KENNAN REFERENCES RE FLEDERMAUS AND COVENT GARDEN PRODUCTION

"If we could afford to preserve an opera-bouffe political system, in which everything was taken in the spirit of Strauss' 'Fledermaus,' I should be the last person to oppose anything which could add so materially to the humor of it as our type of amateurism in government.......But if death, torture and misery are not laughing matters, then neither is political life in these times; for death, torture and misery have become the penalties of political failure."


Kennan's Manuscript Part I, pp. 11-12, Kennan Papers.


I admit to enjoying the 1984 version, done at the Royal Opera House many years ago with Kiri Te Kanawa, Hildegaard Heichele ( Behrens ), Hermann Prey, Benjamin Luxon, Doris Soffel, Merle Park, Wayne Eagling, Charles Aznavour, Domingo cond., etc., 


a production which the Daily Telegraph quite rightly dubbed a summit of escapism, even then.


Term search: Fledermaus, life and death 


(Also, think Texas versus Massachusetts, re Romney Perry state sectoral faux issue, term search: your state, Lorch, etc.)

TURKEY ISRAEL

C'est la vie.

BBC RE GLOBAL WARMING MOTLEY FOOLS

In UK science journal editor resigns after publishing Braswell and Spencer article. That kind of thing will not happen over here........

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-14768574

SPEAKING OF BLOCKADE NOT MERELY EMBARGO

BBC WORLD NEWS TODAY


S Korean protests re Jeju naval base going under construction. Will be open to US ships.


China is mentioned in the article.....

RE KENNAN EISENHOWER ETC

Started Mayers' book. I have the Memoirs but Mayers so far is more illuminating.  I especially appreciated some of Kennan's assessments in The Prerequisites and elsewhere re problems, illusions, and delusions of the American system as it stood, and stands.


Thumbing through Kaiser's book American Tragedy, I could not help but notice the nice quote from Kennan re Eisenhower.
Amen. 

HALLIBURTON BP SUING EACH OTHER FED GOVERNMENT SUING ITS TOO BIG TO FAIL BANKS WHY NOT OTHER REMEDIES WHY NOT BLOCKADE UGLY PORTS

Sueey!


Big multi nationals, governments, and privates.


Everyone, at least the big ones, will find ready causes of action everywhere nowadays.


That won't get you out of ...........................


the 'globalization trap'.


Stronger weapons than mere civil suits under GOBBLELIZATION blobbalization have started to be used, eg by EU, 


EMBARGO against certain Asian knock offs.


Why not 'turn it up a notch', to use Emeril's idiom, and go with something really interesting?  


Why not use, more often resort to, 


BLOCKADE?


I like blockade myself, better than embargo. 


With mere embargo, the pesky items can slither around the ports, not good, not bad, but ugly ports, and get where they were prohibited from going.


With blockade, you cut them off at their point of corrupt origin.

RE The U.S. and the Middle East

See David Kaiser's great previous post on this topic, (and relatively inconsequential my remark),


re developments over there, 


(not just Libya, but also Egypt, etc.), now in short retrospect.

RE THE VIGOROUS VIRTUES BROOKS NYT PERRY AND A GLOBALIST PRODUCER SOCIETY

Brooks says there is 'much truth' to this Governor Rick Perry story, proving once again
that he is the anti government globalist pundit I have been describing.


Big government strangling virtuous small time private initiatives.


This is not how it has really gone however.


'globalized producer society':


Please!

FORMER EMIR OF LIBYAN ISLAMIC FIGHTING GROUP TORTURED BY CIA

Belhaj,  now head peace keeper in Tripoli.


Why would anyone think this would turn out well, 


going forward?

RE THE SEASIDE PLAYGROUND OF WALL STREET'S BILLIONAIRES BBC WORLD NEWS ARTICLE

East Hamptons


Article is a good read for everyone.
Even has pictures.


The British know how to do a nice human interest story.

GERMANY'S EXPORTS FELL AT THE FASTEST RATE BBC WORLD NEWS

Kind of the end of the line for the concept of 'export led growth' in the West, and for the EU.


'Call in the generals',


call in Steingart!


Or, something....

THE PARDONER'S TALE

http://geraldmeaders.blogspot.com/2011/08/re-earlier-post-mentioning-kindleberger.html

Terms search: Dowd, etc.

CHINA BID FOR ICELAND ECO RESORT LAND

If you believe this reason, I have some SNOW ski resort land for you in the Keys.

RE STEINGART PRESTOWITZ KRUGMAN

As an aside, Steingart in War For Wealth got date of Trading Places incorrect. It had been 1988.


Prestowitz' view of economics there is also mine. His view was at page 230.


He had cited Krugman at a couple of points, at a time when Krugman was apparently willing to countenance the wild notion that certain sectors might be strategic.


Of course, Krugman later, 94 or so,  held view that competitiveness idea was flatly wrong.

Audience Today

Indonesia 9 Latvia 8 United States 3 Spain 1

TRADING FACES

Biden could look either Japanese, or Chinese, or______, here:





Term search: Trading Places, etc.

RE BROOKS THE HAIMISH LINE NYT

He makes a great point here.


Here is what I consider a related one:


Being on the wrong side of the Haimish line is largely 
what laissez faire capitalism has been, and continues to be, all about.

REPUBLICANS AGAINST SCIENCE NYT KRUGMAN GOLDMAN

Krugman is onto something here. 
What is it? At least he is not slamming Goldman, or one of the other pillars.


My favorite Goldman is Steven.


Haven't finished his Science Wars course yet, but it does set some trends into perspective. Wonderful presentation.


Terms search: pyramid, bonobos, etc.

RE DOES AMERICA NEED MORE MANUFACTURING

http://geraldmeaders.blogspot.com/2011/08/re-does-america-need-manufacturing-nyt.html

Need to ask another pundit at nyt: Thomas Friedman. 


Or perhaps David Brooks, another conservative globalist pander having to backpedal big time now too.


Their answer has been: "No. Services, innovation, finance,


that's your forte now, America."

MERGE TO COMPETE MERGE TO COPE WITH FAILURE BBC WORLD NEWS GREEK BANKS

THE 'ONE TRICK PONY' OF MONOPOLY CAPITALISM

IN THE ENDGAME.

At first, they need to merge to better compete. Sounds credible.


Then, surprise, they need to merge again to succeed more. More is better.


But then, on the other hand, after a while, they need to merge to ward off failure also.

This has been the ostensible solution for a long time now.


Too big to fail has been thot to be a solution.


If they are failing, merge them. 


If they are still failing, merge again.


http://geraldmeaders.blogspot.com/2011/08/guaranteed-to-fail.html