Why there is no Russian Liberation propaganda?

A Chinese commenter (accessible for me thanks to google translate) says that "the continuous annihilation videos, combined with the rare Ukrainian military drone results, have greatly encouraged the fighting morale of Ukrainian nationalists, and indirectly affected NATO's determination to intervene. It can be said that the Russian propaganda system, especially its military propaganda system, disappeared in the current Russian-Ukrainian conflict, just like the chasing and fighting drones."

The commenter quotes Mao: "The main task of the Army is to make propaganda". This is from Szu Tsu, who said the best is to win the war without having to fight a battle. 

In my opinion, the Russian Army should have presented itself as liberating a brotherly people, oppressed by the Nazi regime. It should have been a liberation battle, with pics of schoolgirls receiving Russian tanks with flowers and bread and salt. Maybe that line would have been impossible given the Ukrainian people's virulent hate toward the Russians.  

The Chinese also said that Russian heavy-armed columns are programmed to advance 50 km a day, but advanced more than 100 km so they had to abandon much heavy equipment such as tanks, etc. which were "captured" and shown on the media as Russian defeat. BTW who killed civilians in Bucha (North Kyiv)? It was the Muslim Chechen National Guard, somebody allowed them to enter and raid Ukraine.  

U.S. stocks fell on Tuesday, dragged down by losses in tech, as investors weighed remarks by Federal Reserve Governor Lael Brainard that indicated policymakers were ready to act more aggressively to rein in inflation. Investors also braced for the likelihood of new sanctions on Russia by the European Union.

Sermonizing the Barbarians

 I am reading the history of the Opium Wars. Selling opium had been prohibited in the Chinese Empire since the 17th Century. The British merchants were introducing contraband while corrupting the functionaries in Canton.  The Chinese Emperor sent a very polite letter to the English Queen protesting the actions of her subjects. Something like: " Imagine that foreigners come to your country to sell contraband, isn't that objectionable? The stink rises to Heaven, distressing the spirits."  The whole argument of the Celestial Emperor was formulated in moral terms, trying to shame the British.

Today, the Chinese government says: "Western politicians often talk about how literature and art transcend borders, and the same goes for music. They also say “private property is inviolable.” So, what have these writers and musicians done wrong? Meanwhile, the private property of so many Russians has been frozen or confiscated. Let’s hope that Western politicians will reflect on these principles..."

Hahaha! "Let's hope they will reflect on these principles..." That's good!  Of course, the Chinese were not naive then or now. They know that Western Barbarians are shameless and unshameable pirates, but they try and try again to teach them Confucian ethics and seize a lofty moral position.  

How the economy works

The real interest rate in the USA today is -4%. Meaning that if I buy land on credit, it will cost less than the nominal price today. Who is subsidizing me? The Fed i.e. the Government, that is society. Why? They want to stimulate activity, commerce, and investment. In fact, by incentivizing anything I want to do, they are "forcing" me to do things, to be active in the economy. By doing, I'll pay taxes, I'll create jobs, I'll invent new products. Just by buying land, I create turnover and pay taxes, which probably compensate for the subsidy I am receiving.  High-interest rates freeze economic activity. It all devolves to the physical health and intelligence of the human population "doing" the economy. 

The corollary is that society pays me to own a house for free because ownership is a burden. Counterintuitive. Thinking it over, I know lots of people who rejected or let go of promotions or leading positions (including myself, more than once). There are many abandoned houses in Argentina and here too. In my time, Paraguay gave 5000 hectares of land in the Chaco to anyone promising to fence it and live there for five years. No one I know of took up the offer.  

Porca Miseria

It happened that I discovered that I was taking 4 pills of Codex each day when the doctor indicated 2 per day. Codex is for lowering high blood pressure, and the double dose lowered it below 120/70. I wonder why I felt nothing. The conclusion is that I am getting old. Like everybody. No less nor more.

Approaching Bonanza

 

This is the SIGMA cannon made by Elbit. A whole factory was sold to an unnamed Asian country. A German delegation is coming to Israel to negotiate the purchase of anti-missile weapons. As the Ancient Greek philosophers said, war is the human condition. You can build a solid business on it. Personally, I do not like this industry but we need good weapons to survive in this region, and no one will sell us when urgently needed. Remember De Gaulle, refusing to deliver weapons already paid for in the middle of a war.  

P.S.: Elbit's shares are shedding 7% in TASE. I cannot fathom the reason.  Maybe Ukraine and Russia have reached some agreement. Maybe Germany decided to pass Israeli weapons and buy USA produce. 

Socratic Dialogue in the Senate

 Socrates used to harass Athenians shopping in the market with unanswerable questions like What is beauty? What is Good? In the confirmation hearing for Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, Sen. Marsha Blackburn asked the Supreme Court nominee to define the word “woman.”

“I can’t — ” Jackson replied.

“You can’t?” Blackburn said.

“Not in this context. I’m not a biologist,” Jackson said.

“The meaning of the word woman is so unclear and controversial that you can’t give me a definition?” Blackburn asked. …

“The fact that you can’t give me a straight answer about something as fundamental as what a woman is, underscores the dangers of the kind of progressive education that we are hearing about,” Blackburn said, before turning to Thomas (a castrated male swimmer), who has been at the center of the debate over policies for transgender athletes.

Blackburn asked what message allowing Thomas to compete sends to “girls who aspire to compete and win in sports?”

“Senator, I’m not sure what message that sends. If you’re asking me about the legal issues related to it — those are topics that are being hotly discussed, as you say, and could come to the court,” Jackson said.

After studying the nominee's record and watching her performance this week, I cannot and will not support Judge Jackson for a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court," Senator McConnell said from the Senate floor. 

Advances in Water Engineering

 

From the site of Autocad, there is a very interesting article on a WWTP (Toledo, USA). The whole plant has been designed with 3D Autocad, and the construction is based and followed by over-positioning the actual situation on reality. Later the physical operation can be compared with the pic on CCTV with the design. That is great for the manager, who can see from the "war-room" what is going on in the plant and record it and analyze it post-factum. On the other hand, the hours on Autocad work add to the cost of the project planning. 

My instinct is to find faults and disorders. Look at the trap-door in the middle of the central avenue, which in the design is open (right side)  - in reality (left) it is closed BUT creating an obstacle to free traffic in the avenue. The door is not painted to show a warning and it will certainly cause accidents. On the right side of the avenue, and on the floor (left side), there are many objects thrown in disorder, while on the design there are apparently storage cells with doors. Am I right that I see an operator sitting in the side and eating? Absolutely prohibited to eat in the sewage treatment area.