January 6, 2021

The Exploited - Dead Cities EP (1981)

Label:
Secret Records ?– SHH 120
Format:
Vinyl, 7", 45 RPM
Country:
UK
Released:
1981
Genre:
Rock
Style:
Punk

January 5, 2021

Black Flag - Slip It In

Label:
SST Records - SST 029
Format:
Vinyl , LP, Album
Country:
UK
Exit:
Dec 1984
Kind:
Rock
Style:
Hardcore , Punk

January 5, 2021

Germany bows to Keynes, again

Say it quietly, but Germany has learnt the lessons of Keynes. Would that others had done so too.

https://www.socialeurope.eu/germany-bows-to-keynes-again

Thorvaldur Gylfason

The hallmark of Germany’s Wirtschaftswunder since World War II has been the unwavering pursuit of price stability, underwritten by an independent central bank—first the Bundesbank and then the European Central Bank. Control of inflation was considered paramount, an understandable priority in view of Germany’s disastrous bout of hyperinflation following the first world war. Less understandable was Germany’s postwar aversion to Keynesian stabilisation, as practised in France, Italy, the United Kingdom, the United States and elsewhere. This aversion, partly ideological, was to prove inconsequential, at least domestically. Germany’s dynamic, export-driven economy performed well by several measures—even if since 1990 its unemployment rate has fluctuated more than in France, Italy, the UK and the US, as assessed by the standard deviation. German austerity proved more consequential abroad, though, as Greece was to discover after the financial crisis of 2007-09.

Domestically, Germany managed that crisis remarkably well, experiencing a much smaller drop in output than the above four comparators. Unemployment fell gradually from 11 per cent in 2005 to 3 per cent in 2019, with only a minor uptick in 2009. How did Germany do this? Through fiscal stimulus, with encouragement from the International Monetary Fund. John Maynard Keynes had arrived in Germany. At the same time, ideological opposition to fiscal stimulus from Conservatives in the UK (as with Republicans in the US) bent on austerity wrought a much larger decline in output than on the European continent, as well as increased unemployment. They had turned their backs on Keynes.

History repeating itself

History is repeating itself. With brute force, the pandemic has brought home a basic economic law: Ivan’s expenditure is Olga’s income. As incomes have collapsed, unemployment has risen (Table 1). In Germany, as well as in France and Italy, the increase in unemployment has been modest, while in the US the unemployment rate has more than doubled—doubling too in my native Iceland. How did this happen? Germany resorted again to aggressive, well-targeted fiscal stimulus—enough to keep unemployment rising by no more than one percentage point, from 3 to 4 per cent, compared with an unemployment rate of 7 per cent on average since 1990. At the beginning of the pandemic last March, the German authorities launched an ambitious rescue operation (Soforthilfe), designed to safeguard public health, jobs, firms and social cohesion. To finance the stimulus, the German government would borrow nearly €300 billion, equivalent to close to 10 per cent of German gross domestic product and €3,600 per capita. Keynes would have been impressed.


Source: IMF World Economic Outlook (October 2020)

Output, not input

This rescue operation—the most ambitious in German history—needs to be assessed not in terms of the magnitude of the fiscal and financial injection of public funds into private hands but rather in its overall economic effectiveness. The output is what matters, not the input. The monies offered by the German authorities reached the intended recipients promptly. Self-employed persons—artists, for example—and businesses with up to five employees received up to €9,000 and self-employed persons and businesses with up to ten employees received up to €15,000, to cover the first three months of the pandemic and keep impatient creditors and landlords at bay. The payments were made without time-consuming means-testing. France launched its own rescue plan, at a cost of €235 billion in fiscal outlays, augmented by nearly €330 billion in public loan guarantees. Italy’s rescue plan has thus far cost about €110 billion plus €400 billion in loan guarantees. All three countries have also benefited from a loosening of the ECB’s monetary-policy stance.

Complex cocktail.............

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January 4, 2021

Harry and Meghan's "choices" likely mean their royal future is over

via email

there are no links other than what is in the text, so the 4 paragraph rule doesn't apply to this


Any chance of future royal roles for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle is now “dead in the water,” according to royal sources talking to the Daily Mail. “It’s solely down to the choices they have made,” a source told the Mail. “There is no anger or animosity [on behalf of the Royal Family]. But every commercial deal that has been done by the Sussexes has been a nail in the coffin of any kind of return to royal life.” This means that Harry and Meghan’s big-money declarations of independence from the royal family—led by their multi-million deals with Netflix and Spotify—have invalidated their futures as royal family members. Another source told the paper: “To come back would mean they would have to undo all the commercial tie-ups they have already done, and clearly Harry and Meghan don’t want to do that. That is absolutely their choice and the queen has agreed they can pursue these new careers. But to cap it all, they have bought a house 6,000 miles away, which is an unmistakable statement of intent on their behalf.” Sources also told the Mail that it was unlikely Harry would be able to get back any of his military roles, which will be a bitter blow to the prince who spent ten years in the army and is incredibly proud of his association with the armed forces. But neither Meghan nor Harry will lose their titles. The Daily Beast and other publications recently reported that Harry and Meghan wanted a 12-month extension to their “Megxit” probationary period, agreed when they left their senior royal roles last year.

That now doesn’t seem likely. “Harry was told very clearly in January by his grandmother that ‘you work for the monarchy, the monarchy doesn’t work for you,’” one source told the Mail. “And if you can’t accept that, then you need to walk away. Her Majesty was remarkably clear and decisive on that point and has never deviated from it, not once. I think what has evolved this year across the Atlantic has only served to prove her point.” “The deals they have done since moving to California clearly show the truth of it: they simply had ambitions that were completely incompatible with being members of the Royal Family,” an “insider” told the Mail. “It was their choice to leave and seek their fortunes elsewhere. No one exiled them. Indeed, the queen made clear she didn't want Harry and Meghan to go and that they are still very much-loved members of her family and have her support. “Harry and Meghan are clearly where they want to be, and good luck to them. But their subsequent career choices have scuppered any chance of retaining even a quasi-official royal role. You simply can’t do both roles without conflict. And contrary to speculation, it was actually a pretty straightforward decision on Her Majesty's behalf. “The queen knows you can’t have a working member of the Royal Family also being paid millions of pounds by Spotify to tell people to ‘swipe and follow’ their podcast, or encouraging consumers to buy a certain brand of coffee. The two are simply incompatible.”

Queen took “all of two seconds” to nix Harry’s Cenotaph plan

The Daily Mail also reports that the queen personally decreed that a wreath would not be laid in his grandson Prince Harry’s name at the Cenotaph in London to mark Remembrance Sunday last November—and that she made up her mind ruthlessly quickly, taking “all of two seconds” to make up her mind, according to the Mail. The story is in direct contravention to the original Palace line—that it had been courtiers who had taken the decision to not allow the laying of the wreath without consulting the queen. “Remembrance Sunday is sacrosanct when it comes to Her Majesty’s diary,” a source told the paper. “It’s one of the most important dates in her calendar and nothing is done without her knowledge. People were suggesting the Palace’s reaction to what Harry asked was petty. But it was the queen’s decision. And what’s more, she actually had very strong views on the subject.” Another source told the paper: “While she has enormous admiration for Harry’s achievements both in and out of the military, this was seen as an example of his lack of understanding at what it means for him to be a non-working royal. The queen is very firmly of the opinion that you can't pick and choose what you do when it comes to the institution. Either you are in—or you are out.” Harry and Meghan were photographed at the Los Angeles National Cemetery on that Sunday—and were criticized for staging what many saw as a tacky PR attempt to overshadow the royals’ gathering at the Cenotaph itself. It was also revealed that the actual wreath that Harry wanted to be laid in his name had been unearthed, languishing in a cardboard box at the Royal British Legion’s Kent HQ.

Senior palace figures hope Meghan will drop her case

Can Meghan find an elegant way to drop her legal case against Associated Newspapers, the publisher of the Daily Mail and the Mail on Sunday? Senior figures at the palace certainly hope so, according to a report in The Sunday Times. There is a possibility that Meghan could get what is known as a “summary judgement” later this month (when the judge decides he does not need to hear witnesses or consider further evidence to pronounce his verdict), but it is unlikely. That will open up the astonishing prospect of Meghan facing off in court against her estranged father, Thomas, because the case centers around Meghan’s claim that her privacy rights were breached when the Mail on Sunday published extracts from a letter she wrote to him in 2018. The Sunday Times reports that the prospect of that happening is being regarded with increasing horror at the palace, where courtiers are “astonished” the case has even got this far, and that several former Sussex staffers are already preparing to be grilled in the witness box. They are desperate for Meghan to drop her suit “to protect the royal family.” One courtier told The Sunday Times: “A trial would be traumatic for Meghan and Harry, it will expose palace operations, members of staff would be dragged into it on the witness stands...it would be deeply uncomfortable for the institution.” The Sunday Times reports on a long-circulating rumor that Harry and Meghan first sought the advice of lawyer Gerrard Tyrrell, who acted successfully for the Prince of Wales after the Mail on Sunday published extracts in 2005 from his private diary, in which he described the Chinese leadership as “appalling old waxworks.” Tyrrell warned the Sussexes not to sue the Mail on Sunday, but that Meghan and Harry ignored his advice. The trial had been scheduled for this month but was postponed at Meghan’s request for reasons described as “confidential.”

Kate has tried to reach out to Meghan, with no success

The Mail also reports that Kate Middleton and the Countess of Wessex (Sophie, Prince Edward’s wife) have both repeatedly “reached out” to Meghan, particularly after she told ITV’s Tom Bradby how unhappy she was. But their conciliatory overtures were “rebuffed,” the Mail said. The Mail also says that Prince William and his father Prince Charles have become close. “William has realized that if he is going to make it work, he needs to be more aligned with his father and they need to work as a team,” a source told the paper. William and Kate have also reportedly grown closer in recent months. The paper said all eyes would be on William and Harry if they are reunited for Prince Philip’s 100th birthday in June, and then the unveiling at Kensington Palace of the memorial statue to their mom, Princess Diana. “If the two brothers can make that work, then we have hope,” a source told the Mail.

Going live

Harry and Meghan’s new Archewell website went live this week, featuring a huge picture of Diana with Harry as a baby on her shoulders. A second picture shows Meghan with her mom, Doria. The use of the picture of Harry with Diana, and the fact that the website makes absolutely no mention of either Harry or Meghan’s father, has attracted the ire of some critics. A syntactically awkward joint statement from the couple on the website’s landing page, entitled a ‘letter for 2021’ reads: “I am my mother’s son. And I am our son’s mother. Together we bring you Archewell. We believe in the best of humanity. Because we have seen the best of humanity. We have experienced compassion and kindness, From our mothers and strangers alike. In the face of fear, struggle and pain, it can be easy to lose sight of this. “Together, we can choose courage, healing, and connection. Together, we can choose to put compassion in action. We invite you to join us. As we work to build a better world. One act of compassion at a time.” Veteran royal journalist Phil Dampier told the Daily Mail it was “very significant” that Harry “called himself his ‘mother’s son’ but made no mention of Prince Charles.” Charles walked Meghan down the aisle on her wedding day when her father did not attend. The website listed five organizations Harry and Meghan said they have chosen to support. They include: the Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education at Stanford University; the Center for Humane Technology in San Francisco which aims for “safer, more compassionate online communities;” the Loveland Foundation, which offers mental health support to Black women and girls; the Center for Critical Internet Inquiry at the University of California in Los Angeles, which champions racial and economic justice in the technology world, and chef José Andrés’ World Central Kitchen, which is building four community relief centers in regions affected by hunger, starting in Dominica and Puerto Rico.

This week in royal history

Can it really only be a year since Harry and Meghan quit the royal family? Why yes! On January 8, 2020, the royal couple published their bombshell website which said they were planning to “step back” from frontline royal duties. The website laid out a comprehensive vision of how they would like their roles to be configured going forward—but they have instead been completely cut out of the royal family’s public life.

Unanswered Questions

How bad will this be? Meghan’s estranged sister Samantha Markle is due to release her long-trailed memoir, The Diary of Princess Pushy’s Sister Part 1, on January 17. The book promises to “tell the hidden truths about her family, as a royal fairy tale plummets from the tea towels,” and describes Markle, who is in a wheelchair and suffers MS, as a “squeaky wheel” who is “no stranger to challenges or tenacity.”

January 2, 2021

'Exceptionally draining': US medics shattered by Covid elated to be in New Zealand

https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/123848974/exceptionally-draining-us-medics-shattered-by-covid-elated-to-be-in-new-zealand

A wave of emotionally drained health workers from the United States and United Kingdom are looking to escape Covid-19-ravaged hospitals by moving to New Zealand. Accent Medical Recruitment managing director Prudence Thomson said medical recruiters were reporting high demand for work in New Zealand. “They are exhausted, they cannot see the light at the end of the tunnel ... they are angry and scared – and these are doctors with 30 years experience, and they just want to make the move away from their home country.”

Texan nurse Ana Carino was among those hoping a new life in New Zealand would heal the emotional trauma of working in a country ravaged by Covid-19. Carino and her partner, Cinthia​ Salinas, emerged from managed isolation in Christchurch on Thursday and would head south on Saturday before Carino began work at Southland Hospital on January 11. Medical professionals are deemed “critical workers” and can be granted an exemption to New Zealand’s border closure rules. Employers are now required to pay a bigger share of the cost of managed isolation, with the charge increasing from Friday.



Carino and Salinas, who are both US citizens, moved to New Zealand from the oil fields centre of Midland, Texas – where the childhood home of former US president George W Bush is a tourist drawcard. Texas has had 1.5 million Covid-19 cases and more than 27,000 deaths to date, according to the Texas State Government. Carino shed tears as she described the horror of caring for critically ill Covid patients. “Every time I would go there someone had just passed away or a family was deciding to take them off the ventilator.”

Nurses used iPads to help family members say their last goodbyes, with patients – often on ventilators for weeks – unable to respond, she said. “Then after they passed, we had to collect their items, their belongings and that just did it to me.” Covid initially hit the elderly hardest, but now most of those dying were middle-aged, with chronic health problems such as diabetes and obesity, Carino said. The couple were bitterly disappointed by the way their community and US President Donald Trump had responded to Covid-19. Carino said about half of those in Texas refused to wear masks.

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