First a little housekeeping. The pond has been called away to Victoria, and worse, to parts of Victoria where even dancing with Musk produces muxed results. So the pond will be experiencing a little outage from Thursday which will last into the following week.
Even worse, the pond has seen the photos of the hail that made Melbourne look like a war zone ... but the pond is compelled to step out of the tent, and will be gone for a little while.
On the other hand, what will be lost?
Just a few more samples of reptile blather, and some might even argue that's a good thing ...
Colbert was recently aghast at the return of a peculiarly American form of the Oreo ...
... while the pond is routinely aghast at the presence of the reformed, recovering feminist, and a break from the all the ghastly aghastness might do the pond some good ...
Meanwhile, as Colbert might say, there's a spicy serve of the Oreo on offer this day - full pumpkin thanks to the clock striking midnight - and suddenly she's turned into Amber Midthunder's Naru, a proud indigenous warrior determined to protect the country from dragons ... (yes, the pond has watched Prey. What of it? The pond has also watched the documentary trilogy on Woodstock 99. The pond can never get enough horror).
Indeed, indeed, but the pond is comforted by the news that the Oreo is rushing off to enlist, so that we might teach the Chinese a fearful lesson and give them a sound thrashing ...soon enough they'll be simpering, "please mistress Oreo, can I have another?"
After all, democracy is at stake, and we have some fine examples to hand of democracy in action ...
Sorry, sorry, the pond has been made. prematurely giddy by the thought of its departure to the outer fringes of Victoria and sanity, and hadn't even bothered to explain how the Oreo made it to the top of the page.
Look at the alternatives ...
The pond has absolutely no idea who
Duncan Ivison is, but he's wasting his and the pond's time and money by fellow travelling with the News Corp devil, while pandering to woke nonsense about evolving culture and liberal democracy. Have you no sense of absurdist irony, good prof? You might as well bleat about democracy to the mango Mussolini ...
Gad sir, the pond has been trained by the very best in the reptile hive mind, and will have none of your nonsense, and so must return to the war on China with the Oreo ...
Did the pond just read a line about the liberal democratic order?
Okay, okay, the pond is looking to a Monday cartoon recovery and is a bit jaded by all the frothing and foaming by armchair warriors.
The pond has no time for Xi, and is fully on board with plucky Taiwan - the pond also shed the odd tear for Hong Kong - but reading the Oreo just emphasises the complete futility of being a reformed, recovering feminist warrior, tilting at dragons ...
Now that's done and dusted, and with our best hope the US, the pond's hopes were once again dashed ...
If this is the Oreo's best hope, where's the hope?
Sorry, sorry, but the pond knew what was coming ... you see the Major was top of the digital page this morning, alongside the news that, now Petey boy runs with the Nine mob, he's fair game for the reptiles ...
Couldn't happen to a nicer lad. Go Petey boy, but of course it was the pond's duty to read the Major ranting about "media groupthink".
One of the pond's regular comments observed only yesterday ...
Doggy Bov: "but more insightfully, you see how so-called progressives eschew rational arguments in favour of a lazy emotionalism and fashion." Oh yeah, that's really good bit of 'projection' too. He's really on a roll today.
And whenever the Major scribbles about "media groupthink", coupled with ritual mentions of the ABC and the Graudian, all the pond can think is "that's a really good bit of projection. He's going to be on a roll today ..."
Is it any wonder that when the pond thinks of the Major, it thinks of birds' nests?
Hey nonny no, enough of roosting chooks, on the pond goes ...
Truth to tell, the pond is fully over the pandemic and the reptiles scribbling about it, and if Nick Coatsworth thinks fellow travelling with the Major will introduce some sanity into the post mortems, the pond has a mask worn by Killer Creighton to sell him ... (a truly exceptional and rare and most unique* offering) (*ABC News approved)
And that's why the pond feels no shame keeping on with a Monday cartoon recovery ...
The pond will acknowledge there were alternatives to the Major.
Simplistic "no conflict of interest here, here no conflict of interest" Simon and his mate were still out and about flogging that book ...
But they were banging on about Covid too, so why not the Major?
Now some might think the pond was unfair to Nick, what with the Major quoting Nick speaking on the ABC, but the way the reptiles work is that they listen to the ABC all the time, and probably watch it too, and the minute they think they've spotted a fellow traveller, they rush off to get on board with someone patiently explaining that there's no need to panic.
The killing fields are a natural state of affairs, and if a few old farts get killed off, it's the natural order of things, and did anyone mention how that Norman Swan routinely gets things wrong, as opposed to the Major, a top notch expert on climate science, epidemiology, Order of Lenin medals, the Aboriginal voice, and just about anything else under the sun ... which is why the pond reached for another cartoon before proceeding ...
Now on with the Major smiting and smoting mightily assorted enemies in true warrior princess Naru style ...
Sorry Nick. You can't adopt reptile speak - mindless blather about medical groupthink - and then wonder why there's disunity and uncertainty. You're not helping to construct a unified narrative, Nick, you're pandering to the Major and the reptiles ... and the pond knows where that leads ... another cartoon or three ...
And by that point anyone will have forgotten about the Major and not realised there was still a gobbet of Major groupthink to go ...
Speaking as an old fart, Nick, why don't you just take a flying fuck at yourself, though the pond consoles itself that some day you'll get to realise what that blather about being honest about death and the cost of marginal increases in life expectancy mean as you try to claw your way out of your grave ...
You talk the talk now, but someday there's going to come that tap on the shoulder, and it's just a pity that because of age differential, the pond's not likely to see how you respond ...
You see Nick, the pond's partner had a touch of the Covid and a sense of the afterlife that came with it, and still lives in mortal fear of catching another dose ...
Never mind, Nick, clearly you're at one with Killer Creighton, the Major, and the reptile zeitgeist, and with any luck, you might soon be invited to join the IPA and sit alongside other notables of the Bella d'Abrera and Riddster kind ...
Meanwhile, the pond must end its Monday cartoon recovery program, but what a splendid way to end it ... with a vision of zen Buddhist tranquility and one-ness ...
Apologies to the immortal Rowe ... that's just a detail down in the far right corner ... here's the full chunky goodness ...
And suddenly the pond realised why the reptiles hate the Kiwis so ... damn you Kiwis, can you never stop boasting about it ...
Hi Dorothy,
ReplyDelete“Most of us realise quality of life is more important than longevity”
With an estimated 5-12% of people infected developing long Covid the health system is going to be severely stretched.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/aug/14/long-covid-clinic-wait-times-blow-out-as-health-experts-call-for-national-approach-to-condition
That could be well over a million people in Australia whose “quality of life” just went down the gurgler.
QALY rides again, DW. And DALY too, probably. Oh, where's KillerC when he's needed most.
Deletehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quality-adjusted_life_year
True DW. If the pond had wanted a bloody actuary - in the sense of a statistician calculating quality and length of life, and risks and premiums thereto - the last people on earth the pond would want on hand are Nick and the Major. For a start, they'd probably assume that quality of life included a capacity to endure their blather, yet some days the pond feels the reptiles are hastening the pond to an early grave, or at least a resigned acceptance of the joys of the killing fields.
DeleteInteresting that the Major has taken up Coatsworth, who sprays factoids about supposed economics, and liberty, and miscellanea, but has not found anything convenient from Gigi Foster. For a while, last year, those two almost went tag team with supposed justification for not doing any of the things that appear to have saved at least 60 000 lives (on simple comparison with areas of similar population but a 'let her rip' mentality - not sure what model might have given Prof. Bennett her 20 000). Admittedly, a quick 'g...le' only brings up a conversation Gigi had with the pride of Wollongong - Ramsay Centre for the Study of Western Civilisation, whereas Nick is happy to roll of twaddle in much the same manner as Marjorie Taylor Greene, and with about the same evidence of disciplined research and analysis. So its only real virtue for the Major is its availability - which saved him from having to think up words for much of his column.
DeleteHmm - Nick probably would roll off twaddle (sneaky little 'f' there) - but he probably has a roll OF twaddle, ready for any occasion.
DeleteJust a note about the effect of 'long covid' DW;
DeleteLong Covid clinic wait times blow out to five months as Australia’s health experts call for national approach
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/aug/14/long-covid-clinic-wait-times-blow-out-as-health-experts-call-for-national-approach-to-condition
I wouldn't expect Coatsworth (or Foster) to know or care anything about that because 'long covid' is just a 'quality afflicted' life choice that at least 10% of the human race have to accept as just another good reason for dying early.
Has Coatsworth ever acknowledged his error regarding aerosol transmission of Covid? I cannot recall it if he did (don't mention it - never happened GB?).
DeleteI seem to recall a tweet from last year that mentioned both Bennett and Coatsworth. Something along the lines of "if you created a scale with 10 being "never wrong" and 0 being "Nick Coatsworth", Catherine Bennett would be a solid 7". Seems a bit generous so my memory may be letting me down.
I reckon very likely so, Bef. The "experts" quoted by reptiles have a depressing similarity, don't they.
DeleteI have a vague feeling the below is a quote DP might have posted before but what the hell.
ReplyDeleteH.L. Mencken gazing into his crystal ball and summing up Trump -
(Okay so it was William Jennings Bryan):
"The men of the cities had destroyed him and made a mock of him; now he would
lead the yokels against them. Various facts clicked into the theory, and I hold it still.
The hatred in the old man’s burning eyes was not for the enemies of God; it was
for the enemies of Bryan.
Thus he fought his last fight, eager only for blood. It quickly became frenzied and preposterous, and after that pathetic.
All sense departed from him. He bit right and left, like a dog with rabies.
He descended to demagogy so dreadful that his very associates blushed.
His one yearning was to keep his yokels heated up -- to lead his forlorn mob
against the foe.”
Whether or no, JM, good things always bear repetition. But looking at the 'Nazi Gestapo' cries by sundry GOPpers, I am beginning to grasp how Hitler took over Germany. Not that I think America is at any real risk of going that way, just that there is this very substantial fraction of homo sapiens sapiens who will do and say anything for their side to triumph.
DeleteIt may be germane to remind us all that Biden won the presidential election by approximately 7 million votes. And even given her evil "emails" Hillary won by about 2.9 million votes. But then, it's the Trump-lover reactionaries who have all the AR-15s.
Toujours gai, what the hell, JM, a good quote is a good quote, and so bears many repetitions. Good to see you're no longer in the spam basket. (And no the pond can't recollect using it, but will always pause for a Mencken)
DeleteMike - always good to have your perspective. We appreciate it might have been difficult to find a perspective in the land of the free, home of the brave in the last week or three.
Delete"And whenever the Major scribbles about 'media groupthink', coupled with ritual mentions of the ABC and the Graudian ..." Yeah, a good groupthink is always the go, isn't it. And here's the prime projectionist telling us so just yesterday: "Bolt, by way of contrast, was happy to engage in a respectful debate with me on the issue [the Voice]."
ReplyDeleteAnd that's the way of the future: reptiles will engage reptiles and ignore everyone and everything else. And their collusions will be ever so "respectful".
Sorry, GB, had to borrow the line, the pond sees so many projectors grinding away, it feels like the pond is back in the bio box trying to make the carbon arcs work ...
DeleteBe not sorrowed, DP, I'm always chuffed when you think something I've said is worth taking note of.
DeleteSomehow, the author of this article failed to consult Sharri Markson!
ReplyDeletehttps://theconversation.com/the-covid-lab-leak-theory-is-dead-heres-how-we-know-the-virus-came-from-a-wuhan-market-188163?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=bylinetwitterbutton
GB are you able to say what ouliers they chopped from data before setting QALY's?
ReplyDeleteQALY (and DALY and WALY and WELLBY) are things I basically just know of, not much about. Perhaps the Wikipedia article I indicated above can help. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quality-adjusted_life_year)
Delete