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DSCF2285: photo by Maksim Tsekhanovich, 5 April 2018
![Bothered Guard | by Ktoine]()
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Bothered Guard [Kremlin, Moscow]: photo by Antoine K, 18 September 2015
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***: photo bySvilen Nachev, 15 December 2017
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Untitled[Istanbul]: photo by Metin Elkin, 27 July 2016
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Untitled[Istanbul]: photo by Metin Elkin, 27 July 2016
![;] | by www.bawgaj.eu /Brighton now/]()
Untitled[Poland]: photo by Przemek Strzelecki, 3 April 2018
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Lviv, April 2018: photo by Taras Bychko, 9 April 2018
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Lviv, April 2018: photo by Taras Bychko, 9 April 2018
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Untitled: photo by Bojan Nikolic, 9 February 2018
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If @justinbieber were to perform at #Coachella, what would be your dream setlist?: image via Bkstg @Bkstg, 15 April 2018
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#France Protesters (Rear) face anti-riot officers of the Gendarmerie Mobile security forces during an ongoing operation to clear the ZAD (Zone a Defendre - Zone to defend) decade-old anti-airport camp in Notre-Dame-des-Landes. #AFP #NDDL #XAD Photo @DanielMeyerAfp: image via AFP Photo @AFPphoto, 15 April 2018
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Palestinian relatives of Hamas gunman Mohammed Hejelah, who was killed in an Israeli air strike, mourn during his funeral in Gaza City.: image via Reuters Pictures @reuterspictures, 15 April 2018
"Turkey welcomes US-led strikes targeting Assad regime in Syria".
"Too Many Questions" (Wood). The randomness of choosing chemical weapons as the 'red line'. You need something you can simply allege without immediately having to produce proof, and something other than the reality, which is the Khazars have bribed and blackmailed the US and its most embarrassing lackeys into requiring regime change in a sovereign country. Of course, the level of chutzpah behind Americans or Israelis complaining about chemical weapons is simply obscene.
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Trump’s personal lawyer Michael Cohen leaves a hotel in New York City on Friday.: photo by Jeenah Moon/Reuters, 13 April 2018
DSCF2285: photo by Maksim Tsekhanovich, 5 April 2018
DSCF2285: photo by Maksim Tsekhanovich, 5 April 2018
Bothered Guard [Kremlin, Moscow]: photo by Antoine K, 18 September 2015
Bothered Guard [Kremlin, Moscow]: photo by Antoine K, 18 September 2015
***: photo bySvilen Nachev, 15 December 2017
Untitled: photo byAlexei Yuriev, 14 April 2018
Untitled[Istanbul]: photo by Metin Elkin, 27 July 2016
Untitled[Istanbul]: photo by Metin Elkin, 27 July 2016
![;] | by www.bawgaj.eu /Brighton now/](http://c1.staticflickr.com/1/783/41223418891_945f58020a_b.jpg)
Untitled[Poland]: photo by Przemek Strzelecki, 3 April 2018
Lviv, April 2018: photo by Taras Bychko, 9 April 2018
Lviv, April 2018: photo by Taras Bychko, 9 April 2018
Untitled: photo by Bojan Nikolic, 9 February 2018
Untitled: photo by Bojan Nikolic, 9 February 2018
Untitled:photo by Bojan Nikolic, 19 December 2017
Untitled: photo by Bojan Nikolic, 19 December 2017
Untitled: photo by Bojan Nikolic, 19 December 2017
If @justinbieber were to perform at #Coachella, what would be your dream setlist?: image via Bkstg @Bkstg, 15 April 2018
A Syrian firefighter is seen inside the destroyed Scientific Research Centre in Damascus, after air strikes on the facility that Western countries say was part of a covert Syrian government chemical weapons program. Photo Omar Sanadiki: image via Reuters Pictures @reuterspictures, 14 April 2018
Palestinian demonstrators shout during clashes with Israeli troops at a protest demanding the right to return to their homeland at the Israel-Gaza border. Photo Mohammed Salem: image via Reuters Pictures @reuterspictures, 14 April 2018
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#France Protesters (Rear) face anti-riot officers of the Gendarmerie Mobile security forces during an ongoing operation to clear the ZAD (Zone a Defendre - Zone to defend) decade-old anti-airport camp in Notre-Dame-des-Landes. #AFP #NDDL #XAD Photo @DanielMeyerAfp: image via AFP Photo @AFPphoto, 15 April 2018
Palestinian relatives of Hamas gunman Mohammed Hejelah, who was killed in an Israeli air strike, mourn during his funeral in Gaza City.: image via Reuters Pictures @reuterspictures, 15 April 2018
XYMPHORA: Sunday, April 15, 2018
Coolest
"WE'RE BACK"– Letter to 21WIRE Readers" (Henningsen). Concerted Denial of Service attacks during the last week against websites telling the truth about Syria.
"Turkey welcomes US-led strikes targeting Assad regime in Syria".
"We need to go big in Syria. North Korea is watching." (Thiessen)!
The 'coolest''photo'. You'd think he would be summarily fired, but this is his job!
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Damascus, under fire as seen by my colleague @HassanAmmar5: image via Maya Alleruzzo @mayaalleruzzo, 7.55 PM 13 April 2018
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Preparation and a phone call from a friend helped AP photographer @HassanAmmar5 capture this gripping image of missile fire over the skies of Damascus.: image via The Associated Press @AP, 15 April 2018
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In this Saturday, April 14, 2018 photo, missiles streak across the Damascus skyline as the U.S. launches an attack on Syria targeting different parts of the capital.: photo by Hassan Ammar/AP, 14 April 2018
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In this Saturday, April 14, 2018 file photo, a Syrian soldier films the damage of the Syrian Scientific Research Center which was attacked by U.S., British and French military strikes to punish President Bashar Assad for suspected chemical attack against civilians, in Barzeh, near Damascus, Syria.: photo by Hassan Ammar/AP, 14 April 2018
In the interest of transparency, I deleted this tweet. It was a poor choice of words on my part after little sleep in an effort to compliment a colleague's work. I in no way meant to glorify military action.: image via Ben Hubbard @NYTBen, 10.36 AM 14 April 2018
Damascus, under fire as seen by my colleague @HassanAmmar5: image via Maya Alleruzzo @mayaalleruzzo, 7.55 PM 13 April 2018
The Damascus sky lights up with missile fire as the US launches an attack on Syria.: photo by Hassan Ammar/AP, 13 April 2018
Preparation and a phone call from a friend helped AP photographer @HassanAmmar5 capture this gripping image of missile fire over the skies of Damascus.: image via The Associated Press @AP, 15 April 2018
In this Saturday, April 14, 2018 photo, missiles streak across the Damascus skyline as the U.S. launches an attack on Syria targeting different parts of the capital.: photo by Hassan Ammar/AP, 14 April 2018
In this Saturday, April 14, 2018 file photo, a Syrian soldier films the damage of the Syrian Scientific Research Center which was attacked by U.S., British and French military strikes to punish President Bashar Assad for suspected chemical attack against civilians, in Barzeh, near Damascus, Syria.: photo by Hassan Ammar/AP, 14 April 2018
A very meta tweet.
I believe that the US, UK, and France did the right thing by striking Syria over chemical weapons. It will not stop the war nor save the Syrian people from many other horrors. It is illegal under international law. But it at least draws a line somewhere and says enough.:
"Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar 'in a coma' at Paris hospital". "Libyan strongman Khalifa Haftar hospitalised in Paris - spokesperson". Stroke/coma or normal checkups?"Mystery over missing Dubai princess deepens after claims she was abducted by commandos 'enforcing Islamic law'". "Dubai princess will be 'drugged and held against her will' after her failed escape from the Arab state, claims the blonde Finnish friend who tried to help her flee". Guys like MbS and MbZ are the new moral arbiters of the world.
"'The Spy' is Netflix's chronicle of Israeli secret agent Eli Cohen". Israeli 007, goyim, from a producer of the pure Zionist propaganda, 'Homeland', starring, appropriately, Borat, and from the iffy network Netflix.
"How Israel Postponed WW3 (inadvertently)" (Atzmon). Not an inspiring display of might, with the bonus that the generals are afraid if they put all their ships in one place the Russians will just sink them. "Are We Over the US/UK Fomented Crisis In Syria?" (Roberts):
"How was the feared conflict between the US and Russia avoided? From what I have been able to learn, the US Joint Chiefs of Staff would not accept the risk of conflict with Russia. The reason is not that the Joint Chiefs are more moral, more caring about the deaths and injuries that would result, or less inclined to go to war based on lies. Their objection was based on the lack of protection US Navy ships have from the new Russian weapons systems. An attack that brought a Russian response could sink the US flotilla and present the US with a humiliating defeat that would discredit American military prowess.Tweet (Shaun King):
Bolton’s position was that Putin is a pussy who, as in every previous case, will do nothing. Bolton’s position is that the Russians are so scared of US military might that they will not respond to any US attack on their forces and Syrian forces. The Russians, Bolton says, will do what they always do. They will whine about the crime to the UN, and the Western media will ignore them as always.
The US Secretary of War, Mattis, represented the Joint Chiefs opinion. What, Mattis asked, if the Russians have had enough and do what they are capable of and sink the US flotilla? Is Trump prepared to accept a defeat engineered by his National Security Adviser? Is Trump prepared for a possible wider conflict?
The Joint Chiefs would rather use the orchestrated “Syrian crisis” to argue for more money, not to go to war that could be terminable of their retirement plans. The Joint Chiefs can tell Congress: “We couldn’t risk conflict with Russia over the use of chemical weapons in Syria because we were outgunned. We need more money.” The older American generation will rementer the fantasy “missile gap” of the Nixon/Kennedy presidential campaign that was used to boost US defense spending.
It would be a mistake for anyone to conclude that common sense has prevailed and the conflict has been resolved. What has prevailed is the Joint Chiefs’ fear of a defeat. The next crisis that Washington orchestrates will be on terms less favorable to Russian arms.
Bolton, the neoconservatives and the Israeli interest that they represent will go to work on Mattis and the dissenting generals. Leaks will appear in the presstitute media that are designed to discredit Mattis and to foment Trump’s distrust. The neoconservatives will advance military men more in line with the neoconservatives’ aggressiveness to positions on the Joint Chiefs."
"112 tomahawk missiles launched at Syria.But the problem, goyim, is that you are starving the poor cash-strapped Pentagon of money.
Each costs $1.87M to make.
That's $224M total.
Estimated cost to replace Flint's pipes? $55M."
"Poison Gas: Weapon of Choice for “False News”" (Koenig). Now we have a situation where, whenever a War For The Jews, up to and including WWIII, is required by the Khazars, it can be engineered by having the human organ eaters, part of the Ziowahhabican proxy army, kill a bunch of women and children and then have British intelligence and its PR 'rescue' teams claim there was a Syrian government chemical attack. You don't want that kind of easy on-off switch for WWIII.
"Too Many Questions" (Wood). The randomness of choosing chemical weapons as the 'red line'. You need something you can simply allege without immediately having to produce proof, and something other than the reality, which is the Khazars have bribed and blackmailed the US and its most embarrassing lackeys into requiring regime change in a sovereign country. Of course, the level of chutzpah behind Americans or Israelis complaining about chemical weapons is simply obscene.
"USLaunches Impotent Attack on Non-existent "Chemical Facilities"" (Cartalucci). The paradox of blowing up random chemical factories and storage facilities to 'protect civilians' from exposure to toxic chemicals.
"Pentagon replied to tough questions on Syria strikes… but didn’t really answer".
"Video: There Are Some ‘Problems’ with the Gas Cylinders Videos Used by the White Helmets as “Evidence” of Douma Attack" (South Front).
"An Empire Built on Fear at Home and Abroad" (Petras). The fear model versus the economic development and prosperity model of the Chinese and Russians. It is not a difficult choice.
"Syrian Army Declares Victory Over Rebels In Eastern Ghouta, Just Hours After Airstrikes" (Durden). It is funny how much mileage, and how many Wars For The Jews, the Khazars got out of the 'War on Terror', only to turn it into the 'War on Those Who Fight Terror'.
"Michael Cohen and the End Stage of the Trump Presidency" (Davidson). Details of the blackmailing. The fact that Trump had sleazy business associates, mostly a revolting collection of Khazars, and a sleazy personal life, was known to voters and factored into voting decisions. Still missing is any evidence of Russian political control over Trump, but seizing Cohen's files is an obvious way of getting around lawyer-client confidentiality to pressure Trump for more war. I'm sure there's lots of stuff in Cohen's files that isn't evidence of a Russian political problem but is deeply embarrassing and financially problematic for Trump. The blackmailers will continue to have a big lever over Trump whenever they demand a war.
Trump’s personal lawyer Michael Cohen leaves a hotel in New York City on Friday.: photo by Jeenah Moon/Reuters, 13 April 2018
XYMPHORA:Saturday, April 14, 2018
Putin, wat do?
It is a striking and informative cohencidence - that's the technical term - that the Cohen stuff (with a consequent strong blackmail possibility against Trump), the Libby pardon, the arrival of Bolton on the scene, and the Trump attack on Syria, all happened at the same time. Plus, we have the background of the finalization of the Assad win in Syria (with no regime change), the current round of Israeli massacres in Gaza, and the Skripal hoax false-flag poisoning (now with a US/UK toxin: "Independent Swiss Lab Says 'BZ Toxin' Used In Skripal Poisoning; US/UK-Produced, Not Russian"). This is no longer even much of an IQ test. We know exactly who the (((culprits))) are, (((they))) could not have made it more clear.
Putin needs to send a strong message that this nonsense can't continue, but he also has to avoid what (((they))) clearly want, WWIII, and regime change in Russia (so Yinon and various other Zionist imperial plans can continue without Russian interference). America isn't the deep problem, as it is firmly under ZOG (Zionist Occupation Government), and is acting under extreme duress and pressure, the usual shekeling and a rather extreme form of blackmail. The real enemy are the Khazars and their crime scene passing as a state, Israel. The Israelis have given up on any of the usual international civilities: "Israel's shadow interests: warned US about strike on Syria, did NOT warn Russia".
The neocons want to see Russia retaliating by an attack in Ukraine or the Baltic. They want to get NATO involved, and thus a quick and painless transition into WWIII. Putin needs to focus on making life difficult for Israel. Russia has been mostly friendly to Israel, largely due to Chabad influence in Moscow. In the light of the fact that the Khazars are now an undeniable existential threat to Russia, the gloves have to come off. No more of these unchallenged adventures over Syria and Lebanon (as you can see, it is not stopping): "At Least 20 Dead After Israeli Warplanes Strike Iranian Military Base In Southern Syria: Reports". Despite the fact, as we all know, that international law doesn't apply to Jews, no more looking the other way at the daily Jewish atrocities. No more diplomatic or military niceties. Most importantly, and directly to the point, a much, much closer relationship with Iran, maybe even a mutual defense pact. There is already a 'cooperation' agreement, but given that the Khazar attack is against Syria, Iraq and Russia, there needs to be something that will impose a real cost on further Khazar machinations and manipulation of the US.
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'A modern-day Cleopatra... One of Beyoncé's many Coachellla costumes.: photo by Larry Busacca/Getty Images for Coachella, 15 April 2018
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Uncrampable style... Beyoncé performing at Coachella.: photo by Larry Busacca/Getty Images for Coachella, 15 April 2018
It is a striking and informative cohencidence - that's the technical term - that the Cohen stuff (with a consequent strong blackmail possibility against Trump), the Libby pardon, the arrival of Bolton on the scene, and the Trump attack on Syria, all happened at the same time. Plus, we have the background of the finalization of the Assad win in Syria (with no regime change), the current round of Israeli massacres in Gaza, and the Skripal hoax false-flag poisoning (now with a US/UK toxin: "Independent Swiss Lab Says 'BZ Toxin' Used In Skripal Poisoning; US/UK-Produced, Not Russian"). This is no longer even much of an IQ test. We know exactly who the (((culprits))) are, (((they))) could not have made it more clear.
Putin needs to send a strong message that this nonsense can't continue, but he also has to avoid what (((they))) clearly want, WWIII, and regime change in Russia (so Yinon and various other Zionist imperial plans can continue without Russian interference). America isn't the deep problem, as it is firmly under ZOG (Zionist Occupation Government), and is acting under extreme duress and pressure, the usual shekeling and a rather extreme form of blackmail. The real enemy are the Khazars and their crime scene passing as a state, Israel. The Israelis have given up on any of the usual international civilities: "Israel's shadow interests: warned US about strike on Syria, did NOT warn Russia".
The neocons want to see Russia retaliating by an attack in Ukraine or the Baltic. They want to get NATO involved, and thus a quick and painless transition into WWIII. Putin needs to focus on making life difficult for Israel. Russia has been mostly friendly to Israel, largely due to Chabad influence in Moscow. In the light of the fact that the Khazars are now an undeniable existential threat to Russia, the gloves have to come off. No more of these unchallenged adventures over Syria and Lebanon (as you can see, it is not stopping): "At Least 20 Dead After Israeli Warplanes Strike Iranian Military Base In Southern Syria: Reports". Despite the fact, as we all know, that international law doesn't apply to Jews, no more looking the other way at the daily Jewish atrocities. No more diplomatic or military niceties. Most importantly, and directly to the point, a much, much closer relationship with Iran, maybe even a mutual defense pact. There is already a 'cooperation' agreement, but given that the Khazar attack is against Syria, Iraq and Russia, there needs to be something that will impose a real cost on further Khazar machinations and manipulation of the US.
'A modern-day Cleopatra... One of Beyoncé's many Coachellla costumes.: photo by Larry Busacca/Getty Images for Coachella, 15 April 2018
Pre-WWIII
Make no mistake, the legal attacks on Cohen on Friday - TPM was practically beside itself with glee all day - were a big part of the pressure on Trump to do something for Sheldon and the Khazar hordes: "They've Got a Gun to Trump’s Head" (Batty). Most people won't completely betray their country and western civilization for just shekels - the blackmail component is key.
It is quite in your face when Mattis stands up and admits they don't know what happened, and Trump 'retaliates' anyway. Also, it is a bit choice when Trump 'retaliates' for killing civilians by firing missiles at civilian areas. This is essentially a statement by the neocons that they are fully back in charge and will now push, as always, for pure Khazar supremacist goals in the incremental method that the Khazars are famous for using. In a real sense, the constant wall of opposition to these particular Khazar plans meant they had to get something from Trump, just to prove definitively who was back in charge (never forget that they will always be convinced that any opposition to their plans, including WWIII, is just Jew-hatred). Most of the American warships are still steaming towards Syria and Iran, and there is no reason to think this is over.
"The Goyim are Not the Least Bit Excited for Shlomo’s Next Big War" (Anglin). They carry on despite the massive wall of propaganda not working. You can see why comment sections are disappearing from the internet.
"Just Who’s Pulling the Strings?" (Murray). It is important to remember that MbS has no fine ability to pull the strings like the Khazars can. He is more of an excuse for doing what they wanted to do anyway (truth be told, I'm sure they all fawn all over him and then laugh behind his back).
"Curious timing for missile attacks against Syria. Was Trump covering up UK’s guilt?" (Christoforou). There is a possibility that one of the motives for the attack was to destroy the false-flag 'crime scene' so impartial investigators can never determine if there was a Syrian government gas attack in East Ghouta. This is a prudent thing to do if you have been ordered by the Khazars to 'retaliate' without evidence.
Meanwhile: "Israel targets reporters, medics in Gaza protests" and "Palestinians lose legs as Israel punishes them by denying medical care" (Murphy). Uncontroversial gassing, goyim: "Israeli Forces Target School with Tear Gas".
Uncrampable style... Beyoncé performing at Coachella.: photo by Larry Busacca/Getty Images for Coachella, 15 April 2018
XYMPHORA:Friday, April 14, 2018
Shared IntelligenceTweet (Israel Breaking):
Putin, wat do?; Pre-WWIII; Shared Intelligence, via XYMPHORA, 14 April 2018
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‘A leader of a huge group and a solo star of unconquerable talent’ ... Beyoncé and her big band.: photo by Larry Busacca/Getty Images for Coachella, 15 April 2018
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#Fashion of the times. Photo @platon @volkskrantmag via @coverjunkie #GeorgeLois: image via Reading The Pictures @ReadingThePix, 15 April 2018
With guest spots from husband Jay Z, sister Solange and a reunited Destiny’s Child, this was a show about more than just music – it was about female power and self-belief: Eve Barlow, The Guardian,
It’s true: Beyoncé’s style cannot be cramped. When she headlined Glastonbury for the festival's 40th anniversary, in 2011, it was big for Beyoncé. Tonight’s performance, in the slot she was initially scheduled to do in 2017 (before announcing her second pregnancy), is big for Coachella.
She comes out dressed as a modern-day Cleopatra, revealing herself at the end of that catwalk behind scores of dancers led by a Black Panther mascot. “Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Beyoncé homecoming 2018,” is the announcement over the tannoy, as a full marching band and orchestra take position on an enormous pyramid structure on the stage. Before the first song kicks in, Beyoncé has changed outfits into booty shorts and a jersey. “Coachella, y’all ready?” she says, and launches into Crazy in Love.
Thus begins a show that is somehow not just about Beyoncé. She makes it about far more than her or her career: it’s about black excellence, female power and the unrelenting possibility of self-belief. She has only a handful of white dancers among a reported 100. Her set is in thrall to soul, jazz, gospel, dance, melody and music itself. With her second song, Freedom, she creates a literal movement with her orchestra in motion; it feels like a march for purpose.
Tonight, Beyoncé plays political as fiercely as she plays feminist. During Sorry she hones in on the line “suck on my balls” with furious wrath. She flits between going hard and expressing sweet graciousness towards the audience during her addresses. The artistry of the transitions between songs, and the travel across her 20-year catalogue – combined with the sheer awe of scores of people on stage moving and playing in perfect unison – proves that Beyoncé is in a league of her own. She is the greatest of a generation, both a leader of a huge group and a solo star of unconquerable talent.
She’s also indebted to her musical past, and not just her own history. She splices Drunk in Love with Nina Simone’s Lilac Wine, elevated on a crane over the crowd. She has a go at husband Jay Z’s back catalogue, her orchestra alluding to Dirt Off Your Shoulder. There are classic hits from her early solo days, including Baby Boy; outings of the likes of Flawless and Don’t Hurt Yourself showcase her rock stardom with her third outfit change into black PVC. When she sings the infamous line “I woke up like this”, she turns to Coachella and asks: “How did you wake up this morning?”
The thing is, Beyonce did wake up like this. There is clearly a double entendre to the notion of wokeness, but the show doesn’t get woke at the expense of actually waking everyone up to the joy and togetherness of live performance.
Once she’s proved her mettle more times than necessary the thought of potential guests starts looming. She covers a smidgen of Dawn Penn’s You Don’t Love Me (No, No, No) and you wonder if it might segue into Destiny’s Child’s No, No, No, but not yet. There are a few hits to get through – Hold Up, Countdown, Check on It – and then Jay Z comes out for Deja Vu. After Beyoncé has spent almost an hour singing scorned female anthems about adultery, they display a heart-melting chemistry for one another. Moving into Run the World, however, she appears in army khaki, and you know it’s coming. She has to paid her dues to the thing that got her to this point.
It’s the reunion of Beyoncé, Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams; destiny arrives with Destiny’s Child. Lose My Breath kicks off a throwback trio, including a meaty ecstatic rendition of Say My Name and then a fun-packed Soldier. For her final guest appearance, Beyoncé’s little sister, Solange, comes on to complete the family love-in, with a dance-off between the two that sings of sweet solidarity and universal sisterhood, before ending things with Single Ladies and Love on Top.
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#Beyonce even did a nail change. We are not worthy. #Beychella: image via LowerBudgetSolange @Cheylonge, 15 April 2018 ![]()
our fav could never![👑]( "Crown")
#Beychella #Coachella ![]()
#Beyonce: image via Beyoncé No Brasil @beynorasil, 15 April 2018
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"BREAKING: Israeli intelligence shared intelligence on targets to identify and strike in Syria tonight. - Fox News"'Shared intelligence' = 'gave explicit orders on where to strike'.
Putin, wat do?; Pre-WWIII; Shared Intelligence, via XYMPHORA, 14 April 2018
‘A leader of a huge group and a solo star of unconquerable talent’ ... Beyoncé and her big band.: photo by Larry Busacca/Getty Images for Coachella, 15 April 2018
#Fashion of the times. Photo @platon @volkskrantmag via @coverjunkie #GeorgeLois: image via Reading The Pictures @ReadingThePix, 15 April 2018
Beyoncé at Coachella review – greatest star of her generation writes herself into history
5 / 5 stars‘Is that a catwalk?” says one woman, awaiting the arrival of this year’s Saturday night headliner. “It’s Beyoncé. Of course, it’s a catwalk,” snaps another. “Is she gonna bring any guests out? She doesn’t want someone to cramp her style, right?” says the woman. “Dude, her style is uncrampable,” comes the reply.
It’s true: Beyoncé’s style cannot be cramped. When she headlined Glastonbury for the festival's 40th anniversary, in 2011, it was big for Beyoncé. Tonight’s performance, in the slot she was initially scheduled to do in 2017 (before announcing her second pregnancy), is big for Coachella.
She comes out dressed as a modern-day Cleopatra, revealing herself at the end of that catwalk behind scores of dancers led by a Black Panther mascot. “Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Beyoncé homecoming 2018,” is the announcement over the tannoy, as a full marching band and orchestra take position on an enormous pyramid structure on the stage. Before the first song kicks in, Beyoncé has changed outfits into booty shorts and a jersey. “Coachella, y’all ready?” she says, and launches into Crazy in Love.
Thus begins a show that is somehow not just about Beyoncé. She makes it about far more than her or her career: it’s about black excellence, female power and the unrelenting possibility of self-belief. She has only a handful of white dancers among a reported 100. Her set is in thrall to soul, jazz, gospel, dance, melody and music itself. With her second song, Freedom, she creates a literal movement with her orchestra in motion; it feels like a march for purpose.
Tonight, Beyoncé plays political as fiercely as she plays feminist. During Sorry she hones in on the line “suck on my balls” with furious wrath. She flits between going hard and expressing sweet graciousness towards the audience during her addresses. The artistry of the transitions between songs, and the travel across her 20-year catalogue – combined with the sheer awe of scores of people on stage moving and playing in perfect unison – proves that Beyoncé is in a league of her own. She is the greatest of a generation, both a leader of a huge group and a solo star of unconquerable talent.
She’s also indebted to her musical past, and not just her own history. She splices Drunk in Love with Nina Simone’s Lilac Wine, elevated on a crane over the crowd. She has a go at husband Jay Z’s back catalogue, her orchestra alluding to Dirt Off Your Shoulder. There are classic hits from her early solo days, including Baby Boy; outings of the likes of Flawless and Don’t Hurt Yourself showcase her rock stardom with her third outfit change into black PVC. When she sings the infamous line “I woke up like this”, she turns to Coachella and asks: “How did you wake up this morning?”
The thing is, Beyonce did wake up like this. There is clearly a double entendre to the notion of wokeness, but the show doesn’t get woke at the expense of actually waking everyone up to the joy and togetherness of live performance.
Once she’s proved her mettle more times than necessary the thought of potential guests starts looming. She covers a smidgen of Dawn Penn’s You Don’t Love Me (No, No, No) and you wonder if it might segue into Destiny’s Child’s No, No, No, but not yet. There are a few hits to get through – Hold Up, Countdown, Check on It – and then Jay Z comes out for Deja Vu. After Beyoncé has spent almost an hour singing scorned female anthems about adultery, they display a heart-melting chemistry for one another. Moving into Run the World, however, she appears in army khaki, and you know it’s coming. She has to paid her dues to the thing that got her to this point.
It’s the reunion of Beyoncé, Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams; destiny arrives with Destiny’s Child. Lose My Breath kicks off a throwback trio, including a meaty ecstatic rendition of Say My Name and then a fun-packed Soldier. For her final guest appearance, Beyoncé’s little sister, Solange, comes on to complete the family love-in, with a dance-off between the two that sings of sweet solidarity and universal sisterhood, before ending things with Single Ladies and Love on Top.
Mid-way through the set, Beyonce had turned to the crowd and, with total sincerity and humility, said: “Thank you for allowing me to be the first black woman to headline Coachella.” The crowd left the Polo fields with only one thing to say: “I was there.”
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Always increasing the Standard, never disappointing fans, always derserving [sic] the recognitions #beychella #beyonce: image via #BeyChella @EnchantedPapaya, 15 April 2018
I woke up like this![💅🏽]( "Nail polish (medium skin tone)")
#coachelladay2 #Beyonce: image via paloma @PalomaParedes, 15 April 2018
#coachelladay2 #Beyonce: image via paloma @PalomaParedes, 15 April 2018Putinettes ("I woke up like this...")
I woke up like this in the red dirt parking lot seeing late capitalism explode all around me
with these special glasses I'm going to be able to watch the blasts march off to the west
without too much damage
and when the sun sinks into the desert and fires spread across the horizon from west to east
it will be time for the show to start
#Beyonce even did a nail change. We are not worthy. #Beychella: image via LowerBudgetSolange @Cheylonge, 15 April 2018
#Beyonce even did a nail change. We are not worthy. #Beychella: image via LowerBudgetSolange @Cheylonge, 15 April 2018
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#Beychella #Coachella 
#Beyonce: image via Beyoncé No Brasil @beynorasil, 15 April 2018
And THEN...did she change her nail polish during her outfit change??? No one speak to me for the rest of 2018... I need to go figure out what I’m doing with my life...k-bye...![👋🏾]( "Waving hand sign (medium dark skin tone)")
#Beyonce #Beychella #Coachella.![]()
![🔥]( "Fire")
: image via Ashlee Marie Preston @AshleeMPreston, 15 April 2018
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Untitled | Howrah 2018: photo by Koushik Sinha Roy, 8 April 2018
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Untitled | Howrah 2018: photo by Koushik Sinha Roy, 8 April 2018
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Untitled [Thailand]: photo by noppadol maitreechit, 10 April 2018
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On the Reaction to the U.S. Strike in Syria: Gilbert Doctorow, Consortium News, 15 April 2018
Others posit that the timing of the attack was driven solely by Trump’s urgent need to deflect public attention from personal and political scandals, especially after the F.B.I. seizure earlier in the week of the papers and possibly his taped conversations in the offices of his lawyer, Michael Cohen.
#Beyonce #Beychella #Coachella.
: image via Ashlee Marie Preston @AshleeMPreston, 15 April 2018
Untitled | Howrah 2018: photo by Koushik Sinha Roy, 8 April 2018
Untitled | Howrah 2018: photo by Koushik Sinha Roy, 8 April 2018
Untitled [Thailand]: photo by noppadol maitreechit, 10 April 2018
Untitled [Thailand]: photo by noppadol maitreechit, 10 April 2018
Untitled [Thailand]: photo by noppadol maitreechit, 10 April 2018
The arguments between Secretary of Defense James Mattis and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Joseph Dunford before the Syrian air strikes, and between them and President Donald Trump and his ultra-hawk national security adviser, John Bolton, ended with “precision strikes” early Saturday morning in Damascus and near the city of Homs.
Some 103 tomahawks and other cruise missiles were launched from US navy vessels and British and American warplanes. Seventy-one of these were claimed by the Russian Ministry of Defense to have been shot down by Syrian air defense batteries. The more modern and effective Russian-manned S400 systems at their Tartus naval base and Khmeimim air base were not brought into play.
There was material damage to some Syrian military storage facilities and particularly to a research center, which the US-led coalition claimed was used for fabrication of chemical weapons. Employees at the site said they were producing antidotes to snake venom, not chemical weapons. No deaths were reported and only six people were injured. The targets were all well clear of known positions of Russian and Iranian personnel in Syria. And while the Pentagon denied Russia had been told the targets, there’s speculation that the missiles’ flight paths had been made known to Moscow.
‘Mission Accomplished?’
Mattis said the mission was over but the U.S. stood ready to strike again if Assad once more used chemical weapons, though whether he did last weekend in Duma, a Damascus suburb, has yet to be proven. The U.S.-led air strikes took place hours before a team of specialists from the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons were to begin its investigation at the site to determine if chemicals were used, and which chemicals they may been.
In his address to the nation when launching the attack, Trump used the same unproven allegations and maudlin, propagandistic evocation of the horrors of chemical weapons that his ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, had used earlier in the day Friday when responding to specific charges of violating international law and a possibly non-existent chemical attack,which the Russian ambassador, Vasily Nebenzya, had leveled against the U.S. in the UN Security Council chamber.
The narrowly focused and seemingly ineffectual nature of the strikes is unlikely to satisfy anyone in the U.S. political classes. Even those who have been encouraging Trump to stand tall in Syria and punish Damascus for the alleged, but unproven, use of chemical weapons, like New York Senator Chuck Schumer (D), gave him only tepid support for the action taken, complaining of no overall administration strategy for Syria or an end game.
Others posit that the timing of the attack was driven solely by Trump’s urgent need to deflect public attention from personal and political scandals, especially after the F.B.I. seizure earlier in the week of the papers and possibly his taped conversations in the offices of his lawyer, Michael Cohen.
For the Russians there could only be outrage. They were on the receiving end of what was a publicly administered slap in the face to President Vladimir Putin, who was named and supposedly shamed in Trump’s speech for providing support to the “animal” Assad. Putin had been calling upon the U.S. and its allies to show restraint and wait for the conclusion of the OPCW investigation in Duma.
Russia’s ambassador to Washington, Anatoly Antonov, repeated after the attacks Moscow’s prior warning that there would be “grave consequences” for the U.S. and its allies. These were not spelled out. But given Putin’s record of caution, it would be surprising if Moscow did anything to exacerbate the situation.
What comes next?
That caution left the U.S. exposed as an aggressor and violator of international law. Since we are in a New Cold War, habits from the first Cold War are resurfacing. But the roles are reversed today. Whereas in the past, it was Washington that complained to high heaven about the Soviet military intervention in Hungary and Czechoslovakia, today it is Russia that will go on the offensive to sound off about US aggression.
But is that all we may expect? I think not. Putin has a well-earned reputation as a master strategist who takes his time with every move. He also knows the old saying that revenge is a dish best served cold. He has frequently advocated “asymmetric” responses to Western moves against Russian interests. The question of counter moves had already been on his mind since the U.S. Treasury introduced new and potentially harsh economic sanctions on Russia with effect from April 6.
In fact, Russian legislators were busy preparing to introduce in the Duma on Monday a bill empowering the Russian president to issue counter-sanctions. These include an embargo on the sale of critical components to the U.S. aircraft industry which is 40 percent dependent on Russian-sourced titanium for production of both military and civilian planes. There is also the proposed cancellation of bilateral cooperation in space where the Russians supply rocket engines used for U.S. commercial and other satellite launches, as well as a total embargo on sales of U.S. wines, spirits and tobacco in the Russian Federation.
Aside from the withdrawal of titanium sales, these and other enumerated measures pale in significance to the damage done by the U.S. sanctions on the Rusal corporation, the world’s second largest producer and marketer of aluminum, which lost $12 billion in share value on the first day of sanctions. But that is to be expected, given that the United States is the world’s largest economy, measuring more than 10 times Russia’s. Accordingly its ability to cause economic damage to Russia far exceeds the ability of Russia to inflict damage in return.
The only logical outcome of further escalations of U.S. economic measures would be for Russia to respond in the one area where it has something approaching full equality with the United States: its force of arms. That is to say, at a certain point in time purely economic warfare could well become kinetic. This is a danger the U.S. political leadership should not underestimate.
Considering the just inflicted U.S. insult to Russia by its attack in Syria, Moscow may well choose to respond by hitting U.S. interests in a very different location, where it enjoys logistical superiority and also where the counter-strike may be less likely to escalate to direct crossing of swords and the unthinkable—possible nuclear war.
A number of places come to mind, starting in Ukraine where, in an extreme reaction, Russia has the option of removing the regime in Kiev within a 3-day campaign, putting in place a caretaker government until new elections were held. That would likely lead to armed resistance, however, and a Russian occupation, which Moscow neither wants nor can afford.
The Media Reacts
The media reaction to the air strikes has been distinct in the U.S. from Europe, and even more so, naturally, in Russia.
U.S. mainstream reaction, in particular in The New York Times,The Washington Post and the cable TV networks, has been an uncritical platform for the Pentagon view of what it achieved. Both papers barely made mention that the missiles rained down as the OPCW team was about to begin its work.
Parading out their retired generals, often with unmentioned contracts as lobbyists for the military industry, the cable networks resumed their cheerleading for American war and materiel.
In France, Le Monde largely followed the Pentagon line in declaring the mission a success, while in Germany leading newspapers attempted a more independent line. Die Welt discussed how the U.S. and Europe used the mission to test the battleground effectiveness of some of their latest weaponry.
The Frankfurter Allgemeine called the Pentagon “the last bastion of sense” in the Trump administration and reported that the Russians want to open a strategic dialogue with the U.S. over arms control.
A commentary in the British Guardian claimed that Mattis, and not Trump, “is calling the shots.” Another piece reported on Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn’s call for a “check on military intervention” by insisting that Parliament vote on a War Powers act.
The Times of London ran fewer articles on the Syria strike and instead led with a piece predicting that to punish the United Kingdom for its role in the Skripal case and in Syria, Moscow will unleash a barrage of hacked, damaging confidential materials relating to government ministers, members of Parliament and other elite British personalities. In response, May’s cabinet is said to be considering a cyber-attack against Russia.
The TV station Euronews, whose motto is “Euronews. All Views,” unusually for Western media, gave Russians equal time to set out their totally diametrically opposed positions: on whether any chemical attacks at all occurred in Duma, and on the U.S. violation of international law.
On Saturday Euronews exceptionally gave nearly complete live coverage to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov as he spoke in Moscow to the 26th Assembly of the Council of Foreign and Defense Policy. During this talk, Lavrov divulged the findings of the Swiss laboratory which had examined samples of the chemicals gathered in Salisbury in relation to the Skripal poisonings, findings which he said pointed not to Novichok, as was claimed by Boris Johnson, but to a nerve agent developed by the United States and produced also in Britain. Lavrov likened the faked attack in Salisbury to the faked chemical attack in Duma.
Letting the Russians deliver extensively their views on what happened in Syria without commentary by their own journalists might be considered extraordinary by Euronews or any other European broadcaster’s standards.
In Russia, the news channel Rossiya-1 on Saturday broadcast a special edition of the country’s leading political talk show hosted by Vladimir Solovyov. His panelists said that in Damascus, where the most modern air defenses are installed, including the latest BUK series, the Syrians shot down 100 percent of incoming missiles. This contradicts, however, the fact that a research facility in the center of Damascus was bombed. Elsewhere in the country, where there are older systems in place, fewer missiles were hit.
In the wake of the U.S.-led air strikes, Moscow has apparently now decided to supply the
Syrian army their next to latest generation of air defense, the S300. It was reported earlier that because of the war, there was a great shortage of trained technicians on the Syrian side so that shipment of such equipment previously would have made no sense. However, now that the military situation of the Assad government has stabilized, the personnel problems are no longer so acute and the Russians can proceed with delivering materiel and training the Syrians to defend themselves. This will substantially change the equation with respect to Syrian defense capability should the U.S. and its allies think of returning.
Protests in the West
One must ask why there has been no anti-war protests in the West in reaction to the strike on Syria. That it lasted less than an hour may something to do with it. But the U.S. is at war in about seven nations and there is no sustained, anti-war movement. Part of the reason is the virtual collapse the anti-war Left in the West that fueled protests in America and Europe in the 1960s anti-Vietnam war movement and the 1980s protests against the deployment of cruise missiles in Europe to counter Soviet intermediate range SS20 missiles.
From the 1990s leftist political parties both in the U.S. and Europe have suffered terrible losses of voter support. What charismatic leaders emerge to challenge the centrist, global hegemony politicians have been almost uniformly categorized as extreme Right or populists. The peace movements have been nearly extinguished. So-called progressives are today notoriously anti-Russian and in step with the Neocons on what the legitimate world order should look like.
For these reasons, it is quite remarkable that early reactions to the US-led bombing in Syria have come from social media and internet portals that may be loosely categorized as establishment left or progressive. Dislike for Trump, for Bolton and for the crew of madmen who constitute the administration has finally outweighed hatred for Putin, “the authoritarian,” the Alpha male, the promoter of family and Orthodox Christian values and the so-called thief who stole the U.S. election. On-line petitions now being circulated, even by the Democratic Party-friendly MoveOn.org, reveal some comprehension that the world has moved closer to utter destruction due to the U.S.-Russia confrontation.
Another sign that the antiwar movement may be stirring out of its slumber and going beyond virtual protests, is that the Massachusetts Peace Action chapter, heirs to the SANE franchise, the country’s largest anti-nuclear weapons organization from the middle of the first Cold War, called on its members to rally in Cambridge (home to Harvard University and MIT) to protest the U.S. strikes in Syria. It also calls on Congress to reclaim its War Powers.
These are admittedly small steps with little political weight. But they are encouraging sparks of light in the darkness.
Gilbert Doctorow is an independent political analyst based in Brussels. His latest book is Does the United States Have a Future? (2017)
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Untitled [Taiwan]: photo by Liszt Chang, 26 March 2018
