Day: February 2, 2021

The mainstream: meeting the historic challenges?

Leave a comment

2 February 2021 — Michael Roberts Blog

Michael Roberts

Recently, newly confirmed US Treasury secretary and former Fed chief, Janet Yellen, spelt out the challenges facing US capitalism in a letter to her new staff.  She said: “the current crisis is very different from 2008. But the scale is as big, if not bigger. The pandemic has wrought wholesale devastation on the economy. Entire industries have paused their work. Sixteen million Americans are still relying on unemployment insurance. Food bank shelves are going empty.”  That’s now; but ahead, Yellen says that there were “four historic crises: COVID-19 is one. But in addition to the pandemic, the country is also facing a climate crisis, a crisis of systemic racism, and an economic crisis that has been building for fifty years. “

Continue reading →

Lebanon – British Embassy Infiltrates Military Intelligence, Provides Snooping Equipment, Indoctrinates Young Palestinians

Leave a comment

2 February 2021 — Moon of Alabama

The British ambassador to Lebanon is ‘very excited’ to hand off some useless, half armored patrol vehicles to the Lebanese army:

Martin Longden @MlongdenUK – 12:25 UTC · Feb 1, 2021

Very excited to witness the arrival in Beirut of 100 armoured patrol vehicles, a donation from ���� to @LebarmyOfficial. This is a great practical example of the ���� ���� partnership, and of our longstanding support for the LAF’s vital role in keeping the Syria border safe and secure.

bigger

Keeping the Syrian border safe and secure is certainly not a British priority. Let’s not forget that it was Britain which hired various companies, led by ‘former’ British intelligence officers, who then organized and ran the propaganda campaigns for the Jihadi onslaught on Syria.

Continue reading →

Stop the game – I want to get off!

Leave a comment

28 January 2021 — Michael Roberts Blog

Michael Roberts

‘Hedging’ used to be a way of reducing the risk of selling or buying.  Farmers waiting for their harvest to come in are uncertain about what price per bushel they will get at the market: will they get a price that makes them a profit and a living for next year or will they be made destitute?  To reduce that risk, hedge companies offer to buy the harvest in advance at a fixed price.  The farmer is guaranteed a price and income whatever the price per bushel at the time of going to market.  The hedge fund takes the risk that it can make a profit by buying the harvest at a price below the eventual market price.  In this way, ‘hedging’ can smooth out the volatility in prices, often very high in agricultural and mineral sectors.

Continue reading →

“At First I Thought it Was a Joke”: Academic Media Censorship Conference Censored by YouTube

Leave a comment

1 February 2021 — Mint Press

The entire video record of the conference — estimated at around 24 hours of material — was mysteriously disappeared from YouTube say conference organizers.

YouTube Censorship Feature photoAn academic critical media literacy conference warning of the dangers of media censorship has, ironically, been censored by YouTube. The Critical Media Literacy Conference of the Americas 2020 took place without incident online over two days in October and featured a number of esteemed speakers and panels discussing issues concerning modern media studies.