That's funny, no doubt. However, having lived in or travelled through Germany, France, Spain, and Switzerland, I'd strongly advise against drinking the tap water.
Really. Don't do it.
I think I lost 15 pounds overnight after drinking tap water in Spain. Water weight, you know. Long night. Really really long.
WARNING: The above post may contain thoughts or ideas known to the State of Caliphornia to cause seething rage, confusion, distemper, nausea, perspiration, sphincter release, or cranial implosion to persons who implicitly trust only one news source, or find themselves at either the left or right political extreme. Proceed at your own risk.
"If you do not read the newspapers you're uninformed. If you do read the newspapers, you're misinformed." -- Mark Twain
Arctic sea trade routes. This is the new (developing last 15 years) geopolitical race for dominance. This entails all countries who possess mass wanted/needed natural resources and have shipping capabilities.
@Rdp77 simple answer…it’s all intertwined. There’s no ONE distinct answer. @VegasFrank I agree with mostly everything you wrote. Let’s look a little closer.
Of course the following is 30k birdseye viewpoint.
Belgium…a founding member of NATO. Recent presidency to EU Council. However, path of governance and future strategies is in a bit of disarray. Securing sea trade routes. Here’s a little bit about their arctic strategy. https://www.egmontinstitute.be/belgium-needs-a-bold-arctic-policy/
Finland/Netherlands…location location location…military alliance, American military bases, partner force training, etc etc. Close proximity to Russia. Again, securing Baltic sea trade routes.
Turkey…talk about lukewarm relations between US and them. Me personally, I don’t trust them. They have relationships with countries we don’t and use them for political mediations. They are situated between Europe and Asia. They serve as a trade bridge connecting the East and the West. They are a major source for energy and transport of raw materials for energy. Not to mention they are currently one of the largest producers of military weapons systems in the world.
I only touched on the countries you mentioned.
@VegasFrank and @Rdp77 you guys are infinitely intelligent dudes. I don’t need to educate you on geopolitics. We are all extremely aware the simplicity of geopolitics lies in control and overwatch, in whatever you want to insert here, in the name of national interest. The guy (country) at the top of the heap (world) is the winner (most powerful).
Lastly, I love talking about this stuff. Keep it coming!!!
Occurs to me, those journeys took place between 30 - 50 years ago, so, maybe now it's safe.
WARNING: The above post may contain thoughts or ideas known to the State of Caliphornia to cause seething rage, confusion, distemper, nausea, perspiration, sphincter release, or cranial implosion to persons who implicitly trust only one news source, or find themselves at either the left or right political extreme. Proceed at your own risk.
"If you do not read the newspapers you're uninformed. If you do read the newspapers, you're misinformed." -- Mark Twain
@OutdoorsSmoke_21191 said:
There’s a lot more departments with arctic strategies. Don’t want to overload you with information. 😬
All in all, it sounds like the fabled Northwest Passage explorers of 2 - 300 years ago were searching for is becoming reality.
WARNING: The above post may contain thoughts or ideas known to the State of Caliphornia to cause seething rage, confusion, distemper, nausea, perspiration, sphincter release, or cranial implosion to persons who implicitly trust only one news source, or find themselves at either the left or right political extreme. Proceed at your own risk.
"If you do not read the newspapers you're uninformed. If you do read the newspapers, you're misinformed." -- Mark Twain
US President Joe Biden has embarked on the first—and only—sub-Saharan African visit of his presidential term.
With President Biden set to leave office in several weeks, the timing might suggest that the visit and associated objectives are low on the totem pole of US national interests. That could not be further from the truth.
Angola is a significant oil producer and exporter, but President Biden’s trip is laser focused not on what minerals Angola has to offer, but rather what Angola grants access to: Congolese cobalt.
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is the largest global producer of cobalt, a critical component in lithium battery cathodes. Cobalt plays an essential role in preventing thermal runaway—a failure that can lead to batteries overheating or exploding. To over-simplify this, cobalt helps make rechargeable batteries safer and more reliable.
The DRC is wealthy in cobalt and copper and a potential raft of other minerals, but is utterly lacking in meaningful infrastructure. The cobalt deposits in the country’s southern Katanga province are essentially landlocked, but they do border Angola and Zambia. Zambia is landlocked; Angola is not. Furthermore, Angola’s position along the Atlantic coast places future cobalt shipments on an easy route to US and other western consumers.
Biden’s trip is set to lay the groundwork for foreign investment in port and rail infrastructure aimed at providing not only better access and development of the DRC’s cobalt, but a more assertive US foreign policy vis-à-vis securing critical minerals. China has long dominated this arena in respect to many minerals, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. But that was as much a product of a lack of direct US competition, more so than preternatural Chinese skill (or luck—bribes notwithstanding). Even with the upcoming change in administration, we should expect the thrust of US policy toward critical minerals to continue on a similar trajectory.
US President Joe Biden has embarked on the first—and only—sub-Saharan African visit of his presidential term.
With President Biden set to leave office in several weeks, the timing might suggest that the visit and associated objectives are low on the totem pole of US national interests. That could not be further from the truth.
Angola is a significant oil producer and exporter, but President Biden’s trip is laser focused not on what minerals Angola has to offer, but rather what Angola grants access to: Congolese cobalt.
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is the largest global producer of cobalt, a critical component in lithium battery cathodes. Cobalt plays an essential role in preventing thermal runaway—a failure that can lead to batteries overheating or exploding. To over-simplify this, cobalt helps make rechargeable batteries safer and more reliable.
The DRC is wealthy in cobalt and copper and a potential raft of other minerals, but is utterly lacking in meaningful infrastructure. The cobalt deposits in the country’s southern Katanga province are essentially landlocked, but they do border Angola and Zambia. Zambia is landlocked; Angola is not. Furthermore, Angola’s position along the Atlantic coast places future cobalt shipments on an easy route to US and other western consumers.
Biden’s trip is set to lay the groundwork for foreign investment in port and rail infrastructure aimed at providing not only better access and development of the DRC’s cobalt, but a more assertive US foreign policy vis-à-vis securing critical minerals. China has long dominated this arena in respect to many minerals, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. But that was as much a product of a lack of direct US competition, more so than preternatural Chinese skill (or luck—bribes notwithstanding). Even with the upcoming change in administration, we should expect the thrust of US policy toward critical minerals to continue on a similar trajectory.
I would suspect this project is a grifters dream. The Chinese have already invested 2 billion in getting the 120 year old railway operational and deepening the port at Lobito. The mining companies in the DRC pay a 20% royalty to the government mining arm Gecamines. The Chinese play it smart, instead of cashing them out they offer infrastructure improvements instead. When I was there in 2013-2015 all the materials where trucked in and out over 1000 miles to Durban South Africa, to a lesser extent port's in Tanzania or Mozambique. The DRC roads were dirt, so China paved the highway as part of the royalty money (belt and road). China controls 80% of copper, 76% of cobalt in the DRC and most of the Chinese miners have the CCP as at least part owners, push comes to shove they will decide which direction the metals flow.
Interesting single example of how intricate and infinite the geopolitical spectrum runs. This is one example of millions. People wonder why and how the global world governments have become behemoths and can never be slowed. Geopolitics is fascinating and a reminder how effed up that side of the human race can be in the name of country interests.
Just listened to this on Thursday. Pretty eye opening.
"I drink a great deal. I sleep a little, and I smoke cigar after cigar. That is why I am in two-hundred-percent form." -- Winston Churchill "LET'S GO FRANCIS" Peter
Most everything is about raw materials, trade routes and war machine global positioning. My apologies @First_Warrior i took your post as lunatic politics.
I thought China was seeking to build a base on the backside moon. The moon doesn't rotate so the only way to see the backside is to orbit the moon. The moon is the wild west, nobody owns it's natural resources. Who is projecting military force?
There seems to be over 10,000 satellites in orbit over our fragile planet. I hope against hope that space does not get militarized but given humans nature it probably will.
@First_Warrior said:
I thought China was seeking to build a base on the backside moon. The moon doesn't rotate so the only way to see the backside is to orbit the moon. The moon is the wild west, nobody owns it's natural resources. Who is projecting military force?
There seems to be over 10,000 satellites in orbit over our fragile planet. I hope against hope that space does not get militarized but given humans nature it probably will.
I wholeheartedly agree with you. Unfortunately, the universe is militarized if you take into account all the satellites 🛰️ 📡 both private sector, government/military agencies.
Comments
It's classified Rusty, maybe that will change soon. If I were to be hunting commies I would look a lot closer to home.
I have nothing to add to the conversation in any intelligent way, I just thought this was funny.
I also don't have a source or know if it's credible.
That's funny, no doubt. However, having lived in or travelled through Germany, France, Spain, and Switzerland, I'd strongly advise against drinking the tap water.
Really. Don't do it.
I think I lost 15 pounds overnight after drinking tap water in Spain. Water weight, you know. Long night. Really really long.
"If you do not read the newspapers you're uninformed. If you do read the newspapers, you're misinformed." -- Mark Twain
Arctic sea trade routes. This is the new (developing last 15 years) geopolitical race for dominance. This entails all countries who possess mass wanted/needed natural resources and have shipping capabilities.
@Rdp77 simple answer…it’s all intertwined. There’s no ONE distinct answer.
@VegasFrank I agree with mostly everything you wrote. Let’s look a little closer.
Of course the following is 30k birdseye viewpoint.
Belgium…a founding member of NATO. Recent presidency to EU Council. However, path of governance and future strategies is in a bit of disarray. Securing sea trade routes. Here’s a little bit about their arctic strategy.
https://www.egmontinstitute.be/belgium-needs-a-bold-arctic-policy/
Finland/Netherlands…location location location…military alliance, American military bases, partner force training, etc etc. Close proximity to Russia. Again, securing Baltic sea trade routes.
Turkey…talk about lukewarm relations between US and them. Me personally, I don’t trust them. They have relationships with countries we don’t and use them for political mediations. They are situated between Europe and Asia. They serve as a trade bridge connecting the East and the West. They are a major source for energy and transport of raw materials for energy. Not to mention they are currently one of the largest producers of military weapons systems in the world.
I only touched on the countries you mentioned.
@VegasFrank and @Rdp77 you guys are infinitely intelligent dudes. I don’t need to educate you on geopolitics. We are all extremely aware the simplicity of geopolitics lies in control and overwatch, in whatever you want to insert here, in the name of national interest. The guy (country) at the top of the heap (world) is the winner (most powerful).
Lastly, I love talking about this stuff. Keep it coming!!!
A good cigar and whiskey solve most problems.
Occurs to me, those journeys took place between 30 - 50 years ago, so, maybe now it's safe.
"If you do not read the newspapers you're uninformed. If you do read the newspapers, you're misinformed." -- Mark Twain
https://www.navy.mil/Press-Office/Press-Releases/display-pressreleases/Article/2463000/department-of-the-navy-releases-strategic-blueprint-for-a-blue-arctic/
A good cigar and whiskey solve most problems.
https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/alaska-congressional-delegation-welcomes-us-armys-first-ever-arctic-strategy
A good cigar and whiskey solve most problems.
https://media.defense.gov/2024/Jul/22/2003507411/-1/-1/0/DOD-ARCTIC-STRATEGY-2024.PDF
A good cigar and whiskey solve most problems.
https://www.ndu.edu/News/Article-View/Article/3960737/the-key-to-arctic-dominance-establishing-an-arctic-focused-subordinate-unified/
A good cigar and whiskey solve most problems.
There’s a lot more departments with arctic strategies. Don’t want to overload you with information. 😬
A good cigar and whiskey solve most problems.
All in all, it sounds like the fabled Northwest Passage explorers of 2 - 300 years ago were searching for is becoming reality.
"If you do not read the newspapers you're uninformed. If you do read the newspapers, you're misinformed." -- Mark Twain
https://www.thebarentsobserver.com/security/norway-establishes-nato-amphibious-warfare-center-in-sorreisa/421592
A good cigar and whiskey solve most problems.
https://nationalinterest.org/feature/how-us-and-italy-can-shape-next-era-transatlantic-cooperation-213874
A good cigar and whiskey solve most problems.
Peter Zeihan -
US President Joe Biden has embarked on the first—and only—sub-Saharan African visit of his presidential term.
With President Biden set to leave office in several weeks, the timing might suggest that the visit and associated objectives are low on the totem pole of US national interests. That could not be further from the truth.
Angola is a significant oil producer and exporter, but President Biden’s trip is laser focused not on what minerals Angola has to offer, but rather what Angola grants access to: Congolese cobalt.
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is the largest global producer of cobalt, a critical component in lithium battery cathodes. Cobalt plays an essential role in preventing thermal runaway—a failure that can lead to batteries overheating or exploding. To over-simplify this, cobalt helps make rechargeable batteries safer and more reliable.
The DRC is wealthy in cobalt and copper and a potential raft of other minerals, but is utterly lacking in meaningful infrastructure. The cobalt deposits in the country’s southern Katanga province are essentially landlocked, but they do border Angola and Zambia. Zambia is landlocked; Angola is not. Furthermore, Angola’s position along the Atlantic coast places future cobalt shipments on an easy route to US and other western consumers.
Biden’s trip is set to lay the groundwork for foreign investment in port and rail infrastructure aimed at providing not only better access and development of the DRC’s cobalt, but a more assertive US foreign policy vis-à-vis securing critical minerals. China has long dominated this arena in respect to many minerals, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. But that was as much a product of a lack of direct US competition, more so than preternatural Chinese skill (or luck—bribes notwithstanding). Even with the upcoming change in administration, we should expect the thrust of US policy toward critical minerals to continue on a similar trajectory.
A good cigar and whiskey solve most problems.
Alaska and Taiwan
https://www.arctictoday.com/take-a-trip-to-the-asian-island-that-could-play-a-role-in-alaskas-future/
A good cigar and whiskey solve most problems.
Maybe 'Random Interesting Videos' wasn't the best place to post this, so let's try it over here.
Thanks, I guess, but I ain't watching it twice.
I would suspect this project is a grifters dream. The Chinese have already invested 2 billion in getting the 120 year old railway operational and deepening the port at Lobito. The mining companies in the DRC pay a 20% royalty to the government mining arm Gecamines. The Chinese play it smart, instead of cashing them out they offer infrastructure improvements instead. When I was there in 2013-2015 all the materials where trucked in and out over 1000 miles to Durban South Africa, to a lesser extent port's in Tanzania or Mozambique. The DRC roads were dirt, so China paved the highway as part of the royalty money (belt and road). China controls 80% of copper, 76% of cobalt in the DRC and most of the Chinese miners have the CCP as at least part owners, push comes to shove they will decide which direction the metals flow.
Those cunning Chinese.
Trapped in the People's Communist Republic of Massachusetts.
Interesting single example of how intricate and infinite the geopolitical spectrum runs. This is one example of millions. People wonder why and how the global world governments have become behemoths and can never be slowed. Geopolitics is fascinating and a reminder how effed up that side of the human race can be in the name of country interests.
https://nationalinterest.org/feature/america’s-south-china-sea-strategy-needs-more-balance-213988
A good cigar and whiskey solve most problems.
What about Lunapolitics?
Just listened to this on Thursday. Pretty eye opening.
-- Winston Churchill
"LET'S GO FRANCIS" Peter
When I mentioned Lunapolitics I wasn't kidding. What are the players doing in space and on the moon.
I personally think it’s mostly about gathering minerals. Similar to what’s going on in the deep ocean right now.
Most everything is about raw materials, trade routes and war machine global positioning. My apologies @First_Warrior i took your post as lunatic politics.
A good cigar and whiskey solve most problems.
I thought China was seeking to build a base on the backside moon. The moon doesn't rotate so the only way to see the backside is to orbit the moon. The moon is the wild west, nobody owns it's natural resources. Who is projecting military force?
There seems to be over 10,000 satellites in orbit over our fragile planet. I hope against hope that space does not get militarized but given humans nature it probably will.
I wholeheartedly agree with you. Unfortunately, the universe is militarized if you take into account all the satellites 🛰️ 📡 both private sector, government/military agencies.
Google “orbital debris”.
A good cigar and whiskey solve most problems.
What do you make of the drones coming in off the east coast? The official narrative seems a little sketchy.
I'm surprised they don't use drones to monitor traffic.
I know, You're a big dog and I'm on the list.
Let's eat, GrandMa. / Let's eat GrandMa. -- Punctuation saves lives
It'll be fine once the swelling goes down.