Thursday

8.4 out of 10 based on 23 ratings

118 comments to Thursday

  • #
    MeAgain

    “We’re rating families in the classroom now? Under the pretence of respecting diversity?” https://gript.ie/outrage-over-vile-portrayal-of-irish-family-in-sphe-schoolbook/ Carried from comments “I note it is published by EdCo. 60 years ago its then manifestation, the Educational Company, was making money selling straps to Irish schools for the purpose of administering daily beatings to working-class Irish boys. The abuse continues, in a different guise.”

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    • #
      John Connor II

      DEI, Diversity Equity and Inclusion.
      Or, how to fix a flat tyre by letting the air out of the other three.

      140

  • #
    Skepticynic

    Modern European Poem:

    I’m not worried about the Far-Right raping the woman in my life.

    I’m not worried about the Far-Right stabbing my nephews.

    I’m not worried about the Far-Right robbing my mother.

    I’m not worried about the Far-Right blowing up my nieces at their dance rehearsal.

    My family is safer with the Far-Right than they are with multiculturalism.

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    • #
      Eng_Ian

      Anyone to the right of Stalin is now Far Right.

      Wear that badge with pride, we’re not the ones instigating plans for the death of millions of our own sons and daughters.

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  • #
    Reader

    Greta Thunberg among 6 detained at anti-Israel demonstration in Denmark
    https://nationalpost.com/news/greta-thunberg-anti-israel-demonstration-denmark

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    • #
      David Maddison

      So now she considers supporting terrorism more important than “climate change”? I wonder what she thinks of Hamas’ October 7th terrorist atrocities that started it all? Does she even know about that? She is probably as informed about that as she is about climate. I.e. knows nothing. A professional ignoramus.

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      • #
        Eng_Ian

        In the old days, you’d learn about such things at school.

        And there’s her problem. Too self important to go to school or was she just too thick?

        And ‘they’ worship the goblin.

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      • #
        Forrest Gardener

        Right over the target David. Your truth bomb is very likely a direct hit.

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      • #

        Now she is – nominally – adult, she should be able to learn herself, at least something of what the world is like.
        She was, I believe, not at all well-served by her parents, and – I guess – their [her?] handlers, who wanted to create a ‘Poster Child’ for destroying our civilisation.

        Is ‘abuse’ too strong for what happened to her?
        Some people I have talked to do not think it is too strong.

        But she is now an ‘adult’, officially.
        So she is responsible for her current opinions.

        Auto

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  • #

    Germany’s Employer-based C-19 Vaxx Mandate is Headed to the Supreme Court

    And now something important has happened in Germany: yesterday, in an Osnabrück court room, a registered nurse’s suit against the so-called ‘sectoral vaccination obligation’ (sektorale Impfpflicht) was heard.

    I’ll let the Lower Saxon Administrative Court’s media spokes-minions do the ‘splainin’ here (translation, ad-hoc commentary, and emphases mine):

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  • #
    David Maddison

    As usual, the Left are obsessed with sexualising children.

    https://www.skynews.com.au/australia-news/victorian-government-accused-of-indoctrinating-kids-with-fringe-theories-about-sex-and-gender-after-launch-of-rainbow-libraries-toolkit/news-story/d23116388d1f31a111af12bae0b898d4

    Victorian government accused of indoctrinating kids with ‘fringe theories about sex and gender’ after launch of ‘rainbow libraries toolkit’

    The Victorian government has been accused of indoctrinating children with “fringe theories about sex and gender” after staff at the state’s public libraries were given guidance to ask kids as young as five about their gender pronouns.

    September 1, 2024 – 2:11PM

    The Victorian government has been accused of indoctrinating children after it launched a new set of guidelines that recommends library staff ask kids as young as five about their gender pronouns.

    Staff at Victoria’s more than 290 public libraries have been provided with a new “rainbow libraries toolkit” in order to create more inclusive spaces for LGBTIQA+ communities.

    The toolkit, which was launched by the Allan government on Friday, advises library staff that they can become more LGBTIQA+ friendly by adding books on gender diversity to their collections, promoting drag queen story events, and avoiding the use of “gendered language”.

    SEE LINK FOR REST

    Keep Leftists away from your kids. It won’t end well. Best to home school if possible.

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    • #
      Greg in NZ

      It’s always drag queens: where are the drag kings, or are they the purple-haired nose-ringed trouser-wearing XX teachers with hack-haircuts who look & sound like blokes? Too many precious princesses in this world: bring back the cane.

      / satire & humor [sic]

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    • #
      John Connor II

      And Biden’s back from the beach moaning how he’s not allowed near crowds any more.
      So the kids are safe then.
      At least he has a small “Wendy house” desk to sit at.😎

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      • #
        KP

        I saw the comment ‘you cannot put “Stand up and leave the stage” on the bottom of the teleprompter because he will read it out aloud..’

        20

  • #
    David Maddison

    List of institutions worth leading bequests to.

    I once mentioned this before but have since discussed it with friends with similiar concerns.

    It is common to leave in one’s will money for charity or some worthy institution such as a university.

    Unfortunately nearly all universities have been dumbed down and taken over by the Left and any monies left to them would likely be used on some anti-intellectual/woke endeavour.

    Even most museums are revising their collections, revising the history presented and making them woke. Similarly for libraries. They are also mostly unworthy.

    What institutions, if any, are worthy of leaving funds for?

    In Australia the conservative think tank the Institute of Public Affairs might be worth considering.

    Also, Jo’s website.

    Certain charities and hospitals. (I would avoid any that promote transgendering children.)

    Suggestions?

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    • #
      Tarquin Wombat-Carruthers

      Legacy!

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    • #
      John Connor II

      The Pakistan transgender foundation?

      Money (currency) and personal wealth via inheritance will likely be taken by governments anyway if they get their way, to delay their collapse into ruins.
      Liquidate your wealth and cast a solid gold casket with a timber veneer for yourself, bequeathing it to your heirs.

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    • #
      Philip

      Royal Blind Dogs don’t get any government funding.

      10

  • #
    David Maddison

    Does Adenovirus serotype 36 cause incurable obesity in about 30% of obese people?

    There is a theory that infection with Adenovirus serotype 36, a strain of the common cold that emerges about ever 8 to 10 years causes obesity.

    Once infected, it is claimed, it becomes impossible for the victim to shed fat as their metabolism is permanently altered in a harmful way.

    From Wikipedia:

    To date, AD-36 is the only human adenovirus that has been linked with human obesity, present in 30% of obese humans and 11% of nonobese humans. In addition, a study of obese Americans indicates that about 30% of the obese individuals and only 5% of non-obese individuals have antibodies to Ad-36. Another study determined that children with the virus averaged 52 pounds heavier than those with no signs of it and obese children with the virus averaged 35 pounds heavier than obese children with no trace of the virus. AD-36 also causes obesity in chickens, mice, rats, and monkeys.

    I was speaking to someone who researched this. Even if the person stopped eating, they would consume their own protein but not fat. He even mentioned a case where that happened and the person died with plenty of fat but their muscles, including their heart, were wasted resulting in death. This researcher told me he had difficulty getting anyone interested in this theory.

    Also see:

    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4517116/

    The most widely studied infectious agent possibly linked to obesity is adenovirus 36 (Adv36). Adv36 causes obesity in animals. In humans, Adv36 associates with obesity both in adults and children and the prevalence of Adv36 increases in relation to the body mass index. In vivo and in vitro studies have shown that the viral E4orf1 protein (early region 4 open reading frame 1, Adv) mediates the Adv36 effect including its adipogenic potential. The Adv36 infection should therefore be considered as a possible risk factor for obesity and could be a potential new therapeutic target in addition to an original way to understand the worldwide rise of the epidemic of obesity. Here, the data indicating a possible link between viral infection and obesity with a particular emphasis to the Adv36 will be reviewed.

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    • #
      KP

      Are we talking days, weeks or months before we see-

      “Govt pours billions into new self-replicating mRNA vaccine against adenovirus 36”

      ..and a decade or more before someone finally admits-

      “The ADV36 vaccine may be linked to the gigantic rise in rapid cancers that have killed 30% of the world’s population since its 2025 introduction”

      ..or maybe

      “The starvation deaths of 30% of the world’s population has been linked to a vaccine that blocked their metabolism from utilising carbohydrates.”

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    • #
      John Connor II

      Even if the person stopped eating, they would consume their own protein but not fat. He even mentioned a case where that happened and the person died with plenty of fat but their muscles, including their heart, were wasted resulting in death.

      Actually, the liver is considered a second brain and can selectively catabolise protein structures (eg muscle) as needed.
      That’s why one needs to weight train during dieting to preferentially burn fat rather than muscle.
      In cases where people have been stranded at sea, the liver breaks down leg muscles first but leaves the active arm muscles alone.
      As for Adv36, who knows, but maybe a liver issue?

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  • #
    James Murphy

    Probably too late to mention, but there is a lecture at the university of Adelaide on Thursday 5th September.

    “Human impact or natural variability? The conundrum of climatic change”
    Emeritus Professor Martin Williams

    Thursday 5th September 2024 at 6.30 pm
    5.30 pm for wine tasting, drinks and nibbles
    Mawson Lecture Theatre, North Terrace Campus, University of Adelaide

    https://www.geosciencepathways.org.au/post/the-9th-ralph-tate-memorial-lecture

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  • #
    David Maddison

    Jordan Peterson is establishing a university that actually promotes scholarship and objectivity, in the manner of traditional universities before they were infested by the Left.

    It is online at first but will hopefully become a physical one in time.

    https://www.facebook.com/share/zNaFreN3MiFZuo7g/

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  • #
    David Maddison

    This seems to be true and widely reported and the silence from the “fact checkers” (sic) is deafening.

    I’m not sure if the Lamestream media has reported it.

    https://x.com/bennyjohnson/status/1831345408607736091

    BREAKING: The *entire* family of Kamala Harris running mate Tim Walz just endorsed TRUMP. This is the greatest troll of the 2024 election 🤣

    Imagine how bad you’d have to be to have your own family support your opposition.

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  • #
    David Maddison

    More blatant Leftist bias from Big Tech, this example from Amazon Alexa.

    A woman asks Alexa why she should vote for Trump and then the same question for Harris.

    https://youtu.be/I-6TCI3p6wg

    Election interference on a massive scale is why woke Amazon needs a 960MW nuclear powered data/AI centre. No windmills, panels or Unicorn flatulence for them.

    https://www.ans.org/news/article-5842/amazon-buys-nuclearpowered-data-center-from-talen/

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    • #
      Robert Swan

      … asks Alexa why she should vote for Trump …

      Yeah, but it’s a kind of confirmation bias. It assumes someone who *genuinely* consults their personalised “home shopping channel” for political advice. Which party would be the natural choice for someone that stupid?

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  • #
    David Maddison

    More Nanny Statism in one of the world’s most extreme Nanny States, Australia.

    The Government wants to restrict the number of pets you have.

    I’m not a cat person or even a pet person but I support the right of people to own pets in a supposedly free society.

    Ostensibly its about protecting wildlife. But there are already laws to deal with feral cats such as neutering them and keeping them inside etc..

    And it starts with cats, then it will be dogs, then your goldfish etc..

    https://www.7hofm.com.au/trending/entertainment/new-legislation-may-limit-how-many-cats-you-can-own/

    To combat the serious impact of both feral and pet cats on Australian wildlife, new government proposals could introduce limits on the number of cats owned per household. The cat threat abatement plan is expected to be finalised by the end of the year, following agreement in principle from state and territory leaders. Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek is set to unveil further details on the initiative aimed at reducing the population of feral cats, which are known to wreak havoc on Australia’s native species.

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    • #
      Vicki

      I can’t recall the last time I saw a cat wandering the suburban streets. Clearly householders are conscious of confining their pets – if only to keep them safe from the increasing vehicular traffic.

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      • #
        FarmerDoug2

        I can recall the last time I saw a cat wandering the regional wallaby track. Tanya knows something. She just doesn’t know enough to attack the problem usefully.
        Then again, just getting a bit of publicity going might help.

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        • #
          Dennis

          A farmer mate had a large bush not far from his house and many cats breeding fast, there was a sudden drop in the population from time to time based on “lead poisoning” injected by 12 gauge.

          11

      • #
        Steve of Cornubia

        Our next door neighbour has several cats, all allowed to roam free. We and others in the street have reported them but the authorities simply accepted their claim that the cats don’t belong to them and left them alone. The inspector even came to our house to ask if we’d seen the cats yet, when we told them there were three living at the house, nothing was done. Since the cats arrived, the local population of small birds has dropped precipitously and every year’s crop of baby Water Dragons vanishes within two or three weeks.

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        • #
          Eng_Ian

          Ask the council for a cat trap.

          The cats sill be taken to the pound, if chipped/owned, then the owner will be contacted.

          If surplus to demand, then the cats will be put to sleep.

          Problem solved one way or another.

          Away from the city streets the cats are target practice, a loss less paperwork.

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          • #
            Steve of Cornubia

            We tried that a couple of years ago. They just got another cat. Two women (sisters) live there and they are obsessed with animals of all kinds, which makes the fact they allow their cats to roam a bit weird. Maybe they feed the birds so they don’t have to buy cat food?

            50

            • #
              Graeme No.3

              Steve:
              The cats roam because they suffer from headaches. Crush 2 or 3 phenacetin tablets (if you can get them) and dissolve in warm milk, leaving this out where the cats can get at it.
              Repeat until all the cats are cured.

              24

        • #
          RetiredNow

          The reason we allow our cats to roam free is that we got them to reduce an horrendous rat problem. After 12 years of using every trap and poison possible and losing over 70% of our vegetable crops to the rats we gave in and got cats. We didn’t intend it to be in the plural but one went missing for 3 months. The local city officials would just say poison and trap neither of which worked after the 2nd or 3rd rat of the season.

          Since we have had the cats our vegetables have only been attacked a couple of times, and only for one night at a time. Our cats don’t keep just our own rats down but the rats of our neighbours as well. The cats like to bring the rats home to show off, but usually we are only left with the gift of arterial spray and a small head. Most weeks there don’t appear to be any but one week we counted about 10 brought home dead. They didn’t need much food that week.

          As a bonus the native bird population surged as the rats weren’t eating the bird eggs. Our cats are only interested in birds that taunt them which is very rare.

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          • #
            Steve of Cornubia

            Fair enough. I assume they’ve been desexed though?

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          • #
            KP

            “The cats like to bring the rats home to show off, but usually we are only left with the gift of arterial spray and a small head. Most weeks there don’t appear to be any but one week we counted about 10 brought home dead. They didn’t need much food that week.”

            Ours do that! They eat the mice, leaving a tail and a little pile of guts, but usually are found staring at the bottom of the fridge waiting for the live rat they bought home to reappear.

            We’ve had cats ever since the early 1980s, usually four or so, but up to 13, (we used to breed Abyssinians) and they have never been contained. We buy a house in a cul-de-sac for the cats/traffic and they roam freely.

            I find the Australian hatred of cats and desire to kill them quite strange, a bit like the Muslim’s attitude to Christians. I also find the anti-cat politicians and researchers just full of shit! They have obviously never owned or studied cats at home or they would know cats rarely eat birds, they much prefer mice, lizards and insects. Snakes too, the first thing one of the Abbys bought home when we bought 5 of them to Aussie, was a red-bellied black.

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            • #
              Philip

              We have a very good bird catcher, but guess what? Makes no difference to bird populations, at all. Thats a fabricated myth based on B.Sc(hons) study projects by environmental nerd students.

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              • #
                Steve of Cornubia

                In my case, it’s an observed truth. One in particular – a big orange thing – is particularly adept at catching birds.

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          • #
            Philip

            At last, some real science. It is as simple as that. Cats kill rats, and they are the best at it. It is why we domesticated them no doubt. Cats are as much a part of human history and civilization as we are.

            Not easy for a cat to survive in the wild. Which is why they aren’t everywhere. The idea they are is urban green mythology. One thing I learned doing animal surveys in that degree I did, is that Rattus Rattus is everywhere out there in those forests. It’s pretty much all you catch. Rats are the poison, The cats are the remedy.

            And as to the damage(sic) they do, most famously to desert marsupial and rodents, well, so what? The ones that survive, survive. And plenty of them do. What difference did it make to the world that the Dodo went extinct? Nothing. Nor does it matter that a hopping mouse goes extinct in a desert because they couldn’t survive the few cats that do survive.

            It’s irrelevant. It is not worth spending billions of dollars on. The environmental doom is not coming. It doesn’t need your money.

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          • #
            SteveR

            well done. Unintended consequences eh, interfere to stop one problem and cause another.

            00

      • #
        John Connor II

        I can’t recall the last time I saw a cat wandering the suburban streets.

        An increasing number of chinese restaurants?

        /Thu funny 😆

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    • #
      Tarquin Wombat-Carruthers

      Do feral cats wreak more, or less, havoc than do our politicians? Show me a cat-built wind turbine or solar panel.

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    • #
      Hanrahan

      Even your gold fish is just a carp – a pest, ask anyone who uses the Murray.

      Tilapia is a mouth-brooding ciclid from the Rift lakes in Africa. Savage and super-protective, it will out-compete ANY native fish.

      Take the youngsters of the family to any fresh water body in your town, you will find guppies, swordtails and mosquito fish.

      There are weirs near our Army base. Rumour has it that it is rife with exotic fish.

      Transporting the native archer fish into L. Eacham led to the extinction of the indigenous rainbow fish, Melanotaenia eachamensis. Our native rainbow is a colourful, varied egg scatterer which is no match for exotic competition.

      So even our aquariums need controls.

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    • #
      MeAgain

      People get very upset when I infer a link between culling feral cats and rat plagues. OK, I am not an expert, but this one seems pretty obvious…

      40

  • #
    Penguinite

    Has anyone heard of the Kamala diet? It’s called “word salad” it contains absolutely no protein and virtually zero carbohydrates but it’s packed with trans fats

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  • #
    David Maddison

    In Ireland, a teacher was arrested for refusing to call an actual boy a “girl”.

    https://youtu.be/KhwgTo44ing

    This could happen in Australia too because a judge ruled (Tickle v Giggle for Girls Pty Ltd.), contrary to all biological knowledge to date, that humans can change their sex. (A feat hereto only known to be possible in a few lower animals.)

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    • #
      Graeme No.3

      But David, have you considered the The Greens are a few lower animals.

      I know at least 2 couples who vote for The Greens but only because of dislike of the major parties.

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  • #
    Skepticynic

    Great news!

    BRAZILIAN SENATORS TO SCHEDULE IMPEACHMENT OF DE MORAES TODAY

    Brazilian senators have pledged to schedule the impeachment of Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes during today’s deliberative session at 4:00 PM.

    Leading the efforts are Senator Cleitinho and Senator Girão.

    This move follows de Moraes’s decision to block X in Brazil.

    @elonmusk has condemned de Moraes’ actions, calling him “an outright criminal of the worst kind” and accusing him of censorship and violating free speech.

    Source: @NewsLiberdade

    X

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  • #
    Skepticynic

    >because a judge ruled contrary to all biological knowledge to date, that humans can change their sex

    We are becoming a global theocracy and the law is truly a priesthood now, since the proclamation of a judge defines what is the truth despite the actual facts of nature.

    A judges opinion is more truth than reality.

    The enlightenment has been consigned to the trashbin.

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    • #
      John Connor II

      …then within a few years realise the surgery is irreversible, your body a mess, your life gone, and your meat and 2 veg can’t be reattached.

      Maybe “the boy named Sue” can sue?

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      • #
        Kalm Keith

        The same mode of operation imposed over and over.
        Coverup, complexify and keep the truth out of reach.

        Global Warming is pushed successfully by hiding reality and then discussing all of the Irrelevant junk to give the appearance of fairness. Co2 does not heat the atmosphere.

        Gender dysphoria has been grabbed as just another means of apparently engaging the masses in baseless verbalism and me too Ism.

        There’s no relevance in the constant LGBTIQRM focus when in fact Gender Dysphoria is simply “damage” that occurs in an Imperfect human structure.

        00

  • #
    Graeme No.3

    Meanwhile, in reality land, Europe now imports more natural gas from Russia than from the USA, making it the second highest below Norway.
    With winter coming the need for more heat/energy will increase.

    https://notrickszone.com/2024/09/04/russian-natural-gas-junkie-eu-imports-more-from-russia-than-from-usa-again/

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  • #
    Earl

    [Headline]“Horrific moment motorcyclist ploughs into a brick wall flinging his girlfriend across a front lawn: Here’s what he told cops as he faces court charged with her manslaughter”

    [Story extract] “…pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of…”

    Just curious regarding initial reading reaction along the lines of:

    “But if thought corrupts language, language can also corrupt thought”. George Orwell 1984.

    Cheers

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    KP

    The Left in America are now stealing websites operated from other countries because they offer a different view. The internet will soon become useless if this keeps up.

    “In another action, officials seized 32 internet domains which he said been used by members of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s inner circle to promote disinformation as part of a campaign to influence the 2024 election.
    “The sites we are seizing today were filled with Russian government propaganda that had been created by the Kremlin to reduce international support for Ukraine, bolster pro-Russian policies and interests, and influence voters in the United States and other countries,” Garland told reporters in Washington.”

    Of course the propaganda piece was used to show a photo of Trump shaking hands with Putin, just to reinforce a background idea.

    https://www.smh.com.au/world/north-america/us-charges-russians-seizes-websites-in-pushback-on-2024-election-interference-20240905-p5k7zu.html

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  • #
    Greg in NZ

    New Zealand Government hustlers held their 3rd ‘carbon credit’ auction of the year this week and, again, nobody turned up. The previous one was a no-show, while March’s inaugural 2024 ‘auction’ had a few nibbles, worth NZ$160 million (not much).

    Last year, with Labour holding the keys to the treasury, all four auctions failed to arouse any interest. Greenies and shysters were apoplectic.

    Scams they come,
    scams they go;
    where they go,

    who cares, as long as they go, far far away.

    Any word on snow flurries on the Stirling Range today Jo? Perth Now mentioned there was a chance of an overnight dusting, with Perth being the coldest state capital on a hottest evaaah max of 16C. Maybe those ‘carbon credits’ are working after all…

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    • #
      Graeme4

      Can’t be that cold in Perth, as my air con has only been turned on a handful of times to heat my residence this winter, and then only for a few hours. Haven’t seen my indoor temp drop below 19 all winter – sits at 20 day and night. While our days have been cooler, our nights have been warmer due to increased cloud cover.

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  • #
    David Maddison

    (COPIED FROM ELSEWHERE)
    Oh the irony – the fighting has been ‘paused’ for three days so that Gaza’s children can be immunised against Polio using a vaccine created by an American Jew, Jonas Salk, in 1953. Having completed testing, the vaccine was first offered to the public in 1955, with Salk stating that he wanted no copyright, income or profit from the vaccine so that everyone could benefit from it. So here we are, almost 70 years later, with those who scream ‘death to the Jews’ taking a break so there children can benefit from a potentially life-saving vaccine developed by a Jew.

    And with the hundreds of billions of our taxes sent to Gaza by the UN and WHO can someone please explain to me why this most basic of childhood vaccinations was not done by WHO/UN? But they did build plenty of “schools” and “hospitals” that were actually terrorist command centres…

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    • #
      John Connor II

      The liberal redthumbers just love people posting about anything Israel/Palestine.
      Perhaps they should get on a plane and go over there rather than just virtue-signal and wave signs in the street here.
      No, virtue signalling in safety is the go.

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    • #
      Earl

      “Where is that pesky wabbit”

      Lots of rabbit holes when it comes to polio. Yes, Jonas Salk’s vaccine is rightly hailed however in 1955 there was a contamination incident which led to over 200 polio cases including 11 fatalities. This was not due to the vaccine itself but production quality controls and mentioned here as an ahum moment hat tip to covid and its safe and effective.

      3 types of polio with UN/WHO declaring type 2 eradicated in September 2015 (last detected in India in 1999) and type 3 declared eradicated in October 2019 (last detected in November 2012). Gaza outbreak has been identified as vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (Cvdpv2) which is a mutated virus from an oral polio vaccine. Obvious immediate question is what are they rolling out in Gaza currently? Needles (breakable) or liquid. How many years before next eradication/suppression event(s).

      Polio vaccine/fight is a fascinating story to discover well worth researching.

      All that aside the interesting by-products/manipulation flags noted while constructing above. Search term “was Jonas Salks safe” returned 20 results with 20 occurrences of word “safe” and 8 full quotes of term “safe and effective” with some bolded. (Covid fallout counter?).

      How does polio outbreak impact issuing visas? Or, more likely, will there be a push for mass inoculation here because just as covid was a pandemic of the uninoculated polio will otherwise be the disease of the “Australians”.

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    • #
      Forrest Gardener

      Another truth bomb and lots of flak. You are right over the target David.

      Interesting though. I wouldn’t have thought that there were that many red thumbers around. I would be interested to know whether the forum software can identify the user names involved. It looks like a vulnerability to bots to me.

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      • #
        John Connor II

        wouldn’t have thought that there were that many red thumbers around.

        Amazing how they come out from under rocks when you push the right buttons.
        They’re entitled to their opinions.
        Whether they can justify them is another matter.
        Probably not, hence the red thumb action.

        1210

      • #
        David Maddison

        Yes Forrest, I am quite surprised.

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    • #
      Steve of Cornubia

      She uses a term I used back in ’99, when I persuaded Mrs Wife to emigrate to Oz. I said back then that the UK was becoming like a ‘pressure cooker’. I felt that was because of overcrowding but now I add ‘cultural enrichment’ to that scenario.

      I recall thinking there were way too many people on a small island, with too few green and open spaces for my liking. That overcrowding caused a host of problems from pollution to traffic jams, inflation to overcrowded doctors’ surgeries, too many people chasing the good jobs and of course the rapid encroachment of concrete where there used to be trees and birds. Then there was a trip to London where we caught a bus and I looked around and realised we were the only indigenous Brits among fifty or so passengers. The writing was on the wall so I developed a plan to get the heck out of there. I originally thought Canada was the best option but serendipity dropped a job offer From Australia in my lap. The timing couldn’t have been better.

      My wife and I occasionally think about how our lives would be now, in retirement, had we stayed in the UK (and how our children would be faring). We have to stop ourselves thinking about it because it causes feelings of dread. Seriously.

      I sometimes miss the UK, but the reality the UK i feel homesick for no longer exists.

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        Annie

        ‘I sometimes miss the UK, but the reality the UK i feel homesick for no longer exists.’

        Yes, just how I feel Steve and I am greatly saddened by it. I reread my Elizabeth Goudge books from time to time to capture a flavour of the timeless ‘essence of England’. Likewise, there is music that brings it back; Ralph Vaughan-Williams’ ‘Fantasia on a theme of Thomas Tallis’ and Sir Edward Elgar’s music. Visions of Worcester Cathedral and the Malvern Hills with the latter and a very deep and ancient atmosphere with the former.
        Our problem is still having family and some of our oldest friends there.

        Our home is here now and Australia has also changed considerably since we first came here in the mid-1980s; there was such a feeling of freedom…hmmm.

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          Steve of Cornubia

          My time in New Zealand (2005-6) reminded me greatly of the UK back in the 60s and early 70s, mainly because the north island landscape is just how I remember the UK as a child. I have been able to recreate happy memories by lying in a flower meadow while Skylarks soar above, raised higher and higher by their glorious song. I am instantly ten years old again. I hope to go there again at some point, if my wife feels up to it. All I want to do is find a flower meadow.

          Conversely, on my last trips to the UK, I was saddened by the huge drop in the songbird populations. I couldn’t find or hear a single Skylark. We stayed in a lovely little cottage in Cheshire last year, adjacent to a copse of Oak, Beech and Elder, perfect for wildlife yet,the couple of times I got up before daybreak to hear the dawn chorus, I found there wasn’t one. Happily, a local Blackbird used the very top of a huge tree in the garden to perform its dusk performance each day, which gladdened my heart.

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            Annie

            I remember similar in NZ, especially where we camped by a hedgerow in a site on the way to Picton to catch the ferry to Wellington. I loved NZ but we’ve not been back since a visit in 2001.
            We used to have larks in Gloucestershire and heard a cuckoo when we climbed Pen Hill in Wensleydale. There were lots of cuckoos in France in the Chamonix region too. In Cyprus we heard nightingales. Here I’ve been delighted to hear Mr Blackbird singing his little heart out.

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        SteveR

        I sometimes get nostalgic for Britain but not Birmingham where I was until my twenties.
        I originally came to Australia to look around and emigrated because in 2005 it was less regulated than UK. Times have changed and although there is not yet the “cultural” epidemic of problems as in UK i find that we are actually more regulated here.
        It used to be you could do most things that weren’t illegal but now it seems that you cannot do anything unless you pay for a licence and even then so much is not allowed, restricted or over governed.

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      Earl

      It’s like deja-vu, all over again. – Yogi Berra.

      1) 1970s New Zealand joke. How do you know a plane has arrived from England? The engines get turned off but you can still hear whining.
      2) Robert Muldoon on his level of concern with Kiwis leaving for Australia: “It improves the IQ of both countries”.

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        Greg in NZ

        🤣 😂 😃

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        MeAgain

        A newly-arrived Kiwi colleague applied for his Medicare card in the 90s and the clerk said to him “did you turn the lights off when you left” That was back when public servants were allowed to have a sense of humour

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    John Connor II

    Nvidia’s $279 billion wipeout — the biggest in U.S. history — drags down global chip stocks

    Global semiconductor and associated stocks fell on Wednesday, following a steep plunge in Nvidia’s share price in the U.S. overnight.

    In the U.S., chipmaker Nvidia plunged more than 9% in regular trading, leading semiconductor stocks lower amid a sell-off on Wall Street. Economic data published Tuesday resurfaced jitters about the health of the U.S. economy. Nvidia shares continued sliding in post-market trading Tuesday, falling 2%, after Bloomberg reported that the company received a subpoena from the Department of Justice as part of an antitrust investigation.

    Around $279 billion of value was wiped off of Nvidia on Tuesday, in the biggest one-day market capitalization drop for a U.S. stock in history. The previous record was held by Facebook-parent Meta, which suffered a $232 billion fall in value in a day in February 2022.
    Nvidia’s value chain extends to South Korea, namely, memory chip maker SK Hynix and conglomerate Samsung Electronics.

    https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/nvidia-s-279-billion-wipeout-the-biggest-in-u-s-history-drags-down-global-chip-stocks/

    Spectacular rise, from their GPU advancements, followed by spectacular fall. Won’t dent AI growth though.

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    John Connor II

    King Charles is set for a £45m pay rise (50% rise in his official annual income).

    “150,000 pensioners could keep their winter fuel allowance if King Charles did not have a 50% pay rise. What a nation of obedient serfs we are, just sucking this up.”

    https://x.com/JamesMelville/status/1830139841658360138

    Dump the royals! An unaffordable, legacy, irrelevant, WEF member waste of money.

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      Greg in NZ

      The King is dead, long live
      Queenie his daughter!

      What, y’all didn’t know we had a monarchy too?

      Kuini Nga wai hono i te po (27) was announced today as the new Maori Queen, taking over from her father, Kiingi Tuheitia (69), who died last week after heart surgery complications.

      The previous monarch, Kuini (Queenie) Te Atairangikaahu, was the late king’s mother and the new queen’s grandmother.

      Talk about keeping it all in the family – except, I thought colonialism was the root of all evil and source of all things pakeha. Ah well, kapai, chur cuz!

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    YYY Guy

    It’s not lying when politicians do it. Besides, there’s an easy explanation.
    Familiar faces.

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    Kalm Keith

    Very few people are aware of the basics of this matter.

    The “problem” results from the interruption- halting or interference of development in womb during the nine months of pregnancy and become of its nature, is essentially unknowable in terms of damage that is permanent or occasionally repairable.

    The best solution is to care for the mother during pregnancy and limit stressful situations.

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    John Connor II

    A clever way to stop “misinformation superspreaders”

    US law (18 USC 1001) makes it illegal to lie to the US government.

    So an easy way to stop “misinformation spreaders” is to subpoena them to testify in front of Congress and ask them whether vaccines are safe and how they know. If they lie, they can be put in jail for 5 years.

    Problem solved.

    https://kirschsubstack.com/p/a-clever-way-to-stop-misinformation

    Probably the same laws here in Oz too.

    Must get one of those t-shirts!

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    John Connor II

    The White House: We’re unable to track $6.2 billion sent to Ukraine.

    California: We’re unable to track $24 billion spent to combat homelessness.

    The Pentagon: We’re unable to track $2.3 trillion of military spending.

    The U.S. Treasury: We’re unable to track $5trillion of pandemic spending.

    The IRS: We know you sent $601.57 to your friend, you better report it or you’re going to jail.

    This is the definition of a broken system

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      John Connor II

      Fraud Risk Management:
      2018-2022 Data Show Federal Government Loses an Estimated $233 Billion to $521 Billion Annually to Fraud, Based on Various Risk Environments

      https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-24-105833

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      Yarpos

      Or perhaps operating completely as designed

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      Steve of Cornubia

      I have long argued that much of the eye-wateringly huge spending we see on certain issues, from Net Zero to overseas aid, is essentially corruption. Very little of the money actually lands where it should, having been used primarily to:

      1) Employ yet more public servants.
      2) Create a few more highly remunerated NGO positions for ex-pollies and their pals.
      3) Engage ‘consultants’ who are, yet again, ex-pollies and their pals.
      4) Bribes to the WEF, UN, WHO etc in order to secure lucrative positions for pollies when they retire.
      5) Get siphoned off into areas and projects that have nothing whatsoever to do with the original purpose.
      6) Repay personal favours at our expense.
      7) Buy off political allies – “You scratch my back etc’

      The thing is, when so much money is flying around mostly un-audited, it’s easy for the bar stewards to hide a few million here and a hundred million there. In business and accounting, it’s often called ‘the hollow log’ – somewhere to tuck money away from prying eyes, for future use, sometimes legit, sometimes not.

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    YYY Guy

    In the navy, you can sail the seven seas. Or you can get replaced
    Very curious. I did a bit of research and both people check out but it’s an AI search engine. Still, I’m reassured we’re in safe hands. 🤣

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    John Connor II

    Thursday reality

    The world makes a lot more sense when you finally understand that the average person doesn’t want liberty or freedom. They want a comfortable cage with a semi-believable story as to why they’re in it.

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      Broadie

      The reality is they are not taught about freedom or liberty. Without the ability to read and seek the lessons of history they are ignorant slaves and will seek only comfort.

      Frederick Douglas and his desire to be free

      Douglass’s response to Auld’s diatribe illustrates the nature and importance of unintended consequences. He writes, “I instinctively assented to the proposition [that ‘knowledge unfits a child to be a slave’], and from that moment I understood the direct pathway from slavery to freedom. It was just what I needed, and it came to me at a time and from a source whence I least expected it.”

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    John Connor II

    Low-velocity seismic structure discovered in Earth’s outer core

    Two Australian scientists discovered a ‘seismic abnormality’ in the Earth’s outer core — a “donut” of energy around the equator, where seismic waves move about 2% slower than in other core regions. Their study provides new clues about the dynamics of our planet’s magnetic field.

    The study calls into question conventional models of the core, implying the presence of lighter elements and potential repercussions on Earth’s magnetic field, which is vital for safeguarding life from solar radiation.

    Scientists believe this region may be essential in the vast currents of liquid metal that run through the core and generate the Earth’s magnetic field.

    https://watchers.news/2024/09/04/low-velocity-seismic-structure-discovered-in-earths-outer-core/

    Another discovery?
    I thought the science was settled?

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      Forrest Gardener

      Science settled. Wait for it.

      What more evidence do you need that human CO2 emissions are affecting the earth’s core.
      And worse of course is that human CO2 emissions are affecting the sun.

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    Skepticynic

    Gravity Modification Experiment Description and Results (presented at APEC Propulsion Conference 8/31/24)

    https://www.researchgate.net/publication/383609891_Gravity_Modification_Experiment_Description_and_Results_presented_at_APEC_Propulsion_Conference_83124

    Presents Descriptions and Results of laboratory demonstrations of Gravity Modification based on Gravity-Electro-Magnetism Unification Theory with invitation to reproduce them
    DARPA

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    John Connor II

    Sutskever strikes AI gold with billion-dollar backing for superintelligent AI

    On Wednesday, Reuters reported that Safe Superintelligence (SSI), a new AI startup cofounded by OpenAI’s former chief scientist Ilya Sutskever, has raised $1 billion in funding. The 3-month-old company plans to focus on developing what it calls “safe” AI systems that surpass human capabilities.

    The fundraising effort shows that even amid growing skepticism around massive investments in AI tech that so far have failed to be profitable, some backers are still willing to place large bets on high-profile talent in foundational AI research. Venture capital firms like Andreessen Horowitz, Sequoia Capital, DST Global, and SV Angel participated in the SSI funding round.

    SSI aims to use the new funds for computing power and attracting talent. With only 10 employees at the moment, the company intends to build a larger team of researchers across locations in Palo Alto, California, and Tel Aviv, Reuters reported.

    While SSI did not officially disclose its valuation, sources told Reuters it was valued at $5 billion—which is a stunningly large amount just three months after the company’s founding and with no publicly-known products yet developed.

    https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2024/09/sutskever-strikes-ai-gold-with-billion-dollar-backing-for-superintelligent-ai/

    A “safe” AGI…it’s just a harmless little bunny…

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    John Connor II

    Switzerland: The End of Free Speech
    Ordinary citizens face hefty fines and jail for “wrong think”

    Most people in the world view Switzerland as a safe, sensible, fair and free nation. The reality is that behind its pristine veneer, it is as corrupt – if not more – than any other nation, and is becoming increasingly repressive at an alarming rate.

    While all eyes are on the U.K. at the moment due to their Orwellian crack down on freedom of expression — to the point of jailing people for memes and stickers — and on France as we await more information on Pavel Durov’s arrest, free speech is under unprecedented attack in Switzerland as well.

    A friend of mine, who goes by the pseudonym “Barbouille” on X, has just been fined the hefty amount of CHF 4’800, approx $ 5’700 — for a tweet.
    His crime? Calling out the indoctrination of children being taught what LGBTQI… stands for in a classroom.

    ..article 261bis of the Swiss Criminal Code, impedes on our fundamental right to free speech.

    “If you dig up the LGBTQI after 200 years, you will only find men and women based on the skeletons. Everything else is a mental illness that has been brought up through the curriculum!”

    https://noorbinladin.substack.com/p/switzerland-the-end-of-free-speech

    …and perusing article216bis, anyone attacking white people is also a hate crime.
    Alleged white supremacy, white privilege etc are fair game. Let the games begin!

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    Ireneusz Palmowski

    The graphic shows a clear temperature drop in the stratosphere above a pressure of 2 hPa. In these layers of the stratosphere, only UVC radiation can raise the temperature. That’s why the temperature drops to the tropopause, although it seems that it should rise as the air density increases. The temperature drops to the tropopause because the shortest UV radiation is completely absorbed by oxygen. It follows that a drop in temperature in July 2024 means a drop in stratospheric ozone production, which ozone in turn absorbs most UVB radiation. The conclusion is that there was a significant increase in UVB radiation in the troposphere over the equator in July.
    https://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/stratosphere/strat-trop/gif_files/time_pres_TEMP_MEAN_JAS_EQ_2024.png
    https://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/stratosphere/strat-trop/gif_files/time_pres_TEMP_ANOM_JAS_EQ_2024.png
    Studies have shown that water vapor exhibits structural absorption bands in the near-UV range, particularly in the 290-350 nm range. In this range, water vapor can absorb UVB radiation, which is important for understanding its role in the atmosphere.
    Atmospheric impact:
    Water vapor is one of the main components of the atmosphere that absorbs solar radiation, which has important implications for the Earth’s energy balance and climate modeling. As the water vapor content of the atmosphere increases, increased absorption of UV radiation is observed, which can affect local atmospheric conditions and ecological health.
    Studies have shown that water vapor exhibits structural absorption bands in the near-UV range, particularly in the 290-350 nm range. In this range, water vapor can absorb UVB radiation, which is important for understanding its role in the atmosphere.
    Atmospheric impact:
    Water vapor is one of the main components of the atmosphere that absorbs solar radiation, which has important implications for the Earth’s energy balance and climate modeling. As the water vapor content of the atmosphere increases, increased absorption of UV radiation is observed, which can affect local atmospheric conditions and ecological health.

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    Gee Aye

    Looks like a well regulated militia just went to another school.

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      Yarpos

      Absent of course re knike attacks in the UK and Ireland, no barrow to push there

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      KP

      “A 14-year-old has been charged with murder after four people were killed and at least nine injured in a school shooting in the US state of Georgia, according to local authorities.”

      ‘Looks like a well regulated militia just went to another school.’

      Pity there weren’t a few militia members there actually, or even a couple of well-armed teachers.. Oh wait, the do-gooders made schools into gun-free zones to make it easier for the murderers!

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      David Maddison

      It always happens in “gun free zones” where only the criminals have guns…

      And done by nutters who have been ignored by the system, despite usually there being many warning signs.

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    el+gordo

    ‘BoM loses illegal sacking case as staff condemn ‘toxic’ and ‘chaotic’ culture.

    ‘The Bureau of Meteorology has lost a bitterly fought unfair dismissal case that dates back more than five years.’ (SMH)

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    el+gordo

    ‘Endangered sea snake threatens $29bn gas project.

    ‘Tanya Plibersek’s department is calling for an ‘urgent review’ of Browse and other Timor Sea energy projects after the dusky sea snake was declared endangered this week.’ (Oz)

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