Thursday, October 30, 2014

G 20 Summit! E 20 Invited?



Long Story Short: 


The G 20 is holding a summit in Brisbane, Australia.  I also discovered the existence of a B 20 group: Business leaders who advise the G 20.  What have not heard is that the G 20 is inviting the E 20 to the Economic Summit. You cannot help people without their input, and you won’t help them if you exclude them.

This is why I’ve been writing my articles about Emerging Nations forming an Economic Union. 


Emerging NationsEconomic Union—an article that proposes the forming of an Economic Union for Emerging Nations and those Unions forming a Union of Emerging Economic Unions. 

Solving theEmerging Crisis—This is the proposal that would help leverage the power of Emerging Nations. 

Forming anE-20—This proposes leveling the playing field by establishing what the Emerging Nations of the World need to gain parity in Global Economic Affairs.  For example: if there is to be a G 20 Summit, the E 20 should be included. 

The Futureof the G20 in Good Times and Bad—This is a look into the future if we do not recognise the fact that 


1.  The military option is no longer viable.

2.  The Economic Zero Sum Game doesn’t’ work anymore.



Warmest regards, 

Slim.



Copyright © 2014  Bob Asken writing as Slim Fairview


All rights reserved.



Friday, October 17, 2014

One Billion Chickens





The challenges facing the future of survival.


  • China has a massive economic engine and much fuel.
  • The haves are increasing arithmetically, the have-nots are increasing geometrically.
  • China elevated 500 million people from poverty to the middle class.
  • China can elevate one billion people from poverty to the middle class globally.


If four people share one chicken a week, that is one billion chickens a month. That is twelve billion chickens a year.  Plus corn.

When 1 billion haves and 6 billion have-nots become 2 billion haves and 4 billion have-nots, global demand will double.

The first 1 billion haves will have to make due with less. And the 4 billion have-nots will also have to make due with less.  This, to accommodate the 1 billion newly minted haves.

If one billion newly minted middle-classers bread down into 250 million families of four and have only one automobile each, that will be 250, million cars on the few roads that exist in already over-crowded and, by-and-large, impoverished countries.  And that does not count corn—whether to eat, feed the chickens, or fuel the cars.


Now, these are of course metaphors.  While chickens, cars, and corn will be involved in the economics of people rising to the ranks of the middle class, the issue is rising consumption, which means increasing supply and greater employment.

However, as with all things, there are two factors to be considered.

The leading and the lagging will, as supply and demand fluctuate, create a discordance.


The tipping point.


The tipping point is the point at which those rising from poverty to the middle class begin pushing those in the middle class back into poverty.  Also, there is the point at which those in poverty rebel.

“The multitude may oppress the few, but the few may not oppress the multitude. Not for very long, anyway.” ~ Slim Fairview. From, The Quotations of Slim Fairview © 2014.

A soupรงon of history.


  • In American Colonial Lore—The shot heard round the world.
  • Russia’s Decembrist Revolution
  • Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott.
  • The Watts “kitchen table” riots.
  • The tearing down of The Berlin Wall.
  • The Arab Spring/Facebook Revolution.



Recently, the technology in the information age has done for emerging nations what television did for America’s Civil Rights Movement.   

Television brought the visual images of injustice to both the oppressors and to the oppressed.


Television made two things possible.


It showed the nation the injustices inflicted on African Americans

It showed African Americans the abundance available White people.


Now, Internet Technology is

Showing the suffering of those in Emerging Nations to those living in Industrialized Nations.

Showing people in Emerging Nations the abundance available in Industrialized Nations.


My Dad always suggested that I think about what I am going to say before I say it.  Now, I say, think about what other people are doing to hear before you say it.


When we say, Childhood obesity in America is caused by poverty, they hear, “In America, even the poor children are fat.”

When we say, One in three children in America goes hungry, they say, “If America does not feed her own starving children, they will not help to feed our starving children.”


It is very hard to argue with that when:

We are the ones saying one in three children in America goes to bed hungry.

&

They can plainly see and are surrounded by their own starving children.


Regards,

Slim

Additional reading below.



Additional reading:








Copyright © 2014 Bob Asken as Slim Fairview.
All rights reserved.

Wednesday, October 8, 2014

Obama's Win!



Obama’s Win

Can you see it now—the President’s handling of foreign affairs?

Let’s start with President Obama’s handling of Libya.  

Some of the criticism was unfounded. The President (as with many of his predecessors) was criticised for playing the world’s policeman and insisting that he allow allies to shoulder some of the burden.  Subsequent to which, in Slim Fairview style, he says, “Okay.” And proceeds to allow our NATO Allies should some of the burden.

The Critics, criticise the President for leading from behind.


Russia

I’ve stated before, “The military option is no longer viable.”  I also stated, “The economic zero-sum game isn’t going to work anymore.”  And, “Putin is engaged in an Economic Theatre of Operation.”


President Obama


In short, The President knows, never take a sucker bet.

To understand this, we must look to the European Economic Crisis, the dissolution of the southern country’s economies, and The Chancellor’s efforts to draw The Ukraine and other Eastern Bloc nations into the EuroUnion. 

Let’s be honest.  Deficit spending in Southern Europe fuels the German economy and The Chancellor’s economic war machine.  With the Southern economies virtually desolate, Merkel needs Eastern Europe to fuel the German economy.

Merkel’s strategy is too obvious for words:  Keep the German Economy strong until the global economy turns around, and then declare victory for her strategies and her tenure.

Merkelism: An economic system based on the fear that someone somewhere is earning a living.”


President Obama knows that President Putin is engaged in Economic Warfare. Hence, the U.S. led sanctions against Russia is economic warfare.  Also, The Chancellor and her economic supply lines are cut off.


The President Knows…


  • Restraint:  Never take a sucker bet.
  • Prudence: Never talk into a trap.
  • Patience:  Let your opponent make the first move.


If numbers two and three don’t sound familiar, then watch The Seven Samurai.  Twice.


I also posted, on LinkedIn, ”Economic self-interest will play a role in resolving the many problems currently manifesting themselves in the Middle East.  Economic Self-Interest.  That appears to have come into play.


What might be some of President Obama’s Prognostications?


  • Sanctions against Russia may impede an oil deal with cash-strapped Iran.
  • China can afford to delay a Nat/Gas deal with Russia.
  • Russia’s concerns over The Ukraine may cut off Russian Aid to Syria.
  • Economic Sanctions will diminish the potency of a Euro-Economic recovery.



The President


  • Let our allies participate
  • Refused to be goaded into taking a sucker bet.
  • Refused to be goaded into revealing strategy.
  • Refused to walk into a trap.
  • Displayed the wisdom of letting his opponents make the first move.


There is hope…..

Warmest regards,

Slim



Copyright © 2014   Robert Asken as Slim Fairview
All Rights Reserved.