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Why can't everyone condemn Hamas?

Following Hamas' atrocities in Israel, the media are awash with commentary, so I will keep my comments short. I am shocked by the willin...

Monday, 3 February 2025

This week

Red Cross Ride-Share

 Here is a humorous take on the Red Cross in its role in transporting hostages to their release while having been missing in action for the past 16 months. 


Sunday toons

Its Sunday , so let us take a more relaxed view of the hectic pace of change. 

Some political toons, no comments required; -















EV charging innovations!

Given the intense R&D into EV batteries, it is not surprising to see new ideas. This week I came across two, yes two, that could help to make EVs viable. Both address the long charging times for EVs making distance travel risky and time-consuming. Given a charge can take up to an hour imagine arriving at a charging station with all stations full and waiting for just two cars ahead of you.  While charging stations are being built, the number of EVs is also growing so EV ownership is already questionable.

So here are the two ideas, the first is a rapid charge technology that can achieve an 80% charge in just 9 minutes! Read more details here: 80% in 9 minutes: Zeekr’s ‘Golden Battery’ sets record for fastest EV charging.  

The second and more outside-the-box solution is to allow EVs to be charged continuously while on the road by electrifying the road surface. Read more here :EV range anxiety eliminated with US engineers’ breakthrough wireless charging roads

Both of these are novel ideas and time will see if they work. However, it is clear that the battery technology needs to improve to make EVs viable. We are not there yet!


Eliminating the need for Blood donors

Another in the "what will they think of next "file. An Israeli company is developing lab-grown red blood cells. Red C Biotech is at an advanced stage of development and expect it to reach the market in 5 years. Think of the impact, abundant universal red-blood to meet the needs of the whole world. No need to constantly canvas for blood donors, and making blood available to the poorest countries.
This is a development we all welcome. 




Gaza Riviera

A day is a long time in the new Trump era. Today, Trump suggested a novel solution to the Gaza Israel problem. He noted that there have been multiple wars between Hamas and Israel, and even today , after a 16 month war, if Israel leaves Gaza, Hamas will reform, rearm and repeat its terrorist fight against Israel. With this in mind he has proposed that Gaza's population be moved to countries willing to accept them, for a period of approx 10 years. During this time the US would invest and rebuild the area to become a vibrant, self supporting region. After this some of the removed population could return, if it wanted to , but only on condition that the region would remain peaceful to its neighbours.

Of course this has generated global outcry. Israel and Isral supporters have welcomed this solution as it meet some of Israel's needs.

It would clear the region of Hamas terrorism, guaranteeing peace for Israel and ensure Hamas does not return to power. These were two of Israel's key war aims.

Of course there are many naysayers too. The reasons given are visceral and off-the cuff but include the following; 
  • Hamas loses power, so all Hamas supporters, ie those who want "River to the sea, Palestine will be free (of Jews)" , will not doubt fight it with every scream they have left
  • The mass forced relocation of people breaks all current UN Human Rights rules. 
  • Where will Gaza's civilians go? No one is willing to take them.
With regard to mass forced relocation of populations there have been precedents. After world war II some 3 million ethnic Germans were relocated from the Sudeten region of Czechoslovakia to Germany proper. This was done to prevent the recurrence of ethnic tensions that were used by Hitler as a pretext to invade Czechoslovakia.

Of course this is very early and Trump's though bubble may indeed be just a strategy to encourage local Arab states to take some responsibility for the Hamas/Gaza mess. 

We will see!


Trump 2.0 is effective




Like a hyperactive battery-powered pink bunny Trump has gone full throttle in re-aligning the political orientation not only of the US but the world. 

In a whirlwind 2 weeks he has; -
  • expedited a hostage exchange deal between Israel and Hamas
  • seen the confirmation of half his cabinet, Hegseth, Radcliffe, Rubio, Bondi and most look like they will be confirmed
  • issued EO to close the border; crossing have reduced from 1400 per day to 500 per day and are still falling
  • targeted ISIS in Somalia 'neutralizing' a whole ISIS terrorist planning team
  • started deporting illegal and criminal immigrants
  • called out Colombia when they rejected a plane load of immigrants then had the Columbian president pick them up in his own plane
  • Stopped all DEI programs in the federal government. He has put all DEI titled staff in paid leave
  • Stopped all Transgender policies declaring there are just two genders Male and Female (it is crazy to have to say this)
  • Withdrawn the US from the Paris Climate Change Agreement
  • Withdrawn US from WHO
  • Put Tariffs on China, Canada and Mexico, 
  • Soon after he postponed the Tariffs on Mexico and Canada for 30 days, pending negotiations on controlling the border to prevent illegal immigration and the smuggling of fentanyl
  • Declared interest in the US gaining access to Greenland for security - discussion have been started
  • Called on Panama to ensure control is removed from China and requesting a better deal for the US
  • Met with Bibi Netanyahu and following the meeting has stopped all funding to UNRWA and withdrawn the US from the UN Human Rights Council
  • Declassified all files on the assassinations of JFK, RFK and MLK
  • Saw the Laken Riley Act through Congress and Senate and signed it off
In all probability I have missed a few , as it is hard to keep up.

This is an unprecedented rate of progress, and welcomed by his many supporters. The Democrats are still bewildered, but I expect they will regroup all to soon and try to stop his momentum.

In the mean time, "Well done Donald!"


Deport the Hate

Pierre Polliviere words has gone viral a number of times in the recent past. He has the uncommon ability to talk clearly and directly at the causes of fundamental issues. In the most recent instance he was making a short speech at the 80th Anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp. Here is his short speech.


In his short speech he focuses on one of the major sources of antisemitism in the Western world, the immigration of large numbers of Muslims who hate Jews. He says what most leaders fear to say, if non-citizen is guilty of antisemitism he should be deported. That is the very least a country that want to protect their Jewish population should do. 

Unfortunately, most of the left leaning leaders of the democratic world are unwilling to upset their Muslim populations by taking such decisive action.  However it is not a choice between Muslim or Jewish citizen, but a choice between standing for what is right and appeasement. 

It is exactly this weak approach by Trudeau, Biden, Albanese and Starmer , that has seen the escalation in antisemitism in their countries. 

Trump's election has changed the narrative in the US, now we are awaiting the election of Dutton in Australia, Polliviere in Canada, and Farage in the UK.


Israel vs Palestine an Arab viewpoint


Oxford Union debates have been mentioned in some of my posts in the past. I use selective excerpts from especially articulate presenters with a good argument. Here is another , perhaps not the most articulate but he compensates by direct and forceful logic. The debate was titled "This House Believes Israel is an Apartheid State Responsible for Genocide ". Yes, not surprising from a typical Woke university.  The presenter is Yoseph Haddad an Israeli Arab. His perspective would be enlightening to all the mad marchers for "Palestine".  It is a must watch.



Friday, 31 January 2025

Peu de Chose




A friend handed me a very old copy of C J Dennis' "A Sentimental Bloke". At the very beginning, there is a short poem encapsulating life. I could not resist sharing it.


PEU DE CHOSE
La vie est vaine,
Un peu d’amour,
Un peu de haine,
Et puis—Bonjour!

La vie est brève:
Un peu d’espoir,
Un peu de rève
Et puis—Bon soir!

Léon de Montenaeken; translated by Louise Chandler Moulton as:

Ah, brief is Life,
Love’s short sweet way,
With dreamings rife,
And then—Good-day!

And Life is vain—
Hope’s vague delight,
Grief’s transient pain,
And then—Good-night


For those interested there are mre details at  https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/George_du_Maurier

Monday, 27 January 2025

OTG WE 2 Feb 25

Is DeepSeek a product or an admission?

Only a few days ago NVIDIA, the world leader in the manufacture of AI computer chips, lost $1 trillion in its market capitalisation. You could say they had a bad day, but it was only 15% of their share price, which has soared over 40% in the last year. So don't shed worth crocodile tears for NVIDIA. But of course, it is a rather sudden shock caused by the unexpected entry of a Chinese competitor into the world AI market. The product called DeepSeek R1 has been called 'a Sputnik moment' for AI. When Sputnik 1 was launched by the Soviet Union some 75 years ago the world was shocked. How had the USSR beaten the US to put a satellite into orbit? After all the US had been thought to be way ahead and surely the communists could not have beaten them. Of course that all changed over the following decade with the US making great strides and reaching the moon in 1969.

DeepSeek has been touted as a high-functioning AI tool built without the high-power AI chips that were perceived as a prerequisite for such a tool. Equally shocking China claims to have developed it with an investment of just $6m. The news was felt by stock markets around the world—well, for a couple of days.

No doubt the announcement of a Chinese AI solution heralds a new era of competition to win this all-powerful technology. As to China's claims regarding the cost and even the non-use of high-power chips I am sceptical. After all, China has made many claims that later turn out false, think COVID origin, and indeed are known to have pilfered Western technology as a shortcut for their own development. In this vein, Sam Altman has already accused China of having stolen their copyrighted data. (Read DeepSeek data theft: OpenAI cries foul while critics question its own ethics)

This is the first prick in the AI bubble, but my guess is that the AI bubble has a long way to go. It will totally transform how we interact with each other and the world. AI threatens every crevice of our lives, and of course, will offer new opportunities. We live in interesting times!


WEF gets another slam!

The WEF is not having a good week. Unlike many a prior year meeting where acolytes genuflected at the home of the great Klaus, hanging on every word on how people of the future would "not own anything but would be happy" and of "World Resets", "Buid back better" and the evils of "misinformaiton" and disinformation. Not so this week. First came Donald Trump, who zoomed in to declare that he will withdraw the US from the Paris Climate Accord, the WHO and has enacted executive orders against government censorship and DEI. All jaw dropping stuff for the acolytes.

Now, it was Javier Milei's turn. He flew to Davos to address the crowd directly, and he did not hold back. He called out the fundamental flaw in the economic management of many Western democracies, where liberalism has been corrupted by socialist leanings.  This is a short video, well worth the view.


Israel bans UNRWA

Following extensive infiltration by Hamas into UNRWA, effective Jan 30 Israel has stopped all work with UNRWA and close all UNRWA offices in Israel.
For decades UNRWA has played a duplicitous role, both providing humanitarian support to Gaza's citizens and also support Hamas terrorists who had taken many roles within UNWRA. This included taking part in the Oct 7 atrocities at the Nova music festival.

At last, Israel has taken decisive action, albeit much belated. Donald Trump gave US support for this action.

Watch the announcement by Israel's Ambassador to the UN, Dani Danon.





Pardons still causing ructions

Biden's pardons are reverberating through the chatterati. Every commentator has covered them, but most of those with left-of-centre sympathies have avoided too much detail. Not so the Republicans and their supporters. I have already stated my personal views, but I saw this one from Hannity that presents the blatant hypocrisy of the Left Wing  Media, and of course also Biden. Well worth the few minutes.




Trump confronts the WEF

Klaus Schwab, head of the World Economic Forum, WEF, has a rather inflated view of the forum. In its welcome statement to the forum last week he declared the world's future would be shaped by the ' people in this room'. Mmm, yes he would say that wouldn't he. But the rest of us mere mortals do not want to be 'shaped' by a small group of unelected rich men and women who happen to be members of this exclusive group. Trump was invited to attend the forum via Zoom, and he took the opportunity to cut them down to size. 

In a short presentation, he recapped some of his policies and highlighted his policy on free speech. This directly countermands the WEF's extensive promotion of laws against 'misinformation' and 'disinformation'. The WEF to 'shape' the world wants to have laws that in effect censor free speech. After all, you cannot control the population if you cannot control communications. Of course, they never talk of 'censorship'. No, we are all for free speech but you don't want false speech, you don't want 'misinformation'. 

But Trump saw through that. After all, he was a victim of the Biden administration suppressing Republican free speech. Trump has taken a strong stand and has issued an Executive Order preventing such censorship in the future. The speech is well worth a view. See below. 



Nostalgia

For those of us no longer in our prime, every now and then we look back over the decades and see how things have changed. Here is a collection of images highlighting yesteryear. Worth a chuckle, I think.



















Trump ripples

It is hard to remember that Trump only took office a week ago. In just this short time he has transformed the social and political landscape. Some of his changes have been direct. After all, he has signed some 200 executive orders in just one week, more than he signed in four years of his first term. But his influence goes far beyond his direct moves. Everyone, not just in the US but worldwide, can anticipate what is coming, and many have moved to position their countries and businesses to win favour with the new administration.  There are too many to list, but this one struck me. "Harvard University settles two antisemitism lawsuits one day after Trump takes office".  The Woke Universities under pressure from their unconstitutional DEI policies are trying to clean up their act, fearing the threatened funding cuts from the new administration. Hallelujah!

Monday, 20 January 2025

On the grapevine WE 26 Jan 25

HAPPY AUSTRALIA DAY !




Why pardon innocent people?

In this short video, Hannity nails the Democrats by simply showing their outrage when they faced the possibility of Trump pardoning members of his family. They were unanimous in condemning it. It includes a clip from Biden himself. No, he did not support such a pardon, at the time. It is a must-see.

But that is just the warm-up. He then follows up with a list of potential malfeasance by Biden himself and his family. The figures are in the tens of millions, and the evidence is compelling. 




Notwithstanding the pardons, the family must be investigated and the Biden influence-peddling scheme must be fully exposed. Respect for the law and "We the people" demand it!


Hamas must cease!




The 'deal' forced by Trump's ultimatum has come into effect. We have witnessed harrowing scenes at the release of three female hostages in a crowd of Hamas terrorists and terrorist supporters. We have read of the high cost of saving these three women. The cost is the release of dozens of violent terrorists held in Israeli jails. We have seen the use of Red Cross ambulances by Hamas. Where have they been for the past 15 months? We have not heard of any demand by the Red Cross to visit the hostages. Yes, I digress. 

We have also learnt from the women that they were held in UNRWA offices. Yes, the UN-sponsored UNRWA was used by Hamas to hide hostages. This should be the final nail in the coffin of the UNRWA. All funding for UNRWA should be stopped immediately, it should be disbanded, and its role taken over by the UNHCR.  

Many countries have already stopped funding it following reports that many UNRWA employees were also members of Hamas. Australia too halted all payments to Hamas for a period but then re-instated it inexplicably. Perhaps there is an explanation, as the Labor government is facing an election and has several seats with significant Muslim populations at risk. 

Hamas did put on a show for this hostage-for-terrorist exchange. There were celebrations, and a large crowd, mostly masked men in uniform. Uniforms they do not wear when they hide behind their civilians. There were also many supporters, too many. And they were screaming their support, their willingness not only to keep fighting but to repeat the abhorrent massacre they perpetrated on Oct 7, 2023. 

Israel cannot afford to lose this war. I understand, but remain concerned about negotiating with terrorist for the return of hostages. And yes, let this 'deal' run its course. But under no circumstance can Hamas be left in power. Israelis will not be able to live in peace with such barbaric neighbours. 

The Gatestone Institute's article "A Deal That Keeps Hamas in Power Is Meaningless" covers these points well. It is well worth reading.


In case you missed it!




Trump has been inaugurated and has hit the road running. In a flood of executive orders, he has initiated a massive change in the US that will sweep the world. For many who have supported him, we are pleased and look forward to the coming 4 years.  For those many Democrats who stillsuffer from TDS these are challenging times. No doubt they will continue to try to sabotage his every step. This time however Trump will be no easy target. He is prepared. He has appointed a far stronger and more like-minded team to help him fight 'the swamp'. I am optimistic that he will deliver on the promise.
He has started with a whirlwind releasing almost 200 executive orders in just his first day.

If you missed the changes they are all available the official White House site. 


Here come the Androids

No, I am not talking about Google's widely used Operating System. I am referring to the AI-driven humanoid robots that promise to replace all, 100%, of manual labour. I overstate a wee bit, as we have just taken another significant step in developing the self-learning chips needed to drive the humanoid robots. In a significant breakthrough, Bojan Stojkovski of Interesting Engineering reports on the development of self-learning error-correcting chips. Read more at "Breakthrough brain-inspired chip autonomously learns and corrects mistakes"

Pardon me, this smells fishy!




Just 20 minutes before losing power now ex-president Biden did what many would have screamed unthinkable, had it been done by a Republican president, he pardoned a whole bunch of now-suspected ne'er-do-wells. These included most of his family, brothers, their wives, etc, and suspiciously the pardons cover the period from 2014. Why does that year seem to ring a bell? It was exactly the same period specified for Hunter's pardon. The pardons cover the period during which the Biden family had been accused of having had an influence-peddling jig going, generating millions, some $20-$40 have been mentioned. Left to the last 20 minutes of his presidency looks shifty and even the most ardent democrats are feeling embarrassed and betrayed, especially after the many and repeated admonitions they targeted at Trump speculating that he would do this during his last Presidency. Alas, he didn't and now Biden did.

Perhaps not at the same level of incredulity, but Biden went further. He also issued pre-emptive pardons for a whole range of previously suspected miscreants. The J6 Committee no doubt acted immorally breaking their oath of office, but is yet to be investigated and charged with crimes. Biden pardoned them for their past help, or perhaps for some future benefits. I would not put it past the Biden family to cash in on some sort of 'pardons-for-benefits' scheme. 

Finally, he also pardoned Anthony Fauci, who could have contributed to the deaths of millions by his breaking American laws to fund Gain-of-Function research in the Wuhan Institue of Virology, the likely source of the COVID -19 pandemic.

These unprecedented, unexpected pardons will no doubt face increased scrutiny by both parties and may well place the scope of Presidential Pardons on the judicial review agenda. They are Constitutional but most would think they are being abused. An amendment to the Constitution to prevent a President from pardoning anyone in their own family would most likely pass, but I doubt if it will be put to a vote.

Another battery blaze!





Quite separate from the catastrophic fires in LA there has been another catastrophic fire, this time in Northern California.  Epoch Times reports that "Evacuations are underway in Northern California after a major fire broke out on Thursday afternoon at one of the world’s largest battery storage plants."
Lithium battery fires are difficult to extinguish, and noxious volatiles are released. Local residents have been ordered to evacuate, and windows and ventilation need to be closed in more remote areas.
This is one of many serious fires involving Lithium batteries, the core power source for electric vehicles.


Monday, 13 January 2025

On the grapevine WE 19 Jan 25

A picture tells a thousand words

Here are a few of the best, this week. 




Australia's Labor Govt's Farcical Climate Zealotry exposed in one picture!


DEI policies have life & death consequences!

Firedome to stop wild fires!


Israeli startup Firedome has developed a fire defense system

Another in the 'what-will-they-think-of-next category Gadi Benjamini CEO of Israeli firm -Firedome has developed a Iron-dome -look-a-like to fight wildfires. Instead of shooting missiles to stop rockets, the Firedome shoots capsules of fire retardant specifically to areas where the system detects a fire. It solves one of the most difficult problems in fighting fires, the ability to stop new outbreaks in multiple locations. The Firedome can address multiple outbreaks simultaneously and tamp down a wildfire rapidly before it spreads.


A deal with the devil? 

JFK said "Victory has a thousand fathers while defeat is an orphan". How true that rings today with everyone claiming ownership of the announced but not yet consummated Ceasefire 'deal' between Israel and Hamas. Biden in his final goodbye address, we hope, claimed total ownership of the 'deal ' having been working on it for some 7 months. 

Trump too has claimed the win. He has not been working on it for long at all, just a few weeks. But who is right? You need not go past the few facts I have noted to know who was the critical component of the 'deal'. Biden and his team have been working on this for 7 months, without being able to get an agreement, yet Trump has made the simple threat that if the 'deal' was not agreed upon before his inauguration (Jan 20, next Monday) "there would be hell to pay".Only this statement caused the players to agree to the 'deal'. 

So forget Biden and his silly claims. Trump has achieved the 'deal' to the stage it has reached.

But of course, there are problems. Even as I write Israel has announced that Hamas is trying to change the terms of the 'deal', and as a consequence, until they confirm agreement with the negotiated terms there will be no ceasefire. We will see. In all likelihood, this is just a try-on, and Hamas will return to agreement, but is just being Hamas, a terrorist organisation, that cannot be trusted on anything.

You may have noticed that I have put 'deal' in quotation marks. Why? For Israel any agreement whereby they have to release terrorists for the return of civilian hostages is traumatic. It is a painful concession for the return of innocent citizens. A ceasefire is of course welcome, but NOT if a consequence is a future war with a repetition of the atrocities that started this one. I do not believe that negotiations with terrorists even for the return of hostages are justified. All such negotiations lead to increased hostage-taking in the future. What type of example is being set by the current deal. The terrorists end up having many of their captured brethren released for the return of a few of the innocent hostages, or their bodies. The released prisoners become emboldened and are invariably guilty of taking more innocent lives.  So no its not a good deal for Israel.

Energy Ministers vs Reality

Australia's energy management is in chaos. Climate change commitments have hijacked all rational assessments of the costs of decarbonising the electricity grid. In another incisive video, Zoe Hilton asks "Is Australia building the lowest cost energy system?". Unfortunately, the answer is a clear NO! The plans that the AEMO claims compare ALL possible options do no such thing. They only look at Renewable options, excluding nuclear and coal. So the constraints that the government has placed on the AEMO ensure that the government policies are confirmed. 

Zoe's video is well worth the 12 minutes. If only there were penalties for misinformation spread by governments!




Climate Zealotry knows no bounds

One would have thought that the lets-blame-everything-on-climate-change syndrome would have gone into hibernation over the Northern Hemisphere winter. Especially given the almost weekly announcements of extreme cold weather. But no! 

The catastrophic LA fires are not blamed on the lack of forest clearing, the shortage of water, the reduction in the Fire Department budget, or the priority in hiring Fire-persons based on DEI. No, none of these is to blame, the fires were caused by climate change. I guess it is convenient to have a scapegoat so those in authority don't need to make any changes. Well, they have been trying that, but I suspect it is not working. The people have seen through it and are calling the governor, the mayor and the Head of the Fire Department to explain themselves. They in turn are now pointing fingers at each other. What happened to accountability? For once I would like to see a leader face the music. Newsom could simply say: I am sorry, I stuffed up. I resign". But I guess I am dreamin'. 

The LA disaster is emblematic of Woke politicians who put their ideology ahead of the practical reality. No wonder that the tide has turned on Wokism and against Left Wing politicians around the world; New Zealand, Italy, Netherlands, France, US, and Argentina, just to name a few.

Back on Climate change, I came across this short video highlighting recent examples of the ridiculous claims made by Climate Zealots.


 

What does 'hell to pay' mean?

Israel Hayom published an article summarizing VP Elect Vance's explanation of what "all hell to pay means" for Hamas, and all Hamas supporters. 

"It means enabling the Israelis to knock out the final couple of battalions of Hamas and their leadership," Vance said, according to FOX News, adding that there were other measures on the diplomatic front to complement this step."

"It means very aggressive sanctions and financial penalties on those who are supporting terrorist organizations in the Middle East"

Read more at "Trump deputy explains 'hell to pay' warning to Hamas"

 

The Downfall of England

 It is hard to think of a more egregious failure of law and order than the Pakistani Rape Gangs episode now causing ructions in the UK. Allison Pearson, a leading reporter for The Telegraph's article titled "Elon Musk has ripped the cloak of deceit off one of Britain’s most disgusting scandals" does not hold back. It exposes the systematic repetitive failure of multiple police to do their job, to protect their citizenry. 

Even after substantial evidence of rape and gang rape against multiple offenders, the police failed to charge them because they were Pakistani Muslims. If they had done their job and charged them, the police feared they would have been accused of being racist. So the gangs were allowed to operate and repeat their offences! 

This is absolutely unacceptable in a free democratic country. It is a shameful episode that needs to be re-dressed. There needs to be a full public enquiry, every single person who was guilty of the charges should be charged and tried and if proven guilty they should be jailed. Every single police officer at all levels who failed to do their job should be disciplined and lose their job. Thank you to Allison Pearson and The Telegraph for reporting on what is a sensitive issue and their willingness to not let potential accusations of racism stand up for justice. The same thanks also go to Elon Musk who despite having a pretty busy life has used his free speech platform to bring a renewed focus on this injustice.