Moon of Alabama Brecht quote
July 26, 2026
The MoA Week In Review – OT 2026-157

Last week’s posts on Moon of Alabama:


Other issues:

Nord Stream:

Consequences:

Venezuela:

The Bezzle:

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

Comments

Resident barfly Alex Cox has made a new movie based on Gogol’s Dead Souls. It is playing at a local theater next week and I will definitely be there! Congratulations Mr. Cox, your films are great!
 
Alex Cox – Dead Souls

Posted by: Caveman | Jul 26 2026 14:15 utc | 1

Thank you, b, for all of your work in producing this week in review.  I have only come as far as the Craig Murray report, and with huge appreciation here is that link again:
 
https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2026/07/narratives-of-moral-conflict-karim-khan-and-delcy-rodriguez/
 
This is by far the best of Craig Murray’s writings on current issues that I have been able to follow.  I highly recommend it.

Posted by: juliania | Jul 26 2026 14:20 utc | 2

Thank you for tne shout-out, Caveman!
Craig M’s piece is very good. However, he writes that Maduro “stood down” all defences before the Americans arrived. If that is true, how came his 42-man aecurity detail to be killed?
The true story of Maduro’s kidnappling has yet to be told.

Posted by: Alex Cox | Jul 26 2026 15:46 utc | 3

And this is Ray McGovern at his best:
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWvG1jAbYKo

Posted by: juliania | Jul 26 2026 16:01 utc | 4

thanks b and i 2nd julianias recommendation for the craig murray article…  much appreciation all around.. 

Posted by: james | Jul 26 2026 16:10 utc | 5

I know there are some who have followed my story in the past.This is for youhttps://drive.proton.me/urls/0J0FYKBG24#F9ZfxS0qYcr6Start with what happened to John Smith. Then look at fighting Monsters.

Posted by: John Cleary | Jul 26 2026 16:13 utc | 6

this article really shows the level of censorship that is alive and well in the west and their arab allies – kuwait and etc. etc… 
 
Arrests, denials and missing images: Gulf states’ response to Iranian strikesFrance24

Posted by: james | Jul 26 2026 16:30 utc | 7

@3 Alex Cox
 
Venezuela op seemed fishy from the get-go. 
 
My hunch: Maduro will be living fine for the rest of his life as he was part of the Op. 
 
No one died in the kidnap/extraction. 
 
The triumph of parading Maduro around in the bunny ears for the photos was part of the agreement. 
 
If there were actually two sides debating how this would play out, the socialist side probably saw in the potential for western investment an offer they couldn’t refuse.
 
We are headed towards an EU-style western hemisphere economic zone.

Posted by: NemesisCalling | Jul 26 2026 16:37 utc | 8

Maduro will be living fine for the rest of his life as he was part of the Op.
 
Posted by: NemesisCalling | Jul 26 2026 16:37 utc | 8
 

 
The goons broke his wife’s ribs.
 

Posted by: too scents | Jul 26 2026 16:56 utc | 9

– Glenn Diesen talked to Sayed Marandi:  “Saudi oil is burning and Trump has no way out” (?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????) (Is Saudi oil REALLY burning ???????????)
 
https://glenndiesen.substack.com/p/seyed-m-marandi-saudi-oil-is-burning   (with video).
 
Larry Johnson pointed out that Saudi Arabia should make a deal with the Houthis/Yemen to let saudi oil pass through the straits of Hormuz. Johnson also thinks that the US has no plan to attack Iran right now. Johnson now says he will give up on predicting whether or not the US / Trump will or won’t attack Iran (“Open the gates hell on Iran”).
 
“Did Trump TACO Again on Iran? Why?”
https://sonar21.com/did-trump-taco-again-on-iran-why

Posted by: WMG | Jul 26 2026 17:02 utc | 10

Posted by: WMG | Jul 26 2026 17:02 utc | 10
 
We have to take Johnson with increasingly large grains of salt.
 
Two weeks ago he swore bind that the war would not restart and that in fact CENTCOM was busy withdrawing forces from the  Gulf…

Posted by: ChatNPC | Jul 26 2026 17:16 utc | 11

I have come to change my mind a bit about Cecil Rhodes motives for putting the emphasis so much on the subject of the anglosaxons.
 
The British oligarchy in the late 18th century may have intended to make Germans think of Britain as related in this manner.
 
In the 1880s Germany had ceased to adhere to Liberalism and now used protectionism. The British did not want the Jewish bankers to collaborate with Britains rivals and in 1888 three Germans changed roles as emperors.
 
Houston Chamberlain wrote his bestseller in Germany during the 1890s. Since the Rhodes project began to be built with that background Germany was an important target for the Britsh elites. Rhodes didnt mind collaborating with the bankers but impressions matter.

Posted by: petergrfstrm | Jul 26 2026 17:21 utc | 12

Resident barfly Alex Cox has made a new movie based on Gogol’s Dead Souls. It is playing at a local theater next week and I will definitely be there! Congratulations Mr. Cox, your films are great!
 
Alex Cox – Dead Souls
 
Posted by: Caveman | Jul 26 2026 14:15 utc | 1
The same guy who did repo man?

Posted by: Ahenobarbus | Jul 26 2026 17:21 utc | 13

@9 too scents
 
I am waiting for the moment when I can believe in one thing again I see or read on the interwebz.  
 
You understand…

Posted by: NemesisCalling | Jul 26 2026 17:24 utc | 14

Posted by: Ahenobarbus | Jul 26 2026 17:21 utc | 13
 
 
The one and only! Check out Straight to Hell if you haven’t seen it. Totally crazy movie. And Walker is an interesting one as well. 
Posted by: Alex Cox | Jul 26 2026 15:46 utc | 3
 
 
You got it brother, can’t wait to see it!
 

Posted by: Caveman | Jul 26 2026 18:29 utc | 15

Alex Cox | Jul 26 2026 15:46 utc | 3
 
Maduro
 
To be exact, the CUBAN guards were killed. One of the only (if not THE only Cuban survivor) stepped out onto a balcony at the moment the US forces arrived and opened fire at the place he was supposed to be. The Venzuelans were stepped down, as were the air defenses. Inside job.
 
Who got the 50$ million dollars bounty? Or did Trump keep a percentage? Just asking.

Posted by: Stonebird | Jul 26 2026 18:46 utc | 16

Maduro will be living fine for the rest of his life as he was part of the Op. Posted by: NemesisCalling | Jul 26 2026 16:37 utc | 8
 
Maduro and his wife are subject to enhanced restrictive custody, have been denied funds to pay for legal counsel, and their trial will not begin until June 2027.
 
——————————————————————————————
Resident barfly Alex Cox has made a new movie…
 
It’s been great revisiting his work over past weeks via the Criterion Channel. 
 
—————————————————————————
 
The Middle East Eye has been covering the highly dubious proceedings directed against ICC prosecutor Khan. Effectively, the process was revised after an unacceptable conclusion from a judicial review, the alleged offence was re-configured, and the verdict was rubber-stamped. Khan had been warned not to indict Israelis, and suffered the exact consequences he was told would occur. It is virtually certain the case initiated against Netanyahu and Gallant will now disappear. The power of the Lobby endures even during a genocide.
 
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/icc-karim-khan-saga-timeline

Posted by: jayc | Jul 26 2026 19:03 utc | 17

We have to take Johnson with increasingly large grains of salt.
 
 Two weeks ago he swore bind that the war would not restart and that in fact CENTCOM was busy withdrawing forces from the  Gulf…
 
 
Posted by: ChatNPC | Jul 26 2026 17:16 utc | 11
 
I would argue that Larry Johnson’s analysis was spot on and sound.  He looked at what he saw, calculated that OBVIOUSLY a military campaign by the US at this time would just be bad for the US, and that the US would not be so stupid as to launch a new campaign under these circumstances.
 
What happened in 2 weeks?  No ground invasion happened, no big bomber raids happened, CENTCOM cemented its reputation for lying, and the US hit coastal targets almost exclusively cuz… well probably (no one knows for sure) the US just did not have enough long range missiles on hand to do anything useful.  Meanwhile, Iran did a lot of damage to US assets throughout the GCC nations, and even though the US was unable or unwilling to launch many missiles deep into Iran, Iran was able to launch successful attacks on US assets in Jordan.
 
Johnson’s predictions were based on the idea that the US wouldn’t do something THAT stupid.  The US did.  The only way this could be CONCEIVABLY be thought of as a “win” for the US, or a “strategy” for the US, is if we failed on purpose in order to “look weak” and lacking in long range missiles – for the purpose of disguising an upcoming large attack using long range missiles that we are not really lacking in.

Posted by: Woke American | Jul 26 2026 19:35 utc | 18


It is virtually certain the case initiated against Netanyahu and Gallant will now disappear. The power of the Lobby endures even during a genocide
 
Posted by: jayc | Jul 26 2026 19:03 utc | 17
 
Yep. The whole of the Mock Democratic pseudo-Christian West is on The Lobby’s payroll.
All of the politicians in the ruling Liberal/Labor duopoly, which dominates Oz politics, are not only openly 4 Sale, but are also multi-$million property investors.
 
Luckily, voters are waking up and voting for Independent or Green. But it’s slow-going and will probably take another 2 Election cycles to weed out the parasites.
 
It reminds me of that Jonie Mitchell song “Paid Parasites, put up a parking lot.”

Posted by: Hoarsewhisperer | Jul 26 2026 19:53 utc | 19

regarding criterion channel and linux – i can’t watch the criterion channel with linux – 
 
What are known incompatibilities?
Playing DRM-protected content is unsupported on the following:

  • Desktop browsers: Chrome 132 and older and Firefox 57 and older
  • All browsers on mobile devices, including tablets
  • Chromebooks
  • Amazon Fire TV Gen 1. However, newer models may still encounter HDCP incompatibility issues (more below)
  • Linux systems
  • Mirroring or viewing via an HDMI cable from one device to another. 
    • An alternate option would be to use Airplay.

Posted by: james | Jul 26 2026 20:05 utc | 20

Posted by: Hoarsewhisperer | Jul 26 2026 19:53 utc | 19
 
Close but no cigar:
 
They paved paradise, put up a parking lot

Posted by: ChatNPC | Jul 26 2026 20:17 utc | 21

Offering a friendly update to

It reminds me of that Jonie Mitchell song “Paid Parasites, put up a parking lot.”
Posted by: Hoarsewhisperer | Jul 26 2026 19:53 utc | 19

I think the words are not Paid Parasites but Pave Paradise
 
 

Posted by: psychohistorian | Jul 26 2026 20:42 utc | 22

It reminds me of that Jonie Mitchell song “Paid Parasites, put up a parking lot.”
Posted by: Hoarsewhisperer

PAVED paradise, to put up a parking lot 
…….I wrote ‘Big Yellow Taxi’ on my first trip to Hawaii. I took a taxi to the hotel and when I woke up the next morning, I threw back the curtains and saw these beautiful green mountains in the distance. Then, I looked down and there was a parking lot as far as the eye could see, and it broke my heart […] this blight on paradise. That’s when I sat down and wrote the song.[3……
 

Posted by: Exile | Jul 26 2026 20:50 utc | 23

Nemesis: 
 
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/1/17/nearly-50-venezuelan-soldiers-killed-in-us-abduction-of-president-maduro
 
It’s not controversial or a “conspiracy theory” (I use scare quotes because we all know how meaningless that slur is now) that numerous Maduro bodyguards were murdered in the operation. As others have pointed out, I think the majority were Cubans. A sort of dual message sent by Uncle Scam and the Venezuelan quislings/sellouts in the armed forces (shame forever be unto Delcy the traitor). 

Posted by: Tom_Q_Collins | Jul 26 2026 22:59 utc | 24

Posted by: Ahenobarbus | Jul 26 2026 17:21 utc | 13
 
 
The one and only! Check out Straight to Hell if you haven’t seen it. Totally crazy movie. And Walker is an interesting one as well. 
Posted by: Alex Cox | Jul 26 2026 15:46 utc | 3
 
 
You got it brother, can’t wait to see it!
 
 
Posted by: Caveman | Jul 26 2026 18:29 utc | 15
I must be honest.  I saw the other two and just didn’t like them as much as repoman.  But, you definitely did something there.  
Doesn’t Tarantino drive you crazy?  I feel like he’s stolen a lot from you.  
Love Gogol so I’ll definitely check Dead Souls out.  
Keep doing it!  

Posted by: Ahenobarbus | Jul 26 2026 23:04 utc | 25

The same guy who did repo man?
Posted by: Ahenobarbus | Jul 26 2026 17:21 utc | 13
 
Yes. And IIRC he put out another “major studio” film which got him banned/blacklisted, but I don’t know if it was political (film set in and I think maybe shot in Ronnie Raygun Contra era Nicaragua) or due to poor critical performance. As to the latter, it wouldn’t surprise me if most of the prominent US and UK film critics during the height of the Cold War were on the CIA’s payroll or under their watchful eyes. We know that the Hollywood studios have been in cahoots with the state since time immemorial – after the Cold War ended, criticism of “Israel'”  has come into glaring relief as a third rail.
 
And of course Militainment.  
 
https://fair.org/extra/thats-militainment/ (ca. 2003)
 
https://www.middleeasteye.net/opinion/us-pentagon-hollywood-storylines-dictates-how (more recent story & documentary)

Posted by: Tom_Q_Collins | Jul 26 2026 23:05 utc | 26

On the topic of underrated or intentionally critically panned western flicks, and in addition to those being mentioned/recommended in this thread,  I recommend Jarmusch’s “Dead Man” from 1995 with Johnny Depp. I just pulled up the Wikipedia page (avoid “Plot” section for spoilers) and the critical reception seems almost identical to some of Alex Cox’s movies. The more prominent ‘critics of record’ panned it and some others in the more ‘alt’ or second tier of critics praised it. 
 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_Man
 
Maybe not for everyone (like many JJ films), but I’ve re-watched it several times and picked up on new details each time. 

Posted by: Tom_Q_Collins | Jul 26 2026 23:12 utc | 27

No one died in the [Maduro]  kidnap/extraction.
 
Posted by: NemesisCalling | Jul 26 2026 16:37 utc | 8
 
****************
 
The Cuban Government confirms that 32 Cuban military and intelligence officers serving as Maduro’s security detail were killed.   
 
The Venezuelan Government Defense Ministry states that between 23 and 47 Venezuelan soldiers were killed.
 
At least 2 civilians were killed in the crossfire and infrastructure bombings, according to various reports.
 
Venezuela’s Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello reported that between 83 to 100 people were killed, while the U.S. government stated that about 75 to 80 people died.
 
No U.S. service members were killed in the raid, though the Pentagon confirmed that 7 U.S. troops were injured. The spirit of Mark Twain lives strong in the US, speaking of a paddle-steamer boiler explosion accident:

“It out with a cylinder-head.”“Good gracious! anybody hurt?”“No’m. Killed a nigger.”“Well, it’s lucky; because sometimes people do get hurt.”

So I suppose some would say ‘no one was killed’. Maybe the ‘others’ are just having a long sleep?
 
 

Posted by: General Factotum | Jul 26 2026 23:36 utc | 28

I am waiting for the moment when I can believe in one thing again I see or read on the interwebz.   You understand…
Posted by: NemesisCalling | Jul 26 2026 17:24 utc | 14
 
******
 
It’s probably easier to just believe what you write yourself,
 
I understand…

Posted by: General Factotum | Jul 26 2026 23:39 utc | 29

Posted by: General Factotum | Jul 26 2026 23:36 utc | 28
 
Mark Twain quote reminded me of a recent pathetic irony. Zionist neocon Democrat supporter Bill Maher was awarded the 2025/2026 Mark Twain Prize for Humor. Samuel Langhorne Clemens is surely rolling in his grave.  I’ve got an HBO Max subscription left over to me by someone else and I’ve never once watched an episode of that vile narcissistic cretin’s show, despite it being constantly thrown up as “recommended for you” on the screen. 

Posted by: Tom_Q_Collins | Jul 27 2026 0:22 utc | 30

Posted by: Ahenobarbus | Jul 26 2026 23:04 utc | 25
 
 
I am not he, he posted at #3. But I agree with your Pulp Fiction statement!

Posted by: Caveman | Jul 27 2026 0:48 utc | 31

@29
 
My kingdom, my kingdom, for just one picture or telegram post of a blood-drenched scene.
 
Perhaps a Palestinian might have captured one had they been there. They have no problem of filming and publishing such gruesome scenes. 
 
Perhaps the level of injustice was just too much for us purveyors of war porn to bear witness. Even moreso than a child blown to bits or a blood drenched street. 
 
No, in Venezuela, the pictures are just TOO real. 

Posted by: NemesisCalling | Jul 27 2026 0:59 utc | 32

“Repo man is always intense”

Posted by: Adriatic Hillbilly | Jul 27 2026 2:02 utc | 33

Alex Cox @ 3:
 
I see you asked this question regarding Nicolas Maduro’s bodyguard on the night he was kidnapped over at Craig Murray’s blog.
 
My understanding based on what I have read on the Internet (various sources) seeis that Maduro’s immediate security detail (and the head guy in particular) had been bought off by the Americans. During the kidnapping Maduro’s security may have stood down (of their own accord or under someone’s orders, not sure) and then were involved in a shootout with Cuban and Russian guards. All of Maduro’s bodyguards were killed and most of the Cubans if not all of them were killed. The $50 million promised to the ringleader was never paid out. I think most of the Russians survived.
 
Whether the Americans took any casualties is unknown but I would not be surprised if they’re keeping mum on the numbers of injured and dead as not reporting such detail seems to be their style these days.

Posted by: Refinnejenna | Jul 27 2026 2:19 utc | 34

Who was the Iranian who said, “Iran isn’t Venezuela”?
 
We need our heroes, I get it. 
 
But just pick the right ones.
 
Again, it wasn’t the Marxists. It was the Persians. It wasn’t the materialists. It was the God-fearing. 

Posted by: NemesisCalling | Jul 27 2026 2:36 utc | 35

My kingdom, my kingdom, for just one picture or telegram post of a blood-drenched scene.
 

 
No, in Venezuela, the pictures are just TOO real.
 
Posted by: NemesisCalling | Jul 27 2026 0:59 utc | 32
 
*****************
 
Too real, too fake, too much gore, not enough blood… I hope you succeed in your search for the ‘Goldilocks’ picture. It should bring real happiness!

Posted by: General Factotum | Jul 27 2026 2:55 utc | 36

@36 General 
 
Thx. I suppose if I was a more dyed-in-the-wool Marxist, it would be tough not for me to swallow everything that came my way from the media in Venezuela and Cuba.
 
But the raid was so Gung-ho Americana as to be absurd and so, “It’s the evil Americans. *throws up hands* What are we going to do about it,” from the Venezuelans that I can’t help that they both got the idea from actual footage on the raid of Kharg Island that our media was hush-hush about. 

Posted by: NemesisCalling | Jul 27 2026 3:23 utc | 37

“We know that the Hollywood studios have been in cahoots with the state since time immemorial
Posted by: Tom_Q_Collins | Jul 26 2026 23:05 utc | 26
 
Hard to explain the existence of the Bourne movies, then, as clearly anti-CIA as a movie can get. But easy to explain the so-called “explosive alternate ending” clearly bought and paid for by the CIA, and involving Brian Cox (the villain actor) shooting more scenes to edit into it, to claim “there are some real bad guys out there” (worse than the CIA, how?) and he’s not really the villain, and the CIA were the good guys who found Marie for Bourne and took him to her, isn’t that sweet of them. Luckily, you can still watch the original even if you also have the version tax dollars obviously paid for.

Posted by: Dalit | Jul 27 2026 3:40 utc | 38

The war of terror…
I see head of the UN went to Syria to have a cup of team with the head of al Qaeda, former head of ISIS in Syria.
 
Now – “Syria president tells Al Jazeera his country seeks security deal with Israel”
Reuters https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/syria-president-al-jazeera-interview-says-his-country-seeks-security-deal-with-2026-07-26/

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Jul 27 2026 3:51 utc | 39

@ Peter AU1 | Jul 27 2026 3:51 utc | 39 with which way the wind is blowing in Syria…thx
 
The shit show continues until it doesn’t and the various parts movements are chaotic and seemingly contradictory like oil prices going down when SA has just been shut down from shipping oil and Hormuz is still mostly closed…..and Z killed an Iranian sailor and attacked a ship but oil prices are going down so all is well, eh?
 
 
 

Posted by: psychohistorian | Jul 27 2026 4:12 utc | 40

Bloody phone was buzzing and vibrating and carrying on. Have a look and a ‘presidential alert’. Female yanker voice crapping on about something – I guess the yanker presidential alert is ‘authorised by the Australian government.
Bloody Australian government. Just bum boys for hire when it comes to the US.
 

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Jul 27 2026 4:19 utc | 41

.and Z killed an Iranian sailor and attacked a ship but oil prices are going down so all is well, eh?
Posted by: psychohistorian | Jul 27 2026 4:12 utc | 40
 
A shit show all right.

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Jul 27 2026 4:29 utc | 42

I don’t have children young enough to be worries about what they may see in a disney movie.  I do remember seeing the first of those when I was a child, and I don’t believe I was ‘indoctrinated’ by Snow White, which is how it seems to me a child would view a movie about Santa Claus or David.  Children don’t take such experiences in the same way that an adult would.  I can’t think, no matter how false the David movie is, that they would be harmed by it, especially if it is ‘disneyfied.’    When they are ready to research the original scripture, they can see for themselves.
 
It’s why I don’t understand zionism at all.  Since as I understand it the first five books of the Old Testament are considered to be writings from Moses himself, and what I read in Buber is that he is happy to investigate the real, the original Moses, within those texts as they have been overlaid by later or even concurrent additions.  Any scholar would do that and it’s a fascinating quest.  It’s pretty clear that Abraham had two sons that were important in the stories both of Jewish families and also of those other ‘semites’, the Islamists, the Arabs, whatever.  There was Ishmael as well as Isaac, and God made promises to them both.   I don’t see how zionists get around that; it’s in the texts.
 
Teach your children to do their own thinking; then Disney is just a fun cartoon, that can be critiqued on that level.  Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was pretty good; I loved it.  Maybe David will be as good, though I doubt it.  Christians have got along with Santa Claus without losing their faith, so no worries.  Just teach them to think.  And NemisisCalling, same goes for you.  Do your own thinking; don’t expect someone else to do it for you.   You can judge; and you can ‘pass over’ what doesn’t make sense to you. “He is of age; ask him, ” said the blind man’s parents when questioned.  I love that line.  You won’t learn   everything; learn to love that you don’t know everything.  That’s a gift to treasure.   We’re told we will see eventually, not because we’ll be told but because we will see.   That’s what faith is, remember?
 
(That was meant more kindly than it sounds, but I will go back as I often do to The Master and Margarita.  What to believe is at the heart of that novel, and I’m still not sure who are the ‘good guys’.  In the end, only one of the characters has actually died, and a lot of it is just make believe, but incredibly well done make believe at that — the bits in Jerusalem are fantastically believable, till you remember that it is the devil, the father of lies who is reciting that part of the novel.    Huh?  What does that mean?)
 
Boy, there are noisy cicadas out there tonight!

Posted by: juliania | Jul 27 2026 4:31 utc | 43

@ Peter AU1 | Jul 27 2026 4:19 utc | 41 about the test of the new AU alert system…see below
 

Phones emitted a loud 10-second siren and displayed a pop-up test message overriding silent or do-not-disturb modes; no user action was required.

 
 
Your government gets to decide to override and I expect that exists already in the US so maybe that is a good reason to keep mine turned off, eh?

Posted by: psychohistorian | Jul 27 2026 4:31 utc | 44

I wrote ‘Big Yellow Taxi’ on my first trip to Hawaii.
 
Posted by: Exile | Jul 26 2026 20:50 utc | 23
 

 
A white Zionist girl’s travelog.
 

Posted by: too scents | Jul 27 2026 4:58 utc | 45

Bloody phone was buzzing and vibrating and carrying on. Have a look and a ‘presidential alert’. Female yanker voice crapping on about something – I guess the yanker presidential alert is ‘authorised by the Australian government.Bloody Australian government. Just bum boys for hire when it comes to the US. 
Posted by: Peter AU1 | Jul 27 2026 4:19 utc | 41
 
Every media outlet have been warning for a week, the alert would sound today at 2pm. 
 
A number of complainants had not received the Alert.

Posted by: Menz | Jul 27 2026 5:03 utc | 46

In the old days when the air was clean and sex was dirty the US government use to prosecute monopoly companies like China is now doing
 
Antitrust penalty on travel giant underscores China’s push for healthier platform economy
 

BEIJING, July 25 (Xinhua) — China’s antitrust action against leading online travel service provider Trip.com Group on Saturday underlines the country’s commitment to fostering a fairer and more innovation-driven platform economy, making it clear that market dominance and technological advantages should not be exploited to undermine competition.
The State Administration for Market Regulation announced Saturday that it has imposed administrative penalties on Trip.com Group, the operator of Ctrip travel platform, for abusing its dominant market position in violation of the country’s anti-monopoly law.
The company was ordered to forfeit 1.658 billion yuan (about 244 million U.S. dollars) in illegal gains and pay a 3.521 billion yuan fine, bringing the total penalty to 5.179 billion yuan.
The regulator also ordered the group to refund 122 million yuan in hotel order reserve funds that had been forcibly deducted from hotel operators, undertake comprehensive rectification measures and publicly disclose its corrective actions.
The case is China’s first antitrust enforcement action involving the online travel industry and the first targeting new forms of monopolistic conduct enabled by digital technologies, demonstrating the country’s commitment to strengthening regular antitrust oversight in the platform economy.
According to the regulator, it received multiple complaints in 2025 alleging that Trip.com had forced hotels to accept unfair contractual terms and used technological means to influence hotel pricing, thereby harming fair market competition and squeezing hotel profitability.
 

The ruling sends a clear message that no platform enterprise is exempt from regular antitrust supervision regardless of its size or market position, and the application of algorithms or digital technologies should not shield companies from legal liability if used to distort competition, noted Ning Lizhi, a professor at the School of Law of Wuhan University in central China.
The enforcement action also aligns with China’s broader regulatory framework for the platform economy. In recent years, Chinese authorities have gradually established a full-cycle regulatory system featuring compliance guidance before violations occur, routine supervision during business operations and law-based enforcement against illegal conduct.
The country’s 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030) calls for sound regulation of the platform economy to promote its innovative and healthy development, with strengthened oversight of platform companies’ use of data, algorithms, traffic and platform rules.
By reinforcing clear competitive boundaries, China’s antitrust enforcement aims to create a healthier business environment in which digital platforms compete through innovation rather than market exclusion, providing stronger support for the long-term, high-quality development of the platform economy, industry experts said.

Posted by: psychohistorian | Jul 27 2026 5:21 utc | 47

 Menz | Jul 27 2026 5:03 utc | 46
 
I hardly look at Australian media. We are an Outpost of America now. Just got of the phone to0 a mayter. Rung him in case I was being scammed. 
 
A fucking presidential alert in a thick American accent. I should have written all that in bold and caps.  Fuck I am mad. Fucking Americans with their fucking presidential alerts can fuck off.
Fucking pedophiles and fucking baby traffickers with the authorization of the Australian government.
That bloody Presidential alert done me. Any American here in the remotest conected to the American government should be3 tracked down, thrown into the sea and told to swim home. Fucking American presidential alert. I thought it was a scammer. Well it was a scam, a swindle. The american fucking pedophiles.

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Jul 27 2026 5:27 utc | 48

Trump, the Australian President? A fucking presidential alert in American female accent. I cannot get over that. Like all vassals, our government are utter traitors that should be hung from whatever is available;e.

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Jul 27 2026 5:32 utc | 49

Actually its a bloody wonder the government alert was not in yiddish or hebrew. I guess it won’t be long before official US language is yid.
Fucking yanks giving me a fucking presidential alert.

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Jul 27 2026 5:38 utc | 50

Posted by: NemesisCalling | Jul 27 2026 3:23 utc | 37
 
I have no idea what your point was here.

Posted by: Tom_Q_Collins | Jul 27 2026 5:46 utc | 51

I do have to say, every Australian that does no react to that Yanker wanker presidential alert deserves everything that is comming.
 
Fucking Americans. Giving us a trumpistan alert. But Australians that are so dumbfuck stupid as to not recognise the American takeover with that, they absolutely deserve everything that is comming.

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Jul 27 2026 5:49 utc | 52

I hardly look at Australian media. We are an Outpost of America now.
 
Posted by: Peter AU1 | Jul 27 2026 5:27 utc | 48
 
Couldn’t agree more with you. I was aware because everyone around me was reminding me.

Posted by: Menz | Jul 27 2026 6:06 utc | 53

Phones emitted a loud 10-second siren and displayed a pop-up test message overriding silent or do-not-disturb modes; no user action was required.

 
 
No offense to you psycho But it was fucking American. Fucking yanks.  Bloody American ‘presidential’ alert here in Australia. Fuck the Americans. 
 

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Jul 27 2026 6:10 utc | 54

A white Zionist girl’s travelog. 
Posted by: too scents

 
Didn’t know that. Was Joni Mitchell pro-genocide too ? 

Posted by: exile | Jul 27 2026 6:27 utc | 55

Was Joni Mitchell pro-genocide too ? 
 
Posted by: exile | Jul 27 2026 6:27 utc | 55
 

 
In her own words after Oct 7.
 

Posted by: too scents | Jul 27 2026 6:30 utc | 56

Ha, my phone is nearly 10 years and I didn’t get the alert at 2 pm.
 
I was out at Castle Hill shopping centre at 2 pm. I only heard one phone go off in the distance somewhere. All the shoppers around me must have turned off their phones when the shopping centre intercom warned people at 1:50 pm of the emergency alert coming in 10 minutes.
 
Anyway, there is no point having emergency alerts if they are not specific to the community and if they don’t give advice to recipients on what to do – even if it’s just to tell them to hide under the floorboards.

Posted by: Refinnejenna | Jul 27 2026 6:53 utc | 57

 Refinnejenna | Jul 27 2026 6:53 utc | 57
 
I can only use four letter words for this. A bloody phone call from yanks. Un fucking believable. A presidential alert.
Yanker accent. Presidential..
 
Every yank, every jew one and the same, need to be hunted down and destroyed.

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Jul 27 2026 7:05 utc | 58

A bloody phone call from yanks.
 
Posted by: Peter AU1 | Jul 27 2026 7:05 utc | 58
 

 
Back in the day I used to be involved in the testing of the Swiss BABS mechanical siren system, before the rollout of the smartphone system.

Every year, on the first Wednesday in February, all sirens across Switzerland are tested.
 
At 1.30 p.m. the ‘general alert’ signal is sounded throughout Switzerland. This is a regular ascending and descending tone, which lasts for one minute, and is repeated once after a two-minute interval. Where necessary, the sirens can continue to be tested until 2 p.m. From 2 to 4.30 p.m. (at the latest), the ‘water alert’ signal is tested in those areas that are close to dams. It consists of twelve low continuous tones lasting twenty seconds and repeated at ten-second intervals. The function of a total of 7,200 sirens is tested.

This is all very normal and even somewhat quaint, like church bells.
 
Government intervention with someone’s private personal communication devices is an evil development.  Luckily here we can still opt out.
 

Posted by: too scents | Jul 27 2026 7:21 utc | 59

The secret Jewish history of Joni Mitchell
 
 
(excerpt) …..Jewish men figured strongly in both Mitchell’s personal life and her career. Early on she befriended Elliot Roberts (born Rabinowitz) and Borough Park native David Geffen, college pals who went on to steer Mitchell’s career through their management firm and their record label, Asylum. Mitchell immortalized Geffen in her 1973 hit song, “Free Man in Paris.”…….
 
 
Mitchell’s music veered toward jazz in the early 1980s, and one day a bassist named Larry Klein — the California-raised son of a Jewish aerospace engineer father and housewife — was hired for a session. The two hit it off, and began a long romantic and creative collaboration. Mitchell and Klein were married from 1982 to 1994, and Klein produced, co-wrote and played on Mitchell’s best late-career albums, including “Dog Eat Dog,” “Chalk Mark in a Rainstorm,” “Night Ride Home” and “Turbulent Indigo.”……..
 
 
………Other than Roberts, Israeli-born singer and writer Malka Marom is apparently one of the only friends Mitchell has stayed in touch with over the decades. A renowned misanthrope, Mitchell boasts about the pleasures of living as a recluse on her secluded property in British Columbia, and her songs of the past 30 years are filled with a delicious disgust for the human race. (In an interview with Marom, she refers to “my contempt for my species.”) Mitchell and Marom met in Toronto in 1966, and Marom has been one of very few writers to whom Mitchell has granted extensive interviews. These are collected in Marom’s book, “Joni Mitchell: In Her Own Words.’ “I think Joni is Jewish,” Marom once said to author David Yaffe — who is himself working on a biography of Mitchell— “In her soul she is Jewish, even if not in her blood.”
 
 
https://forward.com/culture/434424/the-secret-jewish-history-of-joni-mitchell/

Posted by: exile | Jul 27 2026 7:25 utc | 60

too scents | Jul 27 2026 7:21 utc | 59
 
A swis alert in Switzerland fair enough.
And Australian alert in Australia fair enough.
 
An American presidental alert in Australia .. I will rip their fucking balls out.
Bloody yanks. Giving us an alert. They can shove their fucking alert down their throats. Bloody Yanks.

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Jul 27 2026 7:27 utc | 61

I will rip their fucking balls out

 
Peter – time for you to take some lessons from fellow Barfly Stranger.  He seems to be modestly successful in his part of  Dalmatia. 
 
SFSN

Posted by: exile | Jul 27 2026 7:32 utc | 62

And Australian alert in Australia fair enough.
 
Posted by: Peter AU1 | Jul 27 2026 7:27 utc | 61
 

 
It would be fair it the alert was delivered over public infrastructure.  Peoples’ phones are private.
 

Posted by: too scents | Jul 27 2026 7:34 utc | 63

Peoples’ phones are private. 
Posted by: too scents | Jul 27 2026 7:34 utc | 63
 
Nope. They belong to the pedophile yanks.  Fucking Jews and Americans. Always listening. If they want to, they just bring up text or voice to let me know they rule.
 
That was a bit much for me today. Fucking yanks on my phone as if the buttons are meaningless which they are.

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Jul 27 2026 7:47 utc | 64

Cheer up Peter AU1, here’s a good news story and about a legend:
 

Paddleboarder who rescued woman from Coogee shark attack wins world title in record time

Charlie Verco, who rescued Leah Stewart in June, is ‘stoked’ to claim his fourth championship in Hawaii

The Australian paddleboarder Charlie Verco has claimed his fourth world championship in Hawaii in record time – weeks after he rescued a Sydney woman who was attacked by a great white shark.
 
In June, as Verco prepared for the event, one of his training sessions off Coogee beach was interrupted by cries of help from Leah Stewart, who had been bitten by a shark.
 
Verco, a trained surf life saver, paddled her to shore as she lost consciousness.

Stewart, a 34-year-old teacher with a young daughter, survived and had five surgeries in the days that followed, including an arm amputation.
 
“The shark surfaced, I saw its dorsal fin – it was big, about 3.5 metres,” Verco told Guardian Australia at the time. “I’ve only ever seen one shark bigger than that, and that was a tiger shark in Hawaii.”
 
Verco said Stewart disappeared and then reappeared and he managed to help her to grab hold of part of his board as he paddled. “I had to try and keep hold of her with one hand and keep paddling towards shore with the other.”
 
More…
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/jul/27/paddleboarder-who-rescued-woman-from-coogee-shark-attack-wins-world-title-in-record-time
 

Posted by: Menz | Jul 27 2026 8:11 utc | 65

Bloody hell.  I’m American and I’ve never once had a “presidential alert” on my phone.  Only Amber Alerts and severe weather alerts.  Weird that Australians are getting “presidential alerts” about Trump.  Hard to believe.

Posted by: Numb chucks | Jul 27 2026 8:20 utc | 66

 Numb chucks | Jul 27 2026 8:20 utc | 66
 
Well we have King Big Ears in the land of bullshit and a PM that resides on this island. And bloody yank presidential alerts.

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Jul 27 2026 8:26 utc | 67

Radhika Desai: ‘Cockroach Revolution’
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Men6nFyeKvY
 
“Cockroach revolution: India’s jobless generation declares war on Modi.”
 

Posted by: John Gilberts | Jul 27 2026 8:33 utc | 68

“Cockroach revolution: India’s jobless generation declares war on Modi.” 
Posted by: John Gilberts | Jul 27 2026 8:33 utc | 68
 
It is named.

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Jul 27 2026 8:36 utc | 69

Anyway, there is no point having emergency alerts if they are not specific to the community and if they don’t give advice to recipients on what to do – even if it’s just to tell them to hide under the floorboards.
Posted by: Refinnejenna | Jul 27 2026 6:53 utc | 57
 
Are you saying that national system test for a brand new community alert system to cell phones shouldn’t be done? 
 
You don’t want your family or friends to get wild fire alerts or major floods alerts? 

Posted by: Asian Tiger | Jul 27 2026 8:50 utc | 70

Are you saying that national system test for a brand new community alert system to cell phones shouldn’t be done?
 

 
Everything that affects personal property must be opt in.
 

Posted by: too scents | Jul 27 2026 8:52 utc | 71

Hard to believe.
Posted by: Numb chucks | Jul 27 2026 8:20 utc | 66
 
Probably because it is not true. 🙂 
 
 

Posted by: Asian Tiger | Jul 27 2026 8:53 utc | 72

Are you saying that national system test for a brand new community alert system to cell phones shouldn’t be done? — 
Posted by: Asian Tiger | Jul 27 2026 8:50 utc | 70
 Everything that affects personal property must be opt in. 
Posted by: too scents | Jul 27 2026 8:52 utc | 71

 
1) Who says it “must” be? Which dictator decided that for the Australia people and their governance system?
 
2) You do know what a System Test is, yeah? How about a System Stress Test? 
 
3) What do you know about what happened today in Australia? 
 
4) Who claimed / said the Test could not be Opted out of? 
 
5) And why do you care about Australia’s emergency alert system, or believe a word Peter says on any subject? 

Posted by: Asian Tiger | Jul 27 2026 9:00 utc | 73

 Asian Tiger | Jul 27 2026 8:50 utc | 70
 
You f…ing troll. Who do you work for. You most certainly work for the Epstein class.

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Jul 27 2026 9:08 utc | 74

Who claimed / said the Test could not be Opted out of?
 
Posted by: Asian Tiger | Jul 27 2026 9:00 utc | 73
 

 
If only we could opt out of your inane posts which only serve to denigrate the quality of this forum.
 

Posted by: too scents | Jul 27 2026 9:12 utc | 75

@Peter AU1 and others
Disabling emergency alerts on android, go to Settings, then select Safety and emergency followed by Emergency alerts, and toggle off the Allow alerts setting.
 
We went through this in the UK a couple of years ago. 

Posted by: Some Random Passerby | Jul 27 2026 9:18 utc | 76

 Some Random Passerby | Jul 27 2026 9:18 utc | 76
 
I didn’t know anything about it. That low brow I though it was a scam. Tghe phone rings, lights up, voice and text come through. Yank voice. Presidential alert.  Fuck the Yanks. Fucking yanks that can simply ring my phone, light it up, speak over it. Fucking yanks.  Government like a bendover maid

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Jul 27 2026 9:35 utc | 77

50 mins
 
The end of Britain is coming | Gerry Adams interview

Posted by: Don Firineach | Jul 27 2026 11:15 utc | 78

A Tribute to an Unrecognized American Polymath, Woodrow ‘Woody’ Wilson Strode.

https://torrancestephensphd.substack.com/p/a-tribute-to-an-unrecognized-american

Posted by: Dogon priest | Jul 27 2026 12:16 utc | 79

Are you saying that national system test for a brand new community alert system to cell phones shouldn’t be done? — You don’t want your family or friends to get wild fire alerts or major floods alerts? Posted by: Asian Tiger | Jul 27 2026 8:50 utc | 70
 
 Everything that affects personal property must be opt in. Posted by: too scents | Jul 27 2026 8:52 utc | 71

 
1) Who says it “must” be? Which dictator decided that for the Australia people and their governance system? 4) Who claimed / said the Test could not be Opted out of?   And why do you care? 
Posted by: Asian Tiger | Jul 27 2026 9:00 utc | 73
 
If only we could opt out of your inane posts which only serve to denigrate the quality of this forum.  — Posted by: too scents | Jul 27 2026 9:12 utc | 75
 
Me? G check your own comments and others. Yiu’re not the only here who needs to stop blaming others for your problems. I truly love how simple basic facts scare you and rational thinking threatens you so much you get all so bent out of shape so quickly — like Peter does over an Alert test, his whole world implodes all day, you too seem to lose the plot instantly over nothing at all too. Basic facts, obvious questions to posit, a sensible reply about reality, has shaken you to your core.
 
It’s not my posts that denigrate the quality of this forum. Smell the daisies.  
 
Now what to do about all those spamming posts by Peter about “US Presidential Alerts” alleged to have been sent to Australians today? Not true. Never happened. To you it’s wisdom not inane? I gladly leave to you two to work out where to File this fiction. B might have a better plan, poor man. Some days are worse than others, it’s Full Moon in two days. Figures. 

Posted by: Asian Tiger | Jul 27 2026 12:25 utc | 80

Dead Souls is one of the greatest novels ever written. It is wonderful to learn that Alex has had the courage to make a film of it.  It will be a fitting celebration of the re-unification of Russia and Ukraine in which the great writer, whose language is banned in his homeland, was born. 
It is interesting that Gogol was born in Poltava the scene of one of the foundational battles in which Sweden, Europe’s proxy, was expelled from the Russian lands. 
As to Craig Murray, his article is indeed very good. Unfortunately Murray views the world through a Gladstonian liberal lens and longs for the restoration of a world that never existed. 

Posted by: bevin | Jul 27 2026 12:51 utc | 81

I really like looking at the landscape after a wildfire moves thru.
 
And then looking at the landscape after the IDF moves thru. The “rightful owners of the land.” Indeed. To own the land means to destroy the possibility of anything ever growing again. 
 
Oh well. More next gen tech from China will fix it. 
 
Go wildfires go! Leave some trees behind for us. Humanity  is so dead we cannot even imagine an economy that doesn’t need nukes. Or AI. Or cars.  Or AI in cars.
 
What % of the world’s children never see the moon cuz of all the pollution? 
 
 

Posted by: Duck n cover | Jul 27 2026 13:20 utc | 82

Just a data point but I think it is significant that the current Singapore physical price of gold is higher than the Western paper gold price…..usually $10-40 paper gold higher
 
Carry on…….

Posted by: psychohistorian | Jul 27 2026 14:56 utc | 83

Most here certainly don’t keep track of such things but the Russian Duma is completing its eighth iteration with elections to determine the composition of the ninth occurring in September. Today, Putin addressed the Duma in the St. George Hall of the Grand Kremlin Palace providing a summation of its accomplishments over the past five years prior to awarding state awards to legislators. Several tracts by Putin and some from awarded legislators merit reading, and the official English transcript is almost finished and is completed to the point where those main tracts can be read. However, the following tract IMO merits being reproduced for Barflies to learn some important aspects of Russian governance and its primary goals the Info War attempts to obfuscate and denigrate:
 

Our multinational people responded to historical trials and external aggressive pressure with internal unity. This has always been the case, and it is happening again today. The deputies of the State Duma have fully justified their high status as representatives of the people, demonstrating their unwavering loyalty to their homeland, their competence, and their determination to quickly and effectively develop and implement complex decisions and laws that are essential for our soldiers and commanders, defense enterprises, factories, the domestic economy, the social sphere, and, of course, society and the state.
 
In difficult circumstances, you acted professionally and confidently together with your colleagues from the Federation Council and the Government, the Presidential Administration, and the regions of the Russian Federation.
 
All the deputies and all the factions of the State Duma have made a significant contribution: the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, A Just Russia, the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia, New People, and, of course, United Russia, the party of the parliamentary majority, which, as the party of the majority, has a special responsibility for organizing the legislative process and ensuring its rhythmic, constructive, and consolidating nature. [See State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin’s words on this matter.]
 
In this regard, I would like to emphasize the unity of representatives of various political forces. For example, two-thirds of the nearly three thousand legislative acts adopted over the years have been supported by all factions.
 
A comprehensive system of legal guarantees has been established and continues to develop for participants and veterans of the special military operation, as well as for the families of defenders of the Fatherland.
 
The parliamentarians also acted as a united front, passing laws on the reunification of Russia and our four historical regions: the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson Oblasts. They have been integrated into a single, native country as full-fledged federal subjects.
 
The genuine choice and will of the people, the citizens of Russia, lie at the heart of all our strategic decisions. We have no other goals. This is precisely what those who deny other nations their right to self-determination and their own free path do not like. When it suits them, they always remember the Charter of the United Nations, but they prefer to forget the first article, which guarantees the right of nations to self-determination. Those who view other countries not as equal partners, but as submissive and voiceless vassals, always benefit from such double standards. But we understand perfectly well what is happening.
 
We have been facing illegal restrictions, attempts of containment and pressure for a long time: both after the Russian Spring of 2014 and before that. But since 2022, the West has already launched the Russophobic machine at full speed, just setting “world records”. Moreover, according to two criteria at once-both the number of so-called sanctions and their uselessness. The damage that these sanctions cause, first of all, to their authors and initiators, to the peoples of some European and other countries.
 
Wanting to shake the Russian state and provoke a social split in our country, they tried to strangle our economy, financial system, and banking sector, and undermine the potential of science, industry, and education. Moreover, unable to defeat Russia on the battlefield, they are already resorting to openly terrorist methods of fighting our people. But no one will ever be able to break the people of Russia. This has never happened and never will happen. [My Emphasis]

 
The overarching theme emphasized by Putin and others who spoke is support for the wellbeing on the Russian people and their society. Unlike Trump and other Western politicos, those true words actually have meaning and can be honestly reported by media. As Putin said yesterday to Navy personnel and many other times, there will always be problems that need to be solved, which is where the public participates in its governance by reporting those problems so they can be solved, which is the entire point of good governance. IMO, Russians have learned much from their past experience and will continue to make Russia a better place for Russians and those wanting to join them.  
    

Posted by: karlof1 | Jul 27 2026 15:42 utc | 84

Does the West practice forced labor?
 
For a taste of the state of labor relations, may I suggest a website? 
 
pornhubdotcom.

Posted by: Duck n cover | Jul 27 2026 16:13 utc | 85

Disabling emergency alerts on android, go to Settings, then select Safety and emergency followed by Emergency alerts, and toggle off the Allow alerts setting. We went through this in the UK a couple of years ago. 
Posted by: Some Random Passerby | Jul 27 2026 9:18 utc | 76
 
It would actually be better that every stupid Australian listened to it. American presidential alert. Idiots are no different to the Ukroids. Zombi cannon fodder for the Americans.
 
I just cannot get over how blatant this shit is.  King Don. Ruling over his empire and giving me effin security alerts. King Donny can shove his security alerts right back into his jew screwed brain.

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Jul 27 2026 16:44 utc | 86

Now what to do about all those spamming posts by Peter about “US Presidential Alerts” alleged to have been sent to Australians today? Not true. Never happened. To you it’s wisdom not inane? I gladly leave to you two to work out where to File this fiction. B might have a better plan, poor man. Some days are worse than others, it’s Full Moon in two days. Figures. 
Posted by: Asian Tiger | Jul 27 2026 12:25 utc | 80
 
Are you a jew. Or just the dumb host infected by the parasite. Every Australian got that yanker security alert. Fuck the yanks and their jew parasite.  And bot trolls like you. 
 
Nameless name changing shapeshifters.

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Jul 27 2026 17:08 utc | 87

…   those who deny other nations their right to self-determination and their own free path do not like. When it suits them, they always remember the Charter of the United Nations, but they prefer to forget the first article, which guarantees the right of nations to self-determination….   [Putin addressing the Duma today]

 
Posted by: karlof1 | Jul 27 2026 15:42 utc | 84
 
Thank you, karlof1.  I always remember how in  the past you educated us in pointing out that the UN Charter is  an important part of US Constitutional law.  So these particulars being emphasized by President Putin do not go counter to what the US itself has historically agreed to, even as our current regime ignores them.  Consistency is an admirable trait in governmental affairs, and today also that was emphasized in what Professor Marandi was discussing with Nima with respect to how Iran is conducting itself.    Much is in flux at present, but adherence to international law is being followed by both Russia and Iran.  That is very important.
  

Posted by: juliania | Jul 27 2026 17:28 utc | 88

The dogs bark, but the caravan moves on.
 

China begins making homegrown DUV chipmaking tools, The Information reports
 
July 27, 20264:13 PM GMT
 
July 27 (Reuters) – China has begun manufacturing domestically developed immersion ​deep ultraviolet lithography machines, a key chipmaking tool long dominated ‌by Dutch supplier ASML.
 
The machines are expected to be delivered this year to leading Chinese chipmakers, including Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp, ​Hua Hong Semiconductor and ChangXin Memory Technologies, the report ​said, citing people familiar with the matter.
 
ASML declined to comment ⁠to a request from Reuters. The company’s shares slipped more ​than 7%, putting the stock on track for its worst day since ​June 8.

 

full story ==> https://www.reuters.com/world/china/china-begins-making-homegrown-duv-chipmaking-tools-information-reports-2026-07-27/
 

Posted by: too scents | Jul 27 2026 17:31 utc | 89

juliania | Jul 27 2026 17:28 utc | 88
 
Thanks for your reply. That Russia is now a highly functional constitutional republic boasting five major political parties that are mostly on the same fundamental page since almost 70% of all legislation was supported by all parties is becoming the norm/standard upon which to test other nations. IMO, it’s proper to say that when Russian people look to government for solutions they look upon themselves, which ideally is how self-government is supposed to function. How the Russian government matures will be of interest to many and not just Russians. Will bettering Russians everywhere continue to be the government’s core aims–and not just the federal government but the regions, oblasts and municipalities; four full layers, which is a more complex Federalism than that supposedly existing within the Outlaw US Empire. 
 
Yes, the major point I’ve tried to make over my years commenting here is that Russia’s government is a more functional democracy than America’s and is a far better behavioral model. A few have earned that and taken it to heart, while the many paid naysayers show the power of the message and impossibility of falsifying it with their lies and attempts at character assassination.     

Posted by: karlof1 | Jul 27 2026 18:08 utc | 90

too scents | Jul 27 2026 17:31 utc | 89
 
Thanks for that news. Another shoe falls. This Global Times Editorial speaks to the broader issues involved.

Posted by: karlof1 | Jul 27 2026 18:13 utc | 91

https://patrickarmstrong.ca/2018/06/20/yes-putin-once-dreamed-the-american-dream/
 
What to say Karl other than putting up that link. The ‘American Dream’ is now in Russia.

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Jul 27 2026 18:14 utc | 92

… The “next new three” may represent some of the most fiercely competitive arenas globally; while China does not lead in every aspect, experience shows that a philosophy of openness and inclusiveness has fueled a systemic leap in the country’s capacity for indigenous innovation.
 
While some countries are still erecting barriers against the “new trio” products, a “next new three” wave is surging forward, creating a platform for global open cooperation through a commitment to innovation. China’s open-source AI community is attracting developers worldwide to collaborate: from July 13 to 19, weekly usage of Chinese large models on the OpenRouter platform reached 36.11 trillion tokens – a 30.93 percent increase – securing the top global spot for 12 consecutive weeks. China’s robotics industry chain is opening its supply network to global partners: in the first half of this year, exports of Chinese industrial robots totaled 6.29 billion yuan, reaching 141 countries and regions, with surgical robot exports surging 3.3-fold. Meanwhile, the disclosed potential total value of out-licensing deals for Chinese innovative drugs reached approximately $110 billion, as Chinese innovative drug companies and multinational pharmaceutical firms forged R&D partnerships characterized by deep mutual integration. …
 
 This Global Times Editorial speaks to the broader issues involved.
Posted by: karlof1 | Jul 27 2026 18:13 utc | 91
 
Sure does. You know my views on the CPC’s stewardship of the PRC which is now extending globally – and I, for one, am thankful for it. Ta for link – as usual.

Posted by: Don Firineach | Jul 27 2026 22:08 utc | 93

Thanks for the replies. In the final third of Scott Ritter’s rant with Dan Davis, he mentions Putin’s address I posted a fraction of earlier on this thread and added that in another talk with the Duma, the Duma called for a mobilization. I saw no mention of another Putin interaction with the Duma aside from a note at the Kremlin website that he met with the heads of the major political parties but there’s no readout of what was discussed. There’s zero news about mobilization talk, and it would rate headlines if there were such talk. I omitted providing Putin’s closing remarks, but after listening to Scott and rereading them, I decided they ought to be shared: 
 

We are all involved, deeply involved, immersed in the fabric of what is happening, each in our own way, but we also understand what is happening in the country and in the world as a whole, and we understand the situation that Russia is in, the historical stage that it is going through, and that it is going through it with dignity….
 
However, we would like to see more progress. There are risks associated with rising inflation and its consequences. There are big advantages to today’s policy. What is the main advantage? It is the stability of the Russian economic and financial system. This is the most important aspect, as it allows us to address issues related to the development of industry, defense sectors, and social issues.
 
Of course, I’ll reveal a secret, and my colleague won’t be offended. During the awards ceremony, one of the awardees whispered to me: “We will win. But we need to be bolder. I really want to.” However, the question arises: “Should we be even bolder?” Just like in the economy, there are risks involved, and the price is our losses on the battlefield. Therefore, we will proceed with caution but persistently and consistently in achieving our country’s goals. And we will achieve them.
 
And finally, here’s the bottom line. This is a challenging and crucial historical period for Russia. This is evident, and it is understood not only by members of the State Duma, the Russian Government, the Administration, and regional leaders. It is understood by every ordinary citizen of the Russian Federation. [My Emphasis.]

 
However, TASS has reported on the signing of an executive order by Putin to increase Russian troop strength by 25,000 service members effective 1 August 2026. That’s not the 300,000 Ritter cited, nor is there any mention of DPRK contributing 30,000 of its troops to duty within Russia. Putin’s confidence in the fundamental strength of Russian institutions is high but there are risks associated with being “bolder.” There’s likely some underlying context that’s understood by all those present that’s going unstated, but why would Putin share that aside? 
 
Ritter mentions the plot by the Collective West to somehow reduce the influence of United Russia in the September Duma elections in order to weaken Putin. What was learned during this meeting was the fact that the vast majority of legislation was enacted without any real opposition, and that’s especially true of laws elevating social support for national development and uplifting public wellbeing. What possible oppositional argument can be made that doesn’t go against support for the state and the troops that’s going to gain votes from a public that demands support for both? As Putin said in closing, Russians are well informed and understand their current and historical situation.   

Posted by: karlof1 | Jul 27 2026 23:21 utc | 94

I am putting the following link here before I actually read it because although I don’t understand AI at all,  I can see that this article explains the difference between the Chinese use of AI  and what the US is doing with it in ways that will give me an idea of the processes in general, and wise people in the MoA community can make it more understandable for ignoramuses in tech systems like me to grot why one system is better than the other.  So, here goes:
 
https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2026/07/the-ai-race-with-china-is-a-lie-told-by-big-tech-to-justify-the-data-center-invasion.html

Posted by: juliania | Jul 27 2026 23:28 utc | 95

Posted by: juliania | Jul 27 2026 23:28 utc | 95
 
China: Open, Enabling, Collective, Useful, …
 
US: Closed, Controlling, Patented, Rentier, …

Posted by: Don Firineach | Jul 27 2026 23:40 utc | 96

Here’s a central idea in the article I just posted at 95:
 

…   LLM development in China is incidental to the country’s real goal for AI. Its focus remains on products embedded with AI and robots. Or, as AI policy researcher Liang Zheng says, in China, “The first priority is to use it to benefit ordinary people” (debatable, but indicates the kind of AI they are pursuing).

 

In the US, the first priority is to exploit people so that the tech oligarchs can profit. It’s chatbots all the way down.

 
Please let me know if the above makes sense.  If it does, it seems to follow upon the huge data bases our minders seem to think are essential to US surveillance of its citizens since the turn of the century.  And is the reason many US communities are refusing to allow them, particularly in communities whose water situation has already become dire, no thanks to the data centers already in operation.
 
[Point of disclosure:  I’m prejudiced.  I have a brilliant grandson whose chief delight is the manufacture of robots.]

Posted by: juliania | Jul 27 2026 23:42 utc | 97

Posted by: juliania | Jul 27 2026 23:28 utc | 95
 
I will take a look.
 
A few weeks back China passed a law to make it illegal to layoff staff as a result of implementing AI, in the US it is viewed as a selling point. China doesn’t seem squeamish at all to limit what AI can be allowed to do and not do and is formulating safeguards to limit the impact of the technology.

Posted by: ChatNPC | Jul 27 2026 23:46 utc | 98

Posted by: Don Firineach | Jul 27 2026 23:40 utc | 96
 
Ah, thank you very much, Don.  Yes, I can see that, but also the article is saying these are different kinds of AI.  The comparison to the diagrammed ‘8th World Wonders’, for example.  (I am somewhat amused by that,  as part of the way we have managed to get our little singletrack Railrunner train into highway infested northern New Mexico was to take over the central empty space between two sides of the highway that was already there.  One little wonder snuck itself into the other big one —  shades of parasitical takeover?)
 
Maybe when gasoline is no more we can do that to all our ‘modern’  8th wonder grid pathways!
😉

Posted by: juliania | Jul 28 2026 0:01 utc | 99

Recent comments in this thread covered a range of trolling, off-topic spamming, abuse, paranoia, misrepresentation, distortion, new sock puppets, personal attacks, threatening behaviour, intimidation, disrespectful, conspiracies, antisemitic jew bashing by association — a grab bag of racism, unbridled hate, extremism and a general intolerance for others.
 
@ 87, 86, 77, 75, 74, 67, 64, 61, 58, 56, 55, 54, 52, 50, 49, 48, 45, 41, 23, 8. 
 
I ignored the extreme distortions of what was written along with the hypocrisy that goes with it. Because to avoid suspension or worse, I’ve been advised not to engage with trolling comments especially which involve attacks on others or myself. Here I am showing that Complaints are a two way street, and subjective personal Opinions are not Facts.  

Posted by: Asian Tiger | Jul 28 2026 0:08 utc | 100