I wish you a speedy and full recovery! And many thanks for your newsletter. It offers a thoughtful perspective in areas where legacy media attempts to create a morass of frustrating idiocy and spin.
Thank you very much for your posts. I so appreciate them: they give me some much-needed coverage of European affairs when I find so much coverage seems to be about the United States. That's fine, but I could do with some balance. Unfortunately I "outed" myself many years ago when I naively signed up to Twitter using my own name. I very rarely post anything as I am a very sensitive soul and could not bear to be attacked online. I'm very sorry about your biking accident and I pray for your speedy recovery. Apart from that, I hope that you and your family are doing great. Congratulations for "coming out". You are braver than me.
Hi Cynthia, thanks for your super-kind words, well-wishes, and for reading my thoughts.
Having never used Twitter and gotten off facebook more than a decade ago, I feel like that was the right decision.
We're all doing o.k., thanks for asking. So far, we're alright, but whatever will happen in the next months will probably test us all.
As to bravery, well, it's quite relative, I'd think; Roger Waters put it best: "the bravery of being out of range" (listen to his beautiful rendition of this song in the "Lockdown Sessions"). While I appreciate your candour, I wouldn't think of it as 'bravery', but rather as a kind of trade-off: I think Jordan Peterson recently quipped that it would be dangerous to speak up, but that it would be more dangerous not to do so.
Then again, as you said, you signed up for Twitter using your own name years ago, which was many more years before I began posting (and even longer ago before I "outed" my true identity). I suppose I shouldn't talk about bravery, for there are many other people--like yourself--who know much more about it than I do.
I did write a long comment but then was lost, so I'll make it short.
I can't write in my Propagator blog anymore, as italian main email provider LIbero, through some USA (SpamHouse.com and others) watchdogs to keep safe the poor sheep, is blacklisting any email from Substack as spam. So my hard free work on translating interesting articles from all over the world, from best Authors that write in english, don't even reach my Subscribers as it finish in the Spam filters...
The "ridiculous" thing is that even Substack own confirmation emails to "Sign in" are blacklisted.
So I'm glad you lucky that in whatever country you live it's not happening. But there is no point to continue if no one read... I'm not that ego centered at all! And I read english fluently, so...
So, I was right, dear friend, when I was calling fro Neo Nazi in Germany and Neo Fascist in Italy. Germany is reacting to everything geopolitical in perfect sync with fascist or neo nazi Nato. It's investing 100 billions in new armaments... The economical disaster that is coming soon will do the rest and push Nazi narrative in Germany or Fascit narrative in Italy. I mean, Meloni was elected txs to Nato and Cia help and support, so will happen in many EU countries next elections.
The use of "state of Emergency" will help Nazi and Fascist to finish the job.
Censorship was and it is the heart of those Governments 100 years ago... what a coincidence eh?!... Mussolini first fascist Governamente was in 1922, just 100 yrs ago. But as we learned especially in the last 3 years, there are no coincidences when Neo Nazist rule the world in the West!
Take care and keep fighting!
P.S.
I wrote to Substack Support to ask them to contact Libero, Spamhouse or whoever blacklist their entire platform's emails... will see...
thanks for the wishes--and I'm terribly sorry about the spam issue. I never thought about it, and I do think it's a critical issue.
I recommend tutanota or protonmail (I have an account with the latter), and while I keep a 'legacy' gmail account, I will gradually shut it down. Having never been very much into 'cross-platform' stuff, I won't be too affected, but I understand that for some people, it's a bit more tricky.
As to the 'I was right' part of your comment, well, I wish you weren't. I suppose you saw the latest piece put out by Robert Malone? In that interview, he posited that 90% of all people would prefer to be told what to do, as opposed to the 10% who preferred to live freely.
While I doubt the 90 : 10 split (I think it's more 80 : 20, but that's quibbling around the edges), I fear the majority actually prefers to be bossed around, if only out of laziness and gullibility. Sigh.
As you--correctly, I'd add--point out, the next economic crash is just around the corner; it won't be pretty, sure, but there's really only two options, I'd hypothesise: if the crash is extra-bad, I cannot imagine anyone to muster enough internal coherence and strength, to say nothing about resources, to actually fight anyone, least of all: Russia.
If the crash is just a bit 'more uncomfortable than Covid', well, I suppose things will continue a bit longer, that is, until the former paragraph comes into play.
One of the bigger troubles I have had with the (Neo) Nazi argument, as correct as it may be (in parts, at least), is that, unlike 100 years ago, neither Germany nor Italy--nor the U.S., for that matter--have the same capabilities to actually wage war on an industrial scale. Russia does, to certain extents, and so does China. I'm unsure what that 'insight' portends, but I'm open to discuss it.
Censorship is a kind of 'weakness' of hard power, by the way, and one merely resorts to it as an accomplice of (secret) state or private terror, but if censorship becomes more dominant, it is, in my opinion, a reflection of the relative weakness of the powers that be.
Thanks for reading and your companionship! Corraggio, my friend!
Txs for the link. It just confirms what we already know and btw, never had gmail or used google services, except for Blogger platform in 2008, but it was a technical blog of my business.
On the rest I should admit, you did great moving to Norway, now that that country has more energy than any other in EU, now that Stoltenberg is the head of NATO and so can push EU to buy more from his Norway, building the war in Ukraine and asking for Sanctions... Norwegians ain't stupid... nor I'm. How should I say, you are in a security box from energy problems, inflation except for imported goods and militarily. Good for you.
I also don't agree on Russia as the one that can wage war on an industrial scale, rather than US or Germany that's going for a 100 billions euro bet on armaments... Maybe China, but we will know when China finally will show its cards, hopefully soon!
Putin is not in a situation as it was 10 years ago internally, and CIA knows it pretty well I guess.
But my problem, our problem in EU is about a Pope that can publicly declare "What Russia propose, it stinks.." showing what Chris Hedges was fearing: The ascendancy of Christian fascism in the west... Our problem is the economical crash and what it will bring as in the 1920s... Our problem is freedom is just a joke in the acculturate old Europe.
My impression is that our main problem in Europe is yet the acculturate Elite, pretty snobbish, mostly ego centered and selfish, that has no interest to fight for rights and freedom anymore. I can't blame ignorant ones when European Universities have grown in the last 20/30 years a fascist ruling class.
If it's any consolation, I'm unsure this is a libero-mail problem: I'm using protonmail, and I just discovered a Substack email (that so far always ended up in my inbox) in the "spam" folder. Curiously enough, I'm using that kind of proton account only for my Substack mails, hence it's doubly weird as the other Substack emails always arrive in the regular "inbox". If it's me, I'd bet on the frequency of emailing as that particular Substack author doesn't post that often…
Be that as it may, I'm sure that the complete digitisation of everything will never show any of these hickups … (/sarcasm)
As to your bigger points: I do agree, the elites must go, and please don't get me started on that vacuity of a "pope" (for I'd lose my composition pretty fast).
University teaching--and education in general--has collapsed precipitously (don't get me started on my profession, I'd go on 30-minute rant…)
Take, e.g., primary schooling. My 8yo has been given an iPad (she's in 3rd grade), and while she's able to do basic calculus on a sheet of paper, she "prefers" (as in: almost being almost addicted to) using the iPad, which offers a kind of abacus (counting frame). It takes countless time to do it, and she could just do it with her pencil and a piece of paper, but then again…these darned machines are very addictive. Also, don't ask me about her (crappy) handwriting skills…
For my part, I treat Substack e-mails as spam and delete them all. (Plenty of them land in my spam folder automatically. But not all of them.) I wish I could turn off e-mail notification entirely. I log into Substack and check who posted what. No need for e-mails.
I hope a weekend off turns out to be enough. I never had a concussion (as far as I know...), but I know someone who did. She said that she "became stupid for three weeks." Ouch.
So far, apart from a couple of excess typos, I feel ok. I also feel less sore in terms of my rib cage. Regular posting shall recommence early next week.
I remember you called me out on this one, no worries--I'm not perfect, nor am I claiming to be: I put it up because I think it's quite accurate in describing what transpired, and I suspect that the Nord Stream bombing is kinda underlining the hypothesis outlined in the (fake) RAND paper.
Be that as it may, we don't need that paper to understand the dynamics of the current quagmire…
Yes, I agree. We don’t need any papers to observe our crappy reality. I will admit that Europe, Germany in particular, will suffer disproportionately, at first. The important fact to keep in mind is that Empires care about no people; they serve the few at the top, exclusively. They rule entirely through raw power. If we don’t all perish first, I believe hubris will be this Empire’s downfall.
If you have time for biking and flying around Europe during harvest season you are on the wrong tracks. Please make a mental note of this for next year - or you might have to eat Bill Gates WEF brand of bugs.
Rick, we moved out here in late June and only planted a small garden plot. Most of this is harvested, so, no worries about this. We're quite advanced in terms of next year's planning, including building a larger greenhouse, which is necessary due to us being at 61 degrees North…
As to the biking: exercise is good, and I take the bike to go to work (which, as much as I'd like to be a multi-billionaire not having to rely on things such as 'a job' [/sarcasm]).
As to the flying, well, the conference was supposed to take place a year ago, and while I greatly enjoy my rural life, it's possible for me to offer my content for free because I have a good permanent position--but it comes with a number of 'conditions', incl. me travelling to participate in conferences etc.
Praying for fast... fast recovery 🙂 beautiful pictures enjoy the view ❤️
Hi Gnome's, thanks for the well-wishes (I do hope you also read the posting beyond that ;-)
Cheers!
Damn! Get some rest! No brain damage, pretty please. (Gorgeous photos, btw.)
Thanks, Irena, I shall get some rest, no worries. Apparently, as revealed by the CT, no brain damage (that wasn't there before…;-)
"now brain damage"
What happened to your spelling ability?? Sheesh. Please get some rest!
Haha, good one (silly me).
I wish you a speedy and full recovery! And many thanks for your newsletter. It offers a thoughtful perspective in areas where legacy media attempts to create a morass of frustrating idiocy and spin.
Hi James, thanks for the well-wishes, greatly appreciate your words and your interest in my writing!
Thank you very much for your posts. I so appreciate them: they give me some much-needed coverage of European affairs when I find so much coverage seems to be about the United States. That's fine, but I could do with some balance. Unfortunately I "outed" myself many years ago when I naively signed up to Twitter using my own name. I very rarely post anything as I am a very sensitive soul and could not bear to be attacked online. I'm very sorry about your biking accident and I pray for your speedy recovery. Apart from that, I hope that you and your family are doing great. Congratulations for "coming out". You are braver than me.
Hi Cynthia, thanks for your super-kind words, well-wishes, and for reading my thoughts.
Having never used Twitter and gotten off facebook more than a decade ago, I feel like that was the right decision.
We're all doing o.k., thanks for asking. So far, we're alright, but whatever will happen in the next months will probably test us all.
As to bravery, well, it's quite relative, I'd think; Roger Waters put it best: "the bravery of being out of range" (listen to his beautiful rendition of this song in the "Lockdown Sessions"). While I appreciate your candour, I wouldn't think of it as 'bravery', but rather as a kind of trade-off: I think Jordan Peterson recently quipped that it would be dangerous to speak up, but that it would be more dangerous not to do so.
Then again, as you said, you signed up for Twitter using your own name years ago, which was many more years before I began posting (and even longer ago before I "outed" my true identity). I suppose I shouldn't talk about bravery, for there are many other people--like yourself--who know much more about it than I do.
Be well, and stay true to yourself!
Happy Birthady then, dear Epimetheus!
I did write a long comment but then was lost, so I'll make it short.
I can't write in my Propagator blog anymore, as italian main email provider LIbero, through some USA (SpamHouse.com and others) watchdogs to keep safe the poor sheep, is blacklisting any email from Substack as spam. So my hard free work on translating interesting articles from all over the world, from best Authors that write in english, don't even reach my Subscribers as it finish in the Spam filters...
The "ridiculous" thing is that even Substack own confirmation emails to "Sign in" are blacklisted.
So I'm glad you lucky that in whatever country you live it's not happening. But there is no point to continue if no one read... I'm not that ego centered at all! And I read english fluently, so...
So, I was right, dear friend, when I was calling fro Neo Nazi in Germany and Neo Fascist in Italy. Germany is reacting to everything geopolitical in perfect sync with fascist or neo nazi Nato. It's investing 100 billions in new armaments... The economical disaster that is coming soon will do the rest and push Nazi narrative in Germany or Fascit narrative in Italy. I mean, Meloni was elected txs to Nato and Cia help and support, so will happen in many EU countries next elections.
The use of "state of Emergency" will help Nazi and Fascist to finish the job.
Censorship was and it is the heart of those Governments 100 years ago... what a coincidence eh?!... Mussolini first fascist Governamente was in 1922, just 100 yrs ago. But as we learned especially in the last 3 years, there are no coincidences when Neo Nazist rule the world in the West!
Take care and keep fighting!
P.S.
I wrote to Substack Support to ask them to contact Libero, Spamhouse or whoever blacklist their entire platform's emails... will see...
Hi Kazimir,
thanks for the wishes--and I'm terribly sorry about the spam issue. I never thought about it, and I do think it's a critical issue.
I recommend tutanota or protonmail (I have an account with the latter), and while I keep a 'legacy' gmail account, I will gradually shut it down. Having never been very much into 'cross-platform' stuff, I won't be too affected, but I understand that for some people, it's a bit more tricky.
Do check out this piece by Dr. Mercola:
https://www.lewrockwell.com/2022/09/joseph-mercola/ditch-google-and-gmail-before-its-too-late/
As to the 'I was right' part of your comment, well, I wish you weren't. I suppose you saw the latest piece put out by Robert Malone? In that interview, he posited that 90% of all people would prefer to be told what to do, as opposed to the 10% who preferred to live freely.
While I doubt the 90 : 10 split (I think it's more 80 : 20, but that's quibbling around the edges), I fear the majority actually prefers to be bossed around, if only out of laziness and gullibility. Sigh.
As you--correctly, I'd add--point out, the next economic crash is just around the corner; it won't be pretty, sure, but there's really only two options, I'd hypothesise: if the crash is extra-bad, I cannot imagine anyone to muster enough internal coherence and strength, to say nothing about resources, to actually fight anyone, least of all: Russia.
If the crash is just a bit 'more uncomfortable than Covid', well, I suppose things will continue a bit longer, that is, until the former paragraph comes into play.
One of the bigger troubles I have had with the (Neo) Nazi argument, as correct as it may be (in parts, at least), is that, unlike 100 years ago, neither Germany nor Italy--nor the U.S., for that matter--have the same capabilities to actually wage war on an industrial scale. Russia does, to certain extents, and so does China. I'm unsure what that 'insight' portends, but I'm open to discuss it.
Censorship is a kind of 'weakness' of hard power, by the way, and one merely resorts to it as an accomplice of (secret) state or private terror, but if censorship becomes more dominant, it is, in my opinion, a reflection of the relative weakness of the powers that be.
Thanks for reading and your companionship! Corraggio, my friend!
Txs for the link. It just confirms what we already know and btw, never had gmail or used google services, except for Blogger platform in 2008, but it was a technical blog of my business.
On the rest I should admit, you did great moving to Norway, now that that country has more energy than any other in EU, now that Stoltenberg is the head of NATO and so can push EU to buy more from his Norway, building the war in Ukraine and asking for Sanctions... Norwegians ain't stupid... nor I'm. How should I say, you are in a security box from energy problems, inflation except for imported goods and militarily. Good for you.
I also don't agree on Russia as the one that can wage war on an industrial scale, rather than US or Germany that's going for a 100 billions euro bet on armaments... Maybe China, but we will know when China finally will show its cards, hopefully soon!
Putin is not in a situation as it was 10 years ago internally, and CIA knows it pretty well I guess.
But my problem, our problem in EU is about a Pope that can publicly declare "What Russia propose, it stinks.." showing what Chris Hedges was fearing: The ascendancy of Christian fascism in the west... Our problem is the economical crash and what it will bring as in the 1920s... Our problem is freedom is just a joke in the acculturate old Europe.
My impression is that our main problem in Europe is yet the acculturate Elite, pretty snobbish, mostly ego centered and selfish, that has no interest to fight for rights and freedom anymore. I can't blame ignorant ones when European Universities have grown in the last 20/30 years a fascist ruling class.
If it's any consolation, I'm unsure this is a libero-mail problem: I'm using protonmail, and I just discovered a Substack email (that so far always ended up in my inbox) in the "spam" folder. Curiously enough, I'm using that kind of proton account only for my Substack mails, hence it's doubly weird as the other Substack emails always arrive in the regular "inbox". If it's me, I'd bet on the frequency of emailing as that particular Substack author doesn't post that often…
Be that as it may, I'm sure that the complete digitisation of everything will never show any of these hickups … (/sarcasm)
As to your bigger points: I do agree, the elites must go, and please don't get me started on that vacuity of a "pope" (for I'd lose my composition pretty fast).
University teaching--and education in general--has collapsed precipitously (don't get me started on my profession, I'd go on 30-minute rant…)
Take, e.g., primary schooling. My 8yo has been given an iPad (she's in 3rd grade), and while she's able to do basic calculus on a sheet of paper, she "prefers" (as in: almost being almost addicted to) using the iPad, which offers a kind of abacus (counting frame). It takes countless time to do it, and she could just do it with her pencil and a piece of paper, but then again…these darned machines are very addictive. Also, don't ask me about her (crappy) handwriting skills…
For my part, I treat Substack e-mails as spam and delete them all. (Plenty of them land in my spam folder automatically. But not all of them.) I wish I could turn off e-mail notification entirely. I log into Substack and check who posted what. No need for e-mails.
I will then. But from the stats that Substack shows me , most of the lazy aitalians read with email... ;)
Get well soon. I have really enjoyed your writing, and visit daily.
Thanks, Kit, for your kind words and readership!
Head injuries are nasty, so be careful with that - and especially past the half way mark when we start healing slower and slower.
Spent the other day in a MRI-machine myself, for jolting pains going from head to fingertips, so trust me when I say I know the feeling.
Oh well, it's like a long hangover, but without booze. I'll take the weekend mostly off, but I also realise it's more uncomfortable in the evenings.
I hope your head is alright, my friend!
Thanks for your kind words, strong support via reading and esp. commenting, and all best!
I hope a weekend off turns out to be enough. I never had a concussion (as far as I know...), but I know someone who did. She said that she "became stupid for three weeks." Ouch.
So far, apart from a couple of excess typos, I feel ok. I also feel less sore in terms of my rib cage. Regular posting shall recommence early next week.
I hope you recover quickly. Happy Substack Anniversary and thank you for all you have done this past year.
Thanks, Sophia, for your kind words! More will be written next year, I suppose! Cheers!
Speedy recovery! I’m a late comer to your stack, but have enjoyed your perspective so far. Congrats on one year!
Thanks, Visceral Adventure, for your kind words!
I'm always happy if someone reads my stuff--and I do hope you'll also stick around esp. if you'd happen to disagree with me!
Cheers!
I wish you a speedy recovery. I was one of those who called the RAND paper a forgery.
Hi Martin, thanks for your wishes!
I remember you called me out on this one, no worries--I'm not perfect, nor am I claiming to be: I put it up because I think it's quite accurate in describing what transpired, and I suspect that the Nord Stream bombing is kinda underlining the hypothesis outlined in the (fake) RAND paper.
Be that as it may, we don't need that paper to understand the dynamics of the current quagmire…
Yes, I agree. We don’t need any papers to observe our crappy reality. I will admit that Europe, Germany in particular, will suffer disproportionately, at first. The important fact to keep in mind is that Empires care about no people; they serve the few at the top, exclusively. They rule entirely through raw power. If we don’t all perish first, I believe hubris will be this Empire’s downfall.
If you have time for biking and flying around Europe during harvest season you are on the wrong tracks. Please make a mental note of this for next year - or you might have to eat Bill Gates WEF brand of bugs.
Rick, we moved out here in late June and only planted a small garden plot. Most of this is harvested, so, no worries about this. We're quite advanced in terms of next year's planning, including building a larger greenhouse, which is necessary due to us being at 61 degrees North…
As to the biking: exercise is good, and I take the bike to go to work (which, as much as I'd like to be a multi-billionaire not having to rely on things such as 'a job' [/sarcasm]).
As to the flying, well, the conference was supposed to take place a year ago, and while I greatly enjoy my rural life, it's possible for me to offer my content for free because I have a good permanent position--but it comes with a number of 'conditions', incl. me travelling to participate in conferences etc.
Cheers!
Sure. I wouldn't expect anyone to actually bear down until they are starving. Hahaha!