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War is the Health of the Stock Exchange

krugman fed mad money printing

Some genius will be able to determine what percentage of Israeli “aid” packages essentially never leave the DC/VA corridor.

That handout of taxpayer funds to Israel coupled with Israel’s, and global, demand increasing for weapons in a period of instability, has been jet fuel for stock prices.

Lockheed Martin, the world’s largest weapons firm and the manufacturer of the F-35 aircraft that Israel uses in its regular bombings of Gaza, at the close of trading on October 4, has produced a 54.86% percent total return in the one year following the October 7th attacks, outperforming the S&P 500 by about 18%.

Or, put another way, a $10,000 investment in the F-35 manufacturer right before the October 7 attacks would, one year later, have produced a $5,486 total return. A similar investment in an S&P 500 index fund would have produced only $3,689.

“Hamas has created additional demand, we have this $106bn request from the president,” said TD Cowen’s Cai von Rumohr, during General Dynamics’ earnings call on October 25, 2023. In a question posed to General Dynamics executives on the call, von Rumohr asked, “Can you give us some general color in terms of areas where you think you could see incremental acceleration in demand?”

One year later, those analysts have been proven correct and Israel’s war grinds on as the White House finds its bids for ceasefires repeatedly rejected while, in seeming contradiction, supplying Israel with the weapons to continue fighting.

On September 26, the White House approved a $8.7 billion aid package for Israel that will largely be spent on munitions and armaments from major weapons firms, bringing the total U.S. security assistance to Israel since October 7 to nearly $18 billion. The same day, Israel, in defiance of the U.S., rejected a call for a ceasefire with Hezbollah, no doubt driving “incremental acceleration in demand” for weapons.

https://responsiblestatecraft.org/october-7-hamas-attack/

Decent Fight Scene Outrages the Memers

Decent Fight Scene Outrages the Memers

The cancel culture mob is upset over a piece of media, this time it’s because a girl character in a television show based on a video game did something that they were OUTRAGED about. A fictional character was able to defeat a man in an unarmed struggle. Her being smaller, and a female versus him being bigger and man defied all mathematics and reason to them. It was apparently unrealistic. For me personally, as far as fight scenes go and the context for her “win”, it was done pretty well.

There was no Marvel spinning, parkour and acrobatic excess which we have become used to when we see a female protagonatist in action, whether it’s against zombies in Resident Evil or Werewolves or Vampires or even men in Underworld or Comic Book movie #45666. No lazy Bourne choppy up close cut scenes hiding the actors inability. No Gun Fu of John Wick. Instead we saw a good display of ground fighting and grappling which showcased a potential outcome in a fictional medium.

Women have defeated men in fights, in those unsanctioned and sanctioned. They have defended themselves in unarmed combat against men, fought themselves free of rape and managed to defeat a domestic abuser or mugger. It does happen. I have known women who have done this and there are incidents on film, many recorded, reported where this happens. Many rapes and assaults occur when the victim is attacked from a trusted loved one, are ambushed or they do not fight back due to fear or the surreal violent intimacy of the moment. The nature of violence women face will differ from men, who generally don’t encounter ambush scenarios like those mentioned but deal with confrontational violence.

In this case the propaganda is not that women can beat any man but rather, we must believe that any man can beat every woman.

Many males think that they can fight, many women think that they do not need to know how to fight. Few women are willing to learn or practice the arts of violence, and few men think that they need to. This is a disparity in view points. Males that do train are generally doing it for the mirror, they may stand in front of the mirror and hope that the Tren, phonk music and shadows will alleviate them to a point of Anime might. One curl, or press or lift at a time. This for whatever reason in some minds makes them violent and capable of dominating another human in unarmed combat. Or those males who train martial arts and combat sports do so as a hobby or to play a sport. Very few males now train for self defence and less to be a protector.

Or many males may just play games, that anger and indignation or rage that they express is enough. “I am so angry!” the entitled male roars as though this is even an attribute at all. The discipline of study, the humility of work and distance of experience is a rare thing. Especially in an age where autism and mental health and entitlement are the premier identifiers for many individuals. The age of identity politics has created a collectivist derangement, where a person is no longer an individual but instead a gender, race, sex, mental condition, religion, what console they play, whatever. These identifiers become identity and how one treats and calibrates others abilities or even worth. The character of an individual lost, everything is instead cosplay or an avatar of insincerity. Entitlement.

In the case of women in the combat sports or martial arts we continue to see a demented denial of their hard work and capabilities. A woman going on a date with a new man is always leery of mentioning her training or sports background because it will usually be down played as useless or he may spin it into a flirty slur, “I bet I could take you.” Many are drawn to the training as a need to protect themselves because of a fear of being attacked, or because they already have been.

Those of us, especially heavyweights, who played the violent sports and continue to train daily know how hard it is to find training partners, especially those competent. We are grateful for any who one turns up. In the past, when preparing for a heavyweight cage fight which I took on short notice, much of the training that I did was with an ex, who was forty kilograms lighter than me. We adjusted. She turned up ever time. It’s hard to find good training partners, especially for heavier fighters. I managed to win via first round submission, despite a lack of time for camp and having to mostly drill with her. We are grateful for those who are willing to help. For a combat athlete having people to train with that don’t make it all about themselves or act as a reckless entity in the gym. Or for those who want to train beyond sports, finding those who want to train for real violence, self defence or otherwise.

For a lady this problem is even more apparent. She is often expected to train with men and those bigger than her. Males generally are less flexible and rigid, so this means the take downs and ground aspect can vary to what can be expected if she is to compete against another woman. Men, especially when frustrated and fatigued may also rely on strength and power, rather than their minds or technique. Risk of injury from even just drilling is ever apparent. This means that a lot of ladies develop an adaptive mindset in training, they tend to “take what they can get.” Whereas those spoiled for choice, usually dudes under Middleweight, may gain an entitled mindset in the gym and with obsess with their “careers” or “training,” making poor gym partners. Despite such an abundance of similar weight and shaped bodies, they can develop a ‘main character’ syndrome. (Not all of you…;)

As for the current outrage, it will pass, but the experts will use a clip of a man in an armlock, who stands up on a lady who isn’t trying to finish the lock as…evidence?

Train much?

I guess when the world is in the screen, the news feed is your life and those memes and avatars that you engage with is your sustenance, one gains a limited insight. When streaming and gaming, sprites and pixels is the main form of input that you receive, what do you really know?

And then those manly men outside the digital, who know that, generally speaking women are ‘weaker’ than men. Sure. But, that does not mean that such strength ensure certain victory. There are some ladies who train, smart and hard and would do very well, have won.

Cue footage of Lucia Rijker getting knocked out or mentions about trans fighter, Fallon Fox who was also defeated by a biological, cis, whatever fucking PC word thing it is for a woman these days. Yes, a transitioned male, who became a transgender woman injured a biological woman in the cage. And yes, that same transgender woman had her ass beat by a biological woman in the cage as well.

But, no one talks about Ashlee Evans Smith because memers don’t like reality, only narratives.

Such is fighting. Ever tried it?

Yeah, but Jon Jones would beat any female fighter…”

Yeah, and most males too.

We don’t need to cuckold the abilities and discipline of others to represent oneself. Individual combat is about individuals. Whether a man beats a woman, or vice versa that is two individuals locked in combat. If you derive joy or a sense of accomplishment from that outcome, because of a persons gender, then maybe you need to get out of the cuck chair and climb into the bed yourself to gain a better view. BUT, seeing as that seem to be most peoples thing in regards to many things, your opinion is just that and you won’t know what you don’t know.

As a father, son, brother, husband, boyfriend or a man and if your view is that a woman should simply yield, comply when attacked and never learn or practice self defence or how to fight. That she should never turn up, never try, never fight, never defend. That says everything about you, and nothing about her. If that is the case, then boy, you better man the fuck up and be the most capable in all facets of skill at arms, unarmed combat, if they are expected to be dependent on your ability to protect them. If they must, rely on you.

Back to the show based on the game. I am told that I should be outraged because the algorithm slut memers and content creators told me, the girl playing the role is wrong and should be cancelled. The show itself is a terrible adaption. It’s woke or not ideologically pure or that it deviated from the game to much. Whatever. I am not writing about any of those points of politically correctness and contention made by the detractors, only that the scene itself was decent. There was no mostly boys throwing popcorn at a screen and cheering over a craft that mines while I watched this. That in itself was refreshing, or is that how game adaptions must be viewed now?

I would go so far as to say, seeing a scene with such choreography, would entice me to watch a show like that. But, I am checked out on game and comic adaptions, I think I am done with IP slop made by corporations just for the sake of, content creation and because people will watch it regardless. People will also make money-careers from reviewing and hating such slop. Whether it’s slop or not, whether it’s too Left, too Right or woke or not doesn’t matter. The sequence was pretty cool. Now, I gotta go train. See you there.

Royal Navy Carrier Deployment: Failure is in the Cards

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HMS Prince of Wales will lead Carrier Strike Group 25 on a deployment to the Pacific.

The Prince of Wales has suffered many propulsion issues (it’s a non-nuclear carrier) and engineering casualties.

Non-nuclear carrier operations in war in the 21st century rely on static port refueling or underway POL replenishment. In peacetime, just dandy. In wartime in the missile age we live in, a disaster in the making. No port will be safe and no “blue water anchorage” for logistical refit will be safe. My forecast: the HMS Prince of Wales will not complete this task.

They will suffer an existential engineering casualty.This is a huge risk because towing it back to the UK will be no mean task if they don’t choose to do repairs in the Pacific, possibly in Australia.

If it makes the deployment and returns to the UK with no issues, I will gladly admit being wrong.

The Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers, specifically HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales, are the largest warships ever built for the Royal Navy.

Here are some of the main problems:

Cost overruns: The project was initially estimated to cost around $4 billion, but the final cost was around $8 billion. This is a significant increase, and the project has been criticized for poor cost management.

Delays: The carriers were initially scheduled to be commissioned in 2016 and 2018, respectively. However, they were delayed several times, with HMS Queen Elizabeth being commissioned in 2017 and HMS Prince of Wales being commissioned in 2019.

Technical issues: The carriers have experienced several technical issues, including problems with the propulsion system, electrical systems, and communication systems. These issues have led to delays and cancellations of sea trials. Lack of operational capability: The carriers are not yet fully operational, and it is expected to take several years to achieve full operational capability. This is due to a range of factors, including the need for additional training and the development of new procedures.

Limited air defense capabilities: The carriers do not have a dedicated air defense system, which is a concern for some analysts. This means that the ships rely on other vessels or air defense systems to provide protection against aerial threats. Necessarily, this plagues all modern carriers in the missile age.

2022 engineering casualty on the carrier:

https://t.co/vnGb6L6MDX

“The Bisexuals of Politics”

“The Bisexuals of Politics”

In a recent debate on the Joe Rogan Experience, between Douglas Murray and Dave Smith, Murray accused libertarians as being the “bisexuals of politics.”

An interesting claim, one that assumes politics is in itself is a binary. Or that those in the ‘liberty’ spectrum, which can range from all types of anarchists, agorists and whatever passes for libertarian these days, have more in common than not. The belief that Right and Left are constants and relate specifically to the Western, mostly American politics, is shallow. Regardless.

During his tenure as a libertarian spokesperson, Penn Jillete would offer the simplistic explanation, “Left on sex and drugs, Right on economics,” to best explain his politics. Which for many would be how one could define modern libertarianism. Such summaries of politics and brief bytes reduce issues and philosophies into insignificant associations. Libertarian is far more complicated and interesting than political ‘bisexualism’.

Before Murray Rothbard, libertarian was associated with ‘left’ politics, as was various forms of anarchism and even agorism. Now, for whatever reasons it needs to be defined by either ‘left’ or ‘right’, both of which changes costume frequently enough. The modern, mostly American depiction of libertarian is frequently claimed to be Right wing or Right adjacent. Perhaps this is because, ‘free market economics’ are at least claimed to be Right wing?

The debate between Murray and Smith was mostly focused on foreign policy, rather than the nuances of libertarianism but it extends to the differentiating views between both men. One, of a collectivist who sees the world broken up into groups. The other, an individualist, who understands the world to be made up of individuals. Collectivist and Individualist, as such. Not, Left or Right.

The Left and Right, have more in common than not. It’s only in the extremes of both or from within specific niches, where actual principles according to both matter, on those fringes do real distinct differences occur. As political animals, both tend to be incestuous siblings.

The same can go for libertarians, who indulge in politics and alliances. The politics in itself transcending claimed principles. It is the nature of politics that leads to the temptations of bisexuality in this context. Deviant flirtation, making allies, of achieving shared goals. In the case of certain issues it seems that such political animals enjoy the orgiastic delights of agreement.

In this metaphor, would it not be more apt at claiming that libertarians are Asexual, unlike their more politically motivated associates, Libertarians, inc who may be outright ‘gay’ or ‘straight’ to whatever leaning takes their fancy.

It’s all rather confusing. And I say this as someone who is grappling with the writing of a book on complex sexuality.

Murray’s statement was thrown out as a slur, as though one must be either Gay or Straight. Or in this case, Left and Right. Which side do those who embrace Murray as their mouthpiece associate with being the likeness to their politics, Homo or Heterosexual? Murray could have also just said it as a gay old remark, frivolous and to be swallowed with little regard.

Political orientation assumes that one side of politics is wrong, and that the other side is correct. As an openly gay man, would this then assume that conservative politics is homosexual? Then again, it seems that many from such a political spectrum can in fact be gay, or even bisexual or whatever sexual convenience suits them. Albeit closeted. Despite the woke fetish to unite sexuality and partisan politics.

Murray has his views and many of them are rather conventional. That does not mean that they are entirely in line with the Right or Left zeitgeist. For example when it comes to his opinion on Palestine, only the extremes of both seem to view it as a genocide. Those who make up the politically generic or what some would call the ‘uniparty’, there seems to be wider support for Israeli policy. To the Palestinians and their dying and starving a ‘left’ Biden or a ‘right’ Trump administration have made little difference.

In the case of the Ukraine war, again it’s with the more Left leaning of generic politics that tends to favour support in the war against Russia. Then again, from within the mainstream of Right wing politics there is also an anti-Russia focus. A desire to keep the proxy war going for as long as possible to bleed Russia. The sacrifice of Ukrainian lives being a price that they are willing to pay.

Murray can also argue, that the Ukrainians are defending themselves from an invader. Though, in the case of Palestine, this would be incorrect in his mind. In the case of Afghanistan, Iraq, Vietnam and so on, I am sure that it would also be incorrect. It all depends on who the invader is, and who such an invasion favours.

When it comes to prosecuting of war, there seems to be a consensus among Left and Right of party politics, a bi-partisan agreement. ‘Bisexual’ politics one might say.

Libertarians or those in the anti-war liberty movement are not “bi.” There is more to two sides, and two ideals when it comes to many issues. The nature of politics is conflation, coercion and seduction. Those with principles tend to remain pure and virginal, they don’t need to get fcucked by the bullshit breathed political class, nor do they need to sodomise another group of innocent people out of a need for political expedience. The vulgarity of politics is that it pretends to be decent, polite and intellectual when in reality it is crude, vile and plunges bayonets into the bellies of countless people all in the name of policy or, like any rapist, self interest.

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