Five months later and at long last BP's ruptured oil well has been declared officially dead, having been preceded in death by just about every heretofore living creature in the already dead-zone laden Gulf of Mexico... But go ahead and throw some Gulf shrimp on the barbie. Even though they've been swimming in 4 million barrels of oil and untold amounts of chemical dispersant they're safe to eat, proclaims the president. If you're willing to swallow that hook, line, and sinker, then you've probably swallowed the economic fish stories that have sunk the American masses over the past 40 years. Actually, one has to look further back in history to understand the bipartisan dirty tricks that have been implemented to transfer wealth from the many to the few, and our resident economist Gilles d'Aymery does just that in Part I of his series on how the economy got here, where it's headed, and how we might steer the deadly tanker into safer waters. It's appropriate then that Maxwell Clark considers class, identity politics, and the meaning of fascism while Michael Barker conducts an interview with Thomas Patterson about the impact of liberal foundations on anthropological research in the U.S. And maybe, just maybe, there's a taste of good news from Africa, as Femi Akomolafe considers whether after centuries of colonizing, manipulating, and pilfering, European officials are becoming somewhat less belligerent towards his continent's rulers.
In the meantime, as far as we're concerned there's nothing like a good dog story, and Fabio De Propris has a terrific one -- expertly translated by Peter Byrne -- whose canine protagonist brings us the tastes, smells, and sights of Istanbul. Charles Marowitz dons his film critic garb and produces a cleverly searing review of the movie with the misnomer Dinner For Schmucks. Peter Byrne reviews the late Chilean writer Roberto Bolaño's works, which are slowly being translated into English. Compare the quality of Peter's review with that of Michael Greenberg in The New York Times Book Review of September 19, 2010, and you'll understand what you get for free on Swans. Peter wins the contest hands down! Finally, Guido Monte shares Part II of his long and mesmerizing multilingual poem, and we close with your letters on the intellectual fraud of the French reactionary "New Philosophers," and a so-called historical fact that could prove Gilles d'Aymery wrong and Ron Paul right about America's bright future. Seriously?
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Gilles d'Aymery: The Economy Is Not Coming Back: Part I: A Short History of the Maelstrom
Part I of this three-part analysis reviews the historical making of the deepening economic crisis, from the feudalism era, to rise of the entrepreneurial class, to the contemporary indebtedness of the masses. More...
Maxwell Clark: What Is Fascism?
Fascism is what we make of it, so what to make of it's American renaissance? More...
Michael Barker: An Interview With Thomas Patterson
Interview about the impact of foundations on anthropological research in the United States. More...
Femi Akomolafe: Euro-Africa Relations: The End of Lecturing and Hectoring?
After centuries of colonizing, manipulating, and pilfering Africa, are European officials becoming less and less belligerent towards the continent's rulers? More...
Fabio De Propris: On All Fours In Dog City
A wonderful tour of Istanbul from a canine perspective. More...
Charles Marowitz: Dinner With Schmucks
Critic Charles Marowitz has some alterative titles for the dreary film, Dinner With Schmucks. More...
Peter Byrne: Roberto Bolaño's Poetic Justice
The late Chilean writer Roberto Bolaño's works are slowly being translated into English and his originality is setting the book world ablaze. More...
Guido Monte: àdhara: part II
The end of a long poem by Guido Monte, that once again runs the "Woodoo Down" of Hades. More...
On the intellectual fraud of the French reactionary "New Philosophers," and a so-called historical fact that could prove Gilles d'Aymery wrong and Ron Paul right about America's bright future. More...
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