Public banking in Costa Rica: A remarkable little known model

Published on Intrepid Report, by Ellen Brown, J.D., Nov 15, 2013;

In Costa Rica, publicly-owned banks have been available for so long and work so well that people take for granted that any country that knows how to run an economy has a public banking option. Costa Ricans are amazed to hear there is only one public depository bank in the United States (the Bank of North Dakota), and few people have private access to it … //

… The dire effects of the IMF’s austerity measures were confirmed in a 1993 book excerpt by Karen Hansen-Kuhn, titled “Structural Adjustment in Costa Rica: Sapping the Economy.” She noted that Costa Rica stood out in Central America because of its near half-century history of stable democracy and well-functioning government, featuring the region’s largest middle class and the absence of both an army and a guerrilla movement.  Continuer la lecture de « Public banking in Costa Rica: A remarkable little known model »

Eco-localism: A Constructive Critique

Published on ZNet, by Robin Hahnel, November 13, 2013.

In the aftermath of the collapse of communism, debate about alternatives to capitalism has divided into three camps: advocates of market socialism, proponents of democratic planning, and supporters of community-based economics.[1] Few anti-capitalists—whether they favor market socialism, democratic planning, or community-based economics—deceive themselves that there is more than a tiny minority in any advanced economy who are ready to replace capitalism at this time. Continuer la lecture de « Eco-localism: A Constructive Critique »

The Untold Story of War

Video on Veterans Day on Democracy Now News, from 42.20 min – 58.56, min, Full Interview with Ann Jones, by Amy Goodman, November 11, 2013:

U.S. Veterans Face Staggering Epidemic of Unemployment, Trauma & Suicide

(Book: They Were Soldiers: How the Wounded Return from America’s Wars – The Untold Story, by Ann Jones, on Haymarket Books: Ann Jones shines a much-needed light on the dead, wounded, mutilated, brain-damaged, drug-addicted, suicidal, homicidal casualties of our distant wars, taking us on a stunning journey from the devastating moment an American soldier is first wounded in rural Afghanistan to the return home. Beautifully written by an empathetic and critical reporter who knows the price of war).

Today marks Veterans Day, the federal holiday honoring U.S. men and women who have fought in the armed forces. Veterans continue to face extremely high levels of unemployment, traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic stress and homelessness.  Continuer la lecture de « The Untold Story of War »

BBC Documentary on WikiLeaks, and more

See on Economy and Society: WhistleBlower Head of FBI … tells all from NWO.

Tide Thefts, Cargo Hijacking and Cattle Rustling

… why is an epidemic of thievery sweeping America? – Published on The Economic Collapse, by Michael Snyder, November 3, 2013.

Desperate people do desperate things, and it appears that Americans are rapidly becoming a lot more desperate.  An epidemic of thievery is sweeping across America, and authorities are not quite sure what to make of it.  Down in Texas, cattle thieves can get up to $1,500 per head of cattle, and cattle rustling was up nearly 40 percent last year.  As you will read about below, cargo hijacking is becoming much more sophisticated, and it is being estimated that losses from cargo thefts will total about $216 million this year alone.  And for some reason, Tide laundry detergent has become a very hot commodity among common criminals all across America.  Continuer la lecture de « Tide Thefts, Cargo Hijacking and Cattle Rustling »