(News Links below - JO)
October 19, 2009
Dear Friends of FTW:
The deck was stacked against Mike from the start in the recent sexual harassment ruling against From The Wilderness, Inc. Oregon’s Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI) is an executive agency that has unabashedly acted as investigator, prosecutor, judge, and (attempted) collection agent against Michael C. Ruppert even though he is not even the named defendant in this case. In this follow-up letter, I want to point out just a few ways in which BOLI has abused Mike’s rights and treated him unfairly in its Final Order.
To start with, the A.L.J. made numerous errors in interpreting the law. In sexual harassment cases, the act of “retaliation” is a question of whether a defendant improperly punishes a complainant on the job, as for example through demotions, pay cuts, altering job duties, or by firing the complainant. Following the alleged retaliatory act in this case - the job termination - the calculation of damages properly relates to the actual harm caused to the complainant (i.e., the financial harm and emotional distress intended to be caused by the accused employer). Acts or statements made by the defending employer following termination should have no bearing on the analysis of damages for emotional distress, particularly when the job no longer exists and the company is a defunct enterprise, as FTW most certainly is.
Mike, and every citizen, has the 1st Amendment right to speak in their own defense. Nevertheless, BOLI gives weight to completely irrelevant and inadmissible post-termination truthful statements made by Mike to defend himself against these allegations and to protect his reputation, all to conjure some intent by Mike to cause additional “emotional distress”. Mike said nothing after the termination in any form or forum that can be fairly determined to constitute further “retaliation”. Simply put, if the complainant felt damaged by Mike’s post-termination statements, her proper remedy was a libel or slander suit. No such suit was ever filed because Mike’s statements were neither libelous nor slanderous. They were true, as we have come to expect from Mike over many years.
At the hearing, Mike established a clear record that he fired the complainant for cause and no other reason. In complainant's three-month tenure she had become sexually involved with a key staff member, caused one physical altercation between two staff members that Mike wasn't involved in or near, and repeatedly disrupted the office environment and verbally assaulted yet another male employee more than once. She was seen in public displaying open affection towards Mike which made him uncomfortable and caused him to move away, yet a local Ashland resident who appeared and testified to these events was dismissed out of hand in the final ruling for the sole reason that he was friends with Mike and had written for FTW.
Additionally, even though hearsay evidence is authorized to be received in these contested hearings, the A.L.J. refused to admit into evidence affidavits by three witnesses for Mike because they were not present to testify under cross-examination. The A.L.J. further refused to allow Mike to call one of complainant’s witnesses in Mike’s case-in-chief because he wasn’t on Mike’s witness list (even though that witness was previously called by the complainant in BOLI’s case-in-chief!). This same witness – who was a former employee of FTW’s, who was engaged in a sexual relationship with the complainant, and who was allowed only to testify for the complainant – made statements that were acknowledged as discredited by the A.L.J., yet the A.L.J. received as credible the rest of that biased testimony as interpreted against Mike. With testimony this slanted, Mike didn’t have a chance.
The complainant in this case was impeached (discredited) numerous times during the hearing – including by her own mother. Moreover, even though complainant’s witnesses had been impeached by the evidence, the complainant's witness statements were given credibility in the ruling. Mike’s testimony, on the other hand, was only credited by the A.L.J. to the extent it hurt him and not in its entirety or in context. The A.L.J. even included prior consistent statements of Mike in the context of determining an emotional damage award, yet he refused to include those statements in his evaluation of Mike’s case. Talk about cherry-picking!
Even more egregious (and insulting) is the determination by the A.L.J. to discredit portions of Mike’s sworn testimony simply because Mike HAD NOT made out of court statements on those issues. In any fair trial testimony under oath is the preferred method of gathering the facts, and out-of-court statements are only allowed if they fit an exception to the hearsay rule. In order to tarnish Mike, the A.L.J. stands that principle on its head to the point of absurdity.
Another example of legal error is the inclusion by the A.L.J of “evidence” of intimidation in determining emotional damages related to the fact that Mike kept a gun in his office, and the complainant once saw Mike pack a gun for his journey to retrieve the files for the Pat Tillman case. The A.L.J. acknowledges that Mike has had two verified attempts on his life, that he kept a gun in his office for the protection of himself and his staff, and that he is a firearms expert. NOWHERE in the record is there even the slightest allegation that Mike made any physical threats to the complainant or otherwise did anything inappropriate concerning his possession of firearms, yet the A.L.J. determined that Mike’s “…handgun reasonably caused Complainant to fear retaliation by Ruppert”. In this regard, my first question is, “What is reasonable about that?” This whole line of discussion by the A.L.J. in the Order is not only irrelevant but highly prejudicial and inflammatory against Mike. This is also another example of how the A.L.J. held completely irrelevant facts against Mike to enhance the determination of the emotional damages award.
On a personal note, I want people to understand the real importance of what we are doing here. I have been a student of “Peak Oil” and sustainability issues for the last four years, and I count myself among the numbers of people striving toward a sustainable future. I also used to help put sex offenders (juvenile and adult) in prison for their crimes; I have helped employers draft sexual harassment policies and deal with sexual harassment issues; I have a daughter, and a wife in the workforce; and, my own sister has been a victim of both sexual battery and sexual harassment. If I did not believe Mike, in his current appellate case, in his character, and absolutely know the imperative of the message he is trying to deliver, I would not have stepped forward. This is a righteous fight for the right reasons. Make no mistake, however. This will be an uphill battle even in the Court of Appeals. I am confident we can win, but we need your help. Please help us by donating to the FTW Legal Defense Fund.
Sincerely,
Wesley T. Miller
Attorney at Law
(Former Assistant District Attorney, Coos County, Oregon)
----------
HOW TO DONATE
FTW needs funds to support this appeal. What is being defended here is the message in the film CoLLapse and in Mike’s new book, “A Presidential Energy Policy”. Please donate today! Following are PayPal and routing information for domestic and international wire transfers.PayPal – Donations intended for the From The Wilderness legal defense fund can be made by donating to mcrfinaid@gmail.com. -- International Wire Transfers – Please use the following routing numbers for donations from outside the U.S. Your bank should be able to provide conversion rates. Account Name: From The Wilderness Legal Defense Fund; Bank: Wells Fargo Routing Numbers: 121000248 – 3496610480On PayPal transfers please note whether you intend for your donation to be used for my living expenses or for the defense fund. Otherwise we will assume you intend the money to be used for the defense fund. Checks can be made out and mailed to:
FTW Legal Defense Fund
c/o Rubiconworks
10736 Jefferson Bl. PMB 618
Culver City, CA 90232
********************************************************************
From Jenna Orkin:
Collapse/US
The Next Oil Crisis is Just Ahead
Private equity firms trying to cash out of their investments. Uh-oh
Financial Coup D'Etat and the Reaction of Gold
Reports on Stimulus Spending Go Public Today: Wash. Post Link
Geithner Aides Reaped Millions Working for Banks, Hedge Funds
Still on the Job But at Half the Pay
"What this means," said Thomas J. Nardone, an assistant commissioner at the bureau, "is that the amount of money people are paid has taken a big hit; not just those who have lost their jobs, but those who are still employed."
Colorado Minimum Wage Poised To Drop
Foreclosures On Pace To Hit 3.5 Million
FHA Rules Render Condos Utterly Worthless
Time for Baltimore to "Pull a Vallejo" and Declare Bankruptcy
Geithner Says Confidence Will Help Boost Dollar
Don't look down.
Goldman Doesn't Have `Too Big to Fail' Government Guarantee, Viniar Says
Dollar May Decline to 50 Yen, Lose Reserve-Currency Status, Sumitomo Says
Dangerous Unintended Consequences
The only thing we'd quibble with in this article submitted by Rice Farmer is whether the dangerous consequences really were unintended. - JO
Why the market doesn’t fall: The big money needs a winner in ’09
Wal-Mart’s Computers Breached in ’05, ’06 Attacks: Wired Link
Obama's green guru calls for clean coal
Meet the professor who can seemingly predict political events using a laptop (from Rice Farmer)
Europe
Britain's Secret Weapon Against a Fiscal Crisis
In the US, average length of the existing Treasury bonds was, at recent count, 4.7 years and falling. Because this is such a short maturity, it means the debt has to be rolled over far more often, and at every point the government runs the risk of setting in stone any changes in interest rates. In France, the average maturity is 7.1 years, in Italy 6.9 years, in Germany 6.35 and in Japan 5.7 years. In Britain, the weighted average maturity of government bonds is a whopping 14.2 years.
'Monsoon style' floods to hit Britain
One in five black British men out of a job
Could early retirement kill you?
Getting seniors acclimated to the idea of working longer.
A Sterling Crash is a Godsend
Britain's real jobless total 'more than 3m' says new report
Britain will starve without GM crops, says major report
Civil servants first Britons to get ID cards
Mussoline and MI5
French troops died when Italy stopped 'bribes'
The looming threat of terror that comes from the far right
ThyssenKrupp 'Had No Choice' but to Sell Shipyards to Arab Investors
...the financial crisis has forced Germany to be less picky about foreign investors.
Serb Jailed For Spying For U.S.
Sweden Turning Stray Rabbits Into Biofuel
Soylent green isThumper.
German Nuclear Comeback Spells Bad News for Wind Power
German Ship Transporting Arms for Iran (from Rice Farmer)
Middle East/Africa
Qatar Airways Uses Natural-Gas Based Jet Fuel
Al-Qaeda's guerrilla chief lays out strategy
Money and Mandarin lessons fuel China's African invasion (from Rice Farmer)
Science/Environment
Science news
WWF: Five years to stop uncontrollable climate change
Sicily's First Eco-Village Blooms
Monday, October 19, 2009
Thursday, October 15, 2009
FTW’S APPEALS LAWYER SPEAKS OUT ON POLITICAL PERSECUTION IN OREGON SEXUAL HARASSMENT CASE – More Funds Needed (Part 1 of 2)
October 14, 2009
Dear Friends of FTW:
To a hammer everything is a nail. And the nail that is Michael C. Ruppert has been hammered unfairly and relentlessly by BOLI for more than three years, culminating in an administrative judgment that patently violates all notions of fair play and equal justice.
I am Mike’s attorney for the appeal, and I want to share some perspective on this case. If you’ve read the decision against Mike, your opinion of Mike may have been tarnished, but please know that the process and the decision itself are obviously biased. The Final Order in this case is replete with factual and legal errors. Worse, there is no question in my mind that key events in this case -- especially public announcements -- were timed to do the most personal harm to Mike Ruppert.
The Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) hearing the case severely undermined Mike’s defense by making a number of bizarre and bad evidentiary rulings. The A.L.J. did not include any of Mike’s exculpatory or impeachment evidence in the Proposed Order. In fact, the A.L.J. elected to repeat and print in the Order sent to the press only those statements and evidence from Mike that could be interpreted as helping to support the complainant’s case.
Mike is correct when he argues that no investigation of these allegations is complete until it examines the burglary and smashing of FTW’s computers in June, 2006. A horribly flawed police report was improperly leaked to the Ashland Daily Tidings (as admitted by Ashland police), and a malicious smear campaign by the Tidings Editor and a reporter was admitted as evidence against Mike in the present case. That editor (Andrew Scot Bolsinger) is now in prison for sex abuse of a minor and is suspected in several major felony fraud cases against Ashland businesses (should he be considered “credible”?). Even though BOLI’s case presenter introduced these libelous Daily Tidings stories as evidence against Mike, BOLI completely disregards Mike’s evidence related to these issues and pretends as if these events never existed in its Final Order.
Then there are the manner and timing with which this Final Order was handed down. The BOLI Commissioner arrogantly stated to the press that, ““Sexual harassment of this magnitude is a brazen violation of the law and the damages ordered here will clearly show BOLI’s commitment to aggressively enforcing the law.” Really? Is he serious?
The worst fact against Mike in this entire case is that Mike appeared un-aroused in his underwear in the complainant’s sight for approximately 10 seconds. Is that so brazen as to justify an award for emotional damages amounting to five years worth of the complainant’s salary at the time? The amount of emotional damages awarded in this case is three times higher than the largest emotional damages award for sexual harassment EVER made by BOLI (as published on BOLI’s website) yet there was no touching, no sex, and the complainant only worked for FTW for three months.
The State Commissioner issued his Final Order without ever laying his eyes on a witness, and there is no indication that he even listened to the tape recordings of the hearing or otherwise evaluated Mike’s exculpatory evidence. In fact, the BOLI Commissioner was arrogant enough to admit as much to the Medford Mail-Tribune on September 25, 2009, when “Avakian said he rendered his decision based on an 84-page legal assessment of the case given to him by an administrative law judge who heard the case.”
How can a respondent have a fair “day in court” when the ultimate judge of the facts and law has not even seen a single witness testify and has not fully evaluated all of the evidence produced?
BOLI Commissioner Brad Avakian went on to incorrectly tell the Mail-Tribune that “BOLI intends to pursue the case against Ruppert wherever he is and get (the complainant) “every penny we can collect.”” Avakian added, “We have the ability to keep these judgments up to 10 years, and then can go another 10 years,” and “That can go on forever.” Never mind the fact the by the terms of the very order the Commissioner signed, Mike Ruppert is not personally responsible for one dime of the judgment against FTW, Inc. This incident fairly raises the question, though – does Avakian even thoroughly read the Orders he signs? Avakian went on to imply that Ruppert was a fugitive hiding in Venezuela, even though BOLI had just mailed the decision to Mike’s home in Culver City, CA. Avakian also knew that Mike had just spent three days defending FTW in a BOLI hearing room in Medford.
To be clear, there is no judgment against Michael C. Ruppert. These inflammatory statements made by the Commissioner appear to us as meant only to unfairly hurt Mike’s public image at a critical moment.
Although Avakian apologized and corrected some statements to the Mail-Tribune, the damage to Mike’s reputation could not have come at a worse time. We cannot know what the intentions of the Commissioner were in the timing of the release of the Final Order or in regards to his press statements. What we do know for sure is that Mike’s reputation was unfairly assaulted by an erroneous decision and by personal press attacks by the Commissioner at a time that actually caused the greatest possible harm to Mike and to his message – following wide critical acclaim for the movie “CoLLapse” while distribution talks were underway.
Mike’s mission is and has been to try to help the human species save itself from imminent and certain peril. I view my job on this case as correcting the record and doing my best at restoring Mike’s good name so that he can get that message out to as many people as possible. It’s going to be a long and expensive fight, and we need your help to see it through. Please help us by donating to the FTW Legal Defense Fund.
(To be continued in Part II – Legal and Factual Errors, to be released on Monday, Oct. 19th. 2009).
Sincerely,
Wesley T. Miller
Attorney at Law
(Former Assistant District Attorney, Coos County, Oregon)
HOW TO DONATE
FTW needs funds to support this appeal. What is being defended here is the message in the film CoLLapse and in Mike’s new book, “A Presidential Energy Policy”. Please donate today!
Following are PayPal and routing information for domestic and international wire transfers.PayPal – Donations intended for the From The Wilderness legal defense fund can be made by donating to mcrfinaid@gmail.com.International Wire Transfers – Please use the following routing numbers for donations from outside the U.S. Your bank should be able to provide conversion rates.Account Name: From The Wilderness Legal Defense FundBank: Wells FargoRouting Numbers: 121000248 – 3496610480On PayPal transfers please note whether you intend for your donation to be used for my living expenses or for the defense fund. Otherwise we will assume you intend the money to be used for the defense fund.
Checks can be made out and mailed to:
FTW Legal Defense Fund
c/o Rubiconworks
10736 Jefferson Bl. PMB 618
Culver City, CA 90232
Dear Friends of FTW:
To a hammer everything is a nail. And the nail that is Michael C. Ruppert has been hammered unfairly and relentlessly by BOLI for more than three years, culminating in an administrative judgment that patently violates all notions of fair play and equal justice.
I am Mike’s attorney for the appeal, and I want to share some perspective on this case. If you’ve read the decision against Mike, your opinion of Mike may have been tarnished, but please know that the process and the decision itself are obviously biased. The Final Order in this case is replete with factual and legal errors. Worse, there is no question in my mind that key events in this case -- especially public announcements -- were timed to do the most personal harm to Mike Ruppert.
The Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) hearing the case severely undermined Mike’s defense by making a number of bizarre and bad evidentiary rulings. The A.L.J. did not include any of Mike’s exculpatory or impeachment evidence in the Proposed Order. In fact, the A.L.J. elected to repeat and print in the Order sent to the press only those statements and evidence from Mike that could be interpreted as helping to support the complainant’s case.
Mike is correct when he argues that no investigation of these allegations is complete until it examines the burglary and smashing of FTW’s computers in June, 2006. A horribly flawed police report was improperly leaked to the Ashland Daily Tidings (as admitted by Ashland police), and a malicious smear campaign by the Tidings Editor and a reporter was admitted as evidence against Mike in the present case. That editor (Andrew Scot Bolsinger) is now in prison for sex abuse of a minor and is suspected in several major felony fraud cases against Ashland businesses (should he be considered “credible”?). Even though BOLI’s case presenter introduced these libelous Daily Tidings stories as evidence against Mike, BOLI completely disregards Mike’s evidence related to these issues and pretends as if these events never existed in its Final Order.
Then there are the manner and timing with which this Final Order was handed down. The BOLI Commissioner arrogantly stated to the press that, ““Sexual harassment of this magnitude is a brazen violation of the law and the damages ordered here will clearly show BOLI’s commitment to aggressively enforcing the law.” Really? Is he serious?
The worst fact against Mike in this entire case is that Mike appeared un-aroused in his underwear in the complainant’s sight for approximately 10 seconds. Is that so brazen as to justify an award for emotional damages amounting to five years worth of the complainant’s salary at the time? The amount of emotional damages awarded in this case is three times higher than the largest emotional damages award for sexual harassment EVER made by BOLI (as published on BOLI’s website) yet there was no touching, no sex, and the complainant only worked for FTW for three months.
The State Commissioner issued his Final Order without ever laying his eyes on a witness, and there is no indication that he even listened to the tape recordings of the hearing or otherwise evaluated Mike’s exculpatory evidence. In fact, the BOLI Commissioner was arrogant enough to admit as much to the Medford Mail-Tribune on September 25, 2009, when “Avakian said he rendered his decision based on an 84-page legal assessment of the case given to him by an administrative law judge who heard the case.”
How can a respondent have a fair “day in court” when the ultimate judge of the facts and law has not even seen a single witness testify and has not fully evaluated all of the evidence produced?
BOLI Commissioner Brad Avakian went on to incorrectly tell the Mail-Tribune that “BOLI intends to pursue the case against Ruppert wherever he is and get (the complainant) “every penny we can collect.”” Avakian added, “We have the ability to keep these judgments up to 10 years, and then can go another 10 years,” and “That can go on forever.” Never mind the fact the by the terms of the very order the Commissioner signed, Mike Ruppert is not personally responsible for one dime of the judgment against FTW, Inc. This incident fairly raises the question, though – does Avakian even thoroughly read the Orders he signs? Avakian went on to imply that Ruppert was a fugitive hiding in Venezuela, even though BOLI had just mailed the decision to Mike’s home in Culver City, CA. Avakian also knew that Mike had just spent three days defending FTW in a BOLI hearing room in Medford.
To be clear, there is no judgment against Michael C. Ruppert. These inflammatory statements made by the Commissioner appear to us as meant only to unfairly hurt Mike’s public image at a critical moment.
Although Avakian apologized and corrected some statements to the Mail-Tribune, the damage to Mike’s reputation could not have come at a worse time. We cannot know what the intentions of the Commissioner were in the timing of the release of the Final Order or in regards to his press statements. What we do know for sure is that Mike’s reputation was unfairly assaulted by an erroneous decision and by personal press attacks by the Commissioner at a time that actually caused the greatest possible harm to Mike and to his message – following wide critical acclaim for the movie “CoLLapse” while distribution talks were underway.
Mike’s mission is and has been to try to help the human species save itself from imminent and certain peril. I view my job on this case as correcting the record and doing my best at restoring Mike’s good name so that he can get that message out to as many people as possible. It’s going to be a long and expensive fight, and we need your help to see it through. Please help us by donating to the FTW Legal Defense Fund.
(To be continued in Part II – Legal and Factual Errors, to be released on Monday, Oct. 19th. 2009).
Sincerely,
Wesley T. Miller
Attorney at Law
(Former Assistant District Attorney, Coos County, Oregon)
HOW TO DONATE
FTW needs funds to support this appeal. What is being defended here is the message in the film CoLLapse and in Mike’s new book, “A Presidential Energy Policy”. Please donate today!
Following are PayPal and routing information for domestic and international wire transfers.PayPal – Donations intended for the From The Wilderness legal defense fund can be made by donating to mcrfinaid@gmail.com.International Wire Transfers – Please use the following routing numbers for donations from outside the U.S. Your bank should be able to provide conversion rates.Account Name: From The Wilderness Legal Defense FundBank: Wells FargoRouting Numbers: 121000248 – 3496610480On PayPal transfers please note whether you intend for your donation to be used for my living expenses or for the defense fund. Otherwise we will assume you intend the money to be used for the defense fund.
Checks can be made out and mailed to:
FTW Legal Defense Fund
c/o Rubiconworks
10736 Jefferson Bl. PMB 618
Culver City, CA 90232
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Notices of Release of CoLLapse
FilmBuff and Vitagraph Films To Release Chris Smith's Documentary ...By The Critic Chris Smith's critically acclaimed and incendiary documentary COLLAPSE will reach audiences a record two months after debuting without a distributor at the 2009 Toronto Intern ational Film Festival (TIFF). A unique deal with FilmBuff ...smartcine.com News Blog - http://smartcine.com/blog/
QuickShots FIND/Sloan grant; Denver to fete Holbrook; 'Collapse ...Chris Smith's 2009 Toronto doc “Collapse” will come to audiences in a deal between FilmBuff and Vitagraph Films. Vitagraph will handle the film's theatrical release and FilmBuff will launch the film on VOD simultaneously to its ...indieWIRE News - http://www.indiewire.com/
Chris Smith's “Collapse” Coming Soon (indieWIRE) I Film Channel
QuickShots FIND/Sloan grant; Denver to fete Holbrook; 'Collapse ...Chris Smith's 2009 Toronto doc “Collapse” will come to audiences in a deal between FilmBuff and Vitagraph Films. Vitagraph will handle the film's theatrical release and FilmBuff will launch the film on VOD simultaneously to its ...indieWIRE News - http://www.indiewire.com/
Chris Smith's “Collapse” Coming Soon (indieWIRE) I Film Channel
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
FILMBUFF AND VITAGRAPH PARTNER TO RELEASE CHRIS SMITH’S COLLAPSE
Documentary to reach audiences in record time
New York / NY (October 13th, 2009) – Chris Smith’s critically acclaimed and incendiary documentary COLLAPSE will reach audiences a record two months after debuting without a distributor at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). A unique deal with FilmBuff and Vitagraph Films was announced today. Vitagraph Films, LLC will handle the film’s theatrical release and FilmBuff will launch the film on VOD simultaneously to its theatrical run. Vitagraph will open the film at New York’s Angelika Theater and Film Buff will premiere the film on cable providers nationwide on November 6th. The film will also rollout theatrically into other markets while also being available on FilmBuff. The VOD/theatrical release of the film has also been endorsed by Landmark theatres, who have agreed to play the film day and date on December 4th, in both the Bay Area (San Francisco and Berkeley ) and in San Diego .This is the first time a film will be released this soon after it premiered at a festival without distribution.
Smith has shown an affinity for outsiders in films like American Movie and The Yes Men. In COLLAPSE, Smith departs stylistically from his past documentaries by interviewing his subject Michael Ruppert in a format that recalls the work of Errol Morris and Spalding Gray. Ruppert, a former Los Angeles police officer turned independent reporter, predicted the current financial crisis in his self-published newsletter at a time when most Wall Street and Washington analysts were still in denial. A character study of the apocalyptic imagination, COLLAPSE is a portrait of a man who believes with total conviction that industrial civilization is on the verge of collapse.
COLLAPSE elicited a powerful response from press at TIFF including: Time Out NY (“Riveting!”), Hammer to Nail (“Terrifying!”), Variety (“An intellectual horror that ranks as an essential work.”), The Onion (“Grade: A! I for one left the theatre shaken.”), Entertainment Weekly (“You may want to dispute him, but more than that you’ll want to hear him, because what he says – right or wrong, prophecy or paranoia – takes up residence in your mind.”), Movie City News (“The most important film I saw at Toronto this year.”), and Hollywood Elsewhere (““A pulverizing film. Everyone needs to see it.”).
“The film had such great word of mouth at Toronto that we immediately began looking for ways to get the film to the biggest audience in the shortest amount of time possible,” says Smith. “After considering many options, it quickly became clear that working with David Shultz and John Sloss was the most innovative and exciting way to release this film. “ Shultz heads up distribution at Vitagraph and Sloss is founder of Cinetic Rights Management which operates FilmBuff.
"When the film premiered at Toronto, audiences demanded that it be released as soon as possible, and as widely as possible. As big fans of Chris and this film, we immediately felt the best way to share such a timely and topical work, was through video-on-demand," says FilmBuff's Matt Dentler.
"Vitagraph Films has chosen to be involved with the day and date theatrical and VOD release of Chris Smith's COLLAPSE because it's part of the new frontier of documentaries that are extremely time sensitive and their strength of their impact on society is in the here and now," said Vitagraph Head of Distribution David Shultz and President of Marketing and Publicity Margot Gerber.
The deal was negotiated by Cinetic on behalf of the filmmakers.
Smith is an accomplished filmmaker whose previous films include American Job (1996, Sundance Film Festival), American Movie (1999, Grand Jury Prize Sundance Film Festival, Sony Pictures Classics), Home Movie (2001, Sundance Film Festival), The Yes Men (2004, United Artists) and most recently The Pool (2008), which was also released by Vitagraph Films, LLC. The Pool won a Special Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival and was selected as one of the Top 25 Films of 2008 by the Museum of Modern Art.
Kinosmith is releasing the film in November in Canada on the heels of the US release.
About Vitagraph Films
Established in 1999, Vitagraph Films is primarily a theatrical releasing entity with a mandate to domestically distribute rare and unique film programming to theatrical exhibitors. David Shultz and Margot Gerber are the principals who established Vitagraph, with David Shultz heading up distribution and Margot Gerber helming the marketing and publicity for the company. Most recently, Vitagraph worked on theatrical release campaigns for the current documentary hit VALENTINO: THE LAST EMPEROR, TOKYO!, THE POOL, JCVD and 2009 Academy Award and Golden Globe foreign film nominee THE BAADER MEINHOF COMPLEX, which is currently in distribution.
About FilmBuff and Cinetic Rights Management (CRM) FilmBuff is a VOD channel programmed and operated by Cinetic Rights Management (CRM). Formed in 2007 by Cinetic Media partners John Sloss and Robert Nathan, CRM provides comprehensive film sales representation for digital media. Cinetic has become the industry gold standard through aggressive sales and innovative deal making. That reputation now extends to digital platforms through CRM. CRM is dedicated to assessing the universe of licensing opportunities in order to maximize revenue on behalf of filmmakers. CRM maintains up-to-the-minute relationships with and knowledge of all digital retailers, from the large portals serving the broadest audiences to the small sites serving deep niche interests. CRM provides clients with a fully-integrated digital rights management service including: pioneering sales negotiation and strategy, digital encoding logistics, committed grassroots marketing; and collated accounting and reporting relationships with and knowledge of all digital retailers, from the large portals serving the broadest audiences to the small sites serving deep niche interests. CRM provides clients with a fully-integrated digital rights management service including: pioneering sales negotiation and strategy, digital encoding logistics, committed grassroots marketing; and collated accounting and reporting.
End of World Postponed
From Jenna Orkin:
End of World Postponed
'2012 is not the end of the world
God is not the Creator, claims academic
Energy Crisis Postponed as New Gas Rescues the World
Since this isn't the end of the world, let's get back to destroying it.
This has currency implications. If you strip out the energy deficit, America's vaulting savings rate may soon bring the current account back into surplus – and that is going to come at somebody else's expense, chiefly Japan, Germany and, up to a point, China.
Shale gas is undoubtedly messy. Millions of gallons of water mixed with sand, hydrochloric acid and toxic chemicals are blasted at rocks. This is supposed to happen below the water basins but accidents have been common. Pennsylvania's eco-police have shut down a Cabot Oil & Gas operation after 8,000 gallons of chemicals spilled into a stream.
Death of the dollar and the era of cheap oil, all in the same week
Faces of Death: U.S. Dollar in Crisis
Falling Dollar: Finally Front-Page News
Robert Fisk on “ditching the dollar” in oil trade
Dollar tumbles on report of its demise
Wall Street Derivatives Lobby Links With New Democrats to Blunt Obama Plan
Besides The Fed, Nobody Is Buying Agency Debt
Competitive Currency Debasement - A Look at Rampant Monetary Expansion In China
The speculative bubble in equities is a case for deflation, stagflation and implosion
Death of Petro-Dollar, Told Ya So (from Sebastian Ronin)
Precipitous Drop In State Tax Collections
Will California become America's first failed state?
Three Government Reports Point to Fiscal Doomsday (from Rice Farmer)
Government to sell off £16 billion of assets
Unemployment Benefits on the Brink
'There Would Be No Banking Industry Without Risks'
Stimulus Program Causes Chaos at Cobo
Crackdown Spurs a Heroin Clearance Sale in Southeast Asia ...
Sebelius: Americans must get swine flu vaccination
The next financial crisis
Police chiefs endorse anti-terror community watch
Soloflex founder Jerry Wilson mounts "viral" campaign for Oregon governor
Sebastian Ronin, GPNS Leadership Candidate
Peak Oil
Era of cheap, easy oil is over, warns study (in the Telegraph)
End of Oil Age is Near, Deutsche Bank Says (from Sebastian Ronin)
Energy bills to hit 'nightmare' £2,000 a year, regulator says
Millions of pensioners will go cold as energy prices soar
Peak oil debate is irrelevant because there is no time to prepare (from Rice Farmer)
Gazprom Wants 10% of U.S. Market by 2014
Lightening the Load: Airline asks passenger to pee before boarding (from Rice Farmer)
What Peaked at the Same Time as Oil Prices? Lots of things. (from Rice Farmer)
Asia
UN chief admits Afghan elections were fraudulent
Cern physicist admits links with al-Qaida
French, Kazakhs Sign Raft of Deals
Pakistani FM: US may know Bin Laden's hideout (from Rice Farmer)
US says bin Laden is in Pakistan (from Rice Farmer)
Central Bank Spends Big to Restrain Ruble
Look East: Why Chinese lessons are booming
Cocaine Abuse Doubles in Four Years
Intelligence
Telephone Company is Arm of Government, Feds Admit in Spy Suit (from Rice Farmer)
Who's in Big Brother's Database?
James Bamford review, submitted by Rice Farmer, of a book about the NSA. Much of the content is already known or suspected by readers of this blog but some details are thought provoking such as this:
With supercomputers measured by the acre and estimated $70 million annual electricity bills for its headquarters, the agency has begun browning out, which is the reason for locating its new data centers in Utah and Texas.
Spies Protest After Intel-Sharing Tools Shut Down
Science
Cybugs
Remote-controlled beetles.
Monsanto Forecasts African Farmers Will Increase Planting of Biotech Crops
Prince Charles warns of 'broadband deserts'
From Secrecy News:
NEW DOD WEBSITE FOSTERS SECRET SCIENCE
The Pentagon's Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC) last month announced the creation of a new password-protected portal where authorized users may gain access to restricted scientific and engineering publications."DTIC Online Access Controlled... provides a gateway to Department of Defense unclassified, controlled science and technology (S&T) and research and engineering (R&E) information," according to a September 21, 2009 news release (pdf). "As defense S&T information advances, so does the unique community to which it belongs," said DTIC Administrator R. Paul Ryan.The cultivation of controlled but unclassified scientific research by DTIC seems to represent a departure from a longstanding U.S. government position that scientific research should either be classified, if necessary, or else unrestricted. (There have always been exceptions for export controlled information and for proprietary information.)"It is the policy of this Administration that, to the maximum extent possible, the products of fundamental research remain unrestricted," wrote President Reagan in the 1985 National Security Decision Directive 189. "It is also the policy of this Administration that, where the national security requires control, the mechanism for control of information... is classification.""The key to maintaining U.S. technological preeminence is to encourage open and collaborative basic research," wrote then-National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice in 2001. "The linkage between the free exchange of ideas and scientific innovation, prosperity, and U.S. national security is undeniable."In response to a request 5 days ago, DTIC was not able to provide a comment on the matter.
And...
Gold at record for third day
Munchkins at 90
Toto got paid more than they did.
End of World Postponed
'2012 is not the end of the world
God is not the Creator, claims academic
Energy Crisis Postponed as New Gas Rescues the World
Since this isn't the end of the world, let's get back to destroying it.
This has currency implications. If you strip out the energy deficit, America's vaulting savings rate may soon bring the current account back into surplus – and that is going to come at somebody else's expense, chiefly Japan, Germany and, up to a point, China.
Shale gas is undoubtedly messy. Millions of gallons of water mixed with sand, hydrochloric acid and toxic chemicals are blasted at rocks. This is supposed to happen below the water basins but accidents have been common. Pennsylvania's eco-police have shut down a Cabot Oil & Gas operation after 8,000 gallons of chemicals spilled into a stream.
Death of the dollar and the era of cheap oil, all in the same week
Faces of Death: U.S. Dollar in Crisis
Falling Dollar: Finally Front-Page News
Robert Fisk on “ditching the dollar” in oil trade
Dollar tumbles on report of its demise
Wall Street Derivatives Lobby Links With New Democrats to Blunt Obama Plan
Besides The Fed, Nobody Is Buying Agency Debt
Competitive Currency Debasement - A Look at Rampant Monetary Expansion In China
The speculative bubble in equities is a case for deflation, stagflation and implosion
Death of Petro-Dollar, Told Ya So (from Sebastian Ronin)
Precipitous Drop In State Tax Collections
Will California become America's first failed state?
Three Government Reports Point to Fiscal Doomsday (from Rice Farmer)
Government to sell off £16 billion of assets
Unemployment Benefits on the Brink
'There Would Be No Banking Industry Without Risks'
Stimulus Program Causes Chaos at Cobo
Crackdown Spurs a Heroin Clearance Sale in Southeast Asia ...
Sebelius: Americans must get swine flu vaccination
The next financial crisis
Police chiefs endorse anti-terror community watch
Soloflex founder Jerry Wilson mounts "viral" campaign for Oregon governor
Sebastian Ronin, GPNS Leadership Candidate
Peak Oil
Era of cheap, easy oil is over, warns study (in the Telegraph)
End of Oil Age is Near, Deutsche Bank Says (from Sebastian Ronin)
Energy bills to hit 'nightmare' £2,000 a year, regulator says
Millions of pensioners will go cold as energy prices soar
Peak oil debate is irrelevant because there is no time to prepare (from Rice Farmer)
Gazprom Wants 10% of U.S. Market by 2014
Lightening the Load: Airline asks passenger to pee before boarding (from Rice Farmer)
What Peaked at the Same Time as Oil Prices? Lots of things. (from Rice Farmer)
Asia
UN chief admits Afghan elections were fraudulent
Cern physicist admits links with al-Qaida
French, Kazakhs Sign Raft of Deals
Pakistani FM: US may know Bin Laden's hideout (from Rice Farmer)
US says bin Laden is in Pakistan (from Rice Farmer)
Central Bank Spends Big to Restrain Ruble
Look East: Why Chinese lessons are booming
Cocaine Abuse Doubles in Four Years
Intelligence
Telephone Company is Arm of Government, Feds Admit in Spy Suit (from Rice Farmer)
Who's in Big Brother's Database?
James Bamford review, submitted by Rice Farmer, of a book about the NSA. Much of the content is already known or suspected by readers of this blog but some details are thought provoking such as this:
With supercomputers measured by the acre and estimated $70 million annual electricity bills for its headquarters, the agency has begun browning out, which is the reason for locating its new data centers in Utah and Texas.
Spies Protest After Intel-Sharing Tools Shut Down
Science
Cybugs
Remote-controlled beetles.
Monsanto Forecasts African Farmers Will Increase Planting of Biotech Crops
Prince Charles warns of 'broadband deserts'
From Secrecy News:
NEW DOD WEBSITE FOSTERS SECRET SCIENCE
The Pentagon's Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC) last month announced the creation of a new password-protected portal where authorized users may gain access to restricted scientific and engineering publications."DTIC Online Access Controlled... provides a gateway to Department of Defense unclassified, controlled science and technology (S&T) and research and engineering (R&E) information," according to a September 21, 2009 news release (pdf). "As defense S&T information advances, so does the unique community to which it belongs," said DTIC Administrator R. Paul Ryan.The cultivation of controlled but unclassified scientific research by DTIC seems to represent a departure from a longstanding U.S. government position that scientific research should either be classified, if necessary, or else unrestricted. (There have always been exceptions for export controlled information and for proprietary information.)"It is the policy of this Administration that, to the maximum extent possible, the products of fundamental research remain unrestricted," wrote President Reagan in the 1985 National Security Decision Directive 189. "It is also the policy of this Administration that, where the national security requires control, the mechanism for control of information... is classification.""The key to maintaining U.S. technological preeminence is to encourage open and collaborative basic research," wrote then-National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice in 2001. "The linkage between the free exchange of ideas and scientific innovation, prosperity, and U.S. national security is undeniable."In response to a request 5 days ago, DTIC was not able to provide a comment on the matter.
And...
Gold at record for third day
Munchkins at 90
Toto got paid more than they did.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Buy Gold
It is not too late to buy physical gold. That is what will shield you the best right now. I'm laughing because I sold all my gold to fight the political persecution in Oregon and to live on for the last eight months. If I had money I would be running to buy gold first thing Monday morning and I'd keep it up until the wheels came off or the new playing field that's coming had opened other options.
Now imagine this: The dollar gets dumped (in progress) as the world's reserve currency. Oil is no longer priced in dollars and trillions of dollars come home to... do what? Sure, it may cost a thosand a month for phone service. But suddenly John Q will be told that his salary has gone up 50%... at first. But what about all those bullshit mortages (including the fraudulent ones), all those trillions in derivatives? Well if John Q suddenly finds he has a million worthless dollars in his pocket he could well go back and laugh as he pays off the $350,000 mortgage. But the books get cleaned and sanitized and some of the air leaves the derivatives bubble. A controlled-burn. Yeah, the only ones that are going to get burned are the people -- the New White Trash.
MCR
Now imagine this: The dollar gets dumped (in progress) as the world's reserve currency. Oil is no longer priced in dollars and trillions of dollars come home to... do what? Sure, it may cost a thosand a month for phone service. But suddenly John Q will be told that his salary has gone up 50%... at first. But what about all those bullshit mortages (including the fraudulent ones), all those trillions in derivatives? Well if John Q suddenly finds he has a million worthless dollars in his pocket he could well go back and laugh as he pays off the $350,000 mortgage. But the books get cleaned and sanitized and some of the air leaves the derivatives bubble. A controlled-burn. Yeah, the only ones that are going to get burned are the people -- the New White Trash.
MCR
Friday, October 09, 2009
ECONOMIC WARNING
Oct.9, 2009 -- For those of you who have listened for so long and for those who may be new. Do whatever you can to get out of dollar denominated assets and do it quickly. It is looking to me like the run on the dollar has begun in earnest. This is the one I have consistently predicted as far back as 2003-2004. I'm not going to write a long argument. Those who have been reading this blog don't need it. All the rest of you can just go back and read the terrific postings made here by Jenna Orkin over the last month. Those of you who have followed me and FTW for years will remember our only four previous warnings and you know how right those economic alerts proved to be. That's why I left a record of between two and three million words.
Do it now. We're all reading the same map.
MCR
Do it now. We're all reading the same map.
MCR
Wednesday, October 07, 2009
LEGAL DEFENSE FUND ESTABLISHED FOR OREGON APPEAL
(News links below)
INSTRUCTIONS FOR PAYPAL AND INTERNATIONAL WIRE TRANSFERS
Contact Information
Sept. 6, 2009 – The From The Wilderness Legal Defense Fund has been established as of today. Many of you have written wanting to send money from overseas or via PayPal. That is now set up for you and should be fairly easy. It will take until approximately Thursday or Friday of this week for the PayPal account to go active.
Following are PayPal and routing information for domestic and international wire transfers.
PayPal – Donations intended for the From The Wilderness legal defense fund can be made by donating to mcrfinaid@gmail.com.
International Wire Transfers – Please use the following routing numbers for donations from outside the U.S. Your bank should be able to provide conversion rates.
Account Name: From The Wilderness Legal Defense Fund
Bank: Wells Fargo
Routing Numbers: 121000248 – 3496610480
On PayPal transfers please note whether you intend for your donation to be used for my living expenses or for the defense fund. Otherwise we will assume you intend the money to be used for the defense fund.
It was named the FTW Legal Defense Fund because From The Wilderness is and has been the only named respondent in the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries case we are appealing. Accounting for this fund will be maintained in accordance with all applicable state and federal laws and I have retained the services of an auditor.
Thank you for all your help. We desperately need $4,000 to obtain transcripts within the next two weeks. For any additional information or questions, please email mcrfinaid@gmail.com.
I can’t thank you enough. There will be more good news on CoLLapse and “A Presidential Energy Policy” very soon. Stay with me the last mile. We’re almost home.
MCR
**********************************************************************************
From Jenna Orkin:
Google's hoppin' this morning with alerts on dumping the dollar.
US
Why meltdown risk now is greater than in 2007
Is There Really a Global 'Cabal' Aiming to Dump the Dollar?
Oil states deny plans to dump the dollar
As in, "Reports of my death are greatly exaggerated." Or just a tad too soon but equally inevitable.
United Nations wants new global reserve currency
Stocks and Gold Gain as Investors Shun the Dollar
From none other than the New York Times. The elephant in the livingroom stirs.
The Demise of the Dollar
Many Lost Jobs in US Will Never Return
IMF Policies Deepened Financial Crisis
World Bank could run out of money 'within 12 months' (from Rice Farmer)
Why There Will Be No Recovery and Markets Will Trend Lower (from Rice Farmer)
Huge Downward Jobs Revisions Coming
Kennedy: Nation could turn violent over health care debate (from Rice Farmer)
BLS Owner's Equivalent Rent Numbers From Twilight Zone
Report on Bailouts Says Treasury Misled Public
Greenspan Squirms
We have a huge fiscal hole out there which is best measured by the fact that Medicare benefits are only 50% funded going all the way out. What that implies is a very significant issuance of Treasury securities to meet the ever-growing and very indeterminately large federal deficit. You cannot continue to increase the federal debt. … Remember, over the generations, we have been very careful to keep the total level of debt well below the borrowing capacity of our economy so far as federal issuance is concerned. That cushion is now being tested, and I’m getting a little concerned and I don’t want to find out where the upper levels are.…
Fannie, Freddie Caught In Morton's Fork
Jeff Rubin warns of imminent rise in oil prices to triple digits (from Rice Farmer)
"Rubin also claimed that oil prices, and not sub-prime mortgages, caused the current global recession."
Goldman owed $1 billion if CIT goes bankrupt
Banks' rainy day levy
New York Bridges Falling Down (from Rice Farmer)
UK Military Protocol for Security Operations, Including Counter-Intelligence
U.S. court term has major gun rights, business cases
Quote of the day:
More and more people get something from government. Fewer and fewer are net taxpayers. This is the basic formula that bankrupts democracies...
According to a pair of researchers from the University of Michigan, a depression does more for longevity than diet or exercise. Life expectancy during the worst years of the Great Depression increased from 57.1 years in 1929 to 63.3 years in 1933, says the report by Jose A. Tapia Granados and Ana Diez Roux. It didn't matter whether you were a man or a woman, black or white. And it didn't matter if you were in the US during the Great Depression or in Spain, Japan or Sweden during their economic downturns. The results were the same.
Europe
Is It All Over Between Britain and Europe?
UK Military Protocol for Security Operations, Including Counter-Intelligence
Banks could have to shed 10% of customers
The European Commission wants RBS to sacrifice small business customers and Lloyds to cut its share of personal accounts.
German Car Sales Plummet in September
Al-Qaida Warnings: Threat of Terror Escalates in Germany
Asia
Ahmedinejad Revealed to Have Jewish Past
Teach Gaza Children About Holocaust, UN Tells Hamas
Pakistan readies for new assault on Bin Laden lair
Obama's fury over Gen Stanley McChrystal speech
Demise of Aral Sea Seen Sparking Military Conflicts in Central Asia (from Rice Farmer)
Science/Environment
Two meter sea level rise unstoppable: experts
Arctic Ocean acid 'will dissolve shells of sea creatures within 10 years'
Who eats Arctic lobster anyway?
Russian Ecologists Say All Fish Dead In South Aral Sea (from Rice Farmer)
Film Blames Bayer for Plight of Bees
Stress is pushing the koala to extinction
A virus brought on by loss of habitat is wiping out an Australian icon.
Cyprus unveils mammoth wind farm
14 Year Old Schoolgirl Dies After Cervical Cancer Jab
No, It Was a Simultaneous Heart Attack. Or Something
"This is the sort of thing we would look for – a severe allergic reaction or more likely a coincidence because children do unfortunately have cardiac conditions at this age which can present out of the blue," he told the BBC. He added that it was a "concern" that the reaction of parents might be to stop their daughters having the voluntary jab.
Gold
Interview with Egon Von Greyerz on Hyperinflation and Gold
Gold Manipulation Smoking Gun?
Barrick Buying Back Most of Its Gold Hedges
Will the US Govt Confiscate Gold?
And...
Video Footage of Anne Frank
Were it not for one's knowledge of what the next frames might have shown, if the camera had continued to record Anne's life, this fleeting footage would be entirely forgettable. It takes its significance from its place in history rather than for its content.
Thus readers lap up details of transient figures' brief encounters with Princess Diana or Bill Clinton. ("She asked me about myself! She wasn't uppity at all!" which only goes to enhance the transcendant Princess' aura of saintliness) Or, for that matter, of the personal lives of any celebrity of the moment.
The Anne Frank video impresses with its ordinariness both of the scene and of the child herself, excited about the wedding procession in the street. What a quick child she is. Like virtually every other child one has known. The banality of that enthusiasm seems to be the essence of life itself. - JO
INSTRUCTIONS FOR PAYPAL AND INTERNATIONAL WIRE TRANSFERS
Contact Information
Sept. 6, 2009 – The From The Wilderness Legal Defense Fund has been established as of today. Many of you have written wanting to send money from overseas or via PayPal. That is now set up for you and should be fairly easy. It will take until approximately Thursday or Friday of this week for the PayPal account to go active.
Following are PayPal and routing information for domestic and international wire transfers.
PayPal – Donations intended for the From The Wilderness legal defense fund can be made by donating to mcrfinaid@gmail.com.
International Wire Transfers – Please use the following routing numbers for donations from outside the U.S. Your bank should be able to provide conversion rates.
Account Name: From The Wilderness Legal Defense Fund
Bank: Wells Fargo
Routing Numbers: 121000248 – 3496610480
On PayPal transfers please note whether you intend for your donation to be used for my living expenses or for the defense fund. Otherwise we will assume you intend the money to be used for the defense fund.
It was named the FTW Legal Defense Fund because From The Wilderness is and has been the only named respondent in the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries case we are appealing. Accounting for this fund will be maintained in accordance with all applicable state and federal laws and I have retained the services of an auditor.
Thank you for all your help. We desperately need $4,000 to obtain transcripts within the next two weeks. For any additional information or questions, please email mcrfinaid@gmail.com.
I can’t thank you enough. There will be more good news on CoLLapse and “A Presidential Energy Policy” very soon. Stay with me the last mile. We’re almost home.
MCR
**********************************************************************************
From Jenna Orkin:
Google's hoppin' this morning with alerts on dumping the dollar.
US
Why meltdown risk now is greater than in 2007
Is There Really a Global 'Cabal' Aiming to Dump the Dollar?
Oil states deny plans to dump the dollar
As in, "Reports of my death are greatly exaggerated." Or just a tad too soon but equally inevitable.
United Nations wants new global reserve currency
Stocks and Gold Gain as Investors Shun the Dollar
From none other than the New York Times. The elephant in the livingroom stirs.
The Demise of the Dollar
Many Lost Jobs in US Will Never Return
IMF Policies Deepened Financial Crisis
World Bank could run out of money 'within 12 months' (from Rice Farmer)
Why There Will Be No Recovery and Markets Will Trend Lower (from Rice Farmer)
Huge Downward Jobs Revisions Coming
Kennedy: Nation could turn violent over health care debate (from Rice Farmer)
BLS Owner's Equivalent Rent Numbers From Twilight Zone
Report on Bailouts Says Treasury Misled Public
Greenspan Squirms
We have a huge fiscal hole out there which is best measured by the fact that Medicare benefits are only 50% funded going all the way out. What that implies is a very significant issuance of Treasury securities to meet the ever-growing and very indeterminately large federal deficit. You cannot continue to increase the federal debt. … Remember, over the generations, we have been very careful to keep the total level of debt well below the borrowing capacity of our economy so far as federal issuance is concerned. That cushion is now being tested, and I’m getting a little concerned and I don’t want to find out where the upper levels are.…
Fannie, Freddie Caught In Morton's Fork
Jeff Rubin warns of imminent rise in oil prices to triple digits (from Rice Farmer)
"Rubin also claimed that oil prices, and not sub-prime mortgages, caused the current global recession."
Goldman owed $1 billion if CIT goes bankrupt
Banks' rainy day levy
New York Bridges Falling Down (from Rice Farmer)
UK Military Protocol for Security Operations, Including Counter-Intelligence
U.S. court term has major gun rights, business cases
Quote of the day:
More and more people get something from government. Fewer and fewer are net taxpayers. This is the basic formula that bankrupts democracies...
According to a pair of researchers from the University of Michigan, a depression does more for longevity than diet or exercise. Life expectancy during the worst years of the Great Depression increased from 57.1 years in 1929 to 63.3 years in 1933, says the report by Jose A. Tapia Granados and Ana Diez Roux. It didn't matter whether you were a man or a woman, black or white. And it didn't matter if you were in the US during the Great Depression or in Spain, Japan or Sweden during their economic downturns. The results were the same.
Europe
Is It All Over Between Britain and Europe?
UK Military Protocol for Security Operations, Including Counter-Intelligence
Banks could have to shed 10% of customers
The European Commission wants RBS to sacrifice small business customers and Lloyds to cut its share of personal accounts.
German Car Sales Plummet in September
Al-Qaida Warnings: Threat of Terror Escalates in Germany
Asia
Ahmedinejad Revealed to Have Jewish Past
Teach Gaza Children About Holocaust, UN Tells Hamas
Pakistan readies for new assault on Bin Laden lair
Obama's fury over Gen Stanley McChrystal speech
Demise of Aral Sea Seen Sparking Military Conflicts in Central Asia (from Rice Farmer)
Science/Environment
Two meter sea level rise unstoppable: experts
Arctic Ocean acid 'will dissolve shells of sea creatures within 10 years'
Who eats Arctic lobster anyway?
Russian Ecologists Say All Fish Dead In South Aral Sea (from Rice Farmer)
Film Blames Bayer for Plight of Bees
Stress is pushing the koala to extinction
A virus brought on by loss of habitat is wiping out an Australian icon.
Cyprus unveils mammoth wind farm
14 Year Old Schoolgirl Dies After Cervical Cancer Jab
No, It Was a Simultaneous Heart Attack. Or Something
"This is the sort of thing we would look for – a severe allergic reaction or more likely a coincidence because children do unfortunately have cardiac conditions at this age which can present out of the blue," he told the BBC. He added that it was a "concern" that the reaction of parents might be to stop their daughters having the voluntary jab.
Gold
Interview with Egon Von Greyerz on Hyperinflation and Gold
Gold Manipulation Smoking Gun?
Barrick Buying Back Most of Its Gold Hedges
Will the US Govt Confiscate Gold?
And...
Video Footage of Anne Frank
Were it not for one's knowledge of what the next frames might have shown, if the camera had continued to record Anne's life, this fleeting footage would be entirely forgettable. It takes its significance from its place in history rather than for its content.
Thus readers lap up details of transient figures' brief encounters with Princess Diana or Bill Clinton. ("She asked me about myself! She wasn't uppity at all!" which only goes to enhance the transcendant Princess' aura of saintliness) Or, for that matter, of the personal lives of any celebrity of the moment.
The Anne Frank video impresses with its ordinariness both of the scene and of the child herself, excited about the wedding procession in the street. What a quick child she is. Like virtually every other child one has known. The banality of that enthusiasm seems to be the essence of life itself. - JO
Sunday, October 04, 2009
FUNDRAISING NOTICE -- LEGAL DEFENSE FUND
As of Oct. 3, 2009 my rent for the month is covered and I have enough to live on until November. These monies were mailed prior to my appeal for a legal defense fund. It is too soon to tell how much is coming but we'll need an estimated $15,000 - $25,000 total. If you wish to contribute to my legal defense fund please make the checks payable to: The Michael C. Ruppert LEGAL DEFENSE FUND. We should have the necesaary paperwork done and an account opened within seven days. Any donations not marked as intended may be assumed to be personal donations. I request that further personal donations or legal defense funds marked as appropriate to keep the donations separate and applied as intended.
Thank you so much to all of you who have sent in money to keep me going. We can and will win this appeal.
MCR
Thank you so much to all of you who have sent in money to keep me going. We can and will win this appeal.
MCR
Friday, October 02, 2009
As Fed Shows Its Hand, Trojan Horse Steals From Bank Accounts
From Jenna Orkin:
Economy: US
Fed Offers Two Cents on the Audit-the-Fed Dollar
Fed Says: Audit Us and Interest Rates Rise
Doubts cast on strength of US recovery
Volcker: You call this an economic recovery?
Jobless rate rises in all US cities in August
September Unemployment: Ouch!
Unemployment Confronts Obama Rhetoric With Threatened Chronic Joblessness
Danger: Corporate defaults ahead
U.S. firms oppose rules to curb short selling
The New Normal
Financial Sense University
“Career risk” driving rally
Trade Wars Guarantee An End To The Party
Companies in U.S. Cut More Jobs Than Forecast; Unemployment Rises to 9.8%
Social Security Benefit Requests Exceed Forecasts as U.S. Recession Bites
GDP Reliance Hid Problems in Economy, Stiglitz Says: CFO Link
BofA, Wells Fargo, JPM, Citigroup FDIC Fees May Top $10 Billion
Trojan Horse Steals Money from Your Bank Account
Forbes lists eight reasons to "remain worried about housing":
The federal tax credit, worth $8,000, is set to expire at the end of November. That will make housing $8,000 more expensive for first-time buyers. The Fed is also ending its $1.45 trillion shopping spree. It has been supporting housing by buying mortgage-backed derivatives. What will happen when it stops?
Mortgage lending standards are tightening up generally. Houses are still not cheap. Forbes cites Shiller's numbers, putting the average house 41% higher than it was in 2000. Incomes did not increase during that period; ergo, houses are still too expensive. Damaged psychology. It will take time for potential homeowners to get over the shock of a bear market.
The end of summer has arrived. Housing sales always go up in the summer. People relocate in summer, when school is out. Then, sales fall with the autumn leaves. There are still huge numbers of houses that will be foreclosed.
Forbes says only 12% of option ARMs have been reset. More foreclosures will increase the supply of desperate sellers and decrease prices. There's a 'shadow inventory' hanging over the housing market; it could be vast. Everyone knew it would be hard to sell a house in 2009. Many potential sellers held back, waiting for the market to stabilize. As they put their houses up for sale, that too will hold prices down.
Collectively, Economists Are A Perpetually Optimistic Lot
“Hope is not a strategy”
Europe/Asia
Icelandic offices raided
KPMG and PwC addresses targeted in inquiry linked to failed banks.
'Planned recession' could avoid catastrophic climate change
Romanian Government Collapses: Will That Affect IMF Debt?
Georgia Started Russia War, EU Says
Russia plays pipeline politics
Russia's proposed South Stream energy pipeline is a potential weapon with which it could gain the upper hand in Europe. And as with the best chess players, for Russia, a situation of defense because of the rival Nabucco pipeline could become a position of attack. It can re-establish the former Soviet influence, attempt to reach the Mediterranean after three centuries of failures, and take on a dominant position in Europe.
Kazakhs, Azeris, Try to Find New Oil Routes
Russia Can Help the U.S. in Afghanistan
Russia, Belarus Hold Joint Military Exercises
Keeping Iran Honest: Scott Ritter
Big Money: China buys a commodity of different sorts
Girl killed by leaflet drop in Afghanistan
Al-Qaida Warnings: Threat of Terror Escalates in Germany
Energy
Preparing for Peak Oil: How Our Lives Will Change Forever
From the San Francisco Peak Oil Task Force
Gasoline Faces Risk of Meltdown
Tools to Chart Mexico's Declining Oil Production
From the Law of Unintended Consequences Department:
Egyptian Swine-Flu Slaughter Leaves Cairo Without Pigs to Devour Garbage
PS: Will repost articles from Rice Farmer once email difficulties are worked out.
Economy: US
Fed Offers Two Cents on the Audit-the-Fed Dollar
Fed Says: Audit Us and Interest Rates Rise
Doubts cast on strength of US recovery
Volcker: You call this an economic recovery?
Jobless rate rises in all US cities in August
September Unemployment: Ouch!
Unemployment Confronts Obama Rhetoric With Threatened Chronic Joblessness
Danger: Corporate defaults ahead
U.S. firms oppose rules to curb short selling
The New Normal
Financial Sense University
“Career risk” driving rally
Trade Wars Guarantee An End To The Party
Companies in U.S. Cut More Jobs Than Forecast; Unemployment Rises to 9.8%
Social Security Benefit Requests Exceed Forecasts as U.S. Recession Bites
GDP Reliance Hid Problems in Economy, Stiglitz Says: CFO Link
BofA, Wells Fargo, JPM, Citigroup FDIC Fees May Top $10 Billion
Trojan Horse Steals Money from Your Bank Account
Forbes lists eight reasons to "remain worried about housing":
The federal tax credit, worth $8,000, is set to expire at the end of November. That will make housing $8,000 more expensive for first-time buyers. The Fed is also ending its $1.45 trillion shopping spree. It has been supporting housing by buying mortgage-backed derivatives. What will happen when it stops?
Mortgage lending standards are tightening up generally. Houses are still not cheap. Forbes cites Shiller's numbers, putting the average house 41% higher than it was in 2000. Incomes did not increase during that period; ergo, houses are still too expensive. Damaged psychology. It will take time for potential homeowners to get over the shock of a bear market.
The end of summer has arrived. Housing sales always go up in the summer. People relocate in summer, when school is out. Then, sales fall with the autumn leaves. There are still huge numbers of houses that will be foreclosed.
Forbes says only 12% of option ARMs have been reset. More foreclosures will increase the supply of desperate sellers and decrease prices. There's a 'shadow inventory' hanging over the housing market; it could be vast. Everyone knew it would be hard to sell a house in 2009. Many potential sellers held back, waiting for the market to stabilize. As they put their houses up for sale, that too will hold prices down.
Collectively, Economists Are A Perpetually Optimistic Lot
“Hope is not a strategy”
Europe/Asia
Icelandic offices raided
KPMG and PwC addresses targeted in inquiry linked to failed banks.
'Planned recession' could avoid catastrophic climate change
Romanian Government Collapses: Will That Affect IMF Debt?
Georgia Started Russia War, EU Says
Russia plays pipeline politics
Russia's proposed South Stream energy pipeline is a potential weapon with which it could gain the upper hand in Europe. And as with the best chess players, for Russia, a situation of defense because of the rival Nabucco pipeline could become a position of attack. It can re-establish the former Soviet influence, attempt to reach the Mediterranean after three centuries of failures, and take on a dominant position in Europe.
Kazakhs, Azeris, Try to Find New Oil Routes
Russia Can Help the U.S. in Afghanistan
Russia, Belarus Hold Joint Military Exercises
Keeping Iran Honest: Scott Ritter
Big Money: China buys a commodity of different sorts
Girl killed by leaflet drop in Afghanistan
Al-Qaida Warnings: Threat of Terror Escalates in Germany
Energy
Preparing for Peak Oil: How Our Lives Will Change Forever
From the San Francisco Peak Oil Task Force
Gasoline Faces Risk of Meltdown
Tools to Chart Mexico's Declining Oil Production
From the Law of Unintended Consequences Department:
Egyptian Swine-Flu Slaughter Leaves Cairo Without Pigs to Devour Garbage
PS: Will repost articles from Rice Farmer once email difficulties are worked out.
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