(November 23, 2024)
We live in a civilization built of lies and abuse, powered by lies and abuse, and defended using lies and abuse. Even the most kindhearted and well-intentioned among us struggle to bring about positive change, because the very fabric of our society is stacked against truth and kindness.
After silently watching Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza for the past one year, the leaders of the Arab and Muslim countries have once more met in Riyadh to discuss the escalating conflict.
The so-called international alliance conceived by Saudi Arabia, with its aim of pressing for the establishment of a Palestinian state, failed to formulate a concrete plan of action to stop the Israeli invasion that has been extended to Lebanon.
You actually have to be mentally ill to achieve what this profoundly sick society of ours defines as “success”. Your head has to be full of a bunch of fantasies and fictional narratives which have no basis in material reality. You’ve got to have a hole in yourself that cannot be filled with any amount of wealth or power or private jets or private islands. That’s the only thing that can propel you to step on top of all the people you need to step on in order to become obscenely rich.
The moral degeneracy of this civilization looks like living lives of relative comfort built on the backs of workers in the global south whose labor and resources are extracted from their nations at profoundly exploitative rates, while raining military explosives on impoverished populations who dare to disobey the dictates of our government, day after day, year after year, decade after decade, and acting like this is all fine and normal.
Being born into western civilization is like waking up in the middle of a massive lynch mob.
Egyptian president Field Marshall Abdel Fattah el-Sisi announced that “[w]hat is happening now in Gaza is an attempt to force civilian residents to take refuge and migrate to Egypt, which should not be accepted.” King Abdullah II of Jordan (which borders the West Bank, but not Gaza) was even more succinct: “No refugees in Jordan, no refugees in Egypt,” he declared.
The center-right opposition bloc known as the Civic Platform polled at 26 percent in the same survey, while the far-right Confederation party reached 10 percent. That would potentially give Confederation, which refuses to enter a coalition with either major party, the power to spoil negotiations for a new government.
(Sept. 16, 2023)
As Ukraine, one of the world’s largest grain exporters, has struggled to ship its grain because of Russia’s invasion, the European Union has opened up to tariff-free food imports from the country, a move that had the unintended consequence of undercutting prices and hurting farmers in several countries in the east of the European Union. As part of a deal meant to protect those countries, the bloc allowed some grain to transit through them, but prohibited domestic sales.
Brussels’ decision to let that deal expire at midnight on Friday revived an issue that has threatened European Union unity on support for Ukraine.
As Russia once again bombards and blockades Ukraine‘s Black Sea ports — through which the country exports its vast agricultural produce — Poland and Hungary threaten to cut off the country‘s western exit routes.
Mr. Haass recently published a book called “The Bill of Obligations: The Ten Habits of Good Citizens,” outlining ways Americans can help heal their own society, like “Be Informed,” “Remain Civil,” “Put Country First” — all admittedly bromides and yet somehow often elusive these days. (…)
Putting his foreign policy hat aside for now, he said he wants to expand the message from his book and help refocus the country on the core values embodied in the Declaration of Independence as the 250th anniversary of the document approaches three years from now.
The members of Likud who could stop the carnage but continue to participate in this government will go down in history as far worse than collaborators. Petain, the ruler of Vichy France, at least believed he was saving France. I cannot believe that Nir Barkat, Avi Dichter, Gila Gamliel, Yoav Gallant, Yuli Edelsein think they are saving Israel. They know in their heart of hearts that without legitimacy, they are gambling with the entire future of the country. To you distinguished ministers and members of Knesset, I ask: Will you willingly sacrifice the country you served for the sake of a cabinet position or Knesset seat? Will you silence your conscience for that?
Although the Russian people do not enthusiastically support the war, the majority accept it. Any notion that they will oust their leader is wishful thinking.
Putin has cleverly scripted the conflict into a powerful historic narrative. He presents it as a defensive struggle for the survival of the country akin to the German invasion of 1941. NATO’s refusal to rule out Ukrainian membership and the planned accession of Sweden and Finland are grist for his propaganda mill.
With the acceleration of inflation in the post-pandemic recovery, the debate seemed to be limited to whether the inflationary spike would be short-lived or persistent and become imbedded into inflationary expectations. While some Keynesian authors like Paul Krugman initially believed that inflation was caused by cost-push factors including by the sharp rises in energy and foodstuff prices as a result of the Ukraine war, and that it would quickly subside, the debate shifted rapidly and a new consensus according to which inflation was, in part the result of over stimulation of demand during the pandemic coupled with supply side shocks that lowered the potential level of output which provides the main theoretical justification for raising interest rates. Thus, even when most authors accept the notion that snags in the supply chain played a role in the acceleration of inflation, the main cause is to be seen on the excess demand side with the economy beyond its potential output level.
The challenge to conventional wisdom, and its emphasis on demand, has come from left
of center authors, like Robert Reich, that suggest inflation is caused by greedy corporations that have increased their profit margins during a crisis. This has brought back the old debate about the relationship between administered prices and inflation, and the proposition that inflation is directly related to highly concentrated market structures, or what might be termed oligopolistic inflation.
In other words, there is an ideological divide between those that blame inflation in an incompetent government and central bank reaction to the pandemic versus those that suggest that the real culprits are greedy corporations rising their mark up above their costs.
Polls conducted during 2010–18 found that a slight majority of millennials held a positive view of socialism and that support for socialism had increased in every age group except those aged 65 or older. It should be noted, however, that the policies actually favoured by such groups differed little in their scope and purpose from the New Deal regulatory and social-welfare programs of the 1930s and hardly amounted to orthodox socialism.
(27. Oktober 2012)
Die BBC-Filmreihe “The Trap – What happened to our Dream of Freedom” (“Die Falle – Was mit unserem Traum von Freiheit geschah”) aus dem Jahre 2007 umschreibt Ursprung und Aufstieg von Psychologie und Menschenbild des heutigen Kapitalismus. Die Dokumentation beleuchtet akribisch, wie zu Zeiten des Kalten Krieges von Mathematikern und Psychologen aus deren zutiefst düsteren Menschenbild heraus entwickelte Theorien Jahrzehnte später benutzt wurden um ganze Staaten und Gesellschaften nach diesem Menschenbild zu transformieren. In der für Regisseur und Dokumentarfilmer Adam Curtis typischen, hochinformativen und nüchternen Weise recherchiert die BBC-Serie, “wie das simple Modell der Menschen als selbstsüchtige, fast roboterhafte Kreaturen zu der heutigen Vorstellung von Freiheit führte” und aus der Paranoia der Blockkonfrontation durch die Anhänger des vermeintlich bestätigten, siegreichen kapitalistischen Menschenbildes jene “seltsame, paradoxe Welt geschaffen wurde”, in der wir heute leben.
„However, harming the court‘s status, as well as harming the rights of minorities based on religion, race, gender or sexual orientation, will constitute a real existential threat to the glorious high-tech industry that has been built in Israel with great effort over the past three decades.“
The authors later noted the large amounts of money coming to the industry from the U.S. and Europe: „These investors are of course looking for financial returns on their investment, but they also share significant fundamental values with the countries and industries in which they invest.
In the early stages of the campaign, when parties could still merge with others, Lapid begged Merav Michaeli, the leader of Labor, to join forces with Meretz. Even the James Webb telescope would fail to find ideological differences between the two parties. Michaeli, whatever her reasons may have truly been, shot down the idea. Now she could enter history books as the first Labor leader to remain beneath the threshold, and outside the Knesset.
(1. September 2018)
Zu den Gegensätzlichkeiten von Souveränität und Nationalismus.
Dargestellt werden sollen diese aus (mutmaßlich) subjektiver Sicht. Im Folgenden kann Souveränität auch, wenn man denn auf den -ismus nicht verzichten will, als Souveränismus bezeichnet werden. Nationalismus kann in diesem Zusammenhang und Artikel als deckungsgleich oder wirknah zu rechten, rechtsradikalen oder rechtsextremen Parteien, Strömungen und Anschauungen aufgefasst werden.
(01.09.2018)
Anspruch des Nationalismus: Das eigene Land vor allen Anderen zu retten.
Souveränität hingegen bedeutet, zu gleichen Teilen das eigene Land vor allen Anderen, vor der eigenen Regierung, vor sich selbst und wenn nötig auch alle Anderen vor dem eigenen Land retten.
Pharmakonzerne und die Länder, in denen sie angesiedelt sind, argumentieren, Patente seien nicht das Haupthindernis bei der Erhöhung der Produktion. Zugleich warnen sie, dadurch würden Innovationen ausgebremst. Die 164 WTO-Staaten müssen alle Entscheidungen im Konsens treffen.
The World Trade Organization member countries have failed to reach a consensus on a temporary waiver of intellectual property rights for COVID-19 vaccines, WTO spokesman Keith Rockwell said on Tuesday following the General Council session. According to Okonjo-Iweala, the WTO member countries will make a decision by the 12th WTO ministerial conference, which will take place in late November-early December.
(26.07.2021)
1.2 Zurückführung der Europäischen Union in einen Staatenbund souveräner StaatenDas bestehende „Lissabon-Europa“ ist daher zurückzuführen zu einer Organisation von Staaten, die auf der Basis völkerrechtlicher Verträge ihre Interessen und Aufgabenwahrnehmung definieren. Nicht rückholbare Souveränitäts-verzichte der Staaten dürfen mit einer solchen Konstruktion nicht verbunden werden. Ähnlich wie heute im Vertrag über die Europäische Union (EUV) in Art. 50 vorgesehen, behält sich jeder Staat ein Austrittsrecht vor.
Sofern eine solche Konzeption mit den derzeitigen Part-nern der EU nicht einvernehmlich auszuhandeln ist, ist Deutschland gezwungen, dem Beispiel Großbritanniens zu folgen und aus der bestehenden EU auszutreten.
Die Schaffung neuer überstaatlicher Vereinbarungen bleibt vorbehalten und wird aufgrund nationalstaatlicher Souveränität erst ermöglicht.
1.3 Das Volk muss wieder zum Souverän werden
Heimlicher Souverän in Deutschland ist eine kleine, machtvolle politische Oligarchie, die sich in den bestehenden politischen Parteien ausgebildet hat. Sie hat die Fehlentwick-lungen der letzten Jahrzehnte zu verantworten. Es hat sich eine politische Klasse herausgebildet, deren vordringliches Interesse ihrer Macht, ihrem Status und ihrem materiellen Wohlergehen gilt. Diese Oligarchie hat die Schalthebel der staatlichen Macht, der politischen Bildung und des informationellen und medialen Einflusses auf die Bevölkerung in Händen.
(…)
2.1 Die weitere Mitgliedschaft in der Eurozone ist für Deutschland unbezahlbar
Die Geschäftsgrundlage des Euro war: Keine Haftung für die Schulden anderer Länder und keine Staatsschulden über P60 rozent des jeweiligen Bruttoinlandsprodukts. Diese Regeln sind zerstört worden. Deshalb muss Deutschland die Transferunion aufkündigen und den Euroraum verlassen.
Der Bundespräsident darf das beschlossene Gesetz nicht ausfertigen, denn in Karlsruhe liegt ein Eilantrag gegen die deutsche Beteiligung vor. Bis das Gericht darüber entschieden hat, sollen keine Fakten geschaffen werden.
Eine Begründung für den Beschluss veröffentlichte das Bundesverfassungsgericht zunächst nicht.
“The fact that people even go out to vote is very disturbing to economists. After all, you won’t change the result of the election with your lone vote, and on the other hand it costs you time and money. If you do a cost-benefit analysis of it – clearly one shouldn’t vote. Classical economists are very disturbed by people who go out to vote and also by people who leave tips in restaurants that they don’t plan to visit again.”
The Serum Institute of India (SII) has told Brazil, Saudi Arabia and Morocco that further supplies of the Oxford/AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine will be delayed because of surging demand at home and work on capacity expansion, a source with direct knowledge of the matter said.
(25.01.2021)
Pascal Soriot said world leaders “could and should have been better prepared for this pandemic” and criticised what he called the “me first” attitude many have adopted in tackling the crisis.
“Globally, it’s fair to say we could and should have been better prepared for this pandemic,” AstraZeneca boss Soriot said during an appearance on a virtual panel on Monday.
(01.09.2018)
Anspruch des Nationalismus: Das eigene Land vor allen Anderen zu retten.
Souveränität hingegen bedeutet, zu gleichen Teilen das eigene Land vor allen Anderen, vor der eigenen Regierung, vor sich selbst und wenn nötig auch alle Anderen vor dem eigenen Land retten.
Congress returns to Washington this week focused on passing a broader spending bill by December 11 to avert a partial government shutdown, though it‘s possible that some relief programs could be added to such a broader spending bill.
The day after Christmas, millions of Americans will lose their jobless benefits, according to a new study. And that could spell financial ruin for many people, like 44-year-old Todd Anderson in the small town of Mackinaw City, Mich.
Finanzminister Gernot Blümel (ÖVP) legt bei seiner Kritik an der EU nach. „In der EU werden regelmäßig die Regeln gebrochen, und das geht einfach nicht“, sagte er im Gespräch mit der „Welt“. „Ich habe mittlerweile das Gefühl, die europäische Ebene und die Brüsseler Bürokratie reagieren nur auf Druck. Wenn große Länder sich beschweren, wird schnell reagiert, bei kleineren Ländern weniger schnell.“
Late Tuesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a temporary halt in residential evictions until the end of the year, starting Friday. When it goes into effect, it will delay mass evictions but not solve the rental crisis, said Emily Benfer, a housing expert and co-creator of a Covid-19 housing policy scorecard with Princeton University‘s Eviction Lab.
„The CDC order provides crucial temporary relief for renters, but it doesn‘t end the eviction crisis,“ says Benfer. „Congress must bolster it with significant rental assistance for its purpose to be realized,“ she said.
Beginning in May, Brenda Ann Kenneally set out across the country, from New York to California, to capture the routines of Americans who struggle to feed their families, piecing together various forms of food assistance, community support and ingenuity to make it from one month to the next.
In der „ZiB 2“ vom Freitag auf seine Äußerung angesprochen, verteidigte und relativierte Kurz seine Aussage: Es sei bekannt, dass viele Staaten hoch verschuldet seien. In Ländern wie Italien gebe es „definitiv Defizite“ und deshalb seien eben „einschneidende Reformen“ notwendig, sonst würde das Geld „versanden“.
„Die Rezession wird tiefer als erwartet und die Länder im Euro-Raum entwickeln sich wirtschaftlich noch stärker auseinander als noch im Frühjahr prognostiziert“, warnte Gentiloni. Doch wenn die amtierende EU-Ratspräsidentin und deutsche Bundeskanzlerin Angela Merkel einen Kompromiss vorantreibe, „können wir noch in diesem Monat eine Einigung erzielen“.
(Suchergebnisse)
In a press briefing on Thursday, WHO Europe director Dr. Hans Kluge said a “deeply concerning picture” was emerging of the impact of COVID-19 on long-term homes for the elderly, where care has “often been notoriously neglected.” Kluge said health workers in such facilities were often overworked and underpaid and called for them to be given more protective gear and support, describing them as the “unsung heroes” of the pandemic.
European Union leaders are expected to clash over the size and scope of a coronavirus recovery fund as they stand on the precipice of an economic slump unparalleled since the 1930’s Great Depression.