February 19, 2009, 4:01PM
"What started as a
financial crisis, became an economic crisis, is now becoming an
unemployment crisis - and to what degree does it become a human and
social crisis?"
Robert Zoellick - World Bank president
"To what degree does it become a human and social crisis?"That
is the big question isn't it and a rather stupid one, if you think
about it. It is as if economic problems and unemployment problems were
not occurring among human beings and were not therefore automatically
social problems in nature.That the question could be glibly formulated in this way by the head of the "world" bank is surely part of the problem itself.In
Zoellick's question it seems implicit that finance and economics are
like the weather, existing outside of humanity, with laws of their own
instead of being human creations that, as humans have made them, humans can
remake them... and are remaking them constantly.That
separation of economics from its human component is perhaps the most
transcendental characteristic of the "conservative revolution", which
appears to be collapsing around our ears at the moment.
http://seaton-newslinks.blogspot.com/
February 18, 2009, 2:35PM
Her Serene Majesty, the Tortilla de Patatas
How to eat well on a shoestring?
Today I'm going to introduce you to what is probably Spain's most popular dish, the "tortilla de patatas",
which has nothing to to do with the Mexican cornmeal tortilla. "torta"
means cake in Spanish and tortilla means "little cake" and patatas
mean potatoes. So, we are talking about something cake-like made with
potatoes and eggs and usually onions and sometimes green peppers or
spicy, chorizo sausage, or even spinach. If you have ever eaten one, by
now you are drooling all over your mouse.
Read more »
February 17, 2009, 4:26PM
If you think reading me is a
bummer, you should check out one of my favorite commentators, Gideon
Rachman, chief foreign affairs columnist over at the Financial Times,
who has turned out one of the bleakest and blackest futuristic
fantasies going since, "Blade Runner" in today's piece, titled, "November 2012: a dystopian dream".
Here is a sample:
Read more »
February 16, 2009, 3:26PM
I am often accused of being a
doomster but I am not. I read the horrid economic news with very mixed
feelings: fear, compassion, self-pity and hopeful exhilaration are all
combined.
The first three are easy for my readers to figure out.
I'm sure many share one or all of them with me. The last one, hopeful
exhilaration, may need some more explaining.
Read more »
