Moon of Alabama Brecht quote
March 26, 2023

The MoA Week In Review - (Not Ukraine) OT 2023-71

Last week's post on Moon of Alabama:

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Other issues:

Well, who previously praised those guys?

'Disinformation':

Shipping:

Aukus:

Use as open (not Ukraine related) thread ...

Posted by b on March 26, 2023 at 13:19 UTC | Permalink

Comments
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hey thanks b! great coverage, insights and offerings from you.. much appreciated.. the folks at moa are not too shabby either, lol..

Posted by: james | Mar 26 2023 14:16 utc | 1

the usa had not come out of the great financial crisis' credit binge (zero interest rate policy) in 2020 when it started another credit binge bc of a virus and a presidential election to steal.

world got used to no return required to borrow money and the printing presses sustained government spending on war and climate hysteria that erode the real productive economy.

and when zero rate policy is under mined the weak collapse!

and a new spennding on credit binge bc politicians will not fix the mistakes of 2008 (or 2000(!

Posted by: paddy | Mar 26 2023 14:20 utc | 2

Aaron Mate on OPCW cover-up

I had no idea until very recently, but there's still a rumble around the 2018 OPCW accusation of Syria. The field inspectors whose findings were completely turned on their head by the political leadership of the OPCW refuse to be silenced.

Excellent talk by Aaron Mate, highly recommended!

Posted by: Scotch Bingeington | Mar 26 2023 14:37 utc | 3

I had to laugh at the ICC issuing an arrest warrant for Putin, knowing that Blair and Bush two of the worst war criminals on the planet, who are still seen as prophets in the Western world, are still swanning around the globe giving speeches. I think a Malaysian court did find them guilty of war crimes, but nothing more happened (MH17?)

I think it’s only African dictators that have stood in the dock, that alone tells us that the ICC isn’t fit for purpose, not just that, the USA reserves the right to invade the ICC if any American or favoured ally personnel find themselves in the dock, only a few years back the ICC attempted to bring US military personnel to justice for war crimes, the US warned the ICC not to do it, it then sanctioned ICC staff, unsurprisingly the ICC backed down.

Recently there has been a big outcry in the West about TikTok, and how it gathers info for the Chinese authorities, which it surely must, something the West has been doing for its governments/security agencies, via Meta, Facebook Twitter etc for years – revealed to us by Edward Snowden and (Prism). Of late the Israelis have been selling a more sophisticated data collection/global positioning software spying device that can be installed far easier on everyone’s phone. I think its called Pegasus, and is produced by the Israeli company NSO.

Posted by: Republicofscotland | Mar 26 2023 14:47 utc | 4

Much of what ails the world today is down to US foreign policy, and the doing down of China is no different, the US wishes to maintain its hegemony around the globe and Washington sees China as a threat to its dominance, so its answer is to “persuade” its allies (a loose term for those who don’t want to fall foul to US sanctions or aggression) to see China in the same light.

Australia has always had problems with UK interference. Gough Whitlam is testament to that. However, as ex- Aussie PM Paul Keating has said, China isn’t a threat to Australia, in fact it’s the opposite – a good trading partner. However the UK and the US – the latter protecting its hegemony – is using Australia as the tip of the spear in an economic and possibly at a later date physical war against China, Keating’s sees through this and the utterly mad A$368 billion AUKUS sub deal.

The conflict in Ukraine has sped the division economically between East and West, and the East has created its own bodies in the SCO and BRICS etc, which again challenges US and Western dominance.

As for the Uyghurs in China, of which I’ve read that their living conditions have thrived since the 1950s – more schools, doctors and dentists etc., wjth good rates of employmen – again I’d say that the West has highlighted any indiscretions by the Chinese authorities because the BRI has/will run through the Uyghur region of Xinjaing.

Posted by: Republicofscotland | Mar 26 2023 14:50 utc | 5

Given the posturing and hype about green energy.
And all that has happened.
Worth a read.

https://dailysceptic.org/2023/03/25/eminent-oxford-scientist-says-wind-power-will-cost-trillions-trash-the-environment-and-be-entirely-unnecessary/

Posted by: jpc | Mar 26 2023 14:55 utc | 6

Meanwhile there's a good possibility that the USA will blow up Taiwan's semi-conductor industry if China invades it. Taiwan produces 65% of the world's semi-conductors which are needed in just about every modern gadget, rather than let this industry survive in Taiwan under mainland Chinese dominance the US will do a NordStream or General Suleimani on them.

The USA would burn the world to the ground to protects its interests, its already do it with Ukraine and Europe.


https://thegrayzone.com/2023/03/13/us-natsec-advisor-taiwan-semiconductor-china/

Posted by: Republicofscotland | Mar 26 2023 14:56 utc | 7

ZH has a posting up from Catlin at Medium.com with the title

Johnstone: US Officials Really, Really Want You To Know The US Is The World's "Leader"

The quote

In response to questions he received during a press conference on Monday about Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin cementing a “new era” in strategic partnership between China and Russia, the White House National Security Council’s John Kirby made no fewer than seven assertions that the US is the “leader” of the world.

Here are excerpts from his comments:

“The two countries have grown closer. But they are both countries that chafe and bristle at U.S. leadership around the world.”

“And in China’s case in particular, they certainly would like to challenge U.S. leadership around the world.”

“But these are not two countries that have, you know, decades-long experience working together and full trust and confidence. It’s a burgeoning of late based on America’s increasing leadership around the world and trying to check that.”

“Peter, these are two countries that have long chafed, as I said to Jeff — long chafed at U.S. leadership around the world and the network of alliances and partnerships that we have.”

“And we work on those relationships one at a time, because every country on the continent is different, has different needs and different expectations of American leadership.”

“That’s the power of American convening leadership. And you don’t see that power out of either Russia or China.”

“But one of the reasons why you’re seeing that tightening relationship is because they recognize that they don’t have that strong foundation of international support for what they’re trying to do, which is basically challenge American leadership around the world.”


Posted by: psychohistorian | Mar 26 2023 15:01 utc | 8

In Canada the perceived problem isn't "Russian interference" in the electoral process, it's "Chinese interference". But again, it's not hard to figure out which other country (besides the US, of course) is successfully trying to skew things in its favor:

Let’s compare China’s ‘agents’ in Canada to Israel’s

https://yvesengler.com/2023/03/11/lets-compare-chinas-agents-in-canada-to-israels/

Posted by: farm ecologist | Mar 26 2023 15:03 utc | 9

Israeli Minister of Finance Bezalel Smotrich raised eyebrows when he claimed that there are no Palestinian people., apparently Goldie Meir also made this outrageous claim. Smotrich made the claim whilst visiting Paris.

One does wonder what kind of outcry by the West there would have been, if this outrageous claim was made and instead of Palestinian people, it was Israeli or Jewish people, the media would've made much of it, and ran with night and day using the anti-Semitic trope.

Why hasn't the ICC issued arrest warrants for consecutive Israeli PM's for war crimes against the Palestinian people. The hypocrisy of the ICC is utterly astonishing


https://www.mintpressnews.com/glaring-hypocrisy-bezel-smotrich-genocidal-comments/284105/

Posted by: Republicofscotland | Mar 26 2023 15:05 utc | 10

Corrected link.

"Borrowings, Small Domestically Chartered Commerical Banks" ==> https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FsDf9AYXgAMutHb?format=jpg

Posted by: too scents | Mar 26 2023 15:05 utc | 11

High-altitude Electromagnetic Pulse (HEMP): A Mortal Threat to the U.S. National Electric Grid and U.S. Nuclear Power Plants (this link for 13-page Executive Summary, best for cell phones, use this link for full 117-page report)

A nuclear weapon detonated in the upper atmosphere will produce a High-altitude Electromagnetic Pulse (HEMP). While no blast, fires, or ionizing radiation will be felt on Earth, a single HEMP will instantly create intense electromagnetic fields that will blanket tens or hundreds of thousands of square miles of the Earth’s surface. These fields can induce highly destructive transient electric voltages and currents into any electrically conductive material located in the affected regions. A primary concern is that HEMP will induce high voltages and currents into overhead power transmission lines, telecom lines, and cables, which will almost instantly damage or destroy a significant portion of any unshielded electronic equipment connected to these lines.

The destructive effects from a single HEMP on Large Power Transformers and high-speed circuit breakers could easily bring down most or all of the U.S. national electric grid, which would remain down for many months, or even a year or longer. HEMP will also knock out much of the U.S. critical national infrastructure through the destruction of the integrated circuits (microchips, logic circuits, and solid-state components) that are found within almost all modern electronic devices; this includes the emergency power systems and Emergency Core Cooling Systems (ECCS) at U.S. nuclear power plants. A single HEMP could cause the meltdown of dozens of commercial nuclear reactors, which were not designed to withstand HEMP.

Posted by: Steven Starr | Mar 26 2023 15:07 utc | 12

Like in King's College London where spies are taught, in the USA its the Walsh School of Foreign Service (SFS) at Georgetown University that trains the the next generation of analysts, assassins, coup-plotters and economic hitmen, fast-tracking graduates into the upper echelons of the national security state. (The School of America's springs to mind).

This makes for interesting reading on the above.


https://www.mintpressnews.com/georgetown-langley-controversial-connection-cia/284004/

Posted by: Republicofscotland | Mar 26 2023 15:13 utc | 13

I think it’s only African dictators that have stood in the dock,

I assume Scotland censors news from the outer world ..........but

https://jhumanitarianaction.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s41018-016-0004-x

https://www.icc-cpi.int/sites/default/files/RelatedRecords/CR2008_01501.PDF

https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt817kk

Posted by: Paul Greenwood | Mar 26 2023 15:17 utc | 14

Meanwhile BRIC's (PPP) Purchasing Power Parity surpasses that of the Wests, and the gap continues to widen, moreover, while G7 membership remains static, BRICS is growing, with Argentina and Iran having submitted applications, and other major regional economic powers, such as Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Egypt, expressing an interest in joining. Making this potential expansion even more explosive is the recent Chinese diplomatic achievement in normalizing relations between Iran and Saudia Arabia.

Diminishing prospects for the continued global domination by the U.S. dollar, combined with the economic potential of the trans-Eurasian economic union being promoted by Russia and China, put the G7 and BRICS on opposing trajectories. BRICS should overtake the G7 in terms of actual GDP, and not just PPP, in the coming years.


Like I said further upstream the USA will burn the world to the ground (the West is already seeing a huge drop in living standards to shore up US hegemony) to protect its interests.


https://consortiumnews.com/2023/03/22/scott-ritter-g7-vs-brics-off-to-the-races/

Posted by: Republicofscotland | Mar 26 2023 15:20 utc | 15

Paul Greenwood (17).


Thanks for that I'd forgotten about the lantern jawed war criminal, I'd also forgotten about the war criminals at Nato and their part in the Bosnian war and the bombing of Serbia with DU shells etc. Strangely the ICC ignored Nato's war crimes.

Posted by: Republicofscotland | Mar 26 2023 15:26 utc | 16

Apparently this "lovely" old fella passed away recently, I'm sure the ICC were just about to pounce on him, or maybe not.


"The ‘Butcher of Tantura’, who often bragged about murdering unarmed Palestinians after invading their small hamlet on the Mediterranean coast in the summer of 1948, is dead. He was 96.

Amitzur Cohen was groomed as part of the Zionist terrorist group Lehi and went on to carry out some of the most horrendous crimes against humanity, including the Tantura massacre.

After the illegitimate Zionist entity came into existence in May 1948 as part of the British project to colonize Palestine, hundreds of Palestinian villages and cities were ethnically cleansed and destroyed.

On the intervening night of May 22-23, the Palestinian coastal village of Tantura with a population of around 1,500 was among the last to be ambushed and occupied by the Israeli army’s Alexandroni Brigade, leaving behind a trail of death and destruction."


https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2023/03/25/700433/Amitzur-Cohen-Palestinians-murder-dead-

Posted by: Republicofscotland | Mar 26 2023 15:42 utc | 17

Posted by: Paul Greenwood | Mar 26 2023 15:17 utc | 17

Proving his point once again? Namely the fact that only the leaders of pariah states would be punished.

The "rule-based order," that is, like the "rule of law," is the order of the aggressor and the powerful.

Posted by: Colin | Mar 26 2023 15:47 utc | 18

@ farm ecologist | Mar 26 2023 15:03 utc | 11

the canuck press is pretty good at omitting anything that connects to reality... apparently the chinese are meddling in everything here in canada, but they are the only ones, lol.... as i have said many times - bribery is legalized in the west.. its called lobbying.. perfectly normal and okay! the doors are wide open for blackrock and friends who have full access to our baby trudeau... that is not conflict of interest! and when our glorius leader or some of his sidekicks - join up and are members of the wef - world economic forum - this is not a conflict interest... if the wef was chinese - that would be a different story! our glorius leaders can worship at the zionist shrine that harper created in ottawa, but that is not a conflict of interest.. that is honouring the holocaust! crystia freeland can wander the streets of ottawa publicly brandishing an oun flag! that is not a conflict of interest either apparently.... but anyone so much as caught taking a phone call from someone of russian or chinese ancestry - that is a huge conflict of interest and they are jeopardizing our democracy!!

trust me... cbc will make sure if covers all of this very thoroughly!! we have a free press in a free democracy and canada is a truly great country!! i think they better lock up yves in jail sooner then later.. he is destroying my barbie doll image of canada!

Posted by: james | Mar 26 2023 15:54 utc | 19

Thanks for several good reads, amongst your week-in-review links. Especially Yves Smith in Naked Capitalism. I usually enjoy getting Naked.

The story of looming Lake Tulare, in Califonia's lower central valley, looks quite likely to rise in urgency with the floodwaters. 2023 is California's year of "when it rains, it pours" -- with a heckload of pending snowmelt in the Sierras.

The Sacramento delta will also be in for it, but around Corcoran, there's no place for the waters to go, no outlet. Poor residents would prefer the pistachio groves be flooded, rather than their homes, but flooding kills pistachios. This winter has been the coldest in memory for some of us Californians. Once Spring catches up with the calendar, continuing "atmospheric rivers" (another big one due tomorrow) are setting up a seemingly inevitable great snowmelt flood in California.

https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2023-03-24/as-tulare-lake-reappears-floodwaters-raise-tensions-in-san-joaquin-valley

Posted by: Aleph_Null | Mar 26 2023 15:54 utc | 20

very interesting to read above referenced link
Why Ukraine may embrace China’s peace plan - Asia Times

a very odd article indeed....Russian losses are somewhat greater (50% more) than those of Ukraine
no idea whether this true or not; yet this war is mainly being fought by artillery
and all the evidence regarding rates of shell fire suggests rate of shellfire from Russian side is several times that from Ukrainians.
PS have been reading Spengler for many years....
apparently he's a genius yet he always seems to get things wrong (on eve of invasion last year he penned an article as to why Russia would not invade....odd, because by that point it was patently obvious to all concerned that what was to transpire was already in motion
now, most of us are not geniuses like Spengler, yet us imbeciles seem to have a better take on things than him....not sure how that is so....we're obviously missing something

- Scorched earth, war crimes, Avdeevka and the Chinese - Black Mountain Analysis
now that 2nd article seems to be a lot more to the mark

Posted by: chris m | Mar 26 2023 16:13 utc | 21

Aleph_Null @ 23

Yes, in my life I have never seen anything like this in California. Snow at the 1000 foot level for weeks. I remember us receiving some heavy snow at higher elevations in the '90's followed by a series of warm storms that took out a good portion of snow on the Sierras and almost breached the levies protecting Sacramento.

The system has finally admitted that they can only rely on accurate measurements of snowfall in the Sierras back to 1948. The railroads have some measurements going back to 1850 or so. Not exactly a great dataset for the global warming crowd. A similar situation exists for temperature data.

The impact has been wonderful on our reservoirs. I have lived through many droughts in California followed by years of heavy to normal rain years. It is fairly normal in my half century of remembrance.

Natural variability of climate and climate change has been going on for 4 billion years or so and I am not going to get my underwear stuck in my crack over "global warming".

Posted by: circumspect | Mar 26 2023 16:22 utc | 22


Natural variability of climate and climate change has been going on for 4 billion years or so and I am not going to get my underwear stuck in my crack over "global warming".

Posted by: circumspect | Mar 26 2023 16:22 utc | 25

Its always funny when you read "global warming is natural" and "global warming doesn't exist" in the same sentence.

Posted by: Vikichka | Mar 26 2023 16:30 utc | 23

where all the MoA posters this morning? checking if your car in the US has flood/tornado insurance?

a chunk of chunky Americans are about to get a very harsh and bitter dose of reality, living in a society where "god is not a commmie."

what to do w/all those piles of trash...hmmm...ignore it? blame China? ramp up the crime scare stories? terrorize immigrants? start a special military operation of our very own, against Mexico?

i love love love all the stories about "people sticking together." keep pumping those stories of "neighbors helping neighbors" and "another adorable puppy rescued".

Posted by: rjb1.5 | Mar 26 2023 16:30 utc | 24

I remember reading about the pre-cursor to High altitude EMP via Gerard Piel in 1971. Local millionaire rec vehicle guy put a dump 300 meters from me and T's house, T. took one set of glossy magazines to his house, I took the Scientific American magazine (Gerard Piel editor) home and subscribed via paper route money. Book "Science in the Cause of Man" had chapter about 3 megaton H-bomb detonated 100 to 150 km up would raise ground temp to 300C over area of Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma approx. If any here have more recent data on something like that, appreciate.

Right now the thought worm about Depleted Uranium in my mind is the diagrams from days of old where comparisons of "Radiations" was diagrammed. Gamma, Beta and Alpha with the tissue paper stopping it. Research follows money and that filthy lucre is dispensed by the twisted morals of government at least in the usOfa. This flawed view of using more wave mechanics and exterior dose in my mind should be using particle physics, treating the alpha as the 4 baryons that it is. For depleted Uranium particles in vivo, the alpha particle has all sorts of possible damaging effects via larger cross section than gamma and the plus two charge of He++ barreling through more like a cannon ball than a photon. It's a whole different mechanistic ball game.

One of 1000 examples - there has been much, much more research into whether or not quantum mechanical tunneling occurs in Cytochrome AA3 back in the 80's and then this Intel (company) guy I hear speak in 2016 about research into tunneling in chlorophyll and it is the same, definitely at 4 Kelvin, but not probable at higher temps. The money, the actions and mechanics of alpha particles in vitro on DNA has not not been appreciable. If anyone has good articles on this, I would appreciate.

The labelling of DU with "Radioactivity" flavours or bends our thought processes. A more constructive way to approach this might be via looking at Agent Orange
(Dioxanes and Di-benzofuranes) and PFAS. After all, a half life of 4.4 billion years should earn that moniker. Life is stereo-chemistry, the hooking up of proteins, enzymes, nucleic acids into ephemeral connections (say neural signalling chemicals) and longer lasting connections (RNA, DNA) The enormous damage from Agent Orange's witches brew of components and PFAS has to do with the stereochemistry and the electron cloud of that allow them to fit into a crevice here, a crevice there. We have researched to death Carbon monoxide and cyanide on hemoglobin, serotonin in the brain, etc. etc. but not near as much on PFAS, etc.

Ritter etc., these days are focusing on the chemical aspects of Ur poisoning, but I just cannot break away from thinking that there is a specific mechanistic pathway that the alpha particle can damage but not destroy DNA and RNA. For the 10 or 16 times increase in birth defects is probably more due to damage than destruction in gametes DNA.

Side issues, as the size of DU particles decreases, of course its surface area becomes a much larger component. And since not a sphere, but a jagged particle that is probably crennelated with spikes and valleys, this would decrease the number of alpha particles neutered by being encased by other Uranium Oxide atoms.

Where are the Duracovichs' and Rokkes? And where are the Biophysicists that we need for taking from theory to working models.

Posted by: paxmark1 | Mar 26 2023 16:44 utc | 25

Posted by: Republicofscotland | Mar 26 2023 15:42 utc | 20

and Menachem Begin, deserter from the British army and murderer of those in King David Hotel had a State Visit to London.........he and Yizhak Shamir should have been hanged.........then again which Israeli PM has clean hands from a state born of terrorism ?

Posted by: Paul Greenwood | Mar 26 2023 16:50 utc | 26

those killed numbers in the article Why Ukraine may embrace China’s peace plan - Asia Times - seem way off.. what is up with that??

i liked the greenwald article, but it sounds like it is written by someone other then greenwald... either way, they are great observations.

Posted by: james | Mar 26 2023 16:51 utc | 27

@Vikichka | Mar 26 2023 16:30 utc | 26

Its always funny when you read "global warming is natural" and "global warming doesn't exist" in the same sentence.
That is a self-referencing sentence.

Posted by: Norwegian | Mar 26 2023 16:53 utc | 28

Posted by: Vikichka | Mar 26 2023 16:30 utc | 26

I miss the glaciers myself when you could cross the terrain without having to enter the valleys.......the greening of the landscape really made it a Kodak Moment instead of Ilford FP4

Posted by: Paul Greenwood | Mar 26 2023 16:53 utc | 29

Posted by: Republicofscotland | Mar 26 2023 14:56 utc | 9

Meanwhile there's a good possibility that the USA will blow up Taiwan's semi-conductor industry if China invades it.

While this is plausible, I think the fact that Taiwan is largely recognized as a part of "China" would mean that any strike on Taiwan by the USA would in effect be a strike on the sovereign territory of the PRC ...

The Chinese could make that explicit at the appropriate time in the UNSC in preparation for any unification action.

Posted by: Arch Bungle | Mar 26 2023 16:54 utc | 30

Posted by: Republicofscotland | Mar 26 2023 15:42 utc | 20

Apparently this "lovely" old fella passed away recently, I'm sure the ICC were just about to pounce on him, or maybe not.

The Khazars own the ICC.
They don't try their own.

Posted by: Arch Bungle | Mar 26 2023 16:58 utc | 31

" As for the Uyghurs in China, of which I’ve read that their living conditions have thrived since the 1950s – more schools, doctors and dentists etc., wjth good rates of employmen – again I’d say that the West has highlighted any indiscretions by the Chinese authorities because the BRI has/will run through the Uyghur region of Xinjaing.

Posted by: Republicofscotland | Mar 26 2023 14:50 utc | 7 "


Thats not saying much as most of the world's living conditions have improved since the fifties. Many Remote villages have at least cell phones and a war zone like Afghanistan has electricity and internet service now.

Posted by: Deplorable Commissar | Mar 26 2023 16:59 utc | 32

@27 rjb1.5 - What is the point of your post? Yeah, people in the USA are screwed over by insurance companies. But I guess it's cool to be lame when talking about people from the USA, after all, we are all one in the same. Indeed, our overlords have been bombing the RoW after they de-industrialized our domestic society. But we took our neo-liberal medicine in stride and saluted the flag! Everyone in this country, of all stripes, creeds and persuasion, is, was and forever will be completely in support of what the people that run the show, both domestically and abroad, are doing and will continue to do.
Bravo! It's nice to see some solidarity.
But yeah, it's cool to bag on people from the USA. After all, we are all one in the same in your eyes. Funny, I've heard that arguement before. And to criticize the style - "chunk" and "chunky" - low hanging fruit. I sort of like the alliteration, but the fat-shaming and hints of economic discrimination about the so called flyover states. Tisk, tisk.

@20 republicofscotland - thank you for that link!

Oops, gotta go, my insurance agent picked up!

Posted by: lex talionis | Mar 26 2023 17:00 utc | 33

" One does wonder what kind of outcry by the West there would have been, if this outrageous claim was made and instead of Palestinian people, it was Israeli or Jewish people, the media would've made much of it, and ran with night and day using the anti-Semitic trope.

Why hasn't the ICC issued arrest warrants for consecutive Israeli PM's for war crimes against the Palestinian people. The hypocrisy of the ICC is utterly astonishing

Posted by: Republicofscotland | Mar 26 2023 15:05 utc | 13 "


I think you know the answer to your questions, but in case you dont here it is: The Khazars

Posted by: Deplorable Commissar | Mar 26 2023 17:02 utc | 34

Here's what I am listening to before I go to church.

Reagan Youth - Jesus was a Communist

Posted by: lex talionis | Mar 26 2023 17:02 utc | 35

Posted by: james | Mar 26 2023 15:54 utc | 22

Here for your pleasure, a small sample of Russian culture, the culture that some in west are trying to "cancel", awful word they found for their fears.

https://t.me/zakharprilepin/18026

Posted by: Paco | Mar 26 2023 17:04 utc | 36

Paul Greenwood (29)

Agreed.

Posted by: Republicofscotland | Mar 26 2023 17:20 utc | 37

Commissar (37).

Yes I think I do know, but it does no harm to keep putting it out there, to others who don't know, to get them thinking.

Posted by: Republicofscotland | Mar 26 2023 17:22 utc | 38

lex talionis (36).

You're welcome.

Posted by: Republicofscotland | Mar 26 2023 17:22 utc | 39

Posted by: Paul Greenwood | Mar 26 2023 16:53 utc | 32

I imagine you had in mind Kodachrome, Ilford is good for b&w.

Posted by: Paco | Mar 26 2023 17:22 utc | 40

re: paxmark1 | Mar 26 2023 16:44 utc | 28

you asked for more information about EMP. The link I put in my first post is to the Executive Summary for a much longer 117-page report that has a very long bibliograpy and more than 300 footnotes, where you can find a lot of detailed information on the subject, go to this link to read and/or download the full report.

You can also go to this link and scroll to the bottom of the page to find a series of reports by the Metatech Corporation, which I consider to be the most authoritative unclassified studies available (I make many references to them in my report).

As atmospheric nuclear testing was essentially halted with Limited Test Ban Treaty in 1963, there isn't any recent data derived from atmospheric tests. Russia did conduct a series of tests in 1962; one of the Metatech papers, The Early-Time (E1) High-Altitude Electromagnetic Pulse (HEMP) and Its Impact on the U.S. Power Grid discusses some of the findings from these tests starting on page 3-4.

Posted by: Steven Starr | Mar 26 2023 17:24 utc | 41

@35 DC
But the US left. Afghanistan is at war no longer. That's why it was such a big deal.
Grinding slavs is the new droning wedding parties.

Posted by: Jacq | Mar 26 2023 17:31 utc | 42

Deplorable Commissar (35).


I suppose your point is true, however if things were as bad as the West makes out via the nutcase Adrian Zenz who sees it as his God given mission to bring down China via the Uyghur people, then the like sof the Grayzone and the MInt Press would back his case, but they don't. Zenz is funded by the West to spread bad propaganda about the Chinese and how they treat the Uyghurs.

I think China's BRI will run through Xinjiang and into a narrow valley in Afghanistan, a process that has sped up due to the USA fleeing from the country.

Have a wee read of this info its pretty informative.


https://thegrayzone.com/tag/adrian-zenz/

Posted by: Republicofscotland | Mar 26 2023 17:34 utc | 43

RE: Stormy Daniels - and Michael Cohen's letter implicating that Trump did not reimburse the disbursement of payment. Interesting from a attorney-client perspective and Trump's Attorneys submissions will be:-

1. attorney-client privilege
2. Trump did not reimburse the payment is of legal import; meaning:
(a) Cohen was not authorized by client to pay on his behalf.
(b) The payment to Stormy was not made by Trump
(c) Cohen will need to put up or shut up; meaning he will be called upon to demonstrate (written instructions or taped conversation of client) he had the authority to pay Stormy.

BTW, there is that rule of legal conduct: Attorneys are only created by client's instructions. Get it in writing or CYA by providing client a written summary of the instructions received.

An observation: Retaining attorneys made of Cohen's cloth, you may as well turn yourself in at the police station.

Posted by: Likklemore | Mar 26 2023 17:41 utc | 44

Arch Bungle (30).

Fair points but you have to remember the US is fighting to keep its place at the top of the tree, if US hegemony reduces and the USD is knocked off the top spot as the global currency, the US precarious economy will faulter even further, for years belligerent US foreign policy has held back the tide, but the US has by its actions against Russia via Ukraine created a fracture in the global economic structure.

Posted by: Republicofscotland | Mar 26 2023 17:42 utc | 45

Thank you b, as usual there is a lot to absorb, from a week of interesting posts, and from comments as well. A friend sent me this morning a rendition of a lovely Lenten hymn sung by a member of the parent church to mine in Paris, so very much as I know it - a favorite for me among all the beautiful ones preceding and including those for Orthodox Easter, (that coming a week later than the western one this year):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LCBA_E08OH0

Posted by: juliania | Mar 26 2023 17:43 utc | 46

Sorry, I meant to include the English translation of the first and last verses of the hymn I linked to above:

Let my prayer be set forth
In Thy sight
As the incense;
And the lifting of my hands
Be an evening sacrifice.

The text you see in the video is in Slavonic, subtitles in French.

Posted by: juliania | Mar 26 2023 17:46 utc | 47

This is what the English government excels at, there's no longer any legal route for migrants to enter the UK, and as the Tory government governs very poorly with high cost on everything and falling living standards. However why would immigrants want to come to the UK, when Brexit said to them (not in so many words) we don't want you.

"The British government is locked in negotiations with up to 60 Conservative lawmakers trying to ban the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) from interfering with Britain’s controversial immigration policy.

Home Secretary Suella Braverman said she was in talks with up to 60 Conservative MPs who want to stop Britain from following decisions made by the court in Strasbourg.

If ministers agree to block the use of a mechanism used by the ECHR, migrants who arrive in the UK illegally could be deported even if they challenge the government under human rights law."

Posted by: Republicofscotland | Mar 26 2023 17:51 utc | 48

European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde has warned that financial tensions in the wake of a banking crisis in the US may hit the eurozone. The ECB last week decided to raise its interest rates by a further 50 basis points.

The Credit Suisse bailout along with uncertainty in the US banking sector will see the ECB and other European banks wobble, I have to say that I wouldn't be upset if the whole lot came crashing down, too big to fail is just an excuse to steal taxpayers cash and give it to the private sector.

As for Lagarde she's a committed Bilderberger, and walked away without any punishment whatsoever when she was found guilty in the Tapie Affair. Lagarde is also a Atlantic Council member and she sits on the WEF Board of Trustees.

Posted by: Republicofscotland | Mar 26 2023 18:10 utc | 49

I apologize to b for posting such a long article, but it’s an important one. The article is not so much about tanks for the Ukraine, as it is about the possibility of Pakistan being drawn into an Azerbaijan–Iran war instigated by the West behind the scenes:

Pakistan may send tanks to the Ukraine (EurAsia Daily, Pyotr Makedontsev, March 24, 2023 — in Russian)

Pakistan, which is a serious force militarily, is a country in urgent need of economic assistance. At the same time, traditionally allied with both the United States and China, Pakistan has recently given preference to relations with the Euro-Atlantic community. A striking example of the Western bias in the politics of Islamabad is Pakistan’s participation, together with Poland, in the supply of weapons to the Ukraine (read “Pakistan and Poland will establish joint arms supplies to the Ukraine”).

However, the story of the supply of Pakistani weapons to the Ukraine, which began back in 2022 (read “Why is Pakistan arming the Ukraine?”), has developed further in 2023, as Pakistan is now supplying ammunition to the Ukraine (read “The Ukraine eliminates ammunition hunger with the help of Pakistan”). And on March 21, the Indian publication Firstpost reported on Pakistan’s plans to send 44 T-80UD tanks to the Ukraine in exchange for financial assistance from the West. These tanks are a modernized version of the Soviet T-80 tank. More than 320 T-80UD tanks were previously purchased by Pakistan from the Ukraine, and the Ukrainian side fully provided the tanks with everything, including ammunition and spare parts. In total, Pakistan has 2,467 tanks in service.

Considering that the Pakistani army, which is a state within a state, strictly adheres to allied relations with the U.S. and the UK, Pakistan’s actions are predictable. In addition, at the diplomatic level, Islamabad is also active on the Ukrainian track. For instance, on February 22, before the vote in the UN General Assembly, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy called Pakistani President Arif Alvi. Zelenskiy asked Pakistan to support the anti-Russian resolution. They also discussed economic and political ties between the two countries, including food and energy security.

The Pakistani side is also showing interest in the Ukraine. On February 10, new Pakistani Ambassador Nadir Khan discussed with representatives of the Pakistani business community the development of economic ties with the Ukraine (read “More than arms: How Pakistan helps the Ukraine”). On March 2, Nadir Khan, like his predecessor, a former military officer, in the rank of Major General, was received by President Alvi in Islamabad. Interestingly, the short report on this event states that Alvi focused on trade relations and spoke in favor of a peaceful solution to the Ukrainian conflict.

On the same day, the Ambassador met with the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar, whom he guaranteed the development of economic ties between Pakistan and the Ukraine. In addition, Nadir Khan noted the opportunities for business and investment in connection with the reconstruction of the Ukraine.

However, while officially Islamabad takes a pseudo-neutral position on the Ukrainian crisis, the Pakistani army is not at all neutral, and this circumstance can seriously harm the South Asian country in other areas. On March 10, the Pakistani Foreign Ministry welcomed the normalization of relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran mediated by China. The press release noted:

“Pakistan warmly welcomes the normalization of diplomatic relations between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Islamic Republic of Iran with the assistance of the People’s Republic of China. Pakistan firmly believes that this important diplomatic breakthrough will contribute to peace and stability in the region and beyond. We commend China’s forward-thinking leadership in coordinating this historic agreement, which reflects the strength of constructive engagement and meaningful dialogue. We pay tribute to the visionary leadership of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Islamic Republic of Iran for this very positive development. With a track record of consistently supporting and coordinating efforts to bridge the gap between the two brotherly countries, Pakistan will continue to play a constructive role in the Middle East and the region. We hope that this positive step will become a model for regional cooperation and harmony.”

This landmark event is especially important for Pakistan. Saudi Arabia is one of Pakistan’s most important allies. And Iran is a neighbor with which productive and profitable cooperation has been established in some areas, and in some areas there is competition turning into enmity. China, which has achieved Saudi–Iranian normalization, is altogether indispensable for Pakistan from an economic point of view. Regarding the Russian–Ukrainian conflict, China takes a neutral position on it, blaming it on the West, which ignored its own promises and the corresponding Russian demands about the non-expansion of the NATO bloc to the East.

Therefore, it’s a bad situation when China, at the diplomatic level, does everything to end the Russian–Ukrainian conflict, and the Pakistani army, for material reasons and encouraged by the U.S. and the UK, sends weapons to the Ukraine.

Things are even worse for official Islamabad in the Transcaucasian direction. Pakistan, which does not recognize the existence of Armenia at all, is in close alliance with Azerbaijan and Turkey, which want to break an extraterritorial Zangezur corridor through Syunik and turn Armenia into “Western Azerbaijan”. Pakistan will not stand aside from Ankara and Baku in these matters. For example, on March 2, Pakistani Economy Minister Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, who attended the summit of the Non-Aligned Movement Contact Group in Response to COVID-19 in Baku, stated:

“When Armenia attacked Azerbaijan, I personally raised the issue in the Parliament of Pakistan, where I read a resolution condemning the attack. Fortunately, I had the opportunity and honor to congratulate Azerbaijan on the victory in the Karabakh war, when the country was able to return its lands… Our hearts are beating in sync with Azerbaijan.”

In this case, the Pakistani minister was referring to the second Karabakh war of 2020, in which the government of Imran Khan (now in opposition) and all of Pakistan supported Azerbaijan. The change of government did not affect Islamabad’s position in any way. On March 23, on the occasion of Pakistan Day, Pakistani Ambassador to Azerbaijan Bilal Hayee told reporters:

“For many years, Azerbaijan and Pakistan have been standing shoulder to shoulder on international platforms. We supported each other on difficult issues, from Karabakh to the Kashmir problem. And I can say with confidence that we will continue to support each other.”

About the March 23 date itself, the ambassador said:

“Today is a very important day for our country, it is the day of unity of Pakistanis. On March 23, 1956, we gained sovereignty, and every year we celebrate this day with deep reverence.”

Indeed, March 23 was chosen as the national day for a reason. On March 23, 1940, at the 27th session of the Muslim League in Lahore, a resolution proposed by Abul Kasem Fazlul Huq was adopted. The resolution demanded the creation of two Muslim-majority states in northern British India. The northwestern state was to include Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan and the North-West Frontier Province (now Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), and the northeastern state was to include Bengal and Assam. This event led to the emergence of a mass movement for the creation of an independent Muslim state (present-day Pakistan).

Therefore, the speech of the Pakistani ambassador at this event is a kind of signal that the alliance between Islamabad and Baku is very strong, as well as the Ankara–Baku–Islamabad alliance in general (read “The Union of Pakistan, Turkey and Azerbaijan once again passed the test”). And herein lies the issue for Pakistan to be drawn into a military conflict.

The United States, once again extending the waiver of Section 907 [of the United States Freedom Support Act, banning any direct U.S. aid to the Azerbaijani government — S], has recently stepped up military cooperation with Azerbaijan, which is in conflict with Iran (read “The trend towards turning Azerbaijan into an outpost of the West against Iran is obvious—opinion”). One of the reasons for the confrontation between Baku and Tehran is the different vision of the future of Transcaucasia. Iran opposes violent changes in the borders in the region, including opposing the “Zangezur corridor” promoted by Baku and Ankara. Tehran is especially opposed to the plans of the Turkish–Azerbaijani tandem to create a Turkic-Sunni ring around Iran, one of the elements of which could be Armenia if it is turned into “Western Azerbaijan”.

Pakistan is a Sunni country bordering Iran. Baku does not hide plans to involve Pakistan on its side in the confrontation with Iran. The involvement of Pakistan in the Azerbaijani–Iranian conflict has now become especially likely for several reasons. First, thanks to China’s actions, Azerbaijan now has fewer potential allies. Previously, Baku expected that Saudi Arabia would help the Transcaucasian republic if the war against Iran flared up. After the normalization of Saudi–Iranian relations, this becomes unrealistic. Now Saudi Arabia will definitely not go to war against Iran. Moreover, it is possible that China will try to achieve normalization of relations between Iran and another Arab country, which Baku hoped would participate—the United Arab Emirates.

Secondly, Azerbaijan and Pakistan have an ally interested in organizing a full-scale war against Iran—the United Kingdom. And since Baku and Islamabad are allies themselves, the British won’t have to spend too much time persuading Azerbaijan and Pakistan to jointly oppose Iran. In addition, the United States, a traditional ally of Pakistan that has stepped up military cooperation with Azerbaijan, will also support the alliance between Baku and Islamabad against Tehran. Finally, another reason is the huge power of the army elite of the Pakistan Army, traditionally connected with the U.S. and the UK. If the Pakistan Army has been on the side of the West in the Russian–Ukrainian conflict since 2022, knowing about the dependence on Russian grain, then who said that the Pakistani military will not want to take part in the war against Iran on the side of the Turkish–Azerbaijani tandem?

One can entertain the illusion that Shehbaz Sharif’s government will be distracted by internal political infighting, and the Pakistani Army will be weakened by transferring several dozen tanks to the Ukraine and will not be able to strike at Iran. But it is better to take into account the Pakistani factor, keeping in mind the U.S. and the UK’s favorite style of fighting by proxy.

Posted by: S | Mar 26 2023 18:14 utc | 50

RE: Georgetown SFS feeder school to CIA

During my time at SFS in the late 1970s some of my Profs were:
Ellsworth Bunker (Vietnam War Ambassador)
Ted Shockley (CIA Station Chief Laos etc.- known for Phoenix Program)
Ed Luttwack (Mossad)
plenty more of this ilk

and yes, they quietly recruited

Posted by: exile | Mar 26 2023 18:28 utc | 51

https://paperswithcode.com/paper/sparks-of-artificial-general-intelligence

... We demonstrate that, beyond its mastery of language, GPT-4 can solve novel and difficult tasks that span mathematics, coding, vision, medicine, law, psychology and more, without needing any special prompting. Moreover, in all of these tasks, GPT-4's performance is strikingly close to human-level performance, and often vastly surpasses prior models such as ChatGPT. Given the breadth and depth of GPT-4's capabilities, we believe that it could reasonably be viewed as an early (yet still incomplete) version of an artificial general intelligence (AGI) system. ...

https://paperswithcode.com/paper/artificial-muses-generative-artificial

... We found no qualitative difference between AI and human-generated creativity, although there are differences in how ideas are generated. Interestingly, 9.4 percent of humans were more creative than the most creative GAI, GPT-4. Our findings suggest that GAIs are valuable assistants in the creative process. ...

Slowly at first, then all at once.

Posted by: anon2020 | Mar 26 2023 18:30 utc | 52

@ anon2020 | Mar 26 2023 18:30 utc | 52

---

The wonderful thing about predictive model AIs when compared against organic minds is that they can be easily trained programmed with specific biases.

https://twitter.com/rez0__/status/1639259413553750021

We don't know how insert such behavior plugins into peoples' minds, but Musk's Nueralink is working on it.

Posted by: too scents | Mar 26 2023 18:46 utc | 53

I imagine you had in mind Kodachrome

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rlDTK6QI-w

Posted by: Duncan Idaho | Mar 26 2023 18:47 utc | 54

lex talionis | Mar 26 2023 17:00 utc | 33
sorry, i'll try to be more "body positive" about the diabetic land whales of America.

thanks for the lecture though. i do understand what it means that people in the US don't eat food.

Posted by: rjb1.5 | Mar 26 2023 18:56 utc | 55

Harvesting the Blood of America’s Poor: Big Pharma's Blood Plasma Business

hmmm...organ harvesting in Ukraine? it doesn't seem so implausible now.

and the Red Cross? who'd have guessed?

children's ice cream, mandrake? yeah, and precious bodily fluids.

it's all about survival of the fittest, right, rich people?

and who comes up w/a name like "Octaplasma"? Ian Fleming?

Posted by: rjb1.5 | Mar 26 2023 19:05 utc | 56

Below is a qote from a ZH posting

Update (1415ET): In perhaps the least surprising geopolitical move of the day, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu fired his defense minister on Sunday, a day after Yoav Gallant called for a halt to the planned overhaul of Israel's judiciary that has divided the country.

Netanyahu's office did not provide further details.

As we detailed below, Gallant, a senior member of Netanyahu's Likud party, became the first to break ranks late Saturday by calling for the legislation to be frozen.

Posted by: psychohistorian | Mar 26 2023 19:05 utc | 57

Posted by: Paco | Mar 26 2023 17:04 utc | 36

I am sorry, Paco. I could not get your post to function, as my computer informed me that the link was too big. (First time I've seen such a message). Also my translator would not work, so apologies again.

I hope you will enjoy my offering above - minus the ugly ads of course; apologies for those also!

Posted by: juliania | Mar 26 2023 19:12 utc | 58

One can entertain the illusion that Shehbaz Sharif’s government will be distracted by internal political infighting, and the Pakistani Army will be weakened by transferring several dozen tanks to the Ukraine and will not be able to strike at Iran. But it is better to take into account the Pakistani factor, keeping in mind the U.S. and the UK’s favorite style of fighting by proxy.

Posted by: S | Mar 26 2023 18:14 utc | 50

Thanks for your post. Good heads up.

This recent article has some good Great Game maps such as this one:
Great Game Pic

which put countries like Pakistan in perspective. The business in Ukraine is big, but it's part of a larger, quite dynamic drama with quite a few ongoing hot spots mainly staying under the mainstream radar of course and thus out of most of our minds.

Article:

Neocon Great Gamers

Directly related: Meissan on Straussians

Posted by: Scorpion | Mar 26 2023 19:13 utc | 59

Posted by: too scents | Mar 26 2023 18:46 utc | 53

Just so. The worst people in the world won’t use any of this stuff against the rest of us so we’re essentially in the clear. /s

Posted by: anon2020 | Mar 26 2023 19:15 utc | 60

S@50
Thank you for that, informative, contribution on one of the key players in eurasia.
This piece from Countercurrents adds perspective and is recommended to everyone who reads your translation @50.

https://countercurrents.org/2023/03/is-washington-now-khans-buddy/?swcfpc=1

Posted by: bevin | Mar 26 2023 19:28 utc | 61

b, you missed this important breaking news I paste in full since short:

NEW YORK, NY — District Attorney Alvin Bragg is reportedly set to indict Trump this coming Tuesday for the removal of a mattress tag back in 1997. According to sources, new evidence was discovered in the mattress tag cold case by grizzled Detective Harry Jakes, who utilized modern advances in forensic science to place former president Donald Trump at the scene of the crime.

"We got him dead to rights," said Bragg in an unnecessary press conference. "No one removes a mattress tag in my city and gets away with it!"

The mattress tag in question belonged to a Spring Air Conforma Foam mattress from '97, which historians claim featured a warning label advising mattress tags to not be removed:

[image:] Do Not Remove by Penalty of Law Except by the Consumer

In a surprise move, Trump has not denied the troubling accusation, though he maintains doing so was not illegal. "The tag says 'except by consumer.' I am a huge consumer. Probably the greatest consumer ever, and I had every right to remove that tag. The deep state is trying to dig up anything they can just to keep me from reclaiming the presidential throne."

"Witch hunt!"

Independent fact checkers have rated Trump's claim "a bald-faced lie," citing the fact that the president does not sit on a throne. Also, he is Trump and that is bad. The fact-check article does not make mention of the mattress tag issue directly, but does note, "[Trump] broke both federal and international laws probably."

A United Nations committee has been assembled to investigate whether the matter qualifies as a war crime.

"This is an open and shut case. Now he'll never be president. I did it!" Bragg claimed before quickly correcting himself. "I mean, no one is above the law."

At publishing time, Trump's approval polling surged among mattress consumers who have long been befuddled by the mattress tag warning.

Trump to be Indicted

Posted by: Scorpion | Mar 26 2023 19:39 utc | 62

Posted by: Deplorable Commissar | Mar 26 2023 16:59 utc | 32
is the water supply of the planet improving?

then the planet is not improving. people's lives are not improving.

nothing is improving. the bullshit is just getting more sparkly and flies at faster than hypersonic speed.

will anyone, person or nation, rethink their policy of replacing regular ol' mobile smokestacks with electric vehicles, because of all the flooding going on?

of course not. don't be ridiculous. that people today can have a divine perspective on war and weather doesn't mean anything. pass the gmo popcorn. rebuild the fukushima reactors already.

the food is not improving. the air is not improving. and people are not getting smarter. we are just more easily distracted.

Posted by: rjb1.5 | Mar 26 2023 19:40 utc | 63

This will be the third time I have posted this link, and I do think it is an important subject, so here goes again. I posted this in the last non-Ukraine thread, and again on b's "Israel not Russia" thread, because it addresses the subject of western attempts to distract (which I felt the 'Israel' one was) at the very beginning of the video. It is to a Duran interview with Tom Luongo, a take on the banks that are going under and attempts to save them. I know that sounds boring but believe me, the interview is not! I am going to watch it again now and I will be back later to provide a few excerpts. I found it extremely enlightening and in line with our discussions here.

Here is that link again:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPxe_x8eqJU

If Mr. Luongo is correct, there is a great deal happening both with the US Fed and in general the standoff between Davos and 'the rest of the world'. I'm considerably out of my depth but I'll try to give some key elements in my next post. That will be a while as the video lasts an hour.

Posted by: juliania | Mar 26 2023 4:28 utc | 106

Posted by: juliania | Mar 26 2023 19:43 utc | 64

@S | Mar 26 2023 18:14 utc | 50

Yes, let Pakistan send tanks to Ukraine, at least those tanks don't use DU. But then how is Pakistan going to defend itself against its permanent enemy, India? Plus Iran isn't a pushover, not with all those mountains on Iran's borders which make invasions there difficult, why do you think the Americans don't want to invade there? Shit, the Yanks are even too scared to bomb Iran else no more Persian Gulf oil for anyone. So any attack on Iran just strengthens Russia because the oil price will sky rocket and then the West's economies will collapse even quicker.

Azerbaijan is like Ukraine, it was part of Russia until the 1990's. Before that Azerbaijan was part of Persia / Iran. The West has tried to stir up trouble / open up another front in Kazakhstan, didn't work: in Georgia, they are still recovering from the last time they started nonsense with Russia: in Armenia, nothing has happened as yet plus Georgia is still recovering from the mauling Azerbaijan's gave them recently. So now its Azerbaijan's turn to die for America, yippee. Got to hand it to the West, they are always trying to incite trouble in Russia's supposed soft under belly.

Russia can just leave Azerbaijan to the Chechens, Dagestanis and so on. Those guys love fighting. Azerbaijan is easy to squash.

https://cdn.britannica.com/88/183588-050-2571D476/World-Data-Locator-Map-Azerbaijan.jpg

Posted by: gT | Mar 26 2023 19:44 utc | 65

@S, #50:

Interesting report you posted, if true. If Pakistan is indeed supplying ammunition/war supplies to Ukraine, then it is openly in strategic conflict with its fellow SCO partner Russia. How would SCO, as a group, allow this?

It's visibly true though, since the ousting of Khan, that the new Pakistan leadership is lackey to the Empire. Legacy of Empire's remaining soft power.

Posted by: Oriental Voice | Mar 26 2023 19:44 utc | 66

Let's not lose focus on the biggest news.

TRUMP 2024

Coming to a deep state near you.

Posted by: Neofeudalfuture | Mar 26 2023 19:45 utc | 67

@Vikichka | Mar 26 2023 16:30 utc | 26

Its always funny when you read "global warming is natural" and "global warming doesn't exist" in the same sentence.

I would be much more afraid of global cooling. I never said it did not exist. Earth has cycled from hot to warm to cold for a very long time. How does one grow plants on an ice cube? Solar panels and wind power? A greenhouse powered that way is not a bad idea.

I hear many in Europe eat plants grown in greenhouses warmed by fossil fuels. No need to worry about that in my area. It might help to stop those nasty things. Less people and less fat people at the same time.

Posted by: circumspect | Mar 26 2023 19:52 utc | 68

psychohistorian @ 57

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu fired his defense minister on Sunday, a day after Yoav Gallant called for a halt to the planned overhaul of Israel's judiciary that has divided the country

Netanyahu and Macron will hold out at any cost. Their job is to wring out the last vestige of democracy in their countries, the Israeli judiciary and French pensions are secondary. The wringing will be repeated wherever protests appear throughout the west, put another way, the beatings will continue until morale improves.

Posted by: LightYearsFromHome | Mar 26 2023 19:52 utc | 69

The trouble in the region for the US is that it cant weaken one country without strengthening russia in another.

Sure it can send Baku on a suicide mission against Russia or Iran but if that happens Armenia is going to take advantage by siding with russia. The same is true the other way around.

And the same is true in central Asia. The US can destabilize Kyrgyzstan but the other stans around will take advantage of it.

And to do it in all countries at once is above americans strength.

Posted by: Orgel | Mar 26 2023 19:54 utc | 70

From S' translation @ Mar 26 2023 18:14 utc | 50 :
"Considering that the Pakistani army, which is a state within a state, strictly adheres to allied relations with the U.S. ..."

and

From the article provided by bevin @Mar 26 2023 19:28 utc | 61 :
"for the first time in the nation’s history, there are serious divisions within the military, with the majority of middle and junior rank officers, not to mention nearly one hundred percent of the soldiers, on the side of Khan, not their boss, the always all-powerful Chief of Army Staff."(my emphasis)

Seems to me there is a small glimmer of hope in those statements.

Thanks S and bevin!

And right there is an example of the value of this blog.
Thanks again b!

Posted by: waynorinorway | Mar 26 2023 19:59 utc | 71

Posted by: juliania | Mar 26 2023 19:12 utc | 58

Too bad you cannot see it, it's a Telegram link, maybe you should ask one of your grandchildren to install it for you, it's good to have. I listened to that nice piece you posted, besides my liking of sacred music I tested my self to see if I understand slavonic, I was able to pick up some words, beautiful chant. If I find that piece of music in another platform I'll let you know, its a short one by Rimsky-Korsakov, The Flight of the Bumblebee, but interpreted in a really nice way. Cheers.

Took me a little while to find it but here it is in a platform accessible to you, enjoy:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uA9uIRX5spE

Posted by: Paco | Mar 26 2023 20:01 utc | 72

The world is really changing, watch this powerful speech by Fred M'membe, the President of the Socialist Party of Zambia, at the International Forum on Democracy in Beijing:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vr-cxCMAGcY

Wow, just wow!

Posted by: Zet | Mar 26 2023 20:03 utc | 73

Well, you have to hand it to Macron. The man has style:

https://mobile.twitter.com/ricwe123/status/1639280490921304065

For all the context:

A tumbril remark is a statement so hopelessly out of touch that the audience feels fully justified loading the speaker onto a tubril and carting them off to the guillotine. The classic exam is "let them eat cake." Although, it's acknowledged by historians that she probably never actually said it.

The diamond necklace affair -
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Affair_of_the_Diamond_Necklace
- was a French scandal blamed on the queen. Some scammer commissioned an over the top diamond necklace on the queen's behalf, the scam falls appart, but the jeweler still wants the crown to pay. The queen takes the blame for commissioning the decadent bling while the state is bankrupt and the people are starving.

The Ancien Regime was already in bad shape, but the diamond necklace affair and the tumbril remark were the spark that started the revolution.

The current French protests: the French public sector negotiated a retirement age of 62, they accepted a wage cut as part of the deal. Then Macron raised the age to 64, bypassing a vote, by executive decree. Protests erupt. Macron gives an interview asking the people to sacrifice while wearing an $86,000 watch. But at the end of the interview he isn't wearing the watch anymore. Here's the link again:

https://mobile.twitter.com/ricwe123/status/1639280490921304065

To sum up, Macron painted his administration into a corner while giving the electorate the finger, and then he pulls out a gun and shoots himself in the foot live, on national television.

He managed to roll the diamond necklace affair into a tumbril remark after the strikes and protests had already started. Now that's panache! I don't know if anyone will ever top that.

Posted by: team10tim | Mar 26 2023 20:04 utc | 74

How does one grow plants on an ice cube?

Posted by: circumspect | Mar 26 2023 19:52 utc | 68

Good luck growing plants in a desert. And yes, you put global warming in quotes. Why put it in quotes if it's the real thing?

Posted by: Vikichka | Mar 26 2023 20:08 utc | 75

Posted by: Republicofscotland | Mar 26 2023 14:47 utc | 4

You might find this book interesting and enlightening. I bought it, skeptically thinking I already knew it all, but I was very wrong.

https://www.publicaffairsbooks.com/titles/yasha-levine/surveillance-valley/9781610398039/

And yes, you're exactly right - even without the benefit of Snowden's revelations - anyone who doesn't think that the American/Silicon Valley firms have been in bed with, infiltrated by, and working directly with the American surveillance state is ignorant.

Posted by: Tom_Q_Collins | Mar 26 2023 20:08 utc | 76

S @ 50

I'll also add thanks for posting. Would explain why Khan had to go, he's lucky he's still alive, I have a feeling Abe with regards to Ukraine was being too stubborn and nationalistic for the empire. Looking back you see all sorts of weird political events that make more sense after the SMO, going all the way back to the Smolensk air disaster, Dominique Strauss-Kahn up to Mohammed bin Salman, even on the empire's home turf, Berni and Trump. All moves to clear any and all opposition to the hybrid war attack on Russia, green lighted probably in 1997 and set to occur during the HRC administration in 2018.

I'll add this from the Cradle doesn't exactly jibe with the article @50 but does tangentially approach it. Whatever is up in that part of the world it's one hell of a wicked web being woven:

https://thecradle.co/article-view/22613/russian-turkish-co-opetition-from-syria-to-nagorno-karabakh

Posted by: LightYearsFromHome | Mar 26 2023 20:10 utc | 77

Useful: THE MOST UNDERVALUED ASSETS IN EUROPE ARE NOW IN EASTERN UKRAINE. WHO IS THE FIRST TO BENEFIT?

https://southfront.org/the-most-undervalued-assets-in-europe-are-now-in-eastern-ukraine-who-is-the-first-to-benefit/

Posted by: Don Firineach | Mar 26 2023 20:14 utc | 78

Posted by: juliania | Mar 26 2023 19:12 utc | 58

Something more patriotic from that same series:

https://youtu.be/vmdm5LJEJFI

Posted by: Paco | Mar 26 2023 20:19 utc | 79

Republicofscotland | Mar 26 2023 17:51 utc | 48

"there's no longer any legal route for migrants to enter the UK"

I wish that was true, but it's far from the truth. Boris's government handed out 1.1 million UK visas between July 2021 and June 2022. Net migration was over half a million last year, and in the budget the Office of Budget Responsibility used an estimated net figure of 245,000 per annum for the next 15 years, a figure generally regarded as way too low.

Take a look south of the border. England is the most densely populated country in Europe barring little Luxembourg and Leichenstein.


Posted by: YetAnotherAnon | Mar 26 2023 20:20 utc | 80

@ Vikichka & cicumspect - Well, hopefully we can all just agree to have a little party on an ice cube when that cycle recurs.

Here's something I ran across about when the Thames river used to freeze over. Lil' Ice Age in London. That's a great MC name!

Lil' Ice Age - atlasobscura


Posted by: lex talionis | Mar 26 2023 20:24 utc | 81

Orgel @ 70

Sure it can send Baku on a suicide mission against Russia or Iran but if that happens Armenia is going to take advantage by siding with russia.

Inexplicably Yerevan said it would uphold the ICC and arrest Putin, go figure. Whatever goes down it'll be something to watch the spastic, exotic contortions of the west, particularly France and UK, as they sell out Armenian Christians victims of a historic Muslim pogrom/genocide, abdicating their protection to the Iranians. Likely the Caucasus and Central Asian part of the hybrid war is freely run out of the UK and not Washington, only the British could set into motion shit this crazy and stupid.

Posted by: LightYearsFromHome | Mar 26 2023 20:33 utc | 82

Maybe someone else can clarify as to whats happening in the following video as I see very troubling facts.


1) The Russian troops were sent in a frontal attack, using an open field, against what looks like an insignificant trench and got slaughtered.

2) The Russians had no air, armor, or artillery support. Most likely they didn't even have any drones guiding the attack.

3) The artillery response from the Ukrainians was very rapid and highly accurate.

4) The Ukrainian armored response was also unusually rapid.


If this is how Russia is fighting the SMO then we arent getting the truth on Russian casualties or the true situation on the ground. However, maybe I'm looking at the video in the wrong way. Opinions ?


https://www.reddit.com/r/CombatFootage/comments/122xdse/tactical_overview_and_full_footage_of_the_failed/

Posted by: Deplorable Commissar | Mar 26 2023 20:38 utc | 83

Posted by: Deplorable Commissar | Mar 26 2023 20:38 utc | 83

(Off-topic) If you're talking about the failed assault around Ugledar from a month or so ago (not Ugledar itself where the 155th marine brigade is fighting), the head of Vostok (East) grouping Muradov responsible for that area of the front, just got demoted and replaced; it's breaking on the Russian tg channels at the moment.

Posted by: Boo | Mar 26 2023 20:49 utc | 84

Posted by: Deplorable Commissar | Mar 26 2023 20:38 utc | 83

Hate to be the scold, but shouldn't that be in the Ukraine O/T? Regarding this type of video, I never trust them unless they can be independently verified. All kinds of trickery can be used to switch emblems, obfuscate events, etc. Frankly, I may be behind the times or something, but the fact that it's even allowed at Reddit also gives me pause.

Posted by: Tom_Q_Collins | Mar 26 2023 20:52 utc | 85

# 64
It was a good discussion about debt
Thanks for the link

Posted by: Dingo | Mar 26 2023 21:00 utc | 86

Republicofscotland @7, Paul Greenwood @14

I haven't had an extensive look at the links you provided but I thought the "international" trials of Milosevic etc were conducted by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) rather than the ICC.

If President Putin really is the first non-African to be indicted by the ICC, does that mean that the Russians' status as "snow ni@@ers" has been made official?

Posted by: S.P. Korolev | Mar 26 2023 21:03 utc | 87

Russia becomes Iran’s main investor (EurAsia Daily, March 24, 2023 — in Russian)


Russia became the largest investor in Iran over the past financial year. This was stated by the Minister of Economy and Finance of the Islamic Republic Ehsan Khanduzi.

According to him, Russia has invested $2.76 billion over the year. The main investment projects are in the industrial, mining and transportation sectors, with the total investment in the country amounting to $4.18 billion.

In other words, Russia accounted for 66% of all investments in Iran over the past year.

Posted by: S | Mar 26 2023 21:06 utc | 88

Deplorable Commissar @ 83

If this is how Russia is fighting the SMO then we arent getting the truth on Russian casualties or the true situation on the ground. However, maybe I'm looking at the video in the wrong way. Opinions?


He's talking about this, not sure the place or time, maybe someone knows?

The battle of the K-2 battalion of the 54th OMBr with katsaps north of Verkhnokamyansk

https://t.me/WeebUnionWar/2227

Of course you are not getting the truth. MoA is a tiny community and hermetic, pro Russian social media and TG is an echo chamber. It may be going terrible for the Ukranians but it's one hell of a bitch for the Russian's too. The MoD surely isn't going to tell you and all militaries lie, just like cops, and all authority, when they fuck up and when they don't fuck up and don't need to, it's a knee-jerk reaction. Russia may be on the right side of this war but it doesn't change the cold hard facts of life. I'm sure that discomforting scene linked above is one of many others not seen. One day the book will be written on this war and it'll be historic level ugly - for both sides.

Posted by: LightYearsFromHome | Mar 26 2023 21:13 utc | 89

Protests in Israel

Tal Schneider טל שניידר تال شنايدر @talschneider (updated thread with videos) Israel's judicial coup breaking news: PM Netanyahu discharged Def Min @yoavgallant for calling to delay legislation as he feared for Israel's security due to reservists' protests. As of 22:00 tens of thousands of ppl flocked to Highway 20 flocking Israel's main route. >> https://twitter.com/talschneider/status/1640079822197063685

Sinnaig @Sinnaig 58m ago:
🇮🇱 - Fights outside Benjamin Netanyahu house in Jerusalem. (video)
https://twitter.com/Sinnaig/status/1640082891550994438

Maimunka News @MaimunkaNews 48m ago
‼️🇮🇱 Confusion reigns as liberal Israeli protesters demonstrate in front of Israeli Prime Minister #Netanyahu 's home in Jerusalem. #IsraelProtests
https://twitter.com/MaimunkaNews/status/1640087033472335876

Demonstrators break through police barriers and head towards Netanyahu's home in Jerusalem.
Guy Elster @guyelster 46m ago
#BREAKING Police use water cannon against protesters outside Netanyahu's house in Jerusalem (he is not there)
https://twitter.com/guyelster/status/1640087287403798528

OSINTdefender @sentdefender 47m ago:
U.S. Officials have stated tonight that they are “Extremely Concerned” about the ongoing Civil Unrest alongside the Judicial Crisis in Israel and how this may effect the current Readiness of the Israeli Military.
https://twitter.com/sentdefender/status/1640085932630999042

Posted by: Petri Krohn | Mar 26 2023 21:16 utc | 90

YetAnotherAnon (80).

From the UK state propaganda machine the BBC. Pay particular attention to the last sentence below.


What are the "safe and legal" routes to claim asylum in the UK?
The Home Office says there are a number of "safe and legal" routes to the UK.

However, some are only available to people from specific countries such as Afghanistan and Ukraine, or British National status holders in Hong Kong.

Other asylum routes only accept a limited number of refugees:

UK Resettlement Scheme - prioritises those from regions in conflict. It planned to resettle 5,000 in its first year, but resettled 1,125
Community Sponsorship Scheme - for local community groups to provide accommodation and support for refugees. In 2021, 144 people used this route
Refugee Family Reunion - for partners and children under 18 of those already granted protection in the UK. In 2021, 6,134 visas were granted
Mandate Resettlement Scheme - to resettle refugees who have a close family member in the UK who can offer a home. The scheme has resettled about 430 refugees since 2004, but just two people in 2021
Organisations including


*******the Refugee Council and Amnesty International says there are no safe and legal routes for most people to seek asylum in the UK.**********


https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/explainers-53734793

Posted by: Republicofscotland | Mar 26 2023 21:20 utc | 91

For Juliana: I know this will pain you. But you will still want to know.§

Monastery’s last prayer: Thousands of Orthodox faithful came to Kiev-Pechersk Monastery today for the last Sunday prayer before the expulsion of the monks by Ukrainian authorities on March 29.

https://twitter.com/RueDaungier/status/1639965004303593472

§/ It pains me. People really should be able to attend a church _ or not_ according to their preference.

Posted by: Melaleuca | Mar 26 2023 21:34 utc | 92

S | Mar 26 2023 18:14 utc | 50

It is NOT Pakistan that is supplying UKR. It is those running the show behind the scenes.

Posted by: sal | Mar 26 2023 21:50 utc | 93

There’s a twitter account with 1.5m followers.
Which is more than many Celebrity CNN or corporate media mannequins.
So obviously, manicured mannequins are jealous.
Because the account doesn’t take itself “seriously”, and likes to make wry and facetious commentary and memes, that’s further fuel for the pejorative prejudice of the presstitutes.
That the account “gets in first” and calls itself _ Catturd2_ sends CNN and similar into spasms of rage.
Aaaand then. Catturd2 is an unapologetic town-crier for Trump. Unpaid.
This sends the censorious CNN “cancellors” into impotent fury.
Of course Catturd was in twitter jail until paroled by Musk.
That Catturd can’t be canceled, can’t be shamed and can’t be stopped, makes the account one of my morning scrolls.
https://twitter.com/catturd2

Disclaimer: I am blergh/neutral on Trump. But I do enjoy watching extreme TDS smash itself against the rocky shore of Catturd intransigence.

Posted by: Melaleuca | Mar 26 2023 22:01 utc | 94

Pyotr Makedontsev
Posted by: S | Mar 26 2023 18:14 utc | 50

is shaking bushes for Uncle Volody. Never forget that the UA foreign policy amounts to, "isolating" Russia, extorting "donors," and squeezing UNGA votes from abstentions.(17 Mar Dmytro Kuleba

...Some are historically sympathetic to Russia, some are concerned about the economic costs of the war, and others believe the West is prolonging the fighting unnecessarily. But Mr Kuleba made clear that countries which failed to support Ukraine now—those, he said, which had "misbehaved in the course of this war and mistreated Ukraine", would pay a price in the future....
. Pyotr Makedontsev, however, is pissing on the wrong stump.

PK is broke. Broker than broke and on the brink of civil war. Which is why, despite Pytor's reflection on Anglo-american monomania, PK defense dynasty is not going to sign off gifts. PK defense is in the market to buy and will spend the treasury's last rupee, as is the custom, to arm riot police and annoy Modi.

Afshin Rattansi interviewed Cap. Khan this weekend. Ex-Prime Minister Imran Khan: Pakistan entering the WORST FORM of fascism!. He's shook. You would be too, if the Sharif’s PML, Dawn.com's fourth estate, CEC, and all of Punjab's coup-meisters were taking shots at you over the past year.

Posted by: sln2002 | Mar 26 2023 22:04 utc | 95

" It is NOT Pakistan that is supplying UKR. It is those running the show behind the scenes.

Posted by: sal | Mar 26 2023 21:50 utc | 93 "


It is NOT Poland that is supplying UKR. It is those running the show behind the scenes.

It is NOT Germany that is supplying UKR. It is those running the show behind the scenes.

It is NOT Italy that is supplying UKR. It is those running the show behind the scenes.

It is NOT USA that is supplying UKR. It is those running the show behind the scenes.

Posted by: Deplorable Commissar | Mar 26 2023 22:05 utc | 96

" Regarding this type of video, I never trust them unless they can be independently verified. All kinds of trickery can be used to switch emblems, obfuscate events, etc. Frankly, I may be behind the times or something, but the fact that it's even allowed at Reddit also gives me pause.

Posted by: Tom_Q_Collins | Mar 26 2023 20:52 utc | 85 "


Does that also go for the videos that show Ukrainians in a bad way ?

Posted by: Deplorable Commissar | Mar 26 2023 22:08 utc | 97

Meanwhile in Israel: https://t.me/intelslava/46238

Posted by: Apollyon | Mar 26 2023 22:13 utc | 98

" Russia may be on the right side of this war but it doesn't change the cold hard facts of life. I'm sure that discomforting scene linked above is one of many others not seen. One day the book will be written on this war and it'll be historic level ugly - for both sides.

Posted by: LightYearsFromHome | Mar 26 2023 21:13 utc | 89 "


The two most interesting things in the video was the extremely fast and highly accurate Ukrainian artillery response and the quick counterattack by the Ukrainian tanks. There is no way both of those were executed by old man and teenage boys with no training and bad communication systems. Someone's got some 'splaning to do.

Posted by: Deplorable Commissar | Mar 26 2023 22:13 utc | 99

@gT #65:

Azerbaijan is easy to squash.

Azerbaijan is backed by Turkey. They are so close that they are describing themselves as “one nation — two countries”. It seems that Erdogan doesn’t want to start a war over the “Zangezur corridor”, but Aliev has been acting extremely aggressively lately. Recent rhetoric from Baku described Armenia as “Western Azerbaijan” and hinted at “liberating” Iran’s West Azerbaijan and East Azerbaijan provinces. If Azerbaijan attempts to create a corridor through Armenia’s Syunik region by force, severing Iran’s connection to the rest of Armenia (and onwards to Georgia and Russia), Iran will respond. This has been stated multiple times by Iranian officials. Then Erdogan will be under tremendous pressure domestically to help Azerbaijan. Turkey, of course, has a powerful military and is a member of NATO.

Posted by: S | Mar 26 2023 22:17 utc | 100

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