Following the Money,
A months-long investigation which tracked and exposed a massive covert weapons shipment network to terror groups in Syria via diplomatic flights originating in the Caucuses and Eastern Europe under the watch of the CIA and other intelligence agencies has resulted in the interrogation and firing of the Bulgarian journalist who first broke the story. This comes as the original report is finally breaking into mainstream international coverage. Investigative reporter Dilyana Gaytandzhieva authored a bombshell report for Trud Newspaper, based in Sofia, Bulgaria, which found that an Azerbaijan state airline company was regularly transporting tons of weaponry to Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Turkey under diplomatic cover as part of the CIA covert program to supply anti-Assad fighters in Syria. Those weapons, Gaytandzhieva found, ended up in the hands of ISIS and al-Qaeda terrorists in Iraq and Syria... Al Jazeera is now belatedly highlighting the story in the midst of the current Qatari-Saudi diplomatic war which has resulted in a general airing of dirty laundry as each side continues to accuse the other of supporting terrorism. Regardless, Al Jazeera's coverage constitutes the first time this story has entered the mainstream. While we've reported the recent Trump decision to end the CIA covert program of regime change in Syria, it appears the apparatus for external weapons shipments to jihadists in Syria remains in place through the continuing Silk Way Airlines weapons pipeline.
Saudi Arabia prepares foreign policy re-do. Let the old king abdicate to his son, who has been running all this toxic warfare, which has failed. New king blames dad, stops bombing Yemen, stops killing Shiites, becomes "pan-Arab", tries to buy friends away from non-Arab-Persians, by helping rebuild Syria and donating to Palestinians, and probably hopes to be forgiven by Qatar. Thanks Eleni. (Qatar and Iran have a shared interest in a gas pipeline through Syria and Turkey to Europe, as you may recall. This was a Saudi-Qatari shared interest a few years ago. I think the House of Saud can buy into this on the margin, but has actually been thwarted. Qatar/Iran/Syria/Turkey/Russia/Europe is what I see.)
For the second time this week, Americans airlift "ISIS Fighters" out of hot spots in Syria. Who are these guys, really? "Assets"? US or Mossad special forces? The earlier report said they left shaved beards behind in their abandoned compound. Thanks Eleni.
Israeli "Syrian policy" of paying ISIS and bombing Hamas and Syrian government forces is a failure. Israel has now undertaken a severe Mossad-driven "diplomacy" with the US (usual) and Russia (are you kidding?). Israel has threatened direct military intervention, even killing Assad in his presidential palace, but that would probably be thwarted and counterproductive. What will the long term deal actually be? Israel has lost this round. (Syria should get the Golan heights back, but that's 1/3 of the water Israel uses, and really needs, and a lot of oil and gas, too. Will Israel make some desperate attack? Israel holds the Golan, and can only risk it by aggressive acts. I think.) Thanks Eleni.
Brexit negotiators on the UK side are completely owned by multinational banking interests. Large corporations have some say. Others? Not really...That's what the access to parliamentarians indicates.
France, led by well-presented Emmanuel Macron (wholly owned subsidiary of Rothschild Bank) breaks EU ranks somewhat, to suggest an early and somewhat looser format for Brexit negotiations. (Banks rule, especially Rothschild banks.)
Jeremy Corbyn's Labor Party advocates for soft-Brexit, and firms up positions. This is going to take more than a year and a half...
Charles Hugh Smith nails it again (but you do need an army to protect the bankers sometimes.)
You don't need an army to achieve World Domination; all you need is enough cheap credit to buy up everything that generates the highest value and/or income.
An economic argument for progressive tax rates. (Marx said it. Henry Ford propounded it. Without adequate pay to workers, economic demand is destroyed and the economy collapses. In collapses, bankers buy what you have for less of the free-money they conjure up.)
In terms of income, the poorest 99% of the US population paid nine times as much income tax as the richest 1% when Ronald Reagan took office in 1980. By 2014, they paid 21 times as much.
Tesla, the quasi-governmental, civilian DARPA, is reportedly about to debut battery-powered semi tractor trucks. They might haul batteries 239 miles downhill(ish) between Tesla factories, a controlled test and proving environment. Regulations on the number of hours truckers can drive are mostly the friend of battery trucks. Maybe they should not drive more than 6 hours without a nap.
How to reduce the risk of cognitive decline with ageing (Short form: Do anything but sit up late at night watching TV.)
Full nights of sleep, exercise, active hobbies like gardening, thinking, having sex, being socially engaged, and not waiting until it's too late, but having these healthy habits lifelong.
About that cool genetic testing you can get. You might find out stuff that really depresses you.
“About 3% of the population has two copies of the E4 variant – one inherited from each parent,” Professor John Hardy, of University College London, said. “They have about an 80% chance of getting Alzheimer’s by the age of 80. The average person has a 10% risk.”
"Fighting like a Mexican" is a compliment, y'all...
Babylonian trigonometry 3700 years ago was more accurate than the Greek trigonometry we have used for the last 2500 years. We just couldn't understand what it was. (I've seen this for several days, and folks have sent it. It's not going away. It's probably pretty important somehow.)
Why and how Houston floods. This is the engineering compromise that city planners make. This is bound to happens a few times per century. That's how much infrastructure they bought. The roadways are MADE to carry off more water when a lot comes down at once. That's why you cannot drive on them, but have to stay in your house with a foot of water, but hopefully, not drowning. Houston is not "devastated". It's "inundated".
A family is dead. Drowned children in failed rescue by great uncle. Death toll is up to 14.
Screaming Father
No comments:
Post a Comment