ericbj

We could perhaps be about to see a proxy war between China and the United States, where China hopes to see a substantial reduction of its antagoniser's capacity for global power projection, without great loss to itself (a sort of re-run of the Ukraine War, but with positions reversed) : https://www.thedefensenews.com/news-details/China-Supplies-HQ-9B-Missiles-to-Iran-in-Oil-for-Weapons-Agreement "In a development that underscores the growing strategic alignment between Tehran and Beijing, Iran has reportedly entered into a barter agreement with China, exchanging large volumes of crude oil for HQ-9B long-range air defense systems and other advanced military technologies."

You may be assuming that the company managing an ETF is doing it not only on a charity basis but without having to cover any overheads. Unfortunately that is not the case. The gold bullion an ETF purchases has to be stored and insured, and this involves costs. Moreover you will need to study the small print of the ETF's Conditions to discover to what extent the net asset value of the fund must consist of physical gold and how much may be 'paper gold', i.e. derivatives. The ordinary investor cannot withdraw his investment in the form of gold. 'Whales' may be able to do so and if much use is made of this right it can substantially affect the value of the fund. Bullionvault custody charges (including insurance): Gold: 0.12% per annum with a monthly minimum of $4. Hope this helps.

Does that mean printing more dollars ?

What defenses does this fleet possess against hypersonic missiles ?

Scammers are sometimes both skilful and patient. They build up trust over a period of time. With the help of accomplices, of convincing arguments, and seemingly genuine but actually false documents bearing, for example, bank letterheads. I was nearly scammed once over a considerable period of time, many years ago (have forgotten the details), but fortunately smelt a rat and broke contact. But then was successfully scammed by a pseudo-Portuguese "businessman" supposedly dying of cancer and who claimed wished to "leave money to the poor people of Burma". Which had me looking into how to set up such things as a trust account in Thailand, and eventually making a payment to release funds. All this supported with seemingly convincing documents. A Kayah retired veterinary friend of mine from the U.S. was ripped off by a Burmese New Yorker who pursuaded him to put money into his FX speculation fund. He did so, and received a couple of fat cheques not long after. So put in most of his life savings. And that was the end of it. Gold is an excellent store of value, especially in uncertain times. But many Thais lost their gold during the Asian crisis of 1997. Because it was stored with the dealers they bought it through, who went bankrupt. The creditors took all, because the gold was not ALLOCATED (legally owned) by those who had paid for it. Hold the metal, not paper. Or, if you want leverage, shares in successful mining, streaming or royalty companies.

These articles may be of interest as regards pollution by motorbikes: https://motorgearexpert.com/how-much-do-motorcycles-pollute/ https://gearjunkie.com/motors/motorcycle-vs-vehicle-emissions

It seems Trump is being pressurised by not only Natanyahou but also people within his own circle to require what is effectively total surrender of Iran. No longer just concerns nuclear industry, but surrender of missiles, etc., etc. Details in this interview of Alastair Crooke by Col.Davis:

Aircraft-carriers are about as useful. in these days of hypersonic missiles, as battleships were at Pearl Harbour. The destroyers are there to protect them. But how much protecting will they be able to do? Iran is now better protected with Russian and Chinese technology than last June. Which was, according to some sources, a mutually arranged piece of theatre to get Natanyahou off Trump's back and get Trump to leave Iran in peace. (Details of the strike on the U.S. base in Qatar, etc., tend to confirm this interpretation) But the result was short lived; and so Iran has allegedly already turned down a further proposal of shadow-boxing. She is now hard-faced. As a prelude to negotiations? Trusting that Trump will back down as he often does? Can he afford to back down this time? There comes a point where he must stand firm or lose all credibility, despite his proclivity for trumpeting failures as crushing successes. It's possible Iran may offer him a fig-leaf, in the hope the Emperor accepts it to cover his nakedness. If in Iran's position, what decision should she take? Impossible to know without having full details of the balance of power, in technical terms. Will China and Russia give full military backing to Iran, not merely hardware and intelligence. Iran is not Venezuela. She is a neighbour and an ally. Close support does not require projecting power to the far side of the globe. Crippling a significant fraction of U.S. naval strength placed at arms length could significantly diminish the ability to dominate the further reaches of the world. And would leave some of its far-flung bases exposed. If the Trump administration were sincere in its claims to have accepted the concept of a multipolar world, many of its approximately 800 foreign military bases would be superfluous. And it would not be raising its 2026 military budget by a further half-trillion dollars. The danger for either side is to be surprised. A waiting game, and distractions, can increase the chances of being caught unawares. So if an attack is deemed likely, a possible solution may be to provoke it. With a feint.

This is all very interesting. However certain questions must be raised. Analyses of core samples of polar ice show that there are found to be much higher levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide during certain periods of Ice Age. Were these samples wrongly dated? (it's possible) Atmospheric CO2 during the period preceding the Industrial Revolution is considered, by some, to have been approaching the lower limit for supporting plant growth, i.e. all higher forms of life, including carnivores. Current levels are apparently still below sub-optimal. The reason why some greenhouse-growers purchase cylinders of compressed CO2 to enrich the air in their greenhouses. The "greenhouse effect" of CO2 is minor compared to that of methane now bubbling up in huge volume from the bottom of the warming Arctic Ocean (which puts to shame the effect of cow-farts). Annual average temperature measurements at world-wide weather stations are claimed by some to be deceptive because such facilities, commonly established close to major cities, are now often surrounded by urban sprawl; where surface temperatures tend to be higher. Temperatures of the upper atmosphere, recorded by NASA, are said to show cooling over the past quarter of a century. Astrophysicists tell us that the Sun is entering a cooling cycle likely to last several decades. The Sun is our principal source of warmth and light, essential for life. We know that pack-ice over the Arctic Ocean is melting fast. If global temperatures are not rising, how can this be so? I am not a climatologist. But it is well known that there is an accelerating drop in the Earth's magnetic field which is disrupting the ionosphere and in so doing exposing us to particulate radiation from the Sun (potentially opening a pandora's box of problems). The Jet Stream is changing, and with it so are the ocean currents. Winds are strengthening, although not much as yet. Earthquakes and volcanic activity are said to be increasing. The oceans are warming. These changes have been linked to the weakening of our ionosphere, our protective envelope. Antarctica is a continent, not an ocean as in the Arctic. Is the kilometres-thick inland ice there (less affected by ocean temperatures) melting the same way as at the opposite pole? We must be careful not to imitate the supposed bahaviour of lemmings.

Cannabis TREES ! Is this a mistranslation ?

Good move. 2-stroke engines are very polluting. Not worried about CO2: we breathe it out; just plant more trees. It's the filthy stuff that pollutes our air. And then there's the noise pollution.

Too true. European freedom is threatened by unrepresentative politicians and unelected bureaucrats, parasites who are sucking dry the ever-diminishing wealth of our peoples. And to cover up and further extend their racket, they seek to persuade us to give them yet more wealth to supposedly protect us from our Russian neighbours. Neighbours who were happy to trade with us on a mutually beneficial basis. But our leaders, under orders from their puppet-masters across the pond, led us up the garden path by adopting a policy of provocation based upon illusory narratives that drew a curtain of steel and explosive across our Continent. Result: wealth, infrastructure, and people blown to pieces The puppet-masters have seen, not the error of their ways, but the failure to achieve their goal. They have shifted their centre of operations, leaving us with their can of worms. Exposing our leaders' misguidedness. Which they will not admit. So they double down. Leaders who fail on such a monumental scale must be sacrificed.

Must be a joke !

If the cost of flying a seriously injured person is really 170,000 GBP as stated this sounds like a total rip-off. Unless it involves flying him to the U.K. in a private jet rather than making temporary modifications on a scheduled flight. Individuals of adult age should have the option of choosing their insurance and adapting their activities accordingly, or having none at all. Free choice and individual responsibility. You need to be a millionaire to be fully covered for everything. But governments of countries-of-origin, host-countries, airlines, and insurance companies should be jointly responsible for highlighting risks and consequences. To enable informed decision, especially by younger people who might otherwise give little thought to insurance to cover major accidents. Youth is by nature optimistic.

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What he says is correct. But he has done nothing to oppose the 2021 military coup, even at a time when things were going well for the pro-democracy forces and his intervention might have tipped the balance. His S.S.A. South is the successor of drug lord Khun Sa's Mong Tai Army.

Migrants become colonists once they fail to move on elsewhere. And if their numbers are sufficient they can determine who holds power. That is what Starmer is counting on.

A cleanliness score, not a corruption score.

I think you must be referring to those former British North Americans (not the 100,000 or so loyal Americans who mostly fled north), the United-Staters, sometimes abbreviated to Yankees. Although maybe our Confederate friends should be excluded. :-)

So-called "Labour" got in with a large majority of seats despite being voted for by a minority of the overall votes cast. Not for any merits they possess but from long-proven incompetence of the so-called "Conservatives". That they are likely to be running the country until 2029 is devastating news for what should be a grassroots democracy, in urgent need of competent guidance and leadership. Both of the above factors highlight the need for careful reform of electoral procedures, to ensure as far as practically possible: 1. The taking into account of second preferences, to counter the effects of "split-voting" where more than two parties are contesting an election. 2. Governments adhere to major electoral promises. Or, if changed circumstances require abandoning them, they seek approval from their electorate. Or submit to new elections. My personal belief is that Reform comes closest at the present time to what the country wants and needs. But does Farage have the ability to lead the country? A brilliant and courageous spokesperson; but, I believe, too opportunistic, unreliable and self-seeking. Ben Habib of Advance UK seems more inspiring. Check him out !

It's a non-story. NATO members have long fostered from inside and outside the Ukraine the killing of both Russian soldiers and civilians. And now some media chap gets a bit more audience by suggesting sending ballistics the other way. They should have done us the favour of eliminating Mark Rutte.

The answer to this question is that there is no one answer that fits everyone in every circumstance at all ages. If you are looking for advice, tell us: Age Health Genetic pre-dispositions Physical activities (or sedentary life-style?) Road-accident risks Family care support Emotional stresses Diet and drink Medical history and any ongoing treatments & Financial reserves; and preparedness to gamble with them. Accidents, especially on the roads, can happen to anyone, irrespective of how careful. Thailand has the second highest per capita road fatality rate in the world. Although once dead, your insurance needs may be limited. The greater your financial cushion, the less essential may be insurance. The less you can afford insurance, the more you may need it. Hospitalisation (as opposed to outpatient treatment) is what can cost a fortune. Either your insurer must be accredited with the hospital or you must have the money readily available and then claim back from the insurer. After tripping up and breaking a hip four months ago, four days in the nearest private hospital + operation cost 300,000 baht, of which 100,000 payable before the operation and the remainder before leaving. A Karen friend had to go to the bank to draw the cash from my 800k THB deposit, >3 months from visa renewal! A mutual friend absented herself from work and remained with me in the hospital, sleeping on the floor. And being much handicapped on leaving, I have been living in her nousehold where her many family members care for me. Until not long before, I had possessed another deposit, for emergencies, that would have more than covered the hospital costs, but it had gone to pay for a building plot for my long-time former-student friend. I hastened to sell a bit of the yellow stuff in order to refurbish my deposit account with paper Ponzi notes. I was expecting the insurers to reimburse me the full cost under my inpatient-only, accident-only policy. But obviously I had not studied the details in the accompanying small-print, because my reimbursement came to only a little more than half. It was slightly more than the sum of the past three years' premiums. So I am not complaining. The premium had been fixed because of no claims, but will now rise upon renewal.

You are right if referring to density. A kilo bar in one's pocket would be a burden. But I am too nervous, and don't really see the need, to carry around with me some 160,000 USD's worth.

If there is no fiat currency available people will barter. And what is more convenient than gold or silver. Money for thousands of years, and with good reason.

Some deep information from an expert source on the Middle East, Alastair Crooke: Trump is entangled and Iran isn't about to collapse