THE GLOBAL AND THE LOCAL

  So the USA is making a teeny-weeny budget cut, sensationally touted as “ Budgetcuts to slash U.S. Army to smallest since before World War Two ” by Reuters, of course, but which this BBC article more realistically puts into context by saying: However, Winslow Wheeler, a defence budget analyst with the Project on Government Oversight in Washington DC, criticised the proposal as "hype". He said that even after the cuts in troop levels and the elimination of the A-10 and U-2 aeroplanes, overall military spending including for the war in Afghanistan and on the US nuclear weapons programme will remain near 2005 levels. Even with 31 billion cut from the budget, the Pentagon still has lots of moolah to spend on its 17 different agencies and its “black budgets” which don’t operate under any accountability and oversight: The Pentagon's budget for the 2015 fiscal year beginning in October is an estimated $496 billion, about the same amount as the current fiscal y...

When I visited Picasso’s hometown Malaga in 2009, I was surprised by the discussion that greeted me. The public intellectuals of Malaga were still out there, arguing about Picasso’s complicity and collaboration with the Nazis. As a respectful art lover who knew peripherally about Picasso, and imagined him to be the greatest artist in the world, it surprised me these folks in his hometown seem to be focusing on his actions on ethical and moral grounds, rather than glorying in his artistic merits.   But of course to the people of Malaga Picasso is a dude from their hometown who hacked out a large number of paintings (some of it pretty good), and on the side partied with the Nazis. For young people with clear moral boundaries, this still holds an unforgivable taint. In Europe, people take the case of collaboration with fascist regimes seriously. This evening spent drinking coffee and hearing people still bitterly voicing their dissent of the famous man made me realize that “col...

  Check this photograph out. I snuck it off the CBC news website (thanks  CBC .) Photo courtsey Rob Griffith of the AP--seems like Rob is a guy with a sharp eye and a sense of humor. The photo caption says:  Australian Treasurer Joe Hockey, front right, looks back to U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen centre, while delegates pose for an official photo at the Opera House in Sydney. (Rob Griffith/The Associated Press) But I think the photo caption should say:  "Hey, are those blokes behind me smirking?" thinks Australian Treasurer Joe Hockey, front right, as he looks back suspiciously at the two men at the back.  Now lets get back from photo analysis to the content of said article, which says that: "G20 vows to boost world economy by $2 trillion: U.S. treasury secretary says agreement 'turning the next page' on global recovery".  Two trillion for the world economy? Doesn't that seem like a modest number, compared to the trill...