Cocaine Sharks
As if sharks weren’t scary enough… A study conducted off the coast of Brazil found cocaine in the liver and muscle tissue samples taken from all of the 13 specimens they studied. The causes are thought to include insufficient wastewater treatment and runoff from illicit processing centers as well as the sharks actually attacking packages of the drug set afloat by smugglers. Waste and water samples also contain detectable contamination from cocaine. The exact effects on shark behavior are unknown. Similar problems can be observed with pharmaceutical drugs. One Australian study involved exposing guppies to various levels of Prozac found in water supplies. The effects of exposure to the highest concentrations were particularly pronounced in male aggression, physical traits, and reproduction over multiple generations. Individuals were encouraged not to flush unused medications down the toilet but many of the detectable medications find their way into the water supply primarily through waste processing.
Excluding the Right
Recent European elections have shown a trend that may backfire. That is the exclusion of right-wing parties from government even when they receive the majority of votes. France’s recent parliamentary elections are an interesting example. The French engage in two rounds of voting unless a candidate receives more than 50% of the vote. All who receive more than 12.5% participate in round two. President Macron called a snap election this summer that did not work out well for his party. During the second round of voting, he made an unholy alliance with a conglomeration of left-wing parties organized under the heading “New Popular Front.” The grouping (NFP) contains almost 60 like-minded parties including the Socialists, Greens, Communists, etc. Their deal was to pull candidates from the runoff races in order to present only one alternative to the surging National Rally party headed by Marine Le Pen, which had garnered the largest share of votes in the first round. They also secured the largest number of votes in the second round but came in third in regards to seats won once broken down by district.
The results have been borderline catastrophic, with Macron sacrificing his party’s performance to prevent a more conservative majority. It took over two months for him to nominate a Prime Minister with the potential to survive an immediate vote of no confidence. Michel Barnier will take on the role, a veteran politician who formerly served as the EU’s negotiator on Brexit. German state elections saw similar results, with the AfD taking a majority in Thuringia and performing well in Saxony and other regions but being universally excluded from governing coalitions. The habitual exclusion of right-wing parties, or political maneuverings like those that precluded Geert Wilders from becoming Prime Minister of the Netherlands and led to six months of coalition negotiations, may backfire given time. Such tactics have a tendency to legitimize the victims and lend credence to opposition views as opponents resort to politics to prevent the expressed will of the people from having a proportional share in government.
Bye, Bye DEI?
That’s the case for a host of major corporations that have ended DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) programs, canceled associated budgets, removed hiring quotas and quit participating in monitoring efforts. The reason? Not many are keen to say, but they include cost, effectiveness and customer backlash. Despite warnings from activists that companies will miss out on top talent, it’s hard to imagine how hiring and promoting based on merit could yield that result. Notable names that have ended the practice include John Deere, Lowe’s, Ford, Harley-Davidson, Starbucks and Coors.
Let Them Eat Bugs
Singapore has legalized the commercial sale and consumption of 16 varieties of bugs. The shock factor has seen restaurants rushing to demo creepy crawly culinary creations, but the ick factor may say “nighty-night” and put these bugs to bed. According to the UN and other “progressive” think tanks like the WEF, the largest obstacle to be overcome is disgust. Amen to that. Protein content aside, grubs, moths and meal worms need not apply, according to THE Book. However… “Yet these may ye eat of every flying creeping thing that goeth upon all four, which have legs above their feet, to leap withal upon the earth; Even these of them ye may eat; the locust after his kind, and the bald locust after his kind, and the beetle after his kind, and the grasshopper after his kind. But all other flying creeping things, which have four feet, shall be an abomination unto you” (Lev. 11:21-23).
Egypt
Its importance cannot be overemphasized. Controlling the only border with Gaza outside of Israel, Egypt has been crucial to maintaining stability in the region for decades. However, as a nation, Egypt has come under increasing pressure. The Houthi’s attacks on shipping in the Red Sea have jeopardized revenues from the Suez Canal. Currency concerns, inflation and the cost of energy subsidies have left the country struggling. Egypt has received support from Saudi Arabia, the UAE and even Libya despite domestic turbulence of its own. Like Libya, Egypt’s neighbor Sudan has also been divided by a brutal civil war.
Upstream, Egypt has had conflict with Ethiopia over a massive hydroelectric dam constructed on the Nile. This has indirectly contributed to Egyptian weapons and potentially troops being deployed to Somalia, displacing Ethiopian assets in a struggle for regional influence. Further afield, there has been some rapprochement between Egypt and NATO member Turkey for the first time in over a decade. This as Turkey seeks to repair relations with many Islamic and Arab League nations while preventing NATO cooperation with Israel. Perhaps to ensure Egypt’s loyalty, the US has since gifted $1.3 billion in military aid. This includes funds formerly withheld over human rights issues.
Demographic Collapse
Childless cat ladies can say what they will, population statistics are frightening experts for the future of society as we know it. Developed nation’s socialized retirement programs cannot be sustained. In Europe, the 2.2 to 1 ratio of workers to beneficiaries is expected to crater to 1.4 to 1. Immigration is not enough to offset the decline. And that option has become even less palatable thanks to migrant incidents like the recent stabbing in Germany or the apartment complex takeover in Colorado. The situation in the far east is even more grim. China has abruptly ended adoption programs that transfer children to foreign nations and raised the national retirement age. Even the Pope, on tour through Asia, saw fit to praise the demographics in Indonesia saying, “Keep it up you’re an example for everyone, for all the countries that maybe, and this might sound funny, these families prefer to have a cat or a little dog instead of a child.”
Crime Time
We know that theft and shoplifting have been out of control in the US, but the phenomena is not unique to this country. Government statistics in the UK saw theft increase by a third in the past 12 months. It is also accepted that many incidents are not reported. Laughably tragic, the MP Minister of State for Policing, Fire and Crime Prevention actually had her purse stolen while attending a meeting of police chiefs called to address the problem.
Decades of lax immigration policy in Sweden has been blamed for an explosion in gang activity, leading the nation’s neighbors to join forces in an attempt to contain the problem. It has become increasingly common for minors to be recruited online, often out of state run orphanages for unaccompanied minors, to commit crimes including murder. These activities are often coordinated from overseas and reflect imported gang rivalries. This has led to increased border checks, undermining the Schengen area and the unity that comes with free travel inside the EU.
Germany has instituted border checks with all its neighbors following a public outcry over murders by a Syrian migrant they had already attempted to deport and that was claimed by Islamic State. The move has angered its allies, but the political reality necessitates action of some sort as the ruling coalition has heretofore failed to address public concern. They have gone so far as to suggest a deportation scheme to Rwanda along the lines of that scrapped by Britain’s new Labor government.
Wagner
The infamous mercenary group has not been completely disbanded despite the suspicious demise of leader Yevgeny Prigozhin after his coup-like assault towards Moscow. Much of the force was absorbed into the regular Russian military but many regiments are still active in Africa under the guise of the Africa Corp. The moniker evokes Germany’s Rommel in WW2, but it has been repurposed for Russia’s involvement on the continent. Countries that have undergone recent coups, like Niger and Mali, have expelled Western forces and invited Russian mercenaries in to help combat Islamic insurgents. Many instances have not gone well for the new arrivals, with a notable defeat and several prisoners taken last July in Mali. African frustration with the inability of their allies to eliminate the threat continues to mount. The reality on the ground necessitates continued cooperation however, like the halted withdrawal of UN troops from the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Faltering?
China’s economic growth has long been the envy of the world. Hitting or approaching double digit GDP percentage increases since 2000, figures have been trending downward since 2010 but still attaining nearly 7%. Despite weathering COVID without the economy contracting, the manufacturing powerhouse has still suffered from the woes of inflation, trade pressures and a domestic property crisis. Observers fear China will now miss a growth target of 5% for 2024, a statistic that has already been revised downward. It is commonly believed that many of China’s industries are already over-capacity, resulting in a flood of underpriced goods that Western nations have attempted to protect their markets and producers from through tariffs. Cars, particularly electric ones, are a prime example.
While China still has a great deal of potential growth in their domestic market, the outlook has been alarming enough to elicit discussions of cash stimulus payments to the population, though most doubt such action will transpire. China has also threatened to reciprocate for Western tariffs and sanctions in an attempt to make foreign governments think twice before applying them. Additionally, efforts have been made to expand into new markets, such as adding Brazil to the Belt-and-Road initiative or the $51 billion worth of infrastructure projects China has committed to building (and financing) in Africa over the next several years.
Europe Girds for War
Events have forced Europe to consider the potential reality of a war with Russia. Beyond complaining of Trump’s harsh rhetoric, NATO allies have had to tumble to the reality that the established 2% minimum spending on defense may not even be enough. Analysis has shown the continent is woefully unprepared. Shortfalls in manpower and equipment are being realized. Plans are being formed for the smallest logistical details in the event of a real conflict. Costs are a struggle; troop recruitment is a struggle. With debt concerns a top priority, there is little appetite for increases in defense spending that are nevertheless deemed necessary. This as many economic mainstays, such as German industry, falter.
EU President Ursula von der Leyen said, “We must think about our union as intrinsically a security project.” While encouraging cooperation on the EU level, they have also sought to encourage US backing through NATO. German naval assets have traversed the Taiwan Straight, a show of solidarity as US attention has been drawn eastward. Germany has also begun constructing a military base in Lithuania, virtually on the border with Belarus. The US has also been willing to provide financing to those willing to step up their efforts, such as a $2 billion loan to Poland for advanced military equipment.
