Anahid Hojjati

   Keith Olberman on

 Keith Olberman on Bloomberg:

//current.com/shows/countdown/videos/keiths-special-comment-why-occupy-wall-street-needs-michael-bloomberg

"It is the chain of communicat­ion, not the means of production­, that determines a social process."

-- Robert Anton Wilson

Thanks Hooshang for the link to occupy writers

Thanks Vildemose for the article. Today, Huffington has few other articles related to Occupy movement that are interesting. I read the two written by John Talbott and Robert Reich.

Occupy Writers

//occupywriters.com/

Esfand and Vildemose jan, what great links

Dear Vildemose, I agree with the article about importance of data. As the article noted, data should be presented in visual charts and presented to people.

Thanks Esfand jaan, These days, I see word occupy used a lot but some uses are starting to be iffy. As Vildemose correctly noted, this is a movement not fad. What is fad, is overuse of the word "occupy" which the linked cartoon refers to this also.

By the way, sorry for typos in summary of the blog.

One out of 6 Americans live in poverty

 //www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/16/share-of-americans-living-in-poor-affluent-neighborhoods_n_1097074.html

"In the latest sign of a deteriorating middle class, growing number of Americans are living either in poor or affluent neighborhoods, not somewhere in between, a new study finds.

Thirty-one percent of households lived in either affluent or poor neighborhoods in 2007, according to a study by Stanford University researchers that analyzes Census data in 117 metropolitan areas. That's more than double the 15 percent that lived in affluent or poor neighborhoods in 1970.

Income segregation surged between 2000 and 2007 among black and Hispanic families, the study found. In addition, income segregation among black and Hispanic families rose much more between 1970 and 2007.

Sean Reardon, one of the authors of the study, told The New York Times that the findings indicate that the next generation of poor Americans will increasingly limit access to high-performing schools and support networks. And if the pattern holds true, affluent Americans may be less likely to interact with lower- and middle-income Americans, which could make them hesitant to support policies that benefit the larger public. "....

One out of six Americans live in poverty.

"It is the chain of communicat­ion, not the means of production­, that determines a social process."

-- Robert Anton Wilson

I'd like to occupy something!

There are so many cartoons about the Occupy movement, I liked this one.

Many of the people in these movements are really homeless and out of luck because of the economy and what banks have done to this country, literally robbing people and then getting bailed out by the taxpayers for the crimes.

Imagine commiting a crime and being rewarded for it "legally"!  In essence we are all living in a ponzi scheme like what Bernie Madoff was doing, except we can't do anything about it!

Everything is sacred

I agree. It's time to shift

I agree. It's time to shift the tactics and strategize the next step. There are talks of occupying courst across the nation.  

 //www.dailykos.com/story/2011/11/16/1036894/-How-Data-Can-Boost-Occupy-Wall-Street?via=spotlight

Data have proven a potent tool in the hands of dissidents and reform activists elsewhere. Using numbers, OWS can help society overcome some misconceptions and gain a greater public support.

"It is the chain of communicat­ion, not the means of production­, that determines a social process."

-- Robert Anton Wilson

Dear Vildemose, thanks for your comment

Vildemose jan, Thanks for bringing attention to how some people will have a hard time affording Thanksgiving dinner this year. Not that there have not been always people who were not able to afford it. However, it is getting worse. As economic downturn has affected cities' budgets, services to the poor are also being cut.

Every year, I get letters and requests for money about how with couple dolars, I can make sure someone has a thanksgiving dinner. Most years, I oblige too.  This year, as you noted in your comment,  people are waking up but may be a change of tactics is needed. Camping was good so far since it was successful in drawing attention to the cause, but now other tactis should be tried.

thanks for the link to article about signs of squeeze and how worsening of divide is seen in purchasing behavior of shoppers.

 Great post and a

 Great post and a reminder of power of the people.  This is a real movement, not a fad because people are finally waking up. To put this in perspective:

Signs of the squeeze on the 99 percent:

Mr. Simon said Wal-Mart shoppers seemed especially worried about food prices — Wal-Mart’s food costs rose 4 percent over the last quarter, though it passed on “substantially less” to consumers via grocery prices.

“We hear from some shoppers that they believe it will be more difficult than ever to afford holiday meals for their families,” he said. “We understand their concern, and we see it every month in our customers’ purchasing behavior.”Eating a huge holiday meal isn't necessarily the best for our health or our waistlines, but being forced to skip it for financial reasons isn't just skipping several hundred extra calories. It says that you can't fully participate in our culture, that abundance isn't available to you even a few special times a year. And the "traditional Thanksgiving dinner" will cost 13 percent more this year, driven especially by a 22 percent increase in turkey prices..."

//www.dailykos.com/story/2011/11/16/1037050/-The-1-buy-$1,000-shoes-while-Walmart-customers-struggle-to-pay-for-Thanksgiving%C2%A0dinner?via=siderecent

"It is the chain of communicat­ion, not the means of production­, that determines a social process."

-- Robert Anton Wilson