Archena

Archena September 19, 2022September 19, 2022Current, MondayCCP, China, Chinese Communist Party, Collapse, crisis, Economic collapse, foreign policy, Politics, Russia, Russian Federation

When Nation-State Collapse is a Good Thing

Recently, a friend asked me if I understood what a collapse would mean for China. Short answer: yes. Long answer: as much as one can understand before such an event, I believe so, yes. My friend was aghast at the idea that China would collapse because of what it would mean for the people of China and the rest of the world. He’s not wrong to worry about such things but a better question is what happens if China doesn’t … Continue reading “When Nation-State Collapse is a Good Thing”

Archena September 16, 2022September 14, 2022Current, Fridaycongress, crisis, Democrat, Midterm, Midterm Elections, Midterms, Midterms 2022, party, Politics, Republican

Desperation 101

Today class, we will learn about what to do when your political party is in deep trouble with the voters. First, distract the voters from whatever you did to make them mad. This is a lot easier when you haven’t made them mad with almost everything you did, but it’s too late to worry about that now. Try things like: politically persecuting an opponent; persecute everyone you can who is tied to that opponent, no matter how remotely (especially good … Continue reading “Desperation 101”

Archena September 14, 2022September 13, 2022Current, Wednesdayforeign policy, Politics, Russia, Ukraine, Ukraine War

Is Russia Losing the War with Ukraine?

I’m writing this on September 11, 2022. At this time, the Kharkiv front has collapsed in a rout for the Russians. Ukrainian troops have reached the border and have liberated a large swath of territory on the eastern side of Ukraine. Russian media is having a hard time covering for the defeat. No, that doesn’t mean Russia has lost – yet. But it looks very, very bad. I’m not a military analysis and I don’t play one on TV but … Continue reading “Is Russia Losing the War with Ukraine?”

Archena September 12, 2022September 13, 2022Current, Mondayclimate, climate change, crisis, Energy, Energy Crisis, foreign policy, Gas, Green Revolution, Oil, Politics, Shell Game, Solar, Wind

The Green is Dead, Long Live the Green

Solar and wind are so yesterday. I realize most climate activists haven’t gotten the memo but as grid scale power sources, they are both pretty much toast. Yes, yes, Scotland and the North Sea, most of the US Southwest, et cetera are indeed exceptions. Thing is, that’s exactly what they are: exceptions. Very few places on Earth have enough solar or wind capacity to use those sources at grid scale. Sure, you can pop solar panels on your house almost … Continue reading “The Green is Dead, Long Live the Green”

Archena September 9, 2022September 7, 20222022, CurrentAmerican political campaigns, Democrat, Democrats, Party System Change, Politics, polling, polls

Polls: Finally Getting it Right?

July 17, 2022 When they work, poll’s are a great way to get the pulse of a group of people – or a whole population. When they don’t work, you get garbage. Right now, polls probably aren’t working – well, yet. There are two ways to know if a poll is really measuring what its supposed to measure. The first is to get a much bigger poll – we call them elections. The second is to match them up against … Continue reading “Polls: Finally Getting it Right?”

Archena September 7, 2022September 5, 2022Current, WednesdayCampaign, Campaign Finance, Campaign Reform, Democrat, Politics, Reform, Republican

2022 Edition Campaign Finance Reform

If you can’t vote in it, you can’t donate in it. What? That’s not simple enough? Okay, okay, so I’ll explain. Those of you who didn’t get to live through the 1980’s (condolences) probably don’t remember the last heyday of campaign finance reform. Back then the idea was to prevent under the table deals and big donors giving big amounts directly to little candidates in little ponds. So we enacted a bunch of legislation starting in the Seventies and ended … Continue reading “2022 Edition Campaign Finance Reform”

Archena September 5, 2022September 3, 2022Current, MondayCCP, China, Chinese Communist Party, covid, Economic collapse, foreign policy, party, Politics

Is China Collapsing?

Is China collapsing? Yes. Is China collapsing tomorrow? No. Is China collapsing in three days? No. Is China collapsing next week? No. Is China collapsing next month? No. Is China collapsing … How many of these stupid ‘China is collapsing in X days’ videos did you binge?! China is not in its final phase of collapse that I can tell. Nation-states don’t collapse quickly. It takes usually several years from the first domino to the final one. I think we … Continue reading “Is China Collapsing?”

Archena September 2, 2022September 1, 2022Current, FridayAmerica, congress, Democrat, Education, Politics, Reagan, Republican

Confessions of a Former Democrat

The first presidential election I could vote in was 1984, Reagan v Mondale. I’m still ticked because Reagan lied and got away with it. Sure, he could have just changed his mind later but ‘revenue enhancement’ was just a fancy way of saying ‘tax increase’ so I kinda doubt it. I did not vote for Reagan. I didn’t have high hopes for Reagan, except in one category: abortion. In Fourth Grade I supported Roe V Wade as almost Solomonic in … Continue reading “Confessions of a Former Democrat”

Archena September 1, 2022September 1, 2022Current, Wednesdayafghanistan, biden, foreign policy, gun running, opium, Politics, taliban, terrorists

Afghanistan, One Year Later

Is Afghanistan better off after the American withdrawal? Of course not. What were people expecting? Everyone complained how the war had dragged on so long – really? What war? Oh, don’t you look at me like that, what war exactly? We never declared war so technically we were never at war. That aside, the significant hostilities – the part you can legitimately call a war – ended over a decade ago. While hardly a bastion of peace and tranquility, Afghanistan … Continue reading “Afghanistan, One Year Later”

Archena August 29, 2022August 18, 2022Current, MondayAmerica, foreign policy, International Affairs, International Relations, International Security, Politics, USA

Does America Rule the World?

No. Thanks for dropping by, See you Wednesday for… Aww, come on, can’t you just once accept the short answer? Okay, fine, so make a cranky old lady work. Here’s the long answer: No country rules the world. France, Russia and China would like to; the US is stuck with keeping the kids away from the knives, and all the other nation-states have too many issues at home to even think about it. But, but, world reserve currency, largest navy, … Continue reading “Does America Rule the World?”

All posts by Archena

Author: Archena

When Nation-State Collapse is a Good Thing

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Desperation 101

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Is Russia Losing the War with Ukraine?

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The Green is Dead, Long Live the Green

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Polls: Finally Getting it Right?

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2022 Edition Campaign Finance Reform

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Is China Collapsing?

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Confessions of a Former Democrat

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Afghanistan, One Year Later

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Does America Rule the World?

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