Mostly Miserable

IN the past decade or so Balkan pollsters have asked people in the region every single question imaginable. When they drew their conclusions they seem almost surprised by what they found, despite the fact that people consistently tell them exactly the same things. That is, that in general, and with the exception of Kosovars and Albanians who are generally younger and hence more optimistic, most people in the Balkans feel pretty miserable.

They are concerned about jobs, health care, the education of their children and pensions. These material worries preoccupy them much more than ethnic grudges or the desire to reconquer territory they believe their nation has lost to a neighbour.

Most people have good reason to feel depressed about the economy. As Laza Kekic from the Economist Intelligence Unit, The Economist’s sister organisation, told a recent conference in Sofia, Balkan economies have always been poorer than their western and northern counterparts. They have only prospered when these economies do well and they have suffered when they have suffered. The current crisis is no exception.

This week an analysis from the EIU notes that the Balkan transition economies, which means Albania, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania and Serbia, “suffered the most from the global recession of 2008-09. Real GDP in the Balkans contracted by 5.2% in 2009 and the recession lasted into 2010, with average GDP falling by 0.4%”. This was partly because Romania, the largest of the Balkan economies, dragged the average figure down. Read more.....

America and Israel Tough love

A new book lowers the boom on some of Israel’s firmest friends

Knowing Too Much: Why the American Jewish Romance With Israel is Coming to an End.

IT HAS become increasingly common for prominent liberal Jewish Americans to voice anguished disquiet over Israel’s behaviour. The most visible signs of this trend are books, such as Peter Beinart’s “The Crisis of Zionism”, which came out three months ago, and the growing support for the (admittedly patchy) achievements of J Street, an advocacy group that lobbies for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian impasse. In his eighth book, “Knowing Too Much”, Norman Finkelstein, an American academic who became a critic of Israel long before it was fashionable, traces the underlying dynamics of the disquiet.

Mr Finkelstein’s central claim is that American Jews’ feelings about Israel were always guided more by self-interest and personal values than by Jewish solidarity. They cared little about the country before the war of 1967, fearing accusations of “dual loyalty”. Israeli concerns, to them, were not American concerns. They rallied round after the war, Mr Finkelstein argues, chiefly because that was when Israel’s fight against the Arabs became geopolitically tied to America’s fight against the Communists. Read more........

Heading for Economic Collapse

The late Bob Chapman predicted it years ago. So does Paul Craig Roberts. It could “destroy Western civilization,” he believes.

Untenable political and financial decisions put US and European economies on a collision course with disaster. Bailouts and market manipulation delay the inevitable.

A tipping point approaches. Only its timeframe is unknown.

Money power runs world economies. Wall Street and giant European banks run Western societies.

“Financial deregulation converted the financial system (into) a gambling casino….,” says Roberts. Zero interest rates destroy household savings. Media scoundrels suppress ugly truths.

Western governments letting banking crooks scam the system for profits “is a system that is headed for catastrophic failure.”

Bad news keeps getting worse. Public acknowledgement arrives late. Moody’s June 21 downgrade of 15 major banks conceded what’s been known for years.

Giant Western banks are zombies. They’re insolvent. Taxpayer funded bailouts alone keep them operating. Moody’s warned last winter than downgrades were coming. So-called stress tests suppress more than they revealed. Read more.....

Tensions rise as justices kick healthcare ruling to next week

The Supreme Court did not rule on President Obama's healthcare law Thursday, raising tensions before a decision next week.

The ruling was possible Thursday but not expected. The court traditionally holds its biggest decisions until the last day of the term, and the healthcare case is among the most highly anticipated decisions in decades, overshadowing the current term.

The next possible day for a decision is Monday, but justices will add more days to the schedule later next week.

Television camera crews set up outside the court Thursday just in case a decision on the healthcare law was released. There is also great interest in an expected court decision on Arizona's controversial immigration law. The Arizona decision also was not released Thursday.

Interest in the court's docket was also reflected at the SCOTUSblog, which said it had 22,000 visitors on Thursday morning. Read more......

EU Crisis: This Week Could Change the Global Economy

LONDON—This looks like “the week that was” for Europe, as it prepares for a European Council summit in Brussels this Thursday and Friday. As of Monday evening, a 10-page draft document will begin circulating among EU leaders, outlining a new, post-crisis framework for the euro. One hopes the document is good enough to keep the markets in line.

We have been through other passages of drama since the European economic and debt crises erupted three years ago. This one is different. Either Brussels unveils a framework for a new, more unified European Union, or the markets will start savaging Spain, Italy, and Greece and an EU breakup will, for the first time, be a near-term reality.

There are grounds for optimism and pessimism both, but more for the former than the latter. Two big decisions loom before the summit. First, leaders must determine they are willing to provide short-term relief to Europe’s ailing peripheral economies in recognition of the negative effect too much austerity has had on them. Growth policies, in other words, are urgent, along with flexibility by way of the structural reforms and austerity measures already in place.

Second, Brussels needs to recognize the moment for what it is. When it launched the euro a decade ago, Europe understood that it was taking an historic step forward in making itself one. It is now time for another such step, just as large in magnitude. Now Europe needs to go forward by way of a fiscal union, a common banking authority, and closer political ties, among other things. These all cut very close to Europe’s core issue, which is the extent of national sovereignty vs. the extent to which populations are Europeans first and Belgian, Spanish, or Portuguese second. Read more......

Great Recession Hurt Some States More Than Others

The Great Recession drove economic insecurity to record levels in nearly every state in the country, but left residents of the Southeast and West in the most perilous financial position, a new report shows.

The study, released Thursday by Yale University political science professor Jacob Hacker and The Rockefeller Foundation, found that, from 2008 to 2010, Mississippi, Arkansas, Alabama, Florida and Georgia had the highest levels of insecurity. In Mississippi, for example, about one in four residents suffered large economic losses in 2009 and 2010. In Florida, it was about one in five residents, and the housing bust has helped raise the rate of insecurity by 41 percent since 1986. California, also hit hard by the housing crisis, was sixth in the rankings of overall insecurity, with nearly 23 percent of the Golden State’s residents suffering large losses in 2010.

States in the northeast fared better overall, and residents of New Hampshire, Wisconsin, Connecticut, Washington, and Minnesota had the lowest rates of large economic losses from 2008 to 2010.

That’s not to say that people in those states have been spared economic hardship. “Even states that have relatively low levels of insecurity, such as New Hampshire, nonetheless have very, very high levels of income losses,” Hacker said.

And states like Wisconsin and Minnesota, while they still stack up well in relative terms, also saw fairly large spikes in insecurity from 2008 to 2010. Minnesota, in fact, experienced a 28 percent spike in average levels of insecurity in the years 2008 through 2010 compared with 1997 to 2007, the highest of any state. Delaware, Alabama, Arkansas, Ohio, Idaho, Colorado, Tennessee, Missouri and Nevada also saw increases of more than 20 percent. The New England states, by contrast, had the lowest percentage increases in insecurity. Read more.....

HERE'S A LIST OF DEPRESSION MEDS FOR YA!

Hey, it's Marco! On the road, tryin' to make a buck and doin' my best to find or create the best educational products for preschoolers and elementary children! Ah.. the life of a "Warehouse Guy!" At least it's a job! I should be "thankful" huh? Okay... so my darling, significant other (Wife) and Mommy of my two youngest children, owns the corporation.. my job (ahem) does have it perks! Can't wait to get home! Anyway, here's of list of depression meds that may help you if you believe that you are depressed. Come on, you weren't always depressed right? There are numerous depression medications available, of which all have benefits and risks... but what tha hell! Look at the side effects! You really want anal leakage? Heck, the effects alone should make you want to explore other options! Are you sure you're really depressed? Or are you just afraid of living? As my brother would say, "I'm just sayin!"


Abilify. Abilify is a depression medication that's used in combination with other antidepressants. Abilify is often prescribed to treat mental and mood disorders, but can be used in combination with other medications to treat depression. Possible severe side effects can occur, such as heart failure and stroke when used by elderly patients.
Cymbalta. Cymbalta is prescribed to treat depression and anxiety that may be caused by underlying health conditions, such as arthritis and diabetes. This depression medication may improve mood, appetite and energy level. As with Celexa, this medication may not be beneficial for those under 25 years of age because it may worsen depression symptoms in some people.
Paxil. Paxil is an SSRI depression treatment medication. It may also relieve obsessive-compulsive disorder and panic attacks, as well as a variety of other conditions. Paxil may not be appropriate for people under 25 years of age because it can worsen symptoms in select people.
Prozac. Prozac can treat a number of conditions, including depression. Possible benefits achieved from Prozac can include improved sleep, appetite, mood and energy level. Prozac is another antidepressant medication that may not be suitable for people under 25 years of age.
Wellbutrin. Wellbutrin is a depression medication that works by correcting chemical imbalances within the brain. Those taking Wellbutrin must be monitored closely because it is known to cause an increase in suicidal thoughts in certain people.
Zoloft. Zoloft is commonly prescribed to treat panic attacks, depression and other disorders. Zoloft can restore interest in every day living, mood, sleep and energy level. People under 25 years of age must be monitored closely when using Zoloft because it may worsen symptoms in some people.

Best Choice! 

Niacin. Niacin (or vitamin B-3) has been a long-standing known cure for chronic depression and anxiety. Unfortunately, most of us have never heard of the potential emotional benefits of Niacin. Though the reason for secrecy surrounding vitamin therapy has a complicated and deep-rooted past, a simple explanation is that natural remedies are not supported by the U.S. medical field.

Why Niacin?
More info on Niacin...
Dr. Abram Hoffer on Niacin...