miércoles, 26 de septiembre de 2012

ABOUT SPAIN ON RT: A BRIEF & ARTICULATE PROTESTER'S EXPLANATION


In Madrid .. They are fighting for all European Citizens.. If Private Finance's interests can supersede the Spanish Constitution (without any public consultation) ... Who else in Europe should even draw any confidence from the fact that their collective or individual rights are enshrined in Law?
Watch this interview: SHORT BUT VERY WELL SAID

lunes, 24 de septiembre de 2012

¿Es que somos idiotas?

Una vez más, los mercados financieros, es decir, una lista de bancos que cabe en un folio, van a emitir créditos para comprar deuda pública o financiar los agujeros de los bancos expoliados por sus gestores, prestando un dinero que no tienen.
De nuevo, teclearan una cifra en un terminal, gracias a la cobertura legal que nosotros, el pueblo, les damos en el marco de un sistema monetario basado en la generación privada del dinero y un sistema de banca de reserva fraccional.
Un sistema monetario que no tiene el rango de constitucional, y es, si acaso, anticonstitucional, según el TÍTULO VII. ECONOMÍA Y HACIENDA. Artículo 132. 1 : La Ley regulará el régimen jurídico de los bienes de dominio público y de los comunales, inspirándose en los principios de inalienabilidad, imprescriptibilidad e inembargabilidad, así como su desafectación. ¿Y no es el dinero, como sistema de intercambio, depósito y medida de todo el mercado, un bien de dominio público, como lo son las calles por las que todos transitamos?
Con ello, nos obligaran a pasar mil calamidades, ahogaran la economía arrojando al paro a millones, detraeremos dinero de nuestros servicios sociales, porque la prioridad absoluta sobre cualquier otro gasto será devolverles, con intereses, un dinero que jamás poseyeron, atesoraron  o merecieron.
Y ese derecho se lo damos nosotros, el pueblo, a través de leyes menores, que sin duda contravienen TÍTULO VII. ECONOMÍA Y HACIENDA. Artículo 128. Toda la riqueza del país en sus distintas formas y sea cual fuere su titularidad está subordinada al interés general.
¿Es que somos idiotas, o qué?

sábado, 22 de septiembre de 2012

THE TEARFUL LAST 5 MINUTES OF A PUBLIC SERVICE

Since I got the link to the to the video wrong in an earlier post in French and continue to find these last five minutes of Radio Canada International both really emotional and truly revealing about the underlying heartache for the staff.. and even more valuable as it is symbolic of what is happening to much of our public sector across the so-called developed world... I am re-posting about it here with the right video this time ....
Still ... the success of the Quebec students movement shows it is worth continuing the fight ... 'they' have not won yet ... far from it 

jueves, 20 de septiembre de 2012

A WAR OVER EAST MEDITTERRANEAN GAS RESOURCES?

I have been wondering when this issue would finally break out of the Oil&Gas Industry's press to be addressed as the larger geo-strategy issue that it actually is ... to be fair, a few authors and blogs have addressed it in the last 2 years. But, despite the recent Gulf of Mexico disaster....Those with a financial interest, as usual, are speaking the loudest . Discussion, over geo-strategic matters, are somewhat superficial and the fight, over the resources to be extracted, by the nations involved, looks a lot like a fistfight between greedy and/or desperate gold  diggers… Meanwhile hardly anyone speaks of the..

MAJOR RISK FOR THE MEDITERRANEAN ENVIRONMENT AND THE PLANET AT LARGE  

of pushing for yet another large chunk of sea to be opened for OIL&GAS exploitation - with the laudable exception of the EU Commission Environment Directorate (brief April 2012) - .And we are talking about a closed sea entirely surrounded by countries with large populations that have depended on it for their existence for several thousands of years. The West Mediterranean is also being scrutinized by the 'Black Gold' diggers of the world (offshore SPAIN, offshore ITALY) and, in any case, would not be immune to the consequences of pollution coming from regular exploitation and likely accidents.

ISRAEL, PALESTINE, LEBANON, SYRIA, EGYPT, CYPRUS, TURKEY AND GREECE ARE DIRECTLY CONCERNED.  

The existence of those underwater reserves have been made official by the American government USGS in 2010 and Israel has been the quickest to move to exploitation ... the potential for conflict revolves around the respective legal claims of countries with a coast around the "Levant basin" .. Given the economic implications and temptations for Cyprus, Greece and Turkey.. the EU is far from immune from the disasters of all sorts that the rush for Oil and Gas in the East Mediterranean area.

Having already started exploration, Israel had to establish its claims over water areas via  bilateral agreement  with Cyprus in 2011, currently challenged at the UN by Lebanon.
A few recent links .. 
July 2010 Natural Gas Find In Mediterranean Could Lead To New Lebanon-Israel War - The National (Beirut, Lebanon)
 August 2011 GEO Expro Syrian Offshore: Exciting New Frontier (Industry Press)

September 2011 Brinkmanship In The Eastern Mediterranean | Les Blogs (France24, Paris, France)
January 2012 The Economic And Geopolitical Importance Of Eastern Mediterranean Gas Fields For Greece And The Eu. (Technical Paper, Sales Pitch By Pytheas Limited, Cyprus)
February 2012  New Mediterranean Oil And Gas Bonanza Ray Storch , Seemingly Well Informed Blogger At Geopolitical Analysis And Monitoring
March 2012 Energy Resources In The Eastern Mediterranean: Source For Cooperation Or Fuel For Tension, By Michael Leigh And Charlotte Brandsma – Policy Paper, Brussels Forum (German Marshall Fund)
June 2012 Eastern Mediterranean Tensions Simmer Over Gas Riches - Upi.Com (Press Agency, Us)
July 2012 Geofinancial: Offshore Oil Treasures In Eastern Mediterranean Sea (Industry Press)


 AND PALESTINE?

Unlike the other countries concerned, Israel is not a signatory to the UN Law of the Sea treaty serving as basis to make claims to Exclusive Economic Zones but nevertheless it has recently attempted to make formal claim to its own EEZ by submitting the map of its bilateral agreement with Cyprus to the UN. This has special implications for Gaza's own territorial claims on its coastal waters (and the Gas underneath it). A timely presentation produced by The Palestinian Policy Network and recommended by Phyllis Bennis (Director of the New Internationalism Project at IPS and a fellow of the Transnational Institute in Amsterdam) adresses that dimension..


martes, 11 de septiembre de 2012

MMT et sa «Garantie d’ Emploi pour tous» enfin à la Commission Européenne!


La MMT (Modern Monetary Theory) est de loin, la base théorique la plus prometteuse pour finalement comprendre notre système monétaire, ses défauts majeurs et la façon de le réformer. C'est également le point de départ pour réformer de notre système économique tout entier et mettre fin aux politiques néolibérales. L'une de ses principales proposition est la «garantie d'emploi» pour tous.
Le 6 Septembre 2012, l’approche MMT est finalement arrivée à la Commission européenne par l'intermédiaire de l'un de ses principaux promoteurs, l'économiste australien Bill Mitchell, présentant la garantie d'emploi à une grande conférence sur l’ EMPLOI de la Commission Européenne (voir la vidéo ci-dessous, sa contribution commence à la minute 4) POURQUOI EST-CE SI IMPORTANT: Une fois que vous comprenez l’approche MMT, vous comprenez à quel point la tragédie de la crise actuelle est artificielle, et pourquoi ceux qui bénéficient du système, tel qu’il est, ont intérêt à ce que vous ne compreniez pas son fonctionnement réel. A ce sujet, voir Cette très courte -1 min - vidéo où le belge Bernard Lietaer (ancien haut fonctionnaire de la banque centrale de Belgique) explique pourquoi l’approche MMT reste si peu connue et qui bénéficie de l’ignorance de la plupart des gens sur ce sujet qui les concernent pourtant directement.

Un extrait pour vous donner une idée du ton de sa presentation ... 
BILL MITCHELL to the Economists in the audience: "it's just crazy that you would allow millions and millions of people not realizing their potential and generating income that would benefit all of us [...]It's crazy to focus on liberalisation and deregulation when you have that great big elephant in the room killing all our economies"


MMT and its 'JOB GUARANTEE' at the EUROPEAN COMMISSION !

MMT (Modern Monetary Theory), by far the most promising theoretical grounds to rethink our understanding of our monetary system, its major flaws and how to reform it, is also a starting point for the reform of our entire economic system away from the neoclassical economics and neoliberal policies .. one of its main components is the 'JOB GUARANTEE'.

On September 6 2012,  MMT finally made it the European Commission via a presentation by one of its main proponent, the Australian economist Bill Mitchell, presenting on the JOB GUARANTEE at a major EC JOB Conference (See the video below, his contribution starts at around min. 4)

WHY IS THIS SO IMPORTANT: Once you get MMT, just how unnecessary the current economic tragedy actually is, becomes perfectly clear . and why this understanding is not widely promoted by those who currently benefit for the system also becomes clear (see this very short -1 min - video where the belgian Bernard Lietaer explains why so few people know about MMT)


From the video description on youtube: The presentation was given on September 6, 2012 at the Jobs for Europe conference in Brussels organised by the European Commission. Professor Bill Mitchell was an invited speaker. The Job Guarantee concept was one of the five main themes of the Conference, as Europe struggles to find a way out of the economic crisis.

lunes, 10 de septiembre de 2012

(Video updated) MORT D'UNE RADIO PUBLIQUE: les émouvantes 5 dernières minutes de RCI

Après 67 ans d'emission, Radio Canada Internationale est morte pour les ondes et réduite à un simple site internet... La gorge serrée et visiblement au bord des larmes, Victor Swoboda est le dernier à s'exprimer pour les programmes en langue anglaise .. il profite des 5 dernières minutes pour recapituler les chiffres.. Une petit morceau d'Histoire qui reflete le sort actuel de nombreux Services Publiques en Europe comme en Amerique du Nord. 
En version audio seule : 3101-1-RCI_Final_broadcast_message.mp3 (audio/mpeg Object)

A tearful farewell to Radio Canada International listeners

miércoles, 5 de septiembre de 2012

martes, 4 de septiembre de 2012

Must Read: Golem XIV on Lies And Spanish Banks

Yet another insightful blog post from GOLEM XIV

Spain, Bad Banks, Assets, Losses and Lies | Golem XIV - Thoughts 


And it seems that this is only part1 since he concludes his post like this ....

'So that people don’t lose the will to live reading all this, I will break here and continue in a second part.'