"...After so much unrest, political uprisings are joining sunny beaches, spicy food and sleazy nightclubs in the tableau of Thai stereotypes.
Bangkok is now under a “state of emergency,” a label that suggests a slide towards wild lawlessness. In fact, most of the Thai capital is carrying on normally...
If they succeed, Thailand will be run by an unelected council vowing to scrub the country of corruption. Though reluctant to use “coup” at first, this crusade’s leaders now speak of an attempted “soft coup” without weapons, or a “coup by the people.” They promise to restart elections at an indeterminate future date once the country is corruption-free...
The protesters embrace phrasing such as “democracy” and “anti-corruption,” values welcomed by pretty much anyone who isn’t a dictator or a mobster. But this crusade really translates into a war against one of Thailand’s most powerful and popular political families: the Shinawatras. This fabulously wealthy Thai-Chinese family controls a political network that has redefined power dynamics that existed even during the absolute reign of kings. Historically, power in Thailand emanates from the capital city. But the Shinawatra network has gained control by catering to the upcountry, a land of paddy fields and poor Thais aspiring to reach the middle class. Populist policies — like village loans and $1-per-visit health care — have led this network to victory in every major election for the past decade...
This is not an uprising of the downtrodden The uprising has drawn from all walks of life. But much of its rank-and-file are middle- to upper-income Thais with habits that would be familiar to suburban Americans. Their rhetoric speaks of a “final battle” against a “tyrannical regime.” Their protest sites, however, are more Lollapalooza than Tahrir Square. There are live bands, selfies galore and stalls selling all manner of protest kitsch — including protest-themed hard drives and iPhone cases. Key protest sites are situated outside Bangkok’s slickest malls, where guys and gals wearing ironic shirts that read “traitor” can refuel at food courts and Starbucks...
But don’t cancel your ticket to Thailand These scenarios are worrisome, viable, but not-at-all certain. Strolling through a protest zone in the dead of night — when shootings and bombings have occurred — is inadvisable but still arguably safer than a midnight jaunt through America’s slums. (So far, nine deaths are attributed to the protests, which are ongoing for nearly three months.) In fact, under the midday sun, key blockades are often all but deserted with only a few dozen or so men guarding tire forts. Police could easily overwhelm the blockades — so could a few pick-up trucks full of soccer hooligans for that matter — but the government strategy is to wait for the uprising to fizzle out on its own. Even at dusk, when protesters return to blockades after working hours, the rhetoric is fierce but the crowd is filled with secretaries, grandparents, Thai hipsters and so on...
Liberian economic implosion in 3, 2, 1... - allAfrica.com: Liberia Economic Crisis Deepens Amid Finance, Central Bank Row:
"A press release emanating from Central Bank of Liberia asserts that Finance Minister Amara Konneh attributed one of the causes of the hike in the exchange rate of the Central Bank of Liberia pumping huge amounts of cash in Liberian dollars into the economy. Minister Konneh quizzed by members of the House of Representatives in the state of the nation's economy and the current confusion surrounding the exchange rate, said that there was no need to panic about the state of the economy.
A press release emanating from Central Bank of Liberia asserts that Finance Minister Amara Konneh attributed one of the causes of the hike in the exchange rate of the Central Bank of Liberia pumping huge amounts of cash in Liberian dollars into the economy. Minister Konneh quizzed by members of the House of Representatives in the state of the nation's economy and the current confusion surrounding the exchange rate, said that there was no need to panic about the state of the economy.
"Inflation is not out of Control, we are de-dollarizing the Economy there is money here. Let's not scare our people," he said. "The only reason we see inflation and the depreciation of the Liberian dollar to its counterpart is because the Central Bank has pumped in eight billion Liberian dollars into the country's Economy," said Konneh. But just few days after these comments from the minister the CBL on Thursday issued a statement terming the minister's comments as a misunderstanding of the facts. "The assertion is not only wrong, but also shows the lack of understanding of movements in monetary aggregates and their interpretation," said the CBL in the release issued on Thursday afternoon in Monrovia."
"As I watch the stock markets melt down this week, I think back to my earlier post in which I made the case that manipulation in any field will always occur when you have these conditions...
1. Huge potential profit
2. Small chance of getting caught (or at least small chance of meaningful penalty)
3. It is ridiculously easy
4. Lots of people on the Internet (some ants find the kitchen)
Below are the links to the articles. Can you read this stuff and still believe that the recent moves in the stock market (and the inevitable 20% pullback yet to come for no particular reason) are not manipulation?"
"Our story thus far: President Barack Obama, late of the pot-smoking Choom Gang back in the day, says that marijuana is no "more dangerous than alcohol," that black and Latino kids are arrested disproportionately for drug crimes, and...well, nothing. The commander in chief of the federal War on Pot can't be bothered to do a damn thing about something he knows shouldn't be a federal crime."
"Middle incomes are sinking, the ranks of the poor are swelling, almost all the economic gains are going to the top, and big money is corrupting our democracy. So why isn’t there more of a ruckus? The answer is complex, but three reasons stand out...
First, the working class is paralyzed with fear it will lose the jobs and wages it already has. In earlier decades, the working class fomented reform. The labor movement led the charge for a minimum wage, 40-hour workweek, unemployment insurance, and Social Security. No longer. Working people don’t dare. The share of working-age Americans holding jobs is now lower than at any time in the last three decades and 76 percent of them are living paycheck to paycheck. No one has any job security. The last thing they want to do is make a fuss and risk losing the little they have...
Second, students don’t dare rock the boat. In prior decades students were a major force for social change. They played an active role in the Civil Rights movement, the Free Speech movement, and against the Vietnam War. But today’s students don’t want to make a ruckus. They’re laden with debt. Since 1999, student debt has increased more than 500 percent, yet the average starting salary for graduates has dropped 10 percent, adjusted for inflation. Student debts can’t be cancelled in bankruptcy. A default brings penalties and ruins a credit rating. To make matters worse, the job market for new graduates remains lousy. Which is why record numbers are still living at home...
"Third and finally, the American public has become so cynical about government that many no longer think reform is possible. When asked if they believe government will do the right thing most of the time, fewer than 20 percent of Americans agree. Fifty years ago, when that question was first asked on standard surveys, more than 75 percent agreed. It’s hard to get people worked up to change society or even to change a few laws when they don’t believe government can possibly work."
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