Posted on 02/24/2024 5:59:01 AM PST by SpeedyInTexas
Look for those numbers to become “state secrets” as well. lol as if any numbers coming out of Russia or China are to be beleived
Recently I read a report on Russian military production, and my first thought was where are they getting these numbers from?
I can tell my neighbor I make 7 figures, doesn’t make it so
In a traditional release following the decision, the regulator acknowledged that the inflation forecast for the end of 2024 will likely exceed the July forecast range of 6.5–7.0%.
https://www.fontanka.ru/2024/09/13/74085473/
6.5–7.0% Truly a Monty Python understatement of the inflation.
They are both our enemy.
“‘Dragon-Bear’: How China and Russia’s spy operations overlap in Europe”
“China and Russia’s “no limits” friendship is getting a trial run in Europe.
Beijing and Moscow’s spy operations, including the recruitment of agents, are increasingly overlapping within the European Union, a senior European intelligence official told POLITICO, as security analysts point to growing attempts by Beijing to influence EU affairs.
The two powers, which have pledged a far-reaching partnership, but aren’t formally allies, share similar aims of undermining the West, weakening support for Ukraine and dividing liberal democracies, said the official, Michal Koudelka, head of the Czech Republic’s domestic intelligence agency.
“It is not a coincidence that the same entities might serve the interests of both the Russian Federation and the People’s Republic of China,” said Koudelka in written responses to questions from POLITICO.
There was evidence that the two nations were looking to recruit agents from the same pool of fringe anti-Western politicians in Europe, added Koudelka — though formal collaboration between their intelligence agencies remains limited.
“However, the reason behind this is not collaboration and coordination of intelligence services of these countries, but simply the fact that they are both antagonistic to the ‘collective West’ of today,” he said.”
https://www.politico.eu/article/dragon-bear-how-china-and-russias-spy-operations-overlap-in-europe/
Peak China.
BTW: When was Peak RuZZia? 2014, right before they invaded Crimea.
“Dejected Social Media Users Call ‘Garbage Time’ Over China’s Ailing Economy”
“The sports term refers to a time during a game when defeat becomes inevitable. Officialdom is warning against using it to take veiled jabs at the country’s political and economic system.”
“In basketball and other sports, “garbage time” refers to the lackluster period near the end of a game when one team is so far ahead that a comeback is impossible. Teams sub out their best players, and the contest limps toward its inevitable conclusion.
In China, where the internet is heavily censored, a handful of writers have repurposed “garbage time” to indirectly describe the country’s perceived decline. This summer, as the youth unemployment rate soared above 17 percent, the term became a popular shorthand on Chinese social media for describing a sense of hopelessness around the ailing economy.
Commentaries about garbage times of history, some written under pseudonyms, began appearing last year in blog posts and as opinion essays on respected Chinese news sites. They examined past regimes and dynasties and were broadly understood to be thinly veiled critiques of China’s political and economic system. They landed as discussion of the economy — even misplaced praise for the ruling Communist Party’s economic policies — was getting more sensitive.””
“The Once-Dominant Tank Is Getting Humbled on the Battlefield”
“The rise of drones has prompted armies to change tactics and add defenses to the powerful armored vehicles”
“Even as tanks help Ukraine push into Russia, armies are rethinking how the powerful vehicles are made and deployed after a recent history of being humbled in combat.
Tanks were once the king of the battlefield. But the proliferation of drones in Ukraine means the large, noisy vehicles can be spotted and targeted within minutes. That has seen dozens of cutting-edge Western tanks used only sparingly in the battle they were meant to shape, while others have been damaged, destroyed or captured.
In response, armies are adding technology to tanks to spot and protect against drones while also exploring design changes to make the heavy, armored vehicles more maneuverable. Battlefield tactics are already changing and lessons from Ukraine are being integrated into training.
“In the near term, we absolutely need to urgently make some adjustments to maintain the survivability of our armored formations,” said Gen. James Rainey, who heads the U.S. Army Futures Command, which looks at ways to equip and transform the Army.”
BRICS, RICKS, DICKS
As older people stay in the workforce, that means fewer jobs for younger people.
“For Years, Chinese Workers Could Retire at 50. Now, China Can’t Afford It.”
“To bolster China’s pension system, Beijing moves to raise the retirement age for men to 63 from 60, and for some women to 55 from 50”
“China has for years had one of the lowest retirement ages among major economies. Men started life’s next chapter at age 60, while women did so as early as 50.
But now, China’s next generation will have to work for longer.
To address looming pension-system shortfalls and economic strains, Beijing on Friday moved to gradually raise the statutory retirement age to 63 for men and 55 for blue-collar women. The retirement age for other women will increase to 58 from 55.
The increases will be gradually implemented over 15 years and affect most working people in China.
China is one of many big economies trying to shore up pension systems and maintain economic productivity as people live longer and have fewer children. U.S. Social Security estimates that, without major changes, it can’t fully pay beneficiaries starting in 2034. France last year raised its retirement age to 64 from 62, triggering nationwide protests.
What makes China different is its exceptionally low retirement age, which even after the overhaul will still be lower than the U.S. and Western European norm of 67. China’s demographic challenges were also heightened by its decadeslong one-child policy, which was scrapped in 2016.
Chinese authorities must also be cautious about how the new retirement age might affect high youth-unemployment rates, which hit 17.1% in July.”
Hahaha. Hohoho.
““Older people can’t retire, and younger people can’t find jobs,” read one post on Chinese social-media platform Weibo.”
RuZZia is being demilitarized and China is on a century long decline that will cut its population in half.
Only thing worse than inflation, is deflation.
Losing 30% of your main ‘investment’ will make for an unhappy populace.
“China Is Risking a Deflationary Spiral”
“As China sits on the precipice of deflation, Wall Street economists are calling for more fiscal stimulus in the country. But Beijing may still not act boldly enough.
While much of the West has been combating inflation over the past couple of years, China is facing the opposite.
Deflationary pressure is building up in the country. China’s consumer prices rose 0.6% from a year earlier in August, but that was largely driven by food prices, which were affected by extreme weather. Stripping out food and energy, China’s core CPI actually only rose 0.3%. Another way to look at this is the so-called GDP deflator, which is the difference between China’s nominal and real GDP growth, representing broad changes in prices. By that measure, China has already been in deflation for five straight quarters.
The implosion of the housing market has put a drag on the whole economy. Property developers, and related sectors such as materials, have scaled back their investments. Households, for whom property has long been the most important wealth-building asset, have tightened their purse strings. Lower consumer spending has pushed prices down, which puts pressure on corporate profits and in turn wages. That risks creating a vicious cycle, making deflation more entrenched. In a recent note, Morgan Stanley’s analysts went as far as saying that deflation is now China’s “public enemy #1.” “
https://www.wsj.com/economy/china-is-risking-a-deflationary-spiral-75702b5b?mod=hp_minor_pos20
THERMITEd
“Thermite FPV from Ukraine’s 3rd Assault Brigade.”
https://x.com/RALee85/status/1834479917628858368
Followup on that ‘46 vehicle’ attack.
“On 12 September, Russians launched 4 assault waves at the positions of the 46th Air Mobile Brigade. While repelling the attack, 26 out of 46 Russian vehicles were destroyed or damaged.
46th Brigade says it’s a new record - never before have they destroyed and disabled so many vehicles in one day.”
https://x.com/wartranslated/status/1834512788544164001
“A Ukrainian drone with night vision drops ammunition on a tank destroying it, and blows up a BMP on a mine—63rd Brigade.”
https://x.com/wartranslated/status/1834510863333556602
RuZZian Boys be soooooo funny.
Can’t make this stuff up.
“Russian serviceman says that the “Georgian, Polish and French mercenaries are hanging children in Kursk Oblast”.”
https://x.com/wartranslated/status/1834509246530015482
The aid continues to flow.
“Finland has announced a new aid package for Ukraine worth €118 million, according to the Finnish President. The package will include armored vehicles, but further details are not disclosed for security reasons.”
https://x.com/NOELreports/status/1834538994081656896
“Russia is relocating planes out of ATACMS range. I reviewed satellite images of airfields from 2023 and 2024, and there’s a huge difference. For example, Millerovo airbase as seen on @planet 2023 and 2024 images, though reaching conclusions requires analyzing many more photos”
https://x.com/kromark/status/1834510832043970753
“Russian visually-confirmed losses of Armoured Combat Vehicles [Tanks, AFVs, IFVs, APCs, and MRAPs] since the start of their 2022 invasion of Ukraine have exceeded 10 000!
Tanks: 3 371
AFVs: 1 561
IFVs: 4 534
APCs: 489
MRAPs: 56
https://x.com/Rebel44CZ/status/1834344317491548649
Oh I am sure it is true just like reported munitions and equipment production number /s
Surrender Monkey
“”An agreement to end the war in Ukraine could involve freezing hostilities along the current front line and Ukraine’s renunciation of NATO membership” — J.D. Vance.”
https://x.com/KyivPost/status/1834523909057556696
“I had assumed that the Olympics were over but this Russian continues to compete for the high jump record”
https://x.com/PStyle0ne1/status/1834459234030735422
CLUSTERED
“The 🇺🇦Ukrainian 14th Drone Regiment, together with the M142 «HIMARS» MLRS, conducted a successful operation to destroy a significant number of enemy infantry with cluster GMLRS in the Kursk region.”
https://x.com/GloOouD/status/1834234143351210285
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