There’s something very nice and soothing about rain. It’s dark and cooling outside. There’s often a nice breeze. It’s pleasant.
When I was a young boy, I well remember an event once I walked home from first grade in the pouring rain. I wore my “batman” rain cape, and splashed home wearing my black galoshes.
And then I arrived home.
My mother made a hot; piping hot bowl of “Campbells” tomato soup. She placed salted crackers in the soup, and gave me (and my sister) a nice grilled cheese sandwich with a tall glass of milk.
It is a memory that I will never forget.
Let’s start today…
Star Trek – Death of A Dictator?
The Chinese Foreign Ministry on Monday called for vigilance as some media outlets have sought to misrepresent China’s position on the Ukraine issue and sow discord between China and the countries concerned.
Spokesperson Mao Ning made the remarks at a daily news briefing when asked to comment on the remarks made by China’s Ambassador to France Lu Shaye.
Last Friday, Ambassador Lu took part in an interview from a French media house. On the ownership of Crimea, he said that the it depends on how the problem is perceived, adding Crimea was historically part of Russia and had been offered to Ukraine by former Soviet Union leader Nikita Khrushchev.
“China’s position on relevant issues remains unchanged,” Mao responded.
“As to issues related to territorial sovereignty, China’s position is consistent and clear,” the spokesperson pointed out, stressing China respects all countries’ sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity and upholds the purposes and principles of the UN Charter.
After the Soviet Union dissolved, China was one of the first countries that established diplomatic ties with the countries concerned, Mao pointed out.
Since the establishment of diplomatic ties with these countries, China has followed the principles of mutual respect and equality in developing friendly and cooperative bilateral relations with them, she added.
Mao made it clear that China respects the status of the former Soviet republics as sovereign countries after the Soviet Union’s dissolution.
“As to the Ukraine issue, China’s position is clear and consistent. We will continue to work with the international community to make our own contribution to facilitating a political settlement of the Ukraine crisis,” said Mao.
Funny
Look at what is going on…
Sudan
TSMC revenues slide for the first time in four years • The Register
TSMC revenues slide for the first time in four years The world's largest semiconductor contract manufacturer isn't immune to ongoing chip slump Dan Robinson Thu 20 Apr 2023 // 12:45 UTC TSMC has posted mixed results for calendar Q1, representing a fall in revenue when reported in US dollars, although some analysts say the company exceeded lowered expectations in the current economic climate. The world's largest semiconductor contract manufacturer, reported turnover of $16.72 billion, down 4.8 percent year-on-year, and a sharp decrease of 16.1 percent against the previous quarter... Article HERE
Mexican President on the war-path
… All of AMLO’s speeches are not translated at all. He has these early morning meetings, called his Matutina at 7am and that is where he talks and it remains in Spanish.
Venezuela VP Delcy Rodriques: “The United States is at war with the world; economic war, military war… The United States has issued more than 20,000 unilateral coercive measures. 35 countries are victims of unilateral coercive measures, and this represents 28% of countries worldwide… They said ‘this is targeted for the officials’ and all the Venezuelan people ended up sanctioned. We are talking about… a 99% drop in foreign currency revenues… Credit rating agencies? Pawns in this war. … We started to reverse this trend, with a lot of effort from our people. Thanks to the Venezuelan people. What they call an “economic miracle” is not an economic miracle, nor a neoliberal miracle or anything else, it is the miracle of the Venezuelan people in resistance.” https://orinocotribune.com/venezuela-vp-delcy-rodriguez-sanctions-are-imperialisms-attacks-on-sovereign-countries/
Nicaragua President DANIEL ORTEGA: “World War III is already underway. This is World War III. Why? Because it is the United States and Europe using Ukraine to seek how to disappear Russia. The same thing that happened in World War II… and the first troops that entered the bunker then in Germany were the troops of the Soviet Union. They were the first to enter. In other words, the victory, the great defeat and the victory of the peoples rested on the Russian people, on the Red Army, on the Soviet people. And now we are seeing the same story… The Russian Federation is fighting a battle for peace. It’s not against a nation. It’s against the fascists, the Nazis who staged a coup d’état there in Ukraine and settled there. It’s Hitler’s children who are ruling there… meanwhile, NATO harassing Russia with more weapons, more bases, and the United States leading the orchestra of international terrorists…”
Mexico President AMLO: “No foreign government would dare to set foot in our territory. In any case, if they did, it is not only the marines and the soldiers who will defend Mexico, every Mexican will defend Mexico.”
Here is one translations from recent AMLO speech … Article HERE
Scott Ritter: “Russia is CLOSING IN, THIS IS IT!” in Exclusive Interview
https://youtu.be/9QM3NTCw3-E
Mennonite Old-Fashion Beef Pot Pie
Ingredients
- 2 pounds stewing beef
- 6 cups water
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 6 medium size potatoes
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 egg
- 3 tablespoons milk or water
- 1 teaspoon minced onion
- 1 teaspoon minced parsley
Instructions
- Cook meat in salt water until it is tender.
- Remove meat from broth; add minced onion and parsley to broth. Bring to the boiling point and add alternate layers of cubed potatoes and squares of dough.
- To make dough, beat egg and add milk. Add flour to make a stiff dough. Roll out paper thin and cut into 1-inch squares.
- Keep broth boiling while adding dough squares in order to keep them from packing together. Cover and cook for 20 minutes, adding more water if needed. Add meat and stir through pot pie.
War
64% of people polled don't want Biden to run next year, so his handlers have announced that he will run but not debate Kennedy, his rival for the Democratic nomination, who would wipe the floor with him. Tucker Carlson, the only mass market reporter with a major audience and the only one to persistently address political corruption and incompetence, was fired yesterday, just as Phil Donohue (who criticized the planned Iraq war) was fired as part of America's preparation for war – of which Chrchill observed that truth is the first casualty. “After Musk decided to buy Twitter, Hillary Clinton called upon European countries to force social media companies to censor Americans. The European Union quickly responded by threatening Musk and other executives. Now, UK Technology and Science Secretary Michelle Donelan has announced plans to jail social media executives if they fail to censor so-called “harmful” content on their websites. The government, of course, will determine what is deemed too harmful for citizens to see or hear, and whom to prosecute.” "Democrats want to imprison Matt Taibbi for examining the Twitter files released by Elon Musk and showing that Twitter was coerced by the US government to censor the truth on many topics. In other words, as I warned would happen, it is already a de facto criminal offense to speak the truth and soon will be de jure". On a brighter note, the On 21 April, the Iskander operational and tactical missile system struck a weapons depot and a location of foreign mercenaries stationed in the library building in Kostantinovka (Donetsk People's Republic). The strike killed 60 militants of the so-called Georgian Legion, destroyed 15 pieces of military hardware, and left 20 mercenaries seriously wounded. The Georgian Legion was involved in the televised torture and killing of Russian servicemen near Kiev in March last year.
“The Russian Ministry of Defence has information on every foreign mercenary involved in the killing of Russian military personnel. All of them will get the retribution they deserve”.
Jeffrey Sachs: “China JUST CHANGED EVERYTHING, THIS IS SERIOUS” in Exclusive Interview
https://youtu.be/Xm0IGDE52sk
Xi diplomacy works, one step closer towards taking back Taiwan province without war:
PARIS, April 20 (Reuters) – French President Emmanuel Macron spoke with his U.S. counterpart Joe Biden on Thursday, but statements the two leaders released differed over Taiwan just 10 days after Macron had drawn criticism with allies over the issue.
- Reporting by Sudip Kar-Gupta; Editing by Leslie Adler
- Biden, Macron discuss French leader’s recent trip to China to ease tensions
Statement HERE Readout of President Joe Biden’s Call with President Emmanuel Macron of France HOME BRIEFING ROOM STATEMENTS AND RELEASES President Joseph R. Biden Jr. spoke today with President Emmanuel Macron of France. Following up on their April 4 conversation, the two leaders discussed President Macron’s recent travel to the People’s Republic of China and their ongoing efforts to advance prosperity, security, shared values, and the rules-based international order in the Indo-Pacific region. They reaffirmed the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. The Presidents also reiterated their steadfast support for Ukraine in the face of Russia’s brutal aggression.
Summary: Macron traveled to China, and Biden wanted to check to see if France was still “in his pocket”. They also discussed “Ukraine”.
IDIOCY: New York City to Track Residents FOOD Carbon Footprint! Demand Cut in Food Consumption!!!
New York City will track the carbon footprint of residents’ food consumption as part of a sweeping initiative to decrease the city’s carbon emissions from food by a third this year, Mayor Eric Adams revealed on Monday at an event for the Mayor’s Office of Climate and Environmental Justice.
About a fifth of New York’s greenhouse gas emissions come from household food consumption, Adams told reporters, blaming much of that total on meat and dairy. Household food consumption is supposedly the third largest contributor to city emissions totals, trailing only buildings and transportation.
The Mayor’s Office of Food Policy has ordered city agencies to reduce their food consumption by 33% by 2030, and Adams has asked private corporations to cut their own emissions by 25% by 2030, insisting New Yorkers’ wasteful eating habits cannot continue without imperiling the planet.
(HT Remark: Clearly this Mayor is an idiot. This kind of idiocy being openly used as a reason to reduce people EATING is just too far out of line. These public servants have got to be engaged and made to stop their crazed thinking. We don’t pay THEM to tell US what we can eat.)
“It is easy to talk about emissions that are coming from vehicles and how it impacts our carbon footprint,” he said. “But now we have to talk about beef.” City officials urged New Yorkers to put down the burgers and pick up vegetables and beans.
“A plant-based diet is better for your physical and mental health, I’m living proof of that, but…thanks to this new inventory, we’re finding out it is better for the planet,” Adams quipped. While the mayor has long professed to be a vegan, even publishing a cookbook touting his supposedly plant-based diet, he admitted last year that he enjoyed the occasional fish after a restaurant whistleblower came forward.
The household consumption carbon footprint tracker will be viewable on the same website as the city’s breakdown of its annual greenhouse gas totals, which also includes data on producing consumer goods and using professional services.
Last year, Adams signed New York onto the C40 Good Food Cities program, a global pledge to reduce food waste and incentivize healthier eating habits. The program aims to enforce compliance with UN climate goals by ‘nudging’ populations toward more nutritious meals, mandating a “planetary health diet” for all residents.
Adams admitted that monitoring what’s on the end of New York’s forks was not going to be easy, telling the outlet Gothamist, “I don’t know if people are really ready for this conversation.”
When his predecessor Michael Bloomberg tried to legally enforce healthy eating in 2012 with a heavy-handed ban on super-size sugary drinks, the state Supreme Court struck it down as arbitrary and capricious.
Bloomberg, however, now runs the C40 program’s board of directors. So it really doesn’t matter.
Wagner Swipes Through West BAKHMUT with FAB-500s
Beijing’s investment machine: US losing influence to China in South-East Asia, Lowy Institute research shows
The United States has lost influence in South-East Asia over the past five years, with fresh Lowy Institute research showing Beijing has increased its lead in economic and diplomatic engagement and made up ground on cultural influence.
While the US remains solidly ahead in defence across the region, Beijing has strengthened its defence network ties...
The United States Of Gerontocrats
Like all beings people grow old. In the later stages of live this usually comes with physical and mental impairments. That is why people older than 70 tend to get nudged out of their office.
But that is not true for the U.S. Congress which fits the definition of a gerontocracy:
A gerontocracy is a form of oligarchical rule in which an entity is ruled by leaders who are significantly older than most of the adult population. In many political structures, power within the ruling class accumulates with age, making the oldest individuals the holders of the most power. Those holding the most power may not be in formal leadership positions, but often dominate those who are. In a simplified definition, a gerontocracy is a society where leadership is reserved for elders.
This comes with political consequences.
Democrats still face Feinstein dilemma as replacement bid fails
Democrats’ plan to replace an ailing senator on the Senate Judiciary Committee fell apart amid Republican opposition Tuesday, leaving the party still grappling with a dilemma over stalled judicial nominees that has inflamed some in the Democratic base and complicated the Senate race to succeed her in California.Republicans prevented Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) from temporarily replacing Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), who has been absent since February while recovering from shingles, on the panel with another Democrat on Tuesday evening.
Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.) objected to the move, saying it would allow Democrats to “pass out a handful of judges that I think should never be on the bench.”
That leaves Senate Democrats still grappling with how to deal with their oldest member’s extended absence, which has resulted in some of President Biden’s judicial nominees stalling out in the Judiciary Committee without her tiebreaking vote. The powerful committee, which is probing allegations of financial conflicts of interest against Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, also lacks the votes to issue subpoenas in her absence.
“It creates a real dilemma for us,” said Sen. Peter Welch (D-Vt.), a member of the Judiciary Committee. “We’re stuck, if it’s [a] 10-10 [split between Democrats and Republicans]. That’s not an opinion — that’s a reality.”
It is a bit weird that a story about a procedural problem caused by the old age of a member of Congress quotes of many old people.
- Senator Dianne Feinstein was born on June 22, 1933. She is 89 years old.
- Senator Charles E. Schumer was born on November 23, 1950. He is 72 years old.
- President Joe Biden was born on November 20, 1942. He is 80 years old.
- Justice Clarence Thomas was born on June 23, 1948. He is 74 years old.
- Senator Lindsey O. Graham was born on July 9, 1955. He is 67 years old.
- Senator Peter Welch was born on May 2, 1947. He is 75 years old.
A bit further down in the story:
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.), who has said her absence has hampered the committee, said he would not try to “push her into any other decision.”
…
Biden, who recruited Feinstein to serve on the Judiciary Committee and considers her a long-term friend and a political ally, has also given her space.
…
Biden’s own age at 80 makes it politically fraught to even gently nudge someone to retire, and he also resisted Democrats’ past calls to push Supreme Court Justice Stephen G. Breyer to resign to appoint a younger successor — making him an unlikely ally in the effort.Feinstein has withstood multiple rounds of calls for her to resign over the years, as unflattering anecdotes emerged from some of her colleagues and others about her memory lapses and her perceived cognitive decline, as well as her visible reliance on her aides in public-facing aspects of her job. But the holdup on judicial nominees created by her absence has changed the tenor of the conversation among Democratic activists.
…
Feinstein’s allies, including Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif), who is backing Schiff’s candidacy, have long rebuffed the notion that Feinstein should step down on anyone’s terms other than her own. They have bristled at the calls for her to resign and allow California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) to appoint a replacement through the end of her term — categorizing those suggestions as a sexist double standard that is not applied to aging male senators.Former senator Barbara Boxer, who served with Feinstein from 1992 to 2017, called the refusal of Senate Republicans to give Feinstein the time that she needs to recover “disgraceful,” “divisive” and “disrespectful.”
“If a Republican senator had the same situation happen to them as Senator Feinstein, she would be the very first one calling them and saying, ‘What can I do for you?’” Boxer said in an telephone interview. “What they are doing — because it’s expected, because people know the hardball they are playing — is not getting the discussion that it deserves.”
The age of the persons listened to is again way above average.
- Senator Richard J. Durbin was born on November 21, 1944. He is 78 years old.
- Justice Stephen G. Breyer was born on August 15, 1938. He is 84 years old.
- Rep. Nancy Pelosi was born on March 26, 1940. She is 83 years old.
- Former senator Barbara Boxer was born on November 11, 1940. She is 82 years old.
The median age in the United States is 38.5 years. Should a bunch of octogenarians be trusted to decide the fate of a much younger population?
I of course fudged a bit. The story also named Schiff who is 62 and Newsom who is 55 years old. It also has voices of a few other people. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, age 33, is the youngest one. The three reporters who wrote the story are all about 40 years old.
Still, Congress and the Supreme Court have an age problem.
Internationally the average age of the U.S. Congress is unusually high. The average age of 118th Congress is 58 years. In the House of representatives the average is 57 years while the Senators have an average age of 64 years.
The average age of the members of the German Bundestag is 49 years which is only two years more than the median age of the German population. While there is no upper age limit for members of the Bundestag the judges of the German supreme court (Verfassungsgericht) have to retire when they pass 68.
The French Assemblée has a similar average age as the Bundestag. The members British House of Commons has an average age of about 50. (The members of the less powerful House of Lords have an average age of 70. But most of the 770+ members do not attend parliament procedures. The Lords chamber, rarely filled, only has a seating capacity for about 300 members.)
How come that the average age of Congress members is a decade older than the average age of other parliaments?
I genuine do not understand why that is the case.
What are the consequences?
I can think of only bad ones.
How could this be changed?
Introduce a formal age limit for members of Congress and judges. Due to the old average age of Congress this would be difficult to pass if the limit is too low. But a limit of 75 years would probably pass and sounds good to me.
Any better ideas?
Posted by b on April 19, 2023 at 16:51 UTC | Permalink
Japan signals attitude shift to power of the Global South – Asia Times
A break from the United States? This change took place after the recent meeting with the Chinese FM. -MM
Tokyo now accepts that countries across Africa, Asia and Latin America no longer want to submit to the will of the Western states By VIJAY PRASHAD APRIL 19, 2023
《孙子兵法·谋攻篇》-古籍备览-国学书苑-国学网 孙子曰：凡用兵之法，全国为上，破国次之；全军为上，破军次之；全旅为上，破旅次之；全卒为上，破卒次之；全伍为上；破伍次之。是故百战百胜，非善之善者也；不战而屈人之兵，善之善者也。 故上兵伐谋，其次伐交，其次伐兵，其下攻城。攻城之法，为不得已，修橹贲辒，具器械，三月而后成，距，又三月而后已。将不胜其忿而蚁附之，杀三分之一，而城不拔者，此攻之灾也。 故善用兵者，屈人之兵而非战也，拔人之城而非攻也，毁人之国而非久也。必以全争于天下，故兵不顿而利可全，此谋攻之法也。 故用兵之法，十则围之，五则攻之，倍则分之，敌则能战之，少则能逃之，不若则能避之。故小敌之坚，大敌之擒也。夫将者，国之辅也，辅周则国必强，辅隙则国必弱。 故君之所以患于军者三：不知军之不可以进，而谓之进；不知军之不可以退，而谓之退，是谓縻军。不知三军之事，而同三军之政者，则军士惑矣。不知三军之权，而同三军之任，则军士疑矣。三军既惑且疑，则诸侯之难至矣，是谓乱军引胜。vad90国713k4学k1ljb网n23i1 故知胜有五：知可以战与不可以战者胜，识众寡之用者胜，上下同欲者胜，以虞待不虞者胜，将能而君不御者胜。此五者，知胜之道也。vad90国713k4学k1ljb网n23i1 故曰：知彼知己者，百战不殆；不知彼而知己，一胜一负；不知彼不知己，每战必殆。
Scott Ritter: “Ukraine BAKHMUT HAS FALLEN, THIS IS FATAL!”
https://youtu.be/yl6WIOKiaFA
Warships JAMMING GPS over Taiwan
Taiwan is encountering JAMMING of GPS signals all along the northern part of the island. This coincides with the presence of China warships.
It is not known at this time WHY the jamming is being done, but it __is__ interfering with air traffic into and out of Taiwan.
Coloring For Grown-Ups: The Adult Activity Book
Two veterans of offbeat Internet humor hilariously combine the mindless fun of children’s coloring books with the mind-numbing realities of modern adult life.
With over 200 comedy videos and 75 million Youtube views to their credit, Ryan Hunter and Taige Jensen know how to make people laugh. Their YouTube video, “Hipster Olympics” racked up nearly three million hits and quickly attained worldwide cult status, which led to opportunities to create original content for Comedy Central, MTV, College Humor, the Huffington Post, The Onion and Slate. Now, the duo put their prolific creative talents to work in Coloring for Grown-Ups. The artwork resembles that of a children’s activity book, while actually offering an ironic look at the stereotypes, habits, and challenges of modern adulthood. Coloring for Grown-Ups includes more than 50 fun activities, such as:
– 6 Steps for Compromising Your Integrity and Goals!
– “Hipster or Homeless?”
– Color the Potential Terrorists!
– Draw the person you thought you’d grow up to be before you abandoned all your hopes and dreams!
Darkly humorous–and fun for any occasion –Coloring for Grown-Ups is the perfect stocking stuffer for reluctant adults of any age.
More: Coloring For Grown-Ups, Amazon
Star Trek – You Humans Are Troublesome For Us
Is it theoretically possible to hack American nuclear weapons with a laptop?
Nope.
Nuclear launch systems are designed to be Internet-proof- meaning that they physically cannot connect to the internet. In order to launch a nuclear missile, one must acquire two sets of two command keys, split between two independent command groups. After acquiring all four, they may be turned simultaneously to launch around fifty nuclear missiles.
Oops! All those nukes just landed in the middle of the Pacific ocean. That’s because nukes need to be manually loaded with launch trajectory programs. I kid you not, these programs are stored on 8-inch diskette drives.
So unless your laptop is connected to a four-armed robot in possession of four nuclear command keys and a booklet of launch-trajectory floppy discs, good luck hacking into a launch silo.
Update: I’ve been told the floppy disk system was retired in late 2019 in favor of insertable encrypted solid-state drives. However, the machines still do not connect to the internet. The overall system is similar except for the physical storage medium.
Samsung hit with $303 million fine for memory chip patent infringement – SamMobile
Samsung was hit with a $303 million fine after Netlist convinced a federal jury that the South Korean tech giant infringed upon several of its patents related to semiconductor memory chips. It was alleged that Samsung Electronics willfully infringed upon Netlist’s memory chip patents, and the jury was convinced of the same after a six-day trial in Marshall, Texas, in the US.
Netlist Inc., which is a California-based firm that designs and sells SSDs, was working with Samsung on a project, after which the South Korean firm reportedly took the memory module technology and used it in its memory chips used in cloud computing servers. Netlist then sued Samsung Electronics in 2021 and demanded a $404 million fine in damages.
“Stop Encouraging War!” – Brazil’s President Scolds The U.S.
Does the US rely on China to be wealthy?
No, the US will suffer a huge inflation up to 20–50% if China does not continue to support the United States in trade.
The Chinese do back breaking work, while being paid a pittance for the U.S. to enjoy high standard of living. And this situation has been going on for a good part of 3 decades. True, as the fact that the American economy economy has stagnated.
The U.S. productivity has stagnated to the point of being unsustainable for most things produced in The U.S.
Its cars for example, are uncompetitive and unsaleable outside the US mostly but China gives GM a hand to become a bigger buyer of its car than what is sold in the U.S. but made in China.
The low inflation rate up to the Ukraine war in the U.S. is totally attributable to China, the fact that some U.S. products are still selling is due to Chinese manufacturers and Chinese workers. Some industry survived because China allowed it to let some U.S. technology to grow without China competing with them.
So the U.S. should be thankful and grateful to China that the Chinese allowed the American people whose real income stagnated since 1960, the U.S. dollar is propped up by the Chinese which do trade using the dollar till today when two third of the world buys more from China than the U.S. In fact China alone growth is bigger than the entire G7.
But instead of being grateful and thankful it demonised and blame China and it threaten and wants decoupling from China. China says ok let’s decoupled. Thanks to the trade war started by Trump, the U.S. falls into disarray and it suffers huge inflation and in curbing inflation it now faced a banking crocus bigger than the Lehman Brothers saga.
The entire world is moving away from the dollar and western currencies and their financial institutions collapsing the western hegemony and growing into a multi polar world. The dollar will depreciate and hyperinflation will occur if it tries money printing and money creation without growing U.S. economy. The U.S. is a dire situation. And for lack of a better word fxxked.
The English adage shout be appropriate here “ never bite the hand that feed you”
This is the level of Depravity The USA Faces: “Abort God” Spray Painted on Pro-Life Center
A pro-life pregnancy center in Bowling Green, Ohio, was spray-painted with messages saying, “fund abortion,” and “abort God,” in another attack claimed by a radical group called “Jane’s Revenge,” Fox News reported on Monday.
Other phrases painted on the walls of the HerChoice pregnancy center, included “liars,” and “fake clinic,” a label that far-left, pro-abortion politicians often give to pregnancy resource centers that actually work to help women prepare for motherhood. Rochelle Sikora, the executive director of HerChoice, told Fox News Digital the attack happened on the morning of April 15.
“This vile attack is part of a nationwide movement to intimidate, threaten, and terrorize pregnancy centers,” Sikora said. “These tactics are not only anti-American, they are based on misconceptions, misinformation, and outright lies.”
Sikora told the outlet that her pregnancy center provides pregnancy testing, ultrasounds, limited sexually transmitted infection (STI) testing, birth and parenting classes, and material assistance to those in need and that their “love for women in the community will not wane in the face of these threats.” The report notes that the center is one of more than 100 pregnancy centers across the state that provide $15 million worth of services to families in need.
“In fact, our resolve to serve is only strengthened,” Sikora said. “For those looking to help us respond to this vandalism with love and compassion, we invite you to join our mission to love, serve, and equip anyone facing a pregnancy decision with Christ-centered resources and support that empower them to pursue life for themselves and their unborn child.”
Security footage caught the suspect in the act, although their face was completely covered, according to 13 ABC. Police are investigating the incident.
🚨BREAKING: Bowling Green Pregnancy Center Vandalized By Abortion Group.
Read the story here: https://t.co/FAQ2ypcNRI pic.twitter.com/eIA4CxrEZA
— Ohio Right to Life #EndAbortionOhio (@ohiolife) April 15, 2023
Within hours of the vandalism being discovered, a group of college students and local Knights of Columbus came to help clean up the vandalism, according to Ohio Right to Life.
“A huge thank you should be given to the local Knights of Columbus council and the college students who came out to help the cleanup process immediately upon seeing the vandalism. They represent the Bowling Green Community at its finest,” Ohio Right to Life’s Chief Executive Office Peter Range said in a statement.
“In the broader context, though, there have been well over 100 attacks against pro-life pregnancy centers and pro-life organizations since last year. Everyone in this state and nation, no matter their political affiliation or stance on abortion, should support centers and organizations that help mothers,” Range continued. “I pray local officials, statewide elected members, and national leaders will all rise to the moment and speak out against these attacks to put an end to these senseless attacks once and for all.”
Hal Turner Editorial Opinion
So they finally did it; they said the quiet part out loud: “Abort God.” THAT is the true nature of the left-wing. All those so-called “Liberals” who claim they support “Tolerance” are the most intolerant people on the planet! So bent are they, that they actually spray painted “Abort God” on the building.
Now that we can all see that the radical left is literally at war with Almighty God Himself, where does that leave you and me?
We now see what the left-wing ACTUALLY thinks. Not only do they THINK IT, they criminally engage in their effort to achieve it.
On my radio show on Monday, I told my audience that the people wrecking our society need to learn what happens when they push, and push, and push too far: They get punched in the face. And if getting punched in the face doesn’t bring them to their senses . . . if they don’t stop their wrecking of society, culture, politics, and religion, then, in the words of World War 2 General George Patton, they need to have “their ever living guts ripped out.”
It’s that simple.
THAT is the reality we now face: People who are so bent on destroying that they actually said “Abort God.”
Such people should be given no Quarter. They are not “people” they are evil demons.
Mennonite Bread Pudding
Ingredients
- 2 eggs, well beaten
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 cups milk
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, ground
- 4 cups day old bread (1/2-inch slices), cubed
- 1/4 cup raisins
Instructions
- Beat eggs. Add sugar, milk and nutmeg.
- Butter a 1 1/2-quart baking dish.
- Put bread cubes into dish and pour egg mixture over the bread. Let the bread cubes become soaked by the mixture. Mix in the raisins.
- Bake at 350 degrees F for 25 minutes.
- Serve warm.
30 Years Ago Today: FBI Slaughtered 82 Branch Davidians in Waco, TX
The Waco siege, also known as the Waco massacre, was the siege by U.S. federal government and Texas state law enforcement officials of a compound belonging to the religious cult known as the Branch Davidians between February 28 and April 19, 1993.
The Branch Davidians, led by David Koresh, were headquartered at Mount Carmel Center ranch in the community of Axtell, Texas, 13 miles (21 kilometers) northeast of Waco.
Suspecting the group of stockpiling illegal weapons, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) obtained a search warrant for the compound and arrest warrants for Koresh and several of the group’s members.
The ATF had planned a sudden daylight raid of the ranch in order to serve these warrants, intending to quickly control the situation and reduce the risk to all parties that was associated with the large cache of modified weapons and explosive devices the Davidians had available. Any advantage of surprise was lost when a KWTX-TV reporter who had been tipped off about the raid asked for directions from a U.S. Postal Service mail carrier who was coincidentally Koresh’s brother-in-law. Thus, the group’s members were fully armed and prepared; an intense gunfight erupted, resulting in the deaths of four ATF agents and six Branch Davidians.
Upon the ATF’s entering of the property and failure to execute the search warrant, a siege was initiated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), during which negotiations between the parties attempted to reach a compromise.
After 51 days, on April 19, 1993, the FBI launched a tear gas attack in an attempt to force the Branch Davidians out of the compound’s buildings. Shortly thereafter, the Mount Carmel Center became engulfed in flames.
The fire and the reaction to the final attack within the group resulted in the deaths of 76 Branch Davidians, including 25 children, two pregnant women, and David Koresh. In total, the 51-day siege resulted in the deaths of four federal agents and 82 Branch Davidians, 28 of whom were children.
The events of the siege and attack, particularly the origin of the fire, are disputed by various sources. Department of Justice reports from October 1993 and July 2000 conclude that although incendiary tear gas canisters were used by the FBI, the Branch Davidians had started the fire, citing evidence from audio surveillance recordings of very specific discussions between Koresh and others about pouring more fuel on piles of hay as the fires started, and from aerial footage showing at least three simultaneous ignition points at different locations in the building complex.
The FBI contends that none of their agents fired any live rounds on the day of the fire. Critics contend that live rounds were indeed fired by law enforcement, and suggest that a combination of gunshots and flammable tear gas was the true cause of the fire.
The Waco siege was cited by Timothy McVeigh as the main reason for his and Terry Nichols’s plan to execute the Oklahoma City bombing exactly two years later, on April 19, 1995, as well as the modern-day American militia movement and a rise in opposition to firearm regulation.
NO ONE is ready for what Putin is doing in the Arctic, GET READY!
Kitty with a hole
GOTTA TAKE A 2ND GLANCE! KITTY LOOKS LIKE HE HAS A HOLE IN HIM!
Interesting fur markings!
Too little too late?
In mid-April, the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs released its Diplomatic Bluebook 2023, its most important guidebook on international affairs. Japan’s foreign minister, Yoshimasa Hayashi, wrote the foreword, which begins: “The world is now at a turning point in history.”
This phrase is key to understanding the Japanese approach to the war in Ukraine.
Hours after Russian forces entered Ukraine, the Japanese government signed the Group of Seven statement that condemned the “large-scale military aggression” and called for “severe and coordinated economic and financial sanctions.”
The next day, Hayashi announced that Japan would sanction “designated individuals related to Russia,” freeze assets of three Russian banks, and sanction exports to Russia’s military.
In its Diplomatic Bluebook 2022, Japan condemned Russia and urged the Russian government to “withdraw its troops immediately, and comply with international law.” Russia’s war, the Japanese argued, “shakes the very foundation of the international order,” an order whose attrition, as the new Bluebook argues, has brought the world to this “turning point.”
NATIONAL INTERESTS:
Despite all the talk of sanctions, Japan continues to import energy from Russia. In 2022, 9.5% of Japan’s imported liquefied natural gas came from Russia (up from 8.8% in 2021). Most of this energy came from Russia’s Sakhalin Island, where Japanese companies and the government have made substantial investments.
In July 2022, Hayashi was asked about Japan’s continued imports from Sakhalin-2. His answer was clear: “Sakhalin-2 is an important project for energy security, including the stable supply of electricity and gas in Japan.”
Since July, Japan’s officials have continued to emphasize Japan’s national interests, including through the Sakhalin-2 natural-gas project, over its obligations to the G7 and to its own statements about the war.
In August 2022, the Japanese government asked two private companies, Mitsui and Mitsubishi, to deepen involvement in Russia’s Sakhalin-2: “We will respond by working with the public and private sectors to protect the interests of the companies and secure stable supply of liquefied natural gas,” said former minister of economy, trade and industry Kōichi Hagiuda.
In March 2022, Kyodo News reported that a leaked version of the Diplomatic Bluebook 2022 used a rather startling phrase, “illegal occupation,” to describe Russian control over islands north of Hokkaido. The Japanese government had not used that phrase since 2003, largely because of increased diplomatic activity between Japan and Russia driven by the collaboration over the development of Sakhalin-2.
As it turned out, the draft that Kyodo News had seen was altered so that the official Diplomatic Bluebook of 2022 did not use this phrase. Instead, the Bluebook noted that the “greatest concern between Japan and Russia is the Northern Territories issue,” which “is yet to be resolved.”
Japan could have taken advantage of the Western animosity against Russia to press its claim on these islands, but instead, the government merely expressed hope that Russia would withdraw from Ukraine and return to “negotiations on a peace treaty” regarding the islands north of Japan.
THREE NEW POINTS:
The Diplomatic Bluebook 2023 makes three important points: that the post-Cold War era has ended, that China is Japan’s “greatest strategic challenge” (page 43), and that Global South countries must be taken seriously. The Bluebook highlights Japan’s confusion, caught between its reliance on Russian energy and the growing confidence of the Global South.
The Bluebook from 2022 noted, “The international community is currently undergoing an era-defining change.” Now, however, the Bluebook 2023 points to the “end of the post-Cold War era” (page 3), which is illustrated by the collapse of the US-led world order (which both the United States and Japan call the “rules-based international order”). Washington’s power has declined, but it is not clear what comes next.
Anxiety about the growing role of China in Asia is not new for Japan, which has long contested the Diaoyu (China)/Senkaku (Japan) islands. But now, there is a much more pronounced – and dangerous – assessment of the situation.
The Bluebook 2023 notes the close alignment between China and Russia, although it does not focus on that strategic partnership. Rather, the Japanese government focuses on China, which it now sees as Japan’s “greatest strategic challenge.”
Even here, the Japanese government acknowledges that the two countries “have held a series of dialogues to discuss common issues.” The “efforts of both Japan and China” are important, says the Bluebook, to build a “constructive and stable” relationship (page 43).
Finally, the Japanese government accepts that there is a new mood in the Global South, with countries across Africa, Asia and Latin America unwilling to submit any longer to the will of the Western states.
In January this year, a reporter from Yomiuri Shimbun asked the Foreign Ministry’s press secretary, Hikariko Ono, how Japan defined the “Global South.” Her tentative reply is instructive.
“The government of Japan does not have a precise definition of the term Global South,” she said, but “it is my understanding that in general, it often refers to emerging and developing countries.”
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, she noted, must “strengthen engagement with the Global South.”
In the Bluebook 2023, the Japanese recognize that Global South countries are not following the Western position on Ukraine and that berating the countries of the Global South raises accusations of “double standards” (wars by the West are acceptable, but wars by others are unacceptable – page 3). Japan will promote multilateralism, building “an inclusive approach that bridges differences.” A new “attitude is required,” says the Bluebook.
In March, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida met with President Volodymyr Zelensky in Ukraine. Both sides said they were working to share security information, but Japan once more refused to send weapons to Ukraine.
A few weeks after Kishida left Ukraine, Mitsuko Shino, Japan’s deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, warned in a guarded statement about the “risks stemming from violations of the agreements regulating the export of weapons and military equipment” and about the importance of the Arms Trade Treaty.
Japan remains caught in the horns of its own dilemma.
What is the difference between Indian and Chinese students in terms of intelligence?
From what I observed Indian Top Students and Chinese Top Students in School have very similar mindset
Obessession with Exams
Obessession with Performance
Studying all the time
Parents very focused on Childs Education
Luckily unlike India there is only the Gaokao and once they take this exam, they relax completely unlike our boys who have to write 12th, JEE, NEET etc etc.
Still for the Top Students, like India it’s a Pressure Cooker
Parents actually may feel ashamed and disgraced that their child didn’t do well in the Gaokao
The Average Chinese Student is pretty much happy go lucky
K Pop, Squid Game, Gaming, Obessession with latest smartphones especially the cameras
Unlike India, Not going to College or University is not a disgrace for these students.
Most of them keep programming and most of them know how to fix a phone chipset and mother board.
Two points here is i like to make:-
First
The Schooling System in China is DISTINCTLY SUPERIOR TO INDIA
Their Public Schools are better than our Private Schools
Of course like our friend Aravind Varier would like, everything is in MANDARIN
Physics, Maths, Chemistry, Biology, History all are taught in Mandarin and English is just a subject
Their Teachers are very qualified and excellent at their Job.
Chinese Parents dont worry about School Fees like Indian Parents do. Most Public Schools are free until 9th Grade and 80% of them are free until Gaokao.
Food free and provided
Plus EVERYTHING IS OPEN BOOK
You can bring 200 Books to the Exam Hall and refer to all of those books
Only those who want to study in US or Australia, the rich students who will take IELTS and SAT etc study in the few Private Schools where the Average Tuition is around 6000 Yuan a month
And here is the best part
CPC Members CANNOT send their Kids to these private schools. It’s Forbidden thanks to a 1959 rule by Mao.
The Second Point here is
These Kids dont keep discussing Politics and Religion like our Kids do
None of this Modi, RaGa, Muslim, Hindu, Encounter etc.
These Kids simply talk about K Pop Or Gaming Or Smartphone comparisons or how to program an app or such stuff
No Uyghurs, Tibetians etc.
Fresh Uncluttered Minds who benefit from censorship. They discuss Squid Games not Geopolitics
Their College and University system is also very superior to ours
Still the Top School Students obessess too much over exams and performance
In that case they are similar to our JEE Aspirants
Plus Gifted Six Year Olds are handpicked into special schools where they are taught even more advanced courses
And guess what?
Special School selection is based entirely on PURE MERIT AND TALENT
Even Xi Jingpings grandson cannot get in unless he has ability or merit
On the Whole a normal middle class Chinese Student is lucky to be born in China than born in India
No Quota, No Reservation, No Atrocious Fees, No Multiple Competitive Exams, No mandatory tuitions, No mediocre teachers, No Politics and No ridiculous discussion
American military war game over a war over Taiwan.
Two photos.
Picture on the wall depicts US Marine occupation of Beijing during Boxer Rebellion in 1900
American military discussing how to kill the Chinese military forces. (As they lean on the map of China.)
Eastern European countries scramble after China gives Russia ‘permission’ to invade
A prominent Chinese ambassador has given tacit approval for President Vladimir Putin’s plans to re-establish Russia’s lost empire.
.
“Ex-Soviet Union countries” don’t exist, a prominent Chinese ambassador has declared. It could be tacit approval for President Vladimir Putin’s plans to re-establish Russia’s lost empire.
On Saturday, the Chinese envoy to France, Ambassador Lu Shaye, denied that nations that fled the Soviet Union after its collapse in 1991 are free and independent sovereign states.
“There is no international agreement to realise their status as a sovereign nation,” he told a French news network.
Now Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia are demanding answers from Beijing as they struggle against escalating espionage attacks from Moscow.
They’re just three of 15 states formally annexed under dictator Joseph Stalin as “union republics” of the Soviet Bloc.
Already nervous after decades of Russian President Vladimir Putin expressing his desire to bring the Eastern European nations back under Moscow’s control, the tiny nations are now demanding Beijing clarify its formal position on their sovereignty.
The answer will directly impact their future, and world peace.
“As a declining Eurasian empire, Russia is intent on revising the post-Cold War settlement by regathering the Eastern Slavic core of the former Soviet Union — recalling Putin’s statements that there is no such thing as the Ukrainian nation — and then re-establishing a sphere of influence in Europe, the Caucasus, and Central Asia,” says Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA) analyst Chels Michta.
“For this, he needs China’s backing and, increasingly, consent, as it increases its economic investment and influence in Central Asia.”
Gaslighting peace
Chairman Xi Jinping declared he wanted to be a “peacemaker”, outlining a 12-point peace plan before personally visiting President Vladimir Putin in Moscow last month.
He is yet to accept an invitation for a phone call with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen says the “show of friendship in Moscow” speaks “a thousand words about this new vision for an international order.”
Xi’s diplomats have been pushing the Kremlin’s line that the 2023 invasion was in response to “provocations” from Kyiv, and Ukraine wasn’t an actual sovereign state anyway.
Now that argument is being applied to other former Soviet Union states.
Estonian foreign minister Margus Tsahkna declared Ambassador Lu’s assertion “false and a misinterpretation of history”. His Lithuanian counterpart, foreign minister Gabrielius Landsbergis, tweeted that Lu’s words were “why the Baltic states don’t trust China to broker peace in Ukraine”. And Latvia’s foreign minister on Sunday tweeted that he found Lu’s statements to be “unacceptable”.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Latvia has summoned the authorised charge d’affaires of the Chinese Embassy in Riga to provide explanations on Monday,” Edgars Rinkēvičs added. “This step is coordinated with Lithuania and Estonia.”
But the ambassador’s words may be a sign of things to come.
“Russian President Vladimir Putin (has) questioned the existence of Ukraine, describing it as a mere creation of Lenin’s Soviet Union,” says European Council on Foreign Relations director Marie Dumoulin.
“But this logic could also be applied to other post-Soviet republics – all of which, including Russia, were established in their current form by Soviet leaders.”
Now that argument is being applied to other former Soviet Union states.
European disunity
Chairman Xi reacted to recent criticism regarding Hong Kong and the Uighur ethnic minority by declaring, “Europeans should focus on their own problems, such as antisemitism and systematic racial discrimination.”
French President Emmanuel Macron has since sought to strengthen economic ties and urged China to act as an intermediary between Russia and Ukraine for peace talks by visiting Beijing.
But he was keen to avoid issues relating to sovereignty.
Macron declared Taiwan a “crisis that is not ours”, insisting Europe should keep out of the dispute and not be “America’s followers.”
And Spanish President Pedro Sánchez Pérez-Castejón praised Chairman Xi during a visit earlier this month for his “strong, transparent, and rules-based multilateral system”.
But France’s foreign ministry now says it has reacted with “dismay” and “consternation” at the Chinese ambassador’s comments.
“It remains for China to confirm whether these comments reflect its position, which we hope is not the case,” the ministry said. It reaffirmed its “full solidarity with all our allies and partners in question, who have obtained their long-awaited independence after decades of oppression.”
Last night, the European Union’s foreign policy spokesman Josep Borrell called Ambassador Lu’s words “unacceptable”.
“The EU can only suppose these declarations do not represent China’s official policy,” he said.
The ambassador’s remarks came just days after Beijing’s defence minister met Putin in talks at the Kremlin. It’s further inflamed fears in the West that Beijing is preparing to supply Moscow with weapons and ammunition.
Borrell said any such move would cross a “red line” after Washington shared intelligence among its European allies detailing how Beijing planned to do this.
China just wants to be loved
Ambassador Lu actively participates in China’s “wolf warrior” brand of diplomacy. This is an overtly confrontational approach to asserting Beijing’s policies internationally.
Chairman Xi last year indicated he intended to move away from this tactic, which has been blamed for a plunge in China’s international reputation. He stated his desire for the world to regard his new China as “loveable, admirable, appealing”.
Lu appears to have yet to receive that memo.
He blames “foreign forces” for Chinese citizens erupting in protest after years of draconian COVID-19 lockdown policies. “The protests were quickly exploited by foreign forces,” Lu said in December. “Some Chinese were bought by foreign forces.”
He also wants Taiwanese citizens forcefully “re-educated” to embrace Communist Party dogma over the island’s democratic principles. “We will re-educate. I’m sure that the Taiwanese population will again become favourable of the reunification and will become patriots again,” he said in August last year.
Beijing also appears set on “re-educating” the world on the meaning of “rules-based order”.
Delegates from 100 countries attending its “International Forum on Democracy” last month were told they are “democracies” – even if run by dictators that actively deny citizens the right to vote for representatives or even openly criticise policies.
Meanwhile, Beijing is resolutely defending what it calls its “sovereignty” in the Himalayas, and East and South China Seas while actively denying its neighbours have any say in the matters.
“We uphold true multilateralism, work for a multi-polar world and greater democracy in international relations, and make global governance more just and equitable,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said at the time.
SHOCKING MEDIA SHAKE-UPS: TUCKER CARLSON **OUT** OF FOX NEWS; DON LEMON **OUT** OF CNN
Fox News Media and Tucker Carlson have decided to part ways, the network announced in a statement Monday. Meanwhile, CNN informed Don Lemon he is terminated from that network!
Carlson’s final broadcast of “Tucker Carlson Tonight” aired last Friday. The show “Fox News Tonight” is set to air as an interim show led by rotating hosts until his successor in the 8 p.m. time slot is named, Fox said.
“FOX News Media and Tucker Carlson have agreed to part ways. We thank him for his service to the network as a host and prior to that as a contributor,” Fox News said in a statement.
Carlson joined Fox News as a contributor in 2009 and served as a co-host of “Fox and Friends Weekend” from 2012 to 2016. His eponymous nightly show debuted in November 2016. He moved into the 8 p.m. slot in April 2017.
Carlson was the MOST-WATCHED show on cable news programming:
Program Performances:
Tucker Carlson 3.303 million at 8 p.m.
The Five averaged 3.31 million viewers
Jesse Watters Primetime (2.83 million),
Hannity (2.68 million)
Bret Baier (2.44 million) rounded out the top five in total viewers.
Tucker Carlson Tonight remained the top-rated cable news show in February among adults 25-54 (461,000).
DON LEMON OUT AT CNN
2023.04.24 Tucker Carlson Has Been Fired
Posted before his arrest.
Tucker Carlson fired. Gonzalo Lira arrested. Who says that the “Powers that be” aren’t “flexing their muscles”?
Whoa…
What are the rules for foreign journalists reporting on China? How are they treated by the Chinese government?
After the latest attempted “NED color revolution” (Shanghai Covid-19 protests), China laid down a gauntlet of new regulations and laws regarding “journalists”.
The actual requirements are quite lengthy, but here is a brief summary.
In addition, they are 100% tracked at all times, monitored to a far greater extent than previously conducted, and there are other (seemingly) trivialities, that underline their role and the potential dangers were they to “try any funny business”.
In other words, when they enter China, they are read “The Riot Act”, and told in crystal clear language that China does not tolerate wrong doing.
How will they be treated?
Maybe something like this…
Followed by something like this…
And in worst case…
On the plus side, they will get their “happy injection” with a “happy meal”.
Tucker Carlson: If I get fired for telling the truth then so be it | Redacted with Clayton Morris
It seems to me that there is a MAJOR consolidation of media going on right now.