右翼分子吐槽扯淡专楼
"The defense of individual rights has reached such extremes as to make society as a whole defenseless against certain individuals. It is time, in the West, to defend not so much human rights as human obligations.
On the other hand, destructive and irresponsible freedom has been granted boundless space. Society has turned out to have scarce defense against the abyss of human decadence, for example against the misuse of liberty for moral violence against young people, such as motion pictures full of pornography, crime, and horror. This is all considered to be part of freedom and to be counterbalanced, in theory, by the young people’s right not to look and not to accept. Life organized legalistically has thus shown its inability to defend itself against the corrosion of evil.
......
This tilt of freedom toward evil has come about gradually, but it evidently stems from a humanistic and benevolent concept according to which man—the master of this world—does not bear any evil within himself, and all the defects of life are caused by misguided social systems, which must therefore be corrected."
- Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, Harvard Commencement Address ("A World Split Apart"), June 8, 1978
On the other hand, destructive and irresponsible freedom has been granted boundless space. Society has turned out to have scarce defense against the abyss of human decadence, for example against the misuse of liberty for moral violence against young people, such as motion pictures full of pornography, crime, and horror. This is all considered to be part of freedom and to be counterbalanced, in theory, by the young people’s right not to look and not to accept. Life organized legalistically has thus shown its inability to defend itself against the corrosion of evil.
......
This tilt of freedom toward evil has come about gradually, but it evidently stems from a humanistic and benevolent concept according to which man—the master of this world—does not bear any evil within himself, and all the defects of life are caused by misguided social systems, which must therefore be corrected."
- Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, Harvard Commencement Address ("A World Split Apart"), June 8, 1978
1473 个评论
Colin Wright @SwipeWright
Here's a figure I made that needs to be widely understood.
https://twitter.com/SwipeWright/status/1549073340907851776
Here's a figure I made that needs to be widely understood.
https://twitter.com/SwipeWright/status/1549073340907851776
Alberto Miguel Fernandez @AlbertoMiguelF5
Amusing irony to see the #EU, turning in desperation against authoritarian Putin, by embracing the energy provided by authoritarians in Baku, Algiers, Caracas, Tehran...
Also doesn't Russia own like 20% of Azerbaijan's gas fields? So #UrsulaVonDerLeyen will still be paying Russia.
https://twitter.com/AlbertoMiguelF5/status/1549036745924448256
Seth Frantzman @sfrantzman
Replying to @AlbertoMiguelF5
Next up the dependable energy supplier of China and Iran maybe? It really is amazing that the whole continent of Europe can't figure out how to get energy and not just run to some authoritarian regime to beg. Like maybe they could have tried since the 90s to figure this out?
https://twitter.com/sfrantzman/status/1549111153367961608
Amusing irony to see the #EU, turning in desperation against authoritarian Putin, by embracing the energy provided by authoritarians in Baku, Algiers, Caracas, Tehran...
Ursula von der Leyen @vonderleyen
The EU is turning to trustworthy energy suppliers.
Azerbaijan is one of them.
With today's agreement, we commit to expanding the Southern Gas Corridor, to double gas supplies from Azerbaijan to the EU.
This is good news for our supplies of gas this winter and beyond.
Also doesn't Russia own like 20% of Azerbaijan's gas fields? So #UrsulaVonDerLeyen will still be paying Russia.
https://twitter.com/AlbertoMiguelF5/status/1549036745924448256
Seth Frantzman @sfrantzman
Replying to @AlbertoMiguelF5
Next up the dependable energy supplier of China and Iran maybe? It really is amazing that the whole continent of Europe can't figure out how to get energy and not just run to some authoritarian regime to beg. Like maybe they could have tried since the 90s to figure this out?
https://twitter.com/sfrantzman/status/1549111153367961608
Prince Harry needs to shut up about our Constitution already
Prince Harry is once again mouthing off about American politics despite a rudimentary understanding — at best — of our founding principles. The pampered Brit delivered a speech at the United Nations on Monday insisting that we are witnessing a “rolling back of constitutional rights here in the United States.”
Prince Harry, who only lives here because his wife dreams of doing animated voiceovers for Netflix, routinely opines on our Constitution with all of the British pomposity that led to the Revolutionary War. Newsflash: Americans do not like it when foreigners tell us what to do or how we should feel. And yet Prince Harry (do I even have to use his title anymore?) is too arrogant and lacking in self awareness to sit down and shut up.
In his latest critique, Prince Harry is presumably referring to the overturning of Roe v. Wade by the Supreme Court, an example of the American constitutional system working exactly as intended. There is no “right to abortion” enumerated in our Constitution; the Supreme Court previously considered it a subset of the also-invented “right to privacy.” The Supreme Court righted this wrong decision and sent the proverbial political football back to state legislatures. The American people get to vote for politicians who have the power to impose as many or as few restrictions on abortion as they please. That’s federalism, baby.
I can’t help but laugh at the same guy who called the First Amendment “bonkers” fretting about an alleged erosion of constitutional rights. Presumably, if Prince Harry had his way, we’d be policing speech à la the UK, where you can be thrown in jail for supposed “hate speech.” This would constitute a much greater threat to freedom and democracy than anything referred to in Prince Harry’s UN address.
Prince Harry previously admitted that he does not fully “understand” the US Constitution, having only been here a “short time.” It’s no surprise that he’s made no attempt to rectify that in the past year. Harry hasn’t got the American spirit. Red-blooded colonials once took up arms against the Duke of Sussex’s ancestors; comparatively, Prince Harry sold his gun collection to appease his spoiled wife.
Prince Harry is once again mouthing off about American politics despite a rudimentary understanding — at best — of our founding principles. The pampered Brit delivered a speech at the United Nations on Monday insisting that we are witnessing a “rolling back of constitutional rights here in the United States.”
Prince Harry, who only lives here because his wife dreams of doing animated voiceovers for Netflix, routinely opines on our Constitution with all of the British pomposity that led to the Revolutionary War. Newsflash: Americans do not like it when foreigners tell us what to do or how we should feel. And yet Prince Harry (do I even have to use his title anymore?) is too arrogant and lacking in self awareness to sit down and shut up.
In his latest critique, Prince Harry is presumably referring to the overturning of Roe v. Wade by the Supreme Court, an example of the American constitutional system working exactly as intended. There is no “right to abortion” enumerated in our Constitution; the Supreme Court previously considered it a subset of the also-invented “right to privacy.” The Supreme Court righted this wrong decision and sent the proverbial political football back to state legislatures. The American people get to vote for politicians who have the power to impose as many or as few restrictions on abortion as they please. That’s federalism, baby.
I can’t help but laugh at the same guy who called the First Amendment “bonkers” fretting about an alleged erosion of constitutional rights. Presumably, if Prince Harry had his way, we’d be policing speech à la the UK, where you can be thrown in jail for supposed “hate speech.” This would constitute a much greater threat to freedom and democracy than anything referred to in Prince Harry’s UN address.
Prince Harry previously admitted that he does not fully “understand” the US Constitution, having only been here a “short time.” It’s no surprise that he’s made no attempt to rectify that in the past year. Harry hasn’t got the American spirit. Red-blooded colonials once took up arms against the Duke of Sussex’s ancestors; comparatively, Prince Harry sold his gun collection to appease his spoiled wife.
Tory leadership: Badenoch out as race to be next PM tightens
Badenoch当选的话，未来几年尚有值得期待之处。剩下的三个恐怕就是坏和更坏之间的选择。
Badenoch当选的话，未来几年尚有值得期待之处。剩下的三个恐怕就是坏和更坏之间的选择。
EU Moves To Unblock Russian Bank Funds To Boost Food Trade
The EU is preparing to carve out exceptions in its tough sanctions against Moscow that would unblock assets at Russian banks linked to trade in food and fertiliser, a document showed on Tuesday.
Member countries "want to make it abundantly clear that there is nothing in the sanctions that is slowing the transport of grain out of Russia or Ukraine," an EU diplomat told AFP on condition of anonymity.
The EU's proposal is part of the bloc's latest sanction update that is being negotiated by member states. It will require unanimous approval to enter into force.
Ukraine and Russia near deal to end blockade of grain exports
Ukraine and Russia are close to agreeing a deal to secure the safe passage of millions of tonnes of grain through the Black Sea but remain at odds over how to ensure the security of the ports and ships along the crucial export route, according to people familiar with the UN-led negotiations.
The four-party agreement, which is also being mediated by Turkey, would end a months-long Russian blockade of Ukraine’s Black Sea ports that has cut off the export route for one of the world’s leading grain producers and threatened a global food crisis.
The EU is preparing to carve out exceptions in its tough sanctions against Moscow that would unblock assets at Russian banks linked to trade in food and fertiliser, a document showed on Tuesday.
Member countries "want to make it abundantly clear that there is nothing in the sanctions that is slowing the transport of grain out of Russia or Ukraine," an EU diplomat told AFP on condition of anonymity.
The EU's proposal is part of the bloc's latest sanction update that is being negotiated by member states. It will require unanimous approval to enter into force.
Ukraine and Russia near deal to end blockade of grain exports
Ukraine and Russia are close to agreeing a deal to secure the safe passage of millions of tonnes of grain through the Black Sea but remain at odds over how to ensure the security of the ports and ships along the crucial export route, according to people familiar with the UN-led negotiations.
The four-party agreement, which is also being mediated by Turkey, would end a months-long Russian blockade of Ukraine’s Black Sea ports that has cut off the export route for one of the world’s leading grain producers and threatened a global food crisis.
EU braces for Russian gas shutoff as economic crisis looms
Brussels expects Russia to shut off gas supplies to the EU at any moment, a dramatic escalation of hostilities that would hit the bloc's economy by up to 1.5 percent of GDP.
The European Commission's warning is part of a plan to preemptively reduce gas consumption starting this summer, so as to avoid supply shortages in the winter.
Russia has stopped or reduced gas supplies to 12 EU countries as well as halted flows through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline during a planned maintenance set to end on Thursday.
EU governments and officials are skeptical that Moscow will restart those flows: “We’re working on the assumption that it doesn’t return to operation,” Budget Commissioner Johannes Hahn told reporters in Singapore today, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Brussels expects Russia to shut off gas supplies to the EU at any moment, a dramatic escalation of hostilities that would hit the bloc's economy by up to 1.5 percent of GDP.
The European Commission's warning is part of a plan to preemptively reduce gas consumption starting this summer, so as to avoid supply shortages in the winter.
Russia has stopped or reduced gas supplies to 12 EU countries as well as halted flows through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline during a planned maintenance set to end on Thursday.
EU governments and officials are skeptical that Moscow will restart those flows: “We’re working on the assumption that it doesn’t return to operation,” Budget Commissioner Johannes Hahn told reporters in Singapore today, according to the Wall Street Journal.
A new bill from Josh Hawley would block federal agencies from hiring consulting firms that work for both the U.S. and Chinese government-linked entities
What happened: Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) is introducing legislation that would block the Pentagon and other federal agencies from hiring consulting firms like McKinsey that work for both the U.S. government and Chinese government-linked entities, his office told POLITICO.
Details: The new bill, titled “The Time to Choose Act,” directs the federal government to cease any existing and prohibit new contracts with the firms unless they give up contracts with entities that have ties to the Chinese government and also would penalize firms that hide or misrepresent such contracts.
If a firm is caught concealing Chinese contracts that aren’t allowed under the bill, such penalties include paying damages of three times what the U.S. government spent on soliciting and selecting the contracts.
Context: McKinsey is a top consultant for the U.S. government and has received more than $850 million in revenue from federal agencies and more than 60 contracts for military work since 2008, including working on DOD’s IT infrastructure, the F-35 program and the Space Force.
But the global firm, which has more than 1,000 employees in China in six offices, has also done work for clients like the China Communications Construction Company, which has helped build man-made islands in the fiercely contested South China Sea and the China Ocean Shipping Company, which helps China’s navy as it projects the country's influence worldwide.
What happened: Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) is introducing legislation that would block the Pentagon and other federal agencies from hiring consulting firms like McKinsey that work for both the U.S. government and Chinese government-linked entities, his office told POLITICO.
Details: The new bill, titled “The Time to Choose Act,” directs the federal government to cease any existing and prohibit new contracts with the firms unless they give up contracts with entities that have ties to the Chinese government and also would penalize firms that hide or misrepresent such contracts.
If a firm is caught concealing Chinese contracts that aren’t allowed under the bill, such penalties include paying damages of three times what the U.S. government spent on soliciting and selecting the contracts.
“The fact that these consultants are awarded huge contracts by our Defense Department and other federal agencies, while they are simultaneously working to advance China’s efforts to coerce the United States is appalling and completely unacceptable. It is well past time that we hold these companies accountable and prohibit this kind of conflict of interest in government contracting.”
— Sen. Josh Hawley in a statement
Context: McKinsey is a top consultant for the U.S. government and has received more than $850 million in revenue from federal agencies and more than 60 contracts for military work since 2008, including working on DOD’s IT infrastructure, the F-35 program and the Space Force.
But the global firm, which has more than 1,000 employees in China in six offices, has also done work for clients like the China Communications Construction Company, which has helped build man-made islands in the fiercely contested South China Sea and the China Ocean Shipping Company, which helps China’s navy as it projects the country's influence worldwide.
Gender activists push to bar anthropologists from identifying human remains as ‘male’ or ‘female’
As soon as ancient human remains are excavated, archaeologists begin the work of determining a number of traits about the individual, including age, race and gender.
But a new school of thought within archaeology is pushing scientists to think twice about assigning gender to ancient human remains.
It is possible to determine whether a skeleton is from a biological male or female using objective observations based on the size and shape of the bones. Criminal forensic detectives, for example, do it frequently in their line of work.
But gender activists argue scientists cannot know how an ancient individual identified themselves.
“You might know the argument that the archaeologists who find your bones one day will assign you the same gender as you had at birth, so regardless of whether you transition, you can’t escape your assigned sex,” tweeted Canadian Master’s degree candidate Emma Palladino last week.
Palladino, who is seeking an advanced degree in archaeology, called assigning gender to an ancient human “bullshit.”
“Labelling remains ‘male’ or ‘female’ is rarely the end goal of any excavation, anyway,” wrote Palladino. “The ‘bioarchaeology of the individual’ is what we aim for, factoring in absolutely everything we discover about a person into a nuanced and open-ended biography of their life.”
As soon as ancient human remains are excavated, archaeologists begin the work of determining a number of traits about the individual, including age, race and gender.
But a new school of thought within archaeology is pushing scientists to think twice about assigning gender to ancient human remains.
It is possible to determine whether a skeleton is from a biological male or female using objective observations based on the size and shape of the bones. Criminal forensic detectives, for example, do it frequently in their line of work.
But gender activists argue scientists cannot know how an ancient individual identified themselves.
“You might know the argument that the archaeologists who find your bones one day will assign you the same gender as you had at birth, so regardless of whether you transition, you can’t escape your assigned sex,” tweeted Canadian Master’s degree candidate Emma Palladino last week.
Palladino, who is seeking an advanced degree in archaeology, called assigning gender to an ancient human “bullshit.”
“Labelling remains ‘male’ or ‘female’ is rarely the end goal of any excavation, anyway,” wrote Palladino. “The ‘bioarchaeology of the individual’ is what we aim for, factoring in absolutely everything we discover about a person into a nuanced and open-ended biography of their life.”
Rochester大学历史学家Matthew Lenoe的访谈记录：
Fact-checking Putin’s claims that Ukraine and Russia are ‘one people’
Matthew Lenoe像很多人一样，认为普京开战的决定是不理性的，而且是irrational on every level. 但他同时认为普京的非理性是基于他所真诚相信的——尽管是错误的——历史理由。或者不妨这么说：普京的非理性不是一些神经病人那种毫无逻辑的非理性，而是地平论者那种有逻辑可循但前提、论据全面错误的非理性。这和乌克兰前总理Yulia Tymoshenko的判断相合：
In an exclusive interview, Tymoshenko dismissed the suggestion that the Russian president was “crazy”. “He acts according to his own dark logic,” she said. “He’s driven by this idea of historic mission and wants to create an empire. That’s his hyper-goal. It comes from a deep inner desire and belief.”
为什么要做这个区分？因为对这两种非理性人的行为应当有不同预期，相应的应对策略也不一样。神经病的疯狂举止可以是全方位且难以预测的，地平论者的不理性行为局限于与其荒谬的理论框架相关的现实领域。社区无法容纳有暴力倾向的神经病，但有相当的可能容纳有暴力倾向的地平论者。
Fact-checking Putin’s claims that Ukraine and Russia are ‘one people’
Matthew Lenoe像很多人一样，认为普京开战的决定是不理性的，而且是irrational on every level. 但他同时认为普京的非理性是基于他所真诚相信的——尽管是错误的——历史理由。或者不妨这么说：普京的非理性不是一些神经病人那种毫无逻辑的非理性，而是地平论者那种有逻辑可循但前提、论据全面错误的非理性。这和乌克兰前总理Yulia Tymoshenko的判断相合：
In an exclusive interview, Tymoshenko dismissed the suggestion that the Russian president was “crazy”. “He acts according to his own dark logic,” she said. “He’s driven by this idea of historic mission and wants to create an empire. That’s his hyper-goal. It comes from a deep inner desire and belief.”
为什么要做这个区分？因为对这两种非理性人的行为应当有不同预期，相应的应对策略也不一样。神经病的疯狂举止可以是全方位且难以预测的，地平论者的不理性行为局限于与其荒谬的理论框架相关的现实领域。社区无法容纳有暴力倾向的神经病，但有相当的可能容纳有暴力倾向的地平论者。
有很多理念不能等同于工具性的政治符号，它们也不是物质力量真实的或者扭曲的反映。把物质力量的布局看作理念的展开至少同样合理。 经济基础/上层建筑是一个方法论上的、而非本体论上的区分。在历史的整体轮廓上，我认为黑格尔比马克思看得更准。
Army cuts force size amid unprecedented battle for recruits
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Army is significantly cutting the total number of soldiers it expects to have in the force over the next two years, as the U.S. military faces what a top general called “unprecedented challenges” in bringing in recruits.
Army officials on Tuesday said the service will fall about 10,000 soldiers short of its planned end strength for this fiscal year, and prospects for next year are grimmer. Army Gen. Joseph Martin, vice chief of staff for the Army, said it is projecting it will have a total force of 466,400 this year, down from the expected 476,000. And the service could end 2023 with between 445,000 and 452,000 soldiers, depending on how well recruiting and retention go.
With just two and a half months to go in the fiscal year, the Army has achieved just 50% of its recruiting goal of 60,000 soldiers, according to Lt. Col. Randee Farrell, spokeswoman for Army Secretary Christine Wormuth. Based on those numbers and trends, it is likely the Army will miss the goal by nearly 25% as of Oct. 1. If the shortfalls continue, Martin said, they could have an impact on readiness.
“We’ve got unprecedented challenges with both a post-COVID-19 environment and labor market, but also competition with private companies that have changed their incentives over time,” Martin told a House Armed Services subcommittee on Tuesday. Asked if the Army will have to adjust its force structure to meet national security and warfighting missions around the world, Martin said: “We don’t need to do that immediately. But if we don’t arrest the decline that we’re seeing right now in end strength, that could be a possibility in the future.”
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Army is significantly cutting the total number of soldiers it expects to have in the force over the next two years, as the U.S. military faces what a top general called “unprecedented challenges” in bringing in recruits.
Army officials on Tuesday said the service will fall about 10,000 soldiers short of its planned end strength for this fiscal year, and prospects for next year are grimmer. Army Gen. Joseph Martin, vice chief of staff for the Army, said it is projecting it will have a total force of 466,400 this year, down from the expected 476,000. And the service could end 2023 with between 445,000 and 452,000 soldiers, depending on how well recruiting and retention go.
With just two and a half months to go in the fiscal year, the Army has achieved just 50% of its recruiting goal of 60,000 soldiers, according to Lt. Col. Randee Farrell, spokeswoman for Army Secretary Christine Wormuth. Based on those numbers and trends, it is likely the Army will miss the goal by nearly 25% as of Oct. 1. If the shortfalls continue, Martin said, they could have an impact on readiness.
“We’ve got unprecedented challenges with both a post-COVID-19 environment and labor market, but also competition with private companies that have changed their incentives over time,” Martin told a House Armed Services subcommittee on Tuesday. Asked if the Army will have to adjust its force structure to meet national security and warfighting missions around the world, Martin said: “We don’t need to do that immediately. But if we don’t arrest the decline that we’re seeing right now in end strength, that could be a possibility in the future.”
18 Republicans — including MTG, Matt Gaetz, and Lauren Boebert — voted against Sweden and Finland joining NATO
...The House bill passed easily with 394 votes, leaving the 18 Republicans in a small minority even among their own party.
Here is the full list:
Andy Biggs (AZ)
Dan Bishop (NC)
Lauren Boebert (CO)
Madison Cawthorn (NC)
Ben Cline (VA)
Michael Cloud (TX)
Warren Davidson (OH)
Matt Gaetz (FL)
Bob Good (VA)
Marjorie Taylor Greene (GA)
H. Morgan Griffith (VA)
Thomas Massie (KY)
Tom McClintock (CA)
Mary E. Miller (IL)
Ralph Norman (SC)
Matthew M. Rosendale Sr. (MT)
Chip Roy (TX)
Jefferson Van Drew (NJ)
...The House bill passed easily with 394 votes, leaving the 18 Republicans in a small minority even among their own party.
Here is the full list:
Andy Biggs (AZ)
Dan Bishop (NC)
Lauren Boebert (CO)
Madison Cawthorn (NC)
Ben Cline (VA)
Michael Cloud (TX)
Warren Davidson (OH)
Matt Gaetz (FL)
Bob Good (VA)
Marjorie Taylor Greene (GA)
H. Morgan Griffith (VA)
Thomas Massie (KY)
Tom McClintock (CA)
Mary E. Miller (IL)
Ralph Norman (SC)
Matthew M. Rosendale Sr. (MT)
Chip Roy (TX)
Jefferson Van Drew (NJ)
hi 我来做邻居了 非自愿的
接下来一个半月会很忙，所以没什么工夫留言了。祝各位一切安好，九月再见。
最近中国大陆开始连续性的「钱袋子爆雷」，各种止付，各种蔓延，银行赶紧各种「我们很稳定」宣言，眼看着「大陆房地产」这个人类有史以来最大规模的经济原子弹真的要「灿烂」一回了。
对这一事态有着最大直接贡献的总加速师，他的希望何在呢？太多了，短时间说不完。而且那些事真干出来，多半又是加速的妙策。
不过近在眼前的「非加速」途径，当然就是大概10天后的「拜习对谈」。而且拜登已经说「佩洛西访台不合适」，好消息真的在望呢。
但这个时候又出了岔子，大概一小时前传出各路消息：拜登的COVID检测为阳性，并出现了「疲劳」、「鼻塞」、「干咳」等症状。（已经打过「四针」了，而且立即开始服用Paxlovid）
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总加速师眼看要抓到的救命稻草，是不是又飘走了？
对这一事态有着最大直接贡献的总加速师，他的希望何在呢？太多了，短时间说不完。而且那些事真干出来，多半又是加速的妙策。
不过近在眼前的「非加速」途径，当然就是大概10天后的「拜习对谈」。而且拜登已经说「佩洛西访台不合适」，好消息真的在望呢。
但这个时候又出了岔子，大概一小时前传出各路消息：拜登的COVID检测为阳性，并出现了「疲劳」、「鼻塞」、「干咳」等症状。（已经打过「四针」了，而且立即开始服用Paxlovid）
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总加速师眼看要抓到的救命稻草，是不是又飘走了？
最近的奇闻：拜登夫人也来重复一次拜登同志的「复阳」事迹。
不过这没什么可说的，说「神同步」也是9流自媒体的夸张。
最多让愿意打同情分的观众一笑，或者一冷笑。
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真正有趣的，在行动的性质上的重复，是拜登政府与民主党所推出的「通胀削减」，和总加速师差不多同時間拿出的「LPR降低5个基点」，看似在「学术角度」上方向完全相反，实际上却有异曲同工之效，真正「不吃这一套」的市场player 们，反应看起来也是差不多的。看似制度、政治、文化、社会传统等方面都绝无共同之处的两方行动者的意图完全一样：反正做了也屁用没有，让傻逼们「看到我在为了他们而行动」自然就是「我的最佳选项」。
行动的出发立场也差不多相同：有心无力，有话无意。
这种清醒状态下的 Déjà vu 可能证明了一件事，那就是在观察和判断人之行为的时候，不用管文化、肤色、语言之类完全不相通的因素，看脑袋和思维的相似性即可，包括领导者的和被领导者的。
同理，Pelosi访台，固然是以她自己的self-interest优先，但何尝不是她的（潜在）支持者们所希望看到的？那些反对她行动的人，难道可以排除self-interest，不理那些自己的（潜在）支持者？
但为什么都要行动呢？
逻辑上的理由神似：既然做了也实际上没用，可是需要别人为自己带来希望的傻瓜们又如此期待，怎么办呢？在这个圈子内的「我的最佳选项」就只能是去做，而且要有声有色，让看不懂的也能看个热闹。
---------------------------------
上述理论若在现实中成立，那么把关键词换成「革命」、「多样性」，又或是「听床」一类，再或是看到日常中的不值得多注意的离奇小事，就不难理解：在某些适当的时候，适当的场合，发某种特定的疯，是多么地有现实中的必要性。
不过这没什么可说的，说「神同步」也是9流自媒体的夸张。
最多让愿意打同情分的观众一笑，或者一冷笑。
---------------------------------
真正有趣的，在行动的性质上的重复，是拜登政府与民主党所推出的「通胀削减」，和总加速师差不多同時間拿出的「LPR降低5个基点」，看似在「学术角度」上方向完全相反，实际上却有异曲同工之效，真正「不吃这一套」的市场player 们，反应看起来也是差不多的。看似制度、政治、文化、社会传统等方面都绝无共同之处的两方行动者的意图完全一样：反正做了也屁用没有，让傻逼们「看到我在为了他们而行动」自然就是「我的最佳选项」。
行动的出发立场也差不多相同：有心无力，有话无意。
这种清醒状态下的 Déjà vu 可能证明了一件事，那就是在观察和判断人之行为的时候，不用管文化、肤色、语言之类完全不相通的因素，看脑袋和思维的相似性即可，包括领导者的和被领导者的。
同理，Pelosi访台，固然是以她自己的self-interest优先，但何尝不是她的（潜在）支持者们所希望看到的？那些反对她行动的人，难道可以排除self-interest，不理那些自己的（潜在）支持者？
但为什么都要行动呢？
逻辑上的理由神似：既然做了也实际上没用，可是需要别人为自己带来希望的傻瓜们又如此期待，怎么办呢？在这个圈子内的「我的最佳选项」就只能是去做，而且要有声有色，让看不懂的也能看个热闹。
---------------------------------
上述理论若在现实中成立，那么把关键词换成「革命」、「多样性」，又或是「听床」一类，再或是看到日常中的不值得多注意的离奇小事，就不难理解：在某些适当的时候，适当的场合，发某种特定的疯，是多么地有现实中的必要性。
在忙碌的间隙回来看看。更新了顶层。
Yoram Hazony @yhazony
An alliance does not require a “fusion” of interests or identities. It’s a limited collaboration in pursuit of specific common aims.
Alliance between Jews and Christians doesn’t require “fusion.”
Alliance between anti-Marxist liberals and conservatives doesn’t require “fusion.”
1/
The 1960s strategy of “fusion” between anti-Marxist liberals and conservatives was based on the negation of conservatism as an independent movement with a vision and an identity of its own.
/2
But anti-Marxist liberals do not share a vision of society with their conservative friends.
We have two different visions. There can be no “fusing” these visions into one without destroying one vision or the other.
/3
A society based on individual liberty *alone* cannot be reconciled with a society built within a biblical framework.
Conservatives love political liberty as part of a biblical tradition that forms liberty, shapes it and constrains it.
/4
But there is no way a conservative can love a society based on individual liberty alone.
That’s the society America and Europe embraced when God and Scripture were rejected as the framework for public life after the Second World War.
/5
We can see with our own eyes that the attempt to reconstruct society on the basis of individual liberty alone has destroyed America.
The only way through is to restore the biblical basis for society wherever this is still possible.
/6
This means that conservatives have to replace the post-WW 2 Enlightenment-liberal vision which has brought us to this cultural revolution.
We need to replace that vision with a biblical-traditionalist vision.
/7
Conservatives who see this clearly—and embrace it as their political aim and identity—will not be attracted to the failed ideology of Enlightenment liberalism any longer.
They will not be interested in any kind of “fusion”.
/8
Conservatives will tell their anti-Marxist liberal friends:
1. We will collaborate on those issues where we agree: We will work with you to fight woke neo-Marxism at home and to deter China abroad.
/9
2. We will also make tactical compromises where political prudence requires it—if and when this is necessary to make real gains toward our vision.
But conservatives will never again “fuse” our vision with a liberal vision, or our political identity with a liberal identity.
/10
https://twitter.com/yhazony/status/1563090659937886209
An alliance does not require a “fusion” of interests or identities. It’s a limited collaboration in pursuit of specific common aims.
Alliance between Jews and Christians doesn’t require “fusion.”
Alliance between anti-Marxist liberals and conservatives doesn’t require “fusion.”
1/
The 1960s strategy of “fusion” between anti-Marxist liberals and conservatives was based on the negation of conservatism as an independent movement with a vision and an identity of its own.
/2
But anti-Marxist liberals do not share a vision of society with their conservative friends.
We have two different visions. There can be no “fusing” these visions into one without destroying one vision or the other.
/3
A society based on individual liberty *alone* cannot be reconciled with a society built within a biblical framework.
Conservatives love political liberty as part of a biblical tradition that forms liberty, shapes it and constrains it.
/4
But there is no way a conservative can love a society based on individual liberty alone.
That’s the society America and Europe embraced when God and Scripture were rejected as the framework for public life after the Second World War.
/5
We can see with our own eyes that the attempt to reconstruct society on the basis of individual liberty alone has destroyed America.
The only way through is to restore the biblical basis for society wherever this is still possible.
/6
This means that conservatives have to replace the post-WW 2 Enlightenment-liberal vision which has brought us to this cultural revolution.
We need to replace that vision with a biblical-traditionalist vision.
/7
Conservatives who see this clearly—and embrace it as their political aim and identity—will not be attracted to the failed ideology of Enlightenment liberalism any longer.
They will not be interested in any kind of “fusion”.
/8
Conservatives will tell their anti-Marxist liberal friends:
1. We will collaborate on those issues where we agree: We will work with you to fight woke neo-Marxism at home and to deter China abroad.
/9
2. We will also make tactical compromises where political prudence requires it—if and when this is necessary to make real gains toward our vision.
But conservatives will never again “fuse” our vision with a liberal vision, or our political identity with a liberal identity.
/10
https://twitter.com/yhazony/status/1563090659937886209
Zuckerberg tells Rogan FBI warning prompted Biden laptop story censorship
Mark Zuckerberg says Facebook restricting a story about Joe Biden's son during the 2020 election was based on FBI misinformation warnings.
The New York Post alleged leaked emails from Hunter Biden's laptop showed the then vice-president was helping his son's business dealings in Ukraine.
Facebook and Twitter restricted sharing of the article, before reversing course amid allegations of censorship.
Zuckerberg said that getting the decision wrong "sucks".
"When we take down something that we're not supposed to, that's the worst," Zuckerberg said in a rare extended media interview on the Joe Rogan podcast.
The New York Post story was released just weeks before the presidential election between Joe Biden and Donald Trump, which Mr Biden won.
It claimed that a laptop, abandoned in a repair shop by Hunter Biden, contained emails which included details of Hunter introducing a Ukrainian energy tycoon to his father and arranging a meeting. There is no record on Mr Biden's schedule that such a meeting ever took place.
Critically, it fed into long-running unproven allegations about corruption on Joe Biden's part to ensure his son's business success in Ukraine.
In that context, the New York Post story, based on exclusive data no other news agency had access to, was met with scepticism - and censored by social media outlets.
Zuckerberg told Rogan: "The background here is that the FBI came to us - some folks on our team - and was like 'hey, just so you know, you should be on high alert. We thought there was a lot of Russian propaganda in the 2016 election, we have it on notice that basically there's about to be some kind of dump that's similar to that'."
Mark Zuckerberg says Facebook restricting a story about Joe Biden's son during the 2020 election was based on FBI misinformation warnings.
The New York Post alleged leaked emails from Hunter Biden's laptop showed the then vice-president was helping his son's business dealings in Ukraine.
Facebook and Twitter restricted sharing of the article, before reversing course amid allegations of censorship.
Zuckerberg said that getting the decision wrong "sucks".
"When we take down something that we're not supposed to, that's the worst," Zuckerberg said in a rare extended media interview on the Joe Rogan podcast.
The New York Post story was released just weeks before the presidential election between Joe Biden and Donald Trump, which Mr Biden won.
It claimed that a laptop, abandoned in a repair shop by Hunter Biden, contained emails which included details of Hunter introducing a Ukrainian energy tycoon to his father and arranging a meeting. There is no record on Mr Biden's schedule that such a meeting ever took place.
Critically, it fed into long-running unproven allegations about corruption on Joe Biden's part to ensure his son's business success in Ukraine.
In that context, the New York Post story, based on exclusive data no other news agency had access to, was met with scepticism - and censored by social media outlets.
Zuckerberg told Rogan: "The background here is that the FBI came to us - some folks on our team - and was like 'hey, just so you know, you should be on high alert. We thought there was a lot of Russian propaganda in the 2016 election, we have it on notice that basically there's about to be some kind of dump that's similar to that'."
Ukraine War Depleting U.S. Ammunition Stockpiles, Sparking Pentagon Concern
WASHINGTON—The war in Ukraine has depleted American stocks of some types of ammunition and the Pentagon has been slow to replenish its arsenal, sparking concerns among U.S. officials that American military readiness could be jeopardized by the shortage.
The U.S. has over the past six months supplied Ukraine with 16 U.S. rocket launchers, known as Himars, thousands of guns, drones, missiles and other equipment. Much of that, including ammunition, has come directly from U.S. inventory, depleting stockpiles intended for unexpected threats, defense officials say.
Among the most prominent weapons systems the Pentagon has sent are howitzers, which use 155 mm ammunition to shoot targets more than a dozen miles away. As of Aug. 24, the U.S. military said it had provided Ukraine with up to 806,000 rounds of 155 mm ammunition. The U.S. military has declined to say how many rounds it had at the start of the year.
In recent weeks, the level of 155 mm combat rounds in U.S. military storage have become “uncomfortably low,” one defense official said. The levels aren’t yet critical because the U.S. isn’t engaged in any major military conflict, the official added. “It is not at the level we would like to go into combat,” the defense official said.
...
In the U.S., it takes 13 to 18 months from the time orders are placed for munitions to be manufactured, according to an industry official. Replenishing stockpiles of more sophisticated weaponry such as missiles and drones can take much longer.
Even a year-long delay is a problem precisely because ammunition shortages can pop up quickly given the rate they can be drawn down in a conflict.
“Nations assume the risk that war is not going to take place, and have the assumption they can react when they need to,” said Brad Martin, director of the Institute for Supply Chain Security at the Rand Corporation. “It simply might not be true that you can ramp up” production quickly, he added.
WASHINGTON—The war in Ukraine has depleted American stocks of some types of ammunition and the Pentagon has been slow to replenish its arsenal, sparking concerns among U.S. officials that American military readiness could be jeopardized by the shortage.
The U.S. has over the past six months supplied Ukraine with 16 U.S. rocket launchers, known as Himars, thousands of guns, drones, missiles and other equipment. Much of that, including ammunition, has come directly from U.S. inventory, depleting stockpiles intended for unexpected threats, defense officials say.
Among the most prominent weapons systems the Pentagon has sent are howitzers, which use 155 mm ammunition to shoot targets more than a dozen miles away. As of Aug. 24, the U.S. military said it had provided Ukraine with up to 806,000 rounds of 155 mm ammunition. The U.S. military has declined to say how many rounds it had at the start of the year.
In recent weeks, the level of 155 mm combat rounds in U.S. military storage have become “uncomfortably low,” one defense official said. The levels aren’t yet critical because the U.S. isn’t engaged in any major military conflict, the official added. “It is not at the level we would like to go into combat,” the defense official said.
...
In the U.S., it takes 13 to 18 months from the time orders are placed for munitions to be manufactured, according to an industry official. Replenishing stockpiles of more sophisticated weaponry such as missiles and drones can take much longer.
Even a year-long delay is a problem precisely because ammunition shortages can pop up quickly given the rate they can be drawn down in a conflict.
“Nations assume the risk that war is not going to take place, and have the assumption they can react when they need to,” said Brad Martin, director of the Institute for Supply Chain Security at the Rand Corporation. “It simply might not be true that you can ramp up” production quickly, he added.
欢迎回来 哈哈哈哈 这下真成右翼份子了
遥想三年前 下班后买瓶冰white claw在miami riverwalk看变色龙和钓鱼佬钓鱼都能看一下午 现在那种悠闲的感觉很难找回来了
Dmitri Alperovitch @DAlperovitch
One of the objectives that @DrRadchenko and I wanted to achieve in our @ForeignAffairs piece (link below) is to debunk some of the prevailing myths about Russia. Here are the most important ones:
https://www.foreignaffairs.com/russian-federation/another-russia-possible
Myth #1: Once Putin leaves power/dies, Russia will abandon its anti-Western belligerent policies and return to the bosom of the liberal Western order
Reality: Putin is most likely to be replaced by another hardliner who will continue or even accelerate his aggressive policies
Myth #2: It's only a matter of time before Russia turns into a Jeffersonian democracy with the rule of law, free press, etc
Reality: Democracy has become a dirty word in Russia over the last 3 decades. Even long after Putin is gone, the Russian public is unlikely to desire it
Myth #3: Russia and US will one day join forces to form an anti-China alliance (Reverse Kissinger model)
Reality: Russia, with historical visions of its own grandeur, has no interest in joining any alliance—much less a Western one. Nor is it in its interests to antagonize China
Myth #4: The only options for Russia are to become a junior partner to China or US
Reality: Russia's desired state is a multipolar world, where it is one of the poles. With its power diminishing, it is unlikely to get that. But it can still project power by pursing non-alignment
Myth #5: It is possible to destroy or dismantle Russia (or that it would be in our interests to do so)
Reality: As George Kennan famously once said "The Soviet Union will not last, but Russia will"
It is a country of 140m people that is not going to disappear or disintegrate
Myth #6: Putin will get replaced in a popular uprising
Reality: Putin's hold on power is the strongest it's been in 23 years, since becoming President. If he gets replaced, it will be due to a palace coup orchestrated by people who think he is not aggressive enough
Myth #7: We can enact a regime change in Moscow
Reality: It's a folly to think that we are even capable of such action. Not to mention that US track record of regime change over the last half century in countries considerably weaker than Russia is not stellar, to say the least
We need a long-term strategy for Russia that takes into account these realities and focuses on pursuit of achievable goals, not hopeless dreams. A non-aligned Russia, equidistant from America and China, is a possible outcome that would benefit US *and* Russia
END
https://twitter.com/DAlperovitch/status/1564689245398306817
One of the objectives that @DrRadchenko and I wanted to achieve in our @ForeignAffairs piece (link below) is to debunk some of the prevailing myths about Russia. Here are the most important ones:
https://www.foreignaffairs.com/russian-federation/another-russia-possible
Myth #1: Once Putin leaves power/dies, Russia will abandon its anti-Western belligerent policies and return to the bosom of the liberal Western order
Reality: Putin is most likely to be replaced by another hardliner who will continue or even accelerate his aggressive policies
Myth #2: It's only a matter of time before Russia turns into a Jeffersonian democracy with the rule of law, free press, etc
Reality: Democracy has become a dirty word in Russia over the last 3 decades. Even long after Putin is gone, the Russian public is unlikely to desire it
Myth #3: Russia and US will one day join forces to form an anti-China alliance (Reverse Kissinger model)
Reality: Russia, with historical visions of its own grandeur, has no interest in joining any alliance—much less a Western one. Nor is it in its interests to antagonize China
Myth #4: The only options for Russia are to become a junior partner to China or US
Reality: Russia's desired state is a multipolar world, where it is one of the poles. With its power diminishing, it is unlikely to get that. But it can still project power by pursing non-alignment
Myth #5: It is possible to destroy or dismantle Russia (or that it would be in our interests to do so)
Reality: As George Kennan famously once said "The Soviet Union will not last, but Russia will"
It is a country of 140m people that is not going to disappear or disintegrate
Myth #6: Putin will get replaced in a popular uprising
Reality: Putin's hold on power is the strongest it's been in 23 years, since becoming President. If he gets replaced, it will be due to a palace coup orchestrated by people who think he is not aggressive enough
Myth #7: We can enact a regime change in Moscow
Reality: It's a folly to think that we are even capable of such action. Not to mention that US track record of regime change over the last half century in countries considerably weaker than Russia is not stellar, to say the least
We need a long-term strategy for Russia that takes into account these realities and focuses on pursuit of achievable goals, not hopeless dreams. A non-aligned Russia, equidistant from America and China, is a possible outcome that would benefit US *and* Russia
END
https://twitter.com/DAlperovitch/status/1564689245398306817
Top FBI agent resigns amid claims he shielded Hunter Biden from probe: report
A top FBI agent at the Washington field office reportedly resigned from his post last week after facing intense scrutiny over allegations he helped shield Hunter Biden from criminal investigations into his laptop and business dealings.
Timothy Thibault, an FBI assistant special agent in charge, was allegedly forced out after he was accused of political bias in his handling of probes involving President Biden’s son, sources told the Washington Times on Monday.
...
Thibault, a 25-year-veteran, had already been on leave for a month after the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), started raising concerns about whistleblower claims that the FBI had obstructed its own investigations into the first son.
In a letter to FBI Director Christopher Wray in July, Grassley said Thibault and FBI supervisory intelligence analyst Brian Auten were allegedly involved in “a scheme” to “undermine derogatory information connected to Hunter Biden by falsely suggesting it was disinformation.”
Thibault also allegedly tried to kill off a valid avenue of investigation of possible Hunter Biden criminality until at least one month before the November 2020 election, according to Grassley.
“Thibault allegedly ordered the matter closed without providing a valid reason as required by FBI guidelines … [and] subsequently attempted to improperly mark the matter in FBI systems so that it could not be opened in the future,” Grassley wrote.
...
Meanwhile, Republican senators have also publicly scrutinized Thibault’s alleged anti-Trump social media activity ahead of the 2020 election, including a retweet of a Lincoln Project message that called Donald Trump a “psychologically broken, embittered and deeply unhappy man.”
He also allegedly tweeted that he wanted to “give Kentucky to the Russian Federation.”
Wray admitted under grilling from GOP senators earlier this month that allegations of political bias at the hands of FBI agents, including Thibault, were “deeply troubling.”
A top FBI agent at the Washington field office reportedly resigned from his post last week after facing intense scrutiny over allegations he helped shield Hunter Biden from criminal investigations into his laptop and business dealings.
Timothy Thibault, an FBI assistant special agent in charge, was allegedly forced out after he was accused of political bias in his handling of probes involving President Biden’s son, sources told the Washington Times on Monday.
...
Thibault, a 25-year-veteran, had already been on leave for a month after the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), started raising concerns about whistleblower claims that the FBI had obstructed its own investigations into the first son.
In a letter to FBI Director Christopher Wray in July, Grassley said Thibault and FBI supervisory intelligence analyst Brian Auten were allegedly involved in “a scheme” to “undermine derogatory information connected to Hunter Biden by falsely suggesting it was disinformation.”
Thibault also allegedly tried to kill off a valid avenue of investigation of possible Hunter Biden criminality until at least one month before the November 2020 election, according to Grassley.
“Thibault allegedly ordered the matter closed without providing a valid reason as required by FBI guidelines … [and] subsequently attempted to improperly mark the matter in FBI systems so that it could not be opened in the future,” Grassley wrote.
...
Meanwhile, Republican senators have also publicly scrutinized Thibault’s alleged anti-Trump social media activity ahead of the 2020 election, including a retweet of a Lincoln Project message that called Donald Trump a “psychologically broken, embittered and deeply unhappy man.”
He also allegedly tweeted that he wanted to “give Kentucky to the Russian Federation.”
Wray admitted under grilling from GOP senators earlier this month that allegations of political bias at the hands of FBI agents, including Thibault, were “deeply troubling.”
No Whites Allowed: Pfizer Fellowship Flagrantly Violates the Law, Lawyers Say
The pharmaceutical giant Pfizer offers a prestigious fellowship that bars whites and Asians from applying. Trumpeted on the company’s website as a "Bold Move" to "create a workplace for all," civil rights lawyers are characterizing it in a different way: as a blatant violation of the law.
"This Pfizer program is so flagrantly illegal I seriously wonder how it passed internal review by its general counsel," said Adam Mortara, one of the country’s top civil rights attorneys.
Pfizer’s "Breakthrough Fellowship" offers college students multiple internships, a fully funded master's degree, and several years of employment at the pharmaceutical giant. It also restricts applications to "Black/African American, Latino/Hispanic and Native American" students, the fellowship requirements state.
In a Frequently Asked Questions brochure about the nine-year program, Pfizer asserts that it is an "equal opportunity employer."
Gail Heriot, a member of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, described the fellowship as a "clear case of liability" under federal law: a violation of the Civil Rights Act of 1866, which bans racial discrimination in contracting, and Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which bans racial discrimination in employment.
"Major corporations seem to have forgotten that there’s such a thing as law," said Heriot, who is also a law professor at the University of San Diego. "They seem to think that as long as they’re woke, they’re bulletproof."
The pharmaceutical giant Pfizer offers a prestigious fellowship that bars whites and Asians from applying. Trumpeted on the company’s website as a "Bold Move" to "create a workplace for all," civil rights lawyers are characterizing it in a different way: as a blatant violation of the law.
"This Pfizer program is so flagrantly illegal I seriously wonder how it passed internal review by its general counsel," said Adam Mortara, one of the country’s top civil rights attorneys.
Pfizer’s "Breakthrough Fellowship" offers college students multiple internships, a fully funded master's degree, and several years of employment at the pharmaceutical giant. It also restricts applications to "Black/African American, Latino/Hispanic and Native American" students, the fellowship requirements state.
In a Frequently Asked Questions brochure about the nine-year program, Pfizer asserts that it is an "equal opportunity employer."
Gail Heriot, a member of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, described the fellowship as a "clear case of liability" under federal law: a violation of the Civil Rights Act of 1866, which bans racial discrimination in contracting, and Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which bans racial discrimination in employment.
"Major corporations seem to have forgotten that there’s such a thing as law," said Heriot, who is also a law professor at the University of San Diego. "They seem to think that as long as they’re woke, they’re bulletproof."
https://twitter.com/DolanGeraldine/status/1564392353300889603
为什么会这样呢？答案就是用户名旁边的那面旗。外交精英已经告诉平民，这是他们要为“自由国际秩序”付出的代价，有零有整，触手可及。平民们不会一直容忍精英把“牺牲的政治”强加于他们，除非是像两次世界大战期间，为自己国家的安全、自由和未来做牺牲。为远在千里之外的非我族类牺牲切身利益，只有极少数被宏大理念感召得轻蔑现实的梦想家才能做到。此种牺牲超出了大众用以维持营生的、并不可鄙的人性，也不是大言不惭的精英们自己需要付出的。
当平民对维持体面日常生活的诉求和精英对世界秩序的宏大构想发生冲突时，应该期待后者迁就前者，而不是相反。因为平民终究不是活在精英的构想当中，也没有义务依照精英的构想而活。他们“低下”的诉求应当为精英高远的筹划施加基本的约束，这正是民主制立足的核心理由之一。
>>在忙碌的间隙回来看看。更新了顶层。
当初，我在读过斯宾格勒、汤因比之后，结合我自己从2012年开始「认真关注政治」以来，对现实「亲自观察、亲自思考」的经历，得出的结论基本上和斯宾格勒是同一种。虽然针对的对象和方向，所看的东西都有极大不同。然而不可否认，所看到的现实逻辑的前提和方向，因而在逻辑延长线上看到的注定结果，都是一样。而且清醒地认识到：There is ABSOLUTELY NOT a single damned thing that I can do about it.
With or without me, the wheel of destiny turns surely.
一句话：人当接受命运。
但到了今天，虽然我所见，所想，所料的方向没有改变，却没那么绝望了。要说我关心「大事」是自娱自乐，倒也对了一半，说真的，看这些事其实远比如今彻底遭受「进步」污染的各类影、视、书、报、志有趣得多。不过呢，要是没个基本状况的了解，其实连觉也睡不好。在「明确地知道」要发生些什么之后，哪怕情况是越来越糟，如今倒反而睡得越来越安稳。
虽然「大事」和「大势」基本上已不可改变，但作为一个人，其实仍然拥有自由的空间，仍然拥有极大的可能性。如果要追求个人的愿景，即 self-interest 的话，从如今算起，至少超过半个世纪的漫长未来，都将是黄金时代。只要你能排除「人群」（即所谓「伟大的人民群众」）的影响，并且有意识地塑造出自己生活的边界，和控制自己的事业留在特定的层次。
就像前几天我才说的，能够就任何教条制造一通热闹，制造或大或小一群跟从者出来。这种「热闹」要改变「大势」是妄想，但要改变（有所追求的）个人的生活状态，却是可靠的坚实基础。
能这么做的绝对前提是：真的完全接受自己「对某些事无能为力」，并且能够平静地看待，而不会因之「忍不住站起来」。
我说服自己的话就是：真正的命运安排，人有绝对的义务接受，甚至去欢迎。
倘若不接受，又能如何？ 和无数的WOKE们天天做的白日梦一样，去「呐喊」、「呼吁」、「号召」、乃至「拯救」全世界？（如果不是去「解放」的话）
一个人凭什么去干涉命运？
Why a mortal will even try to do that, without ever thinking how and why?
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真正接受现实，才是迎来真正希望的绝对前提。这是真正 Leap of Faith （即相信自己的未来，相信自己的命运安排）的一步。只不过，就我自己（在具备足够的理解与思考能力之后）硬是花了数年才能「差不多够到那彼岸」的状况来看，这难度实在是让人想一边大叫，一边在地上打滚。
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想起一句近期看过的，真正让我印象深刻的话：背后捅人一刀的家伙永远戴不上王冠。
说话人的是英国执政党某党员，针对的目标是辛伟诚。
我对那篇文章的内容一字不记得，但这句话实在忘不了。
如果要「接受大势」的情况下去找「个人的希望」，我确定那不会离这句话太远。不管最后的结果是什么。
>>Dmitri Alperovitch @DAlperovitchOne of the objecti...
Myth #1，如果把「普京」换成「习近平」，也完全适用于 China 的情形。
不过对共产党政府和中国经济彻底上瘾的华尔街们，如今仍然是 cling-on-to-hope.
看着他们最近的焦虑文字，就仿佛在看Star Trek Discovery的开头宣言："tlhIngan maH taHjaj!" (Remain Klingon!!)
要知道，Star Trek 可是「进步」的一盏明灯哦。
--------------------------------
话说，如今要找能看的东西实在是大海捞针。连史泰龙近两年的电影都是有明确的针对。
Hungary and the New Reactionary Vanguardism
...IT IS an open question therefore whether Orbánism can be replicated, adapted, or imitated directly in a country that is much larger than Hungary. To have any form of majoritarian democracy, whether it be the Swiss, the Danish, or the Hungarians, one needs some form of cultural homogeneity. That is unlikely, to say the least, in big and historically divided nation-states like the United States, where the most prudent and peaceable form of governance is often one of minimum centralized interference and maximum compromise. There is no difference regarding attitudes towards immigration, for example, in Switzerland, Hungary, or Denmark, regardless of their ruling political party’s ideology. This is not a coincidence. Homogeneity requires an element of state-applied force as well as enforced and mandated cultural cohesion and a focused educational system—a prospect that is fraying in the current balance of power within the Anglosphere. The rise of heavy-handed Anglo-nationalism post-Brexit, for example, has already resulted in fissures within the union. Wind of any ethnocultural nationalism post-Donald Trump has also resulted in massive institutional backlash. Western Europe, and parts of the Anglosphere, on the other hand, are also post-religious. Size matters too. The United States, a federalized country, is thirty-two times the size of Hungary. An exact imitation of reactionary politics of the Hungarian model might therefore be unlikely.
But localized replication of reactionary vanguardism is possible, and Anglosphere conservatives are indeed paying attention. In Indiana, Republican lawmakers banned transgender women from competing in women’s sports. In Texas, legislators are proposing a criminalization of drag shows where minors are present. In Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis has single-handedly taken the fight to the “woke capital,” and revoked Disney’s privileged tax status. Florida is also, along with Virginia, leading in legislation against Critical Race Theory-laced pedagogy in schools. Over thirty states in the United States have some form of legislation ongoing in various stages to tackle increasingly left-wing activism in higher education. Across the ocean, London has finalized plans to forcibly send refugees back to Rwanda, and drafted bills to outlaw public protests that hamper daily commuters, as well as legislation to secure free speech on university campuses. Orbánism might not be imposed in its Hungarian form in the Anglosphere, but one of its key tactical approaches—winning votes on culture war issues and legislating—is increasingly popular among Anglo-American conservatives, who are moving away from their free market and non-interference dogma, returning to their pre-World War I roots. And among American Republicans, a strong nationalist and realist faction is slowly ascending. The lessons from the capitulation of Netflix, State Farm, and Disney, faced with relentless pressure from the Right on cultural issues demonstrate two things. The reason the Left has been so successful in intimidating these companies towards its favored policies is that it can harness power. The same principle, however, applies on the other side of the spectrum—if the Right can use power as effectively. And second, grassroots activism is advantageous, but almost never organic, and a counter-elite to channel such activism is critical; one can almost call them reactionary vanguards.
...IT IS an open question therefore whether Orbánism can be replicated, adapted, or imitated directly in a country that is much larger than Hungary. To have any form of majoritarian democracy, whether it be the Swiss, the Danish, or the Hungarians, one needs some form of cultural homogeneity. That is unlikely, to say the least, in big and historically divided nation-states like the United States, where the most prudent and peaceable form of governance is often one of minimum centralized interference and maximum compromise. There is no difference regarding attitudes towards immigration, for example, in Switzerland, Hungary, or Denmark, regardless of their ruling political party’s ideology. This is not a coincidence. Homogeneity requires an element of state-applied force as well as enforced and mandated cultural cohesion and a focused educational system—a prospect that is fraying in the current balance of power within the Anglosphere. The rise of heavy-handed Anglo-nationalism post-Brexit, for example, has already resulted in fissures within the union. Wind of any ethnocultural nationalism post-Donald Trump has also resulted in massive institutional backlash. Western Europe, and parts of the Anglosphere, on the other hand, are also post-religious. Size matters too. The United States, a federalized country, is thirty-two times the size of Hungary. An exact imitation of reactionary politics of the Hungarian model might therefore be unlikely.
But localized replication of reactionary vanguardism is possible, and Anglosphere conservatives are indeed paying attention. In Indiana, Republican lawmakers banned transgender women from competing in women’s sports. In Texas, legislators are proposing a criminalization of drag shows where minors are present. In Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis has single-handedly taken the fight to the “woke capital,” and revoked Disney’s privileged tax status. Florida is also, along with Virginia, leading in legislation against Critical Race Theory-laced pedagogy in schools. Over thirty states in the United States have some form of legislation ongoing in various stages to tackle increasingly left-wing activism in higher education. Across the ocean, London has finalized plans to forcibly send refugees back to Rwanda, and drafted bills to outlaw public protests that hamper daily commuters, as well as legislation to secure free speech on university campuses. Orbánism might not be imposed in its Hungarian form in the Anglosphere, but one of its key tactical approaches—winning votes on culture war issues and legislating—is increasingly popular among Anglo-American conservatives, who are moving away from their free market and non-interference dogma, returning to their pre-World War I roots. And among American Republicans, a strong nationalist and realist faction is slowly ascending. The lessons from the capitulation of Netflix, State Farm, and Disney, faced with relentless pressure from the Right on cultural issues demonstrate two things. The reason the Left has been so successful in intimidating these companies towards its favored policies is that it can harness power. The same principle, however, applies on the other side of the spectrum—if the Right can use power as effectively. And second, grassroots activism is advantageous, but almost never organic, and a counter-elite to channel such activism is critical; one can almost call them reactionary vanguards.
A case study in American propaganda
...If you’ve been reading much about the Ukraine war, you’ve probably come across it. Reporters who draw on research from ISW often credit it.
But there are two things about the Institute for the Study of War that you may not know.
First is the extent of its influence. Since war broke out in February, ISW has been the elite media’s go-to think tank for information and analysis. Barely a day goes by that it isn’t cited by a reporter in either the New York Times, the Washington Post, or the Wall Street Journal. In the past six days—the first six days of this month—it has been cited in at least ten articles that appeared in one of those outlets.
The second thing you may not be aware of is how ideological the academic-sounding Institute for the Study of War is. It has neoconservative roots and is run and staffed by pretty extreme hawks. Over the years it has gotten funding from various corners of the arms industry—General Dynamics, Raytheon, lesser known defense contractors, and big companies, like General Motors, that aren’t known as defense contractors but do get Pentagon contracts.
...
The president and founder of the Institute for the Study of War is Kimberly Kagan, a military historian who is married to Frederick Kagan, who is also a military historian and does work for ISW. Frederick is a well-known neoconservative, though not as well-known as his brother Robert. In the 1990s, Robert Kagan, along with Bill Kristol (who is on ISW’s board), founded the Project for a New American Century, which in the view of some observers played an important role in convincing George W. Bush to invade Iraq.
Kimberly and Frederick Kagan have cultivated close ties to the Defense Department—sometimes raising questions about whether the ties were too close. A 2012 Washington Post piece said General David Petraeus had turned the couple into “de facto senior advisers.” The Post continued:
All of this helps explain why noted phrasemaker Mickey Kaus has called the Kagan family “the Kagan industrial complex.” Speaking of which:
Robert Kagan’s wife, Victoria Nuland, is the state department official who very publicly supported Ukraine’s 2014 Maidan Revolution—the overthrow of pro-Russia President Viktor Yanukovych, which led Russia to seize Crimea and give military support to secessionist rebels in the Donbass. Nuland also played a behind-the-scenes role in this transition of power that, according to some of her detractors, amounted to orchestrating a coup.
And as long as we’re going down rabbit holes: The Kagan-Kristol Project for a New American Century was funded by arms makers, thanks largely to the work of Lockheed Martin executive Bruce P. Jackson, who became a director of PNAC. Jackson had earlier organized the US Committee to Expand NATO, which successfully lobbied for what its name suggests it lobbied for. Some people think NATO expansion—in particular George W. Bush’s 2008 addition of Ukraine to the list of future members—helped cause the Ukraine war, but in any event NATO expansion has over the past quarter century made lots and lots of money for Lockheed Martin and other arms makers.
...If you’ve been reading much about the Ukraine war, you’ve probably come across it. Reporters who draw on research from ISW often credit it.
But there are two things about the Institute for the Study of War that you may not know.
First is the extent of its influence. Since war broke out in February, ISW has been the elite media’s go-to think tank for information and analysis. Barely a day goes by that it isn’t cited by a reporter in either the New York Times, the Washington Post, or the Wall Street Journal. In the past six days—the first six days of this month—it has been cited in at least ten articles that appeared in one of those outlets.
The second thing you may not be aware of is how ideological the academic-sounding Institute for the Study of War is. It has neoconservative roots and is run and staffed by pretty extreme hawks. Over the years it has gotten funding from various corners of the arms industry—General Dynamics, Raytheon, lesser known defense contractors, and big companies, like General Motors, that aren’t known as defense contractors but do get Pentagon contracts.
...
The president and founder of the Institute for the Study of War is Kimberly Kagan, a military historian who is married to Frederick Kagan, who is also a military historian and does work for ISW. Frederick is a well-known neoconservative, though not as well-known as his brother Robert. In the 1990s, Robert Kagan, along with Bill Kristol (who is on ISW’s board), founded the Project for a New American Century, which in the view of some observers played an important role in convincing George W. Bush to invade Iraq.
Kimberly and Frederick Kagan have cultivated close ties to the Defense Department—sometimes raising questions about whether the ties were too close. A 2012 Washington Post piece said General David Petraeus had turned the couple into “de facto senior advisers.” The Post continued:
The pro-bono relationship, which is now being scrutinized by military lawyers, yielded valuable benefits for the general and the couple. The Kagans’ proximity to Petraeus, the country’s most-famous living general, provided an incentive for defense contractors to contribute to Kim Kagan’s think tank [ISW]. For Petraeus, embracing two respected national security analysts in GOP circles helped to shore up support for the [Afghanistan] war among Republican leaders on Capitol Hill.
All of this helps explain why noted phrasemaker Mickey Kaus has called the Kagan family “the Kagan industrial complex.” Speaking of which:
Robert Kagan’s wife, Victoria Nuland, is the state department official who very publicly supported Ukraine’s 2014 Maidan Revolution—the overthrow of pro-Russia President Viktor Yanukovych, which led Russia to seize Crimea and give military support to secessionist rebels in the Donbass. Nuland also played a behind-the-scenes role in this transition of power that, according to some of her detractors, amounted to orchestrating a coup.
And as long as we’re going down rabbit holes: The Kagan-Kristol Project for a New American Century was funded by arms makers, thanks largely to the work of Lockheed Martin executive Bruce P. Jackson, who became a director of PNAC. Jackson had earlier organized the US Committee to Expand NATO, which successfully lobbied for what its name suggests it lobbied for. Some people think NATO expansion—in particular George W. Bush’s 2008 addition of Ukraine to the list of future members—helped cause the Ukraine war, but in any event NATO expansion has over the past quarter century made lots and lots of money for Lockheed Martin and other arms makers.
Sreemoy Talukdar @sreemoytalukdar
Boris is asking Brits to buy kettles. Germany is rationing gas, forcing Germans to buy firewood. Electricity bills are being burnt in Italy. Meanwhile, G7 just announced a price cap. Surreal.
https://twitter.com/sreemoytalukdar/status/1565762344709668864
Sreemoy Talukdar @sreemoytalukdar
Putin has brutally exposed how West's rhetoric on "green energy" and "renewables" is mere gaslighting, underwritten by cheap, plentiful fossil fuels.
https://twitter.com/sreemoytalukdar/status/1565763034827862017
Boris is asking Brits to buy kettles. Germany is rationing gas, forcing Germans to buy firewood. Electricity bills are being burnt in Italy. Meanwhile, G7 just announced a price cap. Surreal.
RadioGenova @RadioGenova
People in Naples burn their energy bills and besiege the town hall: "We don't pay the bills! Now it will be chaos!" In Naples they don't joke.
https://twitter.com/sreemoytalukdar/status/1565762344709668864
Sreemoy Talukdar @sreemoytalukdar
Putin has brutally exposed how West's rhetoric on "green energy" and "renewables" is mere gaslighting, underwritten by cheap, plentiful fossil fuels.
RadioGenova @RadioGenova
People in Naples burn their energy bills and besiege the town hall: "We don't pay the bills! Now it will be chaos!" In Naples they don't joke.
https://twitter.com/sreemoytalukdar/status/1565763034827862017
>>Sreemoy Talukdar @sreemoytalukdarBoris is asking B...
What's NOT surreal in EU when comparing their words against their deeds?
Also, BoJo is asking the private sector for investment to Sizewell C.
The French are more than doubling their effort on nuclear plants.
And they are the better parts of this tear-jerking melodrama.
Germany already has one of their biggest coal plants started producing electricity earlier this week. And as a big coal producer, Czech had their Mehrum Plant started running at the beginning of last month, which is using bituminous coal that is famous for its air-polluting-smoke.
70,000 protest in Prague against Czech government, EU, NATO
An estimated 70,000 people protested in Prague against the Czech government on Saturday, calling on the ruling coalition to do more to control soaring energy prices and voicing opposition to the European Union and NATO.
Organizers of the demonstration from a number of far-right and fringe political groups including the Communist party, said the central European nation should be neutral militarily and ensure direct contracts with gas suppliers, including Russia.
Police estimates put the number of protesters at around 70,000 by mid-afternoon.
“The aim of our demonstration is to demand change, mainly in solving the issue of energy prices, especially electricity and gas, which will destroy our economy this autumn,” event co-organizer Jiri Havel told iDNES.cz news website.
The protest at Wenceslas Square in the city center was held a day after the government survived a no-confidence vote amid opposition claims of inaction against inflation and energy prices.
An estimated 70,000 people protested in Prague against the Czech government on Saturday, calling on the ruling coalition to do more to control soaring energy prices and voicing opposition to the European Union and NATO.
Organizers of the demonstration from a number of far-right and fringe political groups including the Communist party, said the central European nation should be neutral militarily and ensure direct contracts with gas suppliers, including Russia.
Police estimates put the number of protesters at around 70,000 by mid-afternoon.
“The aim of our demonstration is to demand change, mainly in solving the issue of energy prices, especially electricity and gas, which will destroy our economy this autumn,” event co-organizer Jiri Havel told iDNES.cz news website.
The protest at Wenceslas Square in the city center was held a day after the government survived a no-confidence vote amid opposition claims of inaction against inflation and energy prices.
UK Slips Behind India to Become World’s Sixth Biggest Economy
Britain has dropped behind India to become the world’s sixth largest economy, delivering a further blow to the government in London as it grapples with a brutal cost-of-living shock.
The former British colony leaped past the UK in the final three months of 2021 to become the fifth-biggest economy. The calculation is based in US dollars, and India extended its lead in the first quarter, according to GDP figures from the International Monetary Fund.
...
The UK is likely to have fallen further since. UK GDP grew just 1% in cash terms in the second quarter and, after adjusting for inflation, shrank 0.1%. Sterling has also underperformed the dollar relative to the rupee, with the pound falling 8% against the Indian currency this year.
The IMF’s own forecasts show India overtaking the UK in dollar terms on an annual basis this year, putting the Asian powerhouse behind just the US, China, Japan and Germany. A decade ago, India ranked 11th among the largest economies, while the UK was 5th.
Britain has dropped behind India to become the world’s sixth largest economy, delivering a further blow to the government in London as it grapples with a brutal cost-of-living shock.
The former British colony leaped past the UK in the final three months of 2021 to become the fifth-biggest economy. The calculation is based in US dollars, and India extended its lead in the first quarter, according to GDP figures from the International Monetary Fund.
...
The UK is likely to have fallen further since. UK GDP grew just 1% in cash terms in the second quarter and, after adjusting for inflation, shrank 0.1%. Sterling has also underperformed the dollar relative to the rupee, with the pound falling 8% against the Indian currency this year.
The IMF’s own forecasts show India overtaking the UK in dollar terms on an annual basis this year, putting the Asian powerhouse behind just the US, China, Japan and Germany. A decade ago, India ranked 11th among the largest economies, while the UK was 5th.
反共华人键政家作为一个网络群体，其形成的年代大约是小布什第一任期。当时美国在扮演世界警察，有信心同时打赢两场战争，人权外交玩得风生水起。北约、欧盟继续东扩，欧洲对俄罗斯能源上的依赖、西方对中国经济上的依赖都尚不严重。欧美各国内政的分歧还没有大到撕裂社会的程度。反共华人的认知框架是在“自由国际秩序”的盛年塑造的，对这套秩序的信心乃至幻想是其核心特征之一。
二十年过去了，以上列举的事实都不存在了，可他们的认知框架基本没变。
二十年过去了，以上列举的事实都不存在了，可他们的认知框架基本没变。
>>反共华人键政家作为一个网络群体，其形成的年代大约是小布什第一任期。当时美国在扮演世界警察，有信心同时...
确实是这样 大部分人的理想滤镜已经完全偏离现实了 不然不会对现状的预期落差感这么大 16-17年的时候 大部分人都是一副过好自己日子就行 完全没在意自己依赖的秩序已经开始失控了 现在被影响了才开始回过味来
罗杰·斯克鲁顿曾在Heritage做过一名为The Future of European Civilization 的 lecture。（用词极度正式和严肃的）讲稿念完后，有一观众提了这么一个问题：
Q: Since the US is the product of European diaspora, and in many ways is European Power...if, against all our hopes, Europe changes irrevocably, so it does not have the same culture (of US), what do you think could be the consequences for US?
Roger Scruton 对她的回答是：
他的回答是以「严肃到没法笑的玩笑」作结，心脏不够强的，神经不够粗的，恐怕无法去想象，那由简单文字组成的冷笑话背后所暗示的真实。
但重点仍然是一点：Faith
说起来，我个人所阅读的各种哲学、社会学、政治学、历史、文学，似乎最终都归结到了这个词上面。从托克维尔到帕累托，从斯宾格勒到汤因比，从马基雅维利到亨廷顿，从尼采到韦伯，从勒庞到Eric Hoffer，乃至许许多多其他的近现代神学、哲学和其他各种「学」，最终都像是在不同的道路上朝着同一个终点迈进。
即便是没怎么看的如G. K. Chesterton，他对斯宾格勒的极力反驳，基本上和也我自己想的方向一致，更和汤因比最终对信仰的强调一致，尽管如今多的是理解能力低下的当代大学住客们把Chesterton那些容易懂的话当作「反驳」汤因比的「论据」。那些无意义文字能给人的唯一印象就是：老中青三代都得重新学习什么叫做论证，什么叫做「一个人的写作表达」而不是「键盘工的文字堆彻」。
不过那在如今并非学力或者学术问题，真理也好，学术也罢，都是只要会跟着念进步咒即可。
https://thenib.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/the-social-justice-league-ad1602004dd-003-a9746c-1.jpeg
如果说信仰是如此地真实和重要，以至于在这些出身不同，领域不同，所用的语言，所擅的才学，所熟悉的文化，所生活的社会，所活跃的时代都迥异的诸位先贤的探索和思考中都闪烁着不可能让人错认的光，且在如今几乎只剩一派整齐的象牙塔树林中，依然有 Scruton 这样的人将同样的光传递下去，更重要的是，这些人自有其继承的由来，他们所面对的先贤想必是令其产生同样共鸣的一群人，同样地分布于不同的时空，那么有一点很明确，这是一条「不变的路」，不管时代如何，社会如何，文化如何。人类至今的历史，没有任何东西、任何事件能够真正改变这条路。
稍微浅明一点的历史例证，就是马克斯·韦伯在《新教伦理与资本主义精神》中想要说明的：新教信仰是推动资本主义爆炸性发展的根源。
Eric Hoffer 也在True Believer一书中指出，推动诸国现代化的，是对未来的信仰，无论那信仰是以什么形式出现。即便所谓现代是一个号称「无神」的时代，然而现代的「群众」和过去的「教徒」们至少也是同样地虔诚——对他们所信的，能给他们带来对未来之希望的那些教条，无论那多么荒谬。（如共产主义，如各种作为当今象牙塔「显学」的进步类咒语）
信仰？虚无缥缈？先劳驾反思一下，这「虚无缥缈」是怎么在你自己脑袋里变得比钢还硬，最起码也做到了「外来文字无效」的吧。
------------------------------------
综上，如果说谁要寻找自己可以确认的「人生的价值」，那么这一在实际意义上最接近「永恒」的「不变」之路，是不是比各种各样的神像、偶像、半仙们要更加实在？
当然了，坚定地要成为「伟大人民群众」之一员的，愿意为各种教条奉献自己一腔虔诚的现代「教徒」们，请忽略我说的每一个字。
现实的发展当然不完全符合 Roger Scruton 临时编的笑话，但现实的方向一如他所料。
Q: Since the US is the product of European diaspora, and in many ways is European Power...if, against all our hopes, Europe changes irrevocably, so it does not have the same culture (of US), what do you think could be the consequences for US?
Roger Scruton 对她的回答是：
Deep & interesting question, so many scenarios (exist), obviously.
Suppose Europe is completely islamized, I think then US would have to identify itself as the last bastion of a vanishing civilization, probably determined to keep that civilization alive. I don't think it would go that far however. It's always the case that in the back of the mind of Americans is the view that they are offshoot of something great, and that great thing still exists across the Atlantic. To see that great thing wither unrecognizably and that they alone are responsible for maintaining the memory of it will be a huge emotional shock. But it won't be the first time in history, and actually it should take a little lesson from the most persecuted minority in the world today, which is the Christians, they kept faith for 2000 years and have succeeded until now.
Keeping faith to something is NOT an impossible thing. Again the Jews kept faith of 2000 years wandering. Noble examples there which Americans may have to start imitating.
It means changing the school curriculum, and that won't be so difficult, because then there won't be liberals opposing it.
他的回答是以「严肃到没法笑的玩笑」作结，心脏不够强的，神经不够粗的，恐怕无法去想象，那由简单文字组成的冷笑话背后所暗示的真实。
但重点仍然是一点：Faith
说起来，我个人所阅读的各种哲学、社会学、政治学、历史、文学，似乎最终都归结到了这个词上面。从托克维尔到帕累托，从斯宾格勒到汤因比，从马基雅维利到亨廷顿，从尼采到韦伯，从勒庞到Eric Hoffer，乃至许许多多其他的近现代神学、哲学和其他各种「学」，最终都像是在不同的道路上朝着同一个终点迈进。
即便是没怎么看的如G. K. Chesterton，他对斯宾格勒的极力反驳，基本上和也我自己想的方向一致，更和汤因比最终对信仰的强调一致，尽管如今多的是理解能力低下的当代大学住客们把Chesterton那些容易懂的话当作「反驳」汤因比的「论据」。那些无意义文字能给人的唯一印象就是：老中青三代都得重新学习什么叫做论证，什么叫做「一个人的写作表达」而不是「键盘工的文字堆彻」。
不过那在如今并非学力或者学术问题，真理也好，学术也罢，都是只要会跟着念进步咒即可。
https://thenib.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/the-social-justice-league-ad1602004dd-003-a9746c-1.jpeg
如果说信仰是如此地真实和重要，以至于在这些出身不同，领域不同，所用的语言，所擅的才学，所熟悉的文化，所生活的社会，所活跃的时代都迥异的诸位先贤的探索和思考中都闪烁着不可能让人错认的光，且在如今几乎只剩一派整齐的象牙塔树林中，依然有 Scruton 这样的人将同样的光传递下去，更重要的是，这些人自有其继承的由来，他们所面对的先贤想必是令其产生同样共鸣的一群人，同样地分布于不同的时空，那么有一点很明确，这是一条「不变的路」，不管时代如何，社会如何，文化如何。人类至今的历史，没有任何东西、任何事件能够真正改变这条路。
稍微浅明一点的历史例证，就是马克斯·韦伯在《新教伦理与资本主义精神》中想要说明的：新教信仰是推动资本主义爆炸性发展的根源。
Eric Hoffer 也在True Believer一书中指出，推动诸国现代化的，是对未来的信仰，无论那信仰是以什么形式出现。即便所谓现代是一个号称「无神」的时代，然而现代的「群众」和过去的「教徒」们至少也是同样地虔诚——对他们所信的，能给他们带来对未来之希望的那些教条，无论那多么荒谬。（如共产主义，如各种作为当今象牙塔「显学」的进步类咒语）
信仰？虚无缥缈？先劳驾反思一下，这「虚无缥缈」是怎么在你自己脑袋里变得比钢还硬，最起码也做到了「外来文字无效」的吧。
------------------------------------
综上，如果说谁要寻找自己可以确认的「人生的价值」，那么这一在实际意义上最接近「永恒」的「不变」之路，是不是比各种各样的神像、偶像、半仙们要更加实在？
当然了，坚定地要成为「伟大人民群众」之一员的，愿意为各种教条奉献自己一腔虔诚的现代「教徒」们，请忽略我说的每一个字。
现实的发展当然不完全符合 Roger Scruton 临时编的笑话，但现实的方向一如他所料。
Scruton 回答的第二个有趣问题，是关于一个观众提到「低下的出生率」。
他的回答是：
这会是没几个人能接受的答案。然而就算「人民」不接受，那也不要紧，如今现实中的 Saviors 已经到位并发挥着 Scruton 一句引起观众大笑的不算玩笑的玩笑所描述的关键功能：普京、拜登、欧洲的代理战争领袖们无一例外，似乎正在制造同一个方向的巨大效果。然而这个玩笑是真玩笑，和上一个回答不同。
因为要说的东西过于严肃，过于「真实」，以至于当代最清醒的西方真正哲学家之一，只能用「拙劣玩笑」这种形式去表达顶级智库的观众之中亦恐无一人能够真正接受的那些真相。也即始终被斥为「非主流」汤因比所指出的没人想看的东西，哪怕是在认识上能够做到他期望之事的那些人（如Chesterton）。
我想指出：相信人和人的生活是「观念」的产物，一个人可以用此去反对「历史的阶段论」，但那并不意味着能够改变得了人群，乃至自己的观念，因而也改变不了这种「出自人为解读」的历史阶段变迁。
-------------------------------
现实是：过去的西方大萧条表明，观念不变的话，生育率不会因为经济变差而升高，反而是下降。因为受到冲击的育龄夫妇试图保持生活的水准，生育只能押后。
真正让人快速改变的是emotional shock，光是经济变差，不能达到真正starvation的话，恐怕也还不太够。（这一点在中国也是完全适用的）
他的回答是：
I doubt I get that audience to say that in London. In Europe the situation is catastrophic.
I think the abundance of things is the essential foundation (for that).
I think if there are some means introducing starvation in America, everything will go well.
这会是没几个人能接受的答案。然而就算「人民」不接受，那也不要紧，如今现实中的 Saviors 已经到位并发挥着 Scruton 一句引起观众大笑的不算玩笑的玩笑所描述的关键功能：普京、拜登、欧洲的代理战争领袖们无一例外，似乎正在制造同一个方向的巨大效果。然而这个玩笑是真玩笑，和上一个回答不同。
因为要说的东西过于严肃，过于「真实」，以至于当代最清醒的西方真正哲学家之一，只能用「拙劣玩笑」这种形式去表达顶级智库的观众之中亦恐无一人能够真正接受的那些真相。也即始终被斥为「非主流」汤因比所指出的没人想看的东西，哪怕是在认识上能够做到他期望之事的那些人（如Chesterton）。
我想指出：相信人和人的生活是「观念」的产物，一个人可以用此去反对「历史的阶段论」，但那并不意味着能够改变得了人群，乃至自己的观念，因而也改变不了这种「出自人为解读」的历史阶段变迁。
-------------------------------
现实是：过去的西方大萧条表明，观念不变的话，生育率不会因为经济变差而升高，反而是下降。因为受到冲击的育龄夫妇试图保持生活的水准，生育只能押后。
真正让人快速改变的是emotional shock，光是经济变差，不能达到真正starvation的话，恐怕也还不太够。（这一点在中国也是完全适用的）
敲这帖第一个字的时候，是英国伦敦时间早晨3:00。
今天是英国人的大日子，新的全民用沙包「首相」将要诞生。咱今天也秉着「恶意观看」的态度，来欣赏一下：到底是「撒切尔的copycat」成功玩出一回nostalgia，还是由「背后捅人一刀的家伙」真正戴上王冠？
两人的竞选用「一句话slogan」，无论从句式、内容还是要表达的信息都完全不同。
Truss: "Trusted to Deliver, Ready to Lead."
Sunak: "Rebuild the economy, keep Brexit safe, beat Starmer's Labour."
先略微区分一下两人的表达：Truss着眼于长远，Sunak 强调近前。前者试图去共鸣的诉求，还是可以用Roger Scruton 的话总结，即 People's desire for a long-lasting home. 后者是位无论其他人怎么看待其话语，都只能把他视为「实际」的人物，相当于告诉大家，「我乃解决眼前的不二之选」。前者立足于保守主义的真正根基，后者立足于眼前的实际。
换句话说，这两位是「截然不同」的两极，用象牙塔的语言来表达，就是「有着充分的代表性」。有这么两位最后的竞选者出线，首先让人看到了英国的保守党及其根基，依然有着健康的体质，还没有真正被「进步」这只毁灭之兽所吞噬。其次，保守主义的真正希望，自然是着重于长远，目前的poll让人看到的正是这份希望。然而即使是明显落后，有Sunak这样「只重眼前」的人出线，说明英国保守主义维系其自身的信仰毫无疑问地正在衰减。
所以，今天的戏尽管无声，但不可谓不大。
-------------------------------
我们正身处命运的关卡，看着自己无法改变，却要主宰自己一生的巨变，在庞大的剧场中上演。
然而个人倒也不是无事可做，能够在精神上克服这种「无力感」，找到真正的价值，去选择适当的行动并付诸实施，恐怕就是这种稀少个人所不可回避的命运挑战。
今天是英国人的大日子，新的
两人的竞选用「一句话slogan」，无论从句式、内容还是要表达的信息都完全不同。
Truss: "Trusted to Deliver, Ready to Lead."
Sunak: "Rebuild the economy, keep Brexit safe, beat Starmer's Labour."
先略微区分一下两人的表达：Truss着眼于长远，Sunak 强调近前。前者试图去共鸣的诉求，还是可以用Roger Scruton 的话总结，即 People's desire for a long-lasting home. 后者是位无论其他人怎么看待其话语，都只能把他视为「实际」的人物，相当于告诉大家，「我乃解决眼前的不二之选」。前者立足于保守主义的真正根基，后者立足于眼前的实际。
换句话说，这两位是「截然不同」的两极，用象牙塔的语言来表达，就是「有着充分的代表性」。有这么两位最后的竞选者出线，首先让人看到了英国的保守党及其根基，依然有着健康的体质，还没有真正被「进步」这只毁灭之兽所吞噬。其次，保守主义的真正希望，自然是着重于长远，目前的poll让人看到的正是这份希望。然而即使是明显落后，有Sunak这样「只重眼前」的人出线，说明英国保守主义维系其自身的信仰毫无疑问地正在衰减。
所以，今天的戏尽管无声，但不可谓不大。
-------------------------------
我们正身处命运的关卡，看着自己无法改变，却要主宰自己一生的巨变，在庞大的剧场中上演。
然而个人倒也不是无事可做，能够在精神上克服这种「无力感」，找到真正的价值，去选择适当的行动并付诸实施，恐怕就是这种稀少个人所不可回避的命运挑战。
Our narrowing options in Ukraine
...the economic fallout from the war is landing on the West as well as on Russia. Americans are grappling with higher gasoline and food prices. Europe is facing not only the prospect of a cold winter, but also significant disruptions in key industries, as sanctions-related shortages of natural gas and other Russian commodities take their toll on the construction, metals, and automotive sectors. Germany, highly dependent on Russian energy supplies, is headed toward significant economic turbulence in the coming months if current trends continue.
These realities have reshaped Putin’s strategy. Recognizing America’s advantages in battlefield technology, Putin has turned the conflict into an endurance contest that plays to Russian strengths. He is relying increasingly on China and the Global South to outflank Western sanctions, while counting on the vaunted pain tolerance of the Russian people to outlast Western political resolve. And he is apparently calculating that, even with sustained Western support, Ukraine cannot match Russia’s reserves of manpower, munitions and economic resilience in a war of attrition. Putin may be unable to conquer Ukraine altogether, but he can turn it into a bleeding wound for years to come, unable to mend itself and in no condition to join NATO.
Unless we change the terms of engagement, time may well be Putin’s ally in Ukraine. What choices do we have to counter his moves?
Tightening the economic noose around Russia will be ineffective. Any faint hopes we may once have entertained for winning China’s support against Russia were destroyed by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-Calif.) recent visit to Taiwan. Western sanctions on Russia have proved to be an economic bonanza for India, which is eagerly purchasing Russian oil at discount prices and reselling it in Europe. On balance, the Global South is far more alarmed by perceived American economic and cultural imperialism than by Russian aggression in Ukraine.
Military escalation in pursuit of a Ukrainian victory would be an enormous gamble. Washington’s large cadre of hawks insists that we should “pull out all the stops by providing Ukraine the means it needs to prevail.” But this almost certainly would require much more than simply sending longer-range artillery and rocket systems. Ukraine needs massive help operating and maintaining these systems, equipping and manning its air force, and training and expanding its ground forces — all time-intensive tasks that could drag the United States more deeply into the fighting. Those advocating all-out military support for Ukraine presuppose that Putin would accept defeat rather than risk a direct — and possibly nuclear — clash with NATO. If that assumption were proved wrong, the consequences could be catastrophic.
......
As long as we are unwilling to steer toward a compromise settlement — which, as Kyiv itself proposed early in the war, would have to involve some form of armed neutrality for Ukraine — we face a choice between escalating our involvement and engaging in an endurance contest in which Putin likes his chances. Neither approach is likely to end well for Ukraine or for the United States.
...the economic fallout from the war is landing on the West as well as on Russia. Americans are grappling with higher gasoline and food prices. Europe is facing not only the prospect of a cold winter, but also significant disruptions in key industries, as sanctions-related shortages of natural gas and other Russian commodities take their toll on the construction, metals, and automotive sectors. Germany, highly dependent on Russian energy supplies, is headed toward significant economic turbulence in the coming months if current trends continue.
These realities have reshaped Putin’s strategy. Recognizing America’s advantages in battlefield technology, Putin has turned the conflict into an endurance contest that plays to Russian strengths. He is relying increasingly on China and the Global South to outflank Western sanctions, while counting on the vaunted pain tolerance of the Russian people to outlast Western political resolve. And he is apparently calculating that, even with sustained Western support, Ukraine cannot match Russia’s reserves of manpower, munitions and economic resilience in a war of attrition. Putin may be unable to conquer Ukraine altogether, but he can turn it into a bleeding wound for years to come, unable to mend itself and in no condition to join NATO.
Unless we change the terms of engagement, time may well be Putin’s ally in Ukraine. What choices do we have to counter his moves?
Tightening the economic noose around Russia will be ineffective. Any faint hopes we may once have entertained for winning China’s support against Russia were destroyed by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-Calif.) recent visit to Taiwan. Western sanctions on Russia have proved to be an economic bonanza for India, which is eagerly purchasing Russian oil at discount prices and reselling it in Europe. On balance, the Global South is far more alarmed by perceived American economic and cultural imperialism than by Russian aggression in Ukraine.
Military escalation in pursuit of a Ukrainian victory would be an enormous gamble. Washington’s large cadre of hawks insists that we should “pull out all the stops by providing Ukraine the means it needs to prevail.” But this almost certainly would require much more than simply sending longer-range artillery and rocket systems. Ukraine needs massive help operating and maintaining these systems, equipping and manning its air force, and training and expanding its ground forces — all time-intensive tasks that could drag the United States more deeply into the fighting. Those advocating all-out military support for Ukraine presuppose that Putin would accept defeat rather than risk a direct — and possibly nuclear — clash with NATO. If that assumption were proved wrong, the consequences could be catastrophic.
......
As long as we are unwilling to steer toward a compromise settlement — which, as Kyiv itself proposed early in the war, would have to involve some form of armed neutrality for Ukraine — we face a choice between escalating our involvement and engaging in an endurance contest in which Putin likes his chances. Neither approach is likely to end well for Ukraine or for the United States.
Managed Competition: A U.S. Grand Strategy for a Multipolar World
Executive Summary
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has accelerated pre-existing momentum toward a multipolar global order. In response, the Biden administration effectively rallied NATO and ensured that Russian forces cannot resubjugate Ukraine. But it has not anchored its tactical moves in a broader strategy to safeguard America’s most critical interests. As a result, we are fast headed toward a two-front geopolitical faceoff in which a belligerent Russia and a rising China are cooperating closely with each other against the United States.
In a world in which power is shifting from the West toward the East and Global South, the United States is enmeshed in a proxy war with the world’s largest nuclear power, and Americans face mounting political and social challenges at home, a dangerous gap has emerged between Washington’s global ambitions and its ability to achieve them. The United States had a large margin for strategic error during its era of post-Cold War global primacy, when it faced no significant great power challengers. It has no such cushion today. America needs to rethink its grand strategy.
This should involve the following elements:
• Recognize that attempts to isolate and weaken Russia and China are likely to fail. The combination of Russia’s vast natural resources and China’s economic heft and centrality to global commerce present a challenge far different from what we faced during the Cold War, when the Soviet Union posed a military and ideological threat but was economically feeble.
• Avoid promoting regime change or otherwise undermining political and economic stability in Russia and China, which could have serious blowback effects in the United States. The United States’ economic health is to a great degree dependent on that of China. Information technology has made us vulnerable to external subversion at a time when American society is dangerously divided and mistrustful of key institutions.
• Instead, pursue a strategy of managed competition, in which our rivals are not only counterbalanced by American power and alliances, but also are constrained by agreed rules of the game that are tailored to an era in which advances in precision weaponry, cyber technology, and artificial intelligence pose significant new threats to stability.
• Be more selective about where the United States should focus its involvement. As a seapower dependent on trade and robust international partnerships, the United States must remain engaged with the world. But Washington can no longer afford to squander its resources on quixotic democratization crusades or on policing regions that are not central to America’s own well-being. Greater burden sharing by allies and partners is essential.
• Aim to gain a breathing spell abroad so that we can focus on healing our domestic wounds and advancing prosperity at home. This also means that the United States should avoid framing its global challenges in terms of an existential battle between democracy and authoritarianism.
Executive Summary
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has accelerated pre-existing momentum toward a multipolar global order. In response, the Biden administration effectively rallied NATO and ensured that Russian forces cannot resubjugate Ukraine. But it has not anchored its tactical moves in a broader strategy to safeguard America’s most critical interests. As a result, we are fast headed toward a two-front geopolitical faceoff in which a belligerent Russia and a rising China are cooperating closely with each other against the United States.
In a world in which power is shifting from the West toward the East and Global South, the United States is enmeshed in a proxy war with the world’s largest nuclear power, and Americans face mounting political and social challenges at home, a dangerous gap has emerged between Washington’s global ambitions and its ability to achieve them. The United States had a large margin for strategic error during its era of post-Cold War global primacy, when it faced no significant great power challengers. It has no such cushion today. America needs to rethink its grand strategy.
This should involve the following elements:
• Recognize that attempts to isolate and weaken Russia and China are likely to fail. The combination of Russia’s vast natural resources and China’s economic heft and centrality to global commerce present a challenge far different from what we faced during the Cold War, when the Soviet Union posed a military and ideological threat but was economically feeble.
• Avoid promoting regime change or otherwise undermining political and economic stability in Russia and China, which could have serious blowback effects in the United States. The United States’ economic health is to a great degree dependent on that of China. Information technology has made us vulnerable to external subversion at a time when American society is dangerously divided and mistrustful of key institutions.
• Instead, pursue a strategy of managed competition, in which our rivals are not only counterbalanced by American power and alliances, but also are constrained by agreed rules of the game that are tailored to an era in which advances in precision weaponry, cyber technology, and artificial intelligence pose significant new threats to stability.
• Be more selective about where the United States should focus its involvement. As a seapower dependent on trade and robust international partnerships, the United States must remain engaged with the world. But Washington can no longer afford to squander its resources on quixotic democratization crusades or on policing regions that are not central to America’s own well-being. Greater burden sharing by allies and partners is essential.
• Aim to gain a breathing spell abroad so that we can focus on healing our domestic wounds and advancing prosperity at home. This also means that the United States should avoid framing its global challenges in terms of an existential battle between democracy and authoritarianism.
结果已出：
2022英国保守党选举，由 Liz Truss 胜出，结果宣布的时间比预定晚了几分钟。
现在 Liz Truss 已在台上发表获胜讲话，特别夸奖了 BoJo，因为他曾经 Crashed Corbyn。
后面的，我这个「恶意观众」就没多大兴趣了，总之并非重点。
--------------------------
Truss 胜出，意味着什么呢？
在现实的意义上，对英国人而言，意味着真正拥有对未来之信心的保守派的胜利。
对「中国」而言，这意味着「不再是英国的经济合作伙伴」，而是要升格成为「英国的国家威胁」。
之后的影响还会很多吧，不过还是要看接下来的现实发展。
很多「主流媒体」喜欢强调「通货膨胀的挑战」，然而 Truss 的真正困难，在于如何继续维持对这场「代理战争」的参与，同时解决民众真正的生活关切。
学院派的纸上麻烦，今后只能归入鸡毛蒜皮一类。
2022英国保守党选举，由 Liz Truss 胜出，结果宣布的时间比预定晚了几分钟。
现在 Liz Truss 已在台上发表获胜讲话，特别夸奖了 BoJo，因为他曾经 Crashed Corbyn。
后面的，我这个「恶意观众」就没多大兴趣了，总之并非重点。
--------------------------
Truss 胜出，意味着什么呢？
在现实的意义上，对英国人而言，意味着真正拥有对未来之信心的保守派的胜利。
对「中国」而言，这意味着「不再是英国的经济合作伙伴」，而是要升格成为「英国的国家威胁」。
之后的影响还会很多吧，不过还是要看接下来的现实发展。
很多「主流媒体」喜欢强调「通货膨胀的挑战」，然而 Truss 的真正困难，在于如何继续维持对这场「代理战争」的参与，同时解决民众真正的生活关切。
学院派的纸上麻烦，今后只能归入鸡毛蒜皮一类。
REVEALED - the scale of family breakdown in modern Britain laid bare: Half of children live across more than one household and a quarter of families are headed by a lone parent (and 90 PER CENT are women), shocking new figures show
The scale of family breakdown has been laid bare by figures showing almost half of children do not stay with both parents throughout childhood.
A major report reveals that growing numbers of youngsters live across more than one household with separations becoming ‘quite common’.
According to the Office for National Statistics one in four families is headed by a lone parent, 90 per cent of whom are women. However, a review into contemporary family life, commissioned by the Government, has found the figure could in reality be as high as one in three.
The report from Rachel de Souza, the children’s commissioner for England, stresses that families have a crucial ‘protective effect’ that help shield people in times of crisis and can improve happiness levels and even future earnings.
Dame Rachel will today urge the next prime minister to put family ‘at the heart of all policy decisions’.
The scale of family breakdown has been laid bare by figures showing almost half of children do not stay with both parents throughout childhood.
A major report reveals that growing numbers of youngsters live across more than one household with separations becoming ‘quite common’.
According to the Office for National Statistics one in four families is headed by a lone parent, 90 per cent of whom are women. However, a review into contemporary family life, commissioned by the Government, has found the figure could in reality be as high as one in three.
The report from Rachel de Souza, the children’s commissioner for England, stresses that families have a crucial ‘protective effect’ that help shield people in times of crisis and can improve happiness levels and even future earnings.
Dame Rachel will today urge the next prime minister to put family ‘at the heart of all policy decisions’.
Channel crossings by small boat hit highest monthly total on record
The UK had the highest monthly total of people crossing the Channel on record in August with more than 8,000, an analysis of government figures show.
In the 31-day period, 8,644 made the journey on 189 boats, with crossings taking place on 21 of those days. It is the highest monthly total since records began in 2018, with the previous high of 6,961 recorded in November 2021, according to analysis by the PA news agency.
On 22 August, the highest ever daily total was recorded, with 1,295 people crossing in 27 boats. More than 25,000 people have made the crossing in 2022 so far, according to Home Office figures and provisional data collected by the Ministry of Defence.
The UK had the highest monthly total of people crossing the Channel on record in August with more than 8,000, an analysis of government figures show.
In the 31-day period, 8,644 made the journey on 189 boats, with crossings taking place on 21 of those days. It is the highest monthly total since records began in 2018, with the previous high of 6,961 recorded in November 2021, according to analysis by the PA news agency.
On 22 August, the highest ever daily total was recorded, with 1,295 people crossing in 27 boats. More than 25,000 people have made the crossing in 2022 so far, according to Home Office figures and provisional data collected by the Ministry of Defence.
French Bill To Grant The Right To Vote For Foreigners
The question of whether foreigners have a right to vote in local elections is a sea serpent in French political life. A hundred times, under all the mandates of previous presidents, the project has been put on the table and debated, and a hundred times it has been rejected. François Mitterrand said he was in favour of it in 1981, without actually doing anything about it. Nicolas Sarkozy claimed in 2007 his support for the idea, before retreating from this position once he was elected.
Emmanuel Macron, in his second term, must now tackle this thorny issue. The foreigners’ vote was among one of President Macron’s campaign promises, which explains its early arrival on the agenda of the deputies. In the middle of the summer, a new bill was tabled by the chairman of the law commission, Sacha Houlié, belonging to the presidential majority. The right to vote for foreigners will once again be argued in the autumn, even before the opening of the great debate on immigration proposed by the president, which is to be held in October, according to arrangements that are still unknown.
The vote has little chance of succeeding. It will most likely pass the National Assembly with the help of votes from the Left: the ecologists are in favour of it, and describe it as “obvious.” Manon Aubry, on behalf of La France Insoumise, explained that her party “would be eager to vote” for this law. But the right-wing majority in the Senate will certainly block it.
Strategically, the Macronist majority has every interest in positioning itself in support of this divisive issue to heal its Left fringe. The opposition, embodied by the Rassemblement National (RN), has unsurprisingly made known its total and absolute rejection of the project.
The question of whether foreigners have a right to vote in local elections is a sea serpent in French political life. A hundred times, under all the mandates of previous presidents, the project has been put on the table and debated, and a hundred times it has been rejected. François Mitterrand said he was in favour of it in 1981, without actually doing anything about it. Nicolas Sarkozy claimed in 2007 his support for the idea, before retreating from this position once he was elected.
Emmanuel Macron, in his second term, must now tackle this thorny issue. The foreigners’ vote was among one of President Macron’s campaign promises, which explains its early arrival on the agenda of the deputies. In the middle of the summer, a new bill was tabled by the chairman of the law commission, Sacha Houlié, belonging to the presidential majority. The right to vote for foreigners will once again be argued in the autumn, even before the opening of the great debate on immigration proposed by the president, which is to be held in October, according to arrangements that are still unknown.
The vote has little chance of succeeding. It will most likely pass the National Assembly with the help of votes from the Left: the ecologists are in favour of it, and describe it as “obvious.” Manon Aubry, on behalf of La France Insoumise, explained that her party “would be eager to vote” for this law. But the right-wing majority in the Senate will certainly block it.
Strategically, the Macronist majority has every interest in positioning itself in support of this divisive issue to heal its Left fringe. The opposition, embodied by the Rassemblement National (RN), has unsurprisingly made known its total and absolute rejection of the project.
The EU is running low on weapons because it's given so many to Ukraine, top diplomat says
European Union member states are running low on weapons at home because they've given so many to Ukraine, the bloc's top diplomat said, renewing calls for a restock.
Josep Borrell, the EU's high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, said on Monday: "The military stocks of most member states has been, I wouldn't say exhausted, but depleted in a high proportion, because we have been providing a lot of capacity to the Ukrainians," the Associated Press reported.
......
Borrell on Monday also said that the EU should have begun training Ukrainian troops a year ago, when some member states called for it.
"Unhappily we didn't, and today we regret. We regret that last August we were not following this request, fulfilling this request," he said.
European Union member states are running low on weapons at home because they've given so many to Ukraine, the bloc's top diplomat said, renewing calls for a restock.
Josep Borrell, the EU's high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, said on Monday: "The military stocks of most member states has been, I wouldn't say exhausted, but depleted in a high proportion, because we have been providing a lot of capacity to the Ukrainians," the Associated Press reported.
......
Borrell on Monday also said that the EU should have begun training Ukrainian troops a year ago, when some member states called for it.
"Unhappily we didn't, and today we regret. We regret that last August we were not following this request, fulfilling this request," he said.
Germany heading for recession despite new relief plan - economists
BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany, Europe's largest economy, is still on course for a recession even with a new government plan to spend 65 billion euros ($64.49 billion) on shielding energy customers and businesses from soaring inflation, economists say.
The latest package brings to 95 billion euros the amount allocated to inflation-busting since the Ukraine war began in February. By contrast, the government spent 300 billion euros on propping up the economy over the two years of the pandemic.
"The third relief package does little to change the fact that Germany is likely to slide into recession in the autumn," said Commerzbank chief economist Joerg Kraemer.
ING chief economist Carsten Brzeski agreed: "The package will probably fall short in preventing the broader economy from falling into recession."
BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany, Europe's largest economy, is still on course for a recession even with a new government plan to spend 65 billion euros ($64.49 billion) on shielding energy customers and businesses from soaring inflation, economists say.
The latest package brings to 95 billion euros the amount allocated to inflation-busting since the Ukraine war began in February. By contrast, the government spent 300 billion euros on propping up the economy over the two years of the pandemic.
"The third relief package does little to change the fact that Germany is likely to slide into recession in the autumn," said Commerzbank chief economist Joerg Kraemer.
ING chief economist Carsten Brzeski agreed: "The package will probably fall short in preventing the broader economy from falling into recession."
>>BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany, Europe's largest econo...
Heck, a European really does not need an economist to perceive & understand the current dire situation along with its 'further complications' in the foreseeable future.
However, a lot of them might need lots of soothsayers with many different modern academic titles, in case they experience difficulty swallowing that huge, hard, cold, and rough reality down.
>>The question of whether foreigners have a right to...
Madness can be fun~
Why not have it run~
Let's out and party on~
'til the ol' reaper comes down~
看了一圈智利新宪法才知道什么叫真正的逆天 什么叫立场鲜明的为意识形态服务的疯狂fantasy 只能说民众的民智真的是一切的基础 做好不容易 做坏相当快
The chips are down: Putin scrambles for high-tech parts as his arsenal goes up in smoke
It's the microchips that look set to get Vladimir Putin in the end. Six months into its invasion of Ukraine, Russia is being throttled by a severe technology deficit inflicted by sanctions.
Having fired off (or lost in combat) way more of their missile firepower than they originally anticipated, Moscow's soldiers are now increasingly relying on ancient stocks of primitive Soviet-era munitions while Western-armed Ukrainian forces are battling to turn the tide in a southern counteroffensive with pinpoint strikes on munition dumps and key infrastructure such as bridges.
Kyiv is acutely aware that the outcome of the war is likely to hinge on whether Russia finds a way to regain access to high-tech chips, and is out to ensure it doesn't get them. In order to flag the danger, Ukraine is sending out international warnings that the Kremlin has drawn up shopping lists of semiconductors, transformers, connectors, casings, transistors, insulators and other components, most made by companies in the U.S., Germany, the Netherlands, the U.K., Taiwan and Japan, among others, which it needs to fuel its war effort.
The message is clear: Don't let the Russians get their hands on this gadgetry.
POLITICO has seen one of the Russian lists, which is divided into three priority categories, from the most critical components to the least. It even includes the price per item that Moscow expects to pay, down to the last kopeck. While POLITICO could not independently verify the provenance of the list, two experts in military supply chains confirmed it was in line with other research findings about Russia's military equipment and needs.
It's the microchips that look set to get Vladimir Putin in the end. Six months into its invasion of Ukraine, Russia is being throttled by a severe technology deficit inflicted by sanctions.
Having fired off (or lost in combat) way more of their missile firepower than they originally anticipated, Moscow's soldiers are now increasingly relying on ancient stocks of primitive Soviet-era munitions while Western-armed Ukrainian forces are battling to turn the tide in a southern counteroffensive with pinpoint strikes on munition dumps and key infrastructure such as bridges.
Kyiv is acutely aware that the outcome of the war is likely to hinge on whether Russia finds a way to regain access to high-tech chips, and is out to ensure it doesn't get them. In order to flag the danger, Ukraine is sending out international warnings that the Kremlin has drawn up shopping lists of semiconductors, transformers, connectors, casings, transistors, insulators and other components, most made by companies in the U.S., Germany, the Netherlands, the U.K., Taiwan and Japan, among others, which it needs to fuel its war effort.
The message is clear: Don't let the Russians get their hands on this gadgetry.
POLITICO has seen one of the Russian lists, which is divided into three priority categories, from the most critical components to the least. It even includes the price per item that Moscow expects to pay, down to the last kopeck. While POLITICO could not independently verify the provenance of the list, two experts in military supply chains confirmed it was in line with other research findings about Russia's military equipment and needs.
End of Energy Market Brings Rationing
...Now European leaders are moving to end market-driven energy economics, capping the price households and some businesses pay for their electricity and gas in an effort to stem spiraling costs. They’ll have to set about the dirty job of rationing demand – and that’s a messy business.
In the UK, incoming Prime Minister Liz Truss is drafting a plan to freeze utility bills, rather than allow the 80% increase proposed by the energy regulator. Other European countries are mulling a similar approach, or offering energy rebates and subsidies that will have much the same impact.
In replacing the market as leveler of supply and demand, policy makers will have to roll up their sleeves and decide who gets what energy, and when. If they don’t, they’ll resolve the price problem but exacerbate the supply crunch, dooming their plans to failure.
The European Union has acknowledged as much, albeit camouflaged in diplomatically correct terms. In a policy note ahead of an emergency meeting of energy ministers set for Friday, the European Commission said its plan to reduce retail electricity prices had an element of “mandatory demand reduction,” which “helps to mitigate the price pressure.” In simpler words: to cap energy prices, one must first curb consumption.
European leaders better prepare themselves for the job: multiple industry lobbies will surely come knocking to insist that others shoulder the burden of rationing. From steelmakers to fertilizer producers, all will consider their business essential. And governments will have to disappoint many.
--Javier Blas, Bloomberg Opinion
...Now European leaders are moving to end market-driven energy economics, capping the price households and some businesses pay for their electricity and gas in an effort to stem spiraling costs. They’ll have to set about the dirty job of rationing demand – and that’s a messy business.
In the UK, incoming Prime Minister Liz Truss is drafting a plan to freeze utility bills, rather than allow the 80% increase proposed by the energy regulator. Other European countries are mulling a similar approach, or offering energy rebates and subsidies that will have much the same impact.
In replacing the market as leveler of supply and demand, policy makers will have to roll up their sleeves and decide who gets what energy, and when. If they don’t, they’ll resolve the price problem but exacerbate the supply crunch, dooming their plans to failure.
The European Union has acknowledged as much, albeit camouflaged in diplomatically correct terms. In a policy note ahead of an emergency meeting of energy ministers set for Friday, the European Commission said its plan to reduce retail electricity prices had an element of “mandatory demand reduction,” which “helps to mitigate the price pressure.” In simpler words: to cap energy prices, one must first curb consumption.
European leaders better prepare themselves for the job: multiple industry lobbies will surely come knocking to insist that others shoulder the burden of rationing. From steelmakers to fertilizer producers, all will consider their business essential. And governments will have to disappoint many.
--Javier Blas, Bloomberg Opinion
Liz Truss is Just Boris Johnson in Drag
...Born to far-left parents – one of whom refuses to campaign for her - Truss dabbled in anti-West protests during the Cold War, vegetarianism and monarchy abolition in her late teens, corporate profiteering in her early career, and perhaps most recently notable: opposing Brexit.
In other words, her wild inconsistencies have one consistency of their own: Truss is always on the wrong side of what is best for the ordinary Briton. It is no wonder she saw fit to once brand her fellow countrymen as “among the worst idlers in the world.”
Her premiership looks likely to be driven by the same corporate perspectives, with her stance on Boris’s “net zero” climate change targets pushing up UK energy prices unlikely to alter from her predecessors’. And if you’re one of the insufferable people who calls it “Putin’s price hike” or similar, she also intends to continue fueling Klaus Schwab’s war. So she’s left with this appalling position of “freezing energy prices” while doing nothing to alleviate the actual causes of rising energy prices: climate change policies and foreign wars.
And despite baring no philosophically conservative credentials, the UK media has sought to portray some of Truss’s more establishment alliances as “hard right”. Because if they didn’t, they’d have to report on the real right in British politics. And you aren’t allowed to learn about them, because you might end up liking them. Better to frame a former Liberal Democrat vegetarian whose only jobs were for big, corporate interests as “far right.”
...
Flatly, across the board, Truss looks to be a worse answer to Conservative governance in the United Kingdom than Boris Johnson himself. She got her start as a result of an “all female” parliamentary candidate shortlist; rated David Cameron over Margaret Thatcher during a Times interview; maintains a coterie of neoliberal advisors who make Boris’s team look positively competent; recently praised the Islamist dictatorship in Turkey (as well as in Saudi Arabia); oh, and she took the world to the brink of nuclear war a few months ago by suggesting Britons go to fight in Ukraine. Her own government had to distance itself from her comments, as Foreign Secretary, less than 24 hours later.
You see, in case I forgot to mention it, Liz Truss is very much just Boris Johnson in drag: an Oxford-educated, wet, opportunistic, World Economic Forum-type with a predilection for moral turpitude.
That’s how the Conservative Party works now. Someone obviously worse than the last pops up, claims to be conservative, gets into office, then governs to the left of Blair’s Labour Party. A few years in, everyone accepts they’ve been terrible, but refuses to accept that the next one isn’t the “genuine conservative” the last few promised to be. It’s been “rinse and repeat” like this for over a decade now.
...Born to far-left parents – one of whom refuses to campaign for her - Truss dabbled in anti-West protests during the Cold War, vegetarianism and monarchy abolition in her late teens, corporate profiteering in her early career, and perhaps most recently notable: opposing Brexit.
In other words, her wild inconsistencies have one consistency of their own: Truss is always on the wrong side of what is best for the ordinary Briton. It is no wonder she saw fit to once brand her fellow countrymen as “among the worst idlers in the world.”
Her premiership looks likely to be driven by the same corporate perspectives, with her stance on Boris’s “net zero” climate change targets pushing up UK energy prices unlikely to alter from her predecessors’. And if you’re one of the insufferable people who calls it “Putin’s price hike” or similar, she also intends to continue fueling Klaus Schwab’s war. So she’s left with this appalling position of “freezing energy prices” while doing nothing to alleviate the actual causes of rising energy prices: climate change policies and foreign wars.
And despite baring no philosophically conservative credentials, the UK media has sought to portray some of Truss’s more establishment alliances as “hard right”. Because if they didn’t, they’d have to report on the real right in British politics. And you aren’t allowed to learn about them, because you might end up liking them. Better to frame a former Liberal Democrat vegetarian whose only jobs were for big, corporate interests as “far right.”
...
Flatly, across the board, Truss looks to be a worse answer to Conservative governance in the United Kingdom than Boris Johnson himself. She got her start as a result of an “all female” parliamentary candidate shortlist; rated David Cameron over Margaret Thatcher during a Times interview; maintains a coterie of neoliberal advisors who make Boris’s team look positively competent; recently praised the Islamist dictatorship in Turkey (as well as in Saudi Arabia); oh, and she took the world to the brink of nuclear war a few months ago by suggesting Britons go to fight in Ukraine. Her own government had to distance itself from her comments, as Foreign Secretary, less than 24 hours later.
You see, in case I forgot to mention it, Liz Truss is very much just Boris Johnson in drag: an Oxford-educated, wet, opportunistic, World Economic Forum-type with a predilection for moral turpitude.
That’s how the Conservative Party works now. Someone obviously worse than the last pops up, claims to be conservative, gets into office, then governs to the left of Blair’s Labour Party. A few years in, everyone accepts they’ve been terrible, but refuses to accept that the next one isn’t the “genuine conservative” the last few promised to be. It’s been “rinse and repeat” like this for over a decade now.
Most Americans Support Student Debt Forgiveness Until They Think About It
..."Support for cancelling federal student loan debt plummets when Americans consider its trade-offs," writes Emily Ekins, director of polling for the libertarian Cato Institute, which published polling data on student debt forgiveness Thursday. The Cato/YouGov survey includes more than 2,300 Americans and was conducted over six days in mid-August, just prior to the White House's August 24 announcement of the student loan forgiveness plan.
The results are striking. While 64 percent of respondents (and 88 percent of Democrats) back student loan forgiveness of $10,000 for individuals earning up to $150,000 annually, those totals fall significantly once potential consequences are introduced.
..."Support for cancelling federal student loan debt plummets when Americans consider its trade-offs," writes Emily Ekins, director of polling for the libertarian Cato Institute, which published polling data on student debt forgiveness Thursday. The Cato/YouGov survey includes more than 2,300 Americans and was conducted over six days in mid-August, just prior to the White House's August 24 announcement of the student loan forgiveness plan.
The results are striking. While 64 percent of respondents (and 88 percent of Democrats) back student loan forgiveness of $10,000 for individuals earning up to $150,000 annually, those totals fall significantly once potential consequences are introduced.
Ed Whelan @EdWhelanEPPC
Racial-preferences doublespeak:
Harvard doesn't have racial *quotas* in admissions, it tells us, but instead uses race for "permissible purpose of guarding against inadvertent drop-offs in *representation* of minority applicants." Oh.
More doublespeak from Harvard: Race "is never viewed as a negative attribute" in admissions. It's just a "plus factor" for applicants of some races but not of others.
And Harvard considers race as only one of many factors. But "if Harvard abandoned consideration of race as one among many factors, representation of African-American and Hispanic students would significantly decline."
https://twitter.com/EdWhelanEPPC/status/1567235694354960384
Racial-preferences doublespeak:
Harvard doesn't have racial *quotas* in admissions, it tells us, but instead uses race for "permissible purpose of guarding against inadvertent drop-offs in *representation* of minority applicants." Oh.
More doublespeak from Harvard: Race "is never viewed as a negative attribute" in admissions. It's just a "plus factor" for applicants of some races but not of others.
And Harvard considers race as only one of many factors. But "if Harvard abandoned consideration of race as one among many factors, representation of African-American and Hispanic students would significantly decline."
https://twitter.com/EdWhelanEPPC/status/1567235694354960384
不要为小事赋予意义
The Ukraine Grift
On May 20, The New York Times reported that the total commitment by the U.S. to Kiev since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24 had reached $54 billion. “The scale is unprecedented and speaks — in terms of the U.S. perspective — to the earthquake presented by the current circumstances in Europe,” said Elias Yousif, an analyst at the Stimson Center.
But since then, there have been a series of announcements about disbursements and pledges of additional aid by the U.S. government. Below is a short list of funding statements from the Department of Defense and U.S. Agency for International Development:
May 19: $100 million (DoD)
June 1: $700 million (DoD)
June 15: $1 billion (DoD)
June 15: $225 million (USAID)
June 18: $169 million (USAID)
June 23: $450 million (DoD)
June 30: $1.3 billion (USAID)
July 1: $820 million (DoD)
July 8: $400 million (DoD)
July 9: $368 million (USAID)
July 12: $1.7 billion (USAID)
July 18: $169 million (USAID)
July 22: $270 million (DoD)
August 1: $550 million (DoD)
August 8: $4.5 billion (USAID)
August 8: $1 billion (DoD)
August 19: $775 million (DoD)
August 24: $3 billion (DoD)
It’s tricky to determine from the outside how much of this is entirely new aid and how much is related to the massive package pledged in May. Cross-referencing each announcement with news reports isn’t very helpful because the media’s vague language indicates that most reporters don’t know much more either — they are essentially just trying to keep up with the press releases that they are repeating. For different reasons, reports related to relevant departments and budgets are also not very helpful. But a conservative estimate puts the total commitment by the U.S. to Ukraine since the outset of the war in February at around $65 billion. By May, Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) estimated Congress was spending almost $500 per American family to fund the war in Ukraine. “The money isn’t being borrowed, it’s being printed, and the result will be more inflation,” he tweeted.
Yet our already massive engagement could dramatically increase very soon. On September 2, Biden asked Congress to approve an additional $13.7 billion aid package for Ukraine, which would put total U.S. commitment in the ballpark of $80 billion.
Uncle Sam has so far pledged significantly more money to this war than all European Union countries combined, according to data compiled by the Kiel Institute for the World Economy.
On May 20, The New York Times reported that the total commitment by the U.S. to Kiev since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24 had reached $54 billion. “The scale is unprecedented and speaks — in terms of the U.S. perspective — to the earthquake presented by the current circumstances in Europe,” said Elias Yousif, an analyst at the Stimson Center.
But since then, there have been a series of announcements about disbursements and pledges of additional aid by the U.S. government. Below is a short list of funding statements from the Department of Defense and U.S. Agency for International Development:
May 19: $100 million (DoD)
June 1: $700 million (DoD)
June 15: $1 billion (DoD)
June 15: $225 million (USAID)
June 18: $169 million (USAID)
June 23: $450 million (DoD)
June 30: $1.3 billion (USAID)
July 1: $820 million (DoD)
July 8: $400 million (DoD)
July 9: $368 million (USAID)
July 12: $1.7 billion (USAID)
July 18: $169 million (USAID)
July 22: $270 million (DoD)
August 1: $550 million (DoD)
August 8: $4.5 billion (USAID)
August 8: $1 billion (DoD)
August 19: $775 million (DoD)
August 24: $3 billion (DoD)
It’s tricky to determine from the outside how much of this is entirely new aid and how much is related to the massive package pledged in May. Cross-referencing each announcement with news reports isn’t very helpful because the media’s vague language indicates that most reporters don’t know much more either — they are essentially just trying to keep up with the press releases that they are repeating. For different reasons, reports related to relevant departments and budgets are also not very helpful. But a conservative estimate puts the total commitment by the U.S. to Ukraine since the outset of the war in February at around $65 billion. By May, Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) estimated Congress was spending almost $500 per American family to fund the war in Ukraine. “The money isn’t being borrowed, it’s being printed, and the result will be more inflation,” he tweeted.
Yet our already massive engagement could dramatically increase very soon. On September 2, Biden asked Congress to approve an additional $13.7 billion aid package for Ukraine, which would put total U.S. commitment in the ballpark of $80 billion.
Uncle Sam has so far pledged significantly more money to this war than all European Union countries combined, according to data compiled by the Kiel Institute for the World Economy.
Disclose.tv @disclosetv
NOW - EU will propose a "mandatory target for reducing electricity use at peak hours" in order to "flatten the curve."
MORE - In winter, typically, peak hours are between 6 and 9 am, and again between 5 and 9 pm — before and after work. Got candles already to flatten the curve?
https://twitter.com/disclosetv/status/1567462388898594816
Ralph Schoellhammer @Raphfel
The fact that they use the term "flatten the curve" again, something that has justifiably bene ridiculed in countless memes and jokes demonstrates how far these people are detached from the real lives of most Europeans.
https://twitter.com/Raphfel/status/1567540517184970752
NOW - EU will propose a "mandatory target for reducing electricity use at peak hours" in order to "flatten the curve."
MORE - In winter, typically, peak hours are between 6 and 9 am, and again between 5 and 9 pm — before and after work. Got candles already to flatten the curve?
https://twitter.com/disclosetv/status/1567462388898594816
Ralph Schoellhammer @Raphfel
The fact that they use the term "flatten the curve" again, something that has justifiably bene ridiculed in countless memes and jokes demonstrates how far these people are detached from the real lives of most Europeans.
Disclose.tv @disclosetv
NOW - EU will propose a "mandatory target for reducing electricity use at peak hours" in order to "flatten the curve."
https://twitter.com/Raphfel/status/1567540517184970752
Auron MacIntyre @AuronMacintyre
The liberal world order has been so dominate for so long they can't imagine a scenario where there are consequences for the decisions they make
That's why they outsourced energy production to adversarial nations and then fought a proxy war with those providers over a client state
They assumed those nations would blink, everyone always blinks eventually under the social and financial pressure
But now that strategy has failed and all they can do is tell their people to freeze and starve in the name of democracy
This is why they are pushing forward with electric cars as they lose the ability to reliably provide electricity
Why they're trying to shutdown farmers as store shelves empty
The plans were already in motion and they can't imagine a scenario where they lose, so they accelerate
https://twitter.com/AuronMacintyre/status/1566418632858603520
The liberal world order has been so dominate for so long they can't imagine a scenario where there are consequences for the decisions they make
That's why they outsourced energy production to adversarial nations and then fought a proxy war with those providers over a client state
They assumed those nations would blink, everyone always blinks eventually under the social and financial pressure
But now that strategy has failed and all they can do is tell their people to freeze and starve in the name of democracy
This is why they are pushing forward with electric cars as they lose the ability to reliably provide electricity
Why they're trying to shutdown farmers as store shelves empty
The plans were already in motion and they can't imagine a scenario where they lose, so they accelerate
https://twitter.com/AuronMacintyre/status/1566418632858603520
Wounded Ukrainian soldiers reveal steep toll of Kherson offensive
...The soldiers said they lacked the artillery needed to dislodge Russia’s entrenched forces and described a yawning technology gap with their better-equipped adversaries. The interviews provided some of the first direct accounts of a push to retake captured territory that is so sensitive, Ukrainian military commanders have barred reporters from visiting the front lines.
“They used everything on us,” said Denys, a 33-year-old Ukrainian soldier whose unit fell back from a Russian-held village after a lengthy barrage of cluster bombs, phosphorous munitions and mortars. “Who can survive an attack for five hours like that?” he said.
Denys and eight other Ukrainian soldiers from seven different units provided rare descriptions of the Kherson counteroffensive in the south, the most ambitious military operation by Kyiv since the expulsion of Russian forces at the perimeter of the capital in the spring. As in the battle for Kyiv, Ukraine’s success is hardly assured and the soldiers’ accounts signaled that a long fight, and many more casualties, lie ahead.
“We lost five people for every one they did,” said Ihor, a 30-year-old platoon commander who injured his back when the tank he was riding in crashed into a ditch.
...
Russia’s Orlan drones exposed Ukrainian positions from more than a kilometer above their heads, they said, an altitude that meant they never heard the buzz of the aircraft tracking their movements.
Russian tanks emerged from newly built cement fortifications to blast infantry with large-caliber artillery, the wounded Ukrainian soldiers said. The vehicles would then shrink back beneath the concrete shelters, shielded from mortar and rocket fire.
Counter-battery radar systems automatically detected and located Ukrainians who were targeting the Russians with projectiles, unleashing a barrage of artillery fire in response.
Russian hacking tools hijacked the drones of Ukrainian operators, who saw their aircraft drift away helplessly behind enemy lines.
Ukraine has discouraged coverage of the offensive, resulting in an information lag on a potentially pivotal inflection point in the nearly seven-month conflict.
...The soldiers said they lacked the artillery needed to dislodge Russia’s entrenched forces and described a yawning technology gap with their better-equipped adversaries. The interviews provided some of the first direct accounts of a push to retake captured territory that is so sensitive, Ukrainian military commanders have barred reporters from visiting the front lines.
“They used everything on us,” said Denys, a 33-year-old Ukrainian soldier whose unit fell back from a Russian-held village after a lengthy barrage of cluster bombs, phosphorous munitions and mortars. “Who can survive an attack for five hours like that?” he said.
Denys and eight other Ukrainian soldiers from seven different units provided rare descriptions of the Kherson counteroffensive in the south, the most ambitious military operation by Kyiv since the expulsion of Russian forces at the perimeter of the capital in the spring. As in the battle for Kyiv, Ukraine’s success is hardly assured and the soldiers’ accounts signaled that a long fight, and many more casualties, lie ahead.
“We lost five people for every one they did,” said Ihor, a 30-year-old platoon commander who injured his back when the tank he was riding in crashed into a ditch.
...
Russia’s Orlan drones exposed Ukrainian positions from more than a kilometer above their heads, they said, an altitude that meant they never heard the buzz of the aircraft tracking their movements.
Russian tanks emerged from newly built cement fortifications to blast infantry with large-caliber artillery, the wounded Ukrainian soldiers said. The vehicles would then shrink back beneath the concrete shelters, shielded from mortar and rocket fire.
Counter-battery radar systems automatically detected and located Ukrainians who were targeting the Russians with projectiles, unleashing a barrage of artillery fire in response.
Russian hacking tools hijacked the drones of Ukrainian operators, who saw their aircraft drift away helplessly behind enemy lines.
Ukraine has discouraged coverage of the offensive, resulting in an information lag on a potentially pivotal inflection point in the nearly seven-month conflict.
Switzerland considers JAILING anyone who heats rooms above 19C for up to three years if the country is forced to ration gas due to Ukraine war
Switzerland is considering jailing anyone who heats their rooms above 19C for up to three years if the country is forced to ration gas due to the Ukraine war.
The country could also give fines to those who violate the proposed new regulations.
Speaking to Blick, Markus Sporndli, who is a spokesman for the Federal Department of Finance, explained that the rate for fines on a daily basis could start at 30 Swiss Francs (£26).
He added that the maximum fine could be up to 3,000 Swiss Francs (£2,667).
And companies who deliberately go over their gas quotas could face punishment.
Additionally, according to the potential measures, temperatures in gas-heated buildings can be no more than 19C (66.2F), with water heated up to 60C (140F).
Blick also reported that radiant heaters would not be allowed and saunas and swimming pools would have to stay cold.
========
From the most upvoted replies to the article:
- It's the leaders whose policies led to this who should be jailed.
- Do you think European politicians and elites will be cold this winter? Don't bet on it.
- Would make more sense to gaol anybody who visits Davos using a private plane and then confiscate the jet...
Switzerland is considering jailing anyone who heats their rooms above 19C for up to three years if the country is forced to ration gas due to the Ukraine war.
The country could also give fines to those who violate the proposed new regulations.
Speaking to Blick, Markus Sporndli, who is a spokesman for the Federal Department of Finance, explained that the rate for fines on a daily basis could start at 30 Swiss Francs (£26).
He added that the maximum fine could be up to 3,000 Swiss Francs (£2,667).
And companies who deliberately go over their gas quotas could face punishment.
Additionally, according to the potential measures, temperatures in gas-heated buildings can be no more than 19C (66.2F), with water heated up to 60C (140F).
Blick also reported that radiant heaters would not be allowed and saunas and swimming pools would have to stay cold.
========
From the most upvoted replies to the article:
- It's the leaders whose policies led to this who should be jailed.
- Do you think European politicians and elites will be cold this winter? Don't bet on it.
- Would make more sense to gaol anybody who visits Davos using a private plane and then confiscate the jet...
>>Switzerland is considering jailing anyone who heat...
Oh, the good ol' memory, the sweet nostalgia, what a refreshing breeze, how gentle this wake-up call!
Mere quoting:
Punishments ranging as high as Ten Years’ Imprisonment or $10,000 Fine, or Both, may be imposed under the United States Statutes for violations thereof arising out of infractions of Rationing Orders and Regulations.
https://www.offthegridnews.com/extreme-survival/that-time-the-u-s-govt-rationed-food-and-threatened-jail-for-those-who-didnt/
A real student of history WILL CERTAINLY live in lack of some part of a NORMAL LIFE, which shall guarantee the amusement of surprises that MOST people are privileged to enjoy in abundance.
--------------------------------------
The lefties, the globalists, the libtards, the idealists, the naive and stupid mass, old or young, as always, could not simply perceive what reality is on-going: that this WAR is now THE first-priority, not 'one of'.
Yet, they will never miss the best opportunity to act, since they are, in essence, opportunistic animals, wherever they are.
有空还是得自己记录一下声望和葱 不然突然这么断一下还真是手足无措
也许在她承接大统之前，帝国的命运就已经注定，然而她穷尽毕生之力，将一个曾经主宰世界的文明所应有的雍容气度维持到了最后一刻。善良的人们会长久怀念她，不仅因为她一生的奉献，更因为在她之后，舞台上唯有各路群魔乱舞，在大剧的终幕将她和列祖列宗捍卫的一切投入熊熊烈火。
>>也许在她承接大统之前，帝国的命运就已经注定，然而她穷尽毕生之力，将一个曾经主宰世界的文明所应有的雍容气度维持到了最后一刻。善良的人们会长久怀念她，不仅因为她一世的奉献，更因为在她之后，舞台上唯有各路群魔乱舞，在大剧的终幕将她和列祖列宗捍卫的一切投入熊熊烈火。
将 Liz Truss 的 Statement on the sad passing 和丘吉尔为乔治六世所写的 Eulogy 相对比，那么一个从彼时活到现如今的英国绅士必定为「英国的退化」而悲叹。
在 Truss 的声明之中，虽然并不表达在文字上，但女王在 Truss 的心目中，是毫无疑问的一个「杰出的公共服务者」，而 Truss 自己，正在为其「身故后的荣誉给以嘉奖」。
这种傲慢到自己完全不知道的盲目，如此愚蠢的自我认知和定位，其实是在颠倒英国的立国之本，也即是英国的「保守党」们一直要维护的英国传统。
从当前的实质权力关系来说，没有错，Truss 的权力远在身不由己的王室之上。但一个从事政治多年的人，怎么就不能稍微多点儿明白：自古以来敢真正标榜自己「立于王冠之上」的能有几个？其中百分之几能有好下场？何况是根本不知道自己在干什么，任由本能发挥的家伙。
总是在强调「从历史中学习」的丘吉尔明白，他的 eulogy 之中，不但让人看到，也让人感觉到他对国王，对王室的真正尊重。但 Truss 的简单声明，却让人不禁想到一种「把麻烦事弄在一起，一次解决」的无语行径，一种彻底失去正常理解能力的自负，那种「瞎了眼也瞎了心」的程度，让看到的人忍不住要确认自己的眼睛是否正常。号称继承英国传统，甚至模仿了撒切尔不算，连在自己的声明中也还要模仿丘吉尔文字的权位继承人，却像是根本不知道自己如今在干什么……
---------------------------------
要说「投入熊熊烈火」，那毫无疑问，其中有 Truss，也有保守党的一份功劳。
前几天读到的一首诗，颇能描述这傲慢到盲目的愚劣：
The Golden Calf
The sun is set, the sky is black,
But light and heat we do not lack:
The Corybantes in gay attire
Gyrate and twirl around the fire.
The fire is low, their song is old,
The calf for which they dance is gold.
The day is spent, we soon shall lie,
Like dead men under this black sky,
With none to watch on our behalf
Except the auriferous calf,
Who 'though by song and fire made great
Will before dawn our hopes deflate,
Who though now glowing fire-red,
Will soon be cold and black and dead.
(这里的 deflate 是为了押韵而押后)
---------------------------------
问题是，假装活着的跳舞僵尸们到点儿之后滚进坟墓，或是虚假的金子化作灰，不等于新的生命就此再兴，或者还能剩下可以辨识并挖掘真金的人。
---------------------------------
两者对比反映出的文字和语言能力的退化，我完全不想多说一字。
特区这帮人的接受能力着实难绷 嘴上各种支持移民和非法移民入境 恨不得支持联邦把边境废了 结果真把移民扔到自己家门口就受不了了 这点人数才哪到哪啊 换位体会下边境那几个城市的居民 天天忍受着这种为了政治正确而付出不必要代价的政策和环境 出门开车被查ID 工作医疗资源高负荷 财政税收流失 满街毒品流浪汉 个人财产安全降低 政府还打压执法机构 让这帮大城市里的活阎王SJW试试这种日子还能不能过下去？ 全世界看着呢 这下是真我也有一头牛了
>>特区这帮人的接受能力着实难绷 嘴上各种支持移民和非法移民入境 恨不得支持联邦把边境废了 结果真把移民...
对同胞的合理需求的感应能力是维系共同体的纽带之一，这个能力的持续减弱是共同体开始瓦解的信号。在能够设身处地的理解他人的情况下也拒绝去理解，就是否定他人同胞的身份。
这也是为什么“为了理想的国际秩序让同胞受苦”的想法是危险的，因为对于创造和维持秩序而言，“国民共通情感-民族国家”的连结要比“国际主义情感-国际共同体”的连结更根本，而且一定程度上前者为后者奠基。为了后者大大削弱前者，最终后者也不能保全。
The Quad is at risk of losing its strategic focus
...In fact, as the U.S. gets more deeply involved in a proxy conflict with Russia, including supplying offensive weapons and battlefield intelligence to Ukraine, the Quad faces new uncertainties. Biden is the third straight president to commit to shifting America's primary strategic focus to Asia and the wider Indo-Pacific. But Biden's expressed belief that the Ukraine "war could continue for a long time" suggests that he too could fail, as Donald Trump and Barack Obama did.
The new cold war with Moscow, meanwhile, is constraining Biden from taking a tough line toward Beijing, lest it help cement the nascent China-Russia axis. China, with an economy 10 times larger than Russia's, has the capacity to seriously undercut Western sanctions against Moscow and bail out the Russian economy. All this is reinforcing the more conciliatory approach toward Beijing that Biden has pursued since taking office.
Against this backdrop, it is scarcely a surprise that the Quad's security agenda has begun to take a back seat.
In fact, Biden has saddled the Quad with an increasingly global agenda that dilutes its Indo-Pacific strategic focus. Biden's Indo-Pacific strategy, as unveiled in February, confirmed the Quad's shift toward universal challenges, from global health security and climate change to cybersecurity, resilient supply chains and green shipping.
As a small group, the Quad is in no position to deal with global challenges. Yet having launched six separate working groups on climate change, COVID-19 vaccines, critical and emerging technologies, cybersecurity, infrastructure and space, the Quad is getting weighed down by an overly ambitious agenda, crimping its ability to produce results.
The danger of overcommitting and underdelivering has been highlighted by the difficulties encountered by the Quad in supplying 1 billion Indian-manufactured COVID-19 vaccine doses to the developing world by year-end as promised. Even with the support of all four members, the Quad is set to fall far short of its vaccine pledge.
Meanwhile, as the U.S. pours military resources into Europe and the Middle East, the geostrategic dynamics are changing rapidly in the Indo-Pacific, where China is working quietly to eclipse America militarily and economically.
...In fact, as the U.S. gets more deeply involved in a proxy conflict with Russia, including supplying offensive weapons and battlefield intelligence to Ukraine, the Quad faces new uncertainties. Biden is the third straight president to commit to shifting America's primary strategic focus to Asia and the wider Indo-Pacific. But Biden's expressed belief that the Ukraine "war could continue for a long time" suggests that he too could fail, as Donald Trump and Barack Obama did.
The new cold war with Moscow, meanwhile, is constraining Biden from taking a tough line toward Beijing, lest it help cement the nascent China-Russia axis. China, with an economy 10 times larger than Russia's, has the capacity to seriously undercut Western sanctions against Moscow and bail out the Russian economy. All this is reinforcing the more conciliatory approach toward Beijing that Biden has pursued since taking office.
Against this backdrop, it is scarcely a surprise that the Quad's security agenda has begun to take a back seat.
In fact, Biden has saddled the Quad with an increasingly global agenda that dilutes its Indo-Pacific strategic focus. Biden's Indo-Pacific strategy, as unveiled in February, confirmed the Quad's shift toward universal challenges, from global health security and climate change to cybersecurity, resilient supply chains and green shipping.
As a small group, the Quad is in no position to deal with global challenges. Yet having launched six separate working groups on climate change, COVID-19 vaccines, critical and emerging technologies, cybersecurity, infrastructure and space, the Quad is getting weighed down by an overly ambitious agenda, crimping its ability to produce results.
The danger of overcommitting and underdelivering has been highlighted by the difficulties encountered by the Quad in supplying 1 billion Indian-manufactured COVID-19 vaccine doses to the developing world by year-end as promised. Even with the support of all four members, the Quad is set to fall far short of its vaccine pledge.
Meanwhile, as the U.S. pours military resources into Europe and the Middle East, the geostrategic dynamics are changing rapidly in the Indo-Pacific, where China is working quietly to eclipse America militarily and economically.
Europe Elects @EuropeElects
Sweden, national parliament election today:
With 6243/6578 districts counted, the right-of-centre opposition SD (ECR), M (EPP), KD (EPP) and L (RE) have 175 seats.
The parties S (S&D), V (LEFT), C (RE) and MP (G/EFA) that support Andersson as prime minister have 174 seats.
https://twitter.com/EuropeElects/status/1569212802836963329
Europe Elects @EuropeElects
Sweden: tonight's SVT Valu exit poll shows that the national-conservative Sweden Democrats (ECR) were especially strong among workers (29%).
However, the Social Democrats won the most votes in that group (and among civil servants).
https://twitter.com/EuropeElects/status/1569124530244964354
Europe Elects @EuropeElects
Sweden, national parliament election:
The national-conservative Sweden Democrats (SD-ECR) reach yet another record high of 20.7% and become the second largest party for the first time.
SD has never declined in an election.
https://twitter.com/EuropeElects/status/1569097689257607168
Sweden, national parliament election today:
With 6243/6578 districts counted, the right-of-centre opposition SD (ECR), M (EPP), KD (EPP) and L (RE) have 175 seats.
The parties S (S&D), V (LEFT), C (RE) and MP (G/EFA) that support Andersson as prime minister have 174 seats.
https://twitter.com/EuropeElects/status/1569212802836963329
Europe Elects @EuropeElects
Sweden: tonight's SVT Valu exit poll shows that the national-conservative Sweden Democrats (ECR) were especially strong among workers (29%).
However, the Social Democrats won the most votes in that group (and among civil servants).
https://twitter.com/EuropeElects/status/1569124530244964354
Europe Elects @EuropeElects
Sweden, national parliament election:
The national-conservative Sweden Democrats (SD-ECR) reach yet another record high of 20.7% and become the second largest party for the first time.
SD has never declined in an election.
https://twitter.com/EuropeElects/status/1569097689257607168
The French 'finishing school' educating the far-right leaders of tomorrow
Paris (CNN)The first time he walked through the doors of the Institut de Formation Politique (IFP), French student Jacques Smith noticed the cozy atmosphere and the elite feel of the place -- but mainly, that he was "surrounded by right-wing people and right-wing lecturers," he told CNN.
As an overtly right-wing student, Smith felt it was hard to find his place at the university he attended -- Nanterre University, just outside Paris -- which he perceived as "very, very on the left" -- so he joined the Union Nationale Interuniversitaire (UNI), the right-wing national student union. It was during those early days of his studies that one of his mentors at UNI suggested he should consider training at IFP.
Offering practical and theoretical classes in journalism, politics and business, IFP has become something of a "finishing school" for right-leaning youth in France. Having fostered networks and community for a new, politically minded class of right-wing -- or even far-right -- activists and professionals, the school has trained alumni who are sitting MPs, are organizing electoral campaigns, speaking on CNEWS -- France's equivalent of Fox News -- or even working as far-right influencers on social media.
In a year when France's far-right had its best-ever electoral results, IFP's role as a nursery for its political class is more important than ever.
"The aim of IFP is very clear to me," said Smith. "It's to shape right-wing youth to create a new generation ready to take on the challenges of the country."
It's already seen success in that. According to the school's director, IFP has trained more than 2,200 students since it opened in 2004, and about 40% of them now have responsibilities in political settings.
Of some 50 members of the close entourage of far-right pundit and former presidential candidate Eric Zemmour, identified by French daily Le Monde, at least one-fifth have ties with IFP -- as former students, instructors, speakers, financial supporters or admirers.
......
Schools like the Paris Institute of Political Studies, known as Sciences Po, or École Nationale d'Administration (now Institut National du Service Public) -- the selective "grandes écoles" of France -- are historical institutions, considered an express ticket to top-flight careers in the country.
However, for many on the right, they represent the mainstreaming of leftist teaching -- and some are disparaging of what they offer.
"It's a lot freer at IFP," Lafont told CNN. "Sciences Po really just teaches you a one-track way of thinking, it's very mainstream, some things you can say and some you cannot," he added.
Zemmour, who came in fourth in the first round of voting in the presidential election, has called IFP the "counter-Sciences Po," underlining the reactionary nature of the kind of teaching it provides.
"The idea had sprouted in the right that one of the reasons for their political defeat was the absence of an elite of intellectually formed executives," said researcher and far-right expert Jean-Yves Camus, "and that the cause of this absence was that even if you enter university as a right-winger, you are shaped by a dominant teaching that is oriented to the left."
Paris (CNN)The first time he walked through the doors of the Institut de Formation Politique (IFP), French student Jacques Smith noticed the cozy atmosphere and the elite feel of the place -- but mainly, that he was "surrounded by right-wing people and right-wing lecturers," he told CNN.
As an overtly right-wing student, Smith felt it was hard to find his place at the university he attended -- Nanterre University, just outside Paris -- which he perceived as "very, very on the left" -- so he joined the Union Nationale Interuniversitaire (UNI), the right-wing national student union. It was during those early days of his studies that one of his mentors at UNI suggested he should consider training at IFP.
Offering practical and theoretical classes in journalism, politics and business, IFP has become something of a "finishing school" for right-leaning youth in France. Having fostered networks and community for a new, politically minded class of right-wing -- or even far-right -- activists and professionals, the school has trained alumni who are sitting MPs, are organizing electoral campaigns, speaking on CNEWS -- France's equivalent of Fox News -- or even working as far-right influencers on social media.
In a year when France's far-right had its best-ever electoral results, IFP's role as a nursery for its political class is more important than ever.
"The aim of IFP is very clear to me," said Smith. "It's to shape right-wing youth to create a new generation ready to take on the challenges of the country."
It's already seen success in that. According to the school's director, IFP has trained more than 2,200 students since it opened in 2004, and about 40% of them now have responsibilities in political settings.
Of some 50 members of the close entourage of far-right pundit and former presidential candidate Eric Zemmour, identified by French daily Le Monde, at least one-fifth have ties with IFP -- as former students, instructors, speakers, financial supporters or admirers.
......
Schools like the Paris Institute of Political Studies, known as Sciences Po, or École Nationale d'Administration (now Institut National du Service Public) -- the selective "grandes écoles" of France -- are historical institutions, considered an express ticket to top-flight careers in the country.
However, for many on the right, they represent the mainstreaming of leftist teaching -- and some are disparaging of what they offer.
"It's a lot freer at IFP," Lafont told CNN. "Sciences Po really just teaches you a one-track way of thinking, it's very mainstream, some things you can say and some you cannot," he added.
Zemmour, who came in fourth in the first round of voting in the presidential election, has called IFP the "counter-Sciences Po," underlining the reactionary nature of the kind of teaching it provides.
"The idea had sprouted in the right that one of the reasons for their political defeat was the absence of an elite of intellectually formed executives," said researcher and far-right expert Jean-Yves Camus, "and that the cause of this absence was that even if you enter university as a right-winger, you are shaped by a dominant teaching that is oriented to the left."
Is Defunding the Police a “Luxury Belief”? Analyzing White vs. Nonwhite Democrats’ Attitudes on Depolicing
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
After the killing of George Floyd in May 2020, a surprising number of Democrats embraced calls to “defund” the police. According to data from the 2020 Cooperative Election Survey, 35.4% of Democrats expressed support for reducing spending on law enforcement.
Even as violent crime surged across the country, many Democrats remained supportive of defunding, which was supposedly necessary to achieve racial justice and equity. But support for defunding and depolicing is actually higher among white (and Asian) Democrats than among black and Hispanic Democrats. Relatively stronger support among the former, more affluent groups has led some to suggest that these attitudes are “luxury beliefs” that the privileged can afford to adopt to signal their virtue because they do not have to suffer the consequences. The luxury beliefs thesis thus suggests that socioeconomic status (SES) drives support for depolicing. But it is also possible that a genuine moral-political ideology, not affluence, plays an important role. This report is an attempt to empirically test the luxury beliefs hypothesis. It ultimately finds support for both the SES and ideology-centered accounts.
Section 1 shows that support for defunding and depolicing policies is indeed greater among white and Asian Democrats than black and Hispanic Democrats. Ideological self-identification, however, is found to be a stronger predictor of support than household income and education.
Section 2 examines levels of support when socioeconomic and demographic variables are held constant. Doing so nearly eliminates the difference in levels of support between Asian vs. black and Hispanic Democrats. The gap in support between these groups and white Democrats, on the other hand, is moderated but not eliminated. The results further indicate that ideology is a much more important driver of the white vs. nonwhite support gap than all socioeconomic and demographic variables combined.
Section 3 finds that in areas with high levels of violent crime, support for defunding the police generally falls for all groups except white Democrats. This is true even when socioeconomic, demographic, and political background variables are held constant.
Section 4 examines whether local racial residential segregation—which may insulate white Democrats from crime in neighboring, heavily minority communities—explains the likelihood of supporting these policies. The data demonstrate little to no evidence for this theory.
Section 5 argues that white Democrats’ policing attitudes are subject to unique group-based moral pressures, including collective moral shame and guilt. I examine the effects of an index of racial liberalism—which is found to highly overlap with measures of white moral shame and guilt in past research—on support for defunding and depolicing as local violent-crime levels increase. Holding all other variables constant, as local violent-crime levels increase, the positive effects of racial liberalism on support for defunding and depolicing become stronger for white Democrats and weaker for nonwhite Democrats. The effects for white Democrats are generally significantly larger than those for nonwhite Democrats.
DOWNLOAD PDF
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
After the killing of George Floyd in May 2020, a surprising number of Democrats embraced calls to “defund” the police. According to data from the 2020 Cooperative Election Survey, 35.4% of Democrats expressed support for reducing spending on law enforcement.
Even as violent crime surged across the country, many Democrats remained supportive of defunding, which was supposedly necessary to achieve racial justice and equity. But support for defunding and depolicing is actually higher among white (and Asian) Democrats than among black and Hispanic Democrats. Relatively stronger support among the former, more affluent groups has led some to suggest that these attitudes are “luxury beliefs” that the privileged can afford to adopt to signal their virtue because they do not have to suffer the consequences. The luxury beliefs thesis thus suggests that socioeconomic status (SES) drives support for depolicing. But it is also possible that a genuine moral-political ideology, not affluence, plays an important role. This report is an attempt to empirically test the luxury beliefs hypothesis. It ultimately finds support for both the SES and ideology-centered accounts.
Section 1 shows that support for defunding and depolicing policies is indeed greater among white and Asian Democrats than black and Hispanic Democrats. Ideological self-identification, however, is found to be a stronger predictor of support than household income and education.
Section 2 examines levels of support when socioeconomic and demographic variables are held constant. Doing so nearly eliminates the difference in levels of support between Asian vs. black and Hispanic Democrats. The gap in support between these groups and white Democrats, on the other hand, is moderated but not eliminated. The results further indicate that ideology is a much more important driver of the white vs. nonwhite support gap than all socioeconomic and demographic variables combined.
Section 3 finds that in areas with high levels of violent crime, support for defunding the police generally falls for all groups except white Democrats. This is true even when socioeconomic, demographic, and political background variables are held constant.
Section 4 examines whether local racial residential segregation—which may insulate white Democrats from crime in neighboring, heavily minority communities—explains the likelihood of supporting these policies. The data demonstrate little to no evidence for this theory.
Section 5 argues that white Democrats’ policing attitudes are subject to unique group-based moral pressures, including collective moral shame and guilt. I examine the effects of an index of racial liberalism—which is found to highly overlap with measures of white moral shame and guilt in past research—on support for defunding and depolicing as local violent-crime levels increase. Holding all other variables constant, as local violent-crime levels increase, the positive effects of racial liberalism on support for defunding and depolicing become stronger for white Democrats and weaker for nonwhite Democrats. The effects for white Democrats are generally significantly larger than those for nonwhite Democrats.
DOWNLOAD PDF
Alex Galitsky @algalitsky
If you're wondering why Azerbaijan thinks it can get away with such a blatant attack on Armenia's sovereign territory – remember the millions in military assistance the U.S. has provided Baku, and the billions the EU recently invested in Baku's corrupt state oil cartel.
https://twitter.com/algalitsky/status/1569441982317219844
Alex Galitsky @algalitsky
The EU turned to Azerbaijan to meet its energy needs after its main energy provider launched an unprovoked assault on its neighbor.
Now the EU's "trustworthy" partner in Baku – emboldened, enriched & enabled by Brussels – has launched another unprovoked attack on its neighbor.
https://twitter.com/algalitsky/status/1569444738092376066
If you're wondering why Azerbaijan thinks it can get away with such a blatant attack on Armenia's sovereign territory – remember the millions in military assistance the U.S. has provided Baku, and the billions the EU recently invested in Baku's corrupt state oil cartel.
https://twitter.com/algalitsky/status/1569441982317219844
Alex Galitsky @algalitsky
The EU turned to Azerbaijan to meet its energy needs after its main energy provider launched an unprovoked assault on its neighbor.
Now the EU's "trustworthy" partner in Baku – emboldened, enriched & enabled by Brussels – has launched another unprovoked attack on its neighbor.
Ursula von der Leyen @vonderleyen
The EU is turning to trustworthy energy suppliers.
Azerbaijan is one of them.
With today's agreement, we commit to expanding the Southern Gas Corridor, to double gas supplies from Azerbaijan to the EU.
This is good news for our supplies of gas this winter and beyond.
https://twitter.com/algalitsky/status/1569444738092376066
Tucker Max @TuckerMax
Like (most) Americans, I grieve for those lost on 9/11/01. A tragedy I'll never forget.
I also don't forget Iraq had nothing to do with it, yet the regime invaded them.
Nor do I forget the Taliban offered to give up Bin Laden, yet the regime invaded Afghanistan.
Nor have I forgotten how the "temporary" security measures (eg TSA) are now permanent.
Nor have I forgotten how the regime used 9/11 to force in the Patriot Act, which created the modern surveillance state (FISA courts, NSA collection of domestic communications, Gitmo, etc).
I know its hard for many to understand, but multiple things can be true:
1. 9/11 was a horrible attack on America.
2. The men and women who fought in the GWOT are heroes.
3. Throwing the best of a generation to die in Iraq and Afghanistan was a horrible waste.
4. The regime used 9/11 to create an overreaching security state that ended the American Republic, and to enrich a small cabal of awful people.
5. There is far, far more to this story than has been told (what exactly that entails? I won't pretend to know).
I agree with everyone on 9/11 who says "Never forget."
The tragedy began on 9/11, and it is still going.
I choose to remember all of it.
https://twitter.com/TuckerMax/status/1568965370471673856
Like (most) Americans, I grieve for those lost on 9/11/01. A tragedy I'll never forget.
I also don't forget Iraq had nothing to do with it, yet the regime invaded them.
Nor do I forget the Taliban offered to give up Bin Laden, yet the regime invaded Afghanistan.
Nor have I forgotten how the "temporary" security measures (eg TSA) are now permanent.
Nor have I forgotten how the regime used 9/11 to force in the Patriot Act, which created the modern surveillance state (FISA courts, NSA collection of domestic communications, Gitmo, etc).
I know its hard for many to understand, but multiple things can be true:
1. 9/11 was a horrible attack on America.
2. The men and women who fought in the GWOT are heroes.
3. Throwing the best of a generation to die in Iraq and Afghanistan was a horrible waste.
4. The regime used 9/11 to create an overreaching security state that ended the American Republic, and to enrich a small cabal of awful people.
5. There is far, far more to this story than has been told (what exactly that entails? I won't pretend to know).
I agree with everyone on 9/11 who says "Never forget."
The tragedy began on 9/11, and it is still going.
I choose to remember all of it.
https://twitter.com/TuckerMax/status/1568965370471673856
Biden to host White House summit to combat racism, violent extremism
...Mr. Biden will deliver the keynote address to highlight the administration’s response to hate and “put forward a shared vision for a more united America,” officials said.
But current and former FBI agents tell The Washington Times that the perceived threat has become overblown under the administration, and say that bureau analysts and top officials are pressuring FBI agents to create domestic terrorist cases and tag people as white supremacists to meet internal metrics.
“The demand for white supremacy” coming from FBI headquarters “vastly outstrips the supply of white supremacy,” said one agent, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. “We have more people assigned to investigate white supremacists than we can actually find.”
The agent said those driving bureau policy “have already determined that white supremacy is a problem” and set agency-wide policy elevating racially motivated domestic extremism cases as a priority.
“We are sort of the lapdogs as the actual agents doing these sorts of investigations, trying to find a crime to fit otherwise First Amendment-protected activities,” he said. “If they have a Gadsden flag, and they own guns, and they are mean at school board meetings, that’s probably a domestic terrorist.”
The Gadsden flag is a historical American flag with a yellow field showing a timber rattlesnake and the words: “Don’t Tread on Me.” It is often used as a symbol of liberty.
...Mr. Biden will deliver the keynote address to highlight the administration’s response to hate and “put forward a shared vision for a more united America,” officials said.
But current and former FBI agents tell The Washington Times that the perceived threat has become overblown under the administration, and say that bureau analysts and top officials are pressuring FBI agents to create domestic terrorist cases and tag people as white supremacists to meet internal metrics.
“The demand for white supremacy” coming from FBI headquarters “vastly outstrips the supply of white supremacy,” said one agent, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. “We have more people assigned to investigate white supremacists than we can actually find.”
The agent said those driving bureau policy “have already determined that white supremacy is a problem” and set agency-wide policy elevating racially motivated domestic extremism cases as a priority.
“We are sort of the lapdogs as the actual agents doing these sorts of investigations, trying to find a crime to fit otherwise First Amendment-protected activities,” he said. “If they have a Gadsden flag, and they own guns, and they are mean at school board meetings, that’s probably a domestic terrorist.”
The Gadsden flag is a historical American flag with a yellow field showing a timber rattlesnake and the words: “Don’t Tread on Me.” It is often used as a symbol of liberty.
Germany is committing national suicide
Germany is staring into the abyss thanks to the energy crisis. German heavy industry may even have to cut back on production in order to cope with soaring energy costs. Steel manufacturer ArcelorMittal has already announced it is to shut down blast furnaces in some of its plants.
Fracking wouldn’t solve these problems overnight – it would take a few years to fully exploit the deposits. But giving fracking the green light would certainly send the signal that Berlin is serious about helping German industry.
Russia’s ongoing gas squeeze has also affected Germany’s food production. As it stands, 70 per cent of Europe’s fertiliser production, which depends on gas, has been halted. This could seriously hinder agricultural output in 2023, and lead to massive shortages in food provision.
Yet Germany’s political leaders seem to be putting their commitment to green orthodoxy above all else – including the need to tackle the multiple crises Germany now faces.
Take Cem Özdemir, the German food and agriculture minister. In an interview with the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, he said that ‘hunger should not be abused as an argument to make compromises regarding biodiversity or protection of the climate’.
.......
None of this should surprise us. Time and again, the German elites have stood in the way of the progress necessary for human flourishing, limiting the development of food and energy production. And they have done so through the politics of fear, with successive governments scaremongering about the dangers of gas, nuclear energy and genetically modified organisms.
It is tempting to ask, what is more dangerous right now – climate change or the destructive, unscientific and ideological policies enacted in its name?
Germany is staring into the abyss thanks to the energy crisis. German heavy industry may even have to cut back on production in order to cope with soaring energy costs. Steel manufacturer ArcelorMittal has already announced it is to shut down blast furnaces in some of its plants.
Fracking wouldn’t solve these problems overnight – it would take a few years to fully exploit the deposits. But giving fracking the green light would certainly send the signal that Berlin is serious about helping German industry.
Russia’s ongoing gas squeeze has also affected Germany’s food production. As it stands, 70 per cent of Europe’s fertiliser production, which depends on gas, has been halted. This could seriously hinder agricultural output in 2023, and lead to massive shortages in food provision.
Yet Germany’s political leaders seem to be putting their commitment to green orthodoxy above all else – including the need to tackle the multiple crises Germany now faces.
Take Cem Özdemir, the German food and agriculture minister. In an interview with the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, he said that ‘hunger should not be abused as an argument to make compromises regarding biodiversity or protection of the climate’.
.......
None of this should surprise us. Time and again, the German elites have stood in the way of the progress necessary for human flourishing, limiting the development of food and energy production. And they have done so through the politics of fear, with successive governments scaremongering about the dangers of gas, nuclear energy and genetically modified organisms.
It is tempting to ask, what is more dangerous right now – climate change or the destructive, unscientific and ideological policies enacted in its name?
>>Germany is staring into the abyss thanks to the en...
This is mere chitchat for what's coming.
The reality is far more exciting.
Probably one month later, we'll start hearing the searing sound of Green Meat on Red Fire, with true Germanic Flavours.
Maybe even some DiverseWurst on the trees, or some new types of ClimateSauerkraut.
--------------------------------
Again, one thing is proved for sure: a self-contradictory doctrine certainly guides you to Death, plus, you move steady in a happy mood till the end.
I can even imagine their face when uttering the line: "tlhIngan maH taHjaj!"
"Remain Kingon!"
右狗tv备份有谁做了网页版的啊？
Melian Dialogue 的时代终于又一次开启，或者说又一次宣告 「Dialogue 的时代」已经结束了。
VOA：欧盟议会宣布匈牙利不再是民主政体
《伯罗奔尼撒战记》载：Melos 人坚持想要在雅典和斯巴达之间保持中立，但雅典人在「对话无效」之后，前去「和谈」的雅典军队便立即行动起来，攻下 Melos，接着就宰了 Melos 的所有成年男子，再把女人和小孩卖作奴隶，最后安排 500 雅典人，就地殖民 Melos。
那段对话中有趣的两段，古典希腊语没人看得懂，所以看看英译文吧。
Peloponnese 即是 Melian 口中的斯巴达
Lacedaemonian 即是雅典人口中的斯巴达，所谓 attack a neighbour 即是斯巴达进攻雅典城。
To an island 即是指 Melos 岛。
雅典人的最后一言是何意？如果谁真的能天真地提出如此问题的话，说明根本就不适合接触「历史教训」这个领域，去做点别的比较好。世界大得很，可以做的事太多了，有价值的东西也多，一辈子用来选都嫌时间不够呢。何必在完全摸不到门的地方浪费自己人生？
----------------------
匈牙利既然第一个成为当代的 Melos，那么接下来恐怕还会有一串儿的难兄难弟们，毕竟，道路的方向最终决定阵营的归属。
欧盟，当然又将成为一个「自相矛盾的理念玩儿死自相矛盾的实践」的经典案例，然而一如既往，不会有谁真的学到什么「无聊的历史教训」。不过那是另一个故事了，这句只是我个人的感叹，其方向和结局，与现在谈的这事没关系。
7月的时候，在这帖子里还提到 Melian Dialogue ，没想到经典剧目这么快又得重演一次。当时就说了，真正最需要「历史教训」的，恰恰就是这一战的「中立」们。和土耳其、伊朗、委内瑞拉之流相比，「中立」们所处的位置，其实真的是要危险得多。
文学作家中少有的敏锐者，也亲自投入过各种战场，亲自参加过各种斗争的乔治·奥威尔，早就根据他自己的亲身经历，还有他自己对「真实」的理解认识，多次在自己文章里指出过这一点了。
有哪個久负盛名的现代历史名家，或者哪位追随者众的现代文豪，真的仔仔细细从各种或旧的或新的「经典」之中看出点儿东西来呢？
然而，真正有钱有闲，且真正有兴趣到了高高兴兴投入自己的财产与人生去研究「历史教训」，或者「探究真实」的，往往是那些最不需要它的人，且即使是研究明白了，也会在下一瞬彻彻底底领会到：自己根本用不上。甚至也找不到买家。
因为真正有「客观需求」的买家，绝对不会有这方面的「主观意愿」。
要是不想成为「必须喝一杯」的苏格拉底，I suggest you keep your mouth shut, for that is also a 'historical lesson'.
VOA：欧盟议会宣布匈牙利不再是民主政体
《伯罗奔尼撒战记》载：Melos 人坚持想要在雅典和斯巴达之间保持中立，但雅典人在「对话无效」之后，前去「和谈」的雅典军队便立即行动起来，攻下 Melos，接着就宰了 Melos 的所有成年男子，再把女人和小孩卖作奴隶，最后安排 500 雅典人，就地殖民 Melos。
那段对话中有趣的两段，古典希腊语没人看得懂，所以看看英译文吧。
Melians. "But we believe that they would be more likely to face even danger for our sake, and with more confidence than for others, as our nearness to Peloponnese makes it easier for them to act, and our common blood ensures our fidelity."
Athenians. "Yes, but what an intending ally trusts to is not the goodwill of those who ask his aid, but a decided superiority of power for action; and the Lacedaemonians look to this even more than others. At least, such is their distrust of their home resources that it is only with numerous allies that they attack a neighbour; now is it likely that while we are masters of the sea they will cross over to an island?"
Peloponnese 即是 Melian 口中的斯巴达
Lacedaemonian 即是雅典人口中的斯巴达，所谓 attack a neighbour 即是斯巴达进攻雅典城。
To an island 即是指 Melos 岛。
雅典人的最后一言是何意？如果谁真的能天真地提出如此问题的话，说明根本就不适合接触「历史教训」这个领域，去做点别的比较好。世界大得很，可以做的事太多了，有价值的东西也多，一辈子用来选都嫌时间不够呢。何必在完全摸不到门的地方浪费自己人生？
----------------------
匈牙利既然第一个成为当代的 Melos，那么接下来恐怕还会有一串儿的难兄难弟们，毕竟，道路的方向最终决定阵营的归属。
欧盟，当然又将成为一个「自相矛盾的理念玩儿死自相矛盾的实践」的经典案例，然而一如既往，不会有谁真的学到什么「无聊的历史教训」。不过那是另一个故事了，这句只是我个人的感叹，其方向和结局，与现在谈的这事没关系。
7月的时候，在这帖子里还提到 Melian Dialogue ，没想到经典剧目这么快又得重演一次。当时就说了，真正最需要「历史教训」的，恰恰就是这一战的「中立」们。和土耳其、伊朗、委内瑞拉之流相比，「中立」们所处的位置，其实真的是要危险得多。
文学作家中少有的敏锐者，也亲自投入过各种战场，亲自参加过各种斗争的乔治·奥威尔，早就根据他自己的亲身经历，还有他自己对「真实」的理解认识，多次在自己文章里指出过这一点了。
有哪個久负盛名的现代历史名家，或者哪位追随者众的现代文豪，真的仔仔细细从各种或旧的或新的「经典」之中看出点儿东西来呢？
然而，真正有钱有闲，且真正有兴趣到了高高兴兴投入自己的财产与人生去研究「历史教训」，或者「探究真实」的，往往是那些最不需要它的人，且即使是研究明白了，也会在下一瞬彻彻底底领会到：自己根本用不上。甚至也找不到买家。
因为真正有「客观需求」的买家，绝对不会有这方面的「主观意愿」。
要是不想成为「必须喝一杯」的苏格拉底，I suggest you keep your mouth shut, for that is also a 'historical lesson'.
在仅仅4位数的非法移民安置下 各蓝州就开始“我真有一头牛了”
双向奔赴剧情suki
双向奔赴剧情suki
Leicester: multiculturalism turns violent
Leicester has long been home to sizeable Muslim and Hindu populations. And up until recently (with some exceptions), they have lived alongside one another in relative harmony – despite the international tensions between Pakistan and India, the two countries most of Leicester’s Muslims and Hindus hail from or have family connections to. But on 28 August that all changed.
That was the day of the Pakistan vs India (Asia Cup) cricket match. Afterwards, groups of Indian cricket supporters were captured on video walking through the streets of Belgrave, a suburb of Leicester, chanting the inflammatory slogan ‘Pakistan murdabad’, or ‘death to Pakistan’. Some men proceeded to attack a man who they assumed to be Pakistani. In the ensuing violence, a police officer was assaulted.
A video of these ugly scenes was widely disseminated on social media, and it has since triggered acts of retribution. In one unverified recording, groups of what appear to be Pakistani youths can be seen walking through Leicester shouting, ‘Modi kuta’ – referring to India’s premier Modi as a ‘dog’ – and ‘long live Pakistan’. And in another, a gang of apparently Pakistani youths, brandishing knives, is shown attacking cars and property, which one Indian activist has claimed is evidence of an ‘organised attack against the Hindu community’.
......
The violent altercations in Leicester should not be seen as a one-off. After all, we have seen other religious and geopolitical conflicts from outside the UK, such as that between Israel and Palestine, play out on our streets recently. Last year, for example, a group of Muslim men drove a convoy of cars, festooned with Palestinian flags, through a predominantly Jewish area of London, shouting anti-Semitic slogans like ‘fuck the Jews’ and ‘kill the Jews’.
.......
For too long, divisive multicultural policies have been pursued by the authorities at the cost of community cohesion. These policies have encouraged British citizens to see themselves principally in terms of their ethnic and religious backgrounds. And as a result, they have pitched ethnic and religious groups into conflict with one another.
Leicester has long been home to sizeable Muslim and Hindu populations. And up until recently (with some exceptions), they have lived alongside one another in relative harmony – despite the international tensions between Pakistan and India, the two countries most of Leicester’s Muslims and Hindus hail from or have family connections to. But on 28 August that all changed.
That was the day of the Pakistan vs India (Asia Cup) cricket match. Afterwards, groups of Indian cricket supporters were captured on video walking through the streets of Belgrave, a suburb of Leicester, chanting the inflammatory slogan ‘Pakistan murdabad’, or ‘death to Pakistan’. Some men proceeded to attack a man who they assumed to be Pakistani. In the ensuing violence, a police officer was assaulted.
A video of these ugly scenes was widely disseminated on social media, and it has since triggered acts of retribution. In one unverified recording, groups of what appear to be Pakistani youths can be seen walking through Leicester shouting, ‘Modi kuta’ – referring to India’s premier Modi as a ‘dog’ – and ‘long live Pakistan’. And in another, a gang of apparently Pakistani youths, brandishing knives, is shown attacking cars and property, which one Indian activist has claimed is evidence of an ‘organised attack against the Hindu community’.
......
The violent altercations in Leicester should not be seen as a one-off. After all, we have seen other religious and geopolitical conflicts from outside the UK, such as that between Israel and Palestine, play out on our streets recently. Last year, for example, a group of Muslim men drove a convoy of cars, festooned with Palestinian flags, through a predominantly Jewish area of London, shouting anti-Semitic slogans like ‘fuck the Jews’ and ‘kill the Jews’.
.......
For too long, divisive multicultural policies have been pursued by the authorities at the cost of community cohesion. These policies have encouraged British citizens to see themselves principally in terms of their ethnic and religious backgrounds. And as a result, they have pitched ethnic and religious groups into conflict with one another.
Highest Number in US History: Border Patrol Logs 8,000 Migrants Entering US Each Day
Immigration authorities are reporting the highest-ever daily number of migrants entering the United States along the southwest border, according to internal Department of Homeland Security communications reviewed by the Washington Free Beacon.
Border Patrol officers are logging roughly 8,000 migrant encounters a day, the highest daily number in U.S. history, the communications show. Such a massive surge in migrants has left agencies such as Customs and Border Protection scrambling to implement new processing systems.
The record number of migrant encounters highlights the little progress the Biden administration has made in solving the border crisis. The news comes as the White House blamed former president Donald Trump for the crisis earlier this week, accusing the previous administration of leaving President Joe Biden with a "broken" immigration system. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre defended the president and claimed the Biden administration is taking "unprecedented action" at the southern border. Those actions, according to the White House, include new border technology and anti-smuggling task forces.
But the results of those actions are unclear. A spokeswoman for CBP did not dispute the migrant encounter numbers. In a statement to the Free Beacon, the spokeswoman said that "the traffic we are seeing this year is similar to the pattern we saw at this time last year." Border Patrol logged an average of roughly 7,700 migrant encounters a day nationwide last September, previously the highest number ever recorded.
Immigration authorities are reporting the highest-ever daily number of migrants entering the United States along the southwest border, according to internal Department of Homeland Security communications reviewed by the Washington Free Beacon.
Border Patrol officers are logging roughly 8,000 migrant encounters a day, the highest daily number in U.S. history, the communications show. Such a massive surge in migrants has left agencies such as Customs and Border Protection scrambling to implement new processing systems.
The record number of migrant encounters highlights the little progress the Biden administration has made in solving the border crisis. The news comes as the White House blamed former president Donald Trump for the crisis earlier this week, accusing the previous administration of leaving President Joe Biden with a "broken" immigration system. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre defended the president and claimed the Biden administration is taking "unprecedented action" at the southern border. Those actions, according to the White House, include new border technology and anti-smuggling task forces.
But the results of those actions are unclear. A spokeswoman for CBP did not dispute the migrant encounter numbers. In a statement to the Free Beacon, the spokeswoman said that "the traffic we are seeing this year is similar to the pattern we saw at this time last year." Border Patrol logged an average of roughly 7,700 migrant encounters a day nationwide last September, previously the highest number ever recorded.
Illegal immigrants who entered US since Biden took office to cost taxpayers $20+ billion a year: analysis
FIRST ON FOX: The number of illegal immigrants who entered the U.S. since President Biden took office will cost the U.S. taxpayer over $20 billion each year, according to a new analysis by a hawkish immigration group.
The study by the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), which advocates for lower levels of immigration overall, calculates that the illegal immigrants who have entered the U.S. since Jan. 2021 will add an extra $20.4 billion burden a year, in addition to the $140 billion existing illegal immigrants already cost.
The analysis is based on an estimated 1.3 million released into the U.S. by immigration officials, as well as approximately one million "gotaways" -- or illegal immigrants who have slipped past overwhelmed agents. FAIR calculates that each illegal immigrants costs $9,232 a year to support.
The U.S. has been in the midst of a massive border crisis since early 2021, with more than 1.7 million migrant encounters in FY 2021, and more than two million in FY 2022 so far. While many of those encounters are repeat encounters, and nearly half are removed under Title 42 public health protections, a considerable number are released into the U.S. for asylum hearings.
FIRST ON FOX: The number of illegal immigrants who entered the U.S. since President Biden took office will cost the U.S. taxpayer over $20 billion each year, according to a new analysis by a hawkish immigration group.
The study by the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), which advocates for lower levels of immigration overall, calculates that the illegal immigrants who have entered the U.S. since Jan. 2021 will add an extra $20.4 billion burden a year, in addition to the $140 billion existing illegal immigrants already cost.
The analysis is based on an estimated 1.3 million released into the U.S. by immigration officials, as well as approximately one million "gotaways" -- or illegal immigrants who have slipped past overwhelmed agents. FAIR calculates that each illegal immigrants costs $9,232 a year to support.
The U.S. has been in the midst of a massive border crisis since early 2021, with more than 1.7 million migrant encounters in FY 2021, and more than two million in FY 2022 so far. While many of those encounters are repeat encounters, and nearly half are removed under Title 42 public health protections, a considerable number are released into the U.S. for asylum hearings.
Christians in the US may become a minority group by 2070, report says
A decline in the number of Americans who identify as religious and an increase in those who change religions means Christians may be on track to become a minority population in the United States by 2070.
That’s according to the authors of a new Pew Research Center report, which assessed several hypothetical scenarios to model how religion might change over the next 50 years.
The 1990s saw a growing trend of Americans leaving ChristianIty — the dominant religion in the United States — to identify as atheist, agnostic or to have no religious affiliations, while the continuation of this trend could lead to notable shifts in the religious landscape, authors wrote.
Using mathematical projections based on surveys and datasets, researchers found that regardless of whether religious switching continues at current rates, speeds up or stops, Christians of all ages are expected to shrink from 64 percent of the population to between 54 percent and 35 percent of Americans by 2070.
Around 30 percent of the U.S. population was religiously unaffiliated in 2020, and that total could grow to between 34 percent and 52 percent in 2070.
A decline in the number of Americans who identify as religious and an increase in those who change religions means Christians may be on track to become a minority population in the United States by 2070.
That’s according to the authors of a new Pew Research Center report, which assessed several hypothetical scenarios to model how religion might change over the next 50 years.
The 1990s saw a growing trend of Americans leaving ChristianIty — the dominant religion in the United States — to identify as atheist, agnostic or to have no religious affiliations, while the continuation of this trend could lead to notable shifts in the religious landscape, authors wrote.
Using mathematical projections based on surveys and datasets, researchers found that regardless of whether religious switching continues at current rates, speeds up or stops, Christians of all ages are expected to shrink from 64 percent of the population to between 54 percent and 35 percent of Americans by 2070.
Around 30 percent of the U.S. population was religiously unaffiliated in 2020, and that total could grow to between 34 percent and 52 percent in 2070.
Josh Hawley @HawleyMO
But thanks to Joe Biden and to decades of neo-conservative nation building in the Middle East, we are not in a position to stop a Chinese invasion of Taiwan
https://twitter.com/HawleyMO/status/1571656161962622976
Alex Velez-Green @Alex_agvg
It is insane for President Biden to keep making statements like this, when the Defense Department is slow-rolling preparations for this very scenario.
If you're going to talk big, you better have a big stick. He's doing the opposite.
https://twitter.com/Alex_agvg/status/1571665662946295808
But thanks to Joe Biden and to decades of neo-conservative nation building in the Middle East, we are not in a position to stop a Chinese invasion of Taiwan
Greg Price @greg_price11
60 Minutes: "Would U.S. forces defend Taiwan if invaded by China?"
Biden: "Yes"
White House then had to clarify policy on Taiwan hasn't changed.
https://twitter.com/HawleyMO/status/1571656161962622976
Alex Velez-Green @Alex_agvg
It is insane for President Biden to keep making statements like this, when the Defense Department is slow-rolling preparations for this very scenario.
If you're going to talk big, you better have a big stick. He's doing the opposite.
Jim Sciutto @jimsciutto
There is no wiggle room in this statement:
On “60 Minutes,” President Biden was asked whether “US forces, US men and women would defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese invasion.”
“Yes,” Biden said.
https://twitter.com/Alex_agvg/status/1571665662946295808
Bill Melugin @BillFOXLA
BREAKING: It’s official. For the first time, migrant encounters at the border have surpassed two million in one year.
CBP reports there were 203,598 migrant encounters at the border in August, bringing the total for FY’22 to 2,150,370, and there is still one month left to go.
A reminder, these numbers do NOT include known gotaways, which DHS sources tell us are already well over 500,000 for FY’22 so far.
https://twitter.com/BillFOXLA/status/1571974448424816641
BREAKING: It’s official. For the first time, migrant encounters at the border have surpassed two million in one year.
CBP reports there were 203,598 migrant encounters at the border in August, bringing the total for FY’22 to 2,150,370, and there is still one month left to go.
A reminder, these numbers do NOT include known gotaways, which DHS sources tell us are already well over 500,000 for FY’22 so far.
https://twitter.com/BillFOXLA/status/1571974448424816641
STD epidemic in US is ‘out of control,’ warn experts, CDC
NEW YORK — Sharply rising cases of some sexually transmitted diseases — including a 26% rise in new syphilis infections reported last year — are prompting U.S. health officials to call for new prevention and treatment efforts.
“It is imperative that we … work to rebuild, innovate, and expand (STD) prevention in the U.S.,” said Dr. Leandro Mena of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in a speech Monday at a medical conference on sexually transmitted diseases.
Infections rates for some STDs, including gonorrhea and syphilis, have been rising for years. Last year the rate of syphilis cases reached its highest since 1991 and the total number of cases hit its highest since 1948. HIV cases are also on the rise, up 16% last year.
And an international outbreak of monkeypox, which is being spread mainly between men who have sex with other men, has further highlighted the nation’s worsening problem with diseases spread mostly through sex.
David Harvey, executive director of the National Coalition of STD Directors, called the situation “out of control.”
NEW YORK — Sharply rising cases of some sexually transmitted diseases — including a 26% rise in new syphilis infections reported last year — are prompting U.S. health officials to call for new prevention and treatment efforts.
“It is imperative that we … work to rebuild, innovate, and expand (STD) prevention in the U.S.,” said Dr. Leandro Mena of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in a speech Monday at a medical conference on sexually transmitted diseases.
Infections rates for some STDs, including gonorrhea and syphilis, have been rising for years. Last year the rate of syphilis cases reached its highest since 1991 and the total number of cases hit its highest since 1948. HIV cases are also on the rise, up 16% last year.
And an international outbreak of monkeypox, which is being spread mainly between men who have sex with other men, has further highlighted the nation’s worsening problem with diseases spread mostly through sex.
David Harvey, executive director of the National Coalition of STD Directors, called the situation “out of control.”
他们活该成为计划 体制 和代价的一份子
因为这是他们自己选择的道路
因为这是他们自己选择的道路
一篇 speech，纯分享。
Maintaining Sanity in an Insane World ----- Forrest McDonald
这是一读起来能让今天的我产生太多次 deja vu 的文章。
但是人家写出来的时间是2002年，在那个时候，我仍然是个对政治没有任何一点儿兴趣，对现实也一无所知的愣头傻逼。
Maintaining Sanity in an Insane World ----- Forrest McDonald
这是一读起来能让今天的我产生太多次 deja vu 的文章。
但是人家写出来的时间是2002年，在那个时候，我仍然是个对政治没有任何一点儿兴趣，对现实也一无所知的愣头傻逼。
Russia’s Putin announces partial military mobilization
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday announced a partial military mobilization in Russia, putting the country’s people and economy on a wartime footing as Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine continues.
In a rare pre-recorded televised announcement, Putin said the West “wants to destroy our country” and claimed the West had tried to “turn Ukraine’s people into cannon fodder,” in comments translated by Reuters, repeating earlier claims in which he has blamed Western nations for starting a proxy war with Russia.
Putin said “mobilization events” would begin Wednesday without providing further details, aside from saying that he had ordered an increase in funding to boost Russia’s weapons production, having committed (and lost) a large amount of weaponry during the conflict, which began in late February.
A partial mobilization is a hazy concept, but it could mean that Russian businesses and citizens have to contribute more to the war effort. Russia has not yet declared war on Ukraine, despite having invaded it in February, and it calls its invasion a “special military operation.”
Putin confirmed that military reservists would be called-up into active service, but insisted a wider conscription of Russian men of fighting age was not taking place.
“I reiterate, we are talking about partial mobilization, that is, only citizens who are currently in the reserve will be subject to conscription, and above all, those who served in the armed forces have a certain military specialty and relevant experience. Conscripts will obligatorily go through additional military training based on the experience of the special military operation before departing to the units,” he said according to an AP translation.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday announced a partial military mobilization in Russia, putting the country’s people and economy on a wartime footing as Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine continues.
In a rare pre-recorded televised announcement, Putin said the West “wants to destroy our country” and claimed the West had tried to “turn Ukraine’s people into cannon fodder,” in comments translated by Reuters, repeating earlier claims in which he has blamed Western nations for starting a proxy war with Russia.
Putin said “mobilization events” would begin Wednesday without providing further details, aside from saying that he had ordered an increase in funding to boost Russia’s weapons production, having committed (and lost) a large amount of weaponry during the conflict, which began in late February.
A partial mobilization is a hazy concept, but it could mean that Russian businesses and citizens have to contribute more to the war effort. Russia has not yet declared war on Ukraine, despite having invaded it in February, and it calls its invasion a “special military operation.”
Putin confirmed that military reservists would be called-up into active service, but insisted a wider conscription of Russian men of fighting age was not taking place.
“I reiterate, we are talking about partial mobilization, that is, only citizens who are currently in the reserve will be subject to conscription, and above all, those who served in the armed forces have a certain military specialty and relevant experience. Conscripts will obligatorily go through additional military training based on the experience of the special military operation before departing to the units,” he said according to an AP translation.
Germany nationalises struggling utility Uniper in €29bn bailout
The German government is to nationalise Uniper in a deal that takes the utility’s bailout cost to €29bn after it was brought to the brink of insolvency following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Berlin’s lifeline for the country’s biggest importer of natural gas is the biggest corporate bailout in Germany since the global financial crisis in 2008, when the government provided a €480bn lifeline to the banking sector.
Germany, which had already planned to take a 30 per cent stake, is now completely “buying out” Uniper’s previous owner Fortum for €480mn. Berlin will also take on a €7.5bn credit line previously provided by the Finnish energy company to Uniper.
At the same time, the government will recapitalise the struggling utility with €8bn, German economy minister Robert Habeck said on Wednesday. The move comes on top of a €13bn government credit line that was already provided to Uniper this year.
Before the Ukraine war, Uniper was procuring half of all German gas imports. Policymakers had feared its failure would trigger a collapse in gas supplies and economic chaos in Europe’s biggest economy.
The German government is to nationalise Uniper in a deal that takes the utility’s bailout cost to €29bn after it was brought to the brink of insolvency following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Berlin’s lifeline for the country’s biggest importer of natural gas is the biggest corporate bailout in Germany since the global financial crisis in 2008, when the government provided a €480bn lifeline to the banking sector.
Germany, which had already planned to take a 30 per cent stake, is now completely “buying out” Uniper’s previous owner Fortum for €480mn. Berlin will also take on a €7.5bn credit line previously provided by the Finnish energy company to Uniper.
At the same time, the government will recapitalise the struggling utility with €8bn, German economy minister Robert Habeck said on Wednesday. The move comes on top of a €13bn government credit line that was already provided to Uniper this year.
Before the Ukraine war, Uniper was procuring half of all German gas imports. Policymakers had feared its failure would trigger a collapse in gas supplies and economic chaos in Europe’s biggest economy.
C. R. W. Nevinson, La Mitrailleuse, 1915
C. R. W. Nevinson, Column on the March, 1915
C. R. W. Nevinson, La patrie, 1916
C. R. W. Nevinson, La patrie, 1916
亚速营的Denis Prokopenko团长和Sergey Volynsky 被换回来了 留在土耳其直到战争结束 恭喜保住了命
>>亚速营的Denis Prokopenko团长和Sergey Volynsky 被换回来了 留在土耳其...
在 youtube 看到泽连斯基的宣告了，苏丹埃尔多安做居中协调，换回200人。
条件确实刁钻，必须留在土耳其。
>>在 youtube 看到泽连斯基的宣告了，苏丹埃尔多安做居中协调，换回200人。条件确实刁钻，必须留...
也算是对各方都好的办法了 乌克兰也不用太担心如何处理他们 他们也可以在土耳其好好休息 妻子可以去土耳其见他们 等战后再以英雄的身份回国
我们这个时代的专制主义：
PayPal removes 'gender-critical' organizations from platforms, citing hate speech
PayPal removed multiple "gender-critical" organizations from its platforms on the grounds that they engaged in hate speech.
The payment platform and its subsidiary Venmo on Tuesday removed the accounts of at least two groups that have regularly criticized gay and transgender rights activists. This included the PayPal account of Gays Against Groomers, a self-described "coalition of gays against the sexualization, indoctrination, and medicalization of children." PayPal also closed the accounts of the Free Speech Union and the Daily Sceptic, two websites operated by the conservative British editor Toby Young.
"PayPal has closed the accounts of the Daily Sceptic and the Free Speech Union, a new low in Big Tech's war on free speech," Young tweeted on Tuesday. "Not only can you not express certain views, you can't defend people's right to express them."
It is unclear if the two bans are connected, but both parties were known for criticizing gay and transgender rights activists.
PayPal removes 'gender-critical' organizations from platforms, citing hate speech
PayPal removed multiple "gender-critical" organizations from its platforms on the grounds that they engaged in hate speech.
The payment platform and its subsidiary Venmo on Tuesday removed the accounts of at least two groups that have regularly criticized gay and transgender rights activists. This included the PayPal account of Gays Against Groomers, a self-described "coalition of gays against the sexualization, indoctrination, and medicalization of children." PayPal also closed the accounts of the Free Speech Union and the Daily Sceptic, two websites operated by the conservative British editor Toby Young.
"PayPal has closed the accounts of the Daily Sceptic and the Free Speech Union, a new low in Big Tech's war on free speech," Young tweeted on Tuesday. "Not only can you not express certain views, you can't defend people's right to express them."
It is unclear if the two bans are connected, but both parties were known for criticizing gay and transgender rights activists.
欧洲当权派现在高声指责极右势力，然而正是他们过去二十年的所作所为让极右在公众视野中形象越来越正面，极右赢得的每一张选票都是给当权派一记应得的耳光。目前打得还不够疼。
Energy Crisis Empowers Europe’s Populists Harnessing Anger
The crowd of about 5,000 protesters were from the far right and left, and united in their anger. Waving Slovak flags, they demanded an end to the rule of “clowns” and “traitors” they blamed for saddling them with the cost of supporting Ukraine in its fight against Russia.
The gathering on Tuesday evening in Bratislava was the first joint demonstration by Slovakia’s opposition parties in two years, though it wasn’t just an isolated event in a small European nation next door to the war. Across the continent, hardline groups are making political capital from the economic impact of the conflict as food and energy prices soar.
Already there are early, yet alarming echoes of the aftermath of the global financial crisis, a period that ultimately ushered in Donald Trump’s presidency in the US, Britain’s vote to leave the European Union and populist leaderships from Brazil to Poland and Hungary.
Seven months after Russia attacked Ukraine, disquiet over inflation and collapsing living standards has seen the rise of some familiar political forces, whether in direct defiance to the EU’s resolve to wean itself of Russian oil and gas or the old tropes of anti-immigration and nativism.
Energy Crisis Empowers Europe’s Populists Harnessing Anger
The crowd of about 5,000 protesters were from the far right and left, and united in their anger. Waving Slovak flags, they demanded an end to the rule of “clowns” and “traitors” they blamed for saddling them with the cost of supporting Ukraine in its fight against Russia.
The gathering on Tuesday evening in Bratislava was the first joint demonstration by Slovakia’s opposition parties in two years, though it wasn’t just an isolated event in a small European nation next door to the war. Across the continent, hardline groups are making political capital from the economic impact of the conflict as food and energy prices soar.
Already there are early, yet alarming echoes of the aftermath of the global financial crisis, a period that ultimately ushered in Donald Trump’s presidency in the US, Britain’s vote to leave the European Union and populist leaderships from Brazil to Poland and Hungary.
Seven months after Russia attacked Ukraine, disquiet over inflation and collapsing living standards has seen the rise of some familiar political forces, whether in direct defiance to the EU’s resolve to wean itself of Russian oil and gas or the old tropes of anti-immigration and nativism.
还有比索多玛更自由的地方吗？ 历史从不让人失望