alanjjohnstone
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This is a promising development for Finkelstein.
One of the points I disagreed with him has been his very vocal support for the two-state solution, not because he supported it as the ideal choice but because he claimed it was the only political proposal that had at least the tacit if lukewarm support of the decision-makers, therefore it was the pragmatic, practical policy for Palestinians to pursue.
I think it can be agreed that capitalism will change if it can still make a profit.
So is there more money in veganism?
“…The sales boom also increased profits, with the business going back to City investors several times last year to say it was making more money than it had expected…”
“…If we can produce something that tastes just as good as the meat version, then that will sell very successfully. That’s what’s been shown with the vegan sausage roll…”
So is processed meat-mush going to be off the menu?
Greggs has been good news for shareholders, who were handed a £35m special dividend in July after sales at established stores leapt 10.5% and profits jumped more than 50% to £40.6m in the first six months of 2019. Its shares have almost doubled in value over the past year and are now changing hands for around £20.
Some analysts think Mr Trump has been ratcheting up his criticism of Mr Powell so he can blame the fed chair if the US economy goes into downturn.
Karen Petrou, managing partner of Federal Financial Analytics, told the BBC earlier this week: “Mr Trump doesn’t care what rates are. He cares about who voters think is to blame for slower growth and market turmoil, and he is determined to be sure it isn’t him,” she said.
“What’s an astute politician to do? Find a fall guy distrusted by Republicans, Democrats, independents, populists, and progressives.”A new word for me, “jewfaced”, derived from “blackfaced” the custom where white actors blacken faces to play black roles. Now applied to non-jews playing jews.
I wonder just what would happen if jewish actors were forbidden to play non-Jewish roles?
On the other hand, China does require the spending power of America, both industrial-level and individual consumers. Imports from China were $540 billion in 2018
China has bought so many U.S. Treasury notes that it is the largest lender to the U.S. government. As of April 2019, the U.S. debt to China was $1.1 trillion. That’s 27% of the total public debt owned by foreign countries.
China can’t afford to let America collapse. It would be shooting itself in the foot.
If China started selling its Treasury holdings or even merely cut back on its Treasury purchases it would also be disastrous if China. In fact, China is buying almost as many Treasurys as ever.
If China were to stop buying Treasurys, interest rates would rise. That could throw the United States into a recession. But this would mean the U.S would buy fewer Chinese exports.
China pegs its yuan currency to the dollar using a modified fixed exchange rate. When the dollar loses value, China buys dollars through U.S. Treasurys to support it.
U.S. companies that can’t compete with cheap Chinese goods must either lower their costs or go out of business. Many businesses reduce their costs by outsourcing jobs to China or India. Outsourcing adds to U.S. unemployment. Other industries have just dried up. U.S. manufacturing, as measured by the number of jobs, declined 34% between 1998 and 2010. As these industries declined, so has U.S. competitiveness declined in the global marketplace.
https://www.thebalance.com/u-s-china-trade-deficit-causes-effects-and-solutions-3306277
No resolution in sight in this trade war. The Dow Jones Industrial dropped over 600 points (2.3%).
“…Carney, has challenged the dollar’s position as the world’s reserve currency, arguing that it could be replaced by a global digital alternative to end a savings glut that resulted in 10 years of low inflation and ultra-low interest rates.
Likening the move to the end of sterling’s command of international money markets 100 years ago, Carney said the dollar had reached a level of dominance that meant it was a barrier to a sustainable recovery.
He said a new digital currency backed by a large group of nations would unlock dollar funds that governments currently hoard as an insurance policy in uncertain times….”https://www.alternet.org/2019/08/bernie-sanders-unveils-sweeping-workplace-democracy-plan/
His appeal to unions and workers
And his appeal to the environmentalists
Sorry but I’ve said before when faced with such algebraic explanations as the Zipf law graph, my brain simply goes numb
“..A senior Scotland Yard officer giving evidence at the first group trial of Extinction Rebellion activists behind mass protests in central London said the demonstrators had provoked “soul searching” and proved articulate and rational as they made their case.
The protests, in April this year, had found support even among the public facing severe disruption from the demonstrations, he said.
But the officer, Duncan McMillan, a superintendent, also told City of London magistrates court that others had found the protests, which shut down sections of central London for some days, “abhorrent”…Shops reported drops in sales – as much as 13% for flagship stores and 20% for smaller ones – along with allegations of verbal abuse and stickers and chalk being put on property, he said…”More than 1,000 people were detained at the protests, in what organisers described as the biggest civil disobedience event in recent British history
Sanders is talking the talk
“If there is going to be class warfare in this country, it’s time that the working class of this country won that war.”
And here I am the one usually accused of pessimism. 😛
I don’t think they will achieve the global figures that 2003 anti-war demos did.
But neither do I think this is anywhere near the peak (to use a familiar term) for the eco-protests.
Climate change isn’t going away and the effects of it will be intensifying and escalating. It is not a one-off political event. The problems are no longer going to be indirect or theoretical but many will be confronted by them in person.
There is going to be this year and next year and then the year after, and the year after that and the more apparent the detrimental impacts of climate change, the more people will take to the streets in more and more cities, in more and more countries expressing more and more anger.
Be prepared for the long haul, environmental activism is no passing fad that will fade away.
The more governments try and fail to mitigate the global warming emergency, and the more frequent the so-called “natural disasters”increase, more and more people will be looking outside national and international legislation and regulation for a solution. That is where we need to come in.
But also lurking in the background will be very powerful reactionary forces of nationalism, racism and xenophobia ready to provide their deluded answers. And I am sure there will be a substantial number of people taken in by their simplistic message.
If we aren’t there raising our voices, there won’t be anybody to hear us. We need a presence to be listened to.
As been mentioned, our traditional means of campaigning, leaflets, I don’t think will resonate with our target audience. They have been brought up to be receptive to social media and You Tube. Yes, even my little red flags won’t suffice.
If we intend to intervene we got to be more imaginative. But i’m afraid I can’t come up with the right way to do so.
Perhaps if we begin to get out among the participants and start asking them in, we may get an inkling on how we should be responding.
I tried to look on the web for info on events and came up with nothing that we can plan for in advance.
A million marched in 2003 because there were convoys of buses. Same for 2005 and Make Poverty History when quarter a million came to Edinburgh and the churches opened their doors and kitchens. Let’s give it to religion and the Trots they know about the logistics, (maybe its all because of the tradition of loaves and the fishes.)
I’m very much an outsider, looking in. This non-participation of those who are sympathetic but can’t be coaxed into doing something – i think they have to address it to achieve the involvement they seek. But as I said…there will be plenty of other opportunities arising in the future.
