text:
IT security lessons that Australia can teach us.Julia Gillard Julia Eileen Gillard (born 29 September 1961) is the current deputy leader of the federal Australian Labor Party (ALP), and Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Australian Parliament. and her federal team - is carving out a name for itself in the IT security arena.
Whilst this may sound surprising, it comes against the background of Australia's (as a country) relative youth and the fact that the country has around 22 million citizens: big enough to make its weight felt in international terms, but small enough to be flexible in the modern world of IT matters.
A key example of this is the country's Defence Signals Directorate Defence Signals Directorate (DSD) is an Australian government intelligence agency responsible for signals intelligence (SIGINT) and information security (INFOSEC). Overview
According to its website, DSD has two principal functions:
Homeland Security
executive department - a federal department in the executive branch of the government of the United States - which has analysed some of the attack techniques used by cybercriminals and come up with four main methods of blocking them.
And the Australian government - moving swiftly in response - has started rolling out these techniques across its government IT infrastructre, reportedly to great effect.
The 3rd and 4th techniques centre on the idea of whitelisting, that is, forcing public sector computer users to install only approved (whitelisted) applications and only allowing similarly approved - and risk analysed - emails to be viewed.
This means that, on their office computers, government employees can only access their corporate email and browse a limited number of Web sites, which, in turn--means they have a far less chance of infecting their PCs than 'civilian' Internet users.
Alongside its controlled software and Internet usage approach to IT, the Australian government has also been highly pro-active in quickly patching high-risk security vulnerabilities in both the operating systems and software that its many computers run.
Based on an analysis of its Internet usage during 2010, in fact, the Australian DSD concluded that at least 85 per cent of the targeted cyber intrusions that it responded to during the year could have been prevented by following these four main mitigation strategies.
These four strategies are just part of a 35-point strategy report - Strategies to Mitigate Targeted Cyber intrusions (http://bit.ly/lvZn7K) - which found that, although resistance to the idea of patching operating systems and software was low, the costs involved on the financial and staff training side of things were still quite high.
That's not to say that staff response to the report's recommendations - which included the control over both portable and data devices - was entirely positive. The report's authors found there was a high degree of staff resistance to the idea that their access to USB USB
in full Universal Serial Bus
Type of serial bus that allows peripheral devices (disks, modems, printers, digitizers, data gloves, etc.) to be easily connected to a computer. sticks and other forms of low-cost data storage were to be restricted.
Despite this, there are signs that staff are now realising that these data security requirements are a normal part of doing business in the public sector and will therefore be the normal IT methodology - both now and in the future.
If we contrast this IT security methodology to that seen in the government and public sector here in the UK - where the emphasis is very much on cost saving, rather than taking a draconian approach to effective security - it can be seen that there is considerable scope for security problems with many UK government departments being encouraged to go down the open source (freeware Software that is distributed without charge and which may be redistributed without charge by its users. However, ownership is retained by the developer who may change future releases from freeware to a paid product (feeware). See shareware, free software and public domain software. ) route.
There is, of course, nothing wrong with using open software over commercial applications, but most experts agree that at least some of the cost savings accrued from going down the open source route should be re-invested in other aspects of computing security, not least in ensuring those applications are secure enough for general usage.
Unfortunately for computer users in the UK, there are signs that the audit requirements laid down by current governance rules can still be counter-productive in the longer term, as employees are still free to source--and use - just about any software application they wish.
Put simply, where Australian public sector workers are effectively told what operating system operating system (OS)
Software that controls the operation of a computer, directs the input and output of data, keeps track of files, and controls the processing of computer programs. and software they will be using in the workplace - and IT governance/security staff can plan and accommodate accordingly - their UK counterparts are allowed carte blanche CARTE BLANCHE. The signature of an individual or more, on a while. paper, with a sufficient space left above it to write a note or other writing.
2. In the course of business, it not unfrequently occurs that for the sake of convenience, signatures in blank are (within reason) to decide the software they wish to use.
IT purists might argue that this makes for a more efficient IT user base in the UK public sector when compared to their Australian colleagues, but there are real reasons behind the Australian mandate on what operating system and software you can - and cannot - use.
A clear example of this lies in the use of SCADA (Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition) A process control application that collects data from sensors and machines on the shop floor or in remote locations and sends them to a central computer for management and control. - Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition (application) Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition - (SCADA) Systems are used in industry to monitor and control plant status and provide logging facilities. SCADA systems are highly configurable, and usually interface to the plant via PLCs. - computer control systems seen at the heart of many industrial automation and control systems.
First developed in the 1960s - and really coming into their own with the arrival of the first PCs in the 1980s - SCADA-driven systems are typically found in industrial systems such as energy power plants, electricity supply grids, chemical plans and many other industrial systems that require a high degree of computerised control - but also require total, 100 per cent, systems availability.
This is Mission Critical with a capital M and C. Many businesses claim their IT processes are mission critical, but SCADA control systems are often critical to national infrastructures.
If the national electrical grid goes down, for example, it can cost industry many tens of millions of pounds per hour and - in the case of hospitals, air traffic control systems and the like - can actually place people's lives in jeopardy.
Despite the fact that a growing number of PC users in the private and public sector are migrating - or have migrated onto - the Windows 7 platform, most SCADA-based systems use a robust and ruggedised version of Windows 98, a 16-bit version of Windows dating back to the late 1980s.
The reason for this apparent luddite approach is quite simple; by using a stable and unchanged operating system which has been fully updated and completed its lifecycle, SCADA-based systems can have their operating system loaded into firmware A category of memory chips that hold their content without electrical power. Firmware includes flash, ROM, PROM, EPROM and EEPROM technologies. When holding program instructions, firmware can be thought of as "hard software." See flash memory, ROM, PROM, EPROM, EEPROM and FOTA. .
This means that, although there is no equivalent of Microsoft's 'Patch Tuesday' update programme for Windows 98, cybercriminals cannot easily subvert the code of SCADA-based system, since the firmware-based operating system is fixed - and cannot be updated.
This fully-embedded firmware approach is fairly unique to SCADA-based operating systems, but helps one to understand that a highly controlled operating system and software environment - as mandated under the Australian DSD's diktat dik·tat
1. A harsh, unilaterally imposed settlement with a defeated party.
2. An authoritative or dogmatic statement or decree. - has a far lower risk of subversion than the free-for-all software approach see in the cost-cutting UK public sector.
Here at Avecto, whilst we understand the impetus behind moving to open source software that a growing number of UK government departments and allied public sector agencies are moving towards as part of their cost-cutting strategy, this does not mean that the Australian ideas enshrined in the DSD report cannot also be applied here in the UK.
This is because the principle on which our security offerings are built is Windows privilege management - namely the control over who has access to specific applications running on the corporate IT platform, as well as the underlying data.
This means, for example, that if the admin team only run their control and security software from within the network perimeter on known PCs, then access to those applications can be locked down to specific on-network computers.
Then, even if a set of admin account credentials are compromised by hackers, they cannot use those credentials from the Internet - they would still have to gain physical access to the terminals used by the admin staff.
This is a similar belt-and-braces approach being adopted by a growing number of banks for online account access. Not only must users present the right credentials, but they must also authenticate (1) To verify (guarantee) the identity of a person or company. To ensure that the individual or organization is really who it says it is. See authentication and digital certificate.
(2) To verify (guarantee) that data has not been altered. themselves using the appropriate hardware token.
Back in the land of securing Windows-based computers, meanwhile, and it is interesting to note that a second report from Australia's DSD - Implementing the DSD's Top Four for Windows environments (http://bit.ly/tfouuM) - the conclusion is quite unequivocal:
"Minimising administrative privileges is an exercise in the principle of least privilege In computer science and other fields the principle of minimal privilege, also known as the principle of least privilege or just least privilege, requires that in a particular abstraction layer of a computing environment every module (such as a process, a user or a . In a properly designed, administered and maintained environment there is no requirement for any user to have administrative privileges on their day-to-day account In addition there should be no account which has both administrative privileges and access to networks outside of the organisation, such as Internet or email services," it says.
"When properly planned and executed, minimising administrative privileges can have significant flow on benefits to the stability and consistency of the computing environment, simplifying administration and support of that environment," it adds.
Does this sound vaguely familiar? It should - it's effectively a summary of the reasoning and principles surrounding the use of SCADA-based computer systems that run our critical infrastructures.
And whilst I'm clearly not advocating the use of the inflexible embedded operating system An operating system used in special-purpose applications (embedded systems). Embedded operating systems are typically very compact and often designed for real time operations. See embedded Linux, QNX, OS-9, Windows XP Embedded, Windows CE, VxWorks and Symbian OS. approach seen on SCADA-based platforms, I think there is considerable scope for the Australian DSD's report recommendations to be deployed in UK corporate IT departments.
As well as reducing the risk profile of company IT systems, they would also greatly assist in the number of support calls need in a typical major corporate - which is something that will make the bean counters happy.
And that's no bad thing when you think about it ...
Avecto exhibiting at Infosecurity Europe 2012.
Paul Kenyon, COO of Avecto, on how the Australian Defence Signals Directorate could teach IT security professionals a thing or two when it comes to operating system and application whitelisting plus privilege controls ... ... ...
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50 Cent Remade Maleficent into 'Malefiftycent'
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Get it?
Nicki, Drake, Wayne, and Soulja Boy performed while G-Unit reunited.
Be hilarious or die trying.
"Following Tupac and Biggie, it was almost taboo for you to mention an artist's name on a record."
"Just be a little more low-key right now."
About a club owner.
Add it to his resumé.
But he's doing fine.
Yes, even media magnates and Vitamin Water–flavor inventors have mixtapes.
The list is the same as last year, only richer.
This is one interesting assembly of actors.
Straight from Chelsea Handler over to Joan.
Madonna gets a SAD! 50 Cent gets a RASH! Blue Ivy gets a BMW!
Anthony Weiner, eat your heart out.
It makes a special point of noting Fiddy's crazy weight loss.
"These are intense questions for me."
50 Cent and Rihanna? In his dreams. Literally.
He's got a mixtape dropping shortly, and the first track is here.
He'll play a grumpy hip-hop mogul.
Mike Tyson's tattoo included.
It's about a bully named Butterball.
Sure, that makes perfect sense.
Who likes country music? Because you have no choice in the matter.
It's a real movie.
Plus, Aziz Ansari testifies firsthand that 50 Cent has no idea what a grapefruit is, on our regular late-night roundup.

subset: commoncrawl


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Jumping in Gomorrah Lyrics - XTC
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Broad Street Coffee Company is a locally owned-Independent coffee shop located in Historical Downtown Greendale. BSCC is a place where our customers are enjoying quality coffee and great conversation. Our employees craft specialty drinks and serve assorted food and bakery items.
***Subject to change ***
Week of 11/3
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Decaf: Fool's Gold
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Zut Games
Appears in 3 channels
GlowGrid is a hypnotic, retro puzzle game.
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Find records of Filadolfo Aspirin
Find birth, death, marriage, military, and other records of Filadolfo v Aspirin at Ancestry.com.Search for records
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Filadolfo v Aspirin (1914 - 1998) was born on March 30, 1914. Filadolfo was born into the Aspirin family.
There are no known marriages or children on record for Filadolfo. Filadolfo died on May 30, 1998 at age 84.
Filadolfo v Aspirin's last known residence is at Lake Forest, Orange County, California.
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Senior Member
My name is Haelion Bastion, some of you have probably already had the pleasure of becoming acquainted with me.. I have sent the scrawl to all of you to meet those who are of high Summoner power, as well as those I do not already know of.
Please, speak.
Steve Silvestri
Crivissimo III, meeting your acquaintance. I should say, I am prone to strangling my enemies with roots and shooting psionic bullets.
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~Angloomy Death
I ksed in an gay video, go to end
© 2014 Riot Games, Inc. All rights reserved. Riot Games, League of Legends and PvP.net are trademarks, services marks, or registered trademarks of Riot Games, Inc.


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Far from the maddening crowds, and five years since the financial crisis, we look at the entrepreneurship scene in Burlington, Vt.; Chico, Calif.; Lehi, Utah; Iowa City, Iowa; and Lansing, Mich.
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Oh the excitement. I'm taking part in an amazing giveaway co-hosted by members of the amazing KBN (Kid Blogger Network). Each blogger joining in the giveaway has also posted a great Christmas craft collection so do pop over and see all the crafty posts. Four lucky winners will win $500! … Continue reading


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Jamon Ibérico (Iberian Ham) in the city?
A recent NYT article (http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/05/din...) said that Jamon Ibérico (Iberian Ham) would be imported to the US for the first time sometime soon. Anyone know of any restaurants that are (or will be) serving up this delicacy?
This link will provide info for where to look for Jamon Iberico in NYC:
re: kobetobiko
thanks! seems a little out of date though (considering they only had the one leg). anyone have current information?
re: lawstud
Dean and Deluca has more than one leg ( they had a few when I was there). I guess the best thing is to call and check. I think the stores and restaurants are all waiting for the customs to clear (which might have already happened)
re: kobetobiko
D&D still had it when I went a few weeks ago, BTW.
I've also seen it advertised as a special outside Bar Carrera in the East Village.
SInce I sounded like you're looking for a restaurant and not a store, I think Bar Boulud has it as one of its charcuterie plates.
I thought someone at my table ordered it when I was at Lever House earlier this year. It was a special on the menu. I hadn't realized at the time it was a new import. The serving seemed incredibly generous for an appetizer.
Murray's Cheese on Bleecker has it for $59.99/lb. I've never had, so I have to ask- could it really be worth that much more than, say a $21/lb Prosciutto di Parma??
re: FuDee
Hi FuDee,
There was a thread in Toronto where people discussed whether Jamon Iberico is worth the extra price. The conclusion is definintely yes:
Also, even among jamon iberico there are different grades. The bellota, which is the king of the ham as the black pigs only eat acorns and allow to graze over open range which contributed to their nuttier taste and better marbling. I am pretty sure the ones at Murray's isn't bellota, as they are sold at Despana at around $120-$150(?)/lb.
Then the 2nd grade is Recebo grade Iberico ham with iberico pigs feast on both acorn and cereal feeds. The 3rd grade, Cebo grade Iberico ham, have just cereal feed diet.
If the iberico ham doesn't have a specific grade, then it is possible that the iberico pigs are cross-bred with white pigs, raised on farms and fed cereal feeds, without a period of free range grazing. This is the least preferable iberico ham
Then below iberico ham will be serrano ham from white pigs.
So it is worth to ask what kind of iberico ham that you are purchasing, as it will make a big difference in taste, texture, and of course, price.
re: kobetobiko
That Kobe- excellent information. I think I may have to suck it up and head over to Despana for the good stuff. Will let you know my thoughts..


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(America In Big Trouble?) ~ Dianne Feinstein Is Flattered If Michelle Obama Runs For Her Senate….
Responding to a report from last week, Senate Intelligence Chairwoman Dianne Feinstein D-California said she would be "flattered" if First Lady Michelle Obama decides to run for her seat when her term is up in 2018, but admitted she has "no idea" what she'll be doing at that time.
It has been suggested that Feinstein, 81, won't seek re-election at the end of her term.Feinstein responded to Candy Crowley's question on CNN's State of the Union Sunday about a report published in Orb Magazine Thursday suggesting that First Lady Michelle Obama would move to California with her husband after his final term as president and pursue Feinstein's seat in the U.S. Senate……
PLEASE FEEL FREE 2-FORWARD/ReBLOG! -GyG BLOGGINGS! .Thanx!
Gunny G: COCKED AND LOCKED!
via Dianne Feinstein Is Flattered If Michelle Obama Runs For Her Senate.
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Let's not have this ever again…"Since Big Guy didn't bother to copyright his ISIS/ISIL speech, David Cameron decided to use it when he addressed the citizens of the United temporarily Kingdom following the beheading of British hostage David Haines. BHO: "ISIL is not 'Islamic.' No religion condones the killing of innocents, and the vast majority of ISIL's victims have been Muslim," DC: …""
Let's not have this ever again…Michelle Obama's Mirror ^ | 9-15-2014 | MOTUSPosted on 9/15/2014, 9:05:45 AM by NOBO2012Since Big Guy didn't bother to copyright his ISIS/ISIL speech, David Cameron decided to use it when he addressed the citizens of the United temporarily
Kingdom following the beheading of British hostage David Haines. BHO:
Chuck Baldwin — Who Killed Joan Rivers?
September 11, 2014NewsWithViews.com
"No One Will Ever Call Michelle Obama A 'Tranny' Again
"Writing for Breitbart.com, John Nolte showed more perspicacity than almost anyone I've seen relative to the unexpected death of comedian Joan Rivers. Nolte wrote:
"With the death of Joan Rivers at 81 Thursday, we lost one more icon in a dwindling breed: the comedian who does not seek the good opinion of the powerful media and entertainment elite."Just two months before her death, Rivers mocked President Obama as 'gay' and First Lady Michelle Obama as a 'tranny,' and caught hell for it from the likes of the Huffington Post. Those servants to power chided:
Was Joan Rivers Put On FBI Witness Protection Due To Michelle Obama Rant? | Conspiracy Theories
Before It's News
The latest recent media craze was that of Joan Rivers going into cardiac arrest, into a coma and ultimately "dying" a few days later.
Observing how this transpired, it sounds like a hoax on many levels.A FBI hoax that is, FBI witness protection.
Here's how that works…Joan Rivers calling Michelle Obama a man could of went both ways. It could have been rigged, or could have been real.
Obviously people are pointing to this fact, Joan Rivers Dead Two Months After Calling Obama Gay, Michelle a Tranny. The reason why I link back to infowars is, Alex Jones aka Bill Hicks was also put on FBI Protection. Alex Jones really is Bill HicksIf Joan Rivers was feeling heat
from The Establishment by letting out a secret, by calling Michelle Obama a man. She might have been recommended to be placed in FBI witness protection.
Michael Obama Has A "Woody" Video Muslim Obama Can't Come Out Of Closet Or Get Chopped Off | Alternative
Before It's News
First Lady Michelle Obama, Has a,"Woody!"
Please click on the link below, and notice Michael's wide shoulders in comparison to Barack, as they are boarding Air Force One.
Notice his,"Woody," as a gust of wind presses against his dress.
The only," wardrobe malefaction," is that his," jockstrap," might not have been put on tight enough.
I Think I Might Know Why Michael Michelle Had A,"Woody"! MVI 3097 Watch the attached video in MVI 3088, notice where Obama's right hand is, as Michael is walking up the stairs.
That might very well explain why, once at the top of the stairs boarding Air Force One, Michael had a,"Woody." Maybe she was trying to take the attention off of her travel-expenses? Classic PR move, Michelle.
You Will Know Them By Their Fruits –Matthew 7:15-20
You Will Know Them By Their Fruits –Matthew 7:15-20Michelle Obama's Mirror ^ | 7-16-2014 | MOTUSPosted on 7/16/2014, 7:46:55 AM by NOBO2012
Michelle Obama to Latinos: 'We cannot afford to wait on Congress' for immigration
Michelle Obama to Latinos: 'We cannot afford to wait on Congress' for immigration
Washington Times ^ | 07/13/2014 | By Cheryl K. ChumleyPosted on 7/13/2014, 9:49:00 AM by SeekAndFindFirst lady Michelle Obama grabbed the political reins during a speech to the League of United Latin American Citizens in New York City, telling the crowd of admirers not to worry — that her husband wouldn't wait on Congress to take action on immigration reform.
"So make no mistake about it — we have to keep on fighting as hard as we can on immigration," Mrs. Obama said, to a cheering crowd, Breitbart reported. "And as my husband has said, he's going to do whatever administrative action it takes to fix this broken system."Mrs. Obama then vowed that Congress wouldn't get in the way of her presidential husband's hopes for immigration change.


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Mary Barber appointed to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Environmental Advisory Board
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- Mary Barber, Ph.D., a senior research environmental scientist at RTI International, has been selected to serve on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Environmental Advisory Board
- Barber was appointed by the secretary of defense to serve a three-year term
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- Lisa Bistreich-Wolfe
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RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. — Mary Barber, Ph.D., a senior research environmental scientist at RTI International, has been selected to serve on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Environmental Advisory Board.
Barber was appointed by the secretary of defense to serve a three-year term.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Environmental Advisory Board counsels the organization's chief of engineers by providing independent guidance and recommendations concerning relevant environmental issues. The board also fosters partnerships and establishes mutual understanding among the USACE, environmental community and general public.
The board is chartered by the Federal Advisory Committee Act and reports to the secretary of defense through the secretary of the Army, the assistant secretary of the Army for Civil Works and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Board members include experts in natural, social and related sciences.
Barber has nearly 30 years of experience in environmental and research policy, working with research scientists, policy makers, and government, industry and public interest sectors in Washington, D.C. She has contributed to discussions at the federal level, including the Department of Defense, on issues related to global climate change and sustaining ecological systems.
Her current research involves ecosystem services and valuation, environmental markets, ecological indicators and thresholds, and ecological and marine water quality support to the Abu Dhabi Environmental Agency.
At RTI, Barber serves as an associate editor for RTI Press and provides technical oversight on environmental and ecological projects.
Barber holds a Ph.D. in ecology and evolutionary biology from Johns Hopkins University and a bachelor's degree in biology from Vassar College. She is certified by the Ecological Society of America as a senior ecologist.
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Financial speculation and the food crisis
As in the case of current food prices, it was excessive speculation on the commodities markets that played a primary role in the creation of the 2007-08 food crisis. In outlining the action necessary to address the dangers of such speculation, Olivier De Schutter, the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to food, underscores the crucial importance of reforming the global financial system to attain the goal of food security.
AS a result of the increases in prices of basic food commodities and oil in 2007-08, the number of people in extreme poverty rose by 130 to 150 million, according to an estimate of the World Bank. At least 40 million people around the world were driven into hunger and deprivation as a result of the 2008 food price crisis, raising the total number of people living in hunger to 963 million in 2008. As is nearly always the case, the brunt of the food price spike was borne by people in the Low Income Food Deficit Countries (LIFDCs), or the poorest developing countries. In these countries, of special concern are the urban and rural poor who even at the best of times must spend up to four-fifths of their income on food. The food price crisis undermined this already meagre ability to meet essential food needs. This should not be allowed to recur. This article seeks to explain the role that speculation on the commodities markets may play in increasing volatility of prices, and what can be done about it in order to better protect the right to adequate food.
Beginning around 2005, markets for numerous agricultural commodities started to witness price increases and higher levels of volatility. According to a document circulated under the auspices of the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), food prices rose by 83% between 2005 and 2008, with maize prices nearly tripling, wheat prices increasing by 127%, and rice prices by 170% between January 2005 and June 2008. Moreover, the June 2010 issue of Food Outlook published by the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) finds that implied volatility in wheat and soy rose steadily from 2005 to 2008, and that the rise in implied volatility for maize continued, albeit at a much lower rate, until 2009.
present, there is a lively debate as to whether these developments were
the result of factors adversely affecting food supply, or whether they
were caused by excessive speculation in food commodities derivatives.
Advocates of the first position maintain that the price spikes were
attributable to factors such as a decline in the rate of growth of food
production, climate change and water depletion, and the growth of biofuels.
For instance, Wright and Bobenrieth ('Special Feature: The Food Price
Crisis of 2007/2008: Evidence and Implications', December 2009, FAO
Food Outlook 59, 62) argue that the roots of the food price crisis lie
in the fact that between 2007 and 2008, stocks of world wheat, maize
and rice were low. Wheat production, they note, was lower than expected
because of a severe drought in
Insufficient explanations
Certainly, supply and demand fundamentals played an important role in the creation of the food crisis. However, closer examination reveals that the abovementioned arguments of supply and demand are insufficient to explain the full extent of the increases and volatility in food prices. For instance, the price of rice rose by 165% between April 2007 and April 2008 - a magnitude difficult to explain by reference to market fundamentals. In fact, Wright and Bobenrieth acknowledge that 'rice stocks were not unusually low in 2007/2008' and that even though maize stocks were low, production remained high. Nor, as Wahl ('Food Speculation as the Main Factor of the Price Bubble in 2008', February 2009, Briefing Paper, World Economy, Ecology & Development, 6-7) observes, is it likely that a group of people suddenly developed a taste for consuming vast quantities of dairy products, driving its price up by 157% between 2006 and November 2007, only to lose it starting from July 2008, allowing prices to start falling again.
is also difficult to accept the IMF's thesis that the food price increases
were the result of per capita income growth in
The speculative bubble effect
Instead, a number of signs indicate that a significant portion of the price spike was due to the emergence of a speculative bubble. Prices for a number of commodities fluctuated too wildly within such limited time-frames for such price behaviour to have been a result of movements in supply and demand: wheat prices, for instance, rose by 46% between 10 January and 26 February 2008, fell back almost completely by 19 May,Ā increased again by 21% until early June, and began falling again from August. The 2008 food price crisis was unique in that it was possibly the first price crisis that occurred in an economic environment characterised by massive amounts of novel forms of speculation in commodity derivative markets.
The particular area of concern is speculation in derivatives based on food commodities. A study conducted by Lehman Brothers just before its bankruptcy revealed that the volume of index fund speculation increased by 1,900% between 2003 and March 2008. Morgan Stanley estimated that the number of outstanding contracts in maize futures increased from 500,000 in 2003 to almost 2.5 million in 2008. Holdings in commodity index funds ballooned from $13 billion in 2003 to $317 billion by 2008. In the light of such developments, the UNCTAD Trade and Development Report 2009 found that 'the trend towards greater financialisation of commodity trading is likely to have increased the number and relative size of price changes that are unrelated to market fundamentals'. In other words, the changes in food prices reflected not so much movements in the supply and/or demand of food, but were driven to a significant extent by speculation that greatly exceeded the liquidity needs of commodity markets to execute the trades of commodity users, such as food processors and agricultural commodity importers.
In fact, while the food price crisis may have been sparked off by the abovementioned developments affecting demand and supply, its effects were exacerbated by excessive and insufficiently regulated speculation in commodity derivatives. The promotion of biofuels and other supply shocks were relatively minor catalysts, but they set off a giant speculative bubble in a strained and desperate global financial environment. These factors were then blown out of all proportion by large institutional investors who, faced with the drying up of other financial markets, entered commodity futures markets on a massive scale. Therefore, the policy solutions that are needed to avert another crisis must address both the problems affecting underlying financial market fundamentals, and the conditions under which speculation is allowed to take place in essential food commodities, thereby exacerbating the effects of those movements in market fundamentals.
Speculation in agriculture
in agricultural derivatives has an ancient history. One of the earliest
descriptions of derivatives is to be found in Aristotle's Politics.
Aristotle tells of Thales the Milesian, a professional philosopher who
began to tire of being mocked for his poverty. His meteorological expertise
led him to anticipate a bumper olive harvest that year, so he hired
all the oil presses in Chios and
Traditional speculation
Traditional speculation in agricultural commodities markets is based on market fundamentals - above all on the demand and supply for any particular commodity. Thales purchased his option on the oil presses because he expected the supply of olives to increase. The farmers sold him the option because they were hedging against the risk of a poor olive harvest. This form of speculation is generally considered necessary and useful in the market: it facilitates commercial hedging against risk, and it allows for price discovery, assisting farmers and buyers in discovering the reasonable price for a particular commodity in individual trades and on spot markets. If the buyer is willing to offer a higher price for a future than before, it means that she expects the eventual price of the commodity to increase further. As such, if the price of commodity futures goes up, it signals to sellers on spot markets to raise their prices. Indeed, the grain futures prices quoted by the Chicago Mercantile Exchange tend to be incorporated directly into grain trade contracts the world over. Moreover, it is conventionally thought that such speculation reduces price volatility, because speculators provide a market for hedgers, and because they buy when the price is low and sell when the price is high, thus evening out extremes of prices.
course, such speculation is not an unalloyed blessing: it can have significant
price effects without adding anything of economic value. A speculator,
unlike other investors in agriculture, does not create new capital such
as barns or tractors. If that speculator goes bankrupt, her creditors
will have nothing they may satisfy their debts upon. It can also be
extremely dangerous - the terrible
Momentum-based speculation
Another form of speculation is based simply on market momentum. This has been described as 'herding behaviour in times of strong (usually upward) price trends, which in developed and easily accessible markets can result in the emergence of speculative bubbles.'. Far from providing a stabilising hand, such speculation tends to increase price volatility. Such momentum-based speculation may have been the main cause of the food price crisis in 2007-08.
The particular derivative instruments that require our special attention are the commodity indexes. A commodity index, put simply, is a mathematical value largely based on the returns of a particular selection of commodity futures. The most famous of these is the S&P GSCI, formerly known as the Goldman Sachs Commodities Index, which was set up by Goldman Sachs in 1991. Others include the Dow Jones-AIG Index and the Rogers International Commodities Index. The composition of the 'basket' of commodity futures varies according to the index, but agricultural commodities normally do not account for the majority of the commodities included in the basket. For instance, agricultural commodities only make up 12.2% of the value of the S&P GSCI. Commodities indexes themselves form the basis for a number of instruments such as commodities index funds, commodity exchange traded funds (ETFs), and commodity index swaps. For instance, a commodity index fund is a large sum of money managed by a 'sophisticated' manager who uses that money to buy the futures that comprise the basket of futures that make up any particular commodity index.
Even though they were advertised to institutional investors as ideal mechanisms for hedging against adverse movements in other financial markets, it could be said that the animating principle behind the commodities index funds was momentum. The strategy evolved by the Goldman Sachs managers who ran the GSCI was to have nothing but 'long' positions, to keep on acquiring them, and to 'roll' them over as they expired, no matter how high the price of those futures climbed. As Kaufman ('The Food Bubble: How Wall Street starved millions and got away with it', July 2010, Harper's Magazine, 32) puts it, the purpose was to accumulate 'an everlasting, ever-growing long position, unremittingly regenerated'.
As mentioned above in the section on speculation based on market fundamentals, speculation can be useful because it helps farmers and buyers determine prices. As such, ordinarily, futures prices are lower than spot prices, and this ordinary situation is known as 'normal backwardation'. However, the effect of the commodities index funds appears to have been to throw the commodities futures markets into 'contango', producing a vicious circle of prices spiralling upward: the increased prices for futures initially led to small price increases on spot markets; sellers delayed sales in anticipation of more price increases; and buyers increased their purchases to put in stock for fear of even greater future price increases. When the spot prices increased, this fed an increase in futures prices, which attracted even more speculation, thus setting the whole process into motion once again. Indeed, the whole structure of commodity index speculation was premised upon contango. Commodity index speculation was the gift that was designed to keep on giving.
It is difficult to imagine creatures more different from Thales than the index speculator and the manager of a commodities index fund. The index speculator and the fund manager, far from being acquainted with crop production cycles and patterns, will never see a grain of wheat in their professional lives. Nevertheless, the index speculator and the fund manager have one thing in common with the traditional speculator: whereas the traditional speculator may drive up the price of a commodity by hoarding the physical commodity, the index speculator and the fund manager accomplish the same by hoarding futures contracts for those commodities. However, the index speculator and fund manager are spared the bother of maintaining a warehouse: their hoarding is entirely virtual.
It is important to note that different kinds of speculation in different markets combined to create the food price crisis, and that no one category of market conduct was singly responsible. For instance, market-momentum-based speculation in oil contributed to the food price crisis, by affecting fundamental conditions of supply of an essential agricultural input. Petrol is an integral component of modern food supply chains, being used for fertilisers, food processing and transportation, and the rise of bioenergy leads to an increased merger of the food and energy markets. Moreover, small changes in market fundamentals such as oil price increases, the growth of agrofuels, and underinvestment in agriculture can act as a catalyst for momentum-based speculation. The fact that market-momentum-based speculation may have been the main contributing cause of the food price increases is no reason to lower one's guard against other factors which also cause food prices to rise. Indeed, we should be ever more vigilant, because momentum-based speculation may magnify the effects of changes in market fundamentals.
The larger financial market
The sudden massive entry of index funds into commodities should be placed against the background of developments in the broader financial markets. Following the passage of the US Commodity Futures Modernisation Act in 2000, Over The Counter (OTC) derivatives were exempted from the oversight of the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). As a result of the Commodity Futures Modernisation Act and the decisions of the CFTC, such trading was allowed to take place without any position limits, disclosure requirements, or regulatory oversight. Moreover, the Act permitted for the first time OTC derivatives contracts where neither party was hedging against a pre-existing risk; i.e. where both parties were speculating. Also, it enabled hedging against those risks by taking positions on exchanges.
At this point, it is crucial to observe the difference between investment in commodities futures and investment in commodity index funds. Commodities futures, being standardised contracts, are traded on exchanges, so investment in them is not OTC. Participation in a commodities index fund, however, is mostly OTC. Institutional investors such as pension funds typically enter into agreements with fund managers whereby in addition to the investor paying an annual management fee to the manager, it also pays the fund manager the 3-month Treasury Bill rate. In exchange, the fund manager pays the total return on the futures included in the commodities index. Such agreements to exchange streams of income, or 'swaps', are almost always traded on an OTC basis. The lack of regulation of such derivatives greatly facilitated the entry of institutional investors into commodities index funds.
summarise, deregulation in the
at the end of 2001, food commodities derivatives markets, and commodities
indexes in particular, began to see an influx of non-traditional investors,
such as pension funds, hedge funds, sovereign wealth funds, and large
banks that packaged and dealt the commodity index instruments mentioned
above. The reason for this was simply because other markets dried up
one by one: the dotcoms vanished at the end of 2001, the stock market
soon after, and the
In none of these markets was there any restriction of supply or expansion in demand even remotely sufficient to explain the full extent of price increases. The reasons for such movement were twofold. First, because it was thought that markets for food and oil would be profitable because they could not possibly dry up: people may lose interest in asset-backed securitisation, but they will always have to eat. Second, as mentioned earlier, a portfolio diversification practice appears to have emerged of spreading out risk in any investment portfolio by balancing out investments in securities or bonds with investments in markets that display unrelated or opposite behaviour, such as food and oil. Indeed, total index-fund investment in corn, soybeans, wheat, cattle and hogs increased from $10 billion in 2006 to more than $47 billion in 2007.
But these price increases in commodities futures were possible only if the permanent long positions in them could be funded. Previously, this had been made possible by the low margins that traders had to put up front in order to trade on commodities exchanges. The remainder of the funds could be invested in other financial instruments. The food price bubble burst when the giant non-traditional speculators lost the ability to carry on, as a result of their investments in other markets crashing. When they fell, the upward food price spiral also ended.
to address the dangers of speculation in basic foodstuffs is needed.
Although considerable progress appears to have been achieved in this
regard with respect to financial reform in the
Although the global stocks of grain are higher now than they were previous to the 2007-08 food crisis, the financial drivers of that crisis remain largely unchanged. More still needs to be done to curb the negative effects of speculation on basic food commodities. This is an important source of vulnerability, particularly for poor net food-importing countries, whose dependency on food imports has been increasing over the years, and who will in the future suffer more balance-of-payments problems if they are confronted with a new peak in prices over the coming weeks and months.
1. Given the numerous linkages between agriculture, oil, and other financial markets demonstrated above, comprehensive reform of all derivatives trading is necessary. The very first step would be to require registration, as well as clearing to the maximum extent possible of OTC derivatives, so that there is real time reporting of all transactions made, without information privileges for OTC traders, and in order to allow for effective supervision. The small minority of derivatives that cannot be cleared must nevertheless be reported without a time lag.
2. Regulatory bodies should carefully study and acquire expertise in commodity markets, instead of regulating commodity derivatives and financial derivatives as if they were the same class of assets. It may be appropriate to assign the task of regulating commodity derivatives to a specific institution staffed with experts in commodity regulation, rather than have a single body regulating both financial and commodity derivatives.
3. Access to commodities futures markets should be restricted as far as possible to qualified and knowledgeable investors and traders who are genuinely concerned about the underlying agricultural commodities. A significant contributory cause of the price spike was speculation by institutional investors who did not have any expertise or interest in agricultural commodities, and who invested in commodities index funds because other financial markets had dried up, or in order to hedge speculative bets made on those markets.
4. Spot markets should be strengthened in order to reduce the uncertainty about future prices that creates the need for speculation. However, these markets must also be regulated in order to prevent hoarding. Spot markets must be transparent, and holdings should be subject to strict limits in order to prevent market manipulation.
5. Physical grain reserves should be established for the purpose of countering extreme fluctuations in food price, managing risk in agricultural derivatives contracts, and discouraging excess speculation, as well as meeting emergency needs. Such measures and the abovementioned reform of commodity derivatives markets should be seen as complementary.ĀĀĀĀĀĀĀĀĀĀĀĀĀĀĀĀ ĀĀĀĀĀĀĀĀĀĀĀ
Olivier De Schutter was appointed the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the right to food in March 2008 by the UN Human Rights Council. He is independent from any government or organisation, and reports to the Human Rights Council and to the UN General Assembly. The above is extracted from his Briefing Note (No. 2, September 2010) entitled 'Food Commodities Speculation and Food Price Crises'. The full Briefing Note is available on the Special Rapporteur's website, www.srfood.org.
*Third World Resurgence No. 240/241, August-September 2010, pp 24-29


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Is Anarchy Impossible?Submitted by His American Majesty on Tue, 02/04/2014 - 16:58
Minarchists say in order to preserve a limited government it requires an enlightened people. Yet these same people claim anarchy is impossible if it requires an enlightened people. Minarchy cars require enlightened gas to run but anarchy cars are impossible because they require enlightened gas. :/
Minarchists say separation of power will keep power in check. Setting aside history which has shown this theory to be entirely false, consider the math of the proposition. (Power / X = Some power) > Power of any people, especially any with no tanks, nukes, etc. How in the hell is that a balanced equation?
Minarchists say limited government can only be sustained with eternal vigilance. Again, setting aside history which has shown this theory also to be entirely false, let us instead turn to reason. Who is going to do all of the educating so people know what dangers to watch for? Who is going to do it forever in perpetual? Who is going to compel people to listen to their advice when history also demonstrates there has never been any shortage of individuals sounding alarms against power?
Nowadays minarchists have come up with a new expression ... a tireless minority. Setting aside common sense as we all know this proposition to be impossible because all men and women get tired, let us suppose for a moment that were not the case. Ok, a tireless minority of people is going to do what exactly? Set brush fires of liberty in the minds and hearts of men and women. Has it been mentioned minarchists assert anarchy is impossible if it requires any enlightened people whose minds or hearts are ablaze with liberty?
I might be able to stomach some hypocritical minarchist critique of anarchy if they could come up with one single comment that does not equally apply to minarchy. Just one ... that is all I am asking for.
There is one notable thing minarchists do not comment on and that is competition ... in justice for instance. Despite that competition has a proven track record of separating wheat from chaff the typical minarchist would claim competition in justice can't work. Despite that there are 50 competing state justice systems and many local political subdivisions within a state having unique ordinances they say it can't work. Despite that there are hundreds of international competing justice systems they say it can't work. They claim the only way justice can work is if one entity in any given geographic territory has a monopoly on this service. They claim people voting with their wallets will not provide any incentive for justice because justice would not be the same if everyone wasn't forced to pay for the same crappy injustice system. At least they get one point right, it wouldn't be the same ol crappy injustice system if everyone wasn't compelled to pay for or use it.
A few additions ...
Despite that anyone can walk out their front door and plainly see most people are not using violence against other people minarchists repeatedly claim there is good reason to live in fear of gangs. What they mean is that they do not want any personal responsibilities or obligations of freedom. What they mean is that as long as someone else is going to deal with these rogue gangs that is fine but it is not fine if they have to do it themselves.
Concepts like freedom and liberty only work if one is willing to trust other people. They are all or nothing proposals. Either all may enjoy freedom and liberty or it shall be enjoyed by none. By their own admissions minarchists claim they are unwilling to trust other people because some of them will form gangs. As long as they are not willing to trust in their fellow man ... they deserve neither freedom or liberty and there is no shame in pointing it out.
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As always you nailed it
"What they mean is that they do not want any personal responsibilities or obligations of freedom. What they mean is that as long as someone else is going to deal with these rogue gangs that is fine but it is not fine if they have to do it themselves."
That's exactly what is at the heart of the whole nightmare we face. The ninnies. They will not take liability for their own existence whether it be their knowledge of the law, their ability to uphold the law, their willingness to uphold the law. They are so utterly confused in their own irresponsibility that they think legislative code is applicable law for the people. This single ongoing failure of responsibility by statists and minarchist demonstrates that they cannot be trusted to uphold the protections of law. If they can't be trusted for upholding the law then it is absolutely less than useless to vote and downright dangerous to continue to pay to continue to feed the single biggest threat to everyone's peace and prosperity.
If people can't take responsibility for understanding what a real threat to peace is and understand the requirement not to feed or arm that threat with resources then the people are not only irresponsible but their confusion born of irresponsibility has also become a danger to our security and tranquility by literally funding violent criminals that claim to be government but who use color of law as a weapon of tyranny upon law abiding people. This is a danger to security and has no protections whatsoever.
Remember Ron Paul in Iowa saying "Freedom means you are responsible for yourself". I don't most took that to mean exactly what it means. Look at the world bare and find your own way. Know how to survive, to thrive and protect yourself, your family and work with other responsible people to protect one another when needed.
The most powerful Law of Nature is Time. It is finite and we all will run out of it. Use this Law to your advantage, for it offers you infinite possibilities...
Society Without A State
"...mankind is a mixture of good and evil, of cooperative and criminal tendencies. In my view, the anarchist society is one which maximizes the tendencies for the good and the cooperative, while it minimizes both the opportunity and the moral legitimacy of the evil and the criminal. If the anarchist view is correct and the state is indeed the great legalized and socially legitimated channel for all manner of antisocial crime — theft, oppression, mass murder — on a massive scale, then surely the abolition of such an engine of crime can do nothing but favor the good in man and discourage the bad."
"...no social system, whether anarchist or statist, can work at all unless most people are "good" in the sense that they are not all hell-bent upon assaulting and robbing their neighbors. If everyone were so disposed, no amount of protection, whether state or private, could succeed in staving off chaos. Furthermore, the more that people are disposed to be peaceful and not aggress against their neighbors, the more successfully any social system will work, and the fewer resources will need to be devoted to police protection."
"The anarchist view holds that, given the "nature of man," given the degree of goodness or badness at any point in time, anarchism will maximize the opportunities for the good and minimize the channels for the bad. The rest depends on the values held by the individual members of society. The only further point that need be made is that by eliminating the living example and the social legitimacy of the massive legalized crime of the state, anarchism will to a large extent promote peaceful values in the minds of the public."
Best debate on this subject I have seen.
Live in Liberty
Tom Rankin
"Libertarian opponents of anarchy are attacking a straw man. Their arguments are usually utilitarian in nature and amount to "but anarchy won't work" or "we need the (things provided by the) state." But these attacks are confused at best, if not disingenuous. To be an anarchist does not mean you think anarchy will "work" (whatever that means); nor that you predict it will or "can" be achieved. It is possible to be a pessimistic anarchist, after all. To be an anarchist only means that you believe that aggression is not justified, and that states necessarily employ aggression. And, therefore, that states, and the aggression they necessarily employ, are unjustified. It's quite simple, really. It's an ethical view, so no surprise it confuses utilitarians." Stephan Kinsella
Hope this helps.
Can Anarchy be realized without Minarchy as a Step towards it?
I didn't know what a Minarchist was till a few months ago. I tied it in with Anarchists, Anarcho-Capitalists, and all the Right of Limited Gov't ideologies. My mistake.
One of my career specialties is Implementing new systems in large and complex organizations (SAP) and a lack of Organized Change Management is, from my experience, the area that leads to more failures and setbacks than any other discipline. OCM is the proactive planning for resistance, parallel and sequential phases, and knowledge that timing is everything.
While we debate whether Anarchy or Minarchy is better/possible, I think it is worth asking the question if Minarchy is a required step before Anarchy can be reached.
We're talking about changing the Belief systems of millions of people. If Minarchy, which is really just another name for Subsidiarity where the most local (least centralized) level of government is the Household, is not possible, then it is going to be a stretch to convince enough people that Anarchy will work. Courts, ability to defend against Foreign Central Planners (Devil you know is better than the Devil you don't),
Perhaps the Anarchists believe that one must skip Minarchy and go straight to Anarchy to achieve good results? If so, then some sort of transition plan needs to be spelled out. Can such a transition plan come from Spontaneous Order? Possibly, but one must first get a critical mass of people to agree on the Vision of Minarchy/Anarchy in order for people to strive for it independently.
What keeps us from re-instating slavery?
Do you think that it is A LAW that keeps each one of us from wanting to own slaves. Is it the threat of fine or imprisonment if caught that keeps people from trying to own slaves?
Or is it WE ARE ENLIGHTENED on the principle of self ownership?
Once we learn that "ruling authority" is principally wrong in the way that "ownership of another person" is wrong, the world will operate differently.
An Objective understanding of Rights and MAD
An Objective understanding of Rights and MAD must be common. Natural Law must be a commonly held belief system. Rights cannot exist without Free Will. Free Will cannot exist without Ownership of Self. Ownership of Self cannot exist whilst being Dependent upon others.
Mutually Assured Destruction must also be a common phenomenon. If the Risk of abridging the Rights of others is low, then one can assume that Rights will be abridged by the Rent Seeker types.
in the real world
It's probably because machines are more productive and less bothersome to maintain.
So you don't think it would be "taboo...?"
So don't you think it would be taboo if you were to keep a "household servant" that you on;y gave room and board to? And she cooked, cleaned, did yardwork, gardened, nannied... But no pay?
Do they already machines that are that versatile? I haven't seen that machine yet.
Are you really proposing that TECHNOLOGY WAS THE REASON for an abolition movement?
I totally disagree.
Machinery is what came about IN THE ABSENCE OF slaves. But machinery did not "come to the rescue" of slaves.
I wouldn't want to do it.
However, some people would and many people do, and they couldn't care less about our opinions of what is taboo. Slavery and human trafficking exists in many forms and countries today, even within the United States for various reasons.
Slaves are expensive and are low producers, obviously they have no incentive; they must be fed, clothed, housed, kept reasonably healthy, and so on.
So, yes, technology and the accompanying economic considerations were major contributors to the decline and subsequent abolition of slavery in every modern country, controlled by Whites; just as automated burger builders will replace minimum wage workers, when cost/benefit ratios make it them more profitable.
I'm not saying that technology came to the rescue of slaves, although some who saw the invention of the cotton gin may disagree. I don't think the inventors and developers of technology cared so much. They just did what was profitable and slavery was not profitable.
"Pre-Civil War Slavery was NOT PROFITABLE..."
I will not even come with documentation. Even at a gut level, I think this statement is severely incorrect.
The MORAL SUBSTANCE of the action of owning another human came into question AND THAT WAS LIGHTS OUT eventually for OWNING PEOPLE.
I totally disregard your "slaves were largely inefficient and that is why we don't hold slaves."
I cannot join you on that at all. Not even for a second.
I argue from first principles, from a position of moral actions and ethical actions. And slavery is one of the main analogies that I AM ABLE TO PRESENT as a "moral argument" eventually winning.
I'm not sure what you are reading.
What you have in quotes is not what I wrote. It is a well-known fact that slaves do not have any incentive to perform above minimally productive levels. There is simply no reward in it for them.
I get the impression that you somehow believe that slavery only existed in the United States, prior to the Civil War. Are you even aware that over one million Europeans (there are estimates as high as 1.5 million) were enslaved in North Africa during the period from 1500 to 1800? Slavery and serfdom existed in most, if not all, European countries, as well. Lincoln and MLK didn't free those slaves at Gettysburg.
Many people, who on moral grounds opposed slavery, often found owning them necessary and ethical in order to be competitive in the slave-trade driven economies. As technological advances increasingly made slavery obsolete, those who opposed the practice morally were increasingly able to also oppose it ethically, applying pressure toward abolition. Around the world, slavery was on it's way out the door, before our Civil War was fought, and would have been abolished worldwide without that war.
Majesty, you've hit the nail
Majesty, you've hit the nail on the head. Neither one is possible in perpetuity. History goes in cycles, liberty and tyranny and anarchy are different points in the cycle. History shows long periods of liberty sustained by the limited government that exists when people want to be free. History shows no examples of stable anarchy. Maybe it can exist, maybe not. But if history is the guide, limited government lasts longer in stability than anarchy.
You nailed what I was going
You nailed what I was going to say. Things do run in a cycle, anarchy grows to minarchy, minarchy to totalitarianism, totalitarianism to anarchy.
There can be anarchy, but it won't last. The only constant is change.
The first rule established in any anarchistic society...
'Hey! You can't shit there!'
Pandacentricism will be our downfall.
Anarchy impossible???
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAm3T9llot4&feature=em-uploa... here is how to build the roads without the Government is possible...
Albert Camus — 'The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion.'
Minarchists say in order to
Minarchists say in order to preserve a limited government it requires an enlightened people. Yet these same people claim anarchy is impossible if it requires an enlightened people. Minarchy cars require enlightened gas to run but anarchy cars are impossible because they require enlightened gas. :/
Strawman. Minarchists believe that a "small, tireless minority" can achieve limited government. In fact that is the only way to preserve liberty, is to create a government that can preserve it.
Minarchists say separation of power will keep power in check. Setting aside history which has shown this theory to be entirely false, consider the math of the proposition. (Power / X = Some power) > Power of any people, especially any with no tanks, nukes, etc. How in the hell is that a balanced equation?
Modern minarchists probably can admit that the founders failed to properly separate power. But why do you then claim that "separation of powers" via competition in traditionally government services somehow does work? There needs to be a balance.
Minarchists say limited government can only be sustained with eternal vigilance. Again, setting aside history which has shown this theory also to be entirely false, let us instead turn to reason. Who is going to do all of the educating so people know what dangers to watch for? Who is going to do it forever in perpetual? Who is going to compel people to listen to their advice when history also demonstrates there has never been any shortage of individuals sounding alarms against power?
History shows that anarchist societies adopt government when they do not maintain vigilince. Same with minarchy. How does history show this to be false? Show me a vigilant population in a minarchy that internally devolved into tyrrany?
Nowadays minarchists have come up with a new expression ... a tireless minority. Setting aside common sense as we all know this proposition to be impossible because all men and women get tired, let us suppose for a moment that were not the case. Ok, a tireless minority of people is going to do what exactly? Set brush fires of liberty in the minds and hearts of men and women. Has it been mentioned minarchists assert anarchy is impossible if it requires any enlightened people whose minds or hearts are ablaze with liberty?
Are you unaware of how political movements work? How do you think revolutions happen? Ridiculous. Minarchy requires less people to secure liberty because it has government. One need only secure the government to secure liberty. One need not secure a majority of the whole people.
Despite that competition has a proven track record of separating wheat from chaff the typical minarchist would claim competition in justice can't work.
All within the law and order of the state.
Ventura 2012
The closest thing I want to a
The closest thing I want to a government is multiple court systems that must turn a profit to survive in any given area. Free market competition for the win.
Is it possible to have a free market capitalist society without a government? Currently? No.
Why? Too many people believe 100% and without need of reason in the illusion of arbitrary authority. Its bred into our children by our schools and churches, our television, books and movies.
The only way we reach true liberty is by raising our children to question "everything" and to resist arbitrary authority. Teach them to govern themselves and understand that they own themselves. I have 2 daughters who will know these things. If you guys are doing your job and raising your children to be capitalists who desire freedom, we may achieve this in the future.
What people always need to remember is that words confuse things. Strip away all titles and BS and ask yourself; what is a government? What is a company?
Both are groups of people who get together to accomplish a goal. The company must please its customers to achieve its goals as all interactions are voluntary, and happy customers are life and death.
The government on the other hand, needs not please anyone, they deal in force and coersion, and those who do not wish to use them any longer are brought into compliance with the barrel of a gun. You can't vote "no" with your wallet, and you're an idiot if you think you can vote no with a peace of paper.
Its time to stop giving certain "groups of people" a monopoly on force, and special rights. Its time to treat all groups of people equally. No one has the right to use force against others save for in self defense. Humans have to deal with each other through voluntary action or they are criminals. No exceptions for people with badages and fancy hats.
I like your response...
well said. And well humored. I laughed.
I would like to add a nuance to your last praragraph, "Its time to stop giving certain "groups of people" a monopoly on force..."
It is commonly said that the state has a monopoly on the use of force but that is not so. The state has a monopoly on anything the state wishes to have a monopoly on and it uses force to enforce its claim.
Government claims that it the power to harm with legal impunity.
This is the essence of governmental power and is the one attribute that separates it from any individual/company found in society.
That's a great point, but I
That's a great point, but I think as you hinted, saying "monopoly on force" is the same as saying "monopoly on everything. All rights and all tyranny arises from the barrel of a gun. He who controls force, controls anything they damn well please. You only have those rights you can defend by force or threat of force.
The idea of government in any form, even the cherished "minarchist" government that our founders gave us, is evil by its own nature. Depriving anyone of their rights against their will is crime. Period. Until a government can exist on the voluntary contribution of people rather than taxation via threat of force, then there can be no lawful government. This BS notion I hear about "social contract" is irrational. I didn't enter any "contract" and ill be damned if "im" going to be the one who leaves if I don't feel like succumbing to extortion.
"He who controls force, controls anything they damn well please."
Yes. And the legislatures have the superior violence making machine at their disposal.
"Until a government can exist on the voluntary contribution of people..."
Then it won't be a government. Because what you speak of won't have the governmental power to harm with legal impunity. It'll be some kind of non-profit management company. Empowered with ability to run some kind of service but not with the ability to run the private affairs of individuals.
I dream of the day. :)
exactly. Though im certain a
exactly. Though im certain a libertarian golden age in the far-flung future will dream up of some court of arbitration and defense contractor services in competition with one another that will fullfill the old role of governments by voluntary exchange rather than coersion. I hope some distant relation of mine will only know the word "government" from history books.
To me, the next great step forward to humanity will be when the free markets make governments obsolete and remove that stain from humanity. But alas, governments will only die with collectivism, and collectivism will only die when we stop indoctrinating our children with collectivist myths, both of the spiritual variety, and the state variety. Ayn Rand called them the Mystics of the Mind and Mystics of the Body. She knew her stuff, but I always wonder why she never took the final leap and realized that governments would always be an obstacle for her philosphy. It was the one area where she seemed to not apply her full reason.
"Government claims it
"Government claims it the power to harm with impunity."
Very observant of you, AR.
And, hey, I'm waiting for your reply here, you know, lol. :P
School's fine. Just don't let it get in the way of thinking. -Me
Study nature, not books. -Walton Forest Dutton, MD, in his 1916 book whose subject is origin (therefore what all healing methods involve and count on), simple and powerful.
Again, the only one on the page that noticed.
Although I'd agree minarchists make less use of factual information it's equally disappointing to see Anarchists not justify their reasoning with all the relevant information that is available.
On your last point for competing justice agencies I'm looking forward to reading Bruce L. Bensons book "To Protect And Serve."
I also think John Hasnas work on the subject helps alleviate some common misconceptions that are all too prevelant even on this site about Anarchy.
Excellent post by the way!


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