Israel has sabotaged the Iranian Natanz nuclear facility. Not the first time. But what is interesting is that Israel in this case as well as the recent attack on an Iranian vessel – not only is Israel denying attacks, but boasting of them. Obviously trying to goad Iran to escalate as is happening in Ukraine and Taiwan. All the high-faluting geo-strategery aside, Empire is slouching toward Armageddon.
https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/incident-reported-in-iranian-natanz-nuclear-facility-664792

Posted by: gottlieb | Apr 11 2021 15:07 utc | 3

Oldhippie all of the natural prophylactics will remain available but it doesn’t matter. If people are too stupid to know that being healthy/active is better than staying inside and being stressed, there is no reason to ban them! Never once have I heard a single person on mainstream TV or IRL point out that unhealthy, stressed people get sick from viruses, even as they point out that certain communities are hit harder than others.
Common sense is the real enemy and they have already won. They don’t care about a few people who understand what’s going on when they are firmly in control of the vast majority.

Posted by: AHB | Apr 11 2021 15:13 utc | 5

Before you get Covid-19, don’t ask your doctor, just take Vitamin D, Vitamin C, Zinc, Quercetin and Melatonin.
oldhippie no.1
Some good news!
The Irish government recommends Vitamin D for everyone Dr. John Campbell’s Report on addressing Vitamin D deficiency as a public health measure in Ireland
Or settle for a false sense of security from inflated vaccination efficacy claims Dr. Ron Brown discusses outcome reporting bias in Covid-19 mRNA clinical trials
Or go to court to get your doctor to prescribe Ivermectin! Another New York State Supreme Court Justice Ivermectin Order Helping 81-Year-Old Farmer
La Luta Continua …
The Virus and the Parasite

Posted by: Hemiola | Apr 11 2021 15:50 utc | 7

Professor argues that MARIO KART could inspire fairer economic system

In a recent paper, environmental researcher Andrew Reid Bell argues that the video game ‘Mario Kart’ could provide a useful example for how to rethink the global economic and environmental system.

At the end of his life, one of the greatest chess players of all time and exemplary Soviet citizen Mikhail Botvinnik – who was an electrical engineer and computer scientist – tried to devise a computing system that could solve the USSR’s economic problems. He did what he could with whatever energy was left in him, but it was too late.
This Andrew Reid Bell wouldn’t even get to Botvinnik’s toe, but the principle here is the same: you know an economic system is collapsing when some of its well-intentioned, but ultimately random citizens try to save their beloved system through random gimmicks. They’re trying to desperately save what their alleged system fixers have already given up to: the last Economics “Nobel” (Riksbank) Prize winners were the first non-theoretical winners of the prize’s history.
–//–
NYT waves the white flag on Iran:
‘Maximum Pressure’ on Iran Has Failed
And here we can see a sample of the famous Western “whataboutism”:

While the Iranian people deserve a government that is more humane and democratic, there is no guarantee that it will happen, or that whatever comes after this regime will be any better.

Well, this statement is true for every nation in the world, isn’t it? Every other government in the world can always be better, can always be more “humane and democratic”. Substitute the word “Iranian” to any other nationality and the paragraph would still be theoretically valid.
But that’s not the issue, isn’t it? From all the peoples in the world that deserve a more human and democratic government, it’s precisely the Iranian one that’s being victim of the America’s fury. That’s what the NYT Editorial Board doesn’t want to explain to its readership.
–//–
This is a funny one.
From the South China Morning Post (an anti-communist newspaper):
US navy sends China the message: ‘we’re watching you’: A photo of the captain of the USS Mustin taken while shadowing the PLA warships has been described as a form of ‘cognitive warfare’
What the fuck is this “cognitive warfare”?
The CPC’s extra-official newspaper explains:
New guidelines on US-Taiwan interactions ‘harassment’, not ‘turning point’: observer

Observers from both the mainland and Taiwan said on Saturday that although the Biden administration will continue playing the “Taiwan card” to pressure China, an apparent “ceiling” exists no matter how big the “breakthrough” the White House seems to have made is. Observers believe the new guidelines are a move from Washington to test how the Chinese mainland will react, but there will not be a qualitative change to the relations between the US and the island of Taiwan.

In the 1950s, Taiwan imposed a naval blockade on the Mainland. During the 1980s, Taiwan had a military doctrine that envisaged not only a victory over the PLA, but also an advance into the Mainland and occupation of the southern provinces. Some years ago, it reviewed its military doctrine, which now envisages to retreat to the mountainous region of the island and start a long guerilla warfare of resistance against Mainland occupation.
You don’t need to be a mathematician to know where this arithmetic progression is going to. Taiwan is losing the war, and the USA already takes the island as lost.
–//–
CPC remembers Bezos-wannabe Jack Ma that China is a socialist country:
Chinese regulator fines Alibaba, sends policy signal to ensure development and fairness of online economy
–//–
Visits by British royals seen by outsiders as sign of legitimacy, approval
The fetish of the Western world with the British monarchy didn’t come from the blue. It is fruit of a long and incessant propaganda operation spearheaded by the BBC, but that also counts with the collaboration of the American MSM and others.
–//–
China slams U.S. for adding seven Chinese supercomputing entities to “entity list”
Looks like the capitalists are not that into trade anymore. See my last comment in the last post.
–//–
As hunger, cold, debt and homelessness grow in the USA, so does death and violence:
Three shootings in U.S. within 24 hours; two dead, 10 injured

Posted by: vk | Apr 11 2021 15:59 utc | 9

So, after two months of silence on the issue, you finally mention Myanmar only to a. deny that the military is killing large numbers of people, and b. shift the blame to protestors who are now fighting back with knives and hunting rifles. Seriously? I know you have a tendency towards tunnel vision, b, but you’re really taking a sledgehammer to events to make it fit your bias this time. You’re even citing freaking Breitbart because it’s conducive to your narrative.

Posted by: Ben | Apr 11 2021 16:44 utc | 11

Election day in Ecuador and Peru. Telesur has the most accessible updates so here’s the link to the home page.https://www.telesurenglish.net/
My over all take up to now…
Ecuador- current president and traitor Lenin Moreno is hated by almost everyone. However, he is trying to suppress the vote as he declared a state of emergency due to covid a few days ago. IMO it is a “hail mary” pass to attempt to get the vote numbers down close enough to steal it for Lasso. One structural problem: Ecuador has mandatory voting so how can you suppress voters while demanding that they vote? The neolib/feudal system is in free fall so my prediction is Arauz will win big in spite of corporate assertions of a close race. If somehow they manage to steal it from him Ecuadorians will explode and “burn it down”.
Peru-
One friend is a physician in Lima and is on the front lines with covid– all I can get from him is that it’s really really bad and he is not one to exaggerate. Most of my info, however, is from Telesur on Peru. I see Peru similar to Haiti as the power elite has been extremely corrupt and incompetent for decades, centuries, really. There are a bazillion candidates for president, a couple of leftists, I’m watching Veronika Mendoza, from Cuzco, Dad is Peruvian, Mom is French. Peruvians took to the streets in November about when Bolivians took back power, Peruvians forced the president out and got a taste so I would say they are at an early stage of organizing and they could/will benefit from Bolivia and hopefully Ecuador’s strong shift leftward and re-orient toward Asia along with growing regional block: AMLO in Mexico, Nicaragua, Cuba, Venezuela, Argentina (sort of). We might see growing support for the left in Peru followed by consolidation of groups since neoliberalist/feudalists are exposed and have nothing to offer other than fairy tales and bribes. Check out Telesur tonight and tomorrow to see what stage the struggle is at.

Posted by: migueljose | Apr 11 2021 16:50 utc | 13

Interview: Chinese model of engagement with African countries genuine — Ugandan party official
Africans know the horrors and atrocities of Liberal enslavement. They don’t want to go back to those times. That’s why they’re looking for China.

Posted by: vk | Apr 11 2021 16:57 utc | 15

>> Lenin Moreno
Lenin Judas Moreno
Always use his full name.

Posted by: oglalla | Apr 11 2021 17:02 utc | 17

@Ben So, after two months of silence on the issue, you finally mention Myanmar only to a. deny that the military is killing large numbers of people, and b. shift the blame to protestors who are now fighting back with knives and hunting rifles. Seriously?
On February 10 I published:
Something Is Iffy In Myanmar – Only Ten Days After The Coup There Is Already A U.S.-Style Color Revolution Countering It
Nothing has changed since then. So you are wrong on my “silence”.
Now what are your sources for “the military is killing large numbers of people” and for “fighting back with knives and hunting rifles”?
I can tell you who your sources are. The same ‘color revolution’ people who receive those NED grants and get quoted by all the news agencies.
What we are seeing in Myanmar is another version of the early development of the war in Syria. Lots of fake news while the CIA (and MI6) are working to organize a militarized campaign.

Posted by: b | Apr 11 2021 17:14 utc | 19

migueljose | Apr 11 2021 16:50 utc | 13
There already has been an example of “pre-filled in” votes for Moreno, being taken out of a lorry and thrown on the ground.
This is going to be a dirty “election” if Moreno can make it one.

Posted by: Stonebird | Apr 11 2021 17:50 utc | 21

@4
Tanks for that. This guy really needs a trial.
He is famous in German alt media
That’s the aktual journalistic Niveau in Germany together with “relotius” Spiegel (Google it lol)

Posted by: Kartoschka | Apr 11 2021 18:03 utc | 23

@4
I did not scroll down until now
Thx youre comics are spot on
But maybe wasted on the German audience

Posted by: Kartoschka | Apr 11 2021 18:16 utc | 25

migueljose | Apr 11 2021 16:50 utc | 13.. thanks for these updates migueljose….
interesting article from the toronto star which is not getting wider coverage at cbc.. i wonder why??
Adviser to B.C. premier won’t seek new term as outrage spreads over his comments on China’s treatment of Uyghurs in Xinjiang region

Posted by: james | Apr 11 2021 18:59 utc | 27

US Congress preparing to put $300 million a year into a program designed to “counter the malign influence of the Chinese Communist Party globally.” Includes information management and bribing countries to stay away from BRI.
https://twitter.com/hancocktom/status/1381139579030233093

Posted by: jayc | Apr 11 2021 19:15 utc | 29

I was going to post about the asthma spray. Good news for a co-worker who’s on this stuff because of asthma, he should be pretty safe until the mess is sorted out and can get some vaccine.
As for Myanmar, frankly, the regime change came 6 weeks ago when the military decided to take full control of the government. Before that, NLD and Suu Kyi didn’t have an issue working with China and getting plenty of help to boost their infrastructure. People on the street could be a different issue, they weren’t too happy with having plenty of Chinese workers coming and working the mines, or China getting a significant share of electricity from dams they helped finance. Heck, it’s the current junta that once again tried to deal with Western powers by offering to side with them against China, though that smells of shady backstabbing, kinda like Erdogan trying to play West vs Russia without fully committing to a side. Besides, while no comparison is truly correct, the ruling Burmese military is closer to Pinochet than to Nasser or Thomas Sankara. Were they akin to the latter, there wouldn’t be 80% of the country opposed to them and preferring to vote for other parties, and even some various ethnic minorities might actually back them, instead of wanting autonomy or independence for the last 60 years.

Posted by: Clueless Joe | Apr 11 2021 20:49 utc | 31

>>>>>: gottlieb | Apr 11 2021 15:07 utc | 3

Israel has sabotaged the Iranian Natanz nuclear facility.

After the earlier attacks I thought Iran would completely air gap Natanz including the electrical power system to prevent further attacks succeeding. So either Israel is making stuff up (which it’s done before) or the higher elements of the IRGC are arrogant morons.

Posted by: Ghost Ship | Apr 11 2021 21:15 utc | 33

Posted by: Ghost Ship | Apr 11 2021 21:15 utc | 33
I somewhat agree with you but unless you can read, understand, audit and compile every line of code air-gapping isn’t as useful as you think. All it does is to stop real-time attacks.
Nefarious payload could be embedded in updates and patches that was uploaded into the air-gapped system by the engineers for example.
Just like last time, the payload was distributed quite openly because it was embedded in the executables it is hard to scan. it was also harmless unless the code figures out it is installed at the targetted facility previously profiled by intelligence means.
Without knowing what they were looking for it was next to impossible for the iranians to know. Also its VERY easy to get complacent as the enemy only need to succeed once.
They could have a parallel infrastructure (real or simulated sandbox) to test out all new code first but besides having an identical infrastructure that is not producing (if physical), there are ways around sandboxes (virtual). The code could figure out its in a sandbox and not do anything suss.
In all until a country is totally self sufficient in every aspect of their infrastructure this will continue to happen.
I speculate the iranians might have pressed their test environment into production service to increase throughput as part of their JCPOA walk back; The Israeli then figured the iranians couldn’t test new codes as well as they did before, seized the opportunity and slipped them another spiked “service pack” via an asset in the Iranian supply chain.
An internal debate should be made by the iranians on why they are still so in love with importing western control gear and software when it’s proven that’s the attack vector.

Posted by: A.L. | Apr 11 2021 22:17 utc | 35

Thanks b, for including nakedcapitalism’s discussion of Michael Hudson’s question on what to call China above. I came to it last night and put my two cents in, and was happy to see other contributors had done so – haven’t read through all, but I’d say we did well. Although I didn’t get a direct reply, I was happy to return today and see Prof. Hudson’s comment after mine, (and at least nobody disagreed.) Here’s mine and his, about two thirds through:

April 10, 2021 at 6:01 pm
I would go at it a bit differently, bearing in mind that the philosopher-king scenario is actually for Plato ideal personhood writ large (which is the only way I have of explaining how the Republic dialogue ends up). I would suggest the Chinese system be called a meritocracy, since financial matters are being put rightfully in their place in a system which works for the betterment of society (thanks in large part I am sure, to their government’s ability to listen to such as Professor Hudson in formulating how economics plays its part in satisfying that goal.) That is, in China the government is based on having the best educated minds in power, ‘best education’ being so close to the Platonic or Aristotelian ideal that it would be hard to distinguish them from the same, were we in our ‘democracy’ to also have such persons in our government. In other words, we too could be called a meritocracy, were we freely able to elect (and un-elect) those who merited the task of leadership even with the system we have. Which wasn’t the Greek ‘demos’ leadership per se, but a hybridization of sorts, a workable compromise in the country when it was designed.
The Chinese people see that they have good leadership, and they mightn’t care what we call it as long as we recognize that it is the case.
Reply ↓
Michael Hudson
April 10, 2021 at 6:16 pm
These comments are all very helpful. I can see that a single word won’t do it. Even if there were such a word, I would have to spend a chapter explaining it. So that’s what I’ll do in the end of “The Collapse of Antiquity” when it’s out later this summer, and I’ll work it into my China lectures too.
The long dynamic of civilization is that when it started, in the Bronze Age, societies could not afford to leave creditors with rights to enserf the population and monopolize its lands. The entire Near East retained resilience by restoring the status quo ante.
Greece and Rome stopped these Clean Slates, and subsequent Western civilization has not been able to prevent the rentier sector from polarizing economies between a narrow creditor and landlord class (with monopolists) lording it over the rest of society.
So today a point has been reached when we are back in the Ancient Problem: wipe out the debts and redistribute wealth, or shrink and shrivel.
That is the challenge now facing Western civilization.
Will China be the first to close the long circle, in re-subduing money and debt management to the state? The question is indeed whether the finance sector will achieve its age-old ambition to break “free” from government regulation to destroy the liberty of an increasingly indebted population and economy.

I liked ambrit’s answer just above mine, suggesting China should be called ‘Mandatory’. And down at the lower end also caught two good posts from foolisholdman.

Posted by: juliania | Apr 11 2021 22:23 utc | 37

Thank you, james @ 10 for more Michael Hudson, my he does get around! This time down in the downunder in conversation, and an interesting one it was. Bleak his recounting of his attempt to find a baseball magazine in New York City. Then, making the point of the mortgage crisis coming up again but this time with bells on”

When a company in China that is deemed socially desirable can’t pay its debts, the banks renegotiate the debt. They don’t want to foreclose. They don’t want to say, “Okay, we’re going to foreclose and sell you to one of our customers at a distressed price”. We’re going to try to keep you where you are. They don’t want to create a homeless population. The whole last 40 years has been fixing China from having the homeless population. It’s a conflict of economic systems, not a conflict within a given common economic system with the same kind of strategy.

Then there is his accurate assessment that in the west ‘there is no plan’ since those who are benefiting from the system as is simply intend to ‘take the money and run.’

Posted by: juliania | Apr 11 2021 22:54 utc | 39

juliania #37
Thank you, it is god to see that dialog under way at nc. China has a long history and memory of what befalls its citizens when monopolist wannabe’s lorded it over them and so perhaps will maintain a defining line between the private enterprises and the centrality of the state. It will be an ongoing struggle (?) or chess game with the object of balance as opposed to winning.

Posted by: uncle tungsten | Apr 11 2021 23:17 utc | 41

A.L. #42
Thank you, it is peculiar though when considering the scmp. I assume the Communist Party of China tolerates debate, provides room for dissenting broadsheets but will draw the line at outright sedition. That seems to be the periodic process since 1945 – sometimes way too heavy handed and at other times vaguely tolerant. I guess in human affairs that is to be expected variance in power perspectives ebb and flow.
Where does banggood and Aliexpress sit in this trading sphere?

Posted by: uncle tungsten | Apr 11 2021 23:26 utc | 43

“China weaponized …” has also begun.
!!

Posted by: Jackrabbit | Apr 11 2021 23:37 utc | 45

Posted by: uncle tungsten | Apr 11 2021 23:26 utc | 43
It is indeed peculiar re SCMP as you suggested. Perhaps it goes to prove the CPC is indeed honoring 1 country 2 system for Hong Kong by allowing criticism on the broadsheets.
But for party members who should know better, not so much. Which is why a lot of party members who got rich from Chinas rapid growth would scoot off at their first opportunity to get another passport in us, uk, can, aus, Singapore etc, bad mouthing China will also surely expedite their applications. They might tell you heartbreaking stories but i guarantee you all of them have skeletons in their closets.
It’s been reported and written there are lots of latitude for dissent and criticisim, even protests. only caveat is that there are channels for doing so. All the better if you have a considered, proposed solution. It’s a egalitarian meritocracy in a way, though it is far from perfect, it does evolve.
And if you really wanted change, you can join the party and vote. But there are entrance criteria and they won’t accept garden variety idiots into their ranks but they sure used to. Mainly via unchecked nepotism and bribery.
alibaba/alipay/taobao got its break because China protected the domestic market from paypal, ebay and amazon. It was a strategic decision not to have the west own the burgeoning Chinese economy and certainly not because Ma was a genius. Right guy right time and all that. There’s nothing groundbreaking in what he did, whatever innovation comes from development speed and the immaturity of regulations in keeping up.
Regarding banggood and alixpress. I see them as Chinese with modest command of foreign language selling mostly dollar shop junk directly. The difficulty in returning crap plus lack of QC, ability to skirt your local safety regulations plays well into their hands.
You would have difficultly finding same level of crap on taobao, the Chinese won’t even buy those rubbish anymore. Its almost a second teir manufacturing base catering for overseas markets. There are some (very little i think) decent stuff on bg and ax but they are 2x or more expensive then taobao simply because of the language convenience.

Posted by: A.L. | Apr 12 2021 0:11 utc | 47

Ramsey Clark dies: An Attorney General who turned against imperialism
Ramsey Clark, former U.S. Attorney General and renowned international human-rights attorney who stood against U.S. military aggression worldwide, died peacefully April 9 at his home in New York City, surrounded by close family. He was 93 years old.
https://www.liberationnews.org/ramsey-clark/

Posted by: Mao | Apr 12 2021 0:16 utc | 49

“China weaponized …” has also begun.
!!
Posted by: Jackrabbit | Apr 11 2021 23:37 utc | 45
You reminded me that i have forgotten my last point in my last post.
Yeah in a way China has weaponized bg and ax to flood the world with cheap rubbish that the Chinese wouldn’t even buy themselves! Trust me when i tell you the quality of the domestic stuff is often magnitudes better.
Personally i believe Chinese not doing itself any favors allowing this to go on unchecked as the west will just equate some unscrupulous merchants as China as a whole.
For example, as a lot of Chinese national standards were largely modeled off European standards they could make it illegal to sell anything that doesn’t pass equivalent safety standards and back it up with the social credit system. There’ll be the usual moaning and bitching but that’s what leadership is for and it’s good for the long run.

Posted by: A.L. | Apr 12 2021 0:27 utc | 51

And on the related topic of Western elites going completely and utterly insane, here is a note from last month that some of you may have named. Elon Musk has declared himself Technoking of Tesla.
https://www.ctvnews.ca/business/elon-musk-s-new-title-technoking-of-tesla-1.5347472

Posted by: Fnord13 | Apr 12 2021 0:48 utc | 53

@ A.L. | Apr 12 2021 0:53 utc | 54 about China evolving economics banter…thanks
I guess I see China as being at the end of the copy-the-West meme and I am excited to think about the design and development of products and services that don’t have profit as the underlying design criteria. That is when I think China will blow away the obviously inferior for-profit products and services….if the private finance West doesn’t crash before then because of the inherent dissonance of ongoing debt w/o “forgiveness” and elite/class top/bottom structure.
I hope China is able to continue to evolve its mixed economy to serve humanity and deprecate the Western form of anti-humanistic social organization.

Posted by: psychohistorian | Apr 12 2021 1:18 utc | 55

The only chinese products I hope for GPU, or any country’s actually to break the AMD/Nvidia duopoly.

Posted by: Smith | Apr 12 2021 1:44 utc | 57

Below is a link to a ZH posting about China’s Digital Yuan with an interesting update
China’s Digital Yuan Comes With An Expiration Date
A Digital Yuan with an expiration date does two things of importance, IMO, one of which was not covered in the article and the other not done clearly. Having an expiration on Digital Yuan makes it a form of money that is not a store of value like other currencies and limits the amount of international currency manipulation that can occur within the expiry window. This will make it especially valuable for other countries (South Africa) to use as an alternative to the US Dollar – BIS/SWIFT global private finance system answerable to no sovereign nation……

Posted by: psychohistorian | Apr 12 2021 2:15 utc | 59

The US has created environment to provoke Russia to take action. Russia is responding with caution. If they do not provide needed response, we can do it for them. Expect false flag momentarily.

Posted by: jared | Apr 12 2021 2:42 utc | 61

@ Dim sim
It’s a bit deeper than that, the pandemic has put the world into a lockdown digital mode where demand for GPU has expanded worldwide, now that both AMD/Nvidia cannot meet the demand.
The semiconductor industry is a very mature technology that needs a diverse supply chain in order to constantly make new units, any disruption in Asia/Europe/US will lead to shortage.
To counter this, the US is trying to relocate its chip maker from Taiwan back to USA and/or relocate to Japan, while China is making efforts in making their own chips in the mainland.
To this end, I wish them both luck, the GPU market is hell right now.

Posted by: Smith | Apr 12 2021 2:48 utc | 63

@ Posted by: Cunctator | Apr 12 2021 2:44 utc | 62
P.S. Only after a long time without capturing more alien signals, some started to belive the originals had been faked by the Russians.
There, fixed it for you. LOL /sarc

Posted by: A.L. | Apr 12 2021 3:02 utc | 65

In comment of the Jack Ma issue, the fact he’s still out there, SCMP is still running, Alibaba is not nationalized shows that China is only slightly less capitalist than the US. The party has not reprimanded him, has not pushed him out of the party, nor put him in jail.
If this was the USSR, Jack Ma wouldn’t exist.

Posted by: Smith | Apr 12 2021 3:08 utc | 67

@ Smith | Apr 12 2021 3:08 utc | 67 who wrote
”
If this was the USSR, Jack Ma wouldn’t exist.
”
Got any proof of that?
Are you trying to make the point that, like China, there is not unfettered oligarchy in Russia and they handle the “problem” differently?
Your comment saying “…that China is only slightly less capitalist than the US” is ignorant like commenter vk about the reality of mixed economies and the importance of who runs the systems of finance….sovereign nations or the global private finance elite?
That’s right, I think you are on my ignore list but I was sucked in by the nature of your comment.

Posted by: psychohistorian | Apr 12 2021 3:19 utc | 69

jared #61
I am not convinced that Russia need do anything more in response to Ukraine provocations as long as the bombardments cease. Cat and mouse could extend for a year + as far as Russia is concerned. The USA is the obsessive driven party and the Uke Zelensky is tied to its whims.
Russia is free to make a move elsewhere to poke the eye of the renegade invader nation. Elsewhere it is much more exposed and illegal in UN terms and that is why USA is desperate to keep attention fixed on the European field.
USA is neutered on Iran as long as Iran keeps chanting the mantra of “end the sanctions, verify they are ended, rejoin the JCPOA with no conditions, we talk”. No play ? no talk. The USA is beside itself with this Iranian disobedience.
North Korea is enjoying quiet bowl of noodles and kimchi while the donkey brays and shouts at South America and every other continent and even tells that Hindu clown to keep out of USA sea lanes.
Meanwhile the idiot Pentagon drives its battle fleets around the worlds oceans like some adolescent doing burnouts and wheel spinning on a parking lot. The navy of Sinbad thrashing about looking for a global container giant to ram. Admiral Asshats.
Meanwhile Erdogan the Absurd is doing Xerxes the Biden’s work in Ukraine while Syria bombs the bejesus out of his oil smuggling. This will not continue for too long before there is a rip in fabric.
Expect alarming events. Or perhaps an embarrassment of immense proportions. I am for the latter.

Posted by: uncle tungsten | Apr 12 2021 3:20 utc | 71

The only chinese products I hope for GPU, or any country’s actually to break the AMD/Nvidia duopoly. by: Smith @ 57 <= agree (but they have a copyright and patent monopoly. so the world needs an open source set of GPUs and video processing units..and open source compress/decompress like Theora so that patented and copyrighted stuff (lMPEG2 H.265 and stuff) can be avoided. .. because the monopoly powered will monitor everything they manufacture or sell. . I think true democracy can be had if only everyone will once again share their knowledge. If we could get more independent people behind developing open source (things like Theora to compete with MPEG and H.265 etc copyrighted and patented standards tied to the monopoly powered manufacturers and developers.. so entirely new open source concepts are needed. Even the pixel & vertex shaders and streaming processor cores are patented and copyrighted. So new ideas in open source platforms are needed. Platforms that grant anyone in the world open unregulated use of the stuff needed to build machines, write code, and develop applications <= leave or avoid the monopoly powered bunch. A different processor one not made by or engineered by the monopoly powered bunch, an open source software and open source hardware and engineering and technical training and support is needed. Independent developers (like the old days) are being pushed out of the open source movements. So open source is becoming problematic. If the governed people of the whole world can find a way to interact and to support each other, they can make the world a better and safer place to be, without including the monopoly powered world. . . I wonder is it possible to modify SFTP protocols into a stream system suitable for transport so everyone can avoid this the Digital Rights Cops.

Posted by: snake | Apr 12 2021 3:35 utc | 73

@ A.L.
My problem with him isn’t his loudmouth, my problem with him is how did he become so rich and influential in the first place.
The party should have limited the growth of these kind of persons (billionaire mastermind who controls a sector of the economy), but here we go.

Posted by: Smith | Apr 12 2021 3:43 utc | 75

Posted by: uncle tungsten | Apr 12 2021 4:12 utc | 76
Alibaba, taobao, alixpress, alipay, 1688.com/tmall are all the same. Alibaba group. They each face a different clientele.
Alibaba.com – overseas wholesale in foreign language
1688.com – domestic wholesale
Alixpress – overseas retail in foreign language
Taobao.com – domestic retail
Tmall – somewhat vetted products, retail.
It’s nearest competitor is JD.com so it’s a near duopoly.
There are a few more but none at this scale.

Posted by: A.L. | Apr 12 2021 4:30 utc | 77

Covid news from India
https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/panel-seeks-more-data-on-sputnik-v/article34286420.ece
https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/supreme-court-re-schedules-hearing-by-an-hour-as-50-staff-test-covid-19-positive/article34299619.ece?homepage=true

Posted by: R | Apr 12 2021 4:55 utc | 79

“So Jack Ma is in a mighty influential position but I see there are at least three other companies with a similar successful business model – aliexpress, banggood, taodao. I am novice here but there are likely more and monopoly is not permitted in China. Thankfully and wisely so.”
Taobao, Tmall (both Domestic B2C) and Aliexpress (export B2C) and 1688 (B2B domestic) are all Alibaba Group (Jack Ma). Alibaba itself is B2B export. Also Alipay payments, which is more of a concern to Chinese regulators, I think. Wechat is Tencent (large part of the payment market). JD.com is another local B2C website. Sites like Aliexpress, Banggood and Wish just export okay to mediocre products to complete crap (occasionally even crooked suppliers) and afiak have no domestic market. I think some of their products are fallouts that don’t meet inspection standards.
I’ve bought things locally in China on Taobao and Tmall (difficult without knowing the language, but possible) and the typical quality is much, much better, at lower price, plus they are seriously interested in maintaining their site reputation so they don’t have the sleazy aspect like on Aliexpress where they know you can’t economically return anything. Shipping in China is amazing, you get courier delivery with tracking locally or across the country for dollar or two. Various shipping companies to choose from. On 11.11 (like Black Friday in the US) last year they shipped 3 billion packages (!).

Posted by: @uncle tungsten #76 | Apr 12 2021 5:00 utc | 81

@ psychohistorian
Yeah, well, merchants have always been at the near bottom of social order until the 17th century or so, only higher than singers and actors.

Posted by: Smith | Apr 12 2021 5:08 utc | 83

@ psychohistorian
Evidently, a society and economic system that puts workers/farmers i.e. the most productive and populous section of society on top would be ideal.
Yeah, everyone agrees on the issue of private finance, but this doesn’t mean we should steer clear of criticism of China or Russia, when it’s warraned.

Posted by: Smith | Apr 12 2021 5:32 utc | 85

I read on the internet that queen E2 has now opened a tinder account…

Posted by: tucenz | Apr 12 2021 6:43 utc | 87

#81 is not uncle tungsten post but a retort from anonymous poster.
ooops.
By the way I have no probs with banggood or aliexpress. I took a peek at taobao an hour ago but will need to dedicate some learning time to it as the english agent system was being a prick.

Posted by: uncle tungsten | Apr 12 2021 7:00 utc | 89

Jen #90
I missed it all as I am not a free to air linked in being. I just can’t stand it.
Meanwhile what will Queenie do? will she chuck it in and plonk a crown on Charlie? My bet is she will cling to it till she karks it so she doesn’t have to watch Charlie enthroned. They are so bloody awful, those beings.

Posted by: uncle tungsten | Apr 12 2021 7:31 utc | 91

So much noise about that gang of royal degenerates, let us take a deep breath and remember the people that are worth remembering but hardly mentioned by the propaganda ministry, that is the MSM. Today is the 60th aniversary of Gagarin’s flight into orbit. To celebrate it I was almost driven to tears by this incredible song by Vladimir Vysotsky, “Song to the Perished Pilot”.
https://youtu.be/gkOGIdrgdTo

Posted by: Paco | Apr 12 2021 8:44 utc | 93

Mike Whitney on variants and their purpose in the COVID narrative:
https://www.unz.com/mwhitney/pure-unalloyed-evil/
“We must ask ourselves whether the current mass vaccination campaign is a science-based effort to relieve sickness and disease or a fasttrack to a dark and frightening dystopia conjured up by evil men seeking to tighten their grip on all humanity?”
Given that the main thrust of these “dangerous” new variants comes through the Western virus narrative, we ought to be very wary.

Posted by: Bluedotterel | Apr 12 2021 10:01 utc | 95

@Paco | Apr 12 2021 8:44 utc | 93
Nice, thanks! The Gagarin anniversary is indeed something to remember. The first human in space is a monumental step for our civilization, maybe it will take a few hundred years before it is really understood.

Posted by: Norwegian | Apr 12 2021 10:33 utc | 97

@Bluedotterel | Apr 12 2021 10:01 utc | 95

“We must ask ourselves whether the current mass vaccination campaign is a science-based effort to relieve sickness and disease or a fasttrack to a dark and frightening dystopia conjured up by evil men seeking to tighten their grip on all humanity?”

Well, it is clearly not science based, so people should make their own conclusions about the motives.

Posted by: Norwegian | Apr 12 2021 10:36 utc | 99