Bowen is not a human. He is a mere mathematical operation in a larger and more cynical political equation. Oh…
Open Thread – Wed 4 Oct 2023
Pope Set To Hold Press Conference on Aliens and the SupernaturalHe doesn’t appear to be on the same planet as…
WITH YOU on that GreyRanga. Could not love mine more. They tolerate my idiosyncrasies far more than daughter or friends.…
What what did the post contribute? That driving in Portugal is unpleasant and has particular perils? All outlined specifically. I…
I’m surprised Fake diggeynous bwuce the goothse pascoe hasn’t claimed the diggies were playing gayfl for thousands of years.
Gary Varvel.
@michaelmalice
In propaganda-based regimes, pointing out lies is far more frowned upon and downright dangerous than lying itself
·
Hersh has published a column on Milley.
Usually he puts a decent teaser out with the rest paywalled.
Not so this time.
We’ll have to wait until ZeroHedge blows it up.
Sancho you left out the cost of running a freezer in potatonomics.
If running solar panels and things are so desperate, then why not cook and eat your main meal in the middle of the day when your electricity is free.
Incidentally instant mashed potatoes have no water content, obviously, so not dollar for dollar with fresh potatoes.
It’s happening, anons.
Some mad lads actually nominated Trump for US House of Reps Speaker.
If Biden and Harris get forced out then he’s next in line and the House confirms him.
The two term rule is actually a “less than two and a half terms” rule.
It’s happening, buckle up normies!
Ant! Time to get on the Trump train!
It’s happening, anons.
Custard was right all along.
This blog was off the pace.
That magnificent bastard.
NZ set to join the Australian submarine insanity.
A likely kingmaker in next week’s New Zealand election will push the new government to join Australia, Britain and the US in their defence technology alliance, warning potential coalition partners that their country cannot give up a future with AUKUS in fear of China.
David Seymour, the leader of New Zealand’s libertarian ACT party, is on track to enter government with the centre-right National party after the October 14 election and possibly be the next finance minister, as he campaigns to double the defence budget.
WTF.
As I remember it, there was a lot of to-ing and fro-ing during McCarthy’s election to speakership during which he must have made promises to the freedom caucus to get over the line. If he honoured those promises he would still be the speaker today. What arrogance to think he could give a finger to his own members forever. The next speaker needs to factor in the same because the game has changed. This is a great win for Republican voters and that’s why all the vapours by the usual suspects.
he must have made promises to the freedom caucus to get over the line.
He did.
They released a range of what he agreed to.
I’m sure there were other things agreed to that weren’t documented.
I reckon it was the electoral funding that caused this to come to a head (even though it impacted Gaetz the least of all current sitting GOP house members).
Gaetz is copping a lot of flak for getting into bed with Democrats to depose a Republican speaker but it’s the other way around, Democrats have helped him to start keeping the Republican bastards honest. I don’t think they saw it as such but they couldn’t pass up an opportunity to get rid of a Republican speaker, even one who was happy to give them what they want. Democrats are the scorpion, it’s their nature.
Outstanding footage of Lidia in her presser yesterday.
Wearing shades to cover up the swollen capilliaries in the mince pies, it is apparently everyone else’s fault that not enough was done to ‘protect’ her from a clip of a bloke in disguise burning the indig flag*.
She genuinely thinks she’s a latter-day Luther King, or at least a Malcolm X.
*Probably not a false-flagger designed to build unwarranted sympathy^.
^Wait, wait.
Every day, Lidia becomes more awesome.
Grampian nazis need to know that if they strike her down she will become more powerful than they can imagine.
Goooood Morning, dinosaurs!
I identify as a lithe and agile plesiosaur. Lurking just below the surface waiting for your camera battery to run out.
Rosa Thorpe meets bus.
Disappointing that the Neo Nastie vid was shot in the dark.
No breathtaking views of the Grampians or the Harleys outside the clubhouse.
Lidia Thorpe is spruiking “No”.
She gets very fruity and dayglo threats from an anonymous “nazi” with a handy balaclava and firepit.
Yet “No” voters are being blamed. Anyone spot an obvious problem with their accusation?
A cunning plan Calli
“…a plan so cunning you could put a tail on it and call it a weasel”
Lidia had best tread very carefully, and use her ‘blak army’ to its best advantage.
My sources indicate a small amount of polonium 210 has gone missing from the lab in Deakin.
“Blak army” is just code for bikie mates.
What an ornament she is to Parliament.
I had a chat with an advisor to a MP who summed up her mental state “Lidia has her good days and bad days”
Lidia Thorpe. I predict a Jussie Smollett maga type event.
Remember how the press laughed off Pauline Hanson’s “If you’re watching this video, I’ve been assassinated”?
Daylesford. Frigging Daylesford, of all places.
Some woman from Daylesford won $60 million in Powerball.
I have no idea why someone who runs either a B&B, scatter cushion boutique or antique shop* needs $60 mill.
*The town’s only apparent industries.
The “Come back and fight youse fkn weak pin-dicks” outside the strip club at 3:00 AM incident?
Which column did that go in?
You mean the Deakin Nuland-Burgess-Zelensky Biolab & Telephony Exchange, squire.
Clearly born a man.
Now will hang out in Woodend in a Ferrari “to be seen”.
I can only dare to dream that someone will plant a cream-based crepe into Ms Thorpe’s face, in the manner delivered to the NT Chief Minister the other day.
Years’ worth of entertainment. The cream was white, you see.
It is funny the sudden infestation of Nazis that only seem to coalesce into existence when progressive causes are in trouble.
They never appear anywhere to agitate for their own agenda. There are no marches in the street demanding
racial laws…whatever. No posters going up. No sabotage.Neo-Nazis exist. Pig ignorant ideologues. I suspect their intellectual opposites are the same. Your average Neo-Nazi would know probably little more than the superiority of the ‘white race’, and some carefully re-spun anecdotes about prominent actual Nazis. They might have some ideas of racial theory. They would know nothing about the the economics of Nazi Germany, its politics, probably don’t rankle at the idea that their government would lie to them with propaganda to make them act in a way the truth would not. etc.
Just like progressives!
Lidia should talk to Bruce Pascoe and find out which First Nation invented the bullet-proof possum skin cloak.
And still no Nazi tattoos on that very white flesh? You would think at least a pen drawn one would have had a nice effect.
so you are paying a cheap price for a cheap service, and you are complaining?
I haven’t looked much into the GOP Gaetz meltdown but when I read in the Oz, or I watch on Sky News and I see that the usual moronic suspects, be it Karl Rove, Dribbler Sheridan and Andrew Blot are castigating Gaetz and his GOP rebels for causing mayhem in Washington, I think Gaetz must have done something right.
You see, I’ve come to the conclusion that politics cannot continue in the way it has. I don’t know whether Gaetz is a good guy or a bad buy but in order for change to happen, we first need chaos to reign, be it in London, Canberra or Washington.
Last night I had a conversation with an old friend who lives in Canberra. She’s a senior bureaucrat (who will be voting a big NO), she’s someone who gone from being pretty left-wing to being “soft” right, she’s still not quite there when it comes to Trump, populism, chaos and the right. Last night, on the phone to me, she described herself a ‘classic conservative’. I laughed and responded, ‘well that was me ten years ago, now I am someone who wants everything to go up in smoke’. She then accused me of being an ‘anarchist’, to which I responded, ‘you know what, I now might be an anarchist of sorts’.
All I know is that our politics, particularly the numerous right-wing parties across the West, all need to go up in smoke, and I will dance on and around the ashes of those parties. They serve zero purpose, they swindle us. As C.L. so perfectly described on his blog yesterday, the GOP, the Liberals and the UK Conservatives, before elections talk the big talk about ‘strong borders, lower taxes, parental rights, law and order, but then after the election, it’s three, four and five more years of left-wing extremism.”
This has to stop.
Up until very recently the service from Defence Health was excellent.
Mismanagement is not necessarily a function of premiums.
It comes at any price.
At the prices we’re paying, quadruple it. Newport News and General Dynamics are like carnies over here.
We’re being treated like kids at a sideshow alley. $25 for a kebab. $387 bn for five subs.
Hold onto your prick when you negotiate with these caravan people.
are you sancho’s PhD supervisor ?
Chaos is a ladder Cassie.
Federalism Is Working – Pushing Back Against Weaponization, The Potemkin Village in DC Is Not
October 5, 2023 | Sundance
As we rightly stop the cycle of Battered Conservative Syndrome, here’s a concrete reality we can all understand easily.
Like a tramp stamp, there’s a strong toothless bogan culture around Castlemaine, just out of view and away from the purple scented dildo diorama of the main drag show.
It’s just possible that one of the Hepburn Springs types picked up the sixty million and will be spending it on Pies memorabilia.
Salzburg is in a river valley surrounded by three tall mountains, some cliffs and rolling hills. Today we drove 25km out of town to visit the Salzburg Celtic museum situated in a reinvented old industrial town, rather well done, in Durrnberg which Hairy calls Salt Central, where a lot of the old salt mines were. Not a lot of it was in English, although quite a good timeline from the Neolithic was, and some of the ground floor exhibits. There was a very large repro statue of the famous one called The Dying Celt, where a fierce warrior is holding his wife he’s just stabbed to death and is applying the sword to his own upper chest. That just about sums up the Celts and Rome. The upper floors had later Celtic material, when Celtica was influenced a lot by Rome and Mediterranean culture but the descriptors only occasionally broke out into English.
Lunch as a cafe there by the river, omelette and salad.
We’ve just returned from a superb evening at the castle palace which sits on a high hill overlooking Salzburg. We’d booked a dinner and Mozart concert combo, and decided to get a cab to the furnicular which takes you up to the castle, swanning along through the Old Town in a big black limo with classical music playing, a very good start to it all. Up in the furnicular and then a tour through the castle, past the canon range, and up into the Rooms of State. A lift for some of the way but also a lot of old marbled stairs.
At dinner we had a window seat in the dining room. Lucky us, I said. Not luck, said Hairy, I paid for this window position. Oh. The aperitif, meal and wine were all top quality dining, and then I noticed a cake being served for desert. The menu says Souflee, I say in disappointment. Just wait, ye of little faith, says Hairy, and soon in comes a magnificant Souflee for us. The three points on it represented the three mountains of Salzburg, says our waiter. Told you, says Hairy. The cake is for Business Class. We are in First Class, Soufflee Class up here. We polished off all three mountains and went to an 18th century music room to hear some Mozart, which I though was like a fairyland, so many sparklingly perfect notes flew around in dizzying succession.
As I have been feeling a bit dizzy for the last few days there may have been some element of that in it too. I’ve checked Dr. Google and I think I’ve had some symptoms of altitude sickness – unpleasant dizziness, insomnia, occasional mild nausea, headache, swollen fingers – so we have agreed to go over to Trieste via a longer way which doesn’t go over any more mountain heights. Not to worry, it is all getting better now but I am determined to keep off any more Alps. Perils of travel.
Salzburg. Beautiful little town.
Many do not know that Salz meaning salt, burg meaning large ice. Hence salty ice. Inspiring an Unknown Jimmy Buffet whilst dining on a pretzel to come up with Margaritaville and lost shake of salt. Follow me for me strange histories.
The elevation of Salzburg is lower than … Daylesford.
Well under 1,000 metres.
I don’t think you’ve got altitude sickness Lizzie.
“Mate”
@tigertuffmark
Cardiac arrest incidents are at the highest recorded levels ever in Victoria, anyone know why.
Citizen Free Press
@CitizenFreePres
CBS when he’s white. CBS when he’s black.
The Potatonomics thesis will write itself.
So many angles to this.
But we all know solar isn’t free.
How do you amortise your panel costs into the potatoes?
So many questions.
We need someone who is good at maths.
…
No, not you.
How well do pretzels freeze, and can they be mashed?
We can see exactly where this is going.
Emerald Robinson
@EmeraldRobinson
Newsweek just confirmed: the FBI has officially designated Trump supporters as terrorists to get ready for the 2024 election.
Folks, it’s a communist takeover.
The Biden regime is going to plunge America into chaos in the next 13 months.
and, of course
Hillary Clinton Urges ‘Backlash’ to Extremists in Republican Party
and
Trump Supporters ‘Highly Likely’ to Try to Kill People in 2024: Analyst
MatrixTransform
Oct 6, 2023 7:54 AM
Fresh is best MT, and what are you doing with your time for the rest of the day when you are retired?
Spuds and pasta can be prepared in a short time and are best when done just before serving.
Counting KWatts when the main portion of your bill is the daily service charge is the wrong way to go.
Also keeping the fridge and freezer running doesn’t come free, sure, have at least a week or two supplies handy, unless you are survivalist of course, in which case I have no more to say.
Bruce of Newcastle
Oct 5, 2023 9:48 PM
Let’s put it this way, 90% of houses under $300,000 are being brought immediately by investors.
There’re houses for $300k? Anywhere?! I live in the second cheapest seats in Ncl and a house a short distance away is on market for 700-750. Only Windale is cheaper than my suburb.
BON,
2 storey Brick Veneer Mid 80s 2 Bedrm Townhouse – Internal 121 Sq m – external 194 Sq m – Garaage is only attachment to next Townhouse – Pleasant Fraden & BBQ area – Sunny – Centre of Mackay – Walk to Shoppng Centre & Beach – not in Flood Zone – $275K rents $430 pw
https://www.realestate.com.au/buy/property-house-between-0-300000-in-mackay+-+greater+region,+qld/list-1
Mmmyes.
The ironing is, whether it is a service charge or fixed solar panel costs, the less you use it, the more your unit potato costs rise.
Another chapter.
Ukraine ‘Corrupt at All Levels’, ‘Not Eligible’ to Join EU – Ex-Bloc Head
Tony Abbott actually bit into a raw potato.
Big Tech & Big Potato used AI to change it to an onion so they wouldn’t get Abbott taint.
Mashed potatoes take two hours to prepare in Queensland.
I blame daylight savings.
We’ve had four quiet days here at around only 500ft and for the first two days I took it slowly. We went to a Schloss a few km out of town recommended by our hotel owner for its beautiful gardens and had lunch and a walk about a small lake, all very relaxing. The castle also had on its map a Sound of Music Exhibition. Nope, I said (I’ve never seen that movie right through). So we didn’t go in, but Hairy got me to stand in front of a gazebo thing where there was a an entrance bower and said to do a ballet pose, so I did a little jump which nearly did me in, because giddy. I also nearly fell backwards into my backpack while looking up at an ancient copper beech tree near the lake, so that was the worst day of the disorientation.
He sent me the pic he took of me in the bower though, labelled ’16 going on 82′ as it was in that gazebo where the Von Trapp girl sang the sixteen going on seventeen song. Filed in the ‘stupid things you do’ file.
Salzburg has a salt mine. There were “optional” tours to view it, but we decided we already worked in one so passed. Much more fun to look at the Sound of Music locations.
I repeat.
Solar is not free.
Dem judge in Trump “fraud” case may have accidentally exposed his agenda with this one radical statement…
The Defence Health service collapse is an infuriating metaphore for all of the evils of modern managerialism, the susceptability of boards to Disneyland babble and their refusal to accept the reality that ‘world leading, ground breaking’ system transformations will always fail.
Defence Health is not a discount health insurer by any means, but they were focused on the particular needs of their membership. They were a well run functional little health fund who were snowed.
My informant claims that the situation can’t be fixed. I want to kick something.
Via Lee Fang.
In a message posted earlier today, Gaetz floated a sweeping ethics reform package as a key demand moving forward. He offered to partner with Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., on legislation to ban congressional stock trading, institute a twelve-year term limit for lawmakers, and ban lobbyist and PAC donations, in exchange for his support to increase the threshold for removing the Speaker of the House. The motion to vacate change has been demanded by GOP officials concerned about future political volatility.
Zero chance establishment DNC or GOP swampies will agree to this.
I am serious Dizzy Lizzie.
If you are getting dizzy spells in Salzburg it will not be down to altitude.
I just checked.
It’s under 500 metres.
Shades of Russell Brand, who had no accusers until the media went looking and still hasn’t been charged with any crime but the government is threatening any media outlet which doesn’t drop him.
There were no commercial claims against Trump concerning the value of his properties and there are no outstanding loans but the government is charging him with fraud over business transactions satisfactory to both parties.
Do you think there might be a different agenda at play here?
Bern, I think it was a raw onion.
It would be tough now not to back Gaetz now as a libertarian or conservative, let alone a social democrat who believes in open government & checks and balances.
Maybe, maybe not. I’ts not from Salzburg, it started on a 9000ft mountain I went to by gondola and went walking there. Then we were in about 7000 to 6000 ft in the hotels. And up and down the high mountains into the valley towns was very trying, and definitely affecting my blood pressure in unusual ways. Its settling down now with a period of much lower altitude in Salzburg. Being over 80 probably doesn’t help. 🙂
“Shades of Russell Brand, who had no accusers until the media went looking”
Shades of Cardinal George Pell who had no accusers until the media went looking and Victorian police went advertising.
.
Snowed?
By who?
IT suppliers?
Hmmm.
Perhaps if it hadn’t become a retirement gig for Majors Generals (Ret’d)’s.
Trump needs to PI the hell out of Laetitia James and the Fulton County gangbanger dating DA.
Then as Speaker, defund the FBI and Capitol Police & get Milley indicted by a special counsel.
Tell Hairy to hire some sherpas.
Watching the US corporate media try to thread the needle re Biden & the wall is a wonder to behold.
Lidia Thorpe. I predict a Jussie Smollett maga type event
If that’s the case put her in the clink like Smollett.
Which is why I think $2k for travel insurance might be a solid investment.
WE were told all we want is to get Married in SSM argument – but they never gave up – have achieved that they moved on to the Alphabet LGQRTXYZ, then came the Trans movement being forced on the Population – Now Girls & Women share Bathrooms with Male Trans, compete with Trans Males & the ultimate humiliation pushing the normalisation of Female Anal Sex in America, an act as perfectly described in graphic detail by Mark Latham, here in Australia, presumably to assage their own guilt over their habbit.
But there is more – Sologamy
How America continues circling the Sewage Drain!
What ‘sologomy’ says about the mental health of young women
I’m not sure many of you have even heard the term “Sologomy” yet, nevertheless understand what it is. I certainly hadn’t until lately.
Let me explain it to you.
Sologomy is the practice of marrying yourself through a formal ceremony.
Similar to the traditional wedding ceremony between you and your partner, Sologomy kicks your partner out of the mix.
You stand in front of the officiant by yourself, commit to love and cherish yourself before anyone else, and then enjoy a reception in the arms of your guests. The wedding night must be a hoot and the gift registry, full of cartons of batteries, I can only presume.
The goal of Sologomy is to solidify your commitment to “you” first. It’s derived from the utter nonsense that “only when you love yourself ahead of another, can you ever properly love another.” It’s a progressive ideology that confuses “dependency” with ”weakness,” “marriage” with “bondage,” and “love” with “inequality.”
It invites perpetual loneliness upon these women, akin to a self-fulfilling prophecy. It reveals their naivety in truly understanding what marriage is all about. It contributes to the shrinking back of men from healthy male-female relationships. And it supports the destruction of the family.
No, the practice isn’t legally recognized yet. The way things keep going in the United States, however, it wouldn’t surprise me if it doesn’t become so very soon — anything to escalate the breakdown of traditional society by those who will benefit the most, unlike these women.
Ironically, where they consider themselves “intelligent” and “sophisticated” for accepting such an undeniably ridiculous premise, they also demonstrate how complicated, misleading, and sad the road to happiness and fulfillment has become. And how powerful.
The mainstream narrative hijacked by the liberal elites and celebrity, legacy media, Democrats, and progressives, these young women have become useful idiots in a charade they’ve cooperatively turned on themselves.
You’d think they’d realize it. But they don’t.
Where it began as “feminism” now it is “Sologomy.” These women eagerly accept the hardships and loneliness, negating any correlation from one to another. Then stand at the altar of Sologomy, hugging the repackaged garbage yet again.
It’d be laughable if it weren’t so insidious.
did the pfizer vaccine even really have a drug trial?
Sam Hyde is offering equity in his Season 2 reality TV project (Fishtank) and I cannot tell if it is satire or not.
Do I credit card maxxx to invest in this project or not?
Travis??
@Travis_in_Flint
#Breaking News: Judge Engoron has ordered that Trump and members of his family must disclose all entities they own to a court monitor. The court monitor is Bill Clinton appointed former Judge Barbara Jones.
NY AG Leticia James and Judge Engoron are able to work together and completely take control over the assets of Donald Trump and his two sons for a simple civil infraction when he doesn’t even get a day in court or present and defense.
This is the worst case of injustice we’ve witnessed in this country. If they can do this to a former President and his family, imagine what they’ll do to you!
Unlike law abiding looters?
Philly DA to Judges: Take It Easy on ‘Fundamentally Law-Abiding’ Looters (5 Oct)
Lizzie.
If you have a wiener schnitzel, please interrogate them about their potato methodology.
It’s research for my thesis.
Biden sweeping aside so many federal enviromental etc laws for a border wall.
Would be the same bunfight here but with added, probably insurmountable, black tape, even without the invoice.
Just had a random pop up in my Soshuls.
Ozzy Man Reviews.
Some dick with a put-on Strine accent pumping up da Voice.
Straight off the bat “This isn’t an influencer fing or nafink. Just me own opinion as an ordinary knockabout bloke”.
Sure.
Blocked.
Um, so the potentially incoming NZ finance minister is going to double defence spending (2 x 0 = ?), and get UNZED involved in the AUKUS subs. This particular Hobbit is off his head.
Not only will Peters ensure that the most popular party is not elected but the Kiwis have been very happy palming off their defence obligations onto other sucker nations for decades.
Why would they change a winning formula?
There is also the little issue that the US would involve Upper Volta with their subs before NZ.
It’s going to be difficult to park a nuke in Auckland harbour when the ‘no nuclear visits’ catechism is still very popular and besides, “China is our special friend”.
The Pacific Bludgers are just going to have to carry on until Jacinda organises for the WEF to take over.
The WHO Power Grab Must Be Stopped – Our Silence is our Consent
Nobel Propaganda Prize awarded to two non-discoverers of a technology misused to make the worst “vaccines” in history
Delta Becomes Fourth Major U.S. Airline To Discover ‘Fake’ Jet Aircraft Engine Parts
Sologomy
From the Comments
– I sort of wanted to marry myself, but as a guy, I just could not commit to it
– Commitment phobia!
– They are married to their phones. It is in that reality that they exist.
– They just want the dress and the party…
– Insanity by any other name…
– This means that ME-ME-ME self-centeredness, aka blatant narcissism, has overtaken our culture to the point that a woman would rather admire herself in the mirror and remain unattached to anything but her own self-love than commit to a mutually supportive marriage with a man! SICK AND SAD!!!
– I have seen a variety of videos (usually linked to articles discussing Tik Tok) of liberal young women with their nose rings, pink hair and tattoos, and I have wondered who would want to marry them. The current version of feminism seems to produce women who are unattractive by any traditional standards. These women marrying themselves might be their best option. It is very sad.
Ozzy Man.
Real name Ethan Marrell from Perth.
Masters in Internet Communications from Curtains University.
Can’t believe people get suckered by that shit.
Fifth Circuit Corrects Critical Error In Prior Ruling To Shut Down Deep-State Censorship Tactic
Canada
Western nation admits 74% of triple-vaccinated now at risk of VAIDS
You’d think a Campbell would be offering reparations for Glencoe first.
“Commissioning artworks” is practically perfect.
Ah, World Nut Daily, that takes me back.
9000’, ffs?
Fair chance it is altitude related.
9000’ is well into low oxygen altitude – and importantly, arriving there rapidly by gondola ensures minimal acclimatisation – and then hoofing around…
Silly girl.
The AFR View
Virtual Labor-CFMEU partnership shows up on Victoria’s bottom line
Victorians deserve better than to be governed by a ruthless political machine in partnership with a renegade union at great cost to the state’s public finances.
The extraordinary thing about the virtual partnership between the Socialist Left Victorian Labor government and the law-breaking Victorian construction division of the CFMEU is the questions that no one is asking.
Australia’s most indebted state government, with a gross debt pile forecast to blow out to $239 billion by 2026-27 and a budget that this year hit business and property owners with a decade of “temporary” payroll and land tax debt levies, is committed to tunnelling ahead with the $130 billion, 90-kilometre Suburban Rail Loop.
Former premier Daniel Andrews’ signature mega project has never had a proper cost-benefit analysis, nor been vetted by Infrastructure Australia. When the Victorian Auditor-General’s Office reviewed the government’s supposed business case, it found the proposed benefits were not based on robust analysis.
Questions now need to be asked as well about the apparent political deal between Labor and the CFMEU, which appears to have given the nation’s most militant union the green light to muscle in on the government’s massive pipeline of infrastructure projects.
The whole thing stinks, and is a disgraceful example of Labor’s internal factional and union politics overriding the public interest in ensuring major infrastructure projects are delivered efficiently and at least cost to Victorian taxpayers.
Labelled by courts as the “greatest recidivist offender in Australia’s corporate history” which thinks it’s “above the law”, the CFMEU has a business model of intimidation and coercion that has traditionally been confined to running a closed shop and pushing up costs on commercial building projects.
Ms Allan reportedly met CFMEU officials over the alleged blackballing of the Indigenous firm.
That was until the CFMEU suddenly started to muscle in on civil construction in Victoria, which had traditionally been the domain of the Labor Right-aligned Australian Workers Union.
As The Australian Financial Review revealed, among the subcontractors and labour hire firms with AWU agreements allegedly strong-armed off government building sites was an Indigenous firm with no CFMEU agreement that lost work on nine projects, including the Suburban Rail Loop.
Building companies, relying on government tenders and needing to stay on side with the union, stayed silent.
And state infrastructure authorities failed to intervene.
While the Andrews government would strongly deny it, union and industry sources claimed the deal was for the CFMEU to get coverage over civil in return for funding and political support ahead of the November 2022 state election.
As the Financial Review also revealed, just weeks before the state election Treasurer Tim Pallas was guest of honour at an ALP fundraising lunch organised by the CFMEU and attended by thuggish construction division secretary John Setka.
The courting of the CFMEU’s power and money appears to have been about Socialist Left faction of Mr Andrews and new Premier Jacinta Allan bolstering its control over the Labor Party – something underlined by Mr Pallas’ defection at the end of last year from the Labor Right to the Socialist Left.
Union’s influence over Labor priorities
But it also raises serious questions about the CFMEU’s influence over the Labor government and the big infrastructure spending that benefits the construction union and its members.
When challenged about tolerating the CFMEU boss’ influence in the Labor Party, Mr Andrews claimed he had never met Mr Setka. That’s not something Ms Allan – who was the minister responsible for Victoria’s massive infrastructure pipeline when the CFMEU moved in to muscle out the AWU – denies.
Its presence is so normalised in modern Labor that ACTU secretary Sally McManus claimed in 2017 to know nothing about the forerunner of the CFMEU, the Builders Labourers Federation, which was deregistered by Bob Hawke in 1986.
Ironically, the law-breaking CFMEU’s “no ticket, no start” business model rests on the legally protected right to represent construction workers under Australia’s anachronistic industrial relations laws.
The Fair Work Commission’s investigation into claims the CFMEU’s competition with the AWU involved standover tactics should also seek to get to the bottom of the role of the government and infrastructure authorities.
That includes the role of Ms Allan, who reportedly met CFMEU officials over the alleged blackballing of the Indigenous firm. Mr Andrews brushing off adverse findings in Operation Daintree demonstrates an institutional malaise that took hold in Victoria during his nine years in power.
The questions over the Suburban Rail Loop ultimately show up on the state’s bottom line.
Victorians deserve better than to be governed by a ruthless political machine making decisions that benefit a renegade union, at great cost to the public finances.
Mass flagging would work better.
Hmm.
Is a law being broken or not? This is a bit difficult to follow!
Indolent
Oct 6, 2023 8:52 AM
did the pfizer vaccine even really have a drug trial?
If there ever is a drug trial, it would be found guilty.
Indolent Avatar
Indolent
Oct 6, 2023 9:03 AM
Delta Becomes Fourth Major U.S. Airline To Discover ‘Fake’ Jet Aircraft Engine Parts
Indolent,
in a Daily Mail Article you linked to earlier the frightening thing is the Conpany Structure of AOG Technics
In the UK, where the company lists it address, a judge this week ordered the company to turn over its parts sales documents, and the full extent of the scandal could grow as the records are assessed.
Before the analysis began on Wednesday, airlines said they found 16 engines in their shops and a 110 in separate facilities that were fitted with parts from AOG Technics.
According to the Wall Street Journal, the company serves as a middleman in the aviation industry by acquiring parts before selling them to maintenance and repair shops.
It was established in 2015, but several disturbing business practices have been alleged in recent times, including that there is reportedly no record of the company ever receiving approvals for its parts.
Court documents have also found that the company’s founder, Jose Zamora Yrala, is the sole director and shareholder, and dubious LinkedIn profiles have reportedly been linked to the business using aliases and stock profile pictures.
‘It’s a bit strange that a phantom company can be allowed to supply spare parts with false certification documents,’ Olivier Andriès, the chief executive of Safran, told reporters last month.
In their bombshell lawsuit, GE and Safran, joined in the action by their joint venture CFM International, say they were initially alerted to the crisis in June after it was caught by the engineering and maintenance teams of TAP Air Portugal.
They claim AOG Technics has put ‘aircraft safety in jeopardy and renders it impossible for operators who have purchased these parts to verify the airworthiness of their engines.’
‘All falsified parts need urgently to be identified and the relevant operators notified,’ the suit adds, warning that the stress engines are put under during a flight coupled with the hundreds of lives in their hands each route means even a small part malfunctioning could be catastrophic.
Stressing that safety is the priority in bringing the suit, GE reportedly told investors that it doesn’t anticipate the issue to have any financial impact on the company.
The lawsuit also brings up allegations that AOG Technics used stock photographs and potentially faked employees online.
‘There are, therefore, legitimate questions as to whether the profiles have been manufactured and whether the profiled employees actually exist,’ the suit claims.
The WSJ reported that it visited the company’s listed address in London, near Buckingham Palace, where reception and security staff said they had not heard of the company.
A representative for the building that leases the spaces told the outlet that AOG Technics was a virtual client and did not hold a space in the location.
‘If you put a part in an airplane engine, you should feel confident that it’s legitimate,’ said Ron Epstein, an aerospace analyst at Bank of America. ‘Somebody found a loophole. The system is supposed to guard against that.’
James Morrow in partnership with Peta Credlin. The snake hath two tongues:
A week out from what is an historic vote and yet no bastard can be upfront about it. FMD
The truly frugal pre warm their potatoes with a cooling clothes iron and cook them in a hermetically sealed bag sound vide in waste warm bath and washing machine water.
That is, if you are a wastrel who even water “bathes” like a moron.
Cleaning fluid and cooking fuel can be sourced from stolen petrol, as is done in Castlemaine.
Discarded carp are cheap protein; potatoes are too low in protein content. If the carp is desiccated it no longer requires cooking.
Of course if the stat government didn’t mandate for so called indigenous firm contracts, this wouldn’t be an issue.
It’s just another rort.
that indigenous firm story popped up earlier this year too, no names mentioned then either.
Worth considering in light of yesterday’s other Davies link. BTW, he’s worth a follow.
An excellent comment from a new species of dinosaur on this article in Quadrant Online.
https://quadrant.org.au/opinion/the-voice/2023/10/chris-kennys-broken-clock-moment/
OldOzzie
Oct 6, 2023 8:32 AM
Bruce of Newcastle
Oct 5, 2023 9:48 PM
Let’s put it this way, 90% of houses under $300,000 are being brought immediately by investors.
Lots of cheap houses in Broken Hill. And you can get a job down the mine as well.
Paradise.
Dr Faustus
Oct 6, 2023 9:08 AM
Not sure about the silly girl, but otherwise you are spot on.
Sudden change in altitude gets me every time, so bad that I don’t travel by airplane.
On the other hand you are also right, when you are on a number of medications and over 80, you should consider other pursuits than overseas travel.
I know it’s a personal choice and so be it.
For heaven’s sake, some people even go skydiving when 90.
Why?
Tracking the Voice decline starts with Albanese
Having made a hot mess of the referendum, the Prime Minister is now offering to work with the Opposition in the unlikely event the Yes case wins. It’s all a year too late.
John Black – Election analyst
As referendum day approaches, the only nice thing the polls reveal about the chance of success for the Voice is that its rate of decline is no longer accelerating.
We’re still looking at a national Yes vote in about the low-40s, and Yes losing every mainland state. Victoria is the closest to call and the Tasmanian sample is too small to use, but showing some signs of being the only state which could vote Yes.
As former Wallaby five-eighth Bernard Foley remarked on coach Eddie Jones’ disastrous performance at the World Cup: it didn’t have to be like this.
Since the Uluru Statement from the Heart on May 26, 2017, a wide range of legal and political experts have argued in favour of a legislated Voice for Indigenous Australians to advise the parliament, followed by a people’s convention and broad community consultation to establish a consensus of words for a referendum including recognition of First Nation people in the Constitution.
The list of experts includes Father Frank Brennan, a former member of the senior advisory group; Murray Gleeson, a former High Court chief justice; Bill Shorten, a former ALP opposition leader; and Noel Pearson as recently as March 17, 2021,
This legislative and consultative process could have proceeded with varying levels of active support from Labor, the Liberals, the teals and Greens. If there was support for a more minimalist approach promised repeatedly by Opposition Leader Peter Dutton, then opposition from the Queensland Nationals would have been marginalised.
A closer examination of the timeline from the Guardian poll tracker confirms this view and shows 65 per cent in favour of Yes in late October last year.
Concerned at the drift away from an inclusive approach, on November 9 last year, Father Brennan wrote to Albanese and Dutton pleading for the prime minister and the opposition leader to return to formal bipartisan co-operation, to maximise the prospect of Coalition support for the referendum.
Albanese, however, had selfies to collect and heights to scale.
On November 11, he attended the East Asian Summit, the ASEAN Summit and the second Annual ASEAN-Australia Summit, followed by the G20 Summit and the 29th APEC Summit, ending on November 19.
Singularly unimpressed, on November 28, the National Party lined up for the No case and unleashed National Party senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price.
She has since proved to be a devastatingly effective campaigner for the No case, prosecuting arguments similar to those now being used against New Zealand Labour in the October 14 election across the Tasman – an election Labour is tipped to lose.
By late December, the Resolve and Essential polls had both picked up the first signs of a small decline in the Yes case which began to accelerate in the new year, as the prime minister dug in behind a small group of advisers wanting an all-or-nothing approach and minimal consultation.
On March 5, Brennan again wrote to Albanese and Dutton urging more time for consultation and support for a referendum recognising Indigenous people in the Constitution. But this time he was against the proposed Voice’s access to the executive government and the public service, limiting it instead to consultation regarding special laws impacting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Brennan wrote: “The tragedy I am wanting to avoid is a No vote carried because of flaws in the process resulting in a lack of time for real community engagement and for proper legal analysis.”
No impact there. Instead, Albanese dug in, criticising Dutton for not engaging, as if it was somehow down to Dutton to help Albanese get out of the hole he was digging for himself.
On April Fools’ Day, the Aston byelection recorded an historic 6.4 per cent swing towards the successful ALP candidate Mary Doyle, against a professional female Liberal candidate Roshena Campbell. Albanese was triumphant and again lashed out at Dutton for “failing to be part of the solution”.
Then the gloves came off.
Three days later, on April 4, Dutton committed the parliamentary Liberal Party to the No vote and at this point, the support for the Yes vote began falling at a faster rate, and it began to rub off on Labor.
By the Fadden b-election on July 15, the 6.4 per cent swing to Labor in Aston had become a 2.5 per cent swing to the Coalition. The biggest swings against Labor were recorded in booths dominated by the big outer suburban demographics who won the 2022 election for Labor – aspirational left Asian voters and classic Australian swinging voters, along with younger, idealistic Green voters.
By the end of July, the Yes vote in the Guardian poll tracker had dropped below 50 per cent it was all over for Albanese’s referendum campaign, before it had really even started.
Support for Yes has fallen steadily ever since, nudging 40 per cent in the latest polls. If you put down a dollar to back the No case, you could win just 16 cents.
The same dollar put down for New Zealand Labour could win you 15 cents. October 14 is not looking good on either side of the Tasman.
Labor candidates have begun to pay the price for the prime minister’s hubris.
Since May, net satisfaction scores for Albanese have been steadily dropping, from plus 20 points to minus 3 points, pulling back Labor’s primary and two-party preferred vote close to its 2022 levels and threatening Labor’s narrow majority in the House of Representatives.
And While Peter Dutton’s net satisfaction scores are still flat-lining at about minus 10 points on Poll Bludger, the Greens are making no headway, meaning some 2022 Labor voters in recent months have been moving directly from Labor to Liberal.
Having made what he would call a hot mess of his own referendum campaign, the prime minister this week publicly suggested that, in the unlikely event the Yes case succeeds, he would like to work with the opposition to oversee the development of the Voice legislation.
Without a hint of irony, Albanese suggested he wanted to “move forward together to put in place the legislation with as broad support as possible …”
Admirable sentiment perhaps, albeit a year too late.
The Daulo Pass into Western Highlands Province (8,100 ft) was dangerous for anyone with breathing issues. Not day trip stuff for them.
Cuzco at over 11,000ft – oxygen on just about every street corner for the tourists. I was the only one who didn’t get altitude sickness – some were basically bedridden. Even the Beloved looked seedy.
It happens so easily…look after yourself and take it easy for the next little bit. Looking forward to info about Trieste – booked a few nights there after our cruise through Suez (hopefully not getting stuck).
Re internal server errors. Web host found something in error logs and tried a fix overnight. Let me know if you are still getting Internal Server errors so I can pass these on.
Rita Panahi on the same muddled mindset of what Teh Voice represents:
Just a magnificent read.
Former Labor senator for QLD John Black is altogether too kind to Albanese.
Web host found something in error logs and tried a fix overnight.
Mashed potatoes ?
Will do Dover.
It’s been fine these last couple of days.
Also apologies for being a bit irritable a few days ago.
Sorry, that should have read “nano-mashed potatoes”.
Have voted…..NO.
Kaboom!
Rita firing both barrels and obliterating the puffed up, entitled, abusive target.
All that’s left is the lacquered, Grecian 2000 helmet spinning in the gutter.
You go – NO..
dover0beach
Oct 6, 2023 9:40 AM
Good on you Dover, not that it really matters, after all, most of us are only opining here.
Others provide good content, thanks for that.
The post I couldn’t upload was about the electric cars not having an override button that would let you drive or stop safely, I would have thought that would have been the most important part of the system.
Being a non technical dill I am, I didn’t know that the boffins trusted their software so much.
Won’t link the whole article but Ally Langdon had a stoush with the immaculate bouffant (HT Rita Panahi) last night on A Current Affair:
There is video doing the rounds. Might be worth your while.
Nice juxtaposition. The ABC confirms Burney lied to parliament…twice.
Immovable bouffant. Chortle
Brilliant comment from Manning – on Ray Martin’s ‘dickheads’ who haven’t read the Uluru Statement
New business opportunity, good money, plenty of free advertising, work from home garage, huge demand, no customer reviews, no investment required, no experience needed, what’s not to like about that. I’ve already applied fo business names in all states and territories. DIAL A NAZI! Recommended by Dangerous Dan and ChlamLydia.
“If we wake up on … October 15 and Australia has voted No, what will the New York Times and The Times of London and the best media in Europe and Asia and South America, what will the world say about us,” Martin asked.
Things people overseas are interested in* about Australia:
– koalas
– kangaroos
– Tasmanian devils
– the Great Barrier Reef
(* as measured from questions people ask you when you’re overseas and they find out you’re an Aussie)
I wrote NO in PEN.
Wolfman I enjoyed Empire of the Sun as well. I forgot it was Spielberg.
She’s never been called to account for either of those lies.
With no details of how a “Voice” might work, the Yes case has become all things to all (indigenous) people. In the unlikely event that the Yes case wins, there will be a morbid fascination in watching as they try to draft the legislation.
Hope Dutton has the sense to keep well clear of it.
I’ve seen an Austrian tourist on holidays, wearing a T-shirt that said “DON”T ask me about football, meat pies or Holden Cars – I’m NOT Australian.
Oh, now hang on just a minute. It works like this:
On October 14, you are not being asked to vote for a political party, or for a person. You’re being asked to vote for an idea.
– Anthony Albanese
Details are racist.
The plastic helmet. Devo used to wear them as well.
That’s how ridiculous dinosaur dickhead ray martin is.
See also Mike Moore, as noted yesterday.
This was the greatest depiction ever of the immovable bouffant.
In the nineties we called him Lego Man.
The future of Christian advocacy is bright, if you know where to look
By Monica Doumit – October 6, 2023
Twenty or so young lawyers and law students, aged 18 to 25, used their university holidays or annual leave to commit to high-energy, 12-hour days, packed with presentations from leading academics and lawyers that would have challenged them much more than any of their university classes.
The days included lectures on everything from a Biblical understanding of justice to gender critical theory. Given where Australia’s current legal and political climate is headed, there was a significant focus on religious discrimination laws, conversion therapy bans and hate speech. They heard from leading experts in the pro-life movement and also from those who had to fight for their freedoms to be upheld and spent almost a full day on what it means to be a Christian lawyer. I used my session to give them some tips on dealing with the media and using communications as a form of legal advocacy.
Sicktoria Labor rubbung their hands for their Future Offshore Wind Farms further Bankrupting State, whilst Labor Blackout Bowen is rubbing his Indigenous Firesticks to keep warm in the coming Blackouts
Failing underwater cables “pose global threat to offshore wind”
By Jo Nova
Who knew high voltage cables running for kilometers in a deep electrolytic moving body of water would be expensive?
Despite offshore windfarms dealing in a kind of mechanical hell of high speed salt water spray, big waves and volatile wind conditions, surprisingly 85% of the insurance claims are because the underwater cables are failing.* If the subsea cables can’t be insured, it’s another unexpected cost threatening the economics of offshore wind.
The underwater cables needed for offshore wind are apparently so costly to repair, and the losses from lack of generation so steep, they are in danger of becoming uninsurable.
Subsea cable failures pose global threat to offshore wind
The race to harness offshore wind energy has hit a significant roadblock, with the reliability of subsea cables emerging as a critical concern.
Global Underwater Hub (GUH) has raised alarm bells about the escalating issue of subsea cable failures.
These setbacks not only disrupt power transmission but also incur hefty costs.
Imagine if an entire coal plant was connected to the grid through one long cable buried under the ocean and when the cable failed it took months to find and repair — during which time the plant could not earn a cent…
Subsea cable failure could derail global offshore wind projects
GUH chief executive, Neil Gordon, said, “It’s estimated that around 85% of the total value of offshore wind insurance claims relate to subsea cables. Insurers are losing money underwriting cables with the average settlement claim in the region of £9 million. Brokers have warned that the high number of cable claims is affecting capacity and coverage and the cost of repairs typically runs into millions, with warranties rarely covering the high cost of business interruption.
“If these critical components become uninsurable, offshore wind projects around the world will be derailed, making global 2050 net zero targets completely unachievable.”
According to one developer, the cost of insuring a 1.2GW offshore wind farm over its lifetime is in the region of £350 million and insurance brokers estimate that the costs of floating offshore wind will be 30% higher than fixed bottom ones.
Global Power Marine fixes export cables and quote one happy customer talking about needing “only” 32 days instead of 67 days to repair the cable.
But all the while, part or all of the wind plant isn’t earning an income, and so much of any repair depends on getting good weather so a ship can hover and work uninterrupted while the cable is “dangling” and exposed.
Gulski et al estimate the duration of failure can be 1 to 3 or even up to 9 months:
Dot no use using a “hermetically sealed bag”, a hermetically sealed Miata is required, Spud told me so.
Cassie,
I baked your Lekach yesterday. It was my birthday, so thought it a great time to try it. I had a slice yesterday and have wrapped the rest as instructed to have in a couple of days.
I like it. It has a slight burnt toffee/honeycomb flavour to it which I believe will deepen as it ages a bit. Not too sweet, excellent soft, springy crumb. 😀
Are Indians just angry people?
NSFW
https://youtu.be/ukznXQ3MgN0?feature=shared
He does illustrate why, in the navel gazing and gnashing of teeth that will follow next Saturday, there is no way Albo will survive. It was, in Sir Humphrey’s words, a courageous decision.
Oh, that’s all good then.
Ideas never hurt anybody.
Happy Birthday Pogria. I have that recipe bookmarked also. Thinking of doing it in a bundt tin.
Cassie:
Correct. All the rightwing and conservative parties have been infiltrated and subsumed by the Left. That’s how we get the strong borders etc before the elections, and Leftwing extremism for years after. They are there to sop up all the conservative votes and prevent us from having a voice.
The problem is that by denying a voice by nasty little tricks like this, the conservatives become radicalised.
That’s not a very clever thing to do – create a radical Right. Historically, it bodes ill for the Left.
This has to stop.
Pogria
Oct 6, 2023 10:14 AM
This was the greatest depiction ever of the immovable bouffant.
In the nineties we called him Lego Man.
Now he could wear the Korean Foldable Safety Helmet – Thinking of for Grandkids on Bikes and Scooters
Iconic Portability
‘RABA’ can be reduced to less than 35% of its original
size, if it is folded. In addition, it can be widely spread
and rolled up.
It can be also carried without protrusion by putting it
into a backpack, a briefcase and even a handbag.
‘RABA’ can be converted to the form for use within
about 10 seconds, while it can be folded for carrying it
within a few seconds.
Proven Safety
Even the foldable helmet cannot miss the safety.
‘RABA’ has the superior portability and achieves
the same safety standard certification(KC
certification) as that achieved by the existing ones.
About 60 tests of prototypes have been conducted
to discover the materials and structures, which can
maintain its portability, but also meet the safety
standard, for three years, and a variety of high-tech
materials such as EPS, PC, tarpaulin fabrics, etc.
have been adopted.
RABA is manufactured via the reliable production
process under the thorough supervision.
Are you suggesting Ray wore a toupee?
I remember seeing him late afternoon in a shopping mall doing a book signing for his biography.
He had no customers, the place was deserted.
I felt sorry for him so bought a copy which he signed with great enthusiasm.
Never read it, perhaps I should ask him to annotate the inscription to ‘dickhead dinosaur’.
People who assume the Office of Prime Minister with 33% of the primary vote do not have political capital to burn. Someone who was placed in a parliamentary corridor by The Great Man as an 18yo (Trot) shouldn’t have to be told that.
This is why the place is going broke.
———-
———-
More here
Even the foldable helmet cannot miss the safety.
Translated straight from Korean or 2010s-era YouTube AI (XtraNormal).
Saighdear
October 6, 2023 at 7:54 am · Reply
Yes, Drones – been watching some foreign stations today … BILLIONS to be spent on Defence against drones by Many and non-Euro countries. About as bad as the fear of Covid. With Hindsight, all that non-stories about Drones at Heathrow aroun d Christmas time, a few years ago … was it just pre-programming the public ..
Saighdear.
The Russia – Ukraine Conflict has highlighted the War use of Drones – It’s unfortunate but true – Drones of all sizes are the Future be they Aerial, Surface or Sybnarine
Look at some of the Videos
https://askeptic.substack.com/p/russia-ukraine-reports-2023-10-05
and
https://simplicius76.substack.com/p/sitrep-10423-the-beginning-of-a-long
Is it worth talking about the results on the battlefield next year, when the enemy will build a UAV production plant, produce thousands of new Lancets, and receive new MLRS from the DPRK.
It is not difficult to predict the results of such preparations for Ukraine, especially considering the failures on the international track.
The early results of these increases are already showing on the battlefield. Russia’s drone production is said to be skyrocketing to such levels that each month brings verified new highs of usages that are literally doubling and tripling the previous months:
Here’s a chart showing Russian drone (Lancets and FPVs) and UMPK glidebomb usage before the counteroffensive (blue) and afterwards (red):
Drone attack kills at least 80 at Syrian military college
Damascus has blamed unidentified terrorists for targeting young officers and their families at a graduation ceremony in Homs
Ukraine needs to source new consumer drones that it can retrofit with explosives as China dials back sales to the country
The move came more than a year after DJI, a major Chinese technology company, stopped selling drones to Russia and Ukraine. DJI also cited concerns that the two countries were using their products for military operations.
It was true. They were. For Ukraine, these low-cost, Chinese-made drones have become essential to the war effort. Ukrainians retrofit the consumer drones in all kinds of ways so they can deliver added payloads on Russian forces and territory. Ukraine burns through thousands of them every month.
So the new restrictions have hurt Ukraine’s ability to obtain the tech they need, widening Russia’s advantage as winter approaches. Nearly one month after the export restrictions went into effect, Ukraine is now scrambling to source consumer drones and their parts from anywhere they can.
“At night we do bombing missions, and during the day we think about how to get new drones,” Oles Maliarevych, a Ukrainian officer who helps supply drones for his unit, told The New York Times.
One Ukrainian, the Times reported, brought back a couple from a recent trip to Boston, Mass.
Although the Liars as a rule tend to do that. Gillard was a typical example, falling into government courtesy of Messrs Windsor and Oakeshott both from ostensibly Coalition leaning seats who declined to allow voters a say on their decision by running for re-election (an unkind person would call them cowards), proceeding to claim a mandate for all manner of changes. Lieborals on the other hand are often elected in landslides and govern like timid church mice while implementing Liar legislation.
Turtlehead
Sure it does, including nonsense.
The libs closed closed down the boat traffic to Australia. So it’s not all conservative parties around the world, is it?
Now go make the 0000 dependency call.
If the American civil service is anything like Australia’s, they spend the money allocated them regardless of the need because if they don’t their budget will be cut the next year.
Saighdear
October 6, 2023 at 7:54 am · Reply
Yes, Drones – been watching some foreign stations today … BILLIONS to be spent on Defence against drones by Many and non-Euro countries. About as bad as the fear of Covid. With Hindsight, all that non-stories about Drones at Heathrow around Christmas time, a few years ago – was it just pre-programming the public
Saighdear.
The Russia – Ukraine Conflict has highlighted the War use of Drones – It’s unfortunate but true – Drones of all sizes are the Future be they Aerial, Surface or Submarine
Look at some of the Videos
https://askeptic.substack.com/p/russia-ukraine-reports-2023-10-05
and
https://simplicius76.substack.com/p/sitrep-10423-the-beginning-of-a-long
Is it worth talking about the results on the battlefield next year, when the enemy will build a UAV production plant, produce thousands of new Lancets, and receive new MLRS from the DPRK.
It is not difficult to predict the results of such preparations for Ukraine, especially considering the failures on the international track.
The early results of these increases are already showing on the battlefield. Russia’s drone production is said to be skyrocketing to such levels that each month brings verified new highs of usages that are literally doubling and tripling the previous months:
Here’s a chart showing Russian drone (Lancets and FPVs) and UMPK glidebomb usage before the counteroffensive (blue) and afterwards (red)
Drone attack kills at least 80 at Syrian military college
Damascus has blamed unidentified terrorists for targeting young officers and their families at a graduation ceremony in Homs
Ukraine needs to source new consumer drones that it can retrofit with explosives as China dials back sales to the country
The move came more than a year after DJI, a major Chinese technology company, stopped selling drones to Russia and Ukraine. DJI also cited concerns that the two countries were using their products for military operations.
It was true. They were. For Ukraine, these low-cost, Chinese-made drones have become essential to the war effort. Ukrainians retrofit the consumer drones in all kinds of ways so they can deliver added payloads on Russian forces and territory. Ukraine burns through thousands of them every month.
So the new restrictions have hurt Ukraine’s ability to obtain the tech they need, widening Russia’s advantage as winter approaches. Nearly one month after the export restrictions went into effect, Ukraine is now scrambling to source consumer drones and their parts from anywhere they can.
“At night we do bombing missions, and during the day we think about how to get new drones,” Oles Maliarevych, a Ukrainian officer who helps supply drones for his unit, told The New York Times.
One Ukrainian, the Times reported, brought back a couple from a recent trip to Boston, Mass.
ABC America via Sky News:
Uh oh, T-Man’s big mouth finally T-boned him.
More from the Silly:
Eh? Officially the prosecutor hasn’t said the source was interviewed and the rumour he was interviewed is from an anonymous source.
All ears are oriented towards Pratt now.
Also, the Trump administration dropped border crossing to a trickle even without the wall, Nurse Betty, so it’s not that conservative parties have to stop pandering to the left especially over border issues. It’s just that some have to stop!
Now go eat your frozen mash and add a dose of iodine. It may help you with the hyperbole bullshit.
In the words of the Immovable Bouffant, “Details don’t matter. They never have. Because the details will change in the future”.
A most eloquent case for “No”.
“We are governed, our minds are molded, our tastes formed, our ideas suggested, largely by men we have never heard of.”
Indolent:
The Democrats are going to have to tighten those screws even harder over the next 12 months, and I doubt they can keep a lid on the pressure cooker for that amount of time.
The “It’s the vibe of the thing” slogan doesn’t seem to be gaining traction.
We also know the maximum they carry off Wikipedia. Trump isn’t President anymore so the number can change.
Probably an open secret and available on Janes Defence Weekly.
Once again, the President IS the executive. It says so in black and white. He can decide who he tells what to and how and who to ask advice from.
What are they going to charge Trump with? Being the President? Are we going to have a secret trial to keep this all quiet?
So very dumb.
Helmets are triggering.
MSU College of Law concerned Spartan helmet may trigger assault victims (5 Oct)
Because sex assailants love wearing Spartan helmets or something.
Interesting stat I heard over some short podcast last night.
About 7 years ago, approx 74% plus of respondents to a poll were in favor of college education. The latest poll 41% favored (woke) college education for kids.
This is pretty significant and possibly suggests a larger percentage of kids now, heading to college are from woke families.
In any event, college ed could be in some sort trouble in the US with respect to numbers.
It shouldn’t be lost that Pratt has a decent US business based in Georgia.
I can only imagine what he has to navigate.
The shake downs would be non stop.
Don’t try this at home.
The UK’s covid inquiry has politicians and their advisers turning on each other as they seek to deflect blame for the lockdowns and their consequences.
The government’s chief scientific adviser during covid, Sir Patrick Vallance, will produce his diary as evidence for his claim that the government cherry-picked from the data presented to them to justify their harsh lockdown measures.
This development, however, has some asking why Dr. Vallance continued to front up at televised national briefings standing next to Boris Johnson (well, 1.5 metres away), behind lecterns emblazoned with the slogan: “Stay Home, Protect the NHS, Save Lives.”
Meanwhile, Rishi Sunak has denied that cabinet ministers were ever made aware of the rationale for the draconian restrictions placed upon the public, which we now know had little to no effect on the course of the virus in the UK.
If only they’d thought to ask Boris…
Cassie of Sydney
That’s something to put in mashed potato – fine chopped raw onion.
The Spanish sort.
Just before it gets served – don’t cook it in, it softens the onion and you don’t get the crisp contrast.
Somone with ChatGPT 4.0 please do better than me.
As of my last knowledge update in September 2021, the most likely number of total warheads carried on U.S. Ohio-class and Virginia-class submarines is as follows:
Ohio-class submarines (SSBNs): Ohio-class submarines are primarily nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs) that carry Trident II D5 ballistic missiles. Each Ohio-class SSBN can carry up to 20 Trident II D5 missiles. Each Trident II D5 missile is capable of carrying multiple warheads, often referred to as Multiple Independently Targetable Reentry Vehicles (MIRVs). The number of warheads on each Trident II D5 missile can vary but is typically between 4 and 6 warheads per missile. Therefore, the total number of warheads carried on an Ohio-class SSBN can be estimated to be between 80 and 120 warheads.
Virginia-class submarines (SSNs): Virginia-class submarines are primarily attack submarines (SSNs) and are not typically armed with strategic nuclear weapons (ICBMs). These submarines are generally armed with conventional weapons, including torpedoes and cruise missiles. They are not counted among the platforms for strategic nuclear deterrence and do not carry ballistic missiles with multiple warheads.
Please note that these estimates are based on information available up to September 2021, and the actual numbers may vary due to policy changes or technological advancements. Additionally, these numbers are approximate and should be treated as such, as precise information about the number of warheads on individual missiles remains classified. For the most current and accurate information, you would need to refer to classified sources or official government statements.
Anyone who’s taken Constitutional Law 101 might have predicted that.
Read another interesting report.
The Microsoft CEO has gone back on a comment he made earlier with respect to AI and the impact it would have on Microtheft’s employment and hiring levels.
Sometime ago, he suggested AI would cause approx Microtheft to furlough approx 30% of its staffing on account of AI taking over jobs.
He’s now totally reversed this scenario and suggests that not only will current staffing levels be maintained (with respect to AI), but AI will also cause an increase in employment levels.
In other words, since the dawn of the Industrial Revolution and the introduction of technology to do the work, employment levels have increased with tech advancements. The thing that changes is the mix of jobs. We haven’t heard of the new jobs that will result from AI yet, but sure enough, they will come. Also, there’s the point to consider that there’s a lot of stuff firms can’t do now, constrained by the cost of adding new staff. They will be able to get to those dark corners with AI.
Perhaps.
But I’d prefer not to read ‘Authorities warn of altitude risk after 80-year old Australian tourist dies at popular destination…’
Ditto “Sign here, we’ll fill in the blanks later.”
Loto,
that was a hoot!
I have a Trench Art shell on my mantle. It was made from a five pound shell I think. Not sure. Pretty big. When kids visit, they are awestruck when I tell them it used to be a “Bomb”! Especially the boys, natch.
How China is reining in Ukraine’s war of drones
The world’s largest manufacturer of the aircraft is making it harder for Ukraine to access the key battlefield tech.
Paul Mozur and Valerie Hopkins
Surrounded by rooms filled with stacks of cluster munitions and half-made thermobaric bombs, a soldier from Ukraine’s 92nd Mechanised Brigade works on the final part of a deadly supply chain that stretches from China’s factories to a basement 8km from the front lines of the war with Russia.
This is where Ukrainian soldiers turn hobbyist drones into combat weapons. At a cluttered desk, the soldier attaches a modified battery to a quadcopter so it can fly further. Pilots will later zip-tie a homemade shell to the bottom and crash the gadgets into Russian trenches and tanks, turning the drones into human-guided missiles.
The aerial vehicles have been so effective at combat that most of the drone rotors and airframes that filled the basement workshop will be gone by the end of the week. Finding new supplies has become a full-time job.
“At night, we do bombing missions, and during the day, we think about how to get new drones,” says Oles Maliarevych, 44, an officer in the 92nd Mechanised Brigade. “This is a constant quest.”
More than any conflict in human history, the fighting in Ukraine is a war of drones. That means a growing reliance on suppliers of the flying vehicles – specifically, China. While Iran and Turkey produce large, military-grade drones used by Russia and Ukraine, the cheap consumer drones that have become ubiquitous on the front line largely come from China, the world’s biggest maker of these devices.
That has given China a hidden influence in a war that is waged partly with consumer electronics. As Ukrainians have looked at all varieties of drones and reconstituted them to become weapons, they have had to find new ways to keep up their supplies and to continue innovating on the devices.
Yet those efforts have faced more hurdles, as Chinese suppliers have dialled back their sales, as new Chinese rules to restrict the export of drone components took effect on September 1.
“We’re examining every possible way to export drones from China, because whatever one may say, they produce the most there,” says Maliarevych, who helps source drone supplies for his unit.
For the better part of a decade, Chinese companies such as DJI, EHang and Autel have churned out drones at an ever-increasing scale. They now produce millions of the aerial gadgets a year for amateur photographers, outdoor enthusiasts and professional videographers, far outpacing other countries.
DJI, China’s biggest drone maker, has a more than 90 per cent share of the global consumer drone market, according to DroneAnalyst, a research group.
Yet in recent months, Chinese companies have cut back sales of drones and components to Ukrainians, according to a New York Times analysis of trade data and interviews with more than a dozen Ukrainian drone makers, pilots and trainers.
The Chinese firms still willing to sell often require buyers to use complicated networks of intermediaries, similar to those Russia has used to get around US and European export controls.
Some Ukrainians have been forced to beg, borrow and smuggle what’s needed to make up for the gadgets being blown out of the sky.
Ukraine loses an estimated 10,000 drones a month, according to the Royal United Services Institute, a British security think tank. Many fear that China’s new rules restricting the sale of drone components could worsen Ukrainian supply chain woes heading into the winter.
These hurdles widen an advantage for Russia.
Direct drone shipments by Chinese companies to Ukraine totalled just over $US200,000 ($311,000) this year to June, according to trade data. In that same period, Russia received at least $US14.5 million in direct drone shipments from Chinese trading companies.
Ukraine still obtained millions of Chinese-made drones and components, but most came from European intermediaries, according to official Russian and Ukrainian customs data from a third-party provider.
Ukrainians are working overtime to build as many drones as possible for reconnaissance, to drop bombs and to use as guided missiles. The country has also earmarked $US1 billion for a program that supports bootstrapping drone start-ups and other drone acquisition efforts.
Ukrainian soldiers, forced to become electronic tinkerers from the first days of the war, now must be amateur supply chain managers, too.
Maliarevych recounts how members of his unit scrounged to buy new antennas for reconnaissance drones to prevent Russian radio jamming. One friend, who lives in Boston, brought back two on a trip.
“We have to reinvent more and more complicated supply chains,” says Maria Berlinska, a combat drone expert and the head of the Victory Drones project in Ukraine, which trains troops in the use of technology. “We have to convince Chinese factories to help us with components, because they are not happy to help us.”
Winning the war has become “a technological marathon”, she says.
A war of innovation
On a hot morning in August, two dozen Ukrainian soldiers from four units train on a new weapon of war: a repurposed agricultural drone known as “the bat”.
Flying over a cornfield outside the eastern city of Dnipro, the devices drop bottles filled with sand on to tarps that serve as targets. The soldiers later return to their units across the front with the drones, which carry 20kg shells that can be aimed at tanks.
The hulking rotor-powered bombers were made by Reactive Drone, a Ukrainian company that owes its existence to Chinese industrial policy. The firm was founded in 2017 by Oleksii Kolesnyk and his friends after Chinese subsidies led to a glut of drone components being made there.
Kolesnyk took advantage of that to source parts for his own agricultural drones, which he then sold to farmers who used them to spray pesticides in eastern Ukraine.
When the war began, everything changed. Kolesnyk, who was in Romania for business, rushed back to his hometown, Dnipro. Within days, he and his team repurposed their agricultural drones for battle.
A similar frenzy took place across Ukraine. Ingenuity born of necessity pushed many to repurpose consumer technology in life-or-death scenarios. Drones emerged as the ultimate asymmetric weapon, dropping bombs and offering bird’s-eye views of targets.
In the war’s first weeks, Ukrainian soldiers relied on the Mavic, a quadcopter produced by DJI. With its strong radio link and easy-to-use controls, the Mavic became as important and ubiquitous as the Starlink satellites made by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, which help soldiers communicate.
In April 2022, DJI said it would discontinue its business in Russia and Ukraine. The company shut its flagship stores in those countries and halted most direct sales.
Instead, volunteers backed by online fundraisers brought in the copters by the thousands to Ukraine, often from Europe. Russia found new channels through friendly neighbours while continuing to receive the drones through Chinese exporters.
Russian and Ukrainian soldiers also began using non-drone DJI products, including one called AeroScope. An antenna-studded box, it can be set up on the ground to track drone locations by detecting the signals they send. The system’s more dangerous feature is its ability to find the pilots who remotely fly DJI drones.
A rush ensued to hack DJI’s software to disable the tracking feature. By the end of last year, a mix of software workarounds and hardware fixes, such as more powerful antennas, had mostly solved the problem.
“The efficiency of the AeroScopes is not the same as it was a year ago,” says Yurii Shchyhol, the head of Ukraine’s State Special Communications Service, responsible for cybersecurity.
DJI’s products continue to have a life-or-death impact on the front. Each time the company updates its software, pilots and engineers race to break its security protections and modify it, sharing tips in group chats.
In an email, DJI says it has repeatedly notified its distributors that they are prohibited from selling products or parts to customers in Russia and Ukraine.
Now, the biggest issue is the quantity of drones and production capacity. At Reactive Drone’s facility in Dnipro, where technicians work on drones for the front line, Kolesnyk says he is getting components from China for now because of personal connections with Chinese factories. He has hit just one major snag: when an online video of his drones caught the attention of Chinese authorities, and the company that made the camera he used publicly cut ties.
But Kolesnyk worries about the Chinese rule changes, which he says could make it harder to get the night-vision cameras needed for a new drone that would strike in the dark.
“Even when you see labels like America or Australia on a component, it’s still all manufactured in China,” he says. “To make something that could effectively replace China, it’s really close to impossible.”
‘More like fishing than hunting’
As the war has stretched on, Ukrainian soldiers have worked to make cheap Chinese drones more deadly. One advancement that flooded the front this year: hobbyist racing drones strapped with bombs to act as human-guided missiles.
Known as FPVs, for first-person view – a reference to how the drones are remotely piloted with virtual reality goggles – the devices have emerged as a cheap alternative to heavy-duty weapons. The machines and their components are sold by a small number of mostly Chinese companies such as DJI, Autel and RushFPV.
In eastern Ukraine, soldiers from the 92nd Mechanised Brigade test an FPV. In a field near their workshop, a 19-year-old former medical student in the unit, who goes by the call sign Darwin, leans against a truck and slips on virtual-reality goggles. Nearby, his spotter, call sign Avocado, flies a DJI Mavic high above to guide him.
“People wish us luck with hunting, but this is more like fishing than hunting,” Darwin says. “It can take a long time.”
Tandems like Darwin and Avocado have become a regular feature of the war. Avocado, the Mavic pilot, gets a higher-altitude view so she can talk the FPV pilot, Darwin, along the path to a target.
With a virtual reality headset, Darwin sees little more than the landscape speeding below him. Often, he must fly roughly 8km or more by sight, evading Russian jammers. Successful missions, where a $US500 FPV takes out a $US1 million weapon system, are trumpeted across social media. Yet less than one-third of attacks are successful, pilots say.
Far from the front, volunteers and companies work to acquire as many FPVs as possible, with Ukrainian suppliers saying soldiers probably need as many as 30,000 a month. Ukraine’s government has plans to secure 100,000 of the devices for the rest of the year, says Shchyhol, the Ukrainian official.
Ukrainians compete with Russians to buy FPVs from Chinese firms that are willing to sell directly. Russians often have the advantage because they can bid higher and order larger batches. Selling to Russians is also politically safer for Chinese companies.
Escadrone, a Ukrainian drone supplier, has long sourced components from China to assemble the flying vehicles. The company’s founder, who gave only his first name, Andrii, for fear of being targeted by Russia, says the profit incentives for Chinese companies lead them to sell to both sides.
“I have Chinese companies tell me they hate the Russians, Ukraine is the best,” he says. “Then I see their engines on Russian drones, too.”
A drone industry of its own
In an office building barricaded with sandbags, the man behind Ukraine’s efforts to build a drone-industrial complex slides his phone forward. On it is a photo of the newest addition to a secretive Ukrainian program to strike deep inside Russia: a long-range drone with a pointy nose and swept wings.
“Yesterday, the new Bober, modernised, flew to Moscow,” says Mykhailo Fedorov, Ukraine’s digital minister, referring to a class of heavy kamikaze drone that had struck Moscow the day before.
All summer, the long-range drone program had terrorised Moscow. In an interview in August, Fedorov, 32, took credit.
He has led the effort to revamp Ukraine’s military technology base since late last year, using deregulation and state funding to build a remote-control strike force that the country can call its own. That includes helping fund the Bober program, as well as seeding a new generation of Ukrainian companies to build a drone fleet. Part of the idea is to diversify away from foreign suppliers like China.
“The state must create the best conditions, provide funding, so we will win the technological war against Russia,” says Fedorov, whose Ministry of Digital Transformation is overseeing the government project to spend $US1 billion on drones this year.
He acknowledged that some smaller companies faced issues from Chinese suppliers but says that, overall, it had not been a major holdup.
“Of course, they are facing problems,” he says. “But to say that there are some super-critical problems that prevent development – there is no such thing.”
Around Kyiv, the activity is palpable. Young companies are inventing homespun flying craft in hidden workshops. Ranges surrounded by fields of sunflowers and rapeseed are abuzz with new contraptions, which undergo a battery of tests before being cleared for the war.
The start-up spirit has its limits. Makers complain about small-scale contracts from the government, shortages of funds and a lack of planning. Sceptics say the government is running a high-risk experiment that business will come through in the lurch, even though there is no replacement for Chinese drones.
Replacing China as the source for drones like FPVs and Mavics may be difficult, but tentative signs show Ukraine finding parts from Europe, the United States and others such as Taiwan for some advanced drones.
Ukrspecsystems, a company in Kyiv that makes fixed-wing reconnaissance drones, says in a statement that supply chain issues with China had led it to look beyond the country.
“Today, we virtually do not use any Chinese components because we see and feel how China deliberately delays the delivery of any goods to Ukraine,” it says.
Jevon’s Paradox.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jevons_paradox
As in political donations?
Calli,
a Bundt tin is traditional when I looked up the cake. Cassie forgot to include an oven temp, otherwise I used her recipe. The Bundt is also practical as it is a very liquid batter. I baked it in a loaf tin for convenience and it sank gently after it was baked. A Bundt would avoid that of course and be much prettier for serving.
HAHAHA!
ChatGPT is totally compromised.
How reliable are the Vault 7 leaks.
****************
The “Vault 7” leaks were a series of documents released by WikiLeaks in March 2017, which purported to contain information about hacking tools and cyber operations used by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). The authenticity and reliability of these leaks have been the subject of debate and controversy.
It’s important to note that WikiLeaks, the organization responsible for the release of the Vault 7 documents, has a history of releasing classified information and has faced criticism and skepticism about the accuracy and motivations behind its disclosures. Some cybersecurity experts and intelligence officials raised concerns about the veracity of the Vault 7 documents, suggesting that they could have been altered or manipulated in some way.
The U.S. government neither confirmed nor denied the authenticity of the specific details in the Vault 7 leaks. However, they did acknowledge that the release of such information could harm national security by revealing cyber capabilities and techniques.
As of my last knowledge update in September 2021, there was no definitive determination regarding the reliability of the Vault 7 leaks. The debate over their authenticity and implications continues to be a subject of discussion among cybersecurity experts, intelligence agencies, and the broader public.
For the most up-to-date information on the Vault 7 leaks and any subsequent developments, I recommend consulting reputable news sources and official statements from relevant authorities.
**********
Sickening shit, even Edward Bernays’ faceless men got to Open AI.
What a great name. It’s a woman too.
“He struggled,” Steele said of the oldest president in US history, who “trailed off” on topics even then, more than two years ago.
“So forget about politics. I don’t care, I didn’t vote for him,” Steele told Bill Maher on his “Club Ransom” podcast Sunday, admitting she thinks Biden is “a terrible president.”
“However, that made me sad,” she said of his apparent confusion.
Advertisement
“The human aspect of what we’re witnessing right now, to me, is heartbreaking,” she said of the now-80-year-old president facing escalating pressure over his age and a series of gaffes as he runs to stay in office.
Steele told the comedian that she interviewed Biden in March 2021 for a pre-recorded segment ahead of MLB’s Opening Day that year.
More here:
https://nypost.com/2023/10/05/interviewing-biden-the-saddest-thing-as-he-couldnt-finish-a-sentence-sage-steele/amp/
Dr Faustus
Oct 6, 2023 11:06 AM
Not sure about the silly girl…
Agree, hence my following para about traveling for older people.
But it’s for every single one of us to take the risk or not.
Sitting in a chair at home and watching tele is not a desirable option.
Oh God! Yes is surely going to win now. Jason Momoa has endorsed it.
Wow, who knew Aquaman was so wet.
Unlike a HE round, when cutting into a cluster munition,
you only find out how deep is too deep once.
Old jungle saying.
Our old friend the uncovered meat imam, well known to Tim Blair’s readers, has passed away in Egypt.
High-profile former Lakemba Mosque leader passes away (Tele, 6 Oct, paywalled)
He was a great entertainer.
I’m going to vote YES and only because the YES looks impossible.
It’s supporting the underdog thing.
Just kidding.
Not Obvious to Labor Blackout Bowen/PM Alboalwaysoverseas
China’s growing use of coal including the LONGEST coal transporting railway – which carries 200 MILLION tons of fossil fuel 1,141 MILES annually – draws pundit outrage as western nations spend BILLIONS to push citizens to reduce carbon footprint
. A Scottish journalist highlighted the incongruity between the green initiatives coming from Western countries and those coming from China
. China is responsible for 33 percent of the world’s greenhouse gas, but continues to power itself by coal and establish itself as a global superpower
. In the US, the Biden Administration continues to propose tens of billions of dollars be allocated to green initiatives that may or may not be effective
Gosh, I really thought I had been “cancelled” by the Letters Editor of the Oz. Not so, as I have “lead” letter in today’s edition. For those who don’t subscribe:
It strains credulity for the “Yes” lobby for “The Voice” to accuse the “No” lobby of racism, given that the former supports a radical change to our Constitution based on race. The sad continuation of poor life outcomes in many indigenous communities certainly requires better mechanisms to address the persistent disadvantage .
But the causes of disadvantage have been understood for generations, and do not require consultation additional to the many avenues that already exist. Mainstream education opportunities and the opportunity to have meaningful work must be supported, rather than token employment and demeaning welfare. Opportunities to own homes should also take precedence over communal Aboriginal settlements which do not allow title to dwellings.
None of these decisions require a change to the Constitution of Australia.
It’sh almosht ash if people can’t shee what a modesht and generoush proposhal to change the Consisushun it ish.
China is responsible for 33 percent of the world’s greenhouse gas, but continues to power itself by coal and establish itself as a global superpower
Please keep going China. The planet needs the CO2 and the plants and trees and plankton just love it.
Great comment Vicki !
How about “Authorities warn of altitude risk after 80-year old uninsured Australian tourist has to be medivaced from popular destination …”
My very first boss is a non-resident living in London. He was here for a few weeks and experienced a medical issue. He ended up in ER at a private hospital in Melbourne. Ended up having his gallbladder removed – don’t we all. The cost was $22,000 all up, debited to his credit card for a three day stay plus surgery.
These charges look like they rival the US if you’re uninsured here.
almost a snap, Sanchez.
Pogria, I am so glad you made the Lekach cake and you like. It is lovely with a cup of coffee or tea in the afternoon.
You’re right, I did forget oven temp, 180 degrees is what I usually always bake my cakes at!
“Jason Momoa has endorsed it.”
Momoa played Khal Drogo in GoT. I do recall that he has a very nice bum.
14% keeps coming up. The magic number.
I saw another 14% story in Barron’s this week.
Maybe catastrophic isn’t the word.
This week’s Barron’s was saying that if the entire US debt had to be rolled over at 14%, it would consume all US tax annual tax receipts (hypothetical obviously) . Now, I don’t really see a possibility of that occurring, but perhaps, Marty’s sentient AI would have much more to say on this. The US 10 year bond is trading at around 4.7% yield.
Again, it won’t get there, but there could be trouble lurking if those idiots don’t get a freaking grip of the debt and the deficit.
My hunch is that the Fed is going to take a temporary break on quantitative tightening sooner than later as bank stocks appear very sick.
Victorians deserve better…
That’s the Vic Liberals campaign slogan right there. They can add whatever they like after these 3 words. May I ?
…… opposition than the SFLs.
re: Trump Telling Tales out of Sub School, aka Mar-a-Leako,
Dot has already shown ChatGPT can’t be trusted so not sure what the point of that ChatGPT copypasta was ever going to be. A warhead count that could be anywhere between 4 and 120 per sub hardly counts as “the supposed number of exact US nuclear warheads they carry continuously”.
On the invisibility range it is down to Pratt’s potential reply versus Dot’s “probably”.
Still waiting for either Pratt or the adversarial prosecutor to confirm, or for Dot to find that alleged page in Jane’s that gave it all away.
Is Putin trolling his enemies?
Putin On Prigozhin Death: Wagner Leaders Got Drunk, High, & Played With Grenades Aboard Plane
President Vladimir Putin just floated the most interesting – and let’s say, colorful – theory to date on why Yevgeny Prigozhin’s plane went down outside Moscow on August 23. While much of Western reporting and even Russian media itself have described the Wagner chief’s death as due to either an anti-air missile or a planted bomb being detonated, Putin told an annual meeting of the Valdai Club in Sochi on Thursday that Prigozhin and his men likely got drunk or possibly high, and were playing with grenades.
I never really paid too much attention to oven temperatures. A few months of reheating pies saw me become quite proficient, particularly the hot and fast 220 preheated tray for a soggy bottom, turned down immediately of course.
This week’s ‘Please Explain’ is a corker.
I pressed down hard in pencil!
At ~US$200/minute heli-operating time, that’s second mortgage risk.
Pauline Hanson’s sublime Please Explain is simply magnificent today. Magnificent.
Do they?
We’re at around 66% of GDP for total gross public debt with 4% 3-year note yields and 4.6% 10-year bond yields.
The expected real GDP growth of 3% basically goes away.
Welcome to stagnation and with a new shiny 6% inflation target, stagflation.
They don’t. The problem is mostly north of the Yarra.
Jacinta Price and Warren Mundine have opinion pieces in the Tele today. They address exactly than.
There will be a demand for real change after the referendum (Paywalled)
The four ways which would do better than one statement (Paywalled)
Not being a subscriber I don’t know what they say other than what’s in the short text.
Click…there goes the drag on the spool.
I’m still trying to get you to work out if Trump was no longer President in April 2021, the only way he was giving away military secrets is if someone was leaking to him.