£430m flagship hospital slammed after patients are issued with 'Downtown Abbey-style' HANDBELLS to attract attention … Families of patients being cared for at a £430 million flagship hospital are outraged after their loved ones were given 'Downtown Abbey-style' handbells to attract attention. Those given the metal bells at Southmead Hospital in Bristol include a f...Read More

Janet Yellen's Advice to Rand Paul … Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen mostly succeeded in her attempt to be vague about Fed policy in her semiannual appearance before Congress on Tuesday. On one issue, however, she was unequivocal – and correct: A congressional audit of the Fed's interest-rate decisions is a very bad idea. – BloombergDominant Social Theme: Rand Paul &nd...Read More

Organic Food Movement Threatens Big Brands … The food industry is inexorably tied to the marketing industry. Whether or not they believe it, consumers are influenced by advertisements and the ways in which companies portray their products. Food is likely one of the most demonstrable examples of the power of suggestion. Especially as health foods gain traction, a company can highlight or hide...Read More

California Should Have an Embassy in Washington, Lawmaker Says … California Governor Jerry Brown said in his annual state-of-the-state speech yesterday, "We are leaders in renewable energy and efficiency; we have extended health care to millions; we are transforming our educational and criminal justice systems; we are building the nation's only high-speed rail system." –...Read More

One fifth of Germans want revolution: report … One in five Germans believe that a revolution would be the only way to truly reform society, a study released by the Free University of Berlin on Monday shows. Anti-capitalism, anti-fascism and anti-racism were all are prominent positions according to the study entitled 'Against state and capital – for the revolution', which has re...Read More

Greece readies list of reforms to dodge bankruptcy … Yanis Varoufakis says a bail-out extension will be "dead and buried" if international creditors do not ratify Athens' proposals … The Greek government will put forward plans to root out tax evasion and overhaul the country's labour laws in a bid to convince creditors it should be granted a vital extension of its bai...Read More

Big Tobacco's Future: Big Pot … You may like technology (who doesn't these days) or the energy sector (where would we be without it) – but if you're making a long-term bet as an investor, there's a lot going for Big Tobacco. It's not just that tobacco boasts the best historical performance of all U.S. industries. The industry's future seems especially bright. As...Read More

Rocky road ahead for Argentine leader over Nisman case … The still unexplained death of prosecutor Alberto Nisman, who was found shot dead in his apartment on 18 January, has highlighted how intertwined the judicial system and politics have become in Argentina. – BBCDominant Social Theme: Don't cry for Argentina. The kids are all right.Free-Market Analysis: In this article, the BBC...Read More

Most said they had heard at least something about the new anti-terrorism legislation – and less than one in five (19 per cent) worried that it goes too far, compromising freedoms and privacy. Nearly half (45 per cent) said the bill strikes the right balance, while 36 per cent said it does not go far enough. – Globe and MailDominant Social Theme: The new Canadian anti-terror bill is &qu...Read More

Attorney General Eric Holder has given the Justice Department an opportunity to rewrite his legacy as the lead federal prosecutor who refused to take on some of the most notoriously larcenous bankers in history. – TruthoutDominant Social Theme: Remove this curse of predatory lending.Free-Market Analysis: Predatory lending is a big meme these days. During the sub-prime postmortems it was brou...Read More

No More Payday Predators … If you were thinking straight, would you pay more than 300 percent in annualized interest – or risk losing your home – to borrow a few hundred dollars? If the answer is no, you might see the wisdom of regulating the short-term, small-sum credit commonly known as payday lending. – BloombergDominant Social Theme: Those who prey on the poor are repre...Read More

Put Extra Eyes on the Fed … From its actions during the 2008 financial crisis to its policy of quantitative easing, there has been a considerable amount of controversy regarding the Federal Reserve system in recent years. Now that Republicans have taken control of the U.S. Senate, the calls for the U.S. Government Accountability Office to "audit the Fed" have increased and gotten l...Read More

Is Russia Planning a Gold-Based Currency? … The "perfect-storm" of geopolitical instability, diplomatic isolation, severe currency depreciation, and economic decline now confronting Russia has profoundly damaged Moscow's international standing, and possibly for the long-term. Yet, it is precisely such conditions that may push the country's leadership into taking the radical...Read More

Regulating the Regulators … U.S. lawmakers say they want regulators — notably, financial regulators — to weigh the economic impact of their actions more carefully. That's actually not a bad idea, as long as it doesn't end up neutering rules that the economy badly needs. With the stated goal of reducing red tape and a modicum of Democratic support, Republicans in Congress...Read More

US hosts anti-extremism summit after global terror attacks … The US has opened a three-day summit on countering violent extremism. Representatives from around the world are attending the gathering, which follows shooting incidents in Denmark, France and Australia. Vice President Joe Biden said it was imperative to engage with immigrants who may be radicalised because of marginalisation. &quo...Read More

3% down payments lure first-time homebuyers … After years of moving around the country for his job with Marriott hotels, John Eddleman wanted to put down roots. Last month, he bought a brick bungalow on Des Moines' south side, taking advantage of a recent federal policy change that allows down payments of as low as 3%. "It came at just the right time because otherwise I would have h...Read More

In Yemen there is no longer a government or a president. On January 22, after the Houthi, (Zaydi Shiites) militiamen in the north besieged the presidential palace in Sana'a, both interim President (since 2012) Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi and Prime Minister Khaled Bahah (of a caretaker government which secured parliamentary confidence in December 2014), resigned. Washington has closed its embassy an...Read More

What a Central Bank Can, and Can't, Do About Government Debt … In the 1920s, Britain embarked on a determined drive to work off the debt accumulated during the First World War through a program of severe austerity. As the International Monetary Fund pointed out in a 2012 report, Britain failed; by the early 1930s, its debt was higher as a share of GDP than it was at the start of the 1920...Read More

Republicans: We will get blamed for DHS shutdown … Republicans are getting pummeled in the messaging wars amid an escalating standoff over Homeland Security funding. In interviews with The Hill, centrist Republicans are conceding that their party — not the Democrats — will be blamed if the critical agency shuts down at the end of the month. – The HillDominant Social Theme:...Read More

Dallas Fed chief urges power shift at bank … The outgoing head of the Dallas Federal Reserve called Wednesday for major changes to the central bank's power structure, arguing that current policies fuel perceptions that big banks have too much influence with regulators. During a fiery speech to the Economic Club of New York, President Richard Fisher criticized the current structure, argui...Read More