Thursday

9.9 out of 10 based on 17 ratings

66 comments to Thursday

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    tonyb

    Trump wants to turn Gaza into the Riviera and send all the inhabitants to Egypt and Jordan who quite understandably don’t want them.

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14361847/Trumps-Middle-East-Riviera-draws-outrage-critics-claim-Gaza-takeover-lead-bloody-occupation.html

    I can’t believe this will progress any further. If it does it will be the cue of countless acts of terror against the US and its allies

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    • #

      Trump should start by rebuilding US cities and Infrastructure first. Detroit would be a good start.

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      • #
        John F. Hultquist

        Let’s find ways of cutting spending instead of thinking up new ways of flushing $$$ down a drain.

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      • #
        Ted1

        Tony, I can believe it. Except it won’t look like what people are imagining.

        Those 2 million people will go wherever they can find work. Trump’s call tells them that there is going to be a lot of work right here, building something we can be proud of.

        I looked at the devastation on the TV news and wondered how ever will these people be able to repair this damage? Trump has advanced beyond that to construction. Already people would be planning for the future, expecting good things will happen..

        It’s brillliant!

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          Vladimir

          At long last I love the time we live in !
          All the experts in the world know as much as you and I do about what will happen this afternoon, ie – huge fat zero.
          Including, so called world leaders who are not able to lead their spouses… Anything is possible this afternoon, leave alone by the weekend.
          So, I hint again: a Red Sea to Gaza Canal. Not important – will the physical water flow or only money, will it be formally own by Saudi or USA – it never will be Chinese. UNRWA is the best option.
          Palestinians are the Jews of 21st Century, see – Evian Conference 1938, every country has a solution for them, none offers them home.

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          Hanrahan

          While I doubt it will happen as proposed I reckon something will happen but he will need to chose his successor well.

          Ukraine is a cheap way to put Russia in a box, but they must win and this will be a “cheap” way to solve the biggest problem in the ME, apart from Iran.

          Trump makes ambit claims, we should know this by now.

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          • #
            Vladimir

            Dear Hanrahan, agree – Trump might become less significant than his successor.
            His selection of miniTrump, while he could have picked someone better for the vote counting, indicates that Trump is at least trying to think ahead.
            Now he is not about extending Abraham Accord, he plans to reshape whole ME, and why not?!
            Current borders are very artificial, created by half a dozen Anglo-French pen pushers.
            Why the birth place of Christian (Greco-Roman-Hebrew, even Armenian!) civilisation has no foothold there, except few churches, if I am correct ?
            Can be a city-state, Vatican-Sur-Mere…
            Why 45 millions of Kurds have less right on the land than Turks who only came there, say a 1000 years ago?
            Good to ponder about on a lazy afternoon…
            Interesting to hear from serious people on this website: comparison of all costs and benefits: brand new canal along Israeli-Egyptian border V upgrade to the same standard of Suez canal.

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          tonyb

          This piece of land has been in dispute for centuries and will be defended and fought for with all means possible. Look at the huge demos in many Western capitals over the last 2 years. These people will not just go away. Displacing them will be the signal for terrori*m on a massive scale

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      • #
        John Connor II

        Trump should start by rebuilding US cities and Infrastructure first. Detroit would be a good start.

        While US infrastructure is pushing collapse, spending trillions, and that’s what it would cost based on decade old data, to rebuild would take decades and offset any DOGE gains made which won’t even scratch the surface on the debt problem anyway in Trump’s term.
        Sorry USA, it’s game over regardless.
        Nothing lasts forever, nor should it, but it’s entertaining watching the attempts to undo the past half century of damage.

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    • #

      The unrealized potential of Palestinian oil and gas reserves

      Oil and natural gas resources in the occupied Palestinian territory could generate hundreds of billions of dollars for development.

      Contradicting voice:

      https://besacenter.org/the-gaza-oil-myth/

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      • #
        John B

        Geopolitics and Oil
        I was with Union Oil of California (later UNOCAL) in the 1970s and early 1980s. They were heavily involved in a trans pipeline project from the Balkan oil fields through Afghanistan to the Pakistan oil fields. Former Secretary of State, Henry Kissinger, was a consultant to Union Oil during that time. Kissinger was close to Suharto and supported Indonesia’s annexation of Irian Jaya. Curiously, Kissinger was later appointed to the board of Freeport McMoran Gold and Copper, the operator of one of the world’s largest gold-copper-molybdenum mines in Irian.
        Interestingly, it was rumoured within the company that one of our key geologists was connected to the CIA. Who else, as a geologist, could travel freely within politically sensitive areas without suspicion?

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      • #
        Hanrahan

        The US produces much more oil/natural gas than the Saudis. Why do people think the US will go to war for oil?

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    • #
      MeAgain

      If the increased terror threat stops Taylor Swift touring for a while, maybe that is a price we have to pay.

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      Custer Van Cleef

      Trump is uniting the Arab world against himself. I think we call that an “unintended consequence”.

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    • #
      Graeme No.3

      Tony:
      That rejection by HAMAS give Trump the excuse of NOT spending money on Gaza.
      HAMAS’s idea is that they stay in control while the World sends them lots of money.
      The USA won’t – I tried but they said no. Europe is broke. That leaves our mad government in broke Australia (but nothing until the election is out of the way).
      Practically no-one in the Arab want peniless trouble makers.
      That leaves HAMAS in control of ruins with the locals getting more and more restless.

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      Dennis

      Reminded me of American involvement in reconstruction and rebuilding economies of Germany, Japan and other countries after WW2.

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    • #
      Coochin Kid

      Tony, it is a popular ploy of politicians to set a Hare free for the (news)hounds to chase, while they the (politicians) have their way with the handmaidens.

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    tonyb

    This is not a source I usually use but this article is spot on

    https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/21373/destroying-europe-the-eu

    The EU is highly bureaucratic , over regulated, much too fond of acquiring debt and spending money on social benefits rather than Defence. It is of course also CO2 fixated which explains its high energy prices and its lack of competitiveness.

    Despite that here in the UK we still have many of the elite who want to rejoin this failing organisation.

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    Vene

    Korenizatsiya: Stalin’s Soviet DEI Program, a New Discourses podcast with James Lindsey. 2 hours 16 minutes.

    I didn’t know that there was a DEI-program or politics in USSR. I listened first 20 minutes or so, but listening complicated topic like this in foreign language is tiresome and I gave up. Luckily I found a summary of the contents of this podcast written in Finnish. I recommend this, it should be interesting.

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    Skepticynic

    I had to laugh!
    We get told who to hate each week.
    This week it’s apparently Elon.
    I don’t know why we’re supposed to hate him, but apparently Elon-hating is a thing now.

    Herald Sun: The new EVs for Elon haters

    Herald Sun: Not content with wrecking our country, apparently @elonmusk is now coming after me personally…

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    Skepticynic

    Why the Dems Could Not Rig the 2024 Election

    https://www.armstrongeconomics.com/armstrongeconomics101/voting-elections/why-the-dems-could-not-rig-the-2024-election/

    “…the current Republican Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, prevented them from playing games with rules as Pelosi did to make sure Biden won.”

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    MeAgain

    https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/ANNALS-24-01015 – COVID-19 vaccines targeting the XBB.1.5 variant of Omicron were not effective in preventing infection and had relatively low VE against hospitalization and death, which declined rapidly over time.

    Current recommendations for an ineffective vaccine: https://www.health.gov.au/our-work/covid-19-vaccines/getting-your-vaccination

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      Eng_Ian

      You would have to wonder what the long term harm all these recommendations are doing to this government’s image.

      I know, they aren’t that high in the opinion stakes at present but backing a dead horse like this is not a good look.

      One side of the government is trying to spread the word that they are the only source of truth and all non approved others must be quashed. And the medical side telling people that the vaccine is effective, despite these obvious details being published on a regular basis.

      To me, it’s like the government encouraging tourism to Wittenoom. I can’t believe that in an election year any member of the government would want the government that they are part of leading with anything so easily shown to be useless.

      Then again, they have form. Snowy Hydro 2 or nett zero anyone?

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    • #

      Pfizer executives should be charged with crimes against humanity for recommending that it was time to start the Covid vaccination of children.

      Even the largely compliant Australian government has backed away from that one:
      Primary course:
      6 months to 5 years, without risk factors: Not eligible
      5 years to 18 years, without risk factors: Not eligible
      https://www.health.gov.au/our-work/covid-19-vaccines/getting-your-vaccination

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      • #
        MeAgain

        But when you turn 18, they still want you to start the primary course.

        How must parents who jabbed their kids early feel now it is Not eligible….

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  • #
    MeAgain

    https://disinformationchronicle.substack.com/p/pandemic-censorship-spurs-trump-research

    The “Journal of the Academy of Public Health” (JAPH) plans to cover all aspects of public health, and will publish research articles, literature reviews, peer-reviewed studies on the history of public health, and perspectives. The JAPH will also run peer-reviews of prominent studies published in journals that do not practice open peer-review to spur scientific discourse. “The authors of the original article are invited to respond,” the JAPH states.

    Stanford’s Ioannidis said only a handful of the roughly 50,000 journals now on the market pay peer reviewers a small fee, and increasing this to $500 might improve quality. “Peer review currently improves about a third of the submitted papers meaningfully, makes about 5% worse, and leaves most papers largely untouched. Moreover, it can be biased, slow, and driven by non-scientific priorities at times,” he said. “This does not guarantee that any new approach will be better – but it is worth trying.”

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    • #
      Eng_Ian

      Peer review/Pal review. This should not be the way to select articles for publication.

      Imagine if some new method was developed for the production of Nitrogen based fertiliser. If it is commercially viable, it is unlikely to be published, it would be a trade secret. Similar for a new drug or a new method for rocket propulsion, even for fuel economy in a small ICE.

      I’d argue that any article presented for publication is either not worth investing in or is already common. Peer review is not going to make the product commercially more viable, it’s not going to make the topic more specific.

      I’d be much more interested in reading of the new developments, something that only the author is the expert on, who could undertake a peer review of that. And what would they review? The wording, grammar, spell check, division by zero?

      And of course, anything not in vogue wouldn’t get any column inches anyway, so we’ll never learn something that is contentious or new and especially if your peer selection panel only leans one way.

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  • #
    Dave in the States

    After 80 + years the long over due dismantling of New Deal has finally started. It is a myth that New Deal solved the Great Depression. See this:
    https://imprimis.hillsdale.edu/do-we-need-a-new-new-deal/

    Or that it prevented future recessions. Obviously that didn’t happened. Remember Stagflation?

    Several times it was doubled down on. But such programs only really opened up the door to grifters. The biggest of all being CAGW. The Great Society after 60 years has only succeeded in destroying the black family.

    However, the latest and greatest doubling down by Obama’s third term failed so spectacularly that the rot was exposed to the core.

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  • #
    another ian

    FWIW – for the record

    “The Covid Dossier: A Record of Military and Intelligence Coordination of COVID-19
    by Debbie Lerman and Sasha Latypova 4 February 2025 11:00 AM”

    https://dailysceptic.org/2025/02/04/the-covid-dossier-a-record-of-military-and-intelligence-coordination-of-covid-19/

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    • #
      Lucky

      That is a very long article of little use.

      Facts are known.
      1. The helicopter was at a forbidden height and in a wrong location.
      2. The pilot was a political ‘blue-eyed-gal’. Biden staffer.
      3. Traffic control was under-staffed (as article says). Under-staffing caused by DEI hiring, rejected qualified people.
      4. The controller made a serious error-
      tried to get the helicopter pilot to correct position
      – wrong- in such an event, the pilot is disorientated,
      does not know where they are or what to do
      – correct action would be to immediately instruct the pilot of the fixed wing airliner
      – abort landing – increase height.

      Trump said, cause was wokism, DEI.
      Trump right again.

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  • #
    Former NIH Researcher

    I acidentally found this in chatting with copilot:
    Copilot:One study (Study reveals uncertainty in how much carbon the ocean absorbs over time
    April 5 2021, by Jennifer Chu) highlighted that the “gold standard” equation used to calculate the strength of the ocean’s biological pump (which helps sequester carbon) has a larger margin of error than previously thought. This means predictions of how much atmospheric CO₂ the ocean will absorb and transport to various depths could be off by 10 to 15 parts per million (ppm). Given that the world is currently emitting CO₂ at an annual rate of about 2.5 ppm, this translates to an error of about five years in climate target projections.

    These uncertainties are critical for climate modeling and policy-making, as they affect our understanding of how effectively the oceans can mitigate climate change.

    Does this help clarify the error bars in oceanic CO₂ absorption for you?

    Me:how many ppm does human emissions add pr year
    Copilot:Human activities currently add approximately 2.5 parts per million (ppm) of CO₂ to the atmosphere each year. This rate has been increasing over time due to factors such as fossil fuel combustion, deforestation, and industrial processes.

    This seemingly small annual increase accumulates over time, contributing significantly to the overall rise in atmospheric CO₂ levels and driving climate change.

    If you have more questions or need further information, feel free to ask!

    Me: so the human emissions are well within he error marin for ocean absorbtion
    Copilot: That’s an insightful observation. Human CO₂ emissions add approximately 2.5 parts per million (ppm) to the atmosphere each year, while the error margin for ocean CO₂ absorption is about 10 to 15 ppm. This means that the uncertainty in our understanding of how much CO₂ the oceans can absorb is larger than the annual contribution from human emissions.

    However, even though human emissions are within the error margin for ocean absorption, it’s important to remember that the cumulative effect of these emissions over time significantly contributes to the overall increase in atmospheric CO₂ levels. This cumulative effect drives climate change and has far-reaching impacts on the environment.

    Understanding these uncertainties helps improve our models and predictions, ultimately leading to better strategies for mitigating climate change.

    If you have more questions or need further details, feel free to ask!

    Me: In normal science, if the means increase is less than the error margin, there is no statistically significant effect
    Copilot:You’re correct. In scientific research, if a change in the mean is within the error margin or uncertainty range, it is often considered not statistically significant. This means that the observed change could be due to random variations rather than a true effect.

    However, when it comes to the carbon cycle and human emissions, it’s crucial to consider the cumulative impact. Even though the annual increase in atmospheric CO₂ from human activities (approximately 2.5 ppm) is within the larger error margin for ocean absorption (10 to 15 ppm), the continuous addition of CO₂ over many years has a significant and measurable effect on global CO₂ levels and climate change.

    In other words, while individual yearly changes might not seem statistically significant within the context of natural variability, the long-term trend of rising CO₂ levels due to human activities is undeniable and has profound environmental implications.

    If you have more questions or would like to delve deeper into this topic, feel free to ask!

    me: so even copilot admits there is no statistically significant effect og human emissions on total ppm of CO2!

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  • #
    another ian

    FWIW

    “You’ll Never Believe Who Else Is on the USAID Dole”

    https://pjmedia.com/vodkapundit/2025/02/05/youll-never-believe-who-else-is-on-the-usaid-dole-n4936695

    What chance a trickle might have made it to OZ too?

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  • #
    RickWill

    New snowfall record in Japan:
    https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/02/04/japan/hokkaido-record-snow/

    A powerful low-pressure system is unleashing record-breaking snowfall along Hokkaido’s Pacific coast, with the city of Obihiro accumulating more than 1 meter of snow in just 12 hours through Tuesday.

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  • #
    another ian

    Trending! Not trending.

    “The Great Spatula Panic of 2024”

    https://hotair.com/john-s-2/2025/02/05/the-great-spatula-panic-of-2024-n3799521

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    another ian

    FWIW

    Oil industry 3, eco-fadists 0

    “BREAKING: New Jersey’s massive lawsuit accusing the oil industry of causing climate change was just dismissed with prejudice.

    The case was pursued by the NJ AG, but funded by liberal NGOs. Similar cases in MD and Delaware have also been tossed.

    A huge blow for eco activists.”

    https://instapundit.com/700769/#disqus_thread

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    Custer Van Cleef

    “Palestine: The Reality” by J. M. N. Jeffries — published in 1939. Covers events from 1917-1938. Download as a zip file, epub, pdf, from this link:

    Palestine The Reality | archive.org

    — Churchill has gone down in my estimation, yet again. More evidence that politicians and civil servants should have a use-by date.

    — first time I’ve heard of a character called Rutenberg. He ‘scored’ the monopoly on developing public works for Palestine, ahead of any Arab or Brit.

    — the British government didn’t want anyone else to have a chance, so they obstructed Arab proposals to develop their own infrastructure eg. irrigation, electrical lighting in their towns.

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      Ross

      Possibly wont be the first. I have done work very near that wind installation ( Berrybank). Was right next to a turbine in the paddock I was working in. The blade was rotating above my head. Last visit looked up at the blades with a set of binoculars. Noticed damage to one blade. Didn’t think much about it, went on with my business. Drove past that turbine last Wednesday, and there’s a new blade been delivered to replace the old one. The Berrybank Wind plant is only a couple of years finished for chrissake, things shouldn’t be collapsing already!!

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    Reader

    DOGE enters NOAA, raising Democratic fears it will be dismantled
    https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/energy-and-environment/3311919/doge-enters-noaa-raising-democratic-fears-it-will-be-dismantled/

    Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency is now targeting the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, sparking concerns that the Trump administration may be considering dismantling the federal agency.

    On Tuesday, staffers with DOGE unexpectedly entered the headquarters of NOAA located in Silver Spring, Maryland, and demanded access to confidential systems, according to a former NOAA official…

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    Greg in NZ

    https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/541073/canterbury-residents-oppose-solar-farm-near-homes

    Australia’s Energy Bay Ltd plan to construct an 80ha plantation (one of four) in Rangiora in NZ’s South Island. What else is Rangiora famous for? The town holds the all-time highest temperature recorded EVAH™️ in NZ of 42.4C on 7 February 1973.

    Fifty-two years on and that record has never been surpassed, despite all the hot air released by ideological climate whackos shouting at the sky. And just up the road a ways, is one of the country’s finest fossil grounds where ancient whales and dolphin-like critters are found amongst the limestone bluffs… a long way inland from today’s present coastline.

    As it occasionally snows there (even down to sea level) in winter, then in summer gets pummelled by the Nor’wester foehn, as well as having the odd earthquake, I’m sure the engineers and council planners have taken these random ‘acts of God’ into consideration… you reckon?

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      Graeme No.3

      Greg:
      Do you think that a Sweep Stakes on the first failure etc. would be a goer?
      You would need a number of people willing to subscribe to make the pool valuable.
      Possibly allowing for a smaller sum for a blade failure, higher for a tower collapse and possibly a jackpot for injuries or death of any local Council member getting hit.

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    Miasma

    The Palestinians themselves proposed that Trump/Musk should buy Gaza and rename it Trumptopia .

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    environment sceptic

    Not good for the upper atmosphere…. troposphere

    From https://spaceweather.com/archive.php?view=1&day=06&month=02&year=2025

    “When Starlinks reenter, they disintegrate before hitting the ground, adding metallic vapors to the atmosphere. A study published in 2023 found evidence of the lingering devris. In February 2023, NASA flew a WB-57 aircraft 60,000 feet over Alaska to collect aerosols. 10% of the particles contained aluminum and other metals from the “burn-up” of satellites.

    Right: NASA’s WB-57 high altitude airplane. [more]

    What we’re observing is a giant uncontrolled experiment in atmospheric chemistry. The demise of just one Gen1 Starlink satellite produces about 30 kilograms (66 pounds) of aluminum oxide, a compound that eats away at the ozone layer. A new study finds these oxides have increased 8-fold between 2016 and 2022, and the recent surge is increasing the pollution even more. ”


    And this new news
    Latest Global Average Tropospheric Temperatures

    From: https://www.drroyspencer.com/latest-global-temperatures/

    https://www.drroyspencer.com/wp-content/uploads/UAH_LT_1979_thru_January_2025_v6.1_20x9-scaled.jpg
    “Latest Global Average Tropospheric Temperatures”

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    Well this is just a straight up lie:

    Scientists say the period being lived through right now is likely the warmest the Earth has been for the last 125,000 years.
    https://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/january-sets-surprising-heat-record-eu-monitor/news-story/db7f336a6f03293b7f2ac2da874484ed

    Facts:
    Around 6,000 to 8,000 years ago occurred the Holocene Warm Period.

    1. Eurasion treelines were up to 75 km further north than are current treelines
    2. Sea levels around Australia were 1.0 metre higher than present.
    3. Antarctic ice core temperature proxies show the continent was 1.5°C warmer than present
    4. Greenland ice cores reveal temperatures 3°C higher than present

    Holocene Treeline History and Climate Change Across Northern EurasiaMacDonald etal 2000 Quaternary Research Volume 53, Issue 3, May 2000, Pages 302-311

    Radiocarbon-dated macrofossils are used to document Holocene treeline history across northern Russia (including Siberia). Boreal forest development in this region commenced by 10,000 yr B.P. Over most of Russia, forest advanced to or near the current arctic coastline between 9000 and 7000 yr B.P. and retreated to its present position by between 4000 and 3000 yr B.P. Forest establishment and retreat was roughly synchronous across most of northern Russia.
    https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0033589499921233

    Sea levels around Australia were 1.0 metre higher than present.Late Pleistocene and Holocene Sea-Level Highstands in Northern AustraliaJonathan Nott. Journal of Coastal Research Vol. 12, No. 4 (Autumn, 1996), pp. 907-910 (4 Pages)
    https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/092181819090060P

    Holocene temperature variations inferred from Antarctic ice cores
    Cambridge University Press: 20 January 2017P.
    Ciais etal
    https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/annals-of-glaciology/article/holocene-temperature-variations-inferred-from-antarctic-ice-cores/4615D12D0C046B19397D1E9BF4F2A641

    Holocene sea-level change on the southeast coast of Australia: a review
    Craig R. Sloss, Colin V. Murray-Wallace, and Brian G. Jones
    Volume 17, Issue 7 https://doi.org/10.1177/095968360708241

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      David of Cooyal in Oz

      I’d have thought they should have looked even further back, say to a million years ago when we were at our early stages of development.

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    John B

    Noticed this post on my Twitter page.
    “BREAKING: America’s new Secretary of Energy just exposed the entire climate scam
    “Media & politicians NEVER bothered to actually learn about climate change.”
    $2 TRILLION to lower fossil fuel use by 2%
    They’re not saving the planet—they’re robbing YOU”
    Note: Secretary of Energy, Chris Wright was recently the CEO of Liberty Energy, a fracking company based in Denver.
    Link here: @MarcNixon24

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    MeAgain

    https://www.somersetlive.co.uk/news/somerset-news/two-new-reservoirs-could-built-9918038 – 26% increase in UK water bills.

    Water, water everywhere but not a drop to drink

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    MeAgain

    A year ago, when Galiwin’ku community requested autopsies on the nineteen young men who unaccountably died over a period of six months, autopsies were denied even though required by law. Clearly, unlawful behaviour by government is a contributing problem.

    https://oziz4oziz.substack.com/p/causes-of-aboriginal-ill-health-in

    ‘Health’ bureaucrats refuse to even examine the evidence of what is obvious; that the more is spent on Aboriginal health the sicker the people become and the higher the death rate.

    n Aboriginal English, the exhortation to “eat good food” is interpreted as ‘if it tastes good, it is good, so eat it and eat more of it.’ The outcome is obesity, coronary heart disease, cancer, and diabetes.

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    MeAgain

    https://vicparkpetition.substack.com/p/list-i-wrote-2020-2022-surviving

    List of concepts/thoughts/strategies on surviving a war of attrition while being designated an enemy of the state during Emergency powers – Australian biodefence situation specific.

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