Commentary on inequality’s dangers, a different path, what if China accepted immigrants, Japan`s `Western` citizens, economic sabotage, more China slowdown proof, Israel at risk, and the Liberals need to say what needs to be said.

‘Of the 1%, for the 1%, by the 1%’.

Vanity Fair -- Of the 1%, by the 1%, for the 1%
Americans have been watching protests against oppressive regimes that concentrate massive wealth in the hands of an elite few. Yet in our own democracy, 1 percent of the people take nearly a quarter of the nation’s income—an inequality even the wealthy will come to regret.

Rethinking long hours, meetings, being nice, plans, and doing less. Thanks to Scott of Toronto.

Pdf below – Rework

Out of the box idea. Thanks to John of Toronto.

Winnipeg Free Press -- What if China accepted immigrants?
What if China, flush with its new wealth, opened its doors to mass immigration? It would make sense from an economic and social point of view, because its one-child-per-family policy has produced a young generation far smaller than the one that now does most of the work.

Trapped by history. Thanks to Ken of Tokyo/Hong Kong.

New York Times -- A Western Outpost Shrinks on a Remote Island Now in Japanese Hands
Every morning, as the sun rises over this remote Pacific Island and its tiny port with typically Japanese low-slung concrete buildings, John Washington commits a quiet act of defiance against the famously insular Japan: he hoists an American flag over his inn.

The GOP’s political strategy: sink the US economy.

Guardian -- Did Republicans deliberately crash the US economy?
Be it ideology or stratagem, the GOP has blocked pro-growth policy and backed job-killing austerity – all while blaming Obama.

Slower.

Business Week – Understanding the Chinese Slowdown
A sure sign of Chinese concern about their economy is the flurry of announcements about growth. China must give “more priority to maintaining growth,” Premier Wen Jiabao said on May 20. “

Sliding to disaster.

New York Review of Books -- Israel in Peril
On April 15 of this year I was returning to Israel on an Alitalia flight from Rome. About forty minutes before landing in Tel Aviv, the captain informed us that Israel had announced extraordinary security measures, constricting its air space in response to an unusual threat, and that from that moment on—we were still high above the Mediterranean—until we would be allowed to leave the terminal, all photography was strictly forbidden; beyond that, we were to follow the instructions of Israeli security personnel on the ground.

Talk the walk.

National Post -- Liberal party must embrace the big, bold change its hardcore supporters hate
Here is the difficulty, if you’re a Liberal leadership aspirant gearing up for a yearlong campaign: Your party desperately requires new ideas and bold thinking, if not a top-to-bottom re-imagination. You know this.