[PEN-L] Potemkin villages

Weighing the 'Surge' The U.S. War in Iraq Hinges on the Counterinsurgency Strategy Of Gen. Petraeus. The Results Have Been Tenuous. By Sudarsan Raghavan Washington Post Tuesday, September 4, 2007; A01 BAGHDAD -- Nearly every week, American generals and politicians visit Combat Outpost Gator, nest

[PEN-L] N.Korea agrees to disable nuclear program

Reuters.com N.Korea agrees to disable nuclear program http://www.reuters.com/article/politicsNews/idUSL3190702020070903?sp=true Mon Sep 3, 2007 By Laura MacInnis GENEVA (Reuters) - North Korea has agreed to fully account for and disable its nuclear program by the end of this year, the top U.S.

Re: [PEN-L] "Nothing is too good for the working man."

I thought the slogan was "nothing is too good for the working class." On 9/3/07, Eugene Coyle <[EMAIL PROTECTED] > wrote: > Is that ambiguous? -- Jim Devine / "In the years since the phrase became a cliché, I have received any number of compliments for my supposed ability to 'think outside th

[PEN-L] reregulating electric power

The New York Times September 4, 2007 A New Push to Regulate Power Costs By DAVID CAY JOHNSTON More than a decade after the drive began to convert electricity from a regulated industry into a competitive one, many states are rolling back their initiatives or returning money to individuals and busi

[PEN-L] Changing the clock in India

Advance IST by 30 minutes, save Rs.10 bn: scientists Date: Tuesday , September 04, 2007 New Delhi: A group of scientists have suggested that the Indian Standard Time (IST) be shifted forward by 30 minutes to reduce peak time energy demand and save at least Rs.10 billion per year. According

[PEN-L] news

>>President George W. Bush departed from his planned itinerary on Labor Day to make a surprise visit to reality, later calling the two-hour stop in the real world "informative." For Mr. Bush, the visit to reality, while brief, was still significant because it represented his first visit to the rea

[PEN-L] Why Bush can get awaw with attacking Iran

http://www.counterpunch.org/bricmont09042007.html >A large part of the academic left long ago gave up informing the general public about the real world in order to debate whether Capital is a Signifier or a Signified, or worry about their Bodies and their Selves, while preachers tell their flock

Re: [PEN-L] Why Bush can get away with attacking Iran

part of the problem is the fact that so much of the anti-war movement is led by the ANSWER coalition. More important is the fact that so many people have let that organization's sectarianism deter them from participating. Of course, another problem is that demonstrations seem "old hat" and it's har

Re: [PEN-L] Why Bush can get away with attacking Iran

On 9/4/07, Jim Devine <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > part of the problem is the fact that so much of the anti-war movement > is led by the ANSWER coalition. More important is the fact that so > many people have let that organization's sectarianism deter them from > participating. Of course, another p

[PEN-L] The Eighteenth Brumaire of Sam Walton

This photo is somehow funny. http://www.reason.com/blog/show/122285.html) Jayson Funke Graduate School of Geography Clark University 950 Main Street Worcester, MA 01610

[PEN-L] Let's Dump Prepackaged Class Identities

"But country music has got to be the supreme example. People work like dogs, have few or no educational opportunities, live surly lives of struggle just trying to get by, get their cods shot off for the amusement of Cheney and Condi, yet, the country music industry sells even that identity back to

Re: [PEN-L] Fidel on foreign investment in Cuba

Is Fidel the only person to have actually organized a revolution, and not lost a grip on reality in the years of retreat, debilitation, and finally overthrow of the remnants of the October Revolution? Maybe. Probably. At the Encounter on Problems of Development, forget if it was the 2nd or 3rd o

[PEN-L] Eco-socialism for the 21st Century

*Please forward widely* Ecological Crisis and Social Transformation: Joel Kovel speaks on Eco-Socialism for the 21st Century Friday, September 21 7pm, SFU Harbour Centre, 515 W. Hastings Room 1900 Admission: Suggested donation $5-10 Joel Kovel is both a scholar and an activist. In the former ca

Re: [PEN-L] The Eighteenth Brumaire of Sam Walton

On 9/4/07, Jayson Funke <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > This photo is somehow funny. > > http://www.reason.com/blog/show/122285.html) Isn't Wal-Mart the 21st century equivalent of those Satanic Mills that Marx analyzed? -- Jim Devine / "In the years since the phrase became a cliché, I have receive

[PEN-L] CDO Speeds to CCC From AAA

According to Bloomberg, here is at least one instance of a CDO that was downgraded from AAA all the way down to CCC. This seems a little extreme even given the excesses of the derivatives markets. Are things really *that* bad? http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aSEguZCZ9ZpY ---

Re: [PEN-L] Galbraith's new paper

On Sep 3, 2007, at 7:16 PM, Marvin Gandall wrote: I don't see how its recent halting moves are directed at the working class, except in the sense it's waiting to see a more serious impact on the the real economy before it eases further, which is something less than an declaration of class war.

Re: [PEN-L] Galbraith's new paper

On 9/4/07, Doug Henwood <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > The halting moves themselves aren't directed at the working class, > but the haltingness takes the w.c. in to consideration. That is, > without the financial crisis, the Fed would be hanging tough, and not > even the melodramas of recent weeks (w

Re: [PEN-L] The Eighteenth Brumaire of Sam Walton

I think textile/clothing manufacturing in developing countries and secreted within the developed countries where women make up the bulk of the production workers are closer than Wal Mart. Or chicken processing plants. Anywhere. - Original Message - From: "Jim Devine" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> T

Re: [PEN-L] CDO Speeds to CCC From AAA

Sounds a little bit like Enron, no? Or even ImClone. - Original Message - From: "raghu" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: Sent: Tuesday, September 04, 2007 5:42 PM Subject: [PEN-L] CDO Speeds to CCC From AAA > According to Bloomberg, here is at least one instance of a CDO that > was downgraded fr

[PEN-L] '...And it’s doable' - Air war on Iran, the possibilities are likely to become reality... soon

Then: "I don't think the administration is about to carry out military action," he told me. "The military does not want to do this. We will lose planes if there is a massive air strike over Iran. We'll have pilots killed and captured." ...Yesterday, I called the official... Speaking From Experien

Re: [PEN-L] Galbraith's new paper

In the late 1970s, Paul Volcker "carried in his pocket a little card on which he kept track of the latest wage settlements by major labor unions. ... Volcker wanted wages to fall, the faster the better." --William Greider, Secrets of the Temple, 1987, p. 429 as quoted in Charles Andrews, From Capi

Re: [PEN-L] CDO Speeds to CCC From AAA

On 9/4/07, sartesian <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Sounds a little bit like Enron, no? Or even ImClone. Oh there is hardly anything unique or special about the financial and accounting shenanigans at Enron. If only they stopped pretending to be an energy company and openly admitted what they were

Re: [PEN-L] CDO Speeds to CCC From AAA

On 9/4/07, raghu <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > debt from structured investment vehicles spawned by Solent Capital > Partners LLP in London and Avendis Group in Geneva. About $254 million > Solent Green is people? -- Sandwichman