From Wikipedia-
Politics-
The article describing the position and its current incumbent.
Prime Minister of Crimea
Sergey Aksyonov
World War II-
The last of the Axis powers and the pact that formed one of the alliances.
Benito Mussolini's Fascism
Pact of Steel
For Fun-
Nerdily delving into space with an asteroid that gave us some brief panic, and a warp drive that uses hypothetical particles to move faster than light.
99942 Apophis
Alcubierre drive
Thank you for reading, wherever you may be.
Thursday, March 20, 2014
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
Daily Reading 3/19/14
From Wikipedia-
In the News-
The search for a missing plane, and another that has never been found.
Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 2501
USS Kidd
World War II-
Continuing to examine the causes, weaknesses with the treaty that ended the previous war, and Emperor Hirohito of Japan.
The Treaty of Versailles
Hirohito
For Fun-
Examining the power of engineering and imagination.
Mega Structure
The Illinois
Thank You, for reading. Now onto more important things.
In the News-
The search for a missing plane, and another that has never been found.
Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 2501
USS Kidd
World War II-
Continuing to examine the causes, weaknesses with the treaty that ended the previous war, and Emperor Hirohito of Japan.
The Treaty of Versailles
Hirohito
For Fun-
Examining the power of engineering and imagination.
Mega Structure
The Illinois
Thank You, for reading. Now onto more important things.
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
Daily Reading 3/18/14
From Wikipedia-
Politics-
One of the few countries to still have an elected monarch.
Malaysia
Yang di-Pertuan Agong
World War II-
Starting at the beginning and reviewing the causes.
Weimar Republic
Hitler's Rise to Power
For Fun-
Two large radio observatories with a great history.
Arecibo Observatory
Very Large Array
Thank you for reading, you can now impress your friends with your newfound knowledge.
Politics-
One of the few countries to still have an elected monarch.
Malaysia
Yang di-Pertuan Agong
World War II-
Starting at the beginning and reviewing the causes.
Weimar Republic
Hitler's Rise to Power
For Fun-
Two large radio observatories with a great history.
Arecibo Observatory
Very Large Array
Thank you for reading, you can now impress your friends with your newfound knowledge.
Saturday, March 8, 2014
The GOP
Once Grand, Never Again
When I grew up in the South I idolized the GOP because my parents did. My dad was a hard working contractor who built his business from scratch, so of course his support is going trend red. I used to see the president and politicians in an almost aura-like state. Though I was young when Clinton was impeached I still was giddy with joy because he was a Democrat, and in the south you hate those Democrats.
I used to aspire to be a Republican, and fulfil my duty to vote for a just cause. I remember the first time I voted, the feeling of finally doing something meaningful. However, voting has never been that way since. I think it might have been because the church I vote at always managed to run out of voter stickers before I finished voting. What is the point of voting unless you can prove to your neighbors that you are as patriotic as they?
With my feelings of joy being replaced with apathy, I again gazed over the ballot, and again was disappointed that I had somehow let it come to this. We are told in school that every vote counts, but when faced with a choice between two people whom you did not and cannot support, your vote seems meaningless. It is a connection problem. The connection between the cause and the result. When I anonymously check a candidate, I do not see the end result immediately, and in this highly connected world, expediency is king.
Yes, if my guy wins I am rapturous, and rush to gloat. The caveat being that the opposite happens when my guy loses. Uncertainty of tomorrow, feelings of doubt, investment in rare earths, and the stockpiling mattress cash to name a few. That feeling passes eventually though, its half life equal to that of the first 90-100 days of the new presidency or congressional session. Afterwards life becomes normal again and I wait another two years for the rush and dissapointment.
This is where the problems begin in the space in between.
In between the primaries, the political push, and the overall election cycle, lies the swaying point. The point where if things are going great, the undecided public stays with their team, if things are going bad, all lifeboats set sail. This is where little stories become big ones out of pure boredom, and both parties are struggling for the American public to retain interest in the political system. This is why the Republican party is struggling.
They cannot manage this political gap effectively, and must rely on a passionate blitzkrieg to get the party rallied again in an election year. This constant stopping and stalling, complaining and whining, tires the public to a point of exhaustion. In the end, after each cycle, it takes more and more momentum, more rallying speeches, even a party convention to spark interest in the cause.
The aging party is slowly wearing itself out.
Looking tired to the young and hip democrats. The democrats who do not mind you skateboarding on the sidewalk outside their house. The democrats who will not bug you as much, you just sit back in relax, they'll take care of everything. Just get up on a Tuesday in November and vote blue, so you won't have to be!
Because the 1980s republicans are slowly becoming a distant memory, the next generation is coming along and the GOP is panicked because they are not voting Republican. The ideologues in the party are afraid to rethink their positions on core issues, and fail to see a generation that is fighting desperately to not become like their parents. The 33 year old single mother, the 33 year old occupy protester, the 33 year old unemployed. All of which see Republicans as a danger to their livelihood, and as a representation of their parents telling them what to do.
What is the worst thing I can do to upset my parents? Vote Democrat.
What upsets my mom more than anything that I will ever do? Not voting.
Voting is a point of pride in my family, public service even more. Why can't the GOP simply open up to more healthy debates that will fulfill both points of pride in my family? Why can't they invoke that same feeling when I was 18 and I was fulfilling my duty to the Nation?
Until they can recapture the spirit of the next generation, the republican party will go the way of the Whigs and become a mere footnote in American history.
When I grew up in the South I idolized the GOP because my parents did. My dad was a hard working contractor who built his business from scratch, so of course his support is going trend red. I used to see the president and politicians in an almost aura-like state. Though I was young when Clinton was impeached I still was giddy with joy because he was a Democrat, and in the south you hate those Democrats.
I used to aspire to be a Republican, and fulfil my duty to vote for a just cause. I remember the first time I voted, the feeling of finally doing something meaningful. However, voting has never been that way since. I think it might have been because the church I vote at always managed to run out of voter stickers before I finished voting. What is the point of voting unless you can prove to your neighbors that you are as patriotic as they?
With my feelings of joy being replaced with apathy, I again gazed over the ballot, and again was disappointed that I had somehow let it come to this. We are told in school that every vote counts, but when faced with a choice between two people whom you did not and cannot support, your vote seems meaningless. It is a connection problem. The connection between the cause and the result. When I anonymously check a candidate, I do not see the end result immediately, and in this highly connected world, expediency is king.
Yes, if my guy wins I am rapturous, and rush to gloat. The caveat being that the opposite happens when my guy loses. Uncertainty of tomorrow, feelings of doubt, investment in rare earths, and the stockpiling mattress cash to name a few. That feeling passes eventually though, its half life equal to that of the first 90-100 days of the new presidency or congressional session. Afterwards life becomes normal again and I wait another two years for the rush and dissapointment.
This is where the problems begin in the space in between.
In between the primaries, the political push, and the overall election cycle, lies the swaying point. The point where if things are going great, the undecided public stays with their team, if things are going bad, all lifeboats set sail. This is where little stories become big ones out of pure boredom, and both parties are struggling for the American public to retain interest in the political system. This is why the Republican party is struggling.
They cannot manage this political gap effectively, and must rely on a passionate blitzkrieg to get the party rallied again in an election year. This constant stopping and stalling, complaining and whining, tires the public to a point of exhaustion. In the end, after each cycle, it takes more and more momentum, more rallying speeches, even a party convention to spark interest in the cause.
The aging party is slowly wearing itself out.
Looking tired to the young and hip democrats. The democrats who do not mind you skateboarding on the sidewalk outside their house. The democrats who will not bug you as much, you just sit back in relax, they'll take care of everything. Just get up on a Tuesday in November and vote blue, so you won't have to be!
Because the 1980s republicans are slowly becoming a distant memory, the next generation is coming along and the GOP is panicked because they are not voting Republican. The ideologues in the party are afraid to rethink their positions on core issues, and fail to see a generation that is fighting desperately to not become like their parents. The 33 year old single mother, the 33 year old occupy protester, the 33 year old unemployed. All of which see Republicans as a danger to their livelihood, and as a representation of their parents telling them what to do.
What is the worst thing I can do to upset my parents? Vote Democrat.
What upsets my mom more than anything that I will ever do? Not voting.
Voting is a point of pride in my family, public service even more. Why can't the GOP simply open up to more healthy debates that will fulfill both points of pride in my family? Why can't they invoke that same feeling when I was 18 and I was fulfilling my duty to the Nation?
Until they can recapture the spirit of the next generation, the republican party will go the way of the Whigs and become a mere footnote in American history.
Daily Reading 3/8/14
From Wikipedia:
Politics:
The creator of the rockets that launched us into space- Wernher von Braun
The international determinant of the brink of global disaster- Doomsday Clock
WWII:
This day in WWII- Japanese Capture of Rangoon
Overall picture- South-East Asia theater
For Fun:
Stanley Kubrick's classic- Dr. Strangelove
An early supercomputer- IBM 7090
Politics:
The creator of the rockets that launched us into space- Wernher von Braun
The international determinant of the brink of global disaster- Doomsday Clock
WWII:
This day in WWII- Japanese Capture of Rangoon
Overall picture- South-East Asia theater
For Fun:
Stanley Kubrick's classic- Dr. Strangelove
An early supercomputer- IBM 7090
Monday, March 3, 2014
To Vladimir Vladmirovich Putin
Mr. Putin,
I am an American living in Georgia, but do not get your hopes up for you this is a Georgia you have not yet invaded. We have no real natural resources that you would covet, and no regions of majority Russian speaking people that you can claim control of. Our legislature is not merely a puppet for the policies of a president who wields totalitarian control.
I am writing to ask in one succinct word, why? Why do you feel the need to march into Ukraine and threaten the sovereign region who has been autonomous since 1995. Why do you feel the need to back a president who stole $70 billion from its people? Why is it compulsory for you to use your military might on a country that can barely defend itself?
In an era of geopolitical thought and the United Nations trying desperately year after year to maintain global peace, why do you feel the need to invade another country with such pretexts that mirror Hitler in its justifications?
Yes, surely you remember the invasion of Czechoslovakia? Hitler's justification was to protect the German speaking population of the region. How is this any different from what you are doing? Sure the comparison may seem extreme, but his actions soon plunged the world into War World II.
In these modern times do you really want another Cold War? Or perhaps that is your main goal, to revert back to the policy of the former USSR that you grew up in, a time that you secretly still crave. You see I still think you long for, (forgive the idiom) the good old days. The days where the party was apodictic in its actions, and its support by the people unwavering, or else! A time where you could make any dissent disappear overnight, non-persons erased from history sent to your infamous Gulags.
Mr. Putin, it is your people I feel the worst for, and the people of Ukraine. I have seen what the Russian power has done there in its recent history, and why you want the region for yourself. It is hard to forget, though you might consider it Western propaganda, that an estimated 10 million Ukrainians died of starvation when the USSR confiscated all of its grain in the 1930s.
You are a brilliant man, and no one can deny that, not even Western media. However, your continued intent to control the Ukrainian peoples, and the breadbasket of the former Soviet States can only harm the people involved. Please use reason, and do not let your ego influence your future decisions.
Sincerely,
Taylor Chandler
I am an American living in Georgia, but do not get your hopes up for you this is a Georgia you have not yet invaded. We have no real natural resources that you would covet, and no regions of majority Russian speaking people that you can claim control of. Our legislature is not merely a puppet for the policies of a president who wields totalitarian control.
I am writing to ask in one succinct word, why? Why do you feel the need to march into Ukraine and threaten the sovereign region who has been autonomous since 1995. Why do you feel the need to back a president who stole $70 billion from its people? Why is it compulsory for you to use your military might on a country that can barely defend itself?
In an era of geopolitical thought and the United Nations trying desperately year after year to maintain global peace, why do you feel the need to invade another country with such pretexts that mirror Hitler in its justifications?
Yes, surely you remember the invasion of Czechoslovakia? Hitler's justification was to protect the German speaking population of the region. How is this any different from what you are doing? Sure the comparison may seem extreme, but his actions soon plunged the world into War World II.
In these modern times do you really want another Cold War? Or perhaps that is your main goal, to revert back to the policy of the former USSR that you grew up in, a time that you secretly still crave. You see I still think you long for, (forgive the idiom) the good old days. The days where the party was apodictic in its actions, and its support by the people unwavering, or else! A time where you could make any dissent disappear overnight, non-persons erased from history sent to your infamous Gulags.
Mr. Putin, it is your people I feel the worst for, and the people of Ukraine. I have seen what the Russian power has done there in its recent history, and why you want the region for yourself. It is hard to forget, though you might consider it Western propaganda, that an estimated 10 million Ukrainians died of starvation when the USSR confiscated all of its grain in the 1930s.
You are a brilliant man, and no one can deny that, not even Western media. However, your continued intent to control the Ukrainian peoples, and the breadbasket of the former Soviet States can only harm the people involved. Please use reason, and do not let your ego influence your future decisions.
Sincerely,
Taylor Chandler
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
Swiss Bank Fraud
The government is finally cracking down and trying to get its hard earned money from millionaire tax evaders.
An LA Times article yesterday detailed massive amounts of money that is hiding overseas in highly secretive and discreet Swiss bank accounts. Like we did not already know that. For years lawmakers in the United States have been trying to find out who and crack down on these extremely rich tax evaders. Immunity stands for anyone who wants to give up some 22,000 wealthy Americans who tucked and rolled their money out of the United States to avoid the highly progressive tax rate.
It is not wrong for the government to want their money, it is wrong to extort the Swiss into giving it to them.
Apparently just the thought has driven thousands of these tax dodgers to fess up and pay billions in back taxes and penalties. The main reason for them is its just a matter of time. I'm not an expert on international law, but I do know that we currently have an extradition treaty with the Swiss. So what the government is doing is not breaking any US laws, its the millionaires who are, but the ambiguity that surrounds who actually has money overseas makes it hard to prosecute.
Instead the United States is going after the banks themselves, to try to get them to give up as many private investors as possible. However their efforts seem fruitless.
United States Military Cutbacks
The Constitution
When talking about the United States military, it is necessary to examine the constitution. As is common knowledge Article 1, Section 8, of the United States Constitution, gives congress the rights to wage war, grant rights to privateers, and also allows for a funding of the Army and Navy (cl. 12 and 13 respectively). The interesting thing about these particular clauses is the debate between the Federalists and Anti-Federalists when they were written some 200 years ago.
The Anti-Federalists were skeptical about the need for a standing army during peacetime, citing many grievances. James Burgh stated that, "[a] standing army in times of peace, [is] one of the most hurtful, and most dangerous of abuses."
An anti-federalist paper (suspected to written by George Clinton's political ally Robert Yates) Brutus no. 10 states that they, "are dangerous to the liberties of a people...not only because the rulers may employ them for the purposes of supporting themselves in any usurpation of powers, which they may see proper to exercise, but there is a great hazard, that any army will subvert the forms of government, under whose authority, they are raised, and establish one, according to the pleasure of their leader."
However it is the great John Hamilton who defended the clause by saying that, "These powers ought to exist without limitation: because it is impossible to foresee or define the extent or variety of national exigencies, or the correspondent extent & variety of the means which may be necessary to satisfy them." (The Federalist No. 23)
So a middle ground was reached which involved Military funding which according to the Constitution was supposed to be every 2 years. In this way the Army could be adjusted based on need, and that a large standing army could be avoided for precautionary measures.
Modern Threats
Terrorism
All this to say that the cutting of Military troops to so called "Pre World War II levels" do nothing to threaten our existence or way of life. The fear of retaliation is enough to assuage our enemies in the modern age. This, as I believe it, is the reason terrorism is so rampant in today's world and that a war against is always going to be perpetual.
Terrorism has no nationality, and resorts to surreptitious means to fulfill what it sees as the ultimate end goal- the demise of the ruling class or ones they view as the tyrants. Therefore with no diplomacy available, as with a war or an attack by a country, terrorism will continue regardless of counter attacks, and regardless of a government's efforts to deter it. So it seems to me that the argument that a large military will prevent terrorism is a moot point.
Another point that I have heard spouted from the dissidents of DOD cutbacks is what I call the Men vs Men argument. It states that because of the manpower of super armies such as North Korea, China, India, and Russia that we should have an equal amount in America, for after all we are the worlds most powerful and advanced nation. This argument laughably solves itself. Anyone that thinks that wars are fought largely with men vs men especially in this modern age should rethink their position.
Between the United States' vast weapons technology and advanced military training we would, even with proposed cuts, be able to defend ourselves. Also we would be able to retaliate ten fold, with ICBMs and if necessary nuclear force, to deter our enemies even more.
I'll reiterate the bottom line from Monday's post:
If war were to break out tomorrow even with the defense cuts, I strongly doubt that the United States would be unprepared for such a conflict. What this should be seen as is the DOD finally realizing that they have a spending problem, and them trying to responsibly resolve the issue without putting the Nation's defense in jeopardy.
Daily Reading 2/26/14
China has always interested me, mainly because of the age of their culture and their almost perfect homogeneous Han society. It is a culture that owes a lot to its early emperors and empresses. Today's reading is themed on the early formation of China and some of its creation myths.
From Wikipedia
Politics-
The Three Sovereigns
Wu Zetian
WWII-
The Battle for China
Operation Barbarossa
For Fun-
Pangu
Qilin
Daily readings are found through my endless rabbit hole wanderings through the internet. Please use caution when reading Wikipedia pages, and only trust information and facts that have been provided with inline citations.
From Wikipedia
Politics-
The Three Sovereigns
Wu Zetian
WWII-
The Battle for China
Operation Barbarossa
For Fun-
Pangu
Qilin
Daily readings are found through my endless rabbit hole wanderings through the internet. Please use caution when reading Wikipedia pages, and only trust information and facts that have been provided with inline citations.
Tuesday, February 25, 2014
Daily Reading 2/25/14
Today's readings are a random assortment of starter readings. Under the political thought section, two institutions of government are contrasted. For fun the famous director Cecil B. Demille and the revolutionary process that brought color to film.
From Wikipedia-
From Wikipedia-
WWII
Political Thought
For Fun
Monday, February 24, 2014
Ukraine
When a country is desperate for change.
In the Ukraine something unusual is happening.
The people protested a trade deal, that seemed among other things, the breaking point for a people already stricken with poverty and low wages. The protest turned violent and it was hard for the world to ignore the protestations any longer. The president fled the country, the country that now wants him tried as a criminal.
That is only the beginning though.
Reports are starting to surface through Reuters and CNN that is exposing just how unnecessarily lavish the president was. Revealing just how much money an unchecked president could spend in the name of his people. Mansions with ornate interiors, car collections worth millions owned by the president and his son, and a partially finished five story villa overlooking the Black Sea.
The primary question asked is, "Why?"
The question that I want to know is what will happen next in this former Soviet Republic. Who will rise to power as the figurehead in this new regime? It begs further study.
Wikipedia Article
Beginning of the End
Defense Department Budget Cuts
First take a look at this page on Wikipedia here.
The United States used to be a world leader in military power. However, after a stalemate in Korea and the highly unpopular war in Vietnam public opinion changed and the military saw the post WWII golden age at an end. So after 30 years the military has dwindled to a place of 9th in total military power, 52nd in military per capita, and 11th in reserve military. We do maintain a strong second in terms of active military, loosing to only China.
What is interesting to me (it might be the United States' size that allows this) is a small percentage of the population can serve in the military while the military can still maintain the second largest active duty in the world. Here are the percentages of population to total active duty from 1940-2010 (Defense per capita).
United States
1940- .34%
1945- 9%
1950- .9%
1955- 1.9%
1960-1.4%
1965- 1.45%
1970-1.48%
1975-1.04%
1980-.90%
1985- .94%
1990- .82%
1995- .61%
2000- .49%
2003- .50%
2010- .47%
2014(proposed)- .43%
The bottom line is that we will still have a large active military, through technology the modern DOD is becoming more efficient on a daily basis. We are seeing the removal of humans from the front lines and replacing them with more expendable technologies such as drones and robots. So my question is why is it such a big deal that the army wants to move humans out of harms way?
If war were to break out tomorrow even with the defense cuts, I strongly doubt that the United States would be unprepared for such a conflict. What this should be seen as is the DOD finally realizing that they have a spending problem, and them trying to responsibly resolve the issue without putting the Nation's defense in jeopardy.
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