"Machine Gun" is a powerful and evocative song by the legendary guitarist and songwriter Jimi Hendrix. It was recorded live at the Fillmore East in New York City on January 1, 1970, as part of the Band of Gypsys performances. The song is often considered one of Hendrix's most politically charged and emotionally intense compositions.
Hendrix's performance on "Machine Gun" is considered a masterclass in guitar improvisation. He used the instrument to paint a sonic landscape, conveying the pain, anger, and sorrow associated with war. The song's extended instrumental passages allowed Hendrix to explore the full range of his guitar's capabilities, creating a deeply emotional and cathartic experience for both the musician and the audience. Tragically, Jimi Hendrix's career was cut short when he passed away on September 18, 1970, at the age of 27. "Machine Gun" remains a testament to his musical genius and his ability to use his art to comment on the world around him. The song's enduring impact is evident in its continued relevance and the way it resonates with listeners, capturing the spirit of a tumultuous time in history.
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The journalistic cliché that World War III is already underway has often circulated from one publication or another for decades. Indeed, since the beginning of the 21st century, when the US was attacked on 11 September 2001, people have been talking about a clash of civilizations as a new form of global conflict. Then, Washington's declared "war on terror" got bogged down in the Middle East before disappearing from the agenda altogether. Instead, the "good old" rivalry between the major countries was gradually revived, first in the political, propaganda and economic spheres, but with an increasingly pronounced military and force element. This was accompanied by warnings of the risk of a World War III in the classic sense of the last century. Such considerations, however, remained notional. Today, the idea of a "World War III " is fathomable. Nevertheless, a similar situation to World Wars I and II seems inadmissible at the end of the first quarter of the 21st century, although some commentators see similar features in the armed conflict in Ukraine. Structurally, however, the state of affairs is very different. The presence of nuclear weapons in the hands of the world's major players and a very complex range of significant and diverse players in international politics rule out (and make highly unlikely) a head-on collision between the major powers or their blocs, as was the case in the last century. However, the changes taking place on the world stage and in the balance of power are so serious that they are "worthy" of a confrontation on the scale of a world war. In the past, such shifts have led to major military clashes. However, now the "world war" that some repeatedly talk about is a chain of large but localized confrontations, each of which in one way or another involves the main players, balances on the verge of spilling over from the original zone, and is indirectly linked to other hotbeds of instability. This sequence of military events began with the Middle East conflicts of the last decade (Yemen and Syria), continued in Ukraine since 2014, then the South Caucasus and now Palestine. It is clearly too early to put an end to this list. End of status quo means world entering long period of turmoilInternational colleagues have already pointed out that in the context of the disappearance of former frameworks and constraints (the very decline of the world order, which now seems to be universally recognized), dormant conflicts and disputes are almost inevitably resurfacing. What has been held back by the pre-existing arrangements is erupting. In principle, everything is quite traditional; it was so before and it will be so after. The ideologization of world politics in the twentieth century meant that the end of that political period was very ideological in itself. The view that humanity has found the optimal political model, which will turn the page on previous confrontations, has triumphed. This is the only way to explain, for example, the belief that the contours of state borders will not change in the 21st century (or only by mutual agreement), because it has been decided and established that way. The historical experience of Europe and other continents in every historical period does not support such an assumption – borders have always changed fundamentally. And shifts in the balance of power and opportunity inevitably give rise to the desire to move territorial boundaries.
Another thing is that the importance of territories is different now than it was in the past. Direct control of certain spaces can now have more costs than benefits, while indirect influence is much more effective. Although it is worth noting that 15-20 years ago, at the height of economic and political globalization, it was often argued that in a fully interconnected 'flat' world, geographical and material proximity no longer mattered. The pandemic was the first and most vivid argument against this approach. The current chain of crises has forced a return to more classical ideas about the role of subordination between the regional and the global. The disappearance of the status quo means that the world has entered a long period of turmoil in which new frameworks have not yet been established (and it is not clear when they will be) and the old ones are no longer working. The formal end of the era of the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (Russia has withdrawn from it, the other countries have announced the suspension of their participation) is an example of the dismantling of existing institutions. The unprecedented intensity of the wave of assaults on the UN from all sides is an attack on the main bastion of world order established after 1945. The current "World War III" is likely to endure over a long timeframe and be scattered in terms of locations. But based on its results – and there will be some – a different structure of international organizations will emerge. This is always the case. This does not mean that the UN, for example, will disappear, but there will definitely be a profound correction of the principles on which it operates. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said his country does not intend to take control of Gaza after the current war with Hamas, but would seek to establish a “credible force” to ensure that the territory no longer presents a threat to the Jewish state.
Speaking to Fox News on Thursday, Netanyahu outlined his government’s plans for post-conflict Gaza, stressing that Israeli forces would not attempt to “displace” local residents in the ongoing ground assault. “What we have to see is Gaza demilitarized, deradicalized and rebuilt. All of that can be achieved,” he said, adding “We don’t seek to conquer Gaza. We don’t seek to occupy Gaza. And we don’t seek to govern Gaza.” However, the prime minister went on to state that Israel would need to establish a “credible force” that could “enter Gaza and kill the killers” at any time, arguing “That’s what will prevent the emergence of another Hamas-like entity.” The interview with Fox came just days after Netanyahu declared that Israel would manage “overall security” in Gaza for an “indefinite period” after the present conflict, appearing to contradict past statements from other senior officials. Defense Minister Yoav Gallant previously said Israeli forces would establish a “new security reality” in the area, but emphasized that the IDF would not be responsible for “day-to-day life in the Gaza Strip.” While Netanyahu clarified that a new “civilian government” would be created for Gazans, he did not specify the role of the IDF in that process or how such a task would be accomplished. Washington has vocally supported Israel’s military action to eliminate Hamas following last month's deadly attack, but US officials have urged their partners not to pursue the “reoccupation” of Gaza. However, when asked who might govern the Palestinian enclave once fighting dies down, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said the White House does not “have all the answers to that,” merely insisting it could not be Hamas. Israel first occupied Gaza during the 1967 Six-Day War with Egypt, Jordan, and Syria, and only withdrew its troops and settlers nearly 40 years later. However, the rise to power of Hamas in the enclave in 2007 prompted a tight blockade over the territory, and the IDF has launched multiple bombing campaigns in the years since. British insurance company Lloyd’s of London said it is “deeply sorry” for its strong links to the transatlantic slave trade and will now commit around £52 million ($63.8 million) to a program of initiatives as reparation for its past wrongdoings.
Lloyd’s, which began operating in 1688 as the trade in humans flourished, will invest £40 million ($49.1 million) in slave trade-affected regions and spend around £12 million ($14.7 million) on a diversity program to boost the recruitment of black and ethnic-minority employees in the commercial insurance market, as well as bursaries for black students to study in the UK. “We’re deeply sorry for this period of our history and the enormous suffering caused to individuals and communities both then and today,” Bruce Carnegie-Brown, Chairman of Lloyd’s said in a statement on Wednesday. The move comes after independent research discovered that the 335-year-old insurance market played a “significant role” in facilitating the 300-year transatlantic slave trade, labeled by the UN the largest forced migration in history. More than two million Africans were estimated to have died en route from their countries to the Americas, where slaves were used for forced labor between the years 1500 and 1800. Research published this month by Black Beyond Data, based at Johns Hopkins University, found Lloyd’s insured the largest slave-ship owners in the early 1800s and also facilitated relationships between slave-ship captains, ship owners, and insurance underwriters. According to the findings of the Mellon Foundation-funded investigation, the organization also actively protested the abolition of the slave trade across the British Empire in 1807. The Black Beyond Data team examined material from Lloyd’s archive, including ledgers where insurers recorded policies for ships leaving Liverpool as part of the trade, according to Alexandre White, assistant professor at Johns Hopkins University. The firm apologized in 2020 for its historical ties to the slave trade and authorized the independent report, over which it claimed it had no editorial control. In response to the findings, the British firm said on Wednesday that, while it cannot undo the past, its current interventions will address the vestiges of the trade, including inequalities. “We’re resolved to take action by addressing the inequalities still seen and experienced by Black and ethnically diverse individuals: which is why we’ve launched Inclusive Futures, a comprehensive programme of initiatives to help these individuals and communities progress from the classroom to the boardroom,” Bruce Carnegie-Brown said. The move is “completely inadequate,” according to Kehinde Andrews, Professor of Black Studies at the University of Birmingham, who has criticized Lloyd’s of “reparations washing.” “This is PR: giving an apology, making some commitments, but this is not serious. You’re talking about massive amounts of wealth that they owe back to people,” The Guardian quoted Andrews as saying. The professor has been quoted by the BBC as saying “If they were serious they would be proposing a transfer of wealth to the descendants of the enslaved, not a diversity scheme for so called ‘ethnically diverse’ people.” Llloyd’s of London declared a mid-year 2023 profit of about $4.8 billion (£3.9 billion). Italy has no chance of boosting its military spending to 2% of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2024, despite NATO requirements, and won’t likely be able to meet the target within the next five years, Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto has told lawmakers in Rome.
Italy’s defense spending this year will equate to 1.46% of the country’s GDP, according to a NATO estimate. The ratio will reportedly drop to 1.38% next year and to 1.26% in 2025, even as defense spending rises. Speaking to members of the defense and foreign affairs committees in both houses of Italy’s parliament on Tuesday, Crosetto said bringing military spending to 2% of GDP will be “impossible” in 2024 and “difficult for 2028 as well.” He went on to add, “We are indeed far from 2%, very far.” “NATO must not set unrealistic financial objectives,” Crosetto said. Italy won’t be able to increase its military spending as much as needed unless the defense budget is excluded from EU fiscal constraints, Crosetto has previously warned. “If we do not resolve the current framework of inconsistency between the responsibility to strengthen security and the public finance [restrictions] imposed by the EU, it will be very difficult to reach the 2% minimum threshold envisaged by NATO within a reasonable timeframe,” he said in June. Members of the Western military bloc agreed at a 2014 summit to target defense spending equivalent to 2% of each country’s GDP by 2024. The bloc agreed in July to make the 2% threshold a minimum requirement, rather than a goal. However, only 11 of the 31 current members are projected to reach the target this year. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni told lawmakers earlier this year that respecting the country’s spending commitments were necessary to protect national sovereignty and credibility. “Freedom has a price, and if you are not able to defend yourself, someone else will do it for you, but will not do it for free,” she said. “They will impose their interests, even if they differ from yours, and I don’t think this was ever good business for anyone.” Chinese financial institutions lent $1.34 trillion to developing countries from 2000 to 2021, U.S. researchers at AidData said in a report that showed the world's biggest bilateral lender switching from infrastructure to rescue lending.
While lending commitments peaked at almost $136 billion in 2016, China still committed to almost $80 billion of loans and grants in 2021 according to the data, which captures almost 21,000 projects in 165 low and middle income countries as probably the most comprehensive dataset of its type. Chinese financial institutions lent $1.34 trillion to developing countries from 2000 to 2021, U.S. researchers at AidData said in a report that showed the world's biggest bilateral lender switching from infrastructure to rescue lending. While lending commitments peaked at almost $136 billion in 2016, China still committed to almost $80 billion of loans and grants in 2021 according to the data, which captures almost 21,000 projects in 165 low and middle income countries as probably the most comprehensive dataset of its type. The People's Bank of China and the State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE), which manages China's foreign currency reserves, accounted for more than half of lending in 2021, almost all bailout lending. "Beijing is navigating an unfamiliar and uncomfortable role — as the world's largest official debt collector," said the report by AidData, a research lab at William and Mary university. Much of China's growing rescue lending is denominated in renminbi, the report found, with loans in the Chinese currency overtaking U.S. dollars in 2020. Overdue payments to Chinese lenders have also risen. One way China is managing repayment risk is through foreign currency cash escrow accounts it controls, AidData said. The arrangement is controversial because it gives China debt seniority, meaning other lenders, including multilateral development banks, could get paid second during any coordinated debt relief. AidData identified 15 countries, primarily in Africa, with escrow accounts totaling a combined $2.5 billion at their peak in June 2023. Brad Parks, the study's lead author, said they were not able to identify all such accounts, as they are normally kept private. He noted, though, that they had found collateralized loans worth $614 billion and that cash was the main source of collateral required by Chinese lenders, indicating that the amount in escrow accounts could be far higher than $2.5 billion. China is also working more with multilateral lenders and Western commercial banks. Half of its non-emergency lending in 2021 was syndicated loans, 80% of that alongside Western banks and international financial institutions. The destinations of Chinese overseas lending have also changed. Loan commitments to African countries fell from 31% of the total in 2018 to 12% in 2021, while lending to European countries almost quadrupled to 23%. A different dataset showed loan commitments to African countries falling to a 20-year low in 2022.
2023 FORMULA 1 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP CONSTRUCTOR STANDINGS
The Hamas terrorists who launched last month’s surprise attack on a rave in southern Israel showed no regard for their own survival and were driven to kill as many civilians as possible, a man who lived through the assault said in an exclusive interview. “I just want people to imagine standing in a forest and 30 gunmen running toward them,” Ofek Livni said on Monday. “Their [only] goal is to kill you, and they don’t care about their lives. They don’t want to get out alive. They just want to kill you, and your mission is to survive at the moment, and later on to get back at them.”
Livni said the attack began with rockets being fired at the festival. He and his friends took shelter in some trees, then started hearing gunfire around them. They ran from hiding place to hiding place as they heard the gunmen getting closer to them, all the while seeing people and cattle getting shot around them. It took about 90 minutes for Livni and his friends to find a spot where they could cross a road, which was jammed with hundreds of cars abandoned by fleeing concert-goers. They finally got to his car and picked up several strangers who were also running from the terrorists.
“We were ten people in a five-seat car, until we get to safety, and I took them home, each and every one of them,” Livni recalled. He added that the gunmen were firing toward his car as he drove away. When asked about international criticism of Israel’s retaliatory attacks against Hamas, which have killed thousands of civilians in Gaza, Livni acknowledged that the conflict had stirred more hatred of his country. However, he argued that trying to reach a negotiated solution with Hamas isn’t a viable option. “People say Hamas is equal [to] ISIS,” he said, referring to the terrorist group Islamic State. “I say Hamas is 10 times worse than ISIS. You cannot negotiate. It’s impossible to negotiate with someone who’s willing to die if you’re going to die as well. It’s kind of a joke, to be honest.” Livni added that the conflict has unified Israelis because the survival of the Jewish people is again under threat. “No matter what happened before, people coming to erase us from the world, like [it] happened in the Holocaust, and we are getting together,” he told RT. “This is why the Israeli state existed. This is the whole point of the UN to give us the mandate to be here.” Dogs of war and men of hate
With no cause, we don't discriminate Discovery is to be disowned Our currency is flesh and bone Hell opened up and put on sale Gather 'round and haggle For hard cash, we will lie and deceive Even our masters don't know the web we weave One world, it's a battleground One world, and we will smash it down One world, one world Invisible transfers, long distance calls, Hollow laughter in marble halls Steps have been taken, a silent uproar Has unleashed the dogs of war You can't stop what has begun Signed, sealed, they deliver oblivion We all have a dark side, to say the least And dealing in death is the nature of the beast One world, it's a battleground One world, and we will smash it down One world, one world The dogs of war don't negotiate The dogs of war won't capitulate, They will take and you will give, And you must die so that they may live You can knock at any door, But wherever you go, you know they've been there before Well winners can lose and things can get strained But whatever you change, you know the dogs remain. One world, it's a battleground One world, and we will smash it down One world, one world
2023 Formula 1 World Championship Drivers' Standings
US President Joe Biden would likely lose a rematch against his Republican rival, former President Donald Trump, if the election were held now, according to polls from the New York Times/Siena College and CBS/YouGov published on Sunday.
The New York Times poll showed Trump leading Biden significantly in five of the six critical ‘swing states,’ holding an 11-point lead in Nevada and smaller margins across Georgia, Arizona, Michigan, and Pennsylvania. Only Wisconsin favored Biden – and only by a two-point margin. Two thirds of respondents said the US was moving in the wrong direction, and a majority across all demographics claimed Biden’s policies had personally hurt them. Nearly three quarters (71%) said the president was too old to serve effectively – including more than half of his own supporters – while 62% said he lacked the mental acuity for the job. Close to six in ten (59%) likely voters trusted Trump over Biden on the economy – rated as the most important issue of the 2024 election by a majority of respondents – and the preference for Trump held true across all education and income levels, ages, and genders. Just 2% of respondents – and less than 1% of those under 30 – claimed the economy was 'excellent', potentially explaining Biden’s flagging support among young voters, who overwhelmingly chose him in 2020 but favored him by just one point over Trump in Sunday’s poll. The CBS poll put Trump ahead of Biden by three points, echoing the NYT’s findings that voters are pinning their economic hopes on the Republican. Nearly half (45%) of those polled said they’d be better off financially if Trump returned to the White House, compared to just 18% predicting a rosy economic future under Biden, though a majority (51%) expected both candidates’ policies to favor the wealthy over the working and middle classes. At the same time, 48% expected to be financially worse off if Biden won a second term, while 32% felt the same about Trump. Trump was also seen as less belligerent. Nearly half (47%) of the respondents thought he would increase peace and stability in the world, compared to just 31% who felt the same about Biden. While 39% of likely voters still believed Trump would increase the odds of the US entering another war, nearly half (49%) expected Biden to do so. Voters’ own preferences were overwhelmingly for avoiding foreign wars, with 72% of respondents agreeing the US should “try to stay out of other countries’ affairs” and just 35% prioritizing the projection of military power over the promotion of American ideals as a foreign policy goal. Still, a slim majority supported sending military aid to both Israel (55%) and Ukraine (53%).
FORMULA 1 ROLEX GRANDE PRÊMIO DE SÃO PAULO 2023 - Race Results
Elon Musk's X, the social media site formerly known as Twitter, is selling user accounts that are no longer in use for the price of $50,000 and higher. According to Forbes, a team within the company, known as the @Handle Team, has started to work on a handle marketplace to sell the account names left unused by people who originally registered them. Notably, this comes months after Mr Musk unveiled a plan to implement such a program in the near future.
Now, Forbes has uncovered emails indicating that the @Handle Team is actively working to sell disused user handles. The outlet reported that X has already sent solicitations to potential buyers, requesting a fixed fee of $50,000 to initiate the account purchase. These emails were sent by active X employees, who mentioned that the company had made recent updates to its @Handle guidelines, procedures and fees. Notably, after his purchase of the micro-blogging site, Mr Musk had hinted towards his plans to sell the old usernames. "Vast number" of handles had been taken by "bots and trolls", he tweeted days after his Twitter acquisition. In January this year, several reports then suggested that the billionaire was planning to free up as many as 1.5 billion usernames. In May, X had already begun the process of removing inactive accounts from its platform. Forbes reported that on Friday evening, X's username registration policy still stated that "unfortunately, we cannot release inactive usernames at this time". Its "inactive account policy," on the other hand, warned users to log in every 30 days to avoid being considered inactive. But it also said X was not currently releasing inactive usernames. Meanwhile, Elon Musk has indicated his desire to transform X into an "everything app". In a post, the billionaire said that the rebranded platform would be expanded to offer "comprehensive communications and the ability to conduct your entire financial world". In a recent internal meeting, Mr Musk also dropped a hint at an unlikely new feature for the micro-blogging site - dating. Musk said a person's X posts can be "the biggest indicator" of whether they are someone you'd want to hire. "I think the same is true also on the romantic front. Finding someone on the platform. Obviously, I found someone and friends of mine have found people on the platform. And you can tell if you're a good match based on what they write," he added.
FORMULA 1 ROLEX GRANDE PRÊMIO DE SÃO PAULO 2023 - Sprint Race Results
The five current members of the BRICS group increased trade by 56% from 2017 to 2022, reaching some $422 billion worth of turnover last year, Bloomberg reported on Friday.
BRICS currently comprises Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, but will be joined by Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE this coming January. The decision to accept the new members was made during the group’s August summit in Johannesburg. According to analyst estimates, the expanded group will represent nearly half of global output by 2040, doubling the share of the Group of Seven (G7), which consists of the US, Canada, UK, France, Italy, Germany, and Japan. Earlier this year, Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed that BRICS already outpaced the G7 states in terms of the purchasing power parity (PPP) of their populations. Experts project the combined gross domestic product (GDP) of the expanded BRICS in terms of PPP to amount to roughly $65 trillion. This would push the group’s share of global GDP up from the current 31.5% to 37%. In comparison, the share of the G7 is currently around 29.9%. BRICS was originally ‘BRIC’, a term coined by economists using the first letter of four nations – Brazil, Russia, India, and China – that were seen as having the potential to dominate the world economy in the 21st century. These countries first came together in 2006 and later welcomed South Africa as a new member, adding the letter ‘S’ to the acronym. Originally formed largely for the purpose of highlighting investment opportunities among members, the group has become instrumental in building a new “multipolar” world order that will help give a stronger voice to the Global South. In 2014, the BRICS group launched its own international lender, the New Development Bank (NDB), which was seen as an alternative to US-dominated financial institutions such as the IMF and World Bank. It provides funding for infrastructure and sustainable development projects. The bank formally opened for business in 2015, and was later joined by Bangladesh, the UAE, Egypt, and Uruguay. |
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