[Marxism] Marxism chat channel on IRC.
== Rule #1: YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. == For those of you who'd like to chat in realtime with other Marxists, there is a marxism channel on an IRC network called freenode. I like mailing lists, but they make casual conversation and fast responses difficult, so perhaps some of you will be interested as well. I found it out recently and for now there aren't a lot of users, unfortunately. You can connect one of two ways: 1) if you have an IRC client, the info is: Network: irc.freenode.net Channel: ##marxism If you don't have an IRC client you could try Chatzilla, which is relatively simple and multiplatform. 2) It's also possible to connect via web, which may be an option if you are unwilling or unable to install an IRC client. This is the URL: URL: https://webchat.freenode.net?channels=%23%23marxism I'm often around there as modulus. Would be great to meet more Marxmailers in something closer to realtime chat. Regards, --David. Send list submissions to: Marxism@greenhouse.economics.utah.edu Set your options at: http://greenhouse.economics.utah.edu/mailman/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
[Marxism] Washington Post: Doomsday if Assad falls
== Rule #1: YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. == 'Doomsday scenario' if Syria fails By Liz Sly, Published: May 1 http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/unrest-in-syria-threatens-regional-stability/2011/05/01/AF3OQtUF_story.html BEIRUT - The toppling of the presidents in Tunisia and Egypt precipitated a tumult of revolutionary fervor that promises to transform the Middle East, but the potential collapse of the Syrian regime could wreak havoc of a very different kind. In Syria, the fall of President Bashar al-Assad would unleash a cataclysm of chaos, sectarian strife and extremism that spreads far beyond its borders, threatening not only the entrenched rulers already battling to hold at bay a clamor for democratic change but also the entire balance of power in the volatile region, analysts and experts say. With Syria's minority Shiite Alawite government overseeing a majority Sunni population, its strategic location and its web of alliances including the radical Hamas and Hezbollah movements, regime change could look a lot more like it did in Iraq than in Egypt - and the ramifications could prove even more profound. If the regime collapses you will have civil war and it will spread throughout the region, engulfing Lebanon, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and beyond, said Hilal Khashan, professor of political science at the American University of Beirut. A collapse of the Syrian regime is a doomsday scenario for the entire Middle East. Many believe that is why the international community, including the United States, has offered such a tempered response to the bloodshed in Syria, the latest Arab country to be swept up in the unrest roiling the region. NATO warplanes are bombing Libya to protect civilians there, but there have been no calls even for Assad to step aside, despite an increasingly violent crackdown by the Syrian military in which at least 550 people have died. On Sunday, hundreds of people were detained as the military swept through towns and villages raiding homes in search of those who participated in recent protests, human rights groups said. Analyst Rami Khouri describes Syria as the Middle East equivalent of a bank that's too big to be allowed to fail. The spillover effect would be too horrible to contemplate, he wrote in a commentary in Beirut's Daily Star. The specter of sectarian-based chaos within a post-Assad Syria that could spread to other parts of the Middle East is frightening to many people. Part of the problem is that so little is known about what would come next should Assad be ousted. Egypt and Tunisia took great leaps into uncertainty when their regimes fell, but in each case the army, a known quantity, asserted its independence and seized power to oversee the transition. In Syria, the army is so tightly bound to Assad's Alawite clan that the fall of the regime would almost certainly lead to its disintegration, setting the stage for an Iraq-style implosion in which the state collapses, a majority seeks to exact revenge on a minority and regional powers pile in to assert their own interests, said Joshua Landis of the University of Oklahoma, who writes the blog Syria Comment. Syria is the cockpit of the Middle East, and a struggle for control of Syria would be ignited, he said. Implications for Iraq It is the specter of Iraq, where U.S. troops are preparing to withdraw by the end of the year, that most haunts the Obama administration as it seeks to balance demands for a firmer response to the escalating bloodshed with America's strategic interests, analysts say. Syria shares a long desert border with Iraq that was for many years the chief transit point for Islamic extremists seeking to join the Sunni insurgency. Only recently, officials say, had the United States noted genuine efforts on the part of the Syrians to curtail the traffic, prompting the United States to return an ambassador to Syria in January for the first time since 2005. For the Obama administration, the last thing they want, just at the time they're withdrawing from Iraq, is a destabilized Syria that would lead to open season for jihadis to cross the border into Iraq, said David Lesch, professor of Middle East history at Trinity University in Texas. Iraq's own Shiite government also views with alarm the upheaval across the border, mindful that the collapse of Syria's Shiite minority government would almost certainly herald the rise of a Sunni state on its doorstep, and perhaps renewed support for Sunni insurgents still resisting the Shiite ascendancy in Baghdad. But Iraq is by no means the only country in the region looking askance at the Syrian upheaval. Israel has expressed misgivings about the tumult threatening its chief foe, which has reliably not attempted to recover by
[Marxism] Are African lions really roaring?
== Rule #1: YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. == Counterpunch May 10, 2011 The Latest Fibs From World Financiers Are African Lions Really Roaring? By PATRICK BOND Apparently, “one in three Africans is middle class” and as a result, Africa is ready for “take off”, according to African Development Bank chief economist Mthuli Ncube last week at the World Economic Forum-Africa summit in Cape Town. “Hey you know what, the world please wake up, this is a phenomenon in Africa that we've not spent a lot of time thinking about.” Ncube defines middle class as those who spend between $2-20/day, a group that includes a vast number of people considered extremely poor by any reasonable definition, given the higher prices of most consumer durables in African cities. The number of people spending between just $2 and $4/day constitutes a fifth of all Sub-Saharan Africans, even Ncube admits, while the range from $4 to $20/day amounts to 13%, with 5% spending more than $20/day. Below the $2/day level, 61% of Africans are mired in deep poverty, a stunning reflection of ongoing underdevelopment due to imperialism, the Resource Curse and nefarious African elites. It’s just as Walter Rodney explained in his book How Europe Underdeveloped Africa nearly four decades ago: “the operation of the imperialist system bears major responsibility for African economic retardation by draining African wealth and by making it impossible to develop more rapidly the resources of the continent. Secondly, one has to deal with those who manipulate the system and those who are either agents or unwitting accomplices of the said system.” Playing both roles, the likes of Ncube have not changed their neoliberal tunes, they simply hold up a small sliver of (desperately entrepreneurial) Africans engaged in petty commodity exchange as the hope for the future. full: http://www.counterpunch.org/bond05102011.html Send list submissions to: Marxism@greenhouse.economics.utah.edu Set your options at: http://greenhouse.economics.utah.edu/mailman/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
[Marxism] China’s Rising Labor Costs Erase Most Savings from Offshoring
== Rule #1: YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. == of interest.http://www.bcg.com/media/pressreleasedetails.aspx?id=tcm:12-75973 Manufacturing Is Expected to Return to America as China’s Rising Labor Costs Erase Most Savings from Offshoring * May 05, 2011 * Reinvestment During the Next Five Years Could Usher in a ‘Manufacturing Renaissance’ as the U.S. Becomes a Low-Cost Country Among Developed Nations, According to Analysis by The Boston Consulting Group CHICAGO, May 5, 2011—Within the next five years, the United States is expected to experience a manufacturing renaissance as the wage gap with China shrinks and certain U.S. states become some of the cheapest locations for manufacturing in the developed world, according to a new analysis by The Boston Consulting Group (BCG). With Chinese wages rising at about 17 percent per year and the value of the yuan continuing to increase, the gap between U.S. and Chinese wages is narrowing rapidly. Meanwhile, flexible work rules and a host of government incentives are making many states—including Mississippi, South Carolina, and Alabama—increasingly competitive as low-cost bases for supplying the U.S. market. “All over China, wages are climbing at 15 to 20 percent a year because of the supply-and-demand imbalance for skilled labor,” said Harold L. Sirkin, a BCG senior partner. “We expect net labor costs for manufacturing in China and the U.S. to converge by around 2015. As a result of the changing economics, you’re going to see a lot more products ‘Made in the USA’ in the next five years.” After adjustments are made to account for American workers’ relatively higher productivity, wage rates in Chinese cities such as Shanghai and Tianjin are expected to be about only 30 percent cheaper than rates in low-cost U.S. states. And since wage rates account for 20 to 30 percent of a product’s total cost, manufacturing in China will be only 10 to 15 percent cheaper than in the U.S.—even before inventory and shipping costs are considered. After those costs are factored in, the total cost advantage will drop to single digits or be erased entirely, Sirkin said. Products that require less labor and are churned out in modest volumes, such as household appliances and construction equipment, are most likely to shift to U.S. production. Goods that are labor-intensive and produced in high volumes, such as textiles, apparel, and TVs, will likely continue to be made overseas. “Executives who are planning a new factory in China to make exports for sale in the U.S. should take a hard look at the total costs. They’re increasingly likely to get a good wage deal and substantial incentives in the U.S., so the cost advantage of China might not be large enough to bother—and that’s before taking into account the added expense, time, and complexity of logistics,” said Sirkin, whose most recent book, GLOBALITY: Competing with Everyone from Everywhere for Everything, deals with globalization and emerging markets. Indeed, a number of companies, especially U.S.-based ones, are already rethinking their production locations and supply chains for goods destined to be sold in the U.S. For some, the economics have already reached a tipping point. Caterpillar Inc., for example, announced last year the expansion of its U.S. operations with the construction of a new 600,000-square-foot hydraulic excavator manufacturing facility in Victoria, Texas. Once fully operational, the plant is expected to employ more than 500 people and will triple the company's U.S.-based excavator capacity. “Victoria’s proximity to our supply base, access to ports and other transportation, as well as the positive business climate in Texas made this the ideal site for this project,” said Gary Stampanato, a Caterpillar vice president. NCR Corp. announced in late 2009 that it was bringing back production of its ATMs to Columbus, Georgia, in order to decrease the time to market, increase internal collaboration, and lower operating costs. And toy manufacturer Wham-O Inc. last year returned 50 percent of its Frisbee production and its Hula Hoop production from China and Mexico to the U.S. “Workers and unions are more willing to accept concessions to bring jobs back to the U.S.,” noted Michael Zinser, a BCG partner who leads the firm’s manufacturing work in the Americas. “Support from state and local governments can tip the balance.” Zinser noted that executives should not make the mistake of comparing the average labor costs for production workers in China and the U.S. when making investment decisions. The costs of Chinese workers are still much cheaper, on average, than comparable U.S. workers, and some managers may assume that China is a better location. But averages can be deceiving. “If you’re just comparing
[Marxism] Why Greece should reject the Euro
== Rule #1: YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. == NY Times Op-Ed May 9, 2011 Why Greece Should Reject the Euro By MARK WEISBROT Washington SOMETIMES there is turmoil in the markets because a government threatens to do what is best for its citizens. This seemed to be the case in Europe last week, when the German magazine Der Spiegel reported that the Greek government was threatening to stop using the euro. The euro suffered its worst two-day plunge since December 2008. Greek and European Union officials denied the report, but a threat by Greece to jettison the euro is long overdue, and it should be prepared to carry it out. As much as the move might cost Greece in the short term, it is very unlikely that such costs would be greater than the many years of recession, stagnation and high unemployment that the European authorities are offering. The experience of Argentina at the end of 2001 is instructive. For more than three and a half years Argentina had suffered through one of the deepest recessions of the 20th century. Its peso was pegged to the dollar, which is similar to Greece having the euro as its national currency. The Argentines took loans from the International Monetary Fund, and cut spending as poverty and unemployment soared. It was all in vain as the recession deepened. Then Argentina defaulted on its foreign debt and cut loose from the dollar. Most economists and the business press predicted that years of disaster would ensue. But the economy shrank for just one more quarter after the devaluation and default; it then grew 63 percent over the next six years. More than 11 million people, in a nation of 39 million, were pulled out of poverty. Within three years Argentina was back to its pre-recession level of output, despite losing more than twice as much of its gross domestic product as Greece has lost in its current recession. By contrast, in Greece, even if things go well, the I.M.F. projects that the economy will take eight years to reach its pre-crisis G.D.P. But this is likely optimistic — the I.M.F. has repeatedly lowered its near-term growth projections for Greece since the crisis began. The main reason for Argentina’s rapid recovery was that it was finally freed from adhering to fiscal and monetary policies that stifled growth. The same would be true for Greece if it were to drop the euro. Greece would also get a boost from the devaluation’s effect on the trade balance (as Argentina did for the first six months of recovery), since its exports would be more competitive, and imports would be more expensive. Press reports have also warned of a sharp increase in Greek debt from devaluation if it were to leave the euro zone. But the fact is that Greece would not pay this debt, as Argentina did not pay two-thirds of its foreign debt after its devaluation and default. Portugal just concluded an agreement with the I.M.F. that projects two more years of recession. No government should accept this kind of punishment. A responsible leader would point out to the European authorities that they have the money to support Greece with countercyclical policies (like fiscal stimulus), though they are choosing not to. From a creditors’ point of view, which the European Union authorities have apparently adopted, a country that has accumulated too much debt must be punished, so as not to encourage “bad behavior.” But punishing an entire country for the past mistakes of some of its leaders, while morally satisfying to some, is hardly the basis for sound policy. There is also the idea that Greece — as well as Ireland, Spain and Portugal — can recover by means of an “internal devaluation.” This means increasing unemployment so much that wages fall enough to make the country more internationally competitive. The social costs of such a move, however, are extremely high and it rarely if ever works. Unemployment has doubled in Greece (to 14.7 percent), more than doubled in Spain (to 20.7 percent) and more than tripled in Ireland (to 14.7 percent). But recovery is still elusive. You can be sure that the European authorities would offer Greece a better deal under a credible threat of leaving the euro zone. In fact, there are indications that they may have already moved in response to last week’s threat. But the bottom line is that Greece cannot afford to settle for any deal that does not allow it to grow and make its way out of the recession. Loans that require what economists call “pro-cyclical” policies — cutting spending and raising taxes in the face of recession — should be off the table. The attempt to shrink Greece’s way out has failed. If that’s all that the European authorities have to offer, then it is time for Greece, and perhaps others, to say goodbye to the
[Marxism] Charles Koch buys control of economics department hiring
== Rule #1: YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. == (Hat tip to Doug Henwood) http://www.tampabay.com/news/business/billionaires-role-in-hiring-decisions-at-florida-state-university-raises/1168680 May 9, 2011 Billionaire's role in hiring decisions at Florida State University raises questions By Kris Hundley, Times staff writer A dean says it would be irresponsible not to accept a large donation. A conservative billionaire who opposes government meddling in business has bought a rare commodity: the right to interfere in faculty hiring at a publicly funded university. A foundation bankrolled by Libertarian businessman Charles G. Koch has pledged $1.5 million for positions in Florida State University's economics department. In return, his representatives get to screen and sign off on any hires for a new program promoting political economy and free enterprise. Traditionally, university donors have little official input into choosing the person who fills a chair they've funded. The power of university faculty and officials to choose professors without outside interference is considered a hallmark of academic freedom. Under the agreement with the Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation, however, faculty only retain the illusion of control. The contract specifies that an advisory committee appointed by Koch decides which candidates should be considered. The foundation can also withdraw its funding if it's not happy with the faculty's choice or if the hires don't meet objectives set by Koch during annual evaluations. David W. Rasmussen, dean of the College of Social Sciences, defended the deal, initiated by an FSU graduate working for Koch. During the first round of hiring in 2009, Koch rejected nearly 60 percent of the faculty's suggestions but ultimately agreed on two candidates. Although the deal was signed in 2008 with little public controversy, the issue revived last week when two FSU professors - one retired, one active - criticized the contract in the Tallahassee Democrat as an affront to academic freedom. Rasmussen said hiring the two new assistant professors allows him to offer eight additional courses a year. I'm sure some faculty will say this is not exactly consistent with their view of academic freedom,'' he said. But it seems to me it would have been irresponsible not to do it. The Koch foundation, based in Arlington, Va., did not return a call seeking comment. Most universities, including the University of Florida, have policies that strictly limit donors' influence over the use of their gifts. Yale University once returned $20 million when the donor demanded veto power over appointments, saying such control was unheard of. Jennifer Washburn, who has reviewed dozens of contracts between universities and donors, called the Koch agreement with FSU truly shocking. Said Washburn, author of University Inc., a book on industry's ties to academia: This is an egregious example of a public university being willing to sell itself for next to nothing. . . . The foundation partnering with FSU is one of several non-profits funded by Charles Koch (pronounced coke''), 75, and his brother David, 71. The aim: To advance their belief, through think tanks, political organizations and academia, that government taxes and regulations impinge on prosperity. The Koch philosophy is similar to that of Rick Scott, who, in one of his first acts as Florida's governor, froze all new state regulations on businesses, and has pushed for tax cuts. The Koch brothers own the second biggest private U.S. corporation, maker of such popular products as Brawny paper towels, Dixie cups and Stainmaster carpet. Koch Industries, which had $100 billion in sales last year, also owns thousands of miles of oil pipelines, refineries and Georgia-Pacific lumber. The Koch brothers are each worth $22 billion. Charles, chairman and CEO of Koch Industries in Wichita, Kan., cofounded the Cato Institute, a policymaking group, in 1977. His brother serves on the board. David, who lives in Manhattan and is Koch Industries' executive vice president, in 2004 started the Americans for Prosperity Foundation, which has worked closely with the tea party movement. The Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation, to which he has given as much as $80 million a year, has focused on advancing social progress and well-being through grants to about 150 universities. But in the past, most colleges, including Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers, received just a few thousand dollars. The big exception has been George Mason University, a public university in Virginia which has received more than $30 million from Koch over the past 20 years. At George Mason, Koch's foundation has underwritten the Mercatus Center, whose
[Marxism] Marx Conference in Berlin Next Week
== Rule #1: YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. == This is very short notice, but I thought I should mention this conference in Berlin next week. Despite the same title it is not affiliated with the American journal of the same name: http://www.rethinking-marx.de/ Send list submissions to: Marxism@greenhouse.economics.utah.edu Set your options at: http://greenhouse.economics.utah.edu/mailman/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
[Marxism] MLIN [May-June 2011] Bin Laden | Anti-Corruption Struggle | Elections | Anti-Nuke | and More
== Rule #1: YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. == MLIN Newsletter: http://mlint.wordpress.com/2011/05/08/187 ML International Newsletter May-June 2011 *** An update on news and ideas from the revolutionary left in India. Produced by: Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation international team *** Websites: [mlint.wordpress.com] and [www.cpiml.org] Emails: [cpiml_...@yahoo.com] and [cpiml...@gmail.com] Table of Contents Osama Is Dead: But US Imperialism’s World Wide War Lives On Assault on the Citadels of Corruption and Corporate Plunder CPI(ML)’s Solidarity Initiatives Anna Praise for Modi and Nitish Unfortunate Stop the Smear Campaign against Anti-corruption Campaigners May Day: Working Class Marches Mixer-Grinder in Tamil Nadu, Switzerland-London in West Bengal! Binayak Gets Bail: When Will All our Binayaks Get Justice? Heed the Warning from Japan: Scrap Jaitapur Nuke Project AISA Protests Suicides of Research Scientists at NII Poem: Free my feet from the shackles MLIN Newsletter: http://mlint.wordpress.com/2011/05/08/187 Send list submissions to: Marxism@greenhouse.economics.utah.edu Set your options at: http://greenhouse.economics.utah.edu/mailman/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
Re: [Marxism] Allende
== Rule #1: YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. == http://louisproyect.wordpress.com/2007/09/03/salvador-allende/ Send list submissions to: Marxism@greenhouse.economics.utah.edu Set your options at: http://greenhouse.economics.utah.edu/mailman/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
Re: [Marxism] Allende
== Rule #1: YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. == Proyect's blog column is pretty dead-on. The Battle of Chile is an excellent, if chilling movie, that I saw in 1978. It clearly shows the depth of the radicalization that was going on: a society careening towards revolution and civil war, the growth of the cords, the Chilean soviets, but where the resolute (and ruthless) leadership with a clear perspective was heavily weighted in the camp of counter-revolution. A socialist I knew at the time talked about what happened in Chile not as merely a coup, but exactly that: a counter-revolution, where due to lack of leadership Pinochet was able to carry out in a short order exactly what Franco had intended in July 1936, but what the masses made him work for over three years. Send list submissions to: Marxism@greenhouse.economics.utah.edu Set your options at: http://greenhouse.economics.utah.edu/mailman/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
[Marxism-Thaxis] Blue Moon Karaoke this week
*Hello Friends!!!* *This Weekend will be upon us very quickly!! It is FLOWER DAY WEEKEND in the Eastern Market! I will be at BERT’S MARKETPLACE all day on **Saturday and Sunday **8am to 8pm**!! That is some “off the hook” karaoke!! See you there! * *Thank you to all of you who made it out to my first Friday at BERT’S ON BROADWAY!!!(*Please see attached flyer).* *The famous BERT’S BBQ was and will be on the grill (outside)…I will be hosting inside starting at 8pm…LONG ISLAND ICE TEAS are only $5 until 10pm!* *This Evening, TONIGHT…TUESDAY, I’m hosting at The VINE BAR…660 Woodward at Campus Martius in the 1st National Bank Bldg.…**MOTOR** **CITY** TEE PARTY EVERY TUESDAY NIGHT! *$5 **Long Island** Ice Tee’s *$5 HURRICAINES *$5 PURPLE RAINS *$5 BLUE MUTHER FU^%$# * $5 Strip Steak Special *$7 Delmonico Steak * $5 Hennessy…Karaoke starts at **7pm** and goes to **11pm**… **Lot**’s of FUN! ! 313-285-9460.* * * *Wednesday evening NO MORE KARAOKE at BERT’S MARKETPLACE until the weather breaks (VERY SOON!) Then I’ll be back hosting at the award winning BERT’S MARKETPLACE on Wednesday again. VERY SOON!* *This Thursday, I am hosting at AWARD WINNING SIGNATURE GRILLE in the ** Riverfront** **Towers**, 3rd Level! **8pm** to **Midnight**... Beautiful atmosphere, great singers and excellent service! Book your BIRTHDAY PARTY at the beautiful SIGNATURE GRILLE on Thursday nights…karaoke is GREAT entertainment! !* * * *Friday night I will be hosting at BERT’S ON BROADWAY…1315 Broadway at Gratiot, next to Henry The Hatter…**8pm to 12:30am**…$5 **Long Island** Ice Teas until **10pm**…Come and see me …**GREAT PLACE** FOR KARAOKE! (*Please See Attached Flyer)* * * *On **Saturday and Sunday** I will be hosting at* *BERT’S MARKETPLACE** in the Eastern Market at 2727 Russell Street for the Historical Annual FLOWER DAY WEEKEND …8am to 8pm!! * *BERT’S won the 11th Annual Karaoke Award for “Best Karaoke Spot”….FUN ENTERTAINMENT on a Saturday Morning/Afternoon We will be outside again if it is nice!* *AND… I will be back at LUCKY’S PUB GRILL IN SOUTHFIELD NEXT SUNDAY NIGHT! * * * *Have a BLESSED WEEK see you soon!* *Love, * *Valerie* ___ Marxism-Thaxis mailing list Marxism-Thaxis@greenhouse.economics.utah.edu To change your options or unsubscribe go to: http://greenhouse.economics.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism-thaxis
