Candid Talk Within the Oil Industry on Venezuela and Iran, and the Potential Geopolitics of a Larger Regional War

https://thegrayzone.substack.com/p/iran-war-described-as-biggest-opportunity

This article is based on a January 2026 summit held in Washington DC - just weeks after Maduro's kidnapping and before the latest Iran War.

The New Calvinist Dismantling the CFPB

The battle continues over the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). The courts in some cases resist the attempts to shut it down - in other cases the courts are facilitating its termination.

Ramsey and the Three Wise Monkeys

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/father-moron-dave-ramsey-disgusted-211016354.html

This is a somewhat confused report of an Instagram video in which a father and daughter share a financial scheme with the audience. Engaging in a practice known as arbitrage they are effectively borrowing money at a low rate which generates savings that allows them to lend and receive a return at a higher rate. The particular scenario isn't very convincing and certainly has some holes. As far as risk, there's always risk in such ventures.

Syriza and the Pseudo-Left in Greece

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/9/25/kasselakis-a-political-unknown-and-ex-banker-wins-race-to-lead-greek-left

The fact that new Syriza leader Stefanos Kasselakis is a sodomite does not make him Left-wing – any more than was his predecessor Alex Tsipras. Tsipras who ran on Leftist platform and formed a coalition to that end, was revealed as a tool of the bankers and the EU Establishment.

Lindell and Ramsey: Debt Discrepancies and Outright Lies

https://www.reddit.com/r/MyPillowTalk/comments/16tcko7/yesterday_amex_dumped_my_pillows_1_mil_credit/?rdt=53153

What do you even say to something like this? The whole thing is one big cinematic smoke and mirrors lie.

Booz Allen Hamilton in the News

https://www.thedefensepost.com/2023/08/30/booz-allen-maryland-military-facility/

Articles about Booz Allen Hamilton always catch my eye as the company is well-known for its contract work with the CIA. Perhaps the most famous episode in recent years was in reference to Edward Snowden. The company is involved in all sorts of intelligence work, analysis, IT, and other forms of consulting and its one of those companies that straddles the military and intelligence spheres – in fact the line with a company like Booz Allen Hamilton is completely blurred.

A Non-Aligned Movement for a New World Order

https://consortiumnews.com/2023/06/19/emergence-of-a-new-non-alignment/

A New World Order is emerging but it's not the one predicted by George HW Bush in the early 1990's. In fact this is the order he was trying to prevent, the nightmare scenario US power-brokers have been trying to stave off since that time. Ironically, they brought it on themselves but that's a long story - one that cannot be explored here.

The Italian Debate over BRI

https://www.ansa.it/english/news/2023/05/10/no-decision-on-new-silk-road-says-meloni_860265bd-722e-4898-9a26-7b168bec0453.html

Meloni publically states that she's against Italian participation in the Beijing-sponsored Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Her administration has attempted to patch-up differences with EU/NATO members France and with the Washington Establishment – which has not been always thrilled with the trajectory of the Italian Right, especially the Salvini-led Lega Party, which is part of Meloni's coalition.

The Counsels of Mammon (I)

https://churchandfamilylife.com/podcasts/6390cc89fad8bafe3a9ec787

Contrary to its claims, this podcast seemingly exists to proclaim the insufficiency of Scripture because not only is the doctrine of the New Testament ignored when it comes to money, its applications and attitudes about mammon, possessions, and worldliness are rejected and replaced by an opposite set of values.

Germany's LNG Infrastructure Pains

https://www.euractiv.com/section/energy-environment/news/is-germanys-lng-gold-rush-coming-to-an-end/

This article demonstrates the internal conflict that plagues modern Western capitalist economies. Germany needs Liquefied Natural Gas, all the more since the Nordstream pipelines were blown up and the gas supply from Russia has been cut off.

The Ethics of Cobalt

https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2023/02/01/1152893248/red-cobalt-congo-drc-mining-siddharth-kara

Listening to this sad and disturbing but already well documented story of Cobalt mining in the Congo, I found myself frustrated on multiple levels.

Western Finance: Feeding on the Chaos

https://scheerpost.com/2023/02/16/zelensky-signs-agreement-with-jp-morgan-on-ukraines-reconstruction/

Profits are on the rise. The railroad industry is booming and Norfolk Southern is buying back stocks to increase their value even as they throw crumbs at the people in East Palestine, Ohio.  Utility companies across the United States and the world are raising prices even amid what are in some cases record profits.

Libyan Gas and Italian Finance

https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/italy-and-libya-reach-8b-deal-on-offshore-gas-development

Money is moving all around and when you take a moment and squint through the fog you realize that in the deal, Italy is getting more military cooperation to block migrants – Libya being one of the primary hubs for the refugee trails coming out of Sub-Saharan Africa.

The Ukraine War: A Double Windfall for Western Capitalism

https://www.france24.com/en/france/20230109-macron-s-pension-reform-necessary-changes-to-an-unsustainable-system

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-50670613

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/macron-boosts-french-military-spending-by-over-a-third-to-transform-army/ar-AA16z12S

This double windfall for capitalism is most clearly demonstrated by recent events in France. President Macron has announced pension reform. He argues (contrary to the numbers) that the present system is unsustainable and as such he wants to raise the minimum retirement age and expand the contribution requirement resulting in lower payouts for some. The money just isn't there, he argues.

A Usurious Alliance: Evangelical Avarice and Anabaptist Defection

While visiting the BreakPoint website I made another discovery which I must say initially startled me but upon reflection it wasn't too surprising. I noticed the website was promoting Eventide Mutual Funds as a form of Christian investment. That name was familiar to me. I clicked on the link and within a few seconds I had the answer.

Sri Lanka and Russian Oil

https://www.reuters.com/markets/europe/sri-lanka-is-open-buying-russian-oil-pm-tells-ap-2022-06-12/

As a country in a state of turmoil and caught between political and financial forces based both in China and the West, Colombo is looking for other options. And for obvious reasons Moscow is also looking for new markets. While the Russian oil industry has jumped through numerous hoops and played games with pricing to keep their markets open, the possibility of new markets must be appealing for those in Russia.

US Federal Reserve Policy and the Turkish Lira

https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2021/12/turkish-central-bank-intervenes-curb-unhealthy-lira-losses 

https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2021/12/3/lira-crash-slams-turkeys-factories-farmers-and-retailers

The value of the Turkish Lira has plunged and given the country's debt burden, Turkey is facing rapid inflation. President Erdogan has attempted radical measures but some economists believe the sweeping moves have been reckless and have only exacerbated the problem.

Justified Cynicism Regarding the GOP's 2021 Virginia-Election Narrative

Many Evangelicals have celebrated the win of Glenn Youngkin in the Virginia gubernatorial race. There have been various discussions regarding whether or not he's actually an Evangelical, his place in the GOP vis-à-vis Trump, and what his win means in terms of the pending 2022 mid-term elections.

The October 2021 Coup in Sudan

https://www.euractiv.com/section/global-europe/news/sudan-coup-imperils-hard-won-international-backing/

Sudan faces more turmoil with the October 2021 military coup. Western media tends to report on the nation's 'progress' which is measured in terms of how much the nation is under the thumb of Western investment and political policy. For the Sudanese the metrics are often quite different.

The ousting of Omar al-Bashir in 2019 marked a major victory for US-led Western interests. Washington had sponsored the creation of South Sudan in 2011 which left the north in a potential crisis as the southern region contained the nation's oil resources. The creation of South Sudan represented a defeat for China which had close ties with Khartoum and was invested in the infrastructure of their oil industry. Civil war was the result in the South, and a decade later the situation remains fragile.

Debt and Journalistic Hypocrisy

https://www.npr.org/2021/06/28/1010832606/road-deal-with-china-is-blamed-for-catapulting-montenegro-into-historic-debt

There has been a steady stream of such stories in recent days. The Anti-China campaign is in full swing. It has become so normative to see this kind of reporting it hardly raises an eyebrow anymore. But it should. In fact there should be a good deal of ire and even outrage.