Yearly Archives: 2013

Ascension of Central Banker Carney Continues to Instruct Us

"We've been chronicling the arrival of the 'most powerful' central banker of his era, the new head of the Bank of England, Mark Carney. The grand chambers in which they meet, the relentless coverage of even the most insignificant remark, the fawning photo-ops ... all contribute to an air of inevitability and 'business as usual' when it comes to the modern monetary process. What have we learned of late? That Carney took the 'tube' to work on his first day on the job and that he was an hour early. And now we learn that one of Mark Carney's very first acts is to figure out how to place an additional woman's likeness on a British bank note." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAscension of Central Banker Carney Continues to Instruct Us

Historical Opportunity for 21st Century Economics

"Who are people turning to nowadays for business advice? Celebrity economists. Big-name experts on the economy like Paul Krugman, Joseph Stiglitz, Michael Porter, Robert Reich and Muhammad Yunus feature prominently in a new ranking of influential business thinkers compiled for The Wall Street Journal. The findings – based on Google hits, media mentions and academic citations – show just how much the business-guru landscape has changed since 2008, when a previous ranking was conducted using similar methodology. Author and consultant Gary Hamel ranked No. 1 at the time, a spot now occupied by Krugman." Continue reading →

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The Flashpoints of Revolution Here at Home

"During the Great Recession, 60% of the job losses occurred in the middle-income ranks. Yet, 60% of the jobs that have returned have come in the low-income ranks. Worse, the labor participation rate of America’s youth – those aged 16 to 24 – is at its lowest level since, at least, the 1970s. Obama’s America, thus, is breeding economic desperation as middle-income families struggle to reclaim a lifestyle they once knew and as easily agitated youth with little to lose find that America has too few jobs for them. That is a flashpoint. So, too, is the systemic and expanding welfare mentality that has infected our government and too many of our people." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingThe Flashpoints of Revolution Here at Home

Activists converge on Rahm Emanuel’s home for Fourth of July protest

"As of Thursday afternoon, over 400 people had indicated on a Facebook event page that they would be attending the 'Block Party to Fight Austerity at Rahm’s House.' 'Let’s gather at Chase Park (Ashland and Leland) at noon, then march over to Rahm Emanuel’s house for a street dance party to celebrate citywide resistance to budget cuts and other austerity measures that hurt poor and working people in order to make the super-rich even richer,' the organizers wrote. 'At a time when working people are already struggling to make ends meet, Mayor Emanuel is eliminating thousands of jobs across the city every year,' organizer Greg Goodman explained to the station." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingActivists converge on Rahm Emanuel’s home for Fourth of July protest

More Texas women sue police over ‘unconstitutional’ roadside body cavity search

"The Houston Chronicle reported that the suit names Trooper Nathaniel Turner, who claimed he smelled marijuana in the car and called a female trooper even though a 'search and seizure was highly unreasonable.' The suit also names the director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, responding officer Brazoria County Sheriff’s Deputy Aaron Kindred and the Brazoria County sheriff. In dashcam footage, Hamilton can be heard saying 'Do you know how violated I feel?' to Trooper Jennie Bui as she was searched. Randle said that the she only had one glove that was used to search both of them." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMore Texas women sue police over ‘unconstitutional’ roadside body cavity search

Gambia to punish those who spread ‘false news’ with 15 years in prison and $100,000 fine

"Gambia’s information minister Nana Grey-Johnson, said the law had been put forward to prevent people, at home and abroad, from engaging in 'treacherous' campaigns against Gambians. 'They do this by inciting the people to engage in unpatriotic behavior, spreading false news and engaging in criminal defamation against Government officials.' Grey-Johnson added that, if unchecked, such statements were a recipe for chaos and instability in any country. Gambia’s President Yahya Jammeh has ruled the tiny slither of a country surrounded by Senegal since he seized power in a 1994 military coup." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingGambia to punish those who spread ‘false news’ with 15 years in prison and $100,000 fine

The Next American Revolution

"The next American Revolution will not be an event, it will be a process. Springtime for the Savior State/cartel-capitalism partnership will be brief, and by 2018-19 all the systemic flaws and disruptive trends will reassert themselves with renewed vigor. The entire current model of governance, social order and the economy will be revolutionized not by overthrow but by the process of irrelevance. The new system will be better, more humane, more flexible, more transparent, with more opportunity, for it will be everything the current corrupt, sclerotic, parasitic and exploitive system is not." Continue reading →

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America celebrates 4th of July under ‘unprecedented’ security

"People across the United States gathered on Thursday for parades, picnics and fireworks at Independence Day celebrations, held under unprecedented security following the Boston Marathon bombings. Spectators waving U.S. flags and wearing red, white and blue headed for public gatherings in Boston, New York, Washington, Atlanta and other cities under the close watch of police armed with hand-held chemical detectors, radiation scanners and camera surveillance, precautions sparked by the deadly April 15 bombings. A U.S. national security official said on Wednesday that U.S. intelligence agencies were unaware of any attack threat." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAmerica celebrates 4th of July under ‘unprecedented’ security

Iran’s Rouhani urges end to meddling in private lives

"President-elect Hassan Rouhani called on Wednesday for the government and powerful clergy to end interference in the private lives of the Iranian people, free up Internet access and allow state media to be more open about Iran's problems. Rouhani's comments began to flesh out his message of moderation at home and better relations abroad that contributed to his surprise election victory last month. His election prompted a huge outpouring of support from Iranians hungry for change after eight years of domestic security crackdowns and international confrontation under hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingIran’s Rouhani urges end to meddling in private lives

New dynamic in Iran’s European ties

"No other Western country has been harmed as a result of Iran sanctions as much as France, which a decade ago was Iran's fifth-largest trade partner. Between 2005 and today, French exports to Iran have shrunk 60% from 2 billion euros (US$2.6 billion) to 800 million euros. US exports to Iran - of computers, cellphones, soft drinks for example - have increased by 50% during the past two years. The French oil giant Total last month was forced to pay a US$400 million fine to the US to end a prosecution in connection with oil contracts in Iran. In 2012, French car maker Peugeot folded business in Iran after 35 years, thus losing the company's largest foreign market." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingNew dynamic in Iran’s European ties