Open Thread – Wed 31 Jan 2024


Prometheus, Arnold Böcklin, 1883

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Dot
Dot
January 31, 2024 9:09 pm

This is precisely the sort of crackpot nonsense that makes it so easy for the MSM and the Deep State to rubbish genuine right wing/conservative movements and players.

Just like the idiots who attend right wing/conservative rallies and behave like Antifa, to the glee of their opponents, there seems to be a substrate of weirdos who are sexually excited by imagining that Michelle Obama, mother of two children, is a man.

Ya think? It’s like the birthers, the point was Obama lied and got special treatment at university. Of course he wasn’t some goat herder from Kenya.

Crossie
Crossie
January 31, 2024 9:12 pm

Any wonder that the congresscritter with the lowest favourability rating is McConnell? The base hates him and the Dems hate him. Yet he keeps on day after day just to prevent the Tea Party from gaining the machinery.

That horrible old man intends to die in the Senate. There is a whole slew of octogenarian senators and congress people who refuse to retire. My guess is two things: one, they really don’t have any close family relationships so they can’t very well retire to spend more time with the family. I suppose putting your job ahead of everything will do that to your relationships. Second, they love power so much that there is no way they are giving it up until they breathe their last. Either way, people like that should not be anywhere near the levers of power as they are no longer human.

Zulu Kilo Two Alpha
Zulu Kilo Two Alpha
January 31, 2024 9:16 pm

Latest from the sheep sales – Merino ewes at $29 a head. Thanks very much, Albo and the vooking Greens.

Zulu Kilo Two Alpha
Zulu Kilo Two Alpha
January 31, 2024 9:22 pm

Which means they are legitimate targets for lethal force.

I’m remembering a certain sergeant, who used to enliven lectures on the Geneva Convention with the image of the North Vietnamese officer, in civilian clothing, being shot in the street, in the Tet offensive of 1968.

“It’s why you have a chain of command, it’s why you wear a uniform, or a fixed, distinctive sign, visible at a distance, it’s why you carry weapons openly, and conduct operations in accordance with the laws and customs of war…”

Delta A
Delta A
January 31, 2024 9:23 pm

Two things the very dim Dumgold should steer clear of:-
1. Opening up chatter about improper relationships during legal proceeding; and
2. Accusations that Janet Albrechtsen was effectively pulling Sofronoff’s strings.

Bit of an idiot, IMO.

I’m no lawyer, but it seems to me that Drumgold should be lying low, rather than trying to drag AJ and Sofronos, both highly respectable in their fields, into the sludge which he has helped to create.

Zulu Kilo Two Alpha
Zulu Kilo Two Alpha
January 31, 2024 9:30 pm

Any, vookitall. I’m opening a bottle of very good shiraz to go with dinner. Cats will do me the courtesy of ignoring any further transmissions from this callsign

Rockdoctor
Rockdoctor
January 31, 2024 9:34 pm

Roger I’m warming to those modified P3C Orions that the yanks fly into hurricanes being purchased and set up in places like RAAF Garbutt or RAAF Tindal. The more data the better…

Coral Sea cyclone paths are notoriosly erratic but intensity predictions are more of an issue from what I have been through more often than not. Dvorak techniques for intensitycan be flawed analysis depending on the operator

Didn’t the RAAF just retire a stack of P3C’s?

Zulu Kilo Two Alpha
Zulu Kilo Two Alpha
January 31, 2024 9:49 pm

Didn’t the RAAF just retire a stack of P3C’s?

Retired after fifty five years service, indeed.

P
P
January 31, 2024 9:51 pm

Crossie
Jan 31, 2024 9:12 PM

McConnell Wiki –

On April 10, 2021, Trump called McConnell a “dumb son of a bitch”. Trump added: “I hired his wife. Did he ever say thank you?” Trump has continued to attack McConnell in personal terms since then, but McConnell has not responded publicly.

Speedbox
January 31, 2024 9:54 pm

Lots of rumour and speculation that Zelensky will (or has) sacked his armed forces commander General Zaluzhny. There has been plenty of tension between the pair in the past few weeks.

But apparently, Zaluzhny doesn’t want to go and reputedly rejected Zelensky’s offer that Zaluzhny become the head of national security. Zelensky reputedly told Zaluzhny that he would be removed whether he accepted a new role or not.

This is interesting on several levels. Zaluzhny is very popular with his command/troops and is believed to have political ambitions. He also has quite strong support from the public if opinion polls can be believed. Zelensky can’t back down without exploding his presidency, but this dispute sends a terrible message to his backers (read USA) and to NATO more broadly. For the people of Ukraine, sacking Zaluzhny would be a highly controversial with a broader destabilizing impact. How the other Ukraine military leaders may respond is anybody’s guess.

132andBush
132andBush
January 31, 2024 9:57 pm

You haven’t worked it out yet Bushie.

You really should drop the patronising comments, Bruce, you do it a lot.

I agree with a lot of what you say re the dead wood. The incentives in the system need to change, same applies here.
I think the biggest reason DeSantis dropped was the “image/showman” factor.
Apparently being reserved and “boring” but getting things done is, well, not entertaining enough to support.
.
There’s not a conspiracy behind everything that happens though. Trumpians would do well to consider that.

Gabor
Gabor
January 31, 2024 9:58 pm

Crossie
Jan 31, 2024 9:12 PM

Either way, people like that should not be anywhere near the levers of power as they are no longer human.

As Dr BG quoted , ‘people who crave power shouldn’t be allowed near it’.

Bruce of Newcastle
Bruce of Newcastle
January 31, 2024 9:59 pm

I’m warming to those modified P3C Orions that the yanks fly into hurricanes

Reminds me of a Mike Oldfield album.

Mike Oldfield – Five Miles Out (1982)

The cover art was excellent also. Just starting to rain here at the Cafe, welcome as the lawn today was looking a very el-Ninoish brown and grey colour. The brushtails won’t like the rain though, so I won’t be seeing them tonight.

Colonel Crispin Berka
Colonel Crispin Berka
January 31, 2024 9:59 pm

There should be a reality tv channel called Milei TV which follows Javier in his daily efforts to bring liberty to Argentina.

In the meantime here’s a Stossel TV episode from yesterday:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RIlnvrMa4GE

cohenite
January 31, 2024 10:02 pm
cohenite
January 31, 2024 10:04 pm

There’s not a conspiracy behind everything that happens though.

Only the bad stuff.

Bruce of Newcastle
Bruce of Newcastle
January 31, 2024 10:04 pm

You really should drop the patronising comments, Bruce, you do it a lot.

Bushie – Ante up then. I like a stoush as long as it has some grounding to be based on. I can provide citations for every assertion I’ve made tonight.

Getting late for me though, see you tomorrow. Bring ammunition.

Louis Litt
Louis Litt
January 31, 2024 10:10 pm

Knuckles knuckles knuckles
What about the kick boxer his brother was on MAFS previously as a lover.
What a talented family – one is a lover anfd one’s a fighter.

Now the comedian and the physio. Personally I think he’s ruining it – just imagine all of those smooooth chemistry lines he could use!

Now Clarcksons Farm-

Best night of the week.

Omg a hair band in that brute force of a car ? – wtf

Cassie of Sydney
January 31, 2024 10:10 pm

You really should drop the patronising comments, Bruce, you do it a lot.

That, and a complete inability to acknowledge when he’s wrong.

Bruce of Newcastle
Bruce of Newcastle
January 31, 2024 10:13 pm

Speedy – Good stuff. I’ve not read much about the Z vs Z internal ruction, although I’ve seen some of the stories.

The fundamental issue is mainly as you say: Zaluzhny is a serious and competent guy, like Gerasimov. Zelenskyy on the other hand is an actor hired to play a role. Which as salesman he has been doing fairly well. It would not be the first time, though, that an actor got notions above himself. How this plays out will be interesting, I suspect there are other performers in Ukraine that could do well also.

Knuckle Dragger
Knuckle Dragger
January 31, 2024 10:23 pm

For some, the Book of Titus should be all the citations one needs.

Speedbox
January 31, 2024 10:23 pm

BoN – there has been tension between the two of them not least when Zaluzhny directly contradicted Zelensky at media conferences on the same day. Zalensky was telling the media how the Ukraine forces were punching through the Russian lines. Then, a couple of hours later, Zaluzhny said the Ukraine forces were bogged down, had been for some time and weren’t going anywhere.

Zaluzhny has also been ‘privately’ vocal about non-military people making tactical battlefield decisions when they had no training or experience to do so. He didn’t name Zelensky but he didn’t have to.

Yes, Zaluzhny is a capable and experienced military officer. He is very highly respected by his officers and men.

Zulu Kilo Two Alpha
Zulu Kilo Two Alpha
January 31, 2024 10:24 pm

I’m having a couple of single malts, and watching Gary Oldman as Winston Churchill, in “Finest Hour.”

Kristin Scott Thomas, as the long suffering Clementine. “Winston, how much have you had to drink THIS MORNING!”

Bruce of Newcastle
Bruce of Newcastle
January 31, 2024 10:32 pm

That, and a complete inability to acknowledge when he’s wrong.

Cassie – What was I wrong about?

Barking Toad
Barking Toad
January 31, 2024 10:36 pm

Tits then has his ego swell to the size of his forehead

Hahaha – lovely darts black knackers.

Bruce of Newcastle
Bruce of Newcastle
January 31, 2024 10:38 pm

Speedy – Zelenskyy is an actor and a comedian and a salesman. I doubt he is held in high regard as a strategist. He does a good job at what he has been doing, which is panhandling for support. He does that incessantly. If there’s a ruction between him and Zaluzhny it’s pretty obvious what the result will be. On the other hand I think Zaluzhny would hate having to spend his time begging in London, Berlin and Washington when he could be doing stuff he’s trained to do. So Zelenskyy has his purpose: he’s a frontman, that’s all he’s ever been.

Barking Toad
Barking Toad
January 31, 2024 10:44 pm

That, and a complete inability to acknowledge when he’s wrong.

I think I’ll be backing BoN in this battle.

Dot
Dot
January 31, 2024 10:44 pm

Zelenskyy on the other hand is an actor hired to play a role.

He won a runoff election against the establishment. What a preposterous way to install a puppet.

The idea any of us have much of an idea of how effective any of the generals are in a war with a very strong disinformation campaign by both warring sides is quite absurd.

thefrollickingmole
thefrollickingmole
January 31, 2024 10:55 pm

More than six million people have been put on health alert after the first case of mpox (formerly monkeypox) was recorded in Victoria in almost six months amid a

There are 6 million men engaging in male/ male sex acts in Vic alone??
Seems about right

Dot
Dot
January 31, 2024 11:02 pm

“mpox”

No, it’s monkeypox.

thefrollickingmole
thefrollickingmole
January 31, 2024 11:13 pm

…Merino ewes at $29 a head….

With slithering human shaped poo golem Wilkie on their ABCcess news radio every hour ejaculating how ” the sheep are being held in hellhole conditions with no airflow”
And other acts seldom seen outside an episode of League of Gentlemen being committed on the saintly lamb chops.

Also in its excretions it belled the cat in a couple of other issues.

Yes he wants to shut down the live cattle trade as well.
The new shipping route involves trucking the animals across Israel.

thefrollickingmole
thefrollickingmole
January 31, 2024 11:22 pm

I thought the trucking across Israel to get them to ( Jordan I think it was) was a bit interesting considering the little hamarse fracas going on at the moment.
Hu

Zulu Kilo Two Alpha
Zulu Kilo Two Alpha
January 31, 2024 11:24 pm

the sheep are being held in hellhole conditions with no airflow”

Bullsh!t. The only times when there is no airflow, is when the crew members accept money from the likes of Animals Australia to turn off the ventilation, so they can provide footage of thirsty and distressed sheep.

bons
bons
January 31, 2024 11:29 pm

I have never watched MAFS, but it sounds as if I am denying myself a beneficial exploration of the more elevated strata of contemporary cultural mores.

Do I need special equipment or clothing in order to watch?

Last year I actually sent a note to Margaret (from David and Margaret) praising her for her demolition of MAFS, and apologising for my decades of sneering at her show (which I still consider to be Mrs Bouquet level bizarre). I received a very gracious response which humbled me but left me in no doubt that I was a dickhead! My pals are still giggling.

Rosie
Rosie
February 1, 2024 12:09 am

On the subject of the Palestinianness of those living in ‘refugee camps’ in Gaza and the west bank, I haven’t read widely on the internet or in print but I do note that various Israelis on X have discussed this, in reference to the common surnames in these territories that give a clue as to originals, names that in English translate the The Egyptian, The Kurd, the Syrian even the Bosnian (Shirley Temper’s family are also Bosnian). Obviously claims about who lived where prior to the 1930s is contentious but it does seem many Palestinians were tenant families on properties owned by absentee landlords.
If that is the case what ‘right of return’ should there be four, five six generations later.
Wars were lost, the right of return as a raison d’etre should be abandoned and certainly no longer taught at unwra terror schools.
It’s an excuse, not a reason.

All the world has a grievance of one kind or another.

Rosie
Rosie
February 1, 2024 12:27 am

I am in Corsica where the buses don’t run on Sundays and, it turns out, some of don’t run on Saturdays either.
Very frustrating I think I knew but had forgotten when I rebooked.
I also managed to take the plastic key for the municipal rubbish shortage in Livorno, landlady fusing but I have posted it back, probably it will go back on the ferry tomorrow.
Rubbish in Livorno had to be sorted five ways with a
lengthy admonishment taped to the fridge about what day for what and where.
How I like to spend my holidays.
At least here there is just one bin for everything.

Wally Dalí
Wally Dalí
February 1, 2024 12:40 am

That’s a keeper Bons, frame it!!!
…I’ve always reckoned Pomeranz would be a ripper dinner guest. She made a stand and got taken into custody for the right to watch edgy fare, she won my respect.

Katzenjammer
Katzenjammer
February 1, 2024 12:42 am

On the subject of the Palestinianness of those living in ‘refugee camps’ in Gaza and the west bank, I haven’t read widely on the internet or in print but I do note that various Israelis on X have discussed this, in reference to the common surnames in these territories that give a clue as to originals, names that in English translate the The Egyptian, The Kurd, the Syrian even the Bosnian (Shirley Temper’s family are also Bosnian).

“From Time Immemorial” by Joan Peters reviews the source of ‘Palestinians’ in the 19th and 20th centuries in detail in chapters 12 & 13. It’s probably the most thorough reserach of the subject with numerous quotes and citations. Among other aspects, she points out that numbers of Jews and Arabs in Palestine compared Jews under restrictive immigration regulation to restricted areas to non-Jews across the whole of Palestine east and west of the Jordan River. Non-Jews are usually called ‘Arabs’, but they should be considered by their ‘ethnicities’ – Turks, Druze, Christians, Kurds, Circassians, Balkans, Armenian, Bedouin. For 19th century populations there were more Jews than most of the other ethnicities – calling them all ‘Arabs’ gives a false view of how they viewed themselves, and serves political purposes to disenfranchise the position of Jews.

The book is available from a few libraries, probably on interlibrary loan.
From Time Immemorial
Click the Borrow button to see which libraries hold a copy

H B Bear
H B Bear
February 1, 2024 12:48 am

Anyone who’s been in Fremantle when there’s a full sheep ship in port would know there is plenty of exhaust gases from them. Would have been a bit cooler in Gage Roads than Perth today.

Katzenjammer
Katzenjammer
February 1, 2024 12:53 am

From Time Immemorial
Click the Read button to find a scanned copy on the Internet Archive. If you’re registered log in and borrow it for an hour to read online. Start at page 220 for the population questions.

Rosie
Rosie
February 1, 2024 3:57 am

Thanks Katz, looked at buying a copy but prices are ouchie.

Tom
Tom
February 1, 2024 4:00 am
Tom
Tom
February 1, 2024 4:01 am
Tom
Tom
February 1, 2024 4:02 am
Tom
Tom
February 1, 2024 4:03 am
Tom
Tom
February 1, 2024 4:05 am
Tom
Tom
February 1, 2024 4:06 am
Tom
Tom
February 1, 2024 4:07 am
Tom
Tom
February 1, 2024 4:08 am
Tom
Tom
February 1, 2024 4:09 am
Tom
Tom
February 1, 2024 4:10 am
Tom
Tom
February 1, 2024 4:11 am
Tom
Tom
February 1, 2024 4:12 am
feelthebern
feelthebern
February 1, 2024 5:30 am

Ramirez is top shelf.
It’s been a real pickle for a while & since Oct 7th even the sleepiest of observers can see it needs to be addressed.
How to stop Iran funding proxy wars without destroying a country with circa 90mill punters.

feelthebern
feelthebern
February 1, 2024 5:34 am

Andrew Kerr
@AndrewKerrNC

BREAKING:
@FreeBeacon has obtained audio of a whistleblower privately warning Fani Willis in 2021 that her top aide was trying to misuse federal funds.

Willis did not dispute the allegations.

56 days later, Willis fired the whistleblower and perp walked her out of the office.

https://x.com/AndrewKerrNC/status/1752674814605557954?s=20

Even in shit hole Georgia, if you sack a whistleblower, you’re going to be indicted.
Especially if the whistleblower is a sassy black woman with political ambitions of her own.

feelthebern
feelthebern
February 1, 2024 5:41 am

If this extended footage has already been posted, apologies.

What I find odd is how quiet the Ibn Sina Hospital looks.
Apart from the two young chaps on the way in, where is everybody?
Even that nurses station looks deserted.

https://x.com/Doranimated/status/1752660037854540209?s=20

Was it a case of everyone knew something was coming & got out?
If so, great as it means the population left the Hamas animals there to get what was coming.

Johnny Rotten
Johnny Rotten
February 1, 2024 5:46 am

Many Thanks Tom.

Real Deal
Real Deal
February 1, 2024 6:02 am

I can’t link to the article in the Oz but it looks like the NSW Libs are cleaning house and getting back to basics. Jason Falinsky is standing down and will be replaced by take no prisoners, no-nonsense trouble shooter tough guy, Don Harwin.

Their race to the bottom continues.

Rosie
Rosie
February 1, 2024 6:25 am

Maybe knowing a wanted terrorist in the hospital was enough for everyone else to steer clear.

132andBush
132andBush
February 1, 2024 6:49 am

Bushie – the rank and file are angry. Very. Thus when DeSantis attended the elite donor meeting arranged by the RNC, who banned Trump from attending, his numbers cratered like a detonating MOAB. It was fun to see. Vivek stayed away and that did him some good.

Even though Trump is after, probably, the same people.

Bruce, I don’t like this adulation of Trump to the exclusion of all others. It looks like a lot of donors pulled money from DeSantis because they considered him too hard on a few issues (abortion being one).
DeSantis was the first candidate to max out the small, one time, donors. Which suggests he has a huge grassroots base, just no “zing” or celebrity appeal, which for some reason is so bloody important.
Like insisting my new tractor has to have aerodynamic styling.

I still maintain this has the ability to go horribly wrong for Republicans, Trump supports included.

Bruce of Newcastle
Bruce of Newcastle
February 1, 2024 6:52 am

More lawfare news.

Imran Khan sentenced to 14 years in prison just one day after being jailed by second court (31 Jan)

Former Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan and his wife were sentenced to 14 years in prison for corruption yesterday, just 24 hours after another special court convicted him of leaking state secrets resulting in a 10-year prison sentence.

A lot of this sort of thing happening these days. We’re not immune to it either, just ask Pauline.

132andBush
132andBush
February 1, 2024 6:56 am

Changing subject.

A long range forecaster a few of my mates follow who, since August, was predicting, almost to the day, the demise of this El Nino is saying this year could break records for wet as it (Nino) fully breaks down.

He was flying directly in the face of our esteemed BOM at the time.

I await the BOM outlook for this year as being “normal” in order to confirm his predictions.

Katzenjammer
Katzenjammer
February 1, 2024 6:57 am

Rosie

Thanks Katz, looked at buying a copy but prices are ouchie.

A few copies in the US are on Abebooks and eBay for about $200 to $400.

The sections with population references and stats is over 100 pages – a bit too much for the short one hour loan on the Internet Archive. Probably best to borrow it on interlibrary loan. It’s really worth a read.

Bruce of Newcastle
Bruce of Newcastle
February 1, 2024 7:06 am

132andBush – It’s probably a moot point anyway since the Dems are going to try again to steal the election. Will they succeed, I don’t know. Not much has been done to prevent it from happening. The corrupt deep state is terrified of the Republicans. Not only Trump, they would see DeSantis and even Nikki Haley as deadly threats as well since they’ve too gone far to dare take the chance. We’ll see.

Vicki
Vicki
February 1, 2024 7:18 am

A long range forecaster a few of my mates follow who, since August, was predicting, almost to the day, the demise of this El Nino is saying this year could break records for wet as it (Nino) fully breaks down.

Bushie, last night a TV weather reporter outrageously tried to whitewash BOM’s prediction of a dry summer by claiming that El Nino cycles always have wet spells!
Try telling the Queenslanders who are about to suffer a third cyclone in a row that it is a “wet spell” in the middle of the Big Dry!

Cassie of Sydney
February 1, 2024 7:22 am

Jason Falinsky is standing down and will be replaced by take no prisoners, no-nonsense trouble shooter tough guy, Don Harwin.”

Words fail me. I note that Foolinsky is running again in Mackellar, just like Tim Wilson is running again in Goldstein and Michelle Obama fan, Dr Kate Allen, is running again in Higgins.

Recycling failure, don’t be surprised if the Teals hold on in these seats.

Pogria
Pogria
February 1, 2024 7:23 am

The whiny little turd who was throwing milk and, as it turns out, eggs on people on the Yarra, is a Melbourne Grammar student. No wonder poor little “pee my pants now I’ve been caught”, was worried about being expelled from school. hahahahaha

Vicki
Vicki
February 1, 2024 7:24 am

That, and a complete inability to acknowledge when he’s wrong.

Very funny! That’s a big club amongst us all! BoN is a member of a distinguished club!

Louis Litt
Louis Litt
February 1, 2024 7:26 am

Old Ozzie 31/01
Tax Policy
I remember when the Medicare levy went up and had an employee from the northern suburbs of Adelaide as my secretary/office manager, sole bread winner as husband collapsed physically and mentally from being retrenched from the job he worked for 30 or so years, when the Medicare threshold increase she said well there goes my weekly coffee as muzz buzz.
That was a luxury for her.
I recall on the 90s when Costello brought down his first budget and got slammed because it was only equal to a pasty and a coke.
A tax cut is a tax cut, cheaper than a wage increase for all.
With tax reform there are threshold in dollar term which have not changed since the 1930s.
Get rid of govt – if you watched clarcksons farm last night with his vegetables – it’s ludicrous.

Cassie of Sydney
February 1, 2024 7:28 am

I still maintain this has the ability to go horribly wrong for Republicans, Trump supports included.

I think you might be right. It’ll be interesting to see what happens if the DNC puts Joe out to pasture and installs Michelle Obama.

Perth Trader
Perth Trader
February 1, 2024 7:33 am

132andBush
Feb 1, 2024 6:56 AM

A long range forecaster ……Bush, who is the long range forecaster? I,d like to read up.

feelthebern
feelthebern
February 1, 2024 7:34 am


A long range forecaster a few of my mates follow who, since August, was predicting, almost to the day, the demise of this El Nino is saying this year could break records for wet as it (Nino) fully breaks down.

Bushie, do they have a view on the pending ARk storm system in California?
Every forecaster & scientist are saying fears are overblown.
If I lived there, that would be making me move to higher ground.

Vicki
Vicki
February 1, 2024 7:35 am

Joe backed down. The Second US Civil War very nearly started last week, and almost no one is talking about that. Including Cats.

I think we are all watching it, BoN. These things are cool down. I honestly thought the situation would deteriorate into civil war after the so many were wrongly imprisoned after the so-called assault on the Capitol. I particularly thought that the huge number of vets in the USA would respond. It didn’t happen. So I, for one, am careful now to call it.

Vicki
Vicki
February 1, 2024 7:35 am

Joe backed down. The Second US Civil War very nearly started last week, and almost no one is talking about that. Including Cats.

I think we are all watching it, BoN. These things often cool down. I honestly thought the situation would deteriorate into civil war after the so many were wrongly imprisoned after the so-called assault on the Capitol. I particularly thought that the huge number of vets in the USA would respond. It didn’t happen. So I, for one, am careful now to call it.

Louis Litt
Louis Litt
February 1, 2024 7:41 am

Bons Bons Bons 31/01 @ 11:29
MAFS – ya gotta get into it- the dinner parties are the best as this is when the protagonists really tell eachother what they think.
Great at the footy club and if you are writing the dr love column at the club the wisdom you use from the relationship guru’s.

Farmer Gez
Farmer Gez
February 1, 2024 7:50 am

MAFS Dinner Parties.
One of the past contestants (combatants) said the producers make sure the room is overheated so the attendees drink a lot and the food is served late to make sure of it.

Cassie of Sydney
February 1, 2024 7:50 am

That’s a big club amongst us all!

Well of course, everyone can get something wrong, it’s just that when you and I get something wrong we don’t double down.

Bruce of Newcastle
Bruce of Newcastle
February 1, 2024 7:52 am

Tim Blair has another unpaywalled post on his blog.

Fictional Julia will always be their Favourite Julia (31 Jan)

How dare righties say accurate things about the sainted Julia!

Beertruk
February 1, 2024 7:54 am

Today’s Tele (page 22 World) :

LIKE A FILM: ISRAELI HIT SQUAD KILLS TERROR CELL GAZA STRIP:
1 Feb 2024

Israeli undercover troops raided a hospital in the West Bank disguised as medical staff and civilians and killed three Palestinian men the army said were members of a “terrorist cell”.

While they conducted their hospital raid in the north, Israel said it was flooding Hamas’s attack tunnels in Gaza, despite fears Israeli hostages are still being kept in the vast underground network.

Some of the Israeli agents at the Ibn Sina Hospital in Jenin were dressed as medical staff and carried a wheelchair and baby carrier as props, according to officials and hospital CCTV footage released by the Palestinian health ministry.

Hamas said one of the three killed, Muhammad Jalamnah, was a commander in its armed wing. The Israeli army said Jalamnah had “planned to carry out a terror attack in the immediate future and used the hospital as a hiding place”.

CCTV footage showed members of the undercover unit – men and women – disguised as medics and civilians making their way through a corridor with rifles raised.

The Palestinian Authority’s ministry of health accused Israel of carrying out a “new massacre inside hospitals”.

Hamas said the Israeli forces had “executed three fighters”, including one of its members. Another armed group, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, said two of those killed were its members and were brothers, Muhammad Ayman Ghazawi and Basel Ayman Ghazawi.

Images from the room where the men are said to have been shot show blood-spattered floors and walls with a bloodied, blue pillow with a bullet hole in it on a bed.

“They executed the three men as they slept in the room,” the hospital’s director, Dr Naji Nazzal, told Reuters.

It came as the Israeli military said it had adopted the tactic of channelling water into Hamas’s vast underground network of tunnels, dubbed “the Gaza metro”.

“It is part of a range of tools deployed by the Israeli Defence Forces to neutralise the threat of Hamas’s subterranean tunnel network,” it said.

At the start of the Israel-Hamas war in October, there were 1300 tunnels stretching over 500km in Gaza, according to a study from US military academy West Point.

The army vowed to destroy them after Hamas’s October 7 attacks on Israel, even though the military says many of the hostages taken by Hamas have been or continue to be held in the network of tunnels.

About 250 foreign and Israeli hostages were taken to Gaza during the October 7 attack, of which around 132 are still held captive, including bodies of at least 28 people believed to have been killed.

In December, some Israeli media said the army was leaning towards flooding the tunnels with seawater pumped from the Mediterranean, but experts warned it posed huge risks to civilians.

On Tuesday, the Israeli military said it had taken care not to “damage the area’s groundwater”.

Meanwhile, Hamas said it had received a proposed framework for a ceasefire and a plan to release more of the hostages that came out of high-level talks in Paris between top US, Israeli, Egyptian and Qatari officials.

Hamas said it was “in the process of examining it and delivering its response”.

Farmer Gez
Farmer Gez
February 1, 2024 7:57 am

I’ve been through quite a few El Niño years through my life and I’ve never seen one where the entire breadth of Eastern Australia is so saturated and green.
It’s true that pockets of country get good rain in these events and it’s the usual places that often get big floods in wet years.
BoM is now using the defence of probability. Probability says your seasonal models are poor and therefore all your models are poor.

alwaysright
alwaysright
February 1, 2024 8:04 am

Wait for it Gez, we are all gunna fry!

Cassie of Sydney
February 1, 2024 8:05 am

The BoM is now a Bureau of Marxists. It main raison d’etre is to push the ideology of climate change.

Everything has been corrupted….everything.

Bruce of Newcastle
Bruce of Newcastle
February 1, 2024 8:12 am

Daniel Greenfield has an interesting article on another Achilles heel for the renewables and EVs sector.

Green Crime: An Electric Car, Wind and Solar Crime Wave (31 Jan)

The modern sheen of the electric car is running into the medieval state of American cities.

Seattle began installing dozens of EV chargers only for thieves to show up and raid at least eight of the charging cables for copper requiring thousands of dollars worth of repairs.

EV owners who suffered from copper theft while leaving their cars to be charged in public places were told by the Seattle Police Department to “stay with the vehicle if you can while it’s being charged,” Considering that it can take an electric car hours to charge, that’s gonna be a wait.

In Oakhurst, CA , every cable was cut on a Tesla ‘supercharger’ station almost as soon as it had been set up. At a nonprofit in Van Nuys, 38 cables were stolen. Since the thieves rarely see any real punishment in cities where property crime has effectively been legalized, it’s getting worse.

And so electric car owners are warned to make sure that they lock their car in the garage. Then they’re told to lock their cables with padlocks and make sure their insurance covers their cables.

The incredible convenience of electric cars is now such that owners can only charge them while locked in their garages, with a padlock on the cable and the cable under the car’s wheel.

But it’s not just Teslas. Copper thieves are coming for every piece of ‘green’ infrastructure.

In Fresno, CA, $100,000 in copper wire was stolen from a solar farm, but wind farms, because they’re often far away from people, are an even more attractive target for copper thieves. And wind turbines have massive amounts of copper in them, making them even more desirable.

The solar farms one is particularly interesting since solar farms are increasingly a go-to easy renewables answer here. Built far out in the countryside they’re sitting ducks. Apparently there’re already organized copper theft rings, one was nabbed in Melbourne last year.

calli
calli
February 1, 2024 8:15 am

I’ve never seen one where the entire breadth of Eastern Australia is so saturated and green.

Not here it isn’t. There has been little rain the entire summer and the place is parched. Every weather system carrying rain splits to north (Hawks Nest) or south (Newcastle) while we remain dry as dust. Not helped by the sand draining away what little rain that falls.

Wouldn’t surprise me if we get the mother of all East Coast lows hitting us come autumn and then the usual winter rain and wind.

Crossie
Crossie
February 1, 2024 8:23 am

Pogria
Feb 1, 2024 7:23 AM
The whiny little turd who was throwing milk and, as it turns out, eggs on people on the Yarra, is a Melbourne Grammar student. No wonder poor little “pee my pants now I’ve been caught”, was worried about being expelled from school. hahahahaha

I don’t think he should worry, I’m sure his school will only insist that next time he does it to farmers who protest the wind turbines and solar panels being installed on their land. Besides, students at that school usually have well-to-do parents who can make their problems go away.

Crossie
Crossie
February 1, 2024 8:29 am

Farmer Gez
Feb 1, 2024 7:57 AM
I’ve been through quite a few El Niño years through my life and I’ve never seen one where the entire breadth of Eastern Australia is so saturated and green.

As others have said, BOM is no longer in forecasting business when pushing propaganda is easier. For example, on Tuesday the forecast for Sunday temperature for western Sydney was 41 degrees, last night that was revised to 39. I await with bated breath for tonight’s prediction.

The disgusting outcome of such scaremongering is that people make or change important plans that can have financial and other consequences.

Eyrie
Eyrie
February 1, 2024 8:36 am

The incredible convenience of electric cars is now such that owners can only charge them while locked in their garages

So that the garage and the house can both burn down when the damned thing catches fire.
Great.

Dot
Dot
February 1, 2024 8:36 am

Speaking to a friend last night who has quietly running a fund here in Australia for a few years.

He describes his fund as fundamental and commodity focused with a hedging overlay. He credits a lot of his gains to inflation which he says (quite correctly) screws everyone else.

Now he’s got a track record he’s looking at getting clients. He was up over 60% last FY and so far this FY he’s up over 50%. His gains are powered by uranium, oil and coal. He thinks if uranium powers on he could even break his old record.

He’s right about the upside of uranium into the future.

– – – – – –

The US DOE is actually giving loans to operators to reopen shut down nuclear plants.

That’s huge, given the bias against nuclear in English speaking countries (and Germany).

https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/Nuclear-Power-Plant-to-Reopen-in-Michigan.html

This is a marker!

Eyrie
Eyrie
February 1, 2024 8:40 am

I am so glad I did NOT buy Boeing shares.

https://aviationweek.com/aerospace/manufacturing-supply-chain/opinion-can-boeings-misguided-leaders-be-stopped

There is a nice youtube series on Douglas aircraft history. 65 years ago top of the tree in defence, space and civil aircraft. All gone.
Likewise McDonnell, builders of the F-4 and F-15.

Dot
Dot
February 1, 2024 8:43 am

Not only Trump, they would see DeSantis and even Nikki Haley as deadly threats

???

Democrats switched their registration MONTHS ago to be able to vote for Nimarata.

What on earth makes you think the “establishment GOOP” is afraid of Nikki “Your dead kid, not mine” Haley?

de Santis on the other hand, was one of few heads of state/government that said NO to the COVIDIAN virus of fear and jackbooted lickspittledon, with dickheads everywhere pretending they were doctors and doctors failing as community leaders to think for themselves.

Eyrie
Eyrie
February 1, 2024 8:45 am

Just checked windy out to 10 days. No cyclone crossing coast according to the models.

Dot
Dot
February 1, 2024 8:46 am

don —> dom

Fark you, autocorrect, you sack of crap, that was changed multiple times.

Eyrie
Eyrie
February 1, 2024 8:52 am

No need to risk expensive aircraft and crews flying into hurricanes/typhoons/tropical cyclones.
Nowadays a high altitude drone can fly over the top at 65000 feet and simply use dropsondes which report back to the drone which uses its satcoms to send the data back to base in real time.

Indolent
Indolent
February 1, 2024 8:56 am
Indolent
Indolent
February 1, 2024 8:58 am
GreyRanga
GreyRanga
February 1, 2024 8:59 am

Catching up, oh dear it seems my tongue in cheek comment about Michelle Obummer has resulted in right wingers not being taken seriously. Was this a moment of lucidity between drinks? I’m quite sure the left-wing press trawl the web just looking for suchlike to bolster their own standing. Readers can be fully aware my crazy ravings will result in no conservative people ever being elected, such is my sway upon the voting intentions of millions. I must be able monetise this new found abilty. If only.

132andBush
132andBush
February 1, 2024 9:01 am

Perth Trader
Feb 1, 2024 7:33 AM
132andBush
Feb 1, 2024 6:56 AM

A long range forecaster ……Bush, who is the long range forecaster? I,d like to read up.

PT,
He calls himself “The Wizard of Oz”, on X.
I’ve done a bit of background on him.
He has a few, how does one say, batshit crazy ideas on a few non weather related things but there’s no denying his accuracy re the seasonal forecasts for the last few years.

Indolent
Indolent
February 1, 2024 9:03 am
132andBush
132andBush
February 1, 2024 9:05 am

feelthebern
Feb 1, 2024 7:34 AM

Not sure, bern.
I don’t subscribe and the mate who forwards me stuff gets it off his X feed and only Australian relevant stuff.

Elizabeth (Lizzie) Beare
Elizabeth (Lizzie) Beare
February 1, 2024 9:12 am

and the mainstream media outlets were only to happy to comply

Add to that much of the medical profession. So many reports of people being told they just had some ideosyncratic issue not related at all to the mRNA vaxxes and being sent home to endure misery without any proper diagnostic follow up.

As I’ve said here, it happened in Sydney to my second son, who was disabled in both wrists for nearly three months by the Pfizer vaxxes given three weeks apart. Swollen hands with skin peeling, and impossibly painful wrists, but sent away from Prince of Wales Hospital with no diagnosis and the instructions to take Panadol. I paid for an MRI which showed very severe bilateral sinovitis. No prior history and no other reason for its sudden appearance but the vaxx. He has no hope of any compensation.

Roger
Roger
February 1, 2024 9:17 am

Hello…

Intelligence reports suggest that at least 1 in 10 UNWRA staff in Gaza have direct links with Hamas.

Zulu Kilo Two Alpha
Zulu Kilo Two Alpha
February 1, 2024 9:17 am

From the “Spectator” – I’ve posted the whole article.

Leading article Australia
Penny Wong must resign
The Spectator Australia
The Spectator Australia
Getty Images

The Spectator Australia

3 February 2024

9:00 AM

Every Australian taxpayer now has on their conscience the terrifying prospect that their hard-earned dollars went towards financing the rape, mutilation, torture, kidnapping and murder of innocent Jewish girls, women, babies, boys and men on 7 October in southern Israel. That is the legacy of the disgusting recklessness of Labor’s Penny Wong.

Writing in this magazine in October, 2017, regular columnist Andrew L. Urban explained how that year alone, ‘half of the US$693 million that the Palestinian Authority receives as foreign aid… was paid out as stipends to convicted terrorists and their families’. Mr Urban went on to detail how various governments were responding to increasing concerns about the way their funds were being used to finance Palestinian terror and called on our government to do the same.

In March, 2018, we went further. With an unapologetically hard-hitting cover, we showed a dead Israeli with an Australian 100-dollar bill as the murder weapon. ‘Aussie tax slayers’ was the headline to the accompanying article by Dr David Adler of the Australian Jewish Association. ‘According to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade website, Australia will contribute $43.8 million to the “Palestinian Territories” in 2017-18,’ Dr Adler wrote. ‘DFAT claims, “Australia seeks to align its support with the Palestinian Authority’s (PA) objectives”. Well, the PA’s objectives include providing incentive payments to terrorists who injure and kill innocent Israeli civilians.’

Dr Adler named the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), and cited the Palestinian policy of ‘pay for slay’, whereby Palestinians are financially rewarded for murdering Jews.

‘UNRWA is not a neutral service provider, having repeatedly been found to be involved in political activism. In the 2014 conflict between Israel and Hamas, rockets were found stored in two UNRWA schools in Gaza, and staff were found making anti-Israel commentaries.’ Dr Adler also described the ways children in Gaza are schooled in the arts of murder and terror with Western-funded educational material. ‘A terror attack on an Israeli civilian bus using Molotov cocktails is described as a “barbeque party”. A poem describes Jews as the devil’s aides.’ (For more on the history of this blighted organisation, see Rebecca Weisser’s column this week.)

Dr Adler also explained how then President Trump was substantially reducing aid to UNRWA, before pointing out that, ‘Australia in 2017-18 committed $17.6 million to UNRWA, making us the 12th most generous nation in funding this agency. Unlike the US, Australia has not taken steps to reduce its UNRWA funding despite the matter having been drawn to the attention of Foreign Minister Julie Bishop.’

Following that article, and after appearing on Outsiders on Sky News Australia with the editor of this magazine, Rowan Dean, Dr Adler went to Canberra with further visual evidence of Australian taxpayer funded bodies’ involvement in terror, where, with the help of Senators Eric Abetz, David Leyonhjelm, Pauline Hanson, James Paterson and others he persuaded Ms Bishop and the Coalition government to redirect ten million dollars of funding. On 2 July 2018, in a media release awash with diplo-jargon, Ms Bishop explained that, ‘Any assistance provided by the Palestine Liberation Organisation to those convicted of politically motivated violence is an affront to Australian values.’ In other words, we will not fund ‘pay for slay’. Commendably, in the 2020 Budget, the Coalition went even further, halving DFAT funding to UNRWA from $20 million to $10 million.

And so it remained until Labor won office in 2022, when, without any apparent hesitation, that reduction in funding was fully re-instated by Foreign Minister Penny Wong. Then, following the barbaric terror attacks of 7 October, Australian aid to the Palestinians was again further increased by many tens of millions with six million dollars earmarked specifically for UNRWA. After an outcry, Ms Wong made the ludicrous claim that she had told the Palestinians that the money must not be used to fund terror. What a joke.

Last week, the New York Times and Wall Street Journal revealed horrendous details about the direct involvement of UNRWA employees, teachers and others in the 7 October murders, rapes and kidnappings. ‘UNRWA’s problem is not just “a few bad apples” involved in the 7 October massacre,’ a senior Israeli official said. ‘The institution as a whole is a haven for Hamas’ radical ideology.’ The intelligence reports cited claimed that nearly 50 per cent of all UNRWA employees had close relatives with official ties to Hamas or other militant outfits and one-in-four male employees took part in Hamas activities.

The following questions must be answered: What risk assessment did Penny Wong or her department undertake before she reinstated (and then increased) Australian aid to UNRWA and other Palestinian bodies? And: Who provided the advice to Penny Wong that DFAT’s and Julie Bishop’s determination that Australian tax dollars risked being used to fund terror no longer applied in 2022?

If an individual provides funds to a terrorist organisation they go to jail. Penny Wong must resign, and those at DFAT or Home Affairs who failed in their duties to the taxpayer must resign too.

P
P
February 1, 2024 9:17 am

Saint Brigid of Ireland – Feast day Feb 1

Many of the first settlers’ homesteads displayed St Brigid’s Cross.

Situated in Kent Street, Millers Point, in Sydney’s historic Rocks precinct, St Brigid’s is the oldest surviving place of Catholic worship in Australia.
Link

OldOzzie
OldOzzie
February 1, 2024 9:17 am

Cassie of Sydney
Feb 1, 2024 8:05 AM

The BoM is now a Bureau of Marxists. It main raison d’etre is to push the ideology of climate change.

Everything has been corrupted….everything.

Cassie,

BOM Rain Radar page has not been working fro the last couple of days and seems like most Federal Govr and Sate Govt offices, no one is actually in the office at work – perhaps there are more still signing on from America?

http://www.bom.gov.au/products/IDR711.loop.shtml#skip

Compare the Crap above to

https://www.ventusky.com/?p=-25.0;153.1;4&l=rain-3h&t=20240131/2100

which shows the ??? Cyclone off the coast moving away over the next week – the low in the Gulf moving down into Western Queensland with lots of rain around the Border corners then dissipates

similarly

https://www.windy.com/-Show—add-more-layers/overlays?-19.162,147.050,5

Why do Australians pay any money for the BOM – like ABC should be disbanded!

Roger
Roger
February 1, 2024 9:19 am

Brett Lethbridge is a funny cartoonist but he hasn’t got Elbow down.

His QLD Boy Premier is a classic, though.

Top Ender
Top Ender
February 1, 2024 9:20 am

According to FB, Gene Hackman turned 94 yesterday…doesn’t that make anyone who recognises his name feel old?

Was in A Bridge Too Far (1977), directed by Richard Attenborough, along with had an international cast including Sean Connery, Ryan O’Neal, Michael Caine,
Dirk Bogarde, Edward Fox, Anthony Hopkins, James Caan, Elliott Gould and about 500 others…

Zulu Kilo Two Alpha
Zulu Kilo Two Alpha
February 1, 2024 9:21 am

“From Time Immemorial” by Joan Peters reviews the source of ‘Palestinians’ in the 19th and 20th centuries in detail in chapters 12 & 13.

Highly recommended – based on research done in the tax records of the former Ottoman empire.

Roger
Roger
February 1, 2024 9:21 am

Didn’t see The Speccie article posted by Zulu – it’s worse, much worse (as suspected).

OldOzzie
OldOzzie
February 1, 2024 9:22 am

132andBush
Feb 1, 2024 9:01 AM

Perth Trader
Feb 1, 2024 7:33 AM
132andBush
Feb 1, 2024 6:56 AM

A long range forecaster ……Bush, who is the long range forecaster? I,d like to read up.

PT,
He calls himself “The Wizard of Oz”, on X.
I’ve done a bit of background on him.
He has a few, how does one say, batshit crazy ideas on a few non weather related things but there’s no denying his accuracy re the seasonal forecasts for the last few years.

132andBush,

seems we still have a few

https://inigojoneslongtermweatherforecaster.com/

https://www.haydenwalkersweather.com.au/

and his history

https://timswww.com.au/inigo-jones-weather-forecaster/

OldOzzie
OldOzzie
February 1, 2024 9:29 am

Victoria new Land Tax from $50,000.00 is obviously having an effect

Amazing how cheap 2 Bedrm Units in Central Melbourne – Besides the lousy build quality of the hen houses I see as my Elder Daughter drives home from the Airport to her place when I visit and Flamable Cladding on New Builds

I am on email list Victorian Agent

https://rw-media.s3.amazonaws.com/propertyattachments/3023489-1705902860-16021-StatementOfInformation-3304-58CLARKESTREET-SOUTHBANK-VIC30061.pdf

2 bedrms 1 Bath plus car space Sold $375,000.00

Interesting to also Note Ray White are using Amazon Aws Cloud Service

Elizabeth (Lizzie) Beare
Elizabeth (Lizzie) Beare
February 1, 2024 9:29 am

Weather is weather. Not much has changed in Eastern Australia during my 77 years of living here (first four were in the UK) from what I can recall and from what my parents said. I can recall the weather pretty well from aged about eleven, and it was muggy, stormy, hot, dry, wet, bushfires, droughts, drought-breaking rains, and floods – always in the news, but never given the sort of climate spin the BOM uses. It was just weather.

Exactly the same as we are getting today.

OldOzzie
OldOzzie
February 1, 2024 9:31 am

The US is cactus.

KanekoaTheGreat
@KanekoaTheGreat

WATCH: America’s illegal immigration crisis is shattering century-old records with alarming numbers.

2023: 3,201,144
2022: 2,766,582
2021: 1,956,519
2020: 405,036
2019: 859,501
2018: 404,142
2017: 310,531
2016: 415,816
2015: 337,117
2014: 486,651
2013: 420,789
2012: 364,768
2011: 340,252
2010: 463,382

On President Biden’s inaugural day, he introduced policies that incentivize illegal immigration:

• Paused Deportations
• Suspended “Remain in Mexico”
• Stopped Border Wall Construction

Since Biden’s policy changes, over 8 million people have illegally entered the country, with millions more slipping past border patrol undetected.

This surge in illegal immigration is a national security crisis, costing American taxpayers hundreds of billions per year.

Major U.S. cities, grappling with the escalating financial burden, are slashing budgets for essential services such as fire, police, and education.

President Biden holds the power to halt this crisis that is draining America’s resources and endangering its citizens.

The solution is as simple as the actions that led to this crisis—Biden should use his pen to reverse his executive orders.

“No great nation can be in a position where they can’t control their borders. It matters how you control your borders. Not just for immigration, but it matters for drugs, terror, and a whole range of things.”

— Joe Biden

“We simply cannot allow people to pour into the United States undetected, undocumented, unchecked, and circumventing the line of people who are waiting patiently, diligently, and lawfully to become immigrants in this country.”

— Barack Obama

“All Americans, not only in the States most heavily affected but in every place in this country, are rightly disturbed by the large numbers of illegal aliens entering our country. The jobs they hold might otherwise be held by citizens or legal immigrants. The public service they use imposes burdens on our taxpayers. That’s why our administration has moved aggressively to secure our borders by hiring a record number of new border guards, by deporting twice as many criminal aliens as ever before, by cracking down on illegal hiring, and by barring welfare benefits to illegal aliens.”

— Bill Clinton

Roger
Roger
February 1, 2024 9:39 am

Australia cricket awards overnight.

From the pics, identifier & Australia Day whinger Ashleigh Gardner, normally a fair skinned blonde, appears to have done a STan Grant and died her hair dark to boot.

Weird.

Pogria
Pogria
February 1, 2024 9:41 am

I don’t think he should worry, I’m sure his school will only insist that next time he does it to farmers who protest the wind turbines and solar panels being installed on their land. Besides, students at that school usually have well-to-do parents who can make their problems go away.

Lol, Crossie, you are right. Although, with thirteen million views of his dirty work within two days of completion, mummy and daddy will find it a little harder than usual to clean up after the whiny little turds’ mess this time.

132andBush
132andBush
February 1, 2024 9:44 am

OldOzzie
Feb 1, 2024 9:22 AM

The veracity of all these forecasts can only be assured after assessing to what degree they are at odds with BOM predictions.

Like I said earlier, I await the next BOM announcement with bated breath.

Eyrie
Eyrie
February 1, 2024 9:45 am

The long range weather forecasters may be entertainment but no more.
When I did my BoM forecasters course we eagerly looked forward to finding out how to do long range(weeks, months) forecasts only to be told in the first week that this simply was not possible and a few days was as good as it got and that was that.
Still the case. Get over it.
My long range forecast for 2024 – Summer will end followed by Autumn, Winter, Spring and Summer again.

Pogria
Pogria
February 1, 2024 9:46 am
132andBush
132andBush
February 1, 2024 9:46 am

Let’s call it the “Inverse BOM Law”

Eyrie
Eyrie
February 1, 2024 9:47 am

BoM radar working fine here.

Zatara
Zatara
February 1, 2024 9:50 am

<Biden Finally Visiting East Palestine, OH, a Year After Devastating Train Derailment

Sort of. Maybe. Someday. No specific date planned yet. We’ll let you know.

East Palestine is 215 miles from the White House.

The train derailment was 3 Feb 2023. Biden’s mouthpieces claim he “just hasn’t had the time”, yet Biden has spent 40% of his time since then on holiday, “resting”, etc.. He also refused to declare the incident a major disaster so FEMA could not provide disaster relief funds.

Biden’s Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg finally made it there 23 Feb 2023 but brought no relief whatsoever. He did manage to blame the derailment on Trump and pose for pics in a hardhat though.

Trump beat them both to the disaster site with truckloads of fresh water and supplies he paid for personally.

East Palestine Mayor Trent Conaway: “My personal opinion the best time for him to come would be February of 2025 when he is on his book tour.”

Elizabeth (Lizzie) Beare
Elizabeth (Lizzie) Beare
February 1, 2024 9:50 am

My first husband, his grandfather, has put a loan for the full amount into his girlfriend’s account, as they’re travelling together. Well done Grandpa. Now grandson’s emailed me he’s going to be the absolute model boyfriend for this trip now she holds the pursestrings. lol.

On top of that, my eldest son, autistic and hence thoughtless at times, minding Attapuss, went swimming in the harbour at our local beach. I have to have the shark talk with him about that.

4 9

I just checked back on this comment of mine, because I do genuinely wonder what upsets some people so much about what I say. In that comment I noted our arrival back in Sydney after seeing some amazing aboriginal sites which I’d noted above (I have a background in anthropology and others here do too, or are interested). I noted too that, as usual for parents and grandparents of many (this place has many grandparents), there was an urgent need to assist a grandson stranded in Thailand with all of his money scammed from his account. I thought this might be of interest on this site – firstly the ubiquity of scamming, and the immediate acceptance of repayment (at a later date) by the bank, secondly, the importance of familial backup to youngsters in distress, and thirdly, the fact, amusing to me, that he said he was going to be the best boyfriend in Asia to his girlfriend whose bank account was being used to send him some funds (thus the importance of travelling with friends). Here we have a young man eating a bit of humble pie, but also, surely people here might have sympathy for him? At least 9 here think this comment was what? Bragging? Self-serving? Redundant? I can’t really see that, given how others comment here in this vein a lot.

Then the para about my autistic son swimming in the harbour – yes, Cass, I think he was silly to do that, and I’m sure you weren’t a downticker here, but it is hard to convince even normal people this is stupid, as many do it in spite of the shark risk, which made me offer this comment. Sadly, this son sees the world differently from many and I have to explain a lot to him for his own safety.

Elizabeth (Lizzie) Beare
Elizabeth (Lizzie) Beare
February 1, 2024 9:51 am

Off to the docs now to get my colonoscopy pathology results.

Hope my luck holds.

Black Ball
Black Ball
February 1, 2024 9:51 am

I shan’t believe it. I shan’t! Herald Sun:

A high-profile lawyer acting for former ABC journalist Antoinette Lattouf has been accused of telling “bald-faced lies” about a client in a separate case.

Victorian County Court documents claim Maurice Blackburn employment lawyer Josh Bornstein “colluded” with Labor MP Andrew Leigh to act against his client’s instructions.

The pair were accused in court documents of attempting to stop independent MP Andrew Wilkie from releasing 17,000 Hillsong financial documents.

Text messages sent by Mr Leigh would be part of the case if it went to court, documents claimed.

The claims were part of a stinging 36-page defence from former Hillsong staffer Natalie Moses against Mr Bornstein’s claim that she owes him $135,000 in legal fees.

Mr Bornstein had agreed to act for the first time on a no-win, no fee basis for Ms Moses in her battle against the church.

However, he dropped Ms Moses as a client just hours after Hillsong financial documents were tabled in parliament in March last year.

Ms Moses then reached a settlement with Hillsong within weeks after hiring a new lawyer.

The former bookkeeper claimed that Mr Bornstein had spoken to Mr Wilkie about her case without her consent while she was away camping in September 2022.

Mr Wilkie had intended to make a speech about Hillsong in parliament earlier that month but sittings were suspended following the Queen’s death.

Mr Bornstein then told the MP, against Ms Moses’ instructions, that she no longer wanted to make a whistleblower disclosure, she claims in court documents.

“How dare Josh do that. I cannot believe my own lawyer would go behind my back,” she told her husband following a phone call with a junior Maurice Blackburn lawyer on September 27, 2022, according to notes in her court claim.

“Literally tell bald face lies about me not wanting to make a whistleblower disclosure anymore. I am incredulous that he could possibly think that was OK. Isn’t my lawyer supposed to work for me.”

Mr Wilkie had been told by Labor in October 2022 that he would not be given permission to release the Hillsong documents.

“This caused Ms Moses to form the view that Mr Leigh had used the confidential information given to him by Mr Bornstein about Ms Moses and her parliamentary whistleblowing intentions, to work with other ALP Ministers to stop the Hillsong whistleblower information becoming public,” Ms Moses claimed.

“As such, Mr Bornstein colluded with Mr Leigh to help him do that.”

Mr Bornstein had “aggressively instructed” Ms Moses on March 7 last year to stop Mr Wilkie from tabling the Hillsong documents, which made national headlines.

Mr Leigh, the court documents claim, had tipped off Mr Bornstein about plans to release them.

Ms Moses spoke to the MP on March 8 but asked him to keep the discussion confidential.

He tabled the documents at 1pm the next day.

Mr Leigh was seen in the Federation Chamber having a heated conversation with a colleague who had “failed to stop” the release of the documents, the defence statement claims.

The court documents claim that an MP has text messages from Mr Leigh that state Mr Bornstein had told him that Ms Moses did not want to table the documents.

“These text messages will be subpoenaed for the court trial, along with all text messages and phone logs between Mr Bornstein, Mr Leigh, and the independent MP,” the defence states.

Mr Bornstein had claimed that his mediation work for Ms Moses had allowed her to get a settlement with a new lawyer.

He had sent her a detailed bill for $176,000, which has been revised down to $135,000.

Maurice Blackburn has previously denied any wrongdoing.

“We have always acted in your best interests and have not been motivated by any other factor,” Mr Bornstein said in the letter to Ms Moses.

Mr Bornstein has been a prominent lawyer in Melbourne for decades.

He has been issuing press releases through his firm about his case with Ms Lattouf against the ABC for her dismissal following controversial social media posts.

Mr Bornstein also previously defended Wayne Carey, arguing that a substance that fell out of his pocket in Perth’s Crown Casino was to treat a football injury.

If it’s happened once in a lawyer’s life, it’s happened, well, more than once. Would be interested in the outcomes of previous hearings involving Bornstein.

132andBush
132andBush
February 1, 2024 9:53 am

Still the case. Get over it.
My long range forecast for 2024 – Summer will end followed by Autumn, Winter, Spring and Summer again.

They deserve all the stick they’re getting.
If they were not so overtly politicised and pushing the AGW crap that’s wrecking this country I wouldn’t give a damn.

Dot
Dot
February 1, 2024 9:55 am

For the spergs like me on FlightRadar

QFA426 seems to have avoided something around Wee Jasper and Brindabella.

Can’t see any storms on BOM, is this normal? Perhaps they were delayed? Intersection of flight paths?

Zulu Kilo Two Alpha
Zulu Kilo Two Alpha
February 1, 2024 9:57 am

Prime Minister rejects invitation to front up to WA farmers over plan to shut down live sheep export industry
Kimberley Caines
The West Australian
Thu, 1 February 2024 2:00AM
Comments
Kimberley Caines

Anthony Albanese has declared he is too busy to front up to WA farmers when in Perth this month, turning down an invitation to discuss his plan to phase out the live sheep export industry.

Agricultural advocacy group WAFarmers wrote a letter to the Prime Minister on January 9, asking him to set aside time while in Perth for a Cabinet meeting — suspected to be held on February 19 — to explain how and when their livelihoods will come to an end.

A senior adviser at the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet responded to the letter this week, which has been obtained by The West Australian.

“As you will appreciate, every day the Prime Minister receives numerous meeting requests and invitations from individuals and organisations across Australia,” the response reads.

“Unfortunately, it is not possible for the Prime Minister to accept all of the requests he receives and therefore regrets he cannot accept your request in this instance.”

Mr Albanese has pledged to phase out live sheep exports in the past two Federal elections after the deaths of about 2400 sheep on a ship from Fremantle to the ­Middle East in 2017.

The Albanese Government appointed an independent panel last year to determine how and when that will be done, with its report to be released publicly.

Swilling beer at the tennis is more important.

Elizabeth (Lizzie) Beare
Elizabeth (Lizzie) Beare
February 1, 2024 9:57 am

lol. We need to tell everyone that one day a white woman claiming to be aboriginal will turn up to make a claim to your house and land. Are you prepared for that? we should ask.

It’s not too far-fetched. Liz Storer in the Late Debate was very good on that last nite.

Dot
Dot
February 1, 2024 9:59 am

QFA426 flying at 25,000 ft, we don’t have mountains that high?

Another interesting thing is we have 2 – 3% of the global Airbus380 fleet in our airspace most of the time due to the flights to Singapore, Dubai & Abu Dhabi but also from NZ.

Zatara
Zatara
February 1, 2024 10:02 am

According to FB, Gene Hackman turned 94 yesterday…doesn’t that make anyone who recognises his name feel old?

Hackman was a US Marine from 1945 to 1951 serving in China during the Communist revolution in 1948. He also served in Hawaii and Japan. He held the rank of Sergent when discharged.

Black Ball
Black Ball
February 1, 2024 10:02 am

FMD Zulu. Albo is really a nasty piece of work. He won’t be PM within 2 months.

Zulu Kilo Two Alpha
Zulu Kilo Two Alpha
February 1, 2024 10:05 am

Hope my luck holds.

All the best, LizzieB.

Dot
Dot
February 1, 2024 10:07 am

I’m actually too dumb to follow the Leigh-Wilkie-Ex Hillsong-Bernstein thing.

I don’t get how Leigh AND Wilkie are involved?

???

P
P
February 1, 2024 10:07 am

The Australian who ascended to the helm of a Republican-linked fundamentalist Christian group
Christianity – The Guardian – Ariel Bogle, Thu 1 Feb 2024

Iles toured Australia to large crowds during his seven-year tenure at ACL but by 2023 the organisation’s political influence seemed to be waning. Iles also made his annoyance with the political status quo known. In January 2022 he posted on Facebook about his “disaffection with the Morrison government” over everything from Covid-19 vaccines to religious freedom.

Dot
Dot
February 1, 2024 10:13 am

Looks like everyone avoids flying over the Brindabellas. Is there a rule about this?

Cassie of Sydney
February 1, 2024 10:13 am

de Santis on the other hand, was one of few heads of state/government that said NO to the COVIDIAN virus of fear and jackbooted lickspittledon, with dickheads everywhere pretending they were doctors and doctors failing as community leaders to think for themselves.

Correct, DeSantis stood up to and defied Fauci and the rest of the Covid fascists.

Zatara
Zatara
February 1, 2024 10:16 am

Correction, Hackman was a Sergeant. I blame fat fingers and a mobile phone keypad.

Roger
Roger
February 1, 2024 10:17 am

A high-profile lawyer acting for former ABC journalist Antoinette Lattouf has been accused of telling “bald-faced lies” about a client in a separate case.

I’ll remind Cats that when Bornstein took on the Lattouf case he was described in the media (ABC?) as a “decorated lawyer.”

He might have to give his medals back.

Chuckle.

OldOzzie
OldOzzie
February 1, 2024 10:19 am

132andBush,

seems we still have a few

https://inigojoneslongtermweatherforecaster.com/

https://www.haydenwalkersweather.com.au/

and his history

https://timswww.com.au/inigo-jones-weather-forecaster/

132andBush,

Interesting that

Lennox Walker was assistant to the long-range forecaster Inigo Jones from 1953 and continued Jones’s forecasting service from the Crohamhurst Observatory in southeast Queensland after Jones’s death in 1954.

and

It’s usually mild, but this autumn will be wild and Australia’s most respected long-range forecaster has revealed why.

Hayden Walker, a fourth-generation forecaster and son of world-famous weather expert Lennox Walker, has prepared an exclusive analysis for Sunshine Coast News.

He is forecasting power-packed winds, large seas in April and a deluge leading to flooding in May.

“Two low pressure systems positioned in the Pacific Islands in April, and a cyclone near the Solomons in May, will instigate strong winds that will create wilder than usual conditions along the Queensland coast,” Mr Walker said.

Mr Walker’s report follows his highly accurate summer guide that predicted storms, heavy rain and flash flooding for southern Queensland and a windy February.

He said that strong south-easterly winds were indicated for the Sunshine Coast for the remainder of March, with scattered storms to continue.

Mr Walker said April rainfall would be typical ‘April showers’, but there would be more action in the ocean with the possibility of erosion along the coastline.

“The Queensland coastline can expect strong winds and powerful swell from a low pressure system in the Pacific islands.

Eyrie
Eyrie
February 1, 2024 10:21 am

Ann really does have the very best memes:
https://www.barnhardt.biz/2024/01/30/all-i-have-to-do-is-meme/

Roger
Roger
February 1, 2024 10:21 am

Hackman was a US Marine from 1945 to 1951 serving in China during the Communist revolution in 1948.

Just to make you feel even older…

Michael Caine served in Korea, an experience which made him an avowed anti-Communist.

Rabz
February 1, 2024 10:26 am

turning down an invitation to discuss his (Albozo’s) plan to shut down the live sheep export industry

There they go, shutting down yet another industry. See also salmon farming in Taxmania.

Good thing Zombet’s now in charge of the future fund so all that lovely taxpayer munni can be thrown into the insatiable gaping maw of the roonables boondoggle “industry”.

Criminal absurdist insanity, writ large.

As for Albozo being punted – didn’t Kevni Ruff get labore’s rules altered to make it difficult to change leaders mid term unless the current one resigned?

OldOzzie
OldOzzie
February 1, 2024 10:28 am

Eyrie
Feb 1, 2024 9:47 AM

BoM radar working fine here.

Eyrie,

Mea Culpa – thanks for that

the problem is only on Chrome Browser – works on Brave, Firefox & Safari Browsers

H B Bear
H B Bear
February 1, 2024 10:33 am

Fictional Julia will always be their Favourite Julia (31 Jan)

Credlin’s column in Teh Paywallian also deals with the era. Not much improvement, in what, a decade?

Katzenjammer
Katzenjammer
February 1, 2024 10:35 am

My long range forecast for 2024 – Summer will end followed by Autumn, Winter, Spring and Summer again.

The following week will include them again but perhaps in a different order.

Roger
Roger
February 1, 2024 10:35 am

As for Albozo being punted – didn’t Kevni Ruff get labore’s rules altered to make it difficult to change leaders mid term unless the current one resigned?

Kenvi was unaligned and unbeholden to the factions.

Albanese isn’t. They’ll make him an offer he can’t refuse.

H B Bear
H B Bear
February 1, 2024 10:37 am

SloMo rightfully fingered as the continuation of Lord Waffleworth’s reign by proxy. Hopefully this is now at some sort of end.

Dot
Dot
February 1, 2024 10:40 am

turning down an invitation to discuss his (Albozo’s) plan to shut down the live sheep export industry

There they go, shutting down yet another industry. See also salmon farming in Taxmania.

Offshore trawling
Native forestry
Onshore oil
Nuclear power

“Why is unemployment permanently high?”

Indolent
Indolent
February 1, 2024 10:41 am
Roger
Roger
February 1, 2024 10:43 am
Bungonia Bee
Bungonia Bee
February 1, 2024 10:48 am

It’s believable that Gigi Hadid is going with an actor 21 years older (she 28 and American, he 49) but I had to wonder about Swift and the man-mountain NRL guy.
The left media is in full cry about this “wingnut conspiracy theory” that it’s all about getting the NRL more youth market.
It’s a pity they had no care about all the left wing fake stuff dating back to GWB and onwards to DJT – they still don’t admit that the Steele Dossier was totally fake, and would be happy to go on saying Hunter’s laptop is Russian disinformation. J. Tarlov on The Five dismissed the laptop as “just a lot of nude photos of Hunter.
Anyway, the Swift/NRL story came from a mixed martial arts chick, not from the RNC.

Indolent
Indolent
February 1, 2024 10:49 am
Dot
Dot
February 1, 2024 10:50 am

This could spell the end of the bromance:

China is suspicious, Putin does not want to return the lands “taken” from Beijing

The outcome I predicted.

A fatherly, homely, smiling Poo Bear.

OldOzzie
OldOzzie
February 1, 2024 10:50 am

‘Such a waste, such a tragedy’: Peta Credlin hits back at Turnbull, Morrison in scathing rebuke of ABC Liberal documentary

Peta Credlin has unleashed on the ABC’s new Liberal Party documentary claiming the public broadcaster “failed to put the record straight” and left many of Malcolm Turnbull’s wild claims unchallenged.

Laurence Karacsony – Digital Reporter

In the aftermath of the first episode of ABC’s ‘Nemesis’ documentary airing on Monday, Sky News host Peta Credlin has blasted the public broadcaster and the key players in the collapse of the Abbott prime ministership.

Titled “The Abbott Years” the documentary series explores Mr Abbott’s “thumping victory” in 2013 before being removed as prime minister in less than two years later.

In a column for The Australian, Credlin skewered the ABC for not “adequately” challenging Mr Turnbull’s observations while hitting back at the former prime minister’s claims Mr Abbott was a “dangerous” leader who ran a “terrible” government.

Additionally, Credlin focussed on Mr Turnbull’s accusation Mr Abbott was “both anti-women and overly dependent” on her as his chief of staff, a claim she said was “utterly implausible”.

“Claims that Abbott didn’t run a proper cabinet process are also fanciful… Abbott’s problem was less how cabinet operated and more those who leaked from it,” she wrote.

“A minister with honour could always have resigned, if that were his (Mr Turnbull’s) view, rather than spend more time machinating against his leader than doing his job.”

Credlin spent a year working for Mr Turnbull as his deputy chief of staff when he was opposition leader before joining Mr Abbott’s office as chief of staff for six years including during his time as prime minister.

The Sky News Australia host recounted how Mr Turnbull offered to “use his friendship” with fellow rich-lister Clive Palmer in support of the 2014 budget, “but like so much, those were empty words”.

“And as he told the world on Monday night, by then he was in discussions with numerous colleagues, including Scott Morrison, he insisted, to remove the PM who’d won a majority akin to that of Fraser in 1975 and Howard in 1996.”

Moreover, Credlin pinned Mr Turnbull’s narrow victory on Abbott’s landslide election win.

“Indeed, it was only because of Abbott’s landslide victory that Turnbull narrowly survived his one and only electoral test as leader when he sacrificed 14 of the 25 seats that Abbott had won from Labor over two elections,” she wrote.

Credlin detailed the moments the ABC “failed to put the record straight” on key issues throughout the Coalition’s first term in government, including failing to mention Mr Abbott’s explicit lack of support during the 2013 election campaign for then deputy prime minister Julia Gillard’s ” cash splash” on schools and hospitals beyond the forward estimates.

She said under the Abbott government spending on health and education continued to increase, just at a “slower and more sustainable” rate.

Also touching briefly on same sex marriage, Credlin insisted Mr Abbott’s position was always that if the issue came up, the Coalition’s position would be decided in the partyroom with specific mention of a subsequent plebiscite to make a decision on the issue.

“There was nothing tricky or underhand in his handling of this issue,” she wrote.

“I know because I was there.

“As Abbott said at the time, people’s attitude to marriage is so personal that it should be decided directly by them rather than by their MPs.”

Credlin said it was no surprise to her Mr Abbott declined to be involved in ‘Nemesis’ because he never considered himself as a “hero in a play that was all about him”.

While having a ringside seat to watch the self-destruction of the Rudd-Gillard-Rudd government, Credlin said it was a “tragedy” for it to happen to the Coalition.

“Such a waste, such a tragedy for our country, and such a blot on the ­record of the Liberal Party to the everlasting shame of those responsible,” she wrote.

Credlin, too, said she declined to appear in the program because she was certain the ABC would be “selective” and present a “distorted version” of her responses to the “usual crap”.

While “trashing” her reputation for policy and procedure she had earned in the Howard years, Credlin then recounted how Mr Turnbull and Mr Morrison used “everything” against her.

“Everything was used against me, even my years on IVF by low-lifes like Clive Palmer. Some days, I honestly don’t know how I managed to survive,” she wrote.

Notably, Credlin said she will “never forget the humanity” Bill Shorten and Anthony Albanese showed her as they quietly reached out to express their disgust at her treatment.

“Having the top-rating show on Sky News for the past three years is my answer to ‘those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat’.

Rounding off her piece, Credlin said she hoped that now with Mr Turnbull and Mr Morrison out of parliament, the next Coalition would be “far better than the last”.

Bungonia Bee
Bungonia Bee
February 1, 2024 10:51 am

It’s amazing how many big film stars served in WW2.

thefrollickingmole
thefrollickingmole
February 1, 2024 10:51 am

As for Albozo being punted – didn’t Kevni Ruff get labore’s rules altered to make it difficult to change leaders mid term unless the current one resigned?

Stock up on shovels at the Bunnings nearest to Elbows place, and expect him to avoid venues with lots of stairs.

H B Bear
H B Bear
February 1, 2024 10:52 am

“Why is unemployment permanently high?”

Is anyone actually saying this? For mine it is really about the quality of the jobs on offer. The same issue with retail space – businesses being replaced by nail salons, where they are just not left empty.

OldOzzie
OldOzzie
February 1, 2024 10:52 am

New South Wales Labor political giant, and state’s longest serving treasurer, Michael Egan dies at the age of 75

Michael Egan, a colourful giant of NSW Labor and the state’s longest serving treasurer, has died at the age of 75.

Roger
Roger
February 1, 2024 10:55 am

The outcome I predicted.

Oi!

You weren’t exactly Robinson Crusoe on that 😀

Rabz
February 1, 2024 10:57 am

“Why is unemployment permanently high?”

Dim Chambers: “But the CPI is goin’ down, baby – and I no longer have to talk to Albozo, I tells ya!”

CPI rates for the following 12 month periods:
Mid 2022: 6.1%
Dec 2022: 7.8%
Mid 2023: 6.0%
Dec 2023: 4.1%

Labore owns these disastrous (internal policy driven) results. They are the highest CPI rates in two decades – and as we know the CPI bears no resemblance to (i.e. it is always significantly lower than) actual rates of cost increases across the economy. Just compare your electrickery and gas bills (for example) to the ones you got 12 months ago. My last electrickery bill went up by 22% and I used less electrickery in that last period.

Disgracefully incompetent clowns.

Zulu Kilo Two Alpha
Zulu Kilo Two Alpha
February 1, 2024 10:59 am

It’s amazing how many big film stars served in WW2.

While preparing for the filming of “The Dirty Dozen”, the film armorer showed Lee Marvin an M3 submachinegun. “This is how you would hold it, this is what to expect when you fire it.”

“Marvin never said a word – he took the weapon from me, stripped it, laying out the parts in order, re assembled it, and handed it back to me. My blood ran cold as I realized I had been giving such a lecture to a man, who had been a rifleman, in the US Marine Corps, in the Pacific war…..”

OldOzzie
OldOzzie
February 1, 2024 10:59 am

Pauline Hanson declares support for tax cut changes as long as long as Labor’s broken promise is not forgotten

Pauline Hanson says she is open to support the tax cuts on the condition Australians do not forget Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s broken promise.

Laurence Karacsony – Digital Reporter

One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has declared she will support the new stage three tax cuts as long as the Australian people remember Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s broken promise not to change what was legislated.

Under the changes, to come into effect on July 1, Australians earning between $50,000 and $130,000 will get a larger tax cut, while those earning more than $150,000 can expect a trim on the cut currently in legislation.

Those earning less than $45,000 will now get a small tax cut unlike the previous plan, but despite the cuts the government is facing considerable backlash for breaking a key election promise.

Ms Hanson said the Coalition and One Nation should not stand in the way of the tax cut changes as many Australians who were struggling would benefit.

Speaking to Sky News Australia on Wednesday, Ms Hanson said although Mr Albanese was not a “man of his word” and had lost the trust of the Australian people, she would support the changes as long as people did not forget the broken promise.

“If we don’t support it, you’re throwing the baby out with the bathwater,” Ms Hanson said.

“Although it is a broken promise… You don’t crucify all Australians who are struggling and need these tax cuts.

“But I want people to remember what Anthony Albanese, the Labor Party and the Greens have done with regards to these tax cuts that were passed in Parliament and they were put in place”.

Ms Hanson didn’t let the Prime Minister off the hook without highlighting how on many occasions he made promises not to touch the stage three tax cuts, a $275 energy bill reduction, and no changes to superannuation.

“For a man who stated on many a-time, my word is my bond… We won’t touch your superannuation again. It’s been touched,” she said.

Ms Hanson’s sentiment was shared by Independent MP Allegra Spender who said Labor would not be believed if it went to the next election with another promise not to make changes to tax.

“(Labor MPs) said they weren’t going to make any changes to tax, they have made substantial changes to tax,” Ms Spender said.

“I don’t think they can go to the next election and say, ‘we’re not going to make any changes to tax’. They will not be believed.”

Ms Spender said both sides of politics would need to present a reform plan to present to voters as now is the government’s opportunity to declare there are issues in the tax system requiring repair.

Federal Treasurer Jim Chalmers accused the Coalition of standing in the way of “middle Australia” as Labor’s changes would mean “every Australian taxpayer will get a cut”.

The government’s reworked stage three tax changes abandon the elimination of the 37 per cent tax bracket (keeping it for incomes between $135,000 and 190,000), while lowering the bottom 19 per cent marginal tax rate to 16 per cent.

Shadow finance minister Jane Hume said the on Wednesday the broken promise had destroyed the Prime Minister’s credibility.

“His integrity is shot and his cabinet like lemmings have followed their line Prime Minister off an integrity cliff. We can never believe them again.”

From the Comments

– paul 37 minutes ago

Hanson is now lying as she claims she has to back the changes to the tax cuts

but she doesnt have to support it.

If Albo changes dont pass then the original tax cuts apply

SELL OUT

Question – Is Paul Correct? – If Albo changes dont pass then the original tax cuts apply

Bungonia Bee
Bungonia Bee
February 1, 2024 11:02 am

Waffleworth’s performance as opposition spokesman on communications was abysmal.
His “critique” of the proposed NBN consisted of a one liner that they hadn’t done a “cost-benefit analysis” rather than getting stuck in on appropriate vs. inappropriate technologies and the patent impossibility of taking “fibre to the door” everywhere.
Ten years later even in Sydney my NBN service is no better than it was when I was on the old Telstra hybrid cable system.

Zatara
Zatara
February 1, 2024 11:02 am

“Why is unemployment permanently high?”

To a large degree, because the dole pays people not to work.

It’s like the old saw that illegals immigrants “do the jobs that citizens won’t do”.
Stop putting a roof over their heads, food on their tables, and cash in their pockets for doing nothing and you will be amazed what jobs citizens will do.

Ask your great grandparents about life in the Great Depression and listen closely to what they describe.

Rabz
February 1, 2024 11:04 am

Crudlin said she will “never forget the humanity” Teats Peanuthead and Albozo the Clown showed her as they sanctimoniously and hypocritically reached out to express their disgust at her treatment

Gag inducing rubbish.

Bruce of Newcastle
Bruce of Newcastle
February 1, 2024 11:05 am

China is suspicious, Putin does not want to return the lands “taken” from Beijing

Always fun to see West Taiwan make ambit territory claims.

H B Bear
H B Bear
February 1, 2024 11:12 am

MCGA Make China Great Again. 1300, baby, 1300.

Bruce of Newcastle
Bruce of Newcastle
February 1, 2024 11:12 am

It’s like the old saw that illegals immigrants “do the jobs that citizens won’t do”.

Not for much longer.

Labor’s unhappy deal: gig economy reforms to send burger costs soaring (Tele, paywalled)

Australians will have to pay up to 35 per cent more for rideshare and food delivery services – which would push a humble cheeseburger meal above $22 – under Workplace Minister Tony Burke’s controversial gig economy reforms.

All those nice gentlemen who bring you your Ubereats are about to have to find new jerbs, thanks to Tony Burqa. I wonder why he’s persecuting his own voteherd?

Mak Siccar
Mak Siccar
February 1, 2024 11:13 am

Yet another thoughtful piece at Quadrant. The last few paragraphs follow.

https://quadrant.org.au/magazine/2023/09/the-kindness-imperative/

If the kindness imperative falls short of providing a grand unifying theory on the aetiology of the impotence, diffidence and ennui of the West, it may nevertheless go some way to explaining why the governance of Western institutions and corporations has fallen prey to the victimhood narratives of identity politics; and the kindness imperative also underpins the vulnerability and susceptibility of a general populace for whom these institutions influence ideas and make rules.

So: that battle that you are fighting that I know nothing about? If I can truly help you, I will. I will strive to be polite: there is no necessity for bad manners. There is no need for deliberate belligerence: courtesy has self-evident merit. I will empathise with your suffering where I can, and extend to you viable solutions if I can.

But kindness that pretends the world is other than it is; kindness that undermines individual resilience; kindness that weakens defences; kindness that defies scientific reality or validates delusional thinking: these are in the end no kindnesses at all.

Sometimes one does indeed have to be cruel to be kind. If we don’t do it, someone else will.

Boambee John
Boambee John
February 1, 2024 11:14 am

Rabz

As for Albozo being punted – didn’t Kevni Ruff get labore’s rules altered to make it difficult to change leaders mid term unless the current one resigned?

Vee haff vayz to encourage resignation.

See also Baldwin, Peter, after a discussion with some friendly bruvvas.

JC
JC
February 1, 2024 11:17 am

Roger
Feb 1, 2024 10:43 AM

Roger, your link is in Russian.

johanna
johanna
February 1, 2024 11:18 am

Fark you, autocorrect, you sack of crap, that was changed multiple times.

Some people seem to be in an abused spouse relationship with autocorrect. They constantly complain about it, but can’t bring themselves to Turn It Off.

What gives?

Either stop complaining, or leave the relationship. Why is that so difficult? It’s an algorithm, FFS, not a person.

No wonder domestic violence shelters are overflowing.

OldOzzie
OldOzzie
February 1, 2024 11:21 am

Grid on the Edge: Queensland Govt switched off thousands of home air conditioners six times in the last 8 weeks

By Jo Nova

You will own nothing and be hot and bothered

Welcome to modern Australia where the grid is so fragile, poor people have to buy air conditioners that the government can remotely switch off .

Such is the state of decay that Queensland no longer has enough electricity to allow the riff-raff to have air conditioning whenever they want it — only the rich can do that.

The state energy companies of Queensland offer customers up to $400 cashback when they buy an air conditioner, but in return they allow the government to reach into their homes and turn off the air conditioner when the grid is in trouble, which it seems is a lot lately. It was only supposed to be a “few days a year”.

It’s a way to manage the grid — think of it as 170,000 mini blackouts instead of one big one:

Energex remotely cuts power to 170,000 air conditioners six times in a month

ABC News

Queensland’s state-owned power grid remotely turned down almost 170,000 air conditioners six times in the past two months as part of a scheme to protect the electricity network.

So this is where someone owns a Hi-Tech instrument designed to keep them cool, that they can’t use on the hottest days of the year.

They call this the PeakSmart scheme (as only they can).

Gone are the luxury days when consumers could control their own appliances, get cheap reliable electricity, and not need invasive, complicated schemes in order to keep some of their own money.

It also allows the energy companies to send people into your home to “visit” for afternoon tea, or rather, to check you haven’t ripped out the peaksmart controller boxes.

They will give you five days notice. Nice of them, eh?

If you like your air conditioner you can keep it, (but you can’t use it…)

Ergon and Energex said PeakSmart limiting should only occur “a few times” per year.

There have been six events since December 1 and nine in the last year — the highest rate since the program began.

On Monday and Saturday last week, Energex used its remote access to limit 169,490 air conditioners to run at 50 per cent power between 4:20pm and 6:50pm across the south-east.

The part I like best is when they tell us that people won’t notice anything different about having a compressor that is only running on half strength, but they won’t tell customers when they are cutting their air con (in case they do notice).

And they will tell other groups, in case the customers do complain.

Users are not told when their unit is affected, but installers and repairers are given notice in case customers report what they think is a malfunction.

flyingduk
flyingduk
February 1, 2024 11:22 am

In todays ‘American Thinker’:
The De-evolution of the West, Robert Weissberg
History and merely observing today’s world shows that Western Civilization is not the default human condition. It may, in fact, be the exception.

I always used to think this every time I came back from whatever shithole I had been deployed to – ‘civilisation’ is an anomaly and can go away at any time.

Below are a few confirmatory examples of the decline of the West from todays papers:

In the Adelaide Advertiser:
The state where ambulances take 55 minutes to arrive
The Productivity Commission has laid bare a massive nationwide reduction in the affordability of seeing a GP and a rapidly escalating crisis in the health system.
– The public hospital system is broken because the public are broken – 50 years of unhealthy food and unhealthy governance has made us unhealthy.

In TOTT news:
Homegrown food has ‘greater carbon footprint’ than industry, study says – they are at war with the common man, and the 4 key targetsets in war are the food, the electricity, transport and petroleum – you will stay home and you will eat the bugs.

In Zerohedge:
Trillions Spent On ‘Climate Change’ Based On Faulty Temperature Data, Climate Experts Say – Its a feature not a bug.

In Gateway Pundit:
Pro-Life Activists Convicted of Felonies in Tennessee – Face 11 Years in Prison for Praying and Singing Hymns Outside Abortion Clinic

stick a fork in the West, she’s done….

Zatara
Zatara
February 1, 2024 11:22 am

In 2020 the legislature of Oregon enacted ‘Measure 110’ which decriminalized some use of hard-drugs, including fentanyl, a potent synthetic opioid.

Due to the demographics of Oregon the city/county of Portland (flooded with escaping but not cured Californians) essentially controls the Legislature of the state and thus controlled that vote.

Portland just declared an emergency to address drug overdose deaths.

Somewhere Charles Darwin is smiling.

OldOzzie
OldOzzie
February 1, 2024 11:24 am

What is DRED?

DRED stands for ‘Demand Response Enabling Device’.

DRED provides a method by which a controlling authority, most likely a power supply company, can limit the amount of power that an air conditioner can consume in comparison to its nominal full load power consumption.

The aim is to reduce overall power consumption to the supply network at critical peak load times.

A ripple is passed down the power supply which triggers a response.

Not dissimilar to what some power companies do when controlling peak demand for electric water heaters in New Zealand.

DRED is capable of demanding three different levels of response from the air conditioner, identified as DRM1, DRM2 and DRM3.

DRM1 which is ‘compressor off’ is the minimum required to meet the Australian standard AS4755.3.1.

DRM2 must not exceed 50% of Capacity kW

DRM3 must not exceed 75% of Capacity kW

Most manufacturer’s have been gradually including this facility in their new products.

All new Temperzone units that include a UC6 or UC7 Controller are DRED:DRM1 compliant.

Temperzone has a DRED module which is designed to fit any older temperzone units installed with an Outdoor Unit Controller (OUC) version 5, or older, and thereby make it compliant with the Australian standard AS4755.3.1.

We are not aware of any power supply companies who have chosen to utilise this form of peak control just yet.

Dot
Dot
February 1, 2024 11:24 am

Ask your great grandparents about life in the Great Depression and listen closely to what they describe.

I know they took boarders in. 80-90 something years before the AirB&B craze started.

Zulu Kilo Two Alpha
Zulu Kilo Two Alpha
February 1, 2024 11:29 am

Ask your great grandparents about life in the Great Depression and listen closely to what they describe

My grandmother always said she never chopped a stick of wood during the Great Depression…

OldOzzie
OldOzzie
February 1, 2024 11:32 am

AS 4755 – Demand Response Standard

Background

The rapidly growing number of Distributed Energy Resource (DER) installations across the National Electricity Market (NEM) and Wholesale Electricity Market (WEM) are resulting in a growing number of unique demand and supply challenges.

These challenges involve:

. Power system demand dropping below required amounts due to household use of behind the meter DER generation resulting in difficulties maintaining power system stability
. Demand increasing to above the available supply at peak times coinciding with low DER generation
. Increasing fluctuations between the levels of demand due to changing environmental factors (e.g. cloud cover) influencing DER generation

AEMO have identified improvements to smart appliance ‘demand response’ capabilities as a key requirement to assist in the reduction of system risk arising from these challenges.

‘Demand response’ refers to the ability for DER and appliances (including ‘smart’ pool pumps, electric hot water storage heaters, air conditioners, batteries and electric vehicle supply equipment) to respond to remote communications that increase or decrease the amount of load on the power system.

In some instances, the ability to stop using power from the grid, or start using it, is also built into the appliance.

These capabilities support the maintenance of system security and reliability for all Australian energy users.

Demand response will be utilised at the choice of consumers engaging in new markets, or only in rare and extreme circumstances where emergency intervention is required to keep the system in balance.

The only alternative in such scenarios is the existing load shedding mechanism where power is turned off to entire suburbs to keep the broader system operational.

Demand response can mitigate this need by instead reducing DER generation or demand from non-essential large loads.

Essentially, the lights get to stay on for everyone and for a short period of time we turn off what we don’t immediately need.

What is AS 4755

This standard refers to the demand response capability and modes of appliances and smart devices including:

. DER
. Air Conditioners
. Pool pumps
. Electric Hot water storage heaters
. Batteries
. Electric Vehicle supply equipment

In the most basic form, it requires these appliances to have ‘demand response modes’ that assist in shifting load to times when demand is low, and therefore potentially take advantage of low power costs, and reducing load when demand is high, potentially reducing costs to end users.

The ability to increase, decrease, stop and start using power (sometimes at variable rates) are considered the minimum capabilities required by the appliances to assist in power system security.

How will AS 4755 impact household consumers?

With the growing number of DER and smart appliances with demand response capabilities, opportunities are arising for consumers to experience increasing value from their DER and household appliances. These may include:

. Supplying additional load when demand is low to support minimum power system demand requirements supported by financial incentives
. Reducing load when demand is high to reduce the overall strain on the power system, once again supported by financial incentives
. Shifting load to times when electricity is cheaper based on price signal communications, hence reducing the cost of power to the end user and for other consumers by reducing load at peak times

These types of incentivised behaviours and remotely controlled capabilities are already being highlighted as an effective mechanism to support the power system security via the VPP demonstrations, which focus on providing Frequency Control Ancillary Services (FCAS) via an aggregated set of DER.

AEMO are currently looking into further opportunities to understand how DER and smart devices can participate in the energy market.

flyingduk
flyingduk
February 1, 2024 11:33 am

And also in todays Oz:

Israel and Hamas edge closer to three-stage truce
A draft agreement hammered out in Paris by intelligence chiefs envisages an initial six-week pause in fighting to release hostages.

And a reminder of the asymmetric victory conditions in asymmetric war:

Irregulars win by not losing (ie Hamas wins if it survives)
Regulars lose by not winning (ie the IDF loses if Hamas survives)

And further:
1) armistices or truces benefit the *weaker* side, by suspending combat before they are destroyed.
2) Israel is spending a *lot* more on this war than Hamas, and cannot keep all its reservists in the field (and out of the economy) forever – Hamas (and Hezbollah) want to drag this out as long as possible, whereas Israel wants it over as soon as possible.

Sancho Panzer
Sancho Panzer
February 1, 2024 11:34 am

Might have been mentioned earlier, but arrests have been made in the Burgertory “hate crime” fire in Caulfield.
Turns out one of them has also been charged with fire bombing a chop-chop baccy shop in Bendigo.
So it seems Mr Burgertory might have been subjected to “competitive market forces” not involving hamburgers.
Credit where credit is due. The officer in charge of the investigation said almost immediately that it had nothing to do with Middle Eastern politics.
Unfortunately, senior Plod remained silent whilst a rabid mob, whipped up by Mr Burgertory, descended on Caulfield.

OldOzzie
OldOzzie
February 1, 2024 11:35 am

David Maddison
February 1, 2024 at 7:02 am · Reply

In Queenslandistan the feature is called PeakSmart.

Here is some info. about it.

https://www.energex.com.au/manage-your-energy/cashback-rewards-program/peaksmart-air-conditioning

https://www.allpurposeairconditioning.com.au/air-conditioning-installation/information/peaksmart-air-conditioning

AND HOPE IS NOT LOST. THIS QLD CCOMPANY IS EXTREMELY CRITICAL OF PEAKSMART:

https://airconditioningexpert.com.au/peaksmart

PEAKSMART MY

OWN AIR CON?

NOT A CHANCE

Would you give someone the keys to your car and say ‘yeah just take her whenever you want’?

Would you give the guys at the pub your wife’s cell phone number?

Perhaps you’d give the nice man from Nigeria the logins for your internet banking?

People can only take advantage if you let them.

Don’t take the Energex man’s free money and he can’t control your appliances.

Simple.

Wonderful!

H B Bear
H B Bear
February 1, 2024 11:35 am

Roger, your link is in Russian.

Da.

flyingduk
flyingduk
February 1, 2024 11:39 am

DRED provides a method by which a controlling authority, most likely a power supply company, can limit the amount of power that an air conditioner can consume in comparison to its nominal full load power consumption…….Not dissimilar to what some power companies do when controlling peak demand for electric water heaters in New Zealand.

Now do you understand why we are all being herded *away* from storable energy sources (gas, liquid fuels) and into all electric ? – its to give them instant control of your life by controlling your energy usage.

Bruce of Newcastle
Bruce of Newcastle
February 1, 2024 11:41 am

Might have been mentioned earlier, but arrests have been made in the Burgertory “hate crime” fire in Caulfield.

I was amused to see the photo in the Sky News version of the story, which will amazingly disappear and be totally uninteresting to the MSM by knock off time today.

Arrests made after pro-Palestine restaurant owner’s Caulfield burger shop Burgertory totally destroyed in suspicious fire (31 Jan)

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