Drug-Resistant TB Spreads Across Globe; Newsweek: US in Terminal Decline

From Jenna Orkin

Headlines
U.S. schools in ‘category 5’ budget crisis
Drug-Resistant TB Spreads Across the Globe
Glaxo funded backers of 'danger' drug
Newsweek: US in Terminal Decline - from Rice Farmer

Economy
German leader says euro zone should consider expelling countries
Portugal Prepares To Sell $1 Billion Of Dollar Denominated Bonds In Goldman-Led Deal - from Rice Farmer
US stealth taxes creeping up
New pensions scandal
Young and poor will be the victims of 2012 pension reforms.
Lloyds accused of avoiding tax
Stimulus Runs Out, So States Beg Congress For More Money; Will They Get It?
Multi-Million Dollar UN Corruption Case
Clinton and Bush Head to Haiti Monday
That was some bonding that went on in that golf cart.
Obama, Clinton fundraiser admits $292 million fraud

Terror/Intelligence
Pentagon Sees a Threat From Online Muckrakers
Wikileaks
Defense Cites Entrapment in Terror Case
German Defense Ministry Sought to Obscure the Truth
Hacker Disables More Than 100 Cars Remotely
Wachovia and US Settle Money Laundering Case
Secrets of the Secret Service: Old Computers, Problems Recruiting
Spies target speculators
New secret agent rules delayed
..."after falling foul of torture laws."
Neuromarketers get inside buyers' brains - from Rice Farmer
North Korean blamed for currency crash is executed
"Professor Yoon and other observers believe Mr Pak, who was seen on state TV by Mr Kim's side as late as January, was made a scapegoat for the policy, which was almost certainly authorised higher up the leadership chain."

Energy/Environment/Health
British movie blasts Alberta oil sands ‎
New man-made species could solve energy problems ‎
China: Success of Secret Two Child Policy
Saving the Oceans: Fish on the 14th Floor
Who would like to do the math on how many of these tanks would be required? Back of the envelope would indicate you'd have to cover the surface of the earth in a couple miles water, no?
Berkeley Scientist's Herbicide Studies Raise Corporate Hackles
Rising food prices may start with seeds
"Farmers say consolidation in the industry means they're forced to buy more costly seeds. But Monsanto, the world's largest seed firm, says competition 'is alive and flourishing.'"
How going green may make you mean
In other words, the CEOs don't shoplift so they get the Upright Citizens' award.
Fasting to Death
Smart Pill

Gold/Silver
Marc Faber: We Have a New Gold Standard - from Rice Farmer
Idaho's plan to downgrade the dollar - from Rice Farmer
"A bill to allow citizens to pay their taxes with silver medallions gains support. Goldbugs are watching closely."

And...
Left-wing Rome politicians drop trousers in budget protest - from Rice Farmer
"Alemanno has reduced us to our underwear," read one protester's poster, referring to the city's right-wing mayor Gianni Alemanno.

Latvia Government Collapses; Quarter of Adults Out of Work in UK; China in "Greatest Bubble in History"

From Jenna Orkin

Headlines
Latvia government collapses
Great Britain Stars in Its Own Greek Tragedy
Quarter of adults out of work - UK
Iraq elections: 'disastrous' dead heat predicted
China in “Greatest Bubble in History”
Jim Rogers Sizes Up Two Global Bubbles
China hints at curbing exports of Lithium and other rare earth compounds

Economy
Senators back bill to pressure China on currency
China stands firm on yuan as US ups pressure
HealthCare Premiums Will Decrease 3000%; Obama Needs Remedial Math Lessons; Ron Paul's Campaign For Liberty vs. Organizing For America ObamaCare
Canadian Credit Bubble In Pictures
Roubini Worried by 'Runaway Fiscal Deficits'
Jim Rogers: The euro is dead in 20 years
That was the good news, right?
China Planning to Connect High Speed Rail Lines To Europe
More And More State Governments Are Joining The War Against The Banks
Shades of the Civil War.
Strategic Defaults Are Soaring In California, And Now They Might Really Explode
Christie to cut N.J. school aid by $800M; 800 Layoffs in San Bernardino; R.I. Court Upholds Salary Cuts; Lancaster PA Pension Tsunami

Energy/Environment
Will oil hit $200 a barrel after all?
Coal Beats Solar as Analysts Favor Peabody Amid Shrinking Green Subsidies
India's Richest Man Dying For A Piece Of The U.S. Shale Gas Revolution
IS GLOBAL WARMING UNSTOPPABLE?
THEORY ALSO SAYS ENERGY CONSERVATION DOESN'T HELP (from Elizabeth Miller)'Historic Flooding' Possible in US, NOAA Says ‎
Worst cyclone in decades hits Fiji
Methane May Be Building Under Antarctic Ice
Climate Quick Fix Could Create Toxic Algae Blooms

The Mayans and the Sovereign Debt Crisis; Tongues that See

From Jenna Orkin

Headlines
America's AAA debt rate in doubt
Moody's fears social unrest as AAA states implement austerity plans - from Rice Farmer
Mike says to tell you that the fact that Moody's is advising the wealthy to bet on social unrest will end up encouraging that unrest.
Corporate Debt Coming Due May Squeeze Credit
JO comment: I've long harbored a secret belief that the reason we've been treated to specials on the Mayan predictions for 2012 as well as on the prescience of Nostradamus is that the TPTB were psyching us for the disaster they were engineering or at least, steering.

The article above, which appeared above the fold on page 1 of today's New York Times confirms that belief. Its opening paragraphs state:

"When the Mayans envisioned the world coming to an end in 2012 — at least in the Hollywood telling — they didn’t count junk bonds among the perils that would lead to worldwide disaster.

Maybe they should have, because 2012 also is the beginning of a three-year period in which more than $700 billion in risky, high-yield corporate debt begins to come due, an extraordinary surge that some analysts fear could overload the debt markets."
U.S. Jobless Rate Will Be Elevated for `Extended Period,' Obama Aides Say
You Think Housing Is Recovering? Check Out These Charts
Housing Will Surely Double Dip, And Banks Will See DRAMATIC Writedowns
Bad Weather Depresses US Housing Starts in February
14 facts about the US deficit that will blow your mind
China continued to sell US Treasurys in January
Senate bill would penalize China over yuan
Municipal Bonds at Greatest Risk of Default
States’ Rights Is Rallying Cry of Resistance for Lawmakers

World
Europe Is Hiding Pension Debt Off Balance Sheet And Soon Everyone Will Know About It
Max Keiser's Interview with Icelandic MP Birgitta Jonsdottir on "Blackmail" Referendum
Violence erupts across East Jerusalem
Thousands pay tribute to Latvia's fallen Nazi troops
Elderly forced to hoard cash
Elderly 'will be forced to hoard cash' if cheques are abolished, MPs told.
Bank customers will pay more for less

Energy
Coming Soon: Economic Growth Without Oil
Soon, we promise. Plus, if you're good, major payoff in the next life.
End of "Favoring Motor Transportation" - from Jon Noel
Shell to sell petrol stations around the world
Peter Voser will cut a further 2,000 jobs and sell franchises for its forecourts in order to save costs
Anger as petrol prices accelerate into the fast lane

Big Brother as "Friend"
Break the Law and Your New 'Friend' May Be The FBI
DOD Joint Operating Environment (JOE) 2010 report
"Future Joint Force commanders will find conflict over water endemic to their world, whether as the spark or the underlying cause of conflicts among various racial, tribal, or political groups, ...with armed groups controlling or warring over remaining water, while the specter of disease resulting from unsanitary conditions would hover in the background."

"The challenges that Chinese leadership confronts at present are enormous, and an unsuccessful China is perhaps more worrisome than a prosperous one.
U.S. puts brakes on "virtual" border fence
Opinion: 55% of Australian news articles sourced from PR firms

Environment/Science
The Green Blue Book
Advice on conservation of water by LA Times reporter Tom Kostigen

"When you toss out that cup of cold coffee in the bottom of the pot, you’re actually tossing out 590 cups; it takes that much water (37 gallons, to put it another way) to grow the coffee beans needed for just that 1 cup...

...swap a hamburger for a veggie burger just once and you will save about 750 gallons of water."
The Woman Who Just Might Save the Planet and Our Pocketbooks - from Elizabeth Miller
CO2 at New Highs Despite Economic Slowdown - from Elizabeth Miller
Fish rain down on desert village, UK starlings die in unison
This is Australia in 40 years
Apartment blocks are used to grow food, people live on floating island pods...
Blind soldier now 'sees' through tongue
Gene That Lets Snakes See Heat Helps You Taste Wasabi

And...
US survey: Pet-owners love their dogs more than partners
McCain opponent: Gay marriage could lead to human wedding horse
You calling horses gay?

US Showdown with China? Israel? Faber: Time to Ditch US Treasuries

From Jenna Orkin

Headlines
Showdown Between China and the US?
Israeli envoy sees "historic crisis" with U.S.: report
Faber: Time To Ditch U.S. Treasuries
Credit Agency Warns U.S. and Others of Risk to Top Rating
Saving U.S. Water and Sewer Systems Would Be Costly
California's public schools send out 22,000 pink slips - from Rice Farmer
Motorists 'mugged' as petrol to hit £5.41 a gallon
Nigeria is falling apart, says Nobel prize-winning author
Venezuela draws up food plan amid energy crisis
China delivers Venezuela jets for anti-drugs fight
Lula Nodding to Iran Shows Brazil Empowered as Confusion With Chavez Grows
Final Destination Iran? - from Rice Farmer)
Matthew Simmons' Awesome Presentation On The Coming Oil & Water Shortage - from Rice Farmer

Big Brother
Pentagon ran secret spy network
Pentagon to build $400 million spy blimp
Pakistan disbands spy unit linked to terrorists
To Stop Crime, Share Your Genes
"President Obama wants to get DNA profiles from people arrested. A fairer way to compile a national database is to get samples from all Americans."

Energy
Journey to the Center of the Earth
Deep water oil.
MPs accused of funding tar sands
Rising energy costs fuel a return to heating homes with a fire
Chile Says Blackout May Reoccur as Cuts Leave 80% Without Power

Economy
The Fed’s Responsibility
The Federal Reserve’s draft of rules intended to stop the credit card industry from bleeding customers dry is disturbingly weak.
Obama's $3 Trillion Tax Increase; IRS To Track PayPal Transactions; Toledo Ohio Fiscal Emergency; Obama's Utopian Education Goals
Two Sets of MD Pension Books: One with Real Salaries, the other Includes What Government Documents Refer to as "Phantom" Cost-of-Living Adjustments
Greece Bailout Ping-Pong, No Deal Underway; Pension Promises Add To Greek Debt Woes; How Does Greece Compare To US?
Stimulus About To Wither On Vine; A look At February Retail Sales
An Enron for Ernst & Young?
Report could lead to criminal charges
Lehman manipulation not unusual?
Loan squeeze thwarts small business survival Wall Street Journal
The Mayor Of Detroit’s Radical Plan To Bulldoze One Quarter Of The City - from Elizabeth Miller
Will Liberal Hero Dennis Kucinich Ultimately Be The Killer Of Healthcare Reform?

Environment/Science
Climate snapshot reveals things are heating up
Chinese Trash Data Paints A Far Dirtier Picture Than The Government Presents
Stopping the Ug99 Fungus Before Its Spores Bring Starvation
Humans 'could regrow body parts'

And...
People in power make better liars, study shows

Hoax Attacks in Georgia, UK; Is LA Doomed?

From Jenna Orkin

Economy/US
Why the "recovery" is a head-fake and we're headed for a double-dip
U.S. sales tax rates hit record high
Is LA Doomed?
War Porn (Drones)
China to place US high-speed rail bids
China plans to bid for contracts to build US high-speed train lines and is stepping up exports of rail technology to Europe and Latin America, a government official said on Saturday.
Justice Department’s witch hunt backfires in US
Liz Cheney, daughter of former US vice president Dick Cheney, has come under fire from left and right for orchestrating the campaign questioning the patriotism and loyalty of Department of Justice lawyers who represented terror suspects in private practice before they joined the agency.

…Even Kenneth Starr, who led the impeachment proceedings against then US president Bill Clinton in 1998, joined the group in rebuking Cheney.

World
Georgia invaded? Hoax report causes panic
England nuke drill mistaken for attack
Plans for abolition of House of Lords to be unveiled
Is China actually bankrupt? (from Rice Farmer)
"The nation has erected a complex system for magically making its debts disappear, but a look up China's sleeve shows that its IOUs may equal its GDP."
Hugo Chavez Wants Control Over the Internet
Venezuela seizes 2 tons of cocaine hidden at port
US-Israeli rift widens
Tony Blair is preparing to launch a "faith offensive" across the United States over the next year
Thousands of protesters call for Thai elections

Environment/Science
Haiti's Next Disaster Looms
Only weeks after the country was hit by an earthquake, Haiti is threatened by the next potential calamity. The upcoming rainy season could turn overcrowded refugee camps into hotbeds of disease
Strong earthquake rocks central Japan
IVF doctors to raffle human egg
The winner of the commercial venture will be able to pick the egg donor by racial background, upbringing and education
Scientists identify opium genes
Discovery raises possibility of manufacturing painkillers cheaply using microbes rather than fields
Monsanto May Have Antitrust Edge as Protecting Patents Trumps Competition
Honey bees secret world of heat revealed
Greener Coal Ash
...Dominion Generation, for example, reprocesses its ash at plant to mix into cement. This is a good approach because it chemically locks up many of the most offending agents in the coal ash and also because it substantially lowers the amount of energy needed to make new cement.
"Dominion wants its reprocessing of coal-ash to generate credits for carbon-emissions reduction, which it hopes to use in the Northeast’s carbon-reduction scheme, called the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. But the Conservation Law Foundation, a Northeast environmental group, rejects this idea, saying that the carbon-reduction benefits of using coal-ash to reduce emissions from cement production are questionable.
http://calstarproducts.com/sustainability

Terror
Second Jihad Jane
Not one but two! So it's not just an anomaly, see.
Did the CIA Test LSD in the New York City Subway?
“The CIA itself was created and initially composed of wealthy men who came from Wall Street and New York City law firms.”

URGENT – 9/11 HEALTH CARE IS ON THE LINE NEXT TUESDAY
(from 9/11 Environmental Action)

On Tuesday, March 16th at 10am the 9/11 Health legislation will be voted on in the House Health Subcommittee at a meeting called a “markup.”

In the next few days before this critical vote, we need to do everything we can to ensure that the legislation passes with a guarantee of care for affected community members as well as the responders, and that the Survivor Program (which treats residents, area workers and students affected by 9/11) remains INTACT without being harmed by hostile amendments that could result in damaging cuts.

We believe it is ESSENTIAL for every member on the House Health Subcommittee to hear from THEIR CONSTITUENTS, the people who live in their districts, on the need for them to support these key aspects of the bill. We are attaching a spreadsheet with contact information for the entire Subcommittee, including the names of major cities that lie within their districts.
In particular, we have highlighted five Democrats who sit on the House Health Subcommittee and especially need to hear from their constituents. We have listed them below along with counties their districts, and their Washington DC office phone numbers.

How is this going to be accomplished??

We need you to reach out to any family and friends you may have who live in the districts of these congressmen. Ask them please to make a call on MONDAY March 15th to urge their representative to do the right thing on Tuesday, March 16th.

Since time is short, you may want to just phone your friends/family/contacts, but below, we provide a model for a “Dear Friends” letter you can paste into an email, along with a brief sample message for your contacts to use when they call their Representative.

***If you have friends or relatives who live in these congressional districts and you do only one thing to make sure the 9/11 health bill passes intact, this should be it:***

Here are the 5 Representatives who especially need calls:

Bart Gordon (D-Tennessee) Gordon’s district includes these counties in Tennessee-- Bedford, Cannon, Clay, DeKalb, Jackson, Macon, Marshall, Overton, Putnam, Robertson, Rutherford, Smith, Sumner, Trousdale and Wilson (including these cities - Murfreesboro, Gallatin, and Cookville). His Washington DC office number is 202-225-4231.

Mike Ross (D-Arkansas) Ross’s district in Arkansas includes the counties of Logan, Polk, Montgomery, Garland, Hot Spring, Grant, Jefferson, Lincoln, Desha, Pike, Howard, Clark, Dallas, Cleveland, Lincoln, Drew, Chicot, Ashley, Drew, Bradley, Calhoun, Union, Columbia, Lafayette, Little River, Miller, Sevier, Nevada, Hempstead and Quachita (including the cities of Pine Bluff, Prescott, Hot Springs, Camden, Warren, Hope, El Dorado). His Washington DC office number is 202-225-3772.

Jim Matheson (D-Utah) Matheson’s district in Utah includes Carbon, Daggett, Duchesne, Emery, Garfield, Grand, Iron, Kane, Plute, Salt Lake, San Juan, Uintah, Utah, Wasatch, Washington and Wayne counties (including the cities of Salt Lake City, , South Salt Lake, Alpine, Highland, Lehi, Sandy, Murray, Midvale, Holladay, Cottonwood Heights, Draper, Alta, Cedar, Hurricane, Blanding, St George and Price). His Washington DC phone number is 202-225-3011.
Zachary Space (D-Ohio) Space’s Ohio district includes the counties of Athens, Belmont, Carroll, Coshocton, Guernsey, Harrison, Hocking, Holmes, Jackson, Knox, Licking, Morgan, Muskingum, Ross, Tuscarawas, and Vinton (including the cities of Dover, Zanesville and Chillicothe). His Washington DC office number is 202- 225-6265

Bruce Braley (D-Iowa) Braley’s Iowa district includes the counties of Black Hawk, Bremer, Buchanan, Butler, Clayton, Clinton, Delaware, Dubuque, Fayette, Jackson, Jones and Scott (including the cities of Waterloo, Davenport, Dubuque and Cedar Falls). His Washington DC office number is 202-225-2911.

Here is the “Dear Friends” letter:

Dear Friends,

I am writing to you to ask for your help in ensuring passage of a bill that will protect the health of tens of thousands of people, both in New York City and around the country.

As you know, 9/11 was an attack on our nation that killed nearly 3000. What you may not know is that thousands of people are now sick as a result of 9/11 from breathing toxic fumes and dust that resulted from the collapse and burning of the Twin Towers. Some of those people were the brave responders who engaged in rescue and recovery operations and some were people who lived, worked or attended school in the densely populated area around the WTC, the civilians targeted by terrorism.

This Tuesday, March 16th, H.R. 847, the 9/11 Health and Compensation Act will come up for a vote in the Health Subcommittee of the House of Representatives. If your representative is one of the following -- Bart Gordon, Mike Ross, Jim Matheson, Zachary Space, Bruce Braley – it’s very important that he hear from you. I am appealing to you to call him at his Washington DC office on Monday and urge him to give his full support to the bill.

Thank you so much for your much-needed help. If you want to call me for further details I can be reached at (your phone number).

Best,

(your name)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here is a sample message for your contacts to use in calling their Congressman:

Hello, I’m (your name). I live at (give your address and zip code)

I am calling to urge Congressman____ to give his full support to HR 847, the 9/11 Health and Compensation Act. This bill will provide a guarantee of treatment for 9/11 related illnesses to survivors of the 9/11 attacks -- downtown Manhattan residents, students and local workers, as well as to the brave responders who came to the rescue.

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

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you have family or friends who live in Illinois in the district of Republican John Shimkus, they should call to give him a big Thank You for doing the right thing! He is supporting the bill, the guarantee of care and the Survivor Program, intact, without damaging cuts. Ask his constituents to call him at 202 225-5271. His district includes the cities of Springfield, Centralia, Harrisburg, Collinsville and Olney

The other Republican supporting the bill needs to hear from constituents that the guarantee of care is essential to both responders and survivors and that the survivor program is critical to the health of the people who lived, worked and attended school in the vicinity of the World Trade Center. He is Mike Rogers (R-Michigan). Please direct any one you know who is a constituent of his to call him at 202 225-4872 His district includes the counties of Clinton, Ingham, Livingston, parts of Oakland, Shiawassee, (including the cities of Lansing, East Lansing, Dansville, Webberville)

If additional details would be helpful, please see the attached pdf document with the recent 9/11 health resolutions passed by all three Lower Manhattan Community Boards.

May all our hard work pay off on Tuesday!

And...
An Incurious Man: Aaronovitch's Voodoo Histories

Exxon's Growing Reliance on Expensive Oil; Chinese Granny Buried Alive By Property Developers

Jenna Orkin

To respond to Eyeballs' comment on the settlement of the lawsuit by Ground Zero workers (Friday's post):

It's not just that the US government lied, allowing hundreds of thousands to get sick of whom hundreds have already died. The way the envirodisaster of 9/11 was handled was intended to upend Standard Operating Procedure and replace it with a new precedent.

Prior to 9/11, cleanup after an environmental disaster proceeded according to representative testing in concentric circles radiating from Ground Zero. If wind conditions generated more contamination north of the site, say, you'd focus your cleanup more in that direction.

How much would you clean up? The standard was: Enough so that only one person in a million would get cancer from the toxic substance involved.

After 9/11, the representative testing for which Congressman Nadler and a few of us in the community fought 24/7 went out the window. And the one in a million cancer risk was replaced by a one in ten thousand cancer risk per contaminant. That's a hundred times the previous standard. A Sierra Club report cites over 2000 contaminants released by the collapse of the towers and subsequent fires. But as more than 85,000 known chemicals are manufactured in this country, the real figure is likely much higher. However, even sticking to the conservative 2000 figure, given a one in ten thousand cancer risk per contaminant, we face, over all, a one in five cancer risk resulting from the disaster alone.

That's not taking into account the additive effects of these toxic substances (which the EPA never considered,) much less their synergistic effects about which little is known. However, a Mount Sinai study showed that someone who is both a smoker and an asbestos worker doesn't simply have twice the cancer risk of someone who is one but not the other; the risk is eighty or ninety times as bad.

But even disregarding those realities, 9/11 changed the precedent to allow a hundred times more cancers (per contaminant) than had previously been tolerated.

This becomes significant if we ever have to deal with a dirty bomb. For the EPA has explicitly stated that if such a device is found in a suburban mall, for instance, far from a densely populated area, they'll clean up with their former rigor. But where an area is important to the economy, a cancer risk a hundred times greater than was previously tolerated will be permitted. Never mind that economically significant areas also tend to be more densely populated. The policy lays out in the starkest terms that economic interests trump public health.


Quote of the day:
Professors Rogoff and Reinhart show that when external debt passes 73% of GDP or 239% of exports, the result is default, hyperinflation, or both. IMF data show the US already too far gone on both scores, with external debt at 96% of GDP and 748% of exports.

The rioters can go home, in other words. The system will collapse on its own. Lehman balance sheet massaging may not be unusual

Economy
Could Lehman be Ernst & Young's Enron?
96% Icelanders Vote Against Tax to Repay Foreigners
Australian Gov't Wrests Healthcare from States

Intelligence
EU Tobin Tax (Across Borders) ID Cards for Workers
Senate Warns Employees To Avoid Drudge Report
Chinese Granny Buried Alive by Property Developers
A kinder, gentler empire than this one on the horizon?
The Debate Over German Security Policies
Two decades after reunification, the German decision to call in a NATO air strike on fuel trucks in the Kunduz province of Afghanistan is a test of Germany's maturity. But even the handling of this incident has already turned a harsh spotlight on the shortcomings of Berlins security policy.
'The Church Is Not a Criminal Organization'
Shades of, "I am not a crook."

Energy/Health
Exxon's growing reliance on expensive oil ‎
China looks to 'combustible ice' as a fuel source ‎
Wind resistance: Analysis suggests generating electricity from large scale wind farms could influence climate
Tuberculosis strikes hard among Canada's Inuit
Tuberculosis is ravaging Canada's Arctic with infections among Inuit peoples doubling since 2004 and rates now 185 times higher than non-natives, an indigenous group said Wednesday.

And...
Zebra cleans hippopotamus's teeth

China's Oil Demand Rose 28% Year on Year in January

From Jenna Orkin

Headlines/Economy
Greek riots turn really nasty
Half of Kansas City’s schools to close by fall
JO: So does that mean 50% less creationism-science?

Olentangy responds: The Kansas City that is closing half of its schools is tne one in Missouri, not Kansas. The idiots that mandated the creationism curriculum were in rural Kansas. Get your facts right before making a stupid joke.

JO: Right. I forgot we weren't in Kansas anymore. But the comment was so good, I've decided to promote it rather than erase the original whopper.

Why Lehman collapsed
$38m report finds Citigroup and JP Morgan may have played a part.
Here's How The US And China Are Fudging The Numbers Just Like Lehman
New wave of foreclosures threatens market
Government workers feel no economic pain
February Payrolls: It's the Economy, Not the Weather
Morgenson on Municipalities’ Swap Fiascoes
‘Swap Tango’ – A Derivative Regulation Dance
UK debt crisis fears
The Misleading Political Calm in Turkey

Resources
Grappling with resource nationalism
China eyes South African mines
China's oil demand increase 'astonishing', says IEA
Rose 28% YOY in January. Is that why China February M2 Money Supply Up 25.5% On Year Vs. 26% Increase?
Shell confirms it stopped selling gasoline to Iran
from Barry Silverthorn, Director of The End of Suburbia, who comments:

Is this because they are bowing to political pressure from the US? Or is it because they expect war in Iraq and don't want to lose assets? I doubt that it is because the corporation feels some kind of social responsibility to make the world a better place.

According to the Globe & Mail, "The company declined to comment on whether it would divest itself of its holdings in Iran."

Iran has little capacity to refine its own gasoline.
IEA Raises 2010 Oil Demand Estimate on Developing Economies ‎
Germany Looks to Play Catch-Up in South America

Intelligence/Terror/Big Brother
Feds: TSA Worker Tried to Sabotage Terror Database
Al-Qaida suspect worked at nuclear plants
French bread spiked with LSD in CIA experiment
Telepathic computer can read your mind
US city schools locked down after Australia online threat
Ban salt to save lives, restaurants in New York told

Environment
Firms found to hoard carbon emission permits
Monsanto May Have Antitrust Edge as Protecting Patents Trumps Competition
NYC Settle Post-9/11 Illness, Injury Claims
JO comment:

The settlement is for $657 million for 10,000 plaintiffs. Up to a third of that will go towards legal fees. That leaves approximately $45,000 per sick, dying or dead person. $22 billion was originally promised by President Bush to Ground Zero. So the heroes of the site got 2/1000000 of that money or one five-hundred thousandth. As a group, they got less than 4%.

Look on the bright side: That's more than some people are going to get when the dollar gets whisked off into hyperinflation. Also it's more than we got in the residents' lawsuit, in which I represented the areas beyond Ground Zero that were potentially contaminated. That suit got a resoundingly pro-the-people decision in the Lower Court. At the appeals level, the judge acknowledged that the government had lied but said, in essence, that if we punished them for doing so, the next time there was a disaster, they might be afraid to open their mouths at all.

There's a clinic for residents, office workers and students affected by the disaster but I've never come across any treatment they offer besides steroids.

And...
Vatican's Exorcist

China February M2 Money Supply Up 25.5%

From Jenna Orkin

US/Economy
China February M2 Money Supply Up 25.5% On Year Vs. 26% Increase
U.S. Posts Record Budget Deficit of $221 Billion - from Rice Farmer
Senate passes $149 bln for jobless aid, tax breaks
Jobless Rate Rose in 30 States In January, Five Hit Records
Unemployment Rate up in 30 States, Down in 9; Manufacturing States Benefit Most
States, Cities Likely To Slash Jobs As Stimulus Ends
Democrats To Unveil New $100 Billion Jobs Bill That Will Only Save Government Jobs And Will Be Funded By The Deficit
Get Ready For More Taxes And Fewer Services
Cash-Strapped States Delay Paying Income-Tax Refunds
Commercial property may cause new crisis, says FSA
U.S. seen vulnerable to rate shocks
Small firms still in trouble WSJ
How Kids, Schools, Health, And Local Governments Will Get Slammed By New York's New Budget
Virginia Hands Out 6996 Traffic Tickets In One Weekend In An Effort To Raise Revenue
Economic Stimulus Was a Waste of Time
Miami-Dade Hospital in "Death Spiral"
Pelosi: We have to pass the health care bill so that you can find out what is in it
Citizens' Initiative Puts Spotlight On SF Muni Pay Schedule
Obama's Housing Shell Game; Short Sales and Relocation Assistance
Debt for Diploma Schemes and the Cookie Monster Principle

World
Strike Paralyzes Greece; Protests Turn Violent
PIMCO's El-Erian: You Fools Don't Realize That The Sovereign Debt Crisis Goes WAY Beyond Greece
Here's Why Europe Is About To Dump Lots Of Gold Onto The Market
The race to the bottom
That was a headline on this blog a few months ago. Now it's gone mainstream.
Private sector eyes opportunity in Haiti rebuilding
Clinton Family Pockets Haiti Assets in Telephone Company Privatization, Says Pumphrey - from Rice Farmer

Terror/Intelligence
America confronts its worst nightmare: blonde 'Jihad Jane'
Next on the agenda: Five-year-olds.
Malware Turns Your Cellphone Against You
Abdulmutallab could not have blown up plane
Pacific Missile Range Facility Intercept Test Support - from Lisa

Energy/Environment
Big business has a new weapon
Corporate America's new right to free speech means their opinions on climate change could get a lot louder
Quake moved whole city
The massive earthquake that struck Chile last monthmoved an entire city at least 10 feet (3 meters) tothe west, scientists say.
China Idles 40% of Windpower Turbine Output Capacity ‎
German fishing boat flies giant kite to save fuel ‎
Intrigue soars as 75 starlings fall out of sky
Brain Scans Depict Damage From Gulf War Syndrome
Do oil and gas "boomtowns" attract sex offenders?

And...
Exposure to letters A or F may affect test scores
Seeing the letter "A" before a test can improve astudent's score, while noticing an "F" may reduceit, a study has found.
Can Circus Really Tackle 9/11?
Where have you been for the last nine years?

IEA Economist Predicts 'Era Of Cheap Energy Is Over'

From Jenna Orkin

Energy
IEA Economist Predicts 'Era Of Cheap Energy Is Over'
RENEWED ENERGY: Budget Pressure Eats At State Programs ‎
Facing new sanctions, Iran admits oil shortages ‎
JPMorgan to Focus on New Energy

Economy
America, the Fragile Empire: Here Today, Gone Tomorrow - Could America Fall That Fast? (from Elizabeth Miller)
Recessions may become more frequent
Economy 'Far too Close' to Double Dip: Roubini
Roubini's Sidekick Motianey: We Are Headed To A World Of Inflation
Celebrities -- and Pentagon -- Call for Consumer Protection Agency
Jobless Rate Rose in 30 States In January, Five Hit Records
State Jobs Face Major Cuts
People might pay for defaulted loans with their Social Security from Rice Farmer
S&P rally slowed by the fastest cash depletion since 1991
Mutual Fund Cash Depletion Highest Since 1991
43% have less than 10k for retirement
Program Will Pay Homeowners to Sell at a Loss
Map Showing Unemployment Effects - from Vantage Point
Defense Sector Stocks Continue to Surge Military Recruitment, Unemployment, And War
US tanker contracts could spark trade war
Australia’s defence farce, money wasted by the billions
German Exports Fall, China Exports Explode
NY state debt in red zone, should cut $20 billion: study
NY's Cuomo Is 'Father of Subprime Crisis:' Bove
California is doomed

Intelligence/Terror
Feds Move to Break Voting-Machine Monopoly
Suicide Raises Legal Issues in Indian Artifacts Cases
"As an undercover federal source in a years-long investigation into the shadowy world of the excavation and trading of ancient American Indian art and artifacts in the Southwest, Mr. Gardiner, 52, was at the center of a sprawling criminal case unfolding in federal court here and in Colorado."

Two defendants also killed themselves last year.
Missing Energy Exec Found Dead in New Orleans - from Agape wins
Officials: Bali bombing mastermind may be dead
US Weapons Research is Raising a Stink
Medical records go online without consent - UK
Ex-MI5 head: US hid torture tactics from UK
A biometric ID card for all American workers? from Rice Farmer

Cloud Nine/Environment
Greek Debt Problems Unlikely to Spread: IMF Head
City of London Developers to Start Skyscrapers as Rents End Two-Year Drop
Mega Kites Could Pull Giant, Floating Power Plants
Bottled Wind Could Be as Constant as Coal
Altered tobacco plants suck up pond scum

REVOLUTION -- A Dire Warning

March 9, 2010 -- There is a revolution brewing in this country. Some are already attempting to define it... perhaps as a means of shaping it. Perhaps as a means of preventing a no-sided melee which no one can win. -- Mark my words and mark them well. A left-right labelling of this revolution will mark the failing of our species and condemn millions of Americans to death and suffering. Labels kill us, especially orthodoxies and labels from the old paradigm. This must be a revolution by all the people who get it as opposed to people who don't. -- If it isn't, then the bad guys will win again as they always have when it's been framed as a left-right issue and they controlled both sides. The left has failed us as badly as the right. Just the use of the words "left" and "right" closes off a myriad of possible life-saving options. Conservatives and liberals starve and die in exactly the same way. They go homeless the same way. They bleed the same way. The Powers That Be would much rather have us fighting each other rather than them.

In the Civil Rights and Vietnam era, declassified documents and court cases showed that the ONE thing the FBI was more afraid of than anything else was an alliance between blacks and whites: where civil rights met the Vietnam war. As soon as Matrin Luther King started speaking against the war he was marked for death. -- Now, the one thing The Powers That Be are afraid of is any alliance between so-called left and so-called right. That's the only alliance; the only coalition that can possibly save lives and stand up against what's coming. So any time I see crap like "from the left" or "from the right", I shudder. Left and right are meaningless terms to me because I live outside the paradigm -- at least in my head.

Anybody who fights the infinite growth economic paradigm is my brother and my sister. Ron Paul is fighting it. Cynthia McKinney is fighting it. And I, for one, am not going to chop either one of them off -- and hurt all of us -- in the process... because of a freaking label. These are two of the bravest and most honorable people I have ever met. -- I am reminded of something attributed to Albert Einstein; "The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits."

Collapsenet will be a voice for and a place where those from either the left or right can come in safety. It will welcome Libertarians, Socialists, Anarchists, Secessionists, Democrats and Republicans. It will embrace all colors and all religions. The only thing we will require is an understanding and agreement that we want to save our own lives, and as many of our fellows' lives as we possibly can.The labels left and right are as doomed as the old paradigm. When the dust settles there will be no conservatives or liberals; only survivors. And in whatever ways we oppose it, our only enemy will always be ONLY the infinite growth monetary paradigm. Our vision will not be distracted. Combat vets understand that the political beliefs or color of the man watching your back, handing you water or ammunition; or carrying you to safety means nothing. He is your brother. All of us at Collapsenet pledge this to you. We want to carry as many of you to some measure of safety as possible because all those labels everyone is so fond of don't mean shit anymore. If you filter your thoughts that way and don't know how to stop it, the bear's going to get you.

There are two labels, however, that will survive. They are "honorable" and "effective".

MCR

http://www.commondreams.org/view/2010/03/08-2