Now, why is it that China is so 'pressed' for Cash? Hm?

China, Iran Sign $2 Billion Oil Production Agreement (Update2) (click here)
December 10, 2007 04:01 EST
...Sinopec Group, as China Petrochemical is known, hopes to talk about liquefied natural gas supplies ``later,'' Iran's state news agency IRNA said today, citing Zhou Baixiu, president of Sinopec Group's international exploration and production unit. China is ``willing'' to buy LNG from Iran, Zhou said.
China, a veto-holding member of the United Nations Security Council, has resisted pressure from the U.S. to isolate Iran and impose a third round of international sanctions over the country's nuclear program. The Chinese government wants its oil and gas producers to step up their global search for energy resources to meet rising consumption, spurred by an economy that surged 11.5 percent in the third quarter....


A conversation with Robert Zoellick, former Deputy Secretary of State. Mr. Zoellick currently serves as International Vice Chairman of Goldman Sachs. (click here)
Tuesday, May 8, 2007

Doing Business With The Enemy (click here)
Are U.S. Firms Doing Business In Nations That Support Terrorism?
Aug. 29, 2004 by Rebecca Leung
...In other words, there are U.S. companies that are helping drive the economies of countries like Iran, Syria and Libya, all places that have sponsored terrorists. Correspondent Lesley Stahl reported on this story last January....


Halliburton is welcome to pump Iran's Gas Glut (click here)

Halliburton Moves Its Headquarters Abroad (click here)
Critics Pounce on News of War Contractor's Planned Move From Houston to Dubai

By SONYA CRAWFORD
March 11, 2007
The much-maligned defense contractor Halliburton is moving its corporate headquarters from Houston to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.
"The Eastern hemisphere is a market that is more heavily weighted toward oil exploration and production opportunities," said CEO Dave Lesar at an energy conference in nearby Bahrain. "And growing our business here will bring more balance to Halliburton's overall portfolio."
The draw is obvious. Dubai's friendly tax laws will add to Halliburton's bottom line. Last year, it earned $2.3 billion in profits.
Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-N.H., called the company's move "corporate greed at its worst." He added, "This is an insult to the U.S. soldiers and taxpayers who paid the tab for their no-bid contracts and endured their overcharges for all these years. At the same time they'll be avoiding U.S. taxes, I'm sure they won't stop insisting on taking their profits in cold hard U.S. cash."...

While I agree with Senator Leahy that Halliburton is a 'toxic asset' of the worst kind, it isn't just 'greed' that drives their operations to Dubai. It would seem Halliburton and any affiliations hence (which might include China) need sanctions as well as Iran.

A general view shows the massive South Pars gas field
Borzou Daragahi in Beirut
March 16, 2009
IRAN has announced a $US3.2 billion ($4.9 billion) natural gas deal with China (click title to entry - thank you), a move that underscores the difficulty of using economic sanctions to put pressure on Tehran over its nuclear program....


China Warns Against Iran Sanctions (click here)
Official: Plan To Enrich Iran's Uranium In Russia 'Could Be Helpful'
BEIJING, Jan. 26, 2006
by Sean Alfano
(AP) China on Thursday warned that sanctioning Iran over its nuclear program could further complicate the dispute as it threw its support behind a proposal to allow Iran to enrich its uranium in Russia.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Kong Quan said the Russian plan, proposed earlier this week when Iran's chief nuclear negotiator visited Moscow, "could be helpful to break the stalemate."
Kong's remarks came as Iran's High Council of National Security Secretary Ali Larijani met with Chinese officials in Beijing in an apparent bid by Tehran to strengthen support with another of its key allies.
"We agreed members of the (Non-Proliferation Treaty) have right to peaceful nuclear energy," Larijani told reporters after meetings with Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing and State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan....


China: Iran sanctions are not the solution (click here)
(Reuters)
Updated: 2006-12-24 15:32
BEIJING - China on Sunday called on all sides to resume talks on Iran's nuclear programme, adding that although it supported the UN resolution to punish Iran, Beijing did not think sanctions could solve the problem.
"We hope that the resolution is earnestly enforced, but we also think that sanctions are not the objective and cannot be a permanent solution to the problem," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said in a statement.
The UN Security Council, of which China is a permanent member, voted unanimously on Saturday to impose sanctions on Iran's trade in sensitive nuclear materials and technology, an effort to stop enrichment work that could be used in bombs....

It would seem 'the enemy of Cheney's enemy' is Iran's friend.

Halliburton operates in Iran despite sanctions (click here)
How do U.S. contractors legally do business there?
By Lisa Myers & the NBC investigative unit
updated 12:24 a.m. ET, Tues., March. 8, 2005
It's just another Halliburton oil and gas operation. The company name is emblazoned everywhere: On trucks, equipment, large storage silos and workers' uniforms.
But this isn't Texas. It's Iran. U.S. companies aren't supposed to do business here.
Yet, in January, Halliburton won a contract to drill at a huge Iranian gas field called Pars, which an Iranian government spokesman said "served the interests" of Iran. ...

We have been at this juncture before, but with Russia and GasProm. The Iranian sactions that President Clinton due up unilaterally to control the development of Iranian missiles was honored by Russia and eventually they stopped their interest in Iranian Gas. That, however, has not been the case with the "W" administration when the global community took over the sanctions against Iran, while "W" simply wouldn't extend diplomatic relationships. When Clinton was faced with Russian interests in Iranian Gas Opportunities, he met with cooperation and mutual understanding. That. Does not seem to be the outcome after eight years of a Bush and China now demanding USA funds to 'fund their venture into Iran.' (click here) I find it odd that Goldman Sachs maintains such a sincere interest in Iran REGARDLESS of the country they sidle up to.

...No one at Goldman, Sachs would comment publicly on the Gazprom announcement. While Gazprom has good financial reasons, after the Russian stock market drop, to postpone the bond offering, both Gazprom and Goldman, Sachs have good political and strategic reasons not to force a challenge to the Clinton Administration now, American officials said, just when it is trying to salvage its Iran policy without starting a sanctions war with the rest of the world.

If Dick needs to work on his image, he can start by telling the truth.

The plans to detonate liquid explosives over the USA which would be initiated in London were discovered by British MI5 agents. How could CNN let Cheney get away with such a statement when their own reporting in 2006 stated otherwise.


Friday, August 11, 2006; Posted: 3:33 p.m. EDT (19:33 GMT)
"...British and Pakistani authorities teamed up to thwart the attacks (click here), and 24 men were arrested in overnight raids in Britain, authorities said.
An undercover British agent infiltrated the group, giving the authorities intelligence on the alleged plan, several U.S. government officials said....


The only aspect of the USA's response that mattered was cooperation in supplying the British with whatever information they wanted and supplying Sky Marshalls for British flights bound for the USA. What programs was Cheney talking about in his 'ego driven' interview with King? Cooperation?


Three US airlines are believed to have been targeted....(click here)
..."There has been an enormous amount of co-operation with the US authorities which has been of great value and underlines the threat we face and our determination to counter it," he said in a statement....
...A spokesman for Number 10 said Tony Blair had briefed US President George Bush on the situation during the night...


Police at the scene of one of the raids, on Forest Road, Walthamstow, London. (click here)
...Of the approximately 24 suspects who were arrested in and around London on the night of 9 August 2006, eleven were charged with terrorism offenses on 21 August, two on 25 August (subsequently discharged on 1 November), and a further three on 30 August.
Eventually, only 8 men (Ahmed Abdullah Ali, Assad Sarwar, Tanvir Hussain, Oliver Savant, Arafat Khan, Waheed Zaman, Umar Islam, Mohammed Gulzar) were charged in connection with the plot. The trial began in April 2008.
On 8 September 2008, after more than 50 hours of deliberations, the jury did not find any of the defendants guilty of conspiring to target aircraft. The jury found Ali, Sarwar and Hussein guilty of conspiracy to murder charges but was unable to reach verdicts on charges relating to the alleged plot to blow up aircraft in respect of them.
The jurors were unable to reach verdicts on those charges or conspiracy to murder charges as well on conspiracy to detonate explosives on aircraft against Oliver Savant, 27, of Stoke Newington, Umar Islam, 30, of Plaistow, and Waheed Zaman, 24, and Arafat Waheed Khan, 27, both of Walthamstow, all London. Mohammad Gulzar, 27, of Barking, east London, was found not guilty on all counts....


In an emergency statement, Home Secretary John Reid said police had disrupted a "major threat to the UK". (click here)





...CHENEY (click here): John, I've seen a report that was written based upon the intelligence that we collected then that itemizes the specific attacks that were stopped by virtue of what we learned through those programs. It's still classified. I can't give you the details of it without violating classification, but I can say there were a great many of them. The one that has been public was the potential attack coming out of Heathrow, when they were going to have several American planes with terrorists on board, with liquid explosives, and they were going to blow those planes up over the United States.


Now, that was intercepted and stopped, partly because of those programs that we put in place....


He hasn't learned a darn thing. SO, Dick when you want to diss the new administration you might want to remember exactly why people didn't listen to you in the first place ! You are the boy that cried "WOLF" one to many times !

Nikkei gains 2.1 pct, banks jump as U.S. fears ease

Mon Mar 16, 2009 1:05am EDT

..."Two of three major concerns in the market have become a bit brighter (click title to entry - thank you), with the risk of nationalisation of Citi and Bank of America receding and U.S. retail sales turning out to be better than expected," said Takashi Kamiya, chief economist at T&D Asset Management. [.N]

"But what we are seeing is not the beginning of an upward trend, as uncertainty over GM's future still remains. This is merely a series of short-covering, not full-fledged buying by institutions such as pension funds."...

A man walks by an electronic board displaying falls in share prices on October 10, 2008 in Tokyo, Japan. The Nikkei 225-issue stock index falls below 9,000 yen level for the first time since June 2003.
(Photo by Koichi Kamoshida/Getty Images AsiaPac)

Morning Papers - It's Origins

The Rooster

"Okeydoke"

Will the Defacto Leader of the RNC please stand up !

You just can't make this stuff up !

Cheney ‘Ran Executive Assassination Ring’ Says Reporter (click title to entry - thank you)

Seymour Hersh has shocked many with a recent proclamation to University of Minnesota students that spoke about Cheney running a secret assassination ring. Even more shocking is that John Dean, former aide to President Nixon, is backing him up....

...Hersh spoke with great confidence about these findings from his current reporting, which he hasn’t written about yet. (click here)
In an email exchange afterward, Hersh said that his statements were “an honest response to a question” from the event’s moderator, U of M Political Scientist Larry Jacobs and “not something I wanted to dwell about in public.”
Hersh didn’t take back the statements, which he said arise from reporting he is doing for a book, but that it might be a year or two before he has what he needs on the topic to be “effective ... that is, empirical, for even the most skeptical.”...

...SEYMOUR HERSH, INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER (click here): Under President Bush‘s authority, they‘ve been going into countries, not talking to the ambassador or to the CIA station chief, and finding people on a list and executing them and leaving. That‘s been going on, well, in the name of all of us....

March 12, 2009
Who's a Bigger threat: Shoe-thrower, or Dick Cheney? (click here)

...Even those who are not card carrying members of the "W" fan club, agree that you should not be throwing shoes at the president. But three years in jail? Seymour Hersh is reporting that the government had an executive assassination ring, which reported directly to Former Vice President Dick Cheney. So who's more dangerous? The head of an assassination ring, or a guy with a foot fetish?...

General Electric stripped of AAA credit rating

General Electric J-47-27 USAF


Thursday, 12 Mar 2009
GE Ratings Cut: Only 5 AAA Industrials Left (click here)
Standard & Poor's downgraded General Electric*, lowering its rating by one notch to AA-plus with a stable outlook, down from the top-tier, AAA credit rating it enjoyed. S&P cited the credit profile of the conglomerate's GE Capital arm. Following are some fascinating if sobering facts about GE and other big stocks....


The five survivors:
- ADP (Automatic Data Processing)
[ADP 35.36 0.24 (+0.68%) ]

- Exxon Mobil
[XOM 67.20 0.05 (+0.07%) ]

- Johnson & Johnson
[JNJ 50.64 1.64 (+3.35%) ]

- Pfizer
[PFE 14.54 0.52 (+3.71%) ]


- Microsoft
[MSFT 16.65 -0.36 (-2.12%) ]

Where did all the money go? And now that AIG is getting caught up, why is MetLife so interested in buying their insurance division?

AIG Tower

1 Connaught Road

Central and Western, Hong Kong, China

AIG TO FORM AIU HOLDINGS, INC., A GLOBAL PROPERTY CASUALTY HOLDING COMPANY FOR ITS GENERAL INSURANCE BUSINESSES (click here)

German and French banks got $36 billion from AIG Bailout (click here)
Posted by: Michael Mandel on March 15

...I added up the various lists provided by AIG by country (see below), and the results were quite revealing. About $44 billion went to counterparties headquartered in the U.S., such as Goldman Sachs and states such as California and Virginia.
But as I expected, the majority of the funds—$58 billion—went to banks headquartered outside the U.S. The big winners were French and German banks, which pulled in $19 billion and $17 billion respectively....

So, Goldman Sachs not only repurchased $2 billion of their stocks, they also took TARP funds directly and recieved enormous amounts of monies from AIG. It is really starting to smell bad, wouldn't you say?

...Between 16 September and 31 December last year (click here), Goldman received $2.6bn in collateral from AIG Financial Products - which in turn had been provided by the Federal Reserve - on credit default swaps (these are a kind of insurance against borrowers defaulting on loans, which are frequently used as a way of speculating on the health of businesses or other creditors).
There were subsequent payments to Goldman of $5.6bn, to purchase from it the securities underlying certain credit default swap contracts.
And there was a transfer to Goldman of $4.8bn to fulfil commitments under securities lending agreements.
So the gross sum received by Goldman from the US Federal Reserve, via AIG, was $13bn....

Of course, selling of the 'insurance' arm of AIG will permit some revenue that isn't from the USA Treasury, but, will it cause a disproportionate loss in its 'securities' branch once its profitable insurance block is gone? Who is making the decisions to sell and is the USA Treasury and SEC recommending this? It seems a loss of the insurance branch of AIG will destabilize the company UNLESS the rest of the company can prove solency with the sale.

Who got paid? (click here)

AIG names beneficiaries of its U.S. rescue
6:52 PM, March 15, 2009

...The company said it shelled out nearly $100 billion in the final few months of the year to satisfy some of the contracts it had outstanding. The beneficiaries included major foreign banks such as Germany's Deutsche Bank and France's Societe Generale, as well as U.S. titans Goldman Sachs Group and Merrill Lynch & Co.
U.S. municipalities, including some in California, also benefited as AIG settled up payments due on guaranteed investment agreements, under which states, cities and other municipalities temporarily park funds raised from bond sales....

Why China is worried about the Obama position regarding the USA Treasury.

I once heard someone say that 'TARP' is unconstitutional. They might be right. But, I am not going to get into that aspect of the TARP 'rescue.' Remember that guy, Paulson? I find his role in all this more than interesting.

Hong Kong Bank of China

It would seem as though the TARP funds distributed by Bush and Paulson are untraceable, except, within the US Treasury itself. It is why $350 billion has disappeared without a trace. See, the US Treasury has maticulous auditing and accountability for these funds UNTIL they are distributed.



Then once distributed the funds can be used by banks in any way they deem worthy. So, with the 'multi-national' banks receiving TARP monies there is no telling where the money has gone and whether is was used to 'bailout' their 'tarnished assets' or whether it went into other investment opportunities. The problem is that this 'roller coaster' ride the American people are on can go on forever and there is every indication it will according to the USA Treasury.



Now, to get to Paulson. It would seem as though Goldman-Sachs received TARP funds. However, immediately before receiving TARP funds they 'bought back' $2 billion in their own stocks. Not bad. They first by back stocks and then ask the government for a bailout so they don't feel the pinch of repurchasing their own stock. Literally, Goldman-Sachs needs to be investigated by the SEC for suspicious dealings considering Mr. Paulson was then Treasury Secretary.

Now we all know that Hankie Paulson was in China more often than he was in the USA. However, he was around the DC capital very frequently for 'The Declaration of Bailout Emergency.' Mr. Paulson isn't interested in the USA, he is interested in China and that is why the bailout monies of TARP are very regulated within the USA Treasury Department and completely unregulated outside the USA Treasury. See, once the multi-national banks received the monies they simply started to pay off foreign investors whom were now afraid of losing all they invested in USA Real Estate. Those foreign investors included banks from all over the globe. So, what Paulson and Bush did was to provide American Capital (TRAP) to buy back American's debt. Not that isn't AMERICANS' debt, that was American Debt (Debt originated in the USA regardless of the land owner).

The remarkable rendition by Mr. Geithner of TARP is more than unsettling. He is now setting up a fund to allow 'non-bank' lenders to apply for TARP funds if they have 'tainted assets.' You'll excuse me but those tainted assets are not 'news' to the lending industry, they were known to be risky when the loans took place and they turned out to be a completely stupid idea. So, let's get rid of the 'tainted assets' methodology and just say what it is, 'tainted decision making assets.' Okay? Someone within the banking structure and otherwise made decisions to change the rules of lending and they are now ruined. Those decisions didn't come from the American people and we were not included on those discussions at the Board of Directors meetings. I don't see that the American people have any responsibility toward any lender anywhere.

There in lies the rub and why China is all bent out of shape regarding the 'sovereignty' debt of the USA. See the monies China is screaming about are monies that cover USA legislative bills and the like. China is Bush and Paulson country and someone is pumping the Chinese Leadership with doomsday scenarios to try to 'rein in' the new administration in DC so that an ambitious President cannot fulfill his promises or agenda.

See, China has a problem. China has extended loans to the USA through private lending institutions through Chinese banks AND they have extended loans to the USA government in the way of legislated bills. So, the Chinese are actually double dipping. They are concerned that funds are NOT going to be extended by the American Taxpayer to their lenders based in China and they are worried with all the new 'funding' bills the USA's dollar will become worthless, diminishing the income from any Chinese lending and that the USA will ultimately become insolvent. Not bad thinking on China's part, but, I am sure it didn't come uninspired by Republicans afraid for the changes the new administration is making in DC at a rather furious pace.


See, Bush and Paulson tried to instill fear in then President-Elect Obama to stop his agenda for 'change' in the USA, back October 2, 2008 when everything became an emergency after watching the 14,000 DOW slide to half its value. Some emergency. The DEMANDS for a bank bial-out was a political agenda. Stop the 'Change Administration' and win back the White House and Legislature. When that didn't work, they sent in their Chinese attack dog now in fear of losing money at both ends of the lending spectrum in China. I think a Chinese attack dog is called a Chow-Chow. No insult intended to the breed, I once owned a Chow-Chow for nine and a half years and he never attacked anything. A shame they have that reputation.

But, to make a long dissertation short, I think I relayed enough 'doubt' in the 'circumstances' surrounding TARP and the priorities of the 'inherited' problems of the prior administration to provide impetus to a new and different approach to the 'CREDIT CRISIS.' See, its not really a banking crisis so much as a credit crisis because the economy is 'stuck' with lending institutions holding the American Taxpayer hostage in order to facilitate more TARP funding. I don't appreciate it and no one else should either.

There is basically one person in this entire array of people and businesses that the American people can trust and that is President Barak Obama. He is trying to balance all this mess with reason and has 'as his priority' the American people. Unfortunately, he has a Goldman-Sachs homeboy for a USA Treasury Secretary and although Mr. Geithner means well and is doing his level best to provide good programs for the 'uninsured' stockholders of banks; I think he is trying too hard. He has been saddled by poor performance by the prior administration and its nearly impossible to 'make up' the ground on all venues while still funding the agenda the nation elected President Obama.

So, I propose this. While China is 'annoyed' at the 'agenda' of the current President and majority Legislature, they have a legitimate gripe. However, China no different than any other foreign lender to the USA will have to take their lumps with everyone else. I believe there needs to be a clear delineation between what is 'SOVEREIGN' debt and what is consumer debt. The USA is under NO obligation to rescue consumer debt regardless the failure of any bank. However, we are responsible for 'sovereign' debt that financed our country and its legislative agenda. THAT is the only debt I see the USA being responsible for and I'll be darn if I'll stand by and watch morons be bailed out for consumer debt they knew better than to lend in the first place.

See, not every lending institution in the USA made these 'TOXIC DECISIONS.' There are plenty of credit worthy institutions that have maintained their perspective and never attempted to lend to anyone that was risky. The managers of these lending institutions felt a responsibility to their owners/stockholders and made worthy decisions. Therefore, if there were lending institutions that were making good decisions it was then capable in the 'economic environment' of a falling 14,000 DOW to make those decisions and there is no obligation by the USA to claim 'their people' as the issue. The 'issue' lies with the banks that 'went there' and no one else.

In the contorted world of Republican Rhetoric and priorities there is the 'justification' theory that the American people are the problem and why so many foreign entities are facing trouble now and THEREFORE it is the responsibility of the USA government to be responsible for the losses of foreign lenders.

I don't think so and neither should any Legislator or Executive Branch member. The fact remains that the lending 'was good' for everyone right up to the point where 'it wasn't good' and if the 'crash' didn't happen because of an inflated DOW in the first place everyone would still be smiling and happy. But, the DOW and its' appearance of success was enough to send 'reasonable' people into a 'greedy' posture and now those same folks want the USA to CYA their mistakes.

NO !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Generations of Americans are not going to be responsible for "W"rongful priorities of Bush, Cheney, Paulson and all their cronies for the rest of their lives. No Way ! There needs to first be an investigation to the beginnings of all this mess including how the DOW achieved 14,000 in the first place and then responsibility assigned and people prosecuted and imprisoned. That is the role of government and that is the only role of government.

The sovereign debt of the USA has to be discerned in its difference from the 'credit crunch' legislation and adequately addressed to the lenders of that sovereign debt. There needs to be restructuring of the debt within Constitutional legislative boundaries. The institutions receiving TARP funds to date have to report where the funds went and why and the Justice Department needs to decide whether or not the funds were legitimately used according to the understanding the American people had of the TARP legislation and if not where and whom steered it all wrong.

The fact of the matter is, the banks that lost solvency had depositers that were insured by the FDIC. THAT is the end of the responsibility of the USA government. From here on when banks lose their solvency they need to declare bankruptcy and reorganize knowing THEIR DEPOSITERS will be safe regardless of their TOXIC DECISION making.

It is time the American people see 'the emergency' generated under the prior administration for what it is. Fraud. If the USA needs liquidity in their lending institutions then reward those that have an excellant track record and assign 'TARP' funds to them to help recover the lost revenues of bankrupt banks and have them 'fill in' the credit gap knowing that the American People seek relief from a credit crisis generated by failed institutions under the Bush/Cheney/Paulson administration.

The manipulation of this mess to exonerate the prior administration as if '? something ?' went wrong and it was the government's fault it went wrong is simply unbelieveable. I could not begin to express the outrage of the testimony I heard coming from the hearing of the House Committee. That was unbelievable. Simply unbelievable. Those in Treasury would like the USA to 'bailout' the entire world. There ain't no way. We are NOT going there. We have people in dire need of health care, jobs, A PLANET TO LIVE ON and a Treasury in need of a tax base and quite frankly I don't see that Wall Street has any interest in Americans at all except in pleadings to give them extraordinary considertion for their own mistakes. Enough is enough.

The success of the 'Future USA' will not be with multi-national conglomerates, it will be with Small Businesses that grow their wealth through 'dealing' with local and regional economies. The USA has seen their well paying jobs exported for a decade now and are frustrated they can't do anything to stop it, while being asked by the USA Treasury to bailout the very entities that no longer hold interest in the USA and its people. It's all backwards. If the people of the USA want to find a way to have their country on their own terms then they need to 'redefine' success. The way that 'redefinition' takes place is to 'believe' in Small Business and local ownership and 'limit' the size of companies that eventually grow outside the boundaries of the USA. We don't need multi-national companies that have proven to be toxic to the best interest of Americans.

President Obama has shown an intense interest in the development of Small Business and it is that leadership we should be most interested. For a long time I have stated the way to take the country back is to invest in local economies and satisfy local needs. I still believe that. The USA 'does best' when it is satisfying the needs of Americans with the quality products Americans demand. We need a return of a USA economy built by Americans and financed by stable American institutions that find the American people a desirable work force. By allowing multi-naitonal companies to dominate our economy we sacrifice our national interests and national security. That is simply out of the question. The USA has to be able to take care of itself regardless of the fiscal condition of the rest of the global community. It has to be the one entity that can be called on for allies. When we are weak our allies are weak and that is simply out of the question. We are allowed our own security, financed by American sources that will sustain and not funded by TOXIC DECISION MAKERS that spend every dime on 'risky ideas.'

It is time the country come to grips with what Republicans have done to it over decades of abusive outsourcing and tax base reduction. When Republicans state they want to cut taxes it is to increase consumer spending while in the same breath they can't define where the income to the country will come from in order to finance our expenses as a country. This 'W'rongful thinking based in Republican Rhetoric has to stop. There are NOT a million ways to finance an economy and a country. There just isn't. TARP funds need to be redefined. They aren't 'rescue' funds so much as liquidity for domestic lending institutions with domestic interests.

Why there can never be a TARP II and if banks want to return TARP I do it ASAP.

This posting on You Tube was also seen on Michael Moore's site (click here). Basically, the TARP funds were distributed without any form of regulation to the banking industry to save the nation's economy. That didn't happen and there are lots of reasons why that didn't happen and now they are talking about TARP II as of Friday. TARP II is supposed to be $750 billion on top of TARP I. There are better needs for those funds.

According to "Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report" (click title to entry - thank you), there are an average of 13.6 per 1000 women in the Detroit area of Michigan diagnosed with Ovarian Cancer. The incidence for the State of Michigan is 12.9 per 1000 women.

In reporting deaths due to Ovairian Cancer the rate is the same throughout the State of Michigan, 9.1 per 1000 women.

What I find completely appauling about this You Tube video is that General Motor's Blue Cross and Blue Shield health insurance is forcing this young women to apply for Medicaid in order to receive treatment. There is no time to waste for this young woman. She is one of the unique people of a young age that is diagnosed with this disease. As a rule, reproductive organ cancers spread rapidly and if she was diagnosed early enough to receive chemotherapy she would have a better chance of survival once the primary tumor was removed.

General Motors is receiving Bailout funds, but, yet their health insurance can't see their way clear to cover a case of Ovaian Cancer in a young woman. Not only that, but she is forced to apply for Medicaid. Why bother asking any employer to supply insurance to Americans when they ultimately have to come to the government for payment of treatment one way or another?

Denying expeditious treatment by an insurance carrier, a hospital, a doctor or any entity 'that is a barrier' to care should be viewed as a human rights violation and mentally cruel treatment of a human being. When is the USA going to take responsibility for its populous and stop the cruelty of their health care infrastructure?

Will someone please find a way to slow down the agenda of the Democrats?

The answer is "No."

The 'dire' needs of the people of the USA can't be postponed and the article in The Chicago Tribune illustrates desperate pleadings of Conservatives. Funny thing, I would think The Chicago Tribune would be used to a pace set by President Obama when he was a Senator.

But, then again, for eight years the nation was lead by dummies, so perhaps no matter how intelligent the Executive Branch of the USA becomes it will always feel a little 'fast paced' and 'odd.' That 'odd' feeling may be felt by many in the USA and might even be used as a tool by the RNC, but, slow down the pace of an agenda long, long overdue? No one has put forward a valid reason why.

While pointing to Morris Udall as a person that liked to concentrate on the environment and 'one thing at a time' supposedly; it is an example that doesn't hold up. Perhaps the best place to look for 'fast and furious' change is "The New Deal" which saw two stimulus packages in two years.

FDR was elected when unemployment had a high of 32% and when taking office saw 25%. There were no loans from banks and most of the private sector was unregulated. The 'moment' in time that FDR captured brought this country, FDIC, TVA, Federal Housing Administration, Social Security, Federal Crop Insurance, and the much maligned SEC and Fannie Mae.

FDR placed enormous controls on the private sector which have been dissolved over the years. The most aggressive disruption in 'regulation' started in Gingrich's Contract with America Republicans in 1999 and then again during the Bush years. It was the dissolving of regulations in 1999 and since that have directly lead to the collapse of the financial sector. So. We have been here before and the need for RAPID change cannot be understated.

Change takes a lot of support, otherwise, it can be exploited by opposition politicians as odd and inappropriate. The change the Obama Administration provides was all based in 'mired down' ideologies and back peddling politics in the face of appropriate science. Leaving out the fiscal nightmare of thirty years of Republican domination, there are those 'warnings' that date back before 1960 regarding Greenhouse Gases and a warming planet. Rushing to replace OLD, tired infrastructure with measures to insure the USA isn't reliant on foreign oil and coersion is a matter of National Security and if you don't believe me, ask the military.

With a return of confidence in the financial sector, that may be a real indication of the 'bottoming' out of unemployment. Whether Americans like it or not, the exploitive Republican years placed them in record deficits that 'bought' them an economy at the expense of their children. But, according to Republican ideologies 'debt is necessary for growth.'

"W"rong.

Healthy growth for a country does not have to be accompanied by debt, but, more realistic is accompanied by success and profits. When enterprise profits and that enterprise finds demand by consumers that it cannot fill, then growth occurs. And that is guaranteed growth and not speculative growth. It is hideous to realize that speculation can provide debt without results. Those are faux values. Speculation can occur in areas of research in a healthy manner that is accompanied by 'risk' but not necessarily debt. It's called a budget.

During the WWII years the companies that showed greater profits after the war years were the ones that took advantage of their wartime profits and delved into research. They were prepared when the war ended to place new products in the market place when other companies weren't.

The USA economy under Republican leadership became 'hooked' on debt. Don't believe me? I thought we just saw the greatest demise of the global financial sector due to record debt and 'poorly placed debt.' Yes? Can't make this stuff up.

In recent conversations, the government told the auto sector they had to prove to be viable in the long run. A synonym (Gosh, a big word) for viability is solvency. Is it not? When we look to the companies we are INVESTING in as a people with something called 'bailout funds' are we not expecting those companies to obtain solvency and maintain it? I am.

And let me distinguish between the way the Obama Administration is very different than the previous Republican administration and why it seems 'scary' to some folks, primarily the Republican leaning populous. The debt the Obama Administration is focused is sincere and sustainable growth.

This administration does not simply 'SPEND' every dollar to buoy an economy. Granted a stimulus package results in spending, but, it is how that money is spent that constitutes sustainable growth. While the President himself stated, "A stimulus package is a spending bill, that is the purpose of it." The 'upside' to the Obama Stimulus isn't just a matter of throwing more dollars out in the market place in tax cuts or refunds, but, in solid measurable change in the country's infrastruture.

President Obama's interest in Amtrak is a focus the country has needed for a long time. If we as a country want to stop polluting CO2, then mass transit has to exist that will still facilitate travel and the service end of our economy. There was once a time in the USA when traveling by rail car was romantic and not a nightmare. Dining cars and sleeper cars were elegant and not run down due to lack of funding.

Not only that, but, an income was derived from those sources and services. Besides booking passage by rail car there was also income from the services of the people employed on the train.

I am not saying that everything President Obama touches will turn to gold. But, I am saying that if we are going to be responsible to ourselves and our children we have to change to meet the challenge of finding sustainable ways in transportation and enegy. The new electric grid will be a part of that, saving the automakers that are planning to build cars that are in demand by the USA public, finding the sincere survivors of a collapse of a financial sector and supporting them through rough territory are all part of that 'responsibility.'

The USA is going to look different, very different after all is done. This 'change' was supported by the electorate in November of 2008. It is change that has been abandoned except for this new Democratic administration and majority House and Senate. I sincerely believe some of the 'contracture' of the financial sector is here to stay. I believe the 14,000 DOW under Paulson was more hubris than substance and to that end, the financial sector 'was played' for political ends and manipulation. There was no reason for the 'alarm' at the end of the "W" administration. The DOW was deteriorating the entire time.

The difference 'this time' is that a return of the financial sector will be accompanied by measurable and sustainable growth. Real growth that cannot be undermined as it is accompanied by 'facts' derived from 'the truth.' I firmly believe, the Obama administration is concentrated on 'investment' in the USA and global communities, not just spending. That investment, including Stem Cell Research, will bring about measurable and sustainable growth that cannot be destroyed as it is in demand and palpable.

I am more than hopeful for the agenda of this Administration and Congress in DC. I believe they are leading where the USA wants to be and will result in growth that our children will enjoy no different than the long sustained changes of FDR's New Deal.

When seeing a 'fast paced' agenda in DC and wondering if the ship will hold together and achieve its desired end, remember that if the USA were allowed to linger on the destructive path it was before there would be a fast paced descent into ruin.


MORRIS UDALL
Awarded byPresident Bill Clinton
1996A World War II veteran and former professional basketball player, Udall represented Arizona during a distinguished thirty-year career in the House of Representatives. Afflicted with Parkinson's disease, he resigned his seat in 1991. Widely respected for his humor and quiet dignity, he served as the Chairman of the Interior Committee for fourteen years, leading the way on landmark environmental legislation, including the Alaska Lands Act, the 1984 Wilderness Act, and the 1982 Nuclear Waste Management Act.

Simple Assault in Iraq brings a three year prison term? It's a misdemeanor.

In the USA simple assault is a misdemeanor. This is definately simple assault. There was no deadly weapon used. There was absolutely no physical harm done. Muntazer al-Zaidi was not close enough to pose any real danger, Bush ducked. He had plenty of time to see a 'flying shoe' coming at him and he ducked. As a matter of fact, the Iraqi Prime Minister, what ever his name is, was able to attempt to shield Bush from the second flying shoe. This is outrageous. The shoe throwing was no more than simple assault and more an act of freedom of speech. This is Iraq? The 'jewel' of Bush's push for global democracy? I see.

The argument can even be made that Mr. Bush 'aggrivated' the incident by using inflammatory language and lies. The 'journalist' should have received a reprimand and nothing more. It's a war zone, what does anyone expect? A Flying Set of Shoes is a healthy response and one that does far less damage than a suicide bomb. That's a shame.

"...Zaidi told the court Thursday that his action was a natural response and that he did what any Iraqi would have done. In a court appearance last month, the journalist said the president's talk of "victory," combined with what Zaidi called his spiritless smile, proved too much after years of war and destruction following the U.S.-led invasion...."

The violence in Africa is ratcheting up since the Sudan removed NGOs.

NGOs and Peace Corp volunteers throughout the world bring vital services to people. Africa in particular is faced with diminished populations for a variety of reasons. Basically, what the average American with a high school education knows is far more than the average African.

Volunteers provide guidance and direction in water quality, food safety, hygiene, agriculture, conservation and education. One of the most sensitive areas of education in Africa today is the teaching of safety and health with HIV/AIDS. Of course one of the reasons the populous of Africa is so diminished is due to high deaths of young adults and parents. Frequently, the average longevity in Africa is about 55 years old or less.

Today Africa cannot progress, especially Sub-Sahara Africa, without educators and caregivers. The ratio of children to adults is vastly different than the rest of the world and without NGOs and Peace Corp volunteers the young people of Africa will grow up understanding ony violence and poverty. The loss of even one volunteer is intolerable.

continued...

Death of Peace Corps Volunteer in Benin (click title to entry)
Robert Wood
Acting Department Spokesman, Office of the Spokesman
Bureau of Public Affairs
Washington, DC
March 12, 2009
The State Department was saddened by the news of the death of a Peace Corps Volunteer stationed in Benin, West Africa. Peace Corps Headquarters in Washington has notified the volunteer’s next of kin. The U.S. Embassy in Cotonou has dispatched the Regional Security Officer and other personnel to the village where the volunteer was stationed, located several hours away from the capital. The Government of Benin has expressed condolences to the U.S. government and pledged full cooperation and support in this matter.The State Department expresses our deepest condolences to the family of the volunteer and the Peace Corps.

Peace Corps Volunteer Murdered in Africa (click here)
March 12, 2009 4:18 PM

ABC News' Kirit Radia Reports: A Peace Corps volunteer was found dead early this morning in the West African nation of Benin, the State Department said today. The victim's name and age were not provided. A State Department official said she had been stationed about six hours north of the capital."

The female volunteer was found outside her home and identified by colleagues and friends at the school where she worked as a teacher," acting State Department spokesman Robert Wood told reporters.

A senior State Department official later said it is believed she had been murdered, but offered no details on the circumstances of her death....

7-year-old son of Edo council boss kidnapped (click here)

By TONY OSAUZO, Benin

Friday, March 13, 2009
The seven-year-old son of the Chairman of Ovia South-West Local Government Council of Edo State, Master Etinosa Aighobahi, was yesterday kidnapped by gunmen as he was being dropped-off in school along Siluko Road, Benin City by his father’s driver.

The primary two pupil of Auntie Marie School was in the company of his two elder siblings when the gunmen struck. The elder siblings were said to have entered the school premises and Master Etinosa was about coming out of the car when the kidnappers got hold of him after firing several gun shots to scare away intruders.

At press time, the whereabouts of the little boy was unknown but the state Police Commissioner, Mr. Danlami Yar’Adua, who confirmed that the matter was reported at the Ogida Police Station, said investigation into the incident was on.

In a related development, Mr. Yar’Adua announced yesterday that operatives of the state police command have arrested a Dentistry student of the University of Benin who attempted to kidnap a prominent transporter in Benin yesterday morning....

It may be that some of this violence in Benin is related to the economic impact of oil and its current management that has lead to pollution and degradation of the environment for communities. We have witnessed violence in Niger when the countries people were literally murdered for the purpose of oil companies. They were murdered by government sactioned militias/police in the name of prosperity. The struggle in Niger (click here) went on for a long time before the people finally were able to overcome the pressures of both the oil companies and the government that supported them over the best interests of the Niger populous. The circumstanes in Benin might be taking on the same characteristics.

Devt of oil producing communities to take front burner—Oshiomhole (click here)
Written by GABRIEL ENOGHOLASE
Friday, 13 March 2009

...The governor, who spoke at a one-day forum on the repositioning of Edo State Oil & Gas Producing Areas Development Commission (EDSOPADEC) in Benin yesterday, lamented that for too long, oil producing communities have suffered obvious neglect as evidenced by environmental degradation, gas flaring and lack of basic amenities.
Stressing that developing oil-producing communities in the state must remain the concern of all, the governor enjoined agencies saddled with the responsibilities of developing the communities and oil companies to work in tandem with the host communities to address the problems....

Of course in the case of Benin, Niger is at one of the borders of that country and one has to wonder if much of the same element is causing issues resulting in violence against 'any' authority and especially Americans. Americans can be 'more disposable' and an easy excuse for violence when the 'excuse' is the opposition to teaching HIV/AIDS. In other words, what might be going on, taking example from Sudan, is an increase in violence to escalate the removal of NGOs and volunteers that would inhibit extraction of oil.

The United Nations knows full well that much of the violence that occurs in Africa surrounds issues of power as achieved by money as achieved through the exploitation of natural resources. In the case of the Sudan, the NGOs were displaced because the World Court charging human rights abuses in Darfur. The ability of a leader charged with such abuses to actually extricate NGOs is enough example for other entities throughout Africa to begin a movement that will spread like wildfire across the continent and old 'wars' will begin again. Especially of concern with Madagascar are the 'elements' in Somalia. It makes sense that threats have occurred in Madagascar following an escalation in authority in Sudan. It is all muscle flexing by terrorist elements trying to win their positions and secure their wealth in these regions.

Peace Corps remains in contact with all Volunteers in Madagascar (click here)

Peace Corps staff in Madagascar is working closely with the U.S. Embassy to carefully monitor the situation. They will, if necessary, take appropriate actions under the Peace Corps/Madagascar Emergency Action Plan. The safety and security of Volunteers is the number one priority of the Peace Corps.

...Each Peace Corps program has an Emergency Action Plan specific to that country and developed in cooperation with Peace Corps Washington and the local U.S. Embassy. The plans are evaluated and tested frequently and information is updated constantly. Volunteers are thoroughly trained in their roles and responsibilities, and posts are prepared for all emergencies.

Families may contact the Peace Corps/Madagascar Desk with any questions or concerns they may have at 202-692-2324 during business hours, and the Office of Special Services after hours. The Office of Special Services maintains a 24-hour, 7 days a week duty system. The telephone number during standard office hours is 1-800-424-8580, Extension 1470; the after hours number is 202-692-1470. The Office of Special Services can also be contacted via e-mail at ossdutyofficer@peacecorps.gov....

There has to be a return of NGOs to Darfur and their safety has to be enforced by the Sudan government. The NGOs are not responsible for the human rights abuses of President Al-bashir and their removal only speaks to the 'proof' of the Sudan's President willingness to neglect and enforce suffering on the populous there.

Sudan: Nigeria Supports AU's Position on Al-Bashir's Arrest Warrant (click here)
Aisha Umar
13 March 2009

Sudan Minister of International Cooperation Eltigani Fedail said Nigeria confirmed its support for the position of African Union on the warrant of arrest on President Al-bashir of Sudan by the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Briefing journalists after meeting with Minister of Foreign Affairs Chief Ojo Madukwe in Abuja yesterday, Mr Fedail said Nigeria is committed to having peace in Sudan and that it support for the ICC warrant of arrest on President Al-bashir will not help to restore peace in the country.
He said Sudan government under President Al-bashir has allocated $1 billion on infrastructural development in Darfur, stressing that Al-bashir is the only president in Sudan that was able to sign peace agreement on conflict of over 20 years in Darfur.
He stated t "80 percent of the peace agreement has been implemented and the remaining 20 percent is on process but we cannot do more unless we have peace."...

The sad truth is that once there is a successful power play by an African leader it validates the ability of others to escalate their violence and win a war against civilized societies that have long worked within Africa to better the circumstances of the continent. The longer the Sudan President is able to displace benevolent efforts with impunity the greater the violence will become and the more it will spread. The arrest has to be made and the elements that are causing violence and kidnappings in Benin and Madagascar have to be thwarted to stop any escalation in Africa. Easy to write all this, it is far different to actually have it happen. Oddly, I would think the African Union and people from countries such as Rwanda would demand the removal of Al-Bashir while advancing the purpose of freedom and human rights for the entire continent.

Three aid workers kidnapped in Darfur as relief crisis deepens (click here)

Xan Rice in Nairobi
The Guardian, Friday 13 March 2009

...A Canadian nurse, an Italian doctor and a French project co-ordinator were still being held last night. "We have no information about the missing workers' whereabouts or the motives for the abduction," an MSF spokesperson said in Nairobi.
The agency said later that it would withdraw all medical teams from projects in Darfur and would leave only an essential skeleton team, who would try to secure the freedom of the staff being held hostage. "MSF is extremely worried both for our abducted colleagues and for the populations that MSF teams had been providing medical aid to," the agency said in a statement....

Carbons, Hydrogens and Oxygens. All very organic. Either its a benign agent or NOT.

Sorry, but, this is outrageous. There is no reason why any product is NOT tested for 'contents' of mixture. It can be done easily and without any expense during its licensing process by government agencies within the FDA.

Chromatography (click here)
NMR Spectroscopy (click here)
Infrared Spectroscopy (click here)

Any or all of these 'measurements' of chemical analysis can be performed by the manufacturer and the FDA or any licensing agency of government at very minimal cost. The labs that generate these products have any of these analytical tests right in their labs already. If there is an investigation to 1,4-Dioxane findings PRIOR to marketing these products, it will show up in their 'internal' research.

Guaranteed.

These chemicals are well known to the manufacturers long before they are marketed to insure the 'manufacturing' process is safe enough for employees and 'stable' enough for environmental safety and 'fire/explosive' capacity. I don't want to hear it. This is a huge 'designer loophole' that provides industry with a way of 'cheating' on product safety and providing larger profit margins when other additives would bring the same result with perhaps higher costs.

This is simply outrageous. No more 'marginal' allowances by the FDA. No more. Either a product is SAFE or its NOT. The Bush Advisory Board was the worst thing that happened to the consumer and it needs to be repelled and the FDA returned to its authority and ability to pull products from shelves. There is no excuse for 'marginally safe' products. There just isn't.

1,4-Dioxane occurs as a colorless flammable liquid that is miscible in water. (click title to entry - thank you)

Report: Toxins Common in Baby Products (Click here)
Of the Baby Products Tested, 61% Contained Formaldehyde and 1,4-Dioxane
By Salynn Boyles
WebMD Health News
Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD
March 12, 2009 -- You aren’t likely to see the chemicals formaldehyde and 1,4-dioxane listed on the labels of baby bath products, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t there, a consumer group is warning.
More than half of children’s bath soaps, shampoos, lotions, and other personal care products tested by the group Campaign for Safe Cosmetics (CSC) were found to contain 1,4-dioxane and formaldehyde, according to a report released today.
Both of the chemicals are considered probable carcinogens by the Environmental Protection Agency.
Because they are not intentionally added by manufacturers, there is no requirement that product labels list the chemicals when they are present....



1,4-Dioxane chair

GM is solvent? In control? WOW. We done good. We done really good. I hope GM proves the bailout was the best method.

In this Dec. 12, 2008 file photo, the General Motors logo is seen outside the GM headquarters in downtown Detroit. General Motors Corp. on Thursday, March 12 said its restructuring plan is starting to take hold, improving the automaker's fortunes at least to the point that it won't need a $2 billion government loan installment that it had requested for March. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio, File)

...Industry analysts weren't celebrating, but they did credit century-old GM for its restructuring efforts, which include closing 11 factories, cutting 50,000 jobs and slashing structural costs by roughly $12 billion from 2005 to 2008.
Jim Hall, managing director of 2953 Analytics of Birmingham, Mich., said GM has used its crisis to figure out how to manage costs better than at any time in its history....

Industry Minister Tony Clement Acknowledges Ratification of General Motors Canada Agreement by the Canadian Auto Workers (click here)

updated 10:12 p.m. ET, Wed., March. 11, 2009

..."The Government of Canada acknowledges the CAW's agreement with GM Canada as a further step in the restructuring of the automotive industry. This is a time for all stakeholders to work together and, frankly, to give a little in the interest of keeping a sustainable industry in Canada....

GM UAW Savings Said to Be Double Ford’s $500 Million (Update2) (click here)

...GM needs labor and debt holder concessions of more than $28.5 billion as part of an agreement with the U.S. Treasury to keep $13.4 billion in loans. GM is also trying to convince President Barack Obama’s auto task force to free up as much as $16.6 billion more to keep the largest U.S. automaker out of bankruptcy.
The company’s proposal to Canadian workers was accepted today, with 87 percent voting to ratify the contract, the Canadian union said in a PRNewswire statement.
Ford manufacturing chief Joe Hinrichs said he didn’t see how GM could realize twice the savings of Ford from its agreement with the UAW.
“You’d think it would be proportional to us,” Hinrichs said in an interview.
Similar Agreements
Ford, which is not seeking U.S. aid, said today that a new labor agreement and modifications to a Voluntary Employee Beneficiary Association union retiree health-care fund will save $500 million annualized, with about 75 percent of that realized this year. The estimate of GM savings includes only the contract concessions and not any changes to the VEBA, the people said....

GM's Saab says eyed by group of Swedish investors (click here)
Thu Mar 12, 2009 4:40pm EDT

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - General Motors' (GM.N) Swedish unit Saab Automobile said on Thursday a group of Sweden-based investors had shown interest in the company.
"I cannot disclose who they are. But I can confirm that there is a group of investors in Sweden which has shown interest," Saab spokesman Eric Geers told Reuters.
Geers said the loss-making carmaker, whose U.S. parent has said it will sever ties to the brand, was being courted by six to eight "very large" companies in total.
Earlier on Thursday Saab said it had given 750 employees at its Trollhattan plant notice of redundancy.

Madoff is like a doctor treating his own pain, doesn't know how to stop and becomes an addict.

This is not a court hearing for Madoff. This was 'about' the time he states he started his Ponzi Scheme. Where it gets really scary is to realize our government was actually taking testimony from a man that was practicing 'The Art of The Con.'

For years the SEC was told there was something "W"rong with the Madoff enterprise, but, due to the fact his 'authority' was entangled in politics he was regarded as believable over and above others that simply knew better.

This is a prime example of how government policy fails to protect our nation and its citizens from 'criminality.' Scary. Very scary to realize how much someone with credentials can disaffect the policies of an entire nation.

Political capital. Bernard Madoff was granted political capital and he wasn't even known by most Americans. Why was he above the law for so long?


In this Thursday, May 13, 1993 file photo, Richard Grasso, president, New York Stock Exchange, left, joined by former Security and Exchange Commission Chairman, David S. Ruder, center, and Bernard Madoff, chairman of Madoff Investment Securities, appear before the House subcommittee on Telecommunications and Finance in Washington. Damage continued to ripple from the massive fraud allegedly engineered by storied Wall Street money manager Bernard Madoff Monday, Dec. 15, 2008, even as investigators worked to unravel the scheme's working and its reach. (AP Photo)

Another milestone for Michael Moore. Congratulations, Mr. Moore.

Michael Moore has worked long and hard for the 'status' he has obtained. His success hasn't come easy, nor without personal cost. He has been the one consistent voice for freedom and truth in the USA and today, the theater he saved from demise is becoming a landmark of 'Movie Excellence.' I am more than happy for him.

Congrats, Mike !



We did it again! Thanks to all of you, the historic State Theatre of Traverse City was the number one theater in North America this week among the 312 theaters showing "Doubt." This happened in spite of the fact that the local Carmike chain's multiplex had already played "Doubt" for ten weeks. Our attendance was SEVEN TIMES the national average! In a news flash from Hollywood, here are the top ten grossing theaters for "Doubt" in North America this past weekend:


1. State Theatre, Traverse City MI


2. Lincoln Square 13, New York NY


3. Village East 7, New York NY


4. Empire 25, New York NY


5. Forum 22, Montreal QC


6. San Francisco Centre 9, San Francisco CA


7. Sedona 6, Sedona AZ


8. Angelika Film Center 8, Dallas TX


9. Lake 7, Oak Park (Chicago) IL


10. Olympus Pointe 12, Roseville (Sacramento) CA


That's right. We topped the theater in Lincoln Square in New York City. What the heck is going on here? It's hard to explain to the Hollywood brass. What do you think I should tell them? Drop me an email and let me know what to tell them when they ask me, "What is it about the State Theatre?" They're starting to think we're not really of this planet....





Michael Moore, co-founder with John Robert Williams and Doug Stanton, addressing the audience at the State Theatre.

Wasteful use of Disaster Relief Funds. Ships have a right to safe passage.

Hurricane Ike was the 10th largest diameter in gail strength of all recorded hurricane systems.


Image of Hurricane Ike on September 4, 2008 as it began to near peak intensity. The image was taken by the International Space Station (ISS) from over 220 miles (350 km) above the hurricane.


The above image is of Hurricane Ike near its peak velocity as it existed at the Lesser Antilles. Below is its path. With traditional paths of Atlantic hurricanes comes drought relief. If the Atlantic hurrican is sequestered further south in the hemisphere, the drought relief that normally comes with these storms may never be realized.


When the President of the USA declares and area a 'disaster area' that doesn't mean 'just' a free money giveaway. It means there is funding available to clean up the mess. What occurred here is wasteful use of federal funding that never addressed the 'real' problems of the people.


While much debris from Hurricane Ike washed ashore, an untold amount sank or remains partially submerged in Galveston Bay, creating dangerous situations for boaters, who can strike the hard-to-see obstructions.

What lies beneath (click title to entry - thank you)
That mountain of stuff washed off the Bolivar Peninsula during Hurricane Ike poses a very real threat to boaters
By SHANNON TOMPKINS
Houston Chronicle
March 12, 2009, 3:40AM
Port Bolivar-based fishing guide Jim West has spent thousands of days roaming East Galveston Bay over the past quarter-century-plus, poking his boat’s bows into every nook, cove, bayou, drain and stretch of shoreline of the bay on which he lives and works. Few know the eastern lobe of the Galveston Bay system more intimately or feel more comfortable scooting across its surface.
But these days, West pays very close attention when he’s running his boat in many parts of the bay.
“You have to watch it — especially when you’re running fairly shallow or on low tides,” West said. “There is a lot of stuff out there you don’t want to hit.”
That “stuff” is debris Hurricane Ike swept into the bay almost six months ago. There is a lot of it, and it poses a substantial hazard to boaters.
When the hurricane’s winds and storm surge swept over Bolivar Peninsula, they crushed, crumbled, uprooted and carried away much of what was on the spit of land separating the Gulf of Mexico from East Bay, shoving a mountain of debris into the bay....

Cyclone Hamish of Australia did the unexpected.

Noted below are heat transfers from Austalia into Antarctica, water vapor accumulations over Greenland due to ice sublimation and question marks all over the Northern Hemisphere. Let there be no doubt, those question marks are high altitude vortices distributing heat throughout the ice fields. There is no question in my mind, this is NOT a healthy water planet and the reason is toxic levels of carbon dioxide in the troposphere.


March 11, 2009
0600
Global image of water vapor distribution

Wednesday, March 11, 2009
1100 gmt
African Satellite Image of water vapor (storms)

These early dynamics appear to be the 'birth place' of the upcoming Atlantic Hurrican Season. It will be interesting to see its progression and how far north theses storms actually move without losing velocity due to sparce water vapor content in the troposphere.

Wednesday, March 11, 2009
0925 gmt
Africa-Europe Satellite Image

Let's complete the picture. Asia's typhoon season has mostly settled down, Australia's Cyclone Season is well underway and what is coming is a return to the Atlantic Hurricane Season. However, the 'water vapor' available to support Atlantic Hurricanes might be sparce. So, where then will the hurricanes develop and will they be traditional in their paths? I believe the answer to that question is revealed in this image of Africa where the beginnings of the Atlantic Hurricane season are spawning but far more south than normal. That is not to say there will be no 'land fall' of these storms. They will still swing north due to the curve of Earth, but, where exactly will those turns occur and how strong will these storms become because of their new trajectory?

Wednesday, March 11, 2009
1130z
UNISYS Water Vapor Satellite of North and West Hemisphere


March 11, 2009
0922 gmt
Western Hemisphere Satellite Image


Wednesday, March 11, 2009
0628 gmt
Global Pacific Satellite Image


Wednesday, March 11, 2009
1111 gmt
Western Pacific Satellite Image

A portion of the storm did effect cities in Australia. But it was connected to a heat transfer system with destinations across the Pacific toward North America and into the Arctic Circle. Same pattern as previously noted with the tornado activity in NA.

Winds of change blow too gently (click here)
March 11 Bill Hoffman
The winds that swirled through the trees around our homes, rattled windows and made roofs shudder, yesterday morning were the mild impact of a weakening cyclone.At its full fury, Cyclone Hamish rivalled Larry which wrecked Innisfail stripping houses from their frames and Hurricane Katrina which destroyed New Orleans.
Scientists I spoke to this week warn we can expect more cyclones as the reality of climate change makes itself increasingly apparent in the coming years. We can also expect that they will form further down the coast and that they will increase in intensity.
In 1859 Charles Darwin, as quoted in Jonathon Porritt’s book “Capitalism – as if the world matters’’, made the following observation:“It is not the strongest or most intelligent that survive but the ones that are most responsive to change’’....


Wednesday, March 11, 2009
2242 AED
Australian Isobar Map

After changing direction, Cyclone Hamish diminished in strength to a Cat 2 storm. It can be noted on this isobar map.

Do we know why it veered to the East contrary to the predictions? Yes, we do. There should be no doubt about the path of this storm based on previous posts on this blog. I know you know.


...Category 4 storm ...but instead, the storm veered more east than south, drawing the eye of the still-powerful storm away from land.