The Evening Blues - 7-27-22
Hey! Good Evening!
This evening's music features west coast blues singer and guitarist Johnny Fuller. Enjoy!
Johnny Fuller - I Walk All Night
"The world will not be destroyed by those who do evil, but by those who watch them without doing anything."
-- Albert Einstein
News and Opinion
After Meeting Blinken, Shireen Abu Akleh's Family 'Still Waiting' for Justice
Relatives of Shireen Abu Akleh, the Palestinian-American journalist shot dead by Israeli forces in occupied Palestine in May, followed up a Tuesday meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken by imploring the Biden administration to pursue justice for the slain Al Jazeera reporter.
"Our family just finished meeting with Sec. Blinken," Lina Abu Akleh, Shireen's niece, tweeted. "Although he made some commitments on Shireen's killing, we're still waiting to see if this administration will meaningfully answer our calls for #JusticeForShireen."
In a statement released before the meeting, the journalist's niece as well as brother and nephew, Tony and Victor Abu Akleh, noted that "our dear sister and aunt Shireen Abu Akleh was killed on May 11, 2022 by an Israeli sniper while on assignment in the occupied Palestinian city of Jenin."
"She was a prominent, beloved journalist and U.S. citizen," the statement continued, "yet President [Joe] Biden did not take us up on our request to meet with him during his visit to Israel and the occupied West Bank earlier this month, despite being a mere 10 minutes from our home."
"Since the president didn't come to us in Jerusalem to hear first-hand our grief, outrage, and concerns regarding his administration's lack of response to Shireen's extrajudicial killing, we decided to come to him," the relatives added.
In what some critics called a "whitewash," the U.S. State Department quietly conceded over the July 4 holiday that Abu Akleh was "likely"—but unintentionally—killed by Israeli military gunfire. Separate investigations by United Nations officials, The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Associated Press, CNN, Bellingcat, and the Israeli rights group B'Tselem all concluded the journalist was shot by an Israeli soldier.
The three family members decried the Biden administration's July 4 statement as "an affront to justice" that "enabled Israel to avoid accountability for Shireen's murder."
"This is totally unacceptable to us," they wrote in their statement, "and it is unacceptable to the countless members of Congress who have echoed our call for justice and accountability."
In an interview with Politico Magazine published Tuesday, Tony Abu Akleh said that "we are really disappointed by the U.S. government." ...
Among the family's demands are a meeting with Biden "to discuss the status of Shireen's case and the administration's proposed next steps in pursuing justice and accountability," as well as a "thorough, credible, independent, and transparent investigation into Shireen's murder."
"The Israeli military killed our beloved Shireen while she was doing the work we've always been so proud of her for doing, and they did so in broad daylight, in front of cameras, and then brutally attacked her funeral procession," the statement concluded. "The world expects answers. Shireen was only 51. She had so much life left to live."
A Pelosi Visit to Taiwan Could Worsen Tensions Between U.S. & China with Little Benefit to Taiwanese
Russia to cut gas through Nord Stream 1 to 20% of capacity
Russian energy giant Gazprom said Monday that it would further reduce natural gas flows through a major pipeline to Europe to 20% of capacity, citing equipment repairs. The move ramps up fears that Russia may cut off gas as political leverage over the war in Ukraine just as Europe tries to shore up storage for winter.
The Russian state-owned company tweeted that it would reduce “the daily throughput” of the Nord Stream 1 pipeline to Germany to 33 million cubic meters as of Wednesday, saying it was shutting down a turbine for repairs. The head of Germany’s network regulator, Klaus Mueller, confirmed that the flow was expected to be cut in half.
Deliveries were at 40% of capacity after Nord Stream 1 reopened last week following 10 days of scheduled maintenance. The German government said it rejected the notion that technical reasons would lead to further gas reductions.
EU begins to crack as Germany braces for an energy disaster
European Union demands rationing of natural gas to wage war
The European Union has committed its member states to reduce their natural gas consumption by 15 percent from next month until March next year. The energy ministers of the 27 EU countries adopted an EU Commission proposal on Tuesday. The way in which the cuts are implemented is up to the individual states and the targeted savings are voluntary. However, if an acute emergency occurs, mandatory savings targets can also be adopted if at least 15 member states representing 65 percent of the population agree. Originally, the EU Commission wanted to reserve the right to declare an energy emergency, but could not enforce this position.
The austerity decision is being sold as an act of “solidarity” because all countries, regardless of how much they are affected by possible supply shortfalls, have to make the same savings. The reduction of demand across the EU is an expression of the “principle of solidarity enshrined in the EU Treaty,” the Commission’s text states. In fact, it is a war measure that was enforced by the EU Commission and the German government with brute force. The aim is to enable Europe to continue the proxy war against Russia in Ukraine for months and years, until Russia’s military defeat.
Brussels and Berlin fear that resistance to energy scarcity, inflation and horrendous rearmament costs could lead to resistance and that social pressure on governments could jeopardize the EU’s cohesion. Therefore, the concentrated power of the EU apparatus is used to push through the austerity measures and to bring all members into line.
Like any war, the war against Russia, driven by the United States and the European powers with billions of dollars in arms, requires unity, discipline, material sacrifice and the suppression of any internal opposition. The massive energy crisis, which has caused the prices of gas and petrol to explode and threatens to lead to a massive energy outage during the coming winter, is a direct result of the war in Ukraine. ...
According to the official decision, the EU no longer wants to import fossil fuels from Russia by 2027 at the latest. The militaristic tone of the accusations confirms that the EU is not concerned with energy security, but with the instrumentalization of energy policy as a weapon of war.
Scott Ritter
: Washington’s Russian Drone FantasyAccording to the official U.S. government narrative, a “desperate” Russia — suffering significant battlefield reversals in Ukraine including the loss of “large numbers” of reconnaissance drones while its own military industrial capacity lacks the ability to provide adequate replacements due to Russia’s “economic isolation” — has turned to Iran for assistance. “Our information,” National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan declared, “indicates that the Iranian government is preparing to provide Russia with up to several hundred UAV’s [unmanned aerial vehicles], including weapons-capable UAVs on an expedited timeline.” Sullivan said. “It’s unclear whether Iran has delivered any of these UAVs to Russia already.” ...
The timing of the release of the drone intelligence, coming as it did on the eve of Putin’s visit to Tehran to meet with the Iranian leadership and Turkish President Recep Erdogan, suggests that Sullivan was applying the information warfare template to this trip in an attempt to shift the narrative away from Putin’s real goals — addressing the ongoing Syrian crisis and expanding diplomatic, military and economic ties with two of the region’s most critical state actors. Putin’s Tehran visit, taken at face value, undermined U.S. policy objectives in so far as it showed Russia to be confidently assertive and actively engaged in regional security and economic affairs.
By releasing the drone intelligence, the Biden administration sought to show the Russian leader as weakened and desperate for outside assistance to offset a looming military defeat in Ukraine. Based upon the results of Putin’s Tehran visit — furtherance of a political versus a military solution to the Syrian crises and the signing of a series of oil-and-gas development projects worth some $40 billion in total — the U.S. goal was not met. This is especially the case when the strong showing of Putin is contrasted with the relatively weak performance of U.S. President Joe Biden during his four-day sojourn through Israel and Saudi Arabia, which took place on the eve of Putin’s Tehran jaunt. ...
While the Ukrainian air defense forces appear to have shot down an Orion UAV on April 7, the system continues to fly over Ukraine, providing critical reconnaissance and strike capability for the Russians. The Orion, it seems, has been very effective in tracking down the various heavy weapons — French-made Caesar howitzers, U.S.-made M777 howitzers and HIMARS rocket systems —that have been provided to Ukraine in an effort to help reverse Ukrainian military fortunes on the battlefield. (U.S. officials deny that any HIMARS systems have been destroyed by Russia.) The Orion has also been used to great effect to strike other targets as well.
Russia has also made extensive (and effective) use of “loitering UAVs” — “suicide drones” —in Ukraine. Two models in wide use are both made by a subsidiary of the Kalashnikov arms factory. These UAVs — the KUB and the Lancett-3 — are state of the art, capable of autonomous targeting (i.e., they seek out targets by themselves) and are ubiquitous over the Ukrainian battlefield. ... The Iranian drones that were imaged by U.S. satellites at Kashan air base — the Shahid-129 and Shahid-191 — are both derivatives of U.S. UAV technology, and do not in any way, shape, or form advance Russia’s demonstrated UAV prowess. The Russian drones are newer and more advanced than the drones alleged to have been demonstrated by Iran. ...
So, what is behind the Russian interest in Iranian drones? The answer may lie in their U.S. origins. As the U.S. increases the scope and scale of its military assistance to Ukraine, and as Russia confronts the all-too-real possibility of a wider conflict in Europe where its forces would be compelled to face off against U.S.-manufactured drone technology, Russia would be foolish not to take advantage of its improving ties with Iran to gain invaluable insights into U.S. drone technology, as well as how Iran has adapted this technology to the modern battlefield, to include successful operations against U.S.-designed air defense systems. This scenario makes far more sense that the fanciful “Russia is losing the drone war” narrative being pushed by U.S. and British intelligence and parroted without any real effort at anything that remotely resembles sound analysis by the compliant stenographers in the mainstream Western media.
Zelenksky's CRINGE Vogue Cover Smells Like Neoliberal PROPAGANDA
Russia says it wants to end Ukraine’s `unacceptable regime’
Russia’s top diplomat said Moscow’s overarching goal in Ukraine is to free its people from its “unacceptable regime,” expressing the Kremlin’s war aims in some of the bluntest terms yet as its forces pummel the country with artillery barrages and airstrikes.
The remark from Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov comes amid Ukraine’s efforts to resume grain exports from its Black Sea ports —something that would help ease global food shortages — under a new deal tested by a Russian strike on Odesa over the weekend.
“We are determined to help the people of eastern Ukraine to liberate themselves from the burden of this absolutely unacceptable regime,” Lavrov said at an Arab League summit in Cairo late Sunday, referring to Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelenskyy’s government.
Apparently suggesting that Moscow’s war aims extend beyond Ukraine’s industrial Donbas region in the east, Lavrov said: “We will certainly help the Ukrainian people to get rid of the regime, which is absolutely anti-people and anti-historical.”
Lavrov’s comments followed his warning last week that Russia plans to retain control over broader areas beyond eastern Ukraine, including the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions in the south, and will make more gains elsewhere.
Russia says it will quit International Space Station by 2024
Russia will pull out of the International Space Station (ISS) after 2024 and focus on building its own orbiting outpost, the country’s space chief has said, in a move that will end a symbolic two-decade orbital partnership between Moscow and the west.
Yuri Borisov, the newly appointed head of the space agency Roscosmos, said during a meeting with Vladimir Putin that Russia would fulfil its obligations to its partners on the ISS before leaving the project.
“The decision to leave the station after 2024 has been made,” Borisov said, to which Putin responded: “Good.”
Borisov’s statement reaffirmed previous declarations made by the previous Roscosmos head, Dmitry Rogozin, about Moscow’s intention to leave the station after 2024. The outspoken Rogozin had threatened to end the partnership unless the US, EU and Canada lifted their sanctions against enterprises involved in the Russian space industry.
The first version of the ISS was launched in 1998, and astronauts from a range of western countries and Russia have continuously lived there since 2000, the longest constant human presence in low Earth orbit in history. The station was widely seen as a symbol of the post-cold war partnership between the two space superpowers, Russia and the US. Speaking in 2001 alongside the then US president, George W Bush, Putin lauded the ISS as an example of “very successful” bilateral ties between the two countries.
Economist Jayati Ghosh: Global Debt Crisis Is Perfect Storm of Unrest, Economic Disaster, Starvation
Sri Lanka’s former Central Bank governor calls for tough austerity measures
In an interview last weekend, Sri Lanka’s former Central Bank governor Indrajit Coomaraswamy told the Wire: “Sri Lanka will have to bite the bullet or go down the abyss.” His comments make clear that the government’s austerity measures are going to dramatically worsen the already severe social crisis facing working people. Coomaraswamy served as the governor from 2016 to 2019, during the “national unity” government of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and President Maithripala Sirisena. It ruthlessly implemented the International Monetary Fund’s demands, resulting in widespread popular hostility that Gotabhaya Rajapakse exploited to win the 2019 presidential election.
The economic and political crisis in Sri Lanka today is far more acute. Three months of mass protests and strikes forced Rajapakse to flee the country this month and resign. Veteran right-wing politician Wickremesinghe has now been installed as president and as finance minister is charged with negotiating an International Monetary Fund (IMF) emergency loan and imposing its dictates on a population that is already suffering acute shortages and high prices for essentials, such as food, fuel and medicines.
Wickremesinghe is also determined to suppress any opposition. He has already exercised the autocratic powers of the executive presidency to impose a state of emergency and deploy the military to establish “public order.” Under the emergency, the security forces can ban protests, arbitrarily arrest and detain people, and carry out searches.
Coomaraswamy warned that the Sri Lankan economy will contract by 8 to 10 percent by the end of next year compared to 2019 and the GDP would take five years to get back to the 2019 level. He noted that the IMF had already estimated this year’s economic contraction at more than 7 percent.
Pointing to the disastrous consequences for working people, he said that “data seems to suggest that by the end of the year, half the population could fall below the poverty line which had been elevated because of inflation.” Coomaraswamy claimed: “Almost all Sri Lankans now recognise that sacrifice is necessary and inevitable.” However, he is acutely aware that millions have already taken part in strikes and protests against intolerable living conditions. In a warning to the ruling elites, he added: “We have to find a way of distributing the sacrifice and pain according to the capacity of the population to bear that pain.”
Richard Wolff: Fed Rate Hikes Are "Body Blow" to Workers Reeling from Pandemic, Growing Inequality
90M Families Struggle With Bills, WH Response? It's Not Famine
Yosemite crew makes big progress against explosive fire with thousands evacuated
Firefighters battling an explosive blaze near Yosemite national park significantly slowed the spread of the flames, but thousands of residents from mountain communities remained under evacuation, while smoke drifted to reach Lake Tahoe, parts of Nevada and the San Francisco Bay Area.
More than 2,500 firefighters with aircraft support were battling the blaze, known as the Oak fire, that erupted last Friday near the town of Midpines, California. Officials described “explosive fire behavior” on Saturday as flames made runs through overgrown bone-dry vegetation parched by the worst drought in decades.
By Tuesday morning, the blaze had consumed more than 18,000 acres of land across the Sierra Nevada foothills, with 26% containment, the California department of forestry and fire protection, or CalFire, said. At least 41 homes and structures had been burned. ...
There are two major blazes burning in California, which is experiencing a fairly typical ramp-up to what is sure to be an active fire year once California’s infamous Santa Ana and Diablo wind events begin in September, said Kim Zagaris, an adviser with the Western Fire Chiefs Association, which maps wildfires across the country.
“We’ve been fortunate. We’re not quite as far along as we were at this time last year,” he said. “But the fuels, the vegetation, are much dryer than they were last year. It’s so dry out there.”
California wildfire: Crews make progress against fire near Yosemite
Blackouts in China as heatwave pushes electricity usage to record levels
A long-running heatwave in China has pushed electricity usage to record levels in some areas and led to blackouts, with warnings that the high temperatures are expected to continue for at least another week.
More than 300 cities were forecast to reach temperatures above 35C on Tuesday. China Southern Power Grid Company said Monday’s usage had surpassed last year’s peak load by 3%. The Guangdong province power grid also hit a record high, reaching 142m kilowatts, an increase of 4.89% over last year’s peak load. Blackouts were reported in the provincial capital, Guangzhou, which has recorded a full week of maximum temperatures above 37C, including highs of 40C on Sunday and Monday.
Yang Lin, the manager of the company’s dispatching office, said once temperatures in Guangzhou surpassed 35C, every extra degree meant a corresponding load increase of 3m-5m kilowatts.
The company said it was inspecting equipment to avoid overheating and malfunction, and pledged to maintain power supply. In recent years there have been widespread blackouts that have caused havoc across China – blamed on extreme temperatures, rising demand for electricity and shortages in coal, which is still the main source of China’s power.
China is among several countries to have moved back towards a coal-focused energy supply, despite ambitious emissions reduction pledges, amid a global crisis exacerbated by the Ukraine conflict. On Friday the ministry of emergency management warned safe operation of the power grid faced “severe tests”.
Also of Interest
Here are some articles of interest, some which defied fair-use abstraction.
The End of Cheap Russian Gas: Turning the Lights Out in Europe
Exclusions And Sanctions Help 'Enemies' To Build Their Own Capabilities
China Jumps Two Chip Generations Ahead: Why Chip Sanctions Backfired
There is a global debt crisis coming – and it won’t stop at Sri Lanka
The Enduring Tyranny of Oil: War, Inflation, Geopolitical Rivalry, and Soaring World Temperatures
US Auto Workers Poised to Make History
Doctors Warn Christian Zealots' ACA Lawsuit Threatens Preventive Care for Millions
A Little Night Music
Johnny Fuller - All Night Long
Johnny Fuller - First Stage Of The Blues
Johnny Fuller - Stop, Look & Listen
Johnny Fuller - You Got Me Whistlin
Johnny Fuller - Comin Round the Corner
Johnny Fuller - The Power
Johnny Fuller & The Phillip Walker Band - Tin Pan Alley
Johnny Fuller - Haunted House
Johnny Fuller - Sister Jenny
Johnny Fuller - Swingin' At The Creek
Comments
Groan…
"Good afternoon. I want to welcome these leaders for coming in to have this very important discussion about some of the most pressing issues of our time. I am Kamala Harris, my pronouns are she and her. I am a woman sitting at the table wearing a blue suit," she said.
Mary Trump said that she said that for the seeing impaired. Sure Mary.
Then there’s this nonsense. Zelensky and his wife took time out of the war to do a photo op for Vogue. Of course the shitlibs ate it up. Also Zelensky said that we Americans shouldn’t bitch about the price of gas or that more Americans are struggling to pay their bills because Ukraine is fighting for its very democracy and freedom!
Yeah I have a few things to say to Zelensky about his nonsense. Everything Ukraine is and has been doing since Obama’s coup has put America and the world at risk of nuclear war and the only thing coming from the Ukraine conflict is that a few people are getting stinking rich from the weapons sales. The rest of us are paying a very high price for it.
Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.
"Women should have a voice too"
I guess?
It’s not like they haven’t had a voice before Kamala became VP…oh wait.
Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.
gearing her meeting for the blind
is par for the course for air head VP Harris
lacking any meaningful substance toward solving
her handlers' screw-ups, she goes on about how
politically correct her role is.
sheesh
are there no brains left in DC?
evening snoopy...
i remember a generational age when pronouns were simpler. we were all just, "hey you!"
i wonder what gives the man who just shut down all of the opposition parties and private media in his country the idea that we share communal values. that bastard doesn't deserve a dime of my money.
PBS reports truth from Ukraine
in plea for more defensive funding for Ukraine.
evening cb...
wow, they must be really desperate if they are willing to let a little truth slip out.
if i remember correctly, simon ostrovsky used to work for vice and my impression was that truth was not one of his primary concerns.
It’s not only money for defense
but we are giving them tens of billions to fund their government and pay for their health care. Meanwhile in America 29 million kids are homeless and millions more Americans are going bankrupt over their medical bills. Remember before Covid hit many Americans couldn’t afford a $400 emergency and with inflation well above 9% they are having trouble just filling their gas tanks. How many seniors are eating cat food and not being able to afford their medications? The COLA raise for SS won’t be anywhere near 9% , but it should be way over that so it can keep up with the real costs of living in America. Sure wish more people would ask congress how they are going to pay for all the money they’re giving to Ukraine, Israel and other countries whilst denying us so many things desperately needed. Or ask congress why they get everything that they deny us. Bunch of sheep we’ve become. Or have we always been sheep?
Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.
as the monied class claims (including congress)
austerity for thee, not me
you are right in pointing out the government giveaway
to support some weird sense of democracy in Ukie land
while ignoring the needs of domestic concerns is a bit
askew
Who dat in the mirror?
Did he go outside to find the other horse? Enquiring minds want to know.
Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.
A horse stole from Chico Marx! (Chico? nah Harpo)
Also, Harpo did it with Lucy Ball. (Lucy did stuff like that. She also did Jack Benny's money vault (it was originally a radio routine) - with Benny on her show.) This was from the mid 60s, though I might have seen it in reruns. The shows were in color, making it almost certainly mid 60s.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFLFrHBeu3I
On to Biden since 1973
That was very enjoyable doh.
I don't know if this matches your humour, but I recently watched Judah Friedlander's stand-up on Netflix. It was my introduction to his humour which I enjoyed, and reminded me of Steven Wright, a favourite comedian.
https://www.netflix.com/watch/80208273?trackId=255875003&tctx=0%2C0%2CNA...
Good evening Joe, thanks for the Evening Blues.
So didn't we frack about 25% of the whole damn country? Where's all that gas? We had so much we were going to supply the entire EU, as i recall.
Heh, Johnny Fuller; I had forgotten all about Haunted House and Sister Jenny. Takes one back a bit.
be well and have a good one
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
evening el...
heh, it seems that the frackers overpromised what their wells were going to produce and they had to poke a lot more holes in the ground than they thought (at considerably greater expense) and were it not for insanely low interest rates, they might have gotten cut off by wall street years ago.
oh well.
have a great evening!
Memes
evening gj...
it's interesting that capitalists frame the issue as if work was some sort of voluntary activity when throughout the era where capitalism has dominated they have worked assiduously to ensure that work is not voluntary.