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Strategies & Market Trends : The Financial Collapse of 2001 Unwinding -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Maurice Winn who wrote (1807)	2/4/2019 2:29:00 AM
From: elmatador	1 Recommendation Recommended By Elroy Jetson Respond to of 13800

USSR as collapsing. No one saw it. Same today happens with China. China is moribund. In 1993, in a special National Interest edition entitled “The Strange Death of Soviet Communism,” the scholar Charles Fairbanks warned that many had missed the Soviet Union’s long decay because they had not focused on the Soviet Union’s loss of ideological legitimacy among the Communist Party’s elite. China today is making up for the absence of attractive political principles or ideologies by creating a new empire of fear, and offering increasingly strident appeals to an imperialist nationalism. That is not to say that China will collapse, but Xi has changed the nation’s internal dynamics. The result is a far less predictable course for the Middle Kingdom than materialist political-science theories might predict. The party appears to feel more besieged and under threat than at any time since Tiananmen Square. And Xi has potentially further destabilized the system by crowning himself with ten titles, including head of state, head of military, general secretary of the CCP, and leader of the new “leading groups” to oversee: Internet policy, national security, military reform, and Taiwan policy. He has effectively taken over the courts, the police, and all the secret internal para-military and other agencies of internal control. This means that all successes and failures are Xi’s alone. There is no doubt that he has made powerful enemies among the elites who stand at the ready to undermine him should the opportunity arise. The Unpredictable Rise of China Xi Jinping seeks national rejuvenation, but his nation’s mounting power masks increased instability. FEB 3, 2019 https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/02/how-americans-misunderstand-chinas-ambitions/581869/

To: Maurice Winn who wrote (1807)	2/7/2019 3:49:49 PM
From: Elroy Jetson	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 13800

German government rejects "nanny-state" autobahn speed-limit —— Geschwindigkeits? Nein, danke. - dw.com Germany's federal government has rejected proposals to impose speed limits on the country's autobahn network. Leaked proposals to introduce restrictions had triggered a heated debate in the car-loving country. Germany confirmed on Monday the country will not be introducing a speed limit on its autobahn road network anytime soon. "There are more intelligent control mechanisms than a general speed limit," government spokesman Steffen Seifert told reporters in Berlin. Proposals by a government-appointed committee on the future of mobility to impose a 130 kph (80 mph) limit were recently leaked to the media. Seibert pointed out that the panel had not finished yet. Its proposals are to be finalized by the end of March. 'Act of reason?' Proponents said reducing the speed to standards enforced in the US and other European nations would reduce air pollution, help fight climate change and reduce the number of collisions. The country's transport minister, Andreas Scheuer, said he vehemently opposes the idea, saying "it goes against all common sense." The conservative lawmaker told Bild am Sonntag newspaper that the principal of freedom has proven itself. "Whoever wants to drive 120 can drive 120, and those who want to go faster can do that too. Why this constant micromanagement?" However prominent Green Party lawmaker Cem Ozdemir defended the speed limit proposal, calling it an "act of reason." Berlin's inner-city AVUS is widely considered to be Germany's oldest autobahn. It was built between 1913 and 1921. Back then, it was only 10 km (6.2 miles) long. And because it was so short, many call the AVUS an autobahn prototype. Germany is the only country in Europe with no official speed limit on highways. Some drivers hurtle along at speeds of over 200 kph. However, there are restrictions on some stretches, especially in and around cities and at roadworks. The country could face EU penalties if it fails to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and poisonous nitrogen oxides. Observers consider the transport sector as a key to meeting emissions reduction targets.