Nice case study in the obsessive weirdness of our media. Collective insanity.

Posted by: Oscar Peterson | Aug 13 2019 12:50 utc | 1

I guess the Western press all got their talking-point memo with instructions to make sure that word got in there.

Posted by: casey | Aug 13 2019 13:06 utc | 2

Don't forget when Putin weaponized Beluga Whales.

Posted by: Jonny Law | Aug 13 2019 13:08 utc | 3

I am baffled at how such a loser is the most indispensable and powerful person in the entire world.

Posted by: Igor Bundy | Aug 13 2019 13:08 utc | 4

Psychologically it should be the other way around: the insecurity of "losing" would "cause" one to overcompensate by "weaponizing." We should ask David Hume, though.

Posted by: Anacharsis | Aug 13 2019 13:11 utc | 5

Hillary Clinton weaponized b.s.
and lost her mind.

Onward Together political action group
founded by Hillary:

https://www.onwardtogether.org/

Hillary loses her mind:

http://i.imgur.com/LnUChXD.jpg

Posted by: librul | Aug 13 2019 13:11 utc | 6

When I saw the headline I thought this was going to be about Bolton.

Posted by: par4 | Aug 13 2019 13:13 utc | 7

then he allegedly weaponized 100k and buff bernie ads into overcoming billions of dollars in advertising and a lockstep media. small inconsistency there.

Posted by: pretzelattack | Aug 13 2019 13:13 utc | 8

@6

Didn't realize one could post a picture (this works in Preview)

Hillary Clinton weaponized BS and lost her mind.

Onward Together is a political action group founded by Hillary.

Posted by: librul | Aug 13 2019 13:21 utc | 9

librul @6: I know you mean well, but please do not post that sort of crap, it clutters things up. Thank you.

A Month in the Life of the World's Richest Man -- Patrick Armstrong

How Stupid Do They Think We Are?

Posted by: Bemildred | Aug 13 2019 13:29 utc | 10

If that is what constitutes "losing", then I'm all for "losing", let's all have more "losing"!

Posted by: BM | Aug 13 2019 13:45 utc | 11

Can Putin "weaponizing" vodka be far behind?! The horror! The horror! ;)

Posted by: GMW | Aug 13 2019 14:06 utc | 12

When I saw the headline I thought it was going to be about the "rocket" accident in Russia that media is hyperventilating about

Posted by: KH | Aug 13 2019 14:18 utc | 13

maybe the msm is losing it's grip on brainwashing? thanks b...

typo - "Which bears asking" - even though this is an article on russia, the word to use is bares - not bears...

Posted by: james | Aug 13 2019 14:27 utc | 14

It's psychological projection. The Full Spectrum Dominance crowd feel their quest receding into permanent incompletion. So they wishfully project their sense of loss onto the opponent.

The same psychology is found in the sanctioning impulse. "In order to preserve our sense of omnipotence, we hereby subtract you from the game board." But pariah nations, while perhaps vanishing psychologically to the offended party ('you're dead to me now') don't vanish in an existential sense. Too many subtractions and the subtractees acquire a critical mass all their own. Subtraction adds up. There is an opportunity to exploit the Empire's irrational denialism -via the rational accumulation of estranged and heretofore 'banished' interests. One day, the lesser critical mass with achieve parity, then dominance. Before that day, a ruinous world war could happen first.

Posted by: Full Spectrum Domino | Aug 13 2019 14:31 utc | 15

James 14

Bear is the right word. Bares means to unveil to make naked.

Posted by: CarlD | Aug 13 2019 14:33 utc | 16

James @ 14

As a verb, bear means to carry as in "bear arms" which has a very different meaning from "bare arms".

Posted by: Ghost Ship | Aug 13 2019 14:48 utc | 17

thanks ghost ship.. i wasn't totally sure, but i thought it was funny with the bear word either way... grammar ain't my strong suit..

Posted by: james | Aug 13 2019 14:50 utc | 18

thanks carld as well..

Posted by: james | Aug 13 2019 14:50 utc | 19

Let's not forget the many bizarre articles on Putin's supposed vanity.
Here's one talking about Putin doing Botox.
Then there's the lamer ones about Putin's psychology: Is Putin the New Hitler

Posted by: c1ue | Aug 13 2019 14:53 utc | 20

They don't call our controlled press "The Mighty Wurlizer" for nothing.

Operation Mockingbird, a.k.a."The Mighty Wurlizter"

Posted by: information_agent | Aug 13 2019 14:54 utc | 21

He's doing quite good for such a loser!

Posted by: padre | Aug 13 2019 14:56 utc | 22

I tried weaponizing my car keys. I’ll be damned if I can find the bloody things now.

Posted by: Michael Keefer | Aug 13 2019 14:57 utc | 23

As they say, a stopped clock is right twice a day. Despite the poor track record (to put it mildly) the media haven't got this one wrong. The supposed nuclear cruise missile Putin boasted of doesn't even exist. There was never any good reason to believe that nor is there any reason to believe in any of the others either. Of course, you should no more believe in US superweapons either. Reagan's Star Wars, SDI, was just as preposterous. No political analysis that takes Putin's boasts as facts is fatally flawed.

Posted by: steven t johnson | Aug 13 2019 15:03 utc | 24

OT

Isn't it time Hong Kong completely closed US and UK diplomatic representation in Hong Kong and deported 100% of UK and US diplomats? Not to mention British Council, US/UK NGOs etc.

Sanction US and UK diplomats!

Flights Suspended at Hong Kong Airport as Protest Continues

Posted by: BM | Aug 13 2019 15:19 utc | 25

@24 What are you talking about? Did you even read the post? Totally off topic. What do weapons have to do with the Sochi games? Crimea? Ukraine? His popularity in Russia? Russian projects in Siberia? Germany? Pipelines? etc...

Posted by: goldhoarder | Aug 13 2019 15:28 utc | 26

I've dipped into a few of the Penis Putin Envy links and feel compelled to ask if anyone has conducted a poll to discover how many citizens of the Corrupt & Mendacious West would prefer Putin to the current sock puppet chosen and endorsed by the 1%?

Posted by: Hoarsewhisperer | Aug 13 2019 15:40 utc | 27

@24

That accident during testing last week sure made an unusually large "Boom!" for something that doesn't exist.

Anyway, the only people in the West who try to diminish or downplay Russia's ability to militarily defend itself are sick psychos who are trying to build a case for attacking Russia. It might do one good to build some narrative distance between oneself and them.

Posted by: William Gruff | Aug 13 2019 15:43 utc | 28

Much of that crap appears to be Projection. Putin's Polices Destroying Russian Farmers will probably be next since as you'll learn once you click that it's the exact opposite. It looks quite possible that the opening up of ag lands in Russia's Far East will see China cease its imports of soybeans from the Western Hemisphere as it's already done so in response to Trump's Trade War. As the article notes:

"Net farm income in America has plunged by nearly half over the last five years from $123.4 billion in 2013 to $63 billion last year. It plummeted by 16 percent last year alone."

And with China's market closed, the result this year will be even worse. And it's all Putin's fault!

And to make matters worse, Putin has weaponized the Outlaw US Empire's budget deficit, forcing it to spend "more than twice as fast as tax collections" and now stands at $867 Billion through "the first 10 months of the budget year." (No link, from Business section of today's newspaper.) IMO, that will be headlined as: Putin Loses Control Over Russia's Budget as Deficit Skyrockets!

It's this one most of us are hopeful of reading soon:

Putin Sinks US Empire Without Firing One Shot.

Posted by: karlof1 | Aug 13 2019 15:43 utc | 29

@ Posted by: Bemildred | Aug 13 2019 13:29 utc | 10

Ok, will do.

And thanks for your links.
Here is one appropriate link I appreciate (and think you will too):

https://blog.bennettandbennett.com/2009/11/lizards-dont-laugh/

Posted by: librul | Aug 13 2019 15:48 utc | 30

goldhoarder@26 asks what the disastrous failure of a nuclear cruise missile test has to do with the convincing demonstration of hostility from the media to Putin. The OP offers this up to imply Putin wasn't making Trumpesque boasts about his superweapons that supposedly leave Russia as a major player. Russia is a major player due to its inheritance of the USSR's nuclear force. It is entirely unlikely the strategic missile commands are able to fulfill the nuttier notions of reliability, precision and immediate tactical superiority peddled by generals, defense contractors and rabid politicians. But, unlike nuclear cruise missiles, hypersonic this or that, nukes are big enough that a high failure rate in delivery won't make that much difference.

Posted by: steven t johnson | Aug 13 2019 15:50 utc | 31

@karlof1

Yes, we're in rich psychological terrain. Aberrant terrain, to the extent such things can be extrapolated to system behavior.

It's a psychological projection. The Full Spectrum Dominance crowd feels their quest receding into permanent incompletion. So they wishfully project their sense of loss onto the opponent. Wanting everything, dominance perceives alternate visions as being nothing less than obstinate escapees. Who knew they were in a figmentary prison in the first place? Competing visions, through no real fault of their own, become weapon pointed at this totalizing vision. Heck, they're not even competing. They're just living.

Dominance's blind spot is that it never stops to ask if others want to be dominated. This makes it structurally myopic and prone to self-deception.

The same psychology is found in the sanctioning impulse. "In order to preserve our sense of omnipotence, we hereby subtract you from the game board." But pariah nations, while perhaps vanishing psychologically to the offended party ('you're dead to me now') don't vanish in any existential sense. They re-gather under different umbrellas: SCO, OBOR, AIIB, etc.

Too many subtractions and the subtractees acquire a critical mass all their own. Subtraction adds up. There is an opportunity here to exploit the Empire's irrational denialism -via the rational accumulation of estranged and heretofore 'banished' interests.

One day, the lesser critical mass will achieve parity, then dominance or perhaps simply multipolarity. Before that day, a ruinous world war could happen first. This latter decision has already been taken since pre-kinetic versions of WW3 are popping up everywhere at once as though instigated by some spanning Hidden Hand.

Posted by: FSD | Aug 13 2019 15:53 utc | 32

The missile that exploded was NOT the nuclear reactor powered cruise missile,it was a chemically driven rocket with an isotope powered heat source doing its early static tests.Stop with the FUD agitprop.Parroting BS talking points from the paranoid media has no place here.

Posted by: Indrid Cold | Aug 13 2019 16:21 utc | 33

It would be interesting to see media headlines about Trump 'losing'. Besides his election , until now he seems to have lost on all areas: Obamacare, north Korea
,China, Venezuela, syria, turkey. Spectacular actions and zero results..

Posted by: Virgile | Aug 13 2019 16:26 utc | 34

Just so you will understand the difference, the cruise missile uses a miniature reactor to produce heat by actually splitting an atom....the heat is used to drive a gas turbine. This rocket that exploded uses natural heat produced by isotope decay to run a thermo electric generator that functions in the burn chamber to ignite liquid oxygen, no atom is split.

Posted by: Indrid Cold | Aug 13 2019 16:27 utc | 35

I've often dreamed of the unveiling, when it would be revealed to the world that a small cabal of disinformation professionals were swaying legitimate public discourse away from the public good and towards the nefarious goals of their paymasters. Kind of like the sunglasses in They Live!

Posted by: Roy G | Aug 13 2019 16:28 utc | 36

This is an incredible list indeed, it shows how the Western power structure and its sick in the head MSM are all trash, completely unbelievable their detachment of reality and good sense. There is no hope for these countries, every week that passes, they all sink a bit more, soon the hole will be just too deep to climb back….easier to dump the sand on top of them by then.

Posted by: Canthama | Aug 13 2019 16:37 utc | 37

It's called projection

Posted by: Trisha Driscoll | Aug 13 2019 16:43 utc | 38

Putin is the Emmanuel Goldstein of the Neoliberal World Order, every bad decision, every mistake, every failure, especially the ones that were obviously flawed from the start, are the results of that dastardly Putin. It's amazing how in the Empire of the Lies, a competent political leader of a sovereign country is becoming a Lex Luthor like supervillain mastermind.

It's almost romantic that these Western elites spend so much time high up in their ivory towers surrounded by the wastelands of their own making, clutching their pearls, thinking about Putin and wondering how he will get to them.

Posted by: Kadath | Aug 13 2019 16:47 utc | 39

Trump,Putin, Netanyahu all owned by the same Chabad mafia.

Posted by: O | Aug 13 2019 16:51 utc | 40

Indrid Cold forgets that the nuclear reactor needs to be controlled. After all, it can't produce all that heat without either launching or melting/exploding the cruise missile. Thus a nuclear reactor powered cruise missile have much greater engineering requirements than an isotope-powered thermal electric device, which itself hasn't even been successfully devised.

But for my part I have forgotten why radioisotopes created in nuclear reactions don't count as nuclear power.

Posted by: steven t johnson | Aug 13 2019 16:55 utc | 41

Let us be clear here. It is the United States who has broken its word and treaties consistently. We said we wouldn't move NATO up to Russia's borders and then we did. We unilaterally walked away from the ABM treaty, we unilaterally walked away from the Iran nuclear deal, we unilaterally walked away from the INF treaty and we will almost certainly walk away from the nuclear test ban treaty. We always allege violations from the other side but never provide any proof of said violations. The United States has invaded Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, and Syria - so far without consequences. The United States has fomented coups in Ukraine (twice), Georgia, probably in Brazil, Venezuela (twice) - again, without consequences. And people wonder why I gag when I listen to Pompous pontificate that Iran needs to start acting like a normal nation.

Posted by: Jeff | Aug 13 2019 17:03 utc | 42

Re: Ingrid Cold @36

Question, is the isotope Pu238?

Posted by: Perimetr | Aug 13 2019 17:04 utc | 43

Putun keeps a reserve space for enemies of mankind such as Netanyahu and Modi. I'd say he's weaponiaed cynicism. His approval of the genocide in Kashmir takes the cake. The odd thing is that he would like to pass himself off as a Christian. If only...

Posted by: sarz | Aug 13 2019 17:04 utc | 44

Steven,

IMO Cause radioactive decay is just radioactivity, like radioactive raw materials (like bananas). I think (so far) they only consider Fusion and Fission to be nuclear actual power.

Posted by: Featherless | Aug 13 2019 17:09 utc | 45

@librul - you should re-size (shrink) pictures if you are going to post them here.

This is how: place width="200" height="200" immediately before the final bracket. Generally 200 is a good small size for them. Unless b disapproves.

Posted by: KC | Aug 13 2019 17:19 utc | 46

steven t johnson...what you are saying here is very confused. I was very clear and concise in what I said, but it takes a little understanding of technology in general I suppose. Lets see if I can figure this one out.

"Indrid Cold forgets that the nuclear reactor needs to be controlled. After all, it can't produce all that heat without either launching or melting/exploding the cruise missile."

I have no idea what you mean here. A nuclear reactor is by definition "controlled". That is what they do so....

"Thus a nuclear reactor powered cruise missile have much greater engineering requirements than an isotope-powered thermal electric device, which itself hasn't even been successfully devised. "

Again..what??? Nuclear reactors have existed since the 50's...there have been miniature ones used in space exploration in the past. The isotope rocket blew up because it's fuel ignited in a way it shouldn't (we dont know the details, but that is how all rockets blow up, one way or another). The nuclear reactor driven cruise missile has no fuel to explode.It uses expanding gas (air) to drive a turbine, just like a jet engine, except jets use burning fuel for heat while the nuclear reactor superheats the air to drive the turbine. That is why it can stay aloft indefinitely. The two systems have only little in common...one is not a path to the other, so the claim that one would have to be perfected before the other is nonsense.

"But for my part I have forgotten why radioisotopes created in nuclear reactions don't count as nuclear power."

Because absent the chain reaction, there is no "nuclear" power involved. Decaying isotope can produce heat that a thermoelectric device can harness to make electricity...and ignite a burnable substance. With a continuous burning source you can eliminate or reduce fuel, maybe just use liquid oxygen, and make missiles more compact or longer ranged. It is no more legitimate to call it "nuclear powered" than to say an x ray machine is nuclear powered. You of course can call it what you like, but it goes against decades of convention. lol!

Posted by: Indrid Cold | Aug 13 2019 17:25 utc | 47

Perimetr ...I doubt anyone knows what isotope was being used. Possibly more than one will be tried.

Posted by: Indrid Cold | Aug 13 2019 17:29 utc | 48

Yes, FSD @32--

We're now being told the Color Revolution happening in HK isn't a Color Revolution. Domestic US ignorance is counted upon as IMO what's ongoing is to help Trump with his Trade War:

"While carefully paying lip service to Hong Kong being an internal Chinese matter, the unnamed White House official who spoke to the press said the US supported those 'looking for democracy.'"

Typing and a few clicks tell those wanting to know the facts what the truth is:

"The Chief Executive is the head of government, and serves for a maximum of two five-year terms. The State Council (led by the Premier of China) appoints the Chief Executive after nomination by the Election Committee, which is composed of 1,200 business, community, and government leaders.[98][99][100]

"The Legislative Council has 70 members, each serving a four-year term.[101] 35 are directly elected from geographical constituencies and 35 represent functional constituencies (FC). Thirty FC councilors are selected from limited electorates representing sectors of the economy or special-interest groups,[102] and the remaining five members are nominated from sitting District Council members and selected in region-wide double direct elections.[103] All popularly elected members are chosen with proportional representation. The 30 limited electorate functional constituencies fill their seats using first-past-the-post, or instant-runoff, voting.[102]

"Twenty-two political parties had representatives elected to the Legislative Council in the 2016 election.[104] These parties have aligned themselves into three ideological groups: the pro-Beijing camp (the current government), the pro-democracy camp, and localist groups.[105] The Communist Party does not have an official political presence in Hong Kong, and its members do not run in local elections."

Wow! that sure seems like a democratic system to me! Perhaps that unnamed spokesperson ought to read about what the subject is before speaking! Of course, that's why China is saying this isn't about democracy whatsoever. It's all about tarnishing China's reputation thus providing PR credibility for Trump's losing Trade War by resurrecting the Cold War's frame of Free World/Free Markets versus Communist Dictatorship and closed markets.

And of course, that all must be Putin's fault, too, as the POTUS can do no wrong, nor can the Exceptional Nation.

Posted by: karlof1 | Aug 13 2019 17:38 utc | 49

What has our media been doing to us, in truth? From what I can see for myself, nothing good. The only thing that they will absolutely not, under any circumstace whatsoever, do is speak the truth. Honestly, that seems to be the common denominator here.

Posted by: Josh | Aug 13 2019 17:41 utc | 50

@50 "the POTUS can do no wrong,"

He's certainly a mastertetweetere. He says he may postpone a few tariffs and the market soars. Wonder if any of his friends were in on the news.

Posted by: dh | Aug 13 2019 17:50 utc | 51

We should note that Obama was the first to announce Putin would fail in Syria when the Russians came to help out the Assad government against the US backed Takfaris. The results of Russian support were quite spectacular. Of course, the war is still going on but there is no question that Russia saved the Syrian state. Can anyone mention a single military victory that the US has achieved since what? Grenada under Reagan and Bush I against Panama ?? Other than those two "victories" the US has lost every war it has engaged in since the end of WWII.

Posted by: ToivoS | Aug 13 2019 17:59 utc | 52

It gets confusing, but that is the point of all this.
We should be scared of our hero, tragic anti-hero, uber villain and rolemodel.
Not just Russians under the bed, but THE Russian under the bed.
Or so many a lady (or not, as the case may be) might wish or be fearful of or both...
(In other news: Epstein dead? Highly unlikely, ever so doubtful, I do side with Aangirfan on this)

Posted by: Mishko | Aug 13 2019 17:59 utc | 53

@Josh #51

It has been more than 10 years ago that I stopped watching the news and reading newspapers.
Every now and then I watch a bit news or read some Dutch rag and have to turn of the TV/
put the paper away in disgust. It is insulting, aggravating, infuriating. (chutzpah)
I cannot stand it anymore. There is no going back.
It is a term that does not sit well with everyone, but I like the current use of the word cucked.
I have been such a total good cucked boy for so long, too long.
And probably still, for the psyops run deep.

Posted by: Mishko | Aug 13 2019 18:10 utc | 54

I especially like how Putin lost in Crimea. One of his best losses, in my opinion.

Also, Masha and the Bear, Russia’s ultimate weapon in the war for the minds of the Western youth, continues its march across the globe: the “Маша плюс каша” episode is at 4.08 billion views (4th most-viewed video on YouTube) and growing fast, set to overtake Wiz Khalifa’s “See You Again” (4.20 billion) and Ed Sheeran’s “Shape of You” (4.35 billion) in the coming weeks.

Posted by: S | Aug 13 2019 18:26 utc | 55

Indrid Cold - thank you for the education, the perspective, and for such professional quality posts. It is a wonderful feeling to have to read more slowly not because the communication is of poor quality, but because so much information has been relayed so efficiently.

Posted by: Bruce | Aug 13 2019 18:27 utc | 56

To put things in perspective, here are the radition dose rate figures in the region of the incident.

The normal background is 0.11 uSv/h. Shortly after the incident (12:00 GMT) the dose rate rose at 0.45-1.78 uSv/h. The rate peaked at 0.21-0.44 mSv/h at 12:30. By 13:00 the rate had dropped to 0.13-0.29 mSv/h and by 14:30 the levels were in the normal range 0.13-0.16 uSv/h.

The estimated exposure from the incident is ~ 0.7 mSv which is about half the exposure of a CT scan to the head. This is bad in that the exposure was involuntary but is less than the annual exposure of ~1 mSv. In the US, the average annual exposure is about 6 mSv. Western media used 'Chernobyl' to describe the incident. The peak dose eperienced by workers at Chernobyl was estimated at 6,000 mSv.

https://z5h64q92x9.net/proxy_u/ru-en.en/https/colonelcassad.livejournal.com/5201787.html

Posted by: Yonatan | Aug 13 2019 18:33 utc | 57

If Putin ran for President of the United States of America I'd vote for him in a heartbeat.

Posted by: so | Aug 13 2019 18:40 utc | 58

A few people seem to have developed NYT-like delusions concerning nuclear power and isotope decay.

Nuclear fission - the type of process used in current day nuclear reactors - involves the readioactive decay of isotopes, either into lighter isotopes of the same element, or more commonly into elements with smaller atoms. Normally subatomic particles are also produced, such as protons, neutrons or electrons.

Such radioactive decay produces a very large amount of energy, and that is - by definition - basis of fission nuclear reactiors. (Of course, there are complications in the execution; the reaction needs to be controllable - irrespective of whether it is a nuclear reactor or a "nuclear isotope thermal device". The usual procedure is to make use of the particles given off by the decaying isotope to bombard other atoms to trigger further decay, so that the process can be modulated by changing the physical configuration (such as covering/uncovering nuclear fuel rods with a shield of lead, etc).

A normal nuclear reactor uses a chain reaction, whereby the nuclear decay caused by bombardment with particles (which themselves were emitted by the decay of isotopes) causes a larger number of new atoms to decay than those causing the original decay; the process is therefore self-accelerating, and depends on the density of particle bombardment (by reducing the density of particle bombardment the reaction is slowed down).

According to RT the experimental engine in question was an "isotope power source" which did not use a chain reaction. However the details of the engine are classified so everything said is just speculation. Regardless of the details, it must necessarily be true that the rate of radioactive decay of the isotopes must be controllable, otherwise the device cannot be used at all. Therefore I would speculate that the device must use some kind of chain reaction or something similar to a chain reaction, to regulate power. Maybe the decay causing bombardment only produces one particle per decaying atom, therefore the combardment cannot cause an accelleration in the reaction (but it can still cause a higher rate of decay than would be the case where the emitting particles escape without bombarding further atoms). Or maybe instead of one element which is made to decay through a chain reaction, there are two different isotopes/elements, one which normally decays fast, and causes bombardment of the other, which normally decays slowly except when it is bombarded - you could then have fuel rods of two different isotopes/elements which can be moved into more or less contact with each other.

It may also be that one of the products of the radioactive decay is a chemical which then reacts with oxygen to produce still more energy, although it is difficult to see that that would be possible in a sufficiently controlled manner to use as missile fuel (it is more likely just to explode). As I said this is pure speculation because we don't know what the actual engine does.

And by the way, Oxygen doesn't (cannot) burn! It cannot happen. Other things can burn in oxygen, though.

Posted by: BM | Aug 13 2019 18:43 utc | 59

This is Talmudic/Kabbalist media propagandists practicing Black Magic or, as the rest of us call it, wishful thinking.

Posted by: ThereisaGod | Aug 13 2019 18:44 utc | 60

@ToivoS 53
It would seem that winning any conflict is not the goal of the US, rather seizing control of resources and denying use of those resources to others is. Syria is a perfect example, US still hasn’t been forced from the eastern oilfields as most expected would happen.
Empire military goals have been accomplished when viewed as only meant to cause chaos.

Posted by: Fractional ownership | Aug 13 2019 18:57 utc | 61

Because absent the chain reaction, there is no "nuclear" power involved. Decaying isotope can produce heat
Posted by: Indrid Cold | Aug 13 2019 17:25 utc | 48

Sorry Indrid, but you are talking bullshit. If there is no nuclear power involved, then it has nothing to do with radioactive isotopes.

Radioactive isotopes decay, producing energy - heat. That is nuclear power - chain reaction or not.

Posted by: BM | Aug 13 2019 19:01 utc | 62

Is there a causality between weaponizing and losing stuff

you bet! weaponize your overlords, lose your hat and ass!

Posted by: john | Aug 13 2019 19:05 utc | 63

librul @30: Indeed, an excellent link, thank you. It can be like that on the internet too ...

Check out KC @47 if you missed it.

Posted by: Bemildred | Aug 13 2019 19:11 utc | 64

Trump and Putin are both owned by the same mafia.
https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/04/the-happy-go-lucky-jewish-group-that-connects-trump-and-putin-215007

Chabad is a Criminal Organization,
an Organized Crime Mafia
http://www.chabad-mafia.com/mafia

The Odd Chabad Connection Between Putin and Trump
https://washingtonmonthly.com/2017/11/27/the-odd-chabad-connection-between-putin-and-trump/

Posted by: O | Aug 13 2019 19:11 utc | 65

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2001/05/russia-is-finished/302220/

Here's a great article on how Russia is finished. Notice that it's over 18 years ago.......

Posted by: Eighthman | Aug 13 2019 19:18 utc | 66

steven t johnson @31 You miss the entire point of the OP. Actually you prove his point by spouting the same crazy infatuation with Putin and whatever you perceive his failures to be. Out of all the links posted very few of them had anything to do with military technology. Why you choose to concentrate on that says more about you than it does about Putin.

Posted by: goldhoarder | Aug 13 2019 19:34 utc | 67

Putin said he wont do any deals with the US until they have become mature enough to hold on to them.:)

Posted by: h | Aug 13 2019 19:34 utc | 68

BM @60 stated "...it must necessarily be true that the rate of radioactive decay of the isotopes must be controllable, otherwise the device cannot be used at all."

I believe that is a misunderstanding of how radioisotope thermal devices work. The natural decay of radioactive isotopes is practically by definition uncontrollable and is determined by an isotope's half life. You can force atoms of an isotope to fission by bombarding them with neutrons at a suitable energy level that will allow the isotope's nuclei to absorb the neutrons and destabilize, but now you are talking chain reactions and are no longer in the realm of regular radioactive decay. Radioactive decay is a natural process that all radioactive isotopes undergo at at a very set and predictable rate. Nuclear fission from chain reactions is another beast entirely.

RTGs (radioisotope thermoelectric generators) begin working as soon as their isotopes are installed and cannot really be turned off except by removing the isotopes. Beyond this there is no "control" of RTGs. They are either on or off, and in practice they are never turned off and just left to operate until the isotopes decay beyond the point where the device is no longer useful.

Posted by: William Gruff | Aug 13 2019 19:37 utc | 69

Propaganda has lost its grip since the days of "If Germany wins this war, history will have lost its meaning" (WWI)

Posted by: Christoph Marloh | Aug 13 2019 19:42 utc | 70

Given recent history "Compulsive Narrative Syndrome" really ought to be included into the DSM V.
https://www.thenorth.com/apblog4.nsf/0/ECDCECD5A52E699785257DD1005993CB

Posted by: JR | Aug 13 2019 19:49 utc | 71

@Bemildred #10: What a great piece by Patrick Armstrong. Very logical and rational. Perfect for deprogramming people brainwashed by the Mockingbird Media.

Posted by: S | Aug 13 2019 19:51 utc | 72

How much more do the lobotomized American Sheeple (generally not represented in this forum) need to realize that the mainstream “news” media are the propaganda arms of the western (Anglo-Zionist) power structure?

Enjoy a similar example, this with Putin’s “bitch”.
https://youtu.be/rLEchPZm318

Posted by: Nathan Mulcahy | Aug 13 2019 19:56 utc | 73

Think he is going to lose on Nordstream - the US are just warming up on that one, and no European country is going to break with them on the China trade wars, least of all for Russia.
He did lose Ukraine (but not as bad as Ukrainians lost).
He has also missed out on several Nobel Peace prizes. At least one for Syria. And another for pre-empting the US/UKrainian invasion of Crimea and the huge war that would have created (that really pissed people off).

Everything else China wins, sooner if the US smart (it isn't) or later after a very long protracted and nasty trade war. It has barely begun.

Posted by: Michael Droy | Aug 13 2019 19:57 utc | 74

Of course b is right. How can Putin be so often wrong and still remain in power?

I think Putin has done pretty well in defending Russia's interests, even if not very delicate, and even if I don't much like his testosterone-loaded bare-breasted defeat of bears or whatever it is that he does

Posted by: Laguerre | Aug 13 2019 19:57 utc | 75

"Let us be clear here. It is the United States who has broken its word and treaties consistently. We said we wouldn't move NATO up to Russia's borders and then we did. We unilaterally walked away from the ABM treaty, we unilaterally walked away from the Iran nuclear deal, we unilaterally walked away from the INF treaty and we will almost certainly walk away from the nuclear test ban treaty. We always allege violations from the other side but never provide any proof of said violations. The United States has invaded Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, and Syria - so far without consequences. The United States has fomented coups in Ukraine (twice), Georgia, probably in Brazil, Venezuela (twice) - again, without consequences. And people wonder why I gag when I listen to Pompous pontificate that Iran needs to start acting like a normal nation."

Posted by: Jeff | Aug 13 2019 17:03 utc | 43

Clear, concise, and right on target. Should be on a handbill, and passed out to the general public. Thanks Jeff!!

Posted by: ben | Aug 13 2019 20:16 utc | 76

Notícia Horror !!!

Posted by: Cleiton Rodrigues | Aug 13 2019 20:22 utc | 77

Breaking News : Putin has a private army now. How devilish. CNN is definitely a bunch of clowns, that makes you laugh everytime they talk. Enjoy this one:

https://edition.cnn.com/interactive/2019/08/africa/putins-private-army-car-intl/

Posted by: alain | Aug 13 2019 20:32 utc | 78

Indrid Cold forgets the infamous examples of Three Mile Island and Fukushima and (yes) Chernobyl that tell us nuclear reactors are not controlled by definition, but by rather complex systems. Less infamous but equally valid are the difficulties in starting up a reactor or maintaining a consistent flow, which is why there's a certain amount of down time for power reactor. A nuclear reactor on a cruise missile, unlike the small ones on space probes, cannot always be on. On Earth there are issues with radiation affecting people, fire because of oxygen, burning people or other structures by the heat radiated and the problem of neutron radiation slowly turning the entire missile radioactive. (Bombardment by neutrons from reactors is a prime way of getting radioisotopes in the first place.) The reactor will have to be either turned off or be closely monitored in a protected setting. Getting a nuclear reactor on a cruise missile turned really is a much greater technical challenge than using radioisotopes to power equipment. And having it in some sort of containment building rather defeats its alleged purpose as a weapon. By the way, I do not know of any use of nuclear reactors to propel space probes. Further, radioisotope thermoelectric generators are rather inefficient which is why they have not been used as commercial byproducts of nuclear power reactors.

goldhoarder forgets the important point, which is not to abuse me. A genuine failure by "Putin" such as the absurd boasts about nuclear cruise missiles and such, are the ones that matter, precisely because they're real failures. The imaginary failures touted by propagandists don't matter much because they aren't real. But pointing out a bunch of propaganda nonsense doesn't give Putin the real world deterrent against US assault he claims.

Posted by: steven t johnson | Aug 13 2019 20:42 utc | 79

I did not mean to imply that oxygen burns. I meant that if the thermo electric device can maintain combustion chamber temperature in the absence of burning fuel then a compressed liquid gas like oxygen introduced to it would explosively expand and provide propulsion. This could eliminate or reduce the fuel needed to be carried. Sorry that wasnt clear.

And no...an isotope driven thermo electric device is not nuclear power no matter how many qualifications you put on it. The technology is different as is the energy potential...which differs by orders of magnitude.

Posted by: Indrid cold | Aug 13 2019 20:48 utc | 80

Excuse me while I cough up a Fur Ball... How much are things going to get stranger...? Yeah! A Lot...

Posted by: Jayne | Aug 13 2019 21:24 utc | 81

@ 76 Laguerre

“How can Putin be so often wrong and still remain in power?”
That’s approaching it from a semi-negative liberal Grecian point of view - which I would expect from reading your stuff.

“I think Putin has done pretty well in defending Russia's interests, even if not very delicate"
Notice the word pretty. I would say very well in that he is taking on a colossus. The biggest empire ever to exist though you wouldn’t know it if you looked up wikipedia’s list of empires. Delicate? You mean Chechnia, which was the sequel to Yugoslavia in infiltrating Jihadists to create havoc? How are you supposed to deal with them?

“testosterone-loaded bare-breasted defeat of bears
Maybe he wants to lead young men away from crime and vodka and drugs to get fit, to enjoy nature’s spaces, ha, ha.

You missed the gay issue, which I fully expected, not.

I would quibble with his closeness to Israel and Netanyahu, but apart from that what impresses me is that he likes to get the smartest people in Russsia working for the cause which is to defend mother Russia at all costs.

Posted by: Lochearn | Aug 13 2019 21:27 utc | 82

I'll raise you on the HRC cartoon...
https://www.private-eye.co.uk/covers/cover-1487
;-)

Posted by: Kaiama | Aug 13 2019 21:43 utc | 83

Just to clarify what I mean by a Grecian point of view. Ancient Greece thought it was the dog’s bollocks of human civilization, even though it contained a hefty element of slavery and butchery. It is often opposed to Judaism ie. reason versus faith in western philosophical debate, when the whole thing boils down to man is superior to nature, which means they are both really the same and fed off each other. From the montheistic religion of Judaism and supposed intellectual superiority of Greece came all the empires. They were both saying the same thing: some humans are superior to all other beings and also some or many humans. .

Posted by: Lochearn | Aug 13 2019 21:50 utc | 84

OT

Billionaire Peter Thiel (Trump donor): "Globalist" Google Is In Bed With Chinese Military; Must Be Investigated By FBI/CIA

Calling Google’s action a “treasonous decision,” Thiel warned that “There’s probably a broad base of Google employees that are ideologically super left wing, sort of woke, and think that China’s better than the U.S. or that the U.S. is worse than China – it’s more anti-American than anything.”

https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019-08-13/thiel-globalist-google-bed-chinese-military-must-be-investigated-fbicia

Exactly what i said in my previous comment yesterday. The military and the spooks will gradually take control over the corporations due to the increased geopolitical competition, which requires stronger *domestic* manufacturing and IT base.

You will see more and more of this. And this will be the future direction of the republican party. It won't be isolationalist. It will be playing the China card and the foreign threat card, and thus how we need the big bad angry white men to protect us from the China Threat.

It won't be the dems who will be the biggest warmongers, regardless of the Russia issue. See US polls of minorities (the future of the Dem Party), and it is US whites that are driving the hostility towards Russia, China and Iran. They are the most hostile demographic towards these countries, as well as the most pro-israeli one.

So, in my opinion, an opinion that changed through the years, as i initially supported Trump. The Dems will be better for multipolarity. It is two poor options, but my estimate is that republicans will be worse - too many white men going crazy about losing their power, or the dick contest with another country, which will make them do crazy things in the future.

Posted by: Passer by | Aug 13 2019 21:50 utc | 85

karlof1 | Aug 13 2019 17:38 utc | 50

One thing I've noticed about the Hong Kong demonstrations from viewing a small number of videos: If those demonstrations had occurred in the US, there would be hundreds of dead protesters shot to death by the cops or national guard.

Posted by: sleepy | Aug 13 2019 22:01 utc | 86

Bernhard is correct, there must be some relationship, even some natural law, that explains why whatever Putin seizes or weaponises, it always slips from his grasp.

Last year Putin was reported to have a US$200 billion fortune. Yet the leak of the Panama Papers back in 2016 did not and could not by themselves show any money trails leading to wherever Putin was stashing his billions.

Maybe this peculiar phenomenon could be explained differently as the potlatch phenomenon: instead of losing everything, Putin is giving it all away to demonstrate his unlimited power. Must be why he's still popular among the Russian electorate in spite of all those Levada Center polls that Western experts on Russian matters always pounce on as proof that Putin's hold on the public is slipping.

Posted by: Jen | Aug 13 2019 22:29 utc | 87

S @73: Yes, he is exemplary in my view, I look for his posts; I suspect if he was more inflammatory in his writing, he would get more attention.

Posted by: Bemildred | Aug 13 2019 22:30 utc | 88

I had suggested that Pu238 might be used as an isotope because it has been the go-to isotope used to supply heat/power in "multi-mission" batteries used in various spacecraft. It's extreme radioactivity goes hand in hand with the heat it produces.

Posted by: Perimetr | Aug 13 2019 22:44 utc | 89

s and bemildred - that is one of the few reasons to go to pat langs site - patrick armstrong posts his articles at pls site.. patrick also comments here periodically.. i agree with you both..

Posted by: james | Aug 13 2019 22:51 utc | 90

I know this is a humorous post, and the following isn't humorous. But still, on the subject
of weapons and losing, this is something that can't be topped:

Peter, Paul & Mary – The Great Mandala Lyrics

So I told him that he'd better shut his mouth
And do his job like a man.
And he answered "listen, father,
I will never kill another. "
He thinks he's better
Than his brother that died
What the hell does he think he's doing
To his father who brought him up right?

Chorus:
Take your place on the great mandala
As it moves through your brief moment of time.
Win or lose now you must choose now
And if you lose you're only losing your life.

Tell the jailer not to bother
With his meal of bread and water today.
He is fasting 'til the killing's over
He's a martyr, he thinks he's a prophet.
But he's a coward, he's just playing a game
He can't do it, he can't change it
It's been going on for ten thousand years

[Chorus:]

Tell the people they are safe now
Hunger stopped him, he lies still in his cell.
Death has gagged his accusations

We are free now, we can kill now,
We can hate now, now we can end the world
We're not guilty, he was crazy
And it's been going on for ten thousand years!

Take your place on the great mandala
As it moves through your brief moment of time.
Win or lose now you must choose now
And if you lose you've only wasted your life.

Posted by: juliania | Aug 13 2019 23:13 utc | 91

Sorry, it's better this way

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpIh68Kh_-s

Posted by: juliania | Aug 13 2019 23:25 utc | 92

THANK YOU karlof1 #50, for an excellent description of democratic processes in China. I am sure the nuance would be far more revealing.

Now proportional representation in the USA across the spectrum of all elected legislatures would be a genuine start toward reform. I assume a simple solution to those numerous elected officials via ranked choice or preferential voting might modernise those elections as well.

Back to the topic though: using 'weaponising' and such militaristic language needs to be challenged as it legitimises / normalises the bullying, violent and coercive nature of the MSM discourse. No wonder millions are turning away from it.

Putin is clearly an extremist as he even weaponised cute doggy images in his pernicious destruction of USA democracy. The USA is truly a paper tiger to be so vulnerable and so terrified of merely the gaze of the hound. Pavlov incarnate!

Posted by: uncle tungsten | Aug 13 2019 23:50 utc | 93

@ Posted by: Perimetr | Aug 13 2019 22:44 utc | 90

You wouldn't need Pu-238 per se unless you intended it to last decades on the shelf, though of course faster decaying isotopes become trickier to work with. It is fairly hard to come by -- the Pu-238 used in Viking, Voyager etc. all came from the Savannah River facility, which stopped producing it 30 years ago, and the US now only has a few dozen pounds of it on hand anymore (not coincidentally, the Juno orbiter is the first outer solar system mission ever to use solar power).

It does emit mostly alpha particles though, a big advantage if electronics or biological systems need to operate in its vicinity...

Posted by: AshenLight | Aug 14 2019 0:07 utc | 94

Putin's press is almost as bad as Trumps. Not quite though, Trump's is worse.

Posted by: dltravers | Aug 14 2019 0:12 utc | 95

Thank you Indrid cold #81 for being so patient and persistent in the face of some aggressive retorts in other posts. However the entire discussion of the subject of isotope based thermal devices etc has been a TOP element of this thread. Oops pun...

Posted by: uncle tungsten | Aug 14 2019 0:18 utc | 96

Chexit.

Posted by: donkeytale | Aug 14 2019 0:39 utc | 97

He is Russians Winston Churchill, a person who saved the nation for good or bad. His flaws and human rights abuses would not meet the standard Churchill set. In a modern world he is a good leader in times of trouble. A unipolar American world would be a disaster.

Posted by: steve | Aug 14 2019 0:55 utc | 98

@ B, you overlooked this one. . .

Grandpa Putin Loses Another Bet
TrueStory Gazette, Aug. 2019

Several anonymous, unverified, and possibly non-existent sources announced today that they know, might know, or could possibly have heard from unknown others, who they suspect might know or could have reasonably speculated that Vladimir Putin lost a bet he made with his 2-year old grandson, Vladimir, Jr.

We caught up with the young Putin as he emerged from his daycare school in central Moscow. “Yes, he said, it is true. Grandpa lost the bet we made last week. We wagered about how long Western media could cling to even a microcosm of credibility. Grandpa said it would last until the end of this year, but I bet him that it would be gone much sooner than that.”

Two-year old Putin, who is an avid reader of Moon of Alabama, said that when he woke up this morning he read the latest article. He said, “I just rubbed Grandpa’s face into that article. He shrieked. He was so embarrassed. He had to admit that western media’s credibility is already totally kaput, not even a shred of credibility left, zero.”

“Now Grandpa is the laughing stock of my daycare center. One of my classmates, who is four, said ‘how could your Grandpa be so dumb. Even a two-year old could see that western media’s credibility is in the dumpster. Your Grandpa is such a loser!’”

The young Putin, who stands only up to our reporter’s waist, said that he is studying English but still struggles with difficult words like “history.” But he is not shy. When asked what was the prevailing political view at his childcare center, he looked our reporter in the eye, raised both fists, and loudly proclaimed, “All of us kids agree that U.S. Empire is a hysterectomy!”

We asked Vladimir, Jr. about the stakes of his bet, what did he win? He said, “Grandpa said I could have a place called Camp Pendleton in California to make a playground for kids but I will have to wait a little while until he acquires it. I’m going to make it a playground for Russian and American kids and we also will invite all of the kids from Central America and Mexico.”

Asked if he knew that Camp Pendleton was a U.S. military base, he replied, “I don’t know what it is now, but it’s going to be a great playground for kids.” And he added, “Look Pal, my Grandpa loses lots of times. He loses his keys and his wallet and every bet he ever made with me. But one thing about Grandpa, he ALWAYS KEEPS HIS PROMISES!”

Posted by: FZ | Aug 14 2019 1:02 utc | 99

@99
It is hard to measure up to Churchills human rights abuses in today's world because colonialism is not as prevalent, or at least not as direct. Putin will never have the same opportunity to murder millions as Churchill did, it is a different world. Yes, by todays standards Churchill is a genocidal monster, but I always say one must judge a man by the times he lived in, not the current age. Go easy on old Winston, one can only eclipse the circumstances one is born into by so much.

That said, I think Churchill would be flattered to be compared to Putin, even with the qualifiers of being more flawed and having committed greater human rights violations.

Posted by: Hassaan | Aug 14 2019 1:35 utc | 100