A Philosopher’s Notes – 1/5/2011

Studying trends today. Woke to find a great deal of interesting information available instantly. Will limit myself to one posting per day here. A day’s worth of notes on news and ideas I have found important.

Politics

War Is a Drug by Tom Engelhardt
Interesting comparison of failed Soviet and American adventures in Afghanistan. Includes interesting notes from old Soviet documents. Found this quote interesting from a Politburo meeting in the 80s: “There is no single piece of land in this country that has not been occupied by a Soviet soldier. Nevertheless, the majority of the territory remains in the hands of the rebels.”

Mondo Inferno: The Endless Echoes of America’s WMD Atrocity by Chris Floyd
Excellent piece documenting U.S. atrocities in the Iraqi city of Fallujah.

“So while Americans saw stories of rugged “Marlboro Men” winning the day against Satan, they were spared shots of engineers cutting off water and electricity to the city – a flagrant war crime under the Geneva Conventions, as CounterPunch notes, but standard practice throughout the occupation. Nor did pictures of attack helicopters gunning down civilians trying to escape across the Euphrates River – including a family of five – make the TV news, despite the eyewitness account of an AP journalist. Nor were tender American sensibilities subjected to the sight of phosphorous shells bathing enemy fighters – and nearby civilians – with unquenchable chemical fire, literally melting their skin, as the Washington Post reports. Nor did they see the fetus being blown out of the body of Artica Salim when her home was bombed during the “softening-up attacks” that raged relentlessly – and unnoticed – in the closing days of George W. Bush’s presidential campaign, the Scotland Sunday Herald reports.”

Wikileaks: US targets Europe over GM crops from The Guardian

Wow. U.S. diplomats act as lobbyists asking the Vatican to establish a papal blessing for GMO crops!?! They urge retaliation across Europe for refusals to use these seed stocks!?!

“Opportunities exist to press the issue with the Vatican, and in turn to influence a wide segment of the population in Europe and the developing world…”

“…retaliation will make clear that the current path has real costs to EU interests and could help strengthen European pro-biotech voices.”

Economics

Silver. APMEX good, local coin dealer better. Bought some 2011 American silver eagles yesterday. Prices down. Hooray for me. Got in on some discounted miners too, flipping Molycorp stock into silver stock. Again, hooray for me. Not being greedy, I took only a 62% gain in my Molycorp stock before selling.