The Evening Blues - 5-31-23

Submitted by joe shikspack on Wed, 05/31/2023 - 2:52pm

eb1pt12

The day's news roundup + tonight's musical feature: Jelly Roll Morton

Hey! Good Evening!

This evening's music features ragtime and jazz pianist Jelly Roll Morton. Enjoy!

^{Jelly Roll Morton - Black Bottom Stomp}

"Reason is so unreasonable, that few people can say they are in possession of it."

-- Lord Byron

News and Opinion

Ukraine Peace Plan Is Only Way to End Russia's War, Says Zelenskiy Aide

Kyiv's peace plan is the only way to end Russia's war in Ukraine and the time for mediation efforts has passed, a top aide to President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said.

Chief diplomatic adviser Ihor Zhovkva told Reuters that Ukraine had no interest in a ceasefire that locks in Russian territorial gains, and wanted the implementation of its peace plan, which envisages the full withdrawal of Russian troops.

He pushed back on a flurry of peace initiatives from China, Brazil, the Vatican and South Africa in recent months.

"There cannot be a Brazilian peace plan, a Chinese peace plan, a South African peace plan when you are talking about the war in Ukraine," Zhovkva said in an interview late on Friday.

Biden White House debates various Ukraine off-ramps

Ukrainian official hints counteroffensive coming ‘soon’

A Ukrainian official has indicated the country’s expected counteroffensive is coming “soon,” as Russian missiles hit Ukraine overnight and in a rarer daylight attack Monday.

The commander of Ukraine’s ground forces, Oleksandr Syrskyi, said in a Telegram post that “the time will soon come when we will move to active offensive actions” and “defined specific tasks” for military preparations, according to translations.

Officials appear to be hinting that Ukraine may be nearing go-time on its long-anticipated counteroffensive.

Neo-Nazis attack Russia with US weapons

Polish President Signs 'Tusk Law' on Undue Russian Influence

Poland's president said on Monday he would sign a bill to allow a panel to investigate whether the opposition Civic Platform (PO) party allowed the country to be unduly influenced by Russia and as a result too dependent on its fuel when it was in power.

The liberal PO, in government from 2007 to 2015, rejects the claims and says the law is designed to destroy support for its leader and former prime minister Donald Tusk ahead of an election scheduled for October or November.

President Andrzej Duda said he would sign the bill because he believed it "should enter into force" but he also said he would ask the Constitutional Tribunal to examine criticism that the legislation is unconstitutional.

The bill would set up an investigative commission that could deliver an initial report in September. Opposition figures have nicknamed it Lex Tusk, using the Latin word for law.

Biden Accuser Tara Reade For MOVING To Russia

Tara Reade, who accused Joe Biden of sexual assault, defects to Russia

Tara Reade, a former Senate staffer who in 2020 accused Joe Biden of sexual assault, said on Tuesday she had defected to Russia.

“I’m still kind of in a daze a bit but I feel very good,” Reade told Sputnik, a Russian press outlet supportive of President Vladimir Putin, while sitting with Maria Butina, a convicted Russian agent jailed in the US but now a member of parliament in Russia.

Now 59, Reade was a staffer for Biden when he was a US senator from Delaware.

In 2020, as Biden ran for the Democratic presidential nomination, she claimed that in 1993, in a Senate corridor, he pushed her against a wall and assaulted her. Biden repeatedly denied the accusation.

The Grayzone debates National Endowment for Democracy VP on group's CIA ties

Chinese pilot performed ‘aggressive maneuver’ near US plane, military says

A Chinese fighter pilot performed an “unnecessarily aggressive maneuver” near an American surveillance aircraft operating over the South China Sea last week, according to US military. The incident – which the Pentagon says is part of a pattern of behavior by China – comes at a time of already heightened tensions between Washington and Beijing over issues including Taiwan and an alleged Chinese spy balloon that was shot down after traversing the United States earlier this year.

The Chinese plane “flew directly in front of and within 400 feet of the nose of the RC-135, forcing the US aircraft to fly through its wake turbulence” on Friday, the Indo-Pacific Command (IndoPaCom) said in a statement. ...

Declassified video footage shows a fighter plane crossing in front of the American aircraft, which can be seen shaking from the resulting turbulence.

A senior US defense official said there had been an “alarming increase in the number of risky aerial intercepts and confrontations at sea” by Chinese aircraft and ships – actions that “have the potential to create an unsafe incident or miscalculation”.

“We don’t believe it’s done by pilots operating independently,” the official said. “We believe it’s part of a wider pattern.”

Erdoğan Reelected to 5 More Years in Turkey as His Government Grows More Authoritarian & Nationalist

McCarthy insists Republican support for debt deal ‘easy’ despite vocal opposition

The Republican speaker of the US House, Kevin McCarthy, insisted on Tuesday that supporting the debt ceiling deal would be “easy” for his party and it was likely to pass through Congress despite one prominent rightwinger’s verdict that the proposed agreement is a “turd sandwich”.

Amid loud denunciations from the Republican right and also from closer to the centre, McCarthy said he was not worried the agreement would fail, or that it would threaten his hold on the speaker’s gavel.

The bill is the “most conservative deal we’ve ever had”, McCarthy told reporters, of a two-year agreement that includes spending freezes and rescinding Internal Revenue Service funding while leaving military and veterans spending untouched.

Negotiators fielded by McCarthy and Joe Biden reached the deal to raise the $31.4tn US debt ceiling last weekend.

A default would be likely to have catastrophic consequences for the US and world economies. The treasury secretary, Janet Yellen, has said that will happen on 5 June if no bill is passed.

Everything You Need to Know: CRITICAL Debt Vote Today

Biden-McCarthy austerity debt ceiling bill moves to vote in Congress

On Tuesday, the House Rules Committee voted to advance the bill worked out between President Joe Biden and Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy to suspend the debt ceiling and impose major cuts in social spending. The bill will now go to the full House of Representatives for debate and a vote on Wednesday evening.

With Democratic leaders giving assurances that they will supply whatever votes are needed to obtain passage of the austerity measure and most House Republicans signaling their support, despite opposition from the far-right Freedom Caucus, the bill’s adoption by the Republican-controlled House is a virtual certainty. From there the bill will go to the Senate, where the Democrats, who hold a narrow majority, are poised to pass it with significant Republican support, although Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has warned that the debate and vote could extend into the weekend. This would delay congressional passage of the bill and its signing by Biden until the eve of the June 5 “X-date,” when Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen claims the government would run out of cash to pay its debt obligations, triggering the first ever US debt default, with “catastrophic” consequences.

As the World Socialist Web Site has explained, the entire crisis over the debt ceiling has a manufactured and stage-managed character. It provides the framework within which the two parties of Wall Street and the military conspire to impose on the working class the full cost of massive increases in military spending for the war against Russia in Ukraine and preparations for war against China. The other major sources of the explosive growth of the US national debt—none of which are ever explained in the media—are tax cuts for the corporations and the rich and successive waves of bailouts of the banks and major Wall Street speculators.

Spending on social programs—health care, education, public transit, housing, food stamps, job training—has been substantially cut since the last manufactured debt ceiling crisis, in 2011, when the Obama-Biden administration enacted the Budget Control Act, capping spending for a decade. Over that period, spending on the military has soared and bailouts and tax cuts have reduced corporate taxes as a percentage of corporate revenues by 60 percent. This time around, as then, the Republican Party, led by its fascistic wing, has been used to drive the so-called “debate,” making the most extreme demands for social cuts and thereby paving the way for the Democrats to agree to somewhat less onerous attacks, while accelerating the process of gutting all of the social gains won by the working class in a century of struggle.

FBI REFUSES to Hand Over Biden Corruption Docs, House GOP To Hold Christopher Wray IN CONTEMPT

Secret Poll Shows Abortion CRUSHING Republicans

the evening greens

‘Ball of fluff’: rare white bison born in Wyoming is first in park’s 32-year history

Staffers at the Bear River state park in south-west Wyoming welcomed four brown bison calves this spring and thought the birthing season was finished.

But earlier this month, as staff visited the animals’ pasture, they saw a “little white ball of fluff”, park superintendent Tyfani Sager said.

One of Bear River’s two white heifers had given birth to a white calf, the first in the park’s 32-year history, Sager said. The mother’s name is Wyoming Hope. Staff suspect the father is a bull named Snort.

White bison are extremely rare throughout the American west and are considered sacred to many Native American tribes. Bear River’s white buffalo contain Charolais cattle DNA, which gives them their distinctive snowy fur. The genetic makeup makes them rare, but not as unusual as albino bison, which only occur in about one-in-10m births.

A Dirty Debt Deal: Biden Blasted for Backing Fast-Track Approval of Mountain Valley Pipeline

Delta Air Lines faces lawsuit over $1bn carbon neutrality claim

Delta Air Lines is facing a lawsuit over its $1bn carbon neutrality claim which plaintiffs say is “false and misleading” as it relies on offsets that do little to mitigate global heating.

In February 2020, the US airline announced plans to go carbon neutral, pledging $1bn to mitigate all greenhouse gas emissions from its business worldwide over the next decade. It included plans to purchase carbon credits generated from conserving rainforest, wetlands and grasslands along with decreasing the use of jet fuel and increasing plane efficiency.

The new legal action, filed in California on Tuesday, targets Delta’s statement that it is “the world’s first carbon-neutral airline”, a claim it has made in adverts, LinkedIn posts, in-flight napkins and comments by company executives, according to the lawsuit.

The class-action lawsuit says Delta’s carbon neutrality claim is demonstrably false as it heavily relies on junk offsets that do nothing to counteract the climate crisis. It alleges that customers would have purchased Delta tickets believing they had no impact on the environment and many would not have bought them without the carbon neutrality claim.

Supreme Court Guts Clean Water Act as Conservative Justices Side with Polluters and Developer

Also of Interest

Here are some articles of interest, some which defied fair-use abstraction.

Kremlin Says 'Vacuum' Emerging in Arms Control

Biden and the Islamophobic Watchlist

America’s Continuing Quest to Hide Torture

Rising Ideologies Need People Inside; Stagnant Hegemonies Want People Out

Underexposure Exposed

Adam McKay: 1.5C Is Terrifying But There Is Something We Haven’t Tried

Firefighting goats could be furloughed due to California employment law

Astronomers see 6,000-mile water vapour plume blasting from Saturn moon

A Little Night Music

Jelly Roll Morton's Red Hot Peppers - Original Jelly Roll Blues

Jelly Roll Morton's Red Hot Peppers - Dead Man Blues

Jelly Roll Morton - The Crave

Jelly Roll Morton - New Orleans Blues

Jelly Roll Morton's Red Hot Peppers - Georgia Swing

Jelly Roll Morton - Fat Meat and Greens

Jelly Roll Morton & Sidney Bechet - Didn't He Ramble

Jelly Roll Morton - The Naked Dance

Jelly Roll Morton - Doctor Jazz

Tags:

The Evening Blues

Open Thread

Jelly Roll Morton

Vote

Comments

Submitted by ggersh on Wed, 05/31/2023 - 4:36pm

Well this sounds reasonable enough to me

https://www.theautomaticearth.com/2023/05/debt-rattle-may-31-2023/

https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/jim-rogers-stock-market-...

“The world has never seen the debt and the spending and the money printing like in the last few years. So something is going to have to be very, very ruinous to solve this problem this time.”

• Jim Rogers Is Bracing For The Worst Bear Market Of His Life (BI)

Jim Rogers is bracing for the biggest market downturn in eight decades. The 80-year-old investor issued the grave warning during a recent RealVision interview. He also cautioned the US dollar’s global dominance is under threat, and higher interest rates will be necessary to rein in soaring prices. The cofounder of George Soros’ Quantum Fund also slammed US lawmakers for the current debt-ceiling debacle, touted commodities as the best hedges against inflation, and dismissed the idea that governments will embrace bitcoin. Here are Rogers’ 7 best quotes, lightly edited for length and clarity:
1. “The next bear market will be the worst in my lifetime, because the debt has gone up by such staggering amounts in the past 14 years.” (Rogers said the 2008 crash was caused by excessive amounts of debt, and borrowing has ballooned since then, suggesting a far worse downturn lies ahead.)

2. “We should always be concerned about Washington. They don’t have a clue what they’re doing. And they prove it day in and day out.” (He was discussing the current political gridlock over raising the debt ceiling.)

3. “You should be extremely worried. If you’re not, you don’t know what’s going on. Many countries are starting to look for alternatives to the US dollar, partly because of its horrendous debt problem. I’m looking every day, because I know that something bad is going to happen in the currency markets in the next two or three years.” (Rogers was commenting on de-dollarization fears.)

4. “Interest rates are going to go higher worldwide. I don’t know how high they have to go to kill inflation this time around. The world has never seen the debt and the spending and the money printing like in the last few years. So something is going to have to be very, very ruinous to solve this problem this time.”

5. “There’ll be trouble in all the markets — property markets, stock markets, bond markets, currency markets, everything. You have to learn about cash or selling short in order to survive what’s coming.”

6. “I don’t think that the world is going to convert to bitcoin. It will be computer money, but it will be government computer money.”

7. “The best place to be when you have inflation is real assets, and real assets are commodities. The cheapest asset that I know is still commodities.” (Rogers said he owns some silver and gold currently.)

Read more …

Thanks for the EB's Joe....

1/2 inch of rain all of May, the grass is turning brown already.
The next forecast for rain is June 10th, a dust bowl in the making?

—

I never knew that the term "Never Again" only pertained to
those born Jewish

"Antisemite used to be someone who didn't like Jews
now it's someone who Jews don't like"

Heard from Margaret Kimberley

Submitted by QMS on Wed, 05/31/2023 - 5:08pm

reason is treason in this day and age

@ggersh

thought control will disallow contrary opinions
vis-a-vis the latest pandemic info warfare

for what it is worth, we still need to think for ourselves

https://www.theautomaticearth.com/2023/05/debt-rattle-may-31-2023/ https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/jim-rogers-stock-market-... “The world has never seen the debt and the spending and the money printing like in the last few years. So something is going to have to be very, very ruinous to solve this problem this time.” • Jim Rogers Is Bracing For The Worst Bear Market Of His Life (BI) Jim Rogers is bracing for the biggest market downturn in eight decades. The 80-year-old investor issued the grave warning during a recent RealVision interview. He also cautioned the US dollar’s global dominance is under threat, and higher interest rates will be necessary to rein in soaring prices. The cofounder of George Soros’ Quantum Fund also slammed US lawmakers for the current debt-ceiling debacle, touted commodities as the best hedges against inflation, and dismissed the idea that governments will embrace bitcoin. Here are Rogers’ 7 best quotes, lightly edited for length and clarity: 1. “The next bear market will be the worst in my lifetime, because the debt has gone up by such staggering amounts in the past 14 years.” (Rogers said the 2008 crash was caused by excessive amounts of debt, and borrowing has ballooned since then, suggesting a far worse downturn lies ahead.) 2. “We should always be concerned about Washington. They don’t have a clue what they’re doing. And they prove it day in and day out.” (He was discussing the current political gridlock over raising the debt ceiling.) 3. “You should be extremely worried. If you’re not, you don’t know what’s going on. Many countries are starting to look for alternatives to the US dollar, partly because of its horrendous debt problem. I’m looking every day, because I know that something bad is going to happen in the currency markets in the next two or three years.” (Rogers was commenting on de-dollarization fears.) 4. “Interest rates are going to go higher worldwide. I don’t know how high they have to go to kill inflation this time around. The world has never seen the debt and the spending and the money printing like in the last few years. So something is going to have to be very, very ruinous to solve this problem this time.” 5. “There’ll be trouble in all the markets — property markets, stock markets, bond markets, currency markets, everything. You have to learn about cash or selling short in order to survive what’s coming.” 6. “I don’t think that the world is going to convert to bitcoin. It will be computer money, but it will be government computer money.” 7. “The best place to be when you have inflation is real assets, and real assets are commodities. The cheapest asset that I know is still commodities.” (Rogers said he owns some silver and gold currently.) Read more … Thanks for the EB's Joe.... 1/2 inch of rain all of May, the grass is turning brown already. The next forecast for rain is June 10th, a dust bowl in the making?

Submitted by ggersh on Wed, 05/31/2023 - 5:28pm

Orwell told us this didn't he

@QMS https://jessescrossroadscafe.blogspot.com/

“Every war when it comes, or before it comes, is represented not as a war but as an act of self-defense against a homicidal maniac. In our time political speech and writing are largely the defense of the indefensible. But if thought corrupts language, language can also corrupt thought. All the war-propaganda, all the screaming and lies and hatred, comes invariably from people who are not fighting.

Political language is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidarity to pure wind. War against a foreign country only happens when the moneyed classes think they are going to profit from it. Nationalism is power hunger tempered by self-deception.

We have now sunk to a depth at which restatement of the obvious is the first duty of intelligent men. If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear. In times of universal deceit, telling the truth will be a revolutionary act.”

George Orwell, Facing Unpleasant Facts: Narrative Essays

—

I never knew that the term "Never Again" only pertained to
those born Jewish

"Antisemite used to be someone who didn't like Jews
now it's someone who Jews don't like"

Heard from Margaret Kimberley

Submitted by QMS on Wed, 05/31/2023 - 5:53pm

Ah'yupp

@ggersh

believe you nailed it there
thanks amigo

Submitted by joe shikspack on Wed, 05/31/2023 - 7:46pm

evening ggersh...

@ggersh

yep, it seems like what is going to happen is not so much in question as when it will happen is.

i thought he missed the mark on this:

Many countries are starting to look for alternatives to the US dollar, partly because of its horrendous debt problem.

i don't think that the debt problem is what is driving dedollarization, it is the foreign policy incompetence of the neocon-run u.s. government and its bullying of other nations using the currency as a weapon.

sorry to hear about your lack of rain. we've been largely running below average here this winter through april. in april we were about an inch above average, nws doesn't have may numbers yet.

https://www.theautomaticearth.com/2023/05/debt-rattle-may-31-2023/ https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/jim-rogers-stock-market-... “The world has never seen the debt and the spending and the money printing like in the last few years. So something is going to have to be very, very ruinous to solve this problem this time.” • Jim Rogers Is Bracing For The Worst Bear Market Of His Life (BI) Jim Rogers is bracing for the biggest market downturn in eight decades. The 80-year-old investor issued the grave warning during a recent RealVision interview. He also cautioned the US dollar’s global dominance is under threat, and higher interest rates will be necessary to rein in soaring prices. The cofounder of George Soros’ Quantum Fund also slammed US lawmakers for the current debt-ceiling debacle, touted commodities as the best hedges against inflation, and dismissed the idea that governments will embrace bitcoin. Here are Rogers’ 7 best quotes, lightly edited for length and clarity: 1. “The next bear market will be the worst in my lifetime, because the debt has gone up by such staggering amounts in the past 14 years.” (Rogers said the 2008 crash was caused by excessive amounts of debt, and borrowing has ballooned since then, suggesting a far worse downturn lies ahead.) 2. “We should always be concerned about Washington. They don’t have a clue what they’re doing. And they prove it day in and day out.” (He was discussing the current political gridlock over raising the debt ceiling.) 3. “You should be extremely worried. If you’re not, you don’t know what’s going on. Many countries are starting to look for alternatives to the US dollar, partly because of its horrendous debt problem. I’m looking every day, because I know that something bad is going to happen in the currency markets in the next two or three years.” (Rogers was commenting on de-dollarization fears.) 4. “Interest rates are going to go higher worldwide. I don’t know how high they have to go to kill inflation this time around. The world has never seen the debt and the spending and the money printing like in the last few years. So something is going to have to be very, very ruinous to solve this problem this time.” 5. “There’ll be trouble in all the markets — property markets, stock markets, bond markets, currency markets, everything. You have to learn about cash or selling short in order to survive what’s coming.” 6. “I don’t think that the world is going to convert to bitcoin. It will be computer money, but it will be government computer money.” 7. “The best place to be when you have inflation is real assets, and real assets are commodities. The cheapest asset that I know is still commodities.” (Rogers said he owns some silver and gold currently.) Read more … Thanks for the EB's Joe.... 1/2 inch of rain all of May, the grass is turning brown already. The next forecast for rain is June 10th, a dust bowl in the making?

Submitted by ggersh on Wed, 05/31/2023 - 10:13pm

I agree with you

@joe shikspack de-dollarization stems from the corrupt DC/WS
policy.Stealing Russia's money, Venezuela's Gold, Iran's
oil and natural resources the world over doesn't help either.

—

I never knew that the term "Never Again" only pertained to
those born Jewish

"Antisemite used to be someone who didn't like Jews
now it's someone who Jews don't like"

Heard from Margaret Kimberley

Submitted by exindy on Thu, 06/01/2023 - 4:33am

I have experienced bull markets and bear markets

@ggersh and none had any effect on my life or lifestyle. Not a one.

I experienced inflation, deflation, stagflation, and all the other run-away, run-away, be very afraid scenarions. None of them had much of an effect on my life or my lifestyle.

I just kept my wits about me and dealt with them.

15 years ago when I cashed in my home ownership chips I was very aware of the reason for doing so. Ie, what good were those zeroes on my worth sheet? They were but zeroes.

An 80 yo investor? Why? When I was talking with the bank about what to do with all those zeroes, he was all excited, said he could invest it and get me a phenominal return. My response was: "You remember when they told you to build a nestegg so that you could someday do what you want to do? That day is today."

Another indyism I just recalled: Never take anything to work you have to go back to get.

Thanks, Joe. Another wonderful lead.

https://www.theautomaticearth.com/2023/05/debt-rattle-may-31-2023/ https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/jim-rogers-stock-market-... “The world has never seen the debt and the spending and the money printing like in the last few years. So something is going to have to be very, very ruinous to solve this problem this time.” • Jim Rogers Is Bracing For The Worst Bear Market Of His Life (BI) Jim Rogers is bracing for the biggest market downturn in eight decades. The 80-year-old investor issued the grave warning during a recent RealVision interview. He also cautioned the US dollar’s global dominance is under threat, and higher interest rates will be necessary to rein in soaring prices. The cofounder of George Soros’ Quantum Fund also slammed US lawmakers for the current debt-ceiling debacle, touted commodities as the best hedges against inflation, and dismissed the idea that governments will embrace bitcoin. Here are Rogers’ 7 best quotes, lightly edited for length and clarity: 1. “The next bear market will be the worst in my lifetime, because the debt has gone up by such staggering amounts in the past 14 years.” (Rogers said the 2008 crash was caused by excessive amounts of debt, and borrowing has ballooned since then, suggesting a far worse downturn lies ahead.) 2. “We should always be concerned about Washington. They don’t have a clue what they’re doing. And they prove it day in and day out.” (He was discussing the current political gridlock over raising the debt ceiling.) 3. “You should be extremely worried. If you’re not, you don’t know what’s going on. Many countries are starting to look for alternatives to the US dollar, partly because of its horrendous debt problem. I’m looking every day, because I know that something bad is going to happen in the currency markets in the next two or three years.” (Rogers was commenting on de-dollarization fears.) 4. “Interest rates are going to go higher worldwide. I don’t know how high they have to go to kill inflation this time around. The world has never seen the debt and the spending and the money printing like in the last few years. So something is going to have to be very, very ruinous to solve this problem this time.” 5. “There’ll be trouble in all the markets — property markets, stock markets, bond markets, currency markets, everything. You have to learn about cash or selling short in order to survive what’s coming.” 6. “I don’t think that the world is going to convert to bitcoin. It will be computer money, but it will be government computer money.” 7. “The best place to be when you have inflation is real assets, and real assets are commodities. The cheapest asset that I know is still commodities.” (Rogers said he owns some silver and gold currently.) Read more … Thanks for the EB's Joe.... 1/2 inch of rain all of May, the grass is turning brown already. The next forecast for rain is June 10th, a dust bowl in the making?

Submitted by janis b on Thu, 06/01/2023 - 4:57am

Thanks for the indyism

@exindy

I'm glad it paid off for you.

Submitted by ggersh on Thu, 06/01/2023 - 8:36am

We all have experienced the theft that

@exindy @exindy is hoisted upon us by both the banksters and the
politicians. Each of us have had to deal with in one
way or another, some coped better than others, but in
the end it affected us all and definitely not for our
benefit.

this could be on the conservative side

https://www.in2013dollars.com/us/inflation/1973?amount=1

$1 in 1973 is worth $6.83 today

For what it should say is that it takes $6.83 to buy
something today that cost $1.00 in 1973

—

I never knew that the term "Never Again" only pertained to
those born Jewish

"Antisemite used to be someone who didn't like Jews
now it's someone who Jews don't like"

Heard from Margaret Kimberley

Submitted by QMS on Thu, 06/01/2023 - 9:02am

Sounds about right

@ggersh @ggersh

So the dollars I put into SSI during the 70's should be paid back at a rate of 6x
in today's worth. Then I could afford to retire.
Wishes and fishes

Submitted by enhydra lutris on Wed, 05/31/2023 - 5:09pm

Good evening Joe, thanks for the Evening Blues.

What the hell is with Bobby Soave? Of course the Feebs think they're above the law, they have been since their creation, and especially since the fifties.

The article on

Biden and the Islamophobic Watchlist

was interesting, given that some of the first additions to it were some juvenile (iirc) peaceniks. Sounds like they'd be safe today.

You might want to rerun that Scheerpost on June 26, it's the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture. I guess the US won't be celebrating that. Heh

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 --

Submitted by joe shikspack on Wed, 05/31/2023 - 7:50pm

evening el...

@enhydra lutris

heh, i think that soave may have spent so much time with republicans that their authority worship has rubbed off on him and blinded him to some things.

heh...

June 26, it's the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture. I guess the US won't be celebrating that.

i'm sure that they will trot out antony blinkiman to maul irony again as he did in his statements about free press and free speech.

have a great evening!

Submitted by humphrey on Wed, 05/31/2023 - 9:09pm

The AOC parody account comes up with some good tweets.

I’m calling on @elonmusk to permanently suspend the @AOCpress parody account.

Making fun of someone as important as me should never be allowed in a free society.

— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Press Release (parody) (@AOCpress) May 31, 2023

Submitted by joe shikspack on Wed, 05/31/2023 - 9:41pm

evening humphrey...

@humphrey

pfffffttt!!! that's excellent. and well deserved.

Submitted by humphrey on Wed, 05/31/2023 - 9:35pm

Once again it appears as if Kiev air defence shot down

all incoming missiles. /S

Massive explosions thundered in Kiev , don’t expect to see a clip as SUB have threaten live imprisonment for anyone who dare to record arrivals.

— Theresa (@tretter50001) June 1, 2023

At least seven explosions sounded in Kyiv - the threat of a missile attack was announced

At least seven explosions sounded in the independent capital. It is reported that Ukrainian air defense is working over the city, which is trying to shoot down a missile.

— Theresa (@tretter50001) June 1, 2023

But the street cams are watching.

City cams as well. pic.twitter.com/xut5hlKRfq

— ayden (@squatsons) June 1, 2023

Submitted by joe shikspack on Wed, 05/31/2023 - 9:42pm

heh...

@humphrey

of course they were all shot down, you saw them hit the ground, right?

Submitted by snoopydawg on Wed, 05/31/2023 - 9:51pm

simplicius has a video showing a Patriot missile misfiring and

@joe shikspack

hitting a car on the street. I can’t tell if the windows were blown out from the near miss, but I don’t see how they weren’t. Boy I bet that driver has nightmares. He writes about how Putin admitted that Russia bombed a building full of decision makers in Kiev. There’s also one that gets dumped in a river and just missing a parking lot with people in it.

Link

—

“When out of fear you twist the lesser evil into the lie that it is something good, you eventually rob people of the capacity to distinguish between good and evil.”
~ Hannah Arendt

Submitted by snoopydawg on Wed, 05/31/2023 - 10:05pm

Here’s the video

@snoopydawg

Patriot missile hits highway in Kiev … pic.twitter.com/8Ik7DbeUxZ

— Lord Bebo (@MyLordBebo) May 31, 2023

Looks like it might have hit the car if it hadn’t hit the wire first.

—

“When out of fear you twist the lesser evil into the lie that it is something good, you eventually rob people of the capacity to distinguish between good and evil.”
~ Hannah Arendt

Submitted by ggersh on Wed, 05/31/2023 - 10:15pm

It would be real funny if it didn't cost us a $1bil

@snoopydawg oh hell it's funny!!

—

I never knew that the term "Never Again" only pertained to
those born Jewish

"Antisemite used to be someone who didn't like Jews
now it's someone who Jews don't like"

Heard from Margaret Kimberley

Submitted by humphrey on Wed, 05/31/2023 - 10:28pm

Here is the other one of missile almost hitting the bridge.

@snoopydawg

Video of the fall of an American-made PAC-3 MSE anti-aircraft guided missile SAM Patriot near the Gavansky Bridge in Kyiv, which leads to the headquarters of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry on Rybalsky Island. pic.twitter.com/5e7uvsHjnS

— Theresa (@tretter50001) May 31, 2023

Submitted by snoopydawg on Wed, 05/31/2023 - 9:45pm

b has become a tankie

Who or What Is ‘Moon of Alabama’? And Why Is He Trying to Lynch Evan Gershkovich?

Is Evan Gershkovich, the Wall Street Journal reporter arrested by the Russians last week, actually a spy?

Some people — even in the United States — think so. Personally, I believe that to state as much is extremely reckless and endangers journalists everywhere. But beyond that, it is a symptom of a disease that is afflicting a small but seemingly growing element of the American Left.

They have a propensity to always ascribe sinister motives to the US “establishment” (including journalists) — while extending a breathtaking degree of trust to anyone on the other side, including dictators and mass oppressors of all stripes.

Look, we’ve all witnessed the history of American wrongdoing, and we all get it: The US has done plenty of terrible stuff. And almost certainly is still doing some. But to insist that nothing ever changes — that some permanent cabal will continue to decide everything all the time with the most malevolent of intents, with no one able to stop it — bespeaks a kind of madness, caused by a rigor mortis of the mind.

****
Moon of Alabama

The blogger I want to look at prefers to remain anonymous (though seems to be a he), and goes by the moniker “Moon of Alabama.” He constantly imputes sinister motives to any foreigners taking things into their own hands to stand up to oppression. Thus, Ukrainians are US puppets. Iranians rejecting subservience to mullahs and the forced wearing of headscarves are US provocateurs. Taiwan has no legitimate reason to exist, and the US has no reason to defend this democracy against a giant dictatorship. And so forth.

Moon’s latest target: a journalist. As mentioned, the blog has argued why we should believe the Russian line that Evan Gershkovich, the Wall Street Journal reporter arrested in that country as an alleged spy… is a spy.

Moon claims we can deduce that the reporter is, in fact, a spy by the sort of story he was doing and the questions he asked.

****
As for Moon Of Alabama, instead of giving naive readers the impression he has information or insights he doesn’t, that maybe he is in Alabama or elsewhere in the “heartland,” at least he might come up with a moniker that accurately conveys his brand.

Like “Moon Over Moscow” or “Mooning Washington.”

Indeed, in one exchange (not on his own site), Moon sneered at those trying to discover his identity, and claimed that he is not American.

Should anyone learn who or what the blogger behind the Moon mask answers to, please let us know. Then again, maybe it’s not a conspiracy, just a sad, deluded soul.

Written by Russ Baker. No comments allowed.

—

“When out of fear you twist the lesser evil into the lie that it is something good, you eventually rob people of the capacity to distinguish between good and evil.”
~ Hannah Arendt

Submitted by joe shikspack on Wed, 05/31/2023 - 10:41pm

evening snoopy...

@snoopydawg

what a maroon.

But to insist that nothing ever changes — that some permanent cabal will continue to decide everything all the time with the most malevolent of intents, with no one able to stop it — bespeaks a kind of madness

o.k. russ, i want my peace dividend. now. fix it.

.

Who or What Is ‘Moon of Alabama’? And Why Is He Trying to Lynch Evan Gershkovich?

Is Evan Gershkovich, the Wall Street Journal reporter arrested by the Russians last week, actually a spy?

Some people — even in the United States — think so. Personally, I believe that to state as much is extremely reckless and endangers journalists everywhere. But beyond that, it is a symptom of a disease that is afflicting a small but seemingly growing element of the American Left.

They have a propensity to always ascribe sinister motives to the US “establishment” (including journalists) — while extending a breathtaking degree of trust to anyone on the other side, including dictators and mass oppressors of all stripes.

Look, we’ve all witnessed the history of American wrongdoing, and we all get it: The US has done plenty of terrible stuff. And almost certainly is still doing some. But to insist that nothing ever changes — that some permanent cabal will continue to decide everything all the time with the most malevolent of intents, with no one able to stop it — bespeaks a kind of madness, caused by a rigor mortis of the mind.

****
Moon of Alabama

The blogger I want to look at prefers to remain anonymous (though seems to be a he), and goes by the moniker “Moon of Alabama.” He constantly imputes sinister motives to any foreigners taking things into their own hands to stand up to oppression. Thus, Ukrainians are US puppets. Iranians rejecting subservience to mullahs and the forced wearing of headscarves are US provocateurs. Taiwan has no legitimate reason to exist, and the US has no reason to defend this democracy against a giant dictatorship. And so forth.

Moon’s latest target: a journalist. As mentioned, the blog has argued why we should believe the Russian line that Evan Gershkovich, the Wall Street Journal reporter arrested in that country as an alleged spy… is a spy.

Moon claims we can deduce that the reporter is, in fact, a spy by the sort of story he was doing and the questions he asked.

****
As for Moon Of Alabama, instead of giving naive readers the impression he has information or insights he doesn’t, that maybe he is in Alabama or elsewhere in the “heartland,” at least he might come up with a moniker that accurately conveys his brand.

Like “Moon Over Moscow” or “Mooning Washington.”

Indeed, in one exchange (not on his own site), Moon sneered at those trying to discover his identity, and claimed that he is not American.

Should anyone learn who or what the blogger behind the Moon mask answers to, please let us know. Then again, maybe it’s not a conspiracy, just a sad, deluded soul.

Written by Russ Baker. No comments allowed.

Submitted by exindy on Thu, 06/01/2023 - 8:24am

Ok, one more comment and then I'll head over to the bar

@snoopydawg

That piece looks more like something written by ChatGPT. Focused on the who rather than the what and the why. The person who wrote the comment might even be a human but it smacks much more of AI.

The choice by b for the website had nothing to do with Alabama. Couple years ago when I first started following the site the name intrigued me. So I researched it.

Oh what a wonderful journey. Saw and met such wonderful people, people with passion, building on ideas,

Ya know, I had always thought Mack the Knife was a Bobby Darin thing?

"The Usefulness of Useless Knowledge", a good example of why innovation happens.

Looks like the smoke is going to be bad this year. Be well.

Addendum: As I thought about it, I became pretty po'ed. Looking at the evolution of the Alabama song and how it touched so many lives, some directly, some subliminally, some just for the entertainment...

and we are stuck with this profit driven dystopic BS that we have to endure every dam day. These neolibson don't care about anything but stealing every bit of value from what we had. And if it doesn't have an easy value to determine, make up some BS numbers... like the value of Twitter. Watta crock.

I'm currently rereading 1984. I missed so much on my first pass long ago.

BTW, using one of the definitions for tankie most definitely describes b. Someone who has decided that the western "culture" the pretend emperor who has no clothes. And a place run by psychopaths who believe that the boss is entitled to sexual or any other kind of favors from anyone unfortunate enough to require his "largesse".

/rant

.

Who or What Is ‘Moon of Alabama’? And Why Is He Trying to Lynch Evan Gershkovich?

Is Evan Gershkovich, the Wall Street Journal reporter arrested by the Russians last week, actually a spy?

Some people — even in the United States — think so. Personally, I believe that to state as much is extremely reckless and endangers journalists everywhere. But beyond that, it is a symptom of a disease that is afflicting a small but seemingly growing element of the American Left.

They have a propensity to always ascribe sinister motives to the US “establishment” (including journalists) — while extending a breathtaking degree of trust to anyone on the other side, including dictators and mass oppressors of all stripes.

Look, we’ve all witnessed the history of American wrongdoing, and we all get it: The US has done plenty of terrible stuff. And almost certainly is still doing some. But to insist that nothing ever changes — that some permanent cabal will continue to decide everything all the time with the most malevolent of intents, with no one able to stop it — bespeaks a kind of madness, caused by a rigor mortis of the mind.

****
Moon of Alabama

The blogger I want to look at prefers to remain anonymous (though seems to be a he), and goes by the moniker “Moon of Alabama.” He constantly imputes sinister motives to any foreigners taking things into their own hands to stand up to oppression. Thus, Ukrainians are US puppets. Iranians rejecting subservience to mullahs and the forced wearing of headscarves are US provocateurs. Taiwan has no legitimate reason to exist, and the US has no reason to defend this democracy against a giant dictatorship. And so forth.

Moon’s latest target: a journalist. As mentioned, the blog has argued why we should believe the Russian line that Evan Gershkovich, the Wall Street Journal reporter arrested in that country as an alleged spy… is a spy.

Moon claims we can deduce that the reporter is, in fact, a spy by the sort of story he was doing and the questions he asked.

****
As for Moon Of Alabama, instead of giving naive readers the impression he has information or insights he doesn’t, that maybe he is in Alabama or elsewhere in the “heartland,” at least he might come up with a moniker that accurately conveys his brand.

Like “Moon Over Moscow” or “Mooning Washington.”

Indeed, in one exchange (not on his own site), Moon sneered at those trying to discover his identity, and claimed that he is not American.

Should anyone learn who or what the blogger behind the Moon mask answers to, please let us know. Then again, maybe it’s not a conspiracy, just a sad, deluded soul.

Written by Russ Baker. No comments allowed.

Submitted by snoopydawg on Thu, 06/01/2023 - 11:16am

Great rant

@exindy

BTW, using one of the definitions for tankie most definitely describes b. Someone who has decided that the western "culture" the pretend emperor who has no clothes. And a place run by psychopaths who believe that the boss is entitled to sexual or any other kind of favors from anyone unfortunate enough to require his "largesse".

I first encountered the word tankie in one of kos Ukraine updates when he said that Caitlin was one because she is against American imperialism and adds others like Greenwald and others of his ilk. The funny thing is that once upon a time kos and most of the remaining members there were also against American imperialism, but now they are fully in support of Zelensky and the Nazis and dream up ways to destroy Russia. Xenophobic comments there used to get one banned, but vodka swilling Neanderthal Orcs is very acceptable. And worse. But every now and then they will swear up and down that they are still anti war….well except for when it’s Russia they’re talking about. They just want them wiped off the map.

—

“When out of fear you twist the lesser evil into the lie that it is something good, you eventually rob people of the capacity to distinguish between good and evil.”
~ Hannah Arendt

Submitted by humphrey on Wed, 05/31/2023 - 10:16pm

Another day another aid package for Ukraine.

https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2023-05-31/white-house-announ...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House on Wednesday announced the latest in a series of aid packages for Ukraine that includes up to $300 million worth of air defense systems, ammunition and other defense equipment.

The security assistance package represents the 39th drawdown of equipment from the Department of Defense inventories, the Pentagon said. The package includes Patriot air defense batteries, Stinger anti-aircraft systems, tank ammunition and a list of other equipment, according to the Pentagon.

In total, the U.S. has committed more than $38.3 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since the beginning of the Biden administration, including more than $37.6 billion since Russia’s invasion in February 2022.

Submitted by snoopydawg on Wed, 05/31/2023 - 10:39pm

Well it’s a damn good thing that Biden has put work requirement

@humphrey

on people who need help buying food so that thee most corrupt country in the world can get a few more million in weapons that Russia is just going to blow up. Shitlibs say that only Biden could have made such a good deal with McCarthy and the hell with those poor suckers saddled with student debt have to start repaying them which will further tank the economy. They are idiots who can’t see that Biden has wanted to screw the poor ever since he got in congress and it’s weird how they have forgotten that Obama made a great deal with Ryan too that saw $5 billion cut from food stamps and other programs that the poor rely on. Or that Obiden offered cuts to social security then too. Funny how democrats can never hold the debt ceiling over republicans to refill those budgets or reinstate the taxes that republicans cut the year before! Democrats didn’t even talk about doing that when they got control. But hey fck Dark Brandon because he’s the best president since FDR and they didn’t even have to push him left!

—

“When out of fear you twist the lesser evil into the lie that it is something good, you eventually rob people of the capacity to distinguish between good and evil.”
~ Hannah Arendt

Submitted by joe shikspack on Wed, 05/31/2023 - 10:45pm

heh...

@humphrey

yep, and none of it may be used within russia. nudge, nudge, wink, wink!

Submitted by humphrey on Wed, 05/31/2023 - 10:53pm

Interesting but not surprising and this comes from a pro

Ukrainian propaganda site.

Four state-owned enterprises tasked with procuring arms for the military after the full-scale invasion failed to deliver Hr 8.9 billion ($242 million) worth of weapons and ammo after receiving the money, Ukrainska Pravda found. https://t.co/rhk5vm54ur

— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) June 1, 2023

Submitted by janis b on Thu, 06/01/2023 - 12:16am

Hi humphrey

@humphrey

How do you interpret the fact that a pro propaganda ukrainian news source is reporting questionable/corrupt activity in the military operation of the country?

Submitted by humphrey on Thu, 06/01/2023 - 1:24am

The way that I take it...

@janis b

Is that the corruption is so blatant that even the propaganda source can not even look the other way.

Submitted by janis b on Thu, 06/01/2023 - 1:39am

Thank you humphrey, for your response

@humphrey

I suppose what is blatant is also obvious.

Submitted by janis b on Thu, 06/01/2023 - 1:54am

Unexpected double deleted

@humphrey

Submitted by humphrey on Thu, 06/01/2023 - 12:00am

OY! All it took was some Pablum or was it ice cream to get the

deal with the doddering leader of the free world.

https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/4029028-soft-food-to-good-fa...

In late March, the prospects of President Biden and Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) coming together for a deal to raise the debt ceiling that both men found palatable looked dim.

Biden on March 28 flatly rejected a call from McCarthy for a meeting, instead urging the top House Republican to release a budget proposal before they could have a conversation in person.

Two days later, McCarthy quipped that he would bring a “soft food” lunch to the White House if that’s what it required for the two leaders to meet in person, an apparent swipe at Biden’s age.

By Memorial Day Weekend, both Biden and McCarthy were publicly complimenting each other and urging their respective parties to pass a deal they had finally signed off on.

“I think he negotiated with me in good faith. He kept his word. He said what he would do. He did what he said he’d do,” Biden said of McCarthy after delivering remarks Sunday at the White House.

“Very professional, very smart. Very tough at the same time,” McCarthy told reporters at the Capitol of his talks with Biden.~~HAH! HAH!~~

Submitted by soryang on Thu, 06/01/2023 - 12:56am

Chinese response

US recon aircraft spies on Chinese aircraft carrier, professionally dealt with by PLA: PLA Southern Theater Command spokesperson

The US reconnaissance aircraft that was intercepted by a Chinese fighter jet was spying on and disturbing a routine exercise by the Shandong aircraft carrier group in the South China Sea, and the US’ accusation calling the Chinese interception “unprofessional” is a false countercharge as the US is the one to blame, experts said on Wednesday.

In a routine exercise by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy Flotilla 17 in the South China Sea on Friday, a US military RC-135 reconnaissance aircraft intentionally intruded into the training area for reconnaissance and disturbance, leading the PLA Southern Theater Command to organize aerial forces to track and monitor it through its entire course, with maneuvers in a professional manner and in accordance with law and regulations, said Senior Colonel Zhang Nandong, a spokesperson at the PLA Southern Theater Command, in a statement.

From the video released by the US side, while the Chinese fighter jet made a warning move toward the US spy plane, it maintained a safe distance, so the US exaggerated the incident, Fu Qianshao, a Chinese military aviation expert, told the Global Times on Wednesday.

Since the incident took place shortly before the IISS Shangri-La Dialogue, a major defense forum in the Asia-Pacific region to be held from Friday to Sunday in Singapore, experts also pointed out that the US’ hype aim to push the “China threat” theory at the event.

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202305/1291704.shtml

The video from Bloomberg

The 135 got thumped heading into the jet wash. It's the relative positions of the aircraft that matter. The Chinese fighter didn't ever seem close. I saw a video of one similar intercept not too long ago, that was much closer, where the US complaint obviously was legitimate. However we don't know the exact position of the US recon aircraft at that time when it was harassed by an unsafe maneuver. In the instant case, I don't know what else one expects flying into an aircraft carrier operating area with aircraft airborne. Seems pretty tame.

South Korea, a "tinderbox?"

A few local labor reps in South Korea with grievances on subcontractor practices that weaken unions and exploit skilled workers by treating them as gig workers with no benefits have adopted a practice of making a demonstration by placing themselves in difficult to extract positions. I suppose that's better than lighting oneself on fire, as one labor rep did earlier this month (after he was falsely charged of various felonies).

I remember several months back when one local rep was arrested after he welded himself inside a metal cage onboard a ship under construction in a dry dock. This is one of the episodes this week-

This time the police decided to handle the union member with a direct violent confrontation. Pictures widely disseminated on the internet showed the labor leader later bleeding profusely from the head on the ground, while being arrested. In an apparently related incident, another local labor representative was subdued and arrested forcibly by police by pushing him face down on the pavement, with one officer kneeling on his neck in a position now well known to Americans to potentially cause death.

The order has gone out from the Yoon administration after a number of large labor demonstrations that police will be using force against "unlawful assemblies that threaten public safety." There really has been an uptick in the number of demonstrations lately by various groups not just the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions. The nurses reportedly had a demonstration in the tens of thousands Seoul earlier this week, against Yoon's veto of a nursing reform act designed to limit what procedures and patient services doctors could order nurses to perform. There was the regular Saturday candlelight movement demo. I think the democratic party demonstrated in better weather last weekend against Japan's intended release of Fukushima contaminated meltdown cooling water into the Pacific. That seemed to attract thousands of people.

There was a demo in front of the National Assembly on the 29th, where ordinary citizens including a lot of women, who had been cheated out of their large jeonse deposits (paid in lieu of rent to landlords and then refunded at the end of the lease). This situation has become systemically widespread as landlords speculating in real estate lose their tenants money and/or refuse to return their deposits. These victims are looking for some remedial legislation to help them in their financial distress. Jeonse payments often reflect the life savings of tenants. These demonstrators were denied entry to the National Assembly grounds by force by police. Looked like a riot. In another riotous situation, involving a pro-labor assembly, tents were torn down by police. Allegedly, they were obstructing traffic. Labor elements pushed back, forcing back police and their barricade line. Some demonstrators were physically subdued and taken into custody.

Labor among others have been warned not to conduct all night demonstrations, to sleep on sight, interfere with commuting traffic etc. Sound restrictions are going to be imposed in Seoul apparently. The use of water cannons has been threatened by some of the incumbent party's government representatives and the use of capcaisin and other forceful methods by the head of the National Police.

Korean Confederation of Trade Unions in Seoul, May 30 I think.

In another police state development more characteristic of a dictatorship, press offices in the MBC public broadcasting building were invaded by police with warrants and their records searched and seized, allegedly for unlawful disclosure of private information leaked from a government hearing concerning Han Dong-hun's nomination as Justice Minister April 2022. Also a reporter's home was searched without notice by police, as well as her person, and automobile, which included the police rifling through her underwear in her bedroom. One wonders what this had to do with news reporting or what they expected to find in her underwear draws. According to reporters, commentators, and opposition national assembly members, this kind of behavior exceeds that the prior military dictatorships. Additionally, police during the search referred to Han Dong-hun complying with a warrant when his hand phone was subject to seizure by another prosecutor whom he assaulted at the time, and put in the hospital. Han charged the prosecutor executing the warrant with physical assault. Ultimately, the prosecutor was acquitted on appeal by the Supreme Court. Han's hand phone was never decrypted. It was alleged at the time, he was trying to frame, an opposition commentator with false testimony. Why are police who are now supposed to investigate independently citing Han Dong-hun?

Additionally, in addition to the MBC warrants, the office of the Secretariat of the National Assembly was searched under a related warrant, further making a joke out of constitutional protections and rule of law in South Korea.

Some observers refer to the current state of affairs in South Korea domestically as a "tinderbox" waiting to go off. Resort to more violence by police against what are becoming more widespead and frequent demonstrations by various groups opposed to the current government may trigger greater social unrest and violence. Until now, South Korean demonstrators had been remarkably non-violent.

Thanks for your news roundup JB.

—

語必忠信行必正直

Submitted by humphrey on Thu, 06/01/2023 - 12:13am

The price you pay for being stenographers rather than news

organizations.

https://www.rt.com/news/577251-opec-snubs-reuters-bloomber/

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) has refused to invite reporters from Bloomberg News and Reuters to its event in Austria later this week, both outlets said on Wednesday.

Correspondents from the Wall Street Journal were also snubbed, according to Reuters and Bloomberg.

Though staff from the three media agencies typically cover major OPEC meetings, Bloomberg said that this time organizers decided to send invitations directly to reporters, as opposed to providing accreditation to any journalist seeking to attend an event.

“We are disappointed that Reuters has not been invited,” a spokesperson said, adding that the agency has “reached out to OPEC for clarity on the matter.”

“We believe that a free press serves readers, markets and the public interest,” the spokesperson added. Bloomberg said it had contacted the OPEC secretariat, but received no reply.

The agencies are still expected to send reporters to Austria, even if they cannot access the OPEC Secretariat, where ministers meet, according to the Financial Times (FT), which noted that it did receive an invitation. The newspaper added that Dow Jones was also denied an invitation.

FT cited people familiar with the matter as saying Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman was behind the exclusion of prominent news organizations.

Submitted by soryang on Thu, 06/01/2023 - 12:39am

Taiwan weapons stockpile

...would be a "deterrent" according to the Congressional anti-China Committee.

The House China Committee on Wednesday advanced 10 bipartisan recommendations to deter China from attacking Taiwan, which the panel hopes will be included in the fiscal 2024 National Defense Authorization Act.

The committee agreed by voice vote to advance the Taiwan proposals, drafted as a response to April table top war games led by the Center for a New American Security. Rep. Andy Kim, D-N.J., was the only lawmaker to vote no.

“At the select committee’s Taiwan war game, we saw the terrifying result of deterrence failure,” Gallagher said in advance of the vote. “If we want to have a hope of stopping World War III, we need to arm Taiwan to the teeth right now. We must clear the embarrassment that is the $19 billion [foreign military sale] backlog.”

The 10 recommendations include establishing a war reserve stockpile of weapons in Taiwan, prioritizing weapons delivery for Taipei and authorizing multiyear munitions procurement contracts. The proposals also call for hardening and distributing American forces throughout the Indo-Pacific region and expanding training and coordination between the U.S. and Taiwanese militaries.

https://www.defensenews.com/congress/2023/05/24/china-committee-wants-co...

Well, the war games, who could dispute that? It's embarrassing how corrupt these elected officials are.

—

語必忠信行必正直

Submitted by janis b on Thu, 06/01/2023 - 12:48am

Evening joe and bluesters

I appreciate the reasonableness that is here. How rarely ‘reason’ prevails is regrettable.

I think Pearl is a nice name for the bison.

Cheers, all

Submitted by enhydra lutris on Thu, 06/01/2023 - 11:48am

The Age of Reason is long over, after all, Tom Paine

@janis b

is long dead.

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 --