This is a collection of news headlines and articles tracking the global economic recession slowly unfolding.

There are three points to keep in mind when scanning these:

1. The Financial Times, the main source, prides itself in non-sensationalist news - these articles are pretty sensationalist if one reads between the lines;
2. Over the past 200 years, the average length of time between depressions has been 22 years; it has been 24 years since the last depression in 1982 - See Brief History of Western Depressions;
3. Newspapers invariably report on events after they’ve occurred, and seldom report on trends. Neither do they predict outcomes. The real value of this collection is if you, dear reader, are able to identify the trend for yourself and postulate what the outcome may be. As a hint, here are a few concepts to keep in mind: The Great Depression of 1929; Zimbabwe in late 2000’s; China becomes world superpower in second decade of 21st Century.

Each link opens in a new window, and each is from 2007. Simply hovering your mouse over each link will give you a feel for what the article is about. (Note that the FT limits you to 5 articles per day without registration.)

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Wait, There's More!

Thanks for stopping by to see what all the fuss is about. I hope you enjoyed it! If you did, and you'd like to be updated whenever I publish a new post (totally randomly, but never more than once or twice a week) you can subscribe - for free - and receive regular updates. To receive updates by email, simply complete the Subscription Form in the top right hand corner of every page or, if you're so inclined, click here for the main RSS feed.

And if you want to leave a comment at any time - even if it's just to say hi - you're more than welcome - just leave your thoughts in the block at the end of every post. I look forward to hearing from you. Thanks again!

Oh, and before I forget, you really should read my Why I Blog post. It might numb the shock of some of the heretical things I say!

I just came across this fascinating video of Richard Miller and John Trojanowski debating the topic “Alzheimer’s Research and Basic Science of Aging: Is There a Better Balance?”. The discussion addresses a number of important issues concerning sorting out priorities in a situation of scarcity, plurality of worthy causes in need of funding, and uncertainty concerning the likely benefits of scientific advances. How much should we invest in tackling Alzheimer’s disease (AD) versus aging itself?

Here are some facts about Alzheimer’s from the Alzheimer’s Association:

There are now more than 5 million people in the United States living with Alzheimer’s.

Every 72 seconds, someone develops Alzheimer’s.

The direct and indirect costs of Alzheimer’s and other dementias amount to more than $148 billion annually.

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When the President Does it That Means That it is Not Illegal

copyright © 2007 Betsy L. Angert

Today is as yesterday was. Some of the players remain the same. Vice President Dick Cheney helped to expand Presidential power three decades ago. Today, he pushes the envelope further. As Americans stand on the brink of self destruction, we might ponder the past. Perhaps we can learn from it. Bill Moyers, of Public Broadcasting Services offers a bit of perspective. He asks us to . . .

Remember “The Lives of Others” - the movie that won this year’s Academy Award for best foreign language film . . . a story of life under East Germany’s secret police. The critic Roger Ebert said: “The movie is relevant today, as our government ignores habeas corpus, practices secret torture, and asks for the right to wiretap and eavesdrop on its citizens. Such tactics, he said, did not save East Germany; they destroyed it, by making it a country its most loyal citizens could no longer believe in.” You want to say it couldn’t happen here but we’ve been close before. During the cold war with the Soviet Union and then the hot war in Vietnam, a secret government mushroomed in this country.

Please Review the transcript . . .

The relative success of Trutherism has peaked and is now on the decline. Its genesis lies in right-wing populist conspiracism that was repackaged post-9/11 to appeal to left-of-centre consumers who felt traumatised and disenfranchised as a result of GOP dominance of US politics to 2006. An explanation of 9/11 as a plot masterminded by Bush or his associates appealed to some on the left, as another example of the illegitimacy of the Bush Administration and an example of their evil.

One of the greatest blows to the Troof Movement was when the Democratic Party took Congress in the 2006 Mid-terms. It destroyed the notion of “BushCo” as an all-powerful clique that controlled space-time, controlled all media, and could steal any elections it wanted. As Katrina, Iraq, and Afghanistan have unfolded, the capability of the Bush Administration to orchestrate the greatest deception of all time has been severely dented.

Since 2006, Trooferism is returning to the right-wing populism from which it was originally-derived. Trooferism’s love affair with Ron Paul(1) is rather indicative of this, as well as Trooferism’s bolder assertions that the Democratic Party was also “in on it”. On the progressive messageboard DemocraticUnderground, resident Troofers are becoming bolder in smearing leading Democrats such as Bill Clinton and John Kerry.

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Assault On Reason

I wrote in a previous post that I’m afraid. I don’t know if afraid is the appropriate word. I nearly lost a leg so I understand the word terror. And I’ve lived my life on the outside of most circles, so I understand wary and I comprehend apprehension. I don’t live in fear because my life isn’t threatened. So I don’t know which word suits my emotion.

I know I haven’t earned the tools to ease the task.
I know I’m capable but I’m aware I’m culpable.
I know that contrition must not contain attrition.

A woman stood in the hall of a hospital and I asked her how she was. She answered, “I’m surviving.” I said, “Surviving is a good verb.” She replied, “Thriving is a better one.” And I knew I was in the presence of the profound.

I will meet my matched. Yet I’m aware that each moment in the synchronicity of Divinity is a pass or fail moment. I didn’t always pass in my past. I’ve failed to do and I’m justly due. In my present and in my presently, I’ll pass and I won’t fail. Yet I’ll merely pass. I should have surpassed.

I am not the man I should have been.
I will never be the man I could have been.
It’s not a matter of living with that loss.
It’s the awareness of living with that less.
I’m not afraid. I’m ashamed.

© 2007 - Mark R Trost - All Rights Reserved

Rollins on impeachment

copyright © 2007 Betsy L. Angert

“I just want you to know that, when we talk about war, we’re really talking about peace.”
~ George W. Bush, June 18, 2002
“War is Peace”
~ Big Brother in George Orwell’s 1984
Many believe impeachment is not likely. Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi will not consider it. Presidential candidate John Edwards thinks the process is a distraction. Many Americans forget that until impeachment was proposed and investigations began, there was no evidence to convict Richard M. Nixon. When asked to assess the past people only recall the spectacular. Sex scandals are dicey! Continue reading

Following on from my How to Change the World post, I thought I’d start a discussion about my future planned social network site, which will be a Facebook equivalent for enlightened souls who believe it’s time to leverage the Group Consciousness for good.

Feel free to chip in and add your own thoughts, ideas and comments at the end of this post, or use the Contact Form if you’d prefer to comment without it being publicly visible. The idea is still very much in draft, and all input is welcomed. Continue reading

Not that anyone needs further evidence of how quickly markets can tumble, here are a few YouTube videos of the US real estate crash, some from as early as mid 2007, proving that the value of American housing is down about 50% in many parts of the country … and in just a few months, too.

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copyright © 2007 Betsy L. Angert

Once again, the Clinton Clan exceeds expectations. It is widely known that the Senator and her spouse are inexorability linked to lobbyist money. The public understands Hillary Clinton’s unwillingness to commit. The American people accept that she cannot know what her friend, the son of Bill’s best bud, will leave behind. Whether we discuss war or children, George W. Bush has abandoned all. Thus, the stroll down the breezeway to the Oval Office will not be an easy jaunt. There is much damage to undo, re-do, or create anew.

Hillary holds out hope. She does not know what she will find in White House that George built. She will not assert that she can stop the Iraq war by 2013. She will put more troops in Afghanistan. Universal Health Care, well, she commands all Americans be insured. However, she offers little to those unable to pay the premiums. Hillary wants to help . . . those that help her, and lobbyists do. Continue reading

Global Snapshot Warning

Reading this page can be depressing - the news is not good. I use it as a reference point when I need a reality check about who I am and what role I can play in the global scheme of things. This is purely a collection of what I believe to be relevant metrics as to where the world is heading. I encourage you to contact me if you believe an important metric is missing.

The statistics are updated approximately every two weeks. I provide no analysis of the numbers. For an understanding of what they mean, I highly recommend a subscription to The Privateer.

For each metric I provide a reason for it’s importance, the latest available data and the source.

Take a deep breath…

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