It’s always a good time to dance

oh yeah.

Wonderful - this feels like a positive shift towards that multipolar future. I wonder what USA and its allies will do to fuck shit up again.

Posted by: irish al | Mar 10 2023 15:08 utc | 15

Big news going on with China and the Middle East. It’s a time of celebration and expectations for a great and glorious future.

Not well reported on American “media”, of course… It’s a blurb on “page 8”. LOL

Let’s dance!

A Classic 70’s TV Show Dance Party

Mediated By China Iran And Saudi Arabia Restore Ties – There Are Winners And Losers

This is huge!

Regional rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia agree to restore ties after years of tensions
The deal, which will see the two countries reopen embassies in each other’s capitals, was sealed during a meeting in China and announced Friday in a joint communique.

Archrivals Iran and Saudi Arabia agreed Friday to restore diplomatic relations, a dramatic breakthrough brokered by China after years of soaring tensions between the regional rivals.

The deal, which will see the two countries reopen embassies in each other’s capitals, was sealed during a meeting in China — a boost to Beijing’s efforts to rival the United States as a broker on the global stage.

The agreement also may put a dampener Israel's ongoing efforts to normalize relations with its Arab neighbors.

The talks were held because of a “shared desire to resolve the disagreements between them through dialogue and diplomacy, and in light of their brotherly ties,” according to a joint communique from Tehran, Riyadh and Beijing that was published by the Saudi Press Agency, the country’s official news agency.

The agreement followed intensive negotiations between Ali Shamkhani, a close adviser to Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khameni, and Saudi Arabia’s Minister of State Musaad bin Mohammed Al-Aiban, according to the statement.

It added that the foreign ministers from both countries would “meet to implement this, arrange for the return of their ambassadors, and discuss means of enhancing bilateral relations.”

The joint statement by Saudi Arabia, Iran and China is here:

In response to the noble initiative of His Excellency President Xi Jinping, President of the People’s Republic of China, of China’s support for developing good neighborly relations between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Islamic Republic of Iran;

And based on the agreement between His Excellency President Xi Jinping and the leaderships in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and the Islamic Republic of Iran, whereby the People’s Republic of China would host and sponsor talks between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Islamic Republic of Iran;

Proceeding from their shared desire to resolve the disagreements between them through dialogue and diplomacy, and in light of their brotherly ties; ...

Congrats to China for nudging this deal forward and making it possible.

There are winners and losers in this.

The winners are:

• Iran, which will now be even more able to break through the sanctions wall the U.S. has put up around it.
• Saudi Arabia, which now will likely be able to end its disastrous and costly war on Yemen.
• China, for outplaying the U.S. State Department by achieving this.
• Iraq, Syria, Yemen as they will become more peaceful as the two middle powers influencing policies on their grounds end their rivalry.

The losers are:

• Israel, because the chances for its attempts to get the U.S. into a war with Iran are now diminished. Its hoped for coalition with the Saudis will not come into being.
• The United States for having been outplayed on its traditional ‘home grounds’ in the Middle East.
• Anti-Iran hawks everywhere.
• The Emirates for losing at least some of the sanction busting trade with Iran to Saudi Arabia.

This renewal of relations will change the Middle East:

Tensions between Sunni Muslim powerhouse Saudi Arabia and Iran, which is majority Shiite, have dominated the region for decades.

The two countries have been locked in an intensifying struggle for dominance, their rivalry exacerbated by proxy conflicts, including the war in Yemen.

Saudi Arabia, the birthplace of Islam and the site of its two holiest cities, has historically seen itself as the leader of the Muslim world. The Iranian Revolution of 1979 shook Saudi Arabia and other Gulf kingdoms, which saw the regime in Tehran as a rival.

While tensions brewed for years, Saudi Arabia broke off ties in 2016 after protesters stormed Saudi diplomatic posts in Iran and set fire to the embassy in Tehran.

Days earlier, Saudi Arabia had executed the prominent Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr.

“Clearing up the misunderstandings and looking to the future in Tehran-Riyadh relations will definitely lead to the development of regional stability and security and the increase of cooperation between the countries of the Persian Gulf and the Islamic world to manage the existing challenges,” Shamkhani said Friday after signing the deal, according to Press TV.

In 2016 I describe the killing of Nimr al-Nimr as a smart move in the sense of Saudi domestic realpolitik. But I also said that it would lead to escalating costs in Saudi Arabia’s regional policies, predominantly in Yemen. That indeed proved to be the case.

Reviving relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran will make a lot of new things possible.

That Iran and Saudi Arabia accepted China’s mediation is a recognition of Beijing’s new standing in world policies. That alone is enough reason for the White House to hate the deal.

Posted by b on March 10, 2023 at 14:17 UTC | Permalink

People are noticing

Probably sound like a broken record, yet the pace of events & consequential change over the past twelve months is astounding. The closest I lived through in rapt attention would be GDR inadvertently nullifying the Berlin Wall/Border controls & all that promptly followed on like an avalanche.

Appears, even so, to be picking up steam now with China becoming an open active player ... 'interesting times' indeed.

Grins, of the Cheshire kind. :)) Peace. Still Steel

Posted by: Outraged | Mar 10 2023 16:14 utc | 41

Dad Builds Incredible Tree House In His Garden For Kids For Just $150

Dad Joe Rackley has created something truly special for his two daughters after building them an incredible greenhouse during lockdown.

Joe, from Watford (Hertfordshire, England), started the project on April 1, so they would have a place to play while schools were closed. And it’s fair to say the 43-year old succeeded – with his three-year-old daughter describing it as “heaven”. Perhaps more impressively, TV and film prop maker pulled it all off for just £120 (US$150) – and the first step was finding wood.

“Went foraging for pallets last week,” Joe posted on his Instagram on March 31. “Tabi is gonna get a free wood Wendy house!”

More: Instagram h/t: mirror

People are noticing

The Biden, Obama, Clinton, Nuland, Powers axis has absolutely FUBARed US foreign policy and national security. Even worse, the toxic rhetoric to demonize Trump voting conservatives has been so alienating that the same folks that marched off to war to avenge the 9-11 attacks are now praying for a nuclear 9-11.

Posted by: Elmer Fudd | Mar 10 2023 16:24 utc | 42

Cheesy Lasagna Soup

Lasagna in a bowl, chock full of what you love in regular lasagna, with the added ‘Florentine’ touch of spinach!

Ingredients

• 1 pound bulk sweet (mild) Italian sausage
• 1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon red chile flakes (optional)
• 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 4 cups (32 ounces) chicken stock
• 1 to 2 cups water
• 8 ounces lasagna noodles (not no-boil), broken into 1 to 2 inch pieces
• 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, plus additional for serving
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 cups fresh spinach, packed and roughly chopped
• Salt
• 2 cups (8 ounces) Wisconsin mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 2 cups (16 ounces) Wisconsin ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup (2 ounces) Wisconsin parmesan cheese, shredded

Instructions

1. Heat Dutch oven or large pot over high heat. Brown sausage for 5 minutes, breaking up as it cooks.
2. Add onions; cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until onions are softened and sausage is cooked through.
3. Add garlic and red chile flakes; cook for 1 minute.
4. Add crushed tomatoes, scraping bottom of pan with wooden spoon.
5. Add stock, 1 cup water, lasagna noodles, basil and pepper. Bring to boil.
6. Reduce heat to medium-high; cook at a gentle boil for 10 to 12 minutes, until noodles are cooked through, stirring occasionally to prevent noodles from sticking to pot.
7. Stir in spinach. Add salt to taste. If soup is too thick, add additional 1 cup water. Remove from heat.
8. To serve, divide mozzarella among 6 serving bowls. Ladle soup over cheese. Top with spoonsful of ricotta, parmesan and additional basil.

People are noticing

Touch any Saudi assets and the petrodollar explodes into flames and dies as it will turn to yuan and other currencies, plus the Saudis can reciprocate against dollar assets.

Posted by: karlof1 | Mar 10 2023 16:59 utc | 57

Soul Train Line Let It Whip – Dazz Band

The Japanese Mini Truck Garden Contest Is A Whole New Genre In Landscaping

The Kei Truck, or kei-tora for short, is a tiny but practical vehicle that originated in Japan. Although these days it’s widely used throughout Asia and other parts of the world, in Japan you’ll often see them used in the construction and agriculture industries as they can maneuver through small side streets and easily park. And in a more recent turn of events, apparently they’re also used as a canvas for gardening contests.

The Kei Truck Garden Contest is an annual event sponsored by the Japan Federation of Landscape Contractors. Numerous landscaping contractors from around Japan participate by arriving on site with their mini trucks and then spending several hours transforming the cargo bed into a garden

More: Kei Truck Garden Contest h/t: colossal

People are noticing

First time ever I agree with anti-Iran lobbyist Mark Dubowitz:

Saudi Arabia and Iran Agree to Re-establish Ties in Talks Hosted by China

Mark Dubowitz, the chief executive of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a Washington-based research institute, described the renewed Iran-Saudi ties resulting from Chinese mediation as “a lose, lose, lose for American interests.”

Posted by: b | Mar 10 2023 17:16 utc | 64

Sweet Red Pepper and Crab Bisque

The addition of red bell pepper adds color and flavor to the traditional smooth richness of bisque. Serve this soup with brunch or as a main course, with green salad and crusty bread. You can make the bisque up to two days ahead; cover and refrigerate it after pureeing.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup finely chopped onion
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1 cup chopped red bell pepper
• 1 1/4 teaspoons Old Bay or other seafood spice blend
• 3 cups fish stock or bottled clam juice
• 1/2 cup diced peeled russet potato
• 1/2 cup Half-and-Half or skim evaporated milk
• 1 pound crabmeat

Instructions

1. Melt butter in heavy medium saucepan over low heat. Add onion, celery, bell pepper, and seasoning. Cover; cook 10 minutes, stirring twice.
2. Add stock and potato; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover partially, and simmer until potato is very tender, about 30 minutes.
3. Working in batches, puree soup in blender. Return soup to saucepan. Add Half-and-Half; bring to a simmer. Mix in crab. Season to taste. Cover; let stand 1 minute.
4. Ladle into bowls.

People are noticing

I don’t know, for the first time in 25 years I have the feeling this dystopian, neoliberal, globalist nightmare “Pax Americana” is coming to an end. Now I’m imagining Neocons in whatever dark place they come from, stripped of power, laughing maniacally and ranting with nobody listening. I suppose the decaying body is still capable to lash out and cause hurt, but the beast is getting given plenty of good whacks.

Posted by: Bristolian | Mar 10 2023 18:53 utc | 87

HUGE China brokered deal, Iran & Saudi Arabia restore diplomatic ties

Pepe’s thoughts…