Category Archives: globalization

A movie about conscience. (No wonder it wasn’t a hit.)

Posted on November 5, 2025 by oddmanout215

OK, I’m busted. Last week I implied that the movies shown on Netflix are invariably mediocre, but within days The Forgiven (2021) proved me wrong. It takes place at a luxury residence on the fringe of the Sahara Desert — … Continue reading →

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Give Harris a chance. (Don’t sit this one out, cynics.)

Posted on August 31, 2024 by oddmanout215

American politics, especially now, does not offer us a choice between a party that favors the rich and one that favors the poor. Clinton cannot be called to account by an electorally nonexistent left. We must choose between a party … Continue reading →

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Enough about Naipaul the man — read his books

Posted on August 15, 2018 by oddmanout215

The world is what it is; men who are nothing, who allow themselves to become nothing, have no place in it. — V.S. Naipaul, A Bend In the River (1979) Pardon me for breathing! And make no mistake — the … Continue reading →

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Britain’s PM seeks to ‘steady’ the Titanic

Posted on June 27, 2016 by oddmanout215

Here’s David Cameron using an unfortunate nautical metaphor to announce his resignation after a majority of Brits voted this week for the Brexit: I will do everything I can as Prime Minister to steady the ship over the coming weeks … Continue reading →

Posted in globalization, Great Recession, Obama | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

‘Deflategate’ a bigger story than state of union

Posted on January 22, 2015 by oddmanout215

I was on the porch at the shack with Swamp Rabbit, critiquing Barack Obama’s sixth State of the Union address. Obama was the embodiment of magical thinking for American liberals, an icon of hope because he was an articulate outsider. … Continue reading →

Posted in Congress, economic collapse, globalization, Great Recession, humor, mainstream media, Obama, plutocracy, unemployment | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

‘Abundance without attachment’ is right-wing doubletalk

Posted on December 17, 2014 by oddmanout215

Swamp Rabbit and I huddled next to the wood stove and pored over a cheery Christmas article by economist Arthur C. Brooks, who wants people to make an attitude adjustment regarding possessions. He urges readers to “collect experiences, not things,” … Continue reading →

Posted in apocalypse, down and out, economic collapse, food, globalization, Great Recession, humor, liar, life in the big city, mainstream media, philosophy, unemployment, world-wide economy | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Tone-deaf Obama sings Walmart’s praises

Posted on May 9, 2014 by oddmanout215

Swamp Rabbit and I had just watched a PBS show about “nightmare bacteria” — insidious, human-killing organisms resistant to all antibiotics. Pretty scary. Then we saw a news item about Barack Obama appearing at a Walmart to praise the company … Continue reading →

Posted in climate change, economic collapse, globalization, humor, liar, mainstream media, Obama | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Obama to EU: Frack, baby, frack

Posted on March 29, 2014 by oddmanout215

From Common Dreams: Speaking after a meeting with European leaders at the [European Union]-US summit in Brussels on Wednesday, President Barack Obama suggested that the U.S. is open to exporting fracked shale gas, once promised as the source of American … Continue reading →

Posted in climate change, environmentalism, globalization, humor, Iraq war, Obama, world-wide economy | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Pro-union Democrats an endangered species

Posted on March 26, 2014 by oddmanout215

Swamp Rabbit is a big fan of Robert Reich, Secretary of Labor during the Bill Clinton years, long-time economics professor and a high-profile advocate for workers’ rights. I’ve noted elsewhere that Reich often writes variations on the same column and … Continue reading →

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A buy from Amazon is a vote for wage slavery

Posted on March 6, 2014 by oddmanout215

I read a piece in Salon about Amazon’s business model and almost throttled my friend Swamp Rabbit, I guess because he was the only creature in sight. But I was glad to see that at least one media writer wasn’t … Continue reading →

Posted in down and out, economic collapse, globalization, humor, mainstream media, plutocracy, The New Depression, unemployment | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment