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.
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.
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"
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.
Given many a Biden fiasco the following should not be a surprise. In a very direct speech in the US Senate, Senator Shelley Moor Capito accuses the Biden administration of uncontrolled spending "equivalent to throwing gold bars over the Titanic!" Well said senator, it evokes quite a picture. She gives a lot of examples of the Biden administration's support of America's enemies. Taxpayer money, in the many millions, is being sent to orgnisations that hate America. Listen to this
Come on DOGE, you have work to do!
Hell to pay in 10 days
President-elect Trump inserted himself into the Hamas-Israel war in grand style by declaring that if the hostages are not released by the time he is inaugurated "there would be all hell to pay". Direct, forceful and certainly widely reported.
The message has been received by Hamas, with an instant restart of negotiations for a hostage-for-prisoner exchange. This restart however is not significant as many past restarts end abruptly when Hamas adds some new condition that cannot be met. In the most recent case, Hamas wants to release the 'bodies' of hostages rather than live hostages. Once a barbarian, always a barbarian.
But Hamas is dependent on several key accomplices, Iran, Qatar, Egypt and Turkey, who have all heard Trump's message.
Iran has been a direct supporter and could force Hamas to release the hostages in an instant, but not without losing face.
Qatar, Egypt and Turkey have each been playing the part of an 'honest broker' but are anything but. Each has been supporting Hamas while pretending to help the US. Hamas' leadership has lived in Qatar for decades. Yes, following Trump's ultimatum they have asked Hamas to leave, but we'll see. Egypt too has allowed the building of smuggling tunnels between Egypt to Gaza and allowed the transfer of arms to Hamas again for almost 20 years.
Turkey too has been working against Israel despite being a Nato member. They have recently given shelter to Hamas leaders following their escape from Gaza.
So Trump's ultimatum will fall on all these players. With only 10 days to go, I would be surprised if the hostages are released, but 10 days is a long time.
Here is one of many videos outlining the duplicity of many players and what " all hell to play may mean"
Hamas steals Aid, then sells it to Gaza civilians
While the ICC has claimed Israel is pursuing a genocide against Palestinians and causing a famine, they turn a blind eye to the truth. There is no genocide, there is no famine and while the war started by Hamas has some civilian casualties, Israel has provided access to food aid in sufficient quantity to feed Gaza's civilian population. However, Hamas actively steals the aid and then sells, yes sells it, it to the civilian population. I guess we shouldn't be surprised, after all these terrorists perpetrated the most obscene barbaric massacre on Oct 7 23, so why should we be surprised that they would steal aid.
In the what-will-they-think-of-next domain, we now have a new way of producing synthetic meat that is faster, lower cost, and meets consumer approval.
Israeli and Palestinian researchers at Hebrew University developed a breakthrough method for creating plant-based whole cuts of meat using metamaterials and injection molding technology. This process is significantly more cost-effective than 3D printing ($9/kg vs. $38/kg) and can produce complex cuts like steaks and T-bones. Blind taste tests showed participants had difficulty distinguishing these products from traditional meat, marking a significant advance in sustainable food production. If you are interested in more detail read "Crafting the perfect bite of meat"
ICC to get its comeuppance!
There is indeed a new Sheriff in town. Yes, Donald Trump, not yet inaugurated, has taken on the presidential mantle virtually from November 5. Admittedly only made possible by the obvious vacuum in Biden's presidency. Not only have world leaders been queing at Mar-a-lago to pay tribute to the newly-to-be annointed leader of the free world, but many leaders and organisations are adjusting their 'positions' on issues that they know will not find favour with the new team. Iran dropped its oft stated retaliation to Israel's most recent attack and Meta's Zuckerberg has decided to stop censoring posts. There is an obvious change in the air. For those of us who were holding our breath for the election result, we are relieved. Surprising how good this change feels even after only a short time.
One of the more striking injustices in the recent past was the ICC's issuance of arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant, the democratically elected PM and Defence minister of Israel. It mattered not that by all the rules of the ICC, they had no authority for taking such an unprecedented stance, even if these two individuals had a case to answer. Primarily because Israel is not a signatory to the ICC, and the ICC has no jurisdiction over countries that have not signed up to the court. Furthermore, the ICC can only charge individuals in countries without an independent judiciary. Israel does have a very active court that does not shy away from charging, trying and even incarcerating any Israeli who has broken the law. Indeed they have jailed a PM. Furthermore, case can only raised by member states. Palestine was given special dispensation to be able to raise the case, but Palestine is not a state and does not pass the primary requirements for being a 'state'.
I only repeated these issues for those who may missed the furore and fantatical analysis following the initial announcement of the warrants a few months ago.
Shamefully, only a few democratic member states declared the failure of the ICC to follow its own rules and refused to enforce the warrants. These include France, UK, Netherlands and Hungary.
Some others refused to make a statement about it and left the question of whether they would enforce it, sort of hanging. I am sad to say Australia and Canada were in this weak unprincipled group.
Some declared they would enforce the warrant. For example Poland, and Ireland. Poland is particularly shameful as they have effectively banned the Prime Minister of Israel from attending the commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. Leaders of principle should ALL refuse to go to Poland , in solidarity with Israel. They should go to Israel instead!
The USA, even under Biden, called the ICC's warrants a travesty. Trump has taken this a step further, promising serious sanctions against the ICC and the perpetrators of this travesty.
Most recently Mike Johnson announced new legislation to authorise the establishment of these sanctions.
Thank goodness the adults are back in charge. I expect the ICC will withdraw these unwarranted warrants to try to regain its reputation. However, it will not be enough. The ICC has 'soiled' its own bathwater and I could well see signatory countries abandoning it.
Why would any democratic country be willing to subject its citizens to laws determined by some external organisation not elected by its citizens? To me, that sounds totally undemocratic and I am surprised that any country signed up for it.
Reparations to whom?
We have heard many calls for reparations both for the slavery suffered by African Americans and more recently by indigenous peoples in various countries calling for reparations for colonisation. The very idea of someone who has not taken part in wrongdoing making some form of payment to someone who has not directly experienced the wrongdoing is ridiculous. We do not inherit the sins of our fathers. Of course, the idea is painted in more general flowery language that hides these basic truths. See the example below.
Flowery indeed! But even ignoring the injustice problem I noted above, there are many more practical problems.
Here are just some of the more obvious issues; -
How do you determine who is to receive reparations? After all some slaves were freed and then became slave-owners themselves. More importantly, the group has intermarried with the rest of the population. How do you determine who is eligible?
How do you determine who is to make the payment? Is it to be a total impost on the whole population? But what about migrants who entered the country after slavery was abolished?
Concerning Indigenous populations that claim some form of payment for past wrongs, one has to ask the same questions: Would they have to prove a wrong, and should payment be made only by those whose ancestors were, at the very least, in the country?
Again claims by Indigenous populations for the loss of their traditional way of life should be offset by the advantages that colonisation has brought. How do you then value these two factors?
Of course, proponents of these reparations know any consideration of the detail of the payments would make it unsellable, so they avoid individual payments. They want the state to pay, from tax or other sources, and the payments should be to some sort of collective organisation on behalf of the group. Sometimes, however, they want payments to individuals. Again, no arrangement will pass real scrutiny.
But the Left-leaning parties, have succeeded in building a sense of collective responsibility for the failures of many identity groups. Some Democrat controlled US states have reparations squarely on the agenda. But I expect the Constitution and Trump will move these well into the future.
Similarly, in Australia, there was an attempt in a so-called Voice referendum in 2023 to change the Australian Constitution to give special rights to Indigenous Australians. One of the following steps was for some form of reparations. However, the referendum was soundly defeated, with Australians opting to maintain equal treatment for all citizens.
In a rather old interview, Thomas Sowell covers the slavery issue and reparations. He notes among other interesting facts that the number of White slaves captured by Barbary pirates in Africa exceeded the total number of African American slaves in the US. No wonder there are no claims for reparations coming out of Africa.
See the full interview below.
NGOs driving antisemitism around the globe
Following a massacre perpetrated by Hamas on innocent Israelis, there has been an unprecedented sudden explosion of anti-Semitism around the globe. While the initial demonstrations were expressions of 'joy' by Jihadists, after Israel's expected and intended strong response, the demonstrations were widely reported as "spontaneous outpourings of support for the innocent victims of Israel's indiscriminate bombing". Were these really spontaneous? And were they really in support of Gaza's civilians?
The demonstrations in many large Western cities included extensive signage, posters, well-prepared speakers and indeed chants that strayed from being anti-Israel to unabashed anti-Semitism and not just support for Palestinians. Indeed, many carried signage in praise of Hamas and Hezbollah together with their flags, all in contravention of laws in many countries against support for proscribed terrorist organisations.
When individuals were interviewed by some independent journalists, for some reason main-stream media doesn't seem to do any investigative journalism nowadays, the individuals were blissfully unaware that they were calling for the genocide of all Jews, did not know from which river to which sea they wanted Palestine to be free. Asked where why they were carrying such a sign they said some guy was handing them out. So there is plenty of evidence that there were a organisations behind these demonstrations.
Most recently The Gatestone Institue revealed the organisations behind these worldwide anti-Israel demonstrations. Their article "NGOs Driving Antisemitism in Europe and around the Globe: Part I" reveals what many have suspected a network of Muslim and Marxist organisations have been funding and promoting demonstrations against Israel and the West.
"One of the most active NGOs, Samidoun ("Steadfast"), a "Vancouver-based terrorist group," was founded in 2012 -- ostensibly to "assist Palestinian prisoners" -- by members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), a designated terrorist organization in the United States, European Union and Canada. In practice, Samidoun is a front for the PFLP. The PFLP is an active terrorist organization, which participated in the October 7, 2023 atrocities, including in hostage taking, and shared celebratory videos and other material of the massacres online."
"Samidoun has branches throughout the West: In Belgium, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the UK and in the United States. Samidoun also has branches in Lebanon, Iran and the West Bank and Gaza."
The Jihadists objective is to weaken the West and work towards a world caliphate, the Marxists to weaken the Western world for some sort of Socialist/Marxist nirvana.
In the west we find these ideas nonsensical, at least most of us do, but the idea that Western democracy is failing seems to convince the naive and the young, at least for a while. Too many of those who harbor some grudge against 'the system' will fall for any dogma that gives vent to their frustration. Yes, there are too many 'useful idiots' in our Western Societies. This is the product of an education system that has too often drifted from its goal to educate into outright indoctrination. But that is a topic for another day.
Hydrogen Hype is dying!
For some time, Green Hydrogen has been the clarion call of many a climate change zealot. Green Hydrogen remains a colourless gas of course, but because it is created using renewable energy it conveniently turns 'green'. Green as opposed to the 'Blue' Hydrogen that is produced using natural gas.
Despite substantial investment over 2 decades, very few Green Hydrogen plants have become economic. Most projects are announced with great fanfare on the front pages of our newspapers boasting substantial seed money from the government, ie our money. Then after a short period, you will find a small bi-line on the Business pages explaining that the project had to be abandoned due to unforeseen costs.
This is a scam! There are known serious issues with both the creation and the storage of hydrogen. It takes much more energy to produce Hydrogen from renewable energy than what is subsequently returned when the Hydrogen is used as a clean, green fuel. Storage is another serious issue. Hydrogen atoms are small and manage to insinuate themselves between the atoms that make up their containers, making them brittle, and given Hydrogen is explosive, containment remains a serious unsolved issue.
Given these facts and the many failures of Hydrogen projects in the past, we can only ask whether the governments are being played by businessmen seeking government money, or are the governments making the investment knowing that the projects will fail but rewarding business people who support them? Either way...
Given the recent history of Arab intrasnigence against Israel, one could be accused of overreacting to even a flicker of a change in attitude. A recent video posted by MEMRI is a veritable truth bomb delivered by a Kuwaiti writer directly on air. It is indeed a change 'devoutly to be wished', but perhaps just a flicker at this time. Still better than no flicker. Must watch!
Woke AI is useless!
The promise of AI is mind-boggling. Yet anyone who is trying to use it soon hits artificial walls. When I asked Copilot to produce an image of the Hamas-Israel conflict , to use in one of my posts, Copilot begged off responding;
"Sorry, I can't generate images related to conflicts or violence. But I can provide information or discuss the topic if you'd like. Let me know how I can help!"
Of course, this is only one such instance. We have all become aware of illustrations generated by AI to simple requests that are clearly nonsense, such as a request for a picture of the founding fathers of the US returning images of women and African Americans. This is not due to conflict avoidance but due to artificial restrictions imposed on the programs by the developers to promote DEI, ie Woke ideology. Of course, this makes the programs pretty useless. It may take a little time but the Woke virus will be inevitably removed and AI will flourish.
