@2….Theatre, they are all actors, script subject to rewrites.
Cheers M

Posted by: sean the leprechaun | Apr 1 2023 16:58 utc | 3

@1 That doesn’t look like a particularly credible site, frankly, and I hope the truth about EMP will calm you down:
https://medium.com/war-is-boring/the-overrated-threat-from-electromagnetic-pulses-46e92c3efeb9

Posted by: Jon Lester | Apr 1 2023 17:05 utc | 5

Trump is posterchild for Will Rogers saying “We knew he was a crook when we
set him to Washington, but he was our crook”.

Posted by: SwissArmyMan | Apr 1 2023 17:17 utc | 7

re: Jon Lester | Apr 1 2023 17:05 utc | 5
you wrote:
“That doesn’t look like a particularly credible site, frankly, and I hope the truth about EMP will calm you down“.
You direct me to a “War is Boring” website, which you apparently consider credible. LOL
The report is posted on my own site website. Before you reject it out of hand, please take the time to read the report; it is extensively researched (I have more than 300 footnotes and a nine page bibliography). My primary sources come from technical reports created by the Metatech corporation; they work with the Defense Department and helped create the EMP guidelines the DOD uses. (see The Early-Time (E1) High-Altitude Electromagnetic Pulse (HEMP) and Its Impact on the U.S. Power Grid and The Late-Time (E3) High-Altitude Electromagnetic Pulse (HEMP) and Its Impact on the U.S. Power Grid)
The NRC claims that EMP does not endanger US nuclear power plants. My report notes that the US Air Force Electromagnetic Task Force does not accept the NRC’s position, which is not based on credible scientific testing.
I expect to get this kind of brush off from both the uninformed and those with a vested interest in the status quo. There have been several attempts to pass legislation to protect the US national electric grid and US critical national infrastructure from EMP — they all have been killed by lobbying conducted by the electric and nuclear utilities. They don’t want to spent the money.

Posted by: Steven Starr | Apr 1 2023 17:28 utc | 9

@ james | Apr 1 2023 17:38 utc | 10 who I hope enjoys his coming trip
I was wondering if they will bring up Monica Lewinsky who fiddled with Slick Willie in the White House and he was married….was Trump married when he had the Stormy relationship?
Yes, this is all kabuki for the Hollywood audience.

Posted by: psychohistorian | Apr 1 2023 17:46 utc | 11

i suppose pettiness is what it is all about…
Posted by: james | Apr 1 2023 17:38 utc | 10
—
How does a country full of narcissists act?

Posted by: too scents | Apr 1 2023 17:57 utc | 13

Posted by: Browser | Apr 1 2023 16:59 | 4
Combating Imperialist Disinformation – Garland Nixon
at Summit Against Hypocrisy
Thanks for the link. For anybody frustrated with trying to point out contradictions and absurdity of us foreign policy etc. to family and acquaintances , this helps. Just on the off chance you have experienced frustrations lately….

Posted by: Bartholomew Cubbins | Apr 1 2023 18:22 utc | 15

grunzt left at post on the last open thread some of you might want to ponder or offer feedback on..
“I’m not sure that b is suffering a burnout. He might as well be entertaining some “visitors” from the BND (the German branch of the CIA) or similar. There are some recent hints in that direction.
(1)
some of you might remember a short episode when all MoA threads were closed for comments. That was on the day when Sy Hersh’s second article on NordStream had appeared. That article gets specific on Scholz’s short visit to Biden’s office on 3.3.23 and what the two were discussing there. I won’t discuss it now, except that it was about the NordStream pipelines.
A lot of barflies had earlier posted their conjectures, which now turned out to be true.
So the threads contained quite a few posts relating to this new revelation by Sy Hersh.
An hour later, I found that the threads had reopened, but these posts were gone. I quickly posted one myself, linking to the Hersh article and recommending it. My post was deleted within 10 minutes. My posts on other issues were left alone.
(2)
The biggest of the German alternative media, in terms of visitors, is IMO nachdenkseiten.de. I always admired them for their integrity and uncompromising anti-NATO position. Today, they announced that Katja Kipping will be on their staff. Ms. Kipping belongs to the NATO-friendly section of “Die Linke”. She once headed the party – which was then polarized between her and Sahra Wagenknecht. I cannot imagine that the editorial board decided to have her on staff. It looks more like she was recruited and imposed from “above”, in order to start taming that unruly online magazine.
(3)
Starting this January, nachdenkseiten.de have been deprived on the non-profit status they once enjoyed.
(4)
The German Telepolis online magazine was once my favorite source of information, even before nachdenkseiten.de. It is now boring at best, after they have taken on many new authors. Significantly, they have removed Florian Rötzer from staff, a Moscow-friendly author who had been their editor in chief for decades. He is by no means tired, he is still writing articles at a new platform that has much less visitors than Telepolis used to have.
What do I gather from these examples? They are currently targeting the alternative German online platforms to make them system-compliant. And MoA is just such a platform.
Posted by: grunzt | Apr 1 2023 17:53 utc | 258″

Posted by: james | Apr 1 2023 18:57 utc | 17

And thank you grunzt for posting that in the first instance.

Posted by: Digital Spartacus | Apr 1 2023 19:24 utc | 19

re: : Hoarsewhisperer | Apr 1 2023 19:27 utc | 20
Thanks for your reply and also thanks for your original post. It made me realize that I should post a Bullet Point summary to precede both the Executive Summary and Full Report. Will do . .
The E1 component of HEMP (or of any EMP, including that generated from an Improvised Electromagnetic Pulse Device (IEMPD), all travel at the speed of light. It takes only 2 billionths of a second for the E1 pulse to hit electrically conductive surfaces on Earth, the whole thing is over in 1 millionth of a second (that is why lightning surge protectors are not fast enough to protect from E1).
So I don’t think anyone can tailor EMP to trigger nuclear detonations. But E1 could be used to preclude nuclear detonations by disabling all the electronics required to trigger the simultaneous detonations used on the plutonium pits (triggers) for thermonuclear weapons. Not to mention all the electronics connected to them . . . that is why the US Air Force has been busy hardening all its C3I systems, etc etc

Posted by: Steven Starr | Apr 1 2023 19:38 utc | 21

@John lester5. Reminds me of an interview i read in Roling stone mag. 1970-71 iirc. J G Liddy describes a domestestic terror action funded by collecting bottles for a month and then destroying electrical grid transformers blitzkreig style. Way cheaper than EMP same result. Chaos.
Given what we are told relentlessly that they hate our freedoms it is curious how such action hasnt yet taken place.

Posted by: Tannenhouser | Apr 1 2023 20:02 utc | 23

Thanks to prompting from Hoarsewhisperer, I have posted a (revised) Bullet Point summary for my report (now online).
Bullet point summary of High-altitude Electromagnetic Pulse (HEMP):
— A single high-altitude nuclear detonation will create a massive Electromagnetic Pulse that will bring down most or all of the US national electric grid (and that goes for any national electric grid that has not been shielded from an Electromagnetic Pulse, or EMP)
— In a few billionths of a second, the E1 component of HEMP can induce peak voltages of 2 million volts into long overhead medium-voltage power lines and telecom line, which can create a current of 5000 amps in these lines
— The extreme voltages and currents created by the E1 component of HEMP will damage/disable/destroy any unshielded solid state electronics found in all modern electronic devices, especially those connected to the grid. The affected area will cover many tens of thousands of square miles
— All critical national infrastructure relies on modern electronic devices to operate; most or all of the critical infrastructure in this affected area will cease to function, including ground, sea, rail, and air transportation systems, fuel and food distribution systems, water and sanitation systems, telecommunication systems, financial systems, and emergency services and governmental services
— E1 will also destroy tens of millions of insulators found on power distribution lines. The loss of a single insulator can stop power distribution
— the E3 component from a single HEMP will cover most of the continental US; it will damage or destroy most or all of the Large Power Transformers in the US national electric grid (which are required for the distribution of 60% to 70% of all electric power in the U.S.)
— Current lead times for Large Power Transformers is 18 to 24 months (overseas suppliers); Large Power Transformers require custom design, very specialized manufacture, they each weigh between 100 and 400 tons and are very difficult to ship, transport, and install. It would likely take more than a year to replace them; most of the US would be without electric power for a year or longer
— After the grid comes down, nuclear power plants will execute emergency shutdowns, but because the E1 component will disable their on-site power sources (Emergency Diesel Generators and Battery Banks), there will be no electric power available to run the active Emergency Core Cooling Systems (ECCS)
— Also, the active ECCS systems contain many motor-driven pumps, motor-operated valves, pressure and temperature sensors, and SCADA control units that will be disabled by E1, so even if power was available, they would not operate
— After emergency shutdown, the decay heat in the core of a nuclear reactor still creates 7% of the heat present when the nuclear reactor is operating at full power. In a large commercial nuclear reactor, hundreds of millions of megawatts of heat would still remain in the reactor core
–Spent fuel pools, which are adjacent to each nuclear reactor, each contain at least 3 to 5 times more radiation than does the reactor core; without a cooling system that constantly cools the pools, the water in the pools will boil off and allow the spent fuel rods to release massive amounts of radioactive materials that can leave an area the size of an entire state uninhabitable for centuries.
— A failure of the active Emergency Core Cooling Systems to operate will cause the core to melt down in as little as 30 minutes
— Dozens of nuclear US power plants could be within the area where E1 is greater than 12,500 volts/meter, and they will simultaneously melt down.
— As many as 50 nuclear power plants could melt down in France as a result of a single HEMP
— Shielding and technical fixes exist that can be used to protect the national electric grid and critical national infrastructure – including nuclear power plants – from HEMP/EMP  
— All efforts to mandate funding to protect the grid and critical infrastructure from HEMP/EMP have been blocked by electric and nuclear utilities

Posted by: Steven Starr | Apr 1 2023 20:26 utc | 25

Einstein squeezed the Theory of Relativity into not much more than 100 pages.
Admittedly, he was exceptionally good at explaining complicated things i.e. about 10x better than Stephen Hawking.
Posted by: Hoarsewhisperer | Apr 1 2023 18:05 utc | 14
There’s no “relativity”. GPS satellite clocks experience no time dilation relative to each other, despite their high speeds over a long period of time. The theory of relativity is killed right there. Even Einstein didn’t believe very much in his theory, and said that it is easily disproved with a single experiment to the contrary.
The “photos” of “black holes” are fake (six pixels magically enhanced into a ring, or some other vague shiny bloomy thing) and tell nothing. But black hole evangelists have careers and businesses that they don’t want to lose.
The “expansion of the universe” is fake, nothing else than people somehow deciding that more redshifted objects must be both further away and moving away faster. Never mind that you can have a highly redshifted galaxy physically connected to a much less redshifted galaxy right next to it.
There was no “big bang”; people claim that the uniformity of the background radiation of the observable universe means it must all have originally been contained in one minuscule point, when the obvious and much simpler explanation is that the universe is endless and eternal.
There is no “dark matter”; the movement and shape of galaxies and their superstructures clearly follow electric currents, which are readily observable in telescope images, and which also explain otherwise impossible phenomena like the stable arrangement of multiple bands moving in opposite directions on Jupiter.
Besides, a trivial thought experiment proves “relativity” wrong. Two guys in rockets take off from earth in opposite directions at high speed, fly a while, then turn around and return. Based on “relativity”, who’s aged more? Guy in rocket A, guy in rocket B, or guy C who stayed on earth? “Relativity” says the one moving the fastest in relation to the other ones aged the least. So A aged less than C and much less than B, while B aged less than C and much less than A, and C aged less than both A and B. A stupid autistic play on words and mental concepts with no relation (sic) to reality. A fake theory for people who are either dumb, liars or very good at convincing themselves they understand something that they don’t.
Besides, pretty much no one even studies “relativity” in universities.
Quantum physics does exist and is used in electronics and by your mitochondria too, if I’m not mistaken. Uneducated people likely think that if quantum physics is real, then “relativity” is as well, because it sounds similar. No.
In case anyone mentions that clocks speed up in low gravity: yes, gravity affects clocks. But there still isn’t “relativity” without time dilation caused by relative velocity. It’s just gravity affecting clocks. My suggestion would be to make multiple different atomic clocks based on different chemical elements and put all of them on a satellite. Would be interesting. I’d bet money that they’ll all speed up by different amounts because it’s not time speeding up, it’s just the inner workings of the atoms speeding up when less gravity pulls on them. Quite like a mechanical clock having slightly less friction when the parts are free to float weightlessly.
Pardon the long lecture. Physics, and particularly theoretical physics and astronomy is a far too rarely addressed piece of the mainstream fraud machine. But neil degrasse tyson sure resembles who-tedros, and michio kaku sure likes transhumanism. And the “everything is relative” of and “everything will eventually be torn apart and be cold and dark” (from uncontrolled expansion) ideas fit the bleak mainstream satanism well.
No, the universe is eternal and endless, and everything will always be connected and always have its stable place, everything living in the same time, not hurrying, not left behind.

Posted by: Mike | Apr 1 2023 20:39 utc | 27

The second part of my chapter on the USA The US: Independence to the Great Depression (1776 to 1933).
The more I kook at the way in which the US elites got the US into WW1, the more the parallels with the current Ukraine situation are evident. An excellent book on this is “The Illusion of Victory” by Thomas Fleming. The British connived with the US-Anglo elites and other big business and finance types, who also controlled the media, to get the US into the war. In March 1917 the UK had nearly run out of money and credit to fund its purchases of US equipment (40% of its munitions plus food, fuel etc.), and the mood in France was morose, the US entered the war in April 1917. Wilson had only been reelected President 5 months before on an anti-war platform.

Posted by: Roger | Apr 1 2023 20:47 utc | 29

The UN operates a monthly rolling presidency by Country.
This month it is the turn of Russia.
They have stated they will hold a debate on ‘the new world order’
At fist glass this really looks like good news but…. the cynic in me thinks where’s the catch.
How do Barflys think this will play out good or bad ?
Maybe grandmaster chess.

Posted by: Mark2 | Apr 1 2023 20:54 utc | 31

This is a good article in German about Hersh and what he insinuate towards Norway. Also interesting that the whole meaning of Liza Truss sudden appearance for just enough time was to let the NS explode. I really like the final sentence for its parody.

Posted by: rico rose | Apr 1 2023 21:12 utc | 33

Trump indictment — This should be heard as the starting gun, for county level prosecutors in Republican areas to use creative theories to bring local charges against national figures in the Democratic Party.
I look forward to a flood of indictments of Hunter, and Hillary, and more. Not just one, but so many they can hardly defend themselves in all those courts.
Of course that is an unworkable way to do national politics. That is however what the Democrats just started, and they oought to be made to swallow the whole thing that they just bit off.
Trump promised in 2016 to do such prosecutions, but backed off. The Federal level prosecutors engaded in organized cover up to protect Hunter. Now, the gloves are off. Go for them.

Posted by: Mark Thomason | Apr 1 2023 21:14 utc | 35

grunzt | Apr 1 2023 17:53 utc | 258
Posted by: james | Apr 1 2023 18:57 utc | 17

The story about Katja Kipping as an author for Nachdenkseiten is an obvious April hoax. That’s really clear if you (can) read it.
The smear campaign against fringe media is real, and in full swing in Germany. It happened to Ken FM, Anti-Spiegel, Nachdenkseiten and will continue to do so, probably with increased strength. I could imagine MOA being on that list but clandestine/sophisticated subversion as suggested by grunzt has not yet been observed, as far as I know. The tools of choice so far have been: shaming / bad-mouthing / denying bank contacts. There’s a hell lot of Kontaktschuld going on in the country.
* * *
I have a totally different question I’d like to bring up because I don’t know where else to do it. Here is what I believe to be true:
1. The US-led “West” is losing power, and about to lose the struggle with the newly formed Russia/China bloc.
2. The measures taken by Washington to avoid losing are counter-productive: they make it worse. (I realise that anything, no matter how bad/cynical/painful may well be good for someone.)
My question: why is this? The common answer I see –including often on this site– is stupidity. I don’t like that argument because it is intellectual laziness. (“I don’t like X and he’s stupid anyway.”) Does someone here think of reasons why the US policy is as we observe other than stupidity?
Thank you!

Posted by: Konami | Apr 1 2023 21:29 utc | 37

@ Posted by: Steven Starr | Apr 1 2023 16:24 utc | 1
With a minimum of 6,000 brand new glass craters scattered across the USSA from the Hanford nuclear waste facility in Washington State(West Coast). Reducing tornado alley into radio active wasteland for more than 10000 years or more.
Any thought of repairing and replacing EMP damage and destruction wrought thus. Would be a moot point for the next thousand generations of residents residing in deep underground caves.

Posted by: Bad Deal Motors On | Apr 1 2023 21:40 utc | 39

Roger @29–
“He kept us out of war” was one of Wilson’s 1916 election memes. Hudson posits that US bankers had already determined their plan to bankrupt the UK and begin fleecing its Empire prior to 1914, just as Lend-Lease was planned well prior to its inception. I suspect what was then known as the Money Trust or the Money Power as the Populists called it beginning @1880 and its inner dealings is where the policy planning will be found that would be called conspiracy or cabal or Banking Junta.
I find it very instructive that all too many historians follow the post WW1 narrative that the 1920s were the “Back to Normalcy” period when it’s now clear IMO that period was the first grand experiment with the financializing of the economy that resulted in the Great Depression. IMO, the Republican presidents that followed Wilson weren’t at all like Taft or Roosevelt; so, what about them and the period was “normal”?
I do wish I had six grad assistants and a goodly six-figure grant to do some deeply serious research and writing for I believe there are some uncomfortable truths that remain buried or were deliberately omitted from the narrative we’ve been told as Upton Sinclair suspected in the 1920s in his self-published book The Goose-Step. IMO, Sinclair uncovered many more things but was ostracized because of his increasing socialist nature, although he was awarded the Pulitzer for Fictional Novel Dragon’s Teeth in 1943 thanks to its content and the times.

Posted by: karlof1 | Apr 1 2023 21:49 utc | 41

Posted by: james | Apr 1 2023 18:57 utc | 17
Katja Kipping to Nachdenkseiten was april’s fool joke lol

Posted by: v | Apr 1 2023 21:54 utc | 43

Karl,
I see you are online ATM.
I saw your post a thread back re the lack of engagement with what you post re the speeches and emerging policy docs from Russia China and RoW.
Your work is appreciated.
Sometimes what I might say has already been posted.
Sometimes it’s just… there’s nothing to add.
How to exceed Lavrov? Or Putin.
Sometimes by the time you get to a thread, the galloping horses of events have already raced away.
Right at the moment the vehicle most people are using and having success in sharing is Substack. I think it’s more accessible than VK. I know you’ve considered it, but starting yet another site is PITA .
Thanks for what you contribute.

Posted by: Melaleuca | Apr 1 2023 21:59 utc | 45

Extinction events…
I was looking at the demographics of Ukraine posted last thread.
Those Ukrainian babuskas are like cockroaches.
You can starve them, freeze them, bomb them, and.. kick over the ruble and there they are…
The only age group to suffer almost zero depletion 2022-2023 was 60yo females. And 80yo females only marginally decreased.
Meanwhile, 100k+ females 20-30 packed their false eyelashes and lip gloss and headed to the EU and Dubai.
Those breedable Ukrainian females are going to spread their survivability genetics across the planet…

Posted by: Melaleuca | Apr 1 2023 22:11 utc | 47

Steven Starr | Apr 1 2023 21:57 utc | 44
You’re new here…and you’ve entered a thread with some of the best whiskey bar contributors….. and some of the worst.
I’ll leave it to you to work out which is which.
An open virtual bar suffers the same as a local establishment.. the place can get filled with noise from drunks and imbeciles.
But in the far back corner, some really interesting and worthwhile conversations can be found.

Posted by: Melaleuca | Apr 1 2023 22:18 utc | 49

karlof1 | Apr 1 2023 21:49 utc | 41
>…I do wish I had six grad assistants and a goodly six-figure grant to do some deeply serious research and writing
I also wish you had that …
Of course the pre-WW1 period has been “history written by the victors”
We see in real time here how narratives are formed and can barely be shaken:
“Russia’s unprovoked invasion of its peaceful democratic neighbour…”

Posted by: Melaleuca | Apr 1 2023 22:24 utc | 51

Posted by: grunzt | Apr 1 2023 17:53 utc | 258″
Posted by: james | Apr 1 2023 18:57 utc | 17
I share till the details the sight of grunzt. Thanks james for bringing this to my consideration. With Telepolis it startet after 2014. They suddenly allowed in a wide spanning article about 2008 in Georgia to say Russia is the aggressor. It’s about to press a version of description of reality into all accepted publications. If you don’t obey you become Querdenker o.ä.. This the modern German version of expressing you are a paria, standing outside of society. I am still shocked about the way how people get canceled straight after expressing out of shape expressions in public. Up to national idols like Nena. Of course a sword sharpend while the plandemic raged.
The majority of elite and gentry as well the prols follow closely this path. World is more or less exactly like Tagesschau, the daily tv news show, defines. If you have different opinions about the CovidMigrationGenderClimaWar complex you make yourself outsider in bourgeois circumstances.
Now it is like in public to express opposing views about reason of Ukraine war means national papers call somebody like Daniele Ganzer an antisemite. Btw he is an impressive person. He is like b. I said it before in this wonderful forum, to be a German means to obey very silently. I really express my condolences about all this trouble right now to our host. He is on forefront of a very sick situation in the field of narrative control. Wish you all the best.

Posted by: rico rose | Apr 1 2023 22:26 utc | 53

rico rose | Apr 1 2023 22:26 utc | 53
One doesn’t need to be German to know quiet compliance.
We have posters from every part of the globe… and all of us know the pressure to STFU about issues of the complex you identified…

Posted by: Melaleuca | Apr 1 2023 22:35 utc | 55

@Posted by: karlof1 | Apr 1 2023 21:49 utc | 41
I wish for those grad assistants and that budget as well, but the search for inconvenient truths is not one to be supported in any such way. My research on this area feels akin to picking up rocks on a sandy beach and seeing all the strange creatures scurry for cover. There are lots of rocks, but very few resources if any available to help pick them up and see what is underneath. There is so much under the surface to be found, but also so many dead ends and rabbit holes as well as controlled opposition viable alternative stories, and many Winston Smiths removing the paper trails. Just like the UK government departments that keep “losing” huge amounts of their historical records, or “accidentally” incinerating them.
The US financial elite had closed the frontier at the end the 19th century and were certainly looking for new places to dominate. Both world wars were perfect for them, allowing them to bankrupt the other participants while their industries remained safe across wide oceans.The actions of not forgiving the war debts, which had been the practise until then generally, speaks to the drive to financially subjugate and dominate the older empires. It was a major reason behind WW2, without the need to pay US debts the UK and France would not have needed to push such huge reparations upon Germany. And yes, the 1920s could be seen as a neoliberal financialization trial run, with the same outcome that was stopped from happening in 2000-2003 and 2007-2009 by massive money printing and the rescue of the financiers. Its the same reality that looks us in the face right now. The “New Deal” was the exception to the US rule of plutocratic domination.
In the US the school, college and university systems have always been bourgeois projects, with the universities controlled by the trustee boards full of businessmen, financiers and established lawyers, together with manager-style “administrators”; rather than by the professors as is the model in much of Europe. The thinkers and educators must be kept under tight control. Then we also have the trustees of the school curricula also populated with local and state establishment figures. We must also remember that 50% of university research grants are provided by the large foundations, the never-dying (and none taxed) representatives of the plutocrats.
At least there was an Upton Sinclair in his time, these days the “educated class” seems to be fully conformist with very few real “critical” research being done. Gabriel Rockhill has done some excellent work on the taming of critical theory in the post-WW2 period within what he calls the global theory industry. which produced a left anti-communism.

Posted by: Roger | Apr 1 2023 22:41 utc | 57

Posted by: FieryButMostPeaceful | Apr 1 2023 16:33 utc | 2
And why would the deep state do that despite knowledge that an indictment is not a disqualification from becoming president and it only help Trumps campaign?
Smells, not just fishy, but like a fish market.
____________________________________________________________________
No matter how powerful the fishy smell, most Americans will not smell the fish and think Trump is really doing mortal deadly combat with the deep state.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1S0NtpoF1PQ

Posted by: jinn | Apr 1 2023 22:51 utc | 59

re: Hot Carl | Apr 1 2023 22:43 utc | 58
With a peak E1 field of 50 kV/m, even a short “antenna” 10 cm in length (4 inches) can experience a voltage of about 5000 volts. see “The Early-Time (E1) High-Altitude Electromagnetic Pulse (HEMP) and Its Impact on the U.S. Power Grid”, p. 2-35 (see page 2-30 for images depicting peak E1 incident fields)
As you say, anything that conducts electricity will function as an antenna. The Emergency Diesel Generators at nuclear power plants are always connected to the main control panels because they must come on within at least 10 seconds once there is a loss of off-site power. All the lines in and out of operating US nuclear power plants remain unprotected from EMP, because EMP is considered a “non-design basis event” by the NRC.
The Battery Banks at nuclear power plants require an AC/DC interface, which is solid state and if unshielded, is vulnerable to EMP. The Battery Bank is also connected to the main control panels.

Posted by: Steven Starr | Apr 1 2023 23:11 utc | 61

It’s raining protests in Israel and Bibi Netanyahoo has an Umbrella problem.
Massive crowds protest in Tel Aviv
The demonstration took place despite Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu suspending his controversial reforms

Hundreds of thousands of protesters marched in Tel Aviv on Saturday evening, demanding that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu scrap a planned judicial overhaul. The embattled PM has already suspended the reforms and vowed to negotiate with the opposition, but protesters view his move as a ploy.
Israeli media outlets reported that between 140,000 and 175,000 people attended the rally, while protest organizers put the head count at 250,000 in Tel Aviv and 450,000 throughout Israel. The so-called ‘Umbrella Movement of Resistance against Dictatorship in Israel’ said in a statement that the protest was “one of the largest demonstrations in Israeli history.” [.]
Israel has been rocked by continuous protests since Netanyahu announced his proposed reforms in January. These legal changes would allow Israel’s parliament to override Supreme Court rulings with a simple majority vote, would grant the government more power in appointing judges, and would limit the ability of the court to review legislation it deems “unreasonable.”
Netanyahu announced on Monday that he would suspend the reform package, after firing his defense minister, Yoav Gallant, for publicly challenging the plan. [.]
The Umbrella Movement, however, views the suspension as an attempt by Netanyahu to buy time until public anger subsides. “Netanyahu’s attempt to put the protesters to sleep failed,” the organization said. “We will continue to be in the streets until we guarantee that the State of Israel is a democracy.”
RT

Israel is held up as a democracy, overlooking facts on the ground… the open prison of Palestinians devoid of rights.

Posted by: Likklemore | Apr 1 2023 23:27 utc | 63

This is a recent pic of Julian Assange:
https://twitter.com/simonateba/status/1641887306180165645
Every Australian politician is equally culpable.

Posted by: Melaleuca | Apr 1 2023 23:48 utc | 65

@ Digital Spartacus | Apr 1 2023 19:22 utc | 18
thanks!
@ Konami | Apr 1 2023 21:29 utc | 37
the choices the west makes are worse then they have to be… the obvious suggestion that this is a type of intentional takedown of the west makes about as much sense as the idea that the west is stupid.. in fact, i think it makes more sense – intentional take down of what we have..
@ rico rose | Apr 1 2023 22:26 utc | 53 // 63…
thanks for your more detailed overview and understanding on this…although i share @ Melaleuca | Apr 1 2023 22:35 utc | 55 viewpoint, i think why this matters so much is moa is a website with a german who leads it… bernhard would be sensitive to all this and subject to all of this as well which makes it newsworthy for me anyway… on the surface, i can accept writers block and that b needs a holiday.. but this idea of grunzt is also a real possibility… that’s all..

Posted by: james | Apr 2 2023 0:21 utc | 67

Another day,
Another trade deal outside USD.
This time..India
India Abandons US Dollar In Trade Deal With Malaysia

……This mechanism will allow the Indian and Malaysian traders to invoice the trade in Indian rupee and therefore achieve better pricing for goods and services traded.
This mechanism is expected to also benefit the traders on both sides as they can directly trade in Indian Rupee and therefore save on currency conversion spreads.”
—
… A Special Rupee Vostro Account was “operationalized” by the India International Bank of Malaysia to serve as the account where Indian rupees can be transferred to and from.
$17 billion in trade occurred between India and Malaysia in 2021.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) also authorized 18 countries, including Russia, Germany, Singapore, Sri Lanka, and Tanzania, to open Vostro accounts, which could lead to the strengthening of the rupee.
… India also released an updated foreign trade policy for the next five years. Their new strategy aims to “encourage” the rupee’s widespread adoption.
The policy hopes Indian exports will reach $2 trillion by 2030.

https://trendingpoliticsnews.com/india-abandons-us-dollar-in-trade-deal-with-malaysia-paub/?utm_source=collin&utm_medium=twitter
This guy is noticing.
He doesn’t like it:
BREAKING: India ditches U.S. dollar, will trade in Rupees with multiple countries going forward.
The worlds largest countries are teaming up against the U.S. dollar & the White House is busy with ‘Trans Visibility’ week.
https://twitter.com/CollinRugg/status/1642204189689532416

Posted by: Melaleuca | Apr 2 2023 1:12 utc | 69

Oracle: many thanks for the reply. Arrogance and genuine belief, I can see that. Still mind-boggling because it seems so *clearly* counterproductive, e.g. the theft of state funds (Venezuela, Afghanistan, Russia) harming the position of Western / dollar-based banking etc.
rico rose | Apr 1 2023 23:36 utc | 63
I agree that Multipolar is one of the best German sites at this time. Their slow pace (between one and two articles per week) is a feature, in my opinion: I found all of them good and some exceptional. But are you sure about Florian Rötzer at Multipolar? It is officially run by Stefan Korinth, Paul Schreyer und Ulrich Teusch, and I haven’t see any link to Rötzer yet.

Posted by: Konami | Apr 2 2023 1:32 utc | 71

psychohistorian @67–
Thanks for your reply and your kind words. I decided to write about another topic that’s been on my mind for several years, Artificial Intelligence. Feedback would be appreciated.
Melaleuca @69–
Yes, I recognized that intersection too. A Soros project perhaps?

Posted by: karlof1 | Apr 2 2023 1:54 utc | 73

This Zambian Opposition Leader looks like he is asking for his own special serving of “democracy”.

A country that has overthrown so many governments in Africa, that led so many upheavals in Africa and other parts of the world.
The country that killed so many of our leaders in Africa and other parts of the world.
The assassins of Patrice Lumumba, Kwame Nkrumah, Nasser, Muammar Gaddafi, will come today to teach us about democracy.
A country that was built on brute force, on the enslavement of other human beings, on the humiliation of Africans, on the exploitation of Africans, will come today to teach us democracy.
If you don’t have respect for the dignity of others, if you don’t respect the sovereignty of other countries, you can’t claim to be the ‘champion of democracy’,” –
Fred M’membe

https://twitter.com/Trollstoy88/status/1641887324651892736
Kamala is having quite the tour of African history….
For those who missed it.
This was Kamala staying at a truth bomb in Ghana:
https://twitter.com/real1maria/status/1641520597506072578

Posted by: Melaleuca | Apr 2 2023 2:25 utc | 75

re: suzan | Apr 2 2023 2:27 utc | 75
Thanks for your message. You ask, in regard to making preparations for HEMP, “Yet somewhere in the world, it is hinted, a few countries have taken action and implemented the protections suggested. Where has this occurred?”
In my correspondence with an expert from the Metatech Corporation, I was told that he and his colleagues had done work in Switzerland and I think, in Sweden, to install shielding against the effects of HEMP/EMP.
I suspect that Russia has also installed shielding in its critical national infrastructure (I am sure they have in regard to their military forces). Russian nuclear power plants differ from those in the US, in that they have placed the spent fuel pools inside the primary containment (along with the reactor pressure vessel); this is a much safer arrangement in terms of reducing the impact of a catastrophic accident involving the reactor or spent fuel pool.

Posted by: Steven Starr | Apr 2 2023 2:35 utc | 77

@ Cabe | Apr 2 2023 2:41 utc | 77 who wrote
”
The length of the struggle has also been draining on the Zionist maximalists themselves, as they have to bury their normal human moral compass deep in their unconscious in order to do their dastardly deeds and to face themselves, all the while making up excuses why they are in the right, mostly deriving them from a mythical ancient history of their own creation. Their failure to make progress against the Palestinians drives them into violent paroxysms of rage which makes them very dangerous and ugly.
”
Good summary of the existential struggle by unipolar monotheism exemplified by Occupied Palestine, thanks.

Posted by: psychohistorian | Apr 2 2023 2:56 utc | 79

@ Steven Starr | Apr 1 2023 18:39 utc | 16, and the whole discussion
I thank Steven Starr and the other contributors for bringing up the issue of EMPs and what would actually happen in a nuclear war.
@ Jon Lester | Apr 1 2023 17:05 utc | 5 has posted a useful article supposedly contradicting what Dr. Starr has said, but actually confirming it. The point of the article is that while EMPs are real, it would take more than a weapon of small actor like North Korea to wipe out the US power grid. Maybe, even probably so, but the article also affirms that if it comes from Russia or China, the catastrophe would be much like what Dr. Starr has portrayed. The only thing is, it probably wouldn’t be just EMP devices to wipe out the power grid but a full-on nuclear war.
Yes, that is exactly the point: Nuclear war is likely and has been likely for decades, even though it hasn’t happened since 1945, even though on numerous occasions it has been stopped miraculously by a single individual. It wouldn’t have to be likely, if there wasn’t one aberrant superpower insisting on “full-spectrum dominance” despite its utter inability to attain that, no matter what happens. It is the relentless aggression if the US elite against the rest of the world that has created and continues to inform the danger of nuclear annihilation falling on us any day from the sky that has hung over my head all of my long life. And today, long after the end of the Cold War with the Soviet Union, there are actually a considerable number in the US leadership who blithely claim the US could “win” a nuclear war, that the consequences wouldn’t be what is usually portrayed, etc.
So it is worth examining exactly what the devastation caused by a total nuclear exchange would be, and these have been argued over and changed somewhat over the years. Basically:
1). A lot of death caused directly by the blasts from hundreds or thousands of nuclear weapons, all of which have destructive forces greater than the bombs which destroyed Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945.
2). A lot more death and injury caused by radiation coming from fallout immediately following the nuclear blasts. The radiation effects were sometimes overestimated in the past, as in the novel and films “On the Beach,” imagining the extinction of the human race from radiation. That is not really possible, but one should nevertheless not minimize the mass death and suffering resulting immediately from the intense radiation, as well as the lingering effects of long-lived radioactive isotopes later.
3). The complete ending of the existing economic system, particularly its distribution system, which would make the maintenance of food production and delivery nearly impossible, with or without the EMP effects. This is not to belittle the EMP effects, because those are there too, but the likelihood is most people would die of famine across the whole world, because of the way everything is interconnected, and that interconnection would break down. The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists estimates that 98% of the US population would die. As that would leave over six million alive, I would consider that to be excessively optimistic.
4). The effects of EMP, if as described by Dr. Starr, would be even more fatal.
5). The disputed possibility of a really severe nuclear winter lasting years, making planting crops less fruitful or even impossible.
So who would be best placed to survive? It would be those people not plugged into and not dependent on the world economic system, such as subsistence farmers in poor places, especially in the Southern Hemisphere. It is also possible that a few of the countries down there, if not directly hit by nuclear bombs, might be able to maintain organized states, even while suffering also from famine and impoverishment. There would, however, be no United States ever again.

Posted by: Cabe | Apr 2 2023 3:07 utc | 81

I’ve been catching up with Patrick Lawrence, and I’m still reading his views on the Xi visit to Moscow, but I wanted to share his latest two articles on this:
Patrick Lawrence: What Just Happened in Moscow Is Big – [March 26]
Patrick Lawrence: China and Russia Deepen Ties To Oppose US’s Destabilizing Actions – [March 28]
I love to read Lawrence – I wish I could write that well.
And also with as much meaning, like this:

As was widely misreported, Xi was supposed to travel to Moscow to discuss a “12–point peace plan” the Chinese Foreign Ministry supposedly issued late last month. Here’s the thing about the Chinese peace plan: There is no Chinese peace plan. I have considered the document in question elsewhere. Its title is “China’s Position on the Political Settlement of the Ukraine Crisis.” As this implies, it is a statement of China’s views, nothing more, and was made public, I would say, with a pronounced air of detachment.
So, no peace plan. China has not put up its hand to intervene in Ukraine and solve the crisis. You cannot fail at something you have not attempted.

What then does Lawrence see in the overtures for peace that China made to Russia and the world? Drawing from the best analysis he can find (which he cites), he summarizes three takeaways:

One, it falls to Moscow and Kyiv alone to make peace. This can be accomplished by way of the 12 points in China’s position paper—a ceasefire, negotiations, a mutually satisfactory settlement, adherence to international law, provisions for reconstruction. Two, Putin has opened the door to China as a mediator should such a role make sense at some future point. Three, and this is implicit in the document, although Moscow has been clear enough on the point elsewhere: The U.S. and the other Western powers are not acceptable as mediators given the proxy war they are waging against the Russian Federation.

These quotes are from the earlier article. I haven’t read the second one yet, but it follows from the Middle East triumphs that Crooke has been discussing, so I imagine there will be much to complement Crooke there.
So, very much a review in progress for me, but you have the links while the weekend still exists.

Posted by: Grieved | Apr 2 2023 3:40 utc | 83

Posted by: karlof1 | Apr 1 2023 20:28 utc | 26
Thanks again karlof1 for two important links. (I haven’t read the second one yet,will next.)
The Crooke essay had me thinking of the phrase: “Let’s you and him fight!”. And surely those in the eastern nations could be captioned in a cartoon as, engaged in fisticuffs, they look over their shoulders at Uncle Sam voicing that incentive.
I shudder that Fareed Zakaria is still pontificating. I lost trust in him during the Bush war years … but on to Prof. Hudson!
I again thank you also for that Russia Foreign Policy document. The points you bolded are indeed significant, all the way back to those Russian ladies interrupting a church service in the heart of Moscow. Early wokie invasion?

Posted by: juliania | Apr 2 2023 4:04 utc | 85

The Cradle is the Go To place for ME reporting as shown by the titles of four current postings there
Israel strikes Damascus for second time in 24 hours, kills IRGC officer
Iran’s Quds Force commander in Iraq for unannounced visit
US general vows ‘harsh’ attacks against IRGC’s Quds Force in Syria
Russia asks Iraq to reopen air corridor to Syria

Posted by: psychohistorian | Apr 2 2023 5:04 utc | 87

Two news items, best seen together:
– Turkey joins the EU single market Link
– Turkish parliament ratifies Finlands’ NATO membership Link
NATO gets Finland and the Europeans pay the bill. Do you hear that giant sucking sound? That’s jobs being pulled out of Europe.

Posted by: Passerby | Apr 2 2023 8:03 utc | 89

Plenty of April fool attempts last 24 hours.
Physics – whatever degree level education some one is claiming. If they don’t know about Faraday Cages they don’t know shit.
A direct hit by a Solar flare would pretty much frazzle the Earth unless the Moon was exactly in the correct position.
Relativity is real. So is Quantum. That’s the fun of REAL science. It is a slow methodical inching towards knowledge.
Mathematics is a conundrum – one needs to be really really really good and then it may still not explain it!
The Pripagandists and Culture Controllers lay claim to all to ‘weaponise’ it to keep the slaves believing that they are actually masters. The Big Bang Theory , on TeeVee was all about that, just another iteration of fiction used to mould society and de-civilise further, the Collective Waste.
Science and Tech in service of Nazis and Genocide?
Hell Yes.
We were working on high grade face, clear, face masks with built in micro motors that filtered to the nth degree even before the Covid year – oh and they really actually work- but I haven’t seen any being used anywhere. Is it because the real Doomsday was just being practiced?
I’m find that eggs disappearing to be a genuine indicator of something evil being afoot… by as they say – The best laid plans of mice and man.
Elensky’s time of sacrifice has come , he will believe he is immortal by now and gladly walk forth believing in his personal survival- the dumb fool.
Be spiritual don’t be a religious nut. Happy Easter Week. The King must die for a fruitful re-birth.
That is Nature.

Posted by: DunGroanin | Apr 2 2023 13:17 utc | 91

rico rose | Apr 2 2023 12:03 utc | 89
This all leaves us with a bubble of journalistic personalities the readers trust or not.

Agreed. I consider the increasing attacks on alternative media as a sign of weakness. A strong leadership would not need to go that far (as it was back in the days when the “welfare state” and “liberal democracies” put up their nicest faces.)

Germany have a history for this. From Heine to Scholl-Latour there always have been the window in perception of general public for the story driven by truth.

I am ever torn whether Germany is special in this regard, or it’s mostly same throughout the “West”, with obvious regional/historical differences.

I think the only protection of persons like Tucholsky and b is an awareness in the readership wich have to be vocalised. Don’t let them do their musing in darkness.

This awareness certainly helps but when push comes to shove, anything is possible: formerly entirely mainstream actors have been shunned (Scholl-Latour, Krone-Schmalz, even Ken Jebsen used to work for public broadcaster Radio Fritz until he got smeared with anti-semitism claims).

Posted by: Konami | Apr 2 2023 14:19 utc | 93

Posted by: Konami | Apr 2 2023 14:19 utc | 93
yes, that there is no tolerance left for publicistic freedom is the frightening part. The tools in use to silence dissenting voices are old, but just recently got released from the torture chamber. For sure there is a totally different tune or better rhythm played in the public ear. Don’t know about uniqueness of German experience, but for this culture I know exactly what have been done. So far stands Luthers “hier stehe ich und kann nicht anders” as Leitmotiv of an open society. But also him was in custody of the dark power until he made his certain compromisses with them.
I am sure b is in trouble for publishing his mind. The flies in this bar makes is not easier with all the global exposure. Also the saker is a recent example for this tendency of necessary self censorship.

Posted by: rico rose | Apr 2 2023 16:22 utc | 95

rico rose: Yes, that’s right. Tools that weren’t needed for a while come out of the closet again, some of them seemingly polished and improved over time. (I belong to those who consider the 2020-2022 experience as a warm-up in applied mass psychology.)
I think I’ve mentioned before that I grew during the last legs of the GDR (= East Germany). It is clear to me that dissenting people will find a way to connect, as it is clear that officialdom can take society wherever they want to. That could be much, much further than where we are now.
We have children, and I try to cherish the few positive news we get among all the sad things: the KSA-Iran talks; China and Japan are about to establish a military hot wire (as has happened early last year between US and Russia which makes an accidental nuclear much less likely, in my opinion). Perhaps we’re about to see the end of fighting in Eastern Ukraine soon but I hoped this so often that I stopped expecting it. There’s a Germanism from the 1930’s for our situation that I find appropriate: innere Emigration, time to flex it again.

Posted by: Konami | Apr 2 2023 16:54 utc | 97

karlof1 | Apr 1 2023 22:22 utc | 50
Does substack have to be full essays?
Can you post your comments like here….and top and tail them with a paragraph of analysis?
People are more likely to find and share your work using that vehicle rather than vk, I think…
Posted by: Melaleuca | Apr 1 2023 22:27 utc | 54
Substack content is entirely up to you subject to platform technical limitations. It’s free to use. Subscriptions can be paid or not. Extremely easy to create your page. Karlof1 shld be on there already. A d Bevin could teach writing to boot!

Posted by: Scorpion | Apr 2 2023 19:29 utc | 99