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Did Putin overreact in Georgia 2008 and Ukraine 2014? Russia and the dangers to the Russian economy of not maintaining good relations with the West
08/13/2008
Russia tones down its overreaction as 66% of Russians polled in June say Russian forces should not enter Ukrainian terrritory. Putin and Russians in the administration policy making may have underestimated the reaction in the U.S. as reflected in this WSH editorial saying Americans should remember the words of Gen. Lucius Clay during the Berlin Blockade and the subsequent airlift. This could be why analysts in Russia now maintain that good relations with the West must be maintained, and entry of Russian forces into Ukraine would have disastrous consequences for Russia in terms of western sentiment and foreign investor sentiment. In such a situation Germany would be likely to support the stronger U.S. position seeing this in terms of the language used in theBerlin Airlift of 1948. For Germany and Russia this would be reversing the hard won gains of building relations from the time of Brandtand Kohl till today, fifty years of effort to build better relations and economic relationships- just too much for sober heads in Moscow Paris, and Berlin to accept, and closing another chapter in Russia's interactions with the West.
Linked Articles
Wall Street Journal 08/13/2008
Seeing Cost of Saber Rattling in Ukraine, Putin Alters CourseNew York Times 07/11/2014
Honda's decades long emphasis on the environment and fuel efficent small cars is making it a winner.
07/28/2008
Honda is the only one of the large manufacturers od autos that is increasing sales in the North American market.
Linked Articles
Honda Stays True to Efficient Driving
New York Times 08/26/2008
Honda's On the Go As Auto Makers Brace for July ResultsWall Street Journal 07/28/2008
Drug cartels emerging in Afghaistan.
07/27/2008
The UN OFfice of Drugs and Crime ses the growth of drug cartels in Afghaistan as 10,000 tons of drugs from the opium crop have been stockpiled inside Afghistan and are controlled by narco-gangs. This is estimated as 2 years of world demand. This as efforts to curb opium growing have reduced the land devoted to the crop by 22% and reduced the crop by 10%.
Linked Articles
U.N. Sees Afghan Drug Cartels Emerging
New York Times 09/02/2009
Is Afghanistan a Narco-State?New York Times 07/27/2008
Wind Energy and transmission lines that were built for another era that are a bottleneck.
07/19/2008
Transmission lines built for another era are a road block in the rapid development of wind energy as wind turbines are located in the sparsely populated areas like Kansas and the transmission capacity does not exist to the areas of high demand along the eastern and western seaboard.
Linked Articles
Wind Energy Bumps Into Power Grid’s Limits
New York Times 08/27/2008
Texas Approves a $4.93 Billion Wind-Power ProjectNew York Times 07/19/2008
The impact of energy costs on the Chines export model of low cost low margin textiles, shoes household goods
06/20/2008
Higher energy prices are showing up in the higher cost of Chinese goods abroad along with other cost increases.
Linked Articles
China's Export Machine Threatened by Rising Costs
Wall Street Journal 06/30/2008
China Sharply Raises Energy PricesNew York Times 06/20/2008
CarMax used SUV and truck prices for early months of 2008 show stunning declines prompting GM rethinking its entire product lineup.
06/19/2008
CarMax, a used car retailer says price declines for SUV's and pickup trucks were severe in early months of 2008 with a 25% decline. The declines were sharpest in May and early June suggesting that things could get very bad for carmakers which don't make an abrupt and dramatic shift away from these types of vehicles.
Linked Articles
GM Puts Off Truck, SUV Redesigns In New Focus
Wall Street Journal 06/19/2008
Grim CarMax News Hits Auto MakersWall Street Journal 06/19/2008
The U.S. automobile market in 2008-2013- collapse, recovery and renewal
05/20/2008
Linked Articles
Car Makers' Boom Years Now Look Like a Bubble
Wall Street Journal 05/20/2008
Auto Makers Rebound as Buyers Go BigWall Street Journal 01/04/2014
Karen Elliott House, expert on Saudi Arabia and the Middle East, on the U.S., the EU, and Saudi Arabia- demographics, aspirations and the princes 2007-2014
05/14/2008
Pulitzer prize winning journalist for reporting from the Middle East and expert on Saudi Arabia, Karen Elliott House, describes the changes in Saudi Arabia with the huge young demographic, and what it means for Saudi society, U.S.-Saudi relations, meeting the aspirations of young people.
Linked Articles
As the Middle East Burns, the Saudis Ease Up at Home
Wall Street Journal 06/25/2014
Our Friends in RiyadhWall Street Journal 05/14/2008
Imbalances in the global economy that will take time to correct- the situation in the U.S., Europe and emerging markets in 2012-2013
05/05/2008
The perception that "this time is different" is a typical behavioural reaction in history to to financial crises studied by Rogoff and Reinhart. Economic weakness is part of the mechanism for correcting global imbalances which happens over a number of years.
Linked Articles
Economy May Face Prolonged Pain, History Suggests
Wall Street Journal 05/05/2008
Boom, Bust. Repeat.Wall Street Journal 10/09/2009
BMW, Benz and luxury retailers Saks, Nordstrom face declining luxury consumption.
04/30/2008
Sales at luxury retailers full priced stores are flat or declining while their factory outlets are seeing increased sales. BMW and Mercedes are taking writedowns for the drop in the value of their secondhand leased cars in the USA. This reflects declining economic conditions in April 2008.
Linked Articles
Profit Hurt, BMW Diverts Cars From U.S.
Wall Street Journal 04/30/2008
Luxury Retailers Pin Hopes on OutletsWall Street Journal 04/30/2008
Greenspan and his philosophy that let him take such an ambitious experiment in unrestrained markets.
04/08/2008
Grennspan took huge risks in his ambitious experiment with the American economy of a philosophy that simply said allow markets to operate unrestrained and trust in humans benevolent intentions and enlightened self interest. Goodman and Ip document the details. Did he believe that there was something miraculous that would prevent things from imploding, something inherently sacred about an idea of markets, when plain common sense like Buffets said that the arithmetic did not add up and in the end thats all that counts common sense.
Linked Articles
Taking Hard New Look at a Greenspan Legacy
New York Times 10/09/2008
His Legacy Tarnished, Greenspan Goes on DefensiveWall Street Journal 04/08/2008
Ford Motor Company and the shift in message to "Quality, Green, Safe and Smart," from "American" and being "powerful"
03/18/2008
Ford is showing originality and focussing on safety and innovation as one of its advertising themes in a "Ford, Drive One" campaign which will be done with dealers and after listening to dealers.
Linked Articles
Wall Street Journal 03/18/2008
Ford Displays a Wreck to Score Safety PointsNew York Times 03/18/2008
Sheila Bair at FDIC has proposal to help homeowners similiar to Feldstein's
03/07/2008
Sheila Bair 's proposal to help homeowners is similar to what Martin Feldstein proposed on the pages of WSJ on March 7, 2008. About 2 months later FDIC proposes to take action to help homeowners by offering homeowners with debt to income ratios above 40%, a loan from the government for 20% of their loan amount with no interest charged for the first 5 years, and loan payments required to be lowered to affordable numbers.
Linked Articles
How to Stop the Mortgage Crisis
Wall Street Journal 03/07/2008
Bair Proposal Seeks Government Loans To Aid HomeownersWall Street Journal 04/30/2008
The Afghan war as asort of political football for the Democrats to burnish their anti soviet or now Obama to burnish his antiterrorist credentials.
07/30/2008
Friedman warned about the overhyping of the Afghan war as being the right war by Obama. Charlie Wilson, Rep. from Texas, is described as doing this during Reagan's contras war in Nicaragua, making that one the bad war and the anti soviet war in Afghanistan as the good war.
Linked Articles
Stephen G. Rademaker - Obama Strategy Raises Questions on Afghanistan
Washington Post 09/05/2009
Drilling in AfghanistanNew York Times 07/30/2008
Reports linking Karzai's brother to heroin trade fit in with Scweich's account in the NYT.
07/27/2008
Schweich is deputy to Anne Patterson Asst Secretary of State for international narcotics and law enforcement. His story in the New York Times fits in with accounts of links to the heroin trade of Karzai's brother who heads the provincial council in Kandahar. This also shows how trust is being lost in the Afghan government among the people as stated in a cable by a senior career foreign service officer from Britain in Kabul to the French government.
Linked Articles
Reports Link Karzai’s Brother to Heroin Trade
New York Times 10/05/2008
Is Afghanistan a Narco-State?New York Times 07/27/2008
Israeli refiner Alon and the market supply and demand for asphalt.
07/23/2008
As more and more refiners turn the heavier oils into gasoline and diesel the supplies of bitumen for asphalt are expected to shrink leaving asphalt in short supply if demand to fix aging roads picks up.
Linked Articles
Oil Cost Boosts Asphalt, for Now
Wall Street Journal 07/23/2008
Israeli Refiner Expands in U.S.Wall Street Journal 07/23/2008
Rising wages in China a definite trend as sentiment of workers and the government changes towards low wages and low wage jobs
06/30/2008
The government's efforts to shift China away from low wage sectors to more advanced technologies with higher wages. And the growting sentiment in China among workers with the rise of the internet and mobile phones to organize efforts for higher wages in industries that range from older textile plants to automobile factories of Japanese makers, and factories that make parts for western tech hardware companies such as Apple, Dell and H-P. This includes Honda plants and Foxconn factories. This sentiment is shifting to other emerging markets such as Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia.
Linked Articles
China's Export Machine Threatened by Rising Costs
Wall Street Journal 06/30/2008
The Rise of a Chinese Worker's MovementBusinessWeek 06/10/2010
China's oil demand to grow at 2-3% over the next 15 years by one estimate.
06/20/2008
A much slower growth in oil demand as fuel efficient engines make a strong impact. Government policy raising oil prices, giving tax breaks for smaller engines to promote smaller cars on Chinese roads, and promotion of new hybrid and electric car technologies with significant subsidies, all push in this direction.
Linked Articles
China's Thirst for Oil Could Come Up Short
Wall Street Journal 06/01/2010
China Sharply Raises Energy PricesNew York Times 06/20/2008
Huge shift in car mix in favor of smaller cars as USA buyers finally make the shift and fast.
06/19/2008
Small cars sales move up quickly from 12.5% to 20% of vehicles sold. Market is running at 12.5 million vehicles in May 2008. The small car share will rise much higher as supplies increase, currently small cars sell quickly and are in short supply especially for Hona Fit and Civic cars and the Ford Focus.
Linked Articles
The Smaller the Better, Automakers Are Finding
New York Times 06/20/2008
GM Puts Off Truck, SUV Redesigns In New FocusWall Street Journal 06/19/2008
Board meetings at GM and the how the culture and style of management stalled decisions on fuel efficiency and small car development.
05/15/2008
The evolution of the old management styles and attitudes as Ford brought in outside management and Bill Ford took a new tack, and at GM where old management plodded on inexorably in the old way. Which is quite different from what Alfred Sloan had advocated in his memoirs when he insisted on discussion and debate on critical decisions in board meetings for them to be worthwhile.
Linked Articles
BusinessWeek 05/15/2008
Bill Ford on Tipping Points and Thinking SmallBusinessWeek 07/31/2008
Winding down Fannie and Freddie- the warnings from WSJ and other experts (6)
05/06/2008
Linked Articles
Doubts Raised on Big Backers of Mortgages
New York Times 05/06/2008
Loan Giant Overstated the Size of Its Capital BaseNew York Times 09/07/2008
The agreement won by Jerry Brown for 11 states against Countrywide/Bank of America to address foreclosures.
04/30/2008
The agreement won by 11 states from bank of America to devote $8 billion for mortgage relief and help homeowners facing foreclosures was a landmark agreement as little had happened in the way of relief for homeowners except for efforts by Sheila Barr at IndyMac in the way of comprehensive relief proposals for homeowners.
Linked Articles
Bair Proposal Seeks Government Loans To Aid Homeowners
Wall Street Journal 04/30/2008
Countrywide to Set Aside $8.4 Billion in Loan AidNew York Times 10/06/2008
The strategy of passing on food price increases in emerging markets of Unilever, P&G (Procter & Gamble), Danone and Nestle
04/30/2008
Linked Articles
Grain Companies' Profits Soar As Global Food Crisis Mounts
Wall Street Journal 04/30/2008
Unilever Sales Rise as Its Prices ClimbWall Street Journal 11/04/2011
Shift from low cost low margin to higher end innovation goods.
03/27/2008
Linked Articles
China's Export Machine Threatened by Rising Costs
Wall Street Journal 06/30/2008
China's Factory BluesBusinessWeek 03/27/2008
How parttime workers are shaping the unemployment picture in the US.
03/08/2008
Just as happened in Japan and continues to this day parttime workers are shaping the USA unemployment picture as employers increasingly resort to parttime workers to cut costs. With underutilized workers the USA unemployment rate reached 12% in October 2008.
Linked Articles
Labor Data Show Pain Across Economy
Wall Street Journal 11/08/2008
More People Pushed Into Part-Time Work ForceWall Street Journal 03/08/2008
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