Anti-war veteran and “Born on the Fourth of July” author Ron Kovic sits down with Robert Scheer to discuss his new book Hurricane Street, and the societal impact of the glorification of war. Here is a direct video link.
Good Brexit piece from Eric Reguly in the Globe on Saturday. We must acknowledge that what has been incredibly enriching for the bankers the past 15 years has been incredibly devastating for the real economy. This reality is repeatedly ignored in the finance-sponsored media coverage aimed at scaring Britain out of its ‘Leave’ vote, and the rest of the world from implementing desperately needed financial reforms. See: If Brexit costs a few city bankers their jobs, is that so bad?
“The economies of London and Britain are way too heavily skewed towards the City and we know that creating one-product wonders, as Alberta has done with oil, is never a good idea. According to the City of London Corporation, the British financial service sector is responsible for almost 10 per cent of national output, the highest among the Group of Seven countries, with associated professional services contributing another 5 per cent or so.
The 2008 financial crisis revealed that Britain’s banks were time bombs disguised as glass and steel skyscrapers. The government of then-prime minister Gordon Brown had to nationalize half the banking industry to prevent wholesale financial and economic collapse. In spite of the new safeguards, such as dramatically toughened up bank capital requirements, it could happen again…
In spite of the City’s success, or because of it, the average Briton probably wouldn’t care, or might even welcome, the loss of a good chunk of the 500,000 City jobs. The flood of bankers and their outlandish incomes have jacked up house prices to absurd levels, making great swathes of London unaffordable to the middle class. Prices for everything from taxis to restaurants are painfully high.
Losing 10 per cent of those jobs would take some hot air out of the London housing bubble, giving the unrich the opportunity to buy houses. The City’s loss would be Britain’s gain.”
Cool story. The food is so delicious.
It’s human nature to resist change. We all have our daily routines and habits that we have grown accustomed to. We all have a coffee shop that makes our lattes just the way we like it, know a bar with the best deal for happy hour drinks, and of course, have go-to restaurants, the kind we see as more of a hang out spot than just an eatery. For many meat-loving foodies around New York City, this place is the Bourgeois Pig, an upscale restaurant that has become known for its extensive cured meat selection and overall cool vibe.
What some patrons of the eatery may not know, however, is that the Bourgeois Pig is one of the 15 bars and restaurants that owner, Ravi De Rossi, will be turning vegan. That’s right, despite the immense popularity De Rossi’s 15 locations have had over the last decade or so, next month the Bourgeois Pig will be killed off and then resurrected in a whole new form with a completely new name: Ladybird. So why would the successful restauranteur risk everything in this manner? Simple. The on-and-off vegan is determined to shed more light on plant-based food and the fact that it can be delicious too.
Principled, healthy food even if it means lower sales. Awesome. See: Death and co restaurateur bringing huge vegan restaurant complex to Williamsburg.
“…DeRossi says he feels better about this decision than anything else he’s ever done. He’s not worried about losing business from dumping animal products, he adds. “I’m more worried about my conscious and living without the weight on my shoulder of the damage I’m doing, and the suffering of animals,” DeRossi says. Eventually, he wants to only be a part of vegan concepts, even if it means lower sales. “I’ve been such a strain on society for 40 years now,” he says. “It’s time for me to be more productive.”
