Exactly a month after a few hundred anti-capitalism activists set up camp in New York, the Occupy Wall Street movement has gone international and won the attention of the White House -- even if no one knows where it will go next.I am afraid that this

Exactly a month after a few hundred anti-capitalism activists set up camp in New York, the Occupy Wall Street movement has gone international and won the attention of the White House -- even if no one knows where it will go next.I am afraid that this Global Movement is also going to be Hijacked by the Brahaminical Hindutva forces to Divert and Dilute the Resistance much needed as NO Response is noted on the part of Indian Left or Ambedkarites! Months ago we were discussing Demonstration on the BOMBAY Stock Exchange! I have been discussing the issue with friends countrywide and we feel the Urgency to address the CORPORATE Capitalist Greed! What to do?
China's Foreign Ministry said on Monday global protests sparked by the Occupy Wall Streetmovement in the United States were a cause for "reflection", but the reflection should be focused on ensuring the world's healthy economic growth.

India's top 500 companies like Coal India Limited, RIL, ONGC, NTPC, SAIL, NMDC, Infosys, Oil India, Tata Motors, Tata Steel and others sit on cash pile of Rs 4.7 lakh crore instead of investing

Indian Holocaust My Father`s Life and Time - SEVEN HUNDRED Forty FOUR

Palash Biswas

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Exactly a month after a few hundred anti-capitalism activists set up camp in New York, the Occupy Wall Street movement has gone international and won the attention of the White House -- even if no one knows where it will go next.I am afraid that this Global Movement is also going to be Hijacked by the Brahaminical Hindutva forces to Divert and Dilute the Resistance much needed as NO Response is noted on the part of Indian Left or Ambedkarites!

I have been discussing the issue with friends countrywide and we feel the Urgency to address the CORPORATE Capitalist Greed! What to do?

China's Foreign Ministry said on Monday global protests sparked by the Occupy Wall Streetmovement in the United States were a cause for "reflection", but the reflection should be focused on ensuring the world's healthy economic growth.

Anti-greed protesters rallied globally on Saturday, denouncing bankers and politicians over the international economic crisis, with violence rocking Rome where cars were torched and bank windows smashed.

"We have noticed the media has reported a lot about this issue recently. We think that there are many issues here which people ought to think about," ministry spokesman Liu Weimin told a regular news briefing.

"We have noticed that in the media there has been comment, discussion and reflection about these activities. But all these reflections ought to be conducive towards maintaining the stable and healthy development of the global economy," he added.

Galvanized by the Occupy Wall Street movement, protests began in New Zealand, touched parts of Asia, spread to Europe, and resumed at their starting point in New York with 5,000 marchers decrying corporate greed and economic inequality.

But online calls for similar protests in mainland China over the weekend fizzled, in a country whose leaders are wary of any kind of demonstrations.

Amid concerns of a global slowdown, Chief Economic Advisor Kaushik Basu today said the Indian economy is expected to witness a growth rate between 7.5 and 8 per cent this fiscal.

"There is slowdown across the world...our growth rate would be 7.5 per cent to 8 per cent (this fiscal) ...India is one of the slowest slowdown," he said at ADB-India partnership silver jubilee celebrations here.

In the first quarter of the current fiscal, the Indian economy posted a growth rate of 7.7 per cent.

"We do expect some slowdown in exports in the second half of this year. Foreign direct investment for this year look very, very good," he said.

Long-run drivers of growth are remarkably good, he said. Earlier in the day, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said that in the medium to long-term, India remained firmly on a high GDP growth path of 8.5-9 per cent.

"We, however, need to be alert and respond to emerging challenges and concerns, in a timely manner as we make efforts to achieve our potential as a young fast growing nation," he said.

Chief Economic Advisor Kaushik Basu said partly attributed rising inflation to high wages. In India, the biggest inflation in the last one-and-a-half years is taking place in the labour-intensive sector, Basu said.

"This is a sign of rising cost of labour and also we have data now that wages are inflating faster than good and services," he said.

China's ruling Communist Party earlier this year came down hard on dissidents and rights activists after calls circulated on the internet for Chinese people to follow the lead of the Arab Spring and rise up to against their government.

The Global Times, a widely read Chinese tabloid published by Party mouthpiece the People's Daily, noted in an editorial that "western countries can withstand street demonstrations better, since their governments are elected".

"The conflicts may be minor or serious, but it will not bring significant change," it added. "China needs to stay calm and observe how the street movements in the Western world develop and to make the rights choices for its own good."

Protestors sheltering under plastic tarps in the well organized camp at Zuccotti Park, near Wall Street, began their second month Monday with plans to follow up on big demonstrations that swept through the popular Times Square area over the weekend.

They not only have set up all the basic needs of an open-air community -- ranging from a cell phone charging station to a library -- but are flush with $275,000 in donations, according to Darrell Prince, a spokesperson for the protest.

The next major event could be on Saturday which will see a "National Day of Protest to Stop Police Brutality," according to the http://occupywallst.org/ website.

Defying expectations, the movement has already had a huge impact, spawning copycat demonstrations across the United States and Europe, all with the same underlying message of anger at economic disparities between the top one percent and the other 99 percent.

Although their numbers are still relatively small -- the biggest demonstration gathered between 10,000 and 20,000 people -- senior politicians are paying close attention as the 2012 presidential contest gathers pace.
President Barack Obama has led Democrats in tentatively embracing the movement.

His spokesman on Sunday said that an election campaign trip to North Carolina and Virginia this week would address the need "to ensure that the interests of the 99 percent of Americans is well represented" -- a telling reference to the protestors' increasingly famous "we are 99 percent" slogan.

On the other side, Republican presidential candidates have been scathing in their attacks on a group, signaling that it has at the least become too big to ignore.

The latest boost for Occupy Wall Street came Saturday when Martin Luther King III, son of slain black civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr, said at a new memorial in Washington that his father would have joined the protest.

"We have bailed out the auto industry, and we should have. We bailed out Wall Street. Now it's time to bail out working Americans. That's what this is about," he said.

"I believe that if my father was alive, he would be right here with all of us involved in this demonstration today."

The protests have so far been mostly peaceful. However, 175 people were arrested in Chicago over the weekend, following other mass arrests in recent days in Boston, Denver and New York.
The main question now is how the movement, known by its initials OWS, will use its growing power. To date not a single specific demand has been issued, prompting ridicule from critics.
However, the strategy of simply providing a big tent for mostly young people unhappy about a stagnant economy and angry at the disconnect between ordinary people and the political-business elites appears to be working.

Mike Lupica, a columnist for the Daily News in New York, wrote Monday that the unpredictability of OWS was stirring the country "because nobody is sure how big the whole thing is going to get."
Some predict that the rapidly approaching cold weather in New York will drive protestors away.
However, activists deny this. And a symbol of that determination can be found right on the homepage of their website: the detailed agenda posted on the website scrolls down literally forever.

Efforts on to rationalise STT, decision likely in next budget
Efforts are on to rationalise theSecurities Transaction Tax (STT), a tax levied on sale and purchase of equity, and a decision in this regard could be taken in the 2012 Budget, said a Finance Ministry official.

"The idea is to rationalise STT so that the volumes in the capital markets increase without sacrificing revenue," he said after a meeting of Finance Ministry officials with the representatives of stock exchanges, brokers associations and Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi).

During the meeting, stock brokers urged the Finance Ministry to remove STT as it was hampering growth of the equity culture in the country.

The Finance Ministry official, however, ruled out abolition of the levy but said the government would look take on board the concerns of the stock-broking community and was open to rationalise STT.

STT ranges from 0.0125 per cent to 0.025 per cent on sale and purchase of equity. The government collects about Rs 7,500 crore per annum from STT.

The Ministry, according to the official, will hold another round of discussion on STT with stakeholders in the first week of November.

Market players have been demanding withdrawal of STT ever since it was introduced in 2004. It is argued that STT accounts for 51 per cent of the transaction cost.

The removal of STT would boost volumes on stock markets, according to BSE CEO Madhu Kannan, who attended today's meeting.

"STT was definitely one of the reasons which was affecting trading in the cash segment," Kannan said.

Among other issues, the meeting also discussed the possibility of treating STT as advance tax, as was the earlier practice. Under the present norms, STT is treated as business expense and has a bearing on profitability.

"Reverting to the earlier practice would have a similar affect as reduction in the STT," the official added.

Besides other demands, representatives of the broking community also urged the government not to levy STT on SME exchanges which were likely to become operational on BSE and NSE by mid-December.
17 OCT, 2011, 07.12AM IST, RANJIT SHINDE,ET BUREAU

India's top 500 companies like Coal India Limited, RIL, ONGC, NTPC, SAIL, NMDC, Infosys, Oil India, Tata Motors, Tata Steel and others sit on cash pile of Rs 4.7 lakh crore instead of investing

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India's top 500 companies held a cash pile of 4.7 lakh crore ($96 billion) at the end of March, showing rude health for the corporate sector while underscoring a reluctance to utilise it on expansion in an uncertain business climate.

This cash hoard, enough to build 18,000 km of six-lane expressways or 27 mega power plants, was double what it was at the height of the global financial crisis in 2008, growing at 22% compounded annually for the three years to end-March 2011, an analysis of BSE-500 firms by the ET Intelligence Group showed.

Banks and finance companies were excluded from this analysis, reducing the list to 408 firms. The list was led by Coal India, which had the biggest cash pile, and included companies such as Reliance Industries,Infosys, Tata Motors, Tata Steel, TCS and Ranbaxy Labs.

Industrialists and analysts said the analysis of the cash pile indicates that while corporate balance sheets are healthier, companies are being forced to stack up a mountain of cash instead of deploying on fresh investment opportunities.

The data comes out at a time there is widespread talk and anecdotal evidence of Indian corporates either conserving cash or investing it overseas, with the domestic economy hobbled by political challenges and in the grips of a slowdown.

Several corporates have complained of difficulties in securing land and environment clearances amid widespread perception of a policy drift. A group of business leaders and other eminent citizens, which included HDFC Chairman Deepak Parekh and Wipro chief Azim Premji, noted last week that "fresh investments are not forthcoming at the pace required for a rapidly growing economy like ours".

The ETIG analysis showed the companies increased their investments in securities by over a third since FY08, a compounded annual growth rate of 8.4%. The total cash balance and investments of the sample amounted to 8.2 lakh crore, or $167 billion, twice the Centre's planned borrowings of 3.7 lakh crore for FY12.

Cash and investments of these companies add up to close to 11% of India's gross domestic product of 75.8 lakh crore ($1.5 trillion).

The trend of companies hoarding cash is similar to that in the US. A report by S&P Valuation and Risk Strategies research group in August this year said non-financial S&P 500 companies collectively held cash and short-term investments of more than $1.1 trillion.

An analysis of the cash position alone will not reflect the true picture of a company's health since the cash could be boosted by higher borrowings, making it critical to look at cash and investments in relation to long-term borrowings.

While India Inc fares well on this count, the proportion of long-term debt supporting every rupee in cash has been rising. In FY11, the cumulative debt of the sample stood at 1.1 times cash and investments, up from a multiple of 0.8 in FY08.
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-company/corporate-trends/indias-top-500-companies-like-coal-india-limited-ril-ongc-ntpc-sail-nmdc-infosys-oil-india-tata-motors-tata-steel-and-others-sit-on-cash-pile-of-rs-4-7-lakh-crore-instead-of-investing/articleshow/10381333.cms

Singapore leads Asian reticence in denouncing corporate greed

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By Chow Yin Hon
KUALA LUMPUR | Mon Oct 17, 2011 5:03am EDT
(Reuters) - Australia and New Zealand started the rolling global protests denouncing corporate greed but capitalist countries elsewhere in Asia were reluctant to demonstrate, with the turnout in wealthy Singapore almost zero.
Protesters gathered across the world on Saturday to denounce bankers and politicians over the international economic crisis, with violence rocking Rome where cars were torched and bank windows smashed.
In New York, where the Occupy Wall Street movement began, organisers said the protest grew to at least 5,000.
Protesters had gathered in Japan and across Southeast Asia, but in the hundreds at most. Singapore didn't even manage that.
Singapore is one of the world's wealthiest nations and a regional base for many banks and fund managers, but its long-ruling People's Action Party is losing support from an electorate unhappy about the widening income divide and the government's liberal immigration policy.
The pro-government Sunday Times appeared to take pride in the non-turnout after a call to gather at Raffles Place in the financial centre failed to materialize.
"What's missing in this picture?" it asked on its front page above a picture of three policemen patrolling an almost empty Raffle Place.
SPEAKERS' CORNER
An unidentified person had set up a Facebook page and Twitter account calling on Singaporeans to protest against income inequality and a lack of accountability in the country's sovereign wealth funds, prompting a police warning.
Singapore bars demonstrations, gatherings or speeches without a permit except at a tiny "Speakers' Corner" in a small park at the edge of the central business district.
"The organisers hid behind their Facebook and Twitter accounts, posting messages such as 'we should try this again on Monday' and 'where is everyone right now?'" the newspaper said.
In Malaysia, the movement drew a modest 200 in the capital, Kuala Lumpur. Organisers blamed the poor turnout on a lack of communication and fears of a police crackdown.
"Partly it's because a lot of people are still not aware we are here, because our publicity has been limited to social media," said Fahmi Reza, 34, of the Kuala Lumpur People's Assembly, a social action group which organised the gathering.
Some of the protesters held up placards bearing the slogan "Occupy Dataran"(occupy the square), then broke into smaller groups after police instructed them to disperse.
"Anti-capitalism is not my cause but anti-authoritarianism is definitely my cause and as citizens ... we came here to stand up for our rights," said lecturer Wong Chin Huat, 38.
Large public protests are rare in Malaysia but more than 10,000 people took to the streets in July in anger over the slow pace of political reforms.
Rain curbed protests in South Korea and there was only a small turnout in the southern Chinese city of Hong Kong.
"Many Hong Kong people didn't (take part in) these actions because the economic crisis hasn't reached Hong Kong yet," said leftwing activist Napo Wong Weng-chi.
"The whole economic situation of Hong Kong is not as bad as in the U.S. or Europe."
Hundreds marched in Tokyo, where many had gathered to complain about radiation leaks from the Fukushima nuclear power plant seven months after an earthquake triggered the world's worst nuclear disaster in 25 years.
The English-language Japan Times asked why people weren't protesting, pointing to 2.04 million Japanese on welfare, the highest number since 1951.
"The answer is, they are, a little," it said. "The anti-nuclear sentiment may well spill over to other issues. Mass movements are not always correct, but those that last have good reasons for lasting."
(Additional reporting by Kevin Lim in Singapore and Sisi Tang in Hong Kong; Writing by Nick Macfie; Editing by Sanjeev Miglani)
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/10/17/uk-protests-asia-idUSLNE79G01F20111017

Full coverage

Hundreds arrested at protests against corporate greed in US Economic Times - ‎12 hours ago‎ WASHINGTON: Hundreds of people were arrested at protests against corporate greed in cities across the US, police said on Sunday. About 175 people were arrested early Sunday in Chicago, where a march was held around Grant Park. ... Thousands protest banks corporate greed in US marches Moneycontrol.com - Edith Honan, Edward McAllister - ‎Oct 15, 2011‎ NEW YORK (Reuters) - Thousands of anti-Wall Street protesters rallied in New York's Times Square on Saturday, buoyed by a global day of demonstrations in support of their monthlong campaign against corporate greed. ... Thousands protest banks, corporate greed in U.S. marches Reuters - David McNew, Cameron French - ‎Oct 15, 2011‎ A baby boomer couple marches with Occupy Los Angeles protesters in the Protest AgainstCorporate Greed on their International Day of Action in Los Angeles, California October 15, 2011. By Edith Honan and Edward McAllister NEW YORK (Reuters) - Thousands ... Thousands join NYC protest against corporate greed San Francisco Chronicle - Chris Hawley - ‎Oct 16, 2011‎ From coast to coast and North to South, the Occupy Wall Street protest against corporate greedthat started out with a few young people in a lower Manhattan park grew to vocal thousands with weekend rallies in about two dozen states and supporters ... Wall Street: Thousands join growing protests against corporate greed Economic Times - Cara Buckley, Rachel Donadio - ‎22 hours ago‎ Buoyed by the longevity of the Occupy Wall Street encampment in New York City, a wave of protests swept across Asia, the Americas and Europe on Saturday, with hundreds and in some cases thousands of people expressing discontent with the economic tides ... Rallies vs corporate greed sweep world Cebu Daily News - ‎Oct 16, 2011‎ AP Buoyed by the Occupy Wall Street encampment in New York City, protests swept across Asia, the Americas and Europe on Saturday, with hundreds and in some cases tens of thousands expressing discontent at corporate greed and rising unemployment. ... Thousands join NYC protest against corporate greed CBS News - ‎Oct 16, 2011‎ (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer) (Mary Altaffer) (AP) NEW YORK — From coast to coast and North to South, the Occupy Wall Street protest against corporate greed that started out with a few young people in a lower Manhattan park grew to vocal thousands with ... About 2000 decry corporate greed in New York march Reuters - Edith Honan, Ed McAllister - ‎Oct 15, 2011‎ The demonstrators in Lower Manhattan banged drums and chanted, "We got sold out, banks got bailed out," "All day, all week, occupy Wall Street," and "Hey hey, ho ho, corporate greed has got to go." Protests inspired by the Occupy Wall Street movement ... Across the world, the indignant rise up against corporate greed and cuts The Independent - David Randall, Matt Thomas - ‎Oct 15, 2011‎ Protests against corporate greed, executive excess and public austerity began to gel into the beginnings of a worldwide movement yesterday as tens of thousands marched in scores of cities. The "Occupy Wall Street" ... 'Corporate greed' protests spread around the world NEWS.com.au - ‎Oct 15, 2011‎ We want to make our voices heard against greed, corruption and for a democratic, just society." On Wall Street, where the growing movement began, protesters at the make-shift "Occupy" encampment are planning a march from Lower Manhattan to Times Square ... 80-plus arrested in NYC during protests against corporate greed, 45 of them in ... Washington Post - ‎Oct 15, 2011‎ By Associated Press, NEW YORK — New York police say more than 80 people have been arrested in the latest demonstrations there against corporate greed. Two police officers suffered injuries and had to be hospitalized Saturday. One had a head injury. ... 'Corporate greed' sees global protests Daily Star Online - ‎Oct 15, 2011‎ Demonstrators worldwide yesterday shouted their rage against alleged corporate greed and government cutbacks inspired by the "Occupy Wall Street" movement in the US. It was the biggest show of power yet by a movement born on May 15 when a rally in ... 70 arrested in NYC during demonstrations against corporate greed, 45 of them ... Washington Post - ‎Oct 15, 2011‎ By AP, NEW YORK — Police say more than 70 people have been arrested in New York City during demonstrations against corporate greed, including 45 in Times Square. Two police officers suffered injuries and had to be hospitalized. One had a head injury. ... Protesters rally against corporate greed NEWS.com.au - ‎Oct 14, 2011‎ HUNDREDS of people inspired by the Occupy Wall Street protest in New York have taken to the streets in Sydney's CBD to protest against corporate greed. The organisers, relying heavily on social networking sites Facebook and Twitter, ... Thousands join NYC protest against corporate greed Watertown Daily Times - ‎Oct 15, 2011‎ New York City police officers arrest people who were at a Citibank branch near Washington Square park where the Occupy Wall Street demonstrators are holding a rally, Saturday, Oct. 15, 2011 in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer) 1 Keep it Clean. ... Occupy Wall Street spirit spreads through Pacific Rim Los Angeles Times - ‎Oct 15, 2011‎ REPORTING FROM SEOUL -- The protests against corporate greed born last month on New York's Wall Street spread to the world's Asia-Pacific region Saturday, with similar marches staged in Australia, New Zealand, Japan and South Korea. ... US cops clash with 'greed' protesters The Australian - ‎Oct 15, 2011‎ Mounted police clash in New York's Times Square with demonstrators protesting againstcorporate greed. Picture: AFP Source: AFP POLICE on horseback clashed with protesters in New York's famous Times Square during a global day of "outrage" against ... Talk of the Day -- Anti-greed protests surge around world eTaiwan News - ‎Oct 16, 2011‎ More than 950 cities in 82 countries around the world have seen a surge of protests against economic inequality and corporate greed, echoing the Occupy Wall Street campaign in New York. On Saturday, the campaign became global as people around the world ... Thousands in Canada join anti-corporate protests Channel News Asia - ‎Oct 15, 2011‎ TORONTO: Over 10000 Canadians blew bubbles, strummed guitars and chanted anti-corporate slogans at protests across the country Saturday, as part of global demonstrations againstcorporate greed. In Toronto, an estimated 5000 people inspired by the ... Anti-Wall Street movement spreads to more cities Economic Times - ‎Oct 16, 2011‎ NEW YORK: About 175 protesters who were part of a growing anti-corporate greed movement were arrested in Chicago early Sunday after they refused to take down their tents and leave a city park when it closed, somewhat of a contrast to demonstrators ... Thousands join NYC protest against corporate greed CBS News - Suzette Laboy, Steve Szkotak - ‎14 hours ago‎ Could this be the peak for loosely organized protesters, united less by a common cause than by revulsion to what they consider unbridled corporate greed? Or are they just getting started? There are signs of confidence, but also signs of tension among ... Occupy Wall Street live: one month on The Guardian (blog) - ‎43 minutes ago‎ Occupy Wall Street celebrates its one month anniversary today, after a weekend which saw hundreds of thousands demonstrate against corporate greed around the world. Demonstrators affiliated with the Occupy Wall Street rally in New York's Times Square. ... Many see lack of focus in growing Occupy Wall Street movement Economic Times - ‎9 hours ago‎ NEW YORK: As the 'Occupy Wall Street' protests enter their second month inspiring similar demonstrations against corporate greed across the globe, criticism is growing in some quarters that the movement lacks focus and there is absence of specific ... What's Occupy's staying power without leaders? The Seattle Times - Chris Hawley, David B. Caruso - ‎16 hours ago‎ While the movement's message against corporate greed has struck a nerve with many Americans, the lack of leaders in Manhattan and at other protest camps has baffled many. By CHRIS HAWLEY and DAVID B. CARUSO The Associated Press BEBETO MATTHEWS / AP ... Chicago protesters arrested Washington Times - ‎14 hours ago‎ Police arrested 175 people protesting what they called corporate greed after they refused to take down their tents and leave Grant Park when it closed Saturday night. (Associated Press) About 175 protesters inspired by the "Occupy Wall Street" movement ... Occupy protests spread across globe TheNewsTribune.com - ‎10 hours ago‎ LONDON – Inspired by the Occupy Wall Street protests that began in New York, protesters here entered a second day of demonstrations Sunday as they reiterated their anger at the global financial system, corporate greed and government cutbacks. ... "Occupy Wall Street" Goes Global Sacramento Bee - ‎Oct 15, 2011‎ Protesters smashed the windows of shops in Rome and torched a car as violence broke out during a demonstration in the Italian capital, part of worldwide protests against corporate greed and austerity measures. Gregorio Borgia | AP Police fire tear gas ... Occupy Toronto protesters gather at Ryerson CBC.ca - ‎53 minutes ago‎ MAP The Occupy Wall Street movement swells Protesters take aim at 'corporate greed' Occupy Toronto protesters marched to Ryerson University Monday after an earlier protest in the city's financial district drew only a few dozen demonstrators. ... Protesters, police clash in New York's Times Square Economic Times - ‎Oct 15, 2011‎ NEW YORK: Dozens of people were arrested Saturday as police on horseback clashed with anti-corporate greed protesters in New York's famous Times Square during a global day of "outrage" against corporate greed. Police packed 71 "Occupy Wall Street" ... Occupy Wall Street movement comes to SLC The Statesman - ‎3 hours ago‎ Thousands of people are protesting "corporate greed" around the world in a pair of movements called Occupy Wall Street and Occupy Together. Under the slogan "We are the 99 percent," members of the Occupy movements say corporations — who they say ...

Hundreds arrested at 'Occupy' events in Chicago, Denver, Arizona, as movement spreads across U.S.16 Oct 1011 Hundreds of demonstrators were arrested in Chicago and other cities on Saturday night and Sunday morning, as the anti-corporate fury from the Occupy Wall Street protests in New York continue to spread across the country. Shortly after 1 a.m. in Chicago, police arrested some 175 protesters who had set up a makeshift tent city and formed a human chain in Congress Plaza by Grant Park, according to a report in the Chicago Tribune.
175 Chicago protesters arrested after being told to leave Grant Park 16 Oct 2011 Chicago police arrested about 175 Occupy Chicago protestors in Congress Plaza just after 1 a.m. Sunday, about 90 minutes after police issued their first warning that the group was violating municipal code. Police completed the last arrests and cleared the plaza of protesters at 3:30 am, more than two hours after arrests began. The protesters will likely be cited with municipal violations and face fines, police said.
NY police arrest dozens of protesters 16 Oct 2011 At least 74 people have been arrested in New York City as police on horseback clashed with protesters in Times Square during a global day of demonstrations against corporate greed. Police loaded at least 45 "Occupy Wall Street" protesters who'd been detained at the square onto waiting vans. Thousands of demonstrators who'd mixed with tourists had poured into the major commercial intersection, amid a heavy security presence.
Thousands of protesters fill NYC's Times Square 15 Oct 2011 Thousands of demonstrators protesting corporate greed filled Times Square on Saturday night, mixing with gawkers, Broadway showgoers, tourists and police to create a chaotic scene in the midst of Manhattan. "Banks got bailed out, we got sold out!" protesters chanted from within police barricades. Police, some in riot gear and mounted on horses, tried to push them out of the square and onto the sidewalks in an attempt to funnel the crowds away.
Arrests made after Phoenix 'Occupy' protests 16 Oct 2011 About 50 Occupy Phoenix protesters descended on the Fourth Avenue Jail in Phoenix to support the 45 demonstrators arrested early Sunday. "Bankers get a bailout and we get jail," they chanted before marching back to Cesar Chavez Plaza on Sunday afternoon. Later that evening, about 150 demonstrators crowded the sidewalks at the plaza under the watch of police officers. Three demonstrators were arrested when they refused to get off the street after the plaza's closing hour.
Cornel West one of 19 arrested at Supreme Court 16 Oct 2011 Liberal professor Cornel West was one of 19 people arrested on the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington on Sunday, according to the Associated Press, as part of the Occupy Wall Street movement. West, a former Harvard University professor now teaching at Princeton University, took part Sunday in the dedication of the monument to the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. He then, according to media reports, moved on to a protest at the home of the high court. A well-known commentator on civil rights issues, West recently got into a TV spat with presidential candidate Herman Cain, telling Cain to "get off the symbolic crack pipe." [Yes, and the real one, too.]
Cindy Sheehan arrested at Wall Street protest in Sacramento 16 Oct 2011 Anti-war mother Cindy Sheehan was arrested along with 18 other demonstrators at Cesar Chavez Park in Sacramento early Sunday, police said. Sheehan, 53, was booked into Sacramento County Jail at 3:15 a.m. for unlawful assembly in the park and failing to follow police orders to disburse, police said. Occupy Sacramento reported there have been 58 arrests at the park at Ninth and I streets across from City Hall since the nationwide protests began Oct. 6.
L.A. City Council Votes to Support Occupy LA 12 Oct 2011 Occupy LA has gained the official support of the Los Angeles City Council after it unanimously approved a resolution Wednesday afternoon. It now heads to Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa for his approval or veto... A handful of local banking leaders spoke up, reminding the council that they invest in the community, but the crowd was overwhelmingly in support of the nascent national movement that seeks to bring attention to and solve a number of issues surrounding jobs, banks and corporations.
Wikileaks Julian Assange attends London protest 15 Oct 2011 Wikileaks founder Julian Assange is attending a demonstration in London -- part of worldwide protests against corporate greed and austerity measures. Assange traveled to London from his friend Vaughan Smith's country mansion in Suffolk, eastern England. Assange is living there on bail as he fights extradition to Sweden. Smith said Assange planned to attend Saturday's Occupy Wall Street demonstration and then return home by 10 p.m. to meet the terms of his curfew.
Arrest Bush! Canadians call for presidential scalp 13 Oct 2011 Will George Bush be arrested if he steps foot in Canada? The latest call from human rights groups to prosecute the former US President [sic] for allowing torture under his watch prove Bush is unable to shake the consequences of his much maligned war on terror. Several human rights groups have called on the Canadian government to investigate former US President George Bush for authorizing torture. As Bush is scheduled to visit Canada later this month, the groups hope to set a precedent that even the highest level government officials are not above the law.
'US mobilizes forces along Pakistan border' 16 Oct 2011 The United States has deployed hundreds of troops along Afghanistan's border with Pakistan's tribal region, Press TV reported. Reinforced with gunships and heavy weaponry, some 500 of the forces had been stationed near Afghanistan's border with Pakistan's North Waziristan region, a senior Pakistani government official told our correspondent on condition of anonymity on Sunday. The official went on to explain that the motive behind the move was yet unknown, but that the deployment could be part of a military drill to later launch a ground assault against the Taliban-allied Haqqani network of militants.
Pakistan warns US against drone attacks 17 Oct 2011 Pakistan has warned the US about ongoing non-UN-sanctioned air strikes in its tribal regions, insisting that there are no agreements between Washington and Islamabad over drone attacks, Press TV reports. "Any aggression against Pakistan would be dealt with full force", Pakistan's Defense Minister Ahmed Mukhtar told reporters in eastern Lahore on Sunday. The minister also made it clear that Islamabad has not signed any agreements with Washington concerning the right to carry out drone attacks in Pakistan's tribal regions.
Blast kills 5 Afghan policemen, child 16 Oct 2011 Local officials say a bomb attack has killed five police officers and a child in southern Afghanistan, Press TV reports. On Friday, a bomber detonated an explosive-laden car at a checkpoint in the town of Spin Boldak in Kandahar province, a Press TV correspondent reported on Saturday. Five police officers and a child were killed and several civilians were injured in the incident.
US forces kill 4 Afghan civilians 16 Oct 2011 At least four Afghan civilians have been killed after US military forces attacked a residential area in the war-torn country's eastern province of Kunar, Press TV reports. According to Afghan officials, the blast took place late Friday in Asmar district, killing at least four civilians and injuring another six, a Press TV correspondent reported on Saturday.
US-led copter lands hard in Afghanistan 16 Oct 2011 A helicopter operated by the US-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) was forced to land in troubled southeastern Afghanistan. "An ISAF CH-47 helicopter conducted a forced landing during a mission in southern Afghanistan yesterday," Xinhua news agency said, citing a statement released by the military alliance on Saturday. The statement added that the helicopter was flying a troop transport mission with 12 passengers and five aircrew members on board.
Militants attack US base in Afghanistan 15 Oct 2011 Militants have attacked a US base in Afghanistan's northeastern province of Panjshir, killing two Afghan drivers and injuring two Afghan security forces, Press TV reports. On Saturday, militants hit a security tower using a rocket-propelled grenade and detonated an explosives-laden vehicle outside the base located in the district of Rakha, provincial Police Chief General Mohammad Qasim Jangalbagh said. The Afghan police commander said that there was some damage to the base.
British soldier killed in Afghanistan 16 Oct 2011 A British soldier serving in the US-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) has been shot dead while manning a checkpoint in Afghanistan's southwestern province of Helmand. The Royal Gurkha Rifles soldier from the regiment's 2nd Battalion was killed on Saturday during operations with Afghan policemen in the Nahr-e Saraj district of Helmand province, AFP reported.
Syria seizes Israeli weapons 17 Oct 2011 The Syrian security forces have seized Israeli weapons from armed groups responsible for the killing of hundreds of people across the country. The Syrian envoy to the regional grouping of the Arab League (AL) made this announcement at an emergency meeting in the 22-member body's headquarters in the Egyptian capital of Cairo on Sunday. Youssef Ahmad said, "They are Israeli made automatic weapons. This is proven and we'll show it on TV channels," Syrian state television reported.
Turkey: US Israel's attorney 16 Oct 2011 Turkey's prime minister has questioned the Unites States all-out support for and cooperation with Israel, Press TV reports. On Saturday, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu unveiled part of a recent dialogue between the country's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and US President Barack Obama. "You are acting as Israel's attorney," Erdogan told Obama, Davutoglu said during an address to the prime minister's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).
'US will regret any anti-Iran move' 16 Oct 2011 The Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei warns the US and its allies against any unwise action against Tehran, stressing that such a move would receive a strong response from Iran. The Leader was referring to Washington's accusations regarding Iran's alleged involvement in a plot to assassinate Saudi Arabian Ambassador Adel al-Jubeir, with help from a suspected member of a Mexican drug cartel.
Fukushima Clean-Up Attracts Bids for $14 Billion in Projects 14 Oct 2011 Sumitomo Corp., IHI Corp. and Obayashi Corp. are among companies seeking to win decontamination contracts around the wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant as Japan sets aside $14 billion for the clean up. Fukushima prefecture has received 143 preliminary proposals, mostly to decontaminate radiated soil and water, from companies, universities, non-profit organizations and individuals, according to documents obtained by Bloomberg News from the prefectural government. Japan's environment ministry will budget more than 1.1 trillion yen for decontamination by the end of the next fiscal year, Goshi Hosono, minister in charge of the response to the nuclear crisis, said Sept. 30.
Missouri Gov. orders National Guard to help search for missing baby in Kansas City 16 Oct 2011 Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon is sending members of the National Guard to Kansas City to help search for a missing baby. Nixon said Saturday that 25 members of a guard police company will help look for Lisa Irwin, who was 10 months old when she was reported missing Oct. 4. Her parents say she disappeared from her crib sometime overnight.
Japan cities face growing radioactive ash, troubles ahead --400 tones of radioactive ash have piled up at one incineration plant 17 Oct 2011 In the Japanese city of Ohtawara, more than 100 km (62 miles) southwest of the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant, 400 tones of radioactive ash have piled up at a garbage incineration plant, which will run out of protected storage space in two weeks. Further south, the city of Kashiwa has been forced to temporarily shut a high-tech incinerator because its advanced technology that minimizes the amount of ash produced has the side-effect of boosting the concentration of radiation. Fresh bags of radioactive ash will have to be left in empty outdoor space at the incineration facility with no proper shelter around them, an Ohtawara city official said.
Radioactive lockdown on the shores of Fife 14 Oct 2011 A section of Scottish coastline has been cordoned off after scientists found a radioactive object ten times more contaminated than any found there before. Particles were first found on the shoreline of Dalgety Bay more than 20 years ago and the contamination has been linked to childhood cancer. The radiation is believed to originate from radium coatings from dials on military aircraft based at Donibristle airbase which were incinerated after the Second World War.
Herman Cain's deep ties to Koch brothers key to campaign 16 Oct 2011 Republican presidential hopeful [sociopath] Herman Cain has cast himself as the outsider, the pizza magnate with real-world experience who will bring fresh ideas to the nation's capital. But Cain's economic ideas, support and organization have close ties to two billionaire brothers who bankroll right-leaning causes through their group Americans for Prosperity. Cain's campaign manager and a number of aides have worked for Americans for Prosperity, or AFP, the advocacy group founded with support from billionaire brothers Charles and David Koch, which lobbies for lower taxes and less government regulation and spending. Cain credits a businessman who served on an AFP advisory board with helping devise his "9-9-9" plan to rewrite the nation's tax code.
Romney Is Mining Wall Street --His Finance-Sector Donations Top Perry, Who Outdraws Him From Energy Firms 17 Oct 2011 The battle for Republican fund-raising cash appears to be a close tussle between Mitt Romney and Rick Perry. But an examination of the latest available data shows the former Massachusetts governor cast a wider net while dominating the race for Wall Street, the single largest source of campaign cash in presidential elections. A quarter of the biggest donors to Mr. Romney's campaign are hedge fund managers, investment bankers and others on Wall Street, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis of more than 10,000 individuals who donated the maximum amount allowed to the presidential candidates so far this year.
Pelosi Left Out of Leaders Meeting on Super Committee 14 Oct 2011 Congressional leaders met this week with two of the most important people in Washington: the co-chairmen of the Joint Committee for Deficit Reduction Super Dictatorship. There was only one problem: House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi didn't even know the meeting was taking place. With work on the all-important super committee finally kicking into high gear, panel co-chairmen Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) and Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-Texas) met with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), Speaker John Boehner (R-Nutjob-Ohio) and Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) in the leadership suite of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.). Kyl is also member of the deficit panel.
Does Susan G Komen perfume sold to raise funds for cancer research actually CAUSE cancer? 16 Oct 2011 The Susan G Komen for the Cure foundation is facing calls to pull its 'Promise Me' from the shelves after it was revealed that it may actually contain ingredients that cause cancer. A rival cancer charity claims that the scent contains toxic chemicals that are not listed on the label and are linked to breast cancer. Karuna Jagger, executive director of Breast Cancer Action, said that they had the contents tested after concerns about the perfume, which is sold at stores including JC Penney, Target and Amazon. [One of the biggest obstacles to preventing, fighting and curing cancer is the Susan G Komen for the Cure corpora-terrorist troll foundation. Komen's raison d'etre is to provide a media shield for the corporations that work with them to poison air, land, and sea and consequently - cause cancer. --LRP]
So desperate for the seal of approval! The fame-hungry extrovert who got in the way of the preening penguins 16 Oct 2011 This cheeky chap is clearly desperate to get the SEAL of approval after popping up and posing for pictures. The extrovert elephant seal shocked onlookers by springing into action while photographers tried to capture a group of royal penguins at Saint Andrew's Bay in South Georgia near The Falklands. The fame-hungry seal surprised the excited crowd by suddenly appearing from behind a dune before disappearing and re-appearing several times in an apparent bid to dominate the photo shoot.

Govt may hike circle rates in posh colonies by 200%
Delhi government is planning to hike the circle rates -- the minimum valuation of land and immovable properties -- by upto 200 per cent in posh colonies in the city, a move aimed at tackling black market and which may trigger hefty rise in property rates. Top officials in Delhi Revenue
department said government wants to hike the circle rates to stop "flow of black money" in property transaction so that government does not lose revenue from registration fee and stamp duty.
"In most cases, actual rates of properties are not shown on paper and that is why government does loses revenue on stamp duty and registration fees," they said.
The city government had increased the circle rates in February this year by over 100%.
Justifying the move, a senior minister said circle rates in Delhi are still less than circle rates in satellite towns like Noida and Gurgaon.
Officials said the circle rates have been proposed to be increased in the range of 50-200%.
"The Cabinet will examine the proposal very soon," said a Revenue department official, adding the hike may be around 200% in posh colonies like Defence Colony, Golf Links and Gulmohar Park.
In the last revision, Rs 86,000 per sq m has been fixed for category A colonies like Defence Colony, Greater Kailash, Gulmohar Park, Panchsheel Enclave, Anandlok, Green Park, Hauz Khas and Nehru Place. The circle rate in these colonies prior to the revision was Rs 43,000 per sq m.
Rs 68,200 per sq m has been fixed for colonies like Andrews Ganj, Kalkaji, Munirka Vihar and Nehru Enclave.
Similarly for category C colonies, the rate has been fixed at Rs 54,600 per sq m while for category D colonies it was fixed at Rs 43,600 sq m.

ADB's role in infrastructure building lauded

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India remains firmly on a high GDP growth path of 8.5-9 %, says Pranab
Even as the economy is going through a phase of high inflation and sluggish growth, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Monday expressed confidence that India would maintain and was firmly on the high growth trajectory of 8.5-9 per cent in the medium- to long-term.
Addressing delegates at the ADB-India partnership silver jubilee function here, Mr. Mukherjee said: "In the medium- to long-term, India remains firmly on a high GDP growth path of 8.5-9 per cent. We, however, need to be alert and respond to emerging challenges and concern, in a timely manner as we make efforts to achieve our potential as a young and fast-growing nation".

PRICE VOLATILITY

Mr. Mukherjee pointed out that for India, like many other countries, food security and volatility in prices have been a matter of concern and that the solution to these problems lay in increased production. "We recognise that the increase in agriculture production on a sustainable basis is a long-term solution to the problems of availability as well as high and fluctuating food and commodity prices," he said.
The ADB, Mr. Mukherjee said, should focus on issues that help in linking farms to markets and promote research activities and efforts in improving productivity of dry-land farming, efficient use of water, rain-fed irrigation, development of drought-resistant varieties of seeds and other similar concerns. "Both intellectual and innovative physical efforts are needed to give a new meaning to the concept of sustainable development. We look forward to drawing on ADB's vast experience and expertise for implementing projects that contribute to a more efficient use of water and other natural resources," he said.
Mr. Mukherjee stressed that for sustaining the growth momentum and enhancing productivity, development of the country's infrastructure sector was of critical importance. "The XII Plan (2012-17) has an ambitious target of infrastructure investment estimated at $1 trillion," he said and highlighted the role that the ADB had played in this regard by way of valuable and technical assistance in public-private partnership for development of the sector. "We need to further step-up the momentum of our collaboration in this important area, considering the huge investment needs of the sector," he said.

CLEAN ENERGY

Mr. Mukherjee also sought greater help from the multilateral lending agency as achievement of an inclusive and environmentally sustainable growth would require the support of alternate and renewable energy sources. "We hope ADB's assistance in developing clean and alternative sources of energy and technology to expand energy efficiency measures on all fronts would be scaled up," he said.
Turning to development of the Asian region as a whole, Mr. Mukherjee said that despite sustained high growth, Asia was not on an "autopilot mode" and would require careful steering and direction. Policymakers, he said, have the "onerous responsibility of shaping the path to make the Asian Century a reality" as the "opportunities are immense and the challenges formidable".
While achieving broad-based, inclusive and sustained growth was of paramount importance, equally important was the need for sustaining high growth, he said. "For this, it is vital for Asian economies to successfully transform their growth from being resource-driven to high-skill and productivity-driven," he said.
Mr. Mukherjee exhorted the ADB to take up South-South cooperation as a priority and become a vehicle for countries to share their experiences on inclusive growth and poverty alleviation. "India stands ready to help and partner the ADB on its vision of achieving a hunger and poverty-free Asia and to make available to others in Asia its experience in nation building," he said.
Keywords: ADB-India partnership, poverty alleviation

http://www.thehindu.com/business/article2546376.ece

India's economy 'is slowing sharply': Moody's
India's slowing economic growth is a "cause for worry", research group Moody's Analytics said Monday, highlighting the failure of aggressive interest rate hikes to curb near double-digit inflation.

India's growth has weakened under the brunt of 12 interest rate increases since March 2010 that have pushed up borrowing costs for everything from consumer appliances to plant equipment.

India's growth would slow from an expected 7.8 percent year-on-year in the first half of 2011 to 6.5 percent by mid-2012, said Glenn Levine, senior economist at Moody's Analytics.

That still implied a "soft landing" -- a rate of growth high enough to avoid recession -- Levine said in a research note, while warning that this outcome was "by no means assured".

Although the economy of neighbouring emerging market China was also slowing, it was happening "at an entirely manageable rate", Levine said.

"India presents a more serious cause for worry" as its economy "is slowing sharply," he said.

With inflation remaining stubbornly high at 9.72 percent in September, India's central bank may be forced into further monetary tightening in the months ahead which would exacerbate the slowdown, Levine said.

Many economists expect another 25-basis point rate hike later this month, pushing India's benchmark lending rate to around a three-year peak of 8.50 percent.

"So far, the Reserve Bank of India's 325 basis points' worth of tightening must be judged a failure" while domestic demand has been hit hard, Levine added.

The faltering US economy and eurozone debt crisis are beginning to curb growth in Asia, prompting many central banks in the region to shift focus from fighting inflation to promoting growth.

Indonesia, whose central bank was the first in the region to loosen monetary policy in the region in response to the latest global financial crisis, is "still in good shape," Levine said.

Singapore, among the most open, trade-dependent economies in Asia, and whose growth path is a bellwether for the region, has shown a rebound in economic expansion, he noted.

China's economy should help keep growth in the Asia-Pacific region on a solid footing, Levine said.

"But if China and India, the region's two emerging giants, were to slow more than expected, much of the region could be pushed into recession," he said.

Australia "offers the clearest example" of vulnerability with growth driven by booming mining and its strong links to Chinese commodity demand, while the rest of the economy is still struggling, he said.

"A fall in commodity demand linked to slowdowns in China and India would be enough to knock Australia's patchy recovery off track," Levine said.

South Korea also relies heavily on China's demand for plant equipment and other machinery.

Its growth should continue at a "decent, though not outstanding clip," he forecast, but there are "growing downside risks" from any collapse in export demand.

Occupy Wall Street live: one month on

Occupy Wall Street celebrates its one month anniversary today, after a weekend which saw hundreds of thousands demonstrate against corporate greed around the world.
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Demonstrators affiliated with the Occupy Wall Street rally in New York's Times Square. Photograph: Mary Altaffer/AP
12.34pm: UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has said he understands the occupy movement, according to an Associated Press report:

Ban told reporters during a visit to Switzerland that the finance chiefs from the Group of 20 rich and developing nations should listen to the people and come up with "actionable plans" to fix the problems.

"Business as usual, or just looking at their own internal economic issues, will not give any answers to a very serious international economic crisis," Ban said, as G-20 talks were being held in Paris.

"That is what you are seeing all around the world, starting from Wall Street, people are showing their frustrations, are trying to send a very clear and unambiguous message around the world," he said.

12.10pm: The Washington Post reports that Occupy Wall Street has raised some $300,000 in cash through website donations and visitors to the park.

The movement has an account at Amalgamated Bank, which bills itself as "the only 100 percent union-owned bank in the United States."

Donated goods ranging from blankets and sleeping bags to cans of food and medical and hygienic supplies are being stored in a cavernous space donated by the United Federation of Teachers, which has offices in the building a block from Wall Street near the private park protesters occupy.

Among the items are 20 pairs of swimming goggles (to shield protesters from pepper-spray attacks). Supporters are shipping about 300 boxes a day, many with notes and letters, Strekal said.

"Some are heartwrenching, beautiful," and come from people who have lost jobs and houses, he said. "So they send what they can, even if it's small."

Strekal said donated goods, stored for a "long-term occupation," have been used to create "Jail Support" kits consisting of a blanket, a granola bar and sanitary wipes for arrested protesters to receive when they are freed.

11.44am: This map from the website map.15october.net shows how widely demonstrations spread across the world on 15 October.United for #globalchange map of all 15 October action Photograph: United for #globalchange
It was compiled by gathering details of occupations and protests from people tweeting #event15oct. Impressive.
11.19am: Some 175 people were arrested in Chicago at the weekend after attempting to expand their occupation from the city's financial district to Grant Park. Undeterred, however, demonstrators are planning a march in the city today.
ABC News reports:

A permit is required for staying overnight in the park, and organizers admitted to not seeking a permit. The demonstrators say they refused repeated orders from police to leave.

Those arrested were held in police custody overnight but were released a few hours later.

"The Chicago Police Department handled it in a very professional manner. They were courteous. We were given multiple warnings of what was going to take place," said Andrew Smith, who was arrested.

Many of those arrested are returned Sunday night for another march and rally. Once again, they repeated their message against corporate greed in the face of high unemployment and home foreclosures.

The news channel said the Occupy Chicago movement has since spread to other parts of Illinois, including Peoria and Springfield, where "hundreds chanted and marched through downtown streets".
Occupy Chicago's home base continues to be Chicago's financial district. Meanwhile, organizers say they will start a daily meeting in Grant Park.
The Chicago Tribune said police used the attempted occupation as "a trial run" for dealing with the two international summits, and the expected protests around them, which are coming to Chicago next year. Unlike some of the policing in New York, however, it seems the demonstration on Saturday night was quelled in a peaceful manner:

It also would set a bad precedent for dealing with thousands of demonstrators expected to converge on Chicago from around the world during the G-8 and NATO summits that will be held simultaneously in May, the source said.

The arrests were a stark contrast to the clash that occurred in New York two weeks ago when nearly 700 protesters were arrested on the Brooklyn Bridge.

Chicago police maintained open lines of communication with the group throughout the protest and extended ample time and opportunity for the group to leave the park, said Lt. Maureen Biggane, a police spokeswoman. The group largely complied, she said.

10.51am: Karen McVeigh writes that a bid is underway to help those arrested for their involvement in OWS prostests avoid prosecutions:

Lawyers representing hundreds of Occupy Wall Street protesters arrested over the last few weeks are demanding that prosecutors drop the charges. They say if not, they will insist on going to trial, putting pressure on Manhattan's busy criminal courts.

Members of the rights group, the National Lawyers Guild, plan to meet with prosecutors from Manhattan's District Attorney's office today to set out their position.

Defence lawyer Martin Stolar told the Daily News: "I'd like to suggests to the DA's office the appropriate way to deal with these cases is outright dismissal."

First-time offenders on minor crimes are generally offered an "adjournment in contemplation of dismissal", where charges are dismissed after six months if the offender is not re-arrested.

10.30am: Today marks the one month anniversary of Occupy Wall Street. The initial group occupied Zuccotti Park on 17 September, and since then the demonstrators marches and near-removal have kept them in the public eye.
Saturday marked Occupy Wall Street's biggest day of action so far, with up to 20,000 gathering in Times Square at 5pm. Streets were blocked off and protesters contained behind barriers as they chanted anti-corporate messages, while police deployed officers on horseback and arrested 70 people during the day.
The action later spread to Washington Square Park, some 30 blocks south of Times Square, where a spontaneous occupation was discussed, decided upon and then dispersed by police, who arrested around 10 would-be occupiers.
From the Guardian's story yesterday:

Protests inspired by the Occupy Wall Street movement in New York and the "Indignants" in Spain have spread to cities around the world.

Tens of thousands went on the march in New York, London, Frankfurt, Madrid, Rome, Sydney and Hong Kong as organisers aimed to "initiate global change" against capitalism and austerity measures.

There were extraordinary scenes in New York where at least 10,000 protesters took their message from the outpost of Zuccotti Park into the heart of the city, thronging into Times Square.

Only 36 hours earlier, police were preparing to evict the protest from Zuccotti Park. On Saturday they escorted thousands of marchers all day as they made their way uptown through Manhattan, and looked on as they held a rally at a New York landmark.

We'll have the latest news and developments on Occupy Wall Street and other occupations around the world, as protesters celebrate having spent one month in Zuccotti Park. Have your say by leaving a comment below or tweeting me @AdamGabbatt
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/blog/2011/oct/17/occupy-wall-street-live-protests?CMP=NECNETTXT8187

How Occupy Wall Street Is Like the Internet

OCT 17 2011, 8:01 AM ET 3
The strange but true story of a forest-dwelling man whose words wound up on a protest sign 3,000 miles from his home


Browsing the Web just now, I had a surprising experience that could only occur in this era of political protest. Holed up in a redwood forest on the Northern California coast, the nearest McDonald's two hours away, I clicked through to some photos of Occupy Wall Street protestors in New York City, and saw that one of their signs displayed in big block letters 46 words that I wrote! They're being held aloft by an attractive 20-something blond woman I've never met before.

This is the story of how they got there -- or at least the small part of it I know, which is all that's required to see why it could only happen now, and how political engagement in America is changing.

As you'll soon agree, it is impossible to know when the story begins, but perhaps it started with J.J. Gould, deputy editor of TheAtlantic.com. An item he posted Thursday caught my attention. It sought to explain what most media observers don't get about the Occupy Wall Street protests. Gould noted the staggering diversity of messages displayed by the protestors. "Some will be confused, sure, maybe ridiculous; but many have already shown themselves to be, whether ultimately right or wrong, informed, smart, and serious. Why summarily 'oppose' them?" he asked. "Why not, say, engage them in conversation? There's no good reason to suspend criticism about Occupy Wall Street, or necessarily to buy into any one of its zillion messages; but there's no good reason, either, just to pick our favorite things to hate ... and then tell ourselves that the whole multifaceted, rapidly changing movement must be those things writ large."

I thought Gould was right. And reading his post, I was also alerted to an insight that Douglas Rushkoff had at CNN.com. "We are witnessing America's first true Internet-era movement," Rushkoff wrote, "which does not take its cue from a charismatic leader, express itself in bumper-sticker-length goals and understand itself as having a particular endpoint. ... unlike a political campaign designed to get some person in office and then close up shop, this is not a movement with a traditional narrative arc. As the product of the decentralized networked-era culture, it is less about victory than sustainability. It is not about one-pointedness, but inclusion and groping toward consensus. It is not like a book; it is like the Internet."

Hmmm.

What does it mean for a protest movement to be like the Internet?

For me, that was one of those get-up-and-get-a-beer lines. "A Get-up-and-Get-a-Beer-Line isn't a bad line," explains Mickey Kaus. "It's often a good line, a line cherished and protected like a beloved child by its proud author. But it's a line packed with so much resonant meaning, or so many different possible meanings -- all interesting and profound! -- that you get up to get a beer ...."

I got up and got a beer.

Then I went to a nearby beach with my fiance and her dog. The dog's name is Isabel, and once she reaches the sand, she runs very fast in a huge circle, encircling us in paw prints, then sprints to the water, where for reasons unknown she pulls all the stray pieces of kelp she can from the shoreline up to dry sand. As she does this vital work, there is sun-speckled blue water all the way to the horizon, occasional pelicans gliding by, a bluff as backdrop with small waterfalls trickling down.

I'd forgotten all about Occupy Wall Street.

Yet J.J. Gould's piece and Douglas Rushkoff's thoughts must have been working their way through my subconscious, because when I got home that night, a post started to form in my mind. I still didn't quite grok what it meant to have a non-narrative protest movement that resembled the Internet more than a book. But I worked out some other thoughts on screen for an hour, finally coming up with an item titled "Occupy Wall Street's Biggest Strength Is Neutering It."

Roughly 11,000 people read it, as best I can tell.

Here is the Cliff's Note version: If you're raging against the symbol of Wall Street, your message is going to resonate with a lot of people. But it's so abstract that it's going to provoke a backlash too -- after all, for some people Wall Street remains a symbol of free enterprise  and meritocracy. The case against symbolic Wall Street turns out to be weaker than the one against actual Wall Street, I wrote, since actual Wall Street's firms did specific unethical and illegal things.

To practice the kind of grounded-in-the-real-world critique I was preaching, I even offered a specific criticism of actual Wall Street.

I wrote:

Figuring out precisely how to feel about Occupy Wall Street or "We are the 53 Percent" is difficult for many. Much easier to decide that it's wrong to create a mortgage-backed security filled with loans you know are going to fail so that you can sell it to a client who isn't aware that you sabotaged it by intentionally picking the misleadingly rated loans most likely to be defaulted upon; or that it actually doesn't make sense to blame Wall Street for inflation in college costs, the student loan market they spurred, and the culture that sent a message to too many young people that borrowing for education is always a good investment.
The allusion is to the SEC case against Goldman Sachs that Planet Money made intelligible to me inthis podcast -- when I listened to it, back in April of 2010, is another place this story could have begun.

Here is where it climaxes:


My words on a sign in New York City, where they were photographed by Ben Furnas, who I bizarrely happen to know, and who presumably didn't know I was their author; he posted the image on his Twitter feed, where it was discovered by Xeni Jardin, a writer at BoingBoing, who then posted the photograph under the headline "#OccupyWallStreet Sign of the Day: It's Wrong."

But I didn't see it on Ben's Twitter feed, though I follow him, or on BoingBoing, though I'm a regular reader. I'd have missed it entirely but for one of my Twitter followers, who wrote, "@conor64 Did you see that a quote from your article made it onto a protest sign?" I hadn't! Is that where the story begins?

I still don't know.

But I do know that I now understand a little better what it means for a protest movement to be without "a traditional narrative arc," to be "the product of the decentralized networked-era culture," to be about "inclusion and groping toward consensus." I now see how Occupy Wall Street is like the Internet -- and that parts of this protest movement would be impossible without it.

Image credits: Conor Friedersdorf, Ben Furnas

http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2011/10/how-occupy-wall-street-is-like-the-internet/246759/

Ambani Armed With $12.6 Billion to Buy Assets as Energy Valuations Slump

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By Rakteem Katakey - Oct 17, 2011 1:09 PM GMT+0530

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Mukesh D. Ambani, chairman of Reliance Industries Ltd. Photographer: Pankaj Nangia/Bloomberg

Billionaire Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Industries Ltd. (RIL) is poised to use its record cash for overseas acquisitions to take advantage of the cheapest valuations of oil and natural gas companies in three years as profit growth slows.
"Reliance has a strong balance sheet and sustained earning base to pursue growth opportunities," Chairman Ambani, 54, said Oct. 15 after the refiner and explorer reported that asset sales to BP Plc (BP/)helped boost cash to 614.9 billion rupees ($12.6 billion). Quarterly profit rose 16 percent from a year earlier.
Reliance, PetroChina Co. and Cnooc Ltd. are among Asian companies likely to spend $150 billion over the next five years on assets to secure energy supplies for the region's growing economies, according to Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. Ambani has bought shale gas assets in the U.S. and is targeting acreages in Canada after a drop in gas output in India led to a 21 percent decline in his company's shares in Mumbai trading this year.
"A large energy acquisition may be just what they need to kick-start things," said Kamlesh Kotak, vice president of research at Asian Markets Securities Pvt. in Mumbai. "That will be the best possible use of their cash, which has become pretty huge now."
Reliance fell as much as 4 percent, its biggest decline in almost a month, after its net income of 57.03 billion rupees for the three months ended Sept. 30 fell short of the 57.1 billion rupee median estimate of 22 analysts surveyed by Bloomberg. Profit was little changed from the preceding quarter.
The stock was down 3.5 percent at 837 rupees at 12:48 p.m. in Mumbai. The benchmark Sensitive Index fell 0.2 percent.

BP Alliance

Reliance holds the third-largest cash and short-term investments among energy companies in Asia Pacific, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. PetroChina and Cnooc have the most. The Indian company received $7.2 billion from the sale of a 30 percent stake in 21 oil and gas fields to BP and is working with the London-based explorer to help reverse the drop in output atIndia's biggest gas deposit.
Output at the KG-D6 field may start rising by 2014, Robert Dudley, BP's chief executive officer, said Sept. 28. Reliance and BP have sought permission from the Indian government to develop smaller fields to make up for declining output at KG-D6's two main producing areas.
"The future depends very much on what the BP-Reliance joint venture can do to turn around their upstream business and what Reliance will do with their cash," Neil Beveridge and Ying Lou, Hong Kong-based analysts at Bernstein, said in a report today. "We expect Reliance to use its strong cash position to fund M&A, potentially buying overseas upstream assets."

Energy Valuations

Bernstein and Goldman Sachs Group Inc. have predicted a surge of oil and gas takeovers after global energy shares fell 21 percent in the third quarter, the worst three months since 2008. Crude in New York has declined 3.8 percent this year amid concern that Europe's debt crisis and a U.S. economic slowdown will drag the world back into recession.
Reliance's debt stood at 714 billion rupees as of Sept. 30. The explorer plans to have more cash than debt by March 31 as it seeks to expand into new business areas, Ambani said June 3.
Sales rose 37 percent to 785.7 billion rupees from a year earlier, and were less than the record 810.20 billion rupees in the three months ended June 30. Gains processing each barrel of crude oil into fuels followed a similar pattern, rising to $10.1 in the quarter from $7.9 in the same period a year earlier, and easing from $10.3 a barrel in April-June quarter.

Refining Margins

Refining margins may fall next year as global capacity additions, including 730,000 barrels a day in China, exceed demand growth, according to an Oct. 5 note by Bank of America Corp. analyst Sabine Schels.
Pretax profit from refining increased 40 percent to 30.8 billion rupees from a year earlier. Other income, including interest earned on cash deposits, climbed 64 percent to 1.1 billion rupees. The Reserve Bank of India has increased interest rates 12 times since March 2010 to curb inflation, helping companies earn more money on their cash.
"Reliance is making more money out of money and less out of oil," said Jagannadham Thunuguntla, chief strategist at SMC Wealth Management Services Ltd. in New Delhi. "That shows operations are stagnating," he said. "With BP on board, they have an opportunity to work with them on overseas projects."
To contact the reporter on this story: Rakteem Katakey in New Delhi atrkatakey@bloomberg.net
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-10-16/ambani-armed-with-12-6-billion-to-buy-assets-as-energy-valuations-slump.html

Crude Oil Slips From Its Highest in a Month as Germany Damps Rescue Hopes

Q

By Grant Smith - Oct 17, 2011 5:57 PM GMT+0530
Oil slipped from its highest in a month in New York after Germany criticized as unrealistic hopes for a swift resolution to Europe's debt crisis.
West Texas Intermediate crude futures were little changed, retreated from an earlier high above $88 a barrel. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, speaking at a briefing in Berlin today, dismissed expectations that rescue plans to be announced at an Oct. 23 summit will speedily address Europe's problems as "dreams." Crude had advanced on forecasts that China may say tomorrow its economy grew more than 9 percent last quarter.
"There's optimism that a comprehensive solution for the euro zone debt crisis will be unveiled at the EU summit next week," said Carsten Fritsch, an analyst in Frankfurt at Commerzbank AG, the fourth most-accurate forecaster of oil prices in the third quarter. "But there is huge potential for disappointment if announcements fall short of expectations, which is very likely."
Crude for November delivery was at $86.83 a barrel, 3 cents higher in electronic trading on theNew York Mercantile Exchange at 1:10 p.m. London time. Earlier it gained as much as $1.38 to $88.18 a barrel, the highest since Sept. 16.
Brent oil for December settlement fell 60 cents to $111.63 a barrel on the London-based ICE Futures Europe exchange. Front- month futures rose 7.8 percent last week.
The spread between December West Texas and Brent oil was at $24.55 a barrel today, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The price difference narrowed from $27.88 on Oct. 14 as the London-traded future for November expired.

Hedge-Fund Bets

Hedge funds raised bullish oil bets by 7.8 percent in the week ended Oct. 11, according to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission's Commitments of Traders report on Oct. 14. Net-long positions betting on rising prices in WTI oil held by hedge funds, commodity pools and commodity-trading advisers, in futures and options combined increased 11,389 to 157,693.
In London, speculative bets that Brent prices will rise, in futures and options combined, outnumbered short positions by 41,004 contracts, the London-based ICE Futures Europe exchange said today in its weekly Commitment of Traders report. Net-long positions rose by 11,911 contracts, from 29,093 a week earlier.
Prices gained earlier today on speculation China's economy will maintain growth rates. Gross domestic product in the nation, the world's second-biggest consumer of crude, increased 9.3 percent in the third quarter from a year earlier, according to the median estimate of 22 economists in a Bloomberg News survey. That would be the ninth straight quarter of expansion above 9 percent and follow a 9.5 percent gain in the previous three months in China, the second biggest crude-consuming nation behind the U.S.
"It does look as if that extremely pessimistic view that the world was heading into recession, if not depression, is now changing and the overall investment view is what we're looking at is a low-growth environment," said Michael McCarthy, a chief market strategist at CMC Markets Asia Pacific Pty Ltd. in Sydney. "Confirmation of the growth story in China will be important."
-- Editors: John Buckley, Raj Rajendran
To contact the reporters on this story: Grant Smith in London at gsmith52@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Stephen Voss on sev@bloomberg.net
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-10-17/oil-rises-to-highest-in-a-month-on-europe-debt-rescue-efforts.html

17 OCT, 2011, 03.48AM IST, SHRUTI CHOUDHURY,ET BUREAU

Companies may get more time to file balance sheets in new reporting format

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NEW DELHI: The ministry of corporate affairs (MCA) is likely to extend its deadline for companies to file their balance sheets in the new reporting format for the third time this year after only a fourth of the listed service providers passed the government validation test.

Under the new report format - eXtensible Business Reporting Language (XBRL) - introduced earlier this year, companies are required to report their financial statements in a user friendly global standard XBRLsyntax as an .xml file instead of uploading their balance sheets in .doc or.pdf format.

"Most vendors treated the government test as trivial and didn't do their homework, so they could not even meet the basic requirements," said Swaminathan, CEO IRIS Business Services, among the first services providers that passed the test.

Around 65 software providers were listed with MCAout of which only 17 have managed to clear the validation test conducted by the ministry. The test was designed to ensure a certain standard in the service provided by these 'vendors' and help companies make an informed choice in buying the software.

"This has been a very dismal performance by these vendors given that the ministry had given them ample time to prepare since July this year. At this rate the deadline would have to be extended only delaying the entire process further," a ministry official told ET.

Nearly 30,000 companies are expected to file their financial statements in the new format this year and with just 17 vendors selling the required XBRL software there will be huge supply shortage and increased pressure to meet the deadline.

With only six weeks before the November 30 deadline for filing account only nine companies have actually filed in XBRL on the MCA website. The earlier deadlines were July 31 and September 30.

Moreover, industry experts fear that this will push up the prices of these softwares which are already quite varied. The price of the software ranges from Rs 20,000 to Rs 65000 for similar filings.
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/economy/policy/companies-may-get-more-time-to-file-balance-sheets-in-new-reporting-format/articleshow/10382616.cms
17 OCT, 2011, 07.09AM IST, JOJI THOMAS PHILIP & HIMANGSHU WATTS,ET BUREAU

Mukesh Ambani readies plans to roll out 4G data services, low cost tablets in 2012

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Reliance Industries Ltd.

BSE

833.20

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-33.60

Vol:1143603 shares traded

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833.80
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Vol:5040808 shares traded
Prices|Financials|Company Info|Reports

NEW DELHI: Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Industriesplans to offer high-speed data services on attractively priced tablets by early next year and scale it up to a countrywide network by the middle of 2012.

The company, which made a comeback to telecom last year, plans to offer fourth-generation or 4G-enabled data cards that can be plugged into computers and laptops, apart from providing tablets at a game-changing price of 3,000 or even lower to hook customers, two executives familiar with the development said.

RIL has also initiated talks with media and entertainment companies, including Walt Disney's Indian venture UTV Software, to acquire content for its wireless broadband offerings. A deal with Walt Disney, which is close to being finalised, will enable the company to offer games, entertainment and applications for the younger customers.

It plans to provide data connectivity with speeds of 50-100 Mbps, much faster than 3G services currently on offer, at cheaper prices.

The strategy of enticing customers with low prices is similar to the move in 2003, when it took mobile telephony to the masses with its 'Monsoon Hungama' handsets at 501, helping it win 1 million customers in just 10 days.

Reliance Infocom, the telecom arm of the undividedReliance Group, began its services on December 28, 2002, the birthday of the group's founder Dhirubhai Ambani. The company, now known as Reliance Communications, is owned Anil Ambani, the younger brother of Mukesh.

RIL has acquired Infotel, a company that won pan-India spectrum for broadband wireless access last year and plans full-scale commercial operations by mid-2012. By then, it expects to have its networks ready across 700 cities, one of the executives said. Neither wanted to be identified. The company will also gradually offer much higher speeds for data transfer on its network. It has considered a soft launch as early as December, one source said.

Reliance is working overtime to make a success out of its latest venture, which it hopes will boost investor confidence that has been battered by harsh criticism from the Comptroller and Auditor General. The company's other initiatives, such as retail, continue to be small blips in its balance sheet while its gas production has declined because of reservoir complexity.

The company's spokesman declined comment on specifics of its broadband plans saying Reliance would not comment on speculation. But in an update on its telecoms business, Reliance said on Friday that its telecom unit was "in the process of setting up a world-class broadband wireless network using state-of-the-art technologies and finalising the arrangement with leading global technology players, service providers, infrastructure providers, application developers, device manufacturers and others to help usher the 4G revolution into India".

The company is learnt to be in the final phase of talks with three vendors - Alcatel Lucent, Ericsson and China's Huawei - for its broadband gear after finishing trials with equipment provided by all the three. It is not clear if RIL will go with a single vendor or split the contracts between the three, said executives with gearmakers aware of the ongoing talks.
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/telecom/mukesh-ambani-readies-plans-to-roll-out-4g-data-services-low-cost-tablets-in-2012/articleshow/10381244.cms

Criticism of capitalism

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article lists arguments against capitalism, For a summary of ideologies opposed to capitalism, see Anti-capitalism.

Part of a series on Capitalism

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Capitalism has been the subject of criticism from many perspectives during its history. Criticisms range from people who disagree with the principles of capitalism in its entirety, to those who disagree with particular outcomes of capitalism. Among those wishing to replace capitalism with a different method of production and social organization, a distinction can be made between those believing that capitalism can only be overcome with revolution (e.g., revolutionary socialism) and those believing that structural change can come slowly through political reforms to capitalism (e.g., classic social democracy). Some critics recognize merits in capitalism and wish to balance capitalism with some form of social control, typically through government regulation (e.g., social market movement andBritish Labour Party).

Contents  [hide] 1 History 2 Issues 2.1 Democracy and economic freedom 2.2 Exploitation 2.3 Imperialism and political oppression 2.4 Inefficiency and waste 2.5 Inequality 2.6 Market failure 2.7 Market instability 2.8 Property 2.9 Sustainability 2.10 Unemployment 3 Criticisms 3.1 Anarchist criticisms 3.2 Socialist criticisms 3.3 Religious criticisms 3.4 Recent criticisms 4 See also 5 Notes 6 External links

[edit]History

According to contemporary critics[quantify] of capitalism, rapid industrialization in Europe created working conditions viewed as unfair, including: 14-hour work days, child labor, and shanty towns.[1] Some modern economists argue that average living standards did not improve, or only very slowly improved, before 1840.[2]
Early socialist thinkers rejected capitalism altogether, attempting to create socialist communities free of the perceived injustices of early capitalism. Among these utopian socialists were Charles Fourier and Robert Owen. In 1848, Karl Marx and Frederick Engels released theCommunist Manifesto, which outlined a political and economic critique of capitalism based on the philosophy of historical materialism. Pierre-Joseph Proudhon a contemporary of Marx was another notable critic of capitalism, and was one of the first to call himself an anarchist.

IWW poster "Pyramid of the Capitalist System"(c. 1911), depicting an anarchist perspective on statist/capitalist social structures

By the early 20th century, a myriad of socialist tendencies (e.g., anarcho-syndicalism, social democracy and Bolshevism) had arisen based on different interpretations of current events. Governments also began placing restrictions on market operations and created interventionist programs, attempting to ameliorate perceived market shortcomings (e.g., Keynesian economics and the New Deal). Starting with the 1917 Russian revolution, Communist states increased in numbers, and a Cold War started with the developed capitalist nations. Following the Revolutions of 1989, many of these Communist states adopted market economies. The notable exceptions to this trend have been North Korea, Cuba, and Venezuela, the latter instituting a philosophy referred to as "Socialism of the 21st century".

[edit]Issues

[edit]Democracy and economic freedom

Further information: Free market#Criticism

*	This section needs additional citations forverification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (November 2010)

Capitalist systems have often functioned under unelected governments: the classic case is the United Kingdom, where less than 20% of adult males could vote prior to 1885, and women did not receive the vote until 1918.[3]
Economist Branko Horvat stated: "... it is now well known that capitalist development leads to the concentration of capital, employment and power. It is somewhat less known that it leads to the almost complete destruction of economic freedom."[4]

[edit]Exploitation

See also: Wage slavery

Of Usury, from Brant's Stultifera Navis (the Ship of Fools); woodcutattributed to Albrecht Dürer

Critics of capitalism view the system as inherently exploitative. In an economic sense, exploitation is often related to the expropriation[disambiguation needed] of labor for profit and based on Marx's version of the labor theory of value. The labor theory of value was supported by classical economists like David Ricardo and Adam Smith who believed that "the value of a commodity depends on the relative quantity of labor which is necessary for its production."[5]
In Das Kapital, Karl Marx identified the commodity as the basic unit of capitalist organization. Marx noted a "common denominator" between commodities, in particular that commodities are the product of labor and are related to each other by an exchange value (i.e., price).[6] By using the labor theory of value, Marxists see a connection between labor and exchange value, in that commodities are exchanged depending on the socially necessary labor time needed to produce them.[7] However, due to the productive forces of industrial organization, laborers are seen as creating more exchange value during the course of the working day than the cost of their survival (food, shelter, clothing, etc.).[8]Marxists argue that capitalists are thus able to pay for this cost of survival, while expropriating the excess labor (i.e., surplus value).[7]
Marxists further claim that due to economic inequality, the purchase of labor cannot occur under "free" conditions. Since capitalists control the means of production (e.g., factories, businesses, machinery) and workers control only their labor, the worker is naturally coerced into allowing their labor to be exploited.[9] Critics argue that exploitation occurs even if the exploited consents, since the definition of exploitation is independent of consent. In essence, workers must allow their labor to be exploited or face starvation. Since some degree of unemployment is typical in modern economies, Marxists argue that wages are naturally driven down in free market systems. Hence, even if a worker contests their wages, capitalists are able to find someone from the reserve army of labor who is more desperate.[10]
Unions are the "traditional method" for workers to have more bargaining power in the marketplace.[citation needed] The act (or threat) of strikinghas historically been an organized action to withhold labor from capitalists, without fear of individual retaliation.[11] Some critics of capitalism, while acknowledging the necessity of trade unionism, believe that trade unions simply reform an already exploitative system, leaving the system of exploitation intact.[12][13] Lysander Spooner argued that "almost all fortunes are made out of the capital and labour of other men than those who realize them. Indeed, large fortunes could rarely be made at all by one individual, except by his sponging capital and labour from others."[14]
Labor historian Immanuel Wallerstein has argued that unfree labor—by slaves, indentured servants, prisoners, and other coerced persons—is compatible with capitalist relations.[15]
Modern skeptics of free market capitalism observe that while in major capitalist economies the minimum wage is legislatively imposed by the state, there is no maximum wage limit, which is supposedly determined by the forces of the free market. They further assert that the minimum wage measure does not serve to set a lower limit in a worker's earnings; it actually functions as an upper limit on the earnings of a person that just enters the workforce. The existence of minimum wage, coupled with the absence of maximum, permits rapid wealth accumulation and leads to a phenomenon termed "plutonomy" by Citigroup.[16] In effect, wages are kept low for almost all of the population while the rest minute percentage is allowed to meet overwhelming profits.
Academics such as Howard Gardner have proposed the adoption of upper limits in individual wealth as "a solution that would make the world a better place".[17]

[edit]Imperialism and political oppression

Critics[18] argue that the ills caused by capitalism include imperialism and oppression. They point systematic violence against political opponents, participation in coups that have placed dictators in power (for example Augusto Pinochet in Chile, Argentina with its "Dirty War"); and large scale democide (like in the Congo Free State).[citation needed] Although some of these violations occurred during a time period and in states sometimes considered being more capitalist than today since the government share of the economy was much smaller, U.S and European support of multinational-friendly capitalist dictatorships in Latin America and Africa lasted until the mid 1980s.
Near the start of the 20th century, Vladimir Lenin claimed that state use of military power to defend capitalist interests abroad was an inevitable corollary of monopoly capitalism.[19] Critics of capitalism allege the system is responsible for not only economic exploitation, but imperialist, colonialist and counter-revolutionary wars, repressions of workers and trade unionists, genocides and massacres.
Marxists, importantly Vladimir Lenin, argue that capitalism needs imperialism in order to survive.[20] The unplanned nature of capitalism, they say, inevitably overproduces commodities and overuses resources, which leads it to expand its markets into and drain the resources out of other, less-developed nations. The wealthy nations, they say, must maintain cheap access to third world natural resources and unfree labor, by force if necessary. They argue that the capitalist countries like England initially were helped by the primitive accumulation of capital through the "theft" of natural resources and exploitation of slave labor from large parts of Asia, Africa and the Americas, which spurred the industrial revolution. They see what they characterize as unjust exploitation, militarily (such as India in 19th century) or economically (e.g., through International Monetary Fund structural adjustment programs during the 1980s), as part of the nature of capitalism. The constant, capitalist drive to expand markets is viewed by many as the primary cause of globalization.[21]
In his essay, Imperialism: The Highest Stage of Capitalism, Vladimir Lenin advanced the now widespread thesis that the 'New Imperialism' of the late 19th and early 20th centuries was an inevitable corollary of monopoly capitalism.[22] According to Lenin, the export of financial capital superseded the export of commodities; banking and industrial capital merged to form large financial cartels and trusts in which production distribution are highly centralized; and monopoly capitalists influenced state policy to carve up the world into spheres of interest (Burnham). These trends led states to defend their capitalist interests abroad through military power.

[edit]Inefficiency and waste

Some opponents criticize capitalism's perceived inefficiency. They note a shift from pre-industrial reuse and thriftiness before capitalism to a consumer-based economy that pushes "ready-made" materials.[23] It is argued that a sanitation industry arose under capitalism that deemed trash valueless; a significant break from the past when much "waste" was used and reused almost indefinitely.[23] In the process, critics say, capitalism has created a profit driven system based on selling as many products as possible.[24] Critics relate the "ready-made" trend to a growing garbage problem in which the average American throws out 4.5 pounds of trash per day (compared to 2.7 pounds in 1960).[25] Anti-capitalist groups with an emphasis on conservation include eco-socialists and social ecologists.
Planned obsolescence has also been criticized as a wasteful practice under capitalism. By designing products to wear out faster than need be, new consumption is generated.[23] This would benefit corporations by increasing sales, while at the same time generating excessive waste. A well-known example is the charge that Apple designed its iPod to fail after 18 months.[26] Critics view planned obsolescence as wasteful and an inefficient use of resources.[27] Other authors such as Naomi Klein have criticized brand-based marketing for putting more emphasis on the company's name-brand than on manufacturing products.[28]

[edit]Inequality

Main article: Economic inequality

A man at the protest event Occupy Wall Street critiquing Capitalism in the context of the right to have a job

Critics argue that capitalism is associated with the unfair distribution of wealth and power; a tendency toward market monopoly or oligopoly (and government by oligarchy); imperialism,counter-revolutionary wars and various forms of economic and cultural exploitation; repression of workers and trade unionists, and phenomena such as social alienation, economic inequality,unemployment, and economic instability. Critics have argued that there is an inherent tendency toward oligolopolistic structures when laissez-faire is combined with capitalist private property. Capitalism is regarded by many socialists to be irrational in that production and the direction of the economy are unplanned, creating many inconsistencies and internal contradictions and thus should be controlled through public policy.[29]
In the early 20th century, Vladimir Lenin argued that state use of military power to defend capitalist interests abroad was an inevitable corollary of monopoly capitalism.[30]
Che Guevara wrote:
The laws of capitalism, which are blind and are invisible to ordinary people, act upon the individual without he or she being aware of it. One sees only the vastness of a seemingly infinite horizon ahead. That is how it is painted by capitalist propagandists who purport to draw a lesson from the example of Rockefeller — whether or not it is true — about the possibilities of individual success. The amount of poverty and suffering required for a Rockefeller to emerge, and the amount of depravity entailed in the accumulation of a fortune of such magnitude, are left out of the picture, and it is not always possible for the popular forces to expose this clearly.... It is a contest among wolves. One can win only at the cost of the failure of others.[31]
In the United States, the shares of earnings and wealth of the households in the top 1 percent of the corresponding distributions are 15 percent and 30 percent, respectively.[32] Critics[who?] claim that an untamed capitalist system has inherent biases favoring those who already possess greater resources. They say rich people can give their children a better education and inherited wealth, and that this can create or increase large differences in wealth between people who do not differ in ability or effort. One study showed that in the U.S., 43.35% of the people in the Forbes magazine "400 richest individuals" list were already rich enough at birth to qualify.[33] Another study indicated that in the US, wealth, race, and schooling are important to the inheritance of economic status, but that IQ is not a major contributor, and the genetic transmission of IQ is even less important.[34]

[edit]Market failure

"Capitalism is the astounding belief that the most wickedest of men will do the most wickedest of things for the greatest good of everyone."

— John Maynard Keynes [35]

Market failure is a term used by economists to describe the condition where the allocation of goods and services by a market is not efficient. Keynesian economist[36] Paul Krugman views this scenario in which individuals' pursuit of self-interest leads to bad results for society as a whole.[37] From this, some critics of capitalism prefer economic intervention by government into free markets.[38] Some believe that the lack of perfect information and perfect competition in a free market is grounds for government intervention. Others perceive certain unique problems with a free market including: monopolies, monopsonies, insider trading, and price gouging.[weasel words][39]
Legislation has been introduced to deal with these concerns (e.g., anti-trust legislation or financial regulation). Also, governments overseeing capitalist economies have been known to set mandatory price floors or price ceilings at times, thereby interfering with the free market mechanism. This usually occurs in times of crisis, or relating to goods and services viewed as strategically important. Electricity, for example, is a good that has typically been subject to price ceilings in many countries.[40]
Wages determined by a free market mechanism are also commonly seen as a problem by those[who?] who claim that some wages are unjustifiably low or unjustifiably high. Another perceived failure is that free markets usually fail to deal with the problem of externalities, where an action by an outside agent positively or negatively affects another agent without any compensation.[weasel words][41] An example of an externality is pollution. More generally, free market allocation of resources in areas such as health care, unemployment, wealth inequality, and education are considered market failures by some.[42]
Poor distribution of goods has also been identified as a market failure. One critic noted that 200 million Indians went hungry in 1995, while the Indian economy was exporting $625 million worth of wheat and $1.3 billion worth of rice that same year.[43]

[edit]Market instability

Critics of capitalism, particularly Marxists, identify market instability as a permanent feature of capitalist economy.[44][45] Marx believed that the unplanned and explosive growth of capitalism does not occur in a smooth manner, but is interrupted by periods of overproduction in which stagnation or decline occur (i.e., recessions).[46] In the view of Marxists, several contradictions in the capitalist mode of production are present, particularly the internal contradiction between anarchy in the sphere of capital (i.e., free market) and socialised production in the sphere of labor (i.e., industrialism).[47] Due to the unplanned nature of the system, capitalists produce without knowing in advance what they can sell, while at the same time unleashing huge productive capabilities through industrial organization. The result is that crises are not caused by shortages, like a crop failure, but rather from a production of too many goods. Marx and Engels, in the Communist Manifesto, highlighted what they saw as a uniquely capitalist juxtaposition of overabundance and poverty: "Society suddenly finds itself put back into a state of momentary barbarism. And why? Because there is too much civilization, too much means of subsistence, too much industry, too much commerce."[46]

[edit]Property

Pierre-Joseph Proudhon and Friedrich Engels argue that the free market is not necessarily free, but weighted towards those who already own property.[10][48] They view capitalist regulations, including the enforcement of private property on land and exclusive rights to natural resources, as unjustly enclosing upon what should be owned by all, forcing those without property to sell their labor to capitalists and landlords in a market favorable to the latter, thus forcing workers to accept low wages in order to survive.[49] In his criticism of capitalism, Pierre-Joseph Proudhon believed that the emphasis on property is the problem. He claimed that property is theft, arguing that property leads to despotism: "Now, property necessarily engenders despotism—the government of caprice, the reign of libidinous pleasure. That is so clearly the essence of property that, to be convinced of it, one need but remember what it is, and observe what happens around him. Property is the right to use and abuse."[48] Many left-wing anarchists, such as anarchist communists, believe in replacing capitalist private property with a system where people can lay claim to things based on personal use and claim that "Property is the domination of an individual, or a coalition of individuals, over things; it is not the claim of any person or persons to the use of things" and "this is, usufruct, a very different matter. Property means the monopoly of wealth, the right to prevent others using it, whether the owner needs it or not."[50]
Mutualists and some anarchists support markets and private property, but not in their present form.[51] They argue that particular aspects of modern capitalism violate the ability of individuals to trade in the absence of coercion. Mutualists support markets and private property in the product of labor, but only when these markets guarantee that workers will realize for themselves the value of their labor.[48]
In recent times, most economies have extended property rights to include such things as patents and copyrights. Critics see this as coercive against those with few prior resources. They argue that such regulations discourage the sharing of ideas, and encourage nonproductive rent seeking behavior, both of which enact a deadweight loss on the economy, erecting a prohibitive barrier to entry into the market.[52] Not all pro-capitalists support the concept of copyrights, but those who do argue that compensation to the creator is necessary as an incentive.[52]

[edit]Sustainability

An economic system that produces strong economic growth and requires essentially free trade[53] may have a large effect on the environment.[54]
One of the main modern criticisms to the sustainability of capitalism is related to the so called commodity chains, or production/consumption chains.[55][56] These terms refer to the network of transfers of materials and commodities that is currently part of the functioning of the global capitalist system. Examples include high tech commodities produced in countries with low average wages by multinational firms, and then being sold in distant high income countries; materials and resources being extracted in some countries, turned into finished products in some others and sold as commodities in further ones; countries exchanging with each other the same kind of commodities for the sake of consumer's choice (e.g., Europe both exporting and importing cars to and from the U.S.). According to critics such processes, all of which produce pollution and waste of resources, are an integral part of the functioning of capitalism (i.e., its metabolism).[57]
Some leading conservation organizations such as the World Wide Fund for Nature and the United Nations Environment Programme argue that the impact of humanity on Earth is continually increasing. In 2004 they jointly reported that "humanity's Ecological Footprint grew by 150% between 1961 and 2000" and that most of this growth occurred in the 27 wealthiest countries of the world, in other words, the leading capitalist countries.[58] Critics note that the statistical methods used in calculating Ecological Footprint have been criticized and some find the whole concept of counting how much land is used to be flawed, arguing that there is nothing intrinsically negative about using more land to improve living standards (rejection of the intrinsic value of nature).[59][60]
Many environmentalists[who?] have long argued that the real dangers are due to the world's current social institutions that they claim promote environmentally irresponsible consumption and production. Under what they call the "grow or die" imperative of capitalism, they say, there is little reason to expect hazardous consumption and production practices to change in a timely manner[citation needed]. They also claim that markets and states invariably drag their feet on substantive environmental reform, and are notoriously slow to adopt viable sustainable technologies.[61][62] Immanuel Wallerstein, referring to the externalization of costs as the "dirty secret" of capitalism, claims that there are built-in limits to ecological reform, and that the costs of doing business in the world capitalist economy are ratcheting upward because of deruralization and democratization.[63]
Beyond environmental sustainability, there is the question of labor market and consumer market sustainability. In a constant-growth model, new individuals have to be constantly added to the free market economy (as labourers and/or consumers). With birth rates in decline, where will these new consumers and (cheap) labourers come from?[64]

[edit]Unemployment

An analysis of supply and demand of the type shown in introductorymainstream economics textbooks implies that by mandating a price floor above the equilibrium wage, minimum wage laws should cause unemployment.[65][66] This is because a greater number of workers are willing to work at the higher wage while a smaller numbers of jobs will be available at the higher wage.[65][66] Companies can be more selective in those whom they employ thus the least skilled and least experienced will typically be excluded.[65][66]
According to the model shown in nearly all introductory textbooks on economics, increasing the minimum wage decreases the employment of minimum-wage workers.[67] One textbook says:
If a higher minimum wage increases the wage rates of unskilled workers above the level that would be established by market forces, the quantity of unskilled workers employed will fall. The minimum wage will price the services of the least productive (and therefore lowest-wage) workers out of the market. ... The direct results of minimum wage legislation are clearly mixed. Some workers, most likely those whose previous wages were closest to the minimum, will enjoy higher wages. Others, particularly those with the lowest prelegislation wage rates, will be unable to find work. They will be pushed into the ranks of the unemployed or out of the labor force.[68]
Another textbook says:
It is assumed that workers are willing to labor for more hours if paid a higher wage. Economists graph this relationship with the wage on the vertical axis and the quantity (hours) of labor supplied on the horizontal axis. Since higher wages increase the quantity supplied, the supply of labor curve is upward sloping, and is shown as a line moving up and to the right.[69]
One of the focal points of the 1914 novel, The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists, was the issue of employment. The novel is widely regarded as a classic of working-class literature and continues to be in publication today.[70]

[edit]Criticisms

[edit]Anarchist criticisms

Main articles: Anarchism and Marxism
Many left-wing anarchists argue that capitalist ethics do not entail any positive moral obligation to help others in need. Libertarian socialistNoam Chomsky writes: "The idea of 'free contract' between the potentate and his starving subject is a sick joke, perhaps worth some moments in an academic seminar exploring the consequences of (in my view, absurd) ideas, but nowhere else."[71] Other critics regard private property to either be an aggressive institution or a potentially aggressive one, rather than a defensive one, and thus reject claims that relationships based on unequal private property relations could be voluntary.[72]
Karl Marx saw capitalism as a historical stage, which could be followed by socialism, with worker's dictatorship as an intermediate stage. Marxists define capital as "a social, economic relation" between people (rather than between people and things). In this sense they seek to abolish capital. They believe that private ownership of the means of production enriches capitalists (owners of capital) at the expense of workers ("the rich get richer, and the poor get poorer"). In brief, they argue that the owners of capital do not work and therefore steal from orexploit the workers. Gradually, the capitalists will accumulate more and more capital and make the workers continually poorer, in the end causing a revolution. The private ownership of the means of production is therefore seen as a restriction on freedom.
Marx and his followers have offered various related lines of argument suggesting that capitalism is a contradiction-laden system characterized by recurring crises having a tendency towards increasing severity. They have claimed that this tendency of the system to unravel combined with a socialization process that links workers in a worldwide market are two major factors that create the objective conditions for revolutionary change. Capitalism is seen as just one stage in the evolution of the economy of a society. Immanuel Wallerstein approaching matters from a world-systems perspective, cites the intransigence of rising real wages, rising costs of material inputs, and steadily rising tax rates, along with the rise of popular antisystemic movements as the most important global secular trends creating unprecedented limiting pressures on the accumulation of capital. According to Wallerstein, "the capitalist world-economy has now entered its terminal crisis, a crisis that may last up to fifty years. The real question before us is what will happen during this crisis, this transition from the present world-system to some other kind of historical system or systems." [73]
In mainland China differences in terminology sometimes confuse and complicate discussions of Chinese economic reform. Under Marxist ideology, capitalism refers to a stage of history in which there is a class system in which the proletariat is exploited by the bourgeoisie. Officially, according to the Chinese governments State ideology, China is currently in the primary stage of socialism with Chinese characteristics.[citation needed] However, because of Deng Xiaoping's and subsequent leaders Chinese economic reforms, institutingpragmatism within policy, China has undertaken policies that are commonly considered capitalistic, including employing wage labor, increasing unemployment to motivate those who are still working[citation needed], transforming state owned enterprises into joint stock companies, and encouraging the growth of the joint venture and private capitalist sectors. A contrary Marxist view would describe China as just another variant of capitalism (state capitalism), much like the former USSR, which was also claiming to be operating on principals of socialism. This is echoed by what Mao Tse-Tung termed "capitalist roaders" who he argued existed within the ruling Party structures and would try to restore the bourgeoisie and thus their class interests to power reflected in new policies, while only keeping the outer appearance of socialism for legitimacy purposes. Deng Xiaoping was identified as one of these "capitalist roaders" during the Chinese Cultural Revolution, when he was placed under house arrest.[citation needed]
Marxism advocated a revolutionary overthrow of capitalism that would lead to socialism, before eventually transforming into communism after class antagonisms and the state ceased to exist. Marxism influenced social democratic and labour parties as well as some moderatedemocratic socialists, who seek change through existing democratic channels instead of revolution, and believe that capitalism should be regulated rather than abolished, supplementing the market economy with a mixed economy.[citation needed]
Marxist and feminist geographers critique capitalism primarily on the basis of social and environmental justice.[citation needed] Marxian development geographers analyse the "contractions" of capitalism, class struggle, uneven development and imperialism in the global South by employing historical-material analysis ('little d' development).[citation needed] This work investigates patterns of accumulation, class formation and politics in rural and urban areas, the role of the state, struggles over resources and the articulation of peasant production with agrarian capitalism. Feminist political-economy researchers are interested in the ways that these processes are gendered and also take into account a serious consideration of social reproduction in concern with capitalist production processes.[citation needed]

[edit]Socialist criticisms

Main article: Socialism
Socialists argue that the accumulation of capital generates waste through externalities that require costly corrective regulatory measures. They also point out that this process generates wasteful industries and practices that exist only to generate sufficient demand for products to be sold at a profit (such as high-pressure advertisement); thereby creating rather than satisfying economic demand.[74][75]
Socialists argue that capitalism consists of irrational activity, such as the purchasing of commodities only to sell at a later time when their price appreciates, rather than for consumption, even if the commodity cannot be sold at a profit to individuals in need; therefore, a crucial criticism often made by socialists is that making money, or accumulation of capital, does not correspond to the satisfaction of demand (the production of use-values).[76] The fundamental criterion for economic activity in capitalism is the accumulation of capital for reinvestment in production; this spurs the development of new, non-productive industries that don't produce use-value and only exist to keep the accumulation process afloat (otherwise the system goes into crisis), such as the spread of the financial industry, contributing to the formation of economic bubbles.[77]
Socialists view private property relations as limiting the potential of productive forces in the economy. According to socialists, private property becomes obsolete when it concentrates into centralized, socialized institutions based on private appropriation of revenue (but based on cooperative work and internal planning in allocation of inputs) until the role of the capitalist becomes redundant.[78] With no need for capital accumulation and a class of owners, private property in the means of production is perceived as being an outdated form of economic organization that should be replaced by a free association of individuals based on public or common ownership of these socialized assets.[79][80] Private ownership imposes constraints on planning, leading to uncoordinated economic decisions that result in business fluctuations, unemployment and a tremendous waste of material resources during crisis of overproduction.[81]
Excessive disparities in income distribution lead to social instability and require costly corrective measures in the form of redistributive taxation, which incurs heavy administrative costs while weakening the incentive to work, inviting dishonesty and increasing the likelihood of tax evasion while (the corrective measures) reduce the overall efficiency of the market economy.[82] These corrective policies limit the incentive system of the market by providing things such as minimum wages, unemployment insurance, taxing profits and reducing the reserve army of labor, resulting in reduced incentives for capitalists to invest in more production. In essence, social welfare policies cripple the capitalism and its incentive system and are thus unsustainable in the long-run.[83] Marxists argue that the establishment of a socialist mode of production is the only way to overcome these deficiencies. Socialists and specifically Marxian socialists, argue that the inherent conflict of interests between the working class and capital prevent optimal use of available human resources and leads to contradictory interest groups (labor and business) striving to influence the state to intervene in the economy in their favor at the expense of overall economic efficiency.
Early socialists (Utopian socialists and Ricardian socialists) criticized capitalism for concentrating power and wealth within a small segment of society that controls the means of production and derives its wealth through a system of exploitation.[citation needed] This creates a stratified society based on unequal social relations that fails to provide equal opportunities for every individual to maximize their potential,[84]and does not utilise available technology and resources to their maximum potential in the interests of the public.[80]

[edit]Religious criticisms

"Christ drives the Usurers out of the Temple", a woodcut by Lucas Cranach the Elder in Passionary of Christ and Antichrist.[85]

Many religions have criticized or opposed specific elements of capitalism; traditional Judaism,Christianity, and Islam forbid lending money at interest. Christianity has been a source of both praise and criticism for capitalism, particularly its materialist aspects.[86] The first socialists drew many of their principles from Christian values, against "bourgeois" values of profiteering, greed, selfishness, and hoarding.
Some Christian critics of capitalism may not oppose capitalism entirely, but support a mixed economy in order to ensure adequate labor standards and relations, as well as economic justice.Pope Benedict XVI issued an encyclical Caritas in veritate (Charity in Truth) in 2009; he stated: "The dignity of the individual and the demands of justice require, particularly today, that economic choices do not cause disparities in wealth to increase in an excessive and morally unacceptable manner."[87] and "Therefore, it must be borne in mind that grave imbalances are produced when economic action, conceived merely as an engine for wealth creation, is detached from political action, conceived as a means for pursuing justice through redistribution."[88]
Islamic law recognizes the right to private property but regulates economic activities. A 2.5% alms tax (Zakat) is levied on all gold, crops, and cattle. Shia Twelver Muslims pay an additional 20% on all savings (defined as income minus expenses on necessities like food and shelter.) Usury or ribais forbidden, and religious law encourages the use of capital to spur economic activity while placing the burden of risk along with the benefit of profit with the owner of the capital. Methods ofIslamic banking have been developed. The Islamic constitution of Iran, which was drafted mostly by Islamic clerics, criticizes "materialist schools of thought" that encourage "concentration and accumulation of wealth and maximization of profit."[89] Sayyid Qutb, an Islamist writer, criticized capitalism in his 1951 book The Battle Between Islam and Capitalism.[90]

[edit]Recent criticisms

*	This section may be slanted towards recent events. Please try to keep recent events in historical perspective. (October 2011)

Recent criticisms of Capitalism relate to the late-2000s financial crisis, as seen in the Occupy Wall Street movement in the Autumn of 2011. While the movement has not formalised its criticism of capitalism or demands for reforms, political scholars have, nevertheless, begun to identify common themes such as objections to the "ruling economic class", or "the richest 1%", having undue influence on government policies and that this situation reflects a "failure of democratic representation" for the middle and lower classes, or the "other 99%".[91]
A leading critic, of a socio-political genus, is Ravi Batra, who popularised the concept "share of wealth held by richest 1%", as an indicator of inequality and an important determinant of depressions, in his best-selling books in the 1980s.[92][93] More recently, Batra has argued that the tax and benefit legislation in the USA since the Reagan Presidency, which he argues has contributed greatly to the inequalities and economic problems, should be repealed.[94] His approach is based on the ideas of his mentor, Indian philosopher P.R. Sarkar, founder of theAnanda Marga movement, developed the Law of Social Cycle to identify the problems of capitalism and proposed the Progressive Utilization Theory (PROUT) as a solution to its ills.[95][96]

[edit]See also

• A Failure of Capitalism
• Anarchism and anarcho-capitalism
• Anarchism and capitalism
• Anti-capitalism
• Anti-globalisation
• Capitalism: A Love Story
• Capitalist mode of production
• Colonialism
• Culture of capitalism
• Crisis (Marxian)
• Critique of technology
• Economic calculation problem
• Freiwirtschaft
• Localism
• Market fundamentalism
• Marxian economics
• Netocracy
• Post-capitalism
• Social criticism
• The Black Book of Capitalism
• Wage slavery
• Wealth distribution

[edit]Notes

1. ^ Engels, Frederick. "The Condition of the Working Class in England". Retrieved 2008-04-16.
2. ^ Clark Nardinelli, economist at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. "Industrial Revolution and the Standard of Living". The concise encyclopedia of economics. The Library of Economics and Liberty. Retrieved 2008-04-20.
3. ^ http://www.electoral-reform.org.uk/diary/historylesson.htm
4. ^ Horvat, Branko, The Political Economy of Socialism (Armonk, NY: M.E. Sharpe, Inc.) p.11
5. ^ Ricardo, David. "Chapter 1: On Value -- On the Principles of Political Economy and Taxation". Retrieved 2008-03-10.
6. ^ Marx, Karl (1992). Chapter 1: Commodities -- Capital, Volume 1. Penguin Classics. ISBN 0140445684.
7. ^ a b Marx, Karl. "Value, Price, and Profit". Retrieved 2008-03-10.
8. ^ Marx, Karl. "Wage Labour and Capital". Retrieved 2008-03-10.
9. ^ Engels, Frederick. "Competition -- The Condition of the Working Class in England". Retrieved 2008-03-10.
10. ^ a b Engels, Frederick. "Historical Materialism -- Socialism: Utopian and Scientific". Retrieved 2008-03-10.
11. ^ Kautsky, Karl. "Trade Unions and Socialism". Retrieved 2008-03-10.
12. ^ Smith, Sharon (2006). Subterranean Fire: A History of Working Class Radicalism in the United States. Haymarket Books. pp. 320.ISBN 193185923X.
13. ^ Luxembourg, Rosa. "Chapter VII: Co-operatives, Unions, Democracy -- Reform or Revolution". Retrieved 2008-03-10.
14. ^ Martin, James J. Men Against the State, p. 173
15. ^ That unfree labor is acceptable to capital was argued during the 1980s by Tom Brass. See Towards a Comparative Political Economy of Unfree Labor (Cass, 1999). Marcel van der Linden.""Labour History as the History of Multitudes", Labour/Le Travail, 52, Fall 2003, pp. 235-244". Retrieved 2008-02-26.
16. ^ http://www.scribd.com/doc/6674234/Citigroup-Oct-16-2005-Plutonomy-Report-Part-1
17. ^ http://www.alternet.org/economy/62507/
18. ^ Capitalism, The Absurd System A View From the United StatesRobert W. McChesney and John Bellamy Foster Monthly ReviewJune 2010
19. ^ Vladimir Lenin. "Imperialism: The Highest Stage of Capitalism". Retrieved June 29, 2006.
20. ^ Lenin's Selected Works, Progress Publishers, 1963, Moscow, Volume 1, pp. 667–766
21. ^ De la Torre, A. Emerging capital markets and globalization. Retrieved from http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/WDSContentServer/WDSP/IB/2006/11/03/000310607_20061103105655/Rendered/PDF/378920Emerging0capital0markets01PUBLIC1.pdf
22. ^ http://www.marxists.org/archive/lenin/works/1916/imp-hsc/index.htm
23. ^ a b c Rogers, Heather. "The Conquest of Garbage".International Socialist Review. Retrieved 2008-03-13.
24. ^ Hawken, Paul. "Natural Capitalism". Retrieved 2008-03-13.
25. ^ U.S. EPA. "Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) Pie Chart". Retrieved 2008-03-13.
26. ^ Inman, Phillip (2006-09-30). "When your iPod isn't all that it's cracked up to be". London: The Guardian. Retrieved 2008-03-13.
27. ^ McMinn, David. "Planned Obsolescence: The Ultimate Economic Inefficiency". Retrieved 2008-03-13.
28. ^ PBS Frontline. "Interview with Naomi Klein". Retrieved 2008-03-13.
29. ^ Brander, James A. Government policy toward business. 4th ed. Mississauga, Ontario: John Wiley & Sons Canada, Ltd., 2006. Print.
30. ^ Vladimir Lenin. "Imperialism: The Highest Stage of Capitalism". Retrieved 2008-02-26.
31. ^ "Socialism and Man in Cuba" A letter to Carlos Quijano, editor of Marcha, a weekly published in Montevideo, Uruguay; published as "From Algiers, for Marcha: The Cuban Revolution Today" by on March 12, 1965
32. ^ http://www.ssc.upenn.edu/~vr0j/papers/maxrefin.pdf
33. ^http://www.faireconomy.org/press/archive/Pre_1999/forbes_400_study.html
34. ^ http://www.umass.edu/preferen/gintis/intergen.pdf
35. ^ The Origin of Wealth: Evolution, Complexity, and the Radical Remaking of Economics, by Eric D. Beinhocker, Harvard Business Press, 2006, ISBN 157851777X, pg 408
36. ^ http://www.pkarchive.org/personal/EnronFAQ.html
37. ^ Krugman, Paul, Wells, Robin, Economics, Worth Publishers, New York, (2006)
38. ^ Keynes, John Maynard (2007). The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money. Palgrave Macmillan.ISBN 0230004768.
39. ^ Rea, K.J.. "Monopoly, Imperfect Competition, and Oligopoly". Retrieved 2008-03-11.
40. ^ Krugman, Paul (2001-06-03). "Reckonings, Watt Price Ideology?". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-03-11.
41. ^ Johnson, Paul. "Externality: A Glossary of Political Economy Terms". Auburn University. Retrieved 2008-03-11.
42. ^ "www.nader.org". Retrieved 2008-03-11.
43. ^ Moore Lappe, Frances. "The Myth - Scarcity: The Reality - There IS Enough Food". Retrieved 2008-03-11.
44. ^ Engels, Frederick. "On the Question of Free Trade". Retrieved 2008-03-11.
45. ^ Easterling, Earl. "Marx's Theory of Economic Crisis".International Socialist Review. Retrieved 2008-03-13.
46. ^ a b Marx, Karl. "The Communist Manifesto". Retrieved 2008-03-11.
47. ^ Engels, Frederick. "Part III: Socialism (Theoretical) -- Anti-Duhring". Retrieved 2008-03-11.
48. ^ a b c Proudhon, Pierre-Joseph. "What Is Property? An Inquiry Into the Principle of Right and Government". Retrieved 2008-03-10.
49. ^ D'Amato, Paul (2006). The Meaning of Marxism. Haymarket Books. pp. 60. ISBN 1931859299.
50. ^ Anarchist Essays, pp. 22-23 and p. 40 Freedom Press, London, 2000.
51. ^ Carson, Kevin (2007). Studies in Mutualist Political Economy. BookSurge Publishing. ISBN 1419658697.
52. ^ a b Posner. "An Economic Analysis of Property Law". Retrieved 2008-03-10.
53. ^ Carroll, Conn "Free Trade Essential for Economic Growth", "American Heritage Institute", January 29th, 2008, accessed 12/21/2010
54. ^ Wall, Derek. Address to Global Future of Globalised Disaster?http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TD4r6Q3KL3Y&feature=related
55. ^ http://www.it-environment.org/publications/QITS%20report.pdf
56. ^http://www.unpop.nl/inhoud/artikelen/Francken%20CRR%20sept%202006%20dublin.ppt
57. ^http://www.unu.edu/unupress/unupbooks/80841e/80841E00.htm#Contents
58. ^http://www.panda.org/news_facts/publications/general/livingplanet/lpr04.cfm
59. ^ http://econpapers.repec.org/scripts/redir.pl?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.tinbergen.nl%2Fdiscussionpapers%2F98105.pdf;h=repec:dgr:uvatin:19980105
60. ^ http://www-pam.usc.edu/volume1/v1i1a2print.html
61. ^ http://www.social-ecology.org/article.php?story=20031118113538865
62. ^ http://www.monthlyreview.org/1200jbf.htm
63. ^ http://fbc.binghamton.edu/iwecol.htm
64. ^ http://books.emeraldinsight.com/display.asp?K=9780444530516&sf1=editor&st1=Mitoshi%20w/2%20Yamaguchi&cur=USD&sort=sort_date/d&m=1&dc=1
65. ^ a b c McConnell, C.R. and S.L. Brue, Economics, Irwin-McGraw Hill, 1999, 14th ed., p. 594.
66. ^ a b c Gwartney, J.D., R.L. Stroup, R.S. Sobel, and D.A. Macpherson, Economics: Private and Public Choice, Thomson South-Western, 2003, 10th ed., p. 97.
67. ^ David Card and Alan B. Krueger, Myth and Measurement: The New Economics of the Minimum Wage, Princeton University Press, 1995, pp. 1, 6-7.
68. ^ Gwartney, James D.; Richard L. Stroup. Economics: Private and Public Choice. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich. pp. 559–562.ISBN 0-15-518880-1.
69. ^ Ehrenberg, R. and Smith, R. "Modern labor economics: theory and public policy", HarperCollins, 1994, 5th ed.
70. ^ The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists Amazon.com US. Accessed: 22 July 2011.
71. ^ Noam Chomsky on anarcho-capitalism
72. ^ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named capitalism.org; see Help:Cite errors/Cite error references no text
73. ^ Wallerstein, Immanuel- The Decline of American Power,New Press Books,66
74. ^ Let's produce for use, not profit. Retrieved January 08, 2011, from worldsocialism.org:http://www.worldsocialism.org/spgb/may10/page23.html
75. ^ What Needs to be Done: A Socialist View. Retrieved January 08, 2011, from monthlyreview.org:http://www.monthlyreview.org/091109magdoff-yates.php
76. ^ Let's produce for use, not profit. Retrieved August 07, 2010, from worldsocialism.org:http://www.worldsocialism.org/spgb/may10/page23.html
77. ^ Economic Crisis from a Socialist Perspective. Retrieved June 23, 2011, from rdwolff.com: http://www.rdwolff.com/content/economic-crisis-socialist-perspective
78. ^ Engels, Fredrich. Socialism: Utopian and Scientific. Retrieved October 30, 2010, from Marxists.org:http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1880/soc-utop/ch03.htm, "The bourgeoisie demonstrated to be a superfluous class. All its social functions are now performed by salaried employees."
79. ^ The Political Economy of Socialism, by Horvat, Branko. 1982. Chapter 1: Capitalism, The General Pattern of Capitalist Development (P.15-20)
80. ^ a b Marx and Engels Selected Works, Lawrence and Wishart, 1968, p. 40. Capitalist property relations put a "fetter" on the productive forces.
81. ^ The Political Economy of Socialism, by Horvat, Branko. 1982. (P.197)
82. ^ The Political Economy of Socialism, by Horvat, Branko. 1982. (P.197-198)
83. ^ Market Socialism: The Debate Among Socialists, 1998. P.60-61"
84. ^ in Encyclopædia Britannica (2009). Retrieved October 14, 2009, from Encyclopædia Britannica Online:http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/551569/socialism, "Main" summary: "Socialists complain that capitalism necessarily leads to unfair and exploitative concentrations of wealth and power in the hands of the relative few who emerge victorious from free-market competition—people who then use their wealth and power to reinforce their dominance in society."
85. ^ The references cited in the Passionary for this woodcut: 1 John 2:14-16, Matthew 10:8, and The Apology of the Augsburg Confession, Article 8, Of the Church
86. ^ "III. The Social Doctrine of the Church". The Vatican. Retrieved 2008-02-26.
87. ^ Caritas in veritate paragraph 32
88. ^ Caritas in veritate paragraph 36
89. ^ ICL - Iran - Constitution
90. ^ Sayyid Qutb
91. ^ Michael Hardt and Antonio Negri. ""The Fight for 'Real Democracy' at the Heart of Occupy Wall Street", Foreign Affairs, October 11, 2011". Retrieved 13 October 2011.
92. ^ "Best Sellers From 1987's Book Crop". The New York Times. Retrieved 13 October 2011.
93. ^ Ravi Batra. "Regular economic cycles : money, inflation, regulation and depressions, Venus Books, 1985". Retrieved 13 October 2011.
94. ^ Ravi Batra. ""The Occupy Wall Street Movement and the Coming Demise of Crony Capitalism", Foreign Affairs, October 11, 2011". Retrieved 13 October 2011.
95. ^ Dada Maheshvarananda. "After Capitalism". Retrieved 2008-02-26.
96. ^ "proutworld". ProutWorld. Retrieved 2008-02-26.

[edit]External links

• A Reconsideration of the Theory of Entrepreneurship: a participatory approach - Critique of capitalism
• How The Miners Were Robbed 1907 anti-capitalist pamphlet by John Wheatley.
• Critique of Competitive Freedom and the Bourgeois-Democratic State: Outline of a Form-analytic Extension of Marx's Uncompleted System by Michael Eldred, With an Appendix 'Value-form Analytic Reconstruction of the Capital-Analysis' by Michael Eldred, Marnie Hanlon, Lucia Kleiber and Mike Roth, Kurasje, Copenhagen, 1984. Emended, digitized edition 2010 with new Preface. ISBN 8787437406,ISBN 9788787437400.
• Eldred, Michael (2000) 'Capital and Technology: Marx and Heidegger', Left Curve No.24, May 2000 ISSN:0160-1857 (Ver. 3.0 2010). Original German edition Kapital und Technik: Marx und Heidegger, Roell Verlag, Dettelbach, 2000 117 pp. ISBN 3-89754-171-8.
• Information and Economics: A Critique of Hayek by Allin F. Cottrell and W. Paul Cockshott
• Marxists Internet Archive - Archive of Marxist and anti-capitalist literature.
• Ringmar, Erik. Surviving Capitalism: How We Learned to Live with the Market and Remained Almost Human
• Social economy: A Market Economy without Capitalism
• Value, Price and Profit - Karl Marx on the basic features of capitalism.
• Capitalist eco-sustainability is a contradiction in terms
• Why Do Intellectuals Oppose Capitalism? by Robert Nozick

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Occupy Wall Street reaches 1-month birthday Wall Street Journal - ‎4 hours ago‎ AP NEW YORK — The month-old Occupy Wall Street movement continues to grow, with nearly $300000 in the bank and participants finding satisfaction in the widening impact they hope will counter the influence on society by those who hold the purse strings ... Occupy Wall Street reaches 1-month birthday Economic Times - ‎7 hours ago‎ NEW YORK: The month-old Occupy Wall Street movement is still growing, with nearly $300000 in the bank and the satisfaction of drawing attention to what it calls the financial elite's overly dominant influence on society. From a few dozen people camping ... How Occupy Wall Street can really change banks CNNMoney - Paul R. La Monica - ‎33 minutes ago‎ Occupy Wall Street protesters march outside a JPMorgan Chase building in downtown Manhattan. Protesters may need to team up with angry invetsors to really change anything. NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- If ... Occupy Wall Street movement raises $300K The Hindu - ‎11 hours ago‎ The Occupy Wall Street movement has close to $300000, as well as storage space loaded with donated supplies in lower Manhattan. It stared down city officials to hang on to its makeshift headquarters, showed its muscle on Saturday with a big Times ... Occupy Wall Street flexes muscles one month on AFP - Sebastian Smith - ‎3 hours ago‎ NEW YORK — Exactly a month after a few hundred anti-capitalism activists set up camp in New York, the Occupy Wall Street movement has gone international and won the attention of the White House -- even if no one knows where it will go next.... Occupy Wall Street movement reaches one month birthday NDTV.com - ‎7 hours ago‎ AP, Updated: October 17, 2011 15:30 IST New York: The month-old Occupy Wall Street movement continues to grow, with nearly $300000 in the bank and participants finding satisfaction in the widening impact they hope will counter the influence on society ... Occupy Wall Street protests cause for reflection: China Economic Times - ‎8 hours ago‎ BEIJING: China's Foreign Ministry said on Monday global protests sparked by the Occupy Wall Street movement in the United States were a cause for "reflection", but the reflection should be focused on ensuring the world's healthy economic growth. ... Occupy Wall Street live: one month on The Guardian (blog) - ‎46 minutes ago‎ Occupy Wall Street celebrates its one month anniversary today, after a weekend which saw hundreds of thousands demonstrate against corporate greed around the world. Demonstrators affiliated with the Occupy Wall Street rally in New York's Times Square. ... Occupy Wall Street's struggle for non-violence Salon - Justin Elliott - ‎44 minutes ago‎ A man affiliated with the Occupy Wall Street protests tackles a police officer during a march towards Wall Street in New York, on Friday. (Credit: AP/Andrew Burton) On Saturday, the Washington Post splashed a photo on its front page ... Occupy Wall Street Hits 1-Month Mark; NYPD Overtime Hits $3.4M NBC New York - ‎19 minutes ago‎ At least 10 people are arrested as hundreds of Wall Street protesters clash with police in a mass demonstration after Brookfield Properties tells the city to postpone the Zuccotti Park clean-up. The month-old Occupy Wall Street movement continues to ... Occupy Wall Street reaches one-month mark RT - ‎1 hour ago‎ Thousands of Occupy Wall Street protesters marched to Times Square this weekend, and though met with violent police opposition, it did not stop them. As the number of demonstrators grows, the movement has officially reached its one-month mark. ... Occupy Wall Street Global Action Day ~ October 15, 2011 YouTube - ‎10 hours ago‎ Occupy Wall Street protester, Noah Fischer explains to Black Star News why he is there and suggests solutions. Occupy Wall Street: 1-Month Birthday TIME - Verena Dobnik, Suzette Laboy - ‎5 hours ago‎ Workgroups collect trash Oct. 13, 2011 in New York's Zuccotti Park's where Occupy Wall Streetprotesters have been encamped for nearly a month. Bebeto Matthews / AP (NEW YORK) — The month-old Occupy Wall ... Occupy Wall Street movement comes to SLC The Statesman - ‎3 hours ago‎ Thousands of people are protesting "corporate greed" around the world in a pair of movements called Occupy Wall Street and Occupy Together. Under the slogan "We are the 99 percent," members of the Occupy movements say corporations — who they say ... Occupy Wall Street Loves Capitalism's Pearls: William Cohan Bloomberg - William D. Cohan - ‎17 hours ago‎ It was probably inevitable that the Occupy Wall Street movement would be rife with contradictions. Back on Sept. 15, two days before the first protest began in lower Manhattan, an organizing principle of sorts appeared on the Adbusters website. ... Occupy Wall Street or Tea Party? Cabot Wealth Advisory - Timothy Lutts - ‎1 hour ago‎ dichotomy might parallel, in some way, today's choices between the Occupy Wall Streetmovement and the Tea Party. But there is no simple comparison. On the left, yes, Occupy Wall Street mirrors Russia in that it seeks to reduce the inequities between ... Social media connect Occupy Wall Street protesters Economic Times - ‎11 hours ago‎ The online conversation about the Occupy Wall Street movement turned global over the weekend as protesters provided live Twitter updates, photos and videos from the dozens of demonstrations around the world. Using cellphones and social media tools, ... How Occupy Wall Street Is Like the Internet The Atlantic - Conor Friedersdorf - ‎6 hours ago‎ Holed up in a redwood forest on the Northern California coast, the nearest McDonald's two hours away, I clicked through to some photos of Occupy Wall Street protestors in New York City, and saw that one of their signs displayed in big block letters 46 ... Occupy Wall Street, Where Does It Go From Here? Michigan Radio - Jack Lessenberry - ‎2 hours ago‎ I drove into downtown Traverse City on Saturday afternoon, and to my surprise, found an Occupy Wall Street demonstration occupying both sides of Front Street, the town's main drag. Well, it was actually called an "Occupy Traverse ... Occupy Wall Street turns one month old MarketWatch (blog) - ‎2 hours ago‎ NEW YORK – Occupy Wall Street turned one month old on Monday as it continues to pick up steam with sympathetic demonstrations around the country and a rising tally of arrests. In their latest big protest over the weekend, Occupy Wall Streeters showed ... Occupy Wall Street Turns One Month Old, Weighs Whether to Issue Demands Death and Taxes - Alex Moore - ‎3 hours ago‎ The Occupy Wall Street movement turns one month old today. Protesters and spectators alike ask, where does it go from here? Occupy Wall Street officially turns one month old this morning—the first protesters began ... Occupy Wall Street: Renaissance, Not Revolution Huffington Post - ‎1 hour ago‎ Bravo, Occupy Wall Street Protesters! You have changed the subject of the national conversation and taken us back to the crucial issues of the day -- jobs, economic opportunity, and basic American fairness. In place of the droning about fiscal ... Occupy Wall Street's Crony Capitalism Wall Street Journal - ‎19 hours ago‎ By L. GORDON CROVITZ The Occupy Wall Street movement, now in its fourth week, has plenty to brag about. Its occasionally published newspaper, the Occupied Wall Street Journal, proclaims: "In the great cathedral of capitalism, the dispossessed have ... Will Obama occupy Wall Street? Washington Post (blog) - Ezra Klein - ‎6 hours ago‎ Since its launch, Occupy Wall Street has gotten support from some high profile, and occasionally even unexpected, sympathizers. Neutral Milk Hotel's Jeff Mangum headed down to the protest to play a set. Kanye West and Russell Simmons toured Zuccotti ... "Occupy Wall Street" Protesters Regroup Downtown NY1 - Zack Fink - ‎2 hours ago‎ "Occupy Wall Street" protestors who were planning to head back to Washington Square Park Sunday evening for a general assembly ended up staying at their base camp downtown, marking a quiet end to a wild weekend. Earlier in the day, a tweet on the ... Occupy Wall Street protests in China? Not for now, anyway. Christian Science Monitor - Peter Ford - ‎5 hours ago‎ Occupy Wall Street protests spread to four continents over the weekend, but China's major involvement was conspicuously absent. By Peter Ford, Staff writer / October 17, 2011 People go about their business, not protesting anything, at Beijing's Solana ... Occupy Wall Street protest brings crowd to Times Square Business Standard - ‎22 hours ago‎ Occupy Wall Street demonstrations in New York City yesterday culminated with a Times Square rally that drew thousands opposed to economic inequality, echoed by protests from London to Tokyo. Participants in the month-old movement marched past a ... Why Occupy Wall Street is Bigger Than Left vs. Right RollingStone.com (blog) - ‎1 hour ago‎ Demonstrators associated with the 'Occupy Wall Street' movement face off with police in the streets of the financial district of New York. a series of private e-mail lists – including one that I have been participating in – and was using them to run an ... Occupy Wall Street Marks One Month, Oct. 17, 2011 eNews Park Forest - ‎4 hours ago‎ "I am here to celebrate the 30th day of this protest against corporate power," said Karanja Gacuca from Liberty Square, a former Wall Street analyst who now organizes with Occupy Wall Street. "Concerned about the egregious Wall Street bonuses ... Occupy Wall Street shows muscle News24 - Verena Dobnik - ‎7 hours ago‎ New York - The Occupy Wall Street movement has close to $300 000, as well as storage space loaded with donated supplies in lower Manhattan. It stared down city officials to hang on to its makeshift headquarters, showed its muscle on ...

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Occupy Wall Street Marks One Month

Posted Oct. 17, 2011, 8:20 a.m. EST by OccupyWallSt

Occupy Wall Street Marks One Month at Liberty Square

Occupations Spread to Over 100 US Cities

Movement For Economic Justice Gains Global Momentum

Liberty Square, New York, NY — One month ago today about 2,000 people rallied in Lower Manhattan and marched up Broadway. Stopping at Zuccotti Park an estimated 150 stayed the night and began an encampment. Renaming the space "Liberty Square," we kicked off a protest against bank bailouts, corporate greed, and the unchecked power of Wall Street in Washington. In the last month, the message of "We are the 99%" has won the hearts and minds of over half of Americans (according to a recent Time survey) and is gaining ground globally, with 1500 protests in 82 countries this past Saturday (October 15).

"I am here to celebrate the 30th day of this protest against corporate power," said Karanja Gacuca from Liberty Square, a former Wall Street analyst who now organizes with Occupy Wall Street. "Concerned about the egregious Wall Street bonuses — particularly after the industry accepted a tax-payer bailout and the middle class continues to be squeezed — I believe it's time for a fairer system that provides health care, education, and opportunity for all, and rejects corporate influence over government."

Inspired by the uprisings across the Arab world, and fueled by the feelings of anger and helplessness of everyday Americans, in the past month Occupy Wall Street has:

• Gone Global: On October 15th, protests were held from North and South America to Asia, Africa and Europe, with over 1,500 events in 82 countries, as part of a global day of action.

• Flourished with Diversity: Occupiers of different ages, races, walks of life, and political beliefs have joined the movement. The mix grew quickly to include students, elderly people, families with children, construction workers on their lunch breaks, unemployed Wall Street executives, Iraq & Afghanistan veterans, moms, and many others.
  

• Gained Support in the Heartland: Occupy actions are happening all across middle America, from Kethcum, ID to Kalamazoo, MI, from Orlando to Anchorage. Every day financial contributions arrive along with clothes, food, and notes of support from all across the country. A couple from West Virginia who have been sending supplies to Liberty Square occupiers writes: "We are so grateful for all of you involved in this defense of America. We firmly believe this is 'it.' If we can't grab this democracy this time, we'll sink and it will be a long time before we will have this opportunity again. Thank you for taking time from your busy life to be there."

• Changed the Conversation: The people-powered force of shared anger at a broken system that profits the top 1% at the expense of the rest of us has shifted our national dialogue. The Occupy Wall Street protest has become a cultural phenomenon, mentioned everywhere from jokes on Saturday Night Live to the solemn dedication the national memorial to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by President Obama Sunday. We, the occupiers, have shown our country how to come together and respect differences while working together to build a movement for change.

What a month, and we are only getting started!

Occupy Wall Street is a people-powered movement that began on September 17, 2011 in Liberty Square in Manhattan's Financial District, and has spread to over 100 cities in the United States and actions in over 1,500 cities globally. #OWS is fighting back against the corrosive power of major banks and multinational corporations over the democratic process, and the role of Wall Street in creating an economic collapse that has caused the greatest recession in generations. The movement is inspired by popular uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia, and aims to expose how the richest 1% of people are writing the rules of an unfair global economy that is foreclosing on our future.

---

147 Comments

From Tahrir Square to Times Square: Protests Erupt in Over 1,500 Cities Worldwide

Posted Oct. 16, 2011, 1:08 a.m. EST by OccupyWallSt

Tens of Thousands in Streets of Times Square, NY

Tens of Thousands Flood the Streets of Global Financial Centers, Capitol Cities and Small Towns to "Occupy Together" Against Wall Street Mid-Town Manhattan Jammed as Marches Converge in Times Square

New York, NY -- After triumphing in a standoff with the city over the continued protest of Wall Street at Liberty Square in Manhattan's financial district, the Occupy Wall Street movement has spread world wide today with demonstrations in over 1,500 cities globally and over 100 US cities from coast to coast. In New York, thousands marched in various protests by trade unions, students, environmentalists, and community groups. As occupiers flocked to Washington Square Park, two dozen participants were arrested at a nearby Citibank while attempting to withdraw their accounts from the global banking giant.

"I am occupying Wall Street because it is my future, my generations' future, that is at stake," said Linnea Palmer Paton, 23, a student at New York University. "Inspired by the peaceful occupation of Tahrir Square in Cairo, tonight we are are coming together in Times Square to show the world that the power of the people is an unstoppable force of global change. Today, we are fighting back against the dictators of our country - the Wall Street banks - and we are winning."

New Yorkers congregated in assemblies organized by borough, and then flooded the subway system en mass to join the movement in Manhattan. A group calling itself Todo Boricua Para Wall Street marched as a Puerto Rican contingent of several hundred playing traditional music and waving the Lares flag, a symbol of resistance to colonial Spain. "Puerto Ricans are the 99% and we will continue to join our brothers and sisters in occupying Wall Street," said David Galarza Santa, a trade unionist from Sunset Park, Brooklyn. "We are here to stand with all Latinos, who are being scapegoated by the 1%, while it is the bankers who have caused this crisis and the banks who are breaking the law."

While the spotlight is on New York, "occupy" actions are also happening all across the Midwestern and the Southern United States, from Ashland, Kentucky to Dallas, Texas to Ketchum, Idaho. Four hundred Iowans marched in Des Moines, Iowa Saturday as part of the day of action:

"People are suffering here in Iowa. Family farmers are struggling, students face mounting debt and fewer good jobs, and household incomes are plummeting," said Judy Lonning a 69-year-old retired public school teacher. "We're not willing to keep suffering for Wall Street's sins. People here are waking up and realizing that we can't just go to the ballot box. We're building a movement to make our leaders listen."

Protests filled streets of financial districts from Berlin, to Athens, Auckland to Mumbai, Tokyo to Seoul. In the UK over 3,000 people attempted to occupy the London Stock Exchange. "The financial system benefits a handful of banks at the expense of everyday people," said Spyro Van Leemnen, a 27-year old public relations agent in London and a core member of the demonstrators. "The same people who are responsible for the recession are getting away with massive bonuses. This is fundamentally unfair and undemocratic."

In South Africa, about 80 people gathered at the Johannesburg Securities Exchange, Talk Radio 702 reported. Protests continued despite police efforts to declare the gathering illegal. In Taiwan, organizers drew several hundred demonstrators, who mostly sat quietly outside the Taipei World Financial Center, known as Taipei 101.

600 people have begun an occupation of Confederation Park in Ottawa, Canada today to join the global day of action. "I am here today to stand with Indigenous Peoples around the world who are resisting this corrupt global banking system that puts profits before human rights," said Ben Powless, Mohawk citizen and indigenous youth leader. "Native Peoples are the 99%, and we've been resisting the 1% since 1492. We're marching today for self- determination and dignity against a system that has robbed our lands, poisoned our waters, and oppressed our people for generations. Today we join with those in New York and around the world to say, No More!"

In Australia, about 800 people gathered in Sydney's central business district, carrying cardboard banners and chanting "Human need, not corporate greed." Protesters will camp indefinitely "to organize, discuss and build a movement for a different world, not run by the super-rich 1%," according to a statement on the Occupy Sydney website.

The movement's success is due in part to the use of online technologies and international social networking. The rapid spread of the protests is a grassroots response to the overwhelming inequalities perpetuated by the global financial system and transnational banks. More actions are expected in the coming weeks, and the Occupation of Liberty Square in Manhattan will continue indefinitely.

Occupy Wall Street is a people powered movement that began on September 17, 2011 in Liberty Square in Manhattan's Financial District, and has spread to over 100 cities in the United States and actions in over 1,500 cities globally. #OWS is fighting back against the corrosive power of major banks and multinational corporations over the democratic process, and the role of Wall Street in creating an economic collapse that has caused the greatest recession in generations.The movement is inspired by popular uprisings in Egypt, Tunisia, Spain, Greece, Italy and the UK, and aims to expose how the richest 1% of people who are writing the rules of the global economy are imposing an agenda of neoliberalism and economic inequality that is foreclosing our future.

516 Comments

October 15th - Global Day Of Action

Posted Oct. 15, 2011, 6:12 p.m. EST by OccupyWallSt

NYC Live Updates

• 12:40 a.m. Police are barricading Washington Square Park from the public. Property not people.

• 12:12 a.m. Police are advancing on bystanders standing outside the South side of Washington Square Park.

• 12:09 a.m. Police have sealed the North and South side of Washington Square Park.

• 11:54 p.m. Police in riot gear are advancing on peaceful occupiers in Washington Square Park.

• 11:34 p.m. Police are massing at Washington Square Park. Police are moving on #occupychicago

• 9:48 p.m. 3,000 at Washington Square now, about to have a General Assembly, 70 arrests total for today.

• 9:02 p.m. 42 arrests on 47th.

• 8:50 p.m. 700 reported in Washington Square Park. Music and food there.
  

• 8:30 p.m. Scanner says riot cops in full gear, nets out, headed to the crowd, 47th and 6th.

• 8:11 p.m. White shirt just ordered #NYPD line AWAY from barricades. Crowd ROARS

• 8:08 p.m. Tension escalating, police ordering protesters to step away from barricades.

• 8:02 p.m. Mario: 4 paddy wagons and arrests at 46 and 6th ave.

• 8:00 p.m. Police are arresting occupiers at 46th and 6th.

• 7:30 p.m. Unconfirmed estimates ranging as high as 50,000 people in Times Square.

• 6:45 p.m. Police have trapped people in times square with barricades.

• 6:35 p.m. A horse just went down. Crowd is going wild. NYPD says anyone near barricade is going to jail. This is is inexcusable. (Source)

• 6:22 p.m. Police on horseback arrive. Police pulling people out of crowd and attacking them. Protesters are rushing barricades.

• 6:10 p.m. Police in riot gear retreat.

• 6:05 p.m. Police are in riot gear.

• 6:00 p.m. Backup has arrived. Estimated 15,000 in Times Square

• 5:49 p.m. Orange nets along Broadway.

• 5:45 p.m. Five thousand more on their way from Liberty Square and other locations.

• 5:30 p.m. Thousands arrive in Time Square. Now livestreaming:http://www.livestream.com/occupywallstnyc

  

• 5:13 p.m. March now 7 blocks from Times Square.

• 4:18 p.m. March from Washington Square Park is at 20th St and 6th Ave.

  

• 3:40 p.m. March from Washington Square Park is at 11th St and 6th Ave. At least five thousand strong.

• 3:36 p.m. It appears that Twitter is censoring our updates.

• 3:26 p.m. General Assembly of Washington Square Park marches on Times Square. 8th st and 6th ave.

• 3:19 p.m. Zombie group arriving in Washington Square Park. Hundreds march from Liberty Square to Citibank at 555 La Guardia Place in solidarity with arrested occupiers.

• 2:43 p.m. Around four thousand in Washington Square Park. Around three thousand in Liberty Square.

• 2:28 p.m. Police at 555 La Guardia Place are arresting occupiers in Citibank who are attempting to close their accounts.

• 2:23 p.m. At least 22 arrested in Citibank.

• 2:19 p.m. Citibank action 555 La Guardia Place. Occupiers are inside and currently being arrested.

• 1:57 p.m. March from Liberty Square reaches Washington Square Park. Thousands in the General Assembly meet them chanting, "Wall Street, no thanks - we don't need your greedy banks."

• 1:49 p.m. March from Liberty Square passes Waverly Place, nears Washington Square Park.

• 1:29 p.m.. Two thousand are gathered for General Assembly in Washington Square Park. Thousands more are marching to meet them.

• 1:23 p.m. At least twenty NYPD vehicles heading to Washington Square Park.

• 1:16 p.m. March from Liberty Square to Washington Square Park passes 6th and Broome.

• 1:05 p.m. Poetry cipher broke out during the Bronx General Assembly on the 4 train.

• 12:54 p.m. Bronx Police hold entrance to subway open for Bronx General Assembly - march heads downtown for free, filling two entire cars.

• 12:35 p.m. March from Liberty Square to Washington Square Park passes Church and Chambers - numbers more than a thousand.

Schedule

11AM - MARCH ON THE BANKS
From Liberty Square to Chase
We will then march to student meet up at Wash. Sq. Park
Facebook
moveyourmoneyproject.org

11AM - OCCUPY THE BRONX MEET-UP
Facebook

12PM - ANTI-WAR MARCH AND TEACH-IN
Wall Street And Broadway 
Facebook

12PM - MASS STUDENT GENERAL ASSEMBLY
Washington Square Park -
Student meet up and student loan lender bank action
Facebook

1PM - #SankofaDay
Sponsered by the Malcolm X Grass Roots Movement
Liberty Plaza/Zuccotti Park
Facebook

3:30PM - ENVIRONMENTAL ACTION AGAINST MOUNTAIN TOP REMOVAL
New York Public Library Main Entrance
42 and 5th avenue

4PM - OCCU-PIE TIMES SQUARE RECRUITMENT CENTER
Facebook

5PM - TAKE TIME SQUARE CONVERGENCE/ OCCUPATION PARTY
The Occupation Party & Facebook

Media

Washington Square Park, NYC

Times Square, NYC

Bronx, NYC

Madrid

Hong Kong

London

Rome

Berlin

Tel Aviv

Amsterdam

Los Angeles

128 Comments

The 1% Have Addresses. The 99% Have Messages

Posted Oct. 15, 2011, 11:43 a.m. EST by OccupyWallSt

Life sure is tough for those at the top and it must get awfully lonely. Working day and night to ravage the global economy through neoliberal policy is a thankless job. The following website lists the names of many powerful financial executives and it's time we all sent them a warm thank you for the hard work they've been doing ;)

http://www.occupytheboardroom.org/

209 Comments

October 15th Call to Action

Posted Oct. 14, 2011, 11:08 p.m. EST by OccupyWallSt

Over the last 30 years, the 1% have created a global economic system - neoliberalism - that attacks our human rights and destroys our environment. Neoliberalism is worldwide - it is the reason you no longer have a job, it is the reason you cannot afford healthcare, education, food, your mortgage.
Neoliberalism is your future stolen.

Neoliberalism is everywhere, gutting labor standards, living wages, social contracts, and environmental protections. It is "a great vampire squid wrapped around the face of humanity, relentlessly jamming its blood funnel into anything that smells like money." It is a system that ravages the global south and creates global financial crisis - crisis in Spain, in Greece, in the United States. It is a system built on greed and thrives on destablizing shocks.
It allows the 1% to enrich themselves by impoverishing humanity.

This has to stop!
We must usher in an era of democratic and economic justice.
We must change, we must evolve.

On October 15th the world will rise up as one and say, "We have had enough! We are a new beginning, a global fight on on all fronts that will usher in an era of shared prosperity, respect, mutual aid, and dignity."

Actions in NYC

October 15th: Occupy Banks from Mary Matthews on Vimeo.

Actions worldwide

Take The Square

433 Comments

#OWS VICTORY: The people have prevailed, gear up for global day of action

Posted Oct. 14, 2011, 8:51 a.m. EST by OccupyWallSt

People power triumphs over Wall Street's bid to end the protests mayor bloomberg and Brookfield Inc. back down on eviction world prepares for day of action Saturday October 15 in 950+ cities in 82 countries. We Are Winning!

NEW YORK, NY – Over 3,000 people gathered at Liberty Plaza in the pre-dawn hours this morning to defend the peaceful Occupation near Wall Street. The crowd cheered at the news that multinational real estate firm Brookfield Properties will postpone its so-called "cleanup" of the park and that Mayor Bloomberg has told the NYPD to stand down on orders to remove protesters. On the eve of the October 15 global day of action against Wall Street greed, this development has emboldened the movement and sent a clear message that the power of the people has prevailed against Wall Street.

"We are winning and Wall Street is afraid," said Kira Moyer-Sims, a protester from Portland, Oregon. "This movement is gaining momentum and is too big to fail."

"Brookfield Properties is the 1%. They have invested $24 billion in mortgage-backed securities, so as millions face foreclosure and eviction due to predatory lending and the burst of the housing bubble that Wall Street created, its not surprising they threatened to evict Occupy Wall Street," said Patrick Bruner, an organizer with Occupy Wall Street from the Bed-Stuy neighborhood of Brooklyn. "But Brookfield and Bloomberg have backed down and our movement is only growing as the 99% take to the streets world wide to call for economic justice."

The early morning announcement from the Mayor's office in New York came after 300,000+ Americans signed petitions to stop the eviction, and flooded the 311 phone network in solidarity with those in Liberty Square. At 6 AM this morning, 3,000+ New Yorkers, unions, students, and others joined the occupiers in the square to send a clear message to the 1% who want to silence this peaceful assembly of the 99%. Donations poured into the protesters from Italy, England, Mexico and many other countries by everyday people hoping to help the movement grow.

"For too long the 99% have been ignored as our economic system has collapsed. The banks got bailouts and we've been sold out, " said Harrison Schultz, business analyst from Brooklyn . "Wall Street's greed has corrupted our country and is killing our planet. But today we celebrate victory and vow to keep fighting for justice and change on Wall Street, and in over 100 cities in the US and over 950 cities globally."

On October 15th, Occupy Wall Street will demonstrate in concert over 951 cities in 82 countries and counting as people around the globe protest in an international day of solidarity against the greed and corruption of the 1%.

Occupy Wall Street is a people powered movement that began on September 17, 2011 in Liberty Square in Manhattan's Financial District, and has spread to over 100 cities in the United States and actions in over 1,500 cities globally. #OWS is fighting back against the corrosive power of major banks and multinational corporations on the democratic process, and the role of Wall Street in creating an economic collapse that caused the greatest recession in generations. The movement is inspired by uprisings in Egypt, Tunisia, Spain, Greece, Italy and the UK, and aims to expose how the richest 1% of people who are writing the rules of the global economy and are imposing an agenda of neoliberalism and economic inequality.

753 Comments

Parents bring Children to #ows tonight

Posted Oct. 14, 2011, 6:29 a.m. EST by OccupyWallSt

EMERGENCY CALL TO ACTION: Keep Bloomberg and Kelly From Evicting #OWS

Posted Oct. 13, 2011, 2:14 p.m. EST by OccupyWallSt

How To Hold Your Ground

Posted Oct. 13, 2011, 2:12 p.m. EST by OccupyWallSt

GOOD NEIGHBOR POLICY

Posted Oct. 13, 2011, 2:10 p.m. EST by OccupyWallSt

Mr. Auctioneer! New Yorkers Call for Moratorium on Foreclosures. Organizing for Occupation and Occupy Wall Street visit the courts!

Posted Oct. 13, 2011, 2:13 a.m. EST by

October 15th Global Day Of Action

Posted Oct. 12, 2011, 3:57 p.m. EST by OccupyWallSt

#OWS Stands In Solidarity With 100 Arrested At Occupy Boston

Posted Oct. 11, 2011, 11:52 a.m. EST by OccupyWallSt

Sign Language

Posted Oct. 9, 2011, 10:38 p.m. EST by OccupyWallSt

Today Liberty Plaza had a visit from Slavoj Zizek

Posted Oct. 9, 2011, 6:04 p.m. EST by OccupyWallSt

#ows Second General Assembly Of Manhattan Meets At 3PM In Washington Square Park - Anti-Flag To Play Set In Solidarity at Liberty Square

Posted Oct. 8, 2011, 1:30 a.m. EST by OccupyWallSt

#ows is growing. We will be in a thousand cities in this country by the end of the month - hundreds of cities in other countries. We will see General Assemblies on six continents.

Liberty Square has grown exponentially over the last three weeks. It is time to form a second General Assembly in Manhattan. We expect more to follow.

On October eighth at three in the afternoon a General Assembly will convene in Washington Square Park. At the same time Anti-Flag will play an acoustic set in Liberty Square in solidarity with our movement's expansion.

We are growing. Block by block – city by city. We will see change in this country, in this world. It will happen sooner than you can imagine.

635 Comments

AFT fully endorses Occupy Wall Street

Posted Oct. 6, 2011, 4:48 p.m. EST by OccupyWallSt

This Site Has Nothing To Do With Us

Posted Oct. 6, 2011, 11:48 a.m. EST by OccupyWallSt

#ows Takes Foley Square With Union Brothers And Sisters

Posted Oct. 6, 2011, 4:03 a.m. EST by OccupyWallSt

Right Here All Over

Posted Oct. 5, 2011, 10:29 p.m. EST by OccupyWallSt

Police Use Pepper Spray And Batons On Protesters - At Least Twenty Arrested

Posted Oct. 5, 2011, 9:24 p.m. EST by OccupyWallSt

Αλληλεγγύης

Posted Oct. 5, 2011, 5:14 p.m. EST by OccupyWallSt

#OccupyWallStreet Union March From Foley Square on Wall Street

Posted Oct. 4, 2011, 8:36 p.m. EST by OccupyWallSt

On October 05, 2011, at 3:00 in the afternoon the residents of Liberty Square will gather to join their union brothers and sisters in solidarity and march. At 4:30 in the afternoon the 99% will march in solidarity with #occupywallstreet from Foley Square to the Financial District, where their pensions have disappeared to, where their health has disappeared to. Together we will protest this great injustice. We stand in solidarity with the honest workers of:

• AFL-CIO (AFSCME)
  
• United NY
  
• Strong Economy for All Coalition
  
• Working Families Party
  
• TWU Local 100
  
• SEIU 1199
  
• CWA 1109
  
• RWDSU
  
• Communications Workers of America
  
• CWA Local 1180
  
• United Auto Workers
  
• United Federation of Teachers
  
• Professional Staff Congress - CUNY
  
• National Nurses United
  
• Writers Guild East
  

And:

• VOCAL-NY
  
• Community Voices Heard
  
• Alliance for Quality Education
  
• New York Communities for Change
  
• Coalition for the Homeless
  
• Neighborhood Economic Development Advocacy Project (NEDAP)
  
• The Job Party
  
• NYC Coalition for Educational Justice
  
• The Mirabal Sisters Cultural and Community Center
  
• The New Deal for New York Campaign
  
• National People's Action
  
• ALIGN
  
• Human Services Council
  
• Labor-Religion Coalition of New York State
  
• Citizen Action of NY
  
• MoveOn.org
  
• Common Cause NY
  
• New Bottom Line
  
• 350.org
  
• Tenants & Neighbors
  
• Democracy for NYC
  
• Resource Generation
  
• Tenants PAC
  
• Teachers Unite
  

Together we will voice our belief that the American dream will live again, that the American way is to help one another succeed. Our voice, our values, will be heard.

Please note: The location of the march has been changed from City Hall to Foley Square.

457 Comments

Occupation Blues

Posted Oct. 4, 2011, 3:19 p.m. EST by OccupyWallSt

No Comment: Art Exhibit Inspired By Occupy Wall Street Oct 8th

Posted Oct. 4, 2011, 2:37 p.m. EST by OccupyWallSt

On Our Way To Brooklyn

Posted Oct. 3, 2011, 12:37 a.m. EST by OccupyWallSt

Brooklyn Bridge Occupied

Posted Oct. 1, 2011, 4:56 p.m. EST by OccupyWallSt

"We are the 99%" Solidarity March with #OccupyWallStreet at 3 PM

Posted Oct. 1, 2011, 9:09 a.m. EST by OccupyWallSt

Radiohead will NOT be playing

Posted Sept. 30, 2011, 4:30 p.m. EST by OccupyWallSt

Take Back Boston!

Posted Sept. 30, 2011, 12:20 p.m. EST by OccupyWallSt

Greetings from Occupied Wall Street,

Posted Sept. 30, 2011, 5:06 a.m. EST by OccupyWallSt

Day 12

Posted Sept. 29, 2011, 10:26 p.m. EST by OccupyWallSt

A Message From Occupied Wall Street (Day Eleven)

Posted Sept. 28, 2011, 9:53 a.m. EST by OccupyWallSt

Cornel West, Philosopher and Activist, to Speak at Occupy Wall Street Tonight At Seven

Posted Sept. 27, 2011, 5:28 p.m. EST by OccupyWallSt

A Message From Occupied Wall Street (Day Ten)

Posted Sept. 27, 2011, 2:31 p.m. EST by OccupyWallSt

Immortal Technique

Posted Sept. 27, 2011, 4:20 a.m. EST by OccupyWallSt

Noam Chomsky Announces Solidarity With #occupywallstreet

Posted Sept. 26, 2011, 6:57 p.m. EST by OccupyWallSt

Officer Bologna

Posted Sept. 26, 2011, 3:53 p.m. EST by OccupyWallSt

A Message from Occupied Wall Street (Day Nine)

Posted Sept. 26, 2011, 4:03 a.m. EST by OccupyWallSt

Block By Block, City By City

Posted Sept. 25, 2011, 5:56 p.m. EST by OccupyWallSt

March Guidelines

Posted Sept. 25, 2011, 12:23 p.m. EST by OccupyWallSt

A Message From Occupied Wall Street (Day Eight)

Posted Sept. 25, 2011, 5:09 a.m. EST by OccupyWallSt

At least four arrested, one for shooting photos UPDATE: at least eighty arrested, five maced | RETRACTION: no tear gas used

Posted Sept. 24, 2011, 8:11 p.m. EST by OccupyWallSt

Call of Solidarity for Comrades Held in Van Outside 1st Precinct

Posted Sept. 24, 2011, 6:09 p.m. EST by OccupyWallSt

A Message From Occupied Wall Street (Day Seven)

Posted Sept. 24, 2011, 12:02 p.m. EST by OccupyWallSt

Food fund will be used as a general fund

Posted Sept. 23, 2011, 8:03 p.m. EST by OccupyWallSt

At Sotheby's, Finally, the 99 Percent Were the Highest Bidder

Posted Sept. 23, 2011, 4:11 p.m. EST by OccupyWallSt

A Message From Occupied Wall Street (Day Six)

Posted Sept. 23, 2011, 3:30 a.m. EST by OccupyWallSt

At Least Six Arrested In Solidarity March For Troy Davis

Posted Sept. 22, 2011, 8:50 p.m. EST by OccupyWallSt

Life at Liberty Plaza

Posted Sept. 22, 2011, 2:20 p.m. EST by OccupyWallSt

A Message From Occupied Wall Street (Day Five)

Posted Sept. 22, 2011, 3:51 a.m. EST by OccupyWallSt

Retractions

Posted Sept. 22, 2011, 1:45 a.m. EST by OccupyWallSt

Original reports from the Tuesday, September 20th arrests had a false report of protester's tooth being knocked out. The report of the critical condition of another protester with a gash in his leg was also exaggerated in a moment of panic as the police report indicated he was bleeding from the leg. OccupyWallSt.org is strongly committed to providing the most accurate and up-to-date information; please accept our apologies for these inaccuracies.

10 Comments

Four arrests on Wednesday

Posted Sept. 21, 2011, 1:42 p.m. EST by OccupyWallSt

A Message From Occupied Wall Street (Day Four)

Posted Sept. 21, 2011, 11:08 a.m. EST by easilydistr

An Invitation for the Weekend

Posted Sept. 21, 2011, 10:27 a.m. EST by OccupyWallSt

You have fought all the wars. You have worked for all the capitalists. You have wandered over all the countries. Have you harvested the fruits of your labors, the price of your victories? Does the past comfort you? Does the present smile on you? Does the future promise you anything? Have you found a piece of land where you can live like a human being and die like a human being? On these questions, on this argument, and on this theme, the struggle for existence, the people will speak.

Come take the square with us at Liberty Plaza.

32 Comments

Taking a moment to invite people in Northern California

Posted Sept. 20, 2011, 8:44 p.m. EST by

Day 4: At least five arrested, one may be in critical condition

Posted Sept. 20, 2011, 1:01 p.m. EST by OccupyWallSt

Third Communiqué: A Message From Occupied Wall Street

Posted Sept. 20, 2011, 8:50 a.m. EST by OccupyWallSt

Second Communiqué: A Message From Occupied Wall Street

Posted Sept. 19, 2011, 8:50 p.m. EST by OccupyWallSt

First Communiqué: We Occupy Wall Street

Posted Sept. 19, 2011, 8:48 p.m. EST by OccupyWallSt

Monday

Posted Sept. 19, 2011, 4:09 a.m. EST by OccupyWallSt

Day 2 coverage

Posted Sept. 19, 2011, 3:51 a.m. EST by OccupyWallSt

A Modest Call to Action on this September 17th

Posted Sept. 17, 2011, 9:46 p.m. EST by OccupyWallSt

LiveStream of Wall St. Occupation

Posted Sept. 17, 2011, 1:27 p.m. EST by OccupyWallSt

Call (877) 881-3020 for Help & Directions

Posted Sept. 16, 2011, 1:30 p.m. EST by OccupyWallSt

Schedule information for the New York FUN Exchange

Posted Sept. 16, 2011, 8:32 a.m. EST by OccupyWallSt

Orientation Guide

Posted Sept. 15, 2011, 3:41 p.m. EST by OccupyWallSt

Occupy Wall Street Flyer

Posted Sept. 15, 2011, 2:31 p.m. EST by OccupyWallSt

Print and online media

Posted Sept. 14, 2011, 5:22 p.m. EST by drew

Sign Up Sheet for Brothers and Sisters Who Need a Place To Rest

Posted Sept. 13, 2011, 10:41 p.m. EST by OccupyWallSt

Lead up to occupation

Posted Sept. 13, 2011, 5:18 p.m. EST by OccupyWallSt

There is a lot going on this week in the lead up to September 17th. First off, for some inspiration check out all the solidarity movements around the world.

Meetings & Training:

• USDOR is hosting non violent civil disobedience training Friday @ 6:30. See the details and location on the calendar page or on USDOR calendar.
• There will be a Tactical Committee Meeting Wednesday, 7pm Fort Greene Park, Brooklyn
• There will be Art & Culture meetings Tuesday and Thursday to discuss activities. Learn more on the calendar page
• Time's Up will be hosting critical mass style ALL NIGHT rides though the Wall st. area. Meet at Tompkins sq park at 7pm Friday, Saturday, and Sunday (9/16-18) to join the ride. More info on their calendar page
• There is an event for NY Students Rising September 16, Friday 5:00pm Hunter College
• NYC General Assembly calendar
• There will be a Open General Assembly September 17th, Saturday 3:00pm at Chase Manhattan Plaza.

Resources:

• NYCGA - September 17th Legal Fact Sheet - Download PDF flyer
• USDOR has created an crowd source map for the occupation.
• USDOR also has legal information reviewed by the National Lawyers Guild. Check out the USDOR resources page. Also take a look at their tactics cheat sheet
• The General Assembly, in association with a number of activists around the world, has set up a live "TV" channel called Global Revolution
• The New York City General Assembly has a website up with minutes from the 9/10 meeting.
• Check out the Occupy Wall Street subreddit for discussion and info.

Important stuff:

• HOTLINE FOR ARRESTS September 17, National Lawyers Guild: (212) 679-6018. If you will be at the action write this down on your arm. It was recommended to call them if you hear of an arrest or if you are arrested

Things you can help with:

• The Food Committee is working on feeding people at the occupation, if you canPLEASE DONATE. Contact CunderscoreG@gmail.com to see how you can help food committee
• If you are in the NYC area and can host fellow brothers and sisters, someone is gathering volunteers to help provide access to board & bathe logistical spaces for out-of-towners click here to view the google doc
• Contact the NYCPD expressing your solidarity with the protesters and urging the police to exercise restraint. Also, tell them the world is watching. And thank them for all their hard work. Email form for the NYPD police commissioner. Contact the mayor
• Spread the word! Media kits: Print fliers (PDF) & Online fliers (PDF)

More to come... Please add your information in the comments! remember you can create nice links like so: [link text](url)

14 Comments

#OCCUPYWALLSTREET will begin @12pm at Bowling Green Park, NYC

Posted Sept. 13, 2011, 9:53 a.m. EST by OccupyWallSt

Music, arts, and orientation guides will greet you at 12pm in Bowling Green Park on Saturday. Bowling Green Park is in the financial district of Manhattan.

More details soon.

Question about OccupyWallStreet? Wondering about the plan for Sept. 17th? Out-of-town and want to be in-the-loop? Email organizers from NYC at9.17occupywallstreet@gmail.com

8 Comments

Where to Order Food to Help the Occupation

Posted Sept. 12, 2011, 11:27 p.m. EST by chris

Why?

Posted Sept. 12, 2011, 10:58 p.m. EST by chris

US Day of Rage's Tactical Plan for Sept 17th

Posted Sept. 8, 2011, 9:41 p.m. EST by OccupyWallSt

99 Percent Project Now Live!

Posted Sept. 8, 2011, 9:24 p.m. EST by OccupyWallSt

Nine Arrested & Released Without Charge in Occupy Wall Street Test Run (Video)

Posted Sept. 8, 2011, 12:30 p.m. EST by OccupyWallSt

On Thursday, Sept. 1st, a small group of demonstrators were met with police intimidation while performing a peaceful and legal occupation of a public sidewalk on Wall Street for a single night. Nine were arrested for disorderly conduct and later released without charge. One demonstrator was held for 24 hours because he was unable to provide proof of residency.

This demonstration was intended to serve as a one night test run for the September 17th occupation using the "legal encampment" strategy. According to a federal court ruling in 2000, the use of "public sleeping as a means of symbolic expression" is allowed on public sidewalks in New York City. (METROPOLITAN COUNCIL, INC., Plaintiff, -against- HOWARD SAFIR, Commissioner of the New York City Police Department, et al., June 12, 2000 [99 F. Supp. 2d 438; 2000 U.S. Dist.]). The demonstrators of Bloombergville also employed this tactic for an occupation that lasted a few weeks.

Despite fully obeying the law, demonstrators were still met with police harassment and intimidation. This event serves to remind us that we're living in a police state with absolutely no respect for the right of the people to peacefully assemble and exercise their constitutional free speech. But we will not be scared away or deterred. This abuse of authority by the NYPD only serves to strengthen our resolve and reinforce our belief that corruption and injustice in America must be fought.

More will be coming September 17th.

35 Comments

Ten days until #OCCUPYWALLSTREET

Posted Sept. 7, 2011, 10:53 p.m. EST by OccupyWallSt

September 3rd General Assembly at Tompkins Square Park

Posted Sept. 1, 2011, 10:13 p.m. EST by OccupyWallSt

The 99 Percent Project

Posted Aug. 29, 2011, 5:01 p.m. EST by chris

Hi there,

One thing we were thinking of going as part of the buildup to Sept. 17 is the 99 Percent Project. It's a promotion that we're hoping will pick up some more steam as we get closer to the occupation date that will highlight the various ways that a society which prioritizes the upper 1 percent is having a deleterious impact on, well, everyone else. It's a way to focus the message and really bring the human side to the fore by calling attention to the real human costs of our current economic setup. Here's how we're hoping it will work:

1) People will take a picture of themselves with a sign. The sign will describe a problem that the person is going through, such as:

"I am a student with $25,000 in debt."

"I am a homeowner who just got foreclosed upon."

"I am someone with thousands in medical bills and no insurance."

After below that, a single line:

"I am the 99 percent."

And, below that:

"Occupy Wall Street -- Sept. 17."

They can then submit this photo through the link on the left ("Get Known") and have it appear on the tumblr located at http://wearethe99percent.tumblr.com/. As you can see, we're still looking for submissions, so if any of you have a camera and a piece of cardboard and want to let people know why it is YOU'RE frustrated with the 99 Percent world we seem to be living in, make a submission and let your voice be heard.

Once again, it's at http://wearethe99percent.tumblr.com/

101 Comments

Organizers' Weather Report: Hurricane can't stop the organizing!

Posted Aug. 27, 2011, 10:17 p.m. EST by debordwalk

The hurricane approached and preparations were completed, activity of the residents of New York City began to dissipate. Traffic was slow and sparse and there was a lack of pedestrians, even for a rainy day in New York City. Downtown Manhattan had been entirely evacuated by 5 pm, the subway system closed at noon; even the parks closed due to hurricane conditions, forcing the postponement of the New York General Assembly scheduled at 5pm in Tompkins Square.

And yet, even as the residents' activities curtailed and slowed, the activity of the organizers increased in direct proportion to the shut down. Each one of us, sheltered in our individual apartments, focused our efforts and solidified our plans. Hurricane or not, the occupation of Wall Street will not be stopped.

From People who Plan to Occupy Wall Street! (aka PPOWS!)

33 Comments

Aug 27 General Assembly Cancelled

Posted Aug. 27, 2011, 5:16 p.m. EST by OccupyWallSt

The August 27th meeting of the NYC General Assembly has been cancelled.

Tompkins Square Park and the New York public transit system have been shut down due to hurricane conditions.

This meeting might be rescheduled early next week. We will post the time and date as soon as consensus has been reached on the mailing lists.

17 Comments

Food Committee needs YOU!

Posted Aug. 24, 2011, 11:12 p.m. EST by chris

Hi everyone,

My name is Chris and I am a member of the Food Committee. Last night I went over, in exhaustive detail, where we are as far as getting people fed. I won't recount everything here, frankly because I'm right about to go to bed, but you can read the post here:

https://occupywallst.org/forum/logistics-food/

I figured I'd make a new post, because I don't want this to get lost at the bottom, but the Food Committee has just set up a WePay account where we are currently accepting donations. Any support would be great.

https://www.wepay.com/donate/99275

14 Comments

Anonymous joins #OCCUPYWALLSTREET

Posted Aug. 24, 2011, 10:44 a.m. EST by LupeFiascoConcert

Source: Adbusters

Hey jammers, dreamers, patriots,

Anonymous has just released a video communique endorsing #OCCUPYWALLSTREET. Using language from our first Tactical Briefing, the video calls on protestors to adopt the nonviolent Tahrir-acampadas model. On the 17th of September, it says, "flood into lower Manhattan, set up tents, kitchens, peaceful barricades and occupy Wall Street for a few months … Once there, we shall incessantly repeat one simple demand in a plurality of voices."

See also signs of support for S17 on Anonymous's Twitter and websites.

Meanwhile S17 is surging ahead internationally. Simultaneous occupations of financial districts are now being planned in New York City, Madrid, Milan, London, Paris and San Francisco. With a bit of luck, this list of participating cities will grow.

If we can pull together just the right mix of nonviolence, tenacity and strategic smarts, S17 could be the beginning of the global revolution we've all been dreaming about for so long … wouldn't that be lovely.

for the wild,
Culture Jammers HQ
occupywallstreet.org

42 Comments

FDR's 1944 State of the Union Address, better known as the Second or Economic Bill of Rights

Posted Aug. 20, 2011, 8:36 a.m. EST by agnosticnixie

In 1944, for his state of the union address, president Franklin D. Roosevelt presented a social and economic program which would have expanded on the original bill of rights. Most of it was a radio address, as he had the flu, but part of it was filmed (the footage was found recently). Similar programs are found in modern constitutions, and part of it would inspire the universal bill of rights. Obviously, it didn't pass. FDR would die barely a year later, and this would die with him. Their inspiration can be found in the writings of enlightenment philosophers, already, but also in early socialist thought, up to the current day.

As an example, the language and the rights used could be found in the principles of the old french socialist party, who had formed the government before WW2, and whose principles would end up being part of the preambles of the 4th and 5th republics' constitutions, but also in the, admittedly symbolic, soviet constitution of 1936. These sentiments were repeated in the modern constitutions of Peru, Spain, Finland, Ukraine, Romania and Bulgaria.

The speech

It is our duty now to begin to lay the plans and determine the strategy for the winning of a lasting peace and the establishment of an American standard of living higher than ever before known. We cannot be content, no matter how high that general standard of living may be, if some fraction of our people—whether it be one-third or one-fifth or one-tenth—is ill-fed, ill-clothed, ill-housed, and insecure.

This Republic had its beginning, and grew to its present strength, under the protection of certain inalienable political rights—among them the right of free speech, free press, free worship, trial by jury, freedom from unreasonable searches and seizures. They were our rights to life and liberty.

As our nation has grown in size and stature, however—as our industrial economy expanded—these political rights proved inadequate to assure us equality in the pursuit of happiness.

We have come to a clear realization of the fact that true individual freedom cannot exist without economic security and independence. "Necessitous men are not free men."[2] People who are hungry and out of a job are the stuff of which dictatorships are made.

In our day these economic truths have become accepted as self-evident. We have accepted, so to speak, a second Bill of Rights under which a new basis of security and prosperity can be established for all—regardless of station, race, or creed.

Among these are:

The right to a useful and remunerative job in the industries or shops or farms or mines of the nation;

The right to earn enough to provide adequate food and clothing and recreation;

The right of every farmer to raise and sell his products at a return which will give him and his family a decent living;

The right of every businessman, large and small, to trade in an atmosphere of freedom from unfair competition and domination by monopolies at home or abroad;

The right of every family to a decent home;

The right to adequate medical care and the opportunity to achieve and enjoy good health;

The right to adequate protection from the economic fears of old age, sickness, accident, and unemployment;

The right to a good education.

All of these rights spell security. And after this war is won we must be prepared to move forward, in the implementation of these rights, to new goals of human happiness and well-being.

America's own rightful place in the world depends in large part upon how fully these and similar rights have been carried into practice for all our citizens.

For unless there is security here at home there cannot be lasting peace in the world.

49 Comments

#OCCUPYWALLSTREET update from Adbusters

Posted Aug. 12, 2011, 11:52 a.m. EST by LupeFiascoConcert

http://www.occupywallstreet.org
http://www.adbusters.org/blogs/adbusters-blog/occupywallstreet-update.html

Hey you rebels, radicals and utopian dreamers out there,

We are living through a rare crisis and moment of opportunity. Western industrialized nations are now being masticated by the financial monster they themselves created. This is triggering a mood that alternates between angry denial and sudden panic. It looks like something is about to break, opening the space for a necessary transformation and a total rethink of global economic affairs. Events are playing perfectly into our September 17 occupation of Wall Street.

So … can we on the left learn some new tricks? Can we head off to lower Manhattan with a fresh mindset and a powerful new demand?

Strategically speaking, there is a very real danger that if we naively put our cards on the table and rally around the "overthrow of capitalism" or some equally outworn utopian slogan, then our Tahrir moment will quickly fizzle into another inconsequential ultra-lefty spectacle soon forgotten. But if we have the cunning to come up with a deceptively simple Trojan Horse demand … something profound, yet so specific and doable that it is impossible for President Obama to ignore … something that spotlights Wall Street's financial capture of the US political system and confronts it with a pragmatic solution … like the reinstatement of the Glass-Steagall Act … or a 1% tax on financial transactions … or an independent investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice into the corporate corruption of our representatives in Washington … or another equally creative but downright practical demand that will emerge from the people's assemblies held during the occupation … and if we then put our asses on the line, screw up our courage and hang in there day after day, week after week, until a large swath of Americans start rooting for us and President Obama is forced to respond … then we just might have a crack at creating a decisive moment of truth for America, a first concrete step towards achieving the radical changes we all dream about unencumbered by commitments to existing power structures.

So, let's learn the strategic lessons of Tahrir (nonviolence), Syntagma (tenacity), Puerta del Sol (people's assemblies) and lay aside adherence to political parties and worn-out lefty dogmas. On September 17, let's sow the seeds of a new culture of resistance in America that fires up a permanent democratic awakening.

See you on Wall St. Sept 17. Bring Tent.

for the wild, Culture Jammers HQ

13 Comments

August 13th General Assembly at Tompkins Square Park

Posted Aug. 11, 2011, 11:14 a.m. EST by OccupyWallSt

The next meeting of the General Assembly will be held:

Saturday, August 13 · 5:00pm - 8:00pm
Tompkins Square Park (map
7th St. and Avenue A
New York, NY
Facebook Event
PDF Flyer

Please check our calendar page for information about other events and sub-committee meetings.

For further details please contact: 9.17occupywallstreet@gmail.com

1 Comments

August 9th General Assembly at the Irish Potato Famine Memorial

Posted Aug. 4, 2011, 9:51 p.m. EST by OccupyWallSt

Thank you everyone who took the time to show up at the general assembly last Tuesday. The next will be held:

Tuesday, August 9 · 7:30pm - 9:30pm
Irish Potato Famine Memorial
Vesey Street and North End Ave
New York, NY
Facebook Event

Please show up and let your voice be heard as we work together to plan the September 17th occupation of Wall Street. For those interested in attending, we recommend reading this quick guide on group dynamics in people's assemblies. For more information please contact isham@occupywallst.org or join our Google Discussion Group.

5 Comments

August 2nd General Assembly on Wall Street

Posted July 26, 2011, 12:44 p.m. EST by OccupyWallSt

From: New Yorkers Against Budget Cuts
The people who brought you the Bloombergville Occupation.
isham.christie@gmail.com

In response to the Sept. 17th Occupy Wall St. call, we decided to incorporate the organizing for the event with a New Yorkers Against Budget Cuts General Assembly on Wall St. on Aug. 2nd. In order to build the Sept. 17th call, we will use this opportunity to have the first NYC meeting for the Sept. 17th event.

Here is the link to the facebook event: http://tinyurl.com/4y8qczk

Event Details

On Tuesday, August 2 (The Bankers' "Debt-Ceiling Deadline")

Come To A People's General Assembly On Wall Street
Oppose Cutbacks And Austerity Of Any Kind

Plan For The September 17 Occupation Of Wall Street

Gather at 4:30: Meet At The Bull, Just South Of Broadway And Morris Street, At The North End Of Bowling Green Park

As the two U.S. political parties unite to dismantle Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security, it's clear:

The bankers are looting decades-old peoples' programs and the Democrats can't help us. Obama can't help us. Elected officials can't help us.

It's time for the people to meet and take the bull by the horns!

The students, union activists, and others who organized "Bloombergville" -- the three-week anti-austerity occupation on Wall Street's doorstep -- have called for an August 2 General Assembly/Speakout on Wall Street, at the bull, from 4:30 to 7, to protest the ongoing pro-bank, anti-people cutbacks and gather into working groups to plan for the September 17 occupation of Wall Street.

This is a call for every teacher, home health aid, parent, student, tenant, librarian, city/state employee, childcare provider, nurse, patient, employed or unemployed worker or recipient of Social Security or any type of public assistance: on August 2 come to Wall Street--the scene of the crimes now being perpetrated on the people -- and make your voice heard!

The current depression-level crisis is not due to lack of revenue. It's due to theft. The trillions that the banks are sitting on right now? That's our money. Whether through taxes; the looting of pension and social security contributions; or the wealth we created from our labor -- all of that belongs to us. Come to Wall Street August 2 and strategize -- on how to get that back!

Flyer

4 Comments

Who We Are

Posted June 14, 2011, 12:20 p.m. EST by OccupyWallSt

On July 13, 2011, "Culture Jammers HQ" at Adbusters issued a call to action: Occupy Wall Street! The goal stated is to gather 20,000 people to Wall Street, in New York, NY on September 17, 2011, beginning a popular occupation of that space for two months and more. Inspired by the popular assemblies of Egypt, Spain, Oaxaca and worldwide, those gathered will work to find a common voice in one clear, unified demand.

This is why we've created OccupyWallSt.org. Technology has made it easier than ever before for the people to stay in close contact and assist one another in acheiving a collective goal. Our aim is to make these tools available so our users--the true organizers of this event--can make an occuptation of Wall St. successful. We may not be able to teach a person to fish, or do it on their behalf, but we can build a damn good fishing pole.

But it isn't enough to simply make these tools freely available, they must also belong to the people. So we've taken the time to release our work as an open source project. This way others may use and build upon our work freely without any dependence on our leadership.

The sovereign people of any nation have the power, the right, and the duty, of guiding the destiny of their nation. Most just do not realize this. An organizer brings the process of realization.

Why occupy Wall Street? Because it belongs to us! Because we can!

127 Comments

Palash Biswas
Pl Read:
http://nandigramunited-banga.blogspot.com/