Neal Rauhauser: US Aircraft Carriers — Way Too Many, Irresponsibly Drawing Resources Away from a Long-Haul Air Force and an Air-Mobile Army

Global Aircraft Carrier Infographic Some weeks ago I wrote Carriers Of The Pacific, a comparison of the U.S. fleet vs. other countries, prompted by the U.S. “pivot to the east”. One Chart Shows The Magnitude Of U.S. Naval Dominance provides an infographic that makes things crystal clear. Two thirds of all carriers belong to the U.S. …

Chuck Spinney: Emile Nakhleh on Saudi Anger over Losing Influence — Iran Ascendant

Saudi Anger Masks Concern About Loss of Influence by Emile Nakhleh via IPS News, 13 November 2013 Saudi Arabia’s public anger against the United States masks the kingdom’s growing concern about its diminishing influence in the Persian Gulf and the wider Arab world. It has nothing to do with U.S. policy toward the Palestinians, Washington’s …

Event: 18-20 JUL 14 NYC Hackers on Planet Earth (HOPE X)

HOPE X July 18-20, 2014 Hotel Pennsylvania New York City Email Notification Sign Up NOTE: The movie “Hackers” was based on HOPE co-founder and spiritual leader Emmanuel Goldstein (not his real name) and his various Pheaker (phone hacks) and Hacker (computer hacks) colleagues. There is no other event on the planet quite like this, at …

Chuck Spinney: Wanna Start a Revolution? Watch Fed Feed Wall Street While Looting Main Street…

…. Read this obscene description of the “let them eat cake” policies of the Fed (and by extension, the President and Congress) that feed Wall Street at the expense of Main Street. Andrew Huszar: Confessions of a Quantitative Easer We went on a bond-buying spree that was supposed to help Main Street. Instead, it was …

Marcus Aurelius: Pentagon Fiscal Chief “Nervous” + DoD Transformation RECAP

Pentagon fiscal chief Robert Hale: ‘I am nervous’ “Frankly, I am nervous,” says Robert Hale, the Pentagon’s comptroller. And with reason. A month and half into the new fiscal year, Congress can’t seem to decide between what are three, wildly different scenarios for Hale’s world in 2014. The House endorsed most of President Barack Obama’s …

Owl: Madsen on Low-Tech No-Cost Avoidance of NSA Surveillance in Africa

Madsen: Low-Tech and Cheap Solutions to Getting Around NSA Surveiling in Africa Madsen omits mention of it in this otherwise well-informed article, which provides a comprehensive summary/history of US signals intel activities in Africa, but at least in the past, Africans also communicated over long distances using coded drum beats. He is quite correct in …