Hi Mickey

Keep spreading the message. The Occupy movement is a 21st Century “Enlightenment” !

This whole crisis is a sort of repeat of the early 20th century breakdown of the Global monetary system which at the time was centered on the UK and the Gold Standard. Jim Rickards is a good source on the historic monetary breakdowns as well as the potential “scenarios” that could unfold in the coming months & years:

http://kingworldnews.com/kingworldnews/Broadcast/Entries/2011/11/12_Jim_Rickards.html

As another way of looking at it, this article sets the work of Karl Polanyi in context of our current crisis:

“A hundred years peace [1815-1914] had created an insurmountable wall of illusions which hid the facts. No people could forget that unless they owned their food and raw material sources themselves, or were certain of military access to them, neither sound currency nor unassailable credit would rescue them from helplessness.”

http://forensicstatistician.wordpress.com/2011/06/07/wall-of-illusions/

I’m figuring out the best way to spread this throughout my networks mainly as an answer to those, especially here in NY, who keep asking the question ‘what are the Occupy Wall Streeters actually protesting ?’

Something i’ve been thinking about a lot recently is where is Academia in all this ? Where are the student protests ? Where are the academic voices ?

And, can someone also help me pull historical parallels to what is going on now ? There must be ? As much as things change they stay the same.

Telegraph:

“15.50 Greece’s new Government faces an extremely difficult situation. The IMF says this afternoon that it won’t make the next bail-out payment until it has “broad political support” for austerity measures.

That could mean some kind of signed assurance from the new cabinet that they’ll push through painful spending cuts and tax hikes – but two out of three party leaders that make up the coalition have already refused to do exactly that.

Meanwhile, huge protests continue to rumble on in Athens against those same austerity measures that the Government is being asked to promise to the IMF.

“We will throw all of them out,” promised a banner held aloft by students, while another carried by anarchists read: “In the face of tyranny, one must choose between chains and arms.”

15.35 The EU is helping Greece to claw back some of the €60 billion in unpaid taxes hidden away in Swiss bank accounts. That’s a huge amount when you consider that the entire bail-out package for Greece totals €110 billion.

A team of EC experts have been sent to Athens to help negotiate with Switzerland, and their first feedback claims “concrete steps”. Horst Reinchenbach, the German head of the task force, said:

“Solutions are being explored to provide Greece with an adequate way to increase tax revenue, taking into account the vast amounts channeled to Switzerland by Greek nationals.”

But the good news only stretches so far – an EU official on condition of anonymity said that of the missing €60 billion, just half is “theoretically collectible” and only €8 billion are likely to be recovered “sooner or later”.”

“The vampire squid that is Goldman Sachs is busily jamming its blood funnel into as many positions of power in Europe as it can.”

Strange metaphor but hey…..