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Peter Byrne, writing from London about the country's economic woes, asked our Editor, "When do you think the economy's coming back?" "It's not," he answered. This is the new economy, according to said Editor, who also happens to be our resident economist. Glenn Reed portrays a slice of life in that new economy -- the one that was built off the dismantling of labor unions; stagnant, if not falling, wages for the many and obscene wages for the few; increased consumerism resulting in increased debt -- where even augmenting one's minimum wage with tips is forbidden by some of those at the top of the heap. When did the middle class become so lost? It's all relative, of course, when so much of the world lives in abject poverty. Jan Baughman considers loss, whether a dog, a child, a parent, or a limb lost in the Boston Marathon bombings -- how does one equate something so entirely subjective? In the press, there isn't even objectivity when it comes to coverage of tragedies like that in Boston. Gilles d'Aymery takes on the cable news networks, which carry the same news, with the same advertisers, hour after hour, each with a different political slant, and all owned by the Establishment. And helping to perpetuate the status quo, generally from outside the media spotlight, is Ervin Laszlo, an influential systems theorist and all-round power broker who has helped coordinate circles of ruling-class policy wonks for nearly half a century. Michael Barker introduces us to the controversial figure in Part I of a two-part series.
Speaking of Peter Byrne, when he's not traveling and collecting observations as souvenirs, he is writing, and here he reviews L'america non existe (There is no America) -- a novel on post-World War II Italian orphans in New York. Raju Peddada continues his journalistic feeding frenzy -- from Europe's horse meat scandal to the latest China rodent one, he continues to make the case for vegetarianism. And apropos this edition is a poem by David Francis, an allegory in which the whale -- the Establishment -- swallows the smaller fishes along its way. We close with the multilingual poetry of Claudine Giovannoni & Guido Monte and your letters, with some somber notes on the powerful few, among them Madeleine Albright signing her book in Iraqi children's blood, and a defense of the FBI and other authorities faced with separating the terrorist wheat from the masses' chaff.
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Genn Reed: No Tips, Please, In The New Economy
Service industry jobs offer low wages, few benefits, and little hope for the future. More...
Jan Baughman: Lost
Thoughts on loss, from the loss of a dog, a father, a son, a limb -- a subjective experience. More...
Michael Barker: The Mystical Genius of Ervin Laszlo (Part I of II)
Part I of a review of Ervin Laszlo's magical life. More...
Gilles d'Aymery: Establishment Journalism
How cable news networks carry the same news, with the same advertisers, hour after hour, with only a different political leaning but all owned by the Establishment. More...
Peter Byrne: Hugging Naples In Far America
A review of L'america non existe (There is no America) -- a novel on post-World War II Italian orphans in New York. More...
Raju Peddada: The Meat Piracy's Rat Gourmet!
From Europe's horse meat scandal to China's rodent meat one, the author continues to make the case for vegetarianism. More...
David Francis: An Allegory
A Moby Dick allegorical poem in which the whale -- the Establishment -- swallows the smaller fishes along its way. More...
Claudine Giovannoni & Guido Monte: Pages of books
Claudine Giovannoni & Guido Monte offer their thoughts about books. More...
Some somber notes on the powerful few, among them Madeleine Albright signing her book in Iraqi children's blood, and a defense of the FBI and other authorities faced with separating the terrorist wheat from the masses' chaff. More...
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