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Everything is going extremely well

Milei government opens up food imports in bid to curb price hikes

Argentina’s government orders full opening of food imports in an attempt to curb an inflationary spike and introduce more “competitive” prices.

President Javier Milei’s government has ordered the opening of food imports in an attempt to curb soaring inflation "and make prices more competitive.” The news was announced Tuesday by Presidential Spokesman Manuel Adorni, who said the decision had been taken after meetings between Economy Minister Luis Caputo and business leaders. "In the meeting, the businessmen acknowledged that prices were rising above the inflation expectations and of course the scenario that the businessmen had evaluated was catastrophic," said Adorni.

The spokesperson said that Argentina’s economy is “gradually normalising” after years of protectionism. “The decision has been taken to definitively open imports for certain products of the family basket in order to make prices more competitive for the benefit of Argentine families and consumers,” he added.

Adorni added that there would be "some tax relief" on certain imported products. The move was announced just hours before the INDEC national statistics bureau confirmed inflation data for February, with analysts forecasting a rate of around 15 percent. Various local news outlets reported that Caputo received on Monday representatives from the largest supermarket chains in Argentina. According to reports, he said that prices of mass consumption products were not reflecting Argentina’s new economic reality.

By default, Argentina is a producer of food. It's literally our natural condition, we produce stuff that we eat, we produce so much food we can export it to the US, Europe and China and have so much to spare we can easily supply our internal consumption.

Shit has gotten so bad the government decided the solution is to import food. A country that produces food now must import food. Ancap land is doing extremely well.

Communism is when no food, I guess.

The artist of Stonetoss has been identified as a Hans Kristian Graebener from Texas. CW for uh, all the vile shit in his comics.

He was identified by his email being exposed in the Gab hack in 2021. Some fun nuggets:
He lost 23 Bitcoin in a hack in 2014 (current value in USD: 1.6 Million)
He posted frequently on Reddit about being circumcised and donated to foreskin regeneration startups
He appeared in a 2014 NYT article where he was described as "an enormous bald man named Hans". He had apparently flown to New York for a pro-Gamergate meeting. It includes this banger of a quote:

“Naturally, accusations of misogyny are thrown around, but as evidenced by the presence of women, of which there are a few, it is a diverse group.” Hans paused, then winked. “By the way, table dances are $10 and lap dances are $75, if you’re interested. May I recommend Ms. Rain?”

Also, he works at the Houston office of Open iT... 👀

CW: self harm

It turns out Klon Kitchen's full name is Klon Kennith Kitchen Jr or KKK Jr for short lmao

This is some college student's webpage of the dad: http://pacweb.alamo.edu/interactivehistory/projects/people/categories/WorldWarII/Veterans/Kitchen-Martinez/Oral%20History%20Template.html

His son, Klon Kennith Kitchen, Jr. was born on June 16, 1953.

His daughter, Klondina Kitchen, was born on July 1956.

Republican Megadonor Threatens to Cut Off Funds to GOP Lawmakers Unless They Support the TikTok Ban Bill

VC / tech oligarch just openly stating he buys off politicians and if they don’t do his bidding he will stop paying for democracy.

A note on something I can see becoming a problem after the Ukrainian War is over: the "Ukrainian Vatnik" cope. It will become an article of faith in the West that the AFU's failures can all be laid on incompetence, and Real NATO Troops would do better. Is this true though?⬇️

Let's examine the case of the Ukrainian 47th Mechanized Brigade, an organization that was intended to be the showpiece unit of the new NATO-standard Ukrainian Army. This was an organization that was stood up in late 2022, filled with young, highly-motivated volunteers, many of them already with high-intensity combat experience. These troops were then sent through months of additional training, both in the West and in maneuver areas in Western Ukraine. This unit was lavishly equipped with the pick of donated Western equipment fully equal to anything fielded by any NATO army - Leopard 2A6s and M2A2 Bradleys, supported by 155mm howitzers and HIMARS. It had distributed high-speed tactical internet thanks to Starlink. And it had something that no NATO formation has - a fully integrated drone group, created from the ground up to incorporate the hard lessons of the war by people who learned them personally.

In short, the Ukrainian 47th Mechanized Brigade was in all likelihood equal or superior in combat power to any heavy brigade in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization when it attacked in Zaporozhe in the summer of 2023. The Russians proceeded to beat this unit so hard it became a meme. "Bradley Square," anyone? I quipped at the time it looked like the Battle of 73 Easting in reverse, with attacking NATO armor burning in failed breach after failed breach. But when this war is over - after the Russians break Ukraine and humiliate NATO - an awful lot of very senior Westerners are going to cope about how the Ukrainians were dumb brutes who just didn't get maneuver warfare. Couldn't be trained. Soviet dinosaurs. Wasted effort.

Anything to avoid admitting that could have been us.

I love all the "um, actually, real NATO troops wouldn't have attacked without air superiority!" responses... so, Western militaries are just never going to get around to actually attacking, because gaining complete air superiority in the modern day just ain't happening?

The Iraq War has thoroughly mind-broken westerners into thinking that they can solve all their problems with bombing, and they've completely ignored all the advances in air-defense, as well as the advances in long-range strike capabilities thanks to ballistic missiles and drones - where exactly are your planes going to fly from once the Russians hit your major airbases? Where are they going to get their fuel from once the Russians hit your logistics? Something that people forget about Iraq was that in both 1991 and 2003, Western forces had months to prepare, build up, and stockpile, during which the Iraqis couldn't really do much but sit and watch. An air campaign of that scale simply isn't sustainable normally - you'd just run out of fuel and munitions (and later in Libya, there were indeed ammunition issues, and bombing had to be paused for a bit). Westerners don't even understand why they actually won the victories that they did, and how in a different situation things might go differently, just complete

I have a growing suspicion that the true purpose of the "humanitarian pier" is to goad Hamas into attacking the pier and giving Biden the cover to get the US military officially involved. The US and Israel will slowly keep acting more and more egregiously until the Resistance is forced to respond, and then a highly editorialized version events will be splattered across western media as casus belli.

If I was Zelensky I would simply not waste manpower and equipment on silly suicide missions but I guess I'm just not enough of a military genius.

Gove says three Muslim-led groups and two far-right to be assessed for extremism

Three Muslim-led organisations and two far-right groups will be assessed under the government’s controversial new extremism definition, Michael Gove has told MPs.

The communities secretary named the Muslim Association of Britain, Mend and Cage as groups with “Islamist orientation and beliefs” that would be held to account following the launch of a new definition of extremism.

Gove named the British National Socialist Movement and Patriotic Alternative as groups that promoted neo-Nazi ideology which would also be examined.

And from their live thread:

In response, Mend CEO Azhar Qayum said:

We challenge Michael Gove to repeat his claims outside of parliament and without the protection of parliamentary privilege if he believes he can provide the evidence to back up his view that Mend has called for the establishment of an ‘Islamic state governed by sharia law’.

Extremely base rhetorical maneuver to equivocate these groups with literal nazis

This admittedly a bit out there of a theory, but I wonder if the reason all these European politicians are so adamant about propping up Ukraine is because so many of them and their parties are implicated in preventing Ukraine from making peace with Russia back in March 2022. And if Ukraine falls, Zelensky et al will air all their dirty laundry about who made what promises and who told them to keep fighting, which they don’t want to do now because they still think they have a chance if NATO goes all-in.

Seems like Ukraine has given up on any kind of military victory and will now focus on terrorism inside Russia. The only problem is that it makes Russia retaliate with more force than usual which is directed at western cities.

I take so much copium when it comes to Russia please be socialist again it would be so based please

Meet Israel's ZAKA, the group that fabricated the 'beheaded babies' story. (cw graphic pics, r*pe, atrocity propaganda)

isnreal having some preparatory protests for color revolution🤣🤣🤣

i wonder if some mfer will try to say thats cause its usa condoned, bibi is actually anti imperialist 😅😑💀

but for real, will they do election in the middle of a war or what

$500K sand dune for protecting beach houses in US gone with the wind: https://english.almayadeen.net/news/environment/-500k-sand-dune-for-protecting-beach-houses-in-us-gone-with

The Saudis are still bombing Yemen in case anyone forgot. During Ramadan no less...

https://english.almasirah.net.ye/post/38687/

the past two or three days I've seen more pro-Palestinian coverage at the top of the BBC, eg.(content warning child death):

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-68557147

and yesterday's: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-68513408

what is going on? this is the first time in the genocide they've reported anything like this. it's jarring enough that I had to post about it.

and then this near the top of Reuters? https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israeli-tank-strike-killed-clearly-identifiable-reuters-reporter-un-report-2024-03-13/

Azov Battalion member lost both legs and an arm but can still do this

Guess what it is before clicking.

From red. on Telegram:

Argentine police clashed with workers. The protest was against the closure of the National Cinema Institute (INCAA). Workers in the cultural sector held a press conference in front of the iconic Gaumont Cinema. Suddenly, police charged at them, wielding batons and pepper spray.

Most INCAA workers have already been fired. This action is part of the government's preparation to close the Institute. It aligns with President Javier Milei's neoliberal agenda, which aims to reduce the state's presence in all areas except repression.

Inflation has risen to 254%, significantly higher than the 160% rate he inherited. The past week saw numerous strikes, with teachers, airline workers, transport workers, and public sector unions participating. A possible general strike is looming.

Additionally, President Milei is struggling in Congress. His flagship austerity law faced another setback. It was blocked again yesterday in the Senate.

With Ansarallah in Yemen if you could get communists in Gibraltar, Morocco or Spain you could literally cut Israel off from all ocean supply by closing the Strait.

1500 casulties troops after failed invasion of Russia between March 12-14. 500 dead 18 tanks, 23 armourer combat vehicles.

Russia Goes to Vote With War Economy Lifting Living Standards (Bloomberg)

Two years after the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine, many in Russia have reason to feel the wartime economy is working well for them in a setback for Western sanctions designed to pit the populace against the country’s leader, Vladimir Putin.

Wages have soared by double digits, the ruble has stabilized, and poverty and unemployment are at record lows. For the country’s lowest earners — a key constituency for the Kremlin — salaries over the last three quarters have risen faster than for any other segment of society, clocking an annual growth rate of about 20%, Federal Statistics Service data show.

Ahead of Russia’s March 15-17 presidential election, with Putin all but assured of winning a fifth term, public discontent over the economy largely isn’t there. Though the war has left hundreds of thousands killed or wounded, and long-term challenges continue to build with officials still wrestling inflation that is running ahead of their target, for now, the Russian leader is pointing to the economy and claiming success.

Russia is approaching the election “in good form,” said Sofya Donets, an economist at Renaissance Capital, pointing to “very optimistic” consumer sentiment and assessments of the current and future financial situation in surveys. “They already show a level that does not at all resemble a crisis.”

The government is spending massively on social support for families, pension increases, mortgage subsidies and compensation for the relatives of those serving in the military. The price tag for Putin’s pre-election promises may total tens of billions of dollars over the next six years.

The war on Ukraine has intensified an acute labor shortage as military recruitment draws workers out of the market, with Putin last month saying that employers had a deficit of 2.5 million people.

That has benefited ordinary Russians who as a consequence are enjoying security in their near-term employment with managers reluctant to let anyone go. While the unemployment rate remains at a historic low, hiring expectations have soared to a record level, according to the central bank.

A big and persistent source of economic worry for the Kremlin remains rapid price growth that eats into Russians’ incomes. While that’s not fading, salaries are increasing faster, driven by massive government spending and the labor shortage. Average monthly wages in 2023 reached more than 74,000 rubles ($814), about 30% higher than two years ago. Before last year, Russia had not seen an increase in real disposable income of more than 5% for many years.

“For a significant number of Russians, the war became an opportunity for social and economic mobility that was previously impossible. Some managed to launch a new business,” said Anna Kuleshova, a sociologist at the Social Foresight Group. “Some received payments for their husbands and sons at the front, which made it possible to finally buy an apartment, a car, move from a village to a city.”

Putin boasts that unprecedented international sanctions have failed to derail the Russian economy, which has instead expanded, largely due to massive injections of money from the budget, military production and record trade with China. Putin has cited data showing Russia breaking into the top five economies in the world in terms of purchasing power parity, after overtaking Germany, to back that up.

The economy has started this year with similar momentum. January’s data on retail sales, real wages and industrial production came in better than the market forecast.

The flip side of the coin is that the elevated social and war spending has resulted in a yawning budget gap and the threat that an already overheating economy might continue to drive up prices.

Inflation remains above the Bank of Russia’s target, even after it has significantly tightened monetary policy, stifling credit activity in the country. Annual price growth accelerated in February to 7.7% from 7.4% in the previous month, despite policymakers’ hawkish efforts.

Meanwhile, this year’s federal budget gap was 1.5 trillion rubles by the end of February, while the Finance Ministry has planned for a deficit of 1.6 trillion rubles for the whole of 2024, and Russia’s available wealth fund reserves have been already halved. The government, seeing the start of a new presidential term as a window of opportunity for unpopular reforms, is considering raising taxes on higher-income earners.

“The success story of 2023 is a story of recovery growth that will be difficult to repeat,” Donets said, adding that this year, fiscal stimulus should begin to taper as “the reserves that were the main source for it have already been largely used up.”

“Tax increases are inevitable, and quite large ones at that,” she said. Uncertainty remains the biggest challenge facing Russia’s economy and it “may cause us many more headaches,” she said.

Some neoliberal brainworms near the end complaining about budget deficits, which is exactly what is needed to boost the economy. But the interest rate is still far too high and is curbing the growth momentum.

Turnbull says Australia ‘mugged by reality’ on Aukus deal as US set to halve submarine build

The former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull said Australia has been “mugged by reality” over the Aukus submarine deal after the US announced it will halve the number of submarines it will build next year, throwing the Australia end of the agreement into doubt.

With the US president, Joe Biden, continuing to face a hostile Congress, the Pentagon budget draft request includes construction of just one Virginia-class nuclear submarine for 2025.

Under the Aukus agreement, production is meant to be ramped up to ensure Australia will have access to at least three Virginia-class submarines from the US in the 2030s. That is to fill a “capability gap” before nuclear-powered submarines to be built in Adelaide enter into service from the 2040s.

Australia:
Step 1: Piss off France
Step 2: Gets screwed by the US anyway

Chasing 'tactical' wins, Israel now faces 'strategic' defeat

"In a fight like this, the center of gravity is the civilian population. And if you make them fall into the hands of the enemy, you turn tactical victory into strategic defeat." US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin issued this warning to Israel back in December during his address at the Reagan National Defense Forum in California. Drawing on hard-earned lessons from US wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Austin stressed that winning battles on the ground does not guarantee a strategic victory and may even lead to a strategic defeat – if Israel refuses to look at the bigger picture. This is one of the main sources of Washington's pressure on Tel Aviv, especially in light of the allies' differing political visions for Gaza in the post-war period and the man-made humanitarian crisis Israel has imposed on the Strip. It's a philosophy rooted in foresight, echoing Robert Greene's wisdom from his 33 War Strategies: "Grand strategy is the art of looking beyond the present battle and calculating ahead."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's cabinet has outlined two primary objectives for the Gaza war: dismantling Hamas' military infrastructure and securing the release of prisoners detained since 7 October. Netanyahu later expanded on these objectives, adding a crucial third goal: ensuring Gaza's inability to threaten the occupation state's security in the future. Consequently, the success of Israel's brutal military assault on Gaza hinges on achieving these pivotal objectives. Despite their shared goals, disparities have emerged between the American and Israeli approaches. While both advocate for neutralizing Hamas, the Biden administration advocates for a more politically driven strategy, while Netanyahu seeks an almost entirely military-centric approach.

Hamas, on the other hand, announced three main objectives of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood immediately following the events of 7 October. First, success in conducting a prisoner exchange with the enemy entity. Second, retaliation against Israeli aggression in the occupied West Bank and safeguarding Al-Aqsa Mosque from settler extremists. Third, placing the Palestinian issue back on the global stage.

Chinese General Sun Tzu's timeless wisdom in his Art of War distinguishes between tactical maneuvers and strategic foresight: "Everyone can see the tactics that are used to defeat the enemy in war, but what no one can see is the strategy from which great victory arises." In warfare, tactical objectives focus on short-term gains – specific engagements or territorial advances. In contrast, strategic goals require long-term vision, aligning military actions with political priorities. In essence, tactics look to answer the "how," while strategy answers the "why" in military engagement, ultimately with a political endgame. Any state or party to a conflict can achieve tactical objectives by excelling in battlefield maneuvers, using superior technology, or having better trained and equipped forces. But winning battles – that is, achieving tactical goals – does not necessarily mean winning the war. This discrepancy occurs because the cumulative effect of tactical victories may not align with or contribute adequately to broader strategic objectives. While tactics are essential to winning battles, they must be used as part of a strategy aimed at achieving the ultimate goals of war.

History offers several sobering reminders of the perils of prioritizing tactics over strategy. For example, in the Vietnam War, the US achieved numerous tactical victories yet failed strategically. Despite inflicting heavy losses, the broader goal of fostering a non-communist South Vietnam remained elusive. The US's longest war, in Afghanistan against the Taliban, ended in another humiliating withdrawal, only for the Taliban to return to unprecedented political power across the country.

Esteemed Israeli historian and critic of Zionism, Ilan Pappe, believes that the failures of the genocidal war on Gaza will ultimately lead to the downfall of the Zionist entity, with the war being the most perilous chapter in the "history of a project fighting for its existence."

Today, after a record five months of Israeli military operations in Gaza, killing well over 30,000 civilians, injuring many times that, and demolishing most of Gaza's critical infrastructure, it becomes evident that Netanyahu's focus on tactical wins has led to a disconnect with the broader strategic goals of the war. The 'progress' made within the Gaza Strip, while significant on a tactical level, has not effectively advanced the strategic aim of eliminating Hamas, Tel Aviv's number one stated war objective. On the contrary, US reports claim that 80 percent of the Palestinian resistance's key military infrastructure remains intact. This has left Netanyahu facing a critical dilemma: the pursuit of tactical gains has come at a steep cost, jeopardizing the achievement of his strategic objectives. His Gaza assault has resulted in the wholesale massacre of Palestinian civilians – predominantly women and children – widespread global censure, and thousands of dead and injured Israeli soldiers and officers.

This tragic toll has permanently tarnished Israel's international image, undermining its fairytale narratives of 'democracy' and 'victimhood' and casting Tel Aviv instead as a leading perpetrator of state-sponsored terrorism in the world. Moreover, Israel's actions have led to accusations of genocide and human rights violations on the international stage, most notably the recent high-profile case at the International Court of Justice. Netanyahu and his war cabinet have fallen into a classic trap: allowing pyrrhic wins to distract them from an overarching victory.

The West has given drones to Ukraine that have sunk warships in the Black Sea. Might not the Russians give hypersonic missiles to the Houthis to sink British and American warships in the Red Sea? What would the Anglos actually do about it?

Election time in Russia and "news" reports saying Russia is going door to door forcing people at gunpoint to vote again. That the other options beyond Putin are just Putin lackies giving an illusion of choice. ( Have you seen American elections?)

Lots of contradictions. They don't bother those who don't answer the door. Yet if they are a forceful gestapo, then why don't they barge the doors in?

Had stories like this come out last election and IDK maybe you want escorts for election officials in the middle of a damned warzone?

Al Jazeera has been shit on Ukraine, folowing the US and Western line.

Edit - Video Putin accuses Ukriane of trying to disrupt elections (CW Bombed truck, person killed) might be an election materials truck. AP doesn't say but it's definitely a truck minding it's own buisness being bombed by in the contested region.

Edit 2 - Video Rueters Ukraine strikes Russia on day two of President votes.

Also deliberately targeting a similar looking small box truck 🚚 . Going to grab screen caps as our leadership and allies care oh soooo deeply about "democracy".

Imagine bombing polling sites. Geee I wonder why they are going door to door instead of having a massive line of squishy people?

Article on Biden polling poorly with people of colour compared to previous dems

https://archive.is/HYTBB

Sounds like some people ain't black, jack

The FAA found staff at Boeing's supplier using liquid Dawn soap as lubricant for a 737 Max door seal: NYT

Impressive video of the destruction of two Ukrainian helicopters

There are rumors going around that Russia has significantly reduced the time required to identify and strike targets, which could explain the sudden uptick in destroyed Ukrainian equipment.

“The invasion of Rafah is imminent.” Is it actually? I’ve been hearing this for weeks now. I originally thought they said it was going to be earlier, and that didn’t happen, then there was some drop dead date of the 10th, but that’s passed. What’s their hold up from the Israeli perspective? Gathering forces? I feel like the longer they drag out the decision, the more political pressure builds on them not to do it, as people are given more chances to articulate how horrifying that would be. Which seems counterproductive to what they want to do