In which the pond bunga bungas with the bromancer and the lizard Oz editorialist, then rounds it out with a standard groaning ...

 

Is this the silliest 'wondering why' of the year?

...we asked Graham Lloyd and his editor Chris Dore why they did not highlight any of those studies or conclusions, or mention them in the article. And why they failed to tell readers of some of the authors’ history of climate scepticism. 

They did not respond. 

But you have to wonder why The Australian lets its Environment Editor cherry-pick claims from climate sceptics and deniers and publish them without challenge from the vast majority of climate scientists who say they are wrong.

You have to wonder why? 

Why? What's with the wondering? After all these years, isn't it apparent? As the scorpion said to the frog, it's in my nature. 

The pond would be startled, shocked, if they changed their nature. It's a tricky, hard thing to do at the best of times and the lizard Oz's entire business model has depended on climate science denialism for decades.

There was at least one startling insight ... the pond still had the image of Lloydie as a bright young thing, still wet behind the ears and off to save the Amazon. 

Suddenly Media Watch gave the pond a peek at the saturnine figure in that portrait of Dorian Gray usually hidden beneath the drapes, smirking and nodding along with the braying dog botherer ...

So there is a price to pay for years of trolling, and fellow travelling in a deeply cynical way, with the climate science deniers ...

Remember how he looked in his jungle salad days?

Meanwhile, the pond isn't shocked or startled to see the bromancer wildly excited about the arrival of a new far right bunch of ratbags. It's in his nature, and changing your nature is terribly hard ...

Mind you, it only took the pond a few minutes of googling to land on Newsweek, of all places ...

...Tafuro said that what makes Meloni so compelling to Putin is that she has presented herself as a defender of "Italian interests," which have recently suffered thanks to "war fatigue" and the skyrocketing energy prices that have stemmed from Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

"Putin sees this and considers Meloni the best option in the framework of a bad political relationship with Italy," she said.

Even as Meloni has taken a more centrist position in condemning the invasion of Ukraine as an effort to appeal to voters, Meloni's political partners—Silvio Berlusconi and Matteo Salvini—are among those who have been even less aggressive in their criticisms. If the Brothers of Italy party wins a majority in both houses of Parliament with Meloni in charge, it is likely that she will seek an adjustment of the European Union recovery fund program—and use her public support for Ukraine to do so.

Lawrence C. Reardon, a political science professor at the University of New Hampshire, said if Meloni fails to persuade Brussels into reducing Italian economic targets for the year's end, "Putin and his internet trolls no doubt will attempt to exacerbate the situation in order to divide the EU and its economic sanctions against Russia," adding that the Kremlin may even consider offering Meloni cheaper barrels of Russian oil this winter.

At the same time, Meloni's biggest opponent—Italy's Democratic Party—has been far more outspoken in its anti-Moscow stance.

"A Meloni win would not be a revolution, but obviously Putin would welcome it," Michael Kimmage, a former member of the U.S. secretary of state's policy planning staff, told Newsweek.

So, even though the Kremlin won't be seeking an ally in Meloni, the power play between the greater Brothers of Italy party and the Democratic Party will hand Putin a "right-wing coalition [that] at least offers small racks that the Kremlin could try to exploit," Tafuro said.

Put it another way ...

Now back to the bromancer, defending, in his inimitable way, the deeply problematic ... and of course any chance of sanity throws itself out the window the minute that "woke" comes crashing through the glass ... but then, it's in his nature, so there should be no surprise ...

"I don't like identity politics"?

Oh puh-lease, at least be honest. You love it, just have the courage to say it. There's nothing wrong with declaring proudly that you're a white man, a father, a fervent Catholic god botherer of a fundamentalist kind, and a long serving member of the reptile pack, an Australian happily employed in the service of an American owner of an American company that has done much to keep the orange Jesus at the centre of attention ... and a GOP down there with the best of them ...

And so to a last gobbet ... and a billy goat butt about migrants and a celebration of little Johnny and Brexit ...

And there you have it, the usual blather about surrendering to the woke, and a counter-reformation against the zeitgeist, suggesting that the bromancer's heart is still somewhere back in the middle ages, or at least with the Inquisition ...

Meanwhile, the pond was still stuck back on the bromancer's celebration of the trussing of Little England. With the immortal Rowe on a break, these days the pond must turn to Rowson for its neo-gothic cartooning ...

By golly, speaking of Dorian Gray, that really is a picture worth framing, now it's out and about and running wild and free ...

And for those wondering, the lizard Oz editorialist was also on board with the bromancer ...

Hmm, that shirt is a tad unfortunate, but at least it's fully woke and taps into the zeitgeist of fascist lovers of Putin, a trend from way back when, noted in the Financial Times ... (paywall?)

But everything's for the best, the pond expects, having been told so by the chairman's minions. 

There's no climate emergency, and it's back to having bunga bunga parties with Silvio and what could possibly go wrong ...

And so to the day's groaning, though really we had all this from our Gracie on the weekend. Still, Dame Groan's love of landlords is to be expected, it's in her nature, and her imprimatur is the sort of official licence that all readers of the reptiles seek ...

The pond never presents a good groaning for an argument or disputation. The pond is always pleased to see an expert do a painting of overalls, or at least the overall picture, knowing it can throw in a cartoon by the likes of Shakspere ...

Now on with the overall picture, and please, let's have no talk of public housing ...

Avaricious owners switching from long-term rental arrangements to Airbnb? But didn't the Groaner say that portraits of avaricious owners are highly misleading?

Oh it's all too hard for the pond, and what a relief that there's just one gobbet of this week's groan to go ... and of course it's all about the suffering of landlords and landladies and please, some more gruel, a lot more gruel ...

Perhaps renters could be offered the sort of referendum that Wilcox celebrated recently. Would you like Dame Groan as your landlord? Yes. Of course ...

And is it wrong of the pond to find room for an infallible Pope celebrating an entirely different triumph?