How UNITE Took on the Fast Food Companies Over Zero Hour Contracts and Won

Published on The Bullet, Socialist Project’s E-Bulletin No. 1120, by Mike Treen, May 22, 2015.

Workers in the fast food industry in New Zealand scored a spectacular victory over what has been dubbed “zero hour contracts” during a collective agreement bargaining round over the course of March and April this year. The campaign played out over the national media as well as on picket lines. The victory was seen by many observers as the product of a determined fight by a valiant group of workers and their union, Unite. It was a morale boost for all working people after what has seemed like a period of retreat for working-class struggle in recent years.   Continuer la lecture de « How UNITE Took on the Fast Food Companies Over Zero Hour Contracts and Won »

The Complete History of Monsanto

… the World’s Most Evil Corporation – Published on Global Research.ca (first on Waking Times, 2 June 2014), by E Hanzai, May 20, 2015.

… 1920s: Monsanto expands into industrial chemicals and drugs, becoming the world’s largest maker of aspirin, acetylsalicyclic acid, (toxic of course). This is also the time when things began to go horribly wrong for the planet in a hurry with the introduction of their polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) … // Continuer la lecture de « The Complete History of Monsanto »

The Dysfunctionality of Slavery and Neoliberalism – Michael Perelman

Published on naked capitalism, by Yves Smith, May 19, 2015.

… Despite the neoliberal obsession with wage suppression, history suggests that such a policy is self-destructive. Periods of high wages are associated with rapid technological change. For example, after the scourge of the Black Death, which eliminated about a third of the population of Europe, the surviving workers were in a better bargaining position in terms of both wages earned and rents paid. Rapid technological change emerged as a means to cope with workers temporary advantage. The historian, Richard C. Allen, makes the case that wars in the late 18th century removed significant portion of the labor force, again creating higher wages. The combination of higher wages and the availability of cheap fossil fueled another burst of rapid technological change, which we now know as the Industrial Revolution.   Continuer la lecture de « The Dysfunctionality of Slavery and Neoliberalism – Michael Perelman »

Winning a Nuclear War?

Published on Counterpunch, by Bo Filter, May 15-17, 2015.

Don’t expect the concept of extinction or omnicide to roll off the lips of nuclear warriors. Their brains focus on the win-ability of nuclear war to the exclusion of all other possibilities. Let’s take a minute to examine the myopic mindset of nuclear strategists and what we should be doing about it … // Continuer la lecture de « Winning a Nuclear War? »

Over Reach of the Financial-Military Complex and the New Multi-Polar World Order

Published on Global Research.ca, by Jim Miles, MAy 17, 2015.

… There are some broad trends that should be obvious. Financially, the ‘western’ world is operating as a debt laden consumer society, competing with the rising strengths of China and Russia as co-leaders in an at best multi-polar world. Militarily, the U.S. and its allied NATO countries remain dominant, but that dominance is reckoned on the threats of a failed “full spectrum dominance” military, backed by an official first strike nuclear capability and policy. Continuer la lecture de « Over Reach of the Financial-Military Complex and the New Multi-Polar World Order »

If Too-Big-to-Fail means Too-Big-to-Jail it should mean Too-Big-to-Be

… the US needs the Iceland option – Published on Dissident Voice (first on This Can’t Be Happening), by Dave Lindorff, May 16, 2015.

In a couple of days, the so-called US Justice Department will be announcing an “agreement” reached with five large banks, including two of the largest in the US — JP Morgan Chase and Citigroup, the holding companies for Chase and Citibank — under which these banks or bank holding companies will plead guilty to felonies involving the manipulation of international currency markets.   Continuer la lecture de « If Too-Big-to-Fail means Too-Big-to-Jail it should mean Too-Big-to-Be »

Five Major Banks to Plead Guilty to Rigging Currency Markets

Published on Global Research.ca (also on World Socialist Web Site WSWS), by Andre Damon, May 15, 2015.

Five major international banks are expected to plead guilty as soon as next week to criminal charges in the US related to their deliberate manipulation of global foreign exchange markets, which allowed them to rake in billions of dollars at the expense of retirees, university endowments and municipalities.   Continuer la lecture de « Five Major Banks to Plead Guilty to Rigging Currency Markets »

Bemerkungen, Meinungen, Streitereien

The Arab Boat

… it’s an Arab-Palestinian Nakba, and We Are All Refugees – Published on Dissident Voice, by Ramzy Baroud, May 13, 2015.

In a western capital far away from Gaza and Cairo, I recently shared a pot of tea with an Egyptian refugee.

The term is familiar to me, but never have I encountered an Egyptian who refers to himself as such. He stated it as a matter of fact by saying: as an Egyptian refugee … and carried on to talk about the political turmoil in his country.   Continuer la lecture de « The Arab Boat »