Covid-19 can be a more efficient and dicreet weapon that chemical weapons or bombs.
I wonder why Russia, Syria or even Iran are not sending a few Covid-19 diagnosed “martyrs” to the area in Edlib where the Islamists fighters are grouped. They will get sick and die and neither the Turks nor anyone would want to help them.

Posted by: Virgile | Mar 10 2020 18:02 utc | 4

@ 5 michael.. i agree…

Posted by: james | Mar 10 2020 18:27 utc | 6

Oil. Saudi has 92 years of reserves. Venezuela has more reserves and barely pumps any. The oil market has 40 years max before it disappears like the coal market will too.
Solar, renewables, fusion, whatever, we can be pretty certain much cheaper energy is on its way in the long term. A Solar panel is just a big silicon chip after all (with a distinct experience curve if not following Moore’s law).
So the oil crash was inevitable. Saudi and Russia have both been pushing for growth at the same time as trying to sell their oil companies. The US has used sanctions to prevent expansion in Venezuela and Iran (and to limit Chinese influence on these countries). The killing of Soleimani probably delayed this crash, while the virus has brought it forwards. But it was going to happen soon. No purpose in pointing fingers.
MBS spends a lot of cash, no wonder he is leaning on more of his peers now. With tiny production costs, doubling output at half the price makes sense.

Posted by: Michael Droy | Mar 10 2020 18:34 utc | 8

Finally found someone who agrees with my “imbecilization of the West” hypothesis:

The End of the Age of Enlightenment

The Age of Enlightenment had a pretty good run from the 17th to 19th centuries. It led to the Industrial Age and, in concurrence, the Space and Information Ages. These historical epochs advanced humanity to crowning breakthroughs in science, medicine, information exchange, and quality of life. Today, all of humankind’s advancements are being threatened by those who would have society return to an age marked by superstition, belief in magic and miracles, ignorance, racial and religious intolerance, and abject sexism.

And Weyne Madsen is not what you would call a Bolshevik. On the contrary, he’s pretty much your pro-West, liberal, middle-of-the-road journalist.
–//–
To complete the SC’s double-header, here’s a cool article about the impossibility of separating capitalism from mafia-style banditism:
Sugar and Spice and Everything Vice: the Empire’s Sin City of London
Extra points for the headline.

Posted by: vk | Mar 10 2020 18:54 utc | 10

Bibi has been told No.
The court has rejected Bibi’s request to postpone his corruption trial.
assuming he forms the government, The spectacle; from cabinet meeting or the Knesset to the courtroom.

Posted by: Likklemore | Mar 10 2020 19:10 utc | 12

@Michael Droy #8
Saudi Arabia’s reserves haven’t changed in decades – so I have read. If so, that 92 year number is suspect.
I didn’t extend my model out to doubling production; I will do so when I get back to my laptop.
But I’m 90% sure that doubling production would still yield less cash if oil drops to $30, much less below – which is on the table of SA really delivers double.
Then there’s the question of whether SA can even deliver double their already large production..

Posted by: c1ue | Mar 10 2020 19:42 utc | 14

https://www.powermag.com/300-mw-natural-gas-allam-cycle-power-plant-targeted-for-2022/
NETPower’s Allam cycle 0 emission natural gas power plant coming to you soon!! They are at an earlier stage with testing it by using coal and converting it into nat gas first.
Fusion, renewables, are all great – but we will make carbon energy clean before we make fusion (at the terrible budget, ~0.01% of world GDP).

Posted by: Ilya G Poimandres | Mar 10 2020 20:07 utc | 16

Can’t completely agree with Tyler Durden here on his wide-ranging postulation, “Putin Launches ‘War On US Shale’ After Dumping MbS & Breaking Up OPEC+” mainly because it consists of too much speculation and not enough on facts and statements of those involved in the decisions. The Bloomberg story on which this is mostly based is almost 100% speculation. IMO, this is yet another attempt to bash Russia for the massive mistakes made by the Outlaw US Empire–for years, fracking’s been known as a Ponzi Scheme to those closely watching, and it was already set to implode. This Sputnik article calls the Bloomberg item Bantha Pudu and offers a completely different explanation that looks at Saudi behavior which all the Western BigLie Media outlets omitted from their coverage.
Additional opinions and analyses were provided in this Sputnik article that tend to back the analysis from the previous article. But with the internal turmoil within Saudi over what’s clearly an ongoing power struggle surly contributed to Saudi’s choices. As with almost all reports coming from the West about anything Russian or Chinese, they must be treated with much skepticism. This makes at least the third time lowering the price of oil through increased production aimed to harm Russia and is likely the genuine reason at work again.
As for the Outlaw US Empire’s fracking corps, we shall see if today’s rebound is merely a dead cat bounce, as it’s now close to impossible to further hide their Enron Accounting as their bonds descend to Junk status.

Posted by: karlof1 | Mar 10 2020 20:22 utc | 18

ITALY LIKELY TO HAVE 60,000 COVID-19 INFECTIONS!
When Wuhan and Hubei were locked down on January 23, 2020 there were only 830 coronavirus infections in all of China. As of today there are 67760 cases in Hubei, almost a 100-fold increase! Yet the lockdown seems to have been effective as the epidemic is now over.
When northern Italy was put under lockdown on March 8, 2020 there were 7,375 cases in Italy, with a daily growth rate of 25%. From these numbers it is possible to estimate the total number of people in Italy already infected with the COVID-19 coronavirus.
The growth rate in China on and around January 23rd was about 50% per day. Going from 830 to 67760 would take about 10.86 days. This number is related to the average incubation period.
Staring from 7,375 with a daily growth rate of 25% for 10.86 days results in a 11.28-fold increase or a total of 60,613 cases.
This estimate is based on the assumption that the daily growth rate at the time of the lockdown was twice as high in China as in Italy. Italians may have already prepared for the coronavirus and practiced better hygiene. The figure 50% for the Chinese growth rate is a rough estimate. Averaging over 10 days before and after January 23rd gives a daily growth rate of 47.6%.
It may also be that the growth rates are similar. Comparing the Italian and Chines numbers side-by-side gives similar growth rates for the same number of patients, the main difference being the Italy started the quarantine and lockdown 6 days later and with nine times the number of cases. If so, the total number of COVID-19 cases in Italy may reach half a million.

Posted by: Petri Krohn | Mar 10 2020 20:36 utc | 20

Still no sightings of Michael D’Andrea? It’s been over a month. Was one of the “secret codicils” of the Taliban agreement to re-patriate him or his body?

Posted by: J Swift | Mar 10 2020 20:41 utc | 22

@Michael Droy #8
I extended the model – if the Saudis doubled the oil shipments but oil prices drop to $25, then they will accomplish nothing.
In other words, doubling production yields the same $96B budget deficit as existing volume at oil = $50.
If the Saudis double oil production and oil = $30, they only suffer a $60.7B budget deficit.
Only if they double production and prices stay above $37 does this action reverse their budget deficits.
To be clear: this is a very simplistic model. But possibly still useful to understand the dynamic between oil prices and volumes shipped.

Posted by: c1ue | Mar 10 2020 20:50 utc | 24

Apparently the Dutch are actually going ahead with a trial over the MH-17 plane shootdown, seeking to convict in absentia three Russians and a Ukrainian. It is my understanding that a Dutch military report effectively ruled out exactly the scenario proposed for this trial, and did so several years ago.
Malaysia has provided the dissent to the MH-17 investigation to date, although a newly elected government may seek to pull back from overt criticism in the future. A Malaysian diplomat who has been involved has rather pointed things to say about the politicization of the investigation and the questionable motivations of the Ukrainians, and claims the court case is based on hearsay and a voice recording with no provenance.
https://asiatimes.com/2020/03/is-malaysias-position-on-mh-17-tragedy-shifting/

Posted by: jayc | Mar 10 2020 20:56 utc | 26

interesting stats from over at Time magazine – 0.6% is pretty small
Media likes to get everyone excited ; precautions should definitely be taken
https://time.com/5798168/coronavirus-mortality-rate/
….Countries that have tested significant numbers of people are generally reporting lower mortality rates than those, like the U.S., that have tested in far lower numbers and with a stronger focus on severe cases. This suggests that when testing networks are broadened to catch people with less serious illnesses, and case counts then reflect this range of severity, mortality rates go down.
The mortality rate in South Korea, where more than 1,100 tests have been administered per million residents, comes out to just 0.6%, for example. In the U.S., where only seven tests have been administered per million residents, the mortality rate is above 5%…..

Posted by: michaelj72 | Mar 10 2020 20:58 utc | 28

@JB #21
It shouldn’t be that surprising. Qom, where nCOV broke out, is a major pilgrimage center in Iran. I wouldn’t be surprised if part of the pilgrimage is to pray in one or more of the Qom holy sites during one or more of the 5x day Muslim prayers.

Posted by: c1ue | Mar 10 2020 21:01 utc | 30

@10 vk

Finally found someone who agrees with my “imbecilization of the West” hypothesis

Thanks for the links…interesting reading.
The late comedian George Carlin dedicated the latter half of his career to skewering the many idiotic and moronic tendencies within American culture. That idiocy has spread to the entire ‘Western’ world and has gotten much worse now that keeping people stupid (and confused) is quasi official government/media policy. I have no doubt Carlin would today be condemned as an un-PC ‘Russian asset’ sowing the seeds of division etc.

Posted by: Daniel | Mar 10 2020 21:11 utc | 32

Putin is good for another two six year terms.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-russia-politics/putin-approves-changes-allowing-him-to-stay-in-power-until-2036-idUSKBN20X1FD?il=0
““The proposal to remove restrictions for any person, including the incumbent president … In principle, this option would be possible, but on one condition – if the constitutional court gives an official ruling that such an amendment would not contradict the principles and main provisions of the constitution,” Putin said.
He said U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt serving four terms because of the upheaval his country was going through at the time was an example of why presidential term limits were sometimes superfluous.
“In conditions when a country is experiencing such shocks and difficulties, of course … stability is perhaps more important and must be a priority,” he said, adding that Russia was still recovering from the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union.”

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Mar 10 2020 21:38 utc | 34

Posted by: Virgile | Mar 10 2020 18:02 utc | 4
Tip – these fighters are young. They probably won’t feel the virus.
It does have the potential of killing the US Senate which somehow ….

Posted by: somebody | Mar 10 2020 21:49 utc | 36

@virgil 4
That is a criminal thougth. Y’d better shut up your criminal imagination.

Posted by: Arata | Mar 10 2020 22:13 utc | 38

@ peter… the syrian war grounds seems like one big military equipment experiment for the big players… another turn off on this war as i see it… same shit from the same usual suspects… meanwhile innocent people suffer.. we need to grow a different world.. this ain’t it..

Posted by: james | Mar 10 2020 22:22 utc | 40

Peter AU 1 @34–
Here’s the transcript from Putin’s speech today before the Duma where you’ll discover more context for an issue that’s rather complex for Russia. You’ll again get to read Putin’s opinion on the question after seeing it here:
“This is why I do not believe it is viable to delete the restriction on the number of presidential terms from the Constitution.”
J Swift @31–
Thanks for your reply!! Note Saudi said the spigot won’t be turned on until April–if then. Nor do they have total control as the Houthis could put a cruise drone missile or 6 into their plans. Recall Russia’s mixing Iranian oil into its exports, so actual Russian extraction’s already reduced. Also Russia’s great hydrocarbon reserves are mostly gas in the Arctic and its future demand growth will be from Asia for that commodity. We should also seriously consider the impact of electric cars on future oil demand destruction and thus its total demand. I highly suggest this long research paper, paying particular attention to what it says about China. Also keep an eye on future plans by Eurasian nations as most have a command-economy component known as Industrial Policy lacking from most Western nations, particularly the Outlaw US Empire.

Posted by: karlof1 | Mar 10 2020 22:29 utc | 42

re somebody | Mar 10 2020 21:49 utc | 36
I felt something similar to do with Virgile’s post #4 but not the senate.
Remember those joke shop plastic carnations kids were meant to stick in their buttonhole (No, buttON hole – not that any kid I knew would wear a buttonhole but we still bought them along with the Groucho Marx glasses, nose, tache combo – that nose would mos def be antisemitic in 2020 but that’s another story).
Anyway the masterminds /snark, behind the Qassem Suleimani butchery & murder will be out campaigning through the year, so something like the carnation which could deliver the virus in aerosol form while aforesaid murderers are not shaking hands while they move among the crowd could be a most effective payback which if done correctly won’t cause unwanted collateral damage. Just a thought.

Posted by: A User | Mar 10 2020 22:37 utc | 44

Re: Iran’s surprising high-rate of infection.
Remember, during Soleimanni’s funeral march, there were crowding deaths totalling 30+.
The Iranians huddle together more (especially men and in the marketplaces, etc.) and eat differently than the West, too.
This is an anecdotal comment here, but I notice in combat, the SAA has not learned yet, after close to a decade of fighting the Jihadis, that bunching up and grouping is a very, very bad idea.
I can’t tell how many times I have seen direct ATGM hits on SAA positions of bunched soldiers.
Maybe Arabs and Persians just like the proximity of other people.

Posted by: Nemesiscalling | Mar 10 2020 23:10 utc | 46

Why has Italy not try very hard to scale up hospital bed capacity for the surge of cases over the last several days? They have deployed a military hospital but it doesn’t look like it’s making a big dent. Instead reports are now coming in of abandoning very old people or those with prior conditions to die largely unattended.
In Wuhan, 16 big barracks were built to treat the seriously sick. Why doesn’t Italy requisition schools, move in equipment from the rest of the country, deploy doctors from other regions, call other EU member states for help?
Does it have something to do with the difficulty of getting things done even in emergencies in modern bureaucratic states?

Posted by: coronawhy | Mar 10 2020 23:24 utc | 48

The demise of oil is overstated and the rise of renewables is also. Electric cars? Where do you think the power is going to come from? Forget nukes and hydro as well healed enviros will fight to the death to stop them. Japan is closing their nukes and going to coal. Same with Germany. Without a way to store electricity renewables are a lost cause that needs fossil backup. Molton salt lovers won’t tell you about the huge solar molton salt plant near Tonopah Nevada that’s been mothballed for a year due to being totally unreliable. Or the solar plant at Ivanpah in Nevada that has never lived up to expectations and has to have a gas plant running full time to make up for night and shortfalls. The grids, especially local grids in your neighborhood are creaky and will never handle the amount of electricity if we all go to electric cars and eliminate gas heat, gas hot water, and gas cooking in favor of electric. When they tell you how much to upgrade the grid they are only talking about the main grid and not the even larger expense of upgrading the local. Some Australian neighborhoods have had grid failure with half a dozen electric cars charging at once.
Thanks to US sanctions Venezuela is not pumping much oil. To make up for the loss of the Venezuelan crude which the US Gulf coast refiners relied on they are now importing a bunch of heavy crude from RUSSIA along with other Russian petroleum products. Next door to Venezuela in Guyana huge finds of oil are in the process of being exploited. Point is the more they look the more oil they find so to say oil is on it’s way out is far too premature. Point is renewables as they now exist are not ready for prime time in a modern society that needs a constant flow of electricity. Plenty of pie in the sky predictions of we’ll solve the technical problems but not much in results.
In the US we are getting large numbers of wind farms getting old and junked and their large rotors made of various composites are not recyclable and are now filling up landfills. Lots of blather of we can recycle worn out batteries, which are lead acid, but not much if we can do so with lithium ion. Not to mention the cleared land and roads needed to employ wind and solar and the destruction of animals and their habitat.
Without hookup to the grid all those bragging about their cheap electricity, as power companies are required to buy their electricity at top dollar, is no longer cheap. Large solar and wind installations get a paid subsidy for the electricity they produce without which those renewables are not cost competitive with fossil fuels. The average ratepayer and taxpayer does not realize they are subsidizing those “competitive” rates.

Posted by: snedly arkus | Mar 10 2020 23:48 utc | 50

Well here’s a thing !
Turns out U.K. health minister has just been diagnosed with coronavirus. Not only that but she was at a function with Boris Johnson a few days ago. That might focus there mind a bit !

Posted by: Mark2 | Mar 11 2020 0:13 utc | 52

Peter AU 1 @ 34:
The constitutional change that would eliminate term limits on individuals holding the position of the Russian President (incidentally proposed by none other than Valentina Tereshkova, the first woman to travel in space back in the 1960s) still has to be approved in the April 22 public referendum.
I don’t think that even after the referendum, Putin is necessarily “good for another 12 years”. He may decide to retire in 2024 or accept another position where he can be an advisor to the next President or chair a committee, similar to what Dmitri Medvedev has accepted. Trust Reuters to blatantly, erm, politicise even a proposed change to the constitution, which might be rejected by most of the public anyway, and turn it into an opportunity for more Putin-bashing.
Incidentally you and I live in a country where there are no term limits on Scott Morrison being Prime Minister … or in a country whose Head of State has occupied that position since 1952 with no intervening elections to determine her tenure or even whether she is “good for another X number of years”.
Canadian MoA barflies would be (or should be) well aware that William Lyon Mackenzie King served as Canadian Prime Minister on and off through the 1920s – 40s for a total of 21 years and 154 days.
Incidentally by the time she retires as German Chancellor in 2021, Angela Merkel will have served 16 years in the position with no breaks in-between.

Posted by: Jen | Mar 11 2020 0:26 utc | 54

Adding to his woes, Erdo will now turn his focus to COVID-19 as Turkey reported its first case.
Cases listed by countries at interactive LINK
In US, national guards to enforce the coronavirus quarantine in New Rochelle, NY
“The troops will help clean and deliver food in the designated “containment area” in a one-mile (1.6 km) radius around the area where the contagion appears to have originated, until the lockdown is lifted on March 25.”

Posted by: Likklemore | Mar 11 2020 0:34 utc | 56

and regarding how much oil is left in Saudi even here they are calling them liers..
“the Kingdom will desperately need another primary energy source in the relatively near future because it has nowhere near the amount of oil remaining that it has stated since the early 1970s”
https://oilprice.com/Geopolitics/International/The-Great-Saudi-Shale-Swindle.html

Posted by: ARN | Mar 11 2020 0:43 utc | 58

DG @ 2
Oh, boy, she is a cracker jack.
Demolishing a little POS propaganda organ who attacks her in his native language, not her first language, but she takes him to the cleaner’s anyhow, in his language!! I would love to see her break out into Russian for five seconds or 10 seconds. Just to drive the point home.
Go, Maria!!

Posted by: Really?? | Mar 11 2020 1:18 utc | 60

Jen
Term limits for a country’s leader I consider nothing more than a recent US fashion. I don’t see much point in ditching a leader if he she is doing a good job and would win an election.
What I did notice in the rueters piece was that they didn’t try to make out Putin was behind the proposed change.
In watching Putin interviews, when asked about this being his last term, my impression by the way he answered he perhaps thought someone younger should be taking the job on.

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Mar 11 2020 1:36 utc | 62

This is odd, the John Hopkin’s Coronavirus COVID-19 Global Cases dashboard no longer shows cases at the U.S. city level, only state level summaries. Are they no longer capable of collecting data at the city level? I’m going to contact them and try to find out what’s going on.

Posted by: Trisha | Mar 11 2020 1:57 utc | 64

Nemesiscalling @ 58
Thanks. I checked the youtubes. Use of such weapons is SOP in that war theater. The Houthis, the Russians and the SAA all hit clusters of whatever enemy is in sight with a number of different weapons. It is a horror show.

Posted by: pogohere | Mar 11 2020 2:29 utc | 66

@ Posted by: Peter AU1 | Mar 11 2020 1:36 utc | 61
If Putin is what’s best for Russia, then he should be allowed to be president of Russia as long as he’s so. I see no problem with that.
The habit that a POTUS shouldn’t be reelected more than once wasn’t enshrined in the USA Constitution for a long time. When the country was founded (1776), it was considered elegant for a POTUS to not do neither to go campaigning nor to seek reelection. Regardless, the first election ever held in the USA for POTUS was a complete farce: as victorious warlord, it was already considered a given George Washington would be elected, making it merely a formality to decide who would be Veep.
The next two POTUSes after Washington were his direct successors. After Thomas Jefferson, the Washingtonian dynasty ended, but the tradition that the POTUS should de facto choose his successor continued, as James Madison was Jefferson’s direct successor. Madison then “elected” his successor with Monroe – but at least Monroe was a “founding father”, so a revolutionary exception could still be made for this clearly dynastic system. John Quincy Adams was the first non-dynastic POTUS: he was John Adams’ son, but was elected for another party.
Term limits was enshrined in order to avoid a new FDR phenomenon from arising. It was feared at the time FDR would become too powerful and influential in the USA. However, he died soon after his fourth consecutive victory (third reelection).

Posted by: vk | Mar 11 2020 2:47 utc | 68

Daniel @ 32
Speaking of George Carlin, the good Dr.’s recommendation for building one’s immune system: “Tempering in raw shit,”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X29lF43mUlo

Posted by: Chris | Mar 11 2020 2:51 utc | 70

coronawhy #48

Why has Italy not try very hard to scale up hospital bed capacity for the surge of cases over the last several days? They have deployed a military hospital but it doesn’t look like it’s making a big dent. Instead reports are now coming in of abandoning very old people or those with prior conditions to die largely unattended.
In Wuhan, 16 big barracks were built to treat the seriously sick. Why doesn’t Italy requisition schools, move in equipment from the rest of the country, deploy doctors from other regions, call other EU member states for help?
Does it have something to do with the difficulty of getting things done even in emergencies in modern bureaucratic states?

Italy: neo-liberal economic worship, all government bad, all private sector good, corruption good, banks worshipped as faultless guardians but actually kleptocrats.
China: socialism with a mild capitalist twist, government good, private sector ok, corruption to be rooted out, banks established and policed for the public good (mostly).
Modern bureacratic states function well when government is respected and well resourced intellectually and financially. Italy has been gutted by the Thatcherite and US model of deep coercion and destruction of its socialist roots. Ditto USA and UK and the five eyes cheer squad. New entries to job markets are propagandised to avoid the state employment.
There are many nations in the world with modern functional bureaucratic states. As you can see China and perhaps Russia appear to be in that team. Perhaps some of the Scandinavian states, maybe Portugal. France abandoned its respect for the centrality of State service provider decades ago and Mitterand appears to have been an effective assassin on behalf of the neo-liberal economic monsters in France.

Posted by: uncle tungsten | Mar 11 2020 3:26 utc | 72

james @ 70; Thanks for the link. Dynamite interview!!

Posted by: ben | Mar 11 2020 4:01 utc | 74

@ 73 ben – my pleasure! i liked the first part on the coronavirus and his take.. i find those rogan interviews way too long generally.. i don’t have that kind of time!
@ 74 lfurr99@australiamai … i read paul robinsons take which others here might be interested in – PUTIN 2036?

Posted by: james | Mar 11 2020 4:57 utc | 76

JB @ 21
I find it puzzling that the new virus has spread all over Iran very quickly, whereas in other countries it is more localised, including in China. It is also curious that it has infected by far more of its lawmakers and government officials than elsewhere. Is there a reasonable, rational explanation?
It may be that China is one of the few nations that Iran’s leaders and population can travel to and do business with as the sanctions have crippled their ability to trade and travel.
Russia can double down and cut prices more than the Saudis as they have more excess capacity than the Saudis. According to the capitalist paper of record their break even price is far lower than the Saudis. What the Saudis have is credit to borrow money from the West.
Does The U.S. Import Oil From Russia?
The lowering of oil prices was one of the elements credited for taking down the Soviet Union. the US pressured the Saudis for production cuts.
Cheap oil will win new Cold War with Putin – just ask Reagan
It appears this is the power play and some in the Saudi family oppose and fear the consequences. Putin will probably want to stand pad and negotiate using his excess production as a trump card. Pardon the pun.

Posted by: dltravers | Mar 11 2020 6:10 utc | 78

@10 vk
Finally found someone who agrees with my “imbecilization of the West” hypothesis
Totally agree with you – a good example of this is the bizarre response of so many people to the coronavirus – to go out and panic buy ridiculous quantities of toilet roll (!!)…presumably because somebody on Facebook said they should…
https://richardhennerley.com/2020/03/10/of-coronavirus-toilet-roll-and-idiocy/

Posted by: Richard | Mar 11 2020 7:12 utc | 80

Simple question: Is there a problem in posting comments on this web site when using a few HTML tags in the comment ? I tried twice yesterday to post and both time the comment never appeared.

Posted by: Tom_LX | Mar 11 2020 7:37 utc | 82

Helmer prefers Levada poll.
https://tass.com/politics/898199
A Justice Ministry source told TASS that a random check carried out by the ministry’s Moscow branch had established that the Levada Center was financed by foreign sources and was involved in political activities in the territory of Russia in the interests of its foreign sponsors. The center prepares and distributes by means of modern information technologies their opinion on decisions passed by Russian bodies of state power and their policy and forms socio-political views and convictions.
“The inspection revealed that the Analytical Center of Yuri Levada …had received a large part of its funds from the United States, including a grant from the University of Wisconsin – Madison, which is curated by the U.S. Department of Defense,” the source said.
On things Russian, I think a Russian funded poll might be more accurate than a US government funded NGO.

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Mar 11 2020 7:43 utc | 84

Tom_LX #81
I have never struck a problem using the html tags shown to the right of the comments name and email and url slots.
I even post the odd Emoji when frivolity wanders by. Never struck a problem.
Taboo is posting a long naked url outside the ‘A HREF…’ tag as that generates wailing and gnashing of teeth and fearsome stares from the barman and the crowd.

Posted by: uncle tungsten | Mar 11 2020 9:19 utc | 86

Posted by: uncle tungsten | Mar 11 2020 9:19 utc | 85
I tried again on “Is The Coronavirus Really More Dangerous Than The Flu?”
Preview looked good but no luck posting.
I saw someone breaking up the link without using HTML tag. Is there are safe way to do this so as not to foul up a page ?

Posted by: Tom_LX | Mar 11 2020 9:43 utc | 88

#72
COVID will never be contained in the West as long as every strata of their societies has “irresponsibility” written all over it.

Posted by: JW | Mar 11 2020 10:31 utc | 90

electric renewables are a lost cause that needs fossil backup. by: snedly arkus @ 50 <= wake up.. multi-many renewable technologies are on the rise.. China's is the undisputed leader of renewable powered automobiles. (EVs). Humanity could save enough energy to run all automobiles on earth if government would just use the money it steals from the governed to build bridges and overpasses instead of forcing traffic to stop for lights to waste gas and to be spied on. . Oil and gas use will be outlawed.... Ahem, consider this for 100% renewable energy from the University of New South Wales. A design for Australia and the world. by: uncle tungsten @ 81 <=right on. Personally I am aware of a large private project using basically the technology shown in the video, to produce massive quantities of off grid energy from renewable sources, it is my understanding the project has copyrighted the software and patented the technology in small pieces as open source so the whole world can have the technology and use it royalty free. Beat the users of government at their own game. No more patented, armed, war making, monopoly powered energy companies. Everyone just produces the power they need.

Posted by: snake | Mar 11 2020 11:19 utc | 92

It’s not clear what US intentions are, but a group of US Marines arrived at the Yemeni island of Socotra over the weekend, meeting with the occupying United Arab Emirates forces, and installing Patriot missile systems there.

US Marines Arrive on Yemen’s Island of Socotra to Back UAE
Boy we sure are concerned about controlling the oil shipping routes, eh? Since Houthis have put Yemen proper off the table, maybe fucking up Socotra will work. And Patriots, they get Patriots, I’ll bet Erdogan is jealous. You have to wonder what the Patriots are for in a place like Socotra. The Houthis new missiles perhaps.

Posted by: Bemildred | Mar 11 2020 12:46 utc | 94

Bemildred | Mar 11 2020 12:46 utc | 94 AD Yemen
Also, I see (sputnik or rt) that “patriot AD into Iraq”.
Yeah, and the maneuvers in Europe and plenty more.
Somethin’s going on. I fear Texas’ Thesis may be horribly true.
CV19 in all its forms may not have been released deliberately, but it’s a weapon, and it’s creating what fatboys see as opportunity. I chased that down through Helmer’s links and Boyle’s statements. It’s informed opinion> “weapon”. Maybe it’s accidental and coincidental, maybe not. Either way it creates very rapid and fluid changes – we’ll see how that goes.
I want to know if there’s an epidemic in the NATO and especially the US forces on maneuver in Europe and ME. If not… well one can easily reason why.
………………..
Marina rocks! Beautiful lady. I had an algebra teacher with a similar accent in English, and a similar style…she too was terrifying.

Posted by: Walter | Mar 11 2020 13:06 utc | 96

according to Russian Times the USA has admitted its goal in Syria is to prevent
Syria & Russia from clearing the Terrorist

Posted by: snake | Mar 11 2020 14:12 utc | 98

COVID-19 puts neoliberalism on its knees:
Germany abandons “zero deficit” policy

Posted by: vk | Mar 11 2020 14:25 utc | 100