Jobs, Odds & Polls

Just been thinking lately of the general turmoil in the economy. Never in a long time since have been in the US have I known so many people out of jobs at the same time. And yes, I live in Texas..one of the states with a better economy. It is kinda weird. One friend is been on the job hunt for one and a half years, another for four months..another is just about starting. No one seem to be safe.

As this plays out, it is quite interesting to note the truism of the general wisdom. Men (especially black men) seem to be out of their work quicker than the women. In fact, I know at least three home girls that found a newer , better jobs in the midst of all this turmoil. Must be something about the genders unh? I guess it is how you treat your job when the going was good that determine how it treats you when it gets tough. Black men still have whiles to go when it comes to work ethic- and I speak as one who see this struggle everyday.

 And forget the ethic, they just tend to not play in the mainstream of workplace politics. They are more likely to be at the edges of such power plays, and outside the circle where such decisions on whom to keep or lay off is taken. I have learned practically that the most effective workplace attitude is "dynamism", especially when the going is good. It was better to move into better and more stable places when it was hot. The most unstable position in any company is the one they just hired for...gba o. So find a better place within the group. Move up, move higher..move sideways. Just move...

On the other hand, sisters arrive at the workplace with a "can do" attitude. Willing to muscle their way into these important places. And they are less threatening, and tend to play coy with the natural feminine mien that hides the struggle of the outside world beyond the office (which they also contend with..heck, they are married or her dating these black men that are struggling too). Speaking of unemployed husbands, two of my friends are one. One called me the other day expressing his feeling of worthlessness and frustration; must be hard for a man: especially the proud ones who value taking care of his family. God help us...I hope.

Even the fellas that are still with their jobs, are still struggling with the bills. The economic conditions just seem to be crushing everything on its path. And here we have the politics playing out. The democrat's timid stimulus did not have the big bang effect, and the republicans that shamed them into timidity is hoping to cash in on this effect and blame democrats; hoping to seize congress and get back to doing what they did in the first place: screw the country up. The dems are learning fast though; hope they do a good job of highlighting who is holding up the unemployment checks...because that seem like dumb politics if you ask me. Unemployed people vote; and they will know who denied them those checks.

Speaking about the checks, is it not time the deficit hawks pick up "Predator State" and get re-tutored on the myths of deficit spending and why it makes no sense to cut now. Hope we don't cut our nose, to spite our face..this world...and who is going to poll that?

Predator State & Getting Screwed

Enormously good read from Liberal Economist and former Obama Advisor and son of another Keynesian Legend, James Galbraith. One cannot but have a feeling though that the book deserves more than its divisive title ("How Conservatives Abandoned the Free Market, and why Liberals should too")


The books pace readers through the history of neo-con economic theory and the rise of Reaganism, and death of Keynesian economics. No doubt, the writer feels a need to defend his enterprise (and his father's). But he unveils the truth about neo-con economics which can be summarized as "High on Rhetoric, Low on evidence", and ultimately reveals the fact that even the practitioners hardly believe in what they profess in the face of mounting evidence that it does not work. 


The later part of the book focuses on debunking economic myths ranging from inflation, deficit spending (of which he agrees with Dick Cheney is no big deal..yeah Cheney) , deregulation to free trade, and ultimately examines the premise of the "market". He profers central planning as an effective tool in the kit of a proactive government wanting to act in the best interest of the "most". Indeed, James assumes that his altruistic readers were for more equity and less disparity...this may or may not be true ambition or goal of everyone. If that is the case however, this book shows how best to achieve what the Nordic countries achieved in post-world war economy. A sort of compromise between socialism and capitalism. 


This is a must-read submission for anyone interested in contemporary economic theories and their practical real life effects and responses. You cannot but be amazed by the amount of media garbage you've been fed all this while, and how untrue most of those are.


Well free market, that is for those doing the screwing. Don't get screwed. 


UP GHANA! I guess now  Ghana and Brazil (lol) are Africa's best hope...stop laughing at the Brazil thing, it is the second largest black nation on earth. lol

Aloha Sweden! Nordia, Awo & Socio-Economic Musings

In front of the Swedish Parliament Building at Stockholm

The conference ended yesterday, but I have stayed behind to tour and see Sweden the country. Stockholm is a beautiful city as you can imagine. I am staying at a nice little hostel (after checking out from the 5-Star expensive hotel World Bank paid for until yesterday) behind their Royal Palace. 

The city epitomizes everything about the Nordic/Scandinavian economic model or miracle as some in Western Europe and America like to say. With some of the highest standards of living in the world, these high tax, low inflation, big but effective government, strong social protection but high employment states defy conventional economic models used by the West or even the Eastern Bloc nations. In a careful melding of capitalism and communism, they've created a society that is open enough but walled off from the troubles of the rest of the world. 

I tell you this Nordic socioeconomic model is interesting. Now I see why Pa Awolowo wanted to model the Western Region of Nigeria after their system, and I also see why he failed. 

Speaking about social, the Swedish or Nordic generally have been able to preserve their language/culture, while using English effectively as a tool to reach the world. Their streets are labeled in Swedish, everyone speak Swedish generally (unless they realize you are a foreigner) but also English. 

Also, their women are so Yoruba-women like it is crazy. They like putting up a "front" even though it is just that: “a front”. Open and pervasive sexuality is still largely frown upon in this society, while people tend to be self conscious and speak from two sides of their mouth (tact, and foxy in the same vein). It appears their basic social structure of cohesiveness and communality has been intact for generations due to the natural separation by geography from the rest of Europe.

Also, if their women want to tell you thank you, they will kneel like we do when greeting. Respect is at the center of their culture much like ours. Also, don't mistake the timidity of the Swedic/Nordic woman for submissiveness. Much like the Yoruba woman, she will get you in trouble in a heart beat (my Swedish male friends I made told me as much, and shared horror stories). Their women like (the Yoruba) can be notoriously unpredictable, high maintenance and devious. That is where the difference stops; because Swedish women are gorgeous, and you know what I think of the beauty of an average Yoruba girl.

Speaking about departures and differences, Awo's model failed principally because the social cohesion and sense of communality that is central to the Scandinavian model was preserved, while that of Yoruba land has been lost due basically to Geography. The moment a bridge could cross both sides of the Niger, those ethos that holds up the Nordic countries have been breached by other cultural elements and most especially by colonization by the British 

Indeed, the Yorubas & the Nordic countries share similar history of intra-tribal warfare, shared or borrowed royal families between constituent states/tribes (Danes gave Norway their Royal Family), assimilation of foreign groups by royal lending (Finnish for Nordic, Edo for the Yorubas) as well as periodic domination by one or more of the constituent states (Swedes, then Danes, then Swedes much like Oyo then Ibadan in Yoruba history) . 

However, they as a group never got colonized (avoiding the Napoleon, the Czars and Hitler in that order).

In all, am enjoying Stockholm; it is a beautiful city with gorgeous but complicated people with complicated sensibilities but well evolved economic model of high taxes, expensive goods and tastes and full employment! And it doesn't even ever get dark here. Well there you go, all nighters!