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October 13, 2021
From IPA's John Roskam re Peter Ridd case

Back ground
Dr Peter Ridd was dismissed from James Cook University (in 2016) for telling the truth about hysteria regarding AGW. Hysterics had claimed the Great Barrier Reef was dying. Ridd pointed to objective evidence that that was not true.

Simply for pointing to facts which contradict AGW hysteria, Ridd was dismissed from James Cook University for having breached their code of conduct. JCU has since claimed his alleged breach of the code of conduct was not for that issue. But as his work was exemplary, it is hard to know what else might have triggered it.

Ridd sued JCU and won his job back under Fair Work regulations from 2009. in 2019, but JCU appealed and today, the full High Court unanimously supported JCU.

Here, Rskam writes "I am absolutely devastated and still in a state of shock as I write this.

It has just been announced that Dr Peter Ridd lost his case in the High Court of Australia five-nil. In a unanimous judgment the High Court decided that despite the clear words of Enterprise Agreement under which Peter was employed at James Cook University that was supposed to protect his right to intellectual freedom, the University's Code of Conduct allowed it to sack Peter because he questioned the scientific evidence upon which rested the claims that the Great Barrier Reef was being destroyed by climate change.

This is just terrible. Not only for Peter and wife Cheryl and his family and for all of us who have supported Peter through two and a half years of court cases. I feel for every young academic and researcher who now will be even more afraid to speak up and challenge the scientific evidence. And I feel for every young Australian who will ever want to put up their hand in class and ask a question and disagree with their teacher.

The High Court's decision proves not only that Australia's universities are in crisis. After all we knew that already. But as difficult as things might be right now and as hard as it is to talk about it in the minutes after we've heard the result of the case, what's happened today just shows we cannot give up. We can't. We owe it to ourselves and to those that come after us to never give up. Our freedom to think, to speak, to argue and to debate and to be what makes us human means we must continue to struggle and to fight and to gain strength from our losses – no matter how bitter they might be. We must strengthen our resolve in the knowledge that it is up to each and every one of us to try and make a difference.

Please know that Peter and the Institute of Public Affairs are not giving up and we will never give up. That is my personal commitment to you.

I'm pleased to announce that as of today Peter Ridd is a Fellow of the Institute of Public Affairs and he will lead a new research program at the IPA, the Project for Real Science. Peter will donate his time, he insisted his position will be unpaid, and Peter will continue his fight for integrity in science. Peter will be doing research and will be making documentary and educational films and working to ensure that no academic speaking out for integrity in science will ever have to suffer the ordeal he went through.

You can make a tax deductible donation to support Peter's research in the Project for Real Science here.

There will be so much more to say about this in the coming days and weeks and tomorrow we'll be sending you the details of a special event with Peter we'll be holding over Zoom on Tuesday evening. It will be Peter's opportunity to say thank you to you.

And that's what I want to say too. Thank you for your support for Peter and for his and our cause. Today's result is a bitter bitter defeat, but we cannot let it define us.

Peter as one incredibly brave and courageous person has made a difference. He has suffered a loss, but he fought and he stood up for what he believed. As did the thousands of mainstream Australians who supported him financially and emotionally and who I know are hurting right now as much as I am.

We will not give up.

John Roskam

PS - To support Peter's work you can donate to support the research of the Project for Real Science here."

https://members.ipa.org.au/realscience/?j=940869&sfmc_sub=28071565&l=310_HTML&u=66187440&mid=7247908&jb=1001

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November 27, 2022
Jingle Bell Rock

Jingle bell, jingle bell, jingle bell rock
Jingle bells swing and jingle bells ring
Snowin' and blowin' up bushels of fun
Now the jingle hop has begun

Jingle bell, jingle bell, jingle bell rock
Jingle bells chime in jingle bell time
Dancin' and prancin' in Jingle Bell Square
In the frosty air

What a bright time, it's the right time
To rock the night away
Jingle bell time is a swell time
To go glidin' in a one-horse sleigh

Giddy-up jingle horse, pick up your feet
Jingle around the clock
Mix and a-mingle in the jinglin' feet
That's the jingle bell rock

Jingle bell, jingle bell, jingle bell rock
Jingle bell chime in jingle bell time
Dancin' and prancin' in Jingle Bell Square
In the frosty air

What a bright time, it's the right time
To rock the night away
Jingle bell time is a swell time
To go glidin' in a one-horse sleigh

Giddy-up jingle horse, pick up your feet
Jingle around the clock
Mix and a-mingle in the jinglin' feet
That's the jingle bell
That's the jingle bell
That's the jingle...

00:02:04
September 01, 2021
Intro to Locals for the Conservative Voice

David Daniel Ball calls himself the Conservative Voice.

I'm a teacher with three decades experience teaching math to high school kids.I also work with first graders and kids in between first grade and high school. I know the legends of why Hypatia's dad is remembered through his contribution to Math theory. And I know the legend of why followers of Godel had thought he had disproved God's existence.

I'm not a preacher, but I am a Christian who has written over 28 books all of which include some reference to my faith. Twelve blog books on world history and current affairs, detailing world events , births and marriages on each day of the year, organised by month. Twelve books on the background to and history of Bible Quotes. One Bible quote per day for a year. An intro to a science fiction series I'm planning, post apocalyptic cyber punk. An autobiography with short story collections.

I'm known in Australia for my failure as a whistleblower over the negligence death of a school boy. ...

00:01:50
August 02, 2025
Is free speech impossible?

Remember Patrick Henry's words: "Give me liberty or give me death." Don't let illusions of impossibility silence you—act today to ensure free speech endures for tomorrow. What's one step you'll take right now?

Free speech has been challenged before. In the US, World War I and World War II imposed wartime restrictions. The prolonged nature of the Vietnam War made such restrictions obvious, as did the war in Afghanistan. However, the failure of the press to remain free has led to remarkable academic debate. It is now claimed—and widely accepted—that free speech is illusory and not truly possible. Minor restrictions on style are said to mean that speech was never free. This view is Orwellian. What happened?

In antiquity, was there free speech in Athens when Socrates was ordered to leave? He drank poison rather than accept exile, but he had had his say. When Athens defeated Persia at sea, scuttling an invasion plan, the successful generals were ...

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August 01, 2025
Life Awakened

How has meditating on God's precepts brought new life to your spirit today?

Like, subscribe and comment. I read all comments

Song Title: Life Awakened

Song Style and Performance Notes This worship song is inspired by Bethel Music and Hillsong Worship, featuring intimate verses that build into anthemic choruses with soaring melodies and emotional dynamics. Play in the key of G major for accessibility and warmth.

  • Tempo: 72 BPM (mid-tempo, allowing for reflective build-up to passionate release). - Rhythm: Steady 4/4 time signature with a driving quarter-note pulse in verses, shifting to half-time feel in the bridge for emphasis, then full band crescendo in final chorus. - Instruments: Start sparse with acoustic guitar (fingerpicked arpeggios) and piano (sustained chords). Add electric guitar (ambient swells and delay effects), bass (root-note emphasis), drums (subtle kick and snare build), and synth pads for atmospheric depth. Include background vocals ...
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Memo to France

What exactly have the Palestinians done to demonstrate they’re ready for a state?

Some observations:

📷 There are still 50 hostages in Gaza

📷 They refuse every ceasefire proposal

📷 The Palestinian Authority hasn’t held elections since 2006

📷 Corruption is rampant

📷 Children are taught to glorify terrorism

📷 There’s no accountability, no rule of law, and no democratic institutions

So tell us, Emmanuel Macron: what part of this looks like a state-in-waiting?

https://x.com/ddball67/status/1949284310336598058

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Ballad of Jampijinpa: A Warlpiri Dreamtime Bambi in the Tanami Desert
improved marketing on Rumble
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Journey to the Tanami Desert with the Ballad of Jampijinpa, a Warlpiri Jukurrpa retelling of Bambi. Follow Jampijinpa, a young red kangaroo, as he learns the sacred laws of his Country from Napangardi, faces dangers like the machine’s shadow, and rises as a leader under the Seven Sisters’ stars. This Dreamtime story celebrates Warlpiri culture, resilience, and connection to the land. Comment your favorite Indigenous story below! Subscribe for more Warlpiri tales and join my Locals for exclusive Jukurrpa insights.
The story of Bambi is, for many, their first encounter with profound loss. Writing this story in Warlpiri Dreamtime, Tanami Desert context. Loss is part of life, yet life goes on. But, a good life, serving the community is also important. How do Indigenous stories like Jampijinpa’s inspire you?
 
Notes on the Adaptation: Setting and Characters: The Tanami Desert replaces the forest, with native animals (red kangaroo, dingo, mallee fowl, perentie) as characters, reflecting the local ecology. Warlpiri skin names (Jampijinpa, Napangardi, etc.) root the characters in kinship systems, central to Warlpiri identity. Jukurrpa: The Dreamtime frames the story as a sacred narrative, where loss and growth are part of the land’s law. The “shadow” (a machine) nods to modern intrusions like mining, a real threat in the Tanami, but keeps the story timeless. Themes: Bambi’s coming-of-age becomes a journey of learning country and law, emphasizing Warlpiri values of responsibility and connection. The mother’s death and the fire echo Bambi’s trials but are grounded in desert realities. Cultural Respect: I avoided inventing sacred details or mimicking restricted Warlpiri stories, focusing on universal elements (land, kinship, survival) informed by public Warlpiri narratives, like those shared in art or ethnographies.
 
The Ballad of Jampijinpa In Tanami’s heart where the spinifex sways, ‘Neath the Jukurrpa’s first starlit blaze, The ancestors carved from the red desert’s hand, Young Jampijinpa, to guard sacred land.
Chorus: Oh, Jampijinpa, with bounds swift and free, Carry the law of your country’s decree. Through sand and through sorrow, your spirit will roam, In the Tanami’s dreaming, you’ll always find home.
Napangardi taught him the desert’s old ways, Where soakages shimmer through blistering days. The bilby’s soft tracks led to yams in the ground, And the wind whispered tales when no rain could be found. With Jangala, dingo, he leaped o’er the plain, While Nungarrayi tidied the earth’s ancient pain. The oaks sang of patience, the elders stood near, Their ochre-lit eyes guiding young kangaroo’s fear. But dawn brought a shadow, a roar cold as stone, A machine’s cruel hunger tore flesh from the bone. Napangardi fell, her spirit took flight, To the ancestors’ campfire in the starwoven night.
Chorus: Oh, Jampijinpa, with bounds swift and free, Carry the law of your country’s decree. Through sand and through sorrow, your spirit will roam, In the Tanami’s dreaming, you’ll always find home.
Alone, he wandered, his heart like a stone, The sand stung his eyes, and the silence did moan. But Japangardi rose, scales gleaming bright, “You’re never lost, son, in the Jukurrpa’s light.” The bilby taught digging, the oak whispered peace, Nungarrayi scratched paths where the stories increase. Jangala’s yips brought a laugh to the blaze, And Jampijinpa grew strong through the desert’s hard days. Then Nakamarra, with dawn in her gaze, Danced by his side through the sandhills’ soft maze. But fire returned, born of shadow’s old sin, Yet Jampijinpa led kin to the soakage within.
Chorus: Oh, Jampijinpa, with bounds swift and free, Carry the law of your country’s decree. Through sand and through sorrow, your spirit will roam, In the Tanami’s dreaming, you’ll always find home.
Atop the red dune, his shadow stretched far, A keeper of law ‘neath the desert’s bright star. The elders now sing from their camp in the sky, And Jampijinpa’s tracks never fade, never die.
Final Chorus: Oh, Jampijinpa, your story’s been spun, A thread in the Jukurrpa, forever begun. The Tanami dreams, and its stars softly call, For the kangaroo’s heart that will never grow small.
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