Adam blogs it like it is: So let’s see… five years after 9/11 and the US is despised the world over, the mightiest army in the world is being nickel-and-dimed to death in a pointless quagmire, Al Qaeda has more members than ever (and several successful franchises as well!), Iran is the dominant power in the Persian Gulf, the guy that ordered the 9/11 attacks is being protected by a key “ally”, our economy is tanking, gas is over $270 a gallon and our government has moved into the business of torture at the retail and wholesale levels. Wow! Can …

Ritu recently posted the following random factoid: September 11 this year will mark the 100th anniversary of Gandhi’s launch of Satyagraha in South Africa. As the commenters note, unfortunately bad actions get remembered more than good ones. It’s strange that that particular date ended up being big days for two strongly religious people, especially the difference between their mothods and attitudes towards violence.

Adam’s posted something (and something else) that fits well with the observations of John Ralston Saul regarding the relationship between free trade and wealth: it’s not just Canadians that are worse off, it’s everyone. CNN reported: Between 1995 and 2005, productivity — a measure of the quantity and quality of what workers produce per hour — grew 33.4 percent. But hourly wages rose only 11 percent, with almost all of that increase coming during the late 1990s, according to EPI. Looking back even farther, the disparity is greater. Since 1979, productivity rose 67 percent, while wages rose only 8.9 percent. …