Day: January 18, 2022

So you all wanted a trade war, eh?

Above image. Nothing quite captures the rot inside the United States today than the very foundations of New York City.

Calm cool, accurate, and easy to read. Here’s the reality as we move forward in January 2022.

From Strategic Culture…

China Shows Its ‘Trump’ Card

Eamon McKinney
January 8, 2022
.

In a world of chronic shortages China has realized that commodities hold more value than cash.

The current trade war with China began at the very outset of the Trump administration. Apparently alarmed at America’s dependence on Chinese goods, particularly the extent to which its defense industries are reliant on Chinese components and rare earths, Trump had a point but may have better served to speak softly about this vulnerability. He mentioned only two dependencies, there are thousands of products that America relies on China exclusively for.

In moves that were simply anti-competitive practices he then launched in a “tech war” with China. Banning the sale of chips and semi-conductors, along with bans on Chinese 5G and Huawei the global leader in particular. Not content with that the U.S. launched a global push to pressure its “allies’ to also ban Huawei and its state of the art 5G technology. Not to be taken in isolation, the tech war was just part of an overall strategy to damage and restrain China’s economy. “Decoupling” had arrived into the general lexicon.

To an extent the measures worked, the chip shortage caused a slowdown among many tech dependent sectors, but not for long. China has developed its domestic production at a pace not possible anywhere else. It has also convinced China that it needed to greatly accelerate its self-sufficiency across all sectors.

As it stands today, America has nothing that China needs that it can’t make or buy elsewhere. America conversely needs China desperately, without China’s goods the American economy grinds to a halt. The extent of that dependency has been highlighted by Americaэs ongoing supply chain chaos. Manufacturing, retail, construction and countless other industry sectors have stalled without Chinese goods. No country in the world is as dependent on imports as the U.S. Attempts to find alternatives to China are fruitless, no other country can match the efficiency, infrastructure, economies of scale and cost that China can. American manufacturing only accounts for 20% of the American economy, self-sufficiency for Americans is a fantasy, even in the best case scenario, it is generations away.

Long spoken of is “China’s nuclear option”, dumping its dollar holdings and rendering the dollar worthless. China doesn’t want to do that. Firstly the loss of a trillion of its own dollar holdings is not to be taken lightly, and it would also damage the holdings and economies of its other trading partners around the world. Such a move would be an absolute last resort. China’s real nuclear option is the withholding of essential goods to America.

China has all but monopolised the rare earth industries, now accounting for more than 85% of global production. Without rare earths Americas tech and defence sectors would be paralysed.

Curious how President Biden signed the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, makgin American purchases of anything out of Xinjiang illegal. 

Funny thing though... all of the Chiense "rare earth" minerals come from Xinjiang and are mostly mined by Uighurs. 

Uh oh! (Head slap!)

All the seventeen critical rare earths are mined and refined in China in high volume. Some are mined in other countries in smaller volumes: developing alternative sources to China would a very lengthy process. For the foreseeable future, China decides who gets rare earths, and who doesn’t.

Unknown to many Americans the pharmaceutical industry is among the most heavily dependent of China. 80-85% of its products and precursors come from China, and there are currently few alternatives. I leave it to the reader’s imagination to visualize an America without medications, think Zombie apocalypse.

More than 131 million people — 66 percent of all adults in the United States — use prescription drugs. 

-Health policy institute at Georgetown

Some recent developments in China have given us a glimpse of the future. China is stockpiling food and other commodities at unprecedented levels. It is believed to hold more than half the world’s grain and maize already, other essential food stuffs are also being stockpiled at similar levels.

Iron ore, steel and other industrial raw materials are also being hoarded in previously unforeseen quantities. In a world of chronic shortages China has realised that commodities hold more value than cash.

More significantly, China just published a Governmental “White Paper.” It emphasises the need to conserve natural, finite resources (again think rare earths.) It also addresses the paradox that Trump was concerned about, why is China supplying parts to the U.S. military contractors? These among many other sectors will now require a “special export licence”. Read between the lines. China can apply these principles across any exported product it chooses. If they don’t like where it is headed, or what it will be used for, it isn’t going. Fertilisers, for which China accounts for about 30% of the world’s production are already banned from export. This is already forcing American many American farmers to switch from wheat to less fertiliser-intensive crops like soybeans.

China didn’t start or want this trade war, to date it is has been a one-sided assault on the Chinese economy by an increasingly desperate American government. China has not retaliated or employed any of the measures it could have in response, until now.

America now truly has its trade war, and more decoupling will follow, but from here on in, it will be on China’s terms.

…

From LinkedIN…

WHO WANTS A DOLLAR?
NOT CHINA

Dr Eamon McKinney

But America does need China – it needs the rare earths required for military production, automotive and high–tech manufacturing. All would come to a standstill without the rare earths which China has essentially monopolized.

Additionally, 85% of all Pharmaceutica used in the U.S. and their component chemicals come from China. Imagine what America would look like if supplies of
Pharmaceuticals were stopped. The truth, however unpalatable is that America needs China,

China no longer needs America.

What is now happening in China should alarm all Americans businesses. China no longer wants the dollar, China has too many dollars it doesn’t need any more of what it regards as increasingly worthless currency for tangible products.

Where trade is still being conducted many Chinese companies are no longer pricing their goods in Dollars, they are pricing in RMB and want to paid in
such. For the last 40 years, dollars came in and were exchanged into local currency, now, if you want Chinese goods, first buy RMB with your dollars.

First slide…

Second slide…

Second slide.

Third slide…

Third slide.

And China is not alone, widely unreported is the fact that many countries who are considered allies of America, The U.K, France, Germany, India and Mexico are also moving rapidly away from the Dollar and the institutions that sustain it. The swift payment system, the I.M.F. the World Bank and the Bank for International Settlements are all now being replaced by more equitable alternatives.

Trump’s tariffs have not affected China or hurt it any way. The tariffs have been paid by the American consumer. It has just added further inflationary pressure on the economy.

But that is the tip of the iceberg. Biden’s new $1.9 Trillion stimulus (actually a bailout) will plunge the dollar to new lows.

If that is not alarming enough, consider this: 40% of all the $US currently in circulation globally have been created in the last year.

The dollar has plunged in value some 15% over the last few months, and it continues to decline. We can only hope that as inflation inevitably increases
it will be gradual, the consequences of a more rapid decline are unthinkable, yet most certainly possible.

Denial appears to be the prevailing U.S. Government policy, but denial is not a useful strategy for the private sector. Companies must deal with the fact that global supply chains may soon to be a thing of the past for American companies.

As the dollar continues to decline, it’s reduced purchasing power is making foreign products uneconomical. The one positive is that the companies who have recognized these facts are bringing their supply chains home.

Re–shoring makes good economic sense, because it is possible that in the near future, the only people who will accept the US dollar are likely to only be other American companies.

…

Conclusion

You will not read about the collapse, the SHTF, or the various wars and brush fights in the American Government controlled media. But they are still going on. Here’s an insight as to what is going on.

Finance folk, bankers, accountants, and other FIRE industries have looted the United States, and gutted American society. It’s a big boated crusty shell with nothing but dust on the inside. Soon, very soon, there is going to be a mass realization of this reality.

It could be harsh, brash and catastrophic.

Or, it could be a serious of controlled implosions.

But it WILL HAPPEN.

There is no way out of this mess. None. The only thing that a person can do is hunker down in a smaller community away from the larger clusters of dependent citizenry, become active and involved in your respective communities, and be the Rufus; help others will no concern for personal profit.

I will advise you all to use all of the techniques provided on MM here to center your consciousness, and prepare.

Here’s a quick review…

  • Affirmation prayer campaigns.
  • Perform your Fate Forecasting, and monitor it closely.
  • Center your consciousness using Hemi-sync.
  • Conduct world-line travel and slides as necessary.
  • Be part of your community.
  • Be able to provide a service, or volunteer in your community.
  • Tune out the bullshit propaganda off the “news”.
  • Stock up your food larder. Have a garden.
  • Trade and barter with neighbors.
  • Ride a bicycle more often. Use the car less.
  • Surround yourself with cats, or dogs, or other animals.
  • Be kind. Be calm. Be neighborly.

Make your little area a bubble of kind softness. That way, no matter what changes hits your world, your little area will be mostly immune to them. Be great; be the Rufus.

I believe in you.

Do you want more?

You can find more articles related to this in my latest index; A New Beginning. And in it are elements of the old, some elements regarding the transition, and some elements that look towards the future.

New Beginnings 2

.

Articles & Links

Master Index

.

  • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
  • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
  • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
  • You can find out more about the author HERE.
  • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
  • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

When Hollywood still knew how to make movies; It Came From Beneath The Sea (1955)

Enter Ray Harryhausen, who I discovered myself by accident. In many  ways, he changed my life. Harryhausen has told us, time and again, the  story of how he saw the original "King Kong" on the big screen when he  was just a kid, of how he was inspired by Willis O' Brien's pioneering  special effects and of how that lead him to where he is today. In case I  end up in the movies, I foresee myself telling people the story of how I  was inspired by Harryhausen's work. Hopefully, the chain will go on. I  am kidding, of course, but it's a nice thought anyway.

While most  kids in the 90's would be oblivious of stop-motion (with CGI growing  popular), I was in awe of it. There is a sense of life in stop-motion  animated creatures. It's the kind of life that much of CGI lacks. No  matter how smoothly or realistically your computerized monster moves,  there is something more subtle that stop-motion captures better.  Harryhausen's creations seem to be thinking, or feeling, not just  moving. They have personality, an attribute that so many of today's CG  monsters lack. 

...

Harryhausen deserved better films and higher budgets (his films were  so low budget that at several times, the full extent of his vision  wasn't realized. It is now popular trivia that the octopus in "It Came  From Beneath the Sea" actually had only six tentacles as they couldn't  afford to build a model with eight). Though the films have inspired  several of us, it was, in most cases, only the special effects that kept  the films from being mediocre B-movie fare. It is sad that he didn't  work with greater talents. Imagine what would have come out of such  collaborations.

This master of animation was snubbed by the  Academy year after year for each of his films, the films not even  getting nominations for their special effects, until, years after his  retirement; they gave him an honorary Oscar, which, I suspect, is more  of an apology than a token recognition. I've read somewhere that  Harryhausen reasons his films didn't get recognized by the Academy when  they were released because they were shot in Spain, and not in  Hollywood. It makes sense. 

-Great Movies of my Childhood

It Came From Beneath the Sea was the first of several fruitful collaborations between producer Charles H. Schneer and special-effects wizard Ray Harryhausen. He wasn’t yet at the top of his game, but what he did provide inspired all of us young boys to fight enormous radioactive tentacled octopus.

The major creature in this low budget movie is a giant, six-tentacled octopus, which is galvanized into action by an H-bomb test.

Worse still, the monster is highly radioactive, rendering useless the normal means of defense against it.

Yikes!

It came from beneath the sea.

Scientists Donald Curtis and Faith Domergue team with atomic-submarine commander Kenneth Tobey to halt the creature’s progress before it begins to attack major coastal cities. Alas, the monster manages to reach San Francisco, wreaking havoc on the Golden Gate. It’s sort of an American version of Godzilla.

Good Gosh and darn it!

Movie Review 1 

I’m a simple guy, I see a movie about a gigantic killer octopus and I immediately buy it on DVD. I love campy 1950’s Cold War Sci-fi flicks. I find them to be genuinely fun and engaging. However, just like every sub genre, there’s good and bad. “It Came from Beneath the Sea” is a middling film.

Anytime the giant Octopus wreaks terror on screen, the film becomes a whole lot of fun. However, when the film substitutes these moments for a half baked love triangle the film quickly loses interest.

As with every giant monster film of the ’50’s the film is filled with commentary about living in an active nuclear world. Radiation from military testing has brought about this devastating monster. It then falls to a couple of scientists and a Navy officer to defeat the monster before it brings about the total destruction of San Francisco.

Most of the characters in this film fall into pretty standard genre cliches. There’s really nothing noteworthy about them; they’re fine. Where this film works best is in the action scenes. For the most part they’re really well done, it’s pretty obvious that the filmmakers are using miniatures, but there’s an undeniable charm to them. The creature design is also well done, and the use of stop-motion is effective in bringing the monster to life.

It came from beneath the sea.

If you’re into goofy giant monster films, then this is the kind of film you’d enjoy. For a general audience, this is the type of film that’ll bring about a lot of eye-rolling. “It Came from Beneath the Sea” isn’t the best monster film I’ve ever seen, but it does an effective job. I just wished there was a little more monster action.

Movie Review 2

Released the year after the influential monster movie classic Godzilla, It Came from Beneath the Sea was one of several attempts from around the world to capitalize on the success of Godzilla.

It Came from Beneath the Sea is one of the more well known giant monster movies to come out from this period.

I didn’t really know much about this film apart from the fact that it was following on Godzilla’s coat tails and that special effects wizard Ray Harryhausen was involved. While It Came from Beneath the Sea is far from being perfect, I still found it to be a fairly entertaining film.

It came from beneath the sea.

The film sees a giant octopus, whose feeding habits have been affected by radiation from H-bomb tests, rises from beneath the Mindanao Deep to terrorize the Californian coast.

The plot for It Came from Beneath the Sea is pretty good, with some interesting moments. It is a plot that seems really exciting on paper, but the execution needed to be much stronger than it actually is.

Throughout the film, there is a bland and monotonous voice-over that insists on dumping needless exposition. It also focuses heavily on the military trying to decide what to do about the giant octopus. These scenes are really bland and drain any and all excitement out of the film.

It came from beneath the sea.

There is also a love triangle between a sexually aggressive naval officer played by Kenneth Tobey, who declares rather than acts, and two scientists. One of the scientists is Professor Joyce, played by Faith Domergue, who lights up every scene that she appears in and is easily the best thing about this film. Joyce is a strong female character, unusual for this type of film from this era. She is independent, progressive and quickly brushes off any advances as soon they are laid on her. An underrated feminist icon if ever there was one! The other main highlight of the film is, of course, Harryhausen’s special effects. The whole sequence involving the giant octopus’s attack on the Golden Gate Bridge is fantastic. Harryhausen’s effects may be a little dated, but they are wonderfully charming. The giant octopus may not be his best work but, as always, it is a highlight. The direction from Robert Gordon is really solid and holds the film together well.

Overall, It Came from Beneath the Sea is a solid enough giant monster film. The plot is fun, but I feel that the execution needed to be stronger in order to get the mot out of the concept. The short runtime, however, makes it watchable and the Golden Gate Bridge attack is a satisfying conclusion. The performances are fairly average, with Faith Domergue being a particular highlight. Gordon’s direction is good and Harryhausen’s effects are great. It Came from Beneath the Sea is an enjoyable old school monster movie. A fun, if rather unremarkable, film!

Movie Review 3

Some Ray Harryhausen films you watch solely because of Ray Harryhausen‘s “Dynamation” and little else. This isn’t just such a film, but it might be the best example of it.

This would be Ray‘s first collaboration with producer Charles H. Schneer and they would go on to make some of Harryhausen‘s most famous films together including Jason and the Argonauts and of course Clash of the Titans.

This being their first though, it ends up also being their weakest, but they obviously lived and learned as they also never worked with director Robert Gordon again. Don’t worry about him though, he went on to make Tarzan and the Jungle Boy so his legacy is cemented.

It came from beneath the sea.

All of Ray‘s effects are great fun, how could a giant octopus attacking the Golden Gate Bridge not be?

Everything else though is a bit wooden, unimaginative and in some cases just plain weird. There’s this odd love triangle between Kenneth Tobey, Faith Domergue and Donald Curtis that plays out less like two men fighting over a woman and more like they’re… well… possibly trying to get her at the same time? I’m not sure what the hell was going on there, but it does add to the weirdness of the film.

Movie Review 4

It Came From Beneath The Sea is the kind of giant monster movie I can enjoy mostly guilt free. No appliances glued or stapled onto animals – just good old fashioned, cruelty-free Ray Harryhausen stop-motion. It’s how Willis O’Brian did it – it’s how the movie industry had done, and at that point in the ‘50s it had worked pretty well so far.

The premise is your good ol’ fashioned ‘50s creature feature – atomic testing woke up something big from the depths. The creature is now menacing the world of humanity and must be stopped. In this case, the “something” is a giant octopus, and it’s discovered by the US Navy’s first nuclear attack submarine.

It came from beneath the sea.

The film also has the twist of “the scientist nobody believes until it’s too late” being a woman, and her claims being dismissed not due to lack of plausibility, but explicitly because of institutional misogyny.

It’s still problematic – the scientist, Leslie Joyce (Faith Domeregue) ends up romancing her sexual harasser, but at least the film had the stones to call out institutional misogyny as a systematic issue that is a big problem – demonstrated by it costing lives.

The film’s effects are great – the climactic rampage through San Francisco at the end of the movie is very wonderfully done. It’s not quite at the levels of Godzilla (which hasn’t been made yet), but it does get things across.

It came from beneath the sea.

Otherwise, the movie is fine – it’s a brisk 74 minutes that doesn’t overstay its welcome. It’s a movie that’s enjoyable in its own right and, were it to end up on the new MST3K (or, for that matter, on Rifftrax), it’d also be a very fun watch there.

Final Conclusion

Well, aren’t you all tired of the pandemic, the Russian ultimatium that wasn’t, the Uighurs, and everything else? I certainly am. I jsut spent the most part of this morning breaking down the USA Western Bloc failures to interrupt the BRI. I’ve got to tell youse guys. I want a break.

I’m off to smunch on some fine, fine Suechuan food.

Sichuan cuisine is one of the most famous local cuisines in China. It has a wide range of materials and a variety of dishes. It is famous for its good use of spicy, and its unique cooking methods and strong local flavor is famous at home and abroad. Sichuan cuisine has become a brilliant pearl in the history of Chinese food culture and civilization.

I really want to get back to some OOPART stuff. I’ve got about 30 or so in the pipe in various stages of readiness.

Not to mention some stuff on world-line travel, and affirmations, and some Domain stuff as well.

Let’s just have some fun. Put aside the great Geo-political changes and just have fun.

Here’s some ideas for fun…

Idea one – Food.

A nice sandwich in a diner that you smuch with a cup of coffee or a more interesting beverage of your choice.

A nice sandwich.

Idea two – Art.

Visiting an art museum. Go out for the day and then get an icecream, or a coffee or a nice dinner out.

Visit an art museum.

Idea three – Local historical Museum.

Art is not your thing, eh…

Go out to the local historical museums in your local area. They are there, you just need to figure out where. Check out all the interesting curiosities that you find there.

Go out to the local historical museums in your local area.

They are everywhere.

You just got to find them.

Go out to the local historical museums in your local area.

Idea four – Go outside.

When was the last time that you took a spin on a bicycle. I’ll bet that for many MM readers, it’s been a long time. But I will tell you that when you get back on that bike it will be a true joy (provided there’s no snow about). LOL.

But if there is, then how about a snowmobile ride, a cross-country ski trip, or some downhill sking. Do something outdoors.

Do something outside.

Idea Five – snuggle.

With a loved one, a cherished pet, or a new friend. Just go out and snuggle.

Snuggle.

Idea six – Watch old movies.

Surprise yourself. Dig up an old movie and watch it. Just do it.

A scene from the movie “The Last of Shela”.

Have fun everyone.

Make the best of your life. One last idea…

Idea Seven – Be Groovy

It’s NEVER too late to be groovy, baby.

Groovy.

Do you want more?

You can find more articles related to this in my Movie Index.

MOVIES

.

Articles & Links

Master Index

.

  • You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
  • You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
  • You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
  • You can find out more about the author HERE.
  • If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
  • If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.