Flummoxed,
Surplus Energy Economics looks again at our economy in the post-peak phase: Henry's Paradox , The business of Economic Contraction
In Henry’s paradox, we take a look at some of the practical consequences for business of the ending and reversal of growth. In a future article – the working title is Robert’s paradigm – we’ll examine some of the political implications of economic inflexion. Finance might merit a further article in this series... ..In microeconomic terms, paying high wages eats into the bottom line. Macroeconomically, though, low wages in the economy mean weak demand for all businesses’ products and services.This was why Henry Ford favoured paying his employees a lot more than might have been strictly necessary, understanding that his (and others’) workers were the motorists of the future. He famously more than doubled the daily wage of most of his employees in 1914.
In more recent times, a partial answer to “Henry’s paradox” has been to augment comparatively low real wages with an abundant availability of credit.
Consumers nowadays routinely use credit for purchases which in earlier times were paid for out of disposable incomes or savings. Rapid credit expansion carries serious risks but, until quite recently, they have not been immediate risks...
..The new wild card in the deck is the ending and reversal of growth in the “real” economy of material products and services. This moment of inflexion from economic expansion into contraction is undoubtedly imminent, and might, indeed, have already arrived.
Stated at its briefest, the productive process which uses energy to convert raw materials into products, artefacts and infrastructure has long been losing momentum as fossil fuel energy is depleted.
The ECoEs – the Energy Costs of Energy – of fossil fuels have been rising rapidly, and no proven equivalent or lower cost alternatives exist.
At the same time, non-energy resources – including minerals, water and agricultural land – have been gradually but relentlessly degraded.
We can’t ‘fix’ this problem using financial innovation, because money is an operating adjunct of the underlying material economy. Since these issues relate to the characteristics of materials, their parameters are framed by the laws of physics...
..How, then, will economic contraction play out in business?
Start by imagining that you own a bridge, of which the fixed costs – including operation, maintenance, repair and administration – total $10m per year.
On top of that, you need to set aside $5m annually in depreciation for the building of a replacement bridge when the existing one reaches the end of its useful life, plus another $5m to provide investors with a satisfactory return on their capital.
If 2 million people use this bridge, you need to charge each customer $10 to cover your $20m of aggregate costs (operation, depreciation and capital).
If, though, the number of users falls to 1 million, you have to raise your unit price to $20.
But doing this might very well trigger a vicious spiral by driving further declines in customer numbers, if people are unwilling – or unable – to pay this higher usage charge.
To stay viable, you might need to reduce the depreciation charged against earnings. This means that you won’t be able to build a new bridge when the current one wears out.
You might also be forced to reduce the return that you provide to investors.
These prospective diseconomies of scale have negative implications, then, both for returns on existing invested capital and for future investment in new and replacement productive capacity.
But they are by no means the only, or even the largest, adverse business consequences of a contracting material economy.
Another is the potential loss of critical mass. As other businesses suffer the effects of material economic contraction, some of the components or other inputs that you need might become unaffordable, or cannot be sourced at all.
Cost reduction can only go so far in countering the effects of the taxonomy of de-growth, although de-layering the organization, and cutting down on the outsourcing of the non-essential, are obvious defensive moves.
A critical process here is simplification, which comes in two forms.
Simplification of product means reducing the variety of goods or services offered to the customer. Does the consumer really need to choose between 50 varieties of breakfast cereal, or will his or her needs be met by an offer of just ten?
Simplification of process means reducing the complexity of the ways in which goods or services are produced...
Simplification of product and process is a strategy consistent with this broader trend towards the de-complexification of the economy.
The eventual destination – for governments as well as for businesses – might be the disappearance of top-down, centralized organizations and their replacement by more localized, bottom-up alternatives. This could result in pockets of growth which offset, if only in part, the broader trend of contraction. https:// surplusenergyeconomics. wordpress.com/2025/07/06/306- henrys-paradox/comment-page-1/ #comment-46307
Stated at its briefest, the productive process which uses energy to convert raw materials into products, artefacts and infrastructure has long been losing momentum as fossil fuel energy is depleted.
The ECoEs – the Energy Costs of Energy – of fossil fuels have been rising rapidly, and no proven equivalent or lower cost alternatives exist.
At the same time, non-energy resources – including minerals, water and agricultural land – have been gradually but relentlessly degraded.
We can’t ‘fix’ this problem using financial innovation, because money is an operating adjunct of the underlying material economy. Since these issues relate to the characteristics of materials, their parameters are framed by the laws of physics...
..How, then, will economic contraction play out in business?
Start by imagining that you own a bridge, of which the fixed costs – including operation, maintenance, repair and administration – total $10m per year.
On top of that, you need to set aside $5m annually in depreciation for the building of a replacement bridge when the existing one reaches the end of its useful life, plus another $5m to provide investors with a satisfactory return on their capital.
If 2 million people use this bridge, you need to charge each customer $10 to cover your $20m of aggregate costs (operation, depreciation and capital).
If, though, the number of users falls to 1 million, you have to raise your unit price to $20.
But doing this might very well trigger a vicious spiral by driving further declines in customer numbers, if people are unwilling – or unable – to pay this higher usage charge.
To stay viable, you might need to reduce the depreciation charged against earnings. This means that you won’t be able to build a new bridge when the current one wears out.
You might also be forced to reduce the return that you provide to investors.
These prospective diseconomies of scale have negative implications, then, both for returns on existing invested capital and for future investment in new and replacement productive capacity.
But they are by no means the only, or even the largest, adverse business consequences of a contracting material economy.
Another is the potential loss of critical mass. As other businesses suffer the effects of material economic contraction, some of the components or other inputs that you need might become unaffordable, or cannot be sourced at all.
Cost reduction can only go so far in countering the effects of the taxonomy of de-growth, although de-layering the organization, and cutting down on the outsourcing of the non-essential, are obvious defensive moves.
A critical process here is simplification, which comes in two forms.
Simplification of product means reducing the variety of goods or services offered to the customer. Does the consumer really need to choose between 50 varieties of breakfast cereal, or will his or her needs be met by an offer of just ten?
Simplification of process means reducing the complexity of the ways in which goods or services are produced...
..Of course, discretionary compression might mean that some businesses are just the wrong places to be...
..As the economy grew larger, so it became ever more complex. As the economy shrinks, the tide of complexity can be expected to recede.Simplification of product and process is a strategy consistent with this broader trend towards the de-complexification of the economy.
The eventual destination – for governments as well as for businesses – might be the disappearance of top-down, centralized organizations and their replacement by more localized, bottom-up alternatives. This could result in pockets of growth which offset, if only in part, the broader trend of contraction. https://
Practical nationalism: EU nation ‘ready to fight’ for Russian gas – PM
Slovakia’s Robert Fico has slammed Brussels’ planned phase-out of Russian energy as an ideological decision and a threat to sovereignty https://swentr.site/news/ 621065-slovakia-fight-russian- gas/
Goldman Sachs Expects Another OPEC+ Superhike in September
When the Drones are Coming, They Turn Off the Internet
If you’ve ever lived amid the aftermath of natural disasters, you understand the need for a plan and quick adaptation. Do it a few times and adaption becomes ordinary. Horrible in ways, yes; awkward, certainly. But you take things in stride; overcome, figure out the optimal solution and keep moving. However, not everyone is prepared to consider a disruption an ‘inconvenience’ and many people who need consistency to retain stability end up in panic. I think long term readers well understand the reference.
As Dimitri goes back to the paper my mind shifts to stuff I’ve heard in bits and pieces but never given context before.
I think about this U.S. ‘Space Force’ thing, and now realize there are people who have gamed out modern warfare more than we discuss as a western technological society.
Patriot missile systems are what they need and want. Trump pledges more weapons for Ukraine, The US suspended shipments last week, citing concerns over depleting stockpiles
“We’re going to send some more weapons. We have to. They have to be able to defend themselves. They’re getting hit very hard now,” Trump told reporters during a dinner with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.Slovakia’s Robert Fico has slammed Brussels’ planned phase-out of Russian energy as an ideological decision and a threat to sovereignty https://swentr.site/news/
The OPEC+ producers are expected in August to agree on another superhike in production for September that would complete the unwinding of the 2.2 million barrels per day (bpd) output cuts, Goldman Sachs said after the alliance surprised the market with a larger-than-forecast boost for August. https://oilprice.com/Latest- Energy-News/World-News/ Goldman-Sachs-Expects-Another- OPEC-Superhike-in-September. html
Dimitri’s wife is grabbing her purse to go to the grocery store, when he casually says “it’s 5:45.” She just as ordinarily replies, “I’ve got cash.” Dimitri sees the slightly puzzled look on my face and flippantly notes, “they turn off the internet at six thirty now,” shrugs, and goes back to reading his paper...
..As I contemplate the contrasts in social resilience, my most familiar reference point is life after a hurricane. In Florida when we are dealing with the aftermath of a hurricane, no power, no water, no internet, etc., you adapt to life without modern technological conveniences.If you’ve ever lived amid the aftermath of natural disasters, you understand the need for a plan and quick adaptation. Do it a few times and adaption becomes ordinary. Horrible in ways, yes; awkward, certainly. But you take things in stride; overcome, figure out the optimal solution and keep moving. However, not everyone is prepared to consider a disruption an ‘inconvenience’ and many people who need consistency to retain stability end up in panic. I think long term readers well understand the reference.
As Dimitri goes back to the paper my mind shifts to stuff I’ve heard in bits and pieces but never given context before.
I think about this U.S. ‘Space Force’ thing, and now realize there are people who have gamed out modern warfare more than we discuss as a western technological society.
My mind also thinks about those reports I read a few years ago about various western govt offices concerned about the ability of Russia to target U.S. satellites. Suddenly I realize cell phone and telecommunication is not their concern.
There’s no internet; the problem is bigger than a temporary outage of Uber. I wonder how the commercial air traffic between Kazan, Moscow and St Petersburg is not disrupted. Old school stuff applies. Meanwhile, the kids, lots of them are playing outside as kids do – apparently life amid modern drone warfare is resilient. No one is staring at the sky.
It is very odd to see how quickly a non-technology driven society can adapt to no electricity and no internet as an ordinary part of daily life. An entire nation just figures out the optimal solution, in part because their time between analog and digital has been short. Russians have a totally different context of dependency. https:// theconservativetreehouse.com/ blog/2025/07/05/when-the- drones-are-coming-they-turn- off-the-internet/#more-273806
There’s no internet; the problem is bigger than a temporary outage of Uber. I wonder how the commercial air traffic between Kazan, Moscow and St Petersburg is not disrupted. Old school stuff applies. Meanwhile, the kids, lots of them are playing outside as kids do – apparently life amid modern drone warfare is resilient. No one is staring at the sky.
It is very odd to see how quickly a non-technology driven society can adapt to no electricity and no internet as an ordinary part of daily life. An entire nation just figures out the optimal solution, in part because their time between analog and digital has been short. Russians have a totally different context of dependency. https://
“Defensive weapons, primarily, but they’re getting hit very, very hard. So many people are dying in that mess,” he said, without elaborating.
https://swentr.site/news/621168-trump-promises-weapons-ukraine/
Proposed Gaza Ceasefire Details Revealed As Netanyahu Visits White House Monday
Associated Press has obtained a copy of the latest ceasefire proposal -- which now incorporates a personal guarantee from Trump that Israel won't violate this ceasefire as it did a previous one.
Contrary to the wishes of Hamas, the proposed arrangement is a truce rather than an assured permanent end to the war, which has killed at least 55,000 people, according to Gaza's health authority, while rendering much of the territory uninhabitable. Here are the key provisions reported by AP:
The deal centers on a 60-day ceasefire, during which Hamas would transfer 10 living captives to Israel along with 18 dead ones. It's believed Hamas is still holding upwards of 25 living hostages.
While the ceasefire is going, the Israel Defense Forces would withdraw from Gaza to a buffer zone along the territory's Israeli and Egyptian borders.
During that time, a major increase in humanitarian aid would flow into Gaza. Notably, it would be distributed by United Nations organizations and the Palestinian Red Cross. Since late May, a shadowy group led by a pro-Israel American evangelical who's a mutual friend of Trump and Netanyahu -- the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation -- has been taking the lead on aid distribution. The group and IDF have faced withering condemnation during that time, as hundreds of Palestinians have been killed at the distribution points, with IDF soldiers confirming they've been using deadly weapons as a barbaric form of crowd control.
Also the negotiations for a permanent ceasefire would take place. https://www.zerohedge.com/ geopolitical/proposed-gaza- ceasefire-details-revealed- netanyahu-visits-white-house- monday
Contrary to the wishes of Hamas, the proposed arrangement is a truce rather than an assured permanent end to the war, which has killed at least 55,000 people, according to Gaza's health authority, while rendering much of the territory uninhabitable. Here are the key provisions reported by AP:
The deal centers on a 60-day ceasefire, during which Hamas would transfer 10 living captives to Israel along with 18 dead ones. It's believed Hamas is still holding upwards of 25 living hostages.
While the ceasefire is going, the Israel Defense Forces would withdraw from Gaza to a buffer zone along the territory's Israeli and Egyptian borders.
During that time, a major increase in humanitarian aid would flow into Gaza. Notably, it would be distributed by United Nations organizations and the Palestinian Red Cross. Since late May, a shadowy group led by a pro-Israel American evangelical who's a mutual friend of Trump and Netanyahu -- the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation -- has been taking the lead on aid distribution. The group and IDF have faced withering condemnation during that time, as hundreds of Palestinians have been killed at the distribution points, with IDF soldiers confirming they've been using deadly weapons as a barbaric form of crowd control.
Also the negotiations for a permanent ceasefire would take place. https://www.zerohedge.com/
‘Going hungry’: More than 700 Palestinians killed seeking aid in Gaza Palestinians say they have no choice but to go to deadly US- and Israeli-backed aid sites amid growing starvation. https://www.aljazeera.com/ news/2025/7/5/going-hungry- more-than-700-palestinians- killed-seeking-aid-in-gaza
Sleeper Cells, Assassination, Death To America, & Nukes: Carlson's Full Interview With Iranian President
"I’m of the belief that we could very much, easily resolve the differences and conflicts with the United States through dialogue and talks," Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told Tucker Carlson.....Pezeshkian described that Iran's aim, prior to the June war starting, was to achieve "the framework or the basis for a deal in which the rights of all nations, the Iranian nation, would be respected." Iran has consistently insisted that it be able to keep enrichment, as a matter of national sovereignty and for peaceful domestic energy purposes.
"We never wanted anything beyond the respect for our rights - rightful rights," he told Carlson.
Carlson asked Pezeshkian if Iran will allow other countries to verify Iran's enrichment activities. Pezeshkian says "we are ready to hold talks" over monitoring and that "we stand ready" to accept it. However, the fact that Israel and the US just bombed the Islamic Republic has introduced major complications...
..Sleeper cells in US cities? "This is what Israel is trying to put into your minds," the Iranian leader said..."We never wanted anything beyond the respect for our rights - rightful rights," he told Carlson.
Carlson asked Pezeshkian if Iran will allow other countries to verify Iran's enrichment activities. Pezeshkian says "we are ready to hold talks" over monitoring and that "we stand ready" to accept it. However, the fact that Israel and the US just bombed the Islamic Republic has introduced major complications...
..On the question of future diplomacy, Pezeshkian said "I believe that the United States President can very well guide the region and the world to peace & tranquility. Or on the other hand to lead it to forever wars." He also said that the Islamic Republic is not seeking nuclear weapons.
"We see no problem in re-entering the negotiations," he continued, but then qualified:
"How are we going to trust the United States again. We re-enter the negotiations then how can we know for sure that in the middle of the talks the Israeli regime will not be given the permission again to attack us."...
..Axios and others also reported that the US had been secretly conspiring with the Israelis to greenlight the attack even as talks in Oman and Rome were happening. These reports present the nuclear dialogue as a ruse to lull the Iranians into thinking that all was okay..."We see no problem in re-entering the negotiations," he continued, but then qualified:
"How are we going to trust the United States again. We re-enter the negotiations then how can we know for sure that in the middle of the talks the Israeli regime will not be given the permission again to attack us."...
.."My proposal is that the US administration should refrain from getting involved in a war that is not its war. It is not America's war," the Iranian leader said. "It is Netanyahu's war that is having its devilish machinations for the whole region."...
..Pezeshkian was asked directly by Carlson whether Israel had attempted to kill him, to which the Iranian leader confirmed it, and added, "I’m not afraid to sacrifice my life for my country, for my country’s freedom. But will it bring security and peace to the region? It will only bring more bloodshed."....."It was not the United States that was behind the attempt on my life. It was Israel. I was at a meeting, we were discussing how to move forward, and thanks to the intelligence and spies they had, they tried to bomb the area where the gathering was held. God decides who lives and who dies. We are not afraid to become martyrs."
At same time he sought to stress that Iran has never sought to assassinate President Trump, despite American media reports and the claims of some of the US administration's own officials."I would like to tell you and remind you that this is not Death to the American people or to the officials. Death to crimes and atrocities. To bullying. To the use of force," Pezeshkian said. https://www.zerohedge.com/
Israel is “trying to take advantage of the few remaining days before any anticipated truce to expand the scope of destruction and annihilate cities,” a source close to Palestinian factions told Anadolu. “Israel seeks to destroy what remains of life-sustaining infrastructure in northern Gaza, eliminating any chance for Palestinians to return in the future.” https://www.aa.com.tr/en/ middle-east/israel-rushes-to- depopulate-northern-gaza- before-possible-ceasefire- report/3623421
Among the targets were various Hamas sites, including command posts, weapons depots and rocket launchers, the army press service reported https://tass.com/world/
This video reveals the horrors of the Israeli government’s organ harvesting operations, which is using the war in Gaza to conceal the illegal harvesting of Palestinian organs after killing them, and then burying them in unmarked graves. https://stateofthenation.
Dr Marwan al-Sultan was not a soldier. He was one of Gaza’s last remaining cardiologists, and the director of the Indonesian Hospital in northern Gaza—a facility built with donations from ordinary Indonesians. For months, he worked amid airstrikes, shortages, and siege, refusing to abandon his patients even when he had the chance to leave.
On 2 July, an Israeli airstrike killed him, along with his wife, daughter, and sister, in the apartment where they had sought shelter. The missile struck only the room where he was sitting. His son-in-law is missing and presumed wounded. None of them posed a threat. None carried weapons. Their deaths are not collateral—they are calculated. https://www. middleeastmonitor.com/ 20250705-the-killing-of- indonesian-cardiologist-in- gaza-must-be-a-wake-up-call/
On 2 July, an Israeli airstrike killed him, along with his wife, daughter, and sister, in the apartment where they had sought shelter. The missile struck only the room where he was sitting. His son-in-law is missing and presumed wounded. None of them posed a threat. None carried weapons. Their deaths are not collateral—they are calculated. https://www.
"Fuel must be allowed in at scale through the UN, including UNRWA, to maintain lifesaving services,” including hospital generators, ambulances, bakeries, and water pumps. https://www. middleeastmonitor.com/ 20250705-unrwa-calls-for- immediate-fuel-delivery-to- israel-blockaded-gaza-before- shutdown-of-basic-services/
Flooding Gaza with Oxycodone hidden in flour packages and distributed under a false pretence of ‘humanitarian’ intervention feels just about right in terms of the levels of depravity we have come to expect from the ‘most moral army’ in the world. https://www. middleeastmonitor.com/ 20250701-oxycodone-laced- flour-is-not-humanitarian-aid- it-is-bioterrorism/
Israel claims Gaza’s health ministry inflates civilian deaths, but a new survey suggests it may be undercounting them
Independent researchers estimate 83,740 people have died in Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023 — far more than official reports https://www.arabnews.com/ node/2607034/middle-east
Independent researchers estimate 83,740 people have died in Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023 — far more than official reports https://www.arabnews.com/
“At dawn today, Tuesday, 15-year-old child Amjad Nassar Abu Awad was martyred by Israeli gunfire in the city of Ramallah,” the ministry said in a statement. “Also at dawn today, 24-year-old young man Samer Bassam Zagharneh was martyred by Israeli gunfire near the town of Dhahiriya” in the southern West Bank, https://www.arabnews.com/ node/2606530/middle-east
With an annual production rate of roughly 36–48 'THAAD' interceptors, the United States used nearly two years' worth of interceptors during the war. https://halturnerradioshow.
The Israeli military said it had intercepted a missile launched from Yemen towards Israel in the early hours of Sunday, with sirens activated in several parts of the country.
A spokesperson for Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi militias said in a statement several hours later that the group had fired a ballistic missile at central Israel's Jaffa area.
Israel has threatened the Houthis- which have been attacking Israel in what they say is solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza - with a naval and air blockade if their attacks on Israel persist. https://english. aawsat.com/arab-world/5161873- israeli-military-says- intercepted-missile-launched- yemen
A spokesperson for Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi militias said in a statement several hours later that the group had fired a ballistic missile at central Israel's Jaffa area.
Israel has threatened the Houthis- which have been attacking Israel in what they say is solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza - with a naval and air blockade if their attacks on Israel persist. https://english.
On Sunday Israel's military launched airstrikes on three ports and a power facility against Houthi-controlled Yemen, resulting in the group launching a barrage of missiles in retaliation. Israel is calling the major new initiative 'Operation Black Flag'.
The Israeli military (IDF) announced it had targeted the Red Sea ports of Hodeidah, Ras Isa, and as-Salif, as well as the Ras Kathib power station. Additionally, it described striking a radar system aboard the Galaxy Leader, a ship previously seized by the Houthis and currently docked in Hodeidah. https://www. zerohedge.com/geopolitical/ israel-bombs-ports-power- plant-yemen-after-month-long- pause
The Israeli military (IDF) announced it had targeted the Red Sea ports of Hodeidah, Ras Isa, and as-Salif, as well as the Ras Kathib power station. Additionally, it described striking a radar system aboard the Galaxy Leader, a ship previously seized by the Houthis and currently docked in Hodeidah. https://www.
The UK played a key role in sparking the 2011 war and bringing Sharaa to power, including by sending British citizens to join the Nusra Front and ISIS https://thecradle.co/articles/uk-restores-diplomatic-ties-with-syria-after-grooming-sharaa-for-power
It's not just ironic, but scandalous, that Trump met with a US-designated terrorist during this Gulf tour while in Saudi Arabia. If any individual American citizen did the same, they would likely be investigated and prosecuted by the FBI. But Sharaa is the "former" al-Qaeda in Syria man who helped overthrow Bashar al-Assad, and that's apparently all that Washington cares about. https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/us-ends-foreign-terrorist-designation-syrias-hts-nearly-2-months-after-trump-met-its
Meryl Nass MD, The CIA (wrongly) accused Congressional staffers in 2014 of illegal acts and refused to let Congressmembers read the report they produced--regarding torture of Iraqis after 9/11. SSDD. This was an intense CIA coverup of Abu Ghraib and other black torture sites and exploits https://merylnass.substack.com/p/the-cia-wrongly-accused-congressional
Mike Mihajlovic presents the (convincing) circumstantial evidence that a B-2 bomber was shot down over Yugoslavia and crashed in a Croatian forest.
"Something Big" Was in the Air: B-2 Over Yugoslavia [i] The B-2As' combat missions over Yugoslavia https://bmanalysis.substack.com/p/something-big-was-in-the-air-b-2Russia has so many borders to threaten: Andrew Korybko, The UK Aims To Entrench Its Influence In Estonia In Order To Lead The Arctic-Baltic Front https://korybko.substack.com/p/the-uk-aims-to-entrench-its-influence
BRICS Expands to 56% of World Population, 44% of Global GDP: Vietnam Joins as Partner Country
With the addition of Vietnam, the extended BRICS+ has 20 members and partners, as of July 2025.
The 10 BRICS members are Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates.
The 10 BRICS partners are Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Nigeria, Thailand, Uganda, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam.
Together, the BRICS 20 make up 43.93% of the global economy, when their combined GDP is measured at purchasing power parity (PPP), according to IMF data. https://scheerpost.com/2025/07/05/brics-expands-to-56-of-world-population-44-of-global-gdp-vietnam-joins-as-partner-country/
The 10 BRICS members are Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates.
The 10 BRICS partners are Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Nigeria, Thailand, Uganda, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam.
Together, the BRICS 20 make up 43.93% of the global economy, when their combined GDP is measured at purchasing power parity (PPP), according to IMF data. https://scheerpost.com/2025/07/05/brics-expands-to-56-of-world-population-44-of-global-gdp-vietnam-joins-as-partner-country/
Artificial Intelligence is a powerful force, but there’s much less there than meets the eye. AI may be confronting material constraints in terms of processing power, training sets and electricity generation. Semiconductor chips keep getting faster and new ones are on the way. But these chips consume enormous amounts of energy, especially when installed in huge arrays in new AI data centers. Advocates are turning to nuclear power plants, including small modular reactors to supply the energy needs of AI. This demand is non-linear, which means that exponentially larger energy sources are needed to make small advances in processing output. AI is fast approaching practical limits on its ability to achieve greater performance.
This near insatiable demand for energy means that the AI race is really an energy race. This could make the U.S. and Russia the two dominant players (sound familiar?) as China depends on Russia for energy and Europe depends on the U.S. and Russia. Sanctions on Russian energy exports can actually help Russia in the AI race because natural gas can be stored and used in Russia to support AI and cryptocurrency mining. It’s the law of unintended consequences applied to the short-sighted Europeans and the resource-poor Chinese. [Think "Iran", too.] https://dailyreckoning.com/superintelligence-will-never-arrive/
This near insatiable demand for energy means that the AI race is really an energy race. This could make the U.S. and Russia the two dominant players (sound familiar?) as China depends on Russia for energy and Europe depends on the U.S. and Russia. Sanctions on Russian energy exports can actually help Russia in the AI race because natural gas can be stored and used in Russia to support AI and cryptocurrency mining. It’s the law of unintended consequences applied to the short-sighted Europeans and the resource-poor Chinese. [Think "Iran", too.] https://dailyreckoning.com/superintelligence-will-never-arrive/
#1 Why were Jeffery Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell arrested and charged with operating an enormous sex trafficking ring that supposedly involved thousands of clients if no such clients ever existed? As Robby Starbuck has pointed out, apparently we are supposed to believe that all of the powerful men that visited Epstein’s island were “just there to catch some waves and relax”…
#2 Why did U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi tell Fox News in February that Epstein’s client list was “sitting on my desk right now to review” if no such client list ever existed?…
#3 What was in the “thousands of documents” related to the Epstein case that were suddenly discovered in February?…
#4 When Bondi claimed that the Epstein flight logs would “make you sick” in March, what did she mean by that?…
#5 In May, Bondi confessed that there were “tens of thousands of videos” related to the Epstein investigation. What was in those videos?…
#6 Other than Jeffery Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, why hasn’t anyone else that was involved in the sex trafficking operation ever been arrested?… https://themostimportantnews.com/archives/12-important-questions-that-all-americans-should-be-asking-about-the-shameful-attempt-to-cover-up-the-truth-about-jeffrey-epstein
#2 Why did U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi tell Fox News in February that Epstein’s client list was “sitting on my desk right now to review” if no such client list ever existed?…
#3 What was in the “thousands of documents” related to the Epstein case that were suddenly discovered in February?…
#4 When Bondi claimed that the Epstein flight logs would “make you sick” in March, what did she mean by that?…
#5 In May, Bondi confessed that there were “tens of thousands of videos” related to the Epstein investigation. What was in those videos?…
#6 Other than Jeffery Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, why hasn’t anyone else that was involved in the sex trafficking operation ever been arrested?… https://themostimportantnews.com/archives/12-important-questions-that-all-americans-should-be-asking-about-the-shameful-attempt-to-cover-up-the-truth-about-jeffrey-epstein
John Leake, on "the Blob", "No Evidence" of Epstein Blackmail Operation Not Surprising
Jeffry Epstein was the construct of intelligence agencies that know how to maintain silence and to cover their tracks.
When institutions and powerful individuals operate for long periods without scrutiny, they may be tempted to commit such outrageously corrupt acts that disclosing them to the people becomes an insurmountably difficult task.
For years there has been a lot of consternation about the refusal of federal agencies such as the CIA and FBI to disclose what they know about Jeffrey Epstein (as well as about the assassination of JFK, the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the murder of Seth Rich, and countless other stories). Guys like me have also noticed how the U.S. government, including Congress, can’t ever quite seem to get to the bottom of the origin of SARS-CoV-2.
The truth of these stories carries incalculable liabilities—liabilities that would call into question whether the involved institutions should be allowed to continue existing.
Disclosing the truth could also instantly demolish the persistent naïveté that enables most people to maintain their allegiance to their governments and to believe the endless train of BS that we are told every day about everything. https://www.thefocalpoints.com/p/no-evidence-of-epstein-blackmail
For years there has been a lot of consternation about the refusal of federal agencies such as the CIA and FBI to disclose what they know about Jeffrey Epstein (as well as about the assassination of JFK, the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the murder of Seth Rich, and countless other stories). Guys like me have also noticed how the U.S. government, including Congress, can’t ever quite seem to get to the bottom of the origin of SARS-CoV-2.
The truth of these stories carries incalculable liabilities—liabilities that would call into question whether the involved institutions should be allowed to continue existing.
Disclosing the truth could also instantly demolish the persistent naïveté that enables most people to maintain their allegiance to their governments and to believe the endless train of BS that we are told every day about everything. https://www.thefocalpoints.com/p/no-evidence-of-epstein-blackmail
Diddy’s Cell-Block Mate Blows Whistle: “Trial Was Rigged to Protect DC Pedophile Ring”
When the architect of legal loopholes for pedophiles is out here praising the outcome, you know exactly what kind of game is being played.
https://vtforeignpolicy.com/2025/07/diddys-cell-block-mate-blows-whistle-trial-was-rigged-to-protect-dc-pedophile-ring/
When the architect of legal loopholes for pedophiles is out here praising the outcome, you know exactly what kind of game is being played.
https://vtforeignpolicy.com/2025/07/diddys-cell-block-mate-blows-whistle-trial-was-rigged-to-protect-dc-pedophile-ring/
Stay-tuned, it's coming here: Germany's Pension Ponzi Scheme Is Collapsing: What Comes Next https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/germanys-pension-ponzi-scheme-collapsing-what-comes-next
Kicking in the door of a "noble lie" in Germany: Migrants will not stop molesting and assaulting children at swimming pools in the best and most democratic Germany of all time https://www.eugyppius.com/p/migrants-will-not-stop-molesting
Walmart has spent over $660 million building its own beef empire—from processor to packaging plant to retail shelf. That makes them more than just a grocer; it makes them the fifth major packer, joining Tyson, JBS, Cargill, and National Beef. The press calls it “resilience,” but ranchers know what it really is: vertical consolidation dressed in feel-good PR. https://beefnews.org/the-big-four-just-became-five-walmart-quietly-captures-the-beef-chain/
A Midwestern Doctor, DMSO Heals the Lungs and Cures Chronic Respiratory Diseases; How DMSO treats Asthma, COPD, Pneumonia, ARDS and Pulmonary Fibrosis https://www.midwesterndoctor.com/p/dmso-heals-the-lungs-and-cures-chronic#poll-341858
Meryl Nass MD, Money grubbing Donald Rumsfeld and breaking bad Ralph Baric/Jim Haslam's substack with a few additions of mine
Go to Jim’s substack (Reverse Engineering the Origins of SARS-CoV-2) for the original version, but read below to see my appended remarks and graphics. I will use the left-aligned line that normally indicates someone else wrote a section to indicate my additions. https://merylnass.substack.com/p/money-grubbing-donald-rumsfeld-andCanadian school bus driver Michael Oesch told medical commentator John Campbell, Ph.D., that most doctors won’t formally acknowledge his vaccine-induced transverse myelitis, a disabling, degenerative neurological condition. He now lives in a long-term care facility. https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/only-place-left-for-me-long-term-care-says-vaccine-injured-bus-driver/
Under the ordinance, the first of its kind in the state, new cell towers and antennas on Hawaii’s Big Island must be at least 600 feet away from homes and schools. Debra Greene, founding director of Safe Tech Hawaii, said the ordinance “paves the way for other local jurisdictions in Hawaii to follow suit and implement similar ordinances.” https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/hawaii-big-island-law-cell-towers-antennas-homes-schools/
Sitka for Safe Tech, a legal and advocacy group on the remote Alaska island of Sitka, has teamed up with Children’s Health Defense’s Stop 5G initiative to prevent the installation of a proposed 120-foot wireless broadband tower in Sitka’s residential zone.
A poll of over 1,000 registered voters conducted June 24-25 by John Zogby Strategies shows that 49% support reevaluating the current vaccine schedule, while 21% are undecided, and only 30% want to keep the current schedule. Sixty percent of parents with young children supported reviewing the schedule.
The first peer-reviewed study to systematically track trends in the rates of intellectual disability, defined as an IQ of less than 70, among children with autism found that those rates have risen and fallen in association with the presence of thimerosal in vaccines recommended to children and pregnant women. https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/thimerosal-vaccines-may-contribute-autism-severity-new-analysis-shows/
Meryl Nass MD says "Caveat Emptor": This is a doozy of a story: Chinese Triads invaded Maine, purchased (with mortgages) several hundred buildings and converted them to illegal marijuana grows, mostly untouched by law enforcement
Trafficked workers; used potentially deadly, unlicensed pesticides by mixing them with sawdust and burning them to smoke the weed and kill pests without regard for the health consequences https://merylnass.substack.com/p/this-is-a-doozy-of-a-story-chineseChina is much bigger than Texas: Three Gorges Dam Opens 11 Gates – Collapse Threat Rises, Floods Ravage Downstream! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7BH9oywYYI
You probably know somebody who has needed to know this and didn't. Skip through to the informativre points: How to STOP a DOG ATTACK in 3 Seconds https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iE8IjSRouuU
Gardener in the sun after 5 days of rains