The Overpass

Stuff.

Not even close to all I’ve to get rid of…

Too many books (five other large bookcases that aren't seen).

And so many ties, too. How did I end up with 68 of them? I've one neck.

And I won't get to finish the painting on the easel, plus a few others.

 •       •       •

I’m trying to make sure I eat all I have, leaving no food behind when I lock the door behind me for the last time, but I already took care of that last week.

I kid. I still have just under half of a 10-lb bag of Pakistani Basmati rice, but I also have a full bag of buckwheat flour—both cost just over $10 each—with which I can make pancakes for at least a month were I to eat just that everyday. Such a staple isn’t something I’m likely to use, but it’s a trick I learnt in April-2022, before starting the job I was laid-off from, as I’d gone through all else, even those old cans of weird or unknown stuff that may seem good in the lentil soup I kept adding things to and stretched for a week, eating a different coloured version of the same soup each day, until I was left with only a bag of regular, bleached flour.

And mustard.

Turns out that mustard on pancakes is actually quite good. Especially if using whole-wheat flour, which I was lucky enough to get my hands on at some point… but only because I got on the stool and had a look to see if I’d missed any crumbs on that top shelf. Finding that 1 Kg bag… no birthday present I’ve ever received provided as much joy as that flour, I don’t think. Sadly, I hardly had any mustard left by then.

Sigh.

Also good is a peanut butter, cheddar, and red onion sandwich on rye bread. Regular bread and onions can do the trick if on a real tight budget, with Kraft plastic cheese slices (beurk) being an option depending on the week’s sales. If on a budget similar to mine, bread-like and peanut butter-ish with an imaginary No-Name version of Kraft slices and make-believe onion powder is the recipe for you.

No worries. With whatever little I have left from selling my guitar—it’s not a seller’s market, right now, I tell ya; I haven’t unloaded anything significant yet, though this weekend may yield better results—I was able to get a new, medium-sized jar of grocery-branded peanut butter and the store’s bargain bread, which is usually a foot longer than all other sandwich breads and at least fifty cents cheaper, too, though it’s eerily ‘square’ and too evenly cut for anything natural.   

Cheap-ass bread; the kind you never buy because it tastes like cardboard, but tasty cardboard when really hungry, and, eventually, it starts to taste like cardbread and, finally, just like bread, until someone slips you a slice of the real stuff and you’re, like, “Holly Molly! I'd forgotten what real bread tastes like! The stuff I’m eating is worse than cardboard!”

How easily we forget.

I’m not there yet!

 •       •       •

By the way: that GoFundMe link may not work; they paused the account as any mention of perks are not allowed. I fixed it, I think. But weird things then happened resulting in a notif telling me that "edits" aren't allowed. Not sure if "unpaused" or what the status is. Not sure I want an account with them, anyhow. I was lazy... They're all all the same to me. If you really want to help out there's Buy Me a Coffee or PayPal, accessible through the "Open" button at the top, and the "Support" link. 

But maybe I do need to suffer a tad; not set off so easy.

Plus, I want to establish a clear goal leading, hopefully, to a self-sustained, self-sufficient affair if set amounts are invested, both for charity and to cover ops. That said, albeit irrelevant at present, I make the pledge that, should any donations or collected fees exceed $25,000/yr, my personal salary shall not be greater than that amount; some expenses must be weighed in, but the surplus is to be invested/spent per whatever strategy is deemed best (I'm hoping an expert will handle such matters at that point; if I never have to touch the stuff, I'll be happy. But you can trust I'll be checking for funny business at least twice a week.). A voting process seems appropriate re certain financial directions, charities, etc. 

Here's one of my all-time favourite songs, which is also the name of Murray Head's 1975 album, Say It Ain't So, Joe.

That, combined with the sentiment it captures and expresses and our current times, never mind the "Joe" part, is why I share it. I was gonna say something about it similar to what's below, but the song's artist beat me to it, I guess?

The Wikipedia entry for the song offers:

According to Head, he wrote the song about fallen heroes. He wrote the following comment in the liner notes when he re-released the song in 1995 on the album When You're in Love:

"Say It Ain't So, Joe" was provoked by a seventies documentary on Richard Nixon prior to his resignation. The presenter was asking the editor of a small town newspaper outside Washington, how, in the face of conclusive evidence and proof, his readers could still show such undying support for the president they elected. The editor likens the situation to a scandal in the twenties, when Joe Jackson, the famous baseball player, was rumoured to have taken a bribe to sink his team in the final of the World series. His fans hung around the stadium chanting "Say it ain't so Joe".

The song is about heroes and their "Clay feet". It is also a plea from myself to the kind of 'Joe Public' who in fear of losing face, refuse to relinquish their faith in a fallen idol.

The song is on an album which has sold over a million copies and was produced by Paul Samwell-Smith, who recently decided to re-record the song. Shortly afterwards I was watching another documentary on the O.J. Simpson case and they showed a note pinned to his gate on which was written "Say it ain't so Joe". Two days later a friend, just returned from L.A., rang me to tell me they'd seen placards with that same old phrase. The occasion seemed apt for a re-release.

- Murray Head, 1994

I suggest giving "When I'm Yours" a listen as well, which is another superb tune on that album.

On a more positive note, here's "Everything's Alright" featuring Yvonne Elliman, Murray Head, and Ian Gillan, lead singer of the significant hard-rock vehicle, Deep Purple ("Child in Time"... wow).

It's from Jesus Christ Superstar, the only Andrew Lloyd Webber/Tim Rice rock-opera I can fully stomach, perhaps because it was initially conceived as a concept album rather than a Broadway fanfare. Some really great tracks off of the 1970 album, which is the only version I can listen to.

Kyrsten Sinema AND Victoria Nuland announcing their retirement on the same day?!

Well, I'll be. Maybe there is a god?

What's that? Nope. Sorry. Without clearer proof, "maybe" is the best you'll get from me on that topic, but only because I refuse to adhere to any one group's version of a god.

My own God, however, totally hates me. That, I believe. Time for a reformation, maybe?  

I didn't follow up on Sinema's case but I'm assuming that the local venom got to her, but the corporate dollars were there to console her? Despite some having pinned her as a moderate-centrist tethered to a non-crazy reality, that's not quite what I or many see. Rather, she essentially betrayed her party and blocked what the Dems had clearly made their campaign promises, deceiving and disappointing many, though she got richer because of it. Her position between the two poles hardly matters past that.    

Nuland, however, that's a surprise. Not sure what to think about her decision yet other than "get out before the crap really hits the fan."

•       •       •

Trump.

But, Nikki. Still.

Something odd there. Hope she's not slated to be the next Sec. of State or Defense Queen, or anything like that.

•       •       •

Unfortunately, being the beings we are entails a course along the lines of the one that I feared, and quicker than we all expected, it would appear. I'm speaking of AGI.

There seems to be some confusion—which I share—in regard to which milestones have been crossed, hence, Elon Musk suing Sam Altman is something I applaud, I think... from what I can gather.

The problem: It really is unclear whether or not AGI has been achieved or if it's to be achieved within three months, or two to three years. Frankly, even the latter would be way ahead of the time frame in which most expected to see the technological singularity materialise.

Personally, I expected a loud pop or large flash along with the event, maybe a fetus appearing in the night sky, next to a monolithed moon, who knows?  

I'm now limited in regard to internet access and can't really check everything out, but I did see a headline that was meant to be taken as Altman announcing that ChatGPT 5.0 is full AGI. Given how these things go and that one is taking a gamble by assuming that a headline's intended interpretation matches the article's content, that may not be the case, but it's clear that full transparency isn't what's been offered, until after the fact.

Any which way, and although I'm not certain that Sam Altman deserves all of the blame, Musk's suit should be stamped Humanity vs. OpenAI, Microsoft, US Gov. et al.

The next step in our evolution that this singularity entails isn't one that should be rushed into in isolation, and certainly not within a global atmosphere that's teetering on the brink of a full-scale war.

You can bet that war efforts are what's feeding the true motivation to fund such hubris, by-passing all that shouldn't despite Altman's claims that safeguards are being carefully implemented. If for war, machines will learn how to best kill. Can we really contain that past that point?  

Previously discussed but here it is again: the 2023 756-page "Final Report" by the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence, which is chaired by Eric Schmidt, of Google fame.

•       •       •

There's a data problem. What's needed to train the system "doesn't exist". Synthetic data is what all are finding themselves having to rely on.

I'm still unsure what could be, realistically, the potential ramifications of that.

•       •       •

Gemini 1.5 Pro not only solved the needle-in-a-haystack test, it achieved 99.7% recall pushed to 10 million tokens within a context window of up to 1 million.

Beats the pants off of humans. Socks and undies, too.

I'm not sure how OpenAI's Q fares in comparison, but the Q system architecture is, apparently, the key that accelerated matters.

In medical spheres is where humans are quickly becoming embarrassments to the field.

•       •       •

A 4-Feb-2024 Wall Street Journal opinion piece by Andy Kessler called "Power Corrupts, Absolutely" clearly established just how ridiculously-obsessive and deluded by a belief in free-market magic that a segment of right-wing libertarians manage to be.

Kessler begins with:

...OpenAI CEO Sam Altman suggested that a “global regulatory body” was needed to monitor artificial intelligence. This is a colossally dumb idea. But Mr. Gates doubled down: “If the key is to stop the entire world from doing something dangerous, you’d almost want global government.” Wait, global what? ... In fact, of his 2023 world tour meeting heads of state, Mr. Altman noted, “there was almost universal support for it.” Well of course there was. Demand for power is insatiable. (Microsoft is a major investor in OpenAI.)

The article sees Kessler make the same, tired argument regarding "government bad" without really establishing the fact or considering the difference between "a bad government", "government bad", and "efficient government" beyond some vague notion relating to "size".

He affirms that "[g]overnments don’t like to govern, but they like to control. Human freedom always takes a back seat" while being "reminded of something P.J. O’Rourke told [him] in 2009" about government always wanting to tell others what to do, O'Rourke's conclusion for this behaviour being: "Government is just a form of bullying for weaklings. Politics is the art of achieving power and prestige without merit.”

In closing, Kessler offers:

I prefer limited government. Spend enough on defense to keep us safe and secure, help the truly downtrodden, do some basic research and then, as Grover Norquist so eloquently suggested, get government “down to the size where we can drown it in the bathtub.” For the economy, the government should set the rules of the sandbox, then get out of the way and let markets and competition do their magic.

In Kessler's own words: colossally dumb.

The self-adjusting free-market lunacy is just that, perhaps due to short-term-memory issues or little knowledge of recent history, but deregulation led to deeply corrupt, lobbyist-run  government that's responsible for globally-affecting market crashes and the geopolitical and economic now that people like Kessler do nothing but whine about.

There are some areas that shouldn't be left to magic or idiocy.

And there are areas that demand total, global cooperation. For all.

Seems like today was just one long panic attack.

Turning back is no longer an option, but I surely would have opted to do so today were it still a possibility.

And I've no doubt whatsoever that I'll be heading into this devoid of any encouragement or support, this aspect continually making me reconsider why I should do this, though, I'm well aware: no one forced me to do this.

On top of that, the window I'm left with to prepare all that's needed is far too small; a minimum of one month is what I would have needed to get rid of my stuff in a manner I can feel good about and maximise whatever money I could have potentially made out of selling it all. But, had I not "forced" things, I never would have made the move, I suppose.

If things stay the same, I'm starting my journey barely able to afford a bread, is how things are shaping out. This is what's to be expected; my luck should suddenly change... why?

Plus, I'm a fool for having believed in anyone and having laid any degree of hope whatsoever on some individuals, thinking they may lend a hand helping me get to where I sincerely long to be.   

I'm not whining; I'm voicing a deep disappointment. I only have myself to blame, armed with yet another lesson I've had plenty of to know that I should have known better: never count on anyone, period! 

That said, if I'm to be honest, the closer I get to the 15th, the more I see myself simply heading West and hitting Banff right before the major tourist season opens up, making it easy to find some job that'll allow me to achieve nothing of consequence other than spend as much time as possible within the mountains I so very much love, eventually die on top of one when age makes things real bad, providing, I'm hoping, I won't have to be wheeled up. 

Otherwise, I can't force an interest that appears to be inexistant. As simple as that.

I'm so very tired of fighting alone. Hence, why fight at all?

To be frank, I know I'm wasting my time, but thought I'd give it a try, as any help would provide a huge relief to me as I set off into the world with no safety anchor.

Please take the time to consider what I'm undertaking. It's one hell of a scary situation I've willingly opted to take, by, simply, allowing events to force me on this path.

Also another new for me, as a whole, but, as far as DMSaUY goes: I've never attempted to fundraise previously as asking for any charity does not make me comfortable but, more importantly, I hadn't felt that I could justify such an act. Now I can, and must; failing to offer a 'product' means I wither and die. I didn't become homeless and give up all my comforts and material goods to just drift around and find some meaningless job elsewhere.

Here's the link: https://www.gofundme.com/f/paving-the-street-to-deliver-up-yours (if unavailable: still temporarily "paused" by GoFundMe)

Here's the text:

Howdy!
Whether I was aware of it or not, and whether I acted willingly or not to make it happen, all that is moot as the reality I experience is the same either way: I'm now set to live out my dream, having passed any point of no return. And I'd be lying if I were to say that I'm not totally scared right now.

So, what is the plan?
Taking a leap; attempting to grab some of that happiness I've long sought.
Taking the jump; I've given up any footing and safe space I can call "my place", or "home", having committed to moving out by 15-March-2024, and, now, I'm in the process of getting rid of all I have save what I need to set off on my journey.
Though I'm sure I'll eventually lay my hat somewhere I can call "home", again, I'm breaking free of any holdbacks that may influence one's mobility and perspectives, hence, simply allowing myself to go where a story lies and it may take me, merging with local folks as best as I can in order to tap into regional political sentiments that impact their views on global affairs, especially any conflicts, the last being my primary focus.
I do have India as a target, Cambodia, too. For what and for how long... time will tell, if I do make it out there.

Developments on site functionalities that exploit relevant data and the graph protocol are to be continued, since, after all, besides covering the minimal monthly fees due for the hosting and data storage space I'm utilizing, an internet connection is all I need to pursue ongoing devs.
The graph approach I'm implementing lets one perform all sorts of analysis and to unearth links and correlations, narrative mapping being a small part of what this allows, this method also facilitating efforts to identify relationships between any two entities. Given Down My Street & Up Yours' (DMSaUY) focus, you can trust that, corporations, NGOs, think tanks, as well as, governmental players and their organisations, are what I focus on, along with the role of each in any narrative that's playing out, or sold as reality. Media outlets of all types are increasingly being added to that, for, without media allies, it's then to my benefit to treat all of these the same way, no matter their stance.
 
Keep in mind that this is being done, in part, to counter the "narrative" approach applied by Western governments in order to censor individuals or clusters delving into narratives the official bodies prefer left alone, for whatever reason. The narratives that are targeted by the government and corporations aren't those that DMSaUY concerns itself over, except to establish relevant contexts.

Any help is awesome and qualifies as "tremendous help", as any support is a clear sign of encouragement, this providing important and powerful 'fuel' for such a project.

Your generosity will help me cover what's needed and offer a small buffer, if I'm to leave with some peace of mind and not find myself struggling for food before I'm able to complete even one story...

In addition to the perks offered with each donation tier, all those who donate will be granted access to exclusive content and site features, as well as being provided the ability to voice aspects or questions you'd like me to tackle or ask.

A big, hearty thank you.

Sold my electric guitar yesterday. That hurt. Especially for the price I got.

Double sigh.

Soldier on…

•       •       •

Julian Assange. Here’s what I think is happening:

The Brits are under huge pressure to extradite him, but they don’t want to be seen as ‘meanies’ and suffer any potential consequences. Meanwhile, the Desperate Dems want to exploit Assange to prop up a deflated Biden hope of re-election, but the military and intelligence establishment have been pressuring the White House heavily because, well, that kind of embarrassing ‘upmanship’ must be punished, leaving the Biden Bunch eager to wait until after elections to extradite him if left with only one option: jail him for life. Which translates into an accelerated death. And even fewer Biden votes...

In the meantime, Assange can just rot some more. Honestly, after all these years, what's a few more months? Not a patient man, that Assange, is that it?

Any which way, the real “meanies” behind it all aren’t the ones likely to receive any public scorn; that anyone should cheer for his extradition, wishing that he receives a life sentence... there's something wrong with you 

•       •       •

That suicide note, I didn’t post it because I’m looking for pity. It’s because I’ve moments of “Holy shit! What am I doing?!” that, combined with the ‘aloneness’ with which I make this leap—and everything else—had a way of suddenly swinging my emotional pendulum into the dark, and my thoughts, composings, and planning back to tweaks and acts revolving around that ‘note’.

Best way to kill it was to post it publicly. And it's also the best way to put the complaints they usually carry into a relevant and far less drastic context.

As all other content creators will acknowledge, I’m sure, the mere act of doing so forces one to make a more lucid, more self-critical, and more broadly contextualized assessment of what one is making available to all.

That said, seems I can be quite the melodrama queen. "Insignificant", boo-hoo. I'm full of shit, aren't I?

 I’m in a bad bind, but that’s about it; I still have my health, head, and limbs, etc. Compared to Gazans, including the Burmese and Congolese, they sorta make me feel embarrassed to be complaining about my current 'state'. In a better world, 7-Oct would have waited until 16-Mar-2024 so the proper and warranted global attention can be brought to my case!

People! Aren't you paying attention?! I'm white. And educated. With blue eyes, and grey hair, but post-blond ones! Are you really gonna let this happen? Where's your sense of humanity?

What's that? Oh, bloody hell! Fine. Take care of the Gazans first as you allow society to degrade further.

And so, perhaps more appropriate would have been: If I had to do it again… I’d pay my fucking rent!

Of course, when you’re in that dark well, it’s not so easy to see things as clearly, while, nonetheless, it’s easy to say, but having the ‘will’, alone, doesn’t grant one the power to print money.

However, there’s much I could have done differently; simply, I could see no reason to go through all that again to be, most probably, miserable “during” to then be forced into an “after” that were to dump me at an identical “before” that brought me no further, and no closer to where I’d like to be.  I forced the issue, clearly; unconsciously at first but very consciously afterwards, albeit with a “if, or else” conditional clause setting one of two next steps. The third, the one I’m embarking on now, had appeared wholly unviable and not worth considering seriously.

Untill, I faced the abyss, the clock counting down past the 16-hours-to mark… it’d be so very hard to describe what occurred and what I glimpsed, but I was jolted back to a sober place that made that third option a complete no-brainer I’d be completely brainless to avoid.

It's official!

If I were to not do this now, I’d assuredly die here in my increasingly shrinking and darkening 3rd-floor hole, and probably far too many years too early.

I'm feeling increasingly invigorated. Excited 

My only real concern is the fact that I'm out 'on the streets' in mid-March, which is sure to deliver nasty winter weather still, it coming in the form of at least one heavy snow storm. I'd do some camping each May with music-fanatic friends, all of us meeting up at the annual, world-renown Festival international de musique actuelle de Victoriaville (FIMAV) for the 33 to 35 'new music' concerts spread over 4 days—always a mind blowing experience, which I'll probably miss again this year, though I'm now wondering if someone is slated to cover it for AAJ... maybe I can get a free pass in exchange for a write up?  That'd be nice, but forces me to stay in Quebec until late May. But, anyhow, my point was: nights can be real cold still that late in the year if camping.

Working on a few things for here in between readying my stuff for sale... more news soon. 

Lebanese oud player, composer, and band leader Rabih Abou-Khalil has long been a favourite of mine. His work marries traditional Middle East forms with Western jazz ones. His music pulsates, drives listeners into an Arabian mysticism that conjures familiar phrasings whilst taking them on explorative journeys shaped by eerily-simple or bafflingly-complex singular voices that rise out of the tight, collectively expressed themes. 

Seeing one of his larger ensembles live, which included trumpetist Kenny Wheeler and bassist Steve Swallow, remains one of the more memorable concerts I've attended out of the thousand+ experienced, this also being true for the centuries-old musical tradition embodied in the Moroccan trance music of the Master Musicians of Jajouka. Music that liberates. Profoundly.   

The album I'd like to draw your attention to, his 2007 Songs for Sad Women, features a stripped down ensemble of only four musicians, with Rabih Abou-Khalil on oud, Gevorg Dabaghyan on duduk, Michel Godard on serpent, and Jarrod Cagwin playing standard and frame drums.

The whole album is worth a listen—as for the rest of his discography—but it's the chart titled "Mourir pour ton décolleté" I wish to share.

In this particular piece, it's the duduk voicing that gets me (starts at ≅ 3:35); it's absolutely hauntingly beautiful. It has a way of reaching inside me, completely disharming me, making my heart swell with a generalized sense of melancholia that manages to simultaneously fill me with a deep sadness and joy.  

French avant-garde jazz and classical music tubist, Michel Godard, adds an important, resonant layer, playing the tuba's precursor on this album, a serpent, named as such for its—you guessed it—serpentine shape.   

No matter how many times I've heard it, I still get goosebumps.

Music so beautiful it hurts to hear it.

Anouar Brahem's 1998 Thimar, with jazz greats Dave Holland and John Surman, is another such album.

If I'm not mistaken, the duduk air is from a traditional, folk wedding song. I'm pretty sure I've a source recording in my archives that dates from the 1930s, but I wasn't able to locate it quickly, and if I dive too deep, I'm not coming out of there for hours and I've things to do and prepare...

The album is a type of protest against the regional radicalization that saw women's rights being reduced, including the right to dispose of their bodies and to dress as they wish. The title, "Mourir pour ton décolleté" directly translates to "Dying for Your Cleavage", which is to be understood as "dying for your slightly unbuttoned shirt."

Given the times and the events in the region, nothing seems more appropriate: 

Guitarist Bill Frisell in concert with bassist Thomas Morgan and drummer Rudy Royston.

I'm a huge fan of Frisell's music and ingenuity, his careful phrasings, and improvisational skills; his live looping techniques and solo works are entirely responsible for my guitar hobby. He's also opened up a tonal dynamic previously not expanded on through plectrum instruments, and creates rich tapestries and atmospheres that make it equally valid to describe him as a sonic sculptor, but all's done gimmick free. Pure self expression, heartfelt and honest.

Times have changed, and digital led to an oversaturation, but those in the know will be hard pressed to disagree: Frisell is our time's Miles Davis, his contribution to the world of music is immense, having inspired countless musicians (Eddy Vedder of Pearl Jam names him as his greatest influence, for one) and a slew of emulators. But there's only one Frisell.

He's also the musician that's most in demand; you've probably heard him play on one album or another without being aware.  

I never tire of hearing him play. I've been following his career for 30 years now, had the pleasure of seeing him live nine times, and with 118 albums with him as leader (studio and live recordings) or on which he's featured, he's actually in second place for the artist I've the most albums of (John Zorn comes first, Fred Frith third; there's a fair bit of overlap between the three, though, Zorn's wildly avant-garde, quick-change Naked City, along with Wayne Horvitz and Joey Baron being my entry point to these musicians).        

He has a knack for surrounding himself with superbly expressive musicians that just "get" his music, whether his own compositions, of which there are many, or the various covers he's made a part of his 'standards', this being true across the various ensemble sizes he leads.

I was deeply disappointed when he moved away from his original trio with Kermit Driscoll and Joey Baron (what became of Driscoll is sad; wonder if he's still in jail), but Tony Scherr and Kenny Wolleson brought a different dimension that saw me being disappointed to see a gradual transition toward Morgan and Royston. But they, too, bring a different dimension. Royston—his snare work is something else—brings Baron's angular accents to Wollesen's lyricism.

And no matter how many versions of the same tune I've heard Frisell and band play, each one offers a unique experience. That's because Frisell, along with those he includes in his projects, all seem to excel in one area, this being what makes all the difference: listening. He doesn't force musicians to play his music, his way; the charts played merely serve as common ground for the musical exchange and conversation taking place, personalities and moods, the musicians' and crowd's, all factoring in.

Listened to this concert four times already; probably will listen to it again. Felt like sharing it.

The second half is sure to be more interesting if not a jazz fan, in which case I'd recommend starting at around 48 mins, and to then expand your listening range, moving away from that electronic-drenched, pop garbage.

His take of Burt Bacharach's "What the World Needs Now is Love" (near end) is simply gorgeous. And the "You Only Live Twice" Bond theme encore managed to surprise me.

Hope you enjoy.

A collection of some of the grabs I've amassed that, unquestionably, present some of the propaganda that was shamelessly repeated since 24-Feb-2023.

Plenty more. I'll probably post more, including "nuclear war threats."

It really is sad to see how obsessive and incompetent the Indian mainstream media are.

And mean and petty, too, along with single-minded, and disturbingly dishonest?

They really do sicken me at times. Their whole attitude and handling of news… it enrages me so profoundly.

And this is one of those times, mostly because it concerns a topic on which, if Indian, then, screw the facts and down with good sense! Jump to conclusions, yet again, and do spread hate and BS and do harm to others and be arrogant enough to think that India is offering better and a true option, then dare say something as insulting and asinine as: “It’s about time; the Chinese need to be called out and the world needs to see how they debt-trap countries and destroy economies.”

Holy-effen-Christ are you people ever dense and idiotic when you wanna be!

Or just devoid of certain morals and values but who cares? For all’s fair in hate n' war? Or is that ‘love of war’?

How about you try doing your friggin’ job for a change?! Like actual reporters, not members of an anti-neighbour pro-hate gang that automatically parrots manufactured puff and stamps a conclusion that isn’t offered by facts, but, since it’s the lie that's always been told and repeated… and—this is so exciting—it may be the truth this time! This time! It feels so right so it’s gotta be! The proof is there: Chinese debt trap!

Sigh.

Indian news media. They start off with hate and propaganda, then find the news story, as they clearly tend to work backwards, selecting details to fit their hatred, piecing together those that will provide the story they wanted to tell from the start rather than doing their job and setting their hate and biases aside long enough to act like a professional while “on duty”.

We know you hate the Chinese! We know you love spreading Chinese hatred and will make up lies to have an excuse to do so. And we know you feel the same about Pakistanis.

China and PAK. They turn Indians into all kinds of pathetic that flips their ‘crazy, devious, and dreadful’ switch to “on”.

There isn’t one good thing that can be said about any of that considering all the idiocy it fuels which, in turn, justifies even greater idiocy that sees success and greatness in forcing outdated paradigms on the globe. Otherwise, how will anyone know how great they are, ‘cause that’s what counts! Can’t keep boasting about one’s economy if the metrics and scales change and hob-knobbing with #1 suddenly loses all its grandeur and prestige. Because the government that screwed the world and killed the most is just an annoying acquaintance if it can’t keep on doing those? And what, then, is the use of being close to Washington if the Indians can’t flaunt their bestest-ever 2+2 BFFs to Beijing, showing off the bouquet of missiles they brought and see Xi turn blue with envy—Biden and Kamala are the best! So much fun—and who else is there that cares about India enough to exploit it and take advantage of the country in order to help it take down the sleazy neighbour?

There’s no stronger love than a hate that’s shared. And all the damage it does, which, when examined properly, makes the mainstream media people and the hate-bandwagon band bigger terrorists than many they readily label as such.

I'm just ranting. Needed to. At the heart is this story, below, that appeared in the NYT on 12-Nov-2023; it follows this one from 16-Oct-2023: "China Got a Big Contract. Nepal Got Debt and a Pricey Airport."

I don't feel like hashing through all the details so I'll just provide the bullet points and additional references should you need more to be satisfied.

Nepal has wanted an airport in Pokhara since the 1970s as the government was certain that this would boost its economy tremendously.

Nepal, one of the poorest countries in Asia, had sought to build an international airport in Pokhara since the 1970s in the hopes of turning the city into a tourist destination. The airport held a deep significance for Nepali officials, who hailed it as a “national pride” project because it was seen as a gateway to one of its most famous landmarks — the Himalayas.

They approached China and a deal was made. The Nepalese government had signed a USD $215.96 million soft loan agreement with China in March 2016 for the construction of the new airport in the lake city.

On 1-Jan-2023, Prime Minister 'Prachanda' unveiled a plaque marking the official inauguration of the Pokhara Regional International Airport (PRIA).

All were happy, officials gave a speech. And, on record, the Chinese official mentions a few times " flagship project of Nepal-China Belt and Road Initiative" and slight variations of; it's clear that the Chinese were considering this a part of their BRI project.

The two countries had also agreed on additional developments, with at least five of nine of the original projects still being in the plans and works; a Chinese team was already there for the feasibility study & survey of a China-Nepal Cross-Border Railway. 

Meanwhile, Gandaki Province Chief Minister Krishna Chandra Pokharel "urged the Chinese government to transform the loan it provided for the Pokhara airport construction project into grants."

"I urge the government of China through the Chinese Embassy here to convert 75 per cent of the total loan into grants," he said.

On 12-Jul-2023, Nepal Foreign Minister NP Saud decided to reject the claims of the Chinese Ambassador to Nepal that an airport had been built under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in Nepal.

"FM Saud rejected the claims while addressing the International Relations and Tourism Committee stating the BRI project hasn't been put into action in Nepal." He feels trapped... were they being fooled and exploited? Oh, my! 

In other words, Saud is playing the Chinese for fools, having suddenly decided that what was said several times months ago wasn't really so... and by the way, let's talk about turning this into grants, not a loan, shall we?

Beijing didn't agree; it sees no reason to simply give that money away, which Nepal wanted, agreed to, and signed the contract. And gimme a goddamn break about China forcing a useless airport on Nepal just to suck it in its trap. Is every bank that provided a loan to a business that failed an evil Chinese-wannabe-debt-trapper?!

Get your heads out of your asses and think like a news person and reporter, not a petty neighbour, perhaps? 

The airport has failed to attract any regular international flights, raising concerns about whether it will generate enough revenue to repay loans to its Chinese lenders. Nepali officials have asked Beijing to change the loans into a grant to ease the financial burden, but China has not agreed to do so.

In comes the "anti-corruption" squad and the "quality standards" people... and it seems pretty damn clear that it's a shake down. A major US periodical being suddenly interested in an airport, spotting "quality issues" and deciding to spark an anti-corruption investigation in the Nepalese, which the US has been working hard to get a footing in, its USAID NGO causing all sorts of tensions and brewing trouble. Which reminds me: the US has already been stirring crap in Bangladesh for their elections; told ya.

They have nothing yet; investigating. No accusations. But the Indians sure did bite the hook. Just them it seems, in fact.

Bhola Dahal, a spokesman for the anti-corruption agency, confirmed that an investigation into the airport was underway but declined to elaborate, noting that it was still in the preliminary stages. He said the agency had started the investigation in response to a complaint about irregularities with the project. 

These two paragraphs below, several ones apart, are from the 12-Nov NYT piece; they're a dead giveaway that this is all part of a ploy to discredit China and the BRI, which is typical of the US:

The investigation is the latest black eye for China’s overseas infrastructure projects, which face criticism for costly and poor-quality construction that leaves borrower countries awash in debt. Beijing has declared the Pokhara airport the “flagship project” of its Belt and Road Initiative with Nepal.

There is a growing mistrust among countries struggling to repay debts to China. Sri Lanka was forced to hand over a deepwater port to China when it could not repay its loans. Around 30 percent of Pakistan’s foreign debt is owed to China, a figure that has climbed with the building of a $50 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. In Malaysia, an $11 billion rail link was halted until a Chinese contractor agreed to slash the project’s costs.

Kinda sick and tired of repeating aspects of the BRI to refute stupid lies pushed to help the Western neocolonial economy munchers that have done exponentially more harm to the Global South and the entire globe yet get a pass while the hate-filled Indian propagandists skip over honest research and hard facts to spend more time hunting down the lies manufactured by Western think tanks for Western bankers in order to attack the Chinese and the "global project" framework they offered for all rich nations to partake in, to help the rest so all can grow, because that's the effort worth destroying?!

China seized the assets of poor nations in Africa; China is a predatory monster; China is secretly spreading its military infrastructure; China is imperialist, eating up countries with debt traps... And Sri Lanka... wow! Hard to respect the Indian government on their play there or the amount of West-Ass-licking BSing they showed themselves willing to do, for there's no bad in doing harm to creep a few points closer to the millions more needed to catch up with China!

Something mentally wrong with that kind of behaviour, is my guess, all the more so given the gloves-on treatment Modi and his Mob expect and demand.

The Rajapaksa fiasco became so because of poor choices and corruption, but it's actually all the Western bonds and IMF loans that killed the country long ago, the interest on the debt it was forced to service for the WEST grew faster and bigger than their entire economy. Part of a well-documented plan to subjugate the Global South and keep the West rich, and these are the institutions that Indians seem to care for as they crap on the Chinese but fail to realize that India follows the same shitty Western model, making any of its development projects and loans way worse than China's and far more likely to end in a debt trap.

So, are Indians that pathetic yet so depraved but filled with unrealised Chinese hatred that, somehow, turns nastiness and lies into good, moral competitive practises that India can feel good and proud about? Life; it's not about the journey and hard work, it's about crushing the XI, the CPC, and the Chinese, too?

Regarding Sri Lanka (need more; I got):

Instead, a 70 percent stake of the port was leased to China Merchants Port Holdings Company Limited (CM Port) for 99 years for $1.12 billion. This $1.12 billion, however, was not used to pay off the debt obtained to construct the port. This significant dollar inflow was used to strengthen the country’s foreign reserves and make some short-term foreign debt repayments. To be precise, it is fair to say that the money earned from the Hambantota port deal was largely used to cover balance of payment (BOP) issues resulting largely from the soaring debt servicing cost while Sri Lanka’s export and FDI inflow growth remain sluggish.

In August 2017, Sri Lanka’s cabinet of ministers took a decision to sign a concession agreement with CM Port to operate the Hambantota Port as a Private Public Partnership (PPP) project under which a 70 percent stake of the port is leased to CM Port. The remaining 30 percent of the stake is owned by the Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) and the commercial operations of the port are handled by the CM Port and the SLPA jointly while the government of Sri Lanka still owns the port. At the time of entering into the lease agreement, Hambantota Port was valued at $1.4 billion and CM Port invested $1.12 billion as per the terms of the agreement.

A common and popular myth is that Sri Lanka was unable to pay off the loan obtained to construct the port, thus it was handed over to China. However, by the time the Sri Lankan government entered into the agreement with CM Port to lease Hambantota port, the debt servicing cost pertaining to the loans obtained from China Exim bank to construct the port did not amount to much. Those loan installments (including interest) amounted to less than 5 percent of Sri Lanka’s total foreign debt repayments. Furthermore, loan repayments pertaining to the second phase of the Hambantota port project were yet to start at the time. A more serious concern pertaining to foreign debt servicing cost was the maturity of sovereign bonds, which amounted to more than 40 percent of the total debt servicing payments in 2019. (Source)

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