Open Thread – Saturday, 30 October 2021

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508 Responses to Open Thread – Saturday, 30 October 2021

  1. KC1 says:

    I assume that this would be Number 1


    moderated
  2. mh says:

    ‘That Republican Is A Traitor’: Marjorie Taylor Greene Urges GOP Not To Support Infrastructure Bill

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BT3rvb4BnA


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  3. mh says:

    CNBC

    Annual inflation rose at its fastest pace in more than 30 years during September despite a decline in personal income, the Commerce Department reported Friday.

    Headline price pressures as gauged by the personal consumption expenditures price index including food and energy increased 0.3% for the month, pushing the year-over-year gain to 4.4%. That’s the fastest pace since January 1991.

    Stripping out food and energy costs, inflation rose 0.2% for the month, in line with the Dow Jones estimate, and 3.6% for the 12-month period, unchanged from August but good for the highest since May 1991. The Federal Reserve prioritizes the so-called core PCE reading among a battery of measures it uses for inflation.

    The continued inflation jump came as personal income declined 1% in September, more than the expected 0.4% drop. Consumer spending increased 0.6%, in line with Wall Street estimates.

    The headline inflation rate was pushed by a 24.9% increase in energy costs and a 4.1% gain in food. Services inflation rose 6.4% on the year while goods increased 5.9%.

    The inflation and income numbers come as the Fed is grappling with the specter of higher prices and lower growth. Gross domestic product increased at just a 2% annualized pace in the third quarter, the slowest since the recovery began off a recession that ended in April 2020.


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  4. Carpe Jugulum says:

    Top Ten woo hoo


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  5. Rossini says:

    Out of bed at last!
    Who benefits from this global warming….er climate change…crap
    Only the china virus kick starter
    Most manufacturing the world over is now being made in China
    All the glass coated electricity generators are made in China
    Obviously China only believes in global climate destruction as much as it accepts all of the stupid worlds manufacturing…
    Pissed of with the current ruling party in Oz
    Back to the coffee.


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  6. mh says:

    News dot com

    ‘A former Bachelor star who was diagnosed with a rare Pfizer side effect has claimed she was only diagnosed once she suffered a heart attack.
    Monique Morley said she was hospitalised for pericarditis, a recognised ultra rare side effect of the Covid-19 vaccination that causes inflammation around the heart.

    Symptoms include chest pain, pressure or discomfort in the chest and irregular or skipped heartbeats known as ‘fluttering’.

    It can also cause shortness of breath and pain when breathing, the Department of Health states.

    But in a lengthy Instagram post, Monique claimed she had a heart attack following her first jab, leading to her pericarditis diagnosis…’


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  7. mh says:

    ‘Alex Jones breaks down the campaign to normalize heart attacks and strokes in children as COVID injections tied to these very conditions are pushed on the public.’

    https://banned.video/watch?id=617c6e3f24b5d9235e28298f


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  8. Black Ball says:

    Can’t link anything. Wassup with that?


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  9. Muddy says:

    Once upon a time, uncontrolled medical experimentation in children in the cause of a vague ‘greater good’ provoked revulsion and retributive consequences (where achievable).

    A disturbing, intangible sickness has descended upon us like a mist, to rapturous applause and exhaltation.


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  10. mh says:

    ‘Thousands of Australians with unpaid fines for breaking Covid rules have their homes seized, bank accounts raided and licences cancelled as government chases $5.2million’

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10136275/Unpaid-Covid-fines-taken-bank-accounts-seized-homes-Queensland.html


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  11. Muddy says:

    The more this mist depletes our oxygen, the more delerious its worshippers become.


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  12. Muddy says:

    Becoming a victim of The Mist is now to be aspired to.


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  13. Muddy says:

    If only we had a slave class to sacrifice to The Mist, in lieu of our children.


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  14. Muddy says:

    Muddy may be drinking bitumen coffee again.

    At least he acknowledges The Mist.

    Do you?


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  15. caveman says:

    Comment taken from mh’s UK link above

    “All for a vaccine so safe & crucial you have to be threatened, coerced & sanctioned to take it with ultimatums of ‘no jab, no job’ forced upon many. So ‘safe’ that there HAS to be a zero liability clause in place to these vaccines so you cannot sue now or ever in the future if you have complications. To be locked down, closed down, tracked & traced for a virus so “dangerous” that you have to be tested to know if you even have it. So terminal that the ONLY medical advice given for a positive test result is to simply ‘stay home for 2 weeks’ till it passes. So cataclysmic the populations in every country has INCREASED. A pandemic so unprecedented you need to be reminded of it daily with charts and numbers of PREDICTIONS. A vaccine that is PROVEN and widely admitted that it does NOT stop anyone getting covid or transmitting it either. Now they want KIDS & vax passports? For a virus with 99% full natural recovery within 2 weeks. 33% of which wont even notice symptoms. EVERYONE MUST PRO.TEST”


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  16. Muddy says:

    I welcome The Mist into my body, mind, and spirit. May it plunge me into depths of its choosing, and liberate me from the restraints of logic, reason, and empathy.

    Oh good. The washing has just finished.


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  17. Black Ball says:

    I may be led to believe a coordinated campaign is being conducted. Seen a few where people are walking through Bunnings and malls, either with megaphone or microphone and speakers, belting out a nice ditty “you can stick your poison mandate up your arse!” And variants of.
    Not quite as tear inducing as “You’ll Never Walk Alone” at the Kop End, but its most excellent.


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  18. win says:

    Arrested in Qld for sitting on a beach has be the most unbelievably stupid ignorant law or else it is a sinister government program to restrain the population and get as much revenue from them as possible. Either way the Queensland Premeir and the soon to be Queensland Governor have acted as despots and dictators practicing for the real lock downs when we are handed over to China.


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  19. egg_ says:

    CNBC

    Annual inflation rose at its fastest pace in more than 30 years during September despite a decline in personal income, the Commerce Department reported Friday.

    Too bad, if the Fed is being steamrolled by the wealthy elite.

    Cheerful squalor for all but the few.


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  20. Muddy says:

    The new Queensland Governor will cause the position to be the least respected and dignified regal representation of the last several decades. I wonder if this has been done on purpose?


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  21. Muddy says:

    mh says:
    October 30, 2021 at 10:51 am

    ‘Thousands of Australians with unpaid fines for breaking Covid rules have their homes seized, bank accounts raided and licences cancelled as government chases $5.2million’

    Just when I thought it wasn’t possible to be any more astounded and cognitively disjointed than I already am.

    Should it be recouped (will the debt collectors have the same powers of physical assault as the police now have?), $5.2 million is an amount they would waste between blinks.

    Anyone who votes for ANY of the political class who approve of this (which is ALL of them), needs to treat themselves to the rusty star picket experience.

    Hyperbole isn’t enough anymore.


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  22. Muddy says:

    Black Ball.

    It is taking longer then expected to transform my random notes into a legible description of the concept. Please bear with me. I haven’t forgotten.


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  23. mh says:

    DiscussingFilm
    @DiscussingFilm
    Ice Cube will no longer star in ‘OH HELL NO’ for Sony after declining a request from producers to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

    He was set to be paid $9M.


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  24. Ragu says:

    《Ice Cube will no longer star in ‘OH HELL NO’ for Sony after declining a request from producers to get the COVID-19 vaccine.》

    Uncle Tom!


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  25. Ragu says:

    《LISA SNOWDOWN has described her ten-day battle with coronavirus on ITV’s This Morning. The star has been “completely wiped out” despite being double vaccinated.
    “I have been so careful. I’ve been wearing masks,” she said.》

    I shouldn’t have, but I laughed a little at that because it’s becoming a bit of a joke

    https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/health/1513437/lisa-snowdon-health-coronavirus-symptoms


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  26. mh says:

    Never a fan of Ice Cube, but he wrote some good stuff for Eazy in the early days

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xg-sjfC5nt0


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  27. egg_ says:

    Our Economy is Contracting at the Fastest Pace in History – Europe and China are Worse

    US GDP growth 2% p.a.

    Just like James Campbell says on Insiders that the immigration Ponzi scheme is masking Oz low GDP growth.


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  28. shatterzzz says:

    Should it be recouped (will the debt collectors have the same powers of physical assault as the police now have?), $5.2 million is an amount they would waste between blinks.
    The money is just the excuse .. ! the reality is the pursuit is for not complying .. as a lesson to all!


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  29. Shy Ted says:

    In the latest edition of “I’m never talking to anybody ever again news”, went out last evening to a very good semi-pro production of Singing in the Rain. Caught up with lawyer acquaintance with, like myself, failed thespian, and I joked I would be applying for all the Hollywood jobs that Alec Baldwin would normally have been cast in.
    Me: After all, I resemble him, being old and fat.
    She: I know, isn’t it awful. That poor man. Given a loaded gun when it should have been a prop. That young girl needs to go to jail.
    Me: Nooooooooo, the person holding the gun is wholly responsible for it’ safe use. His job to check it. Them’s the rules.
    She: But it was a prop gun.
    Me: No, a real gun, real bullets, 3 checks before being given to him but still his job to check it.
    She: Ooh, there’s Mary. Better catch up with her before the show starts.
    Lawyers!

    Haven’t made up my mind about BF yet. Conspiracy theorist of the real deal but food for thought.


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  30. incoherent rambler says:

    Shock and awe
    bold
    italic

    bquote


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  31. incoherent rambler says:

    It is good that the bold button now works.

    Phug you Dan

    And code


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  32. Black Ball says:

    No worries Muddy. Nothing to worry about.
    However, flicking through today’s Hun and there seems to be some furrowing of brows before the cop26 begins.

    ‘It’s been hyped as 2021’s hot ticket, and Prince Charles dubbed at the “last chance saloon” for the environment. But in the weeks leading up to Sunday’s COP26 conference in Glasgow, could momentum on climate action be slipping away?
    Back in April, the UK, US, Japan and Canada updated their emissions targets in one week, offering tantalising hope some progress might finally made on climate change. But in the past week, the ebullience has faded. Russia and Saudi Arabia committed to net zero, but pegged it on the never never date of 2060. Australia opted for 2050 but announced it will not update it’s interim target for 2030.
    The 2-week conference will take place against the backdrop of an energy crisis in Europe that some have blamed on the rush to embrace renewables. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said he is worried COP26 will fail. Even the Queen and the Pope have had to withdraw because of health issues.
    Could COP26 be cooked before it begins?’

    So of course filthy lucre, not their own is the answer! Craig Kelly must apprehend SloMo when he touches down in Sydney for treason.


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  33. kaysee kaysee says:

    There was a time in the past when the journalist would be digging for the truth and the politician would be singing the party line.

    Now, it is the other way around. There are a few politicians (not all) who have not forgotten that they represent the people who elected them.

    Who controls the media? We know.

    Sky News interview with Qld Senator Gerard Rennick

    Part of interview

    Full Interview


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  34. kaysee kaysee says:

    A tweet that aptly describes the scamdemic

    Glenn Greenwald:

    The COVID pandemic is one of the most consequential and life-altering events of the last several decades. Only the most anti-intellectual, stunted cretins would concoct reasons why it would be better not to learn everything we can about its origins and whether US officials lied.


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  35. kaysee kaysee says:

    And just when it seemed that (Old) Delta was under jabbed-control and the plebs are partly free again:

    New Delta variant detected in Australia for first time

    The first case of what’s now the fastest-growing coronavirus strain in the UK has been detected in Australia, with more infections set to follow as international borders reopen.

    The variant, known as AY. 4.2 or “Delta plus”, was found in a case in NSW hotel quarantine. So far it’s the only Covid-19 infection with that strain across the nation.


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  36. kaysee kaysee says:

    3sidedstory

    All these people came to church tonight to learn more about homeschooling. Parents are fed up with the public school system.


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  37. caveman says:

    Ok that link didnt work.
    The funny part in the whe story was this.
    “Internet sleuths have noted that the person’s account has been inactive for 200 days, which means they could have either died or they have forgotten their password.

    The only other scenario is that they are so confident about their investment that they’re happy to just let it sit there without checking on it.

    But if that latter case is correct then it could be tricky to cash out as Coinbase only has a $50,000 a day limit for withdrawals. As BroBible notes, that means it would take 114,000 days, or 312 years to get the total $5.7 billion out.”


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  38. kaysee kaysee says:

    Vatican Declines to Comment

    The Vatican declined to comment Friday on U.S. President Joe Biden’s statement that Pope Francis encouraged him to keep receiving Holy Communion during a private audience.

    So many questions:
    1/ Is Xiden’s statement true?
    2/ Is the Pope Catholic?
    3/ Why won’t the Vatican comment?

    The teachings of the Catholic Church on the issue of abortion have not changed. The Vatican needs to respond.


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  39. Black Ball says:

    Local lad Jye McNeil to win the Derby on Gunstock


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  40. kaysee kaysee says:

    BB,

    You replied to my question about your idea for a TV show, a couple of weeks ago. It seems no one is prepared to take it up.

    How are you explaining your concept to the channels?


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  41. Barking Toad says:

    Has anyone got a sub to the Oz who can paste the piece by Steve Waterman about vile Andrews?


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  42. Black Ball says:

    Not good kaysee. Not sure if you read my response from NITV on ye olde Catallaxy but basically didn’t want a bar of it.
    On the backburner for the time being.
    Muddy has an idea he wishes to discuss with me so see what happens


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  43. kaysee kaysee says:

    Do you submit it as a written script?


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  44. Black Ball says:

    Kaysee no. If you have some advice on how to proceed by all means contact me. 🙂
    The idea was to interview prominent black fellas and ask how white assistance has helped them. Because Australia is deemed racist by ABC and SBS. So my idea was designed to show the opposite


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  45. Barking Toad says:

    Thanks for that Caveman @ 04:16.

    Excellent piece by Waterman.

    Andrews is insane. And insipid Morrison allows it to happen.


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  46. Carpe Jugulum says:

    Muddy says:
    October 30, 2021 at 11:02 am

    Muddy may be drinking bitumen coffee again.

    At least he acknowledges The Mist.

    Do you?

    Ask the Nano Wrigglers, they know.


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  47. Muddy says:

    Via Black Ball’s link to Avi Yemeni’s instantgran … No doubt someone mentioned this two days ago when it was first published, but it is worth repeating.

    Check out Avi’s piece [roughly 9 mins] about the ‘rebel’ Parliament in Victoria.


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  48. Muddy says:

    Noooo, we don’t want to use the bad words, Carpe.

    A small number are doing a great job here keeping the open threads afloat until we can expand again. Thank you to the staunch ones.


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  49. Muddy says:

    Consigned to the Sea – Deaths Aboard Troopships.

    We expect deaths in armed conflict, and even during the potentially dangerous periods of training prior to battle: we acknowledge those casualties accordingly as having ‘done their duty.’ Then there are the names on our honour rolls of the individuals who barely made it past the beginning of their journey to military service.

    Examining just one convoy, the second to take elements of the 1st Australian Imperial Force (A.I.F.) overseas, we discover that even before reaching their destination, eight men perished in a period of just three weeks en route to the Middle East. They neither saw nor heard ‘the enemy,’ let alone got close to a field of battle.
    The seventeen ship convoy and its escorts (including the submarine AE2, later famous for its penetration of the Dardanelles Narrows) carried a total of 11,265 Australian soldiers, 123 nurses, and 4,591 horses (the numbers on the three additional New Zealand transports are unstated), and departed Albany, Western Australia on the last day of 1914.

    Among those embarked were men of the 2nd Australian Light Horse Brigade, which consisted of the 5th, 6th and 7th Light Horse Regiments (including 1st Reinforcements), the 2nd Light Horse Field Ambulance, 2nd Signal Troop, and 2nd Light Horse Brigade Train (6th Company Australian Army Service Corps (A.A.S.C.)

    Just one day out from Albany, No.481 Driver William Acreman of the 2nd L.H. Fd. Amb., died on the transport A30 ‘Borda,’ succumbing to typhoid fever. He had been diagnosed while his ship was at anchor on the 29th, but despite the medical staff applying to send him ashore for treatment, he was kept on board. He was buried at noon that day, at sea.

    Eight days later, Trooper Malcolm Campbell, on board one of the New Zealand transports, also died, the details not being listed in Australian records. The following day, the 10th, the transport Vestalia stopped to bury at sea another soldier whose details were similarly unrecorded in our source.

    No.418 Albert Yates of the 5th L.H. Regt. Succumbed to measles and pneumonia aboard the Persic on the 16th and was buried at Aden ‘with military honours’ five days later. Private C.H.S. Messary on the Themistocles was not so ‘lucky,’ his body was consigned to the sea on the morning of the 18th, the Themistocles stopping again almost 36 hours later to also bury at sea J.S. Burt.

    No.1211 H.G. Robinson of the 16th Infantry Battalion, 4th Australian Infantry Brigade, who also died of measles and pneumonia, but aboard the A40 Ceramic, on the 20th, was buried at Aden.

    Finally, Pte. D.H. Kevin on board Themistocles died on the 22nd and was buried at sea. It is thought that those buried at Aden were part of the convoy which sailed straight for the Middle East rather than via Columbo, Ceylon.

    Whatever their final destination, these men, whose initial motivations for enlisting we will never know, never had the opportunity to experience, as their peers did, the ‘adventure’ of the journey to war, prior to reality throwing cold, salty water over them.

    [The author is Muddy. References are from the AWM4 series].


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  50. mh says:

    Courier Paywall

    ‘Concern over rising Pfizer side effects

    There has been a jump in rare side effects linked to the Pfizer vaccine, as Victoria has eased restrictions further despite huge case numbers.’
    ***
    Not brought to you by Pfizer


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  51. Muddy says:

    kaysee says:
    October 30, 2021 at 4:15 pm

    The Babylon Bee Guide To Wokeness /a>

    Love it! Thanks Kaysee.


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  52. Muddy says:

    mh says:
    October 30, 2021 at 6:41 pm

    ‘Concern over rising Pfizer side effects

    The best way to manage that is to decrease the time period between jabs so there is no opportunity for the side effects to be noticed. My meditific(TM) mind declares four jabs a day will do it.


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  53. Muddy says:

    End of the Line – Australian Railway Operating Companies in the Great War.

    Enormous quantities of materials and supplies were expended or consumed on the Western Front during the Great War, but how did that get to the men in the ‘front line’ and the support areas? An army without supplies neither pushes forward nor stands its ground: it is forced, reluctantly, to retreat. The greater scale of the war in France and Belgium compared to that on the Gallipoli Peninsula and in Palestine, required a more efficient means of transport, and thankfully the topography of the Western Front was conducive to the operation of railways, in which men of the First Australian Imperial Force played their part.

    An explanatory note from the then Commanding Officer of the Australian Railway Companies, Major S. H. Hancox, in March, 1918, provides us a concise understanding of the task facing our railwaymen:
    “Generally the Light Railways were to carry forward from Standard Gauge Railheads, R.E. [Royal Engineers] Material, Supplies, Field Gun and Small Arm Ammunition in bulk to Corps Dumps, and thence to Divisional Dumps, or direct to the latter … From Divisional Dumps material would be taken forward by Army Tramways, worked by light tractors or mules, to [Artillery] Battery positions or Brigade Dumps whence it would be distributed by push trolley lines or rope-ways to the guns or forward dumps.”

    On the return journey, the light railways carried either wounded from the Advanced Dressing Stations in or just behind the front line to the larger and better equipped Casualty Clearing Stations, or salvage material.

    Major Hancox controlled the three Australian Broad Gauge Railway Operating Companies and three Australian Light Railway Operating Companies, the former of which had an initial personnel establishment of 269 men. This number was later revised slightly upwards, and the Light Rail Companies had similar establishments.
    Those personnel who had an established trade such as fitters, blacksmiths, and boilermakers, were paid a minimum of 8 Shillings per day. This was 3 Shillings more than the standard, unskilled infantryman.

    Railheads and Dumps were positioned according to how visible the location was to enemy observation (from the ground or air), but ideally the Standard or Broad Gauge Railheads [end of the line] were located roughly 11 kilometres from the front line. From here the materials were transferred to the light rail engines which carried their loads to a terminus about 3 or 3.5 kilometres from the front whence it was taken forward on a tram line.

    The stations on the light railway lines were roughly 1 km apart, and from there pull trolleys or mules took the ammunition or other supplies to the lateral artillery battery positions.

    Both constructing and maintaining the rail lines was a labour-intensive operation, not helped by the aerial bombing, artillery shelling, heavy rain, flooding from nearby rivers, or rapid and overwhelming enemy advances such as that which happened on the 21st of March, 1918, when “Much of the ground over which Light Railways worked was taken by the enemy, and the whole system [of supply] was completely upset.”

    The average rate of construction of line was 1 mile [1.6 kilometres] per day, which included assembling the rails, loading ballast [the crushed material on which the rails sat for stability] and track construction. In special circumstances, and dependent on the local conditions, that rate could, and was, increased.

    The average number of men required for construction for the 1 mile per day was 2,400.

    “The quantity of ballast required per mile varied considerably, in the hilly unbroken country it was 650 tons per mile … while in some parts of Flanders owing to the way the ballast sank in the mud 2,000 tons per miles was used before a firm road was obtained…”
    Similarly, the number of men required for maintaining the lines varied, “… and was chiefly governed by the amount of enemy shell fire.” In February 1918, for example, just prior to the sudden German offensive, 3,000 skilled and 5,600 unskilled men were required to maintain the 1,140 miles of track “for all [Allied] armies.”

    [The author is Muddy. References are again from the AWM4 series of official records, and can be produced upon request].


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  54. Black Ball says:

    A jump in rare side effects. FMD that would make it not rare then.


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  55. Muddy says:

    It must be the Muddy Shift.
    Good thing he doesn’t have a social life.


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  56. mh says:

    Seeing as Cats are freeing paywalled stories, I wouldn’t mind reading this from the Courier, which most likely comes from the Tele. It’s Big Clive:

    ‘Why ALP, Liberals should think twice before baiting billionaires

    The two major political parties have made potentially fatal mistakes by baiting billionaires. It’s probably a good idea for MPs to think very hard before insulting the rich, writes James Campbell.’


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  57. egg_ says:

    Even more curiously, the 4sq m rule also applies to brothels. I’m no expert, but it strikes me that order runs counter to the purpose of such ­establishments.

    Beyond parody.


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  58. mh says:

    Russell Brand

    “You Dumb Mother F*****” Joe Rogan UNMASKS CNN’s True Agenda

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5xqP-aPwOU


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  59. Muddy says:

    The Pentropic Experiment, Part I.

    In 1960, the Australian Army undertook a radical reorganisation. Influenced by the United States’ Army which had converted their infantry to Pentomic divisions several years previously, the Australian Pentropic experiment was intended to ‘modernise’ the Australian Army and prepare it for service, if necessary, on the atomic battlefield. However within five years, the Pentropic organisation was discarded. In the meantime, the damage done to the part-time army, the C.M.F. or Citizen’s Military Forces (now the Army Reserve), had been so destructive that some believe it has never recovered. The Pentropic experiment was a ‘thought bubble’ that sounded impressive and relevant in theory, but in practice left a lot to be desired.

    The 1950s saw a lot of theorising in military affairs about the new atomic or nuclear weaponry and the appropriate tactics to use and defend against the same. Armed conflict using conventional (non-nuclear) weapons was still an ‘option,’ however it was concluded that to defend against an enemy that used or threatened to use tactical nuclear weapons required a different doctrine, and thus, according to some, a different organisational structure in one’s main field forces. This was particularly so in Europe where the Cold War saw forces on both sides deployed on a much larger scale than here in Australia.

    Having served in the Korean War with U.S. forces, Australia saw the importance of ‘inter-operability’ – the ability to integrate seamlessly with other forces – and chose to loosely follow the infantry component of the U.S. Army – which began converting to the Pentomic structure in 1957 – by reorganising its own army along similar lines. The ‘pen’ in Pentomic and Pentropic referred to the five-sided nature of the new divisional structure – Australia’s two consolidated divisions now had five enlarged battalions compared to the previous two or three battalions per brigade – and ‘tropic’ illustrated that our new formations were expected to operate in tropical regions, chiefly in southern or south-east Asia.

    “There are three principal methods by which Army forces can reduce their vulnerability to nuclear weapons: First, by dispersion into formation smaller than those considered to be lucrative atomic targets … Second, by mobility, so that the enemy would be presented only with fleeting targets … [and so forces can be concentrated again quickly after being dispersed]… Third, by physical protection against heat, blast and radiation, including the use of armoured fighting vehicles and carriers.”

    The pentagonal concept of basing an organisation on a group of five seems to have been influenced at least in part, by the famous British First World War veteran, “scholar, military historian and … advisor on military matters to the British Government” Basil Liddell-Hart, who suggested in 1950 that the best ‘span of control’ for units and sub-units, was for them to be grouped in fives: 5 men per section, 5 men per platoon, 5 platoons per company, 5 companies per battalion, and 5 battalions per division.

    In early 1957, an article appeared in the U.S. Military Review proposing the concept of ‘battlegroups’ which Australia later embraced in its Pentropic system. “Each battlegroup,” the U.S. article noted, “will be a balanced force of approximately 1500 men, to include infantry, armour and artillery units with necessary detachments of combat and service support troops.”

    The Australian Army, however, was much smaller, was not expected to fight on the potential atomic battlefield of Europe, and had fewer resources to purchase the equipment necessary to fully embrace the new doctrine. Nevertheless, the reorganisation of the Australian Army into the Pentropic structure was announced by the then Minister for the Army, Mr. Cramer, on the 26th of November, 1959. The new divisional structure was “designed primarily for operations in tropical areas,” and would not depend on possession of atomic weapons for its effectiveness, but was so organised as to be capable, if necessary, of operating with nuclear weapons (even though Australia did not possess any).

    To be continued …

    [Author – Muddy. References from mostly primary documents, and available on specific request].


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  60. Muddy says:

    The Pentropic Experiment – Part II.

    The Australian Pentropic Division was to consist of a total of 14,045 men, of which 6,540 of those were infantry. The five enlarged infantry battalions each had 57 Officers and 1,251 Other Ranks. Each infantry battalion encompassed five rifle companies – as against the previous four – a Headquarters Company, Administrative Company, and Support Company. While the divisional artillery component had five field regiments, and the engineers similarly five field squadrons, the divisional armoured regiment contained only 3 tank squadrons.

    “The Pentropic Division is not overburdened with armour, and battalions must be prepared to do more to protect themselves against enemy tanks than did the old battalions.” Admittedly there were extra weapons assigned for anti-armour use, and “… the firepower of the battalion is approximately double that of the old battalion. This is achieved by an increase in assault sections from 36 to 80 and the increase in medium mortars from 6 to 16.”

    Despite the reorganisation, an early Army document stated that “For various reasons, many equipments may not be in service immediately. Some may still be under development; others, being of low priority, may have to wait until money is available to develop or buy them.”
    By 1963, the U.S. had dumped its Pentomic organisation and restructured into divisions which consisted of eight infantry and two tank battalions.

    “The Achilles heel of the Pentropic battalion was its poor mobility. As the battalion was supposed to be strategically air-mobile, it was operationally and tactically dependent on foot mobility and had to rely on divisional resourced to move by road. Although on paper the Pentropic division possessed an armoured personnel carrier regiment capable of lifting a battalion, these vehicles did not come into service until 1964.”

    The Australian Army soon found that the Pentropic organisation was unwieldy and inflexible at the tactical level. “Its principal fault was that the large size of the battle groups made command and control too difficult for a battalion headquarters.” Additionally, the ARA elements found it difficult when posted to Malaya and operating in conjunction with British forces whose structure was entirely different. The RAR Pentropic battalion thus had to restructure prior to deployment, and then when they returned to Australia, enlarge their temporary traditional battalion into the broader Pentropic structure again.

    The experiment was happily abandoned in favour of the tropical warfare battalion model that went to Vietnam. This model reverted to the four-rifle company, support company and administrative company model that we have today. Notably the size of the battalion dropped to 790 men, never to climb back up to the 1000-man level that had previously characterised the standard concept of the battalion.

    The abandonment of the Pentropic experiment was announced by the Federal Government on the 20th of December, 1964, after just five years.

    Each reorganised ‘new’ division was to contain nine infantry battalions, each of a strength of roughly 800, down from the 1,300 previously. The battalions were to be grouped in Task Forces, much like the old brigades. Thus a level of command that had been stripped early in the decade had now been returned. The Minister for the Army, Dr. Forbes announced that the restructure would provide more flexibility in deployment, one of the claims previously made for the Pentropic division.

    The Australian Regular Army, due to its relatively young age was not as badly affected as the C.M.F., for there were no long-standing traditions and unit identities at risk of erasure. Indeed, the modernisation of equipment was to serve the A.R.A. well in future years as the battalions served in Vietnam. For the part-time soldiers however, “The Pentropic organisation probably marked the low point of the CMF and a level from which it never really recovered.”

    [Author – Muddy. References available upon request].


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  61. mh says:

    Bert Newton, brown bread.


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  62. candy says:

    I think a life well lived by Bert Newton.
    Providing many years of entertainment with warmth and good humour on his TV shows. And by all accounts an excellent husband, father and grandfather.
    A chap can’t do much better than that.


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  63. Black Ball says:

    What terrible news about Bert Newton.


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  64. Steve trickler says:

    Have a listen to this thing. Intimidating.

    *****

    GutnTog:

    Listen how loud is this volcano today. View from Sagrada Familia church, Mirador de Tajuya, La Palma island. 29.10.21

    Hear the noise coming from the volcano, Sagrada Familia church, Tajuya on 29.10.21


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  65. mh says:

    RT coverage

    ‘Stop unlimited power grab!’ Huge crowd protests in Melbourne against vaccine mandates & sweeping pandemic powers bill (VIDEOS)

    https://www.rt.com/news/538912-melbourne-protest-bill-mandates/


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  66. mh says:

    Courier Paywall:

    Not clowning around: Ronald McDonald House bans unvaxxed kids

    A Queensland mother is furious after the charity accommodation banned unvaccinated sick kids and their families.

    ***

    Fvck Maccas!


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  67. Rex Anger says:

    Good snippets, Muddy.


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  68. Black Ball says:

    Here tis mh. Won’t be spending money there any longer.


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  69. Muddy says:

    Thanks for the link to the Week in Pictures, Cold-Hands. There are some crackers in there. Welcome back, too.


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  70. mh says:

    If you hear your child crying, it’s probably this:

    ‘PARENTS have been left fuming over the current Roblox outage as their kids act like it’s the “end of the world” while they can’t connect to the gaming platform.

    Gamers have not been able to use the platform since it went offline yesterday – and it is not clear when it will be back.’


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  71. mh says:

    They broke him:

    De Kock completes backflip on Proteas racial divide
    Quinton de Kock was back in the South African team for their clash against Sri Lanka at the T20 World Cup — and he took a knee in solidarity with his teammates before the first ball.


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  72. mh says:

    ‘Sergio Aguero was taken to hospital after suffering from breathing problems during Barcelona’s 1-1 draw with Alaves on Saturday.

    Aguero, 33, was forced off in the 41st minute at Camp Nou after he went down clutching his chest. It was not clear what caused the problem.

    He received treatment on the ground for several minutes and a stretcher was brought out, although the Argentinian was able to walk off the pitch.

    “Aguero reported chest discomfort and has been admitted to the hospital for a cardiac exam,” Barcelona confirmed in a statement after the match.

    Barca’s interim manager Sergi Barjuan said: “I asked him and he told me he was dizzy. I was told he went to hospital. I don’t know anything else.”

    https://www.yahoo.com/now/sergio-aguero-taken-hospital-breathing-221800980.html

    ***

    Factoid: ‘The incident comes just 6 weeks after Aguero went online to promote the COVID-19 vaccines to 12-year-olds’


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  73. kaysee kaysee says:

    Matty’s in awe of Scotty’s leadership.

    Buddies with a common goal. Selling the country down the river.

    Scott Morrison committing to net zero a ‘huge achievement’: Mathias Cormann

    OECD Secretary-General Mathias Cormann says he admires the political leadership Prime Minister Scott Morrison has shown by committing to net zero.

    “I think it’s a huge achievement,” Mr Cormann told Sky News Political Editor Andrew Clennell.

    “I admire the political leadership he’s displayed to be able to get Australia into that position.


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  74. kaysee kaysee says:

    And, in the same river race:

    Ardern commits NZ to halve emissions by 2030

    New Zealand aims to tackle climate change by halving its net greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.

    Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Climate Change Minister James Shaw announced the new goal in a statement on Sunday – a day before the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) would begin in Glasgow.


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  75. Muddy says:

    cohenite says:
    October 31, 2021 at 1:23 pm

    Funnies.

    Noice.
    I like the angry soccer lesbian: “I kicked a ball into a net the size of a two-car garage. I’m a hero!”
    Then the soldier says “You what?”

    If we didn’t have the media as a megaphone to tell us how awful we are, how would we know?


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  76. kaysee kaysee says:

    The New Normal

    The story of a 19 year old after the Pfizer jab.

    Part 1 and Part 2 in the same thread.


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  77. kaysee kaysee says:

    Prince William, Kate caught taking holiday amid climate change campaign

    Let me explain.

    In the shots, the Cambridges are seen exiting their Audi and arriving at Heathrow Airport. Kate can be seen wearing a floaty dress and toting what looks suspiciously like a beach bag, while Prince George wears shorts and a T-shirt. Little Princess Charlotte is also in dress and sandals.

    Given that the temperature in London on Sunday was 13 degrees celsius and 14 degrees on Monday (it is not known exactly what day they were taken), their balmy attire could point to the family being off to spend the half term holiday in the sunshine somewhere abroad.

    But the timing of the Cambridges’ getaway is problematic.

    To start with, there’s the climate change issue.

    It was less than two weeks ago that William unveiled his debut Earthshot Prize, dolling out the first $9.1 million of the $91.5 million that will be given out over the next ten years to support real world solutions to addressing the climate crisis.

    Such were the green credentials of the event, dubbed the ‘Eco Oscars’, that nominees and performers were encouraged not to fly in but appeared remotely, the actual awards themselves were made out of recycled sludge and all the sets were built using recycled or reusable materials.


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  78. Muddy says:

    Let’s play the Word Replacement Game.

    The topic sentence is from Kaysee’s link above:

    New Zealand aims to tackle climate change by halving its net greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.

    There are 16 words in that sentence, so I’ll pick four replacement words, and insert them randomly into the sentence.

    Let’s see… (Muddy looks around his abode)… towel, headphones, clothes peg (counts as one word), and … mouse (as in computer mouse).

    The finished product (with replacement words bolded) thus becomes:

    New Zealand aims towel tackle climate headphones by halving its net clothes peg gas emissions by mouse.

    I may be biased, but my replacement sentence makes far more sense, right?


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  79. shatterzzz says:

    “I think it’s a huge achievement,” Mr Cormann told Sky News Political Editor Andrew Clennell.

    Thank you for the loan of the vote-herd plane, BRADS! ..
    PAID IN FULL .. LOL!


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  80. kaysee kaysee says:

    These mentally unstable people are teaching your kids

    If you survive the first video, you can scroll down for another.


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  81. kaysee kaysee says:

    From NASA

    POW! The Sun just served up a powerful flare!

    At 11:35 a.m. EDT today, a powerful X1-class solar flare erupted from the Sun. NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory caught it all on camera.


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