I read this recent think tank report on the German arms industry viz a viz Russia's

https://www.ifw-kiel.de/fileadmin/Dateiverwaltung/IfW-Publications/fis-import/1f9c7f5f-15d2-45c4-8b85-9bb550cd449d-Kiel_Report_no1.pdf

The exec summary and chapter 2 is worth reading, otherwise the main takeaways are that Clausewitz was right about industrial war and attrition, ukraine is getting rinsed, nato is not prepared for industrial war. A few other specifics:

• the authors estimate that the Russian military industrial complex can build the equipment of the current entire German army about 3 times a year

• on interception of missiles: Sample interception rates for commonly used Russian missiles in 2024: 50% for the older Kalibr subsonic cruise missiles, 22% for modern subsonic cruise missiles (e.g. Kh-69), 4% for modern ballistic missiles (e.g. Iskander-M), 0.6% for S-300/400 supersonic long-range SAM, and 0.55% for the Kh-22 supersonic anti-ship missile. Data on interception rates of hypersonic missiles is scarce: Ukraine claims a 25% interception rate for hypersonic Kinzhal and Zircon missiles, but Ukrainian sources also indicate such interceptions require salvo firing all 32 launchers in a US-style Patriot battery to have any chance to shoot down a single hypersonic missile. By comparison, German Patriot batteries have 16 launchers, and Germany has 72 launchers in total.

• the authors estimate that any slowdown of tank build out rate due to running out of older Soviet era chassis won't begin until 2026 earliest

Democratization of advanced strike abilities via proliferation of drone and missile technology is a big deal. It is so much more expensive to defend against these munitions than attack with them. The significance of current world wars are akin to Agincourt, with missiles and drones playing the role of the long bow

"This election doesn't fucking matter bro because we still run this joint lmao" - Larry Fink

Government announces it will ‘dissolve’ Argentina’s tax agency

The AFIP will be replaced with a new, reduced agency and over 3,000 jobs are on the chopping block

President Javier Milei’s government announced on Monday that Argentina’s federal tax agency, AFIP by its Spanish initials, will be dissolved and replaced with a new agency in accordance with its mandate to “reduce inefficient structures.” According to Presidential Spokesman Manuel Adorni, 34% of public service jobs within the AFIP will be eliminated. As of Monday evening, no details had been released regarding the new agency’s operations or what the move means in concrete terms for the country’s fiscal infrastructure.

“AFIP will cease to exist. In its place, the Collection and Customs Control Agency will be created with a simplified structure,” said Adorni in his routine press conference at the Casa Rosada. According to the Herald’s sister publication Ambito, he did not accept questions after the announcement.

The new and reduced agency, ARCA by its Spanish initials, will be a merger between two preexisting government bodies (the tax and customs general directorates, DGI and DGA by their Spanish acronyms). It will be led by Florencia Misrahi, a lawyer who formerly worked for Cargill and is currently serving as the head of the AFIP. “The Argentina of fiscal voracity is over. What belongs to every Argentine is theirs and no one else’s. No state bureaucrat should have the power to tell them what to do with their property,” Adorni added.

A communiqué released on Monday afternoon described the AFIP as inefficient and highlighted the termination of 3,155 workers hired under former President Alberto Fernández. The communiqué refers to the administration as “Kirchnerite” in reference to Fernández’s vice president, Cristina Kirchner, who is often targeted by government discourse.

Adorni claimed that firing the workers would lead to savings of around AR$6.4 million per year. Both the spokesman and the communiqué referred to their employment as “irregular,” questioning the legality of their hiring. “The creation of ARCA is aimed at reducing the size of the state, eliminating unnecessary positions, professionalizing the agency, destroying circuits of corruption, and improving the efficiency of customs collection and control,” read the communiqué.

According to the Herald’s sister publication Ambito, the AFIP Board of Directors said it did not have “objections with respect to the reduction of political positions,” which the government referred to as “high positions,” because that is a power reserved for the Executive Branch. However, it emphasized that “dismissals will not be tolerated on the basis of political origin.”

lmfao

also announced, out of nowhere, that the media attacked him and said he does not have sex with his sister or his dogs. Nobody ever claimed he has sex with dogs, but this is the current state of things.

Shoot the Boer. Shoot the Zionist.

Brazilian Liberal Media has made some claims that the Lula Government will be against the inclusion of Venezuela into BRICS. Considering that all joinings require a consensus on the part of member countries, this would be a spanner in the works. I don't know if this is true or not, but it doesn't actually strike me as surprising. The Brazilian Government has a difficult relationship with Venezuela since Cháves.

On the one hand, there's the electoral issue. We are marching towards the second round of the municipal elections and any support for Venezuela galvanizes the right and the far right which are the majority of the country.

But on the other we do have the leaked CIA cables from way back when that claimed Lula had a difficult personal relationship with Hugo Cháves. Behind closed doors, the Venezuelan Government was considered difficult to influence or pin down, and a difficult partner to be had. What some might claim is a sign of sovereignty, others in the Brazilian side would say is a difficulty in cooperating in a time of american hegemony. As such, Brazil's government feels a bit miffed with the way their brokered deals during the electoral crisis in Venezuela were more or less discarded.

I guess we'll see the truth of things when during the next couple of days.

Aparently the One Direction guy was drugged out of his mind.

https://archive.ph/vqYed

According to Newsweek, occupied Korea is posturing at sending troops and “advisors” to Ukraine to counter the North Koreans. Absolute clown stuff. Acting like there will be a ton of DPRK prisoners when there are just some DPRK “advisors” currently and Russia is winning and taking prisoners at a way higher rate.

Occupied Korea wants to send troops and involve itself in a losing war where there advisors will get killed and captured as Ukraine collapses? It’s a clever way to get more troops to Ukraine without NATO involvement I suppose.

Here's more info on the hospital for which Israel is creating a narrative to bomb

Israel Makes Sensational Allegations Against Sahel Hospital in Beirut (Gaza Playbook)

Avichay Adraee, the Israeli spokesperson for Arab media writes in a post on X that Hezbollah is storing “hundreds of millions of dollars” in cash and gold beneath Sahel Hospital in Haret Hreik, alleging that these funds are earmarked to finance the group’s terrorist activities. The hospital conceals secret entrances and exits leading to a shelter below, he said.

Adraee goes on with news that Israeli aircraft are currently surveilling the site, and called on the Lebanese government and international organizations to recover these purportedly stolen funds and prevent their use for terrorism.

In response, Fadi Alameh, the hospital’s director, strongly rejected the accusations, called for Lebanese Ministry to investigate & asserted that Sahel Hospital has no ties to any political parties. The hospital, he confirmed, had been forced to evacuate.

https://nitter.poast.org/DropSiteNews/status/1848455800131620980

BIG BREAKING: INDIA, CHINA REACH AGREEMENT TO END BORDER CRISIS:
https://xcancel.com/MattooShashank/status/1848295216266227721

Nothing ever happens take: They are temporarily deescalating because the BRICS summit is coming.

The dialectic is ever in motion take: China is preemptively closing a potential front in preparation for a front opening in Korea.

I recall seeing a tweet that goes something along the lines of "Sinwar is everything western media wants you to believe Zelensky is" and that got me thinking...

is there a term for something like reverse-projection? I dunno, like, when someone attributes all of their enemies' noble or good qualities to themselves or something.