Reading

Created
Tue, 30/05/2023 - 22:00

“epigraph, n.: a brief quotation placed at the beginning of a book, chapter, etc.”
—Webster’s

“Loneliness took me for a ride…”
—Aerosmith

Greetings. You’ve picked up a new novel. Isn’t it exciting? Gonna be a wily one, if I’m any indication. In fact, I’ll bet you chose this book based on the title, the cover, the author photo, and—the clincher—me, the epigraph.

I’m thrilled to be part of your process. And I really am great, aren’t I? I’m profound. I’m witty as hell. I’m by Langston Hughes, T. S. Eliot, John Keats, or Joni Mitchell. And look at me—just look at me—all duded up in my best font and shiny italics, sprouting a long, elegant em dash, like a Gatsby–era cigarette, pointing to a first and last name. Is this novel off to a hot start or what? Do you love me? You love me.

I’m gorgeous.

Except, well… don’t look now, but I don’t really have anything to do with the actual novel. The truth is I am meaningless and expendable. But shh. Never mind. Forge ahead. See me. Study me. Move on.

Created
Tue, 30/05/2023 - 21:57

RADHIKA DESAI: Hello and welcome to the 10th Geopolitical Economy Hour, the fortnightly show in which we discuss the political and geopolitical economy of our times. I’m Radhika Desai. MICHAEL HUDSON: And I’m Michael Hudson. RADHIKA DESAI: And as last time, we have once again with us today, Professor Mick Dunford, professor emeritus at Sussex Continue Reading

The post Achieving by Undermining first appeared on Michael Hudson.
Created
Tue, 30/05/2023 - 15:57
Little in the discipline has changed in the wake of the crisis. Mirowski thinks that this is at least in part a result of the impotence of the loyal opposition — those economists such as Joseph Stiglitz or Paul Krugman who attempt to oppose the more viciously neoliberal articulations of economic theory from within the […]
Created
Tue, 30/05/2023 - 15:31
ingredients: ½ pound spinach8 leeks, white parts only2 onions½ cup mushroomscelery stalks10 ounces bamboo shoots1 pound 5 ounces slightly marbled beefsteak3 Tablespoons peanut oil4 eggsFor the sauce:½ cup beef bouillon½ cup soy sauce4 teaspoons sake (Japanese rice wine) instructions: All preliminary steps of preparing the vegetables and sauce are done in the kitchen. The final […]
Created
Tue, 30/05/2023 - 11:30
In January 2023, the Reserve Bank of Australia commissioned a comprehensive review of the operating environment supporting the Reserve Bank Information and Transfer System (RITS). This system is a critical part of Australia's payments infrastructure and is owned and operated by the Reserve Bank. The review, conducted by Deloitte, was requested by the Payments System Board (PSB) following a major outage of the system on 12 October 2022.
Created
Tue, 30/05/2023 - 09:30
That goes beyond flattery. It’s rhetorical fluffing. It’s hard to believe he isn’t joking. But he isn’t. I don’t know if Levin has been gargling lead infused water all his life or if this is sheer opportunism. But even Tucker Carlson doesn’t go this far. It’s frightening. And, by the way, Trump hears this too. And he believes it as much as his followers do.
Created
Tue, 30/05/2023 - 08:00
The news media is always pounding on the fact that polls say that people think Biden is too old and mentally decrepit to run for another term. (His apparent ability to close a deal with the batshit House GOP without giving away the store argues otherwise but …) I have always wondered why they don’t ask the same question about Trump. He’ll be 77 in a couple of months and there’s plenty of evidence that he’s the one not playing with a full deck: As it turns out people are just as concerned about Trump’s brain function as Biden’s — and they have much greater concerns about Trump’s character: A Fox News poll found that 56% of Americans do not believe former President Donald Trump has the “mental soundness” to be president. A survey conducted by the conservative outlet gave Trump a 33-point lead over Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL). The survey also compared President Joe Biden’s character to Trump. Biden had a 9-point advantage over Trump regarding honesty and an 8-point lead for empathy. 11% fewer people also believe that Biden is corrupt.
Created
Tue, 30/05/2023 - 07:25

In this post you will find my original answers (in English) to La Stampa‘s varied questions (27/5/2023); from the Greek government’s shameful policy on refugees and MeRA25’s electoral setback, to the future of the Eurozone, my friend Elly Schlein’s leadership of Italy’s main opposition party, the PD and, yes, Angela Merkel! Almost all parties, on […]

The post La Stampa interview (English version) on Greek gvt refugee policy, Greece’s economy, MeRA25′ electoral setback, the euro, Italy’s PD and… Angela Merkel appeared first on Yanis Varoufakis.

Created
Tue, 30/05/2023 - 07:07
Rising Ideologies Need People Inside; Stagnant Hegemonies Want People Out

When a new system is on the rise, it needs more people to join. Maybe it doesn’t need everyone, there may be an “out” group which is either the enemy or the scapegrace or both, but basically they want people inside their new system. Capitalists want wage workers; communists want everything collectivized and so on.

But when you’ve won, when your system, your ideology, is the only one available to most people, well then, you want people out because if you push them out the benefits for those who remain are greater and because being pushed out is such a huge punishment. If there is more than one system easily accessible to people, a person kicked out of one can usually go to another.