When Nicholas Kristof heard protesters in Bahrain were going to march to the symbolic Pearl Roundabout again, he feared the worst—more “brutal force” and more live bullets. Instead, after the royal family’s decision to stand down , he’s happy to report nothing but “delirious joy” from downtown Manama in his…
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Jolted to action by deficit-conscious newcomers, the Republican-controlled House passed sweeping legislation early Saturday to cut $61 billion from hundreds of federal programs. (Feb 19)
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Hastings Big Society Bail-in Barclays 19/2/2011 George Osborne isn’t Working 19th February 2011 #ukuncut inside Barclays Tottenham Court Road 19/02/11 Tax protesters target Barclays bank – Democratic Underground A direct action group targeted high street branches of Barclays bank in the latest in a series of protests over claims of tax avoidance. Supporters of UK Uncut gathered in Soho, central London, stating the plan was not to shut the banks … PoliticalHackUK: Bravo Barclays ! Bravo Barclays ! Yes, paying £113 million in corporation tax on 2009 profits of £4.85 billion – just 2.4% – is a remarkable achievement for the corporate finance team, who must have been appropriately remunerated for the value they added … Barclays pays just 1% corporation tax | The Economic Voice Bob Diamond, the chief executive of Barclays , has said in a letter to Chuka Umunna MP that his company paid £113 mullion in corporation tax on profits of £11.6 billion in 2009. UK Bubble, UK Economy: Barclays – such a naughty bank The Financial Services Authority (FSA) has fined Barclays Bank plc ( Barclays ) £7.7 million for failures in relation to the sale of two funds. Barclays will contact customers and pay redress where appropriate. … Fintag's Newsletter: Barclays : Tax is for the little people AKA … So we came onto Barclays and how they were one of the better banks at keeping their tax liabilities low. It was concluded they had ultra smart people working there; they used ultra smart tax advisers like him (but not him); … dougald says: “It's society that's too big to fail, not the banking system.” Beautiful reappropriation of #bigsociety by #ukuncut – http://bit.ly/eje5Ny
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Click here to view this media Bahrain’s Special Envoy to the United States, Latif Al-Zayani thinks the force used to attack and sometimes kill protesters in Bahrain has been “proportional” and “legal”. The clip above with Suzanne Malveaux this morning. But he said essentially the same thing to Candy Crowley of CNN on Thursday night. Candy Crowley: “There does not seem to have been any harm done on the other side of this conflict. And yet we’re told that three protesters were killed. Is it possible that this was an overreaction? Could it have been dealt with in some other way?” Latif Al-Zayani: “No, actually. In our procedure, we always use force that is proportional. The force was proportional, minimum possible. Tear gas were—was used to be effective enough to disperse the people.” No mention of the use of rubber bullets, beatings against women and children during the crackdown at Pearl roundabout. And nothing at all of course about the live ammunition now being used. Watch this video below from earlier today and ask yourself if this looks “proportional”. The sooner these murderous scumbags are forced out of power the better. WARNING: GRAPHIC And seen from another angle, video taken by Simeon Kerr of the Financial Times.
Continue reading …Today’s protests in Wisconsin are expected to be the biggest yet, notes the Wisconsin State Journal , with counter-protesters joining the fray for the first time. Which makes it a good time to assess exactly what Gov. Scott Walker’s plan (read it here ) would actually do, writes Ezra Klein in…
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The House of Representatives on Saturday voted to defund the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. According to UPI, by a party line vote of 235 to 189, the House passed a stopgap measure that would cut $61 billion: The government would shut down March 4 without the funding bill, called a continuing resolution, which passed 235-189 after a marathon legislative session that ended in the early hours Saturday. The bill cuts $61 billion in spending from the current budget. Not one Democrat voted for the bill. As the Ground Report noted moments ago: On Saturday, the House passed the budget bill H.R. 1 , a bill that would defund public media and prevent the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) from enforcing its new net neutrality rules by withholding funding.
Continue reading …Scientists have been discovering plenty of new planets, and eventually, perhaps one will contain life—but we’d have no way to talk to the aliens. Until then, we can practice on creatures here on Earth: dolphins, who are capable of some surprisingly sophisticated thinking. We’ve tried to chat with them…
Continue reading …Chris Hayes and Naomi Klein Explain Why the Protests in Wisconsin Matter
February 19, 2011 No Comment
Click here to view this media The Nation’s Chris Hayes laid out very plainly why the protests in Wisconsin matter. This move by Gov. Scott Walker is one of a series of power grabs by Republicans with the intent of achieving some of their long time goals; destroying unions and the middle class and getting rid of our public education system. And as Chris noted, it’s a reminder of the fact that when our political institutions fail us, people mobilizing outside of those institutions through the process of peaceful protests as we’ve seen in Wisconsin have brought about some of the greatest moments of progressive transformation in the United States. Chris’ fellow contributor to The Nation, Naomi Klein discussed how what Walker doing is a classic example of the Shock Doctrine, where politicians create a crisis and then using that crisis as an excuse to push through horribly unpopular economic policies. And as Hayes and Klein both explained, what ends up happening in Wisconsin is not only going to have local implications, but national as well.
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German police fired tear gas and water cannons to keep apart groups of far-right supporters and thousands of counterdemonstrators trying to hinder their rally in an eastern city Saturday. (Feb. 19)
Continue reading …Democrats love to poke fun at the Tea Party, but they’ve actually organized “a more aggressive version” of their own in Wisconsin, writes John Fund in the Wall Street Journal . Aided by President Obama’s Organizing for America group, Democrats have gone “over the top” in their rhetoric and protests in…
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