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angelseraphines · 16 days ago

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THE ART OF VICTORY.

prologue | “the girl in the photograph.”

BOGOTÁ, COLOMBIA – 1989

the plane shook somewhat as it began its descent, the turbulence light but constant, the hum of the engines bleeding into the soft creak of worn leather seats and the murmured spanish drifting between flight attendants. overhead, the lights flickered for a moment, barely noticeable, except to those who couldn’t stop noticing everything. carmen rourke kept her eyes open. not on the window, not on the aisle. only forward. hands loosely clasped together, elbows tucked against her ribs, her back straight but not stiff. she’d been like that for the better part of the last five hours. upright. alert. prepared.

twenty-five years old and barely out of training, carmen had been sent across the world for the first time in her career. not to be stationed on a base. not to file reports behind mirrored glass or assist a senior agent with intel management. no, she was here as an operational field agent. sent directly into the belly of what every man in the agency, every boss, every grizzled veteran, every grinning cynic, called a losing war. a war that chewed up men twice her age and spit them out with broken knees and scattered families. a war that washington d.c. pretended could be won with enough raids and raids and reports and body bags.

but here she was.

the medellín assignment. pablo emilio escobar gaviria. her name had come up for it two weeks earlier, slipped across a desk in a small sealed folder. her superior hadn’t even made eye contact when handing it over. they’d barely spoken.

“you’re being sent to colombia,” he said. “you’ll be working with two americans already stationed there. javier peña and steve murphy. both out of miami.”

miami. right, that was it. peña and murphy were east coast. different division entirely. while carmen had grown up working los angeles county and had stayed west, san bernardino, fresno, the valley corridor, for most of her practical training, both men had already been embedded down south. carmen had never met them. had only heard of them in passing. peña was the charismatic one. murphy, the one with a temper. it didn’t matter. they were who she had. and she would have to make it work.

there were barely any women in the dea at her level. and even fewer in field assignments like this. certainly none who looked like carmen. though attractive in that harsh way, she wasn’t the kind to disappear in a crowd, though she’d learned the exact angle to tilt her shoulders to take up less space. tall, maybe five feet and seven inches if her posture was honest. her frame carried that lean tension that came from years of being told to be stronger than everyone else in the room but never louder. dark brown hair hung to her shoulders, always pinned in a half-up and half-down style when she worked, loose when she didn’t. her face, sharp in the eyes, mouth unreadable, often gave the wrong impression. people thought she was cold. she wasn’t. just careful. just unreadable on purpose. she’d had to be.

she grew up in los angeles, raised off crenshaw and florence, the kind of area that taught you not to falter too long. she was lucky to have her parents to fund her through school. she graduated from san diego state with a double concentration in criminal justice and political science. although, what mattered more were the things she’d done on the ground, county surveillance gigs, field shadowing in baja, the time she spent running mock ops along the united states and mexico border that most male agents considered training wheel work. she didn’t mind the grunt stuff. she wanted to be in it.

when the offer to enter the agency came, she said yes before the sentence finished.

it was hard. harder than they warned her it would be. in the academy, they taught her how to shoot and how to kill and how to file a report in less than seven minutes. they didn’t teach her what to do when the guys she trained with ignored her, doubted her, or expected her to fail. they didn’t teach her what to do when a superior pulled her aside to say don’t make it personal after watching a girl her little sister’s age overdose on heroin during a bust.

but she hadn’t stopped.

colombia was the next step. and it wasn’t merely any mission. it was the mission.

they weren’t calling it that in official paperwork. the phrase used in briefings was always field collaboration, or joint initiative under operation leyenda. but everyone knew what it meant. carmen had been selected to support an intensive field effort in medellín under the guidance of the u.s. embassy and the colombian national police. the objective? destabilize pablo escobar’s operations by any means necessary.

she would be embedded. partnered with peña and murphy. the two men had already been there, had made inroads, had informants, had reputations. carmen was stepping into their world, unproven.

but she knew how to learn fast.

out the window, the lights of bogotá began to glitter through the mist, low, flickering, soft like a match slowly going out. she didn’t know what the air would smell like when she stepped off. she didn’t know what the embassy would look like, or whether her spanish would sound too californian for the locals. she didn’t know if peña or murphy would look at her like a liability.

but she wasn’t afraid.

her badge sat tucked in the lining of her coat. her pistol case in the overhead bin, declared and logged. her folder of files, combed through until every photograph felt burnt into her memory, pressed against her ribs inside a zippered bag.

she exhaled. the seatbelt light blinked on.

she was here to stop the man they called the king of cocaine.

whatever came next, she would meet it standing.

the plane hummed around her like a low, ceaseless whisper, white noise tangled with the occasional rattle of turbulence that barely lifted her from the seat. carmen rourke did not flinch. she didn’t grip the armrest or reach for the paper-thin blanket, didn’t press the button for the attendant or tap her foot against the floor. but she wasn’t relaxed either. not even close. there was a sharpness to her posture, her spine too straight, her shoulders too stiff under the worn leather of her jacket. her hands stayed clasped in her lap, fingers twined tight, the knuckles gone colorless. no fear. only that slow-brewing pressure at the base of her skull that came with memory, unwanted, unstoppable.

outside the oval window, there was nothing but cloud. flat light, soft like dust, stretching in every direction. it looked harmless. it always did. clean. colorless. infinite. the kind of sky that tricked you into thinking the world down below wasn’t rotting from the inside out.

she hadn’t slept. not the night before, not the day before that. not since she packed the last of her things and left her apartment with just a backpack and that thick manila folder stuffed with clearance papers and blacked-out briefings. the dea had fast-tracked her. too fast. someone had put a word in. she knew that. she wasn’t stupid. it didn’t matter who. she didn’t ask. she showed up. boots laced. hair pinned back. badge in her pocket. she’d passed everything they threw at her, polygraphs, firearms qualification, spanish fluency drills, and that deep, dehumanizing psychological evaluation where she’d sat across from a man in a wrinkled gray suit who scribbled every time she paused too long. they gave her a badge. they gave her a gun. and they told her the job would be in medellín.

she didn’t argue. she got on the plane.

her jaw clenched as she leaned her head back and closed her eyes, not to sleep, but to block out the cabin, the murmuring of the middle-aged man two rows back, the sound of ice clinking in plastic. she tried not to think about california. not about her mother’s voice through the static on the phone, asking her if she was sure. not about her little sister, still too young to understand any of it, stuck in that wide-eyed stage where the world could be fixed with logic and good intentions. and definitely not about her aunt margaret’s house, the house with the creaky step at the back porch and the dry, sun-bleached yard where jane used to sit on the swing and talk about the future like it was already hers.

carmen swallowed hard. she didn’t want to think about jane.

but she did.

she always did.

because this whole thing, the training, the clearance, the assignment, the move, the mission. every step that had brought her to this narrow seat with recycled air and the border of the andes crawling beneath her, it all went back to jane. her cousin. her only girl cousin. her mother’s sister’s daughter. akin to a sibling for her. the one with the long, dark hair and the chipped cherry-red nail polish and the countenance of a doe-eyed fawn. the one who vanished. the one who died.

they said it was gallardo’s people. miguel ángel félix gallardo. head of the guadalajara cartel. maybe not the only one responsible, no, there were others, older men with hands just as bloody, men like rafael caro quintero and ernesto fonseca carrillo, and the other quiet ones lurking behind polite suits and state-backed protection, but gallardo was the one they all talked about. the one who smiled in photographs like he’d never done a damn thing wrong. the one who sat at the center of that tangled, corrupt web they called a federation. he wasn’t in colombia. not even close. but carmen didn’t care. she wasn’t here for gallardo, but she was here for jane, and something beyond that.

what she was here for was much bigger. deeper. she was here because pablo escobar had taken up the same tactics, the same disregard, the same hunger for power, the same arrogance that made men think they could devour entire countries and never answer for it. and she’d be damned if she let that happen again. not on her watch. not while she still had a voice, still had breath in her lungs and weight in her trigger finger. she didn’t care what they said about her. that she was too young. that she didn’t belong. that she should stay quiet and let the more seasoned agents handle it.

screw that.

she wasn’t here to be liked. she was here to make sure that no other girl ended up like jane, caught in the crossfire of men who thought they were kings, who traded lives like currency and wrapped bullets in bribes. the dea had its flaws. she knew that. she’d read enough, seen enough, heard the way the higher-ups talked when they thought the room was theirs alone. but it was the only way in. the only place that gave her what she needed. access. movement. license. a gun. a badge. an excuse to put herself in the middle of it all.

carmen opened her eyes. didn’t move. the air in the cabin felt thinner than it had an hour ago, the pressure different, altitude climbing. still a while to go before they landed in medellín. she didn’t look out the window. she stared straight ahead, face blank, spine locked. she wasn’t afraid. she’d left fear behind a long time ago. it didn’t serve her.

she thought of the folder tucked into her duffel bag in the overhead compartment. briefing notes on escobar’s rise. los extraditables. the medellín cartel’s routes through panama, through mexico, through miami. she knew all the names. knew who had been killed, who had flipped, who was missing. she didn’t care if the trail was cold. she didn’t care if she had to spend years piecing it together, day by day, minute by minute. she would not rest until the empire he built was dust. if they thought she’d play it safe, they were wrong. if they thought she’d wait her turn, they were fools.

because many years ago, a girl named jane had made a phone call.

carmen hadn’t picked up.

and that absence, more than anything, was the reason she would never forgive herself.

and never stop. not until it was done. not until she’d gutted the monster from the inside out. not for revenge. not even for justice. for the simple, aching promise she made to herself one night in her dorm room, after the call went dead and the headlines broke. a promise that no other family would go through what hers did.

no one would ever mistake her for a bystander again. not ever. not in this war. not in this life.

her fingers moved slowly, as if the motion itself took effort, like there was some invisible weight tethered to the inside of her wrist. she reached down, pulled her wallet from the inside pocket of her jacket, the leather soft and worn from years of being pressed between bus seats, train station benches, and airport security bins. the wallet, expensive black leather, scuffed at the edges, with the stitching just starting to fray, had stayed with her longer than almost anything else. it was one of the few things she kept close, kept on her, even when she tried not to carry anything at all.

she flipped it open with her thumbs, not looking at the cash or the folded receipts or the tucked-away metro card from san ysidro transit. she went straight to the pocket at the back, the one she barely touched, the one she kept zipped behind an old piece of tape because sometimes just knowing it was there was enough.

her polished nails peeled back the corner. she pulled out the photograph.

it was small. worn. glossy once, now dulled to a faint sheen. the edges were bent and soft with time, like they’d been run over a hundred times by her thumb alone. it had faded somewhat, the sun did that. time did that. but the image was still there. two girls, side by side, arms around each other’s shoulders like the world didn’t have a single sharp edge.

the beach behind them was the kind of california shoreline tourists paid to see. blue water, hot sand, that wide endless sky stretching overhead like a blessing. jane and carmen were maybe fourteen and sixteen. maybe younger. she couldn’t remember the exact year, but she remembered the way the sun hit their faces, the way the waves behind them crashed without rhythm, and how jane had insisted they bury their feet in the wet sand so the photo looked candid, effortless, like it was something pulled from a magazine.

carmen stared at the picture like it might speak. like it might say something she hadn’t already heard a thousand times before. jane’s vermillion smile in the image was too big, too open, too alive. her hair was longer than carmen’s. they always joked about that. jane with her flowing hair and her seashell earrings, carmen with her lovely ponytail and black bikini. she could hear the laughter if she let herself. could remember the way jane elbowed her right before the shutter clicked and said, ‘look like you’re having fun, loser.’

they were girls. just girls. and the world hadn’t gotten to them yet.

but it had.

god, it had.

carmen swallowed hard, her throat tight with something that felt older than grief. it wasn’t just sorrow. it wasn’t just regret. it was that hollow, bone-deep ache that came when you realized time didn’t heal anything, it just wore the pain down until it became part of your bloodstream. she stared at the picture and thought about everything they never got to do. all the years she thought they’d have. weddings, graduations, birthdays, just stupid things like texting each other photos of their dates or arguing over which cafe had the best coffee. gone. gone in a blink. ripped out of time like it never belonged to them in the first place.

she wanted to believe jane didn’t suffer. but she didn’t know. no one knew. the bodies never surfaced. the details were always vague. just rumors. just silence. they said it was a kidnapping. that gallardo’s people had taken her. that it was random. or maybe it wasn’t. maybe it had to do with her father’s work. professor richard carlisle, that man who always seemed to know more than he said. or maybe it had to do with nothing at all. wrong place, wrong time. cartel politics. missteps. vengeance. control.

félix gallardo ran guadalajara with precision. they all said that. he was the kind of man who moved chess pieces, not pawns. but he let others do the dirty work. he kept his hands clean, wore tailored suits and spoke eloquently, always smiling like he wasn’t running a goddamn empire soaked in blood. a businessman. a strategist. a man who turned the chaos of mexico’s drug trade into a centralized federation, who made peace between plazas only to control them all from behind the curtain. carmen had read the reports. she knew the timeline. gallardo rose from sinaloa’s streets to become a federal police officer before he became a king. and along the way, he destroyed anything that threatened his power. people. towns. girls like jane.

no one had ever said her name aloud at those meetings. no one ever would. she wasn’t a blip in the official files. she wasn’t a known loss. only a missing person, more than likely to be deceased. an american girl in the wrong part of mexico. carmen remembered that bitter solitude. how fast the case went cold. how swiftly law enforcement and the nation moved on.

she stared at the photograph until her vision blurred at the periphery, the image of jane’s smile dissolving into water and light. she pressed her thumb gently to the corner of the picture, like it could anchor her. like it could hold her together.

“this world,” she muttered under her breath, the words akin to gravel in her mouth, “is awfully cruel.”

she didn’t mean it in the poetic way. she meant it literally. the world was cruel. the people in it were cruel. the men who ran the cartels were monsters disguised as monarchs, and the governments that enabled them were just as bad. every country had blood on its hands, mexico, the united states, colombia, all of them. money moved faster than justice. bullets spoke louder than names. the wrong people lived, and the right ones died screaming or disappeared into dirt so dry it wouldn’t even take a grave.

she put the photograph back. not carelessly. carefully. as if it might break.

she folded the wallet shut and returned it to her pocket. her fingers lingered there for a moment longer than they needed to, like letting go of that picture meant letting go of the past, and she couldn’t. she wouldn’t.

because as long as that image existed, she remembered who she was fighting for. not only jane. not only her family. for every young girl who never got to grow up. for every kid who got caught in the crosshairs of a war they never asked for. for every soul erased by power.

she leaned her head back again, eyes open, jaw locked.

carmen rourke would not stop.

not ever.

#narcos #narcos mexico #narcos fanfiction #narcos mexico fanfiction #javier peña #steve murphy #carmen rourke #jane carlisle #the art of victory

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noideamyguy · 6 months ago

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Edsel was an indie rock/post-hardcore band from Washington, DC. The group originally broke up in 1997, having released four full-length albums, an EP, and numerous 7" singles, including a split with Jawbox.

The band formed in 1988 by Sohrab Habibion (guitar and vocals, Savak, Obits), Steve Ward (bass), and Nick Pellicciotto (drums, Fugazi's live sound engineer). Over the years, the group's members would include Geoff Sanoff (bass), Steve Raskin (guitar, Thunderball & Fort Knox Five), Eli Janney (keyboards, Girls Against Boys), and John Dugan (drums, Chisel & Exit Verse).

Edsel's debut single, "My Manacles," was the first release on DeSoto Records (Dismemberment Plan, Burning Airlines).

Their early influences came from Wire, Echo & the Bunnymen and Buzzcocks. Over the years their sound developed, adding influences like Mission Of Burma, Television and contemporaries like Pavement to dub (King Tubby, Scientist) and more atmospheric music like late-period Talk Talk and Roxy Music.

Comedy Minus One reissued remastered digital editions of Edsel's The Everlasting Belt Co. and Detroit Folly in September 2011.

The band reformed in October 2012 for two shows in New York City to celebrate the remastered reissue of their 1995 album, Techniques Of Speed Hypnosis. They have since been included in a Descendents covers compilation by Filter Magazine and played at SXSW in Austin, TX in 2013.

High school friends Geoff Sanoff and Nick Pellicciotto met Sohrab Habibion in the Hung Jury Pub during a Lemonheads and Government Issue show in the spring of 1987. In the parking lot of a high school talent show that fall, the three first came across Steve Ward, whose band performed a particularly impressive rendition of "White Rabbit." They all agreed that Happy Go Licky was the best band in Washington D.C., and thus their musical alliance was sealed. After helping Nick's hardcore band, At Wits End, play their final shows, Sohrab joined Nick in forming a new group. Having been inspired by the DC hardcore scene and the classic British post-punk of Wire and Gang of Four, they asked Steve Ward to play bass guitar with them.

#music #punk #post hardcore #experimental rock #experimental #post hardcore rock #underground band #band recs #bands #spotify #80s hardcore #Spotify

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hussyknee · 2 years ago

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Israel is well aware that if the White House truly wanted Israel to stop, it could do so by withholding all additional military assistanceOpens in a new tab until the carnage ends. But the rationale for Biden’s refusal to demand a ceasefire, which a firm majorityOpens in a new tab of Democrats want him to do, is not just born of total disregard for the lives of Palestinian civilians who are cannon fodder for the big lie about this being an Israeli act of “self-defense.” Though the U.S. is likely to frame any “winding down” or temporary pause in the Israeli attempt to erase Gaza as a humanitarian endeavor, the reality is more complicated.

Both Biden and Netanyahu know what they dare not say in public: On a military level, things are not going well. Israel, a nuclear-armed nation state with modern weapons systems and intelligence capabilities and fully backed by the most powerful nation on Earth, is desperately struggling to achieve a meaningful tactical victory over the armed Palestinian guerrilla forces in Gaza.

Despite the vast resources Israel has dedicated to its propaganda effort, it is also flailing in its effort to defeat Hamas on that front. On a daily, sometimes hourly, basis, the Qassam Brigades, Hamas’s military wing, and their allies in arms release videos showing successful attacks on Israeli armored vehicles and troop positions. The short films offer a glimpse into another side of this war, the one that Israel and the U.S. do not want the public to see. And the picture that emerges stands in stark contrast to the official Israeli narrative. Fighters from Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad are engaged in urban combat and close-quarters firefights with Israeli forces, and they are inflicting heavy losses on them. They have also published a close-up videoOpens in a new tab of Israeli soldiers in a makeshift tent camp inside Gaza that Hamas fighters filmed by discreetly popping up from tunnel hatches.

The Israeli military recently published a video that purportedly depicts the work of a Hamas engineering team’s construction of a 4-kilometer section of underground tunnel near the Erez Crossing. It also published a videoOpens in a new tab of what it said was Mohammed Sinwar, the brother of Hamas’s leader, driving in a car through the tunnel network. While Israel clearly released the videos in an effort to unmask the devious evil of Hamas, it actually revealed a level of tactical sophistication and preparedness seldom seen since the days of the Viet Cong. The IDF-published videosOpens in a new tab also inadvertently dramatized the dubiousness of Israel’s claims that it can flush with seawater hundreds of kilometers of tunnels equipped with massive water-sealed and blast-proof doors — not to mention the viability of engaging in close-combat tunnel warfare with Hamas.

[...]

There is no doubt that both Washington and Tel Aviv underestimated the military capacity of the Hamas-led armed resistance. It is one thing to snatch Palestinians off the streets of the West Bank and disappear them into a military court system, a practice Israel has perfected over the decades. It is quite another to defeat a well-armed insurgency that has spent decades building vast underground infrastructure beneath its own territory and training for this very moment.

[...]

Killing or capturing Hamas leader Yehia Sinwar or the head of the Qassam Brigades, Mohammed Deif, may give Israel political cover to declare a false victory, scenarios the Biden administration is eager to seize upon. Last week, a senior U.S. official hintedOpens in a new tab that the U.S. is actively participating in the hunt for these high-value targets, declaring that it is “safe to say” that Sinwar’s “days are numbered.” But the idea that armed resistance will be extinguished by killing top leaders of Hamas betrays the same pattern of wishful thinking that has permeated U.S. strategic thinking since 9/11. All of this suggests that rather than trying to end the suffering of Gazans, Biden is instead looking for an off-ramp that avoids solidifying the image of Israel as waging a gratuitous war that utterly failed to achieve its stated objectives.

Me irl:

#you motherfuckers #you wastrel useless murderous cunts #death is too good for you #genocide joe #satanyahu #death to israel #death to america #fuck joe biden #glory to the resistance #glory to the martyrs #IOF #israeli war crimes #al qassam brigades #gaza genocide #war on terror #knee of huss #the intercept

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usafphantom2 · 2 years ago

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The mission was a complete success. No one could believe that we came within two seconds of the mark,’ Colonel Richard “Butch” Sheffield, SR-71 Blackbird RSO.

The Sound of Freedom. 50 years ago, on May 2, 1972.

During the Vietnam War, the word was out that the prisoners that the Vietnamese had captured were being tortured. They were struggling to find a plan to rescue the POWs. Attempts to escape had been met with beatings for the entire camp of prisoners of war if one person attempted to escape. In May 1972 a new plan was installed telling the POWs that if they hear the sound of thunder that they were to escape and run down to the river where there would be Navy SEALs waiting to rescue them. There was disagreement among the inmates about whether to risk another escape. A senior POW convinced them that it wasn’t right to make everyone in the camp suffer if they were captured during the escape. Without knowing that the POWs were not going to escape the plan went forth.

The plan was for two SR-71 Blackbird spy planes to fly over the Hanoi Hilton.

The flight plan was to fly the SR‘s so close that their sonic booms would be only 30 seconds apart.

On May 2 and May 4 this happened

POW signal, May 2, 1972, SR-71 number, 979, first of three aircraft. The first indication I had that we might fly a mission like this, (where two SR-71 would crisscross over North Vietnam thirty seconds apart), was when one of the planners asked me at the OL “how close, in time, can you come over a point on the ground?” I told him, “as close as you want.” I don’t think he believed me because he said, “can you come to the point within thirty seconds to two minutes?” I said, “of course, we can control airspeed and reach the point at the time you want us to be at the point in space

We had this capability because we had insisted at Edwards’, in 1965, that we know the time to the next point, (time to go) something the computer experts and engineers at Edwards’ never thought about and never understood why we needed this information.

I found out later that our Vice Wing Commander, Denny Sullivan [former A-11 pilot (as many of the original SR-71 crewmembers called the A-12) and CIA operative] had been called to Washington and was tasked to fly a mission that would place two SR-71’s over Hanoi, coming from different directions, thirty seconds apart. The mission was to be so secret that Denny came straight to Kadena and tasked us to fly it without stopping at SAC, March Field or Beale Headquarters. In other words, this mission did not go through the normal planning by JCS and SAC. I believe they did not know.

(NOTE; I FOUND OUT LATER THAT THE CIA WANTED TO BRING BACK THE A-12 FOR THIS)

Flying the mission was easy. All we asked for was a destination point be placed in the computer where they wanted us to be and the time to be there.

The mission planners told us to make it as close to thirty seconds as we could and they realized that would be very hard to do because we would be closing on each other at a combined speed of Mach six.

Colonel Dennis Sullivan our vice Commander said in a letter of Outstanding Crew Performance dated 8 May, 1972 that “The verified time interval on these missions never exceeded one second of the target time interval”. I am proud of my father for his participating in the sound of freedom mission on both May 2 and May 4 and he helped write the mission..

Linda Sheffield #Habubrats

theaviationgeekclub.com/sr-71-rso-tell….

@Habubrats71 via X

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news365times · 2 months ago

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Retail Diplomacy: Why China's Visa-Free Shopping Strategy Aligns with the U.S.-China Trade War Playbook

In the international theater of geopolitics, the art of diplomacy is no longer the exclusive preserve of the embassies and summit meetings. More and more nations are turning to trade, tourism, and consumer patterns as a weapon in their strategic arsenal. Perhaps one of the most stark examples of the new geopolitics is the tit-for-tat trade war between China and the United States—a multi-dimensional, multi-frontal conflict which escalated from 2018 and does not look like stopping in the near future. In a stunning gambit that mingles tourism and tradecraft, China just announced visa-free entry for shoppers from certain nations—namely, for purposes of shopping. At first blush, it looks like a friendly gesture to help spur tourism and retail. But beneath the sparkly storefronts and duty-free counters is an infinitely more sinister strategy—one which neatly slots into China's greater response to American trade aggression.To appreciate how important this visa policy is, it is necessary to go back to the beginning of the U.S.-China trade war. In his presidency, Donald Trump blamed China for having unfair trade practices, stealing intellectual property, and manipulating its currency. To retaliate, his administration imposed hundreds of billions of dollars in tariffs on Chinese products with the ultimate goal of pressuring Beijing to undergo structural reform. China responded in kind, slapping tariffs on U.S. agricultural and industrial goods. This was followed by a tit-for-tat cycle of economic hostilities that upended global supply chains, drove up prices, and compelled both countries to rethink their trading relationships. Even with President Joe Biden, most of the Trump-era tariffs have stuck, suggesting that the U.S. stance has bipartisan support. Whereas the U.S. initially depended on tariffs and export controls, China has increasingly diversified its reactions. Recognizing that retaliatory tariffs were merely fueling the dispute without bringing strategic gain, China started looking for indirect means to counter American influence. One of these is what can be termed retail diplomacy—the calculated application of consumer access and shopping incentives to attract foreign capital and international goodwill. China's new visa-free shopping policy is a masterpiece of such a playbook. Citizens of chosen nations are now able to visit China without a visa, just for retail consumption. In Shanghai, Beijing, and Guangzhou, the luxury stores and international retail majors have noticed an appreciable increase in foreign visitors. Tourists, especially from Southeast Asia and the Middle East, are capitalizing on the eased entry conditions to splurge on luxury Chinese and Western labels. Although this may appear to be a soft tourism policy, its timing and context indicate a more profound motive. By actively inviting foreign consumers to come and spend within its borders, China is attempting to offset the economic isolation that U.S. tariffs sought to inflict. If Washington was attempting to cut back on the flow of Chinese products into American markets, Beijing is retaliating by inviting world consumers into its own. This action has a twofold benefit for China: Currency Inflow: Tourists spend in yuan or convert foreign currencies upon arrival, benefiting directly Chinese financial institutions and local businesses. International Perception: It is a message that while the U.S. is sealing off its markets, China is opening its doors—albeit selectively—to the rest of the world. In addition, the policy serves to support industries that were hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. Tourism, retailing, and luxury items—all engines of urban Chinese economies—are being injected with foreign demand at precisely the time they need it. The Long Game: Creating Consumer Dependence There's a further dimension to this policy that fits with long-term strategic thinking. By making Chinese cities global shopping hubs, Beijing is quietly positioning itself as a consumer heaven that's a must-visit destination.

If this policy continues or widens to other nations, it might make China an unbeatable retail hub—much like Singapore or Dubai. This economic dependency can be politically beneficial. Nations whose people gain from visa-free shopping in China might be less willing to endorse U.S.-led efforts to limit trade with China or condemn its internal policies. Briefly put, China is attempting to create soft alliances—not with diplomacy, but with the wallet. Other Trade War Moves afoot China's visa-free shopping policy is only one part of a much larger playbook. Some of the other strategies that both the U.S. and China are using in their economic competition include: Supply Chain Decoupling: The U.S. is making significant investments in "friend-shoring"—shifting supply chains to allied nations. China is pushing back against this by enhancing cooperation with Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) partners and providing incentives for keeping manufacturing at home. Tech Controls: Washington imposed harsh export limitations on high-end chips and AI technologies. Beijing retaliated by investing in indigenous semiconductor manufacturing and initiating its own AI programs. Rare Earth Diplomacy: China dominates most of the globe's rare earth minerals—crucial to electronics and clean energy. It has threatened to limit exports in order to squeeze countries that comply with U.S. sanctions. Digital Yuan & De-dollarization: China is developing its central bank digital currency (CBDC) and conducting trade agreements in yuan to limit dependence on the U.S. dollar. It has geopolitical connotations, particularly as BRICS countries debate different payment systems. Implications for the Global Order China's retail diplomacy strategy may appear minor in comparison to semiconductor wars or currency battles, but it is indicative of a larger reality: the trade war is no longer merely about goods—it's about influence, perception, and access. By making its consumer market a diplomatic tool, China is learning to play by the new rules of global competition. While the U.S. also has to worry about containing China's rise, it cannot afford to alienate friends or relinquish its own economic influence in the process. If China's consumerist soft power takes root, it could quietly alter international public opinion—right down to historically In the era of strategic competition, even a supermarket bag can turn into a political weapon. China's visa-free policy for overseas buyers may seem harmless, but it is part of a thoughtfully crafted plan to counter American economic pressure, lure in international capital, and change the narrative from closure to opening. As the U.S. and China keep trading blows over tariffs, tech, and trade routes, this new frontier—consumer diplomacy—may well turn out to be the quiet battlefield where influence is really won or lost. The next time you step into a luxury boutique in Shanghai, recall: geopolitics may well be lurking behind the price tag.

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gogologistic · 3 months ago

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Reliable Truck Engine Repair Service for Maximum Performance

Keeping your truck in top shape is essential for safety and efficiency. A well-maintained engine ensures that your truck runs smoothly, preventing costly breakdowns and downtime. If you are searching for a trusted truck engine repair service in the Washington metropolitan area, this guide will help you understand the importance of professional repair services and what to expect from a reliable provider.

Why Timely Truck Engine Repair is Important

Truck engines endure significant wear and tear due to long hours on the road. Ignoring minor issues can lead to severe engine failure, which can be expensive to repair. Here are some reasons why regular engine repair and maintenance are crucial

Increased Lifespan Regular maintenance prevents major engine problems and extends the life of your truck

Fuel Efficiency A well-maintained engine consumes less fuel, saving money in the long run

Reduced Downtime Preventive repairs minimize unexpected breakdowns, keeping your truck operational

Safety Assurance A properly working engine reduces the risk of accidents caused by sudden failures

Signs Your Truck Needs Engine Repair

Understanding the warning signs of engine problems can help prevent costly damage. If you notice any of these issues, it is time to seek a truck engine repair service in the Washington metropolitan area

Unusual Noises Knocking, grinding, or clicking sounds can indicate internal engine problems

Excessive Smoke Smoke from the exhaust, whether black, white, or blue, is a sign of engine trouble

Loss of Power If your truck struggles to accelerate or maintain speed, the engine may need attention

Check Engine Light Ignoring the check engine light can lead to severe engine damage

Overheating Frequent overheating could mean issues with the cooling system or engine components

Common Truck Engine Problems and Solutions

Truck engines are complex machines, and various issues can arise over time. Here are some common problems and how professional repair services address them

1. Engine Overheating

Cause Coolant leaks, a failing water pump, or a damaged radiator Solution Regular coolant checks, repairing leaks, and replacing faulty components

2. Oil Leaks

Cause Worn-out gaskets, seals, or an overfilled oil pan Solution Replacing damaged seals and maintaining proper oil levels

3. Fuel System Issues

Cause Clogged fuel injectors, dirty fuel filters, or a malfunctioning fuel pump Solution Cleaning or replacing fuel injectors and ensuring the fuel system is clear

4. Turbocharger Failure

Cause Excessive wear, clogged air filters, or lack of proper lubrication Solution Regular maintenance, replacing worn-out parts, and keeping air filters clean

Choosing the Right Truck Engine Repair Service

Finding the right repair service is essential to keep your truck in peak condition. When searching for a truck engine repair service in the Washington metropolitan area, consider these factors

Experience and Expertise Look for mechanics with experience handling truck engines of different makes and models

Advanced Diagnostic Tools A reliable repair shop should use modern diagnostic equipment to pinpoint engine problems accurately

Certified Technicians Certified professionals ensure quality repairs and use industry-approved techniques

Affordable and Transparent Pricing Avoid shops that offer vague pricing or hidden fees

Customer Reviews Reading reviews from other truck owners can give insights into the quality of service provided

Preventative Maintenance for Long-Lasting Engine Performance

To avoid frequent repairs, regular engine maintenance is essential. Here are some maintenance tips to keep your truck engine running smoothly

Change Engine Oil and Filters Regularly This prevents dirt buildup and reduces wear on engine components

Inspect Belts and Hoses Worn-out belts and hoses can cause serious engine damage if not replaced on time

Monitor Coolant Levels Keeping the cooling system in check prevents overheating

Use High-Quality Fuel and Lubricants Cheap or low-grade fuel can lead to engine deposits and reduced efficiency

Schedule Routine Engine Inspections Professional inspections help catch issues before they become major problems

Conclusion

A well-maintained truck engine ensures smooth performance, better fuel efficiency, and long-term reliability. Whether you need routine maintenance or major repairs, choosing a professional truck engine repair service in the Washington metropolitan area is crucial. By staying proactive and addressing engine issues early, you can keep your truck running efficiently and avoid costly breakdowns.

If your truck engine is showing signs of trouble, do not wait until it becomes a major issue. Find a trusted repair service today and keep your truck on the road without interruptions.

#TruckRepair #EngineMaintenance #DieselTruckService #TruckEngineCare

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acornsalessealsstamps · 4 months ago

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MaxLight Pre-Inked Stamp for Washington Professional Engineers

Ensure precision and professionalism with the MaxLight Pre-Inked Washington PE Stamp! ✅ Designed for Washington professional engineers, this 1-3/4" WA engineer seal delivers crisp, clear imprints on official documents. Long-lasting ink, mess-free use—perfect for engineering documentation. Elevate your workflow with a reliable, high-quality PE stamp!

#WashingtonPEStamp #EngineerSeal #ProfessionalEngineer #PEStampWA #WashingtonEngineer #EngineeringStamp #OfficialSeal #PreInkedStamp #EngineeringDocumentation #PESeal #LicensedEngineer #CertifiedEngineer #EngineerApproval #WAProfessionalSeal #MaxLightStamp

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michaelgabrill · 4 months ago

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Sealing the Deal

Written by Melissa Rice, Professor of Planetary Science at Western Washington University This week, the Perseverance team faced a stubborn engineering challenge. After successfully collecting a core called “Green Gardens” from the “Tablelands” location, the rover struggled to seal the sample tube, despite multiple attempts. This isn’t entirely unprecedented — for a previous sample called […] from NASA https://ift.tt/qzLpirj

#NASA #space #Sealing the Deal #Michael Gabrill

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rabtbooktoursandpr · 5 months ago

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Cover Reveal: Lost by LM Preston #comingsoon #bookcover #coverreveal #fantasy #rabtbooktours @LM_Preston

The Mistfits Series, Book 1 Fantasy Date Published: October 1, 2025 Publisher: Phenomenal One Press Penelope Pawn had an addiction. She liked candy, sword-fighting shadows, and boys. Still, something was seriously wrong and she couldn’t put her finger on it. Being homeless wasn’t as bad for her as it was for most. She had a way of collecting kids that turned into family, like brothers and sisters. Unfortunately, every time another kid agreed to come with her to the hiding place she’d created, a rush of power would surge through her like she’d consumed a drug, sealed a deal, or done something wrong. There was one guy, though, who wouldn’t come. When Terek showed up at her doorstep, a place well hidden from most others, and demanded she heed his warning, it was the first time she feared an enemy's strength. Was he a challenge that could become her savior, revealing the truth of her past to her? Could this boy show her how to repair the fiber of the world she’d unknowingly ripped apart, causing a catastrophic end to the home she’d built for herself and the lost ones? About the Author L.M. Preston, a native of Washington, DC. An avid reader, she loved to create poetry and short-stories as a young girl. She is an author, an engineer, a professor, a mother and a wife. Her passion for writing and helping others to see their potential through her stories and encouragement has been her life’s greatest adventures.She loves to write while on the porch watching her kids play or when she is traveling, which is another passion that encouraged her writing. Contact Links Website Facebook Twitter Blog Goodreads Pinterest Book Bub Preorder Today via https://ift.tt/RUD5A4B

#RABT

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digitalmore · 5 months ago

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#IFTTT #DigitalMore.co

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newstfionline · 10 months ago

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Saturday, August 31, 2024

The economic cost of the wildfire season (The Week) With deadly blazes sweeping across Brazil, and Greece braced for high-risk weather, wildfire season is in full swing. Typically lasting from June until late September, this period not only poses a serious threat to human and animal life, but also wreaks devastating damage on homes, landscapes, and livelihoods. And the economic cost—for affected countries and individuals—has proven enormous. Bloomberg reported that wildfires cost Europe €4.1 billion (£3.46 billion) in damages last year, with Greece, Spain, and Italy facing the majority of the impact. And in Hawaii, state government officials spent more than $410 million (£310 million) responding to the aftermath of Maui’s 2023 wildfires, according to the Honolulu Civil Beat. When you include the long-term impacts of wildfires, those costs spiral. The wildfires that raged across Sicily in 2023 caused more than €60 million (£50.7 million) of infrastructure damage in a matter of days, said The Guardian, but “damage to agriculture caused by fires and the intense heatwave amounted to about €200 million”.

Major power outage hits Venezuela’s capital, with Maduro government blaming ‘sabotage’ (AP) Venezuelans awoke Friday to a major power outage in the capital, Caracas, and several states. President Nicolas Maduro’s government blamed the outage, which it said began about 4:50 a.m., on “electrical sabotage.” Freddy Nanez, the communications minister, said in a voice message on Telegram that all 24 of Venezuela’s states had been at least partially impacted. He characterized the outage as a “desperate” attempt by Maduro’s opponents to violently oust the president. Venezuela in 2019, during a period of political unrest, suffered from regular power outages that the government almost always blamed on its opponents, but that energy experts said were the result of brush fires damaging transmission lines and poor maintenance of the country’s hydroelectric infrastructure. Venezuela’s power grid relies heavily on the Guri Dam, a giant hydroelectric power station that was inaugurated in the late 1960s. The electrical system has been burdened by poor upkeep, a lack of alternative energy supplies and a drain of engineering talent as an estimated 8 million Venezuelan migrants have fled economic misery in recent years.

Brazil Blocks X After Musk Ignores Court Orders (NYT) Brazil blocked the social network X on Friday after its owner, Elon Musk, refused to comply with a Brazilian judge’s orders to suspend certain accounts, the biggest test yet of the billionaire’s efforts to transform the site into a digital town square where just about anything goes. Alexandre de Moraes, a Brazilian Supreme Court justice, ordered internet providers to block access to X across the nation of 200 million because the company lacked a necessary legal representative in Brazil. Mr. Musk closed X’s office in Brazil last week after Justice Moraes threatened arrests for ignoring his orders to remove X accounts that he said broke Brazilian laws. X said that it viewed Justice Moraes’s orders as illegal and that it planned to break their legal seal and publish them. In a highly unusual move, Justice Moraes also said that any person in Brazil who tried to still use X via common privacy software called a virtual private network, or VPN, could be fined nearly $9,000 a day.

Russia-Ukraine energy war (Washington Post) Ukrainian forces struck two oil depots within Russia overnight, while Moscow on Thursday launched the third major aerial attack on Ukraine this week—the latest in strikes by the two sides on each other’s energy infrastructure, causing electricity cutoffs throughout Ukraine and raising the prospect increased international energy prices. The attacks take place just weeks after Kyiv and Moscow were believed to be on the verge of an agreement to halt infrastructure attacks, diplomats and officials said. Instead, the two sides have resumed bombarding each other’s power plants and fuel refineries, in an escalatory struggle that in addition to its international effects could lead to a bleak winter for Ukraine. The attacks also come as Ukraine has been pushing for a lifting of the restrictions on the long-range weapons it has received from its Western partners so it can hit more targets inside Russia.

Zelensky Dismisses the Head of the Air Force Days After F-16 Crash (NYT) President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine dismissed the head of the country’s Air Force on Friday, days after the crash of an F-16 warplane in what may have been a friendly fire incident. A Western official who has been briefed on the preliminary investigation of the crash said that there were “indications” that friendly fire from a Patriot missile battery might have brought down the jet, though mechanical failure and pilot error have not been ruled out. The plane crashed on Monday while defending against an intense aerial attack by Russian forces, which on Friday hit an apartment block in Ukraine’s second-largest city, Kharkiv, killing at least seven people and wounding scores more, local authorities said. The possibility of friendly fire incidents becomes especially acute during mass attacks by missiles and drones, military experts say.

The first election in a decade is planned in Indian-controlled Kashmir (AP) Residents of Indian-controlled Kashmir are gearing up for their first regional election in a decade that will allow them to have their own truncated government, also known as a local assembly, instead of remaining under New Delhi’s direct rule. Muslim-majority Kashmir is divided between nuclear-armed rivals India and Pakistan and claimed in its entirety by both. The Indian-administered part has been on edge since Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government ended its special status in 2019 and also scrapped its statehood. In theory, the polls will see a transition of power from New Delhi to a newly elected local assembly. But the new polls will hardly give the new government any legislative powers as Indian-controlled Kashmir will continue to be a “Union Territory”—a region directly controlled by the federal government—with India’s parliament remaining as the region’s legislator. The elected assembly will only have nominal control over education and culture.

A Hong Kong court convicts 2 journalists in a landmark sedition case (AP) A Hong Kong court on Thursday convicted two former editors of a shuttered news outlet in a sedition case widely seen as a barometer for the future of media freedoms in a city once hailed as a bastion of free press in Asia. The trial of Stand News former editor-in-chief Chung Pui-kuen and former acting editor-in-chief Patrick Lam was Hong Kong’s first involving the media since the former British colony returned to Chinese rule in 1997. Stand News, which closed in December 2021, had been one of the city’s last media outlets that openly criticized the government as it waged a crackdown on dissent following massive pro-democracy protests in 2019. Chung and Lam had pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to publish and reproduce seditious publications—charges that were brought under a colonial-era sedition law used increasingly to crush dissidents. They face up to two years in prison. The case was centered on 17 articles Stand News had published. Prosecutors said some promoted “illegal ideologies,” or smeared the security law and law enforcement officers.

Nearly 40,000 people died home alone in Japan this year, report says (BBC) Almost 40,000 people died alone in their homes in Japan during the first half of 2024, a report by the country’s police shows. Of that number, nearly 4,000 people were discovered more than a month after they died, and 130 bodies went unmissed for a year before they were found, according to the National Police Agency. Japan currently has the world’s oldest population, according to the United Nations. The agency hopes its report will shed light on the country's growing issue of vast numbers of its aging population who live, and die, alone. Japan has long tried to counter its ageing and declining population, but the shift is becoming hard for the country to manage. Last year, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said his country is on the brink of not being able to function as a society because of its declining birth rate.

Tropical Storm Shanshan (NYT) The Japan Meteorological Agency issued flood and landslide warnings in two dozen prefectures on Friday for Tropical Cyclone Shanshan, including in the Japanese capital of Tokyo and regions as far northeast as Iwate and as far southwest as Kyushu. Having made landfall on Thursday as a typhoon and since been downgraded to a tropical depression, Shanshan has recorded gusts of up to 112 miles per hour. Authorities warn of high waves and tides as well as possible lightning storms and tornadoes. At least six people have been killed and more than 100 others injured in storm-related incidents thus far. Scientists believe that Shanshan could be one of the strongest storms to hit the region in history.

Toll Reaches 17 Dead in Israel’s West Bank Raid, Including a Militant Commander (NYT) Israel’s military stormed a mosque in the occupied West Bank on Thursday, where it said weapons were being stored, and engaged in gun battles that left at least five Palestinians dead, including a young militant commander who Israel says was responsible for attacks against Israeli civilians. It was the second straight day of an Israeli incursion into the northern West Bank, focused in and around the cities of Tulkarm and Jenin, involving columns of armored vehicles, fleets of drones and hundreds of troops. The raids are Israel’s biggest military actions in the West Bank in more than a year. The raid in the West Bank is an escalation along a third front for Israel, in addition to the war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip, and the increased air attacks across its northern border with Lebanon against the militant group Hezbollah, which is also backed by Iran.

Aid group says Israel hit convoy to hospital in Gaza. Israel says it hit gunmen who seized the car (AP) An Israeli missile hit a convoy carrying medical supplies and fuel to an Emirati hospital in the Gaza Strip, killing several people from a local transportation company, the American Near East Refugee Aid group said Friday. Israel claimed without immediate evidence that it opened fire after gunmen seized the convoy. The strike killed several people employed by a transportation company that the aid group was using to bring supplies to the Emirates Red Crescent Hospital in Rafah, said Sandra Rasheed, Anera’s director for the Palestinian territories. Israeli forces have opened fire on other aid convoys in the Gaza Strip. The World Food Program announced Wednesday it is pausing all staff movement in Gaza until further notice over Israeli troops opening fire on one of its marked vehicles, hitting it with at least 10 rounds. The shooting came despite having received multiple clearances from Israeli authorities. On July 23, UNICEF said two of its vehicles were hit with live ammunition while waiting at a designated holding point. An Israeli attack in April hit three World Central Kitchen vehicles, killing seven people.

The UN says Sudan is at a ‘breaking point.’ (AP) War-wrecked Sudan ‘s humanitarian crisis is at “a catastrophic breaking point” amid fighting and devastating flooding, the U.N. migration agency said Monday. The northeastern African nation plunged into chaos in April last year when tensions between the military and a notorious paramilitary group, the Rapid Support Forces, turned into open fighting in the capital, Khartoum, before spreading across the country. The western region of Darfur has seen some of the most devastating bouts of fighting. The conflict has killed thousands of people and pushed many into starvation. Its atrocities include mass rape and ethnically motivated killings that amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity, according to the U.N. and international rights groups. Sudan’s war has created the world’s largest displacement crisis. More than 10.7 million people have been forced to flee their homes since fighting began. Devastating floods in recent weeks have compounded the tragedy. Dozens of people have been killed and critical infrastructure has been washed away in 11 of Sudan’s 18 provinces, according to local authorities. “We are at a breaking point, a catastrophic, cataclysmic breaking point,” said Othman Belbeisi, IOM’s regional director.

#headlines #news

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whitepolaris · 1 year ago

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Monsters of Lake Washington

Unseen monsters in Lake Washington have been said to suck swimmers to their deaths, and at least one huge horned serpent is reported to live in the lake and cause terrible landslides and earthquakes. Even the lake itself has been known to act up: One legend speaks of it swallowing Mercer Island one night and spitting it out the next morning.

Lake Washington is the second-largest natural lake in the state. The cities of Bellevue, Seattle, Renton, and Kirkland all border it, and its shores are home to the very wealthy, including Bill Gates. Even so, there are many acres of green spaces parks, paths, and wetlands.

According to Native American lore, there were once eighteen villages along the shores of Lake Washington. The people living there fished from the shore, as well as from canoes. They encountered many strange animals or beings on the lake, and like many legends, these have a basis in fact.

Recent engineering projects have exposed past lake levels, some of which included the remains of old-growth trees. Scientists studying the evidence suggest that there were several earthquakes, some as large as 7.0 on the Richter Scale, as recently as a thousand years ago. These caused landslides and tidal waves, which altered the shoreline and certainly killed or displaced many people. One landslide may have caused an immense portion of Mercer Island to fall into the lake, resulting in a huge wave that struck where modern Bellevue was built.

As mentioned earlier, the source of many lake monster legends may be real, though rare, creatures like sturgeon or seals. Or they may be animals abandoned by people.

In February and March 2006, at least two people reported seeing some kind of strange animal swimming on the east bank of the lake, near Medina. One witness told police he saw what looked like a small alligator. Another person reported a creature that had a head shaped like an alligator.

Wildlife experts thought the animals were caiman, a smaller relative of the alligator, which grows to a length of about seven feet. Caimans are indigenous to Central and South America. Outside their native habitat, experts recommend that they be kept in pens or enclosures heated to over eighty degrees. A caiman abandoned in Lake Washington in February would survive twenty minutes or so in the forty-seven degree lake water.

Over the last two decades, several caimans were seen or captured in the Puget Sound, all in the summer. In the 1960s, many people reported seeing an alligator-like animal killing and eating ducks in Lake Washington. Over a thirty-day period in 1986, there were many alligator sightings in Green Lake, which once emptied into Lake Washington. It could be that owners who can't handle the aggressive reptiles dump them along the shoreline to fend for themselves. The animal die off in the winter, but every summer or two someone drops off another one, which in turn terrifies like dwellers until the next winter.

#type read #weird washington

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goldbroker · 1 year ago

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Uebert Angel – Man of Gold or Man of God with double identity?

In different meetings with undercover reporters who identified themselves as Chinese criminals seeking to wash dirty money through the Zimbabwean economy, waxing lyrical, self-styled prophet and Zimbabwe government official, Uebert Angel who was caught on hidden cameras in the Al Jazeera investigation named ‘Gold Mafia’ assured them, they were in safe hands because unofficially, he is the number two man in Zimbabwe and has the full blessings of the president to sign agreements on behalf of Zimbabwe.

When they told him they wanted to launder over a billion dollars, Angel told them he has laundered several millions before, but never done billions, however, he could launder their billions, with his diplomatic red tape and the money would be delivered directly to his home and nobody would touch it.

He also assured them that they would have no problem at all freely buying and selling gold from Zimbabwe in the money laundering schemes.

The 40-something-year-old flamboyant British-Zimbabwean has always had controversies around him. Born Uebert Mudzanire, he lived in the UK before moving back to Harare to establish the headquarters of his church, Spirit Embassy.

Double ID cards

When in March 2021 he was appointed Presidential Envoy and Ambassador-at-Large by President Emmerson Mnangagwa, issues came up in the news about his double identity.

News sources in Zimbabwe dug out his two national ID cards. The first ID card has the registration number 83-099297X83, and was reported to have been issued at the Zaka registry offices in Masvingo in 1996. The second card with the registration number 29-195587H83, was said to have been issued in Gweru in the Midlands a year later.

The date of birth on both cards is the same, September 6, 1978, but the card numbers are different.

The report indicated that he used the 1997 ID to secure a Zimbabwean passport with the number ZE 306043.

However, the news reports pointed out that his British passport, number 464932598 which was issued on November 6, 2009, had a different date of birth from the one on his Zimbabwe national ID cards. The British passport has March 4, 1972 as his date of birth.

The reports further said on March 9, 2021, he appeared before a Harare lawyer, Tichavona Mutebere, and made an application to change his name from Uebert Mudzanire to Uebert Angel Snr claiming he was born on September 6, 1978, a birth date inconsistent with his British one but consistent with his two Zimbabwean national IDs.

Interestingly, Angel’s biological brother, Samson Mudzanire, with national ID number 83-066977R83, was born on April 14, 1972. The reports are wondering how his mother, Rose Mudzanire, gave birth to two sons in 1972 within 40 days of each other.

Fake degree

In 2008 the US government published a list containing thousands of names of people who have obtained fake degrees, from Bachelor to PhD degrees from a diploma mill in Spokane, Washington State.

The United States Department of Justice through Operation Gold Seal published the list of fake degrees bought from the phony Saint Regis University, which was eventually shut down.

On the list is the name Uebert Mudzanire and beside it is listed BBA (Bachelor of Business Administration), but Angel has denied buying a fake degree.

On that list were hundreds of people working in the military, government and education sector of the US, and almost 10,000 people who spent $7.3 million buying phony and counterfeit high school and college degrees from the Spokane-based diploma mill.

According to the website spokesman.com that published the list, it included prominent American citizens working for sensitive government agencies. The list it reported included NASA employee Timothy Francis Gorman, who bought an electrical engineering degree using his e-mail account at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory to correspond with the diploma mill, and US Department of Health oncology expert Frank S. Govern, who purchased a doctorate in health care administration.

National Security Agency employees David W. Barden and Barry A. Hester both bought degrees. Hester, who was a computer Web trainer and designer for the NSA with top-secret clearance, paid $1,187 for an information systems and technology degree, the list shows.

Eric Gregory Cole, who was a contract employee for the Central Intelligence Agency, paid $3,801 for a degree in information systems management. His top-secret clearance at the CIA was revoked late last 2007, months after his name was forwarded to the Office of Inspector General, according to one source, the report said.

Eight people who set up and operated the diploma mill, including ringleader Dixie Ellen Randock, were indicted and convicted of federal crimes. Randock, a 58-year-old high school dropout, was sentenced to three years in prison, according to the report.

The World Bank overview of Zimbabwe

In its overview of Zimbabwe last updated on March 30, 2023, the World Bank notes that Zimbabwe has strong foundations for accelerating future economic growth and improving living standards.

The Bank admits that the economy has excellent human capital, comparable to that of upper-middle-income economies in Sub-Saharan Africa, although some skill shortages are emerging in some sectors. It also notes that, Zimbabwe possesses abundant mineral and natural resources that, if well managed, can support the country’s development objectives.

The Bank however states that Zimbabwe’s economic development continues to be hampered by price and exchange rate instability, misallocation of productive resources, high informality, low investment, and limited structural transformation. Economic growth has been volatile over the past decade. High inflation, multiple exchange rates, and unsustainable debt levels have increased the cost of production, reduced incentives for productivity-enhancing investment, and encouraged informality.

The Bank adds that high unsustainable debt and arrears to international financial institutions (IFIs) limit Zimbabwe’s growth potential.

It indicates that real GDP growth is estimated to have slowed to 3.4% in 2022 from 8.5% in 2021 on the back of worsening agriculture conditions and macroeconomic instability. Due to low rainfall, agricultural output contracted by 14%, after growing at double digits in 2021. Triple-digit inflation constrained private sector demand, while fiscal austerity limited growth of government demand and investment. Among other things the Bank points out that mineral exporters benefited from high global prices and, together with tourism, contributed the most to overall economic growth.

“Inflation returned to triple digits, albeit declining since August 2022, fueled by broad money expansion and a surge in global prices. The war in Ukraine, through high food and energy prices, has exacerbated domestic inflationary pressures that emanated from loose monetary policy and quasi-fiscal operations. Annual inflation returned to triple digits in May 2022 and reached 244% in December 2022. However, monetary tightening, including sharp hikes in interest rates, and fiscal policy measures brought inflation down to 230% in January 2023. Despite still high inflation, the Central Bank reduced the interest rate from 200% per annum to 150% in February 2023,” the Bank said.

The Gold Mafia

The Gold Mafia undercover investigation by the AL Jazeera Investigative Unit, shows how deeply the ruling elite in Zimbabwe, working with money launderers, are destroying state institutions, and personally benefitting from the country’s natural resources.

So far two episodes of the four-part investigation have been released, two more to be released in the coming weeks.

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