COVID-19 and Catastrophe Capitalism (tags)
The scale of the coronavirus pandemic and its consequences on world accumulation are unprecedented, with the global economic costs still increasing. At the end of March, some three billion people on the planet were in lockdown or social-distancing mode.36
Differing Views on China (tags)
China
Ukraine: Central European Powder Keg (tags)
Ukraine
US Trade Representative Dodges Senate Fast Track Hearing (tags)
The US Trade Representative (USTR) declined an invitation to testify at the Senate Finance Committee opening hearing on the controversial “Fast Track” legislation – leaving an Ohio Republican, Sen. Rob Portman, in the position of representing the White House...
North Korean economy surrenders to foreign currency invasion (tags)
Chinese currency and U.S. dollars are being used more widely than ever in North Korea instead of the country's own money, a stark illustration of the extent to which the leadership under Kim Jong-un has lost control over the economy.
Whittemore indicted on conduit contribution charges, lying to FBI (tags)
Nevada mega-developer Harvey Whittemore was indicted Weds. for illegal conduit campaign contributions to Senator Harry Reid from the Wingfield Co. (shared with another mega-developer Albert Seeno). It is understood that these contributions were to allow Wingfield's Coyote Springs housing development to proceed despite violating numerous environmental laws and requiring the contruction of the $15 billion SNWA pipeline from the rural districts 300 miles to the north.
Bretton Woods 2.0: Soros New World Order Conference (tags)
new world order
Census Bureau Confirms Rising Poverty, Falling Incomes, and Growing Numbers of Uninsured (tags)
growing poverty and despair in America
Leading Economist Decries Power of Wall Street "Oligarchs" (tags)
n a fascinating piece in the latest issue of The Atlantic, Simon Johnson, former chief economist at the International Monetary Fund, outlines what he sees as the alarming influence of Wall Street firms over the American economy. He expounds on his thesis in our interview, making several points:
More from the Front Lines of the Financial Crisis (tags)
The worst is yet to come.
Shouting from the Caboose (tags)
Hope lies beyond Social Darwinism and hyper-individualism. As the end of cheap oil could be the beginning of real community, the end of everyday time could be the beginning of kairos time, the time of decision. Black is a new consciousnessness, not a skin color (Steve Biko)
Is the "Mother of all Financial Crises" Imminent? (tags)
A trade-weighted devaluation of the dollar of around 25 percent is necessary allowing the US currency to ski "gradually and orderly" against free-floating currencies. The IMF could establish a "substitution account" with "special drawing rights" to avert a dollar panic.
Global Warming and Agriculture: Impact Estimates by Country (tags)
...while there is growing recognition that global warming is a problem, little attention has been paid to the likely impact at the country level, especially in the developing world. In this new book, William Cline, a joint senior fellow at CGD and the Peterson Institute for International Economics, provides the first ever estimates of the impact on agriculture by country, with a particular focus on social and economic implications in China, India, Brazil, and the poor countries of the tropical belt in Africa and Latin America.