Washington Empire's Ukraine Civil War caper spawns global economic war

Two interesting threads on the Real News Network in the past few weeks - the first about the new low Oil Price - and the other about the recent splitting of the Global Economy into two powerful camps

Together I consider these as part of the continuing fallout from the Washington Empire's recent annexation of western Ukraine from the Russian sphere of influence ...

Below are embeds and links to three The Real News Network stories from second half of December 2014:

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Update - Dec 30 2014: Part II of the Larry Wilkerson Interview on Economic Warfare is up - where Wilkerson does make the connection between the Ukraine Civil War and the new low Oil Price.

Update Video:

TRNN - December 29, 2014:

What are U.S. Objectives in Weakening Russia's Economy?

Larry Wilkerson and Paul Jay discuss the "tactical strength and strategic weakness" of Putin in Ukraine and whether the West is trying to turn Russia into another "Greece".

What are U.S. Objectives in Weakening Russia's Economy?

Youtube- TRNN Channel | What are U.S. Objectives in Weakening Russia's Economy?: http://youtu.be/_ai9nDDk3sQ

1st Video:

TRNN - December 28, 2014:

US/Saudi Oil Play Is Economic Warfare

Lawrence Wilkerson says the target of low oil prices is Russia and Iran, throwing their economies into turmoil and opening their doors to sovereign raiders.

US/Saudi Oil Play Is Economic Warfare

Youtube- TRNN Channel | US/Saudi Oil Play Is Economic Warfare: http://youtu.be/fux6lsz9HU8

The 2nd Video:

TRNN - December 15, 2014

Russia Rejects South Stream Pipeline Through Europe

Hudson Report: Europe's effort to join the US in isolating Russia has backfired, it makes no sense to build an oil and gas pipeline for Russian exports that would be owned and leased to them by the US and Europe.

Russia Rejects South Stream Pipeline Through Europe

(Embedding disabled by request)(?)
Youtube - TRNN Channel | Russia Rejects South Stream Pipeline Through Europe | http://youtu.be/7YAIiF3hvzM

The 3rd Video:

TRNN - December 14, 2014:

Russia Pivots to Eurasia for Trade and Military Alliances

Michael Hudson Report: The United State's renewed cold war policy to isolate Russia is dividing Europe and changing the orbit for China and Asia

Russia Pivots to Eurasia for Trade and Military Alliances

Youtube- TRNN Channel | Russia Pivots to Eurasia for Trade and Military Alliances | http://youtu.be/nflZSjiofr8

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In the top video I think Lawrence Wilkerson misses the chance to make the connection between the Eastern Ukraine Civil War (Washington, Russia proxy war), and this Oil Price Economic Warfare.

This Ukraine Adventure is the first great test of the American Empire. The Empire's gambit is to break Russia's hegemony in Central Asia through a Crimean Civil War (which they started, and will supply). The Russian embargo has lead to Russia to create other trading relationships - and this is the reason for the flood of cheap American oil in the market today.


I look at it in an historical context:

Today at the wsj they say US Oil production is to remain high; and the Saudi's announced last week they will not drop production.

Since the dissolution of the Soviet Union, The Global Empire Project has been probing Russia's sphere of influence for weakness. To Russia's west - new NATO members (Hungary, Czech Republic, Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovenia, Slovakia, Bulgaria, and Romania); and to her south (coupes, black-ops in Kyrgyzstan¹, Georgia² and Azerbaijan - and in 2014, Ukraine).

These ancient boundaries and sphere's have been in place for millennia. It is common knowledge amoung historians³ that in order for Russia to maintain her global position she must hold the Black Sea (and in the modern naval era - 1750 to present⁴ - that means a naval port at Sevastopol, Crimea).

In Georgia in 2008, when the CIA/US Embassy tried to pull of a putsch, Russia sent in crack armies into Georgia. Russia was saying - this region is strategic. Here is a line that you shall not cross (at threat of mutually assured destruction - great-power war).


But this isn't American two-super-power tactics - where a hot war is just left to simmer - now this is Empire. In the Ukraine The Empire has taken a bold march east; and she must now hold on to it, and project it. An Empire is too over-stretched to allow a perception of mortality - it cannot lose or draw; cannot be seen to lose or draw.

Oil (and other energy) is what projects the Empire's power around the globe. So to use the price of oil as a weapon in this cracking of the Russia sphere at Crimea shows the observer just how important The Ukraine is the the geopolitical chess masters in Washington.

For Russia their understanding is that the G7 is no longer pretending to be the world government that all economies would somehow share a representative say in - Russia knows now, it is just another a weapon of the Global Empire - with Russia looking on from the outside.

Russia's response is to try to expand trade agreements with China - and other not-so-globally-supreme powers. The Eurasian Economic Union⁵ for example.

So now with lower energy prices China is enticed back to her seaports to import her energy needs - and all of a sudden a pipeline deal with Russia seems a lot less important. China's ease is Russia's worry - just the way the US has always played this part of the grand game. Geo-politically, unity of the economies of China and Russia would be a disaster for the Global Empire.

So deals that China and Russia are making right now take them out of the US Oil Dollar economy, creating economies outside the US economic sphere. These 'sub-economies' are created by using state-to-state bond transfers, the creation of internal subsidies and the use of internal monetary mechanisms not based on World Bank policy (not allowed in G7 economies).


Next step towards WWIII is a political one - the fascist-quisling puppets in Kiev are to vote to join NATO next.

This little skirmish in eastern Ukraine is Russia's last military stand before Volgograd - her gateway on the Caspian Sea to the Black Sea and the Mediterranean.

References:

¹ EurAsiaNET - December 28, 2014 | While U.S. Negotiated Over Manas, Pentagon Intensified Kyrgyzstan Special Forces Training | http://www.eurasianet.org/node/71496

² NYT - August 13, 2008 | Bush, Sending Aid, Demands That Moscow Withdraw - reported by Steven Lee Myers, Sabrina Tavernise, Ellen Barry - written by Sreven Lee Myers | http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/14/world/europe/14georgia.html?oref=slogin&_r=0

³ Recent History of Empires in Crimea:

Map (image via Wikipedia | The Golden Horde | http://en.wikipedia.org
/wiki/Golden_Horde ) shows the extent of the Mongol state known (in the west) as 'The Golden Horde' (1240s–1502).

Later - the Ottoman Empire(1299–1923) controlled the region. As soon as it controlled Crimea(1481) it controlled the Black Sea coast and parts of Asia to the east. As soon as it lost Crimea (Russian Empire - 1774) the Ottoman's no longer controlled the northern coast or any part of Asia north of Georgia. (Check the "Rise and Fall of the Ottoman Empire 1300-1923int.gif" from Wikipedia)

This border alignment is reflected in the later Russian Empire (1721-1917) and the Soviet Union's borders (1921-1998).

If you control Crimea, then you control the Black Sea, the Caspian Sea, and Central Asia east to the borders of China and Mongolia.

In modern times that means huge proven sources of natural resources - including Oil and Gas that could supply  China's emerging advanced industrial economy.

⁴ Wikipedia | Naval Artillery, Scientific Gunnery, New Principles in Gunnery (1742) | http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naval_artillery#Scientific_gunnery

⁵Eruasian Economic Union | Guardian Weekly - October 28, 2014 | "Vladimir Putin’s Eurasian Economic Union gets ready to take on the world" - by Benoît Vitkine | http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/oct/28/eurasian-economic-union-russia-belarus-kazakhstan

Video News Stories at TRNN:

TRNN - December 29, 2014 | What are U.S. Objectives in Weakening Russia's Economy? | http://therealnews.com/t2/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31&Itemid=74&jumival=12894

TRNN - December 28, 2014 | US/Saudi Oil Play Is Economic Warfare | http://therealnews.com/t2/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31&Itemid=74&jumival=12892

TRNN - December 15, 2014 | Russia Rejects South Stream Pipeline Through Europe | http://therealnews.com/t2/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31&Itemid=74&jumival=12811

TRNN - December 14, 2014 | Russia Pivots to Eurasia for Trade and Military Alliances http://therealnews.com/t2/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31&Itemid=74&jumival=12786

Recent History of Crimea - at Wikipedia:

 Wikipedia | The History of Crimea | http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Crimea

Wikipedia | The Golden Horde(1240s–1502) | http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Horde

Wikipedia | The Ottoman Empire (1300-1923) | http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Territorial_evolution_of_the_Ottoman_Empire

Wikipedia | The Russian Empire (1721-1917) | http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_Empire



mh

Outing the Content Lawyers - MUSIC • TECHNOLOGY • POLICY

MUSIC • TECHNOLOGY • POLICY - 2014-12-22 | Joe Cocker RIP - by Chris Castle | http://musictechpolicy.wordpress.com/2014/12/22/joe-cocker-rip/#comment-2207

"..

Many years ago, Roger Davies walked into my office in the green bungalow on the A&M lot with a list of issues to cover for his artists. One was a license of “You Are So Beautiful” by Joe Cocker for a major motion picture. We came to have Joe on the label due to Jerry Moss’s relationship with the late Howie Richmond that also gave us a couple other artists called The Move and Procol Harum back in the day.

Roger’s feeling was that “You Are So Beautiful” was one of Joe’s signature recordings and it had become undervalued due to overlicensing at less than premium prices. Remember, Joe hadn’t been on A&M for years, but when you have a catalog of classic recordings by an artist who was as much of a creative force as Joe Cocker, those relationships are timeless. Also remember that Roger Davies had just pulled off the revival of Tina Turner’s career (and we had released “River Deep, Mountain High” by Ike & Tina Turner).

So I was very much interested in respecting that history. I asked Roger what he had in mind, and he said $250,000.

Now, that’s a lot of money for a licensed track, even for an end title. I kind of looked at him.

And another $250,000 for trailers.

I said, just so I have this straight, you want $500,000 for an end title license on a 20 year old master?

That was, of course, exactly what Roger wanted. This was not going to go over well. I thought about it for a few seconds and then thought, fuck it.

I put in a call to the head of music for the major studio that was releasing the picture and said I got your request here for Joe Cocker. The quote is 250.

..."

And my comment (which never gets published):

What a load of self-serving bullshit.

In the day when 'shooting fish in a barrel' was what the selling of content was - and in that particular day - in the dying days of that formula - you guys got a sweetheart deal from a studio that was also feeling the same pinch that your record industry was - now-gone-by.

Copy-right is over - all the Christmas story of that by-gone era are irrelevant.


Michael Holloway
Toronto

mh

MUSIC • TECHNOLOGY • POLICYs' Chris Castle runs off the rails - again...

MUSIC • TECHNOLOGY • POLICY - December 6, 2014 | "A Royale With Cheese: How Google Taught the U.S. Congress to Lead With Their Chins" - by Chris Castle | http://musictechpolicy.wordpress.com/2014/12/06/a-royale-with-cheese-how-google-taught-the-u-s-congress-to-lead-with-their-chins/

In response to an interesting piece by Chris Castle at MUSIC • TECHNOLOGY • POLICY WordPress blog (where comments are moderated, but no message tells you if your comment died in the ether of a bad user interface; or whether it's just pending moderation by the author) I link to the read and publish my comment to it here (see below quoted passage).

"..

I’m not surprised to see Rep. Jared Polis signing up to the letter, given his own threatening letter that successfully protected Google from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission–having been on a panel with Mr. Polis and watched him reading from talking points printed from the website of Google Shill-Lister the Electronic Frontier Foundation. Fellow letter writer Rep. Darrell Issa wrote his own threatening letter to the FTC that pretty clearly was about the FTC’s investigation of Google, but had the good taste not to actually mention Google by name, an accomplishment he shares with the EU resolution.

..."

- from: MUSIC • TECHNOLOGY • POLICY - December 6, 2014,
A Royale With Cheese: How Google Taught the U.S. Congress to Lead With Their Chins
- by Chris Castle

Comment - Monday, December 8, 2014 - 7:05 pm est:

Chris,

I agree monopoly media companies are not good for progress; especially fellow giants with Google from the analog era. But please don’t throw out the baby with the bath water as you often do when talking about the new age of media. Electronic Frontier Foundation is the great, best hope for a free and open internet – as well as in their role in protecting our on-line privacy in the law. Please refrain from impugning their reputation just because they get grant funding from Google. Web best practices are what they are; but you often confuse best practice in internet business with the tactics often employed by cartels.

Michael Holloway
Toronto

mh

@BillHicksBar - Best Bar west of Carlaw

A friend told me where to find it.

I immediately meet three people who knew me as Ward 30 Bikes guy - (that's a good thing).

I danced like a slut to Mick Jagger - and loved it. A woman I noticed was brave enough to approach me and say so.

Very cool.

When I got there and started taking pictures, everyone told me not to write about it.

"Save it" they said,

"Wait til it's too full to get in."

So no address for you - west of Carlaw will have to do.

Up the stairs beside the Bill Hicks signboard.

It's a small place - smaller than a one bedroom apartment.

Vinyl records cover the ceiling ...

Album Covers cover every wall:

Posters of every artist that you love are scattered here and there ...

.. and that's the music - on a great stereo system too. Foo Fighters, Rage Against the Machine. And so on.


Behind the Bar are icons to the god you know that you are. A Marshall McLuhan reference to the Medium is the Message fallacy, where the medium is ... well you know.




On a Video monitor in the corner is a continuous replay of Major League (1989). I asked bartender/owner Teddy if he's ever play Bull Durham (1988) continuously,

He said yes.


Beside the fact that I got physically assaulted by Teddy at last call because I wasn't given a chance to chug my 10 dollar piece of crap beer I didn't want in the first place; I guess I'll have to say I'll be back to discuss what happened.

After all - as all bartenders know, I was drunk; therefore I am wrong.


First bar on Queen East to break the mold.

Best bar west of Carlaw (east of Broadview).



Michael Holloway,
Drunken Slut

Drone Airspace Restrictions over Toronto

Note that the map shows an American FAA 5 mile (8 km) radius restriction around Toronto's Airports; the Transport Canada website says the rule here is 9 km!



Also note that Transport Canada's "Don't" list basically says you can't fly drones in urban places.


Transport Canada | Flying an unmanned aircraft | http://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/civilaviation/standards/general-recavi-uav-2265.htm?campaign=2014-uav-socialmedia-facebook&WT.mc_id=hruzf#safety



mh