Obscure (143-Year-Old!) Clause May Help US Avert Default

See also:

Exclusive: US Treasury Secretly Weighs Options To Avert DEFAULT (Reuters) – Here Is My Favorite: ‘If the U.S. Constitution allows President Barack Obama to ignore Congress and the government to continue to issue debt

“I wish it were possible to obtain a single amendment to our Constitution — taking from the federal government their power of borrowing.”
– Thomas Jefferson


Obscure clause may help US avert default (AFP, July 09, 2011):

The White House could resort to an little-known line in the US constitution to prevent a ruinous default if Democrats and Republicans do not agree to raise the debt ceiling by August 2, experts say.

The 143-year-old clause, written to address still-potent divisions after the bloody Civil War, has been dredged up by legal scholars as well as the US Treasury secretary to suggest how a debt debacle might be avoided.

But resorting to it could spark a constitutional crisis over just who — the Congress or the White House — controls the power of the federal purse, analysts say.

The US government reached its debt limit of $14.29 trillion in May and since then the Treasury has used special measures to allow the government to keep paying its bills.

But unless the limit is raised by August 2, the Treasury says, growing spending and debt service commitments will force a default, which would have disastrous ripple effects throughout the global financial system.

Republicans in Congress — which sets the debt cap into law — have refused to raise it unless the move is accompanied by deep spending cuts, and their talks with Democrats have made little visible progress.

If the impasse is not broken, could President Barack Obama simply ignore the ceiling and borrow more money?

Some legal experts believe he could, citing the 14th Amendment to the Constitution, adopted in 1868.

Read moreObscure (143-Year-Old!) Clause May Help US Avert Default

George Galloway’s Epic Rant Against Rupert Murdoch

George Galloway’s epic rant against Rupert Murdoch


Added: 09.07.2011

George Galloway delivers an angry, epic rant against Rupert Murdoch and his empire. This is probably the most angriest rant by Galloway since he shouted down a racist over the Haiti earthquake in 2010.( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T66Xupx7zOc )

He blasts Rupert Murdoch for the following:

YOUR RUPERT MURDOCH WAS HACKING THE PHONES OF DEAD SOLDIERS.

YOUR RUPERT MURDOCH WAS HACKING THE PHONE OF MILLY DOWLER.

YOUR RUPERT MURDOCH WAS HACKING THE PHONE OF THE FATHER OF JESSICA CHAPMAN.

YOUR RUPERT MURDOCH WAS HACKING THE PHONE OF THE MOTHER OF SARAH PAYNE.

Orginally broadcasted on 8th July 2011.

George Galloway speaks to dumb supporter of Rupert Murdoch


Added: 09.07.2011

George Galloway speaks to an idiotic caller who thinks that the hacking of the phones of Jessica Chapman’s dad, the British soldiers and Mily Dowler is somehow in the best interests of the British public.

Originally broadcasted on 8th July 2011.

How Radioactive Cows and Pigs Were Evacuated from Fukushima (And Will Eventually Land On Your Table)

#Radiation in Japan: How Cows and Pigs Evacuated from Fukushima (EX-SKF, July 9, 2011):

You wouldn’t need a so-called “conspiracy theory” when you have the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries who is eager to register the Japanese cuisine as “world intangible cultural heritage”.

Several readers asked whether the cows and pigs in Fukushima Prefecture had actually been evacuated or sold. Answer is yes, and it’s been happening since March, and more so after the end of April, thanks to this particular Ministry’s guidance.

First, cows:

From Asahi Shinbun (4/19/2011):

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On April 19, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries decided on the policy to evacuate the cows being raised inside the “planned evacuation zone” that the national government would soon designate [between 20 and 30 kilometers radius from Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant]. As Fukushima Prefecture has expressed interest in evacuating the cows inside the proposed zone, the Ministry will start the evacuation in cooperation with the prefectural government.

Read moreHow Radioactive Cows and Pigs Were Evacuated from Fukushima (And Will Eventually Land On Your Table)

Unbelievable Update On Radioactive Fukushima Cow Meat Coming Your Way!!!

Update: 3200 Becquerels/Kg Cesiuim Detected from Beef from Minami-Soma City in Fukushima (EX-SKF, July 8, 2011):

These cattle were allowed to be sold, as long as they were scrubbed clean of radioactive materials on their skin, thanks to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, the same ministry that is pushing to have the Japanese cuisine recognized as UNESCO’s “world intangible cultural heritage”.

According to Asahi Shinbun (link below), the Tokyo Metropolitan government tested the remaining 10 meat cows from Minami-Soma City that were processed on July 8. The highest number was 3200 becquerels/kg of cesium, and even the lowest number was 1530 becquerels/kg, more than 3 times the government’s provisional safety limit for cesium in foods.

The one that was tested on July 8 had 2300 becquerels/kg radioactive cesium.

Asahi Shinbun (7/9/2011) also says:

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Following the instruction from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, the Metropolitan Shibaura Slaughterhouse doesn’t conduct radiation testing at all, whether the cattle come from the 20-30 kilometer radius from Fukushima I Nuke Plant or from other areas. However, there have been 5 instances where the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare instructed them to test for radiation, and in those instances the radioactive materials detected were less than the provisional limit.

Yomiuri Shinbun (7/9/2011) says something more disturbing:

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According to the investigation by Fukushima Prefecture, 2924 meat cows have been shipped from the same area since the end of April.

Read moreUnbelievable Update On Radioactive Fukushima Cow Meat Coming Your Way!!!

And Now: Japan Government, TEPCO: Removal Of Melted Fuel Rods May Start In 10 YEARS, IF Technology Essential For The Work Has Been Developed Before That!!!

Oh, sure!


Govt., TEPCO draw roadmap to reactor decommission (NHK, July 09, 2011):

A roadmap toward decommissioning of the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant indicates that the removal of melted nuclear fuel rods at the plant may begin in 10 years.

NHK has obtained the mid- and long-term roadmap which was presented when officials from the operator of the Fukushima plant, government officials in charge of nuclear safety, and manufacturers of nuclear reactors met last week.

The draft roadmap drawn up by the government’s Nuclear Safety Commission and Tokyo Electric Power Company says they tentatively set a target date to begin removing fuel rods that melted and fell to the bottom of the reactor.

The work is considered to be the most important phase in the decommissioning process. The roadmap indicates that removal will start in 2021 if technology essential for the work has been developed before that.

Read moreAnd Now: Japan Government, TEPCO: Removal Of Melted Fuel Rods May Start In 10 YEARS, IF Technology Essential For The Work Has Been Developed Before That!!!

Major 7.0 Earthquake Strikes Fukushima Area – TEPCO: No Immediate Sign Of Further Damage

Major quake strikes northeastern Japan (MSNBC/Reuters, July 10, 2011):

TOKYO — A strong earthquake jolted on Sunday the same area of northeastern Japan that was hit by a massive quake in March, but there was no sign of further damage along the coast or to the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant, officials said.

The Japan Meteorological Agency lifted a tsunami alert for the region before noon after initially urging residents in the disaster area to stay clear of the coast.

The U.S. Geological Survey estimated the magnitude of the earthquake at 7.0 and said it had occurred about 130 miles off the northeastern coast of Japan at a depth of 11 miles just before 10 a.m. local time.

Read moreMajor 7.0 Earthquake Strikes Fukushima Area – TEPCO: No Immediate Sign Of Further Damage

Fukushima: 10 Humans Enter Reactor No. 3, Reveice 5.3 Millisieverts In 9 Minutes

#Fukushima I Nuke Plant Reactor 3: Humans Entered Reactor Bldg and Did What Bots Coulnd’t Do (EX-SKF, July 8, 2011):

(Not that I’m faulting those hard-working bots, mind you.)

6 TEPCO employees and 4 TEPCO affiliate company employees went to the reactor building of the Reactor 3 on July 8 afternoon. 2 TEPCO employees entered the building, measured the radiation at the location where the nitrogen injection hose would be installed (55 millisieverts/hour), and put a temporary coupler on the metal pipe that would be used for nitrogen injection.

For that 9-minute job, they received 5.34 millisieverts radiation.

Here’s TEPCO’s handout for the press on July 9. The English explanation reads like a Google translation (maybe it is) but you get the idea. (I looked at the Japanese handout.)

Read moreFukushima: 10 Humans Enter Reactor No. 3, Reveice 5.3 Millisieverts In 9 Minutes

Former CIA Director Michael Hayden: Build A New Internet To Improve Cybersecurity

Which is exactly what that ‘Lulz’ was all about!

Hackers Are Everywhere. Panic! (PCMag)

LulzSec Hackers Abruptly Disband: ‘We’re Not Quitting Because We’re Afraid Of Law Enforcement’ – ‘The Press Are Getting Bored Of Us, And We’re Getting Bored Of Us’

LulzSec Takes Down CIA Website For The Lulz

Hackers Break Into Senate.gov Website

FBI Affiliate InfraGuard Hacked

Just that …

1 in 4 US Hackers ‘Is An FBI Informer’


Former CIA Director: Build a new Internet to improve cybersecurity (July 6, 2011):

The United States may seriously want to consider creating a new Internet infrastructure to reduce the threat of cyberattacks, said Michael Hayden, President George W. Bush’s CIA director.

Several current federal officials, including U.S. Cyber Command chief Gen. Keith Alexander, also have floated the concept of a “.secure” network for critical services such as banking that would be walled off from the public Web. Unlike .com, .xxx and other new domains now proliferating the Internet, .secure would require visitors to use certified credentials for entry and would do away with users’ Fourth Amendment rights to privacy. Network operators in the financial sector, for example, would be authorized to scan account holders’ traffic content for signs of trouble. The current Internet setup would remain intact for people who prefer to stay anonymous on the Web.

“I think what Keith is trying to suggest is that we need a more hardened enterprise structure for some activities and we need to go build it,” Hayden said during a roundtable on cybersecurity hosted by the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies. “All those people who want to violate their privacy on Facebook — let them continue to play.”

Read moreFormer CIA Director Michael Hayden: Build A New Internet To Improve Cybersecurity

Phone Hacking Scandal: MP Chris Bryant : ‘Murdoch Has Too Great A Sway Over National Life’, Compares Rupert Murdoch To Silvio Berlusconi

Phone Hacking: Chris Bryant compares Rupert Murdoch to Silvio Berlusconi (Telegraph, July 6, 2011)

News of the World phone hacking: Chris Bryant ‘Murdoch has too great a sway over national life

YouTube Added: 06.07.2011

Presenting The Totally New Scariest Jobs Chart Ever

Ladies And Gentlemen, We Have A Totally New Scariest Jobs Chart Ever (Business Insider, July 8, 2011):

For a long time we’ve been going with the same Scariest Jobs Chart Ever, which we ran this morning. It shows how bad this “recovery” has been compared to past ones.

It’s really scary, but we’re confident that we have a new winner.

It shows the average duration of unemployment, and it’s skyrocketing without any hint of slowing down.

Read morePresenting The Totally New Scariest Jobs Chart Ever

BUSTED: Japan’s Nuclear Industry Credibility Crumbles Amid Email Scandal

President of Japan Nuclear Operator May Resign Over E-Mails (New York Times, July 7, 2011):

TOKYO — The president of a nuclear plant operator said on Thursday that he may resign as a result of a scandal over faked e-mails that has added a bizarre new twist to a decision whether to allow Japan’s idled reactors to restart in the wake of the Fukushima disaster.

The president of Kyushu Electric Power, Toshio Manabe, told reporters that he must take responsibility for the e-mails, which were sent by employees of subsidiaries who posed as regular citizens supporting the restart of two local reactors. The e-mails were sent on June 26 during a live televised public hearing on whether to restart the reactors at the Genkai Nuclear Power Station, and some may have been read on the air.

The company was apparently trying to sway public opinion in hopes of persuading the governor of southern Saga Prefecture, where Genkai is located, to support the restart.

Kyushu Electric Power Busted for Using Shills to Promote Pro Nuke Views at Genkai Hearing (EX-SKF, July 6, 2011):

The Japanese national government and Kyushu Electric Power Company, both of whom are eager to restart the Reactors 2 and 3 (3 is MOX-fuel) at the aging nuclear power plant Genkai in Saga Prefecture, held a hearing back in June to discuss the matter with the 7 “concerned residents” handpicked by the national government (Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry).

The hearing was broadcast via cable TV and on the Internet. Even before the hearing (June 26), Japanese tweets were abuzz with allegations that Kyushu Electric employees were told to participate via emails and messages as anonymous, concerned private citizens and speak in favor of nuclear power and restarting Genkai.

It took about 2 weeks for the MSM to catch up with the alternative media, but now the news broke even on Yomiuri Shinbun, a traditionally pro-nuke news outlet.

Japan’s nuclear industry credibility crumbles amid email scandal (Reuters, July 8, 2011):

A Japanese nuclear power plant has come under fire for trying to sway the outcome of a public forum on atomic safety, dealing a fresh blow to the industry’s credibility four months after the world’s biggest nuclear disaster since Chernobyl.

An employee with Kyushu Electric Power Co instructed workers at the utility and its affiliates to pose as ordinary citizens and send e-mails backing the restart of nuclear reactors in southern Japan to a televised public hearing.

Read moreBUSTED: Japan’s Nuclear Industry Credibility Crumbles Amid Email Scandal

Exxon Mobil Faces Murder, Torture And Sexual Assault Charges In Indonesia

Exxon Mobil to Face Indonesia Human Rights Claims, U.S. Appeals Court Says (Bloomberg, July 8, 2011):

Exxon Mobil Corp. (XOM) must face claims it aided and abetted murder, torture and sexual assault by its security forces in Indonesia’s Aceh province, a federal appeals court ruled, reinstating a lawsuit thrown out by a lower court.

In a 2-1 decision today, the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington said Exxon Mobil didn’t have corporate immunity from claims filed by 15 Indonesian villagers under the Alien Tort Statute. The court reversed the ruling of a trial judge who said the villagers couldn’t use U.S. courts to sue over alleged actions that took place in Indonesia and involved the Indonesian military during a period of martial law.

“It would create a bizarre anomaly to immunize corporations from liability for the conduct of their agents in lawsuits brought for ‘shockingly egregious violations of universally recognized principles of international law,’” Judge Judith Rogers wrote in her 112-page opinion.

Read moreExxon Mobil Faces Murder, Torture And Sexual Assault Charges In Indonesia

Japan’s Top Nuclear Experts Blast Government And TEPCO

Nuclear accident disclosure (Japan Times, July 8, 2011):

The Atomic Energy Society of Japan, an academic society made up of experts on nuclear power engineering, nuclear reactor physics and radiology, on Monday issued a statement criticizing the government, Tokyo Electric Power Co. and other related institutions for delays and insufficiency in their disclosure of information concerning the accidents at Tepco’s Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, which began March 11.

People will give an approving nod to each of the points raised by the society because these points accurately show what they have been feeling about the behavior of the government and Tepco in connection with the Fukushima nuclear crisis.

The society says that the delay in the data disclosure is extremely regrettable and that the information has been insufficient.

Since the Atomic Energy Society of Japan is regarded as close to Japan’s nuclear power establishment, the criticism bears importance all the more.

The government, Tepco and other related institutions should closely examine their past behavior as to information disclosure and quickly change their attitude.

Read moreJapan’s Top Nuclear Experts Blast Government And TEPCO

Man Arrested For Collecting Radiation-Contaminated Rubble (!) 60 Km (!) From Fukushima Nuclear Plant Has Been Set Free Without Charge

… and we all know exactly why!!!


Man freed after arrest for collecting radiation-contaminated rubble in Fukushima (Mainichi, July 8, 2011):

A man has been freed after being held on suspicion of collecting rubble allegedly contaminated with radiation from the crippled Fukushima No. 1 Nuclear Power Plant without permission, the Mainichi has learned.

The man was arrested on March 26 after allegedly collecting about 1.8 metric tons of broken brick walls and other rubble from a house in Koriyama for a 42,000 yen fee without a license in violation of the Waste Disposal and Public Cleansing Law.

The Koriyama branch of the Fukushima District Public Prosecutors Office, however, decided to set him free without charge after concluding that the law does not apply to waste contaminated with radioactive materials, and the rubble gathered by the man may be contaminated with radiation. The prosecutors office declined comment on the case.

Read moreMan Arrested For Collecting Radiation-Contaminated Rubble (!) 60 Km (!) From Fukushima Nuclear Plant Has Been Set Free Without Charge

Tokyo Government Finds Radioactive Cesium At 2,300 Becquerels Per Kg In Cow Meat

Excess level of radioactive cesium found in meat of Fukushima cow+ (AP/Kyodo News, July 9, 2011):

TOKYO, July 9 (AP) – (Kyodo)—An excessive level of radioactive cesium has been found in the meat of one of 11 cows taken to a meat packing plant in Tokyo from Minamisoma, Fukushima Prefecture, the Tokyo metropolitan government said Friday.

It is the first time an excessive level of radioactive cesium has been found in meat, according to the health ministry. The meat in question contained radioactive cesium, measuring 2,300 becquerels per kilogram, against the provisional ceiling of 500 becquerels, according to the local government.

Read moreTokyo Government Finds Radioactive Cesium At 2,300 Becquerels Per Kg In Cow Meat

30 Reasons To Get Out Of Real Estate And Into REAL Assets

For your information …

There are more than 100 reasons why it is important to own a remote (!) farm in the coming collapse.

This article is mainly focused on investment real estate.


 

30 Reasons To Get Out Of Real Estate And Into REAL Assets (Business Insider, July 8, 2011):

“You can fool some of the people some of the time, but not all of the people all of the time.”
–Abraham Lincoln

We are in a major paradigm shift that like a tsunami starts slowly and ends with the landscape wiped clean.The paradigm shift is from paper assets to real tangible assets. This shift happens every generation or so,where one asset class dramatically outperforms the other.

The 40?s and 50?s paper assets like stocks and bonds were the place to be. In the 60?s and 70?s real assets like oil,cattle and precious metals were the best performing assets. In the 80?s and 90?s paper assets once again reigned supreme. Since 2000 there has been a real rush from paper assets to real assets once again. This paradigm shift will be much more dramatic than anything we have seen in our life time. This asset shift is going to coincide with a major shifts in demographics,politics,and world power.

The collapse of paper assets will not only include stocks and bonds, it will be the collapse of the entire basis of our society, the dollar. The dollar is the nexus of all commerce and is our way of life. The almighty dollar has terminal cancer and it will not recover to live to see the next paradigm. This shift from paper assets and real assets is driven by money/debt creation. Since our dollar IS debt,it is necessary for more debt to be created every year in excess of the debt AND interest accrued the year before. The majority of this debt was created during boom times when no one feared debt. When the inevitable slow down came,the Elite created more money/debt to keep the system going. This new money/debt creation,relative to the amount of real goods and services in a slowing economy,produces more inflation which naturally boosts the value of real assets.

This cycle has been successfully managed by the Elite in the past with the creation of Bretton Woods, the closing of the gold window,the Petro Dollar, Paul Volker slaying the inflation dragon in the 80?s with 22% interest rates,the banker bailout and QE 1 and 2. This time around,there is no way out except for a default. How that default plays out is still up in the air. I believe that we will get another deflationary shock to scare Congress and us into more money creation and then it is off to the hyper inflationary printing presses. The ONLY way to protect yourself from this mathematically inevitable disaster is to sell all of your paper assets now and buy real tangible assets. (Please read the ground breaking the Silver Bullet and Silver Shield for a better understanding of this concept.)

One of the most common misconceptions of real tangible assets is the thought that Real Estate is a real tangible asset. After all, it is called REAL Estate. Real Estate is much more a paper asset than a real asset and it will suffer tremendously during this dollar collapse. The Real Estate question is the biggest question I get in my Strategy Sessions. Real Estate is such a huge and personal investment,so it is hard for people to think rationally and unemotionally about this. If you can not only grasp the idea,but have enough courage to follow through on your idea,this will prove to be one of your most important decision you will ever make.

I want to lay out as many reasons as I can on why you should divest all of your investment Real Estate portfolio right now. I would have preferred you sell your real estate and buy real tangible assets like I did in 2005,but we are on the verge of another leg down in Real Estate and the name of the game is wealth preservation. Beyond wealth preservation, I believe that those that hold their wealth in real assets will see a massive increase in their real purchasing power.  So here are all of the reasons why you should flee the investment Real Estate market while you still can.

Read more30 Reasons To Get Out Of Real Estate And Into REAL Assets

BASF Considers Genetically Modified Crop Exit in Germany And Possible Move To The US

German Franken Potato Co. Wants To Set Up Shop Here (Health Freedom Alliance, July 7, 2011):

The largest chemical maker, BASF SE, might remove their GM crop research firm of 700 people from Germany due to heated, growing political opposition. Where can they go and be welcomed with open arms? The US, of course. Even Monsanto is paring down in Germany because its “basic framework doesn’t lend itself to further products.”

Germany is not too keen on nuclear reactors any more and the German Green Party likens the instability and risk of nuclear power to that of GMOs. The fear is that when things go wrong, it’s the people who have to deal with damages and costs.

The EU is allowing individual states to ban GMO cultivation which also allows the speedy approval process for the states that favor GMOs. Clive James, founder of nonprofit International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications argues that Germany will suffer economic damage to lose the scientists and firms. That they are not cooperating with “‘an essential element’ to help reach the United Nation’s goals of cutting poverty and hunger.”

~Health Freedoms

BASF Said to Consider Genetically Modified Crop Exit in Germany (Bloomberg, July 6, 2011):

BASF SE (BAS), the world’s biggest chemical maker, may withdraw genetically modified crop research from Germany in response to growing political opposition, three people familiar with discussions said.

The maker of the Amflora scientific potato is considering the future of its research facility in rural Limburgerhof in southwestern Germany, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the plans aren’t public. A move to the U.S. is possible for the plant biotechnology operations, which employ 700, said one of the people.

Read moreBASF Considers Genetically Modified Crop Exit in Germany And Possible Move To The US

German Exports Increase More Than Forecast

See also:

Outrage As Germany ‘Sells’ 200 Battle Tanks To Saudi Arabia


German Exports Increase More Than Forecast as Nation Weathers Euro Crisis (Bloomberg, July 8, 2011):

German exports increased more than economists forecast in May, adding to signs the sovereign debt crisis isn’t harming Europe’s largest economy.

Exports, adjusted for work days and seasonal changes, increased 4.3 percent from April, when they fell 5.6 percent, the Federal Statistics Office in Wiesbaden said today. Economists forecast a gain of 1.5 percent, according to the median of 12 estimates in a Bloomberg News survey. Imports rose 3.7 percent from the previous month.

Read moreGerman Exports Increase More Than Forecast

Meet The 15 Food Companies That Serve You ‘WOOD’: Pepsi, Kellogg, Weight Watchers, General Mills, McDonald’s, KFC, Yum’s Brands’ (Taco Bell, Pizza Hut), Wendy’s Arby’s, Nestle etc.

15 Food Companies That Serve You ‘Wood’ (The Street):

NEW YORK (TheStreet) — Are you getting what you pay for on your plate?

The recent class-action lawsuit brought against Taco Bell raised questions about the quality of food many Americans eat each day.

Chief among those concerns is the use of cellulose (read: wood pulp), an extender whose use in a roster of food products, from crackers and ice creams to puddings and baked goods, is now being exposed. What you’re actually paying for — and consuming — may be surprising.

Cellulose is virgin wood pulp that has been processed and manufactured to different lengths for functionality, though use of it and its variant forms (cellulose gum, powdered cellulose, microcrystalline cellulose, etc.) is deemed safe for human consumption, according to the FDA, which regulates most food industry products. The government agency sets no limit on the amount of cellulose that can be used in food products meant for human consumption. The USDA, which regulates meats, has set a limit of 3.5% on the use of cellulose, since fiber in meat products cannot be recognized nutritionally.

“As commodity prices continue to rally and the cost of imported materials impacts earnings, we expect to see increasing use of surrogate products within food items. Cellulose is certainly in higher demand and we expect this to continue,” Michael A. Yoshikami, chief investment strategist at YCMNet Advisors, told TheStreet.

Read moreMeet The 15 Food Companies That Serve You ‘WOOD’: Pepsi, Kellogg, Weight Watchers, General Mills, McDonald’s, KFC, Yum’s Brands’ (Taco Bell, Pizza Hut), Wendy’s Arby’s, Nestle etc.

Bayer Pays $750 Million To Settle GM Rice Lawsuit

Genetic rice lawsuit in St. Louis settled for $750 million (STLtoday, July 2, 2011):

ST. LOUIS • Bayer CropScience agreed here late Friday to pay up to $750 million to farmers in Missouri and four other states to settle lawsuits over contamination of the U.S. rice supply by LibertyLink genetically modified rice in 2006.

“It was a devastating blow to a lot of rice farmers, and I’m tickled to death that we’ve finally reached a settlement where Bayer for the first time has offered to make it right to these farmers,” said St. Louis lawyer Don Downing, who was co-lead counsel for the plaintiffs.

“I think it sends a signal to those who develop genetically modified seeds that they need to keep those seeds very carefully contained until they’re approved for human consumption,” Downing said.

But, he added, “We were very careful all along … not to say that these lawsuits are anti-GMO (genetically-modified organisms) because many of our farmers use GM crops.”

Read moreBayer Pays $750 Million To Settle GM Rice Lawsuit

Mall Uses Airport Body Scanning Technology for Clothes Shopping

This is not comparable to airport full-body scanners.


Mall Uses Airport Body Scanning Technology for Clothes Shopping (Daily Tech, July 1, 2011):

There has been a lot of controversy surrounding body scanners at the airport since they began producing nude photos of the public. While many have complained about the new technology, Unique Solutions Limited has found a new use for it that keeps the public’s clothes on.

Unique Solutions Limited, which was established in 1994, specializes in personalized shopping. It originally started out as a company that provides custom sewing patterns tailored to fit customers’ body shapes perfectly. Its goal is to provide clothing that fits an individual, since many clothing stores offer set sizes that may or may not fit the way they should. The company has expanded to offer technology that can provide this convenience.

Unique Solutions’ newest technology is called “mybestfit,” and it utilizes the body scanning technology used in airports — except it keeps your clothes on.

Read moreMall Uses Airport Body Scanning Technology for Clothes Shopping

Mike Krieger of KAM LP Explains Why QE 3 Will Merely Keep The Lights On – ‘The Stampede Is Yet To Come. But Come It Will.’

Mike Krieger Explains Why QE 3 Will Merely Keep The Lights On (ZeroHedge, July 8, 2011):

From Mike Krieger of KAM LP

“Whenever the economic life of a nation becomes pre¬carious, the central government is forced to assume additional responsibilities for the general welfare.  It must work out elaborate plans for dealing with a criti-cal situation; it must impose ever greater restrictions upon the activities of its subjects; and if, as is very likely, worsening economic conditions result in polit¬ical unrest, or open rebellion, the central government must intervene to preserve public order and its own authority. More and more power is thus concentrated in the hands of the executives and their bureaucratic managers. But the nature of power is such that even those who have not sought it, but have had it forced upon them, tend to acquire a taste for more. “Lead us not into temptation,” we pray — and with good reason; for when human beings are tempted too enticingly or too long, they generally yield. A democratic constitu¬tion is a device for preventing the local rulers from yielding to those particularly dangerous temptations that arise when too much power is concentrated in too few hands.
– Aldus Huxley, Brave New World Revisited

“A nation can survive its fools, and even the ambitious. But it cannot survive treason from within. An enemy at the gates is less formidable, for he is known and carries his banner openly. But the traitor moves amongst those within the gate freely, his sly whispers rustling through all the alleys, heard in the very halls of government itself. …He rots the soul of a nation, he works secretly and unknown in the night to undermine the pillars of the city, he infects the body politic so that it can no longer resist.
– Marcus Tullius Cicero (106 BC—43 BC)

QE3:  It Will Merely Keep the Lights On

This is a piece that has been festering in my head for quite some time now and I was waiting for the right moment to pen it.  That time is now.  In some ways The Bernank made a huge mistake by not launching QE3 right away when he had the chance.  Now don’t get me wrong, I am not in favor of any of this nonsense and I think The Bernank’s profession needs to go the way of the dodo bird, but I mean from the perspective of a Central Banker I think he made a big mistake by taking a breather from at least the printing and manipulations that they admit to.  The reason I say this is because up until the last month or so The Fed had been essentially telling the American sheeple that all was under control and that since The Bernank had studied the Great Depression and Japan he could save us from all the mistakes that were made back in those less enlightened times.  The Fed was saying that they could pull off the equivalent of preventing a serious hangover for someone that chugged an entire bottle of tequila.  They basically claimed to have found a way to break the laws of the universe.

Unfortunately for them, the cruel forces of reality have intervened and proven that they actually did not figure out how to change the immutable laws of physics.  This truth became abundantly clear at The Bernank’s most recent press conference (which if he is smart will be his last) where it became all too clear that even he comprehends on some level that his theories and in fact his entire life has been a complete waste of time and energy.  That would be ok if he were confined to some University lecture hall; however, his lunacy was unleashed on the entire planet and we will all suffer the dire consequences of it for many years to come.  He has basically shoved another bottle of tequila down the throat of the already passed out drunkard and now he not just unconscious but is DYING.

Read moreMike Krieger of KAM LP Explains Why QE 3 Will Merely Keep The Lights On – ‘The Stampede Is Yet To Come. But Come It Will.’