The Tongas and deaths from Earthquakes in 2008

Details on the Tongan Eruption (click here)

In the case of the Sichuan, China quake, it was a matter of ignorance when the people first settled there.

China has proven with the Three Gorges Dam that where knowledge of adversity to its populous will occur they are capable of moving huge populations of people to different living standards and locations.

The Sichuan quake was predictable simply by the 'geology' of the region, however, the people has long lived in the region and hence the damage to them was 'set.' With geological surveys of seimic and potentially seimic areas, China and other nations, should be able to safe guard their people and provide improved quality of life for them and their safety.


A quake reading on a seismograph

We ask a lot of China and countries such as Pakistan that support many people within their borders when the governments are offered expertise to match the demands of safety to their populous. How can the people of these countries NOT characterize their misfortunes as an 'act of God' as if displeasure with their obedience. It is tragedies such as this that are used to the advantage of 'anti-government' organizations such as al Qaeda and the Taliban in Pakistan and Afghanistan to turn the populous away from favoring their governments in rituals of superstition and confusion.

Likewise, the suffering of the people following such tragedies can act as a 'methodology' against the government as well. Seeking venues of opportunity to protect populations of people by including within treaties and diplomatic understandings that people will receive safety from their governments both in the way of housing designed to 'code' and response to emergency to reassure rescue.

It is these basic needs of citizens of these countries that should be included in State Department initiatives as 'in roads' to help 'stable' governments' maintain 'favor' with their people. Beyond that understanding it is also the 'moral' directive of the people of the USA to be sure such protections occur for other people. It is classic for the USA populous to be concerned and extend aid and NGO initiatives when tragedy strikes. So, to that end, we are the people most concerned with extending opportunities of expertise to these governments and help them build their own industries initially lending ours.

Released: 1/6/2009 4:41:02 PM
Contact Information:
U.S. Department of the Interior
U.S. Geological Survey
Office of Communication
119 National CenterReston, VA 20192
The number of earthquake-related fatalities across the world was much higher in 2008 than in recent years. (click title to entry - thank you)
About 88,070 deaths resulted from earthquake activity worldwide during 2008, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and confirmed by the United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). This is the largest number of deaths from earthquakes in a year since 2004.
The strongest and most destructive earthquake of 2008 occurred in Eastern Sichuan, China on May 12, claiming at least 69,185 lives. This 7.9 magnitude earthquake injured 374,171 people, while a further 18,467 remain missing and are presumed dead in the Chengdu-Lixian-Guangyuan area. More than 45.5 million people-a total greater than the combined populations of California, Arizona and Nevada-were affected by this earthquake, which struck in one of China's most densely-populated regions. The event also triggered many landslides, some of which buried large sections of some towns including Beichuan.
In addition to China, earthquakes killed people in 13 countries on 4 continents during the past year, including Algeria, Colombia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Greece, India, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Peru, Russia, and Rwanda.
In the contiguous United States, the highest magnitude earthquake in 2008 occurred at 6.0 on Feb. 21 near Wells, Nevada. While no lives were lost as a result of this quake, at least three people were injured and more than 20 buildings were heavily damaged....


Pacific quake causes tsunami, no damage (click here)
Published: 7:59AM Friday March 20, 2009
ReutersSmoke is seen after an underwater volcano erupted in Hunga Ha'apai, Tonga
WATCH the video (0:41)
A powerful undersea earthquake struck off the south Pacific island of Tonga on Friday and generated a tsunami capable of causing severe damage to the area, the US Pacific Tsunami Warning Center reported. There were no reports of damage or of sea levels rising in Fiji or Tonga, and the tsunami warning was later cancelled. The US Geological Survey said the magnitude 7.9 quake struck 212.4 kilometres southeast of Nuku'alofa, Tonga, at 7am NZT on Friday. "Sea level readings confirm that a tsunami was generated. This tsunami may have been destructive along coastlines of the region near the earthquake epicenter," the US National Weather Service's Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said....

There is an opportunity for the USA to develop industry surrounding this reality. It begins with realizing a State Department engaged with countries such as Pakistan can start to lend a potential for the Pakistani government to reassure its populous it is a benevolent government that cares about them. Sadly, the potential for engineers to work on 'seismic proof' construction in very dangerous regions of the world, providing the people there with expertise to train and perform their own construction is sometimes left to 'fumbing' around 'the net.' (click here)


New Island and Pumice Raft in the Tongas (click here)
Posted November 16, 2006

Click here for the pictures in 2006 (these are the larger images)

Historic USGS Moment Tensor Solutions of Tonga (click here) - This historical data shows a trend. As the earthquakes occur further from the 'ridge' (In this case it is a 'trench' subducting to the Australian plate, but, those terms are so obsure to most people that it is easier to call it a ridge. Most people understand that. But, to geologists a ridge is a different geological feature. Simplicity sake I'll call it a ridge.) they are deeper. The deeper the earthquakes, potential for land movement is greater, simply because of the 'area' between the surface and depth of quake. Not all quakes manifest in a full thickness of the location to the surface either. The more land displacement and velocity of the quake the more chance of tsunami, but, it also depends on the 'direction' of that velocity as well. So, predicting earthquakes and tsunamis is not carved in stone, hence, the potential for death.

Iraq, six years of invasion and occupation. When will they be left alone?

American Deaths (click here)
Since war began (3/19/03):
4259


This is an Op-Chart from The New York Times, I find the title to it a bit disturbed. It should read, "The (State of the) Nations of Iraq and Afghanistan," The States of Iraq and Afghanistan (click here).

For Immediate Release: March 20, 2009
Reagan Kuhn (212) 845-5273 / KuhnR@humanrightsfirst.org
On the Sixth Anniversary of the War in Iraq, Time to Focus on Refugees (click here)
...“Violence and conflict over the past five years have forced millions of Iraqis from their homes and many into asylum in neighboring countries. In the past year, though security improved significantly in Iraq, the political stability and lasting peace that will make it possible for most refugees to return home in safety has not yet taken hold. At Camp Lejeune last month, President Obama recognized refugee and internally displaced families as ‘living consequence[s] of this war’ and declared that ‘America has a strategic interest – and a moral responsibility – to act.’...


Activists protest in Tokyo to mark the 6th anniversary of the start of the Iraq war

The Audacity of Hope - The USA to have its own High Speed Magnetic Rail. I think 'Geithner, Obama and the nation's Governors' Get It !"

Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Hearings tout high-speed rail (click here)
Gary Heinlein / Detroit News Lansing Bureau
LANSING -- Backers of a proposed elevated rail line between Lansing, Ann Arbor and Detroit will try to sell the public on an Earth-friendly plan to send hydrogen-powered trains hurtling along stainless steel rails.
Four freshman lawmakers plan hearings beginning next month in the state's capital to sell the $2 billion privately funded plan.
"The devil will be in the details, of course," said Rep. Mike Huckleberry, D-Greenville, one of the lawmakers backing the plan. "But this concept has enough potential to make it worth pursuing. I'm hoping that we can develop this technology and transportation idea into Michigan jobs."...


It is difficult to 'agree' with the current budget until one realizes the extent this will add jobs due to vast infrastructure changes. The tax base alone will support a far larger budget that will fund these changes in the USA. Video (click here) I believe President Obama has been extremely productive in his early days for the purpose of painting a complete picture to the USA's people. No one can pass judgement until all is realized in the vastness of the definition of 'change.' You know, it is time the USA 'grow up' and stop seeking 'personal creature comforts (A Republican Agenda.)

Today, Governors Schwarzenegger, Rendell and Bloomberg spoke outside the White House after meeting with President Obama. They outlined an aggressive approach to 'growing' the nation's infrastructure by adding 'State of the Art' infrastructure to energy and transportation.

Citing the huge and current infrastructure changes made in allied nations such as those in Europe, and including private enterprise to particiate, the Governors were more than optimistic in embarking on a Brave New World that would insure generations of Americans that they would indeed have a country that lives within the limits of Earth's Troposphere.

Some states are already 'on board' and planning for the future while awaiting sufficient funding to begin.

High-Speed Rail Line Proposed for Michigan (click here)
A company called Worldwide Hydrogen Super Highways is proposing to build a rail line in Michigan that would run from Detroit to Lansing. The elevated line would run along some of Detroit's major freeways and its cars would use solar energy to power hydrogen batteries...

...But his most liberal allies are asserting the opposite, saying they show the need for the sweeping change that Obama's $3.6 trillion blueprint represents. (click here)...

A super high-speed transport system (click here) with a non-adhesive drive system that is independent of wheel-and-rail frictional forces has been a long-standing dream of railway engineers. Maglev, a combination of superconducting magnets and linear motor technology, realizes super high-speed running, safety, reliability, low environmental impact and minimum maintenance.

WH: Agenda on track despite worsening deficits (click here)

By ANDREW TAYLOR

ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER

WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama's budget would produce $9.3 trillion in deficits over the next decade, more than four times the deficits of Republican George W. Bush's presidency, congressional auditors said Friday.
The new Congressional Budget Office figures offered a far more dire outlook for Obama's budget than the new administration predicted just last month - a deficit $2.3 trillion worse. It's a prospect even the president's own budget director called unsustainable....

Pakistan rocket attack 'kills 10' - It is a civil war between the Taliban and Tribes

The next major global conflict has the potential to be here. I don't see the forces of terrorists winning and it will be the major nations of the region that will finally settle the 'hornets-nest' of Bin Laden.

The problems existing is to come to terms with protecting the tribes and Afghanis while eliminating the killing force of the Taliban whom have not come forward for expressions of peaceful intent. And what will Iran do? With continued movement toward escalation of its nuclear capacity will it chose to attempt to support terrorists while trying to hold its border with the Kurds, PKK and Turkey or will it participate in securing its border with Afghanistan and Pakistan to stop the growth of any ammunition trade with the Taliban and al Qaeda? India is more than willing to see an end to any terrorist influence and unrest, but, can it be done peacefully or will there have to be conflict to 'end it' and secure civilization from the remaining forces of dysfunctional and renegade authority?

Conducting aggression in this region to stop terrorists forever is a tough call. To escalate any attacks against the Taliban requires insight to the intentions of Iran while controlling pirates and ship traffic in the Arabian Sea. If diplomacy fails to stop the Taliban and protect tribes and the innocent civilians of Afghanistan and Pakistan will the Clinton State Department have secured the alliances of Russia, China, India and perhaps Iran to act responsibility to stop this insanity called al Qaeda? Russia is cutting its defense budget and China has been allies before with Pakistan in arming against India and the West. Its a tough row to hoe but, can it be done to end the domination of terrorist states in the region?

The lesson to be learned is that domestic protections against 'terrorist methods' is by far the most immediate and perhaps the best long term solution to another September 11th. It is why Secretary Napolitano is seeking to secure trains and buses while looking to the borders and ports for infrastructure security. Her department has to expand its personnel to insure more border personnel while Customs expands its capacity as well.

If the same 'road trip' made above was tried today, those trying to complete it would be killed by Taliban forces. The problem existing in Afghanistan and the tribal areas of Pakistan is taking a turn for the worse. In a picture essay below it is clear there are tensions 'created' by the Taliban. They are interested in killing off the people living peacefully among the mountains and cause the NATO and UN forces in the region a great deal of hardship and difficulty by controlling the main road used for supplies. It is why Russia has granted the USA access to the region. The problem with terrorist infiltration of the region is far worse today simply because they have gone unchecked for the most part.

Driving through the Khyber these days (click here for perspective from Winter of 2008) has gotten much more risky. There was serious fighting between the semi secular Afridi. like Yahya’s friends, and their more fundamentalist Taliban influenced neighbors. Scenes like the picture below are common now and unless things change dramatically I would not recommend driving through the Khyber Pass.


Tribal fighter at his post two feet off the main road. The compound he is guarding was attacked two days prior to our last trip to the Khyber

President Obama keeps an Active Public Presence

The media is having a strange response to the new President. They have been unable to really 'diss' him as he keeps such an active public presence. And rightfully so. It is an unfortunate reality to realize the only way the media sees its role is to 'diss' a very popular President hoping to drive him into the basement with his ratings. I believe that is going to be difficult and competing with a USA President 'for attention' isn't a good idea.

There is a lot of work to be done in the USA to reclaim its economy and value of its dollar. Weeding out 'desireable' companies that aren't in huge debt themselves and seeking 'bailout' from the Fed will be a full time job. The USA needs quality employment, not just 'any' employment at any cost. To achieve 'poor quality employment' in the USA will only cause the same economic catastrophe all over again. I would think the media most interested in 'entertaining' the American public would be approaching them from an 'education' perspective and what constitutes 'viable employment' with longevity toward retirement. That of course includes very viable and healthy companies with products that sustain 'trends' in customer satisfaction when it comes to a "Green Economy."

The media is getting it wrong with Iran. They are saying that the video by President Obama is unique and never been tried before. Yes and no. Yes, a cheery welcome to the people of Iran is a new approach and I believe it is sincere, but, the 'reaching past' the Iranian government propagandized media has been used before in Iraq by Bush before he invaded the country. While I understand President Obama's position in attempting to reach a reasonable solution to Iran's 'runaway' nuclear program, supporting UN efforts for inspections and disarmament measures he is engaging with Russia, there is a lot "W"rong in the Gulf.

Today there was another boarding of a ship that was seized by pirates and at the same time there are reports that Iran has reached capacity of producing 'fissile' material in constructing a nuclear weapon. There is also reports of the collision of two USA vessels, one a surface ship and one a submarine. I would not be surprised if the sub is stationed along with its comliment of surface ships in the region of Hormuz for the purpose of monitoring Iranian missile movement and the possible construction of a missile to launch with nuclear capacity.

If the collision occurred in Homuz due to the Navy's attempts to interrupt pirating of vessels as well as monitor Iran I would proport the nuclear capacity of Iran and its interruption of its program overshadows in huge measure any pirating issue.

Israel's Peres sends audio greeting to Iran (click here)
56 minutes ago
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli President Shimon Peres has sent a rare greeting to the people of Iran praising them and saying they would be better off without their hard-line leadership.
In the taped audio message, Peres lauds Iran's ancient culture and urges what he calls the "noble Iranian nation" to "return to its rightful place among developed nations."
The greeting marking Iran's Nowruz holiday was broadcast Friday on the Voice of Israel's Farsi-language station. The station is beamed to Iran, but it is unclear how many Iranians had heard it.
It coincided with President Barack Obama's video message to Iran in which he appealed to Iranians to shift away from decades of confrontation.


Mar 20, 2009 7:34 Updated Mar 20, 2009 15:55
Peres greets Iranians in Persian on Iranian new year festival (click here)
By JPOST.COM STAFF AND AP
President Shimon Peres issued an audio greeting to the Iranian people, urging them to shake off the rule of "an oppressive and fanatical regime" and return to relations of peace and harmony with Israel, which, he recalled, the two countries enjoyed when the Shah was in power, until 1979. He called on the "noble Iranian people" to eschew the rhetoric of hate and even offered a greeting for Nowruz, the Iranian New Year, in Persian....



Last update - 19:56 20/03/2009
Peres to Iran: Reclaim your rightful place among 'enlightened nations' (click here)
By Haaretz Service
President Shimon Peres has recently issued a special message to the Iranian people, ahead of the Iranian holiday Nowruz, which symbolizes the start a new year, urging the Iranian people to reclaim their place among "enlightened nations." "With great pleasure, I offer you this blessing on your holiday, a day of renewal that brings with it happiness and hope of a new day, of better days and a blessed new year," Peres began.
"Unfortunately, the relations between our two countries have hit a low point, stemming from ideas that compel your leaders to act in every possible way against the state of Israel and its people. But I am convinced that the day is not far off when our two nations will restore good neighborly relations and cooperation in thriving in every way," he went on to say....

So if an Iranian wishes you Happy Holidays and follows it with a question regarding the intention of the greetings from the USA and Israel. You might want to answer, "The agreement was PEACEFUL use of nuclear power, not production of fissil material for nuclear weapons. So, what do you think the greeting is all about?"

One might note in the article below, the word the man is using is PROGRESS.

PROGESS is not PEACEFUL. DISARMAMENT is PEACEFUL.


Last update - 17:27 20/03/2009
Iran supreme leader: No one can stop our nuclear progress (click here)
By Reuters
Iran has shown world powers they cannot block its nuclear progress, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Friday, but he made no mention of a new message by U.S. President Barack Obama to his country. In a separate recorded speech to mark the Iranian New Year, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said global powers had reached a "dead end". But he too made no mention of Obama's videotaped offer of a "new beginning" of diplomatic engagement. Khamenei said Iran, the world's fourth-largest oil producer, had managed to limit the impact of the global economic downturn and of sanctions imposed on it over its nuclear activities.
Advertisement
Iran and the United States are embroiled in a dispute over Tehran's nuclear program, which Washington and its allies suspect is aimed at making bombs. Tehran says the program is for peaceful power generation....

Zoos

American Zoos have to 'incorporate' their conservation efforts separately as a non-profit and different from any amusement areas or rides at the zoos.

The stimulus package is not meant to increase American's past time, so much as increase employment opportunity with a focus in changing the American infrastructure regarding Climate Change, the nation's health and new technologies.


Zoos have been an important venue to educating the public about Climate Change and Human Induced Global Warming in the 'void' of any mention during eight oppressive years of environmental awareness. To be completely fair.



Endangered primate gives birth to triplets in Michigan City (click here)
Posted: 10:41 PM Mar 19, 2009Last Updated: 10:41 PM Mar 19, 2009
First a woman made big news for having octuplets, and now a monkey is making news for having triplets.
It might not seem as big a deal as eight, but for cotton-top tamarins, triplets are very rare.
They were born at the Washington Park Zoo in Michigan City a few weeks ago.
It's hard to see them in the video linked at the top of this story, but the newborns are holding onto their parent's back.
Usually, this type of monkey gives birth to twins once a year.
Cotton-top tamarins are one of the most endangered primates in the world.



3/14/2009 11:00:00 AM
Tamarins born recently at zoo (click here)
Laurie Wink
The News-Dispatch
MICHIGAN CITY - Triplet cotton top tamarins born two weeks ago at the Washington Park Zoo have brought the local family to nine members.
Jamie Huss, zoo assistant director and primate keeper, is giving special attention to baby Chloe, who was found lying on the floor and basically ignored by her mother, who was busy caring for the other two babies. Huss initially thought Chloe wouldn't stay alive. She's been feeding Chloe with an eye dropper every few hours."She's getting over pneumonia," Huss said, "and is on antibiotics." Just like a human baby, Chloe has a vaporizer and heating pad to help her get better, and is kept in a glassed-in portable nursery. Huss said Chloe was born full-term and weighs only one-tenth of a pound. She is 6 inches long and has a 6-inch tail. Adults weigh up to 1 1/2 pounds and grow to only 8 inches. The birth of triplet cotton top tamarins is unusual, according to zoo director Johnnie Martinez. He waited for a few weeks before announcing the birth, to make sure Chloe was healthy.
Martinez said the cotton top tamarins are an endangered species of mini-primates found only in northern Columbia in South America. The total world population is an estimated 2,000 to 3,000.In the zoo, the cotton top tamarins eat fruits and vegetables, monkey biscuits, meal worms and marmoset diet. They have only one female and one male who reproduce and the entire family helps with the young, carrying infants on their backs. Until she can be reintroduced to her family, Chloe is clinging on to a stuffed teddy bear.
Contact Laurie Wink at lwink@thenewsdispatch.com.



Zoos and aquariums questioning stimulus bar (click here)
WILLIAM MULLEN CHICAGO TRIBUNE
Published: March 14, 2009
CHICAGO - Long counted as cultural, educational and economic treasures in their communities, American zoos and aquariums were more than a little upset when the $787 billion economic stimulus package signed into law recently expressly denied them any of the money.
"None of the funds appropriated or otherwise made available in this Act may be used by any State or local government, or any private entity, for any casino or other gambling establishment, aquarium, zoo, golf course, or swimming pool," the legislation states.
Being lumped in with casinos and golf courses on a scale of civic merit was insult added to injury. At a time when philanthropic giving is shrinking along with the economy, being denied a source of funding hurts.
"Zoos and aquariums don't belong on that list," said Steve Feldman, spokesman for the American Association of Zoos and Aquariums, the trade group for the industry.
They are among the most popular family and tourist attractions, they are crucial conservation centers and, he said, they contribute $8.4 billion to the gross domestic product and more than 100,000 jobs annually....


Cute 8 Month Old Lion Cubs Will Be On Exhibit At Naples Zoo Saturday Morning (click here)
By Tim L. Tetzlaff
Naples, FL - Just 8-months-old, these South African lions are as adorable as they are rare. Weighing in about 90 lbs., brother and sister will be romping in a newly renovated exhibit. Naples Zoo members get a preview Saturday at 8 a.m. Accredited institutions like Naples Zoo have the responsibility to provide safe havens for purebred animals that represent their relatives in the wild.
Although they were born at the NEW Zoo in Wisconsin, 4378 Reforestation RdGreen Bay, WI 54313 (click here) the genetics of these young cats can be directly traced to southern African populations. In order to maintain a genetically diverse population outside the wild for at least 100 years, these lions participate in a Species Survival Plan® coordinated by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. In a few years, the Zoo will exchange with another zoo to breed this rare subspecies....


Order your engraved brick now and be one of the first to have your brick placed on the ramp leading to the Giraffe Exhibit. (click here)
All orders received by March 1, 2010 will be placed by the Giraffe Exhibit in July of 2010.

...The New Zoo is self funded. Revenue generated by admissions, exhibits, concessions, and your generosity keep us going and allow us to expand. Another major source of funding for the continuation of growth at the New Zoo comes from the sale of personalized paving bricks. The bricks are and will be used to pave the terraces of the Visitors Center, the Education Center, and along the pathways of many of your favorite animal exhibits....

In Zoo Cuts, It’s Man vs. Beast
AS in other cities, the shocks of the economic collapse have reverberated throughout Chicago, from the commodities exchanges in the Loop, past the fancy storefronts on Michigan Avenue and into the residential and commercial neighborhoods across the city’s inland expanses.
But the gloom has also spread north along Lake Michigan, through the gates of the Lincoln Park Zoo on the lakefront and right into the Regenstein Center for African Apes. There, the gorillas are no longer getting their blueberries.
Facing a budget shortfall of more than $1 million because of endowment losses, the 140-year-old zoo has had to cut back where possible. "Blueberries are pretty expensive," said Steven D. Thompson, senior vice president for conservation and science programs. "And there are lots of other things we can use as treats."
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/19/arts/artsspecial/19zoo.html?_r=1


Smithsonian's National Zoo announces birth of a giant anteater born March 12
The Smithsonian's National Zoo is pleased to announce the birth of a giant anteater born yesterday, March 12, in an indoor enclosure. This is only the second giant anteater to be born in the history of the Zoo.
(Media-Newswire.com) - The Smithsonian’s National Zoo is pleased to announce the birth of a giant anteater born yesterday, March 12, in an indoor enclosure. This is only the second giant anteater to be born in the history of the Zoo.National Zoo animal care staff and veterinarians have been closely monitoring mother Maripi ( ma-RIP-ee ) for the past six months, performing weekly ultrasounds and other diagnostics. Staff expected Maripi to give birth in mid to late March based on the typical gestation period of giant
anteaters.National Zoo staff has yet to determine the baby’s gender or weight—and may not for some time. Maripi is showing excellent maternal instinct in caring for her baby and is very patient as the baby nurses and negotiates various techniques of climbing onto mother’s back. Staff will make every effort to not disturb the animals, allowing time for mother and baby to bond.The baby’s father, Dante—who is separated from mother and baby—plays no part in the rearing of offspring. This is the second offspring of Maripi and Dante. In summer 2007, Maripi gave birth to a female, Aurora, who now resides at the Zoo Parc de Beauval in France.Mother and baby will remain off exhibit until further notice. Dante can be seen on exhibit in next to Lemur Island, weather depending.
http://media-newswire.com/release_1087855.html

New head of NOAA says science will guide policy
By JEFF BARNARDASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
GRANTS PASS, Ore. -- The new head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will not only be talking the talk on global warming, she will be walking the walk - eight blocks from the Metro station to her office.
Former Oregon State University marine biologist Jane Lubchenco had planned to rent a small apartment close enough to walk to her offices in the nation's capital, but got sticker shock when she saw the prices - $5,000 for a one-bedroom apartment - enough to finance a large house back home.
So she settled for a little place in the Cleveland Park neighborhood near the Red Line station, walking distance from grocery stores, drug stores and parks, though not the coastal marine ecosystems that have been her lifelong interest.

http://www.seattlepi.com/national/1155ap_sci_lubchenco.html

Forum Moves Water Higher Up Global Priority List

AP Photo
24 months ago
Mexico's Environmental Secretary Jose Luis Luege Tamargo, second right, talks as Istanbul Mayor Kadir Topbas, left, Turkey's Energy Minister Hilmi Guler, second left, and Loic Fauchon, president of the non-governmental group the World Water Council, right, applaud during a ceremony at the 5th World Water Forum launch meeting in Istanbul, Turkey, Tuesday, March 20, 2007. Turkey officially launched preparations to host the fifth World Water Forum in 2009, a major conference where dozens of countries will discuss ways to better manage the water resources around the world. Turkey took over the chair of the conference in a ceremony from Mexico, which hosted the fourth forum last year when participants called for solutions to shortages and inequalities in the most basic of commodities.

...Rivers shared by neighboring countries provide an estimated 60 percent of the world's freshwater. There are 260 international river basins in the world, which cover nearly half of the Earth's surface and are home to 40 percent of the world's population....

One of the reasons Iraq will never fall into complete chaos and increased threat to the nations of its region or the USA, is because the issues facing it will be incredibly important to the survival of its people. The war is a 'focus' because of the violence itself brings to Iraq, but, once the USA is gone from its turbulence the country will still have enormous problems to handle with little time for war.

Turkey, Syria cooperate on water front (click here)

With water in the Middle East being depleted and demand growing fast, Turkey and Syria have put their differences aside and begun findings ways to share water equitably through innovative projects.

One project both countries agreed in principle to develop is the Asi Friendship Dam, to be built on the Asi (Orontes) River on the border between Syria and Turkey. The Asi River originates in Syria and flows through Turkey's Hatay province before spilling into the Mediterranean Sea.
A Turkish team of technical experts will go to Syria this weekend to start work on mapping, with feasibility studies soon to follow, said sources from the State Waterworks Authority (DSİ) who requested to remain anonymous....

Eliot Spitzer, the man that someday may still be President.

Spitzer expounds: (click here)
"..the numbers are just astronomical. The initial payment was $80 billion, and there have been subsequent payments bringing it up to about $183 billion, which to put it in perspective is larger by significant percentage than the entire budget of the state of New York for the fiscal year, but for much of that money, AIG was a conduit. It was given to AIG, and AIG then shipped it on through to other firms. My question is, when the group got together, and as we best understand it, it was Mr. Bernanke and Tim Geithner and Hank Paulson, and Lloyd Blankfein, I think was there as well, the CEO of Goldman. When they got together last fall and decided very, very quickly that AIG needed $80 billion. Why did they make that determination? That is the issue Congress should be probing."
Spitzer's comments have been echoed by many on Wall Street and in business media. The Street.com reports that $22.4 billion of $118.4 billion government capital infusion was given to a dozen financial firms that includes Goldman, BofA and J.P. Morgan....

How many times after October when Paulson and Bush pulled the scam of the century did I say, "I wish Eliot Spitzer were in office today." I can't count the number of times I said that to myself.

He made a brief appearance on Wolf Blitzer's Situation Room and his words rang true like I knew they would. He stated, "The relationship between AIG and Goldman Sachs should be investigated."

Thank you, Eliot. Thank you, I am glad you are still there. He appears on CNN on Sunday at 1PM according to Blitzer. Check the TV listings to be sure. I can't wait !!!!!!

...Spitzer told WNYC radio politicians who focus on the huge bonuses paid out by AIG are missing the larger picture.


"The bonuses are the flavor of the month," Spitzer said. "You see the word bonus in a headline, someone gets a subpoena two minutes later."


Cuomo has led the charge against the bonuses AIG paid out after getting a taxpayer-funded bailout.


"This is typical political screaming and shouting and missing the larger issue," which, he said, is that AIG is funneling bailout money to cash-rich firms like Goldman Sachs and Bank of America...

Goldman holds fire on repayment (click here)
Goldman Sachs has yet to speak to the US Treasury about repaying its $10bn (£7bn) preferred equity stake despite its desire to pay the funds back.

By James Quinn, Wall Street Correspondent

Last Updated: 5:23PM GMT 18 Feb 2009

The Daily Telegraph has learnt that there have been no conversations between Treasury officials and Goldman management on the subject and none are scheduled.
Two weeks ago, Goldman chief financial officer David Viniar declared that the bank would like to repay its TARP money by the end of the year, but gave no timetable.

Since then, speculation has increased about when Goldman will make its move, given the pay restrictions the bank may have to impose if it holds on to the money.
Of the restrictions, Mr Viniar said Goldman wanted "to get out from under that" by the end of this year and could issue preferred shares to private invesotrs to replace the government funds. Goldman declined to comment.
Repayment of the funds - which brought with them restrictions on bankers pay and bonuses, following 11th-hour amendments to the $787bn fiscal stimulus bill - is subject to approval by the Treasury and regulators, including the Securities and Exchange Commission.
In addition, before Goldman can repay the money, it has under the terms of the agreement to raise the same amount from the private markets, something which remains difficult given the uncertainty in the capital markets....

Eliot Spitzer: We were approached by some sources who said that AIG (click here for audio), which was at the time guided by Hank Greenberg as CEO, was, to speak in street vernacular, juicing its books by creating false reinsurance contracts that would appear to add capital to its balance sheet. Now that sounds all very complicated but, what it really means is they were playing games with their accounting in order to look stronger than they were. Hank Greenberg, there are tapes that prove this, was very, very concerned with any, even minor, fluctuation in their stock evaluation.

These contracts, it was alleged, were designed to make them look better in the eyes of Wall Street. We investigated, brought a civil case to settlement of $1.4 billion. At the time, $1.4 billion seemed like a lot of money. It was the biggest financial settlement ever. The board removed Hank Greenberg because he invoked the Fifth Amendment, when he was asked about this. Four people were charged criminally and convicted for basically playing games. But it lead us to inquire and to probe into the inner workings of the company and what we saw was a mess....

Currently, Wall Street entities would like to divide AIG into 'separate entities.' Wall Street would like to sell off the profitable insurance structure at AIG to MetLife or other companies able to take over that aspect of the company. As soon as the insurance section of AIG is sold off, the 'securities' entity will fail because there is no viable income from that end of the company.

The current CEO whom have dedicated some retirement days to overseeing AIG into solvency for the American people, believes as soon as the securities are dissolved, AIG will be a profitable business with incomes over one trillion per year.

It is in the best interest of the American people that AIG remain intact and pay back the loans extended to the company.

If Wall Street has its way, when the insurance sector of AIG is sold, the 'bill' to the American people will be left unpaid as soon as the securities division fails.

If AIG comes out of this crisis as a viable insurance company with global reach, it will employ people into retirement for decades to come.

There needs to be profound changes made in the culture of Wall Street. To date, nothing has changed because someone has 'brain washed' the federal government that it would be better not to change anything in a crisis. It's nonsense and sincere regulation needs to take place along with a new culture of 'truth' and 'benevolence.'

...The Wall Street Journal Editorial Page, I think everyone should keep in mind speaks to an ideology that is precisely the ideology of that last 10 years that got us to where we are. Never wanting a regulatory framework that would require either adequate capital, reasonable controls, or an examination of the types of remarkably outsized risks that we are talking about. So you have a clear ideological choice to be made here. Either The Wall Street Journal Editorial Page or the one that I think we are all now gravitating towards which is sound, reasonable regulation....

The Real AIG ScandalIt's not the bonuses. It's that AIG's counterparties are getting paid back in full. (click here)

By Eliot Spitzer

Posted Tuesday, March 17, 2009, at 10:41 AM ET

...The appearance that this was all an inside job is overwhelming. AIG was nothing more than a conduit for huge capital flows to the same old suspects, with no reason or explanation....

The problem with Bernanke. The latest cliche, "Don't change the rules in an economic crisis."

Welcome to the Bernanke Big Top where egos are more important than economic stability.

We need regulation and we need to get rid of Bernanke !!!!!!!!! The entire set of values surrounding the USA economy at this point is becoming immoral with the catering to Wall Street and its global focus.

Dollar Rally Crumbles as Fed Ramps Up Printing Press (Update3) (click here)
By Oliver Biggadike and Ye Xie
... Fed policy makers said yesterday they plan to buy as much as $300 billion of U.S. government bonds and step up purchases of mortgage bonds, expanding the central bank’s balance sheet by as much as $1.15 trillion. The extra supply of dollars threatens to overwhelm investors just as the budget deficit swells.
The trade-weighted Dollar Index, which tracks the currency’s performance against the euro, yen, pound, Canadian dollar, Swiss franc and Swedish krona, tumbled 2.7 percent to 84.595, its biggest one-day drop since 1971. That pushed its decline to 5.6 percent since reaching 89.62 on March 4, the highest in almost four years....
...sell the dollar!” said Scott Ainsbury, a portfolio manager who helps manage about $12 billion in currencies at New York-based hedge fund FX Concepts Inc. “This is huge, huge. It’s equivalent to the Plaza accord. This is the last thing they have in the closet, and they used it a bit early.”...
...Yields on 10-year Treasuries declined the most since 1962 after the Fed said it would concentrate purchases in notes due from two to 10 years. The central bank is expanding its quantitative easing policy, which already includes agency and mortgage debt, to more than $1.85 trillion in securities....



"...where the standard rules don't apply. In particular, the argument goes, when there are idle resources lying around, the traditional economic problem of scarcity disappears. The government can prime the pump by throwing borrowed money around, and this can only boost total output, because employed workers produce more than unemployed workers."

He is processing the gross misunderstanding that 'tickle down' works. We know from Bush 41 that 'tickle down' is a myth. It doesn't work. Bernanke is infusing money into the "W"rong place. By indulging financial institutions, Ben Bernanke is stating the old method of trickle down will actually produce jobs in the USA. It won't. The financial institutions that Mr. Bernanke caters to are global international entities with interests in far different places than the USA's backyard.

If Bernanke is allowed to continue in his 'dreamscape' the monies will disappear no different than the Bush/Paulson TARP funds. Bernanke is known for lacking structure in all his policies. He has no intention of defining the use of these funds, monitoring their distribution and quite frankly what will occur is that the USA Fed will be bailing out the entire global economy while being tied to insoluable debt without a growing work force and tax base.

Those monies will disappear, but, they will not generate jobs and hence there will be no house sales. Bernanke cannot make consumers spend and there in lies the problem. The majority of the USA's GDP, to date, relies on consumer spending. It is an economy based on the idea that Americans are wealthy and don't need to work so much as invest.

Bernanke and those like him lack the insight to realize until the USA changes its methods of generating GDP as translated into labor there won't be a recovery. Bernanke can't give houses away, even with a record low mortgage rate, no matter what he tries, simply because, there aren't people 'solvent' to pay for them. The tragic reality of this economic train wreck is when home owners declared bankruptcy it wasn't simply to get out of debt they can't afford and start over, it is because they lost everything. They lost their jobs, equity and assets. There is nothing on the other side of the bankruptcy that can act as a mechanism to 'rebuild' lives.

The crash occurred because of exploitive government with literally no direction except the purpose of exploitation for greed. The hollow Republican adminnistration literally crashed an economy that has no way of regenerating itself. The purpose of the USA over the past eight years has been meaningless. The huge pork barrel budgets of the Republicans dominated the legislature for 'ideological' reasons. There was no solid substance to any of it. It is nearly unfathomable to realize eight years of Republican pork and legislature had no purpose except to legislate morality and defense spending. Even the defense spending served no purpose. The war in Iraq had no basis of purpose and still doesn't except for the fear of the unknown should we leave. The Republican crony spending achieved nothing but a government supported economy in areas that could not be outsourced for greater profit taking. There was no substantive growth in job sectors and when the USA stopped funding an ideology, the economy tanked.

Bernanke's trillion has no meaning, it is not linked with supportive structures that will infuse monies to producing jobs. The Bernanke trillion will go to institutions with debt in other markets and will have no return to economic revitalization of the USA.

Bernanke's only reason for putting forth a trillion US for the global institutions is that it wasn't done during The Great Depression and the lack of monies caused an increase in the contracture for business. That is not the case here. Since the years of the Great Depression, USA businesses and interests have too many tenticles to other markets and foreign lending with obligations outside the USA. The stimulus packages President Obama has put forward including his 2010 budget specifically addresses the revitalization of the USA and its labor force to bring about personal incomes that translate into economic regrowth.

Bernanke is "W"rong and sadly he has no 'idea' for anything different except the lessons of the past which he disregards when it comes to regulation, which the lack of caused these problems in the first place. He needs to be removed from the Fed. There is no predicting his next move and the demise of the USA dollar and vastly increasing debt.

This is profoundly where everything Bernanke is doing falls apart.

President Obama has developed an 'Auto Team' to revitalize the auto industry. In the article below there are guaranteed loans to auto supplier in the amount of $5 billion. Those loan guarantees coming directly from the USA Treasury to banks should not be necessary as the Fed just released an additional trillion US dollar bills to supposedly 'shore up' the banks to they could lend to the auto suppliers and the auto makers. If the suppliers already have made deliveries to the auto makers and are waiting for payment which is slowed by the credit crunch Bernanke's trillion is all that should have to be accessed. The suppliers delivered their product and the automakers have to pay their invoices. Why are there guarantees attached to these monies with a new glut of a trillion US sitting around for the banks to simply pay the suppliers? There are monies available for GM to borrow and it eliminates the need for bailout funds.

Thursday, March 19, 2009
Auto panel focuses on help for suppliers (click here)
Obama administration seeks to guarantee loans in effort to infuse cash to struggling parts makers.
David Shepardson and Gordon Trowbridge / Detroit News Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON -- The Obama administration's effort to aid struggling auto suppliers is focused on a program to provide guarantees for billions of dollars in money owed to parts makers -- a move that could provide them with badly needed cash.
A number of major suppliers are on the brink of bankruptcy in the face of dramatically lower auto production, and the so-called "credit insurance" program, would enable them to borrow from banks based on what they are owed from automakers.
The government would guarantee the payments if the automaker went bankrupt and could not pay the suppliers' bills....

As far as I am concerned this is double dipping. The bailout of any entity, be it auto makers or banks is completely unnecessary with this new glut of monies, UNLESS, one is stating the 'viability / solvency' of these industries is doomed. Is it? Is the future of automakers doomed and therefore bankruptcy is inevitable and they are not credit worthy? Really? Could have fooled me.

Bernanke's actions are meaningless because they don't have 'targets' as do the stimulus or the automaker bailout funds. The monies proposed to rescue the automakers are for the purpose of revitalizing the USA industry. If not, then there is no reason to proceed. In the case of GM, I do believe their direct funding by the bailout will result in USA jobs and a stable auto economy. The monies Bernanke flooded the market with yesterday have no sincere delivery point except banks and it could be any bank funding anyone or any company. His actions make no sense in the face of a bailout for industries sensitive to the USA recovery.

The Obama Administration needs to concentrate on issues of regulation across the spectrum of the cabinet and stop playing with faux monies.

If this administration wants to stop the continually growing 'complications' of Wall Street to the global economic crisis, then dissove the Fed. That would be a good start.

They are overplaying their hand. Jerks.

There are numerous reasons that the markets fluctuate and one of the most constant factors in the housing market is the interest rate. (click here)

Monthly Average Commitment Rate And Points On 30-Year Fixed-Rate Mortgages Since 1971 (click title to entry - thank you)

Mortgage February 2009 - 5.05

Mortgage February 2008 - 5.92

Mortgage February 2000 - 8.33

Mortgage February 1990 - 10.20

TOPWRAP 7-Fed to buy Treasuries; UK unemployment at 2 mln (click here)
Wed Mar 18, 2009 3:31pm EDT

...The Fed also said it would expand its purchases of mortgage related debt in a bid to lower U.S. home mortgage rates and support the ailing U.S. housing market.

The Fed had already exhausted its main monetary policy lever by lowering benchmark interest rates to between zero and 0.25 percent last December, and many had expected it would soon follow Japan and Britain in pumping money directly into the system.
"This is a pretty dramatic move," said James Caron, head of global rates research at Morgan Stanley in New York. "We think they are buying maturities over seven years. They are trying to bring down all consumer rates."...

Fire Bernanke. He hasn't got a clue. I am sure there is an arrest warrant somewhere in China for him !

Daniel Tarullo, who was designated for a Federal Reserve seat by President-elect Barack Obama, speaks during a news conference in Chicago, Thursday, Dec. 18, 2008. Also introduced was Mary Schapiro, left, as his designate for Securities and Exchange Commission chairman and Gary Gensler, right, as his designate for Commodity Futures Trading Commission chairman and (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Shapiro is right about one thing, there needs to be enough staff at the SEC to close the gap on fraud and accountability. There is no way the USA should be siding with Bernanke to carry out more fraud as started under Paulson. A trillion dollars worth is an outrage. How could any Fed Chairman determine SINKING a trillion of funding into more securities will cure the ills. It is MORE of the SAME from the Bush White House and Bernanke needs to go !!! There is no dumping $1,000,000,000,000 into this mess while there isn't even enough safeguards in place to understand what happened under Bush and Paulson or even cast safeguards against it happening again. This is an outrage !!!!!!!!!!

SEC Calls For More Funds To Avert Cuts In Operations (click here)
By Zachary A. Goldfarb
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, March 12, 2009; Page D01
Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Mary Schapiro warned yesterday that the agency will "make significant cuts in its current operations" this year unless Congress authorizes it to spend more money.
Responding to concerns that the agency failed to detect the alleged Bernard L. Madoff fraud, Schapiro said the SEC is working to improve collection of tips and complaints and detect wrongdoing early on.
"I do not believe it would be wise for the SEC to retrench during such perilous times in our markets," she told a House appropriations subcommittee....



Lawmakers Rally to Restore Uptick Rule (click here)
Washington, D.C. (March 18, 2009) By WebCPA staff
Lawmakers continue to apply pressure to the Securities and Exchange Commission to reinstate a Depression-era rule that prevents traders from short-selling stocks whose share prices are falling.
Sens. Ted Kaufman, D-Del., and Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., have floated a bill requiring the commission to restore the “uptick” rule, which had been discontinued in 2007. Proponents of the reinstatement hope it will discourage selling frenzies. SEC Chairman Mary Schapiro indicated that she was in favor of revisiting the issue of resurrecting the uptick rule. A vote on the rule is scheduled for April 8.

The government's power to avert disaster has been gutted through loss of staff (TAX CUTS AND DOWNSIZING GOVERNMENT) by eight years of Bush and six years of Republican domination. The sad truth is that the USA has to re-establish its 'governance' principles in order to return the country to 'functioning.' The move by Bernanke is to allow more exploitation of the USA dollar and the people of the country. It is more than obvious as there is little more he can 'pull out of his hat' to attempt a recovery. The idea that dumping a trillion dollars onto a corrupt and still corruptible securities market before safeguards are in place or a clear understanding of the 'cause' of this mess is simply the most irresponsible move a Fed Chairman could make. Ain't no way this should be occuring. The 'Obama Stimulus' package over 10 years is working. The SEC needs to be supported in the reestablishment of staff and investigations that reveal the underlying truths of the destruction of the American economy. More jobs, more tax base and the USA will reestablish its economy. Bernanke has to go.

UPDATE 2-SEC looks at more short-selling measures (click here)
Wed Mar 11, 2009 4:43pm EDT
* SEC chief aims to issue uptick rule proposal in April
* SEC chief says more funding needed for fiscal 2009
* SEC mulls asking Congress to expand whistleblower laws
(Recasts with uptick rule plan, adds comments by Schapiro,
other details)
By Rachelle Younglai
WASHINGTON, March 11 (Reuters) - The U.S. Securities and
Exchange Commission aims to issue a proposal in April to restore
the so-called uptick rule and will look at other ways to address
short-selling in the stock market, SEC Chairwoman Mary Schapiro
said on Wednesday....

SEC charges Madoff auditors with fraud (click here)

By MarketWatch
Last update: 11:05 a.m. EDT March 18, 2009

BOSTON (MarketWatch) -- The Securities and Exchange Commission on Wednesday charged the auditors of Bernard Madoff's broker-dealer firm with securities fraud by representing they had performed legitimate audits. The SEC alleged that certified public accountant David Friehling and his firm purported to audit financial statements and disclosures of Madoff's firm, which was at the center of a gigantic Ponzi scheme. "I will ensure that we continue this investigation and hold accountable all those who helped to facilitate this massive fraud," said new SEC Chairman Mary Schapiro in a press release.

There is OBVIOUS fraud and mismanagement with the funds Paulson and Bernanke put forward in TARP. The TARP funds were supposed to purchase bad loans and derivatives. It didn't work because the monies went to pay bills. The financial sector is now HOOKED on this vast spending plan while the Treasury simply prints more money. If TARP didn't work because it was redirected by the banks that took the funds realizing they never had to account for it, why do it again only bigger. Bernanke IS the problem, get rid of him ! It's fraud, it is stealing the future of the USA away from the people and it is a direct insult to the country's sovereignty.

Bernanke isn't even taking into account that Obama and Geithner have already proposed other instruments for purchasing the bad bank loans. The plans are already in the works so people can keep their homes and refinance and the housing market can return to some stability. Bernanke has tunnel vision and sees no restoration of government, but, only the private sector. Bernanke at this point is a toxic asset to the USA. He just is.

Is Cox (click here) still at the SEC?

WHY ?!?!?!?!




It is called a DEPRESSION.

It is called a CRASH.

Widening the tax base by creating jobs across the spectrum of the USA populous is the only 'flyin' way out of this mess and these lunatics need to be replaced and NOW !!!!!!!!!!!!

Fed to Buy $1 Trillion in Securities to Aid Economy

...As expected, the Fed kept its benchmark interest rate at virtually zero. But in a surprise, it dramatically increased the amount of money it will create out of thin air to thaw out the still-frozen credit markets that have cramped lending to consumers and businesses alike....

Geithner takes his lumps along with everyone else. I don't believe he thought he'd be tapped for Treasury.

Tim Geithner May Take Loss on Home Sale (click here)
March 16, 2009 01:19 PM ET
...Geithner, now living in Washington, is trying to sell his five-bedroom Tudor home in the New York City suburbs, and it looks like he'll be taking a loss even if he gets his asking price.
The house, which has a Larchmont mailing address but is just outside that village in the town of Mamaroneck, is listed at $1.635 million. Records show Geithner and his wife, Carole Sonnenfeld Geithner, paid a little less than that when they bought it in 2004 _ $1.602 million.
After their agent's fee and land transfer taxes, the Geithners will probably clear less than what they paid, said real estate agent Debbie Meiliken of Coldwell Banker in Scarsdale, who is among the agents showing the house to potential buyer…

Let's place the BLAME exactly where it belongs ! The 'bailout' for AIG was mastermind by Goldmans former CEO

The 'emergency' of the Bush White House in October of 2008 was never an emergency at all. It was profound neglect of a burgeoning crisis that started long before Paulson 'shock and awed' the world into the biggest 'bailout' for Goldman Sachs. I knew there had to be something going on before the 'emergency.' Restructuring has to occur and the idea the USA can continue to print dollar bills forever is hideous.

M-LEC: Restructuring Not Bailout (click here)
by: Roger Ehrenberg October 22, 2007
...Now, the ultimate Wall Street player and insider, Henry M. Paulson Jr., the Treasury secretary, has bestirred himself to take serious notice of the credit problems faced by some very big lenders. He wants to create a bailout fund in which banks that still appear sound buy some of the debt of the troubled players like Citigroup....


Banks May Pool Billions to Avert Securities Sell-Off (click here)
By ERIC DASH
Published: October 14, 2007
...Citigroup, Bank of America and JPMorgan Chase, along with several other financial institutions, have been meeting to come up with a plan to create a fund that could prevent a sharp sell-off in securities owned by bank-affiliated investment vehicles. The meetings, which began three weeks ago, have been orchestrated by senior officials at the Treasury Department, and the discussions have intensified in the last few days....
...The effort to create a backup fund began about three weeks ago, when the Treasury secretary, Henry M. Paulson, called a meeting in Washington that included the chief executives of Citigroup, Bank of America, JPMorgan and other big banks. With Wall Street firms having almost no luck finding buyers for mortgage-backed securities and derivatives, Mr. Paulson wanted to see what could be done to relieve the bottleneck....

Basically, the American people were left out of the picture entirely. The only focus Paulson took was to buoy the financial markets no matter the cost. Bush/Paulson/Bernanke had plenty of time to bring hearings and call on Congress to restructure issues that would disaffect the financial sector and they did NOTHING. Never once did Hankie Paulson ever consider the contracture that would occur that would ruin the American economy that supported American labor. Never once did Paulson come forward to bring an agenda of structured 'recovery' to the people of the USA. He and bush simply 'let it ride' scared of the outcome in 2008 and hoping the 'crash' would not come before the Presidential elections.

The monies that were paid in executive compensation were simply a 'matter of fact' for any business sector. Do executives ever sabotage their employers to 'take secrets' into other venues for their own profit? Sure they do, ask Bill Gates. The 'compensation' of executives in financial institutions take many forms, it was unconscionable for Paulson to even consider eliminating 'bad decision' makers from any payroll. After all he and The Decider were of the same 'stock.'



Goldman's share of AIG bailout money draws fire (click title to entry - thank you)
Wed Mar 18, 2009 4:46am EDT
By Paritosh Bansal - Analysis
NEW YORK (Reuters) - American International Group funneled over $90 billion of taxpayer bailout funds to various U.S. and European banks, but the biggest beneficiary was politically connected Goldman Sachs Group Inc....
....$12.9 billion AIG paid to Goldman Sachs -- where then-Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson had previously worked as chief executive -- in the months after the insurer was rescued by the government last September.
Goldman, for its part, has insisted it did not need the bailout money because it was "always fully collateralized and hedged."...
...Asked why Goldman Sachs took $12.9 billion of taxpayer money if it was collateralized and hedged on its AIG positions, DuVally said it was because AIG was not allowed to fail, so Goldman did not get money from hedges that would have paid out if the insurer had collapsed. And, he said, under the terms of its contracts with AIG, Goldman was entitled to collateral....

Of course. Then the monies that went to Goldman Sachs they didn't need, right? So, why then weren't those monies returned to the USA Treasury and the people of the USA? Have an answer for that one?

If Paulson was sincerely concerned for the USA Treasury BEFORE placing importance on the 'bailout' of Goldman Sachs liabilities, the 'salary scale' to top executives of the 'toxic division' of AIG should have been included in the bailout he proposed. But, if that were to take place that would mean the government would actually have to 'lean' on AIG in a manner the Republican Neocons never approved of in the first place. If one recalls the first $350 billion was a free for all and STILL isn't accounted for! That was the Paulson/Bush solution.

...Goldman was not the only large bank with exposure to AIG. The list of counterparties that AIG disclosed on Sunday included others that got large sums. Goldman was followed by Societe Generale with $11.9 billion, Deutsche Bank with $11.8 billion and Barclays PLC with $8.5 billion.
Moreover, the AIG disclosures are still incomplete in that they do not include payments to the banks since December 31.

In the article below, it is clearly noted that Standard and Poor's down graded AIG on four different occassions because their financial 'risk' was increasing after it embarked on 'experimental' financial tools in their Financial Products Division. Did anyone ever ask why AIG should have received any funds to 'support' its operation past its failure based upon recognized and long standing reliable ratings such as the S&P? No. Paulson simply jumped into the mess with two feet when Goldman Sachs was sure their 'hedging' was the best in the business and should follow the same course as time would prove the performance of the new products would win out. Hankie Paulson continued his lust for his $14,000 DOW on a gamble that in time AIG's products would turn a huge profit, or better yet, the products the company developed could be sold at auction as the American People's frustration with 'promised' returns to pay back the bailout failed.


Ratings Agency: We Started Downgrading AIG In 2005 (click here)
11:26 A.M.: UPDATED:
The Standard & Poor's executive in charge of issuing credit ratings on AIG started downgrading the insurance giant in 2005, he testified moments ago before a meeting of a subcommittee of the House Financial Services committee.
Rodney Clark, the managing director of S&P's ratings group, said that his company downgraded AIG four times since 2005 because of perceived trouble brewing with the credit default swaps sold by AIG's Financial Products division, which would likely have brought down the company had it not been for $173 billion in government bailout money.
AIG carried an AAA rating from S&P for many years, Clark said, but if the insurance giant were not propped up by the government right now, it would have a BB- rating, or junk....

When Paulson mastermind this entire 'bailout' for the financial sector before he was evicted from office, he stated the banks that would be saved would 'in a short period' of time return the funds to the American treasury. Never in the history of this country was $700 BILLION US ever legislated as a method to ? save ? a private sector. Never. In a matter of months $700 billion (That is seven hundred thousand units of $1,000,000 in funds) was to saturate the global markets and correct all the ills of the USA economy. Hasn't done it yet. But, of course, all those analysts will tell anyone, "But, but, but, the labor market is the last place you'll see a recovery."

In the article below it reminds the American people that there IS a way to save jobs and rebuild our economy that was ravaged by Wall Street. We don't live in a perfect world, however there are nearly 90% of the jobs saved at Catepillar due to the Obama Economic Stimulus. But, of course, in the case of bailing out Wall Street we'd have to be patient and wait for our jobs to be regenerated. Jobs that would be restructured to eliminate unions and a living wage. I don't think so !

Political Punch
Power, pop, and probings from ABC News Senior White House Correspondent Jake Tapper

The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Cont'd (click here)
March 17, 2009 7:03 PM

Caterpillar, Inc. today announced it intends to lay off 2,454 employees at five plants in three states -- including 911 employees at the plant in East Peoria, Ill., that President Obama visited in his push for Congress to pass the stimulus package.
As you may recall, on February 11, while campaigning in Virginia for his "Recovery and Reinvestment Act" to pass Congress, President Obama said that "Caterpillar, which manufactures machines used in this project has announced some 20,000 layoffs in the last few weeks. Today the chairman and CEO of Caterpillar said that if the American Recovery and Reinvestment plan passes, his company would be able to rehire some of those employees."
At the Caterpillar factory on February 12, President Obama said that Jim Owens, the CEO of Caterpillar, Inc., "said that if Congress passes our plan, this company will be able to rehire some of the folks who were just laid off."...

Protesters Greet Bush In Canada

If you can't take the heat stay out of the kitchen. It would be really interesting to actually have Bush criticize Obama. Like, what would say anyway?



A protester scuffles with police outside the venue where former U.S. President George W. Bush was speaking to an invited audience of Calgary businessmen on Tuesday, March 17, 2009. The event was Bush's first speaking engagement since leaving office in January. (AP Photo/Jeff McIntosh, The Canadian Press)




Bush says he won't criticize because Obama 'deserves my silence' (click here)
March 18, 2009
CALGARY, Alberta - Former president George W. Bush said yesterday that he won't criticize President Obama because Obama "deserves my silence," and said he plans to write a book about the 12 toughest decisions he made in office....