Open Thread – Tuesday 17 August 2021

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8,670 Responses to Open Thread – Tuesday 17 August 2021

  1. jo says:

    Sad to hear Knuckles


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  2. TailgunneR says:

    What’s happened to Knuckles?

    I can’t see any comments from him??


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  3. mh says:

    Struth, not sure if you can rework this one:
    If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next
    Manic Street Preachers
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cX8szNPgrEs
     


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  4. TailgunneR says:

    Father ded?

    Ah, strange thing in life…

    You’ll be right mate.

    Pour out a longneck

    👍


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  5. Boambee John says:

    TG

     

    His Dad died, and because of state border closures, he is unable to get to the funeral.


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  6. Bar Beach Swimmer says:

    Can someone help; I can’t find KD’s comment?


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  7. Joanna says:

    Beautiful work, BBS. Quite heartbreaking actually.


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  8. Bar Beach Swimmer says:

    Thank you, both, FP and Joanna!


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  9. rickw says:

    <em> Emma Roberts told family and friends she wanted two thirds of the proceeds of selling her husband’s medals, which include two of Australia’s three highest awards for bravery in combat.  </em>

    Didn’t leave anyone wondering if she’s a stupid bitch.


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  10. TailgunneR says:

    “he is unable to get to the funeral.”

    Wow

    This is Coof lyfe.

    This is straya.

    It’s time for something else.

    Plenty of traitors have to pay.

    An inhuman outrage.

    Xunts

     

     


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  11. rickw says:

    <em>

    “but they’re still chasing a protester who was riding a horse.”

    A lone horseman.  Always iconic.  The freedom rider.

    Well done that man. </em>

    It was epic and clearly the horse was unregistered!


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  12. TailgunneR says:

    Thanks BJ

    I can’t see his comment? Like others.

     


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  13. TailgunneR says:

    Cross the border, Knuckles.

    Do what you got to do.

    Fuck this shit. Enough!


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  14. Joanna says:

    Over at Dover’s Cat, BBS. Early this morning on the open thread.


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  15. Bar Beach Swimmer says:

    Dear KD,

    Sending my heartfelt condolences to you and to your family on the loss of your Dad. Take care.

    BBS


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  16. JC says:

    <b>This house/villa is stunning but it is very hard to get a perspective: does it include the tower; is there a pool; I’d have to have a walk through before I chumped up the dosh.</b>

     

    I actually remember the house as I recall staring at it when arriving in Positano by the ferry. It’s very close to the terminal.


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  17. Salvatore, Understaffed & Overworked Martyr to Border Closure says:

    It was epic and clearly the horse was unregistered!
    ____________________________

    The penalty will be through the roof should it transpire he doesn’t have a driving licence yet was riding a horse.


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  18. Steve trickler says:

    Scroll alert!

    This could bore the shit out of you.

    Vintage Cut — Mix Master Mike Drops Bombs in ’99


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  19. Bar Beach Swimmer says:

    thanks, Joanna, I’ve put up a message over there for KD.


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  20. mh says:

    He should have ridden the horse into the cops.

    Remember piggies, no touching, otherwise you are a “horse puncher”.

    But I guess it’s better he remains free. Our own Braveheart.


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  21. srr says:

    Do you think it’s possible to start a charity for poor kids who need a dog, to get a dog, without the, “Pet ‘Adoption’ NAZIS”, getting all, “Oh, your house isn’t good enough, your life isn’t stable enough, you can’t afford all the toys (you could only dream of for yourself), or the regular vet bills (just to tell you it’s healthy), and all the other BULLSHIT WE DEMAND YOU SUPPLY & DO, so no, “NO DOG TO LOVE & LOVE YOU BACK, FOR YOU!” … or have the Borgs of Global De-Humanisation already wrapped up & cut off that once both simple & profound route to feeding an otherwise lost child’s starving spirit?


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  22. Bar Beach Swimmer says:

    <i>Eyrie says:
    August 23, 2021 at 11:26 am

    “If Sco MO wanted this stopped he has a thousand ways to do it.”

     

    Send the Army to arrest the Premiers if they won’t open up. The SAS could do the Supremo Maximum Leader of Western Australia</i>

    He could’ve gone to the HC last year; he still could, if he had any ticker. If he lost, he could make it an election issue – gee, there’s nothing else in the locker to commend him to the electorate.


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  23. MatrixTransform says:

    I need a chemist…stat

    when I spill pinot on the kitchen bench, it’s still red nek morning

    well, the missus printed out the saturday Age cryptic on normal Reflex paper and then tipped pinot on it… yah, like normal.

    except this time now that it’s dried it looks blue

    what’s going on there?

     


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  24. Bar Beach Swimmer says:

    MT,

    not knowing anything about chemistry, except being able to recite the first 20 elements of the Periodic Table as my party trick, I’m going out on a limb: is it the PH – the Red, perhaps has taken up the ink and moved into the alkaline zone?

    (If I’m wrong, BoN, I can take it; don’t hold back.  My chemistry teacher at school wasn’t much impressed with me either.)😁


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  25. hzhousewife says:

    I read the above as “Ben Roberts-Smith’s wife told her ex-friends….” – I think I got it right.

    What a beeee- arch.


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  26. FlyingPigs says:

    BBS

    I hope you don’t mind but your song lyrics were posted here:-

    https://freedomaustralia.freeforums.net/thread/1360/dictator-man


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  27. MatrixTransform says:

    <blockquote>my party trick<blockquote>

    Hydrogen, Helium, Lithium, Beryllium, Boron, Carbon, Nitrogen, Oxygen … etc

    🙂  me too


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  28. mh says:

    Even Infowars has just posted this video of Rita Panahi
    Rest of the world ‘increasingly thinks’ Australia has ‘lost the plot’: Panahi
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBzxaiY-T_o

    They all have to go.

     

     


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  29. mh says:

    Craig Kelly MP

    @CraigKellyMP

    ·
    4h

    A BIG THANK YOU for the awesome support you’ve given me today Your calls, emails & messages of support have ALL been greatly appreciated UNITED WE STAND UNITED we can achieve so much UNITED we can get OUR Freedoms BACK Join us in the FIGHT !!! http://unitedaustraliaparty.org.au


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  30. srr says:

    I keep seeing shows & videos of  rich & needy, anything but sound of mind people “adopting” a “fur baby” and telling the world how wonderful they are to be such great new “parents” (to what, frankly, quite often are broken mutts that will forever remain miserable and/or dangerous), and in doing so inflating the price of any sweet muttly pup well beyond the reach of the kids who really need them.

    God, if only unborn babies had as many people invested in forcing others to keep them alive as ‘doggy people’ keep passing truly dangerous dogs on from one failed home to another, because, “There’s no such thing as a bad dog”, MY ARSE! … but I digress …

    … Bald & Bankrupt is the only other person I’ve seen remember, “The Littlest Hobo”, (thanks again Steve tricklerhttps://catallaxy-files.com/open-thread-tuesday-17-august-2021/comment-page-34/#comment-34168), and it reminded me yet again that the kids who need a dog in their life the most, are now near the top of the list of those least likely to ever be “approved a fit owner”. That has to be turned around.

    Meanwhile –

    Steve Deace@SteveDeace


    3m·

    Branch Covidian Cult has now moved on to animal sacrifice.
    Rescue dogs shot dead in Australia by council due to coronavirus restrictions sparks outrage: ‘Deranged COVID insanity’
    https://www.theblaze.com/news/australia-council-shoot-dogs-dead-lockdowns


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  31. srr says:

    Melbourne protest (21.08.21) recap from independent media
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65oCwbqjHVs&t=329s

    Aug 23, 2021
    Real Rukshan

    An analysis of the police, government and media narrative following anti-lockdown/government protests in Melbourne on 21.08.21.

    According to Shane Patton, the Chief Commissioner of Victoria Police, the protest was attended mostly by young angry Victorian men with violence on their mind. Is there any truth to this statement, or is Victoria Police engaging in misinformation and propaganda?

    This is my opinion and analysis based on my eye-witness reporting on the day.


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  32. FlyingPigs says:

    Is it not great that our Australian Masters care for us and not think us such deplorable as American Masters think of their peasants?
    If you want to know how much the Deep State hates you
    https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2021/08/if_you_want_to_know_how_much_the_deep_state_hates_you.html

    We Americans focus tightly on our federal elected officials.  We become fanatical about our presidential candidates and scrutinize closely our senators and House members.  But when it comes to the agencies that really run the government, the best we can do is contact our senators about the officials who need Senate approval.  We have no say at all over the vast army of unnamed employees.  Trump’s presidency, though, revealed how powerful these unelected people are…and how much they hate us.  Exhibit A for today is General Michael Hayden, former director of the NSA and director of the CIA — under George W. Bush.

    Hayden’s Twitter feed reveals how very deeply and profoundly this former military officer and government official hates that half (or more than half) of America that voted for Trump.  He shows the same animosity we saw with Peter Strzok when he wrote his married girlfriend that he could “smell” the Trump-supporters at Walmart.

    Here are some examples of what you’ll find on his feed.  For one thing, if you don’t want to take a vaccine that even the MSM is conceding is potentially dangerous, he wants you out of the country and, preferably, dead:

    ….

    Think about it: General Hayden is saying it’s an “a——” idea to protect civilians and equipment before you pull out the military (without even bothering to notify your allies). I’d expect more from someone with a prior military background.

    And while Hayden is still obsessed with hating on Trump, he doesn’t have a bad word to say about Biden, the architect of the unfolding disaster in Afghanistan.

    When J.D. Vance, who is running for Congress, said Americans should come first, Hayden essentially cursed his congressional chances:

    But here’s the thing about Hayden: this guy is not a Democrat. He considers himself a standard-bearer of true Republicanism. He is the perfect reminder that there is a monoparty in Washington, D.C., one that ranges politically from slightly left to far left. Trump challenged that establishment, and the establishment tried to destroy him — and, with January 6 as the weapon, is trying to destroy Trump’s supporters, too.

    Congress has pretty much abandoned most of its lawmaking functions. After it’s picked Americans’ pockets by demanding hugely high taxes to fund leftist projects and local boondoggles, it hands the real law-making responsibilities to the various agencies. In addition, agencies such as the DOJ, FBI, CIA, and NSA have extraordinary power over American lives. (E.g., the NSA just admitted to unmasking Tucker Carlson or the DOJ/FBI witch hunt for people who “paraded” on January 6.)

    Congress, which we elect, is doing a lousy job looking out for our interests by passing the buck to people who, whether they’re Democrat or Republican, hate traditional, core American values. Hayden thinks a congressional candidate who believes in putting his own countrymen first should lose in favor of…another Tlaib? AOC? Omar? All these people would happily kick Americans to the curb.

    Next year, during the primaries, make sure you let candidates know that one of the things that’s important to you is getting rid of Deep Staters who despise the American people and American values. It’s time to make it clear that, under the American constitutional system, we don’t work for them; they are civil servants who work for us.


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  33. mh says:

    EXCLUSIVE

    Lockdowns ‘open up a perfect storm’ for eating disorders
    When Covid-19 locked down Melbourne last year, Emily Unity found herself again confronting the bulimia and anorexia she had recovered from as a teenager.
    1 HOUR AGO By REMY VARGA


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  34. mh says:

    Victoria Police Officer Shouts Abuse at Anti-Lockdown Protestors “come on pussies, here we go”
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VvhLDEb6Ms


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  35. FlyingPigs says:

    mh says:
    August 24, 2021 at 12:32 am

    Victoria Police Officer Shouts Abuse at Anti-Lockdown Protestors “come on pussies, here we go”

    now I know where ANTIFA get their uniforms from…


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  36. mh says:

    Victoria Police Officer Shouts Abuse at Anti-Lockdown Protestors “come on pussies, here we go”
    ***

    Vic Police Officers had a very different approach to BLM protestors.
    They took a knee.


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  37. FlyingPigs says:

    Woke American “Military leaders” outsmarted by men who have sex with goats

    https://donsurber.blogspot.com/2021/08/highlights-of-news_01926593730.html


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  38. Steve trickler says:

    I’ve got not qualms with related family beating the shit of currently serving cops. OZ police are currently the worst people on EARTH.

     


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  39. Steve trickler says:

    Family serving on the force included.


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  40. FlyingPigs says:

    Victorian Police present as ANTIFA.


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  41. Steve trickler says:

    Happy to beat the shit out of family cop in QLD.


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  42. FlyingPigs says:

    now c’mon Steve trickler

    you know the Polis are only concerned with keeping you safe…


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  43. srr says:

    Rumble — Kids, learn from Mister Brown. Don’t let boredom or curiosity push you down that slippery slope to degeneracy.
    P.S. No Ridgeback was intoxicated in the making of this cautionary tale.
    https://rumble.com/vfbpqx-rhodesian-ridgeback-mister-brown-locked-down-and-out.html?mref=5f67r&mc=7xi0y


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  44. Steve trickler says:

    Grrrrr, Not happy FP. He is dressing up with the uniform.

     

     


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  45. srr says:

    “FlyingPigs says:
    August 24, 2021 at 1:38 am

    now c’mon Steve trickler

    you know the Polis are only concerned with keeping you safe…”

    _____________

    “Safe”, like a puppy’s new squeaky toy, and the giver of that gift … 🙂 😉 …

    Rumble — New Toy days are always fun! You can almost hear Mister Brown chanting, “Loser! Loser!”, as he wields his well won rope toy like a deadly mace.

    https://rumble.com/vlhsgc-dog-hilariously-wins-tug-toy-from-weight-lifter-then-beats-him-up-with-it.html?mref=5f67r&mrefc=8

     


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  46. Mark A says:

    Not that it makes any difference, I tried to log into Discord again after a week or so to follow up a lead from here.

     

    Confronted with “invite expired” Fine, I registered before so I should be OK?

    Followed by ‘state your email and password’ got it. state you are not a robot, done.

    And this has gone on for about 5 cycles before I said a rude word and stopped.

    What sort of a blooming community forum is it that doesn’t want members to log in?


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  47. Mark A says:

    PS I did verify the log in via the email they sent me.


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  48. srr says:

    The Podcast of the Lotus Eaters #203
    Published 23rd Aug

    https://www.lotuseaters.com/the-podcast-of-the-lotus-eaters-203-23-08-21

    Helen Dale joins Carl to discuss how Joe Biden totally f**ked up Afghanistan, the return of Trump, and Australia becoming a Covid police state.


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  49. FlyingPigs says:

    What sort of a blooming community forum is it that doesn’t want members to log in?

    it’s where so called anti doxers go.


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  50. struth says:

    When you are taking power without the consent of the people in a democracy that is a conspiracy, a coup d’etat, an act of war.

    When it is done while claiming to be done for emergencies either real or imagined and the intention was really only to grab power that is correctly called a conspiracy,  is it not?

     

     


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  51. rickw says:

    News from Head Office.  Glad we’re almost exactly mirroring their approach:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2eX4oy_5E8s


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  52. calli says:

    Mark A, I gave up on Discord a couple of weeks ago for the same reason.  They can go jump (the platform, not the Cats who managed to get on).

    I waste too much time on screens now anyway – if it’s really important, it will appear either here or at FlashCat or both.

    And thanks for the Lame Pics.  My first port of call for the day, then Tom’s Toons.


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  53. Dot says:

    *How government helps you.**

     

    *Killing rescue dogs.

    *Pepper spraying kids for not wearing a mask.

    *Arresting old couples that go for a walk.

    *Beating up an autistic man.

    *Handcuffing and fining a 5ft tall pregnant mother for disagreeing with the government on Facebook.

     

    The more you know***

     

    PS Shih Tzus are the best.

     

     


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  54. min says:

    Re eating disorders it seems to me that when your life appears to be out of control  such as now or young girls reaching puberty , the only thing you can control is your eating . I have noticed it in some males also .


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  55. struth says:

    Is it true you now need papers to prove you are an essential worker?

    I still can’t believe I am asking this stuff.


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  56. rickw says:

    <em>

    Is it true you now need papers to prove you are an essential worker?

    I still can’t believe I am asking this stuff. </em>

    Yes.


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  57. Rohan says:

    Yes struth. I need papers to go to work. And this is despite the fact that the company I work for was listed as being essential by the Federal Government at the behest of one of our customers. That customer is an electrical distribution/transmission company on the east coast.

    I drafted those papers and made them valid for 12 months. That made the boss laugh when he signed them.


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  58. jo says:

    Went for tests at hospital yesterday. Specialist and staff all had nappies and plastic face screens on. He apologized and as he did rolled his eyes.


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  59. Indolent says:

    Even Infowars has just posted this video of Rita Panahi
    Rest of the world ‘increasingly thinks’ Australia has ‘lost the plot’: Panahi
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBzxaiY-T_o

    They all have to go.

    ************************

    She is as hopeless as all the rest.  She has internalised that its O.K. to continue with lockdowns until we reach a 70% vaccination rate.

    THAT WILL BE NEVER


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  60. struth says:

    The radio talking as if jab passes are a done deal and bemoaning how unfair forgeries are.

    Er….we see what you’re doing there.


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  61. jo says:

    Talking to sister yesterday. So has bowel cancer, caught early. Another son died 2 yrs ago, same. Husband same this year. Other sons shiiting themslves. Can’t go to see her. Hope all the pollies and enablers die by chicken truck. Slowly.


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  62. jo says:

    Son has bowel cancer


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  63. hzhousewife says:

    Well that lawyers letter made a decent impact Cardi, did they get any response?


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  64. thefrollickingmole says:

    Cardimona.

     

    This mob are Karen central.

     

    “….Deep financial ties- Doherty Institute and Gates Foundation. In April 2020, Prime
    Minister Scott Morrison “reiterated that life as we know it will not return for months as
    global leaders race to find a coronavirus vaccine… that while many states have
    managed to “push the curve down”, ultimately, “there needs to be a vaccine”…“A
    vaccine ultimately enables everybody to go back to life as it was.. Both Professor
    McVernon and her employer, the Doherty Institute, appear to have deep financial ties
    to pharmaceutical and vaccine companies, and pro-vaccine organisations such as the
    Gates Foundation and CEPI. The Doherty Institute has received millions of dollars in
    federal and industry funding to develop a Covid-19 vaccine….”

     

    Today… https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/aug/24/ending-lockdowns-with-80-vaccinated-could-cause-25000-australian-deaths-new-modelling-suggests
    Ending lockdowns and other public health restrictions once 80% of the adult population is vaccinated could result in 25,000 deaths in total and 270,000 cases of long Covid, new modelling warns.
    The work by researchers at three leading Australian universities predicts more than 10 times as many deaths as the Doherty Institute modelling that underpins the national four-phase roadmap. That plan was adopted by national cabinet in July but is subject to different interpretations by state and territory leaders.


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  65. thefrollickingmole says:

    I cant think of a better symbol of the decline and fall of the west than this case.

     

    https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/aug/23/sex-pistols-win-legal-fight-against-johnny-rotten-songs-pistol-tv-series

     

    Punk bending the knee to the house of Mouse.
    The former Sex Pistols frontman, Johnny Rotten, has lost a high court attempt to block the punk band’s songs from being used in a forthcoming drama series.
    The group’s former drummer, Paul Cook, and guitarist, Steve Jones, sued the band’s ex-singer, whose real name is John Lydon, to allow their songs to feature in Pistol, a TV series directed by Danny Boyle.

    In a ruling on Monday, Sir Anthony Mann found the pair were entitled to invoke “majority voting rules” against Lydon, in relation to the use of Sex Pistols material in the series, under the terms of a band member agreement (BMA).
    The six-part drama, which is being made by Disney and is due to air next year, is based on a 2016 memoir by Jones called Lonely Boy: Tales From A Sex Pistol.


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  66. Cardimona says:

    I don’t know, HZ – will post if I find out.

    Apologies if this short, satirical, musical Klingerjiklian mash-up has been posted…

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=ESJRwqU3ARw

    “Please Know the Gladys Remix featuring MC Hazzard”


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  67. Cardimona says:

    From way back thread…

    **

    Armadillo:

    Cardi, why don’t you just pick up the telephone to your SIL and tell him to slap the fuck out of Morrison?

    Barney has the most secure seat in the nation. If this shit continues, he’s going to be hanging on by his fingernails. Now is the time.

    **

    Cardimona:

    Armadillo – done daily for months now.

    **

    Armadillo:

    Pull him into gear, before your kids and grandkids get hurt by this shit. And ours.

    **

    Cardimona:

    Been doing my best, mate. My daughter thinks as we do.


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  68. Top Ender says:

    Meet Sleepy Joe and Kamala – the Lord and Lady Gaga of politics

    By RICHARD LITTLEJOHN FOR THE DAILY MAIL

     

    Not for the first time, Joe Biden was late for his own press conference. Before he got round to Afghanistan, he wanted to deliver an update on his administration’s response to Tropical Storm Henri, which had earlier made landfall in Rhode Island.

     

    The President had just been briefed by the head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA. ‘I can’t think of anyone better to lead this operation than, er, um, er . . . ’ he mumbled, as he hastily consulted his notes.

     

    Biden couldn’t even remember the name of the woman in charge of FEMA, someone he had been speaking to just a couple of minutes earlier. Not only that, she was sitting in front of him.

     

    Millions of television viewers saw Sleepy Joe experience yet another embarrassing senior moment.

     

    This latest lapse of memory was reminiscent of the scene during a presidential visit to a Michigan farm shop recently. The female assistant behind the ice cream counter asked him a fairly straightforward question about Russian cyber hacking.

     

    A baffled Biden had to reach into his jacket pocket and fish out a fistful of cue cards before he could read his answer.

     

    While conservative news outlets such as Fox made fun of the President, the overwhelmingly pro-Democrat mainstream media gave him a free pass.

     

    But now, as I wrote here last Tuesday, even the patience of anti-Trump TV channels and newspapers has evaporated.

     

    Since the fall of Kabul, Biden has come under attack from both sides of the political divide. His fitness for office is being openly questioned.

     

    It’s not only card-carrying Republicans calling for his resignation, although there are plenty of them around right now. Perhaps the most prominent, and best qualified, is Texas congressman Ronny Jackson.

     

    A retired U.S. Navy rear admiral, Jackson was appointed to the White House medical unit by George W. Bush and served as official physician to Presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump.

     

    Back in October last year, during the presidential election campaign, Jackson stated publicly about Biden: ‘I am concerned that he does not have the mental capacity, the cognitive ability, to serve as our commander-in-chief and head of state.’

     

    After Biden’s initial bumbling response to the Taliban takeover, Jackson tweeted: ‘If he’s not mentally capable of handling this crisis, he needs to resign IMMEDIATELY.’

     

    Fourteen Republican members of Congress have written an open letter demanding that Biden takes a formal cognitive ability test, which Trump passed in 2018 after the Democrats accused him of senility.

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-9920205/RICHARD-LITTLEJOHN-Meet-Sleepy-Joe-Kamala-Lord-Lady-Gaga-politics.html

     


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  69. Cardimona says:

    thefrollickingmole – there is a great list of contact emails for polliemuppets and health nazicrats at the end of that letter.


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  70. jo says:

    Thanks Cardi for the Concerned Lawyers. Sending it to some people who probably won’t read it. Even if one does, but if there’s one thing I know, people don’t like to admit their own stupidity or even question it.


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  71. rickw says:

    <em> Hope all the pollies and enablers die by chicken truck. </em>

    Struth, I hope you’re putting the Chicken Trucks at the front of protest convoys, that way they know we’re bloody serious!


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  72. rickw says:

    Trickler, you’re a bloody Gopnick! 🤣


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  73. Zulu Kilo Two Alpha says:

    Taliban moves on hold-out province

    Veronika EschbacherAAP

    Mon, 23 August 2021 6:05PM

    Afghanistan’s Panjshir province is holding out against the Taliban. Credit: AP

    The militant Islamist Taliban in Afghanistan have said they are seeking a negotiated solution to the question of who rules Panjshir, the only province they have not yet conquered.
    Panjshir lies along a valley to the northeast of Kabul.
    The Taliban said on Twitter on Monday that they were trying to find a political solution.
    At the same time, they said that Taliban fighters from the neighbouring provinces of Panjshir – Badakhshan, Takhar and the district of Andarab in Baghlan – had taken up positions near the province.
    It further said that any enemy presence had been eliminated in Pul-e Hesar and Dih Salah districts in Baghlan province. In recent days, there had been reports of skirmishes between local militias and the Taliban in Baghlan province.
    On Saturday, the previous chairman of the National Reconciliation Council, Abdullah Abdullah, had held talks on the future of Panjshir province with representatives from the province.
    Panjshir was not conquered by the Taliban even during their first rule between 1996 and 2001. Apart from the fierce resistance of the Northern Alliance, this was also due to its geographical location – the entrance to the valley is narrow and easily defended.
    While the Islamists attacked practically all provinces in the past few months, there were only isolated attacks on Panjshir.
    Most recently, prominent Afghans from the valley said they were building a second resistance against the Islamists and spoke of not recognising the Taliban as the legitimate leaders of the country.
    However, the Panjshiris also said they wanted to wait for political talks. Taliban circles are talking about negotiations that should lead to the surrender of the Panjshiris.
    Ahmad Shah Massoud, the legendary late leader of the Northern Alliance, which fought against the Islamists in the 1990s, is a Panjshiri. Abdullah Abdullah was one of his closest companions.

    The Russians launched ten offensives into the Panjshir Valley, and the place is littered with  wrecked tanks…

     


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  74. rickw says:

    <em>Aussie Cossack:

    The Commander of Police concedes as Nuremburg 2.0 looms ahead in Australia..

    </em>

    Aussie Cossack is doing great work.  Need to keep pushing Nuremberg 2.0.

    Get the idiots in Police and ADF to think about what the hell they are doing.

    Jail time for all the commanders and for many on the front line.


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  75. mh says:

    Sydney braces for month of rain in one day
    ***
    Not dam-filling rain (h/t Tim Flannery)


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  76. Crossie says:

    Aussie Cossack is doing great work.  Need to keep pushing Nuremberg 2.0.

    Get the idiots in Police and ADF to think about what the hell they are doing.

    Jail time for all the commanders and for many on the front line.

    ******************

    Just following orders!  So what will the ones giving orders do?  Why, defect to Afghanistan of course.  The government now in charge there have the same views, cover you face, do not leave you house unless with special permission of the guys with guns.


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  77. min says:

    I am posting a very simplified explanation of anxiety but enough to warn of what is being done to children in the future .   Psychologists are going to be needed droves. Anxiety has been found to have  a genetic factor .  Trait  anxiety as it was labelled in Spielbergers Inventory contrasted  to state anxiety , anxiety triggered by environment . Recent research claims that 40% of population have the anxiety gene which makes them more prone to anxiety disorders such as Panic Attacks, GAD , OCD,  PTSD  etc.

    Even more recently later research has found that there is also an epigenetic factor . This is where the gene is  altered  as a result of trauma suffered by a forebear and this is passed down through generations  eg children of Holocaust survivors.
    In the current circumstances when everyone is under continuous stress ,warned we cannot even look at a sunset ,  or walk in the sun then what are the current outlets for stress relief . Births  are up and probably alcohol consumption also . It would be interesting see if dating site followers have increased also  exercise limited  whilst brothels remain open. So sex and alcohol are  the only legitimate stress relief ?
    Trauma covers so  many occurrences in life , not just accidents or events . Dysfunctional families , parents with anxiety issues  therefore child grows up with  a parent with avoidant attachment behaviour . There is much more in attachment theory which influences child development also which could be exacerbated by conditions forced on us .
    Maybe some smart lawyer can organise a class action for all the damaged kids .


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  78. Top Ender says:

    PM: premiers, Albo block our path out
    DENNIS SHANAHAN – The Australian

    After six months of Anthony Albanese attacking Scott Morrison over a delayed vaccine rollout and the premiers blaming him for a lack of vaccines, the Prime Minister has hit back at both and emerged as the crusader for ending lockdowns and reopening the economy.
    Morrison has challenged the premiers and Labor to support targets of 70 and 80 per cent for the reopening of borders, easing of social restrictions and freedom of business, and to accept that we “need to learn to live with the virus, not live in fear of it”.
    After the Opposition Leader’s damaging attacks for the delayed vaccine rollout, criticism from both extremes about liberty and freedom and facing blameshifting from the premiers for outbreaks, Morrison is seizing the relative recent success of vaccinations accelerating by the million and the proximity of actually reaching target vaccination levels of 70 and 80 per cent to launch his own campaign.
    It is a pivotal political moment for the Morrison government and the fate of the national economy.
    Morrison wants to emerge as the champion of opening up lives and the economy as the pall of the pandemic dulls the national psyche and depresses business.
    Reopening is the goal, the dawn and the hope that Morrison is using as a new springboard to restart the Covid-19 health and political narratives and regain leadership momentum.
    While the Prime Minister did not name any premiers as his targets – and specifically included the Opposition Leader
    – the states inclined to hotbutton border closures have reacted already and shown they consider themselves on the other side of the reopening argument.
    As Albanese sided with the premiers about continuing to use daily Covid case numbers as a guide to continuing lockdowns, Morrison accused him of undermining the efforts to fight the pandemic and seeking to keep the economy shut.
    Morrison declares that the premiers have struck a deal, they must stick to it, the equation on reopening society has changed because of vaccination levels and that he is determined to fight for the end of lockdowns.
    “The national plan we have developed and agreed is our pathway to living with this virus. That is our goal, to live with this virus, not to live in fear of it. It is a plan based on the best possible scientific, medical and economic advice,” he said on Monday as he called on the public to back him and support the phased reopening nationally.
    Josh Frydenberg warned in parliament that easing restrictions at the recommended targets would not mean the end of Covid cases, hospitalisations or indeed “tragic deaths”, but the Treasurer, who has warned the commonwealth can’t fund relief for states forever, said we could not continue living as we are.
    Vaccine supply, slow take-up and poor messaging have ensured plenty of criticism for Morrison, and damage to his personal standing, but the super surge of vaccinations, the clear Doherty Institute guidelines, the positive experience in Britain and the crying need for some return to normality have given the Prime Minister a cause to fight for, which is backed by medical advice, will be attractive to all groups and frames Albanese as negative and against reopening the economy.
    Just as additional vaccines changed the momentum of the public debate, so too has the pace of vaccination and having a goal in sight.


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  79. Pete of Perth says:

    Catallaxy-files  or newcatallaxy? The 21st century’s version of the great vhs vs betamax war.


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  80. mh says:

    CULTURAL INCLUSIVITY’

    Kiwis review ‘racist’ national team nickname
    New Zealand Football is looking at dropping the ‘All Whites’ nickname as part of a diversity drive.

    ***

    And no white Kiwis ever aspire to play for the All Blacks.


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  81. Figures says:

    That’s impressive. ScoMo has gone the grand total of three days without wilting.


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  82. H B Bear says:

    Catallaxy-files  or newcatallaxy? The 21st century’s version of the great vhs vs betamax war.
    —————-

    Wait for the DVD.  Me?  I’m buying a Blockbuster franchise.


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  83. Steve trickler says:

    From memory, she speaks six languages. Might need a fact check on that.

    Leonid & Friends – The Speck of Dust


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  84. mh says:

    Looking into my crystal ball, I see … a lockdown!

    ‘Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has announced Queensland has recorded six new cases of Covid-19 – including two acquired in the community – in the past 24 hours.’


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  85. H B Bear says:

    That’s impressive. ScoMo has gone the grand total of three days without wilting.
    ————-

    So two days longer than Waffleworth’s taxation reforms then?


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