Honda Motocompacto could be tiny new electric motorbike for cities

Via: Nerm_L  •  News Viners  •  5 Comments  •  1 Like  •  yesterday

“Remember Honda's Motocompo from the early 1980s? It was a tiny little gas-powered motorcycle designed to fit in the trunk...”

Yet another retro-designed niche market EV.  A lot of old (and dated) futuristic designs are being pulled off the shelves to jump onto the EV bandwagon.  Were these designs really ahead of their time? The trend toward smaller, compact vehicles that augment ICE vehicles may portend the future....

Artillery Is Breaking in Ukraine. It's Becoming a Problem for the Pentagon

Via: Nerm_L  •  News Viners  •  5 Comments  •  4 Likes  •  yesterday

“Ukrainian soldiers are firing thousands of shells daily, forcing the U.S. to replace gun barrels across the border in Poland.”

The military cannot fight a war without factories.  That's why the combat military is only the tip of the spear.  A prolonged war is a test of industrial capability and capacity.

Europe accuses US of profiting from war

Via: Nerm_L  •  News Viners  •  7 Comments  •  2 Likes  •  2 days ago

“EU officials attack Joe Biden over sky-high gas prices, weapons sales and trade as Vladimir Putin's war threatens to destroy Western unity.”

Another day, another typical European Union attack on the United States.  Vladimir Putin is not responsible for the EU adopting parasitic policies that cannot be sustained.  Putin is not responsible for the Inflation Reduction Act.  Putin is not responsible for the EU erecting trade barriers on...

Degrowth: A dangerous idea or the answer to the world's biggest problems?

Via: Nerm_L  •  News Viners  •  10 Comments  •  1 Like  •  one week ago

“But what if growth is at best doing little to fix the world's problems, and at worst fostering the destruction of the planet and jeopardizing its...”

So much spin is being employed that the reporting risks flying apart.  The real issue is sustainability.  Trying to obscure that fact with a cloud of euphemistic smoke about 'degrowth' is nothing more than rank newspeak disinformation.  The current global economic model of 'growth' is not...

Donald Trump says he'll run for president again in 2024

Via: Nerm_L  •  News Viners  •  50 Comments  •  3 Likes  •  2 weeks ago

“The announcement sets up a possible rematch of 2020's bitter contest with President Joe Biden.”

That chicken has crossed the road.  By announcing a campaign this soon, Trump has given up the power of the tease.  Trump would garner more press coverage by continuing to hint at a possible run.  Stick a fork in this campaign, it's done.  Trump has already lost the nomination. But the MAGA...

Biden: 'Unlikely' missile that hit Poland fired from Russia

Via: Nerm_L  •  News Viners  •  19 Comments  •  4 Likes  •  2 weeks ago

“I'm going to make sure we find out exactly what happened”

A man in search of nuance.  Or, how tough words can come back to bite you on the ass. We really don't know who is doing what in Ukraine.  Yet, we are to believe that the United States has granular data tracking the trajectories of individual missiles.  Interesting, to say the least. The...

U.S. scrambles to reassure Ukraine after Milley comments on negotiations

Via: Nerm_L  •  News Viners  •  28 Comments  •  3 Likes  •  2 weeks ago

“The top general's remarks about a "window" for talks angered Ukrainian officials, people familiar with the matter said.”

Now the tail is wagging the dog, like it or not.  History shows that it's very easy to wade into a quagmire but it's damned hard to get out. Note the elevation of hardliners in the conduct of the war, too.  Diplomacy is a bad word that cannot be spoken out loud.  Any attempt to deescalate and...

'Tasty and That's It': Russia's knock-off McDonald's goes international

Via: Nerm_L  •  News Viners  •  10 Comments  •  2 Likes  •  2 weeks ago

“The Russian fast food chain 'Tasty and That's It' is expanding across borders, opening up stores in Belarus for the first time.”

McDonald's sold its Russian operations to a Russian buyer, Alexander Govor.  So, this isn't exactly a knock-off that's competing with McDonald's.  This is a rebranded replacement for McDonald's.  And it looks like replacing McDonald's is going to succeed.

US to buy South Korean howitzer rounds to send to Ukraine

Via: Nerm_L  •  News Viners  •  5 Comments  •  2 Likes  •  2 weeks ago

“The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because details of the deal had not been made public.”

So, every Cold War conflict is being revived.  No doubt before the Ukrainian war is over we'll be hearing about the involvement of Vietnam and Cuba, too. The thing is that the war in Ukraine is not an ideological war.  Russia is not fighting to overthrow the West's contrived democracies.  And...

Here's a game plan: Biden replaces Harris with Newsom and then resigns

Via: Nerm_L  •  News Viners  •  11 Comments  •  3 Likes  •  2 weeks ago

“Biden and Harris are already attaching a drag to the Democrats' chances to retain the White House in 2024 — should the party jettison them?”

Let the 2024 games begin with a whirl of nonsense.  The proposed 'strategy' of replacing Biden with Newsom does conform with Democrat political priorities to game the system.    The idea being floated is as nonsensical as the idea of a red wave.  This is nothing more than a media concoction...