Analysis Topic: Politics & Social Trends
The analysis published under this topic are as follows.Wednesday, July 06, 2011
20 Warning Signs Of A Global Doomsday / Politics / Global Economy
Worries rries of a Lehman-like financial crisis spreading through Europe and the world has made Greece talk of the market lately. Not to let Greece dominate the spotlight, the U.S. debt ceiling debate is also getting to be as traumatic since a failure to raise the debt ceiling could mean imminent default and credit downgrades for the United States sovereign debt.
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Wednesday, July 06, 2011
How to Save the U.S. Labor Movement / Politics / US Politics
The first step in saving the labor movement is recognizing that it needs saving. Sadly, many union leaders -- including Richard Trumka of the AFL-CIO -- refuse to accept this reality, choosing instead to dismiss the current threats against labor unions as "exaggerated,” or limited to this or that Republican politician. In fact, the labor movement -- especially public sector unions -- is facing nationwide attacks by Democrats and Republicans alike.
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Wednesday, July 06, 2011
Soaring U.S. CEO Pay Whilst US Unemployment Remains Near Depression Levels / Politics / Social Issues
While US unemployment remains at near-Depression levels and health care, pensions and education are being slashed by all levels of the government, the pay of corporate CEOs is soaring.
The compensation of the 200 highest-paid chief executives at large corporations increased by 23 percent in 2010 over the previous year, according to a report in Sunday’s New York Times.
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Tuesday, July 05, 2011
Greece Buys Time for Insolvent Bankers and Delusional Politicians / Politics / Global Debt Crisis
Last week, the Greek parliament voted by a narrow margin to pass an economically crippling austerity plan of some $40 billion in return for some $159 billon of fresh liquidity injections. Although many hailed the event as a needed first step on a long road to recovery, I believe the austerity program will make a bad situation worse. It is a flawed solution that stems from a false premise: that Greece should continue to be part of the euro zone, and continue to use the euro as its currency.
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Tuesday, July 05, 2011
Asia to Become One Huge Megacity / Politics / Social Issues
By 2025, seven of ten largest metropolitan cities of the world will be located in Asia. China holds all chances to become one of the world leaders on the level of urbanization of the population. China is currently experiencing a peak of migration of the rural population in large cities. In general, by 2020, nine of the world's largest metropolitan cities will overcome the limit of 20 million residents.
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Tuesday, July 05, 2011
Why Food Prices are Rising so Fast? / Politics / Food Crisis
If you do much grocery shopping, you have probably noticed that the cost of food has been rising at a very brisk pace over the past year. So why are food prices rising so fast? According to Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, inflation is still very low and the economy is improving. So what is going on here? When I go to the grocery store these days, there are very few things that I will buy unless they are on sale. In fact, I have noticed that many of the new "sale prices" are the old regular prices. Other items have had their packages reduced in size in order to hide the price increases. But with millions of American families just barely scraping by as it is, what is going to happen if food prices keep rising this rapidly?
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Tuesday, July 05, 2011
Rented Papandreou Selling Off Greek Assets, Pan Hellenic Socialist Kleptocrats / Politics / Global Debt Crisis
"George Papandreou is not bought, he is rented. He sells public enterprises to the multinationals. He reduces wages, pensions and employment at the behest of the IMF. He turns over the public treasury to the European banks. He supports NATO’s war against Libya . He directs the Greek Coast Guard to enforce Netanyahu’s blockade of Gaza .” According to a demonstrator in Syndigma Square , Athens , July 3, 2011
A self-proclaimed “Socialist” Government in Greece is imposing by ballots and clubs the most far reaching reversals of wages, pensions, jobs, educational, health and tax programs in the history of Western Europe.
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Tuesday, July 05, 2011
New American Socialism, One of the Most Obvious Frauds Ever Foisted on the American People / Politics / US Politics
Porter Stansberry writes: Yesterday, I left you with a question...
Tuesday, July 05, 2011
Russia's Evolving Leadership, The Appearance of Democracy / Politics / Russia
Russia has entered election season, with parliamentary elections in December and presidential elections in March 2012. Typically, this is not an issue of concern, as most Russian elections have been designed to usher a chosen candidate and political party into office since 2000. Interesting shifts are under way this election season, however. While on the surface they may resemble political squabbles and instability, they actually represent the next step in the Russian leadership’s consolidation of the state.Read full article... Read full article...
Tuesday, July 05, 2011
Debtocracy Greece Debt Crisis Explained by Greeks / Politics / Global Debt Crisis
For the first time in Greece a documentary produced by the audience. "Debtocracy" seeks the causes of the debt crisis and proposes solutions, hidden by the government and the dominant media.
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Monday, July 04, 2011
Why the U.S. Is Demonizing and Destroying Pakistan / Politics / US Politics
The AfPak War Theatre: Establishing the New Strategy
As Senator Obama became the President-elect Obama, his foreign policy strategy on Afghanistan was already being formed. In 2007, Obama took on veteran geostrategist and Jimmy Carter’s former National Security Adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski as one of his top foreign policy advisers, and he remained his foreign policy adviser throughout 2008. On Obama’s campaign, he announced that as President, he would scale down the war in Iraq, and focus the “War on Terror” on Afghanistan, promising “to send in about 10,000 more troops and to strike next-door Pakistan, if top terrorists are spotted there.”
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Monday, July 04, 2011
Iran, and the First U.S. Dollar War Defeat / Politics / US Politics
A short story showing how powerful elite interests and central bankers could manipulate American foreign policy using a black flag event in order to guarantee the American dollar remains the world’s reserve currency. This is of course just a work of fiction and hypothetical case study and the characters have no relation to actual people, government officials or events.
"Generals always prepare to fight the last war." ~ a proverb
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Monday, July 04, 2011
4th of July Independence Day Propaganda / Politics / US Politics
Anthony Gregory writes: Libertarians often insist Independence Day is really our holiday, which statists have no right to celebrate with a straight face. But perhaps this whole approach is misguided. Maybe the lovers of freedom should be the ones loath to bring out the fireworks.
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Monday, July 04, 2011
The American Revolution Was a Mistake, Tricked on the 4th of July / Politics / US Politics
I do not celebrate the fourth of July. This goes back to a term paper I wrote in graduate school. It was on colonial taxation in the British North American colonies in 1775. Not counting local taxation, I discovered that the total burden of British imperial taxation was about 1% of national income. It may have been as high as 2.5% in the southern colonies.
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Sunday, July 03, 2011
Independence Day for Whom? / Politics / US Politics
BATR Publisher’s Note: The tenth anniversary of this editorial about July 4th Independence Day rings even louder today. SARTRE Commentary maintains a consistent and vocal message that is timeless. When you read the essay - Independence Day for Whom? - You celebrate the uniqueness of the American Revolution. Written before the September 11, 2001 transmutation of the country into a despotic police state, the excuse of a fake homeland security threat is used to destroy the foundation of individual civil liberties. The indisputable fact of the last decade is that America is no longer a nation of free citizens and a Republic government of public servants, accountable to the people. The injustice of the British Crown has only been substituted for the iniquities of the Amerika Empire. Reflect upon this editorial and pass it on.
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Sunday, July 03, 2011
90 Years of Communist China / Politics / China
The CPC (Communist Party of China) was founded on July 1, 1921 in Shanghai with a large working class support base. After the death of Dr. Sun Yat-sen (孫中山)--China's Founding Father (recognized by both Beijing and Taipei)--in 1925, a lengthy civil war soon ensued between the CPC and the ruling political party at the time--the Kuomintang (KMT or 國民黨).
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Sunday, July 03, 2011
Why Civil Unrest Is Sweeping the Globe / Politics / Global Debt Crisis
Attempts to save the morally bankrupt financial system will fuel further instances of civil unrest -- until the system itself finally implodes.
Civil unrest -- or to use an even harsher term, rage -- is sweeping the globe.
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Sunday, July 03, 2011
Russia Today Schizophrenia, State Funded Propaganda and the Global Media War / Politics / Mainstream Media
Is Russia Today a sign of things to come in the world media order?
A global, digital media cuts both ways or as they say 'what's good for the goose is also good for the gander'. The arrival of The Real News Network, Democracy Now! and grtv for example demonstrates what can be done, even on a shoestring budget. But to get onto the global media circuit still requires big bucks in spite of all the talk about 'convergence' and 'citizen journalism'.
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Sunday, July 03, 2011
Death of Bin Laden: What Really Happened, When and Why? / Politics / US Politics
Forest Lane writes: In fact, if it were not for its two specific aspects, this recent Bin Laden’s departing - rather the virtual ‘reality‘, customarily maintained by Washington officials and mainstream media outlets, than actual one - should have been given no importance at all. After all, one can easily argue that given bin Laden was a mythical effigy manufactured by those officials and American propaganda they could do with their own semi-virtual creature whatever they wanted. But these two aspects: why now? and why in such a way? may prove to be something of considerable importance.
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Sunday, July 03, 2011
The world changes for Strauss-Kahn / Politics / US Politics
Perhaps you judge by how much or how little money a person possesses; judge by their national origin or judge by their position in society. Perhaps you judge their character, morality and values instead. In the example of America's "rush to judgment" of Dominique Strauss-Kahn, perpetuated by a media that seems more yellow and sensationalist than ever before in its history, a lone man was singled out for vilification and public humiliation from a pool of such men accused of doing such things on any such day in any such American city.
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