happy turkey day to all

http://vimeo.com/32345674
Here's a quick video of Michael Zweig speaking at OWS. To view it you must sign up once you open the link, but its easy to do. He makes a distinction here between wealthy people and people with power. It made me think of Brian's blog of last week on the Candy Apple. Everyone should read his post and weigh in.

Assignment for next week.
Well, .... the first part of our class will focus on Marx, Wright, Weber and Thompson. So read or reread what was due for last week! and think about how they address the same set of issues.

Then we will move to housing issues. Timmer, Oliver & Shapiro, Currie. Reading guides that underscore key issues but also make comparisons.

Vuews from other economists

Post from Amanda.
Well, here is the IMF saying that there is a path to recovery which differs from the video that we watched in class which told us that the recovery would be very long...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVFZmgorrMM. This economist gives an hour plus talk on how we have gotten to where we are. Some of the topics he hits on are housing prices, interest rates, and high unemployment rates along with the banking collapse (which was a secondary cause) ...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awJZQoL0r4E.

What do you think? Comments please.

Class on Nov 22.

Below are assignments for next week. If you hate reading guides that much then simply take notes on what you think are the key elements and the supporting arguments. The overriding issue here is what is class and class consciousness and how does it develop.

Rius, Beginners guide to Marx (cartoon format)

Thompson, Making of English working class (4 pages from intro)

Wright, Class Counts

Weber, Class, Status and Party

Extra points for anyone who finds another economist's perspective on the recession. You can post it for us and offer some comparison.

Women and Class

Assignments for next week. Don't forget those onerous reading guides.

Ransby “Katrina, Black women,…” (ER)

Luce & Brenner, “Women & Class: what has happened in forty years?” (ER)

Minimum wage increase: a working woman's issue

http://www.epi.org/publication/issuebriefs_ib133/

Working mother's in a double bind

http://www.epi.org/publication/briefingpapers_124/

http://www.bls.gov/cps/minwage2005.htm

Assigned reading for Oct 25 and Nov 1

Oct 25 Living and Crossing Class

Jensen, “Crossing the Great Divide,” ER; bell hooks “Class Consciousness" ER; 4 short stories from Without a Net: the female experience of growing up working class; Smith, Values http://members.aol.com/lsmithdog/bottomdog/WCValuespost.htm ;PLU “don’t get above your raisin'’’ video

Nov 1 Work Mike Rose, The Mind at Work: Valuing the Intelligence of the American Worker, Intro, ch 1, ch 5, 7, 8, conclusion. Please remember to spend time with the introduction first. Take notes - a version of a Reading Guide for each chapter to remind yourself of key issues.

Think about some of the 'manual labor' jobs you have had and how they involve skill and cognition.

oh,,,, and those class diaries?

Where are those class diaries? Don't tell me that our class hasn't made you think twice about things your family or friends say? about what you watch on tv? about people or events you encounter in your day?

Occupy Wall Street Movement

I missed our class tonight. Sure you all feel the same!
So... the task for the week is to spend a minimum of an hour and a half investigating the Occupy Wall Street Movement. I've posted some articles, videos, websites and opinion pieces on the OWS. This is just a sampling and I urge you to find more, send me the sites, or the articles and I will post them. How do the protesters see class? how is it defined here? reproduced? what does the opposition have to say? What are the solutions? Do the solutions pinpoint structures or systems that we have discussed? What do you think? What are your questions? What do you think of the human microphone? Looking forward to these posts.

There is also a demo this Saturday at Kennedy Plaza.