Tuesday November 2nd 2010

War Is Sold Just Like Soda or Toothpaste
Must Read - A quote....""White House chief of Staff Andrew Card famously said - in explaining why the Bush administration delayed until September 2002 to make its case for war in Iraq: -- From a marketing point of view, you don't introduce new products in August. War is - indeed - marketed just like soda or toothpaste. -- In fact, the government hired some of the top public relations experts to sell the Iraq and other wars. See this and this. -- As the head of Santa Clara University's Center for Applied Ethics wrote in 2003...."


"Everyone knows that truth is the first casualty of war. -- Countries need to lie about their enemies in order to demonize them sufficiently so that the people will support the war" - also posted at GlobalRsrch & PrisonPlanet & ZeroHedge & PakAlertpress & DProgram & Uruknet

Deliberate Evil: The American Strategy of Seeding Civil War
Must Read - A quote...."Pressing business elsewhere precludes me from giving proper attention to this, but I must take a moment to urge you to read -- immediately -- the new article by Gareth Porter [ ~] "Torture Orders Were Part of US Sectarian War Strategy."* [article previously posted 11-01-10] -- Porter delves into the latest Wikileaks trove to find new and detailed evidence of how the vicious sectarian civil war in Iraq in 2004-2008 -- which killed thousands of people, subjected thousands to brutal and macabre tortures, drove hundreds of thousands of people from their homes -- was deliberately seeded and constantly fueled by the leaders of the American occupation." - *link changed  -- Topix ||  US Support Death Sqds   ||  US Sponsored Civil Wars  ||

The United States created Iraqi terror groups for torture
Special Note - Related Article - A quote...."The WikiLeaks disclosed US military- maintained Iraq War Logs show that a "Wolf Battalion" or "Wolf Brigade" existed in Iraq, which went around terrorizing insurgents. The death squad was known for its brutality, known well enough that interrogators threatened detainees with the prospect of being turned over to the squad. Here’s what the Logs noted...." - also posted at Uruknet -- Ummmmmm, drill we must! - mpg

Iraq war logs: 'The US was part of the Wolf Brigade operation against us'
Special Note - Related Article - A quote...."During the foreboding months of 2005, one police unit struck more fear into Iraqis than the entire occupying US army. They were known as the Wolf Brigade."

Imperial Gangbangers
Must Read - A quote...."In early September, [Florida Republican congressional candidate Allen] West was a featured speaker at another biker-themed gathering, the "L10 Freedom Ride" rally in Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas. That event was held to express support for ten members of the U.S. military who have been incarcerated at Ft. Leavenworth prison for individual crimes committed within the context of the immeasurably larger state crime called the Iraq War. (One of them, Evan Vela Carnahan, is the son of a very close friend of mine from High School.) -- "We are going to free these men," West told the assembly. Expecting troops deployed on imperial errands overseas to exercise restraint is "political correctness," West insisted, since they confront "an enemy that has no respect for human life." -- It's a continuing source of wonder that the Empire always confronts enemies of that kind. From the Philippines to Vietnam to Iraq to Somalia to Afghanistan to Iraq once again, Washington's benevolent armed emissaries have always confronted the grim necessity of slaughtering countless thousands of barbarous people who have no respect for human life."

"Throw DA Bums Out!"
Must Read - A quote...."AIPAC meets with every candidate running for Congress. These candidates receive in-depth briefings to help them completely understand the complexities of Israel's predicament and that of the Middle East as a whole. We even ask each candidate to author a 'position paper' on their views of the U.S.-Israel relationship--so it's clear where they stand on the subject." (Would it not be great to see these "position papers"? I wonder how many candidates would release them? And what do the candidates get for all this effort? A pat on the back?)" -- Nah!  they're graciously allowed to get on their knees to kiss the AIPAC/Israeli Consortium's butt.  Here's the list....Senators - PDF (HTML) and Congressmen - PDF (HTML) - Topix ||  How About a "Justice Party"? - 04-23-10 - mpg  ||

The Voice of America — Part 1 The Treasonous Dollar Drain -- Part 2
Must View Videos - From the History File - May 31, 2010 - (previously posted) - (YuTb - 10min - 05/31/10) - Source:  alawson911 -- Quote of the Day...."I pray to God that more good people like the maker of this video emerge to unveil the truths and smack the face of liars. We Americans have been fooled by AIPAC together with our biased government which supports the terrorist State of Israel while Israel continues to kill innocent Palestinians while stealing their lands and demolishing their homes. We have to wake up and speak up otherwise God may strike us with a volcano or an earth quake because we are helping criminals to kill and steal...!! -- "Marzoog*

Meet Eric Cantor: On Israel/Palestine, Contempt for International Law and Justice
Special Note - A quote...."With the Republican Party set to take the House of Representatives tomorrow, it’s worth taking a look at the new potential majority leader, Representative Eric Cantor of Virginia and the only Jewish Republican in the House, and his positions on Israel/Palestine, an area that he is “particularly active on.” As Josh Rogin of Foreign Policy writes, “GOP lawmakers stand to play a huge role” in a variety of foreign policy areas, and their impact will be even greater if they are the majority party in the House. -- Cantor’s positions on Israel are no different than most Democratic and Republican officials, but his actions and words could play a large role if he becomes the next majority leader."

The Phantom Left
Must Read - A quote...."The American left is a phantom. It is conjured up by the right wing to tag Barack Obama as a socialist and used by the liberal class to justify its complacency and lethargy. It diverts attention from corporate power. It perpetuates the myth of a democratic system that is influenced by the votes of citizens, political platforms and the work of legislators. It keeps the world neatly divided into a left and a right. The phantom left functions as a convenient scapegoat. The right wing blames it for moral degeneration and fiscal chaos. The liberal class uses it to call for “moderation.” And while we waste our time talking nonsense, the engines of corporate power—masked, ruthless and unexamined—happily devour the state.  --  The loss of a radical left in American politics has been catastrophic. The left once harbored militant anarchist and communist labor unions, an independent, alternative press, social movements and politicians not tethered to corporate benefactors. But its disappearance, the result of long witch hunts for communists, post-industrialization and the silencing of those who did not sign on for the utopian vision of globalization, means that there is no counterforce to halt our slide into corporate neofeudalism." - also posted at ICH & CounterCurrents

The Anti-Empire Report November 2nd, 2010: Jon Stewart and the left
Special Note - A quote...."Stewart in fact appears to dislike the left, perhaps strongly. In the leadup to the rally he criticized the left for various things, including calling George W. Bush a “war criminal”. Wow! How immoderate of us. Do I have to list here the 500 war crimes committed by George W. Bush? If I did so, would that make me one of what Stewart calls the “crazies”? In his talk at the rally, Stewart spoke of our “real fears” — “of terrorists, racists, Stalinists, and theocrats”. Stalinists? Where did that come from, Glenn Beck? What decade is Stewart living in. What about capitalists or the corporations? Is there no reason to fear them? Is it Stalinists who are responsible for the collapse of our jobs and homes, our economy? Writer Chris Hedges asks: “Being nice and moderate will not help. These are corporate forces that are intent on reconfiguring the United States into a system of neofeudalism. These corporate forces will not be halted by funny signs, comics dressed up like Captain America or nice words.” - Source:  KillingHope - also posted at Uruknet

Julie “Sabbath Goy” Burchill: Zionist serpent in our midst
A quote...."In a desperate attempt to smear  Lauren Booth, Independent newspaper writer  Julie Burchill, a devout Zionist, proves how deceiving British multiculturalism is. -- What is more, the Zionification of the United Kingdom has left the country in a disastrous ethical limbo. -- “Last year I took the first steps towards converting to Judaism; also last year, I abandoned my attempt,” says Burchill."

Welcome to Oz
Must Read - A quote...."November 02, 2010 "Information Clearing House" -- Being comfortable with what is most familiar to them, people are slow to realize that things are no longer what they used to be. In America, the Democratic Party has failed to offer working people an alternative to the Republicans. The only way democrats can win elections is to be more republican than the republicans. Few liberals have drawn a line in the sand and fought vehemently for the ideals they espouse. -- It was not this way when the specter of socialism posed a credible threat to capitalism in America less than a century ago. But now the people are no longer permitted to speak of such things in public. Organized labor is dead as a revolutionary force in this country. The red menace was replaced by the ghost of Bin Laden, national security, and irrational fear of Islam. Thank god we have George Bush, Barack Obama, and the military industrial complex to protect us from democracy."

Why Is Jonah Goldberg Still Considered Respectable?
Must Read - A quote...."So again, I ask: Why wasn’t Assange garroted in his hotel room years ago? It’s a serious question."  --  "Jonah Goldberg’s thoughts on how WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange should be dealt with, October 29, 2010 (Chicago Tribune)"  ---  "I glanced beyond my history books the other day and see America continues to surf a surging wave of insanity. This is no surprise and it’s bound to continue; the longer any people are at war the more the crazy that’s usually deep within comes rising to the surface, bloated, fish-eaten, yet lively. And now floats up a Mr. Jonah Goldberg, editor-at-large of National Review Online and one of our country’s more prominent political commentators, his rational sense abandoned and a large part of what makes him human rotted away. He’s gone mad, if he were a dog he’d be foaming at the mouth."

Broder’s Brainstorm
A quote...."By Patrick J. Buchanan -- With strong Republican support in Congress for challenging Iran’s ambition to become a nuclear power, (Obama) can spend much of 2011 and 2012 orchestrating a showdown with the mullahs. This will help him politically because the opposition party will be urging him on. And as tensions rise and we accelerate preparations for war, the economy will improve…"

Omar Khadr Jury Hammers the Final Nail Into the Coffin of American Justice
What!?! We STILL have some "justice" left in this country, honestly this website editor didn't know. - mpg -- A quote..."On Sunday, a military jury at Guantánamo handed down a 40-year sentence to Omar Khadr, the Canadian citizen who was just 15 years old when he was seized after a firefight in Afghanistan. The decision brought to an end a week of hearings that began when Khadr, now 24, accepted a plea deal giving him an eight-year sentence in exchange for agreeing that he was guilty of murder in violation of the laws of war, spying, conspiracy, providing material support to terrorism and attempted murder, with one year to be served in Guantánamo and the remaining seven in Canada." - also posted at Uruknet

Is There No End to Republicans’ Abuse of Guantánamo Prisoners? - Nope. - mpg
A quote...."Every now and then I’m forcefully reminded of the extent to which Guantánamo is still used by unscrupulous lawmakers as a political plaything, even though it is a place where, by any objective measure, a small number of terrorist suspects are held alongside insignificant Taliban foot soldiers and others unfortunate enough to be in the wrong place at the wrong time when the Bush administration decided that the Geneva Conventions were "quaint" and that it would be a good idea to offer substantial bounty payments for anyone who could be dressed up as a terrorist by the US military’s Afghan or Pakistani allies."

WYNW (FOX) Reporter Confirms The Fires In The South Tower Were Almost Out
Video - Alt - (YuTb - 1min 52 sec - November 02, 2010) - A quote...."(Fox5) – This video is of major importance considering the south tower fell first even though it was struck second. The reporter is confirming that the FDNY was doing what they do best…..putting the pockets of fire out."

Lee Harvey Oswald Was a Patsy
Audio - A quote...."Former FBI agent Don Adams helped investigate the Kennedy assassination at the time, and smelled a rat right away. But it was not until 1993 that he knew Oswald was set up by LBJ, Hoover, and the other DC gang members. He has since dedicated his life to telling the truth about this coup d’état. -- Donald A. Adams website." -- ||  Mp3 player  ||

Defeating the New Internet Privacy Threat
Special Note - Internet Privacy Tools - (proxies, virtual privacy networks (VPNs), and more. - mpg) - A quote.... "....thank God for the internet! Just when it seemed the grid of State power was maxing out; along came the internet to short circuit everything. -- It’s too late now, the cat’s out of the bag and I doubt there is a way the internet can be completely turned off – or if they try, it will be a last dying act of desperation, because governments themselves and their big corporate friends depend so much on it. -- Instead, the game plan is to regulate and to filter – to choose and approve the thoughts we have access to – partly by creating dependencies and alliances with mega-business gatekeepers like ISPs and search engines, and partly by legislation."

Canada: Tories Reintroduce ISP Intercept Bill
Related Article - A quote...."The federal Conservatives have reintroduced legislation that would allow police and intelligence officials to intercept online communications and get personal information from internet service providers (ISPs) about their subscribers without first obtaining a warrant."
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Iraq: Stalemate drags on, Nouri cracks down on press
A quote...."Much is at stake in the never-ending negotiations to form Iraq's government, but perhaps nothing more important than the future of its security forces. In the seven years since the U.S.-led invasion, these have become more effective and professional and appear capable of taming what remains of the insurgency. But what they seem to possess in capacity they lack in cohesion. A symptom of Iraq's fractured polity and deep ethno-sectarian divides, the army and police remain overly fragmented, their loyalties uncertain, their capacity to withstand a prolonged and more intensive power struggle at the top unclear. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has taken worrying steps to assert authority over the security apparatus, notably by creating new bodies accountable to none but himself." - also posted at Uruknet

Russian weapons shift balance of forces in Middle East – Israel's MI chief
A quote...."Military cooperation Moscow and Damascus shifts balance of forces in the Middle East "back to the 70's," when Israel was close to being defeated by Syria, outgoing chief of Israel's military intelligence said. -- Israeli media quote Maj.-Gen.Amos Yadlin as saying at a closed session of the parliament's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee that Russia was providing Syria with portable, state-of-the-art anti-aircraft systems. -- "These are fairly inexpensive missiles compared to the S-300 but they are no less lethal or effective," the Ynet News portal quoted the official as saying."

US deploys fourth submarine in PG
War Alert - Some quotes...."The United States has deployed its fourth submarine in the Persian Gulf region following the deployment of three others near the Bahrain Port." -- "The United States maintains twenty combat vessels, namely the USS Harry Truman aircraft carrier, as well as fifty-three logistical vessels, in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman. A total of thirty combat vessels are currently deployed in the region, including those belonging to Britain and France."

Speaker Underscores Tehran's Support for African States' Independence
A quote...."TEHRAN (FNA)- Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani stressed Iran's anti-colonialism policies and efforts, and added that Tehran supports any kind of effort to set Africa free from the yoke of colonialism."

Investigation falters as female bomber suspect is released
(i.e. The false-flag, fake-bomb plot begins to unravel. - mpg) - A quote...."A 22-year-old Yemeni woman who was arrested on suspicion of sending bombs to American synagogues was released last night after the country's officials admitted that they no longer believed she was responsible for the shipment." -- Duh! Drool, drool....but look at the article shown below, Obama's going to use this silly, completely botched pretext anyway to invade Yemen.  It just never ends folks, it just simply never ends. - mpg

Qatar Air Says Bomb May Have Reached Dubai on Another Carrier's Aircraft
A quote...."There’s a possibility that this package actually wasn’t carried by Qatar Airways,” Al Baker said. The original information was “immature and not properly researched,” he said." - That's right, no one knows what country it came from, how it got on the plane, when it got on the plane, and even what plane it was on!  This is just silly, another example of a completely botched false-flag attempt. - mpg

Obama prepares to expand military attacks in Yemen
A quote...."The Obama administration is preparing to escalate its intervention in Yemen, placing US military units under CIA control to facilitate intensified drone attacks and death squad killings." - also posted at CounterCurrents

French Worker Struggles for Justice
A quote...."Since early October, France resembles May 1968, at least in part, predatory capitalism again on trial. More on that below. Today it's over austerity moves, not for raising the retirement age to 62 as misreported. It's much more, as Diana Johnstone explained in her article titled, "Collapse of Social Security: French Workers Confront the Neoliberal Policy Agenda," saying:  "For one thing, (public outrage) is an expression of exasperation with the (Sarkozy) government....which blatantly favors the super-rich over the majority of working people in this country." Elected on the slogan, "Work more to earn more," today's reality is "work harder to earn less."" - also posted at Uruknet

Malaysia - gateway to Islamic finance
OH OH!!  Can't have that, "Islamic Finance"? A challenge to the "Jewish Community's" Bankster supremacy....and (GASP!) My Gawd!  How HORRIBLE is this idea, they don't even charge INTEREST!! (a strangled sound, followed by a thud....than ominous silence) - mpg -- A quote...."KUALA LUMPUR - Over the past decade or so, Malaysia has quietly become the leading international player in Islamic finance and its gateway. The government of Malaysia, through its two principal agencies, Bank Negara (the central bank) and the Security Commission, has actively promoted Islamic finance. More specifically, Islamic finance has been given formal prominence in the Financial Sector Master Plan (FSMP) and the Capital Market Master Plan (CMP), which were initiated in Malaysia in 2001."

Igor TOMBERG: Russia - ASEAN Summit: Attempting to Crush Stereotypes
A quote...."On October 30, Russian president D. Medvedev attended the second Russia - ASEAN summit in Hanoi(the first Russia - ASEAN summit convened in Kuala Lumpur in 2005). The forum was meant to give a boost to the cooperation between Russia and East Asian countries which, as a Kremlin official related to the media on the eve of the event, hope that Russia can balance the permanently growing US influence over the region."

Vietnam seeks Russian help to modernize naval base
A quote...."Vietnam will invite Russian experts to help modernize the country's Cam Ranh naval base, Defense Minister Phung Quang Thanh said on Tuesday. -- "We are planning to turn the Cam Ranh Bay into a logistical support facility where both warships and civilian ships, including foreign ones, can be given minor to medium repair work," Thanh told the Tuoi tre daily."

William Broe, 97; oversaw CIA efforts to oust Allende
A quote...."WASHINGTON — William V. Broe, 97, a CIA officer who rose to become chief of operations in the Western Hemisphere and oversaw the agency’s covert missions to destabilize the government of Salvador Allende, Chile’s Marxist president, died of congestive heart failure Sept. 28 at a nursing home in Hingham, Mass. He was a resident of North Scituate." - also posted at RogueGov

CIA in Paraguay, or How to Get Rid of a President
Special Note - A quote....""Tensions in Paraguay intensified when Lugo said he would not renew the military cooperation agreement with the US. The announcement left the US embassy in Asunción, which did not expect to face defiance of such magnitude, in a state of shock.Lugo's decision rendered fruitless years of Washington's efforts aimed at implementing the Pentagon's New Horizons program. Some 500 US servicemen were to be deployed in Paraguay in its framework, ostensibly to let US marines get used to the local climate and to carry out joint exercises with the country's own army. The actual objective that loomed behind the program was to enable the Pentagon to occupy for at least a decade the Mariscal Estigarribia base sited at a distance of just 200 km from the populist Bolivia. Paraguayused to host US southern command's forces in the past, the operations being disguised as humanitarian missions meant to provide healthcare to the population or to build schools in rural areas. In practice, the Pentagon used Paraguay's territory to carry out reconnaissance in the border zone of the three countries – Paraguay, Brazil, and Argentina – and to create the infrastructures the US could rely on to dispatch troops en masse in the case of a regional crisis."

Spanish Authorities Refuse to Grant Avi Dichter Immunity - Hip Hip Hooray! Sue the little cockroach! - mpg
A quote...."The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) notes that the Spanish authorities refused to provide Avi Dichter, former Director of the Israeli General Security Services, with requested immunity prior to a planned visit to Spain. Mr. Dichter is currently the subject of a criminal lawsuit before the Spanish Courts in relation to his role in the Al Daraj assassination of July 22, 2002."
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More On The Palestinian Situation....

Olives and Balfour and more
Contains Videos - (posted above except for) - BDSFlshDnc -- A quote...."We just finished our olive harvest. This year we got over twice as much olives as last year from our own grove. Here is an article I had written last year about the importance of the olive harvest in Palestine. This year hundreds of trees were damaged and/or harvest stolen by settlers. People are still harvesting near the apartheid wall/colonial settlements and if you are in Palestine and interested, you may still get a chance (see below for an event in Wad Rahhal tomorrow/Tuesday and other related events). Email me if you want to buy extra virgin olive oil (baladi) from struggling farmers in the villages at the seam zone (between the wall and the green line)."

A "Swiss Made" Boat For Gaza
Interview - A quote...."An interview with Jean-Charles Rielle, Socialist member of the Swiss Parliament"

On the loyalty oath and the wretched Zionist "Left"
A quote...."Earlier this month, Israel's government decided, with a large majority, to obligate non-Jewish naturalized citizens to pledge allegiance to a “Jewish, democratic state”. This is, of course, an abomination. It is another indignity that targets primarily the spouses of Palestinians, and attempts, through them, to strike at the growing resistance against Zionism amidst Palestinian citizens of Israel. It is another advance in the colonial war, both physical and cultural, waged by the settlers against the indigenous people of Palestine. The Loyalty Oath is also in line with what can be expected from the ever more violent, racist and hateful Jewish parliamentary majority in Israel." - also posted at Uruknet

Uncovering the Ancient Crafts of Nablus
A quote...."The Old City of Nablus is one of the oldest cities in the world. Founded by Romans nearly 2,000 years ago, the city has survived Byzantine, Crusader, Islamic, and Ottoman rule. Now under Israeli occupation, the Old City of Nablus remains a charming and well-preserved cultural experience."

Palestinians complain of widespread torture in PA detention centers
A quote...."It is a slaughter house," "even the Gestapo didn't do this;" I spent many years in Israeli jails, and never experienced some thing like that." These are some of the comments and observations made by people who have just been released from Palestinian Authority (PA) lockups and detention centers."

IOF soldiers fire at, wound two Palestinians including mentally retarded man
Israelis think retarded people are GREAT to shoot at, cripples are even better, little old ladies and pregnant women are fun too, but the best enjoyment is to be had shooting down little children. They're so small and they move so fast but when you hit them, they stay down.  Ahhhhh, what fun it must be for the Israelis to hunt people for sport. -- A quote...."KHAN YOUNIS, (PIC)-- Israeli occupation forces (IOF) fired at a Palestinian man east of Khan Younis, south of the Gaza Strip, on Tuesday wounding him in his foot, medical sources reported."

Testimony: J.’A., 17, resident of a village in the Ramallah District, arrested and interrogated in the ISA interrogation facility in Petach Tikva, 17 March 2009  -- A quote...."After the examination, they took me to the interrogation room. They sat me on a chair that was fixed to the floor. The legs were made of iron and its seat and back were plastic. They cuffed my hands behind the back of the chair. The cuffs were connected to a ring on the back of the chair so that I couldn’t move my hands. My legs were cuffed as well. -- The interrogation continued for about an hour. The interrogator swore at me really bad and threatened me, saying that if I didn’t confess to what they claimed I did, he would make sure I’d be punished very severely and that they would keep me in interrogation conditions for three months, non-stop, and would arrest my parents and others in my family. The interrogator did not hit me." - also posted at Uruknet - Your tax dollars at work folks, hope you enjoy it. - mpg

How do you translate 'innocent' into Arabic?
A quote...."Ahmed Nafe’a, a 29-year-old teacher, was jailed for nine months. The military prosecution submitted a severe indictment against him that was not based on proof, except for the testimony of a mentally challenged person." - also posted at Uruknet

Israeli colonies expand, Palestinians face home demolitions
A quote...."Bulldozers, backed by Israeli soldiers and police forces, razed a Bedouin Palestinian encampment in Isawiya, a village northeast of Jerusalem on Wednesday, 27 October. Israeli forces destroyed tents and other structures that were home to six families, according to Ma'an News Agency ("Israel Razes Bedouin Camp," 27 October 2010)." - also posted at Uruknet
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Gerald Celente on The Gary Null Show – October 25th, 2010
GCAudio - Alt - (GCYuTb - November 01, 2010 - November 01, 2010) - Source:  GeraldCelenteChannel -- More Gerald as only Gerald can be. - mpg - A quote...."Trends Journal: http://www.trendsresearch.com/journal -- Twitter: http://twitter.com/geraldcelente"

American Pie – Altered to Lament My Life and Times as an Economist
Hey!  Somebody make a video! - mpg -- A quote...."A long, long time ago . . .

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Asset Inflation/Deflation: The Fed's QE2 vs. $15 Trillion in Losses
Must Read - Chart - A quote...."Given that the economy faces $15 trillion in writedowns in collateral and credit, the Fed's $2 trillion dollars in new credit/liquidity is insufficient to trigger either inflation or another speculative bubble. -- "Don't fight the Fed" is supposed to be a strong argument for being bullish on the U.S. economy and stocks. We all know the Federal Reserve is about to unleash a torrent of money into the financial markets via its QE2 (quantitative easing) campaign of buying Treasury bonds directly and pulling various other monetary levers to open the liquidity gates."

QE2 risks currency wars and the end of dollar hegemony
Must Read -  A quote...."As the US Federal Reserve meets today to decide whether its next blast of quantitative easing should be $1 trillion or a more cautious $500bn, it does so knowing that China and the emerging world view the policy as an attempt to drive down the dollar. -- The Fed's "QE2" risks accelerating the demise of the dollar-based currency system, perhaps leading to an unstable tripod with the euro and yuan, or a hybrid gold standard, or a multi-metal "bancor" along lines proposed by John Maynard Keynes in the 1940s. -- China's commerce ministry fired an irate broadside against Washington on Monday. "The continued and drastic US dollar depreciation recently has led countries including Japan, South Korea, and Thailand to intervene in the currency market, intensifying a 'currency war'. In the mid-term, the US dollar will continue to weaken and gaming between major currencies will escalate," it said. "

The Fed at Jekyll Island: 100 Years Later, They're Baaack!
Must Read - A quote...."Well isn't this cute? -- Just days after the Federal Reserve will announce it has launched QE2, the Fed will hold a major conference at  Jekyll Island, celebrating the secret meeting held 100 years ago that resulted in the creation of the Fed. -- The island is off the coast of the U.S. state of Georgia. -- In November 1910, Senator Nelson W. Aldrich and Assistant Secretary of the Treasury Department A.P. Andrews, and other top financiers,arrived at the Jekyll Island Club to discuss monetary policy and the banking system. The secret meetings led to the creation of the Federal Reserve." - bold by website editor - also posted at BLN & LewRockwell

The Fraud Started At the Very Top: With Government Leaders
Must Read - "The government's entire strategy now - as during the S&L crisis - is to cover up how bad things are. -- But it is not only a matter of covering up fraud that has already happened. The government also created an environment which greatly encouraged fraud. -- Here are just a few of many potential examples:"

From Quantitative Easing To Stagflation?
Special Note - A quote...."As of October 10, 2010, the total public debt outstanding reached 94 percent of the annual GDP, and will be larger than U.S. GDP, around $14.2 trillion a year, in 2012, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF). -- Obviously, the U.S. debt level has already crossed the ominous 90% GDP threshold--part of the findings of a recent study published by C.M. Reinhart and Kenneth Rogoff. The two economists’ study on the relationship between debt and growth finds that when public debt exceeds the 90% threshold, a country's growth is significantly less--4% on average--than its lower debt counterparts."

US Federal Reserve's latest bubble threatens mayhem
Special Note - A quote...."The prospect of more quantitative easing (QE) is driving government bond yields to levels that price in a depression. -- What happens, as seems more likely, if there isn't one? The answer is that an awful lot of people are going to lose an awful lot of money. -- We heard the first rumbles of trouble from these freshly gathering storm clouds last week when unexpectedly strong UK third-quarter growth caused a minor correction to gilt prices. Yet this was fast forgotten."

The New Abnormal: Two Years Into The "Recovery", And The GDP Is Underperforming The Average By Over 50% - A quote...."One of the most idiotic decisions of 2010 will be the NBER's choice to pick the summer of 2009 as the end of the recession. As every upcoming quarter will confirm, GDP will decline more and more, and previous GDP numbers will be revised lower and lower, until it is confirmed that not only was the Q3 GDP substantially lower than expected (as the inventory boost is revised markedly lower), but that future periods will see flat if not negative economic growth."

'US homeownership at its lowest rate'
A quote..."New records show the US homeownership during the third quarter has remained steadily unchanged, continuing to languish at its lowest level in almost 11 years."

Social Security Administration Admits To Massive Screw Up On Wage Data: Two People Cause Entire US Income Distribution To Shift Materially in 2009 -- A quote...."In what can easily be characterized as the most blatant error in its history (and soon, potentially, fraud), the Social Security Administration announced that as a result of several erroneous W2 filings by two people, amounting to a $32.3 billion "mistake" the entire statistical wage table released previously has been scrapped and a new one has been released, indicating that wages in the US, and especially for the top earners, dropped, instead of declining modestly, and in some cases increasing. "

Monday November 1st 2010

Bombs, Terrorism and Manure
Must Read - A quote...."“Worse still, the “terrorists” father, described by the press as a “Muslim banker” turned out to be a partner in an Israeli managed defense company and a close friend of the CIA.” -- “Never was America, its freedoms and security less free and less secure as when Michael Chertoff was watching over us.” - also posted at MyCatBird'sSeat

CIA Stooge Awlaki Prime Suspect Behind Plane Bomb Plot
Special Note - A quote...."The revelation that CIA stooge Anwar al-Awlaki, the Al-Qaeda leader who once dined with Pentagon top brass, is the supposed mastermind behind last week’s plane bomb plot, adds yet more weight to the already overwhelming evidence that the whole charade is another contrived false flag to both boost Barack Obama’s domestic and geopolitical agenda, while crushing the growing resistance against invasive airport security measures."

Friday’s terror nonsense -- US Intelligence Trades On Fear
A quote..."We can not sacrifice our freedoms and liberties just because America wants to impose its own neurosis, hysteria and paranoia on the rest of the world. -- While British anti-terror police say no explosives were found in a suspicious package found onboard a UPS flight, the White House issued a statement completely contradicting this. Now the parcel has been removed for full forensic testing! -- Call me cynical, but I find it too much of a coincidence that this bizarre alert came less than 24 hours after British Airways chairman Martin Broughton has accused the country of bowing to US demands for increased airport security measures."

Did Obama Order British Authorities To Find Non-Existent Ink Bomb?
A quote...."After having examined the suspicious ink toner device for six hours and found it to be a dud, bomb experts at East Midlands Airport only reversed their decision after being ordered to re-inspect the package by US authorities following President Obama’s Friday afternoon speech in which he claimed that the devices did in fact contain explosives."

Top Clinton Official: Only A Terror Attack Can Save Obama
From the History File - Wednesday, July 14, 2010 - (Just a reminder) - A quote...."A former senior advisor to President Bill Clinton says that the only thing which can rescue Barack Obama’s increasingly tenuous grip on power as his approval figures continue to plunge is a terror attack on the scale of Oklahoma City or 9/11, another startling reminder that such events only ever serve to benefit those in authority." - also posted at AlethoNews
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Major Staged Event Still in The Cards for Desperate Establishment – Alex Jones Tv Sunday Edtion
False Flag Alert - Must View AJVideo - FF&AJ(1/6) - FF&AJ(2/6) - FF&AJ(3/6) - FF&AJ(4/6) - FF&AJ(5/6) - FF&AJ(6/6) - (AJYuTb - 15min - October 31, 2010) - Source:  TheAlexJonesChannel -- Possible, but it's unlikely Obama will be staging it, or even know anything about it.  He's already been abandoned by the AIPAC/Israeli Consortium, the power behind most of these incidents. It's much more likely the Consortium and their American fellow travelers will wait till after the lame duck session of Congress before they launch another (real) 9/11. As for all those "dud" or "fake" bombs, anytime by anybody for any reason.  They're almost as good as the real thing. -  mpg -- A quote...."Alex covers the latest news going into the state wide elections, and the establishment using staged events to gain control of your vote for the democratic side. Alex also talks about the elections fruad in arizona involving illegal aliens. Alex Covers it all and takes your calls on this last day of October, Sunday Edition of the alex jones show." - By the way, Alex does a great Bill Clinton impersonation. - mpg

9/11 All Over Again? Israeli's Spying in and Around US Military Airports
False Flag Alert - A quote...."Notice how the article from station WTNH specifically states that THREE ISRAELI NATIONALS were being held for getting to close to an NG [blackhawk] helicopter?"

The Alternative Media Ignores The Story of Australian Union Leader Kevin Bracken Who Questioned The Official 9/11 Story -- A quote...."Martin Luther King Jr. said, “In the End, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.” These are words are prophetic, especially when we judge them in the context of the alternative media's silence regarding the serious and science-based questions surrounding the September 11 terrorist attacks." - also posted at PrisonPlanet

Evidence Shows US Government is Untruthful About 911 Events
Video - A quote...."October 30, 2010 (Hamsayeh.Net) - For most people in the world this 40 minutes video by Architects and Engineers for 9/11 Truth (AE911Truth.org), [AE911Vids], is essentially all that’s needed to find out that the collapse of World trade Centre Towers and building number 7 were all caused by controlled demolition and not fires inside the buildings." - Topix ||  Reficultnias's 9/11 Central  ||

Is the U.S. a Fascist Police-State?
Special Note - A quote....""I lived in Chile during the Pinochet dictatorship—I can spot a fascist police-state when I see one. -- The United States is a fascist police-state. -- Harsh words—incendiary, even. And none too clever of me, to use such language: Time was, the crazies and reactionaries wearing tin-foil hats who flung around such a characterization of the United States were disqualified by sensible people as being hysterical nutters—rightfully so. -- But with yesterday’s Holder v. Humanitarian Law Project decision (No. 08-1498, also 09-89) of the Supreme Court, coupled with last week’s Arar v. Ashcroft denial of certiorari (No. 09-923), the case for claiming that the U.S. is a fascist police-state just got a whole lot stronger."

Why Is Jonah Goldberg Still Here?
Special Note - A quote...."I'd like to ask a simple question: Why isn't Jonah Goldberg dead? -- I'm not threatening Jonah Goldberg. Rather I am paraphrasing Goldberg’s own published threat to Julian Assange, in a column Goldberg wrote last week entitled "Why is Assange Still Alive?" My intention, in the following paragraphs, is to suggest to poor Jonah how it might feel to have someone publicly wish him harm, and muse about method. -- The next two paragraphs reflect what Jonah wrote, with my humble alterations."

George “The Hitman” Soros and the Human Rights Mob - posted at OnlineJournal
A quote...."ASMARA, Eritrea -- The Human Rights Mob gets it money, lots of money, millions and millions of dollars in hard cash, from financial hit men like George Soros. A cool hundred million “matching grant,” for starters, for Human Rights Watch. Not bad as far as bonuses go, though small potatoes when measured against the likes of the Goldman Sachs Familia. This on top of years of multi-million dollar largess, milk from the tit of an international financial crime syndicate headed by “The Hitman” himself, George Soros."

DIME bomb for perfect crowd control. voila! No crowd - posted at OnlineJournal
A quote...."The DIME bomb or Cancer Bomb’s claim to fame is a near universal development of cancer, the Big C, by those civilians exposed to the tungsten, nickel, cobalt, iron and any “Magic Metal” ingredients in the on-board ballast. Of course, any grunts who might come in contact with the GBU-39s insides are high cancer probables, too. -- The utterly spectacular result from the Bomb Innards Study is that all, as in 100 percent of the exposed rats, developed a fast growing, aggressive cancer in their muscles with a long, hard to pronounce name called “rhabdomyosarcomas.” The doctors tell us that it is detectable as a hard knot in muscle tissue. It’s aggressive and it kills you."
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First Bad Deal Gone Down: Origins of the Current Democratic Debacle
Must Read - Quote of the Day...."The last, wan hope for real change in the American system was not lost through the imperial dithering of Barack Obama's "Bush-Clinton Terror War Continuity" administration during the past two years. No; those last wan hopes went down the drain in 2006 -- the year that the Democratic Party regained control of Congress ... and promptly made a screeching U-turn on virtually every anti-war, anti-imperialist, pro-liberty, pro-people position it had taken against George W. Bush. -- The sell-out -- or rather, the pay-off to the corporatist-militarist power factions who actually control the Democrats -- was immediate, brazen and deeply destructive."

The Lesser Of Two Evils -- US: Myth Of The Two Party System
Must Read - A quote...."Cindy Sheehan - If John McCain were president, we can never be exactly sure what would be happening, but I think we can make some educated speculations. -- First of all, the "banksters" would be receiving their carte blanche bailouts and Ben Bernanke would have been re-appointed as Chairman of the Federal Reserve. -- Robert Gates would probably still be the secretary of defence and Sarah Palin would be offering late night comedians endless fodder for their monologues. -- If John McCain happened to be the one infesting the Oval Office at this time, single-payer health care would surely be "off the table". I am confident that a health care "reform" bill probably would have contained massive giveaways to the insurance and big pharmaceutical industries, with no "robust" public option." - Source:  CndyShehnSoapBx - also posted at AlJaseera & DandelionSalad

The decay of American democracy
Special Note - A quote...."The 2010 US election campaign, now mercifully concluding, marks a further descent by the American two-party system into political imbecility. None of the major issues confronting the American people—the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, two wars, spreading poverty, hunger and homelessness, the plague of foreclosures, mounting attacks on democratic rights, the worst environmental catastrophe in US history—were seriously discussed. Most were not discussed at all."

November 2 Elections: Midterm Day of Reckoning; “Let the landslide begin”
Special Note - A quote...."While still popular among party loyalists, the president has become radioactive among independents--the critical group of “swing voters” who have fled Camp Obama en masse frustrated with both the lack of audacity and/or change. No one figured they were electing George W. Bush to a third term in office when they cast their vote for the inspiring senator from Illinois two years ago. But that's what they got. To say that supporters are disappointed in Obama's performance, is a gross understatement of the pessimism that's spread like Kudzu among the party faithful. People have become increasingly cynical as they realize that neither party provides a path to real structural change. The system is broken; Obama has merely exposed the rot at the heart of American democracy."

Obama's Party On the Brink of Losing  the Congressional Elections
A quote...."This is a devastating set of data for the incumbent party, it is a rebuke to the last two years."

The Cult Of Obama Crashes And Burns
A quote...."The image of one man begging on his knees as Obama’s convoy pulls away from a restaurant in Chicago yesterday speaks volumes about how far the man’s status has fallen in the eyes of everyday Americans." - also posted at DProgram

Obama may let CIA run more ‘hunter-killer’ teams roam abroad
A quote...."WASHINGTON — Support is growing in the US military and administration of President Barack Obama for shifting to the CIA operational control over elite special forces teams secretly in Yemen, The Wall Street Journal reported Monday. - Citing unnamed officials, the newspaper said the foiled mail bombing plot by suspected Al-Qaeda militants in Yemen has added urgency to an administration review of expanded military options."

U.S. “Intelligence” Spending: A Whale of a Bad Joke
A quote...."The government has announced that total spending on “intelligence activities” in fiscal year 2010 was $80.1 billion. According to a report in the Washington Post, Although this is the first time that the total amount has been made public, analysts have long pegged it with fair accuracy. Of course, this species of spending is now at an all-time high. Dianne Feinstein, chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, affirms that it is also more than twice the amount spent in 2001. It increased 7 percent in the past year alone." - bold by website editor

Why Is Indiana Putting Armed Security Guards Into 36 Unemployment Offices Across The State?
For the obvious reason, the upcoming scheduled cut-off of benefits. - mpg -- A quote...."Did you ever think that things in America would get so bad that we would need to put armed guards into our unemployment offices?  Well, that is exactly what is happening in Indiana.  Armed security guards will now be posted at all 36 full-service unemployment offices in the state of Indiana.  So why is this happening now?  Well, Indiana Department of Workforce Development spokesman Marc Lotter says that the agency is bringing in the extra security in anticipation of an upcoming deadline when thousands upon thousands of Indiana residents could have their unemployment benefits cut off."

Military Strategists Have Known for 2,500 Years that Prolonged Wars Are Disastrous
Special Note - A quote...."2,500 hundred years ago, one of the greatest military strategists ever - Sun Tzu - said...."

• "What is essential in war is victory, not prolonged operations."
• "No nation has ever benefited from a prolonged war."
• "Now, when an army of one hundred thousand is raised and dispatched on a distant campaign, the expenses borne by the people together with disbursements of the treasury will amount to a thousand pieces of gold daily. In addition, there will be continuous commotion both at home and abroad, people will be exhausted by the corvee of transport, and the farm work of seven hundred thousand households will be disrupted."

"A thousand pieces of gold" is a metaphorical, not set, amount. The costs of today's wars are actually much higher than a ton of gold per day."

Yes, BUT!!  Now they've found something even better to fund their "long wars" (their phrase), and to generate their endless profits....the Federal Reserve's printing press.  So instead of taxing the peasants directly (which would have ended these wars YEARS AGO), they'll just keep printing (an indirect form of taxation, but the peasants are too stupid to figure that out).  Isn't it all so wonderful!?!?!  Endless wars for as far as the eye can see. - mpg - Topix ||  Effective Fed Funds Rate & The Ten Year Cycle  ||

Christian couple barred from fostering children because of their views on homosexuality go to court
Welcome to the New Roman Empire folks. - mpg -- A quote...."Gay [There is NO such thing as gay!!  There are those who practice homosexuality, (like some in Kalifornia) and there are those who don't. - mpg]  rights laws are eroding Christianity and stifling free speech, Church of England bishops warned yesterday. -- Senior clerics, including former Archbishop of Canterbury Lord Carey, spoke out ahead of a High Court ‘clash of rights’ hearing over whether Christians are fit to foster or adopt children. -- The test case starting today involves a couple who say they have been barred from fostering because they refuse to give up their religious belief that homosexuality is unacceptable."
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Washington’s Dubious Offer of Negotiations with Iran
War Update - Special Note - (more about the scheduled war with Iran, coming in 2011) -- A quote...."The Obama administration supposedly wants to use diplomacy to resolve the long-running crisis over Iran’s nuclear program. But Washington’s apparent negotiating strategy raises serious questions about the sincerity of that position. -- The New York Times reported yesterday that the United States and its European allies are prepared to offer a new deal to Tehran. However, that proposal includes conditions that are tougher than those contained in the version that the Ayatollah Ali Kamanei rejected last year. -- That is a curious negotiating strategy if the goal is truly to strike a deal on the nuclear issue."

Washington Post Idiocy: Calls for War With Iran to Save America's Economy
War Update - Special Note - And of course, to carry out the AIPAC/Israeli Consortium's geo-political plans of conquest. - mpg --  A quote...."As many writers have documented, the corporate media is usually pro-war. See this. -- And so Washington Post hack David Broder's op-ed arguing that war with Iran will save America's economy is not all that surprising. -- Of course, China and Russia might not sit idly by and let their ally, Iran, be attacked. So there's the wee complication that bombing Iran could start WWIII. -- And, of course, attacking Iran would increase the level of terrorism. -- But forget politics and national security. -- Broder is also plain wrong on the economics." - also posted at PrisonPlanet - For more on this type of issue see....Standard Disclaimer and the Ten Year Cycle

Broder and Israel’s Goldilocks war against Iran
War Update - Special Note - Related Article - A quote...."What kind of institutional entity do the hacks in Washington constitute such that they can have a “dean”? -- When David Broder is referred to as the dean of the Washington press corps, I guess it’s just a complimentary way of saying the old guy. But Broder’s nine years younger than Helen Thomas. How come she never rose to the same stature? Is baldness a requirement? - In spite of his institutional stature, Broder’s mental capacities have in recent years come into question and his op-ed in the Washington Post on Sunday provides yet another occasion to wonder what is going on inside this man’s brain as he pushes for war against Iran." - also posted at AlethoNews

Saudi Arms Deal Is About Iran
War Update - Special Note - A quote...."by Ron Paul -- This month the US Administration notified Congress that it intends to complete one of the largest arms sales in US history to one of the most repressive regimes on earth. Saudi Arabia has been given the green light by the administration to spend $60 billion on some 84 new F-15 aircraft, dozens of the latest helicopters, and other missiles, bombs, and high-tech military products from the US weapons industry." - bold by website editor - Topix ||  One Vile, Venom Tipped, Taloned Hand Washes the Other - (a.k.a. The Standard Model) - 07-28-10 - mpg  ||

America Threatens Iran: The Anti-war Movement's Trojan Horse
A quote...."After a period in which defending Iran hasn't been very high on the agenda of most U.S. anti-war activists, there are now two petition campaigns opposing war and sanctions against Iran. -- One effort is led by a New York City-based organization more known for defending Cuban “dissidents” who openly take U.S. money to try to undermine the Cuban Revolution. The other was launched by an independent Tehran-based organization formed to promote Iranian solidarity with Cuba, Venezuela and other progressive countries in Latin America. -- Curiously, it's the first campaign that seems to be getting the most support."

Iranian woman says US tortured her
A quote...."Shahrzad Mir-Qolikhan made the remarks in an exclusive interview with Press TV from prison. -- “The US government invited me for governmental business… They even took a ticket for me… They put me in handcuffs at the airport and put me in the prison and started to torture me in every possible way,” she said. -- Mir-Gholikhan, then just 26 years old, was arrested in the US in 2007. -- Her ex-husband, Mahmoud Seif, allegedly tried to export night-vision goggles to Iran from Austria. -- But she was detained and sentenced to five years in prison by a Florida federal court in his absence. -- The single mother of two has now been in prison for nearly 3 years."

'US displeased with Iran-Africa ties'
A quote...."The perspective of America and the Zionist regime [of Israel] is [a perspective of] dominance and US relations with other nations is unilateral," Mottaki told reporters in Tehran after his four-day African tour. -- "These views have been the pillars of US international interaction over the past 60 years. The victors of WWII believe they own the whole world, they are the ones who decide and others must obey."

OIC backs Iran nuclear program
A quote...."The Organization of the Islamic Conference strongly supports Iran's nuclear program, says OIC deputy head for humanitarian affairs."

'West must state stance on Israel nukes'‎
A quote...."An Iranian lawmaker urges the West to declare its stance on Israel's nuclear warheads ahead of upcoming multifaceted talks between Iran and the six major world powers."

Iran Announces It Has Converted 15% Of Its $100 Billion+ In FX Reserves Into Gold
A quote...."As of today, one of the world’s top oil exporters announced that has exchanged about $15 billion of its FX reserves into gold. Earlier, Iran announced that the country has converted about 15% of its foreign exchange reserves into gold, and “will not need to import the metal for the next ten years.” There is your mystery buyer to all that gold the IMF was selling in Q3… And since Ahmadinejad said that Iran’s total FX reserves exceed $100 billion, the amount of gold in stock held by Iran is more than $15 billion. Which is equivalent more than 345 tonnes at a closing price of about $1350. Which also means that the WGC’s official gold holdings are in dire need of an update, as Iran does not appear anywhere on the IMF’s listing of official gold holders, and with over 345 tonnes, it would make Iran a top 15 holder of the yellow metal." - Source:  ZeroHedge

The Incredible Shrinking Militaries of Europe
A quote...."Great Britain ceased to be a great power when it emerged from World War II militarily victorious but financially ruined. Nevertheless, it still tried to play the part, punching “above its weight in the world,” as Prime Minister David Cameron put it. As such, it has been America’s strongest military ally. But Britain’s pretense of global power is disappearing with London’s announcement of significant military cutbacks."
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Taliban capture key city in Afghanistan
BREAKING: - Mon Nov 1, 2010 4:59AM - A quote...."The Taliban have captured the city of Khogyani in the Ghazni province in central Afghaninstan, a Taliban spokesman says. -- “We were in contact with several members of the city's police force prior to the attack,” a Press TV correspondent quoted Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid as saying on Monday. -- According to Mujahid, the Taliban seized all the weapons and ammunition from the city's police station and then they set the building on fire. -- "At least 16 police officers joined Taliban forces after the takeover,” he went on to say. -- Afghan officials say they have lost all contact with the city. Three other cities in the province of Ghazni had fallen to the hands of Taliban forces in the past."

Yawn...sigh....so??  The US-NRE will simply declare the city a target, (aren't they all?) the Taliban will melt away, (rightfully and correctly so) those civilians who can, will evacuate the city, (Ditto) those who can't, will die, (Most of the sheeple in this country could care less) along with a few careless or unlucky Taliban stay behinds (Yeah! Victory!). 

The US-NRE will than bomb the city to smithereens "in order to save it", (We're "helping" them, don't you get it!?!?) killing hundreds of peaceful law abiding citizens in the process (all of whom, from toddler to the elderly, will be classified as "Taliban" killed, Yeah!) while destroying their homes and livelihoods (Again the US-NRE sheeple could care less). 

Making the survivors and their relatives really pissed-off so they go join up with or provide support to the Taliban. The US-NRE will than declare victory (Yeah!), trumpeted everywhere of course by the world's corporate prestitutes (Yeah!), the Taliban will infiltrate back into the city as soon as the US-NRE leaves (assuming it even bothers to invade and occupy the city) and than the whole process will start all over again.

The Taliban will become stronger and stronger as this fruitless and futile process continues while the occupation drags on for a few more years. -- Wash, rinse, dry, repeat -- until the US-NRE is finally forced out of Afghanistan instead of quietly, and politely, leaving like it should. - mpg
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Afghan civilian deaths caused by allied forces rise
It's exactly like inflation, if you want the REAL numbers, just multiply the government's by a factor of 3, 5, or 10.  Whatever you calculate to be as the correct multiplier.  But the TREND, which is usually accurate as long as they don't change their methodology or reporting procedures, is going up. - mpg -- A quote...."Civilian deaths have risen 11% from 144 at this time last year to 160 in 2010The increase has coincided with the rising number of incidents in which U.S. and NATO attack helicopters mistakenly fired on Afghans who turned out to be civilians, the previously unreleased statistics show."

Torture Orders Were Part of U.S. Sectarian War Strategy - Duh!!  you don't say....mpg
Must Read - A quote...."WASHINGTON, Nov 1, 2010 (IPS) - The revelation by Wikileaks of a U.S. military order directing U.S. forces not to investigate [Oh, let's be honest about this issue folks, US-NRE personnel were cheering them on!  This country wasn't over in Iraq just drilling for oil, they were drilling people! - mpg] cases of torture of detainees by Iraqis has been treated in news reports as yet another case of lack of concern by the U.S. military about detainee abuse. -- But the deeper significance of the order, which has been missed by the news media, is that it was part of a larger U.S. strategy of exploiting Shi'a sectarian hatred against Sunnis to help suppress the Sunni insurgency when Sunnis had rejected the U.S. war." - bold by websit editor - also posted at CommonDreams & Uruknet & AsiaTimes - Topix ||  US Support Death Sqds   ||  US Sponsored Civil Wars  ||

Russia 'reaches understanding' with Karzai over Afghan drug raids
A quote...."Russia and the U.S. will continue joint operations in Afghanistan to destroy drug laboratories after reaching an agreement with Afghan President Hamid Karzai, the head of Russia's drug watchdog said on Monday. -- Russian and U.S. drug control services carried out on October 28 a joint anti-narcotics operation in Afghanistan, destroying 4 drug labs and 900 kilograms of heroin worth more than $250 million, Ivanov said last week."

Yemen: New Venue For U.S. Geopolitical Great Game - Why Yemen? Is the West choosing a new target?
Special Note - A quote...."-[T]he timing for the attacks (or, attempted attacks, or, presumably attempted attacks) was chosen very carefully. The United States face the mid-term elections, and the Democratic administration is heading for a worst defeat in decades. If we look back at a not so distant past, we can remember that a highly resonant terrorist attack is probably the best way to raise the rating of the ruling administration." - also posted at GlobalRsrch

'China's rise is not a threat to India'
A quote...."A senior Chinese official says the country's economic growth is an opportunity for and not a threat to India, and the same holds true with regard to India's rise."

Russian, Japanese leaders to meet at APEC summit - Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary
A quote...."Russian President Dmitry Medvedev will meet with Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan during a summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum due in Yokohama on November 13-14, Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary said on Tuesday. -- Russian President Dmitry Medvedev sparked a diplomatic row with Japan when he visited Kunashir Island, near Japan's northernmost Hokkaido Island, on Monday. --The visit was the first trip by a head of state of Russia or the former Soviet Union to the South Kuril Islands."

Russian, French shipbuilders form consortium
A quote...."Russia's United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC) and France's shipbuilder DCNS on Monday signed an agreement to form a consortium, in a move that may bring a pending helicopter carrier deal closer to completion, the USC president said. -- The consortium is the most likely winner of a Russian tender to build two Mistral-class helicopter carriers as part of a Russian-French deal, analysts say."

Rousseff elected Brazilian president
A quote...."Dilma Rousseff has been elected as Brazil's first female president, succeeding her mentor, outgoing President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva."
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Israel airline 'humiliates' US professor
A quote...."The security personnel of an Israeli airline have humiliated an American professor, asking her to remove her clothing and board the plane with no luggage."

Progressive Canadians must challenge JNF's charitable status
A quote...."Last month, Greg Selinger, the New Democratic Party (NDP) Premier of the Province of Manitoba, and two of his ministers visited Israel. Among other things, the official delegation strengthened the longtime "progressive" government's ties to the Jewish National Fund (JNF). The trip was a sad spectacle that should embarrass every Canadian who opposes racism. Indeed, J.S. Woodsworth, the Winnipeg-based founder of Canada's social democratic party, must be turning in his grave."
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More On The Palestinian Situation....

‘Settlers up assaults on Palestinian kids’
A quote...."A new study has revealed that Israeli settlers have intensified acts of violence against Palestinian children over the past two years. -- The study conducted by Defense for Children International-Palestine (DCI) said on Monday that it has investigated 38 cases of settler violence against minors. -- The attacks caused the deaths of three children and left 42 others injured, the rights group said." - bold by website editor - Source:  PressTV

Israel Targets Students
A quote...."They arrested six students with political or activist ties,” said Anan Quzmar, coordinator of Right 2 Education (R2E), a student’s rights organization based in Birzeit University. -- “They came in the middle of the night,” said Quzmar. “They arrested half a dozen students and trashed up the house.”

OCHA Report: 1,000 Palestinians Injured By Israeli Forces in 2010
A quote...."The Office for The Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs’ (OCHA) Protection of Civilians report announced this week that 1,000 Palestinians have now been injured by Israeli forces during 2010. The figure is a 38% increase on the last year’s total for the same time frame."

Israel bulldozes Gaza village
A quote...."Accompanied by tanks, Israeli bulldozers have driven deep into the Gaza Strip before proceeding to flatten areas within a central town, say eyewitnesses."

Civil resistance to bring down the Walls
A quote...."Budrus, a documentary film now debuting across the US, tells the story of a successful protest campaign by unarmed Palestinian civilians against Israel’s military occupation in my small West Bank village. Our struggle’s success and the consequent expansion of civil resistance to other West Bank communities may provide hope to viewers desperate for positive news from the Middle East, but today an Israeli crackdown on unarmed Palestinian protesters is threatening this growing movement. For our movement to thrive and serve as a true alternative to violence, we need Americans’ to demand that Israel, a close US ally, end this repression."
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Are the Fed's Honchos Simpletons, Or Are They Just Taking Orders? - They're just taking orders. - mpg
Must Read  - Fed policy for dummies, clear, instructive, and precise. - mpg -- A quote...."Without exception the Fed's policies are pernicious failures; either they are exceptionally thickheaded, or they are just taking orders. -- At the risk of boring you with material you already know well, let's quickly cover the Fed's policies and stated goals since the Global Financial Meltdown of late 2008."

U.S. “Quantitative Easing” is Fracturing the Global Economy
Must Read - A quote...."Great structural changes in world trade and finance occur quickly – by quantum leaps, not by slow marginal accretions. The 1945-2010 era of relatively open trade, capital movements and foreign exchange markets is being destroyed by a predatory financial opportunism that is breaking the world economy into two spheres: a dollar sphere in which central banks in Europe, Japan and many OPEC and Third World countries hold their reserves the form of U.S. Treasury debt of declining foreign-exchange value; and a BRIC-centered sphere, led by China, India, Brazil and Russia, reaching out to include Turkey and Iran, most of Asia, and major raw materials exporters that are running trade surpluses." - also posted at BLN

The World's Monetary System Is Melting Down
Special Note - A quote...."The world's monetary system is in the process of melting down. We have entered the endgame for the dollar as the dominant reserve currency, but most investors and policy makers are unaware of the implications. -- The only questions are how long the denouement of the dollar reserve system will last, and how much more damage will be inflicted by new rounds of quantitative easing or more radical monetary measures to prop up the system. -- Whether prolonged or sudden, the transition to a stable monetary system will become possible only when the shortcomings of the status quo become unbearable. Such a transition is, by definition, nonlinear. So central-bank soothsaying based on the extrapolation of historical data and the repetition of conventional wisdom offers no guidance on what lies ahead." - bold by website editor

Another month gone by. Another month closer to bankruptcy
Nation's don't go bankrupt, they just keep printing....sort'a like Weimar Germany did. - mpg -- A quote...."Many are the ways the facts are interpreted, distorted and bearded. But the numbers keep going up. -- The red numbers, that is. -- The US press barely reports the story. They know Americans aren’t interested. In the US, people figure we’ll muddle through…we’ll work our way out of debt…  Or, hey, maybe there will be a miracle! In the US, we believe in all sorts of things that are miraculous…unbelievable…and preposterous. -- Got too much debt? We’ll fix it by giving you more debt! -- People short of real money? We’ll fix that by giving them make-believe money."

Living Beyond Our Means: 3 Charts That Prove That We Are In The Biggest Debt Bubble In The History Of The World - Chart - My Oh My!!  Those Neo-Roman Empire expansion plans (a.k.a. PNAC), funded COMPLETELY by mountains of uncollateralized, unsupported, and therefore unpayable debt, aren't as much fun as many people thought they would be, but just as some people say the cure for a hang-over is to drink more poison, so says the Federal Reserve and its Bankster owners....just PRINT more poison!! - mpg - A quote...."Do you want to see something truly frightening?  Just check out the 3 charts posted further down in this article.  These charts prove that we are now in the biggest debt bubble in the history of the world." - also posted at BLN

Treasury Anticipates $700 Billion Gross Borrowing Need By End Of March 2011, To Bust Debt Ceiling In Q1
A quote...."The US Treasury has just released its revised debt issuance/funding schedule for the Q4 as well its fresh estimates for Q1 2011 borrowing needs. While much of this will certainly be re-revised as it will likely soon become a function of massive QE2 driven demand than supply...."

Is Fraudclosure About To Claim Its First Victim: First Horizon Plunges After Subpoena Disclosed As FHFA Announces No Reserve Established -- A quote...."Investors in FHN are not very happy after it was just announced that the the bank has been subpoenaed by the FHFA, conservator for the GSE, in connection to ongoing probe; and further allegations that it may be unable to determine probable loss, and that no reserve was established. -- Oops." - bold by website editor

$2.5 Billion POMO Closes At 7.5x Submitted To Accepted Ratio, Fed Monetizes Part Of Issue Auctioned Off Less Than 3 Weeks Ago -- A quote...."Today's POMO (for all those who forgot, stocks needed that little extra oomph today, thank you Brian Sack) has closed and despite $18.5 billion in submitted par amount of interest, the Fed monetized only $2.5 billion of 2013-2014 bonds, the bulk of which being the 1.75% of 4/15/2013. And don't look now, but the $85 million of PB0's monetized were part of the same issue that was auctioned off  -PDF a whopping two short weeks ago! In other words: Treasury issues, PDs hold for two weeks, and then turn around and sell right back to the Fed. Monetization Q.E.D. More importantly, the submitted to accepted ratio was far higher than average, indicating the PDs were again positioned weakly for this POMO, and as a result we may see a sell off in risky assets, as we disclosed previously."

Personal Income And Spending Both Miss Expectations, As Savings Rate Drops To 2010 Low
(i.e. Consumers are running out of money, but they're also lowering their savings rate by spending more of what they don't have....which is crazy! - mpg) - A quote...."One thing is sure to happen when Americans buy more iPads than they can afford: the savings rate will fall. Sure enough, the just reported September savings rate dipped to 5.3%, the lowest reading in 2010, and a decline from August's downward revised 5.6%. This is due to a miss in both personal income and personal spending, the former coming at -0.1% vs Exp. of 0.2 (and a prior revised to 0.4%) with the latter at 0.2% versus expectations of 0.4%...."

Sunday October 31st 2010

No posts. - mpg

Saturday October 30th 2010

The Facts Speak For Themselves
Must Read - From the History File - September 1, 2010 - (previously posted) -- A quote...."Before I begin, I would like to say that theorizing about what happened on 9/11, when you’re not being given answers to your questions about that day by the people who SHOULD be able to do so, is PERFECTLY normal. As is suspecting that the reason these answers aren’t being given is “sinister” in nature. As Ray McGovern said, “for people to dismiss these questioners as “conspiratorial advocates”, or “conspiratorial theorists”… that’s completely out of line because the… The questions remain because the President who should be able to answer them, WILL NOT.” When you think about everything the previous Administration did in 8 years, the idea that they might not be giving us the answers we seek because of something “sinister” is not crazy. In fact, it’s the most logical conclusion one can come to at this point. After years of obfuscation, spin, lies, and cover-ups regarding the 9/11 attacks, it is unavoidable to think that criminal complicity is the reason why."

Bomb Scare is BS
Video - (YuTb - 50 sec - October 30, 2010) - Source:  MrTunnster  -- A quote...."Obama lies about the Bomb at Midlands UK airport, BBC don't even try to hide it. As the producer in V for Vendetta says "It's not our job to make up the news, that's the governments" -- The FAKE bomb attack comes 4 days before the Midterms, and 3 days after British Airways said security was to tight and that naked body scanners were too intrusive, how convenient for those America scanner makers that this story would break."

The Yemen printer cartridge hoax
A quote...."Despite the efforts of the Jew-controlled media to mislead us into thinking that 'al Qaeda' in Yemen attempted to send bombs to Chicago synagogues disguised as printer cartridges - everybody buys their printer cartridges from Yemen - a close reading of the stories makes it clear that there were in fact no bombs at all.  From the National Post...."

How To Poll 90% In Any Political Contest In America
A speech you'll NEVER, EVER hear from any Demo or Repub prostitute running for public office. - mpg -- A quote...."All who committed fraud over these last ten years will be investigated, prosecuted and jailed, starting with those who did the most damage."

Bob Chapman’s Friday Economic Report: Fed Strategy The Wrong Way For Growth – Alex Jones Tv
AJVideo - BC&AJ(1/3) - BC&AJ(2/3) - BC&AJ(3/3) - (AJYuTb - 15min - October 29, 2010) - Source:  TheAlexJonesChannel -- A quote...."Alex also talks with regular Friday guest Bob Chapman of the International Forecaster about the economy and related issues. Alex covers the news and takes your calls. -- Financial follies continue, more bank closures this year than last, pension liabilities exceed revenues, continued troubles in the economy, no real interventions in currency market, PIMCO predictions."

US State of Indiana Deploys Armed Guards at Unemployment Offices
A quote...."Given the upcoming expiration of the federal extensions and the increased stress on some of the unemployed, we thought added security would provide an extra level of protection for our employees and clients."

A Reply to Rupert -- Hiding Truth Behind Euphemisms, Omissions, Slanders and Lies
A quote...."Rupert Murdoch’s recent speech before the ADL (Anti-Defamation League) gathering at their gala dinner, opened with this flattering observation: “You have championed equal treatment for all races and creeds.”

Is Rupert Murdoch Ignorant or an Agent of Zionist Deception?
A quote...."In a recent speech at an ADL (Anti-Defamation League) dinner, Rupert Murdoch, arguably the most influential mainstream media chief on Planet Earth, made some extraordinary statements which must be challenged. But first it’s necessary for us all to be clear about what ADL’s role is. -- Its proclaimed objective is to “fight anti-Semitism”. In reality its main purpose under the leadership of Abe Foxman is to smear, harass, silence and preferably destroy those of all faiths and none who are critical of Zionism in action – critical of Israel’s policies in general and its contempt for international law in particular; and critical of the awesome power of the Zionist lobby, in America especially."

WikiLeaks founder deserves medal for unearthing the truth
A quote...."Thank goodness for courageous whistleblowers! Without such people of conscience, we might never have learned the gory truth about the war in Vietnam, former US president Richard Nixon’s involvement in the Watergate scandal, the extent of Israel’s nuclear capabilities or the bestial treatment of detainees in Abu Ghraib."

The wretched mind of the American authoritarian
Special Note - Decadent governments often spawn a decadent citizenry.  A 22-year-old Nebraska resident was arrested yesterday for waterboarding his girlfriend as she was tied to a couch, because he wanted to know if she was cheating on him with another man; I wonder where he learned that?  There are less dramatic though no less nauseating examples of this dynamic.  In The Chicago Tribune today, there is an Op-Ed from Jonah Goldberg -- the supreme, living embodiment of a cowardly war cheerleader -- headlined:  "Why is Assange still alive?"  It begins this way...."


"He ultimately concludes that "it wouldn't do any good to kill him, given the nature of the Web" -- whatever that means -- and reluctantly acknowledges:  "That's fine. And it's the law. I don't expect the U.S. government to kill Assange, but I do expect them to try to stop him." - also posted at ICH -- All this website editor can say is THANK GOD there's a Second Amendment in this country, and also it should be pointed out that it really would be a nice idea for everybody advocating torture and murder to please stop.  If this sort of thing continues it could eventually lead to a very unhealthy political environment for everyone, especially for minority groups.... espicially for really tiny minority groups.... like the "Jewish Community" for instance, who make up only about two percent of this nation's population. (simply an example randomly picked out of a hat which has no bearing on anyone's ethnicity or religious affiliation). - mpg
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Bring me the head of Silvino Herrera  -"Us versus them" and other "modern" myths of war and civilization -- Must Read - A quote...."They behead – [Actually "we" behead too] we do it with smart bombs. There is, of course, an ugly truth to this recently minted axiom: the horror of state terrorism is that the overwhelming machinery of death in the hands of all-powerful governments far outweighs individual atrocities by madmen, small groups and non-state entities. While, with their beheadings and murders of innocents, the heathen thugs and killers may indeed be barbarians, it is almost impossible to accomplish with their amateur methods the slaughter of half a million children, as did the Anglo-American/UN sanctions in Iraq. -- This is the same reasoning that puts the lie to the sanitized concept of war and destruction which makes the self-satisfied "West" so smug and confident of its moral superiority. There is an underlying, and often overt, racism which allows so-called "modern" warmakers and their electorates to tolerate the huge disparities in casualties that have come to define modern conflict. In virtually every case, the brutal repression of movements that strive for greater human freedom, workers' rights and a life worth living is ignored, while the "atrocities" of those trying to resist are seen as backward and evidence of cultural and moral inferiority." - also posted at ICH - Topix ||  What Would Jesus Think - 10-19-10 - mpg  ||

Iraqis Unmoved by Wikileaks
Must Read - A quote...."Baghdad professor Saadi Kareem’s reaction to the recent Wikileaks release of some 400,000 secret United States war files is typical of that of many of his countrymen. -- "Iraqis know all about the findings in these documents,” the political science lecturer said. “The brutality of American and Iraqi forces was hidden from Americans and Europeans, but not for Iraqis who lived through the war and its aftermath. Iraqis are totally aware of what happened to them." - also posted at CommonDreams

War: A Desire for More Cows
Full quote...."Sometimes hearing something said in a foreign language can give some new perspective. - For example, the word for "war" in the ancient Sanskrit language (dating to 1200 BC) literally means: --- A desire for more cows. ---  Simple. Your neighbor has more cows than you have, you want to take his resources, so you go to war. - Has anything changed in 3200 years? -- (Alan Greenspan, John McCain, George W. Bush, a high-level National Security Council officer and others say that the Iraq war was really about oil.) - Similarly, the French word for propaganda literally means:  ---  Brain-stuffing.  ---  People won't go to war to steal more cows for you unless you stuff their brains full of crazy ideas and make up horror stories to demonize your enemies."

Sing It, Clowns
Quote of the Day...."...this is especially addressed to all those -- on the right, the left, and anywhere else -- who continue to desperately cling to the fantasy that the U.S. might yet be "reformed" or "saved." Part of the genius of "the system" (and this form of genius is hardly restricted to the U.S.; study some history when you're killing time someday) is that it's set up precisely to make "reformation" and "salvation" impossible. The system was set on a course for this end from the very beginning, and that course was made irreversible beginning a hundred years ago. The system finally eats itself entirely, and then it's done. -- I'm telling ya, sweetheart: history. So I repeat: -- Sing it, clowns." - also posted at Uruknet

2010 Election: Referendum on Reality, Racism, and Revisionist History
Must Read - A quote...."October 28, 2010 "Information Clearing House" --  It’s an all but unfathomable situation President Obama has placed the American people in.  In a mere two years he has managed to squander the momentum and enthusiasm of the clear majority of this country, systematically discredit and disregard the voluminous grievances of the American People, continuously cede the moral and factual high ground to ignorance and hate, and ensure that the criminal elements that shredded the Constitution, killed millions in war crimes, and collapsed the global economy go into the 2010 midterm elections with more money, power, and influence than ever."

And he succeeded BRILLIANTLY, he did EXACTLY what he was hired and paid to do.  The really funny part of the whole thing is....many of you people out there voted for him.  Because of a few really stupid, sappy, phrases like "hope" and "change" and because he had....wait for it now....black skin.....ahhhhh, ohhhhhh, how daring you all are,  ohhhhh, ahhhhhh, how radical you all are.

Next no doubt you'll all vote for the subsequent "president" because, ohhhhhhh, ahhhhhhh....she's a woman.

For those people in this country who voted for the Demos or the Repubs, if you want to FINALLY take your politics seriously, here's a few simple suggestions on how to do so.  First, turn off your TV for the rest of your entire adult life, at least as far as commericial broadcasting goes.  Don't let your kids watch it, don't let your relatives watch it, don't you watch it, just unplug yourself and your whole entire family from the Matrix.  Second, stop buying newspapers and listening to the radio, unless they're an alternative to the mass-media. Third, go on the web to get your information, at least while the web is still open. Fourth, don't EVER!!! vote for a Demo or Repub again!!

And finally, last but not least, if you want to take your politics seriously folks -- FOLLOW THE @#$%^! MONEY!!!! - mpg  
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WikiLeaks Revelations Resonate with Iraqis
A quote...."Baghdad, Asharq Al-Awsat – Iraq is still in the grip of the trove of classified US military documents that were made public by the WikiLeaks website earlier this week. These secret documents detail allegations of prisoner abuse and torture, civilian killings, and corruption following the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq. Former detainees have described their time in Iraqi prisoners, and their treatment there as being, a "nightmare" that has irrevocably affected their lives." - Topix ||  WikiLeaks on Saturday  ||

Statement from IPC: Comrade Tariq Aziz
A quote...."We all are stunned and saddened by the abrupt announcement that Tariq Aziz has been condemned to hang. He was found guilty on bogus charges by the illegitimate court in Baghdad that tried various Ba’ath Party officials, including President Saddam Hussein. At that time, he received a sentence of 22 years in prison, assuring he would die before he again saw daylight. Now, he is sentenced to hang."

'Europe Iran oil imports twice as 2008'
A quote...."In a report, Time magazine said that although the United States was pushing its European allies into cutting energy ties with Iran, Europe still maintained its economic ties with the Islamic Republic. -- “Even the US's close allies in Europe have stopped short of cutting their relations with Iran, allowing it to continue its trade in oil and gas,” it said. -- The report added that according to the International Energy Agency in Paris, “Europe imports about 1.2 million barrels of Iranian crude per day, which is double the amount in 2008.”

'Iran's forex reserves exceed $100bn'
A quote...."Stressing the necessity of using foreign exchange reserves in the investment and industrial sectors, President Ahmadinejad said, “The national hard currency reserves have been estimated at $100 billion, but the figure certainly is higher.”

Robert Fisk: Lebanon and Iran make uneasy bedfellows
Special Note - A quote...."I think it should be a Beirut Diary this week. Deep background, you understand. The truth. Believe me, it is. -- When President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad entered the palace dining room to eat with Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri last week – Saad being the son of ex-premier Rafiq who was murdered by ... we'll come to that later – Saad made sure that Beethoven was on the public address system. It was the Ninth Symphony, the "Ode to Freedom". The moment the Iranian President sat down, he turned to Saad and said: "Let's skip the lunch. Let's have sandwiches and go to southern Lebanon together." - also posted at Uruknet

Ukrainians to vote in local and regional elections
A quote...."Ukrainians will go to polls on Sunday to cast their ballots in local and regional elections, widely seen as a test for President Viktor Yanukovych. -- The pro-presidential Party of Regions, which has no absolute parliamentary majority, would seek to strengthen its positions across the country. The elections are also seen as a dress rehearsal for the forthcoming parliamentary polls."

China Finds a New Gateway in East Europe
A quote...."LONDON, Oct 29, 2010 (IPS) - When China's new ambassador to Bulgaria assumed his post in mid-September he made headlines reminding the nation of a fact that may have been intentionally neglected by Bulgarian governments in the post-communist years of reform. Bulgaria was only the second country after the former Soviet Union to recognise the People's Republic in 1949, and that historical legacy was destined to endure."

Vietnam mulls free trade zone with post-Soviet customs union
A quote...."Vietnam is considering creating a free trade zone with the post-Soviet customs union of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan, Vietnam's President Nguyen Minh Triet said on Sunday."

Russia's Medvedev signs nuclear power deal with Vietnam
A quote...."The construction of Vietnam's first nuclear power plant will strengthen the country's positions as a strong, independent and modern state, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said on Sunday following the signing of a nuclear power deal between the two countries."

Chile: New Suits for Crimes during Pinochet Dictatorship
A quote...."Santiago de Chile, Oct 30 (Prensa Latina) Human rights organizations in Chile brought 141 new suits for crimes against humanity during the military dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet (1973-1990)."

Substantive Issues Missing from [Brazil's] Election Campaign - That sounds very familiar. - mpg
A quote...."RIO DE JANEIRO, Oct 30, 2010 (IPS) - In Brazil, 136 million voters will head to the polls in Sunday's presidential runoff election, after a campaign heavy on recriminations and moralistic attacks and weak on substantive issues."
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More On The Palestinian Situation....

Picking olives under occupation
Must View Video - Alt - (YuTb - 8 min 46sec - October 28, 2010) - Source:  ISMPalestine -- A quote...."Families in the village of Qusin with properties close to the illegal settlements Shave Shomeron and Shave Shomron, make an attempt to harvest their olives but soldiers forced them to leave. -- One of these families has been unable to access their land for the last nine years due to settler attacks and pressure from Israeli soldiers. Another family tried to pick olives about ten days ago but soldiers arrived and stopped them."

Segregation of Jews and Arabs in 2010 Israel is almost absolute
Special Note - A quote...."Under the guise of the deceptively mundane name "Amendment to the Cooperative Associations Bill," the Knesset's Constitution, Law and Justice Committee this week finalized a bill intended to bypass previous rulings of the High Court of Justice. If indeed this legislation is approved by the Knesset plenum, it will not be possible to describe it as anything other than an apartheid law." - also posted at ICH & Uruknet

Hamas says projectile launchers mutineers  - Paid for by the Saudi Royals and/or Israelis no doubt. - mpg
A quote...."LONDON (Ma'an) -- Senior Hamas leader Mahmoud Zahhar described militants behind the launch of homemade projectiles from Gaza towards Israel as “mutineers against their factions” in an interview with the London-based newspaper Al-Hayat."
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Marc Faber: Fed's QE2 Could Trigger Market Correction
Contains Video - Alt - Ahhhhh, but the Fed can always print more. - mpg -- A quote...."Marc Faber, publisher of the Gloom, Boom & Doom report, discusses the potential impact of further quantitative easing (QE2) by the U.S. Federal Reserve in a Bloomberg interview on Oct. 36 (clip below)."

Is The Fed TRYING To Force A Surge In Commodity Prices And Input Costs? Diapason Explains Why Hyperinflation Is Blackhawk Ben's End Goal -- A quote...."A Fed paper released in September, which we luckily missed as otherwise it would have led to the collective death through uncontrollable foaming in the mouth of the entire Zero Hedge staff, was "Oil Shocks and the Zero Bound on Nominal Interest Rates", in which author Martin Bodenstein (an econ Ph.D.) argues that oil price shocks (i.e., surges in the price of oil such as the one we are about to experience courtesy of a fresh trillion in liquidity about to be unleashed by the Fed) are... wait for it... beneficial to GDP and stimulative to the interest-rate sensitive parts of the economy. To wit: "In fact, if the increase in oil prices is gradual, the persistent rise in inflation can cause a GDP expansion.". Yes you read that right. The Fed is stealthily floating the idea that a surge in oil prices will be for the greater good."

Q3 foreclosures up in 65% of country
A quote...."Cities in California, Florida, Nevada and Arizona once again accounted for all top 10 foreclosure rates in the third quarter among metropolitan areas with a population of 200,000 or more, according to a report from RealtyTrac Inc."

Existing Home Inventory increases 8.9% Year-over-Year
Chart - (click to enlarge) -- A quote...."Earlier the NAR released the existing home sales data for September; here are a couple more graphs ...  The first graph shows the year-over-year (YoY) change in reported existing home inventory and months-of-supply. Inventory is not seasonally adjusted, so it really helps to look at the YoY change."

226,000 could lose jobless benefits
A quote...."Nearly 226,000 Californians, more people than in all of Irvine, are expected to be cut off of unemployment during the holidays if Congress does not approve a continuation of aid after the current law expires Nov. 30, according to a new estimate by the National Employment Law Project." - bold by website editor

Friday October 29th 2010

"Shiller said the danger of foreclosuregate -- the scandal in which it has come to light that the biggest banks have routinely mishandled homeownership documents, putting the legality of foreclosures and related sales in doubt -- is a replay of the 1930s, when Americans lost faith that institutions such as business and government were dealing fairly."

"[It was] the poverty caused by the bad influence of the English bankers on the Parliament which has caused in the colonies hatred of the English and . . . the Revolutionary War." -- *Benjamin Franklin*

"There are two ways to conquer and enslave a nation. One is by the sword. The other is by debt." -- *John Adams*

“If the American people ever allow the banks to control issuance of their currency, first by inflation and then by deflation, the banks and corporations that grow up around them will deprive the people of all property until their children will wake up homeless on the continent their fathers occupied”. -- *Thomas Jefferson*

Thursday October 28th 2010

The Stealth Coup D'Etat: U.S.A. 2008-2010
Must Read - A quote...."In the popular view, a coup d'etat is a sudden event, over in a few hours or at most days, a drama played out in impoverished Third World nations. The stealth coup which has occurred in the U.S. is an entirely different kind of coup--one that has operated in stealth mode for the most part, a process of gradual infiltration and opportunistic grasping of key levers of dependence and control." - also posted at ZeroHedge

Currency Wars: Debase, Default, Deny!
Must Read - Charts & Graphs - (click to enlarge) -- A quote...."In September 2008 the US came to a fork in the road. The Public Policy decision to not seize the banks, to not place them in bankruptcy court with the government acting as the Debtor-in-Possession (DIP), to not split them up by selling off the assets to successful and solvent entities, set the world on the path to global currency wars." - also posted at ZeroHedge

The Tea Party - Again - On MSNBC And Elsewhere
Must Read - Charts - A quote...."On one side we have people blaming Obama and Congress for the economic malaise yet ignoring the Elephant in the room - what happened before Obama was President - while on the other side we have the people blaming ex-President Bush. -- Notice that "Wall Street/Bankers" manages to draw 25% - among Democrats.  40% if you include "Big Corporations. - among Democrats.  But among Republicans?  Under 10% for both groups combined. -- This is beyond ridiculous.  It's stupid. -- If we don't cut this crap out we're going to go down the hole as a nation." - Topix ||  The Tea Party - Another False Front  ||

Report: This Recession Tops the Great Depression
Must View Video - The99ers - A quote....""As we pointed out in 1.2 Million Will Lose Job Benefits By Christmas, the situation is getting desperate. The government reports that we are out of recession. The President says that his policies have helped us to avoid depression. And Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid says he, alone, was responsible for saving the world from economic catastrophe. -- The reality, however, is exactly the opposite, as pointed out on CBS’ 60 Minutes...."


We Know Tea Party Repubs Are Scary. But Are Democrats in Congress Worth Defending At All?
Special Note - A quote...."Four years ago, the nation prepared for a congressional transition from Republican to Democratic rule. Rather than point to the scaaaary tea party hacks, let's examine what the nation expected from Democrats in the Congress, and whether we got it... any of it." -- STOP VOTING for Demos or Repubs folks! If you don't, this country is going to go down in the wreckage of a sick and twisted, imploding, Neo-Roman Empire.

McGrath: ‘Austerity Will Hit America Like An Eight Pound Sledgehammer’
A quote...."Charlie McGrath of Wide Awake News warns that things are going to change after the election – for the worse. While the movement across America to stop an out of control Congress in its tracks will likely lead to Republican victories and control of at least the House, the idea that this will somehow change the economic outlook for the better is conjecture. While our regular readers already understand we’re in a depression, most Americans have no clue of the severity of the problem. According to McGrath, they will know very very soon."
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Chemical Engineer Mark Basile discusses his discovery of thermite in WTC dust
Must View Video - Alt - (YuTb - 13min 52sec - October 26, 2010) - Source:  ae911truth -- A quote...."Chemical Engineer Mark Basile – The first scientist who found thermite in the World Trade Center dust discusses in depth his process of discovery using the scientific method. -- This interview is some raw footage of one of the world class experts appearing in architects and engineer’s upcoming hard hitting documentary “9/11:Explosive Evidence – Experts speak out” - Topix ||  Reficultnias's 9/11 Central  ||

9/11: The Media Ignores Evidence of WTC Explosives
A quote...."Persuasive evidence exists (see Christopher Ketcham’s “High-Fivers and Art Student Spies”) that Israeli intelligence was aware of the 9/11 plot well in advance. Not only were Israeli agents found to be tracking alleged Muslim plotters, there was “intense political pressure apparently … brought to bear” to release the five Israeli spies caught filming the event, without any acknowledgment of foreknowledge on their part. Congress never investigated the incident. Nor was there an investigation of the Israeli art students, trained in military intelligence, who allegedly “attempted to form friendships with [New York] federal employees, photograph their offices, tap their phone lines and infiltrate their databases” in 2001, as reported by Nathan Guttman of Ha`aretz."

Foiled or Faked: FBI 'entrapment' tactics fuel home-grown terror?
RTVideo - Alt - (RTYuTb - 4min 27sec - October 28, 2010) - Source:  RussiaToday -- A quote...."A Pakistani-born American has been arrested for carrying out surveillance on the Washington DC metro as part of a suspected terror plot. Farooqe Ahmed is accused of working with people he believed were members of Al-Qaeda - but who were actually FBI agents. A U.S. counter-terrorism official said there's no indication Ahmed was ever in touch with real militants. And as RT's Marina Portnaya found out, critics say the FBI is increasingly using tactics that amount to entrapment."

Detainee Who Invented Iraq-Al-Qaeda Connection Found Dead
YTVideo - From the History File - May 12, 2009 - (YTYuTb - 4min 33sec - 05/12/09) - Source:  TheYoungTurks - Topix ||  9/11-Iraq-Torture Fables  ||

Government Claims Total US intelligence bill tops $80 billion
A quote...."The annual cost of U.S. intelligence is public for the first time: just over $80 billion for 2010. -- Figures released by the government Thursday show $27 billion goes to military intelligence and $53.1 billion covers the CIA and some of the other 16 intelligence agencies. -- Steven Aftergood, a secrecy specialist at the Federation of American Scientists, says it's "the most complete disclosure we have ever had."

Italy seeks stiffer sentence for ex-CIA official
A quote...."ROME—An Italian prosecutor has asked for a stiffer sentence for a CIA station chief convicted in the 2003 kidnapping of an Egyptian cleric in Milan. - Twenty-three Americans, including Robert Seldon Lady, then a CIA station chief in Milan, and two Italians were convicted in November for the kidnapping. It was the first conviction anywhere in the world involving the CIA's extraordinary renditions program. All Americans were tried in absentia." - also posted at SFGate & YahooNews - Topix ||  Fun & Torture - It's a Pleasure  ||

No [UK] terror arrests in 100,000 police counter-terror searches, figures show
A quote...."More than 100,000 people were stopped and searched by police under counter-terrorism powers last year but none of them were arrested for terrorism-related offences, according to Home Office figures published today." - bold by website editor - Source:  AP
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Controversial Tillman Commander Promoted, 3 Soldiers Allege Ordered Massacres, "360 Rotational Fire"
What a remarkable coincidence! - mpg -- A quote...."A controversial commander who helped recommend Pat Tillman for the Silver Star as part of a campaign to glamorize Tillman's death has been promoted to full colonel." - Topix ||  US Fake Intel / Propaganda - Pat Tillman  ||

The Empire and the Right to Life of Human Beings
A quote...."That's terrific! So I exclaimed when I read down to the last line about the revelations of the famous journalist Seymour Hersh, printed in Democracy Now! and collected as one of the 25 most censored news items in the United States."

The Ordeal of Murat Kurnaz - Gitmo's Indelible Stain
A quote...."Although U.S. officials have attributed the torture of Muslim prisoners in their custody to a handful of maverick guards, in fact such criminal acts were widely perpetrated and systemic, likely involving large numbers of military personnel, a book by a survivor suggests. Additionally, guards were responsible for countless acts of murder, including death by crucifixion, lynching, poisoning, snakebite, withholding of medicines, starvation, and bludgeoning of innocent victims. And the murders committed by U.S. troops numbered at least in the hundreds, according to reliable sources."
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Iraq war logs: 'The US was part of the Wolf Brigade operation against us'
Special Note - A quote...."During the foreboding months of 2005, one police unit struck more fear into Iraqis than the entire occupying US army. They were known as the Wolf Brigade. -- Brutal even by Iraqi standards, their soldiers and officers seemingly answered to no one. They were seen as indiscriminate and predatory. The unit's reputation had been known Iraq-wide and results of their numerous raids are still bogged down in Iraq's legal system. -- But the full range of their abuses and close co-operation with the US army remained in the shadows until the WikiLeaks disclosures showcased them in stark detail." - bold by website editor

The Tariq Aziz Sentencing: A Diversion for Maliki
A quote...."...as Maliki scrambles to distance Baghdad from the WikiLeaks info-blitzkrieg, the hardened political survivor seems to have been handed an anti-Saddam Hussein card to help deflect attention: the fortuitous announcement of the sentencing of Tariq Aziz, 74, the ex-journalist and epicure who became the global face-man for Saddam's regime as foreign minister and, later, deputy prime minister. Aziz, the most prominent remaining member of Saddam's Ba'athist clique, was sentenced to death by hanging on Tuesday by Iraq's Supreme Criminal Tribunal for "liquidating" rival political activists who happened to be Shi'ites. He was also cited for killing merchants found profiteering.  -- Iraq's cynical political observers believe that luck had little to do with the announcement." - also posted at YahooNews

'Tariq Aziz death penalty pointless, ploy to whitewash Iraq war crimes'
RTVideo - Alt - (RTYuTb - 4min 51sec - October 27, 2010) - Source:  RussiaToday -- A quote...."The death sentence handed to Saddam Hussein's former deputy Tariq Aziz on Tuesday has drawn much international condemnation. Many experts see the decision as a bid to divert attention from the Wikileaks revelations showing the Iraqi government's alleged involvement in torture. Among the critics of the verdict is British MP Jeremy Corbyn."
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WPost's Blinders on Afghan War - posted at ConsortiumNews
Presstitute Alert - A quote...."Sometimes when perusing the Washington Post’s editorials, you have to wonder if the editors read their own newspaper’s reporting or perhaps they just look at what reinforces their preconceived opinions – as just occurred regarding Afghan War progress."

Afghan warlord's private army trained in Australia
A quote...."SENIOR militia fighters loyal to a notorious Afghan warlord have been flown to Australia to train with elite special forces as part of a covert strategy to strengthen military operations against the Taliban. -- The six fighters are allied to Matiullah Khan, a powerful Oruzgan warlord with whom Dutch forces refused to work because of his alleged connections to murder and extortion."

France aims to cede control of Afghan region in 2011
A quote...."PARIS: France hopes to hand Afghan forces military responsibility next year for one of two regions in Afghanistan where it has troops, French Defence Minister Herve Morin said on Thursday."
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“Narrowly Conceived Tactics" Increasingly Take Over Obama's Iran. Middle East Policies
Translation:  Obama is a war-mongering, butt-kissing, mouthpiece of the AIPAC/Israeli Consortium. - mpg -- A quote...."Today, Marc Lynch—a professor at George Washington University who blogs at Foreign Policy—published a timely piece entitled “Keep the Iran War Talk Quiet”, see here.  As Marc notes, “there’s some hope that Iran will return to nuclear talks with the P-5+1 in Geneva on Nov.15, even if they probably will have more questions about the agenda as the deadline approaches before they formally RSVP”.  Marc is perhaps more hopeful than we are that a new round of nuclear talks could “become the basis for an ongoing diplomatic process, where a range of issues can be explored, alternative arrangements proposed, and confidence built”.  (We will have more to say on that below.)  But he is absolutely right to point out that “it’s a very bad sign” that “the lack of progress in talks thus far has” (as The New York Times reports) “’prompted a discussion inside the White House about whether it would be helpful, or counterproductive, to have [President Barack Obama] talk more openly about military options’”. -- Marc appropriately links this discussion to Dennis Ross’s remarks to AIPAC a few days ago:"

IRGC, Iranian Army to Stage Massive Joint Wargames
A quote...."TEHRAN (FNA)- The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) and the Iranian Army announced that they plan to stage a series of massive joint wargames throughout the country in November."
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Squeezing Hezbollah - Jeffery Feltman's "Really Great Plan"
Must Read - A quote...."Let’s  blame (Imad) Mughniyah for killing Hariri. He’s dead so the investigative trail ends. Just say, ‘We had no idea what he was doing’.  No more tribunal. Everyone is happy.  And as a sweetener we’ll take Hezbollah off our Terrorism list.” US undersecretary of State for Near East Affairs Jeffrey Feltman to Hezbollah via the Saudi-Syrian, back channel on 10/22/10"  ---  “Do you think we’re that stupid?” Hezbollah (smelling a set-up) to Obama via the same channel 10/23/10"  - underline by website editor

Venezuela Ceases Strategic Gasoline Exports to Iran
A quote...."Venezuela has not been selling gasoline to Iran for some time now. They have reduced their consumption by 35 percent: Venezuelan oil Minister Rafael Ramirez."

Egypt harasses opposition ahead of vote
A quote...."Egypt's most powerful opposition group has voiced concern regarding the government's growing crackdown on its members ahead of next month's general elections."

Millions march in France against pension cuts [again!!]
A quote...."29 October 2010 -- Millions of workers and students took to the streets across France Thursday to protest final approval by the National Assembly of President Nicolas Sarkozy’s pension “reform” bill. The French economy was still crippled by gasoline shortages due to ongoing refinery and port strikes." - Unlike the sheeple in THIS country, the French don't give-up! - mpg

France ready to build first Mistral warship for Russia in 2013
A quote...."If Moscow and Paris sign a contract to build Mistral class helicopter carriers for Russia, the first warship may be built in 2013, a top manager of French STX Europe shipbuilder said on Friday. -- The shipyards of Saint-Nazaire are seen as the most likely winner in a tender to build amphibious assault warships for the Russian Navy."

Russian Navy to procure 10 new frigates next decade
A quote...."The Russian Navy will receive up to 10 new ocean-going frigates in the next 10 years, a Defense Ministry source said on Friday. -- Later on Friday the first Admiral Gorshkov-class Project 22350 frigate will be floated out at the Severnaya Verf shipyard in St. Petersburg. The ship will be able to execute long-range strike, anti-submarine and escort missions in remote areas. -- The next Gorshkov-class frigate, the Admiral Kasatonov, is under construction and expected to be launched in 2012."

Russian military test-fires 3 ballistic missiles
A quote...."Russia's military on Thursday successfully test-fired three intercontinental ballistic missiles in one day during training of its strategic forces. -- The Defense Ministry said the Bryansk nuclear submarine of the navy's Northern Fleet on Thursday launched a Sineva missile from the Barents Sea at a range on the Kamchatka Peninsula. -- Another nuclear sub, the Georgy Pobedonosets of the Pacific Fleet, test fired an RSM-50 from the Sea of Okhotsk at a testing range in the northwestern Arkhangelsk region. -- Both types of missiles have a range of about 8,000 kilometers (5,000 miles), according to Russian media reports.  -- The military also fired a land-based Topol missile from the northern Plesetsk launch pad that hit a designated target at Kamchatka's range. The Topol has a range of about 10,500 kilometers (6,500 miles)." - also posted at SFGate & YahooNews

Russian firms may participate in Polish oil privatization says Russian deputy PM
A quote...."WARSAW, October 29 (RIA Novosti) - Russian companies may participate in privatization of Poland's oil industry, Russian Prime Minister Igor Sechin said on Friday after talks with his Polish counterpart Waldemar Pawlak. -- "Polish authorities have plans to privatize a number of oil assets on the territory of the Polish republic," Sechin said. "If they are implemented, Russian companies can openly, on a market basis participate in these plans and show their efficiency."
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The clear and present danger
Israeli propaganda Alert - A quote...."First of all, there have been well-known efforts by Jewish lobbies -- which have great influence over the US Congress -- to have the İHH (Humanitarian Aid Foundation) [the Flotilla people]  officially recognized as a terrorist group. In fact, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s (AIPAC) efforts on this front are continuing. In general, these sorts of lobbies have expended a great deal of energy through their network of influence over the US media to create the perception that the İHH is somehow connected to al-Qaeda."

Israeli Police Shoot ‘hated’ Arab Legislator in the Back -- Protest met with rubber bullets
A quote...."Israeli police injured two Arab legislators on Wedensay in violent clashes provoked by Jewish rightwing extremists staging a march through the northern Arab town of Umm al-Fahm. -- Haneen Zoubi, a parliament member who has become a national hate figure in Israel and received hundreds of death threats since her participation in an aid flotilla to Gaza in the summer, was among those hurt. -- Ms Zoubi reported being hit in the back and neck by rubber bullets as she fled the area when police opened fire. In an interview, she said she believed she had been specifically targeted by police snipers after they identified her." - also posted at Uruknet
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More On The Palestinian Situation....

Hamas calls for Dismissal of UN official for scoffing at right to return
A quote...."GAZA, (PIC)-- The Hamas movement in Gaza said Director of the New York Representative Office of the UN’s Relief Works Agency (UNRWA) should be dismissed over scoffing remarks he blurted out on the Palestinian refugees’ right to return. -- UNRWA’s New York Director Andrew Whitley said the Palestinian refugees must not live in the illusion of achieving the right to return, and Arab countries must search for a place for them in their lands to resettle there."

IHH: Netanyahu's insolence immeasurable
A quote...."ANKARA, (PIC)-- A Turkish non-governmental organization has denounced the statement of Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu in which he praised the Israeli special navy forces that killed nine Turkish activists on board the Freedom Flotilla last May." - also posted at Uruknet

Israeli police shoot legislator as racists march in Arab town
A quote...."Israeli police injured two Arab legislators on Wednesday in violent clashes provoked by Jewish right-wing extremists staging a march through the northern Arab town of Umm al-Fahm. -- Haneen Zoabi, a parliament member who has become a national hate figure in Israel and received hundreds of death threats since her participation in an aid flotilla to Gaza in the summer, was among those hurt." - also posted at CounterCurrents

Gaza fishermen report Israeli naval fire
A quote...."GAZA (Ma’an) -- Israeli war boats opened fire on Gazan fishing boats on Friday, as they were hauling their catch in the central and southern coastal districts, witnesses reported."

Israel shells civilian house in Gaza, shoots Gazan worker
A quote...."Gaza, October 28, (Pal Telegraph) Palestinian medical sources announced today the death of a Gazan citizen East “Jabalya” after being targeted by an Israeli missile."

Israeli army launches arresting campaigns in WB
A quote...."Hebron, October 28, (Pal Telegraph) Israeli forces arrested early today two young men from the town of “Beit Amer”, north of Hebron, after raiding their homes, Israeli soldiers decided to use stun grenades during their raids on the houses."

Israeli troops storm houses of senior Palestinian officials in Jenin
A quote...."JENIN, (PIC)-- The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) stormed Thursday the homes of a number of Hamas officials in Jenin city including the houses of former Palestinian minister Wasfi Qabha and Sheikh Khaled Al-Hajj."
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Keiser Report №90: Markets! Finance! Scandal!
MKVideo - Alt - (MK&RTYuTb - 25min 55sec - October 28, 2010) - Source:  RussiaToday - Producer:  MaxKeiserTV -- A quote...."This time, Max Keiser and co-host, Stacy Herbert, look at how Britain is avoiding confrontation with suicide bankers who took down the financial system "for kicks". Max also talks to Reggie Middleton of BoomBustBlog.com about JP Morgan starving on zero interest rate policy and about just how many oligarchs the US can support." - Mad Max pushing the envelope so hard, it's a tad on the edgy side. - mpg

Federal Reserve Balance Sheet Update: Week Of October 27: A Look At Fed Asset Durations
Fed Watch - A quote...."As of October 27, the Fed's balance sheet was $2.3 trillion, of which the $837 billion in Treasury debt is of course a fresh all time record, soon to be eclipsed by the tens of billions added weekly as per QE2. There is roughly $13 billion left under the current POMO program ending in the second week of November, which by then will be supplemented by a new and improved almost daily POMO. In the past week, bank excess reserves increased by $16 billion after declining by $34 billion the week prior: total reserves stood at $1,008 billion, up from $993 billion the week before. And once again foreign holdings of agency/MBS debt dropped to a new 3 year low, dumping over $100 billion agencies in the Fed's custodial account over the past two months. Last, we take a look at the one topic that will soon be the most talked about subject by every pundit in the econosphere: the duration distribution of Fed holdings."

Not Just Stocks ... High Frequency Traders Might Be Manipulating Futures, Options, Bonds, Currency and Commodities Markets As Well -- A quote...."As I noted earlier today, high frequency traders trade not only stocks, but also futures, options, bonds and currency...."

Asset Classes Traded by HFT Proprietary Shops (Percentage of Firms)


"We know that high frequency trading is used to manipulate the stock market. The prevalence of high frequency trading in other markets means that it might be used to manipulate those markets - perhaps virtually all markets - as well. -- Indeed, by manipulating futures prices, it is possible to manipulate the current price of the underlying asset."

What Percentage of U.S. Equity Trades Are High Frequency Trades?
Related Article - A quote...."Several financial analysts have said that some 70% of American stock trades are high frequency trading:"

• The former head of Nasdaq said that high frequency traders account for 73% of the vol. on the stock market
• Joseph Saluzzi - partner and co-head of equity trading for Themis Trading - puts the figure at 70%
• As does market analyst Peter Cohan
• And Raymond James analyst Patrick O’Shaughnesy*
• And Senator Ted Kaufman

"But the exact figure is difficult to ascertain."

Signs Hyperinflation Is Arriving - More like Hyper(inflation)-Depression. - mpg
A quote...."Back in late August, I argued that hyperinflation would be triggered by a run on Treasury bonds. I described how such a run might happen, and argued that if Treasuries were no longer considered safe, then commodities would become the store of value."

Earnings of FTSE 100 chiefs [a.k.a. the Brit's Robber Class] up 55% over past year
A quote..."FTSE 100 company directors saw their total earnings soar by an average of 55 per cent during the past year in a startling recovery from short-lived restraint during the recession, according to research to be published today. -- The findings from Incomes Data Services (IDS), the pay monitoring group, are likely to reawaken controversy over executive pay." - How about the government (here and abroad) stop printing trillions of pounds (or dollars) and giving it to these guys? That would be a start now wouldn't it? - mpg

Japan's auto output climbs 11.4% in Sept, vehicle exports rise
A quote...."TOKYO, Oct. 29 (Xinhua) -- Japanese auto production climbed 11. 4 percent in September from a year earlier, marking the 11th straight month of increase, the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association (JAMA) said in a report on Friday."
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Wednesday October 27th 2010

The Source of America’s wars, Neocons Zionists
Must View Video - Alt - (YuTb - 5min 57sec - October 27, 2010) - Source:  Rys2sense -- Quote of the Day...."Whose interest are we spending trillions of dollars on wars and bankrupting America for? Certainly not America’s interests. -- It’s not a blame Israel chorus (Alex) or some abstract group. It’s facts. The pre-war hype that led to war with Iraq was not generic corporatism. The lies specifically came from a zionist cabal in the DOD. -- It wasn’t oil companies faking Niger documents it was Ledeen and Franklin. It wasn’t weapons companies lying about witnessing a transfer of anthrax in a meeting that didn’t even happen, it was Woolsey Barns and Schmit. -- It wasn’t security companies lying about WMDs or spying on the US it was AIPAC It was the god damn Israeli moles Perle, Kristol, Fieth, Frum, Abrams, Libby, Wolfowitz, Kagan, Goldberg, and Grossman. -- This is not some vague blame game. We have very specific facts as to who did what and it WAS the Israelis and this IS Israel’s war." - Topix ||  9/11-Planning Guidance Docs  ||

The Hidden History of Zionism ~ The Four Myths
Special Note - A quote...."It is not accidental that when anyone attempts to examine the nature of Zionism – its origins, history and dynamics – they meet with people who terrorize or threaten them. Quite recently, after mentioning a meeting on the plight of the Palestinian people during an interview on KPFK, a Los Angeles radio station, the organizers of the public meeting were deluged with bomb threats from anonymous callers."

American Democracy: Pro-Israel Tweedledum and Tweedledee
Special Note - A quote...."And what choice does that leave American voters? As one frustrated commentator put it, there’s “not a dime’s worth of difference between the two parties.” - also posted at MyCatBird'sSeat & Uruknet
 & CounterCurrents

"Mr. Judas Goat, where are you leading us?"
A quote...."    Project Censored 2010 Selection: Obama’s Military Appointments Have Corrupt Past -- The Defense officials appointed by Barack Obama are the authors of the worst crimes and embezzlements carried out under previous administrations... and no one in the MSM or government seems interested in finding out what happenned to the nearly FOUR TRILLION DOLLARS that have gone 'missing.' Former CIA head and current Secretary of Defense Robert Gates helped 'ccok the books' for the banksters private merc army, the Death Dealing CIA back during the Reagan years to justify increased military spending and helped tailor make the intelligence fit the 'facts' back when the USA was butchering Central American peasants."
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Jesse Ventura: 9/11 Footage Shows FBI Director Asking FDNY Film Crew About “Secondary Hit”
Must View Video - JV2ndHit(1/4) - JV2ndHit(2/4) - JV2ndHit(3/4) - JV2ndHit(4/4) - (YuTb - 15min - October 27, 2010) - Source:  TheAlexJonesChannel -- Absolutely OUTSTANDING, Jesse hits all the high points, on 9/11, geo-politics, and the empire. - mpg -- A quote...."EXCLUSIVE: Uncovered 9/11 Footage Shows FBI Director Asking Firefighters About “Secondary Hits” On WTC"

“9/11 Cover-up” #1 Search Term on Google
A quote...."Discussion of a “9/11 cover-up” has become the #1 search term on Google’s hot trends, following a prompt on the Alex Jones Show today. And not without good reason. Former Governor Jesse Ventura joined Alex in a special broadcast to unravel some of the latest smoking guns released on video reluctantly by NIST following a lawsuit. Key evidence has come out in this new batch of video where top officials, fire fighters and others clearly discuss witnessing secondary explosions in the towers. -- Chief among these latest revelations are statements captured by then director of the FBI in New York, Barry Mawn, who asks fire fighters on video if “That tower got a secondary hit?” Ensuing comments from fire fighters indicate they did witness such an explosion. -- Separately, other newly released video shows fire fighters on 9/11 discussing multiple explosions. “There was an explosion… the third explosion the whole lobby collapsed on us,” states one fire fighter." - also posted at DProgram

Why 9-11 Truth Has Won - The Coming of the Flood
A quote...."I recently wrote in MWC News arguing the case for Why 9-11 Truth Has Won, due primarily to the weight of irrefutable scientific proof of the two key elements that evidence controlled demolition of the three WTC Towers – free fall collapse and the presence of thermite, explaining the total absence of structural resistance. For this and for other reasons the successful demand by the 9-11 Truth Movement and others for a new, wider, proper investigation is only a matter of time. The flood would come. The recent political squabble in Australia represents further breaching of the dam wall that will bring that flood." - posted at DProgram

9/11 Families Call for Immediate Acknowledgement of Civilian Deaths in Iraq and a Cessation of Civilian Deaths
A quote...."NEW YORK – October 23 – The following statement may be attributed to Colleen Kelly, a founding member of September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows -- The information made public by Wikileaks  (NY Times, A Grim Report…,10/22/10) emphasizes that 9/11 families have much in common with Iraqi civilians. In the more than seven long years of warfare in Iraq, thousands upon thousands of civilians have died at the hands of Iraqi military personnel as well as allied forces.  Many of these civilian deaths were 1) under-reported, 2) not acknowledged, and 3) not investigated."
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The Mainstream Media Is Now Obsolete
Must Read - A quote...."The progression of human society relies upon the steady distribution of information. The quality of that information, its accuracy and its honesty, determines the overall health of the cultures we create. When a source of information becomes compromised by unhealthy political ambition, social dogma, or the strangling hands of elitism, it’s like a poison well, spreading plague and pestilence throughout the nation, or even the world. Widely disseminated lies inspire delirium and madness in the masses faster than typhoid fever. -- In America today, the person searching for a pure source of truth in the media inevitably stumbles across many poison[ed] wells."

Whatever Happened to the Antiwar Movement?
Must Read - A quote...."Whatever happened to the antiwar movement? -- Remember all those marches, all those placards, those giant puppets and loud displays of moral outrage? -- It’s vanished! Gone! Evaporated like morning mist! -- At one point, millions were marching in the streets in the run-up to the invasion of Iraq, people all over the world, and then – nothing! Never in the history of politics has a movement retreated faster and more completely – but in this case, it was a voluntary retreat, an act of self-abolition."

US mid-term election spending nears $2bn mark
Election Alert - Some quotes...."US House and Senate candidates have surpassed fundraising records for the mid-term elections and are now nearing the $2bn (£1.2bn) spending mark, with elections just one week away." -- "Congressional candidates for the House have raised 30% more money and spent 54% more in funds than candidates at the same point in the 2008 race, the Public Campaign Action Fund report says, based on data from the non-partisan Center for Responsive Politics. -- In 2008, House candidates raised $978m (£617m) and spent $938m over the full election cycle." - bold by website editor - And we ALL know why.  The recent Supreme Court decision to allow "unlimited corporate spending on elections" has unleashed a tidal wave of corporate and foreign money, most of it hidden, to "buy" this nation's politicians and its elections. - mpg

The Supreme Court Sold Out Our Democracy
Related Article - A quote...."October 27, 2010 "AlterNet" Oct, 25, 2010 - - Election 2010 is being fought on a wave of campaign dollars unleashed on the American people by the Supreme Court in its Citizens United v. FEC decision. The court, led by a majority of staunch right-wingers, struck down limits on third-party “electioneering” ads based on a tortured interpretation of the First Amendment guarantee of free speech." - also posted at ICH

Towards Martial Law in America: Authority to Deploy Troops Domestically during 'National Emergencies'
Police/Military State Alert - A quote...."Earlier this month, the United States Coast Guard upheld its self-declared status as a 'special' branch of the military with the ability to prosecute civilians in military tribunals. This startling declaration, unreported in the media, came in a Decision on Appeal related to the case of Lieutenant Eric Shine, a commissioned Naval officer in the Merchant Marines and a graduate of Kings Point Military Service Academy, and was penned by the Vice Commandant of the Coast Guard. The decision can be downloaded and read here." - also posted at GlobalRsrch
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WikiLeaks Exposes Rumsfeld's Lies
A quote...."Recent revelations by WikiLeaks show how top American leaders lied, knowingly, to the American public, to American troops, and to the world. Ellen Knickmeyer on the carnage she saw as Baghdad bureau chief." - also posted at ICH & CommonDreams & RSN

WikiLeaks reportedly has at least 15,000 more pages of damning documents
A quote...."The Pentagon is preparing for even more secrets to be released by the website WikiLeaks, a spokesman said Tuesday." - Source:  RawStory

Wikileaks Confirm Western Culture of Torture & Lies -- Gen Taguba's Abu Ghraib Report & US Franchised Torture Revisited. Part I -- A quote...."In an interview with Hersh in New Yorker , Major General Antonio Taguba who led the first military investigation in 2004 into human rights abuses at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq has bluntly questioned the integrity of former US Secretary of Defence, Donald Rumsfeld, suggesting he misled the US Congress by downplaying his own prior knowledge of what had happened. Gen Taguba also claimed in the interview that President George Bush also "had to be aware" of the atrocities despite saying at the time of the scandal that he had been out of the loop until he saw images in the US media."

What Are They Hiding? Obama Administration Defending Black Site Prison at Bagram Airbase
A quote...."A victory for the government in a federal court in New York City Monday marks another slide deeper into Dick Cheney’s “dark side” for the Obama Administration. -- In a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union, which has been seeking to force the Pentagon to provide information about all captives it is holding at its huge prison facility at Bagram Airbase outside Kabul in Afghanistan, Federal District Judge Barbara Jones of the Southern District of New York has issued a summary judgement saying that the government may keep that information secret." - also posted at AlethoNews & TCBH

WPost Downplays Iraq War Crimes - posted at ConsortiumNews
A quote...."The judges at Nuremberg after World War II had a much deeper understanding of the horrors of war than the neocon editors at the Washington Post do. Assessing the barbarity unleashed by the Nazis, the Nuremberg Tribunal identified “war of aggression” as “the supreme international crime differing only from other war crimes in that it contains within itself the accumulated evil of the whole.” - also posted at Uruknet

Revelations of “systemic” torture by British military
A quote...."The Guardian newspaper has obtained access to training manuals* that detail the interrogation techniques used by British military personnel in Iraq. In an exclusive report published Monday, the newspaper quotes from the documents, which are described as an “Introduction to Interrogation and Tactical Questioning”. - *link added
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Afghan Militias: The Perils of Trying to Duplicate Iraq
Analysis - A quote...."American military officers like to boast that the Afghan army is growing faster than expected, a positive trend in a grinding war campaign. Yet deep in the southern battle zone where the Taliban-led insurgency is strongest, the ranks are faltering, plagued by desertions, spotty performance and drug problems that cast doubts on their ability to secure their own homeland. Now, U.S. commanders have concluded that extra measures are needed to secure critical gaps around the country. With some of the foreign troops they're leaning on scheduled to begin leaving next year and an Afghan national police force that is widely distrusted, they have to come up with those measures quickly. -- Enter the militias. After months of pilot programs under a litany of different names, the Afghan Local Police initiative was formally launched over the summer with the goal of giving some 10,000 village men basic weapons and training to secure areas where government and NATO forces are sparse." - also posted at Uruknet

9 [More] Nato Supply Vehicles Torched in Afghanistan
A quote...."Taliban set fire to 9 Nato supply vehicles in Bakwa district of the western Farah province on Tuesday afternoon -- The incident occurred when a convoy of Nato supply vehicles was on its way from Kandahar to Herat, a police official told TOLOnews reporter on Wednesday on condition of anonymity."

Taliban unscathed by U.S. strikes
Some quotes...."An intense military campaign aimed at crippling the Taliban has so far failed to inflict more than fleeting setbacks on the insurgency or put meaningful pressure on its leaders to seek peace, according to U.S. military and intelligence officials citing the latest assessments of the war in Afghanistan." -- ""The insurgency seems to be maintaining its resilience," said a senior Defense Department official involved in assessments of the war. Taliban elements have consistently shown an ability to "reestablish and rejuvenate," often within days of routed by U.S. forces, the official said, adding that if there is a sign that momentum has shifted, "I don't see it." -- (a.k.a. guerrilla warfare, or "the Taliban melt away, to fight again another day". - mpg)

No Russian soldiers in Afghanistan - Rogozin
Believe it or not category.  Well if we get the Russians to go back in, we can switch sides, get rid of Karzai, (which is what Washington wants to do), and start supplying the Taliban again....so they can attack the Russians....again.  YOU, gentle readers may think that's a silly idea and that the Russians couldn't POSSIBLY be stupid enough to go back in, but the Neocons would be thrilled with it!! - mpg -- A quote...."Dmitry Rogozin, Russia’s permanent representative in NATO, has denied media information about the likelihood of Russian soldiers going to Afghanistan. -- In the Ambassador’s words, Moscow is not planning to supply Afghanistan with “cannon fodder” and “Russian soldiers will be where they are to be, that is on the territory of the Russian Federation”.

We've been in Afghanistan, we didn't like it - Russia's NATO envoy
Believe it or not category. - Related Article - (i.e. the Russians aren't stupid enough to go back in. - mpg) -- A quote...."Russia's envoy to NATO on Wednesday dismissed reports that Russian troops could be sent back to Afghanistan two decades after the Soviet Union's Red Army was forced out by U.S.-backed mujahedeen. -- "We've already been in Afghanistan and we didn't like it much," Dmitry Rogozin told RIA Novosti. -- The UK newspaper The Guardian said on Tuesday the proposal was on the table ahead of a landmark Russia-NATO summit in Lisbon next month." - bold by website editor
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Torture in Iraq! What’s New?
A quote...."In terms of information, it is difficult to say that the Wikileaks documents present us with new information that we did not know before about what took place and continues to take place in occupied Iraq, whether in terms of what was done by occupation troops themselves, or by Iraqis who ruled the country under this occupation, and in cooperation with it. -- Neither the news of sectarian killing at checkpoints nor that of the torture of prisoners in Iraqi prisons is new; neither the planning for assassinations of political rivals, nor the success in carrying them out against a large number of people, is unknown to those who have followed the news of the tragedy of Iraq over the last seven years. -- What is new today is that we are talking about illegal behavior and crimes that were rumored all these years, and that should have been revealed and investigated by Iraqi security bodies, which claim to have succeeded the Saddam Hussein regime in order to save Iraq from this regime’s acts." - also posted at Uruknet
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Covert ops sabotage US-Iran ties
Special Note - A quote...."For years, the United States and Israel have engaged in a covert effort to destabilize Iran's government and sabotage its nuclear program. But these operations frequently escape mention in public discussions. By ignoring the covert effort, the current debate about the relative wisdom of diplomacy, sanctions, and preventive military action addresses an incomplete picture. To understand the challenges and potential of US-Iranian relations, the covert program must be factored into the equation." - Topix ||  US Support of Terror - MEK - PKK Others  ||

EU approves of fuel sales to Iran
A quote...."Despite US efforts to ban fuel sales to Iran, the European Union will provide Tehran with gasoline and other fuels, internal EU documents revealed."

Turkish Envoy Calls for Further Expansion of All-Out Cooperation with Iran
A quote...."TEHRAN (FNA)- Turkish Ambassador to Tehran Umit Yardim hailed his country's expanding cooperation with Iran in the economic and cultural fields, and asked for further growth in the two countries' ties and cooperation in the other sectors."

Iran, Bolivia Ink 5 MoUs on Cooperation
A quote...."TEHRAN (FNA)- Iran and Bolivia signed five Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) to boost bilateral ties and mutual cooperation in a wide range of areas."

S Pars gas condensate exports hit $3bn
A quote...."Iran says the value of gas condensate exports from the country's Southern Pars gas field in the southern city of Asalouyeh has hit three billion dollars."
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News Analysis: Will Muslim Brotherhood make it in Egypt's upcoming polls?
A quote...."CAIRO, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- Amid the latest arrests of dozens of members and leaders by police in Alexandria, Egypt's banned Muslim Brotherhood should have anticipated a tough road towards reaching their ambitious goal of winning one third of the seats in the new People's Assembly."

Hungary supports Turkey's EU bid
A quote...."Hungary's Foreign Minister Janos Martonyi has announced that his country strongly supports Turkey's bid to join the European Union."

Vote threatens Romania's government
A quote...."Romania's government is facing a no-confidence vote in parliament over deep spending cuts and tax rises as thousands of people hold protests against the measures. -- Wednesday's vote also comes as the International Monetary Fund, which approved a $27.8bn loan last year to help its ailing economy, is reviewing the aid deal."

Russia's arms exports to reach record $10 bln in 2010
A quote...."Russia's arms exports are expected to hit an all-time high of over $10 billion in 2010, the head of Russia's state-run arms exporter Rosoboronexport said on Thursday. -- In 2009 Russian arms sales were worth $8.5 billion, including $7.4 billion worth via Rosobornexport."

Russian-Turkmen relations: Clearing the way for gas pipes
Gas Geo-Politics - A quote...."Russian-Turkmen relations can hardly be called cloudless. That's why analysts had every reason to expect Russian President Dmitry Medvedev's recent visit to Ashgabat to be swathed in intrigue. -- These expectations were, it appears, quite justified. Although Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov has said he is ready to deliver more natural gas to Russia, this statement somewhat contradicts Ashgabat's policy to date of diversifying its gas supplies."

Kazakhstan deepens relations with Europe
Oil/Gas Geo-Politics - A quote...."Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbaev used his visit this week to Brussels and Paris to seek higher levels of European investment in his energy-rich country and to agree trade deals in particular with France. One pressing concern is to secure export routes for its oil."

China's fastest supercomputer Tianhe-1 creates new speed record
A quote...."BEIJING, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- China's Tianhe-1 has overtaken Nebule to regain top spot as China's fastest computer according to a new list of China's Top 100 supercomputers released Thursday. -- On the biannual world TOP 500 list published in June, China's Nebulae machine took the second spot only after the U.S.'s Jaguar system, while Tianhe-1 took seventh place."
   
China set to reassert clout in UN
Special Note - A quote...."NEW YORK - When a United States delegate once confronted a Chinese diplomat about Beijing's uncompromising support for Pakistan, the Chinese reportedly responded with a heavily-loaded sarcasm: "Pakistan is our Israel," he said." - Not quite correct, in actuality Pakistan is Israel's America.  The tail no longer wags the dog....it IS the dog, and has been for quite some time. - mpg

Formation of an 'evil axis of ideology'
Analysis - (and an official Chinese complaint) - A quote...."As regional and global leadership summits approach, a wolf pack of anti-China radicals are seemingly joining hands to attack China's exchange rate policy, political system and regional strategy. - Such attacks are bringing uncertainty and tension to the global economy, politics and security. - What these people are describing is not the real China. It's impossible for China to let its yuan exchange rate soar as the US requires. - For decades, China has insisted on common growth and peaceful coexistence. It is also cooperative and low-key in the international arena. - If these people still feel anxious, perhaps the only way they can take solace is from psychological aids." -- Note the last sentence, the Chinese have a sense of humor about the whole situation. - mpg

17th ASEAN Summit opens
A quote...."HANOI, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- The 17th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit opened here on Thursday, as leaders from the member countries gathered to discuss the building of the ASEAN Community and other related topics."

French strikes continue as parliament approves pension cuts
A quote...."Strikes continued yesterday against President Nicolas Sarkozy's pension cuts, despite the National Assembly’s approval of the final pension bill passed Tuesday by the Senate." - WSWS's full coverage of the French strikes.

Bolivian Investors Interested in Port Project
A quote...."La Paz, Oct 27 (Prensa Latina) The president of the Bolivian Chamber of Commerce, Oscar Calle, proposed joint investment (state and private) to develop the Boliviamar project at the port of Ilo in Peru."

50 [US-NRE] Nuclear Missiles Drop Offline
A quote...."The Atlantic (and now Wired) is reporting that an entire squadron of nuclear missiles unexpectedly dropped into a "launch facility down" status on Saturday morning, taking a sizable portion of America's nuclear deterrent offline:"
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More On The Palestinian Situation....

The Real Bloomers of Palestine
Must View - Charts - Photos - A quote....."In December 1945 and January 1946, the British Mandate authorities carried out an extensive survey of Palestine , in support of the work of the United Nations Special Committee on Palestine. The results were published in the Survey of Palestine, which has been scanned and made available online by Palestine Remembered; all 1300 pages can be read here. -- One of the subjects investigated in theSurvey of Palestine is land use; specifically, which crops were Palestine's leading agricultural products at the end of the British Mandate, and whose farms were producing them."

U.N. envoy demands Israel act against settler [illegal Jewish squatters & their] attacks
A quote...."(Reuters) - A senior U.N. official condemned attacks by Jewish "settler squatter extremists" on Palestinians' olive trees in the occupied West Bank and called on Israel to "combat violence and terror by Israelis." Robert Serry, U.N. special coordinator for the Middle East peace process, also said he was alarmed that work had started on hundreds of new homes for setttlers [squatters] in the occupied territory since the end of Israel's settlement [squatter town] freeze last month."

IOF soldiers open indiscriminate fire at Husan homes
A quote...."BETHLEHEM, (PIC)-- Israeli occupation forces (IOF) mounting six armored vehicles on Tuesday afternoon stormed the village of Husan, west of Bethlehem, and fired rubber-coated bullets and gas bombs at citizens' homes. -- Locals said that the soldiers broke into many houses in the village, which are adjacent to the main road trekked by Jewish settlers, and violently assaulted the inhabitants." - also posted at Uruknet

Israeli Occupation Gunboats Attack Palestinian Fishermen in Gaza
A quote...."A WAFA correspondent reported that an Israeli gunboat opened fire randomly at Palestinian fishing boats, preventing them from fishing freely." - also posted at Uruknet - Topix ||  Israel's Scorched Earth  ||

The Remaining Option for the Palestinians - posted at PalestineChronicle
A quote...."Over 70 years ago, agitating European Zionist leaders were offered by Britain, who then ruled Palestine, about 20 percent of the Arab country to establish a state there, a partition they accepted in principle but then demanded more land. This offer was made behind Palestinians backs. --  Ten years later, the United Nations approved the partition plan which gave Palestinian Jews 55 percent of the country, although they hardly owned five percent of the land, while the Palestinian Arabs would retain 45 percent. The Palestinians, backed by the Arab states, rejected the plan and resolved to win it back. --  However, the Six Day War of 1967 ended with the Palestinians remaining in control of a little over 20 percent of their country – a turnaround that remains indigestible, if not emotionally devastating. And consequently, the Israelis have ever since moved into the occupied territories –  the West Bank and the Gaza Strip –  more than 500,000 of them, building more than 100 colonies there."
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Trigger Points, Black Swans, And Other Unpleasant Realities
Must Read - A quote...."An avalanche is not an “event”, it is an epic; a series of smaller events drifting and compacting one after another until the contained potential energy reaches an apex, a point at which it can no longer be managed or inhibited. A single tremor, an inopportune echo, an unexpected shift in the winds, and the entire icy edifice, the product of countless layered storms, is sent crashing down the valley like a great and terrible hand. In this way, avalanches in nature are quite similar to avalanches in economies; both events accumulate over the long span of seasons, and finally end in the bewildering flash of a single moment. -- The problem that most people have today is being unable to tell the difference between a smaller storm in our economy, and an avalanche. Very few Americans have ever personally witnessed a financial collapse, and so, when confronted with an initiating event, like the stock market plunge of 2008, they have no point of reference with which to compare the experience. They misinterpret the crash as a finale. Untouched, they breathe a sigh of relief, unaware that this is merely the beginning of something much more complex and threatening."

What Really Happened with Michael Rivero – October 27th, 2010
Must View MRVideo - Alt - (JustInTV - 2hrs - October 27th, 2010) - Source:  MichaelRiveroTV -- More on the Bankster caused foreclosuregate crisis.  During the call-in part of the show Rivero just about covers all the other current crimes of the empire - mpg

"The Fraud Perpetrated Upon Investors and Insurers Due to Multiple Pledges of Collateral Could Be Massive"
Related Article - A quote...."Christopher Whalen previously explained how the banks got away with pledging mortgages to multiple buyers. -- Today, Whalen provides further details...."

Why Did Banks Give Home Loans to People Who They KNEW Couldn't Pay?
Related Article - A quote...."William K. Black - professor of economics and law, and the senior regulator during the S & L crisis - explained [PDF] last month before to the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission why banks gave home loans to people who they knew couldn't repay. The whole piece is a must-read, but here are excerpts from the introduction...."

Bill Gross Calls Fed "Most Brazen" Of All Ponzi Schemes, Says 30 Year Bond Market Is Ending, Compares US Economy To Black Hole -- A quote...."They say a country gets the politicians it deserves or perhaps it deserves the politicians it gets. Whatever the order, America is next in line, and as we go to the polls in a few short days it’s incumbent upon a sleepy and befuddled electorate to at least ask ourselves, “What’s going on here?” Democrat or Republican, Elephant or Donkey, nothing much ever seems to change. Each party has shown it can add hundreds of billions of dollars to the national debt with little to show for it or move our military from one country to the next chasing phantoms instead of focusing on more serious problems back home. This isn’t a choice between chocolate and vanilla folks, it’s all rocky road: a few marshmallows to get you excited before the election, but with a lot of nuts to ruin the aftermath." - also posted at BLN

Leading economists worried about Helicopter Ben's new cash drops
A quote...."WASHINGTON, Oct. 27 (Xinhua) -- With the next U.S. central bank policy-setting meeting around the corner, several leading economists are worried that the expected new round of quantitative easing (QE) might have adverse effects both domestically and globally."

XLF Sets World Record In Quote Stuffing With 23.3 Quotes Per Millisecond
Mrkt Churn Alert - Chart - (It's sort of funny what's happened to the so-called stock "market" - mpg) - A quote...."Today, the most fascinating f-ck up in the stock market was not the flash dash in Renaissance Learning after hours, after the company announced it was handing out a $2 special dividend which based on some Keynesian version of mathematics resulted in a $9 surge in the stock price, but what is almost certainly a world record set in the churn of one of the most actively traded ETFs: the SPDR Select Sector Fund - Financials, better known as the XLF. As the linked Nanex data demonstrates, between the times of 14:25:18 and 14:27:20, someone sent out a total of 2,793,000 quotes on the Nasdaq exchange, an average of 23,275 quotes per second, and 23.3 quotes per millisecond! While we have not followed individual churn rates before, we assign today's quote bombardment in the XLF the world record (for the time being) in churning empty quotes."

Coming Soon to America: Big Push for Austerity -- Ohhhhh, those Neo-Roman Empires will get you every time!
A quote...."While big crusades for austerity—reserved for workers only, of course—are being waged in France and Great Britain, working people in the United States can also look forward to a major push for cutbacks in social spending and a longer wait before retirement." - also posted at ICH

JPM, HSBC Sued For Silver Market Manipulation, Reaping Billions In Illegal Profits
Silver Bug Alert - A quote...."Yesterday's announcement by CFTC commissioner Bart Chilton that he was fully aware of fraudulent efforts to persuade and deviously control silver prices may have been the straw that broke the gold and silver price manipulating camel's back on precious metal manipulation. Today, Brian Beatty and Peter Laskaris (Southern District Court of New York, cases 10-08146, and 10-01857) sued the two firms at the very top of the precious metal manipulation pyramid:"

China Commerce Ministry Says Country Should Buy More Gold, Diversify Dollar Holdings
Gold Bug Alert - A quote...."As we wrote recently, in what may become a rerun of the Rare Minerals export cut, after an abnormally long silence, China is finally starting to make noises in the gold market. As Bloomberg reported earlier, according to an article appearing on the website of the Chinese Ministry of Commerce, Meng Qingfa, researcher as the China Chamber of International Commerce said that China should buy more gold to diversify its foreign exchange reserves. "China should increase its gold holdings if the country aspires to “internationalize” its currency. China has $2.6 trillion of foreign-exchange reserves, mostly in dollar assets, Meng said. Such holdings will put China at a disadvantage when the U.S. dollar depreciates, as is inevitable amid a worsening U.S. debt problem, he said."

Monsanto's Many Attempts to Destroy All Seeds but Their Own
A quote...."There is a reason why I believe Monsanto to be one of the most evil companies on the planet, and this is in large part due to its activities relating to controlling food production through controlling the seeds to produce it."

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102710-110210 - links page

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