capitalism

Asset Deals: John Paul II and his successor ex-Hitler Youth and Roman Grand Inquisitor Joseph Ratzingen, Benedict XVI1

There are two polar-opposite approaches for dealing with the challenge of coronavirus-19: libertarian proposals prioritize the economy above the public’s health, whereas socialist proposals prioritize the public’s health above the economy. Libertarian countries rely on developing “herd immunity” to the disease, in preference to imposing social distancing and “lockdowns,” which aim instead to reduce the spread of the infection.

The Migrant Workers Solidarity Network has documented migrant workers’ resistance across India in an interactive map. Below is a screen-shot of the map. For the interactive map, visit the MWSN site. From the MWSN site: The COVID-19 crisis in India has made the migrant workers visible in public discourse. But the dominant narratives have made … Continue reading MIGRANT WORKERS’ RESISTANCE MAP: Migrant Workers Solidarity Network →

The aversion of the rich and their political and media representatives to science in general and economic science in particular is legendary. When it comes to making sense of the economy, they rely mainly on irrationalism and discredited ideas. It is no accident that mainstream economics has long been called “the dismal science.” It lacks any robust explanation of economic realities. It is not useful to the public.

Sunflower field in Hudson — Photo by Larry Goodwin
Suffering in numbers

The title is a riff on James Carville’s disingenuous (and stupid) phrase from 1992 when he was Bill Clinton’s campaign director. Carville’s pithy quip, “It’s the economy, stupid,”  became the campaign’s de facto slogan. It functioned as a clever ruse to help Clinton beat Bush by pandering to workers and creating the impression that his policies would actually help them.[Read More...]

  First the good. There’s an outpouring of spontaneous actions, large and small, to feed the hungry, help the desperate, aid seniors, the economically afflicted. There is public art and and an endless steam of performances, gatherings and flash mobs on line. Mask Oakland distributes N95 Masks to the homeless. In Aurora Colorado, librarians assemble kits of essentials for seniors[Read More...]

Craig MURRAY
On 5 May, the British security services released to their pet media the claim that Russia, China and Iran were attempting to hack into British research institutes conducting coronavirus research. The BBC reported it. Britain’s shameful copy and paste media all, without exception, just copy and pasted the government press release.

No doubt the clarification that India will not map Covid-19 infections on the basis of religion has many heaving sighs of relief. But will the peace last? Image Courtesy: AP “Move for community-based mapping of coronavirus?” a recent news item in a prestigious daily asked, getting tongues wagging about “closed-door meetings at the highest level”, though no “official” decision had been taken in … Continue reading Community-Based Mapping of Covid: Nothing Official About it →

Fred Magdoff, Professor Emeritus of plant and soil science at the University of Vermont and author of many articles and books on ecology, agriculture and economy, frequent Monthly Review contributor and closely associated with struggles of the working people, discusses the coronavirus pandemic in light of capitalism and agriculture in the following interview conducted on April 2, 2020.
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