Archive for the 'Economy' Category
‘Soviet’ Britain Swells Amid the Recession
January 31st, 2009Yes, Minister – Empty Hospital. Via: Times Online: PARTS of the United Kingdom have become so heavily dependent on government spending that the private sector is generating less than a third of the regional economy, a new analysis has found. The study of “Soviet Britain” has found the government’s share of output and expenditure has […]
Graduate School in the Humanities: Just Don’t Go
January 31st, 2009Via: Chronicle of Higher Education: Just to be clear: There is work for humanities doctorates (though perhaps not as many as are currently being produced), but there are fewer and fewer real jobs because of conscious policy decisions by colleges and universities. As a result, the handful of real jobs that remain are being pursued […]
Defense Department Announces Civilian Expeditionary Workforce
January 30th, 2009Via: Infowars: The Defense Department has established a “civilian expeditionary workforce” that will see American civilians trained and equipped to deploy overseas in support of worldwide military missions. The move is seen by some as an initial step towards fulfilling president Obama’s promise to form a civilian national security force as powerful as the U.S. […]
NZ Dollar Could ‘Drop Below US40c’
January 30th, 2009WARNING: This is not a recommendation to buy, sell or hold any financial instrument. This is a few days old, but it demonstrates how gold works in an economic collapse situation: Safe haven’ gold hits record New Zealand price: Surging international prices and the weakening kiwi currency caused gold to hit a New Zealand dollar […]
Geithner Enlists Goldman Sachs Lobbyist as Top Aide
January 30th, 2009In other news, William Dudley, a former Goldman Sachs Chief Economist will replace Geithner at the New York Fed. Via: Politico: Newly installed Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner issued new rules Tuesday restricting contacts with lobbyists – and then hired one to be his top aide. Mark Patterson, a former advocate for Goldman Sachs, will serve […]
Iceland to be Fast-Tracked Into the EU
January 30th, 2009Imagine my shock. Via: Guardian: Iceland will be put on a fast track to joining the European Union to rescue the small Arctic state from financial collapse amid rising expectations that it will apply for membership within months, senior policy-makers in Brussels and Reykjavik have told the Guardian.
Fannie Mae Logic Bomb Would Have Caused Weeklong Shutdown
January 30th, 2009Via: Wired: A logic bomb allegedly planted by a former engineer at mortgage finance company Fannie Mae last fall would have decimated all 4,000 servers at the company, causing millions of dollars in damage and shutting down Fannie Mae for a least a week, prosecutors say. Unix engineer Rajendrasinh Babubha Makwana, 35, was indicted (.pdf) […]
“You are up against some really nasty, vicious people,” the Senator said, “They will not hesitate to kill you.”
January 30th, 2009Via: Deep Capture: During the fall of 2006, Patrick Byrne had some strange experiences as well. Somebody broke into Patrick’s home, and soon after, somebody broke into the home of a woman who was Patrick’s girlfriend at the time. Then somebody threw a pair of metal gardening shears through the window of the girlfriend’s restaurant. […]
Flood of Foreclosures: It’s Worse Than You Think
January 30th, 2009Via: CNN: Housing might be in worse shape than we think. There is probably even more excess housing inventory gumming up the market than current statistics indicate, thanks to a wave of foreclosures that has yet to hit the market. The problem: Many foreclosed homes and other distressed properties that are now owned by banks […]
Americans Receiving Jobless Benefits Hits Record
January 29th, 2009Via: AP: The government says the number of people receiving unemployment benefits has reached an all-time high as layoffs spread throughout the economy. The Labor Department says the number of laid-off workers continuing to claim unemployment insurance for the week ending Jan. 17 was a seasonally adjusted 4.78 million, the highest since records began in […]
