Largest national strike

Standing before the door of his long-established but modest emporium, his ample form flanked by windows displaying hoes and pancake flour, boys’ suits and writing-paper, washboards and cigars, while a garish sign, “General Merchandise” creaked above, the pioneer proprietor pointed to a heap of freight the train now disappearing over the plains had dumped on the depot platform. “More work of the catalogues,” he commented bitterly. “Three sacks of ’em came to the post office last week, — now the folks are sending for the goods. Think they are saving money, I suppose.” “Perhaps they are?” “Not much. If they will give me all their orders and pay cash as they have to do with the catalogue mail-order houses, I’ll get ’em just as good stuff, and just as cheap. Some things they may buy cheaper, but they’re cheaper goods.” “Why do they do it, then?” “Because it’s the city, — it sounds better, somehow; and the catalogues make everything look so fine. Why, the other day a farmer came … [Read more...] about The Country Store

II THE first characteristics which the book of Grotius revealed were faith and foresight. Great as it was, — the most beneficent among all volumes not claiming divine inspiration, — yet more wonderful than the book itself was the faith of its author. In none of the years during which he meditated it, and least of all during the years when it was written, could any other human being see in the anarchic darkness of the time any tribunal which could recognize a plea for right reason in international affairs, or enforce a decision upon it. The greatness of Grotius lies first of all in the fact that he saw in all this darkness one court sitting supreme to which he might make appeal, and that court—the heart and mind of man. What the darkness was which his eye alone could pierce was stated in his preface. He says: “I saw many and grave causes why I should write a work on that subject. I saw in the whole Christian world a license of fighting at which even barbarous nations might blush. … [Read more...] about The Warfare of Humanity With Unreason: Hugo Grotius

WHENE’ER I take my walks abroad, I am fain to remark, not how many poor I see, for in that respect the cities of the United States do not appear unduly freighted, but rather how many and how potent are the street influences that tend to pauperize the soul. The school, the home; on these two foundations, we constantly are told, the welfare of this great republic rests; and that the assertion is far from being so much barren rhetoric is amply proved by the enormous sums spent on public education to a luxurious degree, and by the pure ideal of domesticity to which the private lives of candidates for high office at the people’s hands are required to testify. Many and admirable, also, are the schemes of public and private enterprise that seek to carry humanizing influences into the crowded tenement, bridging so far as they may the gap between the standards of the classroom and the illiterate or alien homes in which such vast numbers of the commonwealth’s schoolchildren dwell. But there … [Read more...] about Ethics of the Street: A Protest

President Donald Trump's brand is one of his most—if not the most—precious possessions. He puts his name on everything: Trump steaks, Trump golf, Trump hotels, Trump condos, Trump ties and the failed Trump University. Some of these products have been complete flops. But he's recovered from each one, galvanizing his image with The Apprentice reality show. It's difficult, however, to continue trading on a brand if it's been irreparably tainted. The fallout from Trump's comments this week equating the white supremacists and neo-Nazis who marched in Charlottesville, Virginia, with those who opposed them marks a turning point for the president's commercial and political brands, which have become intertwined, branding experts say. It remains to be seen, they say, whether Trump can recover. Still, he did, after all, box his way out of bankruptcy. "I think it's going to frame him historically as aligned with these fringe groups that are not consistent with the character of … [Read more...] about Can Trump’s political and commercial brands ever recover from his Charlottesville comments?

Among the magical words that hypnotize men’s minds and keep them from asking intelligent questions, the Monroe Doctrine has a sovereign charm in American politics. Secretary Hay has coupled the mention of this Doctrine with the Golden Rule. Let us venture to ask a few straight questions, and not be afraid to go wherever the honest answer to our questions may carry us. First, what was the substance of the original Monroe Doctrine in 1823, when it was promulgated? The Spanish American colonies had then revolted, and we had recognized their independence. There was a boundary question between the United States and Russia. We were a young republic, trying a great experiment in the eyes of a critical and unfriendly world. A “Holy Alliance,” organized at the instance of Russia, with a really beautiful programme for the good order of Europe, threatened to be turned into an instrument of mischief and oppression, and even to help Spain recover her possessions in America. It is likely that, as … [Read more...] about The Right and Wrong of the Monroe Doctrine

The Chinese military announced an end to a week of intensive military drills around Taiwan on Wednesday but signaled its intention to continue regular patrols in the sensitive waters between the two countries. Chinese forces "successfully completed various tasks" during the naval and air force training missions around Taiwan, said Col. Shi Yi, a spokesperson for the People's Liberation Army 's Eastern Theater Command. The exercises originally scheduled from August 4 to 7 were extended twice, and Taiwan's armed forces continued to detect large military maneuvers on August 10. "Theater troops will pay close attention to changes in the situation in the Taiwan Strait, continue to train and prepare, organize regular combat readiness patrols in the Taiwan Strait and resolutely safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity," Shi said. Beijing's war games, the largest show of force in the region since the mid-1990s, began shortly after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi … [Read more...] about China ends military drills around Taiwan, vows regular patrols

Britain is being warned to brace for almost a week of home blackouts this winter amid the nation’s spiralling energy crisis . Four days of residential power cuts are included in a government plan to cope with a worst-case electric and gas supply scenario, it was revealed today. Millions of families could be hit with the emergency measure in January if a perfect storm of shortages and huge demand puts too much strain on energy networks . Food firms have also been asked to prepare plans to avoid empty shelves, while NHS bosses must ensure ‘diesel tanks are full’. The reported blackouts would come at the same time energy bills are expected to surge past £4,000 as the price cap set by regulator Ofgem more than doubles. A bleak new forecast by power consultancy Cornwall Insight predicts this will rise even further in April as bills surge to £4,400. Consumer campaigners including Martin Lewis are now piling pressure on ministers to better protect the vulnerable and … [Read more...] about UK could face days of blackouts this winter under emergency energy plan