Greenpa
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“Plainly seeing what’s right in front of our noses, no matter how well sold or disguised, is our human responsibility. That people would relinquish this innate right and capability totally escapes me.”
Um. Ok. What is escaping this deep thinker is that what is right in front of his face- he refuses to accept. I.e.; specifically – humans worship cognitive dissonance – always have. Fact of life. Right in front of your face..
Rapier- you’re still clinging to the idea that legal reality matters. “The King” can just say “yep this one is guilty of all these crimes”, hang them, and all will believe. It’s pretty well known that there is an abundance of wealthy families in Greece; and that they are notorious for not paying taxes. I’m fully aware the majority of them; and their movable cash, is now elsewhere; but their estates are not movable – and would easily be seized. For back taxes, if nothing else. It’s a very messy procedure, when practiced, and generates horrified historians for centuries- but it works. 🙂 Actual execution may not be necessary these days; simply declaring them convicted criminals, subject to arrest by Greece and any allies- would put a considerable dent in their lifestyles these days.
Incidentally, your German aphorism gets around; one of the things from The Karate Kid worth listening to:
Alrighty then! They have been studying their history, and are putting it to use.
Anybody here remember my comments- when Syriza was elected- that the historical pathway in these situations is to simply declare the debts illegal, and the lenders criminals, then arrest them, seize their assets and execute them? Step one!
And I pointed out – this is only possible for a sovereign entity – which has actual control of its military… but then, it’s been done many, many times.
Of COURSE the Big Money is “plotting regime change”; 100% of world history predicts assassination, very soon. Which is why way back there I was talking about the necessity of the Tsirpas government consolidating control and support of the Greek military. Boy, I hope they have, NOW. Ilargi, any indications of that in European gossip?
This guy has actually stuck his neck way out; though I’m sure most of his colleagues think he is writing a humor column:
If any part of that proves true, there might be “game changer” stuff in the not-near-but-not-distant future.
This one is SO wonderful, I had to share it with all the folks here.
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/the-number-that-makes-us-bullish-on-america-99-trillion-2015-06-12Ilargi (I still like those), I particularly thought you might enjoy dissecting that one in detail.
It is, of course, the most ASTONISHING fantasy. Eye-popping to me, and folks here, I’m sure; but a lovely example of what the Econofantasists consistently feed to the media and the public; ever lusting for things to prop their own fantasies up.
A perfect, perfect example of “omigod, this guy does not live on any planet even near reality…”
Educational, actually, for those with eyes to see and ears to hear. And entertaining, too – once you can relax about it all a bit.
🙂
Re: Amazon/Chinese mega-engineering; this is fully relevant, and not optimistic: https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Bay-Bridge-news-gets-worse-Tower-rod-fails-key-6250031.php “It shows kind of a wanton disregard for good engineering design and practice.” As the son of a civil engineering professor, I do get the distinct impression that the quality of construction, if not engineering, has definitely been steadily dropping in the past decades- leaving us wide open to major infrastructure failures ahead…
And, re: early egalitarian societies: “There is still this wider perception that hunter-gatherers are more macho or male-dominated. ” No. There has been a constant bent in this direction by movie directors, English majors, and journalists- but the tendency for primal societies to have equal men’s and women’s power has been known to actual anthropologists for a century, I think. Note “tendency”; not “universal conformity”.
Charles- thanks! Been a while since I really dug. I’ll check these out- but later; at the moment, my sheep are out- tired of the winter paddock… 🙂
Hi, Nicole – I’m just back home from speaking at the Permaculture Voices 2 conference in San Diego. The topic of “why it didn’t work out” is a very old one in the permie world- and many others; but no one seems to be getting any real traction in the analyses; nor are new alternatives really popping out. Rob Hopkins has done real wonders with the Transition movement (and continues to https://www.transitionnetwork.org/blogs/rob-hopkins/2015-02/have-you-done-transition-health-check-yet ) but as he, and we, know; Transition guidelines have proven difficult to translate for some regions; most certainly for the US.
I know your analytical brain. And your ability to see old problems from new perspectives; I think it would be hugely valuable for you to analyze why it “didn’t work out” for you and Atamai, and write it for publication, maybe in the Permaculture Activist?
I became interested in “utopian” communities when I was in high school; wrote several school papers on the topic. “It didn’t work out” is the fate of pretty much all of them, over hundreds of years. I really want to hear your insights; and thoughts.
I’ve been living the hermit life, as you well know; but- we really need to build a community here; still working on how and what. When is easy- asap; it’s the p that’s the problem.
So at the end of that lovely, laudatory article by the BBC, the writer ends by calling him “this enigmatic leader…”.
I don’t know a single person on the planet who is LESS enigmatic. There is certainly a puzzle here; which is how these polar opposite versions of reality can co-exist; but- plain common honesty and transparency – simply cannot be enigmatic. In my world. 🙂
Ok, different problem; not going there at the moment.
“You reach the point where nothing means anything anymore.”
Which always was, and I am so not joking, the entire point of “Economics”, yes? It’s an obfuscation tool for the Owners. “See, our tame professors say “trickle down” makes perfect sense!” Since Babylon, I think.
“Nobody has a clue. They’re just pretending.”
Absolutely spot on. 🙂
Excellent Master’s Thesis waiting to happen: “Estimated Resources Expended on Media Fantasies Regarding Greece – EU Discussions and Outcomes.”
Enough to pay off the entire Greek debt- I betcha.
“He wasn’t brought up the way you were brought up and I was brought up through love of this country.”
And there is a (tiny) grain of truth in that statement; making it far more durable, and destructive. Obama was brought up – Hawaiian. As was I, partially. I even went to the same school – a few years before he did, and had 2 siblings graduate from it. Guess what? It’s a little different perspective- out there in the ocean.
“Maybe I’m missing something here, but doesn’t the sea level have to rise the same pretty much everywhere? I mean unless the rotation of the earth is different there.”
Hard to ask for more lucid proof that a) you know nothing whatsoever about geology or oceanography – or the earth, and that b) the probability you’re just a paid troll is way over 70%.
Nicole (and all) – I was speaking in Pennsylvania a week ago- and asked my audience at the outset – “How many of you believe our species is heading into a bottleneck?”
80%. No one asked for an explanation of bottleneck. I asked basically the same question of a different audience 4 years ago – 20%. A week later, I was talking to college professors- they think the same. I said “Not everyone is going to come through.” “No, they’re not.” is the reply. Meanwhile- the Kardashians keep cashing in. Greasing the rails.
‘ “Get the foreigners out of there [Ukraine], get the Europeans out, the US out, get NATO out, and get the Russians out,” Paul said at the International Students for Liberty Conference in Washington on Friday. ‘
I’ll suggest that organization should be renamed “International Students For Free-Range Fantasy” – if they think any of those suggestions might actually be reasonable to hope for. It’s equally likely that the Ukraine’s future fiscal success will depend on developing their Grass Fed Cornish Pterodactyl production.
Evidently the TAE commenters are all out celebrating International Hallmark Day…
Just ran into this bit I had to share here: “…lassen das Netz richtig ausflippen.”
Ausflippen?? Wirklich?? I haven’t kept up with German slang; but that’s seriously funny. We can all use it, I think.
That story isn’t getting a lot of notice, interestingly.
If I were doing it- I would immediately issue a press release: “Greece Downgrades Standard & Poors.” Seriously; not kidding. It would be a great news feature- “Greece has determined that the quality of financial advice and expertise from S&P has deteriorated dramatically. We now rate them at C- when we are seeking valid and useful information.”
The press release could go on about recent legal decisions, and a “growing corporate culture of depression, leading them to simply accept any low grade analysis, if it will get them into the news.”
And- exactly why shouldn’t governments rate the rating agencies?
I don’t see him (from this vast distance) as an academic. He’s something else; something a great deal more. I don’t know more than maybe one academic who would have the smarts and guts to keep coming to their gunfights – in shorts and a t shirt, so to speak, armed with a watermelon. That watermelon has them totally freaking out; and it looks like he both knows what he’s doing; and cares about it. All the pundits who want to advise and second guess him – are not in his league. Not even close. If he can stay alive; it’s going to be interesting. Speaking as someone whose US Senator was killed in an unexplained – and basically uninvestigated – plane crash.
I do, daily, shake my head in disbelief at the “financial news” industry. If you ever needed proof that H. sap is not a rational animal; here is blindingly obvious evidence. Day after day; they “identify trends” – which have been trends for – 2 days?? And “causes” for market movements – that are completely transparent nonsense.
https://in.reuters.com/article/2015/02/04/markets-stocks-usa-idINL1N0VE0SW20150204The “exposé” waiting for any enterprising grad student, is how much MONEY is spent on creating and publishing these daily financial horoscopes; how much is spent on subscribing to them, and how much time is utterly wasted in this fashion.
The totals have to be VAST; billions down a black hole; with no returns; ever. The belief systems primitive on an exact level with John Frum cults. And you need a degree from Harvard Business to participate.
What absolute ninnies these mortals be.
We’re in one of those phases where significant news happens hourly; this just in:
The real picture is complex; spending was up well for the quarter; but down in December. Eh? Basically retailers have been forced into a cycle of mutual throat cutting earlier and earlier; and instead of paying premium prices for last-minute gifts, consumers don’t bite unless offered 40%-60% discounts on such items – in November. And current bean-counters prefer to boost corporate profits by firing employees and cutting their wages, rather than boosting sales (“making” something of value is long, long gone.).
How soon before the newspapers adopt a “Greek Spring!” chant? If Spain follows- and they look like it to me- things will change. I would not be so rash as to predict an improvement in life for Everyman, however. The Owners certainly have contingency plans; including which of them will be dumped out of their lifeboats first…
Varoufakis continues to be very smart, in my estimation; this most recently:
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-31083574He is framing the problem in terms of the “well being of the COMMON European people” – there are a lot of them, and I’d bet a lot of them will be glad to have him on their side. Smart; bei mir. 🙂
Something else to put in the equation for this unique situation; these people now head a sovereign nation. Which includes, theoretically their armed forces. Yes, crossing the Big Money (or big anything) people is VERY likely to wind up with your death or disappearance. But; if they have time to find a couple of colonels with faithful troops- you’ve got a much better chance of actually surviving; and also – the ability to strike first.
That’s something that has not been done recently; but historically is quite common; the king declares the opposition illegal; imprisons/beheads them, and seizes their assets. How many would cheer, today, if a few Huge Bankers – were arrested tonight, imprisoned, and charged with crimes against humanity? Don’t try that unless you have a real army; of course. But. They may; in a few days.
🙂 I was also recalling this “we make our own reality now” quote in the past couple days. Big Oil; Big Ag, and Big Money – still have CEOs who truly believe this, and will right up until “real” reality hits. Never underestimate the power of delusional people in tiny enclaves.
“Varoufakis stressed that he never wanted to run for office,”
That should be a requirement for ALL elected officials; and I am so not kidding. Anyone who WANTS those incredibly crappy jobs – is almost certainly corrupt, already. We KNOW this.
GMOs and ‘scientists’: a major factor in their “opinions”; the amount of money going into climate research is tiny compared to the money pumping into grants designed to create new GMOs. The pollsters desperately need to remove those scientists with vested interests from the poll. Also; the Wonders Of GMOs is now taught to potential agricultural scientists very, very hard, from the 5th grade on; it is presented to the students as Revealed Truth; forcefully. Climate – not so much.
I like your friend Varoufakis- very much indeed. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-31055069
He seems to have all the tools he needs to cope with where he finds himself. One of which is sheer guts. Tell him we’re pulling for him. 🙂
One thing to keep firmly in mind in the next months; what ANY politician/ government minister says – in public, and to the press – is not necessarily anything like what they say in private, to the parties they are negotiating with.
“Time will tell.” is the ancient wisdom in response to this ancient fact of life. It will be fascinating to see what they DO. All of them.
Good call on your friend Varoufakis becoming Finance Minister. Also a bit scary – to find “power” moving closer to your own position. 🙂
I have a very small piece of advice for him; which you can pass on if you like. In the coming weeks, he will be inundated with press and other demands that he explain what he intends to do. Almost certainly – it will take him time to figure out what the real world options are.
In his shoes; I would simply make this repeated statement. “All avenues are being evaluated. Meanwhile; a word for you all to chew on: Iceland.”
🙂 No, hardly identical or even very similar; except all the financial heavyweights kept chanting “You absolutely can’t.” And – they did.
The other very interesting bit just in the news; is the statement from the President of Argentina that she will “dissolve” the state intelligence agency; and replace it with a new one.
I have long thought that such a step might be the ONLY way to deal with embedded corruption, and simple age, in state institutions. Fire everybody. Start over. My fingers are crossed that she succeeds in her experiment.
A really good thing to remember about China; it is the only surviving ancient culture. A great deal still present in modern day China; has ancient roots. Among those ancient aspects is: their organized crime. They know how it’s done; possibly better than anyone anywhere else.
I’m an admirer of the Chinese people; but; don’t forget. China ain’t France. 🙂
Stoneleigh, and Ilargi (I still like those handles) – This Greek election would seem to be a piece of evidence (contradicted abundantly elsewhere, of course) – that the “democratic process” , as manifested in national elections – may still be capable of producing officials who are not entirely owned by the Owners.
One data point; true- but I would really like to hear your thoughts as to what is truly going on; and what we might expect to happen. It almost looks- hopeful. :-/
I almost emailed you that link a couple days ago; there it was; right on the front page of the NYT – the word “Deflation”, in a serious context. It’s always been ridicule before. ho ho.
Hi guys- regular readers may recall I posted about Ebola on Aug. 8, and linked to that here on TAE. The scenario I outlined there- was as close to exact as it’s possible to get. Check it. Sure, I picked Denver, not Dallas; but everything else; down to first letter of city, number of letters and syllables in city name- air journey stops in Europe and eastern US… All there.
Roel; you’ll appreciate the bad bad behavior here, also- check the huge abuse of statistics – and journalism – here:
https://littlebloginthebigwoods.blogspot.com/2014/10/ebola-8.htmlFolks; there is so much loaded information and misinformation now about Ebola, I got sufficiently irritated to write up my ideas, from someone with a bit of training in epidemiology, and a bunch in evolution.
https://littlebloginthebigwoods.blogspot.com/2014/08/its-just-all-bit-much-and-ebola.htmlA) re: U of MN etc opinions on the future of agriculture- wow, how sad is that? “More of the same, with more top-down requirements for farmers; ignoring all environmental threats.” yeah, that’ll work.
And, 2) Ilargi and Stoneleigh- this looks like a fanatstic Krugman article to archive; so it can be pulled out for reference, 5 years from now. Yes, he’s alway had his head up, um, his nose; but this one is a keeper. https://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/21/opinion/Paul-Krugman-An-Imaginary-Budget-and-Debt-Crisis.html
My own guess/prediction/for amusement only – is that the Owners are fully in control of this market still; and they’re planning to do “pump and dump” for at least a full year yet. So – this time in two weeks? Market will back, and moving up – likely for 1-2 months – so enthusiasm starts to recover- then dump time again. It’s not hard for them to profit in both directions – when 20 multi-billion hedge funds- with no regulators – all know when they’ll all pull their triggers. Check back in 3 months.
Of course – little things like The Ring Of Fire going off – do still have the ability to disrupt their plans; but so far, they’re doing fabulous.
Raul-Ilargi – I’m in 100% agreement regarding Nafeez Ahmed. “Airy-Fairy- Woo-Woo” is the technical term for his school of “Policy”. Personally, I think we all just need to become 100% “nice people” – tonight at midnight, and will solve everything. That has an equal probability with “banks will become non-profits.”
One of the things we all predicted here years ago- is happening. The time is RIPE for charlatans and false messiahs to appear- and become powerful. It’s happening.
Thanks for the Monty Python. One more illustration of my contention that they are, along with a few other “humorists”, actually the great philosophers of our time.
It’s been obvious for a long time that “climate denial” is driven nearly 100% by pure, short term profit considerations. Corporations with operations in place make the simple calculation- change operations, losing $X billions, or pay “deniers” to generate astroturf and pay lobbyists to stop legislation- at a cost of $0.001X. Simple equation.
Ilargi; don’t know if you’ve ever read this old essay of mine; but I think you’re in the right place to enjoy it: https://littlebloginthebigwoods.blogspot.com/2007/08/pants-on-fire-part-1.html And do read part 2, it’s right adjacent. Would love to hear your comments.
