Business / Economic / Financial
[ This link to a somewhat more cumulative blog posts page will precede current days news since most all topics remain current in terms of impact and longer-term effect and can be searched by topical index term more easily. The same is provided since the blog site http://alpeiablog.blogspot.com has just been censored as to size by google which is typical for google as nsa / cia / gov’t shill as more are becoming aware of. The same is true for microsoft, another co. that’s seen their best days and relies on the government to maintain their monopoly. Up to now the better page http://www.scribd.com/alpeia is provided for ease of formatting and clarity thereby while the Washington Post page is the real deal but without formatting http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp- srv/community/mypost/index.html?plckPersonaPage=PersonaComments&plckUserId=alpeia&newspaperUserId=alpeia (Only up to 3-11-11-you must be logged in - (Washington Post) [ Comments COMMENTS ARE CLOSED WHILE WE UPGRADE OUR SYSTEMS ] the comments are no longer archived on their site ) . The following is the cumulative archive of blog posts / topics for 2010 as the new year starts anew (and archived by quarter): http://albertpeia.com/December312010postsarchive.htm or PDF formatted version
http://albertpeia.com/December312010postsarchive.pdf ]
Trail to bin Laden began with phone call (Washington Post) [ It’s truly difficult not to like Mr. Woodward or not to receive well anything he reports on. After all, having been played on the big screen by extremely likeable Robert Redford, I’m constrained to say I myself am predisposed to liking Mr. Woodward (Hoffman/Bernstein – not so much) and being thusly more receptive to what he has to say (that ‘transfer aspect’ of ‘propaganda’ which I was fortunate to have studied in sixth grade, the advanced reading group, courtesy of James Bresnahan, undoubtedly the best teacher I’ve ever had, grade for grade – he treated young people as more than just kids, with exposure to the great classics, classical music, slides and insights from his wide-ranging world travels, etc.). This is not to say Mr. Woodward should in any way be diminished inasmuch as his substantial journalistic credentials and contributions speak for themselves (particularly his recent piece, at great peril I believe, on the ubiquity of security clearances in the Washington metro area). Moreover, his contributions are invariably a welcomed positive for the great paper, The Washington Post. Yet, Mr. Woodward was a ‘navy man’, after all; and, I can’t help but think, with all the scripted, staged hoopla surrounding the Bin Laden affair, his ‘gorge rises at it’. Indeed, 911 itself; that ‘pearl harbor event’ so sought by the neo-cons / war mongerers still defies explanation (ie., the ‘stand-down order’, symmetrical implosions, foreknowledge by some {who conveniently ‘missed the party’ that day}, etc.. Some links, echoing the unbelief akin to the ‘Jessica Lynch’, Tillman, etc., affairs follow. Additionally, people must remain atuned to the reality that though having but 5% of the world’s population, america can boast 76% of the world’s serial killers, http://www.albertpeia.com/realifeamericaserialkillers.mpg . Defacto bankrupt, fraudulent america also spends more on military spending than all the nations of the world combined... federal employees / contractors, cia, all 3 branches of the u.s. government, etc., are included in this evolved american trait of inherent criminality ( http://www.albertpeia.com/112208opocoan/ricosummarytoFBIunderpenaltyofperjury.pdf http://www.albertpeia.com/112208opocoan/PeiavCoanetals.htm ], and the highest crime rates in the world by far. That perverse field of dreams I’ve previously alluded to, the american nightmare, if you build / contrive war, they will come. And, they do; seals of them (among others); and when their ‘tours’ are done, it’s murder inc./contract killing for hire that they’ve won (cia, mob, etc.). The 20th century, the ‘bloodiest century’, not coincidentally referred to as the american century, brings longings of nostalgia to american criminals who, like Pavlov’s dogs salivate at the prospect of killing, raping, pillaging, and plundering which primitive mindset they have mistakenly been conditioned to connect to their now irretrievably lost success as a nation state, and to the contrary, has become globally and domestically self-destructive / self-defeating. In so short a period of time, it is unlikely that Mr. Woodward could do an incisive investigative piece as he’s become famed for; nor could he reasonably be expected to have done so given the ‘breaking nature’ of the story. The entire 911 / Bin Laden scenario just doesn’t pass the smell test and reeks of political desperation and Orwellian opportunism. Uncharacteristically, and somewhat disingenuously, I’m not going to read his article so that I can continue to like Bob Woodward Redford.
Paul Craig Roberts: What Is The Agenda Behind The Bin Laden Fable?
U.S. economy adds 244,000 jobs But the unemployment rate edged up last month, showing that the outlook for workers remains grim (Washington Post) [244,000 jobs added in April Associated Press In biggest hiring spree in five years, employers posted a third straight month of hiring; unemployment rose to 9 percent as people resumed looking for work. Interactive: Why it doesn’t feel like a recovery (Washington Post) [ Short answer: Because it’s really not a recovery! What jobs? $1 dollar a day, 3 days a year … and on government pork projects for the porkers’ reelection campaigns? I don’t think so! Obama’s victory lap (Washington Post) The killing of bin Laden offered hope of instant renewal. [ Only wobama aficionado Mr. Milbank could latch onto this propagandist Orwellian dream and call it victory. Sounds like he’s shootin’ for a job in this failed presidency/administration as others, including from the Post.. 10 Reasons 2011 Is Feeling More and More Like 2008 Jensen ‘..it eerily feels like the months before the financial crisis and meltdown of 2008. .. impending and significant pullback over the summer.
10 reasons 2011 ..like 2008.
- Gas prices rising rapidly, starting to impact consumer spending and sentiment. On Thursday, gas prices hit this highest level since July 31st, 2008 and have risen every month since last August, up over 30% ..
- Despite numerous federal programs (mostly failed), the housing market remains moribund. ..
- The Federal Reserve continues to be behind the curve. In 2008, the subprime loan problem was “contained”. In 2011, Bernanke can’t seem to see any signs of inflation despite rapidly rising energy and food prices (they are not “core” components of the Index Blind Ben
- In 2008, we were fighting military actions in two Middle Eastern countries; Iraq and Afghanistan. In 2011, we are still fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan and have added ½ a war in Libya, .. a higher floor for oil prices ..
- World food prices increased dramatically in the 1st and 2nd quarter of 2008 creating a global crisis and causing political and economical instability and social unrest ..In 2008, this produced food riots in many developing countries. In 2011, we have uprisings throughout the Middle East ..
- In May 2008, the market was worried about which was the next financial institution ..what European sovereign state will be the next to need a bailout after Greece, Ireland and Portugal and what the ramifications will be for the credit markets.
- In 2008, gold hit $900 an ounce in January of that year and $1000 an ounce for the first time in March 2008. In 2011, gold and silver just hit all time highs last week
- As in 2008, U.S. GDP growth was anemic in the first quarter.. In 2011, GDP growth ..shows a significant slowdown from previous qtr.
- As in 2008, the fiscal and monetary policies of the United States have led to a decline in the value of its currency
- In 2008, China, the world’s third largest economy, instituted a series of measures to curb growth in order to address increasing inflation and the beginnings of a property bubble.. ]
Milbank: The GOP’s juvenile debate (Washington Post) [ Mr. Milbank has lamentably become the rush limbaugh / sean hannity of the newspaper world, though he barks and apologizes for dems (and wobama the b for b*** s***) only (as they for the gop / bushies only). A political minefield in Treasury plan (Washington Post) Questions about deficit and growth complicate Treasury’s plan to overhaul corporate taxes. [ What plan! . Let the budget battle begin After two weeks of tumultuous meetings with constituents, Congress returns to a lengthy fight over the nation’s solvency. (WP) [ Or more aptly put, stated another way, the nation’s solvency is over. .. america’s defacto bankrupt with no end in sight.. interest alone is eating progressively into GDP beyond the subterfuge.. Gerson: How serious are we about the deficit? (WP) [ Not much! I mean come on! Davis ‘… This is how we pay off our current debts and I think bondholders are simply happy to get anything out of a country that admits it owes $15Tn (1/4 of global GDP) but probably owes closer to $60Tn (entire global GDP) in the form of unfunded liabilities. The funniest thing about this (and you have to laugh) is to see Conservative pundits get on TV and talk about how we need to cut $100Bn worth of discretionary spending to "fix" this (while continuing to spend $1Tn on the military and $1Tn on tax cuts for the top 1% each year). There is no fixing this and even a Republican said you can’t fool all of the people all of the time. THIS HOUSE OF CARDS IS TEETERING FOLKS – PLEASE BE CAREFUL OUT THERE! ‘ … Suckers’ rally to keep suckers suckered: Philadelphia Fed Depresses Economists Durden ‘..And here comes the first indicator that Q2 GDP is about to be mass revised by everyone, courtesy of Japan, and ongoing inflation pressures: the Philadelphia Fed collapsed from a revised 43.4 (a 27 year high) to 18.5, the lowest since November 2010… This is an especially great opportunity to sell / take profits while you still can since there's much worse to come! U.S. Economy Remains on Life Support Hansen ‘
- The Federal Reserve press conference by Chairman Bernanke which contained almost no new economic insights; and,
- An FOMC meeting with no policy changes or insights..
CIVIL RIGHTS PANEL TO PURSUE FED PROBE IN BLACK PANTHER CASE... ‘In emotional and personal testimony, an ex-Justice official who quit over the handling of a voter intimidation case against the New Black Panther Party accused his former employer of instructing attorneys in the civil rights division to ignore cases that involve black defendants and white victims’ Cases against Wall Street lag despite Holder’s vows to target financial fraud Obama has promised to hold Wall Street accountable for the meltdown. ):
‘THE OBAMA DECEPTION’ http://albertpeia.com/obamadeceptionhighqualityversion.flv ]
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Pledge not squaring with reality Obama’s vow to boost middle-class economic security at odds with corporate profits, unemployment. (Washington Post) [CEOs’ pay: It’s as if the Great Recession never happened (Washington Post) The typical big-business CEO made $9 million last year, exceeding pre-recession level. [ And ‘worth every penny’? Not likely in pervasively corrupt, defacto bankrupt america, leaders no more except in fraud, crime, manipulation, subterfuge. Imagine the comparisons to their foreign counterparts where value still has meaning. As if ‘never happened? How ‘bout not over, and worse to come! UBS bank admits rigging bids (WP) Swiss bank reaped millions of dollars of illegal profits by rigging municipal bond transactions in 36 states, government said. [ The key here is ‘Swiss’ and ‘millions of dollars of illegal profits’ when the american banks / wall street frauds’ generated hundreds of billions in illegal profits, which frauds continue to this day by way of slightly subdued high-frequency trading / commission-generated scams along with cover-up and cash-out from the last, still unprosecuted fraud in the trillions for which disgorgement, fines is long overdue. 24 Signs Of Economic Decline In America ‘The US is in the middle of a devastating long-term economic decline..’ ] States face shortfall for retirees (WP) Public workers’ retirement funds had a gap of $1.26 trillion at the end of fiscal 2009
Study: Affordable rentals scarce (WP)
Poll: For Obama, low marks on Afghan war (WP) More Americans disapprove of President Obama’s management of the war in Afghanistan than support it
Fuel prices cut into Obama popularity (WP) (The frauds on wall street et als should be criminally prosecuted, jailed, fined, and disgorgement imposed), and have used the mideast turmoil to obfuscate their failure. Dave's Daily 'If you can keep interest rates this low this long, its inevitable cheap financing can allow companies to start cobbling each other up. Further Ben's policies allow companies like IBM to sell bonds at 1% and buy back shares with the proceeds (total paper bubble-scam). POMO is occurring almost daily and Primary Dealers can buy back their shares and pay dividends with what essentially is taxpayer money-- … an especially great opportunity to sell / take profits while you still can since there's much worse to come! America Is a Failed State Because It Won’t Prosecute Financial Crime Washington’s Blog / the grim economic reality [ http://albertpeia.com/grimreality.htm ]. Selling In May Is Very Good Advice This Year Harding / April Is a Good Time to Sell Adler Equity Valuations Are Forming the Second Biggest Bubble in U.S. History Kaspar ... According to Yale University’s Dr. Robert Shiller, the market is now 41% overvalued …only time the markets have been more overvalued .. 1929 & tech bubble. http://static.seekingalpha.com/uploads/2011/4/12/saupload_cape_thumb1.png PRECHTER: We're Still In A Massive Bear Market And Stocks Will Crash To New Lows ]
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Al-Qaeda vows retaliation on U.S. Online posting attributed to group also confirms the death of Osama bin Laden. (Washington Post) [ Paul Craig Roberts: What Is The Agenda Behind The Bin Laden Fable?
CIA spied on bin Laden in town of Abbottabad (Washington Post) Agency maintained secret facility for a small team of spies who conducted extensive surveillance over a period of months on Osama bin Laden’s compound. [ Come on! Who is foolish enough to believe anything they say; particularly their scripted, ever-changing, evolving, self-serving accounts belied only by truth / reality as told by those with true courage and integrity; as, for example Jessica Lynch, etc. Top Terrorist Hunter For U.S. Government: Wolfowitz General Told Me 9/11 Was False Flag 9/11 Families Snub Obama’s “Photo-Op” White House Press Secretary “Floundering Under Pressure” Of Flip-Flopping Bin Laden Fable Pentagon Dinner Guest al-Awlaki Slated to Replace Osama as the new face of terror in a war designed to last forever. Staged: White House “Situation Room” Photos Part Of Bin Laden Fable .. it has emerged that the dramatic photos of Obama, Biden, Hillary Clinton and members of the White House security team watching the assassination of Bin Laden “live” were in fact completely staged, casting further doubt on the ever-changing official account of the operation. Hillary Clinton Claims ‘Allergy Not Anguish’ Reason For Photo As Evidence Points to PR Stunt No resistance in “cold-blooded” U.S. raid: Pakistan officials US Government Contractor Claims “Al-Qaeda” Has Confirmed Bin Laden Fairytale Paul Joseph Watson | SITE organization was behind release of fake “Al-Qaeda” tapes released at politically opportune times stretching back years The Cost of Bin Laden: $3 Trillion Over 15 Years What do we have to show for that tab? Two wars that continue to occupy 150,000 troops and tie up a quarter of our defense budget; a bloated homeland-security apparatus that has at times pushed the bounds of civil liberty. Bin Had The Growing Coverup: Osama and “The Big Lie” The Obama administration and the corporate media are concocting an ever-more elaborate and spectacular theater around the “heroic” murder of the CIA intelligence myth/CIA asset Osama bin Laden. Not content to simply to exploit the 9/11 atrocity for political gain, the administration is heaping new layers of lie and cover-up to the original crime. Staged Al Qaeda Rail Attack Plot To Be Used To Further Implement TSA At “Soft” Spots Nationwide? Red Alert: Government Had Osama bin Laden Frozen for Years Nimmo / Jones | Videos [ I personally believe Osama’s been dead for quite some time. Indeed, for one on dialysis, he otherwise would have been nothing less than a modern day miracle in terms of longevity / mortality rates for those so afflicted, particularly under the ‘stressful’ circumstances involving evading capture, betrayal for money, etc.. His ‘surfacing’ for a ‘talk’ wouldn’t even pass muster in the most rudimentary requirements for ‘proof of life’. The release at this time of the ‘announcement’ is, rather than a victory lap so to speak, but rather a sign of weakness and desperation on the part of america whose global and domestic economic, financial, and geopolitical position is substantially diminished and declining rapidly and whose military industrial complex welfare plan along with the Orwellian diversion of the masses could at most yield a pyrrhic victory which also would require for consummation a wrap-up of this nation-bankrupting contrived war scenario, which is not likely. Moreover, the same comes at a time of systemic failure for pervasively corrupt, defacto bankrupt america While the ‘announcement’ plays well for the nonce, to the dumb, uninformed back home, the same will galvanize resistance in the name of their now martyr, Osama Bin Laden. In sum, other than somewhat questionable propaganda value, the announcement will have no measurable effect on america’s continuing mideast / global debacle. In other words, defacto bankrupt america has used up a ‘bullet’, albeit a blank at that! ]
My mother is still gone The daughter of a 9/11 victim reflects on bin Laden’s death. (Washington Post) Parker: Bin Laden death was anti-climactic [ Paul Craig Roberts: What Is The Agenda Behind The Bin Laden Fable? The US government’s bin Laden story was so poorly crafted that it did not last 48 hours before being fundamentally altered. What agenda or agendas is the “death of bin Laden” designed to further? US Government Contractor Claims “Al-Qaeda” Has Confirmed Bin Laden Fairytale Paul Joseph Watson | SITE organization was behind release of fake “Al-Qaeda” tapes released at politically opportune times stretching back years Red Alert: Help Stop False Flag Terror Infowars.com | Alex warns about the potential for another false flag attack, urging listeners to call the White House.
Terrorist Hunter: General Under Wolfowitz Told Me 9/11 Was False Flag Infowars.com | Government insider Dr. Steve R. Pieczenik cannot be dismissed as a “conspiracy theorist.”
Pieczenik: The Psychological Resurrection of Osama Bin Laden Infowars.com | Critically acclaimed author of psycho-political thrillers, Steve Pieczenik continues his analysis of the so-called death of Osama bin Laden.
The Cost of Bin Laden: $3 Trillion Over 15 Years What do we have to show for that tab? Two wars that continue to occupy 150,000 troops and tie up a quarter of our defense budget; a bloated homeland-security apparatus that has at times pushed the bounds of civil liberty.
Red Alert: Help Stop False Flag Terror
Muslims Brainwashed By MI5 Agent Choudry Reinforce Pro-War Propaganda By Rioting In London A child of three could see through this scam. Muslims brainwashed by extremist preachers on the MI5 payroll – people like Anjem Choudry and Abu Hamza, are told to riot in London and threaten retailiation attacks for the death of Bin Laden. This not only reinforces the Bin Laden fable, but it also allows the media to whip up anti-Arab sentiment amongst British and American citizens by bombarding them with images of screaming Muslim extremists.
Osama Bin Laden: The Movie The recent fanfare on May 1st 2011 from the screenwriters in the mainstream media over the US government’s announcement of the US Navy SEALs’ killing of Osama bin Laden reminds us once again how mainstream journalism requires Orwell’s memory hole in order to function. After all, this isn’t the first time we’ve been told bin Laden is dead.
Torture Nation: Enhancing the Move Toward Totalitarianism Now that the government claims it offed Osama bin Laden – never mind a complete lack of evidence – it is time to elevate the brutal and medieval techniques the government said it used to break the case.
Alex Jones: Terrorism’s Big Dirty Secret Alex Jones exposes the biggest hoax of all behind the threat of terrorism and the idea that Americans should give up their freedoms only to live cowering in fear.
US Government Contractor Claims “Al-Qaeda” Has Confirmed Bin Laden Fairytale One of the groups behind the endless fake Bin Laden tapes and a contractor for the US government tells us that “Al-Qaeda” has confirmed the death of Osama. Although Bin Laden has been dead since 2001, the fact the US government are having to use the notorious SITE organization to prop up the crumbling Bin Laden fable that was manufactured on Sunday night shows how desperate the White House has become inits bid to sell the public on more terror fearmongering.
(5-6-11) Dow 12,638 +54 Nasdaq 2,827 +13 S&P 500 1,340 +5 [CLOSE- OIL $98.11 (-54% for year 2008) (RECORD TRADING HIGH $147.27) GAS $3.96 (reg. gas in LAND OF FRUITS AND NUTS $4.22 REG./ $4.35 MID-GRADE/$4.45 PREM./ $4.61 DIESELL) / GOLD $1,495 (+24% for year 2009) / SILVER $35.61 (+47% for year 2009) PLATINUM $1,783 (+56% for year 2009) DOLLAR= .69 EURO, 80 YEN, .61 POUND STERLING, ETC. (How low can you go - LOWER)/ Interest Rates: http://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/data-chart-center/interest-rates/Pages/TextView.aspx?data=yield 10 YR NOTE YIELD 3.19% This Is a Secular Bear Market and The End of Buy and Hold … and Hope The bull market that never was/were beyond wall street b.s. when measured in gold ‘WORST ECONOMIC COLLAPSE EVER’ This Depression is just beginning The coming depression… thecomingdepression.net The Next Wave of Collapse is Coming Sooner than you think Sliding Back Into the Great Depression ABSOLUTELY, ABSURDLY, RIDICULOUS! SELL / TAKE PROFITS WHILE YOU CAN SINCE MUCH, MUCH WORSE TO COME!
The following pages for above links / topics:
http://www.albertpeia.com/currentopics2ndqtr10108.htm
http://www.albertpeia.com
http://www.albertpeia.com/alresume.htm
http://www.albertpeia.com/wallstreetlunacy2ndqtr10108.htm
http://www.scribd.com/alpeia
Markets Take No Prisoners: Dave's Daily ‘Oil prices moved from $94 to $102 in 7 hours only to settle at $97.80 -- how's that for volatility? The euro spent the first half of Friday at 145 (already down 300 bps from Thursday) to close at around 143 after rumors (later denied) spread regarding Greece dropping euro. Silver and gold were all over the map again with rumors persisting of more margin calls. U.S. stocks climbed nearly 175 points early based on the employment report showing 224K new jobs added while the unemployment rate inched up to 9%. Lost in this report were details regarding the Birth/Death Model (estimates of new businesses created or closed) or the number of part time jobs being created by the McDonald's of the world and lastly, a five vs. four week report. [244,000 jobs added in April Associated Press In biggest hiring spree in five years, employers posted a third straight month of hiring; unemployment rose to 9 percent as people resumed looking for work. Interactive: Why it doesn’t feel like a recovery (Washington Post) [ Short answer: Because it’s really not a recovery! What jobs? $1 dollar a day, 3 days a year … and on government pork projects for the porkers’ reelection campaigns? I don’t think so! Obama’s victory lap (Washington Post) The killing of bin Laden offered hope of instant renewal. [ Only wobama aficionado Mr. Milbank could latch onto this propagandist Orwellian dream and call it victory. Sounds like he’s shootin’ for a job in this failed presidency/administration as others, including from the Post.. 10 Reasons 2011 Is Feeling More and More Like 2008 Jensen ‘..it eerily feels like the months before the financial crisis and meltdown of 2008. .. impending and significant pullback over the summer. ] HFT algos are programmed to react to headline numbers that beat expectations. The employment data was a beat and algos jumped on the news. But, remember, based on Wednesday's poor ADP jobs report and Thursday's Jobless Claims data employment report estimates were sharply lowered making Friday's news a large beat. More thoughtful types started selling the news around noon and doing so the rest of the day. Leading U.S. stocks higher were materials (XLB) and the higher price-weighted components of the DJIA (BA, CAT, CVX, IBM, MMM and so forth). All this volatility and conflicting news, while putting on a great show, causes Main Street to trust markets less in my opinion. This chaos in commodity markets is a major turn-off and will have negative consequences longer-term. We've beaten the commodity story to death but we still await the juicy details from the exchanges as to the real story behind their draconian actions. Some of this may be contained in the silver Commitment of Traders report and Open Interest. Until we can analyze this properly let's wait. Further, there will be some serious trading casualties announced in the coming days so stay tuned for that. The Fed continues to aid bulls with more QE Friday and ongoing poor economic data means there's no rush for them to stop POMO. Trading volume was also higher today than the average over the past few months. Breadth, per the WSJ, was quite positive; but, a glance at the 5 minute SPY chart shows most volume was in selling.’
Titanic insurer Atlantic Mutual sinks
Sell in May: Still Valid? Roche ‘Here is an interesting expansion on the idea of Sell in May. Fidelity Investments elaborates by combining several time cycle indicators into one. The result – still Sell in May:
On the negative side, it is coming to that point in the cycle where, seasonally, the market tends to take a pause, also known as Sell in May and Go Away.
Since, historically markets have tended to follow cyclical patterns such as this, I compiled the seasonal pattern, the four-year presidential cycle, and the 10-year decennial cycle into a composite performance index and projected the pattern. So far, the stock market has followed this roadmap very closely, so over the next two years. As you can see in the chart below, the market has closely tracked these historical cyclical patterns Since December 2009. Because of this, I think it bears watching. (Past performance is no guarantee of future results.)
click to enlarge
http://static.seekingalpha.com/uploads/2011/5/6/saupload_time_cycles1105_thumb1.jpg
Clear Capital: The Housing Double Dip Is Now Official Today
Meredith Whitney Sticks to Her Guns Today Roche ‘Talk about holding onto a losing trade. At the Milken Conference yesterday, Meredith Whitney said there was nothing controversial about her muni call, maintaining that she has more conviction about the muni crisis call than anything in her entire career. Via Bloomberg:
Whitney said on the panel, “It’s not that big of a call..There’s nothing controversial about that call, if you look at the numbers.”
“You can criticize me for everything you want, I’m just numb to it because I have more conviction on this than I’d had on any single thing in my career.”
On the same panel, David Solomon, Goldman Sachs’ co-head of investment banking said, “I don’t think we’re doomed. I think the resources available to us, and the changes that will evolve as we come out of a very, very difficult economic period that we’ve been stuck in over the past couple of years, will provide more flexibility than I think Meredith believes.”
Whitney is certainly right that the states are suffering fiscal woes; however, as we’ve seen in Europe, there are mechanisms that can be utilized to combat these issues. While I still maintain that there is a chance of local defaults, I think the United States will be proactive in fending off a euro-style crisis.
And that means the US federal government will do what it has always done. It will credit the bank accounts of the states in order to ensure that any single municipality cannot cause widespread economic hardship throughout the United States. This would be nothing new. The US has always credited the bank accounts of the states that are part of this union.
If Europe was truly united, we would see the same thing occurring in Europe; however, because it's not united, it instead chooses austerity due to fears of inflation. The reality is that the ECB is not creating inflation; it's merely stopping the potentially deflationary debacle that would ensue with sovereign defaults.
I would hope that a truly United States of America would be a bit more caring of its own member states.’
Don't Be Fooled By The Jobs Report Harding ‘This was a week that confirmed that the economic recovery has stalled.
We knew from the previous week that economic growth (GDP) slowed to just 1.8% in the March quarter from 3.1% in the December quarter. This week it was reported that the ISM Non-Mfg Index, which tracks the service sector of the economy, plunged to 52.8 in April from 57.3 in March (versus the consensus estimate of economists that it would improve to 57.8).
It was a shocking report since the ISM Non-Manufacturing Index covers just about every business sector– everything from education, healthcare, finance, insurance and retail, to technology services, transportation, and mining, accounting for more than 80% of U.S. employment. At the same time it was reported that the ISM New Orders Index also plunged substantially, from 64.1 in March to 52.7 in April, not encouraging for service sector business activity for the next few months.
Commodity markets, already worried about what slowing global economies would do to demand for materials and supplies, reacted with further substantial declines. By the close on Thursday, the price of crude oil had collapsed from its high of $114.80 a barrel a week ago, to $99.75. The S&P GSCI Index of 24 raw materials fell 11.5% in just five days.
Fortunately, the stock market’s reaction to the further evidence that the economic recovery is in trouble was more muted. By the close on Thursday, the S&P 500 was down only 1.8% for the week.
And thankfully, on Friday morning the Labor Department released its monthly jobs report, which showed that 244,000 new jobs were created in April, 60,000 more than had been forecast, and the stock market surged up in reaction, with the Dow up 150 points within minutes of the market’s open.
Indeed the jobs report was good news, even though it was also reported that the unemployment rate rose to 9.0% from its previous level of 8.8%. But did the better than expected jobs report cancel out the even more surprising plunge in the ISM service sector index in April, reported the previous day?
I don’t think so. Even within the employment report the numbers show that 13.7 million people remained unemployed in April, still almost double the number just before the last recession began in December, 2007. Including part-time workers who have not been able to find full-time jobs, and those who have given up looking for a job, the “underemployed” rate rose to 15.9% in April. That seems to more closely resemble what the ISM Index said about the economy slowing further in April.
And here’s the thing about the Labor Department’s monthly jobs report. As my subscribers know, I have always called it ‘The Big One’ as far as economic reports go. That’s because it’s so difficult for economists to forecast that it comes in with a big surprise in one direction or the other more often than any other series of reports. And that surprise results in a one or two day triple-digit move by the Dow in one direction or the other more often than any other report.
But the rest of that pattern is that the move is then most often reversed over the following two or three days, and the market returns to whatever its focus was before the report.
In this instance, with the 1st quarter earnings reporting season pretty much over, that is liable to be a refocus on the slowing economic recovery that had it troubled prior to the jobs report.
Meanwhile, the collapse in commodity prices was another example of what happens when markets become overbought, and investor sentiment reaches extremes of bullishness, as was the case with commodities. The consensus opinion a week ago was that they could only move higher. $2,000 gold, $75 silver, $150 a barrel oil seemed assured. But when a surprise hits and investors head in a rush for the exit they discover they can’t all get through the door at once. Since most everyone interested in commodities was already invested there was no one willing to buy what they wanted to sell except at much lower prices.
Perhaps a cautionary tale for the stock market as it enters its unfavorable season with investors so bullish and anxious to jump in on any dip?’
CEOs’ pay: It’s as if the Great Recession never happened (Washington Post) The typical big-business CEO made $9 million last year, exceeding pre-recession level. [ And ‘worth every penny’? Not likely in pervasively corrupt, defacto bankrupt america, leaders no more except in fraud, crime, manipulation, subterfuge. Imagine the comparisons to their foreign counterparts where value still has meaning. As if ‘never happened? How ‘bout not over, and worse to come! UBS bank admits rigging bids (WP) Swiss bank reaped millions of dollars of illegal profits by rigging municipal bond transactions in 36 states, government said. [ The key here is ‘Swiss’ and ‘millions of dollars of illegal profits’ when the american banks / wall street frauds’ generated hundreds of billions in illegal profits, which frauds continue to this day by way of slightly subdued high-frequency trading / commission-generated scams along with cover-up and cash-out from the last, still unprosecuted fraud in the trillions for which disgorgement, fines is long overdue. 24 Signs Of Economic Decline In America ‘The US is in the middle of a devastating long-term economic decline..’ ] States face shortfall for retirees (WP) Public workers’ retirement funds had a gap of $1.26 trillion at the end of fiscal 2009
Study: Affordable rentals scarce (WP)
Poll: For Obama, low marks on Afghan war (WP) More Americans disapprove of President Obama’s management of the war in Afghanistan than support it
Fuel prices cut into Obama popularity (WP) (The frauds on wall street et als should be criminally prosecuted, jailed, fined, and disgorgement imposed), and have used the mideast turmoil to obfuscate their failure. Dave's Daily 'If you can keep interest rates this low this long, its inevitable cheap financing can allow companies to start cobbling each other up. Further Ben's policies allow companies like IBM to sell bonds at 1% and buy back shares with the proceeds (total paper bubble-scam). POMO is occurring almost daily and Primary Dealers can buy back their shares and pay dividends with what essentially is taxpayer money-- … an especially great opportunity to sell / take profits while you still can since there's much worse to come! America Is a Failed State Because It Won’t Prosecute Financial Crime Washington’s Blog / the grim economic reality [ http://albertpeia.com/grimreality.htm ]. Selling In May Is Very Good Advice This Year Harding / April Is a Good Time to Sell Adler Equity Valuations Are Forming the Second Biggest Bubble in U.S. History Kaspar ... According to Yale University’s Dr. Robert Shiller, the market is now 41% overvalued …only time the markets have been more overvalued .. 1929 & tech bubble. http://static.seekingalpha.com/uploads/2011/4/12/saupload_cape_thumb1.png PRECHTER: We're Still In A Massive Bear Market And Stocks Will Crash To New Lows ]
A political minefield in Treasury plan (Washington Post) Questions about deficit and growth complicate Treasury’s plan to overhaul corporate taxes. [ What plan! . Let the budget battle begin After two weeks of tumultuous meetings with constituents, Congress returns to a lengthy fight over the nation’s solvency. (WP) [ Or more aptly put, stated another way, the nation’s solvency is over. .. america’s defacto bankrupt with no end in sight.. interest alone is eating progressively into GDP beyond the subterfuge.. Gerson: How serious are we about the deficit? (WP) [ Not much! I mean come on! Davis ‘… This is how we pay off our current debts and I think bondholders are simply happy to get anything out of a country that admits it owes $15Tn (1/4 of global GDP) but probably owes closer to $60Tn (entire global GDP) in the form of unfunded liabilities. The funniest thing about this (and you have to laugh) is to see Conservative pundits get on TV and talk about how we need to cut $100Bn worth of discretionary spending to "fix" this (while continuing to spend $1Tn on the military and $1Tn on tax cuts for the top 1% each year). There is no fixing this and even a Republican said you can’t fool all of the people all of the time. THIS HOUSE OF CARDS IS TEETERING FOLKS – PLEASE BE CAREFUL OUT THERE! ‘ … Suckers’ rally to keep suckers suckered: Philadelphia Fed Depresses Economists Durden ‘..And here comes the first indicator that Q2 GDP is about to be mass revised by everyone, courtesy of Japan, and ongoing inflation pressures: the Philadelphia Fed collapsed from a revised 43.4 (a 27 year high) to 18.5, the lowest since November 2010… This is an especially great opportunity to sell / take profits while you still can since there's much worse to come! U.S. Economy Remains on Life Support Hansen ‘
- The Federal Reserve press conference by Chairman Bernanke which contained almost no new economic insights; and,
- An FOMC meeting with no policy changes or insights..
CIVIL RIGHTS PANEL TO PURSUE FED PROBE IN BLACK PANTHER CASE... ‘In emotional and personal testimony, an ex-Justice official who quit over the handling of a voter intimidation case against the New Black Panther Party accused his former employer of instructing attorneys in the civil rights division to ignore cases that involve black defendants and white victims’ Cases against Wall Street lag despite Holder’s vows to target financial fraud Obama has promised to hold Wall Street accountable for the meltdown. ):
‘THE OBAMA DECEPTION’ http://albertpeia.com/obamadeceptionhighqualityversion.flv ]
‘End of Days’ message rolls into D.C. (Washington Post) The potentially rotten news that the world will end on May 21 arrived plastered on a caravan of RVs. [ Gee … little premature … you know, that 2012, end of Mayan calendar, Nostradamus thing … I previously weighed in / wrote: Why do Americans still dislike atheists? (Washington Post) [ And not just americans … Why? First and foremost because there is a God. Second, it is intellectually dishonest to be an atheist. Specifically, there is absolutely no evidence to dispute the existence of God. While one might similarly argue that there is no evidence to suggest there is a God (which I would dispute), which for most is a fair statement, the same would yield at best, if intellectually honest, the position of ‘agnostic’. I can totally understand and even empathize with the view of the agnostic. After all, at this point, there seems to be ‘no rhyme nor reason’ at all. But, think binary, positives / negatives. Just too many negatives. Think ‘capital punishment’. No, the world’s not going to end in 2012 as some fear. Rather, think slow burn; decades at best; then ‘poof’. In the scheme of things, this world’s just not that important (apes, notochordates, and initially single celled organisms). Kind of akin to what I previously wrote: (God doesn’t care that you wrestle a girl who wants to wrestle!) Boy wrestler forfeits match to female opponent... [ What a homo! Wow! I feel sorry for those guys she actually beat (20 of them – her record was 20 and 13) … they’ll probably never get over it … nor should they … I have to rethink my regard for Iowa, Iowa state wrestling now presuming such stalwart championship teams to be the products of out-of-state imports … as for the guy who forfeited, he could have easily and gently taken her down (you can easily do that with a lesser opponent), got her in a double grapevine and grind her in a certain way into the mat, and when she was in the throws of convulsive orgasm, she’d unwittingly arch her back, thereby pressing her own shoulder blades to the mat, thereby pinning herself, thus enabling the homo to say in a manner of speaking that he was making heterosexual love not war with her ……… how pathetic and preposterous this was … and, let me remind the homo that God doesn’t care that you wrestle a girl who wants to wrestle! ]
244,000 jobs added in April Associated Press In biggest hiring spree in five years, employers posted a third straight month of hiring; unemployment rose to 9 percent as people resumed looking for work. Interactive: Why it doesn’t feel like a recovery (Washington Post) [ Short answer: Because it’s really not a recovery! What jobs? $1 dollar a day, 3 days a year … and on government pork projects for the porkers’ reelection campaigns? I don’t think so! Obama’s victory lap (Washington Post) The killing of bin Laden offered hope of instant renewal. [ Only wobama aficionado Mr. Milbank could latch onto this propagandist Orwellian dream and call it victory. Sounds like he’s shootin’ for a job in this failed presidency/administration as others, including from the Post.. 10 Reasons 2011 Is Feeling More and More Like 2008 Jensen ‘..it eerily feels like the months before the financial crisis and meltdown of 2008. .. impending and significant pullback over the summer.
10 reasons 2011 ..like 2008.
- Gas prices rising rapidly, starting to impact consumer spending and sentiment. On Thursday, gas prices hit this highest level since July 31st, 2008 and have risen every month since last August, up over 30% ..
- Despite numerous federal programs (mostly failed), the housing market remains moribund. ..
- The Federal Reserve continues to be behind the curve. In 2008, the subprime loan problem was “contained”. In 2011, Bernanke can’t seem to see any signs of inflation despite rapidly rising energy and food prices (they are not “core” components of the Index Blind Ben
- In 2008, we were fighting military actions in two Middle Eastern countries; Iraq and Afghanistan. In 2011, we are still fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan and have added ½ a war in Libya, .. a higher floor for oil prices ..
- World food prices increased dramatically in the 1st and 2nd quarter of 2008 creating a global crisis and causing political and economical instability and social unrest ..In 2008, this produced food riots in many developing countries. In 2011, we have uprisings throughout the Middle East ..
- In May 2008, the market was worried about which was the next financial institution ..what European sovereign state will be the next to need a bailout after Greece, Ireland and Portugal and what the ramifications will be for the credit markets.
- In 2008, gold hit $900 an ounce in January of that year and $1000 an ounce for the first time in March 2008. In 2011, gold and silver just hit all time highs last week
- As in 2008, U.S. GDP growth was anemic in the first quarter.. In 2011, GDP growth ..shows a significant slowdown from previous qtr.
- As in 2008, the fiscal and monetary policies of the United States have led to a decline in the value of its currency
- In 2008, China, the world’s third largest economy, instituted a series of measures to curb growth in order to address increasing inflation and the beginnings of a property bubble.. ]
CIA spied on bin Laden in town of Abbottabad (Washington Post) Agency maintained secret facility for a small team of spies who conducted extensive surveillance over a period of months on Osama bin Laden’s compound. [ Come on! Who is foolish enough to believe anything they say; particularly their scripted, ever-changing, evolving, self-serving accounts belied only by truth / reality as told by those with true courage and integrity; as, for example Jessica Lynch, etc. Top Terrorist Hunter For U.S. Government: Wolfowitz General Told Me 9/11 Was False Flag 9/11 Families Snub Obama’s “Photo-Op” White House Press Secretary “Floundering Under Pressure” Of Flip-Flopping Bin Laden Fable Pentagon Dinner Guest al-Awlaki Slated to Replace Osama as the new face of terror in a war designed to last forever. Staged: White House “Situation Room” Photos Part Of Bin Laden Fable .. it has emerged that the dramatic photos of Obama, Biden, Hillary Clinton and members of the White House security team watching the assassination of Bin Laden “live” were in fact completely staged, casting further doubt on the ever-changing official account of the operation. Hillary Clinton Claims ‘Allergy Not Anguish’ Reason For Photo As Evidence Points to PR Stunt No resistance in “cold-blooded” U.S. raid: Pakistan officials US Government Contractor Claims “Al-Qaeda” Has Confirmed Bin Laden Fairytale Paul Joseph Watson | SITE organization was behind release of fake “Al-Qaeda” tapes released at politically opportune times stretching back years The Cost of Bin Laden: $3 Trillion Over 15 Years What do we have to show for that tab? Two wars that continue to occupy 150,000 troops and tie up a quarter of our defense budget; a bloated homeland-security apparatus that has at times pushed the bounds of civil liberty. Bin Had The Growing Coverup: Osama and “The Big Lie” The Obama administration and the corporate media are concocting an ever-more elaborate and spectacular theater around the “heroic” murder of the CIA intelligence myth/CIA asset Osama bin Laden. Not content to simply to exploit the 9/11 atrocity for political gain, the administration is heaping new layers of lie and cover-up to the original crime. Staged Al Qaeda Rail Attack Plot To Be Used To Further Implement TSA At “Soft” Spots Nationwide? Red Alert: Government Had Osama bin Laden Frozen for Years Nimmo / Jones | Videos [ I personally believe Osama’s been dead for quite some time. Indeed, for one on dialysis, he otherwise would have been nothing less than a modern day miracle in terms of longevity / mortality rates for those so afflicted, particularly under the ‘stressful’ circumstances involving evading capture, betrayal for money, etc.. His ‘surfacing’ for a ‘talk’ wouldn’t even pass muster in the most rudimentary requirements for ‘proof of life’. The release at this time of the ‘announcement’ is, rather than a victory lap so to speak, but rather a sign of weakness and desperation on the part of america whose global and domestic economic, financial, and geopolitical position is substantially diminished and declining rapidly and whose military industrial complex welfare plan along with the Orwellian diversion of the masses could at most yield a pyrrhic victory which also would require for consummation a wrap-up of this nation-bankrupting contrived war scenario, which is not likely. Moreover, the same comes at a time of systemic failure for pervasively corrupt, defacto bankrupt america While the ‘announcement’ plays well for the nonce, to the dumb, uninformed back home, the same will galvanize resistance in the name of their now martyr, Osama Bin Laden. In sum, other than somewhat questionable propaganda value, the announcement will have no measurable effect on america’s continuing mideast / global debacle. In other words, defacto bankrupt america has used up a ‘bullet’, albeit a blank at that! ]
Dionne: Who is Obama? Now we know. (Washington Post) [ Oh really? Now you tell us what you really know about this fraud and failed president. Barack Obama: The Naked Emperor Shocking but true revelations from David Icke (a must read) | ‘…He has been covertly funded and supported ever since by the Trilateral Commission and its network of foundations connecting into the Ford Foundation, for whom Obama's mother worked... Does anyone really believe that someone, a 'man of the people', would simply appear from apparently nowhere to run the slickest and best-funded presidential campaign in American history? He was chosen long ago by those who wish to enslave the very people that Obama says he wants to 'set free'. The sources of Obama funding .. - Goldman, UBS, Citi, Credit Suisse, Deutsche, J.P. Morgan Chase, Morgan Stanley, etc. No wonder he went back on his pledge to accept the limitations of public funding … Obama is just more of the same, a big smile with strings attached, and controlled completely by those that chose him, trained him, sold him and provided his record funding, kept his many skeletons under wraps, like the gay sex and crack cocaine .. Larry Sinclair (from affidavit: 1. Who is Ron Allen that claims to be with your Presidential camp, who is alleged to claim that someone claiming to represent me called asking for $100,000, to keep me from coming forward about our (Obama and I) November 1999 encounter of sex and cocaine use?), ... Obama is just another Banksters' moll prostituting himself .., and that's why he supported the grotesque bail-out of the banking system and why he will always put their interests before the people. His financial advisors are straight from the Wall Street 'A' list, … Zionist Tim Geithner (Bilderberg Group, Trilateral Commission, Council on Foreign Relations), was appointed Treasury Secretary, a former employee of both the Council on Foreign Relations and the appalling Kissinger Associates. Obama's Treasury team locks into the inner circle around the Zionist Robert Rubin, Citi, Council on Foreign Relations, and economic advisor to Obama. Rubin, ..Illuminati Bilderberg Group, the man behind Citi's debacle.. rescued by taxpayers' money. The very people who caused the financial crisis .. appointed by Obama .. CIVIL RIGHTS PANEL TO PURSUE FED PROBE IN BLACK PANTHER CASE... ‘In emotional and personal testimony, an ex-Justice official who quit over the handling of a voter intimidation case against the New Black Panther Party accused his former employer of instructing attorneys in the civil rights division to ignore cases that involve black defendants and white victims ...’ Cases against Wall Street lag despite Holder’s vows to target financial fraud Obama has promised to hold Wall Street accountable for the meltdown. ):
‘THE OBAMA DECEPTION’ http://albertpeia.com/obamadeceptionhighqualityversion.flv ]
Jobs Report Has More Bad News Than Good News CNBC | There was more bad news than met the eye to Friday’s jobs report.
National Debt Breaks Debt Clock Infowars.com | Sign of the times.
Jobless Claims in U.S. Unexpectedly Jump Bloomberg | The number of claims for U.S. unemployment benefits unexpectedly rose last week, pushed up by auto-plant shutdowns and other unusual events.
US Unemployment Rises To 9 Per Cent The nation’s unemployment rate – the result of a separate but simultaneously released survey of households instead of businesses – showed an uptick to 9.0 percent.
Greece Considers Exit from Euro Zone The debt crisis in Greece has taken on a dramatic new twist. Sources with information about the government’s actions have informed SPIEGEL ONLINE that Athens is considering withdrawing from the euro zone.
Oil & gold slump sparks commodity crash fear Gold, silver and oil prices have tumbled on fears of a global economic slowdown, leading to speculation that the recent commodities bubble may have peaked.
And So It Continues: Another 92 Thousand Ounces In Physical Silver Withdrawn From Comex Despite Historic Paper Collapse At this rate, tomorrow, for the first time, we will see a 32 handle in Comex registered silver ounces, where apparently despite the massive drubbing in paper silver, demand for physical inexplicably persists. Speculators to be blamed for this in 5…4…3…
(5-6-11) Dow 12,638 +54 Nasdaq 2,827 +13 S&P 500 1,340 +5 [CLOSE- OIL $98.11 (-54% for year 2008) (RECORD TRADING HIGH $147.27) GAS $3.96 (reg. gas in LAND OF FRUITS AND NUTS $4.22 REG./ $4.35 MID-GRADE/$4.45 PREM./ $4.61 DIESELL) / GOLD $1,495 (+24% for year 2009) / SILVER $35.61 (+47% for year 2009) PLATINUM $1,783 (+56% for year 2009) Metal News for the Day / DOLLAR= .69 EURO, 80 YEN, .61 POUND STERLING, ETC. (How low can you go - LOWER)/ Interest Rates: http://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/data-chart-center/interest-rates/Pages/TextView.aspx?data=yield 10 YR NOTE YIELD 3.19% …..… AP Business Highlights ...Yahoo Market Update... T. Rowe Price Weekly Recap – Stocks / Bonds / Currencies - Domestic / International This Is a Secular Bear Market and The End of Buy and Hold … and Hope The bull market that never was/were beyond wall street b.s. when measured in gold ‘WORST ECONOMIC COLLAPSE EVER’ Must Read Economic / Financial Data This Depression is just beginning The coming depression… thecomingdepression.net The Next Wave of Collapse is Coming Sooner than you think Sliding Back Into the Great Depression ABSOLUTELY, ABSURDLY, RIDICULOUS! SELL / TAKE PROFITS WHILE YOU CAN SINCE MUCH, MUCH WORSE TO COME!
National / World
Red Alert: Help Stop False Flag Terror Infowars.com | Alex warns about the potential for another false flag attack, urging listeners to call the White House.
Torture Nation: Enhancing the Move Toward Totalitarianism Kurt Nimmo | Torture is a milestone on the road to dictatorship.
Terrorist Hunter: General Under Wolfowitz Told Me 9/11 Was False Flag Infowars.com | Government insider Dr. Steve R. Pieczenik cannot be dismissed as a “conspiracy theorist.”
Pieczenik: The Psychological Resurrection of Osama Bin Laden Infowars.com | Critically acclaimed author of psycho-political thrillers, Steve Pieczenik continues his analysis of the so-called death of Osama bin Laden.
US Government Contractor Claims “Al-Qaeda” Has Confirmed Bin Laden Fairytale Paul Joseph Watson | SITE organization was behind release of fake “Al-Qaeda” tapes released at politically opportune times stretching back years
The Cost of Bin Laden: $3 Trillion Over 15 Years What do we have to show for that tab? Two wars that continue to occupy 150,000 troops and tie up a quarter of our defense budget; a bloated homeland-security apparatus that has at times pushed the bounds of civil liberty.
Paul Craig Roberts: What Is The Agenda Behind The Bin Laden Fable? The US government’s bin Laden story was so poorly crafted that it did not last 48 hours before being fundamentally altered. What agenda or agendas is the “death of bin Laden” designed to further?
Red Alert: Help Stop False Flag Terror Alex Jones calls in to warn about the potential for another false flag attack, urging listeners to activate, call the White House and try to stop the attack. Counter-terrorism expert Dr. Steve Pieczenik concurs with Alex’s outlook and urges the good men and women inside the system to say no to this shameful and dangerous tactic.
Muslims Brainwashed By MI5 Agent Choudry Reinforce Pro-War Propaganda By Rioting In London A child of three could see through this scam. Muslims brainwashed by extremist preachers on the MI5 payroll – people like Anjem Choudry and Abu Hamza, are told to riot in London and threaten retailiation attacks for the death of Bin Laden. This not only reinforces the Bin Laden fable, but it also allows the media to whip up anti-Arab sentiment amongst British and American citizens by bombarding them with images of screaming Muslim extremists.
Osama Bin Laden: The Movie The recent fanfare on May 1st 2011 from the screenwriters in the mainstream media over the US government’s announcement of the US Navy SEALs’ killing of Osama bin Laden reminds us once again how mainstream journalism requires Orwell’s memory hole in order to function. After all, this isn’t the first time we’ve been told bin Laden is dead.
Torture Nation: Enhancing the Move Toward Totalitarianism Now that the government claims it offed Osama bin Laden – never mind a complete lack of evidence – it is time to elevate the brutal and medieval techniques the government said it used to break the case.
Alex Jones: Terrorism’s Big Dirty Secret Alex Jones exposes the biggest hoax of all behind the threat of terrorism and the idea that Americans should give up their freedoms only to live cowering in fear.
McRecovery Continues to Erode American Middle Class The Federal Reserve designed 2008 economic takedown is now claiming millions of victims. It is eroding the middle class and slowly turning the United States into a second rank country working its way toward third world status.
US Government Contractor Claims “Al-Qaeda” Has Confirmed Bin Laden Fairytale One of the groups behind the endless fake Bin Laden tapes and a contractor for the US government tells us that “Al-Qaeda” has confirmed the death of Osama. Although Bin Laden has been dead since 2001, the fact the US government are having to use the notorious SITE organization to prop up the crumbling Bin Laden fable that was manufactured on Sunday night shows how desperate the White House has become inits bid to sell the public on more terror fearmongering.
“Shock” CNN Poll: Ron Paul Has Best Chance Of Beating Obama Our November 2010 prediction that only Ron Paul amongst the roster of likely Republican candidates had a realistic chance of beating Barack Obama in 2012 has been borne out by what the media are describing as a “shock CNN poll” that shows the Texas Congressman leading his GOP rivals in a hypothetical run off against Obama.
Ron Paul Moneybomb Reaches $1Mil Texas Representative and Fox News/South Carolina GOP debate participant Ron Paulhas utilized his unorthodox moneybomb campaign donation techniques for many of his campaigns, and according to his Presidential exploratory website, totals reached $1 million dollars just before 2AM Friday morning.
Bin Had Ignoring the above, it is still obvious that we’ve been had. Specifically, only 5 hours after the 9/11 attacks, Donald Rumsfeld said “my interest is to hit Saddam”. He also said “Go massive . . . Sweep it all up. Things related and not.”
The Growing Coverup: Osama and “The Big Lie” The Obama administration and the corporate media are concocting an ever-more elaborate and spectacular theater around the “heroic” murder of the CIA intelligence myth/CIA asset Osama bin Laden. Not content to simply to exploit the 9/11 atrocity for political gain, the administration is heaping new layers of lie and cover-up to the original crime.
What If Bush Did It? A Nation Celebrates What It is Told In a dramatic late-night appearance in the White House press room, President George W. Bush announced that Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction had been found in a secret stronghold near the Syrian border.
Drudgereport: UNEMPLOYMENT BACK UP TO 9.0%...
Fannie Mae Reports $8.7B Loss for First Quarter...
Seeks $8.5B more from taxpayers...
APRIL JOBS: +244,000...
FUZZY MATH: How can US add jobs but the unemployment rate go up?
Gas nat'l average: $3.99...
Eats 9% of household budgets...
Average price sets record in Indiana -- $4.25 a gallon...
$6.03 in Hawaii...
Silver Plunge Spreads...
OIL GUTTED...
Price Slide Temporary, New Highs Likely: Goldman...
Fears linger of a new 'flash crash'...
Euro Tumbles...
CNN SHOCK POLL: RON PAUL HAS BEST CHANCE VS OBAMA
National Home Prices Double Dip...
JOBLESS CLAIMS RISE TO 8 MONTH HIGH...
Fears linger of a new 'flash crash'...
9-11 FAMILY: 'SHOW US PROOF BIN LADEN KILLED'...
Victim's father: Obama 'putting too much spotlight on himself'...
Channels Bush at Ground Zero: 'We will never forget'...
Tells teen survivor he knows Justin Bieber...
Turns Back on 9/11 Family Member...
AUDIO...
Muslim Brotherhood urges review of Israel ties...
Pakistanis burn U.S. flags; backlash over death grows...
Pakistan officials: No resistance in 'cold-blooded' U.S. raid...
Warns America not to stage any more...
Threatens 'disastrous consequences'...
Muslims already name dump location 'Martyr's Sea'...
OBAMA, NO PHOTOS OF OSAMA: 'We don't need to spike the football'...
'Conspiracy theorists will just claim doctored'...
Sen. Scott Brown: 'I've seen picture, he's definitely dead'...
UPDATE: Photo proving bin Laden's death to Sen. Brown was faked...
three senators fell for fakes...
UPDATE: 'The photo I saw and that a lot of other people saw is not authentic'...
Top Dem: No photo needed, 'there's absolute proof'...
REUTERS RELEASES 'DEATH SCENE' PHOTOS
**WARNING GRAPHIC**
UPDATE: Photo proving bin Laden's death to Sen. Brown was faked...
Possibly three senators fell for fakes...
Pakistan: 'Not a single bullet fired from compound'...
WIRE: Photos from 1 hour after raid show 3 dead, no weapons...
The Slippery Story of the bin Laden Kill...
Official says 'killed apparently by the U.S. raid team'...
DOLLAR HITS 3 YEAR LOW...
1 IN 7 ON FOOD STAMPS!
Job numbers disappoint...
Treasury suggests $2 trillion debt cap raise...
CEOs’ pay: It’s as if the Great Recession never happened (Washington Post) The typical big-business CEO made $9 million last year, exceeding pre-recession level. [ And ‘worth every penny’? Not likely in pervasively corrupt, defacto bankrupt america, leaders no more except in fraud, crime, manipulation, subterfuge. Imagine the comparisons to their foreign counterparts where value still has meaning. As if ‘never happened? How ‘bout not over, and worse to come! UBS bank admits rigging bids (WP) Swiss bank reaped millions of dollars of illegal profits by rigging municipal bond transactions in 36 states, government said. [ The key here is ‘Swiss’ and ‘millions of dollars of illegal profits’ when the american banks / wall street frauds’ generated hundreds of billions in illegal profits, which frauds continue to this day by way of slightly subdued high-frequency trading / commission-generated scams along with cover-up and cash-out from the last, still unprosecuted fraud in the trillions for which disgorgement, fines is long overdue. 24 Signs Of Economic Decline In America ‘The US is in the middle of a devastating long-term economic decline..’ ] States face shortfall for retirees (WP) Public workers’ retirement funds had a gap of $1.26 trillion at the end of fiscal 2009
Study: Affordable rentals scarce (WP)
Poll: For Obama, low marks on Afghan war (WP) More Americans disapprove of President Obama’s management of the war in Afghanistan than support it
Fuel prices cut into Obama popularity (WP) (The frauds on wall street et als should be criminally prosecuted, jailed, fined, and disgorgement imposed), and have used the mideast turmoil to obfuscate their failure. Dave's Daily 'If you can keep interest rates this low this long, its inevitable cheap financing can allow companies to start cobbling each other up. Further Ben's policies allow companies like IBM to sell bonds at 1% and buy back shares with the proceeds (total paper bubble-scam). POMO is occurring almost daily and Primary Dealers can buy back their shares and pay dividends with what essentially is taxpayer money-- … an especially great opportunity to sell / take profits while you still can since there's much worse to come! America Is a Failed State Because It Won’t Prosecute Financial Crime Washington’s Blog / the grim economic reality [ http://albertpeia.com/grimreality.htm ]. Selling In May Is Very Good Advice This Year Harding / April Is a Good Time to Sell Adler Equity Valuations Are Forming the Second Biggest Bubble in U.S. History Kaspar ... According to Yale University’s Dr. Robert Shiller, the market is now 41% overvalued …only time the markets have been more overvalued .. 1929 & tech bubble. http://static.seekingalpha.com/uploads/2011/4/12/saupload_cape_thumb1.png PRECHTER: We're Still In A Massive Bear Market And Stocks Will Crash To New Lows ]
A political minefield in Treasury plan (Washington Post) Questions about deficit and growth complicate Treasury’s plan to overhaul corporate taxes. [ What plan! . Let the budget battle begin After two weeks of tumultuous meetings with constituents, Congress returns to a lengthy fight over the nation’s solvency. (WP) [ Or more aptly put, stated another way, the nation’s solvency is over. .. america’s defacto bankrupt with no end in sight.. interest alone is eating progressively into GDP beyond the subterfuge.. Gerson: How serious are we about the deficit? (WP) [ Not much! I mean come on! Davis ‘… This is how we pay off our current debts and I think bondholders are simply happy to get anything out of a country that admits it owes $15Tn (1/4 of global GDP) but probably owes closer to $60Tn (entire global GDP) in the form of unfunded liabilities. The funniest thing about this (and you have to laugh) is to see Conservative pundits get on TV and talk about how we need to cut $100Bn worth of discretionary spending to "fix" this (while continuing to spend $1Tn on the military and $1Tn on tax cuts for the top 1% each year). There is no fixing this and even a Republican said you can’t fool all of the people all of the time. THIS HOUSE OF CARDS IS TEETERING FOLKS – PLEASE BE CAREFUL OUT THERE! ‘ … Suckers’ rally to keep suckers suckered: Philadelphia Fed Depresses Economists Durden ‘..And here comes the first indicator that Q2 GDP is about to be mass revised by everyone, courtesy of Japan, and ongoing inflation pressures: the Philadelphia Fed collapsed from a revised 43.4 (a 27 year high) to 18.5, the lowest since November 2010… This is an especially great opportunity to sell / take profits while you still can since there's much worse to come! U.S. Economy Remains on Life Support Hansen ‘
- The Federal Reserve press conference by Chairman Bernanke which contained almost no new economic insights; and,
- An FOMC meeting with no policy changes or insights..
CIVIL RIGHTS PANEL TO PURSUE FED PROBE IN BLACK PANTHER CASE... ‘In emotional and personal testimony, an ex-Justice official who quit over the handling of a voter intimidation case against the New Black Panther Party accused his former employer of instructing attorneys in the civil rights division to ignore cases that involve black defendants and white victims’ Cases against Wall Street lag despite Holder’s vows to target financial fraud Obama has promised to hold Wall Street accountable for the meltdown. ):
‘THE OBAMA DECEPTION’ http://albertpeia.com/obamadeceptionhighqualityversion.flv ]
‘End of Days’ message rolls into D.C. (Washington Post) The potentially rotten news that the world will end on May 21 arrived plastered on a caravan of RVs. [ Gee … little premature … you know, that 2012, end of Mayan calendar, Nostradamus thing … I previously weighed in / wrote: Why do Americans still dislike atheists? (Washington Post) [ And not just americans … Why? First and foremost because there is a God. Second, it is intellectually dishonest to be an atheist. Specifically, there is absolutely no evidence to dispute the existence of God. While one might similarly argue that there is no evidence to suggest there is a God (which I would dispute), which for most is a fair statement, the same would yield at best, if intellectually honest, the position of ‘agnostic’. I can totally understand and even empathize with the view of the agnostic. After all, at this point, there seems to be ‘no rhyme nor reason’ at all. But, think binary, positives / negatives. Just too many negatives. Think ‘capital punishment’. No, the world’s not going to end in 2012 as some fear. Rather, think slow burn; decades at best; then ‘poof’. In the scheme of things, this world’s just not that important (apes, notochordates, and initially single celled organisms). Kind of akin to what I previously wrote: (God doesn’t care that you wrestle a girl who wants to wrestle!) Boy wrestler forfeits match to female opponent... [ What a homo! Wow! I feel sorry for those guys she actually beat (20 of them – her record was 20 and 13) … they’ll probably never get over it … nor should they … I have to rethink my regard for Iowa, Iowa state wrestling now presuming such stalwart championship teams to be the products of out-of-state imports … as for the guy who forfeited, he could have easily and gently taken her down (you can easily do that with a lesser opponent), got her in a double grapevine and grind her in a certain way into the mat, and when she was in the throws of convulsive orgasm, she’d unwittingly arch her back, thereby pressing her own shoulder blades to the mat, thereby pinning herself, thus enabling the homo to say in a manner of speaking that he was making heterosexual love not war with her ……… how pathetic and preposterous this was … and, let me remind the homo that God doesn’t care that you wrestle a girl who wants to wrestle! ]
244,000 jobs added in April Associated Press In biggest hiring spree in five years, employers posted a third straight month of hiring; unemployment rose to 9 percent as people resumed looking for work. Interactive: Why it doesn’t feel like a recovery (Washington Post) [ Short answer: Because it’s really not a recovery! What jobs? $1 dollar a day, 3 days a year … and on government pork projects for the porkers’ reelection campaigns? I don’t think so! Obama’s victory lap (Washington Post) The killing of bin Laden offered hope of instant renewal. [ Only wobama aficionado Mr. Milbank could latch onto this propagandist Orwellian dream and call it victory. Sounds like he’s shootin’ for a job in this failed presidency/administration as others, including from the Post.. 10 Reasons 2011 Is Feeling More and More Like 2008 Jensen ‘..it eerily feels like the months before the financial crisis and meltdown of 2008. .. impending and significant pullback over the summer.
10 reasons 2011 ..like 2008.
- Gas prices rising rapidly, starting to impact consumer spending and sentiment. On Thursday, gas prices hit this highest level since July 31st, 2008 and have risen every month since last August, up over 30% ..
- Despite numerous federal programs (mostly failed), the housing market remains moribund. ..
- The Federal Reserve continues to be behind the curve. In 2008, the subprime loan problem was “contained”. In 2011, Bernanke can’t seem to see any signs of inflation despite rapidly rising energy and food prices (they are not “core” components of the Index Blind Ben
- In 2008, we were fighting military actions in two Middle Eastern countries; Iraq and Afghanistan. In 2011, we are still fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan and have added ½ a war in Libya, .. a higher floor for oil prices ..
- World food prices increased dramatically in the 1st and 2nd quarter of 2008 creating a global crisis and causing political and economical instability and social unrest ..In 2008, this produced food riots in many developing countries. In 2011, we have uprisings throughout the Middle East ..
- In May 2008, the market was worried about which was the next financial institution ..what European sovereign state will be the next to need a bailout after Greece, Ireland and Portugal and what the ramifications will be for the credit markets.
- In 2008, gold hit $900 an ounce in January of that year and $1000 an ounce for the first time in March 2008. In 2011, gold and silver just hit all time highs last week
- As in 2008, U.S. GDP growth was anemic in the first quarter.. In 2011, GDP growth ..shows a significant slowdown from previous qtr.
- As in 2008, the fiscal and monetary policies of the United States have led to a decline in the value of its currency
- In 2008, China, the world’s third largest economy, instituted a series of measures to curb growth in order to address increasing inflation and the beginnings of a property bubble.. ]
CIA spied on bin Laden in town of Abbottabad (Washington Post) Agency maintained secret facility for a small team of spies who conducted extensive surveillance over a period of months on Osama bin Laden’s compound. [ Come on! Who is foolish enough to believe anything they say; particularly their scripted, ever-changing, evolving, self-serving accounts belied only by truth / reality as told by those with true courage and integrity; as, for example Jessica Lynch, etc.
Top Terrorist Hunter For U.S. Government: Wolfowitz General Told Me 9/11 Was False Flag
9/11 Families Snub Obama’s “Photo-Op”
White House Press Secretary “Floundering Under Pressure” Of Flip-Flopping Bin Laden Fable
Pentagon Dinner Guest al-Awlaki Slated to Replace Osama as the new face of terror in a war designed to last forever.
Staged: White House “Situation Room” Photos Part Of Bin Laden Fable .. it has emerged that the dramatic photos of Obama, Biden, Hillary Clinton and members of the White House security team watching the assassination of Bin Laden “live” were in fact completely staged, casting further doubt on the ever-changing official account of the operation.
Hillary Clinton Claims ‘Allergy Not Anguish’ Reason For Photo As Evidence Points to PR Stunt
No resistance in “cold-blooded” U.S. raid: Pakistan officials
Red Alert: Government Had Osama bin Laden Frozen for Years
Nimmo / Jones | Videos [ I personally believe Osama’s been dead for quite some time. Indeed, for one on dialysis, he otherwise would have been nothing less than a modern day miracle in terms of longevity / mortality rates for those so afflicted, particularly under the ‘stressful’ circumstances involving evading capture, betrayal for money, etc.. His ‘surfacing’ for a ‘talk’ wouldn’t even pass muster in the most rudimentary requirements for ‘proof of life’. The release at this time of the ‘announcement’ is, rather than a victory lap so to speak, but rather a sign of weakness and desperation on the part of america whose global and domestic economic, financial, and geopolitical position is substantially diminished and declining rapidly and whose military industrial complex welfare plan along with the Orwellian diversion of the masses could at most yield a pyrrhic victory which also would require for consummation a wrap-up of this nation-bankrupting contrived war scenario, which is not likely. Moreover, the same comes at a time of systemic failure for pervasively corrupt, defacto bankrupt america While the ‘announcement’ plays well for the nonce, to the dumb, uninformed back home, the same will galvanize resistance in the name of their now martyr, Osama Bin Laden. In sum, other than somewhat questionable propaganda value, the announcement will have no measurable effect on america’s continuing mideast / global debacle. In other words, defacto bankrupt america has used up a ‘bullet’, albeit a blank at that! ]
Weekly Unemployment Claims Going in the Wrong Direction Short May 5, 2011 ‘The Department of Labor’s Unemployment Insurance Weekly Claims Report was released this morning for last week. Claims rose 43,000 from an upward revision of the previous week to 431,000. That is a 10% increase for the week and a 4-week moving average increase of 5.4%. Here is the official statement from the Department of Labor:
In the week ending April 30, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 474,000, an increase of 43,000 from the previous week’s revised figure of 431,000. The 4-week moving average was 431,250, an increase of 22,250 from the previous week’s revised average of 409,000.
The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 3.0 percent for the week ending April 23, an increase of 0.1 percentage point from the prior week’s unrevised rate of 2.9 percent.
The advance number for seasonally adjusted insured unemployment during the week ending April 23 was 3,733,000, an increase of 74,000 from the preceding week’s revised level of 3,659,000. The 4-week moving average was 3,700,750, a decrease of 1,250 from the preceding week’s revised average of 3,702,000.
Today’s number was 18.5% higher than the Briefing.com consensus expectation of 400,000 claims.
As we can see, there’s a good bit of volatility in this indicator, which is why the 4-week moving average (shown in the callouts) is a more useful number than the weekly data.
[ chart http://dshort.com/charts/indicators/weekly-unemployment-claims.gif ]
Occasionally I see articles critical of seasonal adjustment, especially when the non-adjusted number better suits the author’s bias. But a comparison of these two charts clearly shows extreme volatility of the non-adjusted data, and the 4-week MA gives an indication of the recurring pattern of seasonal change in the second chart (note, for example, those regular January spikes).
Because of the extreme volatility of the non-adjusted weekly data, a 52-week moving average gives a better sense of the long-term trends.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics provides an overview on seasonal adjustment here (scroll down about half way down).
Doug Short Ph.d is the author of dshort.com.’
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