Australia’s oldest pottery

https://humanities.org.au/power-of-the-humanities/co-design-research-with-traditional-owners-jiigurru-lizard-island/

Student protests in USA

Will they make a difference. Times are different and the leaders in the west do not seem to care much for the interests of the people. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qaq3FghN7t4

David Shulman writes about Palestine

Many of them behind paywall https://www.nybooks.com/contributors/david-shulman/ https://nikhiletc.wordpress.com/2017/07/01/music-culture-history-a-conversation-with-david-shulman/

An interesting book.

“In the world of measurement, this blackboxing of the kilogram’s definition might seem retrograde, shutting ordinary women and men out of a field that affects their lives. It’s the sort of alienation that motivates anti-metric campaigners and the exact opposite of the medieval pietre di paragone that let anyone verify units of measure with their own hands and eyes. But increasing precision in measurement and the subsequent increase in obscurity is a direct result of the fusion of science and industry; a precursor to and product of the benefits of the contemporary world. And this is the bargain we have made for our current comforts. Who cares how units of measurement are defined, as long as the benefits remain? Perhaps one fair way to judge the situation is with Peirce’s philosophy of pragmatism, which he once suggested was only a restating of Jesus’s wisdom: ‘Ye shall know them by their fruits.’45 In this case, the fruits of modern 307measurement are the fruits of the modern world, for better or for worse.” Excerpt from Beyond Measure: The Hidden History of Measurement James Vincent

From Scott Ritter about developments in Sahel

from 34 minutes onwards

Switching off

Inam slowly switching off from Ukraine and Israel conflicts. It seems to me that they will continue for some more months if not years. even though they seem to be momentous changes, they will be slow i think. Ine telling fact is that US has not been able to subdue Yemen so far. May be that is an indication of things to come.

Fake reality

'Baerbock reportedly recommended that Israel stop circulating the photos of life supposedly returning to normal in the Palestinian enclave “as they don’t portray the real situation in Gaza. There is hunger in Gaza.” At this point, Netanyahu is said to have raised his voice and insisted, “It’s real. It’s reality. It’s not like what the Nazis staged, we’re not like the Nazis who produced fake images of a manufactured reality.” From https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/were-not-like-the-nazis-netanyahu-reportedly-bickered-with-german-fm-over-famine-in-gaza/

The Duran on Israeli-Iran conflict

Scott Ritter on the overall conflict situation

Dr, Koneru Satya Prasad

Here is a brief account of the founder Dr. Koneru Satya Prasad. He came through NHS. I had the pleasure of meeting him a few times and visited Heal Paradise School in Thotapalli. Also taught a bit of mathematics. It is amazing what one man can do. Unfortunately manyof the videos are in Telugu. He sort of shuns publicity. I am visiting his videos again to get a bit of inspiration When I am loosing enthusiasm. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_and_Education_for_All

A happy day

A happy day for me. I was working off and on with Aruna Tella who was in charge of Swadh Greh in Ongole looking after distressed women for several years. About six years ago we had one more of those cases ( about 1500 such women passed through the centre in Ongole) of women in trouble with her husband who came with two children. I knew about Heal Paradise school through my cousin Gadde Babu Rajendra Prasad who used to contribute 90 percent of his pension to the school and went there a few times to teach mathematics. We suggested sending the children to that school and they were accepted. Then a bureaucrat in charge for A.P government intervened saying that only children from Krishna District were eligible for entry in the school though the school was meant for all Indians. Then Aruna intervened and urged the people in charge of the school to fight. The authorities gave in. Today in a video call Aruna showed me the children. They are in classes 9 and 10 now. The mother has a job, earning twenty thousand rupees a month. They all looked healthy and happy. Meanwhile, the school has become a college and they can finish their degrees from there. Kudos to Aruna and Heal Paradise. https://healcharity.org/what-we-do/heal-projects/heal-paradise

Brian Berletic on US playbook from 2009

But the conditions have changed.

Michael Hudson again

posted before and posting again because of interesting comments. https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2024/04/michael-hudson-the-truth-about-the-destruction-of-the-palestinians.html Pepe Escobar commentary https://strategic-culture.su/news/2024/04/15/the-gaza-genocide-as-explicit-policy-michael-hudson-names-all-names/ one comment. vao April 15, 2024 at 4:19 am Everything that Israel is doing to the Palestinians in Gaza and elsewhere throughout Israel was all pioneered in Vietnam. Many — if not most — of what Israel is doing against Palestinians has a solid colonial tradition that predates the Vietnam war. Thus, at the same time the USA was implementing strategic hamlets in Vietnam, the Portuguese were proceeding with a “rural reorganization” of their colonies, concentrating the native population in “villages” (aldeamentos) — enclosed with barbed wire and with a small military post in the centre (so that the locals would act as a human shield in case of attacks by the guerrila). But neither the American nor the Portuguese had invented anything: the French had already practiced the same policy with their “regrouping centres” (centres de regroupement) during the Algerian war — where they ended up parking 2.5 millions natives. And they were not the first to have done something like that: the British created the “new villages” during the “Malayan emergency” — again, concentrating people in villages enclosed with barbed wire, watchtowers manned by guards with instructions to shoot to kill. It’s been carved up into districts requiring electronic passes from one sector to another to go into Israel, to go to Jerusalem, or to go to Israel for jobs to work. Again, a standard colonial practice. In French colonies, the native population was assigned to districts, within which it could move freely. To travel to another district, it was necessary to get a written authorization, presenting a roadmap (where one wanted to go, when, and the route). Woe to those who, when presenting their laissez-passer, were found to be infringing its roadmap. In addition, the local population was subject to curfews. A similar system (including curfews) existed in Belgian colonies, but it was possible to obtain a travel permit valid for a limited period (typically 2 months), renewable for a fee. In Portuguese colonies, natives had to carry a “native booklet” with which they had to justify their presence in any place outside their district. It was basically a log book dated and signed by the employer or civil servant. Also curfews. Other colonial powers also had a variety of comparable approaches for imposing the control of movement on local populations. Even the segregation practices in occupied Palestine (roads reserved to Israelis, streets where one side is for Palestinians and the other for Israelis, settlements that Palestinians are not allowed to enter, hospitals where maternity wards are separated by ethnic background, etc) are actually inspired by colonial practices. Italians were the most extreme in that matter, followed by Portuguese, Belgians, British, Dutch, French. Apartheid itself was a colonial system in a post-colonial world — it did not invent anything that had not been already implemented in the colonial realm before (especially in Italian colonies under fascism). Genocide? A typical colonial practice. We could go on. It is useful to realize that, if the zionist movement was led by, and the State of Israel created by Jews originating largely from Eastern Europe (Ben Gurion, Golda Meir, Jabotinski, Sharett, etc), the foundation and build-up of zionism was largely the work of Jews originating from Germany and the Austro-Hungarian empire (Herzl, Arthur Ruppin, Franz Oppenheimer, Davis Trietsch, Otto Warburg). And for them, the models to apply in order to build a state for the Jews were to be found in the German and French colonies.

Alastair Crooke after Iran attack

Can Iran afford to stand

https://consortiumnews.com/2024/04/14/iran-refuses-to-bow-can-it-afford-to-stand/ "For the Iranian leadership in Tehran, meanwhile, the law of unintended consequences will be being heavily weighed when it comes to any response to Israel’s recent airstrike. How can the current regime be confident of mass support at home for direct military confrontation with Israel, much less the Americans too? The brief but militant “Hijab Protest” in the summer of 2022 exposed fissures within Iranian society that remain extant if hidden for now. The risk of those social fissures being rent asunder again is a stark one, going forward."

Michael Hudson interview, video with transcript

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gNu_OGbqyWk https://michael-hudson.com/2024/04/gaza-the-strategic-imperative/

Scott Ritter in the recent Iranian response

Simplicius on Iran’s response to Israeli attack in Syria

https://simplicius76.substack.com/p/iran-breaches-anglo-zionist-defenses

Israel requests security council (UNSC) meeting

https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/un-security-council-aims-meet-sunday-iran-attack-after-israel-request-diplomat-2024-04-14/

Bibi-Modi ‘bromance’

https://www.bostonreview.net/articles/labor-and-the-bibi-modi-bromance/

Russia-China alliance

Brian Berletic on profits over purpose

Karl Sanchez on NATO

https://karlof1.substack.com/p/gt-presents-two-views-on-nato “The problem I see stems from the attitude in South Asia from both India and Pakistan despite their belonging to SCO. Why that is stems from their fence-sitting diplomatically and failure to be 100% Anti-Colonial, facts Russia and China are aware of. As Mr. Pang described, NATO’s expansion is a semi-warlike effort since it aims at total global control as the header picture suggests.”

Some exercises to help with sleep

May help. inused to these until ten years ago. May be it is time again. https://www.self.com/gallery/bedtime-stretches-better-sleep

Scott Ritter at Judging freedom

Simplicius on Janet Yellen’s recent trip to China

https://simplicius76.substack.com/p/yellen-dispatched-to-beg-china-for

Karl Sanchez discusses Alastair Crooke and Jacques Baud

https://karlof1.substack.com/p/crooke-the-art-of-war-different-thinking https://karlof1.substack.com/p/another-crooke-monday-revulsion-escalates

T.M.Krishna controversy makes it RT

https://www.rt.com/india/595480-high-priests-of-music-india-tm-krishna-brahmins/

Alastair Crooke: Western Thinking About War.

see also https://english.almayadeen.net/articles/analysis/the-art-of-war--different-thinking-systems

Apparently Russia names the divers involved in Nord Stream attack

https://www.southfront.press/breaking-moscow-named-ukrainian-divers-who-attacked-nord-stream/

Transcript of ‘ The Duran: US Economic Decline and Rise of Greater Eurasia – Michael Hudson, Alexander Mercouris & Glenn Diesen’

https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2024/04/the-duran-us-economic-decline-and-rise-of-greater-eurasia-michael-hudson-alexander-mercouris-glenn-diesen.html

Isaac Simpson in Dark Futura

There are lots of references to things i fo not know but there are also passages like this "In both capitalism and democracy, the only way to get things done is via implementation of propaganda campaigns by non-public individuals. In order to be successful, these campaigns must: Unite demographic subgroups around a single initiative using entities that those subgroups trust. Benefit the shared interests of the entities in question. Use or create a “moment in culture.” A brief explanation of these phrases. First, all societal projects are propaganda initiatives. There is simply no other way to realistically get things done in bottom-up structures like democracy and consumer capitalism. You have to move the masses, and the only way to move the masses is through propaganda. Second, every propaganda initiative must seek to unite different subgroups around a single cause; and the best way to do that is to appeal to “leaders” (more often celebrities, brands, universities, media companies, scientists, etc.) of those subgroups. Third, in order to fully participate, these “leaders” must have skin in the game—you can’t merely appeal to these entities rationally or emotionally (e.g. “a poster”), they must have a shared economic interest in the propaganda initiative (“an economy”). One of these interested parties must be the media itself. And finally, fourth, the only way to successfully deliver the message of the propaganda initiative is by either hijacking an existing “cultural moment” (e.g. the Super Bowl) or by creating one yourself. This is how you further ensure media complicity." stemming from the work of Edward Bernays. https://darkfutura.substack.com/p/cthulhu-gazes-right

Killing food aid workers

Andre Martysnov interview of Jacques Baud a month ago

Brian Berletic on US-ISIS connections

Garland Nixon with Laith Marough

discussion about Middle East including Turkish lical elections.Seems optimistic

When rent seeking stops, from The Duran with Michael Hudson

transcript here https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2024/04/the-duran-us-economic-decline-and-rise-of-greater-eurasia-michael-hudson-alexander-mercouris-glenn-diesen.html

Another impressive article from Simplicius, partly available for non-subscribers

https://open.substack.com/pub/simplicius76/p/future-of-the-smo-russian-army-think?r=2j96aq&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&comments=true

Bhadrakumar’s latest

https://www.rt.com/india/595083-crocus-hall-attack-ukraines-survival/

One more from Jacques Baud, via The Duran. Nearly three hours.

The Russian Art of War w/Col. Jacques Baud in Brussels

Jacques Baud on the origins of Ukraine dispute

Simplicius on the recent terror developments

Apotheosis of hybrid terror https://simplicius76.substack.com/p/west-desperately-deflects-as-ukraines

Dima on the ground situation in Ukraine

Alastair Crooke in Europe and Gaza

Larry Johnson on the treatment of the Crocus attackers

https://sonar21.com/russia-goes-medieval-on-alleged-takij-terrorists-with-more-circumstantial-evidence-pointing-to-ukraine-and-western-culpability/

On a award to T.M.Krishna

https://www.newslaundry.com/2024/03/23/shaking-up-the-establishment-the-collective-meltdown-over-music-academy-and-tm-krishna?fbclid=IwAR1s8eMXo4Z0o5QQWKTMjVqdSdAkZ8ojcsxjyYGYJIMx2jRsz4vIA3kIYoc

Judging freedom on bombing near Moscow

On escalation by France

Scott Ritter’s career and vision

Garland Nixon with Laith Marlouf on Gaza, Africa and misc. matters

Alastair Crooke latest

The Duran on the recent incursions by Ukraine

RIP Bernie Maskit

A very kind man who revived my research by introducing me to Perry Susskind’s thesis. I had a brief collaboration with him and a longer collaboration was lost in mail. I had many pleasant moments with him and Perry who visited me later in Melbourne. Mladen Bestvina tells me that I told him about combination theorems which led to his important work with Feighn on combination theorems for word hyperbolic groups. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernard_Maskit

Attrition and escalation management in current wars from Scott Ritter

Laith Marlouf with Garland Nixon, with a reference to Napoleon at 35 minutes

Douglas Macgregor on Ukraine and Gaza

Latest from Alastair Crooke on Israel and Ukraine

Simplicius on the latest situation in Ukraine.

US seems to be backing off. Europe making more noises. https://simplicius76.substack.com/p/sitrep-31124-patriots-blown-up-as

The Duran on Nuland resignation, from Russian hawks to China hawks

James Galbraith on Russian sanctions

Namit Arora web series of ten episodes on indians

including transcript and references here https://www.namitarora.com/IndiansWebSeries.html

Yves Smith om Israel

https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2024/03/israel-quietly-fraying.html

Conspicuous consumption

https://www.theguardian.com/inequality/2024/mar/06/anant-ambani-wedding-wealth-mark-zuckerberg-bill-gates?

Scott Ritter with Garland Nixon covering current international topics

Policing in Rafah

Two interesting books on China by Nicolas Tackett

The first is aboutchanges in the elite composition from Tang to Soong dynasties during which some culling if the elites seems to have taken place. The first is titled 'The destruction if the medieval Chinese aristocracy' https://www.hup.harvard.edu/books/9780674492059 it is based on author's thesis a ailable here https://history.berkeley.edu/sites/default/files/tackett_dissertation.pdf The second is titled 'The origins of the Chinese nation': "The present book is concerned with a form of Chinese nationalism that materialized at the court of northern song (960–1127) China. it seeks to describe this phenomenon and to explain its emer- gence, largely on the basis of the new inter-state dynamics of eleventh- century northeast asia. " https://www.amazon.com/Origins-Chinese-Nation-China-Forging/dp/131664748X

About American Jews

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2024/04/us-anti-semitism-jewish-american-safety/677469/ An interview with the author https://edition.cnn.com/videos/us/2024/03/04/anti-semitism-in-the-us-franklin-foer-jake-tapper-the-lead.cnn

Super-elite mostly about USA

Probably applies to Western Europe too. https://darkfutura.substack.com/p/americas-super-elite-disconnect

Experiences of some Israeli captives in Gaza

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/mar/03/we-were-constantly-in-terror-israeli-hostage-tells-of-captivity-in-gaza

Simplicius on the situation in Gaza

https://simplicius76.substack.com/p/sitrep-342024-rifts-in-bibis-camp

Alastair Crooke on the overall situation in Gaza and Ukraine

Gilbert Doctorow on the German army plot

https://gilbertdoctorow.com/2024/03/02/german-officers-plot-taurus-missile-attack-on-the-crimea-bridge/

George Galloway wins

A new Indian film, Laapataa Ladies

https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/bollywood/news-laapataa-ladies-box-office-kiran-raos-film-gets-a-decent-start-695880

Mahmoud Od on shooting displaced collecting food

He has a longer video later.

Talib has some interesting posts

here https://www.facebook.com/bookishvoyage

Two videos of S. Varalakshmi, one of my favourite singers

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qA37rfo9JrA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=740Yr80BluY

Egypt in negotiations with IMF

https://www.eurasiareview.com/28022024-will-egypt-sell-out-palestinians-for-10-billion-loan-package-oped/

Max Bluementhal on Aaron Bushmell self immolation

https://twitter.com/MaxBlumenthal/status/1762196403969728851?s=20

Simplicius on Avdeevka and the current situation of SOM

https://simplicius76.substack.com/p/avdeevka-denouement-russian-momentum

Necrocide in Gaza

https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2024/02/bmj-decries-necrocide-in-gaza-as-un-describes-shocking-desperate-conditions-john-hopkins-estimates-escalation-would-produce-85000-more-deaths-in-6-months.html

Glenn Diesen about his new book

Patrick Lancaster on Donetsk situation

Jack Matlock on the current US policies

Jon Stewart on the price of freedom around 11:45

He also mentions Novalny who was discussed by Brian Berletic in the previous video.

Brian Berletic on Novalny

Children collect flour from the ground in Gaza

https://www.aljazeera.com/program/newsfeed/2024/2/20/children-collect-spilled-flour-from-the-ground-after-gaza-aid-chaos

Scott Ritter discusses Novalny in this episode

An interview about Leo Szilard

Fatal mistakes says Alastair Crooke

see also https://strategic-culture.su/news/2024/02/19/resistance-has-plan-for-israel-but-on-other-side-fantastical-us-stratagems-ensure-cascading-failure/

Douglas Macgregor discusses Putin-Carlson interview

From Namit Arora, India through the eyes of visitors Alberuni (11th century) and Marco Polo

Seems similar to the current India

Two articles from Big Serge and John Helmer

https://bigserge.substack.com/p/the-age-of-zugzwang and https://johnhelmer.net/the-history-of-russian-sex/#more-89366

A wide ranging interview with Scott Ritter by Danny Haiphong

Mostly about Ukraine, Putin, Carlson interview. About 25 minutes about Gaza.

Recent episode from ‘Ask the Inspector’ series

Election politics from The Duran

Scott Ritter at JudgingFreedom

ends with a note of desperation about Palestinians.

Tucker Carlson first discussion after the Putin interview

More about Gaza from Ray McGovern

Latest from Alastair Crooke

Still a lot about Putin-Carlson interview from Scott Ritter Extra, Episode 134

Tucker Carlson gets another lesson

this time from Colonel Douglas Macgregor confirming some of the things that Putin said; first fifty minutes.

A discussion of the Putin-Carlson interview from The Duran

Slightly more negative discussions from Yves Smith nd Gilbert Doctorow https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2024/02/tucker-carlson-interview-of-vladimir-putin.html and https://gilbertdoctorow.com

Tucker Carlson interview of Putin

https://tuckercarlson.com/the-vladimir-putin-interview/

Jeffrey Sachs on US foreign policy

More about starving Palestians from Aaron Mate

Phil Giraldi on starving Palestians

‘Swarming of Biden’ by Alastair Crooke

https://www.unz.com/article/the-three-strands-to-the-swarming-of-biden/

Latest from Larry Johnson

Latest from Alastair Crooke

First uses of accordion in Indian film songs

https://amvaishnav.wordpress.com/2024/01/31/the-sculptors-of-film-songs-11-goody-seervai/

More talk of peace in Mideast

"It’s difficult not to be somewhat impressed by these developments. For all the corruption and evil of the US regime, we can almost give them credit for coming to reason—under great duress and social pressure, of course—and for once doing the just and honorable thing. What it further means is that the US realizes it has no choice remaining but to hardball an ‘end game’ against Israel, otherwise US risks being dragged into an Empire-ending war with Iran." From https://simplicius76.substack.com/p/sitrep-2224-biden-launches-attacks

Update on US response to Jordan attack, suggests routine response

Scott Ritter with Garland Nixon discusses both Mideast and Ukraine

ICJ Rules Against Ukraine on Terrorism, MH17

https://consortiumnews.com/2024/02/01/icj-rules-against-ukraine-v-russia-on-terrorism-mh17/

Phil Giraldi at Judging Freedom

John Helmer on the progress of the Russian offensive

https://johnhelmer.net/breakthrough-on-all-fronts-ahead-of-schedule/#more-89289

Douglas Macgregor on the developments in Israel

Scott Ritter’s travels in Russia and some war regions in Ukraine(after 50 minutes)

The Duran on possibilities of war with Iran

Latest from Alastair Crooke

see also https://thealtworld.com/alastair_crooke/the-tragic-self-destruction-of-an-enraged-israel

An update from Simplicius the thinker

on Middle East and Ukraine https://simplicius76.substack.com/p/sitrep-12824-us-troops-suffer-fatalities

Namit Arora videos on Indians, part 4

Russia Iran deal

https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2024/01/russia-and-iran-finalize-20-year-deal-that-will-change-the-middle-east-forever.html

Simplicius the thinker on the American border problems

https://simplicius76.substack.com/p/border-crisis-heats-up-as-biden-admin

Democracy Now on ICJ interim ruling

ICJ speaks on South African complaint against Israel

Review of two books on free will

https://inquisitivebiologist.com/2024/01/23/book-review-free-agents-how-evolution-gave-us-free-will/ A discussion by the authors

Gilbert Doctorow on Putin’s decency

https://gilbertdoctorow.com/2024/01/24/is-putins-decency-inviting-a-world-war-comments-on-a-new-article-by-paul-craig-roberts/ "Is Putin’s decency inviting a world war? Comments on a new article by Paul Craig Roberts" see also https://original.antiwar.com/gilbert_doctorow/2019/02/01/vladimir-putin-to-the-west-we-will-bury-you/ https://www.paulcraigroberts.org/2024/01/22/will-war-result-from-the-ever-hesitant-putin/

Two classical songs from Hindi films

Without comment

https://www.oneindia.com/entertainment/revathis-heartfelt-letter-on-ram-mandir-goes-viral-3734001.html

Hard wired for corruption

Ravisastri writings

https://lookaside.fbsbx.com/file/రావి_శాస్త్రి_రచనా_సాగరం.pdf?token=AWzY7LeIL3RYbQFZNxJK2OALMHVliGjylGb4l4OOwXbK_EZOr5Oxz8rHZeotzK877nS5UMZzlvZz7LbM-YLWK37ixV_XCwnUlh2zu9AYMupJTOjpncsALYZtzjhF2SOeN_AfySKrLJWuQ27nWu3j0vh1tc8eZCsh8HCgJzQe3iz0jmTHGlEZJIVTdesGN-j_n_BSzBA8ULTdUklvZE6PXHs4dseMlGNrhxJpRvjZ11Clxs7b0GLuHi3mq7BDq4xROaRRYA4ADB_wCj7XdF6K10eUJCU0Ls7lWTfUsYXsiAzrKLvDf5UCoo9jjPnRo8cNkWqaZjxGndBeG46sydpDUbQjZDNBsPQqCLzGD5uVqpV5CC1LU8Tvgtt56F6z1YibvULTu_4GdHcEjhgVTTS4lIBZ95lZkDq_i2nIEVNZHmESEyVrD5wrdnQPG4WGFcSDYrzv9JmsIzpy89EbdIlGf_1_Xx4f6l1KfiObJ3rcXdYGjg

Scott Ritter pins hopes on China

Michael Hudson interview with Danny Haiphong

"...—and America is willing to fight to the last Israeli, just as it’s willing—it’s trying to fight to the last Ukrainian in order to make this final grab of the Near East in fighting Iran." https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2024/01/michael-hudson-on-russia-iran-and-the-red-sea-natos-war-economy-collapses.html

An update from Simplicious

https://simplicius76.substack.com/p/sitrep-12024-russian-gains-resume

New Rules podcast of Alastair crooke

https://rumble.com/v47q2wr-live-new-rules-podcast-w-alastair-crooke.html

Erdogan’s double game?

https://new.thecradle.co/articles/erdogans-double-game-praising-palestine-aiding-israel

Pepe Escobar reviews Emmanuel Todd’s new book

https://sputnikglobe.com/20240118/how-the-west-was-defeated-1116245840.html

Meta Joota hai Japan I, Lata version

Lakshmi vadina

Lakshmi ( I do not the full name, wife of cousin Mammaneni Ramamohanarao Rao ) passed away a few days ago at the age of 90. I think that she has ph.d in economics but I am not sure. She taught in an institute in Delhi and had three daughters all ph.d I think. I interacted with her in Delhi during the 1980s and met her several times later and talked to her on the phone too. She was a treasure of stories about Andhra villages and farming families from around 1940s. Many of us wanted to record her stories but never did. Her brother in law K.L.Krishna is an economist and worked in Delhi School of Economics for a long time. Like Krishna she was a gentle and kind person. But I always felt that like many women of her generation, she did not realise her intellectual potential but enlightened many people during her life. One of Lakskmi's stories: This is about a Brahmin lady in her village in Krishna district. As a child she is used to hear her father recite vedas and remember them. later on she was considered an expert on Hinduism and the villagers to go to her for interpretation of Hinduism. This became useful to another poor brahmin girl in the village. The girl came from large family and was married off to an old brahmin in a nearby village. The old man was already living with a Dommara woman and the girl was abused and made to serve both of them. The girl could not take it and after a while came back home and said that she would commit suicide if she was sent back. The parents let her stay and the girl who was musically talented started teaching music. one of her students was a landowner with a sick wife and three dughters. Soon after she shifted to nearby town Masulipatam where it was more lucrative to teach music. The landowner too often visited Masulipatam to continue the lessons. A liason developed between the two and continued for years. one day, the girl now a woman heard that her lover was seriously sick. She came to the village, walked through the main street and went to his house. There was an uproar in the village and the landowners wanted to kill her. Lakshmi's father protested saying that it was the fault of both and if she is killed, he should be killed too. The matters stood there when the villagers went to the old brahmin lady for her opinion. There was also simultaneous talk of banishing her family from the village. The old lady came up with a compromise formula, which was that nobody would be killed or banished but from then on the young lady should be barred from visiting her parents. This formula was finally adopted and the young lady was allowed to live in her lover's house looking after his sick wife and daughters.They more or less lived happily afterwards but problems developed during the marriages of the daughters. Prospective groom's parents did not want to have such a lady in the marriage arrangements. it seems that one of the girls refused to have such martiages if her new mother was not accepted as part of the family. There were other problems too when the lady wanted to visit her sick mother. Lakshmi who was a young girl at that time used to open their door open so that the lady could enter their house and could go through the backdoor to visit her mother. That is what Invaguely remember of one of her stories, probably very distorted since I listened to her about thirty years ago.

Slicing and Dicing videos, below both have David Thunder.

Bhadrakumar on the end of the siege of Leningrad

https://www.indianpunchline.com/an-anniversary-west-would-rather-forget/

Douglas Macgregor at Judging Freedom on regional war in the Mideast

Alastair Crooke on the ICJ presentations

Simplicius on Yemen

Simplicius in his latest substack post says”Russia launched over 7500 missiles at Ukraine—a country that has most of its infrastructure out ‘in the open’, and many people regard Ukraine as hardly having been industrially attrited after 2 years of such continued bombardment. Now imagine what a measly pittance of 70-100 aging Tomahawk missiles is going to do to a country with highly decentralized military structures spread across the deserts. In short: nothing.” https://simplicius76.substack.com/p/us-launches-strikes-on-yemen-and

Pope on gluttony

https://www.usccb.org/news/2024/gluttony-turns-people-mere-consumers-exploiters-planet-pope-says#:~:text=%22We%20are%20realizing%20that%20this,not%20take%20over%20our%20lives.%22 From a "social point of view," he said, "gluttony is perhaps the most dangerous vice, which is killing the planet."

‘Something Lost, Never to be Found Again’ by Alastair Crooke

https://thealtworld.com/alastair_crooke/something-lost-never-to-be-found-again https://darkfutura.substack.com/p/bones-of-tomorrow?

Megh Santoor

https://beastoftraal.com/2023/10/13/what-does-taj-mahal-teas-megh-santoor-billboard-really-sound-like/

Judging Freedom with Matt Hoh

Larry Johnson seems to agree with Alastair Crooke

From Plato to NATO

Bismarck’s influence on Stalin and Putin

The Duran discussion with historian Geoffrey Roberts.

Cole’s Express becomes Reddy Express

The name ‘Reddy’ brings back some interesting memories. Around 1974 we had visitor from Andhra with his daughter in law and two month old grandchild. He wanted to send them to her husband in West Indies. After few days in Bombay, the trip was arranged and she got in to the flight. I panicked since she did not know any English and the flight had a long stop over in London. During my stay in Liverpool, I knew there were a number of Telugu doctors in the infirmary there and I decided there must be also a Reddy among them. So I phoned in the Infirmary asking for Dr.Reddy. There was one and he was very helpful. Ha said that he could not go to London but will arrange with friends in London to meet her and facilitate the travel. After a few weeks I heard from one of her relatives that she reached West Indies safely. That is Reddy for you. Today I saw this on what used to be Coles Express. Apparently, they wanted to change it to Ready Express but found that the name is already taken. So this is the result.

Ohm Kalthoum

Seems to be from 1935, the tune that inspired 'Awara Hoon'. a similar tune appears around 1:25 in the movie Wedad Her biography https://www.encyclopedia.com/international/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/umm-kulthum-c-1904-1975

Alistair crooke: US drawn onto Israel path

https://english.almayadeen.net/articles/analysis/us-drawn-onto-israeli-path----one-difficult-to-exit-without

Some old news about wheat blast

Ghost riders in the sky

SPB explains a film song

Brian Berletic on Gaza war

The account is less optimistic for Hamas than the accounts by Scott Ritter and others.

Suppressing information

Alaistair Crooke on sunken cost fallacy