ahh, i have been wondering if yemen could apply for membership in either, brics or the sco, or perhaps both?  yemen  suffers others preying all but openly upon its resources, but under the umbrella of either the sco or brics might have some protection as well as constructive development.  perhaps, like palestine,  it cannot qualify?

amarynth, i suggest you look for a second hand one.  the new ones are all crap, all made with crap metal, crap wiring.  23yrs ago my washer repairman (actually he made small engine aircraft & owned a company that dominated northern flights, but 911 shut down all air traffic in canada & so he moved west & set up an appliance repair business, yet another empire—he advised only buy old machines, they can be repaired easily & forever, he claimed everything in the new models is made from crap tinfoil.

yes, i too shuddered upon eternal.  but because it is true.  from the time of qe1!  i’ll scoot off to read medvedev’s tweet.  how well, putin, knew medvedev to give him this task…they are old friends, long time comrades.

you chose wisely, ahh, your father lives on as an inspiration & mentor for us all.

i’m wondering if you’ve some ideas or thoughts on why modi has altered the sco f2f conference to virtual?  o/c my initial take spiralled, omg, he learned something & wants to protect putin.  but in fact it’s more likely another case of the waffling contagion, recent sufferers; south africa & even lula.  although still so dearly regarded, putin pauses from participating in a formal meeting to take his call.

indeed, & fully agreed, we live in the meanest times, beyond description.   we must work to stay in peace & love.  fortunately when we ask, heaven always guides us to the light.

🙂  hummers are a delight.   i’ve one my garden, he understands adoration is a human need & allows it with disarming grace.

<span style=”font-size: medium;”> i, like you, have been aware amarynth’s dealing with multiple issues, & having been sending her family well wishes</span><span style=”font-size: medium;”>.   sputnik being so possessive gave me pause, & i began to consider, some sites are indeed very territorial…i do not believe either ben norton or amarynth are, both seem very motivated by getting truth out.  still michael hudson & radhika may have an agreement with ben.  it may be trivial, or not.  </span>

i agree differences are essential, & used to be the hallmark of good research.  sadly no longer, as many attempting to publish in once well regarded journals can attest.  making the disputation of differences all the more important.  panning for truth in days such as ours is crucial & i concede it’s one of empire’s few fields of exquisite expertise: fog, propaganda & concealing light & truth.

the recent (a week or more ago) release by the russians on biolabs seemed to herald this release of empire’s sins.  amarynth wisely marked it as though the RoH is beginning to formulate the agenda for their trials; which means empire is sensing defeat.  certainly ramping up Bioware will be one of its big last horse persons sent.  poverty on a global scale has undoubtedly also been saddled: i read (i think on middleeasteye) the state of pensioners in lebanon.  amaranth’s new atlas post informs us hybrid warfare is going to play an dominant role.  how china, iran, russia & the RoH meet these wars & saddled horse persons & help navigate our world through is indeed why we here are so fervently connected, & why, as you state so eloquently, differences are crucial.  we need to keep clearing our vision & minds, setting aside dated, wrong assumptions, retrieving our uncluttered knapsacks & hurry to the next smoking battle zone.  to make what we might from the smoke’s rising curls.  blessings.

praise god (not yet on the list), after years of expanding the oxford dictionary will slam into reverse & obligingly shrink.

thank you, ahh & amarynth!  my prayers & good wishes flow to peru in their brave & seemingly never-ending battle with empire. may the battle be won shortly.  my gratitude to you both.

like you, ahh, i too grew up with marvellous childhood books on the inca.  later in life a dear friend was a prof on the inca.  she’d also studied the mayans & could speak mayan, as her father had been a prof on the mayans & had an enormous collection of old manuscripts, later donated to the smithsonian.  i shall take your wise words to heart & admire the stone work & terraces from afar.  jago cooper has beautiful videos that teach & do more than whet the appetite.  thank you, ahh, for remembering my issues, i will heed your advice before travelling to peru.  fingersXed my recovery continues with a modicum of speed & thoroughness & that in a year or so i shall be wending my way up the mountain.  i was born & raised @ 3000 feet so hopefully my body has a residual memory of how to cope with such limited resources.  🙂

because gaddafi was an admirer of nasser, i mistakenly assumed that gaddafi would’ve also connected with assad’s father.   assad’s london life may’ve been heady, music & classes mixing like exotic cocktails, but wasn’t it remarkable & marvellous that as he hadn’t been raised to rule he was allowed to take on a useful career, lacking obvious pretentious glamour & wholly connected to the people & poor in a real way?  not the choice of many elite arab second sons enjoying london’s posh dens & salons.  that choice & his sincere humility leads me to assume he would’ve grown up with the green book, for a time an item on many shelves in montreal & new york, alongside the little red book.  how did he survive those first years suddenly tossed in amongst the party of sheiks & kings all accompanied by their princes ala bandar waiting to mentor, groom the young president?  he must’ve been played & led & grievously misled?

for when empire attacked nasser regardless of whether or not assad’s father was aligned it would’ve left a deep impression on assad & his family.  possibly an awakening.

once upon a time,  there was a brazilian poster, canthama, deeply committed to syria, her cause, people, artifacts & history…perhaps you recall him?  he floated through various sites, most vanished unfortunately, but his perspective was, like yours, invariably illuminating & unforgettable.