Romania and the Prospect of Moldovan Reunification: NATO's Ostsiedlung Programme

https://www.euractiv.com/section/politics/news/romanias-parliament-open-to-moldova-reunification-idea/

https://www.euractiv.com/section/elections/news/more-than-10000-rally-to-unify-romania-and-moldova/

https://www.euractiv.com/section/economy-jobs/news/romania-squandering-eu-funding-moldova-deserves-more-says-eu-regional-boss/

Americans struggle with geography and history. Largely ignorant of their own, they soon all but drown when delving into regions such as Central and Eastern Europe. Our education system and media do not help and to some degree I think this ignorance is deliberate. And yet if you want to understand what's happening geopolitically and what it means for the world at large and for the Christians living in these places, it's good to investigate these matters.

Perhaps you've watched some media pieces on Transnistria or the NATO missile bases being placed in Romania. Why are these things happening and why are some people upset about it? For the American audience everything is viewed through a post 9/11 and pro-America lens and yet for the people outside the United States this is not the case.

Caesar's Coin and the Demise of Transactional Autonomy (Part 3)

One is reminded of the 2009 film The International wherein two low-to-mid level bureaucrats attempt to investigate and challenge the state-corporate power represented by international banking.  The movie has been noted for its cinematography wherein small figures are often juxtaposed with large overbearing architecture. It's meant to amplify and accentuate the virtual impossibility of the little man taking on the machine. In the movie the crusading bureaucrats (an Interpol agent and a state level district attorney) are all but crushed by the overwhelming power of the corrupt Western system.

Caesar's Coin and the Demise of Transactional Autonomy (Part 2)

There is a vicious cycle at work in which multiple bad actors seeking to profit from and at the expense of one another and to protect themselves from competitors have created conditions which all but destroy the ability for individuals to conduct all but the simplest transactions apart from regulation and government involvement. That is unfortunately where this all leads. The various industries press the government (and effectively buy it) to pass laws leading to regulations that will protect their industry (and profits) and will bring about stability and uniformity... the conditions investors and corporate boards want. They can deal with regulations as long as they know what they are. They can subsequently tweak and re-tool their models and make money.

Caesar's Coin and the Demise of Transactional Autonomy (Part 1)

Listening to people complain about the state of society, government intrusion, burdensome costs and the hosts of problems surrounding insurance and litigation, I am struck (in almost every case) by the tendency toward reductionism. Each person tends to assess the situation from their own limited perspective and experience and render judgment on that basis without ever taking the time to look into the larger picture. They're often right in one sense but because their inquiry is limited, they almost always represent but one portion of a larger truth and thus in the end, their depiction and judgment is skewed, distorted and ultimately misleading. This is hardly surprising and yet it often proves destructive, especially when people act in what must be described as ignorance.

Evangelicals, Finances and Social Norms

Listening to Christian Financial Programmes one usually hears something to the effect that you should drive your vehicles into the ground. Don't trade in a vehicle until you have to and avoid the car loan at all costs. Even among the often rather affluent Evangelical world few are able to buy cars outright. Most people end up having to finance.

Debt is certainly something we as Christians should try to avoid. With modern capitalism this is becoming increasingly difficult. Our society and its financial model are built around debt, credit and interest. These financial instruments have changed the very nature of 'demand' and it affects all of us whether we like it or not.

Financialisation and a Small Rust Belt City

It was recently announced that Erie Insurance is now the largest employer in the city of Erie Pennsylvania. If you've spent any time living in, reading about or visiting the Rust Belt, such an announcement is expected but still profound. Visiting Erie from time to time I often reflect on deindustrialisation and financialisation. My most recent trip had me musing on it more than usual and then I read the story in the news about Erie Insurance.