OBSIDIAN WINGS
Amazon's Business Model Is a Performance
by Doctor Science Yesterday was Amazon "Prime Day", and workers for Amazon in Spain and other European countries were on strike (I don't know if this had anything to do with the site's technical problems ). Amazon is a notoriously terrible employer, but when I look at how CEO Jeff Bezos is running the company and what his business model seems to be, the bad working conditions and low pay aren't t
speaking of unrepresentative branches of government...
by russell In the SCOTUS post, Sebastian raised the problem of the Supreme Court making rulings that result in laws and policies that do not reflect the will of the people, i.e., do not align with what the majority of people want. Which is something to be concerned about. If governance drifts too far from the popular will, we have trouble. Then, this , from the Washington Post, appears in my in-b
Change of Pace: Memory and Memoir
Obsidian Wings / 4d
by JanieM Three headings: a memoir, a novel, and a panel discussion. 1. The memoir: Call Me American , by Abdi Nor Iftin Abdi Nor Iftin is an immigrant from Somalia, a young man in his early thirties who settled in Maine a few years ago. As a boy in war-torn Mogadishu, he was so enthralled with the idea of America that he had a nickname on the streets: “Abdi American.” Abdi lived through unbeliev
Gaming Out Court Packing
--By Sebastian Justice Kennedy resigning is a horrible blow. As a gay man I wouldn't say that he always had our back, but he was an ally (in the sense of having very different priorities, yet still working together with us) nonetheless. If we are going to get through all this we probably need to accept even reluctant sort-of allies. In the parts of the blogosphere and social media world I inhabit
Quick and Easy . . . NOT!
by wj For the past week, we have mostly been focused on the family separation fiasco. Understandably. But in some senses this has been just another distraction effort (after all, they have now gone 3 steps forward and 1 step back; probably without general notice of the net movement). Meanwhile, there have been other things going on which will end up having a bigger impact on more people, both in
SCOTUS Justices are not Judges
Obsidian Wings / 11d
by Ugh As many (some?) of you know, I was "lucky" enough to take Constitutional Law from Prof. John "Torture? Hell yeah!" Yoo at Berkeley, back before his tenure at OLC in the Bush Administration. This was Con Law I, which mainly focused on things like separation of powers, the rights and duties of the legislative, executive, and judicial branches, and not, e.g., the Bill of Rights, due process,
FROM THE WILDERNESS' PEAK OIL BLOG
From Jenna Orkin Australian Governments: Great Barrier Reef Headed for Collapse Terror Attacks Committed by Muslims Rec...
From Jenna Orkin Australian Governments: Great Barrier Reef Headed for Collapse Terror Attacks Committed by Muslims Receive 357% More Attention than Others Coded: Hacker/Journalist Collaborative Effort in Sarajevo Coded Which countries are they focussing on, we wonder... Ecuador to Hand Over Assange to UK in Days or Weeks Sweden's farmers count cost of historic drought China Just Doubled Oil Ship
From Jenna Orkin Alleged Russian Spy Was Working to Infiltrate Christian Right More interesting than it sounds. Federal...
From Jenna Orkin Alleged Russian Spy Was Working to Infiltrate Christian Right More interesting than it sounds. Federal Court Stops EPA from Easing Rules on Truck Pollution A temporary stay of execution. Russian Warship "Carrying $133 Billion In Gold" Discovered Off South Korea NASA's Curiosity on Mars video . Meat and Dairy Companies to Surpass Oil Industry as World's Biggest Polluters "Get The
From Jenna Orkin The suspects who poisoned ex-Russian spy Sergei Skripal have reportedly been identified by police Zuck...
From Jenna Orkin The suspects who poisoned ex-Russian spy Sergei Skripal have reportedly been identified by police Zuckerberg Defends Rights of Holocaust Deniers Trump fundamentally undermines NATO, suggests 'aggressive' Montenegro may attack Russia to start World War III Cambridge Analytica's Facebook data was accessed in Russia FBI Director: China, not Russia, is the biggest threat to the US 'T
From Jenna Orkin Sweden on Fire - Over 60 Forest Fires Europe's Blistering Heat Wave Ruining This Year's Harvest Federa...
From Jenna Orkin Sweden on Fire - Over 60 Forest Fires Europe's Blistering Heat Wave Ruining This Year's Harvest Federal Appeals Court to Decide How Much Public Can Know About 9/11 Putin hinted he wanted Trump to give him access to one man — and it reveals his greatest weakness Putin's soccer ball gift to Trump may be bugged, or worse — and the US may never know Ireland To Move All Its Oil Reserv
From Jenna Orkin The Relentless Radicalization Of Sweden Diseases spread by ticks are on the rise — here's what you are...
From Jenna Orkin The Relentless Radicalization Of Sweden Diseases spread by ticks are on the rise — here's what you are at risk for throughout the US Former congressman Joe Walsh explains how Sacha Baron Cohen 'duped' him into supporting arming toddlers with guns World's Largest Shipping Company Collapses as Trade War Reality Hits Beijing Sends Spy Ship To Monitor Rimpac Wargames After Being Disi
From Jenna Orkin Sacha Baron Cohen allows the NRA and its Congressional aides de camp to show their true colors Retirem...
From Jenna Orkin Sacha Baron Cohen allows the NRA and its Congressional aides de camp to show their true colors Retirement Investors made a huge mistake assuming 7% is an average return because 600 million workers are about to disappear from the global economy Rich are Planning to Leave Rest of Us Behind Of course. What's most interesting about this article is that CNBC took it from Medium. 2 Geo
GLOBALOVE THINK TANK
GOVERNMENT AND TAXES
BWorld 232, Effects of fare control
Government and Taxes / 1d
* This is my article in BusinessWorld last Monday, July 16. Government has the tendency to throw its weight around, especially affecting people and private enterprises that it regulates. If players are deemed “friends” or crony of the administration in power, they enjoy kid-glove treatment, allowing them to get off lightly in terms of penalties and fines. Otherwise, if the players are outside the
Comparative quarterly growth of China, Germany and US
Government and Taxes / 1d
GDP quarterly growth of the Big 3. (1) China keeps high growth but decelerating this year. (2) Germany picking up speed but decelerating also this year. (3) USA picking up speed, consistently. Data source: Trading Economics. Many anti-T will be unhappy to see numbers like this. For them, Mr T is "evil, insane, misogynist,..." he should be leading the US economy to oblivion. And now reports: (1) I
BWorld 231, Lessons from the Energy Policy Development Program
Government and Taxes / 1d
* This is my column in BusinessWorld last July 12, 2018. Next week, the Energy Policy Development Program (EPDP), a USAID-funded project implemented by the UP Economics Foundation, will have its last lecture and the launch of a book that incorporates conferences, lectures, and seminars the program has sponsored over the last four years. Among the EPDP lectures that I enjoyed — all held at the UP
Weekend Fun 65, Go Bato sa Senado
Government and Taxes / 1d
I got this photo from Florin/Pilo Hilbay's fb and tw, very witty: "Animal. may sungay. mabilis tumakbo." The term "mabilis tumakbo" (runs fast) refers to his plan to run for Senator next year. He denies he plans to run, of course, but the photos, streamers and events are louder than his denial. Bong Go is the personal assistant of President Duterte now, and even when he was the Mayor of Davao Cit
BWorld 230, US-China ‘trade war’ and PH federalism
Government and Taxes / 5d
* This is my column in BusinessWorld last July July 9, 2018. Among the big topics that dominated last week’s global and national reports are (a) US-China ‘trade war’ which technically means equalized high tariff (EHT), and the hard push for Charter change towards federalism by the Duterte-appointed Constitutional Commission (ConCom). The US-China EHT or ‘trade war’ officially started last Friday,
One News 2, Interview on inflation, TRAIN, BBB, cha-cha, federalism
Government and Taxes / 6d
Last Friday, July 13, at One News, Cignal TV, 4:30-5:30pm, "The Chiefs" hosted by Ed Lingao and Roby Alampay. Panelists were NEDA Sec. Ernesto Pernia, fellow BWorld columnist Andrew Masigan and me. Topics covered were the high inflation rate, BSP and interest rates, TRAIN 1 and TRAIN 2, Build-build-build (BBB), charter change and federalism. Among the points that I articulated are the following:
PENNY FOR YOUR THOUGHTS
Israel’s Implausible, Dark Night & Torches Heist of Iranian Nuclear Secrets
National Post “Last year, the spies began planning a heist that one senior Israeli intelligence official said bore a strong resemblance to George Clooney’s adventures in “Oceans 11.” This absurd tale is the reason, so we’re told, that Trump was convinced to pull out of the JCPOA/P5+1. It’s so Hollywood . The whole narrative. Complete with the above reference to George Clooney’s Oceans 11. But not
British Fighter Jets Bomb SAA and Allies Near al- Tanf
RAF Bombed Syrian Forces at Border of Iraq/Jordan A Typhoon fighter jet dropped a 500lb laser-guided bomb during a firefight last month near the intersection of Syria’s border with Iraq and Jordan. A Syrian army officer was killed and seven others were wounded, according to local reports. NYpost British forces have bombed Syrian troops loyal to the country’s president, Bashar al-Assad, for the fi
Trump U.S. Ties to NATO ‘Very Strong’- Condemns Russia
Choosing to intentionally ignore all the white noise (meaningless or distracting commotion, hubbub, or chatter) about the NATO summit and opting instead to cut to the chase ( focus on what is important) immediately below... Trump claims victory on NATO Military Spending & Trump signs a NATO declaration at odds with his own statements- Strongly condemning Russia Trump at NATO Summit Despite his at
RAND: Time To Make A Deal on Syria? Like Pompeo's Offer To Iran?
RAND : Military Industrial Complex Linked- Time to make a deal on Syria? Trump Putin Summit Pending “Although U.S. leverage is much diminished by the Assad regime's recent gains, there are still opportunities for Washington and Russia to achieve a settlement that preserves some U.S. interests” I was thinking just that with regard to the southern front- The US had just lost some leverage in any ne
Montreal’s Sensationally Speculative Heat Wave Death Stats
Yah, last week was hot. That said it’s July so heat is what should be expected. Years ago it used to be hotter for longer periods of times. Hubby and I have had a veggie garden for 26 years now. We used to plant cool weather veggies earlier (April)- but for the past several years it’s been to cool to do that- Soil to cold and wet. For that matter it’s been too cool to plant tomatoes, eggplant and
Pepe Escobar:Eagle Meets Bear Summit- No Takfiri Left Behind
Was hoping to get to this last week- no such luck- Still worth reading. I'm omitting the parts about the recent success in Daraa including the taking of the very strategic border crossing between Jordan and Syria since that was all covered in friday's post: What of Daraa? Israel Warns Syria- "Rebels" Reach Deal with Russia Without further adieu... Pepe Escobar- Asia Times excerpts in blue "Ahead
WELCOME BACK TO POTTERSVILLE
How Pottersville Turned Into Gotham City
"Just relax. I'll take care of the squealing, wretched pinhead puppets of Gotham!... You gotta admit, I've played this stinking city like a harp from hell!" - The Penguin, Batman Returns , 1992 Two days ago, Bilge Ebiri of the Village Voice had written a pretty good article dissecting The Dark Knight Rises on its tenth anniversary (Yes, it's been a decade since the late Heath Ledger forever stole
Gotham City Digest, July 20, 2018
In which we fondly reminisce about how nice it was to once go to another planet besides earth. The NY Times' lede: "President Trump’s longtime lawyer, Michael D. Cohen, secretly recorded a conversation with Mr. Trump two months before the presidential election in which they discussed payments to a former Playboy model who said she had an affair with Mr. Trump, according to lawyers and others fami
Epiphany Day
" President-elect" Donald J. Trump on Jan. 6, 2017, the day he was briefed on cyberattacks designed to sway the 2016 American election. Credit Sam Hodgson for The New York Times (By American Zen ’s Mike Flannigan, on loan from Ari) "Two weeks before his inauguration, Donald J. Trump was shown highly classified intelligence indicating that President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia had personally order
Should a Woodhead Chuck "Would"?
Remember 20 years ago when Bill Clinton nauseated the nation by trying to parse the definition of the word "is?" "What is is ?" he asked before a Congressional committee. Now we're debating over what Trump really meant regarding the Russia probe and whether he meant to say "would" or "wouldn't". I think the bigger issue is us debating over what he meant since the words "would" and "wouldn't" are
Gotham City Digest, 7/18/18
In which we promise only to prick your conscience, never your delusions. I like being informed and having knowledge few others know. But what fascinates me is what I DON'T know . Seriously, there better be a YUGE payoff at the end of all this waiting and I won't settle for anything less than Trump getting thrown in federal prison for life. Maria Butina offering sex in exchange for a position in a
Man on a Mission
Yes, Trump went to Helsinki and all he got was a toy. When Donald Trump stood beside Vladimir Putin and did his dog and pony show, even Republicans were shocked. On Fox Business , Trish Regan and Gen. Jack Keane, they were shocked, shocked that Trump didn't do the slightest thing to defend our country, starting with his own intelligence community and the FBI. (Russian meddling that had been aided
HENRYMAKOW.COM
Ron Radosh & Hollywood's Communist Pedigree
Ron Radosh (b. 1937) is someone who should be on your radar. A Jewish academic historian and lifelong Communist, he turned his back on Communism after writing a history of the Rosenberg spy case. He was vilified by his fellow Communists because he proved that the Rosenbergs were guilty. He realized that Communism was a "religion" and rejected it, becoming a doyen of the American neo-Conservative
Bohemian Grove: Illuminati Meet This Week for Satanic Rituals
(Camp New World Order, 1977 confab) Mankind has been subverted by a satanic cult, the Illuminati, based on Cabalism. Bohemian Grove has flown under the radar but each year the Illuminati meet during the third week of July for depraved rituals that ensure conformity to their sick agenda. 2018 is no exception. "My purpose at the Grove was sexual in nature, and therefore my perceptions were limited
CIA-Controlled Media Pushing Civil War Narrative
When civil war comes to America, no one will be surprised. Andrew is a retired attorney living in Texas. by Andrew (henrymakow.com) In his 1928 classic, PROPAGANDA , Edward Bernays explains how America's Public Opinion is controlled: "The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of the masses is an important element in democratic society. Those who manipulate th
Tim Fitzpatrick: The Putin Deception
Putin inaugurated by Archbishop Kirill "At present, Russia appears to be feigning a return to conservatism and Orthodoxy as part of its two-tiered hyper-normalization deception. But make no mistake, it is all a ruse. The crypto-Soviet power is no friend to the Church, to the West, nor to the Russian people." (Disclaimer- I don't see the Communist threat coming from Russia. I see it coming from th
Iranian Leaders have Longstanding Ties to US, Israel
Iran's leaders are veterans of the Iran-Contra Affair where Israel sold $500 million worth of arms to Iran in return for oil. The Ayatollahs are billionaires using Islam to hold Iran's population hostage. The warlike rhetoric is in Israel's interest. Part 1 - Iran Does Not Oppose Jewish Power Elite Shayan Zarrin is an Iranian American Iran Not an Enemy of the Jewish Elite (About 40 references can
The Iran Deception
Umar, a Pakistani writes: " Iranian Jews are not only the poster child of the Anti-Zionist movement among the Jews but according to Islamic prophecy, they are also the sleeper agents and the torchbearers of the NWO Messiah ." (Disclaimer- Iran's role in destroying CIA-Mossad-created ISIS tends to contradict this view of Iranian collusion with the NWO. However, it does seem that all the politician
THE DAILY HOWLER
BROKEN: What did Vladimir Putin propose?
the daily howler / 35min
SATURDAY, JULY 21, 2018 Your lizard brain gets a good workout: According to the future elders—they come to us quite late at night—the "Embellishment Industrial Complex" flourished during the so-called Final Human Era, an era defined by the rise of corporate "cable news." These future elders still laugh about the way Arianna sewed that fourth button onto Candidate Gore's suits in the fall of 1999.
TRIBAL SNAPSHOTS: Behaviors of a second band!
THURSDAY, JULY 19, 2018 Interlude—A snapshot of the press corps: "How did it get so far?" The question was first asked by Don Corleone, a business associate of Donald J. Trump's businessman father. Today, the question is being asked again. There are several answers. Last week's questioning of Agent Strzok highlighted a type of behavior our own tribe can't see. We refer to the decades of disdain o
TRIBAL SNAPSHOTS: Antoinettes before the fall!
FRIDAY, JULY 20, 2018 Part 4—A snapshot of Hamptons-based values: After the past several "weeks that were," it's surely time to add to our storehouse of basic questions concerning Donald J. Trump. Some cable pundits—not all—have begun to feel free with one obvious question: Is Donald J. Trump being blackmailed or bribed by his best friend, Vladimir Putin? Surely, though, it's time to add two othe
TRIBAL SNAPSHOTS: Dick jokes of the tribe, unite!
WEDNESDAY, JULY 18, 2018 Part 3—A snapshot of smutty disdain: What does it mean to belong to a tribe? Along other things, it means the member gets to bathe in the water of tribal assurance. We've marveled at this in the past two days as cable watchers were assured that "everyone" was appalled by Commander Trump's Helsinki performance, and that "no one" believes his Tuesday attempt at a walkback.
WHAT WE DID: Reviewers sell a silly Group Story!
WEDNESDAY, JULY 11, 2018 Part 3—For decades, we've purchased such tales: On the back of The Order of Time, the reader is assailed, indeed propagandized, by the standard encomia. First up is The Financial Times. Under the heading PRAISE FOR CARLO ROVELLI, we're told that the Financial Times once said this about that: "The physicist known for making complex science intelligible." On that same back
BREAKING: Who we should "try to understand!"
TUESDAY, JULY 3, 2018 Who we should respect: "No people are uninteresting?" So Yevtushenko is said to have said. His poem appears in translation: People No people are uninteresting. Their fate is like the chronicle of planets. Nothing in
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