Feudalism

Friday’s farce of a parliamentary election in neighbouring eSwatini makes even the recent questionable polls in Zimbabwe look like the epitome of free democracy. It’s a farce because political parties are banned from participating, as the country’s constitution emphasises “individual merit” as the basis for selecting lawmakers, who cannot be…

This article is part of TPM Cafe, TPM’s home for opinion and news analysis. It was originally published at The Conversation. The current Hollywood writers strike has drawn international attention to the plight of TV and film writers in the streaming era…. This article is part of TPM Cafe, TPM’s home for opinion…

Venice Beach: A jogger runs past a homeless encampment. California appears to be descending into something resembling modern-day feudalism, the author writes. By Joel Kotkin, RealClearInvestigations April 13, 2022 Even today amid a mounting exodus among those who can afford it, and with its appeal diminished to businesses and newcomers,…

Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies cannot and should not replace fiat currencies, argued the former finance minister of Greece, Yanis Varoufakis. Additionally, he supported the popular narrative that counties should aim at adopting blockchain while averting from using BTC. Bitcoin Cannot Replace Fiat Speaking to the Greek Reporter, Varoufakis, who has…

The structural integrity of his brain might be questionable, but if anyone can spot a scam, it’s former President Donald Trump, whose business history is riddled with complaints of unpaid bills and shady financial dealings. On Monday, in an interview with Fox Business, Trump denounced Bitcoin, the volatile digital currency.…

Even within the walls of the World Trade Organization, the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights agreement, or TRIPS, is a paradox and a freak: a temple to monopoly inside the church of free trade. The Biden administration’s announcement on May 5 that it supports an emergency waiver of intellectual property rules…

A central problem in labor economics is how to raise wages without first killing off a significant portion of the workforce. Plagues have historically reduced income inequality by reducing the labor supply, with the necessary caveat that in order to enjoy this higher standard of living the worker in question…

Los Angeles may never pass New York as a world capital, but the prospect of a livable and attractive future, a beacon to a new generation, is possible if we can only make an exit from political dogma and create it. Read Full Article » Read More

For most of the last century, Los Angeles loomed as the next great American city, a burgeoning paradise riding the shift of world power west. It seemed posed to leave New York and London in the dust, the engines of growth inexorable. There was the city's dominance of the entertainment…

In March of last year, Reddit user Oneawkwardpanda mentioned that the pandemic stay-home order had resulted in a “massive dip in productivity” for them and asked for advice. “How do you keep yourself accountable? How do you stop snacking?” Many others shared this anxiety about getting as much work as…