Archive for June, 2009
On The Situation In Iran
First, a piece by Slavoj Zizek, turned down by the New York Times, which was posted on LBO talk. Second, an FT article on the power struggle at the top, focusing on the supreme leader, Ayatollah Khamenei: Man in the News: Ayatollah Ali KhameneiFinancial TimesBy Roula KhalafPublished: June 26 2009 19:14 | Last updated: June ...Read more.
2 On Subprime/Mortgage Mess
First, a link to Doug Henwood’s latest (June 25th) radio program, which features an excellent interview with Alyssa Katz on the history of mortgage lending in the U.S. from the ’30s on. Second, this piece about a recent study which casts interesting light on the role of the Community Reinvestment Act on subprime lending (courtesy ...Read more.
Giovanni Arrighi: Internationalist par excellence (1937-2009)
An obituary by Salimah Valiani for the left economic sociologist Giovanni Arrighi, who died on June 18th. It is originally posted at Pambazuka News. A good friend in New York City from Latin American circles, then a good friend from African solidarity circles based in Toronto, asked me to write something about Giovanni Arrighi, who ...Read more.
How Striken Banks Are Making Money
You guessed it–fees. From Reuters: June 26th, 2009Fee bonanza spells more trouble for banksReutersBy: Alexander Smith Alexander Smith is a Reuters columnist. The views expressed are his own Investment banks are going to have a lot of explaining to do. After the lows of 2008, and despite the mauling they’ve had from politicians and the ...Read more.
TDCotE (xii): Idealists Should Grow Up
The Dull Compulsion of the Economic (xii)A series of blog postings by D&S collective member Larry Peterson Idealists Should Grow UpI’ve long harbored a notion that the more modern societies tend to emphasize moral discourse, the less scope actually exists in the same societies to act according to moral precepts in any meaningful or consistent ...Read more.
Fast Food and Healh Care Reform
This Boston Phoenix review of the new film Food, Inc. contains much many people already know (it’s nice to review such things from time to time, though), but it contains one essential thought, anyway: that “You can’t have health care [reform] in this country without changing the food industry”. Factory foodWhy the cheap, mass-produced food ...Read more.
Incomes Surge, Wages and Salaries Fall
This is entirely due to the administration’s one off $250 payments to various groups receiving government benefits like Social Security; otherwise, the figures were noteworthy because they document that workers received their first quarterly drop in wages in 50 years. Also: savings increased to an almost unheard-of (well, not for more than a decade) 7%, ...Read more.
Yet Another Thing The City Can Be Proud Of
From The Financial Times. Reminded me of Karl Marx’s immortal New York Tribune piece on the Duchess of Sutherland, the link to which (courtesy Marxists.org) I’m attaching as well. Rothschild and Freshfields founders’ had links to slavery, papers revealBy Carola HoyosFinancial TimesPublished: June 26 2009 23:32 | Last updated: June 26 2009 23:32Two of the ...Read more.
Monbiot on Climate Change Bill
Obama should really change his slogan to “Yes, We Can’t”. I suspect this sort of thing will characterize the crafting of legislation on financial regulation and health care as well: EnvironmentGeorge Monbiot’s blogThe Guardian Why do we allow the US to act like a failed state on climate change?The Waxman-Markey climate bill is the best ...Read more.
Obama in His Labyrinth
From the Financial Times:Deficit disorder By Edward Luce Published: June 25 2009 19:53 | Last updated: June 25 2009 19:53 Back in February, Barack Obama’s presidency suffered an early setback when Judd Gregg, the Republican senator from New Hampshire, withdrew as his nominee for commerce secretary. Mr Gregg, who was to be the most high-profile ...Read more.
