It has started.

I have, I should say "had" an excellent credit rating. It used to be in the mid 800s fluctuating up and down a point or two. I really only use the card in lieu of cash, and then I pay it off each month.

I had to make a very expensive charge a couple of weeks ago. Hearing aids for my mother. They are not cheap. Not even close to cheap. So I charged it on my credit card.

I knew it was massive, so I paid the amount right away. Well, the payment went in, five days before the doctor actually charged the card, I had a very large negative balance during those five days. When the charge finally came in, I went back to a zero balance.

I don't think it made the credit card company very happy. So they dropped my score by five whole points. I guess this was their way of telling me they were pissed.

I want to laugh, but for some reason this is making me a bit more leery than humored.

No gas stoves and no Diesel trucks coming to some states sooner than you might think. Also the video has a break down in the billions of dollars some blue states are losing in tax revenue due to residents leaving.

National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan kicks off a Brookings Inst talk on the New Washington Consensus.


White House Transcript


Jake Sullivan outlined an affirmative vision - long requested by allies/partners for what comes after the post Cold War US-led economic order. In a nutshell:

It is a time to build, at home and abroad. This will require a major reorientation of domestic & foreign policy.

The goal is no longer trade for trade’s sake or markets as ends unto themselves: we have larger, more urgent aims— rebuilding our energy, physical & technology infrastructure. And we’ll do it via targeted public investments that crowd in private capital to deliver good jobs.

This is the surest path to all 4 major challenges of the day: resurrecting a middle class, to sowing political support for further decarbonization; to out-competing China; and, through all of this, to repairing faith in democracy itself.

Quite extraordinary, Sullivan's speech can be summarized as "everything we've been saying and doing for 40+ years is now wrong" (markets aren't actually efficient, free trade is bad, etc.)

In short: rules of the game were good when we were winning, but now the rules must change.

Which is why this speech should be seen as America's farewell to the world: "We had this narrative of building a 'rules-based order', it failed for us, we stop the pretense and now unabashedly focus on our own self interests."

Antony Blinken and Sullivan running domestic and foreign policy. Powell is taking orders from the BIS. Intelligence agencies and their blackmail rings running '24 and the media. No need to waste energy on distraction flares. Make yourself relevant to Asian supply chains and the real economy.

The genesis of Putin and the late Soviet era: calcified & geriatric political leadership, quick fall of domination in parts of Europe, disastrous pullout of foray into the graveyard of empires [Afghanistan], an economy & military that people thought were too big to fail.

Quote:Some of America's top experts on the Soviet economy seem just as perplexed by our popular sense of an imminent collapse— especially when it centers on the Soviet economy. Vladimir Treml, a professor of Soviet economics at Duke University, says simply, "Economies this size don't collapse." John Hardt, the Congressional Research Service's top Soviet analyst, likewise sees neither imminent collapse nor any immediate threat to Gorbachev's political future.

Jerry Hough, a Brookings Institution political scientist, whose judgments about Gorbachev are highly regarded, is blunt: despite its current problems, he expects the Soviet economy to begin showing significant improvement within the next two to three years, and he says that when he raised the issue of Gorbachev's possible downfall with a broad range of Soviet citizens on a recent trip, "they looked at me with a blank stare." Hough says that "no one I talked to has the sense of an imminent popular uprising" or of widespread collapse.

The Black Box of Soviet Production

WHEN AMERICANS THINK ABOUT THE SOVIET Union, they often tend to think about scarcity. That, after all, explains the lines, the discontent, the seeming perennial shortage of goods.

The peculiar fact is that the Soviet Union produces an enormous abundance of goods. When you look at primary production (in what is still the world's second largest economy), the Soviets come out first globally year after year in things like oil, natural gas, iron ore, and steel. In 1988, for instance, they produced nearly twice as much steel as the United States did. Taken together, all the things that Marx, Smith, Ricardo, or any other classical theorist of capitalism would tell you are important to industrial success are hallmarks of the Soviet achievement. That's what makes the current disarray of Gorbachev's Russia seem so peculiar at first glance. The disarray down the line leads everyone— Soviets and Westerners alike— to debate what is going on, and why.
Inside the Collapsing Soviet Economy (June 1990)

Some of you may remember the 1995 Nellis footage that was broadcast on Hard Copy and Sightings.

The Military has confirmed this is real footage by locating the Airman who smuggled this footage oou of the base and sending him to prison.

Our Chief processor has been working  on that case ever since that day since he used to work in the same job as the radar operators you hear talking on the tapes, so he had a special interest in the case.

As computer imaging software has advanced through the years, our ability to solve that mystery has advanced as well.

We are close to finishing that project and I will share the Trailers of what we have in store for you here -

Much is a rehash of what some of the subjects and discussion we have seen on ATS and elsewhere. I have always wondered about the high levels and two hot spots on Mars of Zeon-129 which is spoken to in the video. Should we or do we trust NASA for the truth or is their "NEVER A Straight Answer" moniker deserved ? There are many links to this video's references for those who might be interested.

Quote:On July 25th, a NASA scientist was studying images of a region of Mars called "Cydonia" when something caught his eye. He had to take a second to process what he was seeing. He grabbed a magnifying glass. There was no doubt. On the surface of Mars, 140 million miles from Earth, was a structure in the shape of a human face. It was huge; about a mile wide; and showed two eyes, a nose, and a mouth. Around the Face were pyramids and structures that didn't look natural. They look like they were built... by someone. The following day, NASA held a press conference. Of the thousands of photos sent back from Mars, all anyone asked about was The Face. Who built it and why? Is it a message from an advanced civilization now long extinct? Is it a religious artifact? Is it solid like the Great Sphinx? Or could it contain chambers like the Great Pyramid? Then NASA threw cold water on the speculation. They said there was a second photograph of the area taken shortly after. And that photo showed that the face was nothing more than an optical illusion. Small problem. That second photo doesn't exist. So why did NASA lie? The answer to *that* question is in the other pictures. #NASA #Mars #Conspiracy

In the Ville it is Derby season. For the month leading up to the Kentucky Derby there are parties, parades, foot races, goat races, car races, festivals, fireworks, etc. For one month they actually clean up the downtown area (which has gone to shit since covid and the Breanna Taylor protests/riots/looting in May of 2020).

Part of cleaning up downtown involves bulldozing the homeless encampments and herding the homeless out of the sight of the tourists, celebrities and high rollers that come in every year for Derby. They double down on scattering the homeless in the final two weeks before the big race which is what prompted this thread.

Having just returned from a quick run to do errands I can tell you the herding of the homeless is in full swing. We always have homeless folks wandering around our section of town but they are few compared to the hordes downtown whose numbers multiplied many times when more and more were bussed in for the "protests" and promised all kinds of free goodies. After the protests were done and the free goodies ran out they were basically stuck here permanently, no better off than they were before- and now a good many of them are running around our area. 

We are in the south end, far from all downtown foolishness, and usually only see a few homeless when we go out and about (except on paydays when you will find "extras" panhandling at the bigger traffic intersections). Today I saw no less than 30 and that was only at the two stores that I went to that are within a few blocks of where we live. I know that doesn't sound like too many but normally I only see a handful and even then only because I traveled further and to more places. None of the homeless I saw today were people I recognized at all, just like anywhere else we have the "usual suspects" that we recognize from seeing regularly- these were refugees from the downtown bulldozer exodus. There will be many, many more before Derby.

Every year this happens. Lord forbid the city lose any tourist money because they are scared of homeless people. Most of them are decent people down on their luck or mentally ill. It just makes me so sad that the city does this to them because they don't want to scare off the tourists. Funny thing about it is that if they REALLY didn't want to scare the tourists they probably shouldn't let them know that Churchill Downs is in the middle of the hood! It just makes me sick to see people lose what little they have to bulldozers and then be herded like livestock all in the name of capitalism. Fuck the Kentucky Derby!!!

Guess I should have put this in rant. Oh well, my bad! 

Round & round we go, again.

NYT skirting a little too close to the forbidden truth here...



NY Times

I think the Times got the name spelling wrong...he is "Haftar".

And guess who just appeared in the world news service about the Sudan crisis... Field Marshal Khalifa Belqasim Haftar is helping the the RSF paramilitary group fighting with the current government and military leadership which recently approved a Russian Red Sea Naval Base project.

Quote:

Who leads the RSF and how large is the group?

The RSF is led by Vice President Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known universally as Hemedti.

Analysts say the group probably has about 100,000 members. Over the past two years, Hemedti ran a rapid recruitment campaign that helped grow the RSF’s ranks. Its troops come largely from western Sudan, near Darfur, and areas long neglected by the government, including regions in the east near the Red Sea and along the border with South Sudan, experts say.

Before its rapid expansion, a 2019 Congressional Research Service report said that RSF had as many as 50,000 troops, allegedly including child soldiers.

The group’s leader, Hemedti, has humble origins as a camel herder from a minority tribe in Darfur and was once a rebel. He eventually switched sides and turned the RSF into a powerful mercenary group. As he gained influence and wealth in Sudan, Hemedti grew his regional reach as well, deploying troops in Yemen on behalf of Saudi Arabia and in Libya on behalf of the United Arab Emirates.

Hemedti has also gone into business with the Wagner Group, a Russian mercenary outfit, in gold mining and security operations in Sudan’s gold mining areas, according to Hudson.

Hemedti’s principal goal is to survive, Hudson said, and to be given a constitutional role in the country. He’s hired public relations firms in Canada and the United Kingdom as he tries to better his image — and the image of the RSF — in Sudan and around the world.

Who are the Rapid Support Forces clashing with Sudan’s military?

Quote:

The Libyan warlord Khalifa Haftar helped to prepare the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a militia now fighting for control of Sudan, for battle in the months before the devastating violence that broke out on 15 April, the Observer has been told by former officials, militia commanders and sources in Sudan and the UK.

The involvement of Haftar, who runs much of the eastern part of Libya, will raise fears of a long-drawn-out conflict in Sudan fuelled by outside interests. Analysts have described a “nightmare scenario” of multiple regional actors and powers fighting a proxy war in the country of more than 45 million people.

Hemedti and Haftar have also collaborated on a range of highly profitable smuggling operations, with middle-ranking commanders in both their militias forging close links as they manage the transit of valuable illicit cargos between the two countries, experts told the Observer.

Only days before the conflict erupted, Haftar ordered the arrest of a deputy of Musa Hilal, a Sudanese militia commander who is a bitter enemy of Hemedti.

Hilal’s forces were responsible for inflicting heavy losses on Russian mercenaries from the Wagner group – another ally of Haftar – in the neighbouring Central African Republic in an ambush near the Sudanese border earlier this year.

Last week, the Wall Street Journal reported that Haftar had sent at least one shipment of arms to Hemedti, a claim denied by the LNA, while CNN described flights from LNA-run airbases organised by the Wagner group, which has a presence in both Libya and Sudan.

Russia has built close ties with both Haftar and Hemedti, but Yevgeny Prigozhin, the founder of the Wagner group, denied the report.

The Guardian

Quote:Libya’s Haftar denies providing military support to Hemetti

April 20, 2023 (KHARTOUM) – Eastern Libyan military leader Khalifa Haftar has denied claims that his Libyan National Army (LNA) provided support to the Rapid Support Forces of Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, also known as “Hemetti,” in Sudan.

In a statement read by LNA spokesman Ahmed Al-Mismari and signed by General Haftar, the General Command refuted reports from some media outlets that the Libyan Arab Armed Forces were backing one party against another in Sudan.

“We were, are and will continue to support the stability and security of the State of Sudan and the safety of its authentic Arab-African people,” emphasized Al-Mismari.

The Wall Street Journal had reported on Wednesday that General Haftar sent military support to the paramilitary forces led by Hemetti.

According to the report, General Haftar dispatched at least one plane to fly military supplies to Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces, citing anonymous sources. The report also mentioned that Egypt sent warplanes and pilots to back the Sudanese military.

Previously, a Sudanese general who is a member of the Sovereign Council had stated that two neighbouring countries, one of which shares a border with western Sudan, provided support to the militia leader.

In response, Al-Mismari said that they are in touch with the belligerents, supporting efforts to reach a cessation of hostilities in Sudan.

“We are currently conducting urgent contacts with the concerned parties, and we are ready to play a mediating role between the brothers in Sudan to stop the fighting immediately and open the way for peaceful dialogue,” he said.

Haftar’s son visited Sudan, ten days ago, after his designation as honorary president of the Sudanese Mareekh Club and his donation of two million dollars to the club. During his visit, al-Sidiq Haftar met with Hemetti.

Sudan Tribune

Quote:

GENEVA, April 25 (Reuters) - There is a "high risk of biological hazard" in Sudan's capital Khartoum after one of the warring parties seized a laboratory holding measles and cholera pathogens and other hazardous materials, the World Health Organization said on Tuesday.

Speaking to reporters in Geneva via video link from Sudan, the WHO's representative in the country, Nima Saeed Abid, said technicians were unable to gain access to the National Public Health Laboratory to secure the materials.

"This is the main concern: no accessibility to the lab technicians to go to the lab and safely contain the biological material and substances available," he said, declining to specify which side had seized the facility.

Fighting erupted between the Sudanese armed forces and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitaries on April 15 and has killed at least 459 people and injured 4,072, according to the WHO's latest figures. Abid said this was an undercount, adding that he had seen two bodies in the street himself in recent days.

The clashes have paralysed hospitals and other essential services, and left many stranded in their homes with dwindling supplies of food and water. The WHO has reported 14 attacks on health facilities since the clashes began and is relocating its staff to safety.

Abid said he was transferred from Khartoum to Port Sudan on Monday as part of a large convoy that drove for 30 hours through the desert.

The United Nations humanitarian office (OCHA) has been forced to cut back on some of its activities in parts of Sudan due to intense fighting.

At least five aid workers have been killed since fighting broke out and the two U.N. agencies who lost staff, the International Organization for Migration and the World Food Programme, have suspended their activities.

"In areas where intense fighting has hampered our humanitarian operations, we have been forced to reduce our footprint," said Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the OCHA. "But we are committed to continue to deliver for the people of Sudan."

Patrick Youssef, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Regional Director for Africa, urged other countries to continue pressure on Sudan to find a "long-lasting solution", even after foreigners had been evacuated.

'High bio-hazard risk' in Sudan

It cost a fortune to field an aircraft for the races at Reno and I am not even talking about a war bird but a small formula 1 air racer. With the price of aviation fuel and insurance I am surprised they have managed to keep the races going as long as they have... Most of my friends have sold their aircraft and are glad they did as fuel, insurance, hanger fees and liability takes all the fun out of general aviation even if you are not poor !

As disturbing as this is how many other labs are certain government agencies funding.

Quote:Judicial Watch received 552 pages of records from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) which include the initial grant application and annual reports to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) from EcoHealth Alliance, describing the aim of its work with the Wuhan Institute of Virology in China to create mutant viruses “to better predict the capacity of our CoVs [coronaviruses] to infect people.”

Blackrock has placed their people in very powerful positions in the Biden Administration (own the news also) which is just one more sign of kleptocracy IMO.. Evidently somethings are not all peachy keen at the corporate offices at Blackrock..? With Something as big as Blackrock I doubt anything of consequence will happen however maybe ?