Lawrence Lessig talks about how money corrupts the United States Congress and how big money blocks reform in politics. He deals with this comlpex subject in "Republic Lost" and offers some suggestions.
Lawrence Lessig on How We Lost Our Democracy. Read More
Showing posts with label Commentary. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Commentary. Show all posts
Sunday, December 04, 2011
Saturday, August 06, 2011
Fears of Another Financial Meltdown
Financial markets across the globe have taken a battering this week with a 500-point plunge on Wall Street overnight- its worst drop since 2008. The markets took a similar panic sell off when the US investment bank Lehman Brothers filed for the largest bankruptcy in Sept. 2008. Lehman went under when the US housing bubble burst due to the sub-prime mortgage crisis. It was reported to be the onset of the Great recession very much compared to the 1932 depression. A repeat of that scenario is being played out by the mayhem in the financial markets again. Fear and uncertainty are the prevailing market sentiments.
Nobel prize winning US economist Paul Krugman writing on New York Times:
"In case you had any doubts, Thursday’s more than 500-point plunge in the Dow Jones industrial average and the drop in interest rates to near-record lows confirmed it: The economy isn’t recovering, and Washington has been worrying about the wrong things.
It’s not just that the threat of a double-dip recession has become very real. It’s now impossible to deny the obvious, which is that we are not now and have never been on the road to recovery."
The gridlock between the two main political parties in Washington that we saw on the extension of the US debt limit demonstrates the difficulty in achieving any meaningful reform to deal with very complex problems.
Standard and Poors (S&P) one of the three rating agencies has down graded the US from the AAA status to AA+. S&P is not satisfied with the US debt reduction plan.
The fallout of this downgrade will be known next week. This could well lead to the perfect financial storm unless politicians rise up to the challenge.
Nobel prize winning US economist Paul Krugman writing on New York Times:
"In case you had any doubts, Thursday’s more than 500-point plunge in the Dow Jones industrial average and the drop in interest rates to near-record lows confirmed it: The economy isn’t recovering, and Washington has been worrying about the wrong things.
It’s not just that the threat of a double-dip recession has become very real. It’s now impossible to deny the obvious, which is that we are not now and have never been on the road to recovery."
The gridlock between the two main political parties in Washington that we saw on the extension of the US debt limit demonstrates the difficulty in achieving any meaningful reform to deal with very complex problems.
Standard and Poors (S&P) one of the three rating agencies has down graded the US from the AAA status to AA+. S&P is not satisfied with the US debt reduction plan.
The fallout of this downgrade will be known next week. This could well lead to the perfect financial storm unless politicians rise up to the challenge.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Thatcher's Think Tank Calls for Total Financial Overhaul
The UK politics has risen up to fever pitch, after Prime Minister Gordon Brown announced Wednesday that he is calling the election on May 06.
While politicians contesting for the parliament are promising hope and change, former conservative prime minister Mrs. Thatcher's think tank, Institue for Economic Affairs(IEA) says a total financial overhaul is required and that the deficit can be slashed without raising tax burden.
Keynesian economists in UK want to return to the principles of John Maynard Keynes, the guru of government intervention. They are urging the UK government to spend its way out of the recession. A commentary on Business Week by Mattew Lyn "Deathbed of Keynesian Economics Will Be in U.K" gives both sides of the economic argument.
"So who is right, and who is wrong? It’s a debate that matters to the rest of the world. After all, if demand management doesn’t work here, it won’t work anywhere.
The U.K. has some experience of mass letter writing from Keynes’s devotees. In 1981, a group of 364 economists wrote an open letter ripping into the policies of then Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. They turned out to be totally wrong, of course. With hindsight, no one can now dispute that her policies led to a long and durable economic revival."
While politicians contesting for the parliament are promising hope and change, former conservative prime minister Mrs. Thatcher's think tank, Institue for Economic Affairs(IEA) says a total financial overhaul is required and that the deficit can be slashed without raising tax burden.
Keynesian economists in UK want to return to the principles of John Maynard Keynes, the guru of government intervention. They are urging the UK government to spend its way out of the recession. A commentary on Business Week by Mattew Lyn "Deathbed of Keynesian Economics Will Be in U.K" gives both sides of the economic argument.
"So who is right, and who is wrong? It’s a debate that matters to the rest of the world. After all, if demand management doesn’t work here, it won’t work anywhere.
The U.K. has some experience of mass letter writing from Keynes’s devotees. In 1981, a group of 364 economists wrote an open letter ripping into the policies of then Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. They turned out to be totally wrong, of course. With hindsight, no one can now dispute that her policies led to a long and durable economic revival."
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Another global meltdown!
The unfolding debt drama of Greece could be the script for another Greek tragedy. As written in the Wall Street Journal, it begins, "The Greek Tragedy That Changed Europe"- Plutus, the Greek god of wealth, did not have an easy life. As the myth goes, Plutus wanted to grant riches only to the "the just, the wise, the men of ordered life." Zeus blinded him out of jealousy of mankind (and envy of the good), leaving Plutus to indiscriminately distribute his favors.
Modern-day Greece may be just and wise, but it certainly has not had an ordered life. As a result, the great opportunity and wealth bestowed by European integration has been largely squandered. And lower interest rates over the past decade—brought down to German levels through Greece being allowed, rather generously, into the euro zone—led to little more than further deficits and a dangerous buildup of government debt.
Now Plutus wants his money back. Europe is entering unprepared into a serious economic crisis—and the nascent global recovery could easily collapse due to the unsustainable and Ponzi-like buildup of government debt in weaker countries."
Now Greece is teetering on the brink of bankruptcy. The European Union has formally announced that a bailout for Greece will be available if needed. EU economic leaders Germany and France and the European Central Bank have backed the bailout plan. Portugal, Spain and Italy have their problems of national debt and the Greece bailout could give the template they need to queue at EU headquarters in Brussels. Herman Van Rompuy, the EU's new president, has already called for the creation of an "economic government" that shifts responsibility for economic planning from national authorities to the "EU level".
In a parallel move, European Commission chief Jose Barroso said Brussels has treaty powers allowing it to take the reins of economic management. "This is a time for boldness. I believe that our economic and social situation demands a radical shift from the status quo. And the new Lisbon Treaty allows this," he said. "Economic policy isn't a national, but a European matter. No modern economy is an island. When a member state doesn't make reforms, others suffer because of that."
The headline of an article in the British paper The Telegraph reads, "Failure to save East Europe will lead to worldwide meltdown- The unfolding debt drama in Russia, Ukraine, and the EU states of Eastern Europe has reached acute danger point."
Greece is one of 16 countries that have so far adopted the 10-year-old euro currency, and these are nervous times for the EU Commission and the financial markets.
Modern-day Greece may be just and wise, but it certainly has not had an ordered life. As a result, the great opportunity and wealth bestowed by European integration has been largely squandered. And lower interest rates over the past decade—brought down to German levels through Greece being allowed, rather generously, into the euro zone—led to little more than further deficits and a dangerous buildup of government debt.
Now Plutus wants his money back. Europe is entering unprepared into a serious economic crisis—and the nascent global recovery could easily collapse due to the unsustainable and Ponzi-like buildup of government debt in weaker countries."
Now Greece is teetering on the brink of bankruptcy. The European Union has formally announced that a bailout for Greece will be available if needed. EU economic leaders Germany and France and the European Central Bank have backed the bailout plan. Portugal, Spain and Italy have their problems of national debt and the Greece bailout could give the template they need to queue at EU headquarters in Brussels. Herman Van Rompuy, the EU's new president, has already called for the creation of an "economic government" that shifts responsibility for economic planning from national authorities to the "EU level".
In a parallel move, European Commission chief Jose Barroso said Brussels has treaty powers allowing it to take the reins of economic management. "This is a time for boldness. I believe that our economic and social situation demands a radical shift from the status quo. And the new Lisbon Treaty allows this," he said. "Economic policy isn't a national, but a European matter. No modern economy is an island. When a member state doesn't make reforms, others suffer because of that."
The headline of an article in the British paper The Telegraph reads, "Failure to save East Europe will lead to worldwide meltdown- The unfolding debt drama in Russia, Ukraine, and the EU states of Eastern Europe has reached acute danger point."
Greece is one of 16 countries that have so far adopted the 10-year-old euro currency, and these are nervous times for the EU Commission and the financial markets.
Wednesday, October 07, 2009
The Great Depression Ahead
Harry Dent- the longtime investor and author predicted a severe downturn in Japan and a great boom in the United States in the 1990s and has made quite a name for himself. He was right on those two counts and since then he has been churning out an endless stream of books filled with predictions.
His current bestseller "The Great Depression Ahead," predicts a new Great Depression right around the corner.
According to the description on Simon and Schuster:
"The first and last economic depression that you will experience in your lifetime is just ahead. The year 2009 will be the beginning of the next long-term winter season and the initial end of prosperity in almost every market, ushering in a downturn like most of us have not experienced before. Are you aware that we have seen long-term peaks in our stock market and economy very close to every 40 years due to generational spending trends: as in 1929, 1968, and next around 2009? Are you aware that oil and commodity prices have peaked nearly every 30 years, as in 1920, 1951, 1980 -- and next likely around late 2009 to mid-2010? The three massive bubbles that have been booming for the last few decades -- stocks, real estate, and commodities --have all reached their peak and are deflating simultaneously."
Among Dent's predictions are the following:
• The economy appears to recover from the subprime crisis and minor recession by mid-2009 -- "the calm before the real storm."
• Stock prices start to crash again between mid- and late 2009 into late 2010, and likely finally bottom around mid-2012 -- between Dow 3,800 and 7,200.
Although it may be possible to identify demographic and economic trends through long term cycle analysis, to forecast the stock market is too far fetched. Nevertheless, the book makes for an iteresting read at a time when the world is teetering on economic meltdown.
His current bestseller "The Great Depression Ahead," predicts a new Great Depression right around the corner.
According to the description on Simon and Schuster:
"The first and last economic depression that you will experience in your lifetime is just ahead. The year 2009 will be the beginning of the next long-term winter season and the initial end of prosperity in almost every market, ushering in a downturn like most of us have not experienced before. Are you aware that we have seen long-term peaks in our stock market and economy very close to every 40 years due to generational spending trends: as in 1929, 1968, and next around 2009? Are you aware that oil and commodity prices have peaked nearly every 30 years, as in 1920, 1951, 1980 -- and next likely around late 2009 to mid-2010? The three massive bubbles that have been booming for the last few decades -- stocks, real estate, and commodities --have all reached their peak and are deflating simultaneously."
Among Dent's predictions are the following:
• The economy appears to recover from the subprime crisis and minor recession by mid-2009 -- "the calm before the real storm."
• Stock prices start to crash again between mid- and late 2009 into late 2010, and likely finally bottom around mid-2012 -- between Dow 3,800 and 7,200.
Although it may be possible to identify demographic and economic trends through long term cycle analysis, to forecast the stock market is too far fetched. Nevertheless, the book makes for an iteresting read at a time when the world is teetering on economic meltdown.
Friday, October 02, 2009
Freedom vs. Greater Good of Society
In the United States, everyone is debating on how to reform the healthcare and it seems there are as many ways of reforming the broken healthcare system (that everyone agrees) as there are special interests and lobby groups such as the insurance companies and drug companies who are spending millions of dollars to win their side of the argument with the lawmakers.
Joining the debate bandwagon, an alliance made up of major health agencies, including the American Diabetes Association, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and two former surgeon generals, wants to reverse the obesity epidemic by investing more in health promotion and disease prevention, especially to kids. The alliance has urged the lawmakers to pass legislation and deal with this alarming health problem which is not only dangerous by enormously expensive.
The group says the American children are getting addicted to poor diets--loaded with salt, sugar and fat--and sedentary lifestyles, which leads to cancer, heart disease and diabetes later on, costing billions of dollars to the taxpayer. Obesity-related spending contributes $150 billion to healthcare spending each year. (Link. HealthDay)
Amid the media coverage of the often rowdy and sometimes abusive language against any form of national healthcare heard in the townhall meetings, it is stunning to read that America- the world's only superpower and the world's largest economy, is expanding a free health service meant to take modern medicine to the third world as reported on CBS.
"People from all around Los Angeles have been lining up around the clock since Monday - waiting, hoping to get free medical care.
Some 1,500 people a day - many working poor, almost all with little or no health insurance - file into L.A.'s cavernous Forum to see hundreds of doctors, dentists, and optometrists. All of these medical professionals are volunteers. All of these people are in need.
Larry Durst's disability check won't cover the glasses he needs. He says without this clinic he would suffer and go without.
Kenya Smith needs a checkup for two-week-old Zoe. Her insurance doesn't cover it.
"They wanted $1,500 for just to be seen by the doctor plus co-payments. That was a lot of money I thought," she said.
Anna Garcia got in line Tuesday for dental work. She works for Orange County, has five children, and her husband is out of work. The co-pay for three year old Aizza's root canal: $1,000.
"I couldn’t afford it and I didn’t want her to lose her teeth. So I once read about this program, and I had to take advantage of it, even if it meant missing a couple of days of work," she said.
The program is run by Remote Area Medical, a non-profit group established 24 years ago to take modern medicine to the third world. Today they do some 40 multi-day free clinics a year - 65 percent of them now in the U.S.
"There are about 49 million people who don’t have access to the care they need. They simply can’t afford it," says Stan Brock, founder of Remote Area Medical."
The debate over healthcare reform in the United States centers around questions of a person's right to health care, access, fairness, sustainability, and quality purchased by the high sums spent by the taxpayers. The mixed public-private health care system in the United States is the most expensive in the world, with health care costing more per person than in any other industrialised nation. The U.S. is the only wealthy, industrialized nation that does not have a universal health care system.
Just like the American tobacco industry and their lobbysts who spend vast sums of money to influence lawmakers and persuade people, particularly younger people, that smoking is an assertion of freedom and liberty- so too does the drug and insurance companies and the lobbysts of the private healthcare industry spend vast sums of money to kill off any legislation that will bring in a public option which can compete with the private healthcare.
The present healthcare debate has pitted two opposing ideologies against each other, and a proper balance between them needs to be found to satisfy the majority of the people.
President Obama, the democratic president considers health care a freedom issue: everyone should walk as equals under the same insurance umbrella. That people are left out in the rain is contrary to the American ethos.
Conversely, Republicans see it as a liberty issue. Obama's reform plan leads to some with the individual's power of choice. In large part, this choice is the choice of how to spend one's money, but there is no small amount of philosophical objection to government telling you what to do -- that's also contrary to the American ethos.
Read about the five freedoms Americans will likely loose if the public option of the healthcare reform bill intended to provide affordable healthcare to the poor and compete against the private insurance is enacted into law.
United States of America- the world's great bastion of freedom- is deeply skepical of any program such as the universal healthcare that gives power to their government to control any aspect of their lives.
Joining the debate bandwagon, an alliance made up of major health agencies, including the American Diabetes Association, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and two former surgeon generals, wants to reverse the obesity epidemic by investing more in health promotion and disease prevention, especially to kids. The alliance has urged the lawmakers to pass legislation and deal with this alarming health problem which is not only dangerous by enormously expensive.
The group says the American children are getting addicted to poor diets--loaded with salt, sugar and fat--and sedentary lifestyles, which leads to cancer, heart disease and diabetes later on, costing billions of dollars to the taxpayer. Obesity-related spending contributes $150 billion to healthcare spending each year. (Link. HealthDay)
Amid the media coverage of the often rowdy and sometimes abusive language against any form of national healthcare heard in the townhall meetings, it is stunning to read that America- the world's only superpower and the world's largest economy, is expanding a free health service meant to take modern medicine to the third world as reported on CBS.
"People from all around Los Angeles have been lining up around the clock since Monday - waiting, hoping to get free medical care.
Some 1,500 people a day - many working poor, almost all with little or no health insurance - file into L.A.'s cavernous Forum to see hundreds of doctors, dentists, and optometrists. All of these medical professionals are volunteers. All of these people are in need.
Larry Durst's disability check won't cover the glasses he needs. He says without this clinic he would suffer and go without.
Kenya Smith needs a checkup for two-week-old Zoe. Her insurance doesn't cover it.
"They wanted $1,500 for just to be seen by the doctor plus co-payments. That was a lot of money I thought," she said.
Anna Garcia got in line Tuesday for dental work. She works for Orange County, has five children, and her husband is out of work. The co-pay for three year old Aizza's root canal: $1,000.
"I couldn’t afford it and I didn’t want her to lose her teeth. So I once read about this program, and I had to take advantage of it, even if it meant missing a couple of days of work," she said.
The program is run by Remote Area Medical, a non-profit group established 24 years ago to take modern medicine to the third world. Today they do some 40 multi-day free clinics a year - 65 percent of them now in the U.S.
"There are about 49 million people who don’t have access to the care they need. They simply can’t afford it," says Stan Brock, founder of Remote Area Medical."
The debate over healthcare reform in the United States centers around questions of a person's right to health care, access, fairness, sustainability, and quality purchased by the high sums spent by the taxpayers. The mixed public-private health care system in the United States is the most expensive in the world, with health care costing more per person than in any other industrialised nation. The U.S. is the only wealthy, industrialized nation that does not have a universal health care system.
Just like the American tobacco industry and their lobbysts who spend vast sums of money to influence lawmakers and persuade people, particularly younger people, that smoking is an assertion of freedom and liberty- so too does the drug and insurance companies and the lobbysts of the private healthcare industry spend vast sums of money to kill off any legislation that will bring in a public option which can compete with the private healthcare.
The present healthcare debate has pitted two opposing ideologies against each other, and a proper balance between them needs to be found to satisfy the majority of the people.
President Obama, the democratic president considers health care a freedom issue: everyone should walk as equals under the same insurance umbrella. That people are left out in the rain is contrary to the American ethos.
Conversely, Republicans see it as a liberty issue. Obama's reform plan leads to some with the individual's power of choice. In large part, this choice is the choice of how to spend one's money, but there is no small amount of philosophical objection to government telling you what to do -- that's also contrary to the American ethos.
Read about the five freedoms Americans will likely loose if the public option of the healthcare reform bill intended to provide affordable healthcare to the poor and compete against the private insurance is enacted into law.
United States of America- the world's great bastion of freedom- is deeply skepical of any program such as the universal healthcare that gives power to their government to control any aspect of their lives.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Edward Kennedy's lifelong passion: Public Service
Edward Moore "Ted" Kennedy (February 22, 1932 – August 25, 2009) was a United States Senator from Massachusetts and a member of the Democratic Party. First elected in November 1962, he was elected nine times and served for 46 years in the U.S. Senate. At the time of his death, he was the second most senior member of the Senate, and the third-longest-serving senator in U.S. history. For many years the most prominent living member of the Kennedy family, he was the son of Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr., the youngest brother of President John F. Kennedy and Senator Robert F. Kennedy, both victims of assassinations, and the father of Congressman Patrick J. Kennedy.(Link Wikipedia)
The revelation in May 2008 that Senator Kennedy had a serious form of brain cancer sent tears and a stunned silence across the US Congress, where he is known as the 'liberal lion' for his unrelenting work of the liberal causes.
US President Barack Obama, the country's first president who received a strong, early endorsement from Kennedy, said after learning of his illness in 2008 that he "would not be sitting here as a presidential candidate had it not been for the battles Ted Kennedy has fought."
"I stand on his shoulders," Obama said.
Sen. Kennedy was responsible for more than 300 major bills of legislation that has been enacted into law. Kennedy opposed the Vietnam War, led the congressional fight to impose sanctions against South Africa over apartheid and succeeded in banning arms sales to Chile’s dictator Augusto Pinochet. He helped greatly in the long effort to bring peace to Northern Ireland. He also worked tirelessly on behalf of the poor on issues of social and economic justice, which his Meals on Wheels program for senior citizens dramatically underscores. But in all of those years, in all the causes he embraced, he called his vote against the resolution to sanction the Iraq war the “best vote” he ever cast.
Britain's prime minister Gordon Brown paid a generous tribute to Edward Kennedy, claiming that his record of public service “surpasses those of many presidents”.
He said, "Northern Ireland is today at peace; South Africa is free of apartheid; more children not only in his nation, but in the poorest nations, are going to school and have health care. We owe a great debt to the vision and courage of Ted Kennedy.”
With the US engaged in a major debate about the provision of health care, the Prime Minister said that to Mr Kennedy this was “the cause of his life”. Mr Brown said: “He never ceased fighting for universal health care. As he said only last month, we're almost there'. He did this not only for America but for the world. He knew that if a system of universal health care as a right and not a privilege could be achieved in the United States, others everywhere would be encouraged to take it up.”
Recalling his memories of meeting Kennedy, Mr Brown said he would remember him as the man who said: “The pursuit of the presidency is not my life; public service is.” He wrote: “His work teaches timeless lessons about serving the public — the need to reach out beyond ancient loyalties and old enmities, the need to unite rather than divide, our capacity to master the great issues.”
Kennedy died without achieving what he called 'the cause of his life'- the health care reform bill that he worked on four decades. Newsweek carries an article on Kennedy's fight for health care.
The revelation in May 2008 that Senator Kennedy had a serious form of brain cancer sent tears and a stunned silence across the US Congress, where he is known as the 'liberal lion' for his unrelenting work of the liberal causes.
US President Barack Obama, the country's first president who received a strong, early endorsement from Kennedy, said after learning of his illness in 2008 that he "would not be sitting here as a presidential candidate had it not been for the battles Ted Kennedy has fought."
"I stand on his shoulders," Obama said.
Sen. Kennedy was responsible for more than 300 major bills of legislation that has been enacted into law. Kennedy opposed the Vietnam War, led the congressional fight to impose sanctions against South Africa over apartheid and succeeded in banning arms sales to Chile’s dictator Augusto Pinochet. He helped greatly in the long effort to bring peace to Northern Ireland. He also worked tirelessly on behalf of the poor on issues of social and economic justice, which his Meals on Wheels program for senior citizens dramatically underscores. But in all of those years, in all the causes he embraced, he called his vote against the resolution to sanction the Iraq war the “best vote” he ever cast.
Britain's prime minister Gordon Brown paid a generous tribute to Edward Kennedy, claiming that his record of public service “surpasses those of many presidents”.
He said, "Northern Ireland is today at peace; South Africa is free of apartheid; more children not only in his nation, but in the poorest nations, are going to school and have health care. We owe a great debt to the vision and courage of Ted Kennedy.”
With the US engaged in a major debate about the provision of health care, the Prime Minister said that to Mr Kennedy this was “the cause of his life”. Mr Brown said: “He never ceased fighting for universal health care. As he said only last month, we're almost there'. He did this not only for America but for the world. He knew that if a system of universal health care as a right and not a privilege could be achieved in the United States, others everywhere would be encouraged to take it up.”
Recalling his memories of meeting Kennedy, Mr Brown said he would remember him as the man who said: “The pursuit of the presidency is not my life; public service is.” He wrote: “His work teaches timeless lessons about serving the public — the need to reach out beyond ancient loyalties and old enmities, the need to unite rather than divide, our capacity to master the great issues.”
Kennedy died without achieving what he called 'the cause of his life'- the health care reform bill that he worked on four decades. Newsweek carries an article on Kennedy's fight for health care.
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Battle of US Healthcare. It is US's excessive capitalism vs. UK's socialism
As the debate on healthcare reform gets heated up in the Capitol Hill of the United States, President Obama has urged leading Senate Democrats involved in drafting a healthcare bill, to include a public health plan which will create a government-run health insurance plan to compete with the private insurance companies of the healthcare system. President Obama believes that such a plan would help consumers and keep costs down.
Most republicans and critics of the public plan argue that such a plan will drive out private insurers and lower the quality of healthcare.
As the debate gets nasty across town hall meetings and rallies in the congressional districts, the universal healthcare system of the UK National Health Care(NHS) has come under attack from the radical right wing and conservate activists. Conservatives and Republican politicians believe that the free market can fix the healthcare and all other social problems and that the government should not get involved.
Professor Stephen Hawking who was in Washington to receive America's highest civilian honour, the Presidential Medal of Freedom has defended UK's NHS after its severe criticism during the American political debate over health care reforms.
"The physicist spoke up for the NHS after the Republican Right claimed it was 'evil' and 'Orwellian' in a direct attack on Barack Obama's plans to overhaul health care in the U.S.
Critics of the president have said his plans would introduce a 'socialist' system like Britain's.
Prof Hawkin, who suffers from Lou Gehrig's disease, said: 'I wouldn't be here today if it were not for the NHS.
'I have received a large amount of high quality treatment without which I would not have survived.'
Even UK's prime minister Gordon Brown who normally avoids American party politics has defended the NHS against what his ministers described as inaccurate slurs by opponents of president Obama's plan. Mr Brown and his wife posted messages on the social networking site Twitter.
On the No 10 Twitter site, Mr Brown said: “NHS often makes the difference between pain and comfort, despair and hope, life and death. Thanks for always being there.”
Writing in the Guardian Sahil Kapur states that a study by the "Health Affairs found last year that more than 100,000 Americans die every year from preventable illnesses – the highest of any industrialised country. The study also said they would probably be alive if they were living in France, where they wouldn't have been denied care. The US can prevent these deaths, and as other industrialised countries demonstrate, it is easily doable.
Embracing a system in which people die from neglect is morally indefensible, particularly in a country that guarantees the right to life and has the resources to carry out this promise."
The United States spends far more per capita (and as a percentage of GDP) on healthcare than the rest of the developed world, while every other industrialised country has much stronger government presence in healthcare. Along with lower costs, they also achieve universal coverage, and tend to enjoy higher satisfaction rates.
Most republicans and critics of the public plan argue that such a plan will drive out private insurers and lower the quality of healthcare.
As the debate gets nasty across town hall meetings and rallies in the congressional districts, the universal healthcare system of the UK National Health Care(NHS) has come under attack from the radical right wing and conservate activists. Conservatives and Republican politicians believe that the free market can fix the healthcare and all other social problems and that the government should not get involved.
Professor Stephen Hawking who was in Washington to receive America's highest civilian honour, the Presidential Medal of Freedom has defended UK's NHS after its severe criticism during the American political debate over health care reforms.
"The physicist spoke up for the NHS after the Republican Right claimed it was 'evil' and 'Orwellian' in a direct attack on Barack Obama's plans to overhaul health care in the U.S.
Critics of the president have said his plans would introduce a 'socialist' system like Britain's.
Prof Hawkin, who suffers from Lou Gehrig's disease, said: 'I wouldn't be here today if it were not for the NHS.
'I have received a large amount of high quality treatment without which I would not have survived.'
Even UK's prime minister Gordon Brown who normally avoids American party politics has defended the NHS against what his ministers described as inaccurate slurs by opponents of president Obama's plan. Mr Brown and his wife posted messages on the social networking site Twitter.
On the No 10 Twitter site, Mr Brown said: “NHS often makes the difference between pain and comfort, despair and hope, life and death. Thanks for always being there.”
Writing in the Guardian Sahil Kapur states that a study by the "Health Affairs found last year that more than 100,000 Americans die every year from preventable illnesses – the highest of any industrialised country. The study also said they would probably be alive if they were living in France, where they wouldn't have been denied care. The US can prevent these deaths, and as other industrialised countries demonstrate, it is easily doable.
Embracing a system in which people die from neglect is morally indefensible, particularly in a country that guarantees the right to life and has the resources to carry out this promise."
The United States spends far more per capita (and as a percentage of GDP) on healthcare than the rest of the developed world, while every other industrialised country has much stronger government presence in healthcare. Along with lower costs, they also achieve universal coverage, and tend to enjoy higher satisfaction rates.
Saturday, August 08, 2009
A Glimpse into the Future City State
"The Global Fair and Festival 2009" has opened in Songdo International City in South Korea's Incheon Free Economic Zone.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the country's largest festival President Lee Myung-bak said:
"The past century was dominated by a competition among nations, but we will see fierce competition among cities in the years ahead. More than half of the global population is concentrated in urban areas and the figure is expected to surge up to 80 to 90 percent," Lee said.
During the 80-day festival, 68 exhibitions, conferences and concerts will be held.
About 20 international conferences will be held at the fair, including the Global Environment Forum 2009, which U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and many other scholars plan to attend.
The Fair will introduce "Smart City," a knowledge-based industrial city equipped with state-of-the-art information and communication infrastructure, to the participants of the Asian-Pacific City Summit (APCS) to be held in September
Link.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the country's largest festival President Lee Myung-bak said:
"The past century was dominated by a competition among nations, but we will see fierce competition among cities in the years ahead. More than half of the global population is concentrated in urban areas and the figure is expected to surge up to 80 to 90 percent," Lee said.
During the 80-day festival, 68 exhibitions, conferences and concerts will be held.
About 20 international conferences will be held at the fair, including the Global Environment Forum 2009, which U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and many other scholars plan to attend.
The Fair will introduce "Smart City," a knowledge-based industrial city equipped with state-of-the-art information and communication infrastructure, to the participants of the Asian-Pacific City Summit (APCS) to be held in September
Link.
Friday, March 28, 2008
Death of global free market capitalism?
Remember Friday March 14 2008: it was the day the dream of global free- market capitalism died. For three decades we have moved towards market-driven financial systems. By its decision to rescue Bear Stearns, the Federal Reserve, the institution responsible for monetary policy in the US, chief protagonist of free-market capitalism, declared this era over.
It showed in deeds its agreement with the remark by Josef Ackermann, chief executive of Deutsche Bank, that “I no longer believe in the market’s self-healing power”. Deregulation has reached its limits.
Read the full article. "The rescue of Bear Stearns marks liberalisation’s limit"
By Martin Wolf published on Financial Times.
Friday, January 04, 2008
Squeezing out net videos
YouTube fans in China may not find it easy to watch some videos when the new rules take effect.
China is to further tighten its grip on the internet and has announced strict new regulations on the broadcasting of online videos - including those posted on video-sharing websites – restricting them to sites run by state-controlled companies.
The new rules also require service providers to report questionable content to the government and "abide by the moral code of socialism".
China, the world's second-largest Internet market by users, has encouraged growth of the internet but at the same time has imposed increasingly tough controls on what can be seen online inside China.
The rules are aimed at stopping what the government calls "degenerate thinking" via the Internet and maintaining a "healthy online environment".
Pro-democracy websites are blocked, as are the sites of many international news organisations, and a force of about 30,000 internet police are thought to monitor the web for anything seen as undesirable content.
The new rules, which come into force on January 31, mark a fresh attempt by Beijing to curtail the internet habits of an increasingly web-savvy population that has become accustomed to decades of state intervention.
China is to further tighten its grip on the internet and has announced strict new regulations on the broadcasting of online videos - including those posted on video-sharing websites – restricting them to sites run by state-controlled companies.
The new rules also require service providers to report questionable content to the government and "abide by the moral code of socialism".
China, the world's second-largest Internet market by users, has encouraged growth of the internet but at the same time has imposed increasingly tough controls on what can be seen online inside China.
The rules are aimed at stopping what the government calls "degenerate thinking" via the Internet and maintaining a "healthy online environment".
Pro-democracy websites are blocked, as are the sites of many international news organisations, and a force of about 30,000 internet police are thought to monitor the web for anything seen as undesirable content.
The new rules, which come into force on January 31, mark a fresh attempt by Beijing to curtail the internet habits of an increasingly web-savvy population that has become accustomed to decades of state intervention.
Tuesday, December 04, 2007
Selling Peace
Imagining Peace in Darfur. Make Love, Not WarBret Dey writes, In March 31, 1969, John Lennon and Yoko Ono appeared at a Vienna press conference in a bag large enough to hold the two of them closely together, hidden from the glare of the camera flashes. Inside the bag, they claimed to be eating chocolate cake. Perplexed, the press asked questions and John and Yoko explained that the bag represented total communication. “When you’re in a bag, you can’t be judged by the color of your skin, the length of your hair, your age or any other attributes.”
38 years later, peace is still not an easy commodity to sell when you are dealing with Sudan that is alleged to have committed genocide, more than 250,000 killed and as many as 2.5 million are thought to have been displaced as of October 2006.
John Lennon realized that his high-minded art projects and chants of “Give Peace a Chance” were simplistic. And, to him, that was exactly the point. “We’re trying to sell peace, like a product,” he said on The David Frost Show. “We’re trying to sell peace the way people sell soap or soft drinks.”
This is what the African Union is preparing to do. Renegotiate the Darfur Peace Agreement, an agreement designed to explore, explain and communicate what peace is about hoping that affected parties will sign on to it.
Friday, November 02, 2007
No easy divorce without pre-nup
When Sir Paul McCartney married Heather Mills, the famous beatle decided not have a prenuptial agreement as he thought it would kill the romance in the relationship. Experts say that one in three of all first marriages ending in divorce, and with 50 percent of second or third ones hitting the skids, a prenup is smart financial planning tool that can save painful heartaches later. A prenuptial agreement is a contract between two people about to wed that spells out how assets will be distributed in the event of divorce or death.
After four years of marriage which began in at a remote countryside castle in Ireland in 2002, the couple have spilt and are going through divorce proceedings. This divorce contest has become one of the most nasty break-ups in recent times. The British media has turned against Mills who is portrayed as gold digger, a fantasist, a liar, and a whore.
There are reports that Paul McCartney and Heather Mills have agreed a $100 million divorce settlement, it is believed the Beatles legend is worth an estimated $1.7 billion .
After four years of marriage which began in at a remote countryside castle in Ireland in 2002, the couple have spilt and are going through divorce proceedings. This divorce contest has become one of the most nasty break-ups in recent times. The British media has turned against Mills who is portrayed as gold digger, a fantasist, a liar, and a whore.
There are reports that Paul McCartney and Heather Mills have agreed a $100 million divorce settlement, it is believed the Beatles legend is worth an estimated $1.7 billion .
Monday, October 15, 2007
Indian women rise to the occasion in politics
India's Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati has been profiled by the US magazine Newsweek among eight women leaders worldwide who have reached the top despite all odds, with the Dalit leader narrating her struggle to rally the oppressed community.
Writing in the magazine, the 51-year-old Bahujan Samaj Party chief, who swept the Assembly elections early this year with a rainbow coalition of Dalits, upper castes and Muslims, says her aim is to replicate the victory in the other states and prepare for the bigger struggle to capture power in New Delhi.
Indian women are making their mark on the political scene. The present president and previously India had a women prime minister. Thus, some women are making giant strides up the political ladder in the world's largest democracy.
Many Americans from the US Democratic party believe that next year, United States may see its first women president from the Sen. Hillary Clinton.
Writing in the magazine, the 51-year-old Bahujan Samaj Party chief, who swept the Assembly elections early this year with a rainbow coalition of Dalits, upper castes and Muslims, says her aim is to replicate the victory in the other states and prepare for the bigger struggle to capture power in New Delhi.
Indian women are making their mark on the political scene. The present president and previously India had a women prime minister. Thus, some women are making giant strides up the political ladder in the world's largest democracy.
Many Americans from the US Democratic party believe that next year, United States may see its first women president from the Sen. Hillary Clinton.
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Freedom of speech and the power of Internet
A US student, Andrew Meyer, who was well-known on campus for his practical jokes, was tasered after jumping the queue to ask former presidential candidate US senator John Kerry a series of questions in a Florida University lecture hall on Monday.
The anguished cries Andrew Meyer, who was subdued using a Taser stun gun at a political meeting in Florida, has resonated worldwide in a matter of hours.
"Don't Tase me, bro!" was uttered by Andrew Meyer as he was pinned to the floor by police. 'Don't tase me' T-shirts are now being sold in the United States, earning Andrew Meyer a place in the American pop culture.
After a video of the incident was posted on the Internet, the officers responsible have been suspended on full pay while the debate rages over whether the student was a victim of police brutality or an attention-seeking prankster who got what he deserved.
Students at the university organised a protest yesterday and marched on the police station shouting “Don’t Tase me, bro” and demanding that stun guns were banned from campus.
Critics of Andrew Meyer have suggested that the entire incident was a planned attempt to win attention for Meyer who has already posted dozens of videos of himself on his website www.andrewmeyer.com.
Meyer has instantly become an Internet star for interrupting a political meeting.
Monday, September 17, 2007
Simpson's killer saga
O.J. Simpson (born July 9, 1947) is a retired American football player who achieved stardom as a running back, subsequently as an actor and broadcaster.
Simpson achieved notoriety for having been tried for the murder of ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman in 1994. He was acquitted in criminal court in 1995 after a lengthy, highly publicized trial, called the "Trial of the Century" in America.
In 1997, Simpson was found liable for their deaths in civil court, but to date has paid little of the $33.5 million judgment. He gained further notoriety in late 2006 when he wrote a book titled 'If I Did It', withdrawn by the publisher just before its release, which purports to be a first-person fictional account of the murder had he actually committed it.
Human morality could not have been brought to a lower standard than this. For Simpson to write a book on how he would have killed his ex wife with whom he has two children and profit from publishing the book, brings this man's bizarre behaviour to a dangerously pathological level. Because of the public furore in America, the publisher decided last minute not to publish the book.
In August 2007, a Florida bankruptcy court awarded the rights to the book to the Goldman family to partially satisfy an unpaid civil judgment. The title of the book was expanded to If I Did It: Confessions of the Killer, and comments were added to the original manuscript by the Goldman family. The book has become No.1 on the Barnes and Noble best seller list.
Simpson's criminal and civil trials saw some of America's best lawyers battling it out in the court with the American public and the world watching every move in the court. The power of the media was on full display, with Simpson having considerable pull of public opinion in his favour because of his celebrity status and adoring fans.
On September 14, 2007, Simpson was questioned with regard to missing memorabilia at Palace Station Casino. He admitted taking the items, which he said had been stolen from him, but denied breaking into a room, as well as the allegation that he or people with him carried weapons. Now Simpson has been arrested and this morbid saga continues after ten years.
Saturday, September 08, 2007
Overzealous prosecutor is jailed
"Justice works!" a woman shouted.
"I hope your family gets what you gave those families, you scumbag,'' a man said loudly.
These highly charged emotions were directed at the former district attorney for Durham County, North Carolina in the United States of America.
Nifong who pursued sexual assault charges made by Crystal Gail Mangum, an African American woman who was working as an escort and stripper, against members of the Duke University lacrosse team has been barred since he with held material evidence in a widely publicised case.
Now Mike Nifong has walked into jail to serve a 24-hour contempt sentence on Friday, soon after it was revealed that the three players he falsely accused of rape are seeking $30 million from the city.
The three falsely accused players are now seeking a $30 million settlement and reforms in the legal process, two people close to the case told The Associated Press on Friday.
If the terms aren't met, they will sue early next month, the sources said on condition of anonymity because the proposed settlement wasn't complete.
"I hope your family gets what you gave those families, you scumbag,'' a man said loudly.
These highly charged emotions were directed at the former district attorney for Durham County, North Carolina in the United States of America.
Nifong who pursued sexual assault charges made by Crystal Gail Mangum, an African American woman who was working as an escort and stripper, against members of the Duke University lacrosse team has been barred since he with held material evidence in a widely publicised case.
Now Mike Nifong has walked into jail to serve a 24-hour contempt sentence on Friday, soon after it was revealed that the three players he falsely accused of rape are seeking $30 million from the city.
The three falsely accused players are now seeking a $30 million settlement and reforms in the legal process, two people close to the case told The Associated Press on Friday.
If the terms aren't met, they will sue early next month, the sources said on condition of anonymity because the proposed settlement wasn't complete.
Thursday, September 06, 2007
Pavarotti, king of tenors passes on
Luciano Pavarotti, The world famous Italian opera singer who used his unforced tenor voice to become a 20th-century celebrity, died Thursday at his home in Modena, Italy, after a yearlong battle with pancreatic cancer, according to The Associated Press. He was 71.
The maestro took opera outside the concert hall: performances before 150,000 people, including the Prince and Princess of Wales, Charles and Diana, in London's Hyde Park in 1991; 500,000 on the Great Lawn of New York's Central Park in 1993; and 300,000 in 1994 at the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
Pavarotti shared the stage with rock and pop singers, including Elton John, Eric Clapton, Bruce Springsteen, Sting and Bono of U2, to raise money for charities.
The portly bearded singer at times 300 pounds or more retired from staged opera in 2004, but was on a "farewell tour" of concerts when he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2006 and underwent emergency surgery to remove the tumor.
Pavarotti was planning to resume his singing in 2007, but to the sad loss of millions of his fans around the world, his farewell tour has now turned out to be his swan song.
Wednesday, September 05, 2007
Tension in US-China relationsip over espionage
Incidents of espionage are as old as human history itself. Traditional methods mostly included human spies and wire tapping for eavesdropping purposes.
Now technology is helping in this age-old industry. Satellite surveillance of all electronic transmissions including cell phone logs, voice mail, email, packet sniffing, trace routing and wireless transmissions are standard techniques. The boundaries are pushed farther by the advances in new technology.
Computer hackers believed to be associated with the Chinese government are being blamed for a breach of computer security at the Pentagon in which some information may have been stolen.
China denies the allegations, but it's the second time in recent weeks that the Chinese government has been linked with cyber-spying allegations. Two weeks ago, an attack on German government computers was attributed to China.
The robust Chinese response followed a front-page report in the Financial Times saying Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) hackers broke into a US defence department network in June, taking data and causing the shutdown of a system serving the secretary of defence, Robert Gates.
Although Chinese authorities blame US of going back to the cold war thinking, it is believed that both the Chinese military and the U.S. defense bodies are active in probing into one another.
The compromise of the U.S. defense system has forced officials to reconsider the type of information that is transmitted via email or with BlackBerry mobiles.
US and China have differing ideologies and values. Fundamental ideals such as promoting democracy, good governance, and rule of law, upholding human rights, encouraging the spread of free market ideals and institutions, which form the basis for U.S. alliances with Great Britain, Japan, and Australia, as well as cooperation with other democratic security partners, are not shared by China.
Foreign policy analysts believe that in the absence of a greater convergence of values and agreement of the international system, a comprehensive strategic security partnership with China is fraught with difficulties.
Now technology is helping in this age-old industry. Satellite surveillance of all electronic transmissions including cell phone logs, voice mail, email, packet sniffing, trace routing and wireless transmissions are standard techniques. The boundaries are pushed farther by the advances in new technology.
Computer hackers believed to be associated with the Chinese government are being blamed for a breach of computer security at the Pentagon in which some information may have been stolen.
China denies the allegations, but it's the second time in recent weeks that the Chinese government has been linked with cyber-spying allegations. Two weeks ago, an attack on German government computers was attributed to China.
The robust Chinese response followed a front-page report in the Financial Times saying Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) hackers broke into a US defence department network in June, taking data and causing the shutdown of a system serving the secretary of defence, Robert Gates.
Although Chinese authorities blame US of going back to the cold war thinking, it is believed that both the Chinese military and the U.S. defense bodies are active in probing into one another.
The compromise of the U.S. defense system has forced officials to reconsider the type of information that is transmitted via email or with BlackBerry mobiles.
US and China have differing ideologies and values. Fundamental ideals such as promoting democracy, good governance, and rule of law, upholding human rights, encouraging the spread of free market ideals and institutions, which form the basis for U.S. alliances with Great Britain, Japan, and Australia, as well as cooperation with other democratic security partners, are not shared by China.
Foreign policy analysts believe that in the absence of a greater convergence of values and agreement of the international system, a comprehensive strategic security partnership with China is fraught with difficulties.
Sunday, September 02, 2007
Republican's failing private virtue
American Idaho Senator Larry Craig (Republican) opposes gay marriage and has a strong record against gay rights.
A fiscal and social conservative, Craig sometimes broke with his party, notably on immigration, where he pushed changes that many in his party said offered “amnesty” to illegal immigrants.
For the last one week, Sen. Craig's name has been linked to a bathroom sting operation and the senator has succumbed to calls for his resignation from members of his own party.
Craig, 62, said he would resign effective Sept. 30, ending a career in Congress spanning a quarter-century.
Craig was arrested June 11 in a police undercover vice operation. Craig is accused of trying to solicit an undercover officer in an adjoining stall, using signals "used by persons wishing to engage in lewd contact," including tapping his toes, moving his foot over to touch the officer's foot and swiping his left hand under the stall divider.
Craig has faced rumors about his sexuality since the 1980s. He has called assertions that he has engaged in gay sex ridiculous.
Other lawmakers who broke foul of the law include former Rep. Mark Foley, R-Fla., quit last fall over sexually explicit Internet communications with male pages who had worked on Capitol Hill.
Sen. Bob Packwood, R-Ore., resigned in 1995 amid allegations he had made unwanted sexual advances to 17 female employees and colleagues and altered his personal diaries to obstruct an ethics investigation.
These incidents reveal the hypocrisy and dishonesty of those who legislate on personal conduct, and ironically fall victims of seeking sexual encounters from the very men they actively legislate against.
America is a secular country but the republican conservatives have always portrayed them holding a higher moral ground over the liberal democrats and these incidents show the human failings regardless of the party affiliation. These scandals also bring out their double standards and homophobia.
A fiscal and social conservative, Craig sometimes broke with his party, notably on immigration, where he pushed changes that many in his party said offered “amnesty” to illegal immigrants.
For the last one week, Sen. Craig's name has been linked to a bathroom sting operation and the senator has succumbed to calls for his resignation from members of his own party.
Craig, 62, said he would resign effective Sept. 30, ending a career in Congress spanning a quarter-century.
Craig was arrested June 11 in a police undercover vice operation. Craig is accused of trying to solicit an undercover officer in an adjoining stall, using signals "used by persons wishing to engage in lewd contact," including tapping his toes, moving his foot over to touch the officer's foot and swiping his left hand under the stall divider.
Craig has faced rumors about his sexuality since the 1980s. He has called assertions that he has engaged in gay sex ridiculous.
Other lawmakers who broke foul of the law include former Rep. Mark Foley, R-Fla., quit last fall over sexually explicit Internet communications with male pages who had worked on Capitol Hill.
Sen. Bob Packwood, R-Ore., resigned in 1995 amid allegations he had made unwanted sexual advances to 17 female employees and colleagues and altered his personal diaries to obstruct an ethics investigation.
These incidents reveal the hypocrisy and dishonesty of those who legislate on personal conduct, and ironically fall victims of seeking sexual encounters from the very men they actively legislate against.
America is a secular country but the republican conservatives have always portrayed them holding a higher moral ground over the liberal democrats and these incidents show the human failings regardless of the party affiliation. These scandals also bring out their double standards and homophobia.
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