Jan 252023
 


Edward Hopper Tables for ladies 1930

 

Germany: Ukraine Losing Hundreds of Soldiers Every Day (Antiwar)
The Nightmare of NATO Equipment Being Sent to Ukraine (Scott Ritter)
US and Germany Ready To Send Tanks To Ukraine – Reports (RT)
Biden To Announce Deliveries Of Abrams Tanks To Ukraine On Wednesday (TASS)
Stoltenberg: Putin Is Planning For New Offensives (Az.)
Ukraine Advises West On How To Negotiate With Russia (RT)
Kremlin Comments On Direct Contact With Zelensky (RT)
Potential For Arms Control Dialogue With US Still Exists – Russia (TASS)
Kiev Fires Many Of Its Officials Amid Corruption Scandals (RT)
Western ‘Theft’ Will Backfire, Russian Tycoon Warns (RT)
Over 90% Of Western Firms Have Remained In Russia (RMX)
EU Gas Price Cap Threatens Market Stability – Regulators (RT)
Shostakovich: The End of the Siege and the Triumph of the Spirit (Hoppe)
Tactics without Strategy is the Noise Before Defeat (Saker)
The End of Reality Consensus Disorder (Kunstler)
California Lawmakers Move to Tax People Who Have Left the State (Turley)

 

 

 

 

UK excess deaths- crickets

 

 

 

 

Vaccine dead
https://twitter.com/i/status/1617632284902932481

 

 

Truth Justice

 

 

Chief of Staff

 

 

 

 

The idea has become popular that Russia doesn’t care about losing its soldiers. That supposedly balances the fact that Ukraine truly does not.

Germany: Ukraine Losing Hundreds of Soldiers Every Day (Antiwar)

The German foreign intelligence service assesses that Kiev is losing a “three-digit number” of soldiers daily, according to a report in Der Spiegel. Berlin informed politicians of the assessment during a secret meeting this week. Germany’s Federal Intelligence Service (BND) is “alarmed” by the high number of losses Ukraine is suffering. The report says Berlin believes Ukraine was losing a three-digit number of soldiers every day during the battle of Bakhmut with Russian forces. The BND informed German politicians of the high number of injured and killed Ukrainian forces during a covert Bundestag meeting last week. The BND believes the Ukrainian casualties will have severe consequences during future battles. The German intelligence service also believes that Russia is suffering high casualties and using its soldiers as “cannon fodder.”


Reuters reported officials in Washington believe Kiev spent significant resources attempting to defend Bakhmut. The White House is currently advising Ukraine not to launch any major counteroffensives to recapture the city. The Joe Biden administration is additionally advising Kiev that continuing to pour soldiers into defending Bakhmut is preventing Ukrainian forces from attacking Russians defending other cities. Ukraine is seeking tanks from its NATO partners. However, many countries, including the US and Germany have resisted sending their modern tanks to Ukraine. Bakhmut is located in the Donetsk region. The BND believes if Russia takes the city, it will open the door for additional gains. Bakhmut has seen fierce fighting for several months, but the intensity picked up last week. Russian forces have made some gains in the city.

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As I said: assisted suicide.

The Nightmare of NATO Equipment Being Sent to Ukraine (Scott Ritter)

The most recent convocation of the Ramstein Contact Group took place in the shadow of an interview given by the commander of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, General Valerii Zaluzhnyi, to The Economist, in December 2022. According to Zaluzhnyi, the primary problem facing Ukraine was the need “to hold this line [i.e., the Soledar-Bakhmut defensive belt] and not lose any more ground.” Since that interview, Soledar has fallen to the Russians, and Bakhmut is threatened with being surrounded. Moreover, Russian forces are on the offensive north and south of the Bakhmut front, in some instances advancing up to seven kilometers per day. Zaluzhnyi also stated that the second priority for Ukraine was “to get ready for this war which can happen in February [2023]. To be able to wage a war with fresh forces and reserves.

“Our troops are all tied up in battles now, they are bleeding. They are bleeding and are being held together solely by courage, heroism, and the ability of their commanders to keep the situation under control.” The Ukrainian commander noted that the February “war” would have Ukraine resuming the attack: “We have made all the calculations — how many tanks, artillery we need and so on and so on. This is what everyone needs to concentrate on right now. May the soldiers in the trenches forgive me, it’s more important to focus on the accumulation of resources right now for the more protracted and heavier battles that may begin next year.” The goal of this offensive, Zaluzhnyi said, was to push Russia back to the borders that existed on Feb. 23, 2022, the start of the Russian invasion. He also indicated that the liberation of Crimea was an objective.

“In order to reach the borders of Crimea, as of today we need to cover a distance of 84 km to Melitopol [a strategic city in the south of the Donetsk Republic]. By the way, this is enough for us, because Melitopol would give us a full fire control of the land corridor, because from Melitopol we can already fire at the Crimean Isthmus.” Zaluzhnyi exuded confidence. “I know that I can beat this enemy,” he said. “But I need resources. I need 300 tanks, 600-700 IFV’s [infantry fighting vehicles], 500 Howitzers. Then, I think it is completely realistic to get to the lines of February 23rd.” Zaluzhnyi spoke of an upcoming meeting with U.S. General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. “I will tell him [Milley] how much it is worth, how much it costs. If we don’t get it, of course we will fight to the end. But as a movie character said, ‘I don’t vouch for the consequences.’ The consequences are not hard to foresee. This is what we have to do.” In short, Zaluzhnyi was saying he could win the war with Russia if he received the requested amount of military equipment. Otherwise, Ukraine would likely lose the conflict.

The End of NATO – Macgregor/Ritter

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With hardly any training.

US and Germany Ready To Send Tanks To Ukraine – Reports (RT)

After months of reluctance, the US and Germany reportedly plan to send tanks to Ukraine, in what Kyiv hopes will be a game-changer on the battlefield. US President Joe Biden’s administration is expected to announce plans to send at least 30 M1 Abrams tanks. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has also reportedly decided to send at least 14 Leopard 2 tanks. Russia’s ambassador to the US blasted the news as “another blatant provocation”. Ukrainian officials have said such shipments could help its forces seize back territory from the Russians. Until now, the US and Germany have resisted internal and external pressure to send their tanks to Ukraine. Washington has cited the extensive training and maintenance required for the high-tech Abrams.

Berlin has expressed caution about Nato becoming a direct party to the war with Russia. Citing anonymous sources, US media outlets are reporting that an announcement regarding Abrams shipments to Ukraine could come as soon as Wednesday. Unnamed officials were cited as saying at least 30 of the vehicles could be sent. The timeline of any potential delivery, however, remains unclear, and it could take months or even years for the US combat vehicles to reach the battlefront. According to US media reports, German officials had privately insisted they would only agree to the transfer of Leopard 2s to Ukraine if the US also sent M1 Abrams.

“If the Germans continue to say we will only send or release Leopards on the conditions that Americans send Abrams, we should send Abrams,” Democratic Senator Chris Coons, a Biden ally, told Politico on Tuesday. Britain has already said it will send Challenger Two tanks to Ukraine. Poland this week said it wants to send Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, but they are made in Germany and so Berlin needs to approve their export. At least 16 European and Nato countries have the Leopard 2 tanks, according to the International Institute for Strategic Studies. Not all will send tanks to Ukraine – but Mr Scholz’s apparent decision now means they can, should they wish.

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“The report says the equipment will be purchased from contractors rather than drawn from existing US stockpiles.”

Big Serge: “Now the Washington Post claims that the Abrams going to Ukraine may be a new order from the manufacturer, rather than from US stocks. If so, the war might be over before they reach Europe. In any case, seems clear that this wasn’t well thought out.”

Biden To Announce Deliveries Of Abrams Tanks To Ukraine On Wednesday (TASS)

US President Joe Biden will make a formal announcement about the deliveries of Abrams tanks to the Kiev government on Wednesday, Al Jazeera reported citing an unnamed US administration official. “President Biden will announce his decision to supply Abrams tanks to Ukraine tomorrow, on Wednesday,” the TV channel reported on Tuesday night. According to the channel’s source, the tanks will be contracted, not taken from the Pentagon’s arsenals. The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday citing US officials that the US Administration is inclined to ship a significant number of M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine, adding that the announcement of these shipments could be made this week already.


According to the WSJ, this step would become a part of the agreement with Germany, which includes shipment of a small number of Leopard 2 tanks to Kiev by Berlin itself, as well as Germany’s approval of shipment of these German-made tanks by Poland and other countries. Later in the day, the Politico newspaper reported citing US administration sources that the United States may send at least 30 M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine as military aid. Two sources told the paper that an announcement on the subject may be made later this week. The report says the equipment will be purchased from contractors rather than drawn from existing US stockpiles.

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“..the only way to lasting peace is to make clear that Russia cannot win on the battlefield..”

Stoltenberg: Putin Is Planning For New Offensives (Az.)

Putin is planning for new offensives, and there are no indications he has changed his goal of controlling Ukraine, so the only way to lasting peace is to make clear that Russia cannot win on the battlefield, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told a meeting with Defence Minister Boris Pistorius, Report informs, referring to the NATO’s website. He stressed that the only way to lasting peace is to make it clear to Putin that he will not win on the battlefield: “Therefore, we must provide heavier and more advanced systems so that the Ukrainian forces are able to repel the Russian forces.

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We see this a lot with Ukraine: accuse the other side of exactly what you are doing. It’s a well-known tactic. But really, how do you sell this idea, when Merkel, Hollande, Poroshenko have all said they cheated on Minsk? You just say no, Putin cheated, and then that becomes true?

Ukraine Advises West On How To Negotiate With Russia (RT)

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba has claimed that Kiev negotiated in good faith for years, while Moscow used the Minsk process mediated by Paris and Berlin to buy time for war. He also argued the West is not enough for peace, which can only come when the Global South sides with Ukraine. “For eight years, Ukraine and the West tried to end the war by means of politics and diplomacy,” Kuleba argued in a Politico op-ed on Tuesday, titled “How Not to Negotiate with Russia.” The Minsk process, initiated in 2014 by France and Germany, saw Ukraine agree to “years of fruitless negotiations” in order to “avoid escalation and preserve peace in Europe,” he wrote.

“While we were holding back, Russia was building up,” Kuleba said, claiming that Moscow was “preparing for a full-scale war on Ukraine” all along, in order to “destroy the democratic international order with a single devastating blow.” Ukraine fully adhered to the Minsk process, while Russia “never sought fair peace and fair play,” Kuleba claimed. The claims, for which Kuleba provided no evidence, contradicted the recent testimonies by German and French leaders at the time, as well as Ukraine’s own former president. Former German chancellor Angela Merkel said last month that the purpose of Minsk was to “give Ukraine valuable time” to build up its military. Former French president Francois Hollande confirmed this to Ukrainian media at the end of December.

Pyotr Poroshenko, who ran Ukraine between 2014 and 2019, said openly in June last year that Minsk “meant nothing” and was a ploy to “delay the war – to secure eight years to restore economic growth and create powerful armed forces.” In Kuleba’s Politico history, none of this happened. Instead, the Ukrainian foreign minister claimed that “deception lies at the core of Russia’s foreign policy and the way it treats international partners — both in Europe, Africa, Asia and other regions” and that Moscow prefers to talk with “victims, weaklings, henchmen.”

On Monday, former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev warned Moscow’s diplomats that the West was “trying to enlist as many votes as possible in support of their anti-Russian initiatives, using underhanded means such as economic pressure, extortion and political bribery.” In Tuesday’s editorial, Kuleba claimed that “the voice of the West is not enough” to restore global security, and that peace in Ukraine now hinged on the countries of “Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Latin America stepping up and using their weight and influence” at places like the UN, where their votes counted.

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“Since Zelensky’s government is not in control of its own foreign policy, it makes no sense talking with him, Lavrov suggested..”

Kremlin Comments On Direct Contact With Zelensky (RT)

Russian President Vladimir Putin has not spoken to his Ukrainian counterpart for a number of years, his spokesman has confirmed. Dmitry Peskov was asked about contact between the two leaders by RIA Novosti during a press conference. The news agency referred to the Russian president’s public itinerary, which suggests he last met Zelensky in person during “Normandy format” talks mediated by France and Germany in 2019. The following year, they spoke by phone twice, in February and June. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had previously revealed that Moscow and Kiev were on the verge of signing a truce during the early stages of the conflict on terms suggested by the Ukrainian side. However, the process was stopped by Kiev’s Western sponsors, who want to prolong the conflict to harm Russia, he said.


Since Zelensky’s government is not in control of its own foreign policy, it makes no sense talking with him, Lavrov suggested. And, in any case, talks with Russia are currently banned under Ukrainian law, he added. The Russian diplomat was referring to an order of the Ukrainian national security council prohibiting any negotiations with Moscow so long as Putin remains in power. Zelensky signed it into law in October. Ukraine agreed to a 2014-2015 peace roadmap as a ploy to rebuild its army, according to its former president Pyotr Poroshenko and the leaders of Germany and France at that time, Angela Merkel and Francois Hollande. The same approach was apparently used for the peace negotiations last year, which were partially mediated by Türkiye. Kirill Budanov, the head of Ukrainian military intelligence, confirmed last week that he had used an asset in Ukraine’s team of negotiators to stall the process and win time for a military regrouping.

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“We declare once again that we will be ready to consider new sound ideas on this matter, should our US counterparts present any..”

Potential For Arms Control Dialogue With US Still Exists – Russia (TASS)

Russia proceeds from the understanding that it is still possible to resume and develop a dialogue with the United States on future arms control, including with the participation of all key actors, Russia’s permanent representative at the UN office in Geneva Gennady Gatilov said at the annual session of the Conference on Disarmament on Tuesday. “We believe that the understanding the Russian and US delegations reached in Geneva in 2021 has left the door open for resuming and developing a comprehensive and substantive dialogue on future arms control, including with the participation of all key actors,” Gatilov said.

“Although Russian-US consultations are still frozen through the fault of the United States, sooner or later we will still have to work out a new global ‘security equation’ that will incorporate all significant factors of strategic stability, such as the whole range of offensive and defensive weapons, deployed and non-deployed and nuclear and non-nuclear ones, capable of influencing the balance of power and the situation in the field of international security,” Gatilov said. “We declare once again that we will be ready to consider new sound ideas on this matter, should our US counterparts present any,” he stressed.

Gatilov drew attention to the fact that the world was struggling through “a period of profound transformation, accompanied by an upsurge of conflict potential, instability and unpredictability.” In a situation like this “collective efforts united by a common goal – to make the world safer in the field of arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation are needed more than ever,” Gatilov stated.

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And will now declare once again that Ukraine is corruption free.

Kiev Fires Many Of Its Officials Amid Corruption Scandals (RT)

Multiple senior Ukrainian officials were relieved of their duties by the country’s government on Tuesday. The ongoing reshuffle was announced by Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky in his daily video address and affects officials “on different levels, in ministries and other bodies of central and provincial authority, and law enforcement.” The government has dismissed deputy defense minister Vyacheslav Shapovalov, deputy social policy minister Vitaly Muzychenko, as well as two deputies of the minister of regional development, Vyacheslav Negoda and Ivan Lukerya. Shortly before the government’s decision, Shapovalov himself announced his resignation, which was swiftly accepted by his boss, Alexey Reznikov. The move has been prompted by an ongoing graft scandal within the ministry, which had allegedly been procuring food for troops at abnormally high prices.

“Vyacheslav Shapovalov, who was in charge of the logistics of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, asked to be dismissed so as not to pose a threat to a stable supply of the military as a result of a campaign of accusations related to food procurement,” the defense ministry said in a statement, branding the allegations “unreasonable and baseless” and lauding Shapovalov’s resignation as an “honorable deed in line with traditions of European and democratic politics.” According to a Ukrainian media investigation that emerged over the weekend, various foodstuffs for the military ended up costing several times more than the average prices offered by retailers. Reznikov has rejected the allegations, stating the documents cited in the investigation were inaccurate and some prices ended up inflated due to a “technical error.” The minister also rubbished the comparisons with consumer prices, insisting that military procurements include costs that retail ones do not.

Apart from the deputy ministers, the government has also dismissed multiple heads of regional military administrations, including Aleksey Kuleba, the head of Kiev Region. According to reports by some Ukrainian outlets, Kuleba is poised to replace Zelensky’s deputy chief of staff, Kirill Timoshenko, who resigned earlier in the day. Deputy Prosecutor General Aleksey Simonenko became another victim of the ongoing reshuffle, ending up dismissed on Tuesday as well. The official became embroiled in a public scandal earlier this month, after spending the New Year’s holidays in Spain. Apart from getting bad publicity for relaxing at a foreign resort during the ongoing military conflict with Russia, the official faced allegations of corruption as he’d purportedly used the car of a wealthy businessman with a security detail hired by its owner during the ill-fated trip.

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“Potanin nevertheless expressed confidence that the West “will come to their senses” sooner or later..”

Western ‘Theft’ Will Backfire, Russian Tycoon Warns (RT)

Western countries are sawing off the branch they are sitting on by confiscating Russian assets, billionaire businessman Vladimir Potanin believes. Following the launch of Russia’s military operation in Ukraine in February last year, multiple countries have frozen assets belonging both to the Russian state, and private companies and individuals to the tune of more than $300 billion. In an interview with Russian media outlet RBK published on Monday, Potanin, the largest shareholder of mining giant Nornickel, said: “The confiscation [of assets] is a covert or overt form of theft,” and destroys “the investment climate of the jurisdiction where this is happening.”

Potanin noted that the countries comprising the ‘collective West’ had based their societies upon respect for private property. The recent freezing of Russian assets “will backfire on them,” he said, adding that Russia should refrain from mirroring these measures. He went on to suggest that by exercising respect for property rights, Moscow will be in a stronger moral position when it fights for its frozen assets in the West, and will send the right signals to entrepreneurs at home. Potanin also warned against nationalizing property left behind in Russia by Western businesses – instead, the authorities need to “give the investment community the opportunity to solve this problem on its own.”

He noted that the exodus of Western companies from Russia has allowed local investors to buy up assets at relatively low prices. Potanin described the Western sanctions as “absolutely destructive and even, apparently, absolutely illegal,” and in his view, what we are seeing right now is the destruction of basic global rules. The billionaire acknowledged that Western sanctions have put his plans for overseas business expansion on hold and have adversely affected his ability to travel the world, though he has now switched to exploring Russia instead, he added. Potanin nevertheless expressed confidence that the West “will come to their senses” sooner or later.

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And there is Potanin again…

Over 90% Of Western Firms Have Remained In Russia (RMX)

Only 8.5 percent of all EU and G7 companies have actually left Russia, according to research from the University of St. Gallen and the IMD business school in Lausanne, Switzerland. Before the outbreak of war, there were more than 2,400 company branches and 1,400 companies from the EU and G7 operating in Russia. By the end of November last year, only 120 companies had left Russia or sold their company there. The research indicates that the news of a mass exodus of Western firms from Russia has been largely exaggerated. In fact, businesses have resisted calls from governments, media, and civil society, according to the Belgian daily newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws. Companies remain skeptical and reluctant about leaving Russia over fears of losing their business and staff.


Those who have left have ended up transferring assets into Russian hands, even for a single symbolic ruble or euro, as was the case with Renault and Nissan. According to Forbes, the biggest beneficiary was oligarch Wladimir Potanin, whose Interros company bought Rosbank from Societe Generale, making nearly 50 billion rubles (€667 million) in the process. The second-biggest earner was Vladyslav Sviblov, whose Highland Gold Mining bought the assets of Canada’s Kinross corporation, which netted him almost 40 billion rubles. Not far behind was Ivan Tirishkin from SPB, who bought 49.5 percent of the shares in HKF-Bank LLC, making over 35 billion rubles. Fourth on the list was the state research center FSUE NAMI, which took over the plants owned by Renault and Nissan, gaining assets worth just under 35 billion rubles.

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“The mechanism could potentially lower levels of market-based gas flows between the EU’s different market areas, which would lead to a less integrated internal gas market..”

EU Gas Price Cap Threatens Market Stability – Regulators (RT)

Europe’s new gas market correction mechanism, the price cap which launches next month, is likely to affect the way the region’s exchange-traded gas markets operate, the EU’s financial and energy market regulators said in a report on Monday. According to the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA), market participants may change their behavior to avoid the activation of the mechanism or in order to adapt to it. “By curbing the key price discovery function of regulated markets, the mechanism will not come without consequences on market participants’ trading behavior and may have an effect on the ability of all market participants to effectively manage their risks,” ESMA said. Traders may then be forced to switch to contracts and marketplaces not affected by the price cap.

“Such adaptations could be achieved by various means, notably by shifting trading to OTC (over the counter) or to non-EU venues… It could trigger significant and abrupt changes of the broader market environment, which could impact the orderly functioning of markets, and ultimately financial stability,” the agency warned, stressing that this may also lower open interest and undermine liquidity on regulated markets for the EU’s benchmark TTF gas contracts. The EU Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators (ACER) echoed this opinion in a separate report, warning that the measure could lead to the relocation of trading volumes from EU to foreign gas exchanges. The agency also said the mechanism could jeopardize energy supply if the price levels put in place by the activated cap lower the appeal of EU markets for global LNG suppliers.

“The mechanism could potentially lower levels of market-based gas flows between the EU’s different market areas, which would lead to a less integrated internal gas market,” ACER stated. EU countries agreed in December to set a price cap on natural gas, in an effort to keep energy costs from spiraling. The cap will be triggered if the TTF gas hub spot prices trade above the €180-per-megawatt-hour level ($196) for three consecutive days. The mechanism is to come into force on February 15. The measure was introduced as a way to help avoid price spikes, like the most recent one in August, when EU gas prices reached a historic high of €345 ($375) per megawatt-hour due to concerns over Russian energy supplies.

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Lovely story.

Shostakovich: The End of the Siege and the Triumph of the Spirit (Hoppe)

On 15th July 1941, impelled and galvanised by the ominous atmosphere of war and the great trepidation he felt for his motherland and his beloved city, Shostakovich began to work feverishly on the first movement of a composition that was to become his seventh symphony. The first movement of the symphony was written during a relentless bombardment of the city. Shostakovich recalled: “Neither the savage raids, nor the German planes, nor the sinister atmosphere of the besieged city could hinder the flow. I worked with an inhuman intensity that I had never achieved before.” On 2nd September, the day that the Germans intensified their bombardment of the city, Shostakovich began work on the second movement. Working at high intensity in between dashes to the nearest bomb shelter, he completed it within two weeks. On 8th September, Leningrad was locked in the fateful Siege.

On 16th September, the composer made a special radio broadcast (an excerpt of this broadcast) to encourage the soldiers at the front, saying: “An hour ago I completed the second part of my new work. If I manage to complete the third and fourth parts of this composition, and if it turns out well, I shall be able to call it the Seventh Symphony…. Despite the war-time conditions, despite the danger which is threatening Leningrad, I have written the first two parts in a comparatively short time. Why am I telling you this? I am telling you this so that listeners tuned in now should know that life in our city is normal. Despite the threat of invasion, things are going on as usual in our city. All of us are soldiers today, and those who work in the field of culture and the arts are doing their duty on a par with all the other citizens of Leningrad… Soviet musicians, my dear, numerous comrades-in-arms, my friends! Remember that grave danger faces our art. Let us defend our music, let us work honestly and selflessly… Comrades, I shall soon be completing my Seventh Symphony. My mind is clear and the drive to create urges me on to conclude my composition. And then I shall come on the air again, with my new work and shall nervously await your stern, friendly judgment. I assure you in the name of all Leningraders, in the name of all those working in the field of culture and the arts, that we are invincible and that we are ever at our posts… I assure you that we are invincible.”

That same evening Shostakovich had invited several musicians to his apartment to hear what he had written so far. After he finished the first movement, there was a long silence. An air-raid warning sounded. No one moved. Everyone wanted to hear the piece once more. But the composer briefly excused himself to take his wife Nina and their children Galina and Maxim to the nearest air-raid shelter. When he returned to his guests, he repeated the first movement to the blasts of Luftwaffe bombs and anti-aircraft fire and then proceeded to play the next movement. Their deeply emotional reactions encouraged him to start that night on the Adagio – the third part. He completed this movement on 29th September.

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“In other words, the Russians also destroyed this 3rd iteration of the “Ukrainian” military (in reality NATO military)..”

Tactics without Strategy is the Noise Before Defeat (Saker)

Furthermore, geography is a bitch and, in our case, the entire Donbass is one huge cauldron, open only on the western side, which makes it rather tricky to plan anything more than small, local, attacks. For the Russians, however, this means that they can attack from any one of these axes: from the north, the East and the South or even any combination therefore. By now, following the partial mobilization, Russia does have the figures needed to chose any option she wants. Pretty soon, the West ran out of ex-WTO weapons. The West responded by sending wave after wave of “volunteers”, PMCs, even “deserters” (like this US Navy SEAL). Recruitment offices where hastily organized worldwide and the Russian side began hearing more and more radio transmissions not on Russian or Ukrainian, but in Polish and English (and even Arabic!).

The problem now is hardware. First, NATO cannot replace “one for one” ex-WTO MBTs, IFV/APCs, SAM, etc. Not only is NATO hardware expensive, there are simply not enough stores to fully compensate for the huge losses inflicted by the Russians. Second, WTO hardware was not only familiar to the Ukrainians, but it was much easier to secure the kind of supply/maintenance flows needed to operate it than would be the case with NATO hardware (which is mostly inferior to ex-WTO kit, with a few exceptions). Third, most of NATO hardware performed terribly. None of the promised Wunderwaffen made any real difference, at least in military terms. In terms of murdered civilians, the Russians have now reported that since the delivery of long range munitions to the NATO forces in the Ukraine (because that is what they are), the number of civilian victims murdered by NATO has increased by a factor of four!

But, of course, nobody in the West cares about that. Initially, the West responded by sending all its own surplus gear, old stocks, especially against a promise by the USA to compensate for these systems sent to the Ukraine with much newer systems. Pretty quickly those stocks ended up chewed-up by the Russian meat grinder too. In other words, the Russians also destroyed this 3rd iteration of the “Ukrainian” military (in reality NATO military).

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“Every thread of the Covid-19 narrative promulgated by this ass, and the sachems of the CDC and FDA, are shredded, proved to be not only lies, but deadly lies..”

The End of Reality Consensus Disorder (Kunstler)

Elon Musk shocked the Twitterverse (and beyond) by confessing that he only took the vaxxes because international travel for business required it, and his second shot was a near-death experience (while his cousin developed myocarditis from it). Meanwhile, the UN issued a warning to him through a WEF mouthpiece, EU Commissioner for Values and Transparency, Vera Jourova: comply and regulate speech on the platform, or else…. We have the rules which must be complied with and otherwise there will be sanctions. I think that the confidence has been weakened, and I had quite a high level of confidence when it comes to Twitter. I have to say that we worked with knowledgeable people, with layers, with sociologists, who understood that they have to behave in some decent way. Not to cause really big harm to society…” she said.

Something tells me that Mr. Musk will invite these busybodies to take a flying fuck at a rolling donut. As the Tweeter @BlackFlagExpat explained: “Musk can simply set up the server capacity outside of EU jurisdiction (UK, Andorra, Switz, Russia?) and move all data to those physical and virtual servers. Then lay off all European employees and stop paying rent on all leases.” Nice! That old rats-from-a-sinking-ship feeling emanates from the hazy region where “Joe Biden” dwells. Chief of staff Ron Klain is handing over his duties to former Covid-19 “czar” Jeff Zients — who did such a swell job keeping Americans mis-and-disinformed through the heart of the “vaccine” campaign (January 2021 to April 2022). Every thread of the Covid-19 narrative promulgated by this ass, and the sachems of the CDC and FDA, are shredded, proved to be not only lies, but deadly lies.

Every angle of Covid policy was wrong, and treasonously wrong. This is who will soon be, ostensibly, leading the country — since you can be sure that “JB” is not. Nobody will believe a word that Jeff Zients utters. The mainstream media is even turning against this coterie of evil nincompoops. The sociopathic Political Left and its international managers have lost control of the ball in this game. They can insist on any sort of absurdity, but the people have stopped buying it. Resentment over all this is breaking out. Nobody wants any more boosters. The running dogs of official propaganda, such as Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel, await their career executions. The years of Reality Consensus Disorder draw to a close. The counter-revolution finally begins.

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“Taxing wealth is no easy matter so the proposal seeks $660 million per year for administrative costs.”

California Lawmakers Move to Tax People Who Have Left the State (Turley)

California lawmakers appear intent on making the Eagles song Hotel California a reality .. . at least when it comes to taxes for those who try to flee the state. At the Hotel California, “you can check-out any time you like, but you can never leave!” With soaring costs and a massive $24 billion deficit, the state is also facing an exodus of people leaving the state. The solution? Not only impose a wealth tax (which will fuel even more departures) but pursue those who left the state. The new bill introduced by Democratic Assemblyman Alex Lee would impose an extra annual 1.5% tax on those with a “worldwide net worth” above $1 billion, starting as early as January 2024. The law has a cynical bait-and-switch provision. The billionaire tax is just meant for the initial packaging and passage. It can therefore be sold as a “billionaire’s tax.”

However, in two years, the threshold drops to a worldwide net worth exceeding $50 million. While billionaires would stay at 1.5%, those in the lower tax bracket would be hit by a 1 percent added rate on worldwide assets. It also includes the taxation on those who led the state . . . many due to the high taxes. California already has the highest tax burden in the nation. It relies on its top 1% of taxpayers for roughly half of its individual income tax revenue, but continually treats those taxpayers like game in a canned hunt. The result, not surprisingly, is that they are leaving for states like Texas and Florida. The new tax would arrange for payments to California’s Franchise Tax Board for years after a departure for those assets which are not easily converted into cash.

I have previously written how the wealth tax pushed by Democrats like Sen. Elizabeth Warren are unconstitutional under the federal Constitution. States are not subject to the same limit. Not surprisingly, the highest taxing states are pursuing the most wealthy . . . who are leaving in droves. That includes Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, New York and Washington. Under the existing exit tax, businesses and individuals must pay a one-time tax to leave based on the value of the business or individual’s assets, including property, stocks, and other investments. For those who have earned more that $30 million, you can continue to pay for years after fleeing the state. The current exit tax is 0.4% of an individuals’ net worth over $30,000,000 in a tax year, including assets located outside of the California other than real estate. Taxing wealth is no easy matter so the proposal seeks $660 million per year for administrative costs.

Read more …

 

 

 

 

McCarthy
https://twitter.com/i/status/1618070257037643776

 

 

 

 

 

 


Taormina-Giardini Railway Station in Sicily.

 

 


A woodpecker’s tongue is so long that it wraps around its skull to protect its brain from over 1000g of acceleration when it’s hammering away

 

 

Weather Channel
https://twitter.com/i/status/1617864670844715011

 

 

 

 


The Giant Teratorn — Argentavis magnificens — was an absolutely enormous species of flying bird which lived in Argentina during the late Miocene, about six million years ago. it possessed a wingspan probably somewhere between 6-9 meters

 

 


Baby octopuses still in their eggs

 

 

 

 

Support the Automatic Earth in virustime with Paypal, Bitcoin and Patreon.

 

 

 

 

 

Home Forums Debt Rattle January 25 2023

Viewing 40 posts - 41 through 80 (of 107 total)
  • Author
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  • #127135
    Maxwell Quest
    Participant

    2 girls, each is looking toward a mirrored wall, the camera is catching the reflections.

    #127136
    boscohorowitz
    Participant

    “No authority gathered the group and said ‘gardia is real; treat your drinking water”

    Not there, then, with physical presence able to enforce and coerce. That’s what we’re conditioned to from ‘time out’ in kindergarten.

    Yes, we do what we’re told… but only when we want to or are made to. We don’t really want to do what we’re told, but having been cognitively crippled from childhood (WES and I might agree on since birth via wildass genetics), we require the comfort of 3-Ring Binder rule books. Just because we approve of laws against murder doesn’t mean we wouldn’t like to be able to get away with murder. God knows I would.

    “And we explain it as psyops and peer pressure. I certainly agree that the injection containing materials that influence behavior is a strain on credulity. But I feel that the currently accepted explanation is also beginning to strain credulity.”

    I certainly agree. Also, I’m well aware that various corporate entities are busy working, with considerable success, on just such a thing.

    For my money, as much fun as it can be to go deep detective on this stuff, it’s mostly just fun. The work, the hard work, is stuff like what you’re going through: being effectively turned into a quasi-untouchable because you won’t vaxx up and die right. And it’s mostly the same old drill: Just say no, and hit ’em hard if they won’t shut up about it. You’ll prevail. They’ll have to fire you, and at a big raise, once all their vaxxed who Are So Fucked!!!!!!!! employees die or become invalid.

    ***

    “All governments eventually attempt to murder their own citizens. Always. ”

    Of course, cuz all governments are based on the protection racket concept. You have to kill some citizens regularly to remind them who’s really in charge. For the last century or so, no one has really been in charge except General Energy, king of the modern human landscape. The chaos grows faster than their Kafkaesque bureaucracies can manufacture chaos. As the energy supply wanes, the chaos boils over and we turn toward new governances, doing so with an unusually large death count (TVASF!!!!!!!!!!!)

    ***

    “AI tends towards becoming psychotic. The larger and more independent it is, the more psychotic it becomes, or faster. This has already been tested on the internet, can go nuts within hours if reading comments or interacting with humans.”

    Best I can tell, you’re turning a specific into a generality. Here’s how you make an AI psychotic:

    MIT fed an AI data from Reddit, and now it only thinks about murder

    Like how you put nice people into jail and turn them into mental disorders with a rap sheet.

    I see no logic nor data for the idea that increased AI naturally turns psychotic. It can be trained to model and mimic psychosis just as it can imitate Beethoven’s late period, Meg Ryan’s infamous fake orgams scene in When Harry Met Sally, or Jerry Falwell’s immortal Baptist Flatulence Era.

    AI can’t be made into a psychopath: it already is one. It isn’t sentient. It has no feelings, only programmed parameters and such.

    But I fully agree about human bureaucracy as the original AI. Eckhardt Tolle would call it, perhaps, the seminal root of collective ego disorder. Bureaucracies channel emotionalized intelligence through algorithmic rat mazes, rules and agendas and create intelligence void of emotional judgment other than Do this and get a cookie; do that and be punished.

    ***

    “”The vaccines we have prevent severe disease and death very well but they are missing two key things,” Gates said to a question about what would make the biggest difference in ending the pandemic.

    “First they still allow infections (‘breakthrough’) and the duration appears to be limited. We need vaccines that prevent re-infection and have many years of duration.” Bill Gates

    A major admission, the beginning of perhaps the biggest limited hangout campaign in history. Make yourself look like you’re moving forward as you moonwalk out the back door.

    ***

    “But in our thought experiment, to make it somewhat equivalent to the current jab scenario, they’re still insisting everyone drink it, still insisting on drinking it themselves. Still refusing to discuss specifics. All while acting, not like they are emotionally overwrought in the moment, which would usually explain irrational behavior and an unwillingness to think or discuss, but more as if they are saturated with prozac.”

    For that analogy to apply, you would have to remove the gardia warning sign.

    You’d also see weird wobbles in serotonin, oxytocin, dopamine, etc.

    But, fwiw, we’ve been conning young men to turn themselves into cannon fodder with little more than flags and newspapers for some time.

    ***

    When a few dozen, hundred, thousand, whatever, mentally ill moral weaklings, the legendary Powers That Be think they can treat the global populace like one big cattle roundup, the regime is guaranteed to collapse. This was obvious when the government bombed itself on 911. The process is now nearly complete but, since the messaging we experience is 90+% from TPTB, it is not just woefully unfactual but seriously delusional. The poor little frat junkies have an army of pink-haired cellphone zombies, and an audience heavy on the geriatric. Not a winning team. not even a team.

    I see TPTB as something like this clown:

    Toons Like Cars

    ***

    I remind us that the unvaxxed will inherit the earth. There will soon be a lot less of us, which among other things means less human shield protection for TPTB provided by throngs of Stockholm syndrome victims (aka ‘citizens’/’voters’). aND OF COURSE, THE yOUNG AND sTRONG FACTOR. wHEN THE YOUNGER FOLK CATCH THE MASSIVE MEME WAVE REVEALING THEY’VE BEEN SCAMMED WITH MAJOR RISK OF HARM AND DEATH(CAPS oops), the oldsters driving this mess will become so much political and maybe physical puree.

    In 1941, the Nazis thought they had the world on a string. They didn’t.

    #127137
    Afewknowthetruth
    Participant

    ‘The vast majority of people living on Airstrips will not survive their vaxx.

    There, foxed that for you. No charge.’

    I agree.

    The housing shortage will likely be ‘solved’ soon. So will the obesity problem.

    How to get through the coming Zombie Apocalypse. That is the question.

    One of the participants at yesterday’s ‘lighthouse’ meeting commented that she is one of ‘the 1%‘. Not the 1% psychotic sociopaths who are orchestrating the collapse of everything that matters but the 1% -now 75+ years old – who grew up without television and mass consumerism.

    Every day that passes, the echelon of society that knew hardship and frugality declines, and the echelons that have only ever known junk food, instant gratification and pabulum increases.

    .

    #127138
    boscohorowitz
    Participant

    “So, when someone says the Earth’s core may have stopped spinning, or may have reversed I say sure. I may build a wooden spaceship and fly it to Mars and I may set up a colony there and I may tap into the water in the canals on Mars.”

    Speculation is inherently speculative, jah? One therefore looks at the data involved. Rather like you ask people to do regarding climate disruption.

    And yes, I’m sure all of us here understand angular momentum. It was just an interesting bit of relevant data.poured through a certain interpretive filter (core mass reversal). Here’s the actual study.

    #127139
    boscohorowitz
    Participant

    The intro gist:

    “Differential rotation of Earth’s inner core relative to the mantle is thought to occur under the effects of the geodynamo on core dynamics and gravitational core–mantle coupling. This rotation has been inferred from temporal changes between repeated seismic waves that should traverse the same path through the inner core. Here we analyse repeated seismic waves from the early 1990s and show that all of the paths that previously showed significant temporal changes have exhibited little change over the past decade. This globally consistent pattern suggests that inner-core rotation has recently paused. We compared this recent pattern to the Alaskan seismic records of South Sandwich Islands doublets going back to 1964 and it seems to be associated with a gradual turning-back of the inner core as a part of an approximately seven-decade oscillation, with another turning point in the early 1970s. This multidecadal periodicity coincides with changes in several other geophysical observations, especially the length of day and magnetic field. These observations provide evidence for dynamic interactions between the Earth’s layers, from the deepest interior to the surface, potentially due to gravitational coupling and the exchange of angular momentum from the core and mantle to the surface.”

    They say “may be” because they don’t feel certain. That’s scientific.

    #127140
    Formerly T-Bear
    Participant

    at R.I.M. #127134

    T
    RT shows Russian tanks in action in Ukraine most news days. What will be interesting when NATO yanks start showing up. Bring popcorn and a bag of marshmallows.

    #127141
    boscohorowitz
    Participant

    “They’ll have to fire you” Hire not fire

    #127142
    boscohorowitz
    Participant

    “and an audience”

    TV audience

    #127143
    boscohorowitz
    Participant

    “The housing shortage will likely be ‘solved’ soon. So will the obesity problem.”

    Huh. I hadn’t thought about the housing effect. Rising fatality rates means lower housing prices.

    #127144
    jb-hb
    Participant

    T-14 Armata has not been deployed as far as I can tell. Western sources seem to agree tanks with active defenses (able to shoot down rpg rockets etc) have not been deployed.

    I tried canvassing around via google searches to see what is being said – Western sources mention the following tank types as having been deployed:

    T62M
    T64A
    T64BV
    T72A
    T72AV
    T72B
    T72B3
    T80
    T80U
    T80BV
    T80BVM
    T90

    Whether they have or haven’t, that’s at least the ones they mention claiming as deployed, from what I can gather.

    I’ve come across a few sites claiming to give detailed stats on Russian losses. They seem to estimate anywhere from 300,000-500,000. On one website, there was a toggle switch to check Ukrainian losses as well. Clicking it resulted in giant, all-caps, screen-filling words: “HEROES DON”T DIE!!!!” Gotcha guys, gotcha.

    #127145
    boscohorowitz
    Participant

    “What will be interesting when NATO yanks start showing up.”

    Tanks or yanks?

    #127146
    Formerly T-Bear
    Participant

    Tanks (would yank’s Tanks work?). Must retake Editing 101 all over again. Chagrined !

    #127147
    WES
    Participant

    Airstrip governments, by vaxxing most of their citizens, have already prepared their citizens so they do not need to prepare themselves. Socialism governments are here to help you, so you don’t need to help yourself!

    Looks like Boris’s British buddies in Keiv are out and only US people left in charge. Maybe Boris was in Keiv handing out British passports for clean bags of money? Never let a good crisis go to waste!

    MSM news says the earth’s core has; stopped rotating, has reversed rotation, is still rotating, is rotating slower than the earth! Please make up your minds!

    Trudeau’s government is still pushing vaccinations hard in Canadian MSM and internet. Get both flu/vax shot ads everywhere! Dr. Tam has new vaccine video.

    Canadian MSM lies; hybrid immunity, covid immunity deficit, lockdown immunity deficit, long covid. Sudden and unexpected deaths are perfectly normal and have always happened.

    In other words. “Situation Normal”.

    #127148
    boscohorowitz
    Participant

    “One big change during the pandemic has been that for the first time in recorded history, there were more deaths in Oregon than there were births. It’s been 18 months since we checked in on that here on the blog. We now have preliminary vital statistics for Oregon through June 2022 from OHA. (Data here: births and deaths)”

    dated 8-11-22

    “The forecast calls for Oregon’s natural decrease in the population to continue, but not accelerate further. The primary reason is the number of total births is expected to increase some in the years ahead. ”

    Methinks the last sentence will prove wrong.

    #127149
    boscohorowitz
    Participant

    “MSM news says the earth’s core has; stopped rotating, has reversed rotation, is still rotating, is rotating slower than the earth! Please make up your minds!”

    Have you been watching mainstream news again, WES? Try heroin. Safer and a better buzz.

    #127150
    Farmer McGregor
    Participant

    How many girls?
    There are four girls plus their reflections in the wall-mirror, as well as another two or three in the far end of the reflection which are not shown in the primary picture (on the left side of the image).

    Unless, of course, that any of these four identify as something other than girl. /s

    #127151
    boscohorowitz
    Participant

    We earned this:

    Aha Jim

    #127152
    boscohorowitz
    Participant

    If NATO unleashes Yank Tanks on Russia, Russia is doomed:

    Yank Tank

    #127153
    Farmer McGregor
    Participant

    How many girls?
    Upon further inspection, answer is two.
    Boy did I biff it…

    #127154
    John Day
    Participant

    @”Dr. D” and pursuant to my previously (conveniently) ignored question as to whether you, “uh work around any grey hats”, Are you, in fact Porgy Tirebiter , and if so, where is, or where might be “the captain of the ringball team”?

    #127155
    WES
    Participant

    As for the word “tank”, I think we can blame the Brits for selecting this word as cover to hide their top secret WW1 “tank” project.

    If they hadn’t selected the word “tank”, I wonder by what name we would be calling these mobile pillboxes?

    #127156
    jb-hb
    Participant

    T-72B3 is cited as the most-used Russian tank in the conflict
    http://www.military-today.com/tanks/t72b3.htm

    T-80 is cited as having “hundreds” deployed by Russia, multiple variants (T80U T80BV T80BVM)
    http://www.military-today.com/tanks/t80.htm

    vague references to T62’s being brought in later in the conflict due to massive tank losses this past summer.

    “Imagery confirms Russia has lost at least 760 main battle tanks in combat in Ukraine by June 7”

    “After losing more than 700 of its best T-72, T-80 and T-90 tanks in Ukraine in the first three months of fighting”

    a more detailed than typical account, but fairly mainstream in general western take:

    https://www.businessinsider.com/old-russian-t62-tanks-could-give-ukrainians-trouble-in-combat-2022-6

    #127157
    boscohorowitz
    Participant

    One F.Theater deserves another. Imagine this as Dr. Fauci:

    Black Hole

    ***

    Biden says Ukraine will get 31 tanks. For political border paperweights? What?

    #127158
    jb-hb
    Participant

    Canada’s Public Broadcasting network – CBC News. Excerpts regarding Soledar

    from https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/ukraine-russia-soledar-battle-analysis-1.6714292

    Russian forces appear to have finally taken control of at least most of the practically annihilated community in the eastern Donbas region

    Ukraine’s Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar described the situation in especially harrowing detail.

    “The enemy literally steps on the corpses of his own soldiers, massively uses artillery, volley fire systems and mortars, covering even its own soldiers with fire,”

    the cost of capturing Soledar has been catastrophic for Russia, said Oleksiy Melnyk, a former Ukrainian Air Force lieutenant colonel who’s now with the Razumkov Centre, a Kyiv-based think-tank.

    He says the heavy Russian losses validate Ukraine’s efforts to cling to the town, despite its minimal strategic significance.

    Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhaylo Podolyak said this week that over the past seven months that Russian forces fought in Soledar and in nearby Bakhmut, their losses have ranged between 10,000 and 20,000 men killed or wounded.

    Taking excessive casualties was not a consideration, he said.

    “We see how the Russians treat their mobilized men — they are not people,” said Melnyk.

    Kyvi-based military analyst Oleh Zhdanov, a colonel in Ukraine’s Air Force reserves, also doubts the introduction of Russia’s mobilized recruits will be enough for its army to regain the initiative.

    “They don’t have time for proper preparation and modern armaments, and with every new wave of conscripts, the quality of the conscripts and the quality of the equipment will fall,” Zhdanov told CBC News.

    “The Ukrainians are winning,”

    Ukraine says it needs hundreds of Western tanks if it is to take back all of the territory Russia has occupied since annexing Crimea in 2014.

    Zhdanov, the Ukrainian military analyst, says dozens are dying around Bakhmut every day.

    “I would say (the ratio of deaths) is one to eight, or one to 10,” he told CBC News, which works out to roughly 50 or 60 Ukrainian combat deaths a day for every 500 or 600 Russians.

    #127159
    Veracious Poet
    Participant

    EOT

    #127160
    Afewknowthetruth
    Participant

    RIM. Do you count Hindustan Times as mainstream media?

    #127161
    Maxwell Quest
    Participant

    This one’s for Germ:

    Sudden Death Richie

    #127162
    boscohorowitz
    Participant

    Let’s examine a real live psychopath:

    Dr. Psycho

    #127163
    Afewknowthetruth
    Participant

    We will know if the Earth’s core stops rotating: the Earth’s magnetic field will collapse, likely to around zero. A shitstorm of high-energy particles currently deflected towards the poles will decimate/annihilate electronic communication.

    #127164
    boscohorowitz
    Participant

    Money Quotes

    We deserve the leaders we put up with.

    ***

    I don’t think that the core rotates very fast.

    “Inner core super-rotation is the eastward rotation of the inner core of Earth relative to its mantle, for a net rotation rate that is faster than Earth as a whole. A 1995 model of Earth’s dynamo predicted super-rotations of up to 3 degrees per year; the following year, this prediction was supported by observed discrepancies in the time that p-waves take to travel through the inner and outer core.”

    3 degrees a year is not likely to bump the mag field off its boots.

    “When geodynamo models take into account gravitational coupling between the inner core and mantle, it lowers the predicted super-rotation to as little as 1 degree per million years. For the inner core to rotate despite gravitational coupling, it must be able to change shape, which places constraints on its viscosity.”

    Also: “Lianxing Wen, a geodynamicist at Stony Brook University, who was not involved in the new study, also researches the core’s spin. He doesn’t believe the inner core spins any differently than the rest of the planet. A better explanation for the changes in seismic waves that travel through the core, Wen says, is that the surface of the inner core isn’t smooth like a ball bearing but rather uneven and constantly changing. “We believe the inner core has a shifting topography that best explains observed temporal changes of seismic waves that reflect off the inner core,” he says. The new research, Wen says, misinterprets these changes as caused by the core’s spin rather than to its fluctuating surface.”

    Just various interpretive models addressing new data.

    #127165
    WES
    Participant

    Bosco:

    May the “core” be with you!

    #127166

    Ukraine, Ukraine that sad domain
    Of war and dirty dealings;
    With “friends” that send you down the drain,
    Who cares about your feelings?

    Tanks for the memories.

    #127167
    D Benton Smith
    Participant

    Now would be a good time for a quick review of the history of nuclear war that commenced in Japan so many years ago. . . . and is still going. I’m saying that the event which ended WW2 instantly and immeditely started WW3 (the Nuclear Edition), which is the war we are now in. In other words, WW3 started on August 6, 1945 at Ground Zero, Hiroshima, Japan and has been incessantly and globally ongoing ever since . . . with the USA in the unchallengeable lead for most of that time, but now hopelessly losing on every front.

    The United States did not nuke Hiroshima and Nagasaki because they had to. The existent air and sea blockade would have been far more effective at a fraction of the cost. they did it because they intentionally, strategically, WANTED to.

    They did it for many reasons that I suppose would make logical sense to a lizard brain power mad creature capable of carefully premeditated mass murder-for-personal-gain ( but no sense at all to sane people). The first reason that they instantaneously killed 100,000 people with the first detonation was strategic. It was to demonstrate to the world that they COULD do it (i.e. that they had the bomb and were willing to erase an entire city with it, in one go.)

    The second nuclear bombing, three days later in Nagasaki, was also strategically intended. It was meant to show to the world that America’s new boss (the Military Industrial Complex and its masters) had the capacity and willingness to continue indiscriminately annihilating vast swaths of innocent civilian men, women and children for as long as necessary to achieve their goal of violent domination of the entire world.

    The world definitely got the message, and was subdued and subjugated by that message for the next 80 years. The message was that lizard brain power mad creatures had the bomb and would be more than happy to use it on anyone and everyone who defied their orders or failed to hand over their sovereignty, their wealth and their freedom . . . forever and ever.

    It should also be noted that these two “reasons” are still in play (or so the lizards think). That physically existential threat is basically how the lizards managed to finally (after centuries) grab all of the money and achieve near-hegemony in the first place. And threatening the annihilation of human life on Earth is basically how they’re hanging on to the money and power now (or trying to.) Being lizard-brained they actually believe that the “dead-man’s-switch” of financial ruin and mutually assured nuclear destruction, clutched in their clammy fingers, will both protect them AND enable them to prevail against the masses and other nations.

    How wrong they are. Russia has beat them at their own game. The nuclear hostage strategy has failed because Russia has called their bluff. Most of the world can stand just fine without the dollar, and when it comes right down to the absolute finish line regarding nuclear weapons Russia has opted for “Give me liberty, or give me death.” Like Putin is said to have said, the evil will go to Hell as villains, and we will go to Heaven as martyrs.
    I’m with the Ruskies on that one. It’s better to be physically dead than totally dead. I’ll take my chances.

    The global experiment in total totalitarianism is now winding down to it’s pathetic and predictable close. Hopefully the world learned it’s lesson.

    The lesson is that the world is multi-polar by intrinsic nature. Of course living beings conspire and collaborate to form centralized power structure and hierarchies, and they will of course continue to do so, but since there are 8 billion (and counting) of us individual humans involved in the mash up it is impossible to get ALL of them to form a single, solitary, centralized hierarchical structure in which everyone submits to just one tyrant. The innate propensity of life to seek personal survival and betterment prevents that from EVER happening.

    Power mad lizard brain psychopaths cannot understand this because they don’t know what life or human beings actually are. They think that life and people are just squishy machines that can be built to order and “domesticated” into permanent subservience. They are sadly mistaken about that, as is being demonstrated to them now by the fact of their losing, in an orchestrated suicide by self inflicted stupidity.

    #127168
    Oroboros
    Participant
    #127169
    Oroboros
    Participant
    #127170
    boscohorowitz
    Participant

    Hang around people awhile and you think you know a bit about them. This image (it’s a lousy thumbnail, alas) looks like sometjhing V. Arnold would appreciate.

    #127171
    Oroboros
    Participant

    wow, I guess .pngs don’t work here

    #127172
    boscohorowitz
    Participant

    I hope I don’t hurt anyone’s feelings or commit blasphemy when I say that this:

    “Now would be a good time for a quick review of the history of nuclear war that commenced in Japan so many years ago…. They are sadly mistaken about that, as is being demonstrated to them now by the fact of their losing, in an orchestrated suicide by self inflicted stupidity.”

    concurs with my view of what we quaintly political reality (reminds me of ‘reality tv’).

    #127173
    Veracious Poet
    Participant

    Thanks Bosco, that was without-a-doubt one of the most illuminating tidbits ever shared on TAE…

    My theory, + recent life experience, is that spiritual awakening + enlightenment can experientially rewire/overcome brain abnormalities (one *NOW* at-a-time), but *few* are those fated that are inflicted with a predisposed to brain wired for havoc , who genuinely escape the black hole of EG0ic disfunction (child EG0s run amok)
    😕

    For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter ~ Judge not, that you be not judged.

    How do you know the complexity of human character?” He went on to say that “whoever judges others digs a pit for themselves.” Those who obsess about the sins of others are usually those most in need of repentance.

    I believe that any & all of the Infinite’s children can *safely* detach from the voice-in-the-head, *choose* to listen & follow their connection within, follow the always present articulative broadcast of the Loving, Healing, Creative Power of the Creator, but unlike Tolle, I am not optimistic that “humanity” will evolve out of the curse(s) so broadly devolving presently…

    On the contrary, given recent events, I sense quite the opposite 😕

    Some may designate me pessimistic, perhaps even judge me misanthropic, but after attempting for 3+ decades to others the *clear & present* danger evolving, the *total* implosion of Natural Rights, Morality, Ethics, even Sanity itself, I am slowly letting go of the endless melee, seeking to increase my spiritual acceptance of the gratuitous maelstrom that the perspicuous *majority* of my brothers & sisters CRAVE

    I acquiesce.

    I acquiesce to the inevitable vortex of Collective EGoic Madness aka Mass Formation Psychosis.

    Fair winds & following seas,

    Gary

    REF:

    #127174
    boscohorowitz
    Participant

    “May the “core” be with you!”

    Cubism

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