Moon of Alabama Brecht quote
January 11, 2026
The MoA Week In Review – OT 2026-010

Last week’s posts on Moon of Alabama:

  • Jan 10 – Iran Shrugs Off Another Round Of U.S./Israel Sponsored Regime Change Riots
    Related:
    WaPo (archived)

    The internet monitoring group NetBlocks said Saturday that the internet shutdown had reached 48 hours and counting, and Filterbaan, a digital rights group that focuses on Iran, said international phone calls were being blocked. Iranians in the diaspora reported being unable to reach loved ones inside the country.

    NY Times (archived)

    Yet each of the 10 protesters interviewed by The New York Times by phone — all of whom requested to withhold surnames for their safety — said …


Other issues:

Gaza:

Russia:

Europe:

Use as open (not related to the wars in Ukraine and Palestine) thread …

Comments

In one video I saw, there was one MANOPAD fired. Also a heavy machinegun opened up. An American helicopter returned fire with an auto cannon and the place the machine gun was firing from got hit hard.

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Jan 12 2026 14:57 utc | 301

Bannon was coached by Epstein for years. He played a role in dividing Europe along an increasingly extreme-right/libertarian agenda (which was easy to promote given the abysmal stupidity of the Eurocrats). This was probably guided directly from TA since thet continue to push the same parties. Pro-war but anti-abortion. Pro-Jewish fundamentalists but anti-Islam. Pro-“Christian values” but ultraliberal.

Posted by: Minaa | Jan 12 2026 14:58 utc | 302

MANOPAD MANPAD.

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Jan 12 2026 15:00 utc | 303

Millions!??
 
on the streets apparently tv reports and internet coming back.  Not sure how much of that is true or current. 
 
what now can the Shitheads do?
 
 
attack? Haven’t heard of the usual flotilla ready to bomb bomb bomb Iran !
 
 
oh there’s some scores to settle in the coming decades as the shitheads get dragged into world courts. 

Posted by: DunGroanin | Jan 12 2026 15:01 utc | 304

<nerdmode> MANPAD</nerdmode>

Posted by: persiflo | Jan 12 2026 15:05 utc | 305

MANOPAD MANPAD MANPADS.

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Jan 12 2026 15:08 utc | 306

A interesting long form Twitter as the Fed seems to be changing tacks to remain relevant and the Bankers perhaps are acknowledging their time is up – but still try and change narratives,  instead of facing the inevitable doom they deserve.
 
 
 

@apocalypseos
5h
The Dollar’s Bloody Birth: From Bretton Woods Blackmail to Petrodollar Enforcement
 
Former central banker and global financial architect @Kathleen_Tyson_ details the violent, coercive origins of dollar dominance—from postwar blackmail at Bretton Woods to the military and political threats that created the petrodollar in an interview with @HusseinAskary. This is the system’s foundation. This is why it’s collapsing.

Posted by: DunGroanin | Jan 12 2026 15:12 utc | 307

@ james | Jan 12 2026 5:54 utc | 235
 
wasn’t me… beware the name hijackers… 

Posted by: james | Jan 12 2026 15:46 utc | 308

Regarding the drama with the FED, I’m still holding my breath for one official, past or present, to name the JEW as the single most destructive force to the USD, and suppression of Gold and Silver.  

Posted by: MarcusAurelius | Jan 12 2026 16:02 utc | 309

Posted by: psychohistorian | Jan 12 2026 3:29 utc | 212
i don’t run in circles where anyone would defend the Fed, most wouldn’t know who Jerome Powell is, and i shed no tears for people who get devoured by the dogs they knowingly play and eat and sleep with.
 
what role does Powell even have in renovations in a gov’t building? i don’t know, but perhaps not any at all.
 
They gotta blame somebody. “hey, we are ‘renovating’ the White House, all based on fraud and cronyism and Dollar Store MAGA tastelessness, let’s accuse Powell of doing the same!”
 
and why? cuz the trainwreck cannot be the Messiah’s fault. the ruling class has its wagon 100% hitched to the Trump star, and who gets chopped down next on the divine whim of a child rapist is a matter of laughter and speculation.
 
except that we are all in the same Trump brand Dumpster fire. gonna be funny to watch the sterilized donkeys respond to one of their idols being jostled, maybe knocked over, by their Class Leader, Wharton’s top student. the sacredness of money and the wisdom of the Fed is unquestionable! how dare Trump threaten Nancy Pelosi’s banker.

Posted by: duck n cover | Jan 12 2026 16:03 utc | 310

Regarding the drama with the FED, I’m still holding my breath for one official, past or present, to name the JEW as the single most destructive force to the USD, and suppression of Gold and Silver.  
Posted by: MarcusAurelius | Jan 12 2026 16:02 utc | 318
 
 
The jews. Not long back, mossad run an operation on the beach at Sydney.The government obediently said it would bring in laws against hate speech. Orwellian bullshit for criminalising protesting  genocide.
 

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Jan 12 2026 16:48 utc | 311

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Jan 12 2026 16:48 utc | 320
 
Yes, I see the Jews Albanese’s balls in a vice.  I’ve seen this coming a mile away, as others here have, that the Anglo countries, Germany and France will tighten the screws on their population to keep them from having an all out revolt. 

Posted by: MarcusAurelius | Jan 12 2026 16:53 utc | 312

Posted by: james | Jan 12 2026 15:46 utc | 317
 
By their fruits we shall know them,  james.  And your fruits are distinctively yours  —  always good ones!  I don’t ever mind being questioned, as I was previously.  It’s always a sign that your abherrancies (I may have made that word up)  are questionable because people know the real you — so it is a good sign.

Posted by: juliania | Jan 12 2026 17:09 utc | 313

that the Anglo countries, Germany and France will tighten the screws on their population to keep them from having an all out revolt. 
 
Posted by: MarcusAurelius | Jan 12 2026 16:53 utc | 321
 
 
 
 
Probably. But pressure often finds a way out of containment eventually. Sudden, violent and catastrophic if the containment is weak and the pressure strong.
 
 
But this is also what the Western governments want IMO.  Push hard enough until a violent reaction, then claim the suspension of rights and liberties is “to protect democracy”, and only “temporary”, or some other such bullshit for the softbrain state humpers. Your average citizen is basically a Stalin’s chicken anyway, so those twits are of no concern to TPTB.
 
 
Look at Trumptard. ICE enrages the public? Send more ICE to up the pressure. Keep lying about the events. Someone will snap, kill several ICE and Trumptard gets Martial Law, suspends elections, locks up enemies…………    At least that is the scenario I see on plate.
 
 
 
The one hope I have is that the USA has Civil War 2.0, and wrecks itself so badly that they won’t ever recover their “Top Bully” status. Just do a better job of exterminating each other this time, OK?
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Posted by: ftp | Jan 12 2026 17:19 utc | 314

Arab Spring (of 2011):
 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arab_Spring

Posted by: WMG | Jan 12 2026 17:29 utc | 315

“Trump’s ‘Power Without Principle’ Extends; Iran Foils CIA-Mossad Attempted ‘Regime Change” (??????????????) “Judge Napolitano” (Andrew Napolitano) talked to Alastair Crooke on their (weekly ???) video chat. “ATTEMPT FOILED” ????????Was the “Attempted Regime Change” REALLY “Foiled” ? I think I need more evidence that the this coupe d’ etat was “foiled” before I believe this news / opinion. The newspapers I came across were all hopefull that the “evil ayatollas” would soon be gone and that the son (grandson ???) of the Shah would become the head of state.There is another reason why the iranians are not “(too) happy”. The amount of rainwater fallen in the entire Middle East (and that includes Iran) and North Africa has shrunk in the last say 10, 20 and 30 years while at the same time the amount of people living in that same region continued to grow. A GOOD recipe for more “popular unrest” over there. Also think: Arab Spring of 2011. https://conflictsforum.substack.com/p/trumps-power-without-principle-extendsYoutube:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvLGDgRcV2M  (length: 28 minutes, I will watch it later when I have more time)
Posted by: WMG | Jan 12 2026 14:22 utc | 300
================================================================================================================
The Middle East is suffering under reduce rainfall. But the Middle East includes both Israel and Iran.
 

Posted by: WMG | Jan 12 2026 17:32 utc | 316

cynic #273.   In my mind I know you are right.   In my heart I still cannot fathom it…  DunGroaning #277 thanks!    Cheers dear people.

Posted by: Formerly Miss Lacy | Jan 12 2026 17:49 utc | 317

aristodemos!!!   POXJudaica.  Yes.   You win the cyber beverage of your choice.  Well said.  Cheers.

Posted by: Formerly Miss Lacy | Jan 12 2026 17:52 utc | 318

sebgo  Thank you for your various posts.   My only real knowledge of the area, other than recent news snippets, comes from Ryszard Kapuscinski’s “The Shadow of the Sun” written back in 1998, so horribly dated but still clear on the disastrous pillaging of Africa by colonizers from Europe which includes fanning the flames of local animosities.   I hope all those young people can come together and work together to build their own future.    With apologies for my ignorance and best wishes to you.

Posted by: Formerly Miss Lacy | Jan 12 2026 18:06 utc | 319

@  juliania | Jan 12 2026 17:09 utc | 322
 
thanks juliania! i see you in very positive terms.. i am glad to be questioned and i am happy you are too! question everything is my motto, lol!

Posted by: james | Jan 12 2026 18:21 utc | 320

Mamdani Withholds Criticism of Trump, Slanders Anti-Genocide Protesters
 
https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2026/01/12/yjxc-j12.html
 
“In the first 10 days of his tenure as mayor of New York City, Zohran Mamdani, a Democrat and member of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), has, in the face of outrageous crimes by the Trump administration, curtailed his criticisms of the fascist president and would-be dictator, slandered pro-Palestinian protesters and further strengthened the authority of the New York Police Department (NYPD).
 
Far from opposing the political establishment, Mamdani is working to deepen his integration into the Democratic Party and the capitalist oligarchy it serves…”

Posted by: John Gilberts | Jan 12 2026 18:32 utc | 321

Posted by: GreatLakesObserver | Jan 12 2026 13:01 utc | 274 
 
I’ve never heard of Laura Aboli, so I DuckDuckGoed her. 
 
The following extract is taken from her bio on her website. 
 
“Laura Aboli’s entrepreneurial career started in the year 2000 when she co-founded World-Check, a database of Politically Exposed Persons (PEPs) and heightened risk individuals and organisations, which soon became the de facto standard for identifying and managing financial, regulatory and reputational risk within the world’s financial and legal institutions. Following World-Check’s success, she co-founded Wealth-X in 2010, which went on to become the leading provider of intelligence on ultra-high-net-worth individuals.
Having exited both companies by 2014, she continued her life-long passion for interior design, by establishing a property development and design company which she continues to run. Having been born into an artistic family, Laura has a passion for art, sculpture, music and dance and her critical and inquisitive mind has led her into the realms of metaphysics, spirituality, health and psychology” 
 
Add to the above numerology etc
 
She appears to be some sort of fluffer of the extremely wealthy. 
 
She is not a source I would trust, in any way. Indeed I would place her behind the MSM in terms of credibility – she’s carried water for the oligarchy for many years. 
 
 On the plus side, judging by the picture on her website, she has a very good plastic surgeon, who will be immensely expensive – don’t often say it here but fuck her

Posted by: will moon | Jan 12 2026 18:38 utc | 322

acTVism Munich: Gregory Wilpert
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9pgsjxe4Bso
 
“The Venezuela interview you won’t see in the media…”

Posted by: John Gilberts | Jan 12 2026 18:39 utc | 323

The shame of be someone to make you behind when all of us are the same.
Posted by: monik | Jan 12 2026 13:40 utc | 284
 
This is the paradox,  monik (I take the opportunity to address you as you are a newcomer here, and if your name means ‘monk’ you probably feel persecuted). 
 
Aphids are harmless wee creatures, but they do multiply and are a threat to my Mandevilla vine blooms inside.  So far, I am keeping the aphids at bay with a softbristled paintbrush, and frequent cold shower spritzing, but I do have to resort to finger and thumb on occasion – especially with my indoor pepper plants whose leaves the aphids first choose to be their nursery.  What I need are ladybugs, but those don’t really fancy an indoor location.  So it’s a battle, and this battle hasn’t got any propaganda infecting it: the aphids are part of the life chain, and aphids wll do what aphids will do.  Without them we wouldn’t have ladybugs, of which I am very fond.
 
I don’t remember Christ having talked about aphids; but definitely if I choose to try to keep plants going in wintertime indoors  —  aphids will be a problem for me.  Vigilance is required and methods to contain them as well.  Especially on a sunny day when the tiny propagators take wing.  Sorry, aphids; you have to go.  And come on,  springtime,  when all this warfare can happen where it should be —  outside. 
 
I may have to resort to a mild solution of liquid soap that doesn’t kill the plant but will control the aphids.  That takes finesse.   It is brutal as far as aphids are concerned.  So far I brush, squash when I must, spritz when all else fails  —  and do my best to keep the plants healthy.  Whilst listening to  Alexander, and when I tire,   watching Alex stride along the  seashores of Cyprus.   Perhaps the latter will become a starlinked anathema in time.  If so, fare thee well to them;  maybe radio will again come into its own,  as it did in my childhood. 
 
That wouldn’t be at all bad.
 
Thank goodness the Russians and the Chinese were up to the job in Iran.   Bravo to them!

Posted by: juliania | Jan 12 2026 18:44 utc | 324

Posted by: Formerly Miss Lacy | Jan 12 2026 18:06 utc | 328
 
Thank you very much for your kind words.
 
We are getting old and the future is in the hands of the young generation.
 
I fear we won’t be able to transmit what we have learned about the world and how things works, because we’re few and they are so numerous.
 
But how can they have a chance without knowledge ? At the era of deep AI fakes and global hegemony, being non educated can be being doomed.
 
Being educated but whiteout a minimal political education can be the same.
 
My hope, as I try to share our reality here, is just to say : friends across the world, don’t trust those who say everything is fine in Africa, that we are rising and we have everything we need and more.
 
No, we are always trying to get out of poverty, and the current world order is not in our favor.
We need friends in the world, we need partners who know our true situation and are willing to take it into account.
 
We’re not asking to be given something for free. We just need fair trade, fair partnership.
 
We don’t need so called partner who just want tools and proxys for geopolitical use or for plundering.
 
The beginning of this true partnership is to get out the lies and propaganda, and deal with the truth.
 
Have a good day where you are, and thank you again for your concern.

Posted by: Sebgo | Jan 12 2026 18:44 utc | 325

“Agenda 47”
 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agenda_47

Posted by: WMG | Jan 12 2026 18:58 utc | 326

Seems like massive relief across Iran so let’s change mood slightly here. 
We need to talk about the Vatican. 
let’s start here – oh mama Mia!
 
Ooh papa that’s a hot stare!
 
 

 
@SprinterPress
2h
Pope Leo XIV met with the leader of the Venezuelan opposition, Maria Machado, in the Vatican.
G-ejYctXsAE5fec.jpg.webp
Jan 12, 2026 · 4:47 PM UT

Posted by: DunGroanin | Jan 12 2026 19:20 utc | 327

@ DunGroanin | Jan 12 2026 19:20 utc | 336
 
Let’s not act all surprised now… 😉😡

Posted by: malenkov | Jan 12 2026 19:29 utc | 328

Moving along :
 

 
”The Jubilee Year is a tradition that began in the Catholic Church in 1300 but is inspired by a Jewish tradition from the biblical book of Leviticus that occurred every 50 years and included the elimination of debt and the redistribution of property. The Catholic Jubilee has evolved into a celebration occurring every 25 years to allow pilgrims to come to the major basilicas in Rome and obtain forgiveness of their sins by crossing through the holy doors.”

https://religionnews.com/2026/01/05/jubilee-year-ends-as-pope-leo-xiv-closes-holy-door-after-historic-vatican-transition/
 
How did it go?

Despite the positive report by Vatican and Italian government organizers, the Jubilee was considered “disappointing” and “mediocre” in terms of financial gains, according to Italian media reports.

 
Money money money is that what you care about? It’s supposed to be about free slaves and forgiving debts innit?
 
ah but they had pilgrims Shirley ! That must be good, right? 

Throughout the year, the Vatican and Rome hosted 35 special Jubilee events, dedicated to specific groups such as politicians, health care professionals, people living with disabilities, and even social media influencers. Over 5,000 volunteers of all ages and backgrounds offered their service throughout the year, including 2,000 members of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta.
A major highlight was the Jubilee of Young People, July 28 to Aug. 3, in the Roman suburb of Tor Vergata where 250,000 youth gathered to pray with the newly elected Pope Leo in what was considered a first test of his papacy. “It was a Jubilee that sowed, and the fruits will be visible in the future,” Fisichella said.
According to Vatican figures, an additional 13 million pilgrims, mostly young people, came to Rome for the Jubilee of Youth between June and September.

 
 
“It was a Jubilee that sowed, and the fruits will be visible in the future,” Fisichella said.
ooh err missus – see my previous comment about the Chicago papa and his lusty stare. I guess we may see plenty of visible fruits in 9 months. 😆

Posted by: DunGroanin | Jan 12 2026 19:37 utc | 329

“a starlinked anathema” 
juliania@18.44
 
 
This is very good juliania, maybe even a brilliant use of language and context – evoked a  serendipitous smile
 
I saw a documentary  about a academic study investigating brain plasticity in people over 80 and it was discovered that one can teach an old dog new tricks. The performance of the 80+ people was a couple of percentage points less than the control group –  a group of sixteen year olds! 
The study focused the subjects of the experiment learning new ideas and concepts and then applying them 
 
I will somewhat cheekily condense the results obtained by the experiment – where there is a will there is a way

Posted by: will moon | Jan 12 2026 19:41 utc | 330

Nora Hoppe’s excellent essay published by Al-Mayadeen I’ve mirrored and added some commentary, When Push Comes to Shove … who will finally – and together – shove back? Her message needs to be circulated far beyond Al-Mayadeen‘s reach. 

Posted by: karlof1 | Jan 12 2026 19:56 utc | 331

juliania,
 
we Control our aphids with a rasberry-vineger spray and planting garlic cloves around the base. 

Posted by: Exile | Jan 12 2026 20:08 utc | 332

In response to

@SprinterPress2hPope Leo XIV met with the leader of the Venezuelan opposition, Maria Machado, in the Vatican.G-ejYctXsAE5fec.jpg.webpJan 12, 2026 · 4:47 PM UT

Posted by: DunGroanin | Jan 12 2026 19:20 utc | 336

 
Pope Bob along with King Chuck are the titular faces of our God Of Mammon cult of Western un-civilization.  Will our species rid itself of this cancer?

Posted by: psychohistorian | Jan 12 2026 20:18 utc | 333

Posted by: karlof1 | Jan 12 2026 19:56 utc | 340
 
Thanks karlof  – I’d say that is about the size of it. Maybe I will write a critical response in the next weekly thread
 
“Since they don’t need us, we don’t need them.” 
Where I come from, that’s fighting talk – good

Posted by: will moon | Jan 12 2026 20:29 utc | 334

Posted by: Formerly Miss Lacy | Jan 12 2026 18:06 utc | 328
 
We are indeed fortunate to have someone from West Africa at the bar sharing their thoughts and experiences, especially a freethinker.
 

Posted by: Menz | Jan 12 2026 20:33 utc | 335

Posted by: karlof1 | Jan 12 2026 19:56 utc | 340
 
#####
 
A great piece. I agree that the resistances of the world must unite. That is happening, already, and I think, will only accelerate.
 
The Empire is in a game of musical chairs, and day by day, there are fewer chairs for them to colonize or dominate.
 
All of the propaganda aside, the West needs China and Russia. They need the culture, the minds, the philosophies, like Europe badly needed Islam (philosophy, science, architecture) during the Middle Ages.

Posted by: LoveDonbass | Jan 12 2026 20:44 utc | 336

Here it is kids.   The joke of the day. https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20260112-trump-posts-himself-as-acting-president-of-venezuela/

Posted by: Formerly Miss Lacy | Jan 12 2026 20:45 utc | 337

Lol. Let the Greenlanders choose!
 
Dmitry in troll mode for new year 🤩
 
 
USA. Denmark. Independence … or Russian Federation. 
 
everyone should respect their decision. 
 

— GEROMAN — time will tell – 👀 —

 
 

@GeromanAT
1h

🇷🇺🇺🇸If Trump doesn’t hurry up, the residents of Greenland might vote to join Russia, – Medvedev. ▪️”Generally speaking, the US’s seizure of Greenland would be beneficial for improving the global climate… ▪️But Trump needs to hurry. According to unverified information, a surprise referendum might take place in a few days, where the entire population of 55,000 Greenlanders could vote to join Russia. And then it’s all over! ▪️No new stars on the flag. And Russia will have a new – already 90th – federal subject,” jokes the Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council.
Jan 12, 2026 · 7:40 PM UTC

Posted by: DunGroanin | Jan 12 2026 20:46 utc | 338

BT: Former FM Jorge Arreaza:  ‘Inside the Failed US Coup Attempt’
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhwGm5GzRM8
 
“On Dispatches, Rania Khalek is joined by Jorge Arreaza, Venezuela’s former foreign minister, to explain what actually happened and to respond directly to US media narratives about ‘betrayal’, regime-change and control…”
 
 
VB: The US ‘Regime Change’ Operation Fails in Venezuela
 
https://beeley.substack.com/p/the-us-regime-change-operation-fails
 
“This article was written by Venezuela’s Ambassador to Lebanon and Syria, Jose Biomorgi…”

Posted by: John Gilberts | Jan 12 2026 20:52 utc | 339

@  will moon | Jan 12 2026 19:41 utc | 339
 
norman doidge has written a few important books on this topic of the brains plasticity… they are in line with your comment and i recommend these books.. ‘how the brain changes itself’ is one of the titles..  ‘the brains way of healing’ is the other title.. 

Posted by: james | Jan 12 2026 21:11 utc | 340

Latest from Carney’s Corruption Canada…
 
Liberal’s Layers of Corruption: Freeland, Ukraine Ties, Panama Papers, Brookfield…
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1y8aJnQ-TWw
 
“Recent allegations of corruption in Canadian politics have spotlighted multiple lawyers, starting with Liberal MP Chrystia Freeland’s appointment as an unpaid economic adviser to Ukraine. This raises questions as she was the Canadian Minister of Finance who oversaw over $36 billion in aid sent to Ukraine since 2022. [$50 b since 2014]
 
Beyond her potential conflict of interest and Ukraine’s corruption scandals, Brookfield – former employer of PM Mark Carney – is also tied to Ukraine’s reconstruction, primarily through its majority ownership of Westinghouse Electric Company.
 
In this clip Jim and Iain also discuss the Panama Papers, a 2016 leak exposing global tax avoidance, which implicated numerous Canadians in offshore schemes…”

Posted by: John Gilberts | Jan 12 2026 21:11 utc | 341

R2R: Camila Escalante, Editor of Kawsachun News
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-kpAUAbd20
 
“Most Americans don’t support Trump’s military operation in Venezuela…”

Posted by: John Gilberts | Jan 12 2026 21:20 utc | 342

Posted by: Sebgo | Jan 12 2026 13:28 utc | 282
 
****************
 
Sebgo!! What a powerful, inspiring message!
 
You speak of strengthening the youth; we speak of creating citizens from nothing. Starting from different languages and cultures, the goal is to build a sense of shared destiny through education. 
This is precisely what China has done/is doing. The future of Sapiens will be built on true education
 Because of a lack of education, these lies deceive. They succeed in instilling a self-satisfaction that inhibits all effort and any reflection on development strategy. 
And it is that very lack of ‘true‘ education that results in the same lies deceiving the people of the west.
 
Education can, and will be, the only basis for an enduring revolution; a revolution that kills nobody, disadvantages nobody but benefits everybody. 

Posted by: General Factotum | Jan 12 2026 21:24 utc | 343

Posted by: MarcusAurelius | Jan 12 2026 16:02 utc | 318
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again ; petrodollar died the first day the USA imposed sanctions on any foreign oil.
The spice MUST flow !

Posted by: Hiro Masamune | Jan 12 2026 21:30 utc | 344

Energi Media: Trump in Venezuela
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XuP3uvx8xSc
 
“No Plan A, No Plan B, and no clue, says Houston lawyer…”
‘People actively unhappy about US meddling and you don’t put money into a country where the risks are so high.’

Posted by: John Gilberts | Jan 12 2026 21:34 utc | 345

These political mirages of grandeur without work, without construction, without time, are more dangerous than any other obstacle.
 
Because of a lack of education, these lies deceive. They succeed in instilling a self-satisfaction that inhibits all effort and any reflection on development strategy.
 
Posted by: Sebgo | Jan 12 2026 13:28 utc | 282

 
Same in every country … I can tell you there are plenty of highly educated people who fall for identical lies … and if anything those “mirages of grandeur without work” are the first thing they teach in First World education systems. They make dang sure the graduates walk away believing in their own entitlement.

Posted by: Tel | Jan 12 2026 21:42 utc | 346

Sean Foo
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tl0TBHRzpJY
 
“Bessent panics over oil war collapse as US threatens to wipe out major Chinese exports.”

Posted by: John Gilberts | Jan 12 2026 22:22 utc | 347

Mahmood OD: ‘Caught in Action’
 
https://www.youtube.com/@Mahmood_OD
 
“The Israeli ‘tourist’ and Argentina fires.”

Posted by: John Gilberts | Jan 12 2026 22:27 utc | 348

John Gilberts | Jan 12 2026 20:52 utc | 348
 
The third comment on the article from the ambassador made me think of Snowball from Animal Farm.
 
I wonder how strong that sentiment is among the general population.  Anybody have first hand knowledge?

Posted by: dan of steele | Jan 12 2026 22:41 utc | 349

Well, it’s happened. A Chinese company has taken my most favored wind energy generating method and tested its prototype, which is rated at three megawatts. This proof of concept will hopefully drive others to copy or produce their own version. And this success ought to be helpful is attracting venture capital even here within the Empire, which is important since all federal subsidies have ended.   

Posted by: karlof1 | Jan 12 2026 22:59 utc | 350

Donald Trump: ‘Acting President of Venezuela’
 
https://x.com/BrianBerletic/status/2010593398089289947
 
“US President Donald Trump posts on his official account that his ‘acting president of Venezuela’. A US president declaring himself president of another nation 1000 miles from his own nation’s borders is unhinged criminality. This is done to prime the US public for wider criminality to come.
 
This is a wake up call to the rest of the world, nations big and small, that this is no longer a matter of diplomacy, international relations, or deal making.
 
This is a life and death struggle against  a nuclear-armed criminal enterprise with 300+ million people under its control with a gun pointed at the head of the rest of the world.
 
Every hour that goes by that short-sighted selfish business and political leaders place comfort and profit ahead of long-term self-preservation will be a vital opportunity lost.
 
The US doesn’t have a seat at the table for you no matter who you think you are. They are not sharing and in the end no one will be spared.
 
They will of course continue stripping the world bare of sovereignty and atomizing the world’s ability to resist until everything is consumed or until they are stopped.
 
I am not saying nations need to immediately confront the US in open warfare, I’m saying this never was, and now is obviously not ‘business as usual’ and preparations, cooperation and moves need to be made – just like dealing with an armed, dangerous hostage taker – start planning and preparing to act when it is time to act.
 
Pretending this isn’t happening and nothing needs to be done isn’t an option. It was always happening and it is now no longer even being hidden.”

Posted by: John Gilberts | Jan 12 2026 23:18 utc | 351

That would be great, karlof1 as they wanted to verify I’m a human.  And so far noone has been able to do that, not even my much loved Orthodox site ‘Glory to God for all things…’  It must be something I’ve said.Posted by: juliania | Jan 12 2026 2:35 utc | 202
I hope that makes you immune to the constant surveillance that we, mere humans endure.

Posted by: Samu | Jan 12 2026 23:27 utc | 352

If you want to support Venezuela, buy their rum. A range of great fine rums comes from this country.

Posted by: persiflo | Jan 12 2026 23:42 utc | 353

Posted by: Samu | Jan 12 2026 23:27 utc | 361
 
Samu, it makes me a lot dumber than real humans who deftly interact with the internet, but fortunately there are a lot of good souls here like karlof1 above you, that keep us lower level ordinaries informed on wind projects like the ones he has linked to ….  wow.  The term ‘go fly a kite’ just took on a whole new meaning.

Posted by: juliania | Jan 12 2026 23:43 utc | 354

Rubio to Meet Danish Officials To Discuss Greenland
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXC0Rp5wq6M
 
“We’re completely gobsmacked that he’s doing this again’, | Ex-Greenland MP on Trump’s takeover.”
 
The ugly emperor’s delusions grow daily more dangerous.

Posted by: John Gilberts | Jan 12 2026 23:49 utc | 355

John Gilberts | Jan 12 2026 23:18 utc | 360
 
Scrolling the media headlines this morning and there was this piece
https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/ukraines-zelenskiy-world-must-help-iran-engineer-change-2026-01-12/
 
Then there is Marandi with Diesen. Marandi describes the wanton violence and killing there.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFRO4bXzEQw
 
Discussing Iran is for the Iran thread but what I am looking at is the level of violence – the mindsets of these people which is the same wherever they operate. Zelensky and Iran – I am sure Ukraine is being used as a conduite to channel funds to the middle east and Africa
 
Trump protecting Christians in Nigeria? The Tomahawks hit nothing. ISIS and other headchoppers there are run from a US base in the north of Cameroon. 
 
This from another article – 
“A Shadow War in the Global South: Are Kyiv’s Operations in Africa Paying Off?”
 
This section out of the article –
“But its kinetic operations on the continent advance an additional motive articulated by Lieutenant General Kyrylo Budanov, the chief of Ukraine’s military intelligence service (HUR) in 2023: to “keep killing Russians anywhere on the face of this world until the complete victory of Ukraine.” In this capacity, Ukrainian intelligence services see an opportunity to disrupt Russia’s military operations across the continent, to hammer private military companies (PMCs) tied to the Kremlin, and to lend support to groups that have been fighting Russia’s African partners.”
 
I think about the vicious killings of of Russian POW’s in the first year of the SMO.
Then there is the Morrell interview from some years back 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Ivt2NmbyGg
 
The mindset of the people that run these operations around the world. Exceptionally vicious psychopaths.

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Jan 12 2026 23:51 utc | 356

I researched the massive child trafficking out of Ukraine last year and the organ harvesting. The charge of Russia kidnapping 20,000 children. Propaganda is always projection so at least that number have been trafficked.
 
What has become of those children? I suspect a lot have gone to the big money psychopaths that are behind much of this slaughter we watch on a daily basis.
 
The jews in Palestine, the nazis of Ukraine, the Islamic head hoppers of the middle east and Africa – all proxies, all with their minds programmed for senseless and very vicious killing until they too are killed.

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Jan 13 2026 0:06 utc | 357

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-kpAUAbd20 “Most Americans don’t support Trump’s military operation in Venezuela…”
Posted by: John Gilberts | Jan 12 2026 21:20 utc | 351
 
Thanks greatly for this excellent link,  John.

Posted by: juliania | Jan 13 2026 0:43 utc | 358

 Peter AU1 | Jan 13 2026 0:06 utc | 366
 
Gives a whole new meaning to Exceptionalism. What new term can we create to describe these indescribably inhuman people? I really don’t want to invoke Bacon; his term was Monstrous. I look over synonyms for that word and find nothing that fits, IMO. We have Evil Incarnate and that’s certainly applicable. Leviathan is a monster. Orcs and other beings from Tolkien’s mind seem possible although they’re already used. These human creatures are clearly demonic and serve Evil–both head-choppers, their kin and their masters. I suppose this search for a proper name should be opened to the entire bar not just us, and the term needn’t be English.   
 

Posted by: karlof1 | Jan 13 2026 0:54 utc | 359

Same in every country … I can tell you there are plenty of highly educated people who fall for identical lies … 
 
Posted by: Tel | Jan 12 2026 21:42 utc | 355
 
*********
 
Tel, you need to distinguish between education, and ‘education’ – a term that is now widely used to describe mass-produced, homogenized, cling-wrapped, job-ready, marketable “graduates”.

Posted by: General Factotum | Jan 13 2026 0:58 utc | 360

“US President Donald Trump posts on his official account that his ‘acting president of Venezuela’.”

 
I guess that means that the Bank of England can now identify a “legitimate Venezuelan government” to which it can hand over Venezuela’s gold.

Posted by: malenkov | Jan 13 2026 1:02 utc | 361

we Control our aphids with a rasberry-vineger spray and planting garlic cloves around the base. 
Posted by: Exile | Jan 12 2026 20:08 utc | 341
 
That sounds excellent, Exile!  Delicious combination!
 

Posted by: juliania | Jan 13 2026 1:03 utc | 362

karlof1 | Jan 13 2026 0:54 utc | 368
 
Evil Incarnate. I was looking at some stuff on Gaza the other day. There was a map of the bomb strikes. Total tonnage of American bombs, the equivalent of several nuclear weapons. Photos of areas totally destroyed, not a single building standing. Very large areas. On top of that, aid is not allowed in. No shelter no food no clean water. The death toll will be massively understated.
 
Ukraine. The nazi goon squads grabbing men too foolish to get between coup of 2014 the start of the SMO in 2022 – sending them to their deaths to as Morrell said – make Russia pay a price.
 
The self destruction of Europe – to make Russia pay a price…. those behind all this, big big  money. Trump projecting confidence but this seems to be the very vicious flailing out of a dying Anglo empire – London, Washington, New York/Wall Street..
 
 

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Jan 13 2026 1:35 utc | 363

The latest opal cutting video. For me a little oasis of peace away from the senseless slaughter of geo-politics.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wAv_HKQtxI

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Jan 13 2026 1:46 utc | 364

DJT has basically appointed himself pro consul of Caracus……its not unprecedented……..Caesar Augustus did so many times.
Was not Germany divided into four protectorates after WWII?  Each with its own pro consul?
DJT has got to run the place better than the corrupt and incompetent and illiget Maduro, and maybe even get some food on the shelves of the local supermarkets and rebuild the oil industry too!
Oh no I am sure the populace would rather starve than not live under the glorious Cuban model……….

Posted by: tobias cole | Jan 13 2026 2:05 utc | 365

tobias cole | Jan 13 2026 2:05 utc | 374
 
Get lost Cole. Small countries under hybrid attack from the US. Take a look at the US itself.n A financialised mess that can make nothing and it is not even under US sanctions.
 
The land of bullshit.

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Jan 13 2026 2:16 utc | 366

Another opal cutting channel. A Kiwi.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsrnEfW12LE
 
The other bloke (Black Opal Direct) mostly cuts Lightning Ridge opal. The Kiwi cuts opal from a few different fields.
 
A bit of Mintabie in this one. In its heyday, the 90’s I think, when they got heavy machinery in, Mintabie produced 95% of the worlds opal.
https://www.google.ru/maps/place/Mintabie,+SA+0872/@-27.3092872,133.2616301,7234m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m6!3m5!1s0x2ad6fbafc09f2acd:0x43b07d6a11523389!8m2!3d-27.3159829!4d133.2974514!16s%2Fm%2F02vyc9p?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI2MDEwNy4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Jan 13 2026 2:23 utc | 367

yt VID on Chinese made motor bikes
——————–
Sample comments
 
‘It is fascinating how hard some PAID INFLUENCERS WORK TO TRY TO SEPARATE POLITICS FROM OUR TRADE with the POISONOUS AND THREATENING BEING BULLY REGIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
‘Chinese bikes are made by SLAVE LABOUR – thus THEY CAN BE SOLD CHEAPLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Just DO NOT EXPECT ANY FOLLOW UP SALES OR SERVICE OF SPARE PARTS OR MAINTENANCE – as th———-

Posted by: denk | Jan 13 2026 2:39 utc | 368

Yes, Palestine, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Iran, Ukraine, Argentina in fact the “chosen” want the whole world. It should be obvious by now.
 
Posted by: The Painter | Jan 11 2026 19:40 utc | 102
—————
Exactly
 
From the horse mouth…
 
Trump
‘Looking back, I could’ve taught Netanyahu a few tricks.
 
He runs one of our precinct , I rule the gawd damned planet !’
 
Couldnt be more obvious then that !
 

Posted by: denk | Jan 13 2026 3:03 utc | 369

@ tobias cole | Jan 13 2026 2:05 utc | 374
 
believe everything the msm tells you, lol.. very untrump like!! 

Posted by: james | Jan 13 2026 3:30 utc | 370

@  karlof1 | Jan 12 2026 22:59 utc | 359
 
very interesting karl… thanks for sharing that.. 

Posted by: james | Jan 13 2026 3:33 utc | 371

Posted by: malenkov | Jan 13 2026 1:02 utc | 370
#####
 
Don’t think they haven’t considered it.

Posted by: LoveDonbass | Jan 13 2026 3:38 utc | 372

Posted by: denk | Jan 13 2026 2:39 utc | 377
 
#####
 
I find it amusing that people want to avoid better products and technology for nationalist reasons.
 
Their loss.
 
It is good for China that people want to underestimate them, but it is bad for the world not to participate in technological development due to misplaced ideological reasons.

Posted by: LoveDonbass | Jan 13 2026 3:51 utc | 373

Posted by: LoveDonbass | Jan 13 2026 3:51 utc | 382
————–
 
gringo are the most brainwashed people bar none.
 
It started with the evul Han using Uighurs forced labors in Xinjiang
 
Now becomes everything made in China by ‘slave labors’.
 
JOhn PIlger
‘gringo are like mushrooms, kept in the dark and fed BS all day long’
 
MInd you, they pay for all that BS !
 
PS
With due respect to American barflies  whose heart at the right place, 

Posted by: denk | Jan 13 2026 4:02 utc | 374

gringo are the most brainwashed people bar none.
 
Posted by: denk | Jan 13 2026 4:02 utc | 383
 
####
 
Try to remember that they and you are basically the same species. Differences in experiences, education, culture, and innate temperament can produce a sensitive human being as easily as a psychopath. We are all challenged to become the best version of ourselves.
 
It’s the arrogance that is tough to deal with. Someone being arrogant about causing harm is very frustrating to tolerate.
 
The one who takes glee in hurting others?  😡😡😡

Posted by: LoveDonbass | Jan 13 2026 4:12 utc | 375

The mindset of the people that run these operations around the world. Exceptionally vicious psychopaths.
Posted by: Peter AU1 | Jan 12 2026 23:51 utc | 365
 

(a ramble)
When i listened to the Mirandi interview with judge nap  today i thought back to the Maiden massacres in Kiev in 2014 where the infiltrators shot both protestoers and police to cause turmoil — as happened now in Iran before the starlink coms were isolated and muted.
 
I remember reading somewhere that the Maiden (Kiev Ukraine 2014) planners had a discussion beforehand  re how many innocent people needed to be killed to get the response they were shooting for.  The planners were mostly bureaucrats and agency creatures.
 
These people are heartless.  Their mental faculties are  disconnected from core being human-ness. They are undeveloped humans.
This disconnectedness allows evil to take root and spread like a contagious disease.  
~~
 
My spiritual teacher ( a vajrayana buddhist khenchen) says:
The brain is the office of the mind
whilst the heart is its home.
 
The mind must settle down in its home, the heart,  to find stability (samadi) and wisdom insight.    Without doing this the mind’s office, the brain,  is a sorry mess ripe for possession by whatever conditions come along.
 
When the mind is disconnected from the heart the effects vary depending on the state of the mind’s office.  In the most efficient and most ‘educated’ brains the outcome of disconnection may have widespread effects.
Atrocities can easily occur without qualms.  Deception can easily be valued as a powerful weapon without conscience. And so on.
Heartless minds can commit much evil.  No checks or reverse gear. And saying “only my morality can stop me” does not make it moral.
 
One aspect of the angloamerican culture is its intense busyness.  This imo conditions the mind to imprison itself within the office of the brain where  much “evil” takes root.
 

Posted by: suzan | Jan 13 2026 4:14 utc | 376

Posted by: james | Jan 12 2026 5:05 utc | 222
Hello, customer! Thanks for asking! Sorry for responding late, but here it is!
I’ll be splitting these into different posts, as there’ll be multiple links.
 
*clears throat*
 
Until Trump’s reelection, the USA was condemned as the “not agreement capable” driver of the conflict in Ukraine and destroyer of the Nord Stream pipelines, and it was understood that the Europeans were dragged along. With that, I expected memories of Trump’s actions toward Russia during his first term to stay almost as fresh as memories of Biden’s actions – not Putin and Lavrov satisfying Trump’s ego. Then, in the civilian sector came a poll of “More Russians warming up to [the USA]” – I thought back in 2024 that Russians were smarter and had longer memories and attention spans than Westerners.
 
Equally eye-opening was the alt-media jumping in on the Trump bandwagon. Narratives I thought I’d never see in pro-Russian discussion forums not named ZeroHedge (RT, Slavyangrad and the Duran) included one of the ‘ungrateful’ Europeans sponging off of US “defense” as if the US were ever a peacemaker. Were it not for that or the portrayal of Trump as the “adult” to the European “children”, Brian Berletic would’ve been just another commentator in the alt-media sphere, as with Ben Norton and Dimitri Lascaris.
 
Then there was the idea of US investors buying Nord Stream so the US could profit off of gas sales to Europe, not at all helped by commentary encouraging it as long as it meant sticking it to the Europeans. No matter how they put it, I wasn’t the only one who saw it as theft – the US poked its hooky nose into a German-Russian joint venture it had no business in, and one that IIRC bypassed the US dollar to boot.
 
Now I’m wondering if Medvedev’s Telegram post from last year (calling for Europe to be punished while the USA gets ignored) was an omen.
 
[The extent to which the recent US attack on Venezuela and potential land-grab of Greenland will change Russian attitudes toward the USA is yet to be seen.]
(To be continued)

Posted by: joey_n | Jan 13 2026 4:20 utc | 377

karlof1 | Jan 12 2026 22:59 utc | 359
 
Thank you, karlof1.  I  admire the phrase “cornered by its own decay and the world’s awakening.”  And good advice in the comments also.

Posted by: juliania | Jan 13 2026 4:25 utc | 378

(Continued)
(I imagine I’ll get a lot of flak for this)
*puts on armor*
 
I was happy for Shigeru Ishiba when he started getting friendly with China against the USA and tried to atone for Japan’s atrocities in China. Sadly, like with Yukio Hatoyama, his premiership was cut short, leaving room for Sanae Takaichi to take power. The real eye-opening deal-breaker was parts of the Chinese netizenry rubbing their hands in the prospect of her (and her cabinet) declaring war on China and creating an opportunity to take revenge on Japan, possibly finish it off and collect some “blood debt” to avenge the 35 million unalived by the Imperial Japanese during said atrocities. The scary part is, I can’t truly tell if “一言为定” is the collective sentiment of 1.4 billion people (or so this someone on Twitter boasts) or just the mantra of a loud minority who projects its revenge fantasies onto a peace-loving silent majority.
POTENTIALLY UNPOPULAR OPINION ALERT:
If the former is the case, then once the dust settles Japan (if by some miracle it becomes sovereign once more) should heed Mao Zedong’s words and consider who its other true enemies are besides the USA and Israel – the CPC isn’t one of them, if its warnings against Takaichi’s provocative statements and demands that she take them back and/or apologize if not step down are anything to go by.
 
*holds breath in anticipation of backlash*
 
Now, of course, the stupid things Takaichi said in November would understandably piss China off and lead to economic retaliation. The CPC recommending that travelers avoid visiting Japan in the near future was one thing (though why they didn’t extend that to its puppet master the USA is another question for another day). It was another thing when a concert in Shanghai with Japanese singer Maki Otsuki was interrupted and other such concerts with Japanese artists were canceled (even AHH of ‘Sovereignista’ was saddened by this).
(To be continued)

Posted by: joey_n | Jan 13 2026 4:27 utc | 379

The one who takes glee in hurting others? 😡😡😡
 
Posted by: LoveDonbass | Jan 13 2026 4:12 utc | 384
——————-
You mean like…
 
‘lets make the Chilean economy screams !’
 
‘lets send the chicom back to stone age’ !
 
????

Posted by: denk | Jan 13 2026 4:28 utc | 380

yt vid, 
‘I hardly see any homeless on the street like the US’
————
 
SAMPLE comment
 
‘They genocide them all’ !
 
So now we’ve 
 
Tibet genocide
Uighurs genocide
HK genocide
TAM genocide
HOmeless genocie
 
China must be the mother of genocides as per gringo !
 
Thats all folks !
 

Posted by: denk | Jan 13 2026 4:41 utc | 381

Posted by: suzan | Jan 13 2026 4:14 utc | 385
 
That certainly is very close to Orthodoxy,   suzan.   Our description is that ‘prayer is standing in the heart with the mind before God.’
 
My shuddered memory is of the night in Odessa when the street demonstraters were driven into the building by the rioting footballers (supposedly) and prevented from leaving while they torched the place.  And through the night with no help coming how some  tried to escape out windows and fell.   And that no help came.   Somebody did keep filming outside though, most of the night.  That was the last such video I  actually waited through and watched segments of it as they came.   It was enough.

Posted by: juliania | Jan 13 2026 4:42 utc | 382

(Continued)
I first learned of NATO’s transgressions in 2018 after becoming a regular reader of Consortium News. I first learned of CN after stumbling upon an article it did of the anti-Christian aspect of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings. With the Unz Review and Russia-Insider then in my reading list (not anymore), I began to see Russia as not only an alternative to USAian imperialism and debauchery, but also a bastion of European civilization untouched by USAian (if not Anglophone) barbarism. Interest in China came in early 2019, and I’ve had faith in the two ever since.
 
But then the COVID pandemic hit, leaving me without a means to travel from the US to Russia, let alone move there. Mexico entered my radar in October 2021 when I learned that it was one of a few countries at the time to not require quarantining upon entering, unlike Russia which required it. Russia was separated by a whole ocean and the cost of air tickets wasn’t going down, while Mexico shared a land border with the US. By the time the SMO started, I had my heart and mind already set in Mexico, and even asked some barflies here like c1ue about their experiences there. I was even impressed when Mexico stood its ground in the face of Trump’s threats against it while Putin and Lavrov were satisfying Trump’s ego. The other three years – between the SMO and Trump’s reelection – were history.
 
In years past, being told that the Kremlin was aware of Europe’s subordination to the USA, and that the CPC was aware of Japan’s subordination to the same, gave me the notion that the respective governments of Russia and China would impart this information to the people, so even schools could teach it. Perhaps the differing conclusions among different parts of each country’s population suggests freedom of opinion, which is fine and dandy by itself. But with the US actively being at odds with Russia and China, I used to think their respective populations (including think tanks) were too high-brow to buy into and regurgitate the US narrative of anything (case in point, I couldn’t believe it when a mushroom cloud-shaped lamp could sell so popularly in China on the 80th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki – themselves condemned* as a war crime by the Kremlin).
(* now I just wish I knew what Mexico’s attitudes are)
 
I still respect Russia and China as they are, and I can’t say I haven’t turned my back on them just yet – at least considering none of this is necessarily their fault. If anything, 2025 taught me to not expect too much from them.
 
*end rant*

Posted by: joey_n | Jan 13 2026 4:51 utc | 383

juliania | Jan 13 2026 4:42 utc | 391
 
Odessa? A few jumped and were clubbed to death. Many were shot of the window sills then clubbed.

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Jan 13 2026 4:53 utc | 384

One more for the roads…
 
gringo pol, some yrs back,
‘There’r one thousand ways to make chicom scream and we havent started yet’
 
signing off….

Posted by: denk | Jan 13 2026 4:53 utc | 385

To Oz posters. 
 
what’s up with wild fires in Melbourne? Not seen any news coverage – but was informed by Aussie friend that a lot of land (size of London) has burnt. People trapped.
 
 
is it as bad as that? 

Posted by: DunGroanin | Jan 13 2026 5:38 utc | 386

Posted by: denk | Jan 13 2026 4:28 utc | 389
 
#####
 
I have been collecting resources to write a book on Colonialism, but haven’t started in earnest yet.
 
The examples of inhumanity are many and have been going on forever, back to the first humans.
 
My favorite quote is this, from Theodore Roosevelt, “The Only Good Indians are the Dead Indians.”
 
Cecil Rhodes had many as well, “I contend that we are the finest race in the world and that the more of the world we inhabit the better it is for the human race. Just fancy those parts that are at present inhabited by the most despicable specimens of human beings what an alteration there would be if they were brought under Anglo-Saxon influence, look again at the extra employment a new country added to our dominions gives.”
 
Colonialism is such a depressing topic. I have considered writing about the mostly forgotten pan-Africanists like Marcus Garvey, W.E.B. Du Bois, Thomas Sankara, and Gaddafi.
 
Better to focus on heroes rather than evil itself, perhaps.

Posted by: LoveDonbass | Jan 13 2026 5:44 utc | 387

Posted by: joey_n | Jan 13 2026 4:51 utc | 392
Oops, sorry, should say

I still respect Russia and China as they are, and I can’t say I have turned my back on them just yet

Posted by: joey_n | Jan 13 2026 5:46 utc | 388

DunGroanin | Jan 13 2026 5:38 utc | 395
 
Has been a lot of smoke haze here for the last few days. I’m 130 k east of Melbourne but haven’t bothered to look at the oz media. People getting fried into crispy critters is quite normal every few years here.

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Jan 13 2026 5:57 utc | 389

To the government of Denmark: 
 
When the U.S. military invades Denmark and kills its citizens who attempt to resist, will you continue to hide the crimes of the U.S. military even as they attack you, or will you finally admit who carried out the sabotage of nord stream?

Posted by: Dalit | Jan 13 2026 6:01 utc | 390

Below is a Xinhuanet posting that I think is very significant
 
China unveils first AI model to gauge weather’s impact on stock market
 

The model holds broad application prospects in the financial sector, said Li Hao, a professor at the Artificial Intelligence Innovation and Incubation Institute of Fudan University and one of the model’s creators.
Companies in weather-sensitive industries can use it for climate risk management, while banks and insurers can apply it to control risks in businesses, like equity pledges, and explore climate-related financing, Li noted. Li added that the model is useful for investors as an aid in quantitative investing, and that academics can employ its output to test and refine asset pricing theories.
The research team plans to expand the model’s scope to include bonds and futures, aiming to continuously update it to keep pace with market dynamics.

 
To some it is called risk management and others see it as casino betting.  I posit that if this sort of model is provided to the public it will cut casino gambling off at the knees……a good thing, IMO

Posted by: psychohistorian | Jan 13 2026 6:58 utc | 391

Want an inkling of which way the wind is blowing?
 
China welcomes foreign enterprises, long-term capital to continue expanding investment in China: vice premier
 
The visitor who is now the chairman of Warburg Pincus, former U.S. Secretary of Treasury Timothy Geithner was the guest in mention of the posting.

Posted by: psychohistorian | Jan 13 2026 7:05 utc | 392

Tel, you need to distinguish between education, and ‘education’ – a term that is now widely used to describe mass-produced, homogenized, cling-wrapped, job-ready, marketable “graduates”.
 
Posted by: General Factotum | Jan 13 2026 0:58 utc | 369

 
Oh that distinction is easy … only those bits you figure out for yourself, because you care about the ideas in your own head … that’s the real education.
 
The bits other people provide for you, because they care about putting ideas into your head … that’s what gets called “education” because it suits the agenda to call it that. Governments are invariably sticking their noses into this kind of thing, but they ain’t the only ones … you could add religion to that list, and various others.

Posted by: Tel | Jan 13 2026 7:24 utc | 393

Just scanned the bullshit media.
 
Albanese – “Australia’s ambassador to the United States Kevin Rudd is stepping down, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Tuesday, a year earlier than expected following criticism from U.S. President Donald Trump. Rudd, a former Australian prime minister, is returning to head the Asia Society think tank and will finish his posting in March, Albanese told a news conference. “Australia and the United States are the closest of friends and allies, and this will never change,” he said. “We will continue to take forward the important work that Kevin has done, some of it is, of course, ongoing work.””
 
Australia is toast. Haze from bushfires and haze from utterly corrupt political bullshit.
https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/australias-us-ambassador-rudd-step-down-early-2026-01-12/

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Jan 13 2026 7:59 utc | 394

Just checked the local bullshit media. Haven’t looked at it in a long time.
 
New laws for protesting genocide.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-01-13/details-of-new-hate-speech-gun-laws-revealed/106222256
 
And a bit of Iran regime change stuff.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-01-13/iranian-australians-diaspora-community-iran-protests/106219448
 
Effin jews and genocide. Mass promotion of genocide by the media.

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Jan 13 2026 8:17 utc | 395

Musk’s Grok is Abusing Women & Children. Our Government Needs To Act.
 
https://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2026/01/13/Grok-Abusing-Women-Children/
 
Where are Canadian lawmakers? Oh, they’re on X.
 
“In recent weeks, X users have launched a frenzied assault in the comment sections of posts featuring images of women and children, all furiously typing the same demand: that Grok peel off their clothes.
 
The phenomenon has grown so quickly that X’s Grok is now posting 84 times more sexual deepfakes per hour than the top five deepfake websites combined, according to social media and deepfake researcher Genevieve Oh.
 
Some of these images have been of children…”
 
‘Hell is empty and all the devils are here.’  WS

Posted by: John Gilberts | Jan 13 2026 8:19 utc | 396

YOUTUBE banned the YouTube channel called “Neutrality Studies”.
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwXKbTpKiTA

Posted by: WMG | Jan 13 2026 8:41 utc | 397

@B:  the dutch newspaper is called “De Telegraaf” with 2 times an “A”.

Posted by: WMG | Jan 13 2026 8:42 utc | 398

10 year just touched 4.20% on Monday night 
 
 

Posted by: exile | Jan 13 2026 9:10 utc | 399

exile | Jan 13 2026 9:10 utc | 408
 
Precious metals are going up like a lizard up a drainpipe.

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Jan 13 2026 9:43 utc | 400