In the past several years, one of the topics covered in detail on these pages has been the surge in such gimmicks designed to disguise lack of demand and end customer sales, used extensively by US automotive manufacturers, better known as "channel stuffing", of which General Motors is particularly guilty and whose inventory at dealer lots just hit a new record high. But did you know that when it comes to flat or declining sales and stagnant end demand, channel stuffing is merely the beginning?
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Showing posts with label Article. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Article. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 21, 2014
Thursday, May 8, 2014
Obama prepares to smash BRICS during his last few years in office
The buildup of NATO air and ground forces along the borders of Russia in eastern Europe and President Barack Obama’s American power-influencing trip to Asia have a single purpose. The seen and unseen forces who dictate policy to their political puppets in Washington, London, Paris, Brussels, Berlin, and other vassal capital cities have decided to smash BRICS -- the emergent financial power bloc encompassing Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.
Bilateral and multilateral discussions among the five emerging economic powers aimed at decoupling BRICS economies from the US dollar as a reserve and trading currency have met with the only power Washington can muster on behalf of itself and its foundering allies -- military force. The problems between Ukraine and Russia over Crimea and federalism within Ukraine are a mask designed to cover Obama’s true intentions, which are the smashing of the BRICS as a viable alternative to the neo-colonialist financial systems of the West and subsuming the economies of the BRICS to the whims of the United States and the ever-teetering European Union.
The G-8, which suspended Russia from membership, and the World Trade Organization, of which Russia is now a member, never had a thing to do with free trade and common economic policies. These contrivances, formed in the back rooms by the bankers of the Trilateral Commission and Bilderberg Group, were always about unipolar domination of the world by a single superpower. Since the end of World War II and the collapse of the once-dominant British Empire, that superpower has been the United States.
Bilateral and multilateral discussions among the five emerging economic powers aimed at decoupling BRICS economies from the US dollar as a reserve and trading currency have met with the only power Washington can muster on behalf of itself and its foundering allies -- military force. The problems between Ukraine and Russia over Crimea and federalism within Ukraine are a mask designed to cover Obama’s true intentions, which are the smashing of the BRICS as a viable alternative to the neo-colonialist financial systems of the West and subsuming the economies of the BRICS to the whims of the United States and the ever-teetering European Union.
The G-8, which suspended Russia from membership, and the World Trade Organization, of which Russia is now a member, never had a thing to do with free trade and common economic policies. These contrivances, formed in the back rooms by the bankers of the Trilateral Commission and Bilderberg Group, were always about unipolar domination of the world by a single superpower. Since the end of World War II and the collapse of the once-dominant British Empire, that superpower has been the United States.
Wednesday, April 23, 2014
John Kerry, clueless buffoon
Oh, the burden of empire! It weighs so heavily on John Kerry’s shoulders:
"Secretary of State John Kerry attested Tuesday to the massively complex challenges Washington faces in Ukraine, Russia, Iran and the Middle East, declaring ‘it was easier’ during the Cold War.
"In a candid moment during a State Department speech, the top US diplomat said changing global power dynamics made a quaint memory of the early East-West stalemate, when American children would ‘crouch under our desks at school and practice’ safety steps for a possible nuclear attack.
“’During the Cold War… it was easier than it is today – simpler is maybe a way to put it,’ Kerry told aid and development experts.
“’The choices were less varied, less complicated, more stark, more clear: Communism, democracy, West, East, the Iron Curtain.’”
Yes, those were the Good Old Days – when children in the schoolroom cowered beneath their desks – and we almost went to war with the nuclear-armed Soviet Union over missiles in Cuba which posed no more threat than missiles outside Moscow. Does "quaint" even begin to describe that vintage scene? It’s all so Currier & Ives.
"Secretary of State John Kerry attested Tuesday to the massively complex challenges Washington faces in Ukraine, Russia, Iran and the Middle East, declaring ‘it was easier’ during the Cold War.
"In a candid moment during a State Department speech, the top US diplomat said changing global power dynamics made a quaint memory of the early East-West stalemate, when American children would ‘crouch under our desks at school and practice’ safety steps for a possible nuclear attack.
“’During the Cold War… it was easier than it is today – simpler is maybe a way to put it,’ Kerry told aid and development experts.
“’The choices were less varied, less complicated, more stark, more clear: Communism, democracy, West, East, the Iron Curtain.’”
Yes, those were the Good Old Days – when children in the schoolroom cowered beneath their desks – and we almost went to war with the nuclear-armed Soviet Union over missiles in Cuba which posed no more threat than missiles outside Moscow. Does "quaint" even begin to describe that vintage scene? It’s all so Currier & Ives.
Wednesday, April 9, 2014
10 weirdest Caribbean animals
The Caribbean is not only a mash-up of Old and New World cultures, it's also a mash-up biologically. Indigenous species live side-by-side with animals who floated in from South America or were brought in by Europeans. That can make for some surprises for visitors who stumble across these critters unexpectedly.
DRUNK MONKEYS
Green vervet monkeys arrived in St. Kitts with Africans brought as slaves to work the sugar cane fields. Researchers theorize the monkeys got a taste for the hooch by snacking on fermented cane that was left in the fields after harvest. There's a lot less cane cultivation in St. Kitts nowadays, but, luckily for the monkeys, there are a lot more bars. Like drunks everywhere, they exhibit poor manners, swiping rumrunners and running or pilfering piña coladas poolside. Researchers studying the monkeys found that the ratio of alcoholic monkeys to teetotalers was about the same among the monkeys as it is in human populations. As the saying goes, there's one in every crowd. So what's a vervet monkey's favorite beer? Free beer. What's a vervet monkey's second favorite beer? Free light beer.
VAMPIRE BAT
Before you go packing garlic in your carry-on, vampire bats are only found in the Caribbean in Trinidad and along the Central American coast. Having said that, they're thirsty little suckers. Fortunately, they're also small — 3 inches long and an ounce and half in weight. Yes, they do attack sleeping mammals (including people) and drink their blood, but because they're so small, they only drink about an ounce of blood at a time. Want to be freaked out? Vampire bats are pretty nimble on the ground, too, hopping and running by using their wings as an extra set of feet. Early Spanish naturalists reported that the Conquistadors in Panama and the Yucatan were attacked by vampire bats. And that name — actually the bat was named for the mythological monster, not the other way around. The Aztecs called them quimich-paplotl, which means butterfly mouse. That's much less threatening.
DRUNK MONKEYS
Green vervet monkeys arrived in St. Kitts with Africans brought as slaves to work the sugar cane fields. Researchers theorize the monkeys got a taste for the hooch by snacking on fermented cane that was left in the fields after harvest. There's a lot less cane cultivation in St. Kitts nowadays, but, luckily for the monkeys, there are a lot more bars. Like drunks everywhere, they exhibit poor manners, swiping rumrunners and running or pilfering piña coladas poolside. Researchers studying the monkeys found that the ratio of alcoholic monkeys to teetotalers was about the same among the monkeys as it is in human populations. As the saying goes, there's one in every crowd. So what's a vervet monkey's favorite beer? Free beer. What's a vervet monkey's second favorite beer? Free light beer.
VAMPIRE BAT
Before you go packing garlic in your carry-on, vampire bats are only found in the Caribbean in Trinidad and along the Central American coast. Having said that, they're thirsty little suckers. Fortunately, they're also small — 3 inches long and an ounce and half in weight. Yes, they do attack sleeping mammals (including people) and drink their blood, but because they're so small, they only drink about an ounce of blood at a time. Want to be freaked out? Vampire bats are pretty nimble on the ground, too, hopping and running by using their wings as an extra set of feet. Early Spanish naturalists reported that the Conquistadors in Panama and the Yucatan were attacked by vampire bats. And that name — actually the bat was named for the mythological monster, not the other way around. The Aztecs called them quimich-paplotl, which means butterfly mouse. That's much less threatening.
Crimea: Lessons for Africa
The recent suspension of Russia from the G8 club of rich countries has been described as “no big deal” by the President Vladimir Putin-led administration.
The group of leaders retaliated over President Vladimir Putin’s annexation of Ukraine’s region of Crimea by agreeing to exclude Russia from their meetings.
United States of America’s President, Barack Obama, joined David Cameron of UK and the leaders of France, Germany, Canada, Italy and Japan to impose the penalty.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said G8 is an informal organization that does not give out any membership cards and, by its definition, cannot remove anyone.
According to him, all the economic and financial questions are decided in G20, and G8 exists as a forum for dialogue between the leading Western countries and Russia.
However, the G8 stopped short of permanently barring Russia from the top table of international politics, holding open the prospect of readmission if Moscow agrees to “abide by international rules”.
The group of leaders retaliated over President Vladimir Putin’s annexation of Ukraine’s region of Crimea by agreeing to exclude Russia from their meetings.
United States of America’s President, Barack Obama, joined David Cameron of UK and the leaders of France, Germany, Canada, Italy and Japan to impose the penalty.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said G8 is an informal organization that does not give out any membership cards and, by its definition, cannot remove anyone.
According to him, all the economic and financial questions are decided in G20, and G8 exists as a forum for dialogue between the leading Western countries and Russia.
However, the G8 stopped short of permanently barring Russia from the top table of international politics, holding open the prospect of readmission if Moscow agrees to “abide by international rules”.
Tuesday, April 8, 2014
New ambassador modernizes Canada’s hidden agenda in Venezuela
Amidst headlines dominated by the situation in Ukraine, this bit of news slipped by almost unnoticed at the end of February; Ben Rowswell replaced Paul Gibbard as Canadian ambassador to Venezuela, as mandated by Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird. But a quick look into the appointee’s background brings special significance to his promotion, especially as opposition protests escalate in Venezuela.
Described in 2010 as a “rising foreign service star” by the Toronto Star, Rowswell has served as Canada’s official diplomatic representative in a number of conspicuous places across the Middle East. From Kandahar, Afghanistan to Kabul and Iraq immediately after the fall of Saddam Hussein, Rowswell has become an expert at representing Canada’s interests in the heat of conflict.
At the age of 22 he was baptized into the foreign service by fire, working in Mogadishu during the Somali Civil War of the early 1990s. He went on to work for the Canadian Embassy in Cairo from 1995-98.
A diplomat for the digital age, he held the title of "Director of Innovation" at the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development.
Described in 2010 as a “rising foreign service star” by the Toronto Star, Rowswell has served as Canada’s official diplomatic representative in a number of conspicuous places across the Middle East. From Kandahar, Afghanistan to Kabul and Iraq immediately after the fall of Saddam Hussein, Rowswell has become an expert at representing Canada’s interests in the heat of conflict.
At the age of 22 he was baptized into the foreign service by fire, working in Mogadishu during the Somali Civil War of the early 1990s. He went on to work for the Canadian Embassy in Cairo from 1995-98.
A diplomat for the digital age, he held the title of "Director of Innovation" at the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development.
Why cholera persists in Haiti despite an abundance of aid
It's been more than three years since cholera struck Haiti. And the epidemic continues today.
The deadly bacteria have killed more than 8,500 people and infected hundreds of thousands.
Why has the outbreak been so hard to stop, even with more than $9 million in foreign aid pledged to Haiti?
Lack of sanitation, says journalist Jonathan Katz, who has been covering the cholera epidemic since it began.
Haiti doesn't have sewers. Instead, the country relies on what's known as the bayakou: independent, and somewhat secretive, laborers who clean the cesspools under people's latrines.
"Almost all of them are men ... and they work in a very interesting way," Katz says. "The job is done by hand. They climb into the latrines with a bucket. They scoop out the excrement and put it somewhere else."
The deadly bacteria have killed more than 8,500 people and infected hundreds of thousands.
Why has the outbreak been so hard to stop, even with more than $9 million in foreign aid pledged to Haiti?
Lack of sanitation, says journalist Jonathan Katz, who has been covering the cholera epidemic since it began.
Haiti doesn't have sewers. Instead, the country relies on what's known as the bayakou: independent, and somewhat secretive, laborers who clean the cesspools under people's latrines.
"Almost all of them are men ... and they work in a very interesting way," Katz says. "The job is done by hand. They climb into the latrines with a bucket. They scoop out the excrement and put it somewhere else."