Author: donelsonfiles

Thoughts on the by Tom Donelson

I tweeted two pieces on the failure on EU and its implosion. A few thoughts. Over the past 70 years the most unifying force was NATO as a community of nations backed by US defended their freedom and in the end, they succeeded.

If the EU had followed by the advice of Margret Thatcher in his speech at Burges in 1988 the EU become a community of nations recognizing each nation sovereignty and work on common defense, the very forces of populism will not have arise and Great Britain would be part of a Europe tied to the United States.

EU using the Euro, tied the Europe to institutional control with a parliament that can’t pass law but merely rubber stamped the EU bureaucratic rules. The elites now want a more centralized institution complete with its own army and foreign policy.

I detailed this in my book https://posthillpress.com/book/the-rise-of-national-populism-and-democratic-socialism-what-our-response-should-be … and noted the intellectuals wanted a Europe independent of the US but not all nations want a more powerful EU and dream of a Europe that is a community of nations.

The EU is becoming the enemy of liberty and will split Europe from the US and in the end, the goal of a peaceful Europe will be torn asunder by EU elites.

World of Boxing

Williams Wins WBA/IBF Junior Middleweight Belt over Hurd … Korobov vs. Aleem a DRAW … Berchelt Stops Vargas to Retain WBC Super Featherweight Title

May 15, 2019Recent Fights, Tom Donelson

By Tom Donelson  / Author, Member Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA)

On Saturday night (May 11, 2019) Julian Williams, fighting in his opponent’s backyard and a big underdog to Jarrett Hurd, carried out the perfect game plan to produce the big upset.  Williams put the pressure on Hurd throughout the bout and took advantage of Hurd’s habit of starting slowly to build up a big lead.  After three rounds, I had Williams up by four points, including a second round knock down.

The Compubox numbers told the story. While Hurd threw more punches, Williams was the more effective fighter as he handed more punches, more jabs, more power shots and was the more accurate puncher.  Every phase of the bout favored Williams. 

From the very beginning, Williams used his accurate punches to take advantage of his opponent’s wider punches and his body shots aided his overall attack. Over the second half of the bout, Hurd tried to turn the tide but Williams kept his cool and, while both fighters were shaken by power shots, both fighters remained on their feet. 

This was an action fight from the beginning and the judges had it scored correctly.  I had it 116-111 but the 115-112 score was reasonable and even Hurd accepted that he lost. No complaints.

Matt Korobov entered a hard fought battle with Immauwel Aleem. I had the fight 97-93 in favor of Korobov but it depended upon how you scored the first seven rounds, which I gave to Korobov. A couple of rounds were close but Aleem won the last three rounds on most judges scorecards and I agreed with them on that.  Korobov is not a stranger to close decisions as he lost a close bout to Jermall Charlo.  This was a tough call for Korobov, but Aleem did come back strong after being dominated early in the fight. One key call was a Korobov knockdown of Aleem in the fourth round which was ruled a slip. If ruled a knockdown, this would have resulted in a 10-8 round and a Korobov victory.

Miguel Berchelt defeated Francisco Vargas in a rematch of their bout two years earlier.  The 34 year old Vargas slipped skill wise from his previous bout and Berchelt improved.  Two years earlier, the bout lasted 11 rounds before Berchelt won by TKO. This bout was a one sided affair as Berchelt landed double the punches of his opponent.  Berchelt landed 48 punches in the second round followed by 41 punches in the third round, 47 punches in the fourth round, 50 punches in the fifth round, and 45 punches in the sixth round. That is complete domination and Vargas’ corner threw in the towel after the sixth round.  Vargas had no problem with his corner stopping the fight.

This was an evening of great action bouts and we get a Hurd vs. Williams rematch in the future which will be a fight friendly bout. 

From the world of boxing

Bert Cooper, Harold Lederman (R.I.P.)

May 18, 2019Harold Lederman, R.I.P., Tom Donelsonadmin

By Tom Donelson / Author, Member Boxing Writers Association … Contributor to dmboxing.com since 2008 with expertise, articles, and input

Last week, boxing lost both Bert Cooper and Harold Lederman.  Bert Cooper began as a cruiserweight but it was as a heavyweight that he fought every major figure in the late 1980’s and the 1990’s including George Foreman, Evander Holyfield, Riddick Bowe, Ray Mercer, and Michael Moorer. His overall record does not speak Hall of Fame with 25 losses go to with his 38 wins but many of his losses came later in his career.  From the time he fought his first pro fight in 1984 to his last fight in 2012, he proved to be a warrior and willing to go toe-to-toe with any fighter.  RIP Bert Cooper.

Harold Lederman educated an entire audience on the nuances of boxing and scoring through his position with HBO.  Perhaps Lederman’s death symbolized the change in boxing and the new TV reality. Lederman, from his perch at HBO, was part of some of the biggest fights, and there was a time that HBO was where the big fights were; but today, HBO no longer covers boxing matches and Lederman, sadly, is no longer with us to score fights.

Lederman would tell the boxing fans that the four big ways to view a fight include ring generalship, clean scoring, defense, and effective aggressiveness. He explained how each played a role in his scoring, and I would agree with Lederman’s view the vast majority of the time. 

Lederman spent six decades involved in the sports and now his daughter, Julie, carries on the legacy.  Lederman was known more for his scoring fights on HBO, but he judged over 1000 fights as a judge and those six decades gave Lederman a unique perspective on the sport as well historical insight.  He also was not afraid of the new technology, such as Compubox, and used them in his analysis. (While Compubox has its limitations, it does give a fan insight into the sport and, explained correctly, it does give you insight on why a boxer won or lost a fight.)

I met Lederman at a bout in New York that was part of an ESPN telecast in the early part of this century. He was the perfect gentleman and gave both myself and my daughter great insight into the fight game that evening. 

Lederman originated the practice that every broadcast now does, which is combining the scoring with his view of the boxing match.  HBO over the past several years was eclipsed by Showtime and other cable outlets.  Showtime is now where the boxing action is, but ESPN still has a hand in boxing along with UFC, while FOX Sports has their own broadcasts, as well. Harold Lederman still provided excellent analysis until the bitter end of HBO.  Harold Lederman RIP. 

Larry Fedewa on 21st Capitalism

Breaking out of the pack!

By Dr. Larry Fedewa (May 18,2019)

I confess that I have caught the fervor of a convert to a new movement. As I write, speak and broadcast about Conscious Capitalism, I feel like Paul Revere as I keep hearing “Wow! I never heard of Conscious Capitalism but it sure sounds like the answer to a lot of our problems!” Among others, this is the reaction of my fellow talk show hosts who are generally very well informed.

On the other hand, however, the reform of Capitalism is much discussed and written about. Some examples from Amazon’s Books: Joel Solomon’s “Clean Money – reinventing power, purpose and capitalism”; Frederic Laloux’s Reinventing Organizations, and Everybody Matters by Bob Chapman with Raj Sisodia (love that title). 

Then, there is Joseph E. Stigliz’ “Progressive Capitalism” (WSJ, April 19, 2019); a label shared with Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) whose uses it to describe a concept closer to Conscious Capitalism than to Stigliz’ dreary views. And, of course, the opposition still flourishes in Nick Beans’ “The Fraud of Progressive Capitalism” (World Socialist Web Site- www.wsws.com (28 April, 2019), which by the way sounds like Karl Marx with 21st century inserts. There is no room in Beams’ world for an honest capitalist.

I am coming to the conclusion that the so-called Socialist trend among younger Americans which is so widely reported by the news and pollsters is really a popular name for opposition to what I have been calling the “wealth gap”, i.e. the inequality of wages and other assets between the very rich and the rest of us.

This disparity is causing an expanding demand for a solution. For big government liberals, the answer is another government program, whether the guaranteed $1,000 per adult citizen of Andrew Wang or the ever- expanding welfare state of Bernie Sanders. I doubt if very many so-called supporters of “Socialism” could even define the term. They are not true Socialists; they are simply angry Americans.

They, like so many of us, have never heard of a capitalist solution to the wealth gap. Well, it’s time they did! I propose Conscious Capitalism as the best way to answer that question, because it already has a history of practical accomplishment, an organizational structure, a literature describing it, and – most of all a legion of 1600 companies employing 3,000,000 people. The movement includes such outstanding companies as Southwest Airlines, Federal Express, Whole Foods and Starbucks. The best way to describe the organization is in their own words:

                                                   Conscious Capitalist Credo 

 “We believe that business is good because it creates value, it is ethical because it is based on voluntary exchange, it is noble because it can elevate our existence, and it is heroic because it lifts people out of poverty and creates prosperity. Free enterprise capitalism is the most powerful system for social cooperation and human progress ever conceived. It is one of the most compelling ideas we humans have ever had. But we can aspire to even more.

Conscious Capitalism is a way of thinking about capitalism and business that better reflects where we are in the human journey, the state of our world today, and the innate potential of business to make a positive impact on the world. Conscious businesses are galvanized by higher purposes that serve, align, and integrate the interests of all their major stakeholders. Their higher state of consciousness makes visible to them the interdependencies that exist across all stakeholders, allowing them to discover and harvest synergies from situations that otherwise seem replete with trade-offs. They have conscious leaders who are driven by service to the company’s purpose, all the people the business touches, and the planet we all share together. Conscious businesses have trusting, authentic, innovative and caring cultures that make working there a source of both personal growth and professional fulfillment. They endeavor to create financial, intellectual, social, cultural, emotional, spiritual, physical and ecological wealth for all their stakeholders.

Conscious businesses will help evolve our world so that billions of people can flourish, leading lives infused with passion, purpose, love and creativity; a world of freedom, harmony, prosperity, and compassion.” (See www.consciouscapitalism.com)

This movement is idealistic, but it works. Religion is also idealistic, but it does carry  a club. We all know that humans are capable not only of great good but also of great evil. One of the greatest achievements of American capitalism has been its success in limiting the excesses of capitalism. The two major forces restraining American capitalism have been laws and unions. And the way to a disciplined capitalist system in this country has been led by organized labor. Labor has been responsible for the elimination of child labor, for the 40-hour work week, for due process in firing, paid vacations, pensions and health care. It is time for Labor to take up it rightful role in reforming capitalism.

There are only two options to the distribution of wealth in this country: the coercion of government using the tax system, or voluntary reform of capitalism through a re-definition of workers’ rights to include profit sharing. In Conscious Capitalism, the entire supply chain is deemed responsible for the success or failure of a business. As the major contributor to that supply chain, labor deserves a major share – either way. Conscious companies understand that equation. The difference between today’s standard and the reform standard is the size and form of the labor share. That is yet to be determined, and it undoubtedly will differ according to circumstances. The best way to develop a mutually agreeable outcome for both sides is through collective bargaining.

And the role of the union is critical, because its role is non-governmental. It is the first line of defense. Only if it fails does government get involved through lawsuits and enforcement. The private sector remains private, and freedom continues to reign.

Let’s do it!

© 2019 Richfield Press. All rights reserved.

Key articles worth reading One From Medium

View at Medium.com

Revisiting 1984 : China’s Social Credit Scheme

Go to the profile of Swati Sudhakaran

Swati Sudhakaran

China is soon to be the new Oceania. Come 2020 and there may be a complete transformation of the state into a digital totalitarian regime. Well here’s to the brand new follower of the people of China- The Government. If you thought the government was happy with just collecting fingerprints and retina scans, well time to snap out of that illusion!

… So how do you increase your score? Full compliance is key. Praise the high command, put pro-government comments on Facebook, recycle materials and be a fiscally responsible citizen in your purchases. But it’s not just personal conduct that affect your ‘scores’, behavior of all those in your immediate circle also reflect on your ratings, This is done to induce some amount of social pressure. The government also encourages snitches among your social groups by promising to reward those who report any breach of trust of the system in place.

Larry Fedewa on 21st century capitalism

Is Conscious Capitalism ready for prime time? 

Breaking out of the pack!

 By Dr. Larry Fedewa (May 18,2019)I confess that I have caught the fervor of a convert to a new movement. As I write, speak and broadcast about Conscious Capitalism, I feel like Paul Revere as I keep hearing “Wow! I never heard of Conscious Capitalism but it sure sounds like the answer to a lot of our problems!” Among others, this is the reaction of my fellow talk show hosts who are generally very well informed.On the other hand, however, the reform of Capitalism is much discussed and written about. Some examples from Amazon’s Books: Joel Solomon’s “Clean Money – reinventing power, purpose and capitalism”; Frederic Laloux’s Reinventing Organizations, and Everybody Matters by Bob Chapman with Raj Sisodia (love that title). Then, there is Joseph E. Stigliz’ “Progressive Capitalism” (WSJ, April 19, 2019); a label shared with Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) whose uses it to describe a concept closer to Conscious Capitalism than to Stigliz’ dreary views. And, of course, the opposition still flourishes in Nick Beans’ “The Fraud of Progressive Capitalism” World Socialist web site (28 April, 2019), which by the way sounds like Karl Marx with 21st century inserts. There is no room in Beams’ world for an honest capitalist.

I am coming to the conclusion that the so-called Socialist trend among younger Americans which is so widely reported by the news and pollsters is really a popular name for opposition to what I have been calling the “wealth gap”, i.e. the inequality of wages and other assets between the very rich and the rest of us.This disparity is causing an expanding demand for a solution. For big government liberals, the answer is another government program, whether the guaranteed $1,000 per adult citizen of Andrew Wang or the ever- expanding welfare state of Bernie Sanders. I doubt if very many so-called supporters of “Socialism” could even define the term. They are not true Socialists; they are simply angry Americans.They, like so many of us, have never heard of a capitalist solution to the wealth gap. Well, it’s time they did! I propose Conscious Capitalism as the best way to answer that question, because it already has a history of practical accomplishment, an organizational structure, a literature describing it, and – most of all a legion of 1600 companies employing 3,000,000 people. The movement includes such outstanding companies as Southwest Airlines, Federal Express, Whole Foods and Starbucks.

The best way to describe the organization is in their own words:                                                   Conscious Capitalist Credo  “We believe that business is good because it creates value, it is ethical because it is based on voluntary exchange, it is noble because it can elevate our existence, and it is heroic because it lifts people out of poverty and creates prosperity. Free enterprise capitalism is the most powerful system for social cooperation and human progress ever conceived. It is one of the most compelling ideas we humans have ever had. But we can aspire to even more.Conscious Capitalism is a way of thinking about capitalism and business that better reflects where we are in the human journey, the state of our world today, and the innate potential of business to make a positive impact on the world. Conscious businesses are galvanized by higher purposes that serve, align, and integrate the interests of all their major stakeholders. Their higher state of consciousness makes visible to them the interdependencies that exist across all stakeholders, allowing them to discover and harvest synergies from situations that otherwise seem replete with trade-offs. They have conscious leaders who are driven by service to the company’s purpose, all the people the business touches, and the planet we all share together. Conscious businesses have trusting, authentic, innovative and caring cultures that make working there a source of both personal growth and professional fulfillment. They endeavor to create financial, intellectual, social, cultural, emotional, spiritual, physical and ecological wealth for all their stakeholders.Conscious businesses will help evolve our world so that billions of people can flourish, leading lives infused with passion, purpose, love and creativity; a world of freedom, harmony, prosperity, and compassion.”

(See www.consciouscapitalism.com)This movement is idealistic, but it works. Religion is also idealistic, but it does carry  a club. We all know that humans are capable not only of great good but also of great evil. One of the greatest achievements of American capitalism has been its success in limiting the excesses of capitalism. The two major forces restraining American capitalism have been laws and unions. And the way to a disciplined capitalist system in this country has been led by organized labor. Labor has been responsible for the elimination of child labor, for the 40-hour work week, for due process in firing, paid vacations, pensions and health care. It is time for Labor to take up it rightful role in reforming capitalism.There are only two options to the distribution of wealth in this country: the coercion of government using the tax system, or voluntary reform of capitalism through a re-definition of workers’ rights to include profit sharing. In Conscious Capitalism, the entire supply chain is deemed responsible for the success or failure of a business. As the major contributor to that supply chain, labor deserves a major share – either way. Conscious companies understand that equation.

The difference between today’s standard and the reform standard is the size and form of the labor share. That is yet to be determined, and it undoubtedly will differ according to circumstances. The best way to develop a mutually agreeable outcome for both sides is through collective bargaining.And the role of the union is critical, because its role is non-governmental. It is the first line of defense. Only if it fails does government get involved through lawsuits and enforcement. The private sector remains private, and freedom continues to reign.Let’s do it!

Danny Garcia Stops Adrian Granados … Terence Crawford Stops Amir Khan

On Saturday night, while Terrence Crawford was preparing to enter the ring against Amir Khan, Danny Garcia had already put on a show by pounding Adrian Granados, a tough fighter who never been stopped and came into the fight with a reputation as a pressure fighter who threw punches in bunches.  First round saw Granados do what he does best, box and then move forward while throwing volume of punches, winning the first round on my card.

Second round saw the fight turn badly for Granados as halfway through the round, Garcia threw the short left hook that sent Granados down.  Garcia continued to press the action as Granados looked wobbly.  With seconds left in the round, Garcia launched a right hand that sent Granados down.  Garcia dominated the action in both the third and fourth round as he pressured Granados and throwing the most accurate punches.  Granados was not throwing punches in bunches but fought in survival mode as he moved away from Garcia. 

Garcia sent Granados a third time in the fifth round and Granados’ corner was ready to pull the plug after the round as Garcia was chopping Granados apart.  Granados changed strategy  in the sixth round and for the first two minutes,  he crowded Garcia to minimize Garcia power but Garcia adjusted as he moved a couple of steps back to give him enough space to counter.  Over last minute, Garcia nailed Granados with several big shots and there was very doubt how this fight was going.  The Fox team had the scorecard 50-42 and I had it 49-43 so there was no real doubt about the scoring.

Garcia ended the fight in the seventh round as he trapped Granados, landing with a big shots before Referee stopped the fight.  This was the best I have seen Garcia in a long time and he sent a message to the rest of the division that he is back and ready to rumble with the best of the  division.

The Welterweight is loaded at the top beginning with Terrance Crawford who simply dominated Amir Khan.  (David Martinez, which my blogs appear on dmboxing, told me prior to the fight that he saw this as a one sided affair and he was certainly right.)  Crawford easy victory now opens up Welterweight for a semi play-off where the best started fighting each other.  Thurman, Porter, Garcia, Spence, Crawford are all excellent fighters and then there is Pacquiao whose at 40 still provides big dollar potential for those willing to fight him.

As for Crawford, more print was spent on the ending in which Khan corner essentially threw in the towel while he was recovering from an accidental low blow but Crawford was headed for a victory and Khan’s corner knew that.

And, Garcia sent his own message that he is a contender ready to capture his title back and there is enough talent to have some great fights if promoters allow those fights to happen.