Thursday, January 17, 2013

Can Black People Be Trusted?

Previously published on Al Fin


Trust is crucial in a society. The level of trust in a society is related to economic activity, levels of happiness, levels of harmony, and other beneficial aspects of a well functioning society.
Acting Black?


Can Black People Be Trusted?

Yes. Like other people black people can be trusted to be who they are. The problem of living in a multicultural society is that one cultural group may not have a good understanding of what they can expect from another cultural group. Such misunderstanding can lead to failed expectations, a growing lack of trust, outright hostility, and eventual violence and low level inter-cultural wars and ethnic cleansing.

When societies choose to go multicultural, they should know what to expect from every one of the disparate cultures that they accept into the fold.

In a classic blog posting from May of 2006, Steve Sailer looks at multicultural societies from the standpoint of creativity:
Conventional wisdom holds that the more ethnically diverse a society is, the more "vibrant" its cultural creativity.

This sounds plausible in theory, but down through history, the opposite is more likely to be true. Periclean Athens wasn't as cosmopolitan as Alexandria or Rome, and Fourteenth Century Florence was full of Italians but not much else, and so forth. Right now, America is more diverse than ever, but it sure doesn't seem as creative as it was for most of the 20th Century. _Steve Sailer
But a reduction in creativity is a rather mild criticism of multiculturalism. A much more telling criticism of multicultural societies is the lack of trust between subpopulations -- which leads to less economic activity, less happiness, and more violence.

This story, for example, relates how three black teenage boys in Philadelphia lay in wait outside a bar, for someone to rob. When they finally spotted a white woman sitting in a Jeep Cherokee, they proceeded to take turns raping her for several hours, while driving around Philadelphia in her car. They finished by stealing her handbag and running back home to the house of one of their mothers. This source has more information and links on the story.

We know that blacks commit more violent crime than other ethnic/cultural groups living in western societies. We know that blacks are less intelligent and less productive on average than most other ethnic and cultural groups. It appears that blacks tend to be more impulsive, with less self control, on average.


These are things that we should expect from black populations, on average. So, when we say that we can trust people to be themselves, on average, that includes black people.

So yes, black people can be trusted, on average, to be themselves. Part of the problem is no doubt cultural. Part of the problem is likely to be heritable, judging by statistics.

Keep in mind that most black people are not violent criminals or thieves. A significant number of black people will be intelligent, productive, conscientious members of their society. Such people are assets to any society to which they belong.

But going by statistics, and by crime rates, almost everywhere that high proportions of blacks are found, one also finds high crime rates, high poverty rates, high rates of governmental corruption, high rates of illegitimacy and inter-generational dependency on government benefits, and low levels of achievement.

Do not judge every black person by these rates and statistics. Give every person -- regardless of ethnicity or culture -- a chance to prove himself. And be very careful out there.

Monday, January 14, 2013

US Murder Rates by State and Race: 2003 thru 2009

The following tables were compiled by The Audacious Epigone, a quant blogger of some renown. The first table looks at murder rates committed by blacks, averaged over the years 2003, 2005, 2006, and 2007, 2009. Source: Audacious Epigone Black Homicide Rates by State

StateRate
1. District of Columbia38.68
2. Pennsylvania34.16
3. Wisconsin30.93
4. Michigan30.89
5. Indiana30.74
6. Arizona29.90
7. Louisiana29.28
8. Nevada27.71
9. Oklahoma27.06
10. Missouri27.01
11. Tennessee25.20
12. California25.13
13. Kansas24.10
14. Maryland23.73
15. Arkansas22.79
16. Ohio22.34
17. Minnesota21.58
18. Vermont21.24
19. West Virginia19.70
20. Alabama19.61
21. Illinois18.62
22. New Jersey18.19
23. Texas18.00
24. Colorado17.89
25. South Carolina16.64
26. Virginia16.26
27. Kentucky16.16
28. New Mexico16.00
29. North Carolina15.40
30. Alaska15.39
31. Utah15.02
32. New York14.76
33. Washington14.53
34. Iowa14.29
35. Delaware14.00
36. Oregon13.94
37. Georgia13.54
38. Massachusetts13.45
39. Wyoming12.57
40. Rhode Island11.77
41. Mississippi11.20
42. Connecticut10.57
43. Hawaii9.14
44. Montana8.78
45. South Dakota8.69
46. North Dakota8.41
47. Idaho8.28
48. Maine4.42
49. Nebraska3.68
50. New Hampshire2.23


The next table comes from Audacious Epigone: White Murder Rates by State

Keep in mind that since Hispanic crime rates are not separated from white crime rates, it is highly likely that Hispanic perpetrators were involved in most of the murders designated as having been committed by "whites," in states containing an appreciable Hispanic population. That is one of the quirks in the US system of crime reporting.

tr>
StateRate
1. District of Columbia12.43
2. Nevada6.64
3. New Mexico6.63
4. Arizona6.43
5. California5.81
6. Oklahoma4.45
7. Texas4.38
8. Alaska4.12
9. Hawaii3.64
10. Maryland3.52
11. South Carolina3.52
12. Tennessee3.51
13. Louisiana3.42
14. Missouri3.42
15. West Virginia3.05
16. Arkansas3.00
17. Alabama2.91
18. North Carolina2.90
19. Colorado2.86
20. Georgia2.68
21. Kentucky2.66
22. Kansas2.51
23. Wyoming2.49
24. Virginia2.44
25. Washington2.43
26. Indiana2.41
27. New York2.35
28. New Jersey2.27
29. Mississippi2.21
30. Michigan2.19
31. Pennsylvania2.16
32. Idaho2.10
33. Connecticut2.03
34. Oregon1.98
35. Montana1.84
36. Rhode Island1.84
37. Massachusetts1.74
38. Ohio1.73
39. Delaware1.69
40. Utah1.63
41. Maine1.60
42. Vermont1.58
43. Wisconsin1.34
44. Illinois1.27
45. South Dakota1.21
46. Nebraska1.19
47. North Dakota1.19
48. Iowa1.14
49. Minnesota0.91
50. New Hampshire0.86


One of the interesting observations is how much higher black murder rates are than "white" rates, even when murders by Hispanics are added to murders by "whites."

Stratification of US murder rates by race will show that blacks have the highest murder rates, hispanics the next highest, whites the third highest, and asians have the lowest murder rates. In the UK, Europe, and Australia, the rankings would vary somewhat due to different immigrant populations.

Following are some international homicide rate comparisons:





Thursday, January 10, 2013

Genes and Crime: The Connection is Real, But Complex

Most criminologists were trained in the old, socio-environmental school of criminology -- completely ignorant of genetics. But fortunately, a new breed of criminologist which is more genetically aware, is beginning to look at the origins of criminality in modern cultures.
Your genes could be a strong predictor of whether you stray into a life of crime, according to a research paper co-written by UT Dallas criminologist Dr. J.C. Barnes.

“Examining the Genetic Underpinnings to Moffitt’s Developmental Taxonomy: A Behavior Genetic Analysis” detailed the study’s findings in a recent issue of Criminology. The paper was written with Dr. Kevin M. Beaver from Florida State University and Dr. Brian B. Boutwell at Sam Houston State University.

The study focused on whether genes are likely to cause a person to become a life-course persistent offender, which is characterized by antisocial behavior during childhood that can later progress to violent or serious criminal acts later in life.

..."there are likely to be hundreds, if not thousands, of genes that will incrementally increase your likelihood of being involved in a crime even if it only ratchets that probability by 1 percent,” he [JC Barnes] said. “It still is a genetic effect. And it’s still important.”

The link between genes and crime is a divisive issue in the criminology discipline, which has primarily focused on environmental and social factors that cause or influence deviant behavior. _UTDallas
Genetic Determinants of Aggression and Impulsivity in Humans (Abstract)

Full PDF download of above article from ResearchGate

Intersection of Genes, Environment, Crime, and Delinquency (Abstract)

Remember, the politically correct skankstream wants to keep you fat, dumb, and blind to the real world, and real world dynamics. It is up to you to go beyond what they want you to know.

It is never too late to have a dangerous childhood.

Sunday, January 06, 2013

The Life Span of Empires: How and Why Civilisations Evolve

The images and screen captures presented below are taken from Sir John Glubb's The Fate of Empires and Search for Survival (PDF).

Sir John Glubb was a British author and lecturer, who served in the Royal Engineers in WWI, and was commander of the Jordan Arab Legion from 1939 to 1956. His famous and succinct essay, The Fate of Empires and Search for Survival, looks at the lifespan of empires from their origins to their eventual decline.

Glubb estimates that most empires do not last longer than roughly 250 years, with many of them lasting much shorter periods of time. He describes many of the stages of empire, and many of the reasons why they break down and eventually disappear.

As seen in Glubb's image above, most of the world's great empires lasted no longer than 250 years. Glubb looks at the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire as two different empires, based upon their distinct forms of government.

One of the reasons for decline of empire described by Glubb is the influx of masses of people from outside cultures, religions, and ethnic groups, who are different from the core populations making up the founders and conquering peoples who brought about the original empire.


Glubb's summary at the end of the essay:
(a) We do not learn from history because our studies are brief and prejudiced.

(b) In a surprising manner, 250 years emerges as the average length of national greatness.

(c) This average has not varied for 3,000 years. Does it represent ten generations?

(d) The stages of the rise and fall of great nations seem to be:

The Age of Pioneers (outburst)
The Age of Conquests
The Age of Commerce
The Age of Affluence
The Age of Intellect
The Age of Decadence.

(e) Decadence is marked by:

Defensiveness
Pessimism
Materialism
Frivolity
An influx of foreigners
The Welfare State
A weakening of religion.

(f) Decadence is due to:
Too long a period of wealth and power
Selfishness
Love of money
The loss of a sense of duty.

(g) The life histories of great states are amazingly similar, and are due to internal factors.

(h) Their falls are diverse, because they are largely the result of external causes.

(i) History should be taught as the history of the human race, though of course with emphasis on the history of the student’s own country. _PDF Download of Sir John Glubb's Essay on Fate of Empires

Useful supplementary reading:

Decline of the West by Oswald Spengler

The Evolution of Civilisations by Carroll Quigley

History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Vol. 1 by Edward Gibbon

Historians often disagree over details -- both large and small. That leaves it up to each of us to learn what we can, and to make up our own minds as to the lessons that we can apply from history to more modern times.

Friday, January 04, 2013

HIV Death Rates Rising in Muslim Countries & Russia

“[Muslim] People are becoming more sexually active with no proper education or awareness,” said Johnny Tohme, a social worker with Marsa, the only Lebanese clinic that offers free HIV testing. Between 1,500 and 3,500 people are living with HIV in Lebanon today, according to figures from Marsa and UNAIDS.

“And with the growth of new infections, if no proper-follow up is administered, the infection is going to spread faster,” he said.

The Arab-wide picture is just as bleak. The Middle East and North Africa maintain just one percent of the world’s HIV caseload, with approximately 300,000 adults and children living with the virus, according to the United Nations.

But the fatality rate for AIDS patients has increased significantly in recent years, while in most of the rest of the world deaths have either stayed the same or dropped. _Global Post
From North Africa to the Middle East to Central Asia, HIV death rates have risen almost 20% across the traditional Muslim homelands.
...two regions saw significant increases – AIDS-related deaths went up by 17 percent in the Middle East and North Africa, and by more than 20 percent across Eastern Europe and Central Asia...

...New HIV cases in Russia:

The public health office says more than 60,000 people tested positive for HIV in the first 10 months of 2012 – up 12.5 percent on the previous year
Almost 2/3 of those who tested positive were male – the overall sickness rate was highest in the 30-40 age group
The mortality rate in this same period grew by 14 percent _Al Jazeera
The New York Times reveals that the problem in the Muslim world has been growing for some time:
AIDS is on the rise in many Muslim countries, driven by men having sex with other men in secret because of homophobia, religious intolerance and fear of being jailed or executed, according to a new study.

...Accurate statistics on some aspects of health are hard to get from governments in some Middle Eastern countries. For example, international health authorities say that the world’s highest rates of birth defects are in Muslim countries where cousins sometimes marry, but that governments are reluctant to admit it. _NYT
The problem of inaccurate statistics may be even worse -- much worse -- in the sub Saharan African countries, which are supposedly experiencing significant drops in HIV incidence and mortality. But the numbers are only as good as the methods used to acquire them, and in nations such as South Africa and Zimbabwe, the public health apparatus has fallen on hard times.

Another important public health problem knocking on the door for both the Muslim world and the more modern region of Europe, is tuberculosis -- TB.
All along the edges of Western Europe, new and hard-to-defeat strains of tuberculosis are gaining a foothold, often moving beyond traditional victims—alcoholics, drug users, HIV patients—and into the wider population. _WSJ

Tuesday, January 01, 2013

Chinese Neurosurgeons Take Aggressive Approach to Addiction

The problem of drug addiction is rampant over most of the world. In most countries, the official response to drug addiction is minimal or nonexistent. In advanced western countries, the official approach to treating drug addiction involves behavioural treatments, 12 step treatments, and various medications, including methadone.

But in China, the surgical approach to treating drug addiction is more popular.
Surgeons use heat to kill cells in small sections of both sides of the brain’s nucleus accumbens. That region is saturated with neurons containing dopamine and endogenous opioids, which are involved in pleasure and desire related both to drugs and to ordinary experiences like eating, love and sex. _Nucleus Accumbens Ablation

By taking away the pleasure of the addiction, Chinese neurosurgeons hope to stop the addiction itself.
The procedure involves drilling small holes into the skulls of patients and inserting long electrodes which extend down to the part of the brain called the nucleus accumbens. This area, often referred to as the “pleasure center” of the brain, is the major nucleus of the brain’s reward circuit. The neurotransmitter dopamine stimulates cells here to elicit the pleasurable sensations we get from eating fatty foods, getting a job promotion, or taking heroin. Electrical current is passed through the electrodes which kill the cells of the nucleus accumbens. By ridding the addicts of their pleasure centers, doctors hope to rid them of their addictions as well. The surgery is performed while the patients are awake to minimize the chance of damaging regions involved in sensation, movement or consciousness. _SingularityHub
The results are mixed, with some Chinese analyses suggesting that particular surgical approaches can bring about a larger number of "cures" than less invasive approaches.

Side effects are common, including loss of motivation, personality changes, and sometimes decreased intelligence and motor control.

In a country like China, where political prisoners are used as organ donors for the wealthy and politically connected, one should expect to see a more daring approach to brain surgery, than one might see in North America or Europe.

It is possible that we are only seeing the tip of the iceberg, in terms of the types of neurosurgery which are actually being carried out in China. Hidden archives may well exist, containing reports of more daring surgical procedures meant to achieve more profound levels of behavioural control over subjects.

If it is okay to take a political prisoner's kidney, liver, or lung, certainly there should be no ethical restraints over modifying the same prisoner's behaviour -- one way or another.

I seem to recall another totalitarian political regime that carried out similar forms of avant-garde experimentation on political prisoners. I just can't think of which other totalitarian state it was. Don't tell me, it will come.

Anyway. You may consider which would be worse: to suffer from a drug addiction, or to have a significant part of your brain destroyed, leaving you without the ability to experience a wide range of normal human pleasures?

Monday, December 31, 2012

Corrupt Chinese Communists Risking Violent Collapse

"China's 100 years of bloody and violent history - especially the painful and tragic lesson of the decade-long Cultural Revolution - show that once we go against the tide of democracy, human rights, rule of law and constitutional government, the people will suffer disaster and social and political stability will be impossible,"...

...Xi himself warned shortly after becoming party boss that if corruption were allowed to run wild, the party risked major unrest and the collapse of its rule. _Warning from Chinese Academics to Leadership
A group of prominent Chinese academics courageously sent an open letter to Chinese Communist Party leaders, warning them that they risk a violent collapse of government unless they move away from the current course of policy.

The massive corruption in Chinese society and within Chinese government is becoming impossible to hide from average Chinese citizens. Most of the Chinese people live in poverty, and only the hope of a better future keeps them from organising to revolt.
About 65 Chinese academics, lawyers and human rights activists have signed a similar letter demanding top party members reveal their financial assets, saying it is the most fundamental way to end corruption.

Analysts have been searching for signs that China's new leaders might steer a path of political reform, whether by allowing freer expression on the Internet, greater experimentation with grassroots democracy or releasing jailed dissidents.

But the party, which brooks no dissent to its rule and values stability above all else, has so far shown little sign of wanting to go down this path... _News.Yahoo.com
The communist leadership has been successful for several decades, in herding the Chinese people like sheep. A relative few of the more enterprising and better connected have earned fortunes -- but most are still being left behind.

Of those who have built riches, most of them have made plans to move their funds and families overseas, as the regional or national situation begins to show signs of collapse.

Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Black Gang Murders Being Ignored by Media

Josh, Killed by Black Gang Bangers on a Lark


Black gang violence in US cities is out of control, with the news media working overtime to keep the stories of murder and mayhem out of the news and out of the public eye.

Colin Flaherty, author of "White Girl Bleed a Lot," was interviewed by Front Page Magazine recently. He discusses the murder of the young man pictured above, the ugliness of black on white violence, and the ideological crusade of the skankstream media to prevent average Americans from learning about the de facto race war being carried out under the noses of the police and the media.
I would like to talk to you today about the recent murder of 20-year-old Joshua Proutey, who was shot for being white by a gang of four blacks who were out targeting white people who were “bound to have money” – as you reported in your story on this for WND.com.
Tell us what happened.
Flaherty: Four black people in Wilmington, North Carolina needed money for marijuana and traveling. So they set out to get it by robbing white people.  They tried to break into a house, but were seen, so they fled. They stalked a woman through downtown Wilmington, but she escaped. Finally they came upon a 20-year-old college kid named Joshua. They took his money, cell phone and sandwich. Then he asked them to only take his money and not his ID because he explained to them it was hard to replace. Then they shot and killed him. The reason I wrote about this for WND.com and for my book, is not that it is special, but because racial violence is increasingly common and most media ignore it.
FP: What do you mean it is not “special”?
Flaherty: Racial mob violence and lawlessness ignored by the media and downplayed by the police is now so common I could write a story about it every day.
My backlog is enormous. There have been recent examples of black mob violence and lawlessness in Norfolk, Los Angeles, Tacoma, Seattle, Chicago, Philadelphia, New Haven, Gaithersburg, England, Ireland, Canada, Baltimore, Phoenix. We have black mob violence against gays, women, Asians, and on and on and on. These are all in addition to more than 400 cases I have already reported from 80 cities around the country.
Much of it is on YouTube.  Yet no one is connecting the dots. They even refuse to admit the dots exist._Much more at FrontPageMag


Americans -- both black and white -- must decide whether they wish to preserve a prosperous and civil society. If so, they must make some hard choices. The alternative is certain to lead to escalating violence and civil insurrection easily on the scale of the US inner city riots of 1968. Except this time, dozens of cities could be involved, rather than merely handfuls.

Sunday, December 16, 2012

Interracial Violent Crime: Festering, Simmering, Behind the News Blackout

Originally published on Al Fin blog




Violent crime rates in US cities are rising again, after a respite of almost 20 years. A spike in violent assaults is largely responsible for the rise.

One of the most striking aspects of the recent spike in US violent crimes is the inter-racial aspect of the phenomenon. Respected economist and author Thomas Sowell -- a black man himself -- asserts that a censored race war against whites is taking place in US cities. DOJ crime statistics appear to support that assertion, if one looks beneath the veneer.
Not only is the U.S. economy in shambles, violent crime is at an all-time high and new federal statistics show that 2011 saw the biggest increase in criminal activity in nearly two decades with a large boost in the rate of “violent victimizations” for whites. _JudicialWatch
In several locations, an alarming rise in black hate crimes against whites and asians is raising racial fears to new levels.

Some people may remember the infamous "Zebra Killings" in the San Francisco bay area of the 1970s. Violent black groups in the bay area specifically targeted whites for killing -- as a form of initiation, as well as an irrational form of retribution for actions decades or centuries old.

The mentality behind the Zebra Killings never actually went away. In fact, the ideas that fuel black hatred against whites and asians in the US, has become more broadly generalised and institutionalised in churches, special K-12 through university schools, special curricula within mainstream K-12 through university schools, and in ethnic and mainstream media. Such hatred is also often transmitted from mother to sons, from the cradle onward -- similar to the way that Palestinain youth are programmed from infancy to hate Jews.

An interesting 2011 paper titled: "Crime in Europe and the US Dissecting the Reversal of Fortunes" (PDF), Attempts to explain the apparent contradictory trends in violent crive rates -- where European crime rates were rising, and US crime rates had been dropping for almost 20 years.

Although the last two years are seeing an uptick in violent assault in the US, it is worth looking at the reasons the researchers gave for changing trends in violent crime rates.

They looked at the influence of:
  1. demographic changes,
  2. incarceration,
  3. abortion,
  4. unemployment
  5. immigration
on crime.

We find that the demographic structure of the population and the incarceration rate are important determinants of crime. Our results suggest that a tougher incarceration policy may be an effective way to contrast crime in Europe. _Contrasting Crime Trends in Europe and the US (PDF)
It is odd that the authors of the study did not suggest stricter immigration control for Europe as well, given their findings. It is difficult to overcome over half a century of draconian political correctness, however.

Ignoring the issue of violent crime will not make it go away. The alarming rise in black hate crimes against whites and asians -- and sometimes hispanics -- suggests that the two most politically correct population groups are also the most victimised. Whites and asians are also the groups with the lowest fertility rates -- suggesting that the victimisation of these populations at the hands of young black males may be just beginning.

A similar future for aging populations of whites in Europe is likely, as immigrant groups from underperforming tribal third world areas replace more and more of the former native populations.

Wednesday, December 05, 2012

Drug Resistant Tuberculosis in Russia and Surrounding Countries A Growing Problem

Tuberculosis is a very stubborn disease, which ultimately proves fatal to large numbers of people worldwide. In the US, the disease is mainly seen in immigrants from Asia or Latin America. But in Russia, the disease is much more common -- both inside and outside of prison populations. And the degree of drug resistance is becoming very worrisome to international public health monitors.
About 400,000 cases of TB were diagnosed last year in the 15 former Soviet Union states - 40 times the number reported in the United States. Nearly 80,000 of the sick had drug-resistant TB. According to several studies, the prevalence of TB among the region's prisoners is 10 times greater than that of the general population...

..."Tuberculosis doesn't stop at any border or any locked gate," said Goldhaber-Fiebert, a faculty member at Stanford Health Policy, a research center at the university's Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies.

"Drug-resistant TB is rampant in prisons," he said. "When infected prisoners get out, they are thought to drive the TB epidemic in the general population. We are looking to find better ways to deal with that." _HealthNewsDigest
The article above is touting a new and relatively expensive form of DNA screening which uses DNA technology. But in Russia and surrounding countries, the money is not being allocated for proper TB treatment as it is. Why would anyone expect large sums of money to be spent on expensive new screening tests?

The public health system in Russia is slowly collapsing along with the overall health care system. One must pay bribes to receive proper treatment inside Russia for almost any ailment. Those who can do so are as likely to travel to Europe for proper treatment or sophisticated surgeries.

Russia is suffering from demographic shrinkage of ethnic Russians, as well as a serious brain drain to the West. Capital flight is one of many things preventing a prosperous domestic Russian economy from cropping up. Corruption and mafia-style extortion are two other obstacles to a healthy economy in Russia.

You may hear that everything is peachy inside the giant bear. But that would be the skankstream media singing you lullabies. Look deeper -- stratify the statistics by ethnicity. You can almost see the ethnic Russians disappearing from Siberia as you watch, for example.

High rates of tuberculosis, HIV, alcoholism, nicotine addiction, suicide, violent crime, and more, lead to high death rates -- particularly among Russian men. Russian women are having very few children -- and those who can leave the country to start new families with European, Australian, or North American men, will do so.

Monday, December 03, 2012

The Road to Superpower Status Will Be Difficult for China

China's incredible economic growth in recent years was always fragile, never sustainable for long. Not only was it state-led and state-controlled, it was fuelled largely by the availability of cheap labour, a complete disregard for the environment, and state investment in grand infrastructure projects.

According to a RAND report, the proportion of the Chinese population of working age peaked in 2011 and has started to decline in 2012. This means the share of the elderly in the population is going to steadily increase in the coming years, which will increase labour costs, reduce savings, and inflate healthcare and pension costs. _Commentator
By virtue of its rapid economic growth and impressive cash reserves, China feels it is justified in flexing its muscles on the international stage. The country is attempting to build its ability to project force by developing stronger naval and air forces, as well as moving deeper into space launch and advanced missile development.

China has lost a great deal of arable land to urban development, and continues to do so every year. Water, soil, and air continue to be poisoned by lax environmental oversight, further decreasing the domestic ability to grow crops for the population.

The need for fertile farmland is growing more desperate, to the point that the Chinese are buying or leasing access to farmland on all continents. This is an important limitation and potential strategic weakness for the dragon.

Another large weakness is the lack of a sustainable economic strategy, leading many in China to believe that war will be necessary, so as to keep nationalistic sentiments high, and national cohesiveness strong -- even in the face of potential economic downturns.
China's economic growth has been sustained, in large part, by ignoring environmental concerns. Currently, China is the world's largest emitter of CO2 gases; it emitted 8.2 billion tonnes of CO2 in 2010, which is up by an incredible 240 percent since 1992. Water and air pollution in the country causes 750,000 premature deaths a year. Large infrastructure projects have also forcibly evicted and displaced millions whilst threatening the health of livelihoods of many millions more.

Needless to say, such policies are simply not sustainable. Local and international pressure is starting to bear fruit and many grand infrastructure projects being cancelled in the process.

Beyond economics, the lack of meaningful political reform is also helping to stunt progress. The state is still characterised by endemic corruption, weak rule of law, and a lack of political accountability. Despite attempts by the state suppress dissent, newly affluent citizens are also becoming increasingly assertive and demanding more rights and freedoms.

...On-going environmental concerns, an ageing population, competition from India, Vietnam, and Brazil, internal dissent and unhappiness, and a culture that doesn't encourage risk and creativity will combine to slow China's economic growth and leave the elites frustrated.

In theory, China can change course and embrace democratisation as well as take steps to ensure future economic growth is more market-led. But China's history informs us that these changes are highly unlikely. China is and will be a power - but the next great superpower it is not nor ever likely to be. _Commentator

Saturday, December 01, 2012

Why Do Blacks Seem So Violent Wherever They Go?

This article was first published on Al Fin



Statistically high rates of violence accompany population groups of African descent wherever they go. From the townships of South Africa to the ghettos of Detroit and Philadelphia to entire nations such as Haiti or Jamaica -- there is a close relationship between statistically high rates of violence and the high prevalence of persons of African descent.

Why are blacks so violent -- statistically -- wherever in the world they go? The answer to the question is as complex as the human genome -- and the close, complex interaction between the genome and the environment.

A few of the genetic pieces of the puzzle may slowly be falling into place. Take the so-called "warrior gene," for example. This variant is found in black males almost 10 X more frequently than in white males. This "warrior gene" is actually an abnormal "promoter" for the monoamine oxidase A (MAOA) gene. This abnormal promoter has the effect of reducing the activity of monoamine oxidase enzyme, which results in more of the monoamine transmitters (serotonin, norepinephrine etc) in the brain -- leading to agitation, impulsiveness, and other dysfunctional behaviours.

We examine the effect of the 2R allele of MAOA on a range of antisocial outcomes. ► The 2R was related to arrest, incarceration, and lifetime antisocial behavior. ► These associations were only observable for African-American males. ► Only 0.1% of Caucasian males carried the 2-repeat allele. [ed: compared to about 10 times that proportion of African American males with the 2-repeat allele]_Source
It is important to understand is that there is not just one "violence gene" or "warrior gene" that can explain the high rates of violence seen among black populations. Multiple genes are involved, as well as multiple environmental interactions with the genes, arising from within the person himself, and from his environment.
A functional VNTR polymorphism in the promoter of the monoamine oxidase A gene (MAOA-LPR) has previously been shown to be an important predictor of antisocial behavior in men. Testosterone analogues are known to interact with the MAOA promoter in vitro to influence gene transcription as well as in vivo to influence CSF levels of the MAO metabolite 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol (MHPG) in human males. We examined the possible joint effects of testosterone (measured in CSF) and MAOA-LPR genotype on antisocial personality disorder and scores on the Brown–Goodwin Aggression scale in 95 unrelated male criminal alcoholics and 45 controls. The results confirm that MAOA genotype and CSF testosterone interact to predict antisocial behaviors. The MAOA/testosterone interaction also predicted low levels of CSF MHPG, which tentatively suggests the possibility that the interaction may be mediated by a direct effect on gene transcription. _Interaction of Testosterone w/ MAOA Promoter gene
There are many important subtleties to keep in mind. An abusive childhood, for example, is more likely to "activate" abnormal behaviours that may be potentiated by particular gene allele forms. The importance of environmental "provocations" should also be kept in mind.
We report an experiment, synthesizing work in psychology and behavioral economics, which demonstrates that aggression occurs with greater intensity and frequency as provocation is experimentally manipulated upwards, especially among low activity MAOA (MAOA-L) subjects. In this study, subjects paid to punish those they believed had taken money from them by administering varying amounts of unpleasantly hot (spicy) sauce to their opponent. There is some evidence of a main effect for genotype and some evidence for a gene by environment interaction, such that MAOA is less associated with the occurrence of aggression in a low provocation condition, but significantly predicts such behavior in a high provocation situation. _MAOA Predicts Aggression

Even between persons with similar genetic complements, there will likely be different levels of provocation required before violence is resorted to. Genetic variants can make a person more sensitive to stress, with a lower "violence threshold."

There are also cognitive factors involved, including fear of punishment, and the calculated probability of being caught and punished.

In addition, when a person thinks he has little to lose and more to gain, he is more likely to choose actions that may lead to violence. He is more likely to make such choices when he is relatively comfortable with the idea of violence, or when low levels of intelligence / executive function combine with high levels of impulsivity to block out the possible consequences of his choices.

Even with the limited evidence available so far, it is possible to hypothesise that high impulsivity -- at least partially due to genetic causes -- can combine with higher testosterone levels, lower IQ, poorer EF, and environmental provocations to lead to higher likelihoods of violent behaviour.

It is important to emphasise that when African American males are steeped in a culture of hatred toward persons of European or Asian descent from a very young age and throughout their lifetimes, that it is more likely that they will take violent action against such persons when given the opportunity to do so with minimal risk to themselves.

The Scribd document "MAOA Varies by Race" comes from a 2011 Comprehensive Psychiatry study which describes how the "more normal" variant of the MAOA promoter gene protects men of European descent from developing an antisocial personality -- despite being abused as a child. The study failed to demonstrate a similar protective effect for black boys and men.

Finally, the reason that the term "warrior gene" is a misnomer, is that a true warrior relies on a large number of skills -- including the ability to abstain from violence when it is not appropriate. The MAOA promoter gene variant described in studies above would not provide a battlefield warrior with any meaningful advantage -- and would likely prove disruptive to a disciplined warrior squad.

Friday, November 30, 2012

Is US President Barack Obama a Psychopath?

We may know very little about the formative years of, and the inner life of, US President Barack Obama. But if the US President is a psychopath, it is likely that he is of the "high functioning" psychopathic variant.
It is only when a person takes a long and careful look at the full-blown psychopath - a sort of exaggerated Narcissist - that they are able to see the caricature of the traits that then make it easier for them to identify the "garden variety" psychopath - and/or the Narcissist. _The Mask of the Psychopath
The brief excerpt immediately below is taken from a web article "Psychopaths rule the world." It suggests that psychopaths can be distinguished from non-psychopaths medically, and that they often secretly work their way into high positions of leadership.
...science is now able to predict by brain scan and DNA tests if person is a psychopath. If this person has a happy childhood the chances that they will kill decrease, but if they aren’t happy they are at a very high risk of violent behaviour. But how does this applies to politicians and corporate leaders?

...“Part of the problem is that the very things we’re looking for in our leaders, the psychopath can easily mimic.[..]Their natural tendency is to be charming. Take that charm and couch it in the right business language and it sounds like charismatic leadership”. __ Leaders as Psychopaths
This "psychopathic brain type" is estimated to comprise as many as 4 million persons within the US population.

More here:
The high incidence of sociopathy in human society has a profound effect on the rest of us who must live on this planet, too, even those of us who have not been clinically traumatized. The individuals who constitute this 4 percent drain our relationships, our bank accounts, our accomplishments, our self-esteem, our very peace on earth.

..."Likeable," "Charming," "Intelligent," "Alert," "Impressive," "Confidence-inspiring," and "A great success with the ladies": These are the sorts of descriptions repeatedly used by Cleckley in his famous case-studies of psychopaths. They are also, of course, "irresponsible," "self-destructive," and the like. These descriptions highlight the great frustrations and puzzles that surround the study of psychopathy.

Psychopaths seem to have in abundance the very traits most desired by normal persons. The untroubled self-confidence of the psychopath seems almost like an impossible dream and is generally what "normal" people seek to acquire when they attend assertiveness training classes. In many instances, the magnetic attraction of the psychopath for members of the opposite sex seems almost supernatural.

...read Cleckley's speculations on what was "really wrong" with these people. He comes very close to suggesting that they are human in every respect - but that they lack a soul. This lack of "soul quality" makes them very efficient "machines." They can be brilliant, write scholarly works, imitate the words of emotion, but over time, it becomes clear that their words do not match their actions. They are the type of person who can claim that they are devastated by grief who then attend a party "to forget." The problem is: they really DO forget.

Being very efficient machines, like a computer, they are able to execute very complex routines designed to elicit from others support for what they want. In this way, many psychopaths are able to reach very high positions in life. It is only over time that their associates become aware of the fact that their climb up the ladder of success is predicated on violating the rights of others."Even when they are indifferent to the rights of their associates, they are often able to inspire feelings of trust and confidence." _Psychopath
More at the link above.

What would separate a charming and irresponsible rogue such as President Bill Clinton, from a psychopathic president such as -- perhaps -- Barack Obama? Both have the ability to charm, and to lie with a straight face.

Perhaps the difference between a quasi-psychopathic rogue and a true psychopath, would be that the rogue simply doesn't care about the bad results of his actions, whereas the psychopath takes pleasure in the misery that he causes.

It is unlikely that US President Obama will submit to the necessary tests which might determine whether he falls within the psychopathic mind type. I would not be surprised if he would score very close to the mean of that category, were he to be tested. But it is certain his zombied followers will never consider the idea, and that the US skankstream news and entertainment media will avoid the very idea as far as possible.

What is important is that intelligent persons of independent minds consider the possibility that high functioning psychopaths might easily work their ways into positions of power, and to develop contingency plans based upon the various risks that such individuals may pose.

Monday, November 26, 2012

The Collapse of the Russian Empire

This article was first published on Al Fin blog


Russia is haunted by the history of empire -- an empire that is rapidly slipping the grasp of a bleeding bear. The collapse of Russia's male population is related to alcohol abuse and drug abuse. Russia's politically connected wealthy are stashing tens of $billions in foreign bank accounts, her best and brightest youth vie for overseas jobs, and her beautiful young women seek husbands in Australia, North America, and Europe. Besides oil & gas, Russia's main asset is bluster.
Russian Men and Vodka


The mansions and gardens of old imperial Russia have faded or crumbled, as have many of the collective farms that fed communist Russia. Today, the hamlets dot a forsaken land of rampant poverty where men drink from morning to night. The interconnected crises of low fertility, high death rates and ragged infrastructure have left much of the nation barren.

... Even darker times may lie ahead.

A major study that the United Nations released in April, authored by leading Russian experts, projected that Russia would lose at least 11 million more people by 2025. Another U.N.-sponsored report said last year that the population could fall to as low as 100 million in 2050.

That report cited a recent improvement in fertility but cautioned that, "while these favorable trends may last another five or six years, all recent forecasts . . . predict that Russia's population decline will only intensify."

"There's a risk that in the most negative situation, Russia will stop existing as a state," said Olga Isupova, a senior demographic researcher at the Higher School of Economics, a leading private Russian university in Moscow.

...Russia as a whole lost 12.3 million people from 1992 to 2008. An influx of immigrants, mainly from former Soviet territories, helped hide the extent of the problem. The population is now 142 million, but it would have been 136.3 million without that surge from outside.

...— the decay in the heartland suggests that Russia isn't a resurgent superpower so much as a nation that's trying not to come apart at the seams._NewsTribune

In a worst-case scenario, the population drops from a peak of around 145 million at the turn of the century to about 60 million by 2100, a catastrophic loss of 85 million people at an average rate of 850 000 per year. Unless the government brings in hundreds of millions of foreign migrant workers to compensate, Russia’s productivity and GDP would shrink along with its population.

Strategically, Goldman (2010) points out that a potential problem for Russia is that the depopulation rate in its far east, near the border with China, is higher than the national average. By contrast, the Chinese population on that increasingly sparsely populated border is growing rapidly. Will trouble brew on this border as a result? _Russia's Future
How can Russia help but come apart at the seams? It is only a matter of time before the country no longer has the manpower to hold its vast land area -- particularly when neighboring population overflow has been slipping into Russia for decades, diluting Russia's core population and national spirit.
Despite the rhetorical bluster by Putin and others, critics say that Russia's leadership is largely at fault for not diversifying the economy and helping modernize companies.... During the past decade or so of booming oil and gas exports that brought wealth and prestige, very little was done to revamp a nation still largely stuck in Soviet-era practices. _NewsTribune
On the local level, the problem is poisoning by vodka, drugs, and despair. On the national level, the problem is rampant corruption -- with Russia's heritage being stolen by government officials and their cronies, and shipped overseas.

There is no reason to expect Russia to be any more careful with its huge nuclear arsenal than it has been with any other national assets that might be stolen by insiders and sold to the highest bidder.

With few exceptions, the entire nation is in decay and decline. Expect trouble ahead as a result.

Marc Faber's Jaded View of the Future




Marc Faber is popularly known as Doctor Doom, best known for his jaundiced outlook on US government deficit financing and the ballooning debt in the first world.

The video above is a 45 minute presentation on Faber's future outlook. In the scribd embed below, Faber presents a number of charts that illustrate various aspects of the problem.

50 Charts From Marc Faber

Ultimately, Faber is likely to be proven right in many or most of his views. In the short term, we are likely to see significant volatility in markets around the world.

Learn to be very light on your feet, when it comes to where you put your assets. Be prepared to move them quickly.

H/T Lew Rockwell

Sunday, November 18, 2012

Does Voter Fraud Explain 4 More Years of Obamanation?

take Philly out of Pennsylvania, the Big Apple out of New York, the Motor City out of Michigan, the Windy City out of Illinois, Cleveland out of Ohio, Milwaukee out of Wisconsin, St. Louis out of Missouri, etc., and a lot of blue states would instantly be red. What explains this pronounced and hugely significant partisan divide between urban and nonurban areas?

One obvious explanation for the overwhelming Democratic majorities in big cities is the Curley effect with the corresponding concentration of Democratic constituencies like welfare recipients and unions... The Curley effect has turned once-vibrant cities into economic basket cases . . . _Forbes
Election precincts that are controlled by unions and inner city activist groups are not likely to be open to neutral poll observers, and are more likely to generate curious results . . .

Consider the large number of precincts in Cleveland, Philadelphia, Detroit, and other Democratic Party controlled areas including Chicago, which returned vote tallies that are just short of statistically impossible.

Many precincts for Obama returned upward of 99% or greater numbers of votes compared to registered voters. Quite a handy feat. Other districts that had experienced actual population decline showed vote returns that did not reflect this decline in population. Dead voters on the prowl again, voting for Democrats just like in the old corrupt political machine days?
If anybody has been reading the news lately, there has been some gradually disturbing news coming out about voting fraud in the Presidential Election. In critical swing states like Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Illinois there are a lot of precincts in Philadelphia, Cleveland, and Chicago which reported 100% of their votes cast for Obama. These add up to many 10's of thousands of votes for Obama and 0 for Romney. I repeat, 0 for Romney. I have read a number of articles about this and people knowlegable in Political Science and Statistics are starting to take notice of this.Statistically, even if among 10's of thousands of voters all wanted to vote fo Obama, it would not be possible to receive 100% of the vote because at least a few would make a mistake and vote incorrectly for Romney. Not to mention the fact that a least a few of those 10's of thousands might actually disagree with Obama. These types of election returns are only seen in countries run by dictators. I do not understand why this is not getting more attention. _Comment at NBC Chicago
These are the days of the corrupt Chicago Outfit. A combination of violent union thugs, corrupt politicians, radical inner city activist groups, faux environmnetalist greens, far-leftist zombies, and allied bona fide organised crime groups.

The Chicago alliance represents a "win at all costs" ethic which has no concern for the underlying well being of the society or the citizens living in the society.

The most recent US national elections represented a significant solidifying of the Chicago Outfit's grip on US politics. Expect an already massive dysfunction and corruption to expand.

Saturday, November 17, 2012

Massive Problems come with Massive Debt


Massive government debt is nothing to sneeze at. Particularly when the debt goes to pay off voters and political cronies -- with no possibility of ever paying off the debt. That is not merely "bad debt." It is catastrophic debt.

Here is a good look at central banks, and their pathetic attempts to deal with massive modern debt:
Because governments are in disagreement, bodies are taking their place that are turning into ersatz governments: the central banks. The ECB's decision to buy up unlimited amounts of the sovereign debt of European countries is a replacement for political solutions for which there are currently no majorities in the governments and parliaments of euro-zone countries. The decision by the American Federal Reserve Bank to inject hundreds of billions of dollars into the markets again to stimulate economic growth results for the inability of Democrats and Republicans to agree on a compromise between limiting debt and economic stimulus programs. Printing money -- or betting hundreds of billions once again -- is the last desperate response on both sides of the Atlantic.

What began four years ago with the bursting of a credit bubble in the mortgage market is being combated with more and more new debt in the trillions, thereby inflating the next, even bigger credit bubble.

The fresh trillions circle the world in the search for yield, but only a small part of the money flows into the real economy, where investments in new production plants produce lower returns. Instead, the trillions slosh back and forth, from one financial market to another, from the foreign currency market to the commodities market, and from the gold market to the stock market and back again.

Because these trillions are not reaching the real economy, the risk of inflation is currently smaller than Germany's central bank, the Bundesbank, and its president would have us believe. But every saver and everyone with a life insurance policy pays for the central bank's low interest-rate policy with low interest rates. When central banks keep interest rates close to zero for long periods of time, which they have done for years, they disadvantage ordinary savers and favor major investors, gamblers and banks, which can borrow at low rates and invest the money elsewhere at a profit. _Spiegel

As seen in the image, it requires more and more debt to generate less and less growth, over time. Governments and central banks get caught up in a tangled web feedback loop of out of control debt spending, with no clear way out.

Government officials "play at the problem" with no real intention of addressing the central concern: Governments have grown to an all-encompassing size and degree of control over their now-subservient societies. How can societies be subservient to governments when governments run on the surplus production of societies? Because governments have grown to be parasitic upon their underlying societies.

This story does not have a happy ending. But it will have to have an ending, because better stories will not wait indefinitely to be told.

Sunday, November 11, 2012

Obama et Hollande: Twin Freaks of Different Mothers?

There is a freakish resemblance between the national leaders of France and the US. Each is an ideologue, first and foremost. Neither are bright enough to understand how their respective nations could grow more prosperous, nor do they particularly care. Thuggish political mobsters at heart, they are only interested in leeching the wealth and accomplishments of others, to the acclaim of the popular media.
In France, Hollande’s class war approach has been disastrous for the French economy. His tax policies have prompted the start of a mass exodus of wealthy individuals, who are taking their money elsewhere in Europe, including to Britain and Switzerland. In the words of Laurence Parisot, head of the French Employers’ Federation: “Our country is, alas, becoming less and less attractive with every passing month whilst our neighbours are trying to become more and more attractive.”

Unsurprisingly, economic growth has taken a hit, with falling consumer spending and plummeting market confidence. France is slipping back into recession in the final quarter of 2012, with Europe’s second largest economy now projected to miss its deficit target and barely grow at all in 2013.

France’s economic failure is a sharp warning to the United States if it goes down the same path. Ominously for Barack Obama, Hollande’s approval rating has fallen to just 36 percent, making him the most unpopular French president in recent history (at the six month mark). _Twin Freaks of Doom
Obama simply doesn't care. In fact, one of his missions in life since childhood, has been to punish the US and Europe for their "oppression of third world peoples over the past few centuries." Obama's mother drilled that lesson into his head, and the only father-figure Obama knew as a child -- Frank -- made sure the lesson stuck.

France is probably doomed. Hollande has no idea how to pull the country out of the hole he continues to dig for France. Obama is, if anything, less intelligent than Hollande, and driven more by revenge than by ideology or simple thuggish greed -- both of which Obama possesses in abundance.

It will be an interesting few years for both unfortunate countries, France and the US. Try not to be too vulnerable to miscreants of this nature. Large scale damages are a certainty. Doom for their respective countries is not out of the realm of possibility. Take care of yourselves.

Saturday, November 10, 2012

Is "The Death of White America Theme" Being Overdone in Regard to the 2012 US Elections?

Probably the best piece so far on "The Death of White America" was published recently in the UK Daily Mail.
For Republicans struggling to understand their defeat at the polls, the most chilling statistic in this week’s presidential election was this: Mitt Romney won the biggest share of the white vote that any Republican White House contender ever has — and he still lost.

In an election battle that was defined as much as anything by race, Mitt Romney won the support of 59 per cent of whites, but just 27 per cent of Latinos, 26 per cent of Asian-Americans and 6 per cent of African-Americans.

Thirty years ago, being unpopular with ethnic minorities would hardly have stopped a white establishment candidate like Romney from trouncing Barack Obama. But back then, whites accounted for almost 90 per cent of voters. Now they make up just 72 per cent of the electorate, and that figure is shrinking by the year. _DailyMail
Much more at the link.

In the future -- if demographic trends continue -- it will be impossible for white candidates to win election in most areas of North America, without large numbers of votes from blacks, hispanics, and other ethnic "minorities." But in 2012, that is not necessarily the case. It may be a bit early in the demographic evolution of the US to proclaim "the death of white America."

Only about 54% of eligible voters actually voted. And of the white voters who did vote, almost 40% voted for Obama -- and against their own economic future. It is one thing to proclaim "the death of white America" when white voters voted in large numbers and for their own future benefit -- and still lost. But that was not the case in 2012, when large numbers of white voters did not vote, or even voted against the futures of themselves and their progeny.

We should also not overlook voter fraud, which played a very large part in the final vote tallies brought in by Democratic Party controlled precincts. If you look at large Democrat controlled cities such as Philadelphia, Detroit, Chicago, Miami, etc etc it is clear that more votes were registered than were actually cast in a valid manner.

As we mentioned here before, it is not clear whether fraudulent vote counts were high enough to tip the electoral college totals. But it is more than likely that fraudulent votes tipped the popular vote count in favour of Obama.

There are many reasons that Obama will be able to continue his corrupt and destructive reign over the US government for another 4 years. But it would be best not to draw exaggerated or premature conclusions from the election results.

For the near future, a better use of the time of US conservatives, centrists, and libertarians, would be to toughen up election laws to prevent future election fraud as much as possible.

Wednesday, November 07, 2012

So a Group of Arse-Heads Get Together and Decide to Put Another Arse-Head in Charge

So how is this year's US election different from earlier elections?

There have been other close elections that illustrate a deeply divided US electorate. But emotions have been higher this year than in most previous elections, with large numbers of black Americans promising to riot or assassinate Romney if the Republican were elected. The element of designed racial division on the part of the Obama campaign made this year's election a more dangerous battleground.

This year, a lot of problems were intentionally and successfully swept under the rug over a period of several months, to avoid getting voters upset with the ruling regime.

The news media were largely responsible for shaping the battlefield, and will have to bear final responsibility -- perhaps on a personal level, in some cases.

The US has been getting in deeper and deeper trouble, the longer that Obama has been in office, and too many arseheads appear determined to stay the course no matter where it leads.

US blacks are the biggest losers -- a fact made exquisitely poignant by the role that they themselves played in putting themselves in this position.

Putin's Russia has to be happy, since anything that weakens the US helps to strengthen Russia's relative position in the world.

China has to be ambivalent, at best. Four more years of Obama may put the US irrevocably on the road to default of its debt -- much of which is held by China.

Europe is another big loser, likewise poignantly so due to Europe's long unrequited love affair with the narcissistic US ruler.

Was the election rigged? That is the wrong question. The question is: How badly was the election rigged? No one will ever know the answer to that, although it is almost certain that Romney actually won the popular vote -- if one could remove all the dead voters, multiple voters, mentally incompetent voters, and general ballot stuffing and vote manipulation.

The electoral college reality will have to remain unknown due to the distributed and modular / cellular nature of the cheating that occurred across the battleground states.

The US is not quite as bad as Cuba or Venezuela. But it is well on the road.