Britzerland! I’m new to UK politics so while watching the 90 sec video from 10 Downing Street of UK’s Johnson meeting with Switzerland’s Ignazio I heard this term for the first time.
https://youtu.be/rZ4UXxFl-wE
However, Google tells me that the term has been in use for years, case in point in this blog post from 2018:
https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/brexit/2018/10/29/britzerland-the-problem-of-dispute-resolution-post-brexit/
“The attempt to break elements out of the Ukraine agreement and transplant them into agreements concluded by the EU and the UK or Switzerland is amateurish bricolage that runs counter to all the rules of comparative law. It was French social anthropologist Claude Lévi-Strauss who called those who construct something new from any material they find “bricoleurs”.”
And this Daily Express article from 2021:
https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/1398107/brexit-news-boris-johnson-uk-switzerland-eu-standoff-brussels-spt
“ With both countries sharing a eurosceptic outlook, the UK and Switzerland have the potential to cooperate closely, Mr Johnson argued in 2012.
Then London Mayor, Mr Johnson said a “Britzerland” alliance “outside the European Union” which would enjoy free trade with the eurozone, and have a say in negotiating the conditions of this trade arrangement, but which wouldn’t have to sign up to any of Brussels’ plans for further integration.”
Johnson is recycling old material it seems.

Posted by: Bruised Northerner | Apr 28 2022 14:08 utc | 4

Greetings,
Here’s a Link to an Article discussing the Alleged Shortcomings of Western CoVID Vaxx
versus Natural Immunity.
Apparently, Spike Proteins are just One of Several Infectious Protein Types employed by SARS-COV2. The (properly administered by aspiration) Vaxx causes the Recipient to produce Spike Antibodies for the 1stGen Virus, which lasts for several months; but suppresses the responses for other Infectious Protein Types of the Virus.
These suppressions “continue to” (operative words) WORSEN with successive Booster Shots, so Vaxx and Vaxx+Booster Recipients become PERMANENTLY Immunocompromised towards SARS-COV2 and often become Re-Infected through the other Infectious Protein Types and obsolete/expired Spike Antibodies.
Moderna knew this; but didn’t disclose…
Countries with Low Vaxx Rates have higher Herd Immunity Ratings.
Yet another Epic ClusterFail.

Posted by: IronForge | Apr 28 2022 14:28 utc | 6

@Brother Ma | Apr 28 2022 14:47 utc | 7
Milley? I am very interested in the Cloutier question, if he does not show up soon… And yes, BHL should also be checked out.

Posted by: Norwegian | Apr 28 2022 15:13 utc | 8

Kreindler and the victims’ families believe there are clear connections between the Saudi government and Sept. 11 hijackers Nawaf al-Hazmi and Khalid al-Mihdhar.
Posted by: librul | Apr 28 2022 13:27 utc | 2

Funny how the “official story” gets dusted off and republished whenever SA does not follow US instructions.
Any evidence those 2 ever boarded the plane (*cough* cruise missile) that supposedly hit the Pentagon?

Posted by: Opport Knocks | Apr 28 2022 15:21 utc | 10

Having insufficient funds, I have to stop in the front of paywalls (with few exceptions). Thus I remain puzzled and ignorant in the face of hit like this one
Opinion Biden shows once again why he is a huge upgrade from Trump
By the Editorial Board
April 26, 2022 at 4:40 p.m. EDT
An upgrade — any theories how and why?

Posted by: Piotr Berman | Apr 28 2022 15:45 utc | 12

#11 Norwegian
Agreed, will be good if someone can show us any proof of life going back that timeframe and since. Some have said they are in Azovstal.
I must admit I am very eager to learn about this new ruble valuation model and how we can profit from it. More power to Russia .

Posted by: Brother Ma | Apr 28 2022 15:48 utc | 14

It’s been around for decades, but finally China calls it what it is, “American Disease”, and it’s not just related to China; rather, it constitutes a global pandemic of a political disease.

Posted by: karlof1 | Apr 28 2022 15:55 utc | 16

@ karlof1 | Apr 28 2022 15:55 utc | 16
Call it by it’s true name, the American Tumblr disease. For the first time in history teenage girls and young women are highly politicised and have created an ideology all by themselves. It’s only been a few years and it’s almost brought us to WW3. TikTok has made things worse because it’s like Tumblr except all the normal and socially and IRL influential girls use it too. And the histrionic and borderline cluster B type powerusers continue to dominate and even moreso than on Twitter which had larger numbers of older and male users. And this dedicated minority than enforce it’s perspective and will on the majority.

Posted by: Altai | Apr 28 2022 16:19 utc | 18

Posted by: Don Bacon | Apr 28 2022 16:02 utc | 17
Thanks for the tip, although you advocate theft of services, tut tut. Worst of all, I still do not know how and why Biden is a huge upgrade (or is it “yooge”?). A decade ago, I thought the American policies can be upgraded… follies of youth?

Posted by: Piotr Berman | Apr 28 2022 16:25 utc | 20

Sorry for typos. The most misleading: ” this ideological phenomenon is not now” –> “not new”. Middle Ages are definitely “now”. In USA, we have a superannuated President, conveniently senile, surrounded by fit, trim and well groomed middle aged folks of both sexes, be it girly Psaki or boyish Blinken. They can bicycle one day, start WWIII next day… (I am bicycling myself, but otherwise I do not fit in this picture).

Posted by: Piotr Berman | Apr 28 2022 16:49 utc | 22

@Posted by: Piotr Berman | Apr 28 2022 16:25 utc | 20
Why would you read WaPo in the first place?
I read it because you pointed it out — my bad (or would that be your bad?).
It is written for the zombi-crats. They are in need of frequent booster shots of propaganda
less their programming wane. (“Something repeated a million times becomes true” is not just
a cute saying it speaks a truth about the way brain matter works.)

President Donald Trump was far worse. He pardoned personal associates convicted of or on trial for serious offenses, such as disgraced former national security adviser Michael T. Flynn and pro-Trump provocateur Stephen K. Bannon. The message was clear: Instead of cooperating with investigators, remaining loyal to Mr. Trump would earn you a pardon.

—
Let us see if Joe Biden pardons the other half of
Joe Biden & Son, Inc

Posted by: librul | Apr 28 2022 17:11 utc | 24

Sorry, should have added:
Posted by: TickyItIs | Apr 28 2022 16:53 utc | 23

Posted by: TickyItIs | Apr 28 2022 17:18 utc | 26

So the US posted a Q1 annualized GDP growth of -1.4% vs +1% expected (aka contraction) while both Russia and China have posted positive gains (with Russian growth slowing down but remaining positive for Q1 while Chinese growth beating expectations with increased growth).
Meanwhile, Biden is asking for $33 billion more in aid money to Ukraine. A country whose GDP was only ~$150 billion before the war, with a predicted 16% decline in their economy for the quarter and estimated 40% annual dip for 2022 based on current events. A country that still owes billions in debt. A country whose trade with America accounted for less than 1% of total American trade globally in 2019 (with US exports to Ukraine in 2021 was valued at 2.5 billion while imports from Ukraine were valued at 1.9 billion, approximately).
US inflation continues to grow, likely passing 8% (May 10 is the next CPI report). Poverty is climbing, with current rates well above pre-pandemic levels. Inequality is increasing, with the US GINI sitting at .48 in 2020 (and likely increased past that, with reports delayed for a while). For context, .5 GINI and above is considered severe inequality. And most experts are not predicting whether a recession is coming but how soon it’ll come.
The American bourgeoisie have committed themselves to an orgy of economic cannibalization while selling their actions as being morally righteous actions against Putin, even as American society suffers, America’s European allies suffer, and the rest of the world turns away from America’s buffet of self-annihilation. And that’s without peeking at the climate situation that continues to drastically worsen as the clock runs out on our chance to mitigate some of the worst parts of what’ll affect generations to come.

Posted by: Brainiac3397 | Apr 28 2022 17:30 utc | 28

Brainiac3397 @28–
And then there’s this little known fact:
“U.S. Government 2021 Financial Statements show a deepening, record deficit net worth of $123.5 trillion in Fiscal Year 2021 (year-ended September 30), widening from the prior record $113.8 trillion negative net worth in 2020.”
That’s the result of continual negative GDP since the 1990s thanks to Greenspan’s Fed policies. Yes, the numbers are jiggered to make GDP appear positive, but the truth is revealed if you know where to look for it. Furthermore, there’s the dollar denominated derivatives bomb, which has a good chance of exploding with the introduction of the two-tiered financial system we’ve been discussing for months.

Posted by: karlof1 | Apr 28 2022 17:43 utc | 30

Posted by: librul | Apr 28 2022 13:27 utc | 2
Wow! Thanks for that; I must have missed it.
Added with the declassified but heavily redacted FBI files about the dancing Israelis having set up their camera BEFORE the first plane hit so they could record all the action as they reveled in it, the story becomes clearer.
Israel and Saudi Arabia colluded on 911, and they couldn’t have pulled it off without the complicity of the US government.
https://www.mintpressnews.com/newly-released-fbi-docs-shed-light-on-apparent-mossad-foreknowledge-of-9-11-attacks/258581/

Posted by: Tom_Q_Collins | Apr 28 2022 18:27 utc | 32

Russia, China, and the Post-Dollar World w/Pepe Escobar
Escobar describes how only 12% of the world is sanctioning Russia and the “happy talk” in the USA will soon be discovered. He predicts Germany will begin buying Russian gas with Rubles within a week.

Posted by: John Z | Apr 28 2022 19:08 utc | 34

A tip for gardeners: You might already realize this, but the two to three gallon plastic tubs which plants are sold in make excellent minicomposters — place them on bare ground so worms can enter and egress, and fill with all vegetation as you weed or gather leaves. Be patient, especially over winter, then simply tip and toss what you have gathered into another similar tub, put that new one in the same place. For us oldies that makes composting a breeze, and you get a rich wormsoil when you do the tipping, easier than having a huge pile you need to turn. (It will also improve the damp soil below the tub. And you can use that soil for planting or feeding container plants as it is very rich.)
Don’t forget to water these tubs occasionally; if you set them slightly lower in the ground worms won’t suffocate or drown as long as there are openings for the tubs to drain. This process is best done on bare ground – concrete or tile works but your worms might perish in a heavy rain as they try to leave the soggy tubs.
Very good to place the tubs near shrubs or garden areas you want to keep moist – check under the tubs through the summer and find any slugs as they will go there for the moist coolness – I just chuck the ones I find overwall out into the desert. Slugs probably come in with purchased plants, but not to worry — that indicates the soil hasn’t been poisoned, so it’s a good thing.
Happy gardening!

Posted by: juliania | Apr 28 2022 19:18 utc | 36

IDF admits aiding al-Qaeda in Syria https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20150318-israeli-army-admits-aiding-al-qaeda-in-syria/

Posted by: Laurence | Apr 28 2022 19:32 utc | 38

Posted by: Aleph_Null | Apr 28 2022 19:44 utc | 39
been a long time since I stopped by that bar.

Posted by: pretzelattack | Apr 28 2022 19:51 utc | 40

John Z @34–
Yes, that interview with Pepe is a good primer for what’s to come. Declan Hayes at Strategic Culture has written a complementary article, “The Rise and Rise of the Sino-Russian Strategic Energy & Metals Market”. Together we get an idea of just how boxed in the Outlaw US Empire and its unfortunate vassals are and the additional problems the latter will incur if they continue to follow the misleader. One key point Pepe noted is the coming expansion of BRICS to BRICS+, which will essentially be the G-20 minus the G-7.
Oriental Voice @37–
Thanks for your reply and link. Its substance relates to the context delivered by the items above as the Outlaw US Empire finds itself increasingly isolated thanks to its own actions–actions it is myopic to thanks to its hubris. As the Empire hurtles off the cliff of its own making it will yell, China pushed me! But at that point, I doubt anyone will be listening.

Posted by: karlof1 | Apr 28 2022 20:40 utc | 42

Can someone post a summary of the current situation in Syria?
I do not believe anything in the news but not sure where to find actual accurate info the state of things now.
Thanks!

Posted by: ct | Apr 28 2022 21:05 utc | 44

@ librul 24
. . .disgraced former national security adviser Michael T. Flynn
Disgaced to you but not to me. General Flynn as the Pentagon Director of Intelligence Agency helped to blow the whistle on the US sponsorship of what became ISIS. Later as payback he was entrapped by the FBI.
It was in connection with the Levant Report here. . . .”Lt. Gen. Flynn, speaking safely from retirement, is the highest ranking intelligence official to go on record saying the United States and other state sponsors of rebels in Syria knowingly gave political backing and shipped weapons to Al-Qaeda in order to put pressure on the Syrian regime.”
Going back further, it was a subject that Seymour Hersh wrote about in 2007 – ‘The Redirection” — To undermine Iran, which is predominantly Shiite, the Bush Administration has decided, in effect, to reconfigure its priorities in the Middle East. In Lebanon, the Administration has coöperated with Saudi Arabia’s government, which is Sunni, in clandestine operations that are intended to weaken Hezbollah, the Shiite organization that is backed by Iran. . .Then came The Calliphate, and al Qaeda, and ISIS, all a part of the general US strategy of ‘divide and conquer,’ in this case Sunni vs. Shi’ite, and trying to correct the result of Operation Iraqi Freedom which converted Iraq from an Iran enemy to an Iran ally, and then there was Syria. . .etc.

Posted by: Don Bacon | Apr 28 2022 21:19 utc | 46

@ karlof1 | Apr 28 2022 20:44 utc | 43
@ malenkov | Apr 28 2022 21:11 utc | 45
Thanks for your condolences. We can light a candle together for CD – a source which once coulda, shoulda, woulda… The “Commons” over there is still dear to me — though my ancient technology excluded me from posting there quite awhile ago. A few old lushes from this bar still drop by that one (you know who you are). My dearest old buddies out there (e.g. someone in Seattle, styled “webwalk”) seem to be drifting away. Meanwhile, in other venues…
The “Nationalization” Of Social Media

Google’s current Global Head of Developer Product Policy, Ben Renda, has an even closer relationship with the national security state. From being a strategic planner and information management officer for NATO, he then moved to Google in 2008. In 2013, he began working for U.S. Cybercommand and in 2015 for the Defense Innovation Unit (both divisions of the Department of Defense). At the same time, he became a YouTube executive, rising to the rank of Director of Operations.
Other platforms have similar relationships with Washington. In 2018, Facebook announced that it had entered a partnership with The Atlantic Council whereby the latter would help curate the news feeds of billions of users worldwide, deciding what was credible, trustworthy information, and what was fake news. As noted previously, The Atlantic Council is NATO’s brain-trust and is directly funded by the military alliance. Last year, Facebook also hired Atlantic Council senior fellow and former NATO spokesperson Ben Nimmo as its head of intelligence, thereby giving an enormous amount of control over its empire to current and former national security state officials.
The Atlantic Council has also worked its way into Reddit’s management. Jessica Ashooh went straight from being Deputy Director of Middle East Strategy at The Atlantic Council to Director of Policy at the popular news aggregation service – a surprising career move that drew few remarks at the time.
Also eliciting little comment was the unmasking of a senior Twitter executive as an active-duty officer in the British Army’s notorious 77th Brigade – a unit dedicated to online warfare and psychological operations.

https://scheerpost.com/2022/04/28/online-censorship-of-ukraine-dissent-is-becoming-the-new-norm/

Posted by: Aleph_Null | Apr 28 2022 21:27 utc | 48

My first blogging adventure was on Truthout. I enjoyed it for quite a while and then differed with a couple of bloggers who were attacking the blog-meisters. I said: Better not do that. But they did and the blog terminated. That was many years ago, and a good memory. Then later came other blogs, some of which threw me out and others that were (are) going nowhere. All-in-all, there’s not much left in quantity, which MOA makes up for in quality starting at the top. I’m even starting to read the entries after 300 on a topic, exhausting it, which then turn into encounter meetings. It’s all good.

Posted by: Don Bacon | Apr 28 2022 21:49 utc | 50

@Posted by: Don Bacon | Apr 28 2022 21:19 utc | 46
You skimmed what I wrote and thus made a false accusation.
Be more careful. Thx.

@ librul 24
. . .disgraced former national security adviser Michael T. Flynn
Disgaced to you but not to me.

Posted by: librul | Apr 28 2022 22:31 utc | 52

Interesting view published by the AFR today:
“The nation’s former spymaster warns Australia has squandered its chances to form meaningful relationships with the Pacific, leaving it looking to the United States to intervene and fix a significant security problem in the region after China struck its security pact with the Solomon Islands.
In an opinion piece for The Australian Financial Review, Nick Warner – who oversaw the start of the Australian-led peacekeeping mission to Solomon Islands known as RAMSI – said it was clear to Canberra by 2015 that Beijing was scouring the South Pacific for a base, with a number of sites in Vanuatu and Papua New Guinea floated….”
Only the cushioned pashas in a very exclusive club are permitted to seek their own security and have overseas bases. The club members treat others with disdain and seek their destruction.

Posted by: Paul | Apr 28 2022 23:51 utc | 54

@6 IronForge | Apr 28 2022 14:28 utc
Thank you for the link to the Igor Chudov article. I’ve read him before and find him to be a valuable resource in the ongoing forensic examination of the pandemic-vaccination imbroglio.
It’s a shame you were criticized for your contribution, and completely ironic that the crime was partly of being too cerebral, since Chudov writes a great article explaining in lay terms what this scientific study says.
Chudov explains how immunity works, both naturally and from vaccination, and highlights extracts from this latest study to provide the scientific terms in the words of the study authors.
Chudov takes pains to explain as clearly as he can what the science is saying. Few enough people do this, and Chudov does it well.
~~
We know that this concept is not new, that the vaxxed are getting disease much more readily and more frequently than the unvaxxed. Several people have been working on proving this, and indeed Chudov points to the authors referring to several other studies.
But this one, as the authors state, presents evidence for the theory from the first randomized, placebo-controlled study, with “systematic surveillance for infection.”
So, this is a useful milestone if it survives peer review.
Chudov’s key point is that this study is looking at the data from Moderna’s own Phase 3 trial. So the evidence presented here comes from Moderna. The difference is that this study (and Chudov) call out the alarming implications of Moderna’s own trial – while Moderna apparently found nothing in it to call to public attention.

During the original Moderna Phase 3 trial, even before Delta and Omicron, scientists found the same effect: the vaccinated are much less likely to “seroconvert” and develop the above described N antibodies. The difference between the vaccinated and the unvaccinated is FIVE TIMES, which is huge. The unvaccinated are five times more likely than the vaccinated to develop broad immunity including N antibodies. [Chudov]

Many thanks again, IronForge.

Posted by: Grieved | Apr 29 2022 3:00 utc | 56

Speaking of studies from the trials of the vaccine manufacturers themselves, a new Danish study concludes that the adenovirus-vector vaccines (AstraZeneca/Johnson & Johnson) show a definite reduction in mortality, while the mRNA vaccines (Pfizer/Moderna) show no reduction at all and if anything a slight increase.
The study is narrated for us in lay terms by Martin Kulldorff at the Brownstone Institute:
Have People Been Given the Wrong Vaccine? ⋆ Brownstone Institute:

The mRNA vaccines were approved based on a reduction in symptomatic infections instead of mortality. That Pfizer and Moderna did not design their [randomized controlled trials] to determine whether the vaccines reduced mortality is inexcusable, as they could easily have done so.
…
If Pfizer and Moderna want to continue to sell these vaccines, we should demand that they conduct a proper randomized clinical trial that proves that the vaccines reduce mortality.
Equally important, the government, corporations and universities should stop mandating vaccines when randomized controlled trials show a null result for mortality.

Posted by: Grieved | Apr 29 2022 3:36 utc | 58

This is a graph of the population of Ukraine:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_Ukraine#/media/File:Population_of_Ukraine_from_1950_(untitled).svg
You can summarize this as: during communism, the population grew. When capitalism was introduced, population declined.
The same can be observed in other east-european countries: the population of Lithuania declined from 3.7 million in 1991, to 2.8 million in 2021.
Simplified, you can say neo-liberal politics sucks a countries’ lifeblood. People study and work, produce and consume, until not enough is left to maintain the population. This is another way of explaining EU expansion: as the existing countries are milked dry, population decline is compensated, first by expanding to southern europe, then expanding to eastern europe, then immigration from Africa and the Middle East.

Posted by: Passerby | Apr 29 2022 6:17 utc | 60

@TickyItIs | Apr 28 2022 16:53 utc | 23
and
@Grieved | Apr 29 2022 3:00 utc | 57
Thank you for your Feedback.
@Oriental Voice | Apr 28 2022 19:09 utc | 35
Author Chudov did make it very friendly to the Public. Industry Terms, Philosophical/Hypothetical Concepts were mentioned;but most can make it through the Article as he explains.
In short, the Moderna Vaxx were made too hastily+incomplete, poorly tested (and it looks untested/unchallenged by 3rd Parties/Govt – which should have happened regardless of the Warp Speed Mktg), Critical Potentially Life Threatening Shortcomings Not Publicized (One “Dissident” MD mentioned he’d stopped regular FDA Rx Trials for far less).
Omicron made those Vaxx Ineffective; and now every CoVID Vaxxed Person can be infected by another CoVID19 Variant in the Future.
We’re very lucky that the Lethality Rate was Low; and we’re struggling through the Out/Inpatient Hospital Treatment Procedures.
***
As for Public Presentations of 3rd Party Opinions,
Weinstein&Heying (aka DarkHorse) and Chris Martenson(Pre-Paywall Intros) –
both on Odysee and YouTube – have consistently provided their Video Commentaries on the Pathogen and the Pharma/PublicHealth Situations.
Oriental, I may or may not find your shared links interesting; but I won’t rush to call it “Oriental BS” without explaining why I think they are.
I’m a Half Japanese Murican – born and raised in Japan. Probably seen/read/heard more Oriental/Continental Historical Accts/Stories/Documentaries/Shows/Novels/Manga – including the “BS” – than your typical Murican.
Ignore the Troll – “Alleged” is the term I used in the Texted Link to be diplomatic; and the only BS the Article Implied are those practiced by Moderna with their explanation regarding the efficacy and safety of their Vaxx.
Best regards to All

Posted by: IronForge | Apr 29 2022 7:19 utc | 62

>I couldn’t get the site to load for awhile this morning, glad to see it’s back.
Posted by: pretzelattack | Apr 29 2022 9:27 utc | 64
Same here

Posted by: Arganthonios | Apr 29 2022 10:10 utc | 64

Article written by a friend of mine, about globalism…
In context—the disastrous American withdrawal from Afghanistan, the unanticipated Russian invasion of Ukraine, and the rapidly escalating proxy war between the two great powers—we should hope for mere saber-rattling but prepare for far worse. Why is this happening? Why is the world order of the last 30 years disintegrating? Why are globalism, internationalism, and the promotion of universal values—from free trade agreements to the European Union to America’s efforts to democratize the Middle East—increasingly resented and failing with ever greater frequency?
With a focus on the United States, one of the few Western nations to have retained significant geopolitical reach, we will examine the problem of the world-flattening project—one in which the materialities of geography and regional culture and the strictures of our capacity for meaningful relationships and community are replaced with (depending upon who is doing the replacing) collectives of ideology or bondage and service to the profit-seeking endeavors of the elite. We will also determine what we—all of humanity in general, the peoples of the West in particular, and Americans most of all—can and should do to bend the arc of history towards something better than the present.
https://readingjunkie.com/2022/04/27/the-roundness-of-the-world/

Posted by: Ian Kummer | Apr 29 2022 11:37 utc | 66

I believe I was booted from CommonDreams too. Must have been during Obamas rise to power. I already knew it was all a charade.

Posted by: Anne B | Apr 29 2022 12:50 utc | 68

karlof1 @ 29 and 30
Yes. And also can add in the Global South repudiating it’s debts from the criminal organizations IMF and World. Bank.

Posted by: financial matters | Apr 29 2022 13:48 utc | 70

I wonder if CNN employees earn some kind of bonus when they write a very good nonsense like that ?
Please stop calling breast-feeding “natural” because it’ll lead to… Americans rejecting vaccines.
CNN article: hidden danger of calling breast-feeding “natural”
I bet you didn’t see that one coming? I’m still hesitating between tears of hilarity or sadness.

Posted by: Francil | Apr 29 2022 13:53 utc | 72

I am currently rereading two biographies of Fyodor Dostoievski. One, a weighty volume, comes from the halls of the Ivy league and I had purchased it supposing it to be the be-all and end-all of all such information on the author’s life and works; it is not. The other, contributers here may be interested to know, is Norwegian. It is older, smaller, and much friendlier. In both I have come as far as the author’s first acknowledged success, “Poor Folk”, which was written at the young age of 20. So, I have begun reading that as well.
My first impression from all three is an amazement at the early ‘at home’ education of Dostoievski. It should be an inspiration to us all. Simply put it was books, books, books. And while in his later works, Dostoievski turns to the education of boys, it is in “Poor Folk” that it is the heroine who describes a similar education, in the most destitute of households.
No television; no internet. How fortunate we ‘ancient ones’ were not to have either!

Posted by: juliania | Apr 29 2022 14:52 utc | 74

Posted by: ct | Apr 28 2022 21:05 utc | 44
Good suggestion, ct. Perhaps b will recap at some point.

Posted by: juliania | Apr 29 2022 15:07 utc | 76

The focus of today’s Security Council meeting wasn’t Ukraine but Afghanistan. I’m not certain if this report by Lavrov at the MFA website is the same as the one he gave to the Council, but it’s relatively short for a Lavrov report, so what follows is its machine translation:

After the hasty flight of the US and NATO occupation troops from Kabul in August 2021 and the subsequent coming to power of the Taliban Movement, the military-political situation in Afghanistan has relatively stabilized. I would like to note the efforts of the new leadership to return to peaceful life after a long armed conflict, to resume the normal functioning of the national economy, as well as to ensure law and order and security.
We note that the new authorities confirmed their readiness to develop cooperation with the Russian Federation from the very first days. We reciprocate. Our embassy did not stop its work during the most difficult days. The attitude of the Taliban, as well as the previous Afghan authorities, to our embassy was exemplary. We are grateful for the measures that have been taken to ensure the safety of our diplomats. We are also developing our relations with regard to the work of the Afghan Embassy in Moscow. Last month, we issued official accreditation to a candidate who had been nominated by the Taliban movement for the position of Chargé d’affaires a.i. of Afghanistan in Russia. He is the first Afghan diplomat appointed by the Taliban leadership. It has already begun its work.
Issues of bilateral cooperation were discussed on March 24 this year, when kabul was visited by an interdepartmental delegation of the Russian Federation headed by the Special Representative of the President of Russia for Afghanistan, Director of the Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Z.N. Kabulov and with the participation of representatives of our economic, trade and transport departments. At the same time, on the same day, another batch of Russian humanitarian aid was delivered – about 20 tons of medicines. Of course, we will continue this assistance to Afghanistan. We note that good conditions are being created for the further development of trade and economic ties between Russia and Afghanistan, for their resumption in those areas in which they were interrupted for some period.
On April 25 of this year, direct flights on the Moscow-Kabul route were resumed, which will facilitate contacts between people in general between our entrepreneurs. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs provides all possible support for this. We see promising areas for the development of cooperation and for direct contacts between business circles, primarily agriculture, energy, as well as transport, taking into account the high transit potential of Afghanistan. In general, the more than 140 enterprises that were built by the Soviet Union in Afghanistan remain the basis of the Afghan economy and this creates additional opportunities for building up our cooperation in the trade and economic sphere.
We note the formation of a regional consensus on Afghanistan. On March 31 of this year, a meeting of the foreign ministers of the neighboring countries of Afghanistan (Russia, China, Pakistan, Iran, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan) was held in China. The meeting was useful, important, consolidated the understanding that in the region around Afghanistan we are closely cooperating with partners and like-minded people, we have common goals to ensure a stable prosperous Afghanistan, from the territory of which there is no threat of terrorism, drug trafficking, and within the framework of which national harmony is ensured. We supported the final documents and the meeting that took place in China. We stressed the need for broad assistance from our countries to the economic reconstruction of Afghanistan. But at the same time, everyone proceeds from the fact that the main financial responsibility for the post-conflict reconstruction of the Afghan economy lies with the United States and its allies, which for twenty years have been unchallenged on Afghan soil.
We will also continue to cooperate in other formats. In October 2021, the “Moscow format” was convened, which is close in composition of participants to the meeting held in the PRC. Let’s continue our interaction.
We are open to cooperation with the United States. There is a “troika”, which includes the United States, Russia and China, and an expanded “troika”, Pakistan joins it. We do not close this opportunity for further work.
I believe that now it is fundamentally important to concentrate on the interaction of those who can in practice contribute to the solution of Afghan problems. And the U.S. and its allies must realize their financial responsibility.
In this regard, I cannot but draw attention to the continuing blocking of the holdings of the Afghan Central Bank, which were frozen by the United States. In parallel, the United States put forward demands that Afghanistan respond to various ultimatums of the West. In particular, they punish Afghanistan with sanctions for its steps to reform the education sector.
The Afghan authorities have decided to separate the education of boys and girls. This requires additional costs in order to establish appropriate school structures and places. For this, the money that was illegally frozen by the United States would be useful there. Instead of announcing sanctions and demonstrating complete disrespect for understanding the national and cultural traditions of the Afghan people, it would be better to unfreeze this money. I will not give examples of how neoliberal governments in the West approach the educational process of boys, girls and someone else. I consider it necessary to respect the national traditions of Afghanistan and its people. This is much more effective than waving the sanctions “baton” once again without a reason.
We attach great importance to the development of contacts with Afghanistan in the field of education in November and December 2021, all Afghan students returned to continue their studies at Russian universities (in full-time format). Assisted in their arrival.
I would like to conclude by noting our commitment to international law, as well as to all other members of the world community, with regard to the official, legal and international legal recognition of the new Afghan authorities. To this end, we believe that they need to continue their efforts to combat terrorist organizations, which, unfortunately, in Afghanistan, so far retain their positions, efforts to combat drug trafficking. It is also necessary to ensure the implementation of another of their commitments, which the Taliban undertook publicly when they came to power, namely, the creation of an inclusive ethno-political government, in which not only representatives of various ethnic and religious groups, but also representatives of all key political movements of the country should be represented.
I think that this process, which we strongly support, should be accelerated. Our relevant wishes and suggestions were conveyed to Kabul. They are received with understanding.

As you read, the Outlaw US Empire’s behavior remains a hindrance to Afghanistan’s development. I was going to emphasize Lavrov’s pointing to the 140 businesses built by Russia during the Soviet Era remaining the fundamental basis of the Afghan economy. Overall, progress is slowly occurring, and Lavrov didn’t point to any specific threat to Russia’s security that differs from before.

Posted by: karlof1 | Apr 29 2022 16:09 utc | 78

Karlof1 Apr 29 2022 16:09 utc
Hello @ Karl, Thanks for posting the translation of Mr Lavrov’s report on Afghanistan. It’s a shame he is portrayed as a bully in the British press. His report confirms Russia is getting on with business as usual, & that he hasn’t lost his touch in illuminating the hypocrisy. Concerning segregation in education, “I will not give examples of how neoliberal governments in the West approach the educational process of boys, girls and someone else.”. IMO, he’s one of Russia’s best, & I love his humour.

Posted by: boon | Apr 29 2022 17:29 utc | 80

This is the status of the USA’s fighting forces.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/uss-george-washington-sailors-detail-difficult-working-conditions-stri-rcna25882
One also wonders why they’re working 24-7 to get this basically useless hunk of metal up and running again. Something tells me it has to do with the South China Sea or Iran.

Posted by: Tom_Q_Collins | Apr 29 2022 19:27 utc | 82

Hot off the disinformation press:
Bird Flu
1. Egg prices doubled in the last two-three weeks in the U.S. (Midwest, anyway). $1.40/doz last year. $2.60/April, now over $3/doz. WTF? Chicken shortage?
2. Biggest regional supplier: Rembrandt Foods (Rembrandt, Iowa) are the egg people for Rembrandt Enterprises Incoroporated (REI) (Spirit Lake, Iowa). Turns out they had to cull about five million layer hens at the Rembrandt egg farm for H5N2 avian flu.
3. Iowa, by far the largest egg producing state here, has already lost 25% of their total egg producing capacity counting other egg farms as well as the Rembrandt culling.
4. Now, Rembrandt’s Minnesota egg farm (Renville) announced last week that they were culling another 2.5M hens there and laying off staff because bird flu was detected. Other farms will undoubtedly follow. About the only ‘news’ was the culling of turkeys at Minnesota farms, with that production pretty much wiped out.
5. I assume chickens raised for meat (broiler or whatever) farms are also getting infected here, but factory chicken farms are more spread out in the U.S. so local supply isn’t *as* affected – yet. But bird flu doesn’t just go away. I’ll expect to pay $12 this summer for a small whole raw chicken [sad trombone sound].
6. Yesterday in Colorado, a prison inmate helping to cull chickens from an H5N1 outbreak *there* was reported to have contracted the disease – extremely rare in humans. H5N1 bird flu strain strikes 1st person in US. He only had fatigue for a couple of days and got better. H5N1 and H7N9 are the only strains known to have infected humans.
7. Then I run across this article, China reports first human case of H3N8 bird flu Hmmm… Bird flu happens every spring, but it seems strange that so many different *strains* are suddenly transmissible to humans. That doesn’t happen in nature.
8. In BIRD FLU: THE NEXT PANDEMIC?, ice.age.farmer cites a Tass article describing a U.S. bio-weapon program UP-4 being researched in Ukraine. Specifically in the Kiev, Kharkov and Odessa biolabs. It’s not about transmitting ‘plain, old H5N1’ to humans making you tired for a few days. It’s about spreading an engineered Franken-H5N1.
9. Bill Gates (from 3:33 in ice.age.farmer’s video above):

Uh, so we… you know, we’ll have to prepare for the next one. THAT… you know, I’d say is ahhh…. WILL get attention this time… [exchanges creepy ‘people-culling soon’ grin with Melinda].

10. Gates funded gain-of-function research at the University of Wisconsin – Madison that spliced recovered genes from the Spanish Flu into those of a human-transmissible bird flu. Just in case there’s ever an outbreak of it… then they’ll know how to handle it. Kind of like getting a jump on SARS-CoV-2 via gain-of-function research. In case there’s ever… oh, never mind.
11. I can do without chicken and eggs for a few years, but a highly-transmissible Franken-Spanish Flu outbreak? Oh hell, I can’t wait to see how the MSM will spin this anti-government conspiracy theory disinformation.

Posted by: PavewayIV | Apr 29 2022 21:12 utc | 84

86;saudi arabian and israel are best friends forever!

Posted by: dahoit | Apr 29 2022 22:15 utc | 86

David Dahwurr Hudson introduit l’Anzac Day au didgeridoo
Amazing didge player at Villers Bretonneux, France.
   
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AnCtcvUyn4g

Posted by: Paul | Apr 29 2022 23:08 utc | 88

Posted by: karlof1 | Apr 29 2022 16:09 utc | 79
Thanks, karlof1, for this from Lavrov on the Afghanistan situation, as well as the following post on faith communities in Russia and Ukraine. With respect to schools in Afghanistan I can speak on the efficacy of separation of girls and boys at least as far as high school is concerned, since I experienced this both in New Zealand and in the US. It was simply a good way to stay focussed on my studies, which I enjoyed.

Posted by: juliania | Apr 29 2022 23:57 utc | 90

big fires in northern New Mexico, extreme fire danger in parts of Colorado, even a fire west of Amarillo. damn.

Posted by: pretzelattack | Apr 30 2022 1:13 utc | 92

yeah, even in north central Texas the winds have been stronger than I ever remember. I saw an article that compared the recent fires in Colorado to the immensely destructive ones in California.

Posted by: pretzelattack | Apr 30 2022 1:55 utc | 94

In case you forget…
How to Kill a Whole Lot of People: Scripps Scientists Publish How They Made H7N9 Virus More Transmissible
NIH weaponised H7N9, H5N1 and advertised their recipe ..
‘This planet has already achieved a delicate balance between all species, long before we arrived. But the self-deluded geniuses wanted more excitement to the show. There is a conspiracy to spread the flu virus at the widest coverage possible, and it’s not just a theory.
The scientists themselves who were conducting the specific research on how they made H7N9 virus increase its rate of human transmissions are already publicizing it.’
https://eclinik.net/heres-the-proof-flu-virus-was-deliberately-weaponized-for-widest-transmission/

Posted by: denk | Apr 30 2022 4:05 utc | 96

Hey
I need some help here! I cannot connect to fort Russ,this is new. as I used to be able. Any help?

Posted by: Den Lille Abe | May 5 2022 18:13 utc | 98