Censorship watch.Facebook has banned Dmitry Rogozin’s account after the head of Russia’s Roscosmos space agency wrote a post criticising the former US envoy to Russia, Michael McFaul.In his post, Rogozin warned McFaul against meddling in Russian affairs after the former ambassador gave his two cents on the state of the Russian democracy and the protests supporting Alexei Navalny that swept across the country on Saturday. McFaul said the Russian blogger should be free after his arrest last week for breaching the probation terms in an embezzlement case.Rogozin mocked Facebook’s decision on his Telegram channel, questioning the platform’s integrity regarding freedom of speech….Sputnik InternationalRussian Space Chief Banned on Facebook Over Online Spat With Former US EnvoyRelatedThe

The US is nowhere near as economically dominant as it was even a decade ago. Yet President-elect Joe Biden can take several relatively simple steps that would have far-reaching benefits for the US economy, the American people, and the rest of the world….Project SyndicateFour Ways Biden Can Boost the Global EconomyJayati Ghosh | Professor of Economics at the Centre for Economic Studies and Planning, School of Social Sciences, at the Jawaharlal Nehru University, in New Delhi

The New York Times and other elite media outlets have openly embraced advocacy over reporting….The opposite of censorship, which amounts to silencing opposition, is advocacy, which amounts to propaganda. It used to be called "yellow press" although that term seems to have lapsed into history.While this is chiefly about politics, advocacy and censorship affect not only politics but also economics. As always, follow the money and power.City-JournalSlouching Toward Post-JournalismMartin GurriRelatedZero Hedge"You’re Forgetting Who You Are As A Journalist": Rand Paul Slams Stephanopoulos In Sunday Spat Over Election IntegrityTyler Durden

Update on Pipelinestan, here largely natural gas.It’s all about controlling territory and both stocks and flows of resources with some big players (China, Russia, Turkey) involved along with the little players, the "stans." Turkey, especially, is an emergent power in the region.OilpriceThe One Big Problem With A Central Asian Energy CorridorAlan Mammoser for Oilprice.com

Confronting China is easier said than done. That vessel has already put to sea.The problem is that no one knows just what to do that could possibly work to achieve specified objectives, you know, like drawing up a feasible plan that can get agreement. Why? For one thing, because of different and often competing interests. There are costs as well as benefits, and they are not evenly distributed. As I keep saying, without a systems approach, there will be unintended consequences, and dealing with the world system, in which global trade is deeply embedded, is no simple task when a complex adaptive system of planetary scale is involved. The Trump administration just demonstrated that.Sputnik InternationalCFR Says Trump Was Right to Press China on Trade, Urges Biden to Do the Same in Concert

The color revolution in Russia and maidan in Moscow that wasn’t.Reminiscence of the FutureI Wouldn’t Even Post About It.Andrei Martyanov

Upping the ante.Zero HedgeTaiwan Reports 13 Incursions By Chinese Air Force In One DayTyler Durden

Weekend reading. Longish and detailed.FAIR — Fairness and Accuracy in ReportingCorporate Media’s Leaked Chinese Documents Confirm China Didn’t Hide Covid-19Joshua Cho

More than 2,000 leaders will join the virtual Davos Agenda under the theme of "A Crucial Year to Rebuild Trust” from 25 – 29 January.Twenty-five heads of state and government will join to address urgent need for global cooperation.Six-hundred global CEOs to represent the private sector in 140 sessions live-streamed to the public.Civil society leaders, academia, arts and culture, as well as youth, will be represented….“Rebuilding trust and increasing global cooperation are crucial to fostering innovative and bold solutions to stem the pandemic and drive a robust recovery,” said Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of the Forum.“This unique meeting will be an opportunity for leaders to outline their vision and address the most important issues of our time, such as the need to

That didn’t take long.Zero HedgeA Large US Military Convoy Rolled Into Syria On 1st Day Of Biden PresidencyTyler Durden

Are there straws in the wind that Biden my be able to create a more decent relationship with Russia? I say Yes; Dan says No. A wager of $.25 is at stake.I think Ray is going to be a quarter poorer with Biden up against the MICIMATT (Military-Industrial-Congressional-Intelligence-MEDIA-Academia-Think-Tank) complex, where there are trillions of dollars and world domination the table. His initial appointments don’t bode well. The first order of business after Biden taking control was mounting a color revolution attempt in Russia, which is taking place now, with US interference prominent enough for the Russian government to call the US embassy out over it (and again here).The US-UK strategy has remained essentially the same as when surfaced by Halford Mackinder in 1904 and elaborated by

There are some key terms in demographics that apply to the current US in particular, but also the UK through the British Empire and to some degree France with the French Empire. It is also the case with Russia and China, which are multi-ethnic countries.These terms are "multicultural," "multiracial," and "intersectional." and also "gender" and "sexual orientation."Culture has to do with tradition. Race has to do with a genetic grouping. They are both included in ethnicity. Gender and sexual preference involve physical characteristics and behavior.Intersectionality is the combination of the above in individuals and groups. This is a big issue now and growing as the global population becomes more diverse in a "shrinking" world.But being the melting pot and world leader, the US is at the

Here we go again…. This is just like when recently the Art degree left literally thought Trump meant that illegals were riding across the border on the backs of literal coyotes…  major cognitive impairment in these people no ability to discern the figurative from the literal…  and no ability to discern the abstraction from the real…  they are all unqualified…  SCARY!!!!AOC lays into Ted Cruz after misleading tweet on Paris Climate Agreement https://t.co/E9IwC50CVM— The Independent (@Independent) January 21, 2021

Trump didn’t pardon him. He must feel very let down because he probably felt a lot of loyalty for Trump. And the protestors were probably expecting a coup which didn’t happen. The legal representative of Jacob Chansley—better known as the “QAnon Shaman,” who burst into the U.S. Capitol wearing furs and Viking horns—has said his client feels cheated by Trump. Referring to his client as “the guy with the horns and the fur,” attorney Al Watkins told the St. Louis NBC News affiliate KSDK: “[Chansley] regrets very, very much having not just been duped by the president, but by being in a position where he allowed that duping to put him in a position to make decisions he should not have made.”The Daily BeastNow Even the QAnon Shaman Disowns Trump: I Was Duped

The accounts broke no rules and no reason was given for deleting the them.  On Friday, Facebook carried out a purge of left-wing, antiwar and progressive pages and accounts, including leading members of the Socialist Equality Party. Facebook gave no explanation why the accounts were disabled or even a public acknowledgement that the deletions had occurred.Since the 2016 election, the US intelligence agencies have advocated internet censorship in the name of fighting “fake news.” While these actions have been presented as targeting far-right conspiracy theories, they have in fact disproportionately affected left-wing, antiwar and socialist organizations.WSWFacebook purges left-wing pages and individuals

I was looking forward to reading Doug Henwood’s piece and the chance to respond to what I was sure to be a hard-hitting analytical critique. I was disappointed. There is no there there and thus my reply will be short.…Smackdown. JacobinMMT Is Already HelpingPavlina R. Tcherneva | Assistant Professor of Economics at Bard College, Research Scholar at The Levy Economics Institute, and Senior Research Associate at the Center for Full Employment and Price Stability

Our survey showed that Europeans’ attitudes towards the United States have undergone a massive change. Majorities in key member states now think the US political system is broken, that China will be more powerful than the US within a decade, and that Europeans cannot rely on the US to defend them. They are drawing radical consequences from these lessons. Large numbers think Europeans should invest in their own defence and look to Berlin rather than Washington as their most important partner. They want to be tougher with the US on economic issues. And, rather than aligning with Washington, they want their countries to stay neutral in a conflict between the US and Russia or China…. European Council on Foreign RelationsThe crisis of American power: How Europeans see Biden’s America The

Alarming news! The worrying news is that although treatments for Covid-19 have improved, the new strain does seem to be more lethal."Four groups – Imperial, LSHTM, PHE and Exeter – have looked at the relationship between people testing positive for the variant vs old strains and the risk of death – that suggests a 1.3-fold increased risk of death.ITVNew Covid-19 strain may be more lethal, Robert Peston learns

Donald Trump’s presidency would do unmitigated damage to the U.S./U.K ‘special relationship,’ would be absolutely hostile to British interests, and had to be defeated through Steele’s participation in the Russiagate disinformation campaign."PDFhttps://t.co/6pygLfADDE

Before you go wild celebrating the new administration (unless you are among the 1%). The Swamp and the Borg won.Naked CapitalismThe Next Neoliberal President…Thomas NeuburgerOriginally published at DownWithTyranny!See alsoMR Online (maybe not as obnoxious as Mike Pompeo, but cut of the same cloth)Biden’s ‘Secretary of State for regime change’ indicates no change in U.S. foreign policyOriginally published: The Morning Star (January 20, 2021) AlsoStrategic Culture FoundationPresident Biden’s New Administration, Old AggressionEditorialAlsoJohnston’ Russia ListBiden Administration Set to Challenge Russia Across the Southern Caucasus, Sitnikov SaysAlsoReminiscence of the FutureWhy START.Andrei MartyanovAlsoCounterpunchRussiagate Ain’t OverJoe Lauria

Job guarantee, but no mention of sources. Heisenberger ReportHere’s An Idea: Put People To Work & Print Money To Pay Them

I can tell you I take no pleasure at all in being in a situation of contradicting the president, so it was really something that you didn’t feel you could actually say something and there wouldn’t be any repercussions about it,” he said. “The idea that you can get up here and talk about what you know, what the evidence and science is, and know that’s it — let the science speak — it is somewhat of a liberating feeling.”…The HillFauci says it’s ‘liberating’ working under BidenJonathan Easley

Finance capital rules!Wall Street On ParadeMcConnell, Heavily Funded by Wall Street, Is Blocking Seating of Democrats as Senate Committee ChairsPam Martens and Russ Martens

Australians could soon be deprived of Google’s ubiquitous search engine, with the web behemoth threatening to cut off service should lawmakers pass a hot-button measure forcing tech firms to cough up revenue to media outlets.As Australian legislators continue to debate the controversial law – which would compel internet platforms to hand over a cut of revenues to press agencies for sharing their content – Google stepped into the fray on Friday, insisting the move would make its operations unfeasible in the country.Internet growing pains. RTGoogle threatens to REMOVE search engine in Australia if legislators force it to share profits with news content creators

Spokespeople from one of Venezuela’s flagship communes discuss the building of a communal city and the path towards Chávez’s communal state.…I believe that it is very important to understand that Bolivarian socialism is built from below, from the bases. It is not imposed by decree, and that is why it must express itself as a government that responds to the interests of the people.The communal government – constituted by the people, by the pueblo, by the spokespeople of the communal councils and the communes – will create communal cities with an even wider horizon: the new communal state.In other words, the communal city cannot be understood as an end in itself. The communal city is part of a progressive process. After that comes the grouping of various communal cities, the confederation

Judge Richard Posner used to be a hard-nosed Chicago School jurist and legal theorist. Until he actually read the General Theory. While this is old news, it is worth rereading and if you haven’t seen it yet, reading for the first time.Lars P. Syll’s BlogHow Richard Posner became a KeynesianLars P. Syll | Professor, Malmo University

While this is a human-interest story about Tibet, it is also significant for two other related reason.The first is that the Chinese are learning to capitalize their rich cultures, for example, through adventure tourism.The second is that they have their own "cowboy" myths, which some of the subcultures fit very well. This post is about one of them.Most Westerns are likely familiar with this through martial arts films, the Samurai films of Japan, and the Kung Fu films of China (mostly Hong Kong). This is a similar but different dimension.Sixth ToneDing Zhen and the Myth of the True Khampa ManXu Jun | professor at the Center for Tibetan Studies of Sichuan University

Good sign here… and that this is happening in middle of winter…. maybe mRNA vax on top of antibodies finally disrupting transmission…  I’m assuming this is opposite of what is happening in Europe…Virus case growth now declining in 46 states … 42 of them have seen 7d case average fall > 10% from prior week; for U.S. overall, 7d average is -20% from week ago @COVID19Tracking @Bloomberg pic.twitter.com/V7LOwujb5Z— Liz Ann Sonders (@LizAnnSonders) January 22, 2021

Galileo’s stuff apparently was presented as dialogue in 1632….  nothing changed for centuries…. still riding horses for centuries…. slave labor…, .. obviously didn’t work… dialogic method still doesn’t work today… but Art Degree people keep trying to employ it expecting a different result…Deconstructing the Dialogue! Galileo’s Masterpiece: On Two Chief World Systems 🔭 https://t.co/fQVhZyIIru pic.twitter.com/4I00TIIu8U— Brian Keating 🔭 (@DrBrianKeating) January 20, 2021

Balance of power is based on parity. US policy is dominance. Dominance is about submission. The quest for dominance is leading to an arms race involving Russia and China. While neither Russia nor China wants to engage in an arms race, the economic incentive for the US to do so is strong owing to the MIC and military Keynesianism.Strategic Culture FoundationWhy Russia & Belarus Are Not Irrational to Fear Another ‘Operation Barbarossa’Eric Zuesse