Diamond Troubles in Africa

       Reports out of Africa indicate problems for a cherished product: diamonds. Since the discovery over 120 years ago in South Africa, diamonds have been marketed and sold worldwide. The natural product has had imitations come and go without much effect on prices of the natural material.

   Years ago, Botswana got in the game and bought 15% of De Beers, the mono[oly that vreated the diamond retail industry. In Botswana, mining occurs in alluvial deposits sitting on the western edge of the African continent. De Beers partners with the country and supplies almost 30% of GDP of the government. But now, things are different. machines have been developed that provide laboratory created diamonds, exactly as their natural brethren from deep underground. The products have entered mainstream retail outlets and have delivered a severe body blow to the entire diamond chain:from mine toTiffany's.

     What will happen to this culture of beauty and rarity?  Can we compare it to other disruprtions? Of course. When this happens, things change, often rapidly. Why would somebody spend big money for something that is equivalent to a lab grown substitute? Hmmmm. The times are a changin'. The machines are even better today than just a few years ago; The machines are making crystals bigger, better, and faster than the machines did 3-5 years ago. Prices are plummeting faster than discounted airline tickets. Will jewelry . Of course. All those Mall jewelers will be gone replaced by a kiosk with a touch screen menu and a buyer will tap his preference and catch the order down the chute.  Good bye, Tiffany's, Hello, DoorDash/Uber/AirBnB. Ahh, technology, will save you big bucks.

     And all those miners working for DeBeers? Unemployed. In Russya, same: unemployed. Canada: same: unemployed. Brazil-same: unemployed.

Have a nice day.    

Gov.Gruesom Falls in Line

       California's Democratic governor couldn't help himself.  When POTUS ordered Guard troops into LA to assist ICE involved in workplace inspections, Gruesom said this move was antagonistic to the situation and filed a lawsuit against the Federals. Oh, poor Gruesom. what's a politico supposed to do to demonstrate capable leadership under stress. Then Sec. def. Hegseth mentions the possibility of ordering US MArines from nearby Camp Pendleton to assist members of the Cal. National Guard on scene. It must be heart warming for those National Guardsmen who have deployed to Iraq this past year to know that they'll have jobs when they get home later this summer.

     The 41st Division has been deployed in Iraq for almost a year, standing by in case. The 41st is made up of brigades from California, Oregon, and Washington states. A composite division.  when they get home, they may not have to stand down, but might don riot gear and be prepared to face off with supporters of Trumpie's No. 1 opponents : illegal migrants in California; the people that Gov. Gruesomn has extended more benefits than almost any other governor in history. No wonder they turn out to protest ICE inspections and arrests. Bad PR for Sacramento and its legislative 'super' majority spendthrifts.This will bring heat on all the House representatives from the once golden state, now somewhat tarnished. Gruesom only hopes that violence does not begin because then even he would have to make a few distasteful decisions. Oh, how much a poll hates making decisions these days--so painful. 

       I like the advertisements on the soldier's plastic shields: California National Guard in bold. "See, we respond".  Despite the recruiter's oath: "Only 2 days a month",  most Guardsmen serve much more than that promise. This is a deal made in the Pentagon and the California legislature and the Governor's offices. Shame on them; blatantly lying to these soldiers. Two days a month-Ha, liar, liar, pants on fire.

    And so it goes in Sacramento and other bastions of Democratic obfuscation and deceit. California leads most other states in this regard excepting New York. 

South African Jackal Miffed

     The Bromance in the White House has imploded. The two angry kids pooped in their pants and need a clean up.  Mom is too busy, and too tired.

      The Jackal is going through withdrawals-this is obvious. All those chemicals he ingested while in the WH are gone. Now he's eating avocados, acai berries, and taking a spoonful of olive oil every hour. All the federal workers are breathing a sigh of relief: relieved that the Jackal is on the run-elsewhere, not in the White House.

     Mike Johnson in the House is not happy either as his "Big Beautiful Bill" gets picked apart by crows, vultures, Dems, and NYT. How is a man expected to do his job in this environment. It's just not fair. Poor old Mike is just a guy trying to stay afloat in a small pond filled with hungry sharks and drug addled sycophants. Maybe he needs to start taking some downers, or uppers, or happy pills(domestic.) Not going to happen this week as the Senate gets out the carving knife to tackle the BBB Bill.

     Trumpie is about fed up with the Kremlin,too. So, he will order secondary sanctions against all business partners of the Rus who purchase Rosneft products. Trumpie might even through a few at those from Mumbai who evade sanctions on Iranian oil. Read about the Indian billionaire whose company is buying Iranian oil shipping product on ghost ships. Speaking of ships: how's the fire going aboard the auto carrier in the Gulf of Alaska? Not well. The crew has abandoned ship safely, to the Captain's credit. The cargo of EVs from China is left to burn itself out, and probably sink somewhere near Alaska. Hmmmm. Think cleanup/refloat/salvage. Not cheap.

Have a nice day on the anniversary of D-DAY, 1944. 

 

Rus Retaliation:Weak

    Mad Vlad vowed retaliation after Kviv destroyed a large segment of the Rus air forces. The Kremlin cabal vowed revenge. Yesterday, came the moment. Sad; sad to think this is the act of revenge-a sputtering behemoth beset with a myriad of economic and cultural problems as the Rus economy-a war economy-continues to tank.

     The Old Man at the helm flops around, trying to maintain the stability of the ship of state. Not going well, VOVA. Try a new tack, such as ending the wear that has cost over 1 million casualties-mostly of Rus conscripts, and a fe N. Koreans, etc. Can't imagine a future w/o war? Very sad state of mind.  Will the Orange-Haired Bro bail you out? Not likely.

     Maybe Elon will come up with a scheme to end the conflict, maybe not. Have another bottle of vodka; rinse, repeat. 

RUS Shocked by Aerial Drone Actions

      My, my. Where was the Rus air defense system? Stoned on cheap vodka? Probably. It is well known that most Rus peoples consume prodigious amounts of the state-sponsored white liquid, or white gas as it is also known. So, a big surprise came over the landscape this week as Ukrainian sourced drones descended on Rus airbases and bomber bases scattered over the vast Siberian plain. 

     In a highly complex operation, Ukrainian armed drones invaded Rus aircraft bases and destroyed some of the most expensive aircraft in the country. It has been reported that over 30% of the Rus bomber command was destroyed by the attacks. None of the drones were shot down or otherwise destroyed before carrying out their assigned missions. The method used to deploy these assets is the stuff of legend. This story will enter the mystique of Ukraine for generations. The bold concept required top secret plans; it required timing; dispersal, imagination; use of intelligence gathered over time and place; and involved many, many Rus themselves who were duped by their own slovenly habits of money grubbing policies fostered by elites in the Kremlin.

      Ultimately, responsibility for the success of the attacks falls on the Kremlin and its warren of boobs and drunken boot lickers and ass kissers(no lacking of these types in Moskva.) The generals in charge of defense: where were they? In a posh dacha by the lake? Eating caviar in Crimea? At the stock exchange placing large bets on Nvidia? Or maybe they were down south vic. Kursk or the Donetst region looking for more Ukrainian children to kidnap and take home to their barren wives. 

     Seems the Ukrainian secret services and intel folks have been working for awhile on the operation. The operation required them to enlist the aid of----Rus truckers! These same Russyan truckers would be the delivery agents for the armed drones that would take out the bomber fleet while they were parked on the aprons of the airbases. The drones were packed in wooden crates that had been altered. These wooden crates had hidden compartments built in that housed the drones. The lids were electrically wired to respond to remote signals from Ukraine. When arriving at the assigned target, the crates opened and the drones were activated and descended directly to their targets completely unopposed. No one detected the operation until it was over, planes destroyed, reputations destroyed, and Ukraine puts another number in the win column. How about that, VOVA? Gone is $8 billions of your air forces. Hmmmm. Maybe time to shake up the old guard. Maybe time to end the invasion of your small neighbor that refuses to surrender. Maybe your bromancer in the White House will start secondary sanctions against your oil purchasers you depend on. Get ready, Vlady, shit is going to fly in your direction.

All Hail Volodymyr Zelensky, a Hero of the World of the 21st Century.   

The Musk Rat Exposed as Drug-Addled Crazy

     So, now we know the facts: the Musk Rat is a drug dependent wacko who : speaks out against Trumpie after licking his boots; speaks against "The Big Beautiful Bill going through Congress; alerts the country to the hazards of cutting Federal subsidies to energy policies that subsidize EVs, solar panels, and batteries(all Tesla products), and fails to mention his drug-taking stints while rolling around the Oval Office.

     Now he claims he is returning to the business world. Oh, joy. I'm sure all his employees are delighted to have this immoral, unethical manchild back in the C-Suite. Maybe all the citizens of Starbase, TX will jump for joy that the "Fixer -in-Chief " is back at the workbench to address some tech issues that have rendered the last 3 launches failures.

      Old Trumpie hisself is wandering the halls of the White House trying to gigure out how to get DoorDash deliveries faster. This is part of his MAGA policy: we can look at all economic situations and make improvements. Just watch us. All his advisors are getting used to the president's habits and ideas on everything, from soup to nuts.

     Tariffs? Hmmmm. The sounds of discord get stronger everyday. Can anything help the situation? Maybe, maybe not.Stay tuned.

Middle East Muddle

     Our Minister of Middle East Affairs reported updates this morning. Temperatures have reached 115 degrees near Kuwait City. He mentioned that it's hotter in Kuwait than in Baghdad, where it was 110 degrees a few days ago. So, now he will observe conditions among the troops stationed here as opposed to those stationed in Iraq. 

       US forces here are north of 10K, carefully maintaining their presence as required by the overall command. And how do they cope? As they have most recently: keeping in readiness; making morale a priority; keeping communication lines open especially with the Home Front. We talked live this morning and morale is good; Of course, our Minister is in preparation for his return to Tahoma.

    We look forward to his return; we will hold debriefings on a regular basis to establish a clear record of his travels across the zone.