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The New Print Edition of CounterPunch, Only for Our Newsletter Subscribers! JAMES BROWN: THE SOUL WILL FIND A WAY It's been a year since he died and now Kevin Gray does full justice to the life and art of this incredible man: his roots in South Carolina; his brutal childhood; his irrepressible talent; his leadership of black America; his never-ending creativity. Exclusively for CounterPunch subscribers here is a definitive portrait of one of the most amazing and inspiring Americans in the nation's history. Get your copy today by subscribing online or calling 1-800-840-3683 Contributions to CounterPunch are tax-deductible. Click here to make a donation. If you find our site useful please: Subscribe Now! CounterPunch books and gear make great holiday presents.
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"Imperial Crusades: a Diary of Three Wars" by Cockburn and St. Clair
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Today's Stories December 21, 2007 John Ross Dick J. Reavis
December 20, 2007 David Rosen Alan Farago Laura Carlsen Ashley Dawson Wayne Smith Website of
the Day
December 19, 2007 Saul Landau Paul W. Lovinger Norman Solomon Dave Zirin Marjorie Cohn Sen. Russell
Feingold Sonja Karkar Anthony Papa Christopher Ketcham Davey D Website of
the Day
December 18, 2007 R. F. Blader George Wuerthner Steven Higgs Vijay Prashad David Macaray Ralph Nader Eva Liddell Martha Rosenberg Dave Lindorff Peter Morici Website of
the Day
December 17, 2007 Mike Whitney Tom Barry Uri Avnery Greg Moses Allan Nairn Patrick Bond Stephen Lendman Charles Jonkel Laray Polk Stephen Fleischman December 15 / 16, 2007 Peter Linebaugh Howard Zinn Standard Schaefer Raymond J.
Lawrence Alan Farago Saul Landau Jenna Orkin Ahmad Samih
Khalidi Robert Fantina Missy Comley
Beattie Ramzy Baroud James L. Secor Elijah Wald Website of
the Weekend
December 14, 2007 JoAnn Wypijewski John Ross Jacob Hornberger Andy Worthington Allan Nairn Dave Zirin Dave Lindorff Misty MacDuffee Ben Terrall Dr. Mustafa
Barghouthi Website of the Day
December 13, 2007 Paul Craig
Roberts Mike Whitney Ron Jacobs Norman Solomon Peter Morici Sandy Mayes Franklin Lamb Jacob Hornberger Nadim Rouhana Dave Zirin Website of the Day
Allan
Nairn Alan
Farago Ray
McGovern Winslow
T. Wheeler Evan
Jones James
Petras Joel
Hirschorn Joshua
Frank Sherry
Wolf Dan
Bacher Website
of the Day
December 11, 2007 Patrick
Cockburn Diana
Johnstone Paul
Craig Roberts David
Macaray Ralph
Nader Andy
Worthington Martha
Rosenberg Steve
Champion / Kim
Nicolini Michael
Dickinson Website
of the Day
Uri
Avnery Debbie
Nathan JoAnn
Wypijewski Steve
Kelly Donna
J. Volatile
December 8 / 9, 2007 Alexander
Cockburn Brenda
Norrell Saul
Landau R.
F. Blader Ray
McGovern Allan
Nairn Linn
Washington, Jr Paul
Craig Roberts
December 7, 2007 Sean
Penn Arthur
Versluis M.
G. Piety Pam
Martens Alan
Farago Allan
Nairn Col.
Dan Smith Alice
Slater Robert
Weissman Website
of the Day
December 5, 2007 Mike
Whitney Sharon
Smith James
Petras Ron
Jacobs Dave
Zirin John
V. Whitbeck Peter
Zinn Niranjan
Ramakrishnan Alan
Farago Heather
Gray Website
of the Day
December 4, 2007 Alexander
Cockburn Andy
Worthington Paul
Craig Roberts Ray
McGovern Winslow
T. Wheeler Allan
Nairn Russell
Mokhiber Nikolas
Kozloff John
V. Walsh Ghada
Ageel Stephen
Soldz Website
of the Day
December 3, 2007 Tariq
Ali Bill
Quigley Eric
Walberg Uri
Avnery Marjorie
Cohn Dave
Lindorff Stephen
Fleischman Martha
Rosenberg Website
of the Day
December 1 / 2, 2007 Alexander
Cockburn Jeffrey
St. Clair Mike
Whitney Shemon
Salam Roger
Burbach Benjamin
Dangl Brian
M. Downing Greg
Moses Sonja
Karkar Saul
Landau Margaret
Kimberley John
Ross Reza
Fiyouzat Judith
Scherr Lance
Olsen Christopher
Brauchli Robert
Fantina Dan
Bacher Michael
Donnelly Website
of the Weekend
November 30, 2007 Peter
Stone Brown Wajahat
Ali Allan
Nairn Alan
Farago John
Ross Corporate
Crime Reporter Lucia
Alvarez James
Rothenberg Website
of the Day
November 29, 2007 R.
F. Blader Ismael
Hossein-Zadeh Stephen
Soldz Sheldon
Richman George
Wuerthner Felice
Pace Col.
Dan Smith Harvey
Wasserman Nikolas
Kozloff Paul
Krassner Dave
Lindorff CP
News Service Website
of the Day November 28, 2007 James
Petras Jeff
Halper Pam
Martens Peter
Morici Mohammed
Khatib Helen
Redmond William
S. Lind Ben
Tripp Liaquat
Ali Khan Jeff
Berg Website
of the Day
November 27, 2007 Joe
DeRaymond Paul
Craig Roberts Marjorie
Cohn Mike
Whitney Ron
Jacobs Col.
Dan Smith Ralph
Nader Karim
Makdisi Christopher
Ketcham Ronan
Bennett Website
of the Day
November 26, 2007 Kathleen
and Bill Christison Paul
Craig Roberts David
Macaray Sameer
Dossani Roger
Burbach Mark
Scaramella Brian
McKinlay Rick
Kuhn Binoy
Kampmark Monica
Benderman Brenda
Norrell Website
of the Day
November 24 / 25, 2007 Alexander
Cockburn Robert
Fisk Saul
Landau Jeffrey
St. Clair Rannie
Amiri Christopher
Brauchli Daniel
Gross Mike
Whitney Marjorie
Cohn David
Rosen David
Michael Green Kenneth
Rexroth Muhammad
Iqbal Website
of the Day
Gary
Leupp Laura
Carlsen David
Macaray Andy
Worthington Clifton
Ross Seth
Sandronsky Dan
Bacher William
A. Cook Website
of the Day
November 22, 2007 Alan
Farago Greg
Moses Dave
Lindorff Mike
Ely Omar
Azfar
November 21, 2007 Vijay
Prashad Martha
Rosenberg Manuel
Garcia, Jr. John
Ross Brian
McKenna Stephen
Soldz Monica
Benderman Ben
Terrall Website
of the Day
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December 21, 2007 The Energy Bill, the Subprime Mess and ChinaBusiness as Usual as Recession LoomsBy PETER MORICI TThe stock market remains unsettled, as the nation's economic problems grow. Washington from the White House to Capitol Hill to the Federal Reserve gives us lots of bustle but no truly comforting action. The Democrats pushed through an energy bill that will likely leave the nation in the desperate in the gasp of Middle East oil exporters. Wall Street banks continue to sell out their shareholders to Chinese and Middle East investors to pay for their big bonuses. The Federal Reserve cracks down on predatory lending on Main Street, when the real crooks work on Wall Street. The recession watch continues. Working at a university only a subway ride from the seats of political power gives this observer a new appreciation for the apathy that accelerates the decline of empire. Nero was an amateur fiddler compared to musicians in Washington serenading the nation into complacency. Energy Bill The Democrats in Congress pushed through the first increase in U.S. automobile mileage standards in 32 years. Don't cheer loudly. The 35 mile-per-gallon standard to be achieved by 2020 is far less than what is possible. Along with new light bulb and appliance standards, the nation's energy use will be cut by 8 percent at some distant moment, likely, beyond my lifetime. The bill also requires the production of about 2.4 billion barrels a day of ethanol, and overall the energy bill could reduce U.S. petroleum consumption by 4 million barrels a day by 2030. Over the last 23 years, petroleum consumption has increased by about 5.5 million barrels a day, despite improvements in mileage standards, automobile and appliance technology, and conservation. Being optimistic, in 2030 we will be just as dependent on imported oil as before. Factor in falling production from U.S. oil fields, the situation gets worse. We could do a lot better. More hybrids, electric vehicles, lighter vehicles, better furnaces, and more nuclear power are attainable, and the Chinese are likely to turn in those directions in greater force than we do. Then we can buy our cars from the Middle Kingdom just like our coffee makers. Got to love Washington's unquenchable thirst for breakneck change! Subprime Mess China's sovereign investment fund will take a $5 billion stake in Morgan Stanley. Morgan joins Citigroup, UBS and others. Having sold financial alchemy to investors and shareholders in the form of engineered securities, they must now seek foreign funds to restore their capital. At the most fundamental level, to justify huge compensation packages, Wall Street bankers and private equity gurus have been overvaluing mortgage-backed bonds, auto loans, and other securities that finance private equity acquisitions. The culpability of bond rating agencies in these shenanigans is revealed by the fact that in just one day Standard & Poor's was forced to cut its rating of one of the major insurers of bonds, ACA Financial Guaranty Corporation, from "A" to "CCC." One is left to ponder what new data S&P econometricians unearthed to warrant such a dramatic and sudden recalibration? Sadly, more downgrades are likely to follow as the bond insurance industry may fail. The party line on Wall Street is that the subprime mess was a one time lapse. At S&P some adjustments in the econometric models that determine the risk of default will be needed. If all that is true, why can't outfits like Cerberus and their bankers unload the bonds that are needed to finance its shrewd takeover of Chrysler? Why do bond investors no longer trust the promises of private equity wizards like John Snow and buy more of their paper? That is the crisis of confidence in America's capital markets. The meltdown threatening the bond market from a wholesale failure of bond insurers is the modern analog of a 1930s run on the bank. Just much worse. Back in Washington, the Federal Reserve cracked down on predatory lending practices of mortgage writers. That is a necessary exercise, but the real game is on Wall Street. Neither Ben Bernanke nor Henry Paulson seem to grasp that or have the stomach to take on the big, powerful and corrupt that eat cake and drink champagne in the Empire State. Hence, if Wall Street is to reform, it must reform itself. The man of the hour would have to be new Citigroup CEO Vikram Pandit, who promises a top down clean up where he works. However, have you heard him talking miscalibrated compensation and perverse incentives on Wall Street? I also don't know many alcoholics volunteering to attend their first AA meeting. By the time Mr. Pandit is finished cleaning up Citigroup, you can be darn sure all the redundant mail room clerks will be gone, but so too will be another big chunk of shareholder equity, sold to Beijing, the Saudi Royal family and other guardians of western capitalism and democratic values. Recession Watch Despite the profound misjudgment of the nation's bankers and financial regulators, the U.S. economy remains vibrant and has some chance of avoiding a recession. November retail sales and industrial production numbers were encouraging. Although the October and November robust gains in jobs are likely to be revised down, the nation's payrolls and wage income keep growing. A weaker dollar against the euro has yielded a modest gain in non-petroleum exports equal to about $95 billion or 0.7 percent of GDP. These figures are so small because the dollar remains overvalued against the Chinese yuan. Henry Paulson does not have to stomach to endorse U.S. actions to combat Beijing's $400 billion subsidies on foreign purchases of yuan that prop up Chinese exports and shutter U.S. factories. Hence, to avoid recession, Americans are going to have to keep on spending. This will require borrowing at much higher rates on credit cards, now that easy home mortgages are gone. On the face of things, economists would say that is not likely but most of economists don't have much of a life and don't go out to the malls. The parking lots are filling again, retail sales are up, and cash registers are jingling. When Visa and Master Card fail under the weight of non payments, the Chinese sovereign debt fund can buy the rest of Citigroup. Given they way Mr. Pandit and his pals behave, they deserve such beneficent employers. Peter Morici is a professor at the University of
Maryland School of Business and former Chief Economist at the
U.S. International Trade Commission.
The Week Ahead: Forecasts for the Weeks of December 23 and 30
Forecast Previous December 21 Mich Cons Sentiment - Dec (r)
73.5 74.5 Week of December 24 December 27 December 28 Week of December 31 December 31 January 2 ISM Index Dec 50.8
50.8 January 3 January 4 ISM Services Dec 54.8
54.1 Peter Morici is a professor
at the University of Maryland School of Business and former Chief
Economist at the U.S. International Trade Commission.
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