We are just a group of retired spooks that discuss things that you’ll not find anywhere else. It makes us unique. Take a look around. Learn a thing or two.
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
2023 03 11 09 04
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
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.
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
1 42
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!”
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!
Cheesy Lasagna Soup Bowl2 768×1152 1
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
1/2 cup (2 ounces) Wisconsin parmesan cheese, shredded
Instructions
Heat Dutch oven or large pot over high heat. Brown sausage for 5 minutes, breaking up as it cooks.
Add onions; cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until onions are softened and sausage is cooked through.
Add garlic and red chile flakes; cook for 1 minute.
Add crushed tomatoes, scraping bottom of pan with wooden spoon.
Add stock, 1 cup water, lasagna noodles, basil and pepper. Bring to boil.
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.
Stir in spinach. Add salt to taste. If soup is too thick, add additional 1 cup water. Remove from heat.
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
1 22
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
First time ever I agree with anti-Iran lobbyist Mark Dubowitz:
Saudi Arabia and Iran Agree to Re-establish Ties in Talks Hosted by ChinaMark 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.
8fe741759592ec0c30c6905b93146604
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
Melt butter in heavy medium saucepan over low heat. Add onion, celery, bell pepper, and seasoning. Cover; cook 10 minutes, stirring twice.
Add stock and potato; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover partially, and simmer until potato is very tender, about 30 minutes.
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.
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
We continue our stroll though this very strange and surreal period of time. Here we cover various “buried” news items, and mix it up with various other subjects used to shake off the troll armies, the robo-‘bots, and the SJW shrills. It works.
We start with some delicious food…
Beef & Rice Stuffed Cabbage Rolls
Just like your parents, and grandparents made. All completely awesome! It’s a fine taste of home. And it fills the house up with a most wonderful aroma.
In batches, cook cabbage in boiling water 3-5 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain; cool slightly. Trim the thick vein from the bottom of each cabbage leaf, making a V-shaped cut.
In a large bowl, combine rice, onion, egg, milk, salt and pepper. Add beef; mix lightly but thoroughly. Place about 1/4 cup beef mixture on each cabbage leaf. Pull together cut edges of leaf to overlap; fold over filling. Fold in sides and roll up.
Place 6 rolls in a 4- or 5-qt. slow cooker, seam side down. In a bowl, mix sauce ingredients; pour half of the sauce over cabbage rolls. Top with remaining rolls and sauce. Cook, covered, on low 6-8 hours or until a thermometer inserted in beef reads 160° and cabbage is tender.
Life as an American
If you are an American, you will understand this. However, if you are Chinese, where there are laws against this sort of thing, it NEVER happens, and so you will remain clueless…
2022 04 22 15 03 1
China is almost ready with Fusion Energy
China has finished researching and developing more than 80 percent of the key technology in fusion energy, and is expected to use the fusion power in 30 to 50 years, a Chinese scientist told the Global Times in an exclusive interview.China is constructing a new grand research facility for fusion technology, the Comprehensive Research Facility for Fusion Technology (CRAFT), which is expected to be completed by 2025. Based on the CRAFT and experimental advanced superconducting tokamak (EAST), or the Chinese "artificial sun," we are planning to build a compact fusion energy experimental reactor to realize the burning of plasma and produce fusion energy, laying a solid foundation for future fusion reactor construction, Hu Jiansheng, deputy director of Institute of Plasma Physics at Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, told the Global Times.After the compact experimental reactor, Hu said he hopes the construction of Chinese Fusion Engineering Test Reactor (CFETR) could be started as soon as possible aiming at future fusion development and application."With all these years of development all over the world, the scientific feasibility of fusion power has been proved. So far China has finished more than 80 percent of the key technology research and development. If the construction of CFETR gets a 'green light,' it's expected that we could achieve the application of fusion energy in about 30 to 50 years," Hu said.
Yes, I know. The cat-callers will say “That’s what they’ve been saying about fusion for the last 50 years, that it will become available 30-50 years hence.” And while that’s true, there was never the experimental successes to back that prognosis; now there are. Just imagine the materials breakthroughs required that weren’t at all possible 10-30 years ago. And with CRAFT, their pace will increase.
With Russian, Chinese and South Korean scientists and engineers doing the primary work on the project, I know it will continue moving forward as the bankrupt and corrupt West can’t afford it nor does it have the technical expertise anymore.
Notice how everything is planned, and then China goes in with force. This is how the Chinese operates. There is no gradual build up of hostilities. They plan. Then they come in in FORCE…This is how it is done!
Information is leaking out of the United Kingdom that the US Navy used its new marine surveillance aircraft to provide accurate targeting data to Ukrainian forces to sink the Russian Black Sea flag ship Moskva on April 13.
Ukraine claimed it fired two Neptune missiles at the Russian warship which was patrolling south of Odesa.
Russia initially claimed the vessel, which had more than 500 crew on board had blown up after a fire onboard.
Later, the Kremlin was forced to admit the vessel – named in honour of the Russian capital – had been taken out by hostile action.
According to information coming out through the British press, a US surveillance P-8 “Poseidon” aircraft, was tracking Moskva in the hours before it was attacked before supplying its location to the Ukrainian military.
The Boeing-made aircraft is based upon the Boeing 737-800 jet – which is widely used by airlines such as Ryanair.
However, instead of passengers, the Poseidon is packed with state-of-the-art surveillance equipment which can track surface vessels and submarines at ranges of more than 100 miles.
According to the claims in British media outlets, the P-8 took off from Italy and took up station on the Romanian Black Sea coast where it attempted to locate the position of the Russian Black Sea fleet.
The P-8 left US Naval Air Station Sigonella in Sicily on April 13, hours before the attack.
Before reaching the Black Sea coastline, the Poseidon turned off its trackers, so it could no longer be followed online.
The aircraft was ‘hidden’ for almost three hours before it returned to Flight Radar 24.
Aviation data analysis Amelia Smith says there were slightly more US aircraft covering the Black Sea coast on the day of the attack.
However, the US Navy refused to confirm if they assisted Ukraine with the attack by providing intelligence data.
A Defense source added: ‘In keeping with our support to NATO’s eastern flank, we have been conducting some limited air patrols off the coast of Romania. But we will not speak to the details of operational matters.’
A fine watch
I really do like this wrist watch.
A fine watch.
If You Can’t Take the Heat, Get Out of the Shower
Taking a shower together can be a very romantic end to the evening, but not everyone has the same water temperature preference. Women tend to prefer hotter showers or baths, and Maya is no exception. She invited Yehuda to join her for a romantic shower, but he didn’t find it as seductive as she did.
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image 71Qle4vEIkIxJ73d
He felt like he was being boiled alive while Maya basked in the scorching water. It seems like women tend to have a higher threshold for pain.
Know your hand signals
9706aad3a8aca4715b17ec604402efd0
Hallstatt, Austria
It certainly looks like a fine place to visit. Don’t you think?
After a preamble dealing with the Covid pandemic, Xi digs into the interrelated issues of security, peace and development:
We need to work together to maintain peace and stability in the world. An ancient Chinese philosopher observed, "Stability brings a country prosperity while instability leads a country to poverty." Security is the precondition for development. We humanity are living in an indivisible security community. It has been proven time and again that the Cold War mentality would only wreck the global peace framework, that hegemonism and power politics would only endanger world peace and that bloc confrontation would only exacerbate security challenges in the 21st century. To promote security for all in the world, China would like to propose a Global Security Initiative as follows:It is important that we stay committed to the vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, and work together to maintain world peace and security; stay committed to respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries, uphold non-interference in internal affairs, and respect the independent choices of development paths and social systems made by people in different countries; stay committed to abiding by the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, reject the Cold War mentality, oppose unilateralism, and say no to group politics and bloc confrontation; stay committed to taking the legitimate security concerns of all countries seriously, uphold the principle of indivisible security, build a balanced, effective and sustainable security architecture, and oppose the pursuit of one's own security at the cost of others' security; stay committed to peacefully resolving differences and disputes between countries through dialogue and consultation, support all efforts conducive to the peaceful settlement of crises, reject double standards, and oppose the wanton use of unilateral sanctions and long-arm jurisdiction; stay committed to maintaining security in both traditional and non-traditional domains, and work together on regional disputes and global challenges such as terrorism, climate change, cybersecurity and biosecurity.We need to work together to tackle global governance challenges. Countries around the world are like passengers aboard the same ship who share the same destiny. For the ship to navigate the storm and sail toward a bright future, all passengers must pull together. The thought of throwing anyone overboard is simply not acceptable. In this day and age, the international community has evolved so much that it has become a sophisticated and integrated apparatus. Acts to remove any single part will cause serious problems to its operation. When that happens, both the victims and the initiators of such acts will stand to lose. In today's world, unilateralism and excessive pursuit of self-interest are doomed to fail, so are the practices of decoupling, supply disruption and maximum pressure and the attempts to forge "small circles" or to stoke conflict and confrontation along ideological lines. Instead, we need to embrace a global governance philosophy that emphasizes extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits, promotes the common values of humanity, and advocates exchanges and mutual learning between civilizations. We need to uphold true multilateralism and firmly safeguard the international system with the UN at its core and the international order underpinned by international law. It is particularly important for major countries to lead by example in honoring equality, cooperation, good faith and the rule of law and act in a way befitting their status.
The rest of the speech is tailored to his audience and speaks of China’s development and how China will contribute to humanity’s progress. It’s only seven more paragraphs after the above passage, so it’s not nearly as long as the Joint Declaration.
IMO, the speech is very timely and needed, and ought to soothe the Global South and Eurasia’s mind. Of course, the Outlaw US Empire and its NATO vassals won’t like it since they’re called out as the main problem facing humanity–which of course is 100% correct.
I didn’t give it emphasis, but do take note that China’s security proposal for the world is based on Russia’s security proposal for Europe. And that global governance must be based on the primacy of the equal sovereignty of all nations, which is the primary UN Charter principle and foundation for International Law.
“Cancel culture is inbuilt in the techno-feudalist project: conform to the hegemonic narrative, or else. Journalism that does not conform must be taken down.”
He asks that it be made viral. Just this portion ought to be reason enough:
Every silicon fragment in the valley connects Facebook as a direct extension of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)’s LifeLog project, a Pentagon attempt to “build a database tracking a person’s entire existence.” Facebook launched its website exactly on the same day – Feb. 4, 2004 – that DARPA and the Pentagon shuttered LifeLog.No explanation by DARPA was ever provided. The MIT’s David Karger, at the time, remarked, “I am sure that such research will continue to be funded under some other title. I can’t imagine DARPA ‘dropping out’ of such a key research area.”Of course a smokin’ gun directly connecting Facebook to DARPA will never be allowed to surface. But occasionally some key players speak out, such as Douglas Gage, none other than LifeLog’s conceptualizer: “Facebook is the real face of pseudo-LifeLog at this point (…) We have ended up providing the same kind of detailed personal information to advertisers and data brokers and without arousing the kind of opposition that LifeLog provoked.”So Facebook has absolutely nothing to do with journalism. Not to mention pontificating over a journalist’s work, or assuming it’s entitled to cancel him or her. Facebook is an “ecosystem” built to sell private data at a huge profit, offering a public service as a private enterprise, but most of all sharing the accumulated data of its billions of users with the U.S. national security state.
IMO it’s safe to assume Twitter has similar genetics. And of course, there’s more. I don’t plug VK as much as I might, but I’ve found it helpful in my pursuit. Telegram now seems essential as Twitter’s usefulness implodes. Fear of other nations doing the same as the Outlaw US Empire used as reasons to not drop Meta or Twitter are stupifidic.
Secrets of various ketchups
Make your own.
USA targeting of Moskva ship is Russia’s “Pearl Harbor”, retaliation is next
It has now been revealed that the US military ran the entire operation to sink the Moskva, including running the tracking of the ship via a P-8 Poseidon surveillance aircraft, which then handed off fire solutions to the Ukrainians who were all trained by the US military as well. Thus, the United States provided the weapons, the training, the tracking and the fire solution to sink the Moskva.
By sinking the Moskva, the US just handed Putin something akin to “Russia’s Pearl Harbor moment,” in which Putin can claim to his people that the USA initiated an attack on the Russian Navy, sinking one of their ships and killing hundreds of their people. This news has, of course, been paraded all across Russian media, driving domestic support for Putin even higher than before.
Just like with Pearl Harbor in the United States, the people of Russia are now demanding “payback” from the aggressors, whom they see as the United States. In effect, the USA just handed Putin the final piece of the puzzle that he needs to launch retaliatory nuclear strikes against the West.
I remember watching this movie back in the 1960s. Now as a much older adult, it just is curiously charming. Check out these few minutes of colorful dialog.
Catalan
A view from a BnB. Everything shown is local and under $10 combined.
Catalan
Meanwhile in Hong Kong
Hong Kong is electing new Chief of SAR on May 8, 2022 and there is only one candidate on the ballot. He is viewed as being pro-China. Sure enough his Twitter account was sanctioned right after he was nominated as a candidate.
The Empire acts in ways very petty these days. It reflects on the quality of their leadership.
Chinese-Australians and their influence
An excellent article that sums up the feelings of Chinese Australians, the China/Australia relationship and the current Australian elections. By Teow Loon Ti . (Teow Loon Ti was a researcher in aquaculture; and a teacher. Teow Loon Ti has a BSc.(Hon) in Zoology, an MA(Lit. & Comm.) and a PhD in Education. )
I noticed the many Asian and Chinese – Australian people at the massive anti Iraq war demonstrations in 2003. One really had to be there to appreciate the broad cross section of society represented and its size and scope. A member of parliament’s spouse told me the demonstrations were, “the largest gathering of people ever in Sydney, including the 2000 Sydney olympic games”. Of course the numbers were downplayed by the MSM.
People are sick of cynical and endless wars of choice then and more so now. Political parties ignore this at their peril.
There was a large Kaliber missile strike on Lyvov and we are now seeing confirmations from several places of what was struck:
“A stockpile of American, German and British anti-tank missiles was destroyed at a military depot in Lvov. According to our source in the SBU, the attack on the logistics base in Lvov was a complete surprise. Several tens of tons of various anti-tank weapons were destroyed at the facility, including German PanzerFausts, British NLAWs and American Javelins. It was expected that these funds should be enough for a month of active hostilities against Russian troops. According to our source, the plant was carried out secretly on commercial and civilian vehicles. Therefore, an investigation is now underway as to how the Russians were able to figure out all three storage sites.”
Poland
“Poland is secretly preparing a “liberation campaign” against Ukraine. For this purpose, a set of measures is being carried out – the supply of weapons, equipment and mercenaries across the Polish-Ukrainian border. Several formations of the Polish Army – the 18th motorized rifle division and the 6th airborne brigade – are preparing for a “peacekeeping mission”
BULLETIN — Russia Informs Citizens to Prepare for NATO Retaliatory Nuclear Attack, THIS SUNDAY
This content was previously for Subscribers only but is now UNLOCKED for the general public.
As of 7:00 AM Moscow time TODAY (Thursday), the Russian Ministry of Emergencies published information on their web site instructing Russian citizens to prepare for a NATO Retaliatory NUCLEAR Attack this Sunday, 24 April 2022.
As any thinking person is aware, the only way NATO would make a “RETALIATORY” nuclear strike, is if Russia launched a First Strike. So what does that tell you about this coming weekend?
The official notice placed on the Russian Ministry of Emergencies web site.
What it is like to be arrested in China
This is the real deal and what it is actually like. video 10MB
3-Ingredient Chocolate Cherry Dump Cake
“I have made this several times for potlucks or family dinners. It is always a hit. Like eating a brownie with cherries. Tastes almost like the cherry chocolates you buy around Christmas.”
3-Ingredient Chocolate Cherry Dump Cake
From Betty Crocker, and so easy to make and so VERY delicious.
Our Chocolate Cherry Dump Cake brings together the dream team – sweet cherries and rich chocolate. This cherry dump cake recipe calls for only three ingredients and is best served warm with a scoop (or two!) of vanilla ice cream. While this cake is easy to make, the flavor is out-of-this-world and sure to become a family favorite. Whip up this cherry dump cake recipe for an ooey, gooey weekday dessert or for a special occasion!
Migratory birds of mass destruction and US bio labs around the globe, some nuggets:
“The UN Security Council held an extraordinary event on April 6 under the rubric Arria Formula Meeting on Biological Security regarding the biological activities in countries including Ukraine. Predictably, the US and UK representatives didn’t show up at the event and the western media also blacked out the proceeding.”“A mind-boggling “discovery” that Russian forces in Ukraine stumbled upon is the use of numbered birds by the Pentagon-funded labs. This almost falls out of science fiction and Sir Alfred Hitchcock could have made an epic movie out of it where deception mixes with innocence and man’s cruelty to nature becomes unbearably grotesque. The project works like this…”“…the US has so far point-blank refused to accept any supervision and verification of such incriminatory evidences and has stonewalled the demand for a verification mechanism. It is unlikely that the US will permit an international verification process that holds the potential to expose it as indulging in crimes against humanity…”
It would be a grand place to visit. But you know, it’s terribly expensive.
Norway
Volodimir Zelensky nominated for the Nobel Prize
The European Parliament has nominated the president for his heroic bravery in the face of unleashed evil agression.
Although we are aware that this is a break with procedure, we believe that this break is justified by the current unprecedented situation. It is our democratic duty to confront authoritarianism and support a people fighting for democracy and their right to self-government.The veneer of civilization is paper thin, we are its guardians and we can never rest."
Thirty year US treasury bond reached today the highest yield in last fifty years, indicating a huge sell off ahead of expected FEDs three quarter point increase. For me, this by itself is the most important news today.
What’s gonna happen with tens of trillions of printed fiat money?
Only applies to women
I suppose that men can try this technique as well.
2022 04 22 15 10
Europe to deepen military ties with the US.
Duh.
“The pact would allow routine interactions between American and EU institutions on defense issues and open the door for U.S. defense contractors to participate in the bloc’s growing defense spending under certain conditions.”
Can anyone explain why absolutely massive fires just keep erupting again and again at critical facilities all over America? The tragic destruction by fire of the headquarters of Azure Standard in Oregon shocked millions of people, and since that news broke quite a few readers have been reaching out to me about the long string of unusual blazes that we have been witnessing from coast to coast in recent months.
I decided to look into this phenomenon for myself, and I am sharing what I have discovered so far in this article. Dr. Benjamin Braddock and others had already been digging into this, and their research proved quite valuable as I began my investigation. Some of the incidents that people have reported I was not able to independently verify, and others I felt were too minor to be put on this list. With all that being said, the following is a list of 16 major fires that have occurred at key food industry facilities in the U.S. since the start of 2022…
As the smoke settles near Taylor Farms, questions remain on the future of the business and the roughly 1,000 people employed at the Abbott Street facility.There is little to nothing left of the processing facility due to fire and smoke damages caused by Wednesday night’s blaze, according to Deputy Fire Chief Sam Klemek.“About 85% to 95% of the building is a total loss,” he said.
Multiple workers are hospitalized following an explosion at a food processing facility that has nearby residents on alert for possible evacuation.The explosion occurred Tuesday evening at Shearer’s Foods in Hermiston, a city in agriculturally rich eastern Oregon. No deaths have been reported from the blast, but the extent of the damage to the plant and its future were not clear. City officials are concerned what the fire could mean for the community and local economy.
Neighbors banded together to support crews as they battled a fire in Conway for about 16 hours Monday night.More than 12 departments and agencies worked together to put out the fire at East Conway Beef and Pork.
“The situation at our Jonesboro factory is under control and we are looking into the cause of the fire,” a Nestle spokesperson said. “Thankfully, no employees were injured and all are safe. We appreciate the quick response of the Jonesboro Fire Department and emergency response teams. The factory will remain closed as we assess the damage and return the factory to full operation. We plan to continue to support our employees financially during this time.”Nestle opened the plant in 2002 and in December 2020 the company unveiled plans to invest more than $100 million to expand the frozen foods plant, including the addition of 90,000 square feet and a new production line for Hot Pockets frozen sandwiches. In addition to Hot Pockets, Nestle makes products under the Stouffer’s, Lean Cuisine, DiGiorno, Tombstone and Sweet Earth brands at the plant.
A portion of Mauston’s Wisconsin River Meats burnt down during an overnight fire Feb. 2-3, with the cause of the fire still under investigation.“The old portion of the plant is a total loss,” Wisconsin River Meats said in a Facebook post about the fire. “We humbly ask that you be patient and please give us some time to sort out the cause of the fire and for us to transition some of our business and invoicing to our warehouse.”
Operating from what company officials referred to as the command center at Deli Star Corp.’s St. Louis Innovation Center, the Siegel family-led operations and executive team have spent the week scrambling to fulfill customers’ orders and work with local officials investigating a Jan. 11 fire that destroyed its 75,000-square-foot processing plant in Fayetteville, about 40 miles southeast of them.
Fire crews from several towns have been battling a fire at the Penobscot McCrum potato processing plant in Belfast. Crews were called to the scene at 28 Pierce Street around 3:30 a.m., according to Maine Department of Public Safety spokesperson Shannon Moss.
A fire at a fertilizer company in western Kansas prompted evacuations Tuesday afternoon because hazardous materials were involved, officials said.The Ford County Regional Hazardous Materials Team deployed to Leoti for the fire and was fighting the blaze and removing hazardous material, Wichita County Clerk Lynda Goodrich said.
Louis Dreyfus Company (LDC) said on Wednesday a fire had broken out in a bag house at its Claypool, Indiana, soybean processing and biodiesel plant on Tuesday and the affected systems had been suspended.No employees were injured and the fire was put out by 9:15 p.m. central time on Tuesday, LDC said in a statement. LDC’s website said soybean deliveries were suspended at the plant on Wednesday. LDC says Claypool is the largest fully integrated soybean processing and biodiesel plant in the United States.
An uncontrolled fire at a fertilizer plant in North Carolina forced thousands of people to evacuate as firefighters stood back Tuesday because of the danger of a large explosion.Authorities drove through neighborhoods and knocked on doors asking residents to leave within a one-mile radius (1.6 km) of the Winston Weaver Company fertilizer plant on the north side of Winston-Salem, where the fire started Monday night. Overnight, bright orange flames and thick plumes of smoke could be seen shooting into the sky. No injuries were reported.
A smoldering pile of sulfur quickly became a raging chemical fire just after 1 p.m. Monday at Nutrien Ag Solutions, 1101 Midvale Road, Sunnyside Fire Chief Ken Anderson said.The fire destroyed one storage building on the southeast corner of the fertilizer storage facility in the Port of Sunnyside and damaged others, but adjacent Nutrien buildings and storage tanks containing hazardous chemicals were spared, Anderson said Monday evening.
A fire started at the Cargill-Nutrena feed mill in Lecompte, LA in the early hours of Thursday morning and burned for 12 hours, coverage by local television news station KALB said. An explosion reportedly occurred as firefighters were working the scene.
It’s a long road to recovery for Maricopa Food Pantry after a fire destroyed around 50,000 lb of food. The fire happened just 15 minutes after their food bank closed on Monday morning. Smoke was still coming from the rubble 24 hours later. “It had to be 40-50 feet in the air, just pure black smoke. It engulfed the entire neighborhood,” said Maricopa Food Pantry President Mike Connelly. “The heat we could feel down at the corner.”
The headquarters of Azure Standard, the nation’s premier independent distributor of organic and healthy food, was destroyed by fire overnight. There were no injuries. The cause of the fire is unknown and under investigation. The loss of the facility and the impact on companywide operations is being assessed and expected to be limited and temporary. No other Azure Standard facilities were affected.
Investigators from the ATF’s National Response Team began its on-scene investigation on Friday into the massive fire at a Walmart facility in Plainfield.The team, led by Supervisor Christopher Forkner, is working with the Plainfield Fire Territory, Indiana State Fire Marshal’s Office and the Plainfield Police Department, according to a press release. ATF special agents from the Indianapolis Offices of the Columbus Field Division will also be assisting.
Of course it is not unusual for there to be fires at food industry facilities, and fire departments are accustomed to responding to such fires and putting them out.
But in many of these cases, we are talking about absolutely uncontrollable fires that seemed to erupt very suddenly.
And in many of these cases the firefighters that responded were not able to save the structures because the fires were so enormous.
Needless to say, the collective loss of all of these facilities will make the coming food shortages that I have extensively written about quite a bit worse.
MM Comment
Remember that the Trump administration, under the direction of John Bolton, was active in trying to create mind-numbing famine inside of China from 2017 through 2019. That is a full two to three years.
Chinese always respond “tit for tat”.
China different boxing technique
The Chinese have many differnt ways to box and fight. Here’s one. video 3MB
I like this picture. You got a cat, good food, pouring coffee and a killer view. I hardly think life could be any better than this.
Appreciate what you have.
Record-setting cold snap hits Europe, France
A historically intense April cold snap has descended on Europe, with temperatures plummeting to 20 to 30 degrees (11 to 18 degrees Celsius) below normal. The record-breaking cold has triggered harsh frosts, shocking early-blooming plants and crops in several countries.
Slovak minister says paying in roubles an option, country needs gas
PRAGUE, April 3 (Reuters) – The economy minister of Slovakia, which relies on Russian gas for around 85% of its demand, said the country could not be cut off from Russian gas flows and if it had to pay in roubles it would, although it backed taking a common European Union stance.
“That’s what makes mornings so tricky. Getting out of bed and ready for work is already a challenging task, but having to leave your significant other behind is much worse. So trying to squeeze in just 5 more minutes is totally worth being a little late for work.”
Waking up…
Blueberry Cobbler
“I love this recipe! I made a few changes such as using triple berry’s and so I had to add a little more auger over the top but Oh My God it’s delicious!”
Blueberry Cobbler.
Make the most of summer's fresh fruit and mix up an easy Blueberry Cobbler. With a tender topping and a berry filling, this easy Blueberry Cobbler with Bisquick™ Original Pancake & Baking Mix is a dessert you'll be asked to make again and again. If you don't have fresh blueberries on hand, frozen blueberries achieve the same, great taste. For this Blueberry Cobbler recipe, just make sure the total volume of fruit remains the same if using frozen blueberries. Spoons up and enjoy.
Pour melted butter into 8 or 9-inch square baking dish.
In medium bowl, whisk together Bisquick™ mix, sugar, and milk; pour over melted butter.
Sprinkle blueberries evenly over Bisquick™ batter.
Bake 42 to 47 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve warm.
Tips
Kitty playing with an HO scale railroad
Kitty at play.
Kung Fu Clowns
Enjoy this old television commerical. It’s a hoot!
Do you want more?
You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.
Mort Künstler is best known today for his vivid paintings of scenes from American history, specifically the Revolutionary War and the Civil War. These works have been featured in books and calendars, and spotlighted in exhibitions around the country.
Warning! This article is image-heavy. Please click on the image, to refresh the image if they don't load properly.
Less known is Künstler’s early work in men’s adventure magazines, a unique genre that populated newsstands from the 1950s through the late ‘70s. Also known as “men’s sweats,” because most covers featured a sweaty, shirtless guy facing some type of peril, scores of adventure titles vied for a reader’s attention with eye-popping headlines such as “Death Orgy of the Leopard Women” and “Weasels Ripped My Flesh!”
Men’s adventure magazines were the bastard child of the popular pulp magazines of the ‘20s, ‘30s and ‘40s, and many of the artists who worked for the pulps also put paint to canvas for this next evolution, most famous among them being Norm Saunders. Numerous publishers saw an easy buck in the men’s adventure magazines, but none more so than Martin Goodman’s Magazine Management, whose titles included Male, Stag, Action For Men, Battlefield, Complete Man, For Men Only, Man’s World, and many others.
Künstler started working for the men’s adventure magazines shortly after graduating from Pratt Institute in the early 1950s.
“I was a hungry guy, and I was persistent,” he says. “I clicked with several [men’s adventure magazine] publishers, and it almost became a competition for my services. I ended up with Magazine Management mostly because they paid better and offered me as much work as I could handle.”
Künstler also did a lot of work for other publishers, whose titles included True, Argosy, Adventure, American Weekly, and The Saturday Evening Post. The men’s adventure magazines specialized in lurid headlines and even more lurid covers, often depicting over-the-top war stories, daring tales of escape, deadly encounters with dangerous animals, and sex. Most of the stories were pure fiction but presented as fact – an easy way to lure gullible readers. Künstler illustrated them all with a straight face.
“I always tried to make my covers and interior illustrations as believable as possible,” he says. “That was my knack, and instrumental in why the magazines sold so well. And I was rewarded as a result. It worked out very well and I had a lot of fun with it.”
The stories with a sexual component sometimes made Künstler a little uncomfortable, and he admits to turning down a couple of assignments because of that. When he did say yes, however, the results were stunning – sexy in a clean, classical style.
“By today’s standards, none of them are offensive,” Künstler says, “but they were slightly risque. I never painted an illustration in which a woman’s breasts were seen; they were always covered by long hair or a torn blouse.”
Now, if you will, picture, if you can, a time before man buns and rompers on the covers of “men’s magazines.” A time before the easy reach of internet porn, when magazines were a source of escape, fantasy and inspiration.
We’re not talking GQ, Maxim or Esquire, but instead titles that left nothing to the imagination, like Complete Man’s Magazine or True Men Stories or All Man or my personal favorite (for obvious reasons), Stag.
The publishers didn’t try to mine focus-group-driven demographic data to determine their audience. The editorial staff knew who they were after: Men.
Real men.
Guys who were just coming back from war or who were headed back into it.
Guys who were away from their families, girlfriends and wives, who wanted nothing more than to feel like a man in an environment that was trying to rob them of their souls.
They wanted to be transported back into the shit and to read stories about survival and sweat and combat and conquest.
These men’s magazines of the 50s and 60s offered the perfect respite from life’s drudgery. Packed with heroic stories of war or more salacious articles like the “‘Private Love Club’ Girls of London.”
Ads for well-paying jobs like meat cutting (“People Must Eat!”). These magazines went straight to the heart of what drives men to be only slightly-better-dressed cavemen. Action, adventure, women, fighting, danger, lust and an unwavering addiction to being a proud American.
The covers of these magazines were absolute works of art, typically depicting pulse-pounding scenes such as an outdoorsman shooting bloodthirsty wolves trying to attack his downed horse, a sailor rescuing crewmates from Nazis, or a swimmer beating a shark to death with a raft paddle.
Many of the publications featured artwork depicting the age-old damsel-in-distress with an imminent rescue by a Burt Lancaster-meets-Paul Newman type.
The foes didn’t matter — Nazis, bloodthirsty Mongolians or Pacific Island natives. What these stories had in common was that they raised the heart rate of the reader.
When I scrounged around the dusty, moldy boxes in an old used book store in a collapsing central Pennsylvania building, they had no idea that I was a fan of Men’s Magazines.
Before I unwrapped them, I could smell the musty pages that instantly transported me back to my grandfather’s basement, where I first saw some of these rags.
There was a stack there against a back wall sitting in a wooden apple crate wedged between an old oil tank piled with books and the remains of a sewing machine buried under bags of paperbacks.
I remember when I was a young boy.
Sometimes I would sneak down and leaf through them, not really understanding what I was looking at, but nonetheless fascinated by the pictures. I mean, how is an eight-year-old supposed to understand the subtle intricacies of article titles like “Nude Love Slaves of the Master of Pain”?
I got to see barely covered boobs on the covers and that was enough for me. (The “Playboy” stash would be uncovered later, scrounging though garbage cans outside. And yes, that was a different level of reading comprehension.)
Decades later, I still remember the impact of some of those covers, and this treasure trove that arrived in the mail was a perfect walk down memory lane.
I fell into the articles and pictures again, completely consumed by them.
Seriously, the cover images blew me away and I wanted to find out more about the artists who designed them.
Research kept leading me back to Mort Künstler, an illustrator and artist best known for his historical, war-themed pieces.
However, Künstler started like many of us do, freelancing for jobs as a way to pay the bills. In the 50s and 60s this meant illustrating the covers for many of the men’s pulp titles.
Want a man depicted fighting a shark? Künstler was your go-to guy.
There were others, of course.
Norman Saunders was also very well known for his illustrations across all men’s magazines, eventually branching out from pulp into westerns and science fiction. Saunders spent time as an MP and as a member of the Army Corps of Engineers during World War II.
Perhaps the military experience fine-tuned his skill at creating lifelike fantasy perfectly suited for pulp.
Throughout that period Künstler and Saunders progressed in their careers, prolifically creating works for magazines like National Geographic and Newsweek.
As cover art was slowly replaced by photography in the 70s, Künstler shifted directions and became a historical artist, while Saunders worked for Topps trading cards and continued illustrating other fantasy magazines.
There were several other artists that helped to shape this era as well, but many were never credited or else worked under pseudonyms so as to not affect their “real” art careers.
What they left in their wake, though, was an epic genre of images that sparked the imagination like no photography ever could.
At the time these magazines were being published, the country was in the midst of a cultural shift. Hippies were on the rise, political correctness was in its infancy, and we had Viet Nam looming.
These men’s magazines offered a release and a non-PC point of view. Drawn in by the cover art, the men who bought these mags were captivated by their stories that often blurred the lines between fact and fiction.
Inside these 25-cent rags there were no glossy pages or color photos. Each page was filled with black-and-white text on cheap, newspaper-type material. The articles were littered with testosterone-fueled, somewhat realistic fiction.
These pieces weren’t exactly an imitation of hardcore journalism — unless you are thinking of that other sort of hardcore.
Essentially, these magazines were eighty pages of pulp fodder, laced with sex, adventure, history and menace. The ads were reflections of society at the time, too.
Flipping through them, you could almost picture Don Draper sipping a third martini in his office before noon, dreaming up quick-hit ads that sold everything from love pills to binoculars to early precursors of cell phones.
What’s interesting is that all of the same types of ads are still in play today, only the quality of the images and sales copy has changed.
Suffice it to say, men are always going to be men, drawn to the same stuff. These magazines just gave zero F’s about subtlety. Remember, they weren’t trying to appeal to Harvard-educated executives. Their core readership were the GIs that had served in World War II or Korea, or who would be going to Viet Nam.
Pictures were key, but in-depth research was not. The heavyweight titles and subtitles were enough to keep the pages turning.
One of my favorite patriotic pictorials was simply titled, “Invasion!” It included grainy black-and-whites from Normandy. That would be cool in and of itself, but the subtitle was even better: It can be a platoon carrying M-1s or an Army corps backed by atomic cannon.
Once they’re dumped on that beach, an invasion boils down to just plain guts. Guns, guts, military superiority, nostalgia and pride. All the ingredients that would ensure the reader would come back for more.
But once the initial content got the reader’s heart pumping, it was time to send that blood elsewhere.
Toward the middle of the magazine were the women. Bikinis, bed sheets, blondes and brunettes — the centerfolds were tame by today’s standards.
Remember though, there was no Tinder, Instagram or PornHub for a guy to get his fix.
For a quarter, the reader was immersed in a world that catered to his every desire. From Japanese wrestling girls to The Case of the Nude Lady Bartenders.
These literary gems also tried to answer medical questions like “What is Sexual ‘Excess?’” (A good question if we’ve ever heard one.)
The back pages of the magazines were very much like they are today. A collection of ads, business “opportunities” and promises of better living through consumption. The publishers had the formula nailed.
As societal tastes have changed over the decades, so has the content of most major men’s magazines. Impossibly beautiful men living impossibly extraordinary lives are the substance that publishers and advertisers think we want.
As a middle-aged man with a few kids and a world-class “dad-bod,” I just can’t relate. I want to hear stories from guys with scars that they got in some unknown part of the world. Authenticity is what sells, and a bit of creative license here and there just makes the reading fun.
So, the next time you’re cruising the local bookstore or men’s magazines at the supermarket, take a look at the covers and ask yourself if there is anything actually piquing your interest.
Do you really want to learn “7 Secret Tips to Grooming the Perfect Beard?”
Or do you want to see a leather-clad biker saving his old lady from the clutches of the Nazi sadists?
Yeah, us too.
Yeah. I know.
It’s an old clichéd joke to say you read adult magazines for the articles. However, if you’re talking about men’s mags from the 1950s and 60s, there might actually be some truth in your statement.
Magazines like Playboy, Adam, Jem, and Rogue often featured genuinely well-written articles and short fiction.
Getting published in a men’s magazine wasn’t the shameful smudge on an author’s reputation as it is today – in fact, it was a common stepping stone for soon-to-be-famous authors.
But it isn’t just the stories that deserve respect – it’s the artwork that complimented them. Often sleazy and purposefully outrageous, the illustrations were designed to entice you to read the story in a not-so-subtle way.
In my mind, Mort Künstler was one of the best. And I hope that I can impress upon you all why I loved his work. What follows are some of his art, and I hope that it teleports you all to another time and place…
Defending a house full of school girls from the rampaging communist menace…
Escaping on a raft with beautiful ladies and trying to navigate over rapids while the enemy tries to bomb you with explosives tied to kites…
Assault on a Nazi German stronghold…
Fighting off pacific islanders while on a captured Japanese patrol boat, while you protect the beautiful lasses who want to be saved…
Fending off ME-109s with a “tommy gun” while in a high altitude balloon, as you try to infiltrate the German V2 secret rocket program…
Rescuing women in a slave rape camp from their evil Nazi captors…
The crew of a merchant marine ship sunk by the Japanese, take control of the submarine and claim it for themselves…
Fighting off mutant, rapid, attack gophers…
Blowing up a secret Nazi installation while saving a beautiful scuba-dame…
Crashing through a bases gate with a red haired raven…
Battling sharks while shipwrecked on the high seas…
Fighting the evil communist Chinese with help from pretty attractive native women…
Special forces seize the personal quarters of a ranking Nazi German officer and commandeer his (ahem) possessions…
Military vet fights off thugs to protect the pretty lass…
Bank robbery, mission impossible style…
Hunting bigfoot for fine eating…
Taking over a Nazi German training aircraft and using it to bomb German bridges…
When the airfield is under attack, the hero races to a forgotten vintage biplane on display…
Dealing with evil Chinese triad mobsters…
Secret mission and convincing an attractive lass to help…
Separating the women from the Japanese as spoils of war…
Captured and a meeting of the Sheik…
When elephants rampage!
Freeing Russian women from the pleasure quarters…
Battle of Midway.
The fighting of the giant stingray!
A femme fatale…
Braving the wild rino!
Fighting a very agressive panther.
Staked down in the sand and being fed upon by vultures…
There’s a new shirtless cowboy in town…
Lone survivors. A man and two lovely women.
Mob action on board a yacht.
An art of seduction…
Seduction of two Nazi officers.
The rescue of a dame…
Battle in the skies…
A bank robbery…
Saling in the rough South Pacific…
Fighting together…
Party times Nazi style…
Balloon fun…
Rescue of trapped ladies from the Japanese…with tanks!
Plans within plans…
More heists…
Capture of a German military train…
Raid in a casino…
Seduction of Nazi elite…
A ruse for the big attack…
A surprise awaits inside the tent…
A paratroop rescue from the wild barbarians…
Hiding from the evil Chinese commies…
Seizing the beauty from the military base…
A bomb based bank heist…
Remember the Catina!
battle on the high seas…
The rewards of vice…
Stealing the oil…
Placing bombs on the hulls of the evil Japanese navy…
Mobsters caught poaching…
Capturing a key bridge…
And inside of China, some serious skull duggery…
Shootout in the subway…
Brave race for life…
Top secret mission to the South Pole.
The rewards of ill gains can provoke female inspiration…
Escape from a prisoner of war camp…
A historical battle…
Or battling the evil Chinese communists on their home turf…
Tromping though Vietnam…
Or being rescued by attractive native dames…
A civil war story…
Or fighting the wild indians…
Surprise awaiting at home…
Learning how to survive in the Northern wilderness…
Fighting the British…
Defending the South…
Destruction of the South…
Fun and games in the French Foreign Legion…
Secret mission to destroy the evil communist navy…
Taking away valuable assets…
Breaking up an evil Nazi party…
Destruction of a SAM missile complex…
Gathering of battle forces…
Taking over the port…
Taking over Nazi submarines…
Fighting a wild bear…
Prep for battle…
Recon the enemies new secret weapon…
Wagon train adventures…
And so on, and so forth.
I hope you all enjoyed this. My fingers are tired. Have a great rest of the day.
Do you want more?
I have more articles like this one in my Art Index here…
You’ll not find any big banners or popups here talking about cookies and privacy notices. There are no ads on this site (aside from the hosting ads – a necessary evil). Functionally and fundamentally, I just don’t make money off of this blog. It is NOT monetized. Finally, I don’t track you because I just don’t care to.
Well, I just received a comment that I have been living in China too long. That I have lost my understanding about what America is, what it stands for, and yada, yada, yada. Yeah, I get it. I am not promoting any of the narratives out of the American government. So therefore, I must be a traitor!
A quick recap for anyone who doesn’t understand what I am talking about;
The United States government controls ALL American for-profit media.
The mainstream media was acquired in the 1980’s.
The Alt-Left was acquired around 2000.
The Alt-Right was acquired in the second decade of 2000.
If you listen or read anything out of any of those media sources, then you are feeding at the trough of the American Government. And as such, you are believing everything Washington DC wants you to believe.
MSNBC = USA Government.
Huffington Post = USA Government.
Rush Limbaugh = USA Government.
Polico = USA Government.
Alex Jones = USA Government.
Yeah. Do you “get it”?
Take note that Rush Limbaugh is functionally a mouth-piece for Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. At NO time has he ever said anything in disagreement with him, his actions, or his activities. While it might have "questioned" them, they would always turn that questioning into something favorable.
They are not “independent” and represent an alternate view. They are snares that trap people of similar mindsets into an environment where the government can intentionally manipulate…and control.
If you enjoy the “alternative media”, then you are caught up in the government propaganda snare.
The only non-influenced sources of information on the Internet are “independent bloggers”. And of that, it’s a mixed bag. With many simply placing their opinions and observations based upon the (government controlled) Alternative narratives instead of their own first-hand experiences.
Regarding the derogatory comments. It’s what happens when the uninformed stumble upon Metallicman. They read an article or two, come to some snap and quick opinions before going through the voluminous stacks of information and come to conclusions.
They cannot see what this venue is, what it represents, and how it is different. They are searching for articles that they believe or that they want to believe. And NO ONE in American want’s to see the truth. They want to live the lies that they are being spoon-fed. Which are…
America is the best,the greatest, the most powerful nation on the Earth.
The USA is blessed by God, and give domination over all else.
Americans are better, kinder, and more understanding than the rest of the world.
And if you mostly follow the Alt-left sites…
America is growing in diversity, allowing for differences in individuality.
America is historically corrupt and is in the process of correction.
Russia is behind all the problems in America today.
But if you mostly follow the Alt-Right sites…
A Marxist takeover is imminent.
The Progressives are going to disarm you, and probably do nasty things.
China is behind all the evil in America today.
It’s all nice to read. If a bit terrifying. Over all, it tends to make you feel good about yourself and help you reach out to others of a similar mind-set. That’s why it is called an echo chamber. But, a lot of it is not really true. Not by a long shot.
Yes. There are going to be some dicey times ahead for America.
Yes. Some Progressive Marxists are going to secure areas near urban areas using historically successful methods.
Yes. Changes are going to be implemented that not everyone will agree with.
Yes, there will be some conflict and confrontations, and maybe a very nasty global war as a result of the American idiocy.
But it’s going to be in fits and starts. It’s going to be confined to certain regions, and might not affect everyone.
Probably not.
But what is going to actually happen will not be what is being presented in any of the government controlled media. They do not want the citizens to know what is going on. Instead, they have set the media on “auto pilot” and they are leading their readership towards blind alleys and dangerous objectives. All for the government to capitalize upon.
Within the first year of the Biden Presidency; 2021 will be a horrific gun-related event. The media will launch into a hysterical anti-gun campaign. And this will kick off a serious escalation of the ongoing American Civil War.
…
What follows are just glimpses into the “mixed bag” of what the world is today. In short, it is just a bunch a stuff about America, good and bad. It doesn’t necessarily mean that America is horrible, but rather that the alarm bells have been going off for decades now. The USA is in a shit-load of hurt, and unless people start taking active and proactive steps to correct things, a big fiery catastrophe is sure to follow.
Just because you live in a nice home, drive a nice car, and eat nice food does not mean that you are successful. It just means that you are thriving in an environment AT THIS PARTICULAR MOMENT IN TIME. Unless you are able to determine the duration of this environment, you are just living on “borrowed time” and your future can change in unsavory ways unless you take adequate precautions.
So first, an opinion…
Even if the American people wake up, it will not help because they'll have to first look in the mirror.
The American people are not pawns. They elect the war-mongers and give them impunity. They pay taxes to feed the beasts of war. They send their sons and daughters to perform the atrocities for their ruling class masters. As long as the American people continue to live in the lie of their hypocrisy, they cannot be saved.
Ask yourself how is it possible for 99% to be ruled and fooled by the 1% in a democratic and free society if the people don't allow it?
It won't even happen in an authoritarian society.
Don't blame it on the ruling class and the war-mongers because the American people empower them.
Don't blame it on the freedom-to-lie free press because the people want the freedom to lie and slander. Why else would Americans accept 250,000 deaths and blame everything on China?
In fact, if this happened in China, such egregious liars and perpetrators of atrocities would be festooned on trees. China does have a long and rich history of peasant rebellions. Don't blame it on that nebulous "they." Blame it on ourselves. We have met the enemy and he is us.
By the way, globalization is an American idea. America has the dollar hegemony. It buys everything with money it prints. Others must earn that US dollar in order to pay for things that they need for development and trade.
America is the wealthiest, most powerful, and freest country in the world, why would the people want shit jobs mining or making shoes at minimum wage? In American politics, everyone wants jobs. Have the American people turned to brainless zombies? Do people want the freedom to be ignorant? Why would they need 80-hour a week shit jobs that pay two dollars an hour so their children can grow up without a family?
China sacrificed a generation of its people to working in shit jobs for Americans so China's children can get educated and be more competitive in the global market dominated by America and the West. Americans don't need jobs. They need the basic guarantee of a home, healthcare, education, food, and the means to communicate. They can use their spare time to stop raping and bombing other countries, sanctioning whoever whenever for whatever reasons, and travel the world to learn about how to live and let live.
The American people are not pawns. They are America. Wake up indeed and look in the mirror. Change yourself and then go out and change America. That is the only hope for America and the only possibility of peace for the rest of the world.
Peter Man
Toronto
Let’s take a look at things from my point of view. Here’s what America is…
Politics
The worst, absolutely worst thing in America today is the political scene. Lordy, it is awful. I try to avoid it, but no matter what I do, it sort of creeps up on me and throws me to the ground. Screeching in agony and writhing in pain.
Here’s a twitter about the election of 2020, and an opinion about the election loss by Donald Trump…
Ouch!
Look guys, part of the problem with America today isn’t just one singular person, or their behaviors. It is the accumulation of decades if not centuries of selfish, intentional mismanagement. So don’t get too down on Mr. Trump, there’s lots of blame to go around.
Yes, it is so easy to point to a figurehead, a media celebrity or anyone else who is well-known and famous, we really do need to get to take a full “360 degree review” audit…
And, you know, it’s not all bad…
Of course it’s not all bad.
Here are some positive things that show the general resourcefulness of Americans during the entire horrible COVID-19 pandemic…
.
And no it isn’t. But you know we need to look at the good along with the bad to see the bigger picture. Instead of showing all doom and gloom, we have to look at the positive elements of life in the USA, don’t you know.
Here is what I call innovation…
Real Innovation.
.
Now this is something that I wholeheartedly support.
Messed up?
But the fact is that the United States is terribly messed up. It really is, and even though we look at the good inside America, it’s usually on a small level – a interpersonal level where it manifests. Anything on a large scale is corrupted beyond functionality.
In an attempt to change what is wrong with the United States, those in power want the citizens to change. And to change their history, their cultures and their society. Not change the ruling class. That is fucked up.
Medicine
We’ve all heard a thing or two about the American healthcare system. To put it simply—it’s probably not the best system in the world. Well, as a person who has used medical systems in other parts of the world, I can pretty much say that the American system is perhaps one of the worst.
People who get ill are often left with huge debts, it costs hundreds (if not thousands) of dollars to call an ambulance. It’s an out-of-control for-profit mechanism, and it is running amok. Heck, hospitals in America even charge you for “skin to skin” contact when you give birth to your child.
That is not a “great” system. Rather it is a wholly corrupt one.
When it comes to medicine, the situation seems even direr. Recently, Emily Porter, a doctor based in Austin, Texas, shared an infuriating Twitter thread about the cost of drugs and ridiculous markups on medicine.
The thread shared by an Austin-based MD has caused quite a stir and received more than 56k likes and over 18k retweets. A lot of people on Twitter found the thread infuriating. “Why aren’t Americans smashing [things] up over this and demanding a better system?” someone tweeted. “The worst thing is that American healthcare ideology is bleeding over the pond. There needs to be some direct action ASAP.”
Uh. Well DUH! But you know, if you are an American, that nothing is going to change. Those in power are far too powerful. You just cannot do anything about it.
I can tell you that this medicine is actually very cheap in the rest of the world, and inside of China, not only do you NOT need a doctors’ prescription (and the costs for a visit), but a bottle of 50 pills of Ondansetron OD is under $2.
CARE ACT
Well… Trump promised to change things and make America great again. And he went about changing the Healthcare system. He scrapped the “Affordable Care Act” and implemented the CARE Act to help people who had COVID-19 related illnesses.
The idea is that America is a nation run for the people and by the people. And this narrative is heavily promoted. But is it really true?
Let’s look at the CARE Act. In 2020, President trump pushed through, with great fanfare and loud posturing, the CARE act.
The government says (and people believe)…
The CARES Act Works for All Americans The CARES Act provides fast and direct economic assistance for American workers and families, small businesses, and preserves jobs for American industries. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act was passed by Congress with overwhelming, bipartisan support and signed into law by President Trump on March 27th, 2020.
-The CARESAct Works for All Americans
And how it manifests…
How the average American benefits from the CARE Act.
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Analysis…
In the example above, the cost for the medical treatments were $41,649.50. The big, and heavily promoted “help” from the government was $371. So the measured impact of this assistance was 0.89%. Functionally equal to ZERO. Thus pretty much the American citizen must pay full price minus an insignificant amount if they catch COVID-19 and need hospitalization to any degree.
In comparison…
And I will use China in this example because that is where I live, and that is where I have data that I can use to make a comparison with. Thus, using this as a baseline. If you are in China, and you get COVID-19, all treatment is free including all associated hospital costs.
Hospital treatment for COVID-19 in America
$41,650
Hospital treatment for COVID-19 in China
Free
Conclusion…
Americans roar with glee! We are the best! America is number one! Hurray for us! Woo Woo. Freedom! Democracy! Yay!
Proud to be an American.
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But what about the costs, and the minuscule “help” that the government promised? Well, when you point out the facts, and the figures and the numbers the reactions are…
In America the “health care system” is a for-profit mechanism that the oligarchy uses to fleece the American citizenry. There are very few exceptions to this rule.
American health care truths.
But why is everything about money in the USA today?
Well, maybe this chart will put things into perspective.
Perspective on why.
And how it affects most people like you and I.
This chart pretty much sums up the life of a serf-sheeple, work-slave, for the Federal Government racket.
American reality.
Yeah. Let’s review…
So let’s review. On the small interpersonal level, Americans are pretty good folk. And it doesn’t matter if you are politically left or right, most are pretty decent folk. The problem comes when you start talking about larger organizations, government, programs, and money. then it’s completely “off the rails” and a complete “cluster fuck”.
And the people, independent of where they lie politically, hate this. They want to change it. They want America to survive and become something better than the fucked up mess that it is today…
… and the leadership of America know this. They have spent decades preparing for the backlash and they have systems in place to mitigate the effects of this populist revolt. The biggest and primary mechanism, the tried and true device to redirect American anger, is to identify an external threat. You identify it as evil and use it as the scapegoat from which to vilify and attack. And since the problems in America today are so horrible and out of control, the villain must be a large nation. But you all know, those large nations do not like that villainization.
So as a recap.
In 2016, under President Obama, China retained the “Most Favored Trading nation Status” as sent in place two decades earlier by Presidents Bush and Clinton. Then Donald Trump came to office. Suddenly the name of China became equated with evil, disgust and horror. Most certainly the Alt-Right promoted this narrative ruthlessly. With it all coming to a head in 2020 with China being named as “enemy”. The unleashing of biological warfare to destroy food, livestock and people, and an enormous naval armada to the South China Sea to wage war against China.
It didn’t happen.
The American military was sufficiently told to back down, and they did. The armada steamed home and Trump Fires Mark Esper, Defense Secretary as a direct result of his inability to create a war.
Well, good thing though.
I really don’t want to see Boston, New York, San Francisco, Houston, or Chicago reduced to huge craters of ruin. You see I do know a few things about China. A war with China would be fought on American soil. NOT in the far-away South China Sea.
So now…
Biden is in office, and now the narrative is going to change to Russia is the enemy.
Uh oh!
God Loves Cowboys
You all don’t know what I am talking about do you?
Aaron Watson – That’s Why God Loves Cowboys
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When America is spiraling out of control. And all the institutions, the leadership, and all the famous people are shown to be evil or incompetent or both, that is when us individuals must “step up to the plate”. And do what needs to be done.
Which is why we need to be part of a community.
We all will need to “carry our weight” to get though this time. We will all need to be strong, compassionate and helpful. Instead of embracing the hate-hate-hate narrative out of Washington DC that are using the media to pit us all one against the other, we need to unify and throw those bastards in the slammer; French Revolution style.
But they are never going to allow that.
Sanity Check
It’s so very easy to get all caught up in the nightmare that America has become. But the truth is that if you aren’t listening to the internet, and have no dealings with banks, or any government institutions, your life is pretty tranquil. The “news” floods our consciousness with dangerous and toxic shit…
It is only when the Federal Government gets into your life that you start having problems. And to this I argue that not only is the Federal Government dangerous, but that it is toxic and is a major contributor to all the ailments going on inside of America today.
The Federal Government has problems. They need to be diagnosed and corrected.
If you turn off, and tune out from anything that involves the Federal Government, your life would tend to be quieter and gentler.
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And that is pretty much the way it is.
There are a host of good things going on in the United States. You just need to appreciate them. You really need to stop all the fear-mongering. And as I have said earlier, yes there are radical elements, and their fears are being inflamed by interested Federal Government entities. Please do not fall for the fear.
Yes. Bad people are going to try to “improve” America in some way over the next few years. And, Yes, you probably won’t agree to the “improvements”. But you must realize that this roller-coaster will eventually end, and it is up to you to survive it. Do not get too caught up either way in what you read in the news. It’s mostly bullshit.
Look at the good things around you…
America is full of decent people doing good things. Do not be manipulated into thinking otherwise. Wouldn’t you enjoy a delicious icy cold beer with this delicious BBQ?
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But you do know that the rest of the world is watching America right now. They have observed Trump and the mess his neocons made, and they are watching with increased worry what the Biden Administration might do. Everyone pretty much agrees that the United States needs to identify a villain from which they can wage war upon. And if it isn’t going to be China, then it’s going to be Russia.
And Russia does not play…
As I have said before…
To repeat…
Oh, the narrative about “us vs. them” is going to continue all right. America needs an outside enemy to direct it’s frustration and anger towards. Perhaps you know what I am talking about. If you don’t read George Orwell’s book “1984” and refer to the Geo-political issues as described in that masterpiece.
The book is set in 1984 in Oceania, one of three perpetually warring totalitarian states (the other two are Eurasia and Eastasia).
Oceania is governed by the all-controlling Party, which has brainwashed the population into unthinking obedience to its leader, Big Brother. The Party has created a propagandistic language known as Newspeak, which is designed to limit free thought and promote the Party’s doctrines. Its words include doublethink (belief in contradictory ideas simultaneously), which is reflected in the Party’s slogans: “War is peace,” “Freedom is slavery,” and “Ignorance is strength.” The Party maintains control through the Thought Police and continual surveillance.
-Nineteen Eighty-four | Summary, Characters, Analysis ...
You all can consider the following Geo-Political alignments…
USA = Oceania
Russia = Eurasia
China = Eastasia
There are three major powers in the world right now.
USA = (Oceania) Oligarchy controlled military empire running amok. Populated by an intentionally dumbed down, weakened society, of work serfs. Military operations are the norm, and America is military empire with over 800+ military bases all over the globe, and currently fighting 8 hot wars. Americans view it as a normal occurrence, being in a state of war. Military is geared towards offensive conventional weapon operations outside the USA in far away lands.
Russia = (Eurasia) Fierce, pissed off people, who do not want another War where they are positioned within a defensive posture. They will NEVER allow that situation, a replay of World War II to reoccur. Russia suffered horribly during it, and Russians have never forgotten. Military is geared to preventative operations at a large and harsh scale.
China = (Eastasia) Old, smart, intelligent, and diligent. Does not want war, but will respond in a measured manner. On their terms. Using their timing. Planed for their advantage. Any attack on China will have an equal measured response within the continental United States. Military is geared towards responsive operations.
You will see the anti-China propaganda to decrease substantially and sharply, as it is already doing. And you will see a rise of anti-Russia propaganda. And I watch all this as an educated observer, and it horrifies me.
Firstly, because the lead up for war with China was so effective. Most Americans now hate China and support the idea of a (far off) war in the distant South China Sea. They actually believe that China would take the hits and not retaliate. They actually believe that it can be “contained” in a far away land. And now, soon it will change to Russia with a (supposedly) far-off war in Eastern Europe.
Secondly, that the ignorance of what China is, and what it is truly capable of is ignored, as it is discounted by most of the West. Which pretty much is the general American attitude of all other nations. And that is magnified by a factor of ten with Russia.
Thirdly, that the lead up for a war with China pretty much parallels what happened in the lead up to World War II. And we can expect it to be duplicated with Russia. So buckle up. Yeah. It’s not over yet.
Now, from my point of view, the activities will be directed towards Russia instead of China.
Yikes!
Russia? Seriously?
Russia knows whats next.
And so do the readers of MM.
The Defense Ministry said that the Vladimir Monomakh submarine of the Pacific Fleet launched four Bulava missiles in quick succession from an underwater position in the Sea of Okhotsk. Their dummy warheads hit their designated targets on the Chiza shooting range in the Arkhangelsk region in northwestern Russia more than 5,500 kilometers (over 3,400 miles) away, the ministry said in a statement.
The Vladimir Monomakh is one of the new Borei-class nuclear submarines that carry 16 Bulava missiles each and are intended to serve as the core of the naval component of the nation’s nuclear forces for decades to come. Another submarine of the same type performed a similar launch of four Bulava missiles in 2018 — a costly demonstration of the efficiency of the country’s nuclear deterrent mimicking the conditions of a major nuclear conflict.
Yikes!
In a report to President Vladimir Putin, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said that Saturday’s launch wrapped up large-scale drills of Russia’s strategic nuclear forces that began Wednesday. As part of those maneuvers, another Russian nuclear submarine also performed a practice launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile from the Barents Sea, a ground-based ICBM was launched from the Plesetsk facility in northwestern Russia and Tu-160 and Tu-95 strategic bombers fired cruise missiles at test targets at an Arctic range.
And no one in the American media are taking notes?
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So if no one is paying attention, then what are they reporting on?
Seriously. This is not note worthy, or “news” worthy?
Russia has expanded its military drills in recent years amid tensions with the West as relations have sunk to post-Cold War lows after Moscow’s 2014 annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula.
The series of missile launches comes less than two months before the New START U.S.-Russian arms control treaty expires in early February. Moscow and Washington have discussed the possibility of its extension, but so far have failed to overcome their differences.
New START was signed in 2010 by U.S. President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. It limits each country to no more than 1,550 deployed nuclear warheads and 700 deployed missiles and bombers, and envisages sweeping on-site inspections to verify compliance.
After both Moscow and Washington withdrew from the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty last year, New START is the only remaining nuclear arms control deal between the two countries still standing.
Arms control advocates have warned that its expiration would remove any checks on U.S. and Russian nuclear forces, in a blow to global stability.
Ah. But Russia is not what everyone thinks.
Just like China did IN NO WAY reflects the narrative as promoted by the Alt-Right, Russia does not resemble anything that the Alt-Left is promoting either.
Russia, like China, is different from the United States, but an evil empire desirous of taking over the United States through invasion is absurd. Actually their view of America is one full of weak-wristed wimps that are living the high life because their inherited their wealth though their hard-working relatives. Now Americans are squandering what they have, and they deserve to be put back into their place…
Nah.
This is an opinion that you will not read anywhere in American media. But them again, all the sheeple must believe in their strength and ability. Even if it is a lie.
Contemporaneous Russia.
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Yeah. There’s a lot of pretty Russian girls out there in them hills. And speaking about Russian hills…
Contemporaneous Russia.
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Yeah. It looks a lot like Modern America, at least in the countryside.
And yeah. This is also modern Russia. At least there their rights to own weapons is NOT INFRINGED like in America.
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Sure, there are some cultural differences you know.
Russian wedding party.
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But that is no reason to point at them and say loudly “They are trying to steal our democracy”. Seriously that is so fucking absurd.
Absurd.
But the fact remains that facts do not matter. The USA government NEEDS to redirect attention outside of America and eight “brush wars” are no longer capable of that feat. A major serious war is necessary. And it cannot be China. Because China has clearly demonstrated that the USA will lost it’s entire Navy in the process and anger the rest of the world.
Both of which would result in unintended consequences for the American people.
Look guys…
America must stop. Just stop and get on fuck of a new type of government. If no one can think of anything, then just dissolve the federal government and resort to State Governments. Right now the Federal government is a real mess and it is going to destroy the USA in the process. The rest of the world realize this and put Trump in place to minimize the destruction to the shores of the Untied States.
Washington DC and the surrounding area will resort to a radioactive swamp / bog with ruins and with numerous and massive fresh-water craters.
Please try to avoid the red areas on the map.
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Personally, I do wish it can all be avoided, but looking at the current crop of “elected” officials, I see little hope in that happening.
So at which point I need to post this following image. You know to make it perfectly clear to the slower folk in the MM audience….
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Now what?
God, I truly hope that the crescendo rises and then falls before anything peaks. I hope that you all can say MM was full of it. I will never read his writings ever again. I hope that this is as bad as it gets and sensible people take the levers of government inside of America and steers it away, far away from the shit storm of disaster that it is barrelling towards.
I hope.
But our leadership in America doesn’t think like that. They have another view of themselves, and this view is nothing that us serf-sheeple can understand. It is alien to us.
They think of themselves as something wonderful and great.
American leadership today.
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Yikes!
So whats next?
I am predicting an American civil war from 2020 though to 2025. It will not be well reported. It will be regional and it will involve the extreme elements of both the Left and the Right, with both sides being financed by shadowy oligarchy figures and organizations. They will commit atrocities.
Atrocities will be committed..
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The Federal government will use the DHS to keep the peace. It will be hit and miss. Nothing will be reported.
Meanwhile the Federal Government would unleash a “fire hose of disinformation” an anti-Russia barrage that will make it clear that war is imminent.
Only that Russia will strike in the USA preemptively.
Russia will strike in the USA preemptively.
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The USA will suffer immense causalities. And it will end up a ruined nation, and will resemble the nations that the USA has “liberated” for “democracy” already. Like Syria, Lebanon, Afghanistan, and Liberia.
The spiritual picture
Folk, you have to realize that we think about, and what we do eventually creates OUR reality. And if America has been spending the last fifty years destroying all sorts of nations using the excuse of “democracy” then the connection between wars and democracy will strike the USA. It’s a point that I have been hammering down for just about forever.
Trust in America reaches the lowest levels in history. In one year it went from “trust” to “distrust”.
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You can call it karma or something else, but the fact is the USA is in the cross-hairs of a violent reset, of the same nature and permanency of the damage that it has set upon the rest of the world. And that’s the way it is.
Oh, perhaps you all don’t know what I am talking about when I say “karma is a bitch”…
American Improvements to Syria for “democracy”
The main reason for US intervention in Syria was the apparent use of chemical weapons by Assad outside the Syrian capital Damascus on August 21, 2013. The US has blamed the Syrian government forces for the deaths of hundreds of civilians in the attack, an accusation vehemently denied by Syria.
-Reasons for US intervention in Syria
American Improvements to Syria for “democracy”
American Improvements to Libya for “democracy”
U.S. bombs terrorist and military targets in Libya On April 14, 1986, the United States launches air strikes against Libya in retaliation for the Libyan sponsorship of terrorism against American troops and citizens.
-U.S. bombs terrorist and military targets in Libya - HISTORY
American Improvements to Libya for “democracy”
American Improvements to Afghanistan for “democracy”
The Bush administration then commenced a bombing campaign and invasion of Afghanistan, asserting the need to capture or kill bin Laden and crush his terrorist organization so that they could not launch another deadly attack on the American homeland.
-Why Did the United States Invade Afghanistan?
American Improvements to Afghanistan for “democracy”
American Improvements to Yemen for “democracy”
The United States has, for more than a year now, been quietly participating in a Saudi-led war against the Houthis, providing valuable logistical support for Saudi Arabia’s airstrikes. So this missile exchange isn’t something out of the blue. It’s an escalation of current US policy, moving from indirect to direct participation in the Saudi offensive.
-Why the hell is the US helping Saudi Arabia bomb Yemen?
American Improvements to Yemen for “democracy”
American Improvements to Iraq for “democracy”
The chief reason for U.S. involvement in the Iraq-Kuwait conflict was concern over Iraq’s antagonism to Saudi Arabia, a key Western ally. Iraq’s presence in Kuwait gave them strategic positioning in relation to Saudi Arabia.
-WhyDid the U.S. Get Involved With Iraq
American Improvements to Iraq for “democracy”
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You can call it karma or something else, but the fact is the USA is in the cross-hairs of a violent reset, of the same nature and permanency of the damage that it has set upon the rest of the world. And that’s the way it is.
You just don’t spend every day kicking dogs, and not expect to have a pack of dogs attack you. You just don’t expect to gorge yourself on food, over and over again, and not throw up. You just cannot expect to devote so much time and thought to hurting other societies and not expect it all to “come to roost” in your own backyard.
Things need to change.
Yes. Things do need to change. But the good thing is that change is how we grow as individuals. The United States is set for a massive reset, and that is going to create all sorts of opportunities for positive and constructive change. Opportunities that you can take advantage of.
Wrapping it up
Let’s try to summarize this rant-a-thon that I have been locked into today.
On a personal level, Americans are pretty decent folk. But everyone pretty much recognizes that the Federal government is a big mess.
They have poisoned everything inside the nation with their toxic ideas, and their horrible sadistic behaviors.
There are elements within this evil governance that are conspiring to “further improve” America by forcing a Civil War to “purge” it of opposition forces. It will not go as they plan.
To distract attention, a world war is necessary, and both China and Russia do not play. American leadership isn’t really aware of this disconnect, as we have seen with the Trump and Pompeo misadventures with China. We can only imagine what might happen with Russia…
And, Biden isn’t even in office yet, and already the anti-Russia narrative is in full swing…
Russia will launch a preemptive attack. America will respond with a much weaker military. Russia will get dinged. And to a lesser extent, so will China. But, for the most part, most of the remaining world will be spared. America will be in shambles.
Again, with the John Titor stuff…
Add ten years to his dates, and take notes.
Part 1 – 25:00 A message for the world leaders in government. “Revel in your confidence today, because you will not win tomorrow.”Part 2 – 1:45 “There was an armed resistance (from the cities). We killed most of them by 2020.”
Part 2 – 3:10 Question: “Why do you think that our future will be like your future?” Answer: “Because our world-lines are so similar.”
Part 2 – 12:11 “There were no Olympics after 2004.”
Part 2 – 17:40 Most people blamed the “government organizations” for the nuclear war.
Part 2 – 20:50 “When the civil war broke out most decided to stay in the cities and lose most of their civil rights in the guise of security…”
Ah. It’s crazy times that we live in, but you know, it’s NOT really as bad as the news media makes out. And I want to describe why…
Imagine
Imagine that you are a tiny small flea riding on the back of a old, crazed thrashing angry elephant. Some of your flea-friends see the jumping and the thrashing as something bad and they really want to do something about it. Every flea has an idea about what is going on and how to control it. But no one knows for sure.
The fleas are fighting among themselves and that is just fine with the elephant. As long as the fleas aren’t biting the elephant he is just fine. He doesn’t want to get bit. Not at all. He, the elephant, knows that too many flea bite can cause him to get sick and even die. So it is important that the elephant keeps all the fleas busy fighting each other, and not him.
But he is one uncomfortable elephant. He has done some bad stuff over the years and it is all starting to catch up with him.
The Western financial system is basically in a coma and kept alive only by generous IV injections of central bank liquidity. We are living the end of Western hegemony.
Today we are observing the transition from a so called unipolar world, one in which a single nation (or group of allied nations) dictates the terms of life for all global citizens, to a more balanced and natural multipolar world.
The current dominating group, the “western” bloc of nations, is led by the United States along with numerous vassal states; this order has persisted since the end of the WW2. This construct is held together using a combination of supranational organizations (UN, WTO, World Bank, IMF etc.), propaganda (mainstream media complex), armed might (MIC,NATO, private mercenary forces) & chiefly economics (central banks, corporations).
The true “rulers” of this bloc are a cabal of very wealthy & powerful oligarchs that work in the background (shadow banking, dark pool finance, shadow governments, think tanks, NGO’s) to subvert the various sovereignties to their advantage. These oligarchs are the principal owners of, not just the industries and corporations that front for them, but the governments that rule over the masses.
Most importantly this Western cabal owns the means by which real wealth extraction is carried out: fiat currency, chiefly the “worlds reserve currency”- the United States dollar and it’s derivatives.
These currencies are backed not by equitable assets; such as natural resources, precious metals or productive capacities; instead they are backed by the CREATION OF DEBT.
Debt that represents a claim on real assets that virtually all participants in global commerce must pay.
A new bloc of nations has been pushed toward an alliance.
This bloc of nations consists of principally China, Russia and Iran (“eastern bloc”). These nations are led by various actors who seem to comprehend the likely nature of the end game inherent to the current financial construction. They are out of necessity seeking a path toward a different and more balanced and hopefully sustainable economic and global governance paradigm.
-Comment by Lisa Yuen on the article titled Analyzing the Emerging World Order
He (the elephant) is now caged, loaded inside a plane and is being sent to another place. A place where he will no longer be the top-elephant. And he does not like this. Not one bit. So he is thrashing about, howling and screeching with anger at everything around him.
And you, as a lone flea, are seeing all this with worry and concern.
You also see your fellow fleas gear up towards fighting each other. That is worrisome as well. You don’t want to have any part of that. That’s for certain.
So what can we say about this moment in time?
There’s the makings of a civil war. But you don’t want to participate in it.
The Federal Elephant Beast is dangerous and is unpredictable and causing all sorts of disruptions.
This Federal Elephant beast might create a situation that is far worse than what it seems to be heading towards right now.
And that is pretty much it, isn’t it? Left on it’s own, the plane will take the elephant to a destination that it will not like, and that unhappy elephant will make life for the fleas very unhappy. As we used to say in the States “shit flows downhill”. And so now the elephant is trying to burst forth from it’s chains and attack the rest of the crew and creatures on the plane. As such it’s one fuck of a bumpy ride.
United States Foreign Policy
2020 was not random, or bad luck, it was the direct result of Donald Trump trying to suppress global trade and suppress China. It didn’t work out as planned, and instead the entire world was suppressed, and China is doing well.
And so what is next…
Will the elephant calm down, and resign to it’s fate, or will it rebound it’s efforts to “rock the plane” break loose from it’s shackles and do something drastic? Which would mean taking the plane down and crashing it, and in the process killing the rest of the people on the plane.
And will the rest of the plane need to shoot the elephant dead so that the plane can at least land safely?
If you were on the plane, what would you do to the elephant?
If you were the flea what would you do?
Analyzing the Emerging World Order
This is a reprint in full of the referenced article by Lisa Yuen above. It can be found HERE, and is reprinted in full with only minor editing to fit this venue. All credit to the author.
The global community today is clearly in a state of flux. This is not an aberration – we are in the midst of a normal and periodic global reordering. We shall briefly take a “big picture” look at this phenomenon and attempt to glean an understanding as to the direction that we are heading as citizens of a global society.
It is my hope that these observations can foster a more in depth discussion between reasonable people; leading to the development of ideas which can then be implemented to improve the human condition.
Current Paradigm
We live in a world subdivided by societies: nations and their respective subdivisions. As a matter of fact, there are over 200 nations recognized by the United Nations (UN). We are taught that a society must conform to a binary label such as “free” or “unfree”, “democratic” or “non-democratic” and so on. This is done principally for two reasons – to provide a tautological definition, also for easier control of the masses via manipulation.
The current overarching narrative provides that we are divided between the “western” and “eastern” worlds. What does this really mean? We can distill this down to one principal root: economics. What do we mean by economics? We can say that in it’s purest form, it is simply the structured allocation of finite resources.
Today we are observing the transition from a so called unipolar world, one in which a single nation (or group of allied nations) dictates the terms of life for all global citizens, to a more balanced and natural multipolar world.
The current dominating group, the “western” bloc of nations, is led by the United States along with numerous vassal states; this order has persisted since the end of the Second World War. This construct is held together using a combination of supranational organizations (UN,WTO,World Bank, IMF, et cetera), propaganda (mainstream media complex), armed might (MIC,NATO, private mercenary forces) and chiefly economics (central banks, corporations).
The true “rulers” of this bloc are a cabal of very wealthy and powerful oligarchs that work in the background (shadow banking, dark pool finance, shadow governments, think tanks, NGO’s) to subvert the various sovereignties to their advantage. These oligarchs are the principal owners of, not just the industries and corporations that front for them, but the governments that rule over the masses.
Most importantly this cabal owns the means by which real wealth extraction is carried out: fiat currency, chiefly the “worlds reserve currency”- the United States dollar and it’s derivatives. These currencies are backed not by equitable assets; such as natural resources, precious metals or productive capacities; instead they are backed by the creation of debt. Debt that represents a claim on real assets that virtually all participants in global commerce must pay.
How did this cabal come into power? This is a complex question that is subject to many possible answers and interpretations. Briefly, we know from historical fact that a global empire is a central part of this construct, today the United States empire holds that role (previously British, French so on…). This provides the controlling force behind such a cabal. The privately owned quasi-governmental western central banks are at the heart of this operation. They form the crucial nexus between sovereign governments and the financial world in which they derive their revenue stream, and by extension, their power.
The current seat of this construct (United States) was founded as a Constitutional Republic. Unfortunately, the United States Constitution is quite amorphous. Using many acts of legislative, executive and even judicial fiat, this cabal has been able to effectively take over the reigns of the nation. With that feat accomplished, near world domination was made possible.
A complex web of regulations, laws, and rules; coupled with a financial system few fully comprehend has been put into place across the west. This became the mechanism by which this “new world order” has been enforced.
The unsolvable problem here is that this debt based system is really just an elaborate pyramid scheme predicated on ever increasing amounts of debt in a world where sources of real wealth are finite. At present, the growth rate and the total amount of debt issuance, is outpacing the extraction rate and amount of available reserves of resources on the planet.
A Path Forward?…..
A new bloc of nations has been pushed toward an alliance. This bloc of nations consists of principally China, Russia and Iran (“eastern bloc”). These nations are led by various actors who seem to comprehend the likely nature of the end game inherent to the current financial construction. They are out of necessity seeking a path toward a different and more balanced and hopefully sustainable economic and global governance paradigm.
Not individually formidable, these nations collectively are quite powerful.
Lets take a look at the derivation of that power. Firstly we examine a crucial metric: energy, it is well documented that these nations collectively possess enough energy resources to adequately power their economies for a long time. They also possess much of the worlds’ known stores of natural commercial use resources (metals, minerals, rare earth elements).
Additionally, owing in part to technological advances and also to long term changes in the earth’s climate, they possess the means to adequately feed their populations. They are also taking advantage of the fact that scientific knowledge and technological innovation (the key to a sustainable and competitive economy) are geographical location independent, as scientific axioms are immutable and provable anywhere on the planet.
Lastly, the differences between these nations is paradoxically what makes them a powerful bloc. As example: China has become the world’s workshop and an innovation leader whilst Russia proper contains large deposits of natural resources, carries very low external debt levels and possesses a very technologically advanced war machine.
Initiatives led by China such as the OBOR (One Belt One Road) infrastructure project, the AIIB (Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank) and the SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organization) are aimed at providing distinct alternatives to western backed organizations such as the World Bank, IMF, UN, et cetera. The key piece of this strategy seems to be the use of the fiat system itself to fund the accumulation of tangible assets (businesses, technologies, resources, PM’s).
These assets can be then be utilized as a hedge against probable future turbulence with the current western based fiat regime. Why are these nations not publicly clamoring for this system to be dismantled sooner rather then later? First of all, this is a dangerous proposition, as they would likely be economically punished (Greece, Brazil) or worse, suffer an armed attack/invasion (Iraq, Libya).
One just needs to observe the large amount of vitriol directed toward these nations in the western mainstream press to connect theses dots – these nations surely get the message. Secondly, they are slowly dissolving this system on their own terms (direct bilateral trade agreements via own currencies, accumulation of PM’s as a potential partial backing to their respective currencies).
As of now, these nations are taking advantage of the current system to build up their economies and national infrastructures for the long term. As an example, Russia and China have begun co-developing a wide body passenger aircraft using their respective indigenous technologies and knowledge bases. These activities are made possible by their embedment into the current monetary system.
Conclusion
For the human condition to improve, the following possible actions should be taken under serious consideration.
The western fiat currency regime should be dissolved, most outstanding debts should be extinguished (debt jubilee, massive write offs, large scale revaluations), and national sovereignty must regain prominence across the entire globe.
Load the elephant on the plane and ship it elsewhere.
A balanced financial system based principally on equitable assets must take the place of the current debt based system. Sovereign governments should look to take on the crucial role as their own primary issuer of currency; this of course would require much more honest and transparent governments’ than we currently have in place.
The workers must use currency based on tangible items. Not promises.
A new system of loose decentralized global governance should be constructed to act as an impartial arbiter in geopolitical and economic affairs. These are but a few of the possible reforms that could be made to affect a more intelligent paradigm of globalism. Whether the alternative system(s) being pursued by the emergent eastern bloc will fulfill these objectives still remains to be seen, as big challenges remain, e.g. environmental degradation.
Centralized government control has created the elephant that exists today. It is not sustainable and not desirable.
The best outcome for the world at large is a general reset of sorts. A new paradigm in which malinvestments are discouraged and cleared away, success and effort are rewarded, and opportunity for all is sought as a societal virtue, should be pursued. Worse case is a long term continuation of the current system. This outcome is likely to lead to increasing levels of civil and political unrest, and possible widespread conflict as the planet’s capacity to support the growth rates demanded by a debt based system is diminished by a declining real ROI.
The elephant must be taken away before it can do more damage.
Priorities
Yes it appears that the United States is fucked. But it doesn’t mean that you and your family are as well. It’s all a matter of [1] planning and [2] thought control.
You need to gather your priorities together and then plan accordingly. I have written about affirmation prayer campaigns, and if you really are concerned, then start breaking out your affirmation campaigns and work your life from that angle. It does work. Please believe me, and remember that things are not all or nothing. It’s all going to be periods of highs and lows, and you want to be in the most tranquil area as possible.
Your priorities might be something like this…
A man’s priorities.
.
Or perhaps, as a woman you might have different priorities…
Life goals.
.
I really cannot write an article where I can provide a “one size fits all” solution to the myriad of needs that people have, or their many, many desires. All that I can do is provide ideas, suggestions and some general direction vectors, and maybe some hope.
If you all are going to do something about this “crazy elephant” that the United States has become, and you are trapped riding this crazed elephant as it bounces and carries on so, then please find what your priorities are personally. Sit down. Think hard. Discuss hings with loved ones.
Then figure out what you want, and what you need. Then work the plan.
Some people have simple dreams.
.
Some people have simple dreams. While others are more complex.
What are yours?
2021 is the time to plan, and implement that plan. Truth.
Work your plan.
A final note
Since it’s a few weeks before Christmas, let me recommend one of my favorite Christmas movies to all the viewers to MM might enjoy.
Can you guess what movie that I am recommending?
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Men’s adventure magazines were the bastard child of the popular pulp magazines of the ‘20s, ‘30s and ‘40s, and many of the artists who worked for the pulps also put paint to canvas for this next evolution, most famous among them being Norm Saunders. Numerous publishers saw an easy buck in the men’s adventure magazines, but none more so than Martin Goodman’s Magazine Management, whose titles included Male, Stag, Action For Men, Battlefield, Complete Man, For Men Only, Man’s World, and many others.
