Dmitry Medvedev Wants Ukraininan Military Destroyed and Kiev Regime Dismantled

Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev (right) wants robust and tough action against Ukraine. 

 

Medvedev, who currently serves as deputy chair of Russia’s National Security Council, made the remarks in a Telegram post on Friday, commenting on an interview Ukrainian President [V]olodymyr [Z]elensky recently gave. He summarized the latter's comments as consisting of demands for more weapons from Kiev’s Western backers and promises of a successful counteroffensive, including an attack on Crimea, while also warning that the conflict may drag on for “decades”. 

 

While the interview appeared to be “contradictory” and “delusional”, even such statements should not be underestimated, Medvedev warned. 

 

To successfully foil Kiev’s plans, Russia must inflict “mass destruction of personnel and military equipment” during the much-hyped Ukrainian counteroffensive and inflict a “maximum military defeat” on Kiev’s military, Medvedev said. Ultimately, the “Nazi regime in Kiev” must be “completely dismantled” and demilitarized throughout the entire territory of “former Ukraine”, he added. 

 

Apart from that, Russia must pursue those who manage to flee, and seek “retribution” against the “key figures of the Nazi regime, regardless of their location and without statute of limitations”, Medvedev stressed. Anything short of that would not suffice, the ex-president believes. 

 

“Otherwise, they will not calm down, and the drug-addled nonsense can turn into reality and the war will drag on for a long time. Our country does not need that”, Medvedev said. 

 

I AGREE 100%!

 

No to 'Z' and 'V' but 'O' is Okay

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On Friday, Ukraine’s Interior Ministry announced that the ‘Z’ and ‘V’ symbols in personalized vehicle license plates are restricted. 

 

The two letters are commonly associated with the “Russian aggression” against Ukraine, the ministry asserted, explaining the measure. While the letters were not subjected to a blanket ban, they cannot be used from now on as standalone symbols on a plate or as a substitute for similar-sounding Cyrillic letters in words. 

 

The ‘Z’ and ‘V’ letters originally appeared as tactical markings used on equipment by various groupings of Russian troops at the start of hostilities between Moscow and Kiev in February 2022. Their use as symbols subsequently went viral, surfacing on assorted merchandise and memorabilia related to the ongoing Special Military Operation. 

 

However, Ukraine has abstained from targeting another symbol linked to the hostilities – the letter ‘O’ – which has been commonly used as a tactical marking as well, becoming easily as common as the ‘Z’ and ‘V’. 

 

The inaction against ‘O’ presumably stems from the fact that it’s effectively impossible to distinguish a Cyrillic letter ‘O’ from its Latin counterpart, which would further complicate enforcing such a rule. And which goes to show the ridiculousness of the Ukrainian policy in the first place!

USD Slides 10X Faster

According to the latest report by Bloomberg, the US dollar is sliding 10 times faster than the last two decades. 

The Dollar now represents about 58% of the global reserves, down from 73% in 2001. Developing nations’ experimenting with the de-dollarization initiative is speculated to currently lead Dollar’s decline. In fact, the USD has dropped nearly 15% in the last two decades and continued to slide amid fears of an upcoming BRICS currency. 

Since 2016, the Dollar lost nearly 11% of its market share. Developing nations’ replacing the USD for international trade picked up steam making the Dollar face threats of a global collapse. 

Exceptional actions by China and Russia challenged the Dollar’s hegemony and are pulling other nations towards their side. The development has startled the US, as European countries are buying laundered oil from Russia through Saudi Arabia. France also settled an LNG gas trade with China and paid in yuan. Therefore, not only developing countries, but European nations are also looking at ways to sideline the Dollar. 

Moreover, the BRICS nations China, Russia, and India are stocking up tonnes of gold instead of the Dollar, reported the World Gold Council. The three nations combined to purchase nearly 135.9 tonnes of gold during Q1 2023. It is already reported that the new BRICS currency could be backed by gold and not the US dollar. And should BRICS internationalize their upcoming currency, the greenback may plummet and lose its global reserve status. America would have no option to fund its deficit, and its economy could face tremors. 

While the Dollar has already lost its shine, more pressure on it could eliminate its global clout. The next BRICS meeting in August 2023, in South Africa could seal the fate of the US dollar’s prospects.

China’s COMAC are poised to challenge the dominance of Boeing and Airbus. Finally. 

HNA Aviation Group, which operate China’s fourth-largest aircraft fleet, signed a contract for 60 of COMAC’s C919 single-aisle passenger jet and 40 of the ARJ21 regional jetliners on Thursday in Shanghai, China according to a statement that did not divulge financial details. 

The procurement is a boost for Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China that gives them a leg up in their race to catch up with Boeing and Airbus in the global aviation industry. China is aiming for a modest 10-per cent share of domestic aviation by 2035. By the end of last year, COMAC received orders for 1,035 C919 airliners, their flagship product to rival Boeing’s 737 and Airbus’ A320.

Donald Trump Allegedly Assaulted a Woman in 1996

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The sharpened knives are already out for Donald Trump. 

 

Besides, the thirty-four felony charges of falsifying New York business records “to conceal damaging information and unlawful activity from American voters before and after the 2016 election” – read my post “The Indictment of Donald J Trump” published April 05 – the former US president now faces a civil lawsuit. 

 

It’s brought about by advice columnist E Jean Carroll (right) who is seeking damages for battery – after Trump allegedly sexually assaulted her in the dressing room of Bergdorf Goodman, a New York department store in 1996 – and for defamation, after he accused her of lying and perpetrating a hoax when she went public with her accusations in a book. 

 

She told a New York jury on Wednesday that Donald Trump raped her, leaving her unable to have a romantic relationship, and then “shattered my reputation” by denying the attack occurred. 

 

Trump denies the accusations. 

 

Carroll shed tears as she explained that she found it impossible to even smile at a man she was attracted to after the alleged rape, and that she had not had sex since! 

 

She asserted that she had expected Trump to say they had a consensual encounter, not deny it altogether!

 

At one point, she pushed back in a cross-examination: “He raped me whether I screamed or not”! 

 

She also admitted there was a contradiction between her role as an advice columnist telling readers to seek therapy or go to the police, and her own failure to do either!

 

She added that she considers Trump “evil” and thought he was a “terrible” president, but denied bringing the lawsuit against him because of her political views. 

 

When asked if she regretted accusing him given the consequences, Carroll’s voice broke. “I regretted this about 100 times but, in the end, being able to get my day in court finally is everything”, she said, through tears! 

 

The trial is ongoing.

Land Artist and Her Womanscapes

Jeanne Simmons is a land artist based in Port Townsend in Washington, USA and who brilliantly explores the connection between people and nature. 

 

And she comes up with stunning works where she is not afraid to combine nature and the female body in her clever designs. Her natural garments include skirts made of grass and seaweed, a dress made of ivy, corsets made of bark, wheat hair extensions, and a cocoon made of soft grass.

 

“When we spend a lot of time in a place, and if we are paying attention, a kind of intimacy develops”, she declares. She grounds her practice in this sense of familiarity and ease with her surroundings. “We come to know the plants that grow there and the critters that roam there… We may even begin to feel that we ourselves have become part of that place, and it is this feeling that sustains and inspires me”. 

 

After gathering natural materials like branches, wild vegetables, and bark, Simmons constructs garments that intertwine her own body and those of others with the landscape and obscure the distinction between the two.

 

“This is how I celebrate and deepen my connection with the natural world. I suppose I have discovered that the best way for me to become part of the landscape… is to wear it”, she shares. “It is also, at least in part, a lamentation for the catastrophic loss of that connection that we are witnessing in real-time”.

 

This eco artist has made a name for herself, having been featured in national and international publications.

 

Kindly check out this 60 Second Docs video where she speaks about her art that is rooted in nature:

Yuan is Most-used Currency in China's Cross-border Transactions

The yuan became the most widely-used currency for cross-border transactions in China in March, overtaking the Dollar for the first time, official data showed. 

 

Cross-border payments and receipts in yuan rose to a record $549.9 billion in March from $434.5 billion a month earlier, according to Reuters calculation based on data from the State Administration of Foreign Exchange. 

 

The yuan was used in 48.4% of all cross-border transactions, Reuters calculated, while the Dollar's share declined to 46.7% from 48.6% a month earlier. The volume of cross-border transactions covers both the current and capital accounts. 

 

China has long been promoting the use of yuan to settle cross-border trades as part of an effort to internationalise the use of its currency. 

 

Still, the fact remains that the yuan's use in global trade finance remains low, though it has shown steady increases. Data from SWIFT showed the yuan's share of global currency transactions for trade finance rose to 4.5% in March, while the Dollar accounted for 83.71%.

Disney Carry on Fighting and Sue Florida Governor

Desperate Walt Disney Co. sued Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on Wednesday, asking a court to overturn state efforts to control the Walt Disney World theme parks and intensifying a battle between a global entertainment giant and a potential US presidential contender. 

 

The two sides have been fighting since Disney criticized a state law banning discussion of sexual orientation or gender identity in primary schools. 

 

The lawsuit came after state officials voided a development deal involving the firm's Florida theme park. Disney declared DeSantis' steps to assert control over their operations threatened their business and violated their constitutional rights. 

 

And they are asking the court to undo the moves. 

 

DeSantis spokesperson Jeremy Redfern said on Twitter, “We are unaware of any legal right that a company has to operate its own government or maintain special privileges not held by other businesses in the state”. 

 

The tussle could boost DeSantis’s support among US Republican voters, a Reuters/Ipsos poll found – but also hurt him among the wider electorate. 

 

Seventy-three percent of respondents – including 82 percent of Democrats and 63 percent of Republicans – said they were less likely to support a political candidate who backs laws designed to punish a company for their political or cultural stances. 

 

A 2-1 win at West Ham on Wednesday was a third straight victory for Liverpool and it was sealed by Joel Matip's header from a corner in the 67th minute. 

 

The Hammers scored first in the 12th minute, only for the Reds to equalize through Cody Gakpo – off a long-range strike – six minutes later. 

 

Liverpool climb to sixth place and six points behind fourth-place Manchester United, which have two games in hand.

Joseph R Biden's Re-election Ambition

On Tuesday, United States President Joseph R Biden (left) officially launched his re-election campaign in 2024. 

 

Strangely, he didn't give any speech to announce his ambition. Americans were just shown a polished video that seemed to aim solely at his base.

 

Of course, as a sitting president, Biden comes into the race for the Democratic nomination as a clear frontrunner, even as he is facing a couple of long-shot primary challengers – including best-selling author and spiritual guru Marianne Williamson and environmental lawyer Robert F Kennedy Jr. (FYI, he's the son of senator Robert F Kennedy and nephew of President John F Kennedy).

 

The nominee will be confirmed at the party’s national convention in Chicago in August 2024. 

 

On the Republican side, Donald J Trump (right) is widely considered to be the 2024 frontrunner. The former president announced his campaign in November, but since then, he has faced a series of legal woes, including criminal charges in New York over alleged hush-money payments he made to adult film star Stormy Daniels. (Refer my post “The Indictment of Donald J Trump” published April 05). 

 

Still, Trump, who has pleaded not guilty in the case, maintains strong support with an NBC News poll finding this month that 46 percent of Republican primary voters would support him. 

 

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (right) had the second-highest level of Republican support at 31 percent although he has yet to formally announce his candidacy. 

 

In the event that Trump does gain the Republican nomination, it would set Biden up for a rematch of the hard-fought 2020 election, which he won thanks to victories in key swing states.

The Job of a Seagull Deterrent

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A zoo in the UK are on the hunt for a team of people to wear large bird costumes and spend their days scaring away nuisance seagulls. 

 

The unusual roles for “Seagull Deterrents” are being advertised in a bid to stop the birds from stealing food from both visitors and animal enclosures, and ensure a good experience for those visiting Blackpool Zoo. One requirement is candidates must be “outgoing” as they “need to be comfortable wearing a bird costume”.

 

No details about pay are provided but I imagine salary is commensurate with experience. 

 

Blackpool is, of course, well-known for its cheeky gulls, or colloquially seagulls (Class: Aves; Family: Laridae) which routinely grab food from locals and tourists alike. 

 

Sadly, one seagull had to be put down in the town last week after the “severely unwell” bird was seen being dragged along on a leash. A passerby intervened to rescue the bird, but it later had to be put to sleep, it was confirmed.

Indians Slam German Cartoon Considered Racist

Amidst the backdrop that India is set to become the most populous nation in the world surpassing China’s population, a “racist” cartoon published by German magazine Der Spiegel to depict the demographic change has irked Indians. 

 

The cartoon shows an overloaded train with people sitting atop it holding a tricolour while a Chinese bullet train is seen behind on another track. The illustration appears to be highlighting China's technological advancement while depicting India with crumbling infrastructure. 

 

Anshul Saxena, who has over a million followers on Twitter, pointed out that although Germany was mocking India in the cartoon, 61 percent of railway lines are electrified, and the country plans to electrify 75 percent of rail network by 2030. While in India, 85 percent of route kilometers electrified and the Railways are set to achieve 100 percent electrification. 

 

Also reacting to the cartoon, National Vice President BJP Baijayant Jay Panda said, “In German, the name of influential magazine Der Spiegel means The Mirror. But going by this derogatory, racist cartoon, it should change its name to Rassistischer Troll. & considering Germany’s difficult history involving racism & the holocaust, Germans everywhere should force this race baiting publication to hold a mirror to its conscience”. 

 

Union Minister of State for Entrepreneurship, Skill Development, Electronics & Technology, Rajeev Chandrasekhar said, “Dear Cartoonist at @derspiegel. Notwithstanding your attempt at mocking India, it’s not smart to bet against India under PM @narendramodi ji. In a few years India’s economy will be bigger than germany’s”. 

 

Note: Based on the projections, India's population by mid-year will reach 1.4286 billion, compared to China's 1.4257 billion – 2.9 million fewer – according to the United Nations Population Fund's “State of World Population Report” for 2023 released on April 19.

Movie Studio Marketers Rely on TikTok and Twitter

Digital and social media marketing chiefs of major movie studios in the US said yesterday they’re really hoping the threat of a US government ban on TikTok never materializes, so crucial has the platform become to launching films.

 

(President Joe Biden is threatening a ban of the service for data security reason since it’s owned by giant Chinese Internet company, ByteDance). 

 

And they’d also like Elon Musk-owned Twitter to get its act together, since that’s also a key platform for Hollywood. 

 

“I don’t personally think that TikTok is going to go away, at least not anytime soon in the US”, remarked Alex Sanger (left), EVP, Digital Marketing, Universal Pictures. 

 

“We’ve been using TikTok since it was called Musical.ly”, he explained. It was important then – and “during the pandemic it became even more important, and it just continues to be so. We find it to be a viable platform for basically every one of our films. M3GAN was certainly one of those. And we didn’t really have to do much. That dance in the trailer basically went crazy”, he said of the creepy moves by the life-sized doll on the Empire State Building that seized the platform. [Check out my post “Dance Off: Wednesday vs M3GAN” published January 13, 2023].

 

Sanger too expressed worry over Twitter, saying it has gotten a little complicated. “It’s concerning. That said, it is a real time conversation platform. It’s where we are the closest to the audience. It is truly a town square”. 

 

I guess this explains why TikTok and Twitter are so much loved by lots of people.

 

The growing prominence of the BRICS countries is only set to continue expanding, as 19 nations have submitted membership requests ahead of their annual summit on August 22-24, 2023 in South Africa, as a host of nations seek admission. 

 

China initiated the conversation about expansion when it was BRICS chair last year. And earlier this year, the BRICS collective made it known that they were open to other countries joining them. 

 

Additionally, as the bloc of countries has surpassed the G7 nations in GDP, I have no doubt that bringing in new members will further cement the shift in the global power balance. Specifically, amidst their continued efforts to replace the US dollar in international trade.

Ukraine Wants NATO Countries to Pledge 1% of GDP

Ukraine has never been coy about asking, even demanding money and arms from other countries in order to sponsor its war against Russia.

 

Since Russia's Special Military Operation began, the US alone has directed more than $75 billion in assistance to Ukraine, which includes humanitarian, financial, and military support, according to the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, a German research institute (Council on Foreign Relations, February 22, 2023). 

 

As NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stressed the importance of continued support for Ukraine, the country's Deputy Foreign Minister Andriy Melnyk (left) now wants NATO countries to pledge 1% of their GDP to meet Ukraine’s weapon needs. 

 

A fool’s errand, that is what it is. 

 

Already NATO want their members to spend at least two percent of their GDP on defence – and yet, just seven of NATO’s 30 member states – not counting Finland which only joined NATO on April 04 – met the defense spending target in 2022. The US, Estonia, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and the United Kingdom, all achieved the standard with Croatia and France among those falling just short. Others, e.g. Canada and Germany were further behind. 

 

It is claimed that Ukraine is running out of anti-aircraft missiles, an apparent leak of Pentagon documents dating from February suggests. 

 

The New York Times already reported that Ukraine’s Buk air defence systems, which it relies on along with the S-300 to protest vital sites from Russian air power, and air defences protecting troops on the front line could be “completely reduced” by May 23! 

 

I hope this is true because if it is, we can expect the war to wind down. Enough of deaths and destruction.

The Insect Asylum

If you’re into cockroaches like I do, then make a creepy crawly trip to the US of A and visit The Insect Asylum, a vintage taxidermy museum in Chicago’s Avondale neighborhood. 

 

The museum boasts a collection of live insects, courtesy of Lucca Dana-Coulon, the Resident Entomologist and this includes one of the world's largest cockroach collections ever. It’s a rare chance for the public to interact with insects in a more positive way than they normally would. 

 

“The main relations we've built with insects as a society has been mainly through the lens of horror or through the lens of extermination", said Dana-Coulon. "We just don't have a relation to these creatures despite how massively important they are". 

 

Carson Edfors, the museum’s Specimen Director added: "It's a great chance to come in and learn about these species that we need to survive. Insects are an essential part of our ecosystem". 

 

Of course, there is also a gigantic collection of taxidermy animals and pinned insects. 

 

Owner and founder Nina Salem (left) has spent years curating her massive collection of pinned insects and mounted animals, some dating back to the early 1900’s. 

 

"I could tell you where every single rock and stone was found", said Salem. "Everything has its own life to it both before death and after death".

 

What makes The Insect Asylum unique is that it holds special hours to accommodate children and adults with sensory processing difficulties. Salem and the rest of her team have autism and she said they operate as a team in educating the public about animals and insects because it’s a subject they love. 

 

For more information on the Insect Asylum, visit their website at https://theinsectasylum.com