#level 81 backrooms

[backroomoftheday]

THE BACKROOM OF THE DAY IS!!!!!

Level 81 - "Zoological Office"

A picture taken from outside an office building within Level 81, showcasing a native horse.

CLASS 2

Unsafe

Secure

Low entity count

Description:

Level 81 consists of many different office-like buildings, similar to those found in The Frontrooms. The interiors of these buildings vary, but some common themes have been noted. The walls of Level 81 can vary in material from brick, to concrete, to wallpaper, and can appear in several colors such as light blue, dark green, and yellow. These walls may also vary in texture and design. Equally, the floors of Level 81 may appear as carpet, concrete, or occasionally laminate wooden slats. Lighting within Level 81 varies broadly; attempts to determine a manufacturer have proven futile. Light fixtures may flicker and can cause blackouts similar to those within Level 0 and Level 1. Despite these imperfections, Level 81 possesses a reliable power grid1, and by extension Wi-Fi. Windows are common and safe; no sightings of Entity 2 have been recorded as of yet.

When first entering Level 81, the Level will be unnaturally quiet. After wandering for a few hours, various animal noises may be heard, and it is possible to encounter animals by following such noises. Many animals from The Frontrooms can be encountered, such as horses, pigs, canines, felines, cattle, birds, etc. Potentially dangerous creatures, such as bears and lions, are also present, though it is advised Wanderers should XD not approach these animals. The leading theory concerning Level 81's large animal population, as proposed by M.E.G. Regiment "Compass Point", is that Level 81 is the "starting Level" for non-human creatures of The Frontrooms, in comparison to how Level 0 is the "starting Level" for humans. Despite the abundance of Frontrooms animals within Level 81, various Entities can also be encountered, such as Smilers, Skin-Stealers, Male Deathmoths, Dullers, Jerry and Hounds, although it is possible more Entities may inhabit the Level.

The overall structure and position of interiors within Level 81 is considered unnatural; various rooms have been observed clipping into other walls and generating attached vertical hallways that bend gravity accordingly. Some rooms may be filled with Almond Water, harbouring several forms of sealife. The windows of Level 81 project an outside area that can be entered, though this area shouldn't exist due to the mass of halls and rooms which should be obstructing it.

When outside of Level 81's office buildings, it is possible to view a long2, winding road. It is also possible to observe several of the animals present within buildings through windows. The outside area of Level 81 appears to emit a subtle green light, which when interacted with, directly or indirectly, causes all nearby animals to appear startled and retreat out of fear. The sky of Level 81 is dark and cloudy, and no stars or other celestial bodies such as the Moon are visible. Drone surveillance footage has captured many more buildings in the distance, however; attempting to reach these buildings will result in the offending individual arriving back at the main road.

Bases, Outposts and Communities:

It is presumably possible to establish a settlement within Level 81, but it is not advised, and none currently exist. Evidence exists to show that The Lost may inhabit this Level for use as a hunting ground.

Entrances And Exits:

Entrances:

An office door found within one of Level 10's barns functions as a reliable entrance to Level 81, although the exact position of this door is fluctuant. In Level 4, a room filled with zoo advertisements can be encountered, which will transport individuals to Level 81 through unknown means. In Level 58, an animal themed playground can be encountered; interacting with any of the installments will open a hallway into Level 81. Any door labeled 204 within Level 21 will lead to Level 81 when opened. In Level 80, a shack labeled "81" in Little Houston serves as an entrance to Level 81. In Level 43, no-clipping into a zoo billboard will cause you to emerge in Level 81.

Exits:

There are currently many methods of leaving Level 81. If a room filled with birds is encountered, you will be transported to Level 30. If a large opening in the outside area is found, entering it will lead you to Level 22. Entering a dark alleyway will cause you to emerge in Level 55. Occasionally, a door in Level 81 may take you to Level 0, Level 4, Level 37, or Level 62 without warning. Travelling through Level 81's native sewer system may lead to Level 34 or Level 41. Elevators within Level 81 may cause passengers to arrive within Level 64 or Level 65. A certain hallway in Level 81 is linked to Level 88, and will lead Wanderers there. Some of the concrete office rooms of Level 81 lead to the Type 2 concrete boxes of Level 170. Any attempts to no-clip will transport offending individuals to a random Negative Level.

Author

Stretchsterz

[kaz-oooo]

I’ve already done music recommendations so, you can check out these posts (playlists and list of artists) if you’re looking for that specifically. But Wilbur made a lot of content over the years and idk, i figured I’d make a a list of recommendations for similar content to fill that void as well :)

Minecraft SMP’s (specifically DSMP)

The same SMP’s but other POV’s — I’ll just start with this cos it’s the most iffy. There’s plenty of enjoyment to be had with these fandoms still, and I personally don’t think we need to let the actions of a couple shitty guys ruin the silly Minecraft roleplay we all enjoy. That said, if you aren’t comfy watching these anymore that’s perfectly valid as well, especially since Wilbur’s character will be lurking around in the background of plenty of these. But yeah, we can also uplift other creators by watching the fun stories they made, especially those who got buried by bigger creators at the time. So Dream SMP, QSMP, Origins SMP, SMP earth, SMPlive all have content you can enjoy.

Different, completely unrelated SMP’s — hermitcraft, the life series, empires SMP (shubble was involved in this one, I’m planning on watching her POV when I find some time) etc. I’ve had plenty of people recommend these to me before, from what I’ve seen they’re very enjoyable :)

Hamilton — not even joking, if you enjoyed the L’manberg era of DSMP and you didn’t watch Hamilton, I’d heartily recommend it. Great music, lots of politics but all in a fun and silly way, also tragic endings!

Editor Wilbur ARG (I’m a massive ARG fan so I have tonnes of recommendations here)

Generation Loss — Ranboo’s very awesome Horror project that they’ve been working very hard on!!! Ranboo’s been teasing new content lately as well so that’s exciting

Analog horror series — Local 58, Gemini Home Entertainment, Mandela Catalog, Kane Pixel’s Backrooms videos, etc. All very good and spooky videos, definetely an inspiration for Gen Loss, and I know Wilbur enjoyed this content as well (though the editor Wilbur arg predates a lot of this genre) those are some of the biggest on YouTube atm, and some of my personal favourites, but there’s plenty more to find (I recommend channels like Nightmind and Nexpo who do analysis videos for all this horror and ARG stuff if you wanna find more)

Marble Hornets — gets its own category! One of the original analog horror genres (predated the genre actually) it’s basically one of the biggest and most comprehensive Slenderman series out there. There’s a LOT of content here and lots of lore and mystery (though a lot of the game clues have been lost to time) (Jack Manifold also reacted to this on stream, it was very chill and good fun)

Horror podcasts — Magnus Archives and Magnus Protocol, Malevolent and Archive 81 are some of my favourites, but there’s plenty more out there to find and enjoy :). Also very spooky with lots of mystery to involved, the Magnus Protocol is very new as well so great time to get into that!

Just Chatting / Geoguessr / other chill content

Geoguessr streamers / YouTubers — honestly I genuinely didn’t watch much geoguessr content outside of Wilbur’s streams so, I don’t have many recommendations here. I know Eret has been doing geoguessr streams lately and their content is very good and chill. Jacksuckatlife plays as well and last I watched he was fairly good at it (like similar skill level to Wilbur), otherwise Rainbolt is a geoguessr legend, he terrifies me a little ngl.

Other streamers — I think the thing with the just chatting streams is that we watch for *that specific streamer’s* personality. It’s hard to really make recommendations other than just saying go watch more of the streamers you enjoy. Personally I enjoy Phil’s hardcore streams, and Sneegsnag’s Crime Time the most, but there’s plenty of other people both in this MCYT space and outside of it that you’ll probably enjoy :)

Sorry boys (unlike horror I don’t watch much comedy so, sorry, this’ll be lacking)

Just Roll With It — Charlie Slimecicle’s DND podcast. I’ve only listened to a little bit of this but it’s really good and REALLY silly (oh, and emotional sometimes, gotta have a bit of angst y’know) Wilbur was a guest on a couple of episodes, but you can always skip past those if you want.

Tommy’s videos — so Wilbur features in a lot of the early vlogs and *minecraft but* videos, but Tommy’s content has always been good fun, his recent stuff is excellent as well! He’s been doing a lot of comedy content lately, specifically a live show so definitely check that out if you want :)

Smosh pit — not something I’ve watched a lot of, but I’ve seen clips of their try not to laugh videos and they’re definitely on par with the bat shit improv you get from Sorry Boys.

Game changer — again, not something I’ve watched much, mostly consumed through osmosis, but the show is funny, the cast is always silly and it’s a lot of fun all round

Whatever else Sorry Boys make after this — judging by some of the responses to Wilbur’s “statement” I think it’s fair to assume if Sorry Boys do continue making content Wilbur will be cut from the group. Of course don’t feel obligated to stick around if you don’t want to, but Wilbur won’t be compensated if he’s kicked and the rest of the guys are still fun :)

YLYL and similar goofy stuff

Just… other streamers again — Jack Manifold does YLYL streams with his friends. James Marriott does a lot of reaction videos as well, sometimes YLYL, sometimes reacting to content his viewers send in (like TikTok’s and break up texts), those are my favourites atm.

YouTubers — that niche between video essay and reaction content, people like Danny Gonzales, Drew Gooden, Kurtis Conner, Pinely, all good fun YouTube channels that make good, silly, and easy to consume content.

Other gaming streamers and YouTubers — Slimecicle, Ranboo, Games Grumps, RT games, and SneegSnag all play a wide variety of games, they’re all relatively chill but none of them take the games all that seriously either so it’s fun and goofy as well :)

And of course Fanfiction!!!

I might be a little bias here cos I write myself but fic is created by and for fans and it exists to give you even *more* content about the stories you love, whether it be reimagining canon events or just dumping your favourite characters into a silly au.

I know a lot of authors (myself included) are feeling super conflicted and weird about writing Wilbur in the future. Plenty of authors have been moving onto new fandoms so if you find something you enjoy make sure you check out the author’s other work and who knows, maybe you’ll find some cool new fandoms that way!

And do the same for artists and other creators, or even go check out some of your mutuals fandoms, you guys might have more in common than you originally thought!

[lloydhirobackrooms]

THERE ARE NO ENTITIES ON LEVEL ZERO: An Essay.

There are no entities on level zero. (Yes, I know it is class 1 because technically there could be some half dullers around and if you're a new wanderer its deadly because of its emptiness so its a little dangerous, but thats the only reason. Also the MEOD may not always be right. 🤷🏼‍♂️) The reason people claim there are is because level zero causes such bad sensory depravation it causes paranoia and hallucinations. Any entities you see or perceive on level zero are most likely figments of your imagination. This is why documented cases of entity sightings in level 0 are rare. Most people who no-clip into level 0 have no resources on them and die from starvation/dehydration before they can be there long enough to experience these mental effects. The thing about level 0 is that there is basically nothing there. Nothing artificial, natural, supernatural, technological, or anomalous that can support any form or simulation of existence. This includes entities. Any entity that no-clipped into level 0 would most likely die/cease to exist after a while because there is basically nothing there. no matter how unusual or anamolous the needs of entities are, they generally need SOMETHING to sustain their existence. However, the nostalgic effect of level zero is something that some entities feed on, and can manifest some entities like wretches from how strong the negative effects of this are. However most people die on 0 before they could even go insane, let alone enter the wretched cycle. (This applies to animals as well, which is why you rarely see frontrooms animals in the backrooms at all. There is a theory that many animals may no-clip directly into level 81 which is why so many Frontrooms animals are seen there. However this could just be an anomalous effect of level 81, and the animals are generated there, although they would be oddly normal for being Backrooms-generated.)

Also, THE ISOLATION EFFECT. While there may be some entities immune to level 0's isolation effects, humans are not, and most entities probably are not either. It is also possible that some isolation effects (such as that of level 37) are powerful enough to effect everything. This may not be the case for level 0 however. The evidence for this is reports of hound or duller sightings by wanderers who first appeared and had never seen one before, or reports of actual attacks with physical wounds. (However there is a possibility that someone who had the resources to survive on level zero might stay there long enough to go insane and resort to self injury, dissociation, or psychosis. Although there would have to be an extreme case of dissociation or psychosis to create the illusion of an entity causing what was actually self harm. The survivor in question would have to already be mentally ill before entering level 0.) Usually these reports involve hounds or dullers, which suggest these entities may have the ability to cross through level 0's isolation field. However since frontrooms creatures cannot, it would be impossible to completely meet an entity and be entirely in the same dimension of level 0 as them. This means that they would be only partially no-clipped through the dimensions of level 0 making them less likely to cause harm. The most common entity type that has the power to no-clip through dimensions is dullers, (this is why they can no-clip through walls, ceilings, floors, or objects to attack,) although they may not be powerful enough to entirely overcome the isolation field, also possibly rendering them unable to fully manifest into the same dimension as another creature or manifest there for very long. This would explain a good percentage of reported entity sightings from level zero being of dullers or of something resembling a duller to at least some extent. So if you see an entity resembling a tall, skeletal humanoid to any extent on level zero you should avoid it at all costs, just in case. However any other type of entity perception, especially if it is vague or you're unclear of its reality, is most likely not directly real. What is real is the monotony and emptiness of level 0, which after long enough, can kill. The only way to survive is to no-clip to level 1. Hope you think of that or know to try and also master the skill to succeed, (hence "tutorial level" as this is as vital of a skill to Backrooms survival as running or hiding) or accidentally do if you ever end up in the Backrooms. Because if you hear something, it most likely HAS NOT heard you. You are alone.

THIS is the horror of level 0. So please stop spreading the myth that there are actually a bunch of hounds or something on level 0, or that lore followers are ruining it by adding stupid entities to level 0. This is not true. The official wikidot page lore and most other lore makes it very clear that few or no Entities exist on level 0. Probably. Or at least it should be that way. Stop trying to make up dumb lore that there are entities there, because that does ruin level 0. OTHER LEVELS EXIST. You can have deeper backrooms lore without ruining the psychological horror of level zero. THERE ARE NO ENTITIES ON LEVEL 0.

Thank you for reading.

[rabbit-surfboard]

See also:

Archive 81: Season 2 of the podcast really gets into the meat of the surreal but it's an audiodrama about a guy who's archiving information about a spooky apartment building that burnt down. Lots of found footage in the form of tapes.

Junkhead: a personal favorite. It's surreal claymation set in a labyrinth of magnificently grungy monsters. If you like the thrilling elements of exploration and monster chases in the backrooms you'll dig this.

Coraline: Perfect uncanny horror. A must read.

Wonder Egg Priority: For a period of time while watching this show you will be transported to another world where you're watching a modern classic. If you fail to get off the ride the second you get suspicious of the show's ability end in a satisfying way, you will be disappointed as this beautiful and mysterious tapestry is set aflame by the sheer ambition of the writer's room. This show was on a roll for about 10 episodes and then something very obviously comes out wrong. Up until that point it's truly on another level

As a big backrooms fan who is sometimes a little disappointed with how it was handled, I want to share with you all the surreal stuff that backrooms fans need to see, what I'm giving you is not about backrooms, but it has a backrooms vibe and I'm sure you'll like it, with links

Yume Nikki (and it's fangames) - MUST for backrooms fans, if you want surreal experience with unusual worlds, those games will definitely deliver

LSD Dream Emulator (and emulator for it) - Another game with wonderful surreal worlds, this time on ps1!

ENA - This web-series would be awesome to check out if you want to see unusual characters in very cool looking places (also, Ena is absolute sweetie-pie!) Oh, and there also gonna be Ena game in future

Infinity Train - It's like a Backrooms... On a train, seriously though, Backrooms and Infinity Train are really heckin simular conceptually and plus, Infinity Train is absolutely great cartoon that more people need to check out

Flip Flappers - More symbolism, more surrealism, this anime is great and really underappreciated and each episode it's own weird world and this anime in general is great experience that I really advise to check out!

Sonny Boy - This one I didn't fully watched myself yet, but based on recommendations and on moments I did saw, it definitely looks and feels really Backrooms-like

Subway Midnight - Another surreal game... On a train, but seriously though, this game is good and can even scare you couple of times

Myst (and it's sequels) - old but famous games with really complicated puzzles, but with locations that really capture feelings of wonder and confusion

House of Leaves - This book WILL confuse you but, it also does a great job at giving you really interesting and good read

And this what I have for today, if you know more stuff I can add to this list, please share

[exe1pe4ez]

The Backrooms entities:

Monsters and beast (ocs)

Description and behavior of the entities:

Apophis: this entity has an appearance similar to that of a snake belonging to the Boa constrictor species. These creatures generally spend most of their time alone and inactive, waiting in strategic locations for unsuspecting prey.

They feed on anything as their strong and flexible jaws allow them to consume things larger than their bodies. Another feature to highlight is that their scales are quite resistant almost like chain mail armor and finally their last notable feature is their terrible vision, but this weakness is offset by their auditory sense that allows them to feel the vibrations around them.

The presence of these beasts is marked by ossuaries full of objects that the serpent could not digest.

Sightings at levels: 0-1-2-7-8-10-34-37-43-62-66

Parasitic security cameras: On some occasions you can see strange security cameras attached to the bodies of different entities, both originating from the backrooms and from the frontrooms.

These entities act in an unflappable manner, following those poor condemned who ramble through the backrooms for no reason until the day the observed dies. Parasitized hosts are always neutral.

Apparently the type of parasitic surveillance camera depends on the size of the parasitized host. The origin of these cameras is still unknown.

Sightings on the levels: 0-1-4-11-33-35-36-81

The Monopods: These entities have an arm-like appearance with a pair of small red eyes on the sides and a mouth with small sharp teeth where the elbow should be on a normal arm.

These entities generally live in small groups ranging from 5 to 15 individuals, the population depends on the amount of food available and competition with other entities.

These entities usually wait in hiding to ambush their victims, attacking all at once. They make up for their weakness with quantity, speed, and ferocity. They can also use tools and bladed weapons.

Sightings at levels: Majority (Most commonly at levels 0-1-2-3-13)

Crazy Cubists: They are a group of unique entities that roam the backrooms; they are only 5 geometric figures with human characteristics that float in the air, each one in turn unique from the previous one.

They are extremely dangerous due to their chaotic personalities and terrible powers. Once someone gets their attention, the crazy cubists will use their powers to randomly transform the unfortunate person's body.

Its power over the flesh can lead to the following:

* Give some rare super power.

* Add some unnatural appendage to the body.

* Transform someone into something else.

* Minimal or total body distortion.

Sightings in the levels: (It does not matter they can travel from one level to another without problems)

The Juggernaut: This entity looks similar to a giant snail. The risk of these entities is not their aggression because they are passive, the risk they present is that their size often makes them obstacles that obstruct the way apart that instinctively push, crush and devour everything in their path, ignorant of any distraction.

Another risk they present is their saliva because it has the characteristic of being highly corrosive, being capable of causing painful and fatal wounds. They are usually loners, if you see one just go in the opposite direction. The largest Juggernaut ever found is about the size of a cargo truck.

Sightings at levels: Majority (Most commonly at levels 3-8-37-47-70)

The Dentures: These entities have an appearance very similar to that of common bats except for the fact that they do not have eyes, they have their hearing and smell organs even more developed and that their teeth are similar to the teeth of a human being. These creatures live in colonies ranging from 50 to more than 1000 individuals, the population depends on the amount of available resources of the level.

They usually feed on any creature that they can bite down, as their bite is full of bacteria that help weaken their prey. Dentures as such are not stronger than a common bat. The amount of food also dictates the size and strength of individuals, the more resources you find, the more dangerous they are.

These entities are of neutral temperament and it is recommended to respect their territory and stay away from the colonies.

Sightings at levels: Majority (The largest and most dangerous colonies are at levels 6-8-37-64-172)

[ewwwwitsbatatona]

what if

what if we kissed in level -81 of the backrooms?

[phooll123]

Italy Finally Falls to the Forces of Populism

By 

Alessandra Migliaccio

 and 

Ben Sills

11 May 2018, 04:01 GMT+1Updated on 11 May 2018, 10:33 GMT+1

Italy's Political Deadlock

Italy's Political Deadlock

First came Brexit, then Donald Trump, and now the rebellion by angry voters has landed its biggest blow on continental Europe.

Italy, the most indebted member of the euro region to avoid a bailout during the European debt crisis, has succumbed to the forces of nationalism and protectionism that emerged over the past two years as the biggest threat to the political order.

Efforts to form a broad coalition to dilute the power of the anti-establishment Five Star Movement floundered this week and the party’s 31-year-old leader Luigi Di Maio spent Thursday morning drawing up plans for a governing alliance with fellow college dropout Matteo Salvini, 45, of the anti-immigrant League.

Important issues are still to be settled, not least who will be prime minister. Yet they are on track to make Italy the biggest country to install a populist government since it formed the precursor of the European Union with five other nations almost 70 years ago. While France, Germany and the Netherlands chose a different path in votes last year, Italy always remained a risk.

“Italy is a wake-up call that populism is alive and well,” said Federico Santi, a political analyst at Eurasia Group in London. “There was a big wave of optimism after the French election, but the truth is that the problem definitely hadn't gone away.”

A mural by artist TVBOY shows Di Maio kissing Salvini on a wall in Rome.

Photographer: Alessia Pierdomenico/Bloomberg

Salvini and Di Maio are now taking till Monday to finish their plan to form a government in Rome. 

They still have to reconcile the League’s promise of a flat tax at 15 percent for people and businesses, while Five Star has offered a citizens’ income to poorer Italians. Both want to scrap the pension reform that helped weather the debt crisis but upset many voters.

League lawmaker Guglielmo Picchi said he expects curbs on immigration, tax cuts and “a more assertive stand” towards the EU as his party’s key issues in 

“The difficulty in the talks is not so much who does what, as agreeing on the priorities,” Picchi, 45, a former Barclays Capital investment banker, said in an interview. “We need to be careful about Five Star’s citizen's income, Italy can't just shower money on people.”

Markets ReactItalian bonds dropped. The spread between the country’s 10-year debt and benchmark German bunds widened by six basis points on Thursday to 138 points, the widest since March. The gap increased by 15 basis points in the past three sessions, its worst run since December.

Cutting taxes to stimulate growth is a risky endeavor for a country with Italy’s fragile finances. It wouldn’t take much of an uptick in borrowing costs, or of a slowdown in growth, for the country’s debt to begin spiraling again, says Stephanie Flanders, head of Bloomberg Economics.

Italy’s debt is still at least 30 percent bigger than its entire economy, the second-biggest in Europe after Greece, and the new government will be arriving in office with two sets of expensive promises to justify.

“Italy is not much further away from a debt crisis than it was five years ago,” Flanders said in research note. “The fastest road to another euro-zone crisis still runs through Rome.”

That said, Italian bonds are still short of the 213 basis-point premium over bunds in April last year, when Marine Le Pen threatened to pull off her own revolt in France. The spread is also narrower than the 187 basis points in December 2016 after Premier Matteo Renzi’s resignation fueled concerns that a snap election could bring Five Star to power.

Good Timing?

In the euro region, Rome-born Mario Draghi is keeping a lid on bond yields with the European Central Bank’s quantitative easing policy. The economy is resurgent, with even the perennial laggard Italy enjoying its best growth in more than six years, despite some recent signs of weakness.

And Italy has also made progress in addressing the mountain of bad loans in its banking system since 2016.

“If you had to choose a moment to have a mini political crisis this is a somewhat favorable one,” John Normand, head of cross-asset fundamental strategy at JPMorgan Chase & Co., said in a television interview.

Read More: Why Italy’s Jaded Voters Don’t Know Which Way to Turn

Indeed, Italy’s political class has been wrestling for decades with the stagnant wages and hollowed out industries that have blighted workers across the developed world.

Successive leaders failed to convince voters that the European recipe of free markets and open borders can turn things around. A series of backroom political deals and a surge in immigration fueled the sense of anger in recent years.

Salvini speaks as Berlusconi looks on after meeting with Mattarella in Rome on May 7.

Photographer: Giulio Napolitano/Bloomberg

The old order buckled at the March election. Renzi’s outgoing Democratic Party suffered its worst ever result. Silvio Berlusconi, 81, was eclipsed as leader of the center-right by the more hard-line League. Five Star became the single biggest party.

Momentum then built behind the two populist groups. With the threat of a repeat election ravaging his party, Berlusconi on Wednesday freed Salvini from his center-right obligations, paving the way for a Five Star-League alliance.

Five Star, though, is a different beast today from two years ago. Since assuming the leadership mantle from its founder, the comedian Beppe Grillo, Di Maio has sought to moderate the party’s policies and broaden its appeal. Most crucially, he’s dropped the pledge to hold a referendum on euro exit which made Le Pen’s campaign in France so potentially explosive.

QuicktakeItaly’s Populists Are Backing Away From Euro Exit

How the EU reacts will be critical. It’s in the midst of divorce proceedings after Britain’s vote to leave in June 2016 and has been troubled by nationalist rogues in the east emboldened by the election of Trump as U.S. president five months later.

“They could get into trouble and there's no real plan with what to do with Italy at the European level if they do,” said Megan Greene, chief economist at Manulife Asset Management. “If we do see the Italian government really clash with Brussels we could see calls again that Italy would be better off outside the euro area.”

via Blogger https://ift.tt/2rC1Bjj

[bountyofbeads]

Iran just outplayed the United States — again

By Max Boot | Published December 31 at 5:19 PM EST | Washington Post | Posted December 31, 2019 |

To call the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad merely a diplomatic mission is to severely understate its scope and size. At 104 acres, the compound is nearly the size of Vatican City and comes complete with its own dormitories, dining halls, electrical plant, fire department and everything else needed to support the thousands of diplomats and contractors housed inside its thick walls. I have been there many times, and every time I felt like I was being magically whisked from the Middle East to small-town America.

So it was all the more shocking to read that hundreds of supporters of Kataib Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed militia, broke into the compound on Tuesday and ransacked the reception areas familiar to all visitors. To anyone of my generation (I was born in 1969), it instantly conjured up terrible memories of the Iranian hostage crisis of 1979 to 1981. The protesters even shouted the same slogan — “Death to America” — as the Iranian hostage-takers. Mercifully, Tuesday’s embassy invasion ended without any Americans being harmed after Iraqi security forces belatedly arrived to restore order, but the demonstrators remain just outside the embassy walls.

This is another reminder that in the long-running conflict between the United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran, we have repeatedly been humbled and hurt by a smaller but more determined and ruthless adversary. Indeed, for the past 41 years, Iran has put on a master class in irregular warfare, leaving the United States flummoxed about how to respond.

In the 1980s, Iranian-backed forces took dozens of Americans hostage in Lebanon and demolished both the U.S. Embassy and the U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut with truck bombs that killed hundreds. President Ronald Reagan was so desperate to free the hostages that he was willing to sell missiles to Iran — a backroom maneuver that blew up into the biggest scandal of the Reagan administration after the proceeds were secretly diverted to the Nicaraguan Contras.

In 1987, Reagan sent U.S. naval forces to prevent Iran from closing the Persian Gulf as part of its war against Iraq. One U.S. Navy frigate was nearly sunk by an Iraqi missile and another by an Iranian mine, but U.S. forces inflicted heavy damages on Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Navy and accidentally shot down an Iranian passenger airliner.

This was the first and last time that U.S. and Iranian forces engaged in direct battle. Iran prefers to do most of its damage via proxies. Following the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003, Iranian-sponsored Shiite militias killed hundreds of U.S. service members. President George W. Bush condemned Iran as part of the “Axis of Evil,” but wisely decided against escalating hostilities. The United States was mired in enough wars without starting another one against a nation of 81 million people.

The Iranians took advantage of Bush’s ill-advised decision to overthrow their nemesis Saddam Hussein to extend Iranian influence across Iraq under the very noses of American occupiers. Iran was already the dominant player in Lebanon. In the past two decades, it has become the dominant player in Iraq, Syria, and Yemen, too. The new Persian Empire stretches from Tehran to Beirut.

The only effective U.S. response to the Iranian threat since Reagan’s tanker war was President Barack Obama’s decision to conclude a deal with Iran in 2015 that would freeze its nuclear program. The deal did nothing to curb Iran’s regional power play and may have even fueled it by lifting economic sanctions — which is why I and others opposed it at the time. But it did at least stop Iran’s development of nuclear weapons. President Trump blundered by exiting the nuclear deal in 2018 and imposing economic sanctions on Iran in 2019, even though it was complying with the agreement.

Pushed into a corner, Iran and its proxies have lashed out by allegedly attacking oil tankers in the Persian Gulf, shooting down a U.S. drone, hitting a major Saudi oil facility with cruise missiles — and now rocketing a U.S. compound near Kirkuk, Iraq. The latter attack, which killed an American contractor and injured four U.S. troops on Friday, led Trump to retaliate with airstrikes across Iraq and Syria that killed 25 members of Kataib Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed militia blamed for the rocket attack, and sparked anti-American outrage. The embassy invasion on Tuesday was Iran’s riposte to make clear that it will not bow to American pressure. Your move, Mr. Trump.

The United States has only two ways out of this escalating crisis: fight or negotiate. A war with Iran, as I have previously argued, could be the mother of all quagmires; it could easily spin out of control with tit-for-tat responses of the kind we have seen in recent days. Better to negotiate. That would mean trying to rebuild a tougher nuclear deal in return for the lifting of U.S. sanctions.

But Trump shows little interest in either seriously negotiating or fighting. He has waged economic warfare on Iran while doing nothing to curb its regional aggression; indeed, by withdrawing U.S. troops from part of northern Syria, he has allowed an extension of Iranian influence. So we are left with the worst of all possible worlds: Iran is once again waging a low-intensity conflict, and America once again has no effective response.

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The Pentagon has banned congressional travel to Iraq and Syria over the holidays

By Josh Rogin | Published December 31 at 1:30 PM EST | Washington Post | Posted December 31, 2019 |

U.S. diplomats and troops have been hunkering down on Tuesday in the Baghdad embassy under siege after Iraqi protesters stormed the compound to protest U.S. attacks on Iranian-backed militias. But there are no U.S. lawmakers or congressional staffers in the country — even though such visits are common during the holidays — because the Pentagon banned them from visiting this month amid concerns about regional instability.

I obtained an unclassified Dec. 16 Pentagon memo, designated “For Official Use Only,” that states, “all U.S. government, U.S. Congressional and allied senior level visits to [Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Iraqi Resolve] in Syria and Iraq are prohibited,” until Jan. 15, 2020. The memo is signed by Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper and approved a request made by Central Command chief Gen. Kenneth McKenzie. Exceptions are provided for the president, vice president, defense secretary, the service secretaries and the joint chiefs.

“Centcom raised concerns about straining resources to accommodate VIP delegations, volatility in Iraq, and the need to keep the focus on support operations in Syria,” a senior defense official told me on Dec. 18. “This is merely a pause on travel through the holidays.”

That caution proved to be prescient. The explanation came before a series of events over the past few days brought tensions surrounding the U.S. presence in Iraq to a boil. A U.S. contractor was killed, and several U.S. troops were injured in an attack on an Iraqi base hosting U.S. troops on Friday. The United States struck back at five locations Sunday in Iraq and Syria, targeting the Iranian-backed militia Kitaeb Hezbollah.

On Tuesday, supporters of that militia breached the embassy compound walls and set fire to a guard station and threw gasoline bombs over the wall, chanting “Death to America” while guards held them at bay with tear gas. President Trump quickly blamed Iran for orchestrating the attack and called on Iraqi security forces to protect the embassy, which they eventually did.

The Pentagon has put temporary pauses on congressional and senior leader visits to Iraq at various times before. But this year’s ban illustrates just how much the security situation in Iraq has deteriorated in recent weeks and months. Trump made a surprise visit to Iraq around this time last year. That wouldn’t be possible today, due to the dangerous situation on the ground.

The most recent congressional delegation to Iraq was in early November, led by House Armed Services Committee Chairman Adam Smith (D-Wash.). There are other congressional delegations in the Middle East region right now (specifics withheld for security reasons), but none in Iraq or Syria, where the U.S. troop presence has been reduced and now stands at about 600 soldiers sitting on oil fields in Deir al-Zour province.

The Pentagon’s decision to keep lawmakers out of Iraq and Syria over the holidays makes sense from a strictly security vantage point. But the fact that there is not enough staff in Iraq to safely host lawmakers and staffers calls into question the Trump administration’s plans to further drastically reduce the number of U.S. embassy personnel there.

Foreign Policy reported this month that the State Department plans to reduce diplomatic staffing in Iraq by 28 percent by the end of May 2020, removing 114 positions in the Baghdad embassy alone. As the security situation in Iraq worsens, the Trump administration should be doubling down on diplomacy, and Congress should be doubling down on oversight. Right now, both of those crucial missions are falling victim to the escalating violence.

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[bharatiyamedia-blog]

Johnson & Johnson Referred to as a 'Kingpin' in Opioid Take a look at Case

http://tinyurl.com/y2e3ou9n On Day 6 of the opioid trial towards pharmaceutical big Johnson & Johnson—a trial that’s anticipated to final two months—Oklahoma’s Lawyer Normal Mike Hunter determined to present a press convention to recap a few of the takeaways from the proceedings up to now. Amongst his factors: On the top of the opioid epidemic, J&J’s gross sales representatives focused over 140,000 Oklahoma docs, he stated. These reps billed themselves as ache specialists however had no medical coaching. And below the guise of “schooling,” they “influenced, focused, hooked, and leveraged docs into shopping for their opioids.” “Is it secure to say that the state may be very assured nonetheless of their case?” requested one reporter. “Supremely assured,” he stated. There’s little doubt that the nation is within the throes of an opioid disaster. Lower than a 12 months into his presidency, Trump declared the opioid scourge a nationwide emergency. In 2017, there have been 47,600 drug overdose deaths nationwide that concerned opioids, in response to the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention. In Oklahoma particularly, CDC numbers additionally present drug overdose deaths per 100,000 folks is 20.1, below the nationwide common of 21.7, however a lot greater than Nebraska, which has the fewest at 8.1, and decrease than West Virginia’s 57.Eight deaths per 100,000. Hunter says, 4,653 Oklahomans died of unintentional overdoses involving prescription opioids from 2007 to 2017. The Oklahoma trial holds nice curiosity as a result of it’s extensively seen as a take a look at for the gathering of some 1,600 plus lawsuits consolidated in a multidistrict litigation in Ohio. That courtroom course of is scheduled to get underway in October. In these proceedings, most of the courtroom paperwork are redacted or below seal. So Oklahoma offers the general public’s first glimpse into what the proof—and J&J’s protection—seems like. “Everyone seems to be taking a look at this trial in order that they will regulate their technique going ahead,” says Elizabeth Chamblee Burch, of the College of Georgia Faculty of Legislation and the writer of the not too long ago revealed ebook, Mass Tort Offers: Backroom Bargaining in Multidistrict Litigation. J&J’s opioid merchandise on the heart of the trial are a pill referred to as Nucynta (divested since 2015) and Duragesic, a transdermal fentanyl patch. Additionally a part of the litigation: two sister firms that J&J owned till 2016 that produced and processed components from patented Australian poppies to be used in its personal and different firms’ narcotics. These firms, similar to Purdue Pharma—extensively seen because the star opioid villain—helped gas the disaster, the state says. Which makes J&J and Purdue “co-conspirators,” in response to the state, and J&J a “kingpin.” The unsavory depiction hardly aligns with the family-friendly picture that the maker of child shampoo and Band-Aids portrays. In March, forward of the trial, Purdue and the Sackler household that owns the maker of OxyContin got here to a settlement of $270 million. On the eve of the trial, Teva, an Israeli generic drug pharmaceutical, settled for $85 million. Which left J&J as the only real defendant. “We acted responsibly in offering FDA-approved ache medicines, and we’re prepared for trial,” the corporate stated on the heels of the Teva settlement. It’s price noting that J&J can be presently within the headlines for circumstances linking its talc powder to asbestos-related most cancers. Final week, a New York jury awarded $300 million in punitive damages to 1 claimant, which the corporate plans to enchantment. Contemplating the courtroom of public opinion on opioids, why not simply settle just like the others as a substitute of combating a marketing campaign that paints J&J as a pariah? “A part of it’s J&J’s mojo for his or her litigation technique,” says Burch. She has adopted the corporate’s authorized actions within the hip substitute and talc circumstances. J&J has little or no market within the State of Oklahoma, notes Burch. In line with J&J: Duragesic and Nucynta made up lower than one % of Oklahoma Medicaid opioid prescriptions between 1996-2017. “They really feel like they’ve a reasonably sturdy case, I think. I believe they’re eager to ship a message to everybody else, all 1,600 lawsuits in federal courtroom, that this isn’t going to be a straightforward case to show towards us. We’re not simply going to cave and throw some cash your means.” Oklahoma just isn’t an ideal litmus take a look at for future litigation. For one, Oklahoma is a bench trial, which suggests a choose can be deciding the deserves of the case, not a jury. Lars Noah, a regulation professor on the College of Florida believes this makes the trial extra industry-friendly and offers an edge to J&J. “Jurors are famously dangerous at being attentive to their directions,” he says. “They usually’re famously beneficiant at awarding astronomical damages.” If the bench trial goes effectively for J&J, plaintiff legal professionals in different circumstances would possibly dismiss the Oklahoma outcomes and financial institution on verdicts heading in a distinct path in entrance of a jury, Noah factors out. If J&J fares poorly, he says, “they will proclaim victory and say, ‘Simply wait till juries get ahold of those and we’re actually going to trounce you.’” A Public Nuisance The opposite distinctive facet of this trial is that Oklahoma’s solely declare remaining towards the prescribed drugs big is a public nuisance declare. Because the trial neared, Hunter scaled again, dropping claims involving fraud and deceit, which might require exhibiting intent. However basic public nuisance circumstances contain interfering with a proper widespread to the general public like air, water, or roads. In a authorized sense, if an organization dumps chemical compounds right into a river, that air pollution could be a conventional utility of public nuisance regulation, and the corporate must clear up the mess. If Oklahoma prevails in its declare, it may well pursue abatement, which might imply billions of {dollars} for the state. “Public nuisance claims are considerably adventuresome,” notes Alexandra Lahav of the College of Connecticut Faculty of Legislation. “It’s not an space that has been effectively litigated. So every time you could have a public nuisance declare, you might be all the time putting new floor. That’s extra alternative, but it surely additionally means it’s exhausting to foretell for us wanting from the skin what this choose goes to do.” A choose in North Dakota not too long ago dismissed a lawsuit towards Purdue, rejecting comparable arguments. However every state has its personal iteration of public nuisance regulation. And whereas some level to public nuisance principle as prompting the landmark tobacco {industry} settlement, little or no was really litigated, which makes it exhausting to level to clear precedent. Plus there have been different claims creating stress for the tobacco {industry} to settle. Within the gun {industry} authorized quests, public nuisance arguments didn’t succeed. Lead paint outcomes had been blended. As for opioid producers being a public nuisance, there’s a lengthy causal chain that includes closely regulated, FDA-approved medicine with therapeutic functions which are prescribed by docs. Which makes it tougher to assign blame. “You’ve received to make connections from the habits of the named defendants to some endpoint,” says Noah. “You must clarify how that endpoint qualifies as a considerable interference with a proper widespread to the general public.” So the place does that go away J&J? Because the trial headed into its second day, buyers received nervous and lopped $20 billion off the market cap on jitters round opioid litigation. In a analysis observe, Credit score Suisse analyst Vamil Divan expressed shock contemplating the restricted gross sales J&J offers to the opioid market. Damages and penalties J&J might face needs to be lower than the $270 billion Purdue settlement, in response to the observe. One thing which J&J, with $81 billion in income, ought to have the ability to shoulder if the choose finds them at fault. One other factor to think about with massive verdict threat is that quite a lot of these verdicts may be struck down. Within the fast aftermath, markets can panic. “However in the long run, this isn’t what’s being paid out,” says Lahav. “There’s little or no that’s 100 % certain in regulation. That’s 100 % certain.” Extra must-read tales from Fortune: —This recession predictor simply hit ranges not seen since 2007 —Funding banks are urgent “play” on podcasts —Uncommon earth metals aren’t the trade war weapon Beijing suggests —These born-in-the-U.S.A. stocks are born to run —Take heed to our new audio briefing, Fortune 500 Daily Don’t miss the every day Term Sheet, Fortune‘s publication on offers and dealmakers. Source link