'We live in unpredictable times'
Good morning everyone. My OT is a hodge podge of stories that I bookmarked. Some old and some new. They somehow tie together in my mind. Global volatility on every level has never in my lifetime been so apparent. Why do the pontificate's of 'the world as we find it' call global disaster capitalism and all it's horrendous consequences to both humans and the planet 'fragile' and then insist that this world is 'inevitable' and we must all protect, 'stabilize' and keep their house of cards intact. On the other hand I feel optimistic about the resistance the withdrawing of consent by people globally. Green shoots of real democracy, real activism within and outside the oligarchies vice grip? Cracks in their inevitability are starting to show. I hope these stories do relate and that my fellow 99%er's find them interesting.
http://www.counterpunch.org/2015/08/25/an-affordable-housing-victory-hig...
An Affordable Housing Victory: High-End San Francisco Development Implodes
A political earthquake just hit San Francisco when, amid much controversy, plans for construction of 331 high-end rentals and deluxe condos in the heart of San Francisco’s working-class Mission District collapsed. Designed for the busy neighborhood transportation hub of 16th and Mission streets, the ten-story housing complex by Maximus Real Estate Partners, would have been the largest ever built in the history of the neighborhood.
Yet, it all came down before it ever went up. Not because of an “Act of God” or the “San Andreas Fault,” but largely because of almost two years of community protests at the proposed construction site, packed permit hearings and even a very large occupation of city hall.
That’s why, at 12 noon, Monday, August 24, on the very same corner location of the investors’ contrived and far-removed “Monster” recipe for upscale living, there were more authentic, local neighborhood voices celebrating its implosion. Among the several dozen assembled was Conny Ford, Community Affairs vice-president, San Francisco Labor Council, AFL-CIO. When asked if she was happy about the Maximus deal falling through, she leaned forward, placing her hands on my shoulders, “Are you kidding? I’m thrilled!” After a few moments of smiling, she quickly added “It shows activism pays off. Now we’ve got to get back to working for more affordable housing.”
http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/aug/25/jeremy-corbyn-americans-...
Jeremy Corbyn: like Bernie Sanders, UK politician is shaking up the mainstream. Jaded voters who switch off politics on their TV sets filled halls to overflowing: 900 at Nottingham last week to hear Labour’s new Robin Hood, with 300 outside in a street called Maid Marian Way. Soft-spoken Corbyn addressed them all in turn and they cheered him to the echo.
It now looks all but certain that Corbyn will win the Labour leadership when the result is announced on 12 September. Uninspiring rival candidates are too compromised by their record in government or, in Kendall’s case (she may come last), their Blairism. Those who point to the improbability of Corbyn’s high tax-and-spending plans, his threats to banks and bankers, or to Chavez’s legacy and Syriza’s defeats seem to be wasting their time, at least with the constituencies making the choice.
Party officials are scrambling to weed out known enemies (Tory MPs with votes are easiest to spot) amid threats of legal action if Corbyn wins. But Labour’s electorate has tripled to 600,000 in weeks and the task is impossible. It also smacks of panic and manipulation. Corbyn may well win handsomely and, if he does not, he will have severely damaged the eventual winner’s candidacy, just as nice Sanders will.....
http://www.newstatesman.com/world-affairs/2015/07/exclusive-yanis-varouf...
Yanis Varoufakis opens up about his five month battle to save Greece
Varoufakis said that Schäuble, Germany’s finance minister and the architect of the deals Greece signed in 2010 and 2012, was “consistent throughout”. “His view was ‘I’m not discussing the programme – this was accepted by the previous [Greek] government and we can’t possibly allow an election to change anything.“So at that point I said ‘Well perhaps we should simply not hold elections anymore for indebted countries’, and there was no answer. The only interpretation I can give [of their view] is, ‘Yes, that would be a good idea, but it would be difficult. So you either sign on the dotted line or you are out.’”
This is a long read but very interesting. I usually dislike economic theory just like I don't like art theory. I did enjoy readying this speech from Varoufakis.
http://www.theguardian.com/news/2015/feb/18/yanis-varoufakis-how-i-becam...
Yanis Varoufakis: How I became an erratic Marxist
In 2008, capitalism had its second global spasm. The financial crisis set off a chain reaction that pushed Europe into a downward spiral that continues to this day. Europe’s present situation is not merely a threat for workers, for the dispossessed, for the bankers, for social classes or, indeed, nations. No, Europe’s current posture poses a threat to civilisation as we know it.
If my prognosis is correct, and we are not facing just another cyclical slump soon to be overcome, the question that arises for radicals is this: should we welcome this crisis of European capitalism as an opportunity to replace it with a better system? Or should we be so worried about it as to embark upon a campaign for stabilising European capitalism?
Comments
Good Morning Shaz and 99%'ers
I had read your first link on Varoufakis a while back. I find him to be a very interesting and intelligent man. I am loking forward to reading the second article after I post this comment.
I want to recommend foresterbob's series of diaries giving his own first person account of the Washington state wildfires. The latest one was posted today, but he also links previous diaries in the series. They are all very interesting reading and filled with photographs of the fires as well as his account of trying to save his own small cabin in the area. I highly recommend them all.
Do I hear the sound of guillotines being constructed?
“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." ~ President John F. Kennedy
Thanks for the wildfire
link. I don't go to GOS very often and have missed this great series. Mostly I just follow links from here or check out the wreck list. We are getting the smoke from the WA and OR wild fires. Last week due to a wind shift they said that the thick, gritty smoke from all the west's wildfires covered a 1000 mile area. It was so thick I could not see Mt. Tabor which is about a mile and a half away. We had to shut all the windows and could not run our window air conditioner because it's a cheapie and has no way to filter or not use the air from outside. It's still pretty hazy but much better. According to my weather this is the last day of extreme heat. Looks like we have ten days of temperatures in the high to mid 70's and rain coming. I hope the east side of WA and OR gets some rain and cooler weather. I look at the weather every day at the OR central coast and it sure makes me want to move back to the beach. Even during our 99 degree weather Lincoln county has stayed in the 60-70 range
.
The PNW fires are so bad that the story was a headline on the Guardian this morning... http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/aug/27/smoke-grounds-aircraft-ba...
Good Morning, sharazade, I agree with your headline,
... today I learned that Guatemala is more civilized than the US. There was a lot in Amy Goodman's first section today. Section starts at TC 8:40. I suggest you listen and read the transcript later in the day. I might come back in the late afternoon to add some quotes, which were revealing to me. I didn't know much about Guatemala's history and in which ways the oligarchs and/or fascists there were supported by the US in the past.
I have to go. See you all later and wish you all well. Thanks for the OT.
https://www.euronews.com/live
Unpredictable and moving too fast.
It seems that way to me, anyway. There seems to be less thoughtful people around, everyone has a phone in their hands, their attention is divided at all times. What kind of way is that to live?
I shave my legs with Occam's Razor~
I don't have a cell phone
Eric does but it's not a smart one just an old timey flipper. I agree everyone seems to walk or drive around hooked into their devises. When I'm people watching I often wonder and imagine what they are plugged into that is so fascinating that they can't look up at the world around them. It's really scary when I bike ride and come to a intersection with a stopped car with a driver on their cell. I have taken to ringing my bell, dismounting and walking and even kicking the side of their car to make sure they are aware that I'm there and going to cross the street. This morning I walked down the street to the store and 3 of my neighbors were on their porch drinking coffee and gazing at their smart phones. I think this adds to the disconnection, isolation of our society. Maybe people need the distraction from reality, and need the illusion of being plugged into the world. We went out to dinner with my son and his wife and we're discussing the selection of pasta's offered. My son whipped out his smart phone and looked up pasta's so we could all see the pictures of rigatoni vs. penne. Maybe smart phones and the computer make us all stupider.
I have an old fashioned flip phone
Very few people have my number and I have it mostly for emergencies or to talk with my husband when he is traveling.
So many people seem shocked that I do not text either. If it is important enough, they can call me, preferably on my home phone.
Do I hear the sound of guillotines being constructed?
“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." ~ President John F. Kennedy
Problem solved.
China Creates Cellphone Lane for “Zombie Pedestrians”
That's hilarious
Portland has bike lanes and bike routes throughout the city but we could use cellphone lanes both on the city streets and sidewalks.
Good morning 99%er's
I just got up as we are going to bed really late due to the high temperatures which seem to peak out after 6:00 in the evening. Sorry about the brevity and lack of news on the OT. I think I'm on overload as far as what's happening. My mind numbed out yesterday and when I sat down to write I came up blank. I am having a hard time with everything being filtered through the politics of mass global deception. Reading online throws no light on the interconnections of this man made onslaught of destruction. Madness prevails. It's like the tower of Babel with everybody speaking and no one's making sense. Hard to have any clarity or discern the pattern that underlies all the destruction.
The economist's talk their talk, the scientists and techies speak their closeted souless speech, and the politicians just stir the pot and keep the fires burning. Somehow though all this babble I do see hope but even sources like The Guardian or lefty sites filter everything through a dark lens that seem unable to move beyond the reality of 'the world as we find it'. It's like no one can imagine or see anything other then the inevitability of fear and loathing and endless war on the planet and humans. One minute I want the whole damn disaster capitalist global system to crash and then like everyone I am afraid of the unknown.
I seem to have let go of direction politically, like Al I see no value in any of the structures the global oligarchical collectivists have put in place they are just madness. Maybe it's better to let go of fear and realize their is no such thing as 'security' or the false concepts of order and ism's and allow the great unraveling proceed. I just read that the US has nothing to worry about economically as everything is rosy and we are going full steam ahead. Fuck the rising GDP enough with this toxic destructive growth.
http://www.theguardian.com/business/2015/aug/27/us-economic-growth-stron...
Hopes high for strong day on Wall Street after US GDP growth revised up
And now for a little humor regarding gentrification, which is currently biting my city in the ass.https://youtu.be/R9gGL1cnnhg
This song goes with
my gentrification 'issues'. Gentrification is much more tangible and real as it affects you where you live and is not as overwhelming as stock markets crashing and the ME being set on fire. It's still global as a lot of the signs on the Monster's they are building in my neighborhood feature investors from Shanghai and developers from out of state. It seems to me that the top 20% of our society, the successful people, are who the economy is geared to. Obama calls these segment of the population 'responsible'. Demolishing Portland to build high end expensive Monster condo's and apartments along with buying up formerly affordable old houses for Realtor's to flip or bulldoze to build tall MacMansion's, doesn't seem like it's economically sustainable. Now that China's economy is getting crazy will these foreign investors stop investing in wrecking our city.