“[T]he turmoil in the Middle East this past year has morphed into a battleground for much larger interests – economic, political, financial – and the players see this as an existential fight; the final showdown, so to speak. The battle for narratives is the frontline of this war, and it
Continue readingAuthor: ed~
Exploring Economics
Food for thought … [T]he economists’ tragedy: The ambition to create the ultimate model results in a theory of human behaviour which cannot hold unless the humans populating the model operate like inanimate algorithms following slavishly a particular script. The moment you introduce creativity and a capacity to subvert the
Continue reading“Stratfor Wanted Assange Out by Any Means”
by: Yazan al-Saadi While publicly underplaying the significance of WikiLeaks activity in combating government secrecy, senior execs and analysts at private US intelligence firm Stratfor privately described Wikileaks founder Julian Assange as a “terrorist” and “delusion nut” who “needs to be water-boarded” and made to “move from country to country”
Continue readingOn “the Poodles of Power”
by Adam Curtis
Continue readingLes nouveaux chiens de garde
Plus de détails ici
Continue readingOn “fascism” in the U.S.
Paul Street on why the U.S. is not a “fascist” state: Even if real historical fascism could be translated across times and place to the modern U.S. it would be largely redundant for America’s powers that be. The American elite already gets the basic regressive and authoritarian outcomes of fascism
Continue readingThe network of global corporate control
“The structure of the control network of transnational corporations affects global market competition and financial stability. So far, only small national samples were studied and there was no appropriate methodology to assess control globally. We present the first investigation of the architecture of the international ownership network, along with the
Continue readingLa Vesse du Loup : Les clés de mon pays
Quebec’s folk group La Vesse du Loup sings about yearning for independence. The lyrics are fairly powerful; the melody nostalgic with an undertone of anger, mainly targeting, I would say, the previous generation who they feel has let them down [« les beaux parleurs » as they are called].
Continue readingHitchens: a contrarian view
Nobody should have to silently watch someone with this history * be converted into some sort of universally beloved literary saint. * Or as Murray writes: A strange and extremely unpleasant manifestation of intellectual prostitution.
Continue readingLeftist debate on politics and power
A fascinating exchange of ideas on, amongst other things, the limits of the Occupy movement and the need to explore ways to bring about change of (not in) the system through the exercise of political power. Protests alone are an important start but, according to expert leftists and activists will
Continue readingGo figure …
Via Pulse Some got it right though … See also here and here [via Media Lens]
Continue readingFree to be Human
An Interview with David Edwards
Continue readingHigh finance mumbo jumbo
They are known as the “bots”, short for “robots” obviously. Others more derogatively refer to them as ”pickpockets” [slow loading]. A bit more on what they do: High-Frequency Trading: Alpha Discovery and the New Arms Race.* Some want them out of the system while others think that they are here to stay and that it’s […]
Continue readingJack Layton, R.I.P.
Sadly, a wish not granted. I don’t always think that one voice can make a difference, but his voice did. It’s up to us now.
Continue readingLes nouveaux monstres
“Mine is the first generation able to contemplate the possibility that we may live our entire lives without going to war or sending our children to war.”
So he went about changing that.
Afghanistan and the myth of ‘national insecurity’
“If pressure is ever going to develop to get U.S. troops out of Afghanistan, progressives will have to offer a new option that actually speaks to Americans.” – To myth or not to myth
Continue readingPhoto of the day
“[T]he most exciting new political dynamic” in the US today – Ralph Nader
via AntiWar.com
Made in China
Source Lately I have bought a few items for the home and for myself, including a couple of cheap antique furniture, gloves & scarves on sale, and a pair of winter boots on sale as well. In reading on repair and maintenance of antiques, I learnt about the demise of the furniture manufacturing industry in […]
Continue readingAmnesty International concerned about Bradley Manning
Amnesty International has taken up the case of Bradley Manning. In an open letter addressed to Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates, the organization expresses its concern regarding the treatment of Manning: The harsh conditions imposed on PFC Manning also undermine the principle of the presumption of innocence, which should be taken into account in […]
Continue readingForecast 2011
“Gird your loins for lower living standards.”
A scary and often hilarious ride!
Warning: political correctness almost totally absent