Making Choices
Discerning Best Actions,
This option has been discussed for a long time: Putin Vetoed Hypersonic Missile Strike On Zelensky's Office, Belarusian President Says
Belarusian PresidentAlexander Lukashenko on Friday told reporters in an anecdote given to a press conference that Russian authorities had plans to directly attack Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's office in Kiev, but that President Putin rejectedthe proposed action.
What's more,Lukashenko said, is that it would have happened with the new Oreshnik missiles, which are medium-range hypersonics that Russian officials have touted as having the same destructive power as a low-yield nuclear strike. https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/putin-vetoed-hypersonic-missile-strike-zelenskys-office-belarusian-president-says Russia Attacks US-Owned Factory In Ukraine, While Insisting It Has Veto Power Over Any 'Security Guarantees'
Russia has never wavered on insisting that NATO or Western forces never be allowed to patrol or have a presence in Ukraine. Moscow's war justification from the beginning has been focused on the question of NATO expansion, and demanding permanent Ukrainian neutrality.....
..Moon of Alabamareacted as follows:
While Russia is confidently prosecuting the war in Ukraine towards its inevitable end. Meanwhilethe 'West' is still negotiating with itself about the conditions under which it will have to capitulate.
Discussions continue about'security guarantees' for Ukraineeven asthe only serious ones are those that Russia is willing to give. https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/russia-attacks-us-owned-factory-ukraine-while-insisting-it-has-veto-power-over-any
Simplicius: Peace Talks Unravel and the March Goes On
Lavrov has again confirmed that Putin and Zelensky can only meet after all the underlying work is first accomplished, in terms of agreeing on the various subordinating issues. In short, it means there will beno such meeting any time soon...
..Russia launched another large-scale attacklast night, whichincluded cruise and hypersonic missilesof all kinds, and struck many an interesting object.
The most interesting was afactory in Mukachevo, in the Zakarpattia region, reportedly belonging to the American Flextronics corporation.
The factory is said to produce electronic circuit boards, with Ukrainian sources claiming they are exclusively civilian, butRussian ones stating they are involved in the production and assembly of units for various military objects like the Bayraktar and other drones...
..The Mukachevo site housed production of printed circuit boards, control systems, microprocessor units, and assembly components for military hardware and drones. It was also the hub for adapting Western electronics to Kiev’s weapon systems: Texas Instruments processors, STMicroelectronics microcontrollers, Vicor power modules, and telemetry units for Bayraktar TB2, Warmate, Punisher, and Vampire drones, as well as 90% of all Kiev-produced UAVs.
The destruction of this facility is critical. Explosions devastated cleanrooms, Siemens and Juki SMT lines, and testing stations from Keysight and Rohde & Schwarz. The strike on Mukachevo represents a strategic turning point: Kiev lost its key center for integrating Western electronics into drones and precision weapon systems...
..This big“FPV” threat everyone talks about relies almost entirely on other slower, larger drones which can be relatively easily taken out.
There aretwo main important types: the ‘recon’ drone and the signal extender.FPVs cannot function without either one of these. First: becauseFPVs fly very lowand lose their signal fast afterline of sight to the controlling unitis cut. Thereforethey are required to have a signal booster drone somewherevery high above that can ‘triangulate’ the signal to them.
Second:FPVs don’t have much battery time and are typically not used in ‘free hunt’ modebecause they’re optimized tocarry as large a warhead and as small a batteryas possible...
Trump 'Very Angry' At Ukraine Repeatedly Attacking Russian Pipeline To Hungary, Slovakia https://www.zerohedge.com/energy/trump-very-angry-ukraine-repeatedly-attacking-russian-pipeline-hungary-slovakia Ukraine not interested in peace – Lavrov
Kiev plans to demand that Russia be weakened through sanctions even after a peace agreement is reached, the Russian foreign minister said https://swentr.site/russia/623381-lavrov-kiev-no-peace/
Andrew Korybko, (Not NATO boots): Which Western Security Guarantees For Ukraine Might Be Acceptable To Putin?
To summarize, in the order of the most hypothetically acceptable Western security guarantees to Ukraine to the least hypothetically acceptable from Russia’s perspective, these are: 1) the resumption of Western support for Ukraine only if another conflict erupts and without any peacekeepers at all; 2) continued Western support but with non-Western peacekeepers; and 3) continued Western support, Western troops west of the Dnieper, and non-Western troops in a demilitarized “Trans-Dnieper” region.
The scope of Ukraine’s demilitarization and the extent of Western security guarantees to it after the present conflict ends are of the utmost importance for Russia in order to prevent Ukraine from once again being weaponized as a launchpad for Western aggression. It’s therefore highly unlikely that Russia will compromise much on this issue, especially the scenario of Western troops in Ukraine. Russia might be more flexible on other issues, but on this one, it might prove unwavering.
The Honest Sorcerer works the thought problem of the long decline of oil over the next 50 years, starting now, as the biggest burners dominate global military-power dynamics, to a time where that might still be true, but diesel for tactors is in short supply. The Sloth Economy - Slow and steady wins the race?
What's left after western neoliberalism loses Ukraine? The unmentioned elephant is global finance. The Middle East: The Decisive Battleground of WW3
World orders have long been the frameworks through which major global powers set the rules of the game. They define the structure of international political relations...
..Eventually, though,these arrangements always break down, leading to violent power struggles until a new agreement is reached, reflecting the shifting balance of power...
..The Current US-Led World Order (1945 to Today): The victors of World War 2 created the current world order with the US as its leader. This system includes institutions like the United Nations, the World Bank, and the International Monetary Fund—all headquartered in the US. This world order has largely been unipolar, with the US exerting significant influence over international policies and decision-making...
..While many don’t realize it, World War 3 is already underway...
..However, with the advent of nuclear weapons, total war between the largest powers today—Russia, China, and the US—means a nuclear Armageddon where there are no winners and only losers.
That could still happen despite nobody wanting it, but it’s not the most likely outcome.
World War 3 is unlikely to be a total war between the world’s largest powers, like the previous world wars. Instead, the conflict is playing out on different levels—proxy wars, economic wars, financial wars, cyber wars, biological warfare, deniable sabotage, and information warfare...
..While they resent US dominance, both Russia and China hold a position—albeit a subordinate one—within the current system. They have permanent seats on the UN Security Council and are members of key international institutions like the IMF, World Bank, and WTO.
Unlike Germany and Japan in World War 2,Russia and China do not appear intent on completely overturning the current world order. Doing so could invite nuclear Armageddon. Instead,they aim to shift the balance away from US dominance to a multipolar worldwhere they wield greater influence.
The conflict is playing out just below the threshold of direct military conflict. Nevertheless, it is a high-stakes struggle among the world’s major powers to determine the future world order, just as in previous world wars. This is World War 3...
..Ukraine is Russia’s most vital neighbor—both culturally and strategically.Slavic nations, including Russia,trace their heritage to the Kievan Rus’, a federation of tribes centered in present-day Ukraine that existed from the late 800s to the early 1200s.
Ukraine is also of immense geopolitical value. For years,US strategists have pursued the idea of integrating Ukraine into NATO, a move that would significantly weaken Russia’s military position and further isolate Moscow—an appealing prospect for those favoring a unipolar world.
After the 2014 coup,Moscow became convinced that the US was determined to bring Russia under its control. In response,Russia saw no choice but to push back—primarily by aligning with China and other nations to shift the world order from unipolar to multipolar...
..Thenotion that the US could maintain a unipolar world order indefinitely was never realistic.
PresidentTrump seems to recognize thatmaintaining it is not just unrealistic but unsustainable. Heappears to have decided that it is in the US’s best interest to transition to a multipolar reality on its own terms rather than be forced into itby a chaotic collapse.
We are now in a volatile adjustment periodas the unipolar world order gives way to a multipolar one.
Does that mean World War 3 is over? I don’t think so. Butit does mean we have entered a new phase of it...
..Rather than total victory and preserving the unipolar world order, the US is now focused on maximizing its power within the new multipolar landscape—while limiting the influence of its most formidable rivals: Russia and China...
..Determining the precise boundaries of various spheres of influence in a multipolar world—and formalizing them into an agreement—will be a complex and prolonged process. It won’t happen overnight.
Until a formal agreement is reached among the world’s major powers—much like the Congress of Vienna after the Napoleonic Wars, the Treaty of Versailles following World War 1, and the Yalta Conference at the close of World War 2—World War 3 will continue.
The Middle East: The Decisive Battleground of WW3 ...
..TheUS, Russia, and China will not only need to define their boundaries in the Middle East, but so will these regional actors. There’s no sign of a resolutionanytime soon. The region remains volatile, and the potential for a regional conflict escalating into a global confrontation remains a real possibility.
A key question is Iran’s role in the multipolar world order. If the Middle East is pivotal to the global balance of power in a multipolar world, thenIran is pivotal to the balance of power within the Middle East.
Control of Iran would give the US even greater leverageover the Middle East’shydrocarbonresources. A US-aligned government in Tehran couldhelp block China’s Belt and RoadInitiative from pushing further west and potentially cut off 14% of China’s oil imports.It would also hinder Russian trade through the Caspian Seaand serve as a launchpad to destabilize Russia from its southern flank.
In short, bringingIran under US influence would open the door to further undermining both Russia and China. For them, Iran is strategic depth.
Russia and China cannot afford to let Iran fall—and the US and Israel cannot afford to let it stand...
..It’s doubtful that the US and its allies can win the war in Ukraine against Russia or a potential war over Taiwan against China. Their best shot at rolling back Russian and Chinese influence in a multipolar world is through striking Iran.
That’s why I believe the US and its allies will make their last stand to preserve global preeminence by attempting to overthrow Iran’s government—likely through full-scale war...The outcome of this conflict could trigger the most dangerous economic crisis in a hundred years. https://internationalman.com/articles/the-middle-east-the-decisive-battleground-of-ww3/
Iranian president inks defense treaty with Belarus during Minsk visit - Iran and Belarus sealed new accords across a number of fields as both nations vow to resist US sanctions https://thecradle.co/articles/iranian-president-inks-defense-treaty-with-belarus-during-minsk-visit
We get everything, then we kill everybody: Netanyahu Authorizes New Talks To Free All Hostages On 'Acceptable' Terms https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/netanyahu-authorizes-new-talks-free-all-hostages-acceptable-terms
Divide and annihilate:Israel approves E1 settlement to 'erase' Palestinian state with 'actions not slogans'
Settlement committee rubber stamps 3,400 housing units, which finance minister says will leave 'hypocritical leaders in Europe with nothing to recognise' https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/israel-approves-e1-settlement-smotrich-says-palestinian-state-being-erased
Thanks Eleni in Athens: Palestine National Anthem
Israeli Drones Pound Southern Lebanon, One Killed and at Least Seven Wounded - IDF claims strikes targeted ‘Hezbollah infrastructure’ https://news.antiwar.com/2025/08/21/israeli-drones-pound-southern-lebanon-one-killed-and-at-least-seven-wounded/
US, EU Release Details Of Trade Deal
On steel and aluminum, the EU and US now assert they “intend to consider the possibility to cooperate on ring-fencing their respective domestic markets from overcapacity, while ensuring secure supply chains between each other,” according to the joint statement.
As discussed here before, the document raises major questions about how the EU might fulfill its promise to invest $600 billion in the US or purchase some $750 billion in US energy resources, including liquefied natural gas, oil and nuclear power products. through 2028.
Private sector investments by European companies would be expected across strategic sectors in the US, including pharmaceuticals, semiconductors and advanced manufacturing, the senior administration official said. Meanwhile, the EU plans to substantially increase procurement of military and defense equipment from the US, according to the statement, and intends to buy at least $40 billion worth of US artificial intelligence chips...
..In recent weeks,deliberations over the EU’s digital services regulationsand potential relief for some goods — including wine and spirits - were seenprolonging talks.The EU didn’t secure lower rates for alcohol in the joint statement.
But theUS and EU are pledging to address some of what the statement calls “unjustified digital trade barriers,”with the bloc confirming that it will“not adopt or maintain network usage fees.”
TheEU has committed to work toward providing more “flexibilities” in its levy on carbon-intensive importsset to kick in next year, the statement said. https://www.zerohedge.com/economics/us-eu-release-details-trade-deal
I would say "citizens": Tulsi Stares Down UK, Scoring Another Big Win for American Consumers
Britain's censorious Online "Safety" Act of 2023 isn't the only foreign threat to American freedoms. They also have their Orwell-inspired Investigatory Powers Act... Back in February, Britain ordered Apple to create a backdoor in its iPhone operating system, allowing British authorities to snoop on the entire contents of anyone's iPhone, anywhere in the world — without a warrant, without notification... Apple was forbidden to even tell British users that their privacy was compromised by force of law. Apple calls its end-to-end iPhone encryption...
..Britain's hope was that Apple would quietly corrupt user privacy without anyone being the wiser, but rather than destroy user privacy, Apple did what I called "the best wrong thing." ...In February the company warned British users that they would soon lose ADP and their privacy, too.....Trump sicced Tulsi on the Brits.Wisely, after months of wrangling behind closed doors, theBrits finally caved. https://pjmedia.com/vodkapundit/2025/08/20/tulsi-stares-down-uk-in-another-big-win-for-american-consumers-n4942872 Why is the US sparing China, but not India, for importing Russian oil?
Unequal treatment reflects a cold combination of political and economic calculations. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/8/20/why-is-the-us-sparing-china-but-not-india-for-importing-russian-oil
'Silence emboldens bully': China targets Trump's tariffs, 'Firmly' stands with India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/123434962.cms
India Successfully Launches Agni-5 Missile with Full Range Covering Entire Asia. (aka: "China") https://armyrecognition.com/news/aerospace-news/2025/india-successfully-launches-agni-5-missile-with-full-range-covering-entire-asia
Press release on Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s talks with India’s Minister of External Affairs Subrahmanyam Jaishankar
On August 21, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had talks with Minister of External Affairs of the Republic of India Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.
The ministers exchanged views on further intensification of their political contacts at various levels and deepening of trade and economic cooperation. They paid special attention to building transport and logistic chains as well as currency and financial channels of interaction. The parties highly appreciated the prospects of expanding partnership in the field of peaceful nuclear energy and hydrocarbons production.
The foreign ministers noted the necessity of intensifying efforts for strengthening the multipolar architecture of interstate relations and assisting the Global South countries in defending their political sovereignty. They underscored the priority of establishing a global economic system based on equality and justice.
The sides reaffirmed their intent to increase cooperation on international platforms, above all in the United Nations, the SCO, BRICS and the G20. They checked their approaches to the situation in Afghanistan, Ukraine, to the Iranian nuclear programme, Israeli-Palestinian settlement and establishing a security architecture in the Asian-Pacific region.
The parties agreed to continue their trust-based dialogue at all levels. https://mid.ru/en/foreign_policy/news/2042440/
Venezuela Mobilizes 4.5 Million Militia Members as US Deploys Troops to the Caribbean
The US does not recognize President Nicolás Maduro as the winner of the July 28 elections in Venezuela, claiming that opposition figure Edmundo González is the true president. In the months following the election, Washington targeted dozens of officials in the Venezuelan National Electoral Council (CNE) and other government departments with sanctions and visa bans, on top of the long-standing US economic blockade of the Bolivarian nation. https://scheerpost.com/2025/08/21/venezuela-mobilizes-4-5-million-militia-members-as-us-deploys-troops-to-the-caribbean/
Trump On 'Lowlife, Unpatriotic' Bolton: 'Going To Find Out' If He Leaked Classified Info https://www.zerohedge.com/political/fbi-raids-maryland-home-john-bolton-patel-says-no-one-above-lawTrump Reinstates FBI Whistleblowers Punished By Biden, Grants Back Pay
FBI Director Kashyap Patel claimed on Thursday that nearly a dozen whistleblowers punished by the Biden administration would be reinstated with back pay. https://www.zerohedge.com/political/trump-reinstates-fbi-whistleblowers-punished-biden-grants-back-pay
Alternative NSA facts: Second Whistleblower: Receipts Attached. The NSA Audited the 2024 Election. Kamala Won.
Exposing the real reason behind Trump's war on mail-in voting.
Canada's Refusal To Cooperate With DEA On Fentanyl "Superlab" Investigation Fueled Cross-Border Tariffs https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/canadas-refusal-cooperate-dea-fentanyl-superlab-investigation-fueled-cross-border
Using a knife against an armed burglar at 3 AM was "disproportionate force": Ontario resident charged after armed, wanted felon breaks into his home
The intruder was armed, and already wanted on separate charges related to completely different offences. He was charged with four separate crimes.
But Kawartha Lake Police also charged the tenant with assault causing bodily harm, pushing back on the public backlash in their statement:
“it is important to understand that these rights are not unlimited in Canada. The law requires that any defensive action be proportionate to the threat faced”
Which begs the question: when Canadians find themselves in the nightmare position of facing armed, violent criminals inside their own homes, will their actions be considered “reasonable” if they manage to survive it? (It has since been disclosed that the tenant used a knife to defend himself). https://thedailybell.com/all-articles/news-analysis/ontario-resident-charged-after-armed-wanted-felon-breaks-into-his-home/
Biden-Appointed Judge Orders Release of ‘Teens’ Who Violently Attacked Ex-DOGE Employee Edward Coristine, AKA “Big Balls”
Earlier this month, 19-year-old Edward Coristine was severely beaten in DC after he jumped into action to save his significant other’s life...
..According to the police report,Coristine pushed his girlfriend into the car and shut the door to shield her from the approaching mob. The 19-year-old was assaulted by 10 juvenile thugs after he shielded his girlfriend.
Thetwo unidentified 15-year-olds who were arrested in connection with the attempted carjacking were ordered releasedby the Biden judge.
Judge Briggs released one teen to a youth shelter and the other to his mother. https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2025/08/biden-appointed-judge-releases-teens-who-violently-attacked/Very good PR; Jeffrey who?:Trump Treats Police, National Guard to Dinner While Thanking Them for D.C. Crime Cleanup https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2025/08/21/trump-treats-police-national-guard-to-dinner-while-thanking-them-for-d-c-crime-cleanup/
Stocks good, but no jobs: Continued Unemployment Claims Jump by 30,000 to New High Since Nov 6, 2021 https://mishtalk.com/economics/continued-unemployment-claims-jump-by-30000-to-new-high-since-nov-6-2021/
"Lies,damned lies and..." CDC Adviser Says Vote On RSV Antibody Was Based On Distorted Data
The presentationdid not include a pooled analysis or seizures from the combined infant population.
Maryanne Demasi, a journalist and researcherwho holds a doctorate in rheumatology, later performed an independent analysis of the seizure data, pooling the two infant populations. Shefound that infants who received nirsevimab were four times more likely to suffer seizures.
Malone said on Aug. 20 that, based on that new information, as well as other concerns raised about the presentations, such as the lack of inclusion of data from other government-run safety systems,it appears that his vote in favor of the new antibody “based on the information and logic presented” was actually “on manipulated data analyses.” https://www.zerohedge.com/medical/cdc-adviser-says-vote-rsv-antibody-was-based-distorted-data
600 CDC Employees Fired as HHS Launches Massive Restructuring
The Vaccine Cartel will be furious as HHS shifts focus from infectious disease to chronic disease.
Meryl Nass MD presents work by Professor Reginald Oduor, who is polite, but clear: International Public Health is Sick: Who Can Heal It?
Here is your summary article on the COVID response and the WHO
A Midwestern Doctor has another detailed article, Yale’s Censored Vaccine Injury Research and the Urgent Need for Scientific Reform Unveiling Jay's Bhattacharya's extraordinary initiative to rebuild American Science Story at a Glance:
•One premier research group has bravely studied the vaccine-injured and provided many critical details about their multi-year illnesses.
•Unfortunately, despite their excellent research, medical journals have refused to publish their results, including the most recent study which showed clear differences exist between long COVID and COVID-19 vaccine injuries.
•Science is ultimately predicated upon the methods we use discern what is actually true (epistemology). As this subject has been neglected, our epistemological standards frequently result in existing dogmas and vested interests being reaffirmed while critically important data never reaches the public awareness (e.g., due to widespread medical journal censorship).
•During COVID-19, the severe abuses of the scientific community (which ultimately resulted from it having no accountability for failing to uphold its social responsibilities) broke the public trust in science, and allowed something previously inconceivable—MAHA to gain control of our corrupt scientific apparatus and have a mandate to reform it.
•NIH director Jay Bhattacharya has announced his commitment to fixing the scientific apparatus and has engaged in a variety of NIH initiatives and public discussions which are vital to allowing science to serve the people rather than vested-interests... ..This data collectively shows that:
•The COVID vaccine spike protein can persist for years in the body. The major limitation with each previous study was that spike was still found at the end of the study duration, so it was not possible to know how long it actually persisted. As this study shows, a few months was not long enough to measure the spike protein’s persistence, as in some cases, it lasted for close to two years (and were it to be measured again, might last even longer).
Steve Kirsch's non-trick question: Is epidemiology reliable? Here's a simple challenge to the world's epidemiologists. I created a database of the actual deaths of two cohorts that I selected at random from a larger database. Is epidemiology capable of determining which cohort was vaccinated?
Look at text and graphics: The Transgenerational mRNA Catastrophe: Excess Infant Deaths, Sterilization, and the Great Birth Rate Collapse Epidemiologist Nicolas Hulscher Exposes the Crime of the Century on The Dr. Maria Show
Can ginger help diabetes? Major review says yes, it lowers blood sugar and inflammation effectively The meta-analysis by Zhu et al. (2018) of 10 RCTs revealed ginger's powerful effect on glycemic control. Supplementation was observed to significantly lower fasting blood glucose (MD = -21.24 mg/dL, P < 0.001) and, significantly, also reduced glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) (MD = -1.00, P < 0.001), a key indicator of long-term blood sugar management. These findings were supported by low heterogeneity, increasing their reliability... ..The present systematic review synthesized the results of five meta-analyses and found that ginger is a generally safe and potentially effective therapeutic agent with a moderate to strong evidence base. Review findings robustly support its use as an effective anti-inflammatory, an adjunct therapy for managing T2D, a potent antioxidant, and a safe remedy for pregnancy-related nausea. https://www.news-medical.net/news/20250817/Can-ginger-help-diabetes-Major-review-says-yes-it-lowers-blood-sugar-and-inflammation-effectively.aspx
An efficient, powerful, likely reliable, and compact gasoline engine: ALREADY PATENTED!!! - 2 Stroke Engine with Advanced Valve System From Mazda
Internal Combustion Bicyclist (pictured at dawn on fixie, wearing Palestinian flag t- shirt)
The notion that the USA is more militarily powerful than Russia or China is completely delusional...Russia and China can field several times as many soldiers in a ground war, and Russia and China, in various areas are technologically ahead of the West, as the one-sided Pakistan-India skirmish established...and even dumber is the idea that the US could attack Iran, which would cause chaos in the markets and end in military disaster...
Other than that, good roundup of the blogs, except for missing that Japan has established that the mRNA bioweapon has killed hundreds of thousands of its citizens, and no doubt more to come....Other research shows that unvaccinated babies from vaxxed mothers are 77% more likely to die....
Nobody has honest answers that would cure anyone. How many billions have been given medical researchers to find an answer to cancer...and its major answer was chemo. My husband's doctor told my daughter, when she asked him how effective chemo was...He said, "3%." My husband believed in medical doctors. When I offered to help him, as someone who had eliminated tumors twice and had been into health and nutrition research for 47 years in 2008, but did not have a Medical Degree. He said, "My expensive Beverly Hills doctor is going to save me" His doctor accelerated his death by handing him a can of Ensure. Its first ingredient High Fructose Corn Syrup. He followed his doctors advice and drank a lot; and was gone three months later. The excess carbs accelerated the growth of the tumor. Many people are the same, they are addicted to foods, which are killing them...They would rather die than give up the foods they love.