In reading this article, which is a collection of snippets (video and text) of this moment in time, it should be clear what the reality of today is.
The West is dying. It is failing.
The Western leadership, isolated in their own “bubbles” , are clueless and detached. Still on the hunt for easy riches, and planning to secure those riches.
The East, slow, cautious, and careful are weary and reserved. They run through the motions with the West… but with LOW expectations. Fully expecting an attack any month now.
As they posture themselves they study, and continue in technological advancement and growth. The rest of the world wishes to ride with them.
Enjoy today’s reality.
Pot Roast with Potatoes
Ingredients
- 1 (1 1/2 pound) pot roast
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon vinegar
- 1 onion, cut into small pieces
- 1 tablespoon olives and capers
- 2 tablespoons Red Oil(Oil with Annatto)
- 3 potatoes, cut into halves
Instructions
- Season the meat with garlic, salt and vinegar. Make small holes in the meat and fill with chopped onions olives and capers. Brown the meat in the Red Oil.
- Sauté the potatoes. Cover with water. Season to taste. Cook for 45 minutes covered, over low heat.
When White America becomes the picture of poverty
Senior officials of China, US hold candid talks
Senior officials from China and the United States met in Vienna, Austria, on Wednesday and Thursday and had candid, in-depth, substantive and constructive discussions on bilateral ties.
Wang Yi, director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, and US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan discussed removing obstacles in China-US ties and stabilizing the relationship.
Wang, who is also a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, fully expounded on China’s solemn position on the Taiwan question.
Trade curbs opposed
The two sides exchanged views on the situation in the Asia-Pacific region, the Ukraine issue and other international and regional issues of common concern. Both sides agreed to continue to make good use of the strategic communication channel.
In another development, Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao met with Nicholas Burns, the US ambassador to China. The two sides exchanged views on China-US economic and trade relations, as well as their respective concerns over other economic and trade issues, the ministry said in a news release.
Also on Thursday, the Ministry of Commerce said that the Chinese government will resolutely oppose any move by the US to restrict US companies from investing in China or coercing its allies to follow suit, as such moves undermine the international economic and trade order and disrupt the stability of global industrial and supply chains.
Shu Jueting, a spokeswoman for the ministry, made the remarks at a news conference after Bloomberg reported that US President Joe Biden aims to sign an executive order to limit investment in China’s high-tech industries and hopes to get an endorsement from its G7 partners on such curbs at next week’s meeting.
“If the news report turns out to be true, China will resolutely object to such acts”, as they run contrary to the market economy and the principle of fair competition, affect enterprises’ normal business decisions, undermine the international economic and trade order and disrupt the stability of global industrial and supply chains, said Shu.
China will remain steadfast in advancing high-level opening-up and welcomes enterprises from all countries to invest in China and share development opportunities, the spokeswoman added.
Tu Xinquan, dean of the China Institute for WTO Studies at the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing, said the US government habitually politicizes technology and trade issues and uses them as a tool and weapon in the name of national security, while its true intention is to suppress China’s development.
It is rare for governments across the globe to launch outbound investment screening on the pretext of national security. The US will need a well-structured legal basis to enforce the restrictions, and it would be the same for its allies to do so, Tu said, adding that relevant countries must discard such a Cold War mentality and follow market rules.
Wu Chaoze, chief analyst of technology, media and telecom industry at China Securities, said the curbs, if enforced, will have limited impact on China’s relevant high-tech sectors. The scale of US investment concerning areas such as AI, chips and quantum computing in China remains relatively small, as US companies have avoided investing in China due to US sanctions in recent years, Wu said.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said on Thursday that China and the US have maintained communication. “What matters is that the US cannot keep raising the issue of communication on the one hand, while on the other, keep suppressing and containing China,” Wang said at a regular news briefing in Beijing.
The US side should view China in an objective and rational manner, respect China’s red lines, stop undermining its sovereignty, security and development interests, and work with China in the same direction to bring bilateral ties back on the track of sound and stable growth, he said.
Ukraine is FINISHED and Blackrock is taking over
Non-Chinese vehicles inside of China are losing popularity
Interesting discussion over an article. The Author is Frans Vandenbosch, a prolific and knowledgeable author. I found his argument interesting and compelling. Forgive for jumping at this frozen moment in time.
That man “The Electric Viking” (Sam Evans), I believe he’s from Australia, is a joke.
He certainly is telling some truths, but he has a skewed viewpoint on German, Chinese and global automotive industry.
He looks at the world with American glasses. He can’t hide his aversion for Mercedes Benz.
He’s right, the western automotive industry is surviving thanks to the sales figures in China.
But he doesn’t mention exact market share figures in China.
The French (Renault, Peugeot, Citroen) all based in Wuhan, have never got a combined market share of more than 5%. Chinese consumers don’t like French cars. They rightfully perceive the french cars as bad quality, and they don’t like the french style “revolutionary” design.
The American cars (GM in Pudong, Ford in Chongqing) used to have a reasonable market share in China. But already before the trade war, they were massively losing ground to the Germans. Today, they’re in the same category as the French; for other reasons.
Then the Germans (Volkswagen/Audi, BMW, Mercedes Benz). They used to have a combined market share in China of more than 60%. Indeed, they are losing a tiny bit of the market every year, but still, the overwhelming majority of the cars at Chinese roads are German. Made in China, of course.
And he is absolutely right that the Japanese carmakers are very fast losing market share these days. Yes, they missed the train of the EV’s. They might have hybrid models, but that’s not a big success in China.
And he is right too about the Chinese EV carmakers are very fast improving in quality, even offering some options that German EV’s don’t have. But I don’t see that they’re eating away the market share of the super quality German cars in China.
Mr. “Electric Viking” has no reason to write of Mercedes, BMW or Volkswagen in China. He’d better ask the question why the French and American carmakers are almost out of business in China.
When White America becomes the picture of poverty
Chinese FM calls for Berlin to reject decoupling
Through the latest visit to Germany by State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang, both Beijing and Berlin have displayed great expectations about upcoming landmark high-level exchanges and collaboration in a wide range of fields in the post-pandemic era, observers said.
China and Germany should stand firmly together and deliver more practical outcomes in the near future and beyond to offset voices urging economic decoupling or seeking to encourage strategic rivalry between the two nations, officials and experts said.
Qin, on his first trip to Europe since becoming State Councilor, started his five-day visit to Germany, France and Norway on Monday.
At his meeting on Tuesday with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, they made preparations for upcoming seventh round of China-Germany intergovernmental consultation, the first of its kind to be held in a face-to-face format in the post-pandemic era.
Both sides agreed to “make encompassing plans for the two countries’ pragmatic cooperation in various fields in the coming period of time”, Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said on Wednesday.
Beijing and Berlin agreed to reinforce coordination in multilateral domains and step up cooperation in areas such as climate change and biodiversity, according to Wang.
At the meeting on Tuesday, Qin said that China and Germany should jointly oppose a “new Cold War” and “decoupling economies or severing supply chains”, and inject confidence and impetus into world peace and prosperity.
Cui Hongjian, director of the China Institute of International Studies’ European Studies Department, noted that economic and trade cooperation between China and Germany is highly complementary and serves economic globalization.
“Their relations, based on economic mutual benefits and inclusiveness, are also a major driving force for Berlin’s efforts in bolstering its own diplomatic influence,” he added.
Qin’s visit took place amid rising calls in the European Union for limiting or restricting the EU’s relations with China — a concept also known as “de-risking”, as well as an increasingly assertive stance being taken in the bloc against so-called “threats” in fields such as supply chains.
In response to such moves, Qin said at a joint news conference following the talks in Berlin that Beijing endorses the position taken by Germany and the EU about rejecting economic decoupling with China, but it is also concerned by calls in the EU for “de-risking”.
“What China brings to the world is opportunities, cooperation, stability and reassurance rather than crisis, confrontation, turbulence and risks,” he said.
Phasing out engagement with China on the pretext of “de-risking” is actually “phasing out opportunities, cooperation, stability, and development”, he warned.
Germany, the EU and China should all adhere to international trade rules and the spirit of contract and continue to open up to each other, he said, adding that economic, trade and investment cooperation must not be politicized and the market should not be interfered with.
Qin warned that it is worth noting that some countries are launching a “new Cold War”, and that this is a real risk that deserves attention.
He referred to a research report recently issued by an Austrian think tank which estimated that in the event of economic decoupling with China, Germany will suffer from a drop in its annual GDP of around two percentage points, equivalent to about 60 billion euros ($65.7 billion).
Feng Zhongping, director of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences’ Institute of European Studies, noted that “challenges remain in terms of China-EU ties because some political figures in Europe prefer to highlight the two sides’ differences in tackling the Ukraine crisis and label China as a systemic rival, and many of them have been influenced by Washington as well”.
Beijing, Berlin and Brussels have a lot of work to do to fix the problems in this regard, he said.
“China-EU ties are a key part of China’s diplomacy, and currently the relations have shown the signs of a rebound. It is one of the top priorities for both sides to keep this momentum steady and sound in the long term,” he added.
Spring offensive false start
Biden DHS Criminally Conspiring with Mexico to Signal Illegal Aliens WHEN to Enter USA ILLEGALLY
Joe Biden’s Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has been CRIMINALLY CONSPIRING with Mexico by coordinating mass swims by Illegal Aliens coming across the Rio Grande River so those people can enter the US ILLEGALLY. DHS has been using an encrypted Whatsapp channel to coordinate with Mexico Immigration!
In recent days, large crowds of immigrants have formed on the Mexican side of the Rio Grande fully prepared to swim over well-worn crossing spots to Brownsville – but seemingly held back by unarmed Mexican immigration officials.
Over the course of several recent days in this northeastern Mexican city when perhaps 3,000 immigrants a day swam over to Brownsville with no opposition on either side, a curious pattern became evident. At some sort of signal from the Mexican immigration officers, a group of about 100-150 from the crowd would suddenly stand in unison and rush down the riverbank, past the immigration officers, and swim over to America.
It turns out that this pattern was far from happenstance. The Center for Immigration Studies asked several of the Mexican immigration officers what was going on and learned that President Joe Biden’s Department of Homeland Security has been coordinating these mass swims with Mexico’s immigration service, INM, at high levels on an encrypted Whatsapp channel.
The officers explained that their senior officers were in touch with U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials about how many immigrants were gathered and were prepared to cross the river at any given time.
“We’re letting them know that there’s a group of people ready to cross,” one officer explained.
The Americans on the other side would ask the Mexicans to hold back the migrants – not because such crossings are illegal and should be blocked and obstructed, but only until the Americans had finished processing the last batch into the country through Brownsville. Once the Americans felt they could take in more, they message the Mexicans that “they are ready to receive them.” Then, senior officials would radio the on-ground immigration officers, all of whom are equipped with radios.
Next, the officers signal to the waiting crowd to go forward and, once they figure enough are in the water, they cut off the rest and push and cajole them back into line until the Americans signal they’re ready again.
The Mexican officers said the Americans initiated this system in late April but could only guess at why – perhaps to better manage the processing of very high recent numbers of crossings. But the collaboration explains why Mexican immigration officers are stationed at the river at all, and raises many questions.
CBP did not immediately respond to telephoned and emailed messages for comment.
But the process, which has never been publicized, amounts to a “controlled-flow” system most often used, controversially, by Colombia, Panama, and Costa Rica, to facilitate mass illegal migration to the U.S. border rather than incur the expense and trouble of blocking it in those countries.
Controlled-flow by the Biden administration’s DHS with Mexico also constitutes a highly unusual U.S. policy – and likely a Felony Criminal Conspiracy to violate immigration laws – that demonstrates formal acquiescence to illegal immigration and an official willingness to accommodate mass illegal immigration rather than stopping, blocking, or deterring it, as required by law.
It remains unclear as the Title 42 expedited removal power comes to an end at midnight on 5/11, and is replaced by a new policy, if the controlled-flow scheme will continue working.
Numerous times in Matamoros, Observers witnessed migrants charge the Mexican immigration officers and pour into the river ahead of “schedule.”
Dozens of the migrants openly argued with the Mexican officers to let them through. But the officers argued back that they had to be patient, lest children or adults drown in uncontrolled crossings.
Mexico seemed to signal a willingness to use muscle if necessary to maintain the controlled-flow arrangement. Late Tuesday, as the crowd grew visibly restive, a squad of armed Mexican National Guard showed up and began patrolling the line.
HAL TURNER EDITORIAL OPINION
The actions by Department of Homeland Security described above seem to me to be a violation of Title 8, United States Code, §1324.
Below is that specific law:
§1324. Bringing in and harboring certain aliens (a) Criminal penalties (1)(A) Any person who- (i) knowing that a person is an alien, brings to or attempts to bring to the United States in any manner whatsoever such person at a place other than a designated port of entry or place other than as designated by the Commissioner, regardless of whether such alien has received prior official authorization to come to, enter, or reside in the United States and regardless of any future official action which may be taken with respect to such alien; (ii) knowing or in reckless disregard of the fact that an alien has come to, entered, or remains in the United States in violation of law, transports, or moves or attempts to transport or move such alien within the United States by means of transportation or otherwise, in furtherance of such violation of law; (iii) knowing or in reckless disregard of the fact that an alien has come to, entered, or remains in the United States in violation of law, conceals, harbors, or shields from detection, or attempts to conceal, harbor, or shield from detection, such alien in any place, including any building or any means of transportation; (iv) encourages or induces an alien to come to, enter, or reside in the United States, knowing or in reckless disregard of the fact that such coming to, entry, or residence is or will be in violation of law; or (v)(I) engages in any conspiracy to commit any of the preceding acts, or (II) aids or abets the commission of any of the preceding acts, shall be punished as provided in subparagraph (B). (B) A person who violates subparagraph (A) shall, for each alien in respect to whom such a violation occurs- (i) in the case of a violation of subparagraph (A)(i) or (v)(I) or in the case of a violation of subparagraph (A)(ii), (iii), or (iv) in which the offense was done for the purpose of commercial advantage or private financial gain, be fined under title 18, imprisoned not more than 10 years, or both; (ii) in the case of a violation of subparagraph (A)(ii), (iii), (iv), or (v)(II), be fined under title 18, imprisoned not more than 5 years, or both; (iii) in the case of a violation of subparagraph (A)(i), (ii), (iii), (iv), or (v) during and in relation to which the person causes serious bodily injury (as defined in section 1365 of title 18) to, or places in jeopardy the life of, any person, be fined under title 18, imprisoned not more than 20 years, or both; and (iv) in the case of a violation of subparagraph (A)(i), (ii), (iii), (iv), or (v) resulting in the death of any person, be punished by death or imprisoned for any term of years or for life, fined under title 18, or both.
Why is it that China may not need Western technology very much longer?
China needs western technology? As far as I can tell, the only thing that they can’t do themselves right now is make 7 nanometer chips. 14 nanometer chips are just fine for 99% of applications, and China can make those.
China’s universities are now top notch, and China is pumping out vastly more PhDs than the USA annually. 80% of Chinese people who received their PhDs in western universities return home, and that percentage is undoubtedly climbing as the west descends further into Sinophobic idiocy. China gets gray rhino risks and knew its chip supply chain was at risk from US interventionism, unlike the USA which completely missed that it stopped manufacturing chips and most of the most advanced ones were being built in Taiwan.
That’s an island 140 km off the mainland of China that everybody in the world, in Taiwan and in China agrees is part of China, but which we have been politely pretending is the government in exile of the mainland, ignoring the fact that the 24 million people in Taiwan have zero capacity to govern the 1.4 billion people of China. Taiwan has massive trade with China and millions of people have gone both ways over the past 13 years doing business, traveling and the like. They’ll sort out their squabble eventually, and almost certainly peacefully, especially if the USA stops rabble rousing on their doorstep.
Let’s turn this around.
Shipping containers leave China full and return empty
Where do you think most of the batteries in the world come from, either as a finished product from the world’s largest battery manufacturer, CATL, or with rare earths or lithium processed in China? When will the west stop needing China batteries and processed minerals, critical components in electrification, renewables and decarbonization?
Where do you think most of the solar panels in the world come from? When will the west stop needing Chinese solar panels as we fight climate change?
What country do you think is capable of manufacturing sufficient electric buses to enable bus fleets in the west to decarbonize? Do you think New Flyer, which peaked at about 6,500 buses in a year and has barely started making electric buses will be able to replace even California’s 100,000 buses in any reasonable timeframe? What about the country which has 600,000 electric buses on its roads, and multiple vendors who have all built massively more numbers of buses than any western OEM?
What country do you think is capable of building enough electric cars for that matter? Japan’s OEMs like Toyota, Mazda and Honda are barely making electric cars. Ford and GM still haven’t figured out how to make many of them. BMW, VW and Mercedes are barely off the starting line of electrification. Tesla is a new American brand, but it makes a lot more cars in its Chinese factories for Asian markets than it does in its western markets. BYD sells more plug-in cars than Tesla does, and it’s shipping them globally. China buys over 60% of all electric cars. The west needs Chinese electric cars if it wants to hit its targets, as western OEMs are resisting and stumbling.
What country do you think is capable of manufacturing a sufficient number of onshore and offshore wind turbines? The one that built more offshore wind in 2022 than the rest of the world’s combined construction for five years, aka China? The one that has built more onshore wind than the rest of the world combined for the past several years? The one that has a highly efficient and low-cost domestic supply chain and processes all the minerals required for wind turbines? Or maybe the higher cost western suppliers who have to buy all their processed minerals and many components from China at higher cost due to current protectionism?
China will be fine if the west’s actions like the US CHIPS act spread.
The west, on the other hand, doesn’t have the industrial capacity, the minerals processing capacity or the skilled and diligent workforce. The west has expensive domestic supply chains compared to China, whose purchasing power parity advantage is astounding. The west has to build millions of the things China has already built millions of to catch up to China’s experience curve advantage.
Ignore the western chauvinism in at least one of the other answers. Anyone who hasn’t been paying close attention to the reality in China has no clue about it, instead remembering things that were barely true 20 years ago and western media’s weird anti-Chinese themes and framing.
Star Trek Next Generation – Ancient Battle Cruiser
What is your take that Blinken asserted China must communicate with the US? Do you think it is prudent for China to insist that the US must behave & fullfill its promises before any contact can be initiated? Why is US so desperate to meet China?
Clearly, China is justified and correct in insisting that the United States fulfill its commitments and consensus. A state visit is a signal to the world of friendship and cooperation. Once China agrees to a visit by a high ranking US leader, it will be seen by the world as a signal of détente in US-China relations, whether or not there will be tangible results in the end. If the US does not continue to honor its previous consensus and commitments with China, but China joins the US in releasing a signal of détente, then US containment of China is sure to intensify. China’s cautious approach is also self-protective.
Moreover, the condescending attitude revealed in Blinken’s words is not a signal of friendship or de-escalation toward China; rather, it is more like a flurry of defiance and orders. Despite his statement that he expects progress in relations between the two countries, it is clear from the actions of the US government as a whole that the United States is not going to give up its interference in China’s internal affairs and various restrictions on trade with China.
The real purpose of the US is just that in view of the deteriorating global security situation at the moment, more and more other countries want to see a de-escalation of tensions between the two great powers, China and the United States. The US, as the party that initiated the conflict, does not want to take the blame for destroying world peace, so it deliberately pretends that it wants to communicate with China very much, which is actually deceiving global public opinion. This can be seen from the fact that Blinken used the word “must” to ask China, if the United States is sincere in wanting to improve relations with China, not to mention their performance in action, at least in words, should not be so aggressive. After all, it is now the United States that is eager to seek communication with China, not China that wants to communicate with the United States. To speak in a commanding tone when it is clear that one wants to initiate contact with China is clearly uncomfortable and distrustful. By simply emphasizing the US willingness to talk and engage with China, Blinken is in fact implicitly accusing China of not accepting US demands, so it is China that is sabotaging US-China relations.
Since the “balloon incident” earlier this year, US-China relations have been deteriorating. In order to suppress China’s development, the US has been doing everything possible, first by smearing China with rumors and hypeing “China threat” with its allies, and then by repeatedly provoking China on issues related to China’s territorial sovereignty, such as the Taiwan Strait. Blinken, who said that “China should communicate with the United States,” has made wrong statements on Xinjiang, Hong Kong, Taiwan and other issues that are not in line with the US-China consensus, intending to interfere in China’s internal affairs.
In fact, although the US has been interested in suppressing China, but also dare not and China really tear face, on the one hand, because now China is strong, the US is still in the Ukraine battlefield fighting against Russia, its “number one enemy”, at this time. Therefore, confrontation with China is not wise. On the other hand, the US needs China’s help to get itself out of the debt crisis. At the moment, the US urgently needs to reach some cooperation and consensus with China in related fields to ease the social pressure at home and prevent the situation in the region from getting out of control. This is one of the reasons why Blinken expects to visit China, although China has been refusing to allow top US leaders to visit China because the US keeps infringing on China’s interests and interfering in its internal affairs.
No country will be friendly to a country that harms its own national interests and sovereignty. If the United States really wants to ease the tensions and seek contact and dialogue with China, it should stop interfering in China’s internal affairs. The US indeed need to stop talking about seeking new progress for US-China relations while recklessly undermining China’s interests.
Japan Releases Fully Functioning Female Robots
Hedge Fund Manager Says Gov’t May Restrict Bank Withdrawals – Tells public to *****Panic*****
Hedge fund manager and macro economic expert Hugh Hendry issued a major warning on the US banking system and the US economy; telling people to “. . .panic.”
In a new interview on Bloomberg Markets, Hendry says mass panic and capital flight away from the US banking sector is entirely justified.
Hendry says a further decline in the M2 money supply, which in part tracks money in liquid checking accounts, could convince the US government to step in and prevent citizens from taking their capital out of the banking system.
“Sometimes it’s kind of relevant to panic. I would recommend you panic… You’ve seen the biggest waterfall decline in M2 right now. M2 is deposits, not loans. That’s the deposits fleeing the system and going into money market funds.
That could reach a crescendo where the Treasury and the Fed may have to come in and actually restrict your right as a US citizen to pull money out of the US banking sector.”
Hendry says capital flight from US banks is not solely about fears on whether the FDIC will insure deposits above $250,000, and a blanket guarantee on deposits would not solve the problem.
“There is capital flight, deposit flight from the banking sector seeking yield. I fear that, I don’t say this lightly, but in 1934 the Federal Reserve Act confiscated gold from US citizens.
We’re at the point where the Fed and Treasury officials I’m sure are having to consider a gate a lock on US bank deposits.”
When it comes to where Americans can place their capital amid the uncertainty, Hendry says his go-to is US Treasuries and potentially Bitcoin.
“It’s time to own the most reviled security in the universe, the ultra long Treasuries. I know you all think we’ve got an inflation problem. It was a supply shock, and a supply shock needs the manifestation of more and more bank printing of loans to propel it into the future. We’re getting the opposite. The ultra longs are trading two to three standard deviations below the ETF…
I’ve not got the bug, but Bitcoin is something I could conceive as an asset class that could trade three or four times higher in the next five years. There is no other asset class that I could make that determination.”
They fucked around and will find out…
He is making some very good points. Step by step.
These Stingless Bees Build One Of A Kind Spiraling Hives
While some of us might think otherwise, we don’t know that much about bees. If asked, we would probably describe a bee as a yellow and black pollinator who makes honey and has the ability to painfully sting once they feel threatened. But the truth is, there are around 20,000 species of bees and the common honeybee isn’t the only one. Bees can come in a variety of colors and sizes. Also, only a few of the species make honey.
More: Facebook h/t: boredpanda
If that’s not surprising enough, not every bee can sting and not all of them who do sting die after it. While we may be more familiar with the common honeybee, there are so many others most of us haven’t heard about. Such as Tragonula carbonaria, also known as Sugarbag bee. These bees are native to Australia and what sets them apart from the swarm is their unique spiral hives.
Sugarbag bees inhabit the tropical regions in the northern and eastern part of the country. Generally, these bees are black with white fur on their faces and sides and they measure less than one-sixth of an inch. What’s interesting about these tiny creatures is that they may seem defenseless because they don’t sting. However, once under attack, they bite and inject an irritating formic acid.
Sugarbag bees are quite good architects. They demonstrate their abilities by creating a one of a kind spiral hive. These pollinators build their hives in a mesmerizing clockwise spiral. However, it remains unclear why Sugarbag bees prefer to build them in a manner like that.
China-Afghanistan-Pakistan meeting increases Pakistan -Afganistan mutual trust
China-Afghanistan-Pakistan Foreign Ministers’ Dialogue, on May 6
China-Afghanistan-Pakistan Foreign Ministers’ Dialogue on May 6 signaled the resumption of trilateral cooperation mechanisms and helped increase mutual trust between Afghanistan and Pakistan, which have encountered border disputes over the past few years. Over the past few years, Pakistan and Afghanistan had severe conflicts and disputes over the borderlines, and the trilateral meeting itself was a rare opportunity to promote peace and talks.
Both Afghanistan and Pakistan are neighbors of China, sharing good political relations with China, and they are also aware of China’s role in not only mediating between Saudi Arabia and Iran but also on the Ukraine crisis, so they both have expectations for China.
The two countries are willing to work with China in tackling regional issues and enhancing communication and policy coordination, signaling their enhanced confidence in China’s diplomatic role. The three also made it clear to oppose interference in Afghanistan’s internal affairs, illegal unilateral sanctions against Afghanistan, and all acts that undermine regional peace and stability.
“Don’t Provoke the Borg!,” Q
With the sound of a siren, the high-speed passenger ferry Haizhuhu, named after Haizhu Lake, left Pazhou Ferry Terminal for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region on Thursday morning, marking the official opening of the new ferry terminal in the downtown area of Guangzhou, Guangdong province.
Haizhuhu, which carried 60 passengers, arrived at the China Hong Kong City terminal in Tsim Sha Tsui in about two hours, accelerating the connectivity among major cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, according to a statement released by Guangzhou Customs on Friday.
Located in Guangzhou’s busy Haizhu district, Pazhou Ferry Terminal of the Pearl River is the only cross-border water passenger transport port in the downtown area of the southern metropolis, and its operation will help boost the construction of a modern comprehensive transportation system in the GBA.
Located on the south bank of the Pearl River, Haizhu district, where the China Import and Export Fair complex is located, has become one of the major convention and exhibition centers in the country.
In addition to direct ferry routes to Hong Kong’s downtown area, Pazhou Ferry Terminal has also opened a ferry service to Hong Kong’s international airport.
The terminal plans to launch ferry services to the Macao Special Administrative Region, located at the western edge of the mouth of the Pearl River, to meet the demands in the following months, the statement said.
The operation of the ferry terminal will help fill gaps in the high-speed passenger ferry routes from Guangzhou’s downtown area to Hong Kong and Macao and it is sure to become another new transportation hub, it said.
According to customs statistics, the daily average number of passengers transiting through Pazhou Ferry Terminal reached more than 300 during the May Day holiday, with the peak on April 29, when more than 400 inbound and outbound passengers were recorded.
The customs department has handled 55 inbound and outbound ships and over 3,500 inbound and outbound passengers since the terminal’s trial operation began on April 14.
Tianzhou
Here’s Why The World Hates America
Spring Has Come, Cats Are Flying Back
Spring has come and now cats are flying back home… and they don’t give a damn about birds’s rights.
You can’t Reason with Them.
China is the Borg.
Ukraine SitRep: Delayed Counteroffensive, Russian Defense Lines, Weapon Efficiency
Two weeks ago the Biden administration had recognized that the announced Ukrainian ‘counteroffensive’ will fail to make much progress.
The operation has still not started and Zelensky has moved its launch further into the future:
Speaking at his headquarters in Kyiv, President Zelensky described combat brigades, some of which were trained by Nato countries, as being “ready” but said the army still needed “some things”, including armoured vehicles that were “arriving in batches”.”With [what we already have] we can go forward, and, I think, be successful,” he said in an interview for public service broadcasters who are members of Eurovision News, like the BBC. “But we’d lose a lot of people. I think that’s unacceptable. So we need to wait. We still need a bit more time.”
Time will not prevent that any counteroffensive will lead to high casualty rates. In fact, waiting longer means more attacks on the troops in their current positions. Any detected agglomeration of forces or material is already coming under long range Russian missile fire.
As the counteroffensive is destined to fail the Biden administration is out to move the goal posts. In Foreign Affairs two of its MIC propagandists, Michael Kofman and Rob Lee, demand to prepare for a much longer war:
Policymakers, however, have placed undue emphasis on the upcoming offensive without providing sufficient consideration of what will come afterward and whether Ukraine is well positioned for the next phase. It is critical that Ukraine’s Western partners develop a long-term theory of victory for Ukraine, since even in the best-case scenario, this upcoming offensive is unlikely to end the conflict. Indeed, what follows this operation could be another period of indeterminate fighting and attrition, but with reduced ammunition deliveries to Ukraine. This is already a long war, and it is likely to become protracted. History is an imperfect guide, but it suggests wars that endure for more than a year are likely to go on for at least several more and are exceedingly difficult to end. A Western theory of success must therefore prevent a situation in which the war drags on, but where Western countries are unable to provide Ukraine with a decisive advantage.
The delusion is strong in that assessment. A ‘theory of victory’ or ‘success’ is just that – a theory. Ukraine does not have the personnel to sustain a longer war. Nor does the ‘west’ have any spare weapons that could give the Ukraine a ‘decisive advantage’.
Still the cue was picked up Ukraine’s foreign minister Dmitro Kuleba (machine translation):
If Ukraine does not succeed in its counteroffensive against the aggressor country Russia, it will prepare for the next one.This was stated by Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba in an interview with Bild published on May 10.
He urged “not to consider this counteroffensive as the last one” – “because we do not know what will come of it.”
Kuleba noted that if Ukraine succeeds in its counteroffensive against Russia in liberating its territories, “in the end you will say: “Yes, it was the last one,” but if not, then you need to prepare for the next counteroffensive.”
Kuleba is already asking for weapons for the next ‘counteroffensive’ to be launched after the currently announced one fails.
Dreizin published an alleged ‘battle plan’ for a Ukrainian ‘counteroffensive’ in the Zaporozhia front:
(1) Break through the Russian forward defense along the line Nesterianka-Novosyolovka (6km and 19km southeast of Orekhov, respectively) into the defense depth of Guards battalions in the Polozhsk-Orekhov sector, utilizing, in the first echelon, the 47th and 65th Separate Mechanized Brigades, 9th Army Corps (total of 2 tank and 7 infantry battalions—8300 men with up to 60 tanks, up to 200 other armored fighting vehicles, up to 110 field pieces and mortars, 12 MLRS, up to 100 motor rafts.) Breakthrough of the contact line will be in the order of the 65th which is already on the line, then the 47th. Neighboring units including the 128th Separate Mountain Assault Brigade will carry the task of harrying neighboring Russian units so as to prevent reinforcement of Russian forces at the main axis of advance.
(2) Subsequently, deploy the main forces. The main blow is to be from the vicinity of Orekhov, in the direction of Tokmak, ultimately towards Melitopol’. …
From the point of strategic value the chosen target is the right one. However, it is also the one where the Russian military has prepared its strongest defense lines.
Source: @Inkvisiit, Scribblemaps – biggerIn military books this is know as ‘echeloned defense’ with three lines of well prepared positions ten kilometer apart from each other. Each line consists of tank obstacles, mine belts, prepared anti-tank positions to monitor and counter potential breach attempts and well prepared artillery support from behind the next defense line.
biggerTo crack such a nut without air support and without significant artillery advantage is nearly impossible.
It is why I think that the Zaporozhia region may not be the real target of the counteroffensive. All the talk about it may well be a diversion. The least prepared front is in the area south of Kherson.
Source: @Inkvisiit, Scribblemaps – biggerBut to get there would require a difficult river crossing of the Dnieper which will also limit supply lines. This would be a high risk attempt which might gain some ground. But whatever would be won would soon be lost again as any river crossing would come under sustained artillery fire.
There may well be other obstacles for launching the announced ‘counteroffensive’. It is rumored that the commander of the Ukrainian army, Valerii Zaluzhnyi, was wounded or killed during a recent Russian missile strike in Dnipro. He has not been seen since and he did not take part in a recent NATO meeting where his expected presence had been announced.
Apropos NATO:
NEXTA @nexta_tv – 7:29 UTC · May 11, 2023U.S. Army Europe and Africa Command spokesman Martin O’Donnell said that #Ukraine received about 600 types of weapons for the counteroffensive – more than any one army in the world has.
What army can handle 600 different weapons systems with all the implied training, maintenance, spare part and ammunition supply issues? None can do that. But O’Donnell is proud of providing a zoo of weapons which are incompatible to each other.
The shells for the British L118 light gun, the French AMX 10 reconnaissance tanks, the German Leopard 1 tanks and the U.S./Lithuanian M101 Light Howitzer all have a nominal diameter of 105 mm. But they are all incompatible to each other. Just imagine the logistic screw ups that will inevitably happen when the Ukrainian front line troops will request additional 105mm ammunition supplies.
The UK has delivered the export version of the Storm Shadow cruise missiles to Ukraine. These have a reach of some 250 kilometer and can be fired from the ‘westernized’ Su-24 airplanes that Poland sent to the Ukraine.
They seem to be part of a new NATO talking point to excuse the inability to deliver more weapon:
The war in Ukraine will increasingly be a battle between large numbers of poorly trained Russian troops with outdated equipment and a smaller Ukrainian force with better Western weapons and training, NATO’s top military official said on Wednesday.
Admiral Rob Bauer, the chair of NATO’s military committee, noted Russia was now deploying significant numbers of T-54 tanks – an old model designed in the years after World War Two.
“But the problem is they still have a lot of T-54s. So … in terms of numbers, quantity, it is an issue,” Bauer told reporters after a meeting of the alliance’s national military chiefs at NATO headquarters in Brussels.
The T-54 are used by Russia as immobile anti-tank guns dug into the defense lines, not as mobile main battle tanks. Russia still has plenty of newer T-72 and T-90 models for that and no need to replace those.
The Storm Shadow may deliver some success – up to the day the Russian military has finds a way to prevent that. Like all previously announced wonder weapons it will also disappoint.
Just look at the much hyped HIMARS missiles. According to leaked Pentagon documents the Ukrainian military fires on average some 13 HIMARS missiles per day. Over the last two month the Russian clobber report listed an average of 6 HIMARS missiles per day as eliminated by Russian air defenses. The rest of the missiles get diverted by electronic warfare measures:
[I]n recent months, the systems have been rendered increasingly less effective by the Russians’ intensive blocking, five US, British and Ukrainian sources tell CNN, forcing US and Ukrainian officials to find ways to tweak the HIMARS’ software to counter the evolving Russian jamming efforts.“It is a constant cat-and-mouse game” of finding a countermeasure to the jamming, a Pentagon official said, only to then have the Russians counteract that countermeasure. And it is not clear how sustainable that game is in the long term.
The HIMARS system has thereby turned out to more or less useless. The idea that such ‘quality’ weapons can beat the greater Russian ‘quantity’ of equally good weapons is, like so many, simply nonsense.
Posted by b on May 11, 2023 at 16:55 UTC | Permalink
How California Destroyed its Middle Class (A Cautionary Tale)
https://youtu.be/0r0m4UCPKHw
Tornado atop Rocky Mountains in Montana!
Ok, this is waaaay weird: Yesterday as thunderstorms came over the Rocky Mountains in Montana, a TORNADO formed atop the mountains!
This is probably one for the history books:
This Is What Life Is Like In Small Town Arkansas
Ribs in Orange and Chile Sauce (Costillitas en Naranja)
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons lard or vegetable oil
- 4 pounds country-style spareribs, cut into individual ribs
- 2 medium white onions, cut lengthwise into 1/4 inch wide slivers
- 1 (1 pound) can whole peeled tomatoes, undrained
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 to 2 tablespoons ground, seeded, dried ancho chiles
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 cup fresh orange juice
- 1/3 cup dry white wine
- 1/4 cup piloncillo or brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon shredded orange rind
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 to 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
- Orange slices, cut into halves
- Fresh cilantro sprigs
Instructions
- Heat lard or oil in large Dutch oven over medium heat until hot. Add as many ribs as will fit in single layer without crowding. Cook, turning occasionally, until brown on all sides, 15 to 20 minutes; remove to plate.
- Repeat with remaining ribs.
- Remove and discard all but 2 tablespoons drippings from pan. Add onions; sauté over medium heat until soft, about 4 minutes.
- Process tomatoes and garlic in blender container until smooth.
- Add chiles, cinnamon and cloves to onions. Cook and stir over medium heat for 30 seconds.
- Add tomato mixture; cook and stir for 5 minutes.
- Add orange juice, wine, piloncillo, orange rind and salt to pan; heat over high heat to boiling. Add ribs; reduce heat to low. Simmer, covered, until ribs are tender, about 1 1/2 hours.
- Remove ribs to serving plates.
- Skim and discard fat from cooking sauce. Stir in vinegar; spoon sauce over ribs.
- Serve, garnished with orange slices and cilantro.
Evidence US Planning WWIII Against both Russia and China
Submitted by Eric Zuesse
On May 3rd, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told C-Span in an interview, that there will be no objection by the U.S. Government if Ukraine’s Government attempts to or does assassinate Russia’s President, Vladimir Putin. He said: “These are decisions for Ukraine to make, how it’s going to defend itself, how it’s going to get its territory back, how it’s going to restore its territorial integrity, and its sovereignty.”
Also on May 3rd, Japan’s Nikkei Asia news service headlined “NATO to open Japan office” and reported that “NATO is planning to open a liaison office in Tokyo, Japan, the first of its kind in Asia.” The North Atlantic Treaty Organization aims now to become not only America’s anti-Russian military alliance but also America’s anti-Chinese military alliance, which will support the breakaway of China’s province of Taiwan (which since 1972 the U.S. Government has formally recognized Taiwan to be) from China, just as it refuses to support the breakaway of Crimea and three other provinces of Ukraine from Russia.
America and its NATO deny that they are either anti-Russian or anti-Chinese and insist that they instead seek merely regime-change in both countries so that both Russia and China will come to provide democracy and human rights like America’s Government does.
The U.S. Congress is now considering legislation that’s advertised as the “Ukraine Victory Resolution” but is formally titled H.Res.322 “on Ukrainian victory”, and which states that “it is the policy of the United States to see Ukraine victorious against the invasion and restored to its internationally recognized 1991 borders.” That would require the complete defeat of Russia in Ukraine. If it happens, then almost certainly Russia’s President Vladimir Putin would either resign or be overthrown and replaced by a leader that America’s Government will approve of. If it instead does not happen, then the U.S. Congress and President will already be obligated, by means of having passed this Resolution into law, to invade Russia in order to achieve by direct U.S. military force what Ukraine’s military had failed to achieve. That invasion of Russia by the U.S. and its allies would constitute World War Three, WW III.
The U.S. Government has not yet committed itself irrevocably to revoking its prior recognition that Taiwan is a part of China; but, if it finally does do that, then, of course, America and its allies will be at war against China, which would likewise be WW III.
There is also under consideration by the U.S. Congress something that is called “The Restrict Act” which would institute martial law over all news-media in the U.S. in preparation for a formal and all-encompassing declaration of martial law in America. By means of that total censorship, the U.S. public will know, regarding both Russia and China (and anything else) only what the U.S. Government will allow Americans to know; and this would enormously facilitate Congress to declare publicly that America is at war against both Russia and China. So: the legislative preparations in order to do this ‘Constitutionally’ (except for violating only the First Amendment) will already have been put into place.
NOTE: This news-report is being simultaneously distributed, and submitted for ublication free of any copyright, to all U.S. and UK news-media.
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Investigative historian Eric Zuesse’s new book, AMERICA’S EMPIRE OF EVIL: Hitler’s Posthumous Victory, and Why the Social Sciences Need to Change, is about how America took over the world after World War II in order to enslave it to U.S.-and-allied billionaires. Their cartels extract the world’s wealth by control of not only their ‘news’ media but the social ‘sciences’ — duping the public.
Pro Russian Blogger Arrested by SBU
I got a you-tube strike for filming the Covid lock-down in Zhuhai. It was listed as “medical misinformation”. LOL!
This is about Gonzalo Lira.