LyrArc Article Gist
Anton Harder in this Wilson Center publication of research uses correspondence between Jawaharlal Nehru and his sister Vijaylakshmi Pandit ambassador to the US in 1950, to show that the US made an offer for India to take a permanent seat at the UN Security Council. India had supported two resolutions on June 25, and June 27, first condemning the invasion by North Korea and second the organizing of a UN force of 29 countries to push back the North Korean invasion. Even though the US is not seen as actively engaging with India during that period and seeing through British eyes the colonial policies of encouraging  different powers in South Asia, that may not be true.  Who was India's foreign minister in 1950? Jawaharlal Nehru was both prime minister and foreign minister till 1964, which means there was less discussion of foreign policy than happens today during the Ukraine invasion with Jaishankar a career diplomat with 30 years experience, Rajnath Singh, and Mr. Modi, in talks with president Biden recently, and in further discussions Modi had with EU's Von der Leyen and UK's Boris Johnson, Kishida of Japan. Who was India's defense minister in 1950? Baldev Singh, a Sikh independence struggle leader was Minister of Defense for 1947-52 and tackled partition of Punjab and Kashmir issues. The rest of the years to 1957 when India faced the Chinese invasion of Tibet India's defense minister was also for most of the period Mr. Nehru, except Ayynagar in 1953, and Kailash Katju in 1955 and 1956. The controversial V.K. Krishna Menon was Defense Minister from 1957 to 1962, when Indian defenses were further neglected leading to the Chinese invasion of India in 1962, and his replacement by Yashwantrao Chavan. The purpose of this is to look back at what happened in earlier periods to understand where India stands today- and what choices it makes today. Clearly the US was looking for allies then and now. Nehru saw things from his own reading of history seeing China and India as both suffering from western invasion, not realizing that China's experience under Mao was different- that of Japanese invasion and bombing of China's major cities not just colonization of Hong Kong and other ports for trade under British trade based policies in 1850-1900. Thus a Communist Chinese version of China's defense involved taking over border regions such as Tibet putting China in direct and open opposition to India. Nehru never really grasped what was happening in Tibet and the war China fought against the Nationalists. American general Stilwell loved China deeply and had an understanding of its people as shown in Tuchman's account in her book Stilwell and the American Experience in China 1911-1945. Stilwell during that war had a better understanding of China, the strengths and weaknesses of Mao's China and of the Nationalists under Chiang, than Nehru. Some of these errors post 1950's and a concentration of foreign, defense and embassy positions in the person of Mr. Nehru and of Nehru family member such as Mrs. Pandit led to the Indian failure to act on Tibet and see it as see it for what it was -facing a Communist Mao led China that had fought the Japanese invasion as different from Bodhidharma's China of the history books. Bodhidharma's China will outlast Mao's China, yet it is Mao's China that India faces today. This also tells us that India has to think in new ways- as Lincoln said during a period when America was also making its own progress as an industrial nation in the 1860's. "The dogmas of the quiet past are not adequate to the stormy present. The occasion is piled high with difficulty, and we must rise to the occasion. As our case is new, we must think anew, we must act anew. We must disenthrall ourselves, and we shall save our country." India's values are values of democracy heightened not just by Mohandas Gandhi's ideas with Hind Swaraj written in 1910 just as powerful in 2022, but also by the heights of Ladakh where elections are held in remote regions of the Himalayas. India's values are values that are also shared in the best that America has in its values and culture and in the defense of freedom.    ...

LyrArc Article Gist
James Hagerty of WSJ provides this exceptional account of a company that proves it can be done if only you learn from setbacks, and innovate, even in a declining industry. In rural Arcadia in western Wisconsin, an unlikely person trained for farming in an unlikely location, Ron Wynek has built the largest furniture maker in America, growing at 10% a year! This story tells how it started, the setbacks, the resonse and how it is done. Speed in decision making comes from Ashley Industries being a family owned operation with Ron and his son Todd very attuned to the manufacturing process for keeping costs down, and attuned to the opportunities in providing value to customers in America. As furniture makers in the South withered under the impact of Asian manufacturers, Ashley thrives with 60% of manufacturing done in highly efficient American midwest factories with costs kept down, and an efficient delivery system of its own that helps retailers keep low inventory. The imports come from three factories in Vietnam to Prince Rupert in B.C., Canada and are shipped by rail containers to Wisconsin, with grain and hide shipped back in the same containers. Ron Wynek was destined to be a farmer, but his wife preferred to stay in town, where he decided to go into the furniture business. The business faced Asian imports with half the cost of manufacturing, and Wynek took the advice of his Congressman not to look for government protection but find new ways to compete. He started importing from Taiwan, moved into furniture products such as bedroom furniture that faced less intense competition in the early days. He invested heavily in logistics, technology and manufacturing efficiency, to come up with a model that could withstand and grow in the face of Asian competition. Ashley is now larger than Lazy Boy and Ethan Allen combined, with sales close to $4 billion, and is expanding with a large store opened in Shanghai, China. ...

LyrArc Article Gist
Asbit faces months of protests in Hong Kong with no end in sight China decides to take the long view. Carrie Lam has said that China is playing the long game in Hong Kong as it has too much stake in world affairs and its trading relations. This is particularly true today with trade tensions with the U.S. and a wary Europe. 

The story is one of two cultures, with Hong Kong very different from the culture president Jinping and Mainlanders know. There is little space in between so being patient appears to be the best way. Jinping met Carrie Lam recently in China and says he trusts Carrie Lam, a civil servant in the British tradition, who is caught between the two conflicting cultures and wants to take a break from the chaotic situation in which she can rarely go out without meeting protesters.

LyrArc Article Gist
Bernie Sanders who won in 23 states running for president says the American system is broken and this is why DJT won in 2026. He says Biden genuinely wanted to bring the changes to help workers. Other Democrats simply wanted to patch the system, a little here a little there. This he tells Reid Epstein of the NYT is not working and Bernie Sanders says DJT is right that the system is broken. Sanders excoriated billionaires in his speeches. Yet the tech billionaires at Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Amazon have over the last two decades supported Democrats and yet paid a lower tax rate than firemen, police, teachers. Apple paid less than 15%, Google less than 16%, Microsoft less than 18% and Amazon less than 9%. This also constitutes an oligarchy similar to the oil companies and pharmaceutical companies. This makes it difficult to have a fair system of taxes that can fund the Nation's crumbling infrastructure, its manufacturing, its chips and advanced technologies, health and education of children. Sanders is focusing his efforts or 2025 to 15 Congressional districts where Republicans won by very thin margins. And he is on his way to Iowa City and Omaha, Nebraska, where the margins were so thin to get his message to workers.  This interview also provides a hint of how DJT has approached the issues with a willingness to try unconventional approaches and people who did not fit the mold. RFK Jr. at Health, Tulsi Gabbard at Intelligence, Lori Chavez at Labor. Something that Democrats have failed to do to look at different ideas and find solutions to intractable problems in unconventional ways. Epstein asks why Tulsi Gabbard who supported Sanders bid for president is now in the DJT cabinet.    ...

LyrArc Article Gist
A landmark ruling and a huge win for consumers and for the country, as the Supreme Court says states can enforce fair-lending laws and other consumer protection measures against the largest banks in the USA. The Suprem COurt said that the rules issued by the federal banking regulators like the Comptroller of the Currency under the NationalBank Act - a law passed in 1864- could not block sfforts by the states to enforce their laws. For the country its a win because the lack of enforcement of state laws only allowed abuses in the subprime area to continue and helped create the subprime mortgage crisis. The case began with letters by the New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer in 2005 to several national banks including CItigroup, JP Morgan Chase and Wells Fargo inquiring about lending practices to minorites. The letters referred to "troubling" disparities that suggested black and Hispanic borrowers were being charged disproportionately higher interest rates on mortgages compared to whites. THe letters asked for information "in lieu of subpoena." Protection of minorities and the weak in American society is part of the moral fabric of America and that it had eroded in recent years is evident in the manner the banking sector responded. A banking trade group and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency brought a lawsuit to block the New York Attorney General's request saying that the National Bank Act nd rules issued by the Bush administration in 2004 gave that type of authority to comptroller and prohibited such efforts by the states. And then afederal district court ruled against the states, aand the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit Court affirmed that decision. These are instances where the system failed to protect the weak even with the laws that states had on their books. Justice Scalia voted in favor with a 5-4 vote to allow states to enforce consumer protection laws, even though his written opinion was based on an interpretation of what "visitorial powers" of a federal regulator were, and not about the importance of fair lending in the proper functioning of the American economy. Justices Roberts, Alito, Kennedy and Thomas voted against....

LyrArc Article Gist
In new developments German chancellor Scholz visits London and European Union president Von der Leyen visits Bucha and Kviv in Ukraine. Von Der Leyen is accompanied by Joseph Borell, the EU commissioner for foreign and security affairs. For the first time the European Union offers membership in the EU to Ukraine. In handing a document with a questionnairre to Ukraine president Zelensky she says- "This is where your path towards the European Union begins." Adding "It will not be, as usual, a matter of years, but rather a matter of weeks" to complete this step. The questionairre forms the basis of an opionion she said that gets passed on to the European Council this summer. Ukraine now becomes the first country in Europe to have fought a war and suffered from millions of refugees just to join the European Union. It also shows how much has changed since Angela Merkel left office with her policies that offered Ukraine no such prospect even as it integrated the German economy with the Russian economy and China's economy during 4 terms in office. Leyen said "Ukraine is marching towards a European future." Chancellor Scholz addressed the German parliament after the invasion and hundreds of thousands of people turned out in Berlin that day.  Europe is voting with its emotions having been completely shaken by this experience. Leyen writes " It was important to start my visit in Bucha. Because in Bucha our humanity was shattered." ...

LyrArc Article Gist
Shocking revelation that Forest Service discouraged firefighters from wearing masks that help prevent cancers from toxic smoke. Many firefighters only had bandannas. For several years fires have increased and this was happening with more firefighters doing dangerous work yet this only came up when NYT reporters brought this up recently. The head of Forest Service was summoned to a Congressional oversight hearing and rightly so.  Rep. Jared Huffman of California: “We’ve talked about the New York Times piece. Chief, do you feel like the Forest Service is doing everything that it can to make the safety risk of smoke inhalation known to firefighters?” Mr. Schultz: “We need to continue to focus on safety as we move forward, including this issue.” There are about 40,000 firefighters in Forest Service mostly young men and many more employed by contractors. Because they are first responders also the work of firefighters has 360,000 in the US and 600,000 volunteers. With such sheer numbers masks to prevent inhalation of toxic chemicals that can cause cancer is highly important and should be given high priority.   ...

LyrArc Article Gist
Either China or India was going to at some point develop the Brahmaputra river known as Tsangpo in Tibet where it starts for hydroenergy. It turns out that the modernization of China preceding India's by 20 years and the occupation of Tibet in 1950 has put China in the position of developing this river with a huge dam. The Brahmaputra in Arunachal Pradesh and Assam states of India is the same river that is called Tsangpo in Tibet when since 1000 China had little physical contact with the region greatly remote from Chinese cities such as Beijing and Shanghai. The Brahmaputra in its Tsangpo stretch of the river in Tibetan region originates at lake Mansarovar and Mount Kailas and on a map can be seen as very close to Guwahati, Assam and distant thousands of miles from Beijing. The dam will include 5 hydropower stations, produce 300 billion kilowatt hours and cost $170 billion. Two decades of rapid growth in China supported by the US with technology and capital have given China the capital needed for this type of scale of investment in renewable hydro energy. It will produce as much energy as the UK used in 2024. ...

LyrArc Article Gist
Japan has coped with its long period of low growth by increasing the temp workforce. Loss of nontraditional workers jobs was 158,000 between October and mid February and accounted for much of the 220,000 jobs lost in the October to January period, according to the Japanese Labor Ministry. During the years that EU countries liberalized their labor markets allowing the hiring of temporary workers. During the 1990's Spain, Italy, Greece began allowing the hiring of temporary workers and workers on shortterm contracts. Germany allowed temporary workers and loosened labor laws earlier in this decade. By 2007 17% of the workers in the EU countries which share the euro were temporary workers. Many of these are young people or immigrants. But the labor laws in the EU for permanent employees remained the same and the worker protections were in place, including unemployment benefits and severance. This helped bring the EU unemployment rate down to 7.2% in 2007 during the upturn years. Now this whole process is going into reverse with the young and immigrants hit hardest. In Germany it costs 11,927 euros to layoff a permanent employee according to the Cologne Institure of Economic Research, and zero for laying off a shortterm employee. Now as the economy deteriorates the shortterm workers are being laid off first in large numbers. BMW has laid off 5000 shortterm workers. And short term contracts usually last only 4.7 months on average in Germany, about 12% of temp workers in Germany get hired as permanent workers. To get full unemployment benefits the workers have to have worked steadily for at least 1 year in Germany. ...

LyrArc Article Gist
Paul McCartney of the Beatles talks about the times he was asked to write an autobiography. In a new book he writes about how some of the most well known songs he had written came to him in his imagination. The Times shows glimpses of McCartney's song writing skills putting on the words on thoughts in his life and imagination, on his surroundings in London and Liverpool, England. 

Shown here are actual handwritten notes of the lyrics, amazing to see for songs such as Let it Be that are some of the best music singles of all time nd the song Yesterday. Others include Penny Lane.

'Yesterday' and 'Let it Be' come from memories of his mother who died in 1956. The lyrics for 'Yesterday' were written years later in 1965 and for 'Let in Be' in 1969.  

LyrArc Article Gist
Two leading funds Jana Partners and the Cal State Teachers Retirement System raise questions about the iPhone addiction among young people turning into a health crisis. The Wall Street Journal asks readers to comment on the issue how to respond, what teachers and parents need to do, what Apple needs to do. Many teachers say the drift is towards shorter and shorter attention spans for children, and children lacking the essential ability to delve deeper into learning topics. One teacher says the iPhone does not belong in high schools. One response is that it is the responsibility of parents, yet another response says parents are getting exhausted in the process. This parent calls it like playing a game of whack--a-mole from hell. Take away the iPhone and the same thing goes on in the computer, then on smart TV, finally the parent has to return the laptop because lessons are done online.

LyrArc Article Gist
The US Federal's half percentage point interest rate cut bodes well for stocks and bonds in the US, says this report in WSJ, as it reduces the burden of interest rates on small business that has a part of its debt in floating rates. The default risk component of rates also shrinks for large and small companies. A lot depends on how much the US is investing in manufacturing, in chips and science, in education, in infrastructure that reduces the costs to business and in its industries, which is the ultimate driver of growth. In this sense the Biden administration and Jerome Powell's Fed have accomplished a remarkable deal in the difficult period of the pandemic's four years 2020-2024. Much remains to be done yet this is a big deal, and the next president can leverage these strengths to set the US on the right path, the Way Forward for America.

LyrArc Article Gist
The Trump administration is looking at ways to protect U.S. automobile manufacturing by enforcing stricter environmental rules for automobile imports. The EPA is looking at whether VW which has 3.5% of the American market can be asked to meet stricter standards because the diesel emissions scandal gives the U.S. legal justification to set stricter emissions rules. VW has accepted that it used illegal software to evade government emissions tests. Such non tariff barriers are faced by the U.S. companies in Japanese, South Korean, Chinese markets. It is not clear how this would affect the 17.1 million cars made in NAFTA factories with parts made in one country and shipped for assembly in another country, between Canada, Mexico and the U.S.

LyrArc Article Gist
Poland's Finance minister Rostowski, says that Poland will join a trading band pegged to the euro called the exchange rate mechanism 2, for the zloty by the middle of 2009. This should help support the zloty in this difficult period giving the backing of the ECB to its currency. The zloty has lost 35% of its value in the past year. Poland, he said, will keep its deficit below the 3% level of GDP, and will rely more on monetary policy to fight the recession. Rostowski is visiting European capitals to give the message that Poland is different from some other Eastern European countries like Hungary, and it has more trading links to the west. Poland expects to have some growth of 2% in 2009.

LyrArc Article Gist
India moves forward with ports and maritime development with projects worth 38,000 crores or $4.75 billion including Mangaluru Port Authority and refinery, petrochemical industries. Priority is being place in port connectivity and development for 150 projects on a 7500 kilometres coastline. Ports are important for logistics and exports, a key priority for linking India to the new supply chain being built by the US and EU, which would link India to manufacturing supply chain in Vietnam, Japan and other countries. Natural gas brought in through ports would enhance green development to reduce climate change emissions. India's coastline of 7500 kms compares with 20,000 for the US, 25,000 for Australia and 14,000 for China. India's coastline is about that of Brazil and a bit less than Mexico. New Zealand with a coastline of 15,000 has more coastline than China or India showing how the Pacific ocean coastlines are of a magnitude higher. Japan's is similar to Australia stretching across the Pacific. Canada has the largest coastline in the world. ...

LyrArc Article Gist
Macron changes policies in France to accomodate the yellow vest protestors.  The movement erupted on the basis of a small additional climate change tax on fuel showing how struggling families view the Macron government's policies. Macron's popularity has declined more rapidly than his predecessor Francois Hollande, making it uncertain what the future direction is for France in a society divided between the rural low income areas and the urban areas.

LyrArc Article Gist
In August 2023 the Ukraine war is reduced to small unit tactics after a stalled Ukraine offensive. The results of the war over the last 2 years is a broadened NATO with Sweden and Finland inside NATO increasing the borders of NATO with Russia. On the Russian side some of eastern Ukraine on the Black Sea and the Dnieper river are now part of Russia in addition to the Crimea. The Ukraine offensive is stalled. Russia's economy has shifted from its western European orientation for energy exports and auto other imports to a Chinese orientation.  These changes are likely to remain with a shift of supply chains back from China and its suppliers to the US and the EU. This acts to restore the factory bases in the US and EU and revive communities built around factories in small towns across the region. This will bring back regions in the EU and the US that suffered from the loss of factory jobs and public services they supported. Overall this is a healthier situation for the people of Europe and the US. For China also the situation reverses to better quality yet slower growth, and a pause to take stock of the immense changes that happened with explosive growth in trade- the damage to the environment, floods and heat waves from climate change, the explosion in debt to three time its GDP, higher unemployment, rural poverty, and devise solutions to these problems. The war has accelerated the unraveling of the existing economic, social and trade arrangements that had stopped working for many years. ...

LyrArc Article Gist
Eurobarometer Survey conducted by the European Commission on what people say about staying inside the European Union show increasing support inside the UK and inside member countries of the EU. In a survey done in March 2019, Eurobarometer Survey involving 1000 people in each of the 28 countries of the EU shows 53% of respondents in the UK supporting Remaining in the European Union, 35% Leave , and 12% undecided. Asked whether Britain had made the right choice to leave the EU in the referendum 54% of respondents said Britain made the wrong choice, only 38% said yes. There is a definite shift in sentiment that reflects the way the changes in the EU since the referendum was held- with only a trickle of immigration to Europe and now return of some refugees to their home countries, economic aid to African countries to reduce migrants. The economies of Europe that struggled through austerity policies such as Spain have show strong growth of 3% over 3 years, and of Portugal and Greece recovering. News at the time of austerity policies, uncontrolled immigration to Europe, affected public sentiment at the time of Britain's first referendum on EU membership. In the EU countries there is a definite upturn in sentiment- 66% would vote to remain in the EU, only 17% would vote to leave. The chaoic Brexit process in the UK has also led to the upturn. 68% of respondents in the EU countries said their countries had benefited from membership in the European Union, the largest support seen in 25 years. ...

LyrArc Article Gist
Biomass carbon removal at $100 per ton is being developed by Graphyte. The price for direct carbon removal from the air using huge fan like devices is $675 per ton. The price has to come down to about $100 per ton for it to become widely used. Graphyte is doing its first project near two timber milling and one rice milling operation in Pine Bluffs, Arkansas. American Airlines is purchasing credits from Graphyte. Graphyte can produce 150 pallets of blocks of biomass a day by July 2024 for carbon reduction of 50,000 tons per day. American Airlines is producing 35 million metric tons of direct emissions a year.

LyrArc Article Gist
This WSJ editorial on March 7 with Cruz winning in Maine and Kansas with wide margins, and Trump winning narrowly by 3.6% in Louisiana and in Kentucky, says that the Cruz win in Maine shows he could win in other states. It points out that Trump actually lost in Louisiana with those who voted on election day, that early voters made a difference. As Trump gets not just media attention on which he thrives, but also close scrutiny in media the situation appears to be changing. The WSJ calls for Trump to release his tax returns, particularly important in Trump's situations says the Journal because of his flamboyant statements about competence as a wealthy businessman. Also a factor in the elections in March will be how much Trump spends on ads as he has spent little so far.

LyrArc Article Gist
The WSJ editorial board opinion is offered in the spirit of free markets and free people from Jefferson's Declaration and Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations. Yet it is a complete misreading of Adam Smith as Smith had a social side which called for corporate interests of that time such as the East India Company of Britain to behave in a responsible manner with public interests and social sentiment in mind. Smith also sought to preserve the national interest of Britain and its role as dominant power. Whereas for for three decades WSJ is taking enormous risks with the national interest of the US in remaining a dominant industrial power. No one at the WSJ can explain how this can be done by shipping out the manufacturing industrial capacity and technological knowhow of any Nation, especially the United States over 3 decades. Worse it risks the entire period and the ideas of the awakening in Europe in ideas and science that powered the Industrial Revolution, that did not happen in Asia,  and led to so many of the advances in science and industry that we enjoy today, and share with large Asian nations China and India. That amazing period of awakening and the Industrial Revolution and its achievements is not part of the collective memory of the nations of Asia, of China India and Japan, and this kind of attitude of neglect of this essential part of our mindset and makeup in the US and Europe, acts to our detriment, and to the detriment of China, India and Japan. ...

LyrArc Article Gist
Optimism from the Washington Post Editorial Board now that Homan is in charge and law enforcement cooperation between state local and federal takes place. Homan was  briefly bypassed in the team set up by Kristi Noem, Secretary of DHS, and  as a result Border Patrol agents began their own sweeps that were not in accordance with DHS and ICE methods of operation. This was shown in the WSJ reports of the last few days creating unnecessary confrontations with protestors, increasing numbers of agents as a result, and both risking the lives of law enforcement and of protestors. Republican senators in Congress defended the rights of Americans to protest. Local and state cooperation with federal law enforcement was key to maintaining order and peace in neighborhoods, ensuring everyone's safety. This is now taking place with Homan meeting Attorney General Ellison, and state governor Walz. Homan said “certain improvements could and should be made” and that the government had not “carried this mission out perfectly.” Washington Post says Homan acted like a professional when asked about Pretti. “I’m going to tell you to let the investigation play out and see where it goes." The Post says handing over criminal immigrants sgould not be controversial, as Kristi Noem says migrants with criminal records were released onto the streets from jails by local officials. There is a lot of soul searching that needs to happen on the part of all, with less reckless behaviour that only aggravates the work of law enforcement and reduces the safety of streets and neighborhoods, and worse is not in accordance with America's tradition of treating people fairly as long as they are acting with decency. ...

LyrArc Article Gist
Jonathan Martin of the NYT documents the many ways in which the current campaign for the U.S. presidential election sets alarming precedents- in the frequent use of untruths and inflammatory language, vulgar discourse. Republicans and Democrats alike are cited who say this has deteriorated the public discourse in the country. Martin documents the ways in which the Trump campaign has set a downward course. The language on television has deteriorated says Martin, and in some ways politics is catching up with it. The media has also failed to exercize proper scrutiny of candidates, and some experts say much soul searching may be needed in the future for the media and politicians if the country is to get back to dialogue based on facts.

LyrArc Article Gist
Much of the growth in 2022-2024 was a result of Biden administration government spending on infrastructure supported by private sector spending. With efforts to cut waste and set new priorities in government spending, growth in 2025-2026 has to come from private sector spending with the DJT administration. The tariffs in the first 100 days are seen by business as a bargaining chip. Scott Bessent has described the tariffs as domestic policy, and president DJT has stated clearly that the tariffs against CMC countries, Canada, Mexico and China, is intended to stop the flow of fentanyl into the US. The scale of the fentanyl issue can be seen from the 490,000 American deaths over 12 years from fentanyl.  It is incumbent on CMC countries to take action on fentanyl. It is also incumbent on the CMC countries and on the EU, on opinion in business and the Silicon Valley in the US, to grasp the real dimensions of this crisis destroying so many lives, that is so unprecedented in the history of the US.   ...