Member Info for nomlungu

Https://twitter.com/ByDonkeys/status/1664346326383861778/photo/1

I predicted before the Chinese New Year that the fireworks expected when people "went back to work" was not going to happen as the orders from Western companies were not there as they had overstocked during Covid and spending patterns changed after restrictions were lifted [people wanted experiences and memories and had already bought the physical assets they needed during lockdowns].

This rather bleak video paints a worrying picture about the collapse of businesses in China this year [Shanghai Is Finished. Physical Stores Are Closing Down.1.94 Million Companies Shut Down in 40 Cities]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDmhjId1xaI

And US demand for goods is still stalling [Macy’s slashes its full-year outlook even as earnings beat]

https://www.cnbc.com/2023/06/01/macys-m-earnings-q1-2023.html?qsearchterm=macy

Will Xi go full Dictator?

https://www.wsj.com/articles/chinas-fading-recovery-reveals-deeper-economic-struggles-31f4097b

Mick,

I am allergic to work... Life in a gated community is no good; it is a magnet for violent crime as thieves presume you have something worth stealing when you live with high security. And, when the police / fire services / ambulances / electricity / water etc do not work, the quality of life drops rapidly.

ZYX098,

Are you familiar with Quaise - an MIT spinoff:

https://www.quaise.energy/

"Our gyrotron-powered drilling platform vaporizes boreholes through rock and provides access to deep geothermal heat without complex downhole equipment.

Based on breakthrough fusion research and well-established drilling practices, we are developing a radical new approach to ultra-deep drilling. First, we use conventional rotary drilling to get to basement rock. Then, we switch to high-power millimeter waves to reach unprecedented depths."

Mick,

I used to be a cash based bookie... I needed power for the computers, phones, lights TVs etc. Many more businesses get robbed when power goes down and there are more poor and desperate people because the economy is up the creek.

So less business with more expenses and higher risk - a losing proposition if there was ever one. Things would have to get bleak for me to consider ZA a viable option.

In Ukraine, Russia is nearly down to its nukes

https://thehill.com/opinion/national-security/4027714-in-ukraine-russia-is-nearly-down-to-its-nukes/

Good - Russia nearly exhausted;

Bad - nuclear armageddon a few steps closer!

"SS drinks pina coladas and thinks "well wasn't that a piece of cake""

Will that be when he is retired in the Bahamas after oil hits $50 a barrel?

Troajan up to allsorts of dirty tricks?

https://usa.kaspersky.com/blog/triangulation-attack-on-ios/28444/

They key takeaway - the phones not updating to the latest operating system was a giveaway; if any of your devices will not update when you know that there is an update waiting then consider your device compromised.

'Call for Putin to be replaced... on state TV: Extraordinary criticism is levelled at Vladimir on Russian channel for the first time since Ukraine invasion'

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12148661/Call-Putin-replaced-state-TV-Extraordinary-criticism-levelled-Vladimir.html

He seems to forget that smoking in Russia is very bad for your health.

[1181 days since I last had a drink or smoked]

But EQT AB not EQTEC UK

https://eqtgroup.com/

I know you would not be doing it on purpose... it is probably like crack to them, as their body metabolises the carbs into a sugar rush.

RSPCA:

Never feed hedgehogs milk or bread - milk can cause diarrhoea and bread isn't very nutritious.

Don't hold shares in mining companies / other businesses in ZA... In the meantime, politicians get richer and can afford generators and guns.

"AI-Controlled Drone Goes Rogue, Kills Human Operator in USAF Simulated Test"

https://www.vice.com/en/article/4a33gj/ai-controlled-drone-goes-rogue-kills-human-operator-in-usaf-simulated-test

Makes sense...

“Mice lie and monkeys exaggerate,” says University of Pennsylvania vaccine researcher David Weiner.”

https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/8754721-mice-lie-and-monkeys-exaggerate-says-university-of-pennsylvania-vaccine

"UKOG wouldn't engage in additional costs if it didn't believe benefits might flow from those costs."

Yeah, right, off course... But who benefits? It might be that The Dear Leader benefits; his guidance does not come cheap. If the company does not generate free cash flow, then placings are done [partially at least] for the benefit of the BOD.

'4,000 Meters Below The Sea Lies The Planet's Largest Source Of Battery Metals'

https://www.iflscience.com/4000-meters-below-the-sea-lies-the-planets-largest-source-of-battery-metals-69036

Sounds wonderful, but... Aquatic viruses and virus like particles play a much larger part in life on Earth than most are aware of. This TWiV episode is fascinating:

https://www.microbe.tv/twiv/twiv-1011/

More than 1/2 the oxygen that we breathe comes from marine photosynthesis; maybe messing with complex systems that are not fully understood is not a good idea.

Her performance might get cancelled...

https://www.politico.com/news/2023/05/31/mccarthy-tries-to-hold-off-last-minute-rebellion-over-work-requirements-in-debt-deal-00099502

'House Republican leaders are trying to stave off another wave of GOP defections just hours before a final vote on a deal to avert a national default — this time over the work requirements for aid programs that Republican leaders have publicly touted as a win for their party.

The latest rebellion was spurred by a Congressional Budget Office report released Tuesday night that estimates spending on the food aid program that Republicans attempted to cut during the debt ceiling negotiations would actually increase under the agreement reached by Speaker Kevin McCarthy and President Joe Biden. That has set off a firestorm among conservative lawmakers — threatening a larger revolt within their fractious caucus hours before a final vote on the legislation to raise the debt ceiling and avoid a default. With the help of Democratic votes, McCarthy still appeared poised to push the bill through the House later Wednesday — leaving an increasingly angry right flank of his caucus steaming over the GOP concessions.'

McConnell to face off with conservative opponents on debt ceiling bill

https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/4027325-mcconnell-to-face-off-with-conservative-opponents-on-debt-ceiling-bill/

Will the fat lady sing?

🎵

Telling phrase and story:

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/30/business/china-youth-unemployment.html

'China’s young people are facing record-high unemployment as the country’s recovery from the pandemic is fluttering. They’re struggling professionally and emotionally. Yet the Communist Party and the country’s top leader, Xi Jinping, are telling them to stop thinking they are above doing manual work or moving to the countryside. They should learn to “eat bitterness,” Mr. Xi instructed, using a colloquial expression that means to endure hardships.

Many young Chinese aren’t buying it. They argue that they studied hard to get a college or graduate school degree only to find a shrinking job market, falling pay scale and longer work hours. Now the government is telling them to put up with hardships. But for what?

“Asking us to eat bitterness is like a deception, a way of hoping that we will unconditionally dedicate ourselves and undertake tasks that they themselves are unwilling to do,” Ms. Li said.'