Archive for the 'Economy' Category
Italian Crime Group Worth More Than Some Nations’ GDP
May 21st, 2008Via: Reuters: The ‘Ndrangheta, the Italian organised crime group, does yearly business equivalent to some 3 percent of Italy’s economy and more than the total of that of some small European nations, according to a study on Wednesday. The crime group, which has overtaken the Sicilian Mafia for control of drug trafficking, was responsible for […]
Squatters “Rent Out” Foreclosed Homes
May 20th, 2008Via: Reuters: They enter through a broken first-floor window each night to sleep on a moldy bed in the abandoned four-family house at 827 Main Street, part of a new generation of squatters emboldened by America’s housing foreclosure crisis. “For squatters, foreclosed homes like this are like a camp-ground with free camping,” says real-estate broker […]
Manufacturing a Food Crisis
May 19th, 2008Key word: Manufacturing. That’s a good word to remember when considering most global crises. Via: Nation Piece via Counter Currents: Collapse of prices from trade liberalization and loss of control over seeds to biotech firms is part of a comprehensive problem, says global justice activist Vandana Shiva: “Under globalization, the farmer is losing her/his social, […]
China’s All-Seeing Eye
May 19th, 2008The one is a bit long, but very worth reading, especially if you liked/were terrified by, The Last Roundup: MAIN CORE. If you plan on reading this, click through to the main story because my excerpt includes the grim spoiler ending. Via: Rolling Stone: China today, epitomized by Shenzhen’s transition from mud to megacity in […]
BAE Bosses Detained by U.S. Investigators Over Saudi Arms Bribery Case
May 19th, 2008This is an astonishing case of life imitating Yes Minister, an outstanding BBC television series from the 1980s. Check out the plot summary for The Moral Dimension. This wasn’t bribery! Oh Heavens no. This was, “creative negotiation.” I think that my favorite Yes, Minister episode is Whiskey Priest, but it’s a tough call. Anyway… Back […]
Saudis Won’t Increase Oil Output, Gold Back Above $900
May 16th, 2008I wasn’t even going to mention this Bush-asking-the-Saudis-for-a-Biscuit bullshit, but $900 on gold is an important technical milestone. As oil surges to a new record, here are a couple of things to keep in mind: Engdahl: Perhaps 60% of Today’s Oil Price is Pure Speculation Business Week: There Is no Gas Shortage Also: Crude Oil […]
The New Homeless: Formerly Middle Class People Sleeping in Their Cars
May 16th, 2008Maybe those SUV purchases weren’t stupid choices after all—people are living in them now. This is a CNN video report: The New Homeless. Research Credit: PD
U.S. Government Hiding True Unemployment Rate in Statistics
May 16th, 2008Via: Daily Reckoning / Mogambo: In fact, there are now more people on Government Payrolls (22,385,000) than Goods Producing payrolls (21,618,000)! Hahaha! We are so freaking doomed! What makes it So Damned Funny (SDF) is that a conceited, self-absorbed nation like America, that boasts how smart we are, cannot possibly realize the utter, utter stupidity […]
Not-So-Safe-Deposit Boxes: States Seize Citizens’ Property to Balance Their Budgets
May 15th, 2008Via: ABC News: The 50 U.S. states are holding more than $32 billion worth of unclaimed property that they’re supposed to safeguard for their citizens. But a “Good Morning America” investigation found some states aggressively seize property that isn’t really unclaimed and then use the money — your money — to balance their budgets. Unclaimed […]
Foreclosure Filings Hit Record in April
May 14th, 2008Via: CNN: U.S. foreclosure filings reached a record high in April, rising almost 65% over the previous year and putting municipalities at risk by cutting into the value of taxed property, according to a study released Wednesday. Some 243,353 households, nearly one in 519, received a foreclosure filing during April, according to the U.S. Foreclosure […]
