20 Comments

Dang. Japan already has a shortage of working age people. If the demographics are like ours with many excess deaths in working ages, Japan is in a bad spot. They notably dislike immigration.

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Just an anecdotal observation, but I know someone who was unable to see his doctor during Covid, because of the lockdowns, and so a cancer was missed, which is now very serious. It seems possible that excess mortality can be linked to the impact of lockdowns. This isn't ruling out any impact from the vaccines, simply suggesting that there may be more than one factor.

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Oh dear, I just made the mistake of looking at The Unz review.

Apparently, the war in Ukraine is a Talmudic, neo-Con, Anglo-Imperialist, Zionist conspiracy organised by Bill Gates, the Ukrainians are Nazis, the Polish army is in combat in Ukraine and the Russians are going to win because they are fighting a defensive war. https://www.unz.com/article/how-long-can-the-ukraine-war-last/ And the commentators are all praising the article. The mind boggles.

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streamfortyseven

Writes streamfortyseven’s Newsletter

1 min ago

From a posting of mine in early February, this year: "Various people have done calculations, and most of them come up with the figure of about 2 billion - the population in 1950 - as being a sustainable population. 7.9 billion - 2.0 billion = 5.9 billion people that are "off the island"... Now, if you offer people an injection that will result in their death - or radically foreshortened life expectancy, and the sterilization of their wives and children, chances are they won't take it. But if the injection is the answer to a fearsome pandemic where people go to hospitals and die horribly, they will gladly take it - and urge it on others, if they think they will be protected. So, in a short time, the globalists' problem is solved. And corporations never let mass murder get in the way of profits, growth, or, frankly, continued enjoyment of a certain lifestyle..." https://streamfortyseven.substack.com/p/the-vaccines-work-just-not-as-normal

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Hard to like your comment, but I respect it. Like is just the wrong word. When I was born, there were about 2 billion people on the planet and it seems that during my life it only got more crowded. No wonder. I am sure that Bill Gates and Klaus Schwab have it all worked out, along with the people in the shadows. Rishi Sunak gave a speech the other day about the UK digital currency that is planned there. If you want to buy food that is not appropriate, you will be denied access to the funds to purchase what you want. No potato chips, no coke, no red meat, baby. Go to the veggie counter and get some brussel sprouts. The digital currency also has a spend by date. If you don't spend it, the money vanishes from your account. I wonder how they're going to sell that to the public.

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Deficit "only" growing by ~ $1T/year. Still a huge unsustainable number. Not to worry 2023 will see a constant 5% inflation devalue the dollar even more so that $500B interest can be paid.

Odd stuff about employment, unemployment and excess deaths in working age people. Not clear what it all mean yet.

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I love it! The only time I carried health insurance in the US was when my ex-wife insisted and her company paid for it. It is indeed a scam. Health care here in Ukraine is supposedly free. Not exactly, but not bad, and there are private doctors as a reasonable price. In fifteen years I have never needed medication that required a prescription. This country works.

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Health insurance is a scam. It was created so doctors, hospitals, and drug companies will get paid, and they do get paid. The health care industry is the only growth industry in the US right now. They advise young people to become some cog in the great industrial health care mix for job security. All those fancy machines must get paid for. In the US, if I wanted to get a prescription, I have to go to the doctor before going to the pharmacy. That was $150 the last time I did it. Plus, the drugs were about $180. In Berlin, I go to the doctor's office for a cost of 10 Euros, and I buy the same drugs for $30. And Germany has a corrupt medical system that charges retirees for their health insurance. There is no Medicare here for the OAPs. They must pay in Germany until they die. The problem with health insurance is that if you don't pay for it, you don't care what it costs. Here in Germany, they had Covid test centers where you could get tested free at any time. In the US, it cost a minimum of $200 for the same test. Early on, I read an article about a couple who were going on vacation and they wanted to get tested before they flew. The guy paid cash. It was $150 for the antigen test. His girlfriend put it on her insurance and she was billed $2000. Exact same test, exact same time. She called the insurance company and they were very upset when they found out that there is a two tier pricing system.

I used to go to a dermatologist for an annual check up, but the doctor retired and sold his practice to Sierra medical. I used to pay the doctor in advance $150 and he would do all the checks and other things. So, I went to Sierra for a check up and I tried to pay them in advance. But their billling office is in Texas, so I called them, but they couldn't give me a price because they didn't know what code to bill for or what the doctor would do. I explained it was just a check up. I called the office back, they couldn't tell me. It took me five phone calls to get them to quote a price of $170 for the check up. The new dermatologist did exactly the same procedure as the old doctor. I left knowing I had settled my account in advance. Low and behold, I got a bill for $750 about three weeks later. You see, they broke the treatment down into several codes. It was no longer a check up, but every single thing that the doctor did was extra. I was furious and I called the office in Texas and told them off, and we negotiated a reduced price. $400. I have never been back to them. I expect robbers to at least have a gun before they rob me.

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I always object to your debt rants. How much of the US debt is held by the Federal Reserve? It's over $10 trillion, right? How can it be considered debt if you owe it to yourself? Of course, we know that they are never going to pay the money back. The Biden bean counters are giving this money away to buy votes, and get Biden reelected. That's the whole point of the overspending. On the other hand, they need treasuries to keep the world money supply liquid. If the US had no debt, there would not be enough money sloshing around in the system to keep all the countries of the world going.

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I think this is wrong:

" They are now shooting at hotels, hospitals, schools and other soft targets. It is of course totally reprehensible, but reprehensible seems to be a part of the Russian moral vocabulary. "

I do not think they are doing that, not unless Kiev military are usurping those premises for their own ends and I am sure you know better than the second remark.

There are millions, quite literally, millions of Russians who feel the import of the word 'reprehensible' very, very strongly.

In many cases it is that which causes them to lend their weight to promoting the war.

And you know that. It is common sense. You meant it as a jibe only, a sneer, an insult. I know.

But I am surprised that you allow your pain to distort your reason so much.

To forget those millions and the truth about them is akin to what your mad comic is doing.

Forgetting the millions of Ukrainians who can well do without this madness and who are suffering adn have suffered immense pain and loss because of his promotion of it.

Calling to mind the people of Russia and the people of Kiev Ukraine would mend this.

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So you ignore the shelling of non military targets by Russia, as clearly seen in places such as Kherson. Yet you weep for the feelings of 'millions' of Russians hurt by the use of the word 'reprehensible'. You have a peculiar sort of warped morality in which murder is discounted and hard words are decried, and the Ukrainian victims of attack are blamed. You are a sort of moral invert, psychologically interesting, if nothing else.

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So that borders on ad hominem if not is exactly and only so. On that basis its unlikely I'll respond further. I don't do ad hominem.

. You have no basis for claiming I ignore anything. You have no knowledge of the totality of what I apprehend and what I don't.

. As it happens my understanding of 'military targets' in this conflict is that Kiev is notorious for a modus operandi of siting combatants in high rise buildings while civilians still were occupying them. Apparently sometimes going to the 'humane' length of putting them in the basement while they occupied positions in the building.

This act by itself demonstrated two things:

1. they fully realised they were going to draw fire, were going to assault from that position and could expect to be countered.

2. a callous unconcern for the welfare of the civilians or a critical lack of intelligence. For, of course, on some occasions artillery fire caused the buildings to collapse ON TOP of the people they'd forced into the basements 'for their protection.

3. I actually weep for no one. Being somewhat callously hard hearted and pragmatic after all I've seen. But my primary tender feelings, such as they are, are for the 150,000 or so Ukrainian boys killed in this conflict. From the Kiev North West and from the Donbas South East.

For they are dying only to make the USA rich and impoverish Russia and Europe: clearly, loudly and callously declared aims of the USA.

They die believing they are fighting Russia even as the knowing fire at their own Ukrainian brothers.

The Kiev soldiers die believing their are defending their own lands even as they stand on the lands belonging to their Donbas brothers.

The die because of the irrational and totally stupid and childish hollywood generated rhetoric which claim it is noble and good and effective to defend and preserve a nation by allowing all of its inhabitants to die ! Such insane logic is pushed down their throats by liars, cheats, thieve, corrupt politicians, cunning USA CIA etc and the poor sods swallow it and die.

. 4 I believe everything should stop right now, this very minute. And if it did we would find that every square inch of Ukrainian soil would have Ukrainians on it and for the vast, vast majority of it that Ukrainian would be the one that owned it before all this.

i.e. Donbas Ukraine has fought to keep their Donbas Ukraine.

Kiev Ukraine has fought to take it from them but failed thus far.

5. And why has Kiev used these poor pawns to fight to take Donbas Ukraine? To give it to their Kiev Ukrainians? To make them richer? To buy them villas in France? To swell their bank accounts?

No. Nothing like that. Only to make the mad comic rich, the corrupt politicians rich, the black marketeers rich, the American arms manufacturers rich. Only for that.

Dead or alive there is nothing in it for the Kiev Ukrainians. Nothing.

. I am done with you. It is a pity you don't have any compassion for the Ukrainians who're being duped by this insanity.

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Putin's face is always worse than a fox's look. He became a face of cunning in his own long thoughts and deeds.

What is he thinking?

He will probably only maintain his own power.

It's no different than just a mafia boss.

The United States certainly has its dirty side, but Putin is far worse.

He thought that taking Ukraine would make him more popular and more powerful, but he apparently failed.

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Right. From here, there is no possible outcome that would benefit Russia. Ukraine hates Russia. Period.

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It appears that Putin has actually assisted in the forging of a more firm Ukrainian identity. That people in Ukraine are clearer and more emphatically Ukrainian than they ever were before. Does that match with your observations in Kyiv?

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Absolutely. Many Russian speakers used to be on the fence. Somehow, getting the crap bombed out of them has changed their minds. Amazing how it works.

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Good grief, you seem to inhabit a mental universe in which black is white, aggressor is victim and good is bad.

Russia indiscriminately fires artillery into cities and you blame the Ukranians for putting combatants into high rise buildings. Not even the Russian government is claiming that the artillery strikes on Kharkiv or Kherson are because of any 'combatants' in the high rise buildings. You are more of an apologist for Putin's aggression than Putin is.

You claim compassion for Ukranians while excusing and praising the murderers who attack them You claim pity for the Ukranians while demanding that they surrender to cruel foreign invaders.

To be fair to you, I don't think you are dishonest, I think you are mentally disordered. Your statements are too absurd and obviously wrong for a liar to try to get away with.

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