I don’t think I’m alone in this..I hate Facebook and the site has morphed into..a crassly capitalist commercial, 24/7…and after telling us that they would use whatever images we had foolishly uploaded for whatever purposes they deemed beneficial to them, and that our privacy was, essentially, at an end, I
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Writings of J. Todd Ring: The rise of Bitcoin: and the challenge to the global domination of big money
The following article was written on October 25. I wanted to read it over once more before publishing it, then got busy with other things and forgot about it. In the roughly six weeks that have passed since the writing of this article, the Bitcoin prices have gone from roughly
Continue readingThe Progressive Economics Forum: Capital Gains and the Incomes of the Wealthy
Yesterday’s release from Statistics Canada on the income share of the wealthy generated some interesting coverage and commentary. It reported that the top 1%’s share of total income in Canada remained steady that year in Canada, at 10.6 percent — but still significantly higher than in the 1980s. Most observers did
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: A Refreshing Perspective
For the first time in decades, I feel a modicum of optimism about organized religion. The new Pope, Francis, is breaking the centuries-long stultification of the Church through the kinds of pronouncements that reflect its founder’s beliefs and are long overdue. But with views like these, in which he lacerates
Continue readingParchment in the Fire: Karl Marx’s Revenge: Class Struggle Grows Around the World | TIME.com
Karl Marx’s Revenge: Class Struggle Grows Around the World | TIME.com. Karl Marx was supposed to be dead and buried. With the collapse of the Soviet Union and China’s Great Leap Forward into capitalism, communism faded into the quaint backdrop of James Bond movies or the deviant mantra of Kim
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: The DWR Quote of the Day – Keynes on Capitalism
Filed under: Politics Tagged: Capitalism, DWR Quote of the Day
Continue readingWritings of J. Todd Ring: NAFTA, “Free Trade” and the TPP: Fast-Track To Full Corporate Rule
“Twenty years ago, the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) was signed into law. At the time, advocates painted a rosy picture of booming U.S. exports creating hundreds of thousands of new jobs, and economic development in Mexico, which would bring the struggling country in line with its wealthier northern
Continue readingParchment in the Fire: Crash! A brief history of modern global capitalism – audio slideshow | Comment is free | theguardian.com
Crash! A brief history of modern global capitalism – audio slideshow | Comment is free | theguardian.com. An amazing slideshow of a century of capitalist development and economic crisis narrated by one of my former professors, Leo Panitch, author of The Making of Global Capitalism. Filed under: Capitalism Tagged: Austerity, Capitalism,
Continue readingMelissa Fong: Why Bitcoins aren’t going anywhere: Drugs and Coffee
Bitcoin is going nowhere. I promise you that it won’t and I’m positive that I won’t be eating my words at a later date. I’m going to tell you why: 1) Drugs and 2) Coffee:….
Continue readingArt Threat: 169 credit cards + $12.50 in change = Indebted States of America
Indebted States of America by Maine artist Eric Leppanen is created with 169 of his own credit cards, collected over the past 23 years, adorned with the 50 U.S. state quarters and framed in gold leaf. “It speaks to the marketing of ‘Big Banks’ to indebt Americans with bait and
Continue readingParchment in the Fire: Preparing for the Perfect Storm: Neoliberal Authoritarianism in an Age of Austerity
Two noteworthy news items for this week: First, the Guardian ran an article last week regarding the soon to be published Social Mobility and Child Poverty report on, well, social moblity and child poverty in the UK. According to the paper, leaked findings of the report indicate a gloomy future
Continue readingdrive-by planet: Slavoj Zizek’s sharp blade: video interview on changes in the global financial and political system
The Slovenian philosopher Slavoj Žižek is one of the most engaging thinkers around, not only in terms of the ideas but in person. He’s engaging even if you don’t altogether agree with him. When he is in top gear he fulminates, gestures furiously with both hands and delivers with conviction.
Continue readingMelissa Fong: “Micro-brothels” in BC: Are we still criminalizing prostitution?
“Micro-brothels” in BC: Are we still criminalizing prostitution? The short answer: YES. Now the long answer: I’ve seen a couple articles in Vancouver’s 24hr News about how micro-brothels are a booming and we should be really scared because micro-brothels are dangerous. See here and here. First article: Sex-worker activist Sue
Continue readingParchment in the Fire: “A Corporate Trojan Horse”: Obama Pushes Secretive TPP Trade Pact, Would Rewrite Swath of U.S. Laws | Democracy Now!
“A Corporate Trojan Horse”: Obama Pushes Secretive TPP Trade Pact, Would Rewrite Swath of U.S. Laws | Democracy Now!. Crucial information on the secretive Trans-Pacific Partnership — Looks like a strengthened version of the failed FTAA from 2001. Filed under: Capitalism, Democracy, Neoliberalism Tagged: Democracy, neoliberalism
Continue readingParchment in the Fire: Merkel’s Victory, Everyone’s Loss: The Burden Of German Mercantilism On Europe
Merkel’s Victory, Everyone’s Loss: The Burden Of German Mercantilism On Europe. John Weeks The electoral victory of Angela Merkel brings bad news to the rest of Europe. Without doubt it means the continuation of the national economic policies that have all the other euro zone countries suffering from recession. While
Continue readingThe Progressive Economics Forum: The Blackberry mess and what Canada needs
Another year, another dead Canadian tech giant. Blackberry was sold yesterday for scrap to the Toronto private equity firm Fairfax. The purchase price of $4.7 billion is essentially valued at its cash of $2.6 billion and the value of its patents. Blackberry’s active businesses are being valued at essentially nothing.
Continue readingThe Progressive Economics Forum: The rise and fall (and rise?) of Blackberry – the story that just won’t quit
This is an experiment. I’m writing an essay based on my latest Metro Morning column. Each of these columns take hours of prep, so I thought I’d convert it into prose to see if it’s worth it. Would love your feedback. The rise and fall (and rise?) of Blackberry
Continue readingParchment in the Fire: Rethinking the Industrial Revolution
Five Centuries of Transition from Agrarian to Industrial Capitalism in England Michael Andrew Žmolek, University of Iowa In Rethinking the Industrial Revolution: Five Centuries of Transition from Agrarian to Industrial Capitalism in England, Michael Andrew Žmolek offers the first in-depth study of the evolution of English manufacturing from the feudal
Continue readingI have met the enemy and they ain’t all capitalists
I am no fan of capitalism. An economic system based on greed and founded in patriarchal values is flawed at its roots. But the tendency of so many on the left to blame all our problems on capitalists is simplistic, unfair and false. It is scapegoating. Despite the system, like
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