Analysis Topic: Politics & Social Trends
The analysis published under this topic are as follows.Tuesday, June 01, 2010
High School Reunion Brings Me Face To Face With The Economic Catastrophe / Politics / Social Issues
It was hard to resist an invite to my high school reunion because it came from guys who worked with me on the student newspaper at DeWitt Clinton High School in the Bronx, New York; my gateway to a career in journalism.
Working on the Clinton News, yes, a half century ago, inspired my perhaps naïve hope that here was a field that promotes the values of democracy I espoused even back then. I am still at it, but as an insider turned outsider where the media trend is no longer my friend.
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Monday, May 31, 2010
United States Deafening Silence Over Israeli Terrorist Attack / Politics / US Politics
This time, the Israeli war machine may have gone too far for international public opinion to stomach. In the early hours of 31 May, before daybreak, Israeli commandos stormed the international civilian aid convoy heading for Gaza. Between 20-24 volunteers onboard have been killed and at least 50 injured, according to various reports, but the number of casualties has risen rapidly from the initial reports of two dead. The final death toll could be greater.
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Monday, May 31, 2010
Save Yourself From Perpetual Debt Slavery and Government Inflation / Politics / Global Debt Crisis
The politicians as evidenced during the sovereign debt crisis bailouts continue to show that they are firmly in the back pockets of the bankster elite. Instead of countries such as Greece defaulting on their debts, they are being forced to become debt slaves to finance their debt masters (the bond market) in perpetuity, as power continue to drift from the debt slave sovereign states to the their debt masters i.e. the debt providers, the IMF and now the German Government which through its bailout holds countries such as Greece by the balls, and is fully willing to squeeze governments that show dissent and disobedience to the New German European Order. Off course looking at the bigger picture, the German state itself is enslaved to the banking elite.
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Monday, May 31, 2010
Proposed Solution(s) to Gulf BP Oil Spill / Politics / Environmental Issues
Dr Stephen A Rinehart writes: Background: The following comments are based in part on my 45+ years experience in structural dynamics/mechanical engineering from Georgia Tech and extensive design/project management experience including offshore oil platforms, oil pipelines, conventional/nuclear DOD weapons effects and combat weapons designs, and environmental fate and transport of chemical/oil plumes.
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Monday, May 31, 2010
UK FTSE and Financial Markets Could be Hit by David Laws Resignation / Politics / UK Debt
As if the brewing Korean Crisis and European Sovereign debt crisis were not enough, the weekend has seen the first internal crisis to hit the Con-Dem coalition government with the shock surprise resignation of David Laws, Chief Secretary to the Treasury after he was allegedly caught out fiddling his parliamentary expenses by funneling £40,000 to his gay lover in contravention of the expenses rules (Con-Dem Government Starts to Crumble, David Laws Resigns, Liberal Democrats Betray Voters).
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Monday, May 31, 2010
Did an U.S. Mine Sink the South Korean Ship? / Politics / GeoPolitics
Yoichi Shimatsu writes: BEIJING - South Korean Prime Minister Lee Myung-bak has claimed "overwhelming evidence" that a North Korean torpedo sank the corvette Cheonan on March 26, killing 46 sailors. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton claimed that there’s "overwhelming evidence" in favor of the theory that North Korea sank the South Korean Navy warship Cheonan. But the articles of proof presented so far by military investigators to an official inquiry board have been scanty and inconsistent.
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Monday, May 31, 2010
The Korean Crisis Breaking News, Cui Bono? / Politics / GeoPolitics
The alleged North Korean sinking of a South Korean boat in March has dramatically escalated tensions between north and south Korea. It has also caused a reversal of a planned Japanese government push to close the US military base on Okinawa. The major question in the bizarre affair is Cui Bono?
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Sunday, May 30, 2010
Kyrgyzstan’s ‘Roza Revolution’—Cui Bono? Geopolitics of Central Asia / Politics / GeoPolitics
Part I: Kyrgyzstan as a Geopolitical Pivot
The remote Central Asian country of Kyrgyzstan is what Britain’s Halford Mackinder might call a geopolitical ‘pivot’—a land that, owing to its geographical characteristics, holds a pivotal position in Great Power rivalries.
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Sunday, May 30, 2010
North Korea Crisis and the World Economy / Politics / GeoPolitics
The reader should understand that this analyst is neither a maverick nor an agitator. All he is interested in is “The Truth”. Investor confidence across the Western Markets appears to him to be on the brink of collapse – an outcome which he has recognized for some years was a possibility based on the emerging facts. He is on record as having made consistent references to this possibility in his various blogs over a period of several years. He is also on record as having been focusing on what might be done by society’s leaders to extricate society from a dysfunctional world economy, should a collapse in world markets materialize.
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Sunday, May 30, 2010
Oily Politics Led to BP Gulf Environmental Disaster / Politics / Environmental Issues
Gov. Bobby Jindal (R-La.) had a good idea to slow or stop the Gulf Coast oil spill from reaching shore. Build artificial barrier islands, he told the federal government. He wanted the Army Corps of Engineers to dredge the Gulf of Mexico and the Mississippi River to strengthen and connect the existing barrier islands. The $350 million plan, which Jindal demanded be paid for by BP Oil, would establish an 80–85 mile barrier, about 200 feet wide and six feet high. The barriers would also protect the marshlands, the federal wildlife preserves, and a fragile ecosystem.Read full article... Read full article...
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Con-Dem Government Starts to Crumble, David Laws Resigns, Liberal Democrats Betray Voters / Politics / UK Politics
David Laws, the Chief Security to the Treasury, charged with the responsibility of implementing huge and swinging public spending cuts as well as input into mega- tax rises as part of the emergency budget due on 22nd June 2010 has resigned after he was caught out allegedly fiddling his expenses by funneling an estimated £40,000 to his BOYFRIEND.
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Saturday, May 29, 2010
Glenn Beck and Co. Cashing in through Scare Tactics / Politics / Mainstream Media
It seems as if the new trend in modern America is to use scare tactics as a way to sell the sheep.
It worked for President Bush when he warned of Saddam’s WMDs.
It also worked for Paulson when he shoved the unconstitutional banking and auto bailouts (TARP and other taxpayer funds) down the throats of U.S. taxpayers. (1) (2) (3) (4)
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Friday, May 28, 2010
Credit Storm in Europe, Politics on Capital Hill / Politics / Credit Crisis 2010
Credit market turmoil in the Eurozone has ignited frenzied trading on global markets. On Tuesday, shares tumbled nearly 300 points on the Dow Jones before launching an unconvincing 257-point late-day comeback. Wednesday the mayhem continued; all the major indexes seesawed wildly as positive news on durable goods was nixed by reports on wobbly EU banks. Erratic selling pushed the S&P down to 1,067 while the Dow slipped below 10,000 for the first time since February 7.
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Friday, May 28, 2010
Why Bank Regulators Can’t Tell A Dead Parrot From A “Resting” One / Politics / Market Regulation
Caught this one via Edward Harrison on the tedious business of bank regulation, capital adequacy, and other such delightful subjects, ideal for anyone who can stomach more discussion on something that many (particularly central banks and regulators), would prefer to be just swept under the carpet.
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Friday, May 28, 2010
Californian Cities L.A., Antioch Going Bankrupt / Politics / US Debt
Bankruptcy talk is heating up in California with the city of Antioch on the front burner. Please consider Bankruptcy talk spreads among California municipal officials.
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Friday, May 28, 2010
Mysterious Money Supply Discrepancies, Government Cover-up Full Horror / Politics / Money Supply
Richard Daughty writes: Being an inveterate conspiracy theorist who is absolutely convinced that the government is full of morons, lunatics and traitors, not to mention legions of hired goons with badges, and who have, I maintain, been hovering above my house in an invisible helicopter to shoot thought-control rays into my brain all the time (zzzt!) so that now all I can hear is voices in my head urging me to “Burn! Burn everything!”
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Thursday, May 27, 2010
The Fine Print of Central Banking Money Printing / Politics / Central Banks
Jonathan M. Finegold Catalan writes: Since the rise of Hugo Chavez, Venezuela has become a superstar of sorts. It frequently makes headline news, whether due to some type of utility shortage, some political scandal, or a corruption case. The most common perception of Venezuela is one of economic peril. Indeed, analysts have been predicting the government's collapse since at least 2007. While Chavez's Venezuela has survived so far, most agree that its economy limps on one leg and that default is only a matter of time.
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Thursday, May 27, 2010
Obama Impotent As Wall Street Criminals Are Given A Free Pass And Watered Down Reforms / Politics / Market Regulation
We now know that it was the Obama Administration led by the President himself who used techniques well understood and denounced decades earlier by none other than Mao TseTung.
Mao had no use for those who talked left to move right.
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Thursday, May 27, 2010
Chairman Alan Greenspan, A Fiat Mind for a Fiat Age / Politics / Central Banks
A speech delivered at the Ludwig von Mises Institute Conference: "Austrian Economics and the Financial Markets," held at the University Club in New York City, May 22, 2010. Comments in brackets and italics were cut from talk due to time constraints. The speech can be heard in the "Interviews" section of the AuContrarian.com website, and, on the Ludwig von Mises website along with those of other conference speakers.
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Thursday, May 27, 2010
The Tobin Tax Plan Wall Street Hates … But Can’t Seem to Kill / Politics / Market Regulation
Martin Hutchinson writes: German Chancellor Angela Merkel recently came out in favor of a "Tobin tax" - a small tax on financial transactions, proportionate to the size of the transaction. The Tobin tax idea also has been proposed by Britain's former prime minister, Gordon Brown, and was proposed in Congress by U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-OR.
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