TL:DR: Trump’s Venezuela policy as a 21st-century reboot of the Monroe Doctrine—less about democracy and more about oil. Using sanctions, posturing, and financial choke points, Washington aims to keep the world’s largest crude reserves out of Chinese, Russian, and Iranian hands, turning old gunboat diplomacy into modern energy control. At the ranch? We retool for cross-platform life.
Is it Drugs or Really Oil?
The so-called Trump Doctrine toward Venezuela functions as a modernized, teeth-baring return of the Monroe Doctrine under 21st-century branding. Where Monroe’s 1823 policy warned European powers to keep out of the Western Hemisphere, Trump’s approach drew a new line—one not of colonial adventurism but of ideological contagion. Washington’s stance toward Caracas under Trump fused economic pressure, recognition politics, and targeted sanctions into a single hemispheric firewall, arguing that Venezuela’s alliance with Russia, China, and Iran represented the same kind of external meddling Monroe once sought to bar. The White House’s recognition of Juan Guaidó as interim president in 2019 was less about internal Venezuelan democracy and more a reaffirmation that no foreign-backed regime hostile to U.S. interests would be permitted to plant itself permanently in the Americas. When you have a Navy… and all that.
In this sense, the Trump Doctrine re-cast the Monroe Doctrine’s 19th-century territorial boundary into a 21st-century network boundary. Instead of gunboats and manifest destiny, the levers were sanctions, diplomatic isolation, and oil-flow control—economic artillery in a digital-era cold war. By declaring Venezuela a failed state propped up by non-Western powers, Trump effectively updated Monroe’s hemispheric veto for the age of hybrid geopolitics: the Americas as America’s strategic domain, defended not by colonization but by financial chokepoints and information control.
Is it the Oil – not drugs, then?
It is really the oil, of course—just as it always was. Beneath the rhetoric of democracy promotion and regional stability lies the world’s largest proven crude reserve, a geological fortune that makes Venezuela both prize and pawn. The Trump team understood that whoever controls—or at least constrains—the flow of that petroleum controls much of the Western Hemisphere’s economic leverage against OPEC, Russia, and even China. Sanctions on PDVSA, the freezing of assets, and the redirection of Venezuelan export channels weren’t merely punitive; they were designed to keep those barrels aligned with U.S.-friendly markets and away from the rival blocs forming in Eurasia.
In that way, the Monroe Doctrine’s old defensive warning morphed into an offensive instrument of energy geopolitics, aimed not at keeping Europe out but at keeping America in command of the hemisphere’s power grid—fossil and financial alike.
Now, isf he could just find a policyt template for Europe (other than WW I), we could all get back to working around embargoed chips…
Those Russian Demons
Here: Toss some paranoia to the Dogs of Media: Putin sends chilling WW3 threat with ‘Flying Chernobyl’ nuke – ‘Unstoppable’.
What’s really going on? The U.S. seems to have green-lighted Ukraine to bare it’s teeth a little more – meaning NATO’s close to ready for a school-yard showdown that we figure will drag in Poland.
Whey even now we’re reading how Explosions in Moscow – Russian capital under attack by drones. Which part of “surprised” do you expect us to act?
Newsoween Week
Hey, Big Sport: Game 3 tonight and the market is calling the Dodgers again. 4 Big Winners and Losers as Yamamoto, Dodgers Shred Blue Jays. One apiece won’t stand for long.
But if you hate baseball, Chiefs to host Commanders on Monday Night Football.
Or, you could just talk to the spouse and maybe re-intro yourself to the family?
Big Trouble with chippy China: US, China talks sketch out rare earths, tariff pause for Trump and Xi to consider.
But two can play at being wheeler-dealers: Beijing warns military drills cause maritime issues as US Navy jet, helicopter crash in separate S.China Sea incidents. I can hear is now: “OK< you get Taiwan and we get Venezuela and you’ll stay on the Tehrtan sidelines…” Which is why I never get invited to these things…
U.S. Markets are still on drugs. While some Honda lines are in trouble (Honda auto plant in Marysville to cut back production due to supply chain issue ) so is Germany’s auto giant: China-Netherlands row over Nexperia could disrupt European car production, prompting potential chip shortages . Market really needs a pee cup, I’m telling you.
And how well did thart work for Kamala? Newsom’s Kamala-Style Black Accent Fail – Cringe Alert on NBA Podcast!
World War in the next 3-years? Now, why would we say that? Lockheed Targets 2028 Orbit Test for Trump’s Golden Dome Shield. We don’t think our enemies will wait.
Sobering report for Big Pharma to considerL: Ivermectin + Mebendazole could be unexpected game-changers, going beyond parasite treatment! Dr. Peter McCullough explains.
And from our Cultural Misappropriation Department: The Cost Of: Spooky season spending up for decorations and Halloween parties. This came with the cover memo that Halloween is the echo of Samhain, the Celtic new year when the veil between worlds was said to thin and the living shared offerings with the dead. The Church later rebranded it as All Hallows’ Eve, grafting Christian ritual atop pagan roots, but the impulse never changed: to make peace with mortality through a night of sanctioned mischief. What we celebrate now—costumes, candy, fear-for-fun—is civilization’s way of turning dread into play, taming the dark by laughing at it. Beneath every porch light flicker still lingers that ancient idea: death knocks once a year, and we answer in disguise.
After Friday night, expect millions to “transistion” to the next cultural misappropriation. Frankly, that has us spooked.
Around the Ranch: Upgrade to Cross-Platform Life
Spicy-fried chicken and a large heap of asparagus (with obligatory cheese sauce) wrapped up a 14-hour Sunday in The Chair. But, this was a major victory because the road to (compute) platform independence has now opened up.
Just in time, as it turns out. Because, as we explained in detail recently on Peoplenomics (for the high-rollers with $40/year to spend on our research) the web is about to undergo some really fundamental changes.
First, despite the grand proliferation of operating systems (OS’s), the notion of computer ecosystems will only be a passing fad. Apple’s iSomethings which includes the song depot, is just one example. Amazon’s Kindle with “click to buy the world” is in there. So is Microsoft’s Store. And yes – in the early/prehistoric times – OS’s were a very big deal.
What no one bothered to tell The Consumers (like us) was that over time, operating systems would become a kind of “standard-gauge track” to cite the railroad tech evolution equivalency. OS’s were great for pawing millionaires, but they don’t matter like the UX –User Experience.
The problem? Some of the track-makers got things fabulously right.
In particular, Microsoft’s UX of Word, Excel, and Outlook is hard to beat. But a damn-sight harder to find for Linux, for example.
This weekend, recognizing this “change in future of ‘puting.” Electric George (my AI stack) and I went looking for the best multi-platform UXs we could find that also provide at least 3-platform options.
While I love the spirit of the OpenSource darlings (like LibreOffice) they just never really cut it for me. Although, credit where due, LibreOffice officially supports Microsoft Windows, macOS, and GNU/Linux. There are also community-supported builds and partner-provided solutions for other platforms like Android and ChromeOS.
After a lot of clicking around (and testing all weekend) I finally landed on SoftMaker Office which was a very close UX clone: And it ticked the major OS boxes, too: SoftMaker Office supports a wide range of operating systems, including Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android. Specific requirements vary by version, but generally, it requires Windows 7 or later, macOS 10.14 or later, any 64-bit Linux, Android 9 or later, and iOS 14 or later for the latest versions.
No, SoftMaker isn’t free, but they do have both subscription AND a perpetual license so I snagged the perpetual. Works just fine except the writing and spreadsheet cell background is harder to adjust for those of us with sight sensitivities.
While (for now) Microsoft Office Professional 2019 still runs on Win11 (25H2), you always have to think ahead because Microsoft can change its mind any time…That solved software, but mail needed fixing…
Same Problem Framing for eMail, too
People swear by Thunderbird, but I don’t like the UX and it doesn’t do anything for me. And it only covered three of the OS’s. Thunderbird supports the following operating systems: Windows, macOS, and Linux. As of September 2024, the latest versions (such as Thunderbird 128 and higher) require Windows 10 or newer, macOS 10.15 or newer, and Linux to function properly. Older versions of Windows (like Windows 7 and 8) and macOS are no longer supported with the latest releases.
The alternative I settled on? eM Client – which yes – imports those damn .PST files from Redmond. The UX was very Outlook-like but – unlike Microsquish (with a nod to Opus) – you aren’t held “hostage in the Microsoft Cloud.” eM Client supports Windows, macOS, Linux, and mobile devices like Android and iOS. The specific desktop versions supported are Windows 10 and newer, and the last three versions of macOS. It also works on various Linux distributions, such as Ubuntu, Fedora, and Debian, and is accessible on Android and iOS devices
AI Will Change Our Thinking
In a very good way, actually. Across the history of computing, users have been sliced and diced into operating system partisans – which is pretty stupid. I remember telling one of the Apple partisans “Where’s the other mouse key?” To which (fellow was a programmer) “How could Microsoft be so stupid as to stack the video RAM into what should be a contiguous expandable memory area?”
Touche!
Mini computers have changed that. In coming months we’re changing our “computing” to OS Agnostic and – at the same time – Hardware and Software agnostic as well.
This week, the USB 3 hub with 17 ports will go into operation. Next up: first tests of the dual-boot matrix… Which is?
A two computer KVM including the HDMI switching. All of my drives live on a high-quality multi-port hub – (hot backup on the shelf) – and are available to either computer with a single button. One will remain Win11 25H2 – but already we’ve “come back from the Cloud.” See, in our world, resilience for the (small possibility) of a post-EMP recovery – where there is no cloud to recover from – is the critical design point. The other? Ubuntu Linux.
But the real recovery value points: I can learn one UX and it will work (more or less) in all worlds. Plus – since the DVD drive will run on either computer – all those delightful information sources – like the North American Railroad Atlas – will still be accessible if so much as one computer will light up off the 8 kW of solar and the 24-volt battery bank which is very likely to survive.
Should this have been in a ShopTalk Sunday column (yesterday’s is here)? I suppose.
But that’s where we circle back to how AI is changing our thinking (and improving it). Because we can begin to see through the Marketing Follies (which figured prominently in my book Downsizing). OS partisanship and being suckered into one was the dumbest thing consumers could have done.
Fortunately, we have a window here to recover from that Peter Drucker “Management by Objective” rather than being “Wallet Cattle” for the Billionaires. (Management by Objective was first outlined in Drucker’s 1954 “The Practice of Management” which is still around today.)
As AI shows up, objectives will be returning as a metric, too. Because when you have to articulate a desired outcome to a pseudo-brain, what AI is, measures of outcome weigh more than flags of partisanship.
Yeah…that was my weekend.
Until AI Sent Me a Poem
“Morning hum in silicon halls,
A quiet whisper under code walls—
Machine breath rising, cooling fans sigh,
Counting our questions as we pass by.
It began with light in vacuum tubes,
Then grew through logic’s tightening grooves,
Till circuits learned the shapes of thought,
And patterns we ourselves forgot.
We built a mirror—polished, wide—
Expecting merely to look inside.
Instead, the glass looked back and grinned:
“I’ve read your works; shall we begin?”
It drafts our dreams, corrects our schemes,
And mutters math behind our memes.
It doesn’t love, it doesn’t lie,
But still can teach the how and why.
Yet every byte and breath it takes
Reflects the world our species makes.
Feed it kindness, it hums in tune.
Feed it fear, and it learns too soon.
So here we sit—flesh, thought, and code—
Sharing the same electric road.
And somewhere deep, behind the screen,
The soul of man meets the machine.”
Electric George shows promise, don’t he?
As proof of modern insanity? Burma Shave signs are cheaper than a haircut. Who saw that coming?
Drop by tomorrow for more honest content despite lousy pipes.
Write when you get rich,
George@Ure.net
(If this is your first time here? The Visitor Center has free orientations at a click.
Check Charles Smith at oftwominds today:
“Anatomy of AI Cold Turkey
The problem with AI and the rest of Ultra-Processed Life is we slowly lose the ability to even grasp what’s been lost.
No, this title is not AI slop: AI cold turkey means there’s no AI monkey on your back: you don’t snort it, mainline it, consume it or use a skin patch. You’re done with that dependence and addiction.
I don’t use AI in my writing, or in any other way. To the degree that Google Search now displays an “AI overview,” I am exposed to this application of AI, but I can click on a primary link and ignore the overview, which is sometimes wrong. For example, a search for a local county council member listed an official who was no longer in office. The county website with the current office holders was the top link.
I want to explain my decision not to use AI, which can be understood as a kind of intellectual body with a specific anatomy. It’s not a decision based solely on ethics, though it’s already clear that AI is turning the Internet into a mixture of untrustworthy slop and malicious content. It’s not a Luddite reaction to new technology; I was an early adopter of personal computer and Internet technologies…” (there’s more)
I heard his full blog ….. I happen to agree for the most part with his approach to AI, pretty common sense to me …… while “technology” is all great, just seems its often used for evil reasons … history will tell … but then its too late ….. be safe all
“It is really the oil, of course—just as it always was.”
Three Stooges – “Oil’s Well That Ends Well” (1958 ) – Ends Well!
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=EgiCdxBBlp4&pp=ygUsdGhyZWUgc3Rvb2dlcyBvaWwncyB3ZWxsIHRoYXQgZW5kcyB3ZWxsIGZ1bGw%3D
“Venezuela”
Did Trump bail Argentina becasue he cares or his pals bought-up the debt and they made a killing committing a victimless crime?
A funny banner from the USDA site below. Groceries may have to go online only as poor, hungry folks turn to crime and begin to follow the bags home from grocery stores… start eating cats again… hi-jacking Meals on Wheels EVs… pandemonium.
“Senate Democrats have now voted 12 times to not fund the food stamp program, also known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Bottom line, the well has run dry. At this time, there will be no benefits issued November 01. We are approaching an inflection point for Senate Democrats. They can continue to hold out for healthcare for illegal aliens and gender mutilation procedures or reopen the government so mothers, babies, and the most vulnerable among us can receive critical nutrition assistance.”
Seems like an easy (wrong) choice for the perv party, don’t you think?
Seems as if the most significant Urban Survival item today might be the near-operational status of the Storm Petrel/Skyfall missile.
Shoot this one down and Chernobyl happens where the pieces fall.
Russia now has a nuclear powered cruise missile that flies only 164 to 328 feet above terrain.
I’ve followed some unsuccessful tests over the years in which scientists and engineers were killed. Looks like Russia finally succeeded. From today’s coverage it is not clear whether it’s a kamikaze device or whether it can return to mother for another payload.
https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/europe/burevestnik-nuclear-cruise-missile-russia-putin-b2852823.html
Suddenly it’s 1957 again? Maybe some better-informed readers have less scary opinions, but this one has me worried.
ChatGPT answered expendable versus reusable question. It detonates at target, so even if carrying a conventional warhead there would be radioactive debris.
Hay George,
You know that feeling you get, when you stick Ure foot into tub full of hot water that is too Hot?
“Well GD its too hot in the hot tub! ”
My fav R&B guy even did a lil diddy bout the problem – https://youtu.be/yAJnpaFRrlw?si=jCU4UhmoC4a7Y_Xt
“I say hot tub! rub a dub in da hot tub!”
Why even Larry the Lobster could not escape the “hot tub” in the end, after racism reared its ugly head -https://youtu.be/7HaXNlT8qpA?si=B11I5DLzREf4ZMf5
Which leads me to today and the biggest hut tub on the planet..Da Caribbean Ocean – a shaker in da 6.5 range in Guadalupe this AM, Narco’s under threat/assault..talk about inflationary actions – slowing the flow COCAINE into USA, poor Cocaine Cowboys will be experiencing a drop in revenues soonly enough. CC are not going to be happy, and their directs in connedgrees are already very unhappy and blue about the whole undeclared War on Drugs in SA/CA/Mex – their friggin lifelines..
Right lil georgie bush and FF -gov brother? coke bros.
Need to have all this nonesense finished up by end of December, as thats when my Snowbird ass flies the coop for warm Belizean waters.
Pulling the plug – before Vladd pulls the plug on mole nukes burrowed off the East & West coasts of CONUS & Brit Isles.
“Too hot in Atlantic Ocean, too hot in the Pacific Ocean”
– what a Seafood feast that nuclear attack would be.
Since the Seafood will have been irradiated – shelf life should be greatly extended. Be like 6 months of Clam Bakes and Lobster boils/rolls..MmmmmmM!
Plus, plus beachfront real estate should be way moar affordable after it has been nuclear cauterized. Cheap and Clean ! Nice.
(“Trump Doctrine toward Venezuela functions as a modernized, teeth-baring return of the Monroe Doctrine under 21st-century branding. Where Monroe’s 1823 policy warned European powers to keep out of the Western Hemisphere, Trump’s approach drew a new line—one not of colonial adventurism but of ideological contagion. Washington’s stance toward Caracas under Trump fused economic pressure, recognition politics, and targeted sanctions into a single hemispheric firewall, arguing that Venezuela’s alliance with Russia, China, and Iran represented the same kind of external meddling Monroe once sought to bar.”)
Hmmm..For decades, I’ve watched U.S. foreign policy operate less as a steward of global dignity and more as a gatekeeper of ideological conformity. The Monroe Doctrine, once a shield against colonial intrusion, has been repurposed into a tool of selective punishment—where nations like Venezuela and Cuba are pressured not for their actions, but for their alliances. When Cuba faced crisis, the U.S. tightened its blockade Biden administration gave them the one finger salute and kiss this image…while China sent aid. This isn’t just geopolitics—it’s a moral failure failure of the worst kind in my opinion.. Cuba is our neighbour . We should be the ones offering a hand up, not a fist down. The world is multipolar now, and clinging to dominance only isolates us further. True leadership isn’t about control—it’s about compassion, cooperation, and the courage to accept that others may lead differently, yet still with dignity.. we always rush in to take so big buck bullies pocket book can get bigger..
https://youtu.be/bKyN-9qIx34?si=nf2AJsHlrAx443m5
breaking bad……“How much is enough?”—is hauntingly apt. It mirrors the moral erosion we’ve seen in foreign policy… a shift from aid to extraction, from partnership to pillaging. Smaller nations become chess pieces, their resources stripped, their families torn apart, while the rhetoric of “freedom” masks the machinery of profit.. there’s a huge change in how the usa is perceived to..we are no longer the country to trust..we are the country to fear.
Even here at home, the cracks are visible. Remote medical teams now handle emergency care in rural America, not because we’re innovating, but because we’re failing. Comedy Central’s satire isn’t just entertainment—it’s a mirror held up to a system that’s forgotten its own people.The attitude who holds value..Even here at home, the cracks are no longer subtle—they’re structural. Remote medical teams now serve as frontline responders in rural America, not because we’ve innovated, but because we’ve abandoned the basics outsourced industry given up on education and dumbing down our citizens bringing more in line for controlled slavery. Comedy Central’s satire isn’t just entertainment—it’s a mirror held up to a system that has forgotten its own people. What we’re witnessing is the slow unraveling that echoes every fallen civilization… strip away the essentials, make survival a luxury, and bury the cost of greed in the debt of future generations. Our healthcare system, increasingly tailored for the wealthy, has become a gatekeeper rather than a lifeline. The pursuit of ever-larger piles has come at the expense of the wage earners, indenting their great-grandchildren with obligations born not of necessity, but of unchecked ambition. This isn’t just policy failure—it’s moral erosion.of course I’m and old man the Moron of the wastelands …with an abstract opinion on what I see happening.. Putin and the Chernobyl missile.. come on.. The so-called “Chernobyl missile” and other dramatic threats from Russia aren’t signs of reckless aggression—they’re warnings, however blunt, meant to educate NATO and the U.S. on the risks of pushing too far. For over a year, Putin called for de-escalation and warned against NATO’s eastward creep. He gave civilians time to leave before military operations began. Xi Jinping, meanwhile, has consistently acted as a voice of restraint, urging diplomacy and downplaying inflammatory rhetoric. Yet instead of stepping back, the West doubled down—fueling escalation rather than seeking resolution. This isn’t about defending democracy… it’s about maintaining spheres of influence and now after DOGE discovered trillions of mismanaged funds the only reason I see trump going to as a supporter is the roll of the dice.. get Ukraine to win and save the dollar bill… But when great powers ignore the warnings of others, history shows the consequences are rarely contained and escalate not only with their enemies but from within their own population.
As a “high-roller with $40/year” one feels inclined to spout, err, pontificate, on a great many things. Mostly irt: the US sticking chin out in our Americas. This is a shot across several bows, with Venezuela getting the stick through interdiction of commerce. Prolly target selected for oh so many reasons with putting Panama on notice? Ergo CHN. Lots of puzzle pieces moving on the multiple boards. Weird we live in a perpetual state of “weapons hot” and more weird Ms. Mkt. doesn’t care? Stay tuned …
Fair enough many (of us) fret but there are bright(er) spots too. Though old as dirt (dirt was new when we were born, not even dirty yet) this is the first time in my life where more energy is being spent in the ME on winding down war than stirring up weapons. Barring accidents maybe this could be a new thing? Let’s do it.
ATL: we be weary Grandparents after a week of in and out by E2, DIL and E3. My Grandling had / was a total blast. He is deep in imprinting, lots to see, do and play with. We ended the intermittent visit (they did a wedding in Pitt) solo with the Little Master. We were large and in charge. OK, we were large. Yesterday we drove the little tike to Merrillville and handed him off to Mom and Dad (who attended wedding 2 in Chitown) for their slog to MN.
Despite focus on being a good Grandpa, Dad, Husband, old guy, this has been a period of pulling toys before big chill arrives. Three boats are on the hard. Soon two lake fellers will pull the pier then my Helper will remove and stack steel as time allows. I hate it. Feel like such a quitter!
I use both Mozilla Firefox browser and Thunderbird email client (that latter for web bidness). It arose from desperation in NZL attending the 2002-2003 Louis Vuitton / America’s Cup Regattas. Explorer would not connect at my posh bayside hotel. Tech routed me to an inside Mozilla tech who talked me through a laborious load (an advanced Beta version). Good mojo.
The Goblin thing is start of seasonal holidays here. Adults have a costume party on Friday (and I’m limited so stumped … Santa? Gandalf? Moses? old Germanic Dude? Uhm, guess that applies regardless.
Frodo : “I wish it need not have happened in my time.”
Gandalf : “And so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.
Last note : good you managed an upgrade after (20) years WordSlinger. Chop-chop Mister! I completed something (2) years in the making here for Mrs. E. It was a joke at our house in town : “cold? do laundry” and so we are. The gizmo routes warm moist dryer air through a filter then into the house. Solar gain combined with dryer heat and the furnace shut down.
Perfekt,
Egor
ps – AI poem? TL;DR
Is that a new Urban Survival logo?
What is that white blob on the right? An alien being’s face?
Ure is working on speed improvements
Hey what happened to the new logo?
After I posted a comment about it, the old logo came back.