USA: One year on from 6 Jan 2021

Just over a year ago, Trump, the sentient nartjie, tried to steal the election from Biden, the sentient Zimmer frame.  He extensively pushed out lies and fake news using Twitter and the good old boys from Fox News.  His enablers from Fox, Hannity, Carlson and Ingraham, were only too happy to peddle his lies, boasts and misdirections and even repackage them and weaponise them for him.  Trump is barely articulate and seldom completes a whole sentence.  But Fox had his back – he could rely on them to speak in whole sentences and eloquently propagate his half-baked views.  Twitter, however, did react adversely and eventually banned him for consistently peddling falsehoods on their platform.  Trump then threatened to start his own social media brand which he did twice in 2021, so far without success.  The other things happening in the Trumpiverse were that, apart from holing up at Mar-a-Laager (another tax write off, the resort itself as well as his staying there), it is obvious that he is positioning himself for another run at the presidency.  This was my view of the World According to Trump in January last year.

Todays cartoon: Djokovic deported from Australia

Many of the anti-vaxxers, especially the gliteratti and elites, are under the misapprehension that rules do not apply to them. They are especially verbose about their right to refuse to be vaccinated. It is their right to do so, but then they have to pay the penalties for their behaviour such as being refused access to certain venues, modes of transport and even countries. Why should Djokovic be able to flout the rules of any country at will? The Australian government rightly did not ignore the middle finger that this foreigner waved into the Ozzies’ faces and promptly deported him.

The drawing and idea was developed by Blaine McCleland whereas the commentary is by Dean McCleland

Port Elizabeth of Yore: Jack the Baboon

First and foremost I have an admission to make. The content of this blog is totally plagiarised. Not one word is mine. When I read the original in my brother’s excellent book on Port Elizabeth entitled: Port Elizabeth: Days of Yours and Mine Part 2, I stole it. Pure and simple. That was recompense for stealing all my photos to use in his book and for the fact that many of the facts and ideas were purlioned off my blogs on PE. So fair’s fair.

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Putting the Bezos ‘Space’ Flight into Perspective

Any good economic advisor has to make disclaimers about his personal interests so that you can decide whether to trust him.  So, I shall make my personal disclaimer upfront.

Jeff Bezos might be the richest man on Earth, but he looks like a dork.  Personally, I think he is a dork.  If you think that it’s wrong for me to get personal and insulting, I agree that’s it insulting for dorks to be compared to Bezos.  To the dorks of the world, I apologise.

Main picture: Jeff Bozo in guru pose speaking to his devotees from his Madras at Van Horn, TX, before ejaculating on his spiritual journey in his priapic amusement park ride.

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(Judge) Hlophe: Abandon All Hope Ye (White Men) Who Enter Here

(Judge) Hlophe should have been dealt with long ago – fired, impeached or whatever they do to hack judges.  His defence for his prior contraventions seems to have been a he said / she said situation or a misinterpretation of what he actually stated.  However, his latest outrage is blatant and not subject to misinterpretation.  Furthermore, it is wilful in that it displays a conscious disregard for facts known by him in order to express a personal opinion and advance a biased racist narrative.  As such, he is not a fit and proper person to be a judge, not only for white people appearing before him, but everyone because he has displayed a creative relationship with facts (evidence) before him.  A Trumpian personality of the first water.

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Gas Should be Integral to Eskom’s 20 Year Plan

In a recent blog I queried whether it was wise to award a contract to Karpowership to supply 1220MW of gas turbine power at 3 sites around South Africa.  This objection was based purely on the costs that seemed to have been accepted by Eskom which I believe is overpriced by 50%.  Setting that objection aside, I am fully in favour of a land-based turbine solution.

Main picture: Five of Ankerlig’s 148MW open cycle gas turbines

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Karpowership – Is Eskom Taking us for a Ride Again?

Eskom is on the verge of signing a 20-year deal for Karpowership to provide 1220MW of ship-based power for 20 years at 3 locations around South Africa.  The contract does not include the land side costs of connecting to the grid i.e., switchgear, transformers and distribution lines.  It also probably does not include the wharfage costs payable to Portnet.

Main picture: Gas turbine

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The Chances of Surviving Once Hospitalised with Covid are not Good

What struck me about the pandemic in the UK is that the infections in their 2 nd wave are running at roughly 10x the 1st wave yet their daily death rates are only slightly higher. I don’t wish to theorise about why that is so, but what I did find significant is how their death rate visually correlated exceptionally well to their hospitalization rate.

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