A NEW YEAR'S EVE MESSAGE

At times like these it' important to speak sparingly. This is no more a time to waste words than it is to waste energy. It's not possible to answer all the "fan" mail and reqeusts for time that come my way since "Collapse" was released. But some do get through and some attract my attention. I just had this exchange with a young European who was moved by the film and by our map. They had gone past "Collapse and dug a little deeper.

Hi Michael - i'm watching your video "the truth and lies of 9-11." it's fascinating but disgusting. i'm wondering how we can find joy and go on without feeling bitterness and resentment. all the foundational things i formerly believed in are crashing. i just don't know what to think/believe anymore ... and that's got me worried more than anything else. how did you fight as long as you did and how have you maintained both your life and your sanity?


Michael C. Ruppert -- Dec. 31st at 10:34 AM

You put one foot in front of the other and learn how to put the biggest questions on a shelf. You keep asking smaller questions. Sometimes you learn how to stand still and do nothing at all. Sometimes you just stand still and hurt. -- You cry. You make jokes. You make mistakes. You break down. You forgive yourself. You dust off and you keep walking. You take time out to play and try to remember that there is something divine out there smarter than you that works in unseen ways. You come to understand that rest is a weapon and that knowing by the intellect is only a small part of knowing. -- The process can be very traumatic. But what it teaches more than anything else is patience and endurance. Sometimes you lose your sanity only to later discover that it can come back with a deeper awareness that wasn't possible until you lost it. -- Most of all you do simple, selfless, and direct acts of love and nurturing for others along the way. You learn to accept them when offered to you.You surrender to whatever it is that awakened you and gave you the balls to start asking the big questions in the first place.

And you hope.

Ready or not, here comes 2010.

MCR

U.S. warns of possible ‘attack to Bali tonight’

From Jenna Orkin:


Quote of the day:

There’s never just one cockroach in the kitchen.
Warren Buffett

Headlines
U.S. warns of possible ‘attack to Bali tonight’
Will it happen or will They heroically intercede? Stay tuned!
Congressional Legislation Introduced By Barney Frank Pre-Approves $4 Trillion For Next Crisis

Economy
The coming Great Inflation
International Movement to Dump Dollar Gains Support
Euro zone grapples with debt crisis
European Commision Warns: Eight Countries Charging Off A Sovereign Debt Cliff In 2010 (from Rice Farmer)
Treasuries Head for Worst Performance Among G-7 as U.S. Sells Record Debt
Wall Street Waits for Schapiro as SEC Fails to Set Madoff-Inspired Reforms
China's Property Bubble May Foreshadow a U.S.-Style Slump in Real Estate
Tax Laws Encourage Euthanasia In 2010
Steel Tariffs Show Protectionism On The Rise
Bulls Dance On Edge Of Cliff Got Change For A Million Silver Dollars?
$500 Million Counterfeit
German Economy in Mini-Boom but New Clouds Gathering
College students stand in breadlines
Oil prices near $80 after U.S. stockpiles fall
Iceland Agrees to Repay British and Dutch Savers $5.4 Billion
Zimbabwean Expats Blamed for Missing Money

World
An interview with a N. Korea border crosser
Should Nigerian leader transfer powers?
Venezuela strengthens saving measures to prevent electrical breakdown

Intelligence
Afghan insurgents kill CIA Agents, Canadians
Facebook, Twitter to face more sophisticated attacks: McAfee

Science/Medicine
Device turns thoughts into speech
How contagious is H1N1? New study finds out
In South Africa, drug-resistant HIV emerging

Ron Paul's son makes Ky. Senate run official

Saudis Quit Caribbean Storage for 5 Million Barrels

See "The Road"

Viggo Mortenson deserves the statue. Dues are well paid. And I've been a fan of Guy Pearce's since "L.A. Confidential". "The Road" is the world I have been seeing for many years now. It is what drove me. And the film revealed for me what I have known intuitively, yet never articulated; in words that could fit into a song. "We have to be that good before things get that bad."

And the sooner we get that good, the less bad things have to get.

More to come at http://www.newwhitetrash.com.

MCR
*****************************************************************************
From Jenna Orkin

Headlines
Exclusive: Saudis quit Caribbean oil storage
Guess who's going to be using the space instead of the US - China.
Is China Winning the Global War on Terror?
"That’s the thought that ran through my head, as I read about China’s $3.4 billion copper-mining effort southeast of Kabul. It’s “by far the largest foreign investment project in war-torn Afghanistan,” according to the New York Times. And it’s hardly China’s only investment in an American battlefield."
North Korea: Tear down that (imaginary) wall!
U.S. Confirms American Detained in North Korea
North Korea pilfering nuclear reactor site

Woooo - Be Very Afraaaid
What Has Happened to the Billions of Dollars Spent on Aviation Security?
CIA Failed to Disseminate Report About Bombing Suspect
JAL shares down 32 percent as bankruptcy worries mount
CIA sat on dad's warning on airline bomb suspect
Obama blames "systemic failures" in U.S. security
Yemen says may harbor up to 300 Qaeda suspects
Spain raises anti-terror alert ahead of possible attacks
Excellent time to raise an alert, Spain.
Target Co was victim of hacker Albert Gonzalez

Econoomy
Treasuries Set for Worst Year Since 1978 on Record Sales, Recovery Signs
Britain's debt woe
Investors now view Britain as a riskier lending proposition than Italy.

Science/Environment
Petrol prices set for major rises in 2010
5 Reasons the H1N1 Flu is Good For Us
"...we will keep more adults at work...

While manufacturers are private enterprises that need to consider profits, they’ve shown great flexibility and willingness to alter their plans and work to achieve goals established by our public health leaders."

Dr. William Schaffner, chairman of the Department of Preventive Medicine at Vanderbilt University, is also president-elect of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases.
Volunteers for anti-diarrhoea drug offered free holiday to Mexico
Feel free to drink from the tap.
Medical-Device Studies Lack Scientific Rigor, California Researchers Find
How Algal Biofuels Lost a Decade in Race to Replace Oil
125 Pilot Whales Die on NZ Beaches

Russia Warns EU of Winter Oil Cut-Off; NKorea to Ban Foreign Currencies, Detains American

From Jenna Orkin:

Headlines
British Foreign Office says China has carried out execution
North Korea to ban all foreign currencies
The Baltic Dry Index Is Collapsing (from Rice Farmer)

Fallout from Foiled "Terror Attack"
Wherein we learn its true raison d'etre.
Yemen is the true home of Al-Qaeda
So that means we should go in there and smoke 'em out - Right, Brain?
Lieberman: The United States Must Pre-Emptively Act In Yemen (from Rice Farmer)
Airlines: New Rules Keep Passengers in Seats
Nigerians armed with spears, arrows kill 35
Plane Attack Adds Pressure on Sick Nigeria Leader
Plane Attack Adds Pressure on US Leader
Muslim Cleric Linked to Fort Hood, Air Terror Attacks
Naked Scanners
Britain's student visa system is a security breach in itself

Economy
Morgan Stanley Predicts 5.5% 10-Year Treasuries, 30 Year Mortgages at 7.5%; I'll Take the Under
Don't look to Beijing to save the world economy (from Rice Farmer)
"Look for the Chinese to engage in increasingly confrontational behavior on the high seas in 2010."
Krugman: 'Reasonably High Chance' of Slump
For First Time, Plurality Believes Stimulus Has Hurt Economy
States' Jobless Funds Being Drained in Recession
Shenzhen Nanshan Refuses Goldman Demand for Payment
Russia Warns EU of Winter Oil Cut-Off
Risk appetite shows no signs of slowing
After the bailouts, Washington’s the boss
Poor selling organs to make ends meet in Egypt
Busted Ponzi Schemes Quadrupled in 2009
TARP: The bailout that refuses to die
Newsweek: Local budget crises may slow recovery
House prices set to fall in 2010

Energy/Environment/Science
US Loans to Boost Nuclear Industry Seen Soon
Why California Is Running Dry
U.S. nuclear industry poised for boost
American dreams of striking oil in France
Trouble is, it's under the Eiffel Tower. Good thing we have horizontal drilling.
Vaccines for hospital superbugs MRSA and Clostridium difficile in pipeline
Drug-resistant infections lurk in meat we eat

World
North Korea Detains American
Mauritania: Al Qaeda Claims Captives
‘Dangerous base’ sours U.S.-Japan ties
Energy crisis growing rapidly in Pakistan
Will 2010 Be the Year the World Ends -- for Mexico?
UK mounts warfare exercise in Falklands
Only MSM outlet to carry this seems to be UPI.

Intelligence
Interpol Gets Immunity From US Law
Ex-CIA Officer Masterminded Downfall of Taliban and Al Qaeda in Afghanistan
When all the while they were in Yemen.
Torrent Search Engines Unlawful, U.S. Judge Says

Australia Leads in Race to Bottom;US Fixed Income Has to Increase Elevenfold

From Jenna Orkin:

Headlines
Opinion: Australians are now the biggest borrowers in the world
A Record Budget Stirs Debt Worries in Japan
Chinese economy overtakes Japan
Congress Increases Debt Limit
Brace For Impact: In 2010, Demand For US Fixed Income Has To Increase Elevenfold... Or Else (from Rice Farmer)
Top hedge funds bet on big yields rise
First Highly Drug-Resistant TB Found in U.S.
New drug-resistant malaria found in Thai-Cambodia border

Economy
Millions face new pay freeze in 2010
A decade of high unemployment is looming
UK: More than 7m households 'in fuel poverty'
Disabled workers 'worst hit by cuts in recession'
Sadly, 'Death of Derivatives Overhaul' Rumors Are Greatly Exaggerated
War on Wall Street as Congress Warms to Turn Clock Back to Glass-Steagall
Oil prices jump to highest level in 7 weeks
Tanker Glut Signals 25% Freight Decline as 26 Miles of Ships Meet Demand
Berkshire Workforce Cut by 21,000 on Manufacturing, Retail Business Slump
Yen to Fall Versus Dollar in '10 as Interest Rates Diverge, Survey Shows
Carlyle says mulling bid for Shanks
Buffett eyes GMAC's ResCap
Property firms draw up 'living wills' to survive crash
Sagging tourism forces "fiscal crisis" for Hawaii (from Rice Farmer)
Hawaii: State’s foreclosures up 122 percent (from Rice Farmer)
Michigan Forces Business Owners Into Public Sector Unions

War/Intelligence
U.S. says al Qaeda-linked man tries to blow up plane
Hunt is on for terror ties
U.S. eyes ties to Yemen al-Qaida
U.S. quietly takes war on terror to Yemen
I'm glad we've learned discretion. So much more civilized than Shock and Awe.
Strict, new rules for airline passengers
Raise your hand if you saw these results coming.
New security restrictions could hurt airlines
Demand control. TIA. Plus ca change...
U.S. knew of suspect, but how much?
Flight 253 explosive easily detectable
Navy attempted suicide rate nearly 3 percent (from Rice Farmer)
DARPA and You
They can drive your car for you, do surgery on you and even replace a missing limb that responds to your wishes. But suppose the limb gets hacked?

World
Israel Recalls All Ambassadors (from Gamedog)
U.S. rights activist crosses into North Korea: reports
South Korea's Lee in UAE to discuss nuclear deal
JAL bankruptcy proposed as option to banks
Pilot Says Arms Headed for Kiev
Ukraine's Orange Revolution sours
Kuwait's crude exports to China surge 86% (from Rice Farmer)
Pakistan Recognizes Third Gender
"The court told the federal government to begin allowing people to identify as hijras when registering for a national identity card."

Science/Medicine
First Functional Molecular Transistor Comes Alive
Geo-Engineering As a Last Resort for Climate Change
Geese point the way to saving jet fuel
"Planes flying in V formation are more efficient and produce less carbon dioxide, say scientists."
2020 vision: Car Use Declines As Society Returns to Medieval Values
9/11 Hero Dies of Cancer on Christmas Day

Records in Treasury Yield Curve and Russian Benchmark Rate

From Jenna Orkin:

Economy
Treasury Yield Curve Steepens to Record on Debt-Auction Demand Concerns
Here we go.
Russia Cuts Benchmark Rate to Record Low to Spur Lending, Stem Ruble Bets
Yield curve predicting inflation, not growth surge
UK gilts sell-off
MPC unanimous against printing more money (UK)
Rates rise looms closer
Mukherjee Says No Time Set for Withdrawing Stimulus
Treasury uncaps credit line for Fannie, Freddie
Regulator approves millions for Fannie, Freddie execs
Regulators shutter 2 big Calif. banks, 5 others
Japan Jobless Rate Climbs for First Time Since July as Job Prospects Wane
U.S. credit card companies face tough 2010 with new rules
Copenhagen Shows New World Order May Be Led by US, China
The New World Order 'Is Already Underway'
U.S. pay czar Feinberg OKs compensation at some bailout firms
AIG CEO Said to Have Taken Lead in Feinberg Pay Talks: WSJ Link
Ford accepts $2bn Chinese offer for Volvo
Harvard Swaps Are So Toxic Even Summers Won't Explain (from Vantage Point)
Japan PM under fire over budget scandal
Arizona Governor Jan Brewer: "We face a state fiscal crisis of unparalleled dimension"
States' Jobless Funds Being Drained by Recession
Schwarzenegger May Appeal to Obama as $21 Billion Deficit Defies Solution
Santa Holds Up Bank To Pay Elves

War/Intelligence
Jetliner incident may be terror attack, U.S. officials say
Americans 'face Pakistan terror charges'
Al-Qaeda hideouts hit in Yemen
Taliban release video of US soldier
How CIA fell victim to gambler's con
Walmart Sued for Secret Bathroom Surveillance
REPORT: Two CIA Black Site Prisons in Lithuania
Russia to work on new nuclear missiles
Germany Intensifies Mission in Afghanistan
NATO says no deadline for Afghan troop withdrawal (from Rice Farmer)
Guttenberg's Plans to Talk To Taliban: The Beginning Of The End Of Afghanistan
US: Guantanamo Prisoners Not ‘Persons’ (from Vantage Point)
Guantanamo prison may stay open until 2011
Report: Bin Laden daughter hiding in embassy in Iran
Gates proposes $2 billion for unstable countries
Study: Haitian children enslaved
Opinion: Can Software Be Racist?

Energy
US OIL INVENTORIES: Crude Stocks Down Much More Than Expected
Massive load-shedding in Karachi
Bayer Must Pay Farmers For Contaminated Rice Crop
If you think this is an about-face of previous decisions, think again. The compensation package of $2 million is negligible to Bayer. No punitive damages.

Climate Change
Ice Melting Faster Everywhere
Saving the Indigenous Soul: Derrick Jensen Interviews Martin Prechtel (from Vantage Point) Loan Program May Stir Dormant Nuclear Industry (from Rice Farmer)
Animals 'on the run' from climate change
Warming Already Speeding Up Insect Breeding
Little egret arrives in Britain thanks to global warming
Climate change creeps across globe
Rare birds seeing revival, says RSPB
Slop buckets are popular

Seized Weapons Were Heading to Iran; Iraq to Double Oil Supply to China; Coup Predicted in Pakistan

From Jenna Orkin:

Military/Energy/Intelligence
Report: Seized weapons were heading to Iran
Iraq to double oil supply to China
Gov't Run Radio Predicts Coup in Pakistan (from F. Kamilov)
Bin Laden’s lost family found in Iran
A heart-warming Christmas story.
PetroChina Shuts Two Fertilizer Units on Gas Shortage
Russia Discussing Amphib Deal With 3 Nations (from Rice Farmer)
China Signs Deals With Venezuela, Securing Oil Access
Bin Laden came within minutes of killing Clinton
Venezuela Orders 20% Reduction in Electricity Use
Cheniere CEO sees record US LNG imports in 2010
Hackers steal U.S.-S. Korean secrets (from Rice Farmer)
Hacked Drones-- How Secure Are Spy Planes?
Massive Cyber Heist? Citibank Denies It
FBI probes cyber attack on Citigroup: report
British ID card program meets resistance (from Rice Farmer)
Police Expect Mumbai Style Attack in London (from Gamedog)

Economy/US
From the, "She asked for it" school of thought: Thrifty families ‘prolonging the recession’
Flaherty Says Russia, China May Buy Canadian Dollars to Diversify Reserves
Geithner: No 'Second Wave' To Crisis
Read my lips.
Small-business bankruptcies rise 81% in California (from Rice Farmer)
U.S. Taxpayer Burden Lightened to $8.2 Trillion
AIG bonus-return pledge mostly unfulfilled
$7 Billion Profit for U.S. Hedge Fund Bets on Banking Recovery
Bet on banks nets financier $2.5bn
Taxpayers to help with the rent at Goldman’s new office tower (from Rice Farmer)
Texas to Gain Four U.S. House Seats Under Reapportionment, Analysis Shows
Priest says it is OK for poor to shoplift (from Rice Farmer)

Environment/Science
'Copenhagen Was an All-Out Failure'
After the fiasco at Copenhagen, we must focus on energy security
Squid Invasions Signal Changes in the Pacific
Q+A: Environmental fears over U.S. shale gas drilling
Federal Officials Promote Use of Coal Waste on U.S. Farms (from Rice Farmer)
5 million doses of nasal H1N1 vaccine recalled
Spray Flu Vaccine Is Recalled 60 million in U.S. vaccinated against swine flu

Tips on Surviving a Disaster
Not the disasters we have in mind but some of the principles are apt.

Gold
The US has more than 8,000 tonnes of gold...nearly 80% of its reserves. Meanwhile, China - America's most likely rival for superpower status - has only 600 tonnes of gold. It keeps less than 1% of its reserves in the yellow metal. Put all the BRICs together and you get 1,500 tonnes, less than a quarter of the US hoard. And the BRICs have 10 times as many people....
If the BRICs wanted to bring their reserves up to just half the level of the US, they'd have to buy 2,500 tonnes.

North Korea Threatens to Fire, Obama Orders Strike on Yemen Terrorists; China's Oil Demand Surges 18.7% in November

From Jenna Orkin:

Military/Intelligence
North Korea Threatens to Fire Into Disputed Waters
Obama Ordered U.S. Military Cruise Missile Strike on Yemen Terrorists (from Rice Farmer)
Guantanamo Detainees Moved to Afghanistan, Somalia & Yemen
Castro: Obama seeking to topple Cuban communism
Colombia rejects Chavez charge over spy drones
Pakistan in crisis as 'creeping coup' unfolds (from Rice Farmer)
Newsweek: Con artist behind al-Qaida scare?
"[T]he [CIA] showed him the door five years ago after its scientists, working with counterparts in French intelligence, concluded that Montgomery's claims about hidden Al-Jazeera messages could not be substantiated. But Roston says other agencies continued to bite, with the Pentagon signing a contract with Montgomery as recently as January 2009."
Did America keep mum on 26/11? (from Rice Farmer)
White House picks new cyber czar
Russia Is Torn Over Push for Use of Cyrillic Web Domains
There'll be nowhere to run from the new world government

Economy
Iran MP says Iraq owes Tehran $1 trillion dollars
For stocks, the worst decade ever
Eurozone rift widens
World's Most Dangerous Government Bonds
Beware the Taxpayer Bailout of Underfunded Teamsters Pension Funds
3.6% of Prime Mortgages Delinquent 60 Days or Longer
Fictional Reserve Lending And The Myth Of Excess Reserves
Crushing Burden of Debt
Seven Banks Fail, 140 YTD total, Sheila Bair "prepared to handle an ever-larger number of bank failures next year"
Pennsylvania's "Nightmare Solution" for Gov't Layoffs Guaranteed To Backfire
The end of the carry trade?
What’s the main catalyst for Treasury selloff?
Banks with political ties got bailouts, study shows
U.S. pay czar allows incentives for key AIG employee
Pot-Laced Tour Bus Becomes Property of FDIC as U.S. Banks Go Up In Smoke
Pot shops could ease California's woes
Bernanke TIPS Give Way to Inflation as Deflation-Adjusted Yields Diminish
Economists: We don't need more stimulus
For Feds, More Get Six Figure Salaries
Defense Department civilian employees earning $150,000 or more increased from 1,868 in December 2007 to 10,100 in June 2009, the most recent figure available."When the recession started, the Transportation Department had only one person earning a salary of $170,000 or more. Eighteen months later, 1,690 employees had salaries above $170,000."
As California crumbles, so do other states (from Rice Farmer)
Cereal ... It's What's For Dinner (from Rice Farmer)

Energy/Environment
Platts Report: China's Oil Demand Surges 18.7% in November
Certified data show that Venezuela's oil production decreased in November
Has peak theory reached its tipping point?
Failure in Copenhagen: Gunning Full Throttle into the Greenhouse
'Subject to Shortcomings'? Nation's Nuke Labs

Gold
Gold Not Going Up In Price, Money Losing Value
Gold Not a Bubble, Silver a Better Buy: Rogers

And...
Oh, CRE: Holiday parody of the song O Christmas Tree
Excruciatingly clever lyrics.

Long Live the Gulfo; Leaked UN Document

From Jenna Orkin:

CoLLapse "Movie on Demand"

Quote of the day:
"The triumph of human kind is a very recent development. Ten thousand years ago we were just another animal trying to make a go of it on planet earth. Humans - and all their livestock - were barely 1% of the vertebrate biomass on the planet. Now, they are 98% of it."Hmmm...1 to 98. What a spectacular success story. A 5,000% increase. Hey wait a minute...that's a bubble! Yes, dear reader, humans are a sell."

Collapse
Oil Rich Gulf States to Drop the Dollar
Gulf petro-powers to launch currency in latest threat to dollar
“The Gulf monetary union pact has come into effect”
Safe haven Treasurys get tricky
Secret fears that deal can't stop climate disaster
Leaked UN document claims the current proposals will ‘put at risk the very viability of our civilisation on Earth’.
The Next Leg of the Crisis: Unavoidable Catastrophe (from Rice Farmer)
Crushing debt: Trillions Of Troubles Ahead (from Rice Farmer)
"Total debt is 557% of GDP."
China Faces Crash ScenarioIncludes video of Ordos, a city built on real estate speculation and boasting the highest per capita income in China. Perhaps that's because no one lives there. - JO
Why governments will be forced to cut back next year (from Rice Farmer)
"By the end of 2009, global sovereign debt will hit almost $50 trillion."
Obama says without health care changes U.S. 'will go bankrupt'
Now he can say he warned us.
Six Reasons Why Earth Won't Cope for Long (from Vantage Point)
Robert Newman: It's capitalism or a habitable planet - you can't ...
Could Tax Break To Citigroup (NYSE:C) Set The Stage For The Collapse Of Capitalism? (from Rice Farmer)
Howard Dean: I will not vigorously support Obama re-election
Fannie, Citi Suspend Foreclosures for Holiday Season
Citigroup's `Dark Cloud' Lingers After Share Sale: Chart of the Day
Senate approves $636 billion military spending bill US House approves $155 billion jobs bill The US government is now supporting 80% of the mortgage market
'Shadow' Inventory of U.S. Homes Climbs as Foreclosures Loom
Obama's "Cash for Caulkers" Yet Another Clunk Idea
Morgan Stanley Surrenders Five San Francisco Office Towers Bought at Peak
Unions, Graft, Stunning Incompetence Make San Francisco "Worst-Run Big City in the US"

Military/Intelligence
Up to 56000 more contractors likely for Afghanistan
U.S. to simulate Iran missile attack
Iranian soldiers take control of Iraq oil well
'Iranian Cyber Army' Hacks Twitter
CIA works with Palestinian agents
US agency co-operates with Palestinian counterparts who allegedly torture Hamas members in West Bank.
Trail of Afghanistan's drug money exposed (from Rice Farmer)
Military Could Use iPhones to Track Friends, Enemies in War Not Just Drones: Militants Can Snoop on Most U.S. Warplanes Venezuela: Chavez says U.S. plans attack (from Rice Farmer)
Google Talks Transparency, But Hides Surveillance Stats

Climate Change/Energy/Science
Copenhagen climate summit: `most important paper in the world` is a glorified UN press release Merkel Speaks Out over Summit: 'We Experienced a Self-Confident China'
U.S. Media Tarnishes Message of Copenhagen Climate Change Protest (from Vantage Point)
The Real Reason Behind The Copenhagen Walk-Out (from Vantage point)
Obama Is Snubbed by Wen at Climate Summit as U.S.-China Tensions Escalate
Biden tells Obama that 40 million US homes will have smart meters...
Shell to sell £3bn oil fields
Natural gas is the real winner from Copenhagen
Can nuclear solve the global water crisis?
Swine Flu May Mean First Year Without a Killer Seasonal Strain in 40 Years
Cocaine Laced With Cattle-Worming Drug Linked to Typically Rare Disorder
Not So Private Property?: Clean Water Restoration Act Raises Fears ...
Disappearance of Reindeer Herd Blamed on Freak Storms
The world will be destroyed by a Black Swan and the few bewildered souls who remain will say to each other, "Who could have guessed?" - JO
Urban beekeeping set to become legal in New York City
Autism Jumps 57% in Just 4 Years (from Rice Farmer)

World
Anthrax alert as heroin addict dies in Glasgow
Lenders face £1trn funding shortfall, says Bank report
Professor: NATO may cease to exist within next two decades
End of the Euro Experiment? (from Rice Farmer)
Target-Date "Lifestyle" Retirement Funds Take Huge Risks In Junk Bonds
Banks block £1bn fund for small business
UK property black hole
Cancer patients 'can't afford to keep warm'
UK Banks Bid Long Good-bye to Checks Jobcentre staff assaults rise in recession
British law firm offers divorce vouchers for Christmas gifts
Scotland's Biggest Airline is Placed in Voluntary Administration
Goldman Sachs threatens Spanish move
Eh Tu Germany? Finance Minister Says "No Alternative But To Borrow"
Greece default risk surges
Russia's 'economic shock therapist' dies aged 53
“Despite his relatively young age, Mr Gaidar's death is not being treated as suspicious. An aide said he died of a blood clot in the early hours of the morning as he worked on a new book. Mr Gaidar was, however, involved in a bizarre incident three years ago. The day after the former KGB spy Alexander Litvinenko was killed by polonium poisoning in London, Mr Gaidar was apparently struck down with similar symptoms during a trip to Ireland. He collapsed after giving a speech, and witnesses reported he had blood coming from his nose and was vomiting blood. He was later flown back to Moscow. At the time, family members said they suspected he had been poisoned, but no light was ever shed on the case.”
'Sizzling' Shanghai Home Prices Defy Sales Tax as Bubble Concern Increases
U.S. may block China-backed mine development near Navy site
Ship with 83 crew sinks off coast of Lebanon
The dark side of Dubai
Dubai finds small is beautiful

NKorea Plane Carrying Arms Seized; 22 Million Missing Bush Emails; Time's Person of the Year; Goat Flu

From Jenna Orkin:

Military
N Korean plane carrying arms seized
Secret document exposes Iran’s nuclear trigger
Report: Islamic terror rising as al-Qaida fades
Netanyahu must decide whether to strike
U.S. Power Slipping, Analysts Warn
Defense Last In WH Science Goals (2009 archive)
The Obama administration’s guid­ance for the 2011 sci­ence bud­get makes clear that basic research spend­ing will stay flat in most areas or decline, includ­ing at the Pentagon. Money will first go to research that can “drive eco­nomic recov­ery, job cre­ation, and eco­nomic growth,” says the guid­ance...
US Cyber Defenses Full of Holes (2009 archive)
Bank firewalls cracked by cyberhackers
Criminals said to drain $40m from bank accounts in 2009
DHS To Announce Cyber Merger (2009 archive)
US Wants to Expand Drone Strikes Into Major Pakistani City (from Rice Farmer)
Veteran U.S. Senator: War in Afghanistan another Vietnam
Military (Belatedly, Hesitantly) Going Green in Afghanistan
Afghanistan, as we all know by now, is a logistics nightmare: After factoring in all the costs of delivery, it can cost as much as $300 to $400 per gallon to deliver fuel to the battlefield. And when the military consumes 22 gallons of fuel, per soldier, per day, those costs rapidly add up. US train Yemen army to battle al-Qaeda 'reserve'
Terrorist recruiters leverage the Web
Men turn tables on regime by donning headscarves and dresses

Economy/US
Gulf petro-powers to launch currency in latest threat to dollar hegemony
Australia’s opposition raises specter of US debt default
Moody’s warns of 'social unrest’ over sovereign debt
Prince Charles warns climate change will drive starvation and terrorism
Dept. of Irreconcilable Differences
Senate passes $1.1 trillion spending bill
Fannie Freddie May Need Another $400 Billion Taxpayer Assistance
US House Approves $155 Billion Jobs Bill
99% of Americans against raising the debt ceiling
Easy money could have a high price
Greenspan: Fed should worry about inflation
Now he tells us.
Indian Gangs Grow, Bringing Fear and Violence to Reservation (from Vantage Point)
Abu Dhabi to Sue Citigroup for $4 Billion
Sheila Bair Begs For More Bank Failures
Worst of Bank Failures Isn't Over Yet: FDIC's Bair (from Rice Farmer)
Good news, Bad News
1. Banks are repaying their TARP loans

......as good news: Last night Wells Fargo joined Citigroup Inc. in pledging to repay in full their loans from the Troubled Asset Relief Program. Stocks rallied to fresh 14-month highs on the news. Or......

as bad news: Those same institutions are unloading mortgage backed securities and other toxic assets - almost dollar-for-dollar - onto the Fed's balance sheet at an increasing rate. Now they can hammer the government (ahem, taxpayer) for more wiggle room AND unshackle their highflying CEOs from those pesky salary cap provisions included in the TARP.
Obama’s hypocrisy meter is off the charts
U.S. grapples with child hunger ‘epidemic’
Poor turned away from free cancer screenings
Cities Shut Off Streetlamps to Save Money; Indianapolis Threatens $2500 Fines for Challenging Traffic Tickets
Pennsylvania Teachers' Plan Will Blow Up In 2012
Yield Curve Steepest Since 1980; Hard Times Ahead in 2010
San Francisco Discovers "Limitless Pot of Gold" in Stimulus Funds
Bernanke is Time's Person of the Year
Millions of missing Bush White House e-mails found
Fastest Food Inflation Since Riots Means Milk Costs Rising 39% (from Rice Farmer)
"Global production of rice, the staple for more than half the world, has lagged behind demand in four of the past eight years."
U.S. to rely less on oil for energy by 2035: government
Don't set the bar too high now.
Obama One Year In - by Vantage Point

Europe/Russia/Central Asia
Hundreds of bosses flee UK over 50% tax
The Bank of England's balance sheet
Greece admits it is riddled with corruption
Greece Defies Europe as EMU Crisis Becomes Deadly Serious
EU, IMF Revolt: Greece, Ireland, Latvia May Lead the Way (from Rice Farmer)
S&P revises Spain’s debt rating to negative from stable
Goat flu in Netherlands sickens over 2,000 humans, kills six
EU Presses Russia Over Georgia
Moscow Will Fund Bulgarian Power Plant
Central Bank to Buy Gold From Gokhran
Uzbekistan Accused of Pre-Election Crackdown
China Opens Pipeline to Turkmenistan
China races to spend £180bn
Saudi Arabia running out of sand? Too much used in building projects, exports curtailed (from Rice Farmer)

Climate Change/Energy
Hopes of global emissions deal at Copenhagen begin to fade
Climate change talks halted after walkout
Approximately 130 developing nations including China and India walked out of the U.N. climate talks in Copenhagen Monday.
Europe Turns Up the Heat on the USA
Gore shows how to make green from being green
The unstoppable move towards eco-friendly policies will make people rich
Cleaning Up Energy Will Cost $10 Trillion: IEA Chief (from Rice Farmer)
How Effective Are Renewables, Really?
Germany's experience.
Canada as villain
Why Canada's tar sands are causing it a headache in Copenhagen.
Corporate Canada in surprise role
Cap-and-Trade Carbon Credit Extortion Scam In Full Swing
EPA demands attorneys remove video critical of cap-and-trade
Laurie Williams and Allan Zabel are EPA attorneys who have taken up advocating against cap-and-trade on behalf of rebated carbon taxes, most recently in a Washington Post op-ed. They also posted a video to YouTube making many of the same arguments at somewhat greater length. Now the EPA has instructed them to take the video down.
Cap'n Transit's posts about the Transition movement and urbanism
Ocean acidification 'could leave one billion hungry'
Iraq set to be second in oil league table
Huge deals as groups scramble for resources
Danger for oil
Oil executives sped into Iraq's Oil Ministry in armored convoys, flanked by muscled guards and men in dark suits in a mark that times are changing in Iraq.

Pharmaceuticals
Japan: Lithium in Water Found to Reduce Suicide
CDC Recalls 800,000 Doses of H1N1 Vaccine
Woods 'linked' to FBI drug doctor
Is Horse Estrogen For Women A Good Idea?