Open Thread – Tues 25 July 2023


The Choice of Hercules, Annibale Carracci, 1596

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Dr Faustus
Dr Faustus
July 26, 2023 10:31 am

Elbow’s dilemma:

For someone relentlessly marketed as a master strategist, unless there’s some heavily disguised 5D chess going on, the grotty little man has made a complete and utter bollix of the Voice.

I may be a bit judgemental, but I’m starting to think he’s not much better than Goblin Shorten.

Bruce of Newcastle
Bruce of Newcastle
July 26, 2023 10:31 am

Elon is a lot of fun.

Now Elon Musk joins backlash against Barbie film’s portrayal of anti-man feminism
saying: ‘If you take a shot every time Barbie says the word “patriarchy” you will pass out before the movie ends’
(25 Jul)

Billionaire Tesla owner Musk, who is known for being outspoken and often aligns himself with conservative viewpoints, has hinted he wasn’t a fan of the message of the film, which was created by feminist director Greta Gerwig.

‘It [sic] you take a shot every time Barbie says the word “patriarchy”, you will pass out before the movie ends,’ Musk said on Twitter in response to a meme.

Interesting that Barbie has done well when oodles of other woke movies have crashed and burned lately. I suspect it may be because young women are becoming increasingly lefty.

OldOzzie
OldOzzie
July 26, 2023 10:33 am

Poll: Trump voters say racism against white Americans is a bigger problem than racism against Black Americans

The polling follows the dismissal of a lawsuit put forth by the survivors of the Tulsa Race Massacre, which many saw as a potential blueprint for reparation efforts.

As public support for reparations for African Americans remains stubbornly low,

a new Yahoo News/YouGov poll reveals one major roadblock: Donald Trump voters believe that racism against white Americans has become a bigger problem than racism against Black Americans.

The survey of 1,638 U.S. adults, which was conducted from July 13-17, shows that among 2020 Trump voters, 62% say that racism against Black Americans is a problem today —

while 73% say that racism against white Americans is a problem.

Asked how much of a problem racism currently is, just 19% of Trump voters describe racism against Black Americans as a “big problem.” Twice as many (37%) say racism against white Americans is a big problem.

Trump voters and self-identified Republicans — overlapping but not identical cohorts — are the only demographic groups identified by Yahoo News and YouGov who are more likely to say racism against white Americans is a problem than to say the same about racism against Black Americans.

A majority (51%) of white Americans, for instance, think racism against people who look like them is a problem

OldOzzie
OldOzzie
July 26, 2023 10:36 am

Biden claims to have ‘ended cancer’

The US leader’s announcement has caught many Americans by surprise

During a speech on Tuesday, US President Joe Biden seemed to claim that his administration had cured cancer.

“I said I’d cure cancer. They looked at me like, ‘Why cancer’? Because no one thinks we can. That’s why. And we can. We ended cancer as we know it,” Biden said during a speech in the East Room of the White House.

Biden was scheduled to speak about expanding Americans’ access to mental health care. After the cancer remark, he continued to talk about healthcare for military veterans, which is run by the federal government.

The strange claim was quickly noticed by Republicans, who have often accused the 80-year-old Democrat of behaving as if afflicted by dementia.

“Biden just told everyone that he cured cancer. I feel like that would have at least gotten a press release,” quipped Congresswoman Lauren Boebert of Colorado.

“Biden cured cancer in the same way that he marched for civil rights, was arrested trying to see Nelson Mandela, grew up in the black church, was raised in the Puerto Rican community, was a professor at UPenn, built the greatest economy in the world, and never spoke to his son about business,” tweeted Texas activist Christian Collins.

Those were just some of the claims Biden had made over his 50-year political career that turned out to be tall tales. The longtime Democrat also has a history of misspeaking in public. Just last week, he introduced himself as an artificial intelligence. The week before, in Europe, he urged Russia to “stop attacking Russia.” Earlier this month, he also claimed that Moscow was “losing the war in Iraq.”

Sancho Panzer
Sancho Panzer
July 26, 2023 10:38 am

Where is Noosa?
I’m looking at a map of Cape York but can’t find it anywhere.

OldOzzie
OldOzzie
July 26, 2023 10:42 am

Exclusive

User pays, means testing more likely than a new aged care tax

Phillip Coorey – Political editor

A high-level taskforce charged with finding a long-term solution to aged care funding is leaning toward greater means testing and increased reliance on user pays, rather than the introduction of a tax or levy.

The taskforce, which met in Adelaide on Tuesday, is looking at all options and has not discounted a levy as proposed by the Aged Care Royal Commission in 2021.

But sources said the bulk of discussion thus far was focused on user pays and lifting the $186,000 means test threshold on the family home. There was a broad view a tax on workers would further entrench generational inequality.

The $186,000 threshold, which has been frozen at that level since 2014, is used to means test the daily care fee that applies in an aged care facility and applies whether a resident has a house worth $400,000 or $4 million.

To help pay for a growing preference for in-home ageing, the taskforce also discussed at length a user pays system in which those with the means could buy extra services.

Aged Care Minister Anika Wells assembled the task force in June to reach a consensus on well-canvassed options to tackle the aged care cost challenge, which is one of the top five pressures on the federal budget. She is chairing the taskforce.

It has until October to release an interim report and until December to issue a final report, so the changes can be incorporated in next year’s budget.

It is understood that taskforce member Mike Baird, a former NSW premier and chief executive of HammondCare, has been a supporter of a tax or levy.

When the aged care royal commission recommended a tax or levy, Mr Baird contacted the then-Morrison government recommending they adopt the move.

One commissioner, Tony Pagone, proposed either an income tax increase of 1 per cent so those on higher incomes paid more, or an increase to the Medicare levy.

He said the Productivity Commission should decide on the best tax model, but either way, the money should be ringfenced, so it was only spent on aged care.

The other commissioner, Lynelle Briggs, argued for a Medicare levy increase but said it should not be ringfenced. She said when people entered the aged care system they should not be required to help pay for care, saying “such payments amount to a tax on frailty”.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has pledged to work with the government on a sustainable solution, but said the Coalition would not accept a tax increase, or anything resembling a death tax.

Shadow treasurer Angus Taylor reiterated this on Tuesday as he warned the government against adopting a CFMEU proposal to implement a super-profits tax to fund social housing.

Since the election Labor has broken promises on taxing franking credits, superannuation, small businesses, major employers, and on aged care,” he said. “You can’t trust Labor on tax.”

Government sources said a levy or tax would be politically difficult. One source said there was still support from some taskforce members for a tax.

Another taskforce member, industry consultant Grant Corderoy, has spoken in favour of user pays and lifting the means test. He has said previously that because the $186,000 threshold had been frozen for almost a decade, the government paid 96 per cent of the care fee and the resident a maximum 4 per cent.

He said just lifting the resident contribution to 8 per cent would pump between $1.4 billion and $1.6 billion a year into aged care.

The taskforce includes former senior Treasury official Nigel Ray, former Finance Department boss Rosemary Huxtable, Mr Baird, Indigenous leader Tom Calma, Council of the Ageing Australia chief executive Pat Sparrow, and aged care experts Margaret Walsh and Tom Symondson.

Other members include former NSW deputy premier John Watkins, ethnic communities representative Mary Patetsos, industry consultant Grant Corderoy, Think Forward lead economist Thomas Walker, and academics John McCallum and Janine Walker.

GreyRanga
GreyRanga
July 26, 2023 10:42 am

Vicki dont put much ash on your garden. To much potassium. Get a soil test kit. Well worth it.

Big_Nambas
Big_Nambas
July 26, 2023 10:44 am

A group of biomedical researchers in Korea represented by Ju-Young Shin, Ph.D., Sungkyunkwan University, School of Pharmacy assistant professor, editor of Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety and vaccine safety expert, along with colleagues from other major academic medical centers sought to better understand the safety profile of the COVID-19 mRNA vaccines used in this Asian nation, Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna. These vaccines were administered under emergency authorization with safety profiles not yet clearly defined. With an aim of identifying overall incidence and factors associated with adverse events ensuing after vaccination with one of the mRNA vaccines, the Korean study team designed and executed a web-based survey from December 2-10, via a 2,849 nationwide sampled panel. Study inclusion criteria necessitated persons aged 18-49 years and COVID-19 vaccination at least two weeks prior to the completion of two dosing schedules. The sample was weighted for accurate real-world representation of the national population. Key endpoint for this study: the overall incidence of adverse events after mRNA COVID-19 vaccination plus associated factors. This output was derived via odds ratios generated via the use of multivariable logistic regression models used to identify the factors linked to the adverse events. The individual reported outcome study led to bombshell findings. While 90% of the participants experienced mostly mild AEs, 4.3% experienced severe adverse events requiring hospitalization.

https://www.trialsitenews.com/a/korea-patient-reported-outcomes-study-mrna-covid-vaccines-4.3-severe-aes-hospitalization-9b6d4db4

GreyRanga
GreyRanga
July 26, 2023 10:45 am

The best thing sniffy biden to do to cure cancer is the webley in the library.

Crossie
Crossie
July 26, 2023 10:46 am

Dr Faustus
Jul 26, 2023 10:21 AM
Sir Buffton Tuffton? Is that a typo?

A Private Eye reference, crossie, a caricature outraged Conservative MP.

Thank you for the info, the joke is obviously very successful.

GreyRanga
GreyRanga
July 26, 2023 10:49 am

Luigi is much worse than short willie. Low bar to start with.

Dr Faustus
Dr Faustus
July 26, 2023 10:49 am

Where is Noosa?
I’m looking at a map of Cape York but can’t find it anywhere.

A mission station just up the road from Meanjin – top left on your butchers’ paper.
A cesspit of disadvantage, deprivation, and pop-up boutiques.

OldOzzie
OldOzzie
July 26, 2023 10:49 am

Russia Raises Stakes With Bold Strike On Danube Port

SIMPLICIUS THE THINKER
25 JUL 2023

When Russia began its large strikes on Odessa, we all wondered how far the Russian MOD would take things.

We saw maps like the following, showing all the container ships heading up the Danube toward Ukrainian ports bordering Romania, and wondered whether Russia would strike those, being so close to the borders of a NATO state:

Those questions were answered today as Russia struck a major blow on the Ukrainian port of Reni a near-literal stone’s throw from Romania.

This is a major deal because it demonstrates a new hardline posture from the Russian MOD. Not only did they strike objects literally right on a NATO border, but even seemed to damage grain ships, which may belong to NATO countries.

This was clearly done to send a strong signal meant to convey Russia’s seriousness in rejecting the grain deal.

As you can see below, what appear to be entire grain silos themselves were flattened at the port:

I can only assume that one of the reasons for doing this—which had already been predicted by other commentators—was for Russia to make it unfeasible to insure any vessel that attempts to circumvent the previous corridors with the new Danube passage. It’s meant to show that this is truly the middle of a warzone, and no one should be passing without the express approval of the warzone’s chief administrator.

Recall that this was the official Russian list of requirements which would need to be fulfilled for Russia to reinstate the grain deal:

Ukraine is desperately trying to keep the deal alive by making up all sorts of byzantine technicality-riddled proposals like the following:

To further complicate matters, one plan is to ship the grain by rail to Izmail, but that takes the grain over the oft-targeted Zatoka bridge

In the Odessa strikes last week, some reports claimed Russia struck the bridge and damaged the railway portion. There was no confirmation but Russia has targeted this bridge numerous times before, including with naval drones. And days after last week’s strikes, there were more reports that Russia will soon strike it with naval drones again to demonstrate its own new naval drones in the wake of Ukraine’s naval drone strikes on the Kerch.

Either way, Russia has the ability to destroy this bridge or continuously take it ‘off-line’ such that consistent and timely grain shipments via rail would be disastrously complicated if not completely nullified.

Now that we’re all grained out, let’s comment some more on the developing Polish situation.

Earlier, Putin met with Lukashenko for a tour of the St. Petersburg area. Lukashenko had some interesting things to say. Here is the must-watch full subtitled video of their informal public talk:

Now, as for the other thing Lukashenko and Putin discussed.

The past few days has seen a renewed Ukrainian offensive effort in the Rabotino-Orekhov direction. You know it’s a “serious” try when they begin to once more use the top NATO gear like Leopards and Bradleys, rather than the probing strikes with MaxxPros and such.

The attacks were again repulsed by Russian forces with horrific losses to the AFU. There are literally dozens of videos of armor losses with many confirmed new Leopard 2s and Bradleys destroyed. Here’s a sampling:

And there are endless more graphic videos showing fields of dead AFU, like this one, and this one, and this one, as well as many other videos of destroyed non-Leopard/Bradley armor just from the past day alone, like here, here, here, and here.

In short, the losses are astronomical.

Even Ukrainian officers are beginning to admit the uncomfortable truth. Here one candidly states that they’re simply ‘running out of men’:

OldOzzie
OldOzzie
July 26, 2023 10:53 am

Why The Ukraine Grain Deal Ended

One of the accounts I follow for knowledgeable takes on the war in Ukraine goes by “Chebureki Man” on Twitter. Last week, he offered an excellent explanation of the grain deal, and why Russia let it expire:

Ukraine couldn’t resist taking advantage of the grain deal to stage two strikes on the Kerch Straight bridge.

The strikes accomplished nothing strategic, only succeeding in a temporary reduction of road bridge capacity, while the rail bridge was unaffected.

The grain deal was bringing Ukraine revenues of $500 million per month, $6 billion per year. So, for literally no gain other than a hollow PR victory, Ukraine has destroyed a significant source of revenue.

There were a number of other reasons involved as well for not extending the deal again, including the failure to reconnect a Russian agricultural bank to SWIFT and the failure to retract sanctions against shipping insurance.

The bottom line is that Russia negotiated in good faith on the original six month grain deal and the two subsequent extensions, and neither Ukraine nor the West honored the terms.

Given that Russia disabled Ukraine’s port facilities with massive strikes over the last few days, Ukraine will not have the option of thumbing its nose at Russia’s warnings and risk shipping grain (and weapons) anyway.

Russia has offered free grain to counties in need, even the West’s “food crisis” criticism has been wrecked. Nobody will starve that the West wasn’t already starving, but EU farm animals will certainly cost more to feed.

Something to think about when the braying demagogic loons in the West wail about global food security. If it was a genuine concern then they would have honored the terms of the deal.

Why Ukraine’s Shipping Industry Is Now Kaput

One reason is as Chebureki Man said above: Russia has been wrecking Ukrainian port infrastructure since the deal expired.

The end of the grain deal and Russia effectively ending Ukraine’s shipping traffic are, along with the Ukrainians’ fizzling counteroffensive, another sign of the tide turning against NATO’s Ukrainian proxies.

Evidence of that is former Ukraine hawks such as military strategist Edward Luttwak now calling for peace.

Johnny Rotten
July 26, 2023 11:01 am

Modern science says: ‘The sun is the past, the earth is the present, the moon is the future.’ From an incandescent mass we have originated, and into a frozen mass we shall turn. Merciless is the law of nature, and rapidly and irresistibly we are drawn to our doom.

– Nikola Tesla

OldOzzie
OldOzzie
July 26, 2023 11:01 am

Zelensky’s ‘cannon fodder’: The strange lives and pointless deaths of foreign mercenaries fighting in Ukraine

“My mates have died, and are dying. I’ve seen things out here that, from a military perspective, are beyond unacceptable,” says one Australian fighter

– Mercenaries are losing interest
– New recruitment regions

Moscow now claims that, due to problems with mobilization in Ukraine and considerable losses, Kiev has begun actively recruiting fighters from Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East – particularly, from Argentina, Brazil, Afghanistan, Iraq, and “US-controlled areas of Syria.” Meanwhile, in Poland, the UK, and other European countries, interest in fighting for Ukraine is falling.

– Ten minutes to evaluate candidates
– “There are dead people everywhere”
– “The worst day in Afghanistan and Iraq is a great day in Ukraine”

Not everyone, however, is lucky enough to leave the war zone. An Australian who fought against Russia on the side of the AFU told ABC radio that foreign soldiers were threatened with imprisonment for trying to leave. Fearing for his own life, he introduced himself as “Bush” (a fictitious military call sign) and said that the incompetence of Ukrainian army commanders endangers the lives of foreign mercenaries.

“My mates have died, and are dying. I’ve seen things out here that, from a military perspective, are beyond unacceptable and are unfortunately hurting Ukraine,” he said.

When asked whether he feared for his safety, he said: “Absolutely, 100 per cent.”

Cassie of Sydney
July 26, 2023 11:02 am

“A Bud Light moment.
Over the side you go…”

Quite so, and I have zero sympathy for any of them. Such is their hubris and pride.

Oh and further to “pride”, Ms Rose and her fellow woke doctrinaire comrades, who currently infest and control all manner of corporates, companies, bureaucracies and media outlets, have spent the last few years pushing, shoving, compelling and bulldozing their woke opinions on us mere mortals, particularly on anything to do with LGBTQI+ gunk, and woe betide if you dare object to this propaganda, like the poor vicar in Yorkshire did last month, only to find himself without banking services, his crime being that he meekly and politely suggested that all the woke LGBTQIARSE+ for Pride Month might be slightly over the top. Please note that the Yorkshire vicar didn’t suggest building guillotines or pyres for burning LGBTQI+ people, no, no, no, he simply suggested that banks covered in Pride Month banners and flags might be slightly over the top! In June, as Laurence Fox outlined, London and all the big companies and corporates were decked out in LGBTQI+ banners and flags, and London looked like Nuremberg before a rally. But as we know, alas in woke world there’s no room for dissent. They’re in charge now, and they’ll make us suffer the consequences for daring to think, speak and behave differently.

But I’m reminded of the saying from the King James Bible, that…

Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall“.

In the Torah, there are many sayings about the evil of “pride”, such as…

The proud of heart are the abomination of God”

And, as Rabbi Melamed has written more recently…

A proud person thinks himself superior to others and is unable to accept another person’s opinion over his own. He is unable to accept criticism.

The core, and the very essence of woke is “pride”. As outlined above by the rabbi above, woke cannot and will not accept another person’s opinion. Which is why, sooner or later, wokeism will collapse, but not before doing untold destruction to the West and its foundations. Of course, the likes of Ms Rose and her ideological comrades have contempt for Judaism or Christianity, and so they are clueless as to their behaviour, they have been conditioned to think they are beyond reproach, they’re unassailable, and to a certain extent, they have been. This pride led to Ms Rose’s breach of privacy comments to the BBC journalist about Farage’s bank balance, this pride led to Coutts closing Farage’s bank accounts, this pride has led to major UK banks and building societies closing hundreds of other bank account of less well known people, this pride is currently persecuting those of us for saying a biological male cannot be a female, and I could go on and on with other examples of the left’s raging pride. But in the face of this endless pride I remain stoic, because there’s one thing I’m sure of, and that is that the pride running amok in the West will collapse, as written above, “Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall“. Given Ms Rose’s admission overnight, it can be safely said that Ms Rose’s haughty spirit hasn’t just fallen, it’s collapsed into a heap of burnt bones, because she has revealed herself to be a completely untrustworthy person, unworthy to be in charge of or having access to anyone’s personal information.

Cassie of Sydney
July 26, 2023 11:02 am

Sorry everyone, I’m in a ranting mood!

rosie
rosie
July 26, 2023 11:04 am

How long ago was Bronny James vaccinated?
I’m going to make a very bold assumption and suggest, as an elite athlete, his health was very carefully monitored.
There is a long term association of elite athletes suffering apparently inexplicable cardiac arrest, vaccine or no vaccine.

Vicki
Vicki
July 26, 2023 11:05 am

Cory Bernadi has written on the scary possibilities in the elimination of gas appliances combined with the mandating of electric vehicles:

A comment by a Confidential Daily Premium Member struck a chord with me yesterday.

It was about the relentless push toward electrifying everything, even though we are struggling to supply affordable and reliable power to meet existing demands.

In the name of climate change we are encouraged to switch from gas stoves to electric cookers. Our conventionally powered cars are being phased out in favour of battery powered vehicles. Even our trains are undergoing an expensive change away from diesel.

It’s mostly accepted that these moves are a good idea. We are told they reduce pollution and will stop the earth from becoming an uninhabitable molten mess.

But what if there is a more sinister agenda afoot?

That’s what the member’s comment made me think about.

It was made in relation to my notion that climate change is all about control.

What if the push to the electrification of everything also has more to do with control of the populace than anything else?

Here’s what he wrote.

I can foresee a scenario where everyone blindly strips out all of their gas appliances from their homes – heaters, hot water services and gas stoves – (and this is already under way) and replacing with electric.

Then there are cars, make those all electric, and guess what happens next? Electricity rationing.

“All motorists are advised that vehicle charging stations are on restricted use, please do not travel more than 50 kms from your current place, unless you have a permit from the department of environmental whatever…”

Further to this; “All heating can only be used between the hours of 4pm and 11pm, hot water services are also under restriction. Special showers will be installed allowing for a 4 minute shower per every 3 hours, to apply for an exemption please contact the department of environmental whatever.
It’s a chilling scenario but one that is entirely plausible given the installation of smart-meters in most homes.

When you add digital currencies and a social credit systems into the mix, you have every tool necessary for total control and totalitarian rule.

It was less than a decade ago that the power grid collapsed in South Australia and some towns were without electricity for days.

It didn’t take long for a Lord of the Flies debasement of human nature to take effect. The lack of power also meant no fuel supplies, only cash payments and a shortage of just about everything.

One can imagine how society would react if only some people had complete access to the benefits of electricity while others were rationed.

If compliance with Big Brother were to price of power, I suspect most people would fall into line pretty quickly.

I’ve written many times how we should trust nothing and verify everything. That goes doubly for whatever proposal government and the elites try to push onto us.

The great power push is something else we should be extremely wary about.

H B Bear
H B Bear
July 26, 2023 11:05 am

I may be a bit judgemental, but I’m starting to think he’s not much better than Goblin Shorten.

Don’t forget, Peanut Head only got the job thanks to da bruvvas. Back to looking for a saviour, only they’re in government thanks to SloMo.

OldOzzie
OldOzzie
July 26, 2023 11:05 am

More than 105,300 people use loophole to work via this free visa

Julie Hare – Education editor

A sixfold spike in holders of a special pandemic-era visa designed to give students stranded in the country the right to work has education leaders up in arms as foreign students abandon their studies for low-skill jobs.

Around one in six international students are thought to have jumped from their study visa to a 408 – or COVID visa – over the past year as increasing numbers from India, the Philippines and Nepal game the system to access full-time work.

“Migration agents tell me this is the most popular visa in Australia at the moment,” said migration expert Abul Rizvi.

Experts say there is no reason for the visa to exist since the borders reopened. They say pressure from the business sector for it to remain in place to address skill shortages is undermining the integrity of international education.

While most of the people who have shifted to 408 visas are students and graduates, increasing numbers of Pacific Islanders see it as way to access the broader jobs market than just agricultural jobs.

At the end of May, there were 105,300 people on 408 visas, up from 17,000 less than a year ago.

The major source nations are similar to Australia’s major international student home countries. Nearly 18,000 408 visa holders are from India, followed by Nepal (11,700), China (6400), the Philippines (5,300), Colombia (5200) and Brazil (4500).

“No wonder international education lobby groups are desperate for this visa stream to be closed as they are bleeding student fee revenue,” said Mr Rizvi.

Many thousands more would have applied in June and July as a cap on the number of hours students can legally work each week was reintroduced on July 1. The Department of Home Affairs was contacted for updated numbers but had not replied by deadline.

This visa stream has existed in various forms since early 2020. It was designed to enable people in Australia on temporary visas, which had expired or would do so within 90 days, to stay and work lawfully while the borders were closed.

No rationale, completely abused

Brett Blacker, chief executive of English Australia, the peak group for English-language courses, said the visa was “completely outdated” given that every other COVID-19 related measure had ended.

“There is no rationale for this visa to exist. I am being contacted by colleges on a weekly basis about more students who arrive for a 10-week course to study English and then abandoning ship for a 408 visa because it gives them the right to 12 months unlimited work,” Mr Blacker said.

The visa is free, online and is almost instantly approved.

“Why approvals aren’t based on any sorts of benchmarks opens it up to being exploited,” Mr Blacker said.

Mr Rizvi said once the 12 months was up, people would be left in limbo and would either have to return home, apply for asylum or stay on illegally.

Around one in six international students are thought to have jumped from their study visa to a 408 – or COVID visa – over the past year. Louie Douvis

A spokeswoman for immigration minister Andrew Giles declined to comment but sources said there are moves afoot to shut the visa down.

The original requirements were that 408 visa holders would work in areas of extreme skill shortages such as aged care and the health sector. But these were dropped and holders now can work unlimited hours wherever they choose.

Phil Honeywood, chief executive of the International Education Association of Australia, said the 408 visa “had been totally abused”.

“Its time has gone. It was only ever meant to be [a] temporary COVID option. Excuses from corporate Australia that they need these students to work full-time to do menial jobs will need to be satisfied through other avenues of the labour force,” Mr Honeywood said.

Mother Lode
Mother Lode
July 26, 2023 11:09 am

Interesting that Barbie has done well when oodles of other woke movies have crashed and burned lately.

It had a good opening weekend. People bought their tickets and went to see the movie on the basis of a very carefully crafted advertising campaign that pushed the idea it was apolitical and just fun, bright, and cute.

After the weekend the truth of what it is has come out and percolated through all the different media. I will be curious to see if those revelations have an impact on the second week.

They might not. Parents might decide that after promising their daughters for so long, dreading changing their minds and trying to convince their kids that it is a nasty movie, and believing that the politics will just go over the kids heads, my stick with it.

Sancho Panzer
Sancho Panzer
July 26, 2023 11:10 am

For someone relentlessly marketed as a master strategist, unless there’s some heavily disguised 5D chess going on, the grotty little man has made a complete and utter bollix of the Voice.

Yes, as someone pointed out upthread, he is on the horns of a Catch 22 conundrum.
Water down da Voice to get the Yes vote up and he becomes no better than all the other Gariwerd Nazis.
Stay the course with full bottle Treaty, Yeah and he goes down with the ship.
Of course, the worst possible outcome for him personally is watering down da Voice, and it still implodes like a fibreglass submersible.
Makes me sad for him.

rosie
rosie
July 26, 2023 11:11 am

Oh please up the threshold. Why should taxpayers be on the hook so heirs can get an unencumbered family home.
No-one is going home after entering age care full time.
Mind you seeing the Inheritance frittered away on nursing home fees is going to sharpen the euthanasia pencil.

Sancho Panzer
Sancho Panzer
July 26, 2023 11:14 am

There is a long term association of elite athletes suffering apparently inexplicable cardiac arrest, vaccine or no vaccine.

From my reading, it seems vaccine induced myocarditis is more common among the very fit 30 – 50 year olds, and comes on reasonably soon after vaccination.
Doesn’t preclude a teenager I don’t think, but they are not the (ahem) “target market”.

Johnny Rotten
July 26, 2023 11:15 am

Aussies Aren’t Engaging with the 43C (110F) Climate Crisis

Essay by Eric Worrall

In Australia we call a 110F top temperature a warm Summer day – so when alarmists tell us these temperatures are a climate crisis, it leaves us Aussies a bit perplexed.

Consider, for a moment, how many words your eyes tend to skip over when you read – if you still do – articles about the catastrophe we are, right now, in the midst of – My list would look something like this: floods; fire; record temperatures; ice melting; mass extinction; bleached coral; 1.5 degrees; 2 degrees; IPCC report; drought; heatwave; tipping point.

So why aren’t Aussies or the general public getting more excited about a few hot days? Probably for the same reason Arizona residents don’t usually get that excited by hot weather. Most people who live in hot places like Australia have experienced or worked in hot weather, at home or on holiday, weather conditions which rival this alleged “climate crisis” we are enduring.

That Phoenix Arizona heatwave record (22 consecutive days above 110F) was only a few days longer than a previous record (18 days above 110F) in 1974, back when CO2 levels were around 330ppm. Even if every minute of those 4 extra days of Phoenix heatwave was due to the 93ppm rise in CO2 since 1974 (2022 figure approx 423ppm), the appropriate response is to buy a bigger air conditioner, not to shut down Western civilisation.

If the climate crisis we’ve all been waiting for turns out to just be a few extra beach and poolside weather days, what a sad, uninspiring finale to all that dramatic climate propaganda buildup we’ve endured over the last few decades.

https://wattsupwiththat.com/2023/07/24/smh-aussies-arent-responding-to-the-43c-110f-climate-crisis/

rosie
rosie
July 26, 2023 11:17 am

I for one am thrilled at the thought of being permanently under the thumb of crybullies like Pearson and Grant.
Incidentally Pearson has had a voice and millions of dollars of spending money for well over a decade and the results?
This from NewMatilda in 2015.
What difference would another new bureaucracy with Pearson in it make?

Seven Years Of Noel Pearson Trials Have Led Aurukun To The Bottom Of the National Heap

OldOzzie
OldOzzie
July 26, 2023 11:19 am

Sancho Panzer
Jul 26, 2023 11:14 AM

There is a long term association of elite athletes suffering apparently inexplicable cardiac arrest, vaccine or no vaccine.

From my reading, it seems vaccine induced myocarditis is more common among the very fit 30 – 50 year olds, and comes on reasonably soon after vaccination.

Doesn’t preclude a teenager I don’t think, but they are not the (ahem) “target market”.

Sancho,

17 year old Grandson in Melbourne had heart mumurs after Covid vaccine

rosie
rosie
July 26, 2023 11:21 am

Adverse reactions shortly after receiving a vaccine, absolutely.

Incidentally did anyone notice that excess deaths in Australia in March 2023 for everyone below 80 (women below 74) were BELOW the baseline rate?
Old people are still dying excessively.
Next ABS report is due out tomorrow.

Sancho Panzer
Sancho Panzer
July 26, 2023 11:21 am

rosie

Jul 26, 2023 11:11 AM

Oh please up the threshold. Why should taxpayers be on the hook so heirs can get an unencumbered family home.
No-one is going home after entering age care full time.

Yes.
Whilst I am against inheritance taxes, as far as superannuation goes, the objective of tax concessions was “to provide retirement income for participants”.
Not to provide an inheritance for the next generation, so I wouldn’t object to tax reverting to 15% on inherited super.
Same with the house. As you say, no-one comes out of aged care, and even if they did, most wouldn’t be going back into the big old house anyway.
If they were paying cash for the entire cost of aged care, do what you like. But don’t expect aged care subsidies if you are holding a $3 – $4 m house.

Mind you seeing the Inheritance frittered away on nursing home fees is going to sharpen the euthanasia pencil.

Tells you all you need to know about the motivation of those doing the whingeing.

Dr Faustus
Dr Faustus
July 26, 2023 11:22 am

Productivity Commission report finds Australian governments are still making Indigenous disadvantage worse

The national agreement on Closing the Gap was signed in July 2020 by federal, state and territory governments, and the Coalition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peak Organisations.

State and territory governments are still making decisions that exacerbate disadvantage for Indigenous Australians three years after a landmark national agreement on Closing the Gap, a new report warns.

“It is too easy to find examples of government decisions that contradict commitments in the (Closing the Gap) agreement that do not reflect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’s priorities and perspectives and that exacerbate, rather than remedy, disadvantage and discrimination” the report stated.

“Current implementation raises questions about whether governments have fully grasped the scale of change required to their systems, operations and ways of working to deliver the unprecedented shift they have committed to,” it said.

So, what a massive surprise, an implementation cockup on stilts at the gubba level.

Linda Burney:

“The report demonstrates why an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that we must take to help close the gap and improve the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians.”

No. The report actually demonstrates that you and your state colleagues and the thousands of administrators are hopeless bastards flapping around with an intractable and ever-shifting problem.

The 800 community groups that inform the 80 members of the Coalition of Peaks are supposedly informing you what to do. The Voice will have no program or implementation responsibility – so explain how it’s going to close the incompetence gap.

Thank you.

Megan
Megan
July 26, 2023 11:25 am

rosie@8:48am

I draw out cash at the supermarket or the post office.

Ditto! Until some kindly soul tipped me off a good while back and I’m almost ashamed to admit it but I mostly use the Macca’s drive through for cash out these days. Pisses off anyone in the line behind me as i have to use my PIN but better than the ATM as I don’t even have to get out of the car.

My dodgy knee appreciates it.

Lazy, I know. But my

Megan
Megan
July 26, 2023 11:26 am

Whoops. Posting trigger finger. You get the gist.

shatterzzz
July 26, 2023 11:27 am

I do sometimes wonder if as I get older (75) and being a Pommie understanding written English is getting too much for me! ..
Reading this “news” and it, specifically, states the builder (GCB) can’t do any work on it’s sites cos its license is suspended, indefinitely ..!
all well & good (if your not a customer of their’s , that is!) .. then further on you come across ..
“The developers behind a lot of the projects, particularly where work has started, obviously, developers want to get those projects finished,” Mr Profke said. ..
Sooooo, thg regulator sez “No work” but the Master Builders spokesman sez, basically, “No worries” ……. so from my take… WORRY!

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-07-26/gcb-constructions-building-licence-suspended/102648426

Lysander
Lysander
July 26, 2023 11:27 am

In Irish news…

A punitive road pricing scheme aimed at forcing people out of their cars could see commuters paying €38 to drive to work.

https://extra.ie/2023/07/24/news/irish-news/road-usage-charge-motorists

OldOzzie
OldOzzie
July 26, 2023 11:29 am

Apartment rents to rise 13pc as supply shortfall widens

Nila Sweeney – Reporter

A severe shortage of apartment rental supply could lift rents by a further 13 per cent in some inner city districts next year as demand rises further, CBRE analysis shows.

An estimated 570,000 apartments are needed over the next three years across Australia’s capital cities, however, only 55,000 apartments are currently being built each year, according to Sameer Chopra, CBRE’s Pacific head of research.

“This significant mismatch between apartment supply and demand will help drive continued rental growth in key city centre areas, despite signs of easing in some rental markets,” Mr Chopra said.

“We’re not going to see 30 per cent rental growth like we’ve seen in the past year, but we’ll still see close to 10 per cent rise because demand continues to outpace supply.”

Rental demand is expected to climb by 34,100 across Sydney next year, fuelled by strong population growth, but only 15,300 apartments are available, resulting in a shortfall of 18,800 units, according to CBRE’s estimates.

In Melbourne, the rental market will be short by 23,800 apartments, Brisbane by 12,100, Perth by 10,500 and Adelaide by 4100.

“Some precincts will see significantly larger population growth than others, with vacancy issues to be most acute in the inner city major city centres and associated near city suburbs,” Mr Chopra said.

“In most precincts around Australia we’re expecting 0.2 per cent to 0.5 per cent apartment vacancy contraction in the next 12 months. This comes at a time when 80 per cent of precincts has a sub-1.5 per cent vacancy and will be a key driver of future rental growth.”

Sydney’s inner west and northeast Brisbane are predicted to lead the sharpest rental increases of 13 per cent and 10 per cent respectively, helped by their relative affordability compared to other rental markets.

“Demand is expected to outstrip the existing rental stock in these areas, but they are also more affordable, so rents can go up a little bit more,” Mr Chopra said.

Average rent for units in the inner west is currently sitting at $694 after rising by 21.5 per cent in the past 12 months or $123 per week, according to CoreLogic. This comes as vacancy rate tightened to 1.3 per cent from 1.9 per cent a year ago.

Apartment rental values are also poised to increase by 9 per cent in West Brisbane, Melbourne City, inner east Melbourne and the Sydney CBD, as well as in north east Perth, St George, South Brisbane and Canterbury-Bankstown.

Meanwhile, North Adelaide, Belconnen in Canberra and Sydney’s Sutherland Shire are expected to notch up more moderate rental growth.

A separate analysis by CoreLogic found that quarterly rental growth has slowed by 0.3 of a percentage point to 2.5 per cent nationwide in the June quarter, marking the first slowdown in three-month growth since November last year.

Tim Lawless, CoreLogic research director, said rental growth seemed to have peaked in most of inner-city areas, despite vacancy rates remaining below average.

“It’s fair to say demand for rental housing is likely to remain high as overseas migration, foreign students and domestic renters compete for scarce rental supply, and we are yet to see any material uplift in rental supply,” Mr Lawless said.

“The reality for many renters is that they are likely to be approaching, or have reached an affordability ceiling on how much they can pay in rent.

“Affordability pressures could be a factor in forcing a change in household formation, as renters once again form larger group households in an effort to spread their rental costs across a larger number tenants.

“The rise in first home buyer lending could point to more renters fast tracking their home purchasing decision if they have financial ability to do so.”

Meanwhile

‘This is a market economy’: Andrews says investors welcome to sell

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews rejected property investors’ concerns that increased land taxes and rent controls being considered by his government could force them to sell, saying such decisions were up to them.

“This is a market economy,” Mr Andrews told reporters. “It’s not for me to provide property advice to anybody. They bought the place without my advice and they can manage it without my advice.”

Investor groups and property owners say proposals to limit Victorian landlords’ ability to lift rents to just once every two years and to cap rent increases as part of a government package aimed at ease the housing crisis would backfire.

Economists say the proposal, which Mr Andrews has confirmed is among an “all options” approach to the housing package, would discourage property investment and potentially remove rental properties from the market. Some owners say the proposal is enough to make them consider selling up.

The rental limit proposals revealed at the weekend are in addition to a recently imposed land tax on investment properties, and restrictions on evictions without approved reasons, such as selling the property, doing major renovations or moving in a family member.

Investor-owned properties are rising as a share of houses and flats being put on the market, as interest rate rises heap pressure on landlords’ margins and ability to meet loan repayments. More than 36 per cent of listings in Melbourne last month were former rentals, a two-year high, CoreLogic data shows.

Mr Andrews on Sunday refused to rule out rent freezes and caps or a tourism levy, including on Airbnb rentals, for a package he said would also streamline planning decisions to allow “good decisions, faster” to increase supply and ease the housing shortage.

There are nearly 16,200 entire homes and apartments available to lease out through Airbnb in Melbourne, according to the open-source database Inside Airbnb. By comparison, a total of 11,185 long-term leases were available as of July 9, according to SQM Research founder Louis Christopher,

Old School Conservative
Old School Conservative
July 26, 2023 11:29 am

How long ago was Bronny James vaccinated?

Good question Rosie but like all problematic issues associated with Covid vaccines, they are not publicised, debated, and analysed in the sunlight and we are left in the darkness of half truths, government coverups, and Big Pharma’s misinformation.

Pauline was on the right track in her calls for a RC into Covid.

Lee
Lee
July 26, 2023 11:34 am

Indolent
Jul 26, 2023 9:15 AM
Jim Ferguson
@JimFergusonUK

Ghislaine Maxwell was found guilty of sex trafficking children. The judge refuses to release the list of who she sold them to. Up until the list is released, we have only one conclusion: all of them are on it. Every last damned billionaire, prince and politician. Every media mogul, banker and person of influence.

We do know that Trump is not on the list.

Ed “I don’t need no stinking evidence” Case has claimed more than once that Trump is on the “list.”

And as usual when asked for proof or links he goes silent.

John H.
John H.
July 26, 2023 11:36 am

Common diabetes drug can also prevent muscle atrophy and muscular fibrosis

A surprising finding, especially about metformin being able to kill off senescent cells. Those are cells that have lost their primary function and gone into a survival mode. Health conscious people consider it imperative to kill off these cells. That’s only half right though, senescent cells play a vital role in preventing further injury and cancer. It is a poor study but at least it is a starting point. Of course, as always, more research is needed.

Frank
Frank
July 26, 2023 11:36 am

To lose one private chef is misfortune …

I’d like to see them try and disappear chef Rush. Mooch might have a chance though, she is built.

Vicki
Vicki
July 26, 2023 11:37 am

17 year old Grandson in Melbourne had heart mumurs after Covid vaccine

Hope his system returns to normal. My 20 year old grandson has been an elite athlete & rugby winger. While he hasn’t experienced any cardiac symptoms after his initial, and only vaccination (thank you God), he gets the occasional lazy left eyelid suggestive of Raynaud’s syndrome.

Bruce of Newcastle
Bruce of Newcastle
July 26, 2023 11:38 am

The Miles Franklin award has been announced. My PC bingo card melted.

shatterzzz
July 26, 2023 11:44 am

And the world trip continues … he is off to New Zealand today for an overnight visit.

Luigi has made 22 international trips since assuming office on 23 May 2022.

Colonel Crispin Berka
Colonel Crispin Berka
July 26, 2023 11:49 am

I was TODAY years old when I found out Pope JP II suspended the employment of a Devil’s Advocate in Saint selections since 1983.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_-OCGL0Fhg

Apparently the number of new saints increased dramatically after it stopped using an adversarial justice system!
I suppose it is still a competitive tendering process as long as they exercise some restraint in the percentage of nominations that get beatified.

Zulu Kilo Two Alpha
Zulu Kilo Two Alpha
July 26, 2023 12:03 pm

Daily Mail.

ABC contributor Paul Bongiorno says Voice No campaigner Warren Mundine’s suicide confession is ‘hardly worth a second of sympathy’

Anybody imagine the uproar had one of the “NO” lobby made a similar comment about Noel Pearson, or Marcia Langton?

Zulu Kilo Two Alpha
Zulu Kilo Two Alpha
July 26, 2023 12:06 pm

Luigi has made 22 international trips since assuming office on 23 May 2022.

You don’t expect him to waste his massive talents in a Third World sh!thole like Australia, do you?

Dot
Dot
July 26, 2023 12:09 pm

Dear champ,

The Labor government has proposed a highly concerning piece of legislation, the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) “Misinformation and Disinformation Bill.” This bill, if passed, could have far-reaching consequences for freedom of information, personal expression, and the unrestricted flow of ideas on the internet.

In light of this impending threat to our core principles, we take action to protect the rights and freedoms we hold dear. We call on passionate and dedicated members like you to form an action group. Our aim is to actively campaign against the ACMA Misinformation and Disinformation Bill.

Practical Steps:

Advocate for Free Speech: We will actively engage with policymakers, stakeholders, and the public to voice our concerns and highlight the importance of preserving the principles of free speech.

Volunteer now: By volunteering for this action group, you will play a crucial role in defending the bedrock of our libertarian ideals. We will need a diverse range of skills and expertise to effectively counter this threat.

Be Loud: Craft persuasive messages and conduct outreach through social media, op-eds, and public events to inform the public about the bill’s consequences.

Policy Analysts: The high-level stuff – examine the bill’s provisions, identify loopholes, and prepare well-reasoned arguments for advocacy efforts.

Help Organise: Coordinate logistics, schedule meetings, and manage collaboration within the action group.

Join us now:

To be part of the action group against the ACMA Misinformation and Disinformation Bill, email [email protected] with your name, contact information, and any relevant skills or experiences. We will coordinate our efforts to discuss the campaign’s strategy and objectives.

Thank you for your unwavering dedication to the cause of liberty and for answering this call for action. We look forward to standing shoulder-to-shoulder with you in this crucial endeavour.

Yours in Liberty,

Rick Westgarth

Federal Campaign Manager

Libertarian Party

https://www.ldp.org.au/

[Oh and to the seething commies reading this – FREE SPEECH IS SACRED]

shatterzzz
July 26, 2023 12:10 pm

Just got my quarterly electric bill from AGL .. no listing for of any of that $500 rebate that Luigi announced was commencing on July 1 included even tho I’m in the, automatic eligiblity class …..
the one he, specifically, said, “You don’t have to do anything your energy provider will make the necessary adjustment(s)” .. FFS!

Frank
Frank
July 26, 2023 12:11 pm

Mind you seeing the Inheritance frittered away on nursing home fees is going to sharpen the euthanasia pencil.

Still a predatory industry in some cases, sort of like how pawn brokers aren’t popular.

Dot
Dot
July 26, 2023 12:11 pm

My 20 year old grandson has been an elite athlete & rugby winger. While he hasn’t experienced any cardiac symptoms after his initial, and only vaccination (thank you God), he gets the occasional lazy left eyelid suggestive of Raynaud’s syndrome.

The coercion aspect of this and the recklessness was utterly crook.

Johnny Rotten
July 26, 2023 12:12 pm

You don’t expect him (Tennis Elbow) to waste his massive talents in a Third World sh!thole like Australia, do you?

Especially when Paul Keating, during a private conversation in 1990, had referred to Australia as ‘the arse end of the world’.

LayBore – Such a ‘Sofisticated’ Political Partee.

Johnny Rotten
July 26, 2023 12:15 pm

In the twenty-first century, the robot will take the place which slave labor occupied in ancient civilization.

– Nikola Tesla

Bruce of Newcastle
Bruce of Newcastle
July 26, 2023 12:18 pm

Patent medicine used to at least have some good stuff in it, like cocaine or opium.

Researchers find 89% of sports supplement labels false, ingredients fraudulent and some laced with illegal drugs (MedXpress, 25 Jul)

What is actually in a sports supplement? It might be assumed that whatever is on the label reflects what people swallow. Supplement manufacturing is not monitored, and according to a recent study, the reality can be quite different.

Scientists at Cambridge Health Alliance, Massachusetts; Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts; University of Mississippi; and NSF International, Michigan, have analyzed the ingredients in a selection of sports supplements purchased online with liquid chromatography–quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry and discovered 89% to be inaccurately labeled, and 12% included unlabeled banned drug substances.

Fifty-seven products were analyzed containing one of five popular supplements, R vomitoria (n=13), methylliberine (n=21), turkesterone (n=8), halostachine (n=7) and octopamine (n=8).

Twenty-three of the products (40%) did not contain a detectable amount of the labeled ingredient. Of the 34 products that contained detectable amounts of the listed ingredient, the actual quantity ranged from 0.02% to 334% of the labeled quantity. Only six products (11%) contained an ingredient quantity within 10% of the label.

Time for a song.

Indolent
Indolent
July 26, 2023 12:21 pm

Cassie 11.02

No need to apologise. I really enjoy your rants which always have something serious to say. I hope Ms. Rose is for the high jump and the sooner the better.

Thank heaven for Nigel Farage who seems to have struck a blow for us all. Perhaps they’ll think twice now before abusing their power willy nilly.

Knuckle Dragger
Knuckle Dragger
July 26, 2023 12:22 pm

In the twenty-first century, the robot will take the place which slave labor occupied in ancient civilization.

– Theodore Kaczyinski

Dot
Dot
July 26, 2023 12:24 pm

Hi John,

I will try to find that reference later. 🙂 Good luck because exaggerated anti-smoking studies have flooded the internet with fake news. Keep in mind my reference was 1-2 per week, which is like one small cigar/cigarillo/pipe bowl per week. Very moderate.

This is garbage:

—————-

Conclusions

Smoking only about one cigarette per day carries a risk of developing coronary heart disease and stroke much greater than expected: around half that for people who smoke 20 per day. No safe level of smoking exists for cardiovascular disease. Smokers should aim to quit instead of cutting down to significantly reduce their risk of these two common major disorders.

https://www.bmj.com/content/360/bmj.j5855

They didn’t analyse the data, they analysed the results which they took averages of ranges of multiple response variables. They didn’t compare say Winfield Gold to Winfield Reds. We can accept that dose-response is non-linear, but claiming a high volume of heavy product being only twice as bad as incidental* consumption of a very low dose product is batty.

*If we accept that living in a modern western metropolis can be as bad as smoking “a pack a day” due to particulate & aromatics etc pollution.

OldOzzie
OldOzzie
July 26, 2023 12:24 pm

Grain dance: What Poland wants in return for its solidarity with Ukraine

Warsaw insists it will act alone if Brussels fails to extend import restrictions on Ukrainian agricultural products.

Warsaw’s solidarity with Kyiv knows no bounds — well almost. It just comes down to money.

More than a year after the EU set up overland “solidarity lanes” to help get millions of tons of stranded agricultural products — Kyiv’s main export — out of Ukraine, Warsaw is threatening to close its own border for the second time unless Brussels extends temporary restrictions and comes up with cash to ensure that none of the stuff gets stuck in Poland.

The unilateral move would violate the EU’s common trade rules but Warsaw argues it is necessary because Ukrainian products — now blocked once again by Russia from their traditional Black Sea export route — are undercutting Polish farmers.

“The interests of our farmers are paramount for us,” Polish Agriculture Minister Robert Telus told reporters after a meeting of EU farm ministers in Brussels Tuesday. “Our decisions are not against anyone; they are first and foremost for our farmers.”

Question of solidarity

Allies backing Poland and the four other countries, however, are few and far between.

“This temporary ban was absolutely necessary because these countries would not withstand the pressure,” said Janusz Wojciechowski, Poland’s EU farm commissioner.

Others see things differently.

Top Ukrainian officials have criticized the restrictions, with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy saying any extension of the restrictions is “absolutely unacceptable and outright non-European.”

All about the money

Brussels hasn’t taken a stance on the Polish threat, choosing instead to facilitate close-door negotiations between the five EU countries and Ukraine.

With the Commission dithering, Lithuania proposed shifting Ukrainian grain exports through Poland to its Baltic port of Klaip?da and four other ports in Estonia and Latvia.

But every mile adds to the cost of transport, making Ukrainian produce less competitive on the global market.

Then there are the logistical costs of expanding rail and storage capacity, and no one — least of all Warsaw — wants to foot a bill that could run into hundreds of millions of euros.

Telus said that if Brussels or other EU countries wanted to subsidize grain transport through Poland, they were welcome to do so.

“The European Commission always has funding for so many different things, so it can also find money to subsidize transportation,” he said. “Poland is a big supporter of helping Ukraine — I don’t think anyone doubts that. But this support should be spread across all countries, not just Poland and [other] border countries.”

Zulu Kilo Two Alpha
Zulu Kilo Two Alpha
July 26, 2023 12:28 pm

Rinehart legal battle: Lang Hancock letter ‘showed Wright entitled to half’

By paul garvey
Senior Reporter
@PDGarvey
Updated 6:11AM July 26, 2023, First published at 4:34PM July 25, 2023

Gina Rinehart was told by her father almost 40 years ago that his co-founder’s family were entitled to a share of the valuable Pilbara iron ore assets now at the centre of a bitter legal dispute.

A letter from Pilbara iron ore pioneer Lang Hancock to his daughter Mrs Rinehart, dated 20 February 1986 and produced as evidence in Western Australia’s Supreme Court on Tuesday, set out how their family’s Hancock Prospecting only held a half share in the East Angelas deposits.

Wright Prospecting or WPPL – the business set up by Mr Hancock’s business partner Peter Wright – is suing Hancock Prospecting, or HPPL, claiming it is entitled to a half share in the multibillion-dollar East Angelas deposits as well as hundreds of millions of dollars in royalties they claim they are owed from the Hope Downs iron ore project.

Julie Taylor SC, representing WPPL, told the court the letter was an important part of their case.

“In our submission, this is very significant evidence that both Lang and also Mrs Rinehart knew and understood that all of those areas were held jointly for the partnership … HPPL was only entitled at most to half,” she said.

“Mrs Rinehart has known at least since February 1986 that these assets are held jointly with the partnership.”

She also noted that the letter was not discovered by WPPL during the discovery process.

Instead, the document emerged during the discovery process from the dispute between Mrs Rinehart’s Hancock and two of her children, John Hancock and Bianca Rinehart.

The siblings were pulled into the case by Wright Prospecting, and Hancock and Mrs Rinehart have fought unsuccessfully to have elements of the case kept confidential given the ongoing arbitration process between the iron ore magnate and those two offspring in a separate dispute.

Among the numerous other historical documents mentioned in court on Tuesday was the transcript of a conversation between Lang Hancock and Mr Wright’s son Michael Wright shortly after Mr Wright’s death.

Michael Wright, Ms Taylor said, had a habit of recording his meetings and having them transcribed and the document was an “extremely important contemporaneous record” of Lang Hancock’s position at the time.

Under an agreement between Lang Hancock and Peter Wright, whoever outlived the other would take the lead in developing their shared assets on behalf of their joint partnership, and Ms Taylor said the transcript of the meeting clearly showed Lang Hancock’s understanding that the East Angelas assets were jointly held by the two families through that partnership.

In one of those conversations, Ms Taylor said Mr Hancock asked Michael Wright if he had “any ideas about what you wanted to do” with the East Angelas deposit and his thoughts about starting a mine in “areas that belong to us both” – statements she said “plainly indicated” that the East Angelas deposits were an asset of the Hancock-Wright partnership.

The East Angelas deposits were identified early on by Mr Hancock and Mr Wright, but they were stripped of the project in the 1960s amid concerns from the state government about their ability to deliver a steel mill.

Dr Faustus
Dr Faustus
July 26, 2023 12:28 pm

In If It Moves, Tax It news:

Renewable energy companies to pay ‘access fee’ generating millions for NSW renewable energy zones

The NSW government is setting up a scheme to support communities going through the massive transition to renewable energy.

Renewables companies will be charged an “access fee”, and the money will be held in the Community Benefits Scheme established by EnergyCo, the NSW government’s energy planning organisation.

It can be spent on a range of programs in the Renewable Energy Zones (REZ), including health, housing, infrastructure, arts, environment, tourism and First Nations projects.

Cheer up, electricity consumers of eastern Australia.
Your power prices will be going up by a few cents per kWh to pay for NSW bureaucrats to distribute your money to yartz, tourism and First Nations projects for the benefit of the regional voters good folk in Newcastle, Illawarra, Dubbo, and Hay.

Apparently they are going through “the massive transition to renewable energy” and need a hand. You, on the other hand, can be pushed further underwater with a shitty stick.

Obviously too cheap to meter.

Bruce of Newcastle
Bruce of Newcastle
July 26, 2023 12:32 pm

The guru will see you now.

Exploring the use of robots to guide loving-kindness and walking meditation practices (MedXpress, 25 Jul)

Researchers at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University and Hong Kong Science Park recently explored the potential value of robots as guides for two different types of meditation practices: loving-kindness and walking meditations. Their findings, published in the International Journal of Human-Computer Studies, suggest that the unique characteristics of social robots can impact their effectiveness as assistants during meditation.

And the guru is mechanical. This is on the back of a Lutheran church in Germany which recently had a whole sermon written and preached by a chatbot. Deux ex machina.

Dot
Dot
July 26, 2023 12:32 pm

our power prices will be going up by a few cents per kWh to pay for NSW bureaucrats to distribute your money to yartz, tourism and First Nations projects for the benefit of the good folk

No one knows where Tumbarumba is though. Plus, the good folk is a euphemism for mischievous spectral laddies.

Maybe it’s to the west of the island of Ireland.

Maybe they are an advanced civilisation and have nuclear power. 🙂

OldOzzie
OldOzzie
July 26, 2023 12:34 pm

Ukraine mobilizes disabled people from psychiatric clinics and doctors give their ok in the medical exam.

-> Winning army? … Just sad

thefrollickingmole
thefrollickingmole
July 26, 2023 12:36 pm

Why should taxpayers be on the hook so heirs can get an unencumbered family home.

This is an area the public trustees ( in WA they have gone to shit though) should be well placed to manage.
A person goes into care and the trustee takes over the property, with 2 explicit objectives.
1: pay as much of the care costs as possible on a monthly basis. ( combo of rent/ reverse mortgage)
2: preserve as much as possible to hand onto descendants.

If Granny Fanny Nestlerose lives long enough to exhaust the property so be it.

The other option is care for them yourself.

Johnny Rotten
July 26, 2023 12:36 pm

Ed “I don’t need no stinking evidence” Case has claimed more than once that Trump is on the “list.”

And as usual when asked for proof or links he goes silent.

And he has been silenced on here now. Probably ranting and raving somewhere else though. The Looney Bin, maybe.

Elizabeth (Lizzie) Beare
Elizabeth (Lizzie) Beare
July 26, 2023 12:37 pm

And context is vital to truths.

Let it go.

Your context was entirely unclear to me. That’s why I was asking about it.
I have little reason to trust you with regard to myself, and I am all for clarity.

I’ve no desire to argue with you, Bespoke, or about you.
I am on holiday with limited time to spare for blog squabbles.
Go your own way and I’ll go mine.

Catching a bus to Penang in a couple of hours and have yet to pack.

Sancho Panzer
Sancho Panzer
July 26, 2023 12:40 pm

John H at 11:36.
Interesting that we often hear of adverse side effects of drugs, but sometimes they have beneficial effects outside the primary reason they are prescribed.
I am not sure if it was that drug, but there was a diabetes medication which was re-purposed as a weight loss drug.
I guess it makes sense.
Something which interferes with the way the body processes sugar would likely help weight loss.

Bruce of Newcastle
Bruce of Newcastle
July 26, 2023 12:40 pm

One word, starts with “h” and ends in “y”.

Understanding the cheese paradox: Why do vegetarians eat animal products? (Phys.org, 25 Jul)

A new study by the University of Stirling has sought to understand why vegetarians consume non-meat animal products despite their concerns that animal agricultural production can be cruel.

And if you ask them they will tell you all about it. Even if you don’t ask them they will tell you all about it anyway, then glue themselves to your toaster.

Elizabeth (Lizzie) Beare
Elizabeth (Lizzie) Beare
July 26, 2023 12:41 pm

Apparently they are going through “the massive transition to renewable energy” and need a hand. You, on the other hand, can be pushed further underwater with a shitty stick.

Employment generating climate change must be really biting up there then.

Job losses increasing. Here, have a handout and shut up.

thefrollickingmole
thefrollickingmole
July 26, 2023 12:48 pm

Sancho
Ozempric.

Mainly for diabetics but used for fat bastards as well.

There’s dozens of similar drugs under trial.

OldOzzie
OldOzzie
July 26, 2023 12:49 pm

New proposal to turn off charging for electric cars during peak periods to ensure the grid can keep up with demand

. Queensland proposal sparks controversy
. Could become only state to exert control over in-home vehicle charging
. Critics claim it will reduce confidence in getting an EV

A proposal to let Queensland power providers disconnect electric vehicles during peak periods has been slammed as an ‘unbelievable’ disincentive that could prevent the state reaching its emission-reduction goals.

The change, detailed in a draft of the Queensland Electricity Connection Manual, is one of several proposals being considered by state-owned agency Energy Queensland, which represents Energex and Ergon Energy.

If passed, it would make Queensland the only state to exert direct control over in-home vehicle charging, in a move academics and automotive groups said could undermine confidence in the technology.

The controversial addition to the manual, which outlines technical requirements for electricians, would only allow common car chargers to be installed in homes if power providers were given full control over the devices.

This change would let providers turn down or turn off power to connected vehicles during periods of high demand, and make Queensland the only Australian state or territory to do so.

Griffith University lecturer Anna Mortimore said she considered the state’s proposal ‘extraordinary and unbelievable’ as 80 per cent of electric vehicle charging was expected to occur in homes.

The change could make consumers question whether they could trust electricity providers to charge their cars, she said, and could ultimately prevent Queensland from reaching its target of 50 per cent new car sales being electric by 2030.

‘Are there going to be any warnings before they turn the power off?’ Dr Mortimore said.

‘People are not going to want to take the chance.’

The proposal has also been opposed by the Clean Energy Council, which recommended changes to allow electric vehicle owners to charge their cars using solar energy, and the Electric Vehicle Council that said the change could ‘negatively impact EV uptake in Queensland’.

The Electric Vehicle Council submission also said the view that consumers could not ‘be trusted to manage their own EV charging in their own homes’ was not backed by multiple Australian trials.

Sancho Panzer
Sancho Panzer
July 26, 2023 12:51 pm

thefrollickingmole

Jul 26, 2023 12:36 PM

Why should taxpayers be on the hook so heirs can get an unencumbered family home.

Yes.
It should be entirely unremarkable that someone might be asked to pay their way.

Lysander
Lysander
July 26, 2023 12:52 pm

Ozempric.

Apparently (?) also used off-label for quitting smoking….

Johnny Rotten
July 26, 2023 12:52 pm

OldOzzie
Jul 26, 2023 12:34 PM
Ukraine mobilizes disabled people from psychiatric clinics and doctors give their ok in the medical exam.

-> Winning army? … Just sad

Cannon fodder. FFS.

Sancho Panzer
Sancho Panzer
July 26, 2023 12:54 pm

thefrollickingmole

Jul 26, 2023 12:48 PM

Sancho
Ozempric.

How dare you!

Mainly for diabetics but used for fat bastards as well.

Oh.
Right.
The drug.
As you were.
Yes, apparently it was in short supply for diabetics because fat bastards were hoovering it up.
Which reminds me.
Where is m0nster?

Johnny Rotten
July 26, 2023 1:00 pm

OldOzzie
Jul 26, 2023 12:49 PM
New proposal to turn off charging for electric cars during peak periods to ensure the grid can keep up with demand

. Queensland proposal sparks controversy
. Could become only state to exert control over in-home vehicle charging
. Critics claim it will reduce confidence in getting an EV

Next, they will try to do that at the petrol pump at the local ‘Servo’. Whatever next? The mind boggles.

Build Back Worse with ESG (Economic Suicide Guaranteed) requirements for Business. LOL.

Lysander
Lysander
July 26, 2023 1:01 pm

Just as Al Gore “invented the internet,” Biden has, today, claimed he’s cured cancer:

https://twitter.com/CollinRugg/status/1683926263906594817?s=20

Sancho Panzer
Sancho Panzer
July 26, 2023 1:02 pm

thefrollickingmole

Jul 26, 2023 12:36 PM

Why should taxpayers be on the hook so heirs can get an unencumbered family home

It is funny.
I actually get why people might be pissed off at some boomers.
My mindset is to stay off pensions and benefits for as long as I can.
But many seem to work overtime at manipulating their position to maximise benefits they probably don’t need.
This is why we have deeming.
Codgers who were keeping hundreds of thousands in a non-interest bearing cheque account so they could access or boost their pension.
If you want to defend people holding a multi-million dollar house and pulling full aged care benefits, you need to consider where that will lead.
Accept the fact that, once they relocate to The Home, that is now their principal place of residence, and accept all that flows from that.

Lysander
Lysander
July 26, 2023 1:03 pm

Just got an invite to attend “Perth’s inaugural ESG Summit.”

Not gonna pay $700 to attend and be “wagged” at…

John H.
John H.
July 26, 2023 1:05 pm

Dot
Jul 26, 2023 12:24 PM
Hi John,

I will try to find that reference later. ? Good luck because exaggerated anti-smoking studies have flooded the internet with fake news. Keep in mind my reference was 1-2 per week, which is like one small cigar/cigarillo/pipe bowl per week. Very moderate.

This is garbage:

—————-

Conclusions

Smoking only about one cigarette per day carries a risk of developing coronary heart disease and stroke much greater than expected: around half that for people who smoke 20 per day. No safe level of smoking exists for cardiovascular disease. Smokers should aim to quit instead of cutting down to significantly reduce their risk of these two common major disorders.

Don’t worry about the references. What I hate is when studying(currently helping a friend with prostate cancer) I so much want a cigarette to kick me along!

One cig a day …. What bollocks. A couple of week is without consequence but a couple every day, if you have been a regular smoker for years, is enough to prevent\slow lung healing.

DOT I haven’t looked at the studies but it is obvious that smokers are generally not health conscious people. I’d like to see studies that focus on smokers who are health conscious.

Dot
Dot
July 26, 2023 1:07 pm

Apparently (?) also used off-label for quitting smoking….

Intriguing, more so if Trulicity can be used for the same purpose. It would really be something if the ill effects of smoking are magnified by syndrome X and it also negates the benefits.

Elizabeth (Lizzie) Beare
Elizabeth (Lizzie) Beare
July 26, 2023 1:09 pm

Re inheritance – the kids and grandkids can have the remnant super, the investments, the goods and chattels, the property – but only to the extent that we take our share of the rewards first. We’ll help out in the meantime if things are tough for them feathering their own nests and ensuring the grandchildren’s care and education. We will also try to ‘age in place’ to keep our main property intact for them to share. They shouldn’t count on any of it too much though as we tell them things are crook and going to get more so the way this government is destroying the economy. Hefty taxation looms large on the downhill plunge.

Health is the thing that matters to us most now so that we can pay for all sorts of help in our home as we need it, including visiting aged and medical carers. As Hairy’s mother-in-law did in Britain until she died recently at 98, still living at home, and as my Aunt in Louisiana did, dying at home at 99. Not serious about it yet though. A sprightly Hairy, at 71, is not even interested in discussing it much. Once past 80, as I am, it does rather focus the mind. Luckily, my mind is pretty sharp still so youse can all count on that here. 🙂

Dot
Dot
July 26, 2023 1:10 pm

DOT I haven’t looked at the studies but it is obvious that smokers are generally not health conscious people. I’d like to see studies that focus on smokers who are health conscious.

There’s a lot in the latent variables.

That’s something else I am interested in, along with the history of smoking, obesity and so on.

Your 1 a day smoker who smoked a pack a day for 30 years and who has been obese for some time is different to a lean 23 year old 1 a day smoker of say five years since they turned 18.

Elizabeth (Lizzie) Beare
Elizabeth (Lizzie) Beare
July 26, 2023 1:11 pm

That suitcase will not pack itself. See ya.

Lysander
Lysander
July 26, 2023 1:12 pm

QandA still not making the top 20 evening ratings slot:

https://tvtonight.com.au/2023/07/tuesday-25-july-2023.html

It’s about time they binned it.

Zulu Kilo Two Alpha
Zulu Kilo Two Alpha
July 26, 2023 1:16 pm

That suitcase will not pack itself. See ya.

“Safe journey”, LizzieB.

Johnny Rotten
July 26, 2023 1:17 pm

Knuckle Dragger
Jul 26, 2023 12:22 PM

The Neanderthal was overtaken by the Homo Sapien.

– Bluebottle (of the Goons)

Roger
Roger
July 26, 2023 1:18 pm

A professor of sustainable tourism (yes, really) at Griffith University had written an op-ed at The Conversation complaining that stupid tourists have flocked to Rhodes and Corfu this summer despite climate change (northerners like heat…imagine that!)
and that the fires and resulting evacuations this summer will change that.

Not once in the entire article does she mention the likely role of arson.

Meanwhile, Rhodes will today heat a blistering 34 degrees celsius. With humidity at less than 50%, that would otherwise be quite pleasant beach weather.

.

Bruce in WA
July 26, 2023 1:18 pm

From the no-shit-Sherlock file:

Prominent criminal lawyer Mahmoud Abbas has been shot in what police believe was a targeted attack in Sydney’s west.

Emergency services were called to an address in Greenacre at 10.25am on Wednesday after reports of shots being fired.

The Daily Telegraph reported Mr Abbas suffered injuries to his torso and right leg in the attack.

Police understand the Mr Abbas was standing outside of a home when he was approached and shot by an unknown person.

He was treated on the scene by NSW Ambulance paramedics before being taken to hospital in a serious but stable condition.

A crime scene has been established, and while investigations are ongoing, it’s believed to be a targeted attack.

Johnny Rotten
July 26, 2023 1:19 pm

Archimedes was my ideal. I admired the works of artists, but to my mind, they were only shadows and semblances. The inventor, I thought, gives to the world creations which are palpable, which live and work.

– Nikola Tesla

JC
JC
July 26, 2023 1:19 pm

You gotta love this

Iranian “Hijab And Chastity” Official Under Fire Following Leak Of Gay Sex

A staunch advocate for mandatory hijab is Iranian “Hijab And Chastity” Official Under Fire Following Leak Of Gay Sex Tape
Yuliah Alma

A staunch advocate for mandatory hijab is under scrutiny after footage of him engaging in homosexual sex began to circulate on social media. Reza Tsaghati has since been dismissed from his role at the Gilan Islamic Education and Guidance Department.under scrutiny after footage of him engaging in homosexual sex began to circulate on social media.

Reza Tsaghati has since been dismissed from his role at the Gilan Islamic Education and Guidance Department.

In the immortal words of Marion Barry, DC mayor.

The bitch set me up

Lysander
Lysander
July 26, 2023 1:19 pm
Boambee John
Boambee John
July 26, 2023 1:20 pm

Johnny Rotten
Jul 26, 2023 12:36 PM
Ed “I don’t need no stinking evidence” Case has claimed more than once that Trump is on the “list.”

And as usual when asked for proof or links he goes silent.

And he has been silenced on here now. Probably ranting and raving somewhere else though. The Looney Bin, maybe.

He maintains a presence at CL’s blog (which is far from being a looney bin).

JC
JC
July 26, 2023 1:20 pm

Missing quotes

Sancho Panzer
Sancho Panzer
July 26, 2023 1:21 pm

One side effect of nicotine consumption is that it greatly enhances the ability of the human mind to rationalise behaviour.
A few years ago I developed an unfortunate condition (now fully cured fortunately).
A relative, who was a smoker, asked me what might have caused it.
“Well, the usual listed causes are obesity (not me), family history (again, nup), exposure to certain chemicals (that’s a maybe in my younger days), which indicates it was probably caused by smoking.”
“No it isn’t!” he shot back, almost as a reflex.
When I asked him how he knew that, he simply said that smoking only causes lung cancer (which this was not).
Very sciency.

Boambee John
Boambee John
July 26, 2023 1:23 pm

OldOzzie
Jul 26, 2023 12:49 PM
New proposal to turn off charging for electric cars during peak periods to ensure the grid can keep up with demand

. Queensland proposal sparks controversy
. Could become only state to exert control over in-home vehicle charging
. Critics claim it will reduce confidence in getting an EV

The enviros are going to tie themselves up in Gordian Knots over the contradiction between less electric power and more EVs.

Popcorn time?

Zulu Kilo Two Alpha
Zulu Kilo Two Alpha
July 26, 2023 1:23 pm

Who are these Elders and why are getting acknowledged?
I know: “because we stole their land”. But you can’t steal land from forest nomads anymore than you can from the bedouin. The Aborigines aspire to own our civilisation because they are totally jealous of everything we have achieved and it shames them to the core.

Quadrant magazine. Well said, that man.

Robert Sewell
July 26, 2023 1:24 pm
Sancho Panzer
Sancho Panzer
July 26, 2023 1:24 pm

He maintains a presence at CL’s blog (which is far from being a looney bin).

I assume his racist Tourettes is under control over there?

John H.
John H.
July 26, 2023 1:24 pm

Dot
Jul 26, 2023 1:10 PM
DOT I haven’t looked at the studies but it is obvious that smokers are generally not health conscious people. I’d like to see studies that focus on smokers who are health conscious.

There’s a lot in the latent variables.

That’s something else I am interested in, along with the history of smoking, obesity and so on.

Your 1 a day smoker who smoked a pack a day for 30 years and who has been obese for some time is different to a lean 23 year old 1 a day smoker of say five years since they turned 18.

To provide an example relevant to my current little project. I have accumulated a long list of references that zinc can play a role in preventing cancer and fighting tumours. There are many compounds that are likewise beneficial but the zinc and prostate cancer is particularly strong. I wasn’t expecting that.

Your obesity reference is particularly important because visceral fat can have a poor blood supply which leads to the release inflammatory mediators.

Hence my interest in health conscious smokers.

Sancho Panzer
Sancho Panzer
July 26, 2023 1:25 pm

Top ‘o de page.
Such as it is these days.

Sancho Panzer
Sancho Panzer
July 26, 2023 1:27 pm

Robert Sewell

Jul 26, 2023 1:01 PM

I’m Back!

Have you been away?

Sancho Panzer
Sancho Panzer
July 26, 2023 1:29 pm

Hence my interest in health conscious smokers.

Maybe the phrase is … “Hence my interest in smokers who are health conscious in other aspects of their lives.”

bons
bons
July 26, 2023 1:31 pm

Bullshit Sancho. Your irrational envy belittles you.
Where do you think peoples savings came from and what right do you have to dictate how peoples personal property will be disposed of.
There is something red lurking in the background ol’ comrade, or did you just not plan and sacrifice to ensure your future as the rest of us did..

Lysander
Lysander
July 26, 2023 1:33 pm

I only smoke to publicly demonstrate my affluence. 😛

Lysander
Lysander
July 26, 2023 1:38 pm

For astro Cats… there’s a “little” (30km wide) comet headed our way and could be visible to the naked eye next year:

https://www.astronomy.com/observing/comet-pons-brooks-just-had-an-outburst-heres-how-to-find-it/

Tom
Tom
July 26, 2023 1:43 pm

It’s instructive to learn how these people exploit social media, among other things.

More importantly, Dover, it’s instructive to find out they’ve been protected for decades by media organisations, especially taxpayer-funded organisations like the BBC and the ABC, who have not only protected pedophiles and homosexuals, but have also happily employed them while looking the other way as they committed crimes.

The pedophiles and homosexuals employed by the BBC and the ABC weren’t reported by their employers for the crimes they committing, but only after the fact when victims of those crimes involved the police.

Remember that the next time the ABC and the BBC attempt to cover up the crimes of their pedophile and homosexual past employees, who number in the dozens or hundreds.

Pedophiles and homosexuals went looking for employees that would shield them from the law and they found willing accomplices in the Australian and British governments.

Sancho Panzer
Sancho Panzer
July 26, 2023 1:47 pm

bons

Jul 26, 2023 1:31 PM

Bullshit Sancho. Your irrational envy belittles you.
Where do you think peoples savings came from and what right do you have to dictate how peoples personal property will be disposed of.

Err, no.
Quite happy for them to dispose of property as they wish.
It’s just when they put their hand out for a funded/subsidised place in aged care, they need to put the other hand in their pockets if they have the resources.

There is something red lurking in the background ol’ comrade, or did you just not plan and sacrifice to ensure your future as the rest of us did..

Did you read what I wrote? We are comfortably provided for thanks all the same for asking.
My latest butchers paper calcs have us living free of government aid well into our 90’s, if we last that long.
So nothing to do with envy.
I bracket codgers spongeing off the aged care system whilst holding property for inheritance with people working a cash job and collecting the dole.
And don’t give me the “they paid taxes all their lives” line.
The OAP and aged care benefits are a safety net, not a government run accumulation fund.
Although I am too polite to say it, whenever I hear that line, it is usually from someone who has been a yuuuge tax-eater all their life anyway.
The true “red lurking in the background” is the constant expectation that gummint should provide.

Tom
Tom
July 26, 2023 1:47 pm

Woops. Pedophiles and homosexuals went looking for employers that would shield them from the law …

Johnny Rotten
July 26, 2023 1:47 pm

He maintains a presence at CL’s blog (which is far from being a looney bin).

And the presence elsewhere is………could well be a ‘Looney Bin’. Good riddance anyway.

John H.
John H.
July 26, 2023 1:50 pm

Sancho Panzer
Jul 26, 2023 1:47 PM
bons

Jul 26, 2023 1:31 PM

Bullshit Sancho. Your irrational envy belittles you.
Where do you think peoples savings came from and what right do you have to dictate how peoples personal property will be disposed of.

Err, no.
Quite happy for them to dispose of property as they wish.
It’s just when they put their hand out for a funded/subsidised place in aged care, they need to put the other hand in their pockets if they have the resources.

There is something red lurking in the background ol’ comrade, or did you just not plan and sacrifice to ensure your future as the rest of us did..

Did you read what I wrote? We are comfortably provided for thanks all the same for asking.
My latest butchers paper calcs have us living free of government aid well into our 90’s, if we last that long.

Sancho you could take up smoking in your old age. That way you’ll burn through your wealth and die before it completely goes up in smoke.?

Crossie
Crossie
July 26, 2023 1:51 pm

Zulu Kilo Two Alpha
Jul 26, 2023 12:03 PM
Daily Mail.
ABC contributor Paul Bongiorno says Voice No campaigner Warren Mundine’s suicide confession is ‘hardly worth a second of sympathy’
Anybody imagine the uproar had one of the “NO” lobby made a similar comment about Noel Pearson, or Marcia Langton?

What is even more horrendous is that this man once studied to be a priest. Whoever turfed him out of the seminary knew what he was doing.

Johnny Rotten
July 26, 2023 1:56 pm

Lysander
Jul 26, 2023 1:38 PM
For astro Cats… there’s a “little” (30km wide) comet headed our way and could be visible to the naked eye next year:

Nice and thanks for that. Hopefully, April 2024 will have clear skies here.

As long as it’s not a 30km wide Asteroid on a direct path to planet Earth I will keep on having fun. If it was such an Asteroid, I would make sure to have as much fun as I possibly could.

John H.
John H.
July 26, 2023 2:01 pm

I kept digging and found this. How’s that zinc supplementation going men? The HRs are high enough to warrant caution.

Eur J Epidemiol
. 2022 Dec;37(12):1251-1260. doi: 10.1007/s10654-022-00922-0. Epub 2022 Nov 3.
Zinc supplement use and risk of aggressive prostate cancer: a 30-year follow-up study
Yiwen Zhang 1, Mingyang Song 2 3 4, Lorelei A Mucci 1, Edward L Giovannucci 5 6
Affiliations expand
PMID: 36326979 PMCID: PMC9630799 DOI: 10.1007/s10654-022-00922-0
Free PMC article
Abstract
Background: Zinc supplementation was hypothesized to have therapeutic potential against prostate cancer, but its influence on prostate cancer incidence especially at high doses is controversial.

Methods: A total of 47,240 men from the Health Professionals Follow-up Study were followed from 1986 to 2016. Men reported their zinc supplement use at baseline and biennially thereafter. Clinical features of prostate cancer included stage, grade, lethal and aggressive (T4 or N1 or M1 or Gleason 8-10) outcome. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards models were used to evaluate the association between zinc supplement use and incidence of prostate cancer.

Results: During a median follow-up of 28.3 years, we documented 6,980 incident prostate cancer cases including 1,053 lethal and 1,143 aggressive. Zinc supplement use was not associated with overall, localized, low- and intermediate-grade prostate cancer. However, compared to never-users, men who used supplement zinc more than 75 mg/day were at higher risk for lethal (HR: 1.76, 95% CI: 1.16-2.66, Ptrend = 0.001) and aggressive prostate cancer (HR: 1.80, 95% CI: 1.19-2.73, Ptrend = 0.006). Similarly, men who took supplemental zinc for 15 or more years had a higher risk for lethal (HR: 1.91, 95% CI: 1.28-2.85, Ptrend <0.001) and aggressive prostate cancer (HR: 1.55, 95% CI: 1.03-2.33, Ptrend = 0.004).

Conclusion: Zinc supplementation of more than 75 mg per day or over 15 years may substantially increase risk of lethal and aggressive prostate cancer. Caution is warranted regarding excessive usage of zinc supplements among adult men.

Johnny Rotten
July 26, 2023 2:01 pm

Lysander
Jul 26, 2023 1:33 PM
I only smoke to publicly demonstrate my affluence. ?

Morticia and do you mind if I smoke……….lol

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvx7Zq0W8dQ

Rabz
July 26, 2023 2:02 pm

I hope Ms. Rose is for the high jump and the sooner the better

She needs to do some serious gaol time.

Lysander
Lysander
July 26, 2023 2:03 pm

The Skeletor has urged voters to give Yes a chance.

She is another one who should never have been allowed to join the Libs…

Rosie
Rosie
July 26, 2023 2:03 pm

Not just studied, was a priest for a number of years until he meet then married a teacher at the local Catholic primary school.
I had a polite go at the Bong on twitter once for a very uncharitable remark about Catholic priests. He snarled at me but also deleted the comment.

Frank
Frank
July 26, 2023 2:04 pm

When I asked him how he knew that, he simply said that smoking only causes lung cancer (which this was not).
Very sciency.

Larry Pickering had a similar train of logic. People that don’t smoke can get cancer and so smoking cannot be the cause. He also thought eating red things combined with hemp oil was going to save him whereas his doctors were not.

Johnny Rotten
July 26, 2023 2:04 pm

Sancho you could take up smoking in your old age. That way you’ll burn through your wealth and die before it completely goes up in smoke.?

This is Mrs Stencho Pantyhose having a smoke – Or, going up in smoke –

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvx7Zq0W8dQ

Lysander
Lysander
July 26, 2023 2:05 pm

So, let’s talk about bias…

The Age, SMH and WA-Today are all reporting that Julie Bishop (sure, a former Minister) is asking people to vote yes.

But none of these outlets is reporting on John Howard (a former Prime Minister!) urging people to vote no.

Tom
Tom
July 26, 2023 2:05 pm

I only smoke to publicly demonstrate my affluence.

Thanks, Lysander. First laugh out loud for the day.

OldOzzie
OldOzzie
July 26, 2023 2:07 pm

John Howard reveals why the Voice referendum will be a spectacular failure for Australia: ‘Why are we doing this to ourselves?’

. John Howard slams Anthony Albanese for ‘banal generalisations’
. He also said Indigenous Minister Linda Burney is ‘ineffectual’

John Howard has predicted the upcoming referendum on the Indigenous Voice to Parliament will not only fail, but will ‘go down significantly’.

The former prime minister in an interview to mark his 84th birthday on Wednesday, said the Yes campaign has failed to explain how it will lead to better lives for Indigenous people.

‘I am affronted that there’s such deceit and there’s such an unwillingness to roll up your sleeves and explain what’s involved,’ Mr Howard told The Australian.

The nation’s second longest serving prime minister, who held office from 1996 to 2007, said major changes to the Constitution shouldn’t be attempted until a large majority is assured.

He believes that if the Voice did pass, it would just lead to stand-offs between the government of the day over policies affecting Indigenous Australians.

‘We must remain one people, living in one nation under one law which applies with equal force to all of us. If any proposal to amend the Constitution goes against this principle, it will not have my ­support.

‘I’m probably expressing the views of a lot of ordinary Australians in asking: why are we doing this to ourselves?’

The man who won four elections said that instead of, as he sees it, wasting millions of dollars on a referendum that won’t pass, both sides should be talking to each other to improve the lives of Indigenous people and putting them in the mainstream of society.

For Mr Howard, the greatest weakness in the Yes case is that people are not being told why an Indigenous Voice to Parliament is needed.

Mr Albanese got into an on-air row with 2GB’s Ben Fordham last week over whether the Voice would lead to a treaty and reparations, saying that is not what it is about.

Lysander
Lysander
July 26, 2023 2:07 pm

Furthermore, their ABC isn’t reporting on Howard either.

Yet, in February they were happy to report that a former Howard staffer was voting yes…

If and when “NO” wins, hopefully the media, corporates, sporting codes realise the Australian people aren’t as dumb as they want them to be…

Crossie
Crossie
July 26, 2023 2:07 pm

Robert Sewell
Jul 26, 2023 1:01 PM
I’m Back!

Glad you are back. I asked a few days ago if anyone knew where you were but there were no responses. Hope you had a nice break.

Bruce of Newcastle
Bruce of Newcastle
July 26, 2023 2:10 pm

The Age, SMH and WA-Today are all reporting that Julie Bishop (sure, a former Minister) is asking people to vote yes.

Quelle surprise. She’s plugged into the elites stratum like Seven of Nine in her cube collective.

Sancho Panzer
Sancho Panzer
July 26, 2023 2:12 pm

Sancho you could take up smoking in your old age. That way you’ll burn through your wealth and die before it completely goes up in smoke.?

Bwah ha ha ha.
Timing is everything as we age.
I re-watched a doco about Bernie Madoff recently, and started to think about the futility of Ponzi schemes.
I mean, the more successful they are, the faster they grow, bringing forward the inevitable collapse.
I got to thinking that there must be a sweet spot of declared earnings attractive enough to pull in the suckers, but not too outlandish, a level of new deposits outweighing withdrawals, such that the Ponzi implodes sometime after your 100th birthday.
I am going to get to work with the butcher’s paper.
In the meantime, if you could spare a cup of coffee …

Vicki
Vicki
July 26, 2023 2:13 pm

Re inheritance – the kids and grandkids can have the remnant super, the investments, the goods and chattels, the property – but only to the extent that we take our share of the rewards first.

Whilst it is a somewhat depressing issue, husband and I reckon it needs to be looked at as a result of the precarious times in which we live. The pandemic and its consequent travel restrictions and all the rest of the impositions really focussed our minds. Then add to this the prospective energy drought and control and more supply chain shortages. As a result we are determined to retain our rural property for the grandkids – even though they cannot themselves contemplate the importance it may have for their lives in the future. We may have to install a manager if the maintenance becomes beyond us within a decade, but it will hopefully remain as a refuge for them.

Tom
Tom
July 26, 2023 2:14 pm

The Skeletor has urged voters to give Yes a chance.
She is another one who should never have been allowed to join the Libs…

Julie Bishop is a perfect example of Groucho Marx’s self-sledge that he would never join a club that would have him as a member.

Anyone can join the SFLs with the predictable conclusion that they ended up being led by grifters like Malcolm Turnbull and Julie Bishop, who were (and evidently remain) for sale to the highest bidder.

H B Bear
H B Bear
July 26, 2023 2:14 pm

I bracket codgers spongeing off the aged care system whilst holding property for inheritance with people working a cash job and collecting the dole.
And don’t give me the “they paid taxes all their lives” line.

Boomernomics 101. Private savings loses that characterisation once you’re in the line at Centrelink.

local oaf
July 26, 2023 2:15 pm

John H

Conclusion: Zinc supplementation of more than 75 mg per day or over 15 years may substantially increase risk of lethal and aggressive prostate cancer. Caution is warranted regarding excessive usage of zinc supplements among adult men.

What does it mean when my zinc tabs say:

Zinc amino acid chelate (zinc 25mg) 125 mg.

Which of the numbers is the one to heed?

Lysander
Lysander
July 26, 2023 2:16 pm

Pope has sent a special envoy (a Cardinal who has also met with Zelensky and Russian head of Military) to meet with Biden and call for “de-escalation of war.”

He was apparently given a yeah, nah.

Bruce of Newcastle
Bruce of Newcastle
July 26, 2023 2:17 pm

As long as it’s not a 30km wide Asteroid on a direct path to planet Earth I will keep on having fun. If it was such an Asteroid, I would make sure to have as much fun as I possibly could.

Asteroids are so yesterday. This week it’s rogue planets.

Scientist admits there is a chance ‘wandering’ Planet X could smash into Earth (22 Jul)

Total guff, but I love the Express, they put the bloid into tabloid. If it bleeds it leads.

Crossie
Crossie
July 26, 2023 2:18 pm

Rabz
Jul 26, 2023 2:02 PM
I hope Ms. Rose is for the high jump and the sooner the better

She needs to do some serious gaol time.

Exactly, surely there are laws to protect your clients’ personal information even in a backward place like the UK. I bet she thought Farage was no longer a client so no longer protected by privacy laws. These people hav such an inflated view of themselves, pride even, and yet so little actual ability on which to base it.

Lysander
Lysander
July 26, 2023 2:18 pm

How do you reckon I would fare if I took my employer to court for not paying me in cash?

I never agreed or signed anything that said my money must be funneled through the klepto banks.

Mother Lode
Mother Lode
July 26, 2023 2:20 pm

Ed “I don’t need no stinking evidence” Case

Isn’t meant to be pronounce “steenkeeng”?

Lysander
Lysander
July 26, 2023 2:20 pm

Scientist admits there is a chance ‘wandering’ Planet X could smash into Earth (22 Jul)

Niburu is so 2010…

Robert Sewell
July 26, 2023 2:20 pm

Dot:

Quite a few of the “Russian” dead were shot by punishment battalions.

Not quite correct, Dot. Punishment Battalions were generally the ones pushed forward by the “Blocking Detachments” – generally KGB (Border Guard) Units.
IIRC the 10th NKVD Division held a ‘decisive’ position in the SW sector. Probably from the thousands of poor bugger Russians they forced into German/Romanian trench lines to make them use up their munitions.

Crossie
Crossie
July 26, 2023 2:21 pm

Rosie
Jul 26, 2023 2:03 PM
Not just studied, was a priest for a number of years until he meet then married a teacher at the local Catholic primary school.
I had a polite go at the Bong on twitter once for a very uncharitable remark about Catholic priests. He snarled at me but also deleted the comment.

I thought I saw it mentioned somewhere that Bongiorno is gay. Or was the teacher male?

Sancho Panzer
Sancho Panzer
July 26, 2023 2:22 pm

Rosie

Jul 26, 2023 2:03 PM

Not just studied, was a priest for a number of years until he meet then married a teacher at the local Catholic primary school.

Yes, he was.
I have a vague memory of him turning up as a relieving priest at our little parish when our regular Irish tub-thumper was off with liver troubles*.
Quite the sensation.
Affro hairdo, tailored jacket and arrived in a red sports car.
He tried unsuccessfully not to patronise the local peasants.
Family had successful retail businesses I think, so probably funded his lifestyle for the prestige of having a priest in the family.

* Pure speculation, but probably accurate.

Dr Faustus
Dr Faustus
July 26, 2023 2:22 pm

This change would let providers turn down or turn off power to connected vehicles during periods of high demand, and make Queensland the only Australian state or territory to do so.

Griffith University lecturer Anna Mortimore said she considered the state’s proposal ‘extraordinary and unbelievable’ as 80 per cent of electric vehicle charging was expected to occur in homes.

You can expect to use 40kWh to fully charge a modest EV from 20%. Depending on your daily use, on average an urban EVer might need to do this twice(?) a week. A typical home fast charger consumes ~7kWh – so you would be pulling 7kW for about 6 hours each time.

The reality is that EV charging is not a diversified load; most charging is going to be done in the evening, probably concentrated on Sunday and Wednesday.

A city like Meanjin has about 800,000 privately registered ICE cars. If (say) a modest 5% of that number are replaced in the near future by EV’s as per Shitweasel Bowen’s Masterplan, potentially up to 40,000 EV’s would be looking to charge at the same convenient time – which would be a beefy 280MW of instantaneous demand for 12 evening hours, centered on two days each week.

In fact, so beefy that the city distribution system likely couldn’t cope during peak demand. And – when the Meanjin experience is rinsed and repeated through the other car-infested cities attached to the NEM – the east coast grid will likely not have sufficient supply capacity during the summer months. If EV penetration tops 5%, it certainly won’t.

Unbelieving Griffith University lecturer Anna Mortimore will no doubt be able to provide a better technical solution than the same smart meters that are currently used to control large ‘off-peak’ household loads like swimming pools.

This may seem like policy being made up as we go along but be assured that Top Men have their hands on the levers.
No, really.

Lysander
Lysander
July 26, 2023 2:26 pm

Some good points in this article at Quadrant:

The aforementioned Dr Megan Davis is the co-author of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which was endorsed by the Rudd government in 2009. That endorsement has never been withdrawn so, arguably, it forms part of our common law. Article 19 of that Declaration states

States shall consult and cooperate in good faith with the indigenous peoples concerned through their own representative institutions in order to obtain their free, prior and informed consent before adopting and implementing legislative or administrative measures that may affect them.

John H.
John H.
July 26, 2023 2:32 pm

local oaf
Jul 26, 2023 2:15 PM
John H

Conclusion: Zinc supplementation of more than 75 mg per day or over 15 years may substantially increase risk of lethal and aggressive prostate cancer. Caution is warranted regarding excessive usage of zinc supplements among adult men.

What does it mean when my zinc tabs say:

Zinc amino acid chelate (zinc 25mg) 125 mg.

Which of the numbers is the one to heed?

Heed the length of time: 15 years. 25 mg, I doubt that is a problem. You probably don’t need to take it because zinc deficiency is uncommon. I posted that because with COVID people decided to go big time on zinc and with metals caution is warranted. This isn’t just about the prostate, high zinc and copper loading can damage the brain.

Bruce of Newcastle
Bruce of Newcastle
July 26, 2023 2:33 pm

Lysander – on more serious aspects of space defense there’s a nice science story today.

Swarm of boulders’ in space shows the gory aftermath of NASA’s asteroid-smashing DART mission (25 Jul)

Does seem to confirm that a lot of these critters are big conglomerations of not-very-well-consolidated rubble. Which would suggest a nice big nuke would turn one into a cloud of pebbles. It’ll be interesting to see what the metal asteroid Psyche looks like. Elon is due to launch the mission to that beastie on Oct 5 using a Falcon Heavy. Really do I hope everything works, could kick off some good golden age scifi style enthusiasm.

NASA nearing launch date for mission to metal-rich asteroid said to be worth quintillions (22 Jul)

Dr Faustus
Dr Faustus
July 26, 2023 2:34 pm

Robert Sewell
Jul 26, 2023 1:01 PM
I’m Back!

Cured of the XXXX palsy?

Mother Lode
Mother Lode
July 26, 2023 2:35 pm

Isn’t meant to be pronounce “steenkeeng”?

Isn’t it meant to be pronounced

Some grammar Nazi…

Robert Sewell
July 26, 2023 2:36 pm

Blac Ball:

The race-based referendum is exposing the true colours of some Yes advocates and it’s sadly one ugly spectacle.
They began the debate by smearing opponents of the Voice as “racist” while simultaneously playing the victim.
But the events of the past 48 hours represent a new low even by the Australian Left’s deplorably low standards.

If the Yes Vote goes through – and I’m reasonably confident it will, the lot of the camp Aboriginals will get worse.
Why?
Because the FauxAboriginals will try for more funding because the situation isn’t improving. As was said above, the poor buggers in the camps are just a tool and as the Left/Communists always do, they discard the tool when there’s no profit in it any more.

Zulu Kilo Two Alpha
Zulu Kilo Two Alpha
July 26, 2023 2:44 pm

Asking a favor. Anyone able to post a link to CL’s blog?

Lee
Lee
July 26, 2023 2:50 pm
Zulu Kilo Two Alpha
Zulu Kilo Two Alpha
July 26, 2023 2:53 pm
Rosie
Rosie
July 26, 2023 2:54 pm

No a woman, he has two daughters.

shatterzzz
July 26, 2023 2:57 pm

Just finished Philip Kerr’s 14th & final “Bernie Gunter” .. METROPOLIS .. goes back to the very beginnings of his plod career and a, fitting, tho late, lead -in for the “Berlin Noir”, March Violets, The Pale Criminal & A German Requiem ..
One of Kerr’s best and, sadly, the last before his early demise …….
If you like(d) the Bernie series then you’ll not want to miss Metropolis ……!
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2019/apr/04/metropolis-philip-kerr-review

John H.
John H.
July 26, 2023 3:01 pm

Robert Sewell
Jul 26, 2023 2:20 PM
Dot:

Quite a few of the “Russian” dead were shot by punishment battalions.

Not quite correct, Dot. Punishment Battalions were generally the ones pushed forward by the “Blocking Detachments” – generally KGB (Border Guard) Units.
IIRC the 10th NKVD Division held a ‘decisive’ position in the SW sector. Probably from the thousands of poor bugger Russians they forced into German/Romanian trench lines to make them use up their munitions.

There is a Russian movie about a penal battalion being required to clear mine fields with a blunt stick and sheer luck. They weren’t so lucky. Grim movie.

Lysander
Lysander
July 26, 2023 3:03 pm

NASA nearing launch date for mission to metal-rich asteroid said to be worth quintillions (22 Jul)

Thanks BoN.

It raises interesting questions that will challenge society as we know it. For example, if gold is the standard (and it has a certain value because of its rarity), what would happen if you stumbled across a 30km wide asteroid made of gold…

Lysander
Lysander
July 26, 2023 3:06 pm

I don’t watch Kenny anymore (as he’s morphing into a Julie Bishop) but accidentally stumbled across him just now…

He’s done an interview with Senator Antic who has found the Federal Government (some Department), spent over $1M on having twitter censor, block and suspend (accurate) tweets and users on Covid.

4,000 tweets (!) were deleted!!!

Speedbox
July 26, 2023 3:08 pm

Palacechook wants 50% of cars to be EV by 2030. This would mean about 2,800MW draw if those cars were charging simultaneously. 2800MW is about a third of Qld’s total generating capacity meaning there isn’t a lot left over for residential and whatever business is working after, say, 6 pm. If the same scenario was replicated in other national grid states, nothing had better go wrong because there will be bugger all capacity available. Very fine balance – wafer thin.

thefrollickingmole
thefrollickingmole
July 26, 2023 3:09 pm

Bruce

Cant be a Malthusian miserabalist if you have a solar systems worth of resources available.
It’s the greenies nightmare- abundance of resources.

Bruce of Newcastle
Bruce of Newcastle
July 26, 2023 3:11 pm

Lysander – I suspect Psyche will be nickel-iron. Which would make it a gigantic stainless steel ball bearing floating in space.

Lysander
Lysander
July 26, 2023 3:13 pm

Oppenheimer looks like a good flick… is it out in Australia yet?

Tintarella di Luna
Tintarella di Luna
July 26, 2023 3:14 pm

That is why I put last night’s ashes from my (evil) wood burning fire on my garden!

We had a combustion stove and mum always dug the ashes into the vegetable garden. The eggplants, zucchini, capsicums, radicchio and all manner of veggies grew very very well. The original recyclers knew how things worked without uni degrees and ‘experts’. My illiterate dad maintained people when went to university came out knowing less than when they went in.

Lysander
Lysander
July 26, 2023 3:15 pm

Peter Schweizer went on with Jesse Watters on Monday night where he proceeded to drop another bomb on the Biden Crime Family.

According to Schweizer, who wrote a best-seller “Secret Empires” on the Biden Family crimes, told Jesse that one of Vlodomyr Zelensky’s top officials was sitting in the room when they were discussing bribing the Bidens, Joe and Hunter.

Ukrainian President Zelensky has a top official who was sitting in on meetings where they talked about bribing the Bidens.

Schweizer suggests Zelensky is using this as leverage over the Biden regime for weapons and billions in US dollars.

Lysander
Lysander
July 26, 2023 3:17 pm

El Salvador’s President has reduced crime by 92%.

He tweeted this, this morning:

Almost every government in the world is 10x to 1000x stronger than all of its criminals combined.

The reason they don’t end crime is because they are colluded with it, or because they benefit from it.

thefrollickingmole
thefrollickingmole
July 26, 2023 3:21 pm

$250 per post to remove.

I can shitpost longer than they can budget for.

Tom
Tom
July 26, 2023 3:24 pm

Anyone able to post a link to CL’s blog?

CL (https://thecurrencylad.com/) is Australia’s best thinker on moral questions, so, of course, he’s a blogger and doesn’t work for the mainstream media.

Journalism these days is produced by university colleges — not on-the-job training, which started disappearing about 50 years ago.

Yet, if you speak to any newspaper editor at any level, they will complain about a) the poor level of literacy coming out of journalism schools; b) that journalism graduates are big on radical opinions learned in college textbooks, but short of research skills and knowledge of how the real world works; c) journalism graduates are nothing like the audiences they’re writing for and therefore have zero empathy for common problems like the current cost-of-living crisis.

As I have written here before, 99% of journalists are political activists who vote for the Greens or Labor and look down on their readers. Such people have little empathy for their audience and instead barrack for fashionable political causes that increase the cost to families — like the junk science of climate change, now being used to make electricity unaffordable, and Big Government, which is strangling the free market with its myriad new rules, regulations and taxes.

Discerning consumers are right to turn to the internet for their news and to sites like CL’s for clarity on the big moral issues of the times.

Lysander
Lysander
July 26, 2023 3:24 pm

So, I made a joke yesterday about Hillary’s Chef drowning and then Obama’s Chef drowning, about a conspiracy…

Well, things have turned weird… Michael and Barack claimed, yesterday, they weren’t at home but evidence has come out today that they were.

Why would you lie about that?

Lysander
Lysander
July 26, 2023 3:26 pm

CL (https://thecurrencylad.com/) is Australia’s best thinker on moral questions, so, of course, he’s a blogger and doesn’t work for the mainstream media.

Totally concur, unreservedly.

H B Bear
H B Bear
July 26, 2023 3:27 pm

Chappaquidick with lobster.

Delta A
Delta A
July 26, 2023 3:31 pm

thefrollickingmole
Jul 26, 2023 12:36 PM

The other option is care for them yourself.

Certainly the best option, but not always possible, for a variety of reasons.

It is working out very well for us, mainly because we all have our own sizeable space and we all have our delegated chores,ie, feed chickens, empty dishwasher, water plants. Most importantly, we all get along very well together and any potential friction is addressed and settled quickly.

But the major benefit of our arrangement is just recently becoming apparent, with the decline of our dear house buddy. Daughter and SiL are adamant that she shall remain home and they, with our support, will look after her to the end. At first, the doctor grumbled and tried to change their minds, but he soon came around and set into place a most extraordinary palliative process.

This began with a 3 hour visit from a palliative care nurse who outlined everything they needed to know about end of life care, including the use of drugs for relief of pain or agitation, and the operation of an oxygen machine. The drugs (Medazilon, etc) are provided in dose sized syringes to be inserted into the canula which the nurse fitted. She left with the assurance that help was available 24/7, with just a phone call.

Since then, nurses have visited regularly, assisting with bed baths and other relevant issues. Yesterday, the nurse expressed concern about pressure spots and said she would order a bed with a computer controlled air mattress which redistributes the body weight. That arrived at 10.00 am this morning.

I am amazed at the extent of help available to families who want to care for ederly parents. OTOH, the cost of this would be a mere fraction of the cost of a palliative program in hospital or aged care setting. It seems that at least one govt sector has got it right.

thefrollickingmole
thefrollickingmole
July 26, 2023 3:38 pm

DeltaA

We were setting this up for a resident to try and let her die at home.
Unfortunately she died a bit too quick, but palatine care were extremely forthcoming and I think 3 weeks would have seen us fully set up.

Worth exploring for sure.

Sancho Panzer
Sancho Panzer
July 26, 2023 3:39 pm

Dr Faustus

Jul 26, 2023 2:34 PM

Robert Sewell
Jul 26, 2023 1:01 PM
I’m Back!

Cured of the XXXX palsy?

No treatment.
No cure.
No hope.
Terminal.

Boambee John
Boambee John
July 26, 2023 3:42 pm

Sancho Panzer
Jul 26, 2023 1:24 PM
He maintains a presence at CL’s blog (which is far from being a looney bin).

I assume his racist Tourettes is under control over there?

Partially. His obsessions with Mizzz Knickerless and the Labor Party remain active.

Boambee John
Boambee John
July 26, 2023 3:48 pm

Crossie
Jul 26, 2023 1:51 PM
Zulu Kilo Two Alpha
Jul 26, 2023 12:03 PM
Daily Mail.
ABC contributor Paul Bongiorno says Voice No campaigner Warren Mundine’s suicide confession is ‘hardly worth a second of sympathy’
Anybody imagine the uproar had one of the “NO” lobby made a similar comment about Noel Pearson, or Marcia Langton?

What is even more horrendous is that this man once studied to be a priest. Whoever turfed him out of the seminary knew what he was doing.

He graduated, became a priest, and remained one for some years. During that time, he shared a presbytery with the odious Ridsdale, and managed to keep his eyes wide shut during that period. He was a true Sergeant Schultz in that matter, and being a leftard, got the soft soap treatment.

Johnny Rotten
July 26, 2023 3:49 pm

As I have written here before, 99% of journalists are political activists who vote for the Greens or Labor and look down on their readers. Such people have little empathy for their audience and instead barrack for fashionable political causes that increase the cost to families — like the junk science of climate change, now being used to make electricity unaffordable, and Big Government, which is strangling the free market with its myriad new rules, regulations and taxes.

Finding a journalist today is like finding hen’s teeth or rocking horse shite. No where to be found apparently.

Frank
Frank
July 26, 2023 3:53 pm

Oppenheimer looks like a good flick… is it out in Australia yet?

No spoilers please, I don’t know how it ends yet.

Sancho Panzer
Sancho Panzer
July 26, 2023 3:54 pm

God.
Just had a random playlist on.
“Horse With No Name” came up.
It may not be the most banal song ever written, it has to be top ten.

Zulu Kilo Two Alpha
Zulu Kilo Two Alpha
July 26, 2023 3:54 pm

From the Hun. Only in Dan Andrew’s Victoria….

Government MP continues to pocket $250k for Comm Games role

A government MP whose main role was to assist with the Commonwealth Games is still receiving additional pay despite the event being scrapped.

Johnny Rotten
July 26, 2023 3:55 pm

Lysander
Jul 26, 2023 3:13 PM
Oppenheimer looks like a good flick… is it out in Australia yet?

Already released. Please take note. Jerk Off Cretin gave the film a review many daze ago.

Boambee John
Boambee John
July 26, 2023 4:00 pm

Zulu Kilo Two Alpha
Jul 26, 2023 2:44 PM
Asking a favor. Anyone able to post a link to CL’s blog?

thecurrencylad.com

Crossie
Crossie
July 26, 2023 4:02 pm

As I have written here before, 99% of journalists are political activists who vote for the Greens or Labor and look down on their readers. Such people have little empathy for their audience and instead barrack for fashionable political causes that increase the cost to families

How can they have any familiarity with, or sympathy for, the average person when they are mostly the children of doctors’ wives?

Johnny Rotten
July 26, 2023 4:03 pm

From the Hun. Only in Dan Andrew’s Victoria….

Government MP continues to pocket $250k for Comm Games role

A government MP whose main role was to assist with the Commonwealth Games is still receiving additional pay despite the event being scrapped.

Why expect anything else in Sictoria where the Voters and Taxpayers are treated like mushrooms – kept in the dark and fed on BS.

Crossie
Crossie
July 26, 2023 4:04 pm

Today I heard Twitter referred to as Ex-Twitter. I know it would have been written as X Twitter it still made me smile.

Boambee John
Boambee John
July 26, 2023 4:05 pm

thefrollickingmole
Jul 26, 2023 3:09 PM
Bruce

Cant be a Malthusian miserabalist if you have a solar systems worth of resources available.
It’s the greenies nightmare- abundance of resources.

Some years ago a misanthropic greenie described human access to cheap, clean electricity as being a dangerous as handing a loaded machine gun to a child. They will do anything to prevent that.

Vicki
Vicki
July 26, 2023 4:07 pm

I am amazed at the extent of help available to families who want to care for ederly parents. OTOH, the cost of this would be a mere fraction of the cost of a palliative program in hospital or aged care setting. It seems that at least one govt sector has got it right.

What an encouraging development. And so kinder to the failing one.

Delta A
Delta A
July 26, 2023 4:07 pm

We were setting this up for a resident to try and let her die at home.

It is indeed an excellent service. Is it a relatively new program? I had heard nothing about it, hence my amazement when all this help and equipment turned up.

It certainly isn’t advertised widely. Can’t say the same about euthanasia.

H B Bear
H B Bear
July 26, 2023 4:07 pm

Partially. His obsessions with Mizzz Knickerless and the Labor Party remain active.

Nothing some professional aversion therapy couldn’t deal with.

Robert Sewell
July 26, 2023 4:07 pm

Johanna:
About the redcycling thing and the difficulties of recycling. Years ago in the paint factory, the boss had a standing request with all the factories in the street – we would collect all the polystyrene packing, which took up valuable room in the industrial bins and bung it into a 44 of solvent.
IIRC, the solvent was Methyl Ethyl Ketone, and toluene plus a couple of others (This detail for the Industrial Chemists).
When enough had been dissolved it was sent to a machinery company and spray painted onto a piece of machinery to be delivered. The strippable coating could be coloured to customer desires. The new owner would just strip off the coating which now occupied about one percent of the original polystyrene.
Great for bulk equipment that often stood outside in the elements.

Tom
Tom
July 26, 2023 4:08 pm

Yes, Sancho at 3.54pm, but have you been through the desert on a horse with no name?

A lot of acid was dropped 50 years ago coming up with meaningless lyrics like that.

They were popular with people who considered pointlessness a career path — the same hippies now designing Australia’s pointless electricity grid.

Boambee John
Boambee John
July 26, 2023 4:10 pm

… as dangerous …

Kneel
Kneel
July 26, 2023 4:28 pm

” Which would suggest a nice big nuke would turn one [an asteroid] into a cloud of pebbles.”

You realise, of course, that it is a Hollywood myth that doing this somehow “saves” us from the effects.
Neither mass nor velocity would be significantly affected, unless you managed to explode the nuke beside it, such that you altered the trajectory of the rubble enough that most of it missed Earth (at least, this time around).
Given the mass involved, that would mean you’d need to detonate the nuke probably several AU from Earth – we don’t have the ability to do this AFAIK. We likely couldn’t send that many nukes even to an object in low Earth orbit, let alone beyond the orbit of Mars.
If it all still hits the planet, then we would get lots of little “hits” instead of one big one – do you really think that 1,000 hits of 25MT equivalent spread around is that much better than 1 hit of 25GT? The power density is lower, but the total energy is the same. Either case would likely send us back to the stone age for all intents and purposes.

Frank
Frank
July 26, 2023 4:32 pm

“been through the desert on a horse with no name”

It’s an ode to heroin isn’t it, like Golden Brown by the stranglers.

Johnny Rotten
July 26, 2023 4:32 pm

The CDBD Crisis of 2025

QUESTION:

1. Due to the draconian rules the US digital currency shall operate under, would you consider the coming US digital currency to be the worst form of currency—worst store of value—worst asset to hold, and if so would it be better to get entirely out of cash before the US Dollar is canceled and the digital currency introduced?
2. When the US Dollar is canceled, will the entire value of all bank and brokerage accounts be automatically converted by banks and brokerage firms to the new digital currency?
3. Do you think there will be draconian rules, such as digital ID’s, instituted to be able to access the internet in 2025 to be able to access and cash out of bank and brokerage accounts?
4. What use will it be to invest in anything post 2024 if money in brokerage and bank accounts automatically becomes digital currency subject to draconian rules with draconian rules to access or take possession of the funds in one’s bank or brokerage account?
5. In the interview you did on May 20th you mentioned “they” are talking about bank bail-in’s. Aside from bank accounts, could bail-in’s be done from people’s brokerage accounts?
6. If one does not “opt in” to the new digital currency and if every legal financial transaction from the point the US introduces the digital currency must be made via the new digital currency, how will one be able to pay their taxes and property tax and will such a person lose their house and their assets be confiscated for not paying their taxes and property tax if they choose not to take part in the digital currency, digital ID and digital health pass?
7. Do you think inheritance will come under rules so draconian that sane children would prefer to forgo their inheritance rather than opt into anything that could harm their health and limit their freedom? Or do you think “they” will just abolish inheritance altogether?
Would you recommend putting all assets and accounts in one’s children’s names now, to avoid this possible scenario as far as it can be avoided?
8. During World War 3, if the US gets nuked or if at any time in the future there is an EMP attack or a severe cyber-attack and the grid goes down for an extended period of time, what shall become of bank and brokerage accounts?

Thank You Sir

ANSWER: Undoubtedly, this entire scheme of digital currencies will be the death of Western Civilization. The Founding Fathers prohibited Direct Taxation which was repealed during the Marxist movement toward creating the Income Tax. Once the income tax was imposed, the government then needed to know everything you did. That is why the Founding Fathers prohibited any form of direct taxation. Now even a journalist, if he fails to comply with the demands of the government, is targeted by the IRS. This allows them to go after anyone unless you are the son of a senile president who does as he is told. So yes, this will be the WORST currency in human history and it will be the final nail in the coffin of freedom.

They will most likely cancel all currencies AFTER the US 2024 election. It will need to be coordinated to prevent capital flight. Whatever is in bank accounts or brokerage accounts will be re-denominated in the new digital currency. The IMF is pushing hard to replace the dollar with its version. The likelihood of the collapse of the IMF and world institutions will probably arrive in 2031.

Big Tech will comply. They are already stripping us of our freedom of speech. This will become IMPERATIVE to oppress all freedom in hopes that they can establish this new totalitarian state which is the dream of Klaus Schwab and his band of merry thieves at the World Economic Forum. So the Internet will be highly monitored and restricted.
The point of investments post-2024 will be to hold on to tangible assets. They will make the transition from one currency to the next.

GlennAs far as bail-in’s being applied to people’s brokerage accounts the answer is yes. That was already done by Judge Martin Glenn who presided over M.F. Global bankruptcy and created the first BAIL-IN without Congressional Authority. He was the first one to engage in FORCED LOANS by abandoning the rule of law to help the bankers and protect Corzine from losses by taking client accounts to cover M.F. Global’s losses. That is no different from what we saw in Cyprus. He simply allowed the confiscation of client funds when in fact, the rule of law should have been that the bankers were responsible and M.F. Global’s losses, and it should have been reversed. Never should the client’s funds be taken for M.F. Global’s losses to the NY Bankers.
You will have NO “opt out” avenue. Taxes and commerce will all be digital. This is why they are pushing 5G in order to create instant transfers to enable them to replace cash transactions.

Regarding inheritance, the LEFT is also ready to push behind the curtain that upon death, everything should belong to the state. I fear this will only unleash civil war. Nevertheless, there is the crazy leftist in Australia proposing just that. It is unfair for one person to have wealth and another nothing. Concerning putting all assets and accounts in one’s children’s names now, avoiding this possible scenario as far as it can be avoided carries tremendous risk. It all depends on your country. When I bought a house 30 years ago, I simply added my children’s names. Today, you can’t do that, for it becomes taxable to them.
While we cannot rule out tactical nuclear weapons, the risk of an EMP attack will be devastating. That will wipe out the economy and take down the internet. The prospect of whatever you have in an account could simply vanish. That is one primary reason I am against the whole crypto-CBDC agenda, for in times of war, an EMP could devastate an adversary. I think this simply warns you should have some old silver coins pre-1965.”

https://www.armstrongeconomics.com/world-news/cryptocurrency/the-cdbd-crisis-of-2025/?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=RSS

bespoke
bespoke
July 26, 2023 4:34 pm

Whilst it is a somewhat depressing issue, husband and I reckon it needs to be looked at as a result of the precarious times in which we live. The pandemic and its consequent travel restrictions and all the rest of the impositions really focussed our minds.

Vicki, This is a clinical money grab by a government with spending problem relying on envy for support.
I don’t care what boomers do with the equity. Spend, give it away burn it just don’t feed the moster it never is satisfied.

Johnny Rotten
July 26, 2023 4:38 pm

The illegal we do immediately. The unconstitutional takes a little longer.

– Henry Kissinger

Bruce in WA
July 26, 2023 4:39 pm

A lot of acid was dropped 50 years ago coming up with meaningless lyrics like that.

Yeah, not like when I was a kid. We had some truly D&M lyrics back then!

“Yummy, yummy, yummy
I’ve got love in my tummy …”

Barking Toad
Barking Toad
July 26, 2023 4:41 pm

Spot on Boambee @ 03:48.

A vile person.

Robert Sewell
July 26, 2023 4:43 pm

Indolent:
Jul 26, 2023 9:17 AM
Meme
Unless it involves instruments that are hot, and instruments that are sharp, and hot instruments that can be made sharp and vice versa, with the chance to appreciate the difference*, then it’s not not really worth it is it?
*Gratuitous reference to Nivens Kzinti Wars.

Black Ball
Black Ball
July 26, 2023 4:45 pm

In Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid noos, Hun:

Two chimpanzees that escaped from a zoo in Colombia have been shot dead, police said.

The powerful primates escaped from the Ukumari Biopark in the western city of Periera. Several hours into the escape, police said they found the male chimp Pancho about 2.5km from the zoo, alone. He was shot after he appeared to lunge for a zookeeper among the rescue team, police said.

“There was an imminent need to act to safeguard the life of the park official,” said a police official, who added that an order had been issued to shoot in case of an attack, rather than using tranquiliser darts.

Chita, a female who escaped with Pancho, was killed near the park.

I should maybe change it to Bonnie and Clyde noos, but the headline ‘Chimps Die For Freedom’ had me intrigued then in laughter upon reading said article.
Reckon Chita was the protagonist in this sorry affair.

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