Open Thread – Tues 27 Sept 2022


Haywain Triptych, Hieronymus Bosch, 1500

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OldOzzie
OldOzzie
September 28, 2022 12:51 pm

Guess Who Threatened to Take the Russian Nord Stream Pipelines Offline Before They Were Sabotaged This Week?

From the Comments

– 100% trying to start a major war prior to November.

– Exactly. Have Russia attack the United States before November to throw off the mid-term elections as a way to cheat and win.

– “Shelter in place” to vote scheme just went nuclear!

– Joey wouldn’t even blink to let the United States get hit with a nuclear bomb if it would help him win.

– Democrats would be happy to rule over the ashes.

Lysander
Lysander
September 28, 2022 12:51 pm

From the paywalled Herald Bung:

Experts are saying “at least 100kg of TNT” appears to have been used.

m0nty
m0nty
September 28, 2022 12:52 pm

That Nordstream thing is a head-scratcher. Eco-terrorists or military, Ukraine or Russia, who can tell?

areff
areff
September 28, 2022 12:53 pm

Scientific types, feel free to tell me I should have paid attention in Fifth Form physics, but might the pipeline explosions have resulted from something like this:

Both pipelines were closed at the source and, obviously, at their destinations. Both were full of gas under pressure, which would have stopped the pipelines being squashed by the weight of 110 metres of water above.

So picture something happening at either end. The Eurowogs let a bit of gas out, or the Russians fiddle a bit, pressure drops and the resulting crush sees sudden, immense pressure that generates heat and, well, bang!

I read some time ago that what we imagine happens in a submarine at crush depth is entirely wrong. It’s not cold water that kills everyone, it’s the sudden heat of compression as the air instantly hits temperatures of hundreds of degrees.

The fact that explosions were hours apart suggests, at least to me, a gradual pressure drop.

Kneel
Kneel
September 28, 2022 12:58 pm

“…feel free to tell me I should have paid attention in Fifth Form physics…”

To burn (low explosive, same same) you need:
fuel – tick.
oxidiser – cross.
source of ignition – tick (maybe).

1 and a half out three ain’t bad…

HT
HT
September 28, 2022 12:59 pm

m0nty says:
September 28, 2022 at 12:52 pm
That Nordstream thing is a head-scratcher. Eco-terrorists or military, Ukraine or Russia, who can tell?

I very much doubt that, barring a catastrophic failure due to the engineering / pipeline construction itself (unlikely since it occurred in multiple locations) that anything other than a sophisticated military was involved. My money is on Putin, his obviously not dealing with a full deck these days and is increasingly displaying nihilistic tendencies.

areff
areff
September 28, 2022 1:03 pm

Thanks, Kneel. I never regretted nicking off to smoke cigarettes with MLC girls in the back room of Angie’s Kew Junction milkbar, but skipping physics has left me sadly ignorant.

So bear with me when I ask why an explosive gas needs an oxidiser? Isn’t it its own oxidiser?

Winston Smith
September 28, 2022 1:05 pm

Here’s an interesting question – whilst the US is looking increasingly dodgy, what are the chances of a Gleiwitz Incident?

Big_Nambas
Big_Nambas
September 28, 2022 1:05 pm

A more realistic and nuanced, less stereotyped analysis of the political reality within which Giorgia Meloni and the Brothers of Italy operate can be found in this article by Thomas Fazi, published in the EU-based online journal “UnHerd”, entitled Giorgia Meloni is no radical: Italian voters know she won’t change anything. Bottom line: if there is Fascism going on here, it is based in Brussels with the EU leadership, not in Rome with Meloni and the Brothers of Italy.

Meloni’s pro-establishment approach to economic policy isn’t just due to a lack of imagination on her behalf, though she’s always held rather mainstream views on the matter. It’s first and foremost due to the fact that she’s fully aware that Italy, by virtue of its adherence to the single currency, is no longer a sovereign country, and that therefore she needs the support of the EU establishment to stay in power. She has, in effect, learned the lesson of the 2018 “populist” Five Star-Lega government, when the European authorities resorted to a wide array of tools — including financial and political pressure — to crush any attempts to deviate from the status quo.

During a recent talk at Princeton University, EU Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, spelt out this concept. When asked if she was concerned about the upcoming election in Italy, she replied: “If things go in ‘a difficult direction’, we have tools [to deal with the situation]”. In doing so, she revealed just how the EU’s ruling elites view member states: not as sovereign countries but as protectorates.

Meloni understands this. A good number of Italians, however, also understand this, and share the financial market’s assessment: Italian democracy has become so constrained it no longer matters who wins the elections. For far away from the screeching headlines, the most striking aspect of the election was, in fact, the poor turnout — 64%, the lowest in Italy’s history. This means a third of Italians sat them out; they have given up on democracy. This number is only bound to grow — a devastating indictment of the manner in which the EU has hollowed out Italian democracy.

Source;

https://rwmalonemd.substack.com/p/defamation-of-giorgia-meloni-refuted?utm_source=post-email-title&isFreemail=true&utm_medium=email

Speedbox
September 28, 2022 1:07 pm

Jesus Christ Lysander!!! WTF are you trying to do? I’m nervous enough about this as it is with global economic downturns in full flight, more widespread disputes between governments and their people, assorted border disputes flaring in addition to the war in Ukraine, Russian escalation, Chinese malevolence……and now this. And you tell me that everything will be ok ‘cos Biden. FMD. Shame on you.

/sarc

JC
JC
September 28, 2022 1:10 pm

If the US is accused, why not the Brits?

JC
JC
September 28, 2022 1:11 pm

The Brits have been needling the Bear since the 1800’s.

Roger
Roger
September 28, 2022 1:14 pm

Replying to old bloke at 12:40, in 2019 Zelensky flagged a referendum and autonomous status for the contested eastern regions in accord with the Ukrainian constitution. Somewhat different to what the Russians are offering, which, while it may have popular support, still amounts to an illegal annexation.

That being said, I think the reality on the ground will dictate that the Ukrainians are going to have to live with the loss of these regions.

m0nty
m0nty
September 28, 2022 1:14 pm

My money would be on the Ukrainians. They have the most to gain out of it, and there would be plenty of disquiet about the Russians recently shifting their attack onto civilian infrastructure. Maybe not the government itself but a splinter group.

OldOzzie
OldOzzie
September 28, 2022 1:15 pm

22 Lawmakers Demand Merrick Garland Explain Alleged FBI SWAT Raid on Catholic Pro-Life Activist Mark Houck

As many as 22 lawmakers have called upon Attorney General Merrick Garland to provide an explanation as to why the FBI allegedly sent 25-30 fully-armed agents to arrest Catholic pro-life activist Mark Houck as his “screaming” children watched in horror.

Released Tuesday, the open letter spearheaded by Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) said that the FBI should have an “extraordinary reason” for arresting Houck the way they allegedly did. The letter said:

There is much to learn about the extent of the FBI’s operations in this case, apparently since state-level charges were apparently dismissed by local authorities in Philadelphia. Surely, the FBI must have an extraordinary reason for showing up at the home of an American family, allegedly with roughly 25 heavily armed federal agents, and arresting a father in front of his seven children.

“At the moment, it appears to be an extraordinary overreach for political ends,” the letter added.

The letter demanded that Merrick Garland respond by September 30.

Republican Congressman Chip Roy of Texas told Fox News that the raid against Houck is further indicative of how politicized the FBI and the Department of Justice have become under President Joe Biden.

Harlequin Decline
September 28, 2022 1:17 pm

The Baltic is fairly shallow at an average depth of 50m so a couple of small boats with experienced divers and a suitable explosive charge plus timer could potentially do the job.

Winston Smith
September 28, 2022 1:21 pm

Just noticed Old Ozzie made the same connection on Jo Novas site…

JC
JC
September 28, 2022 1:22 pm

m0nty says:
September 28, 2022 at 1:14 pm
My money would be on the Ukrainians. They have the most to gain out of it, and there would be plenty of disquiet about the Russians recently shifting their attack onto civilian infrastructure. Maybe not the government itself but a splinter group

Bullshit. If they were caught they would lose everything. The downside would be huge for almost no gain. With the pipeline literally dead in the water what extra gains are they going to make now with further weakening of Western Europe. You’re such an idiot. Unbelievable.

flyingduk
flyingduk
September 28, 2022 1:22 pm

Definitely not in the Sun Tzu handbook. Nor was the line about leaving billions of dollars worth of military equipment behind in enemy territory.

No, thats from the military industrial complex playbook – lose/use a shit ton of hardware, replace same…. rinse and repeat….

Sancho Panzer
Sancho Panzer
September 28, 2022 1:23 pm

JCsays:

September 28, 2022 at 1:11 pm

The Brits have been needling the Bear since the 1800’s.

Whereas you’ve only been doing it since 8:00 a.m., you girly-man landlubber.
….
And Dover, please don’t tell me to take this to the Duelling Thread.
It is not subjective argument.
It is demonstrable fact.

Harlequin Decline
September 28, 2022 1:25 pm

A couple of alternative much less likely theories-

-Hack the pump/pressurisation station electronics in Russia, reset the PRV’s and pressure the pipes to burst pressure.

-Insert a pigot at the pump/pressurisation station loaded with explosives and a timer.

Diogenes
Diogenes
September 28, 2022 1:26 pm

money is on Putin, his obviously not dealing with a full deck these days and is increasingly displaying nihilistic tendencies.

Why?
NS1 goes through the Ukraine and Ukraine collects a motza in royalties. This is why the us has been against NS2 since day 1. (State department position paper on Nordstream 2 actually gives this as a reason – you can google it)

NS2 bypasses Ukraine so Vlad could easily destroy NS1 and use NS2 to break the sanctions and indeed pressure Europe to stop supporting the Ukraine.

Now with NS2 gone Vlad has no choice to keep NS1, and either he/Europewill be forced to are pay the Ukraine the royalties that are keeping the Ukranian govt functioning.

JC
JC
September 28, 2022 1:26 pm

That’s a dueling incident, sanchez.

bespoke
bespoke
September 28, 2022 1:29 pm

China trying to stir trouble?

Speedbox
September 28, 2022 1:31 pm

m0nty says:
September 28, 2022 at 1:14 pm
My money would be on the Ukrainians.

The Ukrainian navy is mostly remnants from the former Soviet days and has suffered ongoing neglect. They do have a couple of more modern ships (Corvette style) but very few and none capable of managing this task. In any event, most are held at their home port by Russian naval forces in the Black Sea. Ukraine does undertake some military diving but this incident with the pipeline is in an entirely different category. The likelihood that Ukraine was involved is vanishingly small.

Knuckle Dragger
Knuckle Dragger
September 28, 2022 1:31 pm

If it wasn’t serious it would be funny.
“Let’s boycott everything Wussian and bring them to their knees”.
“Except their major export, gas. Because we really, really, need their gas”.

Exactomundo. All for show.

flyingduk
flyingduk
September 28, 2022 1:32 pm

Booming commodity prices and lower welfare payments underpinned a $47.9bn improvement from Treasury’s estimates

well thats alright then…

rosie
rosie
September 28, 2022 1:34 pm

I thought both Nord Steam 1 and Nord Stream 2 showed sudden loss of pressure.
Russia had already turned 1 off, why would she then blow it up?
Seems like cutting off your nose to spite your face.

Eyrie
Eyrie
September 28, 2022 1:38 pm

Moon of Alabama reckons it was the Poles.
https://www.moonofalabama.org/2022/09/the-war-on-germany-just-entered-its-hot-phase.html#more
I reckon he may be correct but also maybe the Baltic States + UK had a hand in it. The UK certainly has the means and capability and Liz Truss is a warmongering loon.

Eyrie
Eyrie
September 28, 2022 1:42 pm

Poles + UK + Baltics. None have any love for Germans or Russians and this screws over both.
Funny how nobody is claiming responsibility and I haven’t heard any denials from the interested parties.

OldOzzie
OldOzzie
September 28, 2022 1:44 pm

A YouTuber with 1.4 million followers attempted to tow a 1930 Ford Model A truck with his brand new 2023 Ford F-150 Lightning electric pickup truck, but it ended in “a complete and total disaster.” “If a truck towing 3,500 pounds can’t even go 100 miles — that is ridiculously stupid,” Tyler “Hoovie” Hoover says in his video. “This truck can’t do normal truck things. You would be stopping every hour to recharge, which would take about 45 minutes a pop, and that is absolutely not practical.”

“This is my new 2023 Ford F-150 Lightning electric pickup truck,” YouTuber Tyler “Hoovie” Hoover said in a video in which he tests the electric truck’s towing capabilities, which resulted in “a complete and total disaster.”

“I had this thing charged to just over 200 miles when I started my day, so ample margin for error when it comes to range and towing and also considering the fact that the trailer was going up empty two times,” Hoover added.

After attaching the empty aluminum trailer to his truck and “pulling out my neighborhood,” which was just about a quarter of a mile away, the EV had already lost three miles of range. By the time Hoover got to his location 32 miles away, the vehicle had lost a staggering 68 miles of range.

Once he loaded up the Model A truck and drove it back to his neighborhood, Hoover “got the driving range low warning,” and saw that he only had 50 miles of range left, despite charging the EV for 200 miles at the start of his 64-mile round trip.

“Are you kidding me? That’s almost 90 miles of range in 30 miles. Are you serious? That’s nuts. What a joke,” Hoover reacted.

“So, yeah, that was abysmally bad, and if the future is electric, there has to be some kind of solution for this,” he said. “I have no idea why EVs tow so bad. My guess would be it doesn’t have a normal transmission where there’s gears and a car’s in a lower rev range.”

“If a truck towing 3,500 pounds can’t even go 100 miles — that is ridiculously stupid,”

johanna
johanna
September 28, 2022 1:45 pm

Just finished reading a fascinating book at Gutenberg – Twenty Five Years in the Secret Service.

It is the reminiscences of a chap who styled himself as Major Henri Le Caron, but who was in fact an Englishman with a more prosaic name. He successfully infiltrated the American branches of the Irish revolutionary movements from the early 1860s till about 1888 as a spy on behalf of the British government.

I have never had the energy or inclination to try to understand the complexities of the Irish independence movement. What this book does is to provide perspectives that are very relevant to modern politics.

For example, the Irish end was immensely dependent on the flow of funds from the Americans. Without that, it seems likely that it would have fizzled out, or at least become irrelevant. There were around 10 million Americans of Irish descent at that time, and they were fed carefully curated versions of events to encourage them to contribute to the ‘liberation’ of the Old Country. Huge sums of money were funnelled to supporters in Ireland and other parts of the UK.

Now, here’s a shocker. Big chunks of that money were siphoned off by the grandees of the movement for personal use.

An interesting sidelight was where one of their best strategic thinkers convinced them that they needed to broaden their cross-party appeal. Oh, and did I mention (do I need to) that they were Democrats?

Anyway, the thinking was that if all of your supporters were in one party, you had no leverage with the other. So, steps were taken to insert supporters into the Republican Party. Worth considering in view of current events.

Finally, as I keep saying to the end-of-the-worlders here who claim that US politics has fallen into some sort of unprecedented decline – no, it hasn’t. It’s always been like this, as reading this book demonstrates.

P
P
September 28, 2022 1:48 pm
Eyrie
Eyrie
September 28, 2022 1:51 pm

He successfully infiltrated the American branches of the Irish revolutionary movements from the early 1860s till about 1888 as a spy on behalf of the British government.
If you haven’t heard of it, look up Catalpa rescue. A nice little bit of Western Australian history. Irish revolutionaries, Boston Irish, Yankee whalers.
Take good care of your Fenians, or the Yankees will steal them away
It is possible the Irish prisoners were becoming an embarrassment for the Brits and they turned a blind eye, but it’s a great story.

Winston Smith
September 28, 2022 1:52 pm

Lysander:

And… this, which happened on the same day… has nothing to do with NDS leaks:

Check out fake arm guy on the left. That is not a natural position for a hand to relax into.

rickw
rickw
September 28, 2022 1:53 pm

Tyler “Hoovie” Hoover

You watch Hoovie and Car Wizard?!

Cool!

Old bloke
Old bloke
September 28, 2022 1:53 pm

Eyrie says:
September 28, 2022 at 1:38 pm

Moon of Alabama reckons it was the Poles.

I reckon it was the dastardly Irish.

With all forms of energy to Europe disappearing, they would be forced to buy Irish peat at greatly inflated prices. Devious buggers these Irish.

Lysander
Lysander
September 28, 2022 1:53 pm

McClown is bringing in body cams to be worn on plod withlive facial recognition software and nobody bats an eyelid.

Winston Smith
September 28, 2022 1:55 pm

Diogenes:

Reduce the power of Europe, cripple competitor production, increase one’s own exports, strengthen the dollar, Biden is a vile arsehole.

I’ll take “Biden is a vile arsehole” for $500, thanks Diogenes.

bespoke
bespoke
September 28, 2022 1:55 pm

Similar story with the ANC, johanna. Public suckered into taking sides.

Zulu Kilo Two Alpha
Zulu Kilo Two Alpha
September 28, 2022 1:58 pm

So, the cashless debit card is gone – Labor and the Greens, you own that one…

Sancho Panzer
Sancho Panzer
September 28, 2022 2:00 pm

JCsays:

September 28, 2022 at 1:26 pm

That’s a dueling incident, sanchez.

Let’s sort it out with cutlasses on a pitching quarter-deck you lily-livered landlubber!
And gay pooftah-pansie.

Lysander
Lysander
September 28, 2022 2:00 pm

Check out fake arm guy on the left. That is not a natural position for a hand to relax into.

Yeah, he’s ready for a fight.

m0nty
m0nty
September 28, 2022 2:02 pm

Oh shush JC. You don’t know anything, we’re all just speculating.

If it came out that Ukraine did blow up the lines, how can anyone blame them given that Russia is blowing up their power stations? I know the lines are not in their territory, but they have a lot of moral authority right now as their young men are dying to protect Western interests.

Russia certainly doesn’t have a leg to stand on if they want to arc up about it. They could use it as casus belli for an official war if they want, but nobody would believe that they didn’t want to declare war regardless, given that they already started the invasion.

Bruce of Newcastle
Bruce of Newcastle
September 28, 2022 2:02 pm

Just finished reading a fascinating book at Gutenberg – Twenty Five Years in the Secret Service.

Lots of good history on Gutenberg and similar sites. Some I’ve come across:

The French in Algiers by Ernest Alby and Clemens Lamping (1837-1846)

Travels from St. Petersburg in Russia to Various Parts of Asia (1763)

The former is from a time just after the Napoleonic Wars when the France was starting to exert herself in North Africa, and things were very iffy. The latter is especially interesting since John Bell was an ambassador for Peter the Great to China then Persia. Vladimir Putin is of course an admirer of Tsar Peter. You get an interesting feel for just how big the country is, and how important the rivers were.

I also read Schiller’s history of the 30 Years War from Gutenberg, again that’s still somewhat relevant to Europe these days.

Mother Lode
Mother Lode
September 28, 2022 2:03 pm

Just saw an ad telling me that the NSW government is banning more plastic products.

Part of it showed the environmentalist campfire ghost story of a turtle tucking into a plastic bag.

I remember when the story of turtles choking on plastic bags came out it turned out that it was Chinese whispers from a report claiming there was a problem of nylon fishing nets being cut away and dropped into the ocean and…acting like a net, pinioning their flippers and whatnot. This eventually became turtles and shopping bags.

Never knew if it really happened, and even in the ad they show the turtle snapping at a bag but nothing to show it does not spit it back out when it realises it is not food. It doesn’t try to swallow the whole thing and then decide.

Presumably we will now protect turtles from getting plastic straws stuck up their noses.

Liberal governments in Australia are indistinguishable from environmental groups – which have a pretty shabby history for telling the truth. The NSW government already acts like the legislative arm of PETA in its dealings with farmers.

OldOzzie
OldOzzie
September 28, 2022 2:09 pm

The property tax debacle unfolding in Canberra

During a huge property price boom fuelled by low interest rates and constrained land release, the ACT government has become addicted to collecting stamp duty to fund its ever-increasing spending.

John Kehoe – Economics editor

Amid the furore over Queensland’s double taxation of interstate investment property owners, a property tax debacle is unfolding in Canberra.

A decade ago, the ACT Labor government pledged to phase out stamp duty and gradually phase in a broad-based land tax on property owners over 20 years.

In theory, it was the gold standard of tax reform, even if it was going to take longer than ideal to make it politically feasible.

Most economists approved shifting from a bad tax on property transactions to a less economically damaging annual tax on the value of unimproved land.

Commendably as part of the package, the ACT in 2016 eliminated stamp duty on insurance policies worth about $50 million a year.

Conveyance duty on commercial properties worth $1.5 million or less was
abolished in 2018, while concessions for first home buyers were increased.

But halfway through the 20-year journey, the ACT is raising significantly more nominal revenue from conveyancing duty on residential and commercial property transactions.

The $433 million collected in 2021-22 is approaching double the $253 million in the pre-COVID 2018-19 year.

A difficult path

As a share of the ACT’s own-source tax revenue, total conveyance duty and insurance duty revenue has only declined from 26 per cent in 2012-13 to about 18 per cent in 2021-22.

But that decline overstates the transition because the ACT is relying more on other inefficient revenue such as inflated land sales and higher land taxes on investors.

Stamp duty is not on a path to ever being abolished.

During a huge property price boom fuelled by low interest rates and constrained land release, the Labor-Greens ACT government has become addicted to collecting stamp duty to fund its ever-increasing spending.

At the same time, property tax bills on landowners (imposed via rates on principal places of residence and an additional land tax on investors) have significantly escalated.

Annual rates now cost many homeowners more than $4000 year, and are closer to $10,000 for investment properties paying the extra land tax.

Rates now account for about $674 million or 30 per cent of the ACT’s own-source revenue, up from 17 per cent in 2012-13.

Land tax on investment properties delivered a further $158 million or 6.6 per cent of own-source revenue in 2021-22, about double the nominal $70 million in 2012-13.

This is not the vision the government sold ACT voters when the promising reform was outlined in 2011, when Jon Stanhope was chief minister and Katy Gallagher was treasurer and later chief minister. Gallagher is now federal finance minister.

The now Chief Minister Andrew Barr and his Greens colleagues in the ACT Labor-Greens government have botched the reform.

Independent economist Stephen Anthony says the original property tax reform proposal was “brilliant”.

“But politicians backslid and forgot that their intent was revenue neutrality, not to pull in a big new stack of revenue.

“The greedier they get, the more people detest a reform and the harder it becomes to implement.”

The ACT experience is a cautionary learning tale for other states.

Former ACT senior Treasury official, Khalid Ahmed, who was the public servant heading the territory’s tax review taskforce, says the ACT reform is “stuck”.

“After 10 years at the halfway mark, we should be on a path to abolishing it,” Ahmed says.

‘Bracket creep’ through the roof

“But doing reform requires budget discipline and policy coherence to make sure the reform stays on track.”

Despite revenue windfalls, the ACT’s operating budget has been in an annual deficit of about 5 per cent of annual budget expenditure for the seven years before COVID-19 and is forecast to remain in large deficits.

Ahmed says that under the original recommended reform model that was accepted in-principle by the government, the ACT should have cut stamp duty rates and adjusted price thresholds to raise about $120 million a year by now, about one-quarter of the 2021-22 collections.

The problem is that stamp duty “bracket creep” has gone through the roof.

The modest reductions in stamp duty rates and adjustment in thresholds have failed to keep pace with house prices.

Stamp duty payable on the Canberra median house price has increased by almost $16,000 in a decade, when stamp duty was meant to be phased down.

Stamp duty on the median house price ($553,069 according to CoreLogic) in 2012 was $20,970. Today, stamp duty on the median house price ($1.03 million) is $36,927.

This year’s budget only transfers $10 million worth of stamp duty to rates, a trajectory that means stamp duty cannot ever be abolished.

Worse, the ACT government has contributed to the housing affordability crisis by limiting the supply of new homes.

Creating its own problems

The government is the monopoly controller of land supply, under a 99-year leasehold system.

Restricting dwelling supply has artificially propped up government revenue by pushing up the price of land that the ACT sells to developers, while also inflating stamp duties and land taxes on homes.

The number of new dwelling sites released has averaged 3430 annually over the four years to 2020-21, 1000 homes fewer a year than the preceding nine years.

Despite fewer sites being released, land sale profits have jumped to an annual average of $265 million, versus $151 million.

Government profit margins from land sales have surged to 72 per cent over the past four years, versus 46 per cent over the preceding nine years.

The government goals of raising revenue and housing affordability are in conflict.

Stanhope is frustrated that his Labor successors have made ownership of detached housing unaffordable for lower income earners, as the government favours the release of inner-city apartment sites under a Labor-Greens urbanisation policy.

“The ACT government has a total monopoly over the supply of land for housing and it simply hasn’t met demand,” Stanhope says.

“How does a regional city of 450,000 people where the government owns all the land have the highest rents in Australia and the second-highest median house price?

“The consequences are quite dramatic for people in the bottom two income quintiles who have knowingly and deliberately been kept out of the detached housing market.”

Unintended results

The lack of supply of new detached homes has delivered windfall gains to homeowners who are typically wealthier.

The capital gains have also helped investors, contrary to the aim of boosting homeownership.

Under the reform model, an additional land tax on investment properties was supposed to be abolished and brought into line with rates on primary places of residence.

But under an agreement with the Greens, the land tax surcharge on investors in rental properties has increased to try to push out investors and increase homeownership.

But the strong capital price growth has overridden this.

“In a supply-constrained market, if you increase the land tax, it will be passed on to renters and that’s exactly what has happened in the ACT,” Ahmed says.

“Unless you limit capital growth in property prices, investors will happily hold the properties.”

The government says the percentage share of own-source tax revenue from stamp duty is forecast to fall to 10 per cent in 2025-26.

Based on experience, the ACT will be raising and spending a lot more than that.

Ahmed says: “There are some good lessons to be learned from this. But I hope it doesn’t put other states off tax reform.”

Winston Smith
September 28, 2022 2:12 pm

Just looking at the photos of the methane escaping from the damaged Nordstream pipeline – I’d hope that F16 doesn’t get any closer – the exhaust just may ignite a subnuclear level fuel air explosion.

Bruce of Newcastle
Bruce of Newcastle
September 28, 2022 2:14 pm

Current reading but is this one: Fire’s Maiden by D.L. Campanile. A sixth the way in and good so far.

H B Bear
H B Bear
September 28, 2022 2:15 pm

dover0beachat 11:11 – I think just let them evolve on the OT. If they warrant it after an hour or two open a new thread by all means. Just my 2c. Thanks dover.

Zulu Kilo Two Alpha
Zulu Kilo Two Alpha
September 28, 2022 2:16 pm

NT cop stood down from giving evidence at Kumanjayi Walker inquest

Kristin Shorten
Investigative Journalist
@itsKShort
34 minutes ago September 28, 2022

The senior Northern Territory police officer who facilitated the Immediate Response Team deployment to Yuendumu the night Kumanjayi Walker was fatally shot has been blocked from completing his evidence at the teenager’s inquest.

Superintendent Jody Nobbs, who yesterday admitted that offensive attitudes among Alice Springs cops are “a broader issue”, did not resume his evidence this morning due to “issues arising” from his examination on the stand yesterday.

Superintendent Nobbs was in charge of the remote stations in the Southern Desert Division, including Yuendumu, in November 2019 when Constable Zachary Rolfe fatally shot Walker.

On Tuesday Supt Nobbs admitted that racist text messages between Constable Rolfe and other serving cops are “broader than an isolated issue’’.

During his evidence, in the Alice Springs Local Court, he said there was “no justification for anyone speaking to anyone in such vulgar language” in relation to the texts.

“It’s certainly disappointing that that’s, I won’t say the prevailing attitude, but certainly the attitude of some,” he said.

This morning Ian Freckelton KC, who is representing the NT Police Force, requested that Supt Nobbs be stood down so that Dr Freckleton could take instruction from various clients.

Dr Freckelton said that “as a matter of fundamental fairness” he had “no option” but to seek leave from the Coroner.

“Various things that were said yesterday and issues that arose yesterday had been previously unanticipated by us,” he said.

“It’s one of the most difficult balances, Your Honour. And what we say to you assertively is that those affected by what was said yesterday, how it was said yesterday and what foreseeably may be said today are entitled to assertive representation, in respect of taking objections, and so on.

“That’s a matter of fundamental fairness for them.”

Dr Freckleton said the police members implicated during yesterday’s proceedings might not be “accorded that entitlement” if Supt Nobbs was to continue being examined today.

“There’s more than a question – there’s a major problem, irrespective of whether they

would be in receipt of that entitlement,” he said.

“We would be deeply troubled if any of the members of the Northern Territory Police Force were not adequately and assertively represented throughout these proceedings with matters touching upon various members in a very potent way.”

Constable Rolfe’s barrister David Edwardson KC supported Dr Freckleton’s submission.

“Whilst I’m not privy to what Dr Freckleton is conveying to the court, reading between the lines, it’s pretty obvious,” he said.

“I would be lithe for any further examination to occur until that issue is resolved.

“In so far as his application to the court that this witness be stood down now, I support that.”

The Northern Territory Police Association backed calls to defer any further questioning “if there is an issue which affects other members who may or may not need independent representation”.

Counsel assisting Peggy Dwyer agreed that the Supt Nobbs’s evidence should be adjourned to ensure that the “perception of fairness and actual fairness is realised”.

Supt Nobbs yesterday told the inquest that he expected the IRT members deployed to Yuendumu to follow the plan to arrest Walker at 5am the next day.

“Our intention is to do a certain thing within a narrow set of parameters (arrest Walker) and then all I know is that we have the death of a community member and I then spent many, many sleepless nights trying to reconcile in my mind how we got to where we got to,” he said.

Supt Nobbs said that the officers went outside the “scope” of the plan on the night Walker was killed.

“It’s a difficult one for me. This event has had an impact on everyone involved,” he said.

“It certainly has on me as well in terms of one of the critical aspects of any tactical matter or any critical incident is a post operation debrief. I was never afforded that opportunity in regards to this.

“It’s one of the things I’m learning over the last few days (that) have been sort of been informative to me. I spent probably six months not sleeping going, how can something so simple in my mind become what it ultimately became.”

Constable Rolfe was in March acquitted of all charges related to the teenager’s death.

Supt Nobbs, who became the Incident Controller after the shooting, will resume his evidence at a later date.

The inquest, before Coroner Elisabeth Armitage, will resume later today.

flyingduk
flyingduk
September 28, 2022 2:16 pm

“If a truck towing 3,500 pounds can’t even go 100 miles — that is ridiculously stupid,”

As Neil Oliver observed – its not about going green, its about going without…

Lysander
Lysander
September 28, 2022 2:19 pm

Just looking at the photos of the methane escaping from the damaged Nordstream pipeline – I’d hope that F16 doesn’t get any closer – the exhaust just may ignite a subnuclear level fuel air explosion.

I believe civilian aircraft have been told to divert the millions of cubic metres of gas going up…

Mater
September 28, 2022 2:19 pm

Just saw an ad telling me that the NSW government is banning more plastic products.

Hopefully surgical masks.
I’m sure the turtles are already fed up with them (pardon the pun).

m0nty
m0nty
September 28, 2022 2:19 pm

Can we have a separate thread for Ozzie to post his 10,000 word article dumps every two minutes.

H B Bear
H B Bear
September 28, 2022 2:20 pm

Sancho Panzer at 11:28 – when it comes to boats it pays to be a size queen. The Spirit of Tasmania is a little less than you want for some trips.

H B Bear
H B Bear
September 28, 2022 2:21 pm

It is also important to work out disembarking options before setting off.

areff
areff
September 28, 2022 2:22 pm

If you haven’t heard of it, look up Catalpa rescue.

… and its aftermath back in NYC.

The local Irish were so tickled by the Catalpa’s success (ignoring that the captain and his liberated passengers feuded all the way home, especially over grog) that they took up a collection with the intention of building a submarine, taking it across the Atlantic and sinking the British fleet.

Seriously.

As it happened a former Christian Brother novice living in Newark, John Philip Holland, had just such a design and was delighted to supervise construction at a shipyard on West 14th Street. It was duly launched and became a curio bobbing up and down in NY Harbour. One of the newspapers (The World?) caricatured Holland in his strange vessel with the Staten Island Ferry bearing down and the caption, ‘What, me worry?’ — a line later pinched by Mad magazine.

The Irish, as is their want, fell to feuding and Holland’s sub, christened the Feinian Ram, wascaught up in the ruckus, never getting to sink a dreadnought.

Where the Catalpa really wrote future history was in the submarine’s patents, which detailed the first practical submarine with its innovative trim tanks and hydroplanes. Holland entered a partnership with a bunch of railway lawyers who then set up the Electric Boat Co and, predictably, cheated him out of his interest.

Every sub since has been built according to Holland’s principles and Electric Boat, the foundation stone of General Dynamics, is still in the biz.

The Fenian Ram can be seen here, although it’s now in a museum, having been removed from the Newark park where it sat for years, to protect it from NJ high school kids who would paint it bright yellow at the end of every school year.

Those interested in learning more about the NYC Fenians and their antics should consult Devoy’s Post Bag, which has 40 years of letters to and from the bloke who fathered the Catalpa Raid and the Fenian Ram.

Razey
Razey
September 28, 2022 2:25 pm

I blame Greta Funburglar.

JC
JC
September 28, 2022 2:26 pm

Fatboy- if you took a breather from today’s donut binge and let your brain stem some very basic thinking you’d realise Ukraine would be the last to sabotage the pipes you unthinking oaf. It’s not about weakening Russia. In an energy short Europe, it’s about weakening the euros more. That’s not good for the Ukes you massive idiot.

H B Bear
H B Bear
September 28, 2022 2:27 pm

I’ve always thought of a boat trip as a hedonistic thing to do. Sail calm seas, decent food , great views of Greek islands or the Amalfi coast and a heaps of sex.

That’s what Richo and Hawkey thought. No need to go as far as the Greek Islands though.

Winston Smith
September 28, 2022 2:31 pm

I’d bet a few worried eyes are being cast on the Trans Alaskan Pipeline.
Only carrying oil, but would make a hell of a mess…

areff
areff
September 28, 2022 2:32 pm

Further to last, lots more pics and schematics of the Ram here:

comment image%3Fauto%3Dwebp%26s%3D32251354172491b44b4cbf1da1d70b4414929358

rosie
rosie
September 28, 2022 2:34 pm

My son and by default I watch Hoovie, Car Wizard and a couple of others.
They’ve done very well for themselves.
I particularly like that slow talking guy from somewhere up north mid west that restarts and drives abandoned in the field cars.

GreyRanga
GreyRanga
September 28, 2022 2:34 pm

Winston Smithsays:
September 28, 2022 at 1:52 pm
Lysander:

And… this, which happened on the same day… has nothing to do with NDS leaks:

Check out fake arm guy on the left. That is not a natural position for a hand to relax into.

That looks more like He was photoshopped to obscure the bald guy behind him. You can see the top of his head and his left ear. There is almost no gap between them.

bons
bons
September 28, 2022 2:35 pm

Back in Twin Falls at the end of the high sierra trail ride. 16 days was probably too much, but three episodes of trucking the horses and us to new locations gave some relief from the saddle.
It was bloody cold but good gear coped with that. The scenery was more than I could have possibly anticipated.
The true thrill was the four days we spent tracking the Oregon Trail to the Columbia River. A world populated by ghosts. Nez Perce country conjured the same sense of culture forever gone.
Most surprising was the very un-American lack of constraint when discusing Biden. The disgust and fear expressed by people on the ride and various hosts was visceral.
I would recommend the ride, but it is perhaps more suited to folks a little younger than me. I have bits that hurt.
I intend to actively accept the organiser’s recovery recommendations. Bed, bar stools and Wyoming ribs.
Can’t wait.

Winston Smith
September 28, 2022 2:35 pm

The chances of the mid terms being held are going down…

H B Bear
H B Bear
September 28, 2022 2:35 pm

The stupid fucking ACT town council is constrained because eventually everyone will just piss off to NSW and commute. Canberra will be even more full of APS drones with no idea of the reality facing ordinary Australians.

JC
JC
September 28, 2022 2:37 pm

Aussie @ 63.90
High 50s could be optimistic at this rate as there doesn’t appear to be a floor.
Thank God I have US investments with some income as travelling there is becoming really expensive.

I’m keeping my long US trades until Friday or Monday and that’s it.

shatterzzz
September 28, 2022 2:39 pm

If it came out that Ukraine did blow up the lines, how can anyone blame them given that Russia is blowing up their power stations? I know the lines are not in their territory, but they have a lot of moral authority right now as their young men are dying to protect Western interests.

Isn’t this from a bloke who performs over the Israelis defending themselves ..?

OldOzzie
OldOzzie
September 28, 2022 2:39 pm

m0ntysays:
September 28, 2022 at 2:19 pm
Can we have a separate thread for Ozzie to post his 10,000 word article dumps every two minutes.

The Article is Paywalled – for Cats without Subs

PS get an Apple Magic Mouse – can scroll past you postings at speed!

JC
JC
September 28, 2022 2:40 pm

Lol Bear. But the scenery just wouldn’t be the same although it would only be during the day as they aren’t keeping the lights on at night these days. 🙂

Sancho Panzer
Sancho Panzer
September 28, 2022 2:41 pm

H B Bearsays:
September 28, 2022 at 2:20 pm
Sancho Panzer at 11:28 – when it comes to boats it pays to be a size queen. The Spirit of Tasmania is a little less than you want for some trips.

Well, I know that now.
Even real men get the burleys.
I have even got land sickness (Mal de Debarquement Syndrome) a couple of times after a week or so out.

bespoke
bespoke
September 28, 2022 2:42 pm

The chances of the mid terms being held are going down…

It will, being fare is up for debate though.

shatterzzz
September 28, 2022 2:45 pm

So, the cashless debit card is gone – Labor and the Greens, you own that one…

What gets me about this is if the card is/was intrusive/immoral or whatever why has the gummint set up an offshoot in CentreLink to deal with the fall-out? .. seems you do away wiv some-at Labor didn’t like then start over again using a different name .. FFS!

GreyRanga
GreyRanga
September 28, 2022 2:46 pm

m0ntysays:
September 28, 2022 at 1:14 pm
My money would be on the

Fantasy Footballers. Have another Krispy Kreme.

OldOzzie
OldOzzie
September 28, 2022 2:47 pm

Mentioned UpThread, but neatly encapsulated in one post

REALITY BITES WIND

It is an article of faith among many governments that we are in the midst of a transition from fossil fuel energy to “renewable” wind and solar. (Notably absent from this consensus are China, India and Russia.) In fact, no such transition is underway; wind and solar account for only a derisory portion of the world’s energy consumption, despite countless billions in subsidies. Nor will any such transition happen at any time in the future.

One of the fundamental problems with wind and solar is that they are ridiculously low-intensity. As a result, it requires a vast quantity of raw materials to produce a modest, and unreliable, amount of energy. Did you know that a single wind turbine requires 8,000 pounds or more of copper? Like me, you probably have no concept of what it takes to produce that quantity of copper, or of the vast amounts of fossil fuels that are needed to create just this one component of a wind turbine. Wind and solar installations are parasitic: they cannot be produced without using enormous quantities of fossil fuels.

This thread is one of the best explanations I have seen of the absurdity of wind turbines, as it relates to a single raw material: copper.

Please read the whole thing,

and bear in mind that copper is just one of a number of minerals that wind turbines and their mythical “batteries” require in enormous quantities. Cobalt and lithium are among the others.

Lysander
Lysander
September 28, 2022 2:49 pm

We all know that Putin was very likely planning on using energy this winter to break NATO’s resolve. By offering energy and everything that comes with that, he was going to ‘blackmail’ them into abandoning the U.S. as their saviour.

With Nstream gone, I think everyone loses. Except the U.S.

Sheer speculation but… follow the money.

H B Bear
H B Bear
September 28, 2022 2:51 pm

Sea sickness is a bitch. The section from Augusta to Albany was no fun heading into a bit of swell. We took a few days off after that. Getting a couple of tonnes of water in the anchor chain locker didn’t help. Following seas are your friend.

Zyconoclast
Zyconoclast
September 28, 2022 2:52 pm

Burn baby burn…

New York lawmakers announced new legislation on Monday that would require the FDNY to hire more women and minority firefighters, the latest push to diversify an agency that has been repeatedly sued for discriminating against non-white applicants.

The legislation would require the FDNY to develop and implement a plan by March 1st to ensure firefighters “reflect that of the city’s population as a whole.” Currently, more than three-quarters of firefighters are white men, and less than 1% are women.

bespoke
bespoke
September 28, 2022 2:54 pm

The only time I motion sickness was in bobcat. Horrid things.

Winston Smith
September 28, 2022 2:55 pm

Something to remember is the Baltic is full of wrecks from the wars and those munitions are causing a few problems especially with the rivers exposing the vessels.
Not that this would cause the explosions, but worthwhile taking into account.

Zyconoclast
Zyconoclast
September 28, 2022 2:57 pm

Court: Prison must exempt Muslim inmate from strip search by transgender guards

A Wisconsin prisoner who was strip searched by a transgender male guard says the search unlawfully violated his Muslim faith, and a federal court has ruled it shouldn’t happen again.

johanna
johanna
September 28, 2022 2:58 pm

OldOzzie says:
September 28, 2022 at 2:09 pm

The property tax debacle unfolding in Canberra

Like every other ‘reform’ scheme implemented about tax, it ends up with everyone paying both the old tax (supposed to be abolished) and the new one.

Stamp duty – has anyone in our supposedly intelligent media operatives ever asked the question about the name?

While one side of the gubbmint mouth is telling oldsters to downsize, the other side is adding tens of thousands of dollars to the cost of relocating.

Never stand between a Premier and a bucket of money.

lotocoti
lotocoti
September 28, 2022 2:58 pm

If the US is accused, why not the Brits?

Just because it’s the sort of daring-do the Special Boat Squadron gets up to,
doesn’t mean Liz Truss was up for a bit of Churchillian buckle swashing.

lotocoti
lotocoti
September 28, 2022 3:02 pm

Dammit.
Keep forgetting the Froggies became a Service when they ditched the frog.

Vicki
Vicki
September 28, 2022 3:02 pm

Back in Twin Falls at the end of the high sierra trail ride. 16 days was probably too much, but three episodes of trucking the horses and us to new locations gave some relief from the saddle.

Wow, Bons. I have always wanted to do such a trail ride in the USA. Despite having been to the country several times, we pursued our usual road trips and just didn’t get around to booking such a venture.

In any case, despite having riden constantly throughout my childhood and into my late teens, I have done little riding in recent years, and maybe “pushing it” now.

shatterzzz
September 28, 2022 3:08 pm

The chances of the mid terms being held are going down…

Interesting scenario .. create enuf problems via Ukraine to put USA on a higher DEFCON footing, declare a state-of-emergency and cancel elections ..! .. all for the nation’s safety, of course ..!
Worry is .. I wouldn’t put it past the demon-rats to be thinking along these lines ……

Winston Smith
September 28, 2022 3:10 pm

Lysander:
To be able to identify the thugs, you need to be able to identify the not-thugs. This is 1984 style surveillance.
What is this for? It sure as shit isn’t to protect the public.

shatterzzz
September 28, 2022 3:15 pm

Back in Twin Falls at the end of the high sierra trail ride. 16 days was probably too much, but three episodes of trucking the horses and us to new locations gave some relief from the saddle.

Awesome .. 10/10 .. as a County Durham “country” hick who’s never been on a horse I’m thoroughly impressed!.. I’ve gone thru life believing if an animal, any animal, has bigger teef than me stay away from it .. LOL!

Johnny Rotten
September 28, 2022 3:15 pm

One day a man called the church office and said “Can I speak to the head hog at the trough?” The secretary thought she heard what he said, but said “I’m sorry, who?

The caller repeated “Can I speak to the head hog at the trough?” She said “Well, if you mean the preacher, then you may refer to him as ‘Father,’ or ‘Brother,’ but I prefer that you not refer to him as the ‘head hog at the trough’!”

To this, the man replied “Well, I was planning on giving $100,000 in my will to the church building fund…” To this, the secretary quickly responded “Hang on, I think the big fat pig just walked in!”

Johnny Rotten
September 28, 2022 3:17 pm

Have a heart that never hardens, and a temper that never tires, and a touch that never hurts.

– Charles Dickens

JC
JC
September 28, 2022 3:20 pm

There’s no scenario under which US elections can be canceled or postponed unless the constitutional republic no longer exists. They can’t be called off even in an emergency.

The President of the United States Cannot Cancel or Postpone the Election
The general election is governed by a combination of the U.S. Constitution, federal law, and state and local laws. None of these gives the president any authority to change the date of the election or to extend the current presidential term past January 20th.
Under our constitutional system, the president has only the powers set forth in the Constitution or delegated to him by Congress. Neither the Constitution nor any statute passed by Congress gives the president the authority to cancel or postpone an election, even in an emergency. The powers that Congress has delegated to the president and various executive agencies to respond to emergencies,7 including public health crises, are limited. The president has no “plenary” or absolute power either generally or during the emergencies covered by these laws.8
Nor does the president have any form of ?unwritten authority to order an election canceled or postponed

Now, if there’s a coup that would be a different story.

Cheating? Sure.

Lysander
Lysander
September 28, 2022 3:20 pm

Agree Winston,
funnily enough, one section of the Mcclown love media, 6PR, were railing against auto face recognition software and cams on plod bods.

John Brumble
John Brumble
September 28, 2022 3:21 pm

I don’t really buy the “fiddling at the ends caused a big bang” theory. But an explosion does not need a flame. An explosion needs a difference of pressure.

Lysander
Lysander
September 28, 2022 3:23 pm

@FWarweg points out an important sequence of US, UK and Ukrainian operations that appear to have prepared the sabotage of Nordstream 2. I’ve checked the underlying events and will amplify slightly.

Good find DB! Worth a read, Cats.

incoherent rambler
incoherent rambler
September 28, 2022 3:26 pm

But it’s alright.
Jumpin Jack Flash is a gas.

Speedbox
September 28, 2022 3:27 pm

If the pipe explosions were sabotage, as distinct from some weird Black Swan environmental incident, I think we can say with certainty that there are many nations capable of carrying this out.

However, a quick review suggests it is highly unlikely that the Russians blew up their own pipe in some bizarre false-flag operation; the Chinese – highly improbable and also, why?; the Germans – nonsense except out of misguided absurd spite; the French – they have form in this area but very unlikely in this instance; the British – definitely possible but can’t see them acting on their own initiative and doubtful acted alone; Ukraine are an obvious suspect but there are numerous reasons why they shouldn’t have been involved.

Given the relative shallowness of the water where the explosions occurred, it is conceivable that almost any military force could have been involved but it does seem preposterous most would insert themselves into the European gas supply issue with such a provocative act. The area is very near to a Danish island in a disputed zone but would the Danes be so aggressive? Ditto the Swedes or the Fins? Poland? To cloud things a bit more, there have been reports of unidentified drones in the area since last Monday.

An accident? Naval training with depth charges etc. Seems utterly implausible given that the pipes are in well known locations.

At the point of the explosions, the sea is approx 80-90 metres deep so it might be possible that a couple of frogmen, or (more likely) some remote underwater device was involved. It would also take an explosive charge with a reasonable amount of ‘oomph’ as the pipes are concrete coated steel and each section weighs about 24 tonnes. It is also reported that the pipe was destroyed in at least two places which would indicate a deliberate act that will be more time consuming to repair, and at least part of it is now filled with seawater.

It could have been a non-government organisation but that would require access to more specialised equipment – this is not like blowing up a bridge. In any case, what nation, or organisation, has sufficient bravado to carry out such an act that is so grossly provocative and sends a gigantic ‘up yours’, specifically to Russia, but also displays contempt for other countries in Europe?

(I understand the pipe wasn’t in use at the time.)

duncanm
duncanm
September 28, 2022 3:35 pm

-Hack the pump/pressurisation station electronics in Russia, reset the PRV’s and pressure the pipes to burst pressure.

John McClane: Mai? Oh, yeah. Little Asian chick, likes to kick people? I don’t think she’s gonna be talkin’ to anybody for a really long time. Last time I saw her she was at the bottom of a elevator shaft with an SUV rammed up her ass.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-wm_-cp2Ak

Lysander
Lysander
September 28, 2022 3:36 pm

Speedy
you didn’t mention the US (by omission or purposefully).

But I’d like to think that option improbable. However, the thought of Europe caving into Satan himself for a bowl of soup (“energy”) come winter, would have some US heads worried. Possibly “Ukrainian” in that could be seen as justified in responding to Russian “belligerence” (but not great for Europeans still) with the backing of US… hence the term “Ukrainian” rather than Ukrainian.

So, I still think it improbable but its the only probable option I can come up with.

OldOzzie
OldOzzie
September 28, 2022 3:36 pm

American Blacks and the Wawa mob in Philadelphia

“What shall be done with the four million slaves if they are emancipated? [snip] Our answer is, do nothing with them; mind your business, and let them mind theirs. Your doing with them is their greatest misfortune. They have been undone by your doings, and all they now ask, and really have need of at your hands, is just to let them alone. They suffer by every interference, and succeed best by being let alone.” – Frederick Douglass (1862).

Since the dawn of the Democrat party, Democrats have proven themselves incapable of leaving Blacks alone. During the years of open racism, they enslaved Blacks and then subjected them to Jim Crow. Since Jim Crow, they’ve done something more pernicious: They’ve destroyed many Blacks’ identity as equal citizens in America. The result is feral behavior such as that most recently seen at the Wawa in Philadelphia. This is not about race; it’s about culture and how the Democrats have destroyed it.

If you want a detailed timeline of the Democrat party’s depredation against Blacks in America—not just attacks on personal and economic liberty, but also on the cultural core of Black Americans—I highly recommend Bob Parks’ The Democrat Race Lie, which has a long list of Democrat and Republican policies regarding American Blacks. What’s remarkably clear about the Democrats is that they refuse to heed Frederick Douglass’s impassioned plea to leave Blacks alone.

Outside of the small cadre of Obama-like people, we have a genuinely tragic societal collapse amongst the Black community: The numbers vary, but it appears that over 64% of Black children are raised without a father, a root cause of poverty. Children without fathers are also three times more likely to end up in jail.

If you are honest with yourself, you assume Blacks are involved whenever you read about a “smash and grab” at a store or that a “fight broke out” in a restaurant or airport.

Again, this is not a racial failure; it’s a cultural failure that occurred because Democrats have used every societal institution available to them (so here’s your real systemic racism) to deprive Blacks of a culture that leads to stability, safety, and economic success.

Old bloke
Old bloke
September 28, 2022 3:38 pm

P says:
September 28, 2022 at 1:48 pm

Gonzalo Lira –
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6IIwltTM4Q

Gonzalo needs a haircut. He’d be smoking at least two packets of cigarettes a day so he can afford a visit to the barber’s shop.

Winston Smith
September 28, 2022 3:40 pm

Shatterzzz:
https://www.defconlevel.com/european-command-news.php

Interesting scenario* .. create enuf problems via Ukraine to put USA on a higher DEFCON footing, declare a state-of-emergency and cancel elections ..! .. all for the nation’s safety, of course ..!

Europe is at DEFCON2 – second highest level, nearly everyone else is at DEFCON3.

(*Be careful using the term ‘scenario’. Some here like to confabulate it with ‘prediction’ and you’ll never hear the end of it.)

Lysander
Lysander
September 28, 2022 3:42 pm

And the reason I find it less probable to believe an NGO or business blew it up… can you imagine the logistics that would have to go into getting or having a large enough craft and crew out there with divers and/or diving machinery. Sure it wouldn’t have to be state of the art, but still imagine briefing the crew about their mission (you’d likely have to have some crew knowing some things and other crew not knowing those things but knowing their own separate things). From a mapping team to a diving team to a ballistics team – not including sailors (help I’m drowning, throw me a buoy!).

Given the magnitude of this event, and the secrecy required, you’d hardly have a group of Ukrainian farmers/volunteers/citizens or even soldiers understanding every aspect of what type of “mission” they were on…

That’s why I’m backing that it was sabotage by a foreign government. The foot soldiers who did it are merely window dressing.

bespoke
bespoke
September 28, 2022 3:43 pm

This is not about race; it’s about culture

This! Don’t get suckered into it, it’s a dead end.

OldOzzie
OldOzzie
September 28, 2022 3:45 pm

Lysandersays:
September 28, 2022 at 3:23 pm
@FWarweg points out an important sequence of US, UK and Ukrainian operations that appear to have prepared the sabotage of Nordstream 2. I’ve checked the underlying events and will amplify slightly.

Good find DB! Worth a read, Cats.

Stephen McIntyre
@ClimateAudit

Thread

@FWarweg

points out an important sequence of US, UK and Ukrainian operations that appear to have prepared the sabotage of Nordstream 2. I’ve checked the underlying events and will amplify slightly.

four weeks ago, in August 2022, the UK trained Ukrainian specialists in the use of underwater drones
https://archive.ph/GGTZT https://royalnavy.mod.uk/news-and-latest-activity/news/2022/august/26/20220826-royal-navy-divers-train-ukrainians-to-hunt-for-mines-with-underwater-drones

training of Ukrainians in use of advanced underwater drones is shown in video here
https://youtube.com/watch?v=WwBSjsPZIA8

The UK trainer observes that drones “know where it is in relation to the surface”. I.e. it’s capable of exactly locating the Nordstream pipelines that US drones had mapped.

the video showing the training of Ukrainian specialists in underwater drones during August 2022 that was posted up on Youtube by US Military Central was watermarked “US Military Central”

So the US was in possession of precision location data of Nordstream pipelines; Ukraine specialists had been trained by UK and US in the use of underwater drones which could be precisely controlled remotely; UK gave six advanced drones to Ukraine.

Means, motive, opportunity

Harlequin Decline
September 28, 2022 3:46 pm

OldOzzie,

You mentioned your formula for cleaning papers the other day. It involved 2l of chlorine and some other smaller amounts of chemicals that you put into an 8l sprayer.

Do you dilute with water to make up the 8l or just use it neat?

m0nty
m0nty
September 28, 2022 3:46 pm

It’s not about weakening Russia.

Preventing Russia selling gas weakens Russia.

Harlequin Decline
September 28, 2022 3:47 pm

That should be pavers.

OldOzzie
OldOzzie
September 28, 2022 3:51 pm

Harlequin Declinesays:
September 28, 2022 at 3:46 pm
OldOzzie,

You mentioned your formula for cleaning papers the other day. It involved 2l of chlorine and some other smaller amounts of chemicals that you put into an 8l sprayer.

Do you dilute with water to make up the 8l or just use it neat?

Yes – 2l Liquid Chlorine, 200ml Hy Chlor Pool Green Blaster Algecide, 1 Tablespoon Washing Soda in 8l Sprayer then fill rest with water

Dr Faustus
Dr Faustus
September 28, 2022 3:51 pm

I’m not sure the premise is false, Dr. Faustus.

Not the prison sentence.
This bit:

However, Podolyak said, Ukrainians who were forced to vote would not be punished.

Doesn’t sit nicely with pro-Ukraine voters abstaining for fear of imprisonment for treason.

incoherent rambler
incoherent rambler
September 28, 2022 3:52 pm

It is a security emergency. Suspend all elections in Europe and the US, now!
You know it makes sense.

OldOzzie
OldOzzie
September 28, 2022 3:54 pm

<strong>The Fed’s war on inflation could cost the US economy 1M jobs

Fed will need to ‘destroy’ at least 1M jobs to crush inflation, analysis shows

In plain English, an unemployment rate that high could mean at least 1 million job losses, according to calculations from RSM chief economist Joe Brusuelas. If the unemployment rate hits 4.6%, that would mean that at least 1.7 million Americans lose their jobs.

“To reduce inflation to acceptable levels, it will be necessary to destroy between 1.7 million and 5.3 million jobs, in our estimation,” Brusuelas wrote in the analysis. “The policy implications are stark.”

The Fed’s projections, known as the dot plot, show that a handful of the 16 Fed officials believe the most aggressive tightening in decades will actually force unemployment even higher, with the jobless rate eventually hitting 5%.

Diogenes
Diogenes
September 28, 2022 3:54 pm

Preventing Russia selling gas weakens Russia.

And removing the only other pipeline Germany could use without going through Ukraine removes any temptation for Germany to backslide as it’s economy implodes.

shatterzzz
September 28, 2022 3:56 pm

If you think the US and some allies (I tend to this) is behind the Nord Stream incident and you were of the opinion that the US is prepared to fight to the last Ukrainian, we can now add that it is prepared to fight to the pauperization of the last European.

I can’t see this line of thought being problematic with the demon-rats .. they’re busy trying to pauperize the USA at the moment so adding Europe to the agenda won’t hurt ..

2dogs
September 28, 2022 3:59 pm

I am not convinced by the US-wot-dun-it arguments since the USS Kearsage was sailing happy and Larry with transponders on.

Not just transponders, but would have been with all their EW systems on.

So if it was not USS Kearsage itself, its position meant they would have seen who it was. A hostile actor would have seen them nearby and aborted the mission. So whoever did it, did it with the US’s blessing.

JC
JC
September 28, 2022 4:00 pm

It is a security emergency. Suspend all elections in Europe and the US, now!
You know it makes sense.

Yep, fully agree. A pipeline in the Baltic sea goes kaboom and the US calls off the mid-terms because it’s so, so serious.

Boambee John
Boambee John
September 28, 2022 4:02 pm

shatterzzzsays:
September 28, 2022 at 2:39 pm
If it came out that Ukraine did blow up the lines, how can anyone blame them given that Russia is blowing up their power stations? I know the lines are not in their territory, but they have a lot of moral authority right now as their young men are dying to protect Western interests.

Isn’t this from a bloke who performs over the Israelis defending themselves ..?

Indeed it is. His obsession stretches beyond seeing hooked noses and the word “Protocols” whenever he hears the words “bankers” or “financiers”, into basic matters such as the right to self-defence (but only for selected groups, others are OK).

JC
JC
September 28, 2022 4:03 pm

They are already shifting the sale of gas to China, India, etc.

Selling? What do you mean by selling? They’re “selling” the crap at massive discounts to the market price. On the way back, their imports are priced at massive premiums to comparable stuff before the invasion.

Bruce of Newcastle
Bruce of Newcastle
September 28, 2022 4:04 pm

When Russia cut back gas deliveries the price spike was such they were getting twice as much revenue for half as much gas.

Russia’s Gazprom Doubled Oil & Gas Revenue This Year (Despite Volume Dropping In Half) (13 Sep)

Which gets us to the news today:

Oil Surges After Russia Proposes 1 Million Barrel OPEC+ Output Cut (28 Sep)

It’s not the amount delivered it’s the total revenue that’s the thing. This will continue while the US doesn’t produce the extra volume needed, which it won’t under Biden’s green kiddies.

2dogs
September 28, 2022 4:05 pm

Hey Monty, given your position on Steve Bannon’s build the wall fundraiser, what do you think of this:

https://nitter.net/shoe0nhead/status/1574530055505690624

Cassie of Sydney
September 28, 2022 4:07 pm

“Preventing Russia selling gas weakens Russia.”

Preventing Russia selling gas will mean many Germans will freeze to death. Donald Trump did warn Germany and for his efforts, people sneered, sniggered and laughed.

No one is laughing now.

JC
JC
September 28, 2022 4:10 pm

Donald Trump did warn Germany and for his efforts, people sneered, sniggered and laughed.

Look at the useless Krautfucks giggling at him in the UN. Get a load of the puffed up weasels.

Boambee John
Boambee John
September 28, 2022 4:13 pm

H B Bearsays:
September 28, 2022 at 2:51 pm
Sea sickness is a bitch. The section from Augusta to Albany was no fun heading into a bit of swell. We took a few days off after that. Getting a couple of tonnes of water in the anchor chain locker didn’t help. Following seas are your friend.

In his memoirs, Vice Admiral Collins recorded an incident during a crossing of the Bight on one of our two 8 inch gun cruisers (around 10,000 tons displacement) in the 1930s. Steaming into a heavy swell, the bow would dip into each wave, then rise clear before repeating the move. Until it dipped into one swell, and did not start to rise.

The Watch Officer promptly ordered “All stop, Full astern”. The ship backed out, the bow rose clear of the swell, and those on the bridge murmured prayers of thanks to a quick-thinking Watch Officer, and wondered would she have simply kept going under that wave without his orders.

Harlequin Decline
September 28, 2022 4:14 pm

Thanks OldOzzie.

JC
JC
September 28, 2022 4:15 pm

How about some real estate porn to add some cheer.

Aspen Mansion Sells for $69 Million in One of the Area’s Priciest-Ever Deals

I haven’t been there in decades. We had a conference there once and Aspen is gorgeous. The house is worth every single cent and possibly a bargain.

I wonder if Cronkite is doing the conveyance?

Cassie of Sydney
September 28, 2022 4:19 pm

Further to “preventing”…..

The war in Ukraine was preventable.
German dependency on Russian gas was preventable.

Speedbox
September 28, 2022 4:20 pm

Lysander – I agree there is a vanishingly small likelihood of it being some rogue NGO. Never say never, but it is so far off the charts as to be the equal last option with an accident.

I didn’t mention the USA deliberately – I thought I would leave that question open although I alluded to it in the final part of my post. It is disturbing however that the USA/UK and Ukraine have been revealed as consorting on the use of underwater drones in recent weeks whilst (unidentified) flying drones have been noted in the area recently. This was reported by the Norwegian authorities (who are always skittish about such things).

I hope that the USA, UK and Ukraine weren’t involved as Putin will go off his nut. Things are unstable enough but it could lead to a general mobilisation of the Russian military forces. Worse, if the Russian people come to believe that the Motherland is actually under attack, then all bets are off. As Peter Smith noted in his post a few days ago, not all Russians are in favour of Putin but all Russians are in favour of Russia. You can take those words to the bank.

There seems little doubt the pipeline was sabotaged and I can only hope that whomever was responsible have taken sufficient care to be able to demonstrate ‘plausible deniability’. Otherwise, as I said earlier today, this is probably the most dangerously provocative act since WWII, whomever was responsible.

Knuckle Dragger
Knuckle Dragger
September 28, 2022 4:21 pm

You’re all way off. Waaaay off.

Clearly, the pipes were destroyed as part of the master plan to depopulate the world, in conjunction with the deliberate withholding of food worldwide and the famines, so that the elites can further enrich themselves by constructing cockroach farms to feed the remainder.

Who will be slaves. In the tunnels.

In Episode #2, I will explain why said mega-rich elites wouldn’t simply buy increasing proportions of the massive existing food production industries, and actually encourage population growth to create an even bigger market for the industries they monopolised.

I may need some time for that one. Stay tuned though.

Cassie of Sydney
September 28, 2022 4:23 pm

Oh and weak Russia and a weakened Putin is dangerous, very dangerous.

Makka
Makka
September 28, 2022 4:24 pm

Nordstream 1 and 2- I’m guessing US affiliated contractors. May not even be military associated.

Who benefits? US LNG suppliers. Giga $$$’s in gap filling LNG sales. Loading risk (underwater accessible assets)onto risk (Russia sourced energy). Sends a message to both Russia and Germany. ” We can fk with your asset anytime we like”.

War in the Grey Zone.

incoherent rambler
incoherent rambler
September 28, 2022 4:25 pm

Oh and weak Russia and a weakened Putin is dangerous, very dangerous.

Tip: do not kick the sleeping bear in the nuts.

Top Ender
Top Ender
September 28, 2022 4:26 pm

The Greens have gone into damage control after a former staffer for Lidia Thorpe revealed details about a meeting in which the Senator allegedly hurled a tirade of verbal abuse at an Indigenous elder.

Ms Thorpe is alleged to have unleashed a furious rant at First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria co-chairs Marcus Stewart and Aunty Geraldine Atkinson at a committee room meeting in Parliament House on June 22, 2021.

It’s claimed Ms Atkinson, who is aged in her 70s, was so shaken by Senator Thorpe’s behaviour she sought assistance from the parliamentary nurse after the meeting.

Daily Mail

Makka
Makka
September 28, 2022 4:27 pm

Oh and weak Russia and a weakened Putin is dangerous, very dangerous.

Extremely. I agree.

The next tier of Russian thugs below and around Putin are cuthroats , without the intellect of Putin. Ruthless and stone cold killers. Putin won’t be deposed by a popular people’s uprising. It will be a coup with a very nasty replacement.

JC
JC
September 28, 2022 4:28 pm

Sure Dover.
Lets figure it out.
Let’s assume their average sale was based on an average of 100 buck oil. It’s trading $US77.50, but lets take the more optimistic 100 bucks. Also assume they’re selling at 35% discount. It means they’re taking in 65 bucks a barrel in equivalent US dollars. They have to import goods because we know Russia has basically two exports which are energy and hookers, but lets leave the hookers aside. The gouging on the imports likely makes the value of the oil resemble something like 42 bucks a barrel. They aren’t raking it in and they’re on a war footing with 20% of the economy devoted to the military. They’re fucked too.

feelthebern
feelthebern
September 28, 2022 4:30 pm

Just caught a clip on Fox where their weather man said hurricane Ian is shaping as the biggest event in modern history.
Hurricane Andrew in 92 reset the global insurance & reinsurance market.
Not sure if the world could handle another event like that at the moment.

feelthebern
feelthebern
September 28, 2022 4:34 pm

Here’s a prediction.
Georgia will get FEMA funds before Florida.
And Biden will be all over Georgia for the photo ops, less so Florida.

OldOzzie
OldOzzie
September 28, 2022 4:34 pm

Aunty Geraldine Atkinson is whiter than I!

Aboriginal Elder??? – You have to be Kidding – It is all a Con

Zulu Kilo Two Alpha
Zulu Kilo Two Alpha
September 28, 2022 4:37 pm

The Greens have gone into damage control after a former staffer for Lidia Thorpe revealed details about a meeting in which the Senator allegedly hurled a tirade of verbal abuse at an Indigenous elder

Lidia Thorpe – the face of the “Voice..”

JC
JC
September 28, 2022 4:38 pm

Just caught a clip on Fox where their weather man said hurricane Ian is shaping as the biggest event in modern history.

There used to be a sort of an arb, but it hasn’t been around for years as I think every fucker in the world is in on it and taken away the loosely described “arbitrage”. It was called, or I called it hurricane bingo. In the hurricane season (now is peak season) you’d look at the weather map to see if the Gulf was going to get hit. However you had to guess and if the weather was bad enough to take out the oil platforms, in which case the services companies would have work to do and their stocks would rise. It was a nice little earner that lasted a few years. I stopped around 2010 or so.

Zulu Kilo Two Alpha
Zulu Kilo Two Alpha
September 28, 2022 4:39 pm

Aunty Geraldine Atkinson is whiter than I!

That’s a mere technicality – it’s all how you identify..

(Kimberlys Aborigines would say her mother “bin eatum white bread..”)

feelthebern
feelthebern
September 28, 2022 4:41 pm

Fun fact, FEMA is still cutting cheques for NY damage attributed to hurricane Sandy.
Getting accredited for FEMA work is a path to many, many holiday homes.

Makka
Makka
September 28, 2022 4:41 pm

Lidia Thorpe – the face of the “Voice..”

The media should show Australia much more of Thorpe. She’s got a lot to offer in educating us about “first nations” and Da Voice.

Top Ender
Top Ender
September 28, 2022 4:42 pm

Despised Porsche driver Richard Pusey has been warned about being in contempt of court after he likened a magistrate to a “dishwasher” who was “washing the dishes”.

Pusey, 44, fronted Sunshine Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday where he is contesting four charges for allegedly uploading graphic images of the April 2020 crash in a Google review of a Porsche dealership and in a complaint to the Australian Financial Complaints Authority.

Beaming in via video link from Melbourne Remand Centre, the self-represented Pusey, who previously stated his pronouns were they/them, initially refused to leave his cell to attend the hearing after complaining about being on his “period”.

After a short delay, Pusey was brought into the virtual courtroom where he told Magistrate Michelle Mykytowycz she was being treated like a “marionette” by police and he did not consent to attending.

“You are merely a dishwasher, no offence, washing the dishes,” Pusey said.

“You are very close to being in contempt of court,” Ms Mykytowycz replied.

During the bizarre court appearance the former mortgage broker, who has been on remand since February after twice being denied bail, said he had been attending art classes while in custody and was “somewhat of a Picasso”.

He also flagged he wanted to withdraw his not guilty plea but did not intend to plead guilty.

But Ms Mykytowycz said the hearing would proceed on the basis of a not guilty plea and would be adjourned to next month as the prosecutor was too unwell to attend.

Herald-Sun

P
P
September 28, 2022 4:42 pm

Managing Expectations, Hurricane Ian 11pm Update – Now it is Time to Hunker Down
30 Comments

Been following this link over at the theconservativehouse

Speedbox
September 28, 2022 4:45 pm

incoherent rambler says:
September 28, 2022 at 4:25 pm

Tip: do not kick the sleeping bear in the nuts.

You could also take that one to the bank.

Cassie of Sydney says:
September 28, 2022 at 4:23 pm
…….a weakened Putin is dangerous, very dangerous.

Indeed. The last thing we want to see is a general mobilisation of the Russian military. No matter what any of us may think of Putin, or the justification for the conflict in Ukraine, if Putin believes Russia’s sovereignty is under attack, then the risk of a wider conflict increases exponentially. Just one small spark……

calli
calli
September 28, 2022 4:45 pm

Dr Faustus says:
September 28, 2022 at 9:50 am
On Whitby fish and chips.

That was my impression too. You mention the gulls – they are huuuuge and there are signs up everywhere warning about feeding them.

I did say the roasts are excellent as far as food goes. And also that it’s budget driven. Most of the quality meat is exported (sound familiar?) and I heard a whisper that Tesco is importing fresh chicken meat from…China.

Something is really wrong here.

Ruthm…I bought some Whitby jet. A pendant set in silver. Very noice and thanks for the tip.

rosie
rosie
September 28, 2022 4:47 pm
JC
JC
September 28, 2022 4:48 pm

A pal who used to be in the oil business reckons it was the US and the Brits. They want the continental fuckheads stay on course and not bend to the Russians as they sounded like they were wilting. Who knows, but it sounds funny as.

Zulu Kilo Two Alpha
Zulu Kilo Two Alpha
September 28, 2022 4:49 pm

Calli – you mentioned Edinburgh. I discovered the Malt Whisky Centre on the Royal Mile – GOD lives in the Malt Whisky Centre on the Royal Mile – but, apparently, what was quite a pleasant tourist spot has been overrun with druggies and beggars.

calli
calli
September 28, 2022 4:51 pm

Also on birds – they have re-introduced red kites to the moors and the population is growing. Saw a couple. Looming over the horizon I also saw a couple of slowly turning blades…I hope they don’t venture anywhere near the mills of doom.

The moors are home to a huge number of rabbits, stoats, weasels, mice…and grouse. It’s hunting season now and the land owner can make a small fortune selling places in a shoot. The birds are collected by the mutts and sent off to the butcher for processing into game pie.

Apparently the shooters don’t want to get their delicate hands mucky plucking, gutting and dressing the birds themselves.

As they say in these strange lands – there’s nowt so queer as folk.

Zulu Kilo Two Alpha
Zulu Kilo Two Alpha
September 28, 2022 4:51 pm

Aunty Geraldine was a part of the Batdja Kindergarten, established to ensure children were attending a program that would get them ready for school and to ensure that children were able to learn in a culturally appropriate and safe setting.

WTF does “culturally appropriate and safe” mean?

feelthebern
feelthebern
September 28, 2022 4:52 pm

From memory it took about 48 hours for us to see the footage from the Deepwater Horizon well head.
That was over a decade ago & over a km down.
Meaning getting to the damage of NS2 shouldn’t be too hard, surely?

Roger
Roger
September 28, 2022 4:54 pm

Just caught a clip on Fox where their weather man said hurricane Ian is shaping as the biggest event in modern history.

Er…I know weathermen get excited about these things, but…biggest event in modern history???

feelthebern
feelthebern
September 28, 2022 4:55 pm

Bombardier opening a service centre in Melbourne.
Yep, the most important tax issue to complain about is personal income tax rates.

@sarc.

feelthebern
feelthebern
September 28, 2022 4:56 pm

biggest event in modern history???

Exactly.
That said, he had red swirly graphics.

Makka
Makka
September 28, 2022 4:56 pm

Meaning getting to the damage of NS2 shouldn’t be too hard, surely?

I wouldn’t believe any footage shown on this. All we will see is what fits the prevailing narrative. It will all be propaganda.

See “The Capture”.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8201186/

JC
JC
September 28, 2022 5:03 pm

dover0beach says:
September 28, 2022 at 4:49 pm

But what’s the volume, and what’s the margin?

I read some time ago, they made US$60 billion selling energy. Dunno if it’s true. For oil, I also read their cost base if 40 bucks but again I dunno if it’s true. I believe the pump fairly expensive shit.

Determining Russia’s cost of production is more complicated because some of its wells are more expensive to operate than others. Most estimates are around $40 per barrel.

If the average is 40 bucks they’re making 25 bucks at 100 buck oil after the discount.

Ed Case
Ed Case
September 28, 2022 5:06 pm

Rungis Market F&V section has been totally destroyed.
[14 hours ago]

Roger
Roger
September 28, 2022 5:07 pm

Exactly.
That said, he had red swirly graphics.

Somebody take the hyperbowl away from him, quick!

OldOzzie
OldOzzie
September 28, 2022 5:10 pm

We are delighted to announce Penfolds Re-corking Clinics will visit Sydney between 24 – 26 November 2022, hosted at the iconic Kimpton Margot Hotel.

A unique offering in the world of wine, Re-corking Clinics are a complimentary service, providing the ultimate ‘health check’ for your Penfolds red wines, aged 15 years and older under cork.

Registrations are now open via the link below and will close on 7 October if not booked out before – please ensure you book ahead to avoid disappointment, as places are limited.

Video When to Re-Cork

DIGITAL ULLAGE
MEASURE

PRINTED USE:

1. Print this page as A4, ensuring that the image
size is set to 100% 4- 5.5cm 4–5.5cm
5.5–7cm
7–8.5cm
8.5–10cm
2. Place your Penfolds wine in front of the bottle
silhouette, so that the top and sides of your
bottle is aligned with the top and sides of the
silhouette on the page 5.5 -7cm
3. Use the coloured measures to determine if your
Penfolds wine is in need of re-corking.

Interesting 1998 Penfolds Koonunga Hill Shiraz Cabernet Sauvignon has better Corks than Bin 407 19993/94/96/98/00, and Bin 128 1996/98/00, however they are all perfect on Ullage Chart above 4-5.5 cm, so no re-corking

But perfect drinking on all, using Nuance Original Wine Finer, Black – Aerator, notwithstanding cork breaking on 407

Johnny Rotten
September 28, 2022 5:11 pm

An elderly patient needs a heart transplant and discusses his options with his doctor. The doctor says “We have three possible donors. One is a young, healthy athlete. The second is a middle-aged businessman who never drank or smoked, and the third is an attorney who just died after practising law for 30 years”. “I’ll take the lawyer’s heart” says the patient. “Why?” asks the doctor. The patient replies “It’s never been used”.

rosie
rosie
September 28, 2022 5:12 pm
Johnny Rotten
September 28, 2022 5:12 pm

All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.

– J. R. R. Tolkien

shatterzzz
September 28, 2022 5:14 pm

Calli .. if your spending any time in Geordieland (Newcastle/Gateshead/County Durham) on your way up .. 3 worthwhile things to see …. Durham Cathedral, Beamish Living History Museum (info site at end) and, of course a tour of the holiest “fitba” ground in Christendom, St. James Park … LOL!
If you visit Beamish, depending on which route you take you might go thru the tiny (pit long gone) village of Kibblesworth my sister lives there .. rest of the family around Gateshead …..
Beamish Museum .. https://www.beamish.org.uk/

flyingduk
flyingduk
September 28, 2022 5:15 pm

New York lawmakers announced new legislation on Monday that would require the FDNY to hire more women and minority firefighters,

Them electric fire trucks aint going to drive themselves!

Makka
Makka
September 28, 2022 5:17 pm

Billions of investment in progress. It would certainly pay to secure your market with kind of investment risk;

S&P Global Commodity Insights analysts recently predicted that U.S. LNG export capacity will reach 21.7 Bcf/d by the end of 2027, an 84% increase from existing levels. How quickly new projects can come online will be a key issue for a global gas market facing a supply shortfall headed into the mid-2020s.

https://www.spglobal.com/marketintelligence/en/news-insights/latest-news-headlines/lng-project-tracker-contracting-surge-accelerates-next-cycle-of-export-projects-70992920

Roger
Roger
September 28, 2022 5:17 pm

it is clearly in Germany’s national interest to resume the flow by some force majeure

The assumption that Russia is a reliable energy supplier to W. Europe is dead in Germany.

They’d already begun diversifying after the Crimean annexation in recognition of this new geopolitical reality, but they didn’t move fast enough.

JC
JC
September 28, 2022 5:17 pm

Ed Case says:
September 28, 2022 at 5:06 pm

Rungis Market F&V section has been totally destroyed.
[14 hours ago]

Spooks did it , Ed?

Johnny Rotten
September 28, 2022 5:18 pm

Canada To End Vaccine Mandates

From Martin Armstrong –

“Canada is finally ending the absurd COVID vaccine mandates. No, Trudeau did not come to his senses. The truth of the matter is that the majority of people dying from COVID are the triple and quadruple vaccinated. In fact, they account for 90% of COVID-related deaths in the past three months.

There is true mass psychosis surrounding the vaccination. It does not prevent transmission or infection. Despite that being a known fact, politicians are eager to promote the vaccine, along with the media that continues to push boosters on every platform available. People are bringing their babies and elderly loved ones to get the latest vaccine with lines out the door. What happens now when the mask falls and people realize the truth? There are people crying online that it is “too soon” to remove the vaccine requirement. It is cognitive dissonance. They cannot allow their brains to process that they were lied to for years. The vaccine only weakened people’s immune systems and made them more susceptible to COVID.

IT WAS NEVER SAFE AND EFFECTIVE.

I congratulate the Canadian Truck Convoy and all others who risked their liberty and lives to protest this false narrative. The silent majority has won, but at what cost? Countless lives were destroyed over this mandate. People lost their livelihoods and homes. Some who I personally know were forced to flee Canada as they were not willing to risk their health. Businesses were ruined. Families were separated as the demonized unvaccinated could not even enter Canada. Lives were completely uprooted due to this vaccine mandate imposed by the Trudeau Administration.

And now they want to pretend everything is ok and sweep it all under the rug. No. We should remember what Trudeau and the globalists did to the people. The unvaccinated were gas lighted and banished from society for years. The people were threatened in every way possible until they agreed to submit to the government’s order. We now see how much control the government has over the people. Public confidence will never be the same.”

https://www.armstrongeconomics.com/international-news/canada/canada-to-end-vaccine-mandates/?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=RSS

shatterzzz
September 28, 2022 5:21 pm

Beaming in via video link from Melbourne Remand Centre, the self-represented Pusey, who previously stated his pronouns were they/them, initially refused to leave his cell to attend the hearing after complaining about being on his “period”.

Should have chained himself to the bunk and blamed his mental condition on “climate change” she’d have, probably given him bail pending dropping the charges .. LOL!

flyingduk
flyingduk
September 28, 2022 5:24 pm

Steaming into a heavy swell, the bow would dip into each wave, then rise clear before repeating the move. Until it dipped into one swell, and did not start to rise. The Watch Officer promptly ordered “All stop, Full astern”. The ship backed out, the bow rose clear of the swell, and those on the bridge murmured prayers of thanks to a quick-thinking Watch Officer, and wondered would she have simply kept going under that wave without his orders.

I’m struggling to put this story into my mental model:

1) A 10,000 t cruiser would take quite some time to appreciably slow, let alone reverse course by going astern
2) Where did the buoyancy of the bow suddenly go to, and why did it come back after going astern?

flyingduk
flyingduk
September 28, 2022 5:26 pm

SA’s first One Nation MP, Sarah Game, is pushing for tougher laws against stalkers after she herself was allegedly menaced by a person who is currently before the courts. “Police were totally dismissive of my complaint …

should have mentioned Nuremberg then!

Roger
Roger
September 28, 2022 5:26 pm

Palaszczuk to close all coal power stations by 2035 – announced today.

Of course, political announcements and realities are two different things.

But at that rate those interconnectors soon won’t have any excess power to send south.

JC
JC
September 28, 2022 5:28 pm

Do we know what is the actual Western European oil and gas production as a % of their needs. What are proven untapped reserves and what are speculative unproven reserves?

Bruce of Newcastle
Bruce of Newcastle
September 28, 2022 5:32 pm

During the bizarre court appearance the former mortgage broker, who has been on remand since February after twice being denied bail

Much as Dick Pussy is his own worse enemy, being clapped into gaol for 7 months now without trial, for uploading some photos, plus at least another month because of an “unwell prosecutor” strikes me as typical Vicplod bastardry.

Maybe he should become a climate activist, in this country they seem to get away with anything.

Roger
Roger
September 28, 2022 5:32 pm

All this stuff about diversifying is simply about weening off RUS energy so that they could be dealt with without endangering the Euro economies.

It’s naked national self-interest.

Putin – and whoever comes after him – cannnot be trusted.

Roger
Roger
September 28, 2022 5:33 pm

Do we know what is the actual Western European oil and gas production as a % of their needs. What are proven untapped reserves and what are speculative unproven reserves?

Dr F. could probably provide an insight into that.

Sancho Panzer
Sancho Panzer
September 28, 2022 5:35 pm

I find all this boat talk triggering.

H B Bear
H B Bear
September 28, 2022 5:36 pm

“You are merely a dishwasher, no offence, washing the dishes,” Pusey said.

He’s right, but you still can’t say it.

Miltonf
Miltonf
September 28, 2022 5:36 pm

So pleasurechook is going to close more power stations. Is the slag really that stupid? What garbage our pollimuppets are. Steaming trash.

Roger
Roger
September 28, 2022 5:38 pm

Palaszczuk to close all coal power stations by 2035 – announced today.

To be replaced by a “super-grid” fed by solar, wind, conventional hydro and pumped hydro, “green hydro” and large scale batteries.

Cost is estimated ay $62bn, says a government that can’t bring any infratsructure project in on budget.

Miltonf
Miltonf
September 28, 2022 5:38 pm

Pleasurechook is also an example of political office only being open to the connected.

H B Bear
H B Bear
September 28, 2022 5:38 pm

WTF does “culturally appropriate and safe” mean?

Expensive with a suitable Aboriginal Industry ticket clip in place.

bons
bons
September 28, 2022 5:39 pm

It doesn’t matter what happens in November, the GOP will be unable to achieve anything without getting rid of McConnell.
It is a NSW situation. Unrepresentative pollies pursuing agendas never exposed to Party members or the electorate.
And, just like NSW, there is nothing that can be done to unseat McConnell.
Consesvatives around the world need to hire Canadian Conservatives to advise on how to elbow aside the apparatchiks and return parties to the membership.
In Australia, there is no mechanism that can break the hold of the cronies over the Libs and LNP. A new party is required.
Baby holocaust, climate scam, power system destruction, blackfella power and land tax. None of these impositions were proposed to,
or are supported by the people.
What is amazing is how easily intellectual amoral clowns like Photios and Textor destroyed party democracy and imposed hard left crony power.
I well recall when my Branch was destroyed in one meeting by McGrath. The Chairman and the front row were all planted Turnbullites. There was no discussion. Power was simply transferred to Head Office. Most of us resigned, but of course that is what they wanted.

Speedbox
September 28, 2022 5:40 pm

dover0beach says:
September 28, 2022 at 5:08 pm
The instructive thing about this is no one gives a shit about Germany or the other Euro economies screwed by this action…..

Yes, remarkable isn’t it. I was thinking earlier today that if it was the US (with co-operation from others not directly impacted) it was a giant F/U to Germany, Czech Republic, Austria, Italy. When working, the gas comes ashore in Germany but that isn’t the end of its journey. This act has now screwed those countries.

The pipe could take several months to fix, clean, flush and that’s before there is any hope of negotiated resumption of supply. So, even if everybody kissed and made up tomorrow, this winter will be bitter for citizens and business.

I was reading elsewhere that the steel pipe has a wall of 4.1 cm which is coated with steel-reinforced concrete that is another 11cm thick. So, about 15cm thick wall on the pipes – this was no accident.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian officials are suggesting that Russia is responsible for the destruction of the pipes to destabilise Europe. (FMD) And British sources have said they believed it may not be possible to determine what occurred, with certainty. (yeah, you hope.)

The Danish energy agency said two major leaks on the Nord Stream 1 pipeline north-east of the island of Bornholm, and a third in the Nord Stream 2 pipeline in Swedish waters south-east of the island. “This is not a small crack. It’s a really big hole,” the energy agency said.

Dr Faustus
Dr Faustus
September 28, 2022 5:42 pm

How would you ever show that to the satisfaction of the SBU? If you had already witnessed officials being murdered within these oblasts, had memories of events over the last 8 years through these areas where member of Right Sector, Azov, SBU, and the like have beaten, murdered, or disappeared people with pro-Russian sympathies, would you risk it by willingly participating if you had pro-UKR sympathies given the above?

I’d probably share those concerns.
But that’s an entirely different point.

Big Serge tells us:

Ukraine says it’s treason to vote at all, with an attendant fifteen year prison term.

Ukraine says it’s treason to vote at all…”. That’s seemingly not true at all.

Why would you not judge Big Serge’s opinions on that basis?

Jorge
Jorge
September 28, 2022 5:42 pm

Things are unstable enough but it could lead to a general mobilisation of the Russian military forces. Worse, if the Russian people come to believe that the Motherland is actually under attack, then all bets are off.

Yes, the mid terms don’t have to be canceled, just held in an atmosphere of growing crisis. Poke the bear, prod him, goad him, mix up open and more discreet provocation and he’ll win it for you. Unless he’s smart enough to recognise your game and holds off.

JC
JC
September 28, 2022 5:44 pm

Here

They import 95% of their oil needs. I think this excludes the UK.

Look under Oil imports dependency. FMD

How much oil from Russia 75%. Obviously not now.

Russia is the main EU supplier of crude oil, natural gas and solid fossil fuels. In 2020, almost three quarters of the extra-EU crude oil imports came from Russia (29 %), the United States (9 %), Norway (8 %), Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom (both 7 %) as well as Kazakhstan and Nigeria (both 6 %).

What a total fucking.

How about gas?

How much Russian gas does Europe use? Russia supplied the EU with 40% of its natural gas last year.8 Sept 2022

They’re completely fucked. Perhaps the Euro is a better short.

Let them fucking bake or freeze. get a load of this:

Estimates show that Europe has more recoverable shale gas than the U.S.
Despite its huge gas reserves, hydraulic fracturing has many opponents in Europe.
Fracking in Europe has long been a contentious issue because of population density.

And the huge problem is like here.

The big problem with fracking in Europe is that some of the conditions that fueled the U.S. shale boom don’t exist in Europe. In most countries, it’s the state, and not private landowners, that owns the mineral rights to oil and gas in the ground. Contrast that with the U.S. where landowner’s cut can be as much as an eighth of production revenue. This in effect means that fracking does not yield big financial rewards for European landowners.

It won’t wake them up.

  1. Is that the line being pushed by the DNC/MSM talking points? Very inventive, but hardly credible.

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