Moon of Alabama Brecht quote
May 03, 2023

Open (Not Ukraine) Thread 2023-105

News & views (not related to the Ukraine conflict) ...

Posted by b on May 3, 2023 at 16:37 UTC | Permalink

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The very young girl (19 yrs old in video)who made it to the courthouse steps to accuse Trump and Epstein but then disappeared.


Here https://twitter.com/AbrahamStein8/status/1653779836614201344?s=20

Posted by: Dave Oneil | May 3 2023 16:41 utc | 1

Australians need to wake up fast the US/UK is using it as a patsy to goad China, which is one of it main trading partners.


"The US government is permitted to have nuclear weapons in Australia. What's more, Australians are not permitted to know whether or not this is happening. What's more, not even Australia's elected senators are permitted to know whether this is happening. It's assumed to be none of Australia's business whether there are foreign nuclear weapons in Australia."


https://caitlinjohnstone.substack.com/p/australians-arent-allowed-to-know

Posted by: Republicofscotland | May 3 2023 17:26 utc | 2

"largest data breach in US history." Millions of 2020 votes manipulated on Chinese servers.

https://twitter.com/Rasmussen_Poll/status/1578483517134057473

Posted by: Scorpion | May 3 2023 17:29 utc | 3

Iran and Syria are fighting back against Western sanctions.


"Presidents of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Arab Republic of Syria have singed an agreement on “long-term strategic comprehensive cooperation” between the two countries.

The two presidents held a meeting earlier in the day in Damascus, highlighting the importance of Iran-Syria’s long-term cooperation plan for advancing the interests of the two nations and other countries in the region.

The two presidents inked 14 documents in various areas, including trade, oil and energy, engineering, housing, rail and aerial transportation, free trade zones, communications and technology, earthquake reliefs, and facilitation of pilgrimage to the holy sites for the people of the two Muslim nations.

Mehrdad Bazrpash, the Iranian road minister and head of the Iran-Syria Joint Economic Commission, described the signed documents as “nearly unprecedented both in terms of number and importance of [addressed] issues.”

“A major section of these documents seeks to facilitate trade between the two countries,” he told IRIB after the signing ceremony, noting that the agreements will improve the quality and volume of bilateral trade."


https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2023/05/03/702692/Iran-Syria-ink-MoU-long-term-strategic-cooperation

Posted by: Republicofscotland | May 3 2023 17:31 utc | 4

Outraged has been absent for some time.
Hope he's OK and getting better if not well.

Posted by: waynorinorway | May 3 2023 17:34 utc | 5

Great piece on BlackRock and much, much more. Luongo.
https://tomluongo.me/2023/05/01/tucker-blackrock-and-the-sifi-two-step/

Posted by: Scorpion | May 3 2023 18:03 utc | 6

Sudan...Matthew Ehret at The Cradle

Posted by: Digital Spartacus | May 3 2023 18:13 utc | 7

Inlagd av: suzan | 3 maj 2023 6:15 UTC | 216 not Ukraine
Thank you Suzan for your perceptive comment about Robert Kagan and Victoria Nuland.

Posted by: Northern Eve | May 3 2023 18:20 utc | 8


In the 18th and 19th centuries, sperm whale oil, known as spermaceti--which is extracted from the heads of sperm whales--became an invaluable source of lamp oil, as its smokeless flame made it an ideal fuel source, which in turn made it a commodity with high value and high demand. The whaling industry responded in kind, by massively ramping up their production and quickly driving sperm whales bear to extinction.

As reported by Gizmodo in their article “1846: The Year We Hit Peak Sperm Whale Oil,” the craze spread rapidly on both sides of the Atlantic. “Sperm whales were hunted mercilessly in the mid 1700s and early 1800s. A single, large sperm whale could hold as much [as] three tons of sperm oil, making them an incredibly valuable commodity — and in fact, they became the first of any animal or mineral oil to achieve commercial viability.

“And like any new innovation, consumption habits quickly followed suit. Americans and Europeans started using sperm whale oil to fuel lighthouses, street lamps, and public buildings. Wealthier folks stopped using home-made tallow candles, preferring the more hi-tech alternative. The spermaceti candle became so prevalent that it created a new light standard: the lumen."


Sperm whaling spread rapidly off the east coast of the United States in the 1760s and 1770s, “moving from the east coast of the American colonies to the Gulf Stream, the Grand Banks, West Africa, the Azores, and the South Atlantic,” ramping up most critically between the years of 1770 and 1775 as whaling became a huge industry in Massachusetts, New York, Connecticut, and Rhode Island, which together “produced 45,000 barrels of sperm oil in each of those years.” The success of the U.S. whaling industry soon caught the attention of European interests as well, with the French particularly keen to cash in on the endeavor.

Whales quickly became critically overfished in the Atlantic, pushing whaling enterprises further and further into faraway, colder waters and to hunt smaller and smaller whales. “The intense whale hunting drove the number of sperm whales down appreciably. It's estimated that nearly 236,000 whales were killed in the 19th century alone,” reports Gizmodo. Negative externalities of the rapidly expanding whale oil industry were widespread and almost immediate in a textbook case of the tragedy of the commons, with seas turning into grizzly bloodbaths described by Gizmodo as a “showcase of terrors,'' an epidemic of “whale widows,” and sharp increases in the price of whale oil as demand continued to grow and whale stocks were fished nearly into extinction and “whalers, after plundering the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans, were having to chase smaller whales in colder and more extreme waters, while having to utilize bigger ships over longer periods of time.” In 1846 the industry reached a breaking point, culminating in what we now know was the moment that the world reached peak whale oil.

https://oilprice.com/Energy/Crude-Oil/What-Can-We-Learn-From-Peak-Whale-Oil.html


Posted by: 2+2=5 | May 3 2023 18:33 utc | 9

Posted by: 2+2=5 | May 3 2023 18:33 utc | 9
you and your big fish stories.

we know better now. somebody posted a story a few days back about Russia partnering with Turkey...to build nuclear reactors.

what could possibly go wrong? Chernobyl plus Fukushima? no worries, including human error and war.

"more light," Goethe.

"la commedia e finita" beethoven

Posted by: rjb1.5 | May 3 2023 18:54 utc | 10

Pepe Escobar's move to Moscow has resulted in him becoming involved in new programming with Ria Novosti which is also known as Sputnik, the program is called "New Rules!". Pepe is also the central subject of this article by Ekaterina Blinova, "Pepe Escobar: Global De-Dollarization Nearing 'Crossroads Moment'". Finally moving on from Asia Times, Pepe says on his Telegram that he's "VERY pleased to be back with Sputnik."

Posted by: karlof1 | May 3 2023 19:02 utc | 11

i saw Greenwald's System update recently, wtf is Lula doing? or is he a helpless puppet in pushing this new internet censorship law?

Posted by: pretzelattack | May 3 2023 19:49 utc | 12

rjb1.5 @10
Concerning Chernobyl,interesting that they lost control of over 120 tons of big Bada boom for six hours. Then "somehow", they managed to regain a modicum of control. Said something most interesting was going on outside.
Concerning Fukushima,here's what really happened.Usual suspects.
https://311truth.wordpress.com/about-311-truth/

Posted by: Ancient Times | May 3 2023 20:27 utc | 13

waynorinorway | May 3 2023 17:34 utc | 5
Outraged absent.
I’d noticed also.
He’s much missed IMO.

Posted by: Melaleuca | May 3 2023 22:17 utc | 14

US elites plan to carve up the Bear..
https://www.rt.com/russia/575699-patrushev-western-elites-plan/

Posted by: Scorpion | May 3 2023 23:11 utc | 15

2+2=5 #9

Thank you for the whale report. Now we drive the fish to near extinction.

Posted by: uncle tungsten | May 4 2023 0:00 utc | 16

Many blessings to outraged from the uncle.

Posted by: uncle tungsten | May 4 2023 0:02 utc | 17

Dave Oneil #1

The predators are well protected, the court system inept and flawed, the entire corrupt cart of scumbags laughs its way to the next flesh party. I guess Ghislaine Maxwell has appointed a stand in manager or two for now.

I posted this yesterday but late in the thread so here is some reference material to ponder and almost every pic is a link to details. Note the action in Odessa! Perhaps this explains the hysterics of the establishment but it is much more than that of course.

Posted by: uncle tungsten | May 4 2023 0:16 utc | 18

At today's briefing, Maria Z was asked, "Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said that a single currency could emerge in the BRICS countries, which could be used as a supranational unit of account. What is the probability of its occurrence in the near future?" Her answer was somewhat boilerplate as she's not an expert nor closely involved in such discussions but is worth reading:

Taking into account the current international situation, when Western currencies (the dollar and the euro) are used by the "collective West", NATO-centric countries and their military-political associations as an instrument of pressure, and in some places just as a direct weapon, more and more countries are thinking about increasing the role of alternative payment systems and currencies in mutual settlements.

BRICS is acting in line with these trends. This does not come from a desire to harm someone or prove something. It comes from life, from rejection of pressure and understanding of disgust to another deception of the West.

For many years, Washington has been saying that the dollar is not only the national currency of the United States, but a factor, a development, an element of the internal economic space that the United States is ready to provide to everyone for the good, for conducting international economic financial cooperation, and the economic activities of international entities. It was presented that way. Among other things, it was Washington who spoke about the impossibility of using political methods of pressure on solving economic problems and issues, the impossibility of using the political situation that disrupted the natural course of economic relations, such as competition, freedom of enterprise, market mechanisms, etc.

Everything turned out to be different. It turned out that initially Washington had a different plan - to use it at critical moments for itself (and maybe not even at critical moments, but at the moments necessary for itself) as an element of blackmail, pressure, sometimes as a weapon for the implementation of unscrupulous, illegal goals and objectives.

The idea of creating an international reserve currency based on the currency basket of the BRICS countries, which could be used in settlements between the members of the association, was put forward by President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin at the BRICS summit on June 23, 2022.

This initiative is forward-looking. It requires a detailed expert analysis in a five-sided format. Since the creation of supranational payment instruments is not an easy process. In any case, issues related to payment mechanisms are in the focus of constant attention of the BRICS countries. We do not rule out that this topic may be touched upon during the upcoming meeting of the five leaders in South Africa.

Actually, creating something like Keynes's bancor--a "supranational payment instrument"--is relatively simple; what's difficult and complex is creating the mechanisms and institutions for use of the instrument. My suggestion months ago was to begin at geographical regions that are already closely trading with each other and cited the South American experience. The regional build-up method I mentioned to Dr. Hudson and it was finally mentioned by Radhika Desai in their latest podcast:

"Keynes, on the other hand [as opposed to the dollar system], had designed the ICU [International Currency Union] and Bancor, and we’ll see that the regional arrangements will also have to eventually see the wisdom of this, in order to reduce imbalances."

I know many barflies are very curious about the dedollarization process, and the simplest way to implement a new system is to follow Keynes's templates, not try to create a whole new currency as seems to be where the efforts are being made. The episode prior to the one linked above contains much discussion as well. I've found a pdf of Keynes draft proposal for the ICU that might be helpful for those having a deeper curiosity in this project.

Posted by: karlof1 | May 4 2023 0:34 utc | 19

Below is the link to a Wall Street On Parade posting of the day

Short Sellers Cratered Silvergate Bank and First Republic; They’re Now Targeting PacWest and Numerous Other Regional Banks

The quote

President Joe Biden is putting the national security of the United States at risk by not suspending the short-selling of federally-insured banks. Concerns over the safety and soundness of the U.S. financial system could cause money flight out of the U.S., impacting the strength of the U.S. dollar and a loss of confidence by our foreign allies.

This is also a matter that impacts the financial lives of every American, because every American – rich, poor or middle class – will suffer the consequences in terms of ability to access bank credit and higher fees on that credit as a result of rebuilding the rapidly depleting federal Deposit Insurance Fund that protects bank deposits.

And they end with this

Editor’s Note: We believe that, in general, short sellers perform a critical role in U.S. markets – calling attention to corporate corruption and fraud that has been missed by regulators and the media. But the rapidly deteriorating condition of U.S. banks is a function of the unprecedented span of time that the Fed kept interest rates at the zero interest level, forcing banks to make fixed-rate mortgage loans at 3, 4 and 5 percent interest in order to remain competitive. Those loans and their related mortgage-backed securities are now underwater as a result of the Fed raising rates faster than at any time in the last 40 years. Exceptional times call for exceptional actions. President Biden needs to step up to the plate.

In the God Of Mammon cult there is no judicious only use of short selling and we are seeing the serpent eating its own tail to prove the point.

Posted by: psychohistorian | May 4 2023 1:57 utc | 20

Digital Spartacus #7

Sudan

Thank you for the link to Matthew Ehret's report on Sudan at the Cradle.

While the cause of the recent violence in Sudan remains uncertain, there are some things that are known. Prior to the recent outbreak of violence that claimed nearly 500 lives, Sudan was making significant strides toward consolidating its participation in the emerging multipolar alliance.

This included Sudan’s submission of a request to join the BRICS+ alliance along with 19 other nations, including resource-rich African states such as Algeria, Egypt, Nigeria, and Zimbabwe. Sudan’s decision to grant Russia full use of the Port of Sudan and engage in large-scale economic development with China, Russia, Egypt, and Kuwait was viewed as a positive development by many but drew threats of “consequences” from the US Ambassador John Godfrey.

In April 2021, agreements were signed to build a 900 km Egypt-Sudan railway connecting Aswan to Sudan’s Wadi Halfa and Khartoum. In June 2022, a Joint Ethiopia-Sudan government commissioned feasibility study was finished outlining a 1522 km standard gauge railway connecting Ethiopia’s Addis Ababa to Khartoum and the Port of Sudan.

In January 2022, China pledged financial and technical support to extend Kenya’s 578 km Mombasa-Nairobi railway to Uganda, South Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, as well as Ethiopia, where the Chinese-built Addis Ababa-Djibouti railway was completed in 2017. In this comprehensive project, extensions into Eritrea were included.

No surprise which nation on the opposite side of the globe is impoverishing and murdering Africans - still.

Posted by: uncle tungsten | May 4 2023 2:05 utc | 21

There is no end in sight in Sudan; somebody from outside the country is fueling the conflict. In the Middle East, we often used to say, when the U.S. evacuates its personnel, it is usually a sign of a sinister plot by Washington against that country. The U.S. has just evacuated its personnel.

This does not bode well for the future of Sudan. In 1976, when the U.S. evacuated its personnel from Beirut, it marked the intensification of a civil war that would not end until 1990. -As`ad AbuKhalil - Professor of Political Science at California State University

https://consortiumnews.com/2023/05/02/asad-abukhalil-who-is-fighting-whom-in-sudan/

Posted by: Menz | May 4 2023 2:18 utc | 22

Craig Murray in top form
The USA – What Democracy?
"..It is truly astounding that incalculable volumes of media coverage have been given to largely groundless accusations of Russian interference in US Presidential elections, when this actual, entirely proven interference in a US Presidential Election, which arguably was key to Biden’s election, has in itself been largely suppressed.

"The letter released by 51 former US intelligence officials, telling what we now know to be the outright lie that the Hunter Biden laptop was “Russian disinformation”, was initiated by the Biden campaign, according to sworn testimony from former Acting CIA Director Mike Morell – who was willingly a part of it with the declared aim of wanting Biden to win.

"If you are not fully up to speed with this, this Wall Street Journal podcast is excellent.

"It should be recalled that, apart from all the sex and drugs, the laptop contained emails showing plainly Hunter Biden leveraging his father’s influence to obtain lucrative business deals with, inter alia, Ukraine and China.

"Three weeks before a close election, the contents of Hunter Biden’s laptop could undoubtedly have swayed it, if it had not been massively and falsely derided as a Russian hoax by almost the entire mainstream media, and censored to death by Twitter and Facebook...."
https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2023/05/the-usa-what-democracy/

Murray quotes RFKennedy Jr campaign website:
..In the long term, a nation’s strength does not come from its armies. America spends as much on weaponry as the next nine nations combined, yet the country has grown weaker, not stronger, over the last 30 years. Even as its military technology has reigned supreme, America has been hollowing out from the inside. We cannot be a strong or secure nation when our infrastructure, industry, society, and economy are infirm.

"A high priority of a Kennedy administration will be to make America strong again. When a body is sick, it withdraws its energy from the extremities in order to nourish the vital organs. It is time to end the imperial project and attend to all that has been neglected: the crumbling cities, the antiquated railways, the failing water systems, the decaying infrastructure, the ailing economy. Annual defense-related spending is close to one trillion dollars. We maintain 800 military bases around the world. The peace dividend that was supposed to come after the Berlin Wall fell was never redeemed. Now we have another chance.

"As President, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. will start the process of unwinding empire. We will bring the troops home. We will stop racking up unpayable debt to fight one war after another. The military will return to its proper role of defending our country. We will end the proxy wars, bombing campaigns, covert operations, coups, paramilitaries, and everything else that has become so normal most people don’t know it’s happening. But it is happening, a constant drain on our strength. It’s time to come home and restore this country..."

Posted by: bevin | May 4 2023 2:21 utc | 23

Posted by: bevin | May 4 2023 2:21 utc | 23

thanks Bevin
I have been impressed by RFK's rhetoric, better than Sanders. (I'm ashamed to say I donated to Bernie.) Here are my nagging doubts:

He still calls Putin a "thug". I need to hear him explain. On the other hand he is talking more about the 2014 coup, the role of the U.S., the 14,000 killed in the Donbass and the importance of the Minsk Accord.

He has not said what he would do if he "loses" the primary. The DNC is a private entity with near total control of the primary process and is mounting a blackout & smear campaign. They have super delegates and can rig primary caucuses and votes. (remember Iowa?) Tulsi and Bernie both ultimately endorsed Biden. That was a betrayal. Will RFK? My guess is that he doesn't know what he'll do so until he commits I will not decide.

Ultimately I think the 2024 election in the US will be contested by the losing side and drive a deeper wedge into the two sides, accelerating the dissolution. RFK is the only one running who could help bring some reds and blues together while at the same time calling out the phonies and haters.

ps RFK's book on Fauci is loaded. I highly recommend it. I don't agree with some of his beliefs but one of his core arguments is that big Pharma and other corporate behemoths have captured our agencies-- textbook definition of fascism. The book goes back to the AIDS epidemic and exposes and excoriates Fauci; pages and pages of sources to support his accusations and assertions.

bottom line, I'm watching him, also encouraging friends to do the same. By the way, I'm getting a sense that some of my "blue no matter who" acquaintances are not as sure about their COVID beliefs as they were a year ago.

Posted by: migueljose | May 4 2023 3:25 utc | 24

Hey Juliana. The best way to grow potatoes on a small scale is to plant them in good soil with a pH of 5.5. Use old tires. You let the plant grow up then put an old tire around it. Fill up the tire with loose soil/straw. As it grows, strip the bottom leaves, add another tire and fill with more soil. For large potatoes, keep the soil loose. Peace, sister.

Posted by: Immaculate deception | May 4 2023 4:47 utc | 25

@24 migueljose | May 4 2023 3:25 utc

I think that expecting Robert Kennedy to have a perfect platform is unrealistic. He is only blind to the things he doesn't know.

He doesn't know about China. He knows about a lab leak and he knows about Fort Detrick but he still thinks the lab leak came from Wuhan. He hasn't leaped over the chasm to believe that Detrick could be the source of all the ills - but he hasn't spent a couple of years chatting in the MoA threads either. Not many have.

I look at what he gave us as sheer fact in the Fauci book, as well as what his general counsel gave us regarding the state of vaccine science in Turtles All the Way Down. These are gifts and inputs into our group knowledge that - to me - are vastly larger than any blind spots he currently has. They were practically unique in their integrity, and game changers in their import.

Let's be clear, I don't expect him to be president. I just prefer to have a balanced view of who he is and what he currently thinks.

I also expect that what he currently thinks will change over time, because so many people (like Kim Iverson cited in the last open thread) will tell him honestly, and as a decent man he'll hear them. We have a long way to go to see what his ultimate thinking evolves into - look at doctors like McCullough and Malone and see how they've changed over the last couple of years.

~~

When Trump was elected I was not impressed, but he canceled the US involvement in the Trans-Pacific Partnership, and I said here at MoA that this to me was worth at least a year of credit to his record - others said it was worth the whole term.

Same thing with Robert Kennedy. What he doesn't have in his arsenal seems quite minor to me, compared with what he does have.

He has now said that as president he will pardon Julian Assange (and all whistleblowers - in effect restoring the notion of the whistleblower as the good actor). What is this one act worth, compared to other policy disappointments?

Posted by: Grieved | May 4 2023 5:02 utc | 26

eight billion people
the human race
has done well for itself,
at the expense of other living things
on quantity, we have thrived.
on quality,human interaction
feels alienated, tiresome
it’s a contradiction
I have learned it live with contradictions

Posted by: Dingo | May 4 2023 5:40 utc | 27

RFK's rhetoric....

Where is the political party that will challenge the swamp. Rhetoric is just that. So many still believe dumbocracy will win the day.

Posted by: Peter AU1 | May 4 2023 6:29 utc | 28

Azerbaijan and the Great Game:

I just read through this piece at The Cradle: https://thecradle.co/article-view/24076/how-azerbaijans-stability-became-vital-for-china

Considering the current heightened conflicts and relationship shifts in the world right now I guess the Brics network must be focussed on playing hard ball for some time. So much now depends on driving the USA back to the confines of its nation state and breaking free from the evil of its global machinations.

War and perpetual aggravation between nations plus the persistent threat of internal color revolutions must be overcome for there to be rewarding human development.

Every path of opportunity for the new Great Silk Road between nations is obstructed or sabotaged by the persistent aggravations of the West.

Reading of the Sudan troubles and the extraordinary potential to be realised in a cooperative and stable Africa as posted today by


Digital Spartacus #7

Sudan...Matthew Ehret at The Cradle

then some earlier readings on the North South Corridor from Moscow through Azerbaijan to Iran and now the report above on the East West corridor through Azerbaijan.

The Western and particularly USA permanent state of beligerence, obstruction, sabotage must end.

Stay strong Russia and China even if it takes a decade to exhaust this beast among us. Stay strong. The people who imagine and share their commitment for a better world are with you. Solidarity.

Posted by: uncle tungsten | May 4 2023 6:46 utc | 29

"at the expense of other living things"

Apart from plants that can thrive on volcanic soil, e very living thing lives at the expense of other living things. I have watched dingo's run down Kangaroos and goats. Outside the dog fence dingo's are quite brazen.
Running mobs of goats of hills one time, someone I knew well wacked a powerline there, the ground crew were already walking in three mobs and I was walking in another. A couple of dogs came in. Buzzing them made no difference. they would go into the mob, pull a goat down and chew on it till it stopped struggling, then go back to the mob and grab another. I had to call in one of the ground crew and he had to ride up to one of the dogs and kick it.

I like your posts but your username does not match this line "at the expense of other living things"

Posted by: Peter AU1 | May 4 2023 6:51 utc | 30

Posted by: karlof1 | May 3 2023 19:02 utc | 11

Oh, karlof1! You have kept me transfigured well, well past my appointed bedtime and into the darkness which comes before light of morning with only that first subversive link to the conversation on Odyssey (well named site!) That is without question the most illuminating discussion involving Pepe that it has been my joy to encounter. (And there have been previous excellent interviews.) It is long, and I encourage everyone to take the time to absorb it.

All future interviews should aspire to one-tenth of the complexity of this one. I will save your second link for morning; this has been food for my mind to contemplate through what few hours of sleep remain to me -- they need not be of their usual length; the richness herein will compensate.

Thank you!

Thank you!

Posted by: juliania | May 4 2023 9:35 utc | 31

Posted by: Grieved | May 4 2023 5:02 utc | 26

I agree with you. But he won't be president under current circumstances. However that is rapidly changing so who knows. In any case Peter Au is correct, he is just one man and the entire Democratic Party are corrupt basket cases. Greedy, insane and degraded by power and money. He can't change that.

My sense is that he is simply using the candidacy as a platform for honest speech and has no intention of being president. I think that's a fine goal and will keep him alive as well, hopefully. I wish him well.

Posted by: K | May 4 2023 9:45 utc | 32

bevin | May 4 2023 2:21 utc | 23

It should be recalled that, apart from all the sex and drugs, the laptop contained emails showing plainly Hunter Biden leveraging his father’s influence to obtain lucrative business deals with, inter alia, Ukraine and China

Though we've known for years, apparently, this hasn't yet been forgotten.

Posted by: john | May 4 2023 9:52 utc | 33

so RFK jr was a Russiagater?
https://twitter.com/mtracey/status/1652134220339314688

the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

Posted by: pretzelattack | May 4 2023 10:09 utc | 34

one notable quote
Michael Tracey
@mtracey
·
Apr 29
You'd be hard-pressed to find a more consistent, long-term champion of Hillary Clinton than RFK Jr.

January 2009: Obama "couldn't have gotten a better choice" for Secretary of State

Recall, Hillary became the most virulent hawk in the administration. RFK continued endorsing her

Posted by: pretzelattack | May 4 2023 10:20 utc | 35

Maybe it’s the King’s upcoming coronation, but the British influence - as I see it - in selected Canadian media seems in top form. Highlights for me from CBC News were the video of that school principal finding a bear in the dumpster (… Serbia? I’ve never been to a school shooting but that La Presse footage was not what I expected…) and “vertical farming will create strawberry fields forever” (for selected investors, one would presume, although the article highlighted a family farm.)

http://www.cbc.ca/player/play/2201364547599

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/vertical-farming-strawberrry-fields-forever-1.6828585

While talking on the monarchy, I have to post this opinion piece from First Nations woman and Governor General of Canada, Mary Simon. You broke it, you bought it — the passage of a few centuries being irrelevant to the heart of the matter. Not yours to “republicize”

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/governor-general-canada-monarchy-future-1.6831365

Posted by: Bruised Northerner | May 4 2023 12:17 utc | 36

Posted by: Grieved | May 4 2023 5:02 utc | 26

Good points and advice on RFK. I tend to compare him with Sanders. When Sanders used the phrase "my friend Joe" I realized that he was probably a con. I don't think RFK is. His book shows that he is for real but the book along with his recent speeches also reveals his family soft spot for the Democratic party and the privileged position of the Kennedy clan. RFK recently said that he has known Biden for 40 years and has been on friendly/favorable terms with him which also shows the challenge for RFK regarding the pressure he must be getting from family members, many of whom work public sector related jobs and are networked with the political and financial jet set, including his wife.

bottom line, presidential race is for show and gets into Americans' heads, Jerry Springer style but does have an impact on the collapsing empire and the people who live here along with the rest of the world. I support what RFK is doing and saying now and encourage others to do the same. How he proceeds going forward... we can only hope.

Posted by: migueljose | May 4 2023 12:57 utc | 37

https://www.unz.com/mwhitney/was-the-tucker-take-down-a-deep-state-hit/

very interesting the Tucker Carlson deep state take down story..

Posted by: snake | May 4 2023 14:08 utc | 38

outraged…..

i join in the chorus with high regard for our missing poster…

thanks everyone for the commentary, especially immaculate deception on the potatoes.

Posted by: james | May 4 2023 14:14 utc | 39

When an article starts like this you'll think you've already heard it but I found the full BRICS Bloc Emerging excellent, an easy to understand guide towards the next meeting being held in my country in August. I have to support it cause the health of the world is bigger than my extremely corrupt government.

"Has the US just made a strategic blunder? In leading the military support of Ukraine’s fight against Russia, introducing a massive package of sanctions and weaponising the dollar, Washington has caused a backlash that is rapidly driving the world’s leading emerging markets (EMs) together into a bloc led by the BRICS, who are clubbing together and de-dollarising in case they are next up to face US-led Western ire."

Furthermore, it adds global context e.g.

"Serbs are already angry at the US, which has spent more than $1bn on upgrading Camp Bondsteel in Kosovo, which was established during the Nato campaign in the Balkans and used to bomb Serbia. It continues to threaten the region and is hugely controversial.

The Serbian example is especially telling, as the Balkan campaign at the end of the 1990s is one of the examples where Nato acted as an aggressor and not defensively, bombing Serbia, albeit to stop the genocide that was going on in the country at the time.

The resentment at Western lectures is even more pronounced in Africa, which is still visibly smarting from their colonial experience. Lavrov was touring Africa in the middle of April to warm receptions all round, but when French President Emmanuel Macron went on a four country tour of francophone countries he faced protests at nearly every stop..."

Posted by: Mike Hampton | May 4 2023 15:25 utc | 40

Posted by: Ancient Times | May 3 2023 20:27 utc | 13
little lunar beam, there's not the tiniest point at all of responding.

sunshine. look at what people do w/their little bitcoin of faith. mountains move. that's for goddam sure.

"death's dream kingdom" t.s. eliot. people need new eyes.

Posted by: rjb1.5 | May 4 2023 16:44 utc | 41

Quite an interesting piece over at Global South, posted by Colin Maxwell (a regular commenter there, as well as a long-time poster at the Saker Vineyard).

Among other topics it highlights something I had forgotten/overlooked; the implementation of Basel III rules and how the US Federal Reserve might have been blindsided by this, in respect of its approach to gold reserves and the global gold market.

This paragraph jumped out at me:

The US Govt Debt (Treasury debt) already sits at $31 trillion which in physical gold terms, at US $2000 per ounce, is a mind-boggling 440,000 tons – this amounts to more than double the entire global tonnage mined in world history (~208,000 metric tons). This will never be paid back in a hundred years and with current trends, this debt will balloon out even more disastrously.

For Hudsonites and maybe even Luongo-ites the piece is well worth a read here: https://globalsouth.co/2023/05/04/the-western-financial-system-is-not-capitalism/

Posted by: West of England Andy | May 4 2023 18:28 utc | 42

From a ZH posting with title

Initial Jobless Claims Jump Near 18 Month High

The quote

Finally, while job cuts fell in April from March, hiring plans have also fallen significantly from 2022. In April, companies announced plans to add 23,310 positions for a total of 93,948 so far this year. This is down 81% from the 486,603 hiring plans announced in the same period last year. It is the lowest number of announced hiring plans through April since 2016, when Challenger tracked 38,455 hiring plans in the first four months of the year.

Posted by: psychohistorian | May 4 2023 19:28 utc | 43

"CIA once again confirms US' title as 'the world's biggest source of chaos': Global Times editorial" and "Exclusive: New report unveils how CIA schemes color revolutions around the world", neither of which are really news to barflies but will aid RoW in its gathering together into a united front against the Outlaw US Empire and its vassals. The second item opens thusly:

For a long time, the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has plotted "peaceful evolution" and "color revolutions" as well as spying activities around the world. Although details about these operations have always been murky, a new report released by China's National Computer Virus Emergency Response Center and Chinese cybersecurity company 360 on Thursday unveiled the main technical means the CIA has used to scheme and promote unrest around the world.

According to the report, since the beginning of the 21st century, the rapid development of the internet offered "new opportunity" for CIA's infiltration activities in other countries and regions. Any institutions or individuals from anywhere in the world that use US digital equipment or software could be turned into the CIA's "puppet agent."

For decades, the CIA has overthrown or attempted to overthrow at least 50 legitimate governments abroad (the CIA has only recognized seven of these instances), causing turmoil in related countries. Whether it is the "color revolution" in Ukraine in 2014, the "sunflower revolution" in Taiwan island, China, or the "saffron revolution" in Myanmar in 2007, the "green revolution" in Iran in 2009, and other attempted "color revolutions" -- the US intelligence agencies are behind them all, according to the report.

The US' leading position in technologies of telecommunication and on-site command has provided unprecedented possibilities for the US intelligence community to launch "color revolutions" abroad. The report released by the National Computer Virus Emergency Response Center and 360 disclosed five methods commonly used by the CIA.

It then goes on to describe those five methods. From the editorial:

These activities [Color Revolutions, coups and assassinations] have once again confirmed the US' title of the "biggest source of chaos in the world," while the CIA is the black hand that messes up the world to maintain US hegemony. Wherever the CIA goes, there will be chaos. The CIA is not only an intelligence agency, but also a tool for the US to incite "peaceful evolution" and "color revolution," even to achieve regime change through violence. It is like a syringe filled with viruses, silently stabbing countries with a hidden needle and leaving a festering wound. All other countries need to be on the highest level of alert to CIA's operations at all times, because if it gets its way, the consequences will likely be unbearable.

Over the years, the US has launched "color revolutions" through the CIA around the world. Washington does not care how much social unrest it causes and how painful the price the local people pay. No matter how many people die, it is just a number to Washington, not to mention other damages. All the US cares about is whether the person who comes to power is a puppet that obeys US' orders.

Again, my biggest beef is the lack of a link to the report being reported upon and my internet search didn't help. I probably need to search in Chinese.

Posted by: karlof1 | May 4 2023 19:53 utc | 44

ZH has a posting up with the title

Chicago Mayor Begs Texas Governor To Stop Busing Illegal Immigrants

The quote

Lightfoot told Abbott she is sympathetic to border communities, but said the situation his busing practices have put her in is “completely untenable” and “the national immigration problem will not be solved by passing on the responsibility to other cities.”

“For the good of our country and the individuals who are seeking safety in refuge, let’s work together to find a real solution,” Lightfoot wrote. “And that real solution will never be the unilateral bussing of migrants to cities like Chicago.”

Abbott: Call on Biden Admin to ‘Do Its Job’
Abbott rebuffed Lightfoot’s complaints in his own letter on Monday, telling her that Chicago has had to deal with only a fraction of the illegal immigrants who have overwhelmed Texas border towns.

Posted by: psychohistorian | May 4 2023 20:14 utc | 45

Noted linguist and social critic Noam Chomsky, recently noted for regular appearances in Jeffrey Epstein's personal calendar:

Chomsky went on to say that when he met with Epstein, “what was known about Jeffrey Epstein was that he had been convicted of a crime and had served his sentence. According to U.S. laws and norms, that yields a clean slate.” Epstein also had a close relationship with MIT, making several donations to the university while he was alive.

https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/cia-director-noam-chomsky-epstein-calendar-1234726393/

Feet of clay, standing in swampland, eventually degrade to feet of sand. A natural process liberating the legacy of so many formerly great teachers, lately. Caitlin Johnstone wrote a piece about his holiness the Dalai Lama. Turns out to be a lifelong CIA asset, and a pedophile to boot! Oh well. Par for the course, where anyone called "holiness" is concerned, I suppose.

Posted by: Aleph_Null | May 4 2023 20:15 utc | 46

@ waynorinorway, Melaleuca, uncle tungsten, james
Bad fall. Old bones. Fractures. Complications. Coming off being heavily medicated. Was not doing well ...
Thank you for the kind thoughts/wishes. Unable to participate/contribute re posts for some time to come. Enough, OT. Still Steel
Peace

Posted by: Outraged | May 4 2023 21:13 utc | 47

Outraged @47--

Mixed news to be sure. Falls for us oldsters can be very serious; glad you're on the mend and hope you have a reputable nurse.

////////////////////

I've translated and posted the meeting Putin had today with Miniter of Economic Development Maxim Reshetnikov, "Growing Innovative Russian Economy Meeting". Besides the Kremlin's synopsis, "They discussed the current situation in the economy, in particular the dynamics macroeconomic indicators in the country, tools to encourage large investment, support system for small and medium-sized businesses, including in new territories," in my preamble I make several notes I though important the reader should be aware of, although here I'll highlight the following excerpt:

"I must say that thanks to all the systemic policy that these years is being carried out, and thanks to the national project ["Small and medium-sized entrepreneurship and support for individual entrepreneurship initiatives"] at the moment we can say that the small Business is now a real driver of economic restructuring.

"That is This is a real participant in the activity, a very strong sector both in the manufacturing industry and in mechanical engineering, both in metalworking and in the IT sector, And in the professional services sector, and, of course, in the sector tourism and hospitality, of course, which is now also a driver." [My Emphasis]

What's growing in Russia and China is what's dying in Neoliberal land, and the main reason is due to political-economic philosophy, which can be discerned from the discussion.

Posted by: karlof1 | May 4 2023 21:29 utc | 48

Posted by: Immaculate deception | May 4 2023 4:47 utc | 25

Thanks for your comment, Immaculate deception. Might be the best way for some, but tires weigh a lot and also use space -- if you have them, fine, but I don't drive (am getting back into public transportation after covid,) so that would be difficult logistically for me. My system is really using what I do have, and so far so good!

Best wishes to Outraged - I've fallen myself in the past and was no spring chicken at the time. Patience and determination to you, and pace yourself!

Posted by: juliania | May 4 2023 22:03 utc | 49

@karlof1 | May 4 2023 19:53 utc | 44

Again, my biggest beef is the lack of a link to the report being reported upon and my internet search didn't help. I probably need to search in Chinese.

Yes, you do need to look up with Chinese "國家計算機病毒應急處理中心" (China's CVERC). However, no English version is available at its web site so it is all Chinese again. Though you can look for the three-letters to find the related news item and get to it. It offers the part I of the report in English as PDF- ‘Empire of Hacking’: The U.S. Central Intelligence Agency — Part I at the end of the news item page.

Not sure how long the English PDF will be available though.

Posted by: LuRenJia | May 4 2023 22:17 utc | 50

LuRenJia | May 4 2023 22:17 utc | 50--

Many thanks for your reply! I can translate the docs from Chinese to English; so, that's not the problem. Finding the docs is. Thanks for the link provided. I see some of it was copy/pasted into the news items I read.

Posted by: karlof1 | May 5 2023 0:22 utc | 51

karlof1 51
I don't know if this link will help you or not. Usa expat who has lived in china for the past 20 years. Big archive of info.
https://metallicman.com/tipping-point-happened-crisis-has-passed/

Posted by: Ancient Times | May 5 2023 2:39 utc | 52

we do not create nature
we are a part of nature.
teaching pre-adolescents
that more than two sexes
exist is a lie and ridiculous.
laboring at interfacing the
human mind with artificial
intelligence a super computer
is a vanity of science.
the attempt to control the word
through money and military power
is a narcissist ideology.
these concepts will not endure.
they are antithetical to nature

Posted by: Dingo | May 5 2023 4:26 utc | 53

Posted by: Dingo | May 5 2023 4:26 utc | 53

I think you left out an 'l'. But what the hel, word works almost like world.
And thanks for that.

Posted by: waynorinorway | May 5 2023 4:44 utc | 54

the big movies produced today,
rarely film on location.
most are made behind a green screen
the film is a digital product, to anthropomorphize
comic-book themes and characters .
so the question arises
is art imitating life
life imitating art
or art for art”s sake?

Posted by: Dingo | May 5 2023 5:55 utc | 55

@55 Dingo | May 5 2023 5:55 utc

art is following money
money for money's sake
lowest common denominator
highest yield

Posted by: Grieved | May 5 2023 6:29 utc | 56

karlof1

Try the Baidu browser for China related searches. I used it some years ago and could search in English. From what I remember it also had good auto translate that translated the Chinese script search results to English.

Posted by: Peter AU1 | May 5 2023 6:45 utc | 57

German factory orders (MoM%) are crashing. EU is in no condition for "war economy", whatever that even means. EU economy is effectively wrecked. Poland won't be getting free money either.

https://twitter.com/perfiliev/status/1654380633852895233

Posted by: unimperator | May 5 2023 8:15 utc | 58


Honesty time. does anyone here see anything which could be deemed 'anti semitic' by this cartoon?

Martin Rowson one of the last genuinely left cartoonists still practising his art in a major media outlet, drew this picture last week when it transpired that the BBC chairman had to resign because just prior to Boris Johnson giving him the gig, Richard Sharp a London merchant banker had lined up an £800,000 (US $1,006,104) loan for Boris.
The story came out after Sharp's heavy hand at censorship of the BBC created a ruction. An 'official inquiry' was called & just now nearly 12 months after Johnson himself copped the flick, Richard Sharp has also been forced to resign,

Look as the cartoon I've linked to Sharp is the bloke on the left, Johnson the overgrown child sitting on a pile of shit & money, as both men are past middle age, Rowson has drawn them as he draws all middle-aged men - with thickened features. If anyone had the right to whine about the pic it would be Johnson who has been drawn as ugly as Rowson always draws him, yet Rowson is in trouble because according to the usual zionist whines, he has resorted to the low tactics of an antisemite by thickening Sharp's lips.
I had no idea Sharp was a 4x2 until I read about the complaints, certainly didn't pick it up from the cartoon.

This is a setup Rowson is probably the longest serving cartoonist at the guardian from back in the day when it was a bit lefty, but for the last few years under Viner's editorship Rowson still publishes tho his sketches have been uncreasingly difficult to find in the graun fish wrap. The worst time of all was during Mr Corbyn's leadership of the labour party where Mr Rowson continually shows up the bulldust about Mr Corbyn.
The graun obviously wants to get rid of Mr Rowson and they will keep on going until they do. I well remember back in 2003 how Malcolm Evans the NZ Herald cartoonist who also presented the plight of Palestinians objectively was sacked after Alan Dershowitz all the way in Harvard amerika, led a campaign against him.

Censorship is all about us.
Today being Friday arts day here at MoA I thought I'd post a digital copy of a great work by Mr Rowson, so that we all get to appreciate the man's talent. Titled "The Communist Manifesto A Graphic Novel" this comicbook is great as it combines the essence of Marx & Engel's work with Rowson's artistry & humour. You can find it here. Enjoy. I use the free Comic Rack app to read it & every other comic I stumble across.

Posted by: Debsisdead | May 5 2023 9:03 utc | 59

Debs/59

I read some while ago that they got rid of Steve Bell for some spurious reason. Stopped reading it some years ago so can't be sure. As Dungroanin I think said a few days ago, it was a central part of my life for 40 odd years, but it's all washed up now and it ain't coming back.

There were some very engaging writers back then, Nancy Banks-Smith and Jack Trevor Story spring to mind. And the film reviewer whose name escapes me. One thing he wrote around 1970 that still makes me giggle concerned a Swedish stunt motorcyclist whose climactic act was to fly through hoops of fire. His name was Bernt Persson.

Posted by: Walt | May 5 2023 9:30 utc | 60

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2023/05/exclusive-psychologist-dr-robert-epstein-joins-forces-with-maricopa-county-republicans-to-fight-big-tech-election-interference-says-google-is-shifting-millions-of-votes-to-democrats-in-exclusive-i/

Good interview about how Google skews search results during elections and generally. Extensive counter surveillance monitoring and archiving systems slowly built to evidence this unlawful, damaging technocratic fraud.

Posted by: Scorpion | May 5 2023 11:52 utc | 61

re Walt | May 5 2023 9:30 utc | 60
AFAIK Steve Bell is still there this carton from 4th May certainly suggests that, however like Rowson, you have to search to find his cartoons as they, even toned down as they most frequently appear to be, just don't fit Viner & Co's current editorial policy of lies, lies and rah rah for the neolibs. I think it was Aaron Mate who remarked that he really struggled to align the Katherine Viner who he first met years before she joined the graun, with her current editor's decisions. He said he first met her when she put on a play which she had written about the death of Rachel Corrie.

For me it just reinforces the belief that some people will do anything for a few dollars, not much to be done about it other than to take nothing in the graun at face value and to make certain when you visit the site, to have ad blockers & all the rest of the protections on high to make certain that the scum bag liars who run that rag cannot even get a click outta ya much less a dollar.
I use it for some sports news as well as staying across what lies are being told this week, tho maybe I'll just stick to cricinfo when the ashes kick off in a few weeks, tho I do like listening to the excuses the journos try to make when the poms are getting dicked. Not to mention the whining about umpires calls.

Posted by: Debsisdead | May 5 2023 12:18 utc | 62

This will probably be overlooked but I'll provide it anyway. Lavrov's Remarks and presser post SCO Foreign Minister's Meeting in Goa covers some very important issues:

Good afternoon!

We have concluded the meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. We have prepared "directions" that have yet to be agreed upon for the Organization's summit scheduled for June-July 2023. There is an understanding that a capacious package of documents will be adopted, primarily a political declaration, as well as a number of statements on deradicalisation, digital transformation, healthcare and other areas.

We have a common vision of the problems that persist on the world stage. We have a common desire to coordinate our actions at the UN and on the Eurasian continent with such structures as the EAEU and ASEAN, and to cooperate more globally with the BRICS countries.
...
Sergey Lavrov: I have just answered this question about my meeting with my colleague S. Jaishankar. As far as I understand, you are not listening to me.

As for the first part of the question, do you think that since the United States and Ukraine have denied the accusations, we should stop thinking about what we know about this case? This is not the case. The ability of our Ukrainian and Western "friends" to lie is well known. This situation as a whole illustrates the crisis, which is in fact much deeper than the behavior of the regime headed by Vladimir Zelensky. [My Emphasis]

[Waaay tooo looong text deleted - b.]

Posted by: karlof1 | May 5 2023 15:50 utc | 63

@karlof1 | May 5 2023 15:50 utc | 63

There is a proverb: "Russians harness for a long time, but they go fast."

---

This is somewhat off topic but so remarkable and beautiful that it deserves attention.

The Troika harness is a uniquely Russian thing and is quite astounding. Three horses abreast with the center horse trotting and the outer horses at a canter.

The whole arrangement would be impossible for a culture without an intimate connection to nature.

https://youtu.be/md2K5ckOw6Y?t=14

Note that the center horse pulls from a collar with a shaft bow, while the side horses pull in a breastcollar harness.

Posted by: too scents | May 5 2023 16:05 utc | 64

"...Nato acted as an aggressor and not defensively, bombing Serbia, albeit to stop the genocide that was going on in the country at the time. ... Mike Hampton@ 40

The 'genocide' was an invention. And an excuse for taking down the state of Yugoslavia.

Sorry to learn that Outraged, the hammer of the trolls, is indisposed, get well soon.
Thanks to karlofi for his enormous sacrifices of time and energy in keeping us abreast of news from Russia.
And to b for his hospitality and constant attention to this most valuable of websites.

Media Lens has an article today that puts Debisdead's contributions, @59 and @62, into clear perspective:
"...We wonder how many readers funding this heroic mission are aware that, last year, Guardian editor Kath Viner received a 42 per cent pay rise of £150,000, taking her salary to £509,850. Brazen claims that the Guardian is ‘free from commercial influence’ appear in the pages of a newspaper overflowing with corporate adverts on which it is deeply dependent. Last year, print and advertising generated revenues of £71.5m and £73.7m respectively. The Guardian is owned by the Scott Trust, which runs a £1.3bn investment fund..."
https://www.medialens.org/2023/souls-for-sale-the-times-interviews-noam-chomsky/

Sidecar the NLR on line has articles on NATO and Hybrid war by Joshia Rahtz and "A Bipolar Order?" by
Wolfgang Streeck https://newleftreview.org/sidecar

Posted by: bevin | May 5 2023 17:10 utc | 65

"...Nato acted as an aggressor and not defensively, bombing Serbia, albeit to stop the genocide that was going on in the country at the time. ... Mike Hampton@ 40

The 'genocide' was an invention. And an excuse for taking down the state of Yugoslavia.

Sorry to learn that Outraged, the hammer of the trolls, is indisposed, get well soon.
Thanks to karlofi for his enormous sacrifices of time and energy in keeping us abreast of news from Russia.
And to b for his hospitality and constant attention to this most valuable of websites.

Media Lens has an article today that puts Debisdead's contributions, @59 and @62, into clear perspective:
"...We wonder how many readers funding this heroic mission are aware that, last year, Guardian editor Kath Viner received a 42 per cent pay rise of £150,000, taking her salary to £509,850. Brazen claims that the Guardian is ‘free from commercial influence’ appear in the pages of a newspaper overflowing with corporate adverts on which it is deeply dependent. Last year, print and advertising generated revenues of £71.5m and £73.7m respectively. The Guardian is owned by the Scott Trust, which runs a £1.3bn investment fund..."
https://www.medialens.org/2023/souls-for-sale-the-times-interviews-noam-chomsky/

Sidecar the NLR on line has articles on NATO and Hybrid war by Joshia Rahtz and "A Bipolar Order?" by
Wolfgang Streeck https://newleftreview.org/sidecar

Posted by: bevin | May 5 2023 17:10 utc | 66

Happy Birthday Karl Marx

Congratulations Mexico and Kublai Khan

Also Chanel No. 5


Posted by: Hermit | May 5 2023 17:25 utc | 67

https://declassifieduk.org/a-kingly-proposal-letter-from-julian-assange-to-king-charles-iii/

To His Majesty King Charles III,

On the coronation of my liege, I thought it only fitting to extend a heartfelt invitation to you to commemorate this momentous occasion by visiting your very own kingdom within a kingdom: His Majesty’s Prison Belmarsh.

You will no doubt recall the wise words of a renowned playwright: “The quality of mercy is not strained. It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven upon the place beneath.”

Ah, but what would that bard know of mercy faced with the reckoning at the dawn of your historic reign? After all, one can truly know the measure of a society by how it treats its prisoners, and your kingdom has surely excelled in that regard....

Venture further into the depths of Belmarsh and you will find the most isolated place within its walls: Healthcare, or “Hellcare” as its inhabitants lovingly call it. Here, you will marvel at sensible rules designed for everyone’s safety, such as the prohibition of chess, whilst permitting the far less dangerous game of checkers.

Deep within Hellcare lies the most gloriously uplifting place in all of Belmarsh, nay, the whole of the United Kingdom: the sublimely named Belmarsh End of Life Suite. Listen closely, and you may hear the prisoners’ cries of “Brother, I’m going to die in here”, a testament to the quality of both life and death within your prison.

But fear not, for there is beauty to be found within these walls. Feast your eyes upon the picturesque crows nesting in the razor wire and the hundreds of hungry rats that call Belmarsh home. And if you come in the spring, you may even catch a glimpse of the ducklings laid by wayward mallards within the prison grounds. But don’t delay, for the ravenous rats ensure their lives are fleeting.

I implore you, King Charles, to visit His Majesty’s Prison Belmarsh, for it is an honour befitting a king. As you embark upon your reign, may you always remember the words of the King James Bible: “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy” (Matthew 5:7). And may mercy be the guiding light of your kingdom, both within and without the walls of Belmarsh.

Your most devoted subject,

Julian Assange

A9379AY

Posted by: Scorpion | May 5 2023 17:53 utc | 68

Meet the person who was arrested at Sydney airport recently for having a golden gun in her luggage. She doesn't look the type to do something like that. A clear case of profiling.

https://au.news.yahoo.com/twist-alleged-gold-gun-smuggler-014900750.html

Posted by: dh | May 5 2023 21:03 utc | 69

Thanks bevin and too scents for your replies. I learned about the troika from Tolstoy's Anna Karenina, where instead of studded snow tires they had sleighs for winter use. I see the Ukie thread isn't about Ukraine very much nowadays being jammed with gibberish by the FUD and disrupter trolls. There're probably only 50 comments that belong there currently. TGIF!!!!

Posted by: karlof1 | May 5 2023 22:44 utc | 70

New RT headline:

“Australian PM ‘frustrated’ over ongoing imprisonment of Assange”

…umm, no, he isn’t. He simply could not care less.

Posted by: malenkov | May 5 2023 23:41 utc | 71

malenkov #71

Will he be attending the coronation of the prick from the house of windsor?

Posted by: uncle tungsten | May 5 2023 23:43 utc | 72

uncle tungsten: You mean the House of Battenberg-Saxe-Coburg-Gotha?

Posted by: malenkov | May 5 2023 23:47 utc | 73

Michael Hudson interview with Ben Norton about the ongoing banking crisis within the Outlaw US Empire finally prompts Dr. Hudson to admit the Big Money Parasites have "captured the government, not just the regulators but the government itself." Now that's an assertion many barflies have made for years. The answer is clear enough--100% public financial sector--but to do that you must recapture the government from the Big Money Parasites. And to do that, something similar to what was done in Chile on 11 September 1973 must be done.

As Hudson notes, something/somebody must lose their money because that's the way the system is arranged; and since the Big Money Parasites own the government, they'll make sure they don't lose any money, which means that the loss is going to be shoved onto the entire economy (Hudson uses the Greek debacle as his example) causing a deep Depression.

Hey, don't take my word for it!! Click the link and read the transcript yourself!!

Nah, it's Friday and this thread's ignored anyway as barflies seem predisposed to feeding the trolls on the Ukie thread.

Posted by: karlof1 | May 6 2023 0:27 utc | 74

Even the TBTF banks are anticipating runs. Ised to be I could withdraw $3K from a Chase account at s Chase ATM. Now it’s $1K.

Posted by: malenkov | May 6 2023 0:38 utc | 75

Rochelle Walensky has resigned from the CDC. After she is tried and convicted for crimes against humanity, do you think she should be tortured before she is hung?

Thinking of Walensky, it's hard not to be anti Semitic. This monster was created by a certain way of conditioning that typically is done by extremely ARROGANT parents. If she could receive 5 cents, she would be willing to mass murder all of humanity.

Posted by: Anton Gorbatow | May 6 2023 0:39 utc | 76

malenkov @ 75 Would you get more cash from a teller? What would you do with a lot of cash anyway?

Posted by: dh | May 6 2023 0:59 utc | 77

Welcome back Outrage.
--------------------------------------


The entire FUKUS led garden [anglo/euro] are screaming 'yellow peril'.
Ironically, that phrase was originally coined for Genghis marauding hordes that overrun Han China and large parts of the garden,
The Han eventually turned the table on the Mongols and ended the run of the yellow peril, prolly saving the garden
from total destruction

Irony of irony.
The garden today repay the Han by ganging up with the yellow peril !
The original article !

--------
How the hell does USAss from 10000 miles away become Mongolia's 'third neighbor' ?

Well the same way Solomon island, TW become Washington's red line.


https://journal-neo.org/2018/07/04/mongolias-third-neighbor-is-trying-to-push-both-china-and-russia-out/

Posted by: denk | May 6 2023 2:54 utc | 78

Washington will allow war in West Asia
. . . .The Jerusalem Post
Israel has freedom to act against Iran nuclear threat - US

Washington allows Israel freedom of action against the Iran nuclear threat, US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said.

“We have made clear to Iran that it can never be permitted to obtain a nuclear weapon,” Sullivan said in an address to the Washington Institute think tank on Thursday. “As President [Joe] Biden has repeatedly reaffirmed, he will take the actions necessary to stand by this statement, including by recognizing Israel’s freedom of action.”

“This is an issue that occupies the president’s attention, my attention, on a daily basis,” he said. “Iran’s program has advanced considerably. It is a genuine danger to regional security and to global security, and, indeed, to the United States of America. And we are going to continue to take action to, yes, deter Iran from getting a nuclear weapon, and then to seek a diplomatic solution that puts this on a long-term pathway of stability.”

The national security adviser said the US continues to use diplomatic channels regarding Iran’s nuclear program. . .here

Posted by: Don Bacon | May 6 2023 4:18 utc | 79

Sabby Sabs reports on a favourable/unfavourable poll by @EchelonInsights

RFKjr: 39%/25% (+14%)
Biden: 43%/54% (-11%)
Trump: 39%/57% (-18%)

There are a few other candidates.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6OLVAO-yFQ

Posted by: uncle tungsten | May 6 2023 4:48 utc | 80

karlof1 #74

Thank you for that post and I will go there for the soothing sounds of Hudson. Take a peek at wallstreetonparade they maintain their rage against the short selling barbarians...

Americans Are Wrong to Worry About FDIC-Insured Bank Deposits; They Need to Worry About Sales Hustlers Inside those Banks and Short-Selling Barbarians...

...The latest target of short sellers, PacWest Bancorp (ticker PACW), collapsed in half in after-hours trading last evening, printing at $3.05 on the tape at one point. That’s down from a share price of $29 in early February.

Another short sellers’ target, Western Alliance Bancorporation (ticker WAL), has plunged by 50 percent year-to-date and was down another 17 percent in pre-market trading this morning. (For the short sellers’ target list of banks and where they are increasing their short positions, see the charts provided by S&P Global Market Intelligence at this link.)

PacWest and Western Alliance are not small, insignificant banks. According to PacWest’s filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission for the quarter ending March 31 of this year, PacWest had $44.3 billion in assets and $28.2 billion in deposits.

The SEC filing for Western Alliance for the quarter ending March 31 of this year, shows it had $71 billion in assets and $47.6 billion in deposits.

An even larger bank, Comerica, is also a current target of short sellers. Its SEC filing shows that as of March 31 of this year it had assets of $91 billion and deposits of $64.7 billion. Comerica carried this statement in its filing with the SEC for the period ending March 31:

But its all cool Joe is worried about Iran now ;)


Posted by: uncle tungsten | May 6 2023 6:50 utc | 81

AAAAAArgh apologies for not dropping the anchor :/

Posted by: uncle tungsten | May 6 2023 6:51 utc | 82

AAAAAArgh apologies for not dropping the anchor :/

Posted by: uncle tungsten | May 6 2023 6:51 utc | 82

Think nothing of it. When you're Joe Cool, you're cool!


Posted by: waynorinorway | May 6 2023 9:03 utc | 83

@ Outraged | May 4 2023 21:13 utc | 47

Sorry to hear this.

Relax and eat and sleep and heal.

I was going to recommend and YT-link to Mahler's Seventh, Levine/Chicago '82, second movement, the most beautiful movement of the most beautiful version of the most beautiful symphony I know, but YT let me down.

(I started to type "Take a break" but even I could see a problem there.)

Posted by: John Kennard | May 6 2023 9:17 utc | 84

The Reserve Bank of Australia considers an Honest Government advertisement.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNxXRigHri4

No bullshit.

Posted by: uncle tungsten | May 6 2023 10:17 utc | 85

Anyone else taken a quick gander at the nonsense happening in england right now.
Despite assurances to the contrary the expensive taxpayer funded horse dawn jalopy didn't depart buck house until all the humans pointing out that big ears was not their king had been arrested & moved outta the way ofi big ears line of sight.
I skipped thru the telegraph live feed of a dead culture but somehow still caught the obscene sight of the corrupt & uncaring T Bliar stepping out of his jalopy.
For those of us who in our dotage still entertain ourselves by dreaming up the best way to remove all of these low lifes from existence this is some treat. 1000 0f the scum all in one spot.

ps funniest of all is how they all refer to big ears as their 'undoubted king' thereby planting a seed of doubt in everyone's mind.

Posted by: Debsisdead | May 6 2023 10:19 utc | 86

Heh just shot back to live feed inclusivity has screwed 'em as not only has shoving young girls among the young boys in the choir wrecked the sound cos the boy sopranos are drowned out by mezzo soprano girls, the token brownfella among the boy sopranos refuses to move his lips whenever the cameras focus upon him. I swear reality is beating parody here.

Posted by: Debsisdead | May 6 2023 10:31 utc | 87

Nah, it's Friday and this thread's ignored anyway as barflies seem predisposed to feeding the trolls on the Ukie thread.
Posted by: karlof1 | May 6 2023 0:27 utc | 74

Oh, no Karlof1, we are looking in any thread for your comments, as we want to read what you and other very wise commentators are writing. We have learnt to recognize the trolls and we just ignore them! Your comments are as shimmering pearls, easy to find among all grey gravel grains. Outraged,I wish you a good recovery!

Posted by: Northern Eve | May 6 2023 13:08 utc | 88

In a sane world, no other country on the planet would have sent anyone to attend this non-event, and no other government would have made any official statement about it, unless that statement was ridicule that such a non-event still happens.

Posted by: Dalit | May 6 2023 14:57 utc | 89

Posted by waynorinorway | May 3 2023 17:34 utc | 5

Posted by: Melaleuca | May 3 2023 22:17 utc | 14

"Outraged absent.
I’d noticed also.
He’s much missed IMO."

Outraged had a fall recently. He'll be back stronger. Best wishes from barflies.

Posted by: Paul GV | May 6 2023 16:35 utc | 90

"Outraged had a fall recently."
@Paul GV | May 6 2023 16:35 utc | 90


@ waynorinorway, Melaleuca, uncle tungsten, james
Bad fall. Old bones. Fractures. Complications. Coming off being heavily medicated. Was not doing well ...
Thank you for the kind thoughts/wishes. Unable to participate/contribute re posts for some time to come. Enough, OT. Still Steel
Peace
Posted by: Outraged | May 4 2023 21:13 utc | 47

Posted by: waynorinorway | May 6 2023 16:46 utc | 91

John Kennard | May 6 2023 9:17 utc | 84
Unfortunately the establishment has taken over the music world and the bastards have decreed,A4 = 440hz. The 432hz I find to be much more pleasing. The 422hz is also nice. However,anything not on the 440hz tuning will do. I really do like the traditional Hindu music. If you want to wake up in the morning:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=_2t8uYC6Lr0&pp=ygUFRGFtcnU%3D

Posted by: Ancient Times | May 6 2023 17:07 utc | 92

Anyone else taken a quick gander at the nonsense happening in england right now
Posted by: Debsisdead | May 6 2023 10:19 utc | 86

Yes, there's huge penis mowed into the lawn at the coronation party site. Some nice people there.

Posted by: rk | May 6 2023 17:12 utc | 93

Northern Eve | May 6 2023 13:08 utc | 88--

Thanks for your very kind reply. Aside from keeping informed about global current events, the better informed one is about how we got into this mess the better for that person and their circle, IMO. The best way to do that is to have read two of Hudson's key books, Killing the Host and The Destiny of Civilization, and of course there are many more including the 3rd edition of Super Imperialism; but IMO the first two provide the knowledge set needed to navigate. Of course, the more prior knowledge one is armed with the easier it will be to navigate. At the personal household level and the issue of what/how to plan for the future, the optimum is Five Acres and Independence, which is both a book and formulation; otherwise IMO, eliminating debt and lowering expenses to accumulate a savings based on foodstuffs and tradeable commodities seems like the best plan if you don't have those five acres--and those five acres imply a rural setting will be much better than urban.

The above I've posted here over the years but not at all recently. Good luck with your future!

Posted by: karlof1 | May 6 2023 17:49 utc | 94

Anyone watched the drama series Chernobyl? I've got the dvd but have no idea if this is based on facts. Whatever, it's a very compelling reason to abolish nuclear reactors/weapons.

Posted by: ThusspakeZarathustra | May 6 2023 17:58 utc | 95

P.S. obviously i know Chernobyl happened. It's the manner in which it was contained (miners, robots, bio-robots) i have no idea of.

Posted by: ThusspakeZarathustra | May 6 2023 18:16 utc | 96

Posted by: ThusspakeZarathustra | May 6 2023 17:58 utc | 95

I remember when it came out somewhere it was said the memorable scene of 50
miners working naked underneath the plant never happened. Given that it is an
HBO Hollywood production even if "based" on fact it can't "be" fact, that is not allowed.

Posted by: SwissArmyMan | May 6 2023 18:26 utc | 97

in plato’s republic
he talks about five types
of government.
aristocracy
timocracy
oligarchy
democracy
tyranny
moving through the
five stages is a degenerative
process, in relation to freedom
and civil structure

Posted by: Dingo | May 6 2023 18:39 utc | 98

rk @ 93 New Style Peasant's Revolt.

Posted by: dh | May 6 2023 19:13 utc | 99

ThusspakeZarathustra 96
Chernobyl can be considered as the second time Russia dodged the bullet and missed a date with miss E.L.E. The first being Tunguska and that damn "rock". While it was interesting inside,it was more interesting what was going on pre blast outside. The official lie why was BS. In the 70's/80's the usa was getting targeted by what was known as the Russian woodpecker. Basically it was scalar wave transmission purpose unknown. Talk was it was related to weather modification. The Russians had a nuclear waste landfill over in the hill country and accidentally transmitted a SW thru the dump which promptly exploded. The woodpecker was located in the immediate vicinity of Chernobyl. Basic rule;scalar+radiation=boom. Whether a leak in the transmitter or maybe someone returned fire,no way to really know. It is the best explanation for what happened. Tesla is the one that invented the scalar wave. The big question, for approximately 6 hours they had over 120 tonnes of runaway fuel. How did they regain control? Makes you wonder what else was going on they conveniently forgot to tell us.

Posted by: Ancient Times | May 6 2023 19:24 utc | 100

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