[Marxism] Letter from the US: Recovery for the rich, depression for the poor

[Stuart Munckton]

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Barry Sheppard

Workers in the United States know they are losing ground in the current
Depression, as they are watching the rich going in the opposite direction.

A decline in real wages comes on top of stagnation of wages in the three
previous decades.

A new report issued by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) says: “The
recent recovery in the United States appears unusual from a historical
perspective … with a much stronger rebound in profits relative to labor
income.

“One explanation is that workers’ fear of long-term unemployment has led to
more subdued wages relative the labor productivity growth during the recent
recovery.”

How can we be speaking of a “Depression” and a “recovery” happening at the
same time in the US (and world) capitalist economy?

http://www.greenleft.org.au/node/51234
-- 
“Disobedience, in the eyes of anyone who has read history, is humanity’s
original virtue. It is through disobedience that progress has been made,
through disobedience and through rebellion.” — Oscar Wilde, Soul of Man
Under Socialism

“The free market is perfectly natural... do you think I am some kind of
dummy?” — Jarvis Cocker

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[Marxism] Tariq Ali: The rotten heart of Europe (video)

[glparramatta]

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http://links.org.au/node/2895 Set aside an hour to watch this: Tariq 
Ali: The

rotten heart of Europe (video)



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Re: [Marxism] Pink Ribbons Inc.; Living Downstream; The Education of Dee Dee Ricks

[Louis Proyect]

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On 6/2/12 8:57 PM, Rod Holt wrote:

I must communicate the most exciting —to me— scientific development
in years: the invention of instruments that can isolate and examine
DNA, etc. of single cells! This should make it possible to pin down
exactly what happens when and how a cell becomes cancerous. That
means that the interaction of chemicals, radiation and natural
phenomenon and specific human cells can be examined not as
statistical aggregates of millions of cells where a crucial change is
lost lost amongst the crowd, but as a specific cause-effect event.


On a related note:

http://engineering.columbia.edu/using-robots-less-invasive-surgery
Using Robots for Less Invasive Surgery

A collaboration between Columbia Professors Peter Allen (Computer 
Science, Columbia Engineering), Nabil Simaan (formerly Mechanical 
Engineering at Columbia, now at Vanderbilt) and Dennis Fowler (Surgery, 
Columbia University Medical Center) has resulted in an innovative new 
approach to minimally invasive surgery. They have developed a novel 
robotic platform for minimally invasive single-port surgery—Insertable 
Robotic Effector Platform (IREP)—that they say is the world’s smallest 
in required diameter (∅15 mm) that can enter the body while enabling 
dual-arm-dexterous operation, 3-D visualization, and automated 
instrument tracking. It was recently licensed to Titan Medical, Inc.


Patients prefer minimally invasive surgery because it results in smaller 
scars, less pain, and a quicker recovery.  However, minimally invasive 
surgery techniques such as laparoscopy often require multiple incisions 
and a large team of personnel. As a result of reducing the size and 
scope of the instruments, the difficulty of minimally invasive 
procedures has increased significantly, often resulting in increased 
operation time and cost. The techniques are simply too complex and too 
costly for all surgeons and all hospitals to be able to provide them.


“Our IREP system represents an exciting new development in robotic 
surgery,” says Allen. “Instead of multi-million-dollar large robotic 
systems, this is a low-cost, minimally invasive, compact system that 
includes state-of-the-art robotic arms and surgical instrumentation with 
3-D stereo-vision imaging and a suite of intelligent software for 
control and visualization to assist the surgeon.”


The IREP consists of a collapsible configuration for insertion into 
natural orifices or through a small incision, a dual arm configuration 
with seven degrees of freedom per arm, and a binocular camera for 3-D 
visualization. The unique 3-D vision system, which includes two 
controllable miniature cameras inside the body, can be used to 
automatically track anatomical structures and surgical tools during a 
procedure, providing real-time in-vivo viewing for the surgeon. Using 
stereo reconstruction methods, surgeons can also model the patient’s 
internal anatomy and register it with pre-operative CT, Ultrasound, or 
MRI scans.


The IREP’S unique mechanical architecture includes snake-like continuum 
robots with push-pull actuation, parallel linkages, and passively 
flexible actuation stems. It has also been designed as a platform for 
multi-modal use including energy and drug delivery and suction. This is 
achieved through the use of tubular access channels within each surgical 
arm.


“In contrast to existing systems, which are too large to be mounted on 
the surgical bed, this device is so small that it can be easily 
attached, allowing for quick orientation of the patient during surgery,” 
says Fowler. “We anticipate that robots in the future can greatly 
improve the care of surgical patients, and we are very excited about the 
partnership with Titan. By reducing the invasiveness of surgery, we will 
improve the outcome of surgery for patients, for surgeons, and for 
hospitals.”


This research has been funded by the National Institutes of Health, 
through the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, 
grant #R21EB00777



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Re: [Marxism] Pink Ribbons Inc.; Living Downstream; The Education of Dee Dee Ricks

[Rod Holt]

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I must communicate the most exciting —to me— scientific development in years: 
the invention of instruments that can isolate and examine DNA, etc. of single 
cells! This should make it possible to pin down exactly what happens when and 
how a cell becomes cancerous. That means that the interaction of chemicals, 
radiation and natural phenomenon and specific human cells can be examined not 
as statistical aggregates of millions of cells where a crucial change is lost 
lost amongst the crowd, but as a specific cause-effect event.

To quote Science (May 25, 2012, pg. 976) "… single cell sequencing provides a 
window on recombination, the process by which matching chromosomes exchange 
pieces of their DNA during cell division. Recombination helps generate genetic 
diversity by putting various versions of genes together in new combinations. It 
is also a cell's method of weeding out DNA gone bad." [… Or failing to weed out 
DNA gone bad. —fhr] 


Development of instruments frequently results in an explosion of knowledge; 
i.e., the cloud chamber, the electron microscope, the d'Arsonval movement, etc. 
And here we we have a development which could remove the mystery of 
carcinogenesis.

Well, … it's a peripheral comment, but ….
--rod

On Jun 2, 2012, at 3:54 PM, Louis Proyect wrote:

> ==
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> 
> 
> Three works dealing with women and cancer.
> 
> http://louisproyect.wordpress.com/2012/06/02/pink-ribbons-inc-living-downstream-the-education-of-dee-dee-ricks/
> 
> 
> Send list submissions to: Marxism@greenhouse.economics.utah.edu
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[Marxism] Pink Ribbons Inc.; Living Downstream; The Education of Dee Dee Ricks

[Louis Proyect]

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Three works dealing with women and cancer.

http://louisproyect.wordpress.com/2012/06/02/pink-ribbons-inc-living-downstream-the-education-of-dee-dee-ricks/


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[Marxism] Reports of DIE LINKE's death have been greatly exaggerated!

[Angelus Novus]

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Comrades,

Katja Kipping and Bernd Riexinger have been elected co-chairs of the party Die 
Linke, thus averting a victory by the right-wing, government-oriented Dietmar 
Bartsch.

This is a major, major victory for the activist wing of the party.  The 
co-chair constellation of Kipping and Riexinger was also the expressed wish of 
the prominent party intellectual Sarah Wagenknecht.

For background on the recent battles within the party, refer to Victor 
Grossman's excellent articles on MRZine.


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Re: [Marxism] Egypt vs Greece : Muslim Brotherhood vs Syriza

[Andrew Pollack]

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Below is SA's newest on both countries.
I must say Comrade Molyneux's post is disappointing. While making correct
tactical points it evades the difference between a united front and a vote
for a bourgeois party.
Hossam Hamalawy of the RS has just recently written two brilliant articles,
one on the need to involve the ranks of the MB and even the Salafists in a
united front, the other on the need to build and politicize bases in
workplaces,neighborhoods and campuses. Those tasks can, in fact must, be
taken up while educating the masses about why they're not voting for Mosri.
The reaction today against the Mubarak verdict shows yet again the masses'
hatred of the felool (old regime figures). A united front in the streets
can prevent Shafiq from ever taking office, and can do so without calling
for a vote for the MB (while still demanding the MB sign on as an
organization to a united front in the streets).
http://socialistaction.blogspot.com/2012/06/houla-massacre-heightens-danger-of.html#more

http://socialistaction.blogspot.com/2012/06/military-rigs-egypt-elections.html#more

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Re: [Marxism] 46 percent of Americans think that the earth is less than 10, 000 years old

[Mark Lause]

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Almost all analyses of Christian evangelicalism in the 19th century
has a strong social history dimension that deals with class.  I think
this isn't an especially useful line of inquiry for generally
understanding what we face today.

People have to keep the focus on substance rather than labels.  Simply
put, "evangelicalism" in the 19th century isn't the same as
"evangelicalism" in the present. And "Christianity" isn't the same in
contemporary Third World countries as it is in the US now.

The historic fruits of evangelicalism were sometimes very positive.
When the spirit moved people, they got up and preached to each other.
This included the poor, women, blacks, and Indians.  That was the main
way evangelicalism moved through the population.  This sort of thing
might happen today in some cases, but the main way "evangelicalism"
moved through the society and is politically defined is through 24/7
top-down mass media consumerist crap.  What happened in the 19th
century was that a movement like the "Second Great Awakening" would
challenge people but what happens in the contemporary "Great
A-sleepening" aims at making them feel entirely comfortable with what
they are and how the world is.  The one inspired people to take action
against slavery.  The other reconciles them to it.

Ain't the same thing.  Not from any angle.

People used to go through soul-wrenching turmoil to be born again.
Now, it's like deciding that you'll have a slurpee.

Rather like the way some people might decide they're Marxists or anything else.

ML


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Re: [Marxism] 46 percent of Americans think that the earth is less than 10, 000 years old

[Jeff Goodwin]

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>
> ==
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>


Generally, religious belief declines as a function of capitalist
development. Religiosity is much more prevalent in poorer countries than in
richer. The United States is the big exception to this rule.

Of course, black and Latino evangelicals tend to have very different
politics than their white counterparts. I would guess they're less enthused
with free-market economics and imperialist wars, though I have no data to
support this.

In any event, I wonder if there are any good materialist analyses of white
evangelicalism out there? What's its class basis? What's its appeal for
working-class whites in particular? There's evidence that lower-income
whites in general are much more concerned with economic than cultural
issues, and that this hasn't changed in recent years.

Jeff G.

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Re: [Marxism] 46 percent of Americans think that the earth is less than 10, 000 years old

[Thomas Bias]

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No. It isn't this simple, and if there's anyone who has seen Christian
fundamentalism up close and personal, it's me. My great-aunts gave thousands
of dollars to Oral Roberts's ministry in its early years, and most of my
extended family buys into this stuff. But when it's their kids that are in
harm's way in Iraq and Afghanistan---and it is---they are not so blind in
their support of imperialist war, just for starters. One of my aunts who
gave a lot of money to Oral Roberts had a lot of positive things to say
about Mormons she had gotten to know. She tried not to say negative things
about anyone. Christian fundamentalists don't always share all the same
bigotries. The other thing is this: in the immigrant and African-American
communities religion is quite strong. Unfortunately, some of the cultural
prejudices---homophobia, opposition to abortion, etc.---are present and
strong in the Black and Latino communities as well. It absolutely is a
problem, but it does not necessarily lead people to oppose struggles against
racism and economic injustice. Everyone who was at the founding convention
of the Labor Party in 1996 will remember the debate on including a platform
plank on defending the right to abortion. It was the predominantly Latino
Farm Labor Organizing Committee which was the most uncomfortable with it. I
argued at that convention for the compromise position supported by Tony
Mazzocchi that the Labor Party should do no more than support keeping the
Roe v. Wade decision as it stands. A lot of you all disagreed with me on
that. Long and short: people with religious fundamentalist beliefs are not
necessarily complete reactionaries. Backward cultural attitudes are, to be
sure, a problem, and they make organizing more difficult, but they have to
be faced, and we have to take a different attitude towards economically
oppressed and exploited working people, whether in Harlan County, Kentucky,
Paterson, New Jersey, or Belfast, Northern Ireland, than we take towards the
Vatican, Franklin Graham, or Dov Hikind. Jim Cannon was right: there's a big
difference between the "reactionary, fascist-minded Catholic hierarchy" and
a good Irish Catholic on the picket line. ~Tom

-Original Message-
From: marxism-bounces+tgbias=ptd@greenhouse.economics.utah.edu
[mailto:marxism-bounces+tgbias=ptd@greenhouse.economics.utah.edu] On
Behalf Of Louis Proyect
Sent: Saturday, June 02, 2012 12:04 PM
To: tgb...@ptd.net
Subject: Re: [Marxism] 46 percent of Americans think that the earth is less
than 10, 000 years old

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Everybody taking this tack is evading the reality of American society. 
You need to analyze Christian fundamentalism as it is, not as you would like
it to be. The born-again types are deeply politicized around a set of
questions:

1. Creationism
2. anti-abortion
3. free market economics
4. hostility to immigrants, gays, and Blacks 5. Islamophobia 6. blind
support for imperialist war 7. etc.

For the past 15 years at least, I try to spend at least an hour a week
listening to AM radio religious stations that feature shows like "Focus on
the Family", a key element of this movement. It is truly toxic stuff.

Analogizing this with Irish Catholics in struggle against the British or
Cromwell's peasant army, etc. is a flawed methodology. You have to look at
social reality as it is, not through some prism.



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t




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Re: [Marxism] 46 percent of Americans think that the earth is less than 10, 000 years old

[Mark Lause]

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Exactly!

In some abstract discussion in a grad student lounge, a few of the
geniuses of social democracy might choose make the argument that
ignorance in politics doesn't have to be connected to ignorance of the
world generally.

But in the material reality of the U.S. in the hear and now--which was
the subject of the original post--they are.

ML


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Re: [Marxism] Egypt vs Greece : Muslim Brotherhood vs Syriza

[Einde O'Callaghan]

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On 02.06.2012 05:15, Ratbag Media wrote:

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Not that John Molyneux answers the question -- but it warrants some answering:


"Some people are asking how can the IS tendency vote for the Muslim Brotherhood
(MB) but not for the left reformist, Syriza ?"
http://johnmolyneux.blogspot.ie/2012/05/normal-0-microsoftinternetexplorer4.html

However John Molyneux does point out that there is a significant 
difference: In Egypt there's a run-off between 2 candidates, one of whom 
directly represents the old regime.


In Greece there is a general election with many different parties and 
coalitions standing.


I don't necessarily agree with everything John says, but I think it 
isn't possible to simply equate the situation in Greece with that in 
Egypt, which seems to be what most critics of the IST are doing.


For a better understanding of the position of the Egyptian Revolutionary 
Socialists it might be useful if the critics read Chris Harman's "The 
Prophet and the Proletariat", which is available online in the Marxists 
Internet Archive at 
.


The watchword so far has been: "With the MB sometimes, with the military 
never!"


Einde O'Callaghan




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Re: [Marxism] 46 percent of Americans think that the earth is less than 10, 000 years old

[Louis Proyect]

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On 6/2/12 11:50 AM, Ken Hiebert wrote:

My point has been made by others as well.  Ignorance or backwardness
on scientific questions is not a good predictor of response to
political struggles.  A good example is the civil rights movement.
The best predictor of behaviour was whether a person was black or
white.  Religious belief was strong on both sides of the struggle.
Fierce attachment to religious belief sometimes is rooted in social
and political struggles.  An Irish woman I knew was told by her
family that if she stopped being a Catholic, that would be a victory
for the British.


Everybody taking this tack is evading the reality of American society. 
You need to analyze Christian fundamentalism as it is, not as you would 
like it to be. The born-again types are deeply politicized around a set 
of questions:


1. Creationism
2. anti-abortion
3. free market economics
4. hostility to immigrants, gays, and Blacks
5. Islamophobia
6. blind support for imperialist war
7. etc.

For the past 15 years at least, I try to spend at least an hour a week 
listening to AM radio religious stations that feature shows like "Focus 
on the Family", a key element of this movement. It is truly toxic stuff.


Analogizing this with Irish Catholics in struggle against the British or 
Cromwell's peasant army, etc. is a flawed methodology. You have to look 
at social reality as it is, not through some prism.




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[Marxism] 46 percent of Americans think that the earth is less than 10, 000 years old

[Ken Hiebert]

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Louis Proyect 
lnp3 at panix.com
   

Fri Jun  1 13:45:09 MDT 2012
Partial quote:
I don't think that agreeing with Darwinism is a sine qua non for 
becoming a revolutionary but you can be damned sure that the 
fascist mobs of the future will be drawn from the congregations of 
Christian fundamentalism.
* * * * *
My point has been made by others as well.  Ignorance or backwardness on 
scientific questions is not a good predictor of response to political 
struggles.  A good example is the civil rights movement.  The best predictor of 
behaviour was whether a person was black or white.  Religious belief was strong 
on both sides of the struggle.
Fierce attachment to religious belief sometimes is rooted in social and 
political struggles.  An Irish woman I knew was told by her family that if she 
stopped being a Catholic, that would be a victory for the British.
ken h


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[Marxism] Greek Leftist Aims to Void Austerity Plan

[Louis Proyect]

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NY Times June 1, 2012
Greek Leftist Aims to Void Austerity Plan
By SUZANNE DALEY and NIKI KITSANTONIS

ATHENS — With most of the latest polls showing that his left-leaning 
party was in a tight race with the New Democracy party for Greece’s 
election this month, Alexis Tsipras detailed his economic platform 
Friday, promising his first act would be to annul the terms of the 
country’s financial rescue packages.


Mr. Tsipras, 37, was only a minor character in Greek politics until 
recently. But he appears to be rallying this battered nation around his 
call to fight off Greece’s foreign creditors.


In an hourlong news conference, he described a dozen measures he would 
take if elected, ranging from extending unemployment benefits to 
nationalizing banks and delaying payments to creditors. He said he would 
replace the bailout plan with “a national regeneration plan,” adding 
that the goal was to reach a “just and viable European solution.”


“We don’t claim that there is plenty of money,” he said. “Greek people 
are not asking for money. They are asking for work and the ability to 
make a living.”


Mr. Tsipras’s surprising success in the last elections on May 6, when he 
came in second, set off a wave of concern across Europe. European 
leaders responded by all but endorsing candidates from the more 
mainstream parties that had negotiated and signed the terms of Greece’s 
bailout.


Three new polls were published on Friday in Athens newspapers. Two 
showed Mr. Tsipras’s party, Syriza, and the New Democracy party 
basically tied, while one put Syriza slightly ahead of the 
conservatives. In the Public Issue poll, published in Kathimerini, 
Syriza is backed by about 32 percent of the voters and New Democracy by 
26 percent. In contrast, according to the poll conducted by Kapa 
Research for Ta Nea, 26 percent said they would vote for New Democracy, 
statistically insignificant from the 24 percent for Syriza. Similarly, 
the Rass poll conducted for Eleftheros Typos found the voters closely 
divided: about 27 percent for New Democracy and 24 percent for Syriza.


Those are the last surveys expected before the June 17 balloting, as 
Greek law prohibits opinion polls in the two weeks before general elections.


One measure of the changing landscape here — and Mr. Tsipras’s effect on 
it — is that his proposals are no longer sounding so far out of the 
mainstream.


In May, center-right New Democracy and the Socialist Pasok maintained 
that Greece had no option but to abide by the terms of the bailout or be 
thrown out of the euro zone. But these days they are sounding more like 
Mr. Tsipras, who has always said that the deal could be renegotiated 
without Greece giving up the euro.


Both New Democracy and Pasok are now calling for renegotiating the terms 
of their agreement with the country’s foreign creditors, known as the 
“troika” — the European Commission, the European Central Bank and 
International Monetary Fund — and making other similar proposals. For 
instance, the leader of the New Democracy party, Antonis Samaras, has 
also called for extended unemployment benefits and a reversal of the 
reduction in the minimum wage.


Speaking to reporters in Washington late on Thursday, a spokesman for 
the International Monetary Fund said the group was willing to hear “any 
ideas” that the next Greek government might have for meeting the fiscal 
targets of the debt deal.


The program set out by Syriza on Friday, though, is unlikely to find a 
receptive audience.


Measures imposed by the troika, including a 22 percent reduction to the 
minimum monthly wage of 751 euros, or about $930, and the abolition of 
collective labor contracts, would be revoked, Mr. Tsipras said. And a 
moratorium would be imposed on the repayment of Greece’s debt and 
interest payments until growth is restored. He pledged to stabilize 
public spending at 43 percent of gross domestic product — below the euro 
zone average of 46 percent but above the 37 percent demanded by 
creditors — to raise revenue by taxing the wealthy, to abolish dozens of 
tax breaks, and to scale back the value-added tax, which falls 
disproportionately on the poor. “We must stop taxing poverty in this 
country and start taxing the wealthy who evade tax,” he said.



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[Marxism] Turkish Pianist Is Accused of Insulting Islam

[Louis Proyect]

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NY Times June 1, 2012
Turkish Pianist Is Accused of Insulting Islam
By SEBNEM ARSU and DANIEL J. WAKIN

ISTANBUL — A court here on Friday charged Fazil Say, a classical and 
jazz pianist with an international career, with insulting Islamic values 
in Twitter messages, the latest in a series of legal actions against 
Turkish artists, writers and intellectuals for statements they have made 
about religion and Turkish national identity.


Mr. Say, 42, who is also a composer, is accused of “publicly insulting 
religious values that are adopted by a part of the nation,” the 
semiofficial Anatolian news agency said. A trial is scheduled to begin 
on Oct. 18, with Mr. Say facing up to 18 months in prison if convicted.


It is unusual for Twitter posts to be the subject of an indictment in 
Turkey. Some of the messages were written by Mr. Say, but one, which 
poked fun at an Islamic vision of the afterlife, was written by someone 
else and passed along by Mr. Say via his Twitter account. Likening 
heaven’s promise of rivers of wine to a tavern and of virgins to a 
brothel, it referred to a poem by the 11th-century Persian poet Omar 
Khayyam, Mr. Say said in a text message from Slovenia, where he had just 
arrived for a concert.


Another Twitter post, this one written by Mr. Say, joked about a 
muezzin’s rapid delivery of the call to prayer, asking if he wanted to 
get away quickly for a drink. The messages are no longer available 
online. The pianist, who has frequently criticized the pro-Islamic 
Justice and Development Party government over its cultural and social 
policies, publicly defines himself as an atheist — a controversial 
admission in Turkey, which is overwhelmingly Muslim.


In his text message from Slovenia, Mr. Say said he was only one of 165 
people who shared the Twitter post on the vision of Islamic paradise.


“I just thought it was a funny allegory and retweeted the message,” he 
said. “It is unbelievable that it was made into a court case.”


He continued, “This case, which goes against universal human rights and 
laws, is saddening not only when judged on its own merit but also for 
Turkey’s image.”


Many intellectuals and writers have faced similar charges in recent 
years, including Orhan Pamuk, the Nobel laureate, who last year was 
fined $3,700 for saying in a Swiss newspaper that Turks “have killed 
30,000 Kurds and 1 million Armenians.”


The European Union, which Turkey is seeking to join, and other 
international organizations have criticized such actions as violations 
of free speech.


Mr. Say, who has served as a European Union culture ambassador, has a 
busy international career, with frequent engagements in Europe and to a 
lesser extent in Asia and the United States. He has performed with major 
orchestras, including the New York Philharmonic and the Berlin Symphony 
Orchestra.


Mr. Say is also known in music circles for his eccentricities during 
performances, like conducting phrases with a free hand, giving range to 
facial expressions and humming along.


His last recital in New York was in April, at the Metropolitan Museum of 
Art, in connection with the opening of the New Galleries for the Art of 
the Arab Lands, Turkey, Iran, Central Asia and Later South Asia.


Anthony Tommasini, in reviewing the concert for The New York Times, said 
Mr. Say drew a “large and enthusiastic audience.” Of his performance of 
Leos Janacek’s Sonata “1.X.1905,” Mr. Tommasini wrote, “Mr. Say brought 
improvisatory freedom and vivid colorings to this harmonically misty, 
elegiac and restless music.”


Sebnem Arsu reported from Istanbul, and Daniel J. Wakin from New York.


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[Marxism] Malcolm Gladwell Unmasked

[Louis Proyect]

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http://shameproject.com/report/malcolm-gladwell-unmasked-life-work-of-americas-most-successful-propagandist/


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