The flood of polling in the week after the budget is inevitably followed in the week after that. Here’s all I have:
• The tracking poll of Anthony Albanese’s personal ratings maintained by US pollster Morning Consult records no significant change, with Albanese starting November on 57% approval and 30% disapproval, down one and up two from the start of October.
• As reported by Anna Macdonald at The Mandarin, Electoral Commissioner Tom Rogers told the Joint Standing Committe on Electoral Matters the commission was struggling to attract staff at election time due to low pay and “bizarre behaviour” at polling places. Specifically, Rogers said the May federal election was marked by “people coming into the polling place and recording interactions with our staff, shouting at our staff, and some fairly bizarre behaviour that we haven’t seen previously”.
• Independent ACT Senator David Pocock has made a submission to the inquiry calling for the two territories to have six Senators serving six-year terms on the same staggered cycle that applies to the rest of the Senate, as distinct from the current situation where they have two Senators each whose terms are tied to the House.
Guy could pay them in lobsters?
citizen @ #1952 Sunday, November 13th, 2022 – 5:14 pm
That sounds about right. $20 😆
I see that Alfred Venison is sleazing up to that mass murderer Putin.
As always, the question is this: Why?
Is AV an algorithm? It would explain the inhumanity.
Andrew_Earlwood, Mavis, Shellbell, WWP, and other legal eagles
Following is the comment I read on another blog. I found it interesting. What is your opinion about it?
Expanding the Supreme Court is not required.
US Constitution, Art III, Sect. 2 says (in part, my bolding):
In all Cases affecting Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls, and those in which a State shall be Party, the supreme Court shall have original Jurisdiction. In all the other Cases before mentioned, the supreme Court shall have appellate Jurisdiction, both as to Law and Fact, with such Exceptions, and under such Regulations as the Congress shall make.
So Congress can pass mere laws which strip selected jurisdiction from the Supreme Court. And in fact in this last session of Congress, Congress actually used this power and stripped the Supreme Court of the power to review a newly passed law (IIRC it was the reinstatement of the ability of the EPA to regulate greenhouse gases).
While Congress has not demonstrated a willingness to expand the Supreme Court (yet?), Congress has demonstrated a willingness to strip the Supreme Court of jurisdiction.
So go with what Congress seems willing to actually do: Strip the Supreme Court of jurisdiction.
alfred venison with the daily Russian propaganda. Russia’s retreat to the left bank of the Dnieper was a masterstroke! 😆
”
Themunzsays:
Sunday, November 13, 2022 at 3:03 pm
Great US Senate result. How long will Mitch McConnell last. Evil personified.
”
More evil than most Republican congressmen and Congresswomen and senators. I can’t think of any more evil than him (or I can’t think of any who are evil and cutthroat mentality like him) in US Congress. He has no scruples.
Griff at 4.16 pm
Thanks for the Walrand article on Covid and latitude. Interesting particularly due to data from brief period before vaccination. Following paras are most significant.
“The positive linear slope of the sun UVB threshold versus the country latitude (Fig. 4) is also in line with the fact that, due to natural adaptation, populations have increasingly pigmented skin when the latitude decreases. As a result, skin vitamin D production in northern populations is affected by the sun UVB decrease in a slower manner than that of the southern populations.
Figure 4 is also in line with the low population mortality observed within ±35° latitudes and reported in Hubei located at 31° latitude, because these regions are above the sun UV daily dose 34% average threshold most of the year. The present study thus suggests that a low 25(OH)D concentration is a contributing factor of COVID-19 severity, as already shown by previous studies, which together constitute a convincing bundle of evidence. By increasing the coronavirus load in the respiratory tract, the contagiousness in the population is also increased,
starting a chain reaction that explains the wave surge.”
However, when you look at aggregate Covid per capita deaths in Europe, the worst countries are mostly in SE Europe, partly because of poorer public health systems. For western Europe, the two countries that are worse than the UK are Greece and Italy (of which Italy is really worse because many actual Covid deaths in first wave were not counted as Covid deaths due to inadequate testing).
In the second wave in the European autumn and winter of 2020, Portugal fared worse than Sweden before vaccination, so latitude is one of many factors involved.
Some backbench Tory MPs urged widespread Vitamin D supplementation early in the pandemic, but this was not adopted in the UK. Arguably it should have been.
See: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/nov/14/covid-uk-government-requests-guidance-on-vitamin-d-use
An Irish study recommended specific supplementation focused on certain groups.
“Meanwhile, the likely effect of advocating for mass supplementation is that individuals, who are best able to self-medicate, are the ones who are least likely to
need supplementation. Frail older adults, lower socio-economic groups and minority ethnic groups are more likely to have lower 25OHD and are less likely to afford the means for supplementation. It is better to have a targeted approach to vitamin D supplementation such as the frail older adult.”
https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/bmjopen/12/8/e059477.full.pdf (p 6)
They note that mandatory fortification of food with Vit D in Finland has helped.
Finland (now 1,181 deaths per million from Covid) had the biggest discrepancy in western Europe between reported Covid deaths and excess deaths during the pandemic to the end of 2021, but, together with Norway, Iceland and Cyprus (countries that may have higher vit D intake due to more fish like cod in diet) it is among the few smaller European countries that have performed adequately.
For the poor performance in Europe, see first article at:
https://openjournals.library.sydney.edu.au/ANZJES/issue/view/1111 (pp 4-20)
AFL is a game of marngrook wrecked by the gubba!
These are demographics for the US in relation to the recent election, indicating why the Repugs have problems. It can’t be a lot different in Australia, and particularly Victoria which has the youngest population in the country. Not good for the Libs and right-wingers.
C@tmomma says:
Sunday, November 13, 2022 at 3:55 pm
Cronus @ #1902 Sunday, November 13th, 2022 – 2:58 pm
Socrates
And with the bridges blown by the withdrawing Russians, if large numbers were left behind in Kherson then it’ll send a terrible message to the rest about their unimportance to Putin and his generals. You can lie to soldiers (not recommended) but you can’t fool them.
Cronus,
Do you think the Ukrainians have calculated that the Russians were expecting an attack from the right bank of the Dnieper towards them on the left bank? Instead the Ukrainians have gone to the far left Kinburns’ka Spit. Then to attack from the side towards areas that would probably be unfortified?
———————————————————————————————
Hi C@T
With regards to the Kinburns’ka Spit, quite possible. There is a ‘recent example of such a ruse that I’m very familiar with.
In 1982, the Israelis invaded Lebanon. One of the key locations in South Lebanon on their way to the objective of Beirut was a place called Chateau (castle) Beaufort which was held by the Palestinians. This location was very defensible and could really only be attacked from the north. Instead, after feinting from the north with artillery, the Israelis took the most difficult, most unlikely and boldest route attacking with infantry at night from the south directly up treacherous cliff faces and successfully overran the castle. Absolutely brilliant example of doing that which was least expected and by definition, the least defended.
C@tmomma says:
Sunday, November 13, 2022 at 4:00 pm
And having lost to Italy overnight, Australian Rugby Union has likely achieved its nadir, how embarrassment was that?
Now, let me get my reasoning in a yabba mode here, Cronus… So, because the #1 game in Italy is soccer, why do the Italians bother playing Rugby Union? But they beat Australia anyway.
———————————————————————————————
Chuckles then sighs deeply (as an ex ra ra boy). Yep that’s going to be difficult for Yabba to explain away I’m afraid (notwithstanding the second rate team Australia put on the field). The Italians can only after all play the team put up against them and they outplayed them. Sorry Yabba.
It seems Trumpty Dumpty has fallen from his (rather incomplete) ‘great big wall’.
I reckon it’ll take more than a few hefalumps and repug men to put him back together again.
Sohar says:
Sunday, November 13, 2022 at 4:10 pm
“Rugby Union would have to be the fourth biggest football code in Australia, after AFL, League and soccer, so the code punches above its weight most of the time. Rugby in NZ is the equivalent of AFL in The Australian southern states, so you’d expect the ABs to dominate.”
———————————————————————————————
Having won two rugby world cups we might’ve expected a better performance from the Wallabies though over the past twenty years. If we over-performed late last century I think we’ve under-performed this century.
Taylormadesays:
Sunday, November 13, 2022 at 4:30 pm
The important element that you and the Age seem to ignore is that it was the Chinese Premier who initiated the contact.
Alfred Venison
“ the supply and defence of kherson is a problematic proposition for either side. but since the completion of russia’s planned and orderly withdrawal, it has become ukraine’s problem.”
—————————————————————————————-
That’s a problem I’m sure the Ukrainians are happy to have. And if it was a problem, why did the Russians take it in the first place?
C@tmomma says:
Sunday, November 13, 2022 at 5:18 pm
alfred venison with the daily Russian propaganda. Russia’s retreat to the left bank of the Dnieper was a masterstroke!
——————————————————————————————-
As I said yesterday h mighty Russian army are mastering the art of the withdrawal with monotonous regularity. They’re getting very very good at it.
alfred must have just received his parody blue tick from Twitter.
Cat at 4 pm and Cronus at 5.49 pm
One might be advised not to talk to Italian soccer fans for the next few weeks. Italy could have been playing Ghana on 24 Nov, if only they had been Portugal in the final play-off, having earlier beaten North Macedonia, but they lost to North Macedonia. Population of North Macedonia is just over 2 million. Over 20,000 Covid deaths to the end of 2021. About every 100th person has died from Covid.
Australia really shining at COP27, I see …
From the Guardian live blog …
Still, thank goodness we at least have an ambitious target to keep warming below 1.5 degrees, so that perhaps this fund won’t even be necessary … oh, wait …
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/nov/12/climate-target-cop27-breakdown-fossil-fuel
Reality. Gets you every time.
Dr Doolittle,
I read that the Israelis have finally decided to provide Ukraine with tactical advice, if not actually weaponry. They have also provided IT hardware, support and training in its use. I have always thought that they should support their man in power. 🙂
A not unexpected reaction:
As with all things Rupert fucked Rugby Union. Not just here but in England where 2 traditional clubs have been bankrupted and a 3rd is about to go.
He almost did the same to Rugby League but in the end I think he shook it up enough to make it viable in the long term
Sohar says:
Sunday, November 13, 2022 at 5:44 pm
These are demographics for the US in relation to the recent election, indicating why the Repugs have problems. It can’t be a lot different in Australia, and particularly Victoria which has the youngest population in the country. Not good for the Libs and right-wingers.
——————————–
People have been talking about a pending demographic cliff for decades and it hasn’t happened for good reason because age alone means nothing.
Well Matthew Guy realises it. These days, Greens’ voters are closer to the Liberals than Labor.
Of course Red Ted Theodore should be venerated – after all he started a long tradition of ALP insiders retiring to work at the beck and call of the Packers.
David Rowe!
Indeed, although I think they started as partners until Sir Frank knifed him
From that point, he graduated to dodgy gold mines in Fiji with John Wren of Power without Glory fame.
This guy pulls no punches, Republican operative Nick Fuentes says…
“We need a dictatorship. We need to take control of the government and force the people to believe what we believe.”
https://twitter.com/NoLieWithBTC/status/1590771129681342464?s=20&t=Ymnh-8dysV36gNpAzod8XQ
Theodore was crucial in procuring some union presses for Packer to get the Daily Tele up and running. Plenty of irony there.
”People have been talking about a pending demographic cliff for decades and it hasn’t happened for good reason because age alone means nothing.”
Many of the caring, idealistic young will in time turn into grumpy old conservatives.
nath says:
Sunday, November 13, 2022 at 6:41 pm
Theodore was crucial in procuring some union presses for Packer to get the Daily Tele up and running. Plenty of irony there.
—————
Frank Packer’s attitude towards labor makes Rupert look like a friend of labor.
Lars Von Trier says:
Sunday, November 13, 2022 at 6:24 pm
Of course Red Ted Theodore should be venerated – after all he started a long tradition of ALP insiders retiring to work at the beck and call of the Packers.
中华人民共和国
You should learn your history better cobber before you post. Even Wikipedia gets it right. But hey why let the truth get in the way of a good story. There is another on here like that.
“Theodore left politics entirely after his defeat.[12] In 1932, Theodore began a business relationship with 25-year-old Frank Packer, the son of newspaper industry veteran R. C. Packer. The duo formed Sydney Newspapers Limited with the aim of acquiring The World, a daily newspaper published by the Australian Workers’ Union that was known to be in financial difficulties. For £100, they acquired the rights to lease the masthead and plant for one year. It was subsequently announced that the newspaper would be re-branded as The Star and would be priced at 1d (one penny), compared with 1½d for its major rival The Sun, published by Associated Newspapers Limited. Hugh Denison, the managing director of Associated Newspapers, paid Theodore and Packer £86,500 in return for an agreement for them not to publish a daily or Sunday newspaper for three years.[13]
Theodore invested most of his profits back into Associated Newspapers, buying shares at a low price and selling them later for a 500–600% return.[14] He and Frank Packer subsequently decided to create a new weekly magazine for women, which they titled The Australian Women’s Weekly. George Warnecke, an ALP acquaintance of Theodore’s, was appointed as the founding editor. The new publication proved immensely successful, and in 1936 Theodore and Packer joined forces with Denison to form Australian Consolidated Press (ACP), which became the new publisher of the Women’s Weekly and Denison’s The Daily Telegraph.[13] Theodore served as chairman of the new company, but “interested himself only in the financial and administrative aspects” while Packer concentrated on publishing.[15]”
Bless! Lars von Trier is getting the band back together again. The Old Anti Labor Lags. 🙂
Mexicanbeemer says:
Sunday, November 13, 2022 at 6:47 pm
nath says:
Sunday, November 13, 2022 at 6:41 pm
Theodore was crucial in procuring some union presses for Packer to get the Daily Tele up and running. Plenty of irony there.
—————
Frank Packer’s attitude towards labor makes Rupert look like a friend of labor.
中华人民共和国
You two Mexicans having a go at a Queenslander who succeeded in business. Cranky because he was a Labor Man. Me thinks “The Angry Victorian Party” should be rebranded the “Re-Writing History Victorian Party”.
Dr Doolittle
Another factor on covid mortality that was first looked at by transport analysts in 2021 was air quality. There was a correlation between cities with worse air qualityon WHO metrics, and rate of death given a covid infection.
We know that cities with poorer air quality (esp particulates and NOX) have more people with respiratory illnesses (and higher death rates). So there might have been a higher proportion of people in these cities with already damaged lungs. Diesel engine emissions in particular are quite damaging to lungs. (So are coal power plant emissions if you live downwind of one).
Yes, we must not point out any irony in successive Labor figures assisting the Packer Empire as they proceeded to run anti-Labor material for decades. Mostly.
Socrates says:
Sunday, November 13, 2022 at 6:54 pm
Dr Doolittle
Another factor on covid mortality that was first looked at by transport analysts in 2021 was air quality. There was a correlation between cities with worse air qualityon WHO metrics, and rate of death given a covid infection.
We know that cities with poorer air quality (esp particulates and NOX) have more people with respiratory illnesses (and higher death rates). So there might have been a higher proportion of people in these cities with already damaged lungs. Diesel engine emissions in particular are quite damaging to lungs. (So are coal power plant emissions if you live downwind of one).
中华人民共和国
And Durries which I read may explain partially the high Southern European numbers compared to Northern Europe.
My Thai Friends out their safety down to wearing Buddhist amulets. When I point out their road safety record things go quiet.
That was better than Meatloaf
nath says:
Sunday, November 13, 2022 at 6:55 pm
Yes, we must not point out any irony in successive Labor figures assisting the Packer Empire as they proceeded to run anti-Labor material for decades. Mostly.
中华人民共和国
I think your quarrel should be with Rupert and his minions. Sure Flo used to get a run in the Womens Weekly but Julia did too.
Also considering Red Ted passed in 1949 you guys are really trying to best to drag down a lifetime spent in the Labour Movement. Won’t succeed. He got the runs on the board.
Historian Ross Fitzgerald has called him “the most talented Labor politician never to be prime minister of Australia”, and noted that his admirers include Paul Keating, Bob Katter, and Jack Lang (his former opponent) and Upnorth.
Steve777 says:
Sunday, November 13, 2022 at 6:45 pm
”People have been talking about a pending demographic cliff for decades and it hasn’t happened for good reason because age alone means nothing.”
Many of the caring, idealistic young will in time turn into grumpy old conservatives.
—————————————
Its not that they turn into grumpy old conservatives but that political parties and issues change.
Upnorth
You two Mexicans having a go at a Queenslander who succeeded in business. Cranky because he was a Labor Man. Me thinks “The Angry Victorian Party” should be rebranded the “Re-Writing History Victorian Party”.
————————–
Is its rewriting history to say Frank Packer was anti-labor party?
The Nine ASPI shills trying to suggest that Penny Wong was calling out Keating and Carr (the Labor realists about the importance of China). Just the opposite.
This is a great quote.
It is an insult to all Gough did to prepare us for the future if we act as though we live in a world that has long since passed.”
Yep. America no longer can run the show on its own nor should it. Good to see the Albanese Government recognising that being so tied to America, of itself, is no longer sound foreign policy.
Vic upper house group voting tickets
https://www.vec.vic.gov.au/candidates-and-parties/become-a-state-election-candidate/groups-and-voting-tickets
Not sure if others know anything about this story on the recent Adelaide mayoral election but its a bit troubling. ACC has been dominated by something of an old guard pro business faction for some years. The cbd population is small and it can easily be dominated by property owners who get to vote in it even if non resident.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-11-13/jane-lomax-smith-provisionally-elected-lord-mayor/101648368?fbclid=IwAR3nhlHIC2P2TC0bN6p4-0zKtP0TP7HhnSuAxZ1KitoKluQiOklRou7cDlk
There is no suggestion winning Labor candidate Jane Lomax Smith is at fault. But the number of tainted votes exceeds the margin. There is a suggestion some persons have run a vote harvesting operation among international students in the CBD.
Wranslide
“ It is an insult to all Gough did to prepare us for the future if we act as though we live in a world that has long since passed.”
Yep. America no longer can run the show on its own nor should it. Good to see the Albanese Government recognising that being so tied to America, of itself, is no longer sound foreign policy.”
Sanity at last.
Mexicanbeemer says:
Sunday, November 13, 2022 at 7:07 pm
Upnorth
You two Mexicans having a go at a Queenslander who succeeded in business. Cranky because he was a Labor Man. Me thinks “The Angry Victorian Party” should be rebranded the “Re-Writing History Victorian Party”.
————————–
Is its rewriting history to say Frank Packer was anti-labor party?
中华人民共和国
No. But to drag down Theodore as the original poster tried to do was.
You and Nath went along for the ride. I will have no truck with that sort of character assassination of a great labor man.
What the Packers did post 1949 doesn’t concern Red Ted.
Upnorth
I was only talking about Frank Packer.
Red was an interesting politician.
Mexicanbeemer says:
Sunday, November 13, 2022 at 7:17 pm
Upnorth
I was only talking about Frank Packer.
Red was an interesting politician.
中华人民共和国
Roger that cobber. Then we are in agreement. You stay safe matey.
Rooftop solar on homes and businesses will be heavily curtailed in South Australia as authorities respond to a rare “islanding” of the state grid after heavy storms brought down at least one transmission tower and caused multiple transmission lines to trip.
The incident was sparked on Saturday afternoon when severe storms swept through the state, and a fallen transmission tower near Tailem Bend caused both circuits on a 275kV transmission line to trip, separating the state’s grid at 4.40pm (AEST) from the rest of the National Electricity Market.
The Australian Energy Market Operator says the South Australia grid – which leads the world in its share of wind and solar (66 per cent of local demand in the last 12 month) – remains in a secure operating state.
It says that electricity supplies to customers were not affected by the fallen tower, although the local network operator, SA Power Networks, says that up to 160,000 people were without power at one stage because of fallen poles and wires in local areas.
However, AEMO has had to intervene in the market to dial down significantly the amount of rooftop solar PV that is sending power into the grid because the state is isolated. South Australia has, at times, had nearly all its domestic demand met by rooftop solar, but on those occasions it is able to send surplus power to Victoria, and it still has enough “controllable” assets to manage the grid.