Archive for May 10th, 2008


Cloak of Invisibility becomes real

For recon planes, no less.

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The ever-present fear of state intervention in Russia

From Robert Amsterdam, who monitors and reports on what’s happening inside Russia.

This bit comes from Forbes, reminding readers of something we’ve been saying for years: Russia could be so much more successful if the state just loosened its grip on economy and society, and let natural ingenuity and innovation of Russian people reach its potential.

When businesses are afraid their assets may be seized arbitrarily and without recourse by the government (or thugs working under governmental protection) then it’s hardly surprising that the economy is in danger of stagnation or being controlled by shadowy forces loyal only to their own Swiss bank accounts.

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4GW in Mexico

Reminiscent of attacks on the Italian state during the 1970’s and 1980’s by leftist Red Brigades and Mafia, the drug cartels of Mexico are hobbled neither by antiquated Marxist ideology nor old-time, rustic, crime family traditions. They are adaptive, professional, transnational in outlook and far better equipped than state police forces on either side of the border. Mexico’s corrupt political elite by contrast, cannot be bothered to restrain their greed enough to properly pay, train and arm the very security forces that defend their primacy.

Those cartels already are a shadow / parallel government. Imagine the power they could have 5-10 years from now as the greedhead elites continue to abdicate their responsibility.

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I bet Obama thinks it’s real funny too

From zik on Twitter.

So the Secret Service is “joking” about assasinating Rev Jackson. And peeps wonder why Blacks are suspicious of US govt? http://is.gd/eMu

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Food, oil, and imperialism

The latest stage of imperialism, which has globalized neoliberal capitalism, has made it very difficult for people in the South to rebel against imperialism, for if they do so, imperialism can deny them an increasing variety of essential goods for survival for which they have come to depend on world markets — especially food, much of whose production and distribution it controls,

The article quotes sources showing that 70% of developing countries are net importers of food and 6 firms control 85% of the world grain trade, and makes the point that only those third world countries with substantial oil and gas are able to challenge First World hegemony.

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DOE to fund solar thermal research

They will spend $60 million over five years studying how to optimize solar thermal, which stores solar energy as heat so the turbines that produce electricity can be powered even when the sun isn’t shining. This is a welcome step. Perhaps one day the US government will be spending $6 billion or maybe even $60 billion over a period of years on renewable energy research.

We need the equivalent of a Marshall Plan for energy in the US. I’m hopeful that incoming President Obama will push for such a plan. Not only would this provide clean energy, it would also provide energy security. The more energy we generate with our own (non-coal) resources, the better.

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