Where have all the Flowers Gone?

Published on Dissident Voice, by Denis A. Conroy, Oct 28, 2014.

Thinking through the binary oppositions of “have” and “have nots” is like segregating the homeless from the Paris Hiltons of the world in order to present a narrative that represents a ‘going America’s way’ kind of reality, a reality that uses finance, by way of speculation and specialisation, to foster advantages for elites and their hierarchical institutions for the sole purpose of amassing capital in order to leverage control of the social narrative through the commodification of culture itself.   Continuer la lecture de « Where have all the Flowers Gone? »

Gold and Banks

Why Do Banks Want Our Deposits?

Hint: It’s Not to Make Loans – Published on truthDig (first on Web of Debt), by Ellen Brown, Oct 26, 2014.

… Reckoning with the Fed:

Ever since the Federal Reserve Act was passed in 1913, banks have been required to clear their outgoing checks through the Fed or another clearinghouse. Banks keep reserves in reserve accounts at the Fed for this purpose, and they usually hold the minimum required reserve. When the loan of Bank A becomes a check that goes into Bank B, the Federal Reserve debits Bank A’s reserve account and credits Bank B’s. If Bank A’s account goes in the red at the end of the day, the Fed automatically treats this as an overdraft and lends the bank the money. Bank A then must clear the overdraft.   Continuer la lecture de « Why Do Banks Want Our Deposits? »

still on my dashboard

1):

The Unattainable Illusion of Meritocracy

Published on naked capitalism, by Yves Smith, Oct 26, 2014.

… Repeat after me: in complex societies and organizations, merit is a complete illusion … //

… So what exactly is talent? Educated people like to think of it as intelligence, and that intelligence will be reflected in better educational attainment. But education in America has a lot of credentialing and is mixed in terms of substance (there’s a very strong argument to be made for the educational system that Bonaparte implemented in France, which has sadly decayed beyond recognition, where it made a systematic effort to find smart kids, no matter how poor their background, and track them so that they had as much opportunity to get into the Grandes Ecoles as children who grew up with highly educated parents. Continuer la lecture de « The Unattainable Illusion of Meritocracy »

Cognitive Restructuring: CBT vs ISD

(Cognitive behavioral therapy vs Intellectual self-defense) – Published on ZNet, by Mark Evans, Oct 24, 2014.

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is the psychological intervention of choice, for the treatment of depression and anxiety, by many mental health professionals today. The UK government has initiated the Improved Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) programme which focuses on the treatment of depression and anxiety using CBT. According to the Department of Health DH: The Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) programme has one principal aim – to help primary care trusts (PCTs) implement National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidelines for people suffering from depression and anxiety disorders. At present, only a quarter of the 6 million people in the UK with these conditions are in treatment, with debilitating effects on society//

Continuer la lecture de « Cognitive Restructuring: CBT vs ISD »

The Zombie System: How Capitalism Has Gone Off the Rails – part 1/4

Published on Spiegel Online International, by Michael Sauga, Oct 23, 2014 (Photo Gallery).

Six years after the Lehman disaster, the industrialized world is suffering from Japan Syndrome. Growth is minimal, another crash may be brewing and the gulf between rich and poor continues to widen. Can the global economy reinvent itself? … // Continuer la lecture de « The Zombie System: How Capitalism Has Gone Off the Rails – part 1/4 »

US: Ebola hysteria soars to new heights in US schools

Published on Russia Today RT, Oct 20, 2014.

Ebola-scared parents have sent a Maine teacher on mandatory leave after he visited Dallas where first victim of the virus in US died. In Mississippi parents pulled their kids out of school because of the principal’s trip to Zambia. The Portland Press Herald reports that a Maine teacher was placed on a 21-day paid leave of absence in light of parents’ concerns for their children’s health. Community members feared the teacher may have contracted Ebola while on a visit to Dallas for an educational seminar. Continuer la lecture de « US: Ebola hysteria soars to new heights in US schools »

about security clearance – the Snowden Reboot

Published on TomDispach, by Laura Poitras and Tom Engelhardt, Oct 19, 2014;

… Here’s a Ripley’s Believe It or Not! stat from our new age of national security. How many Americans have security clearances? The answer: 5.1 million, a figure that reflects the explosive growth of the national security state in the post-9/11 era. Imagine the kind of system needed just to vet that many people for access to our secret world (to the tune of billions of dollars). We’re talking here about the total population of Norway and significantly more people than you can find in Costa Rica, Ireland, or New Zealand. And yet it’s only about 1.6% of the American population, while on ever more matters, the unvetted 98.4% of us are meant to be left in the dark.   Continuer la lecture de « about security clearance – the Snowden Reboot »

War against ISIS – Kobani known, but what about the rest of Kurdistan?

we have a wordwide media-cover on Kobani vs ISIS – but what about latest news on the rest of Kurdistan’s fight? – Nothing – only not specific general reports:

… but what about the other Kurdish cities under attack by ISIS?  Continuer la lecture de « War against ISIS – Kobani known, but what about the rest of Kurdistan? »