Tuesday December 16th 2008

The Failed Logic of Supporting the Troops - posted at ICH
Special Note - A quote...."US soldiers are not a monolith and nearly everyone would argue that the majority of the troops are "good people." Yet, our emotional inclinations and the societal norm that tells us troops are good like bumper sticker slogans shouldn't serve as justification for supporting them and, by extension, the mission they are carrying out. We are led to believe that a soldier can either serve out the rest of his tour or be branded a disgrace and imprisoned for becoming a conscientious objector. In reality the choice is much starker: a soldier can refuse to serve or contribute to the death of a million Iraqis." -- also posted at WarInIraq

The Case of Spain - A Forgotten Genocide
A quote...."A social movement has been growing in Spain, breaking the 30-year pact of silence on the enormous atrocities and genocide carried out during and after the fascist coup led by General Franco. The coup took place in 1936 with the active support of the Catholic Church and the Spanish Army, and made possible by the assistance of Hitler and Mussolini and the cowardice of the western democracies, including the U.S., which at that time did not dare to offend Hitler and Mussolini by sending arms to the democratically elected Spanish government. The coup was resisted, however, by the majority of Spain’s population, which is why it took three years for the fascists to succeed. They won by imposing extremely repressive measures on the population. Terror became an explicit policy of the new regime. General Franco and other generals spoke frequently of the need to kill everyone who had supported the Popular Front, the alliance of left-wing and center parties that had won by large majorities in the last elections in Spain. As part of that repression, more than 200,000 men and women were executed by the fascist regime, and another 200,000 died in the Army’s concentration camps and in the villages, subjected to hunger, disease, and other circumstances. And 114,266 people simply disappeared. They were killed by the Army and the fascist party, la Falange, and their bodies were abandoned or buried without being identified. These bodies were never found."

Archaeologists Find Roman-Era Battlefield in Germany
A quote...."Historians say the discovery of the battlefield is so significant because it appears to refute the assumption that the Romans withdrew from Germania after their defeat by an alliance of Germanic tribs at the battle of the Teutoburg forest in 9 AD. -- Many of the weapons found are in good condition and they prove that Roman armies were still engaging in major military operations far north of the Alps at a time when the Roman Empire was in terminal decline." -- bold by website editor

US Costs of Iraq, Afghan Wars Top $900 Billion: Report
A quote...."A new study released by the nonpartisan Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, or CSBA, said the Iraq conflict's $687 billion price tag alone now exceeds the cost of every past U.S. war except for World War II, when expenditures are adjusted for inflation. -- With another $184 billion in spending for Afghanistan included, the two conflicts surpass the cost of the Vietnam War by about 50 percent, the report said."

As Usual, NYT Ignores Iraqi Opinion
A quote...."The New York Times failed spectacularly in its coverage of Iraq’s alleged weapons of mass destruction, helping lead the country into war and only much later (5/26/04) publishing a half-hearted mea culpa. As the near-apology acknowledged, the paper’s failure resulted in large part from its lack of skepticism regarding its sources, most notably exiled Iraqi politician Ahmed Chalabi." -- also posted at CommonDreams

With Shoes!
A quote...."Bush will go down in history as an ignorant president, knowing nothing but what is written for him, famous for fighting two wars against two Muslim nations, creator of Guantanamo Bay, champion of totalitarian regimes, and liar!"

Taking a swipe at Bush: Zaidi-inspired shoe game on Internet
Nifty Video Game - A quote...."Following in the footsteps of the Iraqi journalist who hurled his shoes at President George W. Bush, anyone can take a virtual swipe at the US leader on the Internet thanks to a new game. - The aim of "Sock and Awe" Video Game >>> (www.sockandawe.com), launched by Britain's Alex Tew, is to knock Bush out with a shoe, a feat already attained by 1.4 million players, according to the website Tuesday." -- Great sound effects. - mpg

Iraq Wants All Non-US Troops Out by July
A quote...."The five nations besides the United States which will still have troops in Iraq past the end of the month may have made an only nominal contribution to the overall force, but they have helped provide the illusion that the international military presence is not a unilateral American action. That will be coming to an end soon, according to a top Iraqi MP."

Pakistani Opposition Party to Start Blocking NATO Supplies to Afghanistan
A quote...."Over a week of attacks by Peshawar-area militants on NATO vehicles and supply containers was already having a noticeable impact on the ability to ship supplies across the Khyber Pass, through which three-quarters of supplies for the international military operation reach Afghanistan. And while NATO insists that “for the moment the supplies are passing,” one of Pakistan’s oldest political parties may soon put a stop to that."

Israel’s ‘Crime Against Humanity’ - Article also posted at ICH
A quote...."Israel’s siege of Gaza, largely unseen by the outside world because of Jerusalem’s refusal to allow humanitarian aid workers, reporters and photographers access to Gaza, rivals the most egregious crimes carried out at the height of apartheid by the South African regime. It comes close to the horrors visited on Sarajevo by the Bosnian Serbs. It has disturbing echoes of the Nazi ghettos of  Lodz  and  Warsaw."

Israel’s Terror Rampage - posted at ICH
A quote...."December 15, 2008 ""Information Clearinghouse"" -- If anybody is still having any doubt that Israel (government and citizens) is a terrorist state par excellence then the latest events during the last two months alone in occupied Palestine should convince him of this fact. For the last two year the Israeli government has been tightening its deadly siege against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. The Israeli army had violated the latest seize-fire agreement with its military raids into and bombardment of the Strip. The latest closure of Gaza, the tightest ever, is starving its 1.5 million Palestinians, depriving them of drinking water, and necessary fuel to keep their daily operations going. The Israeli government is conducting a meditative mass murder operation against Gaza residents while the whole world is silently and complicity watching and the American media is distorting the facts.

Greek Protesters Take Over TV, Radio Stations
A quote...."ATHENS, Greece – Greek protesters pushed their way into television and radio studios Tuesday, forcing broadcasters to put out anti-government messages in a change of tactics after days of violent street protests. -- A group of about 10 youths got into the studio of NET state television and turned off a broadcast of a speech by Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis, station officials said. The protesters forced studio cameras to instead show them holding up banners that read: "Stop watching, get out onto the streets," and "Free everyone who has been arrested." No one was hurt, and no arrests were reported."

Greece’s riots reveal the signs of a society in the throes of decomposition - posted at OnlineJournal
Special Note - A quote...."The killing on the night of December 6 of a 15-year-old schoolboy by an armed special patrol officer on duty in Exarchia, the bohemian district of downtown Athens and a home base of various self-styled anarchist groups, was the spark that produced the spontaneous and unprecedented in scale student mobilizations and the riots that immediately followed and engulfed in flames part of the city of Athens and many other cities throughout Greece, leaving in their wake a rather conservative society in a state of shock and the political establishment in complete disarray."

Coping with Crisis, Latin America Bucks the System
A quote...."As the U.S. economy tumbles into greater depths of disaster and ignominy--dragging the rest of the world with it--some countries in Latin America have decided it's time to strike out on their own." -- also posted at CommonDreams

Bush Excluded by Latin Summit as China, Russia Loom (Update1)
Special Note - A quote...."Dec. 15 (Bloomberg) -- Latin American and Caribbean leaders gathering in Brazil tomorrow will mark a historic occasion: a region-wide summit that excludes the United States. - Almost two centuries after President James Monroe declared Latin America a U.S. sphere of influence, the region is breaking away. From socialist-leaning Venezuela to market-friendly Brazil, governments are expanding military, economic and diplomatic ties with potential U.S. adversaries such as China, Russia and Iran."

Russia to provide Lebanon with fighter jets
A quote...."ITAR-Tass and Interfax have quoted Lebanese Defense Minister Elias Murr as saying that Russia has agreed to supply his country with 10 MiG-29 fighter jets."

Russia in talks with Iran over sale of anti-aircraft missiles, despite Israeli objections
A quote...."Israel plans to send one of its most senior security officials to Moscow tomorrow to express concern over Russia's decision to renew contacts with Iran for the sale of advanced anti-aircraft missiles, Haaretz has learned." -- also posted at WarInIraq

The United States: A Country Without Mercy
Must Read - A quote...."The Christmas season is a time to remember the unfortunate, among whom are those who have been wrongly convicted. -- In the United States, the country with the largest prison population in the world, the number of wrongly convicted is very large. Hardly any felony charges are resolved with trials. The vast majority of defendants, both innocent and guilty, are coerced into plea bargains. Not only are the innocent framed, but the guilty as well. It is quicker and less expensive to frame the guilty than to convict them on the evidence."

The Mumbia Attack - 3 Articles - Tuesday - [ Day 19 ] ========== ========== ========== ====

Mumbai Attack: Was It Lashker e Taiba or BJP?
A quote...."ISLAMABAD, Pakistan Thursday, 11 December 2008. If the America's lap in the Pakistani government had any brains, they would have demanded that Mrs. Hemant Karkare, the wife of the Indian antiterrorism chief killed in the very first hours of Mumbai attack be allowed to speak up. Also, a retired Indian army officer, a close friend was told by Karkare in writing a few hours before he was killed that his life was under threat by Hindu terrorists and their handlers in the Indian military intelligence. Both Mr. Karkare and the secret letter written by her husband have been... suppressed."

Who benefits from Mumbai?
A quote...."Today, 02:14 PM - (posted Wed 12:05 pm PST) The problem for India — and for Pakistan — is that extreme Hindu nationalism has been fed mightily by the Mumbai murders. Zealots like Rajnath Singh are rubbing their hands and licking their lips because they want to get rid of decent men like Dr Singh -- When notable incidents of violence occurred in the time of the Roman Empire two thousand years ago, the writer, philosopher and orator Marcus Tullius Cicero embarrassed some people by asking “Cui bono?” — “who benefits?” This is a wise question, because identification of those who might benefit from acts of terrorism can be interesting."

BJP’s failed ploy
A quote...."Posted: Dec 17, 2008 at 2338 hrs IST -- Analysing the results of the Assembly elections in five states, the lead editorial in the latest edition of CPI(M) mouthpiece People’s Democracy said the outcome shows that the BJP’s desperate effort to communalise Terror attacks, particularly the Mumbai strikes, did not yield the results that they were hoping for. “The advertisement campaigns put out by the BJP seeking votes by capitalising on these terror attacks have clearly been ignored, at best, by the voters. These results have also nailed the lie, so assiduously propagated by the BJP, of linking terrorism with the Muslim minority community in India”. It said the message conveyed by the voters needs to be consolidated for strengthening the secular democratic foundations of modern India. “This is all the more necessary as the RSS/BJP will continue in their desperation to sharpen communal polarisation seeking electoral benefits in the future,” it added."

End - The Mumbia Attack - 3 Articles - Tuesday - [ Day 19 ] ========== ========== ========== ====
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The Neo-Alchemy of the Federal Reserve - posted at ICH
A quote...."December 15, 2008 "ICH" -- - As the printing presses for the bailouts run at full speed, those in power are no longer even pretending that the new giveaways will fix our problems. Now that we are used to rewarding failure with taxpayer-funded bailouts, we are being told that this is “just a start,” more funds will inevitably be needed for more industries, and that things would be much worse had we done nothing."

When Will the Media Expose the Federal Reserve Bank Scam?
A quote...."Today's banking crisis is the THIRD trillion dollar plus US-caused financial meltdown in the last twenty years - Each one of these crises came into being through the same basic mechanism...the fraudulent over-valuing of financial assets by Wall Street - with a "wink and a nod" (and sometimes a lot more) from the White House and Congress. The fraudulently valued assets stimulate the economy, impart the illusion of health and then, inevitably, the fraud goes too far and the whole house of card comes painfully crashing back to earth."

Fed cuts rates to record low
Financial Alert -- A quote...."WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Federal Reserve on Tuesday broke into uncharted territory as it chopped benchmark interest rates to as low as zero and pledged to use "all available tools" to turn back a deepening recession. -- In a surprise and historic move, the Fed lowered its target for the interbank federal funds rate to a range of zero to 0.25 percent, a record low, from 1.0 percent, and said it was willing to keep rates low for an extended period." -- bold by website editor -- The DOW rallied on the news and climbed more than 380 points.  For more on this issue see....What Ben Bernanke Said - 03-18-08 - mpg

Deflation Hits Hard
Charts - A quote...."Those who still do not believe we are in deflation might want to read this...."

U.S. Economy: Consumer Prices, Housing Starts Slide (Update1)
A quote...."Dec. 16 (Bloomberg) -- Consumer prices tumbled the most on record in November, and builders broke ground on the fewest new homes in at least half a century, as a deepening economic contraction raised the risk of deflation."

The Next Mortgage Meltdown: Alt-A Default Rate to Surpass 50%
Financial Alert - A quote...."Rating service Fitch is backpedaling on its previous optimistic projections of Alt-A mortgages, and is now calling for a higher percentage of defaults. Fitch forecasts a default rate of up to 15% in some cases. -- 15% default rate doesn't sound that bad, right? -- Actually, those in the know are calling for well over 50% defaults on Alt-A mortgages, and a meltdown in Option Arm mortgages as well:"

Drop in consumer prices is most since 1932
A quote...."WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- U.S. consumer prices fell in November at the fastest rate since 1932, the darkest days of the Great Depression, the Labor Department reported Tuesday, as prices for energy, commodities and airline fares plunged across the country." -- bold by website editor

Housing Starts in U.S. Fell 18.9% to 625,000 Pace (Update2)
A quote...."Dec. 16 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. builders broke ground in November on the fewest new homes since record-keeping began, signaling the housing slump will extend into a fourth year. -- Construction starts on housing fell 18.9 percent last month to an annual rate of 625,000 that was the lowest since the government started compiling statistics in 1959, the Commerce Department said today in Washington. The annual rate was lower than all 70 estimates in a Bloomberg survey of economists." -- bold/underline by website editor

Markets get an 'F' in P/E
A quote...."....surprise! Even though the S&P 500 index itself has fallen from about 1,590 a year ago (with a P/E of 18.9) to where the index is actually down by about half, earnings are down by half, too! -- So this means that although the company made half as much money, and you, the hapless investor lost half of your money investing in their stocks, both the P and the E went down, and thus the price-to-earnings ratio is still at an elevated 19! It's actually higher! Hahaha!" -- Editor's Note: Caution should be exercised when trying to use P/E's to determine the market's direction or its "true" value.  There are several different methods used to calculate P/E's along with averaging them out, all of which can have a dramatic effect on the numbers you get.  Not to mention attempting to correlate those numbers with the market's direction.

Bank of England warns more needed to rescue UK economy as bail-out falters
A quote...."Bank of England's Governor Mervyn King has warned that more will be needed to rescue the UK economy as the Government's £500bn financial bail-out fails to get battered banks lending again."

Monday December 15th 2008

Why we must prosecute Bush and his administration for war crimes
A quote...."During the rush to get the Nuremberg Tribunals underway, the Soviet delegation wanted the tribunal’s historic decisions to have legitimacy only for the Nazis. U.S. Supreme Court Justice, Robert Jackson, serving as the chief prosecutor for the Allies, strong-armed the Soviets until the very beginning of the tribunal before changing their mind. -- In his opening statement Jackson very purposely stipulated, “ . . . Let me make clear that while this law is first applied against German aggressors, the law includes, and if it is to serve a useful purpose it must condemn aggression by any other nations, including those which sit here now in judgment.”

Senate report links Bush to detainee homicides; media yawns
A quote...."The bipartisan Senate Armed Services Committee report issued on Thursday -- which documents that "former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and other senior U.S. officials share much of the blame for detainee abuse at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba" and "that Rumsfeld's actions were 'a direct cause of detainee abuse' at Guantanamo and 'influenced and contributed to the use of abusive techniques ... in Afghanistan and Iraq'" -- raises an obvious and glaring question:  how can it possibly be justified that the low-level Army personnel carrying out these policies at Abu Ghraib have been charged, convicted and imprisoned, while the high-level political officials and lawyers who directed and authorized these same policies remain free of any risk of prosecution?   The culpability which the Report assigns for these war crimes is vast in scope and unambiguous:" -- also posted at CommonDreams

What Does Letting Our Own War Criminals Go Free Tell Us About Ourselves? - Article also posted at ICH
A quote...."Since I live in the Village, my Congressman is Jerrold Nadler, a civil libertarian for all seasons. Unlike many of his Democratic colleagues, he has never been in fear of being targeted as "soft on terrorism" for opposing the Bush-Cheney war on the Bill of Rights. Nadler certainly does not underestimate the jihadists: The 9/11 attacks exploded in his district."

Down to Zero - posted at ICH
A quote...."December 15, 2008 "Information Clearinghouse" - -- The technocrats declare that being against outsourcing is like being against the weather. That outsourcing is somehow a force of nature, and therefore all resistance is futile. The beliefs of the bellicose, the rantings of the complacent, and the bluster of those secretly afraid, afraid that you will discover their secret, the secret that they have guarded so closely, that the only thing standing between their mortality and their fatality is you!

SHOES FOR BUSH at White House Wednesday 11 a.m.
Action Alert - Article Summary -- A quote...."Please join CODE PINK: Women for Peace, AfterDowningStreet, and Democrats.com this Wednesday, December 17, 2008, in Washington, D.C., at Lafayette Square Park in front of the White House. We will have with us a large supply of shoes. We encourage you to bring your old shoes as well. Come rally with us in solidarity with the Iraqi people to demand an immediate and complete end to the occupation of Iraq."

Brought to Heel: The Grim Realities Behind Bush's Humiliation in Baghdad
A quote...."We all had good fun with the image of George W. Bush dodging the shoes flung at him by an angry Iraqi journalist this weekend – who rightly denounced the Crawford Caligula as a "dog" and a killer of Iraqi innocents – but now, as As'ad AbuKhalil notes, a more serious question arises: what will happen to Muntathar al Zaidi, the correspondent for Baghdadiyah Television, who, alone of all the journalists Bush has seen in the past eight years, had the courage to call him the murderer that he is?"

Muntadar al-Zaidi Did What We Journalists Should Have Done Long Ago
A quote...."When Iraqi journalist Muntadar al-Zaidi heaved his two shoes at the head of President George W. Bush during a press conference in Baghdad, he did something that the White House press corps should have done years ago." -- also posted at OpEdNews

200 lawyers offer to defend Bush shoe attacker
A quote...."AMMAN: Saddam Hussein’s former lawyer said on Monday he was forming a team to defend the Iraqi journalist who hurled his shoes at US President George W Bush during his farewell visit to Baghdad."

Thousands demand release of Iraqi journalist who threw shoes at George W Bush
A quote...."Thousands of Iraqis have taken to the streets to demand the release of a reporter who threw his shoes at President George Bush. --  Arabs across the Middle East hailed the journalist a hero and praised his insult as a proper send-off to the unpopular U.S. president. Muntadhar al-Zeidi, who was kidnapped by Shiite militants last year, was being held by Iraqi security today and interrogated about whether anybody paid him to protest during the press conference. He was also being tested for alcohol and drugs, and his shoes were being held as evidence. Showing the sole of your shoe to someone in the Arab world is a sign of extreme disrespect, and throwing your shoes is even worse. In Baghdad's Shiite slum of Sadr City, thousands of supporters of radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr burned American flags to protest against Bush and called for the release of al-Zeidi. "Bush, Bush, listen well – Two shoes on your head," the protesters chanted in unison." -- bold by website editor -- also posted at CommonDreams

Breaking: Al-Zaidi beaten, in US-run Camp Cropper prison
Breaking News - Special Note -- A quote...."Iraqi TV al-Sharqiya just reported on the news that AL-Zaidi is transferred to Camp Cropper prison [the Airport prison, managed by the American forces]. -- The TV Channel announced that Al-Zaidi is in a difficult condition, with broken ribs and signs of tortures on his thighs. Also he cannot move his right arm." -- bold by website editor

Shiite lawmaker criticizes U.S. comments over troops remain in Iraqi cities after deadline - link posted at ICH
A quote...."BAGHDAD, Dec. 14 (Xinhua) -- Shiite lawmaker loyal to anti-U.S. cleric Muqtada al-Sadr said that comments by top U.S. commander in Iraq over his troops to stay in Iraqi cities beyond deadline of mid 2009 is against U.S. commitments stated in the security pact."

Iraqi group sues Rumsfeld for torture
A quote...."AMMAN: A Jordan-based Iraqi rights group said on Monday it has filed 200 lawsuits against US former defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and American security firms for their alleged role in torturing Iraqis."

Another blow to NATO's [US-NRE's] supplies
A quote...."KARACHI - Taliban militants are striking terror into the container business handling the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's (NATO) supplies passing through Pakistan on their way to Afghanistan, virtually crippling the operation. -- On Saturday, militants destroyed 11 trucks and 13 NATO containers in Peshawar, the capital of North-West Frontier Province (NWFP), in their sixth attack in 13 days. Overall, they have destroyed approximately 400 containers carrying food, fuel and military vehicles.

UN confirms Afghan mass grave site disturbed
A quote...."KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - The U.N. confirmed Friday that a mass grave in northern Afghanistan has been disturbed, raising the possibility that evidence supporting allegations of a massacre seven years ago may have been removed. -- The Dasht-e-Leili grave site holds as many as 2,000 bodies of Taliban prisoners who died in transit after surrendering during one of the regime's last stands in November 2001, according to a State Department report from 2002. -- McClatchy Newspapers first reported the tampering with the grave site on Thursday."

300,000 attend 21st Hamas anniversary - link posted at ICH
A quote...."Around 300,000 Gazans gather to celebrate Hamas' 21st founding anniversary as the Hamas premier promises to defend Palestinian rights."

Carter meets with political leader of Hamas in Syria - link posted at ICH
A quote...."(CNN)  -- Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter met Sunday in Damascus, Syria, with Khaled Meshaal, the exiled leader of Hamas' political wing, a Hamas official said."

Israel 'wants West Bank land' - link posted at ICH
A quote...."Israel has proposed annexing 6.8 per cent of the illegally occupied West Bank, the chief Palestinian negotiator has said in his first detailed comments about the stalled US-backed negotiations."

Why Hezbollah Stiffed Carter - Because they're stupid. - mpg
Must Read - A quote...."Truth be told, this observer, along with one suspects plenty of others, was miffed at Hezbollah this past Wednesday morning."

Pak-China sign defence cooperation agreement
A quote...."BEIJING: Pakistan and China have singed an agreement on Monday to boost military cooperation marking the end of sixth round of talks between the two countries. -- Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) General Tariq Majid, who visited China on a weeklong official visit, had important meeting with General Chen Bindge, Chief of General Staff of PLA (Peoples Liberation Army). After the talks, both countries signed defence agreement."

Ecuador May Hit ‘True Monsters’ Harder Than Argentina (Update5)
A quote...."Dec. 15 (Bloomberg) -- Ecuador may saddle investors with the biggest losses in a government bond restructuring since at least World War II after President Rafael Correa fulfilled a two-year pledge to default on debt he calls “illegitimate.”  -- also posted at BLN

Russian Warships Head for Cuba
A quote...."MOSCOW — Russia said on Monday it was sending a group of warships to Soviet-era ally Cuba in its latest defiant naval move around US waters, part of a drive to revive old Cold War ties with Latin America."

Russia to join oil cartel moves to cut supplies
A quote...."Russia is to join Opec in a co-ordinated cut in oil production for the first time in a highly-controversial move that will further raise tensions with the West."

Taiwan, China launch direct shipping, air links
A quote...."Taiwanese jetliners and cargo ships left Monday for China to open a new era of direct air and shipping services with the mainland, formally ending a nearly six-decade ban on regular links between the rivals."

Picture: Lasers Hit Greek Riots (Updated)
Photo - A quote...."Police around the world use everything from sonic blasters to pepper spray to skunk bombs to plain-ol' dung to control crowds. But sometimes, the protesters can turn the tables, with tools of their own. Take this clash in Greece, where a protester uses a laser pointer to show where a riot cop is." -- also posted at BLN

The Mumbia Attack - 2 Articles - Monday - [ Day 18 ] ========== ========== ========== ====

The Saudi [Royals] Link to the Mumbai Attacks
A quote...."12/11/2008 -- In a number of news articles, the suspected role of Saudi financing for the recent Mumbai attacks have been reported. However, the investigative authorities have not publicly confirmed or denied any Saudi linkages to the attack at this juncture. However, these reports are not unfounded, considering the evidenced patronage of Saudi Arabia and groups considered to be fronts for terrorist outfits."

Shut Down Anglo-Saudi [Royal] Global Terror Apparatus Behind Mumbai Attack
A quote...."December 15, 2008 -- (LPAC)--For the first time in living memory, an international spotlight has been focused on the British Empire's guiding hand behind global terrorism. It took the stunning 72-hour attack on the Indian port city and financial capital of Mumbai, from Nov. 26-29, to focus world attention on "Londonistan,'' the capital of international narco-terrorism."

End - The Mumbia Attack - 2 Articles - Monday - [ Day 18 ] ========== ========== ========== ====

Court sides with ACLU, strikes down Patriot Act gag provision
A quote...."ACLU victorious as federal court declares Patriot Act provision a violation of the First Amendment - A federal appeals court ruling late Monday is the cause célèbre of the American Civil Liberties Union, as another provision of the Bush administration's Patriot Act falls to the judicial system. - Until the ruling, recipients of so-called "national security letters" were legally forbidden from speaking out. The letters, usually a demand for documents, or a notice that private records had been searched by government authorities, were criticized as a cover-all for FBI abuses"

Supreme Court revives abuse lawsuit by former Gitmo detainees
A quote...."WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court on Monday revived a lawsuit by four British Muslims who say they were tortured and abused at the Guantanamo Bay prison and seek to hold top Pentagon officials responsible."

What A Coincidence
Must Read - A quote...."In 1992, then under-secretary of defense, Paul Wolfowitz wrote a 46 page document called the “Defense Planning Guide” for civilian military leaders and the Department of Defense. It was later referred to as the “Wolfowitz Doctrine“. In it he maps out a new “post cold war strategy” for American involvement in affairs overseas that was vastly different than any policy this country had adapted before. The primary focus of the Wolfowitz Doctrine was to insure that American superiority and global dominance would continue in the future; “to prevent the emergence of a rival superpower“."

Families' 9/11 liability suit could go to trial
A quote...."A federal district court judge in Manhattan said Monday that he will decide whether or not a suit brought against US airlines by families of several victims of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, may proceed."

What Do NORAD's 9/11 Computer Chat Logs Reveal?
A quote...."Clearly, the details of the NORAD chat logs for the day of 9/11 need to be made public and must be carefully examined. They may not tell us the full story of the U.S. military's response to the attacks, nor give us all the answers we require about why the military failed so catastrophically to protect the nation. But they will surely fill a large gap in the puzzle." -- For more on this issue see....9/11 - NORAD
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9/11 - From The History File...Information - 9/11 - database
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Federal Reserve sets stage for Weimar-style Hyperinflation
A quote...."The Federal Reserve has bluntly refused a request by a major US financial news service to disclose the recipients of more than $2 trillion of emergency loans from US taxpayers and to reveal the assets the central bank is accepting as collateral. Their lawyers resorted to the bizarre argument that they did so to protect 'trade secrets.' Is the secret that the US financial system is de facto bankrupt? The latest Fed move is further indication of the degree of panic and lack of clear strategy within the highest ranks of the US financial institutions. Unprecedented Federal Reserve expansion of the Monetary Base in recent weeks sets the stage for a future Weimar-style hyperinflation perhaps before 2010."

Unstable Forex Markets: When will the dollar bubble will pop?
A quote...."In "The New Bubble: Cash", I argued that there was a bubble in U.S. dollars and treasuries. Bill Gross, co-chief investment officer of the world’s largest bond fund, now says....

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US industrial production slips further
A quote...."US industrial production fell by 0.6 per cent in November from the previous month, slightly beating analysts’ forecasts, while notching a third decline in the last four months, the Federal Reserve said on Monday."

U.S. Dec Empire State index falls to new record low
A quote...."WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- Manufacturing activity in the New York area contracted at a record pace in November, the New York Federal Reserve Bank said Monday. The bank's Empire State Manufacturing index fell to negative 25.8 in December from negative 25.4 in November. New orders and shipments were slightly higher, but unfilled orders fell to a record low. Prices paid plunged to negative 7.5 in December from 27 in November."

U.S. builders index remains at record low
A quote...."WASHINGTON, Dec. 15 (UPI) -- The National Association of Home Builders said Monday that U.S. builder confidence remained at its lowest level since January 1985."

U.S. homes lose $2 trillion in value in '08
A quote...."Home prices are have been hit hard, yet there is still no end in sight to the foreclosure crisis, according to Zillow.com." -- bold by website editor

Citadel joins rush to lock up funds
Financial Warning -- A quote...."Citadel Investment Group has joined the rush of hedge funds suspending redemptions to investors, a development that is in effect locking up hundreds of billions of dollars in cash during a volatile period in global markets."

The Madoff Scandal and Post-World War II America
Special Note -- A quote...."This is the third of 3 essays on trust and the economy (the first two are here and here). An article in Business Week says this of the Madoff scandal:"

Madoff case to rock already shaky hedge funds
Financial Warning -- A quote...."BOSTON/NEW YORK (Reuters) - Bernard Madoff has single-handedly turned an already very bad year for hedge funds into a catastrophe. -- Now the industry's already steep losses may grow even larger, dozens of funds might collapse and confidence eroded even more after a 70-year old New York-based investor allegedly cheated investors from Palm Beach, to New York, to Geneva to Madrid out of as much as $50 billion (33 billion pounds)" - bold/underline by website editor

Madoff fallout spreads worldwide
A quote...."The fallout from Bernard Madoff’s alleged $50bn fraud spread through the global financial system on Monday as more banks revealed exposures to his firm and the beleaguered hedge fund industry braced for withdrawals from worried clients."

Regarding the four articles shown above see....The Green Light - 01-16-08 - mpg

AIG Said to Offer Retention Payment to Bigger Group of Workers
A quote...."Dec. 13 (Bloomberg) -- American International Group Inc., the insurer under fire for paying 168 executives not to quit after a government takeover, is giving retention awards to at least 2,000 more employees, according to a person familiar with the matter." - bold by website editor -- For more on this issue see...Having Fun With Your Tax Dollars

"Sounds like the American Indians all over again.  No deal, no agreement, no contract, no promise signed by anyone in this current government is worth the paper it's written on.  If you do any sort of deal with the members of this administration you're simply asking for trouble." -- posted 12-29-06 -- *mpg*

"To repeat oneself ad nauseam....no statement, no agreement, no promise, no guarantee, no assurance, no word, no contract ever signed by, or stated by, that thing in the White House has ever proved true or binding upon "it". -- "It" is incapable of knowing right from wrong, "it"  is akin to a machine and simply performs "its" functions according to the scripts "it's" been given. "It" is simply a container of evil and cannot be considered to have any human attributes at all, "it" has no free will nor has "it" ever demonstrated a desire to have such freedom.   The only certainty regarding "its" behavior is that "it" will continue to serve "its" master with a limitless capacity for mendacity." -- posted 02-03-07 -- *mpg*

Sunday December 14th 2008

"Sounds like the American Indians all over again.  No deal, no agreement, no contract, no promise signed by anyone in this current government is worth the paper it's written on.  If you do any sort of deal with the members of this administration you're simply asking for trouble." -- posted 12-29-06 -- *mpg*

"To repeat oneself ad nauseam....no statement, no agreement, no promise, no guarantee, no assurance, no word, no contract ever signed by, or stated by, that thing in the White House has ever proved true or binding upon "it". -- "It" is incapable of knowing right from wrong, "it"  is akin to a machine and simply performs "its" functions according to the scripts "it's" been given. "It" is simply a container of evil and cannot be considered to have any human attributes at all, "it" has no free will nor has "it" ever demonstrated a desire to have such freedom.   The only certainty regarding "its" behavior is that "it" will continue to serve "its" master with a limitless capacity for mendacity." -- posted 02-03-07 -- *mpg*

Saturday December 13th 2008

Billl Moyers Interviews Glenn Greenwald
Must View Video - A quote...."Bill Moyers sits down with political commentator and Salon.com blogger Glenn Greenwald who asks: Are we a nation ruled by men or by laws? A former constitutional and civil rights lawyer, Greenwald looks at the legacy of the Bush Administration, the prospects for President-elect Obama's cabinet choices, as well as the possibilities for government accountability." -- ||  Transcript  ||  Podcast Mp3  ||

Rotted From the Head: Senate Lays Bare Bush Torture System -- But So What?
Special Note - Related Article - A quote...."At last, years late -- but better late than never, I suppose -- we have official recognition by the United States Senate of a fact that has been well-known to anyone willing to even glance at reality in past decade. We refer of course to the newly released report by the Senate Armed Services Committee, in which a bipartisan panel led by Carl Levin and John McCain states quite plainly that the top officials of the Bush Administration created and maintained a systematic program of torture against the prisoners captured (or kidnapped or renditioned or simply rounded up swoopstake in mass raids) in the Terror War."

Senate Report Ties Rumsfeld To Abu Gharib
A quote...."WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and other senior U.S. officials share much of the blame for detainee abuse at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, according to portions of a report released on Thursday by the Senate Armed Services Committee." -- also posted at ICH

Senate torture report confirms Bush, top officials guilty of war crimes
A quote...."A report issued Thursday by the Senate Armed Services Committee has provided official and bipartisan confirmation that the infamous acts of torture carried out by US personnel at Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo were planned, ordered and orchestrated by the highest-ranking officials in the US government. Based on the Senate's own conclusions, those named in the document, including President George W. Bush, former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, are guilty of war crimes."

Pack of Liars
A quote...."Yesterday's bipartisan Senate report on the abuse of detainees in U.S. custody at Guantanamo, Abu Ghraib and elsewhere doesn't just lay out a clear line of responsibility starting with President Bush, it also exposes the administration's repeated explanation for what happened as a pack of lies."

Global Financial Domination: The $8.5 Trillion Chip
Must Read - A quote...."A few weeks ago, I warned in my website that the Dow would dive below 7,000 at the earliest by end of December 2008 and at the latest by the end of the first quarter 2009. -- Any responsible central banker  would want to control a downturn, preferably by a gradual slide of the market as opposed to a sharp hard landing. -- But events and data have revealed that these financial handlers are not responsible and are hard core gamblers in their very soul. -- Their mindset is that of the ultimate gambler and nothing in this world will change their behaviour not even the thought that millions will starve and die and that national economies will be shattered. They are totally unconcerned as tbe devastating consequences of their actions.  And anyone still having illusions about their altruistic aims will be disappointed."

The Shallowest Generation
A quote...."The Baby Boom Generation will never be mistaken for the Greatest Generation that survived the Great Depression and defeated evil in a World War that killed 72 million people. I hate to tell you Boomers, but putting a yellow ribbon on the back of your $50,000 SUV is not sacrifice. -- Our claim to fame is living way beyond our means for the last three decades, to the point where we have virtually bankrupted our capitalist system. Baby Boomers have been occupying the White House for the last sixteen years. The majority of Congress is Baby Boomers. The CEOs and top executives of Wall Street firms are Baby Boomers. The media is dominated by Baby Boom executives and on-air stars. We have no one to blame but ourselves for the current predicament."

The Mumbia Attack - 1 Article - Saturday - [ Day 16 ] ========== ========== ========== ====

Organized Crime, Intelligence and Terror: The D-Company's Role in the Mumbai Attacks
A quote...."What do you call a "devout Muslim" who exerts considerable control over South Asia's heroin, gambling, prostitution and smuggling rackets? Why an intelligence asset, of course!" -- also posted at BLN

End - The Mumbia Attack - 1 Article - Saturday - [ Day 16 ] ========== ========== ========== ====

More NATO Supplies Destroyed as Peshawar Attacks Continue
A quote...."Militants in the Pakistani city of Peshawar continued tonight what has been already a week-long string of attacks on supply depots holding NATO trucks and containers throwing the reliability of NATO’s chief source of supplies to the military effort in Afghanistan into serious doubt."

Militants torch over 20 supplies trucks for Afghanistan-based coalition forces in NW Pakistan
A quote...."ISLAMABAD, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- Militants torched 25 supplies trucks for Afghanistan-based coalition forces in northwestern Pakistan early Saturday morning. -- The News Network International news agency quoted police as saying that the militants used patrol bombs to torch the supplies trucks and oil containers in Peshawar, capital city of North West Frontier Province (NWFP) early Saturday morning. The attackers fled after the attack."

Afghan troops losing support from locals
A quote...."The behaviour of international troops is jeopardising the support of the Afghan people, the country's most senior United Nations official has warned." -- also posted at WarInIraq

Iraqis suspicious of pullout deal - (RN YouTube - 9 min 06 sec - December 10, 2008)
The Iraqi view of the surge - (RN YouTube - 9 min 52 sec - December 11, 2008)
Videos - A quote...."More at http://therealnews.com/t/in... Leila Fadel: The surge is not well understood in the US Pt2

That Was No Small War in Georgia -- It Was the Beginning of the End of the American Empire
A quote...."Tskhinvali, South Ossetia -- On the sunny afternoon of August 14, a Russian army colonel named Igor Konashenko is standing triumphantly at a street corner at the northern edge of Tskhinvali, the capital of South Ossetia, his forearm bandaged from a minor battle injury. The spot marks the furthest point of the Georgian army's advance before it was summarily crushed by the Russians a few days earlier. "Twelve Georgian battalions invaded Tskhinvali, backed by columns of tanks, armored personal carriers, jets, and helicopters," he says, happily waving at the wreckage, craters, and bombed-out buildings around us. "You see how well they fought, with all their great American training -- they abandoned their tanks in the heat of the battle and fled." -- No one should blame the Georgian soldiers, they knew it wasn't their war...they knew it belonged to the US-NRE's MIOC elites and they simply didn’t want to fight to enrich these elites bottom lines.  In other words they're a heck of a lot smarter than many people in this country. - mpg -- For more on this issue see.... American Selective Attention Deficit Disorder (ASADD) - 08-16-08 - mpg

US: Iran buying Russian arms via Belarus
A quote...."US government officials say Moscow is selling Tehran the sophisticated SA-20 strategic-range air defense system through Belarus."

Iran Captures CIA Terrorists
A quote...."The Tehran Times reports via Press TV:  Iran’s security forces say they have arrested some elements of a terrorist group in eastern Iran who had a hand in the execution of 15 police officers. -- ”The Iranian intelligence and police forces have arrested some terrorists who were behind the killings of 15 Iranian police members,”" Kazem Jalali, a senior lawmaker told reporters on Monday. -- The captured terrorists are to be brought to the justice in near future and their open hearing will be broadcast for the Iranian nation, he added." -- For more on this sort of issue see....US Support of Terror - MEK - PKK - Others

Jimmy Carter regrets not meeting with Hezbollah
A quote...."BEIRUT, Lebanon – Jimmy Carter said Friday he would have been "delighted" to meet with Hezbollah officials during his visit to Lebanon and regretted the militant group's leaders refuse to meet with current or former American presidents." -- This was a really STUPID move by Hezbollah, they don't usually make them, but this was definitely one of them.  Jimmy Carter was the last president of the United States of America, all the rest who have followed are simply Neo-Roman Emperors of the New Roman Empire.  Hezbollah gave up a chance to look good, to look conciliatory, and a golden opportunity to reach out to people world wide with their message.  Now they look like a bunch of self-righteous, stuck-up, unreasonable, inflexible, idiots. – mpg

'Thousands' desert Somalia forces
A quote...."More than 80% of Somalia's soldiers and police - about 15,000 members - have deserted, some taking weapons, uniforms and vehicles, the UN says."

Are the Greek riots a taste of things to come? - From the sheep in this country?!?  Get real! - mpg
A quote...."After firing 4,600 tear-gas canisters in the past week, the Greek police have nearly exhausted their stock. As they seek emergency supplies from Israel and Germany, still the petrol bombs and stones of the protesters rain down, with clashes again outside parliament yesterday."

Ukraine and Georgia: Entry into NATO put off indefinitely
A quote...."NATO ministers in Brussels have decided to ignore US wishes and to delay the admission of Ukraine and of Georgia in effect indefinitely in what the Washington administration is sheepishly trying to claim is a positive ‘compromise.’

Attorneys: Fort Dix Terror Plot Was "Planted And Nurtured" By FBI Informants
A quote...."Lawyers in a case relating to a much vaunted 2007 terror plot have concluded that FBI informants were the key figures behind the operation and that the accused, six foreign-born Muslims, were merely bungling patsies."

'The time that it took was enormous, it was 120 minutes, a very long time in which to act - was the U.S. Air Force sleeping and if it was sleeping which heads were rolled?' Ex ISI Chief Gul Exposes 911 Inside Job 12 Dec 2008 Former Pakistani ISI chief Hamid Gul appeared on the Alex Jones Show yesterday and shared his contention that the 9/11 attack was an inside job. Gul questioned why standard operating procedure was not followed. "In the past within minutes the U.S. aircraft has been on the wing of the hijacked aircraft, in this case it did not happen, the U.S. alert system is so high and it is so sophisticated that if a missile was to take off from Moscow and was to head towards New York, the U.S. Air Force and the missile system is supposed to intercept it within nine minutes….the system is in place but it did not work and nobody tried to question this." -- Paragraph quoted from CLG

(UPDATED) 9/11 and the NEW WORLD ORDER: MEANS, MOTIVE, and OPPORTUNITY (in Quotes) - Part I
A quote...."Reading the following quotes as a group paints a big picture of how the world really works. I have simply gathered quotes from prominent people, current and past, and organized them to clearly show the three basic elements -- means, motive, and opportunity -- of a world conspiracy.  Please don’t balk at the word “conspiracy”; conspiracies happen all of the time." 

Bill Moyers: FCC Update
Video - A quote...."Bill Moyers on a recent report on abuse of power at the FCC." -- ||  Transcript  ||  Podcast Mp3  ||

The 2008 Falsies Awards: In Memory of the First Casualty
A quote...."Golden Falsie: The Propaganda Pundits -- You could call it General (ret.) Misinformation -- the Pentagon's successful effort to turn retired military officers into the Bush Administration's "message force multipliers," mostly on broadcast and cable television. "You could see that they were messaging," one former Defense Department official explained to New York Times journalist David Barstow, who first reported on the covert program. "You could see they were taking verbatim what the [Defense] secretary was saying ... and they were saying it over and over." -- For more on this issue see....Fake Intel / Propaganda - NYT Article

The Bigger Pay-to-Play Picture
A quote...."Let’s ignore the righteous pundits who chortle sweet nothings about the scandal in Illinois and speak to a larger truth that they ignore. -- The Illinois scandal is the tip of the iceberg of a culture of corruption that is usually done with more subtlety than Gov. Rod Blagojevich."
========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== ====

We Told You
A quote...."We told you so.  --  In the slow-motion train wreck that became the current economic meltdown, our bipartisan political Establishment and the sycophantic punditburo have been wrong over and over and over again. They told us that eviscerating consumer protections would unleash the market's benevolent power and boost the economy. They told us that a trillion-dollar Wall Street bailout would solve a credit crisis. They told us that bailout would be subjected to intense oversight and scrutiny.  -- Wrong, wrong and wrong -- and when critics predicted just that, sneering commentators and congressional leaders berated us as know-nothing Luddites, conspiracy theorists, or both."

Bill moyers Interviews Emma Coleman Jordan
Must View Video - A quote...."Georgetown University's legal and finance scholar Emma Coleman Jordan takes Bill Moyers through recent news on the bailouts as big business begs for more." -- ||  Transcript  ||  Podcast Mp3  ||

Fed Refuses to Disclose Recipients of $2 Trillion (Update2)
Special Note - Take a read folks, here's something you haven't seen very often, a business news publication actually doing it's job.  Hat's off to Bloomberg. - mpg -- A quote...."Dec. 12 (Bloomberg) -- The Federal Reserve refused a request by Bloomberg News to disclose the recipients of more than $2 trillion of emergency loans from U.S. taxpayers and the assets the central bank is accepting as collateral. -- Bloomberg filed suit Nov. 7 under the U.S. Freedom of Information Act requesting details about the terms of 11 Fed lending programs, most created during the deepest financial crisis since the Great Depression." -- bold by website editor

Obama Adviser Robert Rubin Sued For Citi Ponzi Scheme
A quote...."A new Citigroup scandal is engulfing Robert Rubin and his former disciple Chuck Prince for their roles in an alleged Ponzi-style scheme that's now choking world banking."

Senate to Middle Class: Drop Dead
A quote...."....the Senate said, we'll give you the loan only if the factory workers take a $20 an hour cut in wages, pension and health care. That's right. After giving BILLIONS to Wall Street hucksters and criminal investment bankers -- billions with no strings attached and, as we have since learned, no oversight whatsoever -- the Senate decided it is more important to break a union, more important to throw middle class wage earners into the ranks of the working poor than to prevent the total collapse of industrial America.

Jim Rogers Calls Most Big U.S. Banks "Bankrupt"
A quote...."December 12, 2008 ---- NEW YORK (Reuters) - Jim Rogers, one of the world's most prominent international investors, on Thursday called most of the largest U.S. banks "totally bankrupt," and said government efforts to fix the sector are wrongheaded. -- Speaking by teleconference at the Reuters Investment Outlook 2009 Summit, the co-founder with George Soros of the Quantum Fund, said the government's $700 billion rescue package for the sector doesn't address how banks manage their balance sheets, and instead rewards weaker lenders with new capital." -- also posted at BLN

What is to be Done? - The End of the Washington Consensus
A quote...."The three Baltic countries, for instance – Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania – have long been praised in the Western press as great success stories. The World Bank classifies them among the most “business friendly” countries, and their real estate prices have soared, fueled by foreign-currency mortgages from neighboring Scandinavian banks. Their industry has been dismantled, their agriculture is in ruins, their male population below the age of 35 is emigrating. But real estate prices added to the net worth on their national balance sheets for nearly a decade. Has a new “moment of truth” arrived? Just because the Soviet economic system culminated in bureaucratic kleptocracy, has the neoliberal model really been so much better? Most important of all, was there a better alternative all along?" -- also posted at ICH

Fed Regulators Shut Down 2 More Banks
A quote...."NEW YORK - Regulators on Friday closed Haven Trust Bank in Georgia and Sanderson State Bank in Texas, bringing to 25 the number of U.S. bank failures this year. -- The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. was appointed receiver of Haven Trust Bank, based in Duluth, Ga., and Sanderson State, with one office in Sanderson, Texas."

US trade gap widens, imports from China set record
So much for the idea of the US-NRE exporting it's way out of this Depression. - mpg -- A quote.... "WASHINGTON, Dec 11 (Reuters) - The U.S. trade deficit widened unexpectedly in October as imports from China rose to a new record and oil imports rebounded as prices fell by a record amount, a Commerce Department report showed on Thursday."

U.S. trade deficit rises
Related Article -- A quote...."NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- The trade deficit rose unexpectedly in October as U.S. exports plummeted, according to a government report released Thursday." - bold/underline by website editor

Producer prices fall sharply in November - Data show second straight sharp monthly decline
A quote...."WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- U.S. wholesale prices fell sharply for the second straight month as weak demand pulled down prices for energy supplies and other raw materials."

Retail sales and prices fall again
A quote...."WASHINGTON (AP) — Signs that the recession will be long and severe mounted Friday with a fresh round of bad economic news, including plunging sales from manufacturers to stores and falling prices that raise fears of dangerous deflation."

G.M. to Idle Most Plants for About a Month - Maybe longer, a lot longer. - mpg
A quote...."DETROIT — The General Motors Corporation said Friday that it would idle all of its assembly plants in the United States and Canada for at least part of the first quarter and build 250,000 fewer cars and trucks than it had planned."

Joblessness grows in New York
A quote...."Well-paid professionals like lawyers, accountants and architects are joining the rapidly expanding unemployment rolls in New York City, as the effects of the financial crisis have spread beyond Wall Street not only to other white-collar industries but also to the construction and retail trades, a new report shows."

“The Next Tsunami to Hit will be the Commercial Real Estate Market”
A quote...."I am hearing first-hand stories from some top people in the commercial real estate business that the market is crashing. Even the big boys - big mall-owners and the owners of office buildings - are losing their financing, and can't to deals."

Second-Largest Mall Owner To Default on Loans Friday, December 12th
Special Note - A quote...."In a sign of the times, the second-largest mall owner in America - General Growth Properties - will probably file for bankruptcy on Friday, December 12th. Here's a timeline:" -- Ouch!! Now that's gotta hurt, even more. - mpg - For more on this issue see article shown below....

China Will Accelerate Global Slide Into Deflation
A quote...."Forbes writes "Deflation Descends Upon the U.S." -- Mish provides the best analysis around on why we've got deflation, despite the huge increase in money supply by the Fed. -- But the headline which really caught my eye this morning was the Wall Street Journal article entitled "Deflation Approaches for China"."

Friday December 12th 2008

No posts - on vacation. - mpg

Thursday December 11th 2008

No posts - on vacation. - mpg

Wednesday December 10th 2008