I. It seems to me that José Vasconcelos has found a formula on pessimism and optimism that not only defines the feeling of the new Ibero-American generation in the face of the contemporary crisis, but also corresponds to the absolute mentality and sensibility of an era in which, despite the thesis of José Ortega […]
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News updates or analysis.
Ravens and Vultures
Did you notice that there are people who say they are of the Left but who seem to only criticize people of the Left? Never against the Right, whatever it does. They specialize in pouring gasoline on any little fire within the Left. They never recognize victories, conquests, advances. They only make predictions of defeats, […]
15O: Global Indignation
The 15th of October (15O) was the first coordinated global response to the crisis, signifying the emergence of a new international movement. Initially inspired by revolutions in North Africa, through emulation and imitation, protests began in the periphery of Europe. The Mediterranean world thus found itself situated in the epicenter of a new wave of […]
Libya: NATO’s Champagne Moment
NATO celebrating its victory. . . Eneko Las Heras, born in Caracas in 1963, is a cartoonist based in Spain. The cartoons above were first published in his blog . . . Y sin embargo se mueve on 21 October 2011. Cf. “Libya’s Interim Government Wants NATO to Stay” (Tripoli Post, 25 October 2011); Larry […]
I Woke Up One Morning and the War Was Over
America’s war in Iraq is over. The last U.S. troops will leave by year’s end, “with their heads held high, proud of their success and knowing that the American people stand united in our support for our troops.” So sayeth President Obama. A “sham of a mockery of a sham” is what Groucho would call […]
The Vampire Squid Turns to Education
In his Republic, Plato analogized elites to guard dogs who must be educated as to whom they must guard against and whom they must protect. One of Plato’s nightmare scenarios was a ruling class that lost the ability to make this distinction and turned wholly predatory on its sustaining population. Enter our present-day banking […]
Occupy Wall Street and the Celebrity Economists
The Occupy Wall Street movement has transfixed the nation. In just a few weeks, it has spread from Manhattan to hundreds of towns and cities, and it has now taken root in other countries. It has focused the widespread anger that we feel toward a tiny group of extraordinarily rich individuals (the 1%) who […]
Celebrate a Victory and Support Political Prisoners: Freedom Dance 2011
“For anyone who can’t be at the actual event, please note that you can support this effort to raise funds for political prisoners by purchasing a ticket online (only $20 at www.brownpapertickets.com/event/207355). All support will be highly appreciated in the struggle to free political prisoners! And please post on your Facebook page or whatever other […]
Occupy Wall St, Occupy Uruguay, Occupy Manila International Airport
In my last posting on #OWS, I related a series of conversations I’d had with global trade union activists on their perceptions of #OccupyWallSt. After the article appeared, several global labor activists contacted me with follow-up and feedback. Steve Faulkner, an International Officer at the South African Municipal Workers Union (SAMWU), wrote to say that […]
Venezuela Condemns Crime Committed against Libyan Leader Muammar Gaddafi
The government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela most energetically condemns the policy of barbarism executed by NATO and its allies in Libya, which has plunged that brother nation in war and subverted the institutional order of that country by force. The crime committed on 20 October 2011 against Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi is emblematic […]
NATO Has Assassinated Gaddafi — Now the Puppets Can Dance
NATO has assassinated Gaddafi. Now the puppets can dance. This is not about democracy, as the “new” leaders are a combination of his ex-cabinet officials and ex-Mujahideen who took out the People’s Democratic Party of Afghanistan in the 80s and installed the Taliban for the CIA. Pro-Gaddafi protests in Tripoli have been met with […]
A Moment of Awakening
The camp has grown since people dropped their tents on Saturday evening, amidst a hail of police batons and riot shields. By Wednesday, you could count well over 100 tents outside St Paul’s Cathedral. ‘People’s Assemblies’ are conducted on a daily basis, where suggestions for improvements are put forward. Khalil Gibran, Jeremy Scahill and George […]
The Assassination of Gaddafi
The news of the killing of Colonel Gaddafi in the battle to take Sirte marked one more episode in this NATO war in Libya and North Africa. The killing has all of the hallmarks of a coordinated assassination, synchronised between NATO aircraft and forces on the ground. The reports are that Gaddafi was attacked when […]
In 2012, Social Security Beneficiaries to Receive First Cost-of-Living Adjustment Since 2009
The Consumer Price Index rose 0.3 percent in September, and at a 4.8 percent annualized rate over the last three months. Core consumer prices slowed to 0.1 percent compared with 0.2 percent the previous two months. Rounding hid much of the measured fall in core inflation as prices rose at a 0.7 percent annualized rate […]
Reflections on Organizing towards Collective Liberation at Occupy NOLA
Over the past few weeks, I have been invigorated and moved by the energy surrounding Occupy Wall Street and its offshoots across the nation. Yet, at the same time I’ve been faced with the tensions being articulated by so many folks on the Left: how can this energy be connected to and further long-standing […]
Poverty in Saudi Arabia
Feras Bugnah is a filmmaker in Saudi Arabia. Cf. Carlos Latuff, “Free Feras Bugnah, Filmmaker Arrested for Exposing Poverty in KSA” (MRZine, 18 October 2011). | Print
Why We Occupy, What We Know
Occupy Eugene rally, 15 October 2011 We are here as part of the Occupy Wall Street movement, which in a few short weeks has become a global movement in hundreds of cities around the world. We are part of the 99 percent not only in this country but the world. I have been reading the […]
Syria: Another Massive Pro-Government Demonstration That You Won’t See in Corporate Media
Saadallah al-Jabri Square, Aleppo, 19 October 2011 Cf. “I woke up and watched the news on Aljazeera. I saw the most massive demonstration in Syria in recent weeks. It was huge. It turned out to be a pro-regime demonstration. I am sure that you won’t read about it in the New York Times” (As’ad AbuKhalil, […]
Iran’s Massive Banking Scandal
What’s the origin of the Islamic Republic’s biggest banking scandal? The financial conglomerate Amir Mansour Arya Investment Development Company allegedly procured several letters of credit from domestic banks totaling $2.8 billion — far above the company’s available collateral. The Arya Group, founded by Amir Mansour Khosravi and now controlled by his son Mah-Afarid, controlled around […]
#OWS, Times Square, and the Global Labor Movement
“I’m just a soccer mom. Well, a swimming mom, if you want to be exact.” This is how the middle-aged women holding up the “Worked 1973-2003” sign at Saturday’s Occupy Wall Street rally at Times Square described herself to me. She stood next to a young boy leaning against his dad, the son holding up […]
