a holiday present. Let me unpack the present and see what is inside
history, a/k/a track record, shows what can be done and was once done
history does not guarantee whatever was done can again be done
100% agreed.
history, however, in the lack of track record, should give pause on what might be
If History was good for practical purpose Iran, Egypt and Iraq would be telling us what we should do. Why China should be telling us what to do? No to us Tropicals...
but, for those not interested or having never read history, would neither agree with above nor be aware of above
History is like macro economics and that is why I read both: it forces us to ask hard questions. But macroeconomics is not reality nor is what happened 3.000 years ago.
for all my bantering w/ mq, his vvv theme / meme has basis, and i applaud what he terms vvv, except i choose to call it by other names
MQ clings to a past that never was
now, the unaddressed issue is the dimension of natural size of aggregates of people
Quote from my book as you like history:
For an European war to be stopped, it is necessary just to block the flow of external resources being imported. During the 1956 invasion of the Suez, the U.S. threatened to deny petroleum supplies to France and Great Britain if they did not withdraw their forces. Europe was then 64% short of petroleum requirements. Spare capacity available in Venezuela was owned by Gulf Oil and Creole Petroleum, President Eisenhower warned the British and the French that additional supplies from these sources would not be forthcoming until they agreed to total withdraw. Bergsten, Fred C., Horst T., Moran Theodore H., American Multinationals and American Interests, Washington, D.C., The Brooking Institution, 1978.
i say one measure, and you note another.
I never negated the fact that natural size and aggregates of people mater let me quote my book that made China.
Quote from my book as you like history:
The British Empire was the dominant force in the 19th century because the industrial revolution started in Britain, they have advanced knowledge, they built up the navy and strong armed forces and their vast territories were their colonies. These were the “peculiar set of circumstances (which) permited the British Isles to expand and possess, some 25% of the world’s wealth and power in its prime...” Kennedy Paul, The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers, London, Fontana Press, 1988. The Germans —Hitler— and the French —Napoleon— lacking vast territories, created a strong army and went for them.
The U.S. surpassed Europe and became the strongest world power because they had the possibility to amass all four strength at the same time, vast territory, natural resources, strong armed forces and knowledge with a huge population of immigrants. The freedom that knowledge needs to be created was found in the U.S. By granting that freedom the U.S. got a flow of knowledge-bearer immigrants fleeing repressive societies.
The U.S. provided not only freedom. They put material and financial resources at the disposition of those knowledge-bearers. Knowledge applied for technological development was generated by directing resources to the strong armed forces and spinning off to the civilian sector. The military/industrial complex was born. This way the U.S. kept the forefront of technological development.
The world is now different from the time when natural resources, vast territories or strong armies were the real source of power and influence. Every country struggles to have knowledge, the ‘information commodity’. And the successful ones will be the ones that will do it despite of possession of vast territories, strong armies and natural resources.
UNQUOTE
time shall tell, and for whatever reasons, am not concerned.
You should be. Here is why. Do you remember when I told you that once Coconut was born your perspectives would change? I knew it before you knew what was going to happen with you. and you told it did.
Now you are going to go through a new change of perspective. You, and me and everyone else is going to face your reality that we are mortals, and you have a couple of kids that will outlive you and you now will look to the world, not the one you are living but that world that will be inherited by your children. That is the next change of perspective you are gong to go through.
You are going to be concerned...
you must believe in the power of the people. if they live in the sunny tropics, they end up being tropical people.
We created a new civilization created in the tropics out a jungle (in 500 years) any Chinese would dream of migrating to that mess.
should they find themselves in the midst of harsher environs w/ much imperatives and few resources, they do what they can per imperatives-leads-to-solutions, or they simply perish
Yes. Men, men as in Mankind, are products of the medium. And this has been faced by all peoples irrespective of geography some did well. Some not so well. But we are still here alive and kicking.
history, that which some poopoo, gives good indication of what might be done, and when such might is applied to continental-dimensioned economy under properly scientific and systematic leadership by merit, ohwhoaweegeewhizbang happens
We have a continental dimensioned economy, too, but the people down there did not choose properly scientific and systematic leadership because they do no like it. So much so so that they are jailing the leadership as we speak.
South Korea just copy our system tropical judiciary system and is kicking out their corrupt president. That must send a chill down the spine of the leadership in Beijing...And Beijing is hard at a work trying to show the masses how bad is out there and how good is in China.
For the tropical population knows the leadership pocket all the surpluses for themselves and will enslave the masses.
This is the new civilization created in the tropics out a jungle. We try new things and are willing to pay the price for it. We are men. Not puppets to be put on strings by a master up there.
that is why you had engaged w/ the returning sovereign and done his bidding
This is the bad part of history I alluded to. Looking back to the past and return to the present.
onward to next post |
