Answering a Reader's Comments

Substack says my comment is too long, so . . . .

Here, referencing Mike Fish’s comments on my last piece:

Life is Like a Bloody Uncut Diamond -- so many facets, not enough cutters

Mike Fish

6 hr ago

The last time we hit the multiplex, it was to see Head of State. Chris Rock for president? I don’t see that option as at all inferior to any of the choices that I have been provided with thus far. Will Smith as czar of domestic violence prevention? A sense of humor is the only clean air that I breathe.

So, I took Elldee to our favorite Chinese place for some takeout Friday night. They were lined up around the block, to go see Barbie at the Falls Theater. Pink regalia was everywhere, as we waited for our dinner to be prepared. It was self affirming to observe that after all of the Bernays brainwashing, I am still able to distinguish, and appreciate, the form of a woman, and the delightful nature of a female child, despite the capitalist blurring of the lines. But, Barbie momma? Why?

I had an engaging, pleasant, friendly encounter, with my restauranteurs. I had read numerous reviews about this place. Many, many, many reviewers complain about the terrible customer service, and the rudeness of the proprietors.

I have visited this venue on numerous occasions, over many decades, and I have found these people to be reserved, quiet, maybe shy, certainly modest, but never rude. Americanos calling people rude. There’s an acid trip for ya.

These folks, who have been selling delicious cuisine for as long as I’ve been here, must have a difficult time knowing how to act, in this China bashing shithole country. I think that I’d be a little bit nervous if I were them. I’ve heard about the rash of violence perpetrated against folks who appear to be of Chinese origin. I imagine that they have as well.

So, if you ever have the misfortune of finding yourself in River Falls, Wisconsin, I strongly encourage you to visit the Song Garden restaurant, and enjoy some tasty, reasonably priced, non-american food. And, engage with the proprietors. And, if you’re so inclined, write a thoughtful review, as opposed to just a hit piece.

I close with the words of the prophet Rodney (King):

“Can’t we all just get along.”

Okay, then, and I've been to that place, Song Garden, and of course, walked the streets of River Falls, so I get the cut-outs in Americano land.

Look, the Barbie movie is so apropos for Summer 2023 -- hundreds of tons of depleted uranium and cluster bombs via USA and UK. Light up the world with bombs bursting in air -- immediate death, slow death, death of future generations -- while the cosplay folks look to that Barbie, that freak of nature -- If Barbie were an actual women, she would be 5'9” tall, have a 39” bust, an 18” waist, 33” hips and a size 3 shoe! -- as something nostalgic.

The impunity of it all, the death spiral of more and more things to distract and take away the boredom and to fill an empty head with empty things, all that fluff, all the kids not being kids and adults acting like arrested developed stains.

But then, there are real people in the world, young, mid-aged, and old:

The People’s Summit, held at the Free University of Brussels, was organized by a broad coalition of over 100 organizations, collectives, unions, political parties, and movements. The organizers included ALBA Movimientos, INTAL, CELAC Social, IPA, Jornada Continental for Democracy Against Neoliberalism, the Network of Intellectuals, Artists and Social Movements in Defense of Humanity (REDH), and the Party of the European Left.

More than 1,000 people participated in the People’s Summit and there were delegations present from countries across the two regions, including Cuba, Brazil, Venezuela, Peru, Colombia, Honduras, Bolivia, Mexico, Haiti, Argentina, Puerto Rico, Ecuador, Chile, Belgium, Germany, Greece, Italy and Holland.

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I did not see this in the Jewish York Times, as they cover the lies and cover-up the big lies of their masters in retail, throwaway, green-porn, the -TQA+ crew, all the foodie shit, and alas we see the culture through the eyes, man, through the brain, man, of the very wrong people. You think they'd cover this:

The closing ceremony of the People’s Summit was held at the European Parliament with the presence of members of European Parliament and Latin American leaders. The final statement of the People’s Summit was presented there by the Secretary General of the São Paulo Forum, Monica Valente, and José Luis Centella of the Communist Party of Spain.

In the final statement, the organizations committed to intensifying the struggle against all of the unilateral coercive measures imposed by the US government and the EU against countries of Latin America and the Caribbean. They declared their support for the struggle against patriarchy in both regions and vowed to strengthen efforts to combat climate catastrophe and environmental devastation, promote equal and fair economic relations between the regions without colonial debt and neoliberalism, and defend the sovereignty, dignity, and independence of all nations.

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Imagine the interviews, the points of view, the feature stories, the deep dive into each country's struggles and hopes and dreams. Imagine that. Instead?

Headlines:

Less Cirque, more Soleil

Benjamin Netanyahu had an unplanned heart procedure to implant a pacemaker. Doctors said afterward that the Israeli prime minister was “doing very well.”

In Spain’s elections today, mainstream conservatives may come out on top, but they would most likely need hard-right allies to govern.

Mismanagement and U.S. sanctions devastated Venezuela’s oil industry, leaving behind leaking pipelines and polluted neighborhoods.

Belarus’s leader, Aleksandr Lukashenko, has further cracked down on dissent since crushing protests three years ago.

A man who was kicked out of a bar in Mexico because he was harassing women, witnesses said, returned later and threw a firebomb at the club, killing at least 11.

Health

The drug maker Gilead slow-walked a promising new H.I.V. treatment, allowing the company to extend patents on a blockbuster line of medications.

The pharmaceutical industry is fighting a law that President Biden signed last year authorizing Medicare to negotiate some prescription drug prices.

Other Big Stories

Some New York City developers have ignored requirements to build public spaces in exchange for being allowed to add height to skyscrapers.

A 13-year-old girl was kidnapped in Texas then rescued in California after she held up a handmade “Help Me!” sign in a parking lot.

The actor Jamie Foxx said he could return to work after he was hospitalized in April with an undisclosed illness.

Two San Diego residents checked out almost all of a library’s Pride-themed books to keep others from reading them. Dozens of other people responded by donating books and money.

Sweden came from behind to beat South Africa, 2-1, and the Netherlands won 1-0 against Portugal in the Women’s World Cup.

FROM OPINION

Algorithms on social media are denying young people the joys of exploration and discovery, Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut argues.

Many men struggle to make new friends. One idea to relieve this loneliness: Go play pickleball, Michelle Cottle says.

Smartphone apps and QR codes were supposed to make travel simpler. Instead, they have made it more annoying, Jessica Grose writes.

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It's like a Tom Friedman-Bill Crystal-Rachel Maddow-Woody Allen-Jon Stewart Leibowitz-Wasserman-Schultz-Judge Judy-Adam Sandler-Sean Penn mash-up, oh those smarties from the bat and bar mitzvah league.

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Ahh, so, Barbie rules, man, while the USA turns into a rubble-minded shit-hole 4.0. You think those Jewish York Times would do any real reporting or interviewing of Mike Hudson?

The Looming War Against China: Economic Logic has been Replaced by National Security Overrides, by M Hudson.

Quoting:

The July NATO summit in Vilnius had the feeling of a funeral, as if they had just lost a family member – Ukraine. To clear away NATO’s failure to drive Russia out of Ukraine and move NATO right up to the Russian border, its members tried to revive their spirits by mobilizing support for the next great fight – against China, which is now designated as their ultimate strategic enemy. To prepare for this showdown, NATO announced a commitment to extend their military presence all the way to the Pacific.

The plan is to carve away China’s military allies and trading partners, above all Russia, starting with the fight in Ukraine. President Biden has said that this war will be global in scope and will take many decades as it expands to ultimately isolate and break up China.

The U.S.-imposed sanctions against trade with Russia are a dress rehearsal for imposing similar sanctions against China. But only the NATO allies have joined the fight. And instead of wrecking Russia’s economy and “turning the ruble to rubble” as President Biden predicted, NATO’s sanctions have made it more self-reliant, increasing its balance of payments and international monetary reserves, and hence the ruble’s exchange rate.

To cap matters, despite the failure of trade and financial sanctions to injure Russia – and indeed, despite NATO’s failures in Afghanistan and Libya, NATO countries committed themselves to trying the same tactics against China. The world economy is to be split between US/NATO/Five Eyes on the one hand, and the rest of the world – the Global Majority – on the other. EU Commissioner Joseph Borrell calls this as a split between the US/European Garden (the Golden Billion) and the Jungle threatening to engulf it, like an invasion of its well-manicured lawns by an invasive species.

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Ahh, just remember, your Song Garden is that -- song in Chinese means music, melody. It's a drab place, for sure, mostly take-out, but the portions are good and the Americanized Chinese fare hits the spot.

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Speaking of food, and Jews, Linh Dinh's latest is prescient:

This morning, though, came a long email from a reader who had taken pain to dissect my sorry ass. After stating he had appreciated my writing and photos for years, he said, “Honestly, after a lifetime of eating piles of shit food, I thought you would have had a major disease earlier than this, especially cancer. You are quite fortunate, although it may not seem like it with what you are experiencing.”

A biochemist specializing in botanical medicine and nutrition, Jack, let’s call him that, has worked in “agricultural development and community nutrition all over the Pacific, SE Asia and India.” The politics of food has been Jack’s lifelong preoccupation.

“After WW2, the US left a trail of nutritional devastation by bringing junk food to every island it occupied, and addicting the locals with Spam, sugar, white flour and grease, et al. Thus Micronesia and other islands have the world’s highest rate of diabetes at 50-60%, and most people die before 50-55. You can see how this industry worldwide is more destructive than wars. Did the fish, taro and vegetables go away? Fuck no, but being addicted to shit made them spoiled, unmotivated and too lazy to continue with old ways of taking care of themselves with local foods.”

[...]

If only death from an American or Americanized diet was instant. Jack, “Death isn’t the worst of it, it’s the unbelievable suffering of hundreds of millions around the globe that comes before death. We have always been the best at exporting death and destruction on every level.”

My current malaise is merely a much belated slap, to wake me the hell up.

Jack, “You are in a highly inflammatory state, leading to your current dermal putrefaction. Next stop, sepsis, then it’s on to that big raw hamburger stuffed vase in the sky. To be honest, seeing the photos of what you’ve been eating for years, and what your face looks like (no offense brother, strictly medical observation), you are very fortunate and have bucked the odds at not having a more major event before this. You are not that fucking old, but your metabolic age may be 80. Your body finally said, ‘Fuck you, I’ve had enough,’ leaving you with the biblical plague of the Holy Moses boils. So probably Jewish in your last life? How’s that for fucking High Holy Holidays irony? You may have been healthier if you ate a real shit sandwich instead of shit food, at least you would get some good bacteria in your microbiome. That’s why dogs do it.”

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Check it out before Linh and his blog go the way of the Jewish Dodo Killing:

Defiant Donuts, Cluster Bombs and Wokism!

RE: https://libya360.wordpress.com/2023/07/21/peoples-summit-in-brussels-calls-for-respect-of-democracy-and-self-determination/

RE: https://michael-hudson.com/2023/07/the-looming-war-against-china/