Analysis Topic: Politics & Social Trends
The analysis published under this topic are as follows.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
George W. Bush's "Decision Points" 497 Page Excuse for War Crimes and Torture / Politics / US Politics
By: Global_Research
Andrei Fedyashin writes: All political memoirs are, to some extent, an exercise in self-justification, especially those by presidents and prime ministers - an obvious point, but true nonetheless. The original idea behind memoirs was to provide thoughtful reflection on past events and actions. Now they function more like a preemptive strike. Politicians use their memoirs to define their role in history before historians do it for them.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Google Got Flack Over Leaked Diaoyu/Senkaku Sino-Japanese Boat Clash Videos / Politics / GeoPolitics
By: Static_Chaos
The video of the infamous collision between Japanese coastguard vessel and a Chinese fishing boat off the disputed Diaoyu or Senkaku Islands in September was recently leaked and surfaced on YouTube (below).
From the YouTube video, the Chinese fishing boat--Minjinyu 5179--collided twice with Japanese coast guard ships Yonakuni, and another collision with patrol boat the Mizuki. The whole footage was 44-minute long, and only the actual collision part is posted here.
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Thursday, November 11, 2010
Tea Party Fraud, True Bature of the Latest Political Scam Artists / Politics / US Politics
By: Butler_Shaffer
With the 2010 general elections over, attention shifts – as it always does following each election – to consideration of the next presidential steeplechase. "Who’s it gonna be?, who’s it gonna be?, who’s it gonna be?," is the refrain already begun on CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, and other directors of the Boobeoisie Chorus. For a politically-centralized society to maintain its pyramidal structure, it is essential that men and women be constantly reminded of their subject status. An ongoing curiosity as to the identity of their future masters keeps their minds from wandering to more important matters.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
A Primer on Natural Resources and the Environment / Politics / Environmental Issues
By: George_Reisman
There is a fundamental fact about the world that has profound implications for the supply of natural resources and for the relationship between production and economic activity on the one side and man's environment on the other. This is the fact that the entire earth consists of solidly packed chemical elements. There is not a single cubic centimeter either on or within the earth that is not some chemical element or other, or some combination of chemical elements. Any scoop of earth, taken from anywhere, reveals itself upon analysis to be nothing but a mix of elements ranging from aluminum to zirconium. Measured from the upper reaches of its atmosphere 4,000 miles straight down to its center, the magnitude of the chemical elements constituting the earth is 260 billion cubic miles.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Will G20 Take a Collective Stand on Capital Controls? / Politics / Global Financial System
By: Global_Research
Kavaljit Singh writes: Leaders of the G20 will meet in Seoul on Nov. 11 and 12 to discuss a myriad of issues concerning global financial stability and economic recovery. In many ways, the G20 Seoul Summit is significant because for the first time it is hosted by a non-G8 nation and one in Asia too.
The two-day Seoul summit covers an expansive agenda, ranging from global safety nets to new rules on bank capital and liquidity requirements to reforming the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
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Wednesday, November 10, 2010
World Bank Head Calls for Monetary System Linked to Gold / Politics / Global Financial System
By: Barry_Grey
In the run-up to the G20 summit of leading economies, to be held Thursday and Friday in Seoul, the president of the World Bank has published a column in the Financial Times calling for a fundamental revamping of the global currency system involving a lesser role for the US dollar and a modified gold standard. The Financial Times underscored the significance of the column by making it the subject of its front-page lead article on Monday.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Time To Act: A Campaign To Jail Wall Street Fraudsters / Politics / US Politics
By: Danny_Schechter
“I’ll have the Chateau Mouton-Rothschild from 1982,” a Wall Street investment banker recently told his waiter at the latest and greatest shi-shi restaurant in Greenwich Village.
“Yes sir, but I want you to know, the cost is $$3,950,” according to the New York Times.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
The Top 10 Most Corrupt and Clean Countries / Politics / GeoPolitics
By: Global_Intel_Report
After recent reports that Afghan President Hamid Karzai and other government officials received bags of cash from Iran, it's no surprise that Afghanistan would be near the top of a ranking published last week of the most corrupt countries in the world.
The Corruption Perceptions Index from Transparency International, a nongovernmental organization based in Berlin and operating in 70 countries, ranked the Central Asian country second only to Somalia and tied with Myanmar for its perceived level of government corruption.
Tuesday, November 09, 2010
Welcome To India, Obama Sahib / Politics / US Politics
By: LewRockwell
Eric Margolis writes: Getting out of the Washington goldfish bowl is also good for American presidents, particularly after an electoral shellacking.
It must have been a relief for President Barack Obama to see smiling Indian officials on his visit to Delhi rather than snarling Republicans back home.
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Tuesday, November 09, 2010
The Effects of ObamaCare, Unintended Consequences of Health Care Reform / Politics / Healthcare Sector
By: John_Mauldin
What will be the effects of ObamaCare? My friend Lisa Cummings, an expert on employee benefits (she was one of the first employees at Dell and was a senior exec at Wal-Mart), has analyzed the bill; and from what she tells me it appears to be one big pile of unintended consequences and costs. It will be far cheaper for an employer to simply pay the $2,000 fine and pay for the employee to enroll in the government health exchange program, which of course puts more cost on the taxpayer. Behind the curtain of wonderful and laudable objectives is a mountain of regulations and costs. But that is what is coming. I asked Lisa to give me a written report on just the more important changes and costs, and that is your Outside the Box reading today.
Tuesday, November 09, 2010
Inside Washington, What Election Results 2010 Mean For 2012 / Politics / US Politics
By: Global_Intel_Report
This analysis provides an initial look at some of the ways the election results will affect Capitol Hill and the Executive Branch during the coming lame duck session and the beginning of the 112th Session of Congress.
Tuesday, November 09, 2010
End of the Statist Quo, Switzerland's Tempting Tax Regimes Attract UK Firms / Politics / Government Intervention
By: David_Galland
David Galland, Managing Director, Casey Research writes: Here at Casey Research, we have been rather negative about the economy for many moons. To be otherwise in the face of the decades-long trend toward ever more government - along with its increasingly destructive and expensive meddling in the free markets - would have been foolish. And, so far, we have been right.
Monday, November 08, 2010
Plutocracy Now! / Politics / US Politics
By: Ashvin_Pandurangi
Every so often, Americans should stop everything they're doing for a moment, and reflect upon the nature of their country. Specifically, upon what has traditionally been this country's defining characteristic. Was it our capitalist economy? No, there are many capitalistic countries around the world and capitalism was not first formulated by Americans. What about our emphasis on personal freedom? Well, once again, many countries preach the virtues of freedom and many groups of people have fought for freedom well before America was formed. Surely it has been our diverse populace and our tolerance of all races, genders, sexual preferences... yeah, right. Personally, I would answer that it was our written Constitution and the democratic values embodied within it.
Monday, November 08, 2010
Dollar Breakdown, America Has Lost its Imagination, Its Population Brainwashed to Do the Elites Bidding / Politics / US Politics
By: Anthony_J_Stills
“Imagination has brought mankind through the dark ages to its present state of civilization. Imagination led Columbus to discover America. Imagination led Franklin to discover electricity.” -L. Frank Baum
In my opinion America has lost its imagination. The populace has been brainwashed into letting a select group of individuals do all the thinking for them. In the best of all possible worlds it will produce a population that is dull and capable of only doing menial tasks for a menial wage, even if the people in charge have the best of intentions.
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Monday, November 08, 2010
Time for Congress to Reject the Welfare / Warfare State / Politics / US Politics
By: Dr_Ron_Paul
Last week's midterm elections have been characterized as a victory for grassroots Americans who are fed up with Washington and the political status quo. In particular, the elections are being touted as a clear indicator that voters demand reductions in federal spending, deficits, and debt.
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Monday, November 08, 2010
America's Economic and Social Crisis, Profits or Prosperity? / Politics / US Politics
By: Global_Research
Zoltan Zigedy writes: Data on US profits for the second quarter of this year are well worth studying, not only for what they say about the health of the corporate sector, but also for what they reveal about the structure of our economic system and the priorities of our policy makers.
Sunday, November 07, 2010
Greenspan and the Economic Crisis, "Moral Hazard" and Financial Fraud are the Main Problems / Politics / Credit Crisis 2010
By: Washingtons_Blog
Even Alan Greenspan is confirming what William Black, James Galbraith, Joseph Stiglitz, George Akerlof and many other economists and financial experts have been saying for a long time: the economy cannot recover if fraud is not prosecuted and if the big banks know that government will bail them out every time they get in trouble.
Sunday, November 07, 2010
Fake U.S. Unemployment Data, Rising Poverty in America / Politics / Economic Statistics
By: Paul_Craig_Roberts
If we cannot trust what the government tells us about weapons of mass destruction, terrorist events, and the reasons for its wars and bailouts, can we trust the government’s statement last Friday that the US economy gained 151,000 payroll jobs during October?
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Sunday, November 07, 2010
Mobile Cell Phone Radiation The Health Hazards / Politics / Social Issues
By: Joel_S_Hirschhorn
It is now inconceivable that our world could function without the 5 billion cell phones used globally. The new book by Devra Davis “Disconnect” deserves your attention. Indeed, if you use a cell phone a lot it should be mandatory reading.
It also seems inconceivable that the trillion dollar cell phone industry and governments worldwide could have pushed this technology without ever having solid research results proving the safety of cell phones. If true that would be deadly frightening. But that is exactly the reality.
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Saturday, November 06, 2010
How the Republicans Will Sucker the Tea Party / Politics / US Politics
By: Gary_North
First, you must understand that Boehner is a GobGop: a Good Old Boy of the Grand Old Party. The GobGops' goal is to keep the present system funded by the Bigs: Big Business, Big Pharma, Big Oil, and Big Banking. If you do not understand this, then you are as naive as a Democrat who thinks Obama speaks for The Common Man.