There is concern amongst countries in the area. There are many territorial disagreements. Both that and pressure to host bases etc in exchange for secure access to US markets.
The Biden administration is pursuing a policy of ambiguity with respect to China. A blockade is an act of war, but publically threatening it is also a quick way to lose sway in the court of world opinion. I agree that there is no public threat of a blockade by the adminstration, nor did I claim they did. Similarly, when was the last time the US officially declared war? WWII? Actions are better indicators than words. One cannot "contain" a country like China without assets in place. And they are there. I've read about 400 installations in Asia alone?
China militarily invaded another country in, if I recall, Vietnam in 1971. Most here were not born then. I'm a geezer and I was two. A lot of wars have occurred since then, but we characterize them as an aggressor nation.
Their threat to us is not that they will invade their neighbour. It is that their economic force of gravity will pull the entire world into their economic orbit, leaving us as an "also ran".
What the article didn't mention was that the US has pirated (ahem) "commandeered" Iranian oil tankers as well. This is an ongoing dispute between these two countries. Iran violates US sanctions, but technically they are merely US sanctions which have the legal weight of say Togo's sanctions on the high seas. (Togo doesn't enforce their domestic law on the high seas, nor can they.)
The simplest way to get Iran to stop compandeering tankers is for the US to do the same. They don't want our "peace", it is true. "Peace with Piracy" is just not compelling to the Iranians. Can you blame them?
Likewise, China benefits from trade near her borders but the US and allies want the ability to turn off the spigot when they wish to force China into concessions, as has been noted in US geopolitical articles for decades now.
Note the Australian nuclear submarines deal: They don't really want to protect their trade with China...from China, they want the ability to control trade between China and her allies. These subs would do part of the job, with the bulk of it done by the USN. Enjoy a comedy skit on that subject: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=sgspkxfkS4k
I think that people must move past the belief in "heroism" as a job function and understand that many companies (not all) are parasitic creatures which finagle to charge economic rents, not saviours of Western democracy that provide value added as is commonly assumed.
I got the opportunity to apply for my current job yesterday. I expect an offer letter and threats to sign within two days or lose the job I have next week. My future company is a lowest bidder and was selected from around thirty applicants.
Not an economist but B.A. Econ here. (Comp sci degree/career came later.)
The difference is the product. In the products these companies sell, especially for us, with web based software, the marginal cost of selling to one more customer is very low. An EE could design an excellent device, but the marginal cost of selling that device is still high. As are the services offered by Lawyers etc. It is the efficient scaling of products that make them so valuable. Those companies that have scaled (or have the potential to scale) their product typically have a lot of money to throw at building it. Those individuals which have the capacity to build scale-able products are in high demand and hence have high pay. My two cents anyway.
I would refine "globalism and capitalism" to just "corporatism". It really is socialism for companies and capitalism for you and I.
Patent laws suit big Pharma. Trade law and health guidelines suit big Agriculture. (Ketoer here so you know where I'm coming from.) Tough luck for the millions of people caught in the middle between these influential sets of oligarchs.
It is abhorrent that regular people subsidize (and pay a high price in life and limb) for government's covert largess to these corporations.
Whenever relations with nuclear powers are concerned, trust between these governments is an important issue for everyone. I don't think anyone has claimed that there was a conspiracy at the time. But for the West to renege on past agreements undermines existing ones and makes future agreements more difficult with any party. The world is much more dangerous as a result.
2 1/2 minutes to midnight.
That's the also the foundation of the political system. Whomever is behind these ads (may well be the Russian government, or may not) should get in line far behind everyone else.
How about a system where accusations are entered and kept encrypted until enough actual people enter similar ones and the info is released (maybe to a Wikileaks type organization for verification) automatically? The subject could be notified if they get n complaints. The accusations would have to be enough that there would be an excellent chance of conviction. I think it is an issue for all people in power, not simply media types. Because of the power of the subjects there would have to be some way to avoid the courts shutting it down too though. Perhaps an Ether smart contract? It would never catch all the bad people in the world but could at least put some checks on or even stop the powerful serial offender.
I know this is a bit "Pollyanna-Technical" "solution" to a human problem but it is the best I can think of given the adversarial court system, inequities of money, and all that.
Also, I don't think one should limit it to particular crimes.
On my phone: apologies for such a disorganized post.
A difficult thing to describe. Joy Division was a product of a man tortured by his internal demons. To me, their music was never really about the usual topics. It was about the a desire for a just (yet unattainable) world given the barbarism of everyday life.
If you're fifty, it may be trite idealism but to a teenager in the 1980s who could see the shallowness of it all but could not express it, Joy Division was wonderful. And because of Ian Curtis' suicide, that added to the authenticity and romance of it.
Of course suicide is never something to romanticize and is a painful tragedy that leaves family and friends with wounds that will never fully heal. The experience of an adult eventually override the idealism of youth.
I wonder how much the Trump administration's insistence that NATO allies spend the full 2% of GDP on defense is so that these planes are within budget?
For the US, I'd bet the primary utility of this plane is the health of the defense complex because it is probably the last traditional major fighter program. They'll switch to fleats of networked AI "manned" drones and that will be the real prize. (Prize because it means force projection without political risk.) But one require a healthy defence industry to make these significant investments. And one requires significant expertise in a workforce in place. But the technology probably isn't there for another ten or twenty years or so for complex/flexible missions.
1) see a doc. While there, along with other checks, check for diabeties and insulin resistance. The tests that don't require testing glucose levels after drinking a lot of sugar aren't as effective.
2) Assuming insulin related issues, check out the keto diet or something siimilar. One can become a fat burner instead of a sugar/carb burner. Thin people who are also fat burners have a month's worth of energy even without eating. Not a couple hours of fluctuating glucose levels like many.
It has worked for me. I couldn't keep my eyes open in the afternoon, would frequently feel awful especially after eating high sugar things like a milkshake, and I did OK at the doctor's tests for diabetics which runs in the family. After a number of months I am no longer overweight. (Note that the FDA recommends we eat what the Agricultural industry happens to sell most of--mostly grains.)
None of this may be applicable to you. But for me it was quite a puzzle after seeing a doctor and getting nowhere so consider it a possibility if you get no working answers from your doctor.
I think that their desire for safety is not valid either.
If an immigrant population believes they are unwanted by the majority, they'll tend to have "no skin in the game" for the society which they live and be much more open to political violence, crime etc.
I believe if you compare (in this case) Muslim immigrants to England vs Muslim immigrants to Canada you'll see a difference in acceptance by the majority. Obviously Canada does not have universal acceptance of Muslim immigrants or any immigrants, but Canada does try to integrate immigrants more. I believe this is reflected in the number of terrorist attacks in those countries.
If the Muslim immigrant minority (or any other) becomes more alienated, expect poor outcomes. Just like some poor Americans feel alienated by their country and some have fewer qualms about violent political acts.
I'm a Canuck and so I may be biased. But if my understanding is incorrect, I'd be interested in hearing.
I think that there is a second assumption which is overlooked:
Hypothetically, let us assume that the Russians did break in and steal emails etc. Governments do so all the time so it could well be true. Now the question to me is: why would they release all the emails to Wikileaks? The emails seem relatively benign and not very damming of HRC. Why not keep the information in your back pocket until they can be researched and leveraged? Releasing them diminishes their value to an intelligence agency. And why not release selected HRC's (herself) emails? Surely the Russians could have gotten those of they tried. Assuming she's not squeaky clean, they could have released selected individual emails anonymously and ensured a Trump win, plus keep other assets for later.
Would a better hypothesis be that US intelligence services saw break-ins and so released the information they knew foreign governments could be used as leverage aagainst a likely future president? This way they immunize against the information's use, plus blame the Russians but the US would dearly like to punish Russia for their victory in Syria anyway. This makes more sense to me but am interested in why this hypothesis is wrong or less likely.
I appear to have them under control now. I have been on a Ketogentic (< 20g carbs) diet (mainly to lose weight) and lack of migraines is one of the pleasant side effects. I've had two since starting months ago but I may have had too many carbs those particular days. I'd have almost one a week if stressed. The last two were so mild that I didn't bother with my regular Advil.
Not saying others will have the same experience but Keto is one treatment for various neurologic issues. I certainly didn't have them as bad as the author or others here. But it may be an avenue to consider. It is nice to not fear the zigzags.
http://m.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2013/04/15/m...
Is child poverty an issue or is it not? Is it left to the schools to correct?
Finland is the best in the world for child poverty. America, (ahem) less so. So the question is not really answered.
I don't think there needs to be war. I don't think government is the enemy--it is the corruption within government. People fighting the state directly will only accomplish a bloody mess.
The Biden administration is pursuing a policy of ambiguity with respect to China. A blockade is an act of war, but publically threatening it is also a quick way to lose sway in the court of world opinion. I agree that there is no public threat of a blockade by the adminstration, nor did I claim they did. Similarly, when was the last time the US officially declared war? WWII? Actions are better indicators than words. One cannot "contain" a country like China without assets in place. And they are there. I've read about 400 installations in Asia alone?
China militarily invaded another country in, if I recall, Vietnam in 1971. Most here were not born then. I'm a geezer and I was two. A lot of wars have occurred since then, but we characterize them as an aggressor nation. Their threat to us is not that they will invade their neighbour. It is that their economic force of gravity will pull the entire world into their economic orbit, leaving us as an "also ran".