My only gripe with this is Team Trump "asking" these wasters to resign. Obama, now only America's second-worst President didn't ask conservative army generals to resign; he sacked them. Trump has to be utterly ruthless. I want to see a Pinochet - without the niceness.
Good to see you back, Steg! I concur. I'd prefer the gloves come off. The right tends to play nice when they hold power only to have the degenerate Democrats just come after them harder when they regain full control.
Hi Cosmo. Thanks for your kind words and I hope the workload isn't too heavy for you over there. With Trump, we'll see how things pan out. I hope he really can restore some greatness to America in 2025 and beyond. Blessings, my friend!
Britain is a bellwether that should be studied going forward. We can and should learn from what transpires during their bankruptcy, interregnum, and rebound. They will make many mistakes, and thereby create great hardship for their people. And it will be from this gauntlet that they eventually find their way back. Most important for us is whether they choose inflation or jubilee, because there really is no third option. And a rising is not out of the question. How that would play out in the modern reality of unbridled immigration and a low trust society is an experiment that will yield valuable wisdom if we choose to recognize it.
OT: I had an interesting/disquieting discussion with my (adult) son yesterday. He told me that he had recently attended a briefing with a prominent Dem political type who insisted that Vladimir Putin is the 'richest man in the world'. So we googled this assertion and found a panoply of google entries suggesting that Vladimir Putin has amassed a fortune of $200 billion (or more). Some articles suggest that Putin is richer than Elon Musk. Some articles suggest that he is the richest man in the history of the world.
There is, of course, no evidence presented in support of this proposition.
The $200B figure started circulating back when the Magnitsky Act was in the news and Bill Browder was the only side of that story, so, roughly 2010-12. If accurate then, one would expect that figure to have doubled by now, in the manner that extreme wealth has seemed to have done everywhere in the world over the last decade-plus. In that case, he'd be the richest man in the world.
I've never seen support for the $200B estimation (which, I believe, Forbes still runs with). I think the methodology is something along the lines of looking at Putin's circle of oligarchs and figuring out what they'd kick upstairs to the "capo di tutti capi," VVP. I'd imagine that Putin-affiliated interests do sit on a ton of equities (and derivatives and related rights such as 'golden shares') in large Russian businesses, but nobody yet has even categorically identified what those are. He is building (or has built) a $1.4B palace on the Black Sea in the Krasnodar region, something you really wouldn't do unless you had multi-billions on top of that. One thing is clear: he doesn't try to hide his extreme wealth from the Russian people, believing (correctly, I feel) that they don't have a real problem with it.
To me, the fact that it is Bill Browder who is the source of the 'Putin is a billionaire' story raises sustantial doubts. Browder's claims in respect of his version of the Magnitsky story have been extensively challenged (and disproven), by Alex Krainer (Grand Deception), in particular, and by others, and I don't see why this story shouldn't be challenged, too.
I wouldn't doubt that Putin has benefited (financially) from his presidency, but for numerous reasons actual real/record ownership of substantial assets would give rise to numerous disclosure requirements, not the least in respect of income and property tax assessments and payments. In fact, it was Browder's alleged non-payment of taxes which led to Magnitsky's incarceration and Browder's claims against the Russian government. I am not saying Putin would be treated by the tax authorities like Browder/Magnitsky, but I also can't imagine Putin could have amassed a real fortune, consisting of real assets, without paying substantial taxes. Are we supposed to imagine his friends are not only holding assets for him, but paying taxes for him?
I suppose anything is possible, but I am going to remain sceptical until there is more concrete proof.
I would urge anyone who is inclined to believe Bill Browder's take on Sergei Magnitsky's death or, in fact, anything Browder says, to watch Andrei Nekrasov's explanation of Browder's game:
The liberals do not understand that there are benefits to having a Strong Man (strongman) leading the country. He can absorb those blows from Israelis for us. Let them hate him! We are moving the ball down the field.
Max Blumenthal giving Blinken the business today, right before getting kicked out of the latter's farewell presser. You'd never know Max was the son of Hillary's right-hand man.
I love that Max Blumenthal, despite his background, is able to speak the truth. I think that takes a lot of courage on his part. I notice that his father never criticizes Max's work although with Sidney's baggage he'd probably prefer to stay out of the limelight at this point in his life,
The Sandbu article suggests that the strains on the Russian economy brought on by the war will somehow bring Russia...and Putin...down. While there are undoubtedly strains, brought on by the sanctions and the diversion of resources to military applications there is no recognition of the strains on the economies of NATO/EU attributable to the war. Not to mention that Russia is winning the war and not to mention that the war is 'existential' for Russia, including the Russian people, and Russia will not concede.
So what is the point of a columnist telling the Financial Times' readership that the war is placing strains on the Russian economy?
Ray: There’s the rub that has me screaming at my phone, “all the lies”!!! We can’t believe anything that the government says, we can’t believe anything that the media says and it’s getting worse with every passing day. If it weren’t for sites like this one, us peons wouldn’t have a snowballs chance in hell of determining the real state of the world.
That’s how I felt when I read the LA Times at my parents house. It’s like a Bizarro alternate world they are writing about. My parents have been subscribers for 60 years. The reduction in pages printed has been amazing.
Meaning in History is my laptop's first click of the day.
--can't speak to Iran's present economic situation, but know from years ago, when "Ruhi" Ramazani was Dean of Mideast Studies at U of Virginia and his wife delivered speeches on Iran's pro-family social programs. Tho the gov. programs included birth control, the purpose was to increase successful family formation. In those years (at least) Iran had advanced methods for delivery of health care, to the extent that some US States 'imported' Iranian consultants to set up home-health care.
In other words, Iran has a deep tradition of seeing to the needs of its population in innovative ways standard 'economic' metrics may not consider.
One hopes such habits will continue to serve the Iranian people well.
My only gripe with this is Team Trump "asking" these wasters to resign. Obama, now only America's second-worst President didn't ask conservative army generals to resign; he sacked them. Trump has to be utterly ruthless. I want to see a Pinochet - without the niceness.
Good to see you back, Steg! I concur. I'd prefer the gloves come off. The right tends to play nice when they hold power only to have the degenerate Democrats just come after them harder when they regain full control.
Hi Cosmo. Thanks for your kind words and I hope the workload isn't too heavy for you over there. With Trump, we'll see how things pan out. I hope he really can restore some greatness to America in 2025 and beyond. Blessings, my friend!
I suspect that what we're seeing is simply the tip of an iceberg. Hah--a Greenland style metaphor!
Greenland could be the new Gitmo especially for political deviants like the Democrats.
Lots of real estate for re-locating government departments that can't be legally abolished!
Greenta'namo. Club Fed perhaps?
We can send a few left wing adventurers to look for Floki, he's been missing since the 10th century.
Ice-catraz!
Britain is a bellwether that should be studied going forward. We can and should learn from what transpires during their bankruptcy, interregnum, and rebound. They will make many mistakes, and thereby create great hardship for their people. And it will be from this gauntlet that they eventually find their way back. Most important for us is whether they choose inflation or jubilee, because there really is no third option. And a rising is not out of the question. How that would play out in the modern reality of unbridled immigration and a low trust society is an experiment that will yield valuable wisdom if we choose to recognize it.
OT: I had an interesting/disquieting discussion with my (adult) son yesterday. He told me that he had recently attended a briefing with a prominent Dem political type who insisted that Vladimir Putin is the 'richest man in the world'. So we googled this assertion and found a panoply of google entries suggesting that Vladimir Putin has amassed a fortune of $200 billion (or more). Some articles suggest that Putin is richer than Elon Musk. Some articles suggest that he is the richest man in the history of the world.
There is, of course, no evidence presented in support of this proposition.
Did you expect truth and reality from a prominent Democrat? They are the masters of projection.
Sounds like that "information" should go under the heading of manufacturing reasons to hate Putin. As you say no evidence.
The $200B figure started circulating back when the Magnitsky Act was in the news and Bill Browder was the only side of that story, so, roughly 2010-12. If accurate then, one would expect that figure to have doubled by now, in the manner that extreme wealth has seemed to have done everywhere in the world over the last decade-plus. In that case, he'd be the richest man in the world.
I've never seen support for the $200B estimation (which, I believe, Forbes still runs with). I think the methodology is something along the lines of looking at Putin's circle of oligarchs and figuring out what they'd kick upstairs to the "capo di tutti capi," VVP. I'd imagine that Putin-affiliated interests do sit on a ton of equities (and derivatives and related rights such as 'golden shares') in large Russian businesses, but nobody yet has even categorically identified what those are. He is building (or has built) a $1.4B palace on the Black Sea in the Krasnodar region, something you really wouldn't do unless you had multi-billions on top of that. One thing is clear: he doesn't try to hide his extreme wealth from the Russian people, believing (correctly, I feel) that they don't have a real problem with it.
To me, the fact that it is Bill Browder who is the source of the 'Putin is a billionaire' story raises sustantial doubts. Browder's claims in respect of his version of the Magnitsky story have been extensively challenged (and disproven), by Alex Krainer (Grand Deception), in particular, and by others, and I don't see why this story shouldn't be challenged, too.
I wouldn't doubt that Putin has benefited (financially) from his presidency, but for numerous reasons actual real/record ownership of substantial assets would give rise to numerous disclosure requirements, not the least in respect of income and property tax assessments and payments. In fact, it was Browder's alleged non-payment of taxes which led to Magnitsky's incarceration and Browder's claims against the Russian government. I am not saying Putin would be treated by the tax authorities like Browder/Magnitsky, but I also can't imagine Putin could have amassed a real fortune, consisting of real assets, without paying substantial taxes. Are we supposed to imagine his friends are not only holding assets for him, but paying taxes for him?
I suppose anything is possible, but I am going to remain sceptical until there is more concrete proof.
I would urge anyone who is inclined to believe Bill Browder's take on Sergei Magnitsky's death or, in fact, anything Browder says, to watch Andrei Nekrasov's explanation of Browder's game:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNblKoJgt2c&t=7s
Since you mentioned Alex Krainor, I think this story was interesting:
https://alexkrainer.substack.com/p/things-they-forgot-to-teach-us-in
I suspect you may have read this Cass, but perhaps others have not.
If Trump is unable to fire career bureaucrats that will be obstacles to his agenda, he can move them into a sinecure.
The liberals do not understand that there are benefits to having a Strong Man (strongman) leading the country. He can absorb those blows from Israelis for us. Let them hate him! We are moving the ball down the field.
Max Blumenthal giving Blinken the business today, right before getting kicked out of the latter's farewell presser. You'd never know Max was the son of Hillary's right-hand man.
https://x.com/MaxBlumenthal/status/1879926469633487204?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet
I love that Max Blumenthal, despite his background, is able to speak the truth. I think that takes a lot of courage on his part. I notice that his father never criticizes Max's work although with Sidney's baggage he'd probably prefer to stay out of the limelight at this point in his life,
Seeing reports that Israel is again getting cold feet regarding the ceasefire. Will Zhou take credit for that too?
TDS meets RDS:
Danish Intelligence: Russia forged letter to spark Trump’s Greenland purchase bid
https://euromaidanpress.com/2025/01/13/danish-intelligence-russia-forged-letter-to-spark-trumps-greenland-purchase-bid/
Danish "intelligence" channeling Chris Steele?
With the lying on Russia’s economy:
https://archive.md/gmqrQ#selection-1701.0-1701.40
I wonder what is the truth on Iran’s and China’s?
All three supposedly have huge issues per the mainstream media.
@Ray @SMH
Yes. Where does the lying all end?
The Sandbu article suggests that the strains on the Russian economy brought on by the war will somehow bring Russia...and Putin...down. While there are undoubtedly strains, brought on by the sanctions and the diversion of resources to military applications there is no recognition of the strains on the economies of NATO/EU attributable to the war. Not to mention that Russia is winning the war and not to mention that the war is 'existential' for Russia, including the Russian people, and Russia will not concede.
So what is the point of a columnist telling the Financial Times' readership that the war is placing strains on the Russian economy?
Ray: There’s the rub that has me screaming at my phone, “all the lies”!!! We can’t believe anything that the government says, we can’t believe anything that the media says and it’s getting worse with every passing day. If it weren’t for sites like this one, us peons wouldn’t have a snowballs chance in hell of determining the real state of the world.
Truth is a rare commodity these days!
That’s how I felt when I read the LA Times at my parents house. It’s like a Bizarro alternate world they are writing about. My parents have been subscribers for 60 years. The reduction in pages printed has been amazing.
" If it weren’t for sites like this one" --
Hear Hear!
Thank you Mark Wauck.
Meaning in History is my laptop's first click of the day.
--can't speak to Iran's present economic situation, but know from years ago, when "Ruhi" Ramazani was Dean of Mideast Studies at U of Virginia and his wife delivered speeches on Iran's pro-family social programs. Tho the gov. programs included birth control, the purpose was to increase successful family formation. In those years (at least) Iran had advanced methods for delivery of health care, to the extent that some US States 'imported' Iranian consultants to set up home-health care.
In other words, Iran has a deep tradition of seeing to the needs of its population in innovative ways standard 'economic' metrics may not consider.
One hopes such habits will continue to serve the Iranian people well.