“The new initials can be re-arranged into the sentence “EU BE A CRISIS”
Posted by: Browser | Aug 24 2023 14:03 utc | 3″
Lol
Damn they also own the passage from Med to Arabian Sea.
And Argentina? Not sure why. Its a dump these days.
Soccer?

Posted by: Comandante | Aug 24 2023 14:10 utc | 4

According to a post linked on MK Bhadrakumar’s Twitter X account, Argentina was a concession to Brazil. Lula’s ask.

Posted by: Bruised Northerner | Aug 24 2023 14:27 utc | 6

Argentina is on the brink of deciding, for the umpteenth time, to return to the IMF slaughterhouse and sacrifice its most vulnerable people on the altar of dollar debt and austerity.
It has proved to be impossible for the “left” governments regularly elected to clean up the mess left by fans of imperialism (and dollar holding rich people) by repudiating odious debt and cutting the apron strings that lead to Wall Street.
BRICS offers an alternative to crucifixion by capitalists and the revolution that never comes- an alternative, at least for the present.
Argentina’s agricultural exports are made for commerce with China and the yuan makes an obvious alternative to the dollars that the country’s ruling class worship. BRICS might just offer a short term solution and allow the country to stop flip flopping from imperialist police state to ineffectual (hobbled by the Establishment) populism.

Posted by: bevin | Aug 24 2023 14:47 utc | 8

Regarding yesterday’s international murder mystery — who brought down Prigozhin’s plane — Martynov asks us to ask ourselves (emphasis added):

Now, ask yourself a question, especially against the fact of Prigozhin and Wagner being in fact a totalitarian sect, which also started the mutiny–how much longer could this org be allowed to exist in any state, AND how many people had some serious accounts to settle with Prigozhin and his military enablers from this “council”.

AM more or less endorses the view that someone at least semi-official was involved in the assassination. A couple other points lending strength to that hypothesis:
(1) I haven’t yet heard of Ukraine slying hinting at responsibility (as usual).
(2) If Russia never finds a clue in the wreckage, et cetera, well then — there you have a dead giveaway. If you never know, you really do.

Posted by: Aleph_Null | Aug 24 2023 15:00 utc | 10

Posted by: Aleph_Null | Aug 24 2023 15:00 utc | 10
———————————————————
On the other hand, why would Russia do the “dirty deed” inside Russia, and in Moscow of all places? The whole Western World MSM, who don’t know shit yet, already know Russia did it: It doesn’t make sense.
When Prigozhin backed away from his march on Moscow in July, he betrayed a number of comrades, and probably the CIA and MI6 as well; the whole affair is still a mystery. Also, let’s consider Prigozhin’s forays into Africa where he also added the French intelligence (DGSE) to his list enemies.
The collective Western intel enemies that Prigozhin has collected would never take Prigozhin down outside of Russia, because the eyes of the world would gaze at the west, even if it could never be proven, therefore the job needed to be done inside Russia. Planting bombs on planes has always been a specialty of the CIA.
The benefit offing Prigozhin in Russia, and especially Moscow, is that no will believe a Russian investigation that points the finger at the West or Ukraine. Your comment is proof of that. You never mentioned the possibility that the west (who have spies and agents all over Russia) could have done the job, you only assume Russia.
Do I exclude Russia: No! If, after a thorough investigation by the FSB and the Military, it turns out that the evidence shows that Prigozhin, and some members of his Orchestra, did betray Russia then Prigozhin got what was coming to him, I suppose. Clearly, Putin would want proof first, and arresting Prigozhin without hard evidence would have been problematic in July, especially if he were innocent. For security reasons, the trial would have to be done in secret, which would also be problematic.
Another possibility is that an investigation cleared Prigozhin but found evidence that other members close to Prigozhin (such as the members on the first plane) were cooperating with the AFU, or Western Intelligence, or both; that would explain the second plane.

Posted by: Ed | Aug 24 2023 16:08 utc | 12

A good article on Samir Amin’s political will by Flemming Larson.
Amin, who died five years ago, worked in Niger and other West African countries. Larson shares this lengthy quotation from Amin on Niger.
“In Europe, democracy has been won in the context of social progress, and that is the same condition for any other people. Instead, we have [in Africa, Fl.] a caricature of democracy and elections in the context of social decline. This kind of democracy is undesirable.
It is the product of the capitalist, imperialist globalization of Africa. The counterpart to this is rhetorical, the so-called ‘aid’.
“But let’s take an example. Niger receives the highest level of aid per capita from Europe, and the country is at the highest level of poverty, at the lowest level of social development. Despite this massive aid, the country has not moved one step forward, so the aid is completely ineffective. And when something is not effective at all, I think it’s because it shouldn’t be.
“The goal of this aid is not really to develop either, but to corrupt officials and bribe the potential opposition.
“And why Niger?
“Because Niger is the third largest uranium exporting country in the world. And it happens to be located between Algeria, Libya and Nigeria. If Africans were to gain control of this enormous wealth and use it for themselves and for others, it would be very dangerous, not only politically but also militarily, and that’s the reason for this concentration of so-called aid to Niger.
“This means that the challenge for Africa is to create democratization processes – linked to social progress. When I say ‘democratization’, I’m not necessarily advocating the blue-print multi-party system, it’s not necessarily the best democratization process. In the case of Africa, social progress means access to land for all farmers….”[2]…..
https://countercurrents.org/2023/08/samir-amin-1931-2018-a-great-imperialism-scholar-and-anti-imperialist/

Posted by: bevin | Aug 24 2023 16:14 utc | 14

Genuinely surprised that I’m seeing anyone talk about how this could be a genuine accident.
Not an engineer, but I should imagine that a jet engine spins rather quickly. A turbocharger spins at 100k rpm. Titanium blades and part from the engine would have shredded the plane.
There’s was a witness saying they heard three explosions. Engine? Tanks? Fuselage failure?
I see America is claiming it was via a SAM. Is there anything inconspicuous that can reach 30k ft?

Posted by: Some Random Passerby | Aug 24 2023 16:22 utc | 16

Prigozhin… US claims it was AD missile; so we know that’s not what happened.
There were 9 or 10 people on the plane, that’s not Putin style (seems to me).
There is no next day postage stamp out from Ukraine, so it’s not them.
My money is on CIA/MI6. The CIA front, Wikipedia, will copy in the MH-17 entry, make a few word changes, call it good. The Russian investigation? Without western experts, how could it be a real investigation?
Maybe US is getting better with the energy beam weapon? Tests in Maui worked, so they are eager to put it to more use.
Fact free, totally uninformed analysis.

Posted by: oracle | Aug 24 2023 16:45 utc | 18

denk@15…..ziosupremacy is colourless…without it, white does not exist.
Cheers M
….white supremacy is carefully cultured and managed…..

Posted by: sean the leprechaun | Aug 24 2023 16:52 utc | 20

Vladimir Putin, as well as his predecessors, basically turned Russia into Western Europe’s resource colony, then will now become China’s – Which should wake elites up because Russia was wealthier and more developed than China.
A country with a resource-based economy couldn’t claim to be a regional power.

Posted by: Trinity | Aug 24 2023 16:58 utc | 22

I noted this before, Germany runs on natural gas, France on uranium – Russia is leveraging both, it’s preparing a noose.
As Comandante @ 1 noted BRICS plus Iran, Saudi and UAE now own planetary gas/fuel.
Is Russia trying to break Europe out of the Empire’s grasp with a 2×4 to the teeth? Is Russia that delusional? Is it giving it the old college try anyway to avoid WW3? Or, have Russia and China decided WW3 is inevitable and they are going for the Empire’s jugular?

Posted by: LightYearsFromHome | Aug 24 2023 17:09 utc | 24

I care deeply about the environment, but the environmentalism of the ruling class is probably a bigger fraud than their anti racism.
This should be clear to everyone at this point.
Posted by: Ahenobarbus | Aug 24 2023 16:42 utc | 17
——————-
Lets not forget that G7 is also the professed ‘champion of human rights’
Exhibit A
INdian space launch…
G7 netizens comment,,

Way to go our Aryan bro,
Democratic India will trump commie China in no time

US space launch..
G7 netizens comment,,

Bravo !
USA’d be back on top in no time..

China space launch…
G7 netizens comment,,

What about TAM ?
what about the Uighurs ?
What about the Tibetans ?
What about TW ?
wHAT about…….

Posted by: denk | Aug 24 2023 17:19 utc | 26

@denk #15
The current release of moderately contaminated water, whose sole hazardous isotope is tritium, is just the unavoidable result of earlier, horrible mismanagement, combined with the impossibility of “magically” restoring a closed cooling system or indefinitely expanding the storage facilities.
Unfortunate and despicable as it may be, all of this was already anticipated and widely discussed more than a decade ago and does not require a special expertise to be understood.
Although technical details and specific values do matter, release of small amounts of “tritiated” water from normally operating nuclear power plants, is also an established fact and hardly amounts to “poisoning the ocean”.
Of course these remarks are not in any way intended to erase or minimise the grave responsibility of Japanese authorities in the management of the incident as a whole.
On the other hand, you are certainly right about the fact that, were a similar or lesser incident to happen in China, it would have been exploited “ad infinitum” by Western propaganda.

Posted by: MoaMetal | Aug 24 2023 17:33 utc | 28

.white supremacy is carefully cultured and managed…..
Posted by: sean the leprechaun | Aug 24 2023 16:52 utc | 20
———————-
The garden dragged kicking and screaming to the killing field…
Episode 101
https://tinyurl.com/mudk99jd
[comment 50]

Posted by: denk | Aug 24 2023 17:36 utc | 30

Lex | Aug 24 2023 17:32 utc | 27–
BRICS “ideological purity” is devotion not deviation from the UN Charter, International Law and the development/trade rules of the WTO, while ignoring the “rules based order” or actively fighting against it depending on one POV–is ignoring illegal sanctions fighting it or ignoring it? Dedollarization is framed as the pursuit of a more just/fair system of international trade that doesn’t benefit any one nation as Keynes tried to implement in 1944-5. Much of this “rebellion’s” grounds have been expressed before, as early as 1956 followed by a continual stream of reiteration ever since. A big break came with China and Russia becoming WTO members that finally turned it into an anti-imperial tool that teh Outlaw US Empire now seeks to disrupt as much as possible. The closing Joint Declaration will provide more clues, but we’ll need to wait a bit.

Posted by: karlof1 | Aug 24 2023 17:55 utc | 32

Is there a charter?
Can one (country) be kicked-out of BRICS?
I think a good test of membership would be that they agree to not use the dollar and not own US or European assets.
Buy out all loans and re-issue in other currency.

Posted by: jared | Aug 24 2023 18:01 utc | 34

@denk, #15:

G7 is a fucking white supremacist club.

Yup! Especially those slanting eyes Japs.

Posted by: Oriental Voice | Aug 24 2023 18:17 utc | 36

Here’s a portion of Putin’s speech from yesterday telling the world what the BRICS are for. I’ll have an article on BRICS activities at my substack later today:

The main thing is that we all unanimously support the formation of a multipolar world order that is truly fair and based on international law, while respecting the key principles of the UN Charter, including the sovereign right and respect for the right of each nation to its own model of development. We are against any kind of hegemony promoted by some countries of their exclusivity and based on this postulate of a new policy – the policy of continuing neo-colonialism.
I would like to point out that it was the desire to preserve their hegemony in the world, the desire of some countries to preserve this hegemony, that led to the severe crisis in Ukraine. First, with the help of Western countries, an unconstitutional coup d’etat was carried out in this country, and then a war was unleashed against those people who did not agree with this coup, a brutal war, a war of extermination – for eight years.
Russia has decided to support people who are fighting for their culture, for their traditions, for their language, and for their future. Our actions in Ukraine are dictated only by one thing – to put an end to the war that was unleashed by the West and its satellites in Ukraine against the people living in the Donbas.
We are grateful to our BRICS colleagues who are actively participating in efforts to end this situation and achieve a just settlement by peaceful means.
Dear colleagues, the main thing is that we all unanimously support a multipolar world order that is truly just and based on international law. [My Emphasis]

I don’t think BRICS’s goals can be stated any clearer than that.

Posted by: karlof1 | Aug 24 2023 18:32 utc | 38

US bond interest rates keep rising. 2 year topped 5% and 10 year 4.2 %. Interesting to note that on the backdrop of this, gold and silver prices are not declining, they seem to keep slowly climbing in US dollars.

Posted by: unimperator | Aug 24 2023 18:39 utc | 40

“@denk, #15:
G7 is a fucking white supremacist club.
Yup! Especially those slanting eyes Japs.
Posted by: Oriental Voice | Aug 24 2023 18:17 utc | 36”
You mean the Japs that allied with the Nazis in WW2? Right?

Posted by: Comandante | Aug 24 2023 18:51 utc | 42

In the “sunk cost” thread that happened to coincide with the downing of Yevgeny Prigozhins plane and his supposed death, it was stated by someone that there were only two possible explanations: a bomb or a missile. While these are indeed likely possibilities, perhaps even the most likely, they are in my view not the only ones.
It is difficult for me to put down my thoughts in writing on this, as English is not my native language and I do not have any hard evidence in the Prigozhin case. But in my daily work I sometimes need to consider unlikely scenarios to solve problems, so that is what triggered me to make this remark.
What I am going to write is highly speculative. It is a hypothesis that I ask people to try to falsify using facts and reason, more or less using the scientific method. I am not interested in political dogma or such things, only hard facts. It is very hard to explain this without writing a book and I don’t like very long posts written by others, so I have compromised and cut things short.
What other options exist to explain the Prigozhin plane crash? The Ukraine war has taught us something we already knew: The empire crazies are constantly projecting their own delusions and realities onto others, there are countless examples of this in the Ukraine war. But listen in particular to what the Pentagon said about Russia 2 years ago. They claimed that Russia has “killer satellites” and “Directed Energy Weapons”. Could it be they are projecting onto Russia a reality they are themselves exploiting?
But this has nothing to do with Prigozhin’s plane, right? Quite possibly it it doesn’t, but can you exlude the possibility that the plane was downed by such a weapon? After all, the bomb scenario is unlikely because of the high security (Prigozhin even used 2 planes) and there are no credible reports of missiles that I am aware of (I could be wrong, a day has only 24 hours and I am not retired). The plane was downed as it was flying at 30,000 feet, high above the clouds. What if it was targeted at that height by a “killer satellite” with high powered microwaves? The higher up, the better. High powered microwaves can melt aluminium (more on that below).
Let’s look at another video, where a retired US Air Force colonel is informing us about their “really exciting” progress on directed energy weapons that have been “developed for decades” and could be a “game changer in future wars”. Notice that immediatly at 28 seconds into the video it is stated “to be clear, we’re talking about lasers, we’re not talking about high powered microwaves“. Right, that means high powered microwaves is something they don’t want to be asked about. So let’s ask about high powered microwaves.
Is the US Government working on Directed Energy Weapons based on high powered microwaves? Yes, according to the YouTube channel of the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), they are stating exactly that in this recent short video titled Directed Energy Weapons, it is said 1 Billion USD are spent annually to develop such weapons, high powered microwaves are mentioned explicitly. You would not spend such money without demonstrating some results, would you?
We have thus established that such weapons are being considered by the US government and military, but is it any more than science fiction dreamed up by some Ronnie Raygun-types? Let us get down to earth and look at this in a kitchen level experiment. Did you know that you can use an ordinary microwave oven to melt aluminium? The melting temperature of aluminium is 660 degrees Celsius.
Watch this video Melt Metals in the Microwave. Notice what is said at 1:30: “you’ll need a crucible, but not just any crucible, it needs to be made out of silicon carbide“. “Silicon carbide absorbs microwaves and turns them into heat”.
It turns out it isn’t very difficult to melt aluminium, even using low powered microwaves. “Prigozhin’s plane wasn’t put in a microwave oven” I hear you say. It wasn’t, but what if you had a satellite carrying a nuclear powered microwave source that could be focused into a narrow beam? We know small nuclear reactors exist, the Russian 9M730 Burevestnik is nuclear powered, so conceivably a satellite could have one as well. By the way, what is the purpose of the Boeing X-37 used by the US?
But we don’t have any evidence of high powered microwave weapons melting aluminium, right? Well, I think we have such evidence from more than 20 years ago, but we also have a very recent example that shows this. A new high-resolution video from the recent Hawaii fire: 4K Footage See ALL of Lahaina Town Fire Devastation .
Notice the many examples of melted aluminium car rims visible, including 5:14 (back right), 13:47, 14:03, 14:07, 14:17, 14:20, 14:22, 14:28, 14:49, 14:54 and several other instances.Why so many car rims melted? Could it be because they have break disks made of silicon carbide?

The carbon-fiber-reinforced silicon carbide (C/SiC) brake disks weigh around 50 percent less than conventional gray cast-iron brake disks.

Remember that “Silicon carbide absorbs microwaves and turns them into heat”.
I don’t know what happened to Prigozhin’s plane, it could be completely unrelated to high powered microwaves. But I think we have sufficient circumstantial evidence to say that such weapons exist and that they are being used.
I would prefer to be proven wrong in this.

Posted by: Norwegian | Aug 24 2023 18:59 utc | 44

You mean the Japs that allied with the Nazis in WW2? Right?
Posted by: Comandante | Aug 24 2023 18:51 utc | 42
———————-
From ENA to The Axis to G7….
https://www.dw.com/en/japan-seeks-german-help-to-counter-chinas-clout-in-indo-pacific/a-57198176
ps
signing off

Posted by: denk | Aug 24 2023 19:13 utc | 46

@Norwegian #44
You state you would like to be “proven wrong”.
But how to refute such a cogent and cohesive exposition, devoid of fantasies and exuding high command of fundamental physics?
And “really exciting” too, as “alternative geniuses” always prefer…
You left out reptilian technology, though…

Posted by: MoaMetal | Aug 24 2023 19:29 utc | 48

and no number of rapes by US servicemen in Japan is likely to change that.
Posted by: LoveDonbass | Aug 24 2023 19:19 utc | 47

Those rapes occur mostly on Okinawa. Okinawans are not ethnically Japanese — they’re Polynesians — so Japanese interest in their well-being is modest, to put it mildly.

Posted by: malenkov | Aug 24 2023 19:37 utc | 50

@malenkov, #49:
My posting at #35 and #36 were just tongue-in-cheek utterances echoing the postings of other posters, whom I mostly agreed with in the past :-).
My real angry rant, however, is the post #41. I lament the unnecessary lost of lives, the hypocritical whitewash and trivialization of their guilts, and the likely outcome at the end of day that these same trash will still rule and run the beautiful islands of Hawaii.
It is what it is! Until America hits the abyss.

Posted by: Oriental Voice | Aug 24 2023 19:46 utc | 52

Posted by: Norwegian | Aug 24 2023 18:59 utc | 44
Very interesting. Probably your best post ever.
(btw, You have no need to mention English is not your native language as no one could tell
by reading. It was grammatically correct and, as an essay, well-organized.)
Thank you.

Posted by: waynorinorway | Aug 24 2023 19:55 utc | 54

@malenkov, #50:
A large segment of the indigenous population at Ryukyu (Okinawa)are descendants of immigrants from Fujian Provence of China from centuries past. There are 36 Chinese surnames still preserved in Ryukyu today, despite Japanese effort to convert Ryukyu names to Asahi names after the Qing-Japanese War of late 19th century. The recent visit by the governor of Ryukyu, himself a descendant of Chinese ancestry, to China affirmed that historical legacy.
Sometime in the next quarter century Ryukyu will revert back to an intimate relationship with China. Not necessarily an annexation, but definitely an alliance against the colonial rules of Japonese.

Posted by: Oriental Voice | Aug 24 2023 19:59 utc | 56

Posted by: Norwegian | Aug 24 2023 18:59 utc | 44
Cool. Nothing wrong with speculation. I would have liked to learn a little more about the laser possibility – or would that not work from a satellite? Do microwaves not weaken over distance? All I know about them is that I read years ago that the Nazis invented them to kill fleas to reduce typhus in the camps given the gassing (of contaminated clothes) method was so cumbersome, hazardous and slow.
Curious: the one picture I saw featured flames along the entire length of the fuselage? What might explain that? I find that a tad question-raising…

Posted by: Scorpion | Aug 24 2023 20:13 utc | 58

More BRICS with an admitted focus on Russia’s participation is my latest substack and can be read here, https://karlof1.substack.com/p/more-brics
And there’ll be more to come!

Posted by: karlof1 | Aug 24 2023 20:17 utc | 60

Those rapes occur mostly in Okinawa. Okinawans are not ethnically Japanese — they’re Polynesians — so Japanese interest in their well-being is modest, to put it mildly.
Posted by: malenkov | Aug 24 2023 19:37 utc | 50
——————————————————–
I was stationed on the Rock (Okinawa) in 71 and 72, I can verify that the common people did not like the US Military being there. Japan treated them like shit. When the US controlled the island, the only currency allowed was the US dollar, the only currency allowed was the US dollar. I was there when the island was handed over to Japan the Japanese and the Americans really screwed the Okinawans with the exchange rates.
The only people who liked the US in Okinawa was the owners of bars and whore houses, Philippine drug dealers, and certain business leaders. Rapes by the US military personnel were common and often overlooked; riots and demonstrations were nearly a weekly thing at the time I was there.

Posted by: Ed | Aug 24 2023 20:41 utc | 62

The Maui-Lahaina fires happened because of a confluence of several different factors at once:
1. Wildfires that threaten neighborhoods are not particularly common in Hawaii, so people don’t have the same level of awareness around defensible space and fire protection, and the government doesn’t educate about it / require it
2. Tall nonnative grasses have taken over swaths of Maui, and they burn more easily than native grasses. There are also high-oil content trees such as eucalyptus in the area, and I have yet to see any photos of these trees still standing where the major fires occurred.
3. Maui is currently having a drought and exceptionally dry
4. A hurricane several hundred miles to the south caused very unusual wind conditions: VERY strong winds blowing from the opposite direction wind usually blows
5. The power company’s lines are not capable of withstanding the gusts, and they did not shut down the power as a precaution, as happens in other wildfire-prone area, so powerlines blew over, sparks ignited the grass, fire raced through the town.
Regarding this DEW theory (to included lasers or microwaves) – There is just no evidentiary proof nor good motive. I recall during the California fires of a few years ago, at first they were blamed on Mexican cartels, and then on nebulous “state” actors wanting to clear the way for a high speed train. Then, of course, directed energy weapons. None of the alleged proof for any of that ever panned out.
If in fact high powered microwaves were being used, someone would have needed to 1) have such a weapon that is sufficiently powerful and portable, 2) need to spend time targeting and actually igniting numerous things (cars, structures, plant life) without being noticed, 3) be able to do so from a relatively safe distance and 4) be able to escape with DEW in their possession, again, unnoticed. In the age of “Ring” doorbell cameras and widespread CCTV, it would seem like at least one suspect could have been identified. In any case, only very specific targets would have been suitable for ignition in this manner and it would have required numerous such targets to be identifiably the source of any of the actual fires. In any case, I fall back on the physics of weapon devices themselves. To be able to project a sufficiently narrow high powered microwave beam would require a large device – AND – the purpose of such weapons is generally NOT to start conflagrations, but to disrupt/destroy electronics such as communications systems.
https://www.rfwireless-world.com/Articles/High-Power-Microwave-Weapon-System-basics-and-types.html
Conceivably laser-based weapons could have been used without a detectable beam during the day, but again the physics, lack of witness accounts, lack of credible accusatory information, and more importantly the presence of much more ‘normal’ conditions outlined above pretty much rule that out for me too.

Posted by: Tom_Q_Collins | Aug 24 2023 20:51 utc | 64

Forgot to add a few things.
In Oregon the fires were often blamed on antifa.
And I don’t discount that a high powered microwave weapon could have been used on Prigozhin’s plane. Although I am reading *somewhat* credible theories about a bomb or bombs being smuggled onto his plane. As I mentioned above, HPMW weapons are generally not used to blow things up or start fires. They can destroy sensitive electronic/comms equipment which could short out and cause a fire, though.
All that considered, is there even any proof that he is actually dead yet?

Posted by: Tom_Q_Collins | Aug 24 2023 20:56 utc | 66

Posted by: denk | Aug 24 2023 17:19 utc | 26
True. Every psuedo progressive cause they champion is a farce to mask they’re rape and destruction of the planet and it’s peoples. I think the catch all term would be human rights imperialism.
However, I wouldn’t read too much into these “netizens”. The internet and really the entire educational system in the US has become a massive psyop.
Those comments might not even be coming from people or they may just be coming from low level intelligence operatives, again, not people. Of course, you also have the trailer park cucks of the RC who make regular appearances on MOA to push the interests of their masters. I think the catch all term there is false class consciousness.
Huge numbers are figuring things out today. The question is what to do about it. How to abolish the RC and their socioeconomic system. That’s the question.

Posted by: Ahenobarbus | Aug 24 2023 20:58 utc | 68

@Norwegian #59 @waynorinnorway #54
LOL!!!
And I even thought the sarcasm was too harsh!
I have to change my image of Norway, really…
Bonus for the humour-impaired.
No. It did not make any sense, not even unintended comedy.

Posted by: MoaMetal | Aug 24 2023 21:00 utc | 70

Mistake,correction: US BE SA ICIER

Posted by: Andrews | Aug 24 2023 21:02 utc | 72

@MoaMetal | Aug 24 2023 21:00 utc | 70
Well good on you for having a bit of fun! Better to be humour-impaired than logic-impaired I guess. You are more than welcome to prove me wrong, as I said in the post. But somehow I missed your refutation?

Posted by: Norwegian | Aug 24 2023 21:11 utc | 74

It was asked earlier what the BRICS stood for to which I provided an answer and said lets see what the Declaration says. Well, it’s been published in English for awhile now and has this to say in its Preamble:
“As we build upon 15 years of BRICS Summits, we further commit ourselves to strengthening the framework of mutually beneficial BRICS cooperation under the three pillars of political and security, economic and financial, and cultural and people-to-people cooperation and to enhancing our strategic partnership for the benefit of our people through the promotion of peace, a more representative, fairer international order, a reinvigorated and reformed multilateral system, sustainable development and inclusive growth.”
Until now, I haven’t provided a link to Lavrov’s post-Summit presser, although it’s included in “More BRICS” linked above. Russia now has the BRICS Presidency for the next year, and Lavrov talked about what that entails.
There may seem to be a lot of boiler plate statements within the Declaration but a close reading reveals that’s not the case as there’re some rather important specifics. Here’s one:
“We reaffirm our support for the open, transparent, fair, predictable, inclusive, equitable, non-discriminatory and rules-based multilateral trading system with the World Trade Organisation (WTO) at its core, with special and differential treatment (S&DT) for developing countries, including Least Developed Countries. We stress our support to work towards positive and meaningful outcomes on the issues at the 13th Ministerial Conference (MC13). We commit to engage constructively to pursue the necessary WTO reform with a view to presenting concrete deliverables to MC13. We call for the restoration of a fully and well-functioning two-tier binding WTO dispute
settlement system accessible to all members by 2024, and the selection of new Appellate Body Members without further delay.”
That’s directly aimed at the Outlaw US Empire that’s responsible for the issues cited above as it can no longer control the WTO through legitimate means–it’s now too democratic and is direct evidence proving the total sham of Biden’s “Democracy Summits.”
Fundamentally, the Declaration wants to attain what was declared the goals of the Second World War, goals that were announced as the Four Freedoms (Freedom from Want, Fear, of Speech, and Worship) that became the basis for the UN Charter but through various means have not yet been attained mainly because the UN Charter is continually and wantonly violated by the Imperialist Nations. Several pages of the Declaration are devoted to the various ongoing conflicts which are all connected to Imperialist actions including the problem of international terrorism. Point 25 attacks the issue of Global Corruption.
BRICS is fundamentally a development organization so most of its Declaration is focused on that rather broad subject. Health, Biodiversity, Climate, Digital connectivity, and such round out the issues discussed. It’s not until the final page that we get to the news that most wanted to see on the first page:
“We have decided to invite the Argentine Republic, the Arab Republic of Egypt, the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to become full members of BRICS from 1 January 2024.”
A very curious, interesting mix making BRICS-11.

Posted by: karlof1 | Aug 24 2023 21:12 utc | 76

On a different note, news from the world of American political theatre, which all too often chips it’s way into day to day reality.
A foreword: they said we need more women in politics.., they said that would change so much for the better.
Well enter Mrs. 3%, Nikki Haley, once more…
Here she auditions for Oligarchs Idol. A very popular show in some quarters.
“Nikki Haley Floats Raising Retirement Age to Curb Rising US Debt”
“The age for full retirement benefits is currently 67 for those born in 1960 or later.”
https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/nikki-haley-floats-raising-retirement-age-to-curb-rising-us-debt-1.1963071
Bloomberg gives her a glowing review, says donors SHOULD give her another look.
Life expectancy for males in the US is 73.
67 plus what? If they get it to 70 then the average American male has about 3 years to enjoy his ‘Golden Years’. That may depend on whether he has insurance or not of course.
Read something a few years ago about the difference in costs to treat diabetics in the US compared to China. Article said average costs in the US was approx. $6500 per year. In the Land of China, channeling that great sage Forrest Gump.. it was was $350 a year.
Also read a fair bit about American’s going to Canada to purchase insulin and other pharmas because there is a very significant difference in the price and many simply don’t have the means to pay American Corporate prices. Canada allows generic drug versions after a specific time period btw.
One heart wrenching story some time ago told a tale of a young American who tried to cut back on his insulin until he could get enough funds together to make another trip to Canada. He worked but didn’t make a lot of money. He wasn’t successful.
He died. And his Momma cried.

Posted by: bubbles | Aug 24 2023 21:15 utc | 78

Norwegian | Aug 24 2023 18:59 utc
The flaw in your suspicions is the silicone carbide. It’s only found on high end cars or via modification (rare). For the record, it’s $20k for them as a Tesla option.
First vehicle at 5:14 definitely didn’t come with them as standard. Aftermarket is a minimum of $3000 for a pair of front discs, never mind calipers and hangers to match. As the vehicle seems to be an MPV, I find it very unlikely the owner did such a modification.
Certainly something fishy going there though

Posted by: Some Random Passerby | Aug 24 2023 21:18 utc | 80

@Tom_Q_Collins | Aug 24 2023 21:15 utc | 80

Re: Aluminum alloy (including car wheels) melting as the result of wildfire:
It’s not unusual at all.
Greece: “>https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-45030082

The fire stacked the cars on top of each other?

Posted by: Norwegian | Aug 24 2023 21:23 utc | 82

Whoops – Posted this in the Sunk Cost thread by mistake.
The fire stacked the cars on top of each other?
Posted by: Norwegian | Aug 24 2023 21:23 utc | 83
I suppose the snarky retort would be “The Directed Energy Weapons stacked the cars on top of each other?”
But the answer is multi-fold. 1) The rescue and cleanup crews moved cars into stacks so as to re-open roadways clogged with burnt out vehicles and/or 2) In some cases wildfires have been known to flip cars over due to extremely high winds generated (including fire tornados or “fire whirl”) which could account for some of the stacking seen in the photos.
Ex. In 2018, a fire tornado from the Carr Fire in Redding, CA was reported to have an estimated speed of 64 m/s (about 143 mph). Smaller scale fire whirls can appear in bonfires.
Posted by: Tom_Q_Collins | Aug 24 2023 21:28 utc | 390

Posted by: Tom_Q_Collins | Aug 24 2023 21:29 utc | 84

Posted by: Norwegian | Aug 24 2023 21:34 utc | 86
“Cars standing in the open road without any burning material close by and the temps get over 660 C over long enough time so that rims melt away as trees some meters away still stand have me asking questions, yes.”
Even before the flames of a wildfire arrive at a particular location, heat transfer from the wildfire front warms the air to 800 °C (1,470 °F), which pre-heats and dries flammable materials, causing materials to ignite faster and allowing the fire to spread faster.

Posted by: Tom_Q_Collins | Aug 24 2023 21:36 utc | 86

Posted by: AOTP | Aug 24 2023 21:13 utc | 78
A few bullet points, a short synopsis and a link would be appropriate imho. Too many here go whole hog and make it difficult to find the kernels of wheat amongst the chaff.
Regular folks simply don’t have time nor the inclination to explore such things.
No offense intended.

Posted by: bubbles | Aug 24 2023 21:39 utc | 88

Let’s really think this through. Since I’ve been open to providing some of the science and situational information regarding the heat and spread of these wildfires, could someone please posit a scenario whereby a directed energy weapon is aimed at individual brake rotors, cars and other objects/structures over a period of time long enough to ensure that a major destructive fire breaks out and sustains itself? I’m genuinely interested in both the physics and the logistics of such an operation.
In the mean time, here’s a decent little ‘explainer’ page (click on each individual sub-menu)…https://firelab.berkeley.edu/researchareas/

Posted by: Tom_Q_Collins | Aug 24 2023 21:44 utc | 90

I am sorry, but evidence post “cleanup crews” is inadmissible.
Posted by: Norwegian | Aug 24 2023 21:37 utc | 88
LOL, would you care to explain that? How do you think these rescue and cleanup crews make it past all the burnt out vehicles clogging the road?
P.S. did you also notice that it’s mainly just the aluminum allow parts (the rims) which have melted while steel rims remain mostly if not totally intact (if a bit warped)?

Posted by: Tom_Q_Collins | Aug 24 2023 21:45 utc | 92

@Tom_Q_Collins | Aug 24 2023 21:36 utc | 87
6:52 green trees next to completely burned out building
If the tree is green, that tells me it was well hydrated (for whatever reason) and not easily burned by flying embers. Embers are likely responsible for most of the house fires. The wood in the houses is dry and the wood/leaves in some trees is wet.
The area was inaccessible to fire crews and thus many homes simply burned down over time. Inadequate ‘defense’ measures(such as making sure no shrubbery or dry vegetation within X feet of the home, etc.) or lack thereof – such measures were selectively in place (some homeowners more careful or lucky than others) or not at all – is a common theme to these destructive wildfires. It’s not unusual at all to see one person’s home completely burned to the ground and the next door neighbor’s house (being separated by a large enough lawn or yard) remain standing with very little damage. Again, it’s the path that the wind and embers take and the type of construction, but also preparedness (or just good luck) vs. lack of preparedness (or just bad luck).
Again, do you posit that some sort of airborne or space-based directed energy weapons could have been used to target select homes and cars, and that they are so good at doing it they don’t even need to hit every house or car to ensure that a major disastrous fire starts, sustains and spreads?

Posted by: Tom_Q_Collins | Aug 24 2023 21:53 utc | 94

Good one, bubbles. 😁
Posted by: Ahenobarbus | Aug 24 2023 21:22 utc | 82
Oligarch Bloomberg professes to be Liberal. I’ve seen all sorts of characters pretend to be liberal. I think some many set out to take over Liberal institutions. An example would be a Jewish woman who tried to insert herself as a leader in the Black Lives Matters movement. She wasn’t Black, and her ancestors, well, didn’t experience exactly the same things as Black American slaves. Folks like Karlofi could contribute much more on the historical aspects, and I would quickly hand off to his vast knowledge on such matters.
Accuracy, as best it can be to one’s knowledge, does matter, to some folks.
The rest is just noise.

Posted by: bubbles | Aug 24 2023 22:17 utc | 96

The current release of moderately contaminated water, whose sole hazardous isotope is tritium,
Posted by: MoaMetal | Aug 24 2023 17:33 utc | 28
The reported radioactivity (tritium is beta-emitter) in 190 bq/L, or about 14000 bq per average human body mass. The natural radioactivity of human bodies is around 4400 bq on average.
Yes, that contaminated water is safe enough to drink, as far as radiation goes.
Numbers matter.

Posted by: averros | Aug 24 2023 22:30 utc | 98

Only the R and the C of BRICS are really major drivers of change.
Brazil is being run by “neoliberalism with crumbs” Lula (who is giving even less crumbs after his stint in capitalist rentier reeducation). India and its rentier elite will sit on the fence forever, with their hatred for the Chinese being ameliorated by their many decades relationship with Russia. South Africa is a neoliberal wonderland with a few Black billionaires not giving an “f” about the rest while happily dancing with the white billionaires.
The “I” should stand for Iran, a real change agent. Add in the “Stans”, Belarus, Syria and Iraq and you have a real basis for global change – BRICISSTAN (which also overlaps a lot with the SCO), a huge area encompassing the 2nd greatest military power, the greatest industrial power and massive reserves of natural resources. They just need the rest of the Rest of the World (outside Europe) to go along with them and reduce/remove the neocolonial financial and economic flows that the West depends upon using the new multipolarity. That’s all, and really we shouldn’t hope for much else.
A more detailed version of the above.

Posted by: Roger | Aug 24 2023 22:41 utc | 100