A Different Time
"I don’t want to be a prophet of doom -- and I really don’t believe that we are approaching doom -- but I think we’re going to slide into intensified social conflicts, social hostility, some forms of radicalism, there is...
Disposed Towards Revolt?
Most Americans who see the upheaval occurring in the Middle East and in other places overseas probably think it won't (or can't) happen here. But as I noted almost three years ago in "Not Too Hard," one thing that leaves...
Working for the Greater Share
Many people still don't realize that at least some of the developments they took for granted during the good times were not self-sustaining and would only carry on for as long as the apparent economic nirvana that ended with the...
An Ugly Bull Market
(Image: source.) One major uptrend didn't come undone when the global financial crisis struck. In fact, it's recently gained some momentum and has just hit new multi-year highs. That said, it's probably not the kind of move that will pique...
Still Having an Impact
Some might view it as odd, but the recession that has been over for more than a year-and-a-half still seems to be having a major impact on the population at large. Among other things, it is leading a growing number...
Unlike the Others
Unlike the typical postwar recession, which mainstream analysts keep referring to as their baseline case, the current downturn is notable for how conclusively it has altered attitudes with respect to life's major milestones, including: 1. Work "Recession May Be Changing...
Living in a Dream World
Since Wall Street and Washington have been firing up the green-shoot spliffs and living in a dream world ever since the financial crisis began, it's probably not surprising, as Russia Today reports, that some Americans are following suit and turning...
Beyond the Numbers
Throughout the financial crisis, many mainstream experts have directed their attentions toward "the numbers." They have focused on data points, monthly statistics, long-term averages, cyclical swings, and rates of change of various trends. However, their insistence on a quantitative approach...
The Upside of the Downside
It's not all gloom-and-doom as far as the downturn goes, I guess... "Worker Fatalities Fall 17% on Decline in Construction Deaths" (Bloomberg) U.S. workplace deaths fell 17 percent in 2009 to a record low on a decline in construction fatalities,...
Moving Away from Conspicuous Consumption
The relentless consumerism of the good old days -- i.e., before the financial crisis hit -- seemed as natural as Apple pie. Now, though, it's becoming apparent that the spending habits of old were more a factor of cheap money...
A Newfound Flexibility
It's been said that everyone has a price. For politicians and policymakers, the price of a major fiscal crisis is a willingness to abandon principles, join hands with arch rivals, and readily redefine what is and isn't acceptable behavior, as...
No Surprise at All
Policymaker like U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner must find it awfully frustrating that no matter how upbeat they are about economic prospects, the man in the street just isn't buying it. "Don't they know how attuned we are to what...
