Category: 03 Economy

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John Robb: Gold Bubble–Gold Not Welcome in New Era

03 Economy, 08 Wild Cards, Blog Wisdom, Civil Society, Commerce, Corruption, Earth Intelligence
John Robb

Nouriel “Dr. Doom” Roubini is slamming the run up in the gold market: it's the new subprime bubble only worse.  It's leveraged 25-40x not just 5-10x.  It's just another example of the global market's central planning directorate in action.  Another massive/bad investment by those with all the decision making power.  It may also be a good indicator that gold is part and parcel of the old broken economy and not something that should be welcome in the new one we're building.

Phi Beta Iota:  George Soros has this exactly right and has pulled out.  What can be understood from open sources in addition to the above is that the gold market is chock full of fraud, including gold certificates issued without gold to back them up; and very likely gold diluted with titanium by the Bank of New York under Tim Geithner.  There is also the residual matter of the Black Lily covert gold fund, of the gold to be confiscated from Libya before the rebels figure out they're dupes in a major theft, and finally–the wild card–there are rumors circulating in the gold community that a new methods has been found that will more rapidly discover all remaining gold deposits around the earth.

See Also:

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Chuck Spinney: Richard Falk on USG Learning Disability

03 Economy, 04 Inter-State Conflict, 05 Civil War, 07 Other Atrocities, 08 Wild Cards, 10 Security, Corruption, Counter-Oppression/Counter-Dictatorship Practices, Cultural Intelligence, Director of National Intelligence et al (IC), DoD, Government, IO Deeds of War, Journalism/Free-Press/Censorship, Misinformation & Propaganda, Officers Call, Power Behind-the-Scenes/Special Interests
Chuck Spinney

Reasoning by analogy is powerful, but dangerous for of thinking.  Einstein, for example, showed how reasoning by analogy can unleash stunning insights , but only when properly tempered by critical observation, testing, and systematic analysis, can analogical insights lead to brilliant syntheses that literally change our view of reality.

But that benefit comes with a heavy price, because this kind of reasoning is also a very dangerous way to think.  Analogies can capture the imagination and thereby bias  the Orientation of less disciplined thinkers and decision makers to distort and twist their Observations into a vision of reality the Observer/Decision Maker wants to see.  In so doing, the distorted Orientation takes decision maker off the cliff by disconnecting his Actions from the real world.  And … for every Einstein with a highly disciplined Observation – Orientation – Decision Action loop, there are thousands of crackpots, nutcases, and charlatans trying to sell their visions of “what is” to sell their pre-concieved views of appropriate decisions and actions of action.

In the below essay, Richard Falk offers a good example of reasoning by analogy done properly.  He carefully crafts and explains a limited set of parallels between the January 1968 Tet Offensive in Viet Nam to Obama's dilemma in Afghanistan.  CS

The Tet Offensive's parallels to Afghanistan

The United States should learn from mistakes it made during the Vietnam War and withdraw from Afghanistan.

EXTRACTS:

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Chuck Spinney: Karzai Cornered, US Into the Quagmire

03 Economy, 04 Inter-State Conflict, 05 Civil War, 07 Other Atrocities, 08 Wild Cards, 10 Security, Corruption, Cultural Intelligence, Government, IO Deeds of War, Military, Peace Intelligence
Chuck Spinney

Karzai Cornered

Rediff  08/22/2011

By M K Bhadrakumar

EXTRACT:

The US expectation that the Taliban would learn to live with the American occupation in their lust for power in Kabul is far-fetched and can only be seen as wishful thinking.

. . . . . .

Equally, the ‘hidden agenda’ of the US invasion of Afghanistan can no longer be disowned. Quite obviously, the US intends to plunge into the ‘great game’ in Central Asia.

Read full article….

Phi Beta Iota:  This is absolutely worth a complete read.  The US is, as the author suggests, delusional in thinking the Taliban is going to put up with a US presence beyond this winter.  The US has sentenced Karzai to death, and may well lose another 1,000 troops to body bags before the public has its “Tet Offensive” wake-up.   There is nothing in Central Asia worth blood, spirit, and treasure–what is there is vastly over-stated in relation to what could be gained by refocusing on rebuilding America from inside out.  This is a study in corruption across the legislative and executive branches of the US Government.

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Cynthia McKinney: Libya Round-Up 23 August 2011

03 Economy, 05 Energy, 08 Wild Cards, 12 Water, Advanced Cyber/IO, Civil Society, Corruption, Cultural Intelligence, Government, IO Deeds of War, Military, Misinformation & Propaganda
Cynthia McKinney

From Don DBar on behalf of Cynthia McKinney.

Battle for Tripoli not yet over as Gaddafi loyalists strike back

Washington Post, 22 August 2011

KPFA's Davey D interviews Don DeBar about the real on-the-ground situation in Tripoli.

This PressTV bit with me was recorded at 2:30 pm New York time yesterday (22 Aug 2011). At that time, I questioned the veracity of the claimed capture of Gadaffi's sons and of rebel control of the city of Tripoli. It turns out I was right.

No, I don't have a crystal ball – just good contacts on the ground who don't lie or hold their tongues when they see horrible wrong being done. NATO – that's Obama to the apologists – has done everything to keep this information from you, but the truth will out!

. . . . . . .

Libya Coverage Provides a Peek Behind the Curtain

Don DeBar at www.warisacrime.org

. . . . . . .

Interview on Costs of War on Sahar TV

Phi Beta Iota:  US Information Operations (IO) includes Pyschological Operations (PSYOP, now under a new name, same mindset, which is to deceive rather than to promulgate the truth).  It has improved since its signal success in sending Iraqi troops home rather than having to deal with their surrender.  What we are seeing in relation to Libya, apart from the impeachable crimes of pilots, generals, Congress, and the White House, is a major IO/PSYOP campaign that is driven by Wall Street and Big Oil, not by the public interest.  Interestingly, this is also the first time that the truth is being crowd-sourced in a moderately effective manner, suggesting that in the future any IO/PSYOP campaign that is less than truthful will be outed in quick time.

See Also:

Search: libyan tribes map + LIBYA RECAP 22 Aug 11

Phi Beta Iota:  The respective press–those trapped in a hotel in Tripoli and those embedded with the rebels–are seeing only what they are allowed to see.  Apart from Patrick Meier, Arno Reuser and a few others, no one is actually putting together “ground truth” based on widely scatted Twitter and other forms of communication.  The West sees Libya as oil, water, and gold.  The Africa Union has failed to see the urgency of protecting its interest in all three.

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Chuck Spinney: Great Depression II? Or Something Worse?

03 Economy, 11 Society
Chuck Spinney

Many fear that the US is poised on the cusp of a second depression.  Simon Johnson, on of the most astute observers of the current crisis, takes exception to this view by making an interesting comparison of the current economic slump to the busts of the 19th Century, particularly the long decline between 1873 and 1879.

With the fiscal option being taken off the table by Obama's capitulation on the debt limit extortion, Johnson concludes ironically that the looming right wing populist attack on the monetary option (a weak anti-deflationary tool to be sure) would be like nailing the working class to a “cross of gold” in a time of recession.  In so doing, one of the most cogent critics of the Federal Reserve (for protecting the “too big to fail banks”) ends up defending its Chairman.  What a strange world we live in, where modern populists adopt the values of the banker who impoverishes them.

Chuck Spinney
Nice, France

Is This A Second Great Depression – Or Could It Become Something Worse?

Simon Johnson, Baseline Scenario,  18 August 2011

Read full article…

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Marc Andreessen: US Education Crisis–Young and Old

03 Economy, 04 Education, Advanced Cyber/IO, Articles & Chapters, Commerce
Marc Andreessen

Why Software Is Eating The World

Wall Street Journal, 20 August 2011

EN ESPANOL DOCUMENTO 5 PAJINAS

This week, Hewlett-Packard (where I am on the board) announced that it is exploring jettisoning its struggling PC business in favor of investing more heavily in software, where it sees better potential for growth. Meanwhile, Google plans to buy up the cellphone handset maker Motorola Mobility. Both moves surprised the tech world. But both moves are also in line with a trend I've observed, one that makes me optimistic about the future growth of the American and world economies, despite the recent turmoil in the stock market.

In short, software is eating the world.

. . . . . . .

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Douglas Rushkoff: Death of the Financial Parasite….Good!

03 Economy, 07 Other Atrocities, 11 Society, Civil Society, Commerce, Commercial Intelligence, Corporations, Corruption, Cultural Intelligence, Ethics, Gift Intelligence, Money, Banks & Concentrated Wealth
Douglas Rushkoff

Program Your Own Money

Douglas Rushkoff

Reality Sandwich

EXTRACT:

Yes, we are watching something melt down. But I'd argue the thing that's dying is not business itself, but a financial parasite — a speculative marketplace that no longer funds business but instead seeks to extract value from healthy commerce. More a funds vampire than an infuser of needed capital, the investment industry has been exposed as a drag on business. The future of commerce looks bright to me because it may be unencumbered by the weight of this non-productive capital.

. . . . . . .

Once we accept the fact that the money and banks we have grown accustomed to using are not the only ways to generate capital, we liberate ourselves and our businesses from a finance industry that has enjoyed a monopoly over our commerce for much too long. They have not only abused our trust through corrupt self-dealing, but abused their privilege through systemic usury. Businesses are only obligated to support their employees, owners, and customers — not an entire finance industry.

Read full article…

noble gold