Putin's interview

 I have listened Putin's interview and it reminded me about Ceaușescu.

Both old dictators, they have the same age now, 71 years 

Both fixated in the past.

Ceaușescu in 1400-1600, Putin in 1000 AD. 

They see the world in black and white. Ceaușescu has as enemies fascists and iredentist who wanted to broke Transilvania from motherland. Putin has the Nazi and the nationalists who broke Ukraine  from Russia.

Both blame west for their misfortunes, and have ties to China.

Both have frustrated oligarchs, that cannot spend their money.

Europe without US

 Peter Zeihan, has some videos regarding world after US 'retreat'. 

Empires have flows and ebbs.

The American empire had a flow in '50 then in '90.

Now it is an a ebb like in '60,'70, when much decolonisation happened.

But how a complete retreat of US from Europe will affect the continent ?

It will look like Middle Ages or in the 1600.

The European countries don't have anymore the huge colonial empires to decide the fate of the world so the scope of their policies will be focused on Europe, Mediterranean sea and Middle East 

For middle east they will compete with Turkey.

For north Africa it will be a competition with Algeria and Maroc.

Inside EU will be a competition for power in Bruxelles.

While the Scandinavian,Germanic block will be more stable, because of their culture to put community first and individual second, France will be a problem 

Like Britain , France had a powerful aristocracy that demanded personal privileges. See la Fronde

But unlike Britain where it was a negotiated deal between Barron's and king, in France a centralized state under Louis iv succeded to control and ruin noblemen.

After the system fell, during french revolution, the declaration of rights human right of man and citizen was issued, imprinting the personal rights into law and in nation's conscience.

But unlike Britain were you educated about personal responsibility, in France you have statism.

This is due to 2 military dictators: Napoleon 1 and 3, who took power during troubled times, did a pretty good job, but they reasserted the power of the state.

The same thing happened with De Gaulle, a military man who took power in troubles times and saved the nation.

So in my opinion in France citizens have rights and expect that the state implement these rights 

But now the state can't do it 

The state can't addapt fast enough. France based its colonial expansion on the state and army. Britain on the private entrepreneurs.

British empire was bigger and more economically viable. Britain took Nigeria a fertile country, France took Niger an arid country.

The state doesn't keep pace with reality also in Germany. Created by Prussian military to funnel economic resources to the army and railroads, to beat the french, the German state worke well in 19 century and 20 century.

But the climatic changes require a change in sources of Energy and in crop cultivation, addaption to new migrants.

War in Ukraine requires addaption of industry to the war.

Adoption of photovoltaic panels by individuals is hindered by bureaucracy.

The farmers are ignored in favor of big supermarket chains.

The German industry is not on a war footing.

The states who will not have the burden of a bureaucracy will fare better on the future. Alliances between small actors, between individuals will fare better than government.

We will return in an age in which loyalty between individuals and between senior and his servants will be more important.

France and Germany will be in decline, maybe Spain and Poland will rise.

Spain as an exporter of green energy and Poland as military power.

Mission of the artist

 Shakespeare has transformed the story of Romeo and Juliet, a story about some selfish families and selfish teenagers in a work of art.

Caravaggio transformed whores and beggars into saints.

Beethoven transform his pain caused by unshared love into musical piece 'Fur Elise'

Great artists transform the ugly into beautiful, dirt into ceramic and colors on canvas. Stones into sculptures.

Noise into to melody.

Who make the reverse is not an artist.

Split of Western Empire

 In 276AD, emperor Diocletian split the Roman empire in 2 for better management.

Now the western empire US and EU are facing the same problems as Romans in 276AD: barbarians at the border in Ukraine, succession crisis in US, decline of traditional religious beliefs.

Will the western alliance split? Will the western Europe asume leadership for realtion with Russia and Middle East ?

It happened before when western countries allied to contain autocrats who become too powerful like Lou's 14, Carol 5, and Napoleon.

But what it will be with US ?

They are still isolated geographically by 2 oceans, Mexico is still a problem but not big enough 

Usually the civil war in Rome appeared when it was safety at the border, leadership was weak, there was enough money to loot for paying legionnaires.

Without rejuvenation of political class, the people will be attry towards extremist politics 

Miorița este Bushido românesc

Am ascultat un Podcast cu Damian Anfile despre români

https://youtu.be/HJp74HFNwZ4?si=Ugwcrdg2n-zdAY1c

Și se pare că nici un om educat și cu studii în teologie că domnia sa nu a înțeles semnificația baladei Miorița.

In primul rând Miorița este precreștină, discuția cu animalele, comuniunea om natură, lipsa lui Dumnezeu indica faptul că balada își are originile din timpurile când se practică șamanismul in zona României.

Balada este o pregătire pentru moarte, spune ce trebuie făcut și rânduit după moartea eroului 

O atitudine asemănătoare întâlnim la samurai, care erau pregătiți în orice moment să moară.

Atitudinea asta se mai păstrează în artele marțiale japoneze unde participanții sunt îmbrăcați în alb, culoarea de doliu in orientul îndepărtat.

Orice s-ar spune samuraii nu s-au predat niciodată fără lupta. Și nu cred că ciobănașul mioritic se va fi predat fără lupta resemnat.

Din contră pregatindu-se sa moarta a luptat și cu mai mult curaj.

Faptul că noi nu mai înțelegem această balada a Mioriței arată că ne-am îndepărtat de oamenii care au creat-o și că de fapt ea nu ne mai reprezintă.

Book review: Matthew Perry memoir

 I just found out that Matthew Perry actor who played Chandler Bing in "Friends" series just died in a hot tub. 

Usually I don't buy biographies of actors, but now I did.

The book is published one year before he is dead, so it is like a confession .

A confession of an actor before the public.

He was very affected by separation of his parents.

He was a cry baby and doctors in their wisdom prescribed him, fenobarbital.

He started to drink at an young age. 

At 15 yr he left the house of his mother in Canada to join his father in California.

His father was drinking 5 glasses of vodka daily but he kept on acting.

He followed in his father's steps, he exceeded his father in acting career and in drinking 

It seems that he drunk when he got anxious. 

One day after a skyjet accident, one doctor prescribed him Oxycotin, he felt better.

The doctor gave him 40 pills.

He was hooked, he entered and exited numerous rehabilitation clinics for opioids and alcohol.

At the end he couldn't even smoke because of an ephizema.

I wonder how effective the rehabilitation clinics are if a guy who wants to rehabilitate and has money for it, relapses.

But the opioids worked slowly for Matthew destruction, they slowed his bowel movement, he was constipated, his colon burst open, he got septicemy. He was 2 weeks in coma.

He said that only thing that kept him afloat was his work as an actor, and expecially work at Friends series.

The tight knit, team of actors and Screenplayers acted like a surogate family who gave him attention and recognition that need it.

I rewatch now the series and try to find a hint about his struggles in his acting but I can't find anything.

Overall it is good book especially for those who battle addiction and have emotional problems.

Artificial Intelligence and gun powder

 At start of modern era, gun powder weapons were hard to handle so specialists had to be hired. So the mercenary armies replaced the levy.

In the search to make weapons more affordable, they were improved till they were easily used by anyone who can breathe.

Then they were mass produced and used by conscript armies with little training.

At the end of cold war, the weapons became smarter, but not really usable by any conscript. So contract soldiers were preferred. 

Next step will be to make these new weapons usable by any conscript, and they to do it is to use artificial intelligence.

This will democratize the violence.

Smaller actors will buy ready made solutions, armed their conscripts and attack big actors who use legacy system.

A drone with a smart algoieill trick air defenses, sneak into an airport and damage a plane.

This is seen in Ukraine war very often.