How major German media hide true number, size of anti-government mass protests in Germany

Instructive analysis of the tricks used:

Tens of thousands take to the streets against the federal government... - reitschuster.de - September 20. Article is in German but should automatically translate to English. 

The media in question have found back-door methods to suppress news that points to criticism of the country's government.  The methods ensure that the majority of Germans simply don't know that increasing numbers of their fellow citizens are protesting how serious things are for the country at this time. 

Those outside Germany decrying the German public's seemingly sheep-like acceptance of bad leadership in the face of devastating fuel and economic crises need to read the above article.  

Most unsettling is that Germany's government is supposed to have minimal control over the country's media outlets.  The catch is that the largest outlets are owned by corporations that control the majority of news reporting.  For detailed information on Germany's media, see:

Germany Government and Media Profile - Media Bias/Fact Check (mediabiasfactcheck.com)

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Exactly who put out the story that Putin was giving a speech this evening?

There was no speech. The New York Times has suspicions:

... There was no official explanation from the Kremlin about why the speech was delayed — or even that it had been planned at all. ...

Putin’s Address to Russia Delayed After Hours of Waiting - The New York Times (nytimes.com)

I'll bet Moon of Alabama's Bernhard is also suspicious.  He hasn't updated his post today announcing the speech, which I quoted in full earlier today at this blog. He did remark in the post's comment section:

Seems like the Putin speech will not happen or come much later than announced:

RT has deleted its tweet saying that Putin would address the nation at 20:00PM Moscow time

Posted by: b | Sep 20 2022 18:34 utc | 61

But where did RT get the initial information from?

As to whether there will be a speech tomorrow, the NYT is willing to play the fool:

... By late Tuesday evening in Moscow, some of the Russian media figures who had said that Mr. Putin’s speech was coming said it would now come on Wednesday instead.

“Get up by around 8,” Dmitri Smirnov, a pro-Kremlin journalist who covers Mr. Putin, cryptically wrote.

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9/21 (Bangkok time) New Atlas sitrep

Game Changer? Immediate Referendums, Ukraine's Spent Reserves - Russian Ops in Ukraine 09/21/2022 - YouTube

Col. Macgregor's Ukraine war sitrep today

 Col. Doug Macgregor - Ukraine Russia Latest - YouTube

Alex Christoforou report today

 

Important Putin speech today UPDATED

 UPDATE

There was not a speech today. Possibly one tomorrow.

Pundita: Exactly who put out the story that Putin was giving a speech this evening?

END UPDATE

MoA - On The Upcoming Putin Speech And Announcements (moonofalabama.org) - September 20

"My hunch is that Russia received information over some weapon systems the U.S. is secretly providing to the Ukraine. This could be missiles with several hundred kilometer range or other types of weapons that could seriously threaten Russia's towns and cities." -- MOA

On The Upcoming Putin Speech and Announcements

Moscow has made a decision how to proceed in the proxy war with NATO in the Ukraine.

We do not yet know what the decision is.

The President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin will hold a TV speech at 8 pm Moscow time (17:00 UTC) followed by an announcement by Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.

In July Putin has held a press conference or speech where he said with regards to Ukraine something like: "We haven't even started yet."

It may be that Russia will do that now.

That a decision had been made was noticeable.

Yesterday the parliaments of the Luhansk and Donetz People's Republics suddenly requested their government to immediately launch referendums about the republics accession to the Russian Federation. Today Denis Pushilin, the head of of the DNR government, announced that a referendum will be held on September 23 to 27.

Also yesterday the Russian parliament introduced amendments to the Russian Criminal Code which will increase the prison penalties for 'voluntary surrender', 'looting', 'non-fulfillment of military orders' during a time of mobilization, martial law and war. Companies who reject to produce for the military will also be penalized. The amendments passed their second reading in parliament today and will become law after a third reading.

If the LNR and DPR vote to become part of Russia, and if Russia accepts it, any attack of them will be an act of war against Russia. The 'Special Military Operation', which Russia is currently proceeding with, would thus change into something way more serious. Russia could declare the conflict to be a war. It could then use conscripts in war functions, mobilize reserves and use its full arsenal against the Ukraine. Potentially also against those who support it with weapons and other war material.

I find this whole seemingly hasty process atypical for Putin's usual way.

My hunch is that Russia received information over some weapon systems the U.S. is secretly providing to the Ukraine. This could be missiles with several hundred kilometer range or other types of weapons that could seriously threaten Russia's towns and cities.

If so, Russia has to do something now to end the war before its becomes more than a nuisance for Russia and its people. Ending means of course by winning it.

Training up a mobilization force takes about three months. It would put it on the front in the mid of winter, a season during which Russian forces can operate quite well.

Posted by b on September 20, 2022 at 16:32 UTC 

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Complete transformation of Russia's military operation

How will it be done?  Simultaneous referendums in Donbass regions about joining Russia, originally planned for November, are being moved up.  Could happen in a weekor two but they're now moving very fast.  By making Donbass regions part of Russia, any future Ukranian attacks there will be treated by Russia's military as an attack on Russia, thereby unleashing the full power of their military response.

So that is a way of upgrading Russia's military operation without actually upgrading it. 

The Duran's Alexander Mercouris, despite his cold, explains in detail.  

Russia Referendums in Donbass, Ukraine Regions, Union with Russia; Mulls Major Military Escalation - YouTube

That part of his discussion starts at the 12:50 mark. Before that he summarizes the latest news from the battlefield in Ukraine. and touches on the rationale for the Russians using Iranian kamikaze drones, which in brief is to counter the HIMARS.  He also notes the Russian "Wagner" group is continuing to make inroads in Bakhmut city; once that falls, it's over for the Ukranian military in the Donbass. 

See also:  Kherson and Zaporozhye Regions to Hold Referendums on Joining Russia on September 23-27 - 20.09.2022, Sputnik International (sputniknews.com)

LIVE UPDATES: DPR, LPR, Kherson & Zaporozhye to Hold Referendum on Joining Russia on September 23-27 - 20.09.2022, Sputnik International (sputniknews.com)

Kiev vows to use force against breakaway regions — RT Russia & Former Soviet Union -September 20

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Hindustan Times: Russia responds to nuclear threat claims

 Video posted about 30 minutes ago. 2:36 minute report:

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. 

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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

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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.  

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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

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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 

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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.

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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.

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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.  

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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.  

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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."

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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.

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