alanjjohnstone
Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
My favourite war correspondent on Iran, Robert Fisk
“…Personally, I suspect the Iranians have been up to their old mining tricks in the Gulf…The Iranians, who have always understood the west much better than the west has ever understood the Iranians, know very well how to deny a drone here and a limpet mine there while ever more diligently tugging another feather or two out of the American eagle. The Iranians are no innocents. There are no good guys in this story…”
What can be called in short-hand Big Pharma is indeed fully integrated within the profit seeking and capital accumulation economic system and their paid lobbyists entrenched within the political system . However, unlike many in the CAM market, it is subject to a scientific process and scrutiny. Its failings do get exposed by other scientists, no matter how belatedly. And much of their goals is not so much scientific fraud but price-fixing. Insulin costs are a recently highlighted example.
The capitalist business model for new drugs encourages Big Pharma to bury risks and exaggerate benefits. A new drug under patent has a high price and no competition, and will make millions or even billions every year it is under patent. A settlement for death or injuries down the road is a nuisance and just the cost of doing business. This business plan breeds shameless repeat offenders since the company makes money and no one go to jail.
But we see also that every scientific discipline are also subject to that bias and pressure , as we currently see with aeronautical engineering. Big Ag is another behemoth entity gambling with people’s health to make a profit.
Big Pharma aren’t the only corporations that is ripping the people off big time. It is simply that Big Pharma is just more disgusting because it directly impacts a person’s health, in addition to their wallet. They are creating a nation of prescription drug addicts by making normal human behaviors a disease or a syndrome.
Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) is big business. Americans spent more than $30 billion on alternative therapies in 2012. That includes treatments such as homeopathy and acupuncture as well as supplements, yoga and meditation. 59 million Americans sought out some type of alternative therapy. Researchers found of the $30.2 billion, about $28 billion was spent on adults, compared to $1.9 billion for children. One out of five Americans spent money on at least one type of alternative therapy, which could include practices such as Ayurveda, biofeedback, chelation therapy, chiropractic manipulation, energy healing therapy, tai chi, hypnosis, naturopathy, progressive relaxation and massage therapy. Despite the lack of data confirming the therapeutic benefits, the alternative medicine industry is continuing to grow in the U.S. and elsewhere in the world. India is in even a worse situation where the poor rely on non-doctor doctors.
Our criticism is not the scientific validity of drugs and pills and treatments (although as mentioned many so-called illnesses are invented ones) but the integrity of those within the pharmaceutical industry who place profit before people. Everything touched by capitalism is tainted. And our purpose is to provide the links and connections – to unify all the failings and faults and flaws into one overall critique. That is a tall order for a global organization of 300
Libra
Facebook executives claim the Libra system will help the many millions of people without bank accounts but with access to mobile phones to enter the banking world and to more seamlessly send money.
Unlike bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, Libra is tied to a mix of global assets to prevent the level of volatility common in the digital currency space. Facebook built the currency on its own blockchain technology – the encrypted technology used by bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies – in order to scale to more users more quickly. Libra’s blockchain will be closed, and only a select number of people will be able to run the software that powers it and verify transactions.
The Wall St Candidates
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/16/us/politics/2020-democratic-donors-wall-street.html (paywall)
According to The New York Times, the financial industry is throwing its support behind South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, as well as Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., and former Vice President Joe Biden.
The article notes that the same New York donors have also given to the campaigns of local politicians Sen. Kirtsten Gillibrand,vSen. Cory Booker, and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio.
By contrast, the industry has expressed varying degrees of hostility toward Warren and Sanders.
ZJW has posted this link on Libcom, that makes good background reading
“…History isn’t made by a handful of activists with the correct ideology, but through the unpredictable actions of countless proletarians learning to fight together against what they perceive (however inaccurately) to threaten their future. They come into these struggles with contradictory ideas, and these are only worked through in the material process of sustaining such movements and pushing them forward….”
Stephen, you may be interest in the blog’s perspective, less on the actually democracy issue in Hong Kong but a general observation on protests.
https://socialismoryourmoneyback.blogspot.com/2019/06/fight-violence-with-non-violence.html
Bad news for Africa…more droughts, more floods
https://www.dw.com/en/director-of-jewish-museum-berlin-resigns/a-49214098
Berlin’s Jewish Museum said its director, Peter Schäfer, had resigned…The museum was criticized for the exhibition “Welcome to Jerusalem,” which focused on daily life, religion and politics in the city. Some said the exhibit was biased in favor of the Palestinian point of view…Netanyahu wrote to German Chancellor Angela Merkel demanding the closure of the exhibition. At the time, the daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung quoted Schäfer as describing Jerusalem as a “place of longing for Jews, Christians and Muslims.”…
Having read numerous articles on the supposed laying of limpet mines by Iran, I only came across this one report that casts doubt upon it and it is from one of the oil tanker’s owners
“We received reports that something flew towards the ship,” said Yutaka Katada, president of Kokaku Sangyo Co. at a press conference. “The place where the projectile landed was significantly higher than the water level, so we are absolutely sure that this wasn’t a torpedo. I do not think there was a time bomb or an object attached to the side of the ship.”
Permafrost has begun thawing in the Canadian Arctic more than 70 years early because of climate change, according to new research.
A “series of anomalously warm summers” has dramatically accelerated melting rates at three sites despite average annual ground temperatures remaining low. Ponds and hillocks have formed as a result.When permafrost thaws, it releases carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases stored in or beneath it into the atmosphere. There in turn, cause temperatures to rise and create a perpetual cycle where more permafrost melts.
More evidence that the scientific projections were on the conservative side?
2020 for the recession according to noted economist, Nourel Roubini.
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2019/jun/14/the-risk-of-a-2020-recession-and-crisis-is-growing
So much for the hopes of the IMF to reverse cuts in welfare.
“The International Monetary Fund is urging countries to protect spending on health, education and vulnerable groups amid growing concern among its members about excessive levels of inequality”
Where to post this news item , here or climate crisis thread
The Pope has told oil company bosses that climate change threatens the future of the “human family”. Pope Francis said a radical energy transition is needed to save what he called “our common home”.
“Civilisation requires energy, but energy use must not destroy civilisation.”
The short life of Change Party. It will now be called the Independent Group for Change.
