[paraclete]

I don't know if it is me but this is a no "News"day. All the news that is the news has a de javu ring to it

ISIS is advancing/retreating
Boko Harum is attacking
QE is happening somewhere
Someone is still debating Bengahzi
The government is attacking labour conditions
Tax rates are under consideration
Leadership is being questioned.
Climate is hotter than ever
The Ukraine war grinds on

[tickle]

And cdn dollar dropped to 1.84 direct result from cdn gas prices dropping to 82cents per litre from 1.50per a month ago. Both you and tomder said, gee that looks good for yr economy ! Why does this look good you ninnies !

[paraclete]

Who said currency drops are good, only the farmers, our $AUD has gone from $1.10 to $0.82 over the last year or so and this is a direct result of QE in the US, who knows what impact QE in Europe will have but I doubt it is good. QE is a beggar your neighbour policy

[tomder55]

and Yemen fell a year after the emperor claimed it was an example of the success achieved for the way he prosecutes the war against jihadistan.

[talaniman]

Money has always been manipulated by REAL capitalists, and Yemen has never had a strong government EVER, but this is more sunni/shia conflict. Wonder how the new saudi king handles this one?

Pass the popcorn and some of that stuff you are drinking on, Clete.

[tomder55]

perhaps you should get a map and look at the strategic importance of land where Yemen is located .Jihadistan now owns a choke point where the Gulf of Aden meets the Red Sea....Somalia on one shore and Yemen on the other .

[paraclete]

Yes they now command the oil supply route, however it is the shia who have taken over in Yemen, so Saudi would be very upset. I expect there will have to be a greater naval presence in the Red Sea.

Tal what I see is we are not making progress, we just seem to be chasing the same issues around while the polis tell us whatever they think we will swallow

[talaniman]

@Tom. No need for a map, the money is easy to follow. The real map you need is the one showing the ancient trade routes. Never mind since nothing has really changed over the centuries. This is but the latest chapter in an old story.

Tal what I see is we are not making progress, we just seem to be chasing the same issues around while the polis tell us whatever they thing we will swallow

The important question was are you passing the popcorn or not, while we wait for things to unfold (Obviously you ain't sharing the drink!)?

[paraclete]

The important question was are you passing the popcorn or not, while we wait for things to unfold (Obviously you ain't sharing the drink!)?

Tal you can have some popcorn if you bring the chips and the dip, as to the drink, do you like your water chilled? We are just spectators to history and I doubt if any of this will be remembered

[talaniman]

Chilled water with a bit of lime is fine and you are correct we are just observers/commentators of current events. To old to fight Clete, just talk.

Dip and chips is a winner.

[paraclete]

What I find is we are on a merry go round, and we seem to have the same unresolved issues for years. I have the sense we have no statesmen anymore just party hacks who are incapable of getting a fresh perspective or a new idea. It is interesting, in your country the president is pushing higher minimum wage and higher benefits whilst in mine the government is on the side of changing the industrial relations system to reduce wages, penalties and benefits. It is just pettyfogging as if they don't realise what is important is growth which can then meet expectations. All of this is driven by a PM who was the architect of a policy that failed miserably in the electoral sphere and got them thrown out and yet they fail to understand, thus far and no further.

[talaniman]

Disgusting ain't it?

[paraclete]

Yes, it is. I don't like policies that have the greatest impact on the bottom end when they are going to make things worse. It seems we have developed a philosophy of reversionism.

[talaniman]

OMG!! Now I'm agreeing with YOU!! WTF did you put in my water??

[paraclete]

I only serve pure water, it is heady stuff. Well you should agree with me part of the time, I'm not against the little man and I'm sure not for those so called job creators, but there is a need for everyone to take responsibility for what they can change.

What perhaps you have missed is calling a spade a spade, not a shovel. There is a great deal of hypocracy in the political system, whether we are talking about yours or mine and what I have found is that those who should be looking out for the little man are in fact looking out for themselves and whether anyoneelse benefits is purely coincidental or expedient. When they say they are going to fix the economy or the deficit we know who is actually going to pay. I'm sick of people with their hands in my pocket

[tomder55]

the emperor is dillusional . He barely talked about his signature attempt at central planning and is moving on to other ambitious central planning efforts that will fail as badly. To the progressive Fabians and Jacobins ,it's the intentions that count ,not the outcome of their meddling .

[talaniman]

Republicans have fared no better though, and the electorate has little cause to believe that will change! Too much money in politics for it to work fairly!

[tomder55]

The Ukraine war grinds on

Donetsk airport has seen fierce fighting . The rebels have taken it from Ukraine forces and Ukraine is claiming that regular Russian soldiers crossed the border to help the rebels turn the tide.
Now the rebels have their sights on the port city of Mariupol . Taking that strategic city would pave the way for a land bridge from Russia to Crimea.

[paraclete]

Well Tom undoubtedly it's cheaper than building one. Putin wants the eastern Ukraine, in fact he wants all of Ukraine back in the Russian camp, but the cost to Russia is enormous. This will drain them the way Afghanistan drained them if they keep at it, that's what happens in proxy wars and it's what happens when you neglect part of your population.

[tomder55]

Their hold on Crimea is tenuous without the land route. No I don't think they want all of Ukraine . Nor do I think that the people of Eastern Ukraine will ever be content being governed by the Nazis in Kiev . I think this new offensive is meant to bolster their negotiating position .The Russians will be content to hold on to Crimea and the Sevastapol naval facilities once they are assured it can't be isolated by Kiev ....or a NATO intervention. Eastern Ukraine will either be the break away People's Republic of Donetsk ;or may choose integration into Novorussiya.