News From Nowhere: Write or Die
When the AllMighty takes everything from you, the Most High will bless you with a sword of truth
When crazy people take everything from you, the Spirit will bless you with a vision. A layer deeper.
When psychos ruin your life, heaven will open your third eye. A layer deeper.
When narcissists sell their souls to the devil, their contracts will expire when you fulfill your mission. A layer deeper.
When God allows the devil to test you, the Holy Spirit will increase your psychic abilities. A layer deeper.
When you beat the devil, you’ll know that even the devil works for the Most High. A layer deeper.
When you pass one initiation, you’ll get another one. A layer deeper. And change the tone.
If you ever went into spirituality from the position of an abuse survivor, you’ll know that God takes all forms and that the darkness surrounds the light. So if you wanna go up, you gotta go down, straight into that rabbit hole. You know that flower that grows out of the concrete?
Yep, that’s the light that shines against all odds. For God loves to win against all odds. And we are nothing but God’s lethal jokes. Joke survivors. By the courtesy of Allmighty.
Change the Voice
Here’s the thing. The Spirit is really breathing down my long neck, throwing me off my strong feet, making me repeat boring stuff, and slicing my heavily guarded throat chakra. Guess I have too many insights, and it’s not just for me. Because if it were up to me, I wouldn’t write anything until I was 60. Or 70. And everyone who hurt me was dead.
Boring stuff. Work to the Bone. Summon the Storm.
1. The Cleaning Lady
Only have the genuine urge to clean when writing. This is a true Cinderella, fake Doris Day speaking. While growing up, someone left me a note every morning with a to-do list. Love, Nobody. Had to learn the hard way what love was. But God gave me rose-colored glasses, a bunch of fairies, and discernment. So we didn’t mention God. Fine with me. Didn’t care about the church thing anyway. Too weird combo of sweat and perfume. Only like empty spaces. But good for cooling off and getting some downloads. And coins if you’re short on cash. No, that’s not for the priest. They’re on the payroll. It’s for you. God sees everything and wants you to be abundant. Remember that. Always. Don’t take from people, take from the Most High. It’s a true test of faith.
Anyway, the psycho conditioned me to keep everything clean and sterile and so later when I finished high school and finally moved out of the karmic abuse, I kept all the rented apartments extremely clean. Painting, repairing, decorating, and not being able to sleep if it was ‘dirty’. Never getting any of the many roommates to help me. Just occasionaly flipping out. In isolation. But always happy to do something beneficial for everyone. A strong convinction. Strongly realizing that a time-consuming cleaning obsession was an individual choice and not something everyone should take on. The culmination of this false belief was when I lived in an abandoned with 20 other people and made it my mission to keep the whole place clean for everyone. Held on to that belief until the kid turned 3 and we moved out of the city to my late grandparents’ house in the forest. The first housing I didn’t have to pay rent for. Welcome, freedom. Kid, ruin the house. Embrace your chaos. Chaos is a higher order. Learn to move in your chaos. Practice your memory. When it gets too much, we’ll clean it up together. That was all romantic and here’s the reality: There is 50 times more dust, vermin, and dirt in a country house than in a city house. Add the dogs — there were three at one point. Add the cats. Add the mud from the garden, the ash and wood, old paint and broken stuff, all the spiders, stink bugs, and other creatures that give us their superpowers with their painful bites. Don’t forget non-stop cooking, and leaky holes. It’s a chaos of unimaginable proportions. I’d rather not deal with it every day. Could sleep for a thousand years. Not that I wasn’t prepared for this by exploring anarchist values in abandoned or occupied public spaces. But cleaning is a thing. Life in nature is a thing. That’s why the monks only clean and pray. Or garden and pray. Or cook and pray. Or do tai chi and meditate. Can I just do tai chi and meditate? This is where my heart is calling me. Everything else is boring. Everything else I’ve already dealt with. Get my point? Get who’s in charge?
2. Chopping the Wood. All the Time
It’s fun when it’s not freezing. Or raining. And when you don’t have a wood-burning boiler. When it’s only temporary. When you have no idea that “temporary” also stands for “indefinite until further notice”. And when you have time to do one thing at a time. Nonetheless, the truth is that I would never go back to anything but wood. Just wish I could get 10 meters at a time. No, I get toys and sweets. Committed to being even more grounded and connected than your best Survival Bootcamp results. Always balancing between two thoughts: Never Give Up and Can’t Give Up Now. Got so much energy I could lead an army. But don’t come in with the offers. I work alone. Following nobody. Leading no one. Just addicted to the smell of cut wood. And in love with my kid, God Bless Him, who always cheers for me when I turn on grandpa’s heavy machinery. And remembers from which part of the forest we can pick the wood and from which not, otherwise the village will go nuts. Yeah, I would also be wary of a single mom with a 4-year-old and a dog that is never on a leash unless someone aggressively makes her. Don’t you just hate single parents in general? It’s ok, I don’t mind, I’ve learned to detach. Even when it spits in my face.
3. Muddy Waters
Sweeping the water every few hours, filling 10 buckets every day, washing the dishes with cold water and no running water, turning off the water in the garage every night, taking emotional accountability, negotiating with the water spirits, surfing with the kid and the cats, accepting the flood as a great mysterious blessing, thinking about how maybe it’s the same water I drank in a past life because I read that it’s the same water that orbits the planet. Because the pipes kept breaking, because I overheated the wood boiler because I didn’t know how far I could go. Now I know. A living example of fooling around and finding out. Everything. Both streetsmart and highly educated. By the divine providence called life. Even went to Yale as a guest artist. Full scholarship. Glorious days. Nothing like Al Bundy’s. Much bigger. Had a meeting with Richard Foreman from the Wooster Group at his studio. Dude looked at my work. For real. Liked my crew. Told me to stay in touch and direct something at his studio.
It was back in 2011, still haven’t come back. Was fooling around with a fake flame and got distracted. And now Spirit wants me to talk about it. And I’m very obedient. Only to the spirit. Can’t influence me. I learn the hard way. Hope you’re not really reading this. Just scroll down to the news. Or read between the lines and get your spiritual juice. But don’t listen to me. Do what you want to do. That’s what I’m teaching my kid. No matter how society feels about it. It will all balance out. It always does. That’s not to say I don’t panic and pray like I just got my karma back. But I hide it. So that the kid gets a chance to learn and grow undisturbed. What do I know about anything? Have ruined my life. In the eyes of the haters. And the abusers. Not in my eyes. Still have a great relationship with everything that surrounds me. Probably the best ever. The point is to give kids a chance. To know themselves before it’s too late. Before the big players enter the stage.
4. Cooking All Day and All Night
This kid doesn’t sleep and doesn’t eat. Think he’s an alien. Born with two teeth. Maybe because I ate too much chia during pregnancy. That stuff packs a punch. So now I cook all the time because I’ve read that you have to offer kids a new food at least 15 times before they get a taste for it. To be honest, he eats it every 15th time. Under blackmail and heavy negotiation. In the meantime, I make him whatever he wants at midnight or any hour, no matter how wild. Pizza, pancakes, muffins, donuts, fries, fish, hamburgers…. Because I’ve got strong ancestors (or it’s just me, take it how it resonates, I’m open-minded), urging me to give him what he wants, when he wants it because otherwise, he won’t know how to satisfy himself. And one day he’ll have to build relationships with other people and he’ll treat them the way I treat him. And of course, I want him to be a blessing to the world, not that other option. So I’m connecting with his spirit guides, which is working really well, thanks guys. Smoothies with raw veggies, lots of honey and chia plus spirulina are my secret weapon. And just the other day he gave me a tip: “Mom, did you know that nettle is really healthy and we can pick it and eat it?!” Just love this kid. And his spirit guides. Thank you for making his smoothies a powerhouse. ’Cause I’m really freaking out about his diet. And it’s exhausting. Maybe because I haven’t had a break since he was born. The only parent, guardian, provider, everything. Just us, the pets, and nature. No daycare. No outside influence. A never-ending ace of cups. Hope God knows what he’s doing. Yeah, I question everything. It’s in my nature. That’s how I get out in time.
5. Time
If time is an illusion, then your life is also an illusion and your soul has no destination. Hard lesson or a great download? Good things come to those who are happy to wait. No joy, no progress. That’s how obstacles and black magic work. They take your time by robbing you of your energy and removing your rose-colored glasses. And come on, of course, you gotta wait for inspiration or something from the spirit. Otherwise, nothing will come of it and you’ll have to edit more than you write. But then again, that’s also a legitimate creative process. You learn that when you work with actors. Everyone has a different creative process, so don’t stick to the rules, follow your inspiration no matter what it looks like. For if there is time for everything, then time isn’t an illusion. It’s a tool. No, I can’t sit with joy all the time. Too much energy, too many ideas. Best friend with all emotions. I don’t mind, just wanna get to the bottom of it. No way am I going to feel bad about feeling bad. Divine timing. My middle names are patience, perseverance, and resilience. Wouldn’t change life in the woods for the world. Only the country. Joining the eurozone was a bad idea. A big downward spiral. Slavs — slaves. First choice for the Arab slave trade before they switched to Africa in the 7th century. And after. Ace of swords. Check Saqaliba. And why and to what extent they used castration.
Now that sounds like I’m targeting Arabs in general, so just for future rants’ sake - I don’t perceive people or anything in general, just the ruling order whatever that may be. You’ll know them by their deeds. Do have friends everywhere and was born in Yugoslavia, which I hope to write more about, especially now that freedom of speech has been criminalized, which is de facto the biggest problem Yugoslavia had, along with the nationalization of property and forcible displacement of people, but you know BS runs deep and nothing is as it seems nor ever was. Anyway, Islamic mysticism: highly recommended. But yeah, if they tell you they’re not lying because they swear on Allah, don’t believe them because no religion has ever succeeded in stopping people from following their interests. Truthfulness is about something else. It involves accepting the consequences, and there aren’t many people who can do that. And this world has been idiotic for far too long. Time to get Jesus off those crosses. Seriously. If symbolic actions were meaningless, we would live in a different world from this one. Symbols will never be meaningless. Why do people get tattoos? Ok, I’ll stop. Spirit said so. LOL.
6. 3D Stuff
Tattoos. Dreams. Nightmares. Favorite food. Signatures. Brands. Will not list everything, promise. Other people’s attachments, labor, distance, milestones, slow ride, full speed, balancing, alchemizing, understanding, learning, trying again, finding the right words and tools, when will it end? Can’t it all just be a jam? Too many conflicting ideas: don’t share your dreams, share your thoughts. Don’t share your opinion, share your blessings. Don’t share your blessing just with anyone, use your discernment. Don’t judge, empathize. Don’t empathize, be smart. Stay free. Tread lightly. Talk to the spirit. Listen to your gut. Laugh. Cry. Hug strangers. Don’t accept gifts. Drive in your lane. Adjust your speed. Look at the sun. Stay away from the sun. Don’t read the news, write the news. Be the news. Stay away from the news. Get off the race. Get back into the race. Play with your kids. Let them play alone. Well, let me tell you — but don’t listen to me, because you’ll never know who you are - just do nothing. And accept everything. Like that Zen monk who was given a baby under false accusations that he was the father. So he took the kid and raised it for a few years until they came back and took the kid away because the real father showed up. And that’s how you deal with slander, triangulation, and other catalysts. You don’t freak out because nothing ever stays the same.
More News from Nowhere
So, what I really wanna share for my record keeping and memory training is what’s happening in the world right now, because I need documentation of that timeline, but can’t find unbiased news curation, so gotta follow a couple hundred local news Telegram channels. Can’t do it daily, no worries. Because I don’t want opinions, want facts. Yeah, really went wild after becoming a parent. Anyway, don’t take the following as a political agenda, because I don’t have one. As a BS survivor, I think geopolitics abuses nations. Was closest to an anarchist until learning all their dirty secrets. Only believe in absolute freedom, but not in absolute on earth. Empathizing with those who don’t wanna be free(d). It truly is a tall order. Anyway, try to take this local news as information and do your fact-check because I’m not wasting too much time on that. Just linking sources for more info. Just smile for a mile. Hate this advice. Not the mile, that’s a good trick, but the smile. Could never fake it until I made it. Either all in or not in. Do your fact-check. I’m not a professional or anything. Let me just tell you, I get news in real time from local sources and then have to wait for 24 hr to get a confirmation in mainstream media. And another important thing I never thought I’d have to point out but they killed language and expression, and if I were 18 years old now with all this knowledge, I’d be studying international law, not theater. In other words, don’t confuse the opinions expressed by the moderators of the linked Telegram channels with mine: Just reading the news, don’t have time for their rants. And I’m not expressing my opinions without a lawyer. And honestly, my stances are a never-ending work in progress. Because new information is popping out all the time. So just enjoy the show!
Ok, Geopolitical News
⚡️- BREAKING: Israel’s Security Ministerial Council, in charge of managing Area C and security sections of the Palestinian Authority, announces the full implementation of Israeli law in ALL Palestinian territories in the West Bank, effectively annexing the West Bank. Some are saying this is only a "partial" annexation, but judging by the letter of the statement released by the Israeli Security Ministerial Council, it seems Israel is implementing their own laws across the entirety of the West Bank controlled by the Palestinian Authority.
🚨STATISTICS: CNN’s Thursday night debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump was watched by 51.27 million viewers on television.
@TEXASvsUSA
Yemen’s Houthis attack two oil tankers, “Delonix” and “Waler”, and two cargo ships, “loannis” and “Johannes Maersk”
@medmannews
📣Julian Assange Sets Foot on Australian Soil as a Free Man Ending a 14-Year Fight for Freedom.
🤔 New German citizen applicants must declare support for Israel
Berlin has brought in a new citizenship law - with an explicit requirement for applicants to declare the state of Israel’s right to exist. The landmark ruling began Tuesday with Berlin claiming the policy is a tougher measure of loyalty to “German values.”
⚡🇵🇸 Haredi settlers protest and block a road between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv in protest against the compulsory conscription law that requires them to join the army.
⚡️ The USS Wasp’s Amphibious Assault Group is being deployed ahead of the USS Theodore Roosevelt CSG to the Central Command zone of operations, to be stationed in the Eastern Mediterranean for ‘Additional security’ to US forces.
USS Wasp and its Amphibious Assault Group have transitioned the Gibraltar Straits after having left the US Naval Base at Rota, Spain; the force consists of:
• USS Wasp (LHD-1, lead of it’s class)
• 1 Unidentified San Antonio-class Amphibious Transport Docking-Ship
• 1 Unidentified Whidbey Island-class Dock Landing Ship
• Unknown escorts
The force does include a large variety of helicopters, such as the AH-1 Viper, the MH-60 Seahawk, MV-22 Osprey, as well as F-35s and AV-8 Harriers. According to the Dept of Defense, the Amphibious Force with The Wasp is meant as extended ‘deterrence’ of combat from Hamas and Hezbollah forces; but also potentially evacuate US citizens, ‘US Assets’ and other US Allied Nation’s citizens from Lebanon if the Hebrew Military invades.
⚡️ U.S. offers deportation relief to further 309,000 Haitians
The Biden administration will expand deportation relief and work permits to an estimated 309,000 Haitians in the country already, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said on Friday.
The administration will expand access to the Temporary Protected Status program to Haitians through February 2026 due to violence and security issues in Haiti.
About 264,000 Haitians in the U.S. were already covered by the program, according to the U.S. government.
☠️ Blood Meridian
⚡️ Argentina's lower house passes Milei's economic reform bill
Argentina's lower Chamber of Deputies gave final approval to President Javier Milei's key reform bill, delivering the libertarian president his first big legislative win.
☠️ Blood Meridian
⚡️ Bolivian government says it detained 4 more people linked to a failed coup attempt
Bolivian officials announced Friday they had arrested four more military officers in connection with Wednesday’s thwarted coup against the government of President Luis Arce, raising to 21 the number of detainees allegedly linked to a rogue general’s mutiny attempt.
In a press conference, senior Cabinet member Eduardo del Castillo said those arrested include the driver of a tank that repeatedly rammed into the doors of the government headquarters and a former infantry captain accused of giving orders to soldiers who took over the capital’s central Plaza Murillo.
Reminder: Bolivia has the largest lithium reserves in the world.
⚡️ Mexico to seek deal over disputed mining concession with Chinese lithium firm
Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Thursday that his government will seek an agreement with Chinese lithium miner Ganfeng while still defending Mexico's rights, after the firm filed an arbitration case over a disputed concession.
Lopez Obrador did not flesh out a potential agreement that could resolve the dispute, but instead stressed his government's successful push in 2022 to nationalize Mexico's lithium industry, which reserves the mineral's future production for the state.
The president suggested the dispute with Ganfeng traces back to confusion over how concessions were granted by previous governments.
🗣"That's because we believe that the country had previously given out, and we think gave out (mining concessions) in a generic way, not specifically for lithium but instead for mining and we don't think it applies," he said.
☠️ Blood Meridian
🇧🇷🌎Brazilian to become first head of Interpol from developing world
Interpol's executive committee on Tuesday for the first time elected a police official from a developing nation to head the international police agency, Valdecy Urquiza from Brazil.
Urquiza, 43, who is currently Interpol's vice president for the Americas and head of international cooperation at the Brazilian federal police, will succeed Juergen Stock of Germany to lead Interpol from 2025 to 2030.
Urquiza, a graduate of the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Virginia, received eight votes against two for Britain's candidate Stephen Kavanagh and one for Mubita Nawa from Zambia.
☠️ Blood Meridian
⚡️Chinese migrants crossing California border hits 4-month high
The number of Chinese migrants attempting to enter California recently hit a four-month high, continuing concerns of lawmakers who have urged the federal government to better address backchannels permitting more Chinese migration.
Chinese migrant encounters have escalated each year under the Biden administration, increasing from 4,923 in the 2022 fiscal year to 14,603 in the 2023 fiscal year. The current fiscal year numbers, which run from October to September, total 32,939 as of May, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) data.
The 3,733 encounters in May are the highest since January, when federal agents saw 4,501 attempted crossings. December's numbers this fiscal year are the highest so far, totaling 6,132.
⚡️ Colombia launches talks with rebel group led by fighters who returned to arms after 2016 peace deal
Colombia launched peace talks with the Second Marquetalia rebel group on Monday. The talks were announced in Caracas, Venezuela in a ceremony that included government delegates and rebel leaders who signed a 2016 peace deal but later took up arms again after saying they had become disillusioned with the implementation of the deal.
🗣“We want to participate in politics without resorting to the use of weapons,” said the Second Marquetalia’s lead negotiator Walter Mendoza. “The condition for that will be for the government to fulfill its side of the accords.”
With an estimated 2,000 fighters, the Second Marquetalia is one of the nation’s smaller rebel outfits.
☠️ Blood Meridian
⚡️JUST IN - Supreme Court allows cities to enforce bans on homeless people sleeping outside
Homeless advocates said that allowing cities to punish people who need a place to sleep would criminalize homelessness and ultimately make the crisis worse. Cities had been allowed to regulate encampments but couldn’t bar people from sleeping outdoors.
⚡️🤡They're still trying to figure out what exactly a woman is!
🔈 According to European law, a trans woman is a woman and must be treated as such.
The Russian Defense Ministry noted the increased intensity of flights of strategic unmanned aerial vehicles of the United States over the Black Sea, which carry out reconnaissance and targeting of high-precision weapons supplied to the armed forces of Ukraine by Western states to strike Russian targets.
This indicates the increasing involvement of the United States and NATO countries in the conflict in Ukraine on the side of the Kiev regime.
Such flights multiply the likelihood of incidents in airspace with aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces, which increases the risk of direct confrontation between the alliance and the Russian Federation. The responsibility for this will be borne by the NATO countries.
⚡️ President Putin held a Security Council on the production and deployment of medium- and short-range missiles: Today we will consider the issue of further steps by the Russian Federation regarding a unilateral moratorium on the deployment of medium- and shorter-range land-based missiles. As you know, a few years ago, the United States withdrew from this Treaty under a far-fetched pretext and announced that they would produce such missile systems.
In 2019, we announced that we would not produce them, these missiles, and would not deploy them until the United States deployed these systems in some region of the world.
Today it is known that the United States not only produces these missile systems, but has already brought them to Europe, in Denmark in particular. It was recently announced that they are also in the Philippines. It is not known yet if they are deployed in these places on a permanent basis or not. In any case, we need to respond to this threat and make decisions on how to do it.
Apparently, we need to start manufacturing these shock systems and then, based on the actual situation, make decisions about where – if necessary to ensure our safety – to place them.
⚡️ Failed coup in Bolivia: Is US up to something?
“A poorly planned, comedic plot” was how WSJ described the recent failed putsch in Bolivia. However, Bolivia Defense Minister Edmundo Novillo took the matter seriously, accusing “foreign powers” and the US, in particular, of returning to its usual practice of staging coups.
A review of US-aided coups in Latin America, inspired by the Monroe doctrine (1823) which viewed the Americas as a zone of US’ vital interests, and the Truman doctrine (1948) aimed at “containing communism”, substantiates Novillo's point.
1971 – Coup in Bolivia. Colonel Hugo Banzer came to power and became a military dictator. Recently published conversations of former US President Richard Nixon included a report by then Secretary of State Henry Kissinger on a money transfer to Bolivia’s opposition and “our game with the military.”
1973 – Coup in Chilе. President Salvador Allende, described by Time magazine as the “first democratically elected Marxist president in Latin America”, was killed in September 1973. The CIA later admitted it supported the anti-Allende military via Track II operation.
1976 – Coup in Argentina. The US admitted having “prior knowledge” about the coup. The junta assassinated the former Bolivian president Juan José Torres, a leftist, who fled to Buenos Aires from Banzer. This murder was part of the US-led “Condor Plan.”
2019 – Pro-US Organization of American States (OAS) accused Bolivia President Evo Morales of rigging elections. The pro-US Assembly Speaker Jeanine Añez took power without a vote. She was sentenced to 10 years after democracy was restored in 2020. The “putsch-general” Juan José Zúñiga also demanded her release during the failed coup attempt.
The past corroborates well Minister Novillo’s assessment that Bolivia was served a “punishment” for its stance against Western US-led hegemony.
@geopolitics_live
⚡️ South Africa intends to send a large delegation headed by the President of the country to Russia for the upcoming BRICS summit in Kazan in autumn. South Africa’s interest in developing relations with Russia has a political, economic, and even emotional background.
"South Africa is helping Russia a lot," experts say and explain why.
"We, South Africa, stand for Russia as our friend, and we do not apologize for that... We will never leave you," Mbalula said at the forum For the Freedom of Nations in Moscow last winter. He added that South Africa is ready to sacrifice relations with Western partners for the sake of these principles.
"South Africa helps Russia a lot in the international arena. Maintaining active trade, economic and political relations with Moscow. South Africa helps even with its criticism of US policy towards the Gaza Strip and Israel," says Dmitry Suslov, Deputy Director of the HSE Center for Integrated European and International Studies.
@geopolitics_live
⚡️ Japan's Embassy in Moscow received strong protest over plans to hold joint military exercises with Germany and Spain on Hokkaido Island — Russian FM
Moscow pointed to the categorical inadmissibility of provocative exercises near Russia's borders.
Russia warned Japan of adequate countermeasures to strengthen its defense capabilities and protect the country's sovereignty, the Foreign Ministry stressed
@geopolitics_live
⚡️ The Russian army, despite the threat from pro-Turkish gangs, is actively conducting humanitarian actions in northern Syria. Russian servicemen patrol roads, control the withdrawal of troops from the contact line and participate in the transfer of Syrian troops to demarcate the conflicting parties. Joint patrols with Turkey ensure independent control over the peaceful settlement of the conflict.
⚡️ Russia has installed a new observation point in southwest Syria near the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, a war monitor reported on Monday, against the background of increasing tensions between pro-Iranian groups and Israel.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which has a vast network of sources on the ground in Syria, said the Russian observation point was set up in the western plains area of Bir al-Ajam, in the western countryside of Quneitra province, bordering the Golan Heights.
According to SOHR, Russian forces have established 10 observation points along the demarcation line between Syria and the Golan Heights since the start of this year.
There has been no comment from Russia’s Defense Ministry or the Russian forces in Syria on the report.
⚡️ Why Turkiye bypasses its own Israel trade ban via Greece
Despite Ankara’s official ban on trade with Israel, data from May reveals ongoing commerce between the two states, with Greece likely acting as an intermediary to facilitate continued trade.
⚡️ A grieving Palestinian girl who has lost her entire family in Gaza
⚡️ ICC delays and reviews jurisdiction
The ICC has just postponed the warrant process against Israeli PM Netanyahu and Defense Minister Gallant, agreeing to hear UK's submission that the Court lacks jurisdiction, on the basis that the Palestinian Authority cannot have jurisdiction over Israeli nationals under the Oslo Accords, and so therefore it cannot transfer that jurisdiction over to the ICC to prosecute Israelis.
The Court has also permitted other countries to make submissions on this issue by 12 July 2024.
⚡️ North Korea launches nearly 200 trash balloons overnight
North Korea sent more than 180 trash-carrying balloons toward South Korea overnight, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said Thursday, in what marked its third consecutive balloon launch this week.
Some 70 balloons, largely carrying small pieces of paper, mostly landed in Seoul and the northern part of Gyeonggi Province that surrounds the capital, the JCS said.
Since May 28, North Korea has launched thousands of balloons over seven instances in a tit-for-tat move against anti-Pyongyang leaflets sent by North Korean defectors and activists in the South.
@asianomics
⚡️US, Japan, South Korea vow strategic cooperation to boost security, economies
Commerce and trade ministers from the United States, Japan and South Korea vowed on Wednesday to cooperate on strategic issues including artificial intelligence safety, export controls, clean energy and semiconductor supply chains.
"We're doubling down our efforts to work together," US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said at the start of the meeting in Washington. She was joined at the inaugural trilateral meeting by Japanese Minister of Economy, Trade, and Industry Ken Saito and South Korean Trade, Industry, and Energy Minister Ahn Duk-geun.
In March, a Commerce Department official said the United States was asking allies to stop domestic companies from servicing certain chipmaking tools for Chinese customers, a key part of United State push to hobble China's chipmaking capabilities.
@asianomics
⚡️ North Korea claims successful test to develop multiple warhead missile
North Korea has successfully conducted an important test aimed at developing missiles carrying multiple warheads, state media agency KCNA said, a claim rejected by South Korea as "deception" to mask a failed launch.
North Korea said the test was carried out on Wednesday using the first-stage, solid-fuel engine of an intermediate-range ballistic missile.
KCNA said the missile succeeded in separating warheads, which were accurately guided to three preset targets, in a test that was aimed at developing multiple independently targetable reentry vehicle technology.
⚡️ Venezuela Using "Shadow Fleet" to Supply Oil to Cuba
Venezuelan state oil company PDVSA has begun utilizing tankers that operate "off the radar" to supply oil to its closest political ally, Cuba.
For over a decade, Cuba and its primary oil supplier, Venezuela, had relied exclusively on their own tankers, Reuters reports. However, maintenance delays have rendered some vessels inoperable.
Many of the tankers owned by Venezuela and Cuba are under U.S. sanctions, which also limit their movement. Transitioning to a shadow fleet operated by third parties, devoid of Western insurance and utilizing "false location signals," was a logical next step.
According to company shipping documents, PDVSA started jointly loading crude oil and fuel oil in June. Part of the shipment is delivered to Cuban waters, and from there, it is transported to destinations in Asia to unload the remaining cargo. The ships spoof their signals, forcing them to seek other locations in the Caribbean Sea while they unload in Cuba, often transferring cargo from ship to ship, as monitored by TankerTrackers.com and Planet Labs satellite photography.
@songofoil
⚡️Milestone Achievement for Suizhong 36-1 Oil Field
The Suizhong 36-1 oil field has surpassed 100 million tons of crude oil production, marking it as the first offshore oil field in China to achieve this level of crude oil output.
"Suizhong 36-1" stands as China's largest offshore oil field that has been independently explored, developed, and operated by the country or state-owned enterprises.
@songofoil
⚡️ Strategy vs logistics in the future US standoff with China
The US energy grind is in challenging conditions. As it was pointed out by Brent Sadler @brentdsadler Senior Research Fellow, Allison Center for National Security. In the wake of prominent conflict with China the US researcher draws attention to some key points:
▪️America’s energy network is brittle in some regions and unable to adjust easily to surges in demand.
▪️This weakness affects the US ability to deter China by confronting it with a foe that is able to wage a prolonged war backed by a resilient wartime economy.
▪️An America that is self-reliant for its operational energy needs would be in a stronger overall strategic position against a China that is reliant on imported fuels.
🔻Providing an economic analysis of the past military conflicts, Brent Sadler focuses on three main recommendations:
▪️Ensure that the U.S. military has secure and readily available traditional energy for a prolonged war with China by rethinking the role and management of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR).
▪️Build America’s capacity to meet and sustain national energy needs in the transition from crisis to major war by unshackling domestic refiners, tapping into vast domestic energy reserves, and removing barriers so that to U.S. energy can be connected more readily to where it is needed.
▪️Strengthen energy trade relationships with allies and partners to ensure America’s access to markets while enhancing energy resilience.
This can drive the competition between China and the US for crude oil to the next level. While the US economy can rely on domestic and overseas oil sources, the possibility of energy manoeuvre is limited. On the other hand Chinese economy and military depend strongly on oil supplies from abroad. The success in the future conflict in part will depend on ability to solve supply and transmission energy issues.
@songofoil
⚡️ Shale Extraction Causes Pollution and Cancer
Litigation continues in New Mexico over environmental violations in the Permian Shale Basin. Oil production in the Permian, one of the largest oil provinces in the world, has increased nearly tenfold in the region since 2010, leading to a dramatic increase in violations, emissions, and pollution in the state.
In recent years, New Mexico's environmental regulators have stepped up enforcement of oil and gas regulations.
According to The Center for Western Priorities, New Mexico producers spilled 1.8 barrels of liquids for every 10,000 barrels of oil produced in 2023.
Johns Hopkins University has drawn attention to a phenomenon called "cancer alley" between Baton Rouge and New Orleans, an area where 25 percent of U.S. petrochemical production is concentrated.
According to the findings of a study released by the university, the toxic gas ethylene oxide is found in southeast Louisiana at levels a thousand times higher than safe, according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency. Johns Hopkins University says ethylene oxide emissions are responsible for multiple cancers, DNA damage, and lung damage.
The industry claims that from 2013 to 2022, ethylene oxide emissions in the air have decreased by 43%, but they continue to be deadly for Louisiana.
@songofoil
⚡️ SPR Being Prepared for a New Sale
The US White House is preparing for a new sale of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR), according to the Financial Times.
The US is once again ready to stage an SPR sell-off to curb rising gas prices at US stations. Biden's senior adviser, Amos Hochstein, stated that oil prices are still too high and he wants them to decrease, as quoted by the Financial Times.
Hochstein also emphasized that the United States will continue to purchase oil next year. Earlier this month, US Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm told Reuters that the United States could accelerate the pace of replenishing SPR reserves.
It is worth recalling that the previous broad SPR sell-off occurred in 2022, when Biden's team sold 180 million barrels. This sale did not significantly impact oil prices, while the volume of SPR dropped to forty-year lows of about 360 million barrels. Only 36 million barrels of storage have been refilled so far.
The new sell-off is unlikely to have a serious impact on the oil market but may somewhat restrain price growth.
@songofoil
⚡️ France is Losing Ground in Niger
French nuclear company Orano SA could lose the right to mine uranium at one of the world's largest deposits by June 19 after Niger rejected its plan to develop the asset.
For now, Orano continues to operate Niger's only major uranium mine, but its proposed plan to develop the Imouraren deposit "does not meet the authorities' expectations," the country's government said.
"The second and final notification will expire on June 19, after which the company's operating permit will be withdrawn," the mining ministry said in a letter.
Imouraren is one of the world's largest uranium deposits, with reserves estimated at 200,000 tons. Niger accounted for about 4 percent of global uranium production in 2022, according to the World Nuclear Association.
Last year, Niger expelled French troops and broke a decade-long security agreement with the U.S.
Niger now covers 15% of France's uranium needs for nuclear power plants, which account for 65% of the country's electricity production. According to Euratom's supply agency, EU utilities depended on Niger, the world's seventh-largest producer, for about 25% of their uranium supply in 2022.
@songofoil
⚡️ Bosporus Transit Fee Skyrockets Six Times Its Original Cost
The Bosporus Strait transit fee has risen significantly due to Turkey increasing the cost of passage for ships. As of July 1st, Ankara raised the fee by 15%, resulting in a current charge of $5.07 per ton. This move is expected to boost Turkey's foreign exchange earnings from this transportation route by 6.3 times compared to 2022 levels.
The Turkish government highlighted that the fees had remained stable since 1983 until 2022. However, they started to increase annually afterward, with a rise to $4.42 last year.
Consequently, before 2022, for a 10,000-ton ship to pass through the Bosporus, Turkey earned $3,240 in transit fees. Starting from July 1, 2024, this amount will increase to $20,370. Therefore, in just two years, the cost of Bosporus passage will surge more than six times.
@songofoil
⚡️ Big Oil Companies Challenge Biden Administration Over Electric Vehicle Push
Exxon Mobil and Chevron have filed a lawsuit against the Biden administration regarding electric vehicles. The companies are seeking to block the administration's efforts to reduce car and light truck emissions and promote the production of electric vehicles.
In March, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) introduced new emission rules which aim for automakers to produce and sell more electric vehicles to meet the new standards. Under these rules, up to 56% of all car sales could be electric by 2032.
The American Petroleum Institute (API) argues that the EPA has exceeded its authority by passing a regulation that would eliminate most new gasoline-powered cars and conventional hybrids from the U.S. market within a decade.
Joining Exxon and Chevron in the lawsuit are the National Corn Growers Association, the American Farm Bureau Federation, six auto dealers representing 16 brands, and numerous other dealerships across the country. Previously, Republican attorneys general from 25 states also sued the EPA over similar claims.
@songofoil
⚡️Saudi Arabia has not renewed a 50-year pact with the U.S. to sell oil only for dollars
!!! Something fake, something true here. Linking all of it. It’s not even clear if Saudi Arabia is joining BRICS. A mysterious player. Wait and see. The next BRICS Summit is in Kazan from October 22 to 24, 2024!!!
The famous petrodollar pact between Saudi Arabia and the US, signed in 1974, has come to an end. The so-called "Security Agreement" was signed by Washington and Riyadh on June 8, 1974. It provided for the establishment of two joint commissions - on economic cooperation and on Saudi Arabia's military needs. The U.S. persuaded the Saudis to trade oil only for dollars, in return promising security guarantees, arms sales, and so on.
The contract expired on June 9, 2024. The decision not to extend the contract will allow Saudi Arabia to sell oil and other goods in any currencies, including yuan, euros, yen, not only in U.S. dollars. In addition, the use of digital currencies such as bitcoin may be considered.
Curiously, the Saudis' statement came just as the US announced new sanctions against Russia and its financial and energy sectors.
So maybe it’s all just games and politics. What else would it be? Read all the links and explore more. Feel free to leave the information in the comments and I’ll link it.
⚡️ Venezuela Does Not Recognize the UN Court's Position in the Essequibo Dispute
The Venezuelan authorities, although participating in the UN court hearing the dispute with Guyana over the possession of the province of Essequibo, do not intend to recognize this jurisdiction. In the dispute over the territory, it is necessary to negotiate directly. This statement was made by representatives of Venezuela.
In the UN court, it is important for Caracas to present its historical position, as well as to declare non-recognition of the decisions of the court, emphasize the Venezuelan authorities.
Recall, Venezuela and Guyana have a century-long dispute over the ownership of Essequibo. After the discovery of oil reserves in the territory of Essequibo, the dispute has only worsened. The parties are still unable to reach an agreement.
@songofoil
⚡️ China's Purchases of U.S. Fuel Drive Global Oil Demand
According to the IEA's latest Oil 2024 report, China's purchases of U.S. fuel are the most powerful driver of global oil demand. Since 2019, China has bought an additional 850,000 barrels per day of NGLs (natural gas liquids), which account for just over half of the growth in demand for all petroleum products during this period.
NGLs, a by-product of extraction, can be used to produce petrochemicals. Their production has increased significantly in the U.S. due to the rise in shale production. Besides being used in the production of plastics, NGLs also include propane, which is used to heat homes and businesses.
Bloomberg notes this as a rare sign of growing interconnectedness between the U.S. and Chinese economies. The IEA stated, "This has changed the dynamics of the oil and petrochemical markets."
"Chinese petrochemical feedstocks have made the most important contribution to global oil demand growth in recent years, clearly aligned with one of the biggest drivers of the increase in global supply: the U.S. liquid hydrocarbons," summarizes the agency.
@songofoil
⚡️ Vermont Holds Oil Companies Accountable for Climate Change Damage
An unexpectedly pleasant "gift" to the American oil and gas industry has left Vermont, which has become the first US state to legally make oil companies financially responsible for damage from climate change.
According to the decision, by January 2026, state authorities must assess the total costs of greenhouse gas emissions from 1995 to 2024, including the impact on public health, biodiversity, and economic development. The amount of liability for specific polluters will then be determined. Vermont is noted as one of the states most affected by climate change, despite being the region with the lowest GDP in the country.
The American Petroleum Institute, the largest oil and gas lobby group in the U.S., has come out strongly against the bill, arguing that it "retroactively shifts costs and liability for activities that were legal." Advocates say they are prepared for the upcoming court battles. Meanwhile, Maryland, Massachusetts, and New York are considering similar measures.
@songofoil
⚡️ The Carbon Footprint of Military Conflicts
Politico has assessed the contribution of warfare to the planet's carbon dioxide pollution.
Military conflicts, which destroy existing energy supply infrastructure and cause significant damage to the parties involved, continue to pollute the atmosphere across the planet.
In the first 60 days of the war in the Gaza Strip, more than 281,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide were generated by aircraft, tanks, rockets, and artillery.
The Russia-Ukraine conflict has emitted more than 150 million metric tons of CO2, about three times the annual carbon dioxide pollution of New York City.
According to the Conflict and Environment Observatory, a nonprofit organization, the military can account for about 5.5 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions.
The U.S. military-industrial complex accounts for the lion's share of emissions, rivaling the annual carbon dioxide emissions of countries such as Norway or Sweden.
According to the British project Military Emissions Gap, many countries continue to underestimate actual emissions from the military-industrial complex.
@songofoil
IT’S NOT THE END…
Earth Changes: Extreme Weather May 2024
The advice of everyone from spiritual people to regular folks — whoever these two may be, and are they really so different? — is to not watch the news, to not pay attention, to not inform yourself because otherwise you’ll get carried away and end up depressed, unable to work or manifest or whatever is important to someone, and every time I hear that, I think, I’m not burying my head in the sand, are you crazy? Maybe I would if I didn’t have a kid that I’m definitely not willing to raise in fear and scarcity. I let him play with money and throw coins everywhere so he thinks there is always money around. And this world isn’t going anywhere, something will survive, someone has to live here, as it always has and always will. And if I’m sad because of all the injustice, so what? It’s my tears, it’s my energy, as abow so below, as below so above. We’re part of the world and whatever happens on the outside is a reflection of the inside. If I want to understand myself, I must at least try to take note of what is happening around me. Not to mention that I want to be ready to make big decisions when the time comes. And it’s coming. The kid is growing. Life is growing everywhere. Fruit trees abound this year. Everything is so strange and yet, we’re not going anywhere.
In any case, que sera, sera. Thanks for helping me clean up the house and get the energy moving. Hopefully, someone in the present, past, or future will resonate with all of this. Hopefully, it benefits at least one of us. When I complain to God that I’m not getting any feedback, God tells me, “Neither am I.” God bless you, warriors! Your light is seen!
