Saturday Open Thread 4/13/24: Odds and Ends

Don't know about your week, but mine was filled with work, and more work. I endured a couple of "exhausted evenings". This weekend is a very welcome respite.

I didn't do any shopping or casual search for prices of staples, other than gas, which did not increase, and milk, which did not increase. Nonetheless, inflation is reported to be steadily on the rise. Tough times ahead, be as prepared for it as possible.

For some time, I have been resentful of the John Kerry-types that try to shame me (us) for destroying the planet. Climate change is the responsibility of all, except the John Kerry-types. We are constantly told we expect too much, we travel too much, and a war on clothing purchases for the past 5 or 6 years is now trending toward trendy denim jeans. I had to look up the definition of fast fashion jeans to understand wtf this article was referencing. Go look it up, see for yourselves how we all need to dress in conformity, and not be concerned about fashion.

Wearing jeans is bad for Earth, study finds — and yes, even just once

These bottoms are getting a bum rap.

Bootcut, low-rise, skinny or straight — jeans reign supreme as a stylish staple in most wardrobes worldwide.

For decades, denim designs have graced the dapper derrière likes of Marilyn Monroe, Princess Diana, Taylor Swift and Kanye West.

...

The haute timelessness of the togs notwithstanding, recent research from Guangdong University of Technology found that wearing a pair of fast-fashion jeans just once creates a whopping 2.50 kg of carbon emissions. The environmental wear-and-tear of the pants is equivalent to driving 6.4 miles in an average gasoline-powered car.

...

However, making fast-fashion finery emits ghastly amounts of greenhouse gasses (GHG) — which cause global warming and climate change — into the atmosphere.

In fact, the study noted that the industry is projected to emit nearly 2.8 billion tons of GHG emissions annually by 2030.

Traditional fashion — typically more pricey apparel made with high-quality materials and environmental sustainability in mind — emits around 0.22 kg of CO2, per the findings. Fast fashion produces 11 times more of the pollution due to hasty manufacturing, international distribution via air travel, repeated washes and swift trashing.

But analysts say there’s hope for Mother Earth, yet.

So, shame on you for jeans, but didn't Jill and Hillary look great for the State Dinner with the Japanese President in gowns they will wear exactly one time?

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Wildflowers are going wild. Ahem. Then, there are bluebonnets planted in a specific place to beautify the community center in my home town, right beside my office. Imagine having to walk past that on the way to the courthouse?

bluebonnets.jpg

PSA
I had mentioned in a prior comment or essay, do not put soft (or hard) porn self-videos out on Facebook while you are in divorce litigation. Such videos and your prices for Me Chat "service" just might come into evidence, and embarrass the judge, and your lawyer. (And don't bitch that your soon to be ex-spouse is a follower.)

What's going on in your neck of the woods?

Let 'er rip!

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How's your weather?
It is still spring here, the suffocating heat is not yet upon us.
We all made it through another week without reading a headline about entering world war.
Let us all know what's on your mind today. OT is open to anything and everything, including rambling and rants!

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"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

Lookout's picture

Been trying to catch up around the place after some travel early in the week. Already time to start mowing. Doing one last road touch up today before swapping over to the bush hog.

Beautiful morning at trade day. Somehow missed seeing my buddy, only spotted his car. Saw other friends though. Planting tomatoes this evening..the plants look good. Got more than I need. I'll give some extras to one of our friends.

Alex described this clip yesterday. Y'all might find it amusing.
Prank with President of International Olympic Committee Thomas Bach (42 min)

This time, on behalf of the "African politician", we spoke with the President of the International Olympic Committee Thomas Bach
Like the head of WADA, Bach began asking our "politician" to help prevent African countries from sending their athletes to the Friendship Games in Russia:
"If you, with your authority, could do something about African States, we would be very, very grateful for that."
The head of the IOC also makes no secret that sports sanctions are political by nature:
"We punish those responsible for the annexation, there can be no anthem of Russia, you can't raise the flag. The Russian Olympic Committee, after we suspended them, made some rather aggressive statements that it was discrimination, fascism."
President Bach said that he weeds out Russian athletes with the help of Internet surveillance, and Ukrainians, among others, help him in this:
"We have a special supervisory commission. And they monitor the Internet, the media, and public statements. We also offered the Ukrainian side and not only offered, but also asked them to provide us with their information about the behavior of such athletes or officials."
Thomas Bach hinted that athletes who went to the Friendship Games may be persecuted by the IOC:
"But in this context, they (countries) should realize that by taking part in the Friendship Games, they are taking sides."
And then he even boasted about the "dirty deeds" of politicizing sports:
"Last year, before the last BRICS Games in South Africa, we made sure that they had no resonance in the world of sports."
It seems that the only Russian whom Bach is seriously afraid of is the head of the International Boxing Association, Umar Kremlev, who was stripped of recognition by the IOC in 2023.
"He's a corrupt guy. That's why we had to exclude this international federation."
All the details of the sports and political conspiracy against Russia, as well as Bach's attitude to the issue of transgender athletes and his position on the Kamila Valieva case, are in our new prank!

Y'all have a great weekend!

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

@Lookout I can't wait to hear about your eclipse trip, LO.
We switched to container planting this year. It is limited to 5 tomato plants and 3 bell peppers, all of which are exploding with growth and blooms. This is an experiment to see if deer will actually jump fence into the yard, hang out on the patio to eat.
We can double the number of containers next season if we beat back the deer.
Seems spring has sprung for you. Ours will likely end next week, and summer will set in. Yuck.
I hope you and your wife get together for some good music this weekend.
Thanks for dropping by, my friend, and I will watch the prank today.

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"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

studentofearth's picture

socked in with fog, heavy rain predicted for tonight (1/4 to 1/2 inch), reminiscent of my days spent on the coastal fishing docks along the Pacific Northwest. Irrigation water starts being delivered next week, so am working on ditches and readying the system. Daffodils and violets are in full bloom.

Might enjoy this video. These videos are my method of travel at the moment.

Pepe Escobar: Eurasia vs. Natostan is the Defining Struggle of Our Time | Syriana Analysis (101 min)
Very interesting listening to the opinions of the host (Kevork Almassian, a Syrian/Armenian analyst and journalist) and Pepe discuss his new book and Eurasian current events.

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

@studentofearth I am very curious about the views of the Syrian/Armenian gentlemen. Throughout my tour of Armenia, the guides were saying that WWIII will begin there.
Let the fog lift! Get those ditches in shape!
I am just so beat from my work week that yard work will just have to wait.
I hope you need tonight's rain.
Thanks for Pepe. More Pepe!
Have a great weekend, friend.

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"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

Younger generations splurge on groceries more than any other category. Must have trendy food, canned water, doncha know?

https://www.businessinsider.com/millennials-gen-z-splurge-groceries-spen...

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"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

snoopydawg's picture

.

and yet shitlibs said that he was the most honest president since Abe Lincoln.

Biden gave Trump crap for how many people died and said that any president that allows this should be fired. More people have died during Biden’s 1st year than during Trump’s and of course democrats said nothing about it.

Trump: Don’t use the term smart with me."

Smile Boo-Yaa!

In case y’all didn’t know I detest Joe Biden. He’s brought me world to the brink of war.

Iran captured an Israeli ship and they are threatening to close the state of Hormuz. Iran said that if the UN censored Israel they wouldn’t attack. Biden says that he’s got Israel’s back and is ready to attack Iran if they defend themselves from Israel. Bibi is crying like a baby after hitting his brother who hit him back. Waaa!

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Was Humpty Dumpty pushed?

it would take all damn day to list them.
The Patriot Act, the 3 strikes you're out sentencing reform, Zionist beliefs...
I have been reading that the women who stole his daughter's diaries and sold them is facing felony charges and prison sentence, and nobody has printed a word of news about the content of the diaries. Like, Biden's pedo tendencies are just not worth mentioning.
What a country, Snoopy.
Sam got in her sock play time this morning, I hope!

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"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

snoopydawg's picture

@on the cusp

Ashley left a behind when she moved. The woman found it after she moved into the room Ashley vacated. Project Veritas got it and didn’t publish any of it and I think they called the authorities. FBI maybe?

Paul Craig Roberts reminds us that our money doesn’t belong to us after we deposit it or buy stock and bonds. No more bailouts, but bailin when they get to take our money because our property doesn’t belong to us. Yeah someone made this legal.

The Great Dispossession Part 1

You might think that your money and your stocks and bonds would be safe if you use as your depository one of the “banks too big to fail.” You would be mistaken. The Federal Reserve permits the large banks to create subsidiaries that hold deposits, and the Federal Reserve permits the large banks to transfer their derivatives to these same subsidiaries. In this way, the bank itself remains afloat. Only its subsidiaries holding your money and securities are wiped out in the event of a crash. At the risk of over-promising, as even for a person of my education and experience getting one’s mind around the enormity of what has been put in place is a challenge, I hope for this article, which you have just read, to be part 1 in a 3-part series, with the second part being an outline of the regulatory changes that stole our financial property rights, and the third part being the implications of the Federal Reserve’s raising of interest rates after 15 years of near zero rates, thus shredding the value of financial assets held in portfolios. We face the prospect of the worst financial crisis in history “solved” with the introduction of digital money that places total control into the hands of political power and its masters.

He links to this report on how it happened….

https://img1.wsimg.com/blobby/go/1ee786fb-3c78-4903-9701-d614892d09d6/ta...

I’ve seen this posted lots of times, but I haven’t read it yet. The guy posted it for free or you can buy his book for $10.

Yes Sam played the socks game this morning. It starts off the morning right…which I needed because the coffee maker won’t hold the time anymore. Grr…microwaved coffee is bitter. This one lasted longer than the others and I have my moms in the basement. But it’s red and black. Ugh. Her kitchen was blue. Mines green. Ahh well…life. Thank gawd for socks and Sam.

Gonna be 80 today then cooling back to the 60's. We'll cruise the neighborhood with the top down. Sam gets a big kick out of this.

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Was Humpty Dumpty pushed?

@snoopydawg or will be. She and a guy who helped her. I have only read one very brief article on the whole affair.
I have read enough about the bail in to consider finding the time to read the book you linked.
I have a small IRA, and when it matures in less than a month, I am cashing out, putting it into my savings account. I am strictly dealing with a local bank. I have already cashed out and transferred a CD.
I have no trust in bonds. I am not a gambler.
Enjoy your topless joy ride with Sam!
Thanks for all your links. They are always great.

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"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

enhydra lutris's picture

I did find myself wondering "what are the odds that it will have an odd ending?", but, then again, I have no idea what might be an "even ending", so maybe it's a lock. I start cooking tomorrow and only have 28.5714286 percent of my menu planning done or perhaps 42.8571429 if I get two meals out of one planned "dish".

It is cold and raining again, after a tiny bit of warm weather. Will allegedly creep up into the low 70s by wednesday.

The Rus laid down the law the other day, saying that they are now, for all practical purposes, unstoppable and the ukies will either begin serious negotiations muy pronto or will be faced with unconditional surrender in the near future. Meanwhile, per Sputnik:

Game Over? Persian Gulf Powers Reportedly Refuse to Give US Access to Bases for Anti-Iran Strikes

but per the sotory, only some of them. [ https://sputnikglobe.com/20240413/game-over-persian-gulf-powers-reported... ]

Snoops already mentioned the ship Iran captured. Israel is calling it piracy and demanding that they be expelled from the UN. I recall we did that many, many times, and nobody called that piracy, so, seemingly, this is just yet another unilateral "sanction", but by an actual victim of something for once instead of being just out and out economic warfare.

Good to hear you've got nice wildflowers about. Our year is blanketed with CA Poppies, as usual, as well as weeds, and our fruit trees are blooming, so all this wet has a good side, I guess.

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 then new cemeteries.
Now, I am taking your calculations for meal planning as true and correct. It was in those wedding vows, page 22, that you assumed cooking and meal planning every other week. Pretty standard boilerplate vow, imho.
Glad to hear the flowers and fruit trees are blooming. Fun time of year. By Wednesday, it will hit in the 90s here. It has been interesting to watch a fairly new-to-the-office lawn sprout so many Texas Dandelions. They are everywhere, but there is one area with a congestion of them, so Dear one can mow around them, shape them into a bed.
RU has kicked UKies' ass. Z is still begging for money and materiel, so I think it will wind up as an unconditional surrender.
Things are heating up in the Gulf States' canals and shipping lanes. Israel might end up with an economy that has no fix.
You are right that when we take a ship, it is righteous, sayeth both The Lord and Gummint. The blessings do not extend to Muslims, ya know, brown people.
We are having baby back ribs, potato salad, and coleslaw this evening. If I feel energetic, I might bake cornbread for myself, as Dear One rarely eats bread. (What is wrong with people who do not eat bread? Discuss.)
I spread some ant killers on some new beds that just popped up. Other than that, yard work is looking less and less a priority for today.
Hope you have a great dinner planned! Double sized, less effort!
Thanks for the Sputnik article. We need to keep abreast of all the news of the conflicts that just won't go away.
Take care, my friend!

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"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

snoopydawg's picture

Or does this happen all the time and I’ve just never heard of it? Kinda like how many food plants have burned up in the last century huh?

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Was Humpty Dumpty pushed?

@snoopydawg goes to hell in one place, we can expect it in all similar structures everywhere. Or something... It's only affecting the transport of supplies to the entire country, after all.
How on earth can a food processing plant be allowed to do business without routine inspections and upgrades? How can they be insured? How can they get proper permits? How can a corporation expect to make money if their plants burn to the ground? And that is normal, according to the government.
No worries.

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"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

QMS's picture

@snoopydawg
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-
still on maternity leave? Talk about weird.
US transportation infrastructure is having
a whole litter of rosemaries babies and the
chief f*cker is nurturing his husband's instead.
Only in america can this pass as normal

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question everything

snoopydawg's picture

@QMS

is busy having meetings with airline CEOs who are upset that China airlines have lower costs because they can fly over Russian airspace…lol. Don’t blame China. Blame your own government.

I heard more about previous transportation secretaries than anything about Mayo Pete. Guess his getting the job was more for looks than any action. Trains are still derailing almost daily and yet no one is making them fix their safety issues. Or hire enough workers so they are safe. Add them in with food plants and ships behaving naughty and it’s just too many damn coincidences. Good thing we have all those regulations in place huh?

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Argentina elected a Neoliberal president who took a chainsaw to the government.

(AP) — Argentina said Wednesday that it had cut 15,000 state jobs as part of President Javier Milei’s aggressive campaign to slash spending, the latest in a series of painful economic measures that have put the libertarian government on a collision course with angry protesters and powerful trade unions.

So what does Mileil do when poverty skyrockets? He outlaws protests.
This is beginning to cause a backlash.

(AP) — A confrontation between Argentine authorities and anti-government protesters angered by President Javier Milei’s spending cuts escalated on Wednesday, as protesters blocking the capital’s key thoroughfare were forcibly dispersed and eight of the movement’s participants arrested.

In a rare move, riot police officers deployed powerful water cannons, drenching demonstrators. Argentines demanding more food for soup kitchens hurled sticks and stones, set garbage cans alight and paralyzed the main street of Buenos Aires in defiance of new legal changes banning roadblocks.

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@gjohnsit wanted Mileil,(sp?) and so it goes.

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"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

not welcome in Colombia

Venezuela’s best-known opposition leader, Juan Guaidó, has touched down in the United States after being unceremoniously ejected from Colombia while attempting to gatecrash a summit about the political future of his crisis-stricken homeland.

Guaidó shot to fame in early 2019 and for a brief moment looked poised to topple Venezuela’s authoritarian leader, Nicolás Maduro, with the support of dozens of foreign governments including the US, UK and Brazil.

But four years later the 39-year-old’s star has waned dramatically as a result of his failure to unseat Hugo Chávez’s political heir. Maduro has crushed street protests and consolidated power. Most of the international community has abandoned Guaidó’s parallel “presidency” and “interim government”.

Arrest warrant

Guaido — who is living in exile in the United States — is accused of treason, usurpation of functions, money laundering and association with a view to committing a crime, said Attorney General Tarek William Saab.

The prosecutor said "Guaido used the resources of PDVSA (the public oil giant) to cause losses close to or greater than $19 billion," adding that he relied on "revelations" provided to the press "by a federal court in the United States."

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@gjohnsit Columbia is likely kicking their own ass for giving him asylum in the first place. They have enough problems as it is.
My hope is that he will be tried, and that the court will be fair.
My hope is that the CIA pet project guy will be convicted and receive a long sentence.
Thanks for the update, and have a great weekend, gj.

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"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

snoopydawg's picture

@on the cusp

Did he grease a fire American palms so he could keep it? That was the funniest thing ever. Make a guy president even though he never ran for it. Guess Putin is lucky that we didn’t just say that Nalvany was president of Russia. More of those rules based orders I guess.

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Was Humpty Dumpty pushed?

@gjohnsit an internationally monitored election, determined to be fair.
I do not believe he is some dictator.
Shutting down protests infiltrated and instigated by the CIA is about the most practical way to stop a coup. We do much the same here regarding certain protests.
Maduro's sin is that he is a socialist. He nationalized his country's oil. He just is now allowed to keep the wealth and treasure of his land. It "belongs" to Big Oil.

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"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

@on the cusp after they repeatedly worked with the U.S. to overthrow the government of Venezuela. America is using that as an excuse to calling the election unfair - because they won't overlook treason.

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@gjohnsit is another country's democracy.
I wonder if Webster's Dictionary gives treason all its' various definitions?

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"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

remains to be seen???

The tweets are likely related.

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@humphrey

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@humphrey sweat off some excess fat. Guess they decided we are appreciably thin.
Hoo boy! My guess is that the head of CENTCOM is on that plane getting his ass to safety. Such a good look for the military.
Keep us posted with your X links, buddy! You da best!
Thanks for the update, and hunker down for whatever is coming!

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"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

with Iran's attack overwhelming Israel's defences?

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snoopydawg's picture

@humphrey

I think they are forcing Israel to deplete their iron dome missiles. Does America have enough to keep them stocked?
Bibi will be crying Mom any minute now. Israel thinks that they are the only ones who get to attack other countries. Iran has the right of self defense too.

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Was Humpty Dumpty pushed?

@snoopydawg @snoopydawg

initial attack but it is not over yet. How Israel and the US react will show how this will evolve.

Genocide Joe will likely be in a bad mood since his normal weekend off has been disturbed.

US President Joe Biden has cut short his weekend stay at his beach house in Delaware, abruptly returning to Washington. The US president is set to convene a meeting of the National Security Council in the White House Situation Room to assess the ongoing escalation in the Middle East.

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@humphrey went for a vacay AFTER Iran announced they would retaliate. Bet he is griping about the interruption.

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"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

orlbucfan's picture

@humphrey Howabout siccing a few useless CIA assassin spooks on Netanyaboob and his nutcase religious cartel? Oh, pardon me, they're fascist so hands off. Triple X Barf Bag time!

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Inner and Outer Space: the Final Frontiers.

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snoopydawg's picture

@humphrey

Keep them coming. I wonder if Syria will get in on the action as well as more from Lebanon.

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Was Humpty Dumpty pushed?

@snoopydawg Jordan needs to keep their asses out of this.

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"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

@on the cusp

21:00 GMT
The Jordanian armed forces are in a state of high alert and will shoot down any Iranian drones or aircraft that violate its airspace, two security officials have told Reuters.

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@humphrey The only good news I have gleaned about the attacks is that the UK has announced they will not join the US in any military involvement against Iran, or in the defense of Israel.
If the UK won't take a dive, no way in hell NATO will.

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"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

snoopydawg's picture

@on the cusp

Sunak says that yes indeed they will help their ally, Israel. There are live updates on the site too.
Damn there go my summer plans if gas goes way up. Russia@ Saudi Arabia cut their gas a year ago and now with Ukraine bombing oil refineries Russia will keep its gas in country for 5 months.
Great job, Joe. Maybe you shouldn’t have given Ukraine the coordinates to the refineries. What an idiot.

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catastrophic situation.

Or maybe it isn't?

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@humphrey Speaking for myself, I feel safe and confident the US is gonna do the right thing, and not go to war. Our leader is in complete control of the situation, after all. amirite?

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"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

@on the cusp

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The rest of the tweet:

. However, should the Israeli regime make another mistake, Iran’s response will be considerably more severe. It is a conflict between Iran and the rogue Israeli regime, from which the U.S. MUST STAY AWAY!
6:06 PM · Apr 13, 2024 1.6M Views

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@humphrey that UK is sending warplanes.
Dammit.

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"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

action against Iran. (As I expected.)
I am putting on clean bed sheets, will crawl into bed tonight, drift to sleep with the smell of lavender, hope the lavender scent tamps down the smell of a nuke. (Just in case.)
Seriously, my best news seems to be coming from the comment thread at MoA, and also Sputnik.
I will also check out rt.
Any suggestions for better sources for updates?

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"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

associated with it.

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@humphrey comports with what I have read at MoA.
It is the base where we land to bring in weapons for Israel.
Bibi is out of Israel. Did he head for his bunker?

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"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

snoopydawg's picture

.

The United States has reportedly asked China for a favor – that Beijing speak to Tehran about not retaliating to the April 1 airstrike on the Iranian diplomatic consulate in Damascus with a direct attack against Israel.

We’ve also asked the Saudis to talk to Iran, but Biden vetoed the UN resolution on Israel for attacking irans embassy and he says that he will use the might of American forces to defend Israel.

Washington’s behind-the-scenes diplomatic pleading with China and Middle Eastern countries stands in contrast to President Biden’s public assurance Thursday on America’s “ironclad” commitments to “Israel’s security against all these threats from Iran and its proxies.”

Maybe if Biden hadn’t told Bibi outright that no matter what he does America will back him up. If it’s really Biden who is making the decisions instead of the neocon idiots who have their hands up his backside to make him dance like a puppet.

In just 3 short years Biden has brought us to the brink of extinction with the Ukraine War, the planned war on China and now with the Israeli psychos who themselves are bombing 3 countries.

Not to leave out what he’s doing to the economy. Obama was right.

Never underestimate Biden’s talent for fcking up.

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Was Humpty Dumpty pushed?

@snoopydawg Fill your vehicle tanks, and any gas cans you have for lawnmowers, etc...

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"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

next steps.

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@humphrey "Let it go at that"?
Would you agree with me that the mighty Iron Dome is full of holes?
I hope you aren't invested in Iron Dome industry stocks. The cache' is now lost.

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"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

snoopydawg's picture

@humphrey

Remember when Obama went after Ben Ladden and the media showed us how his team was watching the event in real time and it was in the situation room? It looked like a broom closet because of small it was and there weren’t enough chairs for everyone. Someone had to stand in line doorway to watch it. How many situation rooms are there? I’ve seen 3. The Obama one with just one computer. One where everyone had their own computer and now the one in your tweet.

How did the photographer fit in Obama’s?

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Was Humpty Dumpty pushed?

Antony Blinken.

In the image you can see Blinken actually writing it. LOL

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@humphrey that gets us all killed?
No good SOB.

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"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

QMS's picture

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Israel asked for this. US would be foolish to intervene
at this point, as RUS has declared it will step-in should
US goes to the mat. And that won't be pretty.

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question everything

@QMS It is subservient to Israel.
I AM NOT AN ISRAELI CITIZEN, OK?

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"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

@on the cusp

discounted travel package for a trip to Israel. /S

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@humphrey on that snark alert, I would have done it for you, Mr.!
In fact, lots of folks have asked me to go on a tour of Israel with them. I find religious sites boring as fuck, unless they are ancient, like Incan sites, or Anghor Wat, so an entire country based on religion would be a total bummer.
I never was inclined to spend my tourist 1 cent in that place, either.
I resent my tax dollars going there as it is.

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"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

snoopydawg's picture

.

Another unprovoked military action.

This is ridiculous. If Iran had bombed a US embassy and killed multiple US military officials, the US would be raining bombs on Tehran within hours and everyone knows it. But Israel bombs an Iranian embassy and everyone acts like it didn’t happen and starts yelling at Iran instead.

Dr. Paul Alexander just wrote an essay on how he is in favor of Israel nuking Iran. He has a very bad case of TDS and thinks that Trump walked on water during his 1st term and that all the d things he did was because Fauci lied to him. Never mind that he’s still bragging about his beautiful vaccines that have saved millions of lives.

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Was Humpty Dumpty pushed?

@snoopydawg received a vax or more from a very bad batch.

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snoopydawg's picture

@on the cusp

He just has a very bad case of TDS where he can do no wrong. I rarely read his posts unless he posts Makis' work.

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Was Humpty Dumpty pushed?

@snoopydawg I don't read him at all.

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"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

orlbucfan's picture

@snoopydawg Wasn't the Persian Embassy in Syria (or what's left of it)?

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Inner and Outer Space: the Final Frontiers.

It seems as if only a few faces in the video are blurred out. I wonder if is the case that they are Americans?

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@humphrey /S

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"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

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@humphrey although my use of that phrase has a completely different meaning than the other 'me, too' stuff.
Medea is headed to Gaza on a flotilla to deliver food and other aid. She is correct, she is smart, she has the courage of a lioness facing down a pack of hyenas.
I am considering her as my write-in vote for president come November, but have to wait to see if the Israelis kill her or not.

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"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

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@humphrey n/t

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"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

snoopydawg's picture

.

Israel calls the UN wambulance….

The whole letter is a veritable LOL-fest but I've bolded some of the more ridiculously hilarious bits

Ambassador Gilad Erdan aka "Clowny McClownFace" Permanent Representative of Genocidal-Israel to the United Nations
H.E. Mrs. Vanessa Frazier
President of the Security Council
United Nations
New York

Excellency,
Six months after Hamas' brutal terror attack on October 7, I wish to express my outrage regarding the attack against the State of Israel by the Iranian regime, which once again undermines Security Council resolutions, fosters instability, and poses a grave threat to international peace and security.

Today, Iran has launched a direct attack from within its territory of more than 200 UAVs, cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles towards Israel in clear violation of the UN Charter and international law. LoL

.Iran has also publicly taken pride in the attack. The attack is a severe and dangerous escalation.

Iran continues to violate its international obligations, evidenced by today's attack on Israel in violation of Security Council resolution 2231 (2015), and by accelerating the pace of its weapons transfers to Hezbollah in violation of Security Council Resolution 1701. Iran has been the architect of instability for years, through Hamas, the Houthis, Hezbollah and other proxies. But it is now standing front and center in its actions to fulfill its ambition to attack Israel.
These attacks on Israel are part of a dangerous trend of deterioration as reflected in my various letters to you over the past years, posing a concrete threat to the peace and security of the entire region. Israel has warned the international community of Iran's aspirations, beyond its terror activities and support of terror proxies, including the funding and arming of both Hamas and Hezbollah. The Iranian attack follows the seizure of a Portuguese civilian cargo ship by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps.

.

Iran poses a direct threat to international peace, and brazenly violates the UN Charter and Security Council resolutions.

The time has come for the Security Council to take concrete action against the Iranian threat.
April 13, 2024
I confirm Israel's request to convene a meeting of the Security Council immediately to unequivocally condemn Iran for these grave violations and immediately act to designate the IRGC as a terrorist organization.

NV-13APR-2024-SC
I should be grateful if you would distribute this letter and its annex as a document of the Security Council. I would like to inform you that an identical letter has been sent to H.E. Mr. Antonio Guterres, Secretary- General of the United Nations.
Sincerely,
Gilad Erdan
Israel's Ambassador to the United Nations

Posted by: SamHyde | Apr 14 2024 1:16 utc | 455

Israel complaining about Iran disregarding UN resolutions is rich when they have ignored every UN resolution telling them to stop ethic cleansing Palestine . Gawd what a bunch of cry babies they are when Iran defends itself according to UN resolutions. Funny how Israel is always the victim and never the aggressor.

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Was Humpty Dumpty pushed?

@snoopydawg the Israeli Security Council voted to retaliate (escalate to get the US involved militarily because...) against Iran's attack.
It ain't over, unfortunately.
The shit show shall continue.

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@humphrey n/t

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"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

orlbucfan's picture

@humphrey Oh, they've been itching, frothing at the mouth, and howling about going after Iran since Fascist Raygun. Let's face it: the Ayatoolies are corrupt and no prizes, either. We need to round the rabid MICC, their monied backers, the neocons, and the rest of the vermin up. Drop them in a Middle Eastern desert hole stocked with assault weapons and overflowing with plenty of ammo. Make sure they can not escape, and let them blow each other to h3ll. Mebbe, just mebbe, we and the rest of nature will be finally allowed to live in peace.

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Inner and Outer Space: the Final Frontiers.

usefewersyllables's picture

pouring another Adult Beverage, and am hoping to be blissfully unaware when it happens.

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Twice bitten, permanently shy.

@usefewersyllables my friend. Likewise.

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"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

Biden says US will not participate in any offensive against Iran.

Biden & Netanyahu both had a heated conversation, US President accused Bibi of pulling US into direct conflict with Iran.
As CNN reports that President Biden told Netanyahu that he should consider tonight a 'win' due to Iran's attacks being 'largely unsuccessful'.
https://t.me/medmannews/2213

Posted by: knighthawk | Apr 14 2024 5:10 utc | 530

We can hope...

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@on the cusp

that I consider accurate. It is not always successful but I have my doubts that Genocide Joe would reprimand his BFF.

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@humphrey lots of trolls on that site. Lots of bull shit...
But maybe...
We will see, won't we? unless we are unable to see, or breathe...

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"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

@on the cusp

shove down the throats of the gullible public.

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@humphrey YES

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"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

soryang's picture

Indicted opposition leader is South Korea’s top contender for president in 2027

The victory of South Korea’s main opposition party in parliamentary elections has made its leader a top contender for president in 2027, as long as he can manage a fickle public and stay ahead of a legal battle that could land him in prison before then.

Lee Jae-myung emerged from the election with a strong enough majority for the progressive bloc led by his Democratic Party to dictate the course of legislation and pressure the conservative ruling People Power Party to make concessions if it wants to get anything done.

An advocate of a universal basic income, Lee had proposed while he was on the campaign trail a total 13 trillion won ($9.5 billion) in cash handouts to citizens as a way to revive the economy. His Democratic Party has been looking to increase taxes on wealthy individuals and the chaebol conglomerates that dominate the corporate landscape.

It’s all quite a turnaround for a person who lost the presidential race in 2022 by a razor-thin margin and was then indicted over a variety of bribery and breach of duty charges. This raised questions within his party over whether he was damaging its image, but the victory in the Wednesday election showed he can connect with voters.

This article portrays a false picture of not only the current political situation in South Korea but also the fear of powerful interests on Wall Street that the democrats in South Korea will break ranks with Japan and the US on their anti-China campaign. Lee doesn't want to decouple from China, nor contribute armaments to Ukraine. Then there is also the neoliberal capitalism that is destroying the quality of life in South Korea. God forbid, Lee offers social programs and relief from economic woes.

The key misrepresentation chiefly involves mischaracterizing the polarizing figure as Lee rather than president Yoon, the US and Japanese tool who threw away South Korean sovereignty for what? The only thing that Yoon knows how to do, is to convict someone in the press with dubious leaks, indict them, jail them, and try to convict them by any means possible. This includes eliciting false testimony from witnesses under duress of some kind from prosecutors.

President Yoon portrayed as Lee Won-yong, the infamous traitor of Eulsa, who sold his country out to Japan.

Yoon and his right hand man Han Dong-hun, both former prosecutors have corrupted the administration of justice in South Korea for years. They persecute their political opposition and critics in the media. They've been prosecuting Lee for years and haven't succeeded yet. The irony is that Lee's alleged corruption was purportedly related to the Daejang dong development scandal. The money for the project was financed by the Pusan Savings Bank, which was given a clean bill of health by Yoon Seok-yeol, after tens of millions of dollars had disappeared, and subsequently went bankrupt. Yoon's former mentor represented the bank in the investigation. Yoon's mother in law and spouse have been one step ahead of trial and imprisonment for years, primarily due to Yoon's position and influence within the public prosecutors' office. Yoon's mother in law finally ran out of luck and was sentenced to prison last year. Anyone who has bothered to study the political abuse of the justice administration in South Korea can see this. Often otherwise intelligent observers say, oh well, we know his wife is corrupt, but Yoon isn't. Au contraire, obstruction of justice, and political prosecutions are the worst form of corruption. Just because the media and the power structure of Korea protects this form of corruption, doesn't mean it doesn't exist. Until Yoon was elected this very form of political corruption was often a plot device in contemporary dramas. In other words, it's common knowledge.

Worse still, Yoon is actively suppressing the media. 20 investigations for "election interference" were initiated the day after the election against critical media, particularly MBC. His administrative and coercive tactics to intimidate media figures didn't begin yesterday and are so obvious they have even made it into English language media on occasion.

Competence. Yoon and Han have no experience governing. They substitute knee jerk neo-liberal ideology for lack of ideas on how to manage complex economic issues. Similarly, knee jerk anti-communism substitutes for careful calculation of foreign policy which serves the South Korean national interest. Those in opposition are stigmatized as "enemies of the state," and communists. Domestic politics resemble those of early cold war politics of the US. Simple minded black and white analysis.

Three more years of Yoon, his brain dead policies, and his fundamentalist/ geriatic constituency, which is all that exists outside of the gold spoon elites, will likely wreck South Korea irreversibly. But the US elites can see no wrong as long as Yoon dances to their tune. His appeasement of Japan couldn't be more damaging.

Even the conservative Chosun Ilbo is basically begging Yoon to change his style to accommodate the opposition's views and negotiate legislation compromises. Yoon can't even get along with his own party's leaders let alone the opposition. It's Yoon's way or the highway. There is really no room for anyone else in the Yoon administration except to serve as the crash dummy when Yoon's farcical appointments, incompetence and public statements blow up in his face.

One thing the conservative media studiously avoid noticing is just how petty, mean, vindictive, and insulting Yoon and Han really are. It really doesn't take much study to notice their sociopathic demeanor and just how unpleasant it is just to listen to them. If they try to say something thoughtful, (like now because of their colossal election failure) it just doesn't come off, because they are so insincere and yes, deceitful. This sort of persona is not going to fly in South Korean politics.

By comparison, Lee Jae-myung is virtually a Gandi like figure. Lee is regularly compared to Kim Dae-jung who risked everything for his country. Note Bloomberg's language, police "say" the attempted assassination of Lee was politically motivated. It was politically motivated, it couldn't be more obvious. The would be assassin published a several page political manifesto, rationalizing his crime: it was filled with the political verbiage about communists and "state enemies" one could hear in Yoon or Han public statements, with which the would be assassin portrayed himself as the patriotic hero, whose duty was to kill North Korea's criminal agent Lee Jae-myung.

The essence of the polarization is that Yoon and Han have made many political enemies with their heavy handed autocratic methods. Most are in the opposition, in independent media, but some are (or were) within their own party. Therefore, the risk to Yoon and his party is palpable. Lee Jae-myung isn't the only one at risk of going to prison.

Thanks for the odds and ends OTC. Felt a need to correct Bloomberg. I've been following the posts here on the Israeli-Iran escalation. The only thing I will say, is that the idea that Israel is essential to US national security is nonsense. They are obviously a terrible liability, loose nukes held by a rogue state. Hope it doesn't escalate.

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語必忠信 行必正直

@soryang millions. Imagine you enjoyed it. Imagine that you knew it was grifted money.
And you are totally, totally innocent, while enjoying your villa in Italy, or Morocco,which your combine income would never afford,and so on and so on...Surprise! How would you have ever guessed?
I just can't see a better world with Yoon in power. We need honest leaders at this critical time when we are on the verge of WWIII.
Thanks for all you do to keep us unformed here in a part of the world we tend to overlook, even though it is essential to our survival. We tend to look western Europe first, then other global parts, oftentimes Korea being off the radar, unless a basketball player visits North Korea.
Soryang, you know damn well we main lander Usians are ill informed, but for people like you.

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soryang's picture

@on the cusp Thanks. He was asked at one point, where did that ten million come from, you're on a public servant's salary? "Oh, that's my wife's money not mine." During one of the presidential campaign debates, Yoon claimed his mother in law never cheated anyone out of a dime. She's literally been in and out of court for years on various business fraud and forgery charges mostly involving real estate. Miraculously, she wasn't convicted until last year. Yoon's wife was implicated by at least one witness in each of two older cases. Nothing ever came of this. She denied the allegations. One allegation was that she bribed a legal clerk/public notary with an apartment to create a fraudulent legal document, and stand by it at trial. He disclosed the affair in a written statement made shortly before he died.

At one point about a decade back, the Justice Minister had to do a brief disciplinary suspension on Yoon, as a means to avoid criminally prosecuting him for conflict of interest in one of the mother in law's fraud cases. That outcome was never fully justified to the victim. Then just before the election season, an investigation of Yoon by a professional disciplinary committee appointed by the Justice Minister Chu Mi-ae, suspended Yoon for two months, on multiple professional ethical violations. Yoon appealed it and lost. He then resigned to meet requirements for running for presidential office. The appellate court said in the final judgement of the matter dismissing Yoon's injunction granted by a lower court, that the violations were so serious, he could have been dismissed from office.

The violations involved leaking info from unwarranted investigations of judges, interfering in a case in which he had a personal conflict of interest involving alleged attempts to suborn perjury against a well known opposition media critic, and abandoning the political impartiality of his office. How anyone could vote for him after that is beyond me.

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語必忠信 行必正直

comes to demanding additional money and weapons from Congress.

Somewhat related:

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that they join the military.
If the draft comes back, it is over.
DAMMIT

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"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981