Tensions in the Strait of Hormuz force us to reconsider the material benefits of fossil fuels
“FOSSIL” FUELS ARE NOT JUST ENERGY….THEY ARE THE LITERAL FOOD OF LIFE IN EVERY WAY
https://blackmon.substack.com/p/ronald-stein-tensions-in-the-strait?
“FOSSIL” FUELS ARE NOT JUST ENERGY….THEY ARE THE LITERAL FOOD OF LIFE IN EVERY WAY
https://blackmon.substack.com/p/ronald-stein-tensions-in-the-strait?
Can you feel the Reckoning approaching? Politico does. Wait till you see this development. Yesterday, Politico published the results of its own vaccine poll under the headline, “More Americans doubt vaccine safety than trust it, POLITICO Poll finds.” It was a stinker.
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/04/14/poll-rfk-maha-vaccine-safety-americans-00869088?
JEFF CHILDERS : IN THE COMMENT SECTION
STAND BY
For many who backed Viktor Orbán, one of their greatest fears was exactly what von der Leyen is now advancing…
Silver is about to explode higher. As I commented in AA’s post yesterday, we broke out and I was looking for a quick, one day back test. We may have had it today already, OR it could still drop later today or possibly part of tomorrow. However, by late tomorrow or Friday, Silver is going to take off, with a big upside move next week.
Hopes of a military breakthrough along the front or a diplomatic breakthrough in US-mediated talks have yet to materialize, so the pace of Russia’s on-the-ground advance remains glacial, thus meaning that it could take years to achieve Russia’s reported minimum goal of obtaining control over all of Donbass.
There’s also always the chance that Putin will turn the special operation into a formal war in which he’d no longer care about civilian casualties in an attempt to decisively end the conflict on Russia’s terms.
There are two competing schools of thought about why he hasn’t yet done so.
One speculates that he doesn’t want to inadvertently risk an escalation with the US that could easily spiral into World War III…
…while the other is that he still truly considers Russians and Ukrainians to be one people like he explained at length in summer 2021’s magnum opus, ergo his reluctance to see their civilians suffer.
The EU’s unstated goal is to perpetuate the conflict till at least 2029 in the hope that the Democrats will regain control of the White House and resume the US’ Biden-era Ukrainian policy.
https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/eus-eu90-billion-loan-ukraine-meant-buy-time-return-democrats
LONDON, April 15 (Reuters) – The silver market is heading for a sixth year of structural deficit, with 762 million troy ounces drawn from stocks since 2021, raising the risk of a renewed liquidity squeeze despite weaker demand expectations, the Silver Institute and consultancy Metals Focus said on Wednesday.
Silver, used in jewellery, electronics, electric vehicles and solar panels as well as for investment, is down 35% since a bout of frenzied retail buying – following a 147% surge in 2025 – drove prices to a record high of $121.6 an ounce in January.
The global silver market deficit is expected to widen to 46.3 million ounces in 2026 from 40.3 million in 2025, even as total demand falls 2% due to weaker industrial and jewellery consumption, partly offset by stronger coin and bar demand, the research showed.
Industrial silver fabrication is forecast to fall 3% to a four-year low with the Iran war’s damage to global growth threatening further downside. By contrast, coin and bar demand is seen rising 18% supported by a recovery in the U.S. buying.
Total global silver supply is forecast to decline 2%, reflecting producer hedging normalising after jumping in the second half of 2025.
TOTAL SUPPLY 1,019.6 1,090.4 1,066.4
TOTAL DEMAND 1,157.4 1,130.6 1,112.6
https://www.globalbankingandfinance.com/silver-faces-sixth-year-deficit-stock-drawdown-raising/
These Iranian-backed Shia militias, known as the PMF, are the same forces who played a role in brutal crackdowns on Iranian protesters that killed over 45,000.
With no meaningful border control or vetting, the Islamic Republic has deliberately allowed them in and is counting on them as another uprising begins to take shape.
The regime is preparing for a violent crackdown on its own people.
https://x.com/TheIranWatcher/status/2044248938698379641
1. The IRGC has taken heavy losses from weeks of US and Israeli strikes. It is weakened and stretched thin. Now these same PMF forces entering Iran are also exposed to the same drone and air strikes.
2. The regime fears unrest during the war, even if it has not started. These fighters are meant to suppress protests and control the population.
3. PMF forces are filling gaps the IRGC and army can no longer cover. They guard key areas and support security operations, they lie and say it’s “aid” but arriving armed.
4. These convoys should be targeted before entering Iranian territory, with aircraft like the A-10 designed well for this type of mission.
This shows the regime cannot control or defend the country on its own anymore, and their proxy terrorist forces were always going to go down with it.
https://x.com/TheIranWatcher/status/2040085156141171084
These posts sound like messaging meant for US/Israeli intelligence services. Including how to handle it.
Nature is amazing. Spread the word.
https://x.com/NaturallyFTW/status/2043754967165517903
The author is correct though — the medical industry will NEVER allow this to see the light of day (but you can be sure that the elite will have a vial close at hand should they need it – cheap insurance at any price).
Vance said today that Trump “wants to make the grand bargain” on Iran and is promising economic success to the isolated country.
“He doesn’t want to make like a small deal. He wants to make the grand bargain,” Vance said at a Turning Point USA event in Georgia today.
“In Pakistan, we made a ton of progress,” he said of negotiations this weekend that failed to produce a final agreement.
“But the reason why the deal is not yet done is because the president, he really wants a deal where Iran doesn’t have a nuclear weapon, Iran is not state-sponsoring terrorism — but also, the people of Iran can thrive and prosper and join the world economy,” Vance said.
Vance described the proposal as one that could normalize economic ties with Iran.
How does this possibly fit with Netanyahu’s objectives — they don’t rhyme with his statements.
A fallback plan to ensure Europe can defend itself using NATO’s existing military structures if the U.S. departs is gaining traction after getting buy-in from Germany, a long-term opponent of a go-it-alone approach.
The officials working on the plans, which some officials are referring to as “European NATO,” are seeking to get more Europeans into the alliance’s command-and-control roles and supplement U.S. military assets with their own.
https://archive.is/vJCuW#selection-933.0-937.225
So Germany is ASKED to build a Fourth Reich and has just closed it’s exit borders to young men (for the coming draft) while Ukraine is conspicuously absent from the article rhetoric. Surely Zelensky will have to extract himself quickly from the European continent if he hopes to enjoy the multiple mansions, yachts and $US Billion bank accounts that await (not to mention avoiding citizens (mostly women) still alive when he makes his move).
According to FT, the social media giant has been working on photorealistic, AI-driven 3D characters that users can interact with in real time – and has recently prioritized the development of a Zuckerberg AI character, which could provide conversation, feedback, and a stronger sense of connection to the founder for staff. AI Zuckerberg is being trained not only on textual data but also on images of the CEO and recordings of his voice. Should the experiment succeed, Meta envisions a future in which influencers and creators could similarly generate AI versions of themselves.
So neither the AI replica nor the real person will have any personality?? And they think that employees talking to a fictionalized character will provide them with a “stronger sense of connection to the founder”? REALLY??
A top government doctor who declined to receive a COVID-19 vaccine in 2021 was worried he would lose his job and medical license in retaliation, according to newly obtained emails.
“Washington, DC directly threatened to take away my medical license which would have threatened my job (I need a medical license) so I applied for a Virginia license and protected myself that way,” Memoli also wrote in the email, sent on Jan. 17, 2024, and obtained by The Epoch Times through a Freedom of Information Act request.
Basij commander assassinated in Tehran yesterday
Mohammad Sheermahmoudian, head of a Basij base in District 18, was shot and killed by unidentified attackers.
This marks a rising wave of targeted attacks against IRGC and Basij forces, signaling expanding armed resistance on the ground.
https://x.com/TheIranWatcher/status/2044198264338104790
COMMENTS
The Mullahs have murdered and oppressed the Iranian people for almost fifty years. Vigilante justice will be swift and brutal. Payback is coming and it will be epic.
This is the real reason why the mullahs are so willing to negotiate now. Their power has slipped so far now that the Iranian people have been able to acquire arms for themselves and are killing those who have been oppressing them.
If they don’t put a stop to this soon, the mullahs have to know they will be next.
https://www.facebook.com/share/v/18APaYa9DZ/?mibextid=wwXIfr
SHAWN BUCKLEY LAW 2 minute 15 seconds
Similar to tactics used (and death/injury caused) by COVID state controlled injections — “If it’s not recorded… it never happened—right?”
— https://goldtadise.com/?p=674012 — yes that’s correct 16M souls by 2047 of which ~80% are forecast to be NON-VOLUNTARY — think about that!
First full day of the U.S. naval blockade on Iran:
– Zero vessels left Iranian ports
– Six merchant ships turned back after American warnings
– No shots fired, no enforcement needed
Meanwhile, traffic through the Strait of Hormuz continued normally with over 20 vessels passing through.
The blockade is off to a quiet but effective start.
Iran blinked first, ships are turning around without a fight.
The real test will come in the next few days when Tehran decides whether to push back or keep playing it safe.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TING91eGnQI
14 minutes
TheLastRefuge@TheLastRefuge2
https://x.com/TheLastRefuge2/status/2044159892034826391
·
2h
I see a lot of punditries missing the forest as they peer intently at the trees.
You know the real reason CIA whistleblower Eric Ciaramella’s name was never permitted to be mentioned?
Because the CIA tried to remove a sitting President from office.
The point is being lost.
TheLastRefuge@TheLastRefuge2
·
Oct 9, 2020
How does the office of a U.S. president; and more importantly the republic itself; survive a coordinated coup effort involving all three branches of government; while simultaneously those in charge of exposing the corruption fear the scale is too damaging for them to reveal?
According to an Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) report from 2025, between 2021 and 2024, at least 44 churches in Canada were burned to the ground, with 24 confirmed as arson.
More recent reports have suggested that 123 churches across the country have been vandalized, burned to the ground, or desecrated, with the majority occurring in British Columbia.
ANY FILES THAT WERE NOT RELEASED (DUE TO REDACTIONS DEEMED LEGALLY NECESSARY BY THE DOJ) ARE ACCESSABLE TO ANY OF THE 535 WELL 533 MEMBERS OF CONGRESS WHO AFTER STUDYING THEM CAN DEMAND ANY OF THEM BE RELEASED TO THE PUBLIC.
THIS IS AS TRANSPARENT AS ANY RATIONAL HUMAN CAN EXPECT….SO …PUT A FORK IN IT…EPSTEIN IS DONE .
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche just said he has offered EVERY member of Congress to view UNREDACTED Epstein Files, with no restrictions
“We have released EVERYTHING. We reviewed 6 million pieces of paper! We are not sitting on a SINGLE piece of paper to be released.”
“We said to Congress, any congressman can come in and spend as much time as they want, looking at everything unredacted.”
“And if you think we should be doing something, congressman or congresswoman, let us know and we will do it.”
“I don’t know how this department or this president can be more transparent than saying ”
American people.
“Here is every single document in our entire database. And if we had to redact it because of victim names, anybody can come look at it if you’re a member of Congress. No restrictions, unredacted.”
https://x.com/EricLDaugh/status/2044065906892960094
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BONDI AND THIS GUY BLANCHE IS THAT HE IS ABLE TO REASONABLY AND LOGICALLY EXPLAIN THIS IN ONE SHORT INTERVIEW WHEREAS BONDI SEEMED TO LACK THAT SKILL
HAKEEM JEFFRIES JUST PANICKED AND RAN!
CNN: Why didn’t you call publicly for Eric Swalwell to resign given these allegations? What about Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, should she resign [for stealing FEMA funds]?”
*Hakeem walks away*
Hakeem REFUSES to hold his own accountable!
..don’s list. Already a producer or near term (in the next 2 years) or will be relatively soon. Note the market caps on the far right. Best opportunity for upsized gains is buying a developer when it’s between 200 and 400 million, finally read Don’s book on PM stock investing. FD, I own every stock on this list. I don’t know how to make this thing bigger without clicking on it…..I’m a bit of a tech retard….
Boasberg is hereby banned from trying to hold Trump officials in contempt after they DEPORTED illegal aliens under the Alien Enemies Act
He LOST!
ACTING AG TODD BLANCHE: “Today’s decision by the DC Circuit should finally end Judge Boasberg’s year-long campaign against the hardworking Department attorneys doing their jobs fighting illegal immigration.”
Last year, SCOTUS upheld Trump deporting illegals under the Alien Enemies Act, and Stephen Miller said at the time:
“This was a huge, I mean monumental victory for President Trump…A total embarrassment for Judge Boasberg…Those monsters can now be hunted down and expelled from this country with speed, force, and efficiency.”
It’s official! Trump wins again!
The growing number of successful Canadians who are leaving Canada or exploring the idea is not a theoretical trend and the capital attached to those departures is measured in the tens of billions of dollars. Proposals such as Pichette’s don’t solve the talent and capital exodus; they concede it.
Tick-tock Tick-tock Tick-tock
“In the 2014 paper, the [melanoma] mortality rate among [Swedish] women who avoided sun exposure was approximately twofold higher than in the highest sun-exposure group.
That is not a rounding error:”
In a case of workplace religious discrimination, Air Canada placed the pilots on unpaid leave because they failed to meet the company’s bar for “sincere religious belief,” while other pilots who cleared it received more than six months of paid leave, the decision states.
Investigative Journalism is verboten in California. Do they think the people are stupid or what?
Indonesia
Japan
European Union
Vietnam
Cambodia
Malaysia
Thailand
South Korea
Argentina
Ecuador
El Salvador
Guatemala
Switzerland and Liechtenstein
Taiwan
India
Bangladesh
North Macedonia
https://www.cfr.org/articles/tracking-trumps-trade-deals?
Does not include any deals finalized in last month or so………
While in Australia for the Asian Cup, Zahra Ghanbari was threatened and sought asylum. The Islamic Republic then targeted her family, forcing her to withdraw her claim in March 2026, making her the fifth player pushed to reverse course under pressure. They promised her safety if she returned.
This is the pattern. Coerce. Threaten families. Lure people back with promises of safety. Then punish and silence them.
The system promises protection, then turns on you the moment you are within its reach.