Music has been an essential constituent of Shakespeare's plays from the sixteenth century to the present day, yet its significance has often been overlooked or underplayed in the history of ...Shakespearean performance. Providing a long chronological sweep, this collection of essays traces the different uses of music in the theatre and in film from the days of the first Globe and Blackfriars to contemporary, global productions. With a unique concentration on the performance aspects of the subject, the volume offers a wide range of voices, from scholars to contemporary practitioners (including an interview with the critically acclaimed composer Stephen Warbeck), and thus provides a rich exploration of this fascinating history from diverse perspectives.
The text discusses the Survey of Consumer Finances (SCF) conducted by the Federal Reserve Board, which provides detailed information about the financial situation of U.S. households. The recently ...released 2022 SCF reveals insights about household income, wealth, and debt, particularly in relation to the Covid-19 pandemic and market downturn. The SCF data shows that overall median income growth was only 3% between 2019 and 2022, but all income groups experienced gains in real median and mean income. Government income policies, such as stimulus payments and the Paycheck Protection Program, played a significant role in cushioning the impact of the economic downturn. However, when considering education, race, and ethnicity, the income gains were less favorable for families without high school diplomas and for Hispanic and African-American families. Income inequality remains a concern, with the United States having a higher Gini Index compared to other wealthy capitalist economies. The SCF does not provide information on the top 1% of the income hierarchy, but this data can be obtained from the IRS's Statistics of Income.
Barclay discusses how the political economy of energy and food links Southern California and Saudi Arabia. Oil and water are intertwined in today's political economies, with both being mixed, ...exchanged, and traded. Energy from oil is used to move and pump water for food production, while water is also utilized in oil extraction. These interconnections create political and economic linkages at regional and global levels. A significant example of this is the connection between Southern California and Saudi Arabia. Southern California is a major producer of fruits, nuts, and vegetables in the US, while also being a center of oil production. Saudi Arabia, known for its oil and gas production, is also a significant exporter of food. These connections are facilitated through corporate structures, with Chevron and Almarai playing key roles in the mixing of oil and water at both regional and global scales.
The numbers are bleak about 0.5% of the ?American population lives in nursing homes (1.5 million people). This small group of people account for 40% (probably more) of the almost 400,000 U.S. ...Covid-19 deaths. By December 2020, residents of Genesis Health Care nursing homes were almost 3,000 of those deaths. The common reason is, well, residents of nursing homes arc older and, generally, in less good health than the population at large. But this "explanation" obscures more than it reveals about the actual story behind this slaughter. The bigger story is the nursing home industry itself, the way it is organized, the nature and limits of industry regulation and, of course, the financial incentives that structure this industry today and have done so for more than a half century. The story of Genesis Health Care the largest operator of skilled nursing facilities in the United States has much to teach us about this industry and the disaster of Covid-19. The firm both shaped and was shaped by the financial dynamics of caring by the dollar, seeking profits through providing health care for the elderly.
In the first six months of covid-19 slump, unemployment levels in the retail trade and oil and gas extraction were some of the highest among all US industries, eclipsed only by leisure and ...hospitality. Certainly, this was bad news for these two industries and their employees--but not for all of them. Despite what we have been repeatedly told, we are not all in this together. The strategic use of Chapter 11 bankruptcy filings has actually been good for some, especially executives, in these two industries (and elsewhere), as well as in the private equity firms that have invested in these industries. Even though these two groups--executives and private equity firms--have been largely responsible for driving companies like fracking pioneer Chesapeake Energy and century-plus-old luxury retailer Nieman Marcus, owner of Bergdorf Goodman and MyTheresa, into a financial ditch. The difference between personal and corporate bankruptcy is most clear in terms of what happens upon a declaration of bankruptcy.
