Thursday, June 30, 2011
50 U.S. Health Care Statistics That Will Absolutely Astonish You
The U.S. health care system has become one gigantic money making scam, and you are about to see the statistics that prove it. Read more...
WAY TO GO TSA!!! SO MUCH FOR PAT DOWNS HUH?
Investigation Launched After Nigerian Man Boards U.S. Plane With Expired Boarding Pass, No Passport
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/06/30/investigation-launched-after-nigerian-man-boards-us-plane-without-valid-id/#ixzz1QldCv0YQ
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
THIS MAKES A LOT OF SENSE... North Korea to Chair UN Disarmament Conference
Despite numerous breaches of arms embargoes and continued threats to expand its nuclear weapons program, North Korea has assumed the presidency of the United Nations Conference on Disarmament. In a speech to the 65-nation arms control forum in Geneva, the newly-appointed president, North Korean Ambassador So Se Pyong, said he was “very much committed to the Conference.”
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2011/06/29/north-korea-to-chair-un-disarmament-conference/#ixzz1Qhle9ni3
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
WHO NEEDS CONGRESS OR THE LAW...WHEN YOUR HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY.
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano denied that the Obama administration is trying to unilaterally execute immigration policies contained in the stalled DREAM Act -- but at the same time she said it "doesn't make sense" to deport illegal immigrant students who would be covered by the proposal. Her comments Tuesday on Capitol Hill suggest that even if the DREAM Act does not pass, federal immigration officials will not target illegal immigrants who would otherwise be given a reprieve under the bill.
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/06/28/napolitano-dhs-not-looking-to-deport-dream-act-students/#ixzz1QdjEFHEN
THE HEARTLAND’S FINANCIAL DISTRESS DICTATORSHIP: DECAYING MICHIGAN TOWN ON VERGE OF DEMOCRATIC COLLAPSE
Benton Harbor is one of approximately 100 towns in Michigan on the verge of fiscal collapse. Now economic desperation is bringing with it a sort of financial martial law. In light of Benton Harbor’s predicament Michigan lawmakers have opted for an extreme measure which gives unilateral authority to “emergency financial managers”. EMFs have complete authority to fire elected officials, close schools, void union contracts and even sell public property. Read more...
Monday, June 27, 2011
Rich Dad, Poor Dad, Prepper Dad? Even Robert Kiyosaki Is Warning That An Economic Collapse Is Coming!
Are you familiar with Robert Kiyosaki? He is best known for the "Rich Dad, Poor Dad" series of books. Over 26 million books authored by Kiyosaki have been sold and he is recognized as a financial expert by millions of people across the globe. Well, guess what? Even Robert Kiyosaki is warning that an economic collapse is coming. In fact, Kiyosaki and his team of financial experts are encouraging Americans to stock up on food, guns and precious metals. This is yet another sign of just how close we are to the total collapse of the U.S. Economy. Read more...
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Al Gore, Agenda 21 And Population Control
Imagine going to sleep one night and waking up many years later in a totally different world. In this futuristic world, literally everything you do is tightly monitored and controlled by control freak bureaucrats in the name of "sustainable development" and with the goal of promoting "the green agenda". An international ruling body has centralized global control over all human activity. What you eat, what you drink, where you live, how warm or cold your home can be and how much fuel you can use is determined by them. Read more...
Another Step Closer To A One World Religion: 50 U.S. Churches To Read From The Quran On Sunday
The three main pillars of the "New World Order" that the global elite want to bring about are a one world economy, a one world government and a one world religion. A lot of attention gets paid to the development of the first two pillars, but the third pillar gets very little attention. But the truth is that a one world religion is getting closer than ever. "Interfaith" conferences and meetings are being held with increasing frequency all over the globe. Read more...
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
WHO IS KEEPING TRACK OF THE TRILLIONS?
The Federal Reserve Awareness Project
Special request from the publisher of The Daily Bail. I am politely asking each and every one of you to send this video to 2 people. This is by far the most important video we've ever published - out of more than 15,000 - and as soon as you begin watching you will understand exactly why we need to get it in front of millions and millions of Americans. For a variety of reasons this clip resonates with virtually everyone who sees it, and your emails are the conduit. Please click HERE to pass it along to the next person. More than 4 million people have seen this clip and become aware of secret bailouts by the Federal Reserve. All because of you.
Monday, June 20, 2011
America for Sale: Is Goldman Sachs Buying Your City?
In Chicago, it's the sale of parking meters to the sovereign wealth fund of Abu Dhabi. In Indiana, it's the sale of the northern toll road to a Spanish and Australian joint venture. In Wisconsin it's public health and food programs, in California it's libraries. It's water treatment plants, schools, toll roads, airports, and power plants. It's Amtrak. There are revolving doors of corrupt politicians, big banks, and rating agencies. There are conflicts of interest. It's bipartisan. Read story...
ARE AMERICANS BECOMING MORE LIBERTARIAN-MINDED?
The basic definition of a libertarian is “a person who maintains the doctrine of free will,” but in political circles, the word becomes more complex, encompassing a wide range of perspectives on a litany of issues.
Generally speaking, though, libertarianism — in a practical sense — can be boiled down to a penchant for a more minimized governmental role in society and an increase in individual freedom and expression. Read more...
Sunday, June 19, 2011
THE ECONOMIC COLLAPSE: A Glimmer Of Hope
If you want to feel better about America, just spend some time in some of the really great small towns and rural communities that are scattered across this country. Read More...
Saturday, June 18, 2011
ROMNEY REFUSES TO SIGN PROMINENT PRO-LIFE GROUP’S PLEDGE
2012 hopeful Mitt Romney is taking heat today after news got out that he refused to sign a prominent pro-life group’s presidential pledge.
Romney, who has come under fire for his stance on abortion before, did not sign the Susan B. Anthony List’s 2012 Pro-life Presidential Leadership Pledge. The pledge, comprised of four statements, promises to appoint only “relevant” pro-life cabinet members as well push to end all taxpayer funded abortions. REST OF THE STORY....
Friday, June 17, 2011
CLIMATE CROOKS! RESEARCH CENTER UNDER FIRE FOR "ADJUSTED" SEA LEVEL DATA
"Gatekeepers of our sea level data are manufacturing a fictitious sea level rise that is not occurring," said James M. Taylor, a lawyer who focuses on environmental issues for the Heartland Institute.
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/06/17/research-center-under-fire-for-adjusted-sea-level-data/#ixzz1PYY0JP8f
IMF cuts U.S. growth forecast, warns of crisis
SAO PAULO (Reuters) - The International Monetary Fund cut its forecast for U.S. economic growth on Friday and warned Washington and debt-ridden European countries that they are "playing with fire" unless they take immediate steps to reduce their budget deficits. READ MORE...
Thursday, June 16, 2011
WHY THE WHEELS ARE FALLING OFF CHINA'S BOOM!
The rot in China's economy is deeper than inflation and malinvestment.
Despite their many differences, the economies of China and the U.S. share a number of key traits: both are corrupt, rigged, crony-Capitalist, rely on phony statistics and propaganda and operate with two sets of rules: one for the Elites, and another for the masses.
Given these similarities, it's no wonder that the wheels are falling off both economies. READ MORE...
Despite their many differences, the economies of China and the U.S. share a number of key traits: both are corrupt, rigged, crony-Capitalist, rely on phony statistics and propaganda and operate with two sets of rules: one for the Elites, and another for the masses.
Given these similarities, it's no wonder that the wheels are falling off both economies. READ MORE...
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
GLAD TO SEE OUR POLITICIANS ARE DOING SO WELL!
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) saw her net worth rise 62 percent last year, cementing her status as one of the wealthiest members of Congress.
Pelosi was worth at least $35.2 million in the 2010 calendar year, according to a financial disclosure report released Wednesday. She reported a minimum of $43.4 million in assets and about $8.2 milion in liabilities. Read more...
WE'RE NOT "AWAKE" YET...WHEN?
This week, the folks over at MRC TV took a camera to the White House and decided to see how well some tourists would do if they were asked some basic civics questions. And the results were horrendous:
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
SOROS-SPONSORED ‘AGENDA 21’ A HIDDEN PLAN FOR WORLD GOVERNMENT? PAY ATTENTION TO THIS!
At risk from Agenda 21;
Private Property ownership
Single-Family homes
Private car ownership and individual travel choices
Privately owned farms
Private Property ownership
Single-Family homes
Private car ownership and individual travel choices
Privately owned farms
THE COMING ECONOMIC HELL FOR AMERICAN FAMILIES
Tens of millions of American families are about to go through economic hell and most of them don't even realize it. Most Americans don't spend a whole lot of time thinking about things like "monetary policy" or "economic cycles". The vast majority of people just want to be able to get up in the morning, go to work and provide for their families.
If you look at the economic relapse that’s going on right now, look at Friday’s abysmal job numbers, look at the housing numbers, understand that all of this is taking place with record monetary and fiscal stimulus. What happens if we remove those supports? Read more....
Monday, June 13, 2011
OBAMA GETS BIG LAUGH AT EXPENSE OF UNEMPLOYED AMERICANS
Shovel-ready jobs were supposed to be a staple of Obama’s Recovery Act. It was a big justification for spending the money involved in the legislation. But soon after using the phrase to sell his recovery plan, word started leaking out there there was no such thing as a shovel-ready job. Obama himself admitted that. Read more....
FBI's New Rules to Give Agents More Leeway on Surveillance
"It's the government saying we can know all about your private life, but you can't know what the government is doing," Michael German, a former FBI agent now working with the American Civil Liberties Union, told FoxNews.com.
For instance, the new rules would allow agents to look up people on various databases without opening up a low-level inquiry known as an "assessment." Currently, agents have to take that formal step before looking into someone's background and provide some semblance of justification.
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/06/13/fbis-new-rules-to-give-agents-more-leeway-on-surveillance/#ixzz1PBwaTTQ4
For instance, the new rules would allow agents to look up people on various databases without opening up a low-level inquiry known as an "assessment." Currently, agents have to take that formal step before looking into someone's background and provide some semblance of justification.
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/06/13/fbis-new-rules-to-give-agents-more-leeway-on-surveillance/#ixzz1PBwaTTQ4
THE BLAZE: OBAMA GIVES NETANYAHU ULTIMATUM ON RESUMING TALKS
Israel Radio Reported Sunday that The United States gave Netanyahu an ultimatum on renewing negotiations with the Palestinians.
According to the ultimatum, Netanyahu has to decide within a month whether he agrees to accept US President Obama’s proposal and resume talks based on 1967 lines.
Sunday, June 12, 2011
THE GLOBE AND MAIL: ROMNEY'S IOWA SNUB MAKES CLEAR HIS CENTRIST PATH!.
“The bottom line for Romney is that the Republican primary electorate is more conservative than he is, no matter how much he tries to remake himself,” explained David Redlawsk, director of the Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, N.J.
ZERO HEDGE: THE FED’S $600 BILLION STEALTH BAILOUT OF FOREIGN BANKS CONTINUES AT THE EXPENSE OF THE DOMESTIC ECONOMY, OR EXPLAINING WHERE ALL THE QE2
In summary, instead of doing everything in its power to stimulate reserve, and thus cash, accumulation at domestic (US) banks which would in turn encourage lending to US borrowers, the Fed has been conducting yet another stealthy foreign bank rescue operation, which rerouted $600 billion in capital from potential borrowers to insolvent foreign financial institutions in the past 7 months. QE2 was nothing more (or less) than another European bank rescue operation!
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Friday, June 10, 2011
Fed Will Buy $50 Billion of Treasurys in Final QE2 Push
The flood of Federal Reserve money that has supported Wall Street and the rest of the U.S. economy for two and a half years will shrink to a trickle with the conclusion of the Fed's bond purchases announced Friday.
The Fed said it will buy $50 billion of Treasurys, the final series of government bond purchases that marks the last phase of the $600 billion program it launched in November 2010 to prevent another recession.
As a result, once the purchases are concluded June 30, the financial sector will receive only a fraction of the roughly $100 billion a month in easy money it has been getting from the Fed.
The conclusion of the Fed's bond-buying program, known as "Quantitative Easing 2," does not mean the stimulus will come to a complete stop. The Fed will reinvest maturing securities, mainly mortgage-related debt, which analysts predict will run at $12 billion to $16 billion per month.
While still a lot of money, it is a huge step down from stimulus levels at the height of the buying campaign, dubbed by markets as QE2 because it was the second round of Fed asset-buying in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis.
A key aim of QE2 was to hold down long-term interest rates to stimulate investment in capital equipment and risky assets.
It came almost eight months after the Fed's first round of bond purchases, primarily in mortgage-related securities.
The initial bout of quantitative easing, worth $1.73 trillion, began in December 2008 and ended in March 2010. It was created to stabilize the housing sector, which was the epicenter of the financial turmoil and has yet to show signs of recovery.
The Treasury bond component of the first round of purchases totaled $300 billion, from March to October 2009.
The Fed's buying assets has been controversial from the start. Critics say it is tantamount to printing money, and it has been credited with fueling a stock market rally but blamed for a surge in oil and food prices.
The end of QE2 has been well-flagged. The Fed said at the outset it would run until the end of June 2011.
Still, investors expect stocks, bonds, gold and the euro to fall after it ends, according to a Reuters poll of 64 analysts and fund managers last month.
Prominent Swiss Politician Calls For Arrest of Kissinger at Bilderberg
A prominent member of Switzerland’s largest political party has called upon federal authorities to arrest Henry Kissinger as a war criminal if he attends the 2011 Bilderberg conference of global power brokers which is set to begin on Thursday at the Hotel Suvretta House in St. Moritz....
Baettig is no fringe figure, he’s the equivalent of a US Congressman, representing the Canton of Jura on the National Council of Switzerland. His party, the Swiss People’s Party, is the largest party in the Federal Assembly, with 58 members of the National Council and 6 of the Council of States....click title for more.
Thursday, June 9, 2011
LEGENDARY INVESTOR: APPROACHING CRISIS ‘WORSE’ THAN ‘08, YUAN WILL BE SAFER THAN DOLLAR
Legendary investor Jim Rogers, CEO of Rogers Holdings, offered a very glum outlook on the U.S. economy yesterday. According to him, we’re headed for a crisis worse than 2008, the Chinese Yuan will soon be safer than the dollar, and Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke will probably institute another round of money-printing, or QE3.
“The debts that are in this country are skyrocketing,” he told CNBC. “In the last three years the government has spent staggering amounts of money and the Federal Reserve is taking on staggering amounts of debt.
“When the problems arise next time…what are they going to do? They can’t quadruple the debt again. They cannot print that much more money. It’s gonna be worse the next time around.”
He later added, “The U.S. is the largest debtor nation in the history of the world. The debts are going through the roof. Would you keep lending money to somebody who’s spending money and not doing anything about it? No you wouldn’t.”
Because of that, he said the Chinese Yuan will be a safer currency bet than the dollar. And what may even better is gold and silver: he’s hoping the price goes down on both so he can “pick up the phone and buy more.”
He’s also convinced Ben Bernanke, who he calls a “disaster,” will institute another round of quantitative easing, essentially printing money, later this year.
“They’re gonna bring it back because [Bernanke will] be terrified and Washington will be terrified,” he said. “There’s an election coming in November 2012. Washington’s gonna print more money.”
According to him “draconian” cuts will be needed to control U.S. debt:
Rogers comments come as a new poll reveals nearly half of Americans expect another Great Depression in the next 12 months.
The New GBTV ‘PRETTY AMBITIOUS’: BECK’S GBTV PLAN INTRIGUES MEDIA
When Glenn Beck announced his new endeavor to bring a TV station to the internet, exclusively, people took notice. And while there were those who asked, How could that work?, there were others who realized it is truly a groundbreaking endeavor. In fact, some in the media are intrigued and excited about what it could mean for the future of television (or, webevision?)
Regarding the launch of the network, which took place via an hour-long web show Wednesday, Business Insider called it “impressive” while adding:
What‘s clear is that Beck’s team has no real interest in producing a web show; they fully intend to turn-out a high quality television show that just happens to air on the web.
It’s a strategy that has a resulted in a lot of speculation and skepticism from media types (and presumably the attention of a LOT of media execs) but which in the viewing feels like far less of a stretch — watching TV online isn’t exactly a new thing, in fact it’d be interesting to know how many people actually see the Daily Show during its airtime vs. next day clip viewing.
The site Gigaom.com says one‘s politics shouldn’t factor into what he thinks of the idea:
Think what you will about Glenn Beck’s politics, you have to admit his newest venture is pretty ambitious: Beck is launching a subscription-only online TV network this week. GBTV, as the venture is called, promises “a mix of news, information and entertainment programs,” but its biggest attraction is undoubtedly a daily two-hour talk show hosted by Beck himself.
Rich, Famous and Powerful Converge at Bilderberg
Dominique Strauss-Kahn, naturally, isn't attending this year, and his likely successor Christine Lagarde is in China, but the Bilderberg Conference which kicks off in the Swiss resort of St. Moritz on Thursday retains its conspiratorial chic and pulling power.
The attendee list of Bilderberg is still pretty much the only thing that is not a closely guarded secret, as 120 of the world's richest and most powerful people meet behind closed doors, this time at the Suvretta House hotel in Switzerland, a venue which not only boasts a "fairytale castle" design, but also its own "Teddy World."....
"The Bilderbergs are probably the most influential global network of all time. It's an honor to be invited, it's a tremendous honor. Part of it is recognition for work done and part of it is for contribution to enabling world affairs".....read more click title above.
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Way To Create Jobs and Help the Economy Barack! Coal Regs Would Kill Jobs, Boost Energy Bills
Two new EPA pollution regulations will slam the coal industry so hard that hundreds of thousands of jobs will be lost, and electric rates will skyrocket 11 percent to over 23 percent, according to a new study based on government data.
Overall, the rules aimed at making the air cleaner could cost the coal-fired power plant industry $180 billion, warns a trade group.
“Many of these severe impacts would hit families living in states already facing serious economic challenges,” said Steve Miller, president of the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity. “Because of these impacts, EPA should make major changes to the proposed regulations before they are finalized,” he said.
The EPA, however, tells Whispers that the hit the industry will suffer is worth the health benefits. “EPA has taken a number of sensible steps to protect public health, while also working with industry and other stakeholders to ensure that these important Clean Air Act standards—such as the first ever national Mercury and Air Toxics Standards for coal-fired power plants—are reasonable, common-sense, and achievable,” said spokesman Brendan Gilfillan. [Read Rep. Darrell Issa: Obama's Bad Policy, Harmful Regulations Add to Gas Prices.]
What’s more, officials said that just one of the rules to cut sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions will would yield up to $290 billion in annual health and welfare benefits in 2014. They say that amounts to preventing up to 36,000 premature deaths, 26,000 hospital and emergency room visits, and 240,000 cases of aggravated asthma. “This far outweighs the estimated annual costs,” says an official on background. [Check out political cartoons on the economy.]
Still, the EPA did note that the two new antipollution rules are “pending” and that the agency has “accepted and are considering feedback” from the industry.
The industry says the costs and potential to lose four jobs for every new clean energy job created isn’t worth the rules, especially in a job-starved economy. [See a slide show of the best cities to find a job.]
Referring to the analysis of the EPA regulations from National Economic Research Associates, Miller said they would be the most expensive rules ever imposed on power plants.
Coal-fired energy plants currently fuel about half of the nation’s energy supply.
Lack of buyers may force Treasury to boost interest rates! (This is the kiss of death) click to read more
The U.S. Treasury next month will go back to relying on the kindness of strangers like never before to purchase the nation’s burgeoning debts — and taxpayers may have to pay higher interest rates to attract enough foreign investors, analysts say.
Though a significant rise in interest rates could be toxic for a softening U.S. economy, the Federal Reserve has said it will end its program of purchasing $600 billion in U.S. Treasury bonds as planned on June 30. The Fed is estimated to have bought about 85 percent of Treasury’s securities offerings in the past eight months.
That leaves the Treasury, which is slated to sell near-record amounts of new debt of about $1.4 trillion this year, without its main suitor and recent source of support, and forces it back into the vagaries of global markets. Among the countries that will have to step forward to prevent a debilitating rise in interest rates are China, Japan and Saudi Arabia — and even hostile nations such as Iran and Venezuela with petrodollars to invest, according to one analysis.
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
IS THE U.N. TRYING TO STRIP AMERICANS’ SECOND AMENDMENT RIGHTS?
Is the United Nations gunning for Americans’ second Amendment rights?
In an op-ed for Forbes, University of Houston professor Larry Bell rails against the U.N.’s “Small Arms Treaty” (you may have read about this in early 2010). Bell claims that the international body is passing the measure off as an effort intended to combat terrorists and insurgents. He says the measure has a very different purpose:
Under the guise of a proposed global “Small Arms Treaty”…you can be quite certain that an even more insidious threat is being targeted – our Constitutional right for law-abiding citizens to own and bear arms.
Bell claims that this international treaty, from the Obama administration’s perspective, is an opportunity to increase domestic gun control. If implemented, he claims it will enforce rougher licensing requirements, more red tape, create an “international gun registry,“ ”confiscate and destroy all ‘unauthorized’ civilian firearms’” and severely impede Americans’ right to bear arms. Bell continues:
Bell explains that this plan is very real and that the U.S. has already joined 152 other countries in to endorse a U.N. Arms Treaty Resolution that will lead to a 2012 conference. It is during this meeting that plans to enact these international hun controls will take place. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said she will encourage the Senate to ratify he resolution as well. You can read more about Bell’s thoughts on this important subject here.
RUSH ON ROMNEY’S GLOBAL WARMING COMMENTS: ‘BYE, BYE NOMINATION
Radio talk show host Rush Linbaugh has a message for presidential candidate and former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney: Say goodbye to the 2012 Republican nomination. Last Friday, Romney spoke at a town hall event in New Hampshire, telling the audience that he believes human beings have an impact on global warming:
Sun Unleashes 'Spectacular' & Powerful Eruption
The sun unleashed a massive solar storm today (June 7) in a dazzling eruption that kicked up a vast cloud of magnetic plasma that appeared to rain back down over half of the sun's entire surface, NASA scientists say.
The solar storm hit its peak at about 2:41 a.m. EDT (0641 GMT), but the actual flare extended over a three-hour period, said C. Alex Young, a solar astrophysicist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center who runs a website called The Sun Today, in a video describing the event.
"The sun produced a quite spectacular prominence eruption that had a solar flare and high-energy particles associated with it, but I've just never seen material released like this before," Young said. "It looks like somebody just kicked a giant clod of dirt into the air and then it fell back down." [Video: See the sun's June 7 solar flare and eruption]
NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory spacecraft caught high-definition video of the flare in different wavelengths. The event registered as a Class M-2 solar flare, which is a medium-class sun storm that should not pose a danger to satellites or infrastructure on Earth.
An alert by the NOAA-operated Space Weather Prediction Center stated that the solar flare could create a strong geomagnetic storm on Wednesday (June 9) from the event's coronal mass ejection (CME), an explosion of charged particles triggered by the flare. Geomagnetic storms can lead to stronger than normal displays of Earth's auroras, also known as the northern and southern lights.
"It's nothing we really have to worry about," Young said in his video. "It's just really, really beautiful."
The coronal mass ejection is directed at Earth and moving at about 3.1 million mph (5 million kph), SDO mission scientists said in a statement.
"Due to its angle, however, effects on Earth should be fairly small. Nevertheless, it may generate space weather effects here on Earth in a few days," they added.
In the SDO videos, the solar flare erupts from the lower right of the sun and triggers the intense coronal mass ejection, which blows plasma and particles high up into the sun's corona — its outer atmosphere — with some raining back down.
SDO mission scientists said the flare kicked up relatively cool gas and material.
"It is somewhat unique because at many places in the eruption there seems to be even cooler material —at temperatures less than 80,000 Kelvin," SDO scientists explained.
A temperature of 80,000 Kelvin is about 143,540 degrees Fahrenheit (nearly 79,727 degrees Celsius). The sun's corona typically has temperatures ranging from 900,000 degrees F (500,000 degrees C) to 10.8 million degrees F (6 million degrees C). It can reach tens of millions of degrees when a solar flare occurs.
The sun is currently going through an active period in it is 11-year solar weather cycle. The current cycle is called solar cycle 24.
Several NASA spacecraft are keeping constant watch on the sun for flares and CMEs, and serve as an early-warning system for major space weather events.
ROMNEY TALKS FAITH IN CONTENTIOUS INTERVIEW: ‘I’M NOT A SPOKESMAN FOR MY CHURCH’ Another Politician. Just what we need..
In an interview with CNN’s Piers Morgan, Mitt Romney discussed his take on gay rights. The former Massachusetts governor explained that while he opposes same-sex marriage, he has a record of supporting equal rights for homosexuals. When pressed by Morgan to explain which rights he backs, Romney covered his support for equality in employment and discussed his own record of having nominated homosexuals during his governorship.
Morgan asked, ”Does your faith mean that you view homosexuality as a sin?” Romney’s response was as follows: “I separate quite distinctly matters of personal faith from the leadership that one has in a political sense.” Morgan, in skepticism and surprise, jabbed, “Can you do that? Seriously?” Romney inevitably tells Morgan that he’s “…not a spokesman for [his] church.”
US Unfunded Liabilities $61.6 TRILLION DOLLARS
The government added $5.3 trillion in new financial obligations in 2010, largely for retirement programs such as Medicare and Social Security. That brings to a record $61.6 trillion the total of financial promises not paid for.
This gap between spending commitments and revenue last year equals more than one-third of the nation's gross domestic product.
Medicare alone took on $1.8 trillion in new liabilities, more than the record deficit prompting heated debate between Congress and the White House over lifting the debt ceiling. Social Security added $1.4 trillion in obligations, partly reflecting longer life expectancies. Federal and military retirement programs added more to the financial hole, too.
Corporations would be required to count these new liabilities when they are taken on — and report a big loss to shareholders. Unlike businesses, however, Congress postpones recording spending commitments until it writes a check.
The $61.6 trillion in unfunded obligations amounts to $534,000 per household. That's more than five times what Americans have borrowed for everything else — mortgages, car loans and other debt. It reflects the challenge as the number of retirees soars over the next 20 years and seniors try to collect on those spending promises.
"The (federal) debt only tells us what the government owes to the public. It doesn't take into account what's owed to seniors, veterans and retired employees," says accountant Sheila Weinberg, founder of the Institute for Truth in Accounting, a Chicago-based group that advocates better financial reporting. "Without accurate accounting, we can't make good decisions."
Michael Lind, policy director at the liberal New America Foundation's economic growth program, says there is no near-term crisis for federal retirement programs and that economic growth will make these programs more affordable.
"The false claim that Social Security and Medicare are about to bankrupt the United States has been repeated for decades by conservatives and libertarians who pretend that their ideological opposition to these successful and cost-effective programs is based on worries about the deficit," he says.
USA TODAY has calculated federal finances based on standard accounting rules since 2004 using data from the Medicare and Social Security annual reports and the little-known audited financial report of the federal government.
The government has promised pension and health benefits worth more than $700,000 per retired civil servant. The pension fund's key asset: federal IOUs.
This gap between spending commitments and revenue last year equals more than one-third of the nation's gross domestic product.
Medicare alone took on $1.8 trillion in new liabilities, more than the record deficit prompting heated debate between Congress and the White House over lifting the debt ceiling. Social Security added $1.4 trillion in obligations, partly reflecting longer life expectancies. Federal and military retirement programs added more to the financial hole, too.
Corporations would be required to count these new liabilities when they are taken on — and report a big loss to shareholders. Unlike businesses, however, Congress postpones recording spending commitments until it writes a check.
The $61.6 trillion in unfunded obligations amounts to $534,000 per household. That's more than five times what Americans have borrowed for everything else — mortgages, car loans and other debt. It reflects the challenge as the number of retirees soars over the next 20 years and seniors try to collect on those spending promises.
"The (federal) debt only tells us what the government owes to the public. It doesn't take into account what's owed to seniors, veterans and retired employees," says accountant Sheila Weinberg, founder of the Institute for Truth in Accounting, a Chicago-based group that advocates better financial reporting. "Without accurate accounting, we can't make good decisions."
Michael Lind, policy director at the liberal New America Foundation's economic growth program, says there is no near-term crisis for federal retirement programs and that economic growth will make these programs more affordable.
"The false claim that Social Security and Medicare are about to bankrupt the United States has been repeated for decades by conservatives and libertarians who pretend that their ideological opposition to these successful and cost-effective programs is based on worries about the deficit," he says.
USA TODAY has calculated federal finances based on standard accounting rules since 2004 using data from the Medicare and Social Security annual reports and the little-known audited financial report of the federal government.
The government has promised pension and health benefits worth more than $700,000 per retired civil servant. The pension fund's key asset: federal IOUs.
Monday, June 6, 2011
Chronic unemployment worse than Great Depression... click to read more.
(CBS News) There is an unfortunate adage for the unemployed: The longer folks are out of a job, the longer it takes them to find a new one.
CBS News correspondent Ben Tracy reports that the chronically unemployed face the hardest road back to recovery, and that while the jobs picture may be improving statistically on a national level, it is not for them....
"If you have been unemployed for 6 months or more, it takes a much deeper toll - not just on your personal finances and your career prospects - but on your emotional well-being," said Paul Taylor, an executive vice president with the Pew Research Center....
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Pope denounces 'disintegration' of Europe families
ZAGREB, Croatia (AP) -- Pope Benedict XVI wrapped up his visit to Croatia on Sunday by denouncing the "disintegration" of family life in Europe and calling for couples to make a commitment to marry and have children, not just live together.
The Next Financial Crisis Will Be Hellish And It’s On Its Way!
“There is definitely going to be another financial crisis around the corner,” says hedge fund legend Mark Mobius, “because we haven’t solved any of the things that caused the previous crisis.”
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Mitt Romney...Federal Reserve Audited! What? No Need to Abolish the Federal Reserve?
"If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks...will deprive the people of all property until their children wake-up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered.... The issuing power should be taken from the banks and restored to the people, to whom it properly belongs."
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson
US House Prices Fall "Beats Great Depression"
US house price fall 'beats Great Depression slide
By Stephen Foley
Wednesday, 1 June 2011
The ailing US housing market passed a grim milestone in the first quarter of this year, posting a further deterioration that means the fall in house prices is now greater than that suffered during the Great Depression.
The brief recovery in prices in 2009, spurred by government aid to first-time buyers, has now been entirely snuffed out, and the average American home now costs 33 per cent less than it did at the peak of the housing bubble in 2007. The peak-to-trough fall in house prices in the 1930s Depression was 31 per cent – and prices took 19 years to recover after that downturn.
The latest Case-Shiller house price index was just one of a slew of disappointing economic data from the US yesterday, which suggested ebbing confidence in the recovery of the world's largest economy. The Chicago PMI manufacturing index showed a sharp slowdown in the pace of expansion in May, missing Wall Street forecasts and sending the index to its lowest since November 2009.
And in the latest Conference Board consumer confidence survey more people expressed uncertainty over their future economic prospects. The confidence index fell unexpectedly to 60.8 from a revised 66.0, when economists had expected it to rise to 67.0. Falling house prices and negative equity combined with high petrol and food prices and a still-weak jobs market to raise consumers' fears for the future.
Thomas Di Galoma, the managing director of government securities at Oppenheimer & Co, said: "Based on the weakness in housing prices, Chicago PMI and consumer confidence, it appears as though the economy could be headed for a double dip, especially as federal and state spending slows rapidly over the next six months."
Economists warned not to expect any immediate relief to the gloom from the housing market. Banks continue to demand high deposits from potential buyers and are pressing on with foreclosures against those who have fallen behind on mortgages, adding to the glut of unsold homes on the market.
Prices are back to their 2002 levels, according to the Case-Shiller National House Price Index out yesterday. "The national index fell 4.2 per cent over the first quarter alone, and is down 5.1 per cent compared to its year-ago level," David Blitzer, the chairman of the Index Committee at S&P Indices, said. "Home prices continue on their downward spiral with no relief in sight."
By Stephen Foley
Wednesday, 1 June 2011
The ailing US housing market passed a grim milestone in the first quarter of this year, posting a further deterioration that means the fall in house prices is now greater than that suffered during the Great Depression.
The brief recovery in prices in 2009, spurred by government aid to first-time buyers, has now been entirely snuffed out, and the average American home now costs 33 per cent less than it did at the peak of the housing bubble in 2007. The peak-to-trough fall in house prices in the 1930s Depression was 31 per cent – and prices took 19 years to recover after that downturn.
The latest Case-Shiller house price index was just one of a slew of disappointing economic data from the US yesterday, which suggested ebbing confidence in the recovery of the world's largest economy. The Chicago PMI manufacturing index showed a sharp slowdown in the pace of expansion in May, missing Wall Street forecasts and sending the index to its lowest since November 2009.
And in the latest Conference Board consumer confidence survey more people expressed uncertainty over their future economic prospects. The confidence index fell unexpectedly to 60.8 from a revised 66.0, when economists had expected it to rise to 67.0. Falling house prices and negative equity combined with high petrol and food prices and a still-weak jobs market to raise consumers' fears for the future.
Thomas Di Galoma, the managing director of government securities at Oppenheimer & Co, said: "Based on the weakness in housing prices, Chicago PMI and consumer confidence, it appears as though the economy could be headed for a double dip, especially as federal and state spending slows rapidly over the next six months."
Economists warned not to expect any immediate relief to the gloom from the housing market. Banks continue to demand high deposits from potential buyers and are pressing on with foreclosures against those who have fallen behind on mortgages, adding to the glut of unsold homes on the market.
Prices are back to their 2002 levels, according to the Case-Shiller National House Price Index out yesterday. "The national index fell 4.2 per cent over the first quarter alone, and is down 5.1 per cent compared to its year-ago level," David Blitzer, the chairman of the Index Committee at S&P Indices, said. "Home prices continue on their downward spiral with no relief in sight."
China Divests 97% US Treasure Bills
China Has Divested 97 Percent of Its Holdings in U.S. Treasury Bills
Friday, June 03, 2011
By Terence P. Jeffrey
President Barack Obama and President Hu Jintao of China toast during the State Dinner in State Dining Room of the White House, Jan. 19, 2011. (Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson)
(CNSNews.com) - China has dropped 97 percent of its holdings in U.S. Treasury bills, decreasing its ownership of the short-term U.S. government securities from a peak of $210.4 billion in May 2009 to $5.69 billion in March 2011, the most recent month reported by the U.S. Treasury.
Treasury bills are securities that mature in one year or less that are sold by the U.S. Treasury Department to fund the nation’s debt.
Mainland Chinese holdings of U.S. Treasury bills are reported in column 9 of the Treasury report linked here.
Until October, the Chinese were generally making up for their decreasing holdings in Treasury bills by increasing their holdings of longer-term U.S. Treasury securities. Thus, until October, China’s overall holdings of U.S. debt continued to increase.
Since October, however, China has also started to divest from longer-term U.S. Treasury securities. Thus, as reported by the Treasury Department, China’s ownership of the U.S. national debt has decreased in each of the last five months on record, including November, December, January, February and March.
Prior to the fall of 2008, acccording to Treasury Department data, Chinese ownership of short-term Treasury bills was modest, standing at only $19.8 billion in August of that year. But when President George W. Bush signed legislation to authorize a $700-billion bailout of the U.S. financial industry in October 2008 and President Barack Obama signed a $787-billion economic stimulus law in February 2009, Chinese ownership of short-term U.S. Treasury bills skyrocketed.
By December 2008, China owned $165.2 billion in U.S. Treasury bills, according to the Treasury Department. By March 2009, Chinese Treasury bill holdings were at $191.1 billion. By May 2009, Chinese holdings of Treasury bills were peaking at $210.4 billion.
However, China’s overall appetite for U.S. debt increased over a longer span than did its appetite for short-term U.S. Treasury bills.
In August 2008, before the bank bailout and the stimulus law, overall Chinese holdings of U.S. debt stood at $573.7 billion. That number continued to escalate past May 2009-- when China started to reduce its holdings in short-term Treasury bills--and ultimately peaked at $1.1753 trillion last October.
As of March 2011, overall Chinese holdings of U.S. debt had decreased to 1.1449 trillion.
Most of the U.S. national debt is made up of publicly marketable securities sold by the Treasury Department and I.O.U.s called “intragovernmental” bonds that the Treasury has given to so-called government trust funds—such as the Social Security trust funds—when it has spent the trust funds’ money on other government expenses.
The publicly marketable segment of the national debt includes Treasury bills, which (as defined by the Treasury) mature in terms of one-year or less; Treasury notes, which mature in terms of 2 to 10 years; Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities (TIPS), which mature in terms of 5, 10 and 30 years; and Treasury bonds, which mature in terms of 30 years.
At the end of August 2008, before the financial bailout and the stimulus, the publicly marketable segment of the U.S. national debt was 4.88 trillion. Of that, $2.56 trillion was in the intermediate-term Treasury notes, $1.22 trillion was in short-term Treasury bills, $582.8 billion was in long-term Treasury bonds, and $521.3 billion was in TIPS.
At the end of March 2011, by which time the Chinese had dropped their Treasury bill holdings 97 percent from their peak, the publicly marketable segment of the U.S. national debt had almost doubled from August 2008, hitting $9.11 trillion. Of that $9.11 trillion, $5.8 trillion was in intermediate-term Treasury notes, $1.7 trillion was in short-term Treasury bills; $931.5 billion was in long-term Treasury bonds, and $640.7 billion was in TIPS.
Before the end of March 2012, the Treasury must redeem all of the $1.7 trillion in Treasury bills that were extant as of March 2011 and find new or old buyers who will continue to invest in U.S. debt. But, for now, the Chinese at least do not appear to be bullish customers of short-term U.S. debt.
Treasury bills carry lower interest rates than longer-term Treasury notes and bonds, but the longer term notes and bonds are exposed to a greater risk of losing their value to inflation. To the degree that the $1.7 trillion in short-term U.S. Treasury bills extant as of March must be converted into longer-term U.S. Treasury securities, the U.S. government will be forced to pay a higher annual interest rate on the national debt.
As of the close of business on Thursday, the total U.S. debt was $14.34 trillion, according to the Daily Treasury Statement. Of that, approximately $9.74 trillion was debt held by the public and approximately $4.61 trillion was “intragovernmental” debt.
Friday, June 03, 2011
By Terence P. Jeffrey
President Barack Obama and President Hu Jintao of China toast during the State Dinner in State Dining Room of the White House, Jan. 19, 2011. (Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson)
(CNSNews.com) - China has dropped 97 percent of its holdings in U.S. Treasury bills, decreasing its ownership of the short-term U.S. government securities from a peak of $210.4 billion in May 2009 to $5.69 billion in March 2011, the most recent month reported by the U.S. Treasury.
Treasury bills are securities that mature in one year or less that are sold by the U.S. Treasury Department to fund the nation’s debt.
Mainland Chinese holdings of U.S. Treasury bills are reported in column 9 of the Treasury report linked here.
Until October, the Chinese were generally making up for their decreasing holdings in Treasury bills by increasing their holdings of longer-term U.S. Treasury securities. Thus, until October, China’s overall holdings of U.S. debt continued to increase.
Since October, however, China has also started to divest from longer-term U.S. Treasury securities. Thus, as reported by the Treasury Department, China’s ownership of the U.S. national debt has decreased in each of the last five months on record, including November, December, January, February and March.
Prior to the fall of 2008, acccording to Treasury Department data, Chinese ownership of short-term Treasury bills was modest, standing at only $19.8 billion in August of that year. But when President George W. Bush signed legislation to authorize a $700-billion bailout of the U.S. financial industry in October 2008 and President Barack Obama signed a $787-billion economic stimulus law in February 2009, Chinese ownership of short-term U.S. Treasury bills skyrocketed.
By December 2008, China owned $165.2 billion in U.S. Treasury bills, according to the Treasury Department. By March 2009, Chinese Treasury bill holdings were at $191.1 billion. By May 2009, Chinese holdings of Treasury bills were peaking at $210.4 billion.
However, China’s overall appetite for U.S. debt increased over a longer span than did its appetite for short-term U.S. Treasury bills.
In August 2008, before the bank bailout and the stimulus law, overall Chinese holdings of U.S. debt stood at $573.7 billion. That number continued to escalate past May 2009-- when China started to reduce its holdings in short-term Treasury bills--and ultimately peaked at $1.1753 trillion last October.
As of March 2011, overall Chinese holdings of U.S. debt had decreased to 1.1449 trillion.
Most of the U.S. national debt is made up of publicly marketable securities sold by the Treasury Department and I.O.U.s called “intragovernmental” bonds that the Treasury has given to so-called government trust funds—such as the Social Security trust funds—when it has spent the trust funds’ money on other government expenses.
The publicly marketable segment of the national debt includes Treasury bills, which (as defined by the Treasury) mature in terms of one-year or less; Treasury notes, which mature in terms of 2 to 10 years; Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities (TIPS), which mature in terms of 5, 10 and 30 years; and Treasury bonds, which mature in terms of 30 years.
At the end of August 2008, before the financial bailout and the stimulus, the publicly marketable segment of the U.S. national debt was 4.88 trillion. Of that, $2.56 trillion was in the intermediate-term Treasury notes, $1.22 trillion was in short-term Treasury bills, $582.8 billion was in long-term Treasury bonds, and $521.3 billion was in TIPS.
At the end of March 2011, by which time the Chinese had dropped their Treasury bill holdings 97 percent from their peak, the publicly marketable segment of the U.S. national debt had almost doubled from August 2008, hitting $9.11 trillion. Of that $9.11 trillion, $5.8 trillion was in intermediate-term Treasury notes, $1.7 trillion was in short-term Treasury bills; $931.5 billion was in long-term Treasury bonds, and $640.7 billion was in TIPS.
Before the end of March 2012, the Treasury must redeem all of the $1.7 trillion in Treasury bills that were extant as of March 2011 and find new or old buyers who will continue to invest in U.S. debt. But, for now, the Chinese at least do not appear to be bullish customers of short-term U.S. debt.
Treasury bills carry lower interest rates than longer-term Treasury notes and bonds, but the longer term notes and bonds are exposed to a greater risk of losing their value to inflation. To the degree that the $1.7 trillion in short-term U.S. Treasury bills extant as of March must be converted into longer-term U.S. Treasury securities, the U.S. government will be forced to pay a higher annual interest rate on the national debt.
As of the close of business on Thursday, the total U.S. debt was $14.34 trillion, according to the Daily Treasury Statement. Of that, approximately $9.74 trillion was debt held by the public and approximately $4.61 trillion was “intragovernmental” debt.
Mitt Romney Asserts Belief Humans Contribute to Global Warming
Watch Clip by Clicking on the Title Above
ENVIRONMENT
ROMNEY REASSERTS BELIEF THAT ‘HUMANS HAVE CONTRIBUTED’ TO GLOBAL WARMING
Posted on June 4, 2011 at 9:39am
by Scott Baker Print »Email »
The Huffington Post is playing it with the headline, “He Ad-Mitts It.” During a campaign stop in New Hampshire on Friday, Mitt Romney tackled the topic of climate change using language that won’t win him many fans in some skeptical corners of the conservative movement:
“I believe the world is getting warmer, and I believe that humans have contributed to that,” he told a crowd of about 200 at a town hall meeting in Manchester, New Hampshire.
“It’s important for us to reduce our emissions of pollutants and greenhouse gases that may be significant contributors.”
National Journal points out that this isn’t a first time admission, however, though they call the comments “notable”:
It’s far from the first time Romney has said he thinks man is contributing to climate change. In his 2010 book No Apology: The Case for American Greatness, the former Massachusetts governor wrote he thought man was contributing to global warming, saying the melting polar ice caps are “hard to ignore.”
Even as conservative disbelief in climate change science hardens, it‘s notable Romney isn’t backing down from an unpopular decision.
In the book, he also questioned how much of the warming is man-made while outlining several alternate theories about the causes of the rising temperatures, such as cyclical temperature cycles. He also emphasized his opposition to “unilateral U.S. cap-and-trade mandates.”
ENVIRONMENT
ROMNEY REASSERTS BELIEF THAT ‘HUMANS HAVE CONTRIBUTED’ TO GLOBAL WARMING
Posted on June 4, 2011 at 9:39am
by Scott Baker Print »Email »
The Huffington Post is playing it with the headline, “He Ad-Mitts It.” During a campaign stop in New Hampshire on Friday, Mitt Romney tackled the topic of climate change using language that won’t win him many fans in some skeptical corners of the conservative movement:
“I believe the world is getting warmer, and I believe that humans have contributed to that,” he told a crowd of about 200 at a town hall meeting in Manchester, New Hampshire.
“It’s important for us to reduce our emissions of pollutants and greenhouse gases that may be significant contributors.”
National Journal points out that this isn’t a first time admission, however, though they call the comments “notable”:
It’s far from the first time Romney has said he thinks man is contributing to climate change. In his 2010 book No Apology: The Case for American Greatness, the former Massachusetts governor wrote he thought man was contributing to global warming, saying the melting polar ice caps are “hard to ignore.”
Even as conservative disbelief in climate change science hardens, it‘s notable Romney isn’t backing down from an unpopular decision.
In the book, he also questioned how much of the warming is man-made while outlining several alternate theories about the causes of the rising temperatures, such as cyclical temperature cycles. He also emphasized his opposition to “unilateral U.S. cap-and-trade mandates.”
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