I Strongly Suggest ...

 ... everyone to watch this video which demonstrates not only the process of manufacturing of jet engines' blades, while giving an excellent overview of the principles of work of jet engines, but also provides an implicit explanation of an enormous complexity of modern jet engines as a whole and why only very few nations (US, UK, France and Russia) can produce state-of-the-art, cutting edge jet engines. Emphasis on state-of-the-art, China does produce engines but they do not measure up to these four. It also gives an idea why China wants Russian PD-14s now. 

This is superb video which explains very complex things in accessible and engaging manner. One of the best Veritasium videos ever.  

Of Course, She Does...

Did anyone believe that modern economy is based on marketologists, political "scientists", "economists", PR "specialists" and personal shopping assistants, among many similar "professionals" with office plankton pedigree? Some did, like the graduates of VShE in Moscow or editorial board of WSJ and Forbes. But, reality bites inevitably and Russia is reaping today the consequences of 1990s and 2000s when a bunch of shysters from economics and history convinced Russia that manufacturing is sooo not cool. 

Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin emphasized the importance of advanced training programs at a meeting devoted to the development of education on the labor market on Tuesday. “Many companies now need competent employees. Therefore, it is necessary to create a flexible system of professional re-training so that citizens could obtain additional skills and have more job opportunities,” he pointed out. The need to develop domestic high-tech enterprises have prompted a large-scale reshuffle of specialists in demand, the Russian Labor Ministry added, saying that “the biggest demand for personnel has emerged in the industrial sector. Today there are up to 13 vacancies per one registered unemployed skilled worker.” The Labor Ministry expects that, by 2030, the need for employees will grow the most in areas like manufacturing, transportation and logistics, health and social care, research and science, and IT.

Well, I guess being a barista in Stars Coffee or shelf stocker in Globus while having a Bachelors degree in political "science" doesn't seem like a viable path for many anymore. Sure, try to explain to marketologist what NC Plot is, and how canned cycles work in G-code for CNC and you will find a wall of confusion. I, for once, don't need any "survey" by some Yakov and Partners reported by Russian equivalent of New York Post, to know that in real world this damn forgotten by Harvard "economists" proletariat is still alive and kicking and the world is nothing without it, as the US is beginning to find it out nowadays. 

Luckily for Russia, the issue is being addressed and the growth of prestige and monetary compensation for productive manufacturing jobs grows, spurred not only by SMO but by the fact of understanding in Russia that the only thing which matters in geopolitics is manufacturing and self-sufficiency, the rest follows. In related news... LOL. 

Israel’s conflict with Palestinian militant group Hamas could become even more violent and drag on for years to come if Israeli forces launch a ground operation in Gaza, former CIA chief David Petraeus warned in an interview with Politico on Thursday. Speaking on the outlet’s Power Play podcast, the US general, who served in both Iraq and Afghanistan, claimed that a ground invasion of Gaza by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) “could be Mogadishu on steroids very quickly.” 

No shit.

Real Economy.

I spent years trying to convey a simple thought of Western "economics" being nothing more than a creative bookkeeping having nothing to do with the real state of the affairs. In fact, this economic delusion is in the foundation of many other West's delusions be it military, technological or social. In military parlance this is known as the loss of situational awareness.

Now, Vladimir Putin during his press-conference in China yesterday started to speak only within the framework of Purchase Power Parity when dealing with real GDPs of SCO nations. It is, of course, understandable that the whole notion of developed manufacturing (especially hi-tech machine building sector) being the foundation of national power is completely alien to most US economic "scholars" but that is how world goes about. In fact, even PPP is not precise, granted it is much better metric than preposterous "nominal" GDPs based on US Dollar alone--a number no serious analyst will pay attention to. 

But PPP or even adjusters derived from the "Big Mac" index do not reflect a complex reality of modern economics because, as I stated non-stop for many years, to even grasp what the real depth and size of economy are one has to look at actual industrial output of tangibles. Moreover, looking at weapons--their complexity, quality, quantity and effectiveness--is even better adjuster than anything else. It is a truism--only extremely developed economies can produce state-of-the-art nuclear power submarines, complex fighter planes and very complex C4ISR "infrastructure". No amount of financial data-twisting can obfuscate a simple fact--to make and run something like GLONASS or deploy weapons the likes of Kinzhal or Avanguard, requires way more that just "sophisticated" economy, it requires a massive one. In fact, this is very intuitive--something so complex (in fact they are most complex man-made things) as Virginia-class or Yasen-class nuclear submarines require and incredible network of industries, from metallurgy to electronics, to name a few, which, unlike fake papers produced by the Wall Street, do constitute a great index of national power. So, yes, it is very gratifying to hear President Putin setting an appropriate, much more realistic, framework for economic discussions than some convoluted pseudo-economic BS produced by Western "analysts". In the end, it is their "economic analysis" which is in the foundation of Russophrenia--a condition where the sufferer believes Russia is both about to collapse, and take over the world. Since 2013, instances of this ailment have reached epidemic-like proportions in certain parts of Washington, London and Brussels. 

 

But then again, try to explain to some Ivy League-trained "investment" bankster (most of whom never worked on a real job in their life) what is the difference between selling some financial "product" (aka snake oil) and manufacturing, say, something like blades of jet engine. The experience could be fascinating. So, Mr. Putin--good to hear from you on this issue. Moreover, even in the foundation of a recent G-7 snafu is actual economy, things produced and needed to be sold--from cars to aircraft--not some BS "capitalization" of markets. 

Why I Still Like Ike.

Any American must remember Ike's greatest economic achievement as a President of the United States--Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956. Well, everyone knows, or at least should know, about Ike's great military leadership qualities. The man has many achievements to his record many of which eclipse the fact of Ike being merely a human, with many flaws which humans have, but apart from Ike's great military record, there is no denial of Dwight D. Eisenhower being America's 20th century not just POTUS, but a real statesman. In fact, Ike's scale as statesman of global standing is so huge, that it is simply tasteless to compare him with the crop of American political operatives, starting from LBJ, whose occupying position of POTUS must be viewed as examples of utter inadequacy of human and professional qualities to the highest government office in the US. Ike was more than adequate to this POTUS office. In fact, we all living in America today use and benefit greatly from Ike' vision. Just to illustrate outstanding human and American statesman qualities of Ike:

Eisenhower had an almost pathological, but healthy, fear that he might be blamed for allowing the nation to fall into another depression. When a mild recession early in his first term pushed the unemployment rate above 5%, Eisenhower told his Cabinet that "we could be in terrible trouble" and asked for solutions. The highwaymen at the Bureau of Public Roads (the precursor of today's Federal Highway Administration) heeded the call. They reported that each federal dollar invested in construction generated close to one half-hour of employment. Like a stone cast into a pond, a mile of modern, four-lane, limited-access highway would create waves that would ripple through the economy. Workers across America, not just those who built the roadways, would benefit -- in cement and steel plants (50 tons of concrete and 20 tons of reinforcing steel go into each mile), in paint and sign manufacturers and in heavy equipment factories and oil refineries.

What is forgotten here is the fact that it was mandated by Eisenhower Administration that most of money provided and generated by this massive project should go back to the American industries—this is how industrial, manufacturing infrastructure grew, so grew well-paid employment. Gee-whiz, modern day liberals trumpet on every corner about Clinton's so called "economic expansion" forgetting, of course, that it was on his watch, granted with the service of Reagan economic ideologues (fraudsters), that American de-industrialization went into overdrive and the US today has become a full blown FIRE economy and is heading fast towards third world economic status. What a startling contrast between genuine American patriot and a collection of power-hungry corrupt politicians. In a sense, Ike is a man who created modern America.

Enter Vladimir Putin and his statement that:

The right to transport oil and gas along the Northern Sea Route should only be given to the vessels under the Russian flag. Such proposal was formulated by Vladimir Putin. This is just one of the measures that will help to load domestic shipyards with orders, first of all – the “Zvezda” complex in Primorye. How else can the state help shipbuilders – the participants of the special meeting discussed today in the Kremlin. “Zvezda” is the first shipyard for large-capacity shipbuilding in Russia, where giant tankers and gas carriers to drilling platforms will be launched. It should also become one of the largest in the world. But it is not enough to build a factory, Putin says. The main thing is to provide it with stable orders.

Rings the bell? I will omit here going over Stalin's industrialization, not insignificant portion of it helped by American manufacturers, since some overly zealous "democrats" may have aneurysm reading about parallels, but there is no denial of a common economic and state (as in nation) principle of building an enclosed technological cycle or, rather, cycles which become national economic locomotives. As the news from Zvezda, which already cuts metal for, and other shipyards trickle in, and I quote:

In September 2017, in the presence of the president, four supply vessels of the ice class were laid here at once. “Catherine the Great,” “Holy Mary,” “Vladimir Monomakh,” and “Alexander Nevsky” will be launched in 2019. The entire portfolio of orders from Rosneft includes already 24 vessels. Including five Aframax type tankers – environmentally friendly, with gas fuel. Another 15 LNG tankers of the Arctic class are ordered by Novatek. However, in order to make “Zvezda” profitable in 17 years, a lot more has to be built.

Actually, I think, should Ike have been alive today he would have been ashamed to be called Republican when observing this cabal of free trade and monetarism fundamentalists who run GOP today and who, together with Democrats and sleazy corporate rats, are primarily responsible for American economic decline. Yet, Putin acts in case of a massive shipbuilding and energy projects (plus many others) very much as Ike did—the parallels are undeniable. Obviously, Putin, being Russian acts with consideration of Russia's unique economic factors but the common sense economic idea is universal—normal patriotic statesmen act in the interests of the whole nation, not some small and moneyed inner-circle of self-promoters and lobbyists. Ike, certainly, acted in the interest of the whole American nation and the monument to his economic success is America's wonderful interstate highway system and massive construction and heavy road equipment industries. Cannot ask for a better and more massive monument to one man. And that is why I still like Ike. 

A very small part of Zvezda shipyard with one of the pr. 949A Oscar-class SSGN being modernized with Kalibr missile complex.