|
|
By , on June 18th, 2013 <!– google_ad_section_start –> As many as 200,000 demonstrators marched through the streets of Brazil’s biggest cities on Monday in a swelling wave of protest tapping into widespread anger at poor public services, police violence and government corruption. The marches, organised mostly through snowballing social media campaigns, blocked streets and halted traffic in more than a half-dozen cities, including São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Belo Horizonte and Brasilia, where demonstrators climbed onto the roof of Brazil’s Congress building and then stormed it. <!– google_ad_section_end –>
Continue reading Biggest protests in 20 years sweep Brazil
By Emily L. Hauser, on June 12th, 2013 The budget Israeli Finance Minister Yair Lapid will present to the government this week will cut deep into the everyday lives of the middle class and poor alike, writes Emily Hauser.
Continue reading Under Lapid, Israel’s Poor Get Poorer
By , on June 11th, 2013 <!– google_ad_section_start –> WASHINGTON — Consulting giant Booz Allen Hamilton said Tuesday that it had fired Edward Snowden “for violations of the firm’s code of ethics and firm policy” after the 29-year-old admitted he leaked secrets of the U.S. government’s surveillance programs to the news media. The company said that Snowden, who had been assigned to a team in Hawaii for less than three months, was earning a salary “at a rate of $122,000.” Snowden claimed he made about $200,000, a figure that could have included overtime pay and other bonuses. <!– google_ad_section_end –>
Continue reading Edward Snowden fired, Booz Allen Hamilton says
By , on June 11th, 2013 <!– google_ad_section_start –> Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday agreed to meet with protest leaders whose mass anti-government demonstrations have rocked the country, in his first major concession since the deadly unrest began nearly two weeks ago. The surprise olive branch came as thousands again took to the streets of Istanbul and the capital Ankara, defying Erdogan’s threat that they would “pay a price” for the unrelenting unrest, the biggest challenge yet to his Islamic-rooted government’s decade-long rule. <!– google_ad_section_end –>
Continue reading Turkey PM Erdogan to meet protest leaders as demonstrations go on
By Jesse David Fox, on June 7th, 2013 You know that old adage: If there’s jazz piano playing and upper-middle-class people talking, then you’re probably in a Woody Allen movie trailer. In this year’s offering, Allen is back in America and focusing on two sisters. Cate Blanchett plays the Allen surrogate who was fancy and rich when she … More »
Continue reading Blue Jasmine Trailer: Woody Allen, the San Francisco Treat
By , on June 7th, 2013 <!– google_ad_section_start –> Two young men received death sentences on Friday over a fatal shooting that exposed class divisions in Pakistan and led to an unusual social media campaign demanding that the country’s rich and powerful be held accountable. The suspects, Shahrukh Jatoi and Nawab Siraj Talpur, come from two of the wealthiest families in Karachi, a violent metropolis of 18 million people on Pakistan’s southern coast. They were convicted of killing 20-year-old Shahzeb Khan one late night in December after the university student had an argument with one of Talpur’s servants. <!– google_ad_section_end –>
Continue reading Death sentences for Pakistani men over fatal shooting
By , on June 6th, 2013 <!– google_ad_section_start –> China is losing top-notch talent at the highest rate in the world as students who seek degrees abroad opt to remain overseas, the official People’s Daily reported yesterday. <!– google_ad_section_end –>
Continue reading China’s talent outflow highest in world, says People’s Daily
By , on June 4th, 2013 <!– google_ad_section_start –> HONG KONG (AP) — Every year, Hong Kong residents gather in droves for the annual vigil to commemorate the Tiananmen democracy protests. More than marking the brutal crackdown in Beijing 24 years ago, the event here increasingly symbolizes disaffection with rule by China. <!– google_ad_section_end –>
Continue reading HK holds June 4 vigil as it bristles at Beijing
By Justin Green, on June 3rd, 2013 Compared to middle-class friendly changes like increasing the child tax credit and reducing payroll taxes, the top income tax rate should be at the bottom of Republican priorities. (It's not, but this is an argument that shouldn't be abandoned). Reihan writes at National Review:
Continue reading Chill Out on the Top Tax Rate
By , on May 31st, 2013 <!– google_ad_section_start –> A Beijing-based business magazine raised eyebrows this week by running a full-page editorial urging the country’s leaders to pursue further political reforms to ensure future economic prosperity. In what many consider a rare and bold move, an editorial entitled “Let’s continue to care about politics,” criticised President Xi Jinping for lacking “wisdom and courage” in pushing forward necessary reforms. Without directly naming Xi, Zhao Li, the weekly’s editor-in-chief wrote, <!– google_ad_section_end –>
Continue reading ‘He’s not cool,’ Chinese magazine editorial slams Xi Jinping for lacking ‘wisdom and courage’
By By MICHAEL M. GRYNBAUM and JULIE BOSMAN, on May 30th, 2013 Christine C. Quinn, the City Council speaker, offers a look at her transformation from middle-class Long Island daughter to front-runner for mayor of New York.
Continue reading From Christine Quinn, a Memoir More Personal Than Political
By , on May 30th, 2013 <!– google_ad_section_start –> Japan will this weekend welcome dozens of leaders from Africa as it looks to boost economic ties and wrestle resources and market share away from an increasingly assertive China. The five-yearly Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) – co-organised by Japan, the United Nations, the World Bank and the African Union – will bring together leaders from more than 40 African countries. <!– google_ad_section_end –>
Continue reading Japan to woo African nations at forum as China’s economic interest grows
By , on May 27th, 2013 <!– google_ad_section_start –> A clutch of awards at the Cannes Film Festival has given global prominence to what insiders say is a bold era in Asian filmmaking, where China is emerging as a creative power. <!– google_ad_section_end –>
Continue reading Cannes honours bold crop of Asian films
By , on May 24th, 2013 <!– google_ad_section_start –> Malay NGOs are demanding boycotts of Chinese businesses following Malaysia’s divisive election, to teach them “a lesson” for backing opposition candidates. More than 20 non-governmental organisations and the Muslim Consumers Association of Malaysia (PPIM) called upon the country’s Malays, who make up 60 per cent of the population, to boycott Chinese firms, according to a message posted on PPIM’s website. <!– google_ad_section_end –>
Continue reading Chinese firms in Malaysia face calls for boycott
By John Avlon, on May 22nd, 2013 After a sex scandal, a one-time fighter for the middle class learned to love crony capitalism, writes John Avlon.
Continue reading Weiner’s Shameless Shtick
By , on May 22nd, 2013 <!– google_ad_section_start –> Former US congressman Anthony Weiner, whose career imploded in a rash of raunchy tweets two years ago, has said in a YouTube video announcement that he is running for mayor of New York. He had said last month he was considering entering the race. <!– google_ad_section_end –>
Continue reading Disgraced Weiner to run for New York City mayor
By , on May 21st, 2013 <!– google_ad_section_start –> Guangzhou newly-wed Sara had been hoping for a private holiday when she landed at a Maldives luxury resort with her husband in March. But when six other Chinese “couples”- among them a elderly woman and her adult son – showed up at a sunset dinner, Sara was outraged. The dinner was advertised by the hotel as exclusively for newly-weds. “How could they have been so shameless just for a free meal?” the woman who was identified only as Sara later vented on her microblog. <!– google_ad_section_end –>
Continue reading Maldives resorts on the lookout for Chinese tourists on ‘fake’ honeymoons
By , on May 20th, 2013 <!– google_ad_section_start –> Armed with empty suitcases and same-day return tickets, an army of mainland Chinese is descending on suburban outlet shopping malls and international fashion chains in Hong Kong, turning cheap into the new chic as luxury falls out of favour. Wealthy Chinese used to stop over in Hong Kong for a few days to pick up a Louis Vuitton bag or a wristwatch for up to 40 per cent less than in Beijing or Shanghai. <!– google_ad_section_end –>
Continue reading Luxury is out; bargains are in for Chinese tourists
By , on May 20th, 2013 <!– google_ad_section_start –> Two years short of 70, Zhang Guosheng spends his days caring for an 81-year-old fellow villager – washing his clothes, bringing meals to his bed, and keeping him company – a routine he’ll keep up until he himself needs the type of care he is now giving. “Living here is better than staying at home alone. We help each other and have a common language,” said the spritely Zhang, an enthusiastic dancer. “We are very happy here.” <!– google_ad_section_end –>
Continue reading Greying China taps rural elderly to care for those even older
By , on May 17th, 2013 <!– google_ad_section_start –> Jorge Rafael Videla, an austere former army commander who led Argentina during the bloodiest period of a “dirty war” dictatorship and was unrepentant about kidnappings and murders ordered by the state, died on Friday at age 87. <!– google_ad_section_end –>
Continue reading Former Argentine dictator Videla dies in prison at 87
|
America, Inc. at it’s Finest
BLOCKBUSTER MOVIE TIX HERE!!!
Bren-Books.com, Modern first editions and collectible fiction<
|
|
Biggest protests in 20 years sweep Brazil
<!– google_ad_section_start –> As many as 200,000 demonstrators marched through the streets of Brazil’s biggest cities on Monday in a swelling wave of protest tapping into widespread anger at poor public services, police violence and government corruption. The marches, organised mostly through snowballing social media campaigns, blocked streets and halted traffic in more than a half-dozen cities, including São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Belo Horizonte and Brasilia, where demonstrators climbed onto the roof of Brazil’s Congress building and then stormed it. <!– google_ad_section_end –>
Continue reading Biggest protests in 20 years sweep Brazil
Share this: