For Chinese history buffs, “What’s next for the following 100 years of Chinese archaeology”, is a must read. Wang Wei, “the chief expert of a national research program dedicated to tracing the origin of Chinese civilization,” summarized:
“In the future, we plan to trace the temporal and spatial scope of this research from 5,500 to 8,000 years ago to about 2,800 years ago. We should let more people understand the excellent Chinese civilization through some immersive experiences or other means of introduction of these archaeological achievements.”
The number of digs taking place in China are numerous and would be focused on more closely if the world wasn’t absorbed is crises caused by the Outlaw US Empire.

Posted by: karlof1 | Jun 6 2022 14:48 utc | 103

Lavrov held a press conference today, video info is available here. Also, Lavrov’s interview transcript with the Bosnian Serbian TV and radio company Radio Televizija Republike Srpske is now available in English, here. Unfortunately, no transcript for the second part of Putin’s interview with Rossiya TV-1 is available yet. Hopefully, that will change later today.

Posted by: karlof1 | Jun 6 2022 15:15 utc | 105

Here’s the machine translation of an important Q&A dealing with Cyber Security, “Response of the Special Presidential Representative for International Cooperation in Information Security, Director of the Department of International Information Security of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Alexander Krutskikh to the question of the Kommersant newspaper”:

Question: Last November, Russia and the United States signed a joint resolution on cybersecurity entitled “Achievements in the field of informatization and telecommunications in the context of international security and encouraging responsible behavior of states in the use of information and communication technologies”. This was largely made possible thanks to the agreements reached in June by the Presidents of the Russian Federation and the United States Vladimir Putin and Joe Biden on the resumption of cooperation in the field of cybersecurity. How is this direction developing now? Does the Russian Federation plan to continue cooperation with the United States in the development of cybersecurity? Are there any plans to amend the resolution in light of the sanctions pressure from the West?
Answer: The unanimous adoption in December 2021 of the UN General Assembly resolution on international information security (IIB) is an important milestone in international relations. The document, developed on the basis of our draft and in the spirit of the Geneva agreements of the leaders of Russia and the United States, reflects the key principles of building the IIB system: preventing conflicts in the digital environment, preventing the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) for criminal and terrorist purposes, ensuring the sovereignty of states in the information space, non-interference in their internal affairs. For the first time, the resolution of the UN General Assembly fixes the possibility of developing legally binding norms in this area.
The approval of the document meant the readiness of the world community to “turn the page” of disagreements and launch the activities of the Open-ended Working Group on IIS , the only negotiating mechanism within the UN in which all countries can participate on an equal footing. In fact, it was a signal of the negotiability of key players in the field of ICT security. Including the United States, which since 2018 has been “in defiance” of us and most other states with secret initiatives in an attempt to subdue the agenda of information security. American support for the draft resolution, in fact, was a recognition by Washington of its impotence to impose its own priorities in this area.
The “double standards” and duplicity of the United States were revealed immediately after the approval of the document. With the support of our European and Asian allies, the Biden administration began to hinder multilateral dialogue and divert it from pressing problems – issues of strengthening peace and security in the digital environment through confidence-building measures, building the capacity of states to solve the problems of socio-economic development. Discussion and the search for solutions is replaced by an ideologized agenda, behind which Washington’s claim to the role of an arbitrator in the field of ICT is visible. Since March 2022, the Americans and their like-minded people have begun to “sink” the discussion in the UN in a coordinated manner by replicating accusations against Russia of almost all sins.
At the same time, the United States went to “freeze” any contacts on iis with us. Moreover, under the guise of slogans in defense of democracy, cyber aggression was unleashed against Russia and its allies. They use the “Zelensky regime” and the “IT army” created by him as a battering ram to commit computer attacks against our country. ICT attacks on critical infrastructure in Russia are on the rise.
In such circumstances, we have no illusions about the readiness of the administration for sound, pragmatic negotiations on the IIB. At the same time, we do not recommend the United States to provoke Russia to retaliate – the rebuff will certainly follow, will be firm and decisive. However, the result of this “mess” can be catastrophic, because in a direct cyber collision of states there will be no winners.
Contrary to this scenario, we continue to insist that there is no alternative to the peaceful use of ICTs and to prevent conflicts in this area. We are ready to develop appropriate international legal agreements with all states that soberly assess the threat of cyber war.

Behavior as usual for the Outlaw US Empire. It’s not to be trusted in any manner until it comes under new management, which won’t be anytime soon.

Posted by: karlof1 | Jun 6 2022 15:25 utc | 107

Joe Lauria interviews a Nazi poet.
Posting this here because it surely can be filed under ‘anthropology’
https://youtube.com/watch?v=PyOITgUeAUI
Lviv poet Irina Starovoyt & Joe Lauria

Posted by: Browser | Jun 6 2022 15:44 utc | 109

Gonzalo Lira becomes our own Zelenskyy, the only expert we need, assiduously attending urgent demands for gibberish, as they arise.

Posted by: Aleph_Null | Jun 6 2022 16:13 utc | 111

Putin’s welcome speech to participants of the XXV St Petersburg International Economic Forum:

This year marks the anniversary of the founding of the St Petersburg International Economic Forum. I cordially congratulate the organizers of the Forum and all those who took part in its work on this significant anniversary.
Over the years, the Forum has become a very authoritative and representative international event.
The focus of attention of its participants – Russian and foreign politicians, scientists and entrepreneurs – is a variety of topics of the domestic and world economy: from specific areas of sectoral cooperation to ensuring information security and environmental protection. In the course of direct and constructive communication, mutually beneficial long-term contracts are concluded, and business experience is exchanged.
The anniversary meeting is taking place at a difficult time for the entire international community. Long-term mistakes of Western countries in economic policy and illegitimate sanctions have led to a wave of global inflation, to the destruction of the usual logistics and production chains, to a sharp increase in poverty and food shortages. But, as it happens, along with the challenges, prospects also open up. That is why the motto of the Forum – “New World – New Opportunities” – is so relevant.
I am convinced that for Russia the 2020s will be a period of strengthening economic sovereignty, which provides for the accelerated development of its own infrastructure and technological base, a qualitative increase in the level of training of specialists, as well as the formation of an independent and effective financial system. At the same time, the Russian economy will increasingly rely on private initiative and, of course, will maintain a course towards openness and broad international cooperation.
It is in our common interest to stimulate trade and investment, encourage joint development of technologies, strengthen financial and stock markets, and increase the share of settlements in national currencies. It is important to introduce and develop truly mutually beneficial integration models – as is already being done in the Eurasian Economic Union.
I am confident that the Forum will continue to make a significant contribution to the solution of many priority tasks facing humanity, and its distinctive features will invariably remain mutual trust, content, attitude to fruitful dialogue and partnership.
I wish you success and all the best. [My Emphasis]

I imagine most of the participants are from the Global South. The transcript came from an unusual source: the MFA’s VK page, which has quite a lot of info not included on its Russian language page.

Posted by: karlof1 | Jun 6 2022 17:36 utc | 113

more youtube science, this time from noted climatologist Gonzalo Lira.

Posted by: pretzelattack | Jun 6 2022 18:38 utc | 115

Today only one notable event was reported from the war. Ukraine shot down “enemy airplane”, the moment was captured on camera and very quickly got circulated in Ukrainian media, with much cheer.
Not long afterwards, picture of the wreck on the ground were circulated as well.
Somewhat later, some people noted a number on the tail, and what is more telling to a non-expert like myself, national emblem of Ukraine. Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori from friendly fire. (Wiki: a line from the Odes (III.2.13) by the Roman lyric poet Horace. The line translates: “It is sweet and fitting to die for the homeland.”). Perhaps Russia will take responsibility.

Posted by: Piotr Berman | Jun 6 2022 22:46 utc | 117

A powerful impulse examined by Caitlin Johnstone; control.
https://caitlinjohnstone.com/2022/06/07/youre-only-as-free-as-you-allow-your-world-to-be/
The Anglo/Zionist governments attempt to control other nations at the same time as they attempt to control their own citizens, who they distrust, with bureaucratic micromanagement. We are governed by control freaks.

Posted by: Paul | Jun 7 2022 3:35 utc | 119

This is segregation on steroids:
https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2022-06-06/ty-article/60-percent-of-israeli-jews-favor-segregation-from-arabs-survey-finds/00000181-351b-dee8-aba7-3d9fdfdf0000
It leads to this double standard :
https://www.middleeasteye.net/opinion/israel-palestine-arabs-chanting-death-jews-western-media-eggshells
This is how it’s played out in Australia, [good link to Bob Carr’s article ] :
https://johnmenadue.com/there-is-nothing-complicated-in-the-truths-about-israel-regarding-palestine/
This is the result, [not coming to a TV screen near you]:
https://johnmenadue.com/the-most-moral-army-in-the-world-in-pictures/

Posted by: Paul | Jun 7 2022 4:14 utc | 121

@malenkov (100)

I lost quite a bit of respect for German youth when, in the mid-1980s, I watched them protest en masse the installation of Pershings and cruise missiles, and the USA in general . . . Marlboros clenched firmly between their lips.

To play devil’s advocate, what relationship does (did?) a company like Marlboro have with the USAian govt.? Marlboro is a US-based company, sure, but still…

Posted by: joey_n | Jun 7 2022 8:55 utc | 123

“After Bulgaria and other countries prevented the Russian foreign minister’s planned visit to Serbia by banning his plane from flying over it, he answered questions from the international press and made himself very clear.”
anti-spiegel again on Lavrov and the Idiot Union.

Posted by: uncle tungsten | Jun 7 2022 9:24 utc | 125

Nothing surprises me anymore:
https://xymphora.blogspot.com/2022/06/kilarys-still-got-it.html

Posted by: Paul | Jun 7 2022 9:59 utc | 127

@Joe #2
Let’s look at Wolff’s assertion: That Nixonian era price controls can be used to control inflation in the US today.
US goods trade deficit in 1972: $6.416 billion vs GDP 1.278 trillion. ratio is 0.50%
US goods trade deficit in 2021: $1.09 billion vs. GDP $23 trillion. ratio is 4.74% – roughly 9.5 times larger relative to 1972
Census trade balance data source
To me – it seems like the capability of the US government to impose price controls today, is far lower than it was in 1972 because so much more of the goods used by Americans is actually not made in America.
The US government can impose on US companies making goods in the US; its capability to impose price controls on US or foreign companies making goods in other countries is far less clear.
Wolff is more demagogue than economist.

Posted by: c1ue | Jun 7 2022 14:58 utc | 129

LOL
Large Scale Wind Farms Cause Warming – sciencedaily.com

Researchers report the most accurate modelling yet of how increasing wind power would affect climate, finding that large-scale wind power generation would warm the Continental United States 0.24 degrees Celsius because wind turbines redistribute heat in the atmosphere.

I would go further: I am fairly sure that wind exists because of temperature + humidity differentials between adjacent areas causes deltas in air pressure as well as causes the formation of various types of atmospheric currents. In particular: warm moist air rises while cool air falls.
Interruption or modification of these currents will not only change the extent of the atmospheric currents, it will also cause rainfall changes because these currents operate through the redistribution of water from say, seas and lakes into the air (as warm moist air), transported by air currents (i.e. wind) onto land.
Understand the above further: if we look at a desert – the deserts exist not because there is no water per se or because they are hot.
They exist because there is no air current mechanism to move the heat out of ground – said heat having been deposited there from the sun (solar radiation).
The Sahara and Hawaii are both between 500 and 1500 miles of the equator. They receive about the same amount of solar radiation, but in Hawaii – the heat from the sun hitting the ground gets transferred, via evaporated moisture, into warm moist air which then rises. At the top of the atmospheric cell (there are multiple types based on size), the moist air loses its heat to radiation into space and the moisture falls as rain.
No moisture, no mechanism to transport heat high enough to radiate into space. Rainfall returns water to the ground where it can then evaporate again and start everything over.
Changing wind patterns could easily have secondary effects beyond generating electricity.
But it is funny that converting the whole US electricity generation to wind power is modeled to increase US temperatures all by itself – and to a very significant (fraction of a) degree.

Posted by: c1ue | Jun 7 2022 15:24 utc | 131

“Extracting energy from the wind causes climatic impacts that are small compared to current projections of 21st century warming, but large compared to the effect of reducing US electricity emissions to zero with solar. Researchers report the most accurate modelling yet of how increasing wind power would affect climate, finding that large-scale wind power generation would warm the Continental United States 0.24 degrees Celsius because wind turbines redistribute heat in the atmosphere.”
that’s the summmary of the article you are selectively quoting. are you now admitting we have to do something about fossil fuel emissions? LOL.

Posted by: pretzelattack | Jun 7 2022 18:44 utc | 133

New Yorker has an overview of the case against Joshua Schulte: accused of being the perpetrator of the Vault 7 leaks The Surreal Case Of A CIA Hacker’s Revenge – newyorker.com
What is interesting is that the government’s case against Schulte is entirely circumstantial.
While there are details which paint a Means, Motive and Opportunity picture – there is no actual evidence that Schulte ever possessed the leaked data outside of the fact that he worked on some of them.
This is particularly interesting because apparently the investigators were able to crack a triply encrypted virtual machine storage contained a “vast trove of child porn” – for which Schulte will also be prosecuted.
To me, this is a discordant note. First, the government asserts that Schulte searched for methods to cleanly erase data.
To me, that means Schulte doesn’t have expertise in anti-forensics. In turn it makes it far less likely that previous existence of stolen data was successfully concealed. That Schulte held passwords on his cell phone to part of his triply encrypted data structure is another major piece of evidence that Schulte is not good at antiforensics.
The existence of “nothing but child porn” in the store is also very discordant.
It is very common for coders/hackers to believe that the code they wrote/hacked is their property because “I made it”. I actually find it more suspicious that there is zero evidence of any CIA related work on his personal devices, particularly in conjunction with his apparent lack of anti-forensic skills.
The apparent lack of presence of any Vault 7 data in his personal devices is also very hard to reconcile with the presence of child porn: the government is asserting that Schulte was so skilled in opsec to cover all possible traces of Vault 7 data and improper CIA IT access on his personal devices but wasn’t opsec smart enough to make his child porn inaccessible, or to store passwords more securely than on his phone?
Definitely will be interesting to see how this case turns out.

Posted by: c1ue | Jun 7 2022 21:44 utc | 135

OPEC+ quota increases purely cosmetic
Why Saudi Arabia Isn’t Giving Up On Its Russian Oil – oilprice.com via nakedcapitalism

the OPEC+ alliance, comprising all the OPEC member states plus most notably Russia, announced a theoretical increase in crude oil production – of 648,000 barrels per day (bpd) in July and August, instead of by 432,000 bpd as previously agreed.
…
the Kingdom raised its official selling price for its flagship Arab Light crude to Asia to a US$6.50 per barrel (pb) premium for July to the average of the Oman and Dubai benchmarks, up from a premium of US$4.40 pb in June.

So in other words: OPEC+ announced a higher quota (which the previous increased quota wasn’t being met to start with) but Saudi Arabia then raised its oil selling price by $2.10 per barrel.
There’s more

For the U.S. economy, historical precedent highlights that every US$10 pb change in the crude oil price results in a 25-30 cent change in the price of a gallon of gasoline, and for every one cent that the U.S.’s average price of gasoline increases, more than US$1 billion per year in discretionary additional consumer spending is lost. Politically, as shown in my new book on the global oil markets, since World War I, the sitting U.S. president has won re-election only once out of seven times if the U.S. economy was in recession within two years of an upcoming election. President Biden – or whoever the Democratic candidate may be – will face another presidential election in 2024, but even before that, he faces critical mid-term elections in November 2022, when his Democrats could lose their narrow majority in the House of Representatives.

As I have noted before: the US consumes about 100 billion gallons of gasoline a year and 40 billion gallons of diesel. If we take Simon Watkins’ metrics above: $150 oil means $5.75 to $5.90/gallon US national average gasoline price. The previous 2008 record average gasoline price which was broken earlier this year: even adjusted for inflation, is $5.37/gallon.
I don’t see even the “inflation adjusted” excuse holding up.

Posted by: c1ue | Jun 8 2022 13:56 utc | 137

Political data point:
Chesa Boudin recalled: 60% voted for ouster (including me)
Chesa Boudin recall results

The most recent batch of results from San Francisco shows “yes” on the recall leading “no” 60% to 40%. The current results include all mail ballots received before Election Day as well as some in-person Election Day votes.

Posted by: c1ue | Jun 8 2022 14:15 utc | 139

Andrei Martyanov’s blog led me to watch a couple of excellent videos at The Duran (I believe others have commented on those already.) I noticed how Boris Johnson is expected to resign shortly; Macron is considered safe because he just got re-elected (Alastair Crooke’s dig at Bruno Le Maire in the ‘disquiet summer’ article above should be noted though, I think); there is talk of rumblings in Italy; and of course, Scholz is expected to lose his position along with most of the SPD when the German government falls.
Did Merkel get treated like this, even in very very similar circumstances? I don’t think so but I don’t live there and don’t know what local media sources reveal. Then there is President Steinmeier, just recently elected for a second term, and famously un-invited to show support for Ukraine in Kiev. It’s all a bit odd, isn’t it? … Or maybe German politics are just like that?
Anyway – I asked Google what Steinmeier is doing these days. Turns out that he is in Rottweil for three days in a visit not without significant meaning, according to local media in English translation. From the Schwarzwalder Bote – a quick report that includes mention of the lineage of royalty from 887 to 1914.
https://www.schwarzwaelder-bote.de/inhalt.steinmeier-in-rottweil-besuch-vom-staatsoberhaupt-das-liegt-lange-zurueck.b16f0669-8f56-44b4-ac06-c91bc7543df0.html
Perhaps they are saying something there… another report from SWR, this one with videos and a nice quote/soundbite from Steinmeier:
“Rottweil ist eine Stadt zwischen Geschichte und Moderne. Uns hat interessiert, wie man insbesondere hier mit neuen Herausforderungen umgeht.”
https://www.swr.de/swraktuell/baden-wuerttemberg/suedbaden/bundespraesident-steinmeier-zu-besuch-in-rottweil-100.html
I would be remiss if I didn’t include the first link under the Google News tab of my Steinmeier search, which is to Ukrinform’s report on how Steinmeier and Stefanchuk discussed Ukraine’s EU aspirations, just prior to his trip to Rottweil.
https://www.ukrinform.net/rubric-polytics/3499336-stefanchuk-steinmeier-discuss-ukraines-european-aspirations.html

Posted by: Bruised Northerner | Jun 8 2022 14:27 utc | 141

@ Bruised Northerner | Jun 8 2022 16:34 utc | 142
. . . so he’s not entirely useless? ( . . . “er kann immer noch als schlechtes Beispiel dienen”)?
But this does raise the question: How can a Leberwurst make a pretzel?

Posted by: malenkov | Jun 8 2022 17:38 utc | 143

We don’t get to do links to ZH but they have a posting there with the title
”
As Yen Crash Accelerates, It Puts Catastrophic End Of MMT Experiment In The Spotlight
”
As I was reading the posting it came to me that Japan could be the financial bomb that brings the world to a halt/pause.
Between Fukushima and the 2nd largest holding of US Treasuries, what could go wrong?/snark

Posted by: psychohistorian | Jun 9 2022 5:41 utc | 145

I stumbled across this about 3 min video from CBC’s The National. It’s a report on Boris Johnson surviving the vote of non-confidence. My favourite part of the coverage starts at 1:15 and at 1:43 there is a quintessential Boris Johnson moment (which had me laughing almost as much as Steinmeier in his T-shirt at dawn rolling pretzels – but not quite.)
https://youtu.be/IXd218LYjRc

Posted by: Bruised Northerner | Jun 9 2022 22:05 utc | 147

Sometimes a bird strike is just a bird strike – but other times, if you read and watch enough of the coverage, a “bird strike” becomes a drone strike (or some such fancy weapon I know nothing about.)
Canadian Air Force jet grounded after ‘possible bird strike’ at U.S. air show
https://vancouverisland.ctvnews.ca/canadian-air-force-jet-grounded-after-possible-bird-strike-at-u-s-airshow-1.5940445
What is it this time?? Trudeau and Defence Minister Anita Anand were just at NORAD headquarters, promising modernization. (Warning: very maple-syrupy video clip.)
https://twitter.com/NORADCommand/status/1534532802632458240

Posted by: Bruised Northerner | Jun 10 2022 1:25 utc | 149

@no green bananas #148
Sorry, but any supposedly objective publication that screams “human extinction by 2025” is batshit crazy and zero credibility.

Posted by: c1ue | Jun 10 2022 14:28 utc | 151