Open Thread – Weekend 21 Sept 2024


Picnic Under The Trees, Julius LeBlanc Stewart, 1895

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Miltonf
Miltonf
September 22, 2024 6:51 pm

Scion of privilege-

Scott was born on 9 October 1962 in Los Angeles. He holds dual Australian and United States citizenship.[3] He is a grandson of Sir Walter Scott AC, who was responsible for the introduction of decimal currency in Australia. His father Brian reviewed the NSW Department of Education in the 1980s.[4]

He attended Knox Grammar School in Wahroonga, New South Wales.Scott holds a Bachelor of Arts, a Diploma of Education and a Master of Arts from the University of Sydney, and a Master of Public Administration from Harvard University.

Scott is married to Briony Scott, the principal of Wenona School, a private day and boarding school for girls.

Last edited 11 days ago by Miltonf
Rabz
September 22, 2024 6:55 pm

Gareth Gareth Evans of the Beryl Kernow imbroglio.

The very definition of a “top man”.

Or a monumental dickhead, if you’re feeling a bit more prosaic.

Top Ender
Top Ender
September 22, 2024 6:55 pm

Twenty (20) boxes of ‘Cocaine for external application’ were damaged by water and written off by the Japanese …

There’s quite an interesting book around about the German Army running on various drugs in WWII. Used for sleep avoidance and general performance boosting.

Can’t recall the title.

Muddy
Muddy
September 22, 2024 6:56 pm

Random Question.
August was Period Poverty month for those of you unaware (tsk tsk!). Share the Dignity is one of the organisations involved,
… now focused on ensuring all public hospitals offer free sanitary items to those who need them …

My questions are: How much is it the taxpayer’s responsibility to fund personal hygiene products for strangers? Secondly, by providing these products en masse (see one particular stat on their intro web page), how does that help certain demographics with financial literacy (personal budgeting) and individual responsibility? (The latter I’d argue is a pre-requisite – for any demographic – to be able to engage with broader society and employment/business opportunities in particular?).

I have no objection to charitable work – having done a bit myself, which I rarely publicise – but at what point does charity interfere with the building of life skills?

Pogria
Pogria
September 22, 2024 6:56 pm

The main turd that was hit in Beirut, Aqil, had a US, $10,000,000 bounty on his head for the 1983 US Embassy strike.
I wonder if the Biden Government will pay it to Israel?

KevinM
KevinM
September 22, 2024 7:05 pm

Winston Smith
September 22, 2024 5:07 pm

I bought VPN this morning – Proton – 7day free trial.

This afternoon, got an email that my trial period was over

Don’t know about the mix up with the free trial, but you won’t regret buying it.
It’s very good, I am using both Cyberghost and Proton, Proton has way more servers than Cyber.

Lawgi Dawes-Hall
Lawgi Dawes-Hall
September 22, 2024 7:13 pm

Alan Klein Age of Corruption

(bring back the music show!)

Last edited 11 days ago by Lawgi Dawes-Hall
Bruce of Newcastle
Bruce of Newcastle
September 22, 2024 7:19 pm

After successfully attacking a chicken coop a couple weeks ago, Hezbollah have shifted target.

25 cows killed: Rocket strikes dairy farm in northern Israel (22 Sep)

Moshe Cohen’s dairy farm in Beit She’arim took a direct hit in an early-morning missile barrage on northern Israel; 25 cows were killed, and the farm itself suffered severe damage.

So far they haven’t targeted any goat farms. That is quite interesting.

Ellie
Ellie
September 22, 2024 7:21 pm

Oh dear lord!

Bungonia Bee
Bungonia Bee
September 22, 2024 7:28 pm

Joe Hildebrand on Sky just now: Bob Carr used to set aside a night a week to just thinking about things. It enabled him to work things out, not distracted by the usual rough and tumble of politics.

Oh, right. It must have been on one of those nights that he came up with the most sensible thing he ever said:

Sydney is full.

bons
bons
September 22, 2024 7:35 pm

Canavan inadvertantly indicted the coalition when discussing the anti-free speech legislation – “we have not met as a party to discuss our response”.

That is the issue right there. Dutton has not nominated any specilised groups to identify, promote and prepare draft legislation to be implemented the moment that they gain power.

There is insufficient trust, discipline or organisation for them to even agree policy, let alone enuciate it. Mr Credlin is a player, not a leader.

Labor, on the other hand had instructed the public service to draft their legislative agenda well in advance of their coming to power.

Balanced talking Canavan is not the answer. We need a Farage – perhaps Advance may do the job.

calli
calli
September 22, 2024 7:35 pm

I’m imagining Hildebrand at a committee meeting.

I’d lose the will to live.

Miltonf
Miltonf
September 22, 2024 7:40 pm

Advance seems to be the only organization pushing back against the globalist-UN-marxist agenda being foisted on us. I’m proud to support them.

mareeS
mareeS
September 22, 2024 7:42 pm

Ellie, who are you? Explain yourself.You seem to live in an alternative mental universe.

Zulu Kilo Two Alpha
Zulu Kilo Two Alpha
September 22, 2024 7:43 pm

Aboriginal cops claim racist taunts by fellow NT police
Stephen Rice
15 minutes ago.
Updated 2 minutes ago

At least 20 serving Aboriginal police officers have lodged a case of racial vilification and unequal pay against the Northern Territory government in a landmark legal challenge, alleging a racist police culture in which Indigenous cops are demeaned as “lazy and useless”.
The Aboriginal officers have revealed shocking conduct including police secretly urinating in an Aboriginal man’s wine cask; challenging elderly, intoxicated Aboriginal men to fight; displaying a picture of a monkey during a police interview with an Aboriginal; and charging Indigenous people with offences they did not commit.
The explosive allegations, in a complaint to the Australian Human Rights Commission obtained by The Australian, come as the NT Police Force struggles to stave off claims of endemic racism and failure to protect Indigenous women from domestic violence.
Led by former Essendon AFL player Shawn Lewfatt, the Aboriginal Community Police Officers are claiming damages for more than two decades of racial discrimination over pay and conditions, as well as compensation for pain and suffering, which they allege has been caused by systemic racism in the NT Police Force.
“In his 26 years of service, Mr Lewfatt has experienced countless incidents of racial discrimination or racial vilification by other police officers,” the complaint states.
Mr Lewfatt and other ACPOs, including NT Police Association executive member Lisa Burkenhagen, say they have been subjected to racist stereotyping and stigmatisation as useless and lazy slackers, repeatedly being called “SLACPOs” by white officers.

Rosie
Rosie
September 22, 2024 7:45 pm

Ability was implicated in both the embassy and the barracks bombing.
It’s okay to commit suicide attacks now because the US did something?
https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/killed-hezbollah-commander-aqil-was-wanted-deadly-1983-us-embassy-marine-blasts-2024-09-20/

Zippster
Zippster
September 22, 2024 7:49 pm
Sancho Panzer
Sancho Panzer
September 22, 2024 7:51 pm

mareeS
 September 22, 2024 7:42 pm

Ellie, who are you? Explain yourself.You seem to live in an alternative mental universe.

Whatever do you mean by that?

Zippster
Zippster
September 22, 2024 7:57 pm
132andBush
132andBush
September 22, 2024 8:03 pm

Arky

September 22, 2024 5:16 pm

…waits…

Still waiting?

Ellie
Ellie
September 22, 2024 8:07 pm

Put it out there, Leigh Lowe aka sancho.

Come at me!

Years of you stalking me.

Come at it

chrisl
chrisl
September 22, 2024 8:11 pm

Now a good news story.
Went for a walk around the block and found $50 in the middle of road. Spoke to a lady walking past and she found $20. Gave it to me to give to local fire brigade. Then I found another $50. $120 in total
But wait there’s more.
A young mum from around the corner wrote on local Facebook that she had lost $170 and had anyone found it ?
Bingo

132andBush
132andBush
September 22, 2024 8:19 pm

What ‘primary source facts’ could conclusively show that a different approach was avail or preferable in early ’39, or immediately after the Fall of Poland, etc. ?

I assume Cooper has some?

Last edited 11 days ago by 132andBush
Knuckle Dragger
Knuckle Dragger
September 22, 2024 8:26 pm

I see the vat of Car-Don-Ay de Crybully has been refilled.

Ellie
Ellie
September 22, 2024 8:28 pm
Muddy
Muddy
September 22, 2024 8:30 pm

Oh dear.
Time to reorganise my belly-button lint collection methinks.
‘Twas a good read up ’til recently, Cats & Kittehs.
‘Night all. Take care of ya selves.

Rosie
Rosie
September 22, 2024 8:37 pm

World war two was good versus evil, no matter how imperfect the side of good was.
Today Israel fights against the evil of islam, no they aren’t perfect either, but there it is.

https://x.com/faniaoz/status/1837519784751067518?t=x0bob3ty4hmqQeGg4i2DHg&s=19

Zulu Kilo Two Alpha
Zulu Kilo Two Alpha
September 22, 2024 8:38 pm

Anyway, “Sliante” to all you horrible mob. Payday for self funded retirees is coming up, and there’s only so many good books, and so much good single malt a man can buy…

Knuckle Dragger
Knuckle Dragger
September 22, 2024 8:56 pm

Shawshank Redemption on Focks Flicks.

Quality. Absolute quality, even after all these years.

No handpatters, either.

Sancho Panzer
Sancho Panzer
September 22, 2024 8:56 pm

Been watching “Monsters” on Stanflix about the Menendez brothers who shot their parents to death in LA in the ’80’s in what some might call “accelerated estate planning”.
They concocted a bizarre tale of sexual abuse by the father in a pitiful self defence ploy.
Like most liars of this type they over-egged the pudding with excessive lurid detail and it all came unglued.
It’s happened before, and it will happen again.

Ellie
Ellie
September 22, 2024 8:58 pm

All you C.U.N.T S contribute to a random blog. You claim to be free fecking speech. Oh, but my God! Monty and Numbers contribute. Eh gat, what the feck? An alternative view? The truth is, you can’t handle an alternative view. If you don’t agree with my fellow Jew, Cassie, you are called a Nazi! FFS!? I hate that she shoves it around. She has belittled the terminology. A Nazi is NOT a leftist or communist. A Nazi exterminated MY PEOPLE, Cassie. Don’t abuse that for your political agenda.

Sancho Panzer
Sancho Panzer
September 22, 2024 9:05 pm

Youse can’t handle the truth!
That’s what the Menendez boys said too.
🙂

Arky
September 22, 2024 9:10 pm

Please.
Enough of these highly emotional outbursts from broadacre farmers.
Alright, I take it back.
Wheat is a valuable commodity.
There. Now calm yourselves.
It’s not that kind of blog.

Last edited 11 days ago by Arky
Zulu Kilo Two Alpha
Zulu Kilo Two Alpha
September 22, 2024 9:10 pm

This one’s for Cats with an interest in military history.

The current reading is “The New Dealers War” by Thomas Fleming – the book advertised on this blog.

It’s fairly revisionist, however it makes the claim that, at the time Pearl Harbor was bombed, the United States Pacific Fleet was preparing to sortie West, in accordance with War Plan Orange, with the aim of wiping the Japanese fleet off the strategic map, in a twentieth century version of the battle of Trafalgar.

“Kimmels battle plan, approved by Roosevelt’s complaisant chief of naval operations, Harald Stark, lay in Navy files for five decades…the Fleet was scheduled to go to sea, on Monday morning, December 8, in search of the all-out battle.” Page 43.

I’ve read much about War Plan Orange, and the plans to refight Jutland in the Western Pacific, but that’s the first time I heard the claim that the fleet was due to sortie on that date. Any Cats able to shed any light on this matter?

JC
JC
September 22, 2024 9:13 pm

Sanchez

I’m on the last episode.

In the last few months I recall reading about them requesting parole .

132andBush
132andBush
September 22, 2024 9:17 pm

You could just answer the question. I was simply teasing out that the argument as presented doesn’t depend on any new ‘primary source facts’, but rather on what we already know but interpret differently.

Because you’d rather interpret things from the nazi’s pov?
As does Cooper.

Rosie
Rosie
September 22, 2024 9:21 pm

The menendez series was about to autoplay after I watched another true crime 2 part series.
Enough of that for one night.
Was the one about the woman trying to fund her missing adopted daughter.

Sancho Panzer
Sancho Panzer
September 22, 2024 9:32 pm

JC
 September 22, 2024 9:13 pm

Sanchez
I’m on the last episode.

In the last few months I recall reading about them requesting parole .

Spoiler alert!
(They’re still in the slot).
The first trial was a hung jury.
Classic mistake.
Arrogant little shits were used to getting away with everything and, as a result. regarded everyone else as stupid and inferior.
Truth was, they weren’t that smart and were only sliding through life because of daddy’s money.
They ended up in a situation they couldn’t bullshit their way out of and responded by … doubling down on the bullshit.
They totally over-cooked the “daddy fiddled with us” story which underpinned their self-defence plea.

Knuckle Dragger
Knuckle Dragger
September 22, 2024 9:36 pm

with my fellow Jew

Sure. Put that cloak on. Now, if it wasn’t clear before, you are in the same boat as Liability Bob – hiding behind some tenuous connection to something in order to parade your own insecurities and stamp your paws.

I hate that she shoves it around. She has belittled the terminology.

You’ve done that quite adequately yourself.

A Nazi exterminated MY PEOPLE, Cassie. Don’t abuse that for your political agenda

You are a hideous frightbat who spent years abusing people who didn’t want to take it up the arse, and then retreated into permanent victimhood at the very first sign of an opposing view.

Bottoms up, toots.

Sancho Panzer
Sancho Panzer
September 22, 2024 9:36 pm

New evidence?
A letter to a cousin which pops up after all these years?
And a member of a washed up boy band?
Dunno.

Sancho Panzer
Sancho Panzer
September 22, 2024 9:39 pm

Bottoms up, toots.

You talkin’ to me?
Well are ya … C.U.N.T!

Sancho Panzer
Sancho Panzer
September 22, 2024 9:40 pm

Sorry.
Looks like you were talking to someone else.

Zulu Kilo Two Alpha
Zulu Kilo Two Alpha
September 22, 2024 10:02 pm

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCQjBC4DM4o

Brian Cadd (Axiom) and “Arkansas Grass.”

Muddy
Muddy
September 22, 2024 10:04 pm

The Top End seems to be receiving a fistful of free promo this evening.

JC
JC
September 22, 2024 10:17 pm

Britain, under the Liars has become an arsehole country.

“There is a sense of disappointment in Israel. We expect that all our allies will be side by side with us.” Israeli President

@Isaac_Herzog

responds to the UK government’s decision to suspend some arms sales to Israel

It’s mind-boggling that the British government would halt arms to Israel while pouring military aid into Ukraine, especially when Hezbollah has fired 80,000 rockets into Israel since October 7.

Salvatore - Iron Publican
September 22, 2024 10:25 pm

All week my social media feed has been telling me that Moira Deeming has made a royal stuff-up of her case, that she’s been silly enough to “go back for her hat”, that her case has collapsed, that she’s got nothing to back her allegations, & that her public profile will never recover from the loss of face of being so ill-prepared for court.

I’ve not paid attention to proceedings, is any of this remotely true?

Steve trickler
Steve trickler
September 22, 2024 10:34 pm

Absolutely crazy. Bus loads of illegals are wrecking the joint and the taxpayer is forking out the cash. US citiizens that are homeless … well there is eff all for you on the table. The locals are not happy.

Deport them all.

Excellent work from Peter as per usual.

——

Peter Santinello:

New England’s most prosperous state is rife with wealth and opportunity but also faces some massive challenges. Join Gerald, a central Mass local, and me as we dive into some of the big issues just under the surface of this fascinating state.

Inside the Massachusetts Nobody Talks About

Indolent
Indolent
September 22, 2024 10:52 pm
Indolent
Indolent
September 22, 2024 11:03 pm
Zippster
Zippster
September 22, 2024 11:20 pm

Vejas Liulevicius: Communism, Marxism, Nazism, Stalin, Mao, and Hitler | Lex Fridman Podcast #444

Video Summary**Summary:** In the Lex Fridman Podcast episode featuring historian Vejas Liulevicius, the discussion delves deep into the complexities of Marxism, communism, and the ideologies of historic totalitarian leaders such as Stalin and Hitler. Liulevicius examines the contradictions inherent in Marxist theory—particularly the tension between Marx’s optimistic views on human progress and the harsh realities faced in communist regimes. The two explore the profound historical impacts of communism, the rise and fall of various totalitarian regimes, and how these ideologies have shaped modern societies. The conversation also touches on the relationship between communism and fascism, especially as seen in the context of World War II, and reflects on the implications of ideological blindness, the traumas of the past, and the resilience of human nature for the future. — **Key Points:** **1. Introduction (0:00)** – Vejas Liulevicius is introduced as a historian focused on Marxism and communism. **2. Marxism (3:10)** – Central ideas of Marx include the belief in historical purpose and rebellion against exploitation. – Marx emphasized that history moves towards a predetermined end and the role of the individual in this process. – Critiques of Marx’s utopianism, emphasizing his scientific claims versus idealism. **3. Anarchism (30:55)** – Comparison between Marxism and anarchism, particularly in the context of Bakunin as a rival. – Anarchism promotes looser associations and rejects hierarchical structures. **4. The Communist Manifesto (45:52)** – Importance and impact of the Communist Manifesto in shaping revolutionary movements. – Contrasts between Marx’s theories and their application during revolutions. **5. Communism in the Soviet Union (54:51)** – Examination of the grim realities under communism, including the collapse of the economy and starvation, notably in the Holodomor. – The discrepancies between planned economic policies and real-life outcomes. **6. Lenin, Trotsky, and Stalin (1:14:45)** – Overview of their roles and power struggles within the communist movement. – Stalin’s rise and Trotsky’s expulsion, emphasizing Stalin’s brutal methods for consolidation of power. **7. Stalin (1:24:33)** – Discussion about Stalin’s leadership style and the consequences of his totalitarian regime. – Elements of purges of dissenters to maintain control. **8. Holodomor (1:31:48)** – The man-made famine in Ukraine as a result of collectivization policies. – The devastating consequences of political decisions on agriculture and human lives. **Closing Thoughts:** – Liulevicius concludes with a discussion on the human capacity for endurance and resilience despite historical horrors, the importance of recognizing ideological complexities, and a hope for a better understanding of humanity’s future.

  1. I think the punters are stirring, getting ansty. Normally letting politics of either persuasion slide by as we just get…

  2. Great stuff from the past. Visuals and audio are great. —— F r. David – Words Don’t Come Easy

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