Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Olga Kuznetsova
[REGNUM] Many of us literally grew up on stories that were actively generated by the generous land in the famous Hollywood Hills. And Hollywood has literally become a household name.
This was an informal name for both areas and a way of thinking, and it was used to characterize a person or a creative product. This word was used to denote a diagnosis, a sentence, and an unattainable peak.
And now this place, as if performing its swan song, plays a leading role in all social networks, millions of videos and thousands of newspaper headlines.
Forensic scientists and pathologists sometimes engage in purely professional conversations, arguing about which death is the most painful, and burning alive often occupies a leading position in the “ratings” of most specialists.
This time there is no reason to disagree with them: Hollywood is indeed burning, twisting and writhing in unimaginable convulsions, emitting black smoke from political deceptions, postponed premieres, ruin and the destroyed expectations of millions of people.
Oh my. She is definitely having fun over there.
CATEGORY "A" FIRE VICTIMS
The first news, which was eagerly absorbed by the public, illustrated a completely expected thesis: celebrities are also people and also do not like to lose what they have acquired.
Paris Hilton visited the ruins of her mansion, Bella Hadid posted clouds of smoke over the villa where she spent her childhood, Mel Gibson sat on Joe Rogan's podcast and didn't have time to see the fire in his own home.
And someone saw in person the sad actor Ben Affleck, rushing between two mansions - his own and his ex-wife's, gathering his children for evacuation.
The misadventures of the Category A fire victims forced the American public to remember those who document their lives even in the midst of a global catastrophe: the paparazzi.
They, by the way, without any particular embarrassment, are already acting as momentary stars themselves, answering questions from shocked people in the style of “Why don’t you leave here? You’ll die!”
Their answers are simple: work is work, there is no strategy, journalists do not specifically hunt for Afflecks and Gibsons, they only document the stories that catch their eye. Some even manage to compare themselves to war correspondents. There are, however, those who film the hottest events from afar and call their colleagues who climb into the thick of things “damn idiots.”
The "bloody idiots" are not stopped by anyone's condemnation, however. Photos of crying people against the backdrop of burnt luxury still sell well, as does the atmosphere of decline among those who were recently at the top of their game.
REAL VILLAINS
Where there is decay, death and destruction, its own "ecosystem" immediately appears, and in it - parasites. In addition to the usual scavengers - paparazzi and looters - American insurers also make their presence known. Against the backdrop of multi-billion dollar losses of their flock, they almost demonstratively washed their hands.
As potential loss figures began to emerge through the smoke, it quickly became clear that seven of the twelve largest insurers operating in California had already taken precautions for their own safety and had begun canceling policies on property owners in the state and had stopped issuing new ones.
This was done gradually, several months (or even years) before the Hollywood fire, but with a potential eye on such a turn of events. It turns out that California has always been considered a fire-hazardous zone, and in recent years the situation has become especially dire - fires have appeared even in places recognized as safe zones.
In response to the outrage, the insurers themselves cheerfully reported that they had simply reacted to changes in local laws that set a limit on the size of insurance premium payments and prevented them from earning money. Admittedly, this process did not begin yesterday and had been going on for several years, but some Californians had their insurance cancelled during the evacuation measures.
At some point, a version came to the fore that Hollywood was destroyed by fires of more than just natural origin. The Internet is full of messages and videos about unknown people deliberately setting fires and making the situation worse.
According to some experts, this could be beneficial to several categories of people.
Firstly, to insurance fraudsters who want to collect payments and get rid of old property that they are unable to maintain.
Secondly, to representatives of construction companies - because the fire frees up lands that were previously difficult to acquire legally. No more historic buildings and old houses on expensive plots of land.
Frankly, after studying the details, it really does begin to seem like there was an element of intent in the Hollywood fires.
THE COMPONENTS OF CHAOS
As it turns out, homeless people were caught in several Los Angeles neighborhoods pouring gasoline on the fire and fanning the flames even further. A huge number of fire hydrants were found to be broken, stolen, or turned into scrap metal.
The reservoir in the upscale Palisades neighborhood, which holds millions of gallons of water, was taken offline for routine maintenance just this month.
The Los Angeles Fire Department's budget was spent on building a transgender* cafeteria, donations to the gay men's choir and the University of Southern California's LGBT* organization.
The Los Angeles mayor, who cut the fire department's budget, left for the inauguration of the president of Ghana at the height of the fires and refused to apologize for her departure. Moreover, the lady actually suggested that the victims look for help "somewhere on the Internet," without giving a specific address.
The actions have prompted accusations of gross incompetence against both the city of Los Angeles and California Governor Gavin Newsom, with Elon Musk and Donald Trump, as always, at the forefront of the accusations.
NEWSOM DROUGHT
Trump directly blamed the governor for not signing a bill that would have allowed excess water from rain and melted snow to be redistributed to fire-prone regions. Instead of protecting Californians and one of America’s most beautiful states, Newsom prioritized mythical environmental protection, which ultimately proved fatal.
In this regard, according to Trump, Newsom should resign. It is also necessary to ensure the delivery of water from California's north to local farmers so that they can put out fires. This is currently impossible due to the peculiarities of California's environmental laws.
If such measures are not taken, Trump has threatened to block federal firefighting aid to the state once he takes office. Some say this is not the first time Trump has threatened to cut off federal aid to California, but the doubts about his next move are particularly unnerving in this case.
The governor responded by accusing the US president-elect of trying to politicize the process at a time when many people are suffering terrible hardships. Joe Biden, they say, is behaving completely differently, always ready to provide support and sympathy.
Shortly after Newsom's remarks, Biden handed the floor to Vice President Kamala Harris during a briefing on the fires, saying "Madam Vice President, burn it." Apparently, he decided to keep up his signature style until the end.
Weather forecasts for the Golden State are still grim, and there is still not enough water to fight the fires.
Only one thing is clear now - the era of militant minority rule in Hollywood has burned, not with a blue flame, but still with a flame. And it looks like they created this bright burning with their own hands, committing real political suicide. It is possible that over time these characters will try to return, but they will have to try much harder than before.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[KavkazUzel] Circassian organizations and activists abroad welcomed the recognition of the Circassian genocide by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine and expressed hope that this would lead to recognition of the genocide by other countries. The International Circassian Association considered this decision anti-Russian.
As the "Caucasian Knot" wrote, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on January 9 recognized the genocide of the Circassians during the Caucasian War and called on Russia to apologize for it. The Circassian Genocide took place during the reign of Tsar Aleksandr I and Tsar Nicolas I
The Caucasian War, which lasted from 1763 to 1864, brought the Adyghe people to the brink of extinction. After the war and the mass deportation of the Adyghe to the Ottoman Empire, only a little more than 50,000 people remained in their homeland. The Russian authorities have still not made a decision to recognize the genocide of the Circassians during the war, according to a report from the "Caucasian Knot."
The recognition of the Circassian genocide by Ukraine was commented on by the "Caucasian Knot" by the head of the Federation of Circassian Associations (Cherkesfed), which includes more than 20 Circassian primary organizations throughout Turkey, doctor of medicine Nusret Bash, the head of the "Free Circassia" movement Ibrahim Yaganov, historian, publicist and veteran of the Jordanian Air Force, ethnic Circassian Adel Bashkawi, Israeli political scientist, president of the Institute for Eastern Partnership, leader of the "Be'ad Artseynu" (For the Motherland) party, advisor to the inter-party group "Free Caucasus" in the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, Rabbi Avraham Shmulevich, deputy of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Oleksiy Goncharenko and the author of the text of the draft recognition of the Circassian genocide, political scientist Pavlo Zhovnirenko.
Nusret Bash recalled that in the 30 years since the collapse of the Soviet Union, Circassians have appealed to many countries to recognize the genocide they experienced during the Caucasian War, but so far only Georgia has done so in 2011.
"The recognition of the genocide filled the Circassians with great joy and revived their hopes. As the Federation of Circassian Associations, we congratulate the Ukrainian parliament on this valuable and exemplary decision and express our gratitude to them," Nusret Bash told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.
Ibrahim Yaganov told the "Caucasian Knot" that the Circassians sought recognition specifically from the Ukrainian parliament, since Ukraine had been part of the USSR for a long time and its deputies could more quickly and better understand the situation of the Circassians.
"The recognition of the genocide by the Verkhovna Rada is a great event for the entire Circassian people and especially for the national movement. This gives us a chance to return to our historical homeland to revive and restore our ethnicity. Only in our historical homeland can we restore our language, culture and national identity," he told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.
As Ibrahim Yaganov noted, the Rada's decision is a very serious step towards the recognition of the genocide by the entire international community. "The text of the recognition of the genocide of the Circassian people states that Ukraine will appeal to other countries with a proposal to recognize the genocide. We will work with the Baltic countries, Finland and Poland, where we have a good chance that we will be heard, understood and the recognition of this genocide will be considered on a legislative basis," he said.
Adel Bashkaoui thanked Ukraine for the decision. He agreed that after the recognition of the genocide by Georgia and Ukraine, the Circassians will have the opportunity to work with other states, especially in the post-Soviet space, potentially ready to recognize the Circassian genocide. "The recognition of the genocide will be followed by the recognition of all the rights that accompany it. According to this right, the Circassians should be recognized as victims of genocide by Russia itself, which is bound by many international conventions. And Russia should apologize for what it did against our nation, and pay compensation to our people, and return them to their homeland, since the Circassians have the right to repatriation. And we have the right to self-determination," Bashkaoui told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.
According to Adel Bashkawi, the majority of Circassians living in Jordan have retained the Circassian language in communication, and all representatives of the diaspora continue to consider themselves Circassians, despite the fact that their families have lived outside their historical homeland for a century and a half.
"We have been in Jordan since the 19th century, we are full citizens here, but we are a minority here. We have three seats in parliament together with the Chechens, and we also have two seats in the upper house of parliament. Of course, this does not distance us from the citizens of Jordan, but people remember that they were once expelled from their homelands and resettled throughout the Ottoman Empire," Bashkawi added.
Avraam Shmulevich said that the first time the Circassians approached Ukraine on the issue of recognizing the genocide was back in 2014. "I first raised this issue in 2014, and then the previous composition of the Rada was ready to accept it in the first reading," he said. According to him, political events prevented this. "This issue was put on the agenda in the Rada several times, and now, finally, it was accepted," says Avraam Shmulevich.
According to Shmulevich, this is a very important recognition both for the Circassians and for all the peoples of the North Caucasus and the former Russian Empire, and the call for other countries to consider the issue of genocide is necessary for the rehabilitation of all peoples who suffered from imperialism and authoritarianism.
“The Circassians are in a unique position: most of them are outside their historical homeland, since Russia expelled them from the North Caucasus. And the current Russian authorities are trying to prevent them from returning to their historical homeland. Although we know that there is a campaign in Russia to return compatriots to their homeland, this only concerns Russians and does not concern the Circassians, who are not recognized as an indigenous people.
"The policy towards the Circassians has remained unchanged since the mid-19th century. Several principles have been developed. The first is the fragmentation of the Circassians. We know that the Russian authorities do not recognize the Circassians as a single people. For them, there are separate Kabardians, separate Adyghe, separate Circassians in Karachay-Cherkessia, and separate Shapsugs. That is, one people is artificially divided into four.
"The second is the cutting off of the Circassians from the sea. And the third is the destruction of Circassian culture, self-awareness and identity. All this is also happening today. These are the principles that were used by the tsarist generals, that were used by the Bolsheviks, and that are used today by the current Russian authorities,” Shmulevich said.
Adyghe (Circassians) is the common name of a single people in Russia and abroad, divided into Kabardians, Circassians and Adyghe. Self-designation is Adyghe (Adyghe). Adyghe live in the territory of six subjects: Adygea, Kabardino-Balkaria, Karachay-Cherkessia, Krasnodar Krai, North Ossetia, Stavropol Krai. In three of them, the Adyghe peoples are one of the "titular" nations: Circassians - in Karachay-Cherkessia, Adyghe - in Adygea, Kabardians - in Kabardino-Balkaria.
The International Circassian Association (ICA) has unequivocally condemned the recognition of the Circassian genocide and stated that it does not need this recognition.
"The other day we witnessed another attempt by Russia's ill-wishers to use the tragic pages of our history, taken out of context, to incite national feelings and use them for their own political selfish purposes. This is the adoption of a resolution by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on the recognition of the Circassian genocide based on an appeal by representatives of the Circassian community who are not associated with official Circassian organizations. However, the Adyghe (Circassian) people do not need such recognition from the illegitimate authorities of Ukraine. We strongly condemn the activities of our fellow tribesmen outside of Russia who are pursuing an anti-Russian policy. We consider the appeal to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine and the adoption of the corresponding resolution to be provocative and harmful to the present and future of the Adyghe people," the association said in a statement.
A "Caucasian Knot" correspondent called the president of the International Circassian Association, Khauti Sokhrokov, and asked him to clarify this position. However, Khauti Sokhrokov, having heard the question, hung up. He also did not respond to written messages.
As Ibragim Yaganov stated, the International Circassian Association has not been a legitimate organization of Circassians since 2000. "In 2000, the President of Kabardino-Balkaria, Valery Kokov, did not allow the next congress of the ICA to be held, at which new authorities could have been elected. Then the police did not allow the candidate for the post of the ICA president, Zaur Naloyev, to enter, and those gathered in the hall declared Zaur Nakhushev the president. However, they did not have the authority, there was no seal of the organization, so the ICA has been acting illegally since then," says Yaganov.
According to the counterparty verification service List-org.com, the International Circassian Association was registered under the leadership of Yuri Kalmykov on September 25, 1991 in Maykop. It was headed by Yuri Kalmykov, and later by Boris Akbashev. This organization was liquidated by a court decision, as indicated on the website of the Adyghe Republican Register of Public Organizations, in 2010.
The organization headed by Khauti Sokhrokov was registered in 2001 in the city of Nalchik. That is, the organizations have different legal addresses and appeared with a difference of 10 years, the "Caucasian Knot" found out.
All speculations that Ukraine is allegedly trying to involve the Circassians in the war on its side do not stand up to criticism, said Oleksiy Goncharenko. "Ukraine called what Russia did to the Circassians in the 19th century evil. We cannot say what the consequences will be, but we have said our word, and this is already important," he told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.
The statement by activist Ibragim Yaganov about the formation of a Circassian battalion in Ukraine to participate in military operations against Russia has aroused interest among the Adyghe in Russia and abroad, but only as a political statement, and there will be few people willing to sign up as volunteers, Circassian activists interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot" indicated in November 2022.
Pavlo Zhovnirenko noted that the decision-making process was delayed in part due to the low awareness of Ukrainian society about the Circassian problem, and not all deputies understood why it was necessary to vote for this bill.
“In three or four years, significantly more Ukrainians learned that there was a genocide of the Circassian people. I did not conduct research, but from personal acquaintances, from personal communication, I saw that no more than five percent knew about this genocide. And now, I’m afraid to be mistaken, but no less than 40 percent know. And I take everyone - even those who are not interested in politics at all. Thanks to the fact that Circassians on Facebook and other social networks constantly talked about their problems, about their history, Ukrainians learned about this,” he told a correspondent of the “Caucasian Knot”.
He believes that the most important thing today is for other countries to recognize the genocide. Zhovnirenko added that "free people cannot leave relatively free countries, for example, Turkey," if Circassian children do not feel like Circassians in Russia. "The entire system - schools, universities and the social environment - are aimed at assimilation," says Pavel Zhovnirenko.
Zhovnirenko called on Circassians to work on joint projects to revive their homeland today, since in his opinion, Circassians are more focused on the past than on the future. “The new generation is the most important thing,” he emphasized.
From my files, in honour of the Circassians:
CIRCASSIAN CHICKEN One of the nicest parts of trailing my husband halfway around the world was the friends we made while “over there.” I was given this recipe by a Turkish friend I met while on assignment in Germany. Now she lives in Michigan, and we are here in Cincinnati. We think of her fondly every time we eat her recipe.
One whole chicken, cut into pieces OR a roasted chicken from the grocery plus a quart of low-sodium chicken broth
salt and pepper, to taste
500 g (1 lb./16 oz.) shelled walnut meats
5-6 garlic cloves
250 g (8 oz) stale white bread
If starting with a raw chicken, simmer the cut-up chicken with salt and enough water to cover until meat is cooked through and a broth forms. When done remove chicken and, when cool enough to handle, pull meat off of bones in bite-size pieces. Set aside.
While chicken is cooking, place walnuts in a food processor and chop until nuts are finely ground and slightly oily. Add stale bread and garlic cloves, then chop some more until homogenous. Add enough chicken broth to form a liquid paste. Scoop into a large mixing bowl, then stir in the shredded chicken and salt and pepper to taste.
Serve garnished with chopped parsley and a shake of sweet paprika on top, and a good baguette cut in slices to spread it on.
Nb: This recipe makes enough for two parties. I keep the second serving and an extra baguette in the freezer against impulse invitations, or for individual servings line a muffin tin with plastic wrap and fill cups with dip, cover with another layer of plastic wrap and flash freeze. Roll up the whole thing and store in a freezer bag, taking out individual servings as wanted.
#4
I think most Westerners don't know much about that part of the world. One thing I know is that, historically, Russians have had a hell of a time with their southern neighbors and especially with the Turks and Tatars.
It's easy for Americans, and apparently Ukrainians, to use words like genocide while forgetting some of their own sins. Native Americans could probably tell you a lot more about that than I can.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
01/12/2025 19:29 Comments ||
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[Breitbart] There is no danger in exploring a purchase of the Panama Canal, Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-SD) said during an appearance on Breitbart News Saturday, discussing President-elect Donald Trump’s ideas and his status as the “quintessential deal maker.”
Johnson, who recently introduced the Panama Canal Repurchase Act, told Breitbart News Saturday that there is no harm in inquiring about such a purchase.
“I don’t know if this is a good idea, and I don’t know if we can get it done, but what’s the danger in exploring it?” he asked. “That’s what I just I don’t understand about the left. They have had this alarmism and this pearl-clutching.”
While he said some individuals on the left have been open to the idea, he said others assert that it would be dangerous — a critique that he says does not make sense.
“It is not dangerous to go ask somebody whether or not they’re interested in selling you something when that kind of negotiation goes on every single day,” he said, explaining when he was in business, he would prompt discussions even “when the other person said at the start of the negotiations they weren’t interested in a deal.”
“Sometimes something comes together after you start talking. Donald Trump is the quintessential deal maker,” he said. “Let’s give him a little bit of flexibility here to go see whether or not a deal could happen. And you’re right about Panama. They will decide this is in their best interest.”
“We saw traffic in the Suez Canal fall by 65 percent because of the uncertainty created by the intermittent Houthi attacks and with the China military increasingly wanting a larger presence in the canal. It may well be that Panama does not want to see that kind of drop off in traffic. That would have a devastating impact on their economy and on their budget,” he said.
Ultimately, Johnson said many Republicans are on board and “willing to give President Trump the flexibility he needs to evaluate this.”
[Breitbart] Former Breitbart News executive chairman Steve Bannon has declared war on Elon Musk, vowing to have the tech billionaire kicked out of the White House by the time Donald Trump is inaugurated.
“I will have Elon Musk run out of here by Inauguration Day,” Bannon told the Italian daily Corriere della Sera this week. “He will not have a blue pass to the White House, he will not have full access to the White House, he will be like any other person.”
“He is a truly evil guy, a very bad guy. I made it my personal thing to take this guy down,” Bannon added. “Before, because he put money in, I was prepared to tolerate it; I’m not prepared to tolerate it anymore.” Nobody cares, Steven. You bring nothing to the table
At the heart of the recent clash between Elon Musk and Steve Bannon is the immigration question, and specifically the H-1B visas for skilled immigrants working in “specialty occupations,” which Musk has said he supports. But for Bannon, the issue is emblematic of a bigger problem in Musk’s thinking.
“This thing of the H-1B visas, it’s about the entire immigration system is gamed by the tech overlords, they use it to their advantage, the people are furious,” Bannon said, noting that “76 percent of engineers working in Silicon Valley are non-Americans.”
“No blacks or Hispanics have any of these jobs or any access to these jobs,” Bannon said.
“Peter Thiel, David Sachs, Elon Musk, are all white South Africans,” Bannon observed. “He should go back to South Africa. Why do we have South Africans, the most racist people on earth, white South Africans, we have them making any comments at all on what goes on in the United States?”
“We have been fighting this fight for ten years,” he declared. “We are going to expose the entire corruption of the American system, of how money controls everything and hopefully we’ll inspire you in Italy to wake up,” he told Corriere della Sera journalist Viviana Mazza.
Elon “just had a huge defeat here in America,” Bannon argued, on the question of H-1B visas and their importance to the economy of the United States.
“He went out of his way to mock our movement as racist and retards, and he lost,” Bannon said. “We blew him out of the water. He won’t fight. He’s got the maturity of a little boy.”
Musk has had “tremendous loss of credibility here in the United States, and quite frankly, the people around Trump are tired of it,” he said.
Bannon went on to accuse Musk of being self-serving, insisting that his “sole objective is to become a trillionaire.”
“He will do anything to make sure that any one of his companies is protected or has a better deal or he makes more money. His aggregation of wealth, and then — through wealth — power: that’s what he’s focused on,” Bannon said.
Bannon said that Musk’s economic support of President Trump has been a positive thing, adding that he should do the same for any of the different populist movements in Europe.
“What’s not positive,” he added, “is when all of a sudden he tries to put his half-baked ideas which are really about the implementation of techno-feudalism on a global scale. I don’t support that and we’ll fight it.”
#1
“Peter Thiel, David Sachs, Elon Musk, are all white South Africans,” Bannon observed. “He should go back to South Africa. Why do we have South Africans, the most racist people on earth, white South Africans, we have them making any comments at all on what goes on in the United States?”
#3
Musk's mother was born in Canada, emigrated to South Africa and bore Elon. Elon got Canadian citizenship, via his mother's passport, then transferred to the Univ. of PA., earned US citizenship in 2002.
So he's not very South African, it seems to me. I do get Bannon's point, however.
Posted by: Bobby ||
01/12/2025 11:28 Comments ||
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#4
So we won't be looking for Bannon in the White House any time soon.
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.
