Obama’s Speech In Egypt

Much has been made of President Barack Obama’s “reconciliation” speech in Cairo, Egypt, last week. For the most part, the American media have focused on Obama’s attempt to “repair” relations with the Muslim nations of the world. For example, Obama referenced the Koran five times, and the Bible only once. (It is noteworthy that one of the Koranic references Obama used was a verse dedicated to Islamic Jihad, in which Muslims are required to kill infidels–meaning those who are... Read article

Will there be Zimbabwe-type Hyperinflation in the U.S.A.?

The Republicans are convinced that hyperinflation is just around the corner, but don’t believe it. The real enemy is deflation, which is why Fed chief Bernanke has taken such extraordinary steps to pump liquidity into the system. The economy is flat on its back and hemorrhaging a half a million jobs per month. The housing market is crashing, retail sales are in a funk, manufacturing is down, exports are falling, and consumers have started saving for the first time in decades. There’s excess capacity everywhere... Read article

Joe Scarborough’s new book & other sad tales from the NYC Book Expo

After touring New York City by subway Saturday night, I was ready to go back to the 2009 Book Expo and enjoy another one of their coolness Authors’ Breakfasts. “Who will be giving me free books this time?” I wondered, getting so excited I could hardly wait for the doors to open Sunday morning. “And today’s speaker will be…Joe Scarborough!” Nooooo! This is the man that former U.S. National Security Adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski called “stunningly superficial”.... Read article

Questioning the Morality of Displacing American Workers

Today, 15 million American citizens cannot find work.  As of June 2009, 32.2 million American citizens subsist on food stamps. (That number is correct!) This nation staggers under $10.3 trillion debt. Our Congress supports a $700 billion annual trade deficit. That body of 535 men and women elected to represent the American electorate supports off-shoring, out-sourcing and in-sourcing of American jobs. Additionally, President Barack Obama, following in the footsteps of George W. Bush, supports in excess of 20 million criminal... Read article

Animal Rights, Ecofeminism, and Rooster Rehab

Mickey Z. interviews pattrice jones pattrice jones is an ecofeminist educator, activist, and writer. She is the author of Aftershock: Confronting Trauma in a Violent World: A Guide for Activists and Their Allies and co-founder of the Eastern Shore Sanctuary and Education Center. Founded in a rural region of Maryland dominated by the poultry industry, the sanctuary provides a haven for hens, roosters and ducks who have escaped or been rescued from the meat and egg industries or other abusive circumstances, such as cockfighting.... Read article

Wall Street ends Hope for Homeowners via Congress

As if the bank bailouts weren’t proof enough that Wall Street owned Congress. History will likely show that these bailouts involved the largest transfer of wealth ever — from the working class to that small group of billionaires who own the corporations. This fact is recognized by most people now and is such common knowledge that even the mainstream media feels comfortable discussing it…matter-of-factly. These corporations have also exerted tremendous influence in other realms of politics, working towards destroying... Read article

The Great, International, Demonic, Truly Frightening Iranian Threat

The United States is “facing a nuclear threat in Iran” – article in Chicago Tribune and other major newspapers, May 26 “the growing missile threat from North Korea and Iran” – article in the Washington Post and other major newspapers, May 26 “Iran’s threat transcends religion. Regardless of sectarian bent, Muslim communities need to oppose the attempts by Iran … to extend Shia extremism and influence throughout the world.” – op-ed article in Boston Globe,... Read article

Heresy of the First Order: We are the “Third Chimpanzees”

By Jason Miller “On this dot, tiny lumps of impure carbon and water, of complicated structure, with somewhat unusual physical and chemical properties, crawl about for a few years, until they are dissolved again into the elements of which they are compounded.” – Bertrand Russell (1872-1970) from “Dreams and Facts” Russell’s nihilistic characterization of Homo sapiens injects some much-needed perspective into a world in which our species of intellectually evolved primates suffers a collective... Read article

Obama Stuck to the Script on the Israeli-Arab Conflict in His Cairo Speech

In his speech in Cairo last Thursday, U.S. President Barack Obama noted that the “situation” between Israel and Palestinians was a “major source of tension” that must be addressed. His addressing of that issue began with a reemphasize of “America’s strong bonds with Israel”, which “is unbreakable.” The “aspiration for a Jewish homeland”, he said, “is rooted in a tragic history” of anti-Semitic persecution and the Holocaust that, he correctly noted,... Read article

An Examination of the Tragedy of the Commons: Pollution

Part 2: Pollution… As stated in “Part 1: what we face” of this four part series, “Part 2: pollution” deals with a predicament few understand as to long term consequences.  Yes, we create a few laws to mitigate water, land and air pollution, but we continue injecting 72,000 chemicals into our environment 24/7.  We exhaust billions of tons of petroleum products, coal burning particulate and worse. Results:  The chemicalized Mississippi River creates a 10,000 square mile dead zone whereby most... Read article

Securitization: The Biggest Rip-off Ever

Is it possible to make hundreds of billions of dollars in profits on securities that are backed by nothing more than cyber-entries into a loan book? It’s not only possible; it’s been done. And now the scoundrels who cashed in on the swindle have lined up outside the Federal Reserve building to trade their garbage paper for billions of dollars of taxpayer-funded loans. Where’s the justice? Meanwhile, the credit bust has left the financial system in a shambles and driven the economy into the ground like... Read article

Making sense of a U.S. owned General Motors

Now that the United States owns General Motors, many are asking, “What’s in it for taxpayers?” This is an extremely good question, considering that taxpayers may spend up to $100 billion [!] towards a company that’s currently worth around $450 million. (Wall Street Journal, 6/02/09) This large discrepancy in numbers means, obviously, that taxpayers could lose tremendous amounts of “investment” money if Obama’s “profit first” plan is put into effect. What is this plan? Strip the company to a fraction... Read article

Lorrie Moore, Daniel Pink, Pat Conroy & “You time-wasting ding-dong!”

More notes from the NYC Book Expo… If you are interested in finding out what is new in the world of book-publishing, all you gotta do is ask me. After spending two whole days poking around at the massive 2009 Book Expo in New York City, I now know just about EVERYTHING there is to know about new books. Every year the book-publishing industry puts on a huge show for book sellers and librarians and they pull out all the stops to make sure we all know just exactly books are going to be published next.... Read article

Chosen Nukes

The struggle for Korean nuclear independence is extremely relevant for the Middle East, and first of all, for the Iranian nuclear project. The Judeo-American interests want to turn North Korea into an example for Iran. They wish to do something nasty to not-too-relevant Korea so that Iran will fall in line. But a nuclear Iran is likely to check Israeli warmongers and force Israel to proceed with peace process. The balance of fear, or MAD (mutual assured destruction) is still the only way to deal with the Israeli-American... Read article

An Examination of the Tragedy of the Commons: Immigration

Part 1: What we all face… Each week, hundreds of emails stream into my inbox concerning columns I have written addressing immigration and overpopulation. Most thank me, others condemn me and still others curse me. I am an educator. I make fun of no man. I know everyone paddles his or her canoe through life in the best way possible. We each seek love, purpose and happiness. We love our families and friends. We take part in our communities in every hamlet in the world. Even with all the war and unrest in many parts... Read article

Bond Market Blowout

Last week’s ructions in the bond market, leave little doubt that the financial crisis has entered a new and more lethal phase. Of particular concern is the spike in long-term Treasuries which are used to set interest rates on mortgages and other loans. On Thursday, the average rate for a 30-year fixed loan jumped from 5.03% to 5.44% in just two days. The sudden move put the mortgage market in a panic and stopped the refinancing of billions of dollars in loans. The yields on Treasuries are going up because investors... Read article

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