Hollywood has everything, including a fringe industry of real-world sex slaves! Baby, we have come a long way …  down the sewer pipe!
  https://apnews.com/587f6621a78f4152888d0e3e42602511

“It was called “collateral” — nude photos and other embarrassing material that female members of an upstate New York self-improvement group turned over to their “masters” to ensure obedience, silence and sexual fealty to the organization’s spiritual leader, Keith Raniere. Now some former members of the group, NXIVM, are poised to break their vow of silence for the first time by testifying against Raniere, who has been compared to a cult leader. Opening arguments are set for Tuesday at a federal court in Brooklyn. Among the more sensational allegations: Some women “slaves” in a secret NXIVM sorority were branded with Raniere’s initials as part of their initiation. Others were threatened with the release of their collateral if they didn’t have unwanted sex with him. Prosecutors have been tight-lipped about who will testify about the sorority, called DOS, an acronym for a Latin phrase roughly translated as “Lord/master of obedient women.” There’s speculation that former members of Raniere’s inner circle including TV actress Allison Mack and Lauren Salzman, the daughter of the group’s top executive, could take the witness stand against him.

     We wits at this site have said that the ever-politically correct Brie Larson, who played Captain Marvel in the film of that name, and Avengers: Endgame, who has been whining about the need to more diversity in the Marvel films, and previously having a go at white males etc., should resign and let a person of more obvious colour take her place. It looks like others out there in the world of political correctness have been thinking like us:
  https://www.breitbart.com/entertainment/2019/05/05/nolte-first-female-captain-marvel-was-black-and-this-petition-wants-brie-larson-replaced/

“The first female Captain Marvel was a black woman and an online petition calling for Brie Larson to be replaced is gaining steam. The petition’s goal is 9,000 signatures and already (as of this writing) over 8,000 supporters have signed on. “We need Brie Larson to step down from her role to prove she is an ally of social justice and ensure a gay woman of color plays the role,” the petition reads [emphasis original]. “Let Monica, the original female & BLACK Captain Marvel instead of white-washing characters for the benefit of the straight, white men running Disney. To back up their argument that Larson is “all talk,” the petitioners also criticize the Oscar-winner for her charitable giving … or lack of… “She hasn’t donated money to any charity other than The Motion Picture and Television Fund Foundation (https://www.looktothestars.org/celebrity/brie-larson) and it’s time for her to show she is not all-talk.”

     I do not believe opinion polls, that somehow by statistical black magic, a sample of a few hundred or a thousand people suddenly give “representative” results about the entire country. But, if it did, this is Australia now:
  https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/may/04/australians-accepting-of-migrants-but-negative-towards-islam-poll-finds

“Lovers of regulation, supporters of same-sex couples and very liberal when it comes to abortion – this is how a sample of a thousand Australians perceive themselves. Australia is a country that accepts gay couples, hates the big banks, considers second-generation migrants “Australian”, but the majority feel negatively towards Islam. New wide-ranging data released by YouGov has revealed fascinating insights into the Australian identity, its place in the world, and its many contradictions. Australians were the second-highest out of 23 countries surveyed in not considering where someone’s parents come from as relevant to identifying as Australian, but in our personal lives, 47% admitted to having “very few” or no close friends of a different ethnic background. And 80% of us believe women still suffer discrimination, but a third also think the women’s rights movement has gone too far. Older Australians, perhaps surprisingly, are just as supportive of gender equality as their younger counterparts. In some cases, more so. But generational fault lines opened up over same-sex relationships (those under 45 vs over 45) and the acceptance of transgender Australians (under 35 and over 35).”

     Greens dream of a zero-emissions world without coal, oil and natural gas. They need to think what they wish for.

     First there would be no mass production of steel without coke from coking coal to remove oxygen from iron ore. People could cut trees in forests for charcoal to produce pig iron and crude steels, but forests would soon be exhausted. Coal saved the forests from this fate.

     We could produce gold and silver without using mineral hydro-carbons and with ingenuity we could probably produce unrefined copper, lead and tin and alloys like brass and bronze. But making large quantities of nuclear fuels, cement, aluminium, refined metals, plastics, nylons, synthetics, petro-chemicals and poly pipes would be impossible.

     Making wind turbines and solar panels would also be impossible without fossil fuels. A wind turbine needs lots of steel plus concrete, carbon fibre and glass polymers as well as many other refined metals - copper, aluminium, rare earths, zinc and molybdenum. Solar panels and batteries need high-purity ingredients – silicon, lead, lithium, nickel, cadmium, zinc, silver, manganese and graphite – all hard to make in backyard charcoal-fired furnaces. Transporting, erecting and maintaining wind and solar farms plus their roads and transmission lines needs many pieces of diesel-powered machinery.

     Every machine on earth needs hydro-carbons for engine oil, gear oil, transmission oil, brake fluid, hydraulic oil and grease. We could of course use oils from, seals, beeswax and whales for lubrication – the discovery of petroleum saved the whales from this fate.

     Roads would be a challenge without oil-based bitumen. The Romans made pretty good roads out of cobble-stones (this would ease unemployment). But hard labour would not sit well with aging baby-boomers or electronic-era Millenniums.

     Cars, railways, motor launches, aeroplanes, I-Phones, TV and cat-scans would be out. Horses, oxen, sulkies, wooden rowing boats, sailing ships, herbal medicine and semaphore would have a huge revival. Some wood-burning steam tractors may still work and wood-gas generators may replace petrol in some old cars.

     This is the return to the “zero-emissions” world that Green extremists have planned for us.

     But modern life cannot not be supported by a pre-coal/oil economy. Without reliable electricity and diesel-powered farm machinery and transport trucks, cities are un-sustainable. In Green-topia 90% of us people will need to go.

     But Greens should not expect us to go quietly.

  Viv Forbes, Washpool, Qld

Authorised by K. W. Grundy
13 Carsten Court, Happy Valley, SA.

     Who cares about the genocide of Christians? Do Australian Christians, praying hard each week for migrants and refugees, and people of every other religion, apart from their own? Do you see them out and about in street protests?
  https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-48146305

“The persecution of Christians in parts of the world is at near "genocide" levels, according to a report ordered by Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt. The review, led by the Bishop of Truro the Right Reverend Philip Mounstephen, estimated that one in three people suffer from religious persecution. Christians were the most persecuted religious group, it found. Mr Hunt said he felt that "political correctness" had played a part in the issue not being confronted. The interim report said the main impact of "genocidal acts against Christians is exodus" and that Christianity faced being "wiped out" from parts of the Middle East. It warned the religion "is at risk of disappearing" in some parts of the world, pointing to figures which claimed Christians in Palestine represent less than 1.5% of the population, while in Iraq they had fallen from 1.5 million before 2003 to less than 120,000. "Evidence shows not only the geographic spread of anti-Christian persecution, but also its increasing severity," the Bishop wrote. Media caption Prince Charles: "It is an indescribable tragedy that Christianity is now under such threat in the Middle East''

     Well, Four Corners, which brings to my mind a tasty square meat pie (coming senility), certainly took a bite at the international student-marketed-universities with its exposure of universities ignoring English language requirements to bring in the big payers …  yes sir, we love those Renminbi with their glorious picture of Chairman Mao, not that I am saying that there is anything wrong with that:
  https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-05-06/utas-announces-external-review-in-wake-of-four-corners-program/11084814

“The University of Tasmania (UTAS) has announced an external review of international admissions processes following allegations students are being admitted despite not meeting English requirements. Four Corners, which aired on Monday night, contained allegations Australian universities have been waiving their own English entry standards in a bid to attract more high-paying international students. The report cited an email from a UTAS staff member, which referred to "waiving" English requirements. "As a part of our last-mile efforts to encourage acceptances for July 2018, the university will be waiving the English condition in order to assist the students who are yet to meet their English conditions," the email read. The email went on to say students could provide documents to the university showing work experience in English, or two English tests combined where one fails to reach the admission standard in an attempt to get an English waiver, the Four Corners report said. In a statement released this afternoon, UTAS vice-chancellor Professor Rufus Black denied the university treated international students like "cash cows".

     This one is worth recording since the establishment continues to push the notion that the mainstream media reporting false news is, well, false news:
  https://www.rt.com/usa/458507-cnn-fake-news-venezuela/

“CNN took the concept of “fake news” to a whole new level with a recent report on Venezuela, in which it claimed that citizens “chose” coup leader Juan Guaido over current president Nicolas Maduro in January “elections.” In a report on Sunday’s deadly Venezuelan military helicopter crash, CNN wrote that “pressure is mounting” on Maduro to step down “following elections in January in which voters chose opposition leader Juan Guaido over him for president.” Slight problem there, CNN. Venezuela did not hold elections in January — and Guaido definitely did not win them. He did, however, try to seize power from Maduro by force in January with US backing — and then again in April. Both coup attempts failed and Maduro remains president with the support of millions of Venezuelans who still back him. But US officials have declared the Washington-friendly Guaido the country’s “legitimate” leader, so evidently this has been a confusing time for CNN’s intrepid reporters.”

     Yo, thanks to Chris for digging this tasty story out from the survivalist woodpile, where all the insects are. And, as the thunder roars and lightening flashes across the Melbourne skies, and I wonder if I will get electrocuted typing this article, we may have to eat insects so that everybody has enough food to continue reproducing to produce food crisis 2.0, and so on until there is no room even for the insects on the planet:
  https://www.shtfplan.com/headline-news/scientist-the-food-crisis-will-have-humans-eating-maggots-for-protein_05062019

“As an alternative to meat, one scientist has suggested that humans will acquire the habit of eating maggots in order to reach their protein intake requirements. “Maggot sausages” will be the “meat” of the future according to an Australian scientist, Dr. Louwrens Hoffman. Food scientists at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia are incorporating insects such as maggots and locusts into a range of specialty foods, including sausage, as well as formulating sustainable insect-based feeds for the livestock themselves. “Would you eat a commercial sausage made from maggots? What about other insect larvae and even whole insects like locusts? The biggest potential for sustainable protein production lies with insects and new plant sources,” said Dr. Hoffman. Hoffman says that the meat industry is not sustainable, but people can start eating insects instead. “An overpopulated world is going to struggle to find enough protein unless people are willing to open their minds, and stomachs, to a much broader notion of food,” said Hoffman.

     The next level of anarcho-tyranny, following on from the banning by Big Tech, is to simply financially starve people who have any views even minimally conflicting with the New World Order agenda. The elites did a test run against the US National Rifle Association, but now are all juiced up to eliminate all of the rest, way down to the smallest Right-wing beetle, living peacefully under some leaf:
  https://www.rt.com/usa/458267-mastercard-human-rights-censorship/
  https://www.shtfplan.com/headline-news/dystopian-approach-sec-gives-blessing-to-mastercards-idea-of-cutting-off-customers-with-right-wing-views_05062019
  https://www.buzzfeed.com/markdistefano/mastercard-activists-cut-off-donations-far-right

“Blocking payments to individuals or groups by financial service firms impedes freedom of speech in a free society, journalist Ben Swann has told RT, following reports that MasterCard is allegedly on course to censor the far-right. The New York-based firm is reportedly being forced by left-leaning liberal activists to set up an internal “human rights committee” that would monitor payments to “white supremacist groups and anti-Islam activists.” “The problem is that everyone has their own views and, in a free society, the idea of a free society is that you are free to have your belief systems, as long as you’re not harming anyone else physically,” Swann told RT America. “But your belief system belongs to you and you have the right be wrong. White supremacists have the right to be wrong.” MasterCard is not the only holder of purse-strings that is mulling the selective banning of individuals from their services and funds. Patreon and PayPal have previously barred individuals from receiving payments using their platforms, due to their extreme views.

     The election and spectacular failure of Donald Trump has shown that in the end, politics in the West is at an end, for the system now is too corrupt, and the elites too powerful to directly defeat. Until some black swan event (s) occurs, there will need to be strategies of neutralisation, minimising the power of the pollies to do anything. Hung parliaments are great parliaments:
  https://www.rt.com/news/457678-eu-right-wing-parties-election/

“One in 10 Europeans will back right-wing parties in the upcoming European Union elections, according to a new study, pointing to growing support for Euroskeptic movements across the bloc. A Bertelsmann Foundation study found that right-wing parties with a populist, nationalist or Euroskeptic bent received the highest level of voter approval of any single political grouping. 10.3 percent of voters said they would cast their ballots for right-wing parties, while only 6.2 percent said they positively identified with left-wing groups, and 4.4 percent with a Green party. Right-wing parties have seen a surge in support amid growing disillusionment with Brussels. Those parties include Italy’s Lega Nord, France’s National Rally party, as well as the right-wing Alternative for Germany – commonly known by its German acronym, AfD. The research indicates that voters care more about stopping parties and policies they dislike than advancing a positive agenda of their own, which, the researchers said, could end up feeding movements on the fringes. “Many citizens no longer choose to back one party, but rather vote against parties they oppose the most,” said Robert Vehrkamp, a co-author of the Bertelsmann study. “The populist parties have managed to create a stable and loyal voter base in a relatively short space of time,” he added.”

     There is an excellent article by Brett Stevens:
  http://www.amerika.org/politics/reminder-we-fought-two-wars-against-china/

Dealing with the coming military threat of China. First, he makes the point that the US, and by implication, Australia, has already fought two wars against China, with over half a million Chinese dying –  the Korean War. Then, China was involved in supplying troops and other support in the Vietnam war.
  https://www.britannica.com/event/Korean-War

     Yes, I am a doomsayer, but one who argues from religious fanaticism rather than climate change fanaticism, which is more rational, or at least is a longer tradition of madness. Now, we have the spectacle of a leading medical journal, The Lancet, which always brings up the image in my mind of some doctor lancing some pus-filled wound and collecting …anyway you are not interested in that … embracing climate change apocalypse with a vengeance. The item in question is a glowing book review of David Wallace-Wells, The Uninhabitable Earth: Life After Warming, a book which I am too bigoted to read, but for good reason.
  https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(19)30850-5/fulltext?dgcid=raven_jbs_etoc_email
  https://www.breitbart.com/environment/2019/04/20/lancet-journal-warns-impending-climate-armageddon/
  https://www.naturalnews.com/2019-04-30-lancet-declares-climate-armageddon.html

“The Lancet journal has joined the ranks of the most crazed climate propagandists, warning of a climate meltdown comparable to nuclear war. In its review of David Wallace-Wells’ The Uninhabitable Earth: Life After Warming, the once prestigious medical journal underscores the extreme nature of the author’s predictions, only to insist that things are actually worse than what he describes. Starkly titled “Climate Armageddon,” the nearly hysterical review by Lancet’s Laurie Garrett declares that just since 2017, when Wallace-Wells laid out his theories in an essay that forms the foundation for his book, “a number of record-breaking severe weather events, hastening melting of polar ice, rising sea temperatures, and the massive die-offs along Australia’s Great Barrier Reef have raised the tone of urgency among climatologists and earth scientists.” Garrett oozes praise for Wallace-Wells’ “gorgeous command of the English language,” declaring that he “knows how to lay down prose that moves the reader at such a clip that one feels like a Kentucky Derby-exhausted mare at the end of each chapter.”

     The cultural civil war continues, with Facebook banning more people who it does not like. Meanwhile, Trump does nothing, not even lifting a presidential finger to save free speech. Perhaps his son-in-law, the ever-snugged-face Jared Kushner, the real president, has told him to not even make a Tweet, or a mouse-like squeak, about it, and Trump has quietly nodded, trembling in fear:
  https://www.breitbart.com/tech/2019/05/02/facebook-blacklists-prominent-conservatives-including-paul-joseph-watson-laura-loomer/

“The Masters of the Universe at Facebook have banned multiple conservative personalities from both Facebook and Instagram, including Infowars host Alex Jones, Paul Joseph Watson, Laura Loomer, and Milo Yiannopoulos.
The Atlantic reports that Instagram and its parent company Facebook has banned a number of conservative personalities from its platforms, including Infowars host Alex Jones, Infowars contributor and YouTube star Paul Joseph Watson, journalist and activist Laura Loomer, and Milo Yiannopoulos. Louis Farrakhan was notably also banned from the platforms at the same time. Paul Joseph Watson confirmed his ban, claiming he has not broken Facebook’s rules, and commenting, “In an authoritarian society controlled by a handful of Silicon Valley giants, all dissent must be purged.”

     Stan Grant has written most tenderly about his ancestors, particularly his grandmother Ivy Sutton ("Out of the box", 4-5/5). Quite rightly, he feels affection for the different strands in his make-up. Most Australians have a mixed ethnic make-up, are proud of the various peoples whose blood runs in their veins and respect the pride of others in theirs. Grant is also correct that at times box-ticking on forms is simplistic; but sometimes there's not room for everything. Why, however, does he suddenly end with the assertion that "all across Australia" people just like him "are being asked to deny their family members" and even betray them? What's his evidence? And why when, as he reveals, he is part-white, does he define himself as "born black"? He seems contradictory now. Why the special pleading? Is he trying to gain constitutional favouritism for "blacks"?
  Nigel Jackson, Belgrave, Vic.

Authorised by K. W. Grundy
13 Carsten Court, Happy Valley, SA.

     Let’s carry out a real energy experiment in Australia. Insist that Victoria and South Australia become “zero emission states” with all electricity generated by wind, solar or hydro and backed up by giant batteries. Mandate electric cars and levy a climate tax on all emissions from cattle and petrol/diesel engines. Let Qld choose freely from unsubsidised coal, gas or green power with no climate taxes. Leave their cows, cars, and trucks alone. Stop all interstate transfer of electricity into test areas. Let’s see what happens to electricity reliability and prices, industrial activity, jobs and interstate migration of climate refugees.
  Viv Forbes, Washpool, Qld

Authorised by K. W. Grundy
13 Carsten Court, Happy Valley, SA.

     Yes, identity politics and postmodern whatever is reaching its “logical conclusion,” as the various ideologies start to swallow each other whole. Take this little example from the wild world of transgender sport:
  https://pjmedia.com/trending/trans-woman-sets-world-records-olympian-decries-pointless-unfair-playing-field/

“On Sunday, a biological man who identifies as a woman took the Masters world records for women's squat, women's bench press, and women's deadlift. A female Olympian responded by condemning the "pointless, unfair playing field" where biological women are beaten by biological men who identify as transgender women. "What a day, 9 for 9! Masters world squat record, open world bench record, masters world dl record, and masters world total record!" Mary Gregory posted on Instagram. Gregory thanked the Raw Powerlifting Federation. "As a transgender lifter I was unsure what to expect going into this meet and everyone - all the spotters, loaders, referees, staff, meet director, all made me welcome and treated me as just another female lifter- thank you!" Transgender activists may celebrate these world records, but former British Olympic swimmer Sharron Davies condemned the basic unfairness of biological men competing with biological women.”

To The Age        What wonderful news that the royal House of Windsor has another prince to add to its ranks! And how fortunate Australians are to be subjects of the head of this house and to see it flourishing as it is, with youth and glamour as well as glorious tradition! The institution of monarchy is strengthened by this latest addition to its family. Of course, the ALP, if elected on 18 May, will do everything possible to deprive us of our royal connection. That is one of the soundest reasons for voting against them. A hypothetical president, inevitably backed by big money and political chicanery, will never have the inspiring magnificence of a king or queen. And that is no small matter for national well-being.
  Nigel Jackson, Belgrave, Vic

Authorised by K. W. Grundy
13 Carsten Court, Happy Valley, SA.

To The Australian        The latest news from Britain ("Don't cave in to Labour on Brexit, Tories tell May", 7/5) suggests that the actual political struggle going on there now is between those who want a strong betrayal of Brexit and those who want a milder one. The tale has a message for Australia at election time. Just as in the UK, so here, the problem for conservatives is that the main centre-right party is actually fundamentally split between liberals and genuine traditionalists. The liberals, alas, in a crunch will side with the Left rather than the Right - as the Brexit tragedy shows. In both nations too few voters really care for traditional values and the attitudes of responsibility and self-restraint that underpin them. At election time here the best that conservatives can do is direct their primary votes to a right-wing minority party if the mainstream anti-Left candidate is in fact a liberal, not a conservative.
  Nigel Jackson, Belgrave, Vic

Authorised by K. W. Grundy
13 Carsten Court, Happy Valley, SA.

     As a New Zealand gun owner, with no convictions, I sincerely hope that my name has been flagged in the New World Order police state surveillance system. If not, then I will cry crocodile tears each night on my pillow. Just imagine what is going on across the lake in the grown-up people’s country, of Australia, land of the juicy social welfare, that New Zealanders love as well:
  https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12222308

“Nearly two million people appear in a New Zealand police intelligence system with an alert against their name, inquiries by the Otago Daily Times have revealed. Those in the database are generally flagged without their knowledge, and a leading security analyst says the broad sweep of the system raises privacy concerns. George Block reports. Has your driver's licence ever been cancelled? Vetted by police recently? Do you have a firearms licence? Then chances are you appear in the police National Intelligence Application (NIA) with at least one alert against your name. Police can apply 126 different "person alerts", including flags for firearms licence holders, people known by police to be HIV (AIDS) positive, and alerts for paedophiles and convicted murderers. This all adds up: 1,988,963 people in New Zealand have at least one alert against their name - just over 40 per cent of the population at an average of 1.7 alerts per person, according to figures obtained under the Official Information Act by the Otago Daily Times.”

     It is just the manifest destiny of history; too bad if you are a white male because, your number is up:
  https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/the-canadian-forces-jobs-where-only-women-need-ap

“Depending on the week and whether employment equity (or EE) targets are being met, the Canadian Forces periodically closes some of its approximately 100 occupations or trades to any applicants but women. The information is contained in so-called weekly “processing cheat sheets” used by recruiting staff — some of which were obtained by the National Post — and was confirmed by a military source. The Post isn’t identifying that source, at the source’s request, for fear of repercussions. But the commander of the recruiting group, Colonel Luc Sabourin, also confirmed in a telephone interview Thursday that the forms “are a weekly tool to allow us to meet our designated EE (employment equity) targets.” Sabourin agreed that in practice, it means that if a white male was applying for a job that was temporarily open only to EE candidates, he would be informed the occupation was full and other job possibilities discussed. In some cases, Sabourin said, if the particular job was the man’s “hard choice”, it would be noted on his application and he might be contacted later, when the EE targets had been met and the occupation was again open to everyone. Asked if the man would be told the occupation was still open for members of EE groups, Sabourin said no.”