rich list

The Sunday Times Rich List has just been published and makes interesting reading.

67 Scots in the top 1,000 against 64 last year. The 100 richest Scots, are worth £16.15 billion, up 15.1% on last year’s £14.03 billion.

CAPITALISM IS GOOD I JUST NEED A PILL

"Where exactly does the difference lie between extreme human behaviour and a psychiatric illness? The question is being asked because as a US encyclopedia of psychiatry is rewritten for the first time in more than a decade, controversy is already raging about what goes into it, and what gets thrown out. Critics say that the revised edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (or DSM, as it is commonly known) will lead to an explosion of healthy Americans being prescribed powerful drugs. Patients' rights groups are angry that it will lead to more people being stigmatised as mentally ill. "The conditions that we grew up thinking were in the normal spectrum of human behaviour " sadness, disappointment, anger" are now considered a psychiatric or psychological disorder. It has become part of a national epidemic," said Alex Beam, a newspaper columnist and author of Gracefully Insane, a book about the history of McLean psychiatric hospital in Massachusetts." (Independent, 13 April) RD

A VERY GOOD YEAR

"Bart Becht, the chief executive of consumer goods group Reckitt Benckiser, proved yesterday that where there's muck, there's brass, by pocketing more than £90m in pay, benefits and share options for 2009. Becht's earnings, detailed in the FTSE 100-listed company's annual report, include his basic salary of £987,000 and a performance-related bonus of £3.5m. But the real polish to Mr Becht's pay packet came in the shape of exercised share options and the vesting of restricted shares, which pushed his total remuneration for last year up by more than £87m. Reckitt Benckiser makes products ranging from Vanish stain remover, to Finish dishwasher tablets and Cillit Bang, the limescale treatment." (Independent, 8 April) RD

HOME SWEET HOMES

"In the eyes of Abramovich, when it comes to homes, be they city pads, rural retreats or seaside getaways, you can never have too many. The tycoon owns a country estate at Fyning Hill, near Rogate, West Sussex, which he bought for £12m in 1999 from the Australian media magnate Kerry Packer. The 420-acre estate includes a seven-bedroom house, two polo pitches, stables for 100 horses, a tennis court, a rifle range, a trout lake, a go-kart track, an indoor pool and Jacuzzi and a plunge pool. He reportedly ordered in 20,000 grouse and pheasants to indulge his passion for shooting. In 2004, he was reported to have added the Chateau de la Croe on the French Riviera to his portfolio for £15m. The 12-bedroom villa, on the exclusive Cap d'Antibes between Nice and Cannes, was once the residence of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, who held lavish receptions there. Built for an English aristocrat in Victorian style in 1927, the property sits next door to the Villa Eilenroc, built in 1867 by Charles Garnier, the designer of the Paris Opera. Previous owners include the Belgian King Leopold II, Aristotle Onassis and Greta Garbo. Last month he bought Wildcat Ridge, a mansion near Aspen, Colorado, from Leon Hirsch, former head of the medical firm US Surgical, for $36m (£18m). The 14,300 sq ft house sits in 200 acres of land rising 1,000ft above Snowmass Village. It was reported last month that Abramovich planned to build the most expensive private residence in Britain, a £150m mansion in Knightsbridge." (Independent, 19 April) RD

RIGHT WING NONSENSE

"The demonstration was marked by the same rhetoric that has galvanised the Tea Party movement and which crowds hear from Sarah Palin on an almost daily basis: disgust with Mr Obama's agenda, rage at his health reform legislation, Government bailouts, accusations of a socialist White House and an unconstitutional takeover of American life by Washington. "We are in a war,"said Larry Pratt, president of Gunowners of America. "The other side knows they are at war because they started it. They're coming for our freedom, for our money, for our kids, for our property. They're coming for everything because they are socialists." (Times, 20 April) RD

RELIGIOUS NONSENSE

"Women who wear immodest clothing and are promiscuous are to blame for earthquakes, an Iranian cleric said. The explanation for tremors in one of the most earthquake-prone countries came after President Ahmadinejad predicted a quake and suggested that many of Tehran's 12 million residents should move. Hojatoleslam Kasem Sedighi was quoted by Iranian media as saying that adultery increased quakes and the only solution was to take refuge in religion." (Times, 20 April) RD

HOUSE HUNTING?

"One Hyde Park, a new apartment building in Knightsbridge, will be official launched this evening, with its developers seeking as much as £6,000 per sq ft for 40 unsold apartments. It is a record not merely for London but for anywhere in the world this year and almost twice the best achieved last year. ...According to Harrods Estates, the property division of the store group, prices routinely achieved in this part of Knightsbridge are a more modest £3,000 - £4,000 per sq ft (the average in the UK is £220) Two-bedroomed flats are changing hands for up to £4 million, with much of the demand coming from the Middle East, the Far East and Russia." (Times, 19 April) RD

NEVER STEAL ANYTHING - SMALL

"Lawyers in the United States were predicting a wave of legal action last night in the wake of the $1 billion fraud charge brought against Goldman Sachs by the US Securities and Exchange Commission. ... The bank and Fabrice Tourre, one of its vice-presidents, were charged with securities fraud. There is speculation that more senior executives at Goldman could be implicated in the case." (Times, 19 April) RD

Food for thought

The Toronto Star (6/March/2010) asks "Who will be tomorrow's
Builders?" It goes on to list the famous men (no women!) who have "built"
the great concert halls, university colleges and other public and private
buildings of Toronto. Maybe I have missed something here. I thought
builders wore jeans and hard hats and poured the foundations, and framed
the buildings and plumbed, wired, and finished them. The former group only
wear suits and sit on their backsides. Do we really have to wait around
for these useless idlers to get anything done?

Many people have lost their homes in this recession, and been put out on
the street with nowhere to go. This is a bad thing. The US government,
however, has been able to build a whole village styled after those in
Afghanistan so the troops, American and Canadian, can practice the art of
killing other human beings more efficiently. This is supposed to be a good
thing(?).

The Ontario government and the developers are salivating over exploiting
Ontario's chromite rich Ring of Fire, located in a vast area of pristine
lakes and wilderness in the province's North Country. As usual in
capitalism, the squabble to get a piece of the action has already begun.
The native people on whose land the Ring of Fire lies are demanding their
share by occupying the landing strips and promising more action. The
government representatives have shown up to convince the native bands
that development is in their interests. They even filled the local school with
fresh fruits and vegetables, which, apparently, are not available in
winter, and presumably not available at all if you are not sitting on rich
assets! One hundred and fifty years later, the white man is still offering
to rob the native people blind with a few baubles and beads. Incredible
how the more things change… John Ayers

THE ADVANCE OF POVERTY

Every day we can read about the expansion of capitalism and how new industrial and commercial giants are arising to challenge the supremacy of the USA. Two of the leading candidates in this struggle are China and India. We are constantly hearing about the modernisation of these countries and the supposed benefits of the expansion of capital. We don't hear so much about the plight of the working class there though. The following news item about India illustrates that the supposed benefits of capitalist modernisation are not so wonderful after all. "India has 100 million more people living in poverty, official figures show, 37.2 per cent of the population compared with 27.5 per cent in 2004, with 410 million people below the UN poverty line of $1.25 a day." (Times, 19 March) Surviving on a pound a day while the owning class of that country now boast of the richest men in the world, that's capitalism for you! RD

SOMEWHERE TO LAY MY HEAD

"The 'Alcova' is a modern twist on a traditional design. The combination of sleek, straight lines and swanky fabric works in such a way that other beds of a similar shape just don't match up. Designed by Antonio Citterio, it is available in black brushed oak, grey oak or light brushed oak. The bed includes a storage unit with a hinged base.Price: From £6250." (Sunday Independent, 18 April) RD

Food for thought

Under Capitalism – When the lead smelters came to Jiyhuan, China, the
workers rejoiced for the new jobs, the infrastructure upgrades, the new
cultural hall, and the new basketball stadium. The lead smelters also
brought lead poisoning. Jiyhuan's blue skies have gone, its fruits and
vegetables are stunted, its children and workers poisoned. The story
details the medical troubles of worker, Li Yingfu who had half of his
stomach removed. The follow-up story reported that he had died.
- In India, ten-year-old Muna gets up at dawn to go to the field to
collect melon-size rocks to take to the crushing machine to make gravel
for the new roads that are part of India's 'economic miracle'. He works
fourteen hours a day at this back-breaking work for about 90 cents. It is
estimated that India has 60 million working children. Amazingly, Thomas
Chandy, head of Save the Children India has a solution – the World Bank
SHOULD demand that contractors hired to build roads financed by them do
not buy gravel from quarries that use child labour! Some solution, but
when you can only think in capitalist terms, what is to be done? Totally
bleeping useless! John Ayers

SAFETY REGULATIONS?

"The West Virginia mine where at least 25 workers died Monday in an explosion was written up more than 50 times last month for safety violations. Twelve of the citations involved problems with ventilating the mine and preventing a buildup of deadly methane. Federal regulators and members of Congress said they would examine the safety history of Massey Energy's Upper Big Branch coal mine south of Charleston, the site of the worst U.S. mining accident in a quarter-century. Meanwhile, rescue efforts were set to continue Wednesday to find four missing mineworkers." (Washington Post, 7 April) RD

NO HOUSING PROBLEM HERE

"On Avenue Road in St John's Wood, London, known as "Millionaire's Row", a crane towers over a £21m development of only two new homes. Blenheim House Construction is building the luxury residences with double-level basements that include swimming pools and underground car lifts. There is little outward sign of recession here. In recent years City bankers and the international wealthy have colonised this area, turning a historically affluent and cosmopolitan suburb into an even more economically exclusive place to live. It has become a prime location for a group once courted by a government enamoured by wealth creators but now bearing the brunt of political criticism and higher taxes. The purchasers of the Avenue Road homes are unlikely to be troubled unduly by the increase in stamp duty or an increased rate of income tax of 50 per cent." (Financial Times, 7 April) RD

MONEYMAKING GONE MAD

"Ryanair has confirmed that it is pushing ahead with its controversial scheme to charge passengers for use of toilets on its aircraft, meaning spending a penny on a flight will soon cost as much as a pound. The no-frills airline is working with Boeing to redesign the cabin and develop coin-operated toilets on 168 of its planes. Not content with charging passengers for use of the facilities, the airline is also looking at reducing the number of toilets on board, leaving just one available cubicle for up to 189 passengers. To use the remaining toilet on board, passengers would be forced to part with either £1 or 1 euro for each visit. Stephen McNamara, spokesperson for the airline, told TravelMail: 'By charging for the toilets we are hoping to change passenger behaviour so that they use the bathroom before or after the flight. That will enable us to remove two out of three of the toilets and make way for at least six extra seats on board." (Daily Mail, 6 April) RD

OWNING CLASS ARROGANCE

"That's my question for Bob Rubin and Charles Prince, both formerly of Citigroup, when they testify before the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission on Thursday. Though first I'd put it this way: How'd you guys make so much money running Citigroup into the ground and leaving it a ward of the state? Prince earned at least $120 million for running Citi for four years, during which time $64 billion in market value vanished. Rubin made at least $115 million (plus stock options) between 1999 and 2008, before the feds had to inject $45 billion and then guarantee $300 billion of the firm's liabilities to keep the place afloat. Rubin told the Wall Street Journal in November 2008 that he was worth every penny -- and then some. "I bet there's not a single year where I couldn't have gone somewhere else and made more," he said. (Washington Post, 8 April) RD

FOR A WATCH?

"..La Rosee's fair was made by the Superocean II - what he tactfully describes as a "less expensive" Breitling - a well-made, stylish, and youthful-looking diving-type watch for about 2,300 Euros....Offered in the sporty Type XXII, this is a breakthrough movement for Breguet that starts at the sensible, if hardly giveaway, price of 13,000 Euros..But Patek's showstopper was a split-second chronograph in a steel case, priced at more than 335,000 Euros." (Newsweek, 12 April) RD

NO OLD BANGERS HERE

"The fastest road-going Ferrari in history, the 599 GTO, is set to be unveiled at the Beijing Motor Show later this month, aimed at the company's most exclusive customers...Only 599 examples of the new GTO (which stands for Gran Turismo Omologato, a designation last used by Ferrari in 1984) will be built, with prices expected to be around £300,000 ...The Beijing motor show opens to the public on April 27 by which time Ferrari is expecting all GTOs to be accounted for." (Daily Telegraph, 9 April) RD

Food for thought

Ken Gallinger writes an ethics column for the Toronto Star. He wrote
that Hell did not exist. He received a letter of reprobation saying that
we are not talking about Santa Claus. Gallinger replied, in his column, "
Speaking of Santa, have you ever noticed how much the words Santa and
Satan have in common? The jolly old elf and the prince of hell share more
than the appearance of their names. Both are fictional characters used to
shape the behaviour of compliant people. Santa moulds the behaviour of
children with the promise of toys for the good and coal for the nasty.
Satan has been used to mould the behaviour of adults (and, shamefully,
kids) with the promise of an eternity of fire and damnation for whatever
activities mother church deems unacceptable…homosexuality, condoms,
witchcraft, whatever." (Fearing Hell Does Not Make it Real – 27/Feb/2010)
Good points! John Ayers

Food for thought

The "socialist" government in Portugal has just brought down its
austerity budget that includes pay cuts for civil servants, to restore
investor confidence in the country while deflecting trade union action
over the cuts. So this so-called socialist government is forced to do what
any political party would do for the capitalist class.

On the religious front, the Texas School Board, dominated by the
Christian-fundamentalist right, has voted to re-write the history books by
emphasizing people like Newt Gingrich, Stonewall Jackson, Joseph McCarthy, et al,
and in the process overturning a broad array of long-standing tenets and beliefs about US history…dropping references to Latino heroes
and justifying the red-baiting, anti-Communist extremism that overran
large tracts of the US body politic during the 1950s…" (Oakland Ross,
Toronto Star, 21/March/2010). Orwell's Ministry of Truth is alive and well
in the Deep South! John Ayers