Tuesday, July 8, 2025

Trying To Hold It Together

 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...
..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://surplusenergyeconomics.wordpress.com/2025/07/06/306-henrys-paradox/comment-page-1/#comment-46307

Tipping Point: When Populations Peak   https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/tipping-point-when-populations-peak-0


  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
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

  When the Drones are Coming, They Turn Off the Internet
  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

​  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.
​  “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

  ‘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...
..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...
.."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/geopolitical/sleeper-cells-assassination-death-america-nukes-carlsons-full-interview-iranian

  Israel rushes to ‘depopulate’ northern Gaza before possible ceasefire: Report
  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

  Israeli military says it attacked about 130 targets in Gaza overnight
Among the targets were various Hamas sites, including command posts, weapons depots and rocket launchers, the army press service reported   
https://tass.com/world/1985935

  Israeli Organ Harvesting Industry Exposed :  Started by IDF & Israeli Medical Corps in the 1990s
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.info/?p=24718

  The killing of cardiologist in Gaza must be Indonesia’s wake-up call  
  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/ 

UNRWA calls for immediate fuel delivery to Israel-blockaded Gaza before shutdown of basic services  
"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/

  Oxycodone laced flour is not ‘humanitarian aid’ it is bioterrorism
  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/

  What new research reveals about Gaza’s real death toll — and why it’s far higher than official figures
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

  Israeli army kills two in West Bank, including one teen
  “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

  Israeli Forces Kill 288 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip Over Three Days:  Another 1,088 were wounded as Israel's relentless strikes continued throughout the weekend   https://news.antiwar.com/2025/07/06/israeli-forces-kill-288-palestinians-in-the-gaza-strip-over-three-days/

Report Estimates US Used $1.25 Billion Worth of THAAD Interceptors To Defend Israel From Iranian Missiles   https://news.antiwar.com/2025/07/02/report-estimates-us-used-1-25-billion-worth-of-thaad-interceptors-to-defend-israel-from-iranian-missiles/

  Israeli media outlet Haaretz has reported that the U.S. military used 93 'THAAD' interceptor missiles in 11 days to defend Israel, revising earlier estimates by others of $800 million to an actual cost of approximately $1.2 billion.
  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.com/index.php/news-selections/world-news/u-s-used-two-years-worth-of-thaad-interceptors-to-defend-israel-over-11-days

  Israeli Military Says Intercepted Missile Launched from Yemen
  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

  Israel Bombs Ports, Power Plant In Yemen After Month-Long Pause
  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

​  UK restores diplomatic ties with Syria after grooming Sharaa for power
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

​  US Ends Foreign Terror Designation On Syria's HTS, Nearly 2 Months AFTER Trump Met Its Leader​   
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-2

​Russia 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

Trade Crackdown: 12 More Countries To Receive Tariff Letters After Japan, South Korea​   https://www.zerohedge.com/economics/trade-tariff-recap-all-eyes-todays-12pm-signed-letters-announcement

​  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/

  Jim Rickards, who has long used these analytical tools.  Superintelligence Will Never Arrive
​  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/

  ​I personally believe a body-double was murdered, based on photographs of the victim, which don't match Jeff's ear whorls.  FBI Concludes Jeffrey Epstein Had No Clients, Didn't Blackmail Anyone, And Definitely Killed Himself​   https://www.zerohedge.com/political/fbi-concludes-jeffrey-epstein-had-no-clients-didnt-blackmail-anyone-and-definitely-killed

12 Important Questions That All Americans Should Be Asking About The Shameful Attempt To Cover Up The Truth About Jeffrey Epstein
#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

​  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

​  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/

​  Saturday some entity cashed in almost $9 billion in Bitcoin, not much impacting the price. Somebody bought itOver the Past 24 Hours Eight Dormant Bitcoin Wallets Were Awakened for First Time in 14 Years on the 4th of July Withdrawing 80.009 Bitcoins Equaling $8.69 Billion
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

​  The Big Four Just Became Five: Walmart Quietly Captures the Beef Chain​  
​  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-and

​  ‘Only Place Left for Me’ is Long-Term Care, Says Vaccine-Injured Bus Driver
Canadian 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/

​  Residents of Hawaii’s Big Island Pass Law to Keep Cell Towers Away from Homes, Schools
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/

​  Alaskans Join Forces With CHD to Fight Giant Cell Tower in Residential Area
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.

​  60% of Parents Support Review of CDC Childhood Vaccine Schedule, New Poll Shows
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.

​  Thimerosal in Vaccines May Contribute to Autism Severity, New Analysis Shows
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-chinese

Texas Floods Kill 50; Search Ongoing For Dozens Of Missing Campers​   https://www.zerohedge.com/weather/texas-floods-kill-24-search-underway-missing-girls-summer-camp

​  The bridge near Marble Falls, Texas​  collapsed into the flood waters​, as the family drove over it. 17 year old Malaya got the ​car door open,and the rest of the family out of it. They ​searched up and down the river calling her name for 3 days.  Rest In Peace, Malaya Hammond​;  She Saved Her Whole Family​   https://celiafarber.substack.com/p/rest-in-peace-malaya-hammond

​China 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   


Saturday, July 5, 2025

Fully Established Demonic Usury

 Following the Usury,


  Celia Farber opens this series with the case for Usury arising from a Babylonian cult of money and human sacrifice around 800 BC, and continuing since that time. It does not much matter who the practitioners are, if they follow the template, though the high-priests will turn out to be sadists...
​  The Hidden Hand: Babylonian Radhanite Banksters And The Ancient Roots Of Usury, War, And Human Sacrifice. "These Are Not Jews We're Talking About."
​  Scapegoating Jews Is A Way To Avoid The True History Of Pagan, Moloch Baal, and Mammon Worshipping Pagan Bankers "The History Of Usury Is The History Of The Demonic World Marching Through History."​   
https://celiafarber.substack.com/p/the-hidden-hand-babylonian-radhanite

​  Gaius Baltar provides a supporting essay on Psychopathy, Sociopathy, Narcissm and Sadism, and how the smallest part may be genetic, but quite a lot can be taught through child abuse to create further sadistic generations, and especially by societal "normalization" of behaviors that cause harm,
​  SADISM AS A SOCIAL FORCE (AND A WAY OF LIFE)​,  THE MODERN QUEST FOR SADISTIC FREEDOM​   https://gaiusbaltar.substack.com/p/sadism-as-a-social-force-and-a-way

​  Charles Hugh Smith on "normalization" of corrupt practices:  To Make America Great Again, Start Here
Our status quo is so thoroughly corrupt that it's no longer even seen as corruption, it's just BAU--business as usual.
​  While it's self-evident that self-interest and greed manifest as corruption, it's not true that the systemic corruption of the present is no different from previous eras--it's worse, much worse because it's now normalized, and so we accept the most outrageous forms of corruption as "normal."​   https://charleshughsmith.substack.com/p/to-make-america-great-again-start

  ​Back to money, the "love of which is the root of all sorts of evil", It does not have to be the way it is:  Why UK [and US] Governments Are Never Dependent on Financial Markets​  Posted on July 5, 2025 by Yves Smith
​  [Yves here. To clarify Richard Murphy’s headline, he is not referring to all levels of government in the UK, but “Government” which in US-speak would be “Administration”. His point is that the UK and US national governments will never run out of currency and do not need bond markets to fund budget deficits. Bond issuance is a political holdover from the gold standard era as opposed to an operational necessity. Looks at how Japan ran absolutely ginormous government deficits for decades.]  
​  I keep returning to this issue because it is so fundamental: the UK government is a currency creator, not a currency user. It is not like a household. It does not need to beg or borrow from the markets to spend. Financial markets are accommodated by the government, not the other way around.
​  Understanding this changes everything. It means that economic policy decisions — on public services, investment, climate action, and inequality — are political choices, not technical constraints imposed by bond traders. That is why misinformation on this issue matters so much, and the fact that it is so widespread shows just how strong are the forces that wish to deny that democratic choices can still be made in the UK.​   
https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2025/07/why-uk-and-us-governments-are-never-dependent-on-financial-markets.html

   So there is no need to issue debt, but we keep paying the bankers for nothing?  Remuneration of Reserves: The Planned End of Government Securities ?
  The debate over the remuneration of bank reserves, far from being limited to a technical or budgetary issue, reveals the true nature of our societies’ monetary choices. It highlights an observation that the history of monetary instruments and the emergence of the IOR (interest on reserves) have made undeniable: for a monetary sovereign state, public debt is not a financial need, but a political choice aimed at setting an interest rate on its liabilities and providing the private sector with safe assets. For eurozone countries, however, this function remains a cash flow necessity, a constraint enshrined in the treaties that only underscores the political nature of their monetary architecture.
​  By remunerating massive reserves, central banks have crossed a threshold: they now assume redistributive and quasi-fiscal choices without having an explicit democratic mandate. Their powers have expanded well beyond price stabilization, transforming their institutional role and blurring the line between monetary and fiscal policy.
​  At a time when government securities are becoming optional for managing interest rates, the central question is no longer: « How to finance the debt? » » but: « What governance do we want for our currency and our collective choices? » The status quo prolongs a financial technocracy that operates transfers without democratic debate. Prudent reforms adjust without refounding. The more radical path, as proposed by MMT, refocuses economic sovereignty on Parliament and fiscal policy.
​  The resolution of this technical controversy will therefore have significant consequences for the future conduct of economic policies. The answer will determine much more than the future financial architecture; it will define the future model of economic governance and resolve a fundamental question: who should have the power to regulate the economy? Technocratic central bankers, impersonal rules, or democratic debate?​         
https://mmt-france.org/2025/07/01/remuneration-of-reserves-the-planned-end-of-government-securities/

​  Delving into money not defined by usury, the various forms of "Gold Standard", vaguely espoused by Bessent & Trump:  
​January 28, 2025 ‘Golden age starts now’: Scott Bessent becomes Donald Trump's treasury secretary, pushes universal 2.5% tariff plan
​  Scott Bessent has been confirmed as US Treasury Secretary, advocating for universal tariffs starting at 2.5%. He aims to eliminate taxes, implement a consumption tax, and adopt a gold-backed currency, marking a new economic era under President Trump.​   
https://www.livemint.com/news/us-news/scott-bessent-becomes-new-secretary-of-the-treasury-us-president-donald-trump-america-11738028081299.html

​  The $US, with a much reduced industrial economy, hollowed out by debt-service-to-support-the-$ since 1980, cannot keep servicing the vast, snowballing debt for much longer. American threats to dollar-defectors, and potential rival currencies, along with systemic inertia, sustain the increasingly unreliable US currency in the role of global-reserve-currency. Weaponization of the $US (Russia, Iran, Venezuela, Cuba, Syria, etc.), weakening of the US geopolitically, and increased central bank gold holdings threaten to replace the dollar with traditional gold. $US interest rates are high, as dollar relative valuation declines:                                  Is US dollar flirting with a ‘Liz Truss moment’ amid tariff chaos?
This week, the US Congress added the equivalent of two Russian economies to the federal deficit​   https://asiatimes.com/2025/07/is-us-dollar-flirting-with-a-liz-truss-moment-amid-tariff-chaos/#

​Some how-to considerations from the "conservative" Cato Institute Spring/Summer 2012  Making the Transition to a New Gold Standard  Lawrence H. White   https://www.cato.org/sites/cato.org/files/serials/files/cato-journal/2012/7/v32n2-14.pdf

  Not just the gangsters they paid to raid the aid convoys, new desperados:  Israel arms new ‘anti-Hamas’ militias in Gaza: Report
The new militias are said to be linked to the Fatah party and have reportedly received salaries from the Palestinian Authority​   https://thecradle.co/articles/israel-arms-new-anti-hamas-militias-in-gaza-report

​Mostly the US group managed bait, not murders:  UN records 613 killings in Gaza near humanitarian convoys or aid distribution points run by US group    https://www.arabnews.com/node/2606880/middle-east 

94 Palestinians Killed in Gaza, Including 45 People Waiting for Aid​   https://english.aawsat.com/arab-world/5160943-94-palestinians-killed-gaza-including-45-people-waiting-aid

Doctors Without Borders:​  Israel continues to destroy West Bank refugee camps after 5 months of military operations​   https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20250703-msf-israel-continues-to-destroy-west-bank-refugee-camps-after-5-months-of-military-operations/

​  UN rapporteur accuses Israel of 'one of cruelest genocides' in modern history; urges arms embargo, global disengagement
Francesca Albanese says Gaza has become laboratory for Israeli weapons, calling on states to suspend all trade, investment with Israel​   
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/un-rapporteur-accuses-israel-of-one-of-cruelest-genocides-in-modern-history-urges-arms-embargo-global-disengagement/3620886

​  Israel says Trump’s plan to resettle nearly two million Palestinians from Gaza is ‘still active’
The White House did not deny that president’s plan to transfer nearly 2 million Palestinians out of Gaza was still a possibility when asked by The Independent​   
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/israel-trump-gaza-plan-netanyahu-b2782230.html

​  Transformational – President Trump Holds Quiet Meeting with Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman, MbS Younger BrotherAccording to ​  Israel Hayom, there was a 4-way call (Trump, Netanyahu, Rubio, Dermer) after the Iran strikes. President Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu agreed to “fundamental principles in general terms” including:
​  “Gaza hostilities will conclude within two weeks.” “Four Arab nations (including Egypt and the UAE) will administer the Gaza Strip, replacing the murderous Hamas terrorist organization.” “The remaining Hamas leadership will face exile to other countries (possibly Qatar and Turkey), while the hostages gain freedom.” “Multiple nations globally will accept numerous Gaza inhabitants seeking emigration.” “Abraham Accords expansion will bring Syria, Saudi Arabia, and additional Arab and Muslim countries to recognize Israel and establish official relationships.” “Israel will declare its willingness for future Palestinian conflict resolution under the ‘two states’ concept, contingent upon the Palestinian Authority reforms.” “The United States will acknowledge limited Israeli sovereignty implementation in Judea and Samaria.”​  
(aka "The West Bank")
​  Saudi Arabia was previously on the cusp of signing up to the Abraham Accords, but retreated from the agreement when the Israeli-Hamas war erupted within Gaza.  It would not be surprising to see them come back to that agreement with President Trump’s guidance and request.
​  If we think about the status of Syria, we can clearly see how President Trump has enticed the new Syrian government led by Ahmed al-Sharaa to the peace table based on economic benefits (sanctions removed).​   
https://theconservativetreehouse.com/blog/2025/07/04/transformational-president-trump-holds-quiet-meeting-with-saudi-defense-minister-prince-khalid-bin-salman-mbs-younger-brother/#more-273760

​  "Ceasefire where we kill people":  Secret Trump letter would let Israel resume war despite ceasefire: Report
Israel pushes for backdoor deal with Trump to restart on Gaza war on its terms​   https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/us-trump-would-let-israel-resume-war-despite-ceasefire-report

Hamas Submits 'Positive Response' To US-Backed Ceasefire As Pressure Mounts On Netanyahu​   https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/hamas-submits-positive-response-us-backed-ceasefire-pressure-mounts-netanyahu

​  Will Bibi Ask Trump to Nuke Iran? Ritter Says “Yes.” Mike Whitney​   If Iran resumes enrichment while rejecting IAEA inspections, then Trump will target Iran’s underground facilities with a low-yield B61-11 nuclear weapon
​  You can usually tell which side won a war by simply observing ‘what happens’ after the hostilities end. Following the announcement of a ceasefire between Iran and Israel, millions of Iranians poured onto the streets of Tehran, chanting patriotic songs and waving flags in a spontaneous display of jubilation. In contrast, there were no festivities or celebrations in Tel Aviv or Jerusalem where the mood was noticeably more somber and gloomy. What this indicates is that most people believe that Iran won the war.
​  We are not ignoring the fact that Iran’s threshold for success in the conflict was much lower than Israel’s. As the aggressor, Israel needed to achieve its strategic goals to claim victory, while Iran only needed to withstand the assault, which it managed to accomplish with great ease. Regardless of whether this benchmark is equitable, the result is evident: for 12 days, Iran held its own, matching Israel’s aggression blow-for-blow, eventually forcing Israel to seek a ceasefire. In short, Iran won.
​  Israel made a number of miscalculations in its approach to Iran which severely undermined its chances of success. It’s two biggest mistakes, were its overconfidence in its own multilayered air defense systems (Note– Arrow 2, Arrow 3, David’s Sling, Iron Dome and THAAD) which proved to be woefully inadequate in defending the country’s strategic assets. Israeli war planners also grossly undervalued Iran’s impressive ballistic missile capability which exceeds Israel’s dated arsenal and ranks among the best in the world. In last week’s article, we provided a long list of the key military, intelligence, industrial and energy facilities that were obliterated by Iran’s precision guided ballistic missiles and which Israel’s ineffective air defense system failed to intercept. We now believe that Israel’s military experts must have realized –no more than a week into the fighting– that they were gravely over-matched and needed to find a diplomatic off-ramp pronto. But –for whatever reason– they stubbornly persisted with their anemic offensive for nearly a week hoping for a miracle. When the miracle failed to arrive, Netanyahu goaded Trump into bombing Iran’s nuclear sites in order to establish a pretext for ending the conflict. In short, Israel had been looking for a way to end the hostilities long before the fighting formally ended, which means they knew their strategic aims would not be achieved.
​  The outcome of the conflict has been particularly instructive for Israeli leaders who now realize that they are incapable of winning a conventional war with Iran. Unfortunately, that lesson has ominous implications for the rest of the world as no one seriously thinks that Netanyahu is going to ditch his life-long dream of a Greater Israel extending across the region. If a conventional war against Iran cannot be won, then Israel must escalate to the next level of military confrontation. That is the rationale behind Netanyahu’s unexpected trip to Washington next week. He wants Trump to lead the next round of fighting with a nuclear bomb.​   
https://www.globalresearch.ca/bibi-ask-trump-nuke-iran-ritter-says-yes/5893791

​  IRGC: “50 MOSSAD AGENTS ARRESTED IN IRAN ” (video). After the “Severe Historic PUNISHMENT to ISRAEL” which Destroyed some Intel Headquarters​  Many Spies Arrested by Teheran intel with Explosives, Micro-Drones and 22,000 rounds of Kalashnikov bullets​   https://vtforeignpolicy.com/2025/07/israel-iran-clash-heads-to-oil-warfare-due-to-refineries-attacks/

​  Kit Klarenberg,  Spying on Iran: How MI6 Infiltrated the IAEA​ 
A  notorious British MI6 agent infiltrated the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on London’s behalf, according to leaked documents reviewed by The Grayzone. The agent, Nicholas Langman, is a veteran intelligence operative who claims credit for helping engineer the West’s economic war on Iran.

​  Iran says it remains committed to nuclear non-proliferation treaty
‘...sparked by the unlawful attacks against our nuclear facilities by Israel and the US, our cooperation with IAEA will be channeled through Iran's Supreme National Security Council,’ 
Iran’s foreign minister says​   
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/iran-says-it-remains-committed-to-nuclear-non-proliferation-treaty/3620938

​ Tehran dismisses reports of renewed US talks as ‘incorrect speculation’​  Nuclear and sanctions relief talks were scrapped after Israel launched an unprovoked war against Iran​   https://thecradle.co/articles/tehran-dismisses-reports-of-renewed-US-talks-as-incorrect-speculation

​  China Announces "We stand with Iran"
July 3, 2025 - President Xi Jinping of China just got on television in Beijing and, among other things, announced "Our strategic interests in the Middle East will no longer be threatened. We will stand with Iran."​   https://halturnerradioshow.com/index.php/news-selections/world-news/china-announces-we-stand-with-iran

​  Moon of Alabama, CIA: Our Trump-Russiagate Claims Were Corrupt, Our Claims On Iran Are ...
​  That the CIA, under Director John Ratcliffe, is now condemning the 2016 Intelligence Community Assessment as shady does not mean that he is willing to apply the lessons learned from its faulty creation to today's intelligence products.
​  He will, just like then CIA Director John Brennan, fake anything that is needed to support his and his presidents policies. Just look at this from the day before Trump ordered bombing Iran:
​  CIA Director John Ratcliffe reportedly told the White House that Iran is nearing the technical threshold for a weapon. White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt echoed this, saying Iran needs only a political decision to begin building a bomb, which could take as little as two weeks.
​  Some US officials cite “Israeli” intelligence, particularly Mossad’s estimate that Iran is just 15 days away from producing a bomb.
​  However, others within the American intelligence community challenge that timeline, maintaining that Iran would likely need several months to a year to complete a functional weapon.
​  Ratcliffe was clearly bullshitting when he repeated the Mossad claims in the White House. Just like he was bullshitting when he later asserted that Iran's program has been set back for years.
​  All claims made by 'Intelligence Agencies', independent of having been made in 2016, 2025 or in the future, have be taken with huge loads of salts. Intelligence claims are made to support policies, not because they are truthful.   
https://www.moonofalabama.org/2025/07/cia-our-trump-russiagate-claims-were-corrupt-our-claims-on-iran-are-.html

US Imposes Fresh Sanctions Targeting Iran Oil Trade, Hezbollah​   https://english.aawsat.com/arab-world/5161205-us-imposes-fresh-sanctions-targeting-iran-oil-trade-hezbollah

Israeli army launches new airstrikes in southern Lebanon​;  Israeli army claims strikes targeted Hezbollah facilities, infrastructure in Nabatieh​   https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/israeli-army-launches-new-airstrikes-in-southern-lebanon/3621186

​  Hezbollah rejects calls to disarm before end of Israeli ‘aggression’ against Lebanon
‘Whoever accepts surrender must bear the consequences of that decision, but we will never accept it,’ says Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem​   
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/hezbollah-rejects-calls-to-disarm-before-end-of-israeli-aggression-against-lebanon/3622375

Israel holding secret talks with Russia on Iran, Syria during ceasefire: Report
Israel’s alleged backchannel diplomacy with Russia reportedly comes amid efforts to define new regional arrangements after halting its strikes on Iran​   
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/politics/israel-holding-secret-talks-with-russia-on-iran-syria-during-ceasefire-report/3620311

​The Golan Heights is Syrian territory, militarily occupied by Israel: 'No such thing as peace for free' – Syria demands 1/3 of Golan for peace with Israel   https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/middle-east/levant-turkey/artc-no-such-thing-as-peace-for-free-syria-demands-1-3rd-of-golan-for-peace

$$$ Breaking News: Saudi Arabia strengthens response to missile threats with first US-made THAAD air defense unit.​    https://armyrecognition.com/news/army-news/2025/breaking-news-saudi-arabia-strengthens-response-to-missile-threats-with-first-us-made-thaad-air-defense-unit

​  Surveillance Used by a Drug Cartel​;  Once you build a surveillance system, you can’t control who will use it:
​  A hacker working for the Sinaloa drug cartel was able to obtain an FBI official’s phone records and use Mexico City’s surveillance cameras to help track and kill the agency’s informants in 2018, according to a new US justice department report.
​  The incident was disclosed in a justice department inspector general’s audit of the FBI’s efforts to mitigate the effects of “ubiquitous technical surveillance,” a term used to describe the global proliferation of cameras and the thriving trade in vast stores of communications, travel, and location data.​   
https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2025/07/surveillance-used-by-a-drug-cartel.html

  Not a hardened criminal with gang tattoos:  After 47 years in the US, Ice took this Iranian mother from her yard. Her family just wants her home
Donna Kashanian, 64 and a community service volunteer, arrived in 1978 on a student visa and has no criminal record​   https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jul/03/ice-iran-donna-kashanian

​If you know your place and stay there: Trump Announces He's Working on Mass Amnesty Plan for Illegal Aliens After Passing 'Big Beautiful Bill'   https://www.informationliberation.com/?id=64976

​ "No customers!" After receiving a $4.7 billion subsidy, Samsung's chip factory in the United States postponed production​  
​  According to a report on the website of Japan's Nikkei Asia on July 3, a person familiar with the matter revealed that due to the difficulty of finding customers, South Korean chip giant Samsung Electronics had to postpone the completion of its semiconductor factory in Taylor, Texas, USA, and is delaying the purchase of factory equipment...
..As of April 22, the construction progress of Samsung's Taylor factory had reached 99.6%, which is basically equivalent to completion. It is reported that according to the normal process, the installation of equipment should have begun at this stage, but Samsung is still hesitant to place an order for the purchase of lithography machines.
​  This could lead to a further increase in the cost of putting the plant into production. A person familiar with Samsung Electronics said that devices are usually introduced within three to six months of the completion of the factory, but Samsung has so far continued to delay the installation of equipment, which means that if a decision is made to introduce equipment, it may have to bear high tariffs. The person added that since it is difficult to deploy enough manpower to the United States, the human resource cost required for on-site recruitment will also be not small.​   
https://karlof1.substack.com/p/no-customers-after-receiving-a-47

​  Germany’s War On Free Speech: Woman FINED For Using Thumbs-Up Emoji
A German woman was fined €1,800 ($2,127) for using thumbs-up emojis under a post about a Swedish girl killing her migrant rapist. Prosecutors claimed she violated laws against “publicly approving an intentional killing” and mocked the victim’s migrant status.
​  Nonverbal digital gestures are being criminalized, as authorities argued her reaction (three thumbs-up) expressed “particular pleasure” in the killing​   
https://conservativefiringline.com/germanys-war-on-free-speech-woman-fined-for-using-thumbs-up-emoji/

  2 ounces of lunch meat, one soda, a few fries...  NEW STUDY: Small Amounts of Processed Meat, Sugary Beverages, and Trans Fats Increase Risk of Cancer, Diabetes, and Heart Disease​;  Massive meta-analysis of millions finds even minimal daily intake drives chronic disease.​   https://www.thefocalpoints.com/p/new-study-small-amounts-of-processed

​Avoiding Risk Factors  (less me; more garden)