Direct Translation via Google Translate. Article is available only via a VPN by Yuri Avdeev
[RedStar] The Ministry of Defense published documents about the atrocities of the Nazis and their henchmen in the capital of the Ukrainian SSR and its liberation from the Nazi invaders. On the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Kiev from the Nazi invaders, the Ministry of Defense opened a new multimedia historical and educational section “Kiev was saved from the darkness of Nazism: we always remember, it is impossible to forget” with archival declassified documents from the funds of the Central Archive of the Military Department.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Dmitry Taratorin
[REGNUM] The day of November 7, which is persistently called “Red October” to this day, no matter what you call it, was a turning point in the history of not only Russia, but all of humanity. But where was this turn? And what lessons can be learned from it?
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Petr Akopov
[REGNUM] “Wild people, children of the mountains”—this is roughly how many assessed the unrest in Dagestan, that same pogrom at the Makhachkala airport, where indignant masses were looking for Jews arriving from Israel. This is just some kind of new Middle Ages - with Jewish pogroms and excited crowds. It is necessary to roughly punish, and then enlighten - that is, enlightenment must replace the wild Middle Ages. Which never came to the Dagestan peoples (more precisely, it came during the Soviet years, and then was replaced by regression and a rollback to wild morals).
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] I hate to think what would be found and measured in the U.S.
Use of coke and meth at its highest since 2020
Drug use still lower than pre-pandemic use
Australians are hoovering up cocaine and methylamphetamine at alarming levels, a new report has found, with consumption of the illicit drug classes now at their highest levels since 2020.
An analysis of wastewater run by the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission shows countrywide, Australians consumed about 40 doses of meth per 1000 people across April and June this year, a substantial increase from 2020 but below the consumption levels recorded pre-Covid.
'While methylamphetamine consumption is currently at high levels compared to the past two years, levels are still mostly below historical highs in the context of the program,' the report states.
For cocaine, Australians consumed about six doses per 1000 people, an upswing from earlier periods despite fluctuations from month-to-month.
'Compared to the previous reporting period, results are currently higher in every capital city of the country except NSW,' the report states.
The report collects data on 12 drug types: meth, amphetamines, cocaine, MDMA, MDA, heroin, cannabis, oxycodone, fentanyl, nicotine, alcohol and ketamine.
Australians consume more cannabis than any other drug class, consuming about 180 doses per 1000 people per day across the month.
Despite the rise in cocaine and meth use, the report also shows some good news, with the consumption of fentanyl, a drug that has laid waste to American cities, in decline.
ACIC Acting CEO Matt Rippon said the report underlined the pervasive and ongoing threat posed by organised crime groups in Australia.
'This reporting forms part of a multidimensional approach that targets supply, demand and harm reduction critical to reducing drug use in Australia,' he said.
'Drug consumption estimates derived from wastewater data, when used in combination with other data such as seizure, arrest, price, purity, health and availability data, provide the most comprehensive, empirically-based insights into Australian drug markets.'
The ACIC provides intelligence to domestic and international partners to disrupt and dismantle organised drug networks.
[American Thinker] A retiree’s income sources can include Social Security benefits, pension payments, annuity payments, tax-deferred IRAs or 401Ks, brokerage accounts and Roth IRAs. All have different rules on contributions and tax implications for withdrawals. There are two groups of retirees, those now retired and those who will retire in the future. All retirees will have difficulty managing life challenges with Bidenomics. For example, factors like inflation, Medicare, interest rates, taxes, and the potential for recession. These and other factors will impact those in retirement and those planning retirement. The overriding concern for both groups is that you cannot plan work history and retirement a second time. Today’s retirees are faced with fixed incomes and inflation close to 20%. Investments are slowly eroding away, even reserves. Future retirees are younger and still working. Some may have time to recover; current retirees will never have that option.
Current retirees include 18% of the U.S. population, individuals of all ethnicities many who defended the country. They were from the Silent and Boomer generations. Some are children of the Greatest Generation who experienced WWII and parents from the Great Depression. They were told to save for retirement, don’t depend on Social Security -- it may not be there, contribute to a company’s 401K or put money away because the economy will grow. Women from these generations had greater challenges because of lower wages, lack of available retirement plans, and the breakdown of the family.
Future retirees will come from Gen X, with today’s population of 65 million. Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies (TCRS) published a revealing study. Large pluralities of future retirees are pessimistic about wage growth and financial security. They found 41% of those surveyed felt that future generations of retirees will be worse off than current retirees. A report by Blackrock Investments shows that in 2023, only 53% of workers believe they are on track to retire with the lifestyle they want. This will cause an increasing trend to plan for retiring later. Growing focus will be necessary with reliance on Social Security benefits, Medicare, health and wellness, and retirement planning. Real worries and lack of confidence will have to be dealt with from a lack of retirement income caused by market volatility and high inflation.
America’s current and future retirees are frightened. The Consumer Price Index shows that prices have risen 19.4% since Joe Biden took office. That means 33 months of consumers watching their retirement funds disappear. Biden describes "Bidenomics" propaganda as growing the economy from the middle out and the bottom up, not the top down. It's stated as an economic vision where government educates and empowers American workers, which promotes competition to lower costs and help small businesses.
The economy has been defined by sky-high inflation and a robust labor market. While price increases may be slowing, costs remain elevated for staples like groceries, home necessities, and gas. The Federal Reserve’s attempt to tame inflation has impacted interest rates to 8%, the highest mortgage rates in 24 years making home ownership unattainable. A recent poll by the Associated Press found that two-thirds of Americans disapprove of how Biden has handled the economy. According to a CNN poll over three-quarters feel the economy is in poor shape. Democrat economist Larry Summers made waves with highly critical remarks about Bidenomics and administration policies. One senior voter calls it a "jumbled mess"
Current retirees are the forgotten generation because of their age and life challenges, which are not clearly understood. Sadly, inflation has very much eaten away at their savings. Future Gen X retirees will represent the largest group of retirees in the history of the country. These soon-to-be retirees face unprecedented challenges in securing protected income that will last. News commentators, news editors, social media, congressmen and women, have never experienced retirement. They lack empathy, especially with all the critical life decisions that will have to be made. Unfortunately, we have a President who is more interested in selling the Bidenomics fantasy versus achieving reality.
#1
...My 401K pretty much bled out and the only thing that's really going to save me is my USAF pension...and there have been oblique suggestions that if you're getting a military pension and SSA, well then you really don't need both, do you?
#2
..except SSA was taken out for all those years of service and the retirement was part of the contract. Now why should people who never paid into SSA get a penny?
#3
Many years ago the gov't decided that farmers should be entitled to Social Security benefits. The argument went band forth until it was finally decided that farmer eligibility would be approved via the payment of only three SSA arrears quarters. Needless to say, most farmers were delighted.
Something to do with an upcoming election I was told.
Posted by: Frank G ||
11/08/2023 8:59 Comments ||
Top||
#5
Now why should people who never paid into SSA get a penny?
I remember having this very conversation with my grandmother (the nice one) about 40 years ago. She was in the situation P2K describes. It wasn't a pleasant conversation when it hits that close to home, that's for sure. A year later at college I was on the wrong end of a Ponzi scheme that was going through some colleges at the time (I did get the money back, Goodfellas style). I do believe these two things are connected.
#6
I guess I went to the wrong gas station last night. Well, it was on the way to other places where I wanted to go so I stopped there to fill 'er up and, unfortunately, my wife's car uses premium gas. The cost was over $6 dollars a gallon.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
11/08/2023 11:15 Comments ||
Top||
#7
nationally, gasoline prices are down significantly from 60 days ago
re Soc Sec you can make a good argument that people who have already received their SocSec taxes repaid them (w Interest) and have other sources of income (documented by recent 1040 filings) should get a reduced inflation adjustment
this would be a pretty gentle way to reduce the entitlement burden and while not 'saving' social security, it could postpone the day when the fund balance hits zero
Posted by: lord garth ||
11/08/2023 12:11 Comments ||
Top||
#8
As a retiree, I can say 'Yup'.
Posted by: ed in texas ||
11/08/2023 14:08 Comments ||
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#9
if you're getting a military pension and SSA, well then you really don't need both, do you?
It’s part of the same argument that if you have enough money/income from elsewhere, you ought not get anything at all from Social Security. I lack the last six months of earned income to get any payout from Social Security for myself, despite all I paid in since the age of sixteen. On paper I’d get something eventually as Mr. Wife’s widow, but I expect by then to be means-tested out of getting anything at all.
#10
I've got a Gubbamint pension, but also did/declared side business (engineering) and paid FICA taxes on such. I won't get shit from SSA, but them's the breaks, I guess
Posted by: Frank G ||
11/08/2023 18:05 Comments ||
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#11
There is a name for a transaction where something is taken from you by force and you get nothing in return - theft.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
11/08/2023 18:17 Comments ||
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#12
Last year I paid federal income tax on 85% of my social security.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
11/08/2023 19:10 Comments ||
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[American Thinker] On October 30, the Illinois State Board of Education released the 2023 Illinois School Report Card, which reveals that the Prairie State is failing miserably in one of its most basic and essential tasks: properly educating the next generation of Illinoisans to thrive in an increasingly competitive world.
"We are moving fast toward recovery, but we still have a significant distance to travel," said State Superintendent of Education Dr. Tony Sanders. While Sanders is correct in admitting that there is ample work to be done, his assessment that the state is on the fast track to recovery is quite a stretch considering academic achievement is stagnant at best, and in many cases, is trending in the wrong direction.
Consider. The Illinois Assessment of Readiness measures math and English language arts (ELA) skills for all Illinois students enrolled in public schools for grades three to eight. In 2023, only 35.4 percent of Illinois public school students met or exceeded proficiency levels for ELA and only 27.1 percent met or exceeded proficiency levels for math. In 2019, 37.8 percent of students met or exceeded ELA proficiency standards and 31.8 percent met or exceeded proficiency levels in math.
Moving on to high school, where the SAT is used as the general assessment tool, only 31.6 percent of Illinois students met or exceeded the proficiency standard for ELA whereas 36.3 percent scored proficient in 2019. In math, a similar trend emerges. In 2023, 26.7 percent of Illinois high schoolers scored proficient in math. In 2019, the number was 34.4 percent.
On the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP), "the largest nationally representative and continuing assessment of what America's students know and can do in various subject areas," Illinois students performed far worse in 2023 than they did in 2019. For instance, in 2019, 56 percent of Illinois fourth graders scored proficient in ELA. In 2023, that dropped to 31 percent. Even worse, the percentage of Illinois fourth graders who tested proficient in math decreased from 69 percent in 2019 to an abysmal 21 percent in 2023.
Similar trends are found in NAEP ELA and math scores for Illinois’ eighth graders. In 2019, 69 percent scored proficient or higher in ELA versus only 34 percent in 2023. Likewise, in 2019, 60 percent of eighth graders tested proficient in math while just 26 percent did so in 2023.
[Hot Air] The title question is something that many of us probably don’t like to spend a lot of time thinking about. Or perhaps you dwell on it quite a bit. But at this point, it’s a topic that is increasingly hard to ignore. Our friend Liz Mair has a new article over at RealClearPolitics this week examining a scenario that, while hopefully unlikely, really can’t be discounted. Imagine if Joe Biden continues in his stubborn quest to seek a second term and Donald Trump’s poll numbers prove accurate and he breezes to the GOP nomination. Given the age and relative health of both men, what would happen if they secured their nominations but then either passed away or experienced some sort of accident or medical infirmity that would preclude them from moving forward? What happens next? It turns out that there are provisions in place to deal with such a turn of events, but it would be chaotic and most people likely wouldn’t be happy with the results.
A possible Biden scenario seen in What-If NET discussions, has the DC Swamp, Socialist helping Biden have a sudden Stroke, or Heart Attack.
A possible Trump scenario seen in What-If NET discussions.
Has the DC Swamp, Socialist's & Democrat Elite using a Terrorist Bomb "claim". Followed by a well organized and timed NEWS-SPEAK roll-out to steer the US public towards a common "perceived " V-Enemy. Which would then allow DC Elite and the M.I.C. to gear up and rake in the $$$$$$.
Thus avoiding a DC Swamp house cleaning and likely Political civil war, or massive insurrection.
Whatever the Elite and or Swamp have planned it is NOT good for US Citizens. So I'm praying Trump wins, takes office and OUT's the 2020 Coup members.
[Jpost] In recent days, it has become clearer to many in the region and around the world why the US was so quick to announce it was redeploying and bolstering forces in the Middle East.
Contrary to the headline grabbing and somewhat frantic reporting and commentary in various parts of the domestic Israeli press, the US moves had little to do with either some imminent joint military action with Israel in the region, or an important defensive military maneuver to aid in Israel’s defense. Anyone even slightly familiar with Israel’s core national security doctrine and military capabilities could have attested to that in real time.
While it is yet unclear why Hezbollah and pro-Iranian militias in Syria did not attack in tandem with Hamas/ISIS at dawn on October 7, what is clear is that they did not join in the hours following because of the Israeli forces’ indescribable heroic halt of the initial invasion, and its unprecedented mobilization of 300,000 reservist troops within 48 hours.
As for the American announcement and subsequent deployments, as well as those by certain NATO allied states, they were critical for the defense of those nations’ assets and interests in the Middle East. Subsequently, in close cooperation between Israel and the US, these moves were leveraged very effectively for psychological warfare and public diplomacy purposes by both nations.
The public diplomacy and psychological warfare efforts were directed at both regional and international players. From the abjectly hostile to Israel global press, which consistently seeks to isolate and delegitimize Israel, to Iran, Russia, and the United Nations – the latter a tool of Israel’s enemies and critics – in attempts to stymy or even completely neutralize Israel’s exercise of its right to self-defense.
US solidarity in words and seeming partnership in actions in the first few days after the horrific October 7 Jihadi-new Nazi attack on Israel, contributed greatly to interdicting moves by international bodies and a potentially business-as-usual libelous international press that wished to frame Israel’s reaction as isolated from the world and lacking any support internationally. The same is true for the supportive words and actions of several of Israel’s European partners such as the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, France, Hungary, Greece, the Czech Republic, and others. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s solidarity and support for Israel also had a substantial impact in the international arena.
Notably, French President Emmanuel Macron’s suggestion of creating an international coalition similar to the one that fought ISIS, and before that the Al-Qaeda, to fight Hamas/ISIS was perhaps the most far-reaching statement of partnership of its kind. This statement was very effective in drawing a line of good versus evil in the sphere of public diplomacy – at least for the time being.
The same was true for the initial statements of moral clarity made by US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and US President Joe Biden as to the nature of Israel’s enemy. Since then, statements coming out of the administration in Washington have become less and less unequivocal in their support of Israel’s actions in self-defense, and in drawing a clear moral line.
As for the actual military and intelligence forces redeployed and reinforced in the region, what they are meant for are the US and her NATO allies’ critical security interests. A Wall Street Journal report recently helped to reveal this reality and bring it into sharper focus. The report revealed that US officials had asked Israel to delay any major ground incursion into Gaza until they could get critical air defense equipment and forces to the wider Middle East to defend US assets and personnel in the region.
With the withdrawal of US forces from Iraq and Afghanistan in the last number of years, along with a lower profile force posture in other parts of the region, the US and its allies’ military personnel and citizens in the Middle East are more susceptible, as well as more vulnerable, to Iranian and Iranian-proxy attack. Not to mention being more exposed to potential hostile actions from Russia, which still maintains a substantial presence in Syria, and has scores to settle with the US and NATO over Ukraine.
Small, relatively isolated US military facilities in Syria and Iraq make this problem even more acute. The USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier, flagship of the strike group redeployed from the Central Mediterranean closer to the Eastern Mediterranean, and the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower carrier strike group, in transit from the US to the Persian Gulf, are not sufficient for the challenges and potential threats facing the US in the Middle East. Hence the appeal to Israel which has begun significant ground operations in Gaza to delay last week.
NATO FORCES IN CYPRUS
The US, as well as NATO allies such as the UK and Germany, have therefore also reportedly forward deployed special operations forces and intelligence capabilities to Cyprus where the British military maintains a large base (RAF Akrotiri), as well as to NATO ally Greece. The French navy has also deployed a helicopter carrier closer to the region ostensibly to supply humanitarian support to non-combatants in Gaza. The carrier, joining other French naval vessels in the eastern Mediterranean, is of course also capable of multiple military tasks.
These forces and capabilities would be critical if, for example, the US and other NATO and European allies were forced to evacuate their citizens and diplomatic posts in Lebanon, Syria, and Iraq, or throughout the region. This is in addition to the task of defending and potentially evacuating their military posts and assets, or conversely in providing options to effectively strike the enemy forces that are attacking them.
US bases in Syria and Iraq have in fact been attacked constantly in recent days by Iranian proxy forces, and at the time of this writing, the tepid US response has been airstrikes in eastern Syria against facilities categorized as “Iranian Revolutionary Guards affiliated” sites.
The threat to US and allied military personnel and assets from Iran and her proxies is true for the area around the Persian Gulf as well, and that is why it is an urgent priority for the US to reinforce its military capabilities in that part of the Middle East no less than in the broader region. That is why beyond the military forces already detailed, the United States also bolstered ground-based aircraft in and around the region and ordered a Marine Corps expeditionary unit with rapid reaction capabilities deployed to the Middle East.
There are two additional important interests for the US relating to Israel’s war against the Jihadi-new Nazis Hamas. The US needs to be on the winning team after a disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan and the return of the Taliban to power, along with the war in Iraq resulting in Iran taking control, via her allies and proxies, of a large portion of the country.
There was a similar phenomenon during and after the Six Day War, when the US was not even yet Israel’s main ally and was failing to find much success in the Vietnam War. Israel’s awe-inspiring victory over multiple combined Arab armies, who had full Soviet support, served as a major inspiration and mark of honor for the free Western world.
Compound the Afghan and Iraqi debacles with the recent stagnation in Ukraine, which has deteriorated into a World War I-style war of attrition, and the ever-bolder actions of the Chinese around Taiwan and vis-a-vis America’s other East Asian allies, it becomes clear that associating closely with Israel and its uncompromising pursuit of victory is vital for the US’s image globally. Furthermore, the seeming reliability of the US as an actual ally, which it is trying very hard to project with its statements and military moves in the broader region, is another major American policy objective.
Given the failures and fumbles mentioned above, in recent years key US allies such as Japan, South Korea, the Persian Gulf States, and countries in Europe have called into question the efficacy and reliability of their alliances with the US.
The State and people of Israel greatly appreciate and salute the solidarity and support of our friends in the US and across the free world.
At the end of the day though, as has been the case for 75 years and will be the case for all time, Israel relies only on itself and will fight and defeat any foe, anyplace, at any time.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
