ericbj

What’s Really Going On in Thailand ?

Destroying any survivors can be rationalised on the grounds that it was necessary to prevent the public learning that the boat was not carrying drugs. If survivors were in fact killed by a second strike, this tends to confirm the killers did not know what the purpose of the journey was. This killing, like the others, was just a necessary ingredient in a bogus narrative. Pre-meditated murder is murder, and the culprits must be tried. The Nuremburg trials clearly established that obeying orders is no excuse. Those that issue an order and those that execute it are guilty.

If small boats and their civilian occupants can be destroyed without ANY evidence (let alone incontrevertible proof) of an alleged as-yet-to-be-committed crime, this opens the door to attacking naval vessels patrolling off the Venezuelan coast on suspicion they are there as part of an invasion force. U.S. lives are wantonly being put at risk, in furtherance of either an illegal invasion or the threat of committing such a crime.

Och, laddie. Yer enoof te mak a shep'erd throo doon 'is krook an' shag 'is fookin' sheep !

Yes, diarrhoea is the manner the body discharges toxins from the intestines. Suppressing the symptom can have adverse effects; similarly to unnecessarily suppressing a fever can lead to paralysis from a polio infection (fortunately now rare but could recur). Before the War a standard medical treatment for dysentery was to administer opium to stop the diarrhoeia. Result: a high mortality rate. Latterly I believe there is more accent on replacing lost fluid. [source: The Manual of Tropical Medicine I possessed when in TPNG]

Bangladesh’s missing billions, stolen in plain sight | Financial Times Film

I order buckwheat groats from Good Karma here in Thailand and then generally mill it into flour with a manual milling machine (a good one but hard work). Miss the electric one purchased in Europe to bring out here, but then left behind to keep luggage within weight restrictions. Buy groats rather than flour because of better shelf-life in a damp climate. Use mainly to make pancakes (traditional for Breton pancakes), chapattis, and the occasional cake. Was first introduced to buckwheat in the mid-1980s, when a volunteer in an alternative cancer centre. Only 'gluten-free' grains were consumed there: buckwheat, millet, rice, and 'cornflour' (maize). Buckwheat and millet were lightly grilled to crack the grains before adding water and boiling. Rapid preparation. The doctor in charge held that common allergens should be removed from the diet because allergic reactions over the long term weaken the immune system, and a weakened immune system can lead to the development of tumours from the innumerable cancer cells we constantly produce. But which a well-functioning immune system rapidly destroys. And, yes, she also laid great stress on a healthy well-balanced intestinal flora and short bowel transit time. Lacto-fermented foods, organic produce whenever possible, and avoidance of ultra-processed junk.

Not entirely true. The severe beatings of a large number of Mau Mau suspects in a vain effort to force them to admit they were members of the organisation (resulting in the deaths of some of them) led to a censure motion in the House of Commons. In an interview Labour M.P. Barbara Castle discussed this matter. She was prominent in attacking the Conservative Government. But she remarked that the most effective criticism of the government came from Enoch Powell, himself a Conservative. Whatever his views, Powell, sometime professor of classical Greek at Sydney University, had his principles. He would later come to be widely reviled, from both sides of the political spectrum, as a racist. For his strong opposition to mass immigration. Yet coloured members of his constituency said he always listened respectfully to their grievances and endeavoured to address them. In a recorded interview of his earlier life, including the war years when he rose from private soldier to brigadier, he remarked in the most sincere manner "I have a deep love for the peoples of India."

"4. Unilateral attempts to “close” another country’s airspace provoke strong legal pushback "Contemporary reporting on the November 2025 U.S.–Venezuela episode shows international actors treating unilateral announcements by foreign leaders as legally and politically provocative: Venezuela called the U.S. statement a “colonialist threat” and said it violated international law, while U.S. officials were reportedly surprised by the announcement, underlining that a foreign head of state cannot unilaterally extinguish another country’s sovereignty over its skies [7] [8] [3]. Advocacy groups and policy analysts argue that enforcing a no‑fly zone without U.N. authorization or host‑state consent could be an act of war." AI generated by https://factually.co/fact-checks/international-law/international-laws-governing-closure-of-airspace-to-foreign-aircraft-a01388

The climate is changing. Getting colder, overall, likely for the next couple of decades. Because of less solar activity. A natural cycle. Like it or not, we are TOTALLY dependent upon the Sun. Our genetic make-up which naturally and gradually evolves with changing environment is being confronted by sudden environmental changes and deliberate synthetic modification by madcap scientists who allocate to themselves the rights of divine intervention. Industrialists are poisoning us and our environment by the perennial introduction of unimaginable quantities of synthetic chemicals and high levels of radiation of kinds never previously encountered. Those in positions of power who think they know best (but clearly do not when judged by results) are progressively closing down channels of communication to the querying of official narratives. They wish to reduce our numbers, which is well underway except in Africa, because they cannot accept a global organisation that would permit current levels of population, because not seen as commensurate with their own self-interest. They know that individuals alone are powerless to resist. We derive our strength and meaning from the society we inhabit. Hence the need to destroy cultural identities in favour of an amorphous mass of a-social, a-moral, and potentially violent individuals. Regarding your bread, do you use commercial flour or grind your grain? One never knows what 'improvement agents' they put in commercial foodstuffs these days. Even whole grains grown "conventionally" will contain traces of glyphosate, an antibiotic [literally: anti-life]. In years past I baked my own bread, naturally leavened (no yeast, not even wild ones) from organic grain freshly ground by myself. Best tasting bread ever eaten. Very different taste. Heavy, a couple of slices made a meal. Left overnight to rise, covered with cloths over a large saucepan of hot water; the time taken to rise could be variable.

Burma Army does not care who it kills. Look at its record of massacring uncommitted non-combattants of all ages and both sexes. Bombing and shelling schools, hospitals, monastries,etc. Never was the epithet 'bloodthirsty' more appropriate. While public indignation has focussed upon Russia's provoked attack on the Kiev regime, scant attention is given to Russian and Chinese facilitation of the massacres occurring in Burma these past few years. Why such inattention ? Russia would undoubtedly be more heavily implicated if it were not for its involvement with Ukraine (It had to buy back some AFVs it had sold to Naypyithaw because needed for spare parts).

"Does Ukraine produce oil and gas? "Yes. But the country also depends heavily on energy imports. Exploration and production company Naftogaz is Ukraine’s largest state-owned entity. Ukraine produced 19 billion cubic meters of natural gas in 2020, according to the BP Statistical Review of World Energy. The country does not produce significant amounts of oil." [source: https://www.naturalgasintel.com/questions/does-ukraine-produce-oil-and-gas/ ] So it looks like Odessa's OMTP Oil Terminal is used for imports of oil not exports. If Russia gains access to the Ukraine's total oil production there will be nothing to export. And if future developments involved Russia exporting oil to Ukraine, there already exists a pipeline which is currently unused. Some additional info on Ukrainian naval drone attacks: "Kazakhstan on November 30 told Ukraine to stop making 'unacceptable' attacks on the Russian Black Sea coast terminal that handles the big majority of its oil exports and more than 1% of global oil. It spoke out following a major sea drone attack that damaged loading infrastructure and led to the halting of export shipments. " 'We view what has occurred as an action harming the bilateral relations of the Republic of Kazakhstan and Ukraine, and we expect the Ukrainian side to take effective measures to prevent similar incidents in the future,' the Kazakh energy ministry said. "The ministry pointed out that the attacked Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) oil export facility in the vicinity of Novorossiysk was an international energy project. Any forceful action against it posed direct risks to global energy security and caused “significant damage” to the interests of the consortium participants, it said. "CPC’s shareholders include Chevron, ExxonMobil, state-owned KazMunayGas and Russia’s Transneft, which participates on behalf of the Russian Federation." [source: https://www.msn.com/en-us/politics/international-relations/kazakhstan-tells-ukraine-to-cease-unacceptable-attacks-on-its-main-oil-export-facility-on-russian-black-sea-coast/ar-AA1Rtb73 ]

I favour where possiible acquiring an understanding of a given situation. That involves being open to conflicting sources of information. often promoting different narratives.

The Russian Stavka does not automatically act upon intelligence it possesses. But bides its time, awaiting the most appropriate moment. They are thoughtful rather than impulsive. Chess-players. Western leaders might learn from them. INSANE Bloodbath in NIKOLAYEV: Russia Wiped Out Ten Highly Qualified BRITISH Military Engineers

Here's to a Happy & Prosperous New Year: NEW YEAR’S EVE The end of the year fell chilly Between a moon and a moon; Thorough the twilight shrilly The bells rang, ringing no tune. The windows stained with story, The walls with miracle scored, Were hidden for gloom and glory Filling the house of the Lord. Arch and aisle and rafter And roof-tree dizzily high Were full of weeping and laughter And song and saying good-bye. There stood in the holy places A multitude none could name, Ranks of dreadful faces Flaming, transfigured in flame. Crown and tiar and mitre Were starry with gold and gem; Christmas never was whiter Than fear on the face of them. In aisles that emperors vaulted For a faith the world confessed, Abasing the Host exalted, They worshipped towards the west. They brought with laughter oblation; They prayed, not bowing the head; They made without tear lamentation, And rendered me answer and said: "0 thou that seest our sorrow, It fares with us even thus: To-day we are gods, to-morrow Hell have mercy on us. "Lo, morning over our border From out of the west comes cold; Down ruins the ancient order And empire builded of old. "Our house at even is queenly With psalm and censers alight: Look thou never so keenly Thou shalt not find us to-night. "We are come to the end appointed With sands not many to run: Divinities disanointed And kings whose kingdom is done. "The peoples knelt down at our portal, All kindreds under the sky; We were gods and implored and immortal Once; and to-day we die." They turned them again to their praying, They worshipped and took no rest Singing old tunes and saying "We have seen his star in the west," Old tunes of the sacred psalters, Set to wild farewells; And I left them there at their altars Ringing their own dead knells. [A.E.Housman]

Thailand is, by centuries-old tradition, a Buddhist country, and its inhabitants cannot be expected to have acquired the deep and indefinable feeling that once accompanied this festival in Europe, where it originated in the pre-Christian era. Going back nearly a quarter century, in the 'neck-of-the-woods' where I still find myself, there was nothing to mark Christmas Day. In lieu of sending Christmas cards (a habit long since abandoned) I had to buy postcards. Nowadays, wherever you are in the world, Christmas has become a commercial festival promoted by merchants, in furtherance of their sales. One aspect of which is that one is subjected to jingos evoking none of the feeling of traditional Christmas carols. I did several years ago discover the means to encourage the removal of Christmas decorations. When in a courier-service shop I remarked that in Britain the decorations were always taken down before Twelfth Night, as failure to do so brought bad luck. They forthwith removed them.

Some facts:

Has U.S. Intelligence made yet another mistake ? High on dope, maybe ? Getting mixed up and imagining Venezuela is Mexico or Colombia ? Rather as they once imagined their naval vessels were attacked in the Gulf of Tonkin, that Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction, that wars against such backwaters as Somalia, Afghanistan, Yemen, etc would be a pushover ? Latterly, persistent NATO provocation has led to a violent response deemed to justify punitive sanctions aimed at impoverishing the Russian people causing them to rise up and not only topple their government but also tear their resource-rich country apart into multiple chunks readily exploitable by major western financial interests. Such a simple plan ! Where can it have gone wrong ? Could it be that that the Russian Federation is so much stronger and more resilient than other countries the U.S. has in the recent past fought so successfully, as viewed by certain plutocratic interests ? https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/ukrainealert/putins-russian-empire-is-collapsing-like-its-soviet-predecessor/ https://247wallst.com/politics/2024/10/27/if-russia-breaks-up-say-hello-to-these-new-countries/

Thank you for the link to the video. I feel obliged to say that my "reading" of the interview does not coincide with yours. Galloway draws attention to the ambiguity of the question put to him, which the interviewer fails to clarify. For example, if I express sympathy with the residents of Gaza, there are some would accuse me of "backing Hamas", implying I support terrorism. In which case my reply might be to point out that the Israeli Government is a terrorist organisation. As also its antecedents going back at least as far as the Nakba.

The nightmare of Britain today: freedom of speech suppressed. Political affiliations become irrelevant. The official narrative must not be threatened by cogent arguments that cannot cursorily be dismissed.

Maybe there is something to be said for a cabinet system of government. Churchill, despite the excessive powers he often assumed in bypassing the Imperial General Staff to give orders directly to theatre and army commanders, was on occasion over-ridden by a dissenting cabinet majority. "Winston Churchill formed his War Cabinet in May 1940. To begin with, it had five members, including himself. Over the course of the war he enlarged it to suit circumstances, but never to more than eight members at one time. Only two members remained constant: Churchill himself and Labour Party leader Clement Attlee. Three others served for most of the war: Anthony Eden, a Conservative; the great trade unionist Ernest Bevin; and a non-party man with Conservative inclinations, Sir John Anderson. Herbert Morrison, a Labour man, served for nearly three years. Others who served for shorter periods included most notably the former Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain, and also Lord Halifax, Lord Beaverbrook, and Sir Stafford Cripps. "Led by Winston Churchill, these men, and some others, steered Britain through the greatest crisis in her modern history. Churchill’s War Cabinet has been deservedly celebrated ever since. But the story is more complicated than is often thought. Obviously the War Cabinet warred against the Nazis, but its members sometimes warred against each other." [ source: https://winstonchurchill.org/publications/finest-hour/finest-hour-168/ministers-at-war/ ]

The District Head's hasty removal combined with 'suggested' factors contributing to it could be due to these possible explanations: His shortcomings were already well-known to his superiors. So did not need any investigation; and/or A scapegoat was needed. I.e. the buck stops there, at the lower level. No need to look any higher.

Commentators such as Doug Casey are, IMHO, broadly correct about wither the U.S. [and by implication global] economy is currently heading. The direction in which it is being directed. Though sharing their pessimistic analysis, reinforced by unfolding events, one is not obliged to share their basic viewpoint, which might be described as that of "laissez-faire neo-Victorian capitalism". What they say and write can be described as "soft-sales pitches" for lucrative financial advisory services. Nevertheless much can be learnt from them, at no cost. Which is encouraging for those who cannot afford the expense of their more precise recommendations. https://internationalman.com/articles/how-inflation-is-destroying-america-and-what-you-can-do-about-it/ Those in power are likely obliged in the present circumstances to continue inflating [blowing up] the debt-based global economy because when the true 'credit-crunch' arrives the system collapses. How much wriggle-space remains to the currency-creators before that moment arrives ?

Pita Limjaroenrat, former leader of the MFP (interview begins about 15 minutes in): Charting Thailand’s Political Future with Pita Limjaroenrat

I guess you are referring to a "proportional representation" system, which can take several forms. Such as, representatives in proportion to the number of constituencies gained [so a multiplicity of parties in parliament and the need to form a coalition government if there is none with more than 50% of the vote] Or, if no party has more than 50% of the votes in any given constituency, re-counting those of the party with the least votes according to their second preferences. And so on if necessary, until one party emerges with more than 50%. The latter was the Australian system in my days of yore in T.P.N.G. In the U.K. there is the notorious, long-established, first-past-the-post system. Which enabled Labour (a misnomer these days) to come to power with 33.7% of the votes cast; allegedly mainly a reaction to Conservative mismanagement. But also undoubtedly due, as with all parties, to election promises quickly reneged on. We are faced with a problem of 'represntatives' who, once elected, do not represent those who voted for them. A political party, once elected to power, should see itself as representing the overall interests of the country and not solely of one segment. When the British National government of 1940-45 was replaced after a landslide election victory by Labour, the new government took steps to ensure that the Conservative presence in the House would continue to be heard. Despite profound disagreements the solidarity of the war years had not yet come unstuck. Reform is necessary, and needs to be thoroughly thought through. The public must have better access to non-partisan public debate. And there must be some means of holding political parties to account for major promises in their election platforms. By referenda perhaps ?