Poverty, World Hunger: Time for a relational approach

Published on Axis of Logic (first on teleSUR), by Ezequiel Adamovsky, Nov 5, 2014.

Announcements by the World Bank, the IMF; and other neoliberal think tanks, that poverty is decreasing and the middle class increasing is just a fantasy that stems from ideologically biased research programs and conceptions of poverty … //

… All this, of course, is nothing but a fantasy that stems from ideologically biased research programs and conceptions of poverty. In the past decades, international organizations and think tanks have produced a subtle shift in the way we understand poverty and class differences. We used to think of both as relations: there is no poverty in itself, but only in relation to wealth; one can only be of “lower” condition by contrast to the “higher” class. Continuer la lecture de « Poverty, World Hunger: Time for a relational approach »

Ebola quarantines violated in search of food

Published on AlJazeera, November 5, 2014: Aid agencies say thousands being monitored for signs of Ebola in Sierra Leone are venturing out to find food.

… Kamara said that because services are not reaching them, people who are being monitored for signs of Ebola – and should be staying at home – are venturing out to markets to look for food, potentially contaminating many others.

Christian Aid’s coordinator said that with infections still on the rise, it was difficult for the government to keep up with the number of people being monitored for the disease. « The number is just rising exponentially, » she said. « The speed with which we have to have such a robust system of planning and coordination » is too fast.

Continuer la lecture de « Ebola quarantines violated in search of food »

Monetary Fallacy? Deep Divisions Emerge over ECB Quantitative Easing Plans – part 1

Published on Spiegel Online International, by Anne Seith, Nov 3, 2014 (Photo Gallery – A Growing Rift Between Central Bankers – translated from the German by Christopher Sultan).

To prevent dangerous deflation, the ECB is discussing a massive program to purchase government bonds. watchdogs are divided over the measure, with some alleging that central bankers are being held hostage by politicians … //

… A Heated Dispute: Continuer la lecture de « Monetary Fallacy? Deep Divisions Emerge over ECB Quantitative Easing Plans – part 1 »

Can Capitalism and Democracy Coexist?

Can Capitalism and Democracy Coexist? – Videos with Journalist Chris Hedges and political philosopher Sheldon Wolin, uploaded on YouTube by TheRealNews, August-November 2014: (1/8), 20.15 min; (2/8), 25.04 min; (3/8), 22.32 min; (4/8), 26.37 min; (5/8), 23.23 min; (6/8), 19.37 min; (see comment on naked capitalism, by Yves Smith, Nov 3, 2014 – also links on the website of The Real News Network TRNN, per Nov 2, 2014);

Capitalism Democracy-Related Links:

Global War and Peace: Insanity’s Quagmire

Published on The People’s Voive, by Dr. Mahboob A. Khawaja, Nov 2, 2014 (also on The Sri Lanka Guardian, Nov 2).

In a knowledge-based age, contemporary world is fraught with perpetuated violence and killings to undermine the sustainability of mankind’s future. Complex societal conflicts need rational and flexible strategies using men of new ideas, diplomacy and peaceful means to conflict management … // Continuer la lecture de « Global War and Peace: Insanity’s Quagmire »

ISIS eyes using Ebola as bio weapon – or: what fundamentalist dictatorship is serving

Published on Russia Today RT, Nov 1, 2014.

The Spanish government said it is concerned that terrorists could use the Ebola virus as a biological weapon against the West. A close eye is being kept on online chat rooms, where such attacks are reportedly discussed among jihadist groups. Extremists connected to the Islamic State (IS, previously ISIS) have been considering using Ebola as a weapon against the West, Spain’s State Secretary for Security, Francisco Martinez, said in an address to the parliament.   Continuer la lecture de « ISIS eyes using Ebola as bio weapon – or: what fundamentalist dictatorship is serving »

NYPD arrests, brutalizes peace activist McGovern ahead of Petraeus speech

Published on Russia Today RT, Oct 31, 2014.

The New York Police Department has detained prominent peace activist and former CIA agent Ray McGovern, with witnesses saying he was “yelling in pain” during arrest. McGovern was detained ahead of a David Petraeus speech that he planned to attend.

McGovern was detained before the start of a talk between former CIA director David Petraeus, retired US Army Lt. Col. John Nagl, and author Max Boot on American Foreign Policy at the 92nd St Y., an Upper East Side cultural community center.   Continuer la lecture de « NYPD arrests, brutalizes peace activist McGovern ahead of Petraeus speech »

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 »