Bed and Breakfast in Harlem, New York

Over the last 30 years, the IMF and the World Bank have pushed so-called developing countries to dismantle all forms of protection for their local farmers and to open up their markets to global agribusiness, speculators and subsidised food from rich countries. This has transformed most developing countries from being exporters of food into importers. Today about 70 per cent of developing countries are net importers of food. On top of this, finance liberalisation has made it easier for investors to take control of markets for their own private benefit.

Agricultural policy has lost touch with its most basic goal: that of feeding people. Rather than rethink their own disastrous policies, governments and think tanks are blaming production problems, the growing demand for food in China and India, and biofuels. While these have played a role, the fundamental cause of today's food crisis is neoliberal globalisation itself, which has transformed food from a source of livelihood security into a mere commodity to be gambled away, even at the cost of widespread hunger among the world's poorest people.

Labels: Corporate Greed

Read more...

Columbia has resided along the borders of Harlem since the time it was built.Indeed Columbia has always existed as an island onto itself.Up until the late 80's,there was a clear line across 110 st that separated it from The Upper West Side,in the south and at 125st in the north. There was a 3rd line east of Amsterdam Ave.Students were urged not to venture beyond these borders,risking being savaged by the local natives.

During the 90's this wall to the south began to fade due to the gentrification of the upper part of the Upper West Side and Columbia began to build and expand into the neighborhood.Amongst other things they needed a school for the children of their teachers.Instead of investing money into the local public school on 109st,they decided to build their own separate school around the corner.

Now Columbia wants to be part of Harlem.Well isn't that nice.I am reminded of the time when Columbia wanted to build a gym back in the 60's.They thought that placing it in Morningside Park would be a grand idea,since the natives were not putting it to good use.


"Columbia University Confirms No Eminent Domain Will be Sought to Relocate Residents Living in Manhattanville Apartments" Well isn't that mighty neighborly of them.They will however use their mighty power to try to seize commercial property owned by Nick Sprayregen, owner of Tuckitaway storage.I am glad to report that Nick intends to take that one all the way to the supreme court,a costly and probably futile attempt but none the less a noble one that will point the finger of shame once again in the direction of Columbia.

Ten years ago Columbia could have bought any property in Harlem they wanted.Just down the hill to the east of Amsterdam Ave there were empty blocks of space waiting to be developed that could have been bought for a song but Columbia did not want to speculate.There they were, looking down from their ivory towers across Morningside Park,10 minutes walk from their offices but they never went to check it out.I guess they were too afraid of the savage natives.They were so close that even if they had bothered to open the windows they could have heard all the construction going on down the hill.

There is a propaganda Columbia flyer in circulation, called "Building Tomorrow's West Harlem Together" so evidently shame is not part of the Columbia lexicon.More than that, I expect this venerable school expects everyone to forget the past 100 years of neglect and separation from it's neighbors in Harlem

Protecting the Environment:On this shiny colorful cardboard flyer there is a picture of a park with happy families and students lying on the grass and playing,and under the caption the words:

1/"During the proposed revitalization of the old Manhattanville manufacturing area,Columbia will clean up the waste left by past decades of industrial and automotive uses."Is that in spite of your reputation? What did you expect to do?Just lay sod down over the industrial waste?

2/"During construction Columbia will adhere to the highest environmental standards for building,air emission,and energy." That's a pretty broad statement.Whose standards are we talking about?Harlem?As we full steam ahead towards an ecological shipwreck only one condo that has gone up in the past 10 years has solar panels on the roof,and if was not for Con Ed I would have them too.Never mind by the end of summer they will be installed I have been promised.

3/"Columbia will place support services like heating, cooling, truck delivery and parking in a large underground basement to ensure that streets and sidewalks are pedestrian- friendly and environmentally appealing".

Did anyone expect Columbia to put heating and cooling units on the sidewalk?Why would Columbia build car parks when the subway is right there?If you want to protect the environment,how do cars get to be in this picture?Aren't cars the biggest producers of greenhouse gas.This is supposed to be a school.What kind of uneducated moron wrote this?

Labels: Corporate Greed

Read more...

Sometimes I hear West Indians complaining that African Americans are too lazy.In other words they don't get with the American Dream program.My first reaction to that comment is to wonder,Uncle Tom aside, why anyone group of people, that has been so badly treated by this superficial dream, would want to have anything to do with such an absurd idea in the first place.There are 27 amendments to the constitution and I fail to see any reference to the notion that one must work.The unemployment rate is only 5% and a good many of those are actively looking for work.I think unemployment rate is far too low.Surely it would be much more healthy for the working man, if twice that number never even bothered to get out of bed,except to eat and have a drink,a toke and a hit.Not only would there be much more opportunity,less competition for work,but our overall ecological footprint would be considerably less.The unemployed are less likely to have cars,less likely to shop and in some cases may eat less,especially meat since it is so much more expensive.If less people worked then salaries would have to go up.
We would have to let more Mexicans slip across the border.Should I care if my restaurant food is prepared by Mexicans or if my house is built by Jamaicans?If they want to do all the work that nobody else wants to do,then let them do it.What do all of the free marketeers think about that?Instead of this we build walls to stop the Mexicans getting into the US and forget that we were deeply critical of the Berlin wall which stopped people getting out.Then people complain that American jobs are being stolen by persons who actually want to work.
We complain that all our taxes are being sucked up by these welfare queens who lounge around having babies.I wonder if anyone noticed a windfall of money coming their way when Clinton's Welfare Bill came into effect.On the contrary they wanted to take union paying jobs away from one worker and give it to a welfare recipient at less than minimum wage. A single paragraph in the 35-page welfare overhaul proposal says that, "the federal minimum-wage provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act should not apply to people in 'welfare-to-work' jobs". So if you are working class and you have an ax to grind,take it somewhere else, cause all those lazy ass folks are an essential part of your economy.If you are working overtime, without being paid, out of some idea of self sacrifice, you are not doing your brothers any big favours,in fact you are by your heroic efforts pushing salaries down, undermining the economy,and the great labor efforts of people like Cesar Chavez and Lucy Parsons .
So let's have a big cheer for slackers for doing their universal duty.Ask your Representatives and Congress persons to pay them more money so they will not be inspired to get up and go to work.Let them not feel guilty about lying around and being shiftless.On the contrary,they should become the new heroes of our society,they should be lauded, The Worlds New Idle Men and Women of the 21st Century.
Back in the 19th century,before that dark chapter in our history called The Industrial Revolution, it was not considered decent by the aristocracy to work.If you worked you were shunned,as it implied that you did not have enough money to live excessively and flamboyantly without working.Now it is time for the working class to boycott work and let the aristocrats do their share,or shut up,and let us slip unempedded into the ozone.

Labels: Corporate Greed

Read more...

GEORGETOWN, Guyana:
"Assuming all goes well, former New York police commissioner, Bernard Kerik will arrive in Guyana next month to take up the post of security advisor to the government."This is according to the Caribbean Net News
Assuming all goes well for who?
Kerik visited the South American nation last year, a trip that, The Inter-American Bank(IDB) said it did not pay for. The bank is financing a US$20 million project to reform the police force. If you check their website one of its motto's is "...promotes projects that enforce it's commitment to fight corruption."
There is a link on their website called,"Why are Latin Americans so unhappy about Reforms?"
That's a pretty funny question.I think the short answer is that they don't work, but their answer is about 29 pages long. Part 2.1 goes "...........This could be part of a global trend with the end of the Reagan Thatcher era and the beginning of a new world wide movement to the left following, with a lag, the leadership of Bill Clinton and Tony Blair."That's a pretty big lag since Clinton has not been around since 2000 and is best remembered for his blowjobs . Tony Blair seems to be the most despised man in Britain right now and hardly he or Clinton would be considered a bastion of the left.
In 1998 Bernard Kerik became commissioner of the NYC dept. of Corrections.Some $1m in tobacco rebates for cigarettes bought with public funds and then sold at inflated prices to inmates were discovered to have been funneled into a foundation that Kerik headed.
In 2000 he replaced Howard Safir as police commissioner.On September 11 2001 the lack of coordination and the ongoing conflict between Kerik and Fire Commissioner Thomas Van Essen had a catastrophic effect,hampering rescue operations,and leading to death and injury of firefighters and police.
In June 2006,Kerik pleaded guilty to improperly accepting nearly $200,000.In return for his guilty plea to 2 misdemeanor counts and his payment of a $221,000 fine,he escaped jail time.Kerik allowed $165,000 worth of renovation work on his Riverdale apartment to be paid by Interstate Industrial Corp.,a firm that had ties to the Gambino Crime Family.Interstate was seeking a city contract and Kerik arranged a meeting between Frank Di Tommaso,one of it's owners and Raymond V. Casey, head of the city's Trade Waste Commission and a cousin of Mayor Giuliani.
Interstate also hired Mr Kerik's brother,Donald for $85,00 a year as well as Lawrence Ray,who was best man at Mr Kerik's 1998 wedding.An unfortunate falling-out with the groom and the best man led to disclosures to the Daily News that led to the probe.
Mr Kerik also pleaded guilty to failing to report loans totaling $28,000 that he received from real-estate developer,Nathan Berman,which provided the down payment on the apartment where the renovations took place.
Prosecuters did not charge Kerik in other matters that came under investigations including the non bid purchase of 4 security doors costing $50,000,ordered for One Police Plaza that turned out to be the wrong size.
While Kerik was at correction he had an affair with a female officer,using an apartment near Ground Zero, to have sex with her, that was meant as a place to sleep for rescue workers.Mr Schwartzbaum,the Wardens Association president said,".....the department was run like a cross between the Gestapo,the Taliban and the mob"
In November of 2006,authorities subpoenaed HarperCollins,seeking records of payments to Bernard Kerik.They are seeking information on royalty payments for a book of photographs on 9/11 entitled, "In the Line of Duty", using pictures of ground zero taken by police officers.The book which was published in 2001, stated on it's cover that it would donate all revenues-an estimated $500,000 to the New York Police and Fire Widows' and Children's Benefit Fund.There appear to be questions about where Kerik's money went.His royalties which totaled over $75,000 did not go to charity but to a company he established under the name Gryphon Strategic Group.HarperCollins' checks to Kerik were mailed to Giuliani Partners where Kerik was then working.
In 2003 he was sent on a special six-month assignment to train the new Iraqi police force.He quit after three months,citing a need for vacation.
Two years ago,Kerik became director of Taser International,manufacturer of the infamous stun gun.Recently he sold his more than 100,000 shares for $5.7m.
Now Kerik is setting up office in the Caribbean.He has already set up a crime-busting consultancy in Trinidad and is getting started as a presidential security advisor in neighboring Guyana.
This is what the Inter-American Bank is financing, and I question what other projects they are funding, and I am still wondering why they are wondering, "Why are these people so unhappy about our reforms?"Maybe because these are the people who have to pay back that $20m loan financed by The Inter-American Bank Go on, click the link and read what is written at the top of their website,yes, INTEGRITY.

Labels: Corporate Greed

Read more...

"Unjust means irredeemably corrupt all ends no matter how noble"-Arthur Koestler
In the early 19th century,Hong Kong was a tiny fishing village.Three men,all from Scotland, were largely responsible for the transformation of this backwater into one of the largest,and most dynamic cities of the 20th and 21st century.
After the breakup of the monopoly of the British East India Company in 1813.Two of these men Dr William Jardine and Sir James Matheson started a trading company that shipped goods from India to China.The goods that they traded in, were tea,textiles and opium.It was a triangular trading route.The first part of which, was textiles that were shipped from England to India.This first part of the triangle was not so profitable,and was possible,only because of,slavery, the British Empire's hold over India, and taxes that were levied on their cotton and silk industry.The second part of the triangle made up for any lack of profit on the first voyage.This was opium.Opium trade was of vital importance to British Imperialism at this time.It turned a trade deficit with China into a large surplus.
Before the first opium war,most of these shipments were sold to Chinese drug smugglers from depot ships anchored off the coast of Canton.After they were expelled from there,they established themselves on a rugged island,infested with mosquitos and consequently malaria.It's only attribute seemed to be that it had a deep harbour,but with the help of opium this sleepy village became Hong Kong.The third side of this triangle was the tea.Porcelain tea cups,and tea pots were added acting as ballast on the bottom of the ships.This completed the triangle,shipping the cargo of tea back to England.
According to Sir William the opium trade was "the safest and most gentleman like speculation I am aware of". His wealth was sufficient to buy himself a seat in the house of commons in the early 1840's.He went on to become a governor of the Bank of England,chairman of the great P&O shipping line and the second largest landowner in Britain.His partner James Matheson blamed the Chinese dislike for "free trade"and referred to their"marvellous degree of imbecility and avarice,conceit and obstinacy".The Chinese name for Jardine was "iron-headed old rat"
The third Scotsman in this story is about Sir Thomas Sutherland,born in Aberdeen in 1834.At the age of 18 he went to work for the P&O shipping line in China where he was involved in the construction of the Hong Kong docks.He soon realised the need for a trade bank and in March 1865 he opened the Hong Kong Bank.A month later he opened a bank in Shanghai.The bank became the Hong Kong Shanghai Banking Corporation better known as HSBC.Most of this business was to service and finance the lucrative opium trade.
Two years later HSBC came under the control of the Hong Kong legislative council,of which Sutherland was a member and was granted special ordnance by the British Government.
Sutherland returned to England where he became chairman of the P&O shipping line.He became a member of parliament and was knighted in 1891.
In 1992 HSBC aquired Midland Bank and on December 31, 1999, HSBC "consummated" its acquisition of Republic New York Corporation,a privately owned bank, including its scandal-ridden securities unit, the subject of litigation for its involvement in the scandal of Martin Armstrong / Princeton Economics. Shortly before the sale of this bank the owner Edmond Safra was murdered at his home in Monaco,a haven for scores of nouveaux riches Russians, including organised crime leaders. The year before he died his bank made a report to the FBI that triggered an investigation into Russian money laundering by American banks.
Although the principality of Monaco has been accused in recent years of turning a blind eye to white-collar crime ,especially money- laundering, the country has almost no violent crime.
HSBC is now the largest corporation in the world in terms of assets $1.7 trillion,bigger even than Citigroup who only have $1.6 trillion.The HSBC flag,the red hexagon is derived from the Scottish Flag which is the angular cross that the patron saint of Scotland,St.Andrew,was crucified upon.
Walking down 125th st I just can't help wondering where all these banks get all this money from.They seem to be the only one's able to afford the rents on those prime corner store locations.Further downtown,on the corner of 103rd and Broadway,I saw a Starbucks had closed down,the rent too expensive for this multi- national.There was some very active reconstruction going on inside.By the end of the month the red angular cross of St Andrew appeared.

Labels: Corporate Greed

Read more...