The Devil Corp

Credit: Pavan Kumar N 

 

ChatGPT is in an "anti-capitalist" mood again! 

Can you tell me something about a direct sales company called DS-Max or perhaps Cobra?

DS-Max and Cobra Group are interconnected entities operating within a network of direct sales companies that have garnered significant criticism for their business practices.The Devil Corp

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🏢 What Is DS-Max?

DS-Max (short for "Direct Sales to the Maximum") originated in Canada in the 1980s, evolving from earlier ventures like W.M. Industries Inc. and Wholesale Warehouse Industries. It expanded rapidly by employing a door-to-door sales model, promoting products such as perfumes, toys, and household items. The company emphasized a "Management Training Program," where sales representatives were encouraged to recruit others, promising swift advancement to owning their own sales offices. This structure closely mirrors multi-level marketing (MLM) schemes, focusing on recruitment and sales volume. The Truth Behind Door-to-Door JobsThe Devil Corp

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🐍 What Is the Cobra Group?

The Cobra Group, also known as Appco Group, was established in the 1980s by Chris Niarchos, a former DS-Max employee. Based in Sydney, Australia, it expanded its operations to the UK and other countries. Cobra adopted the DS-Max business model, emphasizing face-to-face sales and aggressive recruitment strategies. Over time, it became a significant player in the direct sales industry, operating under various brand names and subsidiaries. Reddit+2The Truth Behind Door-to-Door Jobs+2The Devil Corp+2

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⚠️ Common Criticisms and Controversies

Both DS-Max and Cobra Group have faced numerous allegations and criticisms:The Truth Behind Door-to-Door Jobs+1The Devil Corp+1

• High-Pressure Sales Tactics: Representatives often engage in door-to-door or street sales, promoting products or services with aggressive pitches.

• Misleading Recruitment: Job advertisements may present roles as marketing or management positions, but recruits often find themselves in commission-only sales roles with long hours and minimal support.

• Pyramid-Like Structure: The emphasis on recruitment and the promise of rapid advancement resemble pyramid schemes, where success is heavily dependent on bringing in new recruits rather than product sales.

• High Attrition Rates: Due to the challenging work conditions and low earnings, many recruits leave within a short period.

These practices have led to widespread criticism and have been documented in various forums and investigative reports. Reddit

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🔍 Conclusion

While DS-Max and Cobra Group have provided opportunities for some individuals in direct sales, their business models have been widely criticized for exploitative practices and misleading representations. Potential recruits and consumers are advised to conduct thorough research and exercise caution when engaging with these or similar organizations.

If you're considering a position with such a company or have encountered related job offers, it's essential to scrutinize the company's background, employee reviews, and business practices to make an informed decision.

Could DS-Max and Cobra be the same business operating under two different names?

Yes, DS-Max and the Cobra Group are widely considered to be closely connected — many researchers, former employees, and investigative reporters describe them as essentially the same business model operating under different names, or as part of a loosely affiliated global network of direct sales companies. Here's how they're related:

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🧩 1. Common Origin

• DS-Max originated in Canada in the 1980s and became a global door-to-door sales empire.

• Chris Niarchos, a prominent figure in DS-Max, later founded the Cobra Group (sometimes called "The Cobra Group of Companies").

• Many of the sales techniques, management systems, and internal jargon used in Cobra were inherited directly from DS-Max.

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🔄 2. Identical Business Model

Both organizations rely on:

• Aggressive direct sales (door-to-door, event booths, street corners).

• A "Business Ownership Program": new recruits are promised they can run their own office if they prove themselves in sales.

• Commission-only pay with no base salary.

• A pyramid-like recruitment hierarchy: reps recruit new reps, who hope to rise to "owner" by building a team.

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🕸️ 3. Franchise-like Network

• DS-Max and Cobra (and associated names like Appco Group, Cydcor, Credico, etc.) operate through hundreds of smaller offices worldwide.

• These independent offices use different names to avoid public scrutiny and bad press.

• Critics often refer to this web of companies as the "DS-Max system" or the "Devilcorp" network.

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📜 4. Rebranding After Scandal

• After facing mounting legal troubles and public criticism, especially in the early 2000s, many DS-Max offices rebranded as Cobra or Appco to distance themselves from the negative associations.

• Former insiders have stated that the switch to Cobra was often just cosmetic, with the same practices and leadership structures underneath.

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❗ 5. Widespread Criticism

Both DS-Max and Cobra have been:

• Accused of running predatory pyramid-style operations.

• Criticized for deceptive job ads (promising management or marketing roles that turn out to be sales jobs).

• Known for extremely high turnover, with many recruits quitting within days or weeks.

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✅ Conclusion

Yes, DS-Max and Cobra Group are not just similar — they are part of the same evolving business structure, with shared leadership roots, nearly identical methods, and a continuous history of rebranding to escape regulation and reputational damage.

Would you like a timeline or organizational chart of how these companies evolved and rebranded?

Was there at one point a strange religious cult in South Africa with a YouTube presence which was really a direct sales company?

Yes, there have been instances in South Africa where organizations exhibited characteristics of both religious cults and direct sales companies, often utilizing platforms like YouTube for promotion.

One notable example is the KwaSizabantu Mission, a Christian mission station in KwaZulu-Natal. In September 2020, News24 released an exposé alleging that KwaSizabantu operated as a cult, with former members reporting various forms of abuse, including financial exploitation. These revelations led to investigations by local authorities and caused several South African vendors to temporarily cease selling the mission-owned bottled water brand, aQuellé. However, subsequent reviews by the Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Rights Commission and an Independent Panel did not officially classify the mission as a cult. Wikipedia

Another organization with a global footprint, including in South Africa, is Swissindo. Founded in Indonesia, Swissindo presents itself as a debt relief initiative but has been widely criticized and labeled as a scam. The group claims to eliminate personal debts and offers financial salvation, often requiring members to pay fees and recruit others, resembling a pyramid scheme. Swissindo has been particularly active in targeting vulnerable and marginalized communities, promising financial freedom through questionable means. Wikipedia

These examples highlight how certain organizations can blend religious or spiritual rhetoric with direct sales or financial schemes, leveraging online platforms to expand their reach and influence.

What are the criticism levelled against Herbalife?

Herbalife, a global multi-level marketing (MLM) company that sells nutritional supplements and weight management products, has faced significant criticism and legal scrutiny over the years. Below are the key areas of criticism:

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🧱 1. Pyramid Scheme Allegations

• Core criticism: Herbalife has been accused of operating a business model that more closely resembles a pyramid scheme than a legitimate direct-selling company.

• Reason: The emphasis on recruitment over actual retail sales to customers. Many critics argue that distributors earn more from recruiting new members than from selling products.

• Legal impact:

  • In 2016, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) reached a $200 million settlement with Herbalife.

  • The FTC did not label it a pyramid scheme, but mandated Herbalife to restructure its business model and better document retail sales.

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📉 2. Unrealistic Income Claims

• Herbalife has been accused of misleading potential recruits with stories of financial freedom and lavish lifestyles.

• Reality: Most distributors earn little or no money, and many actually lose money due to expenses like purchasing inventory and attending training sessions.

• Internal data (revealed during the FTC case) showed that a vast majority of distributors made minimal income or none at all.

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🧪 3. Product Health Concerns

• Some critics and healthcare professionals have raised concerns over the safety and efficacy of Herbalife products.

• Issues include:

  • Allegations of liver damage linked to Herbalife supplements in some case reports (although not proven conclusively).

  • Lack of FDA approval for many of its products, although this is common for supplements in the U.S.

  • Concerns over aggressive weight-loss claims and insufficient evidence for some advertised benefits.

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🌍 4. Targeting Vulnerable Populations

• Herbalife has been criticized for targeting:

  • Low-income and immigrant communities, particularly in Latin America and among U.S. Latino populations.

  • People with limited financial literacy or job alternatives, luring them in with promises of entrepreneurship and independence.

• Critics argue that this amounts to economic exploitation, as many end up losing money instead of achieving financial stability.

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🎯 5. Bill Ackman vs. Herbalife

• In 2012, hedge fund manager Bill Ackman publicly declared Herbalife a fraudulent pyramid scheme and took a $1 billion short position against the company.

• This led to a media and regulatory spotlight, especially as other influential figures (like Carl Icahn) took the opposite side.

• Though Ackman eventually exited the short in 2018, his campaign amplified public scrutiny and played a major role in the 2016 FTC settlement.

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⚖️ 6. International Investigations

• Belgium: A Belgian court ruled Herbalife to be a pyramid scheme in 2011 (later overturned).

• China: In 2019, Chinese regulators launched an investigation into Herbalife’s business practices as part of a broader crackdown on health product companies.

• Other countries have taken a cautious stance or conducted consumer protection investigations into the company.

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✅ Herbalife’s Defense

Herbalife has maintained that:

• It is a legitimate direct-selling company, not a pyramid scheme.

• It has reformed its practices following the 2016 FTC settlement.

• It provides high-quality, science-backed nutritional products, with many satisfied customers and successful distributors.

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🧾 Summary of Key Criticisms:

Category	Key Issues
Pyramid scheme	Focus on recruitment, not retail
Income claims	Misleading earnings potential
Product safety	Liver health concerns, unproven benefits
Exploitation	Targeting vulnerable groups
Legal scrutiny	FTC settlement, international investigations

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Let me know if you’d like details on specific legal cases, internal compensation data, or critical documentaries (like Betting on Zero).

Horned serpent

 

The Bushmen may have known about fossil dicynodonts. Interesting new theory about the mysterious "Horned Serpent" petroglyph from South Africa. Or maybe it´s just a weird fantasy animal. 

Of course, the unhanged cryptozoologists will just claim that dicynodonts (a kind of "mammal-like reptiles" from the Permian) are tojour vivant. So don´t expect the alleged mystery to go away any time soon!  

A dicynodont depiction?

Free to make mistakes

 

South Africa and the ANC wants US aid (or is it USAID) while conducting an anti-American foreign policy. That´s multi-vectoralism on a really high level. Support Russia, Hamas and Iran...but demand American funding! The ANC delegation may be headed by Cyril Ramaphosa himself, who is the president of South Africa. His private fortune is apparently about 450 million dollars...

Btw, the article is wrong about the Democratic Alliance. It´s no longer an opposition party sensu stricto. The White, liberal and pro-Western DA is part of the South African "government of national unity" formed last year. Which presumably explains why it, too, wants US aid to continue.

If Trump and Rubio want to meet the South Africans at all, is apparently not clear at the present time.  

South Africa to send 3 delegations to the US - but who will they meet?

A new stage

 

SWP shaking hands with Trump capitalista?

I´m old enough to remember when the U.S. Socialist Workers Party *supported* the ANC and *opposed* the State of Israel. Look now...

I´m also old enough to remember (last year) how the SWP condemned the Biden administration when *it* tried to cajole Israel into a ceasefire agreement with Hamas. But now, they claim that the Trump-brokered ceasefire is "a new stage in the fight to defend Israel"?!

In plain English: the Communist (?) SWP tacitly supports Donald Trump!    

South African government condemns immigrant coal miners to die

Ceasefire is new stage in fight to defend Israel as refuge for Jews

Winter everywhere

 

“A Year on Planet Earth” is a four-part nature documentary about…essentially everything. 

I just watched the “winter” episode, which takes us to such diverse places as the African savannah, the jungles of New Guinea, and Svalbard. Well, at least there´s winter at the latter place! Arctic night, too. The polar bears, seals and reindeer could pass for wintery animals. Maybe the penguins in the Antarctic, too. “Dancing” riflebirds in the rainforest? Elephants?! Not so much. 

The nominal point is that all these animals are active during the season *we* call winter, but in reality, I think they just wanted to show some (admittedly good) footage of various Animalia as filler on some nature channel…

Offended by the euphemisms

 

A guy with ideas that offend 

OK, I can´t let this one go...

The bizarre thing with the Woke is that they use "safe space" euphemisms even when discussing fascism and Nazism. It´s like a sick joke. Maybe it is?

Bro, Mussolini´s fascism wasn´t "an idea that offends". Nor does the name Hitler "have an objectionable sound to modern ears". Nor were Adolph and Benito simply "controversial figures". Geezus. The Nazis were genocidal maniacs, for crying out loud!

And why is Beyoncé mentioned in the same headline as Duce and der Führer? 

They are laughing at us. I´m offended by the euphemisms. Can I file a complaint with the HR department? 

Hitler beetle, Trump moth, Beyoncé fly 

Priorities

A beetle named after Adolf Hitler (!)
Credit: Michael Munich 

 

This is the kind of BS that makes me wanna vote Trump or something...

I´m not entirely surprised that this happens, tbh, but I kind of hoped that the conservative character of scientific names (they are *supposed* to be unchangable) would stop the Wokies in this particular case. 

But naaah, apparently not. That being said, if these are the new rules...well...a number of organisms are named after Greta Thunberg. I´m sure Israelis and Jews might find *that* offensive. Just as offensive as name a living creature after, say, Hitler or Mussolini. Let´s see if somebody is brave enough to mount a challenge!

Botanists vote to remove racist references from plant names

The Homo naledi situation

 

The above presentation is about our fossil relative Homo naledi, given by a very nerdy specimen of Homo sapiens. The first 15 minutes are kind of comprehensible, the rest is very technical stuff perhaps only of interest to paleoanthropologists (who I´m sure can´t be as many as 100,000 – the number of subscribers to this particular YouTube channel). 

That being said (LOL), Homo naledi was an interesting cat (or hominin), to be sure. First, it was rather “primitive” and yet the fossils found in the Rising Star cave system in South Africa were dated to circa 300,000 YBP. They “should” be much, much older. Second, it has been suggested by some scientists that this primitive human relative buried its dead. The findings are controversial. Third, one team of researchers claimed that in addition to ritual burials, Homo naledi also made art and controlled fire. The claims were made in conjunction with a Netflix documentary in a paper that wasn´t peer reviewed in the “classical” manner, leading to all kinds of flame wars (especially after the team were accused of incompetence by other scientists). 

Fourth, a recent paper – the one highlighted in the YouTube clip above – strongly suggests that there is *something* strange about the fossils in the Rising Star cave system. The short story is that the fossils – while clearly from different individuals – hardly display any variation of the kind you would expect in virtually any population sample. If the site isn´t a burial site, this suggests a strongly inbred population which somehow ended up in the cave through natural means. Of course, another possibility is that Homo naledi did bury its dead, the lack of variation being the result of conscious sorting. Only a certain kind of individuals were buried in the Dinaledi Chamber. 

The YouTube video above tries a middle ground: maybe Homo naledi was intelligent enough to dispose of its dead, but still lacked ritual burials or a symbolic culture? “Ants do the same”. Sure, but corvids have sometimes been observed carrying out virtual “burial rituals”, and they are presumably less intelligent than an ape-man…

Something tells me the Homo naledi situation will continue, perhaps for another 300,000 years.

Let the dead bury their dead

 

Not Homo naledi

I think I already reported on this last year, but here we go again. Might return to this problematique in the near future...  

No scientific evidence that ancient human relative buried dead and carved art

Massacre on Marion Island

 

Credit: JJ Harrison

Some really bizarre information in this one. 

The remote Marion Island in the Indian Ocean is scene to a "zombie apocalypse" during which aggressive and hungry mice prey on the seabirds, including large albatrosses, and eventually kill them. Or, not to put too fine spin on it, eat them alive under torture-like forms. 

Homo sapiens has decided to come to the rescue, and in 2026, the plan is to kill off the mice instead. That is, to exterminate millions of them! So our response to the zombie apocalypse is mouse genocide. Not until 2028 will we know whether the pesky rodent is finally gone and our tubenose brethren saved. Oh, and in a previous hominid killing spree on the island, all cats were extirpated?! 

>>>A “zombie apocalypse” has been playing itself out on Marion Island in the Southern Indian Ocean for more than a decade, as flesh-eating mice massacre vulnerable seabirds, having already laid waste to invertebrates and otherwise tenacious vegetation.

>>>In the 20 years up to 2018, the number of mice on Marion increased by about 430%. As a result, says Anderson, “the frequency of mouse attacks is increasing very significantly. It’s exponential, and it’s related to the fact that the invertebrates on which the mice used to prey have been decimated, so the mice are feeding off the seabirds and their eggs as an alternative food source” to replace their diet of weevils, moths and seeds. 

>>>In a 2015 study, mice were found to be killing one in 10 albatross chicks. Not only has this escalated, says Anderson, but “one of our concerns is that the mice are now starting to feed on adult wandering albatrosses as well. “The loss of chicks obviously has a big impact, but once you start killing adult birds of breeding maturity, then the impact on populations increases. And this is a more recent phenomenon.”

Massacre at Marion: Mouse eradication project gathers pace

Fake aliens from a hollow earth

 

 

These are some clips from the YouTube channel of Coby Obi, a Nigerian supporter of Hindu Tantrika Paramahamsa Nithyananda (often accused of being a cult leader). I´m not sure how aligned this channel is with the "official" messaging of Nithyananda. For instance, it has a rather marked Afro-centrist tendency and often references Zulu shaman Credo Mutwa (who was also a favorite of David Icke).

In the clips above, Obi argues that Earth is hollow and the home of "inner earth civilizations". I get the impression that they are malevolent or asuric in nature (the asuras are the "titans" or "giants" of Hindu mythology). There are supposedly entrances to the inner earth all over the world: India, China, Igboland in Nigeria, Congo...

More disturbing still, is the idea that the "grey aliens" of UFO lore are degenerate humans from the future, visiting us in their time machines. These humans have become completely dependent on technology and seem to represent a kind of alternate asuric timeline. The "UFO disclosure" in the United States is really a conspiracy to make us accept these fake aliens from the hollow earth and/or the dystopian future. 

Luckily for us, there are also real aliens. Unsurprisingly, these are the devas (gods or demigods) of Hindu lore, beings of light inhabiting higher planes of existence. If we align ourselves with their teachings, we can presumably live free and spiritual lives without dependence on technology...

Presented here for easy reference only. 

   

My kingdom for a quagga

 

- Daniell´s Quagga? Yeah, I vaguely remember him, 
annoying as heck, always tried to steal the best grass!

When I was a kid, Swedish school dictionaries only contained two words beginning with the letter Q. One was quisling. The other was quagga (spelled "qvagga"). That´s a kind of zebra. These days, the Quagga is no longer classified as a separate species, but as a subspecies of the Plains Zebra (which is somewhat confusingly known in Latin as Equus quagga). Confusingly, since the "real" Quagga is extinct! 

Below, I link to two blog posts by Karl Shuker, who had some fun trying to track down information about two freak specimens of the Quagga once assumed to represent entirely new species. Apparently, it wasn´t easy! Today, Daniell´s Quagga and the Isabella Quagga are only known from illustrations in old books. 

Fun fact: when I asked Bing AI to generate a picture of a Quagga, it produced pictures of perfectly plain zebras instead. So yeah, the Quagga does seem to be extinct, alright. Maybe next time, I´ll ask the AI to make a picture of a quisling instead... 

The Isabella Quagga - a long-lost, long-forgotten equine enigma

Daniell´s Quagga and Ward´s Zebra - another two striped curiosities of the equine kind

Those slanted eyes...

 

An interesting YouTube clip about "Asian eyes". Apart from actual East and Southeast Asians, many other peoples around the world have "Asian eyes" or at least somewhat "Asian looks": Polynesians, American Indians and the Inuit are obvious examples. Here, the explanation seems pretty straightforward: these ethnic groups are distant descendants from East Asians (or somewhat less distant in the Inuit case). 

But why do  some Europeans (yes, including the Sami - deal with it) have "Asian" eyes and/or looks? In some cases, genetic influx from Asians is the best explanation, in others, it´s something of a mystery. Why do some people in Britain have "Asian" eyes? Why does the Icelandic pop singer Björk look "Asian"? One explanation is that already the ancient Indo-Europeans had an Asiatic admixture, and that this particular lineage ended up among the Celts at the British Isles. Another possibility might be admixture with Americans Indians or Inuit. After the video was posted, Icelandic writer Bergsveinn Birgisson wrote a book about one of his medieval ancestors, a "Black Viking" whose mother may have been Siberian.

More unexpected are "Asian" eyes in Africa - except at Madagascar, where the population is partially descended from long-distance Asian seafarers. But why do Nilotic and Khoi-San people have "Asian" eyes? Perhaps here, we finally have a case of convergent evolution...

Surprisingly interesting for a "nerd video".      

 

The Protestant Pope

 

"You won´t believe what people do in the name of God,
my dear Hassein, and then blame it on me!"

The number of weird religious groups never ceases to amaze me. And you, I gather. The link below goes to Magnus Lundberg´s previously mentioned blog. 

Apparently, a few "Protestants" have declared themselves "popes", including a brother in South Africa, whose religious group turns taverns and bars into churches...except that they really don´t, the churches continuing to serve alcohol as a "sacrament". And no, I don´t mean the communion wine!

The future of the Gabola Church, as Pope Makiti´s group is called, is apparently uncertain, since the South African government closed all establishments serving alcohol during the COVID pandemic. This obviously created problems for this pro-alcoholic Church.

But sure, I suppose Makiti might be a person who under the cover of being pro-alcohol really wants to trick people into drinking less than usual...   

Pope Tsietsi Makiti and the Gabola Church

The minds of killer whales

Credit: Henk Caspers/Naturalis Biodiversity Center

A highly disturbing look at the ocean´s smartest animal: the killer whale a.k.a. orca. They seem to be using their intelligence to really weird ends, such as killing substantially larger blue whales only to feast on their tongues, leaving the rest of the carcass to rot. Or killing sharks (including whale sharks) with the sole purpose of extracting their livers?! 

But sure, I suppose the rest of the dead whales or sharks become food for other scavengers. And the reason the orca´s behavior looks disturbing to us, is presumably that *we* are the only animal who has the right to help itself to delikatessen. Or so we imagined. 

Other orca behaviors are too bizarre to mention here. 

It´s not clear whether the orcas are *really* getting smarter, but they are certainly changing their behaviors through social learning. For instance, the population off the Iberian coast that rams and sinks boats. New hunting techniques could have been developed in response to changes in the fauna due to climate change.

Still, it seems humans may yet have the last word. Off the coast of Washington State, overfishing has led to the dissolution of orca groups and hence their social bonds, as individual orcas strike out on their own in desperate search for food. But this also makes it more difficult to learn and pass on new hunting techniques. 

Perhaps the killer whales aren´t really getting smarter at all. They are getting dumber! Something tells me many Homo wouldn´t mind... 

Are orcas getting smarter?

Remember Amalek

 

An explanation of the notorious "Amalek" verse? Or Bible apologetics? After all, the Amalekites *were* exterminated...

South Africa misquotes "Amalek" verse 

A homo named naledi

 

I actually commented Homo naledi before, mostly on a whim, so I was somewhat amused by hearing about this. Apparently, a controversy broke earlier this summer about claims that this early hominin buried its dead and produced rock art. The whole thing seems to have turned nasty due to conflicts over peer review, media exposure, and so on. In other words, just another Tuesday in academic politics (and media exposure)! 

The link below goes to a summary of the paper triggering the brawl, the link above goes to a YouTube content-creator named Erika (alias Gutsick Gibbon) who tries to explain the controversy the best she can. 

Personally, I don´t really care either way, but claims that an "ape-man" like Homo naledi (probably just an australopithecine in my lazy lay opinion) was advanced enough to have symbolic culture *are* hard to believe given our present state of knowledge. Stay tuned for more Tuesdays!  

No scientific evidence that Homo naledi buried their dead or produced rock art

Smash the patronymy

 

I must have heard about Lyall Watson before, since I recognize the title of his apparently pro-paranormal book "Supernature: The natural history of the supernatural", but I knew next to nothing else about the man. Until now. This South African writer had degrees in a wide variety of fields, including biology and anthropology, and even commented on and wrote about sumo wrestling! He also coined the phrase "the hundreth monkey effect".  

The book reviewed in the link below is titled "Whales of the World" (1981) and was intended as a field guide to these particular sea mammals. However, it seems that Watson was very heterodox in his approach to whale evolution, systematics and naming conventions. His illustrator Tom Ritchie may also have taken some liberties. To take just one example of Watson´s unusual takes, he believed that baleen whales and toothed wales are really two different groups with separate evolutionary ancestries.

"Whales of the World" became something of a hit among the reading public, but the scientific community rejected it. The reviewer, Darren Naish, points out that the 1970´s were an exciting time when entrenched orthodoxies were often challenged, so in that sense Watson´s work was typical of the period. 

Can we please go back to such times?  

Whales of the World

Nere för räkning

Uträknad?

 

Jag stödjer som bekant Ukraina, men jag måste säga att den pro-ukrainska propagandan i våra kära massmedier ibland är direkt pinsam. Här är din översättningsguide…

”Putin har inte synts till på över ett år” = Han lever och har hälsan.

”Mariupol är Putins enda seger” = Putin har på under ett år krossat Ukrainas ekonomi, ockuperat den region som har flest naturtillgångar och några av de bördigaste områdena, drivit miljontals människor på flykt och attackerar ständigt landets städer och hamnar med drönare som Ukraina inte kan skjuta ned.

”Mariupols försvarare har evakuerats” = Azov-bataljonen har kapitulerat och de tillfångatagna soldaterna förts till rysskontrollerat område.

”Putin blir alltmer internationellt isolerad. Han vågade inte närvara i Johannesburg” = Nä, men han skickade Lavrov istället. Toppmötet i Joburg kommer att skapa världens största handelsblock, dominerat av Kina och Ryssland. Nästa BRICS-möte hålls 2024 i Moskva.

”Sanktionerna har krossat Rysslands ekonomi” = Whatever, whenever.

”Putin har tvingats vända sig till Iran och Nordkorea för att få ammunition, missiler och drönare” = Putin har alltså tillgång till ammunition, missiler och drönare.

”Ukraina kommer att få F-16-plan från västvärlden” = Dessa kommer att kunna sättas in i striderna först 2026. Eller var det 2027? Undrar vad som händer om Putin bombar flygfälten med drönare?

”Ryssland har förlorat så och så många soldater” = Ukraina har förlorat lika många. Och Ukraina har en mindre befolkning.

”Prigozhins kuppförsök har kraftigt försvagat Putin” = Prigozhin vem?

”Putin har snart inga vänner kvar” = Förutom Kina, Indien, Brasilien, Saudi-Arabien, Turkiet, råvarurika länder i Afrika, och så vidare. Men okej, han är ovän med Uffe Kristersson och den där Mussolini-kvinnan i Italien. Och Azov förstås.

”Putin skickar otränade, gamla eller handikappade soldater till fronten. Och så kriminella legoknektar på det” = Ukraina klarar inte av att besegra en armé bestående av otränade, gamla eller handikappade soldater (eller kriminella legoknektar).

”MEN OM DONALD TRUMP VINNER PRESIDENTVALET I USA KAN ALLT VARA FÖRLORAT” = Ja, okej, det här *kanske* är sant. Såvida inte Trump bara yrar som vanligt. Vilket inte kan uteslutas. Heller.  

The mysterious conqueror

 

Credit: Eric Hill 

Here´s a second and hopefully better attempt to review the French nature documentary "L´abominable mystère des fleurs". Apparently, Charles Darwin regarded the origins and evolution of the flowering plants or angiosperms an “abominable mystery” due to their seemingly rapid evolution and diversification. The documentary tries to shed at least some light on the problematique. One of the scientists featured is named Sarah Darwin and actually is a descendant of Charles Robert!

If I understand the documentary correctly, 90% of all plant species are flowering plants. They are believed to have evolved about 100 million years ago. At the very least, the oldest known fossil of an angiosperm is that old. If I understand it correctly, this fossil is already quite “advanced”. However, genetic studies of Amborella – a peculiar species endemic to New Caledonia and believed to be the last surviving member of a “basal” angiosperm lineage – suggest an origin already 140 – 250 million years ago. This gives ample time for flowering plants to evolve and diversify before they were preserved in the fossil record. Later, 214 million YBP was chosen as the definitive date. Hypothetically, the first flower was believed to have looked like a water lily! Somehow, I´m not surprised – I always got some kind of “dinosaur” vibes from those (but maybe that´s because of some old horror flick).

The most fascinating plant shown in the documentary is easily the Welwitschia, which is a gymnosperm rather than an angiosperm. Only found in Namibia and Angola, some specimens can become 2,000 years old (!). It´s also an extremely ancient lineage. Apparently, the Welwitschia has a kind of “failed flowers”, which has led scientists to wonder if it could be a (failed?) transitional form between Gymnospermae and flowering plants. Genetic studies suggest that there are similarities between how the Welwitschia forms its pseudo-flowers and how real flowers are formed. This could be a missing link establishing that the angiosperms are indeed descended from gymnosperms in truly primordial times.

Other topics covered in the docu are equally interesting. Thus, most flowers aren´t blue, which is also something of a conundrum, since insects apparently “like” blue colors! They are easily drawn to them. It seems most flowering plants have difficulty for various reasons related to chemistry and soil quality to produce blue pigments. However, there are ways around this. For instance, some non-blue flowers can produce the blue color by simply reflecting the light that way. More surprising is the hypothesis that flowering plants can pick up sounds! The buzzing of an insect can somehow be detected by the petals of a flower. The producers of the documentary have humorously placed two musicians in the middle of a poppy field, where they play Rimsky-Korsakov´s “The Flight of the Bumblebee”!

And yes, the documentary is available in an English-language version, with the ridiculous title “Flower Power: The Mysterious Conqueror”.