One of the problems with America is that EVERYTHING is for profit. Some services like health, public schools, and prisons should be provided by the state. There is simply no other way. Trickle-down economics and the invisible hand of the infallible free market does not work here (not to mention that it's bullshit ( Read more... )

When George Marshall, Truman's secretary of state and former commander in chief of the US army visited Harvard to receive his honorary title in June 1047, the decision wasn't deemed too important by the press. The historians say his hosts at the university didn't know what he would say in his speech. But that speech marked the beginning of changes ( Read more... )

Has the Shambling Mound finally stopped? No, of course not. It's just for the second time in a row other events have had priority and let's face it, the stumbling of Lord Dampnut, mayor of the global village, after a while, do give a sense of more of the same. It's almost that sheer incompetence, random lurching, and a complete disdain for facts ( Read more... )

It's nice when you're swimming amidst tons of cash, right?

Belt and Road Initiative: China Plans $1 Trillion New ‘Silk Road’

It's got all in this plan: ports, power plants, power grids, telecommunications networks, roads, railways, bridges, transport hubs, transport manufacturing (train/ship builders) etc.

Here's a nice colorful map of it all:


( Read more... )

Two pieces of news, one from Denmark, the other (the one that I am going to focus on) from Norway:

Denmark's government now has no foreign currency debt - for the first time in 183 years

Norway is the world's happiest country in 2017, according to the World Happiness Report

This thing about Norway can't be right, OK? Hey, their most famous writer ( Read more... )

The string of terror attacks and the gradual amping up of authoritarianism of the Erdogan regime may've been perceived as Turkey's main problems, but in truth, their woes are economic first and foremost. Do bear with me.

The Turkish economy has registered a 1.8% slump for the 3rd quarter of last year, and the forecasts are even grimmer for the ( Read more... )

The annual meeting of the Illuminati/Bilderberger cabal in Davos has come up with a new motto: "Responsive and Responsive Leadership". Sounds nice and timely, what with the inauguration of President Douche who has vowed to shake up the existing world order, whatever that's supposed to mean.

So, the Davos smart-heads are unanimous that the main ( Read more... )

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Recently, I got an interesting glimpse into the issue of affordable housing in San Francisco when I attended a City Hall hearing on the transfer of liquor licenses. One of the cases involved the transfer of a license into a space on the ground floor of an apartment building. There was, the building owners insisted, only one tenant who had been ( Read more... )

Fewer Americans today (as a share of the total population) are part of the middle class than at any time since WW2. As serious a threat as that is, what's worse is the HUGE number of middle class families who are one bad day away from poverty:

76 million Americans are struggling financially or just getting by

"Some 46% of adults say they can't ( Read more... )