Generational Dynamics World View

[John J. Xenakis]

** 07-May-2021 World View: China's greenhouse gas emissions

This isn't surprising, but it's nice to have it confirmed: China's
share of greenhouse emissions exceeds the total of the entire
developed world.  I've written many articles over the years
about these climate change agreements being a total farce, and
this really proves it.

Some people say, "Oh, that's because China has a lot of people."
Well, that excuse fails, because China exceeds the rest of the world
on a per capita basis.  According to reports, China opens a new
coal-powered electric plant every week, and has no intention of
changing that practice.

The Chinese don't even claim that they'll start reducing emissions
until 2030.  In the meantime, they want the US to cut emissions
immedicately, in order to cripple the US economy.  The airheads in the
Biden administration seem only too willing to comply.

Climate change is just one more weapon in China's arsenal, as it
prepares for war with the United States.

• 2019 emissions from world's largest emitters -- China 27%,US 11%, India 6.6%, EU 6.6%, etc.

• Total greenhouse gas emissions, 1990-2019 - China and OECD

• Per capita greenhouse gas emissions, 1990-2019 - China and OECD

---- Sources:

-- China’s Greenhouse Gas Emissions Exceeded the Developed World for
   the First Time in 2019
https://rhg.com/research/chinas-emission...countries/
(Rhodium Group, 5-May-2021)

-- China’s greenhouse gas emissions exceed those of U.S. and developed
   countries combined, report says
https://www.cnbc.com/2021/05/06/chinas-g...eport.html
(CNBC, 6-May-2021)

[John J. Xenakis]

** 08-May-2021 World View: ISIS bomb in Kabul targets teen girls, killing dozens

Multiple blasts exploded around 5:30 pm Saturday afternoon near a
girls school in Kabul, Afghanistan, as classes were ending for the
day, and the girls were walking home. At least 40 people were killed,
and over 50 were injured. The bomb exploded in a Shia Hazara
neighborhood. Most of the dead were young students.

The bombing is being blamed on ISIS, rather than the Taliban. Indeed,
the Taliban are condemning the attack and blaming ISIS, claiming
that ISIS is linked to the Afghan government.

This attack has put Kabul into almost a state of shock. It was just a
week ago on April 30 that a car bomb killed 30 people, injuring 90,
including high school students, went off in Logar province. Kabul
residents fear that these attacks will increase as the Americans
withdraw.

Violence by both ISIS and the Taliban has been increasing across the
country in the last week, since American and Nato forces began
withdrawing on May 1. It's expected that the country will descend
into chaos as the withdrawal proceeds.

Both the Taliban and ISIS are composed of radicalized ethnic Pashtun
jihadists. The difference between the two in Afghanistan is
political, with one claiming allegiance to Syria-based ISIS, and the
other claiming allegiance to Afghanistan-based al-Qaeda. According to
reports I've read in the last couple of years, they're competing for
influence in different parts of Afghanistan, and they occasionally
clash with each other. However, the Shia Hazaras are a common enemy,
targeted by both.

In the case of today's bombings, the al-Ahram story contains
the following paragraphs:

Quote:> Interior Ministry spokesman Tariq Arian said
> ambulances were rushing to the scene of the blast near Syed
> Al-Shahda school, in the Shiite majority neighborhood of
> Dasht-e-Barchi.

> Angry crowds attacked the ambulances and even beat health workers,
> said Health Ministry spokesman Ghulam Dastigar Nazari. He implored
> residents to cooperate and allow ambulances free access to the
> site."

I don't know what that means, except perhaps that it's part of
the conflict between Taliban and ISIS.

The governments in America, the UK, and EU countries issued statements
harshly condemning the violence, saying that it was not acceptable,
and threatening to issue more statements if the violence continues.

---- Sources:

-- Bomb kills at least 25 people, including young students, near
school in Afghan capital
https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/sto...fghanistan
(LA Times, 8-May-2021)

-- Bomb kills at least 25 people near school in Afghan capital
https://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent...ghan-.aspx
(al-Ahram, Cairo, AP, 8-May-2021)

-- Blast near school in Afghan capital Kabul kills over two dozen
https://www.trtworld.com/asia/blast-near...ozen-46560
(TRT World, Turkey, 8-May-2021)

-- Afghanistan car bomb kills 30 at guesthouse in Logar province
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-56949830
(BBC, 30-Apr-2021)

----- Related articles:

** 3-May-21 World View -- US withdrawal from Afghanistan threatens Central Asia stability
** http://www.generationaldynamics.com/pg/x...tm#e210503

[John J. Xenakis]

** 09-May-2021 World View: Mothers Day

I don't know if there are any members of this forum who are
mothers, or indeed of if there are any women at all.

So Happy Birthing People's Day to all!

[John J. Xenakis]

** 09-May-2021 World View: ISIS - Afghan alliance

John Wrote:> Indeed, the Taliban are condemning the attack and blaming ISIS,
> claiming that ISIS is linked to the Afghan government.

DaKardii Wrote:> An alliance between ISIS and the Afghan government?
> Sounds like a nonsensical claim to me.

I thought that was a very interesting claim by the Taliban. It's
nonsensical to be sure, but almost every statement by the Taliban is
nonsensical. The Afghan government is blaming the Taliban, not ISIS,
for the attack, so perhaps that has made the paranoid Taliban leaders
suspicious that ISIS and the government are forming a marriage of
convenience against the Taliban.

[John J. Xenakis]

** 09-May-2021 World View: 5% inflation

aeden Wrote:> Yeah, I've studied communist centrally planned economies and lived
> through them. First there is hyperinflation, then there is
> starvation. What follows is death. It's pretty obvious where this
> is going. tyler

vincecate Wrote:> How soon do you think we will get inflation over 5%?

2066

[John J. Xenakis]

** 09-May-2021 World View: Killing high school girls in Kabul

John Wrote:> Indeed, the Taliban are condemning the attack and blaming ISIS,
> claiming that ISIS is linked to the Afghan government.

DaKardii Wrote:> An alliance between ISIS and the Afghan government?
> Sounds like a nonsensical claim to me.

John Wrote:> I thought that was a very interesting claim by the Taliban. It's
> nonsensical to be sure, but almost every statement by the Taliban
> is nonsensical. The Afghan government is blaming the Taliban, not
> ISIS, for the attack, so perhaps that has made the paranoid
> Taliban leaders suspicious that ISIS and the government are
> forming a marriage of convenience against the Taliban.

I just saw a Taliban spokesman being interviewed on al-Jazeera. He
says that the people responsible for the attack are ISIS and people in
the "intelligence circles" of the Afghan government in Kabul.

My assumption is that whoever killed all those teenage girls on
Saturday wants to force the US to remain. Whether that goal could
even be achieved is in doubt, given the Biden administration's hard
announcement of withdrawal under any circumstances. Still, somebody
is responsible for killing those girls. I doubt that it was the
Taliban, since they really do want the Americans and Nato to leave.
So ISIS is the logical choice. But was it a combination of ISIS and
"intelligence circles" of the Afghan government in Kabul? It's
possible, but who knows?

But I just saw another interview, this time with an official of the
Afghan government. He says you'd have to be "very stupid" to believe
that the Taliban was not involved. He blames the Taliban, combined
with Pakistan -- presumably Pakistan's ISI, which would be Pakistan's
"intelligence circles." At least no one has yet blamed the CIA.

[David Horn]

(05-10-2021, 08:14 AM)John J. Xenakis Wrote: ** 09-May-2021 World View: Mothers Day

I don't know if there are any members of this forum who are
mothers, or indeed of if there are any women at all.

So Happy Birthing People's Day to all!

This is a sad state.  We had a rather diverse group at one time, but few are left.  Even fewer of the women post -- none very often.  If you're lurking out there, post a quick one, and Happy Belated Mother's Day to you all.

[beechnut79]

Do you think that most of them have moved over to the Facebook forum which was created when spammers invaded this one? I don't recall us ever having that many women posters even on the old forum. I do recall Jenny Genser who in later years posted under The Wonkette handle and also Marypoza.

[John J. Xenakis]

*** 11-May-21 World View -- Violence escalates between Israelis and Palestinians in Jerusalem and Gaza

This morning's key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com

• Hamas fires dozens of rockets at Jerusalem in response to clashes
  
• Israeli police storm Al-Aqsa Mosque after violent Palestinian protests
  

****
**** Hamas fires dozens of rockets at Jerusalem in response to clashes
****


Violence in Jerusalem on May 6 (Reuters)

The war between Hamas militants in Gaza and Israeli's military was
renewed on Monday, when militants fired dozes of rockets into Israel,
and Israel's military responded with missile strikes, killing 20
people in Gaza, including nine children, according to Gaza officials.

This was the worst such violence that has occurred in year, since the
2014 summer war. Hamas militants have fired rockets into southern
Israel at intervals for years, but this was a major escalation because
the rockets targeted Jerusalem. Explosions could be heard in
Jerusalem, and one of the rockets damaged a home on the outskirts of
Jerusalem. Israel struck many of the rockets down, using their "Iron
Dome" anti-missile system, and others exploded harmlessly in open
areas.

Israel's prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the rocket attacks had
"crossed a red line":

<QUOTE>"Israel will respond very forcefully. We will not
tolerate attacks on our territory, our capital, our citizens and
our soldiers. Whoever strikes us will pay a heavy
price."<END QUOTE>

Hamas launched the rocket attacks after a 6 pm deadline passed for an
ultimatum that demanded that Israeli police withdraw from the Al-Aqsa
mosque in East Jerusalem. Hamas also demanded the release of all
detained Palestinians, and the removal of Jewish settlers from an East
Jerusalem neighbourhood.

Hamas said that Israel was waging a "religious war against Palestinian
worshipers" in Jerusalem.

<QUOTE>"What is happening in the Al-Aqsa Mosque at the time
of storming and assaulting worshipers is proof of the brutality of
the Zionist occupation.

[Israel is responsible for its] incursion into the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
The occupation will pay a heavy price."<END QUOTE>

So both sides are promising "a heavy price."

Terminology:

• Neutral: West Bank, Jerusalem, East Jerusalem
  
• Pro-Palestinian: Occupied West Bank, Occupied East Jerusalem,
  Al-Aqsa Mosque Compound
  
• Pro-Israeli: Judea and Samaria, Temple Mount Compound.

****
**** Israeli police storm Al-Aqsa Mosque after violent Palestinian protests
****


Map of holy sites in Jerusalem's Old City (BBC)

Hamas militias set the 6 pm deadline and launched the rockets as a
reaction to a situation of escalating violence is occurring for weeks
in Jerusalem. Typically, these situations worsen for a while, then
begin to settle down and fizzle. But we know that one day one of
these situations will escalate into a full war, but we don't know
which one. So far, this situation is triggering a larger war, to
include Hamas.

The epicenter of violence in the last few weeks is the Al-Aqsa mosque
compound, which is Islam's third-holiest site, behind Mecca and
Medina. It is also a major holy site for Jews, who refer to it as the
Temple Mount. So it's not surprising that it's a major flash point
for Palestinian worshippers and Israeli nationalists.

On Monday, Palestinians hurled rocks, other heavy objects and
firecrackers at Israeli policemen. Israeli police stormed the mosque,
firing stun grenades and rubber bullets inside the mosque. Hundreds
of Palestinians were wounded, and dozens were hospitalized.

This kind of violence has been going on daily since the start of
Ramadan on April 13. This is the worst violence in years between
Israeli police and Palestinians in East Jerusalem. In April,
Israeli police blocked off access to a part of the Old City, giving
Covid restrictions as the reason. Then a TikTok video went viral
apparently showing an Israeli being abused by an Arab. That's when
right-wing extremist Jewish settlers held a large demonstration,
chanting "Death to Arabs." Palestinians heard about this, and a crowd
responded by throwing firecrackers and setting garbage bins on fire.
(See 24-Apr-2021 World View: Violence grows between Palestinians and far-right Jews in East Jerusalem)

Clashese between Palestinians and settlers have occurred almost daily
since then. The violence has spiked in recent days as Jewish settlers
are asking the Israeli courts to evict Palestinians from their homes,
so that the Israeli settlers can take their place. The settlers claim
that the land occupied by the Palestinian homes belonged to their
Jewish ancestors prior to the 1948 creation of Israel.

These are the last days of Ramadan but, more significantly, Monday is
Israel's "Jerusalem Day," which celebrates Israel's capture of East
Jerusalem during the 1967 Middle East war.

Israel's government took two steps to try to defuse the violence.
First, a court hearing scheduled for Monday was postponed a month.
The court hearing would have finalized the decision to evict
Palestinians from homes. These threatened evictions would have
severely escalated the clashes between Palestinians and settlers.

The other step was to cancel a scheduled march by Israeli right-wing
nationalists and settlers, in celebration of Jerusalem Day. The
parade would have marched through the Muslim Quarter of Jerusalem's
Old City, which the Palestinians said would be highly provocative.
These two steps reduced some of the violence, although they've
apparently infuriated the Israeli nationalists. Nationalist Israelis
demonstrated against the moves.

Generational Dynamics predicts that the Israelis and Palestinians will
be re-fighting the 1948 war that followed the partitioning of
Palestine and the creation of the state of Israel. However, this new
situation so far shows signs that it's more likely to fizzle, rather
than expand into a larger regional war. The US State Department is
pressuring Israel to back off, and the United Nations, Egypt and Qatar
are mediating between Israel and Hamas to halt the fighting.

However, the violence is expected to continue for at least several
weeks and months. The court hearing to evict Palestinians from their
homes has not been canceled, but has been postponed for a month, so we
can't expect the clashes between Palestinians and Israelis around the
Al-Aqsa Mosque to end for at least that period of time. That will
lead to more demands by the Hamas militants for at least that period
of time. Perhaps the worst that will happen will be like the 2014
summer war between Hamas and Israel that last 67 days.

Sources:

• US National Security Advisor addresses Israeli counterpart on Jerusalem violence (Jerusalem Post, 10-May-2021)
  
• Israel pushes back against US ‘concern’ over Jerusalem violence (Times Of Israel, 10-May-2021)
  
• Violence Spreads on Day Israel Marks Control of Jerusalem (Bloomberg, 10-May-2021)
  
• Middle EastJerusalem violence leads to Hamas rockets on Israel, nine dead in Gaza (Reuters, 10-May-2021)
  
• Live Updates | Jerusalem Clashes: Contentious Jewish March Canceled After Gaza Rocket Fire (Haaretz, 10-May-2021)
  
• Jerusalem violence: Deadly air strikes hit Gaza after rocket attacks (BBC, 10-May-2021)
  
• '20 killed' in Gaza Strip air strikes after Hamas fires rockets towards Jerusalem (Sky News, 10-May-2021)
  
• Hamas targets Jerusalem after clashes at revered mosque (AP, 10-May-2021)
  
• Israel kills 20 Palestinians in Gaza, wounds hundreds in Al Aqsa raid (TRTWorld, Turkey, 10-May-2021)
  
• Al-Aqsa Mosque: Israeli forces attack Palestinian worshippers leaving dozens injured (Mideast Eye, 8-May-2021)
  
• Jerusalem: Violent clashes at Al-Aqsa mosque (Deutsche-Welle, 8-May-2021)
  
• Arab world condemns Israel Police for violent Temple Mount clashes (Jerusalem Post / Reuters, 8-May-2021)
  
• Palestinians, Israel Police Clash at Al-Aqsa Mosque; Dozens Hurt (VOA, 8-May-2021)
  
• Scores of Palestinians hurt as Israel police storm Al Aqsa: Live (Al-Jazeera, 8-May-2021)
  
• Hundreds injured as Israeli police, Palestinians clash at Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa mosque (France24, 8-May-2021)

Related Articles:

• 24-Apr-2021 World View: Violence grows between Palestinians and far-right Jews in East Jerusalem)
  
• Qatar provides $15 million in aid to Gaza, will mediate electricity issues and Cyprus seaport (11-Nov-2018)
  
  
• Israel backs down from full-scale attack on Gaza after family escapes rocket (20-Oct-2018)
  
  
• Channeling Sisyphus, Trump and Abbas say Mideast peace not as hard as it looks (04-May-2017)
  

KEYS: Generational Dynamics, Israel, West Bank, Jerusalem, East Jerusalem,
Gaza, Hamas, Benjamin Netanyahu,
Al-Aqsa Mosque, Temple Mount Compound, Jerusalem Day

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John J. Xenakis
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[John J. Xenakis]

** 11-May-2021 World View: Misogynists

(05-10-2021, 08:14 AM)John J. Xenakis Wrote: > ** 09-May-2021 World View: Mothers Day

> I don't know if there are any members of this forum who are
> mothers, or indeed of if there are any women at all.

> So Happy Birthing People's Day to all!

(05-10-2021, 09:21 AM)David Horn Wrote: > This is a sad state. We had a rather diverse group at one time,
> but few are left. Even fewer of the women post -- none very often.
> If you're lurking out there, post a quick one, and Happy Belated
> Mother's Day to you all.

Well, we know from feminism that whenever women are absent from
something, it's because the men are all misogynists, discriminating
against women, and abusive to any woman who tries, and because the
all-powerful evil patriarchy doesn't want them there.

So if there are no women here, then feminism tells us quite clearly
that it's because the misogynists in this forum don't want them here,
and have conspired with one another to keep women out.

[John J. Xenakis]

** 11-May-2021 World View: It's Tuesday, and Israel-Palestinian conflict escalates

• House in Ashkelon damaged from Gaza rocket fire on Tuesday

Hamas launched one barrage of rockets after another into southern
Israel throughout Tuesday, destroying a number of residential
buildings and a school in Ashkelon.

Two women were killed and dozens injured. These were the first
Israeli fatalities in the current round of fighting.

Israel's "Iron Dome" anti-missile system knocked down a number of the
rockets, though not all. According to reports, there was a temporary
malfunction in the Iron Dome.

Israel retaliated with hundreds of air strikes. According to
Palestinian officials, at least 28 people were killed, including 10
children.

Israel's prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said:

Quote: "We are in the midst of a campaign. Since yesterday
afternoon the IDF has carried out hundreds of strikes against
Hamas and Islamic Jihad in Gaza. We’ve hit commanders and many
high-quality targets. [We will] further intensify the severity and
pace of the attacks. ..

Hamas will be getting blows that it did not expect."

On Monday, more than 300 Palestinians were injured at Al Aqsa Mosque
in clashes with Israeli police, who fired rubber bullets, stun
grenades and tear gas, the Palestine Red Crescent Society said. Police
said 21 officers were hurt.

According to Palestinian Fatah spokesman Osama al-Qawasmi:

Quote: "Israel is committing massacres and war crimes, and it
is killing innocent children in Gaza and escalating its sinful
aggression against our Palestinian people in
Jerusalem."

---- Sources:

-- Hamas and Israel step up attacks as Jerusalem unrest ignites Gaza
https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-eas...021-05-11/
(Reuters, 11-May-2021)

-- 2 women killed by rockets in Ashkelon amid massive barrages from
Gaza
https://www.timesofisrael.com/2-killed-b...from-gaza/
(Times Of Israel, 11-May-2021)

-- Netanyahu says Israel will intensify strikes on Gaza, deliver blows
that Hamas does not expect
https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_e...s-on-gaza/
(Times Of Israel, 11-May-2021)

-- Fatah condemns Israeli bombing of Gaza as 'war crime'
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/fat...me/2236224
(Anadolu, Turkey, 10-May-2021)

---- Related article:

** 11-May-21 World View -- Violence escalates between Israelis and Palestinians in Jerusalem and Gaza
** http://www.generationaldynamics.com/pg/x...tm#e210511

[John J. Xenakis]

** 11-May-2021 World View: Decentralized Autonomous Organisations (DAOs)

aeden Wrote:> Crypto industry insiders estimate that the funds managed by
> Decentralized Autonomous Organisations (DAOs) now exceed $1
> billion—up from about $10 million a year ago.

> In 10 or 20 years from now, we’ll see “Silicon Valley in the
> cloud,” powered by DAOs, rather than corporations, Aaron Wright,
> co-founder of the OpenLaw digital contract platform, argued at
> Decrypt's 2021 Ethereal Virtual Summit last week.

> P/E will be irrelevant.

This is hilarious. We live in a world where hackers can
shut down a vital pipeline, and Wright says that DAOs will
run the world? Hahahahaha.

I mentioned DAOs in my article:

** 13-Apr-21 World View -- Investing in Decentralized Finance (DeFi) and Smart Contracts
** http://www.generationaldynamics.com/pg/x...tm#e210413

[John J. Xenakis]

** 11-May-2021 World View: Wuhan Lab Theory

DaKardii Wrote:> I'm not sold on the "Wuhan Lab" theory, but I wouldn't be
> surprised if the virus was intentionally released. There are
> several parties who would benefit from this pandemic, and not all
> of them are pro-CCP.

Just to clarify, the "Wuhan Lab Theory" is that the virus was
created in the Wuhan Virology Lab, where it accidentally infected
a researcher who spread it outside the lab. There is a fair amount
of circumstantial evidence for this scenario.

However, there is NO EVIDENCE whatsoever, that I'm aware of, that "the
virus was intentionally released."

[John J. Xenakis]

** 11-May-2021 World View: Media Lapdogs

DaKardii Wrote:> I know. But when the government and its media lapdogs have become
> as dishonest as they are now, who's to be believed?

> Meanwhile, I'll admit that I may be going overboard with my
> skepticism. But again. Who knows?

> *sigh*

Oh, I agree.

But after writing thousands of articles over almost 20 years, I've
developed a pretty good intuition about who in the media is telling
the truth and who is bullshitting.

I should probably put together a whole big article on the subject, but
here are some sample conclusions:

CNN, MSNBC, AP, Tehran Times, Russia Today, China Daily are all
similar in that they're "state media," and just parrot the government
line uncritically.

Fox News generally lives up to its "fair and balanced" claim, since
they present both sides of issues pretty fairly.

For international news, the BBC is pretty good, but when it reports on
American news, which it does all the time, it's the same as CNN and
MSNBC. BBC receives a great deal of funding from NPR, and so has to
follow the Democrat party talking points.

Al-Jazeera is also pretty good with international news. But you'll
never see a negative story about Qatar. Also, they hate Israel, and
they hate the Palestinian Authority even more, but they love Hamas.
But for Asian news they're pretty good. Oh, and they hate America,
and they REALLY hate Trump.

AFP is pretty good for Mideast, Asian and African news. VOA and RFERL
are pretty reliable.

Reuters is an interesting case, because I've found them to be almost
always completely fair and balanced. I believe that the reason is
that Thomson Reuters is an Canadian company, so they have a wholly
different view of the world.

When I'm writing an international story, I have to use each news
source in a credible way. For example, I'll consider China Daily or
Global Times to be an accurate statement of China's position, and I
would consider them more credible on this subject than, say, Reuters
or AP or the BBC.

In an international story, like the Israel-Palestine story of today, I
don't want to take sides, so I try to find accounts from each side,
ideally to quote them in parallel. This is not always easy to do.

And of course I'm always guided by previous Generational Dynamics
conclusions. For example, I've known for decades that there will
never be a "two-state solution" in the Mideast, so I know
automatically that any policitian who talks about it is full of crap.

So maybe at some point I'll expand this into a more comprehensive
article.

[John J. Xenakis]

** 12-May-2021 World View: Israel faces riots as Gaza approaches 'ful-scale war'

• Apartment building in Gaza knocked down by Israel airstrike

The situation in Gaza is now being described as approaching "full
scale war."

Overnight into Wednesday, the Palestinian militants in Gaza launched
an endless stream of rockets into Israel, targeting Jerusalem, Tel
Aviv, and southern Israel. In the same time period, Israel has
launched an endless stream of air strikes on Gaza targets.

This has escalated in two ways. Palestinians have been targeting
heavily populated Tel Aviv for the first time. And Israel has been
striking large apartment blocks in Gaza.

Israel provides an hour's warning before striking an apartment
building so that the residents can escape. Typically the buildings
also contain Hamas offices and equipment. From the point of view of
international law, Israel can claim that the warnings mean that their
actions are not war crimes, while the arbitrary nature of the Hamas
rockets are war crimes. But it's doubtful that those arguments will
ever reach an actual court.

Also for the first time, Israel has intercepted a drone used by the
Gaza militants.

The Gaza war has led to riots in mixed Jewish-Arab towns in Israel.
Rioting in the central city of Lod has caused Israel's government to
announce a state of emergency.

---- Source:

-- Gaza-Israel conflict heading 'towards a full-scale war' as violence
escalates
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/05...dly-riots/
(Telegraph, London, 12-May-2021)

[pbrower2a]

Oh, come on. What is to like about a pathological narcissist bordering on sociopathy? The world had more respect for America when Obama was President than when you-know-who was.

I have known close relatives much like Donald Trump except for not being nearly as successful. Maybe that is because they are from working-class families. One became an accountant and did a large-scale embezzlement. Another is a salesman dealing with public officials. His shtick is to take his clients to strip clubs. I wouldn't rip off an employer and I wouldn't ever go into a strip club. Both are charmers, and they turn on the charm even when such is unnecessary. Both are incredibly glib, if intellectually hollow.

Donald Trump has gotten away with far more due to his rich father after some business failures. Sure, most people end up losing money in a casino... but as gamblers and not as investors! Trump did! He has gone through multiple divorces and a porn star. His business practices are suspect, and he has no political principles other than attaining and holding power.

Character is destiny, as said Herodotus more than two millennia ago. This still holds true. The wisest of us study antiquity and get the right conclusions. Even Freud could derive his tripartite division of the human mind and behavior from something similar in Plato.

Donald Trump is the Nero of American Presidents.

[John J. Xenakis]

** 12-May-2021 World View: Taiwan Stock Exchange crashes on leverage unwinding

• Margin calls / Market leverage -- 2011-pressent -- Taiwan stock exchange (Bloomberg)

This is EXACTLY the kind of thing that causes a major financial panic
and crash -- when the market is over-leveraged with margin debt, and
the debts start to unwind.

The Taiwan stock exchange index crashed 9% on Wednesday, due to panic
over unwinding leverage.

We've previously talked about the possibility of a global financial
panic on May 28, about 7 weeks past the end of first quarter. This
may be one step along that path.

Then you'll learn what the word "deflation" really means.

---- Source:

-- Taiwan Stock Crash Shows World Dangers of Too Much Leverage
https://www.bloombergquint.com/markets/t...ons-expiry
(Bloomberg, 12-May-2021)

[pbrower2a]

(05-13-2021, 08:33 AM)John J. Xenakis Wrote: ** 12-May-2021 World View: Taiwan Stock Exchange crashes on leverage unwinding

• Margin calls / Market leverage -- 2011-pressent -- Taiwan stock exchange (Bloomberg)

This is EXACTLY the kind of thing that causes a major financial panic
and crash -- when the market is over-leveraged with margin debt, and
the debts start to unwind.

The Taiwan stock exchange index crashed 9% on Wednesday, due to panic
over unwinding leverage.

We've previously talked about the possibility of a global financial
panic on May 28, about 7 weeks past the end of first quarter.  This
may be one step along that path.

Then you'll learn what the word "deflation" really means.

---- Source:

-- Taiwan Stock Crash Shows World Dangers of Too Much Leverage
https://www.bloombergquint.com/markets/t...ons-expiry
(Bloomberg, 12-May-2021)

This couldn't have anything to do with fear of the giant neighbor? In the event of an invasion, debts in Taiwan might be difficult to collect. Creditors typically want to cash out in a shaky situation. In Taiwan, those who hold the debt might want to go elsewhere and start anew. It's easier to start anew flush with cash than broke. For many creditors, debt that they hold is nearly as valuable as the cash that it could represent. Such is not so in a politically-compromised situation such as a sharp change in the form of government.

[John J. Xenakis]

** 13-May-2021 World View: Pathological narcissists

(05-13-2021, 02:59 AM)pbrower2a Wrote: > Oh, come on. What is to like about a pathological narcissist
> bordering on sociopathy? The world had more respect for America
> when Obama was President than when you-know-who was.

The border crisis is a good example. Biden says that there's no
crisis. Meanwhile, politicians in border states, including Democrats,
are calling it a huge crisis of catastrophic proportions. Secretary
Mayorkas says that the border is closed. Meanwhile, on Fox News you
can see one video after another showing masses of illegals pouring
across the borders, herded by coyotes who sometimes leave children to
die in the desert.

So Trump was "a pathological narcissist bordering on sociopathy"?
Well, he got things done. He got unemployment to historic lows. He
got multiple Mideast peace agreements signed. He made America energy
independent. He implemented "Operation Warp Speed" which was almost
miraculous in providing vaccines in a few months. He solved the
border crisis.

Biden is taking a wrecking ball to every aspect of American policy.
He's creating one crisis and one disaster after another. He refuses
to answer any questions, because his handlers have ordered him not to.
I'll take the "pathological narcissist" over Biden and the other lying
assholes running Washington today.

And if you think that the world has "more respect" for these assholes
than they had for Trump, then you're crazy. They see Biden as a weak
fool.

[pbrower2a]

Sociopaths may get things done (like selling shady merchandise), creating huge paper profits (executives at Enron), generating a huge cash flow (as did Bernie Madoff), satisfying sordid desires (child pornographers, sex traffickers, and drug pushers), cutting unemployment (as did Hitler -- by ensuring that wages were so low that any industrial activity was profitable and prohibiting employees from changing jobs to seek better pay or working conditions), getting surprising victories in warfare (so you do a surprise attack against an ill-prepared enemy and act with the most complete disregard for human life let alone the customs of war), or making possible huge project that impress "useful idiots" (like the Black Sea Canal... with 100%-expendable convict labor). Then we find the cost. Oh, the shady merchandise is toys for young children full of lead (small children tend to play with such toys with their mouths). The paper profits at Enron were pure fantasy, as was the basis of returns from Madoff. Child pornography, sex trafficking, and illicit drugs hurt people badly. Much of the productivity and big projects that impressed people in Nazi Germany and Stalin's Soviet Union came from the destruction of all that is human. Aggressive warfare often culminates in having too many enemies at once and being unable to win the peace although the other side can. The Allies won the Second World War because as their lines went deeper into occupied and then Axis territory, people behind the front were left with no cause to strike back at the Allies. Americans and Brits did not need to take anti-partisan measure. To the contrary -- they were often catching up with the partisans in what proved to be combined operations.

To be sure, some sociopaths recognize that they have a problem, and that if they want to avoid getting personal ruin that they had better act as if not sociopaths. So0 one has the competence to do things honorably and have fewer bad consequences for oneself. Sometimes the best morality that one can hope for is enlightened self-interest. It is better to be a naturally-good person than one who must pretend it enough to make a good habit out of it, but sometimes one must work with what one has.

Trump didn't do much that was necessary for constraining COVID-19. He didn't advocate mask use, and he still held mass rallies that have pro0ved to be super-spreader events. Major-league sports, the film industry, and the largest Christian church in America (the Roman Catholic Church) did more and better to stop the spread of COVID-19. Democrats did not hold mass rallies or even canvas for votes, and that may have come close to losing the election for them. But what is a few hundred thousand lives?

Well, 600,000 lives is just larger (based on 2019 Census estimates) of Baltimore or Milwaukee or close to the sum of two of three cities (Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, and St. Louis) that have major-league baseball teams. New York City reached a population of 600,000 only in the 1840's (probably due to the Irish potato famine).. That is greater than the military death tolls of US armed forces in America's three deadliest wars (WWII, the Civil War, and WWI) in raw deaths, although it is still short of the deaths on both sides of the Civil War. . That's about twenty years of deaths from motor-vehicle collisions in America (including car-pedestrian). That's 20 times the death toll of 9/11. It is more than the Soviet military death toll (including missing in action) at Stalingrad. That's one tenth of the conventional estimate of the deaths of the Holocaust. Trump did not take it seriously fast enough -- he was one of the last people in a responsible position to do so.

Donald Trump may not be culpable in all the death, but he is clearly one of the worst killers in human history... if one refers to negligent homicide and not outright murder.