Open Thread – Tues 18 Oct 2022


The Fall of the Rebel Angels, Pieter Bruegel the Elder, 1562

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Tintarella di Luna
Tintarella di Luna
October 18, 2022 12:00 pm

Ciao

OldOzzie
OldOzzie
October 18, 2022 12:01 pm

White House Scrambles After Biden Suggests Pakistan’s Nukes Are ‘Unsafe’

From the Comments

17.10.2022

Russian S-300V4 Broke World Record For The Longest Ranged Surface To Air Kills – Military Watch

On October 16, the AFU shelled the Russian city of Belgorod. After massive shelling on the morning, Ukrainian forces resumed attacks on the afternoon. Russian Air Defense forces intercepted most of the targets, but two explosions were recorded near the Belgorod airport.

Military Watch Magazine reported that Russian air defence means in Belgorod have ”reportedly broken a world record for the longest ranged surface to air kills”.

One of the attacks on the city was carried out by a pair of Ukrainian combat aircraft which reached the Russian border at an extremely low altitude. Having then gained altitude, they shot at their target and headed towards the airfield. However, they failed to reach it. They fired on by Russian surface to air missile batteries, specifically an S-300V4 system. Both planes were shot down over the Poltava region.

The aircraft in question were Ukrainian Su-27 and Su-24, which are thought to be some of the last of these relatively scarce and heavyweight classes operational after over six months of war.

The missile system neutralised both aircraft at extreme ranges of 217km, surpassing the 150km range kill previously recorded by a Russian S-400 system against a Ukrainian Su-27 over Kiev in March, with this achieved despite the Su-27’s high manoeuvrability and impressive flight performance designed to allow it to effectively evade standoff missile attacks. – Military Watch writes.

Despite their high maneuverability, the fighters could not get away from the Russian missiles.

The S-300V4 has access to a range of missiles including the 40N6 which has a 400km range and a high hypersonic speed exceeding Mach 14. Military Watch supposed that the 40N6 may have been used, “since the missile has an entirely unique trajectory and sensor suite that are particularly well optimised to engaging very low altitude targets over the horizon”.

The 40N6 can engage targets as low as 5 metres off the ground even at 400km distances, and climbs into space before descending to impact providing its onboard radar with greater coverage and a totally unrivalled performance at ranges over 250km. The missile has double the range of its top Western competitors, and is deployed by both Chinese and Russian S-400 units while also being compatible with the S-300V4. – the report reads.

It was for years the world’s longest ranged anti aircraft capable ground launched missile, although new missiles integrated onto the S-500 system surpassed it. The kill against a Su-27 reflects Russia’s overwhelming superiority in anti aircraft capabilities, the report concludes.

https://southfront.org/russian-s-300v4-broke-world-record-for-the-longest-ranged-surface-to-air-kills-military-watch/

Tintarella di Luna
Tintarella di Luna
October 18, 2022 12:01 pm

what beautiful weather we had in Sydney on Saturday and Sunday, it was grand to spend some time enjoying the sunshine

OldOzzie
OldOzzie
October 18, 2022 12:05 pm

Chip war policy hurting US firms more than China

New Commerce Department chip and equipment bans against China are hitting US semiconductor company shares hardest

On October 7, the US Department of Commerce expanded licensing requirements for exports of advanced semiconductors and the equipment that’s used to make them to cover all shipments to China and not just shipments to particular companies.

The share prices of companies expected to be affected had already dropped, discounting previously announced sanctions and the downturn in the semiconductor cycle that was already underway.

From their 52-week highs to recent 52-week lows:

In terms of share price performance and investor returns, American companies and ASML have been hit harder than the Chinese. That might seem ironic considering the measures target China, but it is the market’s discounting mechanism at work.

US government policy is aggravating what was already shaping up to be a severe industry downturn – and friendly fire is a real problem.

By forcing numerous executives and engineers of Chinese extraction to choose sides, it brings decoupling down to the personal level.

Data from Tokyo Electron show the company’s total sales of semiconductor production equipment up 2.6 times in the five years to March 2022 (the company’s fiscal year ends in March). The increase was led by a 5.7x increase in China, which grew from 12% to 26% of total sales.

In the two years to March 2022 alone, sales in China increased by 2.7x. That suggests that the Chinese semiconductor industry has purchased enough equipment to see it through the next two or three years, at least.

The Chinese can no longer rely on US equipment suppliers and European and Japanese suppliers must follow US rules if their products incorporate US technology, so China will step up its import substitution campaign.

Sanctions on China have already caused large losses for American semiconductor and equipment companies, and more are probably on the way. Furthermore, in the next up-cycle, the China opportunity for foreign suppliers is likely to be much diminished.

mem
mem
October 18, 2022 12:07 pm

The Australian cricket captain has forced Cricket Australia to abandon a $40 million sponsorship from Alinta Energy because Cummins says they pollute too much.

Gosh, and here I thought Alinta were sustainable. From Alinta’s Website:

To us, sustainability is about delivering lower emissions energy that’s also reliable and affordable. Our balanced approach considers social, environmental and economic factors. We are committed to our FY25 target to support the development of 1,500MW of renewable generation and energy storage capacity. We are well on our way to achieving this goal – fuelled by intelligent, high quality and environmentally friendly projects.

And hello, hello. Guess who pops up on the masthead of the website, none other than Steve Smith in his his cricket gear. Perhaps Mr. Cummins didn’t get the personal sponsorship deal he wanted and is pissed off. Just a thought. Alinta Website https://www.alintaenergy.com.au/vic/residential/electricity-and-gas/products/campaign/offer?gclid=CjwKCAjw-rOaBhA9EiwAUkLV4p0OMJGwUP_43a9_5KGtHrWa9OlBnm9YDWr9jGD6xvfxpvetruJH-BoCpFIQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

Boambee John
Boambee John
October 18, 2022 12:09 pm

rickw

What? There is an excellent YouTube video on the data showing the effectiveness of the B-29’s defensive armament. They shot the shit out of the Luftwaffe. On top of that the USA’s bomb sights were very effective.

Were B-29s used in large numbers against Germany?

Carpe Jugulum
Carpe Jugulum
October 18, 2022 12:10 pm

Top Ten

Woo Hoo

H B Bear
H B Bear
October 18, 2022 12:10 pm

The organ grinder’s monkeys are becoming a bit chirpy.

Bruce of Newcastle
Bruce of Newcastle
October 18, 2022 12:12 pm

Heart of glass.

New analysis of obsidian blades reveals dynamic Neolithic social networks (Phys.org, 17 Oct)

The study, published Oct. 17 in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, is the first to apply state-of-the-art analytical tools to a collection of 2,100 obsidian artifacts housed at the Yale Peabody Museum. The artifacts were unearthed more than 50 years ago at Ali Kosh and Chagha Sefid, sites on Iran’s Deh Luran Plain that yielded important archaeological discoveries from the Neolithic Era—the period beginning about 12,000 years ago when people began farming, domesticating animals, and establishing permanent settlements.

Original analyses performed shortly after the artifacts were discovered had suggested people first acquired the obsidian—volcanic glass—from Nemrut Dag, a now-dormant volcano in Eastern Turkey, and then relied on an unknown second source for the material. This new elemental analysis showed the obsidian came from seven distinct sources, including Nemrut Dag, in present-day Turkey and Armenia, which is as far as about 1,000 miles on foot from the excavation sites.

Gobekli Tepe is one of the earliest cosmopolitan archaeological site, and had a lot of obsidian artifacts. It’s fascinating that razor-sharp glass from that area found its way to SW Iran a thousand miles away. Civilization may owe its existence to volcanic glass.

Lysander
Lysander
October 18, 2022 12:15 pm
rickw
rickw
October 18, 2022 12:15 pm

Were B-29s used in large numbers against Germany?

No, however they were used and almost all the early production was sent there. Saying that B-29 performance influenced the day / night decision making is completely wrong. B-17 and B-24 daylight raid losses drove the decision making.

feelthebern
feelthebern
October 18, 2022 12:16 pm

A Saudi prince related to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s seemingly took aim at President Biden and the U.S., warning leaders not to threaten Saudi Arabia.

Don’t worry.
There’s only a couple hundred Saudi princes.

Top Ender
Top Ender
October 18, 2022 12:16 pm

IIRR the B-29 was never used in Europe.

lotocoti
lotocoti
October 18, 2022 12:20 pm

Were B-29s used in large numbers against Germany?

Zero might be the number you’re looking for.
Although I believe the gunner’s computing sight was used on P61s and A26s in the ETO.

OldOzzie
OldOzzie
October 18, 2022 12:20 pm

Why the US must press for a ceasefire in Ukraine

As a key player in K@iv’s defense and the leader of sanctions against Russia, Washington is obligated to help find a way out.

OCTOBER 17, 2022 Written by Jack F. Matlock Jr. – was ambassador to the Soviet Union in 1990

Four recent events have put the war in Ukraine on a distinctly more dangerous course.

— The Russian annexation of four additional Ukrainian provinces blocks compromise solutions that were feasible earlier.

— The disabling attacks on both North Stream pipelines make it impossible in the near term to restore Russia as the principal energy supplier to Germany, even if the war in Ukraine should be miraculously ended.

— The Ukrainian attack on the bridge to Crimea gave Russia a pretext to escalate attacks on Ukrainian civilian targets.

— The Russian retaliatory attacks on civilian targets are certain to do more damage to Ukraine than Ukraine can do to Russia.

What Went Wrong

America’s Security

Effect on the World

Is There a Way to Stop the War?

At present, none of the relevant parties to the conflict in Ukraine seem to be willing to stop fighting and enter into genuine negotiations to bring peace in Ukraine. Until this changes, the fighting stops, and serious negotiations get underway, the world is headed for an outcome where we all are losers.

rickw
rickw
October 18, 2022 12:23 pm

Air Force planning throughout 1942 and early 1943 continued to have the B-29 deployed initially against Germany, only transferring to the Pacific after the end of the war in Europe. By the end of 1943, plans had changed, partly due to production delays, and the B-29 was dedicated to the Pacific Theater.

TE, you’re right. Saying that B-29’s had anything to do with bomber strategy in Europe is even more wrong than it already was.

Dr Faustus
Dr Faustus
October 18, 2022 12:29 pm

In Men of Principle news:

Alinta has stuck solid with the Australian men’s team through the Newlands scandal, when financial services firm Magellan departed.

It’s understood player were less than thrilled about fronting ad campaigns for Alinta but felt they had to because the team was under pressure at the time. However in the five years since the cheating scandal, and the improved image of the team under Cummins’ captaincy, the skipper felt it was time to intervene.

Safe to come out.
Straya!!!

Eyrie
Eyrie
October 18, 2022 12:32 pm

I’ll put it up here again:

What? There is an excellent YouTube video on the data showing the effectiveness of the B-29’s defensive armament. They shot the shit out of the Luftwaffe. On top of that the USA’s bomb sights were very effective.

The B-29 was not used in Europe so it didn’t shoot the shit out of the Luftwaffe. The Japanese army and Navy interceptors, yes.
Look up the history of the use of the B-29. It was designed to fly high and fast enough to be essentially very difficult to target with Flak and fighters. At enormous cost it was put into service (more money spent than on the Manhattan Project) and supported in China at first. That was what the airlift over The Hump was about. Every gallon of avgas was initially flown in. The initial results were disappointing and regarded as unlikely to achieve much. Part of the problem was that they didn’t know about the Jetstream. Go up wind over the target and you become a good target for flak. Go downwind and the groundspeed is so high the bombsight can’t cope. Go crosswind and the drift angle is such the bombsight can’t cope.
LeMay ordered most of the guns removed to save weight, painted the undersurfaces black a little later and loaded up on incendiaries then went in at relatively low altitude (under 10,000 feet mostly) and proceeded to burn Japanese cities to the ground. Accuracy not required. Yes, it deliberately targeted civilians.
This isn’t a bad article https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_B-29_Superfortress
I did read a book about the whole program which went in to far more detail. Can’t remember the title.

Eyrie
Eyrie
October 18, 2022 12:34 pm

The incendiary raids were at night at least for most of the time.

Bruce of Newcastle
Bruce of Newcastle
October 18, 2022 12:38 pm

There’s only a couple hundred Saudi princes.

The plus is you aren’t going to be running out of heirs anytime soon.
The minus is you have to now find jobs for them all.

(I’m amused that the Dems are accusing Trump today of being antisemitic. That’s fun given that Ivanka and Jared are Jewish and he negotiated the Abraham Accords. Which the Saudis quite like, but avoid saying so for obvious reasons.)

Zulu Kilo Two Alpha
Zulu Kilo Two Alpha
October 18, 2022 12:38 pm

Prosecution: Higgins right to proceed cautiously
Remy Varga
REMY VARGA

Prosecutor Shane Drumgold says “strong political forces” were at play throughout the election and the two-years Brittany Higgins worked at Parliament House, and she was right to proceed cautiously with the alleged rape.

“She was right to be scared, she was right to be cautious,” he said.

He said it was “abundantly clear” these forces were still at play following testimony from Senator Linda Reynolds, who the court heard texted defence counsel at the start of Ms Higgins evidence on October 6 asking for a transcript and advising them to check the former staffer’s texts with a colleague.

Mr Drumgold stressed there was no suggestion the defence counsel gave Senator Reynolds the transcript or were “coached”.

bons
bons
October 18, 2022 12:39 pm

Perhaps the most poignant writing on the early daylight raids over Germany comes from French RAF fighter pilot Pierre Clostermann’s brilliant book ‘The Grande Cirque’.
He describes being sent out with other Spitfire squadrons to meet and escort the B17 stream returning from the Schwienfurt raid.
Many of the bomber formations had been broken up. He describes the horror of locating a lone aircraft amongst the cloud towers and watching helplessly as it was destroyed by tens of 109’s.
At one point he was screaming uncontrolably in the cockpit as he was shot away from a damaged B17 that he was escorting and was forced to watch it being torn apart.
Powerful stuff.

Dr Faustus
Dr Faustus
October 18, 2022 12:39 pm

The disabling attacks on both North Stream pipelines make it impossible in the near term to restore Russia as the principal energy supplier to Germany, even if the war in Ukraine should be miraculously ended.

Anyone who has been following German commentary on the Ukraine debacle knows that Putin has dealt Russia out of being “the principal energy supplier to Germany”.

The German energy roost is filled with chickens.

Zulu Kilo Two Alpha
Zulu Kilo Two Alpha
October 18, 2022 12:40 pm

IIRR the B-29 was never used in Europe.

Quite agree, Top Ender.

lotocoti
lotocoti
October 18, 2022 12:42 pm
Salvatore, Understaffed & Overworked Martyr to Govt Covid Stupidity

rickw says: October 18, 2022 at 12:15 pm

Were B-29s used in large numbers against Germany?

No, however they were used and almost all the early production was sent there.

Top Ender says: October 18, 2022 at 12:16 pm
IIRR the B-29 was never used in Europe.

Top Ender, Mark Felton has ferreted out the exception that proves the rule.
“B-29 Superfortress operation against Germany”

Eyrie
Eyrie
October 18, 2022 12:44 pm

French RAF fighter pilot Pierre Clostermann’s brilliant book ‘The Grande Cirque’.

aka “The Big Show” in English. I was told by a RAAFie once that Bay Adams didn’t have a lot of time for Clostermann.

lotocoti
lotocoti
October 18, 2022 12:47 pm

Felton is a fantasist of the first order.

OldOzzie
OldOzzie
October 18, 2022 12:50 pm

In a rare interview, the richest resident in the liberal Pacific Northwest bastion panned Oregon’s lenient drug laws — which decriminalized the possession for personal use of small amounts of all drugs, including cocaine, heroin, LSD — and its misguided priorities such as the 2019 ban on plastic straws.

“One of the political cartoons after our legislative session had a person snorting cocaine out of a mountain of white,”Knight told The New York Times over the weekend. “It said, ‘Which of these is illegal in Oregon?’ And the answer was the plastic straw.”

Zulu Kilo Two Alpha
Zulu Kilo Two Alpha
October 18, 2022 12:52 pm

Prosecution: Higgins did not fabricate rape
Remy Varga
REMY VARGA

Prosecutor Shane Drumgold says suggestions Brittany Higgins fabricated rape allegations to save her job and career must be rejected because there’s “not a single skerrick of evidence”.

He said there was “not one piece of evidence” Ms Higgins’ job was at risk at the time of the alleged rape.

Mr Drumgold said Ms Higgins then employer Senator Linda Reynolds had access to enough information during a meeting on April 1 in 2019 to realise “something of a sexual nature” had taken place in her office, hence her reference to the Australian Federal Police.

Knuckle Dragger
Knuckle Dragger
October 18, 2022 12:53 pm

bern, from the OOT:

What this place needs is a velvet bean bag.

Specifically, multiple purple velvet bean bags.

Bruce of Newcastle
Bruce of Newcastle
October 18, 2022 12:53 pm

Got to love Aussie humanities academics.

Famine should not exist in 2022, yet Somalia faces its worst yet. Wealthy countries, pay your dues (17 Oct)

The past four rainy seasons in Somalia have failed to materialise and the fifth is very likely to underperform as well.

Crops can’t grow to their full potential, if at all in some areas. The camel, goat and cattle herds of Somali pastoralists don’t have enough vegetation to eat nor enough accessible water to drink – already, millions of livestock have perished in the current drought.

Climate change underpins this continued lack of rainfall. Somalia is ranked second-most vulnerable (after Niger) to the adverse impacts of climate change

Sigh. It’s a triple la Nina with the IOD and MJO in the wrong phases for eastern Africa. No one, not even the climateers, have linked la Nina to global warming. Quite the opposite.

And as for “pay your dues”, who to? The Somalian pirates? The Shabab? The ordinary muslim-in-the-street who’d cheerfully execute a Christian if he could? I wonder who wrote this swill..?

Joshua Hallwright
Deputy Director, Centre for Humanitarian Leadership , Deakin University

Ah, that’s who. Figures. Deakin should start a Humanitarian Leadership campus in Mogadishu and send him there.

bons
bons
October 18, 2022 12:56 pm

Certainly when de Gaulle pulled him back into the fold as part of the campaign to create the myth of French self-liberation, things did become a little tense with his former colleagues.
Despite that, he was a brave and successful fighter pilot and, apparently, a successful wing leader.
The over the top honours and awards must have created some tension.

bespoke
bespoke
October 18, 2022 12:59 pm

Crossiesays:
October 18, 2022 at 8:13 am
feelthebern says:
October 18, 2022 at 7:34 am
Elon tweeting about him & Kanye.
Joe Rogan would be in the mix too.
What a time to be alive.

I would never have imagined even five years ago let alone 25 years ago that I would have a lot more in common with a rapper or a weird billionaire

Carefulll, Kanye is a disrupter and probably an anti semetic. Musk’s interest in Twitter is not about free speech.

Dr Faustus
Dr Faustus
October 18, 2022 1:04 pm

He said there was “not one piece of evidence” Ms Higgins’ job was at risk at the time of the alleged rape.

But:

Brittany Higgins was “right to be scared” by the “strong political forces” that were swirling around her as she considered whether to proceed with a complaint about her alleged rape in Parliament House, the prosecution says.

Sinister political forces:

Drumgold said Higgins had also been concerned about comments by the then home affairs minister, Peter Dutton, who appeared to have information that had not yet been made public.

He said Higgins held fears about the “information flow” from police about her allegations.

Black van territory. Jurors shuddering at the thought of [spooky music] Peter Dutton coming a’calling…

OldOzzie
OldOzzie
October 18, 2022 1:05 pm

Pat Cummins flies first class, drives a fossil-fuelled Range Rover and plays cricket in polluting India – yet didn’t want sponsorship from an energy company that didn’t ‘align’ with him… so please tell us Pat, what are YOU doing to save the planet?

. Cricket Australia’s partnership with Alinta Energy won’t be renewed after Test and ODI captain Pat Cummins expressed concerns with officials
. The climate advocate says Alinta Energy doesn’t ‘align’ with his personal interests: ‘Players have a bit more of a say than maybe in the past’
. Alinta Energy’s $40million four-year deal will now only be extended for one more season before a new sponsor is found for the men’s cricket team
. The fast bowler’s own carbon footprint is now in focus including his tendency to fly first class and drive a petrol-guzzling Range Rover

Bruce of Newcastle
Bruce of Newcastle
October 18, 2022 1:07 pm

‘Which of these is illegal in Oregon?’ And the answer was the plastic straw.”

Stick your plastic straws where the sun don’t shine.

Oregon counties will vote on secession from leftist state to become part of Idaho (14 Oct)

The Greater Idaho movement is pressuring state legislators as well as those in Idaho to redraw Oregon’s border so that the eastern two-thirds of the Beaver State becomes part of the Gem State, known for potatoes, gorgeous mountains, lakes, lower taxation, and conservatism.

Nine eastern Oregon counties have already backed secession. Two others are getting ready to vote in November on whether they want their representatives to work on redrawing the border.

In theory the state legislators have to approve secession, which the lefty Oregon parliament certainly won’t do, but if these people want out they just might run up the black flag come November. Lay up popcorn.

Old bloke
Old bloke
October 18, 2022 1:13 pm

Lizzie, I’ve come across a mention of a Welsh “king” named Arthur which may be of interest to you.

He was from the Déisi, an Irish tribe who settled in and ruled the kingdom of Dyfed in what is now western Pembrokeshire. Arthur reigned around 630 AD, and from a historical perspective, nothing much happened during his reign.

I thought that Arthur was an invention of Geoffrey of Monmouth given that his family name was Arthur, but it appears there was an actual Welsh ruler by that name.

Dyfed – An Irish Kingdom In Wales (Welsh History)

Lysander
Lysander
October 18, 2022 1:15 pm

As Latham has asked:

Has Pat Cummins given money back that he made from appearing in Alinta ads?

OldOzzie
OldOzzie
October 18, 2022 1:16 pm

Thousands of Aussies are homeless and Victoria is underwater – but the Bureau of Meteorology doesn’t like its nickname anymore and wants you to call it something else

. Bureau of Meteorology bizarrely requested it no longer be referred to as BOM
. The government weather agency has embraced the acronym for years
. Its apps, website and social media accounts all feature the BOM name

But a media release on Tuesday requested everyone now refer to its full name

‘With an ever-increasing number of severe weather events, it is more crucial than ever that the Bureau of Meteorology’s insights, wisdom and information are shared, understood and acted upon,’ it said in a media release.

‘To support this need, the Bureau of Meteorology asks that media outlets update editorial style to ensure references to the organisation are by its full name, the Bureau of Meteorology or the Bureau for short, and not BOM or the Weather Bureau.’

To justify its request, the government organisation even referenced the Meteorology Act 1955.

Bruce of Newcastle
Bruce of Newcastle
October 18, 2022 1:23 pm

Bureau of Meteorology bizarrely requested it no longer be referred to as BOM

How about Bureau of Magicians, Soothsayers, Charlatans and Druids?
That would shorten to BOMSCAD.
Sounds good.

Zulu Kilo Two Alpha
Zulu Kilo Two Alpha
October 18, 2022 1:27 pm

Prosecution: No inconsistency in Higgins’ account
Remy Varga
Remy Varga

Prosecutor Shane Drumgold says Bruce Lehrmann had known Brittany Higgins for just 20-days before the alleged rape and had no reason to infer “romantic inclinations”, pointing to the fact Ms Higgins had rejected a kiss from Mr Lehrmann weeks earlier.

Mr Drumgold said there was not a “single inconsistency” in Ms Higgins’ accounts of what occurred.

“If this is a fabrication, she’s also quite the actor,” he said, adding Ms Higgin’s consistent show of emotions pointed to “being broken”.

Mr Drumgold said if the jury was “satisfied beyond a reasonable doubt Ms Higgins didn’t make up the allegation” then they must return a guilty verdict.

The crown prosecution has now finished their closing submissions. The court has adjourned for lunch.

Farmer Gez
Farmer Gez
October 18, 2022 1:33 pm

Drumgold guessing at what Reynolds knew and alluding to the dark swirly things that stopped Britnah from crying rope earlier but somehow never put her job at risk despite Lehrmann losing his.
Drumgold has jack shit for proof and he knows it.

Barking Toad
Barking Toad
October 18, 2022 1:35 pm

To justify its request, the government organisation even referenced the Meteorology Act 1955.

A distraction squirrel to distract from its incompetence and warming temperature adjustments.

Johnny Rotten
October 18, 2022 1:39 pm

Bruce of Newcastlesays:
October 18, 2022 at 1:23 pm
Bureau of Meteorology bizarrely requested it no longer be referred to as BOM

How about Bureau of Magicians, Soothsayers, Charlatans and Druids?
That would shorten to BOMSCAD.
Sounds good.

Just call the BOM the Bunch Of Muppets…………………………..

Dot
Dot
October 18, 2022 1:40 pm

Felton is a fantasist of the first order.

Well that blew my balls off.

Zulu Kilo Two Alpha
Zulu Kilo Two Alpha
October 18, 2022 1:42 pm

Drumgold has jack shit for proof and he knows it.

I’m waiting for defence counsel’s closing address – I should imagine the words “reasonable doubt” would recur.

Dot
Dot
October 18, 2022 1:42 pm

Drumgold ought to have a large, red, capital “K” for Kaluminator embossed into his forehead.

JC
JC
October 18, 2022 1:48 pm

dover0beach says:
October 18, 2022 at 1:39 pm

How serious would the loss of reverse currency status be for the US?

Very, but it’s not happening in your lifetime.

If the RMB and the Ruble became freely floating currencies you would see a dam break and a flood of money leaving those countries in a matter of seconds. The reason those places have very severe exchange controls is to prevent a wash-out – not a wash-in.

Gold? Good luck with that one.

Old bloke
Old bloke
October 18, 2022 1:49 pm

dover0beach says:
October 18, 2022 at 1:39 pm

How serious would the loss of reverse currency status be for the US?

Freudian slip? reverse currency or reserve currency. The $US will be going into reverse with the advent of the BRICS dollar.

Bruce of Newcastle
Bruce of Newcastle
October 18, 2022 1:51 pm

How serious would the loss of reverse reserve currency status be for the US?

Not going to happen.

This last month every time there’s been a financial wobble the USD has climbed like a F-15 on takeoff. Cats have commented on the fall in the price of gold and the AUD, but neither have actually fallen – it’s the USD that is climbing. We’re fairly steady on the cross rates.

Whenever there’s a scare and a flight to safety traders go straight to the USD. Not to the yuan, ruble or euro. I can’t see that changing for a long while yet.

Dot
Dot
October 18, 2022 1:55 pm

When is the GBP dropping? I have things I want and cheap.

feelthebern
feelthebern
October 18, 2022 1:56 pm

How serious would the loss of reverse currency status be for the US?

Won’t happen.
This is why the US wants Iran to have nukes.
Because it would mean the Saudi’s would need nukes & an US protection umbrella.
Meaning the petro dollar stays until cars can be powered by sea water.

feelthebern
feelthebern
October 18, 2022 1:57 pm

Breaking news.
According to the twitter meltdown, Tulsi will be campaigning for Kari Lake in AZ tomorrow.

JC
JC
October 18, 2022 1:57 pm

The $US will be going into reverse with the advent of the BRICS dollar.

Please. Enuff.

You first, old bloke.

Roger
Roger
October 18, 2022 1:58 pm

ABC reports that China has had a “covert police station” in Sydney since 2018 which assists Chinese residents with official paperwork such as renewing Chinese drivers licenses but also runs more sinister operations under the nose of local authorities.

feelthebern
feelthebern
October 18, 2022 2:01 pm

The US dollar ends when the petro dollar ends.

Mother Lode
Mother Lode
October 18, 2022 2:02 pm

I think the BOM wants to be renamed Ministry of Climate Truthiness.

Bruce of Newcastle
Bruce of Newcastle
October 18, 2022 2:02 pm

ABC reports that China has had a “covert police station” in Sydney since 2018

Anyone asked Bad Penny about this yet?
I’m all ears.

JC
JC
October 18, 2022 2:02 pm

Dot says:
October 18, 2022 at 1:55 pm

When is the GBP dropping? I have things I want and cheap.

I feel sorry for Truss. Her ideas about creating supply side opportunities was decent. The trouble is that she should have addressed the pension issue first, which wasn’t caused by fucking taxcut proposals. The funds were buying higher yielding debt and as rates went up, higher risk debt began to creator. They were going to get smoked anyway and the leftwing and big government conservatives successfully tangled up the tax cuts with the pension crater. Bullshit.

The pound is doing okay in relative speak.

Old bloke
Old bloke
October 18, 2022 2:05 pm

feelthebern says:
October 18, 2022 at 1:56 pm

Won’t happen.
This is why the US wants Iran to have nukes.
Because it would mean the Saudi’s would need nukes & an US protection umbrella.
Meaning the petro dollar stays until cars can be powered by sea water.

The Saudis already have nukes, they bought some from Pakistan who keeps them in Pakistan till the Saudis need them.

The Saudis are also selling oil in Rubles and Renminbi, oil trades are no longer exclusively done in $US.

GreyRanga
GreyRanga
October 18, 2022 2:06 pm

‘To support this need, the Bureau of Meteorology asks that media outlets update editorial style to ensure references to the organisation are by its full name, the Bureau of Meteorology or the Bureau for short, and not BOM or the Weather Bureau.’

BOMB, Bureau of Meteorological Bastardry.

GreyRanga
GreyRanga
October 18, 2022 2:08 pm

Bruce of Newcastlesays:
October 18, 2022 at 2:02 pm
ABC reports that China has had a “covert police station” in Sydney since 2018

Anyone asked Bad Penny about this yet?
I’m all ears

OK Big Ears.

feelthebern
feelthebern
October 18, 2022 2:09 pm

oil trades are no longer exclusively done in $US.

It’s still a fraction a global sales.
Hence the need to get Iran nukes.

JC
JC
October 18, 2022 2:10 pm

I reckon the long term prognosis of who ends up at the top of the hill is tied in with fertility projections. Russia and China are dead in the water going forward. So is the EU. Germany and Italy are basically finished and France may hang in.

The UK is in a relatively good spot and nowhere near the others. Also, like the US, young capable people want to live and work there. The UK will become the biggest economy in Europe.

The US ill dominate the current century warts and all.

pete of perth
pete of perth
October 18, 2022 2:11 pm

Next BOM will be insisting that we address them with their pronouns

Johnny Rotten
October 18, 2022 2:12 pm

Whenever there’s a scare and a flight to safety traders go straight to the USD. Not to the yuan, ruble or euro. I can’t see that changing for a long while yet.

Exactly and the US Dollar is the best of a bad bunch. Capital flight is into the USA and the US Dollar. The Euro is the Ugly Duckling and the EU is a complete shambles.

JC
JC
October 18, 2022 2:14 pm

The Saudis already have nukes, they bought some from Pakistan who keeps them in Pakistan till the Saudis need them.

I’m not sure about that, but even so, they don’t have control of them.

The Saudis are also selling oil in Rubles and Renminbi, oil trades are no longer exclusively done in $US.

Sure, any international currency transaction can be done in any currency you want. That’s no big deal at all. You have to ask if the receiver of those crappy non-convertible currencies will hold them or convert them immediately into Greenbacks. I’d have a rough guess what the Saudis would be doing with the Russian and Chinese toilet paper as soon as they receive the credit.

Eyrie
Eyrie
October 18, 2022 2:18 pm

In theory the state legislators have to approve secession, which the lefty Oregon parliament certainly won’t do, but if these people want out they just might run up the black flag come November. Lay up popcorn.
This should be amusing. What is Oregon going to do if the folks in the East run a tax strike and send the money to Idaho instead?

JC
JC
October 18, 2022 2:19 pm

Reserve status is held by a nation for two simple reasons.

1. You have the biggest guns in the neighborhood or perceived to.
2. There’s a relatively good chance your holdings won’t be confiscated.

Try this test with either China or Russia.

The Saudis are also selling oil in Rubles and Renminbi, oil trades are no longer exclusively done in $US.

Why the fuck would the Saudis be selling in Rubles? To whom, Russia? Russia is an oil producer for the moment, but likely to close down in the medium term.

Johnny Rotten
October 18, 2022 2:19 pm

I used to sell furniture for a living. The trouble was, it was my own.

– Les Dawson

Mother Lode
Mother Lode
October 18, 2022 2:20 pm

I think the BOM wants to be renamed Ministry of Climate Truthiness.

I would point out that means that their role would no longer be to report accurate information or information based on minutiae such as recorded temperatures or rainfall, but the bigger truths.

P
P
October 18, 2022 2:29 pm

Jerusalem capital decision reversed, Penny Wong announces

Zulu Kilo Two Alpha
Zulu Kilo Two Alpha
October 18, 2022 2:29 pm

‘Lehrmann has no onus to prove anything’: defence
Remy Varga
REMY VARGA

Defence counsel Steven Whybrow, representing Bruce Lehrmann, has opened his closing submission by reminding jurors the onus of proof lies with the prosecution.

“Mr Lehrmann has no onus to prove anything,” he said.

Mr Whybrow said his client had already been subject to some extent a “trial by media”.

Mr Whybrow said the prosecution’s case was not tenable and said there was no evidence Ms Higgins “had a right to be scared” or that there were political forces at play.

He said there were numerous instances where Ms Higgins expressed concern she would lose her “dream job”.

Mr Whybrow said this fear of losing her parliamentary career was part of the motivation behind Ms Higgin’s rape allegations.

Bruce of Newcastle
Bruce of Newcastle
October 18, 2022 2:33 pm

All female ALP MPs now required to wear burqas in Parliament.

Bruce of Newcastle
Bruce of Newcastle
October 18, 2022 2:33 pm

(I might’ve made that one up.)

Mother Lode
Mother Lode
October 18, 2022 2:34 pm

Mr Drumgold said if the jury was “satisfied beyond a reasonable doubt Ms Higgins didn’t make up the allegation” then they must return a guilty verdict.

I would not be surprised if there was an element of ‘recovered’ memories. Didn’t Brittany say earlier on that she did not remember anything and later say she did. If so that would be a pretty big inconsistency. Not some mere detail but everything.

But I mention the ‘recovered’ memory issue, with the scare quotes to draw attention to the way people have been persuaded they remember something to the point they will become almost violently animated at being told something did not happen.

Brittany attached herself to the likes of Ms Pirate Pete, Sam Maiden, and the Labor creature Katy Gallaher who will have tutored her in the sort of terrible things men do, badgered her over details that they would love to have come out, and praised her for her courage and blah blah blah.

None of them would actually have to be deliberately trying to plant false memories. Just a happy confluence of appetites for sensational stories, hate of the Libs, man-hating, and fear of walking her claim to fame back.

Speedbox
October 18, 2022 2:36 pm

Dover – As other Cats have said, the demise of the $US as a reserve currency won’t happen in our lifetime. But, in answer to your question as to the impact, that impact would be cataclysmic for most economies in the developed world as the loss of status of the $US would result in massive devaluation. Many (all?) governments hold $US as part of their foreign reserves and those reserves could be worth perhaps 1/10th of their value today.

Reserve status heavily implies/confirms that the $US is liquid and will always be honoured as a means of payment (implied stability) and as a store of wealth. We have all observed the $US climbing against other currencies which is a demonstration of its strength and in times of uncertainty, money flows to safe havens. In the absence of the $US, can you imagine money flowing into the Euro at the moment? Or the GB Pound? Maybe the Rimini? (hahahahaha, stop, my sides are hurting).

Trillions of dollars held by foreign governments and corporations would be devalued with the consequent knock-on effect in those countries. International trade would be in utter chaos.

On the plus side, those that hold dollar denominated debt such as Brazil, Indonesia, Mexico etc would be initially delighted. Mind you, there are other serious implications so their smiles would be short-lived.

mem
mem
October 18, 2022 2:38 pm

Mother Lodesays:
October 18, 2022 at 2:20 pm

I think the BOM wants to be renamed Ministry of Climate Truthiness.

I would point out that means that their role would no longer be to report accurate information or information based on minutiae such as recorded temperatures or rainfall, but the bigger truths.

Yes it must be bothersome recording below average temperatures when you have already adjusted long term average temperatures down by so much already.

Salvatore, Understaffed & Overworked Martyr to Govt Covid Stupidity

ABC reports that China has had a “covert police station” in Sydney since 2018

Nothing to worry about, ASIO & AFP will be all over this, backed up by NSWPOL when & if required.
I feel so safe.

Bruce of Newcastle
Bruce of Newcastle
October 18, 2022 2:41 pm

What a wonderful choice Oz politics provides nowadays. Israel-hating Labor vs pustulant-green Libs.
Makes me want to throw up.

P
P
October 18, 2022 2:47 pm

Timeline of Higgins incident and response
Updated February 18 2021
(Sources: news.com.au, Senate Hansard, Department of Parliamentary Services)

Miltonf
Miltonf
October 18, 2022 2:48 pm

I think we worked that out in 2015 Bruce

Zulu Kilo Two Alpha
Zulu Kilo Two Alpha
October 18, 2022 2:48 pm

Higgins ‘doesn’t know what happened’: defence
Remy Varga
REMY VARGA

Mr Whybrow says Brittany Higgins “doesn’t know what happened” after she entered Linda Reynolds ministerial suite about 2am on Saturday, March 23 in 2019.

He said Ms Higgins and Bruce Lehrmann, his client, did not have sex and said the jury could not be satisfied beyond a reasonable doubt that the allegation occurred.

“You cannot be satisfied she actually knows what happened,” he said.

Mr Whybrow pointed to Ms Higgins’ evidence where said she was relying on accounts given by security guards and said her memory became hazy because of her level of intoxication.

Indolent
Indolent
October 18, 2022 2:53 pm
duncanm
duncanm
October 18, 2022 2:53 pm

Prosecutor Shane Drumgold says suggestions Brittany Higgins fabricated rape allegations to save her job and career must be rejected because there’s “not a single skerrick of evidence”.

part of that statement is true.

Old bloke
Old bloke
October 18, 2022 2:55 pm

The $US will be strong for a while as they will inherit all the manufacturing from Europe as that unfortunate place slides into its new dark age, but it’s an open question how long it will retain its coveted position as the sole reserve currency.

The new world reserve currency (will KILL the US dollar) – BRICS

Knuckle Dragger
Knuckle Dragger
October 18, 2022 2:57 pm

Predictably (the Tele):

Former cricketer Michael Slater will seek to have domestic violence and assault charges dropped on mental health grounds, a Sydney court has heard.

Slater, 52, who Manly Local Court was told is in an eastern suburbs’ rehabilitation clinic, is facing charges of assaulting a hospital worker and a woman on the northern beaches.

The former Test opening batsman and commentator, from Manly, did not appear in court when his lawyer made an appearance on his behalf on Tuesday.

There are actual, genuinely wompus people out there who don’t know what they’re doing.

Slater is not one of them.

Elizabeth (Lizzie) Beare
Elizabeth (Lizzie) Beare
October 18, 2022 2:59 pm

Lizzie, I’ve come across a mention of a Welsh “king” named Arthur which may be of interest to you.

Thanks, Old Ozzie. There are quite a few references to people, sometimes leaders, named Arthur or some variant of that name, in Welsh (Brythonic) areas right into the 600’s (the seventh century) although they did peter out quite a lot after the mid-500’s especially after the Battle of Arthuret in Britain’s north (Alfdereiddyn in the Brythonic language) which is recognised as a battle where heathen religious views may have been important (see also its association with ‘the madness of Merlin’ i.e. Mwrddyn=Great Eiddyn). None of this is inconsistent with my theories, as the fact that the name was initially popular but that after most Christianisation had occurred it fell into what seems to be disrepute. Obviously, given that an old father god was the referent not the new Christian father god, this is simply further evidence for me. What was the source of your information? Most of these things stem from reconstructed and very hypothetical old Welsh folkloric genealogies.

Knuckle Dragger
Knuckle Dragger
October 18, 2022 3:00 pm

Also:

Slater, 52

52 year old ex-cricketer. Must be time for a heart attack, or at the very least a liberal helping of the salmon mousse.

Indolent
Indolent
October 18, 2022 3:00 pm
Indolent
Indolent
October 18, 2022 3:01 pm
Zulu Kilo Two Alpha
Zulu Kilo Two Alpha
October 18, 2022 3:04 pm

Cleaner’s evidence showed nothing untoward: defence
Remy Varga
REMY VARGA

Mr Whybrow said “it would be pretty embarrassing” to wake up in a state of undress in Parliament House after a night out drinking, especially if one’s dream job was to work in politics.

He said it would not be “good for your CV” and said Ms Higgins tried to find out if she would be caught because she was scared of losing her job.

Mr Whybrow said evidence given by parliamentary cleaner Carlos Ramos – that the bathroom was clean and there was no sign of a party – showed nothing untoward had happened in Senator Reynolds’ office on March 23, 2019.

Mother Lode
Mother Lode
October 18, 2022 3:05 pm

Even Teh Gruniad (UK) has dumped on Rings of Power.

The constant cry that the reason it was not doing well was because of racism, misogyny and other stuff belied by the fact that there has been massive (and growing) viewership of House of the Dragon, which has strong female leaders, racial diversity, and even a sympathetic gay character, all cunningly snuck in by making it part of the story rather than boring lessons to manipulate the audience.

Who knew?

Mother Lode
Mother Lode
October 18, 2022 3:08 pm

Mr Whybrow said evidence given by parliamentary cleaner Carlos Ramos

Mexican cleaners and gardeners seem to be a universal constant.

Getting rid of them would be like trying to blow up a balloon with air but with the ‘R’ removed from PV=nRT.

Perplexed of Brisbane
Perplexed of Brisbane
October 18, 2022 3:11 pm

feelthebernsays:
October 18, 2022 at 1:56 pm

This is why the US wants Iran to have nukes.
Because it would mean the Saudi’s would need nukes & an US protection umbrella.

The US seems to want every freakin’ scumbag, sh1thole country to have nukes but not Oz!

Where would we be now if we had run with the ball after the Brit nuclear testing program finished? I read that Australia had built up serious knowledge on nuclear power and possibly could have developed our own deterrent years ago which would have been handy about now.

Boambee John
Boambee John
October 18, 2022 3:18 pm

Indolentsays:
October 18, 2022 at 3:00 pm
ANOTHER Democrat going to jail for election fraud

Lies, lies, lies!

m0nty-fa here and Homer P at CL’s have assured us absolutely that there is no election fraud, and if there is it is not significant, and it would never, never, affect an election outcome.

Unless it is voter suppression by those eeevilll Republicans, which occurs all the time, and is the only means by which they ever come in ahead of the wonderful DemonRats.

Do I really need to add //sarc//?

Judge Dredd
Judge Dredd
October 18, 2022 3:18 pm

Meanwhile, here are some massive protests in Europe on the energy crisis that you won’t read about in the news:
https://notthebee.com/article/so-has-the-media-told-you-about-the-massive-protests-over-energy-bills-happening-in-europe-right-now

Dot
Dot
October 18, 2022 3:33 pm
Dot
Dot
October 18, 2022 3:34 pm

I wanted to get a handle of how much it mattered to the US to maintain the reserve currency status of the USD in order to think about how far it would be prepared to go in order to maintain it.

Seigniorage & they will kill for it.

JC
JC
October 18, 2022 3:35 pm

I find it laughable that people actually believe the Ruble and the RMB are gaining reserve status when both those economies are about to die before our eyes over the medium term.

OldOzzie
OldOzzie
October 18, 2022 3:37 pm

Indolentsays:
October 18, 2022 at 2:53 pm
A war Russia set to win

Interesting Article as it is out of India

The Europeans have been nicely played by the Americans

While Nord Stream-1 has been crippled, one of the strings of Nord Stream-2 remains intact. Putin said last week that the pipeline could be restored and Russia could deliver about 27 billion cubic metres of gas. ‘The ball is on the side of the European Union, if they want — let’s turn on the tap,’ he said.

But mum’s the word from Brussels. It is a profoundly embarrassing moment for the EU. The triumphalism has vanished as Europe is threatened by years of recession caused by the blowback from sanctions against Russia, where the US insisted on the cut off of energy ties with Moscow. The EU has now become a captive market for Big Oil and is left to buy LNG from the US at the asking price, which is six to seven times higher than the domestic price in the US. (Contracted price for long-term Russian supply for Germany used to be about $280 per 1,000 cubic metres as against the current market price hovering around $2,000.)

Plainly put, the Europeans have been nicely played by the Americans. India should take note of the US’ sense of entitlement. Basically, the Biden administration created a contrived energy crisis whose real aim is war profiteering.

The Crimean Bridge attack of October 8 is much more serious. Zelenskyy has crossed a red line that Moscow had repeatedly warned him against.

Today, Ukraine is able to fight only because it receives military assistance from the United States…

‘At the same time, I do not see President Biden as the person who would really be suitable for such serious negotiations. President Biden has gone too far. Suffice it to recall his statements to Russian President Putin.’

India should expect the defeat of the US and NATO, which completes the transition to a multipolar world order.

Sadly, Indian elites are yet to purge their ‘unipolar predicament’. Europe, including Britain, is devastated and there is palpable discontent over the US’s ‘transatlantic leadership’. Indo-Pacific strategy is hopelessly adrift. New power centres are emerging in India’s extended neighbourhood, as the OPEC’s rebuff to Washington shows. A profound adjustment is needed in the Indian strategic calculus.

rosie
rosie
October 18, 2022 3:39 pm

“satisfied beyond a reasonable doubt Ms Higgins didn’t make up the allegation”
In other words
Believe all women.
She may well have convinced herself it was true ‘ like a dream’

Dot
Dot
October 18, 2022 3:40 pm

India should expect the defeat of the US and NATO, which completes the transition to a multipolar world order.

I would have thought Paki nukes was their main concern.

JC
JC
October 18, 2022 3:40 pm

In the absence of the $US, can you imagine money flowing into the Euro at the moment? Or the GB Pound? Maybe the Rimini? (hahahahaha, stop, my sides are hurting).

Speedb.

I slightly disagree about the pound. I think it would be okay holding pounds. The economy is open, the currency is fully convertible and people don’t mind holding assets expressed in the pound. It wasn’t long ago when the GDP was the world currency and I recall in the 80s when lots of commodities were still prices in the quid. Wealthy people from around the world like to live in London and have assets held there.

Dot
Dot
October 18, 2022 3:42 pm

rosie

Ryan Ferguson (of Dream/Killer) fame springs to mind.

OldOzzie
OldOzzie
October 18, 2022 3:43 pm

Thanks Lizzie, but it tweren’t me

Elizabeth (Lizzie) Bearesays:
October 18, 2022 at 2:59 pm
Lizzie, I’ve come across a mention of a Welsh “king” named Arthur which may be of interest to you.

Thanks, Old Ozzie.

Old bloke says:
October 18, 2022 at 1:13 pm
Lizzie, I’ve come across a mention of a Welsh “king” named Arthur which may be of interest to you.

incoherent rambler
incoherent rambler
October 18, 2022 3:43 pm

It will never rain again and all the reservoirs will dry up and create ghost cities.

And the water level in my backyard is slowly going down.

calli
calli
October 18, 2022 3:44 pm

“satisfied beyond a reasonable doubt Ms Higgins didn’t make up the allegation”

Interesting wording.

Shouldn’t it be “satisfied beyond a reasonable doubt that L raped Miss H”?

Why do I keep recalling A Passage to India?

Lysander
Lysander
October 18, 2022 3:45 pm

ABC reports that China has had a “covert police station” in Sydney since 2018 which assists Chinese residents with official paperwork such as renewing Chinese drivers licenses but also runs more sinister operations under the nose of local authorities.

ROR!!!

shatterzzz
October 18, 2022 3:46 pm

House of the Dragon, which has strong female leaders
Yep, Princess Rhaenys and her dragon’s, low key, entry to the coronation was quite impressive ..!

Dot
Dot
October 18, 2022 3:46 pm

Jin Chan says KEK!

Lysander
Lysander
October 18, 2022 3:46 pm

Why do I keep recalling A Passage to India?

Hardly choice words.

A passage into ya?

calli
calli
October 18, 2022 3:49 pm

They are clearly trying to make the jury focus entirely on H’s truthfulness and disregard the lack of corroborating evidence.

calli
calli
October 18, 2022 3:50 pm

E.M. Forster, Lysander.

bons
bons
October 18, 2022 3:55 pm

Calli. A Passage – perfect, I had forgotten but the discussion of truth bookends this Higgins nonsense perfectly.

OldOzzie
OldOzzie
October 18, 2022 3:56 pm

The U.S. Military’s Growing Weakness

A new Heritage Foundation report warns about declining U.S. naval and air power.

By The WSJ Editorial Board

Americans like to think their military is unbeatable if politicians wouldn’t get in the way. The truth is that U.S. hard power isn’t what it used to be. That’s the message of the Heritage Foundation’s 2023 Index of U.S. Military Strength, which is reported here for the first time and describes a worrisome trend.

Heritage rates the U.S. military as “weak” and “at growing risk of not being able to meet the demands of defending America’s vital national interests.” The weak rating, down from “marginal” a year earlier, is the first in the index’s nine-year history.

The index measures the military’s ability to prevail in two major regional conflicts at once—say, a conflict in the Middle East and a fight on the Korean peninsula. Americans might wish “that the world be a simpler, less threatening place,” as the report notes. But these commitments are part of U.S. national-security strategy.

Heritage says the U.S. military risks being unable to handle even “a single major regional conflict” as it also tries to deter rogues elsewhere. The Trump Administration’s one-time cash infusion has dried up. Pentagon budgets aren’t keeping up with inflation, and the branches are having to make trade-offs about whether to be modern, large, or ready to fight tonight. The decline is especially acute in the Navy and Air Force.

The Navy has been saying for years it needs to grow to at least 350 ships, plus more unmanned platforms. Yet the Navy has shown a “persistent inability to arrest and reverse the continued diminution of its fleet,” the report says. By one analysis it has under-delivered on shipbuilding plans by 10 ships a year on average over the past five years.

From 2005 to 2020, the U.S. fleet grew to 296 warships from 291, while China’s navy grew to 360 from 216. War isn’t won on numbers alone, but China is also narrowing the U.S. technological advantage in every area from aircraft carrier catapults to long-range missiles.

The Navy wants to build three Virginia-class submarines a year, and the U.S. still has an edge over Beijing in these fast-attack boats. But the shipbuilding industry has shrunk amid waning demand, and the Navy’s maintenance yards are overwhelmed. Maintenance delays and backlogs are the result of running the fleet too hard: On a typical day in June, roughly one-third of the 298-ship fleet was deployed, double the average of the Cold War.

It’s worse in the Air Force, which gets a “very weak” rating. Aging “aircraft and very poor pilot training and retention” have produced an Air Force that “would struggle greatly against a peer competitor,” Heritage says.

The fighter and bomber forces are contracting to about 40% of what America had in the 1980s. The service has been slowing its F-35 buys even as it needs modern planes to compensate for the smaller fleet. Aircraft have low mission-capable rates, roughly 50% for the F-22. Heritage says the Air Force has “abandoned even the illusion” that it is working toward an 80% aircraft readiness goal. Munitions inventories “probably would not support a peer-level fight that lasted more than a few weeks,” and replacements can take 24 to 36 months to arrive.

A pilot shortage “continues to plague the service,” and the “current generation of fighter pilots, those who have been actively flying for the past seven years, has never experienced a healthy rate of operational flying.” Fighter pilots flew a meager 10 hours a month on average in 2021, up from 8.7 in 2020 but still far below the 200 hours a year minimum needed to be proficient against a formidable opponent.

The story isn’t much better for the Army, which has lost $59 billion in buying power since 2018 due to flat budgets and inflation. The Army is shrinking not as a choice about priorities but because it can’t recruit enough soldiers—nearly 20,000 short in fiscal 2022.

The Marines scored better in the index as the only branch articulating and executing a plan to change, reorganizing for a war in the Pacific in a concept known as Force Design 2030. But the Marines are slimming down to a bare-bones 21 infantry battalions, from 27 as recently as 2011. Mission success for the Marines depends on a new amphibious ship that the Navy may not be able to deliver.

Some will call all this alarmist and ask why the Pentagon can’t do better on an $800 billion budget. The latter is a fair question and the answer requires procurement and other changes. But the U.S. will also have to spend more on defense if it wants to protect its interests and the homeland. The U.S. is spending about 3% of GDP now compared to 5%-6% in the 1980s. The Heritage report is a warning that you can’t deter war, much less win one, on the cheap.

Lysander
Lysander
October 18, 2022 3:56 pm

Indeed Calli,
Good book and even the movie wasn’t half bad.

Lysander
Lysander
October 18, 2022 4:00 pm

Victorian Poll Bludger site is now open!

https://pollbludger.net/vic2022/

Although upon opening the electoral map, the colour red may trigger you.

OldOzzie
OldOzzie
October 18, 2022 4:00 pm

Executive Summary of the 2023 Index of U.S. Military Strength

Each year, The Heritage Foundation’s Index of U.S. Military Strength employs a standardized, consistent set of criteria, accessible both to government officials and to the American public, to gauge the U.S. military’s ability to perform its missions in today’s world.

Oct 18, 2022 – 29 min read

Loads more at – https://www.heritage.org/military

Lysander
Lysander
October 18, 2022 4:03 pm

Yup, Victoria is fucked:

On the assumption of a uniform swing and no change to the status quo in terms of minor parties and independents, a Coalition majority government would require a daunting gain of 20 seats and a swing of 10.4%.

shatterzzz
October 18, 2022 4:06 pm

but also runs more sinister operations under the nose of local authorities.

Guessing “our” ABC hasn’t fully explained these “sinister” operations cos it don’t have a clue but never underestimates good “clickbait” …..

duncanm
duncanm
October 18, 2022 4:07 pm

“satisfied beyond a reasonable doubt Ms Higgins didn’t make up the allegation”

that’s all well and good, but not how our legal system works.

thefrollickingmole
thefrollickingmole
October 18, 2022 4:08 pm

My worry for the ‘west” war capability in general is they seem to have morphed into a form of belligerent welfare.
An existing group, with a clearly defined task (smash things, go home) has now ‘nation building/peacekeeping” as its mission, complete with creches and maternity leave.

What % of monies spent are fluff?

Speedbox
October 18, 2022 4:09 pm

Dover – so that’s a ‘B’ rather than an ‘A’.

JC – Yeah, maybe. It does have some allure and history as you mentioned. Mind you, it has had some rollercoaster moments that were ‘undignified’ and not befitting reserve status. Those could be argued as a consequence of domestic political issues/ international tensions/ relative strength of the $US which are not unique influences to the GBP but the last 50 years or so have probably been a good time to be a FX trader (or lose your shirt). 🙂

2dogs
October 18, 2022 4:10 pm

How serious would the loss of reverse currency status be for the US?

1. There would be a substantial loss of flow through US dollars, causing a loss of profitability of their financial sector. But the financial sector is only 8% of US GDP, and we are talking only a partial loss of that. So not a big loss to the US economy as a whole.

2. What reserve currency status it does give the US is power. Other actors can be hurt severely by being denied access to transaction services, and often have to take worse prices on alternate markets. This power doesn’t come from reserve currency status alone, however – it often comes from an ability to control institutions such as the SWIFT network.

Zulu Kilo Two Alpha
Zulu Kilo Two Alpha
October 18, 2022 4:10 pm

Higgins lied about doctor to boost accusation: defence
Remy Varga
REMY VARGA

Mr Whybrow has accused Ms Higgins of lying about seeing a doctor to “make it more believable” she had been allegedly sexually assaulted.

He said Ms Higgins told Fiona Brown, then chief of staff to Senator Reynolds, and former partner Ben Dillaway to strengthen her accusations.

Mr Whybrow said Ms Higgins said there was “no right or wrong way to act” if they’d suffered trauma but told the jury that did not prohibit the examination of their account.

Mr Whybrow said Ms Higgins was in the “embarrassing” and “humiliating” situation of having been found passed out naked at work.

He said Ms Higgins was asked to re-sign the ministerial code of conduct by Ms Brown because the then chief of staff was worried about her.

Zulu Kilo Two Alpha
Zulu Kilo Two Alpha
October 18, 2022 4:12 pm

Defence claims Higgins ‘says things to suit her’
Remy Varga
REMY VARGA

Defence counsel Stephen Whybrow has finished his closing statement, describing Ms Higgins as “unreliable” and someone “who says things to suit her”.

He outlined a number of instances Ms Higgins was forced to concede she had given wrong evidence on including the length of time a white dress was kept in a plastic bag under her bed and a three-hour panic attack on a day she later conceded she had been having a valedictory lunch for Steven Ciobo.

“The person [Higgins] bringing the allegation is prepared to just say anything,” he said.

Mr Whybrow said a dossier and timeline prepared for the Australian Federal Police was actually for the media.

The trial will resume on Wednesday at 10am.

Dot
Dot
October 18, 2022 4:16 pm

He outlined a number of instances Ms Higgins was forced to concede she had given wrong evidence on including the length of time a white dress was kept in a plastic bag under her bed and a three-hour panic attack on a day she later conceded she had been having a valedictory lunch for Steven Ciobo.

She is playing with fire and should seek qualified advice.

OldOzzie
OldOzzie
October 18, 2022 4:17 pm

The FBI’s Million-Dollar Men

Three high-profile trials are shining much-needed light on how the bureau uses highly paid informants as political hit men.

By Julie Kelly

thefrollickingmole
thefrollickingmole
October 18, 2022 4:19 pm

Vietnam has a huge fuel crisis.
As usual the culprit seems to be government.

Prices up about 1/3 and a lot of stations running empty.

https://e.vnexpress.net/news/economy/why-vietnams-fuel-thirst-remains-unquenched-4522565.html

Recently 36 retailers complained to Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh that the Ministries of Finance and Industry and Trade do not factor in the costs of transporting fuel when setting the retail price, causing them losses.

Some of these costs, such as for transporting fuel domestically, have risen by seven or eight times in recent months, but the two ministries have delayed reflecting this increase in retail prices, they said.

Thus, fuel prices were cut nine times in the last three months, which has benefited consumers but not retailers, they said.

Le Van My, CEO of Hoc Mon Commercial Company which has 32 fuel stations in HCMC, said his company has run up losses of VND8 billion this year.

Bankruptcy looms if profits are not forthcoming, he added.

The trade ministry pointed fingers at the finance ministry saying it had called for reflecting the rising costs in retail prices on four occasions but the latter did not comply.

The finance ministry said ensuring adequate supply of fuel is the responsibility of the trade ministry and oil businesses.

On Tuesday gasoline retail prices were increased for the first time in nearly three months with the higher transportation costs finally being reflected.

Dinh Trong Thinh, a lecturer at the Vietnam Academy of Finance, said that there are issues in how the two ministries manage the gasoline market, such as a lack of transparency in the relationship between suppliers, distributors and retailers.

The trade ministry has not made correct calculations concerning the demand of each locality, he added.

Supervising imports quantity is necessary to see if suppliers follow their commitments, he said.

H B Bear
H B Bear
October 18, 2022 4:22 pm

The US ill dominate the current century warts and all.

300m domestic market, could feed its own population, responsible for all major technological innovation. The US ain’t going anywhere soon.

bespoke
bespoke
October 18, 2022 4:24 pm
thefrollickingmole
thefrollickingmole
October 18, 2022 4:27 pm

responsible for all major technological innovation

Sort of…
Able to offer a lifestyle and pay packet well above other countries and a system that sees them able to keep most of it.

US is also very, very good at grabbing whatever tech they like and rebranding (and usually refining ) it.
Eg: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tizard_Mission

Crossie
Crossie
October 18, 2022 4:31 pm

I would never have imagined even five years ago let alone 25 years ago that I would have a lot more in common with a rapper or a weird billionaire

Carefulll, Kanye is a disrupter and probably an anti semetic. Musk’s interest in Twitter is not about free speech.

Bespoke, I know about both of them. What is astounding is that I have far less or almost nothing in common politically or ideologically with what today passes for mainstream. In the past I was as mainstream as they come yet here we are. To paraphrase Tulsi Gabard and Ronald Reagan, I did not leave the mainstream, the mainstream left me.

Johnny Rotten
October 18, 2022 4:34 pm

The Next Winter of Death

From Armstrong Economics –

“Remember when Biden publicly chastised the unvaccinated population last year? Do the “right thing,” and you will “get through this.” Those selfish enough to choose medical autonomy, the president stated, were “looking at a winter of severe illness and death for yourselves, your families, and the hospitals you may soon overwhelm.”

We have definitive proof that Pfizer did not test the vaccine against transmission. Governments globally pushed a false narrative, a blatant lie, to force people to take these vaccines. Biden’s memorable speech demonized a portion of the population. You will get sick because of them.

Now that the lie has finally been revealed, the White House is still pushing Americans to receive yet another booster. Headlines are appearing across the liberal news about the “temperatures dropping,” as if that is a factor. Look into it yourself, and you will notice the “temperatures dropping” fear-mongering in the media as if COVID and not the depletion of energy resources should be the catalyst for fear.

The White House expected between 13 and 15 million Americans over the age of 12 to receive another dangerous booster. That means only 5% of the eligible population is willing to play along with the COVID games. Washington and the CDC will unleash a marketing campaign to sell the toxins one way or another, but fewer will comply. Politico reported that they expect less than 30% of the population to receive the next shot.

The next winter will be one of death and destruction, but not because of COVID. The energy crisis will cause death and destruction, as will the war in Ukraine and every nation it “may soon overwhelm.”

https://www.armstrongeconomics.com/world-news/corruption/the-next-winter-of-death/?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=RSS

OldOzzie
OldOzzie
October 18, 2022 4:34 pm

Why Ikea could cost you dear: Prices soar by up to 80% at flatpack chain as raw material costs rocket

. Swedish furniture retailer IKEA has increased prices for up to 80% in some cases
. Ikea has blamed the higher cost of raw materials and shipping for its increases
. A dining table and chairs has increased by 80 per cent from £99 to £179

Johnny Rotten
October 18, 2022 4:37 pm

My mother-in-law fell down a wishing well. I was amazed; I never knew they worked.

– Les Dawson

Ed Case
Ed Case
October 18, 2022 4:41 pm

If Dobbs is such a loser issue for Republicans this fall, why are candidates tied to the *most* restrictive abortion measures in the country sailing to easy victories?

Easy victories in Open Primaries where Democrats can Vote in clowns.
The test will be on November 1.
My prediction:
Kari Lake and all the others will lose bigly.

Old bloke
Old bloke
October 18, 2022 4:50 pm

Elizabeth (Lizzie) Beare says:
October 18, 2022 at 2:59 pm

What was the source of your information? Most of these things stem from reconstructed and very hypothetical old Welsh folkloric genealogies.

That was from the Dyfed history video I linked to in the original message, I quite like the idea that Arthur was an Irishman.

Dyfed – An Irish Kingdom In Wales (Welsh History)

JC
JC
October 18, 2022 4:51 pm

Pretty sobering. How DC, New York, Moscow and St Pete’s gets taken out.

This dude reckons we are exactly on this trajectory.

The Danger of Geniuses

It is not hard to imagine how they might be starting from where we are today. If the war continues to move against the Russians, and particularly if the Ukrainians begin to invade Crimea, they will reach ever greater levels of fear that the future of the Russian regime is at stake. Some genius within the Russian leadership will then put forward the idea that they can reverse the momentum and demonstrate their greater willingness to accept Armageddon by a nuclear demonstration. As Michael Kofman and Anya Lukianov Fink have noted, Russian military analysts have long believed in “a demonstrative use of force, and could subsequently include nuclear use for demonstration purposes.” The West, this Russian optimist will argue, doesn’t really care about Ukraine and will recoil at the real prospect of nuclear war. Lacking better options, or really any other options at all beyond surrender, Russian President Vladmir Putin (or his successor) will seize on this deus ex machina. Such thin hopes of turning defeat into victory are the most effective enemies of peace.

Russian forces will launch a small number of tactical nuclear attacks against Ukrainian troop concentrations or NATO supply lines within Ukraine. If they can’t find any of those, they will use them against Ukrainian civilian targets. The target is not essential because the point of this attack will be to destroy Western will to continue supporting Ukraine, not to directly reverse the military situation. They would additionally put their strategic nuclear forces on alert and begin “unusual movements” of nuclear assets in an effort to warn the United States against responding to the attack.

The United States government has certainly considered this contingency, which is why both National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and Secretary of State Antony Blinken were recently dispatched to warn the Russians they would suffer “horrific” and “catastrophic” consequences if they used nuclear weapons in Ukraine. In the event, however, the U.S. government will struggle to find a response that reflects the gravity of the Russian use of nuclear weapons but does not represent further escalation toward direct confrontation and all-out nuclear war.

The American equivalent of the Russian genius will argue that a direct, proportionate response aimed at the attack itself will send a signal to the Russian leadership that the United States is seeking to punish the crime of nuclear use, not escalate the war or overthrow the Russian regime. They will see the Russian strategic nuclear alert as a bluff, arguing that to follow through with a strategic nuclear attack would be suicide. Lacking better options, the U.S. leadership will seize on the idea of such a finely calibrated response and launch a conventional NATO attack on Russian troop formations in Ukraine or the military base in Russia where the Russian nuclear strike originated from. As a precaution, they will also put U.S. nuclear forces on alert, put more U.S. nuclear submarines to sea and recommend to the British and French that that they also put their forces on alert — if these two independent powers had not done so already.

Unfortunately, such a subtle message is likely to be lost on a paranoid Kremlin. They will see a direct NATO attack on Russia or Russian forces as confirmation of their view that the West intends to destroy the Russian regime and kill all its leaders. For Russian leaders this is an ever-present reality: Putin reportedly obsessively watches the video of Libyan leader Muammar Qadhafi’s death after he was overthrown by NATO forces. Facing the prospect of death if they do not act to save their regime, Russian leaders will risk launching further conventional and tactical nuclear strikes on NATO troop formations and Ukrainian supply operations in bordering NATO states such as Poland and Estonia to signal that Russia is willing and able to defend itself despite the risk of strategic nuclear escalation.

The attacked NATO states will invoke Article 5 and NATO will begin a conventional operation to eliminate Russia’s offensive capability to make such attacks. Fearing that those attacks will destroy the Russian strategic nuclear capability and thus leave them defenseless against NATO conventional forces, the Russians will launch a first-strike strategic nuclear attack on the slim hope that it will weaken the Western resolve or capability to respond and save their regime. I will then have something in the order of a few minutes to send out an email to my colleagues saying, “I told you so.”

This is only a scenario. None of it is inevitable, of course. But this is the path that we are currently on and the likelihood of it coming to pass grows by the day as one side or the other becomes more desperate. The consequences of this path are deeply ruinous. It should be named.

https://warontherocks.com/2022/10/the-end-of-the-world-is-nigh/

Crossie
Crossie
October 18, 2022 4:52 pm

I find it hilariously funny that Elon Musk accumulated his fabulous wealth selling electric cars to idiots. With this money he is now building the most fossil fuel hungry machines that he wants to send into space. He obviously seems uninterested in how the idiots will power their electric cars. I can’t blame him, he saw his opportunity and he took it.

Makka
Makka
October 18, 2022 4:55 pm

The Saudis are also selling oil in Rubles and Renminbi, oil trades are no longer exclusively done in $US.

The Saudis live in a tough neighbourhood and are at loggerheads with Iran. KSA relies on the US (and UK) for it’s intel, defense and weaponry. At present this is just a spat with that dimwit Biden stirring shit because he’s fkd up the US energy supply and wants the Saudis to bail him out. Eventually it will settle, because it’s in both party’s interest to do so. The common enemy is actually Iran. Israel knows this too.

The USD will remain the world’s reserve. There is no viable alternative. The Euro is a Balkanised currency not worthy of reserve status. The USD’s strength is on show now with currency inflows contributing beyond the interest rate carry. And if oil finds a bottom around here then there is a world of pain ahead with a very strong USD and a potentially significantly higher oil price. Which could then make inflation quite sticky and spiral the cash rate much higher than 5%. Green leftards have really set the world’s economy up for a serious fkg.

Makka
Makka
October 18, 2022 4:58 pm

but it’s an open question how long it will retain its coveted position as the sole reserve currency.

No it’s not. It will be reserve after we are all long gone.

Johnny Rotten
October 18, 2022 5:02 pm

Soldiers Training Globally for WWIII

From Armstrong Economics –

“I explained that Romania is becoming a World War III training battleground for NATO. There are currently 40,000 troops on the ground throughout Eastern Europe, with more set to arrive. Colonel Vincent Minguet, the commander of the NATO Combat Group in Romania, believes the training will last up to FIVE years. Stronger militaries are training their allies now in preparation for what is to come.

This is expanding beyond Eastern Europe. France announced that they are welcoming 2,000 Ukrainian troops. French President Emmanuel Macron was hesitant at first, and only permitted 40 Ukrainian soldiers to be trained on French soil since February. As Zelensky and those holding his strings beg for more aid and a full-on escalation, world leaders are folding to his demands.

“It will not be in a belligerent fashion because we are not at war. We are helping a country that is at war,” French Minister for the Armed Forces Sebastien Lecornu stated. They are directly involved in the conflict. The West has gone to war with Russia economically and now is directly contributing to the war effort in Ukraine. World leaders do not want the people to see what is unfolding before their eyes.

Under Operation Interflex, the UK has coached 10,000 Ukrainian fighters. The program puts soldiers through an intense five-week training program to learn basic skills before being returned to the frontline.

Ireland has been tasked with helping Ukraine learn to dismantle explosives and IEDs. The US has training facilities for Ukrainian soldiers in Germany, while the UK has opened up air bases for Canadian forces. Every nation is preparing for endless war. “We are probably, unfortunately, in the long haul when it comes to the war against Russia to stop Putin’s aggression against Ukraine. Therefore, we need also long-term planning and training,” Danish Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod admitted.

“[I]t’s clear (that if) the European Union armies pull together all their capacities, they can do much more than each one of their side,” stated EU’s top diplomat Josep Borrell. Multiple nations combining their military power to defeat a common enemy – that is a world war.”

https://www.armstrongeconomics.com/world-news/war/soldiers-trainings-globally-for-wwiii/?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=RSS

Johnny Rotten
October 18, 2022 5:04 pm

My mother-in-law has come round to our house at Christmas seven years running. This year we’re having a change. I’m going to let her in.

– Les Dawson

min
min
October 18, 2022 5:04 pm

At the start of lockdowns , friend’s neighbour , a qantas pilot had not been working due to the closure of Oz . He told her that he had been flying plane loads of people who arrived by plane late at night in Melbourne , then transferred and flown to WA. He was doing this regularly . I checked this story with son who knew someone working at Tullamarine . This person confirmed the story .
Escaping XI ? Anyway story has surfaced again via Rita P.

Johnny Rotten
October 18, 2022 5:07 pm

A young man was in the big city looking for a little something from the ladies.

A cab driver gave him an address and told him he could find anything he wanted there. When the young man arrived, he saw a door with a small panel on it. He knocked and the panel slid open. A female voice asked what he wanted.

“I want to get screwed” said the man. “Okay, but this is a private club. Slide twenty bucks in the slot as an initiation fee” answered the voice.

The man slid a twenty in the slot, the panel closed, and ten minutes passed.

Nothing happened.

He began to pound on the door, and the panel slid open.

“Hey” exclaimed the man “I want to get screwed!” “What?” said the voice “Again?”

thefrollickingmole
thefrollickingmole
October 18, 2022 5:10 pm

Lacking better options, or really any other options at all beyond surrender, Russian President Vladmir Putin (or his successor) will seize on this deus ex machina. Such thin hopes of turning defeat into victory are the most effective enemies of peace.

Hes got Assad as his example.
Faced with a proxy war by ISIS head hackers and the EU/US and being told he was headed for certain defeat he chose instead barrel bombs and “whatever it took”.

If you can pick between Assad and ass-stabbed the choice to pull out all stops isnt too hard to make

Speedbox
October 18, 2022 5:13 pm

JC says:
October 18, 2022 at 4:51 pm

Jeremy Shapiro, author of the article “We are on the path to Nuclear War” is either drunk, drugged or just insane.

Indolent
Indolent
October 18, 2022 5:14 pm
Eyrie
Eyrie
October 18, 2022 5:20 pm

Jeremy Shapiro, author of the article “We are on the path to Nuclear War” is either drunk, drugged or just insane.
Agreed.
The Russians won’t lose and won’t use nukes. The hammer is about to come down.

thefrollickingmole
thefrollickingmole
October 18, 2022 5:20 pm

WA resurrect the “Monorial”!!!! of the west… again…
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-10-18/oakajee-hydrogen-hub-geraldton-fast-tracked-by-wa-government/101546682

WA Hydrogen Minister Alannah MacTiernan said the government would tip $5.5 million into feasibility and planning works for the Oakajee Strategic Industrial Area (SIA).

This included spending $500,000 on a joint study with the Netherlands’ Port of Rotterdam — which is working to become Europe’s hydrogen hub — into exporting hydrogen products.

Ms MacTiernan said the 6,000-hectare Oakajaee site had potential to create world class renewable hydrogen exports.

Ms MacTiernan said a hydrogen hub at Oakajee was much more “realistic” than previous plans for a deepwater iron ore port at the site.*

“The hydrogen hub at Oakajee is not so much about the generation of the power, but the conversion of the power into a usable product, whether its creating ammonia for shipping, or creating ammonium nitrate for the explosive industry,” she said. **

“It’s about getting hydrogen, whether its produced at Arrowsmith or Murchison or any other site, and bringing it into this processing project.”

Ms MacTiernan said she wanted to see roads into Oakajee under construction next year, and said by 2024 “we could see some of these projects emerging out of the ground”.

* Fact: If the port had been constructed, and the rail in place, Feraldton would be exporting 10x the Ore it currently is, and the gero port wouldnt be a backlogged shemozzle shipping incompatible products.
** So Iron ore is bad, but making explosives for it is great?

Eyrie
Eyrie
October 18, 2022 5:22 pm

Never did have much time for Neil deGrasse Tyson.

H B Bear
H B Bear
October 18, 2022 5:24 pm

Ha ha. Oakajee. Where WA taxpayer dollars go to die.

calli
calli
October 18, 2022 5:32 pm

How can you vaccinate children (or anyone else) for a rapidly mutating virus?

calli
calli
October 18, 2022 5:33 pm

I’m so over this stupidity.

thefrollickingmole
thefrollickingmole
October 18, 2022 5:34 pm

How can you vaccinate children (or anyone else) for a rapidly mutating virus?

Often, and profitably would be my guess.

Farmer Gez
Farmer Gez
October 18, 2022 5:35 pm

Sitting on my arse at the pit with a load of wheat to tip at a stock feed mill.
Bearing went on the elevator and the staff are now seeing if they have the bearing in the workshop after two hours getting the old one off.
Trucks banking up behind me and a long night ahead for them. At least I’m first.

Eyrie
Eyrie
October 18, 2022 5:38 pm

Why would you vaccinate children against a disease that has essentially no effect on them? If they serve as vectors, there may be a small point as long as the vax is very, very safe indeed for the recipients However this vax does not prevent transmission so there’s no point.
This is just child abuse for profit.

calli
calli
October 18, 2022 5:39 pm

It’s good to be first, Gez. All that effort for new thread podium eventually pays off.

H B Bear
H B Bear
October 18, 2022 5:39 pm

Did the Defence finish its closing address in the Brittany saga?

Crossie
Crossie
October 18, 2022 5:40 pm

I’m so over this stupidity.

It seems everyone is except for those with financial interests and those that would do anything not to have to admit they were wrong. The bad part is that the power hungry idiots have the upper hand. I don’t know how we shake them off.

Boambee John
Boambee John
October 18, 2022 5:42 pm

duncanmsays:
October 18, 2022 at 4:07 pm
“satisfied beyond a reasonable doubt Ms Higgins didn’t make up the allegation”

that’s all well and good, but not how our legal system works.

Which is probably a good indication of the DPP’s lack of confidence in the case.

If the evidence isn’t there, change the subject.

Top Ender
Top Ender
October 18, 2022 5:44 pm
Zulu Kilo Two Alpha
Zulu Kilo Two Alpha
October 18, 2022 5:46 pm

Did the Defence finish its closing address in the Brittany saga?

Finishes tomorrow.

Delta A
Delta A
October 18, 2022 5:48 pm

I’m so over this stupidity.

It seems everyone is except for those with financial interests

Same with ‘climate change’.

Zipster
Zipster
October 18, 2022 5:57 pm

ACIP committee will likely add the COVID vaccines to the childhood vaccination program on Thursday

neo-eugenics

bespoke
bespoke
October 18, 2022 5:57 pm

When Neil deGrasse Tyson makes some ball gesture with both hands and starts gibbering on with un related science jargon. He is gaslighting.

H B Bear
H B Bear
October 18, 2022 5:59 pm

Cheers Delta. Not long now you suspect.

Zyconoclast
Zyconoclast
October 18, 2022 6:02 pm

Europe has already been invaded by the jungle and is full of weeds.

The EU’s top diplomat Josep Borrell has been urged to apologise after describing the world outside Europe as a potentially violent “jungle”.

“Europe is a garden,” Mr Borrell said in a speech in Belgium, but “most of the rest of the world is a jungle, and the jungle could invade the garden”.

Zulu Kilo Two Alpha
Zulu Kilo Two Alpha
October 18, 2022 6:06 pm

Latest posts
4.17pm
Higgins ‘prepared to just say anything’, defence barrister tells jury
By Angus Thompson

Defence barrister Steven Whybrow has accused Higgins of being “prepared to just say anything” and “throwing other people under the bus”.

Higgins gave evidence during the trial that she kept missing doctors’ appointments because of the trauma of having to speak to a professional about the alleged assault.

But Whybrow said Higgins told police she made doctors’ appointments “to make it sound more believable that she had been sexually assaulted, she said it to [her then-chief-of-staff] Fiona Brown to make it sound more believable that she had been sexually assaulted. She said it to … [ex-boyfriend] Ben Dillaway to make it more believable.”

He also brought up Higgins’ evidence of not having worn the dress she had on on the night of the alleged rape for six months afterwards before recanting that timeframe under cross-examination.

Whybrow raised a message sent by Brown asking after Higgins when she hadn’t seen her for some time.

Higgins had said she was having a panic attack in a bathroom but then corrected her account to say she was attending a farewell gathering for former defence industries minister Steven Ciobo.

Whybrow said that was the problem with convicting Lehrmann “when the person bringing the allegation is prepared to just say anything [like] I’m in the bathroom having an anxiety attack for three hours”.

He highlighted an exchange with Higgins during his cross-examination about a timeline distributed to media outlets.

“That’s an example of her throwing other people under the bus where what’s happening might not suit her,” he said, referring to Higgins saying her partner David Sharaz distributed the material before she accepted she was involved.

“You have to pull every tooth before you get the truth,” he said.

That’s it for today. Whybrow’s closing submissions will continue tomorrow.

Black Ball
Black Ball
October 18, 2022 6:07 pm

Channel 7 breathlessly informing the viewer that Echuca is facing a once in a thousand year flood. Not once in 50 years, 100 years, but a millenium. FMD.

Rafiki
Rafiki
October 18, 2022 6:09 pm

We won’t know of course, but a jury verdict of guilty might rest decisively on Lehrmann’s failure to give evidence. They might reason “he didn’t give evidence because he didn’t want to run the risk of his story being shown to be false”. As a matter of law they should not, but this reasoning is more in line with common sense.

On the Sinclair Cat, I made this point in relation to Pell’s defence tactics.

Zyconoclast
Zyconoclast
October 18, 2022 6:09 pm

French police has four Algerians in custody suspected of participating in the brutal murder and r@pe of a 12-year-old schoolgirl only identified as Lola.
The suspects (Dahbia B., Amine K., Friha B., and Rachid N.) all hail from the same Algerian village, and one of them may be in the country illegally.

The body was found in a suitcase curled up, shackled, with a deep wound in her throat, and marked with inscriptions. According to the autopsy, carried out on Saturday, her death was due to asphyxiation. One of the suspects in the case have been charged with “murder of a minor under the age of 15 in connection with a r@pe committed with acts of torture and barbarism,” “r@pe of a minor under the age of 15 with acts of torture and barbarism,” and “concealment of a corpse.” Although there was no mention of s3xual violence when the story first broke, the latest details from BMFTV allege the girl was also r@ped.

Police also say that “a device” was used to imprint the numbers “one” and “zero” on her body, but further details about what these numbers mean and how they were “imprinted” on the body remains unclear.

Lola’s father reported her disappearance on Friday because she had not returned after her classes at Georges-Brassens College, located just behind the building where she was eventually found. Lola’s mother, Delphine, went to the police station of the XIXth. The schoolgirl, with medium-length blond hair, was wearing white jeans with holes in them, a white hoodie, a sleeveless jacket and white sneakers, the report said.

The mother posted a desperate message on social media to find her daughter after she went missing, writing: ”Our daughter Lola was last seen at 3:20 p.m. in the company of a woman we do not know in our residence.”

Zipster
Zipster
October 18, 2022 6:10 pm

Jeremy Shapiro, author of the article “We are on the path to Nuclear War” is either drunk, drugged or just insane.

I don’t think so, china is sitting on the sidelines warming up

Cassie of Sydney
October 18, 2022 6:14 pm

“On the Sinclair Cat, I made this point in relation to Pell’s defence tactics.”

No, it wasn’t Pell’s “defence tactics”. It was Richter’s. As to whether Pell taking the stand would have made any difference, given the cards stacked against him, I doubt it.

H B Bear
H B Bear
October 18, 2022 6:16 pm

Rafiki – that is always covered in the Judge’s directions to the jury. You can’t the exclude the possibility of it occurring in the jury room but the possibility is recognised.

calli
calli
October 18, 2022 6:18 pm

On other matters…Seven confirms West Jerusalem will no longer be considered Israel’s capital by the Australian government.

Thanks Penny Wong. As dumb as a bag of hammers and as slimy as a toad. Just like the rest of them.

Naturally, the Pallies here are smugging wildly.

miltonf
miltonf
October 18, 2022 6:23 pm

Thanks Penny Wong. As dumb as a bag of hammers and as slimy as a toad. Just like the rest of them.
and very nasty to boot- maybe modeled on the squad.

rosie
rosie
October 18, 2022 6:31 pm

They played L’s police interview.
On a standard of beyond reasonable doubt he ought to be home and hosed.
The prosecution has made this all about the believability of H.
Which is exactly what happened in R V Pell.
Unlike R v Pell though it could have happened.
My point though the other night L denied anything happened.
If something had happened he would have gone straight to consensual because he would have had to assume, if there was sex, there would be physical evidence.

Razey
Razey
October 18, 2022 6:31 pm

Zyconoclastsays:
October 18, 2022 at 6:09 pm
French police has four Algerians in custody suspected of participating in the brutal murder and r@pe of a 12-year-old schoolgirl only identified as Lola.
The suspects (Dahbia B., Amine K., Friha B., and Rachid N.) all hail from the same Algerian village, and one of them may be in the country illegally.

They’ll get a slap on the wrist as the victim is white.

Mater
October 18, 2022 6:32 pm

Channel 7 breathlessly informing the viewer that Echuca is facing a once in a thousand year flood. Not once in 50 years, 100 years, but a millenium. FMD.

Funny. I was caught in the one in October 93. Very similar specs.

Top Ender
Top Ender
October 18, 2022 6:33 pm

Rape accused Bruce Lehrmann was at his “wits end” after the media reported on allegations of rape made by his former ministerial colleague Brittany Higgins and says he received “hurtful” phone calls from journalists.

Mr Lehrmann’s interview with the Australian Federal Police is the only account of his version of events to which the public can access.

The former adviser has given no interviews and will not take the witness box in his trial on charges of sexual intercourse without consent and indifference towards whether Ms Higgins was consenting, to which he has pleaded not guilty.

On the Oz website, along with the full transcript of the interview, but it looks as if that can’t be copied and pasted.

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  4. Certainly not going well for Hezbollah at least. Smotrich on northern deal: ‘We must not forget the achievements; we crushed…

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