Jan. 11, 2010 -- "Permalture -- Farms for the Future" --
http://www.viddler.com/explore/PermaScience/videos/4/ It's not just because my friends Colin Capmbell and Richard Heinberg are in it but that helps! This film also totally fits with all of my life's research and the science I used in "Confronting Collapse". At 48 minutes it would be the perfect double feature with "collapse" the movie. We must distinguish real hopes from false ones. We must discard or put aside less important threats and issues to address the only one that matters. Be prepared to learn about Permaculture and be prepared to smile. This is our hope.
MCR
******************************************************************************
From Jenna Orkin
Headlines
CNBC's Kilduff: $100 Oil in Next Six Months
Constitutional Crisis in Argentina, President Threatens to Take Over Central Bank; Potential Latin America "Cascade Effect"
When the UK Needs Energy, Wind Farms Fail to Produce
Power cuts upset life, candle demand up (Pakistan)
Pakistan Army May Go To North Waziristan - Lieberman (from Rice Farmer, JO)
Pakistan terror death toll worst ever in 2009 – a 48% rise
U.S. household names hit by Venezuela devaluation
Chavez warns businesses after currency devaluation
China the new king of the road
China car sales top U.S. As China Rises, Fears Grow on Whether Boom Can Endure
Chavez Threatens to Seize Businesses, Devalues Currency by 50%; Chavez vs. Obama, Parallels Greater Than You Think!
Massachusetts Miracle: Republicans May Win Senate Special Election For Kennedy's Seat
Guns and goons: Private armies in the Philippines (from Rice Farmer)
Economy
Ponzi Scheme: The Federal Reserve Bought Approximately 80 Percent Of U.S. Treasury Securities Issued In 2009 (from Rice Farmer)
Federal Reserve Earned $45 Billion in 2009
Fed seeks to protect US bailout secrets
America slides deeper into depression as Wall Street revels
Wall Street turns flat as advance fades Fed unlikely to be swayed by jobs data: Bullard
China surprises with bank reserve hike, markets hit
China will likely spend full amount of stimulus
China’s “Terminal Phase” of Credit Bubble Excess
Economy still bleeding jobs
Household Survey Charts Reveal This Is No Garden Variety Economic Downturn (from Rice Farmer)
Will the U.S. Social Security System Survive? (from Rice Farmer)
401(k): Here comes the screw job (from Rice Farmer)
Personal Bankruptcy Filings Rising Fast
Schwarzenegger budget ax would fall heavily on poor
Dubai's First Foreclosure Opens Floodgates in World's Worst Housing Market 'The Slums of the 21st Century Are Being Built in Dubai'
Interview with architect - catch the name - Albert Speer Jr.
Rahm Emanuel may quit as Barack Obama's Chief-of-Staff
War
Clinton to talk bases, security on tour
Elite Iran force’s rise may limit U.S. options
Suicide rate of young veterans up 26 percent
Yemen officials admit to losing battle against al-Qaeda
2010: Giant Gathering Storm Clouds (from Rice Farmer)
We Might Just Nuke Those Cyber Attackers - General
Yemen's top al-Qaida scout is American-born
Military deluged with intelligence from drones
NYT: Remote-controlled planes produced 24 years’ worth of video in '09
Energy/Environment
Oil at Heart of Dispute Over Iran Fourth UK gas warning
Freezing conditions lead to new alert as North Sea field is shut.
California Ties Cash to Energy
Cold records are shattered across Florida
And...
"The World Bank Unveiled: Inside the Revolutionary Struggle for Transparency"
by David Ian Shaman, Parkhurst Brothers Inc. Publishers, 2009.
Airport Droids Attack Human Gene Pool (from Rice Farmer)
Green Sea Slug Is Part Animal, Part Plant
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Sunday, January 10, 2010
From Jenna Orkin
Headlines
Chávez calls on troops to curb price rises
Rockets fired in India-Pakistan border skirmish (Rice Farmer)
Iran can be bombed says General Petraeus
Energy/Food/Environment
Last hurrahs of the petrol age
The end of food as we know it?
In 2008, American pundit Paul Roberts published The End of Food. Roberts argued that the "bullet" attacking the world's food system could come from any number of sources: avian flu, "a sharp spike in the price of oil, a series of extreme weather conditions, an outbreak of some new plant disease"
First grit, then gas – now it's vegetables in short supply - UK
Cameron: 70m is too many people for Britain
Tory leader says current trends are 'too much' and reducing net immigration to 1990s levels is not ‘unrealistic'
Greens 'on course for first Commons seat' - UK
Why Antarctica Isn't Melting Much -- Yet
Economy
Dethroning the U.S. dollar
Hawaii Can't Afford Congressional Election
Invest in U.S. Biz, Get an Immigrant Visa
White House plans more to trim joblessness: aide
Census May Jump-Start U.S. Jobs Rebound With 1.2 Million Temporary Workers Schwarzenegger Seeks Permanent State Pay Cuts, Proposes Privatizing Prisons
Consumer Credit Drops Record $17.5 Billion; Steepest Declines Since WWII
2010 Census Hiring Employment Scam
CBI pours cold water on economic green shoots
Terror/Intelligence
Russia says kills two Dagestan rebel leaders
Court Says FCC Has No Power to Enforce Net Neutrality
Cybersecurity: Here’s What Really Worries the Pentagon (from Rice Farmer)
Hitler? A scapegoat. Stalin? I can empathise. Oliver Stone
Civilization at Its Finest
Now you can be mummified just like the Egyptians
"Channel 4 backs project to find terminally ill volunteer who would be embalmed for the cameras. "
Comment: This is almost as good as Damien Hirst's diamond-encrusted skull.
Headlines
Chávez calls on troops to curb price rises
Rockets fired in India-Pakistan border skirmish (Rice Farmer)
Iran can be bombed says General Petraeus
Energy/Food/Environment
Last hurrahs of the petrol age
The end of food as we know it?
In 2008, American pundit Paul Roberts published The End of Food. Roberts argued that the "bullet" attacking the world's food system could come from any number of sources: avian flu, "a sharp spike in the price of oil, a series of extreme weather conditions, an outbreak of some new plant disease"
First grit, then gas – now it's vegetables in short supply - UK
Cameron: 70m is too many people for Britain
Tory leader says current trends are 'too much' and reducing net immigration to 1990s levels is not ‘unrealistic'
Greens 'on course for first Commons seat' - UK
Why Antarctica Isn't Melting Much -- Yet
Economy
Dethroning the U.S. dollar
Hawaii Can't Afford Congressional Election
Invest in U.S. Biz, Get an Immigrant Visa
White House plans more to trim joblessness: aide
Census May Jump-Start U.S. Jobs Rebound With 1.2 Million Temporary Workers Schwarzenegger Seeks Permanent State Pay Cuts, Proposes Privatizing Prisons
Consumer Credit Drops Record $17.5 Billion; Steepest Declines Since WWII
2010 Census Hiring Employment Scam
CBI pours cold water on economic green shoots
Terror/Intelligence
Russia says kills two Dagestan rebel leaders
Court Says FCC Has No Power to Enforce Net Neutrality
Cybersecurity: Here’s What Really Worries the Pentagon (from Rice Farmer)
Hitler? A scapegoat. Stalin? I can empathise. Oliver Stone
Civilization at Its Finest
Now you can be mummified just like the Egyptians
"Channel 4 backs project to find terminally ill volunteer who would be embalmed for the cameras. "
Comment: This is almost as good as Damien Hirst's diamond-encrusted skull.
Saturday, January 09, 2010
Bolivar Devalued 50%; Chavez Says Intercepted US Plane
From Jenna Orkin
Headlines
Hugo Chavez Says Venezuelan Jets Intercepted US Military Plane
U.S. denies U.S. plane flew over Venezuelan airspace
Chavez Devalues Bolivar by 50% to Boost Economy Amid Falling Oil Revenue
Belarus says oil supply talks with Russia halted (Rice Farmer)
Japan Airlines' Largest Banks Said to Agree to Bankruptcy Plan for Carrier
Why the government's job figures won't add up
By John Crudele, fierce crusader for transparency from the Plunge Protection Team.
Shrinking U.S. Labor Force Keeps Unemployment Rate From Climbing Above 10%
Forget The Unemployment Rate, The Real Nightmare Is The EMPLOYMENT Rate (from Rice Farmer)
Economy
Denmark trims key lending rate to 1.15 pct
Chile Posts Fifth Straight Month of Annual Deflation
Hank Greenberg Tells WSJ Goldman Sachs Is Responsible for AIG's Collapse
Eliot Spitzer, et al.: The New Geithner-AIG Emails Are Merely The Tip Of The Iceberg (from Rice Farmer)
Top investor warns on UK's credit rating
Jobs figures hit US recovery
Japan government to explain to 35 nations on JAL: report
India Car Sales Rise 40% in December (from Rice Farmer)
End of consumerism: Our way of life is 'not viable'
Environment
The dairy farmer reduced to tears
"[O]ne a week commits suicide."
Food costs to soar as big freeze deepens
Bee Colony Collapse May Have Several Causes
Obama pushes for cash for green jobs
Eco-friendly stimulus package.
How could one bird cause so much trouble?
"The iconic sage-grouse is threatening oil, gas and wind energy development -- and could hurt Democratic candidates in coming elections, including Senate leader Harry Reid.
'Climate change resistant crops' move nearer after gene breakthrough
Giant wind farm plan needs £100bn
Britain also needs a 'super-grid' for plan to take off.
Rationing imposed on UK's dwindling supply of grit
Temperature drops as low as -2C, and even colder weather is forecast for weekend in Britain's worst winter for three decades
Deep freeze forces Britain to import salt
Waning H1N1 pandemic may let in new viruses
Terror/Law
Mind-reading systems could change air security (from Rice Farmer)
Mumbai terror suspect David Headley was ‘rogue US secret agent’ (from Vantage Point)
One in five troops unfit to fight on the front line
Former Bush lawyer charged with attempted murder
Military Scrambles F-16s Over Another Unruly Passenger
Bill to Criminalize "Psychological Violence"
Read the particulars and figure out how much time you and everyone you know would spend in jail.
Headlines
Hugo Chavez Says Venezuelan Jets Intercepted US Military Plane
U.S. denies U.S. plane flew over Venezuelan airspace
Chavez Devalues Bolivar by 50% to Boost Economy Amid Falling Oil Revenue
Belarus says oil supply talks with Russia halted (Rice Farmer)
Japan Airlines' Largest Banks Said to Agree to Bankruptcy Plan for Carrier
Why the government's job figures won't add up
By John Crudele, fierce crusader for transparency from the Plunge Protection Team.
Shrinking U.S. Labor Force Keeps Unemployment Rate From Climbing Above 10%
Forget The Unemployment Rate, The Real Nightmare Is The EMPLOYMENT Rate (from Rice Farmer)
Economy
Denmark trims key lending rate to 1.15 pct
Chile Posts Fifth Straight Month of Annual Deflation
Hank Greenberg Tells WSJ Goldman Sachs Is Responsible for AIG's Collapse
Eliot Spitzer, et al.: The New Geithner-AIG Emails Are Merely The Tip Of The Iceberg (from Rice Farmer)
Top investor warns on UK's credit rating
Jobs figures hit US recovery
Japan government to explain to 35 nations on JAL: report
India Car Sales Rise 40% in December (from Rice Farmer)
End of consumerism: Our way of life is 'not viable'
Environment
The dairy farmer reduced to tears
"[O]ne a week commits suicide."
Food costs to soar as big freeze deepens
Bee Colony Collapse May Have Several Causes
Obama pushes for cash for green jobs
Eco-friendly stimulus package.
How could one bird cause so much trouble?
"The iconic sage-grouse is threatening oil, gas and wind energy development -- and could hurt Democratic candidates in coming elections, including Senate leader Harry Reid.
'Climate change resistant crops' move nearer after gene breakthrough
Giant wind farm plan needs £100bn
Britain also needs a 'super-grid' for plan to take off.
Rationing imposed on UK's dwindling supply of grit
Temperature drops as low as -2C, and even colder weather is forecast for weekend in Britain's worst winter for three decades
Deep freeze forces Britain to import salt
Waning H1N1 pandemic may let in new viruses
Terror/Law
Mind-reading systems could change air security (from Rice Farmer)
Mumbai terror suspect David Headley was ‘rogue US secret agent’ (from Vantage Point)
One in five troops unfit to fight on the front line
Former Bush lawyer charged with attempted murder
Military Scrambles F-16s Over Another Unruly Passenger
Bill to Criminalize "Psychological Violence"
Read the particulars and figure out how much time you and everyone you know would spend in jail.
Friday, January 08, 2010
Unexpected Headlines
From Jenna Orkin:
Unexpected Headlines:
Massive Jump In Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC) Benefits - Up 43% In One Month!
Employers unexpectedly cut jobs in December
U.S. nonfarm payrolls unexpectedly fell in Dec
Canada Unexpectedly Lost 2,600 Jobs in December
Corporate America in no rush to hire
UPS cuts 1,800 jobs
Job Growth in U.S. Erodes as Housing Bust Pushes Mobility to Record Low
Contrarian Investor Predicts Economic Crash in China
Economy
'Interest rate rise in March'
Fed Bets Off; Risk Bets On
U.S. regulators warn banks on interest rate risk
Chinese Decision on Rates Seen as ‘Turning Point’
Decade of Zero; Defense Spending Up 72% Since 2000: Are We Any Safer?
Time To Indict Geithner For Securities Fraud
Geithner’s New York Fed Told AIG to Limit Swaps Disclosure
Bankruptcy fears hit Japan Airlines as government mulls aid
After the Crash: Why We Can't Go Back To Business As Usual - Soros
Project Syndicate
Soros-supported newsletter whose contributors have included Zbigniew Brzezinski, Nouriel Roubini and Naomi Wolf.
Geithner's New York Fed Told AIG to Withhold Details of Payments to Banks
Central Banks Said to Plan Regulation Talks With Private Lenders in Basel
Schwarzenegger to Seek Permanent Pay Cuts to Replace Furloughs'
Bank set to close the £200bn printing press
Bank of England: the calm before storm
Energy
Gas supplies to factories cut off UK
Severe weather and creaking power infrastructure leads to 1970s-style rationing from National Grid
Gas rationed as temperature is set to drop
Tapping the Power of the Sea
In Great Britain and other European countries, companies are preparing to use the energy of ocean waves and tides to produce electricity. The UK is hoping to produce as much as 5 percent of its electricity needs with tidal power plants.
Emergency declared for Britain's wildlife
Another two weeks of the big freeze still to come
Farmers attack 'food revolution'
Hi-tech vision of UK production potentially damaging
Misc.
U.S. says Pakistan harassing its diplomats
Power promotes hypocrisy: study
Human sacrifices 'rise in Uganda'
And...
A Toast to Commerce
Unexpected Headlines:
Massive Jump In Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC) Benefits - Up 43% In One Month!
Employers unexpectedly cut jobs in December
U.S. nonfarm payrolls unexpectedly fell in Dec
Canada Unexpectedly Lost 2,600 Jobs in December
Corporate America in no rush to hire
UPS cuts 1,800 jobs
Job Growth in U.S. Erodes as Housing Bust Pushes Mobility to Record Low
Contrarian Investor Predicts Economic Crash in China
Economy
'Interest rate rise in March'
Fed Bets Off; Risk Bets On
U.S. regulators warn banks on interest rate risk
Chinese Decision on Rates Seen as ‘Turning Point’
Decade of Zero; Defense Spending Up 72% Since 2000: Are We Any Safer?
Time To Indict Geithner For Securities Fraud
Geithner’s New York Fed Told AIG to Limit Swaps Disclosure
Bankruptcy fears hit Japan Airlines as government mulls aid
After the Crash: Why We Can't Go Back To Business As Usual - Soros
Project Syndicate
Soros-supported newsletter whose contributors have included Zbigniew Brzezinski, Nouriel Roubini and Naomi Wolf.
Geithner's New York Fed Told AIG to Withhold Details of Payments to Banks
Central Banks Said to Plan Regulation Talks With Private Lenders in Basel
Schwarzenegger to Seek Permanent Pay Cuts to Replace Furloughs'
Bank set to close the £200bn printing press
Bank of England: the calm before storm
Energy
Gas supplies to factories cut off UK
Severe weather and creaking power infrastructure leads to 1970s-style rationing from National Grid
Gas rationed as temperature is set to drop
Tapping the Power of the Sea
In Great Britain and other European countries, companies are preparing to use the energy of ocean waves and tides to produce electricity. The UK is hoping to produce as much as 5 percent of its electricity needs with tidal power plants.
Emergency declared for Britain's wildlife
Another two weeks of the big freeze still to come
Farmers attack 'food revolution'
Hi-tech vision of UK production potentially damaging
Misc.
U.S. says Pakistan harassing its diplomats
Power promotes hypocrisy: study
Human sacrifices 'rise in Uganda'
And...
A Toast to Commerce
Thursday, January 07, 2010
Iceland's President Effectively Tells UK "Go To Hell"
From Jenna Orkin
BRIC
China Upsets Germany as Leading Export Nation
Should British children learn Chinese?
India expects to surpass China's growth in 4 years (from Rice Farmer)
Did A New Pipeline Just Make Russia The Most Important Energy Superpower By Far? (from Rice Farmer)
Economy
Iceland's President Effectively Tells UK "Go To Hell"
Global bear rally of 2009 will end as Japan's hyperinflation rips economy to pieces
New Japanese finance minister calls for weaker yen
Fed minutes show division on emergency steps
Governor Paterson: "New York Runs Like a Payday Loan Operation"
Business Bankruptcies Up 38% In 2009; BLS Birth/Death Model Review
One in 35 Nevada households filed for bankruptcy in 2009
Showdown in Cleveland: Unions Refuse Nominal Pay Cuts
Lockheed Martin reducing work force by 1200
GM: Hundreds of dealerships could be restored
Sugar production down, price up to 20-year high
Advance warning: Danger of bond market collapse!
The Fed: Planning to Issue Its Own Debt? (from Rice Farmer)
Wall Street falls as dollar weighs after jobs data
Some Iraqis Choose Perils of Home Over Life in US (from Jon Noel)
Hilali says he has worked hard all his life and dreamed of opening a restaurant in America. But he is not sure that he and his wife are ready to start from scratch during the U.S. economic crisis. He worries about the cost of health care for the two of them.
"America is better, but different economy. There is crisis economy in America," he says. Salvation Army: Heat Aid Need Double (from Rice Farmer)
"I've seen few people who been sitting in their homes for 2 or 3 months without electricity."
Terror/Intellligence
"Shock" U.S. report due on attempted airline attack
Time for another reshuffling of the bureaucracy.
Obama under pressure to sack intelligence chiefs
Pentagon: More return to fight after leaving Gitmo
US alliance with Saddam officers to fight al-Qaeda
U.S. fighter jets scrambled due to unruly passenger
"I think this stuff happens every day, and now you're just noticing," Trevino said.
Witness: I Saw a Second Man Arrested in Detroit (from Rice Farmer)
New Rules Lower No-Fly List Threshold
NZ Cyber Spies Win New Powers
ID Bracelets to Track People In Airports
And this was before the underwear bomber. Maybe the taser feature is back on the table.
Environment
Use of Potentially Harmful Chemicals Kept Secret
Canada to lend Mexico 5 million swine flu doses
Chief scientist says GM and nanotechnology should be part of modern agriculture
Arctic blast cripples country
Fla. freezes as arctic blast makes its way south‘Brutally cold’ in Midwest — again
Gold To Be Returned to Stanford Customers (from Jon Noel)
BRIC
China Upsets Germany as Leading Export Nation
Should British children learn Chinese?
India expects to surpass China's growth in 4 years (from Rice Farmer)
Did A New Pipeline Just Make Russia The Most Important Energy Superpower By Far? (from Rice Farmer)
Economy
Iceland's President Effectively Tells UK "Go To Hell"
Global bear rally of 2009 will end as Japan's hyperinflation rips economy to pieces
New Japanese finance minister calls for weaker yen
Fed minutes show division on emergency steps
Governor Paterson: "New York Runs Like a Payday Loan Operation"
Business Bankruptcies Up 38% In 2009; BLS Birth/Death Model Review
One in 35 Nevada households filed for bankruptcy in 2009
Showdown in Cleveland: Unions Refuse Nominal Pay Cuts
Lockheed Martin reducing work force by 1200
GM: Hundreds of dealerships could be restored
Sugar production down, price up to 20-year high
Advance warning: Danger of bond market collapse!
The Fed: Planning to Issue Its Own Debt? (from Rice Farmer)
Wall Street falls as dollar weighs after jobs data
Some Iraqis Choose Perils of Home Over Life in US (from Jon Noel)
Hilali says he has worked hard all his life and dreamed of opening a restaurant in America. But he is not sure that he and his wife are ready to start from scratch during the U.S. economic crisis. He worries about the cost of health care for the two of them.
"America is better, but different economy. There is crisis economy in America," he says. Salvation Army: Heat Aid Need Double (from Rice Farmer)
"I've seen few people who been sitting in their homes for 2 or 3 months without electricity."
Terror/Intellligence
"Shock" U.S. report due on attempted airline attack
Time for another reshuffling of the bureaucracy.
Obama under pressure to sack intelligence chiefs
Pentagon: More return to fight after leaving Gitmo
US alliance with Saddam officers to fight al-Qaeda
U.S. fighter jets scrambled due to unruly passenger
"I think this stuff happens every day, and now you're just noticing," Trevino said.
Witness: I Saw a Second Man Arrested in Detroit (from Rice Farmer)
New Rules Lower No-Fly List Threshold
NZ Cyber Spies Win New Powers
ID Bracelets to Track People In Airports
And this was before the underwear bomber. Maybe the taser feature is back on the table.
Environment
Use of Potentially Harmful Chemicals Kept Secret
Canada to lend Mexico 5 million swine flu doses
Chief scientist says GM and nanotechnology should be part of modern agriculture
Arctic blast cripples country
Fla. freezes as arctic blast makes its way south‘Brutally cold’ in Midwest — again
Gold To Be Returned to Stanford Customers (from Jon Noel)
Wednesday, January 06, 2010
Hat in hand, U.S. turns to India to create jobs; Greek jitters rock euro
From Jenna Orkin
Headlines
Public Pensions Face $2 Trillion Deficit
Exhausted Japan finance minister to quit: report
Japan deputy PM to be finmin, raising fiscal questions
Economy
Hat in hand, U.S. turns to India to create jobs
Inflationary Forces and a Tectonic Crack in U.S. Treasuries
Dept. of Energy on World Oil Chokepoints: Baab El Mandab
Greek jitters rock euro, world stocks slip
Iceland Debt Cut to Junk by Fitch as President Blocks Accord (from Rice Farmer)
Why the Philippines is a failed state (from Rice Farmer)
Morgan Stanley’s Roach says Fed should exit now if economy is strong
How the government payroll has replaced goods producing jobs
California Seeking Federal Bailout
Silicon Valley 'Bloodbath' Leaves Entire Office Buildings Empty (from Jon Noel)
Commercial Construction Projects Drop 35% (from Jon Noel)
Americans Flock to Texas (from Jon Noel)
Kraft's bid for Cadbury in the balance
Buffett's interested.
Medicine/Privacy
Care homes forcing elderly to have feeding tubes fitted
Thousands of dementia sufferers told they must have gastrostomy surgery to gain entry
Antidepressants, Placebos Equally Effective?
Environment
More Snow Coming for Already Frigid Europe
Arctic chill in South; record snow in East
U.N. stops food aid in southern Somalia
Earlier hurricane warnings promised
Native tribes fight Cape Cod wind farm Chinese Copenhagen negotiator loses job Dead fish provoke alert around Gulf of Mexico
Terror/Intelligence
India: Israel NSA on hush-hush visit (from Rice Farmer)
Israeli army officers fear arrest in UK
Did the CIA Plot to Kill German Citizen?
2,500 ex-servicemen in jail
Passenger profiling 'could be used in Britain'
Body Scanners Might Violate U.K. Child-Protection Laws
"Explosive" at California airport found to be honey
And...
Killer Micro Drone Project (from Jon Noel)
Bin Laden's parenting style: Cruel, unusual
Two arrested for allegedly filching dental fillings from lab
Headlines
Public Pensions Face $2 Trillion Deficit
Exhausted Japan finance minister to quit: report
Japan deputy PM to be finmin, raising fiscal questions
Economy
Hat in hand, U.S. turns to India to create jobs
Inflationary Forces and a Tectonic Crack in U.S. Treasuries
Dept. of Energy on World Oil Chokepoints: Baab El Mandab
Greek jitters rock euro, world stocks slip
Iceland Debt Cut to Junk by Fitch as President Blocks Accord (from Rice Farmer)
Why the Philippines is a failed state (from Rice Farmer)
Morgan Stanley’s Roach says Fed should exit now if economy is strong
How the government payroll has replaced goods producing jobs
California Seeking Federal Bailout
Silicon Valley 'Bloodbath' Leaves Entire Office Buildings Empty (from Jon Noel)
Commercial Construction Projects Drop 35% (from Jon Noel)
Americans Flock to Texas (from Jon Noel)
Kraft's bid for Cadbury in the balance
Buffett's interested.
Medicine/Privacy
Care homes forcing elderly to have feeding tubes fitted
Thousands of dementia sufferers told they must have gastrostomy surgery to gain entry
Antidepressants, Placebos Equally Effective?
Environment
More Snow Coming for Already Frigid Europe
Arctic chill in South; record snow in East
U.N. stops food aid in southern Somalia
Earlier hurricane warnings promised
Native tribes fight Cape Cod wind farm Chinese Copenhagen negotiator loses job Dead fish provoke alert around Gulf of Mexico
Terror/Intelligence
India: Israel NSA on hush-hush visit (from Rice Farmer)
Israeli army officers fear arrest in UK
Did the CIA Plot to Kill German Citizen?
2,500 ex-servicemen in jail
Passenger profiling 'could be used in Britain'
Body Scanners Might Violate U.K. Child-Protection Laws
"Explosive" at California airport found to be honey
And...
Killer Micro Drone Project (from Jon Noel)
Bin Laden's parenting style: Cruel, unusual
Two arrested for allegedly filching dental fillings from lab
Tuesday, January 05, 2010
How Russia Is About to Dramatically Change the World
NEW, NEW WHITE TRASH SONG by Doug Lewis, Andy Kravitz and Mike Ruppert
Jan. 4, 2009 -- "Avalanche and Earthquake" is the latest from New White Trash. Given the severity of my last (blog) post this will tell you how I'm building lifeboats... I'm building family.
I love this song. I contributed the words and melody to brilliant guitar chords and the chorus line Avalanche and Earthquakes. Doug laid some brilliant guitar in this and Andy added percussion and -- as always -- mixed, tweaked, fiddled around and arranged like nobody's business. I love these guys and it should be apparent that we have a solid song writing team... a real solid fucking band. And we have a real message. Wait till you hear what I did with my old buddy Jim Sullins from down in Nashville. It's called "On My Back Road". That'll be up as soon as we finish "trashing" it.
NWT is catching on. It's resonating and we're getting hits from all over the world. Welcome to the music of the Post-Paradigm. We are producing culture. And music will make the birth of the new paradigm that much easier to take.
Welcome to the New White Trash: http://www.newwhitetrash.com
MCR
**********************************************************************
From Jenna Orkin
Headlines
How Russia Is About to Dramatically Change the World
Climate change far worse than thought before
Colombia rebels, al Qaeda in "unholy" drug alliance
Man charged with threatening to kill U.S. President, First Lady
Run for cover.
Terror
MI5 told US about bomber's terror links a year ago
MI5 'still using threats to recruit Muslim spies'
Security Service used blackmail to turn us into informers, immigrants say
Exclusive: CIA Attacker Driven in From Pakistan
Six trucks of explosives 'disappear' in Yemen
Afghan bomber was triple agent
Germany knows nothing of alleged CIA murder plot
Opposition Mounts in U.K. as Islamist Group Plans Anti-War March
New Executive Order Aims to Avoid Declass Deadline
Climate/Energy
Frozen Britain may run short of gas
Bookies slash odds on coldest-ever January
China and S Korea gripped by freeze
Seoul battles heaviest snow in 70 years
Calgary's cold weather causes record power demand and a call to conserve (from Rice Farmer)Iberian Spot Power Hovers Near All-Time Lows (from Rice Farmer)
Peru's mountain people face fight for survival in a bitter winter
Avalanches bring misery to the frozen Alps
Power outage halts flights at Washington DC airport
Maize shortage to affect over 4 million Kenyans
Nepali gov't to limit power cut to 12 hours daily (from Rice Farmer)
Will Middle East Tensions Drive Oil to $300? Part I (from Rice Farmer)
Economy
John Williams: Hyperinflation and the death of the US economy
Advance warning: Danger of bond market collapse! (from Rice Farmer)
Japanese Government Bond Market at Risk of Collapse? (from Rice Farmer)
Will the Euro Become the Most Hated Currency for 2010?
School Bills Due But State Can't Pay: "There is No Money"; Let the War on Public Unions Begin
Personal bankruptcies rising fast
Bankruptcies increased 32 percent in ’09
Turbulence Marks Global Outlook for 2010 (from Rice Farmer)
Dems, Wall Street water down financial reform
Ron Paul "No Longer Fringe"
Krugman: Beware the blip
Climbing crude could scupper ‘recovery’
Economics and Limits to Growth: What's Sustainable? (from Rice Farmer)
"The end of growth does not come from depletion, but from rising capital costs."
Treasurys set for worst year since 1978
Krugman Sees 30% to 40% Chance of Second U.S. Recession as Stimulus Fades
Geithner Finds No Good Deed Unpunished as Banks Seek Profits From Bailouts
Housing Animal Spirits Set to Be Banished as U.S. Prime Foreclosures Mount
Walmart, Costco, US Bank Profit From Energy Credits in US; Carbon Tax Thrown Out By French Court
Easing the Pain
Half of Americans with depression not treated
Study says acetaminophen may ease psychological pain
Could it help us through our terror? How about bankruptcy?
France Plans to Sell Surplus Flu Shots
Five million people have been vaccinated in France but the country purchased 94 million vaccines. The government wants to sell off the extra doses.
And...
Nineteen pythons found by firefighters in burning trailer
Top 10 Sci-Fi Weapons That Actually Exist
Can Male Prostitutes Boost Economy?
Depends on whose.
Jan. 4, 2009 -- "Avalanche and Earthquake" is the latest from New White Trash. Given the severity of my last (blog) post this will tell you how I'm building lifeboats... I'm building family.
I love this song. I contributed the words and melody to brilliant guitar chords and the chorus line Avalanche and Earthquakes. Doug laid some brilliant guitar in this and Andy added percussion and -- as always -- mixed, tweaked, fiddled around and arranged like nobody's business. I love these guys and it should be apparent that we have a solid song writing team... a real solid fucking band. And we have a real message. Wait till you hear what I did with my old buddy Jim Sullins from down in Nashville. It's called "On My Back Road". That'll be up as soon as we finish "trashing" it.
NWT is catching on. It's resonating and we're getting hits from all over the world. Welcome to the music of the Post-Paradigm. We are producing culture. And music will make the birth of the new paradigm that much easier to take.
Welcome to the New White Trash: http://www.newwhitetrash.com
MCR
**********************************************************************
From Jenna Orkin
Headlines
How Russia Is About to Dramatically Change the World
Climate change far worse than thought before
Colombia rebels, al Qaeda in "unholy" drug alliance
Man charged with threatening to kill U.S. President, First Lady
Run for cover.
Terror
MI5 told US about bomber's terror links a year ago
MI5 'still using threats to recruit Muslim spies'
Security Service used blackmail to turn us into informers, immigrants say
Exclusive: CIA Attacker Driven in From Pakistan
Six trucks of explosives 'disappear' in Yemen
Afghan bomber was triple agent
Germany knows nothing of alleged CIA murder plot
Opposition Mounts in U.K. as Islamist Group Plans Anti-War March
New Executive Order Aims to Avoid Declass Deadline
Climate/Energy
Frozen Britain may run short of gas
Bookies slash odds on coldest-ever January
China and S Korea gripped by freeze
Seoul battles heaviest snow in 70 years
Calgary's cold weather causes record power demand and a call to conserve (from Rice Farmer)Iberian Spot Power Hovers Near All-Time Lows (from Rice Farmer)
Peru's mountain people face fight for survival in a bitter winter
Avalanches bring misery to the frozen Alps
Power outage halts flights at Washington DC airport
Maize shortage to affect over 4 million Kenyans
Nepali gov't to limit power cut to 12 hours daily (from Rice Farmer)
Will Middle East Tensions Drive Oil to $300? Part I (from Rice Farmer)
Economy
John Williams: Hyperinflation and the death of the US economy
Advance warning: Danger of bond market collapse! (from Rice Farmer)
Japanese Government Bond Market at Risk of Collapse? (from Rice Farmer)
Will the Euro Become the Most Hated Currency for 2010?
School Bills Due But State Can't Pay: "There is No Money"; Let the War on Public Unions Begin
Personal bankruptcies rising fast
Bankruptcies increased 32 percent in ’09
Turbulence Marks Global Outlook for 2010 (from Rice Farmer)
Dems, Wall Street water down financial reform
Ron Paul "No Longer Fringe"
Krugman: Beware the blip
Climbing crude could scupper ‘recovery’
Economics and Limits to Growth: What's Sustainable? (from Rice Farmer)
"The end of growth does not come from depletion, but from rising capital costs."
Treasurys set for worst year since 1978
Krugman Sees 30% to 40% Chance of Second U.S. Recession as Stimulus Fades
Geithner Finds No Good Deed Unpunished as Banks Seek Profits From Bailouts
Housing Animal Spirits Set to Be Banished as U.S. Prime Foreclosures Mount
Walmart, Costco, US Bank Profit From Energy Credits in US; Carbon Tax Thrown Out By French Court
Easing the Pain
Half of Americans with depression not treated
Study says acetaminophen may ease psychological pain
Could it help us through our terror? How about bankruptcy?
France Plans to Sell Surplus Flu Shots
Five million people have been vaccinated in France but the country purchased 94 million vaccines. The government wants to sell off the extra doses.
And...
Nineteen pythons found by firefighters in burning trailer
Top 10 Sci-Fi Weapons That Actually Exist
Can Male Prostitutes Boost Economy?
Depends on whose.
Monday, January 04, 2010
SOMETHING EVIL THIS WAY COMES
JAN 3, 2010 -- As I write, the world is falling apart. Military forces from all major powers are flooding the Gulf of Aden, using piracy and terrorism as a pretext. This is all jockeying in anticipation of a major, and possibly total, war in and around the Persian Gulf -- where 60% of the planet's known oil is. Pakistan is imploding. Within days it will face a "worst possible" energy crisis and, according to Pakistani news sources, trigger massive civil unrest. Pakistan has failed. An Israeli and/or U.S. attack on Iran is now, no longer unthinkable. Just recently, Israel recalled all its ambassadors and charges d'affaires simultaneously for what (sure looked to me) was an emergency huddle. Major power shortages are crippling nations from the Phillipines, to Vietnam, to India, throughout the Caspian and especially Pakistan. Cities in many countries (including the USnd Britain) are selectively turning out streetlights that will never come back on because they can't afford the cost. The world is starting to shut down.
Sovereign default is a threat throughout Europe and especially in Greece and the United Kingdom. There are signs that the U.S. economy has started to implode. I will join my good friend, the brilliant James Howard Kunstler, in predicting a DOW at 4,000 in 2010.
President Obama has just ordered massive governmental preparation for a biowarfare attack. Something evil this way comes, and it will be worse than 9-11. Those who have followed me regularly over the years know that I have never gotten excited about any of a score of rumors of another attack. I was the last to get excited because I trusted the map we were making. It proved accurate.
It still is and I am scared shitless. But I am not panicking. I'm trusting the map. We made it together. We're on this ride together.
With the movie Collapse doing well and the book selling strongly I appreciate the risk I'm taking with my credibility, and that I am inviting attacks for issuing this statement. It has been estimated that over a decade my predictions have been 80 per cent accurate. (I never kept count.) I pray to God that this is one of those 20 per cent that I get wrong. To all of you who I love and to whom I owe so much, I recommend that you make a small investment in potassium iodide tablets for yourself and your family. It's time to start running faster than the other campers.
And with all of that you should hear the songs the New White Trash are writing and recording. You will very soon. I am so proud to be a part of this band. Music will make the birth of the new paradigm easier to take. I've been listening to Taj Mahal all day.
http://www.newwhitetrash.com
MCR
**************************************************************************
From Jenna Orkin
Headlines
Deadly animal diseases poised to infect humans
Obama Orders Gvt. to Prepare for Biological Attack (from cj)
Pakistan: Energy Crisis May Cripple Country by 15th
POWER, GAS PRICE HIKE MAY LEAD TO MASS AGITATION IN PAKISTAN (from F. Kamilov)
Pakistan government under pressure after deadly attack
Cruise Missile Attacks in Yemen (from Vantage Point)
Obama aide says al Qaeda may plan Yemen attack
Russia suspends Belarus oil supplies
Military
UK and US shut embassies in Yemen
Yemeni air attacks risk mobilising hostile tribes
Iran Plans Large-Scale War Games (from Rice Farmer)
Obama to exploit Iran unrest for sanctions
UK airports to get full-body scanners
New U.S. air traveler screening focuses on 14 nations
Report: Cartoonist attacker targeted Hillary Clinton
Arms deal set to strain U.S.-China relations
Is the Detroit Nigerian "Terrorist" A Patsy? (from Vantage Point)
Energy/Environment/Health
The 2010 Food Crisis Means Financial Armageddon (from Businessman)
Britain 'must produce more food'
Exxon's Built In Escape Hatch from the Shale Gas Game
North Magnetic Pole Moving Toward Russia
At the rate of forty miles per year.
Tajikistan earthquake leaves 20,000 homeless
Two large quakes near Solomon Islands
Obesity epidemic spreads in sub-Saharan Africa
Belching cows can help to rescue our planet
Economy
Bernanke warns about creating new bubbles
So he can say, "told ja so."
Iceland's Parliament Coerced Into Offering Bribes, Hoping For Quick Entry Into EU
China's hunger for metals
Tokyo Stock Exchange to Launch New Trading System Jan. 4
For Some of Japan's Jobless, Homes Just 5 Feet Wide
NYT: Loan program may have made things worse
Unemployment sets a grim record in 2009
Intelligence/Miscellaneous
Cyber Threats to Expect in 2010
Boy, 4, shot dead in US church
Power of Attorney
John Yoo, charming, witty, so non-threatening.
Google exec runs for Vt. governor
Sovereign default is a threat throughout Europe and especially in Greece and the United Kingdom. There are signs that the U.S. economy has started to implode. I will join my good friend, the brilliant James Howard Kunstler, in predicting a DOW at 4,000 in 2010.
President Obama has just ordered massive governmental preparation for a biowarfare attack. Something evil this way comes, and it will be worse than 9-11. Those who have followed me regularly over the years know that I have never gotten excited about any of a score of rumors of another attack. I was the last to get excited because I trusted the map we were making. It proved accurate.
It still is and I am scared shitless. But I am not panicking. I'm trusting the map. We made it together. We're on this ride together.
With the movie Collapse doing well and the book selling strongly I appreciate the risk I'm taking with my credibility, and that I am inviting attacks for issuing this statement. It has been estimated that over a decade my predictions have been 80 per cent accurate. (I never kept count.) I pray to God that this is one of those 20 per cent that I get wrong. To all of you who I love and to whom I owe so much, I recommend that you make a small investment in potassium iodide tablets for yourself and your family. It's time to start running faster than the other campers.
And with all of that you should hear the songs the New White Trash are writing and recording. You will very soon. I am so proud to be a part of this band. Music will make the birth of the new paradigm easier to take. I've been listening to Taj Mahal all day.
http://www.newwhitetrash.com
MCR
**************************************************************************
From Jenna Orkin
Headlines
Deadly animal diseases poised to infect humans
Obama Orders Gvt. to Prepare for Biological Attack (from cj)
Pakistan: Energy Crisis May Cripple Country by 15th
POWER, GAS PRICE HIKE MAY LEAD TO MASS AGITATION IN PAKISTAN (from F. Kamilov)
Pakistan government under pressure after deadly attack
Cruise Missile Attacks in Yemen (from Vantage Point)
Obama aide says al Qaeda may plan Yemen attack
Russia suspends Belarus oil supplies
Military
UK and US shut embassies in Yemen
Yemeni air attacks risk mobilising hostile tribes
Iran Plans Large-Scale War Games (from Rice Farmer)
Obama to exploit Iran unrest for sanctions
UK airports to get full-body scanners
New U.S. air traveler screening focuses on 14 nations
Report: Cartoonist attacker targeted Hillary Clinton
Arms deal set to strain U.S.-China relations
Is the Detroit Nigerian "Terrorist" A Patsy? (from Vantage Point)
Energy/Environment/Health
The 2010 Food Crisis Means Financial Armageddon (from Businessman)
Britain 'must produce more food'
Exxon's Built In Escape Hatch from the Shale Gas Game
North Magnetic Pole Moving Toward Russia
At the rate of forty miles per year.
Tajikistan earthquake leaves 20,000 homeless
Two large quakes near Solomon Islands
Obesity epidemic spreads in sub-Saharan Africa
Belching cows can help to rescue our planet
Economy
Bernanke warns about creating new bubbles
So he can say, "told ja so."
Iceland's Parliament Coerced Into Offering Bribes, Hoping For Quick Entry Into EU
China's hunger for metals
Tokyo Stock Exchange to Launch New Trading System Jan. 4
For Some of Japan's Jobless, Homes Just 5 Feet Wide
NYT: Loan program may have made things worse
Unemployment sets a grim record in 2009
Intelligence/Miscellaneous
Cyber Threats to Expect in 2010
Boy, 4, shot dead in US church
Power of Attorney
John Yoo, charming, witty, so non-threatening.
Google exec runs for Vt. governor
Saturday, January 02, 2010
Terror in Two Scandinavian Countries, Anthrax at Home; Experts Fail to Make Sense
From Jenna Orkin:
Terror/Intelligence
Armed man shot at Muhammad cartoonist's home
Danish cartoonist home attacker had "terror links"
Al-Qaida links of cartoonist's assassin
Obama Says U.S. at War With `Network of Violence, Hatred,' Pledges Defense
"Axis of evil" was snappier.
MI5 knew of bomber’s UK extremist links
‘India ready for war with China, Pakistan’ (from Rice Farmer)
Airport pat-downs often ineffective
Here comes naked screening. That'll put a damper on air-travel.
Air passengers face two body searches
See above.
Are planned airport scanners just a scam?
Somali pirates seize British super-freighter
David Randall: 'Asian Glory' was the fourth vessel hijacked last week as EU-led armada fails to keep the brigands at bay.
We Don't Need No Warrant
20,000 Snooper Army (UK)
Telecom Firms' Fury at "Stasi" Checks (UK)
Woman Gets Anthrax from Drum Circle
European Parliament to Investigate WHO and “Pandemic” Scandal (from Rice Farmer)
Suicide attack inflicts worst death toll on CIA in 25 years
Seven agents killed in base bombing while roadside blast kills Canadians.
CIA suicide bomber was invited on base, report claims
CIA Attacker Driven In From Pakistan
Former CIA Agent: Taliban poses no threat to the U.S.
Ray McGovern
Chicago cop allegedly tasered unconscious man 11 times
Feds Threaten Blogger Who Posted TSA Screening Directive
Coinciding with the underwear bomber to give their point heft.
Crippled by conspiracy theories
Five dead in Finnish mall shooting
Economy
Will next decade be another bubble-popper?
Concern as China clamps down on rare earth exports
Precious metals that could save the planet
German Economy on Brink of Radical Restructuring
Merkel Warns Germans of Tough Times in 2010
Newsweek: Dangers of economic pessimism
Pessimists do better on reality testing.
Hundreds of thousands leave teaching profession (UK)
Experts fail to make sense
Goldman Sachs Makes `Call of Decade' by Promoting BRICs: Chart of the Day
Colorado's PERA "2/2/2" Funding Plan Hopelessly Unsound
Vermont State Employees Union Votes For 3% Pay Cut
Evanston Illinois' Social Experiment To Solve Budget Deficit
Environment
Frauds hit carbon trading
The big freeze: Warnings of a Siberian snap
Britain facing one of the coldest winters in 100 years, experts predict
Britain 'must produce more food'
Three toddlers die in 'meningitis' outbreak
Ask Lucy: Keeping urban chickens
Oathall Community College Farm: from little things, big things grow
Vietnam Halts Gold Trading; Global Imbalances Mount
Russia doubles vodka prices
Terror/Intelligence
Armed man shot at Muhammad cartoonist's home
Danish cartoonist home attacker had "terror links"
Al-Qaida links of cartoonist's assassin
Obama Says U.S. at War With `Network of Violence, Hatred,' Pledges Defense
"Axis of evil" was snappier.
MI5 knew of bomber’s UK extremist links
‘India ready for war with China, Pakistan’ (from Rice Farmer)
Airport pat-downs often ineffective
Here comes naked screening. That'll put a damper on air-travel.
Air passengers face two body searches
See above.
Are planned airport scanners just a scam?
Somali pirates seize British super-freighter
David Randall: 'Asian Glory' was the fourth vessel hijacked last week as EU-led armada fails to keep the brigands at bay.
We Don't Need No Warrant
20,000 Snooper Army (UK)
Telecom Firms' Fury at "Stasi" Checks (UK)
Woman Gets Anthrax from Drum Circle
European Parliament to Investigate WHO and “Pandemic” Scandal (from Rice Farmer)
Suicide attack inflicts worst death toll on CIA in 25 years
Seven agents killed in base bombing while roadside blast kills Canadians.
CIA suicide bomber was invited on base, report claims
CIA Attacker Driven In From Pakistan
Former CIA Agent: Taliban poses no threat to the U.S.
Ray McGovern
Chicago cop allegedly tasered unconscious man 11 times
Feds Threaten Blogger Who Posted TSA Screening Directive
Coinciding with the underwear bomber to give their point heft.
Crippled by conspiracy theories
Five dead in Finnish mall shooting
Economy
Will next decade be another bubble-popper?
Concern as China clamps down on rare earth exports
Precious metals that could save the planet
German Economy on Brink of Radical Restructuring
Merkel Warns Germans of Tough Times in 2010
Newsweek: Dangers of economic pessimism
Pessimists do better on reality testing.
Hundreds of thousands leave teaching profession (UK)
Experts fail to make sense
Goldman Sachs Makes `Call of Decade' by Promoting BRICs: Chart of the Day
Colorado's PERA "2/2/2" Funding Plan Hopelessly Unsound
Vermont State Employees Union Votes For 3% Pay Cut
Evanston Illinois' Social Experiment To Solve Budget Deficit
Environment
Frauds hit carbon trading
The big freeze: Warnings of a Siberian snap
Britain facing one of the coldest winters in 100 years, experts predict
Britain 'must produce more food'
Three toddlers die in 'meningitis' outbreak
Ask Lucy: Keeping urban chickens
Oathall Community College Farm: from little things, big things grow
Vietnam Halts Gold Trading; Global Imbalances Mount
Russia doubles vodka prices
Friday, January 01, 2010
The Father of the Terrorist
Jenna Orkin
The latest Christmas horror movie - sorry, "news item" - concerning yet another Islamic fundamentalist planning to attack the West on one of its holiest of holidays, is concocted of tried and true ingredients: A threat at the height of a travel season, thereby easing the oil squeeze; a familiar "explosive" in familiar negligible quantities, smuggled in a private crevice. And if the shoe bomber led to all of us having to pad through the last lap of the airport in our stockinged feet, what's the logical conclusion to the underwear bomber? I guess the naked scanner's a reasonable compromise, huh?
Then there are the back stories.
Like Osama Bin Laden in the years leading up to 9/11, prior to his alleged attempt at a Christmas massacre (nice East v. West touch there, if a little heavy-handed) Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab supposedly broke ranks with the rest of his family. The well-brought up Westernized Muslim turned into a Radical Fundamentalist, another family black sheep.
But unlike Osama, Umar is no mastermind; he's 23. In this (as well as in the muffed outcome of his alleged attempt) he harks back to John Hinckley Jr. of Reagan assassination-attempt fame.
The similarities of the three Threats to Our Way of Life do not end there for all their backgrounds reach into the highest echelons of the societies and even the administrations they sought to destroy.
The links of Osama's family to the Bushes are by now well known and won't be rehashed here.
But Hinckley, too, was no mere garden variety nutjob. Wikipedia quotes an AP article from March 31, 1981:
The family of the man charged with trying to assassinate President Reagan is acquainted with the family of Vice President George Bush and had made large contributions to his political campaign....Scott Hinckley, brother of John W. Hinckley Jr. who allegedly shot at Reagan, was to have dined tonight in Denver at the home of Neil Bush, one of the Vice President's sons...
Similarly, the father of Umar - who purportedly warned the CIA of his son's worrisome beliefs six weeks before they came to fruition in the alleged terrorist attempt - is not only the prominent banker that has been portrayed in the media; assuming that his name is not the Nigerian equivalent of "Bob Johnson," he has also held powerful positions in energy (both electricity and oil,) communications and defense.
"Dr. Umaru Abdul Mutallab has held senior management positions in the Defense Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DIC),... has also served as chairman of the National Electrical Power Authority (NEPA)... and is on the board... of the Nigerian Communication Commission.."
The Defense Industries Corporation of Nigeria has been involved mainly in manufacturing AK-47's not only for Nigeria but also for neighboring countries.
The New Nigeria Development Company of which Dr. Mutallab was General Manager, has a deal with Gazprom to analyze three oil blocks in the Northern part of the country (the Muslim part, where the rifles are being manufactured.)
The Nigerian Communication Commission saw its Vice Chairman arrested in May for illegally withdrawing a license.
The National Electric Power Authority or NEPA (otherwise known somewhat clumsily as "Never Expect Power Always") was the subject of one of those letters that used to arrive weekly in one's inbox asking for assistance and promising windfall rewards:
"My name is Camooru Ego and I am the manager of the Lagos Head-Quarters of the National Electric Power Authority (NEPA), a position I have held for four years now. As the manager of this Corporation one of my many duties involves making detailed investigations into the internal finances of all departments under my control, to ensure that the organisation runs effectively as a whole...
'During the course of these investigations I have discovered that the accounts of the Research subdivision do not balance correctly..."
But it is as a banker that Mutallab Sr. is mainly known, most recently as Chairman of the First Bank of Nigeria about which Wikipedia says:
"The Bank traces its history back to 1894 and the Bank of British West Africa...
According to its founder, without a bank, economies were reduced to using barter and a wide variety of mediums of exchange..." (Can't have that, can we?)
"The bank primarily financed foreign trade, but did little lending to indigenous Nigerians, who had little to offer as collateral for loans..."
After fixing all that, in 2008, the bank was rated by JP Morgan as one of the two 'least preferred" of Nigerian banks. And this was before it reported N74 billion bad loans in 2009. But what bank didn't?
Busy guy, Mutallub Sr. Maybe he should have spent more Sunday afternoons kicking around a soccer ball with Umar.
The latest Christmas horror movie - sorry, "news item" - concerning yet another Islamic fundamentalist planning to attack the West on one of its holiest of holidays, is concocted of tried and true ingredients: A threat at the height of a travel season, thereby easing the oil squeeze; a familiar "explosive" in familiar negligible quantities, smuggled in a private crevice. And if the shoe bomber led to all of us having to pad through the last lap of the airport in our stockinged feet, what's the logical conclusion to the underwear bomber? I guess the naked scanner's a reasonable compromise, huh?
Then there are the back stories.
Like Osama Bin Laden in the years leading up to 9/11, prior to his alleged attempt at a Christmas massacre (nice East v. West touch there, if a little heavy-handed) Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab supposedly broke ranks with the rest of his family. The well-brought up Westernized Muslim turned into a Radical Fundamentalist, another family black sheep.
But unlike Osama, Umar is no mastermind; he's 23. In this (as well as in the muffed outcome of his alleged attempt) he harks back to John Hinckley Jr. of Reagan assassination-attempt fame.
The similarities of the three Threats to Our Way of Life do not end there for all their backgrounds reach into the highest echelons of the societies and even the administrations they sought to destroy.
The links of Osama's family to the Bushes are by now well known and won't be rehashed here.
But Hinckley, too, was no mere garden variety nutjob. Wikipedia quotes an AP article from March 31, 1981:
The family of the man charged with trying to assassinate President Reagan is acquainted with the family of Vice President George Bush and had made large contributions to his political campaign....Scott Hinckley, brother of John W. Hinckley Jr. who allegedly shot at Reagan, was to have dined tonight in Denver at the home of Neil Bush, one of the Vice President's sons...
Similarly, the father of Umar - who purportedly warned the CIA of his son's worrisome beliefs six weeks before they came to fruition in the alleged terrorist attempt - is not only the prominent banker that has been portrayed in the media; assuming that his name is not the Nigerian equivalent of "Bob Johnson," he has also held powerful positions in energy (both electricity and oil,) communications and defense.
"Dr. Umaru Abdul Mutallab has held senior management positions in the Defense Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DIC),... has also served as chairman of the National Electrical Power Authority (NEPA)... and is on the board... of the Nigerian Communication Commission.."
The Defense Industries Corporation of Nigeria has been involved mainly in manufacturing AK-47's not only for Nigeria but also for neighboring countries.
The New Nigeria Development Company of which Dr. Mutallab was General Manager, has a deal with Gazprom to analyze three oil blocks in the Northern part of the country (the Muslim part, where the rifles are being manufactured.)
The Nigerian Communication Commission saw its Vice Chairman arrested in May for illegally withdrawing a license.
The National Electric Power Authority or NEPA (otherwise known somewhat clumsily as "Never Expect Power Always") was the subject of one of those letters that used to arrive weekly in one's inbox asking for assistance and promising windfall rewards:
"My name is Camooru Ego and I am the manager of the Lagos Head-Quarters of the National Electric Power Authority (NEPA), a position I have held for four years now. As the manager of this Corporation one of my many duties involves making detailed investigations into the internal finances of all departments under my control, to ensure that the organisation runs effectively as a whole...
'During the course of these investigations I have discovered that the accounts of the Research subdivision do not balance correctly..."
But it is as a banker that Mutallab Sr. is mainly known, most recently as Chairman of the First Bank of Nigeria about which Wikipedia says:
"The Bank traces its history back to 1894 and the Bank of British West Africa...
According to its founder, without a bank, economies were reduced to using barter and a wide variety of mediums of exchange..." (Can't have that, can we?)
"The bank primarily financed foreign trade, but did little lending to indigenous Nigerians, who had little to offer as collateral for loans..."
After fixing all that, in 2008, the bank was rated by JP Morgan as one of the two 'least preferred" of Nigerian banks. And this was before it reported N74 billion bad loans in 2009. But what bank didn't?
Busy guy, Mutallub Sr. Maybe he should have spent more Sunday afternoons kicking around a soccer ball with Umar.
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