Links 7/4/2025

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1. The Rev Kev July 4, 2025 at 7:25 am

   “Reviving Europe’s historical scents—including ‘the smell of hell'”

   In that article is the following-

   ‘While some Europeans found the scent of hell strangely attractive because the smokiness reminded them of grilled meat, Japanese visitors in Osaka found it “completely revolting,” she said.’

   So does that imply that scents are actually culturally based? That in fact we cannot really experience the scents that our ancestors did in the same way as our cultures are so different? That the scents and aromas from historical Europe are different from modern Europe which means that those scents are not experienced in the same context and thus in the same way?

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   1. Revenant July 4, 2025 at 9:06 am

      I have been to an Asian temple with a “hell” you could visit beneath the shrine, complete with demons, sounds, smells etc. I am afraid I cannot remember what it smelled of!

      (I think this was in the Yangtse valley, somewhere between Chongqing and Yichang, but it could have been in Japan sometime too. I have also been to the hell geyser in Hokkaido in Japan, which is just sulphurous as you would expect!).

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      1. Wukchumni July 4, 2025 at 9:25 am

         I’ve spent around a week in hell, er Rotorua that is.

         The smell of sulphur hits you well before you hit the city limits, and it was a weird hot springs nirvana, they were seemingly everywhere, but one had to get accustomed to rotten eggs served at all times of day.

         In contrast, no natural hot springs I’m aware of in Cali have any sulphur smell, only the essence of dirty hippies.

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      2. Neutrino July 4, 2025 at 9:46 am

         Afternotes of stinky tofu on the grill, unforgettable if you’ve ever been downwind.

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   2. JP July 4, 2025 at 1:32 pm

      I’m pretty sure Europe’s historical smells were the product of lots of people and horses living too close together. Filth and degradation permeated the air. In the novel Shogun the Japanese were appalled at the crust and stench on the 17th century Europeans.

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2. Wukchumni July 4, 2025 at 7:36 am

   Awkward silences Aeon
   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

   The movies and then TV figured out that awkward silences were of no value so they came up with soundtracks to play in the background to better soothe silence, and I for one think it would be a fun thing to add to our lives, a bit of spice if you will.

   I’ve already utilized classical when walking, and Russian composers are the best for ambling along, so many highs and lows that correspond with walking in the mountains. Of course the music was via headphones, not out in the open as Hollywood typically uses the genre, oh look a tense moment in the film coming up-add tense music!

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   1. The Rev Kev July 4, 2025 at 7:57 am

      True story here. Two trainee officers were struggling through a swamp in training to be sent to Vietnam back in the 60s. One turned to the other and said ‘You know what the problem with war is? There’s no background music in real life.’

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      1. Wukchumni July 4, 2025 at 8:35 am

         There’s really not much silence going on among Mother Nature’s clients in the back of beyond, always somebody yammering, with the Chickaree being the grand champion in the size to voice event, they can chirp howl something fierce with their alarm call, it sounds as if its coming from an animal 5x the size of Rocky J. Squirrel.

         You often hear the call of the Blue Grouse, which sounds as if somebody is blowing on the top of a bottle to make a repetitive hooting noise over and over again. It comes from air sacs which look like a fried egg-sunnyside up that expands and contracts, check it out:

         https://lewis-clark.org/sciences/birds/blue-grouse/

         Just heard the before dawn patrol checking in about 2 miles away, the Coyote chorale howling for all they’re worth, counting coup no doubt. Sounds as if there are 6-10 of them, and luckily my smartphone has a coyote translator app so I was able to listen in…

         ‘There goes Jerry again with 2 carrion bags, thinks he’s God’s gift to untamed canines’

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      2. Ben Panga July 4, 2025 at 9:54 am

         These days, there is always background (or too often foreground) music in Vietnam. Outdoor, loud, karaoke is ubiquitous. As I type this I can hear 4 different speakers in my neighbourhood.

         I’ve become immune and it makes a change from the endless construction sounds.

         Noisy place!

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         1. The Rev Kev July 4, 2025 at 10:05 am

            It was worse during the war. You had to be there-

            https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98k2DlQ9PMY (1:01 mins)

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         2. tongorad July 4, 2025 at 11:11 am

            Similar to my old moo ban in Thailand. Nice folks, but noisy. I recall a neighbor’s funeral – a well placed fellow, judging from the weeklong cacophony of electronically amplified chanting, speeches and wall-to-wall karaoke.
            One can get used to anything I suppose, I also once lived next to an airport. Although one’s tolerance does diminish with age IME.

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   2. Carolinian July 4, 2025 at 10:11 am

      I prefer to listen to the birds while walking and concentrate on traffic while driving around town. However on road trips my large music collection can become a kind of movie soundtrack to the Cinerama America unfolding outside my windshield.

      IMO music can be as important to movies as photography. Which is not to say that is what they are about. What they are about is “in a world”……

      BTW I’m reading a book you might like–Wildfire Days by Kelly Ramsey. It’s about the author’s experience as a member of a hotshot firefighting crew in California

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   3. Mirjonray July 4, 2025 at 12:38 pm

      We had split-session classes when I was in middle school, and for three years I didn’t have to go to school until noon. During the mornings my late mother and I would putter around the house, often without saying much to each other. One of us might even say something to the other, the other wouldn’t answer, and that was fine because an answer wasn’t required. One day I told her that I might not say more than a dozen words to her in the morning, but I loved her very much and there was no other place I’d rather be. Our silences were very comfortable, not stony or awkward at all. I still look back to those simple times with a great deal of fondness.

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3. Antifaxer July 4, 2025 at 7:53 am

   We need to develop a phrase for how deranged people are getting about a mayoral candidate for NYC.

   The NYT just published a hit piece where Zohran checked “African American” on his college app to Columbia (narrator voice: he was born in Africa) and their source was an avowed racist.

   All this is doing is raising his profile.

   Maybe even to the point of him being a national candidate for some election that will be taking place in 2028….

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   1. The Rev Kev July 4, 2025 at 8:39 am

      ‘narrator voice: he was born in Africa’

      Is this an echo of the accusations that Obama was supposed to have been born in Africa too? As Mamdani was born in Uganda, all that means is that he can never run for President which these days is no big deal.

      Before I forget, happy Fourth of July in Americaland, guys. And don’t forget – if you can’t be good, then be careful.

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      1. gf July 4, 2025 at 9:09 am

         Ted Cruz was born in Canada and he ran for President so I don’t know.

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

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         1. The Rev Kev July 4, 2025 at 9:14 am

            As was proven in his interview with Tucker Carlson, Ted Cruz is an idiot who probably only ran for President for publicity’s sake.

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            1. Wukchumni July 4, 2025 at 9:30 am

               Ted’s all hat and no Canada…

               The claim is that Ted Cruz is quick on his feet, but you don’t get any political brownie points repeatedly sticking your foot in your mouth.

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               1. Neutrino July 4, 2025 at 9:50 am

                  Alan Doucheowitz gave him props, and kept his underwear on, too, so there is that.

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      2. Wukchumni July 4, 2025 at 9:13 am

         Before I forget, happy Fourth of July in Americaland, guys. And don’t forget – if you can’t be good, then be careful.

         Thanks Rev, we were only too happy to pave the way for Botany Bay, as it turned out. Been a good ride so far for my almost exactly 1/4 of the 249 year run

         …Rosebud

         About 40 miles east of Vegas on Interstate 15 is the Moapa reservation gas station and frankly fireworks warehouse, oh my gosh, one is overwhelmed by sheer variety and vast stock on hand, most everything is buy 1-get 1 free.

         Just 100 yards away from the gas pumps is the debris field from pyros lighting off their newly gotten aerial gains, which seems to be a-ok by tribal management.

         It’s hard to set the desert on fire, your surroundings may vary. Be safe with fireworks tonight America!

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      3. herman_sampson July 4, 2025 at 9:17 am

         Anymore, rules are made to be broken.
         Mr. Mamdani needs to invoke that great Hoosier, Eugene Debs, who ran for president as a SOCIALIST, his last time from prison, and still getting 3.4%of the vote, though I think Mr. Mamdani will get much more in NYC, if he is still alive.

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         1. wol July 4, 2025 at 9:47 am

            Mr. Mamdani received a small donation from The Northern Part of Hell.

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      4. Carolinian July 4, 2025 at 10:15 am

         We USians say thanks and consider Aussies honorary Americans since you are in so many of our movies. Next time I’m in Nashville perhaps I’ll catch sight of Nicole Kidman who lives there.

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         1. The Rev Kev July 4, 2025 at 10:23 am

            Still sorry for sending you guys Rupert Murdoch. We thought that we got rid of him by sending him to the UK but he outsmarted us and slipped across the Atlantic to the States instead. :(

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4. Watt4Bob July 4, 2025 at 8:12 am

   Why is the American healthcare system so easy to exploit?

   Look no further than the story of Rick Scott, senator from Florida who “oversaw the largest Medicare fraud in the nation’s history.”

   This was related to his tenure at Columbia/HCA a company he started in1987.

   From Politifact;

   Scott started what was first Columbia in 1987, purchasing two El Paso, Texas, hospitals. Over the next decade he would add hundreds of hospitals, surgery centers and home health locations. In 1994, Scott’s Columbia purchased Tennessee-headquartered HCA and its 100 hospitals, and merged the companies.

   And;

   Among the revelations from the 2000 settlement:

   • Columbia billed Medicare, Medicaid, and other federal programs for tests that were not necessary or had not been ordered by physicians;

   • The company attached false diagnosis codes to patient records to increase reimbursement to the hospitals;

   • The company illegally claimed non-reimbursable marketing and advertising costs as community education;

   • Columbia billed the government for home health care visits for patients who did not qualify to receive them.

   The government settled a second series of similar claims with Columbia/HCA in 2002 for an additional $881 million. The total for the two fines was $1.7 billion.

   On Scott’s 2010 campaign website, he admitted to the $1.7 billion fine, though the link is no longer on the site.

   When courts allow criminals to avoid responsibility and voters ignore criminal behavior because of their twisted ideology, you end up here, with a house/senate full of criminals busy looting our country.

   The man should be in jail, not the senate.

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   1. IM Doc July 4, 2025 at 9:47 am

      The company attached false diagnosis codes to patient records to increase reimbursement to the hospitals

      I feel for what you are saying I really do.

      I am certain that Mr. scott did indeed engage in this type of behavior.

      However, with regard to the bullet point of yours I highlighted above.

      I can assure you that this happens in every hospital in America all day and every day. There are armies of coders and billers and other admin staff housed in buildings often over state lines that do nothing all day but alter codes and billing on charges. All to maximize every dime coming in. It is the very business model of our “non profit” health corps. It is the very reason EMRs were invented. They make this hideously easy. It is only the boobs among us that still believe these computers have anything to do with medical records.

      It is why, as just one of thousands of examples, the diagnosis code for morbid obesity ends up repeatedly in the problem list of my big muscular young jock patients. No matter how many times I take it off, it shows up again at their next visit. It is placed there either by the computer itself or an admin staff somewhere to juice the charges. There are times when this involves charges for the individual patients but more often bundling charges for bonuses and aggregate billing.

      Mr. Scott belongs in jail. But I am afraid that there are not enough jail cells in the whole world for those who are engaged in this behavior. The corruption is rampant, wide spread and is now the business model for the entire industry.

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5. griffen July 4, 2025 at 8:28 am

   Bill Ackmann throwing his weight…it’s very off putting but it’s the way of this world for good or for ill. Does it really seem much different when viewing side by side against say, by recent example, Hollywood hitter and tequila enthusiast George Clooney opining on the state of Joe Biden’s candidacy about late June or early July last year in 2024? ” I was shocked into writing an op ed ! ”

   Ackmann hitches a wagon that suits his interests. Shocked but not really surprising…vomit inducement may commence if necessary.

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6. nippersdad July 4, 2025 at 8:56 am

   Here is the Suozzi op-ed referred to in the Klippenstein tweet:

   https://suozzi.house.gov/media/in-the-news/democrats-mamdani-wake-call-and-bad-example

   He does a good job of describing the problem, yet unsurprisingly managed to not connect the dots.

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   1. Geo July 4, 2025 at 12:39 pm

      Article from today:

      “Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-N.Y.) sold up to $50,000 of Global Industrial Co. stock in March 2025, two days before Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’ tariffs, despite never publicly disclosing ownership due to a now-closed loophole in federal law.”
      https://fortune.com/2025/07/04/democratic-rep-tom-suozzis-stock-sale-loophole-congressional-disclosure/

      Shocked this guy would be against Mamdani.

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7. John Beech July 4, 2025 at 9:36 am

   F-35 broken down for transport is no big deal. Once watched a Cessna 172 land on a golf course. Flying it out post repairs wasn’t practical, so they took the two wing panels off, and toted it out of there on a flat top car hauler. Same thing will happen with the F-35 with the car hauler being substituted for by C-131, or similar. Wings will be off that thing and it’ll be loaded within a couple hours of a team’s arrival.

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   1. ilsm July 4, 2025 at 10:33 am

      Transporting things on military aircraft require “packing and preservation” of the item being hauled. This is to assure safety in transit of both the cargo and the transport aircraft.

      Troubling is what “failure” occurred that could not be repaired in the deployed location? If the mode is common there are issues with F-35 “suitability”.

      I wonder if Lockheed or whomever has designed the packing orders? How frequently will F-35 need to be hauled to depot?

      Add to this claims the US sent electronic warfare aircraft ahead of the B-2’s over Iran, and maybe stealth is not worth the overhead.

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8. XXYY July 4, 2025 at 9:45 am

   Narrative Shift: Israeli-US Strikes Strengthen Iran’s Resolve Simplicius

   Simplicious being uncharacteristically optimistic at the end of this piece:

   This is a major reason for why Israel is in such dire straits—the next generation of Americans will no longer support Israel’s domination of the US Congress. Israel will have no choice but to come up with inventive new methods or false flags to keep Americans in line, because without the US’ support, Israel will cease to be as a nation in the Middle East.

   My impression is that Israel has already now been destroyed as a nation in the Middle East, we are just waiting for it to fall over at this point. I don’t think any amount of false flags or anything else is going to change that. Not only has the US population at large wised up, but also US leadership is seeing that the cost of supporting Israel is likely to be much larger than it used to be and that Israel is worthless as an ally in any case.

   Hopefully we will now start to purge the US Congress of the rabid Israel supporters. There’s an interesting polling result in this article about support for Israel and Palestine in New York (!), which has shifted about 50% in favor of Palestine in the last 7 years.

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   1. ilsm July 4, 2025 at 10:42 am

      Last week Nima let Ted Postol lecture for about an hour!

      He pointed out: 60% enriched is very close to getting 90%, in terms of “work” remaining. He also pointed out that 6 mid yield A bombs would end Israel as a state. He also proffered that 100 bombs on Iran given its size and topography would be an environmental tragedy for south Asia and the west Pacific.

      He also described the design methods to deny bunker buster access to nuclear galleries, that are obvious to everyone but the screen writers for Maverick. Dust the galleries off and get on with it!

      Postol did not discuss the miracle of so many B-2s flying at the same time nor the greater miracle of hitting a few center meter target…. at the correct angle to go straight down the shaft.

      Queen of Hearts level absurdity believing.

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      1. The Rev Kev July 4, 2025 at 10:49 am

         ‘at the correct angle to go straight down the shaft’

         You mean the same way that Luke Skywalker was able to drop his missile directly down a vertical shaft by using the Force. Was that target shaft bigger than a wamp rat?

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         1. ilsm July 4, 2025 at 11:44 am

            Fox news Hegspeth and ANG retiree Caine need to pay royalties to writers of Maverick II.

            Tom Cruise did it dead eye!

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      2. Carolinian July 4, 2025 at 11:26 am

         Scott Ritter has been saying the same thing. If you have the nuclear material then the gun design of an a-bomb doesn’t require the elaborate engineering of the implosion design that uses Plutonium. This gun type of bomb was used on Hiroshima and was never tested before use. It is little more than a gun barrel where a slug of Uranium is shot into another mass of Uranium to create a critical mass.

         As with the Manhattan Project the elaborate industrial phase is all about refining the rare Uranium isotope. All of this is covered in Richard Rhodes’ The Making of the Atomic Bomb.

         The nuclear issue is all a smokescreen anyway. If Israel ever did use the bomb on Iran it would be an invitation for some other country–not necessarily Iran–to use the bomb on them. The same applies to the US. The other night I watched The Sum of All Fears–not so far fetched.

         Conventional military power is all that matters and on that score Iran won round one.

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         1. Jason Boxman July 4, 2025 at 1:22 pm

            Having come out so close to 9/11, perhaps that’s why they completely redid the plot. The book was much better, and it was not European Nazis that sought to nuke the US, but Arab terrorists in the book as I recall. Hunt for Red October was the only book-to-movie where I prefer the movie version.

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9. The Rev Kev July 4, 2025 at 9:46 am

   “Iran reaffirms NPT commitment after halting IAEA cooperation”

   Well the IAEA is a busted flush now and Grossi is persona non grata in Iran. But there is a solution. Russia. Russia could act as inspectors in lieu of the IAEA and could issue reports on what Iran is doing – but without the latitude & longitude markers like the IAEA did. But Trump & Netanyahu’s faces would be a study if they had to accept this solution. It would be akin to watching a man giving birth to broken glass.

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10. XXYY July 4, 2025 at 10:02 am

    From the (typically good) Larry Johnson piece:

    I think Trump realizes that he has zero chance of persuading Iran to allow IAEA inspections without Russia’s help. Iran does not trust the US, but it will listen to Putin and Lavrov, who are encouraging Iran not to abandon the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

    Maybe it’s just me, and I know this is a somewhat heretical position, but I’m thinking the Middle East would be far better off if Iran did have nuclear bomb capability. It looks like they are headed that way anyway since the Israeli attacks, and I pretty sure the hardliners in Iran are seeing the futility of trying to cooperate with the US and it’s IAEA puppet.

    My impression that the furious activity of preventing a nuclear Iran is primarily aimed at preserving the status quo where Israel is the only nuclear power in the Middle East. This has allowed Israel to punch way above its weight for many decades. Israel itself is of course terrified of the possibility of having to contend on a level playing field with other regional countries, although that ship may have sailed since the most recent Israeli/Iran war.

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11. The Rev Kev July 4, 2025 at 10:16 am

    “Russia becomes the first country to formally recognize Taliban’s latest rule in Afghanistan’

    Probably a good idea this to bring in Afghanistan from the cold. It’s certainly a bad idea to leave them isolated when they could be hooked up again to major economies like Russia and China which will let them earn the money to take care of their people. Their politicians may be wearing traditional garb right now but give it ten or twenty years and they will be appearing in business suits and carrying brief cases. Other nations may bitch about this happening but those would be the same nations that recognized Al Qaeda running Syria as being a good thing.

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    1. Christopher Smith July 4, 2025 at 10:45 am

       Modi wears traditional Indian formal wear. Whatever you may think of Modi, the fact that he feels no need to conform to European formal wear norms is a sign of strength and confidence in his nation and its history. It sends a message that he is Indian and is proud of that fact.

       Whatever direction the Taliban goes with their policies, I do hope that they maintain their traditional garb.

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       1. The Rev Kev July 4, 2025 at 10:53 am

          Modi may wear traditional garb but in his case I think that it is camouflage. There is no hiding his ultra Hindu nationalist agenda and using Israeli training and equipment to crack down on dissent in India. I won’t say that he is a fascist – but he is a fascist.

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12. GramSci July 4, 2025 at 10:21 am

    Re. Suozzi (D, NY-03) v. Mamdani

    Who is Tom Suozzi? Wikipedia:

    «NY-03 is the wealthiest congressional district in New York, and in 2022, was the fourth-wealthiest nationally.»

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13. flora July 4, 2025 at 10:34 am

    re:Iran says no talks unless US drops deception, commits to diplomacy – Press TV. They know the US is not capable of that, right?

    US drop deception? Where large sums of money or rich resources are concerned, deception is as American as apple pie. See also the so-called Walking Purchase of 1737.
    https://paconservationheritage.org/stories/the-walking-purchase/

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14. Christopher Smith July 4, 2025 at 10:40 am

    “Iran reaffirms NPT commitment after halting IAEA cooperation”

    Then they are fools. If they cannot comprehend why Kim is still in charge of North Korea and Gaddafi is dead then they only have themselves to blame. Bluntly, the US and Israel respect strength. Sending a message, making a demonstration, etc. is pure cope.

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    1. ilsm July 4, 2025 at 10:51 am

       Observe that neither Japan nor S Korea went to Brussels last week.

       China needs do nothing to subdue the “first island chain”, Kim will do it.

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    2. nippersdad July 4, 2025 at 1:31 pm

       Who is to say that this is not going to be used as a bargaining chip? It could be that they will use NPT inspections the same way that Russia has suspended inspections under the new START treaty; they will stay in, but won’t allow inspections while they are still in a state of war. I doubt any of the GS countries would have a problem with that. They were, after all, sucker punched by the people demanding inspection regimes.

       They appear to be learning a lot from Lavrov.

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15. Wukchumni July 4, 2025 at 10:50 am

    The Sinatra Doctrine was a Soviet foreign policy under Mikhail Gorbachev for allowing member states of the Warsaw Pact to determine their own domestic affairs. The name humorously alluded to the song “My Way” popularized by Frank Sinatra—the Soviet Union was allowing these states to go their own way. Its implementation was part of Gorbachev’s doctrine of new political thinking.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinatra_Doctrine
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    The endgames for the mutual collapses of the USSR and the USA have to be of the Bizarro World variety, our version of the Sinatra Doctrine after the Supremes rolled over for him like a good puppy, is also ‘My Way’ trampling on states rights to determine their own domestic affairs, Hello LA, coming to other blue cities soon!

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16. Wukchumni July 4, 2025 at 11:08 am

    Flint’s still-unfinished lead pipe replacement serves as cautionary tale to other cities AP
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    Come and listen to my story
    ‘Bout a man named Jed
    A poor Michigander
    Barely kept his family fed
    And then one day
    He was at the supermarket paying for some food
    And up through the pipes came a-water tasting like gabagool

    Lead that is, fools gold, had the look of sun tea

    Well the first thing you know
    Ol’ water system is contaminated beyond repair
    Flint kinfolk said “Jed move away from there”
    Said “Anywhere else is the place you outta be”
    So they loaded up the truck
    And they moved to Bloomfield

    Hills that is, Swimming pools, auto stars

    Well now it’s time to say
    Goodbye to Jed and all his kin in Flint
    They would like to thank
    Folks such as Obama for kindly droppin’ in
    You’re all invited back again to this locality
    To have a heapin’ helpin’ of their contaminated hospitality

    Lead leaching out of pipes that is, sit a spell, take your shoes off

    Y’all come back now Barack, y’hear?

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17. AG July 4, 2025 at 11:23 am

    re: German lies&propaganda

    The absurdities aka horrors happen by the day.

    In a TV “discussion” a representative of the German Army stated that the Russians extended army service from 1 to 2 years – which is a lie.

    Now in the government press conference reporter Florian Warweg asked about this obviously false statement. The government is not willing correct the lie. The dishonesty of their “argument” is striking and embarrassing.

    See original:
    https://www.nachdenkseiten.de/?p=135540

    If you look at the last two responses that´s pure Monty Ponthy. This kind of stuff is going on every day. And people point fingers at the WH?

    “(…)
    Excerpt from the minutes of the government press conference of 2 July 2025

    Question Warweg:
    Alfons Mais, Lieutenant General and Inspector of the Army, stated on the last “Maybrit Illner” broadcast “War or Peace” with reference to Russia that they had just increased conscription from one to two years. He then cited this as key evidence that the Russian Federation was seeking a large-scale conventional confrontation with the West and that Germany, in particular, must respond accordingly. Now all available official Russian sources say that there is still only a one-year obligation. I also called the press department of the Russian embassy, ​​and they confirmed this. Therefore, I would be interested to know: On what sources and facts did the Army Inspector make such a convincing statement in front of an audience of millions?

    Müller (BMVg):
    Based on our own assessment of the situation.

    Follow-up question Warweg:
    The Inspector General of the Federal Republic of Germany said in the perfect tense: They’ve just increased conscription from one to two years. – There are no Russian sources that say so. It should have gone through the Duma. That didn’t happen. The Russian embassy said it’s still only one year, and you say the evidence for that is the assessment of the situation. Can you elaborate on that?

    Müller (BMVg):
    I have no information about the basis on which the Army Inspector General made his statement. We have a military assessment of the situation, a situation evaluation based on our own sources. We generally do not disclose these because they concern military security, and therefore I cannot say anything more about it.

    Follow-up question Warweg:
    
    But that’s apparently a false statement. Do you think you’ll correct it somehow? That was expressed in front of, I think—I looked it up—three million viewers, and was seen as a key factor in a massive, also detrimental—

    Chairwoman Wefers:
    I think we now understand that you have a different view than the Ministry of Defense.

    Addendum Warweg:
    I have no other opinion! The sources are pretty clear on this. So you can’t say that our———

    Chairwoman Wefers:
    Your sources are different from his sources.

    Müller (BMVg):
    Exactly, I agree. Your source material differs from ours, and we probably won’t be able to agree on that.
    (…)”

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18. AG July 4, 2025 at 11:30 am

    re: German vs. Russia

    I posted the machine-translation of a sick op-ed in BERLINER ZEITUNG by renown (😆) historian Andreas Umland in the Forum of Craig Murray´s blog.

    The item is about the relation between Russia´s Putinism and Fascism.
    One of the favourites of German so-called scholars of history of Eastern Europe.

    https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/forums/topic/ukraine-date-nov-2023/page/47/#post-104624

    Umland´s article was titled:

    Putinism and Fascism: Analogy or Reality? A Deeper Look at Today’s Russia
    How the concept of fascism contributes to understanding Russia’s war against Ukraine. And what “Rashism” is all about.

    The original German text would be here (including the fitting imagery of Mussolini, Himmler and Hitler).
    https://archive.is/BqKNV

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19. AG July 4, 2025 at 11:39 am

    p.s. German everyday insanity

    So I was crossing the sunny city of Munich in the south of Germany.

    The centre as always packed with tourists and countless classes from high schools.
    Their teachers instructing them about what….?

    I was passying by a government building which has the Ukrainian flags presented still (I assume they did remove the Israeli flag by now).
    And just 100 meters away there is Feldherrnhalle which most tourists visit due to the failed right-wing coup of 1923 where Mr. Hilter and Mr. Ludendorff were involved which had a major gathering there.

    And then I pass a class of kids in front of Feldherrnhalle and what do my dear ears catch the teacher telling them that very moment: “Mussolini met him”….

    This kind of thing is happening all the time. I doubt a single person would ever point at the idiocy of the Ukrainian flags hanging just far enough to see them with your own eyes.
    Not to mention the proverbial cliché of the entire set-up of “beware of the Nazis”.

    image location Feldherrnhalle:
    https://www.alamy.com/feldherrnhalle-feldherrenhalle-or-field-marshals-hall-and-theatinerkirche-image60852096.html
    Feldherrnhalle is the building on the left half. The government quater with the Ukrainian flags is right from where the photo has been taken.

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20. Ignacio July 4, 2025 at 11:40 am

    “Why are they doing this?” Balanced Weather

    The author here says that the dismantling of climate science (as well as HC science and science in general) is all about political control. I wholeheartedly agree.

    Reply ↓
21. AG July 4, 2025 at 11:48 am

    re: Feldherrnhalle coup

    The coup was 1923 not 1919! But I actually wrote that. So I do not know what it is doing there…
    (I also did correct other typos. So it´s not me.)

    Reply ↓
22. GramSci July 4, 2025 at 12:02 pm

    I found Remuneration or Reserves (op cit) a long but illuminating read.

    As neither an economist nor an investor, I had been idly thinking that Trump’s desire for low interest rates were at odds with Powell’s need to sell bonds to hedge Trump’s tariffs. The article uses MMT to nicely cut through the kayfabe.

    Reply ↓
23. Wukchumni July 4, 2025 at 12:14 pm

    There will soon be many suffering from Muscular Nuclear Dystrophy, a reversion to the mean of might makes right.

    Is your donation of just 63 ¢ a day worth it to stop somebody with these warning signs and tells?

    Poor Balance (money or otherwise)

    Pomposity never an impossibility

    Waddling Gait

    Progressive inability to walk away

    Gibbering, jabbering, and/or speaking in tongues
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    Please help a few survivors live meaningful lives and give to the MND Foundation-a 501-c3 company!

    Reply ↓
24. AG July 4, 2025 at 12:24 pm

    So Elon Musk allegedly wants to found a new party, “America”.
    Had he at least used his own name as in “Musk-eteers”.
    THAT I would have respected.
    But then, that would not be a mass based party since who in “America” knows what a “Musketeer” was…

    Reply ↓