Russia strikes US PMC Base and Local Command Centers in Ukraine

Here we go.  Putin did warn but American leadership has a hearing problem whenever Putin speaks. Report four hours ago.

Russian Artillery & Air Force Strike US PMC Base and Local Command Centers in Ukraine - 18.09.2022, Sputnik International (sputniknews.com)

According to Russia's Defense Ministry, thousands of foreign mercenaries traveled to Ukraine to fight alongside Kiev's forces amid Moscow's special military operation. The Kremlin repeatedly advised foreign states to prevent their citizens from traveling, warning that they will not enjoy standard combatant status.

The Russian Defense Ministry has stated that its artillery and Air Force landed a series of strikes against Ukrainian command centers and footholds, as well as a local base of the US private military company helping Kiev's forces.

The ministry specified that the mercenary base belonged to the Academi PMC – formerly known as the notorious Blackwater company. It was situated near the town of Krasatorsk, in the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR).

The strikes also hit the foothold of the Kraken nationalist battalion and centers for coordination of Ukrainian missile strikes located near the town of Shurino, Nikolaev region. During the operations, 47 Ukrainian artillery positions and 127 Ukrainian troops and military equipment positions were struck in the last 24 hours.

The strikes came as part of the continuing Russian special military operation in Ukraine, which was launched on February 24 by President Vladimir Putin at the request of the DPR and Lugansk People's Republic (LPR). Both Donbass republics have suffered from Ukrainian shelling since they declared independence in response to the West-backed coup in Kiev in 2014 that brought nationalist politicians to power.

[END REPORT]

The new American middle-class 'mature' male

The photograph is from an advertisement posted at AOL.com today for a fiduciary advisor catering to middle-upper class American workers.  Find a financial advisor (smartasset.com)  Gone is the suit and tie and clean-shaven visage. 

The big difference, as we learn from the company's quiz, is that the new male -- be-ringed, bearded and tattooed -- places a high premium on socially responsible investing. 

 ********

The Cold War never ended

US "ineptitude and arrogance created so much of what we're facing today."

The quote is from a Democracy Now! interview with Jeffrey Sachs two weeks ago.  It's practically a rant, but Sachs tells it like it happened, and how it is today.  

Jeffrey Sachs: U.S. Policy & "West's False Narrative" Stoking Tensions with Russia, China - YouTube

One caveat:  It wasn't all ineptitude and arrogance. In 2010 I intimated that much of the Cold War was "Soviet oil" spelled backward.  As I noted in my 2010 post a small window on this aspect of the war opened as early as 1962 with the publication of The Threat Of Soviet Oil; Saudi Aramco World, Volume 13, Number 3; March 1962. The window opened a little wider with the 1982 publication of a paper for the Heritage Foundation titled Is Soviet Gas Pipeline a Steel Noose? 

Then came 1996 -- and then 2016: 

[...]

The CIA’s oil denial policy is a snippet of a Cold War history that is finally giving up more of its secrets. In 1996, a brief description of the plan emerged after the Truman Presidential Library mistakenly declassified it—a security breach the National Archives deemed the worst in its history—and some additional details have trickled out over the years. But a recently discovered trove of documents stashed in Britain’s National Archives, along with some key American documents, now declassified, provide a more complete and more revelatory account—published here for the first time.

[...] 

From The Top-Secret Cold War Plan to Keep Soviet Hands Off Middle Eastern Oil - POLITICO Magazine - June 23, 2016

Again, a caveat:  I don't think it's just a "snippet" of Cold War history; I'd say it is the history, much of it, although when if ever this will be made explicit by scholars and investigative journalists is anyone's guess. 

In any case, I think it's clear that the aim of the Western allies during the Cold War was not only to deny the Soviets Middle Eastern oil but also to gain control of Soviet oil.  The same goal is still in force today so in effect the Cold War never ended.

However, times have changed:

Ostracized by the West, Russia Finds a Partner in Saudi Arabia – DNyuz

********

Rumor in Moscow: SMO in Ukraine upgraded to anti-terrorist operation

 The Duran sees a big change underway in Russia's military operation in Ukraine as Russia attacks civilian targets:  

Upgrading the Special Military Operation - YouTube

That would mean Ukrainian leadership would also be targeted.  Zelensky made a big mistake in ordering continued shelling of the nuke power plant.  

********

Meanwhile in Sweden, the ballot stuffers went berserk

Sweden Democrats (right-wing) leader Jimmie Åkesson 

The final results of the election will be announced tomorrow.  

The hard right’s election breakthrough has upset the Swedish apple cart | Financial Times (ft.com) - 6 hours ago

Yesterday The Duran discussed the wild turn of events:

Election results play out in Sweden with stunning results - YouTube

Also yesterday Baron Bodissey at Gates of Vienna, which is plugged into European events, analyzed the situation and published translations of three Swedish reports, which include news about alleged ballot tampering, which is no surprise:

https://gatesofvienna.net/2022/09/sweden-turns-to-the-right/

But all the ballot stuffing in the world won't roll back Sweden's amazing turn to the right, even if the Old Guard manages to flim-flam their way to a narrow victory.  

Summary and analysis from the American propaganda mainstream wing for Americans who can't find Sweden on a map:

‘Make Sweden great again.’ Far right on the cusp of power – POLITICO

********

EU bosses don't have a plan to stave off economic collapse

 The Duran today:

EU unable to stop economic collapse, pin their hopes on Zelensky - YouTube 

********

Russia has destroyed 71 percent of Ukraine's regular army.

The number doesn't include irregular forces, including foreign mercenaries, destroyed by the Russians. Brian Berletic at The New Atlas, who must be getting tired of repeating himself, has the details in his update today on the war: 

Ukraine's Offensives: Tactical Victories Can Contribute to Strategic Defeat - YouTube

The kicker, which The Duran's Alexander Mercouris unearthed the other day, is that it looks as if U.S. intel learned that the Russians were withdrawing slowly, so as not to attract attention, from Kharkov, and then devised an attack that would make it look as if the Ukrainians drove them out of Kharkov. The cost to Ukrainian troops for this PR victory was absolutely horrific.  

A cynic would ask what other bright ideas the Biden White House has for looking good in the run-up to November midterm elections in the USA. With just a little more planning, they can get the Russians to wipe out what's left of Ukraine's military.

********

Ten reasons this recession is different, 33 reasons global food shortages spell multiple famines

Degrowth on steroids:

oftwominds-Charles Hugh Smith: Why This Recession Is Different - 9/11

Plus:

A List Of 33 Things We Know About The Coming Food Shortages (theeconomiccollapseblog.com) - 9/5

Number 33 pretty much sums the rest:

UN Secretary General António Guterres has publicly stated that he believes that it is likely that there will be “multiple famines” in 2023.

When I put the two lists together, doesn't look likely to me; looks certain.

******** 

The permaculture revolution leaps onward

The revolution incorporates cutting-edge science and ancient land/water management systems.  The following two videos show on a small, personal scale the permaculture revolution with its creation of microclimates that ward off desertification and aridification (the gradual change of a climate from wetter to drier) in myriad ways while providing abundant food and water reserves.  Here are illustrations of what you can do with a third of an acre or a flat house roof in a suburban/urban setting. 

 PERMACULTURE FIRST STEPS: Microclimate Mapping - YouTube - (7:54 minutes):

Start your Permaculture Design by mapping the microclimates. Join Andrew Millison in Portland, Oregon to film the urban permaculture garden and green roof of Marisha Auerbach. Marisha has been developing this site for ten years along with her partner Zane and has created a highly productive food system on just 1/6 of an acre. Marisha reveals the first steps to assessing your site and determining the best way to design your system to work with natural forces, creating a dense and abundant permaculture paradise!

Permaculture Garden Tour: YEAR 12 - YouTube - 20:46 minutes)

Permaculture instructor Andrew Millison takes you on a tour of his home garden in Corvallis, Oregon, USA. The garden is in its 12th season, and it was filmed on the day before the Summer Solstice, 2021. Corvallis is located at 45 degrees North latitude, at an elevation of 235 ft, 40 miles inland from the Pacific Ocean in the heart of the fertile Willamette Valley, in plant hardiness zone 8b.

See also:

Permaculture Rising - Oregon, North America

Several related links at the two YouTube sites.  And yes, there are courses in permaculture design that award certifications.  

*********

As if British, German generals in World War I are making Ukraine's battle plans.

Ukraine military is "putting men and machines into a position to be fired upon by Russian forces." The quote is from Brian Berletic's update today (16 minutes) for The New Atlas:

Kharkov Offensive 2.0: Winning Headlines Today, Hastening Defeat for Tomorrow - YouTube

This war is ghostly.  

********

EU grabbed most grain shipments meant for neediest countries

Just 3% of Deliveries Under Grain Deal Sent to Needy Countries: Putin - 09.09.2022, Sputnik International (sputniknews.com)

Report lists which countries got the grain and how much they received.

See also:

Russia makes grain promise to poorest nations — RT Russia & Former Soviet Union - 9/9

"Moscow will also supply fertilizers to such countries free of charge, the Russian president said."

********

Europe's looming food crisis: "Some farming giants are shutting operations in Europe."

European Farming Giants Are Losing Steam Amid Energy Crisis - YouTube -- Firstpost (India) September 9

Note:  After USA, the Netherlands is world's largest agricultural exporter.

********

"They drove deep into Russian territory and now they are surrounded by Russian forces."

Pundita don't you dare laugh.  It's not funny. NOT FUNNY. Quote is from Brian Berletic's war update today for The New Atlas:

Ukraine's Offensive Coincides with US $3 Billion+ Aid Package - Russian Ops in Ukraine Sep. 9, 2022 - YouTube

 ********

"These droughts are pushing the land to the breaking point

Europe's farmers look to a future of long-term drought | DW Business - YouTube

Biden Laptop-FBI Affair: "Sometimes you gotta watch something break before you can fit it."

What's broken in this case is the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  The quote is from the man who accidentally discovered damning information on Hunter Biden's laptop then alerted the FBI to the contents. For his trouble, it's barely an overstatement to say that he's lucky to be alive.  What he went through is quite a saga, which he's written about in a forthcoming book. 

For now, The Duran has interviewed him along with Larry Johnson, who's been on top of the laptop scandal since news of it broke.  He's probably been interviewed several times by now but The Duran's Alexander Mercouris was an attorney for many years -- a courtroom attorney. He knows how to get to the heart of situation, what questions to ask that will quickly explain and clarify a very complicated issue for those who are new to it.  And Larry's presence means that the issue will also be assessed from a defense intelligence point of view.   

The Laptop w/John Paul Mac Isaac and Larry Johnson (Live) - YouTube

The discussion starts around the 3-minute mark after finishing with introductions. 

As to whether the FBI can be fixed -- it's not just the Laptop Affair and clearly the bad actors are no longer confined to the agency's upper echelon.  I keep hearing that there are many good FBI agents.  But it looks to me as if the system has broken to the point where the only real fix is to create a new agency.

********

Who is responsible for Ukraine's ridiculous, suicidal battle planning?

Brian Berletic at The New Atlas updates his ongoing analyses of Ukraine's disastrous 'Kherson offensive' campaign. The deconstruction is very troubling because it points to NATO/U.S. rookie miscalculations.  Those people can't wargame their way out of a paper bag.

(2) Kherson: What Happens Next? - Russian Ops in Ukraine Update September 6, 2022 - YouTube

Alexander Mercouris update Ukraine war, latest EU panic response to gas/inflation crisis

 Kherson Offensive at Standstill, US Weapons Stocks Depleted, EU Throws Money at Gas Crisis-Inflation - YouTube

********

Rising food protectionism - falling dominoes

Three video reports from Singapore's public broadcasting service:

Indonesia's Soaring Food Prices: Can Export Bans Ease Food Inflation? | Insight - YouTube and

As Countries Ban Food Exports, Is A Global Food Crisis Unfolding? | CNA Correspondent - YouTube and

an in-depth report on the unprecedented heat wave in India, which prompted the government to ban wheat exports

India’s Extreme Summer: Will 45°C Heatwaves Leave Us Out Of Wheat? | Insight - YouTube

********

"Not the bridge to victory, the bridge to hell."

 Ukraine Suffers Massive Losses as Kherson Offensive Stalls and Russia Counterattacks - YouTube

Quote is from The Duran's Alexander Mercouris in his report posted two hours ago.

Alexander cited an estimated seven to eight thousand Ukranian casualties over a three-day period but said although there are much higher estimates.  The Ukranian troops have as much been ordered to march by the thousands toward certain death. To what end?  Reportedly the Ukranian military command has washed its hands of the matter after protesting against Zelensky's orders.  

********

Government by secrets means death of freedom in a society, and America is no exception

American Attorney Robert Barnes began his discussion at The Duran yesterday by untangling what the Justice Department is doing to Trump. He goes on to cover a range of government actions that enforce their power against the law and Constitution through the use of secrecy. 

The discussion also covers legal maneuvers against Julian Assange and James O'Keefe (Project Veritas), which are an abrogation of legal procedure.  Barnes also provides an informative explanation of the abuses of polling by political interests. 

Barnes does foray into his geopolitical opinions as a long-winded way of saying that sometimes governments are right about things. He should have stuck with disturbing illustrations of how the American justice system is now twisted by those who are tasked to carry out justice.  But given how much valuable information he provides, it's a minor criticism, which is why I suppose The Duran hosts -- Alex Christoforou and Alexander Mercouris -- let him rattle on a bit.

'The Enemy Within' strategy w/Robert Barnes (Live) - YouTube

********