Naomi Klein, The Guardian , June 14, 2023.- Given the strengths that Kennedy possesses as a candidate, we should expect him to continue to build momentum. Ignoring him is not an option
Many observers of financial technology have offered interpretations and discussion of potential use cases of programmable money.2 While such references to programmable money typically describe it as being enabled by distributed ledger technology (DLT) or blockchain systems, this is not universally the case, and the term remains ill-defined.3 Two natural components of the definition are a digital form of money and a mechanism for specifying the automated behavior of that money through a computer program (this mechanism is termed "programmability" in this note). However, it is not clear whether these components alone are sufficient for a definition, given that various combinations of similar technology for payments automation have existed for decades. It was only after the advent of public blockchain cryptocurrencies that the term "programmable money" became common parlance.4 So what is it about these new systems that has prompted the recent spate of references to the term, and does the answer somehow imply that DLT has to be a part of any "programmable money" system?
While the Federal Reserve has made no decisions on whether to pursue or implement a central bank digital currency, or CBDC, we have been exploring the potential benefits and risks of CBDCs from a variety of angles, including through technological research and experimentation. Our key focus is on whether and how a CBDC could improve on an already safe and efficient U.S. domestic payments system.
Pentagon’s Own Map of U.S. Bases in Africa Contradicts Its Claim of “Light” Footprint
A formerly secret map from AFRICOM shows a network of 29 U.S. military bases that stretch from one side of Africa to another.
Nick Turse
The Intercept February 27 2020
HS 2.6.23 och Euractiv 5.6. Avtalet slöts under A. Blinkens besök i Helsingfors. Franska versionen rubricerades La 6G, nouvel outil de défense face à la Chine
CODEPINK is a women-led grassroots organization working to end U.S. wars and militarism, support peace and human rights initiatives, and redirect our tax dollars into healthcare, education, green jobs and other life-affirming programs.
Martin Gelin, Biblioteksbladet 6.3. Över hela USA sker nu aggressiva påtryckningar för att stoppa litteratur och undervisning som inte främjar det som den kristna högern kallar patriotisk undervisning.
I USA kastas litteratur ut från bibliotek, skolor och universitet. Biblioteksbladet har besökt Florida där bokförbuden har gett den konservativa guvernören Ron DeSantis framgång i den politiska karriären.
Lokalpolitiker och högeraktivister har de senaste åren stoppat skolor och bibliotek från att tillhandahålla tusentals böcker, allt från klassiska romaner till populär samtida queerlitteratur som André Acimans Call Me By Your Name.
Stephen Bryan, Asia Times, March 4, 2023:
US-NATO response to fall of Bakhmut is likely an assault on Crimea, which in turn will spark Russian attacks on Eastern Europe
"New deliveries of special types of long-range ammunition to Kiev are the first signal. The second is the publicized switch by Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland to favoring a refocus on retaking Crimea in a new Ukrainian offensive.
“[W]e will support Ukraine for as long as it takes. Ukraine is fighting for the return of all of its land within its international borders. We are supporting them, including in preparing a next hard push to regain their territory…Crimea must be—at a minimum, at a minimum—demilitarized.”
WSJ Nov 4, 2022: A U.S. flag officer talks candidly about the fading U.S. deterrent. “This Ukraine crisis that we’re in right now, this is just the warmup,” said Navy Adm. Charles Richard, the commander of US Strategic Command. “The big one is coming. And it isn’t going to be very long before we’re going to get tested in ways that we haven’t been tested [in] a long time.”
A. Okulicz-Kozaryn. Journal of Happiness Studies, 12 (2):
225-243(2011)First published online: February 11, 2010, http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10902-010-9188-8. (Eurobarometer).