El-Erian Blames Liquidity Risk for Market 'Mess'

Council Study Session - 5/5/2022

GOODWILL SHOPPING...Hunting to do The Right Thing

Intro: It's a short well worth your curiosity with these few excerpts.  

SPOLER ALERT: There's a happy ending when an antique stone bust was looted by an American soldier after the Allied Bombing of Germany during World War II and rightfully returned to the original owner

 

Goodwill Sold a Bust for $34.99. It’s an Ancient Roman Relic.

Its 2,000-year journey to Texas remains a mystery, but the buyer is returning it to the German state of Bavaria, its pre-World War II home.

A Roman bust, determined to be from the late 1st century B.C. or early 1st century A.D., still had a price sticker on its right cheek — $34.99 — as its new owner drove it home from a Goodwill store in Austin, Texas.Credit...Laura Young

By Michael Levenson

May 6, 2022

Laura Young was browsing through a Goodwill store in Austin, Texas, in 2018 when she found a bust for sale. It was resting on the floor, under a table, and had a yellow price tag slapped on its cheek: $34.99. She bought it.

Turns out, it wasn’t just another heavy stone curio suitable for plunking in the garden. It was an actual Roman bust from the late 1st century B.C. or early 1st century A.D., which had been part of a Bavarian king’s art collection from the 19th century until it was looted during World War II.

How it got to Texas remains a mystery. But the most likely path suggests it was taken by an American soldier after the Bavarian king’s villa in Germany was bombed by Allied forces.

 

 

 

AMERICAN INSTALLING DEMOCRACY IN THE PHILLIPINES: Bom! Bom! Marcos!

Intro:The Philippines is holding presidential elections on 9 May.  Among the controversial candidates are the daughter of the country's notorious outgoing president, the son of a former dictator and a world-famous boxer.

Bong! Bong! - the son of former President (and disgraced Dictator) Fernando Marcos has the lead against an anti-corruption attorney...

Philippines election: China-friendly Marcos retains a wide lead

www.cnbc.com › 2022/05/06 › philippines-election-china-friendly-marcos...

1 day ago · With just days to go before the Philippine elections, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. continues to retain a big lead over his closest rival —  ...

 

Who are the main candidates?

Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr

The current frontrunner for president is Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr, son of the former president, Ferdinand Marcos.

President Marcos declared martial law in 1972 and took control of the country's courts, businesses and media. The army and police arrested and tortured thousands of dissidents.

He, his wife Imelda Marcos and his cronies plundered an estimated $10bn from public funds. He was forced out of power in 1986 and died soon afterwards.

> Former president Ferdinand Marcos was forced from office in the "People Power" revolution of 1986

> Bongbong Marcos was convicted in 1995 for tax evasion while serving as a public official, and his political opponents say that should disqualify him as a presidential candidate.

> Critics also say he has used his wealth to whitewash the history of his father's dictatorship on social media platforms.

> Bongbong Marcos has also refused to take part in several prime-time TV debates and independent media interviews, citing perceived bias or unfavourable formats

> Sara Duterte, daughter of the current president, is Bongbong Marcos' running mate

They brand themselves the "Uni-Team" and have vowed to make the Philippines "rise again".

 

While Ms Duterte wants to make military service mandatory for 18-year-olds, Bongbong Marcos says he's open to imposing the death penalty on criminals who cannot be rehabilitated.

Leni Robredo

The main opponent to Bongbong Marcos and Sara Duterte is Leni Robredo, the current vice-president of the Philippines.

Mrs Robredo is a former lawyer and human rights advocate.

Her supporters - who include many celebrities and leading figures in Philippines life - wear pink, her campaign colour.

Image source, Getty Images

Image caption,

Leni Robredo is calling for a "pink revolution" to restore family values and the rule of law

They are hoping for a "pink revolution" to steer the country back to family values and the rule of law.

Critics of Ms Robredo say she represents the elitist oligarchs of the Philippines. She is a member of the Liberal party, which has traditionally been connected with the richest and most powerful families in the country.

Manny Pacquaio

Also running for president is celebrated boxer Manny Pacquaio, who is now a senator. He is known as "Pac-man" to his fans.

Mr Pacquaio appeals to poor voters because of his rags-to-riches story.

He grew up starving and hungry in the southern city of General Santos and often slept in the streets as a youth. He went on to win 12 major world boxing titles and become one of the wealthiest sportsmen in the world.

Image source, Getty Images

Image caption,

Boxing champion Manny Pacquaio appeals to the poorest voters

Where are the Philippines?

The Philippines is a South East Asian country made up of more than 7,000 islands in the Pacific Ocean. It has a population of 110 million.

It was colonised first by Spain in 1565, by America in 1898 and then invaded by Japan in 1942. It gained full independence in 1946.

What kind of country is it?

The Philippines has an emerging market economy with a stark rich-poor divide. The average income is $3,300 (£2,445) a year, and 26 million Filipinos live in poverty, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority.

There are parts of the densely populated capital city, Metro Manila, where some people have to scavenge to survive. Elsewhere, the rich live in luxurious, gated communities.

Image source, AFP via Getty

Image caption,

People queue for free food in Manila, where almost a quarter of the population lives in poverty

The country is split into three main island groups - Luzon in the north, The Visayas in the centre and Mindanao in the south.

Roman Catholicism is the country's dominant faith, although there is a large Muslim population in Mindanao.

What are the main issues in the election?

May's presidential election takes place alongside elections for Congress and regional governments.

The key election issues are how to revive the Philippine economy from a sharp recession brought about by the Covid pandemic, and how to stamp out corruption in public office.

Another issue is China's increasing military presence in the seas between it and the Philippines, where it has been building strategic bases and using vessels to threaten Philippine shipping

Reference >>

Philippines election: When is it and who is running for president?

BBC News .

 

GLORIA STEINEM: "A tree grows from the bottom up..."

A voice like an echo from the past - here's an entire string of new news stories

Gloria Steinem on the unequal consequence of overturning Roe v ...

NPR

Gloria Steinem is in her late 80s now. She has spent a lifetime fighting for women's rights — including their right to control their own...
21 hours ago

Gloria Steinem reacts to Supreme Court draft on abortion

CNN

Feminist activist Gloria Steinem tells Christiane Amanpour that making decisions about our own physical selves is the basis of democracy.
3 days ago

Despite Setbacks To Reproductive Freedom, Gloria Steinem ...

Forbes

Gloria Steinem settled into her chair next to Ann Olivarius, a renowned attorney who has gone up against major organizations to battle...
2 weeks ago

Love Letter: Is Nostalgia Disempowering?

The New York Times

 

PERFECT FOR BRINGING YOUR BUSINESS INTO THE 21st CENTURY...A 5-year subscription is on sale for $49

Daily Deal: SIMBLA No Code Platform 5-Year Subscription

Gretchen Heckmann

Techdirt  

Deals

from the good-deals-on-cool-stuff dept

Fri, May 6th 2022 10:42am - Gretchen Heckmann

Introducing Simbla: a simple, intuitive, and fast drag-and-drop (no coding required) website builder, perfect for bringing your business into the 21st century. We’re not just talking about a sleek new look and feel. Simba is a guarantee that your site will be supported on all browsers and devices. Simbla’s responsive design puts your users in control of how they see your business—it offers templates that can be tailored to fit any type of business and user experience design. A 5-year subscription is on sale for $49.

Note: The Techdirt Deals Store is powered and curated by StackCommerce. A portion of all sales from Techdirt Deals helps support Techdirt. The products featured do not reflect endorsements by our editorial team.

Filed Under: daily deal 

RELATED CONTENT

Save 96% off a 5-Yr subscription to SIMBLA No Code Platform — now just $49

Neowin | 2022-04-23T17:00:01+00:00

Today's highlighted deal comes via our Apps + Software section of the Neowin Deals store, where you can . Forget your traditional notebook! This app lets you plan, document, and share notes for your projects and organize them by date.

It's time to retire that clunky, static website.

The world has changed since your website was built; shouldn't your website change with it? Enter Simbla: a simple, intuitive, and fast drag-and-drop website builder, perfect for bringing your business into the 21st century. We're not just talking about a sleek new look and feel. Simba is a guarantee that your site will be supported on all browsers and devices.

Simbla's responsive design puts your users in control of how they see your business—it offers templates that can be tailored to fit any type of business and user experience design.

Why wait until tomorrow to get started? Take a tour through Simbla's responsive website templates and prepare to be amazed! . . ."

Here's the deal:

normally costs $1,320 but it can be yours for only $49, that's a saving of $1,271 (96%) off! For terms, specs and license info, click the link

CITY OF MESA STARTS TO REALIZE 1,200-YEAR OLD WATER DROUGHT IS SERIOUS

Intro: The signs were there all these many years - all these many years of 'Build it and They will come' in rampant unchecked and unrestrained relentless unsustainable Suburban Sprawl that has devoured the entire East Valley.

There are, however, no signs that the Mesa City Council or the city government has any plans to stop-and-think about any of the consequences when they have fast-tracked approvals for more thousands of new homes, water-guzzling data centers and industrial parks.

Paying lip-service to the crisis is one thing - taking responsible action is another

1

Mesa Statement Following Arizona Department of Water Resources and Central Arizona Project Joint Colorado River Shortage Briefing

May 6, 2022 at 11:48 am
Due to historic drought, climate change and over-allocation, conditions on the Colorado River are worsening. While deeper shortages may come quicker than anticipated, Mesa recognizes the situation is serious and continues to strategically plan for a...

2

Water Agencies Announce Historic Partnership

May 3, 2022 at 1:03 pm
Today, in Las Vegas, Nevada, water agencies across Arizona, California, and Nevada, along with the Department of the Interior announced a historic effort to invest $200 million in conservation efforts to bolster the Colorado River’s Lake Mead, under...