Open mike 18/04/2022

50 comments on “Open mike 18/04/2022 ”

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1. tsmithfield 1

   18 April 2022 at 6:32 am

   From the world of science fiction becomes reality, the Israelis have just produced an energy beam weapon that can take down incoming artillery shells and drones at a cost of $3.50 a shot.

   I think this sort of technology has the potential to change air and missile attack forever. It might be that aircraft, in the future, need to be clad with really good mirrors.

   I doesn't take a stretch to imagine this technology being extended to take down enemy fighters, bombers, and missiles. It probably could also be extended to satellite defense systems.

   I imagine it would be possible to have this type of equipment on satellites to take down incoming intercontinental ballistic missiles, or even to deal with enemy threats on the ground from an unseen source in the sky.
   • McFlock 1.1

     18 April 2022 at 7:12 pm

     The new thing seems to be independent targeting of multiple lasers onto the same spot.

     The trouble with lasers, unless you're using frequencies that can also fry electronics, is that they're not a destructive kinetic kill – one focuses the laser on the same spot until the energy absorbed creates a structural weakness or fire. Or, in the case of the warheads, dumps enough energy to inisitate the warhead's own primer or explosive.

     Drones hang about for ages, so, sure, laser bait. But the shorter term stuff like rockets and shells? Such tests have been rigged since SDI in the 1980s. Forget mirrors, throw on some ablative shielding that lasts just long enough, and your warhead is practically immune.

     So, practical system? Sure, given the importance of drones in recent years. Cheaper than a missile or gatling gun, and no friendly debris to come down somewhere if you miss.

     Not sure it's the "global game-changer" or whatever they called it, though.
     • tsmithfield 1.1.1

       18 April 2022 at 7:26 pm

       "Not sure it's the "global game-changer" or whatever they called it, though."

       I definitely don't think this specific one is a global game changer. But I think improvements will be made and better models developed. I understand this one requires only 150KW, which in the scheme of things isn't that big. Some large industrial motors would require more power than that.

       But imagine if one is made that soaked up 1000KW. That sort of thing could be a lot more challenging for air-craft. Particularly if it can saw off a wing like it did to that drone.
       • McFlock 1.1.1.1

         18 April 2022 at 8:31 pm

         The main problem is attenuation in air, if I recall the old Star wars projects. Air scatters the beam. Wider spot means longer to heat up, so either more power or some manner of beam refocussing to get back to a small dot – ISTR a fair amount of crossover there between 1990s SDI-type projects and ground-based astronomical observatories using lasers to calculate how their images are warping because of the air.

         Funnily enough, the main advantage I see in Iron Beam is the networking ability. Having an array of these things thinly distributed basically increases the engagement time while reducing thermal blooming screwing the attentuation. Two or three vehicles can hit the same point at the same time, as an integrated network.

         BTW, it didn't look to me like it sawed off the wing. Looks to me like it started a fire that structurally weakened the wing to the point of collapse. So much is down to wing design, fuel payload, even the colour of the target. A different wing structure, maybe the fire would have had less effect. A different colour, maybe the mortar bomb hits the ground before it goes boom. Hell, did they attack it from the time of firing or was it set to land just inside their 7km radius and they had 2sec to make it go boom? Defense industry is so full of shit, lol. Who knows what the kernel of truth might be.
         • tsmithfield 1.1.1.1.1

           18 April 2022 at 9:16 pm

           Yeah, I get the bit about the atmosphere reducing the focus of the beam.

           That was why I was thinking in terms of satellite type war. Maybe powered by a large solar array. It could be quite effective in taking out intercontinental ballistic missiles as they approach close to outer space where the atmosphere isn’t such a problem.

           I realise there are limitations to this sort of thing. But it is quite cool to see something like that even working at all.
           • McFlock 1.1.1.1.1.1

             18 April 2022 at 10:54 pm

             Trouble is that the higher you go, the larger the distance you have to project the laser over. In low earth orbit there's still enough air in the thousands of kilometres range ICBM interception requires, and tens of thousands of km for a higher orbit.

             Additionally, in order to reduce the number of targets to a plausibly-manageable level all the ICBMs need to be intercepted in their boost phase (going up) before they seperate into individual re-entry vehicles.

             But the problem with a nuclear umbrella is that it just encourages further buildup – sooner or later a large enough number of nukes will get through to be a deterrent.

             One funny thing about some of the short range laser systems the US has been working with on ships (the navy really likes the idea of getting away from the potential for magazine explosiones, so rail guns and lasers are the go) is that the laser optics need to be outsdtanding, and attenuation works both ways, so the experimental system turned out to be a really useful sensor. Better than a sailor with binoculars.
2. Dennis Frank 2

   18 April 2022 at 7:40 am

   Uh-oh, dementia..

   Republicans have mocked Joe Biden for "shaking hands with thin air' after the US President appeared confused at the end of a speech on supply chains. The 79-year-old had just finished delivering a nearly 40-minute speech in Greensboro, North Carolina, when he turned to his right and stuck out his hand.

   Biden then lingered on stage with his back to the audience, turning left before descending to the right.

   Well, there were these imaginary supporters who had crowded the stage to congratulate him, I presume. Anyone who can speak for 40 minutes on supply chains to a public audience deserves congratulation. Who cares if they weren't really there?

   At one point, Biden claimed to have served as a "full professor" at the University of Pennsylvania, despite never teaching a class there.

   Just normal identity politics. Reality doesn't matter according to the doctrine of postmodernism. You compete via narratives.

   Biden's gaffes have become more frequent in recent months. Earlier this month, he said First Lady Jill Biden had served as Barack Obama's vice president, a job he had held himself for eight years.

   It worked for Reagan & GWB. He's just demonstrating bipartisanship. It's a leadership style that has become traditional in US politics.

   This week, Biden was mocked on a Saudi-Arabian sketch show, in which the President was portrayed as doddering and forgetful, in footage that has gone viral.

   Saudis have a sense of humour?? Who knew?

   The White House was also forced to correct an error by Biden after he said Americans who use renewable energy to power their homes could save "about $500 a month on average".

   Hours after the speech, the White House sent out a transcript of the president's remarks with the word "month" crossed out and the word "year" added in brackets.

   https://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/us-president-joe-biden-mocked-for-shaking-hands-with-thin-air-after-speech/XGZ7OPP2WGIGKUIJSO7LPTX62A/
3. Dennis Frank 3

   18 April 2022 at 8:15 am

   Bomber fulminates against "…the craven China worship by quisling website Socialist Equality Group decry any criticism of the largest human rights abusing regime on the face of the Planet", thereby becoming the first person in the history of the universe to give planet a capital P.

   The SIS should openly investigate Socialist Equality Group as Chinese enablers and for possible treason.

   Last months Vanity Fair expose on the machinations of China, the Wuhan Lab, Fauci and the insanely incompetent EcoHealth Alliance forces all rational minds to re-examine the Wuhan Lab Leak theory…

   https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2022/04/16/china-lab-leak-theory-refuses-to-die/

   When one encounters two origin myths of the pandemic, and one is rational, one ought to note that proof is lacking for either, and therefore it is rational to point out that the competing narratives saga has no winner. Schrodinger's cat scenario.

   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schr%C3%B6dinger%27s_cat

   Peter Daszak transformed the environmental nonprofit EcoHealth Alliance into a government-funded sponsor of risky, cutting-edge virus research in both the U.S. and Wuhan, China. Drawing on more than 100,000 leaked documents, a V.F. investigation shows how an organization dedicated to preventing the next pandemic found itself suspected of helping start one.

   So what's the guts? This guy, a virus specialist: https://www.fredhutch.org/en/faculty-lab-directory/bloom-jesse.html

   He sent "the draft of an unpublished scientific paper he’d written to Dr. Anthony Fauci, the chief medical adviser to the president of the United States."

   Bloom’s paper was the product of detective work he’d undertaken after noticing that a number of early SARS-CoV-2 genomic sequences mentioned in a published paper from China had somehow vanished without a trace. The sequences, which map the nucleotides that give a virus its unique genetic identity, are key to tracking when the virus emerged and how it might have evolved.

   In Bloom’s view, their disappearance raised the possibility that the Chinese government might be trying to hide evidence about the pandemic’s early spread. Piecing together clues, Bloom established that the NIH itself had deleted the sequences from its own archive at the request of researchers in Wuhan.

   Why? The officials in charge are refusing to say. Cue conspiracy theorists. Apologists for traditional left/right governance will say look, we never tell the public anything important. Don't ask.

   The dispute over COVID-19’s origins has become increasingly acrimonious, with warring camps of scientists trading personal insults on Twitter feeds. Natural-origin proponents argue that the virus, like so many before it, emerged from the well-known phenomenon of natural spillover, jumping from a bat host to an intermediate species before going on to infect humans. Those suspecting a lab-related incident point to an array of possible scenarios, from inadvertent exposure of a scientist during field research to the accidental release of a natural or manipulated strain during laboratory work. The lack of concrete evidence supporting either theory has only increased the rancor. “Everyone is looking for a smoking gun that would render any reasonable doubt impossible,” says Amir Attaran, a biologist and lawyer at the University of Ottawa.
   • RedLogix 3.1

     18 April 2022 at 12:26 pm

     I think everyone privately knows how the virus originated, but it is not allowed to become public knowledge because that would point the finger directly at St Fauci.

     Hence the need to keep this 'it isn't certain' theatre going for a few more acts.
   • Drowsy M. Kram 3.2

     18 April 2022 at 1:05 pm

     Dennis, some are so invested in the SARS-CoV-2 lab origin hypothesis that there's no talking with them. Those with more open minds are continuing the research, and will no doubt be the target of much opprobrium for their efforts.

     https://www.science.org/content/article/hunt-new-viruses-bat-trapping-scientist-hopes-prevent-future-pandemics

     It’s intriguing that the more closed-minded among us believe some gene sequences of the original SARS-CoV-2 samples are ‘unlikely’ to have arisen naturally, when the initial Omicron variant sported the "craziest", "most mutated" genome – lab origin, anyone?

     Where did Omicron come from? Three key theories [28 Jan. 2022]
     The highly transmissible variant emerged with a host of unusual mutations. Now scientists are trying to work out how it evolved.

     There’s no transparent path of transmission linking Omicron to its predecessors. Instead, the variant has an unusual array of mutations, which it evolved entirely outside the view of researchers. Omicron is so different from earlier variants, such as Alpha and Delta, that evolutionary virologists estimate its closest-known genetic ancestor probably dates back to more than a year ago, some time after mid-2020. “It just came out of nowhere,” says Darren Martin, a computational biologist at the University of Cape Town, South Africa.
     • Dennis Frank 3.2.1

       18 April 2022 at 1:32 pm

       Interesting, thanks.

       The variant has more than 50 mutations when compared with the original SARS-CoV-2 virus isolated in Wuhan, China (see go.nature.com/32utxva). Some 30 of these contribute to changes in amino acids in the spike protein1, which the coronavirus uses to attach to and fuse with cells. Previous variants of concern have had no more than ten such spike mutations.

       Could we call it hyperdarwinism? I take your point re lab origin via assisted mutation which could be a basis for conspiracists to do their thing. I'm mostly agnostic – but the way the US kept their Wuhan lab involvement out of the media for so long two years ago made me suspicious.

       However it makes sense that natural evolution at hyperspeed is likely too – if it's true that it happens faster the deeper you dive into small worlds…
     • RedLogix 3.2.2

       18 April 2022 at 1:40 pm

       You are way late to that party.

       Given that Omicron has turned out to be the most effective vaccine of all – you might want to say thank you.
       • SPC 3.2.2.1

         18 April 2022 at 2:45 pm

         Only by getting around the vaccine that was puting delta to bed.
       • Drowsy M. Kram 3.2.2.2

         18 April 2022 at 3:25 pm

         Omigod they're ALL lab leaks!

         Given that Omicron has turned out to be the most effective vaccine of all – you might want to say thank you.

         Ah yes, the fantastic 'Omicron vaccine' – if you believe that, then I've some ivermectin to sell you, assuming that your previous stock is now exhausted.
         

         Omicron Death Rate Higher Than During Delta Surge [9 Feb.]
         With the Omicron variant now accounting for almost 100% of COVID-19 cases in the United States, the seven-day average of daily COVID-related deaths hit 2,600 recently, the highest rate in about a year, The Washington Post reported.

         Between 460 and 1450 people will die of Omicron – latest modelling
         [8 Feb.]

         With ‘vaccines’ like that, who needs viruses. And, after reading the article linked to @3.2.2, I'm none the wiser as to who I should be thanking – do you have any clue?
         • RedLogix 3.2.2.2.1

           18 April 2022 at 3:39 pm

           That quote is a furphy – it quotes a daily death rate not a death rate per case. Everyone understands that because Omicron will infect a lot more people very quickly that even with a much lower morbidity there will be a spike in the daily rates for a period. As back in Feb. Now it is much lower.

           Secondly my OWiD link above demonstrates the headline in that article is another mistake. The Delta daily peak was around 3,200, while Omicron was about 2,600.

           But this is all a diversion – the evidence that COVID has strong links to GoF research is every bit as reasonable as the emerged from nature hypothesis.
           • Drowsy M. Kram 3.2.2.2.1.1

             18 April 2022 at 3:46 pm

             That quote is a furphy – it quotes a daily death rate not a death rate per case.

             My point (“With ‘vaccines’ like that, who needs viruses.“), in case it wasn’t clear, is that the ‘Omicron vaccine’ is (way) more dangerous than the Pfizer vaccine, and the latter seems reasonably effective at keeping people above ground during an Omicron wave, provided they possess sufficient common sense to get boosted beforehand

             But this is all a diversion – the evidence that COVID has strong links to GoF research is every bit as reasonable as the emerged from nature hypothesis.

             I can just about stretch to "every bit as reasonable" if you can – how about it?

             I think everyone privately knows how the virus originated, but it is not allowed to become public knowledge because that would point the finger directly at St Fauci.

             Hence the need to keep this 'it isn't certain' theatre going for a few more acts. – Redlogix @3.1
             • RedLogix …

               18 April 2022 at 4:35 pm

               Let's just say that having read both Sharri Markson's What Really Happened in Wuhan and Alina Chan and Matt Ridley's Viral – I may well be a bit biased. Both books contain a lot of interesting material – and while it would be impossible for any authors to be absolutely definitive when dealing with such an opaque matter – the preponderance of evidence in my view still points to a lab origin.

               But let me put it this way. If the natural origin hypothesis is eventually demonstrated to be true, what we will also know for certain is that after 15 years of intensive coronavirus hunting and testing by the Wuhan Institute of Virology, it turned out they were helpless to prevent an epidemic of the same in their own backyard. That would have to be a very great irony indeed.
               • Drowsy M. Kram …

                 18 April 2022 at 8:40 pm

                 I'll take that as a 'Yes'.

                 But let me put it this way. Despite tremendous and on-going advances in the sciences, technology, medicine, engineering, et al., this iteration of civilisation is essentially helpless to prevent or correct a myriad of human behaviour-based catastrophes, ranging from the personal to the global. Still, some good souls will keep trying, and I wish them luck.

                 I know, and appreciate, just how lucky I am
4. weka 4

   18 April 2022 at 12:05 pm

   A selection from my gender critical twitter this morning, for those that might still be wondering why women don't want males in female only spaces. This isn't about trans women, it's about gender identity ideologues (of whateever GI) who insist that TW are literally women and who won't address the massive misogyny in their movement as MRAs and predatory males take advantage of the doors being opened.

   https://twitter.com/poetsoup/status/1515719481980604424
   • weka 4.1

     18 April 2022 at 12:05 pm

     https://twitter.com/DonovanCleckley/status/1515820147453353990
   • weka 4.2

     18 April 2022 at 12:06 pm

     https://twitter.com/MForstater/status/1515723607715971074
   • weka 4.3

     18 April 2022 at 12:07 pm

     https://twitter.com/janeclarejones/status/1515786822101651458
     • weka 4.3.1

       18 April 2022 at 12:11 pm

       That's a UK Labour councillor in response to a feminist group askig for stories from the local body election campaigning. Feminists are running a grass roots campaign #respectmysex, which is asking candidates to answer the question "what is a woman?" Apparently people are starting to ask the question of party door knockers (there's now decent MSM coverage of the issues and there's been a shift away from No Debate, to an acknowledgement by media of the conflict of rights).

       The councillor above just said that any male can now identify as a woman and be considered a woman. Why is it not obvious to left wing men how hugely problematic this is? I hope people are paying attention for the NZ 2023 election.
       • Dennis Frank 4.3.1.1

         18 April 2022 at 1:13 pm

         I recently read this as a library book: https://www.hachette.co.uk/titles/matthew-dancona-5/identity-ignorance-innovation/9781529303995/

         The author identifies three key factors… the very obviousness of its focus emerges as one of the key strengths of Identity, Ignorance, Innovation. This is because of d’Ancona’s range. The author neatly synthesizes material from across the political spectrum, drawing on a range of references, and powerfully backs up his arguments with evidence.

         https://www.the-tls.co.uk/articles/identity-ignorance-innovation-matthew-dancona-review-charlotte-henry/

         Relevance comes from the interface between the first two factors. Ignorance is produced by ignoring stuff. For instance, males who ignore the motivational basis of trans identification are unlikely to realise they are supporting public policies of discrimination. Leftist males who support trans ideology can easily fall into a credibility trap. They think they are being politically correct. If women point out that they are exhibiting bigotry as a result they will be likely to take refuge in denial.

         Leftists traditionally pose as do-gooders. Those who aren't hypocrites may even do good to validate their self-belief. Identity translating into behaviour appropriately. Triggering perception that they are doing bad while believing they are doing good therefore requires applied psychology way up there at the level of sophistication!

         Dunno about relevance to the next election, but progress will probably hinge on group consciousness-raising around incidents that cause harm and produce victims. The latter are often too traumatised to be suitably advocates for change so victim support groups will need to do the advocacy.

         I share your concern about potential harm but suspect publicity of actual harm done will be the only way that the sham of males pretending to be females can be exposed.
         • weka 4.3.1.1.1

           18 April 2022 at 1:49 pm

           We don't have a grass roots gender critical feminist movement here like the UK. But there is potential for that. Or a group of left wing women asking the question next year and being willing to take the hits.

           Re publicity of harm, I could write a post a week about this, but not without putting myself at risk. Left wing men probably don't realise just how long it's going to take to get past the fact that they have tried to silence women.
       • AB 4.3.1.2

         18 April 2022 at 4:12 pm

         There's one thing we need to allow and one thing we need to prevent:

         • Allow people who genuinely and in good faith feel they are the wrong gender and will be happy only when they transition, to do so. We need to care for them, and protect them from the charlatans and profit-takers who potentially want to make the phenomenon more common than it might naturally be, because it is a revenue stream for them.
         • Prevent misogynists from exploiting this pathway we have just opened up as a route to finding new and very dangerous ways to express and action their hatred of women.

         I am all ears for a way to do both these things. How do we do the second without also killing off the first? How do we do the first without also permitting the second?
         • weka 4.3.1.2.1

           18 April 2022 at 5:26 pm

           These are very good questions and excellent framing, thank you. This is the conversation the left should be having instead of the sex/gender war.
     • weston 4.3.2

       18 April 2022 at 12:22 pm

       Far out weka ! sounds like a ' too toxic 'environment for my liking ! changing the topic slightly why were you seemingly so anti musks takeova moves ?in a nutshell ?
       • weka 4.3.2.1

         18 April 2022 at 1:53 pm

         Too much ego. Plus, his ideas on climate responses are problematic in that he seems to have no sense of nature and thinks we can put animals on the Mars zoo as a way to save their species. His space stuff is basically let's not bother about saving earth. He's a fully paid up member of the death cult as far as I can see, only he likes to think of himself as somehow green.

         Zuckerberg, Dorsey, Gates, et al, they're all men with way too much power and at a time when society lets them do what they want. We could be using all that resource for stopping climate change, regenerating nature, and making sure people don't starve or get sold into the sex trade, but no, they want to accumulate wealth instead. Musk shouldn't be rewarded for that.

         Plus the whole private vs public listing thing.
         • weston 4.3.2.1.1

           18 April 2022 at 2:33 pm

           And to censor or not to censor ?
           • weka 4.3.2.1.1.1

             18 April 2022 at 5:28 pm

             It’s the wrong question. Those power lingering dudes think it’s about tgat but it’s really about social and emotional intelligence and well-being. They have neither the skills nor the consciousness nor the ethics to run social media in ways that net benefit society. If we had any sense we’d take their toys away from them.
         • RedLogix 4.3.2.1.2

           18 April 2022 at 2:35 pm

           Muskie was dropped off on Earth as a baby and needs to build a really good space ship to get home.
   • weka 4.4

     18 April 2022 at 5:24 pm

     And this is how gender non confirming kids are being lied to and irreversibly harmed by gender ideology. This is the result of No Debate (which prevented the safeguarding conversations that should have happened in the past decade), and of the affirmation only approach by medical people and therapists (kids aren’t getting the suppprt they need to sort out their shit before they are put on this life long path).

     Expect lawsuits in the US. UK already had its own legal actions happening.

     https://twitter.com/d_wprince/status/1515835867105054721?s=21
5. Joe900 5

   18 April 2022 at 1:20 pm

   Bromeopathy; the woo-believer's remedy for fragile manliness.

   https://twitter.com/RonFilipkowski/status/1515817464533291018
   • RedLogix 5.1

     18 April 2022 at 1:48 pm

     You may think it nuts, but then again not entirely a load of bollocks.
     • Joe90 5.1.1

       18 April 2022 at 2:41 pm

       I use an infrared rather than a gas heater outdoors but I'm not too sure how my drinking companions would react should I declare bromeopathy, and then irradiate my goolies.
       • RedLogix 5.1.1.1

         18 April 2022 at 2:43 pm

         Let us know how you get on
   • SPC 5.2

     18 April 2022 at 7:40 pm

     https://twitter.com/kimpossiblefact/status/1515513617600290818
6. SPC 6

   18 April 2022 at 5:19 pm

   A British survey indicates that support for transgender rights is strongest from left wing (Labour) women and the young.

   https://yougov.co.uk/topics/politics/articles-reports/2020/07/16/where-does-british-public-stand-transgender-rights
   • weka 6.1

     18 April 2022 at 8:11 pm

     Of course. It's expected that progressives would support trans rights.

     Now look at what happens to women's position when the question is about trans women who have had no surgery being allowed to use women's changing rooms (in your link).

     What do you think is going to happen when women generally find out that a) most trans women are pre-op, b) self ID means that any man can say at any time they are a woman and there is an expectation they will be accepted as such, and c) there is a class of men who cross dress as a sexual kink (are aroused by this and the thought of themselves as woman) who now claim to be trans women (thanks Stonewall).

     Then, when they find out that young girls who are really lesbian have gone down a medical and surgical transition route (mastectomies and sometimes hysterectomy) because of affirmation only policies, and later regret it (and it doesn't resolve their dysphoria) so they detransition but are left with lifelong damage to their bodies.

     If you want to ask progressive women what they think, then tell them the truth about the situation first. My guess is that they will support general rights for trans people along with everyone else, and will put in place boundaries around protecting women and children from the ideology that is causing problems. Both/and.
     • SPC 6.1.1

       18 April 2022 at 8:35 pm

       The detail of the poll is useful for their government decision-making process.

       It's not at that level with Pew (USA) yet.

       There is the same greater level of support from Democrat registered, women and youth.

       https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2022/02/11/deep-partisan-divide-on-whether-greater-acceptance-of-transgender-people-is-good-for-society/
     • SPC 6.1.2

       18 April 2022 at 9:14 pm

       Then, when they find out that young girls who are really lesbian have gone down a medical and surgical transition route (mastectomies and sometimes hysterectomy) because of affirmation only policies, and later regret it (and it doesn't resolve their dysphoria) so they detransition but are left with lifelong damage to their bodies.

       And males who transition because they were attracted to other males in the AIDS era.

       The sacrifices I made seemed irrelevant to the teenager I was: someone with gender dysphoria, yes, but also anxiety and depression. I chose an irreversible change before I’d even begun to understand my sexuality.

       The personal account covers all the issues you raise and relates it to the situation today.

       https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/04/11/i-was-too-young-to-decide-about-transgender-surgery-at-nineteen/

       (article gifted for sharing).
7. RedLogix 7

   18 April 2022 at 5:58 pm

   I have not yet watched all of this, but if it even close to the quality of his previous work it will be absolutely worth the hour and 50:

   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lacVZyApqhE
   • Poission 7.1

     18 April 2022 at 6:37 pm

     What about the good old days,the holiday in Las Vegas.

     https://twitter.com/EvanKirstel/status/1515852092581236748?cxt=HHwWmMCy5czcsYkqAAAA
8. Poission 8

   18 April 2022 at 9:00 pm

   Inflation in Japan is expected to reach a 30yr high (excluding sales tax yrs) of 1.8%.A country that is a significant commodity importer and high quality goods exporter.

   The low level of inflation is due to stable housing,transportation and health care costs due to population demographics.

   The recent inflation is due to immigration into urban centres to meet labour shortages,and the prices of apartments increases are now what they were in 1992.

   https://twitter.com/LHorowitz4/status/1515699236683325440
9. Jester 9

   18 April 2022 at 9:28 pm

   Well this is one less for the jail system that should please Kelvin Davis.

   "Price was sentenced in November to two years and six months' jail on a total of 33 charges spanning several months."

   So if he was sentenced to over two years in jail in November, how is it that he is out driving around in public? Did he escape?

   One less oxygen thief.

   Man shot by police in Taranaki named online by friends | Stuff.co.nz
   • Belladonna 9.1

     18 April 2022 at 9:42 pm

     High court judge quashed the sentence down to 23 months in February, making him eligible for home detention – which self-evidently failed to keep either him or the community safe.

     https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/fatal-police-shooting-in-new-plymouth-victim-kaoss-price-has-been-described-as-one-man-crime-wave/SD7WN3SWYBNZVOMLUG5ILWU2FE/?l_id=146&objectid=12518442

     Price's long history of offending was detailed during a successful High Court appeal of his sentence in November last year of two years, six months in prison on charges including burglary, police chases, failing to stop, escaping custody and theft.

     Justice Christine Grice found Price's sentence was "manifestly excessive" and should have included a discount for his youth.

     His final sentence was 23 months in prison, making him eligible for home detention.

     Judge Grice quoted his chaotic family life as a significant factor – however, didn't seem to consider that this made him less suitable for home detention….

     “In Mr Price’s case, this is particularly exacerbated by the lack of support and his transient and chaotic family life,” Justice Christine Grice​ said in her decision from the High Court in Wellington.

     Price could ask for the sentence to be substituted for home detention if he could find somewhere suitable to live, the judge said.

     https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/127736657/judges-cites-chaotic-family-life-as-sentence-cut-for-a-man-named-kaoss
     • Jester 9.1.1

       18 April 2022 at 9:47 pm

       Thanks for that. IMO Justice Christine Grice should be held partly accountable. In fact if it was up to me, she would no longer be able to be a judge for say 5 years.
   • Belladonna 9.2

     18 April 2022 at 9:45 pm

     Also have to hope that his name "Kaoss" is self-bestowed – because otherwise his parents did him no favours…..
     • joe90 9.2.1

       18 April 2022 at 10:10 pm

       "Kaoss" is self-bestowed

       Nope. From age group champ to shot dead in less than ten years

       Statistics often tell a story or two about sporting teams. The Toko under-12 rugby side is no exception.

       Played 15, won 15. Points for 958, points against 66. Tries scored 171, tries conceded 12.

       […]

       There was also Kaoss Price, who ripped opposition midfields to pieces on his way to being the team's top try scorer.

       https://www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-news/features/7459807/THE-A-TEAM

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