The “moon of alabama” header grafic only wks on the main page. It’s nice, so I report this. Salud.

Posted by: El gato loco | Oct 20 2021 18:24 utc | 3

Facebook is moving to the ‘metaverse’. That is all.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/other/facebook-is-planning-to-rebrand-the-company-with-a-new-name/ar-AAPJ2RB

Posted by: gottlieb | Oct 20 2021 18:25 utc | 5

And for some morning shits and giggles here is latest on the “Havana Syndrome”. Hospitals are full. Where have I heard that lie before? My question is, if anyone dies, will HS be penciled in as cause or COVID? Decisions decisions. North Korean press have more credentials that MSM.
juliaioffe
There are now so many cases of Havana Syndrome that Walter Reed is at capacity. The U.S. government has started outsourcing cases to other hospitals
My latest, for @PuckNews.
puck.news/havana-syndrome-in-bidens-washington/?utm_code=julia%40puck.news

Posted by: Tom | Oct 20 2021 18:34 utc | 7

Rest where rest is needed. Enjoy the evening, b 🙂

Posted by: pachinko | Oct 20 2021 18:42 utc | 9

james #8. I’m getting a 404 error.

Posted by: Tom | Oct 20 2021 18:44 utc | 11

@ 11 tom… i see that… it comes up via the wayback machine here..
wayback”>https://ago.nebraska.gov/sites/ago.nebraska.gov/files/docs/opinions/21-017_0.pdf/”>wayback machine version of @8 link

Posted by: james | Oct 20 2021 19:19 utc | 13

How’s that US “democracy” thing working out? . .Not so well.
President Biden’s disapproval poll is steadily rising, now at 51% here.
Congressional job approval at 69% disapprove here.
Direction of country? Wrong track 60% here.

Posted by: Don Bacon | Oct 20 2021 19:21 utc | 15

crazy… i don’t get it..

Posted by: james | Oct 20 2021 19:23 utc | 17

Afghan Withdrawal: Sunday With the Military Industrial Complex
In case there was any doubt that the corporate MSM is simply an extension of the deep state, having long ago merged with and/or been captured by the Military-Financial-Surveillance-Infotainment-Complex.
Yes, Virginia There is a Deep State.

Posted by: Tom_Q_Collins | Oct 20 2021 19:30 utc | 19

Some may find Putin’s meeting with the State Council Presidium and its discussion about Russia’s “transport strategy until 2030, and forecast until 2035” very instructive dealing as it does with the ongoing development of Russia that still has a rather long way to go thanks to its continental extent. Putin admits to problems in relying on private interests in developing what are a series of natural monopolies that must be owned and run by the public at either the local, regional or national level. Some of the stats are eye-opening. As with many other nations, Russia finances its road network via fuel taxes which have served well so far:
“In the past decade, the total length of road surfaces in Russia has increased by 400,000 km.”
But with vehicles being propelled by other energy sources as the future unfolds, something will need to be done, which is actually a small challenge. Overall integration of transport is the key issue, and that means more than just roads, with ports and airports/air services also being discussed:
“Furthermore, to ensure the dynamic advance of the national economy as a whole, we must develop comprehensively all types of transport: air, water, rail and motor. It is necessary to make them meet the requirements of the people in the best possible way….
“Synchronisation between the different types of transport – we have already talked about synchronisation, more precisely, we have talked about insufficient synchronisation, say, in the Eastern Operating Domain. The railway infrastructure is underdeveloped, for example in the approaches to seaports. By the way, the same is happening in the southern regions, in Daghestan, and in the Azov and Black Sea basin.”
After reading this it’s clear Russia has lots of work to do which means plenty of jobs to keep its people busy; but for that to happen, the government must do its planning job both extensively and minutely, and it all must be very well managed. Plus it all must be done within the context of an ongoing pandemic which is giving Russia a rather hard time.
This meeting today with an extensive panel of government members discusses the pandemic. The current situation has grown worse raising Putin’s level of concern:
“Let me repeat what I have said at the beginning: I took a look at the situation unfolding in neighbouring countries. We must prevent developments similar to those that we are witnessing with great regret and concern in some European countries, such as when people are unable to enter hospitals for several hours and sometimes several days, when they are put on ventilators even inside ambulances. Some of them never make it to the hospital due to a shortage of beds. I am asking you to do everything possible so that this country does not face anything like that.”
Putin then asks, “What must be done in this regard?” He goes on to list several main points, the second of which has already made the news:
“Second. Let me repeat, right now it is extremely important to stem the tide of the COVID-19 pandemic. Colleagues, in view of the current developments, I support your proposal to announce a paid non-working week in the entire country between October 30 and November 7, inclusively.”
That appears rather similar to China’s initial crackdown; I’m curious to see how it’s organized and then carried out. I would imagine help’s being provided by China. There’s more:
“It is also clear that the epidemiological situation in each region is different, with its own dynamic and trends.
“Therefore, as we initially agreed when we started fighting this outbreak, the regional heads have the authority to introduce additional measures. In this particular case, it is possible to announce non-working days before October 30, before the stay-at-home period begins for the rest of the country, and extend these non-working days beyond November 7, if it proves necessary….
“I want to stress once again that these days off must be paid.
“I would like to address specifically the heads of the regions where the morbidity rate is particularly high and healthcare facilities are overwhelmed. Please consult with experts to evaluate the situation, and, if necessary, announce non-working days starting this Saturday, October 23. Once again, you have the authority to do so. Do take charge since you have this authority, and do not wait too long to make the necessary decisions. I will instruct my envoys in the regions to closely monitor this situation and provide support if you need it.”
It pleases me that Putin clearly shows his #1 priority is the wellbeing of Russians. One could ask why he waited so long to issue this order; but as the discussion shows, it was a decision made jointly.

Posted by: karlof1 | Oct 20 2021 19:41 utc | 21

Non stop Russia Russia Russia, Trump’s fault. Putin making us look like fools.
“Soon, stories like this had started popping up at the U.S. consulate in Guangzhou, China. One woman, who represented the Commerce Department, told NBC’s Andrea Mitchell something that really stuck with me: Not only did this woman become so ill that she had to be evacuated from China, but her dogs also felt the effects of whatever this thing was. They started vomiting blood and avoiding the room where this woman had heard that paralyzing sound.
There had even been attacks on U.S. soil, in Philadelphia and in Arlington, Virginia. Worse, C.I.A. investigators had placed agents from the F.S.B., the Russian security services, at the location of at least one attack. But Gina Haspel, then the head of the C.I.A., refused to take the concerns seriously—or brief the president on them. As one government official explained it to me, “In the world of Trump, you don’t say anything bad about Russia.”
. Meanwhile, the number of government employees suffering from Havana Syndrome has jumped from a couple dozen to a couple hundred. Some reports place the figure of affected government employees as high as 300. I’ve heard from several sources that the Walter Reed Military Medical Center, where some of those affected have been going for treatment, is overwhelmed to the point of no longer being able to take new patients. The government is now outsourcing these victims to non-government hospitals.
But some in the intelligence community are getting restless, eager to see the people who wounded so many of their comrades punished. Even if the intelligence is “medium confidence,” one member of the community told me, that should be enough to go on. “We got bin Laden with medium confidence.”
http://puck.news/havana-syndrome-in-bidens-washington/?utm_code=julia%40puck.news

Posted by: Tom | Oct 20 2021 19:51 utc | 23

Michael Hudson on how the US extracts wealth from other nations who wish to participate in the us dollar economy. All nations are strongly encouraged to participate or else. The US in indebted to majority of these countries and has no plans to pay these countries back. All the funds stolen from these other countries are funneled into military imperialism. God forbid any should be used to help it’s citizens.
https://thegrayzone.com/2021/10/19/super-imperialism-economist-michael-hudson/

Posted by: Joe | Oct 20 2021 20:03 utc | 25

Russia MFA has released the joint statement from today’s meeting. Of the nine points, IMO the final two are the most important:
“8. Expressing deep concern over the deteriorating economic and humanitarian situation in Afghanistan, the sides expressed confidence in the need for the international community to mobilize consolidated efforts to provide urgent humanitarian and economic assistance to the Afghan people in the post-conflict reconstruction of the country.
“9. In this context, the sides have proposed to launch a collective initiative to convene a broad-based international donor conference under the auspices of the United Nations as soon as possible, certainly with the understanding that the core burden of post-conflict economic and financial reconstruction and development of Afghanistan must be shouldered by troop-based actors which were in the country for the past 20 years. [My Emphasis]
To that final point, I say good luck getting one copper penny from any of them, especially the Outlaw US Empire. I know Russia, Pakistan and China have agreed to provide crucial aid. Unfortunately, there wasn’t anyone from that cabal present to hear that very reasonable demand. Here’s a list of the participants:
“Russia, China, Pakistan, Iran, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, as well as a high-level delegation of the interim Afghan government.”
On the week in review thread I provided Wang Yi’s assessment of why the Outlaw US Empire bailed-out of this meeting. It’s rather hilarious given its realistic assessment; so if you haven’t read that yet, I suggest you do so.
The problem now becomes one of aid provision given the reality that the aggressors won’t do shit. Shelters, foodstuffs, heating devices and fuel to run them are the primary items needed; then an equitable distribution must occur.

Posted by: karlof1 | Oct 20 2021 20:09 utc | 27

To that final point, I say good luck getting one copper penny from any of them, especially the Outlaw US Empire
karlof1
Even if the US did agree to pony up, they are agreement incapable. Vietnam is an example of backing out of agreements and starting a propaganda campaign with the MIA bullshit. Bush the senior said something to the effect that the war in Vietnam was mutual. Don’t think he would of said that if NVA was invading California. US only gives aid if it traps the nation in question with insurmountable debt. The carrot has been replaced with a poisoned chalice.
And the gift that keeps on giving, Russia stole the 2016 election for Trump.
https://www.rt.com/russia/537968-fbi-raid-over-trump-election/
“Sick of these f**king jokers’: FBI raid over Trump election allegations ‘staggeringly dumb,’ Russian billionaire Deripaska blasts”
“According to him, Trump only “had help from these dumbasses in Washington DC who drove the voters to the point of such despair that they were ready to vote for just about anybody else – even a cartoon character – instead of the Clinton clan that is knee-deep in fraud and bribery.”

Posted by: Tom | Oct 20 2021 20:46 utc | 29

When your world has turned asunder
and your plans have laid to waste
and the promises of happiness
now leave a bitter taste
Now is not the time
to give in your tears
to focus on the negative
will re enforce your fears
Just know that you are worthy
know that you are strong
square your shoulders, steel yourself
and then you soldier on
When the storm is over
and the sun shines once again
These memories that haunt you
and fill your heart with pain
will dissipate like parting clouds
and a new chapter can begin

Posted by: ld | Oct 20 2021 20:52 utc | 31

karlof1 #27
Thank you for that report and a similar question is posed by Ramona Wadi here “If, according to the U.S., Cuba does not deserve a seat at the UNHRC, what has the U.S. done to deserve it?” Ramona does a good deconstruction in this report.
I guess if the USA is scheming about how to screw up the NHMRC you will find a Rhodes Rat at the head of the gang.

Posted by: uncle tungsten | Oct 20 2021 21:11 utc | 33

Various reports of drone attack on Americans at al Tanf in Syria.

Posted by: Ghost Ship | Oct 20 2021 22:15 utc | 35

Posted by: no_really | Oct 20 2021 22:15 utc | 33
Thanks for the link and clarification. Kennedy was a complicated and complex figure and it would have been nice to be able to ask him in detail about that speech after his presidential terms ended the normal way. He had an open distrust/dislike of secretive agencies (FBI, CIA) and it’s pretty clear that the government was and is infiltrated by members of secret societies, but yeah – after listening to the whole speech in context it takes on a different meaning. Oh well.

Posted by: Tom_Q_Collins | Oct 20 2021 22:27 utc | 37

@ ut 26
The Jesuits are revolting – still. And now in China.
Perhaps I missed it in the article. The Vatican does not recognize PRC, but ROC, and is Taiwan’s only remaining diplomatic partner in Europe.

Posted by: Don Bacon | Oct 20 2021 22:40 utc | 39

re: John Kennedy
A much more important speech a couple years later in 1963, the one that I believe got him offed in November that year, was at American University.
wiki

The American University speech, titled “A Strategy of Peace”, was a commencement address delivered by United States President John F. Kennedy at the American University in Washington, D.C., on Monday, June 10, 1963.[1] Delivered at the height of his rhetorical powers and widely considered one of his most powerful speeches,[2] Kennedy not only outlined a plan to curb nuclear arms, but also “laid out a hopeful, yet realistic route for world peace at a time when the U.S. and Soviet Union faced the potential for an escalating nuclear arms race.”[3] In the speech, Kennedy announced his agreement to negotiations “toward early agreement on a comprehensive test ban treaty” (which resulted in the Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty) and also announced, for the purpose of showing “good faith and solemn convictions”, his decision to unilaterally suspend all U.S. atmospheric testing of nuclear weapons as long as all other nations would do the same. Noteworthy are his comments that the United States was seeking a goal of “complete disarmament” of nuclear weapons and his vow that America “will never start a war”. The speech was unusual in its peaceful outreach to the Soviet Union at the height of the Cold War, and is remembered as one of Kennedy’s finest and most important speeches.

Posted by: Don Bacon | Oct 20 2021 22:50 utc | 41

To all MoA readers in Australia,
You may be interested in reading and perhaps signing ePetition EN3364. It closes 27 October 2021.

Posted by: Jen | Oct 20 2021 23:02 utc | 43

I gave up buying into covid debates long ago as the level of bulldust on either side became insurmountable, however in the interest of full disclosure I own to having taken the vaccination prior to travelling as it doesn’t seem to matter how much I exercise & manage my tucker, my blood pressure sits at around 190 over 100. Hypertension rules. I’m just not into this getting old bizzo – weird aches ‘n pains etc suck!
Anyway I came across this article in Ireland’s Waterford News & Star:

DESPITE having the highest uptake of the covid vaccine, as of midnight, October 18, Waterford still has the highest incidence rate (per 100k population) of coronavirus in the whole country. Between October 5 and October 18, Waterford recorded 1185 cases of Covid with an incidence rate of 1020.0 per 100k – the highest that figure has ever been. In the last week, Waterford has had 715 new cases.
In University Hospital Waterford, covid patient numbers went as high as 27 last week, but as of 9:30am this morning, that figure is now 20, with three patients in Intensive Care Units.
Last weekend, the hospital was under so much pressure that hospital manager Grace Rothwell issued a memo to staff to warn them that the hospital was “significantly over capacity”.
In a message to staff on Monday morning (October 18), Ms Rothwell said that there were 27 Covid positive patients in the hospital, and they had also admitted 11 suspected cases that night.
“Without doubt, this has been our busiest weekend in months and we are significantly challenged this morning (Monday).”

I always doubted the true efficacy of the vaxes, that they wouldn’t stop infection or transmission but for some reason I believed the claim that getting vaccinated would prevent hospitalisation, now it seems that is a crock. 99.7% of Waterford Co’s adult population is fully vaccinated but their hospitals are so overcrowded with covid patients that admissions for all other treatments have been suspended.
Oh well I guess anyone who bought pharma stocks last year is creaming it – a pity that only the already wealthy can dabble in the stock market, but you get that eh.
It is almost certain that none of us moa-ites is gonna be around if/when the entire ugly structure finally crashes, but that doesn’t let us off the hook, it makes it even more imperative that we implement non-boring, non-haranguing ways of assisting younger humans, particularly those who have been exposed to the Me, Me, Me cult since birth, to comprehend that there is a viable & non-tyrannical way for all humans to get a fair share.

Posted by: Debsisdead | Oct 21 2021 0:23 utc | 45

Posted by: Patroklos | Oct 20 2021 20:56 utc | 32
The first thing about the article that struck me was she said she was the daughter of a shop keeper, like Thatcher. And we know what Margarate turned out like!

Posted by: Tom | Oct 21 2021 1:04 utc | 47

Posted by: Patroklos | Oct 20 2021 20:56 utc | 32
The first thing that struck me about the article was she said she was the daughter of a shop keeper. Well, Thatcher was also a daughter of a shop keeper. We know how that turned out!

Posted by: Tom | Oct 21 2021 1:08 utc | 49

I hadn’t seen this posted yet. It’s at antiwar.com, a pretty reliable source, IMHO so it probably has some merit.
Israel approves $1.5Bn budget for future attack on Iran

Posted by: Tom_Q_Collins | Oct 21 2021 1:15 utc | 51

@51 Poor Deripaska. So now he has discovered the US not an earthly paradise for Russian billionaires he wants to go back to Russia with his stolen money. If Putin will take him. He should probably settle for a nice bit of beachfront in the Cayman Islands.

Posted by: dh | Oct 21 2021 1:50 utc | 53

@ Suzan #47 The article I linked to dated september 23 quotes stats as of 15 September that in Waterford Co 99.7% had at least one jab and (Ireland wide) 90% had both jabs. Six weeks have passed since then and given that 90% of the population had copped both jabs then, it would be fair to assume that most of the 9.7% on a single jab at sept 15 will have grabbed their second in the intervening period so that the figure of those infected between October 5 and October 18, when Waterford recorded 1185 cases of Covid will in the vast majority be humans who had received both jabs and many will have been infected during the period we are told that the vax provides maximum protection.
The 23 september byline article written before Waterford Co was bowled over seems to try on the not uncommon msm ploy of mixing statistics & anecdotes by quoting Ireland wide figures vis a vis vaccination & hospitalisation so the standard assertion they make that only the unvaccinated go to hospital should best be ignored.
I’m not saying don’t get a jab, I am saying that getting a jab provides much more limited protection than the capitalists claim. For older humans or those of any age who have a disease or disability, only a mug would visit crowded venues before a truly effective treatment for covid-19 has been developed.
Michael Morecock predicted in one of his yarns of about 50 years ago that in the future everyone would be extremely careful to ensure they didn’t get too close to others, especially unknown others without wearing infection protection. It looks as though he was right on the button.
I’m a bit hot under the collar about it as the Aotearoa government has been media manipulated into jettisoning its covid zero strategy even tho the vast majority of kiwis wanted it to continue until a treatment was developed & implemented. The only people who didn’t seem to be the capitalists & their lickspittles.
There are many side benefits to the zero policy, one of the major ones was the halt it put on immigration meaning a shortage of cheap labour which must eventually result in better pay and a reduced demand on housing driven by bourgeois blow ins, so that house prices could eventually become affordable for actual waddatheycallem, citizens.

Posted by: Debsisdead | Oct 21 2021 3:05 utc | 55

@TQC 50
re: Israel approves $1.5Bn budget for future attack on Iran
A country the size of New Jersey, within easy missile range of Iran and its ally Hezbollah, threatens to bomb Iran sometime.
Let’s move along, nothing to see here….
. . .from google archives. . .
Aug 10, 2012 — American and Israeli officials repeat the phrase “all options are on the table” with Iran so often it sounds like a ritual incantation.

Posted by: Don Bacon | Oct 21 2021 3:41 utc | 57

more covid dairies
“In summary, even as efforts should be made to encourage populations to get vaccinated it should be done so with humility and respect. Stigmatizing populations can do more harm than good. Importantly, other non-pharmacological prevention efforts (e.g., the importance of basic public health hygiene with regards to maintaining safe distance or handwashing, promoting better frequent and cheaper forms of testing) needs to be renewed in order to strike the balance of learning to live with COVID-19 in the same manner we continue to live a 100 years later with various seasonal alterations of the 1918 Influenza virus.”
from – Increases in COVID-19 are unrelated to levels of vaccination across 68 countries and 2947 counties in the United States
by S. V. Subramanian & Akhil Kumar
seems to go hand in hand with my post from the nebraska attorney generals office linked effectively @18

Posted by: james | Oct 21 2021 4:00 utc | 59

global public-private-partnership recommended article. Highly descriptive and useful contribution to the literature that studies why no person or no local group, in any one nation state <=can accomplish a successful reverse direction activity. The hypothesis under debate is that the political processes traditionally found within each of the different 256 nation states has been removed from the local nation state to the vastly bigger, global political space. Voters and their elected politicians <=no longer have real input to the politics that determine the fate of those who are the governed. National decisions are no longer the political result of national voting processes; no longer subject to the anger and outrage found in peaceful demonstration and private court actions. instead all important decisions are made in the global political space .. by un_elected and un_seen persons, global organizations, global public private partnerships and global infighting among the private imperial global oligarchs. In short, the global monsters, the PIGOs and their independent think tank organizations and their ownership of the control of digital platforms operating on digital networks has advanced the reach of mind control technology and subjected the mass of humanity in the world to one world control. The persons and entities who control things are generally invisible to the governed and their elected politicians within each of the different nation states. All of this non nation state decision control is financially supported by privately owned corporate powerhouse advertising expenditures made by mostly private owners to the MSM, operating inside of the public media space within each local nation state. The nation is now a political subdivision of the global. And I predict the next true revolution will find the global nation state governed humans rising against the global monsters operating inside to the global control and decision space. The digital platform has enhanced the continuous expansion of the scope and reach of mind control powers. The classification of nation state global activity as secret and the nation to nation integration of the intelligence apparatus in each nation state with the global political space, the use of monopoly powers which allows those external to the internal nation state space, to extract the wealth still remaining within the citizens of the local nation state, and the classification of nation state activities as in guarded state secrets have removed awareness and knowledge of the activities of the globalist involving government and the view of the 8 billion citizens governed by the nation state system.

Posted by: snake | Oct 21 2021 4:33 utc | 61

my brother who follows the covid dairies more closely shared this with me.. some of my american friends might find it interesting…
office of the attorney general – nebraska on the topic of prescription of ivermection, hcq and etc… it is a 48 page pdf..
report from state of nebraska – office of the attorney general
Posted by: james | Oct 20 2021 18:40 utc | 8
404 – Page Not Found Error
The requested URL was not found on this server.
If you typed the URL yourself, please make sure that the spelling is correct.
If you clicked on a link to get here, there may be a problem with the link.
Try using your browser’s “Back” button to choose a different link on that page, or search for the correct page.
If this is a broken link or bookmark, please email the webmaster to report it to: ago.info.help@nebraska.gov

Posted by: snake | Oct 21 2021 4:43 utc | 63

https://www.journalofinfection.com/article/S0163-4453(21)00392-3/fulltext
Peer reviewed study suggesting COVID VAX enhances likelihood of infection. Asserts the claim the existing VAX are designed to combat the original Alpha variant but the Delta variant requires an altered vaccine.
This claim is supported by current situation in UK which has a high level of vaccination but which is experiencing increased hospitalizations due to a new Delta variant.
Highlights
• Infection-enhancing antibodies have been detected in symptomatic Covid-19.
• Antibody dependent enhancement (ADE) is a potential concern for vaccines.
• Enhancing antibodies recognize both the Wuhan strain and delta variants.
• ADE of delta variants is a potential risk for current vaccines.
• Vaccine formulations lacking ADE epitope are suggested.

Posted by: Sushi | Oct 21 2021 5:21 utc | 65

Below is a Xinhuanet posting with some interesting statistics about the finance sector and other details about current/ongoing regulation
”
BEIJING, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) — China strives to create a better finance environment through strengthened laws, regulations, and innovation, Guo Shuqing, chairman of the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission, told Xinhua in an interview.
As the world’s second-largest modern financial system, China’s financial system has strong vitality with its openness, competitiveness, fairness, and inclusiveness at a high level, said Guo, also Party secretary of the People’s Bank of China, the central bank.
In terms of competitiveness, he said, there are more than 4,000 institutions in China’s banking system. The market share of the four major state banks is only about 34 percent, with the industry concentration far lower than that of developed countries.
In addition, China’s mobile payment, online credit, and internet insurance businesses are booming, and these fields are dominated by private capital, he said.
“Without the support of financial institutions and policies, it is difficult to have such a situation,” Guo added.
On the other hand, Guo admitted that “monopolies and unfair competition are prominent problems in certain areas of China’s financial sector.”
He cited the disorderly expansion of industrial capital in the finance field, illegal financial activities disguised as “financial innovation,” and unfair competition of some large internet platforms in various financial services as major problems in the sector.
Therefore, anti-monopoly and preventive measures against disorderly capital expansion are urgently needed and conducive to fostering a new development paradigm, advancing high-quality development, and promoting common prosperity, Guo said.
China has taken a slew of measures to combat monopolies, including strengthened supervision over behaviors of major shareholders of banking, insurance, and securities institutions and their equity management, and the 2020-2022 action plan for the corporate-governance reform of state-owned enterprises.
Guo stressed that Chinese authorities place equal emphasis on strengthened regulations and innovation, noting that financial innovation is encouraged on the premise of “people first.”
He pledged further measures to create a better finance environment for the private economy, such as encouraging banks to accelerate their digital transformation and providing private businesses with more convenient financial services.
”
It is the “people first” focus that will be the downfall of global private finance of the West because they cannot compete on merit, only Mafia like control….which is seeing its limitations

Posted by: psychohistorian | Oct 21 2021 6:04 utc | 67

Below is another Xinhuanet posting with this focus on housing investment
”
BEIJING, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) — China’s property market continued to ease in September amid strict government regulations to curb housing speculation, official data showed Wednesday.
New home prices in four first-tier cities stood unchanged in September from a month earlier, compared with month-on-month growth of 0.3 percent in August, data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed.
Prices of second-hand homes in the four cities edged down 0.4 percent last month from that in August, reversing the mild month-on-month increase seen in August.
A total of 31 second-tier cities also saw no month-on-month change in new home prices, while 35 third-tier cities saw a month-on-month decline of 0.2 percent in new home prices.
The latest data came amid the country’s strict housing sector regulations, which follow the principle — “housing is for living in, not for speculation.”
Since the beginning of this year, China has implemented a “long-term mechanism” governing the property sector, curbing housing acquisitions by speculators while supporting purchases by families with pressing needs, said NBS spokesperson Fu Linghui.
Under this mechanism, local governments introduced city-specific measures to keep land and home prices stable. Regulators closely monitored loans to home buyers and real estate companies amid the regulations.
Wednesday’s data showed that China’s over-five-year loan prime rate, a market-based benchmark lending rate on which many lenders base their mortgage rates, remained unchanged from the previous reading of 4.65 percent, said the National Interbank Funding Center.
The latest NBS data showed that the country’s property investment rose 8.8 percent, year on year, in the first nine months, slower than the 10.9-percent growth seen in the first eight months.
“The housing market has remained generally stable, with steady investment, sales, and prices,” Fu said.
While some worry that tight property market regulations could weigh on the overall economic growth, Fu said that the impact is “limited”, as the average growth rate of real estate sector output for the past two years dipped only mildly in the first three quarters.
In a September meeting on real estate sector finance, the country’s central bank and the top banking regulator reiterated that “housing should never be used as a short-term stimulus for economic growth.”
As China further diversifies housing supply through various channels and facilitates the property rental market, market behavior would become more rational, contributing to the stable development of the housing market, Fu said.
”
One needs to remember that in China, there is no private ownership of property, like is assumed in the West….only leases of different durations that I don’t know more about. So the investment that those in China make in property leases is very much controlled by the state and the implications are significant, IMO.
Money has two major uses, commonly accepted medium of exchange and store of value/savings. One can simply take excess cash and put it under the mattress or in a bank account but humanity in the West has been inculcated to believe in risk based investments subject to the vagaries of Hand, The Invisible or the PBOC. I think what you are reading above are shots across the bow of the investment community that China is about to launch a serious regulatory effort of the “services” of finance.
I think many in the world will learn a lot from this process that China engages in.

Posted by: psychohistorian | Oct 21 2021 6:21 utc | 69

I think we need to and are moving toward a COVID treatment vs. prevention model.
Even though it will be expensive and profit taking. Get your C And D vitamins and some Ivermectin on hand while you can.

Posted by: jonku | Oct 21 2021 7:13 utc | 71

Does anybody know anything about what seems to be happening in eSwatini (formerly Swaziland)? I gather that the King there is a horrid dictator who probably should be overthrown, working closely together with the big business interests which turned Swaziland into an immense sweat-shop during the apartheid era. But here in South Africa we are being bombarded with anti-Swazi propaganda bigging up the “Swazi resistance” which all seems to be based in South Africa with plentiful access to Western media, and currently the claim is that the repressive forces in eSwatini are all Equatorial Guinean mercenaries, which sounds a bit implausible since most countries can manage to shoot protesters all on their own. This makes me wonder whether this is not some sort of colour revolution in the making which nobody has noticed because nobody gives a damn about Southern Africa and the South African media are all controlled by Western interests anyway. Or can it be that those corrupt Western-controlled media have suddenly and uniquely developed altruistic interest in democracy with respect to eSwatini and nowhere else? Does anyone know what Western country might have an interest in installing a puppet government in eSwatini?

Posted by: MFB | Oct 21 2021 7:42 utc | 73

Posted by: jonku | Oct 21 2021 7:13 utc | 70
Let’s hope so. This over dependence and propaganda on the vaccine (big pharma) God to save us has caused a lot of unnecessary deaths in many countries, as well as economic damage, and related illnesses from that.
Because of the infectious nature of this virus and its mutation rate, vaccines alone were never going to be the answer, and belatedly most health practitioners and peoples, if not their governments, are beginning to realize this. The need is to focus on inexpensive and effective therapeutics and prophylactics (including boosting our immune system with proper diet, exercise) to mitigate the effects of the disease in the early stages and to even “prevent” the disease from infecting us. This would have made any properly designed and tested vaccines more effective.
Economic greed, political power lust and sheer incompetence have been a great booster shot to this virus’s infection and death rate among us.

Posted by: Bluedotterel | Oct 21 2021 8:44 utc | 75

Also to Jen @42: Is there any way to know how many people have signed the petition?
Thanks also to James, @18 – very heartening news from Nebraska.

Posted by: Hope | Oct 21 2021 9:08 utc | 77

From gas we grow food, well from the nitrogen fertilizers that is.
But when gas gets mighty expensive the Norwegian fertilizer giants cease production.
That might focus some minds in Western Europe and they might even think of taxing financial market profiteers to keep gas price and inflation at a low level.
Yes, I know, I am delusional and better have another drink at the bar providing they can grow hops without fertilizer that is :/

Posted by: uncle tungsten | Oct 21 2021 10:12 utc | 79

Debsisdead @44: “It is almost certain that none of us moa-ites is gonna be around if/when the entire ugly structure finally crashes…”
Have you aver seen a train wreck? I mean, for real? A big ol` freight train loaded with ore hundreds of cars long and hauling ass at its top speed of 40MPH. You know, the crash doesn’t end when the lead engine runs into something. The freight keeps moving and the wreckage just keeps piling up long after you think the mayhem should have finally stopped. It goes on and on, and there is nothing you can do but watch in fascination and try to stay out of the way.
This “entire ugly structure” is one enormous globe-spanning train and the crash started years ago. The engines of this big ugly train are already buried under a small mountain of wreckage, and that mountain just keeps growing as more global (metastasized American) culture piles on. The wreck of the empire goes on and on year after year and it cannot be stopped. Empires this big don’t die overnight.
You’re seeing the crash of that “entire ugly structure” right now in real time. We’re actually lucky to be alive at this moment in history to witness such an enormous and momentous event, so cheer up and enjoy the show! Just be careful and try to avoid the flying wreckage.

Posted by: William Gruff | Oct 21 2021 10:21 utc | 81

@William Gruff | Oct 21 2021 10:21 utc | 80
That’s a ‘wonderful’ way to describe the state of the Empire today! Sounds about right. Problem is to know the direction of travel so you don’t get buried in the wreckage.

Posted by: Norwegian | Oct 21 2021 11:31 utc | 83

WG @ 80. agree
I think the financial crash happened in 2008 and the military one ten years later.
((I think there was a good reason that Mattis came out less than an hour after the attack on Syria started and said ‘ok we’re done’
Posted by: financial matters | Apr 18, 2018 ))
So they lost financial and military relevance.
You’d think more people would be starting to understand the problems of living in a corporate dominated state.
The latest evidence is our inability to pass Medicare for all as corporations use the current setup for power and income.
Such as stopping health insurance for striking John Deere workers.

Posted by: financial matters | Oct 21 2021 12:51 utc | 85

The Orchestrated Conservative “Awakening”
1) OMG! Progressives Control the Democratic Party
2) OMG! Deep State supports Biden and the Democrats
3) OMG! Trump fought back and the Deep State hated him for it
4) OMG! Americans must rally behind conservatives to prevent Woke authoritarianism
The possibility that the Deep State is behind BOTH Biden and Trump, of course, not something that is considered. The possibility that wokism and hyper-partisanship is being used as a tool by the Deep State is also not considered. Lefty ‘extremism’ (Defund the Police! Free Tuition! Open Borders! Vaccine mandates! etc.) is used to prompt outrage from the right. What has the Left gained from that woke ‘extremism’? Virtually nothing
<> <> <> <>
Neoliberal ZeroHedge, which often cites Epoch Times is one of many media outlets that support this orchestrated turn to the right.
Examples:

• Newman: “Deep State Cannot Stop Unprecedented Awakening”
  “The entire propaganda machine was non-stop bombarding Americans with anti-Trump propaganda, and Americans went to the polls. Even with all the voter fraud in 2016, Trump still won in an Electoral College landslide. That’s how much they have lost control of the narrative.
  They thought by shadow banning us and rigging their algorithms, people should not come across our information. That failed, and that’s why they had to ban you. This is why they had to ban thousands of top content creators that were making huge amounts of money for them.
  They have lost total control of the narrative, and they are left with what can they blow up and what can they do to scare us?
• Joe Biden & The Disappearing Elephant: How To Make A Full-Sized Scandal Vanish In Front Of An Audience Of Millions
  Some 50 former intelligence officials, including Obama’s CIA directors John Brennan and Leon Panetta, also insisted the laptop story was likely the work of Russian intelligence.
  The laptop is, of course, now recognized as genuine even by some of the early deniers. Hunter remains under criminal investigation for possible tax and money laundering violations. But the greatest “reveal” is the person referred to as “the Big Guy” and “Celtic” in these emails: President Biden.
  Recently released emails reference payments to President Biden from son’s accounts and indicate the possible commingling of funds.
  … President Biden is in full display in these emails. The question is whether the public – or the prosecutors – want to see him.

!!

Posted by: Jackrabbit | Oct 21 2021 12:57 utc | 87

Quote from article:
“Here’s how the FDA-regulated pharmaceutical industry really works.
Posted by: Bluedotterel | Oct 21 2021 6:17 utc | 67
I’m afraid that description is pure fiction. The reality is that the primary consideration determining whether a drug is approved or not is the size and power of the applicant. The procedures and standards that are applied or ignored are totally different for a major multinational pharmaceutical and for a small independent pharmaceutical. Whilst in theory the procedures are supposed to be the same, in reality that is fiction. For major pharmaceuticals, ALL the procedures are a fig leaf. Especially for drugs for less common conditions, the process can be a complete farce. Regulations which are legally required are routinely waived or ignored. Clinical trials are routinely too small, unbalanced, disingenuously designed, and conclusions disingenuously drawn. Clinical trials which got the “wrong” results are flushed down the toilet, replaced by new experimental designs intended to cover up the “wrong” results. Drugs which are highly toxic and/or have highly dangerous side effects and which have minimal benefits (as indicated by flawed clinical trials) are given approval, due to close ties between regulators and the major pharmaceuticals, and bribes. Many times approved drugs have had devastating toxic effects, and decades later the producer has been fined (as a result of pressure from legal cases) billions of dollars for misrepresenting the dangers.
For small pharmaceuticals by contrast, they have to go 200% “by the book”. They have to prove in the minutest detail that everything was done correctly. Clinical trials that are too small, or have the slightest defect in design will be rejected and must be repeated. Toxicity studies must show a significant benefit-cost ratio, and toxicity/side effect dangers must be proven to be low.
Then there is the third category – drugs from small producers that are actively un-wished by the major pharmaceuticals. In this case the major pharmaceuticals will move heaven and earth to block approval, using every dirty trick in the pharmaceutical book – and every dirty trick in the Chicago mafia book. Including even the production of toxic FAKE drugs allegedly from the applicant, which the mafia-pharmaceuticals then document to be dangerous by giving them to real patients and documenting the toxic effects from the fake drug. Well-designed clinical trials are torn apart out of context and claimed to be faulty. Irrelevant studies are misused to allege that the applied-for drug is dangerous even when it is extremely safe. Pressure is put on regulatory authorities, pressure is put on companies collaborating with the applicant, pressure is put on universities to cease collaborating with the applicant (for example, threat of terminating grants), and so on. It is enough to make the blood boil. I have seen hundreds of pages of such internal documentation for one such application from a small company, showing this mind-boggling abuse of process in black and white. The FDA (and its EU equivalent is almost as bad) behaves like a classic corrupt banana republic administration, endlessly regurgitating logically non-sensical arguments which have long since been demonstrated to be untrue, while rejecting strong defences as irrelevant or invalid.
Modern western medicine is dead. It is so corrupt, so degenerate, so contrary to science and truth that it is like a dead rotting corpse propped upright by wooden stakes. We need a new medicine based on real science, on the motive of helping society, and founded on ethical principles; not a dead rotting carcase determined to make profits for the 0.01% at all costs irrespective of the harm to the patient.

Posted by: BM | Oct 21 2021 13:11 utc | 89

Helmer has new piece up on Ms Nudelmann’s visit to Moscow:
THE BLIN-NOODLE GANG (BLINKEN-NUDELMAN) SINKS FROM THE BALTIC TO BLACK SEA AND THE SHORES OF TRIPOLI

Posted by: Bemildred | Oct 21 2021 13:29 utc | 91

It just makes no sense this urge to keep shooting up the population.
Posted by: Comandante | Oct 21 2021 12:41 utc | 83
For US ruling class, it is not possible to admit being wrong, because they are “experts”. That’s why. They will NEVER admit error, esp. not category errors, because that indicates they do not know what they are speaking about. Their excellent decision making is their main selling point. This is dogma. Trump is exemplary of this sort of “thinking”. They will cling to their vaccination policy until the strike of doom. Much of the infelicity of living here these days comes from this sort of perverted expertise. Fauci is a classic example.
You have to gut the social safety net to get this sort of society, everybody clings to their jobs.

Posted by: Bemildred | Oct 21 2021 13:41 utc | 93

This meeting today with an extensive panel of government members discusses the pandemic.
Posted by: karlof1 | Oct 20 2021 19:41 utc | 21
I was surprised by what Putin said at the end of that segment:

I remember asking some of my friends, people from my university, back at the start of the vaccine rollout, did you get vaccinated? And they ask me back, did you? I say, not yet, and they said, I would rather wait until you do. Okay, I have now, and I ask them again, did you get vaccinated? No. Why? Well, I don’t know, I’ll still wait. It’s strange, I mean, those are educated people, with advanced degrees, I don’t even understand what is going on. And we have a reliable and effective vaccine.

It is indeed strange – my understanding was that Putin got his vaccination right at the start, during the clinical trials, before even the full roll-out. And indeed, I would expect him to be one of the first. What gives?

Posted by: BM | Oct 21 2021 13:51 utc | 95

RE #90, that’s from April, my mistake. Need to read things first.
It is indeed strange – my understanding was that Putin got his vaccination right at the start, during the clinical trials, before even the full roll-out. And indeed, I would expect him to be one of the first. What gives?
Posted by: BM | Oct 21 2021 13:51 utc | 94
I will hazard a guess that a lot of people are not convinced they need to worry about it. A product of mixed and muddled messaging, right from the beginning.

Posted by: Bemildred | Oct 21 2021 13:58 utc | 97

Sushi @ 64
The study you link to does not ‘claim’ or ‘assert’. It finds. It identifies. It recognizes. Claims and assertions are for issues lacking evidence. The study presents the evidence.
You can question the evidence if you wish, rhetorical attacks are moot.
The added verbiage about new and improved vaccines is a sop. Once ADE is out of the bag it is much too late. Consequences will follow. Les jeuxs sont fait.

Posted by: oldhippie | Oct 21 2021 13:58 utc | 99