-Welcome to Saturday's Potluck - 2-18-2023

“Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist.”
Pablo Picasso

As the flood of breaking news reports, opinions on the sources of the news and suggestions on how to interpret the news I have started to rate the stories on Kubler-Ross Model of five stages of grief. Is the presenter or policy maker at step 1 - denial, step 2 - anger, step 3 - bargaining, step 4 - depression or the final step - acceptance on events related to special military operations in Ukraine?

US led Nato and Russia are making contingencies for a multiyear conflict. These events could easily last 2 to 3 years and then on to China - if the push to peace does not become overwhelming.

________

Franscesco Sisci is one of three opinion writers for Asia Times whose articles remain featured on the main page of the Asia times until he writes another one. His viewpoints reminds me of times when continental European Aristocrats ruled the world and UK & US were financial upstarts in need of guidance.

The price Europe must pay to end the Ukraine war
Asia Times February 17, 2023

The only way “Old Europe” has to retain its clout is to stop its hesitations, decisively help Ukraine win its war quickly and then find a future settlement for Russia fitting into a new Eurasian balance. Without this, France and Germany could pay a long-term high price.
...
Ukraine has already politically won the war, and it will thus be a major political force in future European power balances, possibly helping to offset the traditional French-German center of gravity.

In this situation, the longer the war goes on, the higher Ukraine’s price for its peace, and the higher the price “old Europe” will be asked to pay for the future reconstruction of Ukraine and future continental political settlements.

Conversely, the sooner Ukraine wins the war, with the support of “old Europe,” the lower its price will be in economic and political terms. Old Europe should move in to end the war soon and stop the useless bloodshed.
...
A clear settlement of the war would also help China rethink its general political approach. By dragging on an unwinnable war, Moscow may lead Beijing to believe that a harsh confrontation with the US could pay certain dividends.

In fact, it may have unfathomable global effects as tensions with America are building up, inflated not only by Chinese balloons floating above the United States.

________

Chinese government does not seem to be intimidated by US major defensive contractors in their country.

Raytheon, Lockheed take a balloon war hit in China
Asia Times February 18, 2023

China’s Ministry of Commerce on Thursday (February 16) said it had added the two US defense contractors to its “unreliable entities list” as they sold arms to Taiwan. It said the measures were also aimed at retaliating against the US for its moves to take down a Chinese balloon and sanction six Chinese firms earlier this month.

It was the fourth time the Chinese government sanctioned the two firms, following previous moves in 2019, 2020 and 2022. China said the two companies had to pay fines equivalent to twice the amount of their arms sales to Taiwan in recent years within 15 days.
...
“Although Raytheon Technologies said it did not have any businesses in China, it merged with the United Technologies Corporation (UTC) a few years ago, which has many Chinese projects,” a columnist wrote in an article published by China’s Defense Times on Friday.

“From China’s perspective, none of the UTC products are non-replaceable,” said the columnist.

He said he believed the two firms would not ignore the order for the fines, which might amount to 99 billion yuan (US$14.4 billion), due to their robust involvement in China’s markets and strong need to buy Chinese rare earths.

________

Update on Rage Against the War Machine.

A few more Sister Rallies have been added across the United States and one in Munich. At the moment Austin, Texas will hold the last Sister Rally on the 23rd. Oregon had an event listed for Friday. Did not find a news report regarding event.

Video from Oregon event (3:35 min)
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xb8nefENtA]

Yes - official gear is still being sold on the website. But amount donated to the cause has been reduced to profits, not all proceeds as indicated on the website last week.

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In the past 6 months the United States has been associated with the largest release of methane and dioxin into the atmosphere. Methane a contributor to climate change and dioxin is a known carcinogen. Plus appear to be shooting down weather balloons. Life has become satirical tragedy. (Fortunately I have the farm to keep me grounded and busy.)

Consortium News Live: SSE3 Sy Hersh: American Sabotage (1:13 min)

[video:https://youtu.be/4wI38E9bJzk?t=82]

________

This weeks Judging Freedom Interviews (both have been posted in earlier diaries this week and you may have already viewed them)

Scott Ritter weekly interview with Judge Napolitano Feb 17, 2023 (28:29 min)
[video:https://i.ytimg.com/an_webp/s-z8PFXV2v8/mqdefault_6s.webp?du=3000&sqp=CJ...

Col Doug Macgregor weekly interview with Judge Napolitano Feb 15, 2023 (30:17 min)

________

What is on your mind today?

edit - add video link

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Comments

mimi's picture

given by the american delegation at the https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/02/18/russia-ukraine-war-lates...

Global political and defense leaders, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Vice President Harris, are in Munich, Germany, for a security conference focused heavily on the war in Ukraine. Harris will make public remarks later Saturday, a day after she met with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

I could kill the idiots who translate their speeces and one can not hear their original speeches in English.

Fuck that. Where can I find a live broadcast with the original English sound?

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studentofearth's picture

@mimi in original English. Exception Wang Yi speech given in Chinese was translated into English. Not sure how it will play in Germany.

[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzeMRMJZBw8]

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Still yourself, deep water can absorb many disturbances with minimal reaction.
--When the opening appears release yourself.

mimi's picture

@studentofearth
I didn't try om the internet, but what got broadcasted on TV via Phoenix TV. I don't have internet facilities near my bed.

Thanks a lot. Smile

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Seems like I'm stuck in step two on the Kubler-Ross grief scale when it comes to war.
Anger. Well past step one - denial. Not sure how to get to step three - negotiation.
War proponents in this barbaric culture do not negotiate. Ah, well.

Hope all is well on the farm!

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Pluto's Republic's picture

Rating the tone of US war news stories on the Kubler-Ross Model of five stages of grief.
Step 1 - denial
Step 2 - anger
Step 3 - bargaining
Step 4 - depression
Step 5 - acceptance or surrender or censorship

I think this could apply to several US news topics, including inflation and spy balloons.

Great topics and insights, as always, SOE. (Except Franscesco Sisci, for whom I have no patience.)

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____________________

The political system is what it is because the People are who they are. — Plato
Lookout's picture

A chilly 28F this AM at a skeleton Trade Day. I did buy another tarp, and caught up with my buddies, so it was worthwhile.

Already time to start seeds...lettuce and such. Still have cabbage and collards growing. Made a cabbage soup for this evening. I'll cook some local sausage to go with it.

Getting back into the swing of things after a 3+ week trip away from home. Still have a load of laundry to finish today. Slowly catching up with the news...must admit I didn't miss it a bit.

Take care and thanks for the OT!

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“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

enhydra lutris's picture

like the idea of viewing the news reporting as well as the news items themselves on the "stages of grief" scale. After all by design or otherwise, both give me a lot of grief. Like QMS, I think I am mostly stuck on "Anger" (and not Kenneth).

So, what's on my mind?

1) emptying my mind more often and in more ways
2) fookin taxes
3) farmers' market
4) moving forward with my haiku related projects
5) Great Backyard Bird Count (also Feederwatch)
6) Household chores (meh)
7) Yard and garden chores (meh2)
8) Breakfast
9) Global environmental armeggadon

be well and have a good one

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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 --

mimi's picture

participate in.

NO mercy with all those fucktards.

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snoopydawg's picture

at the capital on 1/6 to conveniently film the riots…right?

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soryang's picture

...he reflects the position of London. China is sovereign. It follows its own course. China went to war in the Korean conflict, standing alone when in relative terms it was much weaker than it is now. There is no insecurity on the northern border. This is simply wishful thinking.

Thanks SOE for the Munich video. The host was an Alpha Hotel introducing Wang Yi. As usual Harris disappoints and just not up to the task.

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語必忠信 行必正直

be true.

Coming from a zionist war monger and a airhead.

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snoopydawg's picture

@humphrey

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dontchaknow.

@snoopydawg

Just today this occurred.

https://www.haaretz.com/middle-east-news/2023-02-18/ty-article/report-sy...

Israeli airstrikes targeted a residential neighborhood in central Damascus early Sunday, Syrian state news reported.

Loud explosions were heard over the capital around 12:30 a.m. local time, and SANA reported that Syrian air defenses were “confronting hostile targets in the sky around Damascus.”

Syrian state media agency SANA, citing a source in the Damascus police command, reported that five people had been killed, among them a soldier, and 15 civilians wounded, along with “destruction of a number of residential buildings.”

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if what you were trying to say is that they are reputable from a old world perspective or any perspective I'd guess. They score very highly on the Ad Fontes ratings chart.https://adfontesmedia.com/interactive-media-bias-chart/
Screenshot 2023-02-18 at 12.42.15 PM.png
More neutral than most US sources, and well within that "most reliable for news" box that seems to elude so many.
Nick Kristof says about the same thing in an op ed in today's NYT but in more detail and with quotes from retired Wes Clark and anonymous administration sources. Link past the paywall. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/18/opinion/biden-should-give-ukraine-wha...
As usual it's near impossible to figure out what's going on day to day. Big Russian offensive seems not to have happened and Ukraine is still waiting on more sophisticated weapons.

This thing is killing thousands per week and impoverishing two large countries. I used to think the US was one of the stupidest countries for starting ridiculous wars, (Vietnam, Iraq), now it's Russia that takes the cake.

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explains a lot about your thought process.

@ban nock

Excerpt from the start of the op-ed.

By Nicholas Kristof Opinion Columnist

Russian Air Force pilots are scaredy-cats who have been surprisingly absent over Ukraine. Russian ground forces are being mowed down as cannon fodder, and one of the best known examples of Russian military discipline involves an officer using a sledgehammer to execute a fellow Russian.

But the Russian war effort does excel in some areas:

It stands out at committing atrocities. In my interviews in Ukraine, I was struck by how commonly Russian troops engaged in torture, rape and pillage.

Russia’s government has become a leader in child trafficking, transferring more than 6,000 Ukrainian children to Russia or Russian-controlled territory, with some put up for adoption.

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@humphrey I'm not aware of anything Kristof is saying that isn't factual.

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@ban nock

Check out the source.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-64626783

Ukraine war: Russia's Wagner casts doubt on brutal death of 'traitor'

Russia's Wagner mercenary group has cast doubt on a video appearing to show the brutal killing of a Wagner soldier for defecting to the Ukrainians.

In a new video clip, released by Wagner founder Yevgeny Prigozhin, the soldier says, "I was forgiven."

And in a post on his Telegram channel, Mr Prigozhin calls the soldier, Dmitry Yakushchenko, "a fine fellow".

Wagner may have faked the earlier video. It appeared to show Yakushchenko being hit fatally with a sledgehammer.

Mr Prigozhin joked about that video in reply to an inquiry from Russian news outlet Ostorozhno Media about Yakushchenko's true fate.

"Ksenia, don't treat everything so gloomily. The kids are having fun," the Wagner chief wrote enigmatically.

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@humphrey Only kidding, har har har.

Of course they could do the usual thing and have a recent day's paper in the background or the dead guy could say something about events since that time. Why deny something undeniably.

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@ban nock

if it is sincere

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@ban nock

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snoopydawg's picture

@ban nock

I seem to remember that he and others who are once again spouting bull shit about Russia lied their silly buttocks off about Saddam having WMDs. Surely that hasn’t slipped your mind? But if you need a refresher here’s Bush's golden girl and press secretary who also got up every day and lied to us. Shitlibs once despised her, but now believe everything she says. 2nd tweet.

I also posted an essay yesterday about why smart people believe dumb things that might interest you. Key point:

Basically, on the one side there are: those who believe anything government officials tell them, no matter how absurd. Most of that faction’s senior members used to be people who believed nothing the government told them, but then they got “Woke.”

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@snoopydawg kristof was against the Iraq war.

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@ban nock

https://www.nytimes.com/2002/08/27/opinion/wimps-on-iraq.html

An excerpt:

Opinion
Wimps On Iraq
By Nicholas D. Kristof
Aug. 27, 2002

President Bush has convinced me that there is no philosophical reason we should not overthrow the Iraqi government, given that Iraqis themselves would be better off, along with the rest of the world.

snip

President Bush may well be able to meet these five tests. For example, if we can figure out how to win swiftly and establish a flourishing democracy in Iraq, that would boost the fight against terrorism, not set it back -- and then I'm a jingoist too.

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@humphrey Opinion and stances
Iraq War
Kristof was opposed to the Iraq war and grew further opposed as time went on. In a column published on January 28, 2003, he summarized his position writing "If we were confident that we could oust Saddam with minimal casualties and quickly establish a democratic Iraq, then that would be fine -- and such a happy scenario is conceivable. But it's a mistake to invade countries based on best-case scenarios."[44] He continued: "Frankly, it seems a bad idea to sacrifice our troops' lives -- along with billions of dollars -- in a way that may add to our vulnerability."[45]

Kristof was criticized at the time for reporting that Iraqis opposed an American invasion; Andrew Sullivan was among Kristof's critics and in 2018, on the 15th anniversary of the war, he apologized to Kristof in a tweet.[46]

In a column published on August 27, 2002, in a column titled "Wimps on Iraq," he wrote "To us the existing Iraq debate seems largely beside the point; the real issue isn't whether we want to overthrow Saddam, but what price we would have to pay to get the job done."[44] He concludes, after detailing five practical concerns about invading Iraq, "So if Mr. Bush were really addressing these concerns, weighing them and then concluding that on balance it's worth an invasion, I'd be reassured. But instead it looks as if the president, intoxicated by moral clarity, has decided that whatever the cost, whatever the risks, he will invade Iraq."[44] In the same column, he wrote, "President Bush has convinced me that there is no philosophical reason we should not overthrow the Iraqi government, given that Iraqis themselves would be better off, along with the rest of the world. But Mr. Bush has not overcome some practical concerns about an invasion."[44]

In a column titled "The Day After" in September 2002, Kristof wrote, "In one Shiite city after another, expect battles between rebels and army units, periodic calls for an Iranian-style theocracy, and perhaps a drift toward civil war. For the last few days, I've been traveling in these Shiite cities—Karbala, Najaf and Basra—and the tension in the bazaars is thicker than the dust behind the donkey carts. So before we rush into Iraq, we need to think through what we will do the morning after Saddam is toppled. Do we send in troops to try to seize the mortars and machine guns from the warring factions? Or do we run from civil war, and risk letting Iran cultivate its own puppet regime?"[47]

I don't respond to obvious fibbing and misrepresentations in replies, and put people on my "do not respond list" for a while.

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@snoopydawg I couldn't find yesterday's essay in your history.

But I read something similar lately. They discussed how it is that highly educated people, even scientists, can believe things patently untrue.

What they were saying is that the more intelligent you are, the better you are at convincing yourself that you are correct, intelligent people are also good at winning arguments, further convincing themselves.

That's why it's good to have an open mind. When people are so narrow minded that they get angry to hear another point of view, it's a bad sign. That's what happens on DK. Anyone who does not see things a certain way, on any given subject, others will work to get banned, so that they don't have to hear that viewpoint.

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snoopydawg's picture

@ban nock

Funny how the world doesn’t get upset when Israel is doing genocide on the Palestinians and demolishing their homes so that Israel can build ones for their folks. Or the many, many times Israel attacks and kills people in Syria. If you aren’t outraged at Israel’s actions and unprovoked attacks on Syria, but you are outraged that Russia is defending its country from NATO’s aggression it sure seems that you are a hypocrite. One of them has a legal obligation and right to do what it’s doing while the other is committing war crimes and crimes against humanity.

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Perhaps this is why.

https://news.sky.com/story/us-and-canada-call-off-search-for-debris-of-t...

US and Canada call off search for debris of three downed objects as they 'look at guts' of 'spy' balloon
After the completion of a two-week search operation, the last of the debris from the Chinese "spy" balloon is heading to an FBI laboratory in the southeastern US state of Virginia for analysis, according to the US military's Northern Command.

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@humphrey

flushed down the toilet, er memory hole, of the gullible.
Perhaps this episode of thought control was a success?
Diversion from train bombs or Hersh bombs. Testing the
waters for current reaction times to sensational distractions.
Important for the timing of the next escapade methinks.

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snoopydawg's picture

@QMS

There have been numerous huge fires happening around the country and the world and it doesn’t seem that any news media has even talked about it. Check out this essay on just how many chemical fires there have been along with all the food and chicken factories that have mysteriously burned up.

And lo and behold the Palestine fire department is rolling out a digital id so people can track their health data. Also the definition of CDC Changed Toxicity Info on Vinyl Chloride Days Before Derailment. Anyone heard about the train that derailed had problems 2 days before it did?

The CDC edited the toxicology profile for vinyl chloride, massively increasing the lethal exposure level and removing information about how the chemical affects children, just two weeks before the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio that spewed vast quantities of the chemical into the environment.

The CDC update changed the lethal exposure from 100PPM to 100,000PPM. The lethal exposure level had remained the same for 17 years before the CDC decided to update the number just prior to the derailment, where highly toxic chemicals spilled or were burned off, leaving a chemical stench in the air nearly two weeks later.

The description in the section on children initially said, “It has not been proven that vinyl chloride causes birth defects in humans, but studies in animals suggest that vinyl chloride might affect growth and development. Animal studies also suggest that infants and young children might be more susceptible than adults to vinyl chloride-induced cancer.” This sounds like important information, especially since families live in the oil blast zone. So why would they remove this?

BS! The effects of it is well known and besides what is in the air right now is much worse. Dioxin.

Kinda like when they changed the definition of what a vaccine and epidemic means just before the Rona scam got rolled out.

I dunno how many incidents need to happen before it’s no longer considered conspiracy theories.

Plus more and more social websites are asking for people to send their government ID before they are allowed to set up an account. I thought that was bogus but then again lo and behold Utah wanted to do just that in order to make sites safe for kids. At this time it’s been deep sixed, but gawd’s nightgown! Utah is a very red state and republicans are supposed to be the party of less government interference and yet this almost passed. Lots of government sites already demand that people send them a video that shows proof of who you are. So yeah digital IDs are coming no matter what.

ETA more.

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enhydra lutris's picture

Send our thoughts and Prayers to elensky and our money to Ohio and all of the nations unhoused populations.

be well and have a good one

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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 --

@enhydra lutris

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(pun intended) as she is returning home steerage class.

Interior of a C-17

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soryang's picture

@humphrey @humphrey Will she get the belt buckle?

I've been listening to USAF F-16s flat hatting around here for the past three days. I guess they're getting the maximum mileage out of the balloon fiasco propaganda. It looks like the USAF flight demonstration team (thunderbirds). The US Navy Blue Angels were scheduled to show up for another big NASCAR event tomorrow. Will we have 12 aircraft buzzing around here? Do NASCAR and the corporate sponsors pay for this or is it just freebees?

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語必忠信 行必正直

snoopydawg's picture

@soryang

Except it’s been all week and so much for the rule that they have to tone it down when flying over the city. My windows rattle now when they fly over my house.

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soryang's picture

@snoopydawg I thought it had been at least 4 days but I didn't want to exaggerate. There was a race on the 17th Next Era Energy? (They own FPL? I didn't know.) I thought they arrived early, at least sent a couple of flight leaders to mark the initial points for their act. Then came back for practice before with the whole group 6 aircraft, and then performed the day of the race, the day after, then tomorrow for the Daytona 500. Will that be the end of it?

It's extremely noisy. I have a problem with jet noise. Usually I don't pay attention to the local events in the area.

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語必忠信 行必正直

snoopydawg's picture

@soryang

and I get quite ornery when they keep flying over my house for hours and especially if I’m hurting. I don’t know what they are doing on the base but it sounds like they are revving engines on the jets for about 5-10 minutes including in the middle of the night. Dies down and then they do it again. No jets fly over but that gawd awful sound. Lots of people say that it’s the sound of freedom. I say it’s a waste of money and if they fly over me during my walk I flip them off and shout obscenities.

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@snoopydawg

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snoopydawg's picture

@humphrey

Just needs my walking stick. Smile

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snoopydawg's picture

@humphrey

I think that’s rich when he sees no problem sending all kinds of weapons to Ukraine and making other NATO allies cough up theirs. I don’t know how these people can ignore all the heinous crimes that their country has done or thinking that their sh*t doesn’t stink. The whole world is laughing at their hypocrisy and stupidity.

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believe that it was actually real.

@humphrey

However I came across a longer version so it is up to you to decide its authenticity.

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@humphrey

had a job working on a section gang for Penn Central out of high school
Constatine Curve in southern Michigan, working on the tracks.
Like the Gandy dancers of yore.
We were taught to watch for "hot boxes" as the trains slowed thru the curve.
Can't imagine a conductor going thru this slop.
Infrastructure maintenance much anymore?
Very sad to see the devolution.

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snoopydawg's picture

@QMS

Just imagine what the rails would look like if they hadn’t. But anyone else think that there is nothing in the bill for rails? Or much for other infrastructure?

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@snoopydawg

cooperation. The federal highway system is financed by public funds (so far)
the national rail systems are a hodgepodge of private funds. Amtrak being an
exception. Freight movers are owned by hedge fund types, who do not care
about infrastructure investments as much as profits. This is why the rail system
is failing in real time today. Just ask Buttigieg where priorities lie.

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snoopydawg's picture

Biden is giving the WHO the power over every person in the country and not one of them has been told about nor asked their permission to do it. This will nullify the constitution and any rights that we even have will be gone. This is medical martial law and medical tyranny.

Both initiatives are fatally dangerous,” Francis Boyle, professor of international law at Illinois University, told The Epoch Times. “Either one or both would set up a worldwide medical police state under the control of the WHO, and in particular WHO Director-General Tedros. If either one or both of these go through, Tedros or his successor will be able to issue orders that will go all the way down the pipe to your primary care physicians.”

Physician Meryl Nass told The Epoch Times: “If these rules go through as currently drafted, I, as a doctor, will be told what I am allowed to give a patient and what I am prohibited from giving a patient whenever the WHO declares a public health emergency.

Hopefully the next president can remove us from this, but we the people are supposed to be the ones who gives the government the power not the government to give themselves permission to commit crimes. I’d hope that people would protest this, but since the media is not covering it not many people even know about it. Hopefully states will be able to sue the government or just pull out of it. We already fought a war on state’s rights.

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The only way “Old Europe” has to retain its clout is to stop its hesitations, decisively help Ukraine win its war quickly...

The problem is that Old Europe has been trying to decisively help Ukraine the war. By now, Europe and the US have provided in military aid about 2x to 3x the total Russian military budget. Old Europe is finding that they themselves have run out of ammo and equipment to give to Ukraine without literally dismantling their own national militaries.

Fundamentally outside the Western propaganda bubble, NATO has been proven to be a military fraud unless it is against weak to non-existent militaries or third world insurgents. The problem is that the only potent weapon the West has left are its nukes. In desperation it may turn to them.

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His shrewd diplomacy is working in Ukraine, Iran, Taiwan and even North Korea.

s

https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/18/asia/north-korea-missile-launch-intl-hnk-...

Seoul, South Korea
CNN

North Korea said Sunday it conducted a test of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) a day earlier, its third known test of the long-range weapon in less than a year.

The state-run Korean Central News Agency said a Hwasong-15 ICBM was fired in a “surprise ICBM launching drill” under the written orders of leader Kim Jong Un.

The missile flew 989 kilometers (614 miles) for almost 67 minutes to an altitude of 5,768.5 kilometers (3,584 miles), according to the KCNA report.

It said the test was proof of Pyongyang’s ability to launch a “fatal nuclear counterattack on the hostile forces” and “clear proof of the sure reliability of our powerful physical nuclear deterrent.”

Saturday’s test came after North Korea warned Friday of “unprecedented strong responses” if the United States and South Korea go ahead with planned military exercises.

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soryang's picture

@humphrey threats and joint exercises are destabilizing. Despite Austin's statements to the contrary, instead of enhancing security in the region, US actions are increasing the tension and the threat of war. Another issue is that the new South Korea administration which has a Friedmanite outlook on economics, offers nothing to its citizens who suffering economically, and offers increasing verbal threats to North Korea, claims North Korean agents and sympathizers are a threat at home, and is following a policy of repression, justified by a security crisis, for which he is largely responsible. Critics of President Yoon Seok-yeol are comparing him to Zelensky. He's regarded as a dictator, traitor and quisling of Japan, who is unnecessarily provoking a security crisis because he has nothing else to offer to the people of Korea. He is corrupt and unqualified.

In a hole, the Yoon government keeps digging

I picked my post's title before I saw this editorial:

[Editorial] An unprecedented arrest warrant request that will spark a political black hole
This development has already sparked fierce battles in the political world, giving rise to concerns that the people’s livelihoods will be put on the back burner
Hankyoreh Feb.17,2023

...Above all, it is difficult to rule out the possibility that investigation by prosecutors will be used as a means of political oppression, seeing that the subject of their arrest warrant is the leader of the main opposition party. This is why the Constitution states that “no member of the National Assembly shall be arrested or detained without the consent of the National Assembly” during session, and why more caution should be taken so as to not raise questions about the appropriateness and context of the warrant request.

This development has already sparked fierce battles in the political world. Lee stated that “today is the day that the rule of law has collapsed in the ruling party’s attempt to get rid of their political opponents,” while the ruling People Power Party stated that “this was something bound to happen” and pushed for the approval of the arrest motion.

https://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_editorial/1080169.html

Lee Jae-myung, “You Must Ask a Fortune Teller or Prosecutor Before Making Policy Decisions, Otherwise You Will Be Sent to Prison”
By Tak Ji-young Kyunghyang Sinmoon 2.17
http://english.khan.co.kr/khan_art_view.html?artid=202302171359537&code=...

This is a reference to the Yoon receiving guidance from the guru Cheon Gong, the leader of a South Korean cult. The relationship is regarded as an abuse of power by Yoon and disputed. Allegedly, a witness to Cheon Gong's interference in official affairs is the former Chief of Staff of the ROK Army. This is according to an independent media source and a book author.

South Korean defence minister denies Vietnam War massacres
Minister said the court ruling dishonoured South Korean soldiers by finding them responsible for the massacre of Vietnamese villagers
Al Jazeera 2.17 (AP)
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/2/17/south-korean-defence-minister-d...

This is sort of back handed way of letting Japan off the hook for its war crimes. In any case, Yoon is an admirer of former dictator Chun Doo-won, who was in Vietnam with the White Horse division. It's a facile way to appeal to veterans and the pro-Japanese faction whose forebears benefited from Japanese collaboration during the colonial period and subsequent South Korean dictatorships.

Celebration of Japanese emperor's birthday in Seoul met with protest : 2023-02-17
Korea Times 2.17 Lee Hyo-jin
https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/nation/2023/02/281_345653.html?utm_sour...

A reception held in Seoul to celebrate the Japanese Emperor's birthday has raised eyebrows, especially after it was reported that the Japanese national anthem ― which is widely considered a symbol of Japan's militaristic past here ― was played during the event.

Hosted by the Japanese Embassy in Seoul, the reception took place at a hotel on Thursday, ahead of the emperor's birthday on Feb. 23. Among the guests who showed up were Korea's Vice Foreign Minister Lee Do-hoon and Sohn Kyung-sik, chairman of the Korea Enterprises Federation...

...Japanese media reported that until now, Tokyo has refrained from playing the anthem, acknowledging the anti-Japan sentiment in Korea. But it decided to play it this year due to the Yoon Suk Yeol administration's recent moves to improve bilateral ties.

Not suprisingly, today's candlelight demostration opposing the Yoon administration characterized Yoon as a pro-Japanese traitor in addition to criticizing his administration as a dictatorship led by Yoon's prosecutors. The candlelight movement procession assembled near Namdaemun and marched to Samgachi Plaza, near the Yongsan base where the Presidential Office is located. Yoon had refused to move into the Blue House, on the advice of his wife and allegedly, the cult leader Cheon Gong. The theme of today's assembly was "Let's topple Yoon Seok-yeol." The numbers appeared significant, as police appeared to have difficulty restricting the crowd due to its size and as the day went on, it appeared they were only capable of keeping one lane of traffic open around the massive crowd. I've become accustomed to seeing large numbers of police, barricades, and/or police buses forcing the crowd to one side of main boulevards and keeping at least two lanes of traffic open in both directions. I think because of restrictions on drone flights in Seoul and lack of access to nearby high rises, high angle shots which would give a greater sense of crowd size are not available.

A couple of anti-Yoon, anti Kim Gon-hee cartoons exhibited during the demonstration below in the first image. Kim Gon-hee as Marie Antoinette giving Yoon his homework (left) and Kim Gon-hee as nanny pushing an infantile pro-Japanese Yoon.


(Images source- 빨간아재, youtube 2.18) 검사독재 역풍! "민주파괴 검찰독재 윤석열을 타도하자!" 2월 전국집중 촛불대행진 / 3시 삼각지역

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語必忠信 行必正直

for being a US puppet so it is all worth it. /S

@soryang

https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/biden-plans-to-host-spring-state-dinner-for-...

NEWS WIRE
Feb 15, 2023

Biden Plans to Host Spring State Dinner for South Korea’s Yoon
Justin Sink and Jenny Leonard, Bloomberg News

Yoon Suk Yeol, South Korea's president, speaks at a news conference in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, on Friday, Sept. 23, 2022. Prime Minister Trudeau and President Yoon will discuss working together on energy, including electric vehicle batteries, critical minerals, and emerging technologies, as well as securing supply chains.
Yoon Suk Yeol, South Korea's president, speaks at a news conference in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, on Friday, Sept. 23, 2022. Prime Minister Trudeau and President Yoon will discuss working together on energy, including electric vehicle batteries, critical minerals, and emerging technologies, as well as securing supply chains. , Bloomberg

(Bloomberg) -- President Joe Biden is planning to host South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeo for a White House state dinner this spring, according to people familiar with the matter.

Preparations for the visit and state dinner are underway but the timing remains fluid, the people said. The current plan is for the visit to take place in late April.

The US and South Korea have deepened their cooperation on supply chain resilience to ease dependence on Chinese technology and on security matters as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ramps up his provocations. Pyongyang launched a record number of ballistic missiles last year.

Biden and Yoon spoke in November about their joint efforts to limit North Korea’s ability to fund and advance its unlawful weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs, according to a White House readout.

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soryang's picture

@humphrey ...they are desperately trying to support his compliant regime. I'm anticipating a major confrontation sooner or later. The police have been acting with a lot of restraint with the street demonstrations. The crowds are very well behaved. The US could easily blackmail Yoon. All they need to do is plant stories in US mainstream media about his, and his wife's family corruption, and it would be rebroadcast in South Korea. If that were to happen he wouldn't last long. One pundit commented that there may be a special forces extraction team to save Yoon if things get out of control. I actually suspect some channels for manipulating Yoon, but he seems so happy to comply.

I understand that quite a few police are not happy with the Yoon administration. He placed them under the Minister of Interior and Public Safety, so they lost their independence as an agency. Police forces in Seoul have suffered the additional security burdens of the Presidential Office move to the MND building in Yongsan which is more difficult to secure than the Blue House and requires more personnel. The police and fire personnel were blamed with the consequent Itaewon disaster last October as a result. The only good thing is that the Interior Minister was subjected to an impeachment bill in the National Assembly and temporarily suspended from duty, but it probably won't be prosecuted zealously by the chair of Justice Committee before the court, because he is from Yoon's party.

The fact, that the conservative party bargained for, and received the chair and effective control of the justice committee early in the administration in some kind of opening session maneuvering that was deadlocked shows that someone saw this coming from miles away. Well behaved crowds didn't prevent Park Geun-hye's impeachment. It is believed that a conviction of Yoon's wife will be required first, and then a possible impeachment of Yoon himself.

I noticed in the Marie Antoinette cartoon, Yoon's wife's hairpiece is topped by the Blue House, and wads of corporate cash for Art exhibitions there. That's her business, art exhibitions. There has also been a lot of graft, in the reconstruction of the new Presidential Office, in Yongsan, and the official residence, in Hannamdong. I used to live in US government housing in Hannamdong many years ago. In the "nanny" cartoon, Yoon's wife is wearing Japanese style clothes.

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soryang's picture

@soryang ...expanded beyond the police barricades put in place to contain it, to allow at least some two way traffic on the boulevard. The crowd was apparently too large to be contained in the space allowed and demonstrators accumulated beyond the first line of barricades, and were contained by a second line of barricades. I think the scene in the video below is on Sejeongno, a major thoroughfare in central Seoul, near Namdaemun. The crowd stopped here, as dusk was near, for the speeches and performances during the nighttime candlelight part of the event.

I wanted to post the video below even though it's entirely in Korean, (only the first seven minutes are relevant) because of the police-demonstrator confrontation that took place, and the remarkable judgement and restraint demonstrated by police, when the demonstrators resisted the police attempt to force them back behind the inner barricade line. To me, it appears that the police commander had received some sort of order to get the crowd back behind the first fence, to open up traffic lanes. When the demonstrators resisted, and a few demonstrators technically committed batteries on some officers, while getting in their faces, the police did not get violent, and relented. I'm wondering how the South Korean Presidential Office staff will react to this turn of events.

(By way of comparison) Because Jimmy Carter was in the news, Tim Shorrock posted a link to his excellent article on the Kwangju Massacre (democracy movement resisting martial law) in the Nation several years ago. The Kwangju Massacre took place during the Carter administration.

https://www.thenation.com/article/world/two-days-in-may-that-shattered-k...

After reading that, I wanted to take a look at the June Struggle (1987) where the overthrow of Chun's dictatorship in South Korea was prompted by the deaths of two young protestors in the democracy movement of that time. There is a great picture on the wikipedia page of the huge crowd assembled on July 9, 1987, for the funeral of one of the deceased protestors.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/June_Democratic_Struggle

(edited The Nation, not New Yorker)

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語必忠信 行必正直

demonstrations are swelling all over ..
France, Germany, Peru, UK, Kosovo, HK
even a tiny one in DC

the natives are getting restless

thanks for your Korean perspective!

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