man one-vote.
20
We (Australia and UK) seem to have increasingly US-style administrators (the regulations say what you can do, and if not in regulation, we can’t do it) operating our Westminster system (the regulations say what you must do and what you can’t do, but you can do anything else in accordance with the objectives of the legislation and all other principles (code of conduct, privacy etc).
Problem is, in our Westminster systems, the lawmakers did not write enough regulations to be able operate like US administrators do. We also don’t elect our representatives down to the lowest-level which is required for the accountability to operate this way. We also need to operate FOI – in the US if you want to see some public document or information, it starts from a presumption that you should have access to this. Finally, in the US, the Courts are active testing the interpretation of regulations regularly, and if there is a regulation made that you don’t like which damages you – you can sue the Government.
I used to think we had a better system just because our regulations were shorter so I assumed just easier to operate with, not so sure these days.
40
There’s nothing like the Elites of the Left meeting in Davos to tell us we can’t use reliable or inexpensive energy, or any at all, flying to their meeting on private jets when commercial transport would be fine or better yet Zoom, if they must meet at all.
I don’t see any Leftists protesting about this profligate use of “carbon” (sic) producing fuel.
190
Fruits of the sea!
I don’t know why container ships are suddenly losing stuff overboard on the UK south coast.
There’s now been 3 separate incidents, one in December and 2 ships in January lost a variety of stuff; bananas, onions, oven ready potato chips, powdered milk…..
https://youtu.be/GeqAdxD05UI
10
I don’t know why they said it might take years to clean up the mess. Do they not understand that the vegetable matter, which seems to be most of it, will rapidly decompose or be eaten by animals?
As for cans of beer etc. I’m sure human scavengers will quite happily remove those.
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A lot of the food was in plastic packaging.
The main issue was the containers have disintegrated and many were refrigerated and insulated with PU foam panels which is horrible stuff and now mixed with the sand and shingle from microscopic fragments up to lumps the size of a dining table.
30
When in doubt … Somali pirates.
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Them’s the olden days, they’ve all opened lucrative day cares now.😆
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That’s just piracy in a different form.
Say what you will about Somalis, but they are certainly adaptable. Always finding new ways to extract wealth from people who produce wealth. No wonder government bureaucrats love them so much … they are kindred spirits.
50
https://www.worldshipping.org/containers-lost-at-sea
Persistent hostilities in the Red Sea led to a 191% increase in transits around the Cape of Good Hope. The South African Maritime Safety Authority reports nearly 200 containers lost in this region alone, accounting for 35% of 2024’s total container losses.
The Somali pirates are only responsible for the ones down in the Cape…
20
When in doubt…. The Yanks are only there for the oil.
00
Australia’s choice is now One Nation or No Nation.
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The party with no vision or policies other than anti immigration ( in a country built by migrants) and more guns.
220
“The party with no vision or policies other than anti immigration ( in a country built by migrants) and more guns.”
Well, that will solve most our problems straight away! What is there not to like?
150
Refresh my memory about the history of countries where only the police and military have guns.😁
C’mon 2028…
130
Lots of policies.
https://www.onenation.org.au/issues
and not anti immigration either
https://www.onenation.org.au/immigration
90
I wasn’t sure what to think of your comment until the ponzi bot chimed in with its clumsy attempt at propaganda.
Now I’m definitely on board. Full speed ahead and damn the torpedoes.
140
Key Policies of One Nation
Taxation and Budget Savings:
One Nation proposes a joint income tax filing policy for families, allowing couples with dependent children to combine their income for tax purposes, potentially saving significant amounts annually.
1
The party aims to slash up to $90 billion from government spending by eliminating wasteful expenditures, streamlining federal functions, and withdrawing from international agreements.
1
2 Sources
Free Speech:
One Nation is committed to enshrining free speech in Australia’s Constitution, advocating against censorship and government overreach. They are pushing for a referendum to protect free speech rights.
1
1 Source
Energy and Climate Policy:
The party opposes Australia’s net-zero policies, arguing that they raise energy costs and threaten jobs. They advocate for the continued use of coal and gas as essential energy sources, while also supporting nuclear energy for its reliability and lower emissions.
2
One Nation questions the scientific consensus on climate change, asserting that there is insufficient evidence for the catastrophic predictions made by climate scientists.
1
2 Sources
Healthcare and Education:
One Nation calls for improvements in the healthcare system, criticizing budget cuts and mismanagement. They emphasize the need for a more effective health system to better serve Australians.
1
In education, the party aims to restore critical thinking in the curriculum and address perceived failures in achieving quality educational outcomes despite high spending.
1
1 Source
Community Safety and Immigration:
The party emphasizes the need for better community safety measures and opposes foreign ownership of Australian resources, advocating for policies that prioritize Australian citizens.
1
One Nation also supports responsible gun ownership and aims to maintain current laws that allow law-abiding citizens access to firearms for various purposes.
1
1 Source
Conclusion
One Nation’s policies reflect a focus on reducing government intervention, promoting individual freedoms, and prioritizing Australian interests in various sectors. Their approach to taxation, energy, and social issues has sparked both support and controversy within the Australian political landscape.
180
Barnaby should step up and say something on this.
‘One Nation questions the scientific consensus on climate change, asserting that there is insufficient evidence for the catastrophic predictions made by climate scientists.’
The MSM would go berserk and the Party should be the beneficiary.
11
I am bumping this from yesterday as the site was attacked for much of the day and off-line.
==
TRUMP Administration statement at WEF/Darvos.
In terms of support for workers and other aspects of the video statement, it sounds like something that even the US Democrats or Australian Labor would have supported, back in the day, when some of them actually cared before being totally infested with communists. Of course, Democrats and Labor today don’t want employed workers, they want life-long welfare recipients who have been created to ensure their respective voter bases.
110
Trump gives His Speech to the WEF
I’ve Come with Truly Phenomenal News
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2026/01/watch-ive-come-truly-phenomenal-news-trump-brings/
31
It reads like any politician telling us how wonderful they are, except for this bit-
“In recent decades, it became conventional wisdom in Washington and European capitals that the only way to grow a modern Western economy was through ever-increasing government spending, unchecked mass migration, and endless foreign imports. The consensus was that so-called Dirty Jobs and heavy industries should be sent elsewhere, that affordable energy should be replaced by the green new scam, and that countries could be propped up by importing new and entirely different populations from faraway lands.”
He didn’t point out that WEF were behind that, the audience in front of him were responsible for it, and he considers them an enemy.
90
Nobody spreads the FIGJAM quite like President Trump. And at times he seems to be a bit of a mafioso saying that’s a nice country you’ve got there, shame if anything were to happen to it.
But I am yet to identify any area at all where he has been proven wrong. And it drives his opponents even further round the twist than they already were. He has a unique ability to get the bad guys to identify themselves and come out of the shadows.
And as you say KP he often comes out with self-evident truths. That seems to trigger the bad guys into doing his bidding and then claiming it was their idea all along.
160
“And as you say KP he often comes out with self-evident truths. That seems to trigger the bad guys into doing his bidding and then claiming it was their idea all along.”
It infuriates them because gaining control of the media was supposed to stop all that ‘truth’ stuff from seeing the light of day; likewise all the dodgy stuff they get up to behind our backs. That awful Trump fellow just won’t play the game by their rules and there’s a danger that the plebs will find out what they’re up to.
110
FG, He was right on Panama. Things have changed without a shot being fired.
20
I agree H. As I said I am yet to identify any area at all where he has been proven wrong.
But my memory is not what it was, what happened in Panama?
20
Trump threatened to take the Panama Canal back because Panama had breached the deed of sale agreement. He also wanted China out of a Panama port.
I think Panama has agreed to reduce charges on US shipping.
10
Was it? I spent most of the day finally fixing my Windows 11 system and identifying the long-running culprit.
10
It wasn’t working well via mac either.
00
He keeps hanging around like a pfft odour:
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/on-the-inside/584663/nz-is-again-soaked-this-summer-record-ocean-heat-helps-explain-it
And I quote: “By By Kevin Trenberth”
via The CONversation.
AI or DEI or WTF?
Smack-bang in the middle of Cyclone Season, aka the Wet Season in the tropics, not only Andy & Andrea Average but academics of worldwide (ill-)repute are shocked when tropical lows descend upon these fair isles dumping YUGE amounts of rainfall – would they prefer drought conditions? – blaming an age-old, totally natural, weather cycle on (do you want to hazard a guess?) man’s carbon emissions heating the oceans causing the atmosphere to become ‘out of balance’. THE $€!£N€£™️.
The low, 14U, which didn’t even reach Category 1 status, has now passed over us and is drifting south-eastwards causing the other side of their imaginary ‘climate change crisis’ – cold snowy southerly gales – to roar up the country dropping temperatures to (record breaking?) lows, ie. early-to-mid-teens, brrrrr…
Call that ‘summer’?
90
Question – Does US Congress need to ratify any proposed “purchase” of Greenland or can President Trump just unilaterally sign off on it claiming something like “national security” ?
30
My money would be on the euros and Denmark reaching a point where they say it was their idea all along to put Greenland into US hands.
And having reached that point it will be de facto US territory even more than it is now.
So what is the congress going to do? And what is it going to do when Ontario comes knocking?
Whatever needs to happen will happen. Resistance is futile. They will be assimilated.
41
Technically, probably the former.
Practically, if he gets it done and presents it as a fait accompli, no subsequent administration or congress will reverse it. Greenland IS a national security issue AND it’s mineral rights are incredibly valuable. Giving it up just to spite Trump would be idiocy that even Democrats aren’t capable of. Only the British Labour party is that dumb (Chagos Islands).
It’s one of those ‘better to ask forgiveness than permission’ deals. Sometimes you can just do stuff, and trust in the self-interest of your successors to keep it in place.
90
Steve;
my thought is that Trump might want Greenland but he is diverting the EU from war with Russia, which the various governments (that have made a mess of their countries want to divert public attention) locking in the USA via NATO.
None of the EU countries are capable of supporting Ukraine let alone fighting a war (possibly Poland might but their cavalry in 1939 charged German tanks on horseback waving swords).
This way, the NATO countries can’t support Ukraine, the Russians get what they want (which they almost have anyway), USA can stop sending money to Kiev, and might get a few bases in Greenland.
50
As a former European, I’ve always known that the continent is essentially tribal. You only need to look at a time lapse of the shifting borders to realise this. Many modern day European countries did not even exist before the first, or even, second world war. This deep seated tribalism bubbled to the surface in recent times – the 1990’s! – in the former Yugoslavia (another constructed state), with genocide and even concentration camps, something unheard of and thought to never be seen again after 1945.
Of course, the very organisation formed to prevent such atrocities – the United Nations – proved itself ineffective and impotent yet again.
It is this tribalist train of thought which keeps western European nations such as France, Germany and Great Britain mired in their past animosity towards Russia, their perceived great threat and rival for European supremacy.
They ignore the REAL threat at their peril as they eradicate and ignore their own historical reality.
Crusades were mounted when great men were worthy of the epithet and now it appears that it was all for nought, doesn’t it?
40
To be fair to European men, there are aspiring Charles Martel’s struggling to gain political power all over Europe, but the liberal/left establishment are fighting tooth and nail to keep them behind a cordon sanitaire and prevent them from obtaining it.
10
Ah yes, the Conversation. Fake journalism meets fake science. Where objectivity goes to die.
70
Posted as a reply to Greg in NZ at #12.
The computer hasn’t said no yet this morning but glitches like this make me say hmmm.
10
Make sure you tick the reply button on the relevant comment instead of using the comment box at the bottom of the thread.
I nearly made the same mistake just now!
10
Annie
If you enter a comment as “new” you can go back and then tick “reply” of the comment to which you want to reply without re-entering your comment
I just did that with this comment
10
Thanks Annie. I think you are most probably right. User error on my part.
Still being paranoid is no protection against those who plot against you.
20
Just checked back on the link and “By By Kevin” is still there hours later – maybe a case of Hermes Precision more than a Freudian Slip as in, “Isn’t it time you left? Bye-bye Kevin, bye-bye”. 👋
NZ’s most-trusted news initiative govt-splainer must have journalism graduates on part-time work training while the regular full-time crowd take a holiday to ease their TDS symptoms. I’m happy to admit I’m a grammar freak but this year’s quality control has sunk to new levels.
20
Currently reading the book Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. I quite enjoyed his book and film The Martian. He likes his science as do I. I’m about half way through the book right now. They are trying to mitigate the effects of the “astrophage” in that it’s causing the Earth to cool.
You’ll have to read the book, or watch the upcoming movie version of it – I’m not going into the backstory.
I’m really enjoying this book except Mr. Weir clearly has drunk the climate kool-aid. There’s the derogatorily term of “climate denier” bandied about (CO2 is causing global warming) right now that’s a good thing because the Earth is cooling because of the Astrophage. They are about to nuke (fission) – less radiation, Antarctica, to release the trapped methane because that will ensure the Earth stays warm because methane is a much worse climate change gas, and it only lasts 12 years in the atmosphere, unlike CO2 which stays in the atmosphere permanently, so they have to nuke Antarctica regularly to release more methane. If they don’t do this, 3 billion + people will die from starvation because of the Earth’s cooling and plant life will die etc.
Interesting there is the mention of a huge Astrophage production plant built in Africa, (like a giant solar farm) so big that it’s actually having an effect on the planets climate. Probably the same effect all these solar panels and wind turbines are going to have and are having on our Earth, you’re pulling all of this energy out of the planets climate cycle, it must have some impact in the long run, if not already.
I’m just “whatever” while I’m in this part of the story, and it’s only such a small percentage of what really is a good read.
00
Regenerating knee cartilage
Researchers at Stanford Medicine have identified a novel strategy to regenerate articular cartilage in knees and potentially prevent or treat osteoarthritis (OA).
The method targets 15-hydroxyprostaglandin dehydrogenase (15-PGDH), an age-related enzyme—or “gerozyme”—that accumulates in aging tissues and drives degeneration.
https://x.com/Rainmaker1973/status/2008231611024740433
Knees up time!
20
Posted on 06 Jan 2026….
I think someone posted a link to 15-PGDH and gerozyme here a few days ago, since I have noted this which is dated 03 Jan 2026
https://scitechdaily.com/anti-aging-injection-regrows-knee-cartilage-and-prevents-arthritis/
Not having an active X account I could not read the comments in the link JC2 referenced
10
FWIW
“The World’s Longest-Running Lab Experiment Is Almost 100 Years Old”
https://www.sciencealert.com/the-worlds-longest-running-lab-experiment-is-almost-100-years-old
Via https://instapundit.com/770945/#disqus_thread
01
It is a demonstration rather than an experiment.
They have demonstrated that;
1. Pitch is a very viscous liquid
2. The viscosity is partly dependent on temperature.
What else is there to prove?
00
The Coalition is in Disarray
I don’t think they can put it back together.
10
I think you’re right, but I would go further. I think the Liberal party has also passed the point of no return. The past couple of election cycles showed that they were on death’s door and Sussan Ley’s elevation to leader has removed any chance of survival.
The Nationals are better off on their own, otherwise they too will cease to exist. Better they survive as a regional party than not at all. At least they could then rebuild.
I suppose the reality is that the Libs ceased to exist a decade or more ago, as a truly conservative party that is.
50
Although there are reports that some National Party supporters are defecting to One Nation, it should be remembered that the Nats did not lose a seat in the last federal election that decimated the Liberal Party. I believe that reports that the Nats have committed political suicide in respect to their rejection of support for the government’s hate speech legislation are mischievous.
50
I agree about the Media getting it wrong again. Even Sky News is reporting that the Nationals will take major damage.
In reality it is the Libs who are getting belted. Apart from one or two cleared thinking members the Lib pollies are still in total denial about why they are loosing support.
30
Crikey, the lengths that the pollies with take to take the heat off the Travel Rorts Scandal.
Haven’t had one as good as this than the rolling out of the “drugs in Sport” scandal to take the heat off the red headed PM.
20
And instead of talking about how Dystopian the new laws are, we are all worrying about whether the actors are exiting stage left or stage right….
10
See what happens when you don’t provide machete-disposal bins?
“six suspects wearing motorcycle helmets entered the store, with several threatening staff and members of the public with machetes before smashing display cases and seizing multiple watches in a raid that lasted around three minutes. No injuries were reported, and no arrests have yet been made.”
That was the Rolex shop at Knightsbridge in London.
“Detective Chief Inspector Scott Mather, from the Met’s specialist Flying Squad, which investigates serious robberies, said the attack had caused understandable “alarm.” Enquiries are ongoing, and the suspects remain at large.”
I’m not sure how many Somali-speakers the Police have in their ongoing enquiries. In my youth a jeweller would have a pistol under the counter just in case of something like this.
https://www.rt.com/news/631304-uk-rolex-store-robbery-machete/
50
…and if you’re worried about morality and the ‘rules-based order’ that meant Maduro was kidnapped, just remember, it was never about the oil.
“The US has awarded its first contract to sell seized Venezuelan oil since launching an attack on the South American country and abducting its president, Nicolas Maduro. The contract went to trading firm Vitol, one of whose executives was a major donor to President Donald Trump’s reelection campaign, according to Financial Times.”
20
No, Not worred about the morality. If you have a big stick you might as well use it. Maduro can’t say he was’t warned. Maduro even said; “Come and Get Me. I am here at Miraflores. Don’t take too long!”
Even if it was about the Oil, expat Venezualens are celebrating and Venezuelans at home are likely celebrating as well.
Maybe the main game about the Oil was China , not the USA.
40
Donnie’s corrupt practice sends the wrong message to America’s youth.
03
I was deeply saddened today to read that one third of pregnancies in the UK are aborted. They are apparently top of the league for the practice.
But of course the point I keep making about migration figures is also relevant here. I often call out the use of ‘net migration’ because it can hide a huge demographic change, i.e. most of those leaving belong to one category while those arriving … don’t.
And the same is likely to be true regarding the UK’s abortion stats. While one in three babies are being aborted in the general population, I’m pretty sure the figure is effectively ZERO among the UK’s four million Muslims. This being so, the figure among non-Muslims must be even higher than one in three.
Another way of looking at this is to ask the question, “What is the biggest killer among Gen Z?”
Answer: abortion.
70
FWIW
An acknowledgement that should be more common!
“Not All Hero’s Wear Capes”
https://x.com/i/status/2014010967084982784
https://www.smalldeadanimals.com/2026/01/21/not-all-heros-wear-capes/
00
FWIW
“President Donald Trump Holds a Bilateral Discussion with NATO General Secretary Mark Rutte – Outcome: a Greenland Deal
January 21, 2026 | Sundance | 243 Comments”
https://theconservativetreehouse.com/blog/2026/01/21/president-donald-trump-holds-a-bilateral-discussion-with-nato-general-secretary-mark-rutte-outcome-a-greenland-deal/
10
FWIW
“CPC creates giant WA sheep station aggregation with Madurah Plains purchase”
https://www.beefcentral.com/property/cpc-creates-giant-wa-sheep-station-aggregation-with-madurah-plains-purchase/
10
FWIW
“Australia’s New “Thought Crime” Laws: A Complete Breakdown”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KWhiHF3NVw
00
FWIW
“In the Mail”
“I received a rather bizarre message from an acquaintance of mine in the Czech Republic. He considers himself to be very well informed. Here’s what he wrote:”
More at
https://www.smalldeadanimals.com/2026/01/21/in-the-mail-19/#comments
This also seems to fit –
“Europe So Far Away”
https://accordingtohoyt.com/2026/01/19/europe-so-far-away/
BUT
“Britain pays off final instalment of US loan – after 61 years”
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/britain-pays-off-final-instalment-of-us-loan-after-61-years-430118.html
Don’t know about anyone else?
10
The left can’t meme.
It seems that the UK Gov. spent millions on an ad demonising a purple haired Amelia who was anti-immigration. Bad move!
https://youtu.be/EivAMcxuIZc?t=29
20