Dec 10, 2023·edited Dec 10, 2023Liked by Unbekoming
I gave this a "like" as soon as I saw the title, "Berlin-Baghdad Railway." I knew it would be good -- and it is! Thank you!
We get such bullshit as "history" in our public fool systems that selling bullshit based on that "history" is a piece of cake. "History" is essentially a collection of fairy tales made up and sold to us via countries' "Marketing" departments.
I was in my early 30's doing an internship in a major commercial bank in Boston as part of my M.B.A. program. I worked in the Energy & Utilities division within the Commercial Finance Department. After finishing the internship, the division executive gave me a hard copy of Daniel Yergin's "The Prize: The Epic Quest for Oil, Money & Power."
It was in this book that I first came across the "Berlin-Baghdad Railway." It's one of those "Ah, ha!" moments that stay with you. In an instant, you learn that what you learned in school about WWI (and its continuation in WWII) was flat-out utter bullshit. That knowledge turned my head around completely...Germany pursuing a railway to the Middle East as its industrial power began to crush that of England? And then some "lone gunman" outta nowhere shoots some royals -- and that's what starts a world war? As if nothing else were going on the background that needed only a trigger?
Engdahl's (love him) "A Century of War" is another gem. It provides the grown-up version of political events vs. the grade-school level utter bullshit (there's that word again) we get shoveled at us in the fool system. You see grade-school level reaction and analysis today based on emotion and completely erroneous (purposely so) edu-macation.
Anyway! Comment is too long, so I'll stop here. Thank you so much for raising awareness (through your obvious hard work) of this critical factor from the last century that paved the way for the events of this one.
Dec 10, 2023·edited Dec 11, 2023Liked by Unbekoming
Thank you, Jayne! Yes...Gallipoli. Horror show...based on lies.
The prohibition against asking questions -- especially about certain topics -- poses a grave threat to us all. How easily "the people" can be made to fight for "God and country" when it is actually for the power seekers who care not one wit for whom they destroy...If they only knew how they have been used.
Western 'Democracy' like that we "Enjoy" in Canada, has been perverted beyond recognition! Awkward questions are never welcome, now they invite outright attacks by both the government and the criminals. Also in Canada, unflattering remarks about political leaders are now criminalized. Just like any dictatorship. This Law seems in abeyance till the 'New government' is installed?
If Citizens cannot enforce accountability, they are always "used" and abused!
Thanks for the background on WW1. I was aware that many historians say that the root of both WW1 and WW2 was the lateness of Germany in entering the colonial power scramble (i.e. world resource scramble), and the account of this Berlin-Baghdad Railway effort actually fits perfectly into that understanding.
Regarding your info on nuclear, I'm not convinced. Fukushima has again showed us that this technology has again not panned out well, basically because of Murphy's Law. I'm certainly no expert on nuclear, and I'm open to learning about new developments in it, but I suspect that nuclear proponents are still not telling us the entire cost of that tech. Factoring in unpredictable and potentially huge costs of waste disposal is just one such cost. Manipulating the essentials of nature to unleash huge amounts of energy is likely always a risky--and perhaps reckless--undertaking.
Excellent article, although I haven't read the book chapter at the end & now just skimming the footnotes. Bill Bryson is wonderful for presenting snippets of knowledge (one of the authors who I read for pleasure to break the grind of immersion in "current events"). In his book "The Home" he mentions a series of poor harvests in England in the 1870s which made the depression described even worse in rural areas as the merchants imported from America dealing a death-blow to not only the agricultural industry but also the gentry & vestry which depended on it, resulting in the closure/abandonment/demolision of hundreds of stately homes & parsonages in that decade. Apropos of nothing at all!
You're welcome. Prompted by this post, I just went to find Daniel's own podcast & was disappointed to find it available only on youtube (which I boycott) and Telegram (which I don't use).
Immediately after reading this essay and watching the interview with David Blackmon, in one of those curious examples of serendipity, I came across this quote, attributed to Alvin Toffler: "The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and re-learn."
Your essay and the interview with David Blackmon were enlightening to say the least. Thanks again for the continued education!
Most of us can see some small part of these monstrous manipulations. I have long understood and stated that, "Energy is the greatest extortion and control mechanism." But, I always rejected the notion that wealthy and powerful Americans saw profit from destroying the social and economic structure of the US? The easiest and cheapest way of accomplishing that goal, was to undermine and destroy democracy!
I gave this a "like" as soon as I saw the title, "Berlin-Baghdad Railway." I knew it would be good -- and it is! Thank you!
We get such bullshit as "history" in our public fool systems that selling bullshit based on that "history" is a piece of cake. "History" is essentially a collection of fairy tales made up and sold to us via countries' "Marketing" departments.
I was in my early 30's doing an internship in a major commercial bank in Boston as part of my M.B.A. program. I worked in the Energy & Utilities division within the Commercial Finance Department. After finishing the internship, the division executive gave me a hard copy of Daniel Yergin's "The Prize: The Epic Quest for Oil, Money & Power."
https://www.amazon.com/Prize-Epic-Quest-Money-Power/dp/1439110123/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1G2PX5H08VG5B&keywords=the+prize+daniel+yergin&qid=1702219499&sprefix=The+Prize%2Caps%2C198&sr=8-1
It was in this book that I first came across the "Berlin-Baghdad Railway." It's one of those "Ah, ha!" moments that stay with you. In an instant, you learn that what you learned in school about WWI (and its continuation in WWII) was flat-out utter bullshit. That knowledge turned my head around completely...Germany pursuing a railway to the Middle East as its industrial power began to crush that of England? And then some "lone gunman" outta nowhere shoots some royals -- and that's what starts a world war? As if nothing else were going on the background that needed only a trigger?
Engdahl's (love him) "A Century of War" is another gem. It provides the grown-up version of political events vs. the grade-school level utter bullshit (there's that word again) we get shoveled at us in the fool system. You see grade-school level reaction and analysis today based on emotion and completely erroneous (purposely so) edu-macation.
Anyway! Comment is too long, so I'll stop here. Thank you so much for raising awareness (through your obvious hard work) of this critical factor from the last century that paved the way for the events of this one.
What a great comment, thank you!
Didn't know about Yergin's book so will check it out.
We truly have been taught deadly fairy tales...
I've had that "Ah, ha" moment just now reading about this information. Now I understand Gallipoli and why the fight was there in Turkey.
Gallipoli is the most celebrated battle in Australia, commemorated every year with no-one understanding why all those soldiers died.
Thank you, Jayne! Yes...Gallipoli. Horror show...based on lies.
The prohibition against asking questions -- especially about certain topics -- poses a grave threat to us all. How easily "the people" can be made to fight for "God and country" when it is actually for the power seekers who care not one wit for whom they destroy...If they only knew how they have been used.
That is several questions....D
Western 'Democracy' like that we "Enjoy" in Canada, has been perverted beyond recognition! Awkward questions are never welcome, now they invite outright attacks by both the government and the criminals. Also in Canada, unflattering remarks about political leaders are now criminalized. Just like any dictatorship. This Law seems in abeyance till the 'New government' is installed?
If Citizens cannot enforce accountability, they are always "used" and abused!
Thanks for the background on WW1. I was aware that many historians say that the root of both WW1 and WW2 was the lateness of Germany in entering the colonial power scramble (i.e. world resource scramble), and the account of this Berlin-Baghdad Railway effort actually fits perfectly into that understanding.
Regarding your info on nuclear, I'm not convinced. Fukushima has again showed us that this technology has again not panned out well, basically because of Murphy's Law. I'm certainly no expert on nuclear, and I'm open to learning about new developments in it, but I suspect that nuclear proponents are still not telling us the entire cost of that tech. Factoring in unpredictable and potentially huge costs of waste disposal is just one such cost. Manipulating the essentials of nature to unleash huge amounts of energy is likely always a risky--and perhaps reckless--undertaking.
I have found Shellenberger to be balanced and convincing on the subject of nuclear
I have written about it in the past here
https://unbekoming.substack.com/p/nuclear-ivermectin
Excellent article, although I haven't read the book chapter at the end & now just skimming the footnotes. Bill Bryson is wonderful for presenting snippets of knowledge (one of the authors who I read for pleasure to break the grind of immersion in "current events"). In his book "The Home" he mentions a series of poor harvests in England in the 1870s which made the depression described even worse in rural areas as the merchants imported from America dealing a death-blow to not only the agricultural industry but also the gentry & vestry which depended on it, resulting in the closure/abandonment/demolision of hundreds of stately homes & parsonages in that decade. Apropos of nothing at all!
You're welcome. Prompted by this post, I just went to find Daniel's own podcast & was disappointed to find it available only on youtube (which I boycott) and Telegram (which I don't use).
Hey ho,
Immediately after reading this essay and watching the interview with David Blackmon, in one of those curious examples of serendipity, I came across this quote, attributed to Alvin Toffler: "The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and re-learn."
Your essay and the interview with David Blackmon were enlightening to say the least. Thanks again for the continued education!
-From the video-
Most of us can see some small part of these monstrous manipulations. I have long understood and stated that, "Energy is the greatest extortion and control mechanism." But, I always rejected the notion that wealthy and powerful Americans saw profit from destroying the social and economic structure of the US? The easiest and cheapest way of accomplishing that goal, was to undermine and destroy democracy!