Latest articles
by Ralph Nader / November 13th, 2015
Fact: Tens of millions of Americans do not have a bank account. As a result, many of these Americans spend a reported $89 billion annually in interest and fees by using predatory services such as payday loan and check cashing services. It’s a perpetuating cycle of poverty in which the poor get poorer just by accessing their own money. Fortunately, there is an ideal solution staring us in the face. An important voice driving the conversation is Professor Mehrsa Baradaran of the University of Georgia Law School. Her excellent new book, …
by Andre Vltchek / November 13th, 2015
Saudi Prince Abdulmohsen bin Walid bin Abdulmohsen bin Abdulaziz Al Saud was obviously not fully satisfied with his life. A private jet, several luxury cars and a mansion were not enough to make him feel a truly fulfilled and respected member of the Gulf ruling “elites”. Others had more, like those double-decker Airbus 380’s, or tremendous duplexes overlooking Karbala.
Perhaps that was the reason why he tried so hard to catch up, by smuggling from Beirut, Lebanon to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (KSA), some 40 suitcases and boxes neatly packed with Captagon pills, with some cocaine thrown in for good measure.
I say …
by Andrey Fomine / November 13th, 2015
In December of last year we published an intriguing article by Dmitry Kalinichenko, “Grandmaster Putin’s Trap,” which has drawn far more attention from readers than we ever expected. It continues to be cited by many international political and economic experts. That article addressed Russia’s latent strategy to get rid of US bonds and use its petrodollars to buy monetary gold. It seemed for a while that the ruble’s nosedive late last year, coupled with the Kremlin’s reduced fiscal space, has left Moscow unable to pursue its plan to permanently diversify the international financial system. Nevertheless, taking …
by Robert Hunziker / November 13th, 2015
The 2015 Paris Climate Conference scheduled for November 30th – December 11th looks to be a humongous event, a big win with extremely significant world-changing implications for economic behavior and planetary health for decades and centuries to come.
If the hints and statements by Christiana Figueres, Executive Secretary of the UN Framework on Climate Change (“UNFCCC’) prove correct, the world is about to change in a very positive way.
Expectations are rising by the month, and now by the week, that COP21 will not be a cop-out, rather, for the first time in over 20 years of intransigency, a legally binding universal …
What Will We Do When One Third of Us are 65 or Older?
Village to Village Movement Tackles the Needs of Living at Home As Long As Possible
by Paul Haeder / November 12th, 2015
Roots
I remember ageism striking me right between the eyes, in Oaxaca, while I was climbing a pyramid at Monte Alban. Running, really. A silly sight from afar, trying to beat the veronica of the sun so I could get the “perfect” dusk shot with my Nikon.
Two elderly ladies on the side of the steps were selling beautiful weavings, something for which the Zapotec Indians of that region are known.
I got all huffy and puffy about their goods spread out on the steps. One of the 80-year-old women said to me in heavily accented Spanish, “ Calmate, joven. Despacio. En la …
by Graham Peebles / November 12th, 2015
The worlds we inhabit are noisy places. The external environment, particularly cities, where over half the population now live, suffocates under a cacophony of competing sounds, from road and air traffic, to power tools, car alarms and neon lights: and, for most of us, the internal, mental space in which we live is equally chaotic and cluttered. Contradictory thought patterns rise up one after another, jostling for attention, demanding to be heard and acted upon. Conditioned, and therefore partial thoughts, move us away from the present – where exists peace – and into conflict.
This endless stream of space invaders is …
by Rostislav Ischenko / November 12th, 2015
The paradox of the current global crisis is that for the last five years, all relatively responsible and independent nations have made tremendous efforts to save the United States from the financial, economic, military, and political disaster that looms ahead. And this is all despite Washington’s equally systematic moves to destabilize the world order, rightly known as the Pax Americana (“American peace”).
Since policy is not a zero-sum game; i.e., one participant’s loss does not necessarily entail a gain for another, this paradox has a logical explanation. A crisis erupts within any system when there is a discrepancy between its internal …
by Colin Jenkins / November 12th, 2015
In 1885, the Knights of Labor organized a successful strike against Jay Gould’s Missouri Pacific Railroad. In response to the strike, Gould famously growled, “I can hire half the working class to kill the other half.”
Gould was right. In any hierarchical arrangement, where power and wealth become concentrated in the hands of a few, this tactic becomes available to those wielding this power over a vast majority. Among the masses of workers, slaves, and impoverished, there will inevitably be many willing to “police their own” in order to be in the masters’ good graces. History is rife with these examples.
In …
by Kim Petersen / November 11th, 2015
As I write, highly civilized human beings are flying overhead trying to kill me.
They do not feel any enmity against me as an individual, nor I against them. They are only doing their duty, as the saying goes. Most of them, I have no doubt, are kind-hearted law-abiding men who would never dream of committing murder in private life. On the other hand, if one of them succeeds in blowing me to pieces with a well-placed bomb, he will never sleep any worse for it. He is serving his country, which has the power to absolve him from evil.
— …
by Syria Support Movement / November 11th, 2015
Elite Syrian army units have broken the siege of Kweires airbase, following weeks of intense fighting against Islamic State and other jihadist forces. The base, which opens up routes for offensives against Raqqa and Aleppo, had been encircled for nearly two years.
“We, the heroes of Kweires, are now celebrating this victory with our brothers,” a soldier told Syrian state television. “We dedicate this victory to President Bashar Assad and we promise him we will continue fighting until all of Syria is liberated. We will not kneel to Daesh” [Islamic State].
The advancing Tiger Forces, the name for the commando units in …
by Jonathan Cook / November 11th, 2015
Behind the headline news of clashes between Palestinian youths and armed Israeli soldiers, Israel has – as ever – been quietly tightening its grip on Palestinians’ lives in the occupied territories.Last week in Hebron, a current flashpoint, 50 embattled families still living in the Tel Rumeida neighbourhood, faced a new restriction on movement designed to help free up the area for intensified Jewish settlement.
Some of Tel Rumeida’s residents could be seen silently queuing at the local checkpoint to register their ID cards. Anyone not from the neighbourhood and not on the military’s list will be barred from entering.
Their response differed …
by Frank Scott / November 11th, 2015
The annual experience of pontificating politicians and their media stenographers extolling the virtues of the brave, heroic, selfless and dedicated heroes these draft dodgers and service avoiders laud for doing what they would never dream of doing is becoming ever more sickening. Especially as so many veterans are reduced to poverty, unemployment, living in their cars or on the street or wasting away in VA hospitals where budget cuts administered by free market fanatics of the right, center and what passes for a liberal left strengthen market forces at the expense of these quickly forgotten “patriots” who make life safe …
The Terrible Cost of Avoiding the Dangers of Kabul
by Brian Terrell / November 11th, 2015
When I arrived at the Kabul International Airport on November 4, I was unaware that the same day the New York Times published an article, “Life Pulls Back in Afghan Capital, as Danger Rises and Troops Recede.” My friends Abdulhai and Ali, 17 years old, young men I have known since my first visit five years ago, greeted me with smiles and hugs and took my bags. Disregarded by soldiers and police armed with automatic weapons, we caught up on old times as we walked past concrete blast walls, sand bag fortifications, check points and razor wire to the …
by Ramzy Baroud / November 11th, 2015
US Secretary of State, John Kerry, is often perceived as one of the ‘good ones’ – the less hawkish of top American officials, who does not simply promote and defend his country’s military adventurism but reaches out to others, beyond polarizing rhetoric.
His unremitting efforts culminated partly in the Iran nuclear framework agreement in April, followed by a final deal a few months later. Now, he is reportedly hard at work again to find some sort of consensus on a way out of the Syria war, a multi-party conflict that has killed over 300,000 people. His admirers see him as …
by Isaac Saney / November 11th, 2015
The Cuban people hold a special place in the hearts of the peoples of Africa. The Cuban internationalists have made a contribution to African independence, freedom and justice, unparalleled for its principled and selfless character…Cubans came to our region as doctors, teachers, soldiers, agricultural experts, but never as colonizers. They have shared the same trenches with us in the struggle against colonialism, underdevelopment, and apartheid.
— Nelson Mandela, Address to the Cuban People, July 26, 1991
November 5, 2015 marked the 40th anniversary of Operación Carlota, Cuba’s 15-year mission to defend Angola’s independence, which played a decisive role in southern African …
by James Hoover / November 10th, 2015
Ben Carson is the quiet, almost somnolent, version of Donald Trump. He is, like Trump, a political outsider, but a crafty politician all the same, without the reality TV persona of Donald Trump. Carson seems to share other attributes with “the Donald” though not commonly discussed in the media.
In an era of celebrity when we are encouraged, in fact, marketed to placate and coddle ourselves, flaws in the character of public images are usually deflected in the glow of spotlight. The image is often falsely projected and the best of it amplified for effect. Motivations and flaws are hidden behind …
by Norman Ball / November 10th, 2015
The recent ‘American boots’ committed to Syria seem tailor-made for walking in directions unknown. One hears the echoing footfall of ‘military advisers’ sent by Eisenhower to South Vietnam in 1955—a mission that crept like a snail into ignominy eighteen long years later with over 3 million Vietnamese dead and 58,000 US soldiers.
Before a mission can creep though, it must first possess discrete coordinates to creep away from, some postulated line in the sand. Empires buffer themselves from internal contradiction by speaking clearly. Language matters. The term itself — boots on the ground — is a mystery wrapped in an obfuscation. …
by Gilad Atzmon / November 10th, 2015
The following is the index I submitted to the British Columbia Supreme Court in relation to Arthur Topham’s trial. This text may help activists and anti imperialist commentators in their future battles with Israel’s supporters, Hasbara merchants and Sayanim in general.
Jewish Symbols
Zionism
Semitism
The Holocaust
Germany Must Perish/Israel Must Perish
The Protocols of the Elders of Zion
The Jewish Religion: Its Influence Today
The Controversy of Zion by Douglas Reed
Conclusion
Jewish Symbols
Once we realise the crucial distinctions among Jews (the people), Judaism (the religion) and Jewishness (ideology and politics), we are ready to accept that Jewish symbols …
by Robert Hunziker / November 10th, 2015
In America, a nascent movement against “politics as usual” or to put it another way, “anything other than the establishment” is reflected by the popularity of weird, offbeat presidential candidates like Donald Trump and Ben Carson. This looming national mood reflects a provocative anti-establishmentarianism, targeting exploitative and repressive neoliberal governmental policies.
But, America’s fledgling anti-establishmentarianism is relatively negligible when compared to the worldwide movement, which is gathering momentum by the month, by the year. It is now officially worldwide, as acrimony turns outrageously furious when people hit the streets.
Capitalists should be concerned. After all, neoliberal principles have effectively removed working people …
Let's remember the victims of Canada's troops
by Yves Engler / November 10th, 2015
Trudeau “unveils most diverse Cabinet in Canada’s history”, was how one media outlet described the new Liberal cabinet. It includes a Muslim woman, four Sikhs, an indigenous woman, two differently abled individuals and an equal number of women and men. Half even refused any reference to God at Wednesday’s swearing in ceremony.
But in one respect there was no diversity at all. Every single person wore a Remembrance Day poppy. Even Justin Trudeau’s young children were made to publicly commemorate Canadians (and allies) who died at war.
As we approach the 11th hour of the 11th day of the …
by Kevin Zeese and Margaret Flowers / November 9th, 2015
Just the other night we were discussing our upcoming November actions to stop the Trans-Pacific Partnership and other corporate trade agreements with two organizers, both in their twenties, Mackenzie McDonald Wilkins and J. Lee Stewart. We were trying to figure out what we could do to stop the corporate push for laws that will undermine workers and the environment while strengthening corporate power over democracy. This led to talking about how it is impossible to predict what the impacts of a protest action will be, even when the odds are against you.
At …
President Carter was not "The Human Rights President" – none were
by Jack Balkwill / November 9th, 2015
Molotov cocktail’s the local drink
And all she wants to do is dance, dance
They mix ’em up right
In the kitchen sink
And all she wants to do is dance
— “All She Wants to do is Dance,” written by Danny Kortchmar, and recorded by Don Henley on his Building the Perfect Beast album, 1985
Of all the modern presidents, Jimmy Carter is probably the most popular among Americans for his post-presidency. A recent poll shows this. Indeed, Carter said so himself when he told NBC News in 2010 that “my role as a former president is probably superior to that of other …
by Kim Petersen / November 9th, 2015
Sexual assault is a very serious matter. Any violence is serious.
Recently, a very skilled professional hockey player, Patrick Kane of the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks, made headlines because of his being alleged to have committed sexual assault against a woman. The woman who was allegedly the victim had her identity protected – as should be the case. But what about the alleged perpetrator who is now known to all followers of hockey and other news?
TSN reported, “People may not look at Kane the same way after this, even without prosecution but, on the ice, he’s had an exceptional start …
US goes on punishing Younous Chekkouri for, well, nothing really….
by William Boardman / November 9th, 2015
What do you say about the blameless man who was held at the Guantanamo concentration camp for 13 years, without trial, without charges against him, without credible evidence that he had done anything remotely deserving of 13 years of torture and isolation, with no hope of anything remotely like justice?
If you happened to be US senator Dianne Feinstein, you might write a chilly op-ed piece for the New York Times, calling for the umpteenth time since 2007 for closing the festering moral abscess you previously supported. In your op-ed you won’t mention those eight years of failure …
Part 1
by Gilad Atzmon / November 9th, 2015
The following is the first part of Gilad Atzmon’s Expert Witness Testimony at Arthur Topham’s criminal trial. This part contains a brief summary of Atzmon’s perception of the Jews and their politics. In the next part Atzmon will explain how these ideas serve to vindicate all forms of criticism of Jewish politics, ideology, symbols, rituals and so on.
*****
Attorney Barclay Johnson: Mr Atzmon, can you please elaborate on the notion of Jewish Identity Politics.
Expert Witness Gilad Atzmon: Identity politics is a relatively new study that looks into the meaning and the means of identification of various groups. Instead of asking what …
by Paul Craig Roberts / November 9th, 2015
The re-enserfment of Western peoples is taking place on several levels. One about which I have been writing for more than a decade comes from the offshoring of jobs. Americans, for example, have a shrinking participation in the production of the goods and services that are marketed to them.
On another level we are experiencing the financialization of the Western economy about which Michael Hudson is the leading expert (Killing The Host). Financialization is the process of removing any public presence in the economy and converting the economic surplus into interest payments to the financial sector.
These two developments deprive people of …
On the First Point of the Mont Order
by L'Ordre / November 8th, 2015
The internet has been called the largest experiment in anarchy. All online interaction seems to reflect this reality, and it is already necessary to respect it if one wishes to thrive online in terms of business or politics. In political terms, the internet drastically elevated the positions of common citizens, “hacktivists”, and even social movements.
Although the web has been with us now for quite a long time, it is still sufficiently new that its real potential to transform society has not yet been revealed. The second point in the Mont Order information society’s recent Seven Points program, which was developed …
Updated with Addendum and Letter from Life Chief Gary Metallic
by Bruce Clark / November 8th, 2015
Canada and Israel equally practice occupiers’ justice. Both occupy land in contravention of their constitutions. When Israel was constitutionally established by international law fiat it was on condition that its land base would be counterbalanced by the complementary land base of the Palestinian State. Relying upon the international law doctrine of effective occupation Israel now occupies more than its allotted share, and blocks the creation of the Palestinian State, aided and abetted by other occupiers—Canada, the United States, Australia and New Zealand—each constitution respects the land rights of their respective indigenous populations while ignoring them in practice.…
It’s Worse Than You Think
by K.J. Noh / November 8th, 2015
The TPP, the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the corporate Mega-deal on “free trade” has been concluded between the partner states, and is now in the final stages of its ratification. This deal involves the US and 11 other countries (Canada, US, Mexico, Chile, Peru; Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, Brunei, Japan) of the Pacific Rim, representing 40% of global economic activity. The text was secretly negotiated by hundreds of corporate lobbyists. It has now been released, and Congress will have 90 days to examine the 6000 page text before approving, which will allow the President to sign it in to law.
For six years, this …
by John Stanton / November 7th, 2015
The modification of gender from being a variable of sex to an independent cultural order of knowledge entailed a shift in the intelligibility and governability of sexual lives, bodies and selves. By defining it as explicitly separated from sex with its own series of data, [Robert J.] Stoller introduced gender as a phenomenon with its own constituent parts (gender, gender role, gender identity) and formative mechanisms that needed to be discovered, examined and exploited to cure, placate and normalize sexual deviancy. In the process it was a mechanism not only of psychiatric power but also of disciplinary power and biopower, …
