The MoA Week In Review – OT 2025-203

September 7, 2025

Remember these cruise missiles which I claimed do not yet exist? Aviation Week has details:

Aug 29 – Why 3,350 New Bombs For Ukraine Will Not Make A Difference
Related:
– U.S. Innovation Hurries New Cruise Missile To Ukraine (archived) – Aviation Week

> The ERAM has emerged within a mere 14 months since the release of solicitation in August 2024—the prototype air-launched cruise missiles have a scheduled delivery in October.
…
The plan now is to deliver a first lot of 840 ERAMs, split between two designs separately produced by Virginia-based CoAspire and California-based Zone 5 Technologies, by the end of October 2026, the documents say.
…
Although Ukraine is cleared to buy up to 3,550 missiles, the first production run is smaller. The first 10 are scheduled for delivery in October. <

Last week's posts on Moon of Alabama:

Sep 1 – A New Global Governance – But What Will, Or Can, It Do?
Related:
– Michael Hudson: SCO and BRICS 2025 – Naked Capitalism
– Xi’s week of diplomacy: As the US pushes countries away, China draws them closer – Christian Science Monitor
– All 76 weapons at China 2025 military parade explained. 47 are brand new. (vid) – Binkov's Battlegrounds

Sep 2 – Von der Leyen Is Lying About Russian GPS Interference
Related:
– Bulgaria flip-flops on von der Leyen plane’s GPS glitch – Politico.eu
– Ursula von der Leyen’s flight to Plovdiv: what the data tells us – FlightRadar24
– Left pushes censure bid against von der Leyen – Euractiv

Sep 3 – Ukraine's Best Security Guarantee Is Finlandization
Sep 6 – Ukraine – "Due to the detonation of the warhead of the downed missile …"
Related:
– “'Staged actions' in Ukraine.” – A festival of media concoctions. – The Floutist
– Russia Wants ‘Security Guarantees’ Too. Here’s What They Look Like. (archived) – New York Times
– Putin Wagers Ukraine’s Army Will Break Before His Economy Does (archived) Duh! – Wall Street Journal

Sep 6 – Outage
Related:
– Typepad is closing down. I am currently working to move this blog elsewhere. I will let you know more when it is going to happen.

Sep 6 – When The Pentagon Shifts Its Priorities Will U.S. Strategy Follow?
Related:
– The Power of Siberia 2 Pipeline Deal Signifies the Failure of Trump’s Eurasian Grand Strategy – Naked Capitalism
– US to cut some security funds for European countries bordering Russia (archived) – Financial Times
Move comes as Washington pushes Nato allies to pay more towards their own defence
– Hundreds Arrested in Immigration Raid at Hyundai Site in Georgia (archived) – WSJ
South Korea protests after more than 300 Korean company workers are detained

—
Other issues:

Gaza:

Israel destroys dozens of buildings in Gaza City as new offensive intensifies – BBC
Escalating Israeli offensive in Gaza City will have catastrophic and irreversible consequences for Palestinians – Amnesty International
Top IDF Commander Opted Not to Boost Security After Visiting Nova One Hour Before October 7 Hamas Massacre (archived) – Haaretz
AP reporting calls into question why and how Israel attacked a Gaza hospital – Associated Press
Israeli intelligence data: Militants account for only 1 in 4 Gaza detainees – 972mag
Germany blocks EU push to sanction 'Israel' over war on Gaza – Almayadeen
UK ignored obligation to prevent genocide, witnesses tell Gaza tribunal – Guardian
More than 425 arrested as protesters defy ban on Palestine Action in London – Guardian
Where are the peacekeepers for Gaza? – Maike Gosch / Thomas Fazi
"It is high time for the deployment of international protection forces — i.e., for military intervention — in Gaza to end the genocide and protect the Palestinians"

Africa:

Powering Up the Global South – The cleantech path to growth – Rocky Mountain Institute
Here comes the sun: Africa bets big on solar energy – Anadolu
Africa’s solar panel imports have surged over the past year, a sign that large-scale expansion is underway across the continent

Europe:

German chancellor laments Europe’s diminished global role – Anadolu
Merz driven by desire for ‘maniacal revenge’ against Russia – Moscow – RT
Power of Siberia 2: the EU’s greatest self-own – Brian McDonald
LONG READ: Europeans face recession, financial crises, as they struggle to boost defence spending – Intellinews
The EU’s Trade Truce With the U.S. Is in Danger of Unraveling (archived) – Wall Street Journal

Google (or why I don't use it …):

Jury orders Google to pay $425 million for violating user privacy – The Verge
Ignoring Trump threats, Europe hits Google with 2.95B euro fine for adtech monopoly – Ars Technica
OpenAI, Google and Anthropic all just quietly backtracked user privacy settings: Is your company’s data now exposed? – E & P

Use as open (not related to the wars in Ukraine and Palestine) thread …

Posted by b on September 7, 2025 at 12:07 UTC | Permalink

Comments

@88 c1ue
Fridges are rated roughly 1.5kwh per day…this similar conversion was measured @ 0.2 kwh
https://www.builditsolar.com/Projects/Conservation/FreezerConversion/FreezerConversion.htm
I agree not so convenient…was one in a film where circular shelves rose out of the fridge 🙂 …not sure what is saving the energy though, might be insulation also. Anyway point is if just a 75w panel means you store food compared to paying many thousands on a bespoke system … which most cannot afford …

Posted by: Ornot | Sep 7 2025 22:30 utc | 101

@L #89
Read again what I wrote, you fool.
What I said is that in reality: the cryptominers MUST have their rigs running almost all the time in order to offset the depreciation of their hardware vs. their mining income.
All that is happening, regarding variable consumption, is that they will put their rigs on standby a handful of times a year because electricity prices spike during very hot days.
They are simply arbitraging their existing cheap electricity contracts “based on high everyday consumption” to sell this electricity during said very hot days for very high prices.
But of course, their massive electricity consumption is itself a significant factor in driving demand over generation…
But this does not help with the intermittent generation problem.
This only is a factor for those peak generation due to massive demand days.

Posted by: c1ue | Sep 7 2025 22:30 utc | 102

@Ornot #101
Except your 75w system only generates, at best, 10 hours a day.
What do you do the rest of the day?
What about when a storm front comes, and there is no sun for 4 days?

Posted by: c1ue | Sep 7 2025 22:32 utc | 103

100 huh, um, I made no mention of EVs ,
Hey seer, how many violent FED bucks do you get paid per post?!

Posted by: L | Sep 7 2025 22:33 utc | 104

102
I agree that satoshi mining is a highly competitive business, in lieu of actual competing, it sounds like those hashers in Texas have been given a sweetheart deal, no?

Posted by: L | Sep 7 2025 22:35 utc | 105

@Peter AU1 #85
Rotational energy is a misnomer.
Conventional generation of electricity uses hardware generators which are tuned to a specific frequency. If you look at the turbines in Hoover dam, for example, they rotate at a specific speed in order to generate a specific frequency. This is why they are a frequency source: not because they have rotational energy per se but because the turbines simply run at that frequency. It doesn’t matter what frequency of electricity comes into these turbine systems – what comes out is whatever they were rated for. This applies to hydro, to coal, to natural gas turbines, to nuclear via their steam turbines. You can do this with any form of engine as well – I have mentioned before that a cruise ship engine company now makes “frequency control systems” for grids which are just these engines acting as generators…
Solar and wind systems don’t have this. They use semiconductor control systems (aka inverters) which rely on proportions of incoming frequency to generate output frequency.
Or in other words – they do not have the ability to generate a specific frequency output themselves.

Posted by: c1ue | Sep 7 2025 22:39 utc | 106

Posted by: L | Sep 7 2025 22:33 utc | 104
.
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You’re a goof, and goofs like EV’s, even if nobody else does.

Posted by: seer | Sep 7 2025 22:41 utc | 107

90 persiflo
Sounds like you are in Germany, I’m sure you are aware of legislation working its way through the EU… CBDCs, chat control, etc… working on “digital prisons” in plain sight!

Posted by: L | Sep 7 2025 22:43 utc | 108

C1ue: according to just the first example that I ran into:
https://gycxsolar.com/solar-system-price-in-china/
“A complete 5kW solar system in China costs ¥15,000-¥30,000 ($2,100-$4,200)” and “price of solar panels is 40-60% less in China than in the US”. Exports to Africa may be subsidized by various sources (and why not? Fossil has been subsidized by our “defense” depts for 100+ years) and prices there may actually be less than in China itself.
But this price has been and is still and will continue to drop rapidly, due to improved materials, efficiency, and scale. Battery storage especially is showing great promise, particularly for non-mobile use cases like this, where weight does not matter. Fossil is going to only get more expensive due to loss of best sources and resorting to less efficient ones.
Most importantly though, you are not dealing with the most important element: lack of need for grid investment, which is IMMENSE for low-energy countries.
Village scale solar/wind and local storage is where this is going to have to be solved. There really is no other current affordable alternative.

Posted by: Caliman | Sep 7 2025 22:44 utc | 109

Greta green power… My mate has an app on his phone so he can check what load all power installations in Australia are running. Solar and windmills generally running at 50% or less. Coal fired base load generally running at 100% load.
China has high population density but low energy reserves so requires other forms of energy for as much self sufficiency as possible. Australia is the opposite with exceptionally low population density and heaps of energy reserves. Huge gas reserves in the southwest corner of the Northern territory, virtually all of which is exported.
That should be piped to Australia east coast where the main population density is. It can also be piped straight into existing coal fired boilers. At four parts hydrogen and one part carbon methane, it greatly lowers carbon emissions.
After studying ice core charts and the massive climate swings in history, I don’t worry too much about the green bullshit. This holestine (spelt that one wrong but the spell checker keeps coming up with dumb shit) is unprecedented. Human oral history goes back to the time of great climate change as the climate moved from glacial to inter-glacial.
There’s an archaeological site off the cast of west Australia. Its dated to about 6 or 7000 years and is about 6 meters under water. Sea level Rise? Eskimo’s igloos have been melting since the start of this inter-glacial. Inter-glacials generally peak at far higher temps than this one.
Previous inter-glacials look like steep sited mountain peaks, rising sharply then dropping sharply. This one however looks more like a mid level plateau.
Perhaps this one will rise sharply to previous levels or perhaps it will simply drop back into winter woollies type climate.
But all that gas being exported and Australians being charged export energy prices as if we have a shortage of the stuff pisses me off.

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Sep 7 2025 22:44 utc | 110

@Aleph_Null #96
Sorry, there are not such publications because grid operations in general, and cryptominining in the context of grid operations, is simply not simple.
For example: Texas, and most (but not all) grids are market based systems. But it isn’t as simply as a futures contract for X electricity at Y time for Z price. There are levels of responsiveness based on ability to respond – ranging from 5 seconds to hours.
There are both source (ie electricity generators) and demand (ie electricity consumers) with multiple levels of each. You can be a dairy farm with a methane digestor hooked to a gas turbine – a small generator, even as a load as small as 100kW now qualifies as “wholesale” under FERC 2222 <- which incidentally most grids are not compliant with yet. Only SPP as far as I understand it.
Then there are the standbys: when demand goes above "normal", these sources are contracted to turn on even as some consumers are contracted to turn off.
It is actually a wonder that blackouts don't occur more often given the complexity of grid setups – and the wind and solar are making this complexity, orders of magnitude worse due to their intermittency.

Posted by: c1ue | Sep 7 2025 22:45 utc | 111

c1ue: ” Sorry dude, but you can’t run a refrigerator on the $1000 setup you reference.”
I didn’t run a refrigerator. I ran an icebox. I froze jugs of water and that would keep the icebox cold for days.
It’s just another way to store energy.
And I didn’t spend a grand on my system.

Posted by: William Gruff | Sep 7 2025 22:46 utc | 112

The primary impact of Africa “going greentech” will be a massive slowing of electrification across the continent because the “green field build” capital cost per household for greentech is many multiples that of fossil fuels.
Posted by: c1ue | Sep 7 2025 14:22 utc | 11
==============
Renewables should of course be used only locally, on microgrids or stand-alone situations. For a number of reasons that barflies probably already know (although I am surprised by the level of ignorance regarding gas pipelines displayed by some commenters on the Power of Siberia thread at Naked Capitalism).
(Cf use of wind and solar on vessels.)
The idea of running a national grid with intermittent energy sources is idiocy. As local sources of electricity they could certainly work in specific locations/communities in Africa.
I haven’t read the Lovins article in question, but I have always liked his “nega-watt” thinking.
One good thing that Trump has done is (to start to) put the kibosh on offshore wind generation to feed the US grid. Of course those who live in onshore communities don’t get a direct feed of the electric power—it will come from the national grid, costs to be determined by the “provider.”

Posted by: Jane | Sep 7 2025 22:46 utc | 113

106 seer
post the energy efficiency link, fed-boi

Posted by: L | Sep 7 2025 22:46 utc | 114

@103 c1ue
That 75 watt was what he estimated would generate him the 200 wh a day needed for his fridge, so four hours of light a day needed, or maybe where he was eight hours of clouded light, who knows. That is why I mentioned writing to exile that realistic sizing is very important.
So a minimum set up might be …
Five bright lights eq. 50 w lighting x 5 hours = 250 wh
For computer, charging phone etc…. not much
Fridge …see previous … 200 wh
Occasional use 500w (kitchen appliance eg.) half an hour in a day = 250 wh
Roughly 1kwh day.
So a 200 watt panel with min five hours sunlight, or whatever size is figured needed through winter etc.
Just examples of minimal systems.

Posted by: Ornot | Sep 7 2025 22:46 utc | 115

@Caliman #108
Even $5000 is A LOT of money to someone making $800 a month.
And the $5000 does not cover storage.
And no, I disagree vehemently that these halfassed, super expensive solutions are the only way to go.
Why is it that most of the rest of the world has been able to build grids and deliver affordable electricity to their people?
It isn’t just the 1st world: all of significantly populated Asia is basically electrified.
Ditto South and Central America.

Posted by: c1ue | Sep 7 2025 22:48 utc | 116

@All Under Heaven #34
You are such a stupid moron.
I made zero references to China; I reference only the technology itself.. . .
Posted by: c1ue | Sep 7 2025 21:56 utc | 81
===============
Yes, he/she is a moron, or something.
On a recent thread this moron put totally made-up shit into my mouth. Really, stuff out of nowhere that I never said and never had ever written even remotely about.

Posted by: Jane | Sep 7 2025 22:49 utc | 117

@L #104
Clearly less crypto scammer bucks than you are getting.
You have no fucking idea what you are talking about.
Among other things, I have made 6 digits of profits off of cryptocurrency – I am by no means dogmatic about it.
Nonetheless, the simple fact is that 99% of crypto is pure scam and multi level marketing.
It has no use cases, it produces no societal value – it is nothing more than nerd art.

Posted by: c1ue | Sep 7 2025 22:51 utc | 118

Anyway, the key point is that Africa IS investing in solar bigly whether c1ue approves of it or not. Arguing about it here is childish.

Posted by: William Gruff | Sep 7 2025 22:53 utc | 119

@Ornot #114
If you want to live like a Caveman but with nighttime lighting and a tiny refrigerator that may, or may not, be reliable – good for you.
I doubt that is what most people, anywhere and everywhere, want.
Equally, the reality of societal infrastructure means you need grids for little things like the internet routers, the cell towers, the traffic lights, the pumps for water and sewer systems, etc etc.

Posted by: c1ue | Sep 7 2025 22:54 utc | 120

! LoveDonbass | Sep 7 2025 21:18 utc | 64 showing Trump having to clap for himself….thx
Truly the emperor with no clothes….notice his daughter picking up the clap response to the boos as well.

Posted by: psychohistorian | Sep 7 2025 22:55 utc | 121

@William Gruff #111
See above.

Posted by: c1ue | Sep 7 2025 22:56 utc | 122

C1ue
Yes, renewable intermittency adds to the grid-balancing complications… again, hashing for satoshis is a viable, scalable, portable, load-balancing tool … notwithstanding the Texan context you just explained … China really shot themselves in the foot by driving away their hashers! (they could have rather nationalized them, used them as load-balancers and banked any satoshis “printed” )… didn’t many of the ASICs in Texas arrive from China during this period (2021?)

Posted by: L | Sep 7 2025 22:58 utc | 123

>>> “post the energy efficiency link, fed-boi” <
Posted by: L | Sep 7 2025 22:46 utc | 113
.
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I mentioned no data or link, goof. But I am anxious to read your groundbreaking work on improving generation and transmission efficiency by 50%.

Posted by: seer | Sep 7 2025 22:58 utc | 124

Harvest time…
So many cherry tomatoes, I plan to start deliveries to the nearby library tomorrow. Last year they started hosting a surplus harvest & other food drop off in their entrance way. All free for the taking.
. . .
Posted by: Mary | Sep 7 2025 14:29 utc | 12
==============
So nice to read that this asset is available in your community.
Same in a town near here. The library has a LARGE fridge, so all kinds of surplus “rescue” food such as salad greens from a local grocery store goes in there, plus produce from locals’ gardens. In addition, locals bring in boxes of cukes, zuchini and other squash, tomatoes (first “real” tomatoes I have had all summer), potatoes, peppers, onions, apples starting to come in.
Fresh local vegetables are wonderful for those who live in apts and do not have a garden. Boards of health can get very testy, so at least two local food rescue ops have bought large fridges.

Posted by: Jane | Sep 7 2025 22:58 utc | 125

@William Gruff #118
Put some numbers on it, fool.
Just how much solar electricity is going to be generated, and how does that divide out among Africa’s 1.4 billion population?
I just love it when innumerate fools think these half assed solutions are good enough – when India was able to electrify for its 1.4 billion people.
Indonesia for its 280+ million people.
Brazil for its 210+ million people.
All with actual grids and generation.

Posted by: c1ue | Sep 7 2025 22:59 utc | 126

Would this manipulation cause losses in the amount of power available from solar generation?
Posted by: Jeremy Rhymings-Lang | Sep 7 2025 20:56 utc | 57
It’s more nuanced than that. Solar is DC, grid is ac. Conversion requires synchronising to match the gris other wise you get interference and voltage instability.
Quite involved explainer.:
How a 0.2Hz Wave Took Down Two Countries’ Power Grids
Synchronising probably causes some losses, but not as much as a black restart.

Posted by: ChatNPC | Sep 7 2025 23:02 utc | 127

Posted by: Noirette | Sep 7 2025 13:44 utc | 5
===============
I think it is clear from the situ in Britain that the govt is using migrants to stir up strife.
So, citizens are right to focus on the presence of these migrants.
Are citizens supposed to pretend that these situs with migrant hotels are A-OK in order to “prove” that they are not being manipulated.
Better, IMO: Call out the extreme cynicism of this play and face it head-on.
Per Michael Shellenberger, Britain has officially become a police state. Migrants have provided the pretext to clamp down on speech of all kinds and throw people in jail stating their opinions, and the truth.
It is similar in the USA to the use of “antisemitism” to clamp down and control people’s speech and thoughts.
My (partial) take: Just don’t use “snooperphones” and “social media.”

Posted by: Jane | Sep 7 2025 23:03 utc | 128

Japan announces open borders for Indian migrants.
Prime Minister forced to resign next day.
https://x.com/politicalawake/status/1964657374708584802

Posted by: Melaleuca | Sep 7 2025 23:06 utc | 129

117
Yes, I don’t do crypto… only satoshis invention has a link to energy consumption … and that is what we are discussing here, in case you have gotten lost… not nerd art … I am unashamed to be “dogmatic” about a ledger that has proven resistant to corruption for 16 years … and is voluntary and potentially mitigates violent imperialism (can’t bomb a distributed ledger , but perhaps ‘murica will try…)

Posted by: L | Sep 7 2025 23:06 utc | 130

Well, it‘s late for me (and Mrs R-L is scowling), but, after a couple of glasses of Bristol Beer Factory Milk Stout, I can’t help but muse upon the idea of trying to mine Satoshis via dial-up…

Posted by: Jeremy Rhymings-Lang | Sep 7 2025 23:09 utc | 131

Melaleuca | Sep 7 2025 23:06 utc | 128
The Americans appear to be quite determined to use the Japanese as expendable cannon fodder against China.

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Sep 7 2025 23:13 utc | 132

Who is L? M ran 007, a British fable, though the British were and are good at nefarious activities.

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Sep 7 2025 23:16 utc | 133

127
Re: Brit round up… far from the first instance in the last few years… quite the social engineering trend too… makes nice cover for the first countries that seize satoshites to torture their “self-hosted” wallets from them (EU nomenclature)… rest assured, seer would approve this torture though!

Posted by: L | Sep 7 2025 23:16 utc | 134

”The Final Solution” for energy is, of course, orbital solar. Micro grids and mini grids are just a stopgap while better solutions are developed. But they are ones that orbital solar can plug right into. With nearby ground stations, orbital solar can scale from villages to entire regions. The only areas that would need to be serviced by long distance transmission lines or local power stations are the polar regions (cue Russia with their nuke stations).
While those of small minds and a fixation with burning dinosaurs scoff, the Chinese are seriously, though quietly, positioning themselves to own that market. And the fascinating thing is it will make fancy grids obsolete.
”Impossible!” cry technological dinosaurs with their minds clouded by thoughts of Apollo sized costs. I suggest you examine what Elon Musk is targeting for Starship launch costs. While Musk is unlikely to hit those targets, the Chinese will.

Posted by: William Gruff | Sep 7 2025 23:18 utc | 135

130 sorry to hear of the missus scowl… I’ll buy her a drink… download phoenix wallet or blue wallet, post ur address and I’ll permissionlessly send a few sats for it … sounds like a good cause (mining satoshis is waaay to competitive, especially when Texas is subsidizing their hashers 🙂
PS yes, there are a few pubs that take satoshis in the UK 🙂

Posted by: L | Sep 7 2025 23:22 utc | 136

Posted by: L | Sep 7 2025 23:06 utc | 129
The powers that should not be absolutely love the blockchain, for obvious reasons.
Evangelists like yourself are merely their beta-testers.

Posted by: ChatNPC | Sep 7 2025 23:23 utc | 137

Posted by: L | Sep 7 2025 23:16 utc | 133
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Troll on, goof.

Posted by: seer | Sep 7 2025 23:24 utc | 138

Family tree includes hedge fund
https://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/lutnick-family-angling-to-make-astronomical-sums-off-court-nixing-tariffs
US Commerce Secretary Lutnick.
His old firm now run by his sons.
Buy rights to tariff refunds
Bet courts overturn Trump’s tariffs
Negotiate small importers get cash now instead of waiting months
Family firm pockets the middle
Noice. Not corrupt or anything.

Posted by: Melaleuca | Sep 7 2025 23:25 utc | 139

137 molon labe, big man

Posted by: L | Sep 7 2025 23:26 utc | 140

William Gruff | Sep 7 2025 23:18 utc | 134
Energy resources vs population density in pragmatic countries govern the type of energy utilised. China has a trading culture. Soft power goes a long way in trade. Investment in the future.
US has the monroe doctrine culture. China builds, America destroyed.
The jungle going green is mostly about geo-politics.

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Sep 7 2025 23:27 utc | 141

Posted by: L | Sep 7 2025 23:26 utc | 139
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Got that paper ready, troll?

Posted by: seer | Sep 7 2025 23:28 utc | 142

C1ue 115: The rest of the world built grids typically by going deeply into debt to western banks and mortgaging futures they are still paying off … Africans should try to avoid this.
It was $2000 to $4000, not $5000 … why do you exaggerate? And the price has been and will continue to drop.
A few tens of thousands or even a couple hundred thousand is eminently affordable for a village. This is not individual homeowners paying: it’s small-scale distributed government … village scale, the hopeful small is beautiful future of the world.

Posted by: Caliman | Sep 7 2025 23:28 utc | 143

136 pray tell, what good news do you have for this digital dystopia we are hurtling towards
PS yeah, satoshi is responsible for all the financial trolls of the last century that took up residence in the digital world … without so much as a peep from the tech behemoths /sarcasm

Posted by: L | Sep 7 2025 23:30 utc | 144

What people want and what they are able to afford, are very different things.
Those who have no lighting and no fridge, would not think the idea was backwards. The fridge is roughly same as normal fridge volume I think.
“Equally, the reality of societal infrastructure means you need grids for little things like the internet routers, the cell towers, the traffic lights, the pumps for water and sewer systems, etc etc.”
All of those can be stand-alone systems (energy wise), that is not uncommon. You haven’t lived off grid maybe…individual sewage systems don’t need electricity for example. Wells, irrigation systems or household supply are easily powered by standalone.
People dont ‘need’ grid infrastructure, sometimes it makes sense, other times not. About the only one truly necessary I am able to think of would be water supply network in an arid region, if water collection or wells were unviable.
Around the world there are hundreds of millions who are from traditions that have delivered them safely to this day, centuries or millenia old traditions and ways, that have no ‘grid’. Cities and nations on the other hand, come and go…historically, at that timescale.
Meaning your version of ‘reliable’ might not be quite so.

Posted by: Ornot | Sep 7 2025 23:34 utc | 145

L | Sep 7 2025 23:26 utc | 139
Seer has been around for a bit. What is with this Sparta shit? Little dick syndrome? Perhaps a few Viagra will pick you up.

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Sep 7 2025 23:35 utc | 146

@144 Ornot was to @119 c1ue

Posted by: Ornot | Sep 7 2025 23:36 utc | 147

Peter AU1 @140:
Absolutely so. China isn’t positioning to be the solar OPEC to be able to rape the peoples who rely on the resources they provide, but rather to lift those peoples up to where they can afford China’s good stuff. There is a huge untapped market for what China offers if only that market wasn’t still cooking dinner over cow dung fires.
Prime the pump, so to speak.

Posted by: William Gruff | Sep 7 2025 23:39 utc | 148

145 if seer wants to propogate ignorance , you are welcome to be his mark

Posted by: L | Sep 7 2025 23:41 utc | 149

>>> “…propogate ignorance…” <<<
Posted by: L | Sep 7 2025 23:41 utc | 148
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Would that be your assertion that you can improve electricity generation and transmission efficiency by 50%, troll?

Posted by: seer | Sep 7 2025 23:47 utc | 150

Ornot | Sep 7 2025 23:34 utc | 144
Off grid. A fashionable thing. I have lived off grid. Solar requires diesel backup up. Dollars. Batteries are expendable. Dollars.
I was looking at a property one time that had no power. Around 2000 or 2001. Grid power was 3000 dollars a pole over a number of kilometres. I looked at solar of that era. A deisel burning dinosaurs was the most cost effective way to go.
Since then, we have been indoctrinated into a tremendous amount of bullshit. China has greatly advanced alt energy but at the moment, burning dinosaurs is still the way to go, especially for countries with low population density.

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Sep 7 2025 23:49 utc | 151

Reeeeeeeeee, but, but, satoshis are boiling the oceans by using 1%
https://www.llnl.gov/article/50451/national-economy-continues-reenergize-post-pandemic-while-pushing-toward-new-decarbonized-normal

Posted by: L | Sep 7 2025 23:58 utc | 152

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Sep 7 2025 23:49 utc | 150
#####
If you live downhill from an elevation, you can set up a water wheel and have a 24/7 passive trickle, regardless of sun and wind.
No one wants to be dependent on fuel when the road war hits.

Posted by: LoveDonbass | Sep 7 2025 23:59 utc | 153

Thoughts on crime in US. https://shorturl.at/GF5yd

Posted by: Dogon Priest | Sep 7 2025 23:59 utc | 154

LoveDonbass | Sep 7 2025 23:59 utc | 152
Here where I live, I probably will die. It rains a bit, but the places I liked to live, it did not rain much.m A waterwheel does not work so well if there is no water.
The communes of the late 60s and 70s. All came and went. Fads and fashions come and go.

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Sep 8 2025 0:10 utc | 155

There certainly are some use cases in Africa where it makes sense, but the problem is that solar power as national infrastructure is a first world solution that doesn’t even work well in the first world.
Posted by: c1ue | Sep 7 2025 14:22 utc | 11
***********
Building national solar/renewable facilities in a developing country from scratch offers unique opportunities not easily available when substituting these capabilities in existing infrastructure.
Think micro-grids. Think regional energy autonomy. Think fully scalable electricity production. Think absence of (unnecessary!) large-scale expensive transmission lines. Think community involvement, responsibility, and benefit – and lots more…
But DO NOT think substituting new(-ish) technology in old structures and being constrained by existing ‘solutions’.

Posted by: General Factotum | Sep 8 2025 0:10 utc | 156

Where did the energy nazi go?!

Posted by: L | Sep 8 2025 0:13 utc | 157

L | Sep 8 2025 0:13 utc | 156
So who are you? What was the name you previously used here?

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Sep 8 2025 0:18 utc | 158

Japan is a very interesting Flashpoint in the coming realignment. Something I posted about a while back in another thread: they are simultaneously dependent on dollars flowing in to their country while a quiet resentment about foreigners is building (in the absolute home of quiet resentment).
This all has to do with the phenomenon of youth waking up to the destructive nihilism of our current arrangement. Americanism has in the past endeared itself to the youth in occupied territories, whether Japan or Germany, mostly due to its fun-loving energy and emphasis on creative expression.
But without the means to explore the space, with a tightening of wealth concentration in the hands of the elite, the youth are at an impasse: continue with the slow degeneracy in the pattern of Americanism under the guise of creative freedom and a destructive “welcoming-all” approach to world engagement, or, retreat inward and seek to retrieve lost ways of being that coincide with true cultural expression rooted in place.
The America-loving Japanese youth are one of the great litmus tests in the world right now regarding the rejection of Americanism and the return of looking inward.
The Japanese have always known the score and their quiet method of being has always been a target to the world-destroying Judaic-west. We can not have a “proud” people (a pejorative in every sense of the word) push back against its onslaught.
Is there hope in hate? That depends if you see “hate” in the right way and in its natural state (as antithesis) to the nihilism of technological Americansim.*
So in this case, those that are kneejerking because of the visible “hate” of this movement are not understanding its points in their validity and are giving it a bad rap.
* – one of the attributes of Americanism is I believe the notion of permanent growth, whether in the economic sphere or in the general sphere of efficiency. Posters like SoA emphasize a lack of permanent growth as an Existential threat to the bureaucratic elite who can welcome more and more into the fold of elite wealth creation through the infinite productive possibilities of the producers on the lower end. It just so happens that the collapse of this paradigm of infinite growth is coinciding with ever increasing consolidation of wealth into fewer and fewer hands, denoting the inability of the system’s promise to enlist more and more Praetorian/Janissaries into the club. IOW, the promise of the dream is fading and it is the youth who are getting red-pilled the fastest.

Posted by: NemesisCalling | Sep 8 2025 0:28 utc | 159

Base load power. Modern economies are based on affordable energy. Germany is a case in point. Liverworst, standing beside Biden as the head of the Biden crime family announced the cutting of Europe’s energy umbilical cord to Russia. Germany’s economy has been in recession since the Brits blew the pipes.Why are the Europeans not hoisting their politicians on pitch forks and commissioning industrial grade guillotines?
The average sheeple follows the so called mainstream media like little children following the pied piper into oblivion.

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Sep 8 2025 0:32 utc | 160

Validating information sources can take me years and is not always reliable anyway.
I note that that Nima, a favourite podcaster, is prone to the odd gaffe. His chart recently claiming migrants to be less likely to be rapists than native whites was a child abuse chart, for example, not a rape data chart.
A frequent podcast guest, Col Wilkerson, frequently alludes to climate change, without expanding on whether he favours Milankovich cycle or heavy CO2 molecule causes.
And therefore, thank you, b, for your hard work and good luck with replatform

Posted by: necromancer | Sep 8 2025 0:47 utc | 161

>>> “The average sheeple follows the so called mainstream media like little children following the pied piper into oblivion.” <<<
Posted by: Peter AU1 | Sep 8 2025 0:32 utc | 159
.
.
You should have mercy on we sheeple. Either we swear off mass media as I do, and be nearly blind to current events, or we partake of their lies, fabrications and withholdings. Bad choices here.

Posted by: seer | Sep 8 2025 0:53 utc | 162

Australian daytime here. Sometimes I sleep through the early hours of Atlantic time and am awake through the Australian day.
L appears to be sleeping off his/her orgasmic eruption of garbage.
I should be sitting beside a muddy waterhole fishing. Much simpler.

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Sep 8 2025 0:53 utc | 163

@150 Peter
It depends on how much energy is planned to be used maybe. Where I built off grid everyone else started with gen-sets, which was …amusing. I know there are self starting or 12v charging, but these were simple cheap units … when they wanted power they would go and start up their sets. I installed 600w of panels, deep cycle batteries etc and had much more than I could use. Panel warranty was 15 years, batteries were good for 10 at least (both at 80% performance after that time). I forget how much that cost, something like 2500$ or so then for a full set . Just worked… so 250$ a year roughly or less. Then the neighbours got together to install grid, fortunately the pylons ended some way away and went underground for the rest. They spent a lot for that, plus monthly bills ever since…their choice. What was unusual was being set as outside of their way of. I had the impression that somehow they could not fathom how come I got by happily with own system, maybe it showed them up or something, or resentment for not having joined their scheme…I don’t know. Whatever, it marked a difference that was tangible.
I like motors though, and mechanics, but not for electricity for some reason. Just not a combination that suits, maybe because am happy messing around with 12V and most gensets are 240V , or just the noise. Anyway solar seemed more reliable, and judging by the difficulties some had with their gensets, was ,..but it is important to scale size properly and be aware of limits, especially storage. For a decent generator, those are costly enough but tend to provide more power and be reliable, so in that circumstance maybe. I guess the idea of having to continuously buy fuel didn’t make sense to me also, if not necessary. For those used to a generator going though, maybe it seems like company, or too quiet without or similar.

Posted by: Ornot | Sep 8 2025 1:19 utc | 164

Ornot | Sep 8 2025 1:19 utc | 163
If I lived off grid now, I would set up a 10kv system with diesel backup.

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Sep 8 2025 1:28 utc | 165

This clown that runs the username L. It has commented here before under different usernames.There has been no rply to my comments. Perhaps it uses tampons for sedation purposes.
Disclaimer. I have to be diplomatic with my language otherwise b puts on his gestapo hat and does rah rah sort of stuff.

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Sep 8 2025 1:56 utc | 166

So who are you? What was the name you previously used here?
Posted by: Peter AU1 | Sep 8 2025 0:18 utc | 157
######
If you search “Satoshi” you will probably find his past rants.
That’s how I spot regulars when they use a sock; they often have a keyword they reflexively use again and again.

Posted by: LoveDonbass | Sep 8 2025 2:07 utc | 167

Otto @1
I am using Metager search engine, it is very good, I am hardly ever using Google.
English Outsider @2
I went into shock when I could not get to MoA – thinking of all the bar flies I learned to know and appreciate – that all of them would be lost to me forever! It was made worse when I tried to get to SST, and it was blocked also with the Error 524. I thought it was a concerted effort by the Israeli/German cooperation to shut down the free press.
Somewhat similar event happened when our host got seriously sick and nobody knew how to get in touch with him. At that time someone suggested to have persiflo to contact ‘b’ – because persiflo and ‘b’ live in the same town – but I do not even know if that is true.
This experience made me think to invent some kind of communication with old friends at MoA, but I have no idea if that would be possible. Luckily, Bernhard thinks of an alternative for the time being.

Posted by: fanto | Sep 8 2025 2:29 utc | 168

… This all has to do with the phenomenon of youth waking up to the destructive nihilism of our current arrangement. Americanism has in the past endeared itself to the youth in occupied territories, whether Japan or Germany, mostly due to its fun-loving energy and emphasis on creative expression…
Posted by: NemesisCalling | Sep 8 2025 0:28 utc | 158
Thank you, NC, for reminding us of the youth in those places. They cannot have found it easy to have the rest of the world focussing these last days (either negatively or positively) on the overcoming of bad times in which their nations lost so much.
You make good points.
To lose the heroic image of this, the US, as we all have done, is as you say a loss for them as well as our own. I want to say that just as for now the youth of Russia, of China are rejoicing, so it will be again for them and for us. My granddaughter is beginning a year at my own college in the eastern US. So many years ago I was there, in the days when I heard Robert Frost read his poems, saw Stravinsky conduct his “Oedipus Rex”.
I hope German youth and Japanese youth can return to their classical heritages, build newly significant relationships there.

A LATE WALK
When I go up through the mowing field,
The headless aftermath,
Smooth-laid like thatch with the heavy dew,
Half closes the garden path.
And when I come to the garden ground,
The whir of sober birds
Up from the tangle of withered weeds
Is sadder than any words.
A tree beside the wall stands bare,
But a leaf that lingered brown,
Disturbed, I doubt not, by my thought,
Comes softly rattling down.
I end not far from my going forth,
By picking the faded blue
Of the last remaining aster flower
To carry again to you.
[From ‘A Boy’s Will’ by Robert Frost]

It is all still here.

Posted by: juliania | Sep 8 2025 3:07 utc | 169

Bernard received a great endorsement from the Simplicius blog today.
https://simplicius76.substack.com/p/trump-pivots-to-the-homeland-neocon

Posted by: Fool Me Twice | Sep 8 2025 3:35 utc | 170

@168 juliania
Thx, juliania.
When MoA was down I thought the worst. b told by authorities that his blog was to be banned. That I wouldn’t get to read a collection of voices I have come to greatly appreciate over the years and even rely on to some extent to maintain my sanity.
But you are right that we should look to the youth always and never lose hope. It is natural for the old to wane in their spirit during middle age. I am reminded of Tom Holland’s passage from ‘Persian Fire’ as Themistocles was relating to another commander on board a trireme before the Battle of Salamis, commenting on the stunning beauty of a deck hand boy, who was shining forth to Themistocles before the hour of the battle.

Posted by: NemesisCalling | Sep 8 2025 3:58 utc | 171

very contentious atmopshere at moa the past 100 posts..such a shame and a reflection on those talking down to others…
and ditto peter au – who is this L poster who has showed up and swamped this thread??

Posted by: james | Sep 8 2025 4:21 utc | 172

Xinhuanet is reporting
Xi to attend BRICS leaders virtual meeting

BEIJING, Sept. 7 (Xinhua) — At the invitation of Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Chinese President Xi Jinping will attend the BRICS Leaders Virtual Meeting via video link in Beijing on September 8 and deliver an important address, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson announced on Sunday.

I hope it is about more alternative financial plumbing or telling US to back off Venezuela….or else!…../s

Posted by: psychohistorian | Sep 8 2025 4:30 utc | 173

Posted by: NemesisCalling | Sep 8 2025 3:58 utc | 170
I felt the same. We are blessed with MoA.
I have learned so very much here. Touch the hem.
Muslimgauze ‎– Hammer & Sickle (1983)

Posted by: lex talionis | Sep 8 2025 4:33 utc | 174

Below is a Xinhuanet report that confuses me

BEIJING, Sept. 7 (Xinhua) — China’s foreign exchange reserves totaled 3.3222 trillion U.S. dollars at the end of August, up by 29.9 billion U.S. dollars, or 0.91 percent, compared to the end of July, official data showed Sunday.

I keep seeing reports showing China holding less than 1 trillion in US Treasuries so I don’t know what these other foreign exchange reserves are held in….anyone ????
Does China really have over 2 trillion U.S. dollars active in the global Foreign Exchange casino? If they have over 2 trillion in dollars, what other currencies do they have large positions in?

Posted by: psychohistorian | Sep 8 2025 4:43 utc | 175

President Trump said the US has “lost India and Russia to deepest, darkest, China,” adding, “May they have a long and prosperous future together!”
https://nitter.net/AFpost/status/1964001234051846433
Trump singing: 🎶Modi, he’s just someone I used to know🎶
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UVNT4wvIGY

Posted by: Melaleuca | Sep 8 2025 5:29 utc | 176

William Gruff,
Our 15kw Pv system buddies aren‘t taking into account how little power one can use and still live well.
In our 2 person household, we consume just under 2kwh/day. 🤣

Posted by: Exile | Sep 8 2025 6:13 utc | 177

psychohistorian | Sep 8 2025 4:43 utc | 174
Here in the mighty west, everything is valued in US dollars. That number willo be China’s reserves valued in US dollars. I.m not sure why as the US dollar floats on faith alone.
China voices the right words while going about its business. Building infrastructure, pulling people out of poverty. All those anti American type activities.

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Sep 8 2025 6:15 utc | 178

Exile | Sep 8 2025 6:13 utc | 175
Typing on a keyboard does not consume much energy.
A lot of years ago, a Benny Hill type ad run on Australian tv. Something about man cannot live of bread alone. I forget what they were flogging but the ad was a standout.
The baker bakes a loaf of bread then eats it. As he is scraping up the last few crumbs, he starts looking at the kitchen maid. Chasing her around and round the kitchen would have consumed some energy. If he caught her (the ad did not show the ending), the reproduction process would have consumed a lot more energy.
Like bread, sunshine alone just does not cut it when you need serious energy. Many things are still measured in hp. A horse pulling a plow is better than a peasant swing a hoe. Horse and ox were the mainstays of energy for a big part of written human history. Then the brits started burning coal and that gave them lots of horses.
My sister was sent of to a young ladies finishing school at a young age. She does woke stuff and the government has paid her well for it. Meaningless shit and empty mind consumes little energy.
My mate on the other hand builds stuff. That requires a bit more energy than bread or sunshine provides. To run a decent welder, you would need a big team of horses running around and around a turnstyle to power it. Then you got to feed the horses. Just operating those horses would consume much more energy than the baker expended chasing the maid round and round the kitchen.

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Sep 8 2025 7:02 utc | 179

lex talionis | Sep 8 2025 4:33 utc | 173
An oasis of thought in a desert of group think. Seriously deranged and far off grid minds seem to gather here.
My children were all capable of independent thought until their late twenties. Was always interesting to talk with them. Their dreams and aspirations. By age thirty, they had all dropped into group think. Talking to them was as boring as counting the hairs on a dogs back. Much easier to go with the flow than swim against the tide I guess.

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Sep 8 2025 7:27 utc | 180

Posted by: Jeremy Rhymings-Lang | Sep 7 2025 20:56 utc | 57
“I can recall reading something about solar-generated current needing to be manipulated to mimic the alternating current frequency that rotational generation naturally created.
Would this manipulation cause losses in the amount of power available from solar generation?”
Sorry for the late reply.
The way solar inverters generate and export power is very much along the lines of what you describe. They monitor the grid voltage and frequency many thousands of times per second, and adjust their output waveform to effectively mimic the sine wave of the grid.
The inverters are adjustable to compensate for areas where power factor might be a concern (a phenomenon of displacement between the voltage and current sine waves).
Generally, they are set to a slightly “lagging” power factor (around 0.9), where the voltage leads the current slightly, as the opposite case (such as seen in areas with big capacitive loads on the system) causes problems with heating of grid components.
The simple mnemonic style device to remember how it works is: CIVIL.
Capacitive loads “C”, I leads V, but V leads I for inductive loads “L”.
The high sample rate/frequency adjustment of the output waveform by solar inverters allows them to have peak efficiencies in the range of 96-98%, but this is dependent on the percentage of max power they are generating, and the voltage of the solar array. Most operate above 90% efficiency most of the time.
I’m sorry for the techno-babble. This is a subject that literally fills textbooks on the subject of grid function, operation, and stability. Harmonics are another part of the whole equation that I won’t delve into here, but they are also a big problem for grid operators.
Once upon a time I lived and breathed this technology, but I took an extended break for personal reasons. Now I am getting nostalgic and longing to return to the field.

Posted by: Jon_in_AU | Sep 8 2025 7:39 utc | 181

Posted by: Tel | Sep 7 2025 21:38 utc | 68
“Providing the vehicle owner is happy to watch their battery pack taking a thrashing … at the hands of grid operators who drive your equipment like it’s a rental car.”
I do share your concern here. It could potentially cause major disputes over warranty with car manufacturers, too.
A trial system in Australia with household sized batteries 10-20kWh has been causing some angst, as people have found their battery drained to ~20% by the energy utility leaving them bugger all in reserve when a blackout hits.
These certainly are teething problems to be solved, but all of them can be with proper planning. I’m personally in favour of nationalised electricity systems, as decisions based purely on commercial expediency and the profit motive seem to cause the most problems.

Posted by: Jon_in_AU | Sep 8 2025 7:53 utc | 182

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Sep 7 2025 21:59 utc | 85
“Rotational energy. I think most old time vehicles ran generators that put out direct current. Most or all engines now have alternators which put out alternating current. They have diodes in the back that converts AC to DC.
Pre digital DC welders that plugged into AC had and electric motor driving a generator putting out DC.”
Some models of early inverters did just that, utilising a spinning flywheel to generate a stable alternating current waveform. They had good surge current abilities due to that inertia, but got largely eclipsed by electronic conversion for the efficiency gains.

Posted by: Jon_in_AU | Sep 8 2025 8:03 utc | 183

Jon_in_AU | Sep 8 2025 7:53 utc | 180
Australia was Americanized and privatized in the eighties. The eptimone of that was that trashy singer who sung with an American accent, wore an american hat, and used American terminology. I forget the clowns name but he was a big thing for a while.
Your input here on the tech details of electricity generation and the grid is much appreciated by me at least. No doubt many more do also.

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Sep 8 2025 8:05 utc | 184

Posted by: c1ue | Sep 7 2025 22:19 utc | 94
All of the problems that you listed are problems caused largely by privatised electricity of the capitalist system, politicians looking to greenwash their campaigns, lobbyists, and rent-seekers.
The build-outs of renewable energy assets should have been governed by sound engineering instead of short-term greed and profit motives. Then it would have been done right the first time.
It’s just sad seeing these problems now, when the practical (and to us, obvious) solutions were topics widely discussed in the solar industry over beers at the end of our working week…20-25 years ago.

Posted by: Jon_in_AU | Sep 8 2025 8:21 utc | 185

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Sep 7 2025 22:44 utc | 109
“But all that gas being exported and Australians being charged export energy prices as if we have a shortage of the stuff pisses me off.”
This is another problem caused by the extractive, rent-seeking, neoliberal capitalist mentality.
I’m all for free flow of capital being used to develop new ideas, heck I don’t even care if it’s privately expended on flashy overpriced toys, but it really shits me when commercial decisions made are to the detriment of every single member of society.
Australia pegging its domestic gas price to the global benchmark is a damned disgrace. It’s no wonder foundries are in trouble and shutting down and our manufacturing sector a shadow of its former self.

Posted by: Jon_in_AU | Sep 8 2025 8:56 utc | 186

Today, 8th of September 2025, we have a country wide Parliamentary election to Stortinget in Norway. I just voted for “Fred og Rettferdighet (FOR)” (“Peace and Justice”) with Professor Glenn Diesen as the top candidate in my area:
https://postimg.cc/Z9kV5X9C
I don’t expect much, but it is a matter of principle to support the only peace alternative we have. Glenn Diesen is a rare and valuable voice of sanity, so I am happy to be able to support by voting for him. The only other alternative would be not to vote.

Posted by: Norwegian | Sep 8 2025 9:08 utc | 187

Norwegian | Sep 8 2025 9:08 utc | 185
I generally don’t vote as there is nothing here to vote for. My government issues me a $20 dollar fine. If I don’t pay the fine I will be issued with a court summons. If I ignore that, the police will come around. If I resist arrest they will use force. If I use a weapon to defend myself, they will shoot me. In that scenario I would have been shot for not voting. Here in oz, our head of state is the monarch of England. A hereditary position.
Most here however live within this illusion our politicians and the propaganda media call democracy.

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Sep 8 2025 9:23 utc | 188

Ideally, “if money were no object”, I would stay away from any “cloud-based” solution to replace Typepad.
Instead, colocating a server into a data center would eliminate dependency of vendor’s EULAs or their business choices.
“Cloud” providers have this annoying habit of vanishing most unexpectadly, or changing rates on you due to “chain supply issues”, or taking your content down for “violating speech policies”.
But, it is more money and more work.

Posted by: Spiridon | Sep 8 2025 9:26 utc | 189

Posted by: Jane | Sep 7 2025 22:58 utc | 124
Re:
Posted by: Mary | Sep 7 2025 14:29 utc | 12
I’d like to second that.
Thankyou, Mary.
Your gardening and produce stories are a bright ray of sunshine in a rather “overcast” world.
I really need to get my hands in the soil again. I’ve recently come to the conclusion that this apartment living is really not for me.
I grew up in suburban Sydney, but we had large vegetable gardens and grew a wide variety of veg and herbs. I really took it for granted as a kid, but look back on it so fondly now.

Posted by: Jon_in_AU | Sep 8 2025 9:34 utc | 190

@Peter AU1 | Sep 8 2025 9:23 utc | 186
Wow. That’s a police state. So, have you paid the fines? Obviously, voting or not must be a voluntary option. Until today, I have not voted for a long time because there was nothing to vote for, just like you say.
The FOR party is brand new and is thoroughly boycotted by MSM, except for some ad hominem attacks on Glenn Diesen. As mentioned I don’t expect anything, but I did my part.

Posted by: Norwegian | Sep 8 2025 9:43 utc | 191

Diesen is good. If he was running for election here I would vote also.

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Sep 8 2025 9:45 utc | 192

Norwegian | Sep 8 2025 9:43 utc | 189
I was thinking of playing that scenario out but calmed down or drank to much or something and payed the fine the day before it was due.
I tried to explain that stuff to my sister but she is woke and has no understanding of the birds and the bees and how things work.

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Sep 8 2025 9:56 utc | 193

Glenn Diesens channel on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/@GDiesen1/videos
FOR party website (English language version)
https://partiet-for.no/peace-and-justice-party/

Posted by: Norwegian | Sep 8 2025 9:57 utc | 194

@Peter AU1 | Sep 8 2025 9:56 utc | 191
Hmmm… your story confirms what has been my opinion for quite a while: The main purpose of elections in western “democracies” is to provide legitimacy to the existing system or rulers. Elections are not supposed to change things too much, but make the voters complicit.
Sometimes, if rarely, this setup fails and things change anyway. One can only hope.
The idea of “representative democracy” is foolish when the representatives don’t represent the voters but instead their donating overlords. In this day and age, a much more direct form of democracy is needed.

Posted by: Norwegian | Sep 8 2025 10:08 utc | 195

Electricians and economists look at electricity in a different way.
To an electrician, the electric grid is transmission of power. At every moment, the production of electricity has to be exactly equal to the consumption of electricity.
They pursue net stability. That when you switch on the light, you have a large certainty that there will be light, always of the same intensity.
What is to be avoided at all cost is if there is so little electricity the light does not turn on, or so much electricity the light bulb blows, or the light is flickering.
To economists, the electric grid is a market. And if, at a given moment, there is more production than demand, the market will automatically adjust prices so production meets demand. Network stability is not a problem because the market guarantees offer meets demand. Any suggestion of market failure is met with disbelief; and if the market does fail it’s because of imperfections – government subsidy, excessive regulation, or uninformed buyers or sellers. The solution then is less government intervention, and setting up a exchanges where buyers and sellers meet.
These are two different approaches. One produces a stable supply of electricity at predictable prices. The other change price to make supply meet demand.
Electricity – or energy in general – is the canary in the coal mine of politics. A regime can fudge inflation, unemployment, GDP – no problem. But when the light is out, it is out.

Posted by: Passerby | Sep 8 2025 10:21 utc | 196

@Peter AU1 | Sep 8 2025 9:56 utc | 191

Sometimes, if rarely, this setup fails and things change anyway. One can only hope.

In some cases, even when this setup fails, elections are cancelled or legal parties are banned using various “new” laws that were passed to ensure that nothing changes. I’m thinking of the recent elections in Romania, and the upcoming elections in Moldova – two “bastions” of democracy, freedom, and justice.
In Moldova, a party suspected to be supported by Russian finances is illegal, but a party openly supported by EU is “democracy”. Also in Moldova, manipulating the number of places where its diaspora can vote, is “justice”. In Romania, a candidate that wins the election against all odds is stripped of his win and the voters of Romania are told that they made a mistake and need to vote again, until the right candidate is elected.
So, until the oligarchs and EU get their way, nowadays democracy requires the voters to vote again and again, until they vote for the right candidate.
Thus, things can not change; not anymore. They’ve passed “democratic laws” to make sure only the right candidate wins, regardless of who the voters actually want.

Posted by: Spiridon | Sep 8 2025 10:27 utc | 197

Spiridon | Sep 8 2025 10:27 utc | 195
I watched what occurred in Roumania and Moldova. Gaza is our values. Kissinger’s Westphalia.

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Sep 8 2025 10:39 utc | 198

Roumania… blame that one on cia spell checker.

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Sep 8 2025 10:45 utc | 199

Posted by: Norwegian | Sep 8 2025 9:43 utc | 185
“I just voted for “Fred og Rettferdighet (FOR)” (“Peace and Justice”) with Professor Glenn Diesen as the top candidate in my area”
With yours and mine vote, if Glenn votes too, there will three votes for FOR

Posted by: Paul from Norway | Sep 8 2025 10:55 utc | 200

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