From the Wilderness' Peak Oil Blog

AN OPEN LETTER TO SONOMA COUNTY SUSTAINABILITY GROUPS AND PERMACULTURE OPERATIONS REGARDING OCCUPY SANTA ROSA

2011-11-10T12:10:00.001-08:00

AN OPEN LETTER TO SONOMA COUNTY SUSTAINABILITY GROUPS AND PERMACULTURE OPERATIONS REGARDING OCCUPY SANTA ROSA

[This letter will be posted at Collapsenet later today for our members in 68 countries, hopefully to inspire simultaneous constructive action by other Occupy venues around the world.]

Sonoma County is home to some of the most-respected and recognized leaders in Transition, permaculture and sustainability in the world. Transition US is headquartered here. Daily Acts is here. The Post Carbon Institute is here. Occidental Arts and Ecology Center is here. Collapsenet is here. Sonoma County is alive with all of the skills that will be needed by the seven billion souls who now share our troubled planet.

All of us seeking to transform to a post-petroleum, zero growth, sustainable way of life and global transformation have inherent and obvious shared interest with the Occupy Movement. A great, and I believe unique, opportunity to lead the way in this journey towards a new paradigm presents itself to us right here in Santa Rosa.

To date, although Occupy Santa Rosa has been faced with challenges in its relations with city government, the process has been marked by professional, non-violent and diligent efforts and good faith on both sides. Santa Rosa is not Oakland. It is not any of the places where the Occupy movement has been faced with grave challenges, property destruction or violence. As of today, negotiations to prolong and extend the life of Occupy Santa Rosa are continuing in good faith, with the occupiers having agreed to comply unilaterally with the city’s camping permit process. We occupiers have redoubled efforts to address legitimate health and safety issues.

I have been deeply involved in OSR over the past weeks. I have attended City Council meetings, marched, and slept at the site. One of the large concerns expressed by the Santa Rosa city council has been the cost of restoring damage to City Hall’s ornamental landscaping as a result of the occupation. Damage has been relatively minor and OSR has also redoubled efforts to protect property. These efforts have resulted in praise today from fire and safety officials. But foot paths are being worn through ivy and the city council is concerned about damage to the lawn as a result of long-term tent placement.

To me, as it should be for all of us, restoring City Hall to its former condition is obviously something we would view as a waste of energy and resources. Sensible options would include a post-occupation conversion of landscaping to indigenous, low-maintenance plants. They could include zeroing the landscape to eliminate the need for water (reducing the city’s budget needs). They could include the planting of sustainable and harmonious food crops that will help to feed the increasing numbers of people who will soon be facing food shortages in the face of collapse.

As I look at the work and philosophy our community has developed over the last decade I see that we have all focused on several common points which we recognize as indispensable to our goals of saving lives and caring for our fellows and our planet. They include:

- The need to relocalize food production to organic, non-chemically enhanced means

- The need to reduce resource consumption, especially water

- The need to build strong community ties.

Of these, we all understand that building a strong, harmonious community is of paramount importance.

I personally know that almost all of us are in sympathy with the Occupy Movement. All City Council members have been clear in open session that they understand that the City of Santa Rosa is a part of the 99%. The current sensitive-stage of negotiations present us all with an enormous opportunity. Occupy Santa Rosa needs local support from community pillars because – as I testified at an open city council meeting two days ago – “It’s not even about the 99% versus the 1% here, because 100% of us live here, and soon enough we will be all the human resources that we have to face life-and-death challenges that are only going to get bigger. We are all we are going to have to face this with.”

Much of the world is looking to the beacon that Sonoma County has become to show a peaceful and sane way into a new future. I am, therefore, asking all of my colleagues to step up and make contact with the Occupy Santa Rosa movement through one of its organizers, Arrow Flora, or to reach out directly to city hall to become participants in making Santa Rosa and Sonoma County a better place for all of us to live. We have to walk our own walk in the eyes of the world if we are to maintain our increasing usefulness in the change of consciousness which we recognize as essential to our own missions. And all of us should want to feed and nurture the actual working community and family which is forming at OSR. Until you have seen it you cannot fully appreciate how much the Occupy movement has to teach us about how we’re going to live and function as a community.

In many ways OSR is much further ahead than most of us when it comes to community building. In all of the occupy venues around the world, almost all in less-hospitable climates, what we have been teaching all these years is being implemented at breakneck speed and a good deal of innovation from which we can all learn. Social patterns are emerging which confirm that OSR and other occupy venues are living and fertile laboratories (greenhouses) which our leadership and experience could assist in untold ways.

I am asking all of you to go and visit OSR, walk through the camp and see the myriad opportunities that exist to further our shared cause, and to put your names and your organizations in solidarity with a movement that is mankind’s last best hope to achieve voluntary change before all of us face the involuntary hardships that are arriving right now.

All of us have a vested interest in seeing OSR succeed. The world-recognized talent and leadership here in Sonoma County must be a part of this critical process. Let Sonoma County be a light for the whole world.

Michael C. Ruppert

Author,

C.E.O. – Collapsenet, Inc.

CollapseNet's New IC Affiliate Sales Program

2011-08-02T08:30:00.000-07:00

Increasing awareness and Lifeboat building is the most important work we can do right now.

CollapseNet needs to grow to get Mike Ruppert's message to as many people as possible.

CollapseNet is now offering the chance to make 20% commissions on new memberships. This program is designed to put money in your pocket for helping CollapseNet grow and encouraging those around you to work on their own Lifeboats.

Unlike the failing global economy, CollapseNet's Affiliate Program is NOT a Ponzi scheme, but rather a single-tier commission-based system. In keeping with Mike's spotless integrity, there are no gimmicks or catches.

Watch an introductory video explaining the program here...

Earnings Reports Tank Across the Board: Michael C. Ruppert on KZXY, 7/15/2011 (audio only)

2011-07-25T12:29:00.000-07:00

Click the KZYX logo to listen to this exclusive interview.

(VIDEO) Michael C. Ruppert 's Speech at Green Life Eco Fest 2011

2011-07-04T16:00:00.000-07:00

MCR recently delivered a powerful speech titled "The Birth of Post-Petroleum Human" at the 2011 Green Life Eco Fest.

Watch a video of the speech here...

Watch an interview with MCR recorded after his speech here...

Michael C. Ruppert at Green Life Eco Fest 2011

2011-05-24T15:05:00.000-07:00

Michael C. Ruppert and Dmitry Orlov recently delivered powerful and insightful speeches at the Green Life Eco Fest in Grass Valley, CA.

To listen to Mike's speech, follow this link...

Dmitry's speech and a video of the entire event (including a joint Q&A session) will be available asap.

For more of the latest insights from Michael C. Ruppert join the online community COLLAPSENET.

Upcoming COLLAPSENET EVENT in Sebastopol, CA.

2011-04-06T12:48:00.000-07:00

Click the image for a larger picture of the flier!

Hit print and distribute!

For the latest from MCR, check out COLLAPSENET.COM

The Lifeboat Hour 4/3/11

2011-04-05T10:32:00.001-07:00

Listen to last Sunday's Lifeboat Hour at Progressive Radio Network.

All past episodes are archived HERE.

For more of the latest insights from Michael C. Ruppert join the online community COLLAPSENET.

This Blog Now Appears at...

2010-06-11T16:48:00.001-07:00

www.collapsenet.com

THIS IS EPOCHAL!

2010-06-07T12:00:00.001-07:00

This is Epochal! -- A NY Times OpEd titled "Should This Be the Last Generation"! This is a major turning point in human consciousness. The deep questions are out on the table here. These are the questions simplest to understand once the gravity of our human situation is accepted. And they are the most difficult to answer. This is why CollapseNet has come into existence. We in the Lifeboat Movement are already seeking answers. -- How fitting that this should be printed on the day before CollapseNet launches. -- This is what we really need to be talking about. Because once we have even partial answers to these questions, directions for future action emerge on the map. Until we find the courage to deal with these questions we are mostly just flailing about -- like oil covered birds on the beach, or fish that are suffocating and being poisoned in the Gulf... or humans on the edge of extinction. I have known that Infinite Growth was dead for many years. So have many before me. -- As Bucky Fuller might have said, The Old Paradigm is dead long before the new one becomes apparent and emerges from the unseen to the seen.

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/06/06/should-this-be-the-last-generation/?hp

See you at CollapseNet! http://www.collapsenet.com

MCR
*****************************************************
Jenna Orkin adds: Mike is referring to a link in the post below.

Farewell, Blogspot

2010-06-07T08:30:00.000-07:00

From Jenna Orkin

Friends:

As of tomorrow, this blog will be appearing at CollapseNet.com. I trust most of you will come along for the ride. Those for whom $10 a month is a hardship have the option of bartering your way in. CollapseNet needs information on what's happening locally vis a vis "lifeboat" building and offers access to the site in return. See Collapsenet.com for details. I have also recommended that translation be accepted as a medium of exchange. So as you can see, this is an evolving sphere in which the dollar is not the only currency; your talents and unique perspectives can be put to inventive uses.

At worst, you will be able to receive the information collected for this blog after a lapse of thirty days. Perhaps it will feel like receiving a package a month after it was sent but "map-making" does not become obsolete, though it may morph into charting history. Much of what I know about how the world works came from studying fromthewilderness and oilempire.us archives as well as whatever offshoots - books or other websites - they sent me to.

So I don't consider this a farewell to anyone but blogger software to whom I say Thank you and please don't freeze this post.

Headlines
Nato Warns of Strike Against Cyber Attackers
Why A New Natural Gas Deal Between Turkey And Azerbaijan Is A Game Changer
US $13 Trillion Debt Poised to Overtake GDP
Clinton Expects Iran to "Pull Stunt"
12 Ugly Charts That Scream COLLAPSE
Business Can't Rely on Oil After Deepwater Horizon
They're blaming the BP disaster for Peak Oil whereas in fact it's just the catalyst, but still, the message leaks out.
Russia: Our Mini Submarines Could Stop Your Leak, But They're Busy In Irkutsk
The "Discrimen" Of Change Is Near, As The Bernanke-Geithner-Keynes-Japanese Experiment Comes To An End
U.S. Air Force: Here Are The Threats That We're Really Worried About
Panicked European banks flood ECB with record deposits
Should This Be the Last Generation?
A hypothetical piece but an odd question, no?

Economy
Euro continues to fall, plummets below $1.20 against U.S. dollar
The Growing Underclass
Why This Is Starting To Look A Lot More Like A Bear Market Than Just A Correction
Crisis moves to Hungary?
There's a slow train coming
Job Ad: "The Unemployed Will Not Be Considered"
Canada's radical solution to tackle Britain's debt
Cameron Prepares U.K. for Budget Cuts That Will Hurt `Every Single Person'
In 5 Years, UK Will Be Spending More On Interest Than Schools, Climate, And Transport Combined
Bomb Proof Accounts - from Vantage Point
Iran's Bank Melli opens first women-only financial institution

Terror/Intelligence
Chinese peasant fights off home demolition with his own cannon
Medical Ethics Lapses Cited in Interrogations
From Secrecy News:

The U.S. Army has arrested Spc. Bradley Manning of Potomac, Maryland for unauthorized disclosure of classified information. Among other things, he is suspected of having provided the video of a 2007 Apache helicopter strike in Baghdad that killed several civilians to the Wikileaks web site, which published it online in April of this year. The story was reported last night by Wired's Threat Level blog. See "U.S. Intelligence Analyst Arrested in Wikileaks Video Probe" by Kevin Poulsen and Kim Zetter.

Spc. Manning is currently being held in pre-trial confinement in Kuwait, according to an Army statement obtained by NPR.His arrest is the third known apprehension of a suspected leaker during the Obama Administration, after Shamai Leibowitz and Thomas A. Drake, and seems to reflect an increasingly aggressive response to unauthorized disclosures of classified information.
How Tight are Clapper and Gates?
What exactly is the blockade of Gaza? from Vantage Point
Sarah Palin Aide Fred Malek Helped Richard Nixon Dump Jews from Government
Australian police investigate Google

Oil Disaster/Science/Environment
Severe Space Weather--Social and Economic Impacts
How events in space could affect the grid, navigation, etc.
Oil Spill Cleanup to Extend Into Fall
BP held by ethical funds
"Environmentally-friendly funds may not be as green as you think."
Countryside in Crisis: how dairy farmers are milked dry -UK
Crying Over Raw Milk
Central Europe battles floodwaters, at least 20 killed
Study: Organic food may not be as good as you thought
To Save The Planet, Nature Publisher Democratizes Science

And...
Rat fur: the latest fashion accessory - from Rice Farmer

Stimulus is Dead; Long Live Austeriry

2010-06-06T07:43:00.000-07:00

Collapsenet.com launches June 8.

From Jenna Orkin

Headlines
BP and Feds Withheld Videos Showing Massive Scope of Oil Spill
Mentions three leaks.
Iran Dumps Euro Reserves for Dollars; Debt Crisis in Japan; Govt Sponsorship of Newspapers; Govt to Collect ATM Records, Addresses of Bank Customers
West Moving Towards Deeper Financial Abyss
G20 Heated Debates; Europe Politely Tells Geithner Where To Go
G20: The Time For Stimulus Is Over, Long Live Fiscal Austerity
Paul Krugman: Lost Decade, Here We Come
Hungary Tries To Calm Markets; Europe Headed Back in Recession, US Will Not Decouple
Oil Is Front and Center in Doomsday Scenarios from Luis Mora
Boone Pickens: Get Ready for $400 Oil? - from Rice Farmer
US Mulls New N. Korea Measures
Sub Attack Was Near US-S. Korea Drill

Economy
10 States Where An Absurd Percentage Of The Population Works For The Government
Almost 25%.
US Debt Nears Key Threshhold
Say Good-bye to Full Time Jobs with Benefits
Euro 'dead in five years'

Oil Disaster
SQUID Solution Could Contain Oil BP Disaster Threatens Florida Water Supply
BP Oil Leak May Last Until December
BP Is Capturing 10,000 Barrels a Day From Gulf Spill, Chief Hayward Says

Suddenly it's cool to bash Obama

Terror/Intelligence

"The same countries that are criticizing us today should know that they will be targeted tomorrow,"

The above quotation from Benjamin Netanyahu is making the rounds of the internet with the implication that Israel intends to target its critics. But see it in context:

"...he said, just a day after Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton called Israel's policy toward Gaza "unsustainable." 'It's for this and for many other reasons we have a right to inspect cargo heading into Gaza,'' Netanyahu added."

It is clear that Netanyahu means that countries other than Israel are vulnerable to attack from what he calls "terrorists."

Disinfo muddying the already treacherous waters.
Lying About the Gaza Flotilla Disaster from Vantage Point
How Israeli propaganda shaped U.S. media coverage of the flotilla attack from Vantage Point
Photos of Israeli Commandos Bloodied, Aboard Mavi Marmara - Turkish press
For the interpretation of these photos, we are at the mercy of unidentified translators.
James Clapper
"In September 2001, Clapper became the first civilian director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) (previously known as the National Imagery & Mapping Agency), a job he would hold for five years before joining the Pentagon brass."

Environment/Health
45% Doctors Would Consider Quitting if Health Care Bill Passes (2009)
Nearly 1/3 Doctors Could Leave Medicine if Health Care Bill Passes (March)
Nation Faces Shortage of 150K Doctors in 15 Years
GM lobby helped draw up report
Report: WHO created ‘distortion of priorities’ over swine flu
UN Urges Global Move to Meat- and Dairy-free Diet
Climate Change Forces Major Vegetation Shifts from Elizabeth Miller
Floods Bring Chaos to Central Europe from Vantage Point

And...
Kieran UK has left a new comment on your post "BP Chief Sold Shares Weeks Before Oil Spill": Portugal, Italy, Greece, Spain, Hungary, Ireland....P-I-G-S-H-I-?Any guesses for last one?

BP Chief Sold Shares Weeks Before Oil Spill

2010-06-05T07:22:00.000-07:00

COLLAPSENET TM LAUNCHES, TUESDAY JUNE 8, 2010

http://www.collapsenet.com http://www.collapsenetwork.com http://www.collapsenet.net

May 21, 2010 – CollapseNet ™, a long-anticipated new effort from internationally-recognized author, lecturer and activist Michael C. Ruppert, will officially launch on Tuesday June 8, 2010. The site will be a first-of-its-kind effort to promote the rapid and focused sharing of information between millions around the world who are preparing for the collapse of human industrial civilization – The Lifeboat Movement.

CollapseNet will also feature regular video and written updates, commentary and analysis from Michael C. Ruppert, the sole subject of the critically- acclaimed feature documentary Collapse. DVD sales of Collapse begin on June 15th, 2010. The film, directed by two-time Sundance Winner Chris Smith, has been mentioned as a strong candidate for Best Documentary at the 2011 Oscars.Michael, the author of two books, is a former LAPD detective and recognized investigative journalist, is known for having thoroughly predicted the 2008 economic crash starting in 2000, as well as many other geopolitical and economic events over the last decade. More than half of the predictions he made during the filming of Collapse (March-June, 2009) have come true since its theatrical release at the Toronto International Film Festival in September of that year.

“There are millions of us around the world who see and understand what is happening,” says Ruppert. “Worldwide reaction to the film has proved that. CollapseNet will – as fast as our maps can populate – demonstrate that the Lifeboat Movement is global, vocal and rapidly standing up to meet this supreme challenge. We apologize or justify ourselves to no one. All we ask is that governments and those who disagree leave us alone. We will be here to help your children build lifeboats when they are ready.”

Ruppert’s newest book, “Confronting Collapse: The Crisis of Energy and Money in a Post-Peak Oil World ” – on which the movie was based -- lays out in stark, clear and simple detail the challenges we face as the realities of Peak Oil and diminishing energy supplies collide with a hopelessly corrupt and collapsing economic paradigm based upon infinite growth.

“The essence of survival as human industrial civilization disintegrates,” says Ruppert, “will stem from one thing only; the relocalization of all things necessary to sustain life, civilization and culture. Most important will be relocalization of food production so that as much food as possible comes from within the shortest possible distance. As collapse progresses, all other essential life-sustaining needs will have to be met close to home because there will not be enough energy to either grow crops using current methods, or to produce other critical goods and transport them across great distances.” – Currently, ten calories of hydrocarbon energy are required to grow every calorie of food consumed in the industrialized world. “The only way to prevent a massive die-off is through permaculture and petro-chemical-free agriculture and the skill sets needed to support local communities after the social contract has withered. This must be undertaken by neighborhoods and communities rather than increasingly ineffective and dysfunctional national and regional governments.”

The collapse of human industrial civilization will bring with it a host of unforgiving challenges including the breakdown of governments, economic collapse, the end of fiat currency, massive civil unrest, displaced populations, permanent blackouts, infrastructure failures, fresh water shortages, famine, war, widespread disease and suffering. The tragedy of Deepwater Horizon in the Gulf of Mexico has drastically reduced what time there is to prepare and forever changed the global playing field. It has unleashed an immediate host of unforeseen and unforgiving new challenges.

CollapseNet launches with the premise that a large reduction in human population is inevitable. CollapseNet’s greatest mission is to limit and mitigate the losses and suffering from this while helping people to prepare to maintain a recognizable quality of life. CollapseNet has no political affiliation and is not aligned with any religion, political ideology or nationality. Although based in the United States, CollapseNet’s proprietary software is, at launch, scalable and operational on a global basis. “I'm fairly confident we will have a presence in at least 40 countries before the end of 2010,” says Ruppert.

“There are a lot of things we hope to do with CollapseNet,” Ruppert adds. “We’re going to expand our video capabilities and move into special web-based programming as we grow. We’re going to find ways to help those with needed skills, information and on-site reporting get vital information into the right places quickly, securely and efficiently. CollapseNet will become what lifeboat builders around the world need it to become, as circumstances dictate. And we'll do it without the vacuous wasteland that is mainstream, publicly-traded media throughout the world. CollapseNet will never trade its shares, or its integrity, in the marketplace.”
*******************************************************
From Jenna Orkin

Headlines
BP chief sold shares weeks before oil spill
NASA Pictures of Gulf Leak
Obama secretly deploys special forces
Barter Banks
China Property Woes Worse than US
Gulf of Mexico oil spill: cap 'capturing 1,000 barrels a day'
Marcellus Shale Gas Rupture Forces Evacuation

Economy/US
Could We Actually See Negative 2% GDP Growth In Q3?
U.S.'s $13 Trillion Debt Poised to Overtake GDP: Chart of Day
Dollar Soars; Euro, Euro/Swiss, Forint Hit New Low; Hungary’s Prime Minister says Economy in "Very Grave Situation, Default Talk Not an Exaggeration"
Hungary Says Default Comments Were `Unfortunate', Can Finance Its Spending
SEC Postpones Single-Stock Circuit Breaker Meant to Prevent Market Crashes
Euro Weakens Below $1.20 for First Time Since 2006 on Debt Crisis Concern
Venice sells off its heritage to plug cash blackhole
About 2300 Running For Congress, Most in Decades

Terror/Intelligence/Science
Knesset Member Denies Israel's Account
Israel Seizes Gaza-Bound Aid Ship; Organizers Say Boarded Without Violence
California Officials Caught on Tape in DC Meetings
ACLU Sues for Records of Govt's Unconstitutional Use of Spying Powers
WikiLeaks Founder's Mission for Total Transparency
Drug Firms Encouraged World Health Body to Exaggerate Danger of Swine Flu
Anti-fear drug 'could help wipe painful memories'
Scientists solve mystery of resistant flu virus
Australia: Experimental Drug Used to Control Virus Spread
Newsweek: Scientists analyze Jews' genetic code
Tailor-made Medicine
Refining medicine to treat patients more effectively sounds like an unmitigated advance. But what of the other potential uses for the information garnered?
Quasi Black Hole Created

Environment/Energy
James Cameron: BP Turned Down Help Offer
Lab Tests Confirm Underwater Layers of Gulf Oil from Elizabeth Miller
Petrobras Strikes Black Gold With New 380 Million Barrel Offshore Oil Discovery
They're baaaack...
Moving US Energy Policy to a Decentralized Grid - from Jon Noel
U.S. Climate-Satellite Capabilities in Jeopardy
Australian restaurant charges you 30% more if you waste food

And...
Japanese PM Puts Ex-Swimsuit Model In Charge Of Declining Birthrate

COLLAPSENET TM LAUNCHES, TUESDAY JUNE 8, 2010

2010-06-04T10:54:00.001-07:00

http://www.collapsenet.com
http://www.collapsenetwork.com
http://www.collapsenet.net

May 21, 2010 – CollapseNet ™, a long-anticipated new effort from internationally-recognized author, lecturer and activist Michael C. Ruppert, will officially launch on Tuesday June 8, 2010. The site will be a first-of-its-kind effort to promote the rapid and focused sharing of information between millions around the world who are preparing for the collapse of human industrial civilization – The Lifeboat Movement.

CollapseNet will also feature regular video and written updates, commentary and analysis from Michael C. Ruppert, the sole subject of the critically- acclaimed feature documentary Collapse. DVD sales of Collapse begin on June 15th, 2010. The film, directed by two-time Sundance Winner Chris Smith, has been mentioned as a strong candidate for Best Documentary at the 2011 Oscars.

Michael, the author of two books, is a former LAPD detective and recognized investigative journalist, is known for having thoroughly predicted the 2008 economic crash starting in 2000, as well as many other geopolitical and economic events over the last decade. More than half of the predictions he made during the filming of Collapse (March-June, 2009) have come true since its theatrical release at the Toronto International Film Festival in September of that year.

“There are millions of us around the world who see and understand what is happening,” says Ruppert. “Worldwide reaction to the film has proved that. CollapseNet will – as fast as our maps can populate – demonstrate that the Lifeboat Movement is global, vocal and rapidly standing up to meet this supreme challenge. We apologize or justify ourselves to no one. All we ask is that governments and those who disagree leave us alone. We will be here to help your children build lifeboats when they are ready.”

Ruppert’s newest book, “Confronting Collapse: The Crisis of Energy and Money in a Post-Peak Oil World ” – on which the movie was based -- lays out in stark, clear and simple detail the challenges we face as the realities of Peak Oil and diminishing energy supplies collide with a hopelessly corrupt and collapsing economic paradigm based upon infinite growth.

“The essence of survival as human industrial civilization disintegrates,” says Ruppert, “will stem from one thing only; the relocalization of all things necessary to sustain life, civilization and culture. Most important will be relocalization of food production so that as much food as possible comes from within the shortest possible distance. As collapse progresses, all other essential life-sustaining needs will have to be met close to home because there will not be enough energy to either grow crops using current methods, or to produce other critical goods and transport them across great distances.” – Currently, ten calories of hydrocarbon energy are required to grow every calorie of food consumed in the industrialized world. “The only way to prevent a massive die-off is through permaculture and petro-chemical-free agriculture and the skill sets needed to support local communities after the social contract has withered. This must be undertaken by neighborhoods and communities rather than increasingly ineffective and dysfunctional national and regional governments.”

The collapse of human industrial civilization will bring with it a host of unforgiving challenges including the breakdown of governments, economic collapse, the end of fiat currency, massive civil unrest, displaced populations, permanent blackouts, infrastructure failures, fresh water shortages, famine, war, widespread disease and suffering. The tragedy of Deepwater Horizon in the Gulf of Mexico has drastically reduced what time there is to prepare and forever changed the global playing field. It has unleashed an immediate host of unforeseen and unforgiving new challenges.

CollapseNet launches with the premise that a large reduction in human population is inevitable. CollapseNet’s greatest mission is to limit and mitigate the losses and suffering from this while helping people to prepare to maintain a recognizable quality of life. CollapseNet has no political affiliation and is not aligned with any religion, political ideology or nationality. Although based in the United States, CollapseNet’s proprietary software is, at launch, scalable and operational on a global basis. “I'm fairly confident we will have a presence in at least 40 countries before the end of 2010,” says Ruppert.

“There are a lot of things we hope to do with CollapseNet,” Ruppert adds. “We’re going to expand our video capabilities and move into special web-based programming as we grow. We’re going to find ways to help those with needed skills, information and on-site reporting get vital information into the right places quickly, securely and efficiently. CollapseNet will become what lifeboat builders around the world need it to become, as circumstances dictate. And we'll do it without the vacuous wasteland that is mainstream, publicly-traded media throughout the world. CollapseNet will never trade its shares, or its integrity, in the marketplace.”
*******************************************************************
Jenna Orkin adds: See post below for today's links.

N. Korea: War "May Break Out at Any Moment;" Outsourcing Police Duties

2010-06-04T07:08:00.000-07:00

From Jenna Orkin

Headlines
North Korea: War "may break out at any moment"
Major Intrigue In North Korea, As Key Leader Is Found Dead Before Possible Power Handoff
UK Parliamentarians for World Governance
San Carlos California Ponders Dissolving Police Department, Outsourcing Duties; Redwood City Mayor says "It's the Wave of the Future"

Economy
FSA Regulation Powers Given to Bank of England
The Scariest Job Chart Ever Just Got Even Scarier
Now everyone's freaking out about Hungary
Britain's inflation warning
UK must cut pensions
Former Soviet Republic Could Be Next to Adopt Euro
NY Nearly Goes Broke Again; Delays Paying Bills
Texas Budget Gap Could Reach 18 Billion
JPMorgan hit by record fine

Terror/Intelligence
EU Company Admits Blame for Phone Snooping Gadgets to Iran
Israel Rejects International Probe from Vantage Point
Treat Palestinians Like Jews - from Vantage Point
The war film that shocked Denmark
In Denmark, the press and public have been stunned by Armadillo, Janus Metz's documentary about a UK-Danish base in Afghanistan.
Lawyers Claim Google Wi-Fi Sniffing 'Is Not an Accident'
Castro speculates Obama might strike Iran to win second term
Swine flu experts tied to big pharma
Army Researchers Find Ebola Vaccine But it Might Only Save Themselves
"Scientists packaged RNA snippets into particles that were then injected into four rhesus monkeys, who’d been infected with a dose of Ebola that was 30,000 times more potent than the virus’ most lethal strain, which already has a measly 10 percent survival rate."
Army Biolab’s Missing Vials May Never Be Found
CDC Shuts Down Bioweapons Lab After Infections
Biolab Breakdown Caused Cattle Outbreak
The Dangers of Turning Spies into Generals (and Vice Versa)
New South Wales Gvt. Recording Features for Facial Recognition
Why Pat Tillman Shouldn't Be in Pro Football Hall of Fame

Oil Disaster
Gulf Oil Damage Could Spread to Atlantic
MIT Oceanographer on BP Disaster
"Some scientists argue that the surfactant, or soapy wetting agent, being added at the bottom source and at the surface of the ocean to help disperse the oil, could ultimately cause more damage to the health of the water column than the oil itself."
Washington Post Exposes BP ties to Eco-Groups, Other Media Ignore Controversy - from Rice Farmer
Sarah Palin claims environmentalists caused the Gulf oil spill
BP Oil: Coming to a Beach Near You in Summer 2010
BP Says Cap May Be Able to Retrieve More Than 90% of Crude From Gulf Well
Regulator: Canadians don't need to worry about a BP disaster
Scientist Fears Govt Muzzle on Deepwater Horizon Data
"I'm essentially being told that the data I'm collecting on my hypoxia cruise may or may not be subject to quarantine," DiMarco says. "Which means that we will not be able to publish it, pending the liability litigation. Oh, yeah, 20 years from now, we may be able to publish it."

JO comment: Unintended consequences of a lawsuit. Or perhaps not so unintended.
GOM Shallow Drilling to Continue Despite News to Contrary
Israel May Join Gas Exporting Nations With Leviathan Discovery

Environment
Oman: Tropical Cyclone Phet May Reach Catgeory 5
Africa drought leaves 10m hungry
Oregon's small-scale farms worry about sweeping food safety bill - from Rice Farmer
Britain faces fine for air quality after final warning from EU

Time for a "New Euro;" EIA Confirms Peak Oil; US: No Nuke in Gulf

2010-06-03T05:40:00.000-07:00

From Jenna Orkin

Headlines
Everyone Missed It, But The EIA Just Totally Confirmed Peak Oil
Time for a 'new euro'
This, the day after announcement of the Wocu.
U.S. debt officially tops $13 trillion, first time in history
Son of a Farmer, Child of the Earth
Foreword by Richard Heinberg. youtube video promoting the book.
JO comment: This is an invaluable resource for anyone likely to experience the changing paradigm ahead.

Oil Disaster
Nuclear Option on Gulf Oil Spill? No Way, U.S. Says
BP's 'damn hole' - take six
James Cameron and Kevin Costner among those trying to help plug leak.
BP Needs 'Lottery Win' to Seal Oil Leak at First Try
An Oil-Eating Microbe That's Been Around Since 1989 Could Single-Handedly Clean Up BP's Entire Oil Spill
Physicist Michio Kaku on BP Disaster:
"Obama may have to call out the military."
Goldman Sachs Sold BP Shares in 2010 First Quarter
Wall St. Sees BP as Buying Opportunity
What Drives the Price of Oil

Economy/Resources
Global Debt Bomb - Forbes
China Freaks Out The World By Announcing Restrictions On Export Of Metals Crucial For National Defense
China's metal stranglehold
Government investigates resource shortages
The Flip Side of China's Economic Miracle
West moving towards deeper financial crisis China Daily
High frequency trading making markets more volatile than every Newsweek
Jobless rate rises in most US cities WSJ
Chronic Joblessness Bites Deep
"Nearly half of the unemployed—45.9%—have been out of work longer than six months, more than at any time since the Labor Department began keeping track in 1948."
One Store in Seven Closed in Sacramento
Personal Bankruptcies Jump 9% In May, And The Outlook For The Year Has Been Jacked Up
In Two Florida Counties, Foreclosures Up 800% Over Ten Years Ago
35% Jump in Foreclosures Over First Quarter of 2009
Commercial Real Estate Values Down 40% Since 2007
Wall Street bullied us, claim ratings agency staff
"Staff at the credit ratings agency Moody's were bullied by Wall Street bankers, harassed by profit-hungry bosses and starved of the time and resources they could have used to check their disastrous ratings of mortgage derivatives, an inquiry into the causes of the credit crisis was told."
US Mint Out Of Not Only Silver But Gold American Eagles As Well - from Rice Farmer

Quote of the day:

If you can’t see the bear market’s final lows in your rear view mirror, they must be ahead of you.
– Bill Bonner, The Daily Reckoning

Terror/Intelligence
Lieberman Bill Gives Feds 'Emergency' Powers to Secure Civilian Nets
Long Range Acoustic Device (LRAD) G20 Pittsburgh
Former minister: I misled MPs over hooding of prisoners in Iraq

Israel
An Assault, Cloaked in Peace
Israeli response to accusations
Erdogan Tests Turkey's Role as Bridge
Turkey may be turning from being a mediator with Israel to being an ally of Syria and Iran.

Environment/Science
Out of their tree: virus blamed as drunken parrots fall from sky
Eat less meat to save the planet - UN
Muddying the Waters Dept: Pearce rejects overpopulation fears
Salmon Study Pits Fish Against Alaskan Mega-Mine
San Francisco to host 1st annual Medical Cannabis Cup

NEPDG REPORT BECOMING MAJOR ISSUE FOR BP AND DEEPWATER HORIZON

2010-06-02T19:59:00.000-07:00

June 2, 2010, 1300 PDT -- Press and politicians are suddenly remembering NEPDG since it's just been disclosed that BP was one of the companies that got secret access to Dick Cheney's energy task frorce. And Halliburton was also directly involved in the cluster**** that led to the blowout and explosion. People who have followed me for all these years know that I have been virtually screaming since 2003 that all of the deepest, darkest secrets are in the NEPDG records. I don't think it will happen, but the one thing that could help us all most right now is to know what's in those records. They laid out Peak Oil, They looked at all their options. They saw what was coming and they began implementing a plan. What I think may happen is that some heavy-heavy backroom pressures will be brought to bear and that maybe DoJ will get a chance to (as the press will report) look at those portions of the records having to do only with BP... We all know the drill.

But if I had just one wish it would be that the whole world could see and understand everything NEPDG did. They figured out exactly how much oil and gas was left, where it was, and how they planned to deal with (steal) it. This was PNAC. This was the raison d'etre for Bush-Cheney. This was why they stole the 2000 election and for everything that followed. And if we knew what was in those records, we could build so many more lifeboats, the right ways, and in the right places.
http://digitaljournal.com/article/292852

I think it came across pretty clear in "Collapse" how passionate I am about this. That information would be the most valuable gift we could leave to future genrations. -- I don't dare let myself have hope.

MCR
*************************************************************
HELP WANTED – COLLAPSENET (Immediate) --Chief Financial Officer

CollapseNet has an immediate opening for a Chief Financial Officer to assume immediate management of all financial and accounting operations for a closely held California “C” corporation, including processing of payments, merchant accounts payroll, banking and required regulatory and tax filings.

The successful candidate will currently reside in the greater Los Angeles area and be able to start work immediately.Salary, other compensation and benefits are negotiable after interview. CollapseNet is an equal opportunity employer expecting to launch almost immediately, with a solid business plan and expectations of substantial income at launch.The successful candidate will be familiar with the works of Michael C. Ruppert and the documentary film “Collapse”

(Approximately one week after launch) -- Personal Assistant to Michael C. Ruppert, CEO

Must reside in the greater Los Angeles area and be ready to begin work immediately. The successful candidate will have proven familiarity with the works of Michael Ruppert and a proven commitment to the goals of the Lifeboat Movement. Basic familiarity with accounting procedures, record keeping, networking, scheduling are required. Foreign language skills preferred, as well as exceptional interpersonal/public relations ability and personal appearance.The successful candidate will have a valid US passport and be available for travel (both domestic and international).This position will involve irregular hours and close personal contact on a regular basis with an internationally recognized author/journalist in a variety of settings. The right chemistry is essential for a successful relationship. It will be the ultimate fly-on-the-wall position for someone dedicated to promoting the goals of the Lifeboat Movement as a facilitator. The position will involve regular interfacing with a wide variety of business, political, and VIPs with the express purpose of loyally and accurately implementing and following through on the directions of the CEO. Salary, compensation and benefits to be determined at hiring.

Send resume and contact information in confidence to: mr.luis.mora@gmail.com

World Currency Unit Intended to Rival Dollar; Turkey Threatens Action

2010-06-02T08:21:00.001-07:00

From Jenna Orkin

Headlines
World Currency Unit Intended to Rival Dollar
China Denies Speculation about Diversifying from Euros; Oil in Euros Revisited; No Good Currency Choice Except Gold
Turkey Threatens Action; Israel on Alert
BP Gulf of Mexico Oil Leak May Last Until Christmas in Worst-Case Scenario
On the Verge of Implosion
Mass. Crackdown on Illegal Immigration
Czech Republic President says 'The Euro Zone Has Failed'
Hatoyama Quits as Japan's Premier After Nine Months as Popularity Plunges
Iron Ore Speculators 'Serious Threat' to Global Economy
Government review to examine threat of world resources shortage

Economy
Chaos Reigns In German Politics As Merkel Has Lost Grip On Power
German Central Bankers Suspect French Intrigue
Three Signs That Europe's Enormous Bailout Has Already Failed
Is Massive Refinancing During The Bubble Years A Ticking Bomb?
Here's the REAL state of unemployment in America
Rosenberg: Deadbeat Homeowners Are Just The Tip Of The "Pay Me Later" Economy
Updated Interactive Map of Failed Banks, Includes Failures for May 21 and May 28; Texas Ratios, Capitalization Ratios, etc, for Failed Banks
Subprime Goes to College; Students Buried in Debt
Canada is First G-7 Country to Hike Rates
Wall Street's War - Matt Taibbi from Vantage Point
Gold to $10K?
Interview with Chris Powell

Oil Disaster
BP hires ex-CHENEY-official for U.S as Spokesperson ‎
BP One of the Companies Cheney Met With in Energy Task Force (2005)
BP...leak set to increase
US Laws that Could Be Used in Prosecution

Quote of the day:

The river sweats Oil and tar...
and the deep seas swell
And the profit and loss.

T.S. Eliot

Terror/Intelligence/Media
Report Says DoJ Not Prepared for WMD Attack
Israel Envoy in Geneva: Flotilla Activists Linked to Terrorist Groups
"Green" Decontamination of CBRN
Change to Miranda Rights
Wikileaks Was Launched With Intercepts From Tor Anonymizer
Darpa Wants to Predict Deadly Pathogens with ‘Prophecy’
Video: Killer iRobot Wipes Out a Whole Field at Once
FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION STAFF DISCUSSION DRAFT:1 POTENTIAL POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS TO SUPPORT THE REINVENTION OF JOURNALISM
Proposals for Increased Government Subsidies, Indirect and Direct
A variety of proposals have emerged to allow further government support for journalism through either indirect or direct means. Whatever the means, care must be taken to ensure that government support does not result in biased and politicized news coverage.
Increase Government Funding
Establish a "journalism" division of AmeriCorps
Establish a National Fund for Local News

Environment/Science
Temperatures reach record high in Pakistan
Mining linked to rampant spread of TB in Africa
Paper Diagnostic for Blood Typing
Waste-Treatment Plant Plays Mozart to Microbes
I hope it works better than Baby Mozart.

And...
Airline Gives Osama Bin Laden a Boarding Pass
****************************
HELP WANTED – COLLAPSENET (Immediate) --Chief Financial Officer

CollapseNet has an immediate opening for a Chief Financial Officer to assume immediate management of all financial and accounting operations for a closely held California “C” corporation, including processing of payments, merchant accounts payroll, banking and required regulatory and tax filings.

The successful candidate will currently reside in the greater Los Angeles area and be able to start work immediately.Salary, other compensation and benefits are negotiable after interview. CollapseNet is an equal opportunity employer expecting to launch almost immediately, with a solid business plan and expectations of substantial income at launch.The successful candidate will be familiar with the works of Michael C. Ruppert and the documentary film “Collapse”

(Approximately one week after launch) -- Personal Assistant to Michael C. Ruppert, CEO

Must reside in the greater Los Angeles area and be ready to begin work immediately. The successful candidate will have proven familiarity with the works of Michael Ruppert and a proven commitment to the goals of the Lifeboat Movement. Basic familiarity with accounting procedures, record keeping, networking, scheduling are required. Foreign language skills preferred, as well as exceptional interpersonal/public relations ability and personal appearance.

The successful candidate will have a valid US passport and be available for travel (both domestic and international).This position will involve irregular hours and close personal contact on a regular basis with an internationally recognized author/journalist in a variety of settings. The right chemistry is essential for a successful relationship. It will be the ultimate fly-on-the-wall position for someone dedicated to promoting the goals of the Lifeboat Movement as a facilitator. The position will involve regular interfacing with a wide variety of business, political, and VIPs with the express purpose of loyally and accurately implementing and following through on the directions of the CEO. Salary, compensation and benefits to be determined at hiring.

Send resume and contact information in confidence to: mr.luis.mora@gmail.com

DEEPWATER HORIZON WILL BE THE END OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

2010-06-01T20:23:00.001-07:00

June 1, 2010 – The Obama Administration today opened a criminal investigation into all the events before, during and since the April 20th explosion that triggered the largest environmental catastrophe in human history. (If it’s not now, it will be.) -- This investigation is going to end badly for everybody.

As the catastrophe worsens, as people grasp what it means... there will be blood demanded and blood spilled. The tens of millions of soon-to-be victims will not accept less. There will be an almost insatiable need for vengeance and all of the pent-up rage after swallowing all of the lies fed to the American people by Wall Street and Washington for so long will have found a single, unifying issue. The frustration built up in every corner of our lives will become a blowout exactly like the Gulf…. Because of the Gulf.

We know that BP, the mainstream media and the U.S. government have at best deceived, and at worst outright lied about two key things. The first is the actual flow rate (now minimally) confirmed at 75,000 bpd. (I’m kind of leaning towards 125,000 bpd myself.) The second is the fact that there are two very huge leaks – not one. The second one is about five miles west of the bore hole. That means the explosion caused geologic ruptures. (Hello… CNN? Anybody in there?)

Nobody has any credibility here. Nobody. It’s all finger pointing. It’s tasteless. It’s transparent. It’s embarrassing. It's insulting. And it is infuriating.

-- For me a rosy side to this is that Dick Cheney has dived deep. He will be remembered for Halliburton. Those skeletons will be recalled and resurrected. Bush-Cheney’s role in turning the Minerals Management Service into a roving, drug-crazed whore house will become (finally) something actionable. Of course, the American populace didn’t get upset when MMS, Interior and Energy lied to them about how much cheap energy there was going to be… forever. Yes, Old FTW readers will remember that we took on MMS in 2004, 2005 and 2006.

This is going to be a nasty, nasty catfight and the legal and political ramifications of Deepwater Horizon will – I am very confident -- eventually bring about the collapse of the United States government. They will certainly bankrupt it (sooner) and force it into default. Political collapse is the third stage of overall collapse (Orlov). It was coming anyway. It’s just going to get here a lot sooner now. Social collapse will begin as soon as the people from the Gulf coast become refugees.

All I am waiting on now to announce CollapseNet’s launch is for one last piece of banking apparatus to fall into place. We’re ready. The people who have made this happen are just amazing and I speak for all of us (about 15) when I say that we know we’re needed and we are answering the call.

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/oil-spill-commission-chairs-huddle-with-obama-2010-06-01?dist=afterbell

MCR
***********************************************************
HELP WANTED – COLLAPSENET (Immediate) --Chief Financial Officer

CollapseNet has an immediate opening for a Chief Financial Officer to assume immediate management of all financial and accounting operations for a closely held California “C” corporation, including processing of payments, merchant accounts payroll, banking and required regulatory and tax filings.

The successful candidate will currently reside in the greater Los Angeles area and be able to start work immediately.Salary, other compensation and benefits are negotiable after interview. CollapseNet is an equal opportunity employer expecting to launch almost immediately, with a solid business plan and expectations of substantial income at launch.The successful candidate will be familiar with the works of Michael C. Ruppert and the documentary film “Collapse”

(Approximately one week after launch) -- Personal Assistant to Michael C. Ruppert, CEO

Must reside in the greater Los Angeles area and be ready to begin work immediately. The successful candidate will have proven familiarity with the works of Michael Ruppert and a proven commitment to the goals of the Lifeboat Movement. Basic familiarity with accounting procedures, record keeping, networking, scheduling are required. Foreign language skills preferred, as well as exceptional interpersonal/public relations ability and personal appearance.

The successful candidate will have a valid US passport and be available for travel (both domestic and international).This position will involve irregular hours and close personal contact on a regular basis with an internationally recognized author/journalist in a variety of settings. The right chemistry is essential for a successful relationship. It will be the ultimate fly-on-the-wall position for someone dedicated to promoting the goals of the Lifeboat Movement as a facilitator. The position will involve regular interfacing with a wide variety of business, political, and VIPs with the express purpose of loyally and accurately implementing and following through on the directions of the CEO. Salary, compensation and benefits to be determined at hiring.

Send resume and contact information in confidence to: mr.luis.mora@gmail.com

Oil Spill: This Disater Just Got Enormously Worse; Faber Sees US Inflation Approaching Zimbabwe Levels - Bloomberg

2010-06-01T05:36:00.000-07:00

From Jenna Orkin

Headlines
Big Banks Face Financial Doomsday in 2012
Russell Napier on when to expect the Treasury bubble collapse
Faber Sees U.S. Inflation Approaching Zimbabwe Levels - Bloomberg
The World's Going To Hell In A Handbasket -- Here's What We Need To Do - Roubini and Das
Eurozone banks face second wave of loan losses
Tropical Storm Agatha Kills Over 100, And It's Heading For The Gulf Of Mexico
US military rejects calls to take control of oil spill - from Rice Farmer
Cash flow restriction eyed as punishment for North Korea
"North Korea: U.S. Relations, Nuclear Diplomacy, and Internal Situation," May 26, 2010. CRS
China Suspects False Flag

Israel
Israel Under Growing Pressure to Ease Gaza Blockade After Flotilla Deaths
Protests erupt around the world after Israeli raid
IFJ Condemns Gaza Attack And Demands International Inquiry
Israel: Activists on Gaza sail had weapons - Israel News, Ynetnews

Economy
China Property Risk Is Worse Than in US - CNBC
Top Chinese Central Banker: Our Property Crisis Is Worse Than The US And UK Bubbles
China's Latest Economic Guidelines Expose A Government Terrified To Hurt Property Speculators
Commodities' Biggest Collapse Since Lehman Fell Signals Bear Market Ahead
President of Germany Forced to Quit After Afghan Gaffe
...a gaffe being a Freudian slip in which the truth escapes.
European Economic Confidence Slips; Inflation Quickens
Spain Trapped in Perverse Cycle as Wage Cuts Deepen Crisis
Euro Bailout Plan is all about Rescuing Banks and Rich Greeks

Terror/Intelligence
Science Czar Considered Forced Abortion, Sterilization as Population Control Methods
From CRS: "Terrorism, Miranda, and Related Matters," May 24, 2010.

Oil Disaster/Environment/Human Rights
Gulf oil spill: This disaster just got enormously worse
BP Revised Permits Before Blast - WSJ.com
Clouds of Undersea Oil Drifting Through Gulf May Cause Oxygen `Dead Zones'
">Norwegians say they knew the leak was much larger right from the start
From the 1953 CIA Overthrow of Democracy in Iran, to the Iraq War, to the Criminal Gulf Catastrophe, BP Was There from Elizabeth Miller
Europe's Nuclear Waste Storage Problems
The Scandal of Child Labour in US Farming from Elizabeth Miller
Sherpas say ice melts making Mt Everest more dangerous to climb
*************************************************************************
HELP WANTED – COLLAPSENET (Immediate) --Chief Financial Officer

CollapseNet has an immediate opening for a Chief Financial Officer to assume immediate management of all financial and accounting operations for a closely held California “C” corporation, including processing of payments, merchant accounts payroll, banking and required regulatory and tax filings.The successful candidate will currently reside in the greater Los Angeles area and be able to start work immediately.Salary, other compensation and benefits are negotiable after interview. CollapseNet is an equal opportunity employer expecting to launch almost immediately, with a solid business plan and expectations of substantial income at launch.

The successful candidate will be familiar with the works of Michael C. Ruppert and the documentary film “Collapse”

(Approximately one week after launch) -- Personal Assistant to Michael C. Ruppert, CEO

Must reside in the greater Los Angeles area and be ready to begin work immediately. The successful candidate will have proven familiarity with the works of Michael Ruppert and a proven commitment to the goals of the Lifeboat Movement. Basic familiarity with accounting procedures, record keeping, networking, scheduling are required. Foreign language skills preferred, as well as exceptional interpersonal/public relations ability and personal appearance.

The successful candidate will have a valid US passport and be available for travel (both domestic and international).This position will involve irregular hours and close personal contact on a regular basis with an internationally recognized author/journalist in a variety of settings. The right chemistry is essential for a successful relationship. It will be the ultimate fly-on-the-wall position for someone dedicated to promoting the goals of the Lifeboat Movement as a facilitator. The position will involve regular interfacing with a wide variety of business, political, and VIPs with the express purpose of loyally and accurately implementing and following through on the directions of the CEO. Salary, compensation and benefits to be determined at hiring.

Send resume and contact information in confidence to: mr.luis.mora@gmail.com

Israel Stations Nuclear Missile Subs Off Iran

2010-05-31T04:20:00.000-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHmhxpQEGPo&feature=player_embedded
Even the brilliant Rachel Maddow thinks it's time to pray. The 79 well was in 200 feet of water. With this one in 5,000 feet and the columns stretching from seabed to suface for that distance, the volume and the impact on the food chain are multiplied.

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

Headlines
An Atomic Bomb will stop the Gulf Oil Leak - video
Bear in mind the proviso from "Donald" to this blog: The terrain in the USSR was igneous basalt which is harder than the sandstone of the Gulf.
Israel stations nuclear missile subs off Iran
NATO general in Afghanistan: Taliban train in Iran
Gaza Aid Flotilla Attacked By Israeli Military
Israel Tells All Israelis To Leave Turkey, Following Raid On Flotilla Bound For Gaza
Russia to conduct own probe of South Korea's warship sinking
Ukraine drops 'unrealistic' plans for Nato membership
Now Everyone Thinks The Market's Going To Crash

Economy
And Now Chinese Real Estate Debt Is Blowing Up
The Next Black Swan: A Yuan Devaluation
China's economy overheats
C hina Property Bubble Bursts in Bond Market as Kaisa Drops: Credit Markets
European Economic Confidence Unexpectedly Slips as Inflation Accelerates
The ECB Will Only Exacerbate Upcoming Deflation By Fighting The Wrong War
Greece urged to give up euro
French Budget Minister: Keeping Our AAA Rating Will Be A "Stretch"
Spanish Voters Will Force The Government To Dissolve Before Major Austerity Measures Can Be Passed
Gates Says European Debt, State Deficits Endanger U.S. Economic Recovery
Hosed in Canada; Housing Crash is a Given
Rent or food? For many Canadians that is a daily choice
US government is killing its own economy - from Rice Farmer
And the Housing Fraud Continues
Bankruptcy talk spreads among Calif. muni officials

Oil Disaster/Energy
Colin Powell: Oil Spill Is 'Beyond The Capacity' Of BP To Solve, Military Might Have Role - from Elizabeth Miller
BP warn of risks in oil spill 'open heart surgery'
Spill May Cut World Oil Supply 500,000 BPD from Elizabeth Miller
Nigeria's Agony Dwarfs Gulf Oil Spill; US and Europe Do Nothing
What was Halliburton's role in US oil spill?
"Last August, Halliburton was involved in the cementing of a well in the Timor Sea off the coast of Australia that similarly blew out, sending thousands of gallons into the ocean."
Activists arrested in Louisiana for protesting offshore drilling
Internet helps Americans save more energy every year

Terror/Intelligence
'Continuity of Government' Planning: War, Terror and the Supplanting of the U.S. Constitution

Vaccines
Breast cancer vaccine to go on trial within a year
********************************************************************
HELP WANTED – COLLAPSENET (Immediate) --Chief Financial Officer

CollapseNet has an immediate opening for a Chief Financial Officer to assume immediate management of all financial and accounting operations for a closely held California “C” corporation, including processing of payments, merchant accounts payroll, banking and required regulatory and tax filings.

The successful candidate will currently reside in the greater Los Angeles area and be able to start work immediately.Salary, other compensation and benefits are negotiable after interview. CollapseNet is an equal opportunity employer expecting to launch almost immediately, with a solid business plan and expectations of substantial income at launch.The successful candidate will be familiar with the works of Michael C. Ruppert and the documentary film “Collapse”

(Approximately one week after launch) -- Personal Assistant to Michael C. Ruppert, CEO

Must reside in the greater Los Angeles area and be ready to begin work immediately. The successful candidate will have proven familiarity with the works of Michael Ruppert and a proven commitment to the goals of the Lifeboat Movement. Basic familiarity with accounting procedures, record keeping, networking, scheduling are required. Foreign language skills preferred, as well as exceptional interpersonal/public relations ability and personal appearance.

The successful candidate will have a valid US passport and be available for travel (both domestic and international).This position will involve irregular hours and close personal contact on a regular basis with an internationally recognized author/journalist in a variety of settings. The right chemistry is essential for a successful relationship. It will be the ultimate fly-on-the-wall position for someone dedicated to promoting the goals of the Lifeboat Movement as a facilitator. The position will involve regular interfacing with a wide variety of business, political, and VIPs with the express purpose of loyally and accurately implementing and following through on the directions of the CEO. Salary, compensation and benefits to be determined at hiring.

Send resume and contact information in confidence to: mr.luis.mora@gmail.com

A Modern Variation on an Old Tale

2010-05-30T07:12:00.000-07:00

Jenna Orkin

Once upon a time, there was a young boy who lived in the town of Anywhere. One day his mother sent him to the woods to pick berries. On his way, he saw a wolf.

"Wolf!" cried the boy, as he ran back to the town.

"The child has an overactive imagination," said the townspeople and resumed building a road to the city where they could sell their berries.

A few days later, the same thing happened again.

"Be off!" said the townspeople to the boy whose concerns were becoming less funny by the moment, and more irksome.

The following week, the scene repeated itself a third time.

While the townspeople were throwing crateloads of rotten berries at the boy, the wolf bounded out of the woods and ate them all.

Headlines
Philippe Cousteau Jr. and Sam Champion dive into Gulf
The more the oil is 'dispersed,' the further it sinks and the more likely it becomes that it will make its way into ocean currents.
Crude deceptions: Why is the oil spill being shrouded in secrecy?
Painful news: Top Kill fails, what next?
BP Abandons `Top Kill' Approach, Will Switch Tactics to Stop Gulf Oil Leak
Obama's credibility hits rock bottom
JO comment: I'm no fan of the guy; he's been a lethal combo of gullibility and ambition. But that he should fall from grace largely for the sins of the oil industry and its protectors in the Bush administration brings to mind the words of T.S. Eliot:

The last temptation is the greatest treason:
To do the right deed for the wrong reason.
Could U.S. Lose 200 Rigs by the End of Summer?
Huge Price Cuts Rumored From Chinese Developers Due To Collapsing Demand
Dow ends worst May in 70 years from Rice Farmer
Citi: Now It's Truly Panic Time
Credit Crisis Indicators Going Bonkers Again! Batten Down the Hatches! from Rice Farmer

Economy
FDIC April Credit Write Downs and Other Administrative Orders - from Elizabeth Miller
How euro crisis affects us
"Britain is not immune from the storm despite keeping the pound."
Taibbi's View of Congress' Audit the Fed Debate

Terror/Intelligence
Senator McCain Now Says Border Soldiers Should Be Armed
Microsoft's Orwellian Tracking System Goes Public
CYBERCOM - US military’s online watchdog quiet startup

Environment/Energy
10 million face famine in West Africa
EU Launches "Twenties Project:" Largest Industrial Energy Project Ever
BP admits attempt to stem oil leak is failing
New Satellite Analysis Shows Oil Leak Moving Towards The Florida Straits
Oil spill creates huge undersea 'dead zones'
Mobile phones responsible for disappearance of honey bee
San Andreas-Like Fault Found in Eastern US
Ecuador volcano erupts
***************************************************
HELP WANTED – COLLAPSENET (Immediate) --Chief Financial Officer

CollapseNet has an immediate opening for a Chief Financial Officer to assume immediate management of all financial and accounting operations for a closely held California “C” corporation, including processing of payments, merchant accounts payroll, banking and required regulatory and tax filings.

The successful candidate will currently reside in the greater Los Angeles area and be able to start work immediately.Salary, other compensation and benefits are negotiable after interview. CollapseNet is an equal opportunity employer expecting to launch almost immediately, with a solid business plan and expectations of substantial income at launch.The successful candidate will be familiar with the works of Michael C. Ruppert and the documentary film “Collapse”

(Approximately one week after launch) -- Personal Assistant to Michael C. Ruppert, CEO

Must reside in the greater Los Angeles area and be ready to begin work immediately. The successful candidate will have proven familiarity with the works of Michael Ruppert and a proven commitment to the goals of the Lifeboat Movement. Basic familiarity with accounting procedures, record keeping, networking, scheduling are required. Foreign language skills preferred, as well as exceptional interpersonal/public relations ability and personal appearance.

The successful candidate will have a valid US passport and be available for travel (both domestic and international).This position will involve irregular hours and close personal contact on a regular basis with an internationally recognized author/journalist in a variety of settings. The right chemistry is essential for a successful relationship. It will be the ultimate fly-on-the-wall position for someone dedicated to promoting the goals of the Lifeboat Movement as a facilitator. The position will involve regular interfacing with a wide variety of business, political, and VIPs with the express purpose of loyally and accurately implementing and following through on the directions of the CEO. Salary, compensation and benefits to be determined at hiring.

Send resume and contact information in confidence to: mr.luis.mora@gmail.com

IT’S TIME TO PRAY

2010-05-29T21:16:00.000-07:00

May 29, 2010, 2100 PDT –

I haven’t been able to sleep well because of the obvious chicanery, stupidity and deception being practiced by BP, the mainstream media and the United States government. I have not been able figure out how giant plumes could be originating five miles in either direction of the well that is leaking. I wrote to Matt Simmons and this reply just came in. I’m doing what Matt asked, as quickly as I can. Dinner can wait.

…“In my opinion, what most likely happened when one of the largest surges of oil as gas blew out the BOP and within seconds, began melting down one of the world’s most technically advanced deepwater rigs ever built is that just the BOP and wellhead got tossed far away from the well bore but the riser which was attached to the rig floor was separated from the wellhead/BOP.

“What all the black crap coming out to create these plumes are is the oil from the reservoir and it is staying so deep under the ocean surface that only the recent tests by NOAA research vessels finally saw these giant plumes rapidly spreading across the sea floor of the Gulf of Mexico.

“BP is in total denial that this could be real.

“It is time for the government to ask BP to step aside and bring the military into to managing this colossal failure of judgment by BP.

“Spread this news as we all need to better understand what is really happening.

“Very tragic story.

“Matt”

Let me add my thoughts. -- The obvious collusion between the USG and the mainstream media leads me to believe that the USG has known that a nuke would be the only option within a week of the explosion. About two weeks ago we posted on this blog a link to a story from (I think it was) The Telegraph saying that President Obama had dispatched a team of nuclear scientists to study the situation and evaluate the possibility of using a nuke. One was a co-inventor of the H-bomb. It was a credible story that no press outlet followed up on. Why not?

I believe that the leaks are devastating for all life in the Gulf and that large portions of the Gulf will be dead zones from seabed to surface within maybe six months. I believe that an announcement of a pending nuclear detonation will come within a week to ten days. I predict that US Continuity of Government provisions will be activated and that FEMA will, before end of summer, be placed in complete control of the Southeast United States… limited martial law.

I believe that mankind will have a very rude awakening when the nuclear announcement is made. We will be lucky if North Korea doesn’t seize the moment... or somebody else.

The U.S. government must intervene without hesitation. I completely agree with Matt Simmons. The battle now is to save all life in and around the Gulf of Mexico.

It is time to pray.

MCR

A Big Question

2010-05-29T18:31:00.000-07:00

Options Studied for Possible Pakistan Strike

2010-05-29T07:18:00.000-07:00

From Jenna Orkin

Headlines
Options Studied for a Possible Pakistan Strike
Simmons Says Obama Should Detonate Nukes to Seal Oil Leak
On the second plume: "Cowan said that the submarine traveled about 400 feet down, close to the sea floor, and found oil all the way down. Trying to find the edges of the plume, he said the submarine traveled miles from side to side.

"We really never found either end of it," he said.

This discovery seems to confirm the fears of some scientists that -- because of the depth of the leak and the heavy use of chemical "dispersants" -- this spill was behaving differently than others. Instead of floating on top of the water, it may be moving beneath it."

Matt Simmons on the second leak: "The riser is a minor thing."
US cities may have to be bulldozed in order to survive
Is the World Broke? Entitlements, Spending May Spell Doom (Fox)

Energy
Oil Industry Faces Its ‘1,000-Year Flood’ as Drilling Is Halted
Either the BP Oil Gusher Has Just Completely Blown Out, or BP is Implementing LMRP RIGHT NOW
Parish official says BP shipped in workers for president's visit
2010 Atlantic Hurricane Season Outlook: 85% above normal
JP Morgan invented credit-default swaps to give Exxon credit line for Valdez liability - from Elizabeth Miller
10 ways to kick the offshore-oil habit

Terror/Intelligence
Russia’s War Games Preparing for Conflict with the East - from Rice Farmer
Pyongyang says South Korea faked warship sinking
China, South Korea Agree to Deepen Links as North Denies Torpedo Charges
Israel vows to halt flotilla aiming to break blockade
Cocaine traffickers are using submarines £3.5m stolen in Iraq bank robbery
Children, 4, 'to be fingerprinted to borrow school books from library' - from Rice Farmer "Intelligent" Stop Lights that Turn Off Cars
Cyber Command Doesn't Want to Defend Net ... Unless It Has To
Darpa's Beady-Eyed Camera Spots the 'Non-Cooperative' (working link)
Ex-Lawyer Jailed 14 Months, Not Charged
Much of Britain was exposed to bacteria sprayed in secret trials (2002) from Rice Farmer

Economy
Fitch downgrades Spain Euro plunges as Spain’s debt downgraded
Italy Is About To Be Smashed By A Wave Of Debt Maturities Worse Than Greece - from Rice Farmer

Environment
In farming, Prince Charles knows that the old ways are the new ways
Monsanto's Poison Pills for Haiti
Permissible Levels of Melamine in Codex Alimentarius
Cheated on Seeds and Denied Justice, Chinese Farmer Takes Own Life
Virginia Tech Prof Uncovers Truth About Lead in DC Water
Extreme Droughts To Be More Common - from Elizabeth Miller

Giant New Oil Plume Dsicovered in Gulf; Tensions Rise in DMZ

2010-05-28T07:17:00.000-07:00

From Jenna Orkin

Headlines
New giant oil plume discovered in Gulf
Iran Detects US Nuke Sub in Persian Gulf
Estimate from oil leak revised sharply higher
Matt Simmons: "There's Another Leak, Much Bigger, 5 to 6 Miles Away"
Tensions rise at the DMZ between North Korea and South Korea
Is Europe heading for a meltdown?
Europe will collapse, and then the US will follow, says Hedgeye
Second, Larger Icelandic Volcano May Erupt

Economy
Where is Europe Taking the Global Economy?
Gold at $36000 Not as Ridiculous as It Sounds? - CNBC
Antioch California Considers Bankruptcy; Former LA Mayor Predicts Bankruptcy for LA
Recession Could Result in School Layoffs
Up to 300K.
Warren Buffett to testify under FCIC subpoena after resisting commission's request
The Players and the Game
US-historian and lawyer John Ryskamp talks about the various “power games” that are part of the current financial / economic crisis. He sees a liquidation of the whole system at work and states: “Liquidation is a Disney film — directed by Hitchcock! Everyone is smiling and singing, and everyone is dead.”
US Debt Clock
Britons have lost almost an hour's sleep a night during the recession, claims study
Graying Germany Contemplates Demographic Time Bomb

Korea
UN says North Korea exporting banned nuclear technology
Russia Skeptical About N. Korea Torpedo Attack Evidence

Terror/Intelligence
Sabotage Suspected After Indian Train Collision Kills at Least 56 People
Justice Department Cracks Down on Leaks
Darpa’s Beady-Eyed Camera Spots the ‘Non-Cooperative’
Pentagon: Let Us Secure Your Network or Face the ‘Wild Wild West’ Internet Alone
Cyber Command: We Don’t Wanna Defend the Internet (We Just Might Have To)

Energy/Science
BP well disaster stuns hardened oil men
Meanwhile, Here Are 20 Signs That China Is Cornering The Global Oil Market
Accounting for increasing energy use by the US food system - from Rice Farmer
Congress, Obama Suddenly Interested in Synthetic Biology
A Land Out of Time - Oil Documentary
Congressman Jerrold Nadler Blasts Use of Chemical Dispersants in: HERE.
From the strongest congressional advocate on the environmental disaster of 9/11.

Note: The EU Times link of a few days ago has been removed.

Dollar Primed for Collapse by End June - CNBC

2010-05-27T07:00:00.001-07:00

Fear of World Gone Mad; Sixth Great Extinction

2010-05-26T08:53:00.000-07:00

"AN EXTINCTION EVENT" and THE AGE OF LAWLESSNESS – WILL THE REAL FEMA PLEASE STAND UP?

2010-05-25T19:48:00.000-07:00

HELP WANTED – COLLAPSENET

(Immediate) --Chief Financial OfficerCollapseNet has an immediate opening for a Chief Financial Officer to assume immediate management of all financial and accounting operations for a closely held California “C” corporation, including processing of payments, merchant accounts payroll, banking and required regulatory and tax filings.

The successful candidate will currently reside in the greater Los Angeles area and be able to start work immediately.Salary, other compensation and benefits are negotiable after interview. CollapseNet is an equal opportunity employer expecting to launch almost immediately, with a solid business plan and expectations of substantial income at launch.The successful candidate will be familiar with the works of Michael C. Ruppert and the documentary film

“Collapse”(Approximately one week after launch) -- Personal Assistant to Michael C. Ruppert, CEO

Must reside in the greater Los Angeles area and be ready to begin work immediately. The successful candidate will have proven familiarity with the works of Michael Ruppert and a proven commitment to the goals of the Lifeboat Movement. Basic familiarity with accounting procedures, record keeping, networking, scheduling are required. Foreign language skills preferred, as well as exceptional interpersonal/public relations ability and personal appearance. The successful candidate will have a valid US passport and be available for travel (both domestic and international).

This position will involve irregular hours and close personal contact on a regular basis with an internationally recognized author/journalist in a variety of settings. The right chemistry is essential for a successful relationship. It will be the ultimate fly-on-the-wall position for someone dedicated to promoting the goals of the Lifeboat Movement as a facilitator. The position will involve regular interfacing with a wide variety of business, political, and VIPs with the express purpose of loyally and accurately implementing and following through on the directions of the CEO. Salary, compensation and benefits to be determined at hiring.

Send resume and contact information in confidence to: mr.luis.mora@gmail.com
***********************************************************************
May 25, 2010, 1900 PDT -- WE ARE ALL noticing that suddenly the mainstream media has "discovered" the size of the blowout. Matt Simmons has just estimated the flow at 120,000 bpd and said that there's a likelihood that the whole reservoir will empty... perhaps for years at an ultimately declining rate. Mainstream media is now actually saying it is a "possible extinction event" for life in the entire Gulf. Cuba is feeling it. The Gulf is doomed. But we knew all this, didn’t we? I put those pieces together a while ago... right here.What sickens me is how transparent the media manipulation is. The media's now accusing BP of misleading them, even when I showed that they have been colluding in concealing the magnitude of the flow themselves. I was all over that.

Tonight the world is at the edge. Korea, European debt, Afghanistan, the Gulf, Continued economic implosion. -- A thing worthy of note that might not have caught your attention stems from two distinctly-related stories. One was all over the news today, reporting that Barack Obama had mobilized 1,200 National Guard troops to control the Arizona border. (Half of what John McCain asked for.) And in Flint Michigan there are calls from former elected officials for the Governor to mobilize the Guard to help control an exploding murder rate.

As Orlov and many others have written, one of the things that happens when a civilization collapses is that crime rates soar, old grudges and vendettas are settled and the Empire’s ability to intervene diminishes. Arizona has a very bad situation on its hands. And even though I’m a California boy, and I don’t like racial profiling, those people are truly desperate. Much more illegal population in Arizona and there will be open street wars for control of turf. De facto guerilla armies are forming. In other words... the barbarians have entered the gates.

We are entering a very dangerous period of increasing lawlessness that will soon be seen all over the country.. I received a message today that Matt Savinar’s great blog had a discussion about National Guard troops being mobilized in many states. The writer said that many thought it was for Korea. I stopped, thought for a moment, and said to myself, “It could be the Gulf.... It could be the border too... It could be street crime in Michigan.... Shoot, it could be all three!”
Now appears the vague outlines of what the rightist conspiracy theorists have called “martial law”. Friends, this isn’t martial law. It is desperation. Because if this increasing mobilization doesn’t happen, the nation will become non-functional in very, very short order. Where I differ from the belligerently naive is that I see this period of “martial law” as a brief and ill-fated attempt to put the brakes on something that cannot be stopped. I have always felt that way. There will come a time when we might look back and think, “Those were the good old days.”

WILL THE REAL FEMA PLEASE STAND UP?

Has anyone noticed that FEMA hasn’t been mentioned at all since Deepwater Horizon blew up? The uninformed think of FEMA as a clown factory. There is another FEMA and I suspect that that FEMA has been quietly mobilizing since Day One, under orders from the President, for implementation of Continuity of Government operations, followed by the possible activation of FEMA governmental control for Region 4 of its 10 operating regions. One concern I have always shared with the so-called right wing is the utterly draconian powers that are bestowed under a series of presidential Special Orders starting in the late 1970s and continuing through the present day. This is what FEMA has always been intended to do. The good things it should have done after Katrina weren’t really in its DNA, I don’t think. Bush-Cheney only made it worse.
So when we next hear the name FEMA I think a lot of folks are going to be surprised to see what it looks and acts like.

CollapseNet Notes – We are very close to a launch. One thing that has slowed us down is the virtual explosion in my popularity since my Vermont tour and the fact that we hadn’t really planned on how to make me efficient and able to deal with the demands that will follow the launch. CollapseNet has a couple of job openings posted here on the blog. -- We really need a CFO because if we don’t get set up to handle the money wisely and in the best interests of the Lifeboat Movement we might get buried... or raped. The income we expect will be the energy for our entire movement and we must husband it well.

MCR

Obama Tells Military: Prepare for N. Korea Aggression; Explosions Collapse Sea Floor

2010-05-25T07:54:00.000-07:00

Obama: Prepare for NKorea; Beekeepers Lose One in Six Hives

2010-05-24T07:50:00.000-07:00

HELP WANTED – COLLAPSENET

(Immediate) --Chief Financial OfficerCollapseNet has an immediate opening for a Chief Financial Officer to assume immediate management of all financial and accounting operations for a closely held California “C” corporation, including processing of payments, merchant accounts payroll, banking and required regulatory and tax filings. The successful candidate will currently reside in the greater Los Angeles area and be able to start work immediately.

Salary, other compensation and benefits are negotiable after interview. CollapseNet is an equal opportunity employer expecting to launch almost immediately, with a solid business plan and expectations of substantial income at launch.

The successful candidate will be familiar with the works of Michael C. Ruppert and the documentary film “Collapse”

(Approximately one week after launch) -- Personal Assistant to Michael C. Ruppert, CEO

Must reside in the greater Los Angeles area and be ready to begin work immediately. The successful candidate will have proven familiarity with the works of Michael Ruppert and a proven commitment to the goals of the Lifeboat Movement. Basic familiarity with accounting procedures, record keeping, networking, scheduling are required. Foreign language skills preferred, as well as exceptional interpersonal/public relations ability and personal appearance.
The successful candidate will have a valid US passport and be available for travel (both domestic and international).

This position will involve irregular hours and close personal contact on a regular basis with an internationally recognized author/journalist in a variety of settings. The right chemistry is essential for a successful relationship. It will be the ultimate fly-on-the-wall position for someone dedicated to promoting the goals of the Lifeboat Movement as a facilitator. The position will involve regular interfacing with a wide variety of business, political, and VIPs with the express purpose of loyally and accurately implementing and following through on the directions of the CEO. Salary, compensation and benefits to be determined at hiring.

Send resume and contact information in confidence to: mr.luis.mora@gmail.com
*****************************************************************
From Jenna Orkin

Headlines
Obama: Prepare for North Korea
Jamaica declares State of Emergency in War with drug lord
Beekeepers lose one sixth of hives
Defaults on Apartment Building Mortgages Held by U.S. Banks Rise to Record
Next phase of crisis may be hardest
Blood in the Streets for Citigroup, BofA, Wells Fargo, JP Morgan
Britain Bans Doctor Who Linked Autism to Vaccine

Oil Disaster/Environment/Food
BP slashes oil capture estimates
BP Prepares 'Top Kill' to Halt Oil Leak as Costs Accelerate
"The so-called "top kill" operation involves "significant uncertainties" and isn’t guaranteed to succeed, the London- based oil company said today in a statement."
Obama: Drilling permitted if no spills
Ahh! At last, a solution. Proceed with "Drill Baby, drill."
Louisiana Fishermen Contemplating Suicide - from Elizabeth Miller
The Plastic Panic
Ask the Author: Join a live chat with Jerome Groopman about chemicals on Thursday, May 27th, at 2 P.M. E.T.
Four from Elizabeth Miller:
The Food Movement Rising
Everything I Want to Do Is Illegal: War Stories from the Local Food Front by Joel Salatin
All You Can Eat: How Hungry Is America?
Terra Madre: Forging a New Global Network of Sustainable Food Communities by Carlo Petrini, with a foreword by Alice Waters

Economy
Why The Chinese Market Is Looking More And More Like The Japanese Bubble
More Spain bank bailouts loom, but news not all bad
Irish 'Roubini' Says Ireland Is Worse Off Than Greece And Faces Insolvency
Governor's Study Shows Oregon Faces Decade of Budget Deficits
New Tax On Wall Street To Pay For $123 Billion Jobs Bill

Terror/Intelligence/Science
In Former Free-Fire Zone, Marines Now Cut Taliban Loose
Israel denies report on nuclear arms sale offer
'Everybody Draw Mohammed Day' Controversy Still Raging Worldwide
"Saudi Arabia banned Facebook's EDMD page. Indian Muslims are demanding that India do the same. Pakistan lodged protests with the UN and US. Sweden closed its embassy there. Now the World Cup is threatened. UPDATE: India has blocked Facebook's EDMD page."
Pentagon to Troop-Killing Superbugs: Resistance is Futile
Radiation from airport scanners may increase cancer risk

From the World Trade Center Community-Labor Coalition:

AS 9/11 HEALTH BILL APPROACHES A CRITICAL VOTE ON TUESDAY, MAY 25TH,
WE NEED YOU TO REACH OUT TO FRIENDS AND FAMILY IN OTHER STATES!!

The 9/11 Health and Compensation Act (H.R. 847) will be voted on by the full House Energy and Commerce Committee in a "markup" session that will be held on Tuesday, May 25th. We all need the bill to emerge from this vote INTACT!

It is critical that the members of the Energy and Commerce Committee HEAR FROM THEIR CONSTITUENTS, the people who live in their districts, urging them to support for HR 847, the 9/11 health bill, and the bill's provisions that provide specialized health care to survivors of 9/11 as well as to responders, for 9/11-related illnesses.

We need you to reach out to any family and friends you may have who reside in the districts of these Representatives. Ask them to please make a call on MONDAY MAY 24 to urge their Representative to do the right thing when HR847 is considered by the Energy and Commerce Committee -- to pass the legislation intact with a guarantee of care for both affected community members and responders, and ensure that the Survivor Program -- which treats residents, area workers and students affected by 9/11 -- is not harmed by hostile amendments that could result in damaging cuts.

Please see the attached speadsheet containing the names of all of the members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, along with the key cities/counties in their districts (to help people identify folks who live in these districts), as well as their Washington DC office phone numbers. Since time is short, you may want to just phone your friends/family/contacts and tell them to make the calls, but we also provide a “Dear Friends” letter below you can paste into an email, along with a brief sample message for your contacts to use when they call their Representative.

Here is the “Dear Friends” letter:

Dear (name of your friend or relative in one of these districts) I am writing to you to ask for your help in ensuring passage of an important bill in Congress that will protect the health of tens of thousands of people affected by the worst act of terror in our nation's history.

As you know, 9/11 was an attack on our nation that killed nearly 3000. What you may not know is that thousands of people are now sick as a result of the World Trade Center attacks from breathing in toxic fumes and dust that resulted from the collapse and burning of the Twin Towers. Some of those people were the brave responders who engaged in rescue and recovery operations and some were people who lived, worked or attended school in the densely populated area around the World Trade Center -- the civilians who were targeted by the terrorists, and who then courageously rebuilt their communities and their lives in the wake of the worst terrorist attack in US history.

This Tuesday, May 25th, H.R. 847, the 9/11 Health and Compensation Act will come up for a vote in the Energy and Commerce Committee of the House of Representatives. If your Representative is included in the attached spreadsheet, I am appealing to you to please call him/her at his/her Washington DC office and urge their full support of the bill and its passage without any damaging amendments. Thank you for your much-needed help. If you want to call me for further details I can be reached at _____.

Best,

And here is a sample message for your contact(s) to use in calling their Representative:

Hello, I’m (your name). I live at (give your address, city, state and zip code) I am calling to urge Representative ____ to give his/her full support to HR 847, the 9/11 Health and Compensation Act which will be acted on by the Energy and Commerce Committee shortly. This bill will provide ten years of treatment for 9/11 related illnesses to survivors of the 9/11 terrorist attacks -- downtown Manhattan residents, students and local workers -- as well as to the brave responders who came to their rescue.

I urge you to oppose any amendments that would eliminate, diminish or otherwise harm any element of the bill, but especially the Survivor Program. 9/11 was an attack on our nation that targeted civilians. Those who were directly harmed as a result of the 9/11 attack deserve the right kind of medical help, help that this bill will provide.

Thank you!

UN Recommends Changing the Way Money Works

2010-05-23T07:24:00.000-07:00

WE WALK

May 22, 2010 -- My God, we have all come a long way to see this day. We have to walk. -- We have to walk with the as yet unborn. For they have not had a chance to choose what paradigm they will live in. We walk with the dying because that is how we witness; it is how our witness brings love. We walk, because if we stand still, we die. -- I send you my strength and you send me yours.

The Lifeboat Movement is born:
http://www.senatorwagner.com/2010/05/21/vermont-is-a-lifeboat/.

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

Headlines
Obama Calls for New International Order
UN says case for saving species 'more powerful than climate change'
"The report will advocate massive changes to the way the global economy is run so that it factors in the value of the natural world. In future, it says, communities should be paid for conserving nature rather than using it; companies given stricter limits on what they can take from the environment and fined or taxed more to limit over-exploitation; subsidies worth more than US$1tn (£696.5bn) a year for industries like agriculture, fisheries, energy and transport reformed; and businesses and national governments asked to publish accounts for their use of natural and human capital alongside their financial results."
South Korea to take ship case to U.N.
Europe's woes to have small global impact: U.S. official
Okinawans angry over U.S. base plan, PM at risk
Hatoyama Says Japan Has No Choice, to Keep U.S. Marine Base Within Okinawa

Economy
Hedge funds bet on falling euro
UK Moves Could Cripple Progress To Save The Euro
300,000 UK Public Sector Jobs Face Axe; No Sacred Cows Including Quangos; What the Hell are Quangos?
32 States Borrow $37.8 Billion Total to Make Unemployment Payments; CA Tops List at $6.9 Billion; Bill to Extend Benefits Until DEC in Congress
The Dollar Bubble: Video
Broke Britain 'can no longer afford role in Afghanistan'
Brazil's Economy Has Hit Bubble Speed
Jim Rogers: Gold going higher, paper money being debased

Oil Disaster/Environment
BP May Owe US a Million Dollars a Day in Royalties
WATCH: Is Gulf Oil Spill Dispersant Safe?
EPA TO BP: Change Dispersants ... or Else?
PHOTOS: Oil Spill Hurts Wildlife BP Says Oil Capture Rate Down to 2,200 Barrels a Day
BP calls in Costner's $26m vacuum cleaners to mop up huge oil spill
Yes, that's Costner as in Kevin. Vindication for Waterworld.
Cap and Trade Scam
Prisoners and homeless make Chelsea's biggest ever garden

Terror/Intelligence
17 States Now Filing Versions of Arizona Law
Navy Outsourcing to Dolphins
Wikispooks
Deep politics
US names first cyber warfare general

Bush DoJ sheltered BP executives from criminal probe; Steven Roach Calls for New Monetary Policy

2010-05-22T07:40:00.000-07:00

From Jenna Orkin

Headlines
Bush DoJ sheltered BP executives from criminal probe
Steven Roach Calls for New Monetary Policy
'Saving species more urgent than climate change'
32 States Borrow $37.8 Billion Total to Make Unemployment Payments; CA Tops List at $6.9 Billion; Bill to Extend Benefits Until DEC in Congress
Email Regarding Global Bust II - Perfect Storm for Australia; How Safe is Australia's Banking System?

Oil Disaster/Environment/Science
Acres of oil penetrate marshland
Deepwater Horizon Survivors Allege They Were Secluded, Coerced Into Signing Waivers Obama's lessons from Katrina
What are tar balls, what is their impact?
Erin Brockovich tells victims: Stand up to BP
OK good for her. She's certainly done her share for the environment. But where was her law firm after 9/11? I assure you from first-hand experience (having sent the information and the plea) they were contacted. (I was young and green.) But this is a safer issue. Our lawsuits have thus far ended in tragic farce.
The Graph That Should Be on the Front Page of Every Newspaper: The Unambiguous Warming of the Planet - from Elizabeth Miller
Greenland Rising as Icemelt Continues - from Elizabeth Miller
Gates Foundation: Sterilizing Males with Ultrasound
Gates Foundation Cloud Whitening Project
Gives air that minty-fresh feeling.

Economy
A future without the euro is a possibility
Geithner's going to Germany to beg Angela Merkel to save Europe
Fed's Dudley: The "Recovery" Is Crumbling
US April Deficit Four Times Higher Than 2009
Record April deficit greets new U.K. government ‎
Budget Deficit in April Increases By 370 P.C. - Turkey
Record High Missed Mortgage Payments
The Real Reason Public Pensions Are Headed For A Disaster
Danger in Numbers: The Decline of Paper Currency
House Committee on Homeland Security Seeks Cooperation from Max Keiser on Financial Terrorism
Global Bust Round II; Australia Mining Contagion; What about the Loonie and Australian Dollar?
Fed's `Main Street' Message to Senators Protected Powers in Financial Bill
Top universities 'may have to go private'

Terror/Intelligence/Toys 'R Us
Iran: New Missiles Can Sink US Warships (Israeli press)
Feds May Not Prosecute Illegals from Arizona
Congress Probes Genetic-Testing Companies
Pennsylvania AG Dropping Twitter Subpoena
Prison population reaches new peak
Travelers to be Searched for Porn
Oathkeepers Prove Some Troops Refused to Participate in Gun Confiscation
Collect ‘Em All: Department of Defense Action Figures
Guns for Hire Get Their Own Online Comic
*******************************************************************
From F. Kamilov

Have you guys not heard the news? The Pakistani government has blocked a series of websites, accusing them of blaspheming Mohammad. No other virulent Islamic government - including the Arab sheikdoms or Iran, has so far done so. The primary target was Facebook, but Wikipedia, Twitter, Google and Blogspot were also blocked. Facebook and Yahoo still remain blocked, for the sixth day. Ostensibly, the reason was because Facebook had hosted a page concerning a competition for caricaturing Mohammad - but the reason appears to me to be something very fishy - the whole country is in a state of utter collapse and disarray due to corruption and its effects, and this seemed to me to be not only a calculated move to distract the attention of Pakistan's flammable and backward peasant population, but also an exercise in shutting down the internet and studying its effects and outcomes - when necessary in such situations.

A second bombshell is about to airburst over the country: in the very far north, near the border with China, a huge natural lake was formed beginning January 4 this year, when seismic activity triggered a landslide, which blocked the path of the mighty River Indus - the third largest river in the world - and has resulted in the formation of a lake 26 miles long and 400 feet deep. The Pakistanis didn't do anything when they could have, and now it is too late...hundreds of villages are already submerged, hundreds of thousands displaced, a 20-mile stretch of Pakistan's strategic highway with China lies under water, Pakistani-Chinese overland trade has dropped to zero, and the Pakistani border trading post of Sust has been evacuated. The lake is about to burst its natural dam, and when that happens, a catastrophe unimaginable in Pakistan's modern history will unfold - in just a few days time: not only will the Gilgit province - where this lake has been formed - get a good washout, but areas hundreds of miles downstream - some of Pakistan's main populational, industrial and agricultural zones, will be affected by 8 to 15 meter flooding levels...echoes of the Iceland volcano, folks - another "first-time-in-modern-history" natural disruption? It seems God is really angry with presumptuous postmodern man. I'm not kidding. To cap it all, Pakistan's Prime Minister Gillani visited the "lakesite" yesterday, and inaugurated a displaced peoples' camp by cutting a ribbon...that indiscretion, plus the fact that his government has done pretty little in practical disaster alleviating terms - inflamed the people who heckled him, and he had to leave his speech and run away in his helicopter. Sounds really idiotic, but when faced with disaster, all the elites can do is cut fancy ribbons - as if inaugurating a patisserie - or say "Why don't they eat cake if there is no bread?"

Below is a link to the latest on Lake Comeuppance, in Northern Pakistan:

Experts warn of high tidal wave in Hunza
http://www.thenews.com.pk/print1.asp?id=240647

Clinton Says N. Korea's Bombing of Ship "Cannot Go Unanswered;" Perfect Storm; Plan to Evacuate Tampa

2010-05-21T07:26:00.000-07:00

From Jenna Orkin

Korea
Will there be war in Korea?
S. Korea vows caution, North sees war
Clinton warns North Korea
Clinton Says North Korean Sinking of Southern Ship `Cannot Go Unanswered'
North gets blame, China gets mess
Key political risks to watch
China must not be allowed to defend N Korea
Meet The New Truthers Who Think Western Powers Faked The Cheonan Shipwreck To Start WW3
Needless to say, the evidence used to ridicule 9/11 researchers is the hole-in-the-Pentagon distraction.

Perfect Storm/Economy
'Perfect storm' as market tremors hit China, EU, US
The Perfect Storm: Six Trends Converging on Collapse
We Have Crossed the Rubicon
How the euro might collapse
Economic storm pounds Europe
Social Unrest Spreads to Slovenia and Spain; Images Around the Globe; US Not Immune to Protests
Roubini: A 20% market decline is on the way
Global Stocks Ablaze, Dow Tumbles: EU Officials Fiddle as Euro Burns - from Rice Farmer
Meet The Latest Member Of The Plunge Protection Team: The European Central Bank - from Rice Farmer
Peak oil production coming much sooner than expected - from Rice Farmer
Whatever Germany does, the euro as we know it is dead
Pentagon Plan to Upgrade Afghan Airbase Near Iran May Rile Islamic Regime
Central Falls Rhode Island - Bankrupt - Goes Into Receivership
Weekly Unemployment Claims Rise by 25,000 to 471,000, 4-Week Moving Average at 453,500
China now top U.S. ag export market
U.S. unlikely to push China on currency
Gold to hit $3,000/oz

Terror/Intelligence
Artificial life created in a lab for the first time
Darpa's Self-Learning Software Knows Who You Are
Turkey Bombs Kurdish Rebels in Northern Iraq
Obama's top intelligence official to resign
How Tweet It Is!: Library Acquires Entire Twitter Archive
Russia: Invisible Helicopters
Authorities Say Passenger Voices Were Recorded in Cockpit of Doomed Polish Plane
Homeland Security wants to turn your cell phone into a smell phone - from Rice Farmer

Oil Disaster
Oil leak greater than first estimates, BP admits
Is Deepwater Horizon leaking 95,000 barrels per day?
Plans to Evacuate Tampa
Did Deepwater methane hydrates cause the BP Gulf explosion
"A sudden large scale release of methane hydrates is believed to have caused a mass extinction 55 million years ago. Among planners concerned with mega-disasters, their sudden escape is considered to be a threat comparable to an asteroid strike or nuclear war."
Obama must get control of rogue oil regulators - The Boston Globe
And once he does that we can go back to business as usual.
EPA Orders BP to Use Less-Toxic Oil Dispersant
NASA releases new images of Gulf oil spill moving to Loop Current
Interior Department sued over BP oil spill
Interior Unveils Plan to Split MMS Into 3 Agencies
Shuffling the bureaucracy. ‎
Salazar Urged To Shut Down Second BP Oil Rig ‎
U.S. and Cuba hold talks on Gulf oil spill
BP accused of cover-up
Scientists Fault Lack of Studies Over Gulf Oil Spill

Science/Environment
Experts: More TB now than ever and U.N. efforts failing - from Rice Farmer
Dengue Fever In Florida Portends A Growing Problem - from Rice Farmer
Garden birds found to shun organic

"All Out War" Threatened Over N. Korea Attack

2010-05-20T08:03:00.001-07:00

From Jenna Orkin

Headlines
‘All out war’ threatened over North Korea attack
Misleading headline: It's N. Korea, not South, that's doing the threatening.
U.S. backs Seoul's charge that North Korea sank ship
Heavy oil hits Louisiana shore, enters sea current
FCC Makes Its Move on Net Neutrality
Medicare Implodes - Doctors Opt Out of Medicare at Alarming Rate; Fountain of Youth Sought
Germans Fantasize About New Rich-Nation Currency Bloc That Doesn't Even Include France
China, America and a New World Order
Arizona threatens to cut off LA electricity supply

Oil Disaster/Environment
Factoring in the Real Cost of Oil
Michael T. Klare: A New Oil Rush Endangers the Gulf of Mexico and the Planet
Salazar: Nix Agency Overseeing Offshore Drilling
Reduced research funds hamper study of declining Atlantic salmon
Anyone see a pattern?
White House Covers Up Menacing Oil "Blob" - Wayne Madsen
Long-Lasting Sensory Loss in World Trade Center Workers from Airborne Toxins After 9/11 Attacks
JO comment: This confirms what I and other activists have argued all along: That because of the number of contaminants released, (according to the Sierra Club report, over 2000 but now estimated to be far higher) as well as their diversity, the focus on respiratory illnesses needed to be expanded to include neurological, endocrinological and cardiac effects.
Today's finding is no surprise. Nor is it a surprise that science is finally, when it's too late, acknowledging what common sense could see nine years ago.
What never ceases to amaze, however, is the willingness of the public, who are aware they've been sold down the river over and over again, to abdicate their birthright to think for themselves and admit the obvious: The Emperor-Scientists in their political/academic robes in fact have nothing on.
Can a Chimp Beat Scientists in 2010 Hurricane Predictions?
Place your bets.
Germany Braced for Rising Water, Heavy Rain Central Europe Flooded
Doctors must not ignore the right of patients to die
Why does the timing of this concern raise some suspicion?

World
US, Israel, Challenged on Iran
Ray McGovern
Afghan Taliban launch brazen attack on NATO base
State of emergency in South Kyrgyzstan after ethnic clash
Mass Protest in Romania Over Austerity Measures; Greek Unions Protest Austerity Measures;Sarkozy Grapples with Austerity

Terror/Intelligence
Darpa Wants Code to Spot ‘Anomalous Behavior’ on the Job
Gitmo Shutdown Means More Drone Strikes, Officials Claim
Secret Service Paperwork Requirement to Shake Pres' Hand
Artificial Butterfly Takes Flight

Economy
'A Tax Would Not Prevent the Next Crash'
Euro Crisis Hidden Agenda
Rising alarm over funding costs for European banks
Former Central Bank Head Karl Otto Pöhl: Bailout Plan Is All About 'Rescuing Banks and Rich Greeks'
Full-Blown Quantitatve Easing May Be Needed To Save Europe
Save it for how long? Another month?
Trade Implications of the Euro Crisis for China
Morgage Delinquencies, Foreclosures Break Records
CPI Goes Negative for Month, Smallest 12-Month Increase Since January 1966
Waddell: Not cause of May 6 flash crash
REMINDER: Here Are The 25 Financial Institutions Most Likely To Default
Why 1-In-10 Current Borrowers Will Lose Their Home To The Bank
Class of 2010 Set to Flood U.S. Labor Market as '09 Graduates Wait Tables

THE LIFEBOAT MOVEMENT IN VERMONT -- Must Watch

2010-05-19T19:51:00.001-07:00

Something to P--- Off Everbody!

May 19, 2010, 1300 PDT -- This is my first real large talk since 2005. I held nothing back. In it, I say things that are certain to tick off almost everybody out there. That was intended. What I want now is for anybody to challenge me to back up anything that I said here on mainstream media. (Special thanks to George Galloway. You showed me how to do this.) Vermont is a very special place. It is one of only two states in U.S. history that were independent republics before voting to enter the Union. The other, of course, was Texas. I just spent almost a week in Vermont on a whirlwind tour that included major speaking engagements in Burlington, Montpelier and Brattleboro; two TV appearances (including this one); two in-studio radio interviews, and many smaller appearances at a number of venues. Vermont is unique among all the states in that, by itself, it could be made into a lifeboat as a state. I met with both the Gubernatorial (Dennis Steele) and Lt. Governor candidates as well as candidates for the state senate. As I listened to them I heard that their concerns -- as well as their emerging platform -- are taken from the pages of the collapse of human industrial civilization.

What you will see here is explosive and controversial. I guess you could say I'm really back now. It's time to bring this to a head because there is no more time to waste. From now on I will refer to the Peak Oil/Sustainability movement only as the Lifeboat Movemement, because that's what it is. It belongs to all mankind.

MCR

http://www.cctv.org/watch-tv/programs/author-and-peak-oil-activist-michael-ruppert

S. Korea Briefs China on Ship Sinking Blamed on North

2010-05-19T06:13:00.000-07:00

From Jenna Orkin

Headlines
Seoul to blame North Korea for warship attack
South Korea briefs China on ship sinking blamed on North
Thailand on the verge of civil war
All Hell Breaking Loose In Thailand, Stock Exchange On Fire
Crackdown may spark "guerrilla war"
Roubini: Japan could easily go next
Congressional Legislators Attempt Push-Back on ‘Euro-TARP’

Economy
Specter of Inflation Haunts Europe
Fears Intensify that Euro Crisis Could Snowball
Shock & Awe Phase II: Germany to Ban Naked Short-Selling at Midnight
Credit Default Risk Soaring In Europe
US Senate Votes No on IMF Aid to Troubled Nations
A Superpower and a President with Declining Clout
GM Posts Profit, Considers Returning to Auto Lending Business; Treasury Reports $1.6 Billion Loss on Chrysler; $34 Billion Total Auto Taxpayer Hit
Ron Paul: How the US Has Stolen Your Identity
Sears, Kmart to Offer Cash-for-Gold Service
Be Angry at Congress, Not Wall Street: Ex-Official
Goldman Sachs Did Nothing Illegal: Clinton
Conspiracy of Banks Rigging States Came with Crash

Oil Disaster/Environment/Science
Gulf oil plumes may pose new threat
Government Remains Blind To Underwater Oil Hazard -from Vantage Point
Gulf Disaster - How Big is the Spill? - from Vantage Point
Smallpox vaccine 'helped fight HIV'
Greenland rising ‘an inch a year’ as ice melts
Here Come the 'Smart' Meters; Dinner at 4? - WSJ
Dioxin in Mississippi River from Soap
London Cabbies, Accountants Look to Chip-Fat Fuel, Twitter to Save Costs
Ocean fish could disappear in 40 years: UN - from Rice Farmer
Gulf Looks To Science To Turn Desert To Farmland - from Rice Farmer
Arctic Team Reports Unusual Conditions Near Pole - from Elizabeth Miller

Terror/Intelligence
Door to Civil Rights Group Padlocked, Welded Shut
Berkeley Asks Freshmen for DNA Samples
Massive wall to be built around city of Baghdad - from Rice Farmer
Alabama teacher investigated for Obama assassination lecture
The Secret Service is investigating an Alabama geometry teacher over the discussion regarding angles if they were used to assassinate the president.

And...
Woman to sue phone company after husband discovered affair through bill

Oil in Loop Current

2010-05-18T07:29:00.000-07:00

From Jenna Orkin

Headlines
Oil in Loop Current
NORAD scrambles 2 F16s in southern Arizona - from Rice Farmer
The World Can't Live Without Deepwater Oil
Iran Prepared to Block Gulf Oil and Wreck Western Economies
Social Security Needs $5 Trillion Worth of Tweaks

Economy
Pelosi to Musicians: Quit Your Job; Taxpayers Will Supply Your Healthcare
Congressional Democrats Mull New $100-Billion Safety Net for Jobless Americans
The "Flash Crash" Was A WATERFALL Event Like The One That Preceded The Fall Of Rome
Dow Theorist Richard Russell: Sell Everything Liquid, You Won't Recognize America By The End Of The Year
Global Systemic Crisis from Eurozone Coup d'Etat to UK - from Elizabeth Miller
Euro plunges to four-year low as bailout fails to reassure markets
UK Proposes 50% Tax on Capital Gains, Up From 18%
Shadowstats Money Supply Charts
Flood of Calif Businesses Abandon State
SEC Admits to Inadequate Tools to Conduct Investigation
Germ an Households Are More Indebted Than Greeks: Chart of Day - from Rice Farmer
Guess Who's Even More Broke Than Greece? - from Rice Farmer
Alternet: Why the 'Experts' Failed to See How Financial Fraud Collapsed the Economy - from Elizabeth Miller
Wall Street faces reckoning
Nightmare on Wall Street
Beware of outing skeletons in the economic closet

Oil Disaster/Environment/Science
Violent hurricanes could hamper oil clean-up
Hamper cleanup? How about multiply disaster?
Air Tests from Louisiana Coast Reveal Human Health Threats
Safety Fluid Was Removed Before Rig Exploded
U.S. Drilling Regulator Quits Amid Criticism Over Rig Disaster
Dmitry Orlov: Deepwater/Chernobyl Parallels - from Vantage Point
Argentina, UK Claims to Falklands
Volcanic Ash Shuts Major European Air Traffic Hubs
In terms of oil conservation, this volcano is a godsend.
Scientists Forecast Decades of Ash Clouds
NOAA: Hottest April and hottest Jan-April on record - from Elizabeth Miller
A new breed of terrorist?
"Last month, three eco-activists tried to bomb a Swiss IBM plant. Nick Harding on the dark side of green."
JO comment: I wonder who's behind this.
Gates Foundation: Sweat-Triggered Vaccines

Terror/Intelligence
In the line of fire in Bangkok
Worst may be yet to come
Slideshow: Thailand in turmoil
Rogue Thailand general who backed protests dies -from Rice Farmer
Zombie Satellite Forces Evasive Manoeuvers for Cable TV - from Jon Noel
Israeli Microbot Fires Pencil-Sized Rockets to Stop Bombs
Eyewitness Account of Watershed Brain-Scan Hearing
Female Troops Told to Carry Condoms
Woody Allen says Obama should be granted dictatorial powers
The slant is that he was serious. The reality?

"New World Order" Currency Crisis in the MSM

2010-05-17T09:27:00.000-07:00

From Jenna Orkin

Headlines
"New World Order" Currency Crisis
Ron Paul: US Could See Greece-Style Riots
Outgoing U.K. Treasury Chief Secretary To His Replacement 'There's No Money Left'
Israelis Debate How to Deal With a Nuclear Iran
Morgan Stanley: Full-Blown Quantitatve Easing May Be Needed To Save Europe, And We Could Still See 1987 Redux
30,000 Air Force troops have been shifted to the front lines of cyber warfare

Economy
Government softens on bank reform
Bernanke: Liar (Again) - from Elizabeth Miller
From The Fed from Elizabeth Miller
How Can Economy Grow Without Bank Loans?
The Mysterious Stagnation of M2 Money Supply - from Elizabeth Miller
Meredith Whitney: Financial Reform Will Cause "Tragic" Unemployment Levels For An Extended Period Of Time

Oil Disaster/Energy/Environment
Iran agrees atom fuel deal with Turkey, Brazil
Opinion: BP's criminal history of creating Environmental crises
BP Capturing 1,000 Barrels a Day From Gulf Oil Leak With Funnel Apparatus
BP reduces leak as scientists find hidden oil
OK, So Now We Know The New Gulf Oil "Fix" Isn't Doing Jack
Ten-mile oil plume found in Gulf
Spilled oil coagulating up to 1,300 metres below surface and as far as 20 miles away from sunk rig
Toxic chemical fear over BP clean-up
Oil spill could be among worst ever
Fresh ash cloud cancels flights ahead of BA strike
Survey: Most TV meteorologists doubt global warming is man-made

Media
Church of England: Not enough religious broadcasting on BBC
Co-opting science for its argument: "The Church of England is worried that religious broadcasting by the BBC will suffer, as the corporation is in danger of 'losing sight of its essence – the DNA that makes it an enduring part of national culture.'"

Obama Sends Nuke Team to Gulf; Massive Oil Plumes in Deep Waters; Leaks Could Gush for Years

2010-05-16T07:42:00.000-07:00

From Jenna Orkin

Headlines
US faces one of biggest budget crunches in world
Senate unanimously approves measure to audit Fed
Audit of Fed will reveal name of banks given $2 trillion in loans
Is Ben Bernanke Having Fun Yet?
Greece Considering Action Against US Banks from Elizabeth Miller
A 'Quantum Leap' in Governance of the Euro Zone Is Needed
Is The Federal Reserve Insolvent? (March)
BOJ/Fed
J.S. Kim Interview: We Don't Need Central Banks
Shockingly, Arnold Schwarzenegger Compares California To Greece, Ireland, And Spain
SEC Commissioner On Goldman Case: "I Have Serious Doubts About The Evidence Of Fraud"
Thai civil war warning as troops told to shoot on sight
N. Korea Boats Draw Warning Shots from South

Oil Catastrophe/Energy
Massive oil plumes discovered in Gulf's deep waters
Gulf Oil Leaks Could Gush for Years
BP 'using Gulf of Mexico as toxic testing-ground'
Scientist plans to put crude into Arctic ocean to test clean-up
BP to re-attempt seal of Gulf of Mexico oil spill
Obama sends nuclear experts to tackle BP oil leak
USGS reports moderate earthquake in Puerto Rico
How long will the coal last?
Oil Bird
Warning: Disturbing photo
UK Flights disrupted by volcano cloud, more is on the way

Terror/Intelligence
US: Obama to fund Israel's missile system ($200 million) - from Rice Farmer
'Nobody is winning,' admits McChrystal

Average Gallon of Gasoline Requires 3 Gallons of Water

2010-05-15T07:47:00.000-07:00

From Jenna Orkin

Oil Catastrophe/Energy
Peak Oil: The End - Matt Simmons
Matt:...There are too many studies, way overdue, that are now finally being done that show in the next five to seven years about two-thirds of the energy workforce will retire.

Jay: Okay. You don’t see a pool of new talent coming into the market?

Matt: No, no. We just barely got started when we had our financial collapse, and then all the new pool got fired...
And then there is an unbelievably interesting and almost totally ignored interdependence between the amount of water it takes to create modern energy, and the role of energy in creating water. It turns out the average gallon of motor gasoline in the world requires about three gallons of water at the refinery; in the cooling towers, 40% of America’s fresh water is used for power generation.
Volcano of Oil Erupting
Because of this fractioning, what you see from the air on the surface of the water represents maybe just 20% of the volume of the various types of oil in that area. And we're talking an area the size of Maryland (10,000+ square miles) that is on the surface. The remaining 80% is under the surface; and all of it is highly toxic to the living organisms encountered.
Matt Simmons' Ocean Energy
Oil can rise to over $100 per barrel
Where's the oil? Much of it may be gone
What could make the oil spill worse? A hurricane
Spill means high-stakes hurricane season
Financial damage seen spreading
Oil spill on ice not worth the risk
Oil spill could hasten loss of Louisiana's marshes
Scientists find oil plume below Gulf's surface - from Elizabeth Miller
Pak Railways suspends operation of 16 trains - Pakistan
Obama Seeks $80 Billion for New Nukes

Economy
Sarkozy Threatens Euro Withdrawal
Fed Opens Credit Line to Europe
40l(k)/IRA Nationalization
A Capital City Nears Bankruptcy
US bankruptcies resume upward path in 1st quarter
Illinois Doesn't Pay Bills; Crisis Pushes Businesses to Edge of Bankruptcy
Home birth unavailable in New York

Terror/Intelligence
Pentagon works to define rules of cyber warfare
Pentagon Virus Detector Knows You’re Sick Before You Do
Jury Reaches Decision in Brain-Scan Test Case
Report: Secret Space Plane Likely an Orbiting Spy
AFRICOM to Deploy Social Scientists to Africa, Searching for Signs of War
Informant Nation: New terror monitors: parking attendants from Rice Farmer
Former UK minister stabbed at his office
Indonesia 'uncovers plot to kill president' - from Rice Farmer
Army brings death and carnage to the streets
Neo-Nazi jailed for making chemical weapons
Troops force out Kyrgyz siege protesters
Marine Major Sentenced in Leak of Intelligence Documents

Environment
"Earth System Sensitivity Inferred from Pliocene Modelling and Data,” from Elizabeth Miller
Earth more sensitive to CO2 than previously thought.
Caterpillar plague on Isle of Wight was caused by climate change, says expert

Oil Leak "May Be 12 Times BP Estimate;" WSJ Defends Gold Standard

2010-05-14T04:16:00.000-07:00

From Jenna Orkin

Headlines
Oil leak 'may be 12 times BP estimate'
Even the mainstream media are reporting that it's five times as much as originally reported. Then yesterday the figure "ten" was broached. Now we're up to twelve. When the reservoir's depleted, it won't matter how fast it happened.
Obama Sends Bomb Inventor, Mars Expert to Fix BP Oil Spill in Mexican Gulf
Seven Corporations Doing Business in Iran Energy Sector Also Receive US Government Payments
Iran Trying to Start Israel/Syria War
Medvedev: ME Tensions Could Spark Disaster
"Secret" Telecom Anti-Net Neutrality Document

Economy/US
Fannie and Freddie Make the US Look a Lot Like Greece
Backdoor Bank Bailout? Fannie And Freddie May be "Losing Money as a Matter of Policy" Huge, Ongoing Wall Street Subsidy Allows Banks to Coin Money Every Day at Savers' Expense Wall Street Banks Investigated Over Links to Ratings Agencies
US faces same problems as Greece, says Bank of England
Schwarzenegger's revised budget plan is expected to eliminate health programs - from Rice Farmer
Volcker Sees Euro ‘Disintegration’ Risk From Greece
Bank Of England Chief: The US Faces The Same Issues As Greece, And Europe Has Only Kicked The Can Down The Road
Europe's Fascist Bailout Means Britain's About To Bail-OUT Of Europe
British banks face break-up
Portugal imposes new taxes
Morgan Stanley: Australia Will Kill The Aussie Dollar With Its New Mining Tax
Wall Street Journal Defends Gold Standard
Nurseries close as recession-hit parents struggle
US police raid homes over bomb plot

World
Kyrgyz government seeks to regain control in restive south
Renegade Thai general shot in the head
Troops face 'most important' Afghan battle yet
Uproar over decision to include caste in census
USSR planned nuclear attack on China in 1969

Oil Catastrophe/Environment/Science
BP chief reveals $10m daily clean-up bill
Underwater Footage of Leak
Leak? How about "eruption?"
Satellite Images from SkyTruth
Turning the Oil into Asphalt and Gelatin
Senators want offshore drilling on West Coast banned forever - from Rice Farmer
Elena Kagan: Toward a Pro-GM Supreme Court - from Vantage Point
Lizards facing extinction because of climate change
Student discovers cosmic phenomenon during finals project

And...
Bill Clinton offers himself as lottery prize

Food Stamp Tally Sets Record; Corporate Bond Sales Collapse

2010-05-13T13:37:00.000-07:00

From Jenna Orkin

Headlines
Food Stamp Tally Sets Record
Felix Salmon: Good idea to sell stocks
Corporate Bond Sales Collapse, Yields Rise; Public Sector Wage Cuts in Spain; EC Proposes New Economic Rules
Is That a Cop Investigating Big Banks?
Showdown in New York: Legislature Approves 100,000 Furloughs
15 Scary Reasons Why It's NEW YORK That's The Next Greece
Schwarzenegger: "Terrible Cuts" Needed to Close Deficit; Prison System Insanity
Canada's Household Debt Reaches Record $42,000 a Person; Fast and Furious Real Estate Decline Coming; Beijing Home Prices Plunge 31.4%
British banks face break-up in just one year
Spain faces unrest as austerity plan is announced
EU imposes wage cuts on Spanish 'protectorate'
Backdoor Bank Bailout? Fannie And Freddie May be "Losing Money as a Matter of Policy" from Rice Farmer
JP Morgan: Gold Could Now Face 'Unlimited' Demand

Oil Leak/Environment
Gulf oil spill: Firms ignored warning Spill rig's safety valve failed
...hours before explosion in Gulf of Mexico.
What Happens If They Can't Stop It? - from Vantage Point
JO comment: Not only could it get drawn into the Loop Current, the Gulf Stream and the Atlantic Ocean, but we also have hurrican season beginning June 1. The argument that might galvanize the government, however, is that of Florida Senator Bill Nelson, who points out possible disruption of military training on the East coast.
Public still backs offshore drilling
Canada's looser offshore oil drilling rules a cause for concern
Lester Brown: Plan B 4.0

Terror/Intelligence
Current and Upcoming Military Exercises
See which ones coincide with the skies closed by the volcano.
Gun-Toting Victims Fight Back
Arrest of 13 CIA Agents Sought in Spain
U.S. struggles to ward off evolving cyber threat
Cyber-Security - from Elizabeth Miller

And...
NASA Spacecraft Hijacked by Aliens

Collapsenet Launch Delayed - Collapse Proceeding

2010-05-12T07:51:00.000-07:00

May 10, 2010, 2100 PDT -- If I were a part of the old paradigm I'd put spin on it. But I hate the old paradigm. I hate spin. The bottom line is that we thought we had our s--t together for a launch on Wednesday May 12 but we missed a few things. All in all, the 12 people who are part of CollapseNet (seven of them unpaid volunteers) have achieved miracles. But these are tough times for a group of wonderful people from four countries and four states to come together and make something like this happen. Except for me and my attorney Wes Miller (our Chief of Staff), and Chantelle Noelle (our CFO), none of us knew each other or how each other worked, or talked or thought before attempting this. Yet what we've put together is something really... useful right now; a rare thing. Some of you are helping us beta test and that input is also making a difference. Thank you. We have developed our own software, purchased services, Incorporated, established accounts and invested many hundreds of hours to make CollapseNet come to life. It will soon. And the next time I give a launch date it will be a good one.

We have come this far on about $15,000 in donations and $6,000 I have raised from speaking engagements over the last three months. -- We have to launch so I can have a job and make some money. Still no income from the film for me so, like all too many people these days, I'm (still) living on the edge. You get used to it.

Tomorrow I leave for a seven-day tour of Vermont with my publisher Chelsea Green and am going to meet some wonderful people there who are thinking about leaving the Union. I'll have five appearances and a bunch of media interviews. Am I for secession? Against it? -- I am resigned to it... either as a voluntary act or an ad hoc reality as collapse proceeds. The next stage that's coming is political collapse which I believe will be triggered here when the nation realizes how bad the Deepwater Horizon leak really is and how it has been misled. As one commentator noted "Deepwater Horizon is the Three Mile Island of deep water oil exploration". No more deepwater drilling and oil prices will spike for sure. -- Or, it might come when Freddie and Fannie ask for another $50-100 billion, even as the Gulf coast's foreclosure rate goes exponential and banks continue to fail. It might come in a massive cyber attack. Name your poison. It might come with an attack on Iran. There's plenty of crisis around and we all know it. Pity the poor fools who are looking to buy houses now when they'll be worth half as much in a year. It's Darwinian deselection now. I can guarantee that the Pacific Northwest and California will balk at having their resources sent to bail out an unrecoverable Gulf Coast. I predicted that regional stress right after Katrina and Rita when I only saw another big hurricane hitting as a result of climate change. Deepwater Horizon is much, much worse.

I do not have to tell you all that we're out of time. With the leak from Deepwater Horizon spewing at least 25,000 bpd and out of control -- and with the EU's "nuclear" bailout move having shot its wad in just one day, the writing is clear. It's as clear as Japan's near-to-imploding economy behind a debt that's worse than Greece, with no IMF or EU to fall back on. It's as clear as the explosives residue from a North Korean torpedo found on a sunken South Korean warship. It's as clear as the tail-wagging-the-dog bs propaganda about Times Square terrorists from Pakistan. It's as clear as China's superheated, about-to-implode bubble coupled with its tectonic social problems. It's as clear as the mass of forward-hedged oil purchases from a few weeks ago that blasted through the record of June 2008. My guess is that the actual depletion rate may be as high as 12% I do not know if we have days or weeks until the wheels come off. There can be no more bailouts. Oh, governments in Europe and the US might have to try and sell them, but I agree with the IMF assessment from a few months ago that said another round of bailouts would trigger massive civil unrest. And what we're seeing now is new bailouts cutting into the banking system and bond spreads triggering a rise in rates and... inflation... Inflation.

Like I said in a scene that didn't make the final cut of Collapse, The final blow to industrial civilization "will happen no later than the summer of 2010."

Today I got down on my knees and I prayed to my God. Mankind tends to pray at times like these to whatever God they know. I pray a lot anyway, for strength, guidance, balls and wisdom. All I asked for this time was that we have enough time to launch CollapseNet and to see it take hold. I asked that the winds be at our back and for every possible blessing. I did that because not a one of us is doing this out of a purely selfish motive.

A long time ago (the 1970s) I met LAPD's top bomb expert, a guy named Arleigh Mcree. I had been invited to a training day with SWAT and the bomb squad. Arleigh was always a jovial guy who could booby trap a toilet seat pretty well. He was wearing a T-shirt which said, "If you see me running, follow me."

I think I speak for all of us at the moment. I'm scared but I'm not running. You are my lifeboat, the only one I have.

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

Economy
'The Rescue Package Has Bought Nothing But Time'
Recovery is real, but doubts linger
Or: "Some Look Down; See Abyss Beneath Feet"
Jim Rogers: The euro will now dissolve
Beijing property prices collapse
Gold explodes as everyone bets against paper currency
Spain joins austerity bandwagon
Greek workers call for May 19 strike
Jumping off the austerity bandwagon already?
If Greece Is Bear Stearns, Will the UK Be Lehman?
Canaries in Coalmine: China, Asia, not Participating in Euro Bailout Lovefest; Beginnings of China Credit, Real Estate Bust
JPMorgan Chase Warns Investors About Underwater Homeowners Walking Away - from Elizabeth Miller
Woe is Us
Legendary pessimist Marc Faber says that the United States shares the same dire economic problems currently bedeviling Greece.
Schwarzenegger Warns Of "Terrible Cuts, Absolutely Terrible Cuts" Coming In California
Cuomo Says Investment Firm Knew Madoff Was Cooking Books But Didn't Move Clients' Money Congress Set to Probe Stock Market Flash Crash
Gold surges as investors seek safety
Funny Money Flood
This is real funny money, if you get our drift; not the Bernanke kind but honest to goodness counterfeit 50's and 100's.
Pothole poetry
Thematic rhymes on Twitter about abysmal road conditions in UK.

Oil Leak
BP Relief Wells Bring Risk of Bigger Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill
U.S. agency lets oil industry write offshore drilling rules
BP's Dispersant Strategy on Spill Veers Into Uncharted Science
Gulf spill provokes worries of 'unbelievable' damage - from Rice Farmer
U.S. to split drilling royalty, safety roles
Factbox: The spill and its impact
A New Look at National Security: Oil, Ferilizer and Energy
White House Aims to Use Deepwater Disaster to Push Climate Bill
ABC Reporter Turned Away from Oil Spill Command Center
Patches of Oil Wash Ashore
Rig witness recalls rain of mud
U.S. to split drilling royalty, safety roles
What offshore miners know
Spill prompts worries about Arctic
US oil spill impacts Korean economy
Oil companies pass the buck for giant spill
Oil Conspiracy Theories - CNN

Terror/Intelligence
Clinton: Pakistan Officials ‘Harboring’ Bin Laden - from Rice Farmer
Military Expanding Obama’s Gitmo in Afghanistan
Syria and Russia talk nuclear power
Japan to build navy base in Gulf of Aden - from Rice Farmer
Would Pakistan give Saudis nukes?
Judge: FBI Can View Evidence in Webcam Spy Case
NYPD Told to Manipulate Crime Statistics
Pentagon Bans Four Journalists from Guantanamo
Is Mossad Responsible for Delaying Iran's Nuclear Capability?
And if it is, is that news?
Peak IP Addresses - from Luis Mora
Inside USA - America's new racial tension
Black/brown divide.

Environment/Science
Rising sea levels threaten Taiwan
Gray Whale Spotted on Wrong Side of World
Swiss Artist Catalogs Mutant Insects Around Nuke Plants
Could Another Icelandic Volcano Erupt Soon?
Climate Change Is the True Crisis - from Elizabeth Miller
Bees make nests of colorful flower petals
U.S. obesity task force urges action
Obese respond by jogging to freezer.

Loss of Wild Life Threatens Food Supplies; Oil Leak Five Times Greater Than Reported by Officials

2010-05-11T08:19:00.001-07:00

From Jenna Orkin

Headlines
Empires on the Edge of Chaos - Niall Ferguson
Loss of wildlife threatens food supplies – UN
Gordon Brown to resign: a very Labour coup
Prepare for austerity
Greece may fall to junk
Global stock rally runs out of steam
Even $1 Trillion Won't Save The European Disaster, Says Roubini
Roubini: 'We Will Have Even More Crises in the Future'
Too-Big-to-Fail-Banks to Get Even Bigger
Fannie Loses $13 Billion; VIX Plunges Most on Record
Not all investors seduced by rescue
Rescue may only work in short-term

Oil Leak
Oil leak is 5 times greater than reported by officials
Plan B in the Gulf
JO comment: So how my golf balls, pantyhose and haircuts are we talking about here?
BP's Relief Wells Bring Risk of an Even Bigger Oil Spill in Gulf of Mexico
UN fears 'irreversible' damage to natural environment
Air Force planes drop chemical dispersants on Gulf oil spill
No End in Sight to Oil Spill as BP Costs Mount
If You Think You Have a Sense of the Oil Spill's Scale - from Elizabeth Miller
T. Boone Pickens Sees $100 Oil At End Of 2010
Rig Owner Had Rising Tally of Accidents
BP Oil Slick
Shale Gas Will Rock the World ‎

World/Economy
OECD members vote unanimously to invite Israel to join - from Rice Farmer"
Red Cross confirms 'secret' Afghan prison facility
Iran could fire nuclear missile within two years, says think tank - from Rice Farmer
Israel says it's better prepared for war with Iran - from Rice Farmer'
Explosive traces found' in sunken South Korean warship - from Rice Farmer
Chemical Concussions and Secret LSD: Pentagon Details Cold War Mind Control Tests
Qatar, the tiny gulf state that bought the world
Price-fixing trial collapses (UK airlines)
RBS cuts 2,600 more jobs

Environment/Science
Travellers warned ash is 'uninsurable'
Flood money: understanding the global water cycle
"Plotting the world's water is expensive, but a £280m satellite will do just that."
Tainted nuke plant water reaches major NJ aquifer ‎
Seaweed kills coral, scientists find
Well it wasn't me.
Greenland Glacier Slide Speed 220% in Summer- from Elizabeth Miller
U.S. Cancer Costs Double in Two Decades
Gravity Lows Mark Burial Sites of Ancient Tectonic Plates

Third of Animals Face Extinction

2010-05-10T08:03:00.001-07:00

From Jenna Orkin

Headlines
EU rescue aims to avert crisis
The EU's $1 trillion "shock and awe" rescue plan triggered a global stock rally, but left lingering questions about Europe's indebted economies.
Europe Slaps Nearly a Trillion on the Table to Bail Out...Uh... Itself?
Federal Reserve opens credit line to Europe
Rescue may only work in short-term
EU faces long-term battle
Felix Salmon: Too much, too late
Euro Shock-And-Awe Will Create Huge Short Squeeze--Followed By Air Pocket And Market Collapse
The euro bailout will be followed by a huge collapse
Europe's Giant Bailout Fund Ignores The Root Of The Debt Problem And Actually Makes Things Far Worse

Economy/US
Felix Salmon's Message To Investors: Get Out Of The Stock Market Right Now - from Elizabeth Miller
VIX Record Drop After Record Gain
Record volatility.
Not To Spoil Your Party, But We're Going To Have To Talk About California, New York, And Illinois Soon
Moody's: America's Debt Crisis Could Hit By 2013
Feds Probing JP Morgan in Silver Pit
Growth Busters - Movie

Oil Leak
Since Spill, Feds Have Given 27 Waivers to Oil Companies in Gulf
Way to go, Brownie.
Dome fails to stop Louisiana oil leak
Oil production hit for decades after BP spill
Scylla and Charybdis Department: Careful, Mr Obama. You need big oil
"If the fallout from the Gulf oil spill forces Americans off the roads, we’ll tip back into recession." Argentina Denounces British "Pirates" After Oil Discovery in Falklands

Terrorism/Intelligence
Giuliani: Political Correctness Has Led to Missed Signals on Terrorism
Liz Cheney: Obama's 'first instinct' to Mirandize terrorists
Video: Inside New York’s Spycam HQ
Toronto officials to issue ID cards to residents during G20 visit
Politician Assassinated in India
Dozens of S.African train commuters injured after explosion
From Secrecy News:
Last week, prosecutors in the case of Thomas A. Drake, the former NSA official who is charged with unlawfully retaining classified information that he allegedly disclosed to a reporter, asked the court to hold a pre-trial conference on the use of the Classified Information Procedures Act (CIPA) in that case.

Environment/Science
Eyjafjallajökull Ash Wreaking Havoc Across Europe, And It Could Get Even Worse
Third of animals 'face extinction'
Mice 'feel pain' just like humans
Cuba: worst sugar harvest in a century - from Rice Farmer
Evidence for interbreeding with Neanderthals, only Africans pure

And...
CEOs who look the part get paid more, researchers say
Russian politician claims he met aliens who wore yellow suits - from Rice Farmer

Medvedev: Chances for New World War Exist; KBR To Get No Bid Contract

2010-05-09T08:02:00.000-07:00

From Jenna Orkin

Headlines
Medvedev: Chances of new World War exist
Richard Clarke: Cyber Attack Could Cripple in 15 Minutes
Times Square Bomb Suspect Worked for Pakistani Taliban, U.S. Officials Say
U.S. warns Pakistan after NY bomb attempt
Arab world needs $144bn to meet food needs - from Rice Farmer
The Future Of Europe Hangs On A Tiny German Election Going On Right Now
KBR To Get No-Bid Contract as US Alleges Kickbacks
Obama makes rare comment about dollar on Russian TV

Economy
British taxpayers ordered to bail out euro
UK Taxpayers Ramrodded Into EU Bailout
Euro recovers on Greece rescue
Phew, that was fast.
UK political instability to knock sterling lower
"We Will Defend the Euro, Whatever it Takes" Says EC President; Neither Speculators nor Goldman Sachs to Blame
EU Pissed at Rating Agencies; Gold Tops $1,200; Pentagon Lobbies Against Raises for Troops;
Did Gold Finally Become The World's New Reserve Currency?
Corporate Bond Sales Plunge 86%
White House Doesn't Rule Out Sabotage in Thursday's Wall St. Plunge
Moody's Gets "Wells Notice," SEC May Order Ratings Agency To "Cease And Desist"
What Freaked The Market Out On Thursday? It Was Those Damn Protest Videos On TV
Food-stamp tally nears 40 million, sets record - from Rice Farmer
Billions pour in for India's superclass
Subcontinent's elite have huge market to themselves – and vast gap is opening up between rich and poor
Anger as NATO prepares to join Red Square parade

Oil Leak/Environment
Major Setback in Oil Leak Effort
BP's Oil-Capture Chamber Clogs, Forcing Its Removal From Leaking Gulf Well
AP: Oil Blowout Preventers Known to Fail
Investigation Into Cutoff Valves Like One in Gulf of Mexico Spill Show Repeated Failures, Weakened Regulations
First Underwater Footage of DEEPWATER - BP
Methane hydrates or "flammable ice."
Tar balls from Gulf oil spill found in Alabama
"Dauphin Island - Tar balls have washed up on Dauphin Island in Alabama, reflecting the seriousness of potential oil contamination, the distance it covers and how difficult it might be to eliminate."
In Less Than 72 Hours, Louisiana Beaches Will Be Pasted With Oil All Over The Place
4 Gulf oil spills in days prior to 4/21
"Two weeks before the recent oil spill beginning 4/21 there were 4 reported incidents of spills reflecting the seriousness of potential oil contamination and patterns related to issues of oil."
Renewables Sector Crosses Line with Ludicrous Claims
Ash cloud closes 19 Spanish airports
Will Iceland's Katla Volcano Blow Next?

Terror/Intelligence/Technology
Pyongyang Shelter Against US Bombs
Microwave Technology to Stop Vehicles
FCC Lets Hollywood Turn Off Your Output Jacks
Mystery Disease Linked to Missing Israeli Scientist; Debunking of Previous Article: SEE HERE
Is Braille facing extinction?
"Schools are shirking Braille for more tech-savvy tools to assist blind students, such as text-to-speech software and audio-enabled ebook readers. But will the loss of Braille detrimentally affect the blind?"

Greenpeace: "Never Been a Successful Response to an Oil Spill"

2010-05-08T06:41:00.000-07:00

From Jenna Orkin

Headlines/World
Euro Will Collapse Like Tower of Babel: Economist - from Rice Farmer
JO comment: Who's gonna pay for it? Hmm...
Guess Who's Paying for Greece Bailout: You
Rep. Alan Grayson: America is Wall Street's Sucker
There's Going to Be Riots in the Streets: Ron Paul
Greek crisis goes viral
Euro crisis goes global as leaders fail to stop the rot - from Rice Farmer
Greek PM has no option but to listen
Greece and the 2010 U.S. elections
UK Budget Deficit to Surpass Greece's
French President Nicolas Sarkozy Vows to "Confront Speculators Mercilessly" via Secret Plan he cannot Reveal
Does the secret plan involve sacred bodily fluids?
'Default Fears Soar For Australian Financials - from Rice Farmer

US
Senate Votes for Wall Street
In case you were wondering if Congress had seen the light yet.
Senate Wants to Stop Secret Holds, Not Secret Spending (Conservative.org)
Audit the Fed Bill Watered Down
FDIC Shuts Seven More Banks at Cost of Over $7 Billion
Freddie Mac Asks for Fresh $10.6 Billion Bailout
Jobs Increase by 290,000; Unemployment Rate Rises to 9.9%
Faulty birth-death model screws up unemployment figures.

Oil Spill
Spill backlash could lift oil costs
Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill By the Numbers
Former White House Press Secretary Suggests Spill Might Be Sabotage
Greenpeace: 'Never been a successful response to oil spill'
And this is beyond a spill; it's an ongoing leak.
Obama Biggest Recipient of BP Cash
Help with the Gulf oil spill by cutting your hair
Americans learn the meaning of sacrifice.

Terror/Intelligence
China Set to Supply Pakistan with Two New Nuclear Reactors
Blasts, shooting kill 1, wound 7 in Bangkok
Train station bomb kills one in Russia: officials
Pakistan mosque accused of strong militant ties
Immigration Detention Pictures from Arizona
Pakistanis pose as Indians after NY bomb scare
Ok everyone, Asana Yoga position 23.
Obama’s War Machine - from Rice Farmer
"The Pentagon presides over 1,000 overseas military bases."
Canada: Journalists cannot protect sources: top court - from Rice Farmer
Iran invites security council to dinner
Is Brazil Developing the Bomb?
Robots Could Attack Accidentally
Modern Survival Blog: Power Grid Vulnerability Into 2012
Police Cameras to Flood Manhattan to Prevent Attacks
White House Denies Reports of Spy Planes Over NYC

Resources
U.S. DOE Takes Next Step on Rare Earths Strategy - from Rice Farmer

Dow Record Plunge; Bank Record Default Risk; Oil Spill Desperate Measure

2010-05-07T07:42:00.000-07:00

From Jenna Orkin

Headlines
Record plunge in Dow stokes market panic
US markets plunge amid debt fears
Contagion fears go global
Are France and Germany in Trouble?
Sea of Red in Asia as Debt Fears Escalate
Bank Default Risk Soars to Record; Credit-Default Swaps Beat Lehman Crisis
Black Swan in Computer Trading? Nasdaq to Cancel Some Trades; Plunge Raises Alarm on Computerized Trading
Citigroup Trading Error Cause Market To Crash? Citigroup Says No

Oil Leak
Deepwater Horizon First Hand Account
Oil Spill Desperate Measure
The headline of this CNN article refers simply to BP's "unprecedented engineering feat to stop oil spill." The truth lies in the URL: Oil-spill-desperate-measure.
Leaked Report: Government Fears Oil Spill Could Become Unchecked Gusher (April 30)
Despite Plan, Not a Single Fire Boom on Hand on Gulf Coast at Time of Spill
Video Shows Federal Officials Knew Quickly of Potential for Massive Oil Flow in Gulf Spill
Cover-Up (Wayne Madsen)
While much of this article is based on disclosures from anonymous sources, the following seems eminently reliable:

"With hurricane season in effect, there is a potential for ocean oil to be picked up by hurricane-driven rains and dropped into fresh water lakes and rivers, far from the ocean, thus adding to the pollution of water supplies and eco-systems."
Troops Set Up Wall in Water to Hold Back Oil
Expert Recommends Killing Oil-Soaked Birds
Congress Members Bet on Fall in Stocks
Oil found off Falklands
Iceland Volcano to Emit Large New Cloud

Economy/World
Moody's Very Likely to Downgrade Portugal
Opinion: Eyewitness slams bank management after 3 workers die in fire
Burma: Suu Kyi's Party Disbanded
UK Hung Parliament Chaos Set To Reign Through The Weekend
Crisis-Stricken Russians Nostalgic for Stalin
South African police foil extremist plot to bomb townships

Terror/Intelligence
White House Denies Reports of Spy Planes Over NYC
Pentagon Turns to Brain Implants to Repair Damaged Minds
Happy Cinco de Mayo, Arizona

Environment/Science
How China and India Sabotaged the UN Climate Summit (Spiegel)
US carbon emissions down record 7 percent in 2009
NASA: Meteorites from Mars Contain Ancient Fossils
One baby with syphilis born every hour in China: US research

And...
Neanderthal Genome Shows Most Humans Are Cavemen
White People Masks for Arizona Immigrants

2010-05-06T05:10:00.000-07:00

From Jenna Orkin

Economy
President of Greece says his nation on the brink of an 'abyss'
Deadly anti-austerity protest erupts in Greece
Greek Violence Threatens to Scare Away Tourists Needed for Saving Economy
Timing a Greek default
Why Not Even A Default Would Fix Greece's Problems
"There's only one solution and that's leaving the euro."
Americans shouldn’t get smug about Europe’s woes
UK budget deficit 'to surpass Greece's as worst in EU'
Roubini: 3 Out Of The 4 PIGS Will Get Creamed
Will the IMF buckle?
"The IMF can't afford to bail-out the rest of southern Europe."
Trichet May Be Forced Into Crisis Mode as ECB Keeps Benchmark Rate at 1%
Czech Central Bank Unexpectedly Lowers Benchmark Rate to Record-Low 0.75%
Bank Default Swaps Surge as Moody's Raises Sovereign Debt Contagion Alert
Euro zone warned of contagion
Sea of Red in Asia as Debt Fears Escalate
There's A Global Shortage Of U.S. Dollars
Roubini: America Faces Inflation Or Default, But What's Really Scary Is That The GOP Could Soon Win Congress
Secret Erik Prince Tape Exposed - Vantage Point
Congress Refuses to Outlaw Insider Trading For Lawmakers - from Rice Farmer

Oil Spill
Gulf containment effort to be attempted Thursday
Dome to be Temporary Solution for Oil Spill
In Gulf of Mexico, Chemicals Under Scrutiny
It's hard to scrutinize a product whose ingredients are a trade secret. - JO
Toxic Oil Dispersant Used in Gulf, Despite Better Alternative
Obama biggest recipient of BP cash
Oil Spill May Permanently Change Gulf Coast
Safety warning over BP rig five years ago
BP Cited for 13 Safety Violations at Washington Plant

Terror/Intelligence
Brain-Scan Evidence Rejected by Brooklyn Court
Osama bin Laden 'living in luxury in Iran' - from Elizabeth Miller
Air Force Treating Wounds With Lasers and Nanotech

Environment/Infrastructure/Science
Farmers in oyster disease protest
US: Water Infrastructure: The Unseen Crisis - from Rice Farmer
"240,000 water main breaks occur around the United States each year."
Earth Could Become Too Hot for Humans - from Elizabeth Miller
Half the Amazon Could be Lost by 2050, Says Study - from Elizabeth Miller
Americans "bombarded" with cancer causes: report
Note: This article fails to identify Dr. Kripke as a doctor.
Peru, Chile border rocked by strong 6.4 magnitude earthquake
Pro-faith scientist wins £1m award

I NEVER THOUGHT...

2010-05-05T19:58:00.001-07:00

May 5, 2010 -- ... I would live to see the day when something like this aired on CNBC. Peak Oil has gone mainstream. The cat's out of the bag... and hungry.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aiNBCyiB0XA
MCR

British Fish Stocks Drop 94%

2010-05-05T07:42:00.000-07:00

From Jenna Orkin

Note: Please see posts below this one for vital updates on Collapsenet, where this blog will appear in the near future.

Headlines
Matt Simmons on Gulf Spill
"It really is a catastrophe," Simmons said. "I don't think they're going to be able to put the leak out until the reservoir depletes. It's just too technically challenging."
He said BP's cleanup costs could ruin the company.
"They're going to have to clean up the Gulf of Mexico," he said.

JO comment: Would someone explain why dispersal is being touted as a solution? Isn't that like spreading the peas around on your plate so you don't have to eat them or, in this case, clean them up? Perhaps the only thing the Gulf spill has going for it is that it's all in one place. If you disperse it, the contamination ratio of one part per million kicks in for real.
N. Korea Accused by Russia of Causing Explosion
Leaking Oil Well Lacked Safeguard Device - WSJ
British fish stocks drop 94%

Economy
World markets tumble as contagion fears take hold
Is Perfect Financial Storm Brewing Overseas?
Huge Violent Riots In Greece, 20 People Trapped Inside Burning Athens Bank
Greek Protests Over Financial Bailout Leave Three Dead, Buildings Burning
Greek Bailout Legislation As An Enabling Act
European Credit Default Swaps Hit New Highs, As Leaders Fail To Halt Spread Of Greece Disease
UK: Mortgage lending plummets by 83% - from Rice Farmer
Iran's economic woes loom
Voter unrest sparks rash of primary challenges
Greenland Oil Rush Looms as Exxon Eyes Cairn's $400 Million Arctic Wager
Outrage in the mining industry as Australia proposes 40 per cent tax
NYC: Paterson Offers Choice: Furloughs or Shutdown
Fresno California Mayor Declares "Fiscal Emergency"

Terror/Intelligence/Media
Lie-Detection Brain Scan Could Get Courtroom Debut
China urges tough Internet laws targeting 'overseas' forces
'Smart dust' aims to monitor everything - from Rice Farmer
JO comment:
Is it time to talk to the Taliban?
Newsweek Is Up for Sale

Environment
Fall in fish stocks far worse than feared, study shows
Fisherman have to work 17 times harder to catch fish than they did in the 19th century
Dead Zones in the Oceans Worldwide - from Vantage Point
Google buys wind farms
Arkansas county experiences its first recorded earthquake
Tennessee Flooding
Opinion: Survey shows U.S. mortality worse than Albania, Tunisia, Chile

And...
Egypt suffering hashish shortage
PLEASE SEE POSTS BELOW FOR COLLAPSENET INFO

Gulf Developments Consistent With Cataclysmic Event

2010-05-04T19:41:00.000-07:00

http://blog.al.com/live/2010/04/deepwater_horizon_secret_memo.html

May 4, 2010, 1600 PDT -- Everybody in the world needs to read this story from the Mobile, Alabama Press-Register. It is solid journalism from a respected news source. I and others have already shown that it is now conservative to estimate the leak at 25,000 bpd. Just yesterday Adm Thad Allen, Commandant - USCG, did not deny that the current leak rate could be as much as 100,000 bpd. He even acknowledged that as possible right now. This story confirms that possibility. -- In the meantime CNN and the government continue to lie and direct attention away from the Gulf. My only conclusion is that they are trying to prevent panic through distraction. -- The longer they delay in telling the truth, the greater the panic will eventually be. I did a long impassioned interview today with WMNV in Tampa. Parts of that are supposed to air in their 6 P.M. drive-time news today and I was told that the rest of the story would be available for download from their web site. I'll provide more details when I have them.

CollapseNet Note -- Within a week we will be launching CollapseNet ahead of schedule. We are doing this because we need to be up and running now. It won't be as pretty as we had hoped, but it will be vastly more effective than what we are doing now. You'll be getting regular video updates and commentary from me, the blog, and quite a bit more. When CollapseNet launches, this URL will become an archival site only with directions to CollapseNet. A great many of the loyal participants here will be given free lifetime memberships to CollapseNet. In addition -- although it may not be possible at launch -- we will be offering barter memberships for those willing to exchange their time and help us populate our data bases. CollapseNet now has four screened volunteers in addition to our board of four people. Jenna will be letting you all know before the blog's last day and she will be providing instructions as to how long-term blog participants who have free memberships can activate them.

I need to stress one thing. All of you who are going to help Beta test or who have been given memberships must fill out a detailed questionnaire to activate your accounts. Everybody will. That is how we will be able to find each other. The data from those questionnaires will populate our maps and data bases and help us buils a ready-reference directory of key suppliers, vendors, schools, and other essential services.

Send no unecessary messages to either Jenna or me. Please don't email Jenna offering to volunteer. As we need them, we will ask for volunteers and employees from the CollapseNet site and we will have procedures in place to respond. When the time comes we'll have people in place to handle what we expect to be a gusher of incoming traffic. Few can yet see what I see. Around the world we are many. Around the world we see and understand what is happening and we want to help. Many of us are already building local lifeboats. We are strong... and soon we will be heard.

This is it. Stay real cool and loose. This is just the beginning. We do what we can because that's all we can do.

MCR

INVITATION TO SELECT BLOGGERS AND DONORS TO PARTICIPATE IN BETA TESTING FOR COLLAPSENET

2010-05-04T07:59:00.000-07:00

We will soon begin a program of worldwide Beta testing for Collapsenet. I would like to invite the below-listed regular contributors to this wonderful blog to participate in this phase of our launch so that we can make CollapseNet as useful as possible in the shortest period of time. If you would like to participate in Beta testing please send an email to wmiller310@hotmail.com. (that's CollapseNet's Chief of Staff / V.P. - Strategic Development's side e-mail just for this). State in the email that you are a member of the blog and were invited to participate by me and Jenna. Keep messages short. We're busier than you can imagine. We'll get back to you directly as things develop. We expect to start Beta testing sometime during the week of May 3rd. -- We're all doing the best we can.

Also, everyone who has dontated funds to me in the past or who has received a personal invitation recently from me to participate should send a similar e-mail. Our lists of past donors are somewhat dispersed and not easy to fully reconstruct in our haste to get CollapseNet launched. We do not want to leave you out. The easiest and fastest way for us to plug you into the CollapseNet website is by your sending an identifying e-mail to us at the above e-mail address. You will be contacted soon with Beta testing instructions, logins and initial passwords.

I have to tell all of you that the country is mobilizing in some wonderful ways and I couldn't be more gratified than I am to see how much support we have. PLEASE, do not send Jenna any emails asking to volunteer as a Beta-tester. We're compiling a large list and Jenna's not handling that. If you have my personal email address, please do not send anything to me there. We're changing information flows to make everyone more effective.

Thanks to all you wonderful souls who have given so much for so long..

MCR

Rice Farmer
Eyeballs
F. Kamilov
Sebastian Ronin
Businessman
Peter J. Nickitas
Ecosutra
Gamedog
Elmo
Peaked Out
Elizabeth Miller
Sunmr
Soggy Bottom
Pandabonium
Weaseldog
Jon Noel
Vantage Point
Son of a Farmer
**********************************************************************
From Jenna Orkin

Headlines
Mother of All Gushers Could Kill Earth's Oceans - from Elizabeth Miller
Mother of All Bubbles: Huge National Debts Could Push Euro Zone into Bankruptcy
Leaked report: Government fears Deepwater Horizon well could become unchecked gusher
Total Wellhead Failure Raises Fear of Worst Case Scenario
Fears for crops as shock figures from America show scale of bee catastrophe
Copper thieves cause power grid havoc
Kim Jong-il Spokesperson Blames Torpedo Attack On The U.S. Friendly Fire
War game shows how attacking Iran could backfire
Jordan River could die by 2011: report - from Elizabeth Miller

Economy
Merkel's Coalition Steps Up Calls for `Orderly Insolvencies' of EU States
Debt Shock for Japan
Risk of Japan Going Bankrupt Is Real
...by 2011.
Greek Fund to Provide as Much as $19.8 Billion for Banks, EU Document Says
ECB Comes to Greece’s Aid by Waiving Collateral Rules; ECB Plays With Fire; Europe's Web of Debt
Is Spain the Next EU Country To Tumble Into a Debt Crisis?
"Super Tax" Hits Australia; In US, Gold will be an Easy Target; Expatriates Give Up US Citizenship To Avoid Taxes
Plunge in State Revenue - California
Economic data -- not spill -- push oil prices higher - from Rice Farmer
Truth and Myths of the Federal Reserve
Sterling gold price record

Terror/Intelligence
Taliban chief resurfaces on video
New York Bomb Suspect Says He Acted Alone
Except for a wee bit of help from....... PAKISTAN! (Insert scary emoticon with appropriate music tag)
Failed New York bomb puts Pakistan in spotlight
NYPD Wants to Jam Cell Phones During Terror Attack
NYPD Cuts Cops, Keeps Spycams for Terror Defense
Darpa Spy Cams to Find Threats in 'Weak Evidence'
Researchers Hone in on 'Spot-a-Terrorist' Spy Cams
Why London's Spy Cams Don't Spook Bombers
Al Jazeera English launching today in Canada
US starts anti-al-Qaeda military exercise in Sahara - from Rice Farmer
Amazon is tracking most-highlighted Kindle passages - from Rice Farmer
The Guardian may be helping the far-Right
South Park: most dangerous show on TV?
Christian preacher arrested for saying homosexuality is a sin

Environment
Farmers Cope With Roundup-Resistant Weeds
Monsanto's calling card.
DEET Mosquito Repellent Could Lose Its Bite
German Enviro Says EVs ‘Plunder’ and Pollute
Nano Patents and Innovations

And...
Beautiful women can be bad for your health, according to scientists
But ugly women are good, right?

China May "Crash" in Next 9-12 Months, Faber Says; US Taxpayer on Hook for Liability; Halliburton in Spotlight in Gulf Spill Probe

2010-05-03T07:13:00.000-07:00

From Jenna Orkin

Headlines
China May `Crash' in Next 9 to 12 Months, Faber Says
North Korea's Kim appears to have entered China: report
Iran Offers Help in Cleaning Gulf of Oil Spill
Tax on Oil May Help Pay for Cleanup
"Under the law that established the reserve, called the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund, the operators of the offshore rig face no more than $75 million in liability for the damages that might be claimed by individuals, companies or the government, although they are responsible for the cost of containing and cleaning up the spill."

Well then; better let it cause damage than clean it up, no?

"The fund was set up by Congress in 1986 but not financed until after the Exxon Valdez ran aground in Alaska in 1989."

Moral: After the malfeasance, reward the malefactor (or, in Bushspeak, the "evildoer.")
Halliburton in Spotlight in Gulf Spill Probe
Papantonio: Thank Dick Cheney and His Meetings With Oil Industry Execs for Lack of Safeguard on Oil Rig
Papantonio laid the blame squarely in Dick Cheney's lap and said this was one of the deregulations of the energy industry that was negotiated during his secret meetings with oil industry and other energy executives during George Bush's first term in office and called this the biggest under-reported aspect of this disaster.
Whistleblower: BP Risks More Massive Catastrophes in Gulf - from Vantage Point
How Bad Is the Oil Spill?
"Conceivably - if the oil spill continued for years - the greater thickness or "viscosity" of the oil in comparison to ocean water, or the different ability of oil and seawater to hold warmth (called "specific heat"), could interfere with the normal temperature and salinity processes which drive the ocean currents, and thus shut down the ocean currents and change the world's climate.
However, while this is an interesting theory (and could make for a good novel or movie), it simply will not happen.

Why not?

Because there simply is not enough oil in the leaking oil pocket to interfere with global ocean currents. And even if this turns out to be a much bigger oil pocket than geologists predict, some smart engineer will figure out how to cap the leak well before any doomsday scenario could possibly happen."
The Dominos Are Lining Up for a Sovereign Debt Crisis! - from Rice Farmer

World
US Gives Abbas Private Assurances Over Israeli Settlements
UN Elects Iran to Commission on Women's Rights
Taiwan says will not seek U.S. help to fight wars
Africa's oil wealth boosts arms sales - from Rice Farmer
7 journalists killed in Honduras in space of 2 months

Economy
Greece braces for "violent modernization"
Confessions of a Wall Street Nihilist: Forget About Goldman Sachs; The Whole Economy Is Built on Fraud
Social Security a Ponzi Scheme
Americans Resume Spending More Than They Can Afford
Continental and United Announce $3 Billion Merger
Where would we be without offshore oil? - from Rice Farmer
The Homeless at College - from Rice Farmer
"For-profit schools are tapping shelters and halfway houses for new students, loading them with debt and leaving taxpayers on the hook."

Terror/Intelligence
PA Tax Amnesty TV ad: "We Know Who You Are"
Nuclear subs went to sea with defect
British vessels Turbulent and Tireless left port with safety valves sealed off, risking catastrophic explosion, leaked MoD memo reveals .
Q and A with Richard Clarke - from Jon Noel
What scenarios would lead another country to unleash a major cyber attack?

"You have to imagine a political-military circumstance in which a nation-state had decided to go to war. [If, for example, Western nations imposed a full-scale naval embargo on Iran,] do you think they’re going to take that? No. They’re going to retaliate with terrorism. But what if they have a cyber command, too? According to the CIA, between 20 and 30 countries have one [presumably including Iran]. … The next thing you know, the Western power grid is down. And in a cascading failure, several of the big generators actually blew up, so they can’t be replaced easily. And several of the high tension wires melted. So it’s not just a matter of rebooting. It’s going to take months to get the power grid back to normal. That could happen today."
Oil spills, crime waves and the increasing militarization of American life - from Rice Farmer
"We'll Blame It On The Muslims, Naturally"
1996 Film scene concerning terrorist attack killing 4000 people

Environment/Science
Stephen Hawking: How to Build a Time Machine
Valium prescriptions soar during recession
Disease threatens to fell Britain's historic oak trees
Twisted Physics: 7 Recent Mind-Blowing Findings
Some History of Environmental Cleanups:
Radiation Leak at Delhi University
Chernobyl Pictures/Memoir
Japan's PM Attends Service for Those Who Died of Industrial Pollution
Could Be Costly to Clean 123 Year Old Campus