“… our bleak [economic] present [is not] the result of seemingly unstoppable developments \u2014 globalization and automation, a self-\u00adreplicating establishment built on \u201cmeritocratic\u201d competition, the debt-driven collapse of 2008\u00a0 … that has produced a two-tier society, Stiglitz argues, but the exercise of political power by moneyed interests over legislative and regulatory processes. \u201cWhile there may be underlying economic forces at play,\u201d he writes, \u201cpolitics have shaped the market, and shaped it in ways that advantage the top at the expense of the rest.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Further interesting quotes include: “It is not just democratic politics that is threatened by huge disparities in wealth and income. Much of Stiglitz\u2019s book is devoted to demonstrating that excessive inequality amounts to sand in the gears of capitalism, creating volatility, fueling crises, undermining productivity and retarding growth.”<\/em><\/p>\n And: “The news media and the Congress are ill-\u00adequipped to address the role of economic power in shaping policy. Both institutions are, in fact, unaware of the extent to which they themselves are subject to the influence of money.”<\/em> (I personally find this latter assertion very difficult to believe—and if members of the institutions named are not aware of it, they should be, because everyone else is. Just sayin’)<\/p>\n Given international economic events of the past four years though, I believe the review is definitely interesting and worth a read. Again, the link to it is here<\/a>.<\/p>\n —<\/p>\n “Why Social Media Isn’t the Magic Bullet for Self-Published E-Authors” by Ewan Morrison<\/strong><\/p>\n The second article appeared on The Guardian and is titled ‘Why Social Media Isn’t The Magic Bullet for Self Published E-Authors.’ <\/a>The article is by Ewan Morrison<\/a>, a novelist who has also worked as a writer-director in television and film for ten years. The article is rather long (although interesting!) but the overall thrust is probably best summed up by the following:<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/The-Price-of-Inequality.jpg\" "\\"The")
<\/a>The first one is a book review that appeared in the New York Times last week: “Separate and Unequal: ‘The Price of Inequality’<\/em> by Joseph E Stiglitz.<\/a> Stiglitz is a is a Nobel laureate and a professor of economics at Columbia University. The review is by Thomas B. Edsall, the Joseph Pulitzer II and Edith Pulitzer Moore professor at the Columbia School of Journalism. The review is definitely worth a read and possibly the book even more so. The thrust of the book, as set out in the review, is:<\/p>\n