Obama Update from SNF Nostos Conference held in Athens yesterday:
“Obama said democracy can work out if given a chance, but it is also a difficult form of government rule, because you have to coexist with people with different ideas than yourself. What is particularly dangerous, he noted, is the extreme-right populist parties in Europe and the United States that give the impression that they will do anything to win elections and tear down norms or manipulate voting rules.”
There you have it. You have to give him credit. He is able to tell the most barefaced lies and the audience laps it up. The message is – Democracy for us, if you are on the left – the others must be vilified. Pure evil.
Obama’s most prolific rhetorical trope is the parade of straw men. A series of deliberately mis-characterised positions that are far, or at least well, beyond public discourse. Thrn eviscerating them.
Xylougos gives us the Alinskyite “attack your enemy for doing what you’re doing” Big Lie.
I’ll have to check out his speech. As I recall Greece, the Right was just taking power, then called a snap election in the hope of consolidating themselves in fewer parties and a more manageable coalition in parliament. True?
The multimillionaire, and prep-school and Ivy-League educated former President Barack Obama may castigate the unwoke Senator Tim Scott, R-S.C., for his absence of victimhood. But from which of his three enclaves does Obama do so – the Kalorama mansion, the Martha’s Vineyard estate, or the restricted-access beachfront retreat in Hawaii?
Ultimately Barack Obama has always been an exceptional grievence grifter. He’s far more sophisticated, polished, and ultimately electable to upscale white progessives than the more crude Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson… who seem like rough prototypes in comparison.
That Obama quote is sheer projection.
I’ll try that 4-7-8 breathing and if it works I’ll report.
there is apparently some scandal because of a piece of surveillance software that has been widely used, (i know try not to laugh)
Obama warns democratic institutions are ‘creaky’ but Trump’s indictment is proof rule of law still exists in US. Yes indeed.
TJ, Néa Dimokratía (New Democracy), is a liberal-conservative center right political party in Greece. Having spent four and a half years in opposition to SYRIZA’s government, a Coalition of the Radical Left , New Democracy regained its majority in the Hellenic Parliament and returned to government under Kyriakos Mitsotakis after the 2019 Greek legislative election.
A snap parliamentary election will be held in Greece on 25 June 2023. All 300 seats in the Hellenic Parliament will be contested. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis called for the snap vote after the May 2023 Greek legislative election did not result in any party gaining a majority, although his center-right New Democracy made solid gains and increased its share of the vote. As a result, no coalition government was formed by any of the parties eligible to do so.
Contrary to the May election, the one in June will use a majority bonus system, making a majority government more likely.
Keep in mind that a center right party in Greece would be considered fairly left in the US.
yes syriza is the far left party, that was part of this dr doolittle coalition with the far right golden dawn, that preceded this current arrangement
He’s far more sophisticated, polished, and ultimately electable to upscale white progessives than the more crude Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson… who seem like rough prototypes in comparison.
==
Neither Sharpton nor Jackson were prototypes of Obama. Obama’s the deputy dean of students gone into politics. The sort of haut bourgeois who now dominate the Democratic Party identify with him because his interests and attitudes are just like theirs. Jackson’s a working-class kid from South Carolina who went to seminary. He has remarkable talents as a public speaker; his career has been an illustration of Eric Hoffer’s epigram that what starts as a cause decays into a business decays into a racket. Sharpton is an exemplar of the pathological political culture of New York City’s blacks and the Democratic Party generally in New York. He was never anything but a malicious fraud.
Art Deco, you’re technically correct in your assesment of the backgrounds of Obama, Jackson, and Sharpton. But since we’re being pedantic I did actually use the weasle word “seem” like prototypes rather than are prototypes.
Re: Getting back to sleep
I take a benadryl and study French for an hour.
Doesn’t everybody?
Re: 4-7-8 breathing
Kate:
I’ll be interested in your report.
I’m curious too. I used to do yogic breathing which has a 4-16-8 pattern, but holding my breath for 16 counts always felt like too much. 4-7-8 sounds much more sustainable.
huxley, I tried it a few times, sitting up and looking at my Fitbit. My pulse did go down. I’ll have to try it at night to see about going back to sleep.
Prigozhin, the head of Wagner (25,000 strong) is threatening to move against the entire Russian military, after Russian military attack on Wagner group in Ukraine.
Meanwhile, in recent hours, Russian armoured vehicles are on the streets of Moscow, as seen in Twitter posts, as well as elsewhere in Russia.
So. Is there a military coup being attempted? The question of the hours this morning.
Zack The Russian two hours into video blogging events mentions that Russian military and FSB are about 200,000 strong, but located around Russia.
A detailed but concise update by the AP; accurate with facts, though:
Wagner leader Prigozhin says his forces have entered Russian city of Rostov facing no resistance
AP ^ | June 23, 2023
The owner of the Wagner private military contractor made his most direct challenge to the Kremlin yet on Friday, calling for an armed rebellion aimed at ousting Russia’s defense minister. The security services reacted immediately by opening a criminal investigation into Yevgeny Prigozhin and calling for his arrest.
In a sign of how seriously the Kremlin was taking the threat, security was heightened in Moscow and in Rostov-on-Don, which is home to the Russian military headquarters for the southern region and also oversees the fighting in Ukraine.
Prigozhin claimed Saturday that his forces had reached Rostov, saying they faced no resistance from young conscripts at checkpoints and adding that his forces “aren’t fighting against children.”
“But we will destroy anyone who stands in our way,” he said. “We are moving forward and will go until the end.”
He claimed that the chief of the General Staff, Gen. Valery Gerasimov, scrambled warplanes to strike Wagner’s convoys, which were driving alongside ordinary vehicles.
Prigozhin said Wagner field camps in Ukraine were struck by rockets, helicopter gunships and artillery fire on orders from Gerasimov following a meeting with Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, at which they decided to destroy Wagner.
Military vehicles on the streets of Moscow, not a lone T-34/85? Oh, that was on May 9, 2023 commemorating the Soviet victory in The Great Patriotic War, not a Special Military Operation (SMO). The SMO has been particularly foggy for not being a war.
This is a useful open thread.
Kate: I am also going to try the 478 technique.
Huxley: Are you serious about the benadryl? That ruins my day more than lack of sleep – even if I take it at bedtime and not at 2-3 am. Doxylamine succinate (sominex or generic) is somewhat better in terms of hangover.
He only touched on it in passing, but I would think you should avoid turning on a light. I can find my way to the bathroom in the dark OK.
I know next to nothing about Russian history and politics, but since the invasian of Ukraine, I’ve been a regular reader of Kamil Galeev’s Twitter feed. He always has something interesting to say.
Here’s his prediction:
“What is happening in Russia? The mutiny is real. It is also unlikely to succeed. Most probable outcome is:
1. The mutiny fails
2. The regime stands (for a few months)
3. Upon its suppression, regime becomes increasingly dysfunctional -> falls”
Sure. I don’t notice much effect aside from reducing allergies and causing drowsiness. Sometimes I take a melatonin instead.
People seem to have different reactions. I had a friend who claimed benadryl got him mildly high.
If you are counting all of these 4-7-8 seconds, how is that really any different from counting sheep?
And this cycle is a nominal 19 seconds, or approx. 3 respirations per minute. A lot slower than “normal”, even granting you want to lower your heart rate as well.
“A normal respiratory rate for adults is between 12 to 18 breaths per minute.”
My medical notes say I have a resting rate of 16 bpm, or about 4 seconds per breath, or maybe 2 sec. in and 2 sec. out. And I gather that is normal to low, but seemingly lower than my wife’s rate.
I went looking for something to show what the relative rates for men and women are, and could not quickly find anything useful for a non-medical laymen. Lot of discussion on male vs. female lung development and relative sizes of airways, etc., but nothing simple or explicit about breathing rates.
Anybody know/find a better source of info on this?
I tried the 4-7-8 breathing last night, and was unable to continue it. So I switched to 4-8 (4 in, 8 out) and that was a more comfortable rate for me. And, as usual, when I wake up in the middle of the night the most effective thing for me is to adjust my sleeping temperature (add or remove covers).
I think that it is very important for as many people as possible to see this recent, short, but very hard-hitting presentation on the origins of COVID by Dr. David Martin, Ph.D. presented at the European Union’s Third International Covid Summit, in which he presents a lot of information–all of which he says he has documented–that I had never heard before, and in which he contends that, “Covid-19 was an act of biological warfare perpetrated on the human race.” *
Apparently lots of controversy about him, judging from a cursory search for his name coupled with Covid, with lots of mainstream sources alleging that he is, FWIW, spreading “misinformation” about Covid.
Seems to me that in the intense propaganda war over COVID, a lot of people who were charged with and who were often penalized in various ways by various authorities and MSM outlets, because they were supposedly “spreading misinformation about Covid” turned out to have been right about it.
One habit which has not quite died out is the ‘two sleeps’. If you awaken during the night, get up and do something. I usually go to my writing. It usually needs editing but it also many times produces interesting twists.
This used to be common, but that was when people went to bed around dusk.
@Cov: If it was indeed a bio-weapon, it backfired.
Oligonicella:
I sometimes do the “two sleeps” thing.
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Obama Update from SNF Nostos Conference held in Athens yesterday:
“Obama said democracy can work out if given a chance, but it is also a difficult form of government rule, because you have to coexist with people with different ideas than yourself. What is particularly dangerous, he noted, is the extreme-right populist parties in Europe and the United States that give the impression that they will do anything to win elections and tear down norms or manipulate voting rules.”
There you have it. You have to give him credit. He is able to tell the most barefaced lies and the audience laps it up. The message is – Democracy for us, if you are on the left – the others must be vilified. Pure evil.
https://www.ekathimerini.com/news/1213797/obama-discusses-democratic-culture-with-snfs-dracopoulos-in-athens/
This’ll make us more secure, you betcha:
https://www.thecollegefix.com/researchers-queering-nuclear-weapons-can-strengthen-national-security/
warheads are the most binary things evarr,
Obama’s most prolific rhetorical trope is the parade of straw men. A series of deliberately mis-characterised positions that are far, or at least well, beyond public discourse. Thrn eviscerating them.
Xylougos gives us the Alinskyite “attack your enemy for doing what you’re doing” Big Lie.
I’ll have to check out his speech. As I recall Greece, the Right was just taking power, then called a snap election in the hope of consolidating themselves in fewer parties and a more manageable coalition in parliament. True?
Re Obama, from VDH’s latest:
Ultimately Barack Obama has always been an exceptional grievence grifter. He’s far more sophisticated, polished, and ultimately electable to upscale white progessives than the more crude Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson… who seem like rough prototypes in comparison.
That Obama quote is sheer projection.
I’ll try that 4-7-8 breathing and if it works I’ll report.
there is apparently some scandal because of a piece of surveillance software that has been widely used, (i know try not to laugh)
Obama warns democratic institutions are ‘creaky’ but Trump’s indictment is proof rule of law still exists in US. Yes indeed.
https://edition.cnn.com/2023/06/22/politics/barack-obama-interview-cnntv/index.html
TJ, Néa Dimokratía (New Democracy), is a liberal-conservative center right political party in Greece. Having spent four and a half years in opposition to SYRIZA’s government, a Coalition of the Radical Left , New Democracy regained its majority in the Hellenic Parliament and returned to government under Kyriakos Mitsotakis after the 2019 Greek legislative election.
A snap parliamentary election will be held in Greece on 25 June 2023. All 300 seats in the Hellenic Parliament will be contested. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis called for the snap vote after the May 2023 Greek legislative election did not result in any party gaining a majority, although his center-right New Democracy made solid gains and increased its share of the vote. As a result, no coalition government was formed by any of the parties eligible to do so.
Contrary to the May election, the one in June will use a majority bonus system, making a majority government more likely.
Keep in mind that a center right party in Greece would be considered fairly left in the US.
https://twitter.com/WallStreetSilv/status/1671927820484747264
good question
https://twitter.com/claricefeldman7/status/1672241664633569282
yes syriza is the far left party, that was part of this dr doolittle coalition with the far right golden dawn, that preceded this current arrangement
He’s far more sophisticated, polished, and ultimately electable to upscale white progessives than the more crude Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson… who seem like rough prototypes in comparison.
==
Neither Sharpton nor Jackson were prototypes of Obama. Obama’s the deputy dean of students gone into politics. The sort of haut bourgeois who now dominate the Democratic Party identify with him because his interests and attitudes are just like theirs. Jackson’s a working-class kid from South Carolina who went to seminary. He has remarkable talents as a public speaker; his career has been an illustration of Eric Hoffer’s epigram that what starts as a cause decays into a business decays into a racket. Sharpton is an exemplar of the pathological political culture of New York City’s blacks and the Democratic Party generally in New York. He was never anything but a malicious fraud.
Art Deco, you’re technically correct in your assesment of the backgrounds of Obama, Jackson, and Sharpton. But since we’re being pedantic I did actually use the weasle word “seem” like prototypes rather than are prototypes.
Re: Getting back to sleep
I take a benadryl and study French for an hour.
Doesn’t everybody?
Re: 4-7-8 breathing
Kate:
I’ll be interested in your report.
I’m curious too. I used to do yogic breathing which has a 4-16-8 pattern, but holding my breath for 16 counts always felt like too much. 4-7-8 sounds much more sustainable.
huxley, I tried it a few times, sitting up and looking at my Fitbit. My pulse did go down. I’ll have to try it at night to see about going back to sleep.
Prigozhin, the head of Wagner (25,000 strong) is threatening to move against the entire Russian military, after Russian military attack on Wagner group in Ukraine.
Meanwhile, in recent hours, Russian armoured vehicles are on the streets of Moscow, as seen in Twitter posts, as well as elsewhere in Russia.
So. Is there a military coup being attempted? The question of the hours this morning.
Zack The Russian two hours into video blogging events mentions that Russian military and FSB are about 200,000 strong, but located around Russia.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUc6XhjNEuQ
Text and video tweets updating events above
https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/wagner-chief-declares-full-coup-against-russian-defense-ministry
It’s 3AM in Moscow as I write. Zack opines that Putin is probably still asleep (incredible as it sounds).
France24, a two minute report at least two hours old
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-c0SyeMQuo
Video blogging – Prigozhin “March on Moscow”
Vlad Vexler is offering live incisive and informed commentary on events, Ukraine and Putin’s war. SEE Here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kElSJ8ivqu0
Daily Mail, of course with pictures of military vehicles on the streets in Moscow and Rostov-on-Don:
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12228381/Wagner-mercenaries-killed-RUSSIAN-missile-strikes.html
Add this here too. Garry Kasparov on Twitter.
A detailed but concise update by the AP; accurate with facts, though:
Wagner leader Prigozhin says his forces have entered Russian city of Rostov facing no resistance
AP ^ | June 23, 2023
The owner of the Wagner private military contractor made his most direct challenge to the Kremlin yet on Friday, calling for an armed rebellion aimed at ousting Russia’s defense minister. The security services reacted immediately by opening a criminal investigation into Yevgeny Prigozhin and calling for his arrest.
In a sign of how seriously the Kremlin was taking the threat, security was heightened in Moscow and in Rostov-on-Don, which is home to the Russian military headquarters for the southern region and also oversees the fighting in Ukraine.
Prigozhin claimed Saturday that his forces had reached Rostov, saying they faced no resistance from young conscripts at checkpoints and adding that his forces “aren’t fighting against children.”
“But we will destroy anyone who stands in our way,” he said. “We are moving forward and will go until the end.”
He claimed that the chief of the General Staff, Gen. Valery Gerasimov, scrambled warplanes to strike Wagner’s convoys, which were driving alongside ordinary vehicles.
Prigozhin said Wagner field camps in Ukraine were struck by rockets, helicopter gunships and artillery fire on orders from Gerasimov following a meeting with Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, at which they decided to destroy Wagner.
Military vehicles on the streets of Moscow, not a lone T-34/85? Oh, that was on May 9, 2023 commemorating the Soviet victory in The Great Patriotic War, not a Special Military Operation (SMO). The SMO has been particularly foggy for not being a war.
This is a useful open thread.
Kate: I am also going to try the 478 technique.
Huxley: Are you serious about the benadryl? That ruins my day more than lack of sleep – even if I take it at bedtime and not at 2-3 am. Doxylamine succinate (sominex or generic) is somewhat better in terms of hangover.
He only touched on it in passing, but I would think you should avoid turning on a light. I can find my way to the bathroom in the dark OK.
I know next to nothing about Russian history and politics, but since the invasian of Ukraine, I’ve been a regular reader of Kamil Galeev’s Twitter feed. He always has something interesting to say.
Here’s his prediction:
“What is happening in Russia? The mutiny is real. It is also unlikely to succeed. Most probable outcome is:
1. The mutiny fails
2. The regime stands (for a few months)
3. Upon its suppression, regime becomes increasingly dysfunctional -> falls”
https://tinyurl.com/2ejhcwrd
BRAND NEW THREAD up on Russia posted by Neo.
Huxley: Are you serious about the benadryl?
Watt:
Sure. I don’t notice much effect aside from reducing allergies and causing drowsiness. Sometimes I take a melatonin instead.
People seem to have different reactions. I had a friend who claimed benadryl got him mildly high.
If you are counting all of these 4-7-8 seconds, how is that really any different from counting sheep?
And this cycle is a nominal 19 seconds, or approx. 3 respirations per minute. A lot slower than “normal”, even granting you want to lower your heart rate as well.
“A normal respiratory rate for adults is between 12 to 18 breaths per minute.”
My medical notes say I have a resting rate of 16 bpm, or about 4 seconds per breath, or maybe 2 sec. in and 2 sec. out. And I gather that is normal to low, but seemingly lower than my wife’s rate.
I went looking for something to show what the relative rates for men and women are, and could not quickly find anything useful for a non-medical laymen. Lot of discussion on male vs. female lung development and relative sizes of airways, etc., but nothing simple or explicit about breathing rates.
Anybody know/find a better source of info on this?
I tried the 4-7-8 breathing last night, and was unable to continue it. So I switched to 4-8 (4 in, 8 out) and that was a more comfortable rate for me. And, as usual, when I wake up in the middle of the night the most effective thing for me is to adjust my sleeping temperature (add or remove covers).
I think that it is very important for as many people as possible to see this recent, short, but very hard-hitting presentation on the origins of COVID by Dr. David Martin, Ph.D. presented at the European Union’s Third International Covid Summit, in which he presents a lot of information–all of which he says he has documented–that I had never heard before, and in which he contends that, “Covid-19 was an act of biological warfare perpetrated on the human race.” *
Apparently lots of controversy about him, judging from a cursory search for his name coupled with Covid, with lots of mainstream sources alleging that he is, FWIW, spreading “misinformation” about Covid.
Seems to me that in the intense propaganda war over COVID, a lot of people who were charged with and who were often penalized in various ways by various authorities and MSM outlets, because they were supposedly “spreading misinformation about Covid” turned out to have been right about it.
* See https://rumble.com/v2m0enk-dr-david-martin-european-parliament-international-covid-summit-iii-5-3-23.html
Sleep:
One habit which has not quite died out is the ‘two sleeps’. If you awaken during the night, get up and do something. I usually go to my writing. It usually needs editing but it also many times produces interesting twists.
This used to be common, but that was when people went to bed around dusk.
@Cov: If it was indeed a bio-weapon, it backfired.
Oligonicella:
I sometimes do the “two sleeps” thing.