Perhaps not indefensible monetary policy, and the results of much hard work.

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The "Operation Twist" policy of the U.S. Federal Reserve at this point might just be a palliative against the greater problems presented by long - term deficits and the Great Recession overall, but it surely might serve as an example about what to do for future remedies to U.S. economics issues in the future:  Decreasing long - term yields of Treasury bonds reduces and / or manages the idea of inflationary influences, including expectations on the future business and commercial climate of the U.S. nationally and with respect to the overall impact of U.S. business on the world economy.  Not only does the dampening of long - term yields reduce the influence of inflation, which might or might not lessen itself due to this policy, but the expectations about future bond yields can have an effect on asset prices, national business growth and its parameters, and things like future hiring and productivity among other vital indicators and elements of the economy.

How did the Federal Reserve come up with such an idea?  It has in fact probably carrying out this "Twist" policy for years without the economic and statistical precision the Fed is using at this point as a fine - tuning measure to monetary policy.  The recent actions as carried out by the "Twist" might also have a desired effect on the value of the dollar, lending more stability to this currency while others continue to claw and scrape away at it (Renminbi, Euro, Yen, and even the peso.)  The current monetary policy designed to do a number of things to ameliorate economic conditions for all Americans shows the imaginative qualities of the Fed Chairman, Ben Bernanke and his chief economists and staff, in that it relieves somewhat the short - term stresses on the national economy in many areas, especially with respect to growth prospects and industrial operations as linked to economic indicators.  That does not go to say health care, retail, construction, insurance and securities, aerospace, and other sectors are ignored in the Fed's current efforts to foster growth; these industries are relatively autonomous and do well depending upon overall and other business conditions.  What this does mean is America might not fall into the same economic projects that other developed economies did in past years, chiefly during the 1980's and 1990's, where attempts at growth overall, again, were financed, and this led to other difficulties when business conditions did not improve.  Investors and market makers now have choices as to the way to steer their economic concerns with more precision, and this might allow the U.S. economy to begin emerging again from the slack it has experienced of late. 

THS

Definitely Not "Professional" Protestors - An Authentic Impression

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The nature of the protests in Moscow at this point, and in the foreign capitols is impressive as many Russians are seen to be apolitical, and however reluctantly, followers of the leaders of the current regime.  The reasons for this are that Russia itself does appear to still be dealing with breaking from its leftist orientation during the 1900's, and the current regime does promise better economic and business development for the country as a way of dealing with this.  These are just two simple reasons (promises) that allow for the populace to usher in the Putin regime in 2012.  That even small protests have taken place, and in cities abroad, indicates the overall scepticism of Russians about 'Team Putin,' as well as the renewed emphasis in government apparently on the military and security services.  The reaction of the crowds in Moscow and abroad are classic with respect to the apparent resented and reviled alchemy of the state to exercise dominion over its populace at home and abroad and its political promises among other things.

That there is question as to the legitimacy of results of recent elections gives rise to ordinary curiosity about related details and the methods of the various parties who benefited from the outcome of the elections.  Usually, even in political regimes that are quite large, there is some acquiescence as to official looking into the election problems, and then some certification of results either way.  The protests do not appear thus to have enough of an impact to warrant this, even to test the proposition of improprieties, and this is probably the result of the spontaneity of the gatherings and some lack of organisation and influence over the regime that ignores them apart from security issues.  It is unfortunate the crowds are pointing out the unfulfilled promises of the post - Soviet era, and it is as well unfortunate there appears to be no direction in Russia today along the lines of more liberal reforms:  The regime continues to favour a public emphasis on heavily profitable commercial activities, business influences as beholden to the state, and public policy, even confiscatory and intrusive as it can be, probably just as arbitrary as it was before the Yeltsin era.  All these points bring up more politics and some of these are points of contention that will never be resolved, and because, and again anew, the regime has found fertile and profitable ground in fixed ideas and a preoccupation with constitutional decisiveness and a strict rule of law, centrism, the regional power and even arbitrary edicts of Moscow and its workings over all of the country.

One is far from the dictature of the proletariat here, it does seem, and there is nonetheless a 'United Russia' party line that dispenses with the efforts at forming a government of consensus or some coalition of parties and interests without regard to efforts to further centralise rule and pre - determine regional politics as secondary to those in Moscow.  This is a kind of tradition in politics and administration in Russia and is important insofar as constitutional and other powers and rights of the people are concerned - especially insofar as it is allowed through public debate and resolution through the coming elections.

Another "In Memoriam."

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No one I know at this point really knew who this person was despite his popularity as a gifted writer and statesman.  At least they did not know of his death after a very productive, controversial and full and fitful life.  To those who were even a little aware of the end of the political threat that marxism posed to the world, and to the control of society by armed dictature, the presidency of Havel in Czech Republic was more significant than western influences in Hungary or the long - standing overtures of Yugoslavia to western Europe and the States.  By western influences, people like me mean not only anti - establishment influences in the central and eastern European societies, but the loosening of control by then repressive regimes, efforts at privatisation of business and commerce, and the amnesties of known anti - regime activists and unknown anti - communists alike. 

Havel was an iconic personality with his arts background and mastery of the Czech voice for political and societal reform at the end of the Cold War.  He was also probably for anyone a tremendous person to meet.  Any looking into the conditions he lived under during his adulthood will confirm this.  The world has truly lost a great personality and iconic character in view of freedom and social justice in the face of the bureaucratic and byzantium nightmare of communist influences and their regimes and the will to power of their leaders, officials, agents and secret agents everywhere.  See the "Economist" article below.

Václav Havel, playwright and president
Dec 16th 2011
EARLY in 1989, your correspondent, newly arrived in communist Czechoslovakia, passed an empty building in the Podoli district of Prague. Someone had written in the grime inside the window: "Svoboda Havlovi" [Freedom for Havel]. It was an interesting moment. The jailed playwright (as we used to call him) was behind bars for hooliganism following an opposition demonstration. The authorities could jail individuals. But they had lost the will, or the capability, to police the inside of shop windows.
See the full article
http://www.economist.com/blogs/easternapproaches/2011/12/v%C3%A1clav-havel-memoriam
Visit http://www.economist.com for more global news, views, and analysis from The Economist.

 
Also:  http://www.rferl.org/section/rferl_remembers_vaclav_havel/2068.html

Everyone Should Get A Book This Holiday Season 2011.

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Experimentation here? What Was The Control? (from theworld.org!)

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Human Tragedy, Sadness and Infamy (... to this day.) Why This Anniversary, and whose?

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In Memoriam

Many people of American origin are aggrieved at the passing of Alekseev as well.  I do remember watching his Olympic competitions as a young person and the guy was a perfect combination of technique and muscle strength and a perfect example of the scientific approach to athletic training as entertained by soviet trainers at the time (1970's or so.)  The remarkable thing about his lifting was indeed the technique and he had the most deft clean, and probably dead lift as well, of many weightlifters at the time.

Alekseev, as I read about him, also raised things like strawberries at his dacha, and had a truly gentle image among Americans despite his athletic explosiveness that endeared him to people everywhere.  People such as the 1970's Russian and other Eastern Block athletes, as they became known in the West, showed a human side to the soviets, and at least in part were responsible for mood around 'glasnost' and so forth that came later.  They were Peacemakers inside the controlled and channeled forces that ruled Olympic and other international games at the time.  People like me, again, are very sorry he is gone, and I did not even know he was ill.  God bless you for this sympathetic and outstanding column on his life and legacy.  More people need to read about this.

... Past tales of 'cloak and dagger.'

Sluzhba Vneshney Razvedki.

The Quiet Vietnamese - Loren Jenkins

"Read this!" - The Quiet Vietnamese - Loren Jenkins

occupy what, where, how, why, when? (Click here for original post.)

There is some cognitive dissonance I seem to have when reading this material:  Since when does education connect directly with success in the food chain (or guaranteed success in anything)?  While I have always believed people are who they are, and those who pursue an education, particularly graduate programs have a different approach to life apart from "job, transport home, sleep," for instance.  They have their own reasons for going to college and so forth.

When I was a student, again for example, no one told me or anyone I know there were any guarantees in the modern world about winning in life through learning in the post - secondary establishment.  Most of the people I went to school with at college, even with advanced degrees are educated workers; they are not super - high - earners or educated intellectuals.  This is the case with most educational institutions, even the very good ones, I do believe.

There's no fallacy in the role of post - secondary educational schemes as we know them, no fraud, and thus is presented one of the major problems you bring up in your writing - no guarantees invites any excuse to politicize academic achievement and any and all lack of motivation to achieve intellectually, or to in fact learn what in some pursuits is vital material at the exclusion of 'diversifying' a learning experience at college and thereafter.  What's the point:  As far as I know, college at this time is really for most people not an experience of intellectualism and higher learning.  It is apparently when people find out if they have enough of "what it takes," or whether they have "got it," nowadays, regardless of what is gained on an intellectual level.  This is (subject to interpretation) an unfortunate circumstance, but has been prevalent for me as a trait in academic institutions since schools have openly been run as very large organisations and the people in them as simple elements thereof, and the related role of administration in student / faculty life has had an impact upon people's conduct that is in many cases detrimental to intellectual pursuits, too.

The above, among other issues, has been publicly examined by people like William Bennett [sic] who ran the federal education department for some time and who attempted to first make the public more aware of these difficulties and then try to effectuate some change in the role of education in our society.  His efforts by some were viewed as too difficult in their scope and scale and evaluated as even based upon backward ideas.  People like me do believe that the value of higher education, especially in the arts and sciences and related academic and professional achievements, has been adulterated by increasing dependence upon technology and computers (this is probably subject to interpretation as well.)  There are entire businesses devoted to selling methods and practices to reward incapable people due to non - academic considerations and other "success" factors.  Why is this, it's just that the educational practices de jure sometimes call for this.  You hit a real nerve here, and anything subjectively submitted here gives reasons for serious analysis of systemic failures in students' and later professionals' inability to learn or to demonstrate their higher learning.  Please pardon typographical errors here.

1970's music resurgence.

First of all, people like me know nothing about music.  Then when one turns on the radio, it is easy to distinguish, at least at my age, the differences between 'Led Zeppelin' and 'The Beatles,' or 'The Eagles,' and so forth.  It might be all these bands are supposed to sound the same, but they do not, and there is now apparently more 'Led Zeppelin' on the airwaves these days, a very misunderstood band from the 1970's mostly, that has many listeners among some who valued that musical group's unorthodox image and outstanding sound, lyrics, and so forth; everything anyone talked about at the time that was good musically, they had, maybe more than 'The Beatles.'  In any event, with time some of that band's lyrics and music seemed scripted, as some critics might have said at the time - something to do with the age of the players or how long the group had been around as well as their imagery.  'Led Zeppelin' as a group was / is terrifically underrated and has occult status among some, probably against the wishes of the band members. 

Their recordings are wonderful to hear on the marketed radio programs, but people like me do not really want to feel like a youngster anymore; enough, already, and this despite the great sound the group makes, especially with the strings.  On the other hand, it is nice the group's music has lasted as long as it has.  I wonder if it would have been different had they started as a blues or jazz band; would their sound still be around?


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How Is The Yuan Doing (even in China Proper)?

There is no specific identity that shows the Renminbi is undervalued, but there are signs of this, including that the economic leadership of that country, especially the central bank, has worked to keep GNP growth ahead of inflation.  That economically healthy countries do this is a sign of good business and serves as a powerful attraction for investment moneys, tourism, trade and internal commerce.  The last time, for instance, many of the older, established western countries enjoyed this type of commercial growth was long ago, and the effect was simply blamed on the idea that these countries had colonies, slaves, and so forth.  The fact is that western countries woke up to different issues about 100 or so years ago, and realized that economic statistics and figures, even unemployment statistics are of secondary importance to other socio - economic issues, like productivity, capital flows, the number of cars on the road, alcohol statistics, the problem with crime, and so forth.  P.R.C. in toto has not begun to deal with these issues on a public policy level, especially given the high rate of suicides among the populace, the place of women and children in that society, and so forth.

So what arithmetic or geometric identity will tell whether or not the P.R.C. currency is undervalued?  There isn't one, but there was some time ago, a similar problem with the Japanese Yen having a low value against the dollar (say during the 1960's - 70's.)  I have not checked the latest value of the Yen since it reached around 100 to the U.S. Dollar some time ago (another overvalued currency.)  The solution to the Yen value at the time was a transitional mechanism, much is like what the Chinese have agreed to at this point, but that mechanism is old and subject to subtrefuge as the Yen mechanism was.

One alternative to the current standard that measures the Renminbi instead of using the U.S. Dollar is to peg the Chinese currency to gold, but at that juncture the Chinese will try to buy all the gold they can with their Dollar reserves and that's not good, either.  Another alternative would be to slap the P.R.C. with trade sanctions until it allows its supported currency to float freely.  This would interfere with attempts by domestic Chinese policy makers to improve the lot of their people while they are in a position to do so.  The question is, do we as holders of U.S. Dollars and Dollar assets, care about our Chinese neighbors enough to want to let them build their country at significant expense to us.  This brings up an entire series of questions, including things like technology and human resources "transfers" to P.R.C. that are actually government and corporate gifts to satisfy unhappy people in their leadership (people like me some times use the term 'spoiled' to describe this sort of character.)  Further, in addition to the merchandise that is produced in China and that we spend so much money on, how can we quantify the disinvestment and 'brain drain,' and technology exports, some of them clandestine and carried out by cheaters in the system?  Policy - makers everywhere who hold U.S. Dollars can not quantify these and other factors that will contribute to a real valuation of the Renminbi.

People like me know that it is indeed difficult to revalue a currency that is sponsored or supported by major bank operations, and not just those of the Bank of China (and I mention this without reference to any specific, sovereign nation or financial institution,) and that same of a state - controlled, essentially non - market economy that has grown very large and powerful.  Without mentioning the nature of the dangers of non - market systems to capitalism and so forth, it is obvious that China produces many goods without respect to purchasing power parity and other factors within the country of China and maybe even within Asia as a region.  This is what is so dangerous, when the leadership of a sovereign nation represses things like needs and wants of its people, even major needs and wants such as happiness, freedoms, success and so forth; about command economies which P.R.C. in fact still is at this point.  The reasons why are complicated, especially the long - term consequences for trade and capital flows, but people like me again do believe this current course of events could provoke a crisis, and in order to avoid a crisis, P.R.C. should be called upon to re - value its domestic currency, and the order of business is that eventually the role of the state in business, if it is as China declares it to be - an agent to assure economic and investment success - will eventually become less conniving and of secondary importance to the real creation of value and wealth in P.R.C. itself.  There is by analysis in China today a kind of 'will - to - power' economically and politically in the world, and in other domains such as science and culture, and it is important to mention there is nothing that will assure the growth of any intrinsic value of that country apart from its historical role and reputation, even within Asia, given the machinations of its policy makers today and how that translates into an artificially low value for its trading currency.  Investment possibilities, in fact investment yields, and other measures of business success in other parts of the world and the history of same; and their continued success have made the Chinese kind of angry and envious at foreigners, and this despite some very meritorious things the Chinese people represent.

This said, the Renminbi is without question undervalued, but by how much?  The fact is, everyone, including the man in the street has their own ideas, but in fact people like me know China has used its debtor accounts and other accounts to influence purchasing power parity, interest rates, and investment yields everywhere it sells products, some of which are very good.  That this should stop is a question that the P.R.C. leadership sees as debatable, including the effect all this has had on its currency that is as much as 60 % undervalued given various factors, and maybe more.  Simple quantitative analysis of Dollar reserves, current account balances, capital flows, interest rates, and other numerous private information might yield a similar answer, but remember as well that psychological factors and other influences in the currency markets might call for a further devaluation of the Renminbi, and this remains to be seen.  Despite what any reader of this article might believe, what is written here is not specifically a response to U.S. international Dollar values are, because I do not know them at this point.  This writing is, however, a response to Chinese economics, apparently as developed in Shang hai years ago and then distributed everywhere (same, for instance, as the 'Hundred Flowers' under Mao, but with practices that have been more dominant and more successful despite questions about their legitimacy as have come out in arguments about currency values,) and on and on.  

open letter to unesco

A L'UNESCO:

Chere Monsieur, Chère Madame:

Dès les actualités sur une réception par UNESCO de l'autorité palestinienne, je suis agacé, par exemple, par l'usage du français par les terroristes y présents en proférant des paroles sur une résistance contre l'agenda des Occidentaux présents.  En plus, la cause des palestiniens ne fait guère un appel qu'aux nations non - alignées à l'usage des bureaux UNESCO.  Ceci soit depuis longtemps connu, et aussi dont les actions anti - Européens des pays non - alignés, surtout eux à l'intention anti - Français, et d'auprès mon point de vue privé tout à fait contre les bons intentions politiques et administratives d'autres pays, les EE.UU. inclus. 

Au moment où j'étais à Paris pour mes études (années 1980,) et depuis, j'ai rencontré un nombre de palestiniens qui partagent l'attitude illégal à chercher des conflits contre l'Israél et par contre à promouvoir un dominance et influence arabes et de leur livre, le Quran, dans le monde.  Desormais l'époque de mes études en France, si je me rappelle bien, l'UNESCO ait été vandalisée (en attentat) au moins en partie par les palestiniens et fût fermée pour un temps.  Pourquoi donc cette admission aux bureaux de l'ONU?  Les idées à promouvoir (encore) et à réaliser ce "laisser - entrer" sont basées sure des principes trompeuses d'une métaphysique dépassée de la deuxième guerre mondiale contre la croyance hébraïque et le christianisme.  Etape par étape, la métaphysique de la lutte contre l'Israél et son peuple, au cours du XXème siècle, ait gagné une primauté sur la scène mondiale sur une grande échelle plus d'une seule fois, et au résultat d'un coût de millions de vies, de gaspillage et déstruction inouïes.  Qu'est - ce que nous demandons ici, à part d'une état d'esprit pareillement ciblé sur un raisonnement de la réussite des dégâts du siècle passé servant au prologue des conflits à venir.  Sinon des conflits, peut - être un résurgence des esprits et attitudes contre - touts ce que représentent l'Ouest et sa politique de base de la liberté, égalité, fraternité, et surtout contre les israéliens qui seraient réduits encore aux hôtes d'un pays quasi - Libanais. 

A cause en direct de ce processus, et ici donnée la France, pays Européen des réfugiés, on peut prévoir des situations telles que Sangatte, au nord du pays aux années 2000; et ceci pour des milliers de raisons, desquelles une pour chaque individu.  Au niveau personnel, je suis encore choqué par la manque et abandon du porte - parole Européen et Français sur le sujet de l'attitude encore militante des palestiniens, et l'ensemble des pays non - alignés contre une propre gestion et influence partagées par tous contre la violence et terrorisme y encaissées. 

Bien à vous,

THS 

Californie, EE.UU.

Four Days in July.

Steven P. Jobs (1955 - 2011)

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Vive U.N.E.S.C.O.!?

New York Times Article.

Occupy Walls Street ...

While again many Americans are voting with their feet and joining in a haranguing of the New York financial capitol as well as regional financial centers, any observer needs to know the reaction to what is publicized as a Wall Street cabal and conspiracy is nothing more than a routine response to a significant panic that could further worsen conditions for turning the economy around and creating new commercial and industrial value and innovation.  During the 1990's, when the individual investor became a securities market driver (see Death of the Banker, Chernow,) more and more emphasis has been placed on things like shareholder activism, capitalist agnosticism and throwing the baby out with the bath water when the subject of investment valuation is discussed.  SEC Chairman Levitt's speech entitled "The Numbers Game," from years ago, outlines the accounting and other practices some enterprises used to freshen their accounting data and reporting.  At the time it was given, the idea of more transparency had been cast by the wayside due to short - term profitability concerns of many companies as related to financial trading environments and equity share values.  Chairman Levitt's idea was to stop the shenanigans accounting - wise and get back to some fundamentals in the mission of corporate finance such as assuring continuity of business(es) under the corporate umbrella and doing away with some questionable accounting tactics in addition to making the statements of dismal businesses representationally faithful so that something could be done about their related financial condition, even by regulators and overseeing authorities. 

On a national radio programme yesterday, I did listen to an interpretation of the above with respect to what is now called (by O.W.S. personalities) a "sell out" of the individual investor, or small guy in a conspiracy among the members of the banking establishment.  Blaming the established banking institutions and regulators, officials and law makers does not examine the scope of what people believed they were doing when money was "easy," and the only worry people really had, very many people in America, was their tax burden.  These individual investors, and investors in various pension vehicles and other investments must not have fathomed (in fact, had not read the small print) about risks, particularly market risk, in implementing what turned out to be faulty asset allocations strategies, overleveraged investments and for what were for some a number of pyramid and ponzi schemes.  Despite the evident market risk and other, more specific risks having to do with the types of investments some purchased or constructed, individual investors decided to demand more abnormal returns (those that are, simply, above average returns,) in a kind of herd that included millions of people who apparently, again, understood the benefits of market increases, but not the risk of what might happen if the market were to fall and the resulting risks of loss (and other things at stake, such as their mortgage, credit worthiness, and the like.)  If there was one inkling in the minds of these millions of individual investors of the downside of any of the funds or assets they put at risk, it was the "government" would take responsibility for their losses through its various humongous financial departments such as the SIPC and FDIC, NASD (quasi - bureaucratic) and so forth.

Individuals are angry because they know they have been reckless and are not due anything from anyone for their losses - this is the remorseful thing, actually - and that is there were some crooks such as the Enron people, Madoff and his people, and the rogue and insider traders (Gupta and Rajaratnam) of late who have scandalised many, honest and hard - working bankers and other financial parties to the establishment.  It does seem nonetheless the marches are a reaction to an unheard demand that someone individually take responsibility for investor losses, acknowledge the whole thing has been a mistake, and pay everyone back.  Nothing like this has ever happened about a panic even as serious as the one at this time, and certainly not after the most famous 1929 crash, nor the 1987 panic.  The marches and O.W.S. demonstrations indicate a kind of hysterics and anti - everything attitude and fervor and ensure an attack on the integrity of the financial system, and investors' rights before those who administrate their accounts.  The entire O.W.S. movement could in fact result in investors rights and activism becoming more restricted, curtailed and cordoned as the result of the current national pandemonium organised by what appears to be professional protesters and demonstrators.  There is an answer to the logical bottom - line question if it is, probably as it should be, away from "what happened," and more like "Where did the investment (premiums) go?"  The funds that went into the market at high valuations, including the real estate markets, for assets that were purchased, constructed, devised, etc., even in speculating in those assets have been devalued themselves, some money has been spent, invested and even speculated again; some has been expatriated, and some is still there.  There are many permutations to this as well about where the money went, and when huge losses are incurred by anyone, everything just gets wrapped up on the balance sheets of some large corporate entity, one or more.  The annoying and more serious things are that people are now teetering financially and are harried by life's expenses and the system has no resolution for that at the moment, and despite the blaming behaviour of the O.W.S. movement that has really only distracted and annoyed the people, parties and bureaus capable of resolving the problems of the crisis are immovable as more difficulties are presented in once depressing, once again optimistic news. 

another leading role for europe.

http://www.europeanleadershipnetwork.org/werner-hoyer-speech_161.html

http://www.un.org/en/conf/npt/2010/statements/pdf/germany_en.pdf

Please pardon the brevity of this entry if things like weapons proliferation and global warming, etc., and other salient issues of the day are cause for greater discusssion - you can always leave comments of any length upon reading through this short editorial... .  Anyone knows, that is anyone who listens to news or reads the paper, has access to information where the European Union is calling upon Germany to pivot on the resolution of the Greek and other economic crises there, inasmuch as the German people have more economic and financial clout today (in this world of crisis) than they have had in some time. 

There are some reasons for this, not to assert any inappropriate traits in the German people, but, for example, that German reunification for Europe was probably the greatest and most beneficial event for all of Europe in a long, long time.  This happening and its ramifications created considerable value for the European continent, and inasmuch as many people in Europe at this point believe they contributed to this, they now wish to harvest what they believe they have sown.  There are reasons to believe, other than the assertions of those with a present will to power, that Berlin stood desparately on her own against the communists for a long time, and the current fiscal and monetary well - being of the German economy is due in fact to this unique, separate, and enteprise - oriented resourcefulness as represented by Berlin (possibly one day in the future the new "capitol" of Europe, cultural and otherwise.)  That Berliners and those in other parts of Germany, and this is an oversimplification of course, have resolved the vicious political syndromes of the Cold War, and have for the long - term worked to assure the continuity of their own society, and this in a world of political and economic integration, illicits no rationale calling for Germans to bankroll the European crises at this point.  There are precedents for this, of political and administrative self - interest trumping overall European interests in the past, and same for officials at the time within their regions and territories, voicing attitudes against turning their national treasuries upside down to compensate the profligacy of the day.  Discuss.

Also:  http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/o/occupy_wall_street/index.html and http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/wall-street-protest-continues-for-third-day/2011/09/19/gIQAKqbffK_gallery.html#photo=1

ATP Tour

The "La Liga," Fussball Bund, nor the Premier Leage is it, but tennis in this tour can be fun to spectate and the television coverage is good, too. 

in the pursuit of software "heaven," and other adventures ...

Paul Allen's New Autobiography:

If the beginning of a very large software company can be encapsulated in a reasonably lengthy book, Mr. Allen has done it.  While it is obvious Mr. Allen is a great story - teller, and quite self - effacing with respect to himself in this text, it does somewhat appear his writing style is similar to that of Bill Gates' from other texts (you name the titles.)  Despite this likeness of writing style, Mr. Allen takes the approach in his text that technical software knowledge and related business are what made Microsoft the company it is today instead of the way Mr. Gates portrays Microsoft as being pulled together and as having executives who were artful deal - makers, much as other small computer companies have been in the beginning since anyone can remember. 

Most notable in the early - going of the plot of this text are Messrs. Allen and Gates as gifted school mates and their friendship that carried through to the college years when they made their plans for a business together.  Both apparently were skilled programmers and knew as well about computer hardware in the day.  Mr. Allen describes several seminal events in the growth of Microsoft as having depended upon engineers and other people in the provinces, including in locations like Albuquerque, New Mexico and various places in Washington state.  Not only were Mr. Allen's stories about New Mexico interesting to read about, but as well were the arrangements Microsoft made early on with NCR and DEC - two viable computer companies at the time in a fiercely competitive market.  That Microsoft had some practice before licensing its software for the P.C. in 1981 was due to these types of arrangements in the world of (competitive) hardware at that time. 

People like Messrs. Allen and Gates became extremely well - known about the time people like me graduated from high - school studies, and at the time, due to computers and the increasing dominance of technology, more and more students dropped traditional studies to attend technology institutes and schools (probably chiefly as the result of the images of executives from Microsoft, and Apple, Sun and some other companies.)  Around this, the dissemination of the invention of the GUI was extremely important for the computer world and made computing "easy" enough for most people to try to have a personal computer or computers.  Mr. Allen also speaks in his text about Moore's Law, which originally proposed the speed of processors would double about every year; and then was changed to every two years - this brings to mind how memorably slow the old 4k and up computers were, and how many of them had their own systems, the fragmentation of operating systems and so forth, that made computers talking to each other very difficult.  The adventure that Microsoft represented at this point was to standardize personal computer software, and later networking software, etc., and other applications in order that everyone from technical people and administrators to end - users could start talking the same tech. - language, regardless of the basis for the operating systems and applications, routines and so on. 

Mr. Allen is unabashed in speaking about his personal life and belief system as integrated into things like modern computing, quantum physics, microworlds, biology and futurology.  He also hints at why he purchased sports teams and their venues, and is still in that business.  Mostly people like me know he wants to bring an industrial - strength message to anyone who hears about Microsoft that technology is imperfect, but it is a great equalizer, a great way to improve productivity, educate people, and allow many tech. - oriented people to have better lives.  It appears the intention of the founders of his computer company had this in mind even when they began their adventures writing and trying to find the right code way back when. 

Estimated Winnings (1962) ...

... and today (football.)

Not forgotten ... (September 11, 2001)

Though many years have passed since that fateful day for many of our countrymen in New York, and since the War on Terror began (now called the "Long War,") and the heavy expense our country has made to stop terrorism in all its forms, the realities of September 11, 2001 are still fresh in people's minds.  A generation of youth in our country has been brought along in a social environment of anger and fear, anxiety and frustration at the workings of the world in which "suicide" bombings and related acts are commonplace.  Though as well there was much fanfare at this anniversary, and much was made of visual and sound impressions on the audience of the afflicted and onlookers as well, the dead can not see nor hear, nor experience in any way the honourable commemoration of these tragedies, both individual and collective.  That the great recession is related to this, and in the country many people finances are short, only adds to the acrimony and self - doubt in looking back and remembering this particular day. 

Link - recordings of September 11, 2001 happenings. 

Economic "Karate" Test - Did I Pass?

Are Our Assets Safe (in P.R.C.)?

Bringing Our Two Countries Closer ...

... With Mutual Self - Assurance.

Some people might mention the Vice - President's voyage in P.R.C. is the result of efforts to clean up a real mess, or at least to do some "dusting off" of issues.  Such trips as admininstrative and economic outreach only serve to outline the economic connivances of some of our eastern trading partners, not to mention the politics of it. 

Tseng Becomes Youngest Female Golfer to Win Four Majors With LPGA Victory - Bloomberg

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-06-26/tseng-wins-lpga-championship-become
s-youngest-to-secure-four-major-titles.html

David Servan Schreiber | David Servan-Schreiber, who wrote about cancer battle, dies at 50 - Los Angeles Times

http://articles.latimes.com/2011/jul/27/local/la-me-david-servan-schreiber-2
0110726

Are things changing? Yes? (after a "wall street journal" editorial.)

The current democratic administration, insofar as the elections next year are capturing public attention at this point, has billed itself as one of thriving on change and the aspirations of the American public as a new kind of Americanism.  Unfortunately, the president and his administration have as well incorporated into their presidency a deeply unpopular set of economic circumstances, and a set of unpopular and even more costly wars far away from home.  These challenges in view of next year's contests do not reflect any of the policies around change of any of the previous most successful presidencies in recent memory, those of Reagan and Clinton.  Mr. Obama as President of what is currently the unrivaled world power in the U.S., in his assuming the presidency, sought to change many executive policies, including carrying out what was said to be a re - distribution of any creation of economic or other values in commercial activities, and a re - casting of our political and military reach to a more defensive posture abroad.  It is difficult to see how the President will be able to prevail in an election year when these two major themes of his time in office so far have met with limited success and are regarded by many as having been too "forward - looking" perhaps, too ambitious, and poor in their effort and execution.  Such priorities in view of many voters have to be re - evaluated as to whether or not they actually fit into the portrait of what it is to be American and for what reason, including what the limits of these plans were and how they have darkened the political skies at home and, again, abroad.  Instead of promoting a more affirmative and proud set of plans for his presidency, especially away from our shores, the President chose to rule in a kind of retreat from issues; something that does not fit with the American image or conduct in view of past defiance and taking challenges to the world, especially in times of economic stress and military conflict.  Ronald Reagan rallied the country during his administration in pointing to the fractious and economically chaotic times of the 1970's and restored the place of our state to primacy on the basis of fewer taxes and a dissemination of American values everywhere. 

In many areas of endeavour, technical people have the overall reputation of being dour and contrarian, cynical and skeptical of everything, and the current President in the carrying - out of his election plans as pledged can be assessed as inherently and obviously so, especially about the present and future of our country, the U.S.  This is perhaps because, at least in practice, the President has seized upon a relativistic and compromising set of ideas and rationales to promote his policies as having been and being successful as they are actually not so - something that takes away from the type of defiance and pride in view of the world's challenges that we as a nation - state need at this point.  That the values of freedom and liberty are being put down in a number of states where they have recently arisen indicates the current presidency might not consider some of the people involved to be capable or responsible enough to have political freedoms and that they would otherwise regress again into tyrannies within their borders once the challenges of upheaval are over, even in the event the forces of freedom prevail there.  For a president who is assisted by Mr. Biden and a number of others in Congress who are experienced in events and attitudes of foreign rulers abroad, this administration has not carried the day in its opportunities in the conflicts for freedom in the international world, and it does seem that officials under our chief executive either have the switch 'on' or 'off' in their perceptions about military issues overseas and in principle have the attitude that American is guilty of things in somewhat taking on the view of the central Islamic world.  It seems the President's officials even want to scapegoat America in view of those who believe the 'Arab Spring,' for example, is an exercise in Zionism in their ideas not to assist in the rebellions against despotism in the Middle East, and in view of sporadic military resistance of the tyrannies to protests and rebellions that is apparently seen as dangerous to us. 

The values of liberty, the uniqueness of the freedoms of our system, individualism and American specialness that have characterised and prevailed in previous times of challenge and conflict, especially during the 1980's, are lost on the current leadership that has a considerably shrunken world view of our country with an emphasis apparently on the creation of byzantine federal programs.  Domestic and international realities, in the kind of inward, and stagnant vision the leadership has and that of American culpability, as sold through media image - making, the literature and through other channels, do not reflect the hopeful message and new starting points politically the president promised during the last election contest.  It is entirely possible those marxists versed in the strengths of Chinese communism and Mao Tse toung thought, during the 1960's and 1970's, for instance, projected the same self - appointed image for American politics today in seeing a future of essentially caretaking and ineffectual western political regimes in view of the future upheavals in the world at this time, be they economic, ideological or military.  It is apparently clear to the citizens of embattled cities, townships and regions, especially within the territories of the Middle East that the hopeful strategy of America has been flawed by an increasingly negative set of views and judgments about payoffs and benefits, revenues and costs, and other utilitarian measures with respect to what was set down by our forefathers in former times.  That the preeminent world power in the U.S. has a leadership with these set of beliefs around calculation of political events and the risks of failure as it apparently has is a collective and several administrative and egregious wrong and needs immediate attention and redressment.  It is also clear the questions around America's "peak" have been asked at Harvard and by its people for a long time, maybe (as a kind of hedge) for a hundred years, and the danger we face today is that such elitist and detached thinking, however dangerous and against the fiber of our state, might be wishful.  This needs be examined in the next elections, and in all events resolved by voters in 2012.

Obama the budget "doctor."

Sir:

Your plans for the budget might indeed get through Congress later in the year, but the federal government and the country need more money.  Everyone knows this, and no amount of legislation nor debate can obscure this difficulty.

Political Life of Tony Blair

arab spring - 2011.

http://query.nytimes.com/search/sitesearch?query=arab+spring

 

 

 

China's Management Revolution - "Spirit, Land, Energy." - by Charles Edouard Bouee

This text, while it proposes many ideas about how the P.R.C. has succeeded economically over the past thirty years, presumably by studying and adapting western methods to its own ends, does fall short of illustrating substantially any justification about how the free market can be reconciled with a state - run culture and country run by party rules.  It also proposes China was substantially unscathed by the latest financial crises; something probably meant to be read by people who are uninformed.  The book begins by questioning, in view of the monolithic success of P.R.C. and its command / free market model economy with communism in its foundation and background, what the survivability of the "American" model laissez - faire capitalism in a political environment of liberal democracy could be in view of the newer influences of economic disciplines and public, and political (civic and civil) restrictions such as are now prevalent in P.R.C.

The background of the current economic climes in P.R.C. is illustrated as having its origin in the time of Deng Xiao - ping ("three times up an down") whence the western leaning of many elements in the system of the P.R.C., and principally the return of Hong Kong to China in 1997.  Deng was made famous, among other things, by stating "I do not care about the color of the cat, as long as he catches mice!"  This imparts the value in current Chinese culture that using utilitarian methods to accomplish commercial goals is a major solution to accomplishments in worldwide competition.  The text goes through the various corporate reforms under Deng, including the creation of Special Economic Zones, State and Collectively Owned Enterprises (SOE's and COE's,) and Township and Village Enterprises (TVE's) among others.  Said corporate entities were created in order:  i.  To increase worker productivity, and ii.  To attract foreign direct investment, the money of which, incidentally, is probably completely gone at this point.  The book also illustrates typical hyper - successful Chinese entrepreneurs within China:  Ye Mao zhong, Jian Xi pei, Guo Zhen xi, Zhang Yong, Yuan Ya fei, Feng Jun, Luyang Jiang, Zhong Qing hou, Zhou Hong ji, Zhang Lau and others.  These are exclusive of Chinese outside China like the very well - to - do Steven Chen, Jerry Yang, and Andrea Jung (all the business people the author cites are men,) and no mention is made of the overseas Chinese being much more successful financially than their mainland counterparts. 

The overall successes economically and socially, and the influence of Chinese society (again) are illustrated as the result of and "environment of evolutionary adaptedness" (Deng) as exemplified in the Bei jing Olympics in 2008 and the latest economics statistics.  The business methods in P.R.C. are also presented in the text as currently distancing themselves from strictly utilitarian values to turn their attention to social and commercial / economic inequality, widespread poor business practices, corruption, pollution (especially of the mainland aquifers) and other difficulties that high - level management has currently pledged itself to remedy.  The following topics are examined as well and a chapter is dedicated to each:  a.  "Spirit" - the knowledge of the Ancients and popular culture as applied to current society; b.  "Land" - the Chinese approach to territorial geopolitics as administered by the party leadership and the military; c.  "Energy" - as illustrated from the hegemonic Mercantilist tradition and capitalism as the game of commercial activities including party leadership, alertness, opportunism, and application of ancient ideas (Daoism, Confucianism, Legalism, and doctrines of Sun Tzu and the like.)  Chinese management is illustrated in the end as being autocratic with many redeeming features, of which the characteristics of adaptation, reciprocity, consensus, ...

The author goes so far as to cite and compare Chinese methods with the theories and practices of Frederick Taylor's management style, and the same with those of Alfred Chandler, Ronald Coase and Oliver Williamson as a continuum of ideas leading to Chinese principles at present.  Only a few paragraphs are committed to this conclusive prose and the validity of this type of continuity is doubtful and in the reviewer's opinion the current Chinese methods are industrial and technological, scientific and cultural, even agricultural in nature, in the older, twentieth - century sense, without consideration to or any focus on the actual benefit of such business methods and activities in a world of more advanced doctrines and principles, that is the present basis for their corporate forms of business. 

THS

'No Proof' Khodorkovsky Judge Pressured | News | The Moscow Times

http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/no-proof-khodorkovsky-judge-press
ured/438798.html

Schwartzel a mystery despite Masters win - Washington Times

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/jun/12/tricky-name-steady-game/

Memorial Day Foreign Policy ...

Arab Spring.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/21/opinion/l21mideast.html?_r=1&scp=7&sq=arab%20spring%20obama%20speech&st=cse

More later.

hello. good teleology?

"End of The World."

 

cardinal woityla - pope jean paul ii

Photo.

Bio.

More about Jean - Paul II and his sainthood  ....

Ballesteros.

Photo.

Bio.

More about Seve Ballesteros.

a philosophy of terror (and cultural revolution ... ?)

This past week, the leader of Al Q'aida as Osama (Oussama, etc.) bin Laden, was executed by American commandos who were able to find his hiding place near a major Pakistani military base and academy.  Many questions arise as to the way in which Mr. bin Laden was able to stay in his current surroundings for so long, apparently more than a year before his death, amidst so many of his adversaries occupying the neighboring Islamabad base.  There does not seem to be a ready explanation, although it is possible he was good at the kind of cloak and dagger, and other mysteries of character some people have to avoid captivity and execution, at least for as long as he did.  That this man is dead is no tragedy for the great powers and for the rest of the world that fears international terror and mayhem.  Bin Laden was an unrepentant and uncontrolled animal who sought the destruction probably of most things Western and those in particular that pained his eyes or his whim about western culture and its attempts to absorb and reconcile the long - standing tendencies and abuses of oriental culture that are so rife, but that are so little spoken, much less written about, even in this time of prolific press reports and the clamoring for transparency of political ideas be they of the majority or the opposition in many systems.

That bin Laden was a Saudi Arabian citizen, and that he met his end as he did obviously gives great pain to his following, but it might also be painful for spectators and onlookers to see how the sword of Damocles fell on this person, and probably definitively as well on his terrorist organisation:  There are paradoxes to the death of any major terrorist - criminal (i.e., Abu Nidal,)  and the overall philosophy of death around Al Q'aida, and if they have not already been defined in talks with, for instance, Fouad Ajami and Abbas Milani, they need to be examined before the public eye and disseminated as simply as possible in order that there be no resurgence of this culture or philosophy of terror, violence and death as originating in the Afghani countryside during soviet times.  There is a political argument, tangibly marxist, that the Taliban were left to be victimised by everybody once the soviets left Afghanistan and their American security forces allies had left the country as well.  It was probably that after the reign of Babrak Karmel ended, that many Afghanis, in fact many people in the region overall did believe the Americans would start arriving in their C - 5A transports with money and gifts for the Taliban (every single one) once the soviets had left in 1979.  Unfortunately, this view proved to be on the level of fantasy as the Americans wanted the Taliban to try to build up their own country in their own way, and as most countries had done since the beginning of the industrial revolution in the late 1800's.  Also unfortunately, the Taliban apparently believed their allying with the American security forces during the conflict with the soviets would provoke or invite this promise from either the Carter or subsequent Reagan administrations.  When these dreams for them went unfulfilled, they used their turncoat behaviour over time as a type of blackmail, not that they were in the least guided by Islamic ideas and theology, but the Taliban and some of the mujadheen and other islamists figured they could extort political currency by using bin Laden's treasury (and other moneys of other less wealth people) to become like a super - charged Hezbollah.  The Taliban has had their own kind of Islam that is quite orthodox and includes anyone as their enemy, not just as targeting Israel and the Hebrew tribes, but anyone who engaged them in any sort of confrontation, apparently even adversarial verbal exchanges or simple arguments.  Bin Laden's method was to use what is essentially believed to be family wealth to raise an army and the funds to corrupt and destroy through terror as many of his western adversaries as possible, regardless of their mutual alliances or confluence of goals in reviewing the situation of islamists in the world, and regardless of their accommodation(s) to him, or any convergence of ideas they shared or would share.

It is well - known that Saudi people are wonderful people.  In many ways, the Saudis have been better to Americans than, for example, other countries of the Western Hemisphere, without naming in particular any citizens in our diverse global village.  It was surprising for the author of this blog to find that most of the 9 / 11 bombers were Saudi as the widely held expectation and perception at the time of 9 / 11 was the perpetrators of the airline crashes in in the Eastern U.S. were arabic palestinians as radical islamists.  Many of the Saudis are devout islamists themselves and would never raise a hand against anyone as it is written in their scriptures that such actions are unlawful according to Mohammed and invite severe punishment(s.)  The Saudis are by and large very educated and cultured people, and they are sophisticated enough to know what is going on in the world, especially those running their country.  The present author, with this in mind, presents the point of view, to islamists as radicals and reformers alike, that there was born midway in the last century a generation in most Arab countries that came of age belying the reputations and moral high ground of their parents - they stood as if on the shoulders of their own giants at a very young and intrinsically wealthy age, and it is obvious their parents did not believe this to be a redeeming or constructive thing to do.  They sought to preserve their children as a result and sent them to the best schools to get the best training in order that they succeed on their merits as earned.  Bin Laden and his colleagues, despite their great sums were with these young people who were crippled and stifled into being terrorists among others by the discipline and tasks and duties of being subject to the vagaries of radicals in school, the will of their responsible parent for a structured life in view of radical sympathies, and so forth, and what (at least in part) Francis Fukuyama put on the cover of his first well - known book "The End of History" as handed down to them by their elders.  This is only part of the story as many of the adverbial characterisations and reasons even, the "why's," and so forth, are lost even to those of bin Laden's followers who were good diarists.  A simple explanation of what this evil is or was about is in the critically acclaimed and controversial poetry of Baudelaire and Mallarme, writers that bin Laden read or undoubtedly knew of through his studies.  There is an alternative and contributory explanation to these views that hinges on the role of Middle Eastern culture as dominated and governed by orthodox Mohammedan beliefs and the like, but this is beyond the scope of simple blog entries at this point.

People like me do not feel sorry that he is gone; no one like me who has family and friends who are in the world and threatened by blindly terrorist acts against the great powers aimed at crippling and even destroying our culture as we know it and us, ourselves, in addition to that has any remorse about what happened at that Islamabad base last weekend.  It will be perhaps trying in the short run for U.S. / Pakistani relations that their domestic airspace and other civic attributes were used in an act of war to which the populace might not have been entirely committed, though more Pakistanis stood to die in the terror wars without this happening, with everybody taking their risks as they did, even our enemies.  There is a simple story about Mohammed moving a mountain that everyone reading in English needs to review, not as a story of scripture, but as a story about how the radicals in the Middle East might now perceive their place among others at this point.   It is a dangerous thought to wonder how these radicals, islamists, and fascists or marxist, or in between, might attempt to impress this tale on us now their great teacher and leader's life has ended. 

THS

News from the Sports Courtroom (maybe about your own case ...)

• S.F. Baseball Hero

... the end of public finance and the last "financier" ...

Theodore Dreiser, in a long – ago written novel, took the themes of finance as they were known in the day and turned them into a portrayal of the soft underbelly of some in the finance world, what with its supposed mutual back – slapping, treachery, drinking and drugging and other trafficking and vice.  Dreiser’s portrayal of the Financier was one of immoral and unduly influenced corruption, and again, vice and other wrongs of the finance world in the day.  By this portrayal his readers were shown everywhere that money is evil and should be treated as such.  The fact is, there were corruptible influences everywhere in Dreiser’s time, not just in some persons’ intrigues and ill – gotten gains.  Fast forward to the modern public financial processes in Washington, D.C., where somewhat the same attitude about the accumulation of cash to spend prevails – it is in fact an accurate assessment of public Congressional and Senatorial appropriations in the U.S. that are made without the proper revenue base do reflect these types of beliefs, and apparently that when one has money that has not been spent, the accumulation or saving of same is immoral and corrupt, reflecting the overall idea that “money is really to spend.”

The plan of the Republican Paul Ryan to erase over six trillion dollars from the federal deficit over a decade includes privatising some social welfare programs, and cutting others, including Medicare and Medicaid.  It also includes reducing federal corporate tax rates.  These are the two principal traits of this plan which is quite simple, especially since the Ryan plan does not really touch Social Security.  Medicare and Medicaid, under Mr. Ryan’s plan, would apparently be privatised, which would save approximately three trillion 2011 U.S. dollars.  When one thinks about the corporate tax relief (savings of about another three trillion,) this policy would have the effect of creating, or freeing up almost seven trillion 2011 dollars (U.S.) of income and value based upon fiscal relief.  This is a very enticing policy, as is the privatisation of Medicare and related programs through private insurance – based concerns.  Cutting government spending is hard to do, and the insurance programs would present a sea change for private carriers as the health insurance business in the U.S. would be responsible for virtually everyone seeking medical care - the young, and especially the aged.  That many older and elderly people are to be included in insurance pools along Mr. Ryan’s ideas, would affect the costs of maintaining the health insurance / health care systems we have and would also affect premiums, based upon private insurance criteria instead of federal entitlement criteria.  

There can not really be any more accounting nor financial tweaking of the Social Security system, as Mr. Ryan’s plan undoubtedly indicates, and an actually quite efficient “pay – as – you – go” private health insurance system (one much more dear monetarily than the federal system at this point,) is not in the offing as an alternative to federal health programs.  As well, the corporate tax reduction does not promise any economic identities beyond the simple possibility under improved economic climes of creating new value and income (some.)  Then, even as Mr. Ryan’s plan, or a similar plan, fulfills its promise, there would also be a propensity on the federal level, again, to spend the benefits of the tax relief, privatisations, and other efficiencies created by his plan, thus engendering an even greater deficit, and more confusion and chaos in the politics around the common sense of public policy and these matters.  Ryan’s plan to bring more discipline to public finance, due to opposition to it, and the pronouncements of its detractors, comprises a constructive and challenging solution for the interim, and for the reduction over ten years in the federal deficit, and this due to a presumed vacuousness of legislators in attempts to get behind it, promote it and have the discipline, again, to legislate and stand behind it administratively over the long – term. 

Anna Politkovskaya (anniversary.)

Anna Politkovskaya - Link to NPR program (Saturday morning, April 16, 2011.)

Link to NYT articles (Saturday morning.)

Photoportrait.

Lybia

Fukushima, Japan (and environs)



Fukushima, Japan

Stories of Fukushima...

abbas milani and the commonwealth club.

Sir:

Just within the past few days, I have heard a talk with the Commonwealth Club as given by Professor Abbas Milani of Stanford in view of his new book about the Middle East and more specifically the case of Iran at present.  Dr. Milani has asked the question by his new writings and in his talk on how or what did someone in our system do so that in fact we now have extreme worries about nuclear proliferation and terror as related to Iran at present.  In the time of communism, Milani proposes, the place of the Shah, and in fact what directed his fall from grace and eventual demise, were the forces of fundamentalist religion, namely Islam as embodied in Islamic political clerics who primarily had ties to the soviets.  

Today, much of the political / administrative activity in the Middle East is ascribed to oil – pricing policies, and efforts at “democratisation” in Iran eventually have become known more popularly as “islamo – fascism” despite the long – time efforts of the soviets and their contribution to the expansion of socialist and communist influences.  In retrospect, the political upheaval around the Shah was caused not by rightist tendencies, but by the reaction to the Shah’s efforts to try to live with the religious left and centrist political figures of the day.  The case of Bin Laden in Afghanistan, formerly in places like Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Sudan, as a former U.S. ally against communism and presently a saboteur against the U.S. in its approach to the clerics in Iran, presents the impossibility of using a secular approach for the most part to Middle Eastern culture, even governance, and this as shown by the political missteps of the Iranian regime before the 1979 revolution.  

There has been literature published to the effect that, in Pahlavi’s words (to paraphrase here,) most Iranians and Arabs were ignorant of the Shah’s motives and policies, even internally, and most people in the region never comprehended these and never made the effort to do so, or even to plainly understand what he attempted to do for his people.  Hopes for actual democracy have been dashed for years by the use of Pahlavi as a scape – goat in his secular promises, and the false promises of the current clerical, even teleological regime.  It is possible there is another “perfect storm” brewing politically in Iran again after that in 1979 comprised by the dormant Middle East policies of Jimmy Carter, British policies as well, the fitful political attitudes of Iranian people along with the promises of the clerics around Khomeini and Khomeini himself.  All this seems additionally to be tied to petrol politics and the price of oil:  An unusual way to try to determine or work for democratisation and civic and political freedoms anywhere.

THS

About Tiger Woods... (no argument.)

Without mentioning all the penance this celebrity / personality has had to pay for his personal life being dragged through the proverbial mud, not to mention the trials and tribulations, and atmosphere of scandal this has all created around his family and friends, maybe note the following:  When guys like Rodney Dangerfield (dec.,) Chevy Chase, Leslie Nielsen (dec.,) and Keith Richards, and Alice Cooper even, are allowed to play golf and joke about its antics and embarrassments, seriously done or not, and having to do not with anything related to golf, this remarkable athlete should be allowed to continue his career as much unscathed as possible.  If anything, the difficulties Woods has had with respect to his personal life do show that the “playing at golf” that people do is really a hobby for most people (even professionals,) and is therefore subject to the insinuations and intrusions into the game of powerful jackasses.  

People like me do try to play golf, and are enamoured of some of the things professional golfers do on the courses, including competitors like Tom Watson, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, Greg Norman, Ernie Els, and so on.  The number of actual championship golfers is innumerable and the game’s professionals are everywhere, and to stop the attention on everyone to focus on tabloid antics as carried out on Mr. Woods, and as he apparently carried them out as well is a shame.   Mr. Woods is notable for all aspects of the game of golf, but especially is known for his aggressive work in the tee box and to a great extent his putting as well.  The audiences at tournaments and the public should dedicate more of their attention to the care and concern of professional golf(ers) in playing competitively, and improving / refining the game, and entirely instead of zeroing in on personal dilemmas, faults and personal failings; be they those of the players or those in the gallery.  Let them play.