Dean Baker – How to Fight Poverty Through Full Employment

One of the most effective ways to combat poverty among current and future generations is to maintain a full employment economy. The point should be straightforward: when the labor market is strong, or “tight,” it offers increased employment opportunities for those at the bottom. Disadvantaged workers are not only more likely to find employment in a tight labor market, they …

How Positive Thinking Can Backfire

The secret to success, we are sometimes told, is the power of positive thinking. In fact, there’s a famous book devoted to that idea called, appropriately, The Power of Positive Thinking, and there’s a similarly themed book called The Secret. But there’s another secret, according to new research: Fantasizing about a wonderful, happy future may actually make depression symptoms worse in the long …

What the Heck is Going on in the Stock Market?

Even Moody’s which is always late to the party with its warnings – but when it does warn, it’s a good idea to pay attention – finally warned: “Don’t fall into the trap of believing all is well outside of oil & gas.” What happened on Friday was the culmination of another dreary week in the stock markets, with the Dow …

Dustin Beilke – Obama Administration Enables Billionaire Takeover of America’s Public Schools

With the Walton billionaires doubling down [3] in their efforts to accelerate the charter school industry and with the Netflix CEO, Reed Hastings, throwing in $100 million [4] to privatize traditional public schools, one might think that the U.S. Department of Education would be a major line of defense for America’s public schools educating the most underserved students or even a bold investor in …

Mike Whitney – The Fed’s Role in the Stock Market Slide

When the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) and S&P peaked in May 2015, investors were still confident that the Fed “had their back” and that any steep or prolonged downturn in stocks would be met with additional liquidity and a firm commitment to maintain zero rates as long as necessary.  But now that the Fed has started its long-awaited rate-hike …

Walking for 150 minutes per week associated with improved wellbeing in over-50s

New research using data from The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA) at Trinity College Dublin shows that being physically active, for example by walking for at least 150 minutes per week, is associated with more social participation and better mental health and wellbeing. However, only three out of five Irish adults aged 50 years and over walk for the …

Graham Vanbergen – Origins of the EU – USA Covert Operations to Assimilate Europe Into A Federal State

For anyone who still has doubts, the European Union was not really motivated by the twin desires of ending warfare on the continent of Europe and promoting economic growth by making it easier for European countries to trade with each other. This was the story you were spoon-fed. It was actually the creation of America. Read on. Post second world war, America …

Nick Beams – World Socialist Web Site

After an initial rise following the decision by the US Federal Reserve to lift interest rates by 0.25 percentage points on Wednesday, stock markets around the world have experienced significant declines over the past two days. The biggest falls were in the United States, where the Dow was down by 368 points at the close of trade on Friday, a …

The Rise of the Illegitimate Authority of Transnational Corporations

The following is an excerpt from the introduction to Shadow Sovereigns: How Global Corporations are Seizing Power: We’re surrounded. Everywhere you look you find masses, droves, gangs of unelected, unaccountable, profit-oriented indi­viduals, corporations and new institutions surfacing everywhere, making official policy in areas ranging from public health to food and agriculture; from taxes to finance and trade. Some are lob­byists …

Economic Update – Big vs Small Business – 11.22.15

Updates on Japan’s Recession, half of New York City economically in trouble, ACA deductibles undermine affordability, Million student March, another crooked capitalist. Response to listeners on private vs public enterprises. Major topics: small vs big business and big ideas not being discussed in campaigns.