Morning music
A composer new to me: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howard_Skempton.
Tweets seen
Like so many types associated with the present-day Conservative Party, it is uncertain whether Houchen was (or is) corrupt, or whether he was (or is) simply incompetent and stupid. Maybe a blend of both. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Houchen,_Baron_Houchen_of_High_Leven
I once heard Ben Houchen on the radio. Quite impressive. In fact, more so than most “dirty democratic politicians“, as Hitler termed them. However, I have found in my life that, usually, the most impressive-seeming people are “all hat and no cattle“, in the Texan phrase.
I think that I must pen, sometime, a little monograph, in the manner of Sherlock Holmes, but not about types of cigar ash; about impressive-seeming people and how few of them achieve greatness or even adequacy.
“Russian President Vladimir Putin, during an interview with American journalist Tucker Carlson , the recording of which was published on the TCN (Tucker Carlson Network) website on February 9, said that Ukraine is an artificially created republic that appeared in 1922 during the formation of the USSR.
“When forming the Soviet Union – this is already 1922 – the Bolsheviks began to form the USSR and created a Soviet Ukraine, which did not exist until now. At the same time, [Joseph] Stalin insisted that these republics that were being formed should be included as autonomous entities,” Putin said.
Russia wants to achieve a settlement in Ukraine through negotiations, the Russian leader said in an interview. He expressed confidence that both countries “sooner or later” will be able to reach an agreement. Putin said Ukraine refused to negotiate with Russia “on instructions from Washington,” adding that the decision was wrong and must now be corrected.
Putin said that Russia has not yet achieved its goals in Ukraine.
The West has already come to an understanding that it is impossible to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia; it will fight for its interests to the end. Vladimir Putin told American journalist Tucker Carlson about this.
Putin: The West fears a strong China more than a strong Russia because there are 150 million people in Russia, and one and a half billion in China, and the Chinese economy is developing by leaps and bounds – more than five percent a year, it was even more. But this is enough for China. Bismarck once said: the main thing is potentials. China’s potential is colossal; it is the first economy in the world today in terms of purchasing power parity and economic volume. They have already overtaken the United States for quite some time, and the pace is growing.
Russia is not interested in a war with Poland, Latvia or another country ; Moscow may consider sending troops in the event of an attack, Putin said. He emphasized that getting involved in a “global war” does not meet common sense.“
All of those points can be found on this blog, in posts published over the past 2+ years.
There has not been such devastation, and deliberate devastation, since the Second World War.
I can think of a suitable cartoon to accompany that, but according to the police and CPS, and (after my recent magistrates’ court conviction) the Bench, that particular cartoon is both “antisemitic” and “grossly offensive” (because it is said to imply that Jews control the Press in the USA, UK etc), so I had better not publish it again…
Ukraine under the Jew Zelensky is a failed state, a fake state, and a gangster state, a brutal, shambolic and corrupt dictatorship.
What about the Jewish lobby fifth column embedded at the heart of government in the USA (and UK)?
I might find it hilarious that the USA is now at least notionally ruled by a demented old fellow who can scarcely remember his own name or what day of the week it is, were it not for the danger that his actions might trigger a nuclear war.
Laugh of the day
Saw a Twitter/X account from a young woman (I think) whose profile starts with “Inspiring writer” (presumably she means “Aspiring writer“). She (?) has a steep hill to climb, I think…
More tweets
“It is literally a prison planet.” Former Blackrock portfolio manager, Ed Dowd, explains why every last remnant of human freedom depends on widespread rejection of CBDC. “Once the central bank digital currency is linked to all your credit cards and bank accounts, then social controls can be implemented. If you’re a dissenter like me, talking about truth, they shut you down.“
“Democracies“? Ha ha…
It was yesterday, but I thought it worthwhile to repost that.
It’s “panicdemic“, and/or “scamdemic“…
“Good man” is debatable. After all, “no-one can rule guiltlessly” [Saint-Just], but Putin is certainly at least as good a man as those opposing him, both here and in Russia itself.
People usually want things to be black-and-white, simple. Not everything is black-and-white. Look at modern history. There were people, some people, in the SS and even, rather later, in the KGB and GRU, who meant well, were relatively honourable, and who might be described in the superficial sense as “good” people, and there were those in the USA and UK, and also in the internal opposition(s) to both National Socialist and Soviet socialist rule, who were rather “bad” people.
If life is a chess game, it is often “three-dimensional chess”.
Wall. Squad. End.
It seems to me —as far as I have read etc— that Israel is now quite centralized on Tel Aviv and its region, though the Jerusalem area has as many or more inhabitants. The economy is centred on that region. The Israeli state can absorb a certain amount of conflict in border areas (Gaza, the Golan Heights and Northern Israel, even the West Bank), so long as the central belt around Tel Aviv is still functioning.
The increasing capabilities of Hezbollah, especially what seems to be their fast-upgraded missile programme, threaten Tel Aviv and the surrounding region. The Israeli ruling circles are therefore probably contemplating a massive attack on southern Lebanon to destroy the Hezbollah infrastructure before missiles of real power rain down on Tel Aviv.
The Israelis are willing to take a hit in terms of international perception of Israel, a public relations hit, and also an economic hit, so long as that Hezbollah infrastructure can be at least badly damaged.
Were Hezbollah or other powers able to heavily damage Tel Aviv itself, the Israeli economy would tank, and the exodus (?) of dual-passport Jews from Israel —30,000+ since October 2023— would become a flood.
Late tweets
Late music
Ian Robert Millard 