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Talkin' about news!

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Doin' it every wa-ay!

NEWS.

News!

I'm talkin' about news!

The Canada first time homebuyer insentive is peak liberal brain. It's a means tested loan that you add to your downpayment, and the most expensive hone you could afford with it is well below the median home price. The math kind of works out if you're in Toronto or Vancouver and make close to $150k. But if you make that kind of money you'd probably want to not take it and buy a slightly less small condo. Also they cap off your downpayment to a pretty low percent so it might be more expensive long term lol.

"I don't do business with communists": Argentine presidential candidate Javier Milei says that if elected, Argentina will not trade with its second largest partner, China (after Brazil) - and will only trade with the "civilized" West.

China puts dissident in 24-hour isolation for posting flyer about authoritarian state crackdowns

Then I was brought to an isolation room, and it was not explained why. It was around midnight at this point; we were arrested around 4:30 p.m. When I woke up the next morning, it sunk in that I was in isolation. Normal isolation is twenty-three-hour lockdown with one hour of access to a kiosk, a phone, and socialization. But for some reason I was put in double isolation, which is twenty-four-hour lockdown, with twenty-four-hour lights. At no point did I resist arrest, and I complied with the medical intake requirements. I felt very targeted. As the days went by, no one would really give me information.

I was trying to file a grievance, because the Bartow County Jail’s inmate handbook says that if an inmate is in an area without access to a kiosk, then the inmate can request a paper grievance form from the guard on shift. When I asked for this form, the guard said she didn’t have to do that. After I went to medical, because I was having some health problems while I was in isolation, the guard took pity on me and looked it up and there was nothing entered in the system as to the reason for my being put in isolation. Isn’t that funny?

Oops, why did I say China, it was the U.S. state of Georgia.

NYT Reveals That a Tech Mogul Likes China—and That McCarthyism Is Alive and Well

If you think China is evil and Communists are the devil—as you might, if you read US corporate news media (FAIR.org, 5/15/20, 4/8/21)—this sounds like important reporting on a dangerous man. The trouble is, there’s nothing illegal about any of this. All the Times succeeds in proving in this article is that Singham puts considerable money, amassed by selling a software company, toward causes that promote positive views of China and are critical of hawkish anti-China foreign policy, which is his right as an US citizen. If you were to replace “China” in this tale with “Ukraine,” it’s hard to imagine the Times assigning a single reporter to the story, let alone putting it on the front page.

I've been informed that this web server has been knowingly distributing kremlin propaganda.

Edit: I'm gravely disappointed in the responses to this alert. This is no laughing matter.

I think considering the failure of the couteroffensive, as well as the delays in Western equipment and the severity of Russian rocket attacks it's fair to say that Ukraine is operating at a pretty large materiel disadvantage. Also we've seen the problems faced by the Ukrainians when it comes to conscription, seemingly coming to a head with the firing of the enlistment guys. So without sounding like a bot, what exactly is holding the Ukrainians together? Pure ideology? and an (understandable imo) unwillingness for big arrows from Wide Putin? Or am I overestimating the damage dealt to Ukraine's ability to wage war?

Thinking about it, this war isn't going to end for a very long time unless Putin comes up with some "knockout blow" or Ukraine has a drastic change in management. Or maybe they really will fight to the last Ukranian.

https://strategic-culture.org/news/2019/09/01/the-canadian-prime-minister-needs-a-history-lesson/

Article on the various treaties signed by European powers with nazi Germany in the lead-up to ww2. Detailed rebuttal of the "but what about molotov ribbentrop" talking point equating nazi Germany and the ussr

Lawmakers urge Biden to resolve offloading delay of seized Iran oil tanker

That Iranian oil tanker floating off the coast of Texas is still there and has been since May. US companies are still too afraid to touch it due to fear of Iranian retribution. This is extremely funny.

Senators Joni Ernst, a Republican, and Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat, and other lawmakers in the Senate and U.S. House said in the letter to Biden and senior administration officials that enforcement of petroleum sanctions will become irrelevant if American citizens and companies involved constantly live in fear of Iranian retaliation.

a specter is haunting America

https://archive.ph/qcc7M

This had to be in the run for first place is absolute fucking cope from the pro-nato brainless think tanks.

Opinion ❘ How F-16s for Ukraine could harm Russia without taking a single shot. By Michael Bohnert

TL:DR F-16s aren't going to do shit because the Russian airforce will burn its entire airfleet out from combat usage before the first American plane touches down in Ukraine.

This author should be beaten with a heavy rope soaked in piss for writing this

https://old.reddit.com/r/UkraineRussiaReport/comments/15qvmsm/ru_pov_footage_of_z53izdelie_53_test_launches/

I think Russia has unveiled the "hibernating" drones they were talking about. They can be launched from tubes rather than the current slingshot method. I believe the idea with these is to scatter a zillion camouflaged launchers along the frontline, then when you see something you want to blow up, you can immediately launch as many as you need.

Seems like a pretty big deal if Russia can make enough of them.

The problems with Ukraine’s wartime collaboration law

By Open Democracy, which is generally anti-Russia, pro-Ukraine but willing to admit problems. It describes how "collaboration" with Russia can extend even to garbage collectors working in previously Russian territory, like Kherson, while it was occupied.

...the owners of Kherson’s main garbage collection company have been arrested and their trucks seized. Alena and Dmitry Dubrovsky, who ran the company for 20 years, are facing charges of wartime collaboration for continuing to work between March and November 2022, when Kherson was under Russian occupation.

The regional police department and prosecutors claimed that last summer the Dubrovskys supported Russia’s introduction of the ruble, opened company accounts in a Russian bank and paid taxes to the occupying administration. In other words, they “carried out economic activities in close cooperation with the aggressor state” and “transferred material resources to the occupiers”. This is regarded as wartime collaboration and aiding the aggressor state, the penalties for which are up to five and 12 years in prison, respectively.

...

According to the Kherson prosecutor’s office, more than 1,000 investigations into collaboration had been filed by the end of June, though only 50 sentences have been handed down so far. Another 234 investigations involve allegations of aiding Russia.

The father of one of my best friends is permanently paraplegic because of a spinal stroke he had during a tantric sex retreat he was attending in Ukraine for some reason months after the war started

Edit: I stole this from a tweet, have no idea if it's true

As well as the Netherlands, Denmark has received permission from their overlords in Washington to hand over F-16's to the Kiev government once the training of Ukrainian pilots is done. Surely this Wunderwaffe will turn the tide of the war and guarantee final Ukrainian victory.

When asked whether the permit means that Denmark is actually going to send the planes any time soon, Danish foreign minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen says that the permit "means that a barrier to do that is no longer there. And together with our allies we are now discussing what the next step could be". Danish minister of defence Jakob Ellemann Jensen has commented that "the government has been saying several times that a donation is the next step after training. We discuss is with near allies and I expect that we can get more concrete about it soon"

The Danish government has cancelled promises to aid poor families with children, subjected higher education to an austerity regime and taken away a paid public holiday as the economy of the kingdom on the northern outskirts of Europe presumably is in dire straits.

Left-wing Political Leader Pedro Briones Shot to Death in Ecuador

The attack takes place less than a week before the presidential elections and after last week's shooting death of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio.

The leader of the leftist and correista political party Citizen Revolution Pedro Briones has been murdered this Monday by a gunshot wound in Ecuador.

Ecuadorian police released preliminary information in statements to local media stating that the attackers were members of a gang operating in Esmeraldas. Briones was reportedly shot twice in the park of San Mateo parish in the city of Esmeraldas.

Presidential candidate Luisa González denounced the attack through her official Twitter account: "Ecuador is living its bloodiest time. This is due to the total abandonment of an inept government and a State taken over by mafias. My solidarity embrace to the family of comrade Pedro Briones, fallen in the hands of violence. Change is urgent," González said.

Members of the political group Citizen Revolution confirmed that Briones was killed by a gunshot, although so far there is no official report from the authorities.

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) has condemned the political violence in the South American country, noting that such situation is "framed in a context of serious deterioration of citizen security" due to organized crime.

The IACHR called on the government to act "with diligence" in the face of these violent events, which it considered "an attack on democracy."

This comes less than a week before the presidential elections are held and after the shooting death last week of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio. The candidate of the Construye lista 25 (MC25) movement was shot several times in an armed attack during a campaign rally in northern Quito last Wednesday.

Check out this Washington Post article.

U.S. intelligence says Ukraine will fail to meet offensive’s key goal

The thing I most want to point out is that map. It shows Ukraine's advances over the past two months of the offensive. Any real mapheads in here won't be surprised by it but I think this is the first time I"m seeing a map like this in a western publication like the WP. The map itself is from the Institute from the Study of War, the one run by the sister-in-law of Victoria Nuland the current acting United States Deputy Secretary of State.

Just the map: https://i.imgur.com/pTOHBxi.png

It really does feel like the US media establishment is slowly laying the groundwork for hanging Ukraine out to dry. I just wish they would do it faster.

I still think of the self avowed "compassionate liberal" who kept starting sentences with "I'm not racist, but-" whenever we passed an asian person

wrong mega plz ignore my silliness

UK MI6 to send 100 Ukrainian fighters to Africa and counter Russia

A military-diplomatic source claims that the UK's Secret Intelligence Service or MI6 prepared a sabotage unit of 100 Ukrainian fighters set to be sent to Africa to fend off Russia-Africa cooperation.

The source states: "According to information confirmed by several sources, the British intelligence service MI6 has formed and prepared for deployment to the southern continent a sabotage and punitive detachment consisting of militants of Ukrainian nationalist and neo-Nazi formations to counter the development of cooperation between African countries and Russia".

...

The main objective of the presence in Africa will be "sabotage of infrastructure in African countries, as well as the elimination of African leaders oriented towards cooperation with Russia", per the source who also noted that the unit would be delivered by "a chartered civilian ship from the [Ukrainian] port of Izmail to the [Sudanese] city of Omdurman during the second half of August".

in other news, Ben Norton has apparently just received Nicaraguan citizenship today after having completed the naturalization process

https://www.el19digital.com/articulos/ver/titulo:143515-bienvenido-hermano-ben-norton-a-la-familia-nicaraguense

God damn it. I'm trying to start a band with my girls, and we found an old set that's just missing a bass drum. But even severely damaged bass drums are going for over $50 on craigslist here rn, and they'd need new heads and parts.

This wouldn't bother me toooooo much, but approximately 5 years ago I sold a ~$1200 drum set for $300 to get a plane ticket out of my abusive parents' place. I just really miss making music.

We got ourselves an interesting substack, which addresses the crisis in Niger within the terms of local politics rather than just geopolitical jockeying that a lot of people including us tend to limit ourselves to. Some of the highlights are:

• Nigeria is a geopolitical force in it's own right, with control over a number of multilateral organizations and wether intervention happens or not is really down the internal politics of Nigeria.

• Nigeria is going through the motions to build up international legitimacy for an ECOWAS intervention, but it is recalcitrant due to mounting opposition within itself.

• Unlike what some tend to believe, this opposition has nothing to do with pan african or anti imperialist solidarity. Rather the danger of further crisis and displacement right at the border. Not to mention how the president of Nigeria relies on a voting base from the north of the country, which is related to the people of southern Niger.

• Unlike some have reported Algeria has not said that they'll intervene to save the Nigerien junta. They also just think that intervention will worsen the situation. So they are opposed to both the coup and invasion.

• Understandably, the gut reaction of people in the region about military coups comes from the fact that nobody is holding out for a second Thomas Sankara. Everyone sees a military junta as a new kleptocracy in the making.

• When people talk about Nigerien Uranium or Gold, they are oversimplifying the situation. Niger is a resource colony in the era of financial capitalism. Yes, there are french companies that exploit the shit out of Niger's markets. But the larger point is the unravelling of the Francophonie as a whole, on which so much of french finance relies on. France won't be without fuel for it's nuclear plants because they can just buy from Kazakhstan or Canada.

• Incidentally the US doesn't really give a shit about France. It's all about the perceived geopolitical win of Russia's. A perception that is driven by protestors with Russian flags and false videos of Wagner planes touching Niamey. And even so, the Americans can't just tell Nigeria to intervene. If Nigeria was a puppet state it would have already moved in. The Nigerians will ultimately move in according to their own core national interests, and if conditions are ready for it.

• That said, Nigeria's last ECOWAS intervention was in Gambia, and it seemed like it wasn't gonna happen until it suddenly did and the country more or less folded because of how illegitimate the government had become.

On the Ukrainian front, nothing new.