Alcohol consumption abundant in the natural world, study finds Guardian
Starbucks’ sales decline for 3rd consecutive quarter Anadolu Agency
Climate
Models downplay wrath of what they sow Arctic News
Climate Clarity: The Biggest Problems, The Best Solution Exposed by CMD
Water
Climate graphic of the week: Blackouts and water rationing as South American drought worsens FT
Syndemics
Bird flu found in a pig in U.S. for the first time, raising concerns about potential risks to humans STAT
Referral: SCI AM – A Bird Flu Vaccine Might Come Too Late to Save Us from H5N1 Avian Flu Diary
China?
China’s factory activity returns to expansion, ‘positive sign’ after stimulus South China Morning Post
Explainer: How will China’s new monetary policy tool support capital market development? Xinhua
Muted Public Response to State Council’s New Slate of Policies to Promote Parenthood China Digital Times
Why China Won’t Give Up on a Failing Economic Model Foreign Affairs
India
Walking Phnom Penh Chris Arnade
The Koreas
Seoul to Squeeze The New Inquiry
Africa
‘Ready to die’: Protesters face bullets for political change in Mozambique Al Jazeera
French court sentences ex-doctor to 27 years in Rwanda genocide trial France24
Syraqistan
U.S. gaining confidence ceasefire in Lebanon can be reached soon Axios
US draws up draft Israel-Lebanon ceasefire plan FT
New Hezbollah chief threatens Netanyahu, but opens door for ceasefire in first speech Times of Israel
* * * Hezbollah drone hits aviation factory in northern Israel Anadolu Agency
* * * Illegal Israeli settlers uproot hundreds of centuries-old olive trees in northern West Bank Anadolu Agency
UK urged to share Gaza spy planes footage with ICC war crimes probe Middle East Eye. Commentary:
NEW: ‘A Cartography of Genocide’. Since October 2023, we have collected and analysed data related to Israel’s military campaign in Gaza. Our findings indicate that Israel has systematically targeted all aspects of civilian life. https://t.co/UUxYqpTF72 pic.twitter.com/lpqv78S5c4
— Forensic Architecture (@ForensicArchi) October 29, 2024
* * * Members of Congress have taken hundreds of AIPAC-funded trips to Israel in the past decade Politico
European Disunion
Can the United Kingdom and France Team Up in the Third Nuclear Age? War on the Rocks
Volkswagen is in crisis again. Can it be reformed? FT
Corporate Europe Observatory – Uncovering Big Tech’s hidden network Brave New Europe
Dear Old Blighty
New Not-So-Cold War
Ukraine’s frontline is ‘crumbling’ against Russian advances, says general The Telegraph
Ukraine: Compromise or Collapse The Nation
Don’t Let Russia Win the Ukraine War The National Interest
* * * US Warns North Korean Troops May Widen Russia’s War on Ukraine Bloomberg
Russian units in Kaliningrad may be preparing sabotage in Baltic states and Poland Ukrainska Pravda
* * * Chinese sanctions hit US drone maker supplying Ukraine FT
How North Korean Artillery Supplies Saved Russia’s War Effort: 6 Million Rounds Left Ukraine Tremendously Outgunned Military Watch
* * * European Commission ready to open first negotiation clusters with Ukraine, but conditions possible Ukrainska Pravda
Global financial watchdog FATF once again refuses to include Russia on its black list – Reuters Ukrainska Pravda
* * * As Georgians Protest Election Results, What Next? Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
An unfortunate rush to judgment in Georgia elections Responsible Statecraft
* * * 50/50: How referendum results will shape Moldova’s path to the EU JAM News
South of the Border
Bolivia president calls for end of blockades, says costs exceed $1.7 billion Reuters. Video (2020):
Local union members are coming together to lay stones to help block the highway connecting Cochabamba to Santa Cruz. Blockades demanding elections are being erected by communities across Bolivia and won't be easily lifted. #BloqueosBolivia pic.twitter.com/sTtLfsseAM
— Kawsachun News (@KawsachunNews) August 3, 2020
Mexico Supreme Court justice announces resignation, more expected Reuters
Biden Administration
Lawsuit claims ICE withheld $300M in bond payments from immigrants AP
2024
Biden bites three babies at White House Halloween party Daily Mail
Elon Musk ordered to attend Philadelphia hearing; DA asks for more security 6ABC
The Final Frontier
Largest Commercial Satellites Unfurl, Outshining Most of the Night Sky Gizmodo
China wants to make its Tiangong space station bigger and better Space.com
Halloween
Cop ‘attacked’ by giant inflatable runaway Halloween pumpkin in middle of the street ABC
Forget witches and zombies, Chinese youths are dressing up as celebs and memes this Halloween Channel News Asia
The Past as Prologue: Caliban & the Witch – a Review MR Online
Why Horror Needs Humor Literary Hub
Sports Desk
Dodgers’ Freddie Freeman (4 HRs, 12 RBIs) named World Series MVP ESPN
Snooker star Ronnie O’Sullivan gets Hong Kong residency as part of quality migrant scheme South China Morning Post. Video:
Imperial Collapse Watch
The U.S. Air Force Could Buy Over 200 B-21s: Major Expansion of Long Range Stealth Bomber Fleet Considered Military Watch
Math Might Be the B-21 Raider’s Biggest Enemy The National Interest
Does foreign interventionism make America safer? Bruce Fein, Baltimore Sun
Class Warfare
Consolidation Threatens to Rip ‘Service’ Out of Postal Service Labor Notes
Fandom has toxified the world Anarchist Library
Antidote du jour (Ken Thomas):
See yesterday’s Links and Antidote du Jour here.
120 comments
Comments are closed.
BRIGHTER MAKES THE SALE
(melody borrowed from Tiger By The Tail by Buck Owens)
We want a brighter future than the one we see
What trickles down smells very much like pee
All fifty states are a lookin’ down the trail
And it looks like we’re gonna have a fire sale
Well, you say if we elect you to run our Uncle Sam
You’re not gonna sit on your two hands
And there’ll be no more pissing down our backs and coattails
Are we five by five or didja devil the details?
We want a brighter future than the one we see
Every billionaire has his own monopoly
This choo choo train will be runnin’ out of rail
It’s hammer time and you ain’t got a nail
(musical interlude)
Well, stories that are shaggy they confuse and confound
Promise is the politician sound
All the lies you told us about checks in the mail
Did you even try or was it just your plan to fail?
We want a brighter future than the one we see
You’re out of touch, and the money’s all you see
We warn you straight—this job is pass or fail
Human lives hafta be your Holy Grail
“Mattel releases first Diwali Barbie doll”
Since Indian ultra-nationalists are trying to be apologists for a past Indian custom, will Mattel eventually release the first Suttee Barbie Doll? (matches included)
https://theprint.in/ground-reports/sati-economy-still-roars-in-rajasthan-youtube-as-jaipur-court-closes-roop-kanwar-case/2331357/
I guess over at the Hill a news item about Mattel releasing its first Diwali Barbie doll doesn’t warrant a photo of said doll. Interesting, that.
“Alcohol consumption abundant in the natural world, study finds”
Ethanol is the most vilified, but most useful medication you can have in your anarchist medical bag. It is literally the best calcium, potassium and sodium channel blocker and the only one that reaches the brain. [1] [2]
I have labile hypertension, one of the most difficult forms to treat. Ethanol (in the form of 1.5 ounces of vodka) is short lasting and lowers my blood pressure in minutes. It also eases my mood in a way no pharmacological product could. It is only because people abuse alcohol that it has such a bad rap. Two of my brothers who quit drinking had heart attacks, one fatal.
I have always wondered if my family has a genetic need for some level of alcohol after the legacy of drinking in my family. Both my grandparents were very poor and they all certainly drank. My one grandfather drank vodka everyday and lived till he was 98 (he also ran moonshine out of his barbershop in Manhattan. So my family may be closer to the oriental hornets they mentioned in the article!
Have you seen the movie “Another Round”? A group of friends theorize that the human body is naturally .05% low on alcohol, so endeavor to always have that on board.
I’m torn between thinking alcohol is the biggest destroyer (it can be), and its value as an anti anxiety/pro social drug that is positive.
its also a remarkable analgesic.
but it has rather severe side effects.
i habitually do not mix the vicodin and beer…ie: if i imbibe more than 4 beers, i’ll skip the evening vicodin automatically.
and i usually end up drinking beer on days when i either overdo it with the farm work, or when the weather is playin hell with my skeletal barometer….when i really need(rather than want) to just lay in bed in my nest of pillows, but it hurts more to lay down than to sit on my barstump.
because the hydrocodone just doesnt do the trick.
so long as i stay out of the likker—and go easy on the homegrown— this regimen usually works out pretty well.
the 1/2 irish/scots irish, and 1/4 bohemian czechy are sometimes overwhelmed by the 1/4 choctaw,lol.
hence being abstemious with the likker.
interestingly, perhaps, i actually fall down more when i’m stone cold sober.
i dont have a good explanation for that feature.
I drive way more carefully when drunk. Also pick my feet up so I don’t stumble. I have learned to do this to stay married.
me, too,lol…altho literally all my drunk drivin is on the place, these days…and mostly in the Falcon(ranch golfcart).
and due to my global arthritis, or whatever, i drag my feet, as a rule.
i dont take a walk, i stagger and lurch.
dont even notice it until i stumble on some stick or something.
when in my cups, i am more prone to stomp,lol.
that might explain the phenomenon.
My neurologist once told me that 80% of the people on opioids use them properly. Yet they and their pills are vilified. Of the approximately 130 million gun owners in the US an extremely small percentage misuse them. Yet they’re all vilified. The vast majority of alcohol drinkers do so responsibly. Yet they and their drinks are vilified. The list goes on.
The innocent masses must pay for the sins of the few. It’s the American way.
And that vilified diuretic…
coffee?
Can there be any doubt that Genocide Joe mistook a child dressed as a chicken for an extra crispy bucket of KFC?
Creepy uncle Joe must be losing his sense of smell then.
So, your saying it was the original recipe then?
Only if it was finger licking good. Tara Reade might have some words about that.
oof!
I had no idea what you were talking about – then I went on Twitter… Oh boy! I read a Tweet that said;
The entire garbage thing was hilarious, and reading the reactions might be even better. One guy wanted Trump arrested because he doesn’t have a CDL. Too funny. And Joe sniffing, biting, rubbing little kids? Isn’t that the Joe we’ve always known? This might be another incident that will convince his handlers to keep him away from any camera or microphone for the next week.
Crazy bizarro-world….genocide committed in broad daylight, shrug + mild finger-wagging;
man sniffs girls’/women’s hair, shrug + mild finger-wagging;
man bites/suckles baby, shrug + mild finger-wagging.
Not to change the subject but no hosannas for your boys in Dodger blue?
I confess no love for the Yankees after they gave my Braves such a hard time.
I’m now 3 and 2 lifetime in Dodgers/Yankees world series and tickled pink by the outcome…
My dad was in the stock biz in LA in the 60’s and worked with a young Peter O’Malley there, and my mom told me that he would get dugout seats and as a toddler watched Koufax pitch, Wills steal and more, but a baseball game is wasted on a 3 year old, as I don’t remember a thing.
When I was 7, Koufax was my great WASP hero.
My bus driver from yesterday is probably crying as she works today. She was going to it and was fully prepared to call in if the Yankees won as she would be celebrating their continued survival.
Me, I am just beyond happy that they didn’t win because I root for only one thing for any major sport. That no NYC team makes the playoffs or if they do, win. I have no interest in those sports currently so I just like that there will be no massive celebration or ticker tape parade messing up the city more than it already is. I am that shallow. (Although I do feel badly for true fans like my driver, could be why I like when underdogs win. They have the most diehards.)
And the last time I was interested in baseball was when Koufax was playing. So I envy three year old Wuk. His pitching was a thing of beauty.
Sandy Koufax retired after the 1966 season, age of 30, due to elbow tendon inflammation (T-John surgery had yet to be perfected by Dr. Kerlan). I watched Koufax pitch a no-hitter at Dodger Stadium in 1963, and met him personally in the summer of 1980. He’s now 88.
So, heavy-hitting Aaron Judge contributes ziltch to Yankee’s offense. Then, with Yankees ahead in game 5 he muffs an easy fly ball (after making a circus catch earlier). Yankees lose. Odds?
Payback for Reggie Jackson’s hip flexor in the 1978 world series, perhaps?
Well, Shohei wasn’t even on the field of play, and was a complete Show-not in the 5 games. Go figure.
Seeing too many Palestinian children dead and waisted made his stomach grumble?
> Climate Clarity: The Biggest Problems, The Best Solution Exposed by CMD
Intriguing, but linked sources were chewing their own tails. Following is from 2012:
The Haida Salmon Restoration Project: The Story So Far
aoml.noaa.gov/ftp/pub/phod/pub/lumpkin/haida_foia_request/HSRC_SeptStory%20Final.pdf
Main source kinda fergits to mention this, from wiki:
> The experiment, which was carried out without the knowledge of national authorities, was later described by a leading scientist at the Natural History Museum in London as “hav(ing) had a chilling effect on public trust and on research”.[3] In May, 2013, HSRC fired George, removing him as a director of the company, and appointed John Disney as interim CEO.
Ronnie O’Sullivan is a great man.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ronnie_O'Sullivan
An artist who has given me many many hours of happiness.
It’s also pleasing to seeing him now: a fairly boring man of about my age. His sexy rebel vibe ended as he healed from his past. Now he just seems happy. Still goes his own way, but without the torment.
Here’s him and somewhat less at peace middle-aged man Stephen Hendry chatting and playing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJTnRNZtwcw
“US draws up draft Israel-Lebanon ceasefire plan”
This is so stupid to read this. Israel is breaking their teeth trying to get a foothold in Lebanon but Hezbollah have fought them to a standstill. So with this “plan” they want Lebanon to hand Israel a victory that they are incapable of getting for themselves. It does not help that the US Ambassador in Lebanon was trying to encourage a second civil war in Israel by having everybody in Lebanon launch an internal uprising against Hezbollah on Israel’s behalf-
https://thecradle.co/articles-id/27478
The woman is a lunatic if this is her plan and I am pretty sure that this is not what Ambassadors are supposed to be saying. If I was there I would be suggesting a new strategy to Israel – ‘Let the Wookie Win!’
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rN0T5tyJlo8 (49 secs)
This is the kind of thing I would expect out of the mind of John Bolton. In the case of State, it’s been subordinate to White House staff (ex. Kissinger before he was Secretary of State), the Pentagon, and institutions such as Treasury which wields power via the IMF. As a structure, it’s simply rotten. Then with Shrub, the final nail was put into place. Democrats embraced the “SMRT war” necessitating people in suits and pantsuits instead of uniforms and let that doofus Hillary run the department leading to a complete nightmare.
Now, it’s just bloodthirsty PMCs of the lowest talent level imaginable who can barely control their glee. If you thought Samantha Power was bad, wait until you see the people underneath.
After October 7th, there was that Obama appointee who accosted a street vendor. It’s a completely rotten culture.
Am I the only one who has problems posting comments this morning? In any case:
In the case of State, it’s been subordinate to White House staff (ex. Kissinger before he was Secretary of State), the Pentagon, and institutions such as Treasury which wields power via the IMF. As a structure,
You are absolutely, 100%, completely wrong with respect to State being subordinate to the Pentagon.
The Pentagon has virtually always been far less bellicose than State, and it has almost always urged caution. I have yet to find a good analysis about this, but my best guess is that since DoD has to actually fight and lose its own staff, they are more cautious.
However, State loves the idea of being able to use DoD as a stick and as a nice, easy way to cover up for their own complete inability to negotiate anything properly (or taking maximal positions that simply nobody will adhere to without being bombed to oblivion first).
Yes, DoD eventually bombs the hell out of places, but that is under orders; they are very rarely the ones itching to go to war
This is not even new–you can go way back to Weinberger and Schultz arguing over Beirut, where State was basically demanding that the marines be there to “do something” or “establish a presence” or whatever, and DoD screaming against it. Reagan initially listened to State until the marines got blown up, at which point he finally acquiesced to DoD.
You can find many, many, many examples since. DoD is almost always the most dovish of the factions involved.
I’d argue the DOD is only “dovish” because they know that the US military is a paper tiger and any expenditure of military force is likely to expose that fact. While China and Russia are more then aware that they are likely able to defeat the US in a conventual war right now, with significant losses, they are also aware that any pretense that the US is a peer nation is only going to slip farther as time goes on. But the illusion of military dominance is pretty much the only card the empire can play for the plebs at home and the DOD know that the more the idiots at State shoot their mouths off the more likely one of the countries we are putting the boot to will finally say enough is enough, and once that happens the illusion of dominance gets shattered verrrrry quickly.
I’ve seen speculation that Israel will retreat from Lebanon and Hezbollah will follow them into northern Israel.
Waiting to see if Iran retaliates and if they do, how badly Israel’s military infrastructure may be degtaded.
Hezbollah’s best chance is to keep luring IDF raids to Lebanon and then ambush them. When IDF retreats, target them relentlessly with missiles and rockets until they do another raid. Rinse and repeat. Scott Ritter even claims that Iran/Hezbollah has actually broken into IDF communications network, even if it’s encrypted and frequency jumping, and has enough Hebrew speaking people to create confusion or even chaos among advancing IDF units.
In Lebanon Hezbollah can literally run circles around IDF, in Israel (or occupied Palestine) they would lose that huge advantage, and IDF’s superior tactical firepower would start to have weight. Also the IDF communications inside Israel are more along the fiber optics than on the radio waves.
There are other views about how things are going in Southern Lebanon.
His view on what the Israelis intend to achieve departs from what is usually assumed: they are not so much trying to expell Hezbollah and occupy the terrain for their settlers, as to turn it into a Gaza bis (“make a desert and call it peace”) by destroying everything. This is probably correct: why would the troops that already bulldozed Gaza know and want to operate in a different, subtler, less destructive way elsewhere?
On the other hand, from what I have read, it also seems clear that the price the Israelis are paying for their incursion is at least an order of magnitude higher than in Gaza.
I’m not sure what it means, but just observing that our friend Blinken is not involved with this little operation. It’s some Hochstein dude who I’ve never heard of before. Blinken is nowhere to be seen. Perhaps this is not a State Dept. initiative. (Skunkworks? CIA?)
Perhaps it’s too odious of a ploy even for Antony. He has some scruples, after all! (We can always be hopeful.)
Amos Hochstein? You must mean the guy born in Jerusalem that when younger fought in the IDF before going to the US and becoming a US security official. That Hochstein-
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amos_Hochstein
His current title is White House special envoy for the ME. Looks like a WH operation to shape the narrative, “see, we’re still working for a ceasefire – pay no attention to Bibi!” or something more nefarious.
Clearly he is not a neutral party who could be trusted to negotiate in good faith. Something rotten here. He’s up to no good, and Hezbollah would have to be insane to even talk with him.
This caught my eye:
*emphasis mine
pigs in oregon infected by wildlife, birds landing on the farm
“Cop ‘attacked’ by giant inflatable runaway Halloween pumpkin in middle of the street”
That cop was lucky there. It was not a runaway Halloween pumpkin but Rover in a Halloween costume-
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rover_(The_Prisoner)
I’m amazed that 1) people called 911 to report the pumpkin, 2) drivers were just sitting there in their cars, stopped, not willing to get out and move the thing out of the way, 3) multiple police cars were dispatched, 4) it took so long for the cops to get it off the street. The first responder was grasping at the tiedowns but not actually doing anything, not pulling or tugging, just…fondling the thing?
Why China Won’t Give Up on a Failing Economic Model Foreign Affairs
“By 2024, average disposable income had increased by only 50 percent since 2017”
Failing – how about the growth in the USA since 2017.
DeJoy still at the Post Office — gee, why is he still their? Oh yea, both political parties are want to get the big bucks from the privatizers/privateers while they grift the American Public.
Article I, Section 8, Clause 7 of the United States Constitution – “To establish Post Offices and post Roads.”
Importantly, shortly after 2017, China ended severe poverty for the 1.4 billion. Programs continue to further raise incomes for low income households.
https://fred.stlouisfed.org/graph/?g=1tO9g
August 4, 2014
Real per capita Gross Domestic Product for China, United States and European Union, 2007-2023
(Indexed to 2007)
The first paragraph actually made me consider that there is a problem with China’s economic modelling.
“The total amount and specifics of the fiscal stimulus will be revealed after the U.S. election, following the National People’s Congress Standing Committee meeting in early November, but Vice Finance Minister Liao Min has described it as “quite large scale.”
Assuming it’s true that the US election plays a big part in their calculus and narratives. Yeah, I would say that it is a big part of China’s economic problems.
“The first paragraph actually made me consider that there is a problem with China’s economic modelling…”
Good grief. US elections are of absolutely no significance to Chinese economic modellers. The article in question is beyond absurd. Somehow, Chinese modellers have managed splendidly these last 45 years in spite of continually contrary US advice on adopted Chinese plans.
As Berkeley’s Brad DeLong has complained in print several times, he has been predicting Chinese economic collapse since 1980 only the Chinese avoid reading him:
https://www.bradford-delong.com/2015/12/ever-since-i-became-an-adult-in-1980-i-have-been-a-stopped-clock-with-respect-to-the-chinese-economy-i-have-said-alw.html
“Assuming it’s true that the US election plays a big part in their calculus and narratives…”
Always here for any perceived (real or imagined) swipe at China.
“Third state” of existence between life and death confirmed by scientists (earth.com)
“…In this third state, certain cells — when given nutrients, oxygen, bioelectricity, or biochemical signals — have the capacity to transform into new multicellular organisms, exhibiting new functions even after death.
The researchers reviewed recent studies showing the incredible capability of cells to reorganize and take on new forms after the death of the organism”. …
Intriguing stuff
“How North Korean Artillery Supplies Saved Russia’s War Effort: 6 Million Rounds Left Ukraine Tremendously Outgunned”
Maybe I missed it but I think that this article failed to mention the huge amount of artillery that the South Koreans sent to the Ukraine via NATO. But I do not think that future history books will say that Russia was just about to lose the war against the Ukrainians and it was only the support of the mighty North Korean military that turned the situation around for them.
This is another page in the big book of excuses that western politicians need to cook up to explain how they could lose so thoroughly. This chapter is wryly titled “Nobody expects the North Koreans!”
Heh! Heh! Heh!
Oh, bugger! . . .
That Big Book of Excuses would be an excellent Richard Scarry parody.
burying the lede…..(assuming all the numbers are true) NK, by itself, makes more shells per year than all of Europe
‘Muh GDP’ bros in shambles.
I wonder where they get the number? In June it was “containers, that could hold as many as 4.8 million artillery shells”, now South Korean intelligence is claiming 9 million shells…
But yeah, they could have mentioned the 4-5 million shells Ukraine has received from it’s “allies”. Or that it has turned out that artillery pieces like M777 and CESAR have turned out to be overpriced (5 to 6 times more expensive than MSTA-S) crap in real war conditions.
Anyway, what happened to the narrative that Ukraine has a huge lead in drone warfare and needs no steenking artillery?
Re obnoxiously bright giant satellites in low orbit–on the plus side maybe if there are enough of them it will solve global warming?
Do we really need to wreck everything so people can watch TikTok videos? Here in SC wrecking nature is a sore point at the moment. Many of my favorite nature spots are gravely injured.
LOL!
If you think this is bad, go read up on what happens to those satellites once they reach end of life.
Hint: There are no real regulations as to who pays for their decommissioning, and they are just parked in orbit until gravity eventually does its thing.
Or, phrased differently, you have no doubt heard of the traged of the commons? Well, the most “commonsest” place is low-earth orbit.
~‘A Cartography of Genocide’
I try to put myself in the conditions in Gaza and I melt. I consider myself seasoned to a dearth of material conditions and pretty tough, but what is humanly possible? The great crime against the Palestinians is that it is being tested in such an inhumane fashion. That it is being tested at all.
Alistair Crooke makes a few points here in this brief clip with Judge Nap:
Alastair Crooke : de-radicalizing Palestinians
de-radicalizing Palestinians should be in quotes because they are defending their country, their land, their people and finally their own humanity. The clip is brief and the point could be greatly expanded.
A pall comes over me every day as I find I cannot escape being Palestinian in spirit.
This short documentary from Middle East Eye gives some further insight:
The untold history of the Israel Defense Forces | The Big Picture
The title should be The Zionist Occupation Forces.
Francesca Albanese, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories, has released a new report. She appeared in studio on DN today. Previously scheduled, she was dis-invited to testify before congress.
“Genocide as Colonial Erasure”: U.N. Expert Francesca Albanese on Israel’s “Intent to Destroy” Gaza
She was also recently interviewed by Chris Hedges:
Genocide as Colonial Erasure (w/ Francesca Albanese) | The Chris Hedges Report
She is a courageous person. The genocidaires and their enablers roll out their requisite trick of claiming anti-semitism.
Do Not Vote for those Who Support Genocide (w/ Kshama Sawant) | The Chris Hedges Report
Yesterday the effects of the Storm in Valencia with a human toll of more than 90 and rising were linked.
Here you can see satellite pictures of the South Valencia region before and after the storm.
I saw a Guardian page full of images of what that flood did in Spain and it looks like they got hammered badly-
https://www.theguardian.com/world/gallery/2024/oct/30/torrential-rain-brings-deadly-flooding-to-spain-in-pictures
“Yesterday the effects of the Storm in Valencia…”
I do love Spain, and I am saddened.
It is horrific. The response though puts similar US efforts to shame. As of the night of the first day, over 100 helicopter rescues, hundreds of ground rescues, the army, the Guardia Civil, all the other police forces, and the UME (quite capable military unit deployed to deal with civil emergencies) all out in force. There appears to be intergovernmental coordination in spite of the yapping dog politicians of a certain party not to be named. In spite of all this it will take months to recover; it is a Cat 5 hurricane level disaster.
From what I have seen in Spain, cities on the Mediterranean are woefully lacking in flood contol. The sight of the concrete lined waterways in the affected regions demonstates this. Those only serve to speed flood waters downstream to where they eventually run into a bottleneck, usually an urban area, and destroy it. Climate change is real. Pie in the sky high tech ¨carbon neutral¨ boondogles that promise to deal with it are wasting time and money. The climate has changed, and we are now required to deal with the new reality. It will be a big job, but similar disasters will continue to occur until adequate flood control measures upstream are put in place, and building restrictions (planning?!!) is enforced.
“Why China Won’t Give Up on a Failing Economic Model”
China in 2023 was 26.8% larger in GDP than the US, and 29.8% larger than the European Union.
https://fred.stlouisfed.org/graph/?g=1pNpr
August 4, 2014
Real per capita Gross Domestic Product for China, European Union, India, Japan and United States, 1977-2023
(Percent change)
https://fred.stlouisfed.org/graph/?g=1pNpu
August 4, 2014
Real per capita Gross Domestic Product for China, European Union, India, Japan and United States, 1977-2023
(Indexed to 1977)
Subsides for production are a hell of a drug.
Possibly I do not understand, but this comment seems highly offensive.
Meant no offense (did mean to be a little crass though). I was really just highlighting the point Michael Pettis always hammers home when it comes to China. He and his co-author wrote an essay recently that I think summarizes his point and explains your GDP charts well. Find it here if you’d like!
I am so sorry, and completely grateful for your kind response. I clicked on the link, which immediately confused and frightened me. I immediately shut down the link, thinking the point was to be offensive.
Again, I am quite sorry and grateful for your explanation and post which I read carefully.
CA, I like the cut of your jib.
Cocaine is God’s way of telling you you’re making too much money. (Robin Williams)
US Treasuries are God’s way of telling you you’re making too many manufacturing exports (Michael Pettis)
I wonder if China will ever listen to Michael Pettis? lol
I’ve heard the “china only has a successful industrial sector only because they subsidize their manufacturers” claim recently from friends, is this where that claim comes from? I’m already disinclined to give it much weight due to the consistent use of “households” in the place of “government expense,” that sets off my MMT alarm bells. And it looks like these pernicious subsidies can take many forms, only one of which is direct payments or easy credit to manufacturers, others include lax environmental regulations and a cheap workforce, neither of which are uncommon here in the west either.
I couldn’t make my way through the entire article – it reads like it was written by economists for economists, i.e. there’s a model they need to shoehorn historical data into in order to get the conclusion out they want.
Seems to me that what China has is an industrial policy, and in lieu of actually having one ourselves, it’s easier to point fingers and shout “cheating!!”
They do have an industrial policy for sure. It’s to favor production and associated profits at the expense of paying workers more. IDK how long workers tolerate this arrangement.
Uncle Sam: Nope.
“Starbucks’ sales decline for 3rd consecutive quarter”
‘It is clear we need to fundamentally change our strategy to win back customers’
I read about Starbucks in the US and how friends meet there and set up their laptops so that they can spend hours there together. So Starbucks is a social thing. They tried to enter the Australian market but failed to compete against local coffee places because local brews were far superior to the Starbucks brand of coffee because of the local Italian traditions. So I began to wonder. Starbucks is declining, right? What if…what if it was simply a matter of a younger generation going to Starbucks, taking one taste, and then realizing that it tastes like burnt crap. So why go there again? Because their elders do it? Get real.
Some of it is the high price. Also there is a lot of competition. Where I live Wendies and McDonalds have long lines at the drive through every morning.
It’s their support for genocide, like McDonald’s, and the consequent boycott by many, myself included, that I think/hope, is causing the declining sales.
It’s a quality issue.
I used to have the Starbucks app, had a coffee and scone every morning as it was right across from my office. Or every now and then I would get one of their lunch kits, my fav was the 2 egg, apple, cheese and nuts kit. They would have some nice banana bread loafs, or croissants, or lemon breads. I really appreciated the convenience of the kits, especially if I was in a rush, and the taste wasn’t too bad – you can’t mess up boiled eggs, slices of apples, slices of cheese and a packet of nuts. The scones and croissants were always fresh.
Then the pandemic happened. Fast forward to recently, I decide to renew my acquaintance and hang in several Starbucks shops to get some reading done. My scones, gone. My lunch kits, gone. None of it exists anymore, at any of several Starbucks I checked in Toronto. Whatever meager display of pastries they have are so tiny, so dry, inedible, and automatically led to toilet visits. It tastes like very bad, very stale, airline food. There are no scones to be found anywhere, in any store. WHAT KIND OF COFFEE SHOP HAS NO SCONES?!
They no longer have fresh anything, are only offering what was prepackaged many months ago at some central warehouse somewhere, only what can sit on shelves for weeks and months. “Would you like that heated?” They remove the plastic wraps so you can’t see the dates.
Also, Starbucks staff used to be reknown for being able to perfectly memorize orders. The last 5 coffees I ordered were very wrong. And in one particularly instance I asked for *A* single three cheese and egg sandwich – and the woman gave me 3X three cheese and egg sandwiches! At a cost of $20+.
I don’t know what the inside story is but quality has nosedived in a very major way.
In Canada I’ve noticed the same, their quality has taken a real nosedive since the pandemic began. It was at least half decent before.
Added to that, if you live anywhere where there are locally owned and operated coffee shops, the service and quality is miles better and you get the added benefit of getting to know the owners on a personal level. I like being able to crack dumb jokes and say ‘the usual’ for my order to the person that actually owns the place and feel like a human being every day than the ersatz Starbucks Corpo experience.
The food is bad, the coffee is revolting, the prices are high, what’s the point?
Back in the day Starbucks felt like a local coffee shop. They’ve gone the Tim Horton’s route (not that I ever liked Tim Hortons coffee but they actually used to make the donuts in house and they were good!) Now both SB and TH have factories that make their stuff which is then shipped out to stores. I agree with the airline food analogy. Ironically this is done in the name of quality control but quality is worse, much worse than in days gone by when local shops had more control. That has kept me away from SB for quite some time. Their union busting tactics added to my disdain and now their support of genocide will keep me from darkening their door step any time in the future.
Back in the day the alternative was Folgers and Maxwell House, often with food flavorings added, from a convenience store or gas station. Relative to that it was a step up.
Kinda like the situation Sam Adams beer entered.
True dat. I remember my Mom would even drink instant coffee! Dad used the percolator but it was definitely stuff from a can. Now some people even roast their own beans! Life was simpler. My Mom and Dad never got take out coffee and they never took us out to eat when we were kids. A combination of few options and not affordable I suppose. Donuts from Tim Hortons were an occasional treat and they were brought home, no eating there with the additional cost of drinks. My Dad worked construction and took his lunch every day. Right up until I retired I brought lunch from home to work most days. I was definitely in the minority.
Put me in the price and quality as an explanation category.
I used to go to Starbucks often. Not the healthiest breakfast but a pumpkin spice or chai latte with a ham and cheese croissant could get me through most of the day when I knew was going to be on the run. That isn’t remotely reasonable anymore. Before my preferred breakfast sandwich order plus a large ice coffee or tea extra extra light was more expensive, that is no longer the case. And dare I say it, while the chai latte is about the same, the pumpkin spice one is not very good. Considering they were known for that and it is something their fans wait for, it is odd. I have also noticed that pastries and lunch offerings are either not available most of the time for the ones that are still decent while stuff I would never consider ordering seems to be left there gathering dust.
Biting baby toes is odd? Even resolutely childless women such as Janeanne Garafalo endorse this “biting.” (Clips on all the platforms.) IIRC, gofugyourself and Reductress also support this social interaction.
Stay out of their faces. Don’t kiss them. Bite the toes! Chomp them chonky calves!
Perhaps Joe did it in commemoration of the Donner Party’s ordeal which really starts in earnest about now, 178 years ago?
if I saw that behavior in a social setting, no way I’d have my kid approach the perp.
If that happened to me at the mall, I’d call the cops. not really cuz of the “damage” caused to me….cuz I’d view the perp as a future/present danger to other kids.
I’m a parent of 4. I’ve watched Biden do this kind of stuff for years. There were pictures and video all over the net showing this behavior. I sure as **** wouldn’t let my kid within 10 feet of this creep. Why would anyone else?
And yes, I do think he’s a creep, and so is his kid.
Build Back better became, Biden Bites Babies…
Does Israel Have the Right to Defend Itself?
States do not possess the right of self-defense to uphold illegal occupations.
by Stephen Shalom
(who already on the Ukraine War had a heated debate with Noam Chomsky 2 years ago)
October 30, 2024
https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/does-israel-have-the-right-to-defend-itself/
p.s. trying to wrap my head around the fact that in Germany the 750 pages submitted by SA to the ICJ + the 4000 pages of footnotes are so totally being ignored. Like: nothing has happened since Oct. 7th. 2023.
In case this was not featured yet:
Chris Hedges with Francesca Albanese:
Genocide as Colonial Erasure (w/ Francesca Albanese) | The Chris Hedges Report
Oct 29, 2024
78 min.
https://chrishedges.substack.com/p/genocide-as-colonial-erasure-w-francesca
Linked above with her appearance on DN.
Yes. Which is however shorter.
Albanese´s UN report from 1/10/24 would be here:
A/79/384: Report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967, Francesca Albanese – Genocide as colonial erasure
https://www.ohchr.org/en/documents/country-reports/a79384-report-special-rapporteur-situation-human-rights-palestinian
But I assume that won´t change German SoS Baerbock “Albanese who?”
I find the (full?) report here.
US draws up draft Israel-Lebanon ceasefire plan – FT
Good to know that there will not be toilet paper shortages during another pandemic.
If it is true, and it seems plausible enough, that the israeli forces turned back from a planned much larger attack on Iran in part because it tuirned out the iranian/russian radars locked on to and tracked the F-35 just fine, then this could be a sign that the whole idea of stealth as game changing wunderwaffe is pretty much dead in the water.
Not that it can’t have it’s uses, especially in cheaper weaponsystems where one generation is soon replaced by another, newer one, or that are modular enough for quick updates and improvements that can be made with having to start from scratch.
But for expansive, complicated jets that are supposed to stay in service for many years, even decades going by experience, I doubt it.
We maybe already more than halfway into a world where stealth piercing radar technology overalll comfortably outpaces advances in stealth technology itself and where any new adaptation and improvement in stealth can at best grant a very short lived, fleeting advantage.
Which again may be enough for drones and during a hot war maybe even for some missiles to a degree, but without conferring any fundamental, longterm strategic advantage.
And that fleeting advantage probably will keep shifting back and forth between peer or near peer competitors very fast, too fast to build a plan for a non suicidal first strike on it.
In Ukraine and now perhaps even more clearly it seems like the west does not have the current upper hand at all, with all the accumulating cues that the Russians see the current US stealth stuff just fine while going by Simplicius the Yanks for the moment have big trouble detecting the newest russian stealth fighters.
But I don’t expect that to last for long either.
And I guess sunk costs and inertia will keep the chimera of stealth superiority/dominace alive and well (at least in the media and official department of war declarations) well past it’s expiration date.
The whole idea of stealth as game changing wunderwaffe was never much alive. That’s why Russians never wasted much money on it. US did because wasting mucho dinero was the whole point. F-35 was never meant to fight strong opponent.
Re “Math Might Be the B-21 Raider’s Biggest Enemy”
While the US has fallen behind Russia and China in crucial technologies (lasers and hypersonics), even while outspending both of these nations combined, now is the time to disregard all budgetary concerns and build some 300 “of these beauties.” Does this writer own stock or is he just a weirdo?
His own logic suggests hugely-expensive defence programs have put the US at a strategic disadvantage that makes war more likely.
This feels like the exact mindset that led to the F-35 situation: a wonder-weapon to make up for all the problems.
You have to love how blank-cheque military programs are never mirrored in the civil sphere.
I think this article must be filler, but even so, you have to wonder how it’s meant to be taken seriously.
That article was hard to read, the way it’d be hard to eat a sandwich covered in green mold. A more telling quote: “America allowed for the impressive B-2 bomber to languish in its arsenal for decades by only building a handful of these marvels. ” Languishing?!?! This mentality regrets not having a war to show off their toys; their world was formed by Tom Clancy novels and Marvel movies.
To answer your question, this is pure marketing, aimed at a low brow audience who eats this stuff up. Unfortunately, some of whom sit in Congress and appropriate funds for that MIC.
Do we know if this stealth tech actually works against current AD?
It is proven to work against current AD of Yemen.
The biggest non-headline take away I get from that article is that America’s MIC can no longer build ICBMs, nuke subs or long range bombers without problems, all which the MIC has built before. And if you follow the link to the article on submarine construction you learn a bit more:
U.S. Shipbuilders Falling Far Behind Navy’s Demand For New Nuclear Attack Submarines
https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/far-behind-navy-nuclear-submarineshttps://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/far-behind-navy-nuclear-submarines
Looks like America’s MIC is now Boeing all the way down. And these guys don’t even have money as a real excuse, judging by the audits where trillions go missing, the DOD has more money than it can actually manage:
Pentagon fails sixth audit, with number of passing grades stagnant
https://www.defensenews.com/pentagon/2023/11/16/pentagon-fails-sixth-audit-with-number-of-passing-grades-stagnant/
F-35, like B-2 has not passed operational testing. The difference is B-2 was killed in congress.
This congress prefers jobs, not war fighting.
B-21 will have same test regimen, and same goals not associated with doing battle.
Likely pushing the product his employers or clients make. He espouses a very narrow view of the how the US should act, essentially that the only defense is overwhelming offense and these magic beans will carry the day if we buy a lot of them. Absolutely no hint of examination of why and how we got to this point.
Alternate title: why are economists and Times journalists still stupid?
Inflation Is Basically Back to Normal. Why Do Voters Still Feel Blah?
Best I can tell the only thing that is saving us now is the price of gas. Under 3 bucks here which we haven’t had for a long time.
One of my pleasures is college basketball season. I buy ESPN+ from November to March to watch the games not streamed or on TV elsewhere. Just renewed. 12 bucks. Last year was 9 or 10. A few years ago 7, and maybe 5 years it was 5. Just another example where things cost more.
Discretionary purchase I don’t need, yes, of course. But our non discretionary spending is up too. Utility bills, insurance (house, car), food, you name it. So when all these shills tell me my eyes and bank account are lying to me, I can’t believe them, no matter how much blue BS they choose to chug.
We did a quick trip to Safeway last night rather than the much less expensive WinCo which is in the next town. Two bags of groceries and a ready bake pizza was over two hundred bucks. The new normal sucks.
I wonder how much of the Hysteria regarding the US Election is affected by Covid?
Most American adults have had repeated infections and Cognitive issues have been shown to be one of the common effects of Covid infection.
This seems like one of the biggest untold stories of the current period. Hundreds of millions or billions of covid infectees now running around the world, in many cases resuming their former jobs (which were designed for people with normal mentation) has to have a pretty big effect on almost everything.
The overriding message in most societies has been (a) the pandemic is over and (b) it has no serious after effects. The upshot is that people will be loath to admit they are any different now than they used to be.
Mike Honey at aus.social has an excellent presentation now about Canadian Excess Deaths showing that each new variant is making a spike still plus ongoing underlying deaths. The biggest surprise is the toll on young people in terms of percentage increase.
If not already linked–Consortium News is back.
https://consortiumnews.com/2024/10/30/winning-a-battle-over-control-of-our-site/
re: Members of Congress have taken hundreds of AIPAC-funded trips to Israel in the past decade Politico
A list would have been useful. I found this showing AIPAC funded congresscritters: https://www.opensecrets.org/industries/summary?cycle=All&ind=Q05&recipdetail=S
I assume all have had the trips to Israel and necessary followups to ensure cognitive restructuring has indeed taken place.
Insufferable, filmmakers/producers/distributors belong to the worst:
Netflix Wiped Most of Its “Palestinian Stories” Collection — and Erased the Whole Thing in Israel
Following a purge of at least 24 films, Netflix is facing calls to reinstate the movies.
https://theintercept.com/2024/10/25/netflix-palestinian-stories-israel-movies/
Thank you AG! The memory hole is broad, but it is not so deep, at least not so deep that some of us do not remember. When there will be a reckoning I do not know.