Links 2/10/2026

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1. The Rev Kev February 10, 2026 at 7:15 am

   ‘Buitengebieden
   @buitengebieden
   Goat traffic jam.. 😅’

   Not sure but I think that this footage was taken outside of South Base Camp at the base of Mount Everest. This sort of behaviour is endemic to the region-

   https://xcancel.com/Silberrueckens/status/2020898091134542058#m
   1. Stephen V February 10, 2026 at 8:10 am

      We put our GOATS in a hall of fame and they…parade them before the gods.
2. Mikel February 10, 2026 at 8:04 am

   Acting President of Venezuela Meets With Representatives of Repsol and Maurel & Prom to Discuss Investments in Oil Sector – Orinoco Tribune

   Spanish oil company Repsol and the French oil company Maurel & Prom:
   “taking advantage of the competitive advantages incorporated in the recent reform of the Hydrocarbons Law.”

   The US military and intelligence agencies showing they haven’t abandoned the global corporations.
   Ready to serve…
   1. The Rev Kev February 10, 2026 at 8:26 am

      Wait a moment. I thought that Trump was saying a coupla months ago that only American corporations would be allowed to do business in Venezuela. And here a Spanish and French corporation is moving in? Smart move on the part of the Venezuelans though.
      1. Mikel February 10, 2026 at 8:39 am

         They aren’t “moving in”…
         They were already in on it…with the US govt. But the US does the heavy dirty work.

         The US and other NATO countries still cooperate in other theatres…even on the DL at times.
         1. Ignacio February 10, 2026 at 12:40 pm

            “The US does the heavy dirty work” means here that the US Sanctions and blocks Venezuela oil exports and then establishes a License system in which only companies which the US approves are able to conduct operations in Venezuela. The terms of agreement include the amounts that the US allows in concept of taxes as income for Venezuela and payments done under accounts controlled by the US Treasury Dept. Only companies that were already operating before in Venezuela seem keen on relaunching their operations and this is why these companies are being given licences.

            This is all unlawful if you ask me.
      2. Mikel February 10, 2026 at 8:52 am

         Smart move? What other choice…

         This was always:
         The US military and intelligence agencies showing they haven’t abandoned the global corporations.
3. The Rev Kev February 10, 2026 at 8:06 am

   ‘The Cradle
   @TheCradleMedia
   Trump blocks US-Canada bridge, demands half ownership
   ——
   US President Donald Trump said he will block the opening of a bridge linking Michigan and Ontario unless Canada agrees to grant the US at least half ownership of the structure, arguing that Washington has not been “fully compensated” for its contributions.’

   Yet again another example of Trump trying a shakedown operation. Trump is demanding “compensation” but the truth of the matter is that that bridge was paid for by the government of Ottawa, not the US. Just to add, US steel was used on the Michigan side of the bridge and when it is completed, it will be publicly owned by Canada and the State of Michigan. Maybe Trump will push aside Michigan and take over their stake or something. I would guess that he would want to set up toll booths to generate a solid income stream. Where would that money go? Don’t know. Maybe he even wants that bridge named after himself or something so that it would no longer be the Gordie Howe International Bridge but the Donald J. Trump International Bridge. But if he thinks that that bridge should be own by him, then perhaps he could pay the government of Ottawa the $6.4 billion they spent building it.

   https://www.rt.com/news/632233-trump-canada-bridge-threat/
   1. Adam1 February 10, 2026 at 9:31 am

      He is just a total nut case. I don’t know the details of the US-Canadian bridges in Michigan, but here in wester NY there are 4 bridges that cross the Niagara River joining the US and Canada. All 4 bridges are operated by joint Canadian and US operators and toll income is used to maintain the bridges and the plazas. There is no income fee drained off to others (at least that is widely disclosed).
      1. cfraenkel February 10, 2026 at 12:56 pm

         The Windsor/Detroit case is a bit different, in that the existing bridge is wholly owned and operated by a private US family, who has been fighting a long legal battle opposing the new bridge.

         Given the corruption of the Trump regime, connecting the dots is left to the reader. It’s an interesting media commentary that at least so far in the outrage over Trump’s lunatic announcement, I haven’t noticed that particular speculation mentioned anywhere.

         Here’s the CBC article, which does mention the Moroun family, and the previous attempt to get Trump to block the bridge https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/windsor/windsor-gordie-howe-trump-bridge-opening-truth-social-post-9.7081929
   2. Chas February 10, 2026 at 9:42 am

      All this bridge talk reminds me that I bought a bridge last week. Two of them actually. I had to have a tooth pulled and the dentist filled the gap by installing a temporary bridge connecting a false tooth to the real tooth next door. The permanent one comes next month.

      When I got into the chair they asked what music I’d like to hear. I chose Van Morrison and he popped up on the big screen in front of me. It announced Van’s latest album titled “Somebody’s Trying to Sell me a Bridge.” I pointed this out to the team and the assistant got a big laugh out of it but the dentist didn’t even crack a smile. I found out why when I got his bill.
      1. The Rev Kev February 10, 2026 at 9:50 am

         I guess that your dentist was feeling a little down in the mouth at the time. At least you did not have the song ‘Bridge over Troubled Waters’ playing at the time.
      2. Sam Culotte February 10, 2026 at 4:15 pm

         >”…the dentist didn’t even crack a smile.”

         My experience with medical professionals is that nothing you say or point out is considered humorous by them. In fact, if you attempt to crack a joke, more than likely you will looked at as if you’re crazy and start the diagnostic wheels turning in a psychosomatic direction.

         On the other hand, any jocular comment by your doctor/dentist—however lame—will be treated to hilarious laughter. By the assisting staff, that is. Not necessarily by you. They get paid to laugh. You’re just there for treatment, not a stand-up comedy show.
      3. eg February 10, 2026 at 10:05 pm

         Going in for a similar procedure early next month. I am NOT looking forward to it.
   3. Es s Ce Tera February 10, 2026 at 9:59 am

      It would seem to suggest the president of the United States is not in possession of even the most rudimentary and basic facts about anything at all. A bit problematic, how can any government function properly without facts, regardless of model?
      1. Henry Moon Pie February 10, 2026 at 10:16 am

         Fox & Friends is his daily brief.
      2. Lefty Godot February 10, 2026 at 12:08 pm

         And why is he even paying attention to things like this bridge? About to go to war with Iran while trying to be a pretend Peace Prize Nobelist over Ukraine, yet he still has time for something like this? Mencken foresaw the White House being adorned with an utter moron to reflect the character of the American people, but what does it say about our character that we’ve put a total lunatic in charge?
      3. amfortas February 10, 2026 at 6:16 pm

         well, practice, practice.
         my sordid excuse for a superpower has been operating fact-free for all my 56 years.
         trump just tore the curtain down, is all.
   4. nyleta February 10, 2026 at 12:50 pm

      Time for Canada to do a Nordstream and blow up their oil pipelines to the US for good.
   5. Giovanni Barca February 11, 2026 at 1:07 am

      Toll booths have been there at least since I first crossed into Canada and back in 1983. These and the Mackinac Bridge are the only tolls on Michigan roadways. How unlike, say, Illinois, or at least its populous northeast, where the toll authority is a sinecure, a benefice, of great importance to politicians. (State Senator Pate Phillip installed his brother at the toll authority in days gone by and the latter absconded with the tollway till. If justice ever found him, I heard nothing of it.)
4. Nicholas February 10, 2026 at 8:19 am

   File under Police State Watch, expect more of this as the Navy gets to building per Stephen Prager‘s post here recently:

   “I have barely any outside time, no fresh air, no sunshine. We have two TVs on the wall, there are 72 detainees here in total. We get three meals a day, very very small meals – kid size meals, so everybody is hungry,” he said.

   I’m in fear for my life now here, honestly, because people are being killed by the staff here, by the security staff, you know?

   Irish Man Who’s Been Held by ICE for Months Calls Facility a ‘Modern-Day Concentration Camp’
5. flora February 10, 2026 at 8:27 am

   File under Our No Longer Free Press.
   From Due Dissidence, utube, ~33+ minutes.

   Joseph Gordon-Levitt Pushes FREE SPEECH CRACKDOWN in DC

   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_l_a-OJxTTw
   1. flora February 10, 2026 at 8:47 am

      Adding: Levitt seems to be using O’s speaking style. / ;)
6. pjay February 10, 2026 at 8:56 am

   – ‘Beijing Blatantly Violates International Law in South China Sea’ – Irrawaddy

   I’m sorry. I am not disputing any of the facts presented in this article. But c’mon, I thought. Is it really possible to write this without at least acknowledging the egregious actions of the US regarding Law of the Sea violations (not to mention all the other international laws it has openly flaunted)? I knew this was “whataboutism,” but my brain could not process this article without screaming it out loud.

   But as I read on, I found that the article did address my reaction:

   “Since China has no good legal case, it weaponizes information. One organ it has harnessed to its cause is the South China Sea Strategic Situation Probing Initiative, a slightly sinister group of academics who specialize in whataboutism—a blinkered focus on U.S. naval maneuvers in the region—to deflect from China’s own EEZ violations. Its reports characterize U.S. Freedom of Navigation Operations—which occur in areas where UNCLOS guarantees it—as somehow equivalent to China’s own deliberate obstruction of Philippine economic rights.”

   Hmm. Perhaps my brain has been conditioned by information weaponized by sinister pro-China academics. As I read on further I realized I’d better take this more seriously, because

   “The implications extend globally. If the world’s second-largest economy can reject binding tribunal judgments, ignore ratified treaty obligations, and suppress factual documentation through diplomatic coercion and narrative warfare, why should anyone else behave better?”

   You know, this author is absolutely right. I mean if the world’s *second* largest economy can do this, who knows what effects this might have on the rest of the world!
   1. The Rev Kev February 10, 2026 at 9:18 am

      As I said in a comment a long time ago, the reason why China is so heavily involved with the South China Seas is to keep the west focused there instead of China’s coastline. If China pulled out of the South China Sea, then you would have all those ships and aircraft constantly flying off China’s coastline instead. With so many Chinese forces and installations there, the west cannot ignore it because of trade routes which leads to all those Freedom of navigation exercises.
   2. JohnM_inMN February 10, 2026 at 10:37 am

      Brian Berletic references The Irrawaddy often, always referring to it as a NED funded site. His post from Feb. 1, Cuba and Iran today, Russia and China Tomorrow, U.S. War on Multipolarism Continues: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnzWNkCb1OI
      contains this article from May ‘25: Irrawaddy – Myanmar Junta Abandons Chinese Pipeline Amid Resistance Attacks: https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/war-against-the-junta/myanmar-junta-abandons-chinese-pipeline-amid-resistance-attacks.html
      which in turn Berletic maintains is part of a plan put forth in this paper: U.S. Naval War CollegeReview – A Maritime Oil Blockade Against China…
      https://digital-commons.usnwc.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1735&context=nwc-review
      Key sections start @ 16:00.
      1. Yves Smith Post authorFebruary 10, 2026 at 10:45 am

         That is ad hominem and a violation of our written site Policies.

         Tell me why the argument in the Irrawaddy article is incorrect. In fact it isn’t. China has been engaging in long-standing violation of maritime rules, as the US has recently in pursuing ships in international waters.

         Foreign Affairs, the mouthpiece of establishment orthodoxy, just ran an important piece by Stephen Walt on the US as a predatory empire. So by your logic, I should reject that because it ran in Foreign Affairs. Bullshit.

         Berletic sees color revolutions under every bed. He acts as if brown people have no agency and can only be pawns of the US.

         He undermines his considerable and well deserved cred on the Ukraine war and his extensive, careful documentation of the comparative strength of US forces and weaponry versus those of Russia and China by offering very monotone treatment on other topics.

         He has also made claims about politics in this region that are at best considerable overstatements.
         1. Mikel February 10, 2026 at 11:25 am

            Noticing it too now…
            As much as the US may stick their nose in other people’s biz, he glosses over (if ever mentions) the countries in what is referred to as the Global South might actually not like some of their arrangements with other players.
            1. PlutoniumKun February 10, 2026 at 12:44 pm

               The South China Sea disputes are almost entirely between the smaller maritime nations of the region (Vietnam, Philippines. Indonesia, Brunei, Taiwan, Malaysia) and a relatively recent (since 2010) highly aggressive campaign by China to claim an area of sea far outside the normal parameters of Maritime Law. This is a huge political issue within those countries (especially Vietnam and Philippines) as even a casual scan of the domestic media in those countries would show. It is one of the key drivers for deep suspicion in those countries about China’s motives in the region.

               I find it bizarre that some people are incapable of reading about it without insisting on bringing the US into the discussion and completely ignoring the agency of the Vietnamese and Philippines and those other island nations that are party to the dispute.
         2. JohnM_inMN February 10, 2026 at 11:54 am

            Here I thought I was just offering another perspective. Regardless, I’ll look forward to upcoming articles from Irrawaddy that put China in a positive light.
            1. Yves Smith Post authorFebruary 10, 2026 at 12:21 pm

               This was not “another perspective”. You made an ad hominem attack. You did not and still not have offered “another perspective” on the argument in the article.

               You in fact continue to attack the Irrawaddy.

               Even if 100% of their articles on China criticize China, that does not make them wrong. The onus is on you to demonstrate that even if they have a burr up their ass about China, they produce inaccurate stories to make their case. We have a HUGE and open bias against Israel over its genocide. Does that make the many individual pieces that we showcase and even write to advance that view false? You need to show that the reporting is inaccurate, and not keep whinging about the source.
   3. Yves Smith Post authorFebruary 10, 2026 at 10:50 am

      Sorry, your argument is tu quoue, as in rhetorically and logically invalid..

      And it bothers me the extent to which readers have become indoctrinated to reflexively defend China. Now that I live in Asia, my view of China is vastly more jaundiced than when I was in the US. The fact that the US is in a very ugly phase does not make China good by default.

      The Irrawaddy is about Southeast Asia. It does not and never has offered general news commentary.
      1. pjay February 10, 2026 at 11:46 am

         As I say, I do not dispute any of the facts of the article. As I admitted, I am certainly engaging in whataboutism. And though I may have implied it by my sarcasm, I do not reflexively defend China in its all its policies.

         I wasn’t consciously trying to make an argument, but I guess I actually did rhetorically with my sarcasm. So I will make one explicitly. The first point is that US violations of international law are *much* more extensive, in all the respects mentioned (rejecting binding tribunal judgments, ignoring ratified treaty obligations, and suppressing factual documentation through diplomatic coercion and narrative warfare), with much greater global effect, than those of China. That does not in itself justify Chinese actions, nor does it mean that the concerns of its neighbors aren’t valid. They are, and they are understandable. And should China become the global hegemon the US is (or once was), then we’ll see if it is any better than we have been.

         But the second point concerns the regional (vs global) focus of this publication. This article specifically compares the “blatant violations of international law” by China with the perfectly legal and innocent “Freedom of Navigation” operations of the US in these waters (I’m sorry; I can’t suppress the sarcasm). Given the above, this is somewhat disingenuous. To me, it seems perfectly obvious, from China’s perspective, that much of its action in the South China Sea reflects what it sees to be legitimate and quite serious security concerns. We’ve all seen the maps of the ubiquitous US military installations ringing the region, and we’ve heard all the rhetoric about the need to “pivot to Asia,” etc. This rhetoric has become even more threatening in recent years. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was also a pretty clear violation of international law. But from Russia’s historical and geopolitical perspective, it had no choice. We could argue about the validity of the parallels, but my point is that from China’s perspective these are legitimate security concerns.

         So I am not disputing the “facts” here. But I am challenging its one-sided lack of context. I don’t reject the article because of its source. But knowing the source helps me understand its one-sided slant, just as knowing about Foreign Affairs helps me understand the slant of most of its articles.
         1. Yves Smith Post authorFebruary 10, 2026 at 12:23 pm

            You are doubling down on your tu quoue rather than trying to rebut the article.

            And did you miss that China for two decades made fake islands to advance its navigational claims? I find it hard to take your wounded defense of China seriously in light of that.

            One could even argue that China’s protracted violations in the South China Sea help make a case for Trump’s current abuses by showing that the law of the sea is really just “might makes right”.
            1. Polar Socialist February 10, 2026 at 2:45 pm

               Isn’t it surprising that China started constructing those islands the same year Philippines began using UNCLOS to delineate maritime borders, for which UNCLOS, of course, has no jurisdiction – as clearly mentioned in the arbitration decision of 2016.

               I’m not saying China has any right to claim South China Sea, I’m just saying that Philippines did a nasty one there. And that the root of the issue (unlike Irriwaddy claims) is that (neither) China was not invited to the San Francisco Peace Conference when the borders were drawn in the post-colonial Southeast Asia.
   4. NN Cassandra February 10, 2026 at 12:06 pm

      Just for the record, here is the China version (from Arnaud Bertrand): tweet 1, tweet 2, tweet 3.
7. Tom Stone February 10, 2026 at 8:58 am

   Donald Trump has lost it, he is not a rational actor.
   This is becoming more obvious by the day and denying it endangers everyone on the Planet.
   I don’t know what can be done about it, but pretending that he is competent in a legal sense is suicidal.
   1. The Rev Kev February 10, 2026 at 9:12 am

      They probably figure that they got away with it in Joe Biden’s four year term so they can do the same with Trump.
      1. Henry Moon Pie February 10, 2026 at 10:19 am

         And note that no Congressional committee, even though the Rs did a lot of squawking about it for four years, has bothered to investigate in a serious way how the Ds played Weekend at Joe’s for an entire Presidential term.
   2. Jackiebass63 February 10, 2026 at 11:10 am

      Unfortunately republicans won’t support removing him.
      1. Mikel February 10, 2026 at 12:11 pm

         Unfortunately, when the House and/or Senate plays the impeachment game, so much other nefariousness and problems continue unaddressed.
         1. Giovanni Barca February 11, 2026 at 1:26 am

            My conversations with Democrat friends and family on the impeachment theatrics involved the f’n’fs saying that getting Trump impeached or banned from seeking office on the grounds of Ukraine phone calls or Stormy Daniels payments was like getting Capone on tax evasion. I said it was like crying wolf and purely for show if the Democrat leadership didn’t have the threshold of votes, which it didn’t and knew it didn’t. The Democrats staged Weekend at Joe’s and a century earlier Weekend at Woody’s. No constitutional removal is possible with such precedents. It would have been great to have Trump removed, as it would have been Great to have Epstein and Iran Contra collaborator Clinton removed. It would have been great to have Weekend At Ronnie’s shortenened by removal too. And it was indeed fabulous to have Nixon forced to remove himself–largely by his own party. But folks didnt do that before (excepting the Radical Republican revolt against Andrew Johnson) and haven’t done it since.
   3. lyman alpha blob February 10, 2026 at 1:55 pm

      Not disagreeing, but this is not at all unprecedented either.

      The elites took advantage of a brain dead drooling Biden to get a couple wars started. You could see years before the election that Trump was likely to inherit the mess the Biden administration started, and yet they went ahead and did it anyway, and made no effort to wrap things up before Trump took office. Because they new that they could make a weak, easily manipulated president like Trump play ball.

      Clearly the people who really run the US oligarchy like things this way. They did it in the 80s too with their hired, brain addled actor playing at president.

      Remember when Karl Rove said something about the elites creating reality and the rest of us just having to deal with it? Just like Reagan never stopped acting, Trump hasn’t stopped playing reality show. Trump can bloviate all he wants – we should be keeping our eyes on the people pulling the strings. For example, today’s article above documenting how Rubio is lying to Trump about Cuba negotiations. Hegseth, Kash Patel, ICE Barbie, Bondi are all distractions. Rubio and others like him are not.
8. AG February 10, 2026 at 9:02 am

   re: Germany – BSW election recount

   NACHDENKSEITEN

   machine-translation

   BSW files a lawsuit due to the recount of the controversial federal election
   
   The party’s complaint to the Federal Constitutional Court is long overdue and well-founded. The behavior of parts of parliament and the election review committee regarding the recount is scandalous.

   A commentary by Tobias Riegel
   https://archive.is/eCENX
9. Tom Stone February 10, 2026 at 9:45 am

   I have seen little mention of how unusual it is for Maxwell to be incarcerated in a minimum security prison, BOP policy is crystal clear, convicted sex offenders are NEVER to be placed in minimum security prisons due to the danger to other prisoners.
   Not sometimes, never.
   Which argues strongly that a deal has been made.
   1. Screwball February 10, 2026 at 10:01 am

      I don’t know who said it, maybe Massie; the democrats only want to get Trump, and the GOP only want to get the Clinton. That’s probably true, and it seems that way.

      NO, don’t stop until all the rot is exposed and all these sick ***** are thrown in jail. Nothing less is acceptable. Whatever it takes.
   2. mrsyk February 10, 2026 at 10:07 am

      Let’s not forget who her father is/was.
10. AG February 10, 2026 at 9:46 am

    re: ICE = EU anti-immigration

    JACOBIN

    The machine-translation has created quite a remarkable error:

    Instead of just ICE it says “ICE trains”. Simply because in German ICE is the standard abbreviation for the fast trains “InterCity Express”. Although US ICE has nothing to do with public transport (well we could make a cynical joke about that…)

    The EU’s migration control measures are no better than ICE trains.

    Following the ICE train murders in the US, the desire for demarcation in Europe is strong. However, the EU’s migration control measures are by no means more humane – the only difference is that the lawless violence is outsourced to the Mediterranean and North Africa.

    https://archive.is/0Oaq4

    “(…)
    The arming of Frontex is inextricably linked to general militarization. In December 2024, the agency signed a new €192 million contract with the Israeli arms manufacturer IAI for a two-year period. Frontex intends to use Israeli drones and surveillance technologies against migrants, the same technologies used during the genocide in Gaza.
    (…)”
11. pjay February 10, 2026 at 9:53 am

    – ‘The truth about Morgan McSweeney is worse than you think’ – Council Estate Media

    If anyone would like to know why I have a “thing” about Michael Tracey and his ilk who write off the Epstein issue as mainly a product of hysterical conspiracy theorists, I recommend reading this. I also recommend it for those who make this only about elite pedophilia while ignoring all the other economic, geopolitical, and intelligence implications involved in this complex story. That would include much of the mainstream media – and Michael Tracey and his ilk.
    1. ArvidMartensen February 10, 2026 at 4:15 pm

       It proves to me that people who rise to the top because do so because they aren’t hampered by morals and empathy, and instead have a voracious appetite for self enrichment through callousness, deceitfulness, sadism and vindictiveness.

       What’s the difference between human elites and invading alien lizard people?
       Alien lizards want to obliterate most of humanity except for slaves, and plunder the whole planet. Whereas human elites want to ……. hmmmmm… what was the question again?
    2. ArvidMartensen February 10, 2026 at 5:10 pm

       It seems like it’s time to rebadge the “Labour Friends Of Israel” as the “Labour Friends of Epstein”
12. Windall February 10, 2026 at 9:58 am

    Apparently Google built a tool to identify it’s own AI images and made it difficult to find.

    It’s called SynthID.

    https://open.substack.com/pub/henkvaness/p/google-makes-the-fake-and-tells-you?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=319lal
13. The Rev Kev February 10, 2026 at 9:59 am

    “The water wars are coming This finite resource will define the century”

    They are already here and you can see this with the Colorado river negotiations right now. What is really going to make this much worse is the corporate idea that water is not a human right but something that can be bought up and monetized. I read of one extreme development of this idea when a French corporation bought the water companies in a South American nation about twenty years ago and they announced that all the water that was falling on people’s roofs and going to water tanks was actually owned by the corporation and people would be charged for that water accordingly. They soon got kicked out. but how bad can it get? It may be that some nations will bomb dams in nations upstream of them as they are not getting their share. We have had oil wars going back decades and the action in Venezuela was one example of this but wait until you get real water wars up and running. Those will be way more brutal.
    1. barncat February 10, 2026 at 11:03 am

       “how bad can it get…” Have a look at “The Water Knife” by Paolo Bacigalupi (Vintage Books, 2015) for a dystopian view of the subject.
    2. Jackiebass63 February 10, 2026 at 11:07 am

       20 years ago when I was having a conversation with friends I said water was going to be a major problem. We use too much of this precious resource, like farming deserts ,on things we don’t need to. Unfortunately my prediction is now true.
    3. Dean February 10, 2026 at 11:48 am

       From a global view, the earth is nearly a closed system with respect to water. There is plenty of water on earth, most of it saltwater.

       At its essence, it’s an issue of potability (making it safe to drink) and getting it to where it needs to go in the quantities to sustain life.

       Both rather expensive.
    4. ArvidMartensen February 10, 2026 at 4:20 pm

       Plundering and corralling of water in western countries started decades ago by the smart companies. Almond orchards, massive agricultural dams, pistacho orchards, water rights market etc
    5. Kouros February 11, 2026 at 1:33 am

       A right winger American libertarian invited for a talk at UBC a lifetime ago bragged about how good would be to monetaize water and so bad it cannot be done with the air as well. Maybe this is why they want the space and Mars colonies…

       Looking back at that speech, I am sadened that nobody booed the guy out.
14. YuShan February 10, 2026 at 10:01 am

    Second Bonus Antidote: Cute monkey, but wtf! How to create the maximum amount of waste when selling a few strawberries? Carton box, then plastic tray… I miss those days when strawberries came in a simple flimsy carton box…
    1. Bugs February 10, 2026 at 12:07 pm

       I thought the same thing. Those are fancy Japanese fruit. I’m sure that every one of them is the same size and ripeness. Probably cost a bit of money too.

       I think I need a big shot of brain lidocaine to numb myself to the news cycle. Even the antidotes aren’t bringing me back to the baseline. Stay safe, all you good people.
    2. lyman alpha blob February 10, 2026 at 2:08 pm

       Thank you. If there is a hell, those who designed that kind of ‘solution searching for a problem’ packaging will be in it. Perhaps eternally trying to open the plastic packaging they designed and failing.
15. YuShan February 10, 2026 at 10:15 am

    “The truth about Morgan McSweeney is worse than you think”

    Even apart from the much larger scale of this scandal as suggested in the article, I find it so weird that Starmer gets away with just having his adviser resign. It is not like the adviser has hidden any information, it was all available to Starmer. He is the top guy, so he is responsible for his decision, regardless what an adviser says. What else does it mean to be the top guy?

    * Of course this is a problem in general. No accountability, no skin in the game. Even if Starmer eventually leaves… Angela Rayner is aiming for his job, even though she resigned just months ago because she committed a form of tax fraud.
16. Charger01 February 10, 2026 at 10:16 am

    “US transformers are aging…”
    Big if true – here’s the quote “ When testing their new proposed model, the team found that two-way flow caused transformers to age 23 per cent faster than accounted for by current standards, according to a paper published in the Chinese-language journal Power System Technology on January 16”
    Power transformers are 4+ years away from being delivered once ordered, if renewable projects suddenly need to estimate that their transformers will deteriorate that quickly, that will significantly reduce the overall value of the project if the transformer needs to be replaced before the panels/wind turbines.
17. Mark Gisleson February 10, 2026 at 10:28 am

    It Was Just a Halftime Show. The Meltdown Reveals How Dumb We’ve Become. Mediaite (resilc)

    New Mexico lawsuit accuses Meta of failing to protect children from sexual exploitation online Associated Press

    Nice links pairing. After reading the translated Bad Bunny lyrics I involuntarily thought back to 2001 and the sixteen-year-old Britney Spears’ bump’n’grind Pepsi Superbowl commercial with Bob Dole drooling in the background.

    I don’t think meltdown is the correct term here. I think the proper term would be “fed up.” In 2019 the NFL did a deal that put Jay-Z in charge of halftime entertainment and it escalated from bump’n’grind to raunch’n’role. You can’t have it both ways: either the NFL is for all ages or it’s adults only. Pick one.
    1. Archie Shemp February 10, 2026 at 1:50 pm

       I don’t speak Spanish, but I’ve read that while the lyrics for recorded versions of the songs he sang are indeed as raunchy as a lot of other pop music lyrics, he altered them/cleaned them up for the performance. If that’s true, all the pearl clutching and threats of FCC investigation amount to nothing more than trumped-up bloviation.
       1. Revenant February 10, 2026 at 7:18 pm

          There’s plenty of precedent, as I learnt yesterday down a rabbit hole.

          The artist Kunt and the Gang recorded a song about Boris Johnson which could only be played on radio with the edit “Boris Johnson is a Sausage Roll”. It narrowly missed out on being a Christmas No.1.

          https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boris_Johnson_Is_a_Fucking_Cunt
    2. lyman alpha blob February 10, 2026 at 2:05 pm

       Personally, I’m all for bringing back the seediness and skipping the family friendly stuff. My first (and only, so far) NFL game was back in the 80s when the Pats still played at a stadium named after beer. The end zone bleachers were cement and word had it that people got absolutely hammered at games and fights often broke out between fans. I went with my dad and uncle and I don’t remember much about the game itself, but I do remember the end zone brawl. Also had season tix to a junior hockey league in the late 90s/early 00s when things were starting to get more family friendly. I remember one woman complaining to other fans that she didn’t want her kids hearing all the f bombs the fans were dropping. “Don’t bring kids to a hockey game” seemed like the correct response.

       Agree with the article’s sentiment though – who cares about the half time show? That’s the time to step outside for an attitude adjustment. I will give the Rabbit man credit for not lip synching, but other than that it was just bland corporate entertainment. NFL stands for No Fun League.
    3. Helen Lovejoy February 10, 2026 at 4:12 pm

       https://youtu.be/JLDzjSy5DxY?si=AsSK5BAK_q3vhRGd

       Won’t somebody please think of the children?!”
18. flora February 10, 2026 at 10:50 am

    re: It was just a half time show.

    It was advertising for the NFL’s growing international audience. The NFL has gone international. NFL teams will be playing in Spain, Brazil, Germany and other countries this year. Regular-season games.

    https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/nfl-rio-de-janeiro-brazil-dallas-cowboys-2026-schedule/
    1. Mikel February 10, 2026 at 4:17 pm

       Lots of money riding on these sporting events – not only the gambling.
19. Jason Boxman February 10, 2026 at 11:06 am

    Bezos’ abandoning of reporters, where ever they happened to be at the time, is emblematic of our elite in general. It’s casual evil. It isn’t even malicious, for the great masses of the plain people are beneath the recognition of the elite. Not even worth consideration. It isn’t some vague consequence, knowledge of which flickers to life only briefly and is forgotten. This is more sinister than purposeful evil. It’s outright erasure.
20. Cian February 10, 2026 at 11:09 am

    Jimmy Lai was jailed for sedition (ironically one of the laws used dates back to the British colonial years).

    The ruling is publicly available (in English):
    https://hongkongfp.com/2025/12/15/in-full-the-855-page-guilty-verdict-against-media-tycoon-jimmy-lai/ – though I haven’t personally read it :)

    He was found guilty of:
    1) lobbying foreign governments to impose sanctions on China. This is a matter of public record, and while one disagree with this being illegal, given what’s happening in Cuba/Venezuela, etc – I think that goes beyond free speech.
    2) Conducting campaigns with foreign governments to bring the collapse of China. Again a matter of public record, and he’s also boasted of this.
    3) Using his media empire as an instrument of that campaign.

    Of these only the last of those really falls into the area of freespeech. As someone who’s home country was ruined by Rupert Murdoch, I’m not hugely sympathetic to that view – but I guess views can differ. But regardless – this is not how its being reported in the west, and given the west’s response to supporters of Russia, I do not think they’re in the strongest position to complain here.

    In mainland China Jimmy Lai is notorious as being the guy who on camera called for the US to nuke China. Which didn’t exactly endear him.
21. Jason Boxman February 10, 2026 at 11:10 am

    Oh noes?

    Disappointing holiday season: December retail sales were flat, falling well short of estimate (CNBC)

    Retail sales were flat in December following a 0.6% increase in November. Economists surveyed by Dow Jones had expected an increase of 0.4%.
    On an annual basis, sales rose 2.4%, failing to keep up with inflation, as the consumer price index for December posted a 2.7% increase.

    COVID, is that you?

    Catherine O’Hara Died From Pulmonary Embolism, Death Certificate Says(NY Times)

    A death certificate released on Monday also said rectal cancer was an underlying cause for the comedic actress’s death on Jan. 30 at 71.
    1. Henry Moon Pie February 10, 2026 at 1:24 pm

       Probably no need to look beyond the rectal cancer and the treatments received for an explanation. Chemo and rectal surgery, even the port used for chemo (Yikes, I still have mine!), all increase the chances.
22. Jason Boxman February 10, 2026 at 11:56 am

    From The Children of Dilley

    Surprise, surprise, giving everyone the COVID. Giving an 18-month old COVID.

    Kheilin Valero from Venezuela, who was being held with her 18-month-old, Amalia Arrieta, said shortly after they were detained following an ICE appointment on Dec. 11 in El Paso, Texas, the baby fell ill. For two weeks, she said, medical staff gave her ibuprofen and eventually antibiotics, but Amalia’s breathing worsened to the point that she was hospitalized in San Antonio for 10 days. She was diagnosed with COVID-19 and RSV. “Because she went so many days without treatment, and because it’s so cold here, she developed pneumonia and bronchitis,” Kheilin said. “She was malnourished, too, because she was vomiting everything.”

    Gustavo Santiago, the 13-year-old boy who’d been living in Texas, said he has been sick several times since he and his mom were detained on Oct. 5 of last year at a Border Patrol checkpoint. His mom, Christian Hinojosa, said that when Gustavo had a fever, the medical staff told her he was old enough for his body to fight it off without medication, so she sat up with him all night, draping him in cold compresses. She had to take him to the infirmary for a skin rash that she believed was caused by poor water quality at the center. She said he has also experienced stomach pain and nausea, which she blamed on unsanitary food preparation.

    What other disease spread is promoted by keeping people cooped up in such close quarters? Why is public health policy in America stupid?
    1. ArvidMartensen February 10, 2026 at 4:23 pm

       A feature? To cut down costs?
23. antidlc February 10, 2026 at 12:08 pm

    From the WSJ on 2/7:

    More Americans Are Dealing With Memory Decline at Work
    https://archive.is/7PdEz#selection-561.0-561.54

    Flexible work schedules and technology-based reminders can help those in early stages of cognitive decline and dementia keep working
    1. kareninca February 11, 2026 at 1:35 am

       Ugggghhhh.
24. Es s Ce Tera February 10, 2026 at 12:28 pm

    re: Netanyahu BLACKMAILING Trump Over Iran Using Epstein Files

    If one person is blackmailing a country’s president or head of state, aren’t they in effect holding hostage the government, its military, it’s justice system, its agencies, congress, voting population, economy, etc.?

    And shouldn’t that be somewhat of a concern?
    1. cfraenkel February 10, 2026 at 1:28 pm

       One would think….

       Though, focusing on Trump misses the point. There were a *lot* of visitors to that island, and presumably the paymasters have kompromat on all of them. It’s the entire class that is being held hostage.
    2. Alice X February 10, 2026 at 8:28 pm

       Well, there has been blackmail since at least 1948, in a disquise, but that has been failing in the public’s eyes, as of now. What is to be done? One asks?

       And to answer the final question.

       Yes.
25. Norton February 10, 2026 at 12:39 pm

    Steve Keen should write an Intro to Econ text that reflects the real world without the sketchy assumptions in the current texts. Include recent developments that call into question the following topics.

    Comparative Advantage post-Ricardo, from article
    Lendable Funds versus money creation
    Demand curve lack of clear transition from individual (flat) to market (sloped)
    Micro to Macro model inconsistencies
    1. Revenant February 10, 2026 at 7:33 pm

       The Steve Keen article on Ricardo and Comparative Advantage was absolutely excellent! Read it if you have time, NC’ers!

       One comment is that it took me a while to see the exact nature of the sleight of hand he was driving at: the problem is that Ricardo’s comparative advantage assumes that capital is never stranded geographically or functionally, looms can become furnaces etc.

       Whereas Riccardo’s actual explanation ducks that assertion and merely says capital can be physically mobile between provinces within a country – you can move the existing furnaces and mills around within a country according to comparative advantage but there is no proof that the optimal distribution of capital to trades is achievable by such mere redistribution of existing capital and any need to adjust for hysteresis, e.g. having to invest in new capital plant or continue working old plant, is not considered.

       I believe Steve Keen has articles and podcasts on other false nostrums of economics. And Bill Mitchell has many posts too from an MMT perspective. I don’t know if either has tied them into an undergrad book. Plus they disagree violently about a lot!
26. AG February 10, 2026 at 12:49 pm

    re: David Harvey & Marx today

    podcast conversation with DOUG HENWOOD due to Harvey´s upcoming new book

    I liked it but others here actually know these things to be able to comment critically.
    Harvey mentioned Hudson once. On the other hand I doubt there is much controversial about the issues.

    https://shout.lbo-talk.org/lbo/RadioArchive/2026/26_02_05.mp3

    content of the whole podcast:

    February 5, 2026 David Harvey on his new book, The Story of Capital • excerpt from Mark Carney’s Davos speech • Adam Federman on Trump’s Greenland obsession
27. Henry Moon Pie February 10, 2026 at 1:13 pm

    When the oligarchs don’t need you–

    I recommend this as fine summary of our predicament, but more importantly, of the predicament of our children and grandchildren. A sobering excerpt:

    We have a group of men who are actively preparing themselves for a societal collapse. In fact, by their own writings, they invite it. They build bunkers to hurriedly protect themselves from the fallout of their own actions. They seem to only want enough humans around to serve them in ways that AI cannot and even that looks to be an infinitesimally small number. Perhaps they need enough to breed children to abuse?

    I admired Rosa Luxemburg and the Mass Strike as a college freshman and wrote a paper about her. As a late middle-aged castoff, I brought stories about the CNT and Anarcho-Syndicalism’s General Strike to the veal pen of DailyKos. What a beautiful vision: that through solidarity, the powerless could overthrow the powerful with little to no use of violence!

    But to sound like Mr. Jensen delivering his realist lecture to the Mad Prophet of the airwaves, the hope that the withholding of our labor is enough to bring down the oligarchs, even if combined with the withholding of our consumption, is “contrary to the “atomic, sub-atomic and galactic structure of things today.” Fifty years ago, in a Fordist consumer economy, we probably still had that power, but technology and the ever-increasing concentration of wealth has dissolved that social and economic system and replaced it with one where we are, as Kathleen Wallace argues in the Links article, superfluous. The only remaining question is how our inconvenient presence can be eliminated in a manner that doesn’t prove messy in a way that disrupts the lives and plans of these Masters of the Universe.

    That speaks to the means available to the TechBros and their allies, but it does not explain motive. I’ve written here about the Conquistador Worldview, a way of looking at the universe as a collection of objects to be exploited and disposed of when they are either no longer useful or too troublesome. When I finally read Daniel Quinn’s Ishmael, I switched to Quinn’s term “Takers” for those whose human exceptionalism was the “apple” that led them to regard all other life as theirs for the taking, even if there was no necessity.

    The Taker worldview is dangerous enough to the peace and stability of Earth, but the Epstein files that stretch into past decades combined with the news of the past few years expose another essential facet of the Oligarch mindset. This component acts like gasoline on the fire of human exceptionalism, transforming it into an exceptionalism of a tribe or a class or a nation-state, rendering even human Others not just enemies but un-people. I’m going to be less than explicit here given the times, but this accelerant is found in theo-historical events from thousands of years ago when a meta-religion called henotheism (i.e. “one god”) was predominant through much, but not all, of the ancient near east. In that time and place, each group of humans that saw themselves as a nation, whether or not they had a king or even a capital, needed to have their own god. This god was not the only god. Other nations had their own god as well, but a particular nation’s god was seen as that nation’s source of sustenance, protection and morality. Without a god, there was no nation. Likewise, a god without a people was no god at all.

    When two nations engaged in war in this henotheistic context, both understood that their respective gods were doing battle simultaneously in the heavens, and that the outcome of the war depended as much on which god proved stronger as which army. If a vanquished nation also suffered the destruction of its key temple, regarded as their god’s home, then that god was as good as dead. As a way of confirming that death, the conquering nation might remove not only the political elites from their homeland but also the religious elites as well. The old cult died out among the remaining people of the land while the elites taken into the conqueror’s land as exiles were expected to be converted to worship of the conquering nation’s god.

    Now in at least one instance, the conquered nation’s religious elites did not give up so easily. While in exile, one prophet had a vision of his defeated god’s essence escaping his temple/house before it was razed by the conquerors. Another prophet from the same community of exiles was even bolder. He claimed that his god had not been defeated at all, but was actually the one and only God. This God was not just his nation’s god, but was the almighty Creator of the universe, and all the other nations’ gods were mere imposters, impotent in the face of the true God. This left open the question of how the people of this God had been defeated and their capital destroyed, along with God’s house. The answer provided by this prophet and by those who put together a history of these people was that God had not failed his people, but that his people had so failed God that he had abandoned them, leaving them to what was hoped to be only a temporary desolation–perhaps 70 years or so.

    Now I think we can see, even from this historical distance, where the change from henotheism to monotheism led. Previously, the morals of one nation were really no business of another. While a nation might disparage the practices and beliefs of another nation, that was no reason to go to war against that nation on account of religious differences; the old standard reasons of resources acquisition and security remained supreme. Even the conqueror’s strategy of hauling the religious elite into exile was less an exercise in spreading the one, true religion than handling the defeated nation’s inhabitants in a way designed to minimize unrest. With the arrival of monotheism, however, the nation chosen by the one, true God had a call and a duty to either convert or destroy those continued to worship their own national gods, and it was taboo even to associate with such heathens. What especially aggravated this situation was that the old henotheistic notion that a god had chosen a people survived despite the move to monotheism and the efforts of yet a third prophet.

    Another religion, built on top of this once henotheistic, now monotheistic, religion, took this to a new level. Though it was a matter much in dispute in the early years of this new, derivative religion, nembership in a tribe was no longer the prerequisite to be in relationship to the monotheistic God; instead, it was a profession of faith in this God. Those who refused to accept the faith, even the adherents of the mother religion, were fair game for exploitation, slaughter and even genocide. The conquistadors and the priests and their Protestant counterparts offered an entire hemisphere of peoples the option of believe or die, and sometimes, even conversion was not sufficient to save the conquered if they were somehow in the way.

    There was another move to be made. As human scientific knowledge and technical proficiency advanced, the hold of the “daughter” monotheistic religion began to loosen. An Enlightenment sought to rationalize the human understanding of the cosmos and eliminate superstitions, but the “advance” brought with it ideologies–capitalism, fascism, socialism–that retained the Taker worldview by taking human exceptionalism as a given and adding grand, teleological rules of history that all ended with humans at the pinnacle of the universe, perhaps taking the concept from the idea of the religion that gave birth to the Enlightenment that a God/man was co-Creator and co-Ruler of the cosmos. The same willingness not just to defeat but even exterminate ideological opponents was still present as was the conviction that the whole world must be converted to the one, true ideology, and those who resisted must be destroyed.

    One would think that an Iron Age concept of a people chosen by a god would have long ago lapsed into the obscurity it deserved, but today it has been joined by monotheistic religions that preach tribal or religious supremacy, and more recently by ideologies that teach that their systems are not just better in terms of their impact on humanity but that they are historically determined as some sort of ultimate way that all of humanity must live. Whichever one of these worldviews members of our Oligarchy happen to choose constitutes an existential threat to the rest of us.
    1. MaryLand February 10, 2026 at 2:47 pm

       Unfortunately the history of humans is littered with evidence of people being cruel to other humans whether they have a rationale for it or not. Each side in a war always dehumanizes their opponents. When victims in an out group are not available they will readily take advantage of those in their own “in group.” Some explain the basis of it as the human need to be taken care of in their old age. Greed follows quickly behind existential needs. Then there is the drive for glory!
    2. Judith February 10, 2026 at 3:51 pm

       Henry, I have been thinking and reading recently about how Christianity in all its manifestations through the ages has at times been forced upon people. So contrary to the message of Jesus, who I see as a revolutionary. And so deeply troubling. I have nothing insightful to say, but the internet has created frightening possibilities for control.
    3. sawdust February 10, 2026 at 8:21 pm

       Atlas Shrugged is a blueprint and most certainly not the only one. Pleonexia is its root as it has been throughout history. But you are already aware of the obvious, as are the hosts of this blog site and the many readers that frequent it.
28. CitizenGuy February 10, 2026 at 2:03 pm

    Anyone see B’s latest post at moonofalabama re: Chomsky and Epstein?

    Small quote:
    “Jeffrey Epstein was notoriously involved in sexual activities (not intercourse) with female teenagers. In the known cases the youngest was fourteen at the time of her first encounter with Epstein (but had been told to lie to Epstein about her age before meeting him). There is no suspicion and no credible allegation that Epstein did ever do anything sexual with prepubescent children.

    The girls were paid by Epstein to perform massages on him while being bare breasted or naked. While they were doing so he tended to masturbate. These contacts were consensual. No force was applied. The girls received $200 to $300 for each session. That’s a lot of money for an hour long effort for someone at that age.

    It is certainly a weird habit for Epstein to have but it had nothing to do with pedophilia.”

    I have heard of bad takes, but wow …

    https://www.moonofalabama.org/2026/02/smearing-chomsky-for-his-friendship-with-epstein-is-a-disgrace.html
29. johnnyme February 10, 2026 at 2:44 pm

    Street addresses included:

    ICE Is Expanding Across the US at Breakneck Speed. Here’s Where It’s Going Next

    Federal records obtained by WIRED show that over the past several months, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) have carried out a secret campaign to expand ICE’s physical presence across the US. Documents show that more than 150 leases and office expansions have or would place new facilities in nearly every state, many of them in or just outside of the country’s largest metropolitan areas. In many cases, these facilities, which are to be used by street-level agents and ICE attorneys, are located near elementary schools, medical offices, places of worship, and other sensitive locations.
30. Carolinian February 10, 2026 at 3:05 pm

    I think this has been linked but this Hudson with some personal memories is very interesting.

    https://michael-hudson.com/2026/02/the-hidden-architecture-of-the-property-crisis/

    For a not very long while I lived in the East Village and my roommate–found through an ad–was deathly afraid of losing his flaky rent control status.

    Sounds like now that less than deluxe apartment is probably a condo.
    1. Acacia February 10, 2026 at 8:06 pm

       Thanks for that. Re: rent control in Manhattan, I once met a woman who had been on a waiting list for decades to get a rent controlled apartment. I’m sure ppl with local knowledge can fill in more details.

       Had another friend who lived in a rent-controlled apartment in Berkeley. He ended up in a tenants’ lawsuit against his landlord and won. Turns out the landlord was the wife of the analytic philosopher John Searle, who taught at U.C. Berkeley. She owned a number of properties in the area.

       Searle has been associated with the Free Speech movement, though he was quite conservative, drove around town in a bright red Porsche 944, and wrote op-eds for The Daily Californian, to propound that rent control was “communist”, invoking the usual McCarthyite metaphors of disease, infection, etc.
31. GreeninTX February 10, 2026 at 5:06 pm

    Bernard at MoonofA has written an article defending Chomsky and Epstein!
    Here is the link:

    https://www.moonofalabama.org/2026/02/smearing-chomsky-for-his-friendship-with-epstein-is-a-disgrace.html

    Make of it what you will.
32. flora February 10, 2026 at 5:09 pm

    file under AI:

    From Breaking Points, utube, ~9+ minutes.

    Strokes, Punctured Skull”: AI Medical Devices IMPLICATED In Serious Screw Ups

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wU5UQ4piRko
33. Acacia February 10, 2026 at 7:16 pm

    Re: Japan election

    Claims of vote fraud now getting retweets:

    https://x.com/bokujinsei/status/2021165429381530081

    A totally unknown party “Team Mirai” got almost the exact same percentage of votes in different cities of Tokyo. A statistical anomaly. And at a national level, there are reports of votes for “Team Mirai” in areas where they had no candidates, and districts with more votes counted than registered voters.

    In Japan, ballots are counted using a machine from Musashi, that can do OCR of handwritten characters in kanji, hiragana, katakana.
34. Ben Panga February 10, 2026 at 7:18 pm

    Ro Khanna names names!

    https://x.com/RepRoKhanna/status/2021266289910563273

    @RepThomasMassie
    and I forced last night the DOJ to disclose the identities of 6 men:

    Salvatore Nuara, Zurab Mikeladze, Leonic Leonov, Nicola Caputo, Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, and billionaire businessman Leslie Wexner.

    I share details of what more we learned to hold the Epstein class accountable.
    

    —-

    Who are the six men named in the unredacted Epstein files? (Guardian)

    Ro Khanna, the US congressman, publicly revealed the names of six men whose identities were redacted from the Jeffrey Epstein files, including Leslie Wexner, a billionaire retail magnate, whom the FBI appeared to have labeled as a co-conspirator.

    The Democratic representative of California disclosed the names during a floor speech on Tuesday, following a visit to the Department of Justice, where he and Thomas Massie, a Republican congressman from Kentucky, spent two hours reviewing unredacted documents.

    The six men named by Khanna are Wexner, the Victoria’s Secret founder; Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, CEO of DP World and an Emirati billionaire businessman; and four others identified as Nicola Caputo, Salvatore Nuara, Zurab Mikeladze and Leonic Leonov.

    —-

    BP: as far as I know there has never been a serious attempt to investigate Wexner. Wexner is (per Whitney Webb) a mob-connected billionaire Zionist and one of the most powerful Jewish “philanthropists” via the Wexner Foundation

    The foundation’s website states that the original purpose of the Wexner Foundation was to assist “emerging professional Jewish leaders in North America and mid-career public officials in Israel.” (WW, One Nation Under Blackmail).

    Furthermore he is the main (known) actor in “the MEGA group” which looks to be the major node in the whole Zionist blackmail/cooption project.

    He also got the Iran-Contra fleet of planes after that fell apart and immediately gave control of them to Epstein. Webb argues that these were used in an operation to smuggle Chinese weapons towards Zionist aims.

    This was under Clinton in the 90s. Epstein visited the Clinton White House many (17? I forget) times where his link was Mark Middleton. Middleton later “killed himself” using both noose AND shotgun in a case whose records where sealed by the judge for perpuity.

    This is all from publicly available sources.

    Bonus thought: when the Clinton’s go before Congress, will the Repubs ask about Epstein/Middleton, or will they just stick to innuendo about the island. To me “why did Epstein visit the WH 17 times?” would be question 1. I’ll be shocked if it happens in reality.
35. Jason Boxman February 10, 2026 at 7:23 pm

    But that’s absolutely true

    Although the record-speed development of mRNA-based Covid-19 vaccines during the pandemic was a chief accomplishment of Trump’s first term, his second administration has withdrawn support for mRNA technology in infectious diseases. HHS canceled 22 projects worth about $500 million focused on mRNA vaccine development in August, claiming against evidence that “these vaccines fail to protect effectively against upper respiratory infections like COVID and flu.”

    FDA refuses to review Moderna’s application for mRNA flu vaccine, company says

    They’re certainly not sterilizing
36. The Rev Kev February 10, 2026 at 7:49 pm

    “UK troops operating on the ground in Ukraine -Moscow”

    This has been true since day one and before. And it is not just one Brit killed but many more. It was not that long ago that the Russians nailed a whole bunch of them in Odessa that were helping the Ukrainians with sub drones.
    1. Ben Panga February 10, 2026 at 9:45 pm

       In other news:

       “Pope outed as Catholic”

       “Ursine forest defecation confirmed”
37. AG February 10, 2026 at 11:54 pm

    re: Ancient Rome and the military

    review of

    The War Economy of the Roman Republic (406–100 BCE). The System that Built an Empire
    by Biglino, Fabrizio
    https://www.hsozkult.de/publicationreview/id/reb-155087?title=f-biglino-the-war-economy-of-the-roman-republic-406-100-bce&recno=18&q=&sort=&fq=&total=20825

    “(…)
    Even though I agree with Biglino’s main argument, I think some of the ideas expressed in the conclusion could be clarified. For example, Biglino claims that Roman expansionism could not have been achieved at an economic loss, contrary to what was claimed by recent studies (…) What these studies in question have argued, is that the money spent by the Roman state more often than not exceeded the amount acquired as a result of war. Over many years, a few very successful campaigns made up for many unprofitable campaigns. It is also important to distinguish between individuals and the state. Soldiers could of course benefit from donatives and loot, but this was not always a given. What allowed the Republic to keep fighting before the acquisition of provincial revenues was the tributum paid by its citizens. Roman taxpayers had to provide this, regardless of whether or not a campaign ended up being lucrative.
    (…)
    the book is well argued and solidly enhanced by helpful tables that support the author’s argument. Its main strength is to tie the Roman army closely to the economic history of the Republic.
    (…)”
38. Randy Holcomb February 11, 2026 at 2:15 am

    From the Hellsite:

    🇦🇺🦘The US Embassy Asked Australians A Question. They Immediately Regretted It.

    The US Embassy in Australia posted what they thought was a helpful service announcement: “Planning to travel to the United States? Apply for Global Entry for faster processing at US airports.”

    Five minutes later, the comment section looked like a crime scene.

    “No thanks. We’ve been watching how your border security operates.”

    And that was one of the polite ones.

    When Australians Say What Everyone Else Is Thinking

    What the embassy got was a masterclass in Australian directness, that beautiful cultural trait where Australians say exactly what’s on their mind with the confidence of a nation that’s already survived everything trying to kill them.

    https://x.com/Microinteracti1/status/2016878809891455000
    1. Ben Panga February 11, 2026 at 4:15 am

       Very much not a dig at commenter Randy, but I really cannot abide chatgpt generated text.

       e.g. “No think pieces. No diplomatic hedging. Just Australians doing what they do best” is a structure that appears often in chatgpt stuff.

       (See also it’s sibling “It’s not XXX. It’s YYY and ZZZ!”)

       There are of course many more.

       I live somewhere with a large English-as-a-second-language population and the majority of posts locally contain the same patterns and structures. My brain hates it, and feels the manipulation.

       Our language facility is being replaced by glibness and cheap marketing techniques. I resist! And as soon as spot the AI authorship I just close the tab.

       Does anyone else have these same reactions?

       EDIT: going further, if language structures are a fundamental part of how we think and apply logic, reading this stuff is reprogramming out brains. What was once flexible, and multifaceted becomes dull, narrow and near useless. God knows what it’ll do to kids growing up with it.

Comments are closed.