Just Some Randomer
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That’s a lot of layoffs Topcat, but you see – it’s all down to ‘AI’! The bestest and most convenient excuse that’s ever been invented.
I struggle to think of a single substantial issue facing humanity today, whether economic, environmental or social that would not be ameliorated or eliminated by there being fewer people on the planet.
Let’s be smarter than yeast. A few generations of restricted reproduction globally, and cut-off of all support for unsustainable population growth in those African countries where things are still out of hand doesn’t seem to difficult or unreasonable.
“Trump Appears To De-Escalate Iran Rhetoric, ‘Killing Has Stopped’ – Oil Tumbles
I think we’re all old enough to recall the numerous times in recent years that Israel/US has duped its targets with promises of de-escalation, peace negotiations even, only to then drop 500lb bombs on them the next day while ‘Negotiations’ are still in progress.
I do hope the Iranians also remember this
Russian ‘Bank Assets’ held in Euroclear.
There seems to be a perception that Russia has a big pile of ready cash sitting in a strong room in Brussels that can simply be loaded onto pallets and slapped on a train to Kiev. Unless I am mistaken, what Euroclear is holding on in Russia’s account are Eurobonds – i.e. Debt instruments issued by various EU countries.
Now – let’s suppose the Euroclowns are insane enough to simply go ahead and steal Russia’s bond holdings using Emergency laws, as they appear to be determined to do in the face of objections by the Belgian government, the ECB, Euroclear, the US, Japan, Saudi Arabia and other relevant parties – what then? How does transferring the title to these Bonds in any way ‘Fund’ Ukraine? It doesn’t.
The only way these stolen bonds can be used to generate actual cashflow for the Green Goblin in Kiev is if either (a) The bonds are sold or (b) The bonds are used as collateral for a loan, the proceeds of which are handed over to Z.
Who, other than maybe the 3 chihuahuas (Merz, Macron and Starmer) would be insane enough to hand over ready money to purchase these clearly stolen bonds that are the subject of ongoing litigation by Russia? Nobody.
For the same reasons, what institution anywhere is going to advance over a hundred billion euros in lending against ‘Security’ consisting of the aforementioned stolen goods? Nobody.
It’s really hard to see the endgame here as being anything other than the EU stealing the Bonds and then using them as a figleaf for an arrangement whereby they themselves hand over cash to Ukraine but pretend it’s a loan because they have the Bonds as security and therefore the new borrowing doesn’t really count.
Looks like EU taxpayers are about have another hundred billion in debt loaded onto their backs against their will. It’s nuts.
Great news that you’re back with us Raúl! So sorry to hear of your medical misfortunes – hope you make a swift recovery to full health.
@ Dr D
” Like I bet we could invade Tel Aviv, land on the beaches, and Nutsy would nuke Gaza and only THEN turn to defend against the landing.”Not necessary. A simply phone call from the Whitehouse to Tel Aviv would do it. ‘No more money and weapons for you Nutsy. Thank you for your attention in this matter‘. Job done – Nobel peace prize in the post.
Wall-to-wall coverage in the UK press about a shooting at a synagogue in Manchester yesterday in which a number of people were shot. The (deceased) perp carried the hilarious moniker ‘Jihad Al-Shamie’.
Seriously? His name was literally Jihad? Come on guys, you can do better than that. How about ‘Suicide bomber al Dirka Dirka’ next time?
The cherry on top of this particular story is that it emerges today that, in fact, the only people who shot and killed anyone during the entire incident were….. the police!
@ Dr. Day “Gold was toying with the idea of $3900/oz this morning, but backed off a hair”
Yeah – but Silver has blown through $47 again, after a couple of days trying. Hopefully it’ll keep going northwards this time. 🙂
Looks like someone’s going to be receiving some Freedom and Democracy shortly.
Trumps statement on the Ukraine situation summarised: “Hey Europe – let’s you and him fight!”
His statement couldn’t be any clearer “I think Ukraine, with the support of the European Union, is in a position to fight and WIN all of Ukraine back in its original form” he said. “Meanwhile we’ll be over here on the other side of the Atlantic selling you whatever weapons and ammo we can scrape up – but hey – good luck guys!” he didn’t (quite) go on to add.
@ Dr D Rich
execrable
Is that even a word? spelling? definition?https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/execrable
It is indeed a word. Just not one you and miker are familiar with it seems.
A reported (depending on who’s saying it, the numbers are often over/understated, but it looks like a LOT of people from the images) one million people have paraded through London in a protest against mass migration. The front page of the Telegraph, one of main broadsheet papers in Britain, has a small article about it, below the soccer news and an article about the takeover of a dying retailer entitled ‘Tommy Robinson protestors attack police’.
Sounds like fair and balanced reporting in the Starmtrooper’s Britain.
@ Dr D: “So they just missile strike everyone, every day, and that’s alright with everyone? I guess. Qatar didn’t do nothing. …Because there is only one nation, the United States, and only one guy in it. If Q won’t do anything about it, why should I?”
Your comment presupposes that Qatar ‘Doing something’ would be a matter between them and Israel. As I’m sure you are aware, the ‘One Guy’ leading the ‘One Nation’ would receive a phone call from the Israeli genocidalist within seconds of Qatari leaders contemplating any possible action with direct orders (We have the files Mr Trump!) to reduce the country to ashes. So yes, in reality there is only one nation that will decide whether or not Qatar responds – and that nation isn’t Qatar.
@ Dr Day “‘Statistically Almost Impossible’ – 4 AfD Candidates Have Died ‘Suddenly And Unexpectedly’ Before Key State Election”
The number is now 7 AfD candidates dead. Official German media sees nothing unusual in this.
@ Topcat – I’ve been in the remains of Diocletian’s palace in Croatia – a surprising percentage of it still stands. He must have been making good margins on those brassicas to pay for the upkeep.
JHK’s article “The USA and Russia cannot make peace in Ukraine because the war is between Ukraine and Russia. The USA can only mediate and propose terms.”
I cannot accept that Kunstler truly believes that. I CAN bring myself to accept that Putin plays along and pretends to believe this nonsense because it’s a pragmatic way (possibly) to bring the conflict to an end without the necessity to flatten all of Ukraine. I can accept that Trump pretends to believe it because it allows him to (possibly) walk away from a conflict that ‘The US is not involved in’, but surely nobody can truly, honestly believe it.
@ phoenixvoice “Why is it that those who hate Trump assume that anyone who doesn’t hate Trump must love Trump?”
If you ever find out please let me know. Fastest way to get socially excommunicated around here is to not clap like a seal and nod when someone opines on how Trump is the literal personification of Satan. My mind is open on the subject but my mouth certainly isn’t (I am given to understand that divorce is rather expensive).
@ Dr D Rich – puhlease put us out of our misery and reveal the true identity of this ‘Miker’ character of whom you so frequently speak! I am put in mind of the Harry Potter series – will the true identity of ‘Miker’ ( He who must not be named) be revealed in book three?
@Topcat – Trump’s deal with VdL is worthless specifically because she has no authority to require private businesses in Europe to buy Gas from Trump (Governments don’t buy gas, gas companies do) or to invest in the US (Governments don’t build factories in Texas or wherever, private companies do) – and yet that’s what we’re being told will be done. Has anyone asked the Boards of these companies what they think?
In fact, even if the supposition was that the various EU governments were somehow to use public funds for these purposes (it isn’t) – VdL doesn’t have the power to compel them to do that either. Aside from threats and blackmail, if the government of, say, France declined to buy expensive gas from Trump, there’s no treaty giving the EU the power to make them.
@ Dr. D “The only place there are 250,000 spare armed men, with camo and required crates of bullets, is Pennsylvania. And they ain’t goin’. Suck it.”
I’m sure they’re pretty comfortable in Pennsylvania, and that’s good since the US no longer has the transport capabilities to move them anywhere within a meaningful period of time. All those troop transport vessels seem to have been retired and not replaced. I guess they could be flown to Europe a hundred at a time.
“Larry Johnson reports that he heard from sources that Russia has launched new satellites in recent days that are coming up along side USSA surveilance satellites and electronically blindly and jamming them”
I’d be skeptical on this. Russia may very well have this technology but why would they choose to reveal the fact now when there’s no particular reason to? Military types are notoriously reluctant to reveal any new capability and give the opposition a chance to size it up and develop a response. Iran, for example, never used their latest missiles in the ‘12 day war’ – why would they expose valuable intel to the enemy when they don’t have to?
“Exactly,” Cortes responded, stating that in order for the US-Ukraine partnership to work, Kiev “must become transparent and corruption-free.”
When is Washington planning to become transparent and corruption-free? Fair’s fair, right?
@Red – ‘State Budget’ <> ‘GDP’. If the state is spending 25%of GDP (quite possible) then 5% of GDP on defence is one fifth of the (prior) state spending.
“the Trump-induced ceasefire…”………is already over.
They’re back to lobbing missiles at each other again. Trump is not terribly happy – ‘Israel and Iran don’t know what the f— they’re doing’ he is quoted as saying.
The Zionists haven’t spent decades working up to their regime change effort in Iran just to stop at the request of anyone in the US. The symbolism of their naming the effort ‘Operation Rising Lion’ is that on the flag of the Shah (installed by the US and whose descendent is now getting airtime in the press) was….a stylised Lion. Not terribly subtle eh?
Hopefully Iran will finish the job now that Israel has shown itself to be uninterested in any alternatives.
“The problem with all of those Epstein and Diddy video tapes is that every time some faction gets their hands on them, INSTEAD OF POSTING THEM EVERYWHERE FOR ALL THE WORLD TO SEE HOW DEPRAVED OUR LEADERSHIP IS, they say to themselves Jeez! Do you have any idea how much POWER this blackmail information gives us!? And then they keep the tapes and use them for blackmail.”
I rather suspect that the Epstein files have not been released because the FBI/CIA/Whoever doesn’t have them. Epstein was a Mossad operative and I doubt those chaps would contemplate handing material of this value, gathered at their own expense, to anyone in the US intelligence services.
“Iran FM Araghchi: We will not negotiate with any party as long as Israeli attacks continue.
Araghchi stated that we had a serious discussion with the Europeans today, adding that “We will not negotiate with any party as long as the Zionist regime’s attacks continue.”Which is precisely the ‘Ceasefire first, then we can talk’ position taken by Zelensky and is, apparently, deemed perfectly sensible by ‘The West’.
“Will the world listen?”
The people of the world might, but the ‘Leadership’ won’t – what do you think Jeffrey Epstein was doing all that time with his underage girls and his hidden cameras?
“According to Israel’s Channel 12 television, this time around Iran launched about 25 missiles, according to preliminary data.”
Well maybe, but 26 of them were intercepted, so everything fine.
Dr. D: “What HE doesn’t grasp – being consumed with his own ego – is that IF Trump knows all this, AND he still acts like this, THEN, what’s going on that I don’t see and know about?”
I was told a long time ago by a mentor, whom I respected, that ‘If you see people that you know to be intelligent doing things that look stupid it probably means that you are missing some important piece of information’
Dr. D: “What HE doesn’t grasp – being consumed with his own ego – is that IF Trump knows all this, AND he still acts like this, THEN, what’s going on that I don’t see and know about?”
I was told a long time ago by a mentor, whom I respected, that ‘If you see people that you know to be intelligent doing things that look stupid it probably means that you are missing some important piece of information’
Is it just me or is anyone else mystified by the utter calm in global financial markets as we sink, apparently inexorably, into another war? One that carries an extremely high probability of the use of Nuclear weapons either to attack Iranian underground facilities or as an Israeli last-gasp spoiler attack.
I simply cannot fathom the complete insouciance of the mainstream press, the political classes and the markets. Maybe the last three years of noodling about in Ukraine have made everyone numb to the realities of war. It’s like nobody cares. It’s well documented that there was an eerie calm in the leadup to WWII so maybe it’s just that some issues are too large, too significant for the average working Joe to face up to.
‘I have’, as Obi Wan once memorably commented, ‘a bad feeling about this’.
“Can the Zionists can take months of this?”
Clearly not – which presumably is why they’ve run crying to their sugar daddy, who is responding by sending large numbers of military assets over there to try to bail them out.
I love how the engine bay in those classic vehicles looks virtually empty – you could almost strip the engine down without removing it. Modern cars have the motor and associated gubbins rammed in there so tight you almost have to drop it out to change a spark plug.
Yes I did know that – recall that leaked conference call a while ago between various German military officers in which they admitted (in the context of a Taurus attack on the Kerch bridge) that it would have to be German military staff doing the actual planning and programming.
Moscow has been perfectly clear in stating publicly that they will respond with a counter-strike into Germany. I understand that the facility that makes the Taurus has been idle for more than a year (which, in itself, says a lot about just how seriously the Germans really take the prospect of Russia attacking other countries after Ukraine) so probably no point in popping an Oreshnik onto that, but no doubt some other more substantial targets are already being selected as I write.
Now that Trump has (if one can bring oneself to take recent events at face value) had enough of Netanyahu, and Israel in general, subverting US politics with their unique blend of bribery and blackmail, and is not afraid to highlight this publicly, there is for the first time an outside chance of the real meat of the Epstein material being released. I surmise that the reason it’s been impossible to release so far is that it would clearly show the extent to which Mossad has compromised the great and good in DC – and that’s always been a political 3rd rail. Let’s see.
If Trump really wanted to rip the band-aid off and give himself sufficient ammunition to fend off those who would leap to Israel’s defence and push back against an America First agenda, what could be better than unloading into the public domain a mountain of documented and filmed child abuse carried out at Mossad’s bidding for the specific purpose of generating blackmail material to control the US Govt?
Wishful thinking most likely, but we can dream.
Purchasing power parity – might bump up GDP in some poorer and somewhat lower cost southern countries but would significantly mark down Scandinavia etc where cost of living is fantastically high.
Fun fact: The US has lost more fighter aircraft in the last month than Russia, and the latter is fighting an actual real war, not just making very expensive holes in the sand dunes of the Middle East.
“Another navy plane fell off the boat.”
Been joking about unfortunate boating accidents with my stash of shiny metals for years, but it seems that the Navy is now genuinely using this as an (equally implausible) excuse for the loss of so much hardware.
I’m loving the spin about how the Houthis surrendered and agreed not to sink any more ships – seems like the truth is that the US Navy followed the time-honored approach, when engaging in foreign adventures, of (a) realising that they could not beat the opposition and then (b) declaring victory and running away. It seems clear that the Houthis will indeed stop trying to sink Navy vessels, but only because they’ll have sailed far, far away.
In a lot of the MSM press this is being sold as ‘Proof’ that Iran better watch out or they’re next to be beaten into surrender. It’s actually breathtaking to see the truth bent a full 180 degrees.
