1. 13 May


    Says Dr. Cornell West to The Guardian (UK) about President Obama. If the subject matter wasn’t so serious, I would joke about how there’s nothing like a crisis to force those fabled post-racial green shoots to appear across the land. Oops… song currently stuck in my head: “think tank” - pat martino

    Says Dr. Cornell West to The Guardian (UK) about President Obama.

    If the subject matter wasn’t so serious, I would joke about how there’s nothing like a crisis to force those fabled post-racial green shoots to appear across the land. Oops…

    song currently stuck in my head: “think tank” - pat martino

     

  2. 4 May



    TANO - MAY 4

    image

    One. In a case of Create a New Red Line if Fools Won’t Cross Your Old Red Line So That You Can Finally Set-Off Regime Change, it’s not surprising that America’s Closest Ally in the Middle East bombed a civil war-hobbled Syria out of chemical weapons concerns, thus handing Syria an interesting decision to make about retaliation…

    Two. National unemployment is down, wages are down and hours worked are down. Why do cats think this is good news?

    Three. I’m with WaPo’s Eugene Robinson here—Obama signing a bill for selective sequestration at the FAA demonstrates to me inexplicably soft leadership, as well as a lack of willingness to demonstrate how dumb and socially irresponsible these sequester cuts really are.

    Four. With an unemployment rate that beats the national average, shouldn’t South Carolina find more productive things to do than deeming Obamacare a crime?

    Five. Happy Free Comic Book Day!

    song currently stuck in my head: “midnight at the oasis” – freddie hubbard

     

  3. 2 Apr


    Brandon Jourdan’s latest video about Egypt’s revolution argues the country’s conditions haven’t changed other than Hosni Mubarak’s displacement…

    Brandon Jourdan’s latest video about Egypt’s revolution argues the country’s conditions haven’t changed other than Hosni Mubarak’s displacement…

     

  4. 1 Apr


    The TransPacific Partnership increasingly sounds like bad news for Main Street. Here’s the latest trickle of doom, courtesy of Real News Network…

     

  5. 27 Mar


    Wall Street analyst and Economics professor Michael Hudson says public sector debt and deficits are not the real problem…

    Source: Real News

     

  6. 24 Jan



    When 50% of young people in some ­countries don’t have a job, that is very dangerous.

    They are going to ask themselves questions about the current economic situation and about their role in society.

    Soon 25% of Europeans will be living below what we’d call the poverty line.

    — Uniliver CEO Paul Polman’s current assessment of Europe and its turbulent future. Polman made the comments just before flying to Davos…
     

  7. 27 Dec


    One. Do you break your neck cooking special dishes that are reserved for guests only? I don’t. I think I eat well every day, so what I end up cooking is good enough for any guest. Special requests aside, of course… Two. Forget about the new Instagram terms for use clause that allows the company to sell your photos. You can always leave or publish your good stuff through another channel while leaving the adopted Son of Facebook with relative rubbish. What makes me more nervous is Instagram’s new binding arbitration rules while barring you from joining class-action lawsuits! Three. This infographic from Toshl Finance says its North American users spend into a 22% monthly deficit relative to monthly income. Europe wasn’t much better. Some of you would be in a better place if you stop treating these iPhones as if they’re damn oracles or new oxygen sources.  Four. Perhaps the scope of evil committed by the Japanese government and TEPCO when they downplayed the dangers of the Fukushima reactor meltdown will become newsworthy items, now that eight US sailors are suing TEPCO for lots of loot. Five. I’m just getting around to hearing Bryan Ferry’s The Jazz Age album where he gives a few the good ol’ Roxy Music hits the 1920’s Jazz treatment. I really, really wished for a Jazzed-up “All Night Operator,” but I’m thankful for the new (old) “Avalon” which has a rhythm that reminds me of ancient Ska… Extra – Rest in Love, Fontella Bass. I dig the singles tribute on Derek’s Daily 45 site today…

    One. Do you break your neck cooking special dishes that are reserved for guests only? I don’t. I think I eat well every day, so what I end up cooking is good enough for any guest. Special requests aside, of course…

    Two. Forget about the new Instagram terms for use clause that allows the company to sell your photos. You can always leave or publish your good stuff through another channel while leaving the adopted Son of Facebook with relative rubbish. What makes me more nervous is Instagram’s new binding arbitration rules while barring you from joining class-action lawsuits!

    Three. This infographic from Toshl Finance says its North American users spend into a 22% monthly deficit relative to monthly income. Europe wasn’t much better. Some of you would be in a better place if you stop treating these iPhones as if they’re damn oracles or new oxygen sources. 


    Four. Perhaps the scope of evil committed by the Japanese government and TEPCO when they downplayed the dangers of the Fukushima reactor meltdown will become newsworthy items, now that eight US sailors are suing TEPCO for lots of loot.

    Five. I’m just getting around to hearing Bryan Ferry’s The Jazz Age album where he gives a few the good ol’ Roxy Music hits the 1920’s Jazz treatment. I really, really wished for a Jazzed-up “All Night Operator,” but I’m thankful for the new (old) “Avalon” which has a rhythm that reminds me of ancient Ska…

    Extra – Rest in Love, Fontella Bass. I dig the singles tribute on Derek’s Daily 45 site today…

     

  8. 12 Dec


     

  9. 5 Dec


    While you look at these two St. Louis Fed graphs of historical corporate profits and wages paid while having a WTH moment, let me explain how capitalism is supposed to work.

    Capitalism is not simply a business or group of businesses, it’s an ECOSYSTEM. More on that later.

    The deal is simple – investors find a problem in society to be solved through a business and they invest money in that business with the justifiable requirement for a strong return for their investment and risk-taking.

    Workers help to solve the problem in question by making or delivering goods and services sold by that business as part of the mission to solve this problem. In return, these workers are paid a fair wage so they can also buy goods and services within the ecosystem. These workers should also be able to save money in case they may decide to become business owners and investors one day.

    Governments at various jurisdictions ensure that workers and businesses do not screw each other, but governments also encourage the growth of new businesses and industries through research, tax breaks and other incentives.

    Looking at middle class incomes remain flat or decline over the past 30 years while household expenses continue to increase [PDF] tells me two things – that arguing about whether blue or red guys caused this crisis is pointless, and that policymakers and businesses had better get a clue about how capitalism works.

    Which brings up the ecosystem I mentioned. Ecosystem imbalances can be more dangerous and expensive than addressing the root cause—which in this case means creating prosperous workers…

    song currently stuck in my head: “don’t give up on me baby” - the dynamic superiors

     

  10. 28 Nov


    Cat Food Watch: In case you were wondering who’s most vulnerable of falling into poverty should Congress choose to drive the economy over the fiscal cliff, look at this graph compiled by the Economic Policy Institute from the US Census’ Supplemental Poverty Measure (SPM). Yeah, homeowners and taxpayers are included in these figures.. song currently stuck in my head: “topsy” - chico hamilton quartet

    Cat Food Watch: In case you were wondering who’s most vulnerable of falling into poverty should Congress choose to drive the economy over the fiscal cliff, look at this graph compiled by the Economic Policy Institute from the US Census’ Supplemental Poverty Measure (SPM). Yeah, homeowners and taxpayers are included in these figures..

    song currently stuck in my head: “topsy” - chico hamilton quartet

     

  11. 20 Nov


    One. Perhaps the forced eating habits of the poor and the elderly are long running rumors, but I’m still calling this Fiscal Cliff drama Cat Food Watch. I’ll have much more to say about this in the coming days. Two. How quickly would we have a Fiscal Cliff to worry about if members of Congress had minimum wage incomes? Three. Why does the general public treat this so-called cliff as some lawful inevitability like gravity or supply and demand when the situation is purely a creation of Congress? Four. Should the tax increases and spending cuts take effect at the end of the year due to Congress’ dysfunctional behavior in dealing with the debt ceiling, who do you think will fare better over the subsequent 24 months – the military, the poor, or the elderly folks? Five. Suppose your home was on fire and you told your family that the options ahead were to put the blaze out immediately or prepare for the hurricane “predicted” to hit your community two decades from now, how long would it take for your family to smack you in the dome, remove your Co-Head of the Household title and toss you out? You now have an idea of how I feel about the Great Recession, the debt ceiling and Congress… song currently stuck in my head: “take it to the top” – sunburst band feat. angela johnson

    One. Perhaps the forced eating habits of the poor and the elderly are long running rumors, but I’m still calling this Fiscal Cliff drama Cat Food Watch. I’ll have much more to say about this in the coming days.

    Two. How quickly would we have a Fiscal Cliff to worry about if members of Congress had minimum wage incomes?

    Three. Why does the general public treat this so-called cliff as some lawful inevitability like gravity or supply and demand when the situation is purely a creation of Congress?

    Four. Should the tax increases and spending cuts take effect at the end of the year due to Congress’ dysfunctional behavior in dealing with the debt ceiling, who do you think will fare better over the subsequent 24 months – the military, the poor, or the elderly folks?

    Five. Suppose your home was on fire and you told your family that the options ahead were to put the blaze out immediately or prepare for the hurricane “predicted” to hit your community two decades from now, how long would it take for your family to smack you in the dome, remove your Co-Head of the Household title and toss you out? You now have an idea of how I feel about the Great Recession, the debt ceiling and Congress…

    song currently stuck in my head: “take it to the top” – sunburst band feat. angela johnson

     

  12. 27 Oct


    Trailer to the movie, When China Met Africa.

    The world has heard Hillary Clinton’s subtle warning and China’s direct response, but wouldn’t you like to see and hear other viewpoints about Afro-Sino fusion? Perhaps from Africans?

    song currently stuck in my head: “in the thick of it” - sunburst band feat. angela johnson

     

  13. 26 Oct



    From the Cayman Islands to the Bahamas, hedge fund havens are considering a surprising remedy for widening deficits -- higher taxes.

     

  14. 16 Sep


    In case you want to know what economic and social conditions in Greece look like.

    Considering an island sell-off is pretty desperate…

     

  15. 12 Sep


    The New England Complex Systems Institute (NECSI) spells out a straightforward but deadly equation: higher food prices in a world where nearly 1 billion people are hungry means more food riots, and a wave of global violence that can make the current Arab Spring look like a pillow fight. Sure, blame the current drought and Wall Street speculators for the coming unrest, but NESCI deserves an on-point award for highlighting how US legislative policy’s corn-ethanol mandate – under the questionable guise of renewable energy – has removed a significant supply of grains from the world market, thus proving the law of supply and demand while sparking revolutions, deaths and more hunger… song currently stuck in my head: “touch my life” – dee dee sharp

    The New England Complex Systems Institute (NECSI) spells out a straightforward but deadly equation: higher food prices in a world where nearly 1 billion people are hungry means more food riots, and a wave of global violence that can make the current Arab Spring look like a pillow fight.

    Sure, blame the current drought and Wall Street speculators for the coming unrest, but NESCI deserves an on-point award for highlighting how US legislative policy’s corn-ethanol mandate – under the questionable guise of renewable energy – has removed a significant supply of grains from the world market, thus proving the law of supply and demand while sparking revolutions, deaths and more hunger…

    song currently stuck in my head: “touch my life” – dee dee sharp