Feb
12
2013
There is a new school of economic thought. Well, it’s arguably new. John Maynard Keynes made passing reference to what might be its early ancestor in his book on money. It’s called modern monetary theory.
Thom’s Guest: Michael Hudson, President of The Institute for the Study of Long-Term Economic Trends (ISLET), a Wall Street Financial Analyst, Distinguished Research Professor of Economics at the University …
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Feb
12
2013
Just how crazy must a person be to be ruled incompetent for execution in the United States? Being profoundly mentally ill is not enough. You have to be deemed legally “insane.”
At trial, the insanity defense generally hinges on a person’s inability to distinguish right from wrong or understand the “nature and quality” of his act. In the context of an impending execution, insanity means you cannot rationally comprehend that you are being put to death …
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Feb
11
2013
A British company is the latest major multinational that stands accused of massive tax avoidance and depriving one of the world’s poorest countries of billions of dollars.
The Zambian subsidiary of Associated British Foods has confirmed it paid virtually no tax in the past five years.
A report by ActionAid states the company’s revenue from its Zambian operation is being funneled into tax havens including Ireland, Mauritius and the Netherlands.
The report says that Zambia Sugar generated profits …
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Feb
11
2013
AUSTIN, Texas — With nearly 2 million undocumented immigrants and a 1,200-mile border with Mexico, Texas has more at stake than most states in the renewed push to overhaul the nation’s immigration system.
Yet so far, Gov. Rick Perry and Republicans who control the Legislature have been sitting this debate out.
They’re not resurrecting dozens of contentious immigration bills that roiled the statehouse in 2011. They’re not making the rounds on TV and radio to talk about …
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Feb
11
2013
BILL MOYERS: You’ve heard me before quote one of my mentors who told his students that “news is what people want to keep hidden; everything else is publicity.” That’s why two books are rattling the cages of powerful people who would rather you not read them. Here’s the first one. Captive Audience: The Telecom Industry and Monopoly Power in the New Gilded Age by Susan Crawford. Read it and you’ll understand why we Americans are …
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Feb
11
2013
(Reuters) – The Pentagon announced on Monday it would extend more of the benefits offered to spouses of heterosexual troops to those of gay personnel but acknowledged some key benefits, like housing, would still be off-limits, at least for now.
The step came 17 months after the Pentagon scrapped its “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” ban on openly serving homosexuals in the U.S. military and will affect the day-to-day lives of their spouses in ways big and …
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Feb
11
2013
Senator Bernie Sanders took a stand against corporate greed by introducing his newest piece of legislation, The Corporate Tax Fairness Act. And now, Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky has announced that she too is fighting in the House to make corporations pay their fair share. The Corporate Tax Fairness Act will stop corporations from sheltering income in the Cayman Islands and end tax breaks for companies that …
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Feb
11
2013
Of the thousands of “Avatar” screenings held during the film’s record global release wave, none tethered the animated allegory to reality like a rainy day matinee in Quito, Ecuador.
It was late January 2010 when a non-governmental organization bused Indian chiefs from the Ecuadorean Amazon to a multiplex in the capital. The surprise decampment of the tribal congress triggered a smattering of cheers, but mostly drew stares of apprehension from urban Ecuadoreans who attribute a legendary …
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Feb
11
2013
California would ban the sale of all semi-automatic rifles that accept removable magazines, slap a hefty tax on ammo, and require every gun owner to take a yearly safety course under a new package of firearms laws that would give the Golden State the nation’s strongest gun controls.
These and many other proposed firearms laws were announced late last week by leading state Democrats and the mayors of San Francisco and Los Angeles. Many of the …
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Feb
11
2013
(Reuters) – – Pope Benedict was cheered by conservatives for trying to reaffirm traditional Catholic identity but liberals accused him of turning back the clock on reforms and hurting dialogue with Muslims, Jews and other Christians.
The 85-year-old German-born pontiff announced on Monday he would step down at the end of the month because of the effects of old age meant he was unable to complete his ministry. It was a decision that stunned Church officials …
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