everyone is a groupuscule

» The best way to hedge against war with Iran -- MoneyWeek

Yes, the situation in Iran is nothing new. Iran has wanted nuclear weapons for a long time. And the rest of the world doesn’t want that to happen.

But it looks like we’re approaching a crunch point. And that’s why you need to act to protect your wealth now.

A far better strategy would be to invest in defence companies. Planned cuts in military budgets on both sides of the Atlantic mean that the sector is looking particularly cheap just now, with higher dividend yields than the market average.

However, if action ends up being taken in the Middle East, this would surely lead to cuts being either cancelled or reversed. In any case, there is also likely to be increased investment in anti-missile systems and advanced fighter aircraft by Israel and other countries that feel threatened by Tehran.

[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.]

“COINTELPRO” by Ryan Harvey

They’ve got guns and jails and a budget
They’ll string you out on fear
But you’ve got the strength of numbers
That’s why they are here
That’s how it’s gone before
When their threats start coming through
It means you’re work is successful
And they’re scared of you

i-shot:

It was a beauty salon.

{The Park Heights Project. No. 8. Baltimore, MD.}

Occupy Baltimore protesting some misguided budgeting. They want to close community schools and rec centers, but open a new $100m facility for jailing minors? Here we see the police doing for the cameras what the city is doing all the time.

Watch videos of the school and rec center events.

All photos thanks to Casey McKeel for Schools not Jails.

Going in a different direction, Mulhern asked whether the city could spend some of the federal grant on services or a shelter for the homeless. After all, she said, they are affected by the panhandling ban that Tampa passed in the runup to the convention.

Not likely, officials said, though Hamlin said he would ask the U.S. Justice Department, which must approve every expenditure of the grant money.

“It’s not going to happen,” Mayor Bob Buckhorn said later, adding he can’t imagine the feds saying yes. “We can’t be diverted from what the appropriate use of that money is, and that is to provide a safe environment for the convention. It’s not to be used for pet projects or things totally unrelated to security.

(Pictured: Mayor Buckhorn)

Not A Lot of Equipment

On the topic of Tampa’s $50 million federal grant for hosting the RNC:

“We’re not going to buy a lot of equipment with this money,” Tampa Assistant Police Chief Marc Hamlin told the City Council. Still, police do need some upgrades, and those purchases started Thursday. There was $1.18 million for a better video link between police helicopters and ground commanders. Also nearly $273,000 for an armored SWAT vehicle. Really, asked City Council Vice Chairwoman Mary Mulhern. Armor? “Kind of troubling,” she said. “I personally don’t feel like this is a necessity, and I just don’t like the idea of our city becoming militarized (in its) police force.” In addition to the SWAT vehicle they’re buying, police plan to borrow a dozen or more like it from Pinellas, Hillsborough and federal agencies for the convention. Also, up to $2 million will buy about 60 downtown surveillance cameras. [Tampa Bay Times]

(By the way, Charlotte/DNC doesn’t look too different.)

Police grenade during Occupy Oakland rally.

Stephen Lam/Reuters for The Guardian.

“ Before 1998, the Japanese market for antidepressants was untapped. To the Japanese, depression(Utsubyo) was a bad word — a social stigma. Successful antidepressant marketers avoided Japan, but GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) saw a market opportunity. Using a consistent message, GSK changed the way Japanese thought about depression — “Does your soul have a cold (Kokoro no Kaze) … depression is a disease that anyone can get. It can be cured by medicine. Early detection is important.” For four years, 1,300 GSK salespeople visited selected doctors twice a week with this message. From 2001 to 2003, GSK’s Paxil sales tripled — from $108 million to $298 million. GSK’s message hit home — online bulletin boards had as many conversations about depression as performance!

— “Gentlemen, congratulations. You’ve successfully brought depression to Japan.” (via seedz)

“An evacuee relaxes in her makeshift dwelling on the floor of the Big Palette convention center. The crammed emergency quarters lack privacy, and disease can spread rapidly. Older residents, who spent their lives in tight-knit rural communities, are often reluctant to move into temporary housing, isolated from friends and family. Social workers are trying to prevent a wave of kodoku-shi, or lonely death, among solitary seniors. (© David Guttenfelder/National Geographic)” — Fukushima: Inside the Exclusion Zone

“In a gym in Hirono, residents in protective suits are briefed before being escorted to their homes for a June 8 visit and to retrieve a few small items. (There’s no room on the bus for larger things.) Although the trips in were strictly controlled, a town official says that for the decontamination process - disposing of shoe covers, suits, caps, and masks and being screened for radiation - everyone and everything was waved through. (© David Guttenfelder/National Geographic)” — Fukushima: Inside the Exclusion Zone