There is considerable scientific evidence which indicates that the more time spent seated, the greater the risk of death from all causes. Sitting can literally kill us. This is obviously not good news for most of us, who even if we don’t watch TV or play computer games, still must spend a large part of the day seated.

However, a recent study in The Lancet, by U. Ekelund (et al.), “Does physical activity attenuate, or even eliminate, the detrimental association of sitting time with mortality? A harmonised meta-analysis of data from more than 1 million men and women,” (2016), offers us hope. It was found, contrary to some previous research, that 60-75 minutes of moderate physical activity, such as walking the dog, is enough to counteract the ill-effects of a desk job, even with 8 hours seated. Even 25 minutes’ exercise is of some help.

An incredible story from Natural news.com, that Facebook is now blocking all stories which mention as keywords “mandatory vaccinations.” Ooops, I just got blocked! (See: http://www.naturalnews.com/055096_Facebook_immunizations_blocking_stories.html.) Natural News found that blocking occurred on Facebook because its article on mandatory vaccinations “violate community standards.” This is part of a growing trend in social media to clamp down on positions that the global elites oppose, including criticism of refugees.

The answer is recommended by Mike Adams is to stop using Google, Facebook and Twitter and use other internet resources such as the search engine GoodGopher.com, and other alternative news services which will not censor free speech.

What a sick joke the whole submarine saga has been. Although the leak of top secret information about India’s 6 Scorpene submarines, worth $ US 3 billion, has been denied to have any impact upon Australia’s submarine program, the same French shipbuilder, DCNS, is involved. The leaked information could lead to India’s subs being, well, dead in the water, as the 22,000-page leak gives away enough information to neutralise these subs. And if this security breach could happen once, who’s to say that it won’t happen again, leading to Australia’s subs going down the gurgler.

http://renews.biz/101854/first-power-at-shetland-tidal-array/

A Scottish energy company’s tidal turbine system has become the first in the world to deliver electricity to the national grid.
Nova Innovation said its Shetland Isles project marks a big step forward in using tidal energy as a reliable source of renewable power.
The firm installed its first turbine in the Bluemull Sound earlier this year, with the device generating to full power across all tidal conditions.
A second turbine was installed this month to work alongside the first.

The company’s eventual goal is to have large number of turbines connected in an "array".
Simon Forrest, managing director of Nova Innovation said:
"We are absolutely delighted to be the first company in the world to deploy a fully operational tidal array."
He added: "Deploying the second turbine truly sets us apart and showcases our technology.
"I would like to thank all our staff, partners and suppliers for helping to make our vision a reality."

“Feminists Decry Sex Change Proposal, (The Australian, August 26, 2016, p. 7), is one of those stories illustrating the paradoxes of our culturally diverse society. The Tasmanian anti-discrimination commissioner has recommended changes to the Births, Deaths and marriages Registration Act, so that men who self-identify as women, should be legally able to change their sex, even before having a sex change operation. If such changes are made, it will be as easy to change one’s sex as changing one’s name, and in principle, people could change their sex multiple times, even once a year, or maybe more.

Feminist groups have criticised the proposal, arguing that such reforms “legally erase the existence of female people,” and would undermine the protection of women under anti-discrimination law. As one feminist put it; “By allowing any person to self-identify their sex, it effectively redefines what ‘sex’ means under law….It stops being a reflection of a physical biological reality and becomes a social construct and a reflection of how a person subjectively feels about themselves.”

We, in Australia, need to keep tabs on what is happening over the lake, back in my home country of the United States. Taki mag, I find is a good conservative site, but some articles may be a little gamey for our gentle folk, although the tone has gone down in recent months. That which happens in America, pretty soon washes onto our shores, so it is good to keep track on their decadence and social decline. The site is good for its discussions of the complexities of race, giving us here some idea of what mass migration has in store for Australians.

David Cole – yes, that David Cole – in “L.A’s dirty Little Brown Secret,’  August 25, 2016, at http://takimag.com/article/las_dirty_little_brown_secret_david_cole#axzz4IfqZ57uR, tells us about the racial politics of Boyle Heights in East  L. A., where even before the second world war, a Hispanic gang, the Big Hazard Gang, Hazard Grande, made this suburb 94 percent Latino, by using force to keep American blacks out of the neighbourhood. Blacks who attempted to settle had their homes fire bombed by Molotov cocktails hurled at their homes.

Hillary Clinton’s latest revelation, brought to us by the generous folk at Wikileaks, is that as Secretary of State, she was the mastermind of the fall of the Gaddafi regime, a fall which according to DC Whispers.com (August 27, 2016, at http://dcwhispers.com/wikileaks-outlines-hillary-clinton-bidding-saudi-masters-turned-libya-isis-hellhole/)   “resulted in a missing 1.5 billion dollars sent to Libya by Hillary Clinton,” the death of four Americans, and thousands more people. Wikileaks reveals that it was all done because the House of Saud wanted it. And surprise, surprise, the House of Saud has donated millions to the Clinton foundation and her own campaign to be president of the United States.

Other emails reveal that France and the United Kingdom both sought to control Libya’s oil after the US-backed coup in 2011, and that France sought to control Libya’s gold and silver reserves, that at the time were worth around $US 7 billion. The email on this made no mention of humanitarian concerns, but was solely directed to the major power players, such as France, carving up Libya’s resources.

The great section 18 C (Racial Discrimination Act) debate continues, with The Australian newspaper publishing some very good critical articles, almost every day. And this is all very good, as there is a renewed push to amend the Act, with Liberal Senator Dean Smith, co-sponsoring a bill with Cory Bernardi, which in Bernardi’s words aims to protect us against “totalitarian Newspeak,”and to defend “a fundamental freedom that should apply to all.” (The Australian, August 18, 2016, p. 7)

Justice Sackville has also been quoted in the media as supporting reform of section 18 C, in terms of moving to an objective test based on community standards, rather than the existing subjective test, that is, how the comments would affect a reasonable representative of those who lodged the complaint.  (The Weekend Australian, August 20-21, 2016, p.10) This proposal would make it easier for courts to deal with cases, but it does not address the fundamental issues about freedom of speech raised by others.

Towards a Christian Æsthetic

p.41  The manufacturer of this type of entertainment (amusement-art-ed) is not by any means interpreting and revealing his own experience to himself and us — he is either indulging his own day-dreams, or still more falsely and venially he is saying: “What is it the audience think they would like to have experienced? Let us show them that, so that they can wallow in emotion by pretending to have experienced it.” This kind of pseudo-art is “wish-fulfilment” or “escape” literature in the worst sense — it is an escape, not from the “impact of external events” into the citadel of experienced reality, but an escape from reality and experience into a world of merely external events — the progressive externalisation of consciousness. For occasional relaxation this is all right; but it can be carried to the point where, not merely art, but the whole universe of phenomena becomes a screen on which we see the magnified projection of our unreal selves, as the object of equally unreal emotions.

In our days of darkness, spreading ignorance, and absence of serious debate in public forums, we can take hope from the fact that some scholars still produce serious and informative books on the most critical issues of our time. If in the future policymakers again seek the guidance of truth, they will have the information at hand. One such book of truth is Jeremy R. Hammond’s just published Obstacle to Peace, a closely reasoned, heavily documented (68 pages of footnotes), fully indexed, readable book with a Foreword by Richard Falk, an Introduction by Gene Epstein, and an endorsement by Noam Chomsky.

Fifty years ago the average working New Zealander worked less hours than today. Most mums were able to be full-time mums. How come with all the labour-saving advances we now work longer hours, have a longer working life, and only a small percentage of mums can afford to be full time homemakers?

There is no physical reason why this should be. The unthinking, in particular politicians it seems, who forever cry that governments should create jobs and pursue full employment, have not considered the absurdity of this. Many sources are now predicting that as much as half of existing jobs will be replaced over the next few decades by technical advances and robotics.

I suspect that those pushing to eliminate Easter trading restrictions are motivated by idealism rather than economic realities. That idealism wants to destroy all connections this country has to its religious heritage - a heritage that did not put bean-counting before family and community life.

I suggest that “our” politicians have a look into why all economic trading presently leaves an ever larger trail of unrepayable financial debt, instead of concocting hair-brained schemes for increasing employment and trading when we all ought to be enjoying expanding economic freedom.

BD, New Zealand

a Statement by Viv Forbes, Founding Secretary of “Clexit” (Climate Exit)
29 August 2016
For at least a decade we have been told by the UN/IPCC, by most government media and officials, by many politicians, and by the Green “charities” and their media friends that “the science is settled”. We are lectured by Hollywood stars, failed politicians and billionaire speculators that anyone who opposes the World War on Carbon Dioxide is ignorant, mischievous or supporting some hidden vested interest. We endure calls for an end to free speech for climate sceptics, smearing with derogatory terms like “denier”, and even aggressive punishments like dismissal and legal action against sceptics for speaking out. We notice the sudden and unexplained denial of pre-booked sceptic conference facilities and the steadfast refusal of alarmists to debate facts and issues.
 
Why are they so afraid of words? Surely this is a sign that their facts are shonky and their arguments are feeble? They fear they are losing the confidence of the public.
 
The tide is turning, and informed opposition is growing. It is time for the thinking media to give sceptical evidence and conclusions a fair go in the court of public opinion.
 
In a short time with no costly international meetings and very little publicity, Clexit has gathered the support of over 115 members in 20 countries. Please look at the list of Foundation Members and countries: http://clexit.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/clexit-members.pdf
 
Look at the skills, qualifications, experience and wisdom of our founding members; and the many other well-qualified dissenters listed at the end. The science is clearly not settled.
 
This global warming alarm started with UN sponsored groups such as the IPCC. But Clexit has members who were official IPCC reviewers but they dissented from the final public IPCC reports which were prepared by political appointees.
 
The climate alarm rests totally on computerised models of atmospheric physics. But Clexit has highly qualified meteorologists, physicists, astro-physicists, radiation experts, climate modellers and long-range forecasters who reject the science, maths, assumptions and forecasts of the greenhouse-driven computer models.
 
We are told that Earth’s climate is controlled by the gradual increase of a tiny trace of one colourless gas in the atmosphere. But Clexit has specialists who can show that the warm and cold currents in the deep and extensive oceans, the variable water vapour in the atmosphere and Earth’s changing cover of ice, snow and clouds have far more effect on weather and climate than carbon dioxide.
 
We are told that carbon dioxide is a pollutant. But Clexit has organic chemists, biologists, physicians, naturalists, graziers, foresters and farmers who know that extra carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is very beneficial for Earth’s biosphere – deserts are contracting, bush and forests are expanding, and crop yields are up.
 
We are told that sea levels are rising alarmingly. But Clexit has experts on sea level history and measurement who can prove that there is nothing unusual or alarming about current fluctuations in sea levels.
 
We are told that today’s climate is extreme and unusual. But Clexit has geologists and geographers who have studied eons of climate history via ice cores, stratigraphy, paleontology, deep-sea drilling, historical records, glaciers, ice sheets and landscapes and who say that climate change is normal and today’s climate is not extreme or unusual.
 
We are told to fear the coming global warming. But Clexit has geologists and researchers who have studied the cycles of the ice ages and the climate effects of the Milankovitch cycles in Earth’s orbit – obliquity, eccentricity and precession. They say we have passed the peak of this modern warm era and the long-term trend is now towards global cooling. We will still have short-term periods of hot and extreme weather, and some heat records may still be broken, but the 1,000 year climate averages are trending down towards the next glacial epoch of the Pleistocene Ice Age.
 
We are told repeatedly that the Great Barrier Reef is doomed by dangers that change annually – rising seas, river sediments, warm seas, ocean acidity, fertiliser run-off, coal port development, over-fishing or marauding star-fish. But Clexit has qualified members who have studied oceanography and ancient and modern corals and report that the Reef is healthy, and corals have survived far more dramatic changes in sea levels and climate in the past.
 
Solar cycles get no consideration in the IPCC climate models but Clexit has astro-physicists and long range weather forecasters who have demonstrated that solar and lunar cycles have big effects on Earth’s climate and weather cycles. In addition, while billions of dollars are spent fruitlessly on failed climate models and endless climate conferences, little is known about the strings of undersea volcanoes or how much geothermal heat is released from Earth’s molten interior during orogenic upheavals.
 
We are told that we must embrace green energy. But Clexit has power engineers and logistics experts who say that wind and solar can never run modern industrial societies, modern transport or big cities. Such a policy is a recipe for blackouts and starvation. Clexit also has naturalists and conservationists who see more harm than good in extensive wind, solar and bio-fuel developments.
 
Finally, we are told that to save the world we need to hand powerful taxing and regulating powers to unelected officials of the United Nations. But Clexit has politicians, bureaucrats, businessmen, columnists, lawyers, army officers and bloggers who see that this political agenda will destroy the freedoms we cherish.
 
Many Clexit members have held very senior positions in research, industry or academia but no longer have sensitive positions, careers or incomes to protect, so are free to express honest opinions, which they have done by supporting “Clexit”.
 
We ask the media to give our soundly-based dissenting conclusions a fair hearing – there are two sides to most stories, but only one side is being aired.
 
The Clexit initiative was launched with no budget, promises or funds. So, unlike the alarmists with an agenda, those receiving rivers of government funds and those posing as tax-exempt charities, we cannot afford massive advertising costs.
 
We hope, in the interests of fair play, you see fit to give our valid concerns some space in the free media.

Note: The first informal meeting of many Clexit members will take place in London on Sept 8/9, 2016 at this conference (whose first booked venue was suddenly withdrawn):
https://geoethic.com/london-conference-2016/
 
Disclosure: The formation of Clexit was not prompted or supported by any industry, corporation, group or lobby nor have they had any say in our statements or conclusions.
 
Viv Forbes,
Secretary, Clexit
www.clexit.net
Rosewood    Qld   Australia

Democracy Needs Divine Intervention
In 1887 the Scottish history Professor Alexander Tytler, at Edinburgh University, speaking about the fall of the Athenian Republic some 2000 years earlier, (was attributed to have said-ed) the average age of the world's greatest civilisations from the beginning of history has been about 200 years.

"During those 200 years these nations always progressed through the following sequence:
from bondage to spiritual faith,
from spiritual faith to great courage,
from Courage to Liberty,
from liberty to abundance,
from abundance to complacency,
from complacency to apathy,
from apathy to dependence,
from dependence back into bondage".

All that the present multicult, politically correct regime in the West lacks, which would make it a new form of the Medieval Inquisition, is the systematic use of physical torture to subdue dissent, or anyone in any way bucking the system, or misbehaving.
Consider the case of the “racist banana.”

There is no doubt that the red-headed Port Adelaide supporter, who in the heat of an angry moment, threw a banana at indigenous Crows star, Eddie Betts, acted in poor taste. But, once upon a time, before race became the politically charged issue it is today, people would have laughed this off. The player would have given a rude finger sign to the girl, or even threw the banana back, with some witty line to put her in her place. Everyone, even members of the opposing team would marvel at this displace of masculinity, taking it on the jaw.
The Premier would not have taken time off from running the state to comment on playground incidents. And that is what politically correct football is now – little more than an extended version of high school, literally a politically correct football.

Perhaps it is time for Australians to move on beyond a game where grown men in rude shorts, chase a ball. How about we all stop going to the football, and ban ourselves for life?

Migrants who came to Australia after the war got their unfair share of Aussie banter, but it did not stop them from going on to success. They gave back as good as they got, and nobody cried about name calling, banter, or the shame of “racism.” What shows the inconsistency of the multicult and the hyper-anti-racist culture, is that the girl was subjected to extreme sexual and racial abuse on the social media by Social Justice Warriors, who exist as attack dogs against anyone transgressing their cosmopolitan norms.

The essence of free speech is the ability of a person to be able to publicly express an opinion, informed or otherwise, true or false, on matters of local, national and international importance, without hindrance. Defenders of section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act, such as Meredith Doig, President of the Rationalist Society of Australia Inc. (‘Dealing with the contentious matter of 18C’, Sydney Morning Herald, 25/8) decline to uphold this ideal and produce specious arguments to justify their position.

There is no obligation on government whatever to ‘balance’ liberty against ‘equality’. The latter is an arithmetical term foolishly invoked to mask the agendas of interested parties. Equity is the appropriate term to use; and it does not collide with the defence of intellectual freedom.

The Federal government spending on Indigenous affairs is an astonishing $5.9 billion a year, but most of this money is failing to help Aborigines, according to a report published by the Centre for Independent Studies. (The Australian, August 23, 2016, p.1) The study found that less than 10 percent of 1082 programmes had been subjected to proper evaluation to determine their effectiveness.

The 1082 programmes are “just the tip of the iceberg.” And the figure will increase once non-indigenous NG0 spending in the indigenous sector, and university spending is added, which would add billions.

I was opposed to the same sex marriage plebiscite until reading Michael Kirby’s article “Parliament is the Proper Place for Enacting Laws,” The Australian, August 9, 2016, p. 12.
Kirby, the great dissenter on the High Court of Australia has no problem with unelected judges making law, and in fact he proudly proclaims: “The High Court of Australia in 2013 unanimously made it clear that the entire power to enact same-sex marriage in Australia rested with the federal parliament.”

Kirby doesn’t like plebiscites, saying that a “plebiscite, as a precondition to legislation, is a totally exceptional procedure with no foothold in the Constitution.”

A recent delightful story of childhood resourcefulness and intelligence was published in The Australian (August 22, 2016, p. 15), “Saved by Dr Google.” A 13-year-old contracted a serious illness that devastated her, putting her in a hospital bed. Doctors did numerous tests, and concluded that she had a severe cause of chronic fatigue syndrome. However, she spent her time researching on the internet and eventually discovered a research paper describing a girl with the same condition as her: pandysautonomia.

While this is all incredible, if one goes to Google and researches pandysautonomia one will find that it is a rare auto-immune autonomic neuropathy, and has occurred in cases of girls receiving the HPV (cervical cancer) vaccine. Although the probability of this effect may be low, this little girl could not have anticipated that her body would have responded in this way. Hence, given the probability of such catastrophic health effects, even if low in probability, people should have the right of choice regarding vaccines, and not be beaten by the Centrelink whip.