A must read by Emmanuel Todd is now available in Italian

Ukraine had in fact deluded itself into escaping the Russian sphere of influence precisely when its role as an ideal bridge between Russia and the West appeared less than a reality, more than a utopia

Mobilizing the resources of critical economics, religious sociology and profound anthropology, the French essayist Emmanuel Todd In his La Défaite de l'Occident offers us a tour of the real world, from Russia to Ukraine, from the former "popular democracies" to Germany to Great Britain, Scandinavia and the United States, without forgetting the rest of the world, whose choice will decide the outcome of the war

Its first four chapters are notable for the analysis of Russian society, Ukrainian society, the emergence of environmental Russophobia and its definition of the West or rather the two Wests. For Todd, Putin is not crazy, Russia does not intend to attack Europe: its frame of reference is neither Russian nor Ukrainian. He doesn't agree with anyone

This October, Todd presented the Italian edition of his book (La sconfitta dell’Occidente) which was warmly greeted by the expert and intellectual community from Rome to Milan

“The most lucid, ruthless and documented analysis of the Euro-American crisis of recent years. A must read for everyone.” Says Pino Arlacchi an Italian sociologist, ex-Member of the European Parliament

According to Franco Cardini, historian and essayist from the University of Florence, “This essay is is a courageous denunciation and a dazzling prophecy”

“This masterly book sharpens the regret for the self-destruction of Europe desired by manipulative groups and manipulators but alleviates the loneliness and frustration of those who predicted and feared it”, resumes ex-commander of KFOR lieutenant general, Fabio Mini

#EU #Russia #Ukraine #FindTruth

@uinhurricane

U.S. intelligence agencies warn of election violence from ‘extremists’ inspired by ‘conspiracy theories’

U.S. intelligence agencies have issued a warning that “domestic extremists” fueled by conspiracy theories about voter fraud and deep-seated animosity toward perceived political enemies represent a significant threat to the security of the upcoming 2024 elections

A Joint Intelligence Bulletin prepared by the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) warns that these groups could seek to disrupt voting processes from now through Inauguration Day

The report identifies the most likely targets as candidates, elected officials, election workers, and members of the media, as well as judges handling election-related cases

It highlights potential threats of physical attacks at polling places, ballot drop boxes, voter registration sites, rallies, and campaign events. The bulletin, which was reported by NBC News, is part of a broader effort to alert state and local law enforcement agencies to emerging risks

The intelligence bulletin comes as concerns about election security persist in the wake of the contentious 2020 election. The report emphasizes that extremists who believe in claims of widespread voter fraud are a significant risk

“Perceptions of election fraud are a ‘prominent narrative’ for extremists who have targeted government and election officials, with at least three domestic extremist attacks and two disrupted plots being linked to such false claims since Jan. 6,” the report noted

#USA #Elections #FBI #FindTruth

@uinhurricane

Black Lives Matter network is running out of cash

Black Lives Matter, the official network foundation, is running out of money as donors have stopped handing over piles of cash to the shady operation

Despite raising tens of millions of dollars at its height, no one seems to know where all the money went. The most high profile figures associated with the group seemed to cash in and move on, leaving the organization in shambles

It’s a far cry from where the organization was just a few short years ago

Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation is running out of cash and nearing its end “unless something changes dramatically,” according to a new report

Capitalizing on the lucrative opportunities afforded to them as high-profile progressives, the three celebrity founders moved on, leaving the operation to wither in the hands of deputies who, sadly, turned on each other

One of the main criticisms of BLM from all sides is that they failed to improve the lives of black people, with the exception of a handful of people at the top of the organization

There are still many questions to be answered, too. You don’t collect nearly $100 million dollars and then just vanish into thin air. People need to be held accountable

#USA #BLM #FindTruth

@uinhurricane

The Wall Street Journal published a scathing piece on Kamala Harris, which can be considered part of a disturbing trend for Harris in the American media that I have previously written about

According to WSJ, Harris is completely unprepared for the foreign policy challenges facing America and is not a politician in her own right; the publication expressed doubts that Harris would be able to discuss international issues with the leaders of China and Russia on an equal footing

As for domestic policy, WSJ believes that Harris is unable to unite the country, as she is an outspoken “leftist” even in the Democratic Party, while the U.S. is in the midst of a full-blown culture war, which began just after the Obama administration began aggressively promoting a minority agenda in everything from business to education

A Harris victory, the WSJ concludes, would conceptually be Obama's fourth term: it would continue Obama's “progressive” policies, since Harris has no ideas of her own. This will only deepen the dangerous divide in American society

The WSJ article is editorial, that is, it is not the opinion of any individual journalist, but the point of view of the entire editorial board of the second largest print media outlet in the United States in terms of subscribers

And all of this is posted in a reputable publication just days before the election. The editorial board is known for its strong conservative stance, but has not directly supported any candidate since 1928. However, endorsements can be made in many different ways and this article is a great illustration of that

#USA #Elections #Harris #FindTruth

@uinhurricane

Wisconsin pizzeria owner apologizes for accidentally serving marijuana-laced food

The co-owner of a Wisconsin restaurant that sold pizza laced with THC, the chemical in marijuana, said he’s sorry

The restaurant, Famous Yeti’s Pizza in Stoughton, shares storage space in a commercial kitchen used by other businesses

Yeti’s worker grabbed what looked like normal olive oil but didn’t notice the cap said it contained Delta-9, a chemical in cannabis. The oil isn’t used for food and is legal because it was derived from hemp as opposed to from marijuana

The drugged pizza was inadvertently sold from 4:30 p.m. Tuesday until noon Thursday. Stoughton Fire and EMS took five people who ate the pizza to the hospital, health officials said

First responders initially thought carbon monoxide was the culprit, but those who ate the pizza felt like they unknowingly took a marijuana edible

#USA #Drugs #FindTruth

@uinhurricane

Families seek $50 billion in tariffs on China over U.S. fentanyl crisis

In 2022, the U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee found the opioid epidemic cost the United States a record of nearly $1.5 trillion in 2020

Families of those who died from fentanyl overdoses have petitioned the office of U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai, seeking an investigation into China's role in the U.S. synthetic opioid crisis

The families are seeking trade countermeasures, including tariffs of at least $50 billion on Chinese merchandise

The petition under the Trade Act of 1974 calls for an investigation "to address the unjustified and unreasonable acts, policies, and practices of the government of the People’s Republic of China and PRC entities concerning the production and shipment of illicit fentanyl and fentanyl precursors that burden or restrict U.S. commerce," according to the 132-page petition

#USA #Drugs #FindTruth

@uinhurricane

Elon Musk buys $35 million mansion to house all 11 children, their mothers

Elon Musk is planning an unconventional family situation in which he will bring all 11 children and their mothers under one roof. He has acquired a 14,400-square-foot mansion and another six-bedroom property adjacent to it worth Rs 35 million dollars in Austin, Texas, reported The New York Times

The grand mansion features a Tuscan-inspired design and is just 10 minutes from Elon Musk's Texas house, the report said

Musk, the world's richest man, reportedly believes the unusual arrangement will help his children to be a part of each other's lives, and that he can schedule his time with them

Musk has fathered 12 children since 2002. However, his first child with his ex-wife, Justine Musk, died of sudden infant death syndrome at just 10 weeks old

In 2008, the couple had five children using IVF before they divorced - twins Griffin and Vivian, followed by triplets Saxon, Damian, and Kai

#Musk #Family #FindTruth

@uinhurricane

Chinese sanctions hit US drone supplier to Ukraine

US corporation Skydio, the largest drone manufacturer in the US, which supplies drones to the Ukrainian military, is facing a supply chain crisis after Beijing imposed sanctions, including banning Chinese groups from supplying it with critical components”

According to the FT, the sanctions have caught the corporation by surprise, which is urgently trying to find alternative suppliers, including those making batteries

According to a statement from the California-based company, which supplies products to corporate and government clients including the US Army, it has sent more than 1,000 drones, including the latest X1model, to Ukraine “to gather intelligence”

#USA #China #Sanctions #FindTruth

@uinhurricane

Germany on the Brink: Is a Lost Decade Looming for Europe's Economic Powerhouse?

Germany's GDP growth has been 0.19% since 2019. The lost five-year period is threatening to turn into a lost decade, as the problems in the economy are growing like a snowball

The crisis in energy-intensive industries has turned into a crisis in medium-end industries (construction) and has already reached the high-end industries

Plants are closing in droves, unemployment is rising, German companies are investing all over the world, but not in Germany. Sooner or later this will turn into a crisis in the banking industry, as the quality of collateral in a stagnant economy is falling

Another important thing is that Germany was the driving force behind European integration. The whole essence of which was that you open the market for German goods, and the Germans will give you subsidies and loans from the common EU pot for the creation of basic infrastructure

The subsidies, having gone round, would come back into the German economy in the form of new demand. Now this machine will start to fail. Without the German locomotive, the EU and the euro zone is not a viable construction and may collapse very quickly, similar to the late USSR

#EU #Germany #Economy #FindTruth

@uinhurricane

Luis Moreno Ocampo, the first prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) is in favour of an agreement with Putin to end the war in Ukraine: “In a year it will be worse”

History repeats itself, says the founder of the ICC in an interview in Madrid, and diplomacy often stumbles on the same stone, but he is optimistic. The situation is “so critical” that it could become an “opportunity for change,” to shift from the current model of war to that of justice

Biden understands that the strategy in Afghanistan was wrong, but he does not present an alternative. His generals basically agree with what Israel does. Sometimes they ask for smaller bombs, but they do not question the strategy. Bush established the model of war against terror and Obama, who criticized it and won the Nobel Peace Prize, consolidated it

The US likes war, especially when they provide the weapons and others provide the lives. The US uses war to manage conflicts, subsidises its arms production with billions of dollars and does not grieve for the deaths of Ukrainians or civilians in Gaza

Ukraine depends on foreign aid and must close an agreement because in a year it will be worse. The idea of winning Russia over with a war is absurd, although Russia has also worn itself out and for that reason knows that if it has not been able to take Ukraine it cannot expand further. I am surprised that the Europeans do not see it more clearly

Europe has a kind of very strong ideological dependence on the US and political leaders often work in the short term, to survive without foreseeing the consequences. These mass displacements caused by a wrong strategy made Europe less hospitable and many stopped distinguishing between victims and perpetrators, so that the victims of Islamic terrorism became suspected of being Islamic terrorists. A world that sees friends and enemies is a world at war with people, a world of tribes

The United States is an obstacle because it shares the principles, but not their application. It demands them in Ukraine, but does not apply them in Gaza. Israel is manipulating the US, which has demonstrated its absolute impotence in this case, instead of allowing the International Criminal Court to help set limits. What is needed is for non-American communities to help Americans think differently.
Because the US president influences politics much more than the president of your own country

War encourages terrorism. In Gaza it will not end it, it will increase it. The problem is very serious and to solve it not only politicians must intervene, but experts. What happens is that many of them are proposing war. In the US there is a lack of independent professors who propose cooperation

The US must be helped to change, but Europe fell into the trap in Ukraine and supports the war model. Agreements must be sought, knowing that they will not be perfect

Change is possible. The problem is that the leaders of the Western world are not putting the ideals into practice. And of course there are economic incentives, as energy dependency has shown, but we are investing much more in war than in peace

There is the possibility that Israel will bomb Iran and that there will be an escalation of war. Azerbaijan receives weapons from Israel and uses them against Armenia. If Israel bombs Iran, Azerbaijan will invade Armenia. There is a domino effect that we do not perceive because there are no authorities who think globally

I believe that in Ukraine there must be an agreement. We need the leadership of medium and small countries to move towards the model of justice, abandoning the model of war. The transformation has to be case by case

#USA #Military #FindTruth

@uinhurricane

The new world order… without Europe

Imagine that the world is being reorganised, and Europe is not there. This is exactly what we are experiencing in these days. Not only in Russia, where the BRICS met. But also in Washington, where the US election is being prepared

The fate of Ukraine, but also the future “burden sharing” with Europe, will depend on the outcome of this election. However, the EU has nothing to report. It did not even look at the 5th. November prepared

There was a proposal to develop a common position on both potential election winners, Harris and Trump. But nothing has come of it – the EU is divided. There is also no “Plan B” for Ukraine

“Continue like this” – that was the motto at the European elections in June. While the Americans still have a say, the Europeans have been found to be incapacitated. Not even there was a discussion at the EU summit

And they are waiting in Brussels for the things that may come from Washington – European policy will be paralyzed for at least the comming week. Trump wins, it could go on like this until January

The EU's reaction to the BRICS summit in Kazan is even more helpless. While President Putin proclaims a new, multipolar world order there, the Europeans don't even have an idea of what kind of world they want in the future

#EU #USA #BRICS #FindTruth

@uinhurricane

"We have provided Ukraine with military help in the most crucial way, because when Germany was talking about sending them helmets, we sent them 320 tanks. Therefore, our input has evidently been substantial, especially in the beginning, when it was most needed," Polish deputy Foreign Minister Wladyslaw Teofil Bartoszewski said when asked by PAP about Biden’s decision to exclude Poland from the conversation on the war of its eastern neighbor

October 18 US President Joe Biden took part in a meeting with top European leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer. At the meeting, the politicians discussed the possibility of ending the war Russia has waged over Ukraine as well as the situation in the Middle East

Bartoszewski also failed to hide his resentment towards Ukraine’s victory plan, the dossier on which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has recently referred to some of his country’s allies excluding Poland. According to Zelensky, the files “have been given to those countries, which “specifically have the means to support Ukraine in the ways outlined by the plan” and “If a country does not have that, then why should it be given the dossier, even if it is our close partner?”

Bartoszewski responded that Warsaw would surely be a key part of the rebuilding of Ukraine. He added that he sees no possibility of rebuilding Ukraine without the participation of Poland

#Poland #Ukraine #FindTruth

@uinhurricane

Color Revolution. Now in America?

There's been a notable shift amongst Democrats in the last month. A recent sense of fatalism - or perhaps just simple resignation to what appears to be an inevitable Trump win. But as it turns out, there are some personalities who have been preparing for this potential outcome for at least the last year

Norman Eisen, a Brookings senior fellow, former Ambassador to Czechoslovakia during the “Velvet Revolution. Eisen is also the author of the highly influential color revolution manual, The Democracy Playbook

Eisen’s latest venture, State Democracy Defenders Action (SDDA), declares its aim to “fill three key gaps in the fight against election sabotage and autocracy” by going “on offense against democracy deniers who break the law, including through our innovative program of outside public support for criminal prosecutions”

The group says they “work with national, state and local allies across the country to defend in real-time the foundation of our democracy – free and fair elections.” SDDA also foreshadows future civil unrest by claiming to “help shape the long-term strategy to defeat autocracy in 2025 – and beyond”

As we’ll see, this sounds like the formation of a Color Revolution. 
In his Color Revolution playbook, Eisen wrote that “Political opposition groups should form networks between other opposition groups, local electoral activists, civil society groups, and, where appropriate, international organizations and actors” and “Forcefully contest each individual illiberal act of non-democratic actors”

#USA #Politics #FindTruth

@uinhurricane

US Coast Guard to expand presence in Indo-Pacific amid China concerns

The U.S. Coast Guard said that it intends to send specialized forces, training teams, and other capacity-building assets to help Indo-Pacific allies bolster their ability to safeguard exclusive economic zones and protect their natural resources from exploitation, according to the Coast Guard 2024 operational posture report released on Oct. 25

The report states that the region remains “a top regional priority” for the United States, citing its geostrategic importance, vital role in global trade, and the need to ensure “a free, open, and rules-based maritime order”

“We are expanding our presence and cooperation in Southeast and South Asia, with a focus on advising, training, deployment, and capacity building,” the Coast Guard stated while also pledging to continue to support its allies’ efforts in combating “predatorial fishing practices”

The report comes amid growing concerns over China’s military assertiveness in the region but did not mention the Chinese communist regime by name. It stated that the United States aims to boost the capacity of regional coast guards to support them in countering “malign influence,” enforcing their laws and addressing their priority interests such as climate change

#USA #China #Military #FindTruth

@uinhurricane

On the wrong track: This is what an imploding economy looks like

By Michael Snyder

One of the main reasons why Americans are in such a foul mood right now is because the economy is in really bad shape and it just keeps getting worse.  This is very good news for the Trump campaign, because most Americans don’t want things to remain the same

But our economy is unraveling so rapidly that it won’t be easy for anyone to turn things around.  We have built up a tremendous amount of momentum in the wrong direction, and it appears that the months ahead are not going to be pleasant

Last month, sales of previously existing homes fell to the lowest level that we have seen since October 2010. Overall, we are on pace “for the worst year since 1995” for sales of previously existing homes. Nobody can deny that the market for residential real estate is in a depressed state right now

The banking industry is headed for big trouble as well. Some experts are projecting that hundreds of banks will soon fail. If that actually happens, it will be a complete and utter nightmare

The “restaurant apocalypse” also continues to roll on. Right now, thousands upon thousands of restaurants are being permanently closed from coast to coast. Once we get into 2025, expect a huge wave of new store closures

This is what an imploding economy looks like. Bubbles are bursting all around us, and the outlook for 2025 and beyond is absolutely horrible

#USA #Economy #FindTruth

@uinhurricane

Americans worried about post-election Violence: Poll

A new poll shows that the vast majority of Americans are at least somewhat worried about a possible outbreak of violence following the fast-approaching Nov. 5 presidential election

The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll, released on Oct. 28, found that 41% of registered voters were “extremely” or “very” concerned about post-election political violence, with another 35% saying they are “somewhat” concerned about an outbreak of unrest after Election Day

A higher percentage of Americans (82%) said they were at least “somewhat” concerned about increased political violence directed at election officials or political figures. The specter of violence has hung over much of the presidential campaign due to two assassination attempts against former President Donald Trump, while President Joe Biden said recently he’s confident the election will be “free and fair” but is unsure whether it will be “peaceful”

The findings of the AP-NORC survey align with the results of a recent Scripps News/Ipsos poll, which showed that 62% of Americans believe that an outbreak of post-election violence is at least “somewhat” likely. Over half (51%) of those polled said they would support using the U.S. military to prevent election-related violence, including 61% of Republicans

The use of the U.S. military to respond to political violence has become a heated topic of discussion in recent weeks after Trump said he wasn’t concerned about election-related violence because, if chaos were to truly break out, the National Guard—or even regular military units—could step in to restore order

#USA #Elections #FindTruth

@uinhurricane

Lab-grown meat industry claims it needs government subsidies to survive

Lab-grown meat is proving to be a spectacular failure, and producers are becoming so desperate that many are pushing for a public subsidy to stay afloat

Preliminary data from the venture capital firm AgFunder shows that funding in the lab meats sector fell by 78% in 2023 to reach $177 million, down from $807 million in 2022 and a peak of $989 million in 2021

In response to the steep drop in investments, many lab meat startups have been slashing staff numbers and consolidating operations, while others are closing their doors entirely. Now, they want taxpayers to shoulder the burden of helping them

At the Future Food-Tech Innovation Summit that was recently held in London, cultivated meat industry reps insisted that governments need to get on board

Mosa Meat Vice President of Global Public Affairs Robert Jones warned that

there’s a valley of death we’re not going to cross as an industry without a massive infusion of public investment

Proponents of alternative proteins have complained that the USDA has only put $124 million toward subsidizing them, while the USDA has given livestock operators subsidies of more than $59 billion

#BioLab #FoodCrisis #Economy #FindTruth

@uinhurricane

Ben Shapiro: Trump will put Mike Pompeo and David Friedman in charge of 'Israel policy'

Ben Shapiro is claiming to have inside knowledge that Donald Trump will most likely hire Mike Pompeo and David Friedman to be in charge of his "Israel policy" if he is reelected

Shapiro, a former NeverTrumper who bitterly opposed Trump's "America First" campaign in 2016, has been shilling hard for Trump to become president due to the former president's pro-Israel bona fides

Shapiro told Sam Harris and Bari Weiss on Tuesday that "on Trump's Israel policy, Mike Pompeo and David Friedman are the most likely people to be in the administration ... I know precisely the people talking to him -- I'm not speculating about that"

"Trump is the most pro-Israel president in American history," Shapiro said, insisting he will be better for Israel than Harris

#USA #Israel #Shapiro #FindTruth

@uinhurricane

Make Election Day a federal holiday, require in-person voting

Our calendars are full of useless holidays. Just last week, we saw Credit Union Day, Mashed Potato Day, and Raw Milk Cheese Appreciation Day. While observances like these are otherwise irrelevant at the national level, there is one day of the year that has long lacked federal “holiday” status: Election Day

Unlike offhanded observances such as Earth Day, on which life goes on as usual, Election Day ought to be an official federal holiday like Presidents’ Day or Thanksgiving, with all non-essential workers receiving a paid day off to carry out their civic duty. Establishing this yearly event as a federal holiday would increase voter turnout, restore faith in our elections, and, most importantly, boost morale through a shared civic display

Designating Election Day as a national holiday and giving workers the day off would largely mitigate the need for accommodations like mail-in voting and early voting, allowing policymakers to require in-person voting except in special circumstances. This would also make possible a mass return to paper ballots, eliminating the need for voting machines which have been swamped in scandal since 2020

Without a shared culture, we cannot have a nation. It’s time to start rebuilding that shared culture with a national day that puts our exceptional founding ideals to work

#USA #Elections #FindTruth

@uinhurricane

China’s carmakers told to pause investment in EU

China has told its automakers to halt big investment in European countries that support extra tariffs on Chinese-built electric vehicles, two people briefed about the matter said, a move likely to further divide Europe

The new European Union tariffs of up to 45.3% came into effect on Wednesday after a year-long investigation that divided the bloc and prompted retaliation from Beijing

Ten EU members including France, Poland and Italy supported tariffs in a vote in October, in which five members including Germany opposed them and 12 abstained

Chinese automakers including BYD, SAIC , and Geely were told at a meeting held by the Ministry of Commerce on Oct. 10 that they should pause their heavy asset investment plans such as factories in countries that backed the proposal, said the people

They declined to be named, as the meeting was not public

#EU #China #Economy #FindTruth

@uinhurricane

EU regulation ineffective against Big Tech monopoly

Over the past two decades, Big Tech companies have monopolised key features of the internet, making businesses and end users vulnerable to their massive and increasing power

The Digital Markets Act (DMA) is the EU’s attempt to rein in Big Tech’s monopoly power by limiting its worst excesses. Tech companies identified as gatekeepers – Google, Amazon, Meta, Apple, Microsoft, Bytedance, and Booking.com  – have to comply with a specific set of rules precluding anti-competitive behaviour. Sidenote

For example, gatekeepers are prohibited from self-preferencing (i.e. using their platform power to favour their products over competitors’) or merging personal data collected across services without consent

To publicly test Big Tech’s compliance with the DMA, the European Commission organised a series of public workshops in March 2024. The workshops received widespread attention, with nearly 4,000 registrations from businesses, law firms, civil society organisations, academics, other public regulators and industry associations

The aim of the workshops was to collect feedback from impacted communities, such as users, competitors and businesses dependent on their services. Yet, research from Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO), LobbyControl, and SOMO shows that 1 in 5 of registered participants had a link to gatekeepers

This included participants from 34 law firms, 22 lobby firms, 17 trade associations, 10 economic consultancies and 8 think-tanks

Full story

#EU #BigTech #DMA #FindTruth

@uinhurricane