#Primarily Presidential Destinations

[janesadek]

The William J. Clinton Presidential Library

TRAVEL THERE – ANOTHER PRIMARILY PRESIDENTIAL DESTINATION If you follow my tags, you’ll find 19 posts about Primarily Presidential Destinations. I’ve got at least that many more on my wish list. The William J. Clinton Presidential Library was not on that list, but that’s only because I hadn’t really thought about it. I’d never been much of a fan and Little Rock was not someplace I was dying to…

[filmista]

The Big Lebowski (1998)

“That rug really tied the room together.”

Few films by the Coen brothers have such a high quotability as 'The Big Lebowski'. Almost every line of dialogue lends itself to repetition, time and time again, and characters like Jesus, a pedophile and excentric bowler who finds an erotic pleasure in the game, Walter, a Vietnam veteran with more than a few loose screws and of course Lebowski, the Dude himself, were all destined to become cult figures.

Like all Coen films, it’s primarily a style exercise, in which they take a genre (in this case comedy) and explore all its boundaries - how far can they go in their tendencies towards the surrealistic and even absurd, before going too far?

Jeff Bridges plays what is probably the most iconic role of his career as Jeff Lebowski, better known as The Dude. The Dude is a walking anachronism from the sixties, a hippie who spends his time with bowling, blowing and on "the occasional LSD flashback".

He’s introduced as the laziest man in Los Angeles, someone with absolutely no ambitions or wishes, except for everyone to leave him alone and mind their own business.

His peace of mind is disturbed when two thugs burst into his house, push his head into the toilet and piss on his carpet. They ’re looking for a millionaire of the same name, whose wife has made debts with the wrong people. The Dude, who lives in a mess full of debris from the sixties and marijuana-Paraphernalia, is not a millionaire. When the bad guys realize this, they leave again, but The Dude is now left with a urine stain on his carpet.

He goes to complain to the real Lebowski, an arrogant millionaire who throws him out of his office, and as a logical reaction to a preachy speech  (the bums will always lose!) he gets, he helps himself to the most beautiful carpet he can find in the house.

Shortly after, the trophy wife of Lebowski (Tara Reid, before 'American Pie') is kidnapped, probably by the same people who “urinated” on The Dudes carpet. Since The Dude is the only one who could recognize them, he is enlisted to hand over the ransom.

That’s the beginning of a plot that floats in about all directions at once and that’s almost impossible to explain in the less than two hours that the film lasts. German nihilists are involved, a vaginal/feminist artist named Maude (a delicious Julianne Moore), and the not-to-be-underestimated contributions from the bowling best friend of The Dude, Walter (John Goodman). (Shut the fuck up Donny! You’re out of your element!)

Whoever wants to complain that the film seems adrift should realize that provoking that feeling was precisely the intention. Just as The Dude leans passively backward and watches what happens to his life, the makers of the film didn’t provide a clear structure, a form in which the characters exist and act.

At the beginning of the film, The Dude is presented as "the man for our times," referring to the beginning of the nineties, the time of the first Gulf War. That background is clearly present in the film - when The Dude or Walter want to come across as important, they quote pieces from presidential speeches they have heard ("This aggression will not stand!").

That background works as an ironic counterpart to the totally laidback attitude of The Dude, who never worries about anything. A country at war,  seems like important news, and what does The Dude worry about? About his carpet, (because it really tied the room together).

The Dude is a relic from the sixties, who forms a perfect team with Walter one is a hippie, the other a pretty messed up Vietnam veteran who still thinks he’s in the jungle at times and pulls a gun at the drop at a hat. Walter gets one psychopathic plan after another, The Dude just reminds him to take it easy. 'The Big Lebowski' has no clear theme that everything revolves around, and if there is one at all then it’s perhaps the utter futility of all action, of all attempts to exert influence over the world.

“God damn you Walter! You fuckin' asshole! Everything's a fuckin' travesty with you, man! And what was all that shit about Vietnam? What the FUCK, has anything got to do with Vietnam? What the fuck are you talking about?”

Conversations in this film are doomed from the beginning when people talk to each other, they don’t know what the other person is talking about, they don’t listen to each other or otherwise simply lie because reality can have unpleasant consequences.

No conversation ever solves anything - either the situation of the characters remains status quo, or it only worsens them, due to the added confusion. You often get the feeling that the term 'Waiting for Godot' isn’t too far off. The same can be said when the characters finally do decide to do something.

Moments like Walter, interfering in the money transfer or trashing an expensive car are the most obvious examples of a character that finally undertakes action, but would have been better off not doing anything at all.

The wittiest example of this, however, is when The Dude, very much against his character, wants to be clever and wants to conjure up the imprints on a notebook with a pencil. Smartly thought out, and it works but ultimately it leads nowhere.

For the rest, this is a film that works seemingly very improvisationally and spontaneously. You can imagine how the Coens wrote this:  an idea leads to a next idea, then they come up with something else and so it goes on and then they make no attempt to give these ideas a more coherent form. That isn't necessary in the world of The Dude.

What keeps the film going is primarily the acting, which is remarkable. Julianne Moore does a fantastic imitation of Katharine Hepburn as Maude (probably my favorite fictional feminist), a fast-talking artist with a New England accent, and John Turturro is the absolute showstopper as Jesus, who probably gets the best line of dialogue throughout the film. It has something to do with a gun that goes "click"...

There is, of course, the visual talent of the Coens as well, who weren’t afraid to get lost in a surreal world in which everything can happen, and who also place those sensitivities into their camerawork.

Two brilliantly framed dream sequences and casual references to German expressionist cinema bear witness to this. Pay particular attention to the shot filmed from the standpoint of a rolling bowling ball, (always makes me slightly dizzy) that had to have been a first.

'The Big Lebowski' is without a doubt one of the most relaxed films I’ve ever seen, in which passivity becomes a lifestyle. The Dude chills, so the Dude abides. Hell yes.

@purecinema​ 

[things2mustdo]

In order for a nation to survive, two critical emotions must be controlled. Contrary to popular belief, these emotions are not fear and greed—although these are very important to control, as well. Rather, it’s masculine aggression and feminine vanity that must be controlled…and we are doing a terrible job at this.

Unfortunately, over the past 70 years, we’ve seen sex roles and gender dynamics completely turned on their heads. Rather than men and women working together to create better relationships, more functional families, and more powerful countries, we’ve been pit against one another by toxic ideologies and ruthless demagogues.

It is not enough to simply know what is happening, however—we must know precisely how it’s happening, step by step, and more importantly, WHY it’s happening. In this article, I will explore why our society has gone so downhill so fast, and potential solutions we can integrate to remedy it (if we can save it, at all).

The Two Forces

As I said previously, there are two very delicate forces which must constantly be counter-balancing one another, and anytime they grow unbalanced, there will be chaos. These two forces are, of course, masculine aggression and feminine vanity. Too much masculine aggression, and a country becomes war-torn, unable to run itself or stay stable long enough to produce any sort of civilization (think the Middle East).

Too much feminine vanity, however, and the opposite occurs. Men become reclusive, because women become far too difficult to deal with. This is why we’ve seen the rise of the sigma male over the past 20 years—men who refuse to attach themselves to any sort of social hierarchy. They’re not alpha, beta, or omega. They just do as they do, without adhering to any sort of social group or workplace hierarchy.

As feminine vanity grows excessive, female hypergamy is given reign to run loose. Rather than men and women developing healthy relationships with one another, women become so conceited that they refuse to “settle” for anyone less than an alpha male Chad Thundercock, and thus we have a surplus of angry, bitter women who hit the wall at 30 and end up childless and alone.

It’s so obvious that it should go without saying, that we are currently in a serious imbalance. For far too long, masculine aggression has been hampered and stomped down by our effeminate school system, our brainwashing devices (aka TV’s), and our mass media control system. All the while, these things have encouraged women to do as they please, without any consequences or thought of their actions on a larger, societal scale.

Restoring the Balance

Balance will be restored, one way or another. There are only two ways for this imbalance to possibly be restored, and most men here will acknowledge, at least implicitly, that this is the case:

Men in OTHER COUNTRIES restore the balance (by coming here en masse)

Men in THIS COUNTRY restore the balance (by not being pussies)

Those are the only two options. There is no third option, where women somehow magically stop giving men 500,000 shit tests a day and step down to become good, faithful girlfriends, wives, and mothers. This will not happen. When a society reaches this critical imbalance, only one of two things can happen.

Of course, we all know what the elites (oy vey!) are pushing for. They want to bring millions of aggressive, young, fighting-age men to this country, to supposedly help combat “population decline.” We all know that this is complete horse shit, and that their true motive is to destroy America.

Even so, with the full force of the elites raining down upon us, there is hope. Over the past two years, we’ve seen more masculine energy emerge and come to the front of our socio-political battlegrounds than arguably any other time in history. For the first time in the past 70 years, men are reclaiming their manhood.

Let me reiterate that this is the only option. There is no magical world where everything just works out great, where we have millions of violent, aggressive 20-something-year-old men come into this country, and we retain our values as an Anglo-Saxon country. No. This will not happen. We either get our acts together, collectively, as men, or we watch our nation burn.

The Path Forward (2018-2020)

The next two years are of critical importance. We have collectively, successfully memed the most brutally alpha and pro-American president into office arguably since Ronald Reagan. This is not an opportunity that we can afford to squander—we must all begin proactively restoring the balance of masculinity in this country, from the top down, otherwise our nation will perish to globalists and their dumb, but useful allies.

There will be resistance, as there is whenever masculinity tries to assert itself. Pay no attention to this resistance. Simply follow the advice which the manosphere advocates for:

Create an income independent of a massive, bureaucratic, globalist corporation

Increase your testosterone levels (start by avoiding foods that kill testosterone)

Lift weights, and become physically able to stand up for yourself

Proactively participate in the upcoming midterms, and the Presidential Election of 2020

Do everything you can to red pill those who are ready (emphasis on them being ready)

If we, collectively, as a group of thousands of like-minded men all across the nation can successfully pull this off, we will see a resurgence of economic, political, and social growth which will have been unprecedented.

If we do not pull it off however, and our nation succumbs to the manipulations of the elite, a far more grim and sinister future will play out.

The Alternative

If we do not successfully reclaim the balance of masculine aggression and feminine vanity in this country, all will be lost, and we will be forced to either live through hell, or leave our homelands. Here’s what to expect over the next decade or so, if a social justice warrior is elected President in 2020, and we lose the culture wars:

Increasing surveillance over the internet

More thought crime policies instituted into law

The figurative castration of men all across the country

Eventual race wars, or religious wars, spurred on primarily by Islamic migrants

This is non-negotiable. If we lose the culture wars to SJW’s over the next several years, we will begin to see lobbying to shut down any and all manosphere websites dedicated to spreading the truth. We have already seen PayPal, YouTube, Amazon, Facebook, Twitter, and Google begin to censor people like Roosh, Alex Jones, Donald Trump, and other conservative/red pilled speakers. We cannot afford to stand this any longer.

If we lose these mediums to the globalists, they will easily gain the support of the public to institute thought crime policies into our legal system. You have a book by Bronze Age Pervert, that Amazon can track from your order history? NAZI SCUM! You’re going to prison. It doesn’t matter that you didn’t actually hurt anyone in any way shape or form, because you had an opinion that the globalists dislike.

As this begins to happen, men will self-imprison all over the nation. Some will fight, of course, and maybe win (if we’re lucky). Others will leave and attempt to gain citizenship in more male-friendly countries such as Denmark, Austria, and Poland. The rest will be forced to hang their heads in perpetual shame.

Eventually, as the population of third world migrants explodes, and tribalism is exacerbated by the polarizing media, we will begin to see rampant terrorist attacks, which are already happening in Germany, The UK, and other nations around the cucked European Union. Inevitably, this will end in a civil war.

It’s Our Choice

I have presented to you the only two choices that we have, and to me, the decision is quite simple. We can either sit around passively, and squabble amongst ourselves over stupid theories and philosophies, or we can take action to better ourselves and improve the stance of our nation.

The choice is clear to me. We either succumb to globalist propaganda, see the death of masculinity in the West, and see freedom of speech die as it is destined to do, or we fight back and create a better future. Some may say this is melodramatic. I would say that a mere cursory glance at history will prove otherwise.

Read Next: Cultural Collapse Theory: The 7 Steps That Lead To A Complete Culture Decline

It was Joe’s first date with Mary. He asked her what she wanted in life and she replied, “I want to establish my career. That’s the most important thing to me right now.” Undeterred that she had no need for a man in her life, Joe entertained her with enough funny stories and cocky statements that she soon allowed him to lightly pet her forearm.

At the end of the date, he locked arms with her on the walk to the subway station, when two Middle Eastern men on scooter patrol accosted them and said they were forbidden to touch. “This is Sharia zone,” they said in heavily accented English, in front of a Halal butcher shop. Joe and Mary felt bad that they offended the two men, because they were trained in school to respect all religions but that of their ancestors. One of the first things they learned was that their white skin gave them extra privilege in life which must be consciously restrained at all times. Even if they happened to disagree with the two men, they could not verbally object because of anti-hate laws that would put them in jail for religious discrimination. They unlocked arms and maintained a distance of three feet from each other.

Unfortunately for Joe, Mary did not want to go out with him again, but seven years later he did receive a message from her on Facebook saying hello. She became vice president of a company, but could not find a man equal to her station since women now made 25% more than men on average. Joe had long left the country and moved to Thailand, where he married a young Thai girl and had three children. He had no plans on returning to his country, America.

If cultural collapse occurs in the way I will now describe, the above scenario will be the rule within a few decades. The Western world is being colonized in reverse, not by weapons or hard power, but through a combination of progressivism and low reproductive rates. These two factors will lead to a complete cultural collapse of many Western nations within the next 200 years. This theory will show the most likely mechanism that it will proceed in America, Canada, UK, Scandinavia, and Western Europe.

What Is A Cultural Collapse?

Cultural collapse is the decline, decay, or disappearance of a native population’s rituals, habits, interpersonal communication, relationships, art, and language. It coincides with a relative decline of population compared to outside groups. National identity and group identification will be lost while revisionist history will be applied to demonize or find fault with the native population. Cultural collapse is not to be confused with economic or state collapse. A nation that suffers from a cultural collapse can still be economically productive and have a working government.

First I will share a brief summary of the cultural collapse progression before explaining them in more detail. Then I will discuss where I see many countries along its path.

The Cultural Collapse Progression

1. Removal of religious narrative from people’s lives, replaced by a treadmill of scientific and technological “progress.”

2. Elimination of traditional sex roles through feminism, gender equality, political correctness, cultural Marxism, and socialism.

3. Delay or abstainment of family formation by women to pursue careerist lifestyles while men wait in confused limbo.

4. Decreasing birth rate among native population.

5. Government enactment of open immigration policies to prevent economic collapse.

6. Immigrant refusal to fully acclimate, forcing host culture to adopt external rituals and beliefs while being out-reproduced.

7. Natives becoming marginalized in their own country.

1. Removal of religious narrative

Religion has been a powerful restraint for millennia in preventing humans from pursuing their base desires and narcissistic tendencies so that they satisfy a god. Family formation is the central unit of most religions, possibly because children increase membership at zero marginal cost to the church (i.e. they don’t need to be recruited).

Religion may promote scientific ignorance, but it facilitates reproduction by giving people a narrative that places family near the center of their existence.[1] [2] [3] After the Enlightenment, the rapid advance of science and its logical but nihilistic explanations into the universe have removed the religious narrative and replaced it with an empty narrative of scientific progress, knowledge, and technology, which act as a restraint and hindrance to family formation, allowing people to pursue individual goals of wealth accumulation or hedonistic pleasure seeking.[4] As of now, there has not been a single non-religious population that has been able to reproduce above the death rate.[5]

Even though many people today claim to believe in god, they may not step inside a church but once or twice a year for special holidays. Religion went from being a lifestyle, a manual for living, to something that is thought about in passing.

2. Elimination of traditional sex roles

Once religion no longer plays a role in people’s lives, the stage is set to fracture male-female bonding. It is collectively attacked by several ideologies stemming from the beliefs of Cultural Marxist theory, which serve to accomplish one common end: destruction of the family unit so that citizens are dependent on the state. They achieve this goal through the marginalization of men and their role in society under the banner of “equality.”[6] With feminism pushed to the forefront of this umbrella movement, the drive for equality ends up being a power grab by women.[7] This attack is performed on a range of fronts:

medicating boys from a young age with ADHD drugs to eradicate displays of masculinity[8]

shaming of men for having direct sexual interest in attractive and fertile women

criminalization of normal male behavior by redefining some instances of consensual sex as rape[9]

imprisonment of unemployed fathers for non-payment of child support, rendering them destitute and unable to be a part of their children’s lives[10]

taxation of men at higher rates for redistribution to women[11] [12]

promotion of single mother and homosexual lifestyles over that of the nuclear family[13] [14]

The end result is that men, confused about their identify and averse to state punishment from sexual harassment, “date rape,” and divorce proceedings, make a rational decision to wait on the sidelines.[15] Women, still not happy with the increased power given to them, continue their assault on men by instructing them to “man up” into what has become an unfair deal—marriage. The elevation of women above men is allowed by corporations, which adopt “girl power” marketing to expand their consumer base and increase profits.[16] [17] Governments also allow it because it increases their tax revenue. Because there is money to be made with women working and becoming consumers, there is no effort by the elite to halt this development.

3. Women begin to place career above family

At the same time men are emasculated as mere “sperm donors,” women are encouraged to adopt the career goals, mannerisms, and competitive lifestyles of men, inevitably causing them to delay marriage, often into an age where they can no longer find suitable husbands who have more resources than themselves. [18] [19] [20] [21] The average woman will find it exceedingly difficult to balance career and family, and since she has no concern of getting “fired” from her family, who she may see as a hindrance to her career goals, she will devote an increasing proportion of time into her job.

Female income, in aggregate, will soon match or exceed that of men.[22] [23] [24] A key reason that women historically got married was to be economically provided for, but this reason will no longer persist and women will feel less pressure or motivation to marry. The burgeoning spinster population will simply be a money-making opportunity for corporations to market to an increasing population of lonely women. Cat and small dog sales will rise.

Women succumb to their primal sexual and materialistic urges to live the “Sex and the City” lifestyle full of fine dining, casual sex, technological bliss, and general gluttony without learning traditional household skills or feminine qualities that would make them attractive wives.[25] [26] Men adapt to careerist women in a rational way by doing the following:

to sate their natural sexual desires, men allow their income to lower since economic stability no longer provides a draw to women in their prime[27]

they mimic “alpha male” social behavior to get laid with women who, without having an urgent need for a man’s monetary resources to survive, can choose men based on confidence, aesthetics, and general entertainment value[28]

they withdraw into a world of video games and the internet, satisfying their own base desires for play and simulated hunting[29] [30]

Careerist women who decide to marry will do so in a hurried rush around 30 because they fear growing old alone, but since they are well past their fertility peak[31], they may find it difficult to reproduce. In the event of successful reproduction at such a later age, fewer children can be born before biological infertility, limiting family size compared to the historical past.

4. Birth rates decrease among native population

The stage is now set for the death rate to outstrip the birth rate. This creates a demographic cliff where there is a growing population of non-working elderly relative to able-bodied younger workers. Two problems result:

Not enough tax revenue is supplied by the working population in order to provide for the elderly’s medical and social retirement needs.[32] Borrowing can only temporarily maintain these entitlements.

Decrease of economic activity since more people are dying than buying.[33]

No modern nation has figured out how to substantially raise birth rates among native populations. The most successful effort has been done in France, but that has still kept the birth rate among French-born women just under the replacement rate (2.08 vs 2.1).[34] The easiest and fastest way to solve this double-edged problem is to promote mass immigration of non-elderly individuals who will work, spend, and procreate at rates greater than natives.[35]

A replenishing supply of births are necessary to create taxpayers, workers, entrepreneurs, and consumers in order to maintain the nation’s economic development.[36] While many claim that the planet is suffering from “overpopulation,” an economic collapse is inevitable for those countries who do not increase their population at steady rates.

5. Large influx of immigration

An aging population without youthful refilling will cause a scarcity of labor, increasing that labor’s price. Corporate elites will now lobby governments for immigration reform to relieve this upward pressure on wages.[37] [38] At the same time, the modern mantra of sustained GDP growth puts pressure on politicians for dissemination of favorable economic growth data to aid in their re-elections. The simplest way to increase GDP without innovation or development of industry is to expand the population. Both corporate and political elites now have their goals in alignment where the easiest solution becomes immigration.[39] [40]

While politicians hem and haw about designing permanent immigration policies, immigrants continue to settle within the nation.[41] The national birth rate problem is essentially solved overnight, as it’s much easier to drain third-world nations of its starry-eyed population with enticements of living in the first-world than it is to encourage the native women to reproduce. (Lateral immigration from one first-world nation to another is so relatively insignificant that the niche term ‘expatriation’ has been developed to describe it). Native women will show a stubborn resistance at any suggestion they should create families, much preferring a relatively responsibility-free lifestyle of sexual variety, casual internet dating via mobile apps, consumer excess, and comfortable high-paying jobs in air conditioned offices.[42] [43]

Immigrants will almost always come from societies that are more religious and, in the case of Islam with regard to European immigration, far more scientifically primitive and rigid in its customs.[44]

6. Sanitization of host culture coincides with increase in immigrant power

While many adult immigrants will feel gracious at the opportunity to live in a more prosperous nation, others will soon feel resentment that they are forced to work menial jobs in a country that is far more expensive than their own.[45] [46] [47] [48] [49] The majority of them remain in lower economic classes, living in poor “immigrant communities” where they can speak their own language, find their own homeland foods, and follow their own customs or religion.

Instead of breaking out of their foreigner communities, immigrants seek to expand it by organizing. They form local groups and civic organizations to teach natives better ways to understand and serve immigrant populations. They will be eager to publicize cases where immigrants have been insulted by insensitive natives or treated unfairly by police authorities in the case of petty crime.[50] [51] [52] [53] [54] [55] School curriculums may be changed to promote diversity or multiculturalism, at great expense to the native culture.[56] Concessions will be made not to offend immigrants.[57] A continual stream of outrages will be found and this will feed the power of the organizations and create a state within a state where native elites become fearful of applying laws to immigrants.[58]

7. Destruction of native culture

This step has not yet happened in any first-world nation, so I will predict it based on logically extending known events I have already described.

Local elites will give lip service to immigrant groups for votes but will be slow to give them real state or economic power. Citizenship rules may even be tightened to prevent immigrants from being elected. The elites will be mostly insulated from the cultural crises in their isolated communities, private schools, and social clubs, where they can continue to incubate their own sub-culture without outside influence. At the same time, they will make speeches and enact polices to force native citizens to accept multiculturalism and blind immigration. Anti-hate and anti-discrimination laws will be more vigorously enforced than other more serious crimes. Police will monitor social networking to identify those who make statements against protected classes.

Cultural decline begins in earnest when the natives feel shame or guilt for who they are, their history, their way of life, and where their ancestors came from. They will let immigrant groups criticize their customs without protest, or they simply embrace immigrant customs instead with religious conversion and interethnic marriages. Nationalistic pride will be condemned as a “far-right” phenomenon and popular nationalistic politicians will be compared to Hitler. Natives learn the art of self-censorship, limiting the range of their speech and expressions, and soon only the elderly can speak the truths of the cultural decline while a younger multiculturalist within earshot attributes such frankness to senility or racist nostalgia.

With the already entrenched environment of political correctness (see stage 2), the local culture becomes a sort of “world” culture that can be declared tolerant and progressive as long as there is a lack of criticism against immigrants, multiculturalism, and their combined influence. All cultural identity will eventually be lost, and to be “American” or “British,” for example, will no longer have modern meaning from a sociological perspective. Native traditions will be eradicated and a cultural mixing will take place where citizens from one world nation will be nearly identical in behavior, thought, and consumer tastes to citizens of another. Once a collapse occurs, it cannot be reversed. The nation’s cultural heritage will be forever lost.

I want to now take a brief look at six different countries and see where they are along the cultural collapse progression…

Russia

This is an interesting case because, up to recently, we saw very low birth rates not due to progressive ideals but from a rough transition to capitalism in the 1990’s and a high male mortality from alcoholism.[59] [60] To help sustain its population, Russia is readily accepting immigrants from Central Asian regions, treating them like second-class citizens and refusing to make any accommodations away from the ethnic Russian way of life. Even police authorities turn a blind eye when local skinhead groups attack immigrants.[61] In addition, Russia has also shown no tolerance to homosexual or progressive groups,[62] stunting their negative effects upon the culture. The birth rate has risen in recent years to levels seen in Western Europe but it’s still not above the death rate. Russia will see a population collapse before a cultural one.

Likelihood of 50-year cultural collapse: Very low

Brazil

We’re seeing rapid movement through stages 2 and 3, where progressive ideology based on the American model is becoming adopted and a large poor population ensure progressive politicians will continue to remain in power with promises of economic redistribution.[63] [64] [65] Within 15 years we should see a sharp drop in birth rates and a relaxation of immigration laws.

Likelihood of 50-year cultural collapse: Moderate

America

Some could argue that America is currently experiencing a cultural collapse. It always had a fragile culture because of its immigrant foundings, but immigrants of the past (including my own parents) rapidly acclimated into the host culture to create a sense of national pride around an ethic of hard work and shared democratic values. This is being eroded as a fem-centric culture rises in its place, with its focus on trends, celebrities, homosexuality, multiculturalism, and male-bashing. Natives have become pleasure seekers with little inclination to reproduction during their years of peak fertility.[66]

Likelihood of 50-year cultural collapse: Very high

England

While America always had high amounts of immigration, and therefore a system of integration, England is newer to the game. In the past 20 years, they have massively ramped up their immigration efforts.[67] A visit to London will confirm that the native British are slowly becoming minorities, with their iconic red telephone booths left undisturbed purely for tourist photo opportunities. Approximately 5% of the English population is now Muslim.[68] Instead of acclimatizing, they are achieving early success in creating zones with Sharia law.[69] The English elite, in response, is jailing natives under stringent anti-race laws.[70] England had a highly successful immigration story with Polish immigrants who eagerly acclimated to English culture, but have opened the doors to other peoples who don’t want to integrate.[71]

Likelihood of 50-year cultural collapse: Very high

Sweden

Sweden is experiencing a similar immigration situation to England, but they possess a higher amount of self-shame and white guilt. Instead of allowing immigrants who could work in the Swedish economy, they are encouraging migration of asylum seekers who have been made destitute by war. These immigrants enter Sweden and immediately receive social benefits. In effect, Sweden is welcoming the least economically productive people in the world.[72] The immigrants will produce little or no economic benefit, and may even worsen Sweden’s economy. Immigrants are turning some parts of Sweden, such as the Rosengard area of Malmo, into a ghetto.[73]

Likelihood of 50-year cultural collapse: Very high

Poland

From my one and half years of living in Poland, I have seen a moderate level of progressive ideological creep, careerism among women, hedonism, and idolation of Western values, particularly out of England, where a large percentage of the Polish population have emigrated for work. Younger Poles may not act much different from their Western counterparts in their party lifestyle behavior, but there nonetheless remains a tenuous maintenance of traditional sex roles. Women of fertile age are pursuing relationships over one-night stands, but careerism is causing them to stall family formation. This puts a downward pressure on birth rates, which stems from significant numbers of fertile young women emigrating to countries like the UK and USA, along with continued economic uncertainties faced from transitioning to capitalism[74]. As Europe’s “least multicultural” nation, Poland has long been hesitant to accept immigrants, but this has recently changed and they are encouraging migrants.[75]  To its credit, it is seeking first-world entrepreneurs instead of low skilled laborers or asylum seekers. Its cultural fate will be an interesting development in the years to come, but the prognosis will be more negative as long as its young people are eager to leave the homeland.

Likelihood of 50-year cultural collapse: Possible

Poland and Russia show the limitations of Cultural Collapse Theory in that it best applies to first-world nations with highly developed economies. They have low birth rates but not through the mechanism I described, though if they adopt a more Western ideological track like Brazil, I expect to see the same outcome that is befalling England or Sweden.

There can be many paths to cultural destruction, and those nations with the most similarities will gravitate towards the same path, just like how Eastern European nations are suffering low birth rates because of mass emigration due to being introduced into the European Union.

How To Stop Cultural Collapse

Maintaining native birth rates while preventing the elite from allowing immigrant labor is the most effective means at preventing cultural collapse. Since multiculturalism is an experiment with no proven efficacy, a culture can only be maintained by a relatively homogenous group who identify with each other. When that homogeneity breaks down and one citizen looks to the next and does not see a person with the same values as himself, the culture falls in dis-repair as native citizens begin to lose a shared means of communication and identity. Once the percentage of the immigrant population crosses a certain threshold (perhaps 15%), the decline will pick up in pace and cultural breakdown will be readily apparent to all observers.

Current policies to solve low birth rates through immigration is a short-term fix with dire long-term consequences. In effect, it’s a Trojan-horse prescription of irreversible cultural destruction. A state must prevent itself from entering the position where mass immigration is considered a solution by blocking progressive ideologies from taking hold. One way this can be done is through the promotion of a state-sponsored religion which encourages the nuclear family instead of single motherhood and homosexuality. However, introducing religion as a mainstay of citizen life in the post-enlightenment era may be impossible.

We must consider that the scientific era is an evolutionary maladaptive feature of humanity that natural selection will accordingly punish (i.e. those who are anti-religious and pro-science will simply breed less). It must also be considered that with religion in permanent decline, cultural collapse may be a certainty that eventually occurs in all developed nations. Religion, it may turn out, was evolutionary beneficial to the human race.

Another possible solution is to foster a patriarchal society where men serve as strong providers. If you encourage the development of successful men who possess indispensable skills and therefore resources that are lacked by females, there will be women below their station who want to marry and procreate with them, but if strong women are produced instead, marriage and procreation is unlikely to take place at levels above the death rate.

A gap between the sexes should always exist in the favor of men if procreation is to occur at high rates, or else you’ll have something similar to the situation in America where urban professional women cannot find “good men” to begin a family with (i.e., men who are significantly more financially successful than them). They instead remain single and barren, only used occasionally by cads for exciting casual sex.

One issue that I purposefully ignored is the effect of technology and consumerism on lowering birth rates. How much influence does video games, internet, and smartphones contribute to a birth decline? How much of an effect does Western-style consumerism have in delaying marriage? I suspect they have more of an amplification effect than being an outright cause. If a country is proceeding through the cultural collapse model, technology will simply hurry the collapse, but giving internet access to a traditionally religious group of people may not cause them to flip overnight. Research will have to be done in these areas to say for sure.

Conclusion

The first iteration of any theory is sure to create as many questions as answers, but I hope that by proposing this model, it becomes more clear why some cultures seem so quick to degrade while others display a sort of immunity. Some countries may be too far down the wrong path to be saved, but I hope the information presented gives concerned readers ideas on protecting their own culture by allowing them to connect how progressive ideologies that may seem innocent or benign on the surface can eventually lead to an outright collapse of their nation’s culture.

[carmelthaxton-blog]

Sports Picks, Odds And News From Sports Betting Professionals

On the internet and mobile sports betting in Mississippi is coming at some point, but there are no immediate plans. There are no pending bills to legalize sports betting in the state just before the Legislature, and the earliest one could be filed would be late this year ahead 토토사이트 of the next legislative session, a spokesperson for Republican Gov. Indiana sports betting kicked off on Sunday, September 1, 2019. Alongside our market place-major betting odds, we've got a each day stream of player news and group updates on the 888Sport blog. Last but not least, we have been excited to uncover that the most significant names in on the internet betting accept Canadian shoppers. Sports betting has turn 토토사이트 into more mainstream and with that comes offers like the IOC and Genius Sports who have agreed to track betting on the summer time Olympics. There are particular government regulations that differ for both gambling and betting activities, according to the way they operate. Betting on sports, and college football particularly, is illegal. The state lottery launched online sports betting in October 2019, a month just after a tribal casino started accepting wagers. Over the years, numerous sports publishers, like Bleacher Report, ESPN and Sports Illustrated, have established content material verticals committed to sports betting, and in 2017 The Chernin Group formed a new sports media company, The Action Network, dedicated to covering sports betting. In-play sports betting has structural qualities that have changed the mechanics of gambling for sports bettors, as they are now able to location a bigger number of bets throughout a single sports game (as opposed to a single bet on who is going to win). Loyalty programs 토토사이트 are also applied by betting web-sites to incentivize players and hold them engaged. The extended-term prognosis for sports and betting is bleak if corruption is not dealt with. This put Nevada, and a lot more particularly, Las Vegas, on the path to becoming the sports betting destination we know right now. It appears at the a variety of pros and cons of diverse sports from a betting perspective, in addition to the potential positive 토토사이트 aspects of specializing in one particular sport versus betting on quite a few various ones. These are all legal bets getting made by means of a large network of neighborhood betting shops. Betting on sports, and college football especially, is illegal. Silver known as for Congress to adopt a federal framework allowing states to authorize betting on experienced sports. Only a couple of persons are capable to make income in the extended run betting on sports, but millions of men and women bet on events each year. If you sign up for an on-line betting account with a bookmaker or tipster by way of , using a single of our links, then you have a peace of thoughts and absolute assurance. Betting on sports, and college football specifically, is illegal. It approved legislation allowing its lottery to administer legal sports betting inside the boundaries of the federal jurisdiction. BetOnline can be a true haven for folks who are looking for all of the greatest 토토사이트 sports betting internet sites. That is pretty a adjust from when PASPA was overturned, and the executive director of Vermont's lottery said he didn't know of a single person who wanted sports betting in the state. Betting the underdog Lions, you are "taking" six points, and they can shed by five or fewer, or win the game outright, and you have a winning bet. The Property version calls for taxing betting receipts at ten%, dedicating the net proceeds for education and gambling-addiction applications. For instance, a single of the renowned betting sites prices various candidates to win the 2020 U.S. Presidential Election. A Louisiana sports betting bill had been proposed, but state lawmakers wavered and failed to pass the law in time. Congress can also take action on the authorization and regulation of sports betting but has so far left it up to person states. West Virginia had its initial taste of on the internet sports betting in late 2018 with the BetLucky app, but ran into service provider difficulties and the web site was quickly taken down. With online gambling in the US reaching fever pitch, you need to have a website that is going to inform, educate and deliver the very latest concerning online sports betting and casinos. That is why our sportsbook delivers the option of inPLAY betting. It was initially thought that a constitutional amendment would be required to legalize sports betting in Georgia, but as lawyer Daniel Wallach noted , that may possibly not be the case. With oversight delegated to the Virginia Lottery, the bill would permit sports betting on a wide assortment of events, but not any involving Virginia-primarily based colleges or particular youth sports. All bookmaker operational rules, racing & betting rules and any other legislation can be obtained from the Gauteng Gambling Board web site. 45 Following this, sportsbooks opened at the casinos in Atlantic City and at Meadowlands Racetrack 46 47 On-line sports betting is also legal in New Jersey. A handful of actions stay prior to DC sports betting can launch. There are large differences between day-to-day fantasy sports and sports betting.

[thefilmsnob]

The Hunt: **1/2 out of 5

You can argue all you want about the quality of The Hunt or the controversy surrounding the film or even its link to Donald Trump, but there’s no denying the number of roadblocks this project has encountered on its mission to attract some sort of audience.

The new(ish) movie, directed by Craig Zobel, had an initial release date of September 27, 2019 before moving to October 18 then back to September 27 before being shelved indefinitely. The changes were made in response to the Dayton and El Paso shootings as well as Trump’s tweet criticizing liberal Hollywood for releasing violent movies and calling themselves elite. After all that, the film got a new release date of March 13th, but would you believe, it couldn’t be shown in theaters because they all closed due to some virus. Its final destination is on streaming platforms where it arrived just days after its theatrical premier. In short, the film’s been royally screwed. I guess that’s what you get when you don’t follow that old adage: ‘Always prepare for Tweets from a deranged president, two mass shootings and a pandemic.’  

If Trump actually watched the film before deriding it (unthinkable!), he would’ve learned that those liberal ‘elites’ are actually the villains (you don’t really go to a movie to cheer on the hunter). Characters on both the left and the right are presented in negative ways, but it’s those on the left who commit horrifying acts. That’s the irony of the situation. What’s apt is how Trump’s knee-jerk reaction exemplifies what the film condemns. So, then, was this reaction good for the movie by validating one of its core arguments? I’m going to stop there before this gets too confusing.

Because, really, the film’s not worth such a complex debate. It’s not exactly much ado about nothing, but it’s much ado about very little. It all starts with a group text involving a bunch of rich, liberal ‘elites’ celebrating the upcoming hunt of ‘deplorables’, a not so secret code word for those on the far right and a reference to a Hilary Clinton quote from the 2016 Presidential Election. Suddenly, we’re in a forest where a group of people wake up gagged with no clue where they are or how they got there. They find a mysterious crate in a clearing just begging to be opened which is, fortunately, full of weapons and keys to their gags. Unfortunately, no sooner do they free themselves and gear up than they become target practise for their unseen captors. And we’re off! It’s a game of ‘elite’ hunters vs ‘deplorable’ prey.

That seems straightforward, but there are some twists and turns amidst the all-out carnage; after all, it was written by Nick Cuse and Damon Lindelof. Even so, they’re few and far between the gratuitous violence and when there is a revelation of sorts, especially near the end, it underwhelms. That’s partly because we already know so much from the outset; the twists are essentially minor tweaks. The story may’ve worked better if Lindelof followed his Lost playbook and kept us in the dark completely at first before gradually peeling away the layers. And it might’ve worked better as a satire or social commentary if it were delivered by a different narrative vehicle. There’re some intriguing ideas floating around in the fog of war, but they’re clumsily deployed and may be lost on an audience showing up primarily for a battle royale.

A major player in said battle is Betty Gilpin’s Crystal and thank God for that. Some may recognize the emerging actress as Debbie Eagan from Netflix’s GLOW and just as that character is wildly different from her wrestling alter ego Liberty Belle, so too is Crystal, who’s not so much America’s Sweetheart as America’s One-Woman-Army. She has the combat skills and tactical awareness of a soldier and she’s one of the few players in this scenario that gives the hunters a significant challenge. Crystal’s a deadly woman of few words and a lethal scowl—one Gilpin employs a tad excessively—but the actress makes her more complex than the standard cinematic female warrior and helps elevate this movie to a level of being watchable.  

‘Complex’ isn’t a term I’d use for most of the other characters, though. For starters, there’s just not enough time to develop anyone amidst the gunfire and booby traps, especially when people are being picked off right, left and center in this hasty 90-minute story. And when the characters do speak, their dialogue is based almost entirely on stereotypes, as if the writers were checking them off from a laundry list before adding them to the script. One far-lefter takes offence over another far-lefter’s use of the word ‘guys’ to which the latter responds by saying, “I’m sorry. I gendered it.” One far-righter is asked why he owns seven guns to which he responds by saying, “Because it’s my constitutional right to protect myself if I should ever happen to be getting f***ing shot at.” Now, this movie can be categorized as comedy or satire, sure, but the exhaustive use of such lazy and obvious jokes becomes cringe-worthy, like watching amateur improv.

The movie does make some important points about the dangers of acting on bad information or what we call ‘fake news’ nowadays, but it takes its sweet time getting there then rushes to dispense the meat of the matter before serving us more filler. Yet, there’s still Gilpin. And, as with most of his work, Lindelof holds your attention throughout, even though, as with most of his work, you may or may not love where it leads. This movie should’ve never been delayed, shelved or censored in any way and I will always defend the right of an artist to release his or her work; however, that doesn’t mean I have to defend the work as great art. The Hunt is merely 90 minutes of passable entertainment. In our current situation, I suppose that’ll do.

[taraturista]

Reasons why Banaue Rice Terraces called “The Breathtaking Rice Terraces of the Philippines.”

Rice Terraces of the Philippines is one of the UNESCO’s Heritage Site that acquires outstanding example of an evolved, living cultural landscape that can be discovered as far back as two millennia ago in the pre-colonial Philippines. It is often referred to as the eighth wonder of the world and called as the “Stairways to the Sky.” Some 2,000 years ago, indigenous people of the Cordillera mountain range hand-carved the slopes to utilize them for agriculture.  The terraces illustrate a persistence of cultural traditions and remarkable continuity and endurance, the maintenance of the living rice terraces reflects a primarily cooperative approach of the whole community which is based on detailed knowledge of the rich diversity of biological resources existing in the Ifugao agro-ecosystem.  Through ritual practices, chants and symbols which emphasize ecological balance, the Ifugao community has maintained the intactness of the terraces’ traditional management system over this long period of time, ensuring the authenticity of both the original landscape engineering and the traditional wet-rice agriculture. Once this balance is disturbed the whole system begins to collapse, but so long as they all operate together harmoniously the overall result would be perfect.  The terraces have long been protected and managed through traditional ancestral land use management traditions of the indigenous Ifugao community.  The Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras were declared National Treasures in Presidential Decrees 260:1973 and 1505:1978. The terraces are likewise protected by the Republic Act No 10066:2010, providing for the protection and conservation of the National Cultural Heritage.

To widely understand and appreciate the Breathtaking Rice Terraces of the Philippines here are some insights and reasons: 

Photography skills, luxury high-definition of camera or lenses are nothing campared to this beautiful view. The scenery will give you extra HD view with your eyes if you would come here personally. 

You will highly appreciate our rich history while seeing this beautiful scenery. Somehow, you will realize how great the Ifugaos by building the Rice Terraces by their own hands. It is a living story of how generations of farmers and laborers worked together as a community to achieve this mesmerizing landscape.

By having conversations with the locals you will appreciate the simple beauty of life. Their lifestyle don’t change and they actually don’t rely on modern technology. The whole world might see the Ifugaos as being left behind in time but for them, the preservation of their rich culture is more important.

The Banaue Rice Terraces is a perfect example of the balance of nature. The people living in the area take care of their surroundings and the environment provide them their food and necessities in return.

Banaue Rice Terraces is truly a breathtaking giving these wonderful reasons why you should visit the Heritage site. By seeing this destination you will realize more about yourself, the culture, most importantly, you can discover a way of life that is very different from yours. 

HERE ARE SOME TIPS WHEN TRAVELLING

PLAN CAREFULLY 

Make sure to check where to go and the itinerary throughout your whole trip is well-scheduled. Plan for the accommodation and the basic needs for travelling. 

WHAT TO PACK 

Get yourself a good backpack that has all your needs and make sure to not bring what is not important in your trip. Always double check your belongings before leaving. 

ENJOY

Lastly, enjoy. The trip doesn’t make sense if you are always rushing and stress it is important to have fun and appreciate the destination. Careless but be responsible on your actions. 

Authors:

DE GUZMAN, EDLYN  

TRINIDAD, STEPHANIE

[thembnko]

THE world needs Africa

Covid-19 has devastated all economies but incidences in the United States of America have profoundly shocked that nation and the world. South Africa and Africa have the lowest infection and death rates while struggling with health services and infrastructure whereas the US has together with China the best in the world. Wuhan in China is known as the first city where the initial cases were reported in December 2019-February 2020. They claimed 76,000 lives. But quickly since April 2020 discrepancies in both cases and deaths divided the US and China and the rest of the world and now South Africa and Africa. By October the world had 47 million people diagnosed with the coronavirus and 1.2 million have died. Three weeks after the 3 November US presidential elections where Joe Biden won Donald Trump by 253 electoral votes against 214 there were 172,935 new cases recorded in the US and 2,146 deaths. The country recorded more than 100,000 cases per day every day for over a fortnight. When a Centre for Disease Control map showing all US towns and cities are Covid-19 hotspot the shock was even more. The deaths total was the highest daily figure since May. Yet, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health could control exposure to workers. It has 164.6 million workers 1.17 million of whom in 2.2 million farms work in agriculture exporting to China and the rest of the world. But it had a “hierarchy of controls” where elimination or vaccination, testing, and engineering solutions occupied the top whereas the World Health Organization has in priority protection through masks and the maintenance of social distance of 1.5 meters. In violation it had workers working similar shifts grouped together all the time in transportation and the workplace as well as in the places where they stayed. The result was catastrophic.

These developments make the case for the South African government to quickly adopt a new Development Plan in place of the currently existing as Vision 2030; formally adopt the idea of African Renaissance which must inform the new Development Plan; and encourage the African Union to adopt a new continental vision to replace Agenda 2063. It must be recognized that new national planning is necessary to address not only the reorganization of basic industries to make them compete but is primarily about giving the state new capacities. Therefore, additionally, the South African government must prepare to manage a large immigration from Europe and the US of healthy or tested and Covid-19 negative citizens into South Africa from the end of 2021. After the Presidential Elections the US recorded more than 200,000 Covid-19 cases daily and 195,000 deaths. A total of 76,000 farmworkers were diagnosed. Covid-19 not only has changed relations between countries permanently and profoundly affecting trading and traveling. It decimated the US and left the European Union leaderless. Any state lagging now behind with entirely new planning is destined within 10 years to have rampant unemployment, inequality, and extreme poverty. Health for the entire population will collapse and labour will be displaced removing productivity and domestic consumption. Social and political instability will increase. Marginalisation and racial discrimination that threatened to come from the US and Europe within the six months of Covid-19s outbreak dissipated after the much more deadly second wave in November.

Debt in the world especially Africa exponentially grew. The basis for improving South Africa’s and Africa’s contribution to world knowledge affecting mainly economics which already is negligible as a result of colonialism and apartheid faced permanent removal since all published articles in journals and newspapers in economics and their future, lessons from the Great Depression, impact on international relations came from only Europe and the US that are more affected by Covid-19. That also very directly threatened the extraordinary gains made in democracy since 1994 including Africa’s. The knowledge is apart from being negligible internationally domestically confined to historically white universities and academics.

The International Monetary Fund and the World Bank will lead a rich few in the world to hoard money and seek safe sanctuaries with no government able to stop them if Covid-19 continues. A catastrophe in other words no government can control will result if South Africa does not assert itself onto the world stage providing leadership. All the proposals made thus far by the IMF and several economists on the future do not address South Africa’s and Africa’s need for the world to change. They only become relevant to Africa when they discuss the need of repayment of debt yet more than in any other period before Covid-19 has crystallized extreme poverty and world inequality and highlighted glaring inequalities in health. That very drastically exposes that despite its relatively high national expenditure on health, education, and infrastructure when compared to all of Africa South Africa is as a result of Covid-19 on the brink of a disaster.

While the whole of Europe is coordinated and has ready regional institutions for that for new trade and military cooperation Africa still has to create the institutions. That calls for very strong and urgent leadership. Additionally, South Africa has to identify the immediate areas for intervention. Those areas are

• trade, innovation, and local entrepreneurship

• national security and defence

• IT

• human resource

• Intra-Africa immigration and mobility

Africa must be provided with leadership and consulted very consistently to resolve issues of tensions with some African states that arose during Covid-19, build enthusiasm for the African Renaissance, and make Africa an inclusive part of any process of the African Renaissance.

The hardcore premises of this view are US dominance is over; Africa is ready for the world, and currently trade favours no country.

The cost of Covid-19 in human lives and social upheaval, its economic impact is unprecedented. Many governments imposed a lockdown of business and citizens for undetermined periods from March-October 2020. They lowered strictness in November which allowed the retail sector to bounce relatively back but a second wave of Covid-19 hit in November. Stricter regulations were reapplied and for the first time in the history of human kind all countries blocked the citizens of other countries from reaching their borders shutting down airports totally. The first wave disrupted supply and shook demand. Financially, public firms accumulated a considerable amount of corporate debt. Extremely few countries in the world have had deep debt levels that arise out of extraordinary circumstances they could not control or they never anticipated. Those countries are only in Europe and include the US. Trillions of US dollars in loans were repaid by US individuals, municipalities, and businesses within a very short time of two years from 2008-2010 during the 2008 Financial Crisis. About 1,159 transactions under several facilities the Federal Reserve established like the Asset-Backed Commercial Paper to meet investors’ demands for redemptions and to foster liquidity in the money market were worth $990.2 billion. The facilities were used for the funding of purchases of eligible ABCP to provide the US economy with liquidity after in March of 2008 the New York Stock Exchange lost $678 billion in rapidly withdrawn investments. No country in Africa has the facilities. The crisis happened after a US company - Enron - was involved in large scale corruption. Now debt in advanced economies is set to reach 125 percent of GDP by the end of 2021 and to rise to about 65 percent of GDP in emerging market economies according to the IMF. But though emerging market economies debt is lower the failure and ability to repay is higher. In December the IMF revised its global GDP forecast higher at 5,4 percent. An assumption is financial conditions which eased following the release of the April 2020 World Economic Outlook are to remain broadly at 2020 levels. This indicates the body sees no fundamental change in the world economy despite Covid-19. It projected growth which was at -4.9 percent in 2020. Proposals informing this analysis of the impact show it is massively miscalculating and South Africa and Africa need to take a stand against it for not driving world growth away from the symptoms of an unfair and unequal world economy Covid-19 exposes. It has an unreliable measure of world economic growth. More than 150 countries and territories eased Covid-19 related travel restrictions according to the United Nations World Tourism Organization by December but that did not revive the world’s economy. The IMF had a 1.9 percentage points below the April 2020 WEO forecast when the world only had two months of the Covid-19 pandemic. It assumed Covid-19 had a more negative impact on activity in the first half of 2020 whereas given the nature of the disease of still virulent mutations into unknown variants and making any development of an effective vaccine not a near possibility its elongated impact drastically increases illness and death and negative economic consequences. Europen economists show universal social distancing results in the loss of output of 25 percent. If restrictions on labour supply reduce effective hours worked by 30 percent the impact on output would be 20 percent. Covid-19 regulations reduced hours worked per working age adult by 25 percent. Over 60 percent of working hours were from home compared with a total of roughly 10 percent in 2017-2018. Extended illness, death, and economic slowdown into 2021 will increase each of the percentages by 50 percent.

The IMFs including projections by economists from the Centre for Economic Policy Research in London show developing countries will be hard hit. About 51 percent who represented a majority a CfM-CEPR panel of macroeconomic experts on the European economy predicted a 2-5 percent decline in the level of potential euro area GDP and the European Central Bank forecasted growth of 1.4 percent in five years’ time throughout the pandemic suggesting for economists ‘a permanent loss in the level of GDP.’ Nearly 40 percent of the economists predicted a small or negligible cost in GDP with 21 percent predicting a potential decline by 2 percent or less and only 19 percent saw no decline at all.

In a paper titled Post-Covid-19 potential output in the euro area Ethan Ilzetzki highlight five key reasons why Covid-19 will have persistent effects. The first is supply chain disruptions that have reduced productivity and only monetary policy interventions would prevent them from leading to larger negative shocks. Second, new entrants to replace firms that failed due to Covid-19 may take time to build fresh capacity and markets. Already an ECB bank lending survey conducted between 21 September and 6 October 2020 from a total of 143 banks who gave a response rate of 100 percent reveal the banks’ rejection rate for loans in the euro area for enterprises increased in the third quarter of 2020 to 3 percent. Third, unemployment tends to be persistent as workers’ skills deteriorate and their attachment to the labour force weaken. Fourth, corporate debt overhang may now create a lesser incentive to invest in productive capital. From research Ilzetzki finds no historical support for post-crisis growth with very large debt levels. Even Africa in the 1980s had to first have its debt of $97 billion addressed through the IMFs High Indebted Countries Initiative for its countries to start growing from 1995. Fifth, low demand will lead to disinvestment in capital and innovation. Demand depends upon very large financial resources for it to be created after a crisis. From the First World War Europe and the US depended upon the US's £1,000,000,000. US bank rates remained unchanged at 4 percent to create access to capital. Growth was fueled by the discovery of new oil fields in Palestine. The war had production decline by 42,028,000 barrels. Britain gave the US the exploration rights in Palestine following a convention between the two countries. This then means there has to be during Covid-19 new production. From all the publications thus far there is no indication from where it will come or that it must take place. Demand after the First World War also depended upon the US shoring up Japan as a new destination for investments and productivity. US investments in Colombia of $170,000,000 created railways, funded other public works, and sent up wages. Imports vastly increased and banks managed voluminous assets which they dispersed easily. To this list must be added the sixth which is that weak technology development which currently has many US and European companies focused upon will very drastically reverse gains in growth Africa has been seeing since 2000. Africa’s growth in 2018 cushioned the world’s from recession according to the IMF's WEO 2019 amidst the US’s trade tensions with China. Africa grew at 4,5 percent but has that growth now threatened by lack of development comparatively of webinar facilities to drive production and facilitate political decisions. All economists on Covid-19 favour the implementation of new technologies to add potential to growth and improve health. There is however no study of the long-term effects of Covid-19 a national planning exercise needs. Ilzetzki says ‘it is difficult to come by’ it.

[xtruss]

Why MBS Suddenly Wants to Talk to Iran? As Empire Steps Back, Compromise and Reason Advance

— Trita Parsi

“We are seeking to have good relations with Iran,” Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman told Saudi television this week. “We are working with our partners in the region to overcome our differences with Iran.” Only four years ago, the notorious royal sang a different tune, claiming dialogue with Iran was impossible. “How do you have a dialogue with a regime built on an extremist ideology?” he said, pledging that Saudi Arabia would take the battle to Iranian territory.

What changed to make this 180-degree shift possible?

One factor looms larger than all others: increasing signs that the United States is serious about shifting its focus away from the Middle East. It’s not so much anything Washington has done but rather what Washington has stopped doing—namely, reassuring its security partners in the region that it will continue to support them unconditionally, no matter what reckless conduct they engage in. Washington’s turn away from entangling itself in the quarrels and stratagems of its Middle Eastern partners has compelled the region’s powers to explore their own diplomacy. Contrary to the doomsday predictions of Washington’s foreign-policy establishment, chaos has not been unleashed by the United States’ pending military withdrawals from the region. Instead, regional diplomacy has broken out.

Mohammed bin Salman’s soothing comments were most likely a reference to secret talks between Iran and its Arab neighbors in Iraq, first reported by the Financial Times, that were aimed at reducing tensions and putting an end to the war in Yemen. Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, who has a clear interest in resolving Saudi-Iranian tensions, as their enmity and proxy fighting all across the region risk further destabilizing Iraq, has been facilitating the Arab-Iranian discussions.

At first, Saudi officials denied the story, while Tehran refused to comment, except by saying that it welcomes dialogue with Riyadh.

But these denials did not simply prove false. The Financial Times story turned out to be just the tip of the iceberg. The Britain-based news site Amwaj.media revealed that the dialogue was not limited to Iran and Saudi Arabia. Rather, the first meeting was held between Iran and the United Arab Emirates in January, followed by meetings that included Saudi, Jordanian, and Egyptian officials. At least five such meetings have been held since the beginning of the year, according to Amwaj.

While the secret talks focused primarily on the war in Yemen, they also encompassed the situation in Syria and Lebanon. The talks have included the various countries’ top security officials, including a meeting between the commander of Iran’s Quds Force, Esmail Qaani, and Saudi intelligence chief Khalid al-Humaidan.

Clearly, these talks remain embryonic, and there is a distinct likelihood that they may fail to bridge the gap between Iran and its Arab foes. Still, several factors indicate the potential of these talks to alter not only the trajectory of Saudi-Iranian relations but also the broader security situation in the region. First, based on the Amwaj report, the fact that the talks involve several other regional powers besides Saudi Arabia and Iran suggests they resemble a much-needed regional dialogue, not just a bilateral negotiation to defuse tensions. The Middle East is notoriously underinstitutionalized in the sense that it lacks any sort of inclusive regional organization or forum that nurtures and structures a multilateral dialogue for the purpose of reducing tensions, creating de-escalatory options, and managing mistrust.

The second cause for optimism is that this embryonic regional dialogue appears to be initiated and led by the regional powers themselves. That is, it has not been imposed on them by major powers from outside the region, nor is it led by outside states. As my Quincy Institute colleagues and I have written elsewhere, regional leadership and ownership of this process are essential for its success and durability.

This, however, does not mean the United States has not contributed to this process. It most definitely has—but not in the manner that the Washington foreign-policy establishment conventionally envisions U.S. leadership.

The one factor that most compelled the region’s actors to pursue diplomacy is not U.S. recommitment to backing Riyadh versus Tehran or any new diplomatic initiative for the region. Rather, it’s the exact opposite that catalyzed the talks: increasingly clear signs that the United States is militarily disengaging from the Middle East.

U.S. President Joe Biden has long had a skeptical view of the United States’ military presence in the Middle East, as well as U.S. relations with partners in the region who tend to drag Washington into their own quarrels and agendas. He famously berated Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE at a talk at Harvard University in 2014. “The Turks … the Saudis, the Emirates, etc. What were they doing?” he asked the Harvard students. “They were so determined to take down [Syrian President Bashar al-]Assad and essentially have a proxy Sunni-Shia war. What did they do? They poured hundreds of millions of dollars and tens of thousands of tons of weapons into anyone who would fight against Assad.”

During the 2020 presidential campaign, Biden pledged to pull “the vast majority” of U.S. troops out of Afghanistan, cut off aid to Saudi Arabia for its war in Yemen, and rejoin the Iran nuclear deal—three decisions that fit neatly with an agenda of reducing the U.S. role in the region.

Indeed, once in the Oval Office, Biden moved swiftly to end U.S. support for the Saudi side in the war in Yemen, has kept Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at arm’s length, announced the full withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan, and, after a rocky start, has gotten serious about rejoining the Iran nuclear deal.

The message to regional powers was unmistakable: The Middle East is only a priority for the Biden administration in order to figure out ways to reduce U.S. entanglements there. As an informal Biden advisor told Politico: “They are just being extremely purposeful to not get dragged into the Middle East.”

Not surprisingly, this message prompted regional powers to start exploring diplomacy with their rivals for a simple reason: Diplomatic opportunities have existed all along but were perceived as suboptimal by U.S. partners compared to simply relying on Washington to back them up and resolve their problems. Having the United States available in the background to deter, contain, or militarily eliminate Saudi Arabia’s headaches, for instance, was preferable to the Saudi leadership to negotiating with Iran in the knowledge that it would inevitably lead to painful compromises for both sides. As long as the Saudis had what they saw as a U.S. option, confrontation was deemed superior to diplomacy.

Biden’s desired pivot away from the Middle East means that this U.S. option has, at a minimum, become unreliable. Suddenly, regional diplomacy has become the preferred option for Washington’s security partners in the Middle East.

An earlier U.S. pivot away from the region would likely have prompted regional diplomacy to begin sooner. Indeed, a similar pattern was seen in 2019 when then-U.S. President Donald Trump refused to go to war with Iran over the attacks on Saudi oil fields by Tehran’s proxies in Yemen, which prompted the Saudis to engage in their own diplomacy with Iran and reduce aggression in Yemen. In fact, when Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps leader Qassem Suleimani was assassinated by the United States, he had just landed in Iraq to deliver a message to the Saudis via Baghdad. By killing Suleimani, Trump also killed the Saudi-Iranian talks. His administration had recommitted itself to confrontation with Iran, and the Saudis adjusted to that reality: no more Saudi-Iranian diplomacy.

The lesson for Washington is clear: If the United States takes a step back militarily, regional partners will be prompted to take a step forward diplomatically.

This of course does not mean that this outbreak of regional diplomacy is destined to succeed. It may very well not. But the task of making it succeed will primarily fall on the shoulders of the regional powers themselves rather than on the United States. And that is a win for both the United States and the Middle East.

Source: Foreign Policy

[phgq]

Go to policymakers: Listen to calls for OFW body creation

#PHnews: Go to policymakers: Listen to calls for OFW body creation

MANILA – Senator Christopher “Bong” Go has appealed to fellow lawmakers and executive officials to listen to the appeals for the creation of a single department that will handle concerns of overseas Filipinos, many of whom are adversely affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Huwag nating kalimutan na mahigit 10 milyon ang overseas Filipinos natin. Ibig sabihin, mahigit 10 percent ‘yan ng buong populasyon. Dapat mayroon silang departamento na nakatutok sa kanila at hindi na nila kailangan pang manawagan sa radio station o sa Facebook,” Go said during an interview after leading the distribution of assistance to typhoon victims in Bagumbayan, Quezon City on Wednesday. (Let’s not forget that we have over 10 million overseas Filipinos. This means it is more than 10 percent of the whole population. They should have a department that would focus on their needs and they would no longer ask for help via a radio station or on Facebook.)

As of November 5, the Department of Foreign Affairs reports a total of 237,363 OFWs have been repatriated since the start of the pandemic while over 107,000 are expected to return before the year concludes.

Go said the Senate is set to discuss on December 7 the proposed measure which seeks to establish a Department of Overseas Filipinos (DOOF).

Senate Bill No. 1835, filed by Go on September 16, 2020, is the second iteration of SBN 202 he filed last year. It considers inputs from the concerned executive agencies and has been endorsed by the Office of the Cabinet Secretary and Presidential Legislative Liaison Office to the Senate Committee on Labor, Employment and Human Resources Development. SBN 1835 is a priority measure of President Rodrigo Duterte.

“Hopefully, tuloy-tuloy na ito at sasang-ayon na ang mga iba’t ibang ahensya ng executive branch dahil matagal na itong inaasam at hinihiling ng mga kababayan natin,” Go said. (Hopefully, this would continue and the various agencies of the executive branch would agree because our countrymen are longing for this.)

The proposed department, if created, shall bring together in one agency all the responsibilities pertaining to Filipinos overseas that are presently scattered among numerous departments and agencies. By doing so, the government can streamline and improve the delivery of critical services, particularly to distressed OFWs and other overseas Filipinos.

The DOOF will be primarily responsible for protecting the rights and promoting the welfare of overseas Filipinos. It shall formulate, plan, coordinate, promote, administer, and implement policies, as well as undertake systematic national programs for managing and monitoring the foreign employment of Filipino workers and their reintegration once they come home.

The following offices will be integrated into the DOOF: the Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers’ Affairs of the DFA, the Commission on Overseas Filipinos, all Philippine Overseas Labor Offices under the Department of Labor and Employment, the International Labor Affairs Bureau under DOLE, and International Social Services Office of the Department of Social Welfare and Development.

The proposed DOOF shall also exercise administrative supervision over the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration and Overseas Workers Welfare Administration which shall be attached to the proposed department.

Go’s bill directs the establishment of Migrant Workers and other Overseas Filipinos Resource Centers in every country of destination for distressed overseas Filipinos who need shelter, medical attention, and other forms of assistance.

It will also set up Overseas Filipino Malasakit Centers throughout the Philippines. These one-stop shops will issue clearances and permits, validate overseas job offers, and offer reintegration services, seminars, and workshops to migrant Filipinos and their families.

“Ngayon na nahihirapan sila dahil sa krisis sa buong mundo at napilitan ang iba na umuwi, dapat lang bigyan ng sapat na atensyon ang kanilang mga pangangailangan para matulungan ang ating mga bagong bayani na makabangon muli,” Go recently said. (Now that they have a hard time because of the global health crisis and they are forced to return home, they should be given much attention to their needs to help them recover.) (PR)

***

References:

* Philippine News Agency. "Go to policymakers: Listen to calls for OFW body creation." Philippine News Agency. https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1123137 (accessed November 27, 2020 at 07:18PM UTC+14).

* Philippine News Agency. "Go to policymakers: Listen to calls for OFW body creation." Archive Today. https://archive.ph/?run=1&url=https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1123137 (archived).

[ivanfuller]

2020 Book #32: The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt

What a deee-lightful book! My journey through presidential biographies has returned to the “big time” with this first of a three-volume saga by Morris. Written with the pacing and flair of a novel, this was an outstanding, in-depth portrait of “Teddy” from childhood to the day he became president. A hefty book that I cruised through quickly, primarily due to being stuck at home during this pandemic, but also because of how engaging it was.

If anyone was “destined” to become president, this biography certainly presents that case. Roosevelt was often acknowledged by those who knew him early in his life as someone they could see filling the oval office one day. And Roosevelt certainly seemed to feel the same way. He wasn’t perfect by any means. “Bull in a china shop” was an accurate label, but he did get a lot of things done due to his energy and fearlessness. Some of his actions and words made me cringe, but I’m still eager to jump into volume two: Theodore Rex after I knock off a few more books from other categories of my reading life.

[isayeed-blog]

Extra! Extra! Man Bites Dog! Read All About it! Extra! Extra!

Mainstream media like the BBC, the Guardian and TIME publish predictable news: dog bites man. Take Tahmima Anam’s report on corruption in Bangladesh. She accuses General Ershad “who ruled Bangladesh for nine years, [of] destroying our nascent democratic institutions and creating the foundations for the unbridled corruption that has since hobbled the nation.”

Corruption, first. Ershad was the prime mover of corruption. Prior to the wicked despot, we were a lily-white nation (never mind that “ba hater kaj” - left-handed work - has been since time lost to memory our local description for bribery, the left hand being considered impure: her charge is that Ershad rendered us ambidextrous). Even the article on Bangladesh in the Encyclopaedia Britannica (15th edition, 1988), stingy with the truth elsewhere, had to point to the corruption of Mujib - and his family. “Stories of waste and corruption increasingly involved Mujib and his wife and relatives.”

Lawrence Ziring has written a masterly account of the events leading up to the killing of Mujib in his “Bangladesh: From Sheikh Mujib to Ershad: An Interpretive Study” (Dhaka: University Press Limited, 1994).

 "Mujib presided over a court corrupted by power. It acted as though it could shelter itself from the realities of Bangladesh. But the license that might have been ignored in some other societies, could not be ignored in a country overrun by self-styled enforcers, gouged by profiteers, and raped by government officials. With literally hundreds and thousands dying from hunger, with millions more threatened, high living in Bangladesh could only be equated with debauchery and hedonism, with irresponsibility and indifference. To anyone with a grudge or a sense of national purpose, the conclusion was the same. Deliberate efforts had to be made to reverse course, and the only option for such a reversal lay with a new team, and the only team capable of making the manoeuvre was the Bangladesh army (p 103)."

Unless an effect comes before a cause (as psychics insist), it is hard to see how General Ershad’s corruption can account for Mujib’s corruption. Tahmima Anam can explain the latter by means of the former only by having recourse to the notion of reverse causation. As a novelist, she is entitled to flights of fancy, but historians would surely question her methodology. 

Nascent democratic institutions, second. According to the Banglapedia article on the constitution, “The Constitution was fundamentally amended in January 1975. Under the Constitution (Fourth Amendment) Bill 1975, the parliamentary system was abandoned and a one-party presidential system introduced.” 

Even Ayesha Jalal, so reticent on so much, had to make two damning observations. The first involved the election of 1973, when Mujib’s Awami League won 291 seats in a house of 300 with 73% of the votes cast. “Yet this thumping democratic endorsement of Mujibism barely disguised the regime’s drift towards authoritarianism. To garner an absolute majority, the Awami League resorted to strong-arm tactics primarily through the trusted agency of the Rakkhi Bahini to intimidate opposition candidates and voters...In early 1975, he attempted to install a one-party socialist state and began moving in a distinctly authoritarian direction. Mujib dissolved all political parties and formed a new national party, BAKSAL or the Bangladesh Peasants and Workers Awami League. It did not require cunning to realise this was the old Awami League….  (Democracy and Authoritarianism in South Asia, A Comparative and Historical Perspective (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1995), p 88).” 

By the end of 1974, four thousand Awami Leaguers were believed to have been murdered, including five ministers. Mujib then belatedly distanced himself from the Rakhi Bahini, and called in the regular army to restore a semblance of order. This exposed the army to the full extent of the national problem.

On 28th December, Mujib declared a state of emergency – effectively martial law, minus the army. He thus put the constitution – the covenant between the ruler and the ruled – aside, abandoning the three-year old document as a legacy of colonial rule. The Awami League was swept away by its leader. It was a civilian coup.

 In January 1975, Mujib had himself declared president. "Mujib, not the Bangladesh army, had removed the constraints on the arbitrary uses of power (Zirring, p 102)."

What was to take the place of the Awami League? It was to be BAKSAL, Mujib's expression of the one-party state. "Thus in a more significant way, BAKSAL was meant to serve the purpose of the Bangabandhu's personal dictatorship, not the cause of national development and unity. BAKSAL was proof positive that Mujib intended to convert the country into a personal fiefdom for himself and his family members, and his many detractors did not need convincing that their once respected leader, not they, was the real threat to the nation's 'democratic' future (p 105)."

Mujib thereby anticipated, by some forty years, the famous (infamous?) definition of democracy proffered by Turkey’s elected strongman, Recep Tayyip Erdogan: Democracy is like a train, he said; you get off once you have reached your destination (Getting off the Train). 

“Our nascent democratic institutions”, to quote Ms. Anam, suffered a mysterious crib-death, or rather, infanticide by the father, not the allegedly ambidextrous son of the soil.

The ambidextrous, despotic General is an Orwellian elephant that deserves to be downsized. 

[armaaneducationaltour]

Delhi Educational Tour : Delhi Educational Tour Operaror

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DELHI EDUCATIONAL TOUR OPERATOR

Contact us for Delhi Educational Tour Operator for Delhi Tour packages, Delhi Trip packages, Delhi Educational Tour, Educational Tour packages For Students. our educational tour offers you the best rates and services that no one can beat in the market. As Delhi Educational tour operator we are market-leading, specialist educational, school, college and student group tour operator.We as Educational Tour Operator Organize a National educational tour as well as an International educational Tour for college students.

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[annchumleigh]

Michigan’s 15 Points of Interest

Michigan is a beautiful state—which is why we here at Livnfresh are always inspired to make high-quality state pride apparel. We know all about the sights and the sounds of the Mitten State. But for those who are not yet familiar with the wonders of Michigan—you are in luck! We are here to talk about some of the best destinations in the state.

Michigan has a lot of awesome places for you to explore and discover. Here we are listing down the top 15 points of interest in Michigan. This includes cities, villages, and other destinations that will make you fall in love with the state. For the cities, we are also listing down a few suggested spots for you to visit with your friends and family.

Detroit

As the largest city in the Midwestern state of Michigan, Detroit has plenty of activities for you and your loved ones to get into. Near Downtown, the neoclassical Detroit Institute of Arts is known for the Detroit Industry Murals painted by Diego Rivera. It is inspired by the city’s ties to the auto industry, which gives it the nickname Motor City.

Downtown attractions include Comerica Park, Fox Theatre, the Henry Ford Museum, and Belle Isle.

Detroit is also the birthplace of Motown Records, whose chart-topping history is on display at Hitsville USA, which is their original headquarters.

After exploring this big city, you might want to grab a bite in the nearby neighborhood of Greektown, which has a few Greek restaurants.

Traverse City

Known for its annual National Cherry Festival, Traverse City is another popular destination. It is located on the shores of Lake Michigan’s Grand Traverse Bay and features a few breath-taking beaches such as Clinch Park, West End Beach, and East Bay Park.

For those who are interested in watching plays and concerts, the Victorian City Opera House is a perfect choice. Meanwhile, the Dennos Museum Center has an Inuit art collection and features works by Michigan artists.

Traverse City is rich in both cultural and natural attractions.

Mackinac Island

If you want to get away from the cities and hop on to an island adventure, then Michigan’s very own Mackinac Island is the right choice for you. Mackinac Island sits in Lake Huron, between Michigan’s Upper and Lower peninsulas. The island’s State Park has trails, woods, and limestone Arch Rock formations that cover most of the land. Fort Mackinac is a walled cluster of military buildings on a coastal bluff, founded way back in 1780.

Mackinac Island also holds the Richard and Jane Manoogian Mackinac Art Museum that features local works such as Native American art, maps, and photos from the 19th century. This island is rich in history, and you might be surprised by what you learn.

You can also visit the Original Mackinac Island Butterfly House and Insect World to view tropical gardens and live butterflies.

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

The Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is a national park in Michigan that features sand dunes, lakes, trails, and many campsites. This sprawling nature preserve is as old as continental ice sheets and as young as the 1970 Establishment Act that set aside the Lakeshore for the preservation of natural resources.

The immense sand dunes perched above Lake Michigan are its most prominent features. These dunes sit atop the already towering headlands that are glacial moraines. It’s a magnificent sight that overlooks the Sleeping Bear, Empire, and Pyramid Point bluffs from above 400 feet.

Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore

Another national lakeshore, this park offers 40 miles of lakeshore and 100 miles of trails winding through a northern hardwood forest. It is unlike any place on Lake Superior because the Pictured Rocks offers miles of pristine beaches and incredible hiking trails. Visitors can even view towering sandstone cliffs and experience the serenity of northern woodlands.

In the spring, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore transforms into a sea of beautiful wildflowers. Summer gives way to warm basking days. This destination highlights the best of Michigan weather and why we love it so much.

Grand Rapids

Grand Rapids is a Michigan city on the Grand River, east of Lake Michigan. Favorite tourist spots include the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum which celebrates the life and legacy of the 38th US president; the Meyer May House; the John Ball Zoo; and the Millennium Park.

On the outskirts of Grand Rapids sits the Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park that has a tropical conservatory and multiple gardens.

Ann Arbor

Another Michigan city, Ann Arbor is located west of Detroit and is home to the sprawling University of Michigan, which is known for its research programs.

The University of Michigan Museum of Art displays works from around the globe spanning centuries. If you are looking for science-focused attractions in the city, the Museum of Natural History and the Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum offer great exhibits that are suitable for adults and kids alike.

Ann Arbor also has the Kelsey Museum of Archaeology, which features permanent exhibits including Roman sculptures and an Egyptian mummy coffin.

Holland

This Michigan city is located on the shore of Lake Macatawa. It is well-known for the Big Red Lighthouse that stands by the channel that connects the lake to Lake Michigan. Nearby is the beachfront Holland State Park that shelters deer and migratory birds.

Holland also celebrates Tulip Time Festival every May and sees tulips blooming all over the city.

Isle Royale National Park

This isle in Michigan is designated as wilderness. This archipelago offers hiking, kayaking, and scuba diving activities in Lake Superior.

Here you can explore a rugged, isolated island that is far from the sights and sounds of modern civilization. Isle Royale is unparalleled when it comes to beauty and solitude. Do keep in mind that the island is closed from November 1 through April 15 annually.

Petoskey

Petoskey is a city and coastal resort community with a population of approximately 5,670. It is the county seat of Emmet County and has destinations such as the Crooked Tree Arts Center, Bear River Valley Recreation Area, Petoskey State Park, Odawa Casino, and the Great Lakes Center for the Arts.

It’s a nice small city with a lot of variety when it comes to activities, so it is definitely a nice place to visit.

Marquette

Marquette is a city in Michigan as well as the county seat of Marquette County. It is the largest city of the state’s Upper Peninsula. It is a major port on Lake Superior, known primarily for shipping iron ore. It is also the home of Northern Michigan University.

Popular attractions include the Presque Isle Park, Sugarloaf Mountain, Marquette Mountain Ski & Bike Area, and the Marquette Harbor Lighthouse.

This city was even listed by CBS as one of the 10 best places to retire in the US back in 2012.

Munising

Another Michigan city, Munising is found on the southern shore of Lake Superior on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. It is the county seat of Alger County and is partially surrounded by Munising Township. However, both are administered autonomously.

In this city, you will find the lovely Munising Falls. Also popular among tourists are the Pictured Rocks Cruises, Glass Bottom Shipwreck Tours, and Wagner Falls.

Mackinaw City

This Michigan village is located on the northern tip of the state’s Lower Peninsula. Mackinac Bridge crosses the Straits of Mackinac to the Upper Peninsula.

Founded in 1889, Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse has restored quarters and views from the top. Wilderness State Park includes stretches of Lake Michigan shoreline, trails, and campsites. Other popular attractions include the Fort Michilimackinac, the McGulpin Point Lighthouse, and the Ice Breaker Mackinaw Maritime.

Lansing

Lansing is the capital city of our beloved Michigan. Dating to the 1870s, the Michigan State Capitol building features a cast-iron dome. Also in Lansing is The Impression 5 Science Center, which has interactive displays.

Another good destination for those interested in science and nature is The Potter Park Zoo. It houses endangered and threatened species such as Magellanic penguins, black rhinos and golden lion tamarins.

Frankenmuth

Last but not least, this point of interest is another Michigan city that has a wide array of tourist attractions. Frankenmuth is known for its Bavarian-style architecture. It is also rich in culture and history.

The Frankenmuth Historical Museum highlights the area’s German roots. Michigan’s Military & Space Heroes Museum features different kinds of flight gear, Medals of Honor and military equipment.

If you’re looking for an adventure, Frankenmuth Aerial Park offers ropes courses and zip lines in a wooded area. Other great choices include The Michigan Heroes Museum and St Lorenz Lutheran Church.

There are many reasons to visit Michigan, and here we’ve compiled just a few of the most popular ones. Visit Livnfresh.com and show off your state pride today!

best michigan clothing company

from Livnfresh Blog|The Coolest State Apparel Co. https://blog.livnfresh.com/points-of-interest-in-michigan/ from Livnfresh Share Your State Pride. https://livnfresh.tumblr.com/post/189967967282 via https://livnfresh.tumblr.com/

[livnfreshmichigan]

Michigan’s 15 Points of Interest

Michigan is a beautiful state—which is why we here at Livnfresh are always inspired to make high-quality state pride apparel. We know all about the sights and the sounds of the Mitten State. But for those who are not yet familiar with the wonders of Michigan—you are in luck! We are here to talk about some of the best destinations in the state.

Michigan has a lot of awesome places for you to explore and discover. Here we are listing down the top 15 points of interest in Michigan. This includes cities, villages, and other destinations that will make you fall in love with the state. For the cities, we are also listing down a few suggested spots for you to visit with your friends and family.

Detroit

As the largest city in the Midwestern state of Michigan, Detroit has plenty of activities for you and your loved ones to get into. Near Downtown, the neoclassical Detroit Institute of Arts is known for the Detroit Industry Murals painted by Diego Rivera. It is inspired by the city’s ties to the auto industry, which gives it the nickname Motor City.

Downtown attractions include Comerica Park, Fox Theatre, the Henry Ford Museum, and Belle Isle.

Detroit is also the birthplace of Motown Records, whose chart-topping history is on display at Hitsville USA, which is their original headquarters.

After exploring this big city, you might want to grab a bite in the nearby neighborhood of Greektown, which has a few Greek restaurants.

Traverse City

Known for its annual National Cherry Festival, Traverse City is another popular destination. It is located on the shores of Lake Michigan’s Grand Traverse Bay and features a few breath-taking beaches such as Clinch Park, West End Beach, and East Bay Park.

For those who are interested in watching plays and concerts, the Victorian City Opera House is a perfect choice. Meanwhile, the Dennos Museum Center has an Inuit art collection and features works by Michigan artists.

Traverse City is rich in both cultural and natural attractions.

Mackinac Island

If you want to get away from the cities and hop on to an island adventure, then Michigan’s very own Mackinac Island is the right choice for you. Mackinac Island sits in Lake Huron, between Michigan’s Upper and Lower peninsulas. The island’s State Park has trails, woods, and limestone Arch Rock formations that cover most of the land. Fort Mackinac is a walled cluster of military buildings on a coastal bluff, founded way back in 1780.

Mackinac Island also holds the Richard and Jane Manoogian Mackinac Art Museum that features local works such as Native American art, maps, and photos from the 19th century. This island is rich in history, and you might be surprised by what you learn.

You can also visit the Original Mackinac Island Butterfly House and Insect World to view tropical gardens and live butterflies.

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

The Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is a national park in Michigan that features sand dunes, lakes, trails, and many campsites. This sprawling nature preserve is as old as continental ice sheets and as young as the 1970 Establishment Act that set aside the Lakeshore for the preservation of natural resources.

The immense sand dunes perched above Lake Michigan are its most prominent features. These dunes sit atop the already towering headlands that are glacial moraines. It’s a magnificent sight that overlooks the Sleeping Bear, Empire, and Pyramid Point bluffs from above 400 feet.

Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore

Another national lakeshore, this park offers 40 miles of lakeshore and 100 miles of trails winding through a northern hardwood forest. It is unlike any place on Lake Superior because the Pictured Rocks offers miles of pristine beaches and incredible hiking trails. Visitors can even view towering sandstone cliffs and experience the serenity of northern woodlands.

In the spring, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore transforms into a sea of beautiful wildflowers. Summer gives way to warm basking days. This destination highlights the best of Michigan weather and why we love it so much.

Grand Rapids

Grand Rapids is a Michigan city on the Grand River, east of Lake Michigan. Favorite tourist spots include the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum which celebrates the life and legacy of the 38th US president; the Meyer May House; the John Ball Zoo; and the Millennium Park.

On the outskirts of Grand Rapids sits the Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park that has a tropical conservatory and multiple gardens.

Ann Arbor

Another Michigan city, Ann Arbor is located west of Detroit and is home to the sprawling University of Michigan, which is known for its research programs.

The University of Michigan Museum of Art displays works from around the globe spanning centuries. If you are looking for science-focused attractions in the city, the Museum of Natural History and the Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum offer great exhibits that are suitable for adults and kids alike.

Ann Arbor also has the Kelsey Museum of Archaeology, which features permanent exhibits including Roman sculptures and an Egyptian mummy coffin.

Holland

This Michigan city is located on the shore of Lake Macatawa. It is well-known for the Big Red Lighthouse that stands by the channel that connects the lake to Lake Michigan. Nearby is the beachfront Holland State Park that shelters deer and migratory birds.

Holland also celebrates Tulip Time Festival every May and sees tulips blooming all over the city.

Isle Royale National Park

This isle in Michigan is designated as wilderness. This archipelago offers hiking, kayaking, and scuba diving activities in Lake Superior.

Here you can explore a rugged, isolated island that is far from the sights and sounds of modern civilization. Isle Royale is unparalleled when it comes to beauty and solitude. Do keep in mind that the island is closed from November 1 through April 15 annually.

Petoskey

Petoskey is a city and coastal resort community with a population of approximately 5,670. It is the county seat of Emmet County and has destinations such as the Crooked Tree Arts Center, Bear River Valley Recreation Area, Petoskey State Park, Odawa Casino, and the Great Lakes Center for the Arts.

It’s a nice small city with a lot of variety when it comes to activities, so it is definitely a nice place to visit.

Marquette

Marquette is a city in Michigan as well as the county seat of Marquette County. It is the largest city of the state’s Upper Peninsula. It is a major port on Lake Superior, known primarily for shipping iron ore. It is also the home of Northern Michigan University.

Popular attractions include the Presque Isle Park, Sugarloaf Mountain, Marquette Mountain Ski & Bike Area, and the Marquette Harbor Lighthouse.

This city was even listed by CBS as one of the 10 best places to retire in the US back in 2012.

Munising

Another Michigan city, Munising is found on the southern shore of Lake Superior on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. It is the county seat of Alger County and is partially surrounded by Munising Township. However, both are administered autonomously.

In this city, you will find the lovely Munising Falls. Also popular among tourists are the Pictured Rocks Cruises, Glass Bottom Shipwreck Tours, and Wagner Falls.

Mackinaw City

This Michigan village is located on the northern tip of the state’s Lower Peninsula. Mackinac Bridge crosses the Straits of Mackinac to the Upper Peninsula.

Founded in 1889, Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse has restored quarters and views from the top. Wilderness State Park includes stretches of Lake Michigan shoreline, trails, and campsites. Other popular attractions include the Fort Michilimackinac, the McGulpin Point Lighthouse, and the Ice Breaker Mackinaw Maritime.

Lansing

Lansing is the capital city of our beloved Michigan. Dating to the 1870s, the Michigan State Capitol building features a cast-iron dome. Also in Lansing is The Impression 5 Science Center, which has interactive displays.

Another good destination for those interested in science and nature is The Potter Park Zoo. It houses endangered and threatened species such as Magellanic penguins, black rhinos and golden lion tamarins.

Frankenmuth

Last but not least, this point of interest is another Michigan city that has a wide array of tourist attractions. Frankenmuth is known for its Bavarian-style architecture. It is also rich in culture and history.

The Frankenmuth Historical Museum highlights the area’s German roots. Michigan’s Military & Space Heroes Museum features different kinds of flight gear, Medals of Honor and military equipment.

If you’re looking for an adventure, Frankenmuth Aerial Park offers ropes courses and zip lines in a wooded area. Other great choices include The Michigan Heroes Museum and St Lorenz Lutheran Church.

There are many reasons to visit Michigan, and here we’ve compiled just a few of the most popular ones. Visit Livnfresh.com and show off your state pride today!

best michigan clothing company

from Michigan | Livnfresh Blog|The Coolest State Apparel Co. https://blog.livnfresh.com/points-of-interest-in-michigan/

[puriholidayresort-blog]

Puri Holiday Resort Great Deals Christmas Holiday Packages For 2020

When it comes to holidays in Puri all the images that come to mind is the vast expanse of sea, soft golden sands of the mile long beaches, majestic view of the Jagannath Temple and a general ambience that is relaxed yet exciting. This quaint little city on the shores of Bay of Bengal in Odisha is one of the most sought after destinations and can be called the epicentre of religion and spirituality. The 12th century temple of lord Jagannath attracts people of all religion, faith and belief and those who don’t get the chance to pay obeisance to the deities inside the temple get a chance during the annual Rath Yatra when they are brought outside for everyone to see from the chariots. Apart from the deep religious sanctions attached to the place this is one of the most beautiful sea side towns you will ever visit.

Just an hour’s drive from the airport in Bhubaneswar the city is also well connected through railways and you can arrive here directly from all the major cities in the country. Those who plan a trip to the state start with Puri as there’s a lot to see and do. You can enjoy the sea Restaurant Near Puri Beach, shop in the local markets, see the sand art  park and go to the artists’ village in Raghurajpur where you can not only see the artists at work, you can learn a lot about the traditional paintings of the place popularly called the Pattachitra. There are also a lot of places to visit in the nearby areas which primarily include the world heritage listed Sun Temple in Konark and the Chillika Lake which is the largest brackish water lake in the country and famous for the migratory birds which can be seen in the winter months. Though the maximum number of people visits the city during the annual Rath Yatra, the winter months are considered to be the best time to visit and if you are planning to go there during the coming holidays then you can plan everything ASAP. The city has all kinds of accommodation options and you can easily find something that would ideally suit your requirements. Those who are looking for a luxury hotel can check out Holiday Resorts which is highly recommended by trip advisor and has won their certificate of excellence not once but twice.

Located right next to the beach in the Chakratirtha Road this resort is one of the most popular hotels and looking at the high room occupancy rate it is better to book the accommodation well before time. The hotel offers plenty of options when it comes to rooms and you can easily book one of their single, deluxe or go for the family room. There are also a number of beach houses and two presidential suites which are absolutely gorgeous to say the least. Most of these rooms overlook the sea and so the guests are privy to the amazing view of the sea and the sun kissed beach. It is a kind of hotel where you can spend days together without the need to get out as there are two multi cuisine restaurants, bar, bakery shop along with gift shops, special play zone for the children and a travel desk to help you with tickets and also for the sightseeing tours. The guests staying here have access to swimming pool, Jacuzzi, gym and a wellness spa where you can enjoy a relaxing massage or up your glamour content with a beauty regime. This Puri Beach Resort is the perfect place to host weddings, receptions or even plan a meeting as there are a number of Banquet Halls and a state of the art Conference Room. Those who like outdoor events can book the garden or have the party in the private beach area right next door.

The hotel offers you the best of amenities at a price that is sure to suit your budget and at the same time don’t forget to go for their privilege membership card to avail some excellent discounts and make the package all the more economical.

For more details about Hotel in Puri just move on www.puriholidayresort.com

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PANTA RHEI KAI OUDEN MENEI

Picture: Rwanda - Akagera National Park - Crocodile

Reflections on development in economics and society

The title of this essay is a quotation of Socrates in Plato’s book Cratylus, in which the famous Greek philosopher announced: "Heraclitus says that everything moves and nothing is stable". He referred hereby to the pre-socratic philosopher Heraclitus of Ephesus. The expression "Panta rhei" synthesizes for him the thought of a world in perpetual motion. [1]

Development does not always go in the right direction

We can apply this paradigm to our own society. Since 1968 we have been living in a period of transition. There is nowadays great technological progress that disturbs balances. [2]  It is not my intention to build up a political discourse. I would, however, like to dwell on a number of phenomena in the economy of which the public begins to realize that they are not improving the quality of life.

First of all there have been the disruptive technology companies that have made a steep rise on the stock exchange but whose added value is being questioned worldwide: AirBnB, Amazon and Uber.

In the past years, almost 10,000 families have been driven out of their homes throughout the city of Lisbon. In the meantime, Lisbon has more Airbnb accommodations per inhabitant than any other city in Europe, including Paris, London and Brussels. The exploding prices for housing mean that families who have to live on one minimum wage can no longer pay rented accommodation. Some are forced to move into abandoned buildings, where they (survive) live in extremely difficult circumstances.[3]

In retail, Amazon accounts for 53 percent of all e-commerce sales growth. This has been devastating already. Twice as many stores closed in 2017, or 8,600, as the year before. Department store jobs have plummeted from 1.782 million in June 2001 to 1.27 million by November 2017. Of course, success and efficiency are not crimes, nor is bigness, unless it prevents anyone else from competing. [4]

The world’s largest ride-hailing company Uber, operating in many cities throughout the world, and still not making profit, received a blow recently. Indeed the London transport regulator has decided that the taxi app can no longer operate in the British capital. The Achilles heel of the company are its drivers, the way they are selected and also the way they are paid. Next to New York, San Francisco and Sai Paolo, London is Uber’s largest market with 3.5 million customers and the 45,000 drivers. [5]

Where is the Panta Rhei aspect in all this?

From Athens and Amsterdam to Paris and Berlin, Airbnb is facing all the more obstacles since it first entered the market a decade ago, as authorities try to restrict the expansion of the home-sharing practice that has taken popular destinations by storm.

Amazon, just like Google and Facebook, is targeted by Democratic presidential candidates because of their monopoly situation. US Senator Elisabeth Warren goes the furthest and advocates breaking up the companies into regional parts, just as was done for Standard Oil and Bell in the early twentieth century. The logic behind this is that extreme market dominance leads to monopoly power and abuses, eventually sweeping away workers, competitors, and potential competitors, while bullying suppliers and stifling innovation. Such aggressive “vertical integration” is precisely why Standard Oil had to be busted up. Like Amazon, Standard Oil controlled all its marketplaces and forced all its competitors out of business or to become captive buyers and sellers of its goods and services.[6]

Everywhere Uber turns, a conveyor belt of new antagonists keeps emerging around the globe. In India, Uber is battling a service called Ola. In Brazil, it is dueling Didi Chuxing, a Chinese company that bought the local ride-hailing operator 99 last year. (Uber owns a stake in Didi.) And newfangled transportation companies, such as electric scooter providers, have popped up.

Bolt, an Estonian start-up, is an example of a troublesome trend for Uber. Bolt is now planning to confront Uber in one of its most lucrative cities: London. The smaller firm is reapplying for a taxi license to operate in the British capital after regulators there rebuffed it in 2017.[7] Of Bolt is known that they can have their programming carried out at a third of the cost for Uber in Eastern Europe. And above all: that they cooperate with existing taxi companies as an increase in their turnover and not as a competitor.

In addition to the disruptive technology companies, there are a number of trends that raise more and more questions. It is striking that most of these stories originated in the United States. This is of course primarily due to the fact that the US is a country with very little legislation that regulates the lives of citizens and directs trade. Moreover, everyone is responsible for his social security. That leaves the coast clear for cowboys who want to get rich quickly.

Even internet domain names for non-profit organizations are no longer safe for money makers. ICANN, the organization that manages the global system of internet domain names, decided recently to lift price restrictions for all types of internet suffixes. The owner of the .org suffixes, destined to non-profit organisations, Internet Society (Isoc) suddenly announced in November 2019 that the management of the .org suffix had been resold to Ethos Capital. From now on, it will operate the domain as a commercial activity. Ethos Capital can now increase the rental price of the approximately 10 million existing .org domain names, approximately 10 dollars a year, as desired, potentially generating billions of dollars. At the expense of non-profits.[8]

Two crashes with the brand new aircraft Boeing 737 MAX recently cost the lives of 346 people. The causes are poor design, too much faith in software and lax supervisors. The device is structurally unsafe, Boeing should never have launched it. The original 737 had small jet engines under its wings. When a new version came in 1980, it already posed problems. That is the great danger of old concepts that are being built on: they look more modern, but they have not really evolved. But a completely new design costs a huge amount. It must pass expensive regulator tests and validations, and customers must retrain their pilots. That is why the so-called “grandfather clause” is used in the US as much as possible: if the aircraft does not deviate much from the original type, it will receive approval via a quick counter at the regulator and pilot retraining will not be necessary. In the late 1980s, Airbus became a real competitor for Boeing. The 737 was the most important weapon in that battle. The pressure to make a better version pushed Boeing over the edge of the allowable. Larger engines had to be fitted, but the old trick that was used before was not enough. It was decided to mount the engines much further to the front to maintain enough ground space. But that made the device inherently unstable, especially when taking off.[9]

Venice’s population has been shrinking for decades. Today, there are just one-third as many Venetians as 50 years ago. But that decline is merely a symptom of a rapidly worsening disease: the reckless promotion of large-scale tourism and lack of investment in human capital. in 2017, the city of 260,000 received more than 36 million foreign tourists. As Venetians have fled the hordes, Venice’s civil society has deteriorated and political torpor has become entrenched. Municipal leaders prefer to complain about the city’s weaknesses, rather than taking effective action to address them. [10]  They have been working on a flood barrier project since 1984, called Modulo Sperimentale Elettromeccanico (MOSE). It is still not finished and has already cost 5.5 billion euros. This is due to incompetence, dawdling, but also the influence of the Mafia. Venice moaned under the numerous floods this year. There is finally reason to make up the backlog.

Is there a Panta Rhei aspect in these three examples?

The website of ICANN mentions the following: The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) helps coordinate the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) functions, which are key technical services critical to the continued operations of the Internet's underlying address book, the Domain Name System (DNS). ICANN's inclusive approach treats the public sector, the private sector, and technical experts as peers. In the ICANN community, you'll find registries, registrars, Internet Service Providers (ISPs), intellectual property advocates, commercial and business interests, non-commercial and non-profit interests, representation from more than 100 governments, and a global array of individual Internet users. All points of view receive consideration on their own merits. ICANN's fundamental belief is that all users of the Internet deserve a say in how it is run.[11] These are very beautiful principles. It is clear that such an organization can be put under pressure to introduce or curb neo-liberal principles.

What are the lessons of the 737 MAX debacle for the rest of the economy? One: company and regulator must not be too much "two hands on one stomach". Two: bad hardware cannot be fixed with software. Three: artificial intelligence (AI) makes people blind to "garbage in, garbage out" Four: an oligopoly does not encourage real innovation. Five: people are not machines, and machines are not always smarter than people.[12]

As for the Venetian problem, the solutions Carlo Ratti, professor at the Massachussets Institute of Technology proposes are radical, but are not without precedent. In the mid-fourteenth century, Venice’s population plummeted by 60%, owing to outbreaks of bubonic plague. The city opened itself up to foreigners, offering citizenship to anyone who planned to remain for the long term. Newcomers needed only to embrace the key characteristics of “Venetianness,” including the desire to work. There is no reason why a similar strategy cannot work today.[13]

Can we tackle the period of uncertainty?

In America you have a number of large metropolises, such as New York and Los Angeles. In between, in the so-called flyover states, the invisible majority live. The majority of that group is formed by people who are vulnerable. They know they have a problem if they lose their job. On the other hand they cannot move to cities such as Paris, New York, London or Milan. These bastions have become unaffordable for them. The working class lives there on the periphery and they lick their wounds. They have been made culturally invisible. That has led to a lot of resentment. People have stagnated or even deteriorated. 

We live in an economic system that continues to record growth rates, but at the same time puts large groups of the population aside. The middle class is disappearing before our eyes. In the Anglo-Saxon world, the middle class, and certainly the working class, has disappeared much earlier. It is to say: those people are still there, but they are no longer "integrated". They no longer count. The first victims were the workers some 30 years ago. Now you see that many other categories - such as the farmers or the wage earners - are getting harder.[14]

One sees all too often that people are voting against their own economic interest. They are being chased away with ideological issues such as abortion or gay marriage to go against their own economic interest. People who already feel insecure cannot accept that others who are even lower on the ladder, would receive help and they cannot. Homogeneous populations are rarely against the government. Sweden is a good example: there was always strong support for a strong government, until immigration waves arrived. Immediately, Social Democracy also came under fire in Sweden.[15]

Paul Krugman in his interview gave an indication of what should be done in order to tackle this period of uncertainty: "The rich are now getting rid of it easily. America must also make health insurance cheaper and accessible to all, help the poor better and restore the power of the trade unions. The trade union in America is needed.[16]“ The same type of statement was made by Flemish entrepreneurs after the Belgian elections. They plead for a tax system without loopholes. Tax optimization can no longer be tolerated. They also argue for a greening of taxation, including through a plane tax and higher taxes on fossil fuels. That should make lower labor costs possible.[17]

The position of the "Gafas" (Google, Amazon, Facebook and Apple) is increasingly under pressure in the US and Europe. Google has been convicted several times for abuse of its dominant position. Amazon promotes some of its own products on its platform at the expense of other retailers. Facebook moans under privacy scandals. Apple lost a lawsuit (Apple Inc. v. Pepper) before the US Supreme Court for commercial practices on the App Store.[18]

On the other hand, the impact of Gafas and other technological players on GDP cannot always be calculated using traditional methods. Today productivity growth in the US can be found with a magnifying glass if we calculate them with the traditional methods. Search engines such as Google, the GPS, the use of a private car such as Uber-taxi and even Facebook - nowhere in the traditional economic concepts is the profit they generate for companies and consumers taken into account.[19] Some economists are zooming in on methods to simply calculate GDP differently. MIT economist Erik Brynjolfsson[20], for example, who, together with two colleagues, published a large-scale study / survey in which he tried to measure what the internet and other modern technologies are "worth" for the average consumer. In that case, Facebook alone would yield 0.05 to 0.11 percentage points of additional economic growth for the US, the MIT economist calculated. It is therefore important not to throw the child out with the bathwater when appropriate measures are taken.

Why is the regional level so important in this perspective ?

In the solutions that Carlo Ratti proposes to save Venice from ruin, the first suggestion is to take Venice out of the care of the Italian state and to provide sufficient resources and authority to make the decisions it deems necessary: “The first step is to remove Venice from the jurisdiction of the Italian government, whose consistent failures have driven the city’s decline in recent decades.(…) It is a call for a new type of outward-looking political construct: an “open city” that welcomes anyone who genuinely wants to settle there as a full-fledged citizen, not as participants in what the American novelist Don DeLillo[21] called tourism’s “march of stupidity.”[22]

The Russian search engine Yandex, is a regional competitor of Google. He does not have the ambition to go worldwide like Google, it limits itself to the former USSR. Much like its Silicon Valley counterpart, the ‘Russian Google’ is more than just a search engine.[23]

In the interview with the French geographist Christophe Guilluy he told the story of the former AOL CEO (American on Line, an internet provider from the 90ties), Steve Case. He finances start-ups in the flyover states. A symbolic gesture, but important. That way you say to all those people in the periphery: you don't have to move to Los Angeles or New York, you can stay where you live now.[24]

The same applies to the approach to global warming, in which the US federal government has denounced the Paris treaty, but where US states and cities play a pioneering role, because the smoke from the forest fires or from the industrial smog is at their fingertips.

Europe promotes the role of local and regional authorities in economic and social development. They can more easily work together, provided there is a willingness to do so and not to fight politically between regions for ideological reasons.[25]  Regionalization or decentralization are new concepts of which countries start to see the usefulness, even if they do not have a diverse populations. In Ukraine for example, the decentralisation of power in Ukraine began in 2014. To date 4,277 communities have been merged into 924 amalgamated hromadas (AHs). The total number of AH residents is 10 million (28.3% of Ukraine’s population). Own revenues of local budgets in 2019: 375 billion UAH. AHs need to systematically provide the necessary infrastructure and services to enable businesses to start and develop as well as to secure the public's need for employment and social services. In Romania the regionalization does not go further than the creation of 8 statistical Implementation Units uniting the 40 judeţi  (provinces)[26]. These can takes additional initiatives, but do not receive funds for it from Bucharest. There might be a change with the new government and the next EU commission, but until now there is no plan to become political regions. Exception on the rule was Statistical Implementation Unit Nord-East Romania, that created a Regional innovation board in which commodities such as water and energy and waste have been discussed and initiatives taken. A Water cluster has been created, integrating all players for waste, sewages, water and energy. In Albania the country has been reorganized into  63 merged municipalities within 8 regions. In the Vlorë region in the south, the municipalities focused on practical development of their areas and left strategic development and the acquisition of funds for those purposes to the regional council. The 7 new municipalities of the region chose therefore to concentrate on the touristic development of the region, focusing on the historical and natural assets of the region and trying to attract tourist also in other periods than summertime. The other priority was urban development, preparing the county for the 21st century.[27]

Is everything moving?

The neo-liberal notion of a globalized economy has suffered from so many blows in recent years that talking about it is nowadays already considered a strategic mistake. And although many still believe in large scale development, that principle has also been hit hard.

Multinationals are under pressure. In the first place because they do everything they can to pay as little taxes as possible to anyone. Secondly, because they still exploit workers and employees by producing in places with very little labor protection and extremely low wages. Thirdly, because they do not respect their clients: they affect their health seriously or they produce crap. And if they bring all their production back to the vicinity of their customers, this production is so automated that very few jobs remain.

Retailers, whose activity consists of buying and selling, are not innocent either. They twist the arm of their suppliers in such a way that they can no longer make a profit. Win-win is a concept for a long-term relationship between equal forces. The attitude is large retail companies is the following: I am big and have a lot of power, and you are small and you will stay that way.

Yet this trend is reversing. Technology allows suppliers to come into contact with the end customer. This last one strives for health and quality at an affordable price. Health is almost the same as small-scale or at least contradictory to large-scale. Quality is also equivalent to smaller batches manufactured by expert and motivated workers. Exploited workers are by definition not motivated.

Automation leads to standardization and not to customization. And let it be that which appeals to modern middle-class consumers: being able to make their own choices. Artificial intelligence will enable to handle customization on the long run. And that at all levels: carrying out surgical operations, calculating and drawing structures, developing new products, medical diagnosis, remote sensing etc. Unfortunately, the priorities for the development of artificial intelligence lie elsewhere. In China it is used to spy on every individual, both own citizens and foreign guests.[28] In the US to shoot down drones, aim tank guns, coordinate resupply, plan artillery barrages, and blend sensor feeds.[29] But also to guide individual consumers in their purchases in such a way that they are convinced that they have made the decision themselves. And this same principle is then used in the US and in Europe to influence voter behavior so that they "choose the right one". This latter principle was used by both the far right and the far left. Unfortunately, there is also the “deep fake” application, a program which animates the face of a target person, transposing the facial expressions of an exterior source.[30]

But "Panta rhei"… The public also becomes aware of these "hidden persuaders". Those who only pursue power to maintain the status quo will ultimately be disappointed. The key problems in the world have become too urgent to be spared: growing inequality and climate change.

They do not require a status quo but political courage. They do not require steps but giant leaps. They do not require undemocratic democracy, but a fully-fledged and efficient democracy.

Louis Delcart, board member EAR-AER  www.ear-aer.eu

 1] https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panta_rhei

[2] Filip Rogiers, Wouter Woussen: Er zal gevochten moeten worden voor de democratie. (There will have to be a fight for democracy ) Interview met  Ico Maly -, De Standaard - 3 August 2019

[3] Gonçalo Fonseca: Slachtoffers van het succes (Victims of the success, November 21, 2019 De Standaard

[4] Diane Francis: The New Monopoly - The Dangers of Amazon’s Dominance in: The American Interest, Volume 13, Number 5 , February 20, 2018 https://www.the-american-interest.com/2018/02/20/dangers-amazons-dominance/, retrieved on 26-11-2019

[5] Bas Van der Hout : Uber tuimelt na verlies Londense taxivergunning (Uber tumbles after losing London taxi license) in: De Tijd 21-11-2019

[6] Diane Francis: The New Monopoly - The Dangers of Amazon’s Dominance in: The American Interest, Volume 13, Number 5 , February 20, 2018 https://www.the-american-interest.com/2018/02/20/dangers-amazons-dominance/ retrieved on 26-11-2019

[7] Adam Satariano: This Estonian Start-Up Has Become a Thorn in Uber’s Side – IN: New York Times, April 23, 2019

[8] Dominique Deckmyn: Internetdomein ‘.org’ is nu allesbehalve non-profit (Internet domain ".org" is nowadays anything but non-profit) in: De Standaard - November 22, 2019

[9] Geert Noels, Leer uit de fouten met de Boeing 737 MAX, (Learn from the mistakes with the Boeing 737 MAX), in De Tijd, April 26, 2019

[10] Carlo Ratti: Reversing the Death of Venice, in: Project syndicate Nov 19, 2019 

[11] https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/welcome-2012-02-25-en, retrieved on 21-11-2019

[12] Geert Noels, Leer uit de fouten met de Boeing 737 MAX, (Learn from the mistakes with the Boeing 737 MAX), in De Tijd, April 26, 2019

[13] https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/reversing-death-of-venice-by-carlo-ratti-2019-11, retrieved on 26-11-2019

[14] Interview with Christophe Guilluy, French geographer: Je kunt geen samenleving bouwen als je het volk beledigt – (One cannot build a society if you insult the people) - De Standaard 6-7-2019

[15] Bjorn Soenens: Interview met econoom Paul Krugman: Neem ontslag, president Trump, u heeft problemen die groter zijn dan de economie (Resign, President Trump, you have problems that are greater than the economy), VRT - 26-11-2019

[16] Bjorn Soenens: Interview met econoom Paul Krugman: Neem ontslag, president Trump, u heeft problemen die groter zijn dan de economie (Resign, President Trump, you have problems that are greater than the economy), VRT - 26-11-2019

[17] Emmanuel Vanbrussel: Vlaamse bedrijfsleiders pleiten voor fiscale ommezwaai, ( Flemish business leaders argue for a tax change), in: De Tijd, 20 August 2019

[18] Olivier Braet en Karen Donders - Zijn de techreuzen te groot geworden? (Have the tech giants become too big?) in: De Standaard, 17 juni 2019

[19] Nico Tanghe, Een jaar zonder Google? Dat is 17.000 dollar waard (A year without Google? That's worth $ 17,000) ,in: De Standaard, 29-11-2019

[20] Erik Brynjolfsson, Avinash Collis, Felix Eggers, Using massive online choice experiments to measure changes in well-being, PNAS (Proceedings of the Nation al Academy of Science of the United States of America), April 9, 2019

[21] Don De Lillo, The names, Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 1982,

[22]  Carlo Ratti: Reversing the Death of Venice, in: Project syndicate Nov 19, 2019 

[23] Anastasia Zyrianova: The IT behemoth that you might never have heard of in: BBC Future , 14th September 2018

[24] ‘Je kunt geen samenleving bouwen als je het volk beledigt’ (One cannot build a society if you insult the people)- Interview with Christophe Guilluy, French geographer - De Standaard 6-7-2019

[25] Louis Delcart, Regions and Cities as Stimulators Towards Green and Digital Economy, in: International Journal of Innovation in the Digital Economy (IJDE), sept 2018

[26] + the capital Bucharest

[27] Louis Delcart, EAR-AER creates European Academy of the Regions with CRLDS, in LinkedIn Pulse, 1 november 2016 https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/ear-aer-creates-european-academy-regions-albania-crlds-louis-delcart/ retrieved on 26-11-2019

[28] Lukas Vanacker: Massale hackeraanvallen op Belgische handelsmissie in China (Mass hacker attacks on Belgian trade mission in China) in De Tijd, 23 november 2019

[29] John Keller: Army to test artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning to detect hidden targets in 2020 war game, in: Military & Aerospace Electronics, Oct 23rd, 2019. https://www.militaryaerospace.com/computers/article/14069203/artificial-intelligence-ai-machine-learning-military-applications retrieved 26-11-2019

[30] The technology has been demonstrated animating the lips of people including Barack Obama and Vladimir Putin. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Applications_of_artificial_intelligence retrieved on 26-11-2019