Michael Hardt, Sandro Mezzadra – The power of the movements facing Trump

It is much too early to say to what extent President Trump will enact his campaign promises as government policy and, indeed, how much he will actually be able to do in office. But every day since his election demonstrations have sprung up throughout the United States to express outrage, apprehension and dismay. Moreover, there is no doubt that once …

Expat Files – 11.29.15

– Some things you never knew regarding Latin American beaches and beachfront properties…

-An update on the Latin real estate bubble. Looks like the first place it’s going to pop in is Panama so get ready to scout out the deals..

-A discussion of Latin Airport departure fees. There seems to be a frantic race by Latin government pin-heads to gouge foreign air travellers

-In Latin Countries virtually no one has clean municipal tap water. 50% of the population has water pressure only part of the day and another 15% of Latins have no running water in their houses at all(they bathe and pull water from a river or lake). So what does all that mean for Expats living down here expecting flawless first-world water delivery systems? Should we be worried?

For example: Panama is #5 in the world for total yearly rainfall (out of 200 countries) yet half the population doesn’t have 24/7 access to water. Why? It’s just normal Latin lazy-ass corrupt government again: what else is new?
-Is Costa Rica the next Greece? Sure looks like…

-Ecuador has decided it wants to be a Big Brother state just like the USA.
You won’t believe what kind tough of BB surveillance laws they have been passing lately. But can or will they be enforced?
Well… this is Latin America, and technology and cameras do need maintenance. And the “M” word is not yet in the Latin vocabulary. So at first maybe there’ll be a kind of crack down while everything works, but after some months it may just revert to Latin business as usual. We’ll see…

Paul Rosenberg – Secrets Of the Extreme Religious Right: Inside the Frightening World Of Christian Reconstructionism

As an unprecedented shift in public opinion brought about the legalization of gay marriage, a vigorous counter-current has been intensifying under the banner of “religious freedom”—an incredibly slippery term. Perhaps the most radical definition of such freedom comes out of the relatively obscure tradition of Christian Reconstructionism, the subject of a new book by religious studies scholar Julie Ingersoll, Building God’s …