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.