THE STORY SO FAR: YR 2: PT 18: FRIDAY

WE SEEM TO BE PARTICULARLY ADDICTED TO ANSWERS BY THE NUMBERS—AS IN FIVE RULES EVERY NEW AUTHOR SHOULD FOLLOW

There is a great deal of advice available for new authors—or even old and battle-scarred writers like myself—but I suspect the only way a writer learns is by reading and writing. You study the work of the masters and then then you do the deed yourself again and again until your inner voice is satisfied.

Reading is so fundamental to understanding writing that I have to wonder why so many aspiring writers are so ill-read—and yet think that their innate talent will conquer all. Conceivably it does occasionally, but normally the road to writing success is best travelled with a book in one hand and a pen in the other – metaphorically speaking—and wear a comfortable paid of shoes, because it is likely to be a long road.

But back to the Five Rules. These are by Bobbi Linkemer and are targeted at the non-fiction writer.

Rule #1: You must be able to explain your book, and its main benefit. in a single sentence.

Rule #2: Before you write, you must have a plan; that plan is called a book proposal.

Rule #3:  Every writer needs an editor—a professional editor.

Rule #4: It is important you understand your publishing options and which one is right for you.

Rule #5: Marketing starts at the beginning of the book-writing process, not at the end.

On the face of it, it is hard to argue with such ‘rules’—and there are thousands out there on the internet. However, they make me uncomfortable, because just about everyone who advances such ‘rules’ is out there trying to sell you something, and has their own agenda. In short, they are not really talking about writing. They are really making you a sales pitch.

“But everyone hustles—it is the American way,” I hear you cry.

Fortunately—even in this hyper-materialistic consumer culture—it is not. There are many people out there who are motivated by a love of writing, a genuine desire to help, or are just plain high-minded. It’s my experience that such people will set you on a truer path than the hustler.

But, it’s your call.

THE STORY SO FAR: YR 2: PT 17: THURSDAY

“NOT ONLY CAN I LAND BY MYSELF, BUT I CAN PICK A SAFE PLACE TO LAND ON!”

The above is the Boeing Little Bird – with a difference. It can determine where it is safe to land – and then land itself autonomously. No human pilot required.

One of the many rather remarkable aspects of the Little Bird is that its basic design dates back to the Vietnam War where it first put in an appearance as a compact, light, maneuverable, recon helicopter which quickly required a reputation for being highly survivable in the event of a crash.

One tactic that was used in Vietnam was for the Little Bird to flow so low that it’s pilot could literally eyeball the enemy and then for a helicopter gunship to finish the job if the hostiles were either seen or provoked to fire. This was a tactic that required great skill and strong nerves—but neither were lacking in Army aviation then, as now.

To be continued…

THE STORY SO FAR: YR 2: PT 16: WEDNESDAY

BLOGGING, WAR, PEACE—AND BOOKS

You can make a very strong case that virtually all of America’s wars and military excursions since WW II—Korea is marginal—have been a mistake; and that our excessive military expenditure over that period has been a primary driver in pushing our enemies into a whole series of arms races.

In short, the argument that the excessive militarism, which the U.S. has displayed for so many decades, has been a disaster for both the American people and the World as a whole—is compelling. And I write that as someone who writes about military matters, who is a great supporter of the U.S. Army, and whose fiction books feature considerable violence.

But, I have also experienced real violence—and can tell you this: War is best confined to books and movies. It should absolutely be the last resort in real life. 

War and militarism are also a staggering waste of resources—and the fact that so many American families have done so badly economically for so long is due, in no small measure, to the fact that we have spent far too much money on the wrong things.

It’s time to re-allocate our priorities. The U.S. needs re-building.

In that spirit, let me quote from that quirky, but consistently interesting blog, FABIUS MAXIMUS.

The world’s richest, most powerful nation remains locked in fear about tiny numbers of insurgents fighting in the poorest regions of the world. We spend on our military many times the sum of all likely enemy nations combined. We spend on counter-terrorism a fantastic multiple (probably thousands) more than spent by every terrorist group on the planet. Something is wrong with this picture.

This madness suggests the time has come for change. The wheel of history has rolled to a new era in which the US can and should return to its non-interventionist roots, a defensive strategy.

There is no perfect safety outside Heaven. But we can achieve reasonable security for far less than we spend today, freeing funds desperately needed elsewhere.

The rewards will be large costs savings, fewer Americans sacrificed in futile foreign wars, and equivalent or perhaps greater security. Making the change takes only the involvement of the American people: will and effort.  We can do it.

THE STORY SO FAR: YR 2: PART 15: TUESDAY

THE CREATIVITY IN WRITING CONUNDRUM—SOLITARY ANGST VERSUS HITTING THE TOWN

CREATIVITY VERSUS ‘SQUELCHERS’

Though I strongly believe that no one creates anything completely alone, I have long thought of writing—certainly my kind of book-writing—as, primarily, a solitary activity (if only because I spend most of each day entirely alone sitting in front of my computer).

Of course, I don’t feel alone because my brain is preoccupied with my characters and their various activities—or, on the case of non-fiction—with concepts that so fascinate me, that they seem (almost) to have human qualities. And, I have some exceptional friends.

But here is the point: Would I be a better writer if I circulated more—and generally benefited from contact with a wide variety of creative people?

I was prompted to contemplate such a possible failing in my way of life by reading a marvelous piece by Richard Florida in the New York Times of September 15, 2013. Here is a brief extract.

What fosters creativity? More than anything else: The presence of other creative people. The big myth is that creativity is the province of great individual geniuses. In fact creativity is a social process. Our biggest creative breakthroughs come when people learn from, compete with, and collaborate with other people.

Cities are the true fonts of creativity. With their diverse populations, dense social networks, and public spaces where people can meet spontaneously and serendipitously, they spark and catalyze new ideas. With their infrastructure for finance, organization and trade, they allow those ideas to be swiftly actualized.

As for what staunches creativity, that’s easy, if ironic. It’s the very institutions that we build to manage, exploit and perpetuate the fruits of creativity — our big bureaucracies, and sad to say, too many of our schools. Creativity is disruptive; schools and organizations are regimented, standardized and stultifying.

The education expert Sir Ken Robinson points to a 1968 study reporting on a group of 1,600 children who were tested over time for their ability to think in out-of-the-box ways. When the children were between 3 and 5 years old, 98 percent achieved positive scores. When they were 8 to 10, only 32 percent passed the same test, and only 10 percent at 13 to 15. When 280,000 25-year-olds took the test, just 2 percent passed. By the time we are adults, our creativity has been wrung out of us.

I once asked the great urbanist Jane Jacobs (see photo) what makes some places more creative than others. She said, essentially, that the question was an easy one. All cities, she said, were filled with creative people; that’s our default state as people. But some cities had more than their shares of leaders, people and institutions that blocked out that creativity. She called them “squelchers.”

I have come to the conclusion that Richard Florida is right—in general terms.  However, I don’t plan to change my way of life significantly—because I have had the advantage of living a rich and adventurous life—and now just hope I have enough time to write the stories that such experiences have inspired.

But I do wish that I had had the chance to meet the great Jane Jacobs. Anyone who has such a command of the English language as to come up with the word “squelchers” is my kind of person.

THE STORY SO FAR: YR 2: PART 14: MONDAY

ANTIBIOTIC OVERUSE IS UNDERMINING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF ANIBIOTICS—AND IS KILLING LOTS OF AMERICANS IN THE PROCESS

IT WILL KILL A WHOLE LOT MORE IN THE FUTURE

We huff and puff and spend over a trillion dollars a year on National Defense—and yet we tolerate death from within on an industrial basis with equanimity. After all, we have known for years that overuse of antibiotics creates resistance—yet we tolerate massive overuse use of antibiotics by Big Agriculture throughout the U.S. meat industry. Such lethal practices are required as a preventative measure to counteract disease resulting from the appalling conditions in which our feed animals are kept. Eighty percent of U.S. antibiotic consumption is used in this way. In effect, the vast majority of American meat is life threatening.

The following are brief extracts from a piece written by the estimable Tom Philpott of Mother Jones magazine in September 2013.

Finally, there's Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, which racks up 80,461 "severe" cases per year and kills a mind-numbing 11,285 people annually. The CDC report doesn't link MRSA to livestock production, but it does note that the number of cases of MRSA caught during hospital stays has plunged in recent years, while "rates of MRSA infections have increased rapidly among the general population (people who have not recently received care in a healthcare setting)."

Why are so many people coming down with MRSA who have not had recent contact with hospitals? Increasing evidence points to factory-scale hog facilities as a source. In a recent study, a team of researchers led by University of Iowa's Tara Smith found MRSA in 8.5 percent of pigs on conventional farms and no pigs on antibiotic-free farms. Meanwhile, a study just released by the journal JAMA Internal Medicine found that people who live near hog farms or places where hog manure is applied as fertilizer have a much greater risk of contracting MRSA. Former Mother Jones writer Sarah Zhang summed up the study like this for Nature:

In short, the meat industry's protestations aside, livestock production is emerging as a vital engine for the rising threat of antibiotic resistance. Perhaps the scariest chart in the whole report is this one—showing that once we generate pathogens that can withstand all the antibiotics currently on the market, there are very few new antibiotics on the horizon that can fill the breach—the pharma industry just isn't investing in R&D for new ones.

The rest of the developed world has been acutely aware of this problem for decades—and has taken appropriate action. In contract, the U.S. continues to put corporate profitability ahead of American lives. Industrial Food is bringing us an Industrial Rate of Death as a consequence.

Think of that next time you contemplate tucking into a steak, enjoying a pork chop, or dieting with a ‘healthy’ chicken salad.

THE STORY SO FAR: YR2: PART 13: SUNDAY

MY MUSCLE MEMORY IS BEING BETRAYED—SHAME ON YOU EVERNOTE!

I’m a great believer in work routines—particularly when they have been set up to combat a known weakness.

In my case, I suffer from certain memory issues—apparently a form of dyslexia—which affect both my short term memory in various ways (together with certain other areas).

Oddly enough, my memory can be quite good if I have a prompt, and I have a real talent for making connections between all sorts of seemingly unrelated matters; but without prompts, I have a tendency to flounder. This is not good in any situation, particularly if you are a writer where a quick brain is de rigeur. However, a quick brain requires raw material to process at speed—which, in turn, requires a well developed memory to feed it data (also at speed).

I have tried all sorts of workarounds to improve my memory over the years—with varying degrees of success—but one area I have long pursued zealously is collecting data about areas which interest me (and I have wide interests). This used to take the form of hand-written notes, books, and audio recordings. Now, my data obsession is near entirely computer based. I say ‘near’ because I also rely on well-labeled lever-arch files and—of course—books. Here, the mere sight of the file or book is often enough to act as a prompt. For that reason, often when I am stuck—which, fortunately, does not happen that often—I like to wonder along the book-shelves. It rarely fails.

For about 25 years, I kept virtually all my computer based data in askSam—but when, sadly, it became clear that software was no going to be developed further, after searching high and low (and experiencing one epic disaster), I eventually ended up with Evernote, where I am proud to say I am a paying Premium customer. It is worth it.

One of the great conveniences of Evernote is Evernote Web Clipper, which essentially allows you to capture an article, a full screen, or a section you have marked, with one click. That data is then saved on both your local hard drive and in the cloud—so you can access it from anywhere. The synchronization is excellent.

The trick to retrieving data is to index (tag) it correctly. Yes, you can use free text search, but you tend to get too many results. In contrast, indexing with your own keywords makes the results more focused.

Keyword indexing (tagging) does slow the process but, in my opinion, is best done immediately after the data is captured. For nearly 18,000 pieces of data collected over the last couple of years, I trained myself to do just that. And then Evernote changed the way Clipper operates! Now, it appears (I’m still exploring the thing) you have to tag the piece after saving—a slower procedure in my opinion, and positively not the way my muscle memory has learned to work. It is currently crouched in a corner having a stiff Scotch.

Evernote—what have you done! My muscle memory is having a nervous breakdown and I’m in shock. A pillar of my working world has crumbled.

It’s tough being a writer.

THE BOOK ‘SMARTER THAN YOU THINK’ This looks fascinating and gets to grips with that key question: Is all this technology making us smarter or dumber? Check out a marvelous discussion on www.brainpickings.com – a commendable web site.

THE STORY SO FAR: YR2: PART 12: SATURDAY

WRITING CAN BE HAZARDOUS TO YOUR COGNITIVE ABILITY

Get to know enough writers and you may be tempted to agree with that statement.

No, I jest. We scribes may be a moody, introverted, and melancholy lot—though I find writing to be decidedly cheering—but writing is hard mental work, so I expect that we score reasonably well in terms of brainpower.

In fact, believe it or not, it was Socrates who believed that writing was a negative influence—and I don’t mean any old Socrates, but THE MAN himself.

This is what he said (he didn’t write it naturally—it was probably Xenephon). Do you know when I was young and foolish, I once read Xenephon in the original Greek—a truly soul scarring experience which cemented my affection for the English language.

This discovery of yours will create forgetfulness in the learners’ souls, because they will not use their memories; they will trust to the external written characters and not remember of themselves. The specific which you have discovered is an aid not to memory, but to reminiscence, and you give your disciples not truth, but only the semblance of truth; they will be hearers of many things and will have learned nothing; they will appear to be omniscient and will generally know nothing; they will be tiresome company, having the show of wisdom without the reality.

No wonder he was ordered to drink hemlock—criticizing writers can be, and should be, hazardous to one’s health—especially since his jury was composed entirely of devoted readers (not a widely known fact).

Incidentally, do you know how hemlock causes death? Such information may be useful if you have a problem with critics.

Coniine (hemlock) causes death by blocking the neuromuscular junction in a manner similar to curare; this results in an ascending muscular paralysis with eventual paralysis of the respiratory muscles which results in death due to lack of oxygen to the heart and brain. Death can be prevented by artificial ventilation until the effects have worn off 48–72 hours later.^[3]For an adult the ingestion of more than 100 mg (0.1 grams) of coniine (approximately 6 to 8 fresh leaves, or a smaller dose of the seeds or root) may be fatal.

THE STORY SO FAR: YR2: PART 11: FRIDAY

MARRIED CATHOLIC PRIESTS & NUNS?

COULD THE CHURCH REALLY BE ENTERING THE 21ST CENTURY?

SAY IT AIN’T SO, ARCHBISHOP (the top photo is of Pope Francis)

The Archbishop (bottom photo) didn’t deny the possibility – something truly remarkable in itself. Here is an extract from the story from The Thom Hartmann Program that prompted the above headline.

Archbishop Pietro Parolin, seen by most as the second most powerful man in the Vatican behind the Pope, opened the door yesterday in a newspaper interview to the possibility of priests getting married.

He said, “Celibacy is not an institution but look, it is also true that you can discuss (it) because, as you say this is not a dogma, a dogma of the church.”

In other words, priests being single and celibate is not a dogma – an absolute, unbreakable, God-given rule – but, rather, simply a policy of the Catholic Church.

And policies can be changed.

The Catholic Church allowing priests to marry could be a huge step toward a number of positive worldwide revolutions.

Science tells us that the single most significant difference between a country where population is running out of control, versus one where population is stable, is the empowerment of women.

We also know that societies where women have significant political power are less likely to engage in warfare or to have huge imbalances in wealth between the top and the bottom; and more likely to have strong social safety nets, a better quality of life, and less illiteracy and poverty.

It would not be an exaggeration to say that the empowerment of girls and women, through education and political power, is the single most important thing that can be done to save the world.

Do I believe all that? I was brought up a Catholic by monks (pretty good people overall) though am not particularly religious these days. Nonetheless, I think the world would be a better place if priests and nuns were allowed to get married—and divorced. As we all now know, the repression of sexuality can have unfortunate consequences.

I find it hard to imagine married monks (though I knew one who demonstrably fell in love with our house matron). On the other hand, I find it hard to imagine our rigorous sweaty, all male, games oriented, boarding school as co-ed—and now it is.

To be fair, we weren’t sweaty all the time—we had great showers—but only after rugger or military training—or when thinking of the opposite sex.

THE STORY SO FAR: YR2: PART 10: THURSDAY

THE FASCINATING BUT DISTURBING STORY OF CLOSE AIR SUPPORT—THE SAGA CONTINUES

Americans tend to take this nation’s air dominance for granted—and where freedom from attack by enemy aircraft is concerned—that would seem to be true. Quite where sophisticated air defenses, missiles and UAVs will take us has yet to be determined.

The story of CAS—Close Air Support—is much more complicated and does not reflect well on the Air Force. In fact, as I write, the Air Force is trying to retire the A-10, despite its phenomenal combat record, on the grounds that it doesn’t have the versatility of the frightening expensive F-35. That is code for saying: “We want the F-35 and will do everything necessary to make sure we get it—even if it means retiring perfectly good aircraft and undermining the CAS mission.”

Such behavior is beneath contempt, but entirely consistent with the Air Forces track record in this area. Indeed, Lieutenant General ‘Pete’ Quesada—rightly famous for fostering the closest cooperation between air and ground during WW II—was called a “traitor to the Air Force” by his peers, and forced out of the service.

The Air Force have never wanted the CAS mission and have dodged it whenever possible. Instead, they prefer Interdiction which is based upon the orderly destruction of targets planned well in advance. In contract, true CAS means working with ground forces as one integrated unit—normally at lower heights than the Air Force is traditionally comfortable with.

Yes, CAS is more dangerous and messier—but it is the best friend that ground forces can have, and leverages their combat power more than any other alternative.

Whatever about the  selfishness of the Air Force, DARPA is looking to improve CAS effectiveness.

Raytheon is moving ahead to demonstrate more rapid and accurate close air support after finalizing a contract with the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa) to continue the Precision Close Air Support (PCAS) program.

PCAS has been modified to shift the emphasis from automating close air support by enabling ground forces to control the weapons on unmanned aircraft. Instead, the program has been focused on transitioning technology to manned CAS aircraft.

The original plan was to demonstrate unmanned CAS using a Fairchild A-10 converted to optionally piloted mode by Aurora Flight Sciences. Now PCAS will be demonstrated using a manned A-10, says Dave Bossert, Raytheon program manager.

“The fundamental goal is still the same: to decrease the timeline by a factor of 10 from a request for fire to an effect on target — from 60 min. to 6 min. for an A-10 20 nautical miles away,” he says. “And we will still use the A-10, but not optionally manned.”

The modified program comprises two elements. PCAS-Air is the airborne system, providing the interface between the aircraft and the joint terminal attack controller (JTAC) on the ground. PCAS-Ground is the JTAC kit, including Android tablet computer, head-up display and radio.

“The PCAS-Air piece was the A-10. Now it is “Smart Rail” electronics small enough so that anything that can carry the Hellfire missile can be PCAS-Air-enabled,” Bossert says. “We are platform-agnostic, sensor-agnostic and radio-agnostic.”

This DARPA initiative seem likely to be successful, but it’s effectiveness will be limited if the Air Force is not compelled to change its behavior.

THE STORY SO FAR: YR2: PART 9: WEDNESDAY

TEN FUNDAMENTAL STRENGTHS OF THE U.S. (with qualifications)

Since I was daring enough to list TEN STRUCTURAL PROBLEMS OF THE U.S. a few days ago, I thought it would only be fair to list TEN FUNDAMENTAL STRENGTHS OF THE U.S.

Frankly, it is not as easy because it is human nature to take the good for granted. Still, here is my best shot.

I added the qualifications with reluctance—I don’t like criticizing a nation that I’m really very fond of—but I felt that intellectual honesty would serve a better purpose that jingoism.

What is noteworthy is that we are careless of our strengths. Almost all are under threat—yet, for the most part, we take them for granted. The reality is that even our strengths are fragile—and they need to be nurtured.

THE PHYSICAL U.S.A. I was warned that I would almost certainly be bored while driving across the U.S. from Washington DC to Seattle, WA. In fact, I was fascinated. This is an unbelievably impressive country—well described by the word ‘awesome.’

Unfortunately, the sheer beauty, and striking character of this nation’s landscape, mostly hide the fact that it is heavily polluted and that we are despoiling it in other ways—for instance though monoculture, excessive use of pesticides and herbicides, overuse of our aquifers, contamination of our water in general, fracking, and thoughtless urbanization. In addition the very air we breathe is heavily polluted by coal-fired power stations, industrial plants, traffic, agricultural spraying, and too many other sources to name.

THE PEOPLE: The U.S. boasts an extraordinary diversity of people together with a culture that is, essentially, welcoming and friendly. This isn’t to deny the existence of some disturbing attitudes and prejudices, but more to make point that, overall, Americans come across as pretty decent people who, together, possess a truly impressive range of capabilities across the full range of disciplines, from science to agriculture. 

People are a nation’s primary resource. Yet the tragedy is that the U.S.—though its current business model, and politically—fails to recognize that. In fact, it actively fosters: the decline of the Middle Class; the growth of poverty; the growth of income inequality; lack of equal opportunity; an inadequate K-12 education system; excessive imprisonment; and much that contributes to the growth of insecurity in the average American family. The majority of Americans are now treated more as prey than as our greatest asset and the greatest source of this nation’s potential. In effect, another Civil War is being waged—and this one is between Capital and Labor. It is scarcely an original observation to note that Capital is winning.

THE CONSTITUTION: The Constitution was a flawed document from the beginning—particularly because it perpetuated slavery. Nonetheless it has served these United States extraordinarily well despite the Supreme Court institutionalizing some serious anomalies—such as giving corporations the same rights as people.

Its great weakness if that it is not updated at regular intervals. Life in the 21st century is drastically different to that of the 18th century. In addition, it is tragic to see it being undermined by way of a corrupt Congress, gerrymandering, and a whole series of initiatives whereby the right to vote is being undermined.

INFRASTRUCTURE: The U.S. is served by a vast, complex, downright Byzantine infrastructure consisting of everything from roads to sewers, to ports to our electric grid—all of which speaks well of the foresight of our ancestors, and which we largely take for granted.

Yet it is a well documented and observable fact that we have neglected our infrastructure for decades, and now face an investment of trillions of dollars to bring us up to standard. In addition, there are substantial costs involved when infrastructure is sub-standard. Vehicles wear out faster, there are water leaks, and excessive power is lost in transmission. Overall, the list is long, and the costs considerable.

A CULTURE OF INNOVATION: The U.S. has long fostered a quite extraordinary culture of innovation which has, without question, done a great deal to improve the quality of our lives. Look no further than Google or the aviation industry for examples that validate this statement.

Yet me quote from a Time article on the issue of innovation by Fareed Zakaria, dated June 5, 2011

Even more troubling, there are growing signs that the U.S. no longer has the commanding lead it once did in this area. Two reports from the Boston Consulting Group and the Information Technology & Innovation Foundation (ITIF) that use hard measures such as spending on research, patents and venture funding as opposed to surveys find that the U.S. ranks not No. 1 but No. 8 and No. 6, respectively. In fact, the ITIF rankings have a category that measures how much a country has improved its innovation capacity from 1999 to 2009, factoring in measures like government funding for basic research, education and corporate-tax policies. Of the 40 countries analyzed, the U.S. came in dead last.

CONVENIENCE: Subject to some exceptions—and if you have money—the U.S. is almost certainly the most convenient country in the world. You can find almost anything here, at the lowest possible price, and have it delivered in the lowest possible time. You can drive or fly most anywhere. Generally speaking, parking is easy. Homes are lavishly equipped with labor saving devices. Educational resources are widely available.

The downside is that there are costs associated with this culture of convenience and instant gratification. These vary from the corruption of core values—greed being one of the winners—to our turning a blind eye to massive pollution.

UNIVERSITIES: America’s universities are uneven in quality, but at their very best, they constitute an invaluable national resource which not only delivers an excellent education, but which fosters ground-breaking research which then leads to the development of some truly remarkable innovations.

The tragedy is not just that we need more universities of such world-class quality, but that third-level education is rapidly becoming unaffordable for many. Also, we are launching such graduates into the workplace already deeply in debt—which has ramifications which ripple through the economy. The most obvious is that consumer demand is reduced. The already indebted tend to be reluctant to commit to further debt for cars, houses, and other components of the material American Dream.

A NATION OF BOOKS ON EVERTHING: The U.S. has extraordinary strengths when it comes to non-fiction books—and the knowledge contained therein. Virtually every aspect of life here is covered is depth by multiple authors, and virtually every problem is resolved therein (other than politically—scarcely a minor reservation). To quote a sentence I use often—it has practically become a mantra for me: “The solutions are out there, if you are prepared to look.”

Unfortunately, there seems to be a near unbridgeable gap between our problem solvers in government, and the vast treasure-trove of data and creative thinking that is available. This situation is exacerbated by the fact that, repeatedly, political dogma is allowed to stand in the way of the logic dictated by the facts available.

CUTTING EDGE MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY: The excessive costs and inadequacies of U.S. healthcare are legendary, but even the most ardent healthcare critic would have to admit that, at its very best, U.S. healthcare, and its related technologies, are world class.

 The downside is the overall state of healthcare, which is not only highly variable in quality, but is increasingly becoming unaffordable. It is also clear that in a great many cases, such costs are not justifiable. In effect, our healthcare system—operating largely in secrecy and heavily dependent on restrictive practices—has become a giant system of medical extortion.

MILITARY STRENGTH: The U.S. is currently the dominant military power in the world—by a sizeable margin—and if National Security expenditure is included, we spend more on defense than the rest of the world put together. Most Americans would argue that our being the most powerful nation in the world is a good thing though, unfortunately, are largely unaware of the scale of the expenditure (especially in relation to our other priorities).

Unfortunately, it is highly questionable whether we use our military power to best advantage—and it is certain that our vast expenditure on our military encourages and perpetuates an arms race. Certainly, our involvement in WW II was to our great credit (and economic advantage) but after that, we seem to have opted for a whole series of military adventures where our participation was, arguably, very much against the National Interest. In addition, it is salutary to note that investment in the military is singularly less effective at creating jobs and stimulating economic activity than investing in other areas.

Finally, it is important to understand that the MICC—the Military Industrial Congressional Complex—is a grossly corrupting influence. Essentially, it is a cabal wherein a relatively small group of defense contractors conspire with senior military officers to buy vastly overpriced equipment which Congress authorizes in exchange for both financial support and jobs for their districts (which they use to influence voters to re-elect them). What do the generals and admirals get for their assistance? They get well paid jobs together with share options in some cases. Some 70 percent of generals retire to work for defense contractors. This, needless to say, constitutes blatant conflict of interest. Unfortunately, such conflicts are so common in Washington DC—the home of ‘the revolving door’—that the blatant corruption of the senior military is largely ignored. It comes at a very high price to the American taxpayer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE STORY SO FAR: PART 9: WEDNESDAY

TEN FUNDAMENTAL STRENGTHS OF THE U.S. (with qualifications)

Since I was daring enough to list TEN STRUCTURAL PROBLEMS OF THE U.S. a few days ago, I thought it would only be fair to list TEN FUNDAMENTAL STRENGTHS OF THE U.S.

Frankly, it is not as easy because it is human nature to take the good for granted. Still, here is my best shot.

I added the qualifications with reluctance—I don’t like criticizing a nation that I’m really very fond of—but I felt that intellectual honesty would serve a better purpose that jingoism.

What is noteworthy is that we are careless of our strengths. Almost all are under threat—yet, for the most part, we take them for granted. They need to be nurtured.

THE PHYSICAL U.S.A. I was warned that I would almost certainly be bored while driving across the U.S. from Washington DC to Seattle, WA. In fact, I was fascinated. This is an unbelievably impressive country—well described by the word ‘awesome.’

Unfortunately, the sheer beauty, and striking character of this nation’s landscape, mostly hides the fact that it is heavily polluted and that we are despoiling it in other ways—for instance though monoculture, excessive use of pesticides and herbicides, overuse of our aquifers, contamination of our water in general, fracking, and thoughtless urbanization. In addition the very air we breathe is heavily polluted by coal fired power stations, industrial plants, traffic, agricultural spraying,and too many other sources to name.

THE PEOPLE: The U.S. boasts an extraordinary diversity of people together with a culture that is, essentially, welcoming and friendly. This isn’t to deny the existence of some disturbing attitudes and prejudices, but more to make point that, overall, Americans come across as pretty decent people who, together, possess a truly impressive range of capabilities across the full range of disciplines, from science to agriculture. 

People are a nation’s primary resource. Yet the tragedy is that the U.S.—though its current business model, and politically—fails to recognize that. In fact, it actively fosters: the decline of the Middle Class; the growth of poverty; the growth of income inequality; lack of equal opportunity; an inadequate K-12 education system; excessive imprisonment; and much that contributes to the growth of insecurity in the average American family. The majority of Americans are now treated more as prey than as our greatest asset and the greatest source of this nation’s potential. One direct consequence is stress which may partially explain why Americans, generally speaking, have shorter lifespans than the populations of other developed nations.

THE CONSTITUTION: The Constitution was a flawed document from the beginning—particularly because it perpetuated slavery. Nonetheless it has served these United States extraordinarily well despite the Supreme Court institutionalizing some serious anomalies—such as giving corporations the same rights as people. More recently, it has displayed a strong bias favoring capital over labor.

Its great weakness if that it is not updated at regular intervals. Life in the 21st century is drastically different to that of the 18th century. In addition, it is tragic to see it being undermined by way of a corrupt Congress, gerrymandering, and a whole series of initiatives whereby the right to vote is being undermined.

INFRASTRUCTURE: The U.S. is served by a vast, complex, downright Byzantine infrastructure consisting of everything from roads to sewers, to ports to our electric grid—all of which speaks well of the foresight of our ancestors, and which we largely take for granted.

Yet it is a well documented and observable fact that we have neglected our infrastructure for decades, and now face an investment of trillions of dollars to bring us up to standard. In addition, there are substantial costs involved when infrastructure is sub-standard. Vehicles wear out faster, there are water leaks, and excessive power is lost in transmission—and those are just examples. Overall, the list is long, and the costs considerable.

A CULTURE OF INNOVATION: The U.S. has long fostered a quite extraordinary culture of innovation which has, without question, done a great deal to improve the quality of our lives. Look no further than Google or the aviation industry for examples that validate this statement.

Yet me quote from a Time article on the issue of innovation by Fareed Zakaria, dated June 5, 2011

Even more troubling, there are growing signs that the U.S. no longer has the commanding lead it once did in this area. Two reports from the Boston Consulting Group and the Information Technology & Innovation Foundation (ITIF) that use hard measures such as spending on research, patents and venture funding as opposed to surveys find that the U.S. ranks not No. 1 but No. 8 and No. 6, respectively. In fact, the ITIF rankings have a category that measures how much a country has improved its innovation capacity from 1999 to 2009, factoring in measures like government funding for basic research, education and corporate-tax policies. Of the 40 countries analyzed, the U.S. came in dead last.

CONVENIENCE: Subject to some exceptions—and if you have money—the U.S. is almost certainly the most convenient country in the world. You can find almost anything here, at the lowest possible price, and have it delivered in the lowest possible time. You can drive or fly most anywhere. Generally speaking, parking is easy. Homes are lavishly equipped with labor saving devices. Educational resources are widely available.

The downside is that there are costs associated with this culture of convenience and instant gratification. These vary from the corruption of core values—greed being one of the winners—to our turning a blind eye to massive pollution. Many of these costs of doing business are not met by those who caused them. They are ‘externalities’ to use the term used by economists. Many are negative.

Air pollution from motor vehicles is an example of a negative externality. The costs of the air pollution for the rest of society is not compensated for by either the producers or users of motorized transport.

UNIVERSITIES: America’s universities are uneven in quality, but at their very best, they constitute an invaluable national resource which not only delivers an excellent education, but which fosters ground-breaking research which then leads to the development of some truly remarkable innovations.

The tragedy is not just that we need more universities of such world-class quality, but that third-level education is rapidly becoming unaffordable for many. Also, we are launching such graduates into the workplace deeply into debt—which has ramifications which ripple through the economy.

 A NATION OF BOOKS ON EVERTHING: Thanks largely to our better universities, the emphasis on research, and the pressure to publish, the U.S. has extraordinary strengths when it comes to non-fiction books. Virtually every aspect of life here is covered is depth by multiple authors, and virtually every problem is resolved therein (other than politically). To quote a sentence I use often: “The solutions are out there if you are prepared to look.”

Unfortunately, there seems to be a gap between our problem solvers in government, and the vast treasure trove of data and creative thinking, that is available. This situation is exacerbated by the fact that, repeatedly, political dogma is allowed to stand in the way of the logic dictated by the facts available.

CUTTING EDGE MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY: The excessive costs and inadequacies of U.S. healthcare are legendary, but even the most ardent healthcare critic would have to admit that, at its very best, U.S. healthcare, and its related technologies, are world class.

 The downside is the overall state of healthcare, which is not only highly variable in quality, but is increasingly becoming unaffordable. It is also clear that in a great many cases, such costs are not justifiable. In effect, our healthcare system—operating largely in secrecy and heavily dependent on restrictive practices—has become a giant system of medical extortion.

MILITARY STRENGTH: The U.S. is currently the dominant military power in the world—by a sizeable margin—and if National Security expenditure is included (which it should be), we spend more on defense than the rest of the world put together. Most Americans would argue that our being the most powerful nation in the world is a good thing—though, unfortunately, are largely unaware of the scale and cost effectiveness of the expenditure (especially in relation to our other priorities).

In addition, it is highly questionable whether we use our military power to best advantage—and it is certain that our vast expenditure on our military encourages and perpetuates an arms race. Certainly, our involvement in WW II was to our great credit (and economic advantage) but after that, we seem to have opted for a whole series of military adventures—both great and small—where our participation was, arguably, very much against the National Interest. Further, we have engaged in such prodigiously wasteful activities in defiance of the Constitution. Only Congress has the right to declare war—and the last time it did that was over WW II. Also, it is salutary to note that investment in the military is singularly less effective at creating jobs and stimulating economic activity than investing in other areas. Finally, it is important to understand that the MICC—the Military Industrial Congressional Complex—is a grossly corrupting influence.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE STORY SO FAR: YR2 PART 8: TUESDAY

LTC VLADIMIR PENIAKOFF DSO, MC—THE MAN THEY CALLED POPSKI

I made reference to POPSKI’S PRIVATE ARMY yesterday, and you probably thought I was joking. Not so. It really did exist, and it was highly effective. Popski (see above photo) wrote a truly fascinating book about the whole business after the war—and then died of a brain tumor in 1951. I have always felt he died happy. His private army was his life’s work.

I have long been of the view that the regular military would be vastly better off if they learned a few lessons from Popski’s experiences. For instance he matched a talent for fast-paced maneuver warfare with formidable firepower—he even came up with a flame-thrower jeep. Sadly, that does not seem to be the case.

The following is an extract from Wiki.

PPA was unusual in that all recruits, including officers, reverted to lowest rank on joining – Private or Lieutenant. The unit was run quite informally: there was no saluting and no drill, officers and men messed together, every man was expected to know what to do and get on with it, and there was only one punishment for failure of any kind: immediate Return To Unit. It was also efficient, having an unusually small HQ.

Three fighting patrols, each of 18 men in six jeeps, and one Tactical HQ patrol of four jeeps were formed and given great autonomy. Each jeep was armed with .50in and .30in machine guns, giving the patrols immense firepower for their size. The men trained hard for amphibious, mountain and parachute operations, demolition and counter-demolition, reconnaissance and intelligence gathering.

They were deployed in many roles, often clandestine, and for several months even operated as regular front line troops, holding a sector of the Allied front line that was badly depleted after the withdrawal of forces for the D-Day landings in Normandy, nipping around in their jeeps to fool the Germans into believing that they were opposed by much larger units.

Several operations used DUKWs or small landing craft called RCLs (manned by 7 Royal Engineerswho inevitably became known as “Popski’s Private Navy”) to sail up the Adriatic and get behind the German front line, chaperoned by the Royal Navy’s Coastal Forces.

Throughout the bitter winter weather and fighting of 1944 and 1945 PPA undertook their operations ahead of regular forces, in support of British, Canadian, Indian and Polish armored, infantry and Commando units. They located targets for the Allied Air Force, chased Germans out of rear-areas, saved bridges, captured many prisoners and guns, and accepted the surrender of the entire German garrison at Chioggia.

At various times PPA worked alongside other secret units such as the LRDG, SAS, No. 1 Special Force (SOE), Phantom, ‘A’ Force and Office of Strategic Services. Along the way they adopted many strays, including Russian, Italian and German POWs, Italian regulars and partisans, both royalist and communist.

Popski was awarded the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) in November 1944, during joint operations (as “Porterforce”) with the 27th Lancers and Italian partisans of the 28th Garibaldi Brigade, to liberate Ravenna, but shortly afterwards lost his left hand to a German rifle-grenade.

Popski’s Private Army finished the war with a flourish: sailing some of their jeeps on RCLs to St. Mark's Square in Venice where they drove round and round just for the hell of it, the only wheeled vehicles ever to have been there. The unit was disbanded four months later on 14 September 1945, after hunting for Himmler, disarming Italian partisans and discouraging Josip Broz Tito’s partisans from encroaching on Austrian and Italian territory.

THE STORY SO FAR: YR2 PART 7: MONDAY

NEW SPECIAL OPERATIONS VEHICLE IS A MEAN-LOOKING BEAST

Special Forces started using such vehicles as long ago as WW II. The British were the primary pioneers through the Long Range Desert Group, the SAS, and such strange units as Popski’s Private Army. Typically, they used converted Chevy trucks or Jeeps.

Such units were highly successful in North Africa, because they could maneuver behind enemy lines and there was plenty of real estate for them to hide in. Few thought they could do as well in more congested environments such as Italy—but some jeep-born units such as Popski’s Private Army did surprisingly well—despite lacking armor and running the constant risk of running into the German defenders.

Their secret was careful reconnaissance, picking their fights, the .50 machine gun, and highly experienced troops who developed a truly uncanny feel for anticipating where the enemy might be. As a consequence, even in Italy, their casualties were kept surprisingly low—much lower than conventional infantry.

I featured a tracked version of such a vehicle in my book, THE DEVIL’S FOOTPRINT. I made mine tracked because my primary requirement was off-road mobility—and tracks generally have the edge in that regard. Though not many people know this, today’s ‘band-tracks’, which are rubber and metal composites—and significantly lighter than traditional tracks--can also go surprisingly fast (60 mph plus). Traditional tracks, by the way, are normally made of steel with rubber pads.

The installation of a rubber band track offers the user a number of significant operational advantages, including a 50 per cent reduction in weight, noise and vibration. According to Soucy International, the vibration level in the M113 has been reduced by almost 70 per cent. The very latest band tracks are made in sections so are easy to repair in case of wear or damage. That mitigates one of the greatest objections to tracks in general.

The above was built by General Dynamics and “plans are to buy about 1,300 GMVs (Ground Mobility Vehicles) to replace SOCOM’s current fleet, which are Humvees specialized for use by commandos. Those vehicles were built by AM General. The acquisition is expected to be completed by September 2020, according to a statement from the Office of the Secretary of Defense announcing the award.”

I monitor this kind of stuff because I’m always looking for interesting gadgetry to feature in a book.

THE STORY SO FAR: YR2 PART 6: SUNDAY

THE POWER & POTENTIAL OF LINKEDIN

JASHA LEVI

When I was first introduced to LinkedIn by a friend I was still decidedly skeptical of Social Media and could see a future where I spent all day uploading content to Facebook and the like—and getting no serious writing done. Good grief! What a fate!

Well, I’m exaggerating somewhat, but I have remained cautious towards Social Media—despite their importance in book sales—because I am acutely conscious that a writer has just so much creative energy, and believe that such should, primarily, be expended on creative writing.

Still, one should always question one’s biases, and after discovering that blogging actually seemed to help my literary output—essentially by being a constant source of stimulation—I decided I should be more open minded about Social Media, and see if I could reach some kind of constructive accommodation over time.

Initially, Facebook was my focus—though it is scarcely a literary medium—but soon I began to notice that not only was LinkedIn steadily improving, but that it was the source of some extraordinarily interesting people who wanted to hook up.

One of the most intriguing to date approached me last week. His name is Jasha Levi and the following are some extracts from his extraordinary  background. It is singularly impressive.

Humanitarian, Resistance Fighter, Soldier, Lecturer, Editor, Inventor, Author—now that is a life!

Summary

Ran a school for Jewish refugee children from 1941 to 1943 in Asolo, Italy. Lived underground in Rome 1943-44. Fought in Tito's First Armored Division against German troops up the Dalmatian Coast of Yugoslavia from June 1944 to end of war. Taught journalism at the University of Belgrade in 1947 and edited daily center spread of Borba, Belgrade, on the Tito- Stalin rift in 1948. Developed 4-track, half speed cassette recordings used for a quarter of a century by, among others, the Library of Congress, before digital technology took over. Introduced raised line drawings to accompany recorded textbooks (article in Tactile Perception, Cambridge University Press, 1982.)
Working use of Serbo-Croatian, English, some Italian, French, Spanish and Russian.
Specialties:Lecturer on the remarkable humanity of ordinary Italians during the Holocaust, on the battle for the liberation of Dalmatia in the last year of WWII, and other topics.

Most Recently and Currently December 2011 – Present (1 year 10 months)Internet

Founder of The indiePENdents.org

Dedicated to gain access of independent writers to bookstores and libraries by removing the stigma of "lesser books" from all self-published titles. We aim to achieve this through a peer review and issuance of an indiePENdents SEAL based on basic standards followed by three reviewers per title. Membership is open and free. We don't allow any solicitation of goods or services. Full information, a list of current members, a page of self-publishing references and a blog, see the website.

LinkedIn now has my serious attention, but I am still trying to work out how to utilize it to best advantage. My subconscious is working on it. Delegation is the secret of this writing game.

 

 

 

 

 

THE STORY SO FAR: YR2 PART 5: SATURDAY

SO WHAT ARE THE TOP TEN STRUCTURAL PROBLEMS THE U.S. FACES?

It would be nice to think the U.S. faces only ten structural problems. The reality is much more serious.

However, a blog shouldn’t be too long—so let me make a start with ten. I’ll leave the rest to your imagination—for the moment. You’ll be quite justified if you wake up screaming. Laughing hysterically will be fine too.

HEALTH & HEALTHCARE. This is a ‘wicked problem’ in the true sense of the phrase. I’ve written about these issue elsewhere enough, so I won’t elaborate further. However, it is important to note that we are in trouble, not just because of costs (which are completely out of line) but because of our health, itself. Americans are not healthy compared to the rest of the world. Something fundamental is wrong.

FOOD & DIET. Good food is integral to good health. Our food chain is broken, from the antibiotics we pump into the animals we raise, to the excesses of fat, salt and sugar which affect all our processed foods. After that, consider the damage inflicted by Fast Food. Our food is undermining our health, and, in some cases, actively poisoning us. A further factor is that our water supply is extensively polluted by medications and other products we do not even regularly test for. Enter cancer and a host of other ailments.

A DEEPLY CORRUPT POLITICAL SYSTEM. Our political system is money based—and such funding comes from the rich and special interests. Research shows that our politicians don’t listen to those who don’t fund them. Add in lobbyists, gerrymandering, and voter suppression—and  perhaps the word ‘corrupt’ is inadequate. This problem exists at federal, state, and county level—and probably even lower.

THE MILITARY INDUSTRIAL CONGRESSIONAL COMPLEX. Eisenhower warned about this. The MICC is a coalition of interests who conspire to achieve a steadily increasing money flow spent on defense. As a consequence we spend more on National Security than the rest of the world put together, and are near constantly at war—with debts to match.

CORPORATE POWER & GREED. Corporations have their uses, but when they corrupt the political system, are considered ‘people’ by the legal system, debase our food system and pollute the environment, matters have got out of hand. In addition, they have excessive power compared to their workers, and are largely indifferent to their local communities and the National Interest.They also pay remarkably little tax, yet receive vast corporate subsidies. This isn’t capitalism. It’s crony capitalism, combined with corporate welfare, and leavened with corruption.

FINANCIALIZATION. A banking system should serve the real economy, not dominate it. Currently our financial sector collects over 40% of corporate profits, operates a system which keeps most Americans in debt for much of their lives, is so unstable that it recently caused the worst recession since the Great Depression—and has proved itself nearly immune to reform. In addition, even when caught behaving illegally, it has proved near impossible to prosecute. The financial sector needs root and branch reform—and there is no sign of it. It also does an entirely inadequate job supporting the small business sector. Fundamentally, speculation has taken over from investment. Another term for speculation is gambling.

GREED & CONSUMERISM CARRIED TO EXCESS. Americans are assailed by advertising, and other highly sophisticated marketing tools, from birth to death—to the point where the entire population has been conditioned like Pavlov’s dog. Add in the the inadequacies and distortions of our corporately owned media, and you have a society well set up to regard greed as no more than normal, and consumerism downright healthy. The end result is a society short on integrity and long on careerism, where all that counts is getting ahead no matter what you have to do. Byproducts are that cheating at school is considered acceptable, lying is fine if it serves your purpose, loyalty is considered a weakness—and so on. Here, I don’t wish to suggest that all Americans are so affected, but palpably many are—and for a first rate example of this, look no further than the financial sector.

EDUCATION. The U.S boasts many outstanding Third Level institutions, but many others are mediocre and 12-K has long been in deep trouble. Consistent failure to implement successful reforms affects virtually all aspects of the American Way of Life. It helps to explain why our corporations largely discourage initiative, but rely on process; and government is so bureaucratic. In contrast, the more efficient governments that characterize Sweden, and many Northern European countries, stem from excellent educational systems plus less consumer oriented cultures.

AN ECONOMIC SYSTEM THAT FAILS TO DELIVER FOR MUCH OF THE POPULATION. The U.S. is now the most unequal country in the developed world. The rich are becoming ever richer, corporate profits are at an all time high, while the earning power of most families is actually falling. Meanwhile, unemployment is excessive, investment is inadequate, we are losing ground in market sector after market sector, health costs are ever increasing, savings are inadequate, and pensions are vanishing.

THE CONSTITUTION. The Constitution was designed to be modified over the years in the light of changing circumstances. Currently, the case for a Constitutional Convention is overwhelming. There are numerous issues to be looked at including the matter of corporate personhood, worker rights, the relevance of privacy—and much else besides. The constitution is not a sacred cow.

THE STORY SO FAR: YR2 PART 4: FRIDAY

I HAVE WRITTEN REPEATEDLY ABOUT STRUCTURAL PROBLEMS IN THE U.S.—HERE IS A DOOZY!

I don’t recall ever using the word ‘doozy before—it seems to belong to an earlier age—but clearly my subconscious thought otherwise. Writing never ceases to surprise me—normally pleasantly.

Back to the matter at hand.

While on the subject of quality of life—see yesterday’s blog—I thought it might be useful to follow up by providing some data on the World Standing of U.S. healthcare.

Now, many American friends have told me that “American healthcare is the best in the world,” so I thought I would a extract some gems from a recent Huffington Post article on a Bloomberg study of healthcare.

It's remarkable how low America places in healthcare efficiency: among the 48 countries included in the Bloomberg study, the U.S. ranks 46th, outpacing just Serbia and Brazil. Once that sinks in, try this one on for size: the U.S. ranks worse than China, Algeria, and Iran.

But the sheer numbers are really what's humbling about this list: the U.S. ranks second in healthcare cost per capita ($8,608), only to be outspent by Switzerland ($9,121) -- which, for the record, boasts a top-10 healthcare system in terms of efficiency. Furthermore, the U.S. is tops in terms of healthcare cost relative to GDP, with 17.2 percent of the country's wealth spent on medical care for every American.

In other words, the world's richest country spends more of its money on healthcare while getting less than almost every other nation in return.

The most remarkable finding in the Bloomberg survey would seem to be the fact that Hong Kong spends only 3.8% of its GDP ($1,409 per capita)on healthcare, yet life expectancy is an impressive (more like mind-boggling) 83.4 years.

The U.S. spends 17.2% of GDP on healthcare and life expectancy here is 78.62 years.

Those wily Orientals live nearly five years longer than we do, and spend so much less on healthcare, it is ridiculous.

In this blog, I write regularly about structural problems in the U.S.—but people ask: “What is a structural problem?”

Well, U.S. health and healthcare is a ‘mother of a’ structural problem (with apologies to Saddam Hussein for borrowing, and adapting, his epic phrase). It doesn’t work well, and it is siphoning money away which could best be spent on other things. It also holds down pay, impedes growth, puts people into debt, is a major cause of bankruptcy, and makes us less competitive that we might otherwise be. And Americans tend to be sicker than the inhabitants of other nations as we age.

Why do we put up with this disastrous situation? Arguably, because such a large percentage of the population is drugged to the eyeballs—with prescription drugs at that. 

 

 

THE STORY SO FAR: YR2 PART 3: THURSDAY

DO ANY COUNTRIES WORK BETTER THAN THE U.S.?

ACTUALLY, THEY DO—QUITE A FEW

A common reaction to any serious discussion about the U.S.’s problems—and genuine discussion, in the form of considering each other’s views, is disturbingly rare—is the observation: “Yes, I know that America has a few problems, but so does every country. After all, look at Europe. It’s a mess.” And the word ‘mess’ is said with such glee.

Such comments, apart from displaying impressive (but common) ignorance, miss the whole point. What matters—at least in my view—is not primarily the growth of GDP, but the quality of life of the inhabitants (and here I do not mean 1 percent or a similar privileged elite—I mean ALL).

Let me also observe, in passing, that although parts of Europe face serious issues, large parts of it are positively thriving, and offer a quality of life that is generally superior to that of the U.S.

Let’s take Sweden, for example, and let me quote from an article by C. Fred Bergsten, in the Washington Post of August 29, 2013.

Sweden’s economic growth has been much higher than that of the rest of Western Europe, or the United States, since 2006. Data from the International Monetary Fund and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development show that Sweden has one of the lowest inflation rates in Europe; it runs a budget surplus every year; its corporate tax rates are considerably lower than U.S. rates; and it spends more on research and development, as a share of its economy, than we do. Its firms are highly competitive in the world economy, and it runs sizable current-account surpluses.

Sweden remains a social welfare society, and government spending still accounts for half of its economy; it finances all education and health care, as is common throughout Europe. Sweden did not dismantle the social system but, in addition to drastically reducing its costs, adopted macroeconomic and structural reforms to make it sustainable and greatly enhanced its efficiency by privatizing the delivery of many educational and medical services. The country’s guiding principle is that a successful social welfare society must be fiscally conservative and administratively efficient. This is the central Swedish lesson for the crisis countries of the euro zone and elsewhere.

Sweden now combines a social welfare society with a free-market economy and a high degree of government efficiency. The other Scandinavian countries pursue similar policies and have enjoyed similar success (if not quite as spectacular). This subregion of stability demonstrates that, with the right policies, European countries can prosper inside the euro zone (Finland, de facto Denmark) or outside it (Sweden and Norway).

You did know all that, didn’t you?

And these are the people we condemn outright as ‘socialists.’

 

THE STORY SO FAR: YR2 PART 2: WEDNESDAY

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT DRONES—AND WRITING (I’m only exaggerating a little)

AND MY THOUGHTS ON WHERE THE REAL THREATS LIE

Mark Bowden is best known for for his book, BLACKHAWN DOWN, and the movie which followed.

His latest piece in The Atlantic (one of may favorite magazines) is a 10,000 word tour-de-force entitled The Killing Machines: How To Think About Drones. It is about as fine an example of current long-form journalism as you are likely to encounter.

Many subjects are far too complex to be explored and explained in a typical media article of 1,000 words or less – yet for years articles have been getting shorter and shorter to the great detriment of the understanding of the American public. Bowden’s remarkable piece shows what we can be done if the writer has adequate maneuvering space. In the business, we call it long-form journalism. It used to be routine, if the content justified it. Then print discovered the ‘sound bite.’

Here is a brief extract from this throwback to fine writing:

Drones collect three primary packages of data: straight visual; infrared (via a heat-sensing camera that can see through darkness and clouds); and what is called SIGINT (Signals Intelligence), gathered via electronic eavesdropping devices and other sensors. One such device is known as LIDAR (a combination of the words light and radar), which can map large areas in 3‑D. The optical sensors are so good, and the pixel array so dense, that the device can zoom in clearly on objects only inches wide from well over 15,000 feet above. With computer enhancement to eliminate distortion and counteract motion, facial-recognition software is very close to being able to pick individuals out of crowds. Operators do not even have to know exactly where to look.

“We put in the theatre [in 2011] a system called Gorgon Stare,” Lieutenant General Larry James, the Air Force’s deputy chief of staff for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, told me. “Instead of one soda-straw-size view of the world with the camera, we put essentially 10 cameras ganged together, and it gives you a very wide area of view of about four kilometers by four kilometers—about the size of the city of Fairfax, [Virginia]—that you can watch continuously. Not as much fidelity in terms of what the camera can see, but I can see movement of cars and people—those sorts of things. Now, instead of staring at a small space, which may be, like, a villa or compound, I can look at a whole city continuously for as long as I am flying that particular system.”

What really impressed me—apart from the sheer clarity of the writing—was how much better optics have become; and they are improving all the time.

I was also struck by the feeling that if we put as much effort and resources into solving our various economic and social problems, as we put into the hardware and software of war, the U.S. would be a significantly better place for its inhabitants.

The real threats we face are not emanating from terrorists, or conventional enemies, but from a corrupt political system, a deeply flawed economic system, and endemic social injustice. Our problems are structural, incredibly serious, and we are doing remarkable little to resolve them. Indeed, despite the truly extraordinary surveillance capabilities we now have at our disposal, we don’t even seem to see them.

 

THE STORY SO FAR: YR2 PART 1: TUESDAY

THIS TRULY EXQUISITE BEAUTY IS MY NIECE, FAITH

THE PHOTOGRAPHER IS HER MOTHER, MY SISTER, LUCY

I’m not sure today’s blog needs any more words—or that they would be anywhere near adequate. Just look, and feel better about life.

Still, this vision of beauty does make me recall the Ernest Hemingway quote: “The world is a fine place and worth fighting for.”

“Yes,” you did hear it in the Brad Pitt/Morgan Freeman movie, SEVEN – but Hemingway wrote it first.

More than you might think originates with a writer.