If the Prime Minister May can take all the criticism that will continue to come her way, don't make any deal. A deal outside the situation of separation is a dream deal, not confronting the reality that the break heralds. Wait for the reality of separation before confronting the manifold factors of griving rise to multi-faceted circumatnances one could not have envisioned.
Also, I am veryglad to learn that the UK will continue as a member of TPP. Someone has to have good sense! The trading block is sure to take off in Asia! Cheerio to you.
Best to you. You are having the beneffit of my over 30 years of dealing with in situ circumstances.
Saturday, January 26, 2019
Monday, December 31, 2018
Cato's Discussion: "What to do about US support of the Saudis in the Yemen Civil War?"
Perhaps, no topic is more deserving of widespread discussion in the US as to how supportive of the Saudis should the US be in the former's pursuit of war in Yemen? And, I am grateful that the Cato discussion raised the issue, no matter how couched in political verbiage it was handled (in my opinion). The event took place in Washington, DC at the Cato Institute, December 7th, 2018.
The point could be made in a much larger historical context: Should the US have become involved in the Medieval war waged by certain Christian states (known as the Crusades) to take over the Middle-East Palestinian peninsula--assuming the US had existed at the time? But that is precisely what the US is doing today. It has joined forces in a religious war between Sunnais and Shia'a Muslims in both Yemen and Somalia (so it would seem), favoring the Sunnai Muslims (e.g., Saudi Arabia) in both cases. Even more outrageous. the US administration apparently never asked us citizens whether we want to become combatants in a religious war that is tearing apart at least two countries and killing countless number of civilians including children in the region? How dare we become participants in a religious conflict that dates back to the time of Mohammed himself! What is wrong with our national government! Hooray, for President's dictum, Don't get involved!
So, now in Sweden, the UN is sponsoring cease-fire talks among the two ever-warring factions in the Muslim religion. I hope the discussions enter the theological realm, so that there is some final resolve to the bitter hostilities that have marred the history of the world since the early centuries A.D. of the Muslim faith. It is true the Middle Ages is replete with the bloodshed wrought over the many European Crusades, but cannot the Muslims learn from the horrors the Crusade annals record in Christianity?
There is no hope until a Muslim unity challenges the option of war and its human annihilation as concomitant necessary effect. And, please, let not the United States become involved on either side of forces in some religious war either by supplying weaponry to the combatants or sending up our drones to wreak havoc in support of a particular religious, Muslim faction.
The point could be made in a much larger historical context: Should the US have become involved in the Medieval war waged by certain Christian states (known as the Crusades) to take over the Middle-East Palestinian peninsula--assuming the US had existed at the time? But that is precisely what the US is doing today. It has joined forces in a religious war between Sunnais and Shia'a Muslims in both Yemen and Somalia (so it would seem), favoring the Sunnai Muslims (e.g., Saudi Arabia) in both cases. Even more outrageous. the US administration apparently never asked us citizens whether we want to become combatants in a religious war that is tearing apart at least two countries and killing countless number of civilians including children in the region? How dare we become participants in a religious conflict that dates back to the time of Mohammed himself! What is wrong with our national government! Hooray, for President's dictum, Don't get involved!
So, now in Sweden, the UN is sponsoring cease-fire talks among the two ever-warring factions in the Muslim religion. I hope the discussions enter the theological realm, so that there is some final resolve to the bitter hostilities that have marred the history of the world since the early centuries A.D. of the Muslim faith. It is true the Middle Ages is replete with the bloodshed wrought over the many European Crusades, but cannot the Muslims learn from the horrors the Crusade annals record in Christianity?
There is no hope until a Muslim unity challenges the option of war and its human annihilation as concomitant necessary effect. And, please, let not the United States become involved on either side of forces in some religious war either by supplying weaponry to the combatants or sending up our drones to wreak havoc in support of a particular religious, Muslim faction.
Saturday, December 22, 2018
Reflecting on recent development: My making friends in DC
I am beholden to any federal agency that has made it possible for me to return to DC.
When I was here a few years ago and thought I was staying but didn't, I experimented with the help of that federal agency to reach out in friendship to groups in the area to get to know them. It was successful, but I couldn't do much than just meet with a few, very few groups. This method is available to me only in DC.
Anyway, I'm back! And just recently, the federal agency sponsoring my final return has apparently made available to me this one-on-one communication once again. I've tried it on several occasions in the last few days with again good results.
This enables me to add to the blog method of communication with those interested in knowing what I'm about. So, onward to my making more friends with whom to carry on conversation! My pleasure.
When I was here a few years ago and thought I was staying but didn't, I experimented with the help of that federal agency to reach out in friendship to groups in the area to get to know them. It was successful, but I couldn't do much than just meet with a few, very few groups. This method is available to me only in DC.
Anyway, I'm back! And just recently, the federal agency sponsoring my final return has apparently made available to me this one-on-one communication once again. I've tried it on several occasions in the last few days with again good results.
This enables me to add to the blog method of communication with those interested in knowing what I'm about. So, onward to my making more friends with whom to carry on conversation! My pleasure.
Wednesday, December 5, 2018
What purpose can you have in a world of automation?
Up to very recently, a man's identity (i.e., who he was in the community) was tied to what he did as a living. If he was a tradesman in the Middle Ages, he could be known as one, e.g., John Smith, the town's man who worked with horses. Then, when man worked in factories, he was identified with the product he made. Today, automation has taken away many jobs from workers that they used to have, particularly on assembly lines and in maintaining company books.
On the Washington Journal program aired December 3rd over C-Span, the findings of the current status of the working class was presented by its authors of Opportunity America, headed by Tamar Jacoby. The statistics mentioned demonstrated that workers are experiencing a wage crunch caused by the necessity for workers to compete against computerized operations, wherein AI machines now make human intervention in productivity systems virtually obsolete.
Even in agriculture, machinery, I am told, will soon displace countless farmer laborers in such activities as planting and harvesting crops!
In a world of machinery and humans interacting on a continual basis, how is the human being to count for something? How can he feel purposeful and his efforts needed and valuable? Already, the unemployed can become despondent and irrelevant to today's active and productive atmosphere, which is presented him on TV.
This is becoming an ever increasing stark reality: fewer jobs for the takers.
I think the paths to self-worth can be found in the government offices of unemployment who deal with workers who have not worked for many years. Re-training isn't the answer for those over prime working age. They may find themselves doing odd jobs around hospitals, volunteering to work with mentally challenged persons, like doing household jobs for them, and some even volunteer to do non-paying jobs in political campaigns. The point is they are reaching out to make a contribution to society, in particular, in their community, whether or not they are gainfully employed. For they are attending to the needs of other humans, which, hopefully, brings about greater happiness for all to share.
On the Washington Journal program aired December 3rd over C-Span, the findings of the current status of the working class was presented by its authors of Opportunity America, headed by Tamar Jacoby. The statistics mentioned demonstrated that workers are experiencing a wage crunch caused by the necessity for workers to compete against computerized operations, wherein AI machines now make human intervention in productivity systems virtually obsolete.
Even in agriculture, machinery, I am told, will soon displace countless farmer laborers in such activities as planting and harvesting crops!
In a world of machinery and humans interacting on a continual basis, how is the human being to count for something? How can he feel purposeful and his efforts needed and valuable? Already, the unemployed can become despondent and irrelevant to today's active and productive atmosphere, which is presented him on TV.
This is becoming an ever increasing stark reality: fewer jobs for the takers.
I think the paths to self-worth can be found in the government offices of unemployment who deal with workers who have not worked for many years. Re-training isn't the answer for those over prime working age. They may find themselves doing odd jobs around hospitals, volunteering to work with mentally challenged persons, like doing household jobs for them, and some even volunteer to do non-paying jobs in political campaigns. The point is they are reaching out to make a contribution to society, in particular, in their community, whether or not they are gainfully employed. For they are attending to the needs of other humans, which, hopefully, brings about greater happiness for all to share.
Friday, November 30, 2018
How do you make trading partners of formerly "Third World Nations"?
I want to act like a historian for this blog item. To President Trump, the presidents since WWII were dumb, treating the backward nations as legitimate trading and business-astute partners, offering them "most favored nation" status that virtually eliminated tariffs in selling their goods abroad that were once made in the US. All they needed was to join a trade organization, such as the WTO.
But there are rules and regulations imposed by a trade organization upon its members. For one thing, the accounting method known as GAAP must be deployed in the financial books of its corporations and business enterprises. And so on. Now if China wants to maintain the status of a trading partner, one whose businesses are governed by GAAP rules, then it will benefit by the most favorite nation, paying minimum import tax among all businesses in member states.
While trade organizations were promulgated by the Advanced Nations, e.g., the United States, the idea was to sell their financial procedures and concepts to all those nations seeking to become world class trading partners, i.e., its companies participating in trading deals with others around the globe.
The carrot to backward nations was low tariffs. Moreover, to assure compliance with the trade organization's rules, third world nations would include companies of the Advanced Nations, which established regional corporate centers in these backward countries.
That is, a certain number of companies that moved some of their operations abroad would lose their employees at home--say, in the US.
But thank God for President Trump who can up the tariff upon the company divisions that produce goods abroad and would sell them in the US at cheaper cost than had their production occurred on US soil. GIVE ME A BREAK!
But there are rules and regulations imposed by a trade organization upon its members. For one thing, the accounting method known as GAAP must be deployed in the financial books of its corporations and business enterprises. And so on. Now if China wants to maintain the status of a trading partner, one whose businesses are governed by GAAP rules, then it will benefit by the most favorite nation, paying minimum import tax among all businesses in member states.
While trade organizations were promulgated by the Advanced Nations, e.g., the United States, the idea was to sell their financial procedures and concepts to all those nations seeking to become world class trading partners, i.e., its companies participating in trading deals with others around the globe.
The carrot to backward nations was low tariffs. Moreover, to assure compliance with the trade organization's rules, third world nations would include companies of the Advanced Nations, which established regional corporate centers in these backward countries.
That is, a certain number of companies that moved some of their operations abroad would lose their employees at home--say, in the US.
But thank God for President Trump who can up the tariff upon the company divisions that produce goods abroad and would sell them in the US at cheaper cost than had their production occurred on US soil. GIVE ME A BREAK!
Thursday, November 29, 2018
A Military Stalemate in Afghanistan
Some military analysts surveying the armed conflict primarily between the Taliban and the Kabul government have admitted a stalemate. But to my mind, there is no other way to evaluate the years of war between the two sides as being nothing other than a continuance of war.
Part of the reason is that not all sides in the conflict are represented by the two warring parties. Tribal groups or aggregates remain independent of these two factions. Moreover, much agrarian land is used to grow the poppy seeds and plants used in the manufacture of opiates. And, how about the Chinese mining of the mineral rights in the Afghanistan West? Land so valuable to the drug trade can be openly traded by one or another claiming itself the legitimate government of the country.
It is a true miracle that there's not greater loss of life in this country torn apart and dismembered into the several, local governing units.
Part of the reason is that not all sides in the conflict are represented by the two warring parties. Tribal groups or aggregates remain independent of these two factions. Moreover, much agrarian land is used to grow the poppy seeds and plants used in the manufacture of opiates. And, how about the Chinese mining of the mineral rights in the Afghanistan West? Land so valuable to the drug trade can be openly traded by one or another claiming itself the legitimate government of the country.
It is a true miracle that there's not greater loss of life in this country torn apart and dismembered into the several, local governing units.
Wednesday, November 21, 2018
Immigration: A Human Condition
I think it would be remarkable if the boundaries of nations extant today remained in tact, changeless forever more! People love to roam about, to pick up and go--wherever their inner spirit takes them!
It is natural to expect that those settled already in regions they have carved out for themselves would regard immigrants to their territory as intruders! The latter are tolerated when they declare themselves as visitors for a particular time. And, a country may reach out and gather those in flight from elsewhere, as have the Germans extended a welcome to the displaced Syrians; and as the United States has granted asylum to multitudinous destitute groups and victims of physical and social calamities over many years. Who can forget the potato famine in Europe that sent waves of migrants to American shores many years ago?
Now it is true that not all native populations are accepting of migrants who pass into their lands. Each country proclaims its own quota system of those desirous to remain and settle down. Nevertheless, migration continues today across territories; and when migrants are desperate enough, they will climb over walls and barriers that would keep them out.
All a country can reasonably demand on the stage of world opinion is that it not be overwhelmed by some current migration of people. I am reminded how the Roman Empire endeavored to restrain German tribes to their north from invading but in the end succumbed to an ever-increasing overrun of these desperate people.
Moral of this item: You can't restrict migrants from entry into lands you regard as (forever) yours! Sooner or later, they'll ignore your border signs and demarcation lines. Why? Because they're as transit upon this earth as you are! And everybody is moving about into "new" lands. It's the nature of the homo sapiens!
As the old time religion puts it, 'This world is not my home. I'm only passing through!'
It is natural to expect that those settled already in regions they have carved out for themselves would regard immigrants to their territory as intruders! The latter are tolerated when they declare themselves as visitors for a particular time. And, a country may reach out and gather those in flight from elsewhere, as have the Germans extended a welcome to the displaced Syrians; and as the United States has granted asylum to multitudinous destitute groups and victims of physical and social calamities over many years. Who can forget the potato famine in Europe that sent waves of migrants to American shores many years ago?
Now it is true that not all native populations are accepting of migrants who pass into their lands. Each country proclaims its own quota system of those desirous to remain and settle down. Nevertheless, migration continues today across territories; and when migrants are desperate enough, they will climb over walls and barriers that would keep them out.
All a country can reasonably demand on the stage of world opinion is that it not be overwhelmed by some current migration of people. I am reminded how the Roman Empire endeavored to restrain German tribes to their north from invading but in the end succumbed to an ever-increasing overrun of these desperate people.
Moral of this item: You can't restrict migrants from entry into lands you regard as (forever) yours! Sooner or later, they'll ignore your border signs and demarcation lines. Why? Because they're as transit upon this earth as you are! And everybody is moving about into "new" lands. It's the nature of the homo sapiens!
As the old time religion puts it, 'This world is not my home. I'm only passing through!'
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