Mike Norman Economics

If you take away the Korean threat, if you recognize the Iranians aren’t a threat, if you see that Russia is a tiny little country that’s not going to invade Western Europe and crash through the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, and so forth— All of a sudden somebody is going to do the math as we get into the coming fiscal crisis and say, “We can’t afford all this defense that we don’t need. Let’s cut it back dramatically.” They don’t want this to happen. And so, they have to keep these hot...

Pic of the day: Oh the irony of Neoliberal Elites constantly banging on about "skills" as the way to reduce inequality. Despite trying to push anyone breathing into college, guess which countries suck the most on basic numeracy and literacy? https://t.co/DlPIvGESusMy tweetAll those tests to ensue the teaching is 100% making school a misery for kids & teachers. All the market solutions: the competiton, the competitive tendering, adding stress to the system to keep everyone on their toes...

being a writer is 67 percent just googling words to make sure they absolutely mean what you always assumed they meant.

Simple explanation.Progressive PulseThe household fallacyCharles Adams | Professor of Physics at the University of Durham, where he teaches Optics and Econophysics

It's pretty scary!It won't be long before they are ready for action, especially as technology seems to be rising exponentially. It shows man's evil side..If I was that robot serving them tea, I would smash that tray over their heads. [embedded content] They will be replacing us at work soon. They don't look all that friendly! [embedded content]

By Mark NicolThe young lads that join the British army are full of patriotism, and the army instills this even further. They 'love' their country and its noble establishment - the genrty - and our prepared to die for them, so they say, but when they get injured and are of no more further use to the establishment, the elite turn their backs on them. Not much loyalty there. A record number of wounded war veterans have been denied disability benefits in the past year after undergoing tests...

A Marxian economist looks at Piketty. Bella CaledoniaCapital in the 21st Century by Thomas PikettyBook Review by Michael Roberts Cross posted from Brave New Europe.

I'm going to Lebanon!I thought Syria was one of last places in the Middle East where women can wear what they please. It looks like there is hope for the Middle East.I found another video which explains things a bit. Lebanon is trying to portray a better image to the world to attract tourists, but the citizens like it. [embedded content] No subtitles for the one below, but the official says people like pretty, not ugly - you bet! [embedded content]

Without effort you're unlikely to get anywhere, but luck can give us the big breaks.  A toxic myth pervades the business world: Hard work and perseverance are the only things required to achieve immense success and reach the top of your field. It’s a mantra championed by everyone from Wall Street titans to our sitting US President (“I built what I built myself,” Trump told Charlie Rose in 1992. “I did it by working long hours, working hard and working smart!”). This idea is staunchly...

It's amazing how far scientists can see out into the universe. The thing just gets bigger and bigger, and perhaps it is infinate; or it might have a very slight curve, meaning it's curcular, but incredibly huge. [embedded content]