It is sad that there are what you might call professional Catholics who make a living on their Catholicism, but in whom the spring of faith flows only faintly, in a few scattered drops. We must really make an effort to change this.
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Site: PeakProsperityThe long bonds are caving, Japan's bonds are swan-diving, and the ECB warns that physical demand for gold could cause a systemic crisis for its member banks. By which they mean banks' derivative exposures to synthetic gold shenanigans. Tune in with with GoldCore CEO David Russell.
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Site: Euthanasia Prevention CoalitionBy Gordon FriesenPresident, Euthanasia Prevention CoalitionEPC has an online petition, we have post-cards to be sent to members of parliment and we have a traditional paper petition demanding a complete review of Canada's euthanasia law. Contact EPC at: info@epcc.ca for more information.In coming weeks and months, the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition and the Delta Hospice Society will be calling on government's to undertake a complete, and long-promised review of euthanasia (MAiD) in Canada.Link to our EPC petition (Petition Link)
It is our observation that events have unfolded in a completely unexpected and alarming fashion; that current policy has little to do with its originally stated intent; that such policy is in fact leading us on a horrific course that no one consciously chose (or very few) but which is now evolving under its own anti-human economic logic and impetus.
Even we, in the organized resistance to euthanasia, have been taken unawares, while our rhetoric has been roughly overtaken by the facts. To take one key example, it has always been a priority to champion fair treatment of the most vulnerable, in terms of access to needed care and services. For we all immediately understand that legal euthanasia threatens the safety of specific lives. What we did not understand is just how many lives that would be.
Very simply put, the "most vulnerable" narrative assumes that disputed benefits actually exist; that people are generally able to access appropriate services; that only certain groups (defined perhaps by economic, racial, gender, or ability criteria) are not. However, as the situation now exists in Canada, real health care --meaning truly life-affirming care, free of the pressure to accept euthanasia-- is no longer available (in so far as that availability depends upon the State).
Real, good and decent doctors and nurses do exist, of course! And they are clearly among the most influential actors in our Coalition. However, our chances of being treated properly as patients should not be dependant upon the personal moral compass of individual professionals who are now forced to operate as dissidents within a hostile system.
That is not at all how things were intended to be. We have always been taught to expect proper medical care as a right of citizenship. Our universal Canadian system was established some sixty years ago with the precise goal of making such care available to all.
Shockingly, the true calamity we are now experiencing involves nothing less than the cynical replacement of that time-honoured medical ideal, with a radical, euthanasia-based, veterinary-style system of population management.
In this scheme, advanced medical treatment will indeed be provided for those briefly incapacitated persons who may easily be restored to full productive status. But a radically different path is marked out for everyone else, which is to say: for anyone at all whose physical or mental status --for whatever reason-- might cause their expected economic contribution to fall below the cost of their upkeep. In these cases, illness, disability, and even simple aging itself, are now to be collapsed into the smallest social dimension possible, by actively steering all such individuals towards the newly discovered medical "treatment" of euthanasia.
Indeed, the only easy way to escape this trap requires personal resources large enough to privately make up the difference. For our ruling elites there is obviously no difficulty. Simply jump in the plane, and off they go, to state-of-the-art facilities provided by dynamic extra-national organizations dedicated to the satisfaction of every client whim (medical or otherwise) in settings of luxury.
Back in Canada, however, few individuals possess such options. The available earnings of the entire working and middle classes are already fully committed to the spending policies of which medical care is by far the greatest component. For the individual taxpayer, that money cannot be spent twice. No personal budgetary room remains for typical Canadians to pay, out of pocket, for real medical care.
To repeat the essential: service deprivation is now the norm, not the exception. To portray this as a "most vulnerable" issue (wholly, or even primarily) would require the redefinition of "most vulnerable" to include any person whose speedy recovery cannot guarantee prompt return on investment. And in the normal experience of accident and aging (while excluding our rulers) this is a category which includes the entire population.
In short, the problem of euthanasia does not affect only certain persons. It affects every person at certain seasons in their lives. Our common problem is the deliberate promotion of euthanasia by the administrative State. It is the shameless presentation of medical homicide as a legitimate and sufficient solution for any sort of problem. Nor have we seen the worst. We may now expect decision-makers to actually lower care standards on purpose. For if suffering is assumed to have a cure --in euthanasia-- then suffering can no longer be allowed to impede rationalization.
In retrospect, I think it is fair to say that very few people could have suspected that a supposedly limited access to voluntary euthanasia might ever devolve into the scale of industrial destruction, of human life, to which we are now witness. Quite naturally, many people have come to question the "why" and the "how" of such a calamitous outcome.
And that is why we are calling for a complete review of Canada's euthanasia policy.
We demand a full review, as originally promised in law but never delivered: an open and unfiltered scrutiny of current practice, accompanied at each stage by the severe questioning of past decisions made. Everything must be on the table.
We further believe that serious changes must result. For we --by a large majority-- want real medical care.Link to our letter to federal and provincial parliaments (Link to letter). -
Site: RT - News
The bloc has accepted around 4.3 million Ukrainians under its temporary program for displaced persons
EU member states are reportedly preparing to reevaluate the legal status of Ukrainian refugees who live in the bloc, Euractiv reported on Monday, citing an EU diplomat. Discussions on a potential exit from the Temporary Protection Directive (TPD) may begin as early as June.
Brussels invoked the TPD shortly after the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in early 2022. Originally established in 2001, the directive offers a broad array of benefits, including residence permits, housing, access to employment, education, healthcare, financial benefits and social services. While the program was initially set to expire in March 2025, it has recently been extended until March 2026.
Talks around “exit strategies” are intensifying behind the scenes amid a “shifting geopolitical landscape,” the unnamed diplomat told Euractiv. The issue is expected to be a central focus at the bloc’s upcoming Justice and Home Affairs Council meeting scheduled for June 12–13.
Although most member states support continuing the program for now, Euractiv noted, legal experts warn that further extensions may stretch the directive’s original intent.
Read moreUS ready to change legal status of 240,000 Ukrainian migrants – media
“We’re already on thin ice with the last prolongation,” Martin Wagner, a senior policy adviser at the International Centre for Migration Policy Development, told the outlet. “A straightforward reading of the directive would mean that after three years, it’s over.”
Wagner stressed the need for “a real discussion about alternatives and how to exit temporary protection in one way or another,” pointing out that the directive was never intended as a long-term solution.
Another anonymous diplomat warned that the EU risks “overwhelming national asylum systems — exactly what the TPD was meant to prevent.”
According to Wagner the current number of beneficiaries is “multiple times more than what countries usually handle,” calling the status quo “an incredible burden.”
Read moreUkrainians who moved to the West not coming back – MP
The debate comes amid growing challenges faced by member states in managing the large-scale influx of Ukrainian refugees. As of March 2025, over 4.3 million Ukrainians had been granted temporary protection in the EU, according to Eurostat data.
While Brussels has maintained that continued support is essential, several governments are reconsidering the level of assistance they can provide. Germany, currently hosting more than 1.2 million Ukrainian refugees, has begun scaling back welfare benefits due to sustainability concerns. Meanwhile, Poland has opposed taking in additional migrants under the EU’s newly proposed migration pact.
More Ukrainians fleeing the conflict have reportedly migrated to Russia than any there country. According to a law enforcement official as cited by TASS, 5.5 million people had migrated as of 2023.
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Site: Catholic ConclaveVincenzo Paglia: “Indignant at the world in ruins. We need global bioethics”The outgoing President of the Pontifical Academy for Life: “I am 80 years old, my mandate ends here. From artificial intelligence to medicine, knowledge collaborates for a sustainable development of humanity”“I have just returned from Argentina, from an international conference at the Catholic University of Buenos Aires Catholic Conclavehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06227218883606585321noreply@blogger.com0
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Site: RT - News
The nation’s military has reportedly been instructed to be ready for potential offensive operations by 2029
The German military must significantly increase its weapons stockpile by 2029, the year the current government anticipates a potential threat from Russia, according to a directive issued by the country’s defense chief, obtained by Reuters.
The order, titled ‘Directive Priorities for the Bolstering of Readiness’, was signed on May 19 by Carsten Breuer, the inspector general of the Bundeswehr, the news agency reported on Sunday.
Moscow has denied that it has any aggressive intentions toward NATO countries, dismissing Western speculation of a possible attack as fearmongering aimed at justifying extensive militarization by the bloc’s European members.
Breuer’s order emphasizes the procurement of advanced air defense systems and long-range precision strike capabilities effective at ranges exceeding 500km. He has also reportedly directed the military to increase the stockpiling of various types of ammunition and to develop new capacities in electronic warfare, as well as space-based systems for both defensive and offensive missions.
Read moreEU could be ‘destroyed’ – Merkel
Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced on Monday that his government has lifted restrictions on the range of weapons it can supply to Ukraine to fight Russia. The news is perceived as a hint at the possible delivery of long-range Taurus missiles, which the previous government refused to donate.
In March, the German parliament amended the nation’s law to exempt military spending from the ‘debt brake’, a measure that limits government borrowing. Merz has proposed allocating up to 5% of the nation’s GDP to security-related projects by 2032, a significant increase from the current level of around 2%. He claimed that this expenditure would transform the Bundeswehr into Europe’s most formidable military force.
The rearmament plans necessitate a corresponding increase in personnel. Defense Minister Boris Pistorius indicated in a recent interview that the ruling coalition aims to introduce a recruitment model similar to Sweden’s, potentially ending the current volunteer-only system as early as next year.
READ MORE: German defense minister teases possible conscription in 2026
The military initiatives come amid economic challenges, including de-industrialization and stagnation. On Sunday, the newspaper Bild said that ThyssenKrupp, a company with over two centuries of history, is undergoing a significant restructuring amounting to dissolution. According to the report, the company plans to reduce its headquarters staff from 500 to 100, transfer its steel mills to Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky, sell its naval shipyard Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) in the public market, and divest most other divisions.
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Site: Fr. Z's BlogThis time of year many new priests are being ordained and, consequently, many priests observe their own anniversaries. In the traditional, Vetus Ordo of the Roman Rite a priest can add orations “for himself… Pro seipso sacerdote“, on the anniversary … Read More →
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Site: AsiaNews.itA Yanadi tribal family forced into bonded labour at a duck farm. The mother, desperate for news of her nine-year-old son held as "collateral", was fed a string of lies by the employer. Bishop Thakur of the Indian Bishops' Commission for Migrants: "Slavery, though officially illegal, remains a deep stain on the conscience of a country that presents itself as an economic powerhouse".
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Site: Mises InstituteThanks to the endless “War Against Terror,” the US Government promoted methods of torture, including some borrowed from the sadistic torturers of the former Soviet Union. Congress stood by and let it happen.
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Site: Mises InstituteThanks to the endless “War Against Terror,” the US Government promoted methods of torture. Congress stood by and let it happen.
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Site: Steyn OnlineA special Memorial Day edition on battle, sacrifice and remembrance - from the Civil War to the Great War to the unwon wars of our own time...
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Site: AsiaNews.itWomen who acquired nationality through marriage particularly affected. Ordinary workers, entrepreneurs, and celebrities—including singers and actors—also targeted. Human rights activists and organisations express concern. In March, Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah pledged to 'cleanse Kuwait of impurities' and return the nation to its 'original people'.
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Site: Fr. Z's BlogMany priests observe the anniversary of their ordination at this time of year. It is a common time for ordinations, probably because Ember Days were common times for ordinations and Ember Days fall during the Pentecost Octave. In any event, … Read More →
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Site: non veni pacem
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Site: AsiaNews.itThe Karina Foundation held its biennial meeting in Jakarta from 21 to 24 May at the headquarters of the Bishops' Conference. The event brought together operators, bishops and international partners to boost the commitment to cooperation and integral human development. Fr Fredy Rante Taruk highlighted 'working closely with government stakeholders'.
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Site: Zero HedgeDoug Burgum Warns Whoever Wins AI Race 'Controls The World'Tyler Durden Mon, 05/26/2025 - 09:35
Authored by Philip Wegmann via RealClearPolitics,
Doug Burgum, the soft-spoken Interior secretary responsible for managing the more than 507 million acres of federally owned land, is haunted by a fear that seems, at first glance, outside his mandate. He worries the free world will lose dominance in the field of artificial intelligence, and with it, the future.
So does the president.
“When President Trump declared a national emergency on his first day in office it was, in large part, because of what we're facing with our electrical grid and making sure that we’ve got enough power to be able to win the AI arms race with China,” Burgum said Wednesday in remarks first reported by RealClearPolitics. “That is absolutely critical.”
Thus the stated policy of this White House: “It’s called drill, baby, drill,” Trump said earlier this spring.
The immediate goal, the one touted at every campaign, is to bring down the average price of a gallon of gas. The concurrent and long-term mission that Burgum obsesses over: AI dominance. The former governor from fracking-friendly North Dakota and tech entrepreneur who sold his software to Microsoft, Burgum laid out an abbreviated formula on stage at the America First Policy Institute.
Electricity generation via fossil fuels, like natural gas and coal, powers data centers “filled with these amazing chips,” the secretary said, “and you know what comes out the other side? Intelligence. A data center is literally manufacturing intelligence.” He envisioned a new world that follows, where the best computer programmer, or the most brilliant lawyers, could “clone themselves” again and again to train AI models to do the work of thousands in a process “that can be repeated indefinitely.”
No longer science fiction, the process has been headline news for some time. AI models like ChatGPT and X’s Grok are already available in every home with an internet connection. And the U.S. was the undisputed leader. That is, until recently.
American tech companies enjoyed a clear edge with not just the most powerful AI models, the most funding, and top engineering talent, but also the easiest access to those “amazing chips” that Burgum referenced. Former President Biden banned the export of the most advanced semiconductors to China. And yet DeepSeek, an unknown Chinese startup with less money and allegedly less sophisticated chips, still managed to one-up Silicon Valley earlier this year with a more powerful AI model.
The latest development in the battle for tech supremacy, in what some likened to “a Sputnik moment,” the DeepSeek launch rattled both markets and geopolitics. A new kind of AI nationalism now consumes heads of state convinced that their nations must develop their own technology or fall behind in the future. Said Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2017 of AI, “The one who becomes the leader in this sphere will be the ruler of the world.”
Burgum does not disagree. He would just prefer the West take on that role. “Trust me, you do not want to be getting your data from a Chinese data center,” he told the crowd, adding that “Whoever controls the manufacture of intelligence is going to control the world. The next five years is going to determine the next 50.”
This is the goal of the White House, including Vice President JD Vance, who once warned that falling behind on this front could mean that the U.S. meets China “on the battlefield of the future” with the equivalent of digital “muskets.”
Democrats on Capitol Hill are not thrilled. The day before, Maine Rep. Marie Pingree complained in the House Appropriations Committee that Burgum had gutted the department he leads and sought to slash Biden-era clean energy tax credits.
“In just four months, the department has been destabilized, and there’s been a stunning decline in its ability to meet its mission,” she told Burgum. “This disregards the climate change concerns that we have.”
The secretary replied that he was concerned with a more pressing order of operations. “The existential threats that this administration is focusing on are Iran cannot get a nuclear weapon, and we can’t lose the AI arms race to China,” Burgum said in committee. “That’s the number one and two. If we solve those two things, then we will have plenty of time to solve any issues related to potential temperature change.”
His immediate focus, then, is on how the U.S. can boost energy production. Burgum reported that industry leaders tell him electricity demand will soon outpace supply with astronomical numbers measured not in megawatts, but gigawatts. The power needed to run one data center, he said, would be equivalent to the electricity needs of Denver times 10.
Because AI has the potential to supercharge nearly every business, he said, “the demand for this product is like nothing we’ve ever seen in our lives.”
Concluded the Interior secretary, “The fundamental principles here again, as they say, we’re going to sell energy to our friends and allies, and we’re going to have enough energy here at home to be able to win the AI arms race. And this requires electricity.”
On this Burgum and Trump are simpatico. During the campaign, the president likened artificial intelligence to “the oil of the future.”
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Site: Zero HedgeStock Futures Soar, Yields Rise After Trump Extends Deadline For EU TariffsTyler Durden Mon, 05/26/2025 - 09:10
US equity futures surged and European stocks climbed after President Donald Trump extended a deadline on aggressive euro area tariffs, reinforcing the pattern of leaving markets guessing and flip-flopping by making trade threats before backtracking, all in keeping with the gamebook established during the Trump 1.0 trade wars. With US cash markets closed for Memorial Day, US equity futures jumped 1.2% and Nasdaq 100 futures surged 1.4%, erasing all of Friday's losses.
A gauge of the dollar hovered near its lowest level in almost two years. Cash Treasuries didn’t trade due to holidays in the UK and US but futures dipped, indicating a 10Y yield about 4.53%
Trump’s decision to extend the deadline came after a phone call with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Von der Leyen, who heads the EU’s executive arm, said earlier Sunday in a post on X that “Europe is ready to advance talks swiftly and decisively,” but “a good deal” will need “time until July 9.” That’s the date on which Trump’s 90-day pause of his so-called reciprocal tariffs had originally been set to end.
Trump’s tariff threats on Friday also included a 25% levy on smartphones if companies including Apple Inc. and Samsung Electronics Co. failed to move production to the US.
Even as the Big Beautiful Bill is now stuck in the Senate where any changes threaten to undo its razor thin passage in the House, the trade war has made a return as the major risk driver once again after concerns about Trump’s proposed tax cuts, and their impact on the US deficit, churned markets much of last week. Trump’s whiplash moves have increased uncertainty in markets and his broadside against Europe on Friday, followed by a backtrack, was a stark reminder of the president’s volatile policy making.
“The stock market seems to dance to Trump’s tune: first a threat, then a pullback, quickly followed by a rebound as speculative investors anticipate a concession from the U.S. President,” said Jochen Stanzl, chief market analyst at CMC Markets. “This morning’s confirmation of such expectations reinforces the so-called ‘Trump Pattern,’ which is increasingly seen as a successful strategy for risk-tolerant investors.”
“One thing that is starting to concern us a bit is the fact that the rebounds that follow these selloffs are losing strength as we go on,” said Frederic Rozier, a portfolio manager at Mirabaud France. “We can sense investor fatigue about this back-and-forth and there’s a risk sentiment will erode as markets run in circles on tariffs. The only thing we know is that even if there’s an agreement, there will be a cost for European stocks.”
Europe's Stoxx 600 index also erased Friday’s losses sparked by Trump’s threat of 50% tariffs on the European Union. The US President later said he had agreed to delay the date for the levies to July 9 from June 1. Among individual movers in Europe, Thyssenkrupp AG jumped more than 7% after a report that the firms chief executive plans to turn it into a holding company, allowing it to cut overhead costs as it divests further units. Volvo Car AB climbed as much as 4.8% after announcing plans to eliminate around 7% of its global workforce to cut costs and protect profits.
Earlier in the session, Asian equities were steady as weakness in China offset gains in Japan and South Korea. The MSCI Asia Pacific Index traded little changed after rising as much as 0.4%. Japanese firms Sony Group and Tokyo Electron were the biggest boosts to the gauge, while Chinese shares including Tencent and BYD were among the biggest drags. A broad sense of optimism buoyed markets in the region after President Donald Trump delayed duties on EU imports. Benchmarks in Japan got a lift as the country’s chief tariff negotiator indicated plans to resolve talks with the US before a G-7 meeting in June. Trump’s nod of a partnership between Nippon Steel and US Steel also helped sentiment. Shares in Korea led gains in the region, while Indian gauges also gained. That’s helped the regional measure remain on pace for its best close since October.
The trade tensions and weak demand for US assets are showing up in the dollar. Bloomberg’s dollar spot index was track for its lowest close since July 2023, while the greenback is at or approaching key levels against a host of currencies including the euro, Britsh pound, yen and Swiss franc.
Enthusiasm has faded for the world’s reserve currency this year. Speculative traders remained bearish on the dollar but trimmed their positioning to $12.4 billion in the week ending May 20 from $16.5 billion in the week prior, according to CFTC data reported Friday.A key event this week will be Nvidia Corp.’s results on Wednesday. The chip-making giant is seen as a bellwether for so called growth stocks and the sustainability of the artificial intelligence boom. It’s outlook will be crucial given macro risks and tariff uncertainty.
Investors are also gearing up for the Federal Reserve’s preferred inflation measure, the US personal consumption expenditures price index excluding food and energy, which will be released Friday. The April reading is forecast to rise 0.1% based on consensus expectations.
Elsewhere, signs of port congestion in northern Europe and other hubs suggests trade wars could lead to maritime disruptions around the world, increasing shipping rates.
Trump on Friday announced a partnership between US Steel and Japan’s Nippon Steel Corp., shocking markets with an agreement he said would keep the once-iconic American firm in the US, but otherwise providing no specifics. Nippon Steel shares jumped as much as 7.4% in Tokyo, while shares in US Steel rose 21% Friday.
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Site: Euthanasia Prevention Coalition
The following is a contribution to our EPC "Story Contest". Please visit our "contributor info" (link). "recent stories" (link). and "story index" (link).
We would be thrilled to receive your story (fact or creative fiction) at: story@epcc.ca
The Euthanasia Prevention Coalition is not a religious organization. Naomi submitted her poem and we accepted it for publishing. All formats are welcome.
Fatal Temptation
By Naomi Jane Haw
Many times, at the bleak barricade of depression,
Looking down the endless, echoing tunnel
That seems to be my life.
Many times, if there had been a pill or injection
To remove me from that seemingly senseless suffering,
I would have taken it.
If euthanasia is allowed for the terminally ill,
I could argue that my endlessly repeating battles with depression
Represent a similar depth of pain and suffering that will continue to haunt me.
Many times I have wanted to walk the path
To a peaceful, painless, blameless, endless sleep.
AND YET
I am a Christian and I truly believe God when He declares:
“I know the plans I have for you,
plans for welfare and not for calamity,
to give you a hope and a future.” (Jer. 29:11 NLT)
I can also see the Devil’s deviant, defiant schemes.
I truly believe that “You must not murder”, (Deut. 5:17 NLT)And euthanasia is killing humans.
In other words- murder.
And yet, if the path to euthanasia was opened up,
I would be tempted to kill (myself), to be killed;
Anything to escape the torture of untreatable depression.
But it would be wrong.
I could be slipping into an endless torment of separation
From God, my family and friends.
You may think of death (from euthanasia) as a sweet oblivion,
An endless, dreamless sleep.
But you may be wrong!
It may be a trick and a lie from the Devil.
No-one has ever returned to tell us about this unending death.
It could be a terrible, fatal beginning,
More painful and terrifying than the hardest fight against illness.
Medically assisted suicide
Would mean depriving my family of a wife, a mother, a daughter.
And though there are many times
When I have no success in playing the roles assigned to me,
Times when I no longer want to be me…
Still I believe that:
A hopeless, helpless wife is better than no wife for my husband,
A failing mother is better than no mother for my children,
An emotionally distant daughter is better than no daughter for my parents.
And I think they would agree.
God created me, with all my talents and in all my weakness.
And God allows the Devil To hunt me and haunt me with depression.
I don’t understand why.
I may never understand why,
But I choose to believe in the value that God places on my life.
“You keep track of all my sorrows.
You have collected all my tears in your bottle.
You have recorded each one in your book” (Psalm 56:8 NLT)
I choose to believe God when He says:
“I created all the delicate, inner parts of your body
and knit you together in your mother’s womb” (Psalm 139:13 NLT)
And also when He declares that, in the end:
“He will wipe away every tear from their eyes,
and death will not exist anymore -
or mourning, or crying, or pain,
for the former things have ceased to exist” (Rev 21:4 NLT)
In essence, what I’m saying
Is that the lure of an endless, dreamless sleep May be a trick and a lie,
May, in fact, be a nightmare of torment,
And could well prove to be
Not just a final extinction
But a fatal temptation.
Written by Naomi Jane Haw
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Site: Zero HedgeParadise Lost: Jeffrey Epstein's Legacy Still Clouds The U.S. Virgin IslandsTyler Durden Mon, 05/26/2025 - 08:50
Authored by Lee Feng via RealClearInvestigations,
When Jeffrey Epstein purchased Little Saint James, the teardrop-shaped island south‑east of St. Thomas, in the late 1990s, he was seen as a mere oddity. A one-time math teacher who claimed to manage the fortunes of billionaires, he told U.S. Virgin Islands officials that he was seeking privacy. He also appears to have purchased impunity.
Statue on Little St. James Island
The alleged crimes that Epstein committed on that emerald island reachable only by helicopter or ferry would explode into an international scandal. Investigators accuse him of raping and sexually abusing girls as young as eleven at his island compound where he also hosted many A-list politicians, business leaders and celebrities. One 15-year-old, whom Epstein allegedly forced into sex acts, attempted to escape by swimming away from the island. She was caught and her passport was taken away.
While Epstein was alive, Virgin Islands officials appear to have shielded him from scrutiny – customs agents at the airport, for example, reported seeing Epstein leave his plane with girls between the ages of 11 and 17, yet there is no record that anyone checked on their safety.
After his death in 2019, other officials who aided Epstein began profiting from continued secrecy and a string of legal settlements associated with his behavior that put hundreds of millions of dollars under the government’s control. No one appears to have benefited more than Albert Bryan Jr., the governor of the territory. Court records show that Bryan had previously overseen the agency that granted nearly $300 million in illicit tax credits to Epstein’s company, which fraudulently claimed to provide “biomedical and financial informatics” services. Bryan, after securing a gubernatorial victory in 2018 with the support of Epstein and his aides, would later push for a waiver for Epstein to avoid compliance with the island’s sex offender laws.
Bryan fired the attorney general who led the island’s cases against Epstein’s estate, and his appointed successor ended an explosive case over J.P. Morgan Chase’s ties to the former financier before a new round of discovery.
Over the last few months, legislative records show, Bryan has tapped the Epstein settlement funds to pay for a variety of his domestic political agenda items. The money was secured from Epstein’s estate and his associates, including the case with J.P. Morgan Chase and a close financial supporter, private billionaire Leon Black, who was also accused of abusing women. The settlements, which collectively account for nearly a quarter of a billion dollars, were championed as a measure of accountability, and the proceeds were promised to assist victims of sexual assault, human trafficking, sexual misconduct, and child sexual abuse.
In late April, Bryan, at his weekly briefing at the Government House on St. Thomas, announced the allocation of $22 million in retroactive wages to government workers, a move his office touted as strengthening public trust. "This is real money – money in the bank," Bryan boasted. Left unmentioned was the source – the Epstein settlement money.
Earlier this year, Bryan applied the Epstein funds for vendor payments and sought to use the money for a variety of other earmarks, such as a $25 million makeover for the Justice Building on St. Croix. The lack of transparency around the funds has faced scrutiny from legislators and some Virgin Islands residents.
The total amount remaining in the Epstein settlement fund is not clear. Motley Rice, a private law firm that assisted the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) Justice Department with the cases, is projected to receive about $23.35 million of the settlement as its share of the fees.
“We have a situation where some of the monies might have been spent, even though they were appropriated for specific purposes,” said USVI Senator Alma Francis Heyliger. “The legislature did not give approval for this.”
In a letter posted online last year, David Silverman, a retiree living in St. John, stated, “This money was promised to be used to protect vulnerable young women, among other things. But for reasons that nobody can explain, the money is nowhere to be found.”
The U.S. Department of Justice maintains oversight of the USVI, a jurisdiction that has been plagued by corruption. In recent years, FBI agents have raided territory agencies over the mismanagement of public money. In June 2024, several senior USVI officials were charged with defrauding $4 million in housing funds. The FBI declined to comment on whether it is investigating the USVI's use of Epstein settlement funds.
The Bryan administration did not respond to a request for comment.
Questions continue to swirl over the Epstein secrets still buried in government vaults. The much-hyped Trump administration release of files related to the Epstein case quickly turned to disappointment in February as the government distributed binders with no new information. Attorney General Pam Bondi, in response to criticism of the fizzled press event, has said she is still pushing for the release of more files held by the FBI and her department.
While attention still focuses on the 256,000 square-foot warehouse in Winchester, Virginia, where unreleased FBI records, including CDs, hard drives, and recordings from Epstein’s homes, are still held, the Virgin Islands side of the story remains unresolved. The tropical territory remains one of the last redoubts of intrigue related to the scandal.
The island territory was the nexus for Epstein’s alleged human trafficking operation. It was there that Epstein entertained his VIP rolodex of guests and is believed to have engaged in some of his worst sexual crimes.
The abrupt settlement with J.P. Morgan Chase prevented the release of more disclosures about the nature of Epstein’s network, including documents and depositions from key figures who aided and abetted the former financier.
The U.S. Virgin Islands government and JPMorgan Chase both denied claims of complicity in Epstein's abuses. In a previous statement to reporters, the bank claimed it “would never have continued to do business with him if we believed he was using our bank in any way to help commit heinous crimes.”
Nearly two years ago, Bryan shut off the valve of a smattering of unflattering documents released as part of the island territory’s lawsuit with J.P. Morgan. After initially seeking $190 million from the bank for its role in aiding Epstein’s operations, Bryan shocked observers by firing his own attorney general and reportedly pushed to end the lawsuit.
The initial 2022 lawsuit charged that J.P. Morgan had “turned a blind eye” to clear evidence that Epstein had used the bank to facilitate his sex trafficking operations. USVI claimed in court that it had uncovered evidence that J.P. Morgan officials had repeatedly raised red flags about Epstein, who maintained around 55 accounts and routinely referred his network to the bank’s wealth management services. Meanwhile, J.P. Morgan executives joked over email about his interest in young girls.
But the bank hit back with a countersuit and filed hundreds of documents, exhibits, and emails alleging “a decades-long quid pro quo between Epstein and the USVI government.” The legal probe revealed the former financier’s extensive system of alleged bribes and influence payments to USVI officials – money, J.P. Morgan’s lawyers claimed, that “created a haven for Epstein’s criminal activity.”
These records show that Epstein placed the former first lady of the island, Cecile de Jongh, on his payroll. She suggested campaign donations and targeted gifts to universities, civic groups, and the families of powerful politicians. The gifts appear to have helped Epstein win special benefits, including visas to bring young girls to the island and $300 million in illicit tax exemptions for his fraudulently registered information technology company.
J.P. Morgan's attorney filed documents with the court charging that de Jongh suggested Epstein pay monthly retainers to local politicians, including former USVI Senator Celestino White, to gain “loyalty and access.” The records showed he also gave free Thanksgiving turkeys to 78 federal customs agents at the St. Thomas airport after dealing with one “difficult” officer.
The ties extended to the governor and the territory’s representative in Congress, the incumbent lawmaker Stacey Plaskett. In his previous role as head of the economic development office, Bryan signed off on a string of tax exemptions for Epstein’s Southern Trust business entity. At the time, Plaskett served as counsel to the tax office.
Plaskett went on to work at Kellerhals Ferguson Kroblin PLLC, a USVI law firm Epstein retained for tax and legal issues. In 2014, as Plaskett geared up to run for Congress, de Jongh advised Epstein to support her bid against a popular local politician, Shawn-Michael Malone. “Shawn is the one who came after you in the senate hearing last week. He is nasty and needs to be defeated and we have a friend in Stacey,” de Jongh wrote in an email uncovered by J.P. Morgan’s attorneys.
During the election, Epstein’s closest aides and advisers, including Darren Indyke, Lesley Groff, and Erica Kellerhals, donated to Plaskett, helping her defeat Malone by just 737 votes in what local press called “one of the biggest upsets in Virgin Island politics.” De Jongh wrote to Epstein to confirm that a $13,000 corporate donation planned for the Democratic Party would be made “for the benefit of Stacey Plaskett.”
Epstein repeatedly donated to Plaskett’s campaign committees until his suicide in a New York City prison cell in 2019. In an email made public by the litigation, Plaskett wrote to Kellerhals and Lesley Groff, another Epstein aide who reportedly helped him recruit young women, to request the financier’s fundraising assistance. She also met with him at his New York City home in a bid to request larger donations to the DCCC, the House Democrats’ campaign arm.
Plaskett did not respond to a request for comment. In March, a federal judge in New York ruled that Plaskett will continue to serve as the sole defendant in a case brought by multiple victims of Epstein. The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act case charges that USVI officials conspired with Epstein to sustain his sex-trafficking scheme.
The case relies on much of the evidence that the J.P. Morgan countersuit uncovered nearly two years ago.
The Epstein network also helped to elect Bryan governor. Kellerhals, campaign finance disclosures exclusively obtained by RealClearInvestigations show, donated $1,000. Records from the J.P. Morgan litigation provide further evidence of support, including an email from de Jongh suggesting $25,000 to an inauguration party in Bryan’s honor and a reminder that Bryan had requested $30,000 in support for the USVI Little League.
Bryan, as governor, requested that the USVI Justice Department provide Epstein with a waiver for the territory’s sex offender registry. Epstein’s legal requests for special exemptions to the law, notably, were facilitated by Kellerhals.
“Not every sexual offender or any person, you know, are in the position to have the governor make the request to the attorney general … that by itself indicated to me that [Epstein] was flexing his political influence over or with the governor,” Denise George, a former USVI attorney general said in a deposition she gave as part of the JPMorgan lawsuit.
Bryan, in a deposition with J.P. Morgan’s attorneys, dismissed concerns about Epstein’s operations in the USVI. He said he was only aware that “he copped a plea to having sex with a hooker who was under age,” a reference to Epstein’s 2008 conviction over child prostitution.
On New Year’s Eve 2022, Bryan unexpectedly fired Denise George, the attorney general responsible for the J.P. Morgan lawsuit and the island’s landmark case against the Epstein estate. George had previously opposed Bryan’s requests for a waiver for Epstein to get around the island’s sex offender laws.
As the litigation continued to mount, J.P. Morgan’s attorneys threatened more discovery and depositions of USVI officials. In a filing to the court in September 2023, they argued that they planned greater investigations of a host of USVI’s elite, including Bryan and Plaskett.
A few weeks after the filing, USVI announced its settlement, agreeing to end its case in exchange for $75 million, an amount far below the initial amount sought by the lawsuit.
The sudden end to the case closed the rare window of disclosure into Epstein’s private power structure and the ways in which he carried out his political operation.
Some lawmakers and island residents believe secrets from the Epstein scandal are still hidden. The J.P. Morgan case proved too harmful for the USVI elite as it exposed embarrassing documents on all sides.
“Listen, as a community, I would rather these things come out so we can clean up our community instead of sticking our heads in the sand,” said Senator Francis Heyliger. “The more we clean up this territory, and more things are exposed, I think in the long run, it will be better for us and as a community and for the people.”
The senator was clear that President Trump should release new, unredacted Epstein files or pressure USVI officials to provide more clarity over the financier’s influence. “If this administration, on a national level, chooses to put out more information, I am never one that believes you should hide from the truth." she said.
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Site: Mundabor's blogPope Leo visited Santa Maria Maggiore, where Francis is buried. He prayed at his tomb, which in itself is not wrong. He also did not say anything wrong, at least as far as I can see, about Francis’ ultimate destiny. But he did something that his predecessor did not like to do: he encouraged the […]
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Site: Mundabor's blogThe comment section is not there for you to write your poems, or to go on bloviating, or to repost stuff you have posted elsewhere. Most people don’t read long comments, and they distract from the message. Thanks
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Site: Mundabor's blogSlapped in the face by his own wife. The same wife who slept with him as his teacher when he was 15, which would have got her to 1) jail and 2) loss of job pretty much everywhere else but France. These are the leaders of the Western world. A bunch of pussies smacked by […]
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Site: AsiaNews.itThe Court of Appeal upheld an earlier decision by the High Court. For the judges, the case is procedural, not about personal faith. The woman was never Muslim since the change in religion results from a unilateral act by her mother when she was a child without the consent of her Hindu father.
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Site: RT - News
State Department officials reportedly met with British anti-abortion activists over concerns that their rights to free speech were being violated
US officials recently travelled to the UK to meet with local anti-abortion campaigners who Washington believes face retribution for expressing their views, The Telegraph reported on Saturday. The paper described the move as evidence of Washington’s desire to “intervene in domestic British affairs.”
In March, the State Department dispatched a delegation from the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (DRL), to meet with officials from the Foreign Office and communications regulator Ofcom to “affirm the importance of freedom of expression in the UK and across Europe.”
The talks, which also overlapped with separate UK-US trade negotiations, focused on Britain’s new online safety act and its potential consequences for freedom of speech.
However, the five-member US team also quietly met with British activists who had been arrested for protesting outside abortion clinics, the article said. The US officials also reportedly attended an event held at a “nondescript” office block where campaigners were present.
Read moreUK proposes stricter immigration rules
“The visit is the latest sign of the Trump administration’s willingness to intervene in domestic British affairs,” The Telegraph noted.
While the paper did not provide details on whom the US officials met, Washington has sounded the alarm over several controversial cases where the right to free speech in the UK may have been violated.
One of them was that of Livia Tossici-Bolt, a 64-year-old campaigner who was charged in 2023 for holding a sign reading “here to talk if you want” outside an abortion clinic in Bournemouth. She refused to leave when asked by police and faced prosecution under a Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) – a legal restriction that creates a 150-meter buffer zone around facilities providing abortion services.
In February, US Vice President J.D. Vance also singled out the case of Adam Smith-Connor, a 51-year-old British army veteran and anti-abortion activist, who was convicted in October 2024 for silently praying near the same Bournemouth clinic. Vance called it a “most concerning case” and said it illustrated the threats to the “basic liberties of religious Britons.”
UK law enforcement has been criticized for so-called “two-tier policing,” a term suggesting that much harsher measures are often taken against right-wing protesters than against left-wing ones. Elon Musk, a close Trump ally, has been particularly vocal on the matter, blasting the UK over its response to what he described as a disproportionate response to anti-immigration demonstrations.
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Site: Novus Motus LiturgicusThe following excerpts are taken from book VI, chapter 102 of William Durandus’ treatise on the Divine Offices. On the three days before the feast of the Lord’s Ascension, the Rogations, which are also called the Litanies: the Greek word “litania” in Latin is “supplication”, or “rogation” (from ‘rogare – to ask’), on which the Holy Church asks God… to destroy the counsel of those who wish to Gregory DiPippohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13295638279418781125noreply@blogger.com0
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Site: OnePeterFive
The Feast of the Ascension commemorates the return of Our Lord to his Father in Heaven and begins the closing of the Paschaltide season. We read of the day’s events in the first chapter of Acts. In our home the weekdays before and after Ascension serve as a time of double penance and preparation as we lead up to Pentecost. There are the three Minor Rogation Days like a long vigil for the…
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Site: Rorate CaeliLaurent DandrieuValeurs ActuellesMay 25, 2025Leo XIV blessing the Romans yesterday from theloggia of his Cathedral, the Lateran BasilicaPeace: this was the leitmotif of Leo XIV's first public appearance, shortly after he was elected 266th successor of Peter, on May 8. "Peace be with you all! were his first words. It was not one of those humanitarian appeals to lay down arms that always seem New Catholichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04118576661605931910noreply@blogger.com
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Site: Rorate CaeliThe biblical text, however, tells us something else, beyond the rich and interesting human dynamics of the event.We see this in the words used by the brethren in Jerusalem to communicate their decisions to those in Antioch. They wrote: “For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us” (cf. Acts 15:28). In other words, they emphasized that the most important part of the New Catholichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04118576661605931910noreply@blogger.com
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Site: PaulCraigRoberts.org
The Ever-Widening War
Ukrainian Drone Attack on Putin’s Helicopter
Putin’s helicopter was caught in Ukrainian drone swarm – commander
https://www.rt.com/russia/618120-putin-helicopter-drone-ukraine/
A new front: Russia expands into Ukraine to build a military buffer zone
https://www.rt.com/russia/618068-new-front-russia-buffer-zone/
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Site: PaulCraigRoberts.org
More Evidence that European Politicians Value Open Borders and Mass Immigration More than National Existence
https://www.rt.com/news/618137-europe-destroyed-merkel-migration/
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Site: PaulCraigRoberts.org
Nasser’s grandson warns of US-led neocolonialism
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Site: PaulCraigRoberts.org
Democrats Are Corrupt Beyond Measure
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Site: Mises InstituteWhat if US trade deficits don't matter?
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Site: Mises InstituteThe Trump administration has pursued a high tariff policy, reversing the movement to lower trade barriers around the world. The justification for this policy is the presence of trade deficits with other nations. However, what if US trade deficits don't matter?
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Site: Zero HedgeInternet Searches For "Buy A Suppressor" Erupt After 'Big Beautiful Bill' Clears HouseTyler Durden Mon, 05/26/2025 - 06:15
Gun rights groups like Gun Owners of America celebrated late last week after the House narrowly passed President Trump's "Big, Beautiful Bill" (BBB) in a 215–214 vote. A key reason for this celebration is the inclusion of the Constitutional Hearing Protection Act (CHPA), which would eliminate the federal registration requirement and the $200 tax stamp on suppressors. As the bill moves to the Senate, speculation is already mounting that demand for suppressors could erupt.
The prospect of removing suppressors from the Al Capone–era National Firearms Act (NFA), eliminating the $200 tax stamp and lengthy ATF waiting period, has sparked a nationwide surge in interest among gun owners.
Google Search trends show that interest in "buy a suppressor" has reached its highest level in five years. The surge in interest is happening nationwide. This is because if the BBB reaches President Trump's desk and is signed into law, the removal of suppressors from the NFA would mean these devices—used to muffle the noise of a fired round—would only require a standard FBI background check, known as a NICS check.
Industry insiders, including gun stores in the Mid-Atlantic region, report a noticeable uptick in foot traffic following Thursday's news that CHPA was included in the BBB. Many customers are already asking to place deposits on suppressors in anticipation of the law's passage later this year.
Other industry sources anticipate that if CHPA becomes law, a Covid-like buying spike could spark massive backlogs and wait times of 6-9 months, if not longer, to purchase a suppressor.
We suspect industry leaders like SilencerCo are already ramping up suppressor production in anticipation of CHPA becoming law. This will ultimately mean these devices will become more affordable, and possibly, the era of $1,000 suppressors could be halved in just a few short years.
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Site: AsiaNews.itToday's Headlines:The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation collapses before it even begins, as Israel declares its intention to "control" 75% of the Strip. China opposes Australia's plans to retake control of Darwin Port. Pakistan allocates 2,000 megawatts of energy for Bitcoin mining and AI data centres. The monsoon has arrived in Kerala a week early.
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Site: AsiaNews.it"The work of God knows how to transform even the most senseless human actions into something good," said Patriarch Kirill in recent days, during the celebration of the feast of Saint Nicholas, who traditionally in May is associated with the promise of a good harvest for the agricultural season. And never more than today is such a blessing needed, as people hope for a new season of peace for the fields and lands ravaged by war.
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Site: Zero HedgeAfrikaners Seeking US Asylum Leave Behind Deeply Divided CountryTyler Durden Mon, 05/26/2025 - 05:30
Authored by Darren Taylor via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),
JOHANNESBURG—President Donald Trump’s decision to allow white Afrikaners to seek asylum in the United States from state-sponsored “racial discrimination,” “hateful rhetoric,” and “disproportionate violence” in South Africa has not gone down well in some quarters.
The first group of Afrikaners from South Africa, to arrive for resettlement, listen to remarks from U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau and U.S. Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security Troy Edgar (both out of frame), after they arrived at Washington Dulles International Airport in Dulles, Va., on May 12, 2025. Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa described them as “cowards,” according to the BBC.
On May 22, during a meeting with Ramaphosa in the Oval Office, Trump presented what he said was evidence of this.
Showing printouts of news articles and footage of South African extremists calling for white farmers to be killed, Trump repeated the allegation that the South African government is confiscating white-owned land.
When Ramaphosa denied this, Trump maintained: “You do allow them to take land—and then when they take the land, they kill the white farmer, and when they kill the white farmer, nothing happens to them.
“You’re taking people’s land away from them, and those people, in many cases, are being executed. They’re being executed, and they happen to be white.”
Crushing. This is not only painful for the South African President but also for our mainstream media that desperately wants to cover up black-on-white violence in South Africa pic.twitter.com/e5NGJXmOb3
— Dinesh D'Souza (@DineshDSouza) May 21, 2025The U.S. State Department has said it will continue to welcome Afrikaners who are “victims of unjust racial discrimination” and “able to articulate a past experience of persecution or fear of future persecution.”
South Africa’s International Relations Minister, Ronald Lamola, told The Epoch Times that Trump and his administration are “totally misguided” in offering asylum to Afrikaners.
“Who can provide proof of any persecution of a specific race in South Africa?” he asked. “There’s no proof. There’s no type of persecution or discrimination against any whites in South Africa.”
The Epoch Times has been told by a source connected to the U.S. Embassy in Johannesburg that many of the 8,000 Afrikaner applications for asylum reviewed so far contain “horrific details” of crimes committed against them or their close relatives.
“They believe these crimes happened to them because they are white,” said the source, requesting anonymity because he did not have permission to speak with the media.
“These crimes were documented in cases opened by the South African police, and in many cases the perpetrators have never been found. These people can’t get any information about what’s happened to their cases. It appears there have been no investigations.”
On May 13, the first group of 59 Afrikaners was welcomed in Washington by Deputy Secretary of State, Christopher Landau, and Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security, Troy Edgar.
“The deputy secretary and I just spoke to some of the folks who arrived on this flight, and they tell quite harrowing stories of the violence that they’ve faced in South Africa that was not addressed by the authorities, by the unjust application of the law,” Landau said in a statement.
He said “a fair number” of the asylum seekers that had arrived in the United States were farmers who had farmed their land for generations.
“Now, [they] face the threat—not only of expropriation—but also of direct violence … Many of these folks have experience with threatening invasions of their homes—their farms—and a real lack of interest or success of the government in doing anything about this situation,” Landau said.
Hours earlier, Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that there’s a genocide in South Africa, with the victims often white farmers.
“Whether they’re white or black makes no difference to me,” said Trump. “But white farmers are brutally killed and their land is being confiscated in South Africa.”
In January, Ramaphosa signed an Expropriation Bill into law that gives his government the power to seize private property, including farms, without paying owners.
Pretoria says the “nil compensation” clause in the act will only be used when it is “equitable and in the public interest.”
President Donald Trump holds up a picture as he meets with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa in the Oval Office, on May 21, 2025. Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images
At the moment, “there’s no state-supported confiscation of farms happening,” said Jaco Minnaar, who heads South Africa’s largest agricultural association, AgriSA.
But, he told The Epoch Times, white-owned farms are “frequently” invaded.
“These land invasions are often instigated by local politicians and radical groups. A farmer will wake up and there will be a large group of people occupying a section of his farm,” Minnaar said.
“In many cases the police are slow to act, or they don’t act at all, and the large group turns into a squatter camp, and the farm is rendered worthless.”
According to South African news agency Ground Up, several courts have found that criminal syndicates are perpetrating “land grabs,” with white landowners often the victims.
Bennie van Zyl, who leads the Transvaal Agricultural Union, which represents thousands of Afrikaner farmers, told The Epoch Times the murders of white farmers and their families are often “very brutal, with torture involved, but it can’t yet be defined as a white genocide … and there’s no evidence that the government is involved.”
Lamola said the murders of white farmers are “part of a normal crime trend.”
However, University of Stellenbosch criminologist Guy Lamb said there’s “nothing normal” about crime in South Africa.
“The country has one of the highest murder and rape rates in the world,” he told The Epoch Times. “There’s a sense that South Africans of all races are under siege from criminals, with the state unable to protect them. So the fact that Trump’s Afrikaners are telling the U.S. government horror stories about crime is not shocking at all. Most South Africans have similar stories to tell.”
Isolated in rural areas, white farmers in particular are “easy targets,” Lamb said.
“They’re attacked not because they’re white, but because they’re perceived to have money and firearms,” he said.
Demonstrators hold placards in support of U.S. President Donald Trump's stance against what he calls racist laws, land expropriation, and farm attacks, outside the American Embassy in Pretoria, South Africa, on Feb. 15, 2025. Siphiwe Sibeko/Reuters
Max du Preez, a veteran South African journalist, described South Africa as “a country at war with itself.”
“Look, we aren’t Ukraine where cities are being bombed. But we are a country where a lot of men consider rape to be a sport,” he told The Epoch Times: “We are a country where murder is extremely common and very few are ever solved. Violent crime is everywhere.”
According to the latest government statistics, South Africa recorded 5,727 murders from January to March. In that same period, 10,688 rapes were reported.
The country’s official unemployment rate is almost 33 percent. An expanded definition of unemployment, which includes those who’ve given up looking for work, is more than 43 percent.
Du Preez said, “So we have millions of black people, especially jobless youth, with nothing to do all day. They’re angry. If there’s going to be a race revolution, this is where it’s coming from. It’s a ticking time bomb.”
He said Trump’s executive order and offer of asylum to Afrikaners “is part of a narrative of fear that’s been pervasive in white South Africa, and elsewhere, for generations: The fear of a black uprising that results in the mass killing of whites similar to the Rwandan genocide … The fear that blacks finally take revenge on whites for apartheid.”
Several leftist and extremist groups in South Africa have suggested exactly this.
The Black First Land First movement has repeatedly called for whites to be killed.
Julius Malema, the leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), South Africa’s fourth largest political party, often sings a song called “Kill the farmer,” and has said a “revolution” of poor black people is coming to drive whites out of South Africa.
“It’s a war between white supremacy and black consciousness. You must know the two will never meet. We are in a permanent war with white supremacists,” he said, according to South Africa’s Human Rights Commission, a government-funded organization. The agency has, on numerous occasions, found Malema not guilty of hate speech.
A general view of soy beans being planted in a field on a farm in Balfour, South Africa, on Oct. 20, 2021. Phill Magakoe/AFP via Getty Images
Professor Hein Willemse of the Afrikaans Department at the University of Pretoria, said many Afrikaners feel “besieged.”
“Land is very important to the Afrikaner. Most successful commercial farmers are Afrikaners,” he told The Epoch Times.
“Take their land away and take away their rights to mother tongue education—which we also see happening—and their rights to employment, through affirmative action, plus the fact that they’re often victims of crime, and they feel backed into a corner. They feel their culture is being erased.”
According to a government census taken in 2022, there are 4.5 million whites in South Africa, making up just over 7 percent of a population of 63.2 million.
“Must whites in South Africa continuously bend the knee in gratitude that we haven’t been exterminated yet?” asked Kallie Kriel, who leads Afrikaner rights organization AfriForum. “In this context, President Trump’s offer is a tremendous acknowledgement, they feel someone in power, the most powerful political leader on earth, is listening to them and recognizing their fear and suffering.”
He said South Africa is “a mix of privileged whites and privileged blacks.”
“Of course there will be millions more blacks in poverty. I mean, look at the population numbers,” said Kriel.
“These critics can come see for themselves what it’s like to live in so-called ‘white privilege.’ These Afrikaners now in America, I wish them all the best.”
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Site: Crisis Magazine
Progressives do not seem to understand the dramatic societal transformation that is occurring among young people searching for meaning in an increasingly chaotic culture. Failing to recognize these changes, David Hogg, the clueless Democratic National Committee Vice Chair, recently told an interviewer that young people just want to “get laid and have fun.” The truth is that Gen Z is rejecting the…
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Site: Real Investment Advice
Is this a "stealth" bear market? Of course, you may be asking yourself what I mean by that.
Historically, bear markets have tended to be pretty evident, as highlighted in the chart below. These bear markets are often more protracted affairs that lead to investors developing profoundly negative sentiment towards markets. This article will use a weekly moving average crossover to identify "corrections" and "bear markets." While our definition may not "jive" with the mainstream narrative, the reasoning will be evident momentarily.
When the short-term moving average crosses below the long-term, a “sell signal” occurs. That trigger suggests that investors should reduce equity risk in portfolios. When that signal reverses, investors should increase equity risk. Since 1995, the weekly indicator has only given three “false” signals. However, those signals were quickly reversed as the bull market continued, doing little harm to investors’ total returns. The signals warned investors of critical downturns to reduce equity exposure and avoid more significant capital destruction.
The only actual "bear market" over this period was the 2000 "Dot.com crash" and the 2008 "Financial Crisis." These were the only two declines that broke the previous bullish price trend. Since then, every highlighted drawdown has been a "correction" within the ongoing bullish price trend. Of course, that was a function of the Federal Reserve's repeated interventions to mitigate any economic and financial instability risk.
In 2000 and 2008, the moving average crossover signal warned investors that a recessionary onset was coming 9 and 12 months ahead of actual recognition. The weekly moving average signals also triggered a sell signal in early 2022 ahead of the ~20% decline, although the NBER did not recognize a recessionary onset. For our purposes, 2022 was a "stealth" bear market. While the major indices did not correct that much, there was a lot of devastation below the surface, hidden by the effects of "passive investing."
Notably, these signals are not always perfect. The drawdown was so swift in 2020 during the pandemic shutdown that the signals to reduce and increase exposure occurred within two months. However, outside of anomalous events, paying attention to these moving average signals over the longer term can provide investors with a valuable roadmap to follow.
But we will add one more piece of analysis to determine whether we are in a "stealth bear market" or just a correction.
Risk Ranges & Signal Confirmations
Understanding that the market tends to lead the economy by six months or more, we can use longer-term market signals to help us navigate the risk of a more significant correction driven by a recessionary downturn.
We have produced a weekly “risk range analysis" in the #BullBearReport for several years. That report contains several measures of analysis, as shown below.
- The table compares the relative performance of each sector and market to the S&P 500 index.
- “MA XVER” (Moving Average Crossover) is determined by the short-term weekly moving average crossing positively or negatively with the long-term weekly moving average.
- The risk range is a function of the month-end closing price and the”“bet”” of the sector or market. (Ranges reset on the 1st of each month)
- The table shows the price deviation above and below the weekly moving averages.
For this analysis, we will focus on the far right column. In the above example, November 2021, every primary market and sector (except for the U.S. dollar) was on a bullish moving average crossover. Given this is weekly data, it is slower to move, which tends to provide better signals for both increasing and reducing portfolio risk.
The "Stealth Bear Market" Of 2022
Of course, in mid-January 2022, the market started to struggle, but the outlook for equities remained very bullish. The investor allocation and sentiment index remained at high levels in "greed" territory.
However, the number of markets and sectors on "bearish" moving average crossovers had increased markedly compared to just two months earlier. While that deterioration was increasing, akin to an undetected virus, the overall market appeared healthy.
However, the "stealth bear market" eroded investor capital as the virus spread. Each subsequent decline turned more markets and sectors into bearish sell signals. However, that erosion within the market also indicates when a stealth bear market is near completion. The report below is from the October 6th, 2022, Bull Bear Report:
“The selling pressure continued this week, taking almost every sector and market into double-digit deviations below long-term weekly moving averages. Such extremes are not sustainable, and when all markets and sectors are this oversold, a reflexive rally becomes highly probable.”
The table below shows that almost every sector and market had bearish moving average sell signals triggered. At the time, however, media headlines were filled with “death of the dollar,” recession warnings, and bear market alerts. However, such negative extremes are often coincident with market bottoms.
Of course, as we now know in hindsight, October 2022 marked the bottom of the market, and the recession predictions have faded into the past. While it was not the "great bear market" many had predicted, and the world did not end, even "stealth" bear markets can be painful.
Such seems to be where we are currently.
2025 Walking A Similar Path
Heading into the end of 2024, the market posted its second annual 20% gain since the 2022 correction. Unsurprisingly, virtually every primary market and sector was on weekly bullish buy signals, confirming the bull market trend was intact. However, as noted above, when virtually everything is a "buy," the question should become, "Who is left to buy?" Such was the point we discussed in early January 2025 in "Curb Your Enthusiasm."
"With slowing economic growth, fiscal policy uncertainties, global challenges, overconfident sentiment, and ambitious earnings expectations, investors have plenty of reasons to approach the markets carefully. There will be a time to raise significant cash levels. A good portfolio management strategy will ensure exposure decreases and cash levels rise when the selling begins."
Furthermore, investor sentiment and allocations are also extremely bullish, suggesting that market risk was increasing.
Of course, that overly bullish sentiment and investor allocation mix gave way in late March and early April as President Trump shocked the world with a more aggressive-than-expected tariff plan. That event caused a very sharp reversal of allocations and sentiment, leading to our conclusion on April 6th that there was "Hope In The Fear" for contrarian investors. To wit:
"The weekly “Risk Range Report” details three critical factors investors should know. The first is that the recent market crash has pushed every major market and sector well below normal monthly tolerances. Only during market crash events do you see such uniformity of extremes across all markets. Secondly, the deviations from longer-term moving averages have reached double digits. Such deep deviations across many sectors and markets are also unusual and historically precede bullish reversions to the mean."
Furthermore, the investor sentiment and allocation measures were at more extreme lows.
"While readings are not as negative as seen during the 2020 correction or 2008 bear market, current readings are at levels that have also previously confirmed near-term market lows and reflexive rallies. When these readings are combined with the technical readings above, investors are provided with a higher degree of confidence versus non-confirmed readings."
Since then, the market has recovered nicely. However, the question is whether the current "stealth bear market" is over, just as in October 2022.
Corrections Tend To Be Opportunities
Just as we saw in 2022, the promoters of "bearish porn" are seizing the headlines with irrational fears of the "loss of reserve currency status," the "deficit doom loop," and the impending "market crash" that will wipe out investors. Such headlines are great for getting clicks and views, but do little to help investors build long-term wealth. Sure, those things can happen, but they won't happen this year, and most likely not in your lifetime. So it is crucial to focus on the time frame and factors within our control.
Once again, most markets and sectors are on "bearish crossovers." Does this mean the "stealth bear market" is set to continue? Or was the April low, with profoundly deep negative sentiment, the end of the correction?
Unfortunately, it is too early to know for sure. However, we are watching the longer-term moving averages closely. When more of these indicators reverse from bearish to bullish, the return of a more bullish market will be indicated.
However, risk remains somewhat elevated for the moment, and investors should consider being more conscious of portfolio risk until things become more certain. The one crucial note is that reversing the current bearish signals to bullish is an opportunity for astute investors for longer-term returns.
Revert To Your Process
Given the uncertainty of what potentially happens next, the recent rally is an excellent opportunity to adjust portfolio risks to navigate the next leg of this market cycle.
Step 1) Clean Up Your Portfolio
- Tighten up stop-loss levels to current support levels for each position.
- Hedge portfolios against significant market declines.
- Take profits in positions that have been big winners.
- Sell laggards and losers.
- Raise cash and rebalance portfolios to target weightings.
The next step is to rebalance your portfolio to the allocation that will most likely weather a “cold snap.” In other words, consider what sectors and markets will improve in whatever economic environment you believe we will experience in 2025.
Step 2) Compare Your Portfolio Allocation To The Model Allocation.
- Determine areas requiring new or increased exposure.
- Calculate how many shares to purchase to fill allocation requirements.
- Determine cash requirements to make purchases.
- Re-examine the portfolio to rebalance and raise sufficient cash for requirements.
- Determine entry price levels for each new position.
- Evaluate “stop-loss” levels for each position.
- Establish “sell/profit taking” levels for each position.
Step 3) Have positions ready to execute accordingly, given the proper market set-up. In this case, we are looking for positions that have either a “value” tilt or have pulled back to support and provide a lower-risk entry opportunity.
While market conditions remain uncertain, preparing and adjusting strategies can help investors navigate volatility confidently. As technical indicators flash warning signs, a well-structured risk management approach will protect capital and preserve long-term gains.
Understand that this "stealth bear market" will end. When it does, you want to be able to take advantage of it, not just recover with it.
The post The Stealth Bear Market appeared first on RIA.
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Site: Crisis Magazine
Just a few days ago, on May 20, 2025, actor George Wendt passed away. For many of us who grew up watching Cheers,or later discovered it through reruns, George Wendt was simply “Norm.” He was the guy on the barstool with dry wit, stoicism, and a steady presence that never demanded attention yet somehow became the soul of the show. You felt like you knew him, even if he barely said a word.
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Site: Zero HedgeWorkers Receive Less Than 1% Of The Price Of A T-ShirtTyler Durden Mon, 05/26/2025 - 04:45
The global apparel market is a trillion-dollar industry that employs tens of millions of workers around the world.
But, as Statista's Felix Richter reports, despite the industry’s strong growth over the past two decades, it remains heavily skewed towards the top of the value chain.
While a small number of large multinational companies that dominate the apparel market globally make billions in profit each year, factory workers in textile-producing countries barely make a living wage, all while facing poor working conditions that are often not only uncomfortable but unsafe.
Estimates published by the Clean Clothes Campaign reveal the extent to which workers are disadvantaged in the industry.
The organization broke down the retail price of a T-shirt sold for €29 in Europe to illustrate where the money ends up.
You will find more infographics at Statista
It shows that factory workers receive less than one percent of the price of a T-shirt produced in Bangladesh and sold at a typical ready-to-wear retailer in Europe.
The largest part of the final sales price, almost 60 percent, ends up with retailers in the form of store profit, staff, rent and sales tax.
The next largest shares are brand profit and material costs, each at 12 percent of the final price and transport costs at 8 percent.
Meanwhile the factory in Bangladesh makes little more than its workers, with an estimated 4 percent of the final price ending up as factory profit.
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Site: Zero HedgeEscobar: European Kakistocracy Locked In a Forever War Against RussiaTyler Durden Mon, 05/26/2025 - 04:00
Authored by Pepe Escobar,
Never interrupt your enemy when he is committing serial suicide (in reverse American gore-style, when the serial killer always resurrects). In the case of the EU kakistocracy, serial self-destruction is always a given, and always skyrocketing.
So the EUrocrats in Brussels have just adopted their 17th round of sanctions against Russia – the sky is the limit – targeting nearly 200 tankers of the so-called Russian shadow fleet. The package, endorsed by EU member states, includes proverbial scores of asset freezes and visa bans.
The EU + UK combo is also scheming how to tighten the oil price cap on Russia to $50 a barrel, aiming to “hurt” Russia’s energy revenue.
Cue to a monster pipeline of laughter from the whole Global South, especially India and China. As if they would impeach any vessels of the shadow fleet, or if OPEC+ would care about a puny unilateral EUrocrat oil price cap.
To qualify EU actions as self-destructive anti-intellectualism is actually benign. The IQ of people at the top in Brussels is at dismembered worm level, exemplified by the Estonian batshit crazy chick in theory representing the foreign policy of 450 million EU citizens. Brussels has been reduced to a pathetic Estonian propaganda snake pit with a whiff of British accent.
The SVR has noted how there is a groundswell of despair in Brussels for the “mistake” of appointing the imbecile Estonian, universally known for “absolute incompetence” and a cringing “inability to build bridges” with EU leaders. She has already been removed from EU strategic defense policy planning.
Still, the sanctions package dementia will keep rollin’ on – redacted by careerists with fat salaries who only care about their own retirement gold package.
The next, the 18th, is supposed to be the largest sanctions package in History, according to the Brussels rumor mill, not only accusing Russia of multiples stances of Hybrid War and alleged use of chemical weapons (when it’s actually the neo-nazis of country 404 who resort to it) but targeting several Russian defense sector companies plus companies and intermediaries from third countries supplying sanctioned products to Russia.
Add to it the German BlackRock chancellor actively lobbying for an EU ban on the Nord Stream pipeline – blocking any possibility of a U.S.-Russia business cooperation, already signaled by Trump. This ban will be part of the 18th package.
Cue to Grandmaster Sergey Lavrov, who recently felt the need to emphasize that political EUro-trash banning the return of NordStream are “either sick or suicidal.”
Stealing Russia blind: good luck with that
On the Baltic front, there’s more, of course – in a “Pirates of the Baltics” register: that’s the SIGINT-heavy Baltic Sentry mission, which aims to block Russian maritime activity. France is on it – which implies a non-regional NATO member directly involved, unlike, for instance, Norway.
The Russians are unfazed. A strong possibility is that they will escort Russian ships with multi-functional naval and aerial drones fully equipped with reconnaissance and combat gear.
Yet on the Orwellian front, nothing beats the anti-Russian “tribunal” announced on May 9 by EU foreign ministers in Lviv, together with Kiev, to “hold top representatives of the Russian leadership accountable.” That involves 30 partner countries, incuding UK and Australia. The U.S. is out.
The scam was minutely deconstructed by Thomas Roper, who is now viciously demonized and censored by the EU, even though he is a journalist and EU citizen of German nationality. Yes, Brussels now sanctions its own citizens capable of critical thinking, to the point of freezing their assets and forbidding them to visit their home country. And this is just the beginning.
The new EU kangaroo “court” will be set up by the Council of Europe – and will issue judgments even in absentia, via 15 judges elected for 9 years each, the whole thing costing the EUrocracy around 1 billion euros.
Needless to add that this kangaroo “court” has absolutely no basis in international law, as it’s not approved by the UN; instead, it’s a private club of the fragmented West. Follow the money to understand the rationale.
Few people today remember that last year the European Commission (EU) gave a $50 billion loan to Kiev; actually $35 billion by the EU and $15 billion by the G7. The problem is only Brussels is responsible for repaying this joint EU-G7 loan. And the loan is supposed to be paid from the annual revenues generated by Russian assets frozen – i.e. stolen – in the EU, which Brussels refuses to release before the next 45 years.
These are all official EU decisions, enshrined in Regulation 2024/277. Translation: no, I repeat, no European mainstream media has informed taxpaying citizens across the union that the EU has formally decided to be at war with Russia for at least the next 45 years.
Brussels has done everything trying to steal for good the “confiscated” Russian assets. The problem is the EC EUrocrats have not found a mechanism to bypass international law.
Enter the “court”. The EUrocracy will force the kangaroo “tribunal” to blame Russia for everything related to the war and the SMO; sentence Russian government members to long-term prison sentences – in absentia; and then decide that Russia has to pay reparations. Endgame: the kangaroo “court” decides to steal for good the frozen Russian assets.
Once again: under international law, this is a robbery. Key inevitable consequence: no one across the Global South will trust the euro and European financial centers anymore.
This Russian demonization EUro-dementia scenario is in play just as Trump 2.0 still bets on some sort of normalization with Russia via a solution for Ukraine. Yet the key factor here is the cowardly collective fear of the EU kakistocracy: if they don’t rob Russia blind, they have no means to repay that fateful $50 billion loan to the Kiev goons.
That should be the main factor explaining why this collection of political mutts needs, badly, to non-stop escalate what is a de facto Forever War against Russia.
So expect only dementia coming from Brussels in the foreseeable future. Like the brilliant idea of setting up a single military bank to alocate loans for weapons production, a replica of the World Bank with a HQ in London. Since they could not find 120 billion euros to come up with a single European military fund – the German economy, for instance, continues to collapse – their plan B is this bank.
For all that cornucopia of sound and fury, Russia remains, once again, unfazed. Putin top aide and former National Security Adviser Nikolai “Yoda” Patrushev has noted how NATO has been “conducting exercises at our borders at a scale unseen in decades. … They are training for conducting a broad offensive from Vilnius to Odessa, seizing Kaliningrad region, imposing a naval blockade in the Baltic and the Black Seas and executing preventive strikes on the staging locations of Russian nuclear deterrence forces.”
Good luck with that. Good luck with the military bank. And good luck with stealing Russia blind with no blowback.
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Site: RT - News
The Ukrainian leader earlier rebuked the US for its “silence,” which he claimed “encourages” Russia to carry out new strikes
Public remarks by Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky are only making things worse for his country, US President Donald Trump has said. His comments came after the Ukrainian leader accused the US of a lack of support, which he claimed benefits Russia.
Trump took to Truth Social on Sunday to criticize Zelensky for making diplomatic efforts to settle the Ukraine conflict more difficult. The Ukrainian leader, he said, “is doing his country no favors by talking the way he does. Everything out of his mouth causes problems. I don’t like it, and it better stop.”
The US president added that the conflict “would never have started” if he had been in office. “This is Zelensky’s, Putin’s, and Biden’s War, not ‘Trump’s.’ I am only helping to put out the big and ugly fires, that have been started through gross incompetence and hatred,” he said.
Read moreUS should never have intervened in Ukraine – Trump
Trump’s comments came after Zelensky criticized his Western backers, including the US, for what he described as a lackluster reaction to Russia’s latest large-scale air strike. “America’s silence, the silence of others in the world, only encourages Putin,” Zelensky said, calling for increased pressure and sanctions on Moscow.
The exchange occurred amid an escalation in fighting between Russia and Ukraine, with Moscow accusing Kiev of launching hundreds of drones between Tuesday and Friday alone. According to Russian air defense commander Yury Dashkin, one strike took place during a visit by Russian President Vladimir Putin to Kursk Region, where his helicopter “was at the epicenter” of a Ukrainian drone assault.
The Russian Foreign Ministry has vowed an appropriate response, stating that the Ukrainian strikes are intended to “disrupt direct Russian-Ukrainian negotiations” aimed at a lasting settlement.
The Russian Defense Ministry later announced a successful strike on a drone and missile production plant in Kiev as well as a radar surveillance center and a US-made Patriot air defense system. Moscow has repeatedly said its strikes are never aimed at civilians.
Trump, however, voiced disapproval of Russian actions, claiming that Putin had “gone absolutely CRAZY” and alleging that he had targeted Ukraine with recent strikes “for no reason whatsoever.” The US president has on several occasions threatened to impose new sanctions on Russia if he does not see peace efforts making progress.
However, following a call between Trump and Putin last week, Axios reported that the US leader is still refraining from imposing new restrictions on Moscow. Instead, he reportedly told European leaders that he believes “Putin wants a deal” and that diplomacy remains possible.
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Site: Mises InstituteWhile no one is accusing egg producers of colluding or price-fixing, from an economic standpoint, it certainly could be happening either by design or incidentally.
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Site: Mises InstituteWhile no one is accusing egg producers of colluding or price-fixing, from an economic standpoint, it certainly could be happening either by design or incidentally.
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Site: The Unz ReviewComing from a rightist, pro-white perspective, it’s easy to ascribe to Donald Trump God-tier levels of 4D-chess. I don’t think this is true, but it’s certainly tempting because of the ripple effect, which almost always happens whenever Trump does anything. Trump will act upon Principle A, which, on paper at least, is fair-minded and generous....
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Site: The Unz ReviewOn May 14, China launched into orbit the first batch of satellites for its space computing constellation aboard a Long March 2D rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre. Unlike traditional sensing or communication satellites, those 12 satellites are essentially super computers designed for space-based data processing and AI applications. They form part of the...
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Site: The Unz ReviewLast month I warned in these pages that Donald Trump faces a stark choice regarding Iran: “Nuclear Deal II or World War III.” I pointed out that Iran is open to a deal, but that it won’t be much different from the JCPOA that Trump unilaterally canceled during his first term. Failure to reach a...
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Site: The Unz ReviewAlthough ChatGPT and other AI systems have received massive media attention since late 2022, I only began dipping my toe in those waters about a year ago. At that time, I released a series of chatbots for many of the individual authors on our website, with each of these produced by focusing it individually upon...
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Site: The Unz ReviewAn Address to the Fourth Finnish Awakening Conference in Hyvinkää, May 24, 2025 by F. Roger Devlin The theme of this conference was announced as “immigration and the white fertility crisis.” The two subjects are obviously related. Certain resources are not elastic, such as territory. The more of a nation’s territory is occupied by immigrants,...
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