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Will Idlib be the Sultan’s Waterloo?

On 19 Dec 2019 the Syrian Army (SAA), backed by Russian air support and contingents of Iranian and Hezbollah troops, began a renewed offensive in the Idlib governate of Syria with the aim of enforcing the Sochi Memorandum of Understanding. The ongoing action will clear the M4 and has already cleared the M5 highways that run through Idlib, thus eventually connecting the Russian base at Latakia on the Mediterranean with eastern Syria, as well as connecting Damascus with all points north and east. The action has enraged one Recip Tayyip Erdogan, the wannabe Sultan, for reasons outlined below. He has invested heavily in the takfiri fighters in Idlib. And now all of Aleppo has been liberated. Syrians have been celebrating in the streets and a large number of reinforcements for the SAA are pouring into the region. The question then arises, is the battle for Idlib the Sultan’s Waterloo? Continue reading “Will Idlib be the Sultan’s Waterloo?”

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A little trouble in big China

[Update at end] If we were to read the news regarding China these days – and how can we not – one might be forgiven for thinking that a grave, deadly pandemic was in danger of sweeping across that nation, and putting the rest of the world at peril as a result (written 28 Jan 20). The rumor mill in social media has been alive and thriving in that regard. What are we talking about here? – the novel coronavirus, a.k.a. 2019-nCoV. There are rumors of a bio-weapon, Big Pharma trying to make a quick buck, the Chinese government on the verge of collapse, those lying Chinese covering up the true number of cases, the barbaric practices of the Chinese regarding animals (yes, that’s a trending tweet), and so on. A recent exchange on social media about this disease has prompted this article, especially any possible connection with Chinese New Year. For more info, read on. But first, a short video: Continue reading “A little trouble in big China”

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Regime change has come to Russia!

You read that title correctly. On 15 Jan this year, Medvedev and his entire cabinet resigned. But, before Russia and Putin critics get too excited, the establishments in the Western nations are not going to like what happens next. After years of being ignored, vilified, ostracized and threatened by the West – by the US and UK especially – Russia has decided now to think of herself first, of her citizenry, and is pulling away from globalism as it has existed in these past years, as well as from entanglements with neoliberal economics and the ‘rule of law’ as put forward by the West. Expect for demonization of Russia and all sorts of wild speculation to spike now in the Western press. “Putin has weaponized Russian sovereignty!” Continue reading “Regime change has come to Russia!”

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Ukraine Air flight 752: What really happened? (updated below)

Def: SNAFU: Acronym, military, ca.1941: a confused or chaotic state; a mess (more on the definition later). In the early hours of 8 Jan 2020 the Iranian IRCG lobbed 22 missiles into two military bases in Iraq – the al-Assad Air Base, which is the main American air base in the north of Iraq, and the American base in Iraqi Kurdistan at Erbil, in their Operation Martyr Soleimani. There were no reported casualties, but there was heavy damage to the bases. In the aftermath of the attack, some 4+ hours later, the Iranians shot down Ukraine Airlines flight 752, killing all 176 passengers and crew, a domestic flight, which had departed Tehran at 6:12 am. Most of the people on the plane were Iranian or of Iranian descent. It has been called human error, but was it really? We will examine that in this instalment as well as the wider picture for Iran. Continue reading “Ukraine Air flight 752: What really happened? (updated below)”

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Soleimani

Red flags can signify many things. There is one in particular that reflects the old maxim: Revenge is a dish best served cold. On 4 January the Iranians hoisted their red flag on the top of Jamkaran Mosque, in Qom, Iran in response to the assassination of their favorite son, Major General Qasem Soleimani. He was targeted in what has turned out to be an act of treachery by the Trump administration, which we will examine in due course, and in what will probably come to be known as one of the greatest blunders of foreign policy strategy in recent US history. If this already sounds like an apologist piece, read on, because appearances are often deceptive and as is usually the case, there is more to this than meets the eye. Continue reading “Soleimani”

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Overview and review of the UK election

The wait is finally over. The British public has decided, at least as to which party will lead the nation over the next years. And as predicted, there was an upset. But, the Tories won? How is that an upset? It was predicted by pundits from the outset they would win by a large enough margin to be able to push Brexit through by the end of January. Now, they may well get their wish. It was an upset because there were also many pundits, polls and insiders saying the election was too close to call and that there would be a hung Parliament. There were astrological precedents for the latter, but there were also wild cards. My prediction of a hung Parliament was based in those precedents. It was also an upset for progressives and remainers who had hoped for a hung Parliament, or even a long shot win by Corbyn. The latter was never in the cards or the stars. To see what happened, read on. Continue reading “Overview and review of the UK election”

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Disasters, an election, a full moon and a little study in midpoints

Recently, as in the past few days, there have been a series of violent events around the world. And in turn, people I have spoken with and encountered have noted a particular ‘energy’ in the air, manifesting as frustration, short tempers and general tension. Naturally, I decided to have a look at the astrology, and indeed there were factors that stood out. But, there were a couple of surprising indicators as well, which run counter to what one would normally expect in astrology. Continue reading “Disasters, an election, a full moon and a little study in midpoints”

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The Capricorn solar ingress 2019

On 22 December 2019 the Sun enters Capricorn, setting the primary tone for the quarter leading to Aries. That quarter will be a particularly potent one this year with many follow-on effects. The reasons for stating that will be outlined in the course of this article. The Capricorn quarter always contains the start of the lunar New Year, the year for 2020 being called “The Rat on the Crossbeam”, marking a year of important decisions, from which there is no turning back. To find out what else the quarter and the coming year will entail, read on. Continue reading “The Capricorn solar ingress 2019”

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London Bridge is falling down

The story, that is, of the latest London Bridge incident. At 13:58 UT in London, a man wielding two knives attacked a number of people, with two later reported to have died from their injuries. This is the 2nd attack on the same London Bridge in two years. The attack was quickly called a terrorist incident, with the attacker dead from being shot by police. The attacker was identified as 28 year-old Usman Khan, who had been convicted of terrorist offenses in 2012. He was out on parole at the time. The story began in the Fishmonger’s Hall. From there, many fishy elements began to emerge from the official narrative of the event. Continue reading “London Bridge is falling down”

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Remembering Kennedy

Friday marked a sombre anniversary in American history. It was one of those days that remains as a sharp memory. It was the day in 1963 that President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dealey Plaza, Dallas, Texas. It was 12:30 in the afternoon. In North Carolina it was 1:30 on a Friday afternoon. I was in the 1st grade and we had finished lunch not long before. The announcement came over the intercom. The teachers were in shock and tears. We students didn’t really know what had happened, except that it was bad. What was an assassination? The teacher had to explain it to us, after she composed herself. Shortly thereafter we were all sent home. Today, I am remembering Kennedy and his legacy, as are many in the US. Next year will mark another important milestone for the US, and we will get to why later. Continue reading “Remembering Kennedy”