The 5th summit of the BRICS group is going down in Durban, South Africa….and the actual heads of state of these rapidly growing economies have plans to evolve the group into much more than a talking shop! A possible BRICS development bank, a currency swap, and even a broadband cable between these countries displays a rapid evolution of this block into a competing source of economic….and political….power on the planet! Dig this BRICS rant to see the seriousness of these shenanigans!
Keywords: BRICS, Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, bank, currency swap, broadband cable, IMF, World Bank, UN, Security Council, developing countries, emerging economies, multipolar world, rising powers, capitalism, structural adjustments
Well, they did it again! On 2-12-13 North Korea conducted it’s 3rd underground nuclear test….thus pushing it’s ambitious quest for nuclear weapons to the max. In an unintentionally longer rant, the Professor expounds upon 1)Why North Korea did it, 2)the world reaction and 3)Why this test most threatens the status and stability of China over all others. Of course, the US role in all of this is peppered in for halva’ too, as American policy in the Pacific is the one thing that will likely change the most as a result of this nuke test….and the tis part of the problem for China. Cheese-ing China game on!
Keywords: North Korea, nuclear, Kim Jong-Un, test, China, US, South Korea, Japan, missile defense shield, Pacific, security, stability, Cold War, World War
With all the hype and grotesque amounts of money swirling around the all-important US election, the Professor offers a rant on the problems with the US system, which has morphed into a democratic monarchy, along with some comparative alternatives of elections and democracy and leadership systems around the world. Join the conversation, and take this country back from the royals!!!!
And if you enjoyed this rant at all, suggest a topic for tomorrow, and also pledge some dollars and get some prizes from the Plaid Avenger’s project at: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/johnboyer/interactive-educational-comic-app-plaid-avenger-in
Keywords: USA. election, President, democracy, political parties, corruption, monarchy, UK, Prime Minister, parliament, India, Australia, Canada, Japan, Russia, one-party state, China, Democrats, Republicans, Communist, Labor, Tory
The Russian throw-down has officially occurred:! Russian President Vladimir Putin has made it crystal clear (through words, actions, and official visits) that he sees Russia’s future in the East, not the West. Listen as the Professor points out all the Puin moves that make this assessment entirely obvious….including multiple disses of Team West on the G-8, on Syria, and on missile defense, while further embracing China, the SCO, and a “Eurasian Trade Union.”
Putin sez: “The fundamental interests [of Moscow and Beijing] coincide broadly both in international and economic affairs.”
Hu Jintao sez: “I am firmly convinced that your visit will contribute to further development of all-embracing strategic partnership and cooperation.”
Can you feel the love? I can smell it from here.
In completely unrelated stories, there is suddenly a flurry of protest activity this week by pissed off indigenous peeps that are creating a bit of chaos on two different continents. In China, pro-Tibetan-rights peeps are facing of against a crushing Chinese military presence in Tibet and Sichuan; and in Australia, pro-Aboriginal-rights groups had a bizarrely brazen “attack” on Aussie Prime Minister Julia Gillard! Crikey! The Professor covers a bit of background on these events and offers some hypotheses about why that are happening now, and what they are all about.
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