Pepe Escobar’s latest about the upcoming BRICS Summit in August carries the curios title, “BRICS Problems, BRI Solutions,” while Global Times wrote more directly to the main points at issue now, “Chinese senior diplomat calls to resist Cold War mentality at BRICS security meetings
I attended a seminar given by McChesney Martin at the University of Oregon when Arthur Fleming was President, rebuilding the U of O in the sixties. Fleming as HEW Secretary under Eisenhower and Lieuallen from the Board of Regents brought him to Oregon.
That kind of rare talent has been sorely missing ever since in the public sphere. I once sat next to a senior US Treasury official going to Mexico to deal with the peso crisis of the time. Executive limos for him at the ramp. Bright, serious, competent as all can be. Larry Summers is not anywhere in that league nor are any of the other limelight seekers. There has been a dramatic change in what we appreciate for leadership that we care to listen to.
I want to thank Karlof1 for trying to fill the gap assembling inputs from all sources to achieve informed discussions about our future.
Thanks for your support, Acco! There was a time when people wanted to get into government because it was the right thing to do--Public Service, Civic Duty, Love of Country, and other fundamental values/drives. As Hudson points out in "... forgive them their debts," corrupt officials within governing institutions have always existed, but within Plundering nations and Empires, they seem to be bountiful, pollute the institutions so much that the decent folk don't stay. You probably recall the film "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" whose warning was drowned out by the coming war. China gave a reprieve to a party official who was sentenced to death for bribery, which illustrates the chasm in values between it and the West on that issue.
Joined Treasury as a contractor in 2002 for what turned into a fifteen year cycle in DC Metro. US Customs got turfed to DHS which acquired a lot of FBI rejects. I was one of the Senior Architects for Cargo. The best and dedicated govies, all long term, worked Passenger. They were subject to the the rules of government procurement. Get our contractor to hire you. We have no control.
BTW, the official border crossings never needed Trump's travel ban. And not a single senior govie could tell him why not. I and many others all decided that if we could prevent them from falling off the cliff, it was a job well done.
DoD weapons procurement works along the same lines which is why the Russians have the US beat.
The transition to grifting as a national pastime is worthy of some analysis.
That's most interesting! I see you're located in North Carolina, Yes? We'll be in Georgia briefly and Tennesse mostly--Knoxville--at the beginning part of September. A quick search shows the grifting issue has gotten some media attention.
Suffolk VA, with Elizabeth City NC (the second largest city on the NC Coast, yes!) an hour away. My wife retired as Navy doctor last October and joined a group practice a mile away at half pay. She never did get vaccinated and is not missing the Navy. She spent twenty years in academic medicine including FDA drug trials and we were on top of COVID before it hit the news. Her first comment, 'lab tech,' i.e. PPE tear.
The grifting is likely going away from the media unless Congress acts. The Babylon Bee is often ahead with the news, sad to say.
I was voted by family members as the debating party to Uncle Herman, i.e. Herman Kahn, living in Chappaqua NY. The bomb shelter was turned into a swimming pool. Debbie Cunningham is the sole surviving next gen family member with her daughter.
Over the years of being part of the MoA "faculty", the cadre has included some very unique people in the sense of their insider awareness, and their contributions are priceless. I value feedback, so please continue to conribute!
I beg to differ on the German tank design. Since WW II mobility, not weight, armor, nor firepower were the key design parameters. Only recently did the Germans increase armor from 15 mm to 20 mm. The Tigers of WW II earned their spot, cf. Simplicius and his article on the battle of Kursk.
'A camel is a horse designed by a committee' certainly applies to the F-35. The M1 Abrams tank family faired somewhat better but is better suited for desert than mud. The Soviets spec'd all their bridges to a 50 ton limit for a reason.
Russian weapons programs are not subject to RFIs, RFPs, nor competitive bidding with contractors doing all of the heavy lifting, including IV&Vs to monitor performance on contract. Most CRs would require a contract mod. The Russian state industries are not likewise encumbered and serving Rodina is a motivator.
the problem i see with us military industry complex weapons: outside us army programs, most notable terminated future combat system, no technical loser is ever "killed".
that is, healthy dividends are the driver not delivering effective and suitable weapon system.
f-35 won its last and only 'competition' by hovering better than the beoing entry! and the pratt and whitney engine selected terminated the ge competitor so 20 years later they will pay pratt and whitney for an engine upgrade that might meet part of original requirement.
allegedly russian weapons evolved, while us weapons are revolting, oops!, revolutions of technical advancement!
I love hearing this news, but the closer they get the more it's going to move to hard power conflict. Seems like the RC nuts in the west are ready to light the world on fire ten times over before letting go of the ring.
Tightening the screws economically seems to be the best strategy to avoid nuclear fire. In reply to a comment elsewhere, I noted the fact that the American public has never been told by any government figure that its Empire of Bases was subsidized by the nations those bases surrounded--only Hudson and a few others have told them via books, articles and podcasts. That will now need to occur since their upkeep will now need to be paid for out of the Empire's budget. RFKjr's been making noise about that, so it might become an election issue.
Hudson is a real public intellectual. Very thankful for this man. You mentioned something about him being Trotsky's God son or something. Is that true?
It's painful to see RFK Jr already getting race baited. Hopefully, the public has at least begun to understand how the accusation of anti semetism has been weaponized by the idpol obsessed Dems to destroy any critique of the status quo.
I discovered Hudson while I was still in HIgh School, 1973, when I bought the first edition of "Super Imperialism." After a 20+ year career in Food Service and Entertainment that was quite good for me I returned to college and became an informal student of his as I did my Deep Dive into the history of the US Empire. So, following his works was natural. His website is a trove and would take several years to read all the material there. As it happens, we have a connection. I've been promoting his works for 15-20 years at least, and we have a friendly, informal, virtual relationship I value highly. In his many interviews, he often mentions some of his bio, the Trotsky link seems to be a favorite. Just over 5 years ago, he was interviewed by Lau Kin Chi of the Global University for Sustainability at Peking University for the Second World Conference, May 7, 2018, which was published at his site, "Life & Thought: An Autobiography," https://michael-hudson.com/2018/08/life-thought-an-autobiography/ In his recent spate of books, he's added a bit to his bio, which now that I think about them seems to be a usual feature in his introductions/prefaces. I expect the final volume of his trilogy on debt to be singular in its outspokenness. At 84, he works harder than I do, with his research, writing, interviews, and semi-monthly geopolitical economy show. And he subscribes to my substack.
As I recall, he does mention that somewhere. That his dad was busted while he was a child is in the linked bio. I gave some serious thought to specializing on the Depression Era. I now wish I'd read more when running restaurants, but during those years didn't really know what to read.
I learned of a writing genre that began in the early 1900s and continued to WW2--Labor Writers. I have a few such books in my library.
the conclusions at the bottom are especially relevant - 3 to 1 debt to gdp.. thanks karl.. moving out of the us$ can't happen soon enough.. have you converted your savings to rubles yet? lol..
I omitted mentioning Russia just initiated its Digital Golden Ruble. Here's the key info: "According to the document, the digital ruble will be used as a means for payments and transfers." In other words, it's to be used in international trade. https://tass.com/politics/1651135
Hudson, Desai, Pozsar, Roubini, and many other notables have a very different view of central bank digital currencies, and all note they'll play a key role in dedollarization.
Well, looks like we'll soon find out. I don't understand all the issues therein, way over my pay grade. But it seems to me that there are many ways in which they can be used harmfully and generally it is not good to give governments those sorts of toys. We are already transitioning to digital as increasing percent of transactions happen with cards and cell phones instead of cash, all of which are essentially digital already and also by nature without the same sort of privacy you get with cash transactions.
I attended a seminar given by McChesney Martin at the University of Oregon when Arthur Fleming was President, rebuilding the U of O in the sixties. Fleming as HEW Secretary under Eisenhower and Lieuallen from the Board of Regents brought him to Oregon.
That kind of rare talent has been sorely missing ever since in the public sphere. I once sat next to a senior US Treasury official going to Mexico to deal with the peso crisis of the time. Executive limos for him at the ramp. Bright, serious, competent as all can be. Larry Summers is not anywhere in that league nor are any of the other limelight seekers. There has been a dramatic change in what we appreciate for leadership that we care to listen to.
I want to thank Karlof1 for trying to fill the gap assembling inputs from all sources to achieve informed discussions about our future.
Thanks for your support, Acco! There was a time when people wanted to get into government because it was the right thing to do--Public Service, Civic Duty, Love of Country, and other fundamental values/drives. As Hudson points out in "... forgive them their debts," corrupt officials within governing institutions have always existed, but within Plundering nations and Empires, they seem to be bountiful, pollute the institutions so much that the decent folk don't stay. You probably recall the film "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" whose warning was drowned out by the coming war. China gave a reprieve to a party official who was sentenced to death for bribery, which illustrates the chasm in values between it and the West on that issue.
Joined Treasury as a contractor in 2002 for what turned into a fifteen year cycle in DC Metro. US Customs got turfed to DHS which acquired a lot of FBI rejects. I was one of the Senior Architects for Cargo. The best and dedicated govies, all long term, worked Passenger. They were subject to the the rules of government procurement. Get our contractor to hire you. We have no control.
BTW, the official border crossings never needed Trump's travel ban. And not a single senior govie could tell him why not. I and many others all decided that if we could prevent them from falling off the cliff, it was a job well done.
DoD weapons procurement works along the same lines which is why the Russians have the US beat.
The transition to grifting as a national pastime is worthy of some analysis.
That's most interesting! I see you're located in North Carolina, Yes? We'll be in Georgia briefly and Tennesse mostly--Knoxville--at the beginning part of September. A quick search shows the grifting issue has gotten some media attention.
Suffolk VA, with Elizabeth City NC (the second largest city on the NC Coast, yes!) an hour away. My wife retired as Navy doctor last October and joined a group practice a mile away at half pay. She never did get vaccinated and is not missing the Navy. She spent twenty years in academic medicine including FDA drug trials and we were on top of COVID before it hit the news. Her first comment, 'lab tech,' i.e. PPE tear.
The grifting is likely going away from the media unless Congress acts. The Babylon Bee is often ahead with the news, sad to say.
I was voted by family members as the debating party to Uncle Herman, i.e. Herman Kahn, living in Chappaqua NY. The bomb shelter was turned into a swimming pool. Debbie Cunningham is the sole surviving next gen family member with her daughter.
worked dod systems acquisition from 1985, civil servant with active duty and reserve (concurrent w/civil service) then both kinds of contract.
most immense mistake was during war on terror retired colonels could revolve into high civil service grade!
in nearly 47 year exposure to military industry complex the sarge’s observation that no one ever lost money selling to uncle sam was never disproved.
if the thing could not be tested it was a pass….
seems German tanks are as bad as us tanks.
unsuited to operations is never a hindrance
Over the years of being part of the MoA "faculty", the cadre has included some very unique people in the sense of their insider awareness, and their contributions are priceless. I value feedback, so please continue to conribute!
I beg to differ on the German tank design. Since WW II mobility, not weight, armor, nor firepower were the key design parameters. Only recently did the Germans increase armor from 15 mm to 20 mm. The Tigers of WW II earned their spot, cf. Simplicius and his article on the battle of Kursk.
'A camel is a horse designed by a committee' certainly applies to the F-35. The M1 Abrams tank family faired somewhat better but is better suited for desert than mud. The Soviets spec'd all their bridges to a 50 ton limit for a reason.
Russian weapons programs are not subject to RFIs, RFPs, nor competitive bidding with contractors doing all of the heavy lifting, including IV&Vs to monitor performance on contract. Most CRs would require a contract mod. The Russian state industries are not likewise encumbered and serving Rodina is a motivator.
the problem i see with us military industry complex weapons: outside us army programs, most notable terminated future combat system, no technical loser is ever "killed".
that is, healthy dividends are the driver not delivering effective and suitable weapon system.
f-35 won its last and only 'competition' by hovering better than the beoing entry! and the pratt and whitney engine selected terminated the ge competitor so 20 years later they will pay pratt and whitney for an engine upgrade that might meet part of original requirement.
allegedly russian weapons evolved, while us weapons are revolting, oops!, revolutions of technical advancement!
Here, Here! Another great contribution, Karl. Keep it coming..
Thanks much! Another item I just came across that would have fit good is this report, "Chinese Banks Offload Huge Dollar Holdings as Yuan Surges", https://sputnikglobe.com/20230725/chinese-banks-offload-huge-dollar-holdings-as-yuan-surges-1112128491.html
I love hearing this news, but the closer they get the more it's going to move to hard power conflict. Seems like the RC nuts in the west are ready to light the world on fire ten times over before letting go of the ring.
Tightening the screws economically seems to be the best strategy to avoid nuclear fire. In reply to a comment elsewhere, I noted the fact that the American public has never been told by any government figure that its Empire of Bases was subsidized by the nations those bases surrounded--only Hudson and a few others have told them via books, articles and podcasts. That will now need to occur since their upkeep will now need to be paid for out of the Empire's budget. RFKjr's been making noise about that, so it might become an election issue.
Hudson is a real public intellectual. Very thankful for this man. You mentioned something about him being Trotsky's God son or something. Is that true?
It's painful to see RFK Jr already getting race baited. Hopefully, the public has at least begun to understand how the accusation of anti semetism has been weaponized by the idpol obsessed Dems to destroy any critique of the status quo.
I discovered Hudson while I was still in HIgh School, 1973, when I bought the first edition of "Super Imperialism." After a 20+ year career in Food Service and Entertainment that was quite good for me I returned to college and became an informal student of his as I did my Deep Dive into the history of the US Empire. So, following his works was natural. His website is a trove and would take several years to read all the material there. As it happens, we have a connection. I've been promoting his works for 15-20 years at least, and we have a friendly, informal, virtual relationship I value highly. In his many interviews, he often mentions some of his bio, the Trotsky link seems to be a favorite. Just over 5 years ago, he was interviewed by Lau Kin Chi of the Global University for Sustainability at Peking University for the Second World Conference, May 7, 2018, which was published at his site, "Life & Thought: An Autobiography," https://michael-hudson.com/2018/08/life-thought-an-autobiography/ In his recent spate of books, he's added a bit to his bio, which now that I think about them seems to be a usual feature in his introductions/prefaces. I expect the final volume of his trilogy on debt to be singular in its outspokenness. At 84, he works harder than I do, with his research, writing, interviews, and semi-monthly geopolitical economy show. And he subscribes to my substack.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minneapolis_general_strike_of_1934. This is the type of militancy we need now. And I'll bet Hudson's parents were involved in some way.
Farrell Dobbs books on it are the most inspiring thing I've read. It's like a lost history of a lost, proud, intelligent American working class.
As I recall, he does mention that somewhere. That his dad was busted while he was a child is in the linked bio. I gave some serious thought to specializing on the Depression Era. I now wish I'd read more when running restaurants, but during those years didn't really know what to read.
I learned of a writing genre that began in the early 1900s and continued to WW2--Labor Writers. I have a few such books in my library.
So true. It takes awhile just to find the right books. Probably wasted 10 good years until I found the good stuff.
I was a fellow traveler with some trotskyists. Excellent academically, but very secty when it came to real life. Like a brain with no body.
I knew you were no average barfly... 😁
the conclusions at the bottom are especially relevant - 3 to 1 debt to gdp.. thanks karl.. moving out of the us$ can't happen soon enough.. have you converted your savings to rubles yet? lol..
I omitted mentioning Russia just initiated its Digital Golden Ruble. Here's the key info: "According to the document, the digital ruble will be used as a means for payments and transfers." In other words, it's to be used in international trade. https://tass.com/politics/1651135
A critical take on the digital ruble: https://edwardslavsquat.substack.com/p/th-bank-of-russias-cbdc-myth-vs-reality
Hudson, Desai, Pozsar, Roubini, and many other notables have a very different view of central bank digital currencies, and all note they'll play a key role in dedollarization.
Well, looks like we'll soon find out. I don't understand all the issues therein, way over my pay grade. But it seems to me that there are many ways in which they can be used harmfully and generally it is not good to give governments those sorts of toys. We are already transitioning to digital as increasing percent of transactions happen with cards and cell phones instead of cash, all of which are essentially digital already and also by nature without the same sort of privacy you get with cash transactions.