rambo

A new list of the strongest armies in the world was published recently, based on the Global Fire Power 2021 index, in which the first three countries remained unchanged – the USA, Russia and China. Let us recall that the Global Firepower ranking uses more than 50 factors to determine the PowerIndex (PwrIndx) of foreign armies with reference to the categories ranging from military power and finance to logistics and geography. Global Firepower carefully monitors the annual defense expenditure budgets of each country on this list, which are essential to maintain a country’s defense capability. Experts have been compiling the Global Firepower rating since 2006, and it covers 140 countries of the world.

mo... 

The suburbs of Darlinghurst, Woolloomooloo and Kings Cross in Sydney, Australia, in the late 1920s and early 1930s was a world in turmoil with vicious ‘razor’ gangs battling for control of the criminal underworld.  They were called razor gangs because of the cut throat razor (a straight shaving blade) that was the weapon of choice, especially after the Pistol Licensing Act of 1927 meant automatic gaol time for anyone caught carrying an unlicensed firearm.

 

The razor gangs at the heart of these wars were led by Tilly Devine and Kate Leigh. The upsurge in organised crime in the late 1920s is usually attributed to several factors:

 

steptoe and son

Public burning has understandably had a bad rap throughout history, from Savonarola’s late 15th century bonfires of the vanities and his own eventual death by fire, to the Nazi student book burnings of 1933; there is usually something ominous about fire in public places, the flicker of mob rule. Then again, the burning of effigies can represent an act of political solidarity.

macroniteEmmanuel Macron's road to the presidency may explain his blunt approach to international diplomacy

 

To anyone else, it might have been a simple photo op with the US President. But to Emmanuel Macron, it was a political opportunity.

Sitting across from Donald Trump, a man defined by chaos and bluster, the French President made a strategic calculation, one he hoped would earn him respect.

With the eyes of the world on the two newly minted presidents in 2017, Macron gripped the ex-Apprentice star's hands for several seconds, so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

scomo...

Warren is a right-wing cartoonist working for the Murdoch media. He is sensitive enough to recognise the issue of the moment, but in his inimitable biased way he will "forget" the main character that has plagued the Aussie news recently... So in a moment of comic rectification Gus has added the missing personage who actually should figure far more prominently than the other politicians in Warren's cartoon of the Saturday Telegraph of the 6th of November 2021...

Yes, we know that Macron, Malcolm and Kevin have a bit of a ticket on themselves... But the bigger ego of all is that of ScoMo who lies, porkies and tells big fibs, like a seasoned piece of wood called Pinocchio.

dirty

Mining the Planet to Death

 

The Dirty Truth About Clean Technologies

 

The poor South is being exploited so that the rich North can transition to environmental sustainability. Entire swaths of land are being destroyed to secure the resources needed to produce wind turbines and solar cells. Are there alternatives?

 

childcare

NSW Treasurer Matt Kean has singled out women as being critical to the state’s economic recovery, flagging a big spending program to expand childcare so more women can work.

In his first interview with the Herald since becoming Treasurer, Mr Kean said increasing female workforce participation was the first in his four-pronged agenda to fire up productivity, along with climate change action, investments in science and technology and improving housing affordability.

 

“For us to succeed as a state we need to make sure that we have as many of our best and brightest people participating fully in our economy,” Mr Kean said. “That’s why we need to increase the participation rate for women in our workforce.”

flyback

The look on Scott Morrison’s face said it all when he emerged from the grey vastness of his government jet and prepared to descend the stairs to home turf. Tense, anxious, taut.

The Prime Minister was alert for danger as he scanned the tarmac below and saw the waiting photographers. After a horror week on the international stage, he wore the frown of a man who expects no relief from days of damage.

Morrison got home safely on Thursday morning but will not be in any hurry to reboard the plane. The KC-30 modified RAAF Airbus that took him to Rome and Glasgow over the past week will go back to its duties as a tanker transport. With an election ahead and a diplomatic disaster behind, Morrison is done with global summits for now.

 democracy

Right now, in the West, this power is coming into the hands of progressives, who will use it to stamp out racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, and the rest. They will be able to detect the existence of these things before people can act on them. The technology is already there; it just hasn’t been implemented. Yet.

The Age of Antichrist is not about Ozzy Osbourne and pale Goths. It’s about nebbishy Lin Jinyue, the head of Human Resources at major companies, and Silicon Valley. And it is here. They are going to use their power to establish a reign of virtue. There will be no room for non-compliant Christians in it (or non-complying anyone else). We were warned 2,000 years ago. We are warned once again by Paul Kingsnorth, whether he knows it or not.

 

 bullets

The following article is from 2015...

The gray lump that’s labeled 1 is the bullet. Typically, these contain a lead core that’s enveloped in a harder metallic case. Bullets poke out from the top of a shell (2), which also houses gunpowder (3) or a similar substance.

Now, look at the shell’s bottom. Down there, you’ll find both a rim (4) and a primer (5). When the gun’s trigger is pulled, a firing pin strikes the primer, causing the powder to ignite. As it burns, it rapidly releases gasses that build up with enough force to launch the bullet out of the cartridge and through the gun barrel.

economics

WASHINGTON — At an impromptu news conference this week, Senator Joe Manchin III, Democrat of West Virginia, lamented the “shell games” and “budget gimmicks” he said his party was using to artificially reduce the $1.85 trillion price tag of the spending bill moving through Congress, saying the real cost was probably double that amount.

“This is a recipe for economic crisis,” Mr. Manchin warned, suggesting that he would not support a bill without understanding its potential impact on the economy.

DT...

When Scott Morrison fronted the travelling media at a stopover in Dubai on his way home, he looked drained. Here was a man in need of a steaming hot bath, and a big political reset.

 

Interruption from Gus here: No Ms Grattan, what Scott Saucisson needs is a few kicks up the arse and a boot out the door... Anything else is cajoling. Anyway Ms Grattan continues:

 

He's presumably had the opportunity for the former; he and his advisers will be mulling over the latter for a long while yet. It's not an easy assignment, especially when it involves issues of integrity.

spoof...Cancelling Terry Gilliam because some theatre staff don’t like his opinions is pathetic

 

Gilliam was set to stage the musical ‘Into The Woods’ next year, but the production has now been shelved, after staff at London’s Old Vic objected to his views on trans issues and the #MeToo movement.

It might be the funniest movie scene of all time, but it’d never get past the cultural thought police these days. No way.

morrison is deceitful...

Scott Morrison is crap.

 

gasoline

US President Joe Biden told reporters at a Wednesday speaking event that the passage of his hefty spending bill could've “maybe” helped elect Democrat Terry McAuliffe in the Virginia gubernatorial race.