Tuesday November 18th 2008 - links page

Technical Economic Indicators Worsening Again  ---  http://georgewashington2.blogspot.com/2008/11/technical-economic-indicators-worsening.html
Financial Alert -- A quote....
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Hedge Funds Got Shellacked Again in October  ---  http://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2008/11/hedge-funds-got-shellacked-again-in.html
A quote...."September was a world-class bad month in Hedgistan, and it looks as if October has been no kinder. With continued losses at many funds and investors increasingly leery of risk, the thinning of this herd will continue."
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US October producer prices fall by record 2.8 pct  ---  http://www.reuters.com/article/marketsNews/idUSN1752043320081118
Some quotes...."WASHINGTON, Nov 18 (Reuters) - U.S. producer prices declined by a record 2.8 percent in October after energy prices slumped, government data on Tuesday showed, but a key measure of core inflation at the farm and factory gate rose by more than forecast." -- "Core producer prices excluding food and energy costs rose by 0.4 percent in October, versus expectations for a 0.1 percent increase, and were up 4.4 percent over the last 12 months, the steepest increase since 1989." -- bold/underline by website editor

Unsold Goods Piling Up at Long Beach  ---  http://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2008/11/unsold-goods-piling-up-at-long-beach.html
A quote...."It's always a bit dangerous to generalize from one data point, even if if it is a big data point, like Long Beach, one of America's most active commercial ports. Nevertheless, the New York Times uses it to present a vivid image of the economic, and in particular, trade slowdown."
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Oil price decline shrinks U.S. trade deficit  ---  http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/11/14/business/14econ.php
A quote...."A pair of U.S. government reports released Thursday showed continuing signs of weakness in the economy. -- A decline in crude oil prices helped to narrow the United States trade deficit in September, but both imports and exports fell sharply." -- bold by website editor
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Government Can't Handle Global Run On Gold Coins  ---  http://www.blacklistednews.com/news-2313-0-13-13--.html
A quote...."Even as the price of the precious metal itself comes under pressure along with commodities like oil and copper, people around the world are demanding so many of the valuable coins that government mints are having difficulty filling orders." -- Editor's Note:  Deflation is not good for gold....currency devaluation is. It's your guess, and it's your money. - mpg
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Banker Manipulation Of Gold And Silver Prices Further Exposed  ---  http://infowars.net/articles/november2008/181108gold.htm
A quote...."Commodities experts are in agreement that the price of gold and silver is being manipulated by bankers and government officials in order to halt a mass abandonment of paper currencies and the debt based economy."
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Home builders distraught over economic crisis
  ---  http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/home-builders-mood-shows-more/story.aspx?guid=%7B799BEFE8-54F4-47DA-BE23-E5F9FC01FA3E%7D
A quote...."WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- U.S. home builders have never been as anguished about their industry as they were in early November, with their monthly market index gauge plunging five points to a record low 9, the National Association of Home Builders reported Tuesday."
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"Two Obama advisers said there's little—if any—chance that the incoming president's Justice Department will go after anyone involved in authorizing or carrying out interrogations that provoked worldwide outrage."

"In the United States, no. These things are not going to happen."

"For the effect of acting unilaterally was to undermine the foundation on which the post-1945 consensus had been constructed: the prohibition of force (save in self-defence, or perhaps, to avert an impending humanitarian catastrophe) unless formally authorised by the nations of the world empowered to make collective decisions in the security council ..."  --  "The moment a state treated the rules of international law as binding on others but not on itself, the compact on which the law rested was broken, Bingham argued. Quoting a comment made by a leading academic lawyer, he added: "It is, as has been said, 'the difference between the role of world policeman and world vigilante'." -- *Lord Thomas Bingham* -- Lord Bingham became Master of the Rolls in 1992, Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales in 1996 and finally Senior Law Lord 2000 - 2008 -- For more on this issue see....Chopping Down the Forest - One Law at a Time - 08-13-08 - mpg
  ---  http://www.reficultnias.org/mikesfiles/blotterminiblogs/choppingdowntheforest-blog-mpg-081308
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"Sounds like the American Indians all over again.  No deal, no agreement, no contract, no promise signed by anyone in this current government is worth the paper it's written on.  If you do any sort of deal with the members of this administration you're simply asking for trouble." -- posted 12-29-06 -- *mpg*

"To repeat oneself ad nauseam....no statement, no agreement, no promise, no guarantee, no assurance, no word, no contract ever signed by, or stated by, that thing in the White House has ever proved true or binding upon "it". -- "It" is incapable of knowing right from wrong, "it"  is akin to a machine and simply performs "it's" functions according to the scripts "it's" been given. "It" is simply a container of evil and cannot be considered to have any human attributes at all, "it" has no free will nor has "it" ever demonstrated a desire to have such freedom.   The only certainty regarding "it's" behavior is that "it" will continue to serve "it's" master with a limitless capacity for mendacity." -- posted 02-03-07 -- *mpg*

"AP said that adjusting photos and other imagery, even for aesthetic reasons, damages the credibility of the information distributed by the military to news organizations and the public." -- For more on this issue see....Fake Intel / Propaganda
  ---  http://www.reficultnias.org/mikesfiles/weblists/fakeintell-weblist-mpg-090206

"Johan Peleman, a UN investigator, never met me and is unable to separate reality from fiction. My case in the book “Merchant of Death” seems to be based on a Hollywood movie, rather than documents and facts,” -- *Viktor Bout* -- The move he's talking about is "Lord of War", see below....

Sunday November 16th 2008 - links page

Predictable Disaster of George W. Bush  ---  http://www.consortiumnews.com/2008/111608.html
Must Read - A quote...." So, with a smirk on his face, President Bush explained the predicament that the United States and the world face after eight years of his incompetence and mismanagement – teetering on the edge of a catastrophe “greater than the Great Depression.” -- Yet what is remarkable about American news coverage of this extraordinary moment – and Bush’s strangely light-hearted comment at the end of the Nov. 15 global economic summit – is how little blame is being laid specifically at Bush’s door."
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Bush Revisionism: “Good Guy, Bad People”  ---  http://www.changeany1thing.com/political/bush-revisionism-good-guy-bad-people/
A quote...."In case you hadn’t noticed, the transmutation from Cowboy Bush into “Kindler Gentler” Bush is underway.  CNNPolitics.com has an interview with a contrite and - believe it or not - likable president where he admits regrets over “saying some things I shouldn’t have said:”
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Veterans Occupy National Archives  ---  http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/node/37704
A quote...."UPDATE 4 p.m. Saturday: Activists plan to remain through Monday morning at least, if not longer. They lost the really big "Arrest Bush and Cheney" banner to wind but have a smaller version and still have the "We Will Not Be Silent" Banner. The Archives security chief, Mr. Adams, spoke with Elliott Adams of Veterans for Peace and offered to not press charges if they left and threatened to have arrest warrants issued for them all in 2 or 3 weeks if they did not get down immediately. They chose to stay, and Elaine Brower of Military Families Speak Out got on the PA system to announce their intention to make sure that Bush and Cheney are arrested for murder. She told her son's story and began reading the names of the dead...."

Ain't going to happen of course, the only "change" that's going to happen under our new Emperor regarding all the demonstrations against the war, all the talk of righteous retribution and all the planned investigations, is that they'll all just be allowed to slowly whither away.  Judging from the many articles seen on the mass-infotainment-media and sites like OpEdNews and BuzzFlash the most important thing now is "Gay Marriage".

That 's right folks, millions dead, tens of thousands tortured, three thousand Americans murdered, the constitution eviscerated, the on-going wars to continue, and an economic catastrophe that will make many of you homeless, take away your medical coverage, take away your dignity and the ability to support your families.....but the most important thing to the New Roman Empire and many of its Roman citizens is the rights of our elite's lackeys and some of the elites themselves to cavort in the Roman way and have it be sanctioned by the state and blessed by the people of this nation under holy matrimony.

Guess we as nation have to have our priorities in order.

For more on this issue see....Mommy Pelosi and Daddy Bush - 11-18-06   ---  http://www.reficultnias.org/mikesfiles/blotterminiblogs/mommypelosianddaddybush-blog-mpg-111806.html  --- 
 - mpg -- Now of course it's mommy Pelosi and daddy Obama.
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GOP to Detroit: Drop Dead  ---  http://www.businessweek.com/lifestyle/content/nov2008/bw20081113_047971.htm
A quote...."Powerful Senate Republicans oppose a government bailout for automakers even if it means bankruptcy for General Motors" -- It's simple they're not part of the Military Industrial Oil Complex - (MIOC) supported by the Repub faction, nor are they part of the Banking and Brokerage Sector, supported by the Demo faction. -- It's money that talks in the NRE's politics and the car companies don't have any, end of story. - mpg
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Saturday November 15th 2008 - links page

It's not a matter of whether the war is not real or if it is. Victory is not possible. The war is not meant to be won. It is meant to be continuous...The war is waged by the ruling group against its own subjects. And its object is not the victory over either Eurasia or East Asia but to keep the very structure of society intact.

Friday November 14th 2008 - links page

Thursday November 13th 2008  -links page

"I am leaving tomorrow for Washington to explain that the dollar cannot claim to be the only currency in the world..., that what was true in 1945 can no longer be true today". -- *Nicolas Sarkozy*, President of France

Wednesday November 12th 2008 - links page

- The financialization of the economy, moving from manufacturing to speculation;
- Very high levels of debt;
- Extreme economic inequality;
- And costly military overreaching.

A Parable and Its Opposite:
The Little Red Hen   ---  http://everything2.com/e2node/The%2520Little%2520Red%2520Hen  ---  versus - The Little Roman Empire

One day the Little Roman Empire found itself with huge amounts of debt.
 "Look look!" he clucked. "Who will help me pay this debt?"

"Not I", quacked the EU,  ---  http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Union  ---  and he waddled away.
"Not I", oinked the PRC,  ---  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/People%27s_Republic_of_China  ---  and he trotted away.
"Not I, meowed the GCC,  ---  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulf_Cooperation_Council  ---  and he padded away.

"Then I will pay it myself," said the Little Roman Empire. And being unable to do so...
  he slowly starved to death. - mpg

(1) the worst ever US housing recession with prices falling up to 30% from their peak and matching their Great Depression decline; most recently Roubini thinks a 40% drop is likely with a market bottom still way off;

(2) the subprime disaster causing hundreds of billions in losses and throwing millions of homeowners into foreclosure;

(3) a sharp increase in other defaults - credit cards, auto and student loans, and other borrowing; add bank losses to the mix (including from their securitized assets), and we've got a severe credit crunch;

(4) monoline losses will mount more severely than expected and other writedowns will follow;....."